JP4025902B2 - Method and apparatus for mixing granular materials - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for mixing a plurality of types of granular materials having different content components.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a wide range of industries such as the food industry, pharmaceutical industry, and chemicals industry, various types of granular materials are used as product raw materials, and in particular, multiple types of granular materials with different contents are used as product raw materials. ing.
[0003]
The basic means of mixing multiple types of granular materials (hereinafter abbreviated as powder) is to take out the powder from the powder bag shipped from the manufacturer, weigh it, Put in the mixing hopper. In this way, a plurality of types of powders were put into a hopper and then stirred and mixed with a mixer.
However, with such means, dust is generated, which may be inhaled by workers, and may cause dust to scatter around and contaminate machinery and equipment. It was.
[0004]
In recent years, operations such as powder measurement and mixing have been performed automatically and continuously.
FIG. 6 shows an example of a conventional method and apparatus for mixing powder, and a measuring container a having an open upper surface is fed in a fixed direction on a conveying apparatus b such as a roller conveyor. Yes. A plurality of hoppers c containing powders having different contents are arranged above the measuring container a in the transfer direction. This hopper c has a cutting machine d like a screw conveyor for cutting out the content components in the lower part, and also has a rotating mechanism e for eliminating the bridge phenomenon.
[0005]
When the measuring container a reaches below the set hopper c, it automatically stops by an appropriate means such as a stopper, and a measuring instrument f is provided below the stop position of the measuring container a. It is stationary. The weighing instrument f has a pair of supporting legs or a supporting member made up of a plurality of protrusions protruding on the upper surface, and this supporting member protrudes upward through the space between the conveying devices b by a cylinder and lifts the measuring container a. It is like that. Therefore, since the load of the measuring container a is applied to the measuring instrument f, it becomes possible to measure, and in this state, the cutting machine d is rotated to cut out the powder from the hopper c and put it into the measuring container a.
[0006]
When the input amount reaches a preset amount, the cutting machine d stops, the support member lowers, and the weighing container a is placed on the transport device d. The measuring container a is moved to the next hopper c, and a certain amount of powder different from the above is supplied.
[0007]
When a necessary amount of necessary powder is supplied to the measuring container a in this way, the measuring container a is transferred to above the mixer g, and an aggregate of different kinds of powders is put into the mixer g. In the mixer g, stirring and mixing operations are performed with stirring blades, and when sufficiently mixed, the mixed powder is put into a transfer container h located below the mixer g, and the transfer container h is the other container. It is sent to a place, for example, a product processing place.
[0008]
Operations such as transfer and stop of the measuring container a, cutting and charging of powder from the hopper c to the measuring container a, weighing by the measuring instrument f, mixing by the mixer g, etc. are all controlled and managed and automatically processed. It has come to be.
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the method and apparatus described above, the process from the transfer of the weighing container a to the transfer of the mixed powder by the transfer container h at the final stage can be automatically performed. Since the transfer plane of the container h has different levels up and down, it requires a very large site area in the vertical direction. When the installation position of the hopper c is added to this, a higher floor is required.
[0010]
Also, by the time the mixed powder is put into the transfer container h, the powder is put into the measuring container a and the mixer g and discharged, so that the remaining amount of the powder adheres to the measuring container a and the mixer g. However, this was an economic loss because it remained unused. Furthermore, since the measuring container a, the transfer container h, and two containers are required, there are significant problems in securing and managing each storage location.
[0011]
In view of the problems of the above-mentioned conventional methods for mixing granular materials and mixing devices, the present invention performs the mixing operation on the same plane, and the measuring container and the transfer container are used by using the same container. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mixing method and a mixing apparatus for a granular material that can eliminate wasteful consumption and improve work efficiency.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the mixing method of the present invention is a step of feeding a required amount of granular material into a container 1 from a plurality of hoppers 3 containing granular materials having different content components, The container 1 containing the granular material is sandwiched between a pair of connecting plates 12 that can be moved up and down at the stop position, and is raised and connected to the mixer 6. The connected container 1 and the mixer 6 are inverted upside down to mix the mixer 6. A step of stirring and mixing the particulate material with the stirring blade 10 inside, a step of re-inverting the container 1 and the mixer 6 after mixing is completed, and separating the container 1 and the mixer 6; And a step of transferring the container 1 to another.
