JP7571566B2 - Filling Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a filling device.

Patent document 1 discloses a configuration in which toner is discharged from a discharge port located at the bottom end of a funnel and filled into a container, in which the discharge port is opened and closed by a plate-shaped opening and closing valve.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 04-057703

A possible filling device is one that includes a filling section having a filling port that fills the container with powder from above the container opening, and an upper plate that can protrude laterally from an open position relative to the filling port to a closed position. With this filling device, if powder falling from the filling port hits the tip of the upper plate moving to the closed position, the powder may fly off and adhere to the outside of the container.

Compared to a configuration that has only an upper plate between the opening of the container and the filling port, the present invention aims to prevent powder from adhering to the outside of the container when the powder falling from the filling port hits the tip of the upper plate that is moving to the closed position.

The first aspect includes a filling section having a filling port for filling powder into the container from above the container opening, an upper plate that can protrude laterally from an open position relative to the filling port to a closed position, and a lower plate that is disposed below the upper plate and above the opening at a position along the periphery of the opening and overlaps with the tip of the upper plate in a plan view when the upper plate is in the closed position.

In the second embodiment, the lower plate can be extended and retracted from a position along the periphery of the opening as an extended position, is in the retracted position while the powder is being filled into the container, and moves to the extended position after the powder is filled into the container, after which the upper plate moves to the closed position.

The third aspect is equipped with a lower plate cleaning unit that cleans the lower plate when the lower plate is in the retracted position.

In the fourth aspect, the lower plate moves to an intermediate position between the retracted position and the extended position after cleaning by the lower plate cleaning unit while the powder is being filled into the container.

The fifth aspect is an upper plate cleaning unit having a box body through which internal gas is sucked and an entrance formed in the box body through which the upper plate enters and exits, and includes an upper plate cleaning unit that stores the upper plate inside the box body when the upper plate is in the open position, and the movement speed of the upper plate when passing through the entrance toward the inside is slower than the movement speed of the upper plate after passing through.

In the sixth aspect, a reduction member that reduces the opening area is attached to the entrance/exit.

In the seventh aspect, after the upper plate protrudes to the closed position, the lower plate protrudes from the protruding position to a lower plate closed position relative to the filling port.

In the eighth embodiment, the lower plate retracts from the lower plate closed position to the retracted position after the upper plate, which protrudes to the closed position, retracts to the open position.

The configuration of the first aspect, compared to a configuration in which only an upper plate is provided between the opening of the container and the filling port, prevents the powder from adhering to the outside of the container when the powder falling from the filling port hits the tip of the upper plate moving to the closed position.

Compared to a configuration in which the lower plate is always positioned along the periphery of the opening, the second configuration prevents the lower plate from interfering with the container when the opening of the container is brought close to the filling port to a position above the lower plate when filling the container with powder.

The configuration of the third aspect prevents powder that falls onto the lower plate from adhering to the outside of the container, compared to a configuration in which the lower plate remains dirty.

The configuration of the fourth aspect prevents the powder from adhering to the outside of the container while it is being filled, compared to a configuration in which the lower plate is always in the retracted position while the powder is being filled into the container.

The fifth aspect of the configuration reduces poor cleaning of the upper plate compared to a configuration in which the upper plate's moving speed is always constant.

The sixth aspect of the configuration reduces poor cleaning of the upper plate compared to a configuration in which the upper plate cleaning unit has only a box body and an entrance/exit.

The seventh aspect of the configuration prevents powder from adhering to the outside of the container, compared to a configuration in which the lower plate protrudes to the lower plate closed position before the upper plate protrudes to the closed position.

The eighth aspect of the configuration prevents powder from adhering to the outside of the container, compared to a configuration in which the lower plate retracts from the lower plate closed position before the upper plate that protrudes to the closed position retracts to the open position.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a filling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the configuration of the filling device according to the present embodiment. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a lower shutter has been moved to an intermediate position in the configuration shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration shown in FIG. 3 with the container moved to a lower position. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the lower shutter has been moved to a protruding position in the configuration shown in FIG. 4 . 6 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the upper shutter has been moved to a closed position in the configuration shown in FIG. 5 . 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the lower shutter has been moved to a closed position in the configuration shown in FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which, in the configuration shown in FIG. 7, the upper shutter has been moved to an open position and then the lower shutter has been moved to a retracted position. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 7, showing the configuration of the upper shutter and the upper cleaning unit according to the present embodiment. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the lower shutter and the lower cleaning unit according to the present embodiment, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 7. 2 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the filling unit, container, upper shutter, lower shutter, upper cleaning unit, and lower cleaning unit according to the present embodiment. FIG.

An example of an embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the drawings.

<Filling device 10>
First, a description will be given of the configuration of the filling device 10. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the filling device 10. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the configuration of the filling device 10.

The filling device 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is a device that fills a cartridge body 18 (hereinafter referred to as container 18) with toner T, which is used, for example, in an electrophotographic image forming device. Therefore, the container 18 is a cylindrical (see Figure 2) storage body with an opening 18A formed at the top. Here, the toner T is an example of a powder.

