JPH0453778B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Technical Field> The present invention relates to a powder feeding device, and more particularly, to a powder feeding device that measures and feeds a fixed amount of powdered material stored in a powder storage tank. .

<Prior art> As is well known to those skilled in the art, as an apparatus for supplying powdered substances such as powdered medicines and powdered soups, there is a powder storage tank that defines a storage space for storing the powdered substances, and a powder storage tank that defines a storage space for storing the powdered and granular materials, and Those equipped with a disposed measuring means and a stirring means for stirring the powder and granular material in the storage space are widely used in practical use. The measuring means has a rotary table in which a plurality of measuring chambers each having an upper opening and a lower opening are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction, and each measuring chamber is introduced by rotating the rotary table in a predetermined direction. and discharge areas. In the introduction region, the upper opening of the metering chamber is opened and its lower opening is closed, and the powder and granules in the storage space are thus introduced into the metering chamber through the upper opening. Further, in the discharge area, the lower opening of the measuring chamber is opened and the upper opening thereof is closed, and the powder and granules thus measured in the measuring chamber are discharged through the lower opening. Also,
The stirring means has a stirring blade that is rotated in a predetermined direction, and the powder or granular material is stirred as required by the action of the stirring blade.

However, in the conventional powder supply device, the stirring blade is configured to rotate substantially integrally with the rotary table, and therefore, there are the following problems to be solved. In other words, the rotary table, especially each measuring chamber, and the stirring blade are always maintained in a fixed positional relationship, and therefore, when supplying powder or granules that are highly adhesive or prone to crosslinking, the granules are rotated. It rests on the top of the table and rotates with it, and is not introduced into the weighing chamber as required. Furthermore, as is easily understood, a somewhat larger amount of powder and granules are introduced into the measuring chamber located downstream of the stirring blade in the rotational direction (especially the measuring chamber located immediately in front of the stirring blade), and There is a tendency for a somewhat smaller amount of powder to be introduced into the measuring chamber located upstream of the stirring blade as seen in the rotational direction (especially the measuring chamber located immediately after the stirring blade), and therefore there is a tendency for the stirring blade and each Due to the difference in the positional relationship of the measuring chambers, it is difficult to accurately supply a predetermined amount of granular material.

<Object of the Invention> The present invention has been made in view of the above facts, and its main purpose is to create a relatively large difference in rotational speed between the stirring means and the rotary table, thereby increasing the speed of the stirring means. It is an object of the present invention to provide a powder supply device that operates substantially in the same way for each of the metering chambers.

<Summary of the Invention> According to the present invention, a powder storage tank defining a storage space for storing powder and granules, a measuring means disposed below the storage space, and a measuring means disposed within the powder storage tank are provided. agitation means, the measuring means having a measuring chamber spaced apart in the circumferential direction and having an upper opening for receiving the powder and granular material from the storage space and a lower opening for discharging the powder and granular material. A plurality of rotary tables are formed, and each of the measuring chambers is moved through an introduction region and a discharge region by rotating the rotary table in a predetermined direction, and in the introduction region, The upper opening is opened and the lower opening is closed, and in the discharge area, the upper opening is closed and the lower opening is opened, and the stirring means is disposed above the rotary table. There is provided a powder supply device characterized in that the powder supply device is rotated in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction.

<Preferred Specific Example of the Invention> Hereinafter, a specific example of a powder supply device constructed according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2, the illustrated powder supply device includes a lower device main body 2, and a powder storage tank 6 is disposed above the lower device main body 2 with a support 4 interposed therebetween. The powder storage tank 6 has a circular bottom wall 8 and a cylindrical side wall 10 extending upward from the periphery of the bottom wall 8, and defines a storage space 12 for storing powder and granular materials such as powdered medicine and powdered soup. do.