[0013]
The mixing device of the present invention also includes a container 1 that can be transferred in a certain direction by the conveying device 2, and a plurality of hoppers 3 that are arranged above the container 1 in the transfer direction and each contain a granular material having different contents. The container 11 which is placed below the stop position of the container 1 and can measure the granular material put into the container 1 and the container 1 containing a plurality of kinds of granular materials having different contents are cylinder 11 A pair of connecting members 13 sandwiched by connecting plates 12 provided on the upper side and lifted upward, and connected to the raised container 1 are turned upside down, and the agitation blades 10 provided therein can stir and mix the particulate matter. The mixer 6 is composed.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of an apparatus used in the present invention. An empty container 1 (shown by a chain line in FIG. 1) having an upper surface opened is fixed on a conveying apparatus 2 such as a roller conveyor. A plurality of hoppers 3 each containing powders of different contents are arranged above the transfer direction of the container 1, and a measuring instrument 4 is placed below the stop position of the container 1. Yes.
[0015]
The container 1 automatically stops at a preset position of the hopper 3 and is lifted above the conveying device 2 by the measuring instrument 4 as shown in the conventional art (shown by a solid line in FIG. 1). In this state, a cutting machine 5 such as a screw conveyor provided in the hopper 3 is rotated, and a necessary amount of powder is charged while weighing. The other hopper 3 is charged with a required amount of powder having different content components. Such a device and the powder cutting operation while weighing are the same as the conventional method and device described above.
[0016]
In the present invention, a container 1 containing a certain amount of each necessary powder is connected to a mixer 6, the container 1 and the mixer 6 are turned upside down to mix the powder in the container 1, and after mixing, The container 1 and the mixer 6 are separated and reversed, and the container 1 containing the mixed powder is transferred to another place, for example, the mixed powder processing place. ing.
[0017]
More specifically, a mixer 6 is installed at an upper position between the support bases 7 standing in front of the container 1 containing the powder in the transfer direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the container-shaped or lid-shaped mixer 6 with the lower surface of the opening facing downward is normally fixed to the center of a rotary shaft 8 that is rotatably mounted between the support bases 7 and is not shown. The mixer 6 can be turned upside down by rotating and driving the rotary shaft 8 by a motor. In the mixer 6, a stirring blade 10 that is rotated by a motor 9 is provided.
[0018]
Further, on both sides of the mixer 6, a connecting member 13 including a cylinder 11 and a connecting plate 12 is installed. The connecting members 13 on both sides are lifted upward in a state where the container 1 reaching the lower side of the mixer 6 is sandwiched from both sides, and the upper opening surface of the container 1 and the lower opening surface of the mixer 6 are connected together as shown in FIG. For this reason, the cylinder 11 is fixed to the rotary shaft 8 in a vertically downward state, and the connecting plate 12 is provided at the tip of the rod 14 of each cylinder 11. And both the connection plates 12 are located below the opening upper surface of the container 1 so that it may face the trunk | drum of the container 1 normally.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 4, the connecting plate 12 is formed in a mountain shape around the cylinder rod 14, and the base of the connecting plate 12 is connected so that it does not fall out of the cylinder rod 14. Due to the spring action provided on the cylinder rod 14, the connection plate 12 is normally given a habit of facing a certain direction.
[0020]
That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, the connecting plate 12a on the side close to the transfer direction of the container 1a indicated by the alternate long and short dash line is parallel to the transfer direction of the container 1a, and the other connecting plate 12b is It is in a state orthogonal to the transfer direction of the container 1a so as to block the path of the container 1a.
[0021]
When the container 1a reaches the position indicated by the two-dot chain line and comes into contact with the connecting plate 12b, and the container 1a advances so as to expand the connecting plate 12b, both connecting plates 12a and 12b move to the cylinder rod 14 as the container 1a advances. The container 1a stops when the connecting plates 12 on both sides come to the opposite positions so as to sandwich the body of the container 1a. At this time, the container 1a may be transported by a transport device 15 different from the transport device 2, for example, a belt conveyor, and the transport device 15 is stopped when the connecting plates 12 on both sides face each other. It is controlled. The stop position of the container 1 is directly below the mixer 6.
[0022]
After the connecting plate 12 is positioned on both sides of the container 1 as described above (FIG. 4B), if the connecting plate 12 is pulled up by the cylinder 11, the connecting plate 12 hits the flange 16 of the container 1 and the container 1 is The flange 16 of the container 1 and the flange 17 of the Misaki 6 are brought into close contact with each other, and the upper opening surface of the container 1 and the lower opening surface of the mixer 6 are connected together.
[0023]
After connecting the container 1 and the mixer 6 in this way, the mixer 6 is reversed by the rotating shaft 8 and the container 1 is positioned vertically above the mixer 6, so that the powder in the container 1 is contained in the mixer 6. The powder is mixed by falling and rotating the stirring blade 10. After stirring and mixing for a certain period of time, the container 1 is placed on the transport device 15 if it is inverted by the rotating shaft 8 and the connecting plate 12 is lowered with the container 1 on the lower side.
