AU618687B2 - Bulk weigh system - Google Patents

Description

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-I 4 618687 S F Ref: 102966 FORM COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int. Class Application Number: PJ6546 Lodged: 21 September 1989 Accepted: Published: 9 o Priority: Related Art: Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Anderson Rea Pty Limited 537 Lake Road Argenton New South Wales 2284

AUSTRALIA

Francis Barry Hunt, Ronald Charles Dews Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys, Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia i

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Complete Specification for the invention entitled: Bulk Weigh System The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best mcthod of performing it known to me/us 8 017243 1 0 o 5815/2 L~ I 1 BULK WEIGH SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a bulk weighing system and, in particular, to an automated bulk weighing system particularly suited for use with top loaded open wagons.

In the particular field of rail bulk loading systems as used at rail heads at coalmines and the like, granulE- material such as coal is fed from a chute or hopper located above an open wagon using a system known as choke feed. Under this arrangement an open wagon is passed beneath the chute or hopper, the chute or hopper outlet opened and granular material allowed to fall by gravity into the open wagon until the material fills the wagon to the level of the outlet of the chute at which time vertical granular material flow stops unless and until the wagon is moved so as to 1 o expose additional empty wagon volume for filling. This syster, has been essentially manual in nature and is somewhat rough and ready. In particular this way of going about wagon loading is not designed to provide o" a wagon having both correct weight and an even loading on all axles.

S It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substan- 'tially ameliorate one or more of the above mentioned disadvantages.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, in one broad form, there is provided a wagon loading system for use with a choke feed chute which loads granular or particulate material into an open topped wagon by gravity feeu of said granular or particulate material from said chute to said wagon as said wagon moves beneath said chute; said system including calculation means which receives wagon speed data, wagon size/capacity data, wagon location data, desired wagon load weight data and from said data calculates when to allow said material to be fed into said wagon and when to prevent said material from being fed into said wagon, whereby all axles of said wagon are i~ IG'I substantially evenly loaded and said wagon is loaded to a desired weight.

:-IB R BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of the relationship between the main components of the bulk weigh system, Fig. 2 shows the general arrangement of a chute above a wagon with appropriate sensors and controls marktd thereon in accordance witih the first embodiment, and -2- HRF/0099z

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Fig. 3 shows a general flow chart for operation of the first embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION This system allows for automatic loading and weighing of bulk materials into open topped rail wagons from overhead storage systems.

The system combines a feed conveyor belt weigher 2, overhead storage bin capacity measuring system 6, continuous train speed detection and flood loading system to control the train speed indication and weigh the payload discharged into the rail wagons.

Data collected from the associated equipment (belt weigh, bin measure, train speed and flood loader control) is fed to a Personal Computer 7 for processing and recording.

The wagon position is detected by photo electric cells and with processed data withini the system, adjustments are made automatically to .090 150 cause the rail wagons to be loaded with a pre-determined payload centrally located within the wagon.

The general functional interelatibnship of the components comprising e .o the system is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 shows the approximate physical location of and physical relationship between the main components comprising the system of the first embodiment. In particular, a feed conveyor 1, having a belt weigher 2 'located thereon near the discharge end of the conveyor, feeds bulk, particulate material into a bin 3. The bottom end of the bin is fitted with remote controlled flood load gates 4 which, on opening, discharge bulk -O particulate material into rail wagons 5. These wagons are identified by the wagon detection system 10 when a wagon is located immediately thereunder. The physical arrangement is of the choke feed type wherein, in the absence of movement of the wagon 5, only a finite amount of bulk particulate material will discharge from the bin 3 into the wagon 30 Specifically the discharge stops when sufficient material falls into the wagon 5 such that the material "backs up" and forms a continuous blockage from the top of the wagon back up through the discharge chute defined by the open flood load gates 4 and into the interior of the bin 3.

The bin 3 is fitted with a load weight sensor 6 (hereinafter termed the bin measure system) which provides a control computer (not shown) 7 with data from which the weight of bulk particulate material in the bin 3 can be derived. The conveyor belt weigher 2 provides the control computer '7 with data from which the weight of bulk particulate material being fed -3- HRF/0099z Si

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'into the bin 3 by the conveyor 1 during various predetermined periods of time can be determined by the control computer 7.

The system incorporates a four aspect signal 8 (or group of signals or similar indication system) which is used to signal the train driver so as to indicate whether the train is running too fast, too slow, at the right speed, and whether to increase speed incrementally or decrease speed incrementally. Regulation of train speed as the wagons pass for loading beneath the storage bin 3 is an important contributor to the overall accuracy of the system.

Also incorporated in the system is a train speed detection device 9 which, in this embodiment, comprises a video camera connected to a video processor which compares detected image movement with time to provide an J indication of train speed to the control computer 7.

The system also includes sensors 10 to indicate to the control computer 7 when the front of a wagon passes below the flood gates 4 and I when the rear of that same wagon passes the flood load gates 4. In this to embodiment the sensor 10 comprises an interrupted light beam sensor (or S: similar equipment) which beam is interrupted (and thereby causes a signal to be sent to the control computer 7) by the presence of a wagon below the flood load gates 4.

Using the data derived from all of the above described sensing equipment together with provision of the appropriate output to the four aspect signals 8 (or similar indication system), the control computer 7 determines when to open and close the flood load gates 4 so as to provide a S'Z correct weight of granular material in each wagon 5 together with an even distribution of that weight over the axles of the wagon 5. Fig. 3 shows a general logic flowchart for the calculations performed by the control computer 7 in order to achieve this end. It should be noted that the process is iterative in that if the sensors indicate to the computer than a wagon reached correct weight too soon or that the wagon was not otherwise loaded evenly then corrective action is taken, principally by signalling to the train driver by means of the four aspect signals 8 to change the speed of the train incrementally together, if necessary with an adjustment of the opening and closing times of the flood load gates 4 with respect to the sensing of a wagon 5 beneath the flood load gates 4.

