JP7701033B2 - Granular mass quantitative feeder device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a quantitative feeder device for supplying a quantitative amount of granular material.

Conventionally, supplying a fixed amount of powder or granular material (powders, granules, or a mixture of powder and granules) in the micro range has been an extremely difficult task, as it is affected by the physical properties of the powder or granular material, such as differences in specific gravity, particles, and particle size, as well as adhesion and cohesion due to moisture and static electricity.

In response to these issues, the applicant developed a quantitative feeder for powdered or granular material as shown in Patent Document 1. This quantitative feeder has a container for storing powdered or granular material with an inlet for the target powdered or granular material opened at the top, and a drive unit is provided below the container, and this drive unit has an agitator shaft with its upper end protruding into the container, and a roughly L-shaped round agitator rod is attached to the agitator shaft protruding into the container.

This quantitative feeder device rotates the stirring rod in sync with the stirring shaft, preventing the powder from bridging or adhering inside the container.

JP 2012-41106 A

However, if the raw material to be dispensed is something that tends to adhere to the inside of the container, such as paper clay, there is a problem that the stirring rod will gradually bend from its base as the powder particles that have adhered to the bottom due to their own weight are repeatedly peeled off with the rotating stirring rod.

The present invention was made to address these problems, and aims to provide a quantitative feeder device that can mix ingredients that tend to stick in the same way as before.

To achieve the above objectives, the present invention has the following features:

[1] A device comprising: a bottomed cylindrical container into which powder or granular material is introduced from an upper opening; a main shaft that protrudes into the container and is rotated by a drive unit; a stirring member whose lower end is attached to the main shaft and rotates synchronously; and a quantification unit that is located below the stirring member and measures the amount of powder or granular material supplied;
The stirring member includes at least two types of members, namely, a first stirring member and a second stirring member;
The first stirring member extends along the bottom surface of the container,
The second stirring member extends higher than the first stirring member and is more flexible than the first stirring member.

[2] The stirring member is
It is an L-shape extending from the main shaft toward the peripheral wall of the container and then along the peripheral wall,
The quantitative feeder device according to [1], wherein the second stirring member is attached to the main shaft above the first stirring member.

[3] The second agitating member is attached at a position circumferentially spaced from a position overlapping with the first agitating member in a plan view,
The quantitative feeder device of [1] or [2], wherein the distance between the second agitating member and the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the storage vessel is smaller than the distance between the first agitating member and the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the storage vessel.

1 is a cross-sectional side view showing an overall configuration of a quantitative powder/granular material feeder device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a perspective view of a stirring rod according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen obliquely from above. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the stirring rod according to the embodiment of the present invention is attached to a main shaft. 1 is a perspective view showing a process of attaching a stirring rod according to an embodiment of the present invention to a main shaft. FIG.

The following describes a powder/granular material quantitative feeder device according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the "present embodiment") with reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a powder/granule quantity feeder according to this embodiment. This powder/granule quantity feeder has a powder/granule storage container 2 with a powder/granule inlet 1, a disk frame 10 in which a quantity-measuring unit that measures the quantity of powder/granule is installed, and a motor 8 (corresponding to the "drive unit" of the present invention) that drives the powder/granule quantity-measuring unit. The storage container 2, disk frame 10, and motor 8 are installed on a stand 9.

In FIG. 1, the container 2 is a straight cylinder to prevent bridging. The container 2 may also be cone-shaped, with a smaller diameter going downward. If necessary, the container 2 can be made larger (higher) in the vertical direction by attaching a cylindrical member of the same diameter to the top.

In this embodiment, the container 2 has an inner diameter of approximately 70 mm and a height of 150 mm, and although not shown, a cylindrical member of the same diameter is actually attached on top to double the height to 300 mm.

A main shaft 11 is attached to the disk frame 10 and protrudes upward coaxially with the storage container 2. The main shaft 11 is connected to the output shaft of the motor 8 via a reduction gear and is configured to rotate.

A stirring rod (corresponding to the "stirring member" of the present invention) 3 is attached to the upper end side of the main shaft 11 (the portion protruding into the storage container 2). The stirring rod 3 is a round bar with a circular cross section, and is bent into a roughly L-shape. The stirring rod 3 rotates in sync with the main shaft 11, preventing the powder in the storage container 2 from adhering to the bridge or the inner surface of the storage container 2.

