JPH0369813B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically inverting a container containing various kinds of powder and supplying the powder to another container.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, when the powder filled in a container is transferred to another processing container, such as a container for mixing, stirring, or other processing, it is best to manually perform the refilling work. It is customary.

However, in addition to saving labor, there is a demand for automatically switching to another container while preventing powder leakage for the following reasons.

That is, in the case of powders related to food or medicine, in order to improve hygiene, it is necessary to prevent the powders from coming into contact with human hands and at the same time to prevent foreign substances from getting mixed into the powders. Also, if you change the powder with the container open, the powder will float in the air.
Otherwise, the powder may scatter, worsening the environment, and the loss of powder due to scattering cannot be ignored, so consideration must be given to prevent powder leakage when replacing the powder in the container.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] An object of the present invention is to automatically perform the above-mentioned work of replacing the powder in the powder container with another container, and to do this work without opening the container as much as possible. It is an object of the present invention to provide a powder feeding device that can perform powder feeding.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the powder supply device of the present invention includes a container holding device that clamps a powder container;
a reversing transfer device that moves the container holding device from a clamping position of a powder container to a position of a container to which powder is to be supplied, and at the same time automatically reverses the container during the movement; a pair of opposing clamp members each having an inwardly inclined surface at both ends, which clamps and clamps the powder container on a base frame that is transferred and driven to be reversed by a transfer machine;
The damper frame is equipped with a damper frame that can be driven in a direction toward and away from the mouth of a clamped powder container, and a knocker that strikes the wall surface of the powder container. An opening/closing plate is provided, which has a plate-shaped part that opens and opens the mouth part, and opens and closes the mouth part by sliding within the plate surface, and also has an opening part that opens and closes the mouth part of the container to which the powder is to be supplied. A tapered joint cylinder is provided that tightly fits into the
It is characterized by this.

[Operation] When the powder container is transferred to a predetermined clamping position, the container holding device transferred by the reversing transfer machine clamps the powder container with a pair of opposing clamp members, and then the powder container is The mouth of the damper is closed by an opening/closing plate provided on the damper frame.

The powder container is transferred in this state by a reversing transfer machine, and is joined by bringing the joining tube into contact with the mouth of the container in the equipment to be supplied with the powder. The holding device is inverted and the powder container is joined to the device to which powder is to be supplied in an inverted state.

In this way, the work of replacing the powder in the powder container with another container can be performed automatically, and the work can be performed without opening the container as much as possible.

[Example] FIG. 1 shows an outline of an example of a powder supply device according to the present invention.

In the powder supply apparatus described above, a powder container 1 is set in a magazine 2 and is automatically fed to a predetermined clamping position by a container holding device 4 on a reversing transfer machine 3, which will be described below.

The illustrated magazine 2 includes four trays 7, . It is configured to send. Further, on the rotary table 6, there is a lid 8 for temporarily covering the powder container 1 which has been opened in advance to be fed to the clamping position next, and an arm 9 to which the lid 8 is attached. An opening/closing drive device 10 for automatically opening and closing the lid 8 by rotation of the lid 8 is provided, and these devices are rotatably mounted around a central shaft 11. However, as for the magazine 2,
The present invention is not limited to the configuration described above, and other appropriate configurations may be adopted.

The reversing transfer machine 3 moves the container holding device 4 that clamps the powder container 1 to a predetermined position and at the same time reverses it during the movement. Support column 15
The mounting base 16 to which the container holding device 4 is mounted can be moved up and down along the support column 15 by an elevating mechanism that is driven by a drive device (not shown) to move up and down. Further, the container holding device 4 has a shaft 17
The container holding device 4 is rotatably attached to the mounting base 16, and configured to be able to rotate around a shaft 17 by a rotation drive device (not shown).

In the reversing transfer machine 3 having such a configuration, when the powder container 1 is transferred to a predetermined position facing the support column 15 by the rotational movement of the tray 7 of the magazine 2, the powder on the support column 15 is transferred. The container holding device 4 located above the body container 1 is lowered,
Clamp the powder container 1 and lift it along the support column 15. Thereafter, the support column 15 rotates around the vertical axis, and the powder container 1 held by the container holding device 4 is moved onto a container in a device or the like to which powder is to be supplied. Further, while the powder container 1 is being transferred in this way, the container holding device 4 is
7, and the powder container 1 is connected in an inverted state to a container in a device or the like to which powder is to be supplied.