Toner T is considered a consumable item in image forming devices. Therefore, container 18 filled with toner T is used as a replacement part for image forming devices. Here, container 18 filled with toner T is called cartridge 19 (see FIG. 4). Note that container 18 and cartridge 19 are not components of filling device 10. Also, FIG. 1 illustrates a state in which container 18 is in the middle of being filled with toner T.

As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the filling device 10 has a filling unit 20, a covering unit 30, a suction unit 40, and a control unit 50. As shown in Fig. 1, the filling device 10 also has shutters 56, 57, and cleaning units 60, 70.

[Filling section 20]
The filling unit 20 has a function of filling the container 18 with toner T from above the container 18. For this reason, a toner discharge port of a toner tank (not shown) containing the toner T is connected to the upper part of the filling unit 20. In addition, the container 18 is disposed below the filling unit 20. When the filling unit 20 fills the container 18 with toner T, the container 18 is disposed in a filling position (position shown in FIGS. 1 to 3) described below.

As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the filling section 20 has a cylindrical section 22 and a connecting section 24. As shown in Fig. 1, the cylindrical section 22 is a cylinder with openings 22A and 22B formed at the top and bottom, respectively. The cylindrical section 22 is disposed in the up-down direction (the direction of the arrow H in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2). The dashed line L in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 indicates the axial center of the cylindrical section 22.

The connecting part 24 is a truncated cone-shaped cylinder with a smaller opening at the bottom than at the top. Openings 24A and 24B are formed at the top and bottom of the connecting part 24, respectively. The periphery of opening 24B of the connecting part 24 is connected to the periphery of opening 22A of the cylindrical part 22, making the connecting part 24 one piece with the cylindrical part 22.

The opening 24A of the connecting portion 24 is adapted to be connected to the toner discharge port of a toner tank (not shown) located above. Therefore, the filling portion 20 allows the toner T discharged from the toner discharge port of the toner tank and passing through the opening 24A of the connecting portion 24 to fall from the opening 22B of the cylindrical portion 22, filling the container 18 until a predetermined amount is reached. In other words, the opening 22B of the cylindrical portion 22 is a filling port through which the toner T is filled into the container 18 from above the opening 18A of the container 18. Hereinafter, the opening 22B may be referred to as the filling port 22B.

A transport member (not shown) that transports the toner T is disposed inside the cylindrical portion 22. In this embodiment, the transport member is, as an example, an auger, and the auger is disposed so that the axial center of its rotation shaft overlaps with the axial center of the cylindrical portion 22, and transports the toner T from above downward.

[Covering portion 30]
1 and 2, the covering part 30 surrounds the filling part 20 (specifically, the cylindrical part 22) and covers the container 18 disposed below the filling part 20 from above, thereby forming a flow path F1 (see FIG. 1) from the container 18 to the suction part 40. The covering part 30 has a lid part 32 and a wall part 34.

<Cover portion 32>
The lid portion 32 is a disk-shaped plate with a circular hole 33 (see FIG. 1 ) formed in the center. The edge of the hole 33 of the lid portion 32 is bonded to the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 22, and the lid portion 32 is fixed without forming a gap between the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 22. Therefore, even if the air inside the container 18 is sucked by the suction portion 40 described later, air does not flow into the covering portion 30 through the hole 33 of the lid portion 32.

<Wall portion 34>
The wall portion 34 is a cylindrical body extending in the vertical direction. The upper end of the wall portion 34 is connected to the outer end of the lid portion 32 in the radial direction (the direction of the arrow R in FIG. 1 ), and is integrated with the lid portion 32. Therefore, the wall portion 34 surrounds the cylindrical portion 22. The axial center of the wall portion 34 overlaps with the axial center of the cylindrical portion 22. An opening 36A (see FIG. 1 ) is formed on the lower side of the wall portion 34. The lower end surface 36B (see FIG. 1 ) of the wall portion 34 is formed above the lower end surface 22C of the cylindrical portion 22.

<Circular hole 37 and elongated hole 38>
1 and 2, a circular hole 37 and an elongated hole 38 are formed in the wall portion 34. The peripheral portion of the hole 37 is connected to a suction portion 40, which will be described later. The hole 37 penetrates the wall portion 34 in the radial direction of the wall portion 34 (the direction of the arrow R in FIG. 1).

A number of holes 38 are formed in the wall portion 34. The holes 38 function to allow air to flow into the flow path F1 from outside the cover portion 30.

The holes 38 are formed in the wall 34 below the hole 37 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In this embodiment, as an example, seven holes 37 are arranged along the circumferential direction of the wall 34 (direction C in Fig. 2). The holes 38 penetrate the wall 34 along the radial direction of the wall 34. All the holes 38 are formed on the side of the wall 34 where the hole 37 is formed (the right side of the dashed line L in Fig. 1). In other words, the holes 38 are formed in the wall 34 of the cover 30 only on the side where the suction section 40 is connected to the cylindrical section 22 of the filling section 20.