[0024]
The container 1 containing the mixed powder may be sent to another place by the same transfer device 2 or the transfer device 15 as described above. At this time, the connecting plates 12 on both sides are rotated so that the connecting plate 12b is pushed and spread by the container 1, and after the container 1 has passed, the springs return to the normal position shown in FIG. Such a spring structure and action are those conventionally used.
[0025]
FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention, where the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as in the previous embodiment.
This embodiment is characterized in that the container 1 is transported on a cart 18 that can run on its own without using the transport device 2. For this reason, a measuring instrument 19 is placed on the carriage 18, and the container 1 is placed on the measuring instrument 19.
[0026]
A plurality of types of powders having different content components in the container 1 as described above by allowing the carriage 18 to move between the plurality of hoppers 3 and the mixers 6 and stopping below the hoppers 3. A constant amount is charged while weighing. Then, after storing the necessary amount of necessary powder, the carriage 18 is moved to the vicinity of the mixer 6, the container 1 is transferred onto the conveying device 15, and the mixer 1 is sandwiched between the connecting plates 12 on both sides as described above. Stop below 6. Thereafter, the container 1 and the mixer 6 may be connected in the same manner as described above, and mixed in an inverted state.
[0027]
Note that the measuring instrument 19 may simply measure with the container 1 placed thereon, or the container 1 may be lifted by a support member that can be moved up and down like the measuring instrument 4 described above.
Further, the running and stopping of the carriage 18 and the stoppage of powder cutting by the measuring device 19 are managed by the control mechanism of the entire apparatus.
[0028]
In the above description, the case where the particulate material is mixed has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be used for mixing a liquid and a liquid, or for mixing a particulate material and a liquid.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention described above, a certain amount of a plurality of types of granular materials having different content components are metered into a emptied container 1 that is transported in a certain direction. After the container 1 containing a plurality of types of granular materials and the mixer 6 are connected together and the vertical relationship between the container 1 and the mixer 6 is inverted to mix the granular materials, The container 1 and the mixer 6 are inverted, returned to the normal position, the connected state is released, and the container 1 containing the mixed granular material can be transferred to another place as it is. A certain amount of charging, mixing, transfer of the mixed granular material, and the like can be performed continuously.
[0030]
Accordingly, it is not necessary to have a stepped work area up and down, and it is not necessary to take a large work site, and the container 1 can contain, mix and The mixed powder can be transferred, and maintenance and management of the container 1 and the mixer 6 can be easily performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of an entire apparatus used in the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing a container and a mixer used in the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a front view of a state in which a container and a mixer used in the present invention are connected to each other.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a positional relationship between a container and a connecting plate.
FIG. 5 is a front view of the entire apparatus showing another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a front view of the entire conventional apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container 2 Conveying device 3 Hopper 4 Measuring device 5 Cutting machine 6 Mixer 7 Support stand 8 Rotating shaft 9 Motor 10 Stirring blade 11 Cylinder 12 Connecting plate 13 Connecting member 14 Cylinder rod 15 Conveying device 16 Flange 17 Flange 18 Carriage 19 Measuring device

Claims (2)

A step of measuring and feeding a necessary amount of granular material into a container 1 from a plurality of hoppers 3 containing granular materials having different content components, and the container 1 containing the granular material can be moved up and down at a stop position. A pair of connecting plates 12 sandwiched and raised to connect with the mixer 6, the connected container 1 and the mixer 6 are turned upside down, and the particulate matter is stirred and mixed by the stirring blade 10 in the mixer 6. And a step of re-inverting the container 1 and the mixer 6 after the mixing is completed to separate the container 1 and the mixer 6 and a step of transferring the container 1 containing the mixed granular material to the other. A mixing method of a granular material characterized. A container 1 that can be transported in a certain direction by the transport device 2, a plurality of hoppers 3 that are arranged above the transport direction of the container 1, and that respectively contain granular materials with different contents, and below the stop position of the container 1 And a connecting plate 12 provided in a cylinder 11 with a measuring instrument 4 capable of measuring a granular material put into the container 1 and a container 1 containing a plurality of types of granular materials having different contents. It consists of a pair of connecting members 13 that are sandwiched and lifted upward, and a mixer 6 that is connected to the raised container 1 and turned upside down and can stir and mix the particulate matter by the stirring blades 10 provided therein. An apparatus for mixing granular materials.

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