In this embodiment, two stirring rods 3 are attached symmetrically about the main axis. In FIG. 1, a thick and short first stirring rod 31 is provided on the left side, and a thin and long second stirring rod 32 is provided on the right side.

A supply means 4 is attached to the lower end of the main shaft 11 to feed and supply a fixed amount of powder to the supply plate 5, which will be described later, and the supply means 4 rotates synchronously with the main shaft 11.

A half-moon shaped partition plate 12 is provided below the stirring rod 3 with a small gap between it and the inside surface of the storage container 2. The partition plate 12 acts as a partition wall to separate the inside of the storage container 2 from the powder supply means 4 installed below it. The partition plate 12 functions to keep the powder pressure supplied to the supply means 4 constant and to minimize fluctuations in the supply amount that accompany changes in the remaining amount of material inside the storage container 2, enabling more accurate fixed supply.

The metering unit has a supply means 4, a supply plate 5, and a forced discharge plate 6. The supply plate 5 and the forced discharge plate 6 are installed at the same height, and the supply means 4 is located one step higher. The supply plate 5 and the forced discharge plate 6 are housed in a common housing section 21 that has a shape that follows the outer periphery of the supply plate 5 and the forced discharge plate 6. The supply means 4, the supply plate 5, and the forced discharge plate 6 are all configured to rotate.

The supplying means 4 has multiple blades arranged at equal intervals around the center of the main shaft 11. The supplying means 4 is arranged so that it partially overlaps with the periphery of the supplying plate 5 in a plan view, and the tips of the blades of the supplying means 4 are arranged so that they are in sliding contact with the upper surface of the supplying plate 5. By rotating, the supplying means 4 promotes the fall of the powder and granular material from the storage container 2 arranged above the supplying means 4, and sends the powder and granular material into the metering groove formed in the supplying plate 5.

The supply platen 5 is composed of a gear-shaped disk with teeth formed at equal intervals on its periphery. The supply platen 5 has a continuous metering groove formed at equal pitch on its periphery. The powder and granular material sent by the blades of the supply means 4 is sequentially sent into the metering groove, which is a recess in the supply platen 5, and this recess (metering groove) is filled with the powder and granular material.

The forced discharge plate 6 is composed of a gear-shaped disk with teeth formed at equal intervals on its periphery. The forced discharge plate 6 also has protruding teeth formed at equal intervals on its periphery. The protruding teeth are configured to mesh with the metering grooves of the supply plate 5.

A hole is formed in the bottom of the storage section 21 at a position corresponding to the meshing portion of the metering groove and the protruding teeth. The discharge chute 7 is connected below the hole. In other words, the discharge chute 7 is disposed at the meshing portion of the metering groove and the protruding teeth. When the protruding teeth mesh with the metering groove, they forcibly discharge any powder or granular material remaining in the metering groove into the discharge chute 7 through the hole.

The supply means 4 and the supply plate 5 are driven by a motor 8. The forced discharge plate 6 rotates synchronously with the supply plate 5 by meshing its protruding teeth with the metering groove of the supply plate 5. The supply means 4, the supply plate 5 and the forced discharge plate 6 can be made of metal.

Next, the features of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figures 2 to 4. Figure 2 is a side view showing the main shaft 11 and stirring rod 3 according to this embodiment, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the stirring rod 3 according to this embodiment seen from diagonally above, and Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the process of attaching the stirring rod 3 according to this embodiment to the main shaft 11. In this embodiment, the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32 differ in thickness and length but are not structurally different, so in Figures 2 and 4, the second stirring rod 32 will be used as an example for explanation.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second stirring rod 32 has a horizontal portion 321 extending in the radial direction, a vertical portion 322 that is bent approximately 90° in an L-shape and extends upward from the tip of the horizontal portion 321, and an attachment portion 323 that is curved in a U-shape in a plan view from the base end of the horizontal portion 321. The horizontal portion 321 and the attachment portion 323 are arranged on the same plane in the horizontal direction.

The second stirring rod 32 is a cylindrical member with a radius of approximately 1.5 mm, formed by bending stainless steel (SUS), and has elasticity. The length of the horizontal portion 321 of the second stirring rod 32 is 35 mm, and the length of the vertical portion 322 is 300 mm. The radius of the first stirring rod 31 is approximately 3.0 mm, the length of the horizontal portion 311 is the same as the length of the horizontal portion 321 of the second stirring rod 32, and the length of the vertical portion 312 is 90 mm.