[Suction unit 40]
The suction unit 40 is connected to the cover unit 30 and has a function of sucking air from inside the cover unit 30. As shown in Fig. 1, the suction unit 40 has a cylinder 42 and a suction machine 44 constituted by a fan.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder 42 is cylindrical. One end of the cylinder 42 is connected to the cover 30, and the other end is fixed to the suction device 44. An opening 42A is formed at one end of the cylinder 42, and the periphery of the opening 42A is connected to the periphery of a hole 37 formed in the wall 34 of the cover 30, thereby connecting the cylinder 42 to the cover 30. Therefore, the cylinder 42 is connected to the wall 34 above the multiple holes 38. The cylinder 42 is disposed along the radial direction of the wall 34. An opening 42B is formed at the other end of the cylinder 42, and the suction device 44 is fixed to the periphery of the opening 42B.

When the suction device 44 is driven, the suction unit 40 sucks in air flowing through a flow path F1 that leads from inside the container 18 to the opening 42A, and a flow path F2 that leads from the outside of the cover 30 to the inside of the cover 30 through a plurality of holes 38 formed in the wall 34. In the suction unit 40, the toner T that is blown up during the filling of the toner T into the container 18 is sucked in by the flow path F1.

In this embodiment, the air flowing through flow path F2 is directed to flow path F1. This increases the suction force near the opening of hole 37 while suppressing the suction force acting on the toner T filled in container 18. As a result, the toner T filled in container 18 is prevented from floating, and adhesion of the toner T to the edge of the opening of hole 37 is suppressed.

[Moving mechanism 13]
1 is a mechanism for moving the container 18. Specifically, the moving mechanism 13 moves the container 18 to a filling position (position shown in FIGS. 1 to 3), a lower position (position shown in FIGS. 4 to 8), and a standby position (not shown).

The filling position is a position where the toner T is filled into the container 18 by the filling unit 20. Specifically, the filling position is a position where the upper end surface 18B of the container 18 faces the end surface 36B of the wall portion 34 of the cover portion 30 with a gap G, and the lower end portion (filling port 22B) of the cylindrical portion 22 of the filling unit 20 is inserted into the container 18. In other words, the filling position is a position where the opening 18A of the container 18 is closer to the filling port 22B of the filling unit 20 than when it is in the lower position. Furthermore, the filling position is a position where the opening 18A of the container 18 is brought closer to the filling port 22B of the filling unit 20 to a position above the lower shutter 57 and upper shutter 56 described below.

The lower position is a position below the filling position. Specifically, the lower position is a position where the upper end surface 18B of the container 18 faces the end surface 36B of the wall portion 34 of the cover portion 30, with a gap G in which the upper shutter 56 and the lower shutter 57 are disposed.

The standby position is a position where the container 18 waits. Specifically, the standby position is a position shifted laterally (specifically, horizontally) from the lower position. In other words, the standby position is a position below the filling position, where the container 18 is not directly below the filling section 20 and the covering section 30.

As an example, the moving mechanism 13 has a platform (not shown) on which the container 18 is placed, and a drive unit (not shown) such as a two-axis robot that moves the platform vertically and laterally (specifically, horizontally). Note that the moving mechanism 13 is not limited to the above configuration, and may be any mechanism that moves the container 18 at least to the filling position, the lower position, and the standby position.

[Shutters 56, 57, moving mechanisms 58, 59, cleaning units 60, 70]
3 to 8 are operation diagrams showing the operation of the shutters 56, 57. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the shutter 56 and the cleaning unit 60. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of the shutter 57 and the cleaning unit 70. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the positional relationship of the filling unit 20, the container 18, the shutters 56, 57, and the cleaning units 60, 70. Note that in FIG. 11, each member is appropriately shown in perspective in order to make the positional relationship of each member easier to understand. Also, in FIG. 11, the outer edges of the shutters 56, 57 are shown.

Shutter 56 is disposed above shutter 57, and is therefore referred to as "upper shutter 56" as appropriate. Shutter 57 is disposed below shutter 56, and is therefore referred to as "lower shutter 57" as appropriate.

The cleaning unit 60 has the function of cleaning the upper shutter 56, and will be referred to as the "upper cleaning unit 60" as appropriate. The cleaning unit 70 has the function of cleaning the lower shutter 57, and will be referred to as the "lower cleaning unit 70" as appropriate.

<Upper shutter 56>
4 and 6, the upper shutter 56 is a shutter that serves as an opening/closing part that opens and closes the filling port 22B of the filling part 20. Specifically, the upper shutter 56 receives the toner T that has fallen from the filling port 22B and prevents the toner T from falling into the container 18.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the upper shutter 56 has a main body 56A, a protruding portion 56B, and an attachment portion 56C. The main body 56A is formed in a plate shape with the thickness direction being the up-down direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 11, the main body 56A is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view. Note that a plan view refers to a case where the object is viewed from above.

As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the main body 56A is located below the filling port 22B of the filling section 20 and above the opening 18A of the container 18, which is located at the lower position. The main body 56A is an example of an upper plate.

The upper shutter 56 can be moved laterally between an open position (the position shown in Figs. 1, 3 to 5 and 8, and the position shown by the solid line in Fig. 11) and a closed position (the position shown in Figs. 6 and 7, and the position shown by the dashed line in Fig. 11). In other words, the upper shutter 56 can be protruded laterally from the open position to the closed position, and can be retracted laterally from the closed position to the open position.