A measuring means 14 is provided at the bottom of the powder storage tank 6. The illustrated measuring means 14 includes a disc-shaped rotary table 16, and a plurality of measuring chambers 18 are provided on the periphery of the rotary table 16 at intervals in the circumferential direction. In the specific example, as shown in FIG. 2, rectangular measuring recesses 20 are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction on the peripheral edge of the rotary table 16, and each measuring recess 20 is formed on the side wall 10 of the powder storage tank 6. A metering chamber 18 is defined in cooperation with the inner surface. Each measuring chamber 18 has an upper opening 22 and a lower opening 24 on its upper and lower surfaces, respectively (see FIG. 1), and the powder and granules in the accommodation space 12 are introduced into the measuring chamber 18 through the upper opening 22, and The powder and granular material measured in the measuring chamber 18 is discharged through the lower opening 24.

The rotary table 16 is rotated by an arrow 26 as described below.
(FIG. 2), whereby each metering chamber 18 is moved through the introduction zone R and the discharge zone D. In a specific example, a plate-like member 28 is disposed at the left end of the powder storage tank 6 in FIGS. 1 and 2, and one end of the plate-like member 28 projects inward through the side wall 10. . One end 28a of the plate-like member 28 is connected to the first
As shown in the figure, the upper side of the rotary table 16 covers the discharge area D and its vicinity to prevent the powder from being introduced into the measuring chamber 18. A discharge opening is formed in the bottom wall 8 of the powder storage tank 6 located below the rotary table 16, corresponding to the discharge area D. A discharge pipe 30 is connected to the discharge opening, and a pipe member 32 is further connected to the discharge pipe 30. The plate-shaped member 28 is also provided with an air passage 34 connected to an air source 33 such as a compressor, and one end of this air passage 34 opens above the discharge opening. Air from the air source 33 is thus fed from above through the air flow path 34 in the discharge area D.
As shown in the figure, in the introduction region R (region where the plate-like member 28 does not exist), the upper opening 22 of the measuring chamber 18 is open, and the lower opening 24 is open to the bottom wall 8.
In the discharge area D, the lower opening 24 of the metering chamber 18 is opened, and the upper opening 22 is closed by the plate-like member 28. In this region, the upper opening 22 of the metering chamber 18 is closed by a plate-like member 28 and the lower opening thereof is closed by the bottom wall 8.

A stirring means 36 is further provided within the powder storage tank 6. The illustrated stirring means 36 includes a pair of stirring blades 38 located above the rotary table 16, and the pair of stirring blades 38 have a horizontal portion extending radially outward and a vertical portion extending upward from the outer end of the horizontal portion. are doing. The upper end of the horizontal part is
In order to reduce the adhesion of powder and granules to the upper surface,
It is formed into a triangular shape that protrudes upward. Note that the stirring blade 38 may have a shape suitable for stirring the powder or granular material in the accommodation space 12 and introducing the powder or granular material into each measuring chamber 18 as required.

This stirring means 36 is rotated in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the rotary table 16 shown by arrow 26, that is, by arrow 40.
(Fig. 2). Mainly referring to FIG. 1, a support case 42 is attached to the lower device main body 2, and a first rotating shaft 44 is rotatably attached to the support case 42 via a bearing member 43. The first rotating shaft 44 extends in the vertical direction, and one end (upper end) thereof penetrates the bottom wall 8 and projects into the powder storage tank 6, and the other end (lower end) is inside the box-shaped gear case 46. It stands out. and,
A rotary table 16 is attached to one end of the first rotary shaft 44 protruding into the powder storage tank 6 via a key member 48, and the rotary table 16 is connected to the first rotary shaft 4.
Rotates together with 4. A sleeve member 50 is interposed between the support case 42 and the rotary table 16, and the first rotary shaft 44 is fitted thereon. maintain the interval at a predetermined value. Furthermore, a tightening means 52 is attached to the upper end of the first rotating shaft 44 to prevent the rotating table 16 from coming off. Furthermore, in order to seal between the opening formed in the bottom wall 8 and the first rotating shaft 44,
A seal body 54 is attached by a seal holder 56.