Comparing the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32, the first stirring rod 31 is thicker and shorter, making it stronger, while the second stirring rod 32 is thinner and longer, making it more flexible.

As shown in FIG. 3, cylindrical ring members 40, 40 and cylindrical mounting ring members 41, 41 with a step are fixed to the main shaft 11.

As shown in FIG. 4, the mounting ring member 41 has a central hole 411. The hole 411 has an oval shape in a plan view.

A groove 412 that curves and extends in a circumferential direction is provided on the lower end of the mounting ring member 41. This gives the mounting ring member 41 a cylindrical shape with a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion connected by a step.

The groove 412 is curved in a U-shape in plan view to correspond to the side portion 321 and the mounting portion 323 of the second stirring rod 32. As shown in FIG. 4, the side portion 321 and the mounting portion 323 of the second stirring rod 32 move from the position indicated by the imaginary line on the left side to the position indicated by the solid line on the right side, thereby engaging with the groove 412 from the outside.

Note that there may be a gap between the attachment ring member 41 and the boundary between the horizontal portion 321 and the attachment portion 323 (the lower part of the U-shaped bend). In this case, the attachment ring member 41 is sandwiched between the horizontal portion 321 and the attachment portion 323.

On the other hand, the ring member 40 has a generally cylindrical shape, which differs from the mounting ring member 41 only in that it does not have a groove portion 412.

The rotating shaft (not shown) provided at the center of the main shaft 11 to which the ring member 40 and the mounting ring member 41 are attached has an elliptical shape in a plan view corresponding to the hole portion 411 shown in FIG. 4, and a male screw is drilled into the tip of the shaft.

Next, we will explain how to assemble the main shaft 11.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32 are attached to the mounting ring members 41, 41 in advance, respectively. Next, the supply means 4 (not shown in FIG. 3), the ring members 40, 40, the mounting ring member 41 to which the first stirring rod 31 is attached, and the mounting ring member 41 to which the second stirring rod 32 is attached are fitted and inserted in this order onto the rotating shaft of the main shaft 11, and then the conical tip fixture 42 is screwed onto the male thread at the tip of the rotating shaft.

As a result of the above, the ring members 40, 40 and the mounting ring members 41, 41 to which the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32 are attached are removably attached to the rotating shaft, and the main shaft 11 is assembled.

Next, we will explain the effects of the powder/granular material quantitative feeder device according to this embodiment.

First, the second stirring rod 32 is relatively thick and strong, so it is not prone to plastic deformation even if the powder adhering to the bottom surface due to its own weight is repeatedly peeled off. On the other hand, the first stirring rod 31 is relatively thin and prone to plastic deformation, but because it is positioned above the bottom surface of the storage container 2, it is possible to avoid plastic deformation due to the powder adhering to the bottom surface.

If the only goal was to avoid plastic deformation, it would be possible to make the conventional stirring rod thicker, but if the powder particles adhering to the inside surface of the container 2 could not be removed by rubbing them from a certain direction using only a hard stirring rod, the powder particles would end up being pressed against the rod repeatedly, causing them to stick even more.

However, the powder/granule quantitative feeder device according to this embodiment has a first stirring rod 31, which is thin and highly flexible, and can bend its tip in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation to push the stuck powder/granules diagonally upwards. Therefore, even if the powder/granules are difficult to remove by pushing in a certain direction, they can be pushed alternately from different directions or angles, making it easy to remove the stuck powder/granules.

In addition, if a conventional stirring rod were simply made thicker, the thicker rod would have low flexibility and would pass through the same position when rotated repeatedly, causing the powder to harden due to its own weight and the tip of the thicker rod, resulting in a bridge.

However, the powder/granular material quantitative feeder device of this embodiment has a first stirring rod 31, which is longer and more flexible than the second stirring rod 32, so the tip moves randomly to stir the powder/granular material, preventing the formation of bridges.

In addition, the first stirring rod 31, the second stirring rod 32, and the groove portion 412 of the mounting ring member 41 are all U-shaped, and the horizontal portion 321 (311) and the mounting portion 323 (313) are hooked onto the groove portion 412 from the outside, so that the distance between the inner surface of the storage container 2 and the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32 can be adjusted.