Note that, hereinafter, the lateral direction in which the upper shutter 56 moves is referred to as the movement direction of the upper shutter 56 (sometimes simply referred to as the "movement direction"). This movement direction is indicated by the arrow X direction in each drawing as appropriate. This movement direction is both a direction along the radial direction of the filling section 20 and the container 18, and a horizontal direction. Of these movement directions, the direction moving from the open position to the closed position is sometimes referred to as the "protrusion direction." Also, for members such as the upper shutter 56, the downstream end in the protruding direction is referred to as the leading end, and the upstream end in the protruding direction is referred to as the trailing end.

The direction intersecting the vertical direction and the direction of movement of the upper shutter 56 is referred to as the width direction of the upper shutter 56 (sometimes simply referred to as the "width direction"). This width direction is appropriately indicated by the arrow Y direction in each drawing.

The open position of the upper shutter 56 is an example of an open position for the filling port 22B, and is a position where the main body 56A opens the filling port 22B to the container 18. In this open position, the main body 56A does not overlap with the filling port 22B in a bottom view, and the filling port 22B is exposed to the opening 18A of the container 18. This open position is also the position where the upper shutter 56 is stored in the cleaning section 60.

The closed position of the upper shutter 56 is an example of a closed position for the filling port 22B, and is a position where the main body 56A closes the filling port 22B against the container 18. In this closed position, the main body 56A overlaps the entire filling port 22B when viewed from the bottom. Note that a bottom view refers to a view of the object from below.

As shown in FIG. 9, the protruding portions 56B are disposed at one end and the other end of the body 56A in the width direction, and protrude upward from the one end and the other end. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper end of the protruding portion 56B is, for example, located above the filling port 22B and above the opening 36A of the wall portion 34.

As shown in FIG. 9, the upper shutter 56 is formed by a main body 56A and a protruding portion 56B into a U-shape with an open upper side when viewed in the direction of movement (X direction). The main body 56A and the protruding portion 56B are integrally formed.

The mounting portion 56C is a portion to which the arm portion 58A, which will be described later, is attached. As shown in FIG. 9, the mounting portion 56C protrudes in the width direction from one end side of the main body 56A in the width direction. The mounting portion 56C is located at the rear end of the main body 56A (the end on the left side in FIG. 4).

<Moving mechanism 58>
The moving mechanism 58 is a mechanism that moves the upper shutter 56. Specifically, the moving mechanism 58 moves the upper shutter 56 in a moving direction between the above-mentioned open position (the position shown in FIGS. 1, 3 to 5, and 8, and the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 11) and the above-mentioned closed position (the position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the position shown by the dashed line in FIG. 11).

As an example, the moving mechanism 58 has an arm 58A and a drive unit 58B (see FIG. 1) such as a Robo Cylinder that moves the upper shutter 56 laterally between the closed position and the open position via the arm 58A. Note that the moving mechanism 58 is not limited to the above configuration, and may be any mechanism that moves the upper shutter 56 at least between the closed position and the open position.

<Upper cleaning section 60>
The upper cleaning unit 60 shown in Fig. 1 is an example of an upper plate cleaning unit, and has a function of cleaning the upper shutter 56. As shown in Fig. 1, the upper cleaning unit 60 is disposed in the open position of the upper shutter 56, and cleans the upper shutter 56 that is in the open position. Specifically, the upper cleaning unit 60 has a box body 61, an entrance/exit 62, a suction machine 63, and a reduction member 64.

The box body 61 is a box body into which air (an example of gas) is sucked, and has a space inside in which the upper shutter 56 is stored when in the open position. An entrance/exit 62 is formed at the tip of the box body 61 (the right side in FIG. 1). The entrance/exit 62 is an opening through which the upper shutter 56 enters and exits. As shown in FIG. 9, the entrance/exit 62 is formed in a rectangular shape that is elongated in the width direction.

A slit 65 is formed in the side wall 61A on one side in the width direction of the box body 61 (the rear side of the paper in FIG. 1, the right side in FIG. 9) along the movement direction of the upper shutter 56. The attachment part 56C of the upper shutter 56 is disposed in this slit 65. That is, the attachment part 56C protrudes from the main body 56A of the upper shutter 56 disposed inside the box body 61 to the outside of the box body 61 via the slit 65.

The interior of the box 61 is a closed space except for the entrance 62 and the slit 65. The opening area of the entrance 62 is larger than the opening area of the slit 65. The slit 65 may be provided with a sealant (e.g., an elastic material such as rubber) that seals the gap between the mounting portion 56C and the box 61.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, a suction pipe 66 extending downward is provided on the rear end side of the box body 61. One end of a flexible tube 67 is connected to this suction pipe 66. The other end of the tube 67 is connected to a suction device 63 composed of a fan or the like.

When the suction device 63 is driven, the air inside the box body 61 is discharged to the outside of the box body 61 through the suction pipe 66 and the tube 67. At this time, air is taken in from the entrance/exit 62. In this way, by sucking the air inside the box body 61, the toner T adhering to the upper shutter 56 is discharged to the outside of the box body 61 together with the internal air and removed from the upper shutter 56.

