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A measuring apparatus for measuring various kinds of products irregular in weight such as vegetables and fruits, confectionery, secondary processed goods, perishable foods and the like with constant qualities. According to the invention, the apparatus comprises a distributing table supplied with the

A measuring apparatus for measuring various kinds of products irregular in weight such as vegetables and fruits, confectionery, secondary processed goods, perishable foods and the like with constant qualities. According to the invention, the apparatus comprises a distributing table supplied with the products to be measured, feeding troughs arranged about the distributing table to form a plurality of branched passages for the product, pool hoppers and measuring hoppers continuously connected to the respective troughs so as to permit the product on the distributing table to be introduced through the feeding troughs and the pool hoppers into the measuring hoppers, and computer means for selecting a combination of the measuring hoppers whose weight of product accommodated therein is equal or near to a set weight and opening the selected measuring hoppers to exhaust the measured product. The apparatus is remarkably improved in construction, particularly with respect to the transfer means for transferring the product through the apparatus.

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1. A weighing apparatus comprising a distributing table for receiving product to be weighed, feeding troughs mounted around said distributing table to form a plurality of branched passages for the product, pool hoppers and weighing hoppers connected to the respective feeding troughs for transferring

1. A weighing apparatus comprising a distributing table for receiving product to be weighed, feeding troughs mounted around said distributing table to form a plurality of branched passages for the product, pool hoppers and weighing hoppers connected to the respective feeding troughs for transferring said product on said distributing table through said feeding troughs and said pool hoppers into said weighing hoppers, computer means for selecting a combination of a plurality of said weighing hoppers whose total weight of the product is substantially equal to a set weight to open the selected weighing hoppers to exhaust the weighed product, said distributing table comprises a set of two elongated distributing plates respectively transferring said product to be weighed in opposite directions with the aid of vibration, said feeding troughs are arranged at respective outer edges of said distributing plates side by side in the transferring directions of the product and extending perpendicularly to said outer edges in parallel relationship with each other, said pool hoppers and weighing hoppers are continuously arranged at respective exhaust ports of said feeding troughs, collection hoppers are mounted below said distributing table to be adjacent to the lower ends of all said weighing hoppers, each of said pool and weighing hoppers includes a bottom plate, and an opening and closing mechanism for each of said pool and weighing hoppers, a driving shaft mounted in the transfer direction of said product and linked to each said opening and closing mechanisms for timely opening and closing of said bottom plates, means for regulating the fall of product is provided in an inner surface of each of said collecting hoppers for making uniform the falling time of the product from an upper opening to the exhaust port of said collecting hoppers, and said means for regulating includes an L-shaped baffle plate mounted on and extending from an inner surface of a side wall of each said collecting hopper, whereby the falling time of the product impinging against said baffle plate is extended to make uniform the falling time of the products as a whole. 2. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said two distributing plates are mounted in parallel whereby the inner longitudinal edges of said plates are in contact with each other and higher than said outer edges of said plate to form a roof-shaped cross-section. 3. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said two distributing plates include at their respective transfer ends guide frame plates standing upright from said distributing plates, said guide frame plates being arranged angularly to said transferring directions to guide the product at one of said transfer terminal ends to transfer start end of the other distributing plate. 4. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said transfer terminal ends of both the distributing plates are formed with guide floor surfaces for introducing the product to be measured to the transfer start ends of the other distributing plates. 5. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein each said guide floor surface comprises a first guide surface upwardly inclining from said distributing plate in the transferring direction and a second guide surface connected to said first guide surface and extending toward the inner longitudinal edge of the other distributing plate. 6. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each said driving shaft includes cam shafts actuated through respective magnetic clutches, a cam provided on each said cam shaft is linked to each said opening and closing mechanism. 7. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each said bottom plate is pivotally secured to each of said pool and weighing hoppers to be opened and closed. 8. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bottom plates of said pool and weighing hoppers and said opening and closing mechanisms are mounted on a frame of said weighing apparatus, and said pool and weighing hoppers are detachably mounted on said frame. 9. A weighing apparatus as set forth in any one of claims 6-8, wherein each said opening and closing mechanism is a toggle-type mechanism. 10. