Method and apparatus for the reduction of environmental pollution produced in material handling operations, especially but not exclusive in the transfer of material between two conveyor belts, one of material input and one of output of said material, are disclosed here. The pollution reduction mechanism is based on the reduction of the distance in free fall that the material travels from the material input conveyor belt, by means of maintaining live load of material inside the chute. To achieve this objective, the method considers: measuring the weight of the chute with material; the measurement of one of the two flows; the calculation of the rapidity of change of the weight of the chute; and the regulation of the mass flow of input to the chute or the regulation of the mass flow of output from the chute.

Method and apparatus for the reduction of environmental pollution produced in material handling operations, especially but not exclusive in the transfer of material between two conveyor belts, one of material input and one of output of said material, are disclosed here. The pollution reduction mechanism is based on the reduction of the distance in free fall that the material travels from the material input conveyor belt, by means of maintaining live load of material inside the chute. To achieve this objective, the method considers: measuring the weight of the chute with material; the measurement of one of the two flows; the calculation of the rapidity of change of the weight of the chute; and the regulation of the mass flow of input to the chute or the regulation of the mass flow of output from the chute.

A metering device for discharging bulk material at a discharge opening, with a hopper for storing the bulk material, and a conveying device for conveying the bulk material from the hopper to the discharge opening, wherein the hopper has an outlet opening through which the bulk material can be conveyed out of the hopper by means of the conveying device, and a slide gate, the position of which determines an outlet cross-section of the outlet opening, wherein the metering device has a motor-operated actuator for adjusting the outlet cross-section, a control device for controlling the metering device and a motor-operated actuator for adjusting the slide gate, which is controlled via the control device as a function of a target feed rate.

A metering device for discharging bulk material at a discharge opening, with a hopper for storing the bulk material, and a conveying device for conveying the bulk material from the hopper to the discharge opening, wherein the hopper has an outlet opening through which the bulk material can be conveyed out of the hopper by means of the conveying device, and a slide gate, the position of which determines an outlet cross-section of the outlet opening, wherein the metering device has a motor-operated actuator for adjusting the outlet cross-section, a control device for controlling the metering device and a motor-operated actuator for adjusting the slide gate, which is controlled via the control device as a function of a target feed rate.

A conveyor capacity control system includes a conveyor operative to receive granular material at a conveyor intake thereof and convey same to a conveyor discharge with a conveying device at a conveyor flow rate up to a maximum conveyor flow rate, and a granular material container with a container discharge opening oriented to discharge granular material from the granular material container into the conveyor intake, and a discharge gate movable to control a size of the container discharge opening. A flow rate control processor is operative to determine the maximum conveyor flow rate and detect when a discharge flow rate of granular material from the container discharge opening into the conveyor intake is greater than or less than the maximum conveyor flow rate, and increase or decrease the discharge flow rate to substantially coincide with the maximum conveyor flow rate. A hoist control is also provided for a truck box.

A conveyor capacity control system includes a conveyor operative to receive granular material at a conveyor intake thereof and convey same to a conveyor discharge with a conveying device at a conveyor flow rate up to a maximum conveyor flow rate, and a granular material container with a container discharge opening oriented to discharge granular material from the granular material container into the conveyor intake, and a discharge gate movable to control a size of the container discharge opening. A flow rate control processor is operative to determine the maximum conveyor flow rate and detect when a discharge flow rate of granular material from the container discharge opening into the conveyor intake is greater than or less than the maximum conveyor flow rate, and increase or decrease the discharge flow rate to substantially coincide with the maximum conveyor flow rate. A hoist control is also provided for a truck box.

The present invention relates to a guide unit for measurement acting as a guide for measuring the micro-weight of fine grains having minute weight and volume, such as powders, granules, seeds and pills, and to a micro-weight measuring system for accurately measuring the fine grains by a preset micro-weight by using the guide unit for measurement. The present invention has an effect of being capable of measuring the micro-weight as a unit to thereby package fine grains such as powders, granules, seeds and pills by micro-weight unit. In addition, the present invention has an effect of being capable of accurately measuring the fine grains by the preset micro-weight in such a manner that in the procedure of discharging a one-unit-micro-weight of the fine grains, some of the fine grains are discharged at a smaller amount than the initially-discharged amount and are finally discharged by dropping.

The present invention relates to a guide unit for measurement acting as a guide for measuring the micro-weight of fine grains having minute weight and volume, such as powders, granules, seeds and pills, and to a micro-weight measuring system for accurately measuring the fine grains by a preset micro-weight by using the guide unit for measurement. The present invention has an effect of being capable of measuring the micro-weight as a unit to thereby package fine grains such as powders, granules, seeds and pills by micro-weight unit. In addition, the present invention has an effect of being capable of accurately measuring the fine grains by the preset micro-weight in such a manner that in the procedure of discharging a one-unit-micro-weight of the fine grains, some of the fine grains are discharged at a smaller amount than the initially-discharged amount and are finally discharged by dropping.