The vertical dimension of the box body 61 is smaller at the tip end where the entrance/exit 62 is located than at the rear end. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of the box body 61 is smaller at the tip end where the entrance/exit 62 is located than at the rear end. Furthermore, a reduction member 64 that reduces the opening area is attached to the entrance/exit 62. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the reduction member 64 is attached to the upper wall 61B of the box body 61 so as to be positioned between the two overhanging parts 56B of the upper shutter 56 when viewed in the movement direction of the upper shutter 56. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the space between the two overhanging parts 56B is blocked by the reduction member 64, reducing the opening area of the entrance/exit 62. Note that the opening area is specifically a projected area when viewed in the movement direction.

The reducing member 64 has a gap with respect to the upper shutter 56 and is not in contact with the upper shutter 56. As shown in FIG. 1, the reducing member 64 is formed in a plate shape and is inclined obliquely so that the lower end is located upstream of the upper end in the protruding direction.

<Lower shutter 57>
1 and 7, the lower shutter 57 is a shutter that serves as an opening/closing part that opens and closes the filling port 22B of the filling part 20. Specifically, the lower shutter 57 receives the toner T that has fallen from the upper shutter 56 and prevents the toner T from falling into the container 18.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the lower shutter 57 has a main body 57A, a protruding portion 57B, and an attachment portion 57C. The main body 57A is formed in a plate shape with its thickness direction being in the vertical direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 11, the main body 57A is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view with an arched cutout 57D formed at its tip. The arched cutout 57D is an area surrounded by an arc that follows the outer periphery of the container 18 and a chord connecting both ends of the arc.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 7, the main body 57A is located below the main body 56A of the upper shutter 56 and above the opening 18A of the container 18, which is located in the lower position. The main body 57A is an example of a lower plate.

The lower shutter 57 can be moved laterally between a retracted position (position shown in Figs. 1 and 8, and position shown by solid lines in Fig. 11), an intermediate position (position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and position shown by dashed lines in Fig. 11), an extended position (position shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and position shown by dashed lines in Fig. 11), and a closed position (position shown in Fig. 7, and position shown by dashed lines in Fig. 11). In other words, the lower shutter 57 can be extended laterally from the retracted position to three positions, the intermediate position, the extended position, and the closed position, and can be retracted laterally from the three positions to the retracted position.

Note that, hereinafter, the lateral direction in which the lower shutter 57 moves is referred to as the movement direction of the lower shutter 57 (sometimes simply referred to as the "movement direction"). This movement direction is indicated by the arrow X direction in each drawing. This movement direction is both along the radial direction of the filling section 20 and the container 18, and also horizontal. Of these movement directions, the direction in which the shutter moves from the open position to the closed position is sometimes referred to as the "protrusion direction." In addition, for components such as the lower shutter 57, the downstream end in the protruding direction is referred to as the leading end, and the upstream end in the protruding direction is referred to as the trailing end.

The direction intersecting the vertical direction and the direction of movement of the lower shutter 57 is referred to as the width direction of the lower shutter 57 (sometimes simply referred to as the "width direction"). This width direction is indicated by the arrow Y in each drawing.

The protruding position of the lower shutter 57 is the position where the container 18 is placed in the arcuate notch 57D in the lower shutter 57, as shown in FIG. 11. Specifically, in this protruding position, the arcuate edge of the notch 57D in the lower shutter 57 is located along the periphery of the opening 18A of the container 18. In this protruding position, the lower shutter 57 overlaps with the tip of the main body 56A of the upper shutter 56, which is located in the closed position, in a plan view. This protruding position is also the position where the main body 57A protrudes from the lower cleaning section 70.

The retracted position of the lower shutter 57 is a position upstream in the protruding direction from the protruding position described above. Specifically, this retracted position is a position where the lower shutter 57 is stored in the lower cleaning section 70. In other words, it is a position where the lower shutter 57 is retracted into the lower cleaning section 70. This retracted position is the most upstream position in the protruding direction among the four positions of the retracted position, intermediate position, protruding position, and closed position.

The intermediate position of the lower shutter 57 is an intermediate position between the retracted position and the extended position. In this intermediate position, the lower shutter 57 protrudes from the lower cleaning section 70.

The closed position of the lower shutter 57 is a position where the main body 57A closes the filling port 22B to the container 18. In this closed position, the main body 57A overlaps the entire filling port 22B when viewed from the bottom. This closed position is the most downstream position in the protruding direction among the four positions: the retracted position, the intermediate position, the protruding position, and the closed position. The closed position of the lower shutter 57 is an example of the lower plate closed position.

As shown in FIG. 10, the protruding portions 57B are disposed at one end and the other end of the main body 57A in the width direction, and protrude upward from the one end and the other end. As shown in FIG. 7, for example, the upper end of the protruding portion 57B is located at a position above the main body 56A of the upper shutter 56.

As shown in FIG. 10, the lower shutter 57 is formed by a main body 57A and a protruding portion 57B into a U-shape with an open upper side when viewed in the direction of movement (X direction). The main body 57A and the protruding portion 57B are integrally formed.