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each said feeding trough comprises a reciprocating feeder having an oscillator for transporting the product in said feeding trough, a control device for regulating feeding conditions of each of said reciprocating feeders, said control device comprising an input unit for inputting the set weight and relative data of the weighing apparatus, a hopper selection unit for selecting a combination of said weighing hoppers whose total weight of the product is substantially equal to said set weight, a checking unit for checking whether the feeding conditions of said reciprocating feeders are suitable or not, a regulating unit for regulating said feeding conditions in response to the result of said checking operation of said checking unit, said checking unit operates to check the weight of the product to be weighed which is stored in said weighing hoppers in response to a predetermined reference value, said regulating unit, as the result of said checking operation, operates to adjust feeding conditions of said reciprocating feeders in such a direction that the weight of the product to be weighed which is stored in said weighing hoppers is increased in case that the weighed value is less than said predetermined reference value, and in turn operates to adjust feeding conditions of said reciprocating feeders in such a direction that the weight of the product to be weighed which is stored in said weighing hoppers is decreased in case that the weighed value is higher than said predetermined reference value. 11. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein said regulating unit separately regulates said feeders through drivers. 12. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said distributing plates comprises a distributing feeder having an oscillator and each of said feeding troughs includes a reciprocating feeder having an oscillator respectively for actuating said reciprocating feeder to transport said product on and in said distributing plate and feeding trough, and said apparatus further comprises a control device for regulating transfer conditions of said feeding troughs and reciprocating feeders, said control device comprising an input unit for inputting the set weight of said weighing apparatus and transfer conditions, a hopper selection unit for selecting a combination of said weighing hoppers whose total weight of the product is substantially equal to said set weight, a checking unit for checking whether said transfer conditions are suitable or not, and a regulating unit for regulating said transfer conditions in response to the result of said checking unit, said checking unit operates to check the weight of the product which weight is stored in said weighing hoppers in response to a predetermined reference value, said regulating unit, as the result of said checking operation, operates to adjust said transfer conditions in such a direction that the weight of the product stored in said weighing hoppers is increased in case that said weight value is less than said reference value, and in turn operates to adjust said transfer conditions in such a direction that the weight of the product stored in said weighing hoppers is decreased in case that said weight value is higher than said reference value. 13. A weighing apparatus as set forth in any one of claims 10, 11 or 12 further comprising a drive circuit for reciprocating said reciprocating feeders and a rectifier circuit for supplying dc power to said drive circuit from ac power mains. 14. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a means for supplying the product from a product supply apparatus, comprising a supply hopper, to said distributing table, said supply hopper being provided with exhaust ports bifurcated in said transferring direction and being further provided with a valve for setting the amount of the product delivered to said distributing table, sensors respectively located in the proximity of said exhaust ports of said supply hopper for automatically causing the opening and closing of said valve by the output of said sensors. 15. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 14, wherein each said sensor is an optical sensor having a light emitting element and a light receiving element mounted in confronting relationship, and a plurality of said sensors are arranged one above the other in a multiple stage. 16. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 14 further comprising a control device for regulating product supply conditions of said means for supplying, said control device comprising an input unit for inputting at least the set weight of said weighing apparatus, a hopper selection unit for selecting the weighing hoppers whose weight of product is substantially equal to said set weight, a checking unit for checking whether the supply conditions of said means for supplying are suitable or not, and a regulating unit for suitably regulating supply conditions in response to said checking unit. 17. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein said means for supplying comprises a supply feeder having an oscillator, transfer conditions of said supply feeder being regulated by a control device. 18. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the corners of each collecting hopper are widely camfered, thereby eliminating any delay in the falling time of the product falling along said corners to make uniform the falling time of the product as a whole. 19. A weighing apparatus comprising a distributing table for receiving product to be weighed, feeding troughs mounted around the periphery of said distributing table to form a plurality of branched passages for the product, pool hoppers and weighing hoppers connected to the respective feeding troughs for transferring said product on said distributing table through said feeding troughs and said pool hoppers into said weighing hoppers, computer means for selecting a combination of a plurality of said weighing hoppers the total weight of the product therein which is substantially equal to a set weight to open the selected weighing hoppers to exhaust the weighed product therein, said distributing table comprising a set of two elongated vibrating distributing plates respectively transferring said product in opposite directions, and a mounting plate located above each said distributing plate and including at least one control plate adjustable in height and downwardly extending toward an inlet port of said feeding troughs, said control plate regulating the amount of product supplied to said feeding trough, said feeding troughs are mounted at respective outer edges of said distributing plates in side-by-side relationship in the transferring directions of said product and extending perpendicularly to said outer edges of the plates in parallel relationship with one another, said pool hoppers and weighing hoppers are continuously arranged at respective exhaust ports of said feeding troughs, each of said pool and weighing hoppers includes a bottom plate, and an opening and closing mechanism for each of said pool and weighing hoppers. 20. A weighing apparatus as set forth in claim 19, wherein each said control plate is a flexible synthetic thin plate formed in its lower portion with several slits.