In a combination weighing apparatus, objects to be conveyed on a trough are conveyed by causing the trough to vibrate. The conveyed objects are aggregates of small pieces, such as potato chips or the like, or granular materials. Such a vibratory conveying apparatus is installed in a combination weighing machine set up in a food factory or the like.
Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 7-285637) discloses a conventional vibratory conveying apparatus. This vibratory conveying apparatus has a trough, a vibrator, and a clamp ring for securing the trough and the vibrator to each other. The vibratory conveying apparatus, which handles food, must be cleaned periodically; therefore, the trough and the vibrator are designed so that they can be attached to and detached from each other. Specifically, the trough and the vibrator both have flat disc-shaped members, and the clamp ring secures the two together in a superposed state. The clamp ring secures the two disc-shaped members by clamping the entire peripheries thereof, and pressing these members toward each other by means of its tapered structure.
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