The mounting portion 57C is a portion to which the arm portion 59A, which will be described later, is attached. As shown in FIG. 10, the mounting portion 57C protrudes in the width direction from one end side of the main body 57A in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the mounting portion 57C is located at the rear end of the main body 57A (the end on the right side in FIG. 1).

<Moving mechanism 59>
The moving mechanism 59 is a mechanism that moves the lower shutter 57. Specifically, the moving mechanism 59 moves the lower shutter 57 in the moving direction to the retracted position (position shown in Figs. 1 and 8, position shown by a solid line in Fig. 11), the intermediate position (position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, position shown by a dashed line in Fig. 11), the protruding position (position shown in Figs. 5 and 6, position shown by a dashed line in Fig. 11), and the closed position (position shown in Fig. 7, position shown by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 11).

As an example, the movement mechanism 59 has an arm 59A and a drive unit 59B (see FIG. 1) such as a Robo Cylinder that moves the lower shutter 57 laterally to the retracted position, intermediate position, extended position, and closed position via the arm 59A. Note that the movement mechanism 59 is not limited to the above configuration, and may be any mechanism that moves the lower shutter 57 at least to the retracted position, intermediate position, extended position, and closed position.

<Lower cleaning unit 70>
The lower cleaning unit 70 shown in Fig. 1 is an example of a lower plate cleaning unit, and has a function of cleaning the lower shutter 57. As shown in Fig. 1, the lower cleaning unit 70 is disposed in the retracted position of the lower shutter 57, and cleans the lower shutter 57 that is positioned in the retracted position. Specifically, the lower cleaning unit 70 has a box body 71, an entrance/exit 72, a suction machine 73, and a reduction member 74.

The box body 71 is a box body into which air (an example of gas) is sucked, and has a space inside in which the lower shutter 57 is stored when it is in the retracted position. An entrance/exit 72 is formed at the tip of the box body 71 (the left side in FIG. 1). The entrance/exit 72 is an opening through which the lower shutter 57 enters and exits. As shown in FIG. 10, the entrance/exit 72 is formed in a rectangular shape that is elongated in the width direction.

A slit 75 is formed in the side wall 71A on one side in the width direction of the box body 71 (the rear side of the paper in FIG. 1, the left side in FIG. 10) along the movement direction of the lower shutter 57. The attachment part 57C of the lower shutter 57 is disposed in this slit 75. That is, the attachment part 57C protrudes from the main body 57A of the lower shutter 57 disposed inside the box body 71 to the outside of the box body 71 via the slit 75.

The interior of the box 71 is a closed space except for the entrance 72 and the slit 75. The opening area of the entrance 72 is larger than the opening area of the slit 75. The slit 75 may be provided with a sealant (e.g., an elastic material such as rubber) that seals the gap between the mounting portion 57C and the box 71.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, a suction pipe 76 extending downward is provided on the rear end side of the box body 71. One end of a flexible tube 77 is connected to this suction pipe 76. The other end of the tube 77 is connected to a suction device 73 composed of a fan or the like.

When the suction device 73 is driven, the air inside the box body 71 is discharged to the outside of the box body 71 through the suction pipe 76 and the tube 77. At this time, air is taken in from the entrance/exit 72. In this way, the air inside the box body 71 is sucked in, and the toner T adhering to the lower shutter 57 is discharged to the outside of the box body 71 together with the internal air, and is removed from the lower shutter 57.

The vertical dimension of the box body 71 is smaller at the tip end where the entrance/exit 72 is located than at the rear end. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of the box body 71 is smaller at the tip end where the entrance/exit 72 is located than at the rear end. Furthermore, a reduction member 74 that reduces the opening area is attached to the entrance/exit 72. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the reduction member 74 is attached to the upper wall 71B of the box body 71 so as to be positioned between the two overhanging parts 57B of the lower shutter 57 when viewed in the movement direction of the lower shutter 57. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the space between the two overhanging parts 57B is blocked by the reduction member 74, reducing the opening area of the entrance/exit 72. Note that the opening area is specifically a projected area when viewed in the movement direction.

The reducing member 74 has a gap with respect to the lower shutter 57 and is not in contact with the lower shutter 57. As shown in FIG. 1, the reducing member 74 is formed in a plate shape and is inclined obliquely so that the lower end is located upstream of the upper end in the protruding direction.

[Control unit 50]
The control unit 50 controls the operation of each component of the filling device 10 so as to execute the operation of the filling device 10 described below. Specifically, the control unit 50 has a recording unit configured with a storage or the like in which a program is recorded, and a processor that operates according to the program. In the control unit 50, the processor reads out and executes the program recorded in the recording unit, thereby controlling the operation of each component of the filling device 10.

<Operation of the filling device 10>
Next, a description will be given of the operation of the filling device 10. This operation is for filling the container 18 with the toner T and manufacturing the cartridge 19.