The first rotating shaft 44 is hollow, and a second rotating shaft 58 is rotatably disposed within the first rotating shaft 44 . The second rotating shaft 58 also extends in the vertical direction, and one end (upper end) thereof protrudes upward beyond one end of the first rotating shaft 44 , and the other end (lower end) extends beyond the first rotating shaft 44 . It extends beyond the other end, passes through the gear case 46, and projects outward. The second rotating shaft 58 has one end rotatably supported by one end of the first rotating shaft 44 via a bearing member 60, and the other end supported by a substrate 64 via a bearing member 62.
The stirring means 36 is rotatably supported by a support 66 attached to the second rotating shaft 58 , and the stirring means 36 is attached to one end of the second rotating shaft 58 that projects beyond one end of the first rotating shaft 44 . Therefore, this stirring means 36 rotates together with the second rotating shaft 58. A tightening nut 68 is screwed onto one end of the second rotating shaft 58 to prevent the stirring means 36 from coming off. Further, a conical protective cap 70 that covers the tightening nut 68 and the like is attached to one end of the cap.

The first rotation shaft 44 and the second rotation shaft 58 are rotationally driven by a single electric motor 72 (constituting a drive source). Output shaft 74 of electric motor 72
protrudes into the gear case 46, and the output shaft 74, the first rotating shaft 44, and the second rotating shaft 58 are drivingly connected via a bevel gear mechanism 76 disposed within the gear case 46. In the specific example, a bevel gear 80 is attached to the output shaft 74 via a key member 78, a bevel gear 84 is attached to the other end of the first rotating shaft 44 via a key member 82, and the bevel gear 84 is It is meshed with the upper part of the bevel gear 80. Further, a bevel gear 88 is also attached to the other end of the second rotating shaft 58 via a key member 86, and this bevel gear 88 is meshed with the lower part of the bevel gear 80. With this configuration, when the electric motor 72 is energized and the bevel gear 80 is rotated, the bevel gear 84 (first rotating shaft 58) and the bevel gear 88 (second rotating shaft 58) are rotated in opposite directions. rotationally driven in the direction. In addition, the support case 42 and the bevel gear 84
A sleeve member 90 is interposed between them, and the sleeve member 90 prevents the other bearing member 43 from coming off and maintains the distance between the bearing member 43 and the bevel gear 84 at a predetermined value. Further, a tightening means 9 is provided at the other end of the first rotating shaft 44 to prevent the bevel gear 84 from coming off.
2 is installed. Further, a sleeve member 94 is interposed between the bevel gear 88 and the support body 66, and this sleeve member 94 prevents the bevel gear 88 from coming off and maintains the distance between the bevel gear and the bearing member 62 at a constant value. .

The illustrated powder supply device further includes a vibrating device that applies impact or vibration to the stirring device 36. For example, a hammer means, an ultrasonic generation means, etc. can be used as the vibration excitation means, and the illustrated hammer means 96 as the vibration excitation means is constituted by a pneumatic cylinder mechanism 96, the cylinder portion 98a of which is attached to the substrate 64. It is mounted on the mounting member 100. A pneumatic cylinder mechanism 98 is disposed below the second rotating shaft 58 and is expanded by compressed air from an air source (not shown) such as a compressor, and its output shaft 98
b collides with the other end of the second rotating shaft 58. In the specific example, a block piece 102 made of synthetic resin is attached to the output shaft 98b, and a shock or vibration is applied via this block piece 102.

The operation of the powder supply device described above will be explained as follows.