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i It will be apparent that as the bulk material is fed to the overhead storage system by a belt conveyor 1, a precision belt scale should be located as near as possible to the conveyor discharge point. Data Is taken from the belt weigher 2 regarding conveyor feed rate and belt speed. This data is used to establish the amount of material feed to the bin during individual wagon loading.

On depositing the material in the storage bin 3 the storage measure system 6 is able to establish the weight of material in the bin. At the commencement of wagon loading (initiated by the flood loader gate open signal) the measure system takes a reading on the amount of material stored in the bin and again at the end of loading (initiated by the flood loader gate close signal).

With the combination of conveyor feed and differential of bin storage measure readings the wagon load can be established.

0000 On establishing the wagon load it is possible thus to deposit that 0 load centrally in the wagon 5. On identification of the wagon front, a 7o train speed is registered and an adjustable timer is activated to signal o the flood loader gates 4 to open so as to give ideal loading in the wagon Y000 front. During wagon filling continuous speed registration takes place so that at the identification of the wagon rear a second adjustable timer is activated to signal the flood loader gates to close.

00° Should the material bulk density vary from the programmed density the 0000 gate closing will be activated to give capacity loading close gates prior to end of wagon). This means the front of the wagon will be loaded to suit the programmed bulk material with a given density, if the density increases to that programmed then the wagon load (by weight) is achieved prior to registration for the end of wagon and the flood loader gates are closed on weight not on end of wagon as required for central loading. When Sthis occurs the load is not centrally located within the wagon but an oool automatic adjustment based on data derived as a result of this wagon load Soperation takes place to cause central location of the load in the following wagons.

The continuous train speed registration is by processing a closed circuit television camera image. By using continuous train speed registration, speed bands can be set to control rail signals and/or other locomotive speed indication systems, allowing the locomotive driver to control the locomotive speed within these speed bands.

HRF/0099z Loading system accuracy is controlled by the train speed being within a preset band.

Automatic flood gate control is by way of photo electric beams for identification of wagon ends. On breaking and/or making a beam a signal is received indicating the status of the wagon relative to the flood loading chute.

With the combination of the conveyor weigher 2, bin measure 6, speed registration and auto control of the flood loading system it is possible to 1| measure wagon loads of bulk materials and distribute that load centrally in the rail wagon while loading unit trains travelling through loading terminals at a continuous steady speed.

The system is controlled by a computer system which gathers Information from the associated equipment and combines the data to allow I automatic loading and weighing with automatic system adjustments as rcquired.

The preferred embodiment combines a belt weighing system, bin measure iI system, train speed registration equipment and automatically controlled jIl S telescopic flood loading gate to automatically fill rail wagons, control i the rail signaling system and weigh bulk material beincg loaded into the wagon.

The above describes only one embodiment of the present invention and Smodifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

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Claims (11)

1. A wagon loading system for use with a choke feed chute which loads granular or particulate material into an open topped wagon by gravity feed of said granular or particulate material from said chute to said wagon as said wagon moves beneath said chute; said system including calculation means which receives wagon speed data, wagon size/capacity data, wagon location data, desired wagon load weight data and from said data calculates when to allow said material to be fed into said wagon and when to prevent said material from being fed into said wagon, whereby all axles of said wagon are substantially evenly loaded and said wagon is loaded to a desired weight.

2. A wagon loading system according to claim 1 wherein the calculation means also receives data regarding the capacity of a storage container from which said granular or particulate material is loaded by the chute.

3. A wagon loading system according to either claim 1 or claim 2 S wherein the calculation means also receives data relating to the weight of tI a conveyor belt which feeds the granular or particulate material into a storage container from which the material is loaded by the chute.

4. A wagon loading system according to any preceding claim further comprising means for controlling the loading of the material by the chute, S the controlling means being adapted to control gates which open and close Sthe chute. t

5. A wagon loading system according to any preceding claim further ,5 comprising indicating means for indicating whether the speed of the wagon should be altered.

6. A wagon loading system according to claim 5 wherein said indicating means indicates whether the wagon is moving too slowly, too S quickly, at the right speed or whether its speed should be incrementally Sincreased or decreased.

7. A wagon loading system according to any preceding claim further comprising speed detection means coupled to the calculation means for detecting the speed of the wagon and passing the wagon speed data to the calculation means.

8. A wagon loading system according to any preceding claim further comprising location detection means coupled to the calculation means for detecting the location of the wagon and passing the wagon location data to the calculation means. -7- HRF/0099z

9. A detecting mear compares detec A detecting mear light beam by

11. A v said calculati

12. A v with reference ti It I LI ii 'C ""i25 S i HRF/0099z C 9. A wagon loading system according to claim 7 wherein the speed detecting means comprises a video camera and a video processor which compares detected image movement with time to produce the wagon speed data. A wagon loading system according to claim 8 wherein the location detecting means comprises a light beam sensor in which interruption of the light beam by the wagon produces the wagon location data. 11. A wagon loading system according to any preceding claim wherein said calculation means comprises a computer. 12. A wagon loading system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. DATED this TWENTY FIFTH day of JULY 1990 i Anderson Rea Pty Limited 4 2 s r SPRUSON FERGUSON 36 -8- HRF/0099z