First, the moving mechanism 13 moves the container 18 from the lower position (position shown in FIG. 4) to the filling position (position shown in FIG. 1), and the filling unit 20 fills the container 18 with toner T (see FIG. 1). At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper shutter 56 is in the open position, and the lower shutter 57 is in the retracted position. That is, with the upper shutter 56 in the open position and the lower shutter 57 in the retracted position, the filling unit 20 starts filling the container 18 with toner T.

In addition, while the toner T is being filled into the container 18, the suction unit 40 sucks in the air inside the container 18. This causes the toner T floating inside the container 18 due to the filling of the toner T to be sucked in.

Next, while the toner T is being filled into the container 18, after the lower cleaning unit 70 cleans the lower shutter 57, the movement mechanism 59 moves the lower shutter 57 from the retracted position to the intermediate position, as shown in FIG. 3.

Next, the moving mechanism 13 moves the cartridge 19 (i.e., the container 18 filled with the toner T) from the filling position to the lower position, as shown in FIG. 4.

Next, the movement mechanism 59 moves the lower shutter 57 from the intermediate position to the protruding position as shown in FIG. 5. Next, the movement mechanism 58 moves the upper shutter 56 from the open position to the closed position as shown in FIG. 6. Next, the movement mechanism 59 moves the lower shutter 57 from the protruding position to the closed position as shown in FIG. 7.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the moving mechanism 58 moves the upper shutter 56 from the closed position to the open position, and then the moving mechanism 59 moves the lower shutter 57 from the closed position to the retracted position. At this time, the moving mechanism 58 moves the upper shutter 56 so that the moving speed of the upper shutter 56 moving to the open position as it passes through the entrance/exit 62 toward the inside of the box body 61 in the upper cleaning section 60 is slower than the moving speed of the upper shutter 56 after passing through (i.e., the moving speed inside the box body 61).

Similarly, the movement mechanism 59 moves the lower shutter 57 so that the movement speed of the lower shutter 57 moving to the retracted position as it passes through the entrance 72 toward the inside of the box body 71 in the lower cleaning section 70 is slower than the movement speed of the lower shutter 57 after passing through (i.e., the movement speed inside the box body 71). As described above, the cartridge 19 is manufactured using the filling device 10.

<Action>
Next, the operation of the filling device 10 of this embodiment will be described.

In this embodiment, as described above, while the lower shutter 57 is in the protruding position, the upper shutter 56 is moved from the open position to the closed position (see FIG. 6). This allows the lower shutter 57 to receive the toner T that is thrown off by the collision with the tip of the upper shutter 56 when the toner T falling from the filling port 22B hits the tip of the upper shutter 56 that is moving to the closed position.

Therefore, compared to a configuration having only the upper shutter 56 between the opening 18A of the container 18 and the filling port 22B (i.e., a configuration without the lower shutter 57), when the toner T falling from the filling port 22B hits the tip of the upper shutter 56 moving to the closed position, the toner T is prevented from adhering to the outside of the container 18.

In addition, in this embodiment, the lower shutter 57 is located in the retracted position while the toner T is being filled into the container 18 (see FIG. 1), and moves to the intermediate position after cleaning by the lower cleaning unit 70 (see FIG. 3). Then, after the toner T is filled into the container 18, the lower shutter 57 moves to the protruding position (see FIG. 5), and then the upper shutter 56 moves to the closed position (see FIG. 6).

In this way, the lower shutter 57 is located in the retracted position or intermediate position while the toner T is being filled into the container 18, so interference between the container 18, which is located in the filling position (see Figure 3), and the lower shutter 57 is suppressed compared to a configuration in which the lower shutter 57 is always located in the protruding position.

In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, the lower shutter 57 is cleaned by the lower cleaning unit 70 when in the retracted position. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the lower shutter 57 remains dirty, the toner T that falls onto the lower shutter 57 is prevented from adhering to the outside of the container 18.

In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, while the toner T is being filled into the container 18, the lower shutter 57 moves to the intermediate position after cleaning by the lower cleaning unit 70 (see FIG. 3). This allows the lower shutter 57 to receive the toner T that has been blown up during filling into the container 18 and that has flown around to the outside of the container 18.

As a result, compared to a configuration in which the lower shutter 57 is always in the retracted position while the toner T is being filled into the container 18, the toner T is prevented from adhering to the outside of the container 18 while the toner T is being filled into the container 18.

In addition, in this embodiment, the moving speed of the upper shutter 56 when passing through the entrance/exit 62 toward the inside of the box body 61 in the upper cleaning section 60 is slower than the moving speed of the upper shutter 56 after passing through (i.e., the moving speed inside the box body 61). This ensures that the upper shutter 56 has time to come into contact with the airflow generated by the suction of the suction machine 73, which takes in air from the entrance/exit 62 of the box body 61. Therefore, poor cleaning of the upper shutter 56 is suppressed compared to a configuration in which the moving speed of the upper shutter 56 is always constant.

In addition, in this embodiment, a reduction member 64 that reduces the opening area of the entrance/exit 62 is attached to the entrance/exit 62. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the upper cleaning unit 60 has only the box body 61 and the entrance/exit 62 (i.e., a configuration without the reduction member 64), the flow rate of the air flow near the entrance/exit 62 is increased, and poor cleaning of the upper shutter 56 is suppressed.