For example, when the powder or granules are large, both the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32 can be adjusted to be slightly away from the inner surface of the storage container 2, making it difficult to apply torque. Alternatively, the second stirring rod 32 can be moved slightly closer to the inner surface of the storage container 2, so that smaller powder or granules are peeled off with the second stirring rod 32 and larger powder or granules are peeled off with the first stirring rod 31. For substances in which the powder or granules tend to be strung together, for example, adjustments can be made so that when one grain adheres, it is peeled off with the second stirring rod 32, and when multiple grains adhere, it is peeled off with the first stirring rod 31.

In addition, in the powder/granular material quantitative feeder device according to this embodiment, the mounting ring member 41 can be attached upside down to the rotation axis of the main shaft 11, and the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32 can be hooked to the upside-down mounting ring member 41.

This allows the distance between the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32 to be changed depending on the size and properties of the powder or granules.

The following describes the modified examples.

In this embodiment, the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32 are described as being cylindrical in shape, but the present invention is not limited to this, and they may be thin plate-shaped or polygonal column-shaped.

In addition, the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32 have been described as being L-shaped, but if the storage container 2 is cone-shaped with a diameter that decreases downward, for example, they may be in an inverted L-shape. In addition, the first stirring rod 31 may extend linearly in the horizontal direction, and the second stirring rod 32 may extend linearly or curvedly diagonally upward.

There may also be multiple first stirring rods 31 and multiple second stirring rods 32. For example, two first stirring rods 31 are circumferentially shifted by 180°, and two second stirring rods 32 are circumferentially shifted by 180°, for a total of four.

In addition, in this embodiment, two types of stirring rods, the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32, have been described, but other stirring rods may also be included.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32 are made of stainless steel (SUS) as an example, but the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32 may be made of any material that has elasticity, such as resin, or may be made of a different material. For example, it is more preferable to use different materials for the first stirring rod 31, such as regular stainless steel, and the second stirring rod 32, such as spring stainless steel, to increase the difference in characteristics.

Of course, the length and thickness of the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32 shown in this embodiment are merely examples, and can be designed as appropriate within a range that maintains the difference in properties that the first stirring rod 31 is relatively strong and the second stirring rod 32 is relatively flexible. For example, even in this embodiment, the length of the vertical portion 322 of the second stirring rod 32 can be appropriately selected from about 120 to 300 mm, depending on whether or not two storage containers 2 are stacked.

Furthermore, by fitting an outer cylinder member having an inner diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of the second stirring rod 32 slidably onto the vertical portion 322, the height of the second stirring rod 32 can be made adjustable.

In this embodiment, the mounting ring member 41 has been described as an example of a member for mounting the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32, but any member may be used as long as the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32 can be mounted on the main shaft 11. For example, the ring member 40 may have a horizontal hole drilled therein, and the side portion 311 of the first stirring rod 31 (side portion 321 of the second stirring rod 32) may be inserted into the hole and fixed with a set screw or the like. Furthermore, the mounting ring member 41 and the first stirring rod 31 and the second stirring rod 32 may be integrally molded.

In this embodiment, the second stirring rod 32 is disposed above the first stirring rod 31, but both can also be disposed so that they rotate along the bottom surface of the storage container 2.

1 Inlet (upper opening)
2 Storage container 3 Stirring rod (stirring member)
31 First stirring rod (first stirring member)
32 Second stirring rod (second stirring member)
4 Supply means (metering section)
5 Supply panel (metering section)
6 Forced discharge board (metering part)
8 Motor (drive unit)

Claims (2)

The device comprises a bottomed cylindrical container into which powder or granular material is introduced from an upper opening, a main shaft that protrudes into the container and is rotated by a drive unit, a stirring member whose lower end is attached to the main shaft and rotates synchronously, and a quantification unit that is located below the stirring member and that measures the amount of powder or granular material supplied,
The stirring member includes at least two types of members, namely, a first stirring member and a second stirring member;
The first stirring member extends along the bottom surface of the container,
the second agitating member extends upward further than the first agitating member and is more flexible than the first agitating member ;
The stirring member is
It is an L-shape extending from the main shaft toward the peripheral wall of the container and then along the peripheral wall,
The second agitating member is attached to the main shaft above the first agitating member . the second agitating member is attached at a position circumferentially spaced from a position overlapping with the first agitating member in a plan view;
2. The quantitative feeder device according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the second agitating member and the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the storage vessel is smaller than the distance between the first agitating member and the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the storage vessel.