US 12,291,413 B2
Automatic bulk material dispensing system
Kris Dutkiewicz, Barrie (CA); Richard Longo, Bradford (CA); Yong Suk Jin, Oakville (CA); and Shamira Jaffer, Mississauaga (CA)
Assigned to SIGNIFI SOLUTIONS INC., Mississauga (CA)
Filed by SIGNIFI SOLUTIONS INC., Mississauga (CA)
Filed on Dec. 15, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/082,409.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/290,890, filed on Dec. 17, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0192424 A1, Jun. 22, 2023
Int. Cl. B65G 65/46 (2006.01); B65G 43/08 (2006.01); G07F 13/02 (2006.01); G07F 13/04 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 65/46 (2013.01) [B65G 43/08 (2013.01); G07F 13/02 (2013.01); G07F 13/04 (2013.01); B65G 2201/04 (2013.01); B65G 2203/0241 (2013.01); B65G 2203/0258 (2013.01); B65G 2203/042 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A bulk material dispensing apparatus comprising:
a frame;
a hopper supported in the frame, the hopper configured to contain a bulk material for dispensing by the dispensing apparatus and having a hopper outlet;
a feeding unit interconnected with the hopper outlet, the feeding unit configured to receive the bulk material from the hopper outlet and comprising:
a feeding tube; and
an auger disposed in the feeding tube, the auger configured to rotate to drive the bulk material received from the hopper outlet to be dispensed from a dispensing outlet; and
a controller interconnected with the auger, the controller configured to:
receive a dispensing request specifying a quantity of bulk material to dispense;
compute auger control parameters based on the quantity of bulk material, a pitch of an auger of a feeding unit of the dispensing apparatus, and parameters of the bulk material; and
control the auger to rotate to dispense the quantity of bulk material.