In addition, in this embodiment, after the upper shutter 56 moves to the closed position (see FIG. 6), the lower shutter 57 moves to the closed position (see FIG. 7). This allows the upper shutter 56 to receive the toner T that falls from the filling port 22B while the lower shutter 57 is moving to the closed position.

Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the lower shutter 57 moves to the closed position before the upper shutter 56 moves to the closed position, the toner T falling from the filling port 22B is prevented from hitting the tip of the lower shutter 57 as it moves to the closed position, and the toner T is prevented from being blown away by a collision with the tip of the lower shutter 57. As a result, the toner T is prevented from adhering to the outside of the container 18.

In addition, in this embodiment, the upper shutter 56 moves from the closed position to the open position, and then the lower shutter 57 moves from the closed position to the retracted position (see FIG. 8). As a result, even if the toner T on the upper shutter 56 falls while the upper shutter 56 is moving from the closed position to the open position, the toner T can be received by the lower shutter 57, which is in the closed position.

This prevents toner T from adhering to the outside of the container 18, compared to a configuration in which the lower shutter 57 moves from the closed position to the retracted position before the upper shutter 56 moves from the closed position to the open position.

<Modification>
The filling device 10 of the present embodiment is a device that fills the container 18 with the toner T used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, but is not limited to this. For example, the filling device 10 may be a device that fills a container with powder used for food, medicine, industrial material, or other purposes, and may be any device that fills a container with powder.

In addition, in this embodiment, the lower shutter 57 is configured to move to the protruding position after the toner T is filled into the container 18 (see FIG. 5), but this is not limited to the above. For example, the lower shutter 57 may be configured to always be located in the protruding position (i.e., fixed in the protruding position).

In addition, in this embodiment, the upper cleaning unit 60 and the lower cleaning unit 70 are provided, but the configuration may not include the upper cleaning unit 60 and the lower cleaning unit 70.

In addition, in this embodiment, the lower shutter 57 moves to the intermediate position after cleaning by the lower cleaning unit 70 while the toner T is being filled into the container 18, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the lower shutter 57 may be configured to always be in the retracted position while the toner T is being filled into the container 18.

In addition, in this embodiment, the moving speed of the upper shutter 56 when passing through the entrance 62 toward the inside of the box body 61 in the upper cleaning section 60 is slower than the moving speed of the upper shutter 56 after passing through (i.e., the moving speed inside the box body 61), but this is not limited to this. For example, the moving speed of the upper shutter 56 may be configured to be always constant.

In addition, in this embodiment, the reduction member 64 that reduces the opening area of the entrance/exit 62 is attached to the entrance/exit 62, but this is not limited to this. For example, the upper cleaning unit 60 may be configured to have only the box body 61 and the entrance/exit 62 (i.e., a configuration without the reduction member 64). In addition, in this embodiment, the auger that transports the toner T by rotating around the rotation axis is disposed inside the cylindrical portion 22, but this is not limited to this. For example, a configuration without an auger inside the cylindrical portion 22 may also be used.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications, changes, and improvements are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the above-described modified examples may be combined as appropriate.

10 Filling device 18 Container 18A Opening 20 Filling section 22B Filling port 56 Upper shutter 56A Main body (an example of an upper plate)
57 Lower shutter 57A Main body (an example of the lower plate)
60 Upper cleaning section (an example of an upper plate cleaning section)
61 Box body 62 Entrance/exit 64 Reducing member 70 Lower cleaning section (an example of a lower plate cleaning section)
T Toner (an example of powder)

Claims (7)

a filling section having a filling port for filling powder into the container from above an opening of the container;
an upper plate capable of projecting laterally from an open position to a closed position relative to the fill port;
a lower plate disposed below the upper plate and above the opening along a periphery of the opening, the lower plate overlapping a tip portion of the upper plate in a plan view when the upper plate is in a closed position;
Equipped with
the lower plate is capable of being extended and retracted from a position along a periphery of the opening as an extended position, the lower plate being positioned at a retracted position during the filling of the powder into the container, and being moved to the extended position after the powder has been filled into the container;
The top plate then moves to the closed position.
Filling equipment. a lower plate cleaning unit that cleans the lower plate when the lower plate is in the retracted position;
The filling device according to claim 1 , further comprising: The filling device of claim 2 , wherein the lower plate moves to an intermediate position between the retracted position and the extended position after cleaning by the lower plate cleaning unit during filling of the powder into the container. An upper plate cleaning unit having a box body through which internal gas is sucked and an entrance formed in the box body through which the upper plate enters and exits, the upper plate cleaning unit storing the upper plate inside the box body when the upper plate is in an open position;
The filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a moving speed of the upper plate when passing through the entrance toward the interior is slower than a moving speed of the upper plate after passing through the entrance. The filling device according to claim 4 , wherein a reducing member for reducing an opening area is attached to the inlet/outlet. The filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the lower plate protrudes from the protruding position to a lower plate closing position relative to the filling port after the upper plate protrudes to the closed position. The filling device according to claim 6 , wherein the lower plate retracts from the lower plate closed position to the retracted position after the upper plate, which projects to the closed position, retracts to the open position.