When the electric motor 72 is energized, its rotational force is transmitted to the first rotation shaft 44 via the bevel gear 80 and the bevel gear 84, and the rotation table 16 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 26 via the first rotation shaft 44. It is rotated in the direction shown in FIG. 2. The rotating force is transmitted to the second rotating shaft 58 via the bevel gear 80 and the bevel gear 88, and the stirring means 36 is transmitted via the second rotating shaft 58.
is rotationally driven in the direction indicated by arrow 40 opposite to arrow 26. Therefore, by rotationally driving the stirring means 36, the powder and granules in the storage space 12 are agitated as required, and blocking of the powder and granules is prevented. Furthermore, since the rotary table 16 and the stirring means 36 are driven to rotate in opposite directions, a relatively large difference in rotational speed is generated between them, and the stirring means 36 is substantially connected to each measuring chamber 18 provided on the rotary table 16. The granular material in the receiving space 12 is thus transferred to the metering chamber 18 while each metering chamber 18 is being moved through the introduction zone 12, without the negative effects of conventional stirring means. It will be introduced as follows. Further, since the rotary table 16 and the stirring means 36 are rotationally driven by the same electric motor 72, the configuration of the drive system can be simplified.

When the metering chamber 18 is moved to the discharge area D in the direction indicated by the arrow 26, the lower opening 24 of the metering chamber 18 is communicated with the discharge pipe 30 through the discharge opening, and the powder and granules weighed in the metering chamber 18 are discharged. It is supplied through a discharge pipe 30. Above the discharge area D is an air flow path 3.
Compressed air is supplied through the metering chamber 4, and therefore the powder in the metering chamber 18 is reliably supplied by the action of the compressed air.

On the other hand, when the pneumatic cylinder mechanism 98 is extended during the above-described rotation of the rotary table 16 and the stirring means 36, the block piece 102 provided on the output shaft 98b comes into contact with the other end of the second rotary shaft 58. contact, second
The stirring means 36 (stirring blade 3
8) Shock (vibration) is applied. Thus,
This impact causes the stirring means 36 to vibrate, and the powder and granules adhering to the stirring means 36 (particularly its upper surface) are reliably dropped, and substantially all of the powder and granules in the storage space 12 can be discharged. The above-mentioned expansion of the pneumatic cylinder mechanism 98 may be performed at predetermined intervals while supplying the powder or granules, or may be performed at predetermined intervals when the amount of powder or granules in the storage space 12 becomes low. You may also do so.

Although a specific example of a powder supply device configured according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this specific example, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Modification is possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a main part of a specific example of a powder supply device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the powder supply device of FIG. 1. 2...Lower device main body, 6...Powder storage tank, 12...
...accommodation space, 14...measuring means, 16...rotary table, 18...measuring chamber, 22...upper opening, 24
... lower opening, 36 ... stirring means, 44 ... first rotating shaft, 58 ... second rotating shaft, 72 ... electric motor, 76 ... bevel gear mechanism, 96 ... hammer means.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A powder storage tank that defines a storage space for accommodating powder and granular materials, a measuring means arranged below the storage space, and a stirring means arranged inside the powder storage tank. The measuring means includes a plurality of measuring chambers spaced apart in the circumferential direction and having an upper opening for receiving the powder and granular material from the storage space and a lower opening for discharging the powder and granular material. each of the measuring chambers is moved through an introduction region and a discharge region by rotating the rotary table in a predetermined direction, and in the introduction region, the upper opening is opened. The lower opening is closed when the upper opening is opened, and the lower opening is opened while the upper opening is closed in the discharge area. A powder feeding device characterized in that the powder feeding device is rotated in a direction opposite to that of the powder feeding device. 2. The rotary table further includes a rotatably mounted first rotary shaft and a second rotary shaft relatively rotatably supported within the first rotary shaft, and the rotary table is attached to the first rotary shaft. claim 1, wherein the stirring means is mounted on the second rotating shaft, and the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft are driven to rotate in opposite directions.
Powder feeding device as described in section. 3. The powder feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft are rotationally driven in opposite directions by a single drive source. 4. The powder supply device according to claim 3, wherein a bevel gear mechanism is interposed between the drive source, the first rotating shaft, and the second rotating shaft.