Next, the configuration of the container holding device 4 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

A base frame 20 of the container holding device 4 is rotatably supported by a shaft 17 on a mounting base 16 that can be raised and lowered along the support column 15 of the reversing transfer machine 3 described above. A clamp mechanism for clamping the container, a damper mechanism for opening and closing the mouth of the container, and the like are installed.

First, in order to clamp the powder container 1, a rectangular peripheral frame 21 that surrounds the powder container 1 at a sufficient interval is attached to the base frame 20. Clamp members 22 are provided on each of the two opposing sides. These clamp members 22, 22, as shown in detail in FIG. The provided pneumatic cylinder 25 compresses and clamps the powder container 1 located within the peripheral frame 21.

A pair of opposing clamp members 22,
When the container 1 is evenly clamped by the clamp members 22, an inwardly inclined surface 22a is formed at both ends of each clamp member 22.
In combination with the provision of the above, the center of the powder container 1 can be held at the center of the peripheral frame 21.

On the other hand, in order to open and close the mouth of the powder container 1 using a damper mechanism, the base frame 20 is provided with a
A damper frame 30 is provided which is slidable toward and away from the mouth of the damper. A pair of guide rods 31, 31 for guiding the sliding movement of the damper frame 30 are fixedly mounted on the base frame 20 in parallel and oriented in the sliding direction of the damper frame 30.
Guide tubes 32, 32 are attached to the guide rods 31, 31 to slide thereon. Further, between the base frame 20 and the damper frame 30, there are provided pneumatic cylinders 33, 33 for driving the damper frame 30 to open and close the mouth of the powder container.

The damper frame 30 is provided with a support member 35 for an opening/closing plate 36 that opens and closes the mouth of the container 1. This support member 35 has an opening 37 that coincides with the mouth of the powder container 1 when it is brought into pressure contact with the mouth of the powder container 1. A sealing member 38 is provided that contacts the edge and performs the sealing. Further, around the opening 37 of the supporting member 35, on the side opposite to the sealing member 38, a tapered joint cylinder 39 is provided for tightly joining the opening rim of a container or the like to which powder is to be supplied. is installed.

The opening/closing plate 36, which is slidably held by the support member 35, has a plate-like portion 36a that closes the opening 37 of the support member 35, and an opening portion 36b that opens the opening 37 through a hole that substantially corresponds to the opening 37. By sliding the pneumatic cylinder 40 within the plate surface, the opening 37 of the support member 35 is opened to the plate-shaped portion 36.
a closed position and the opening 3 of the support member 35
7 and the opening portion 36b, the opening position can be maintained.

That is, the opening/closing plate 36 has a frame member 4 at its end.
1 is fixed, and guide rods 42, 42 provided at both ends of this frame 41 are provided on the damper frame 30.
3 and 43 to guide the sliding of the frame material 41, and furthermore, the frame material 41 and the damper frame 30
The pneumatic cylinder 40 is provided between the two.
Therefore, by driving this pneumatic cylinder 40,
The opening/closing plate 36 assumes the closed position and the open position.

Further, the base frame 20 is provided with stoppers 45, 45 that increase safety by engaging with the bottom of the powder container 1 and preventing it from falling.
A pneumatic cylinder 48 is used to provide a knocker 47 that can be retracted and retracted from the container 6 and 46, and which strikes the wall surface of the container 1 when the powder container 1 is overturned in order to smoothly discharge the powder inside. It is provided so that it can protrude.

The clamping mechanism for the powder container 1 in the container holding device 4, the damper mechanism for opening and closing the mouth of the container, etc. have the above configuration, and each of these mechanisms will be explained below when transferring and reversing the powder container described above. It operates as follows.

First, the powder container 1 at a predetermined position facing the support column 15 is clamped by a pair of clamp members 22, 22 in the container holding device 4, and when lifted along the support column 15 by the reversing transfer machine 3, the powder container 1 is held at a predetermined position facing the support column 15. 1
In order to close the mouth of the pneumatic cylinder 33,3
3 is operated, the damper frame 30 is slid under the guidance of the guide rods 31, 31, and the support member 35 of the opening/closing plate 36 is brought into pressure contact with the opening of the container 1. in this case,
The lip of the powder container 1 has a sealing member 38 in contact with it.
sealed by. In this state, the opening/closing plate 36
The opening 37 of the support member 35 is opened by the plate-like portion 36a.
Of course, it is in the closed position where it is closed.

Further, in order to prevent the powder container 1 from falling, the cylinders 46 cause the stoppers 45, 45 to project and engage with the bottom of the container.

The powder container 1 is transferred to the reversing transfer machine 3 in this state.
By further raising the powder container 1 by rotating the support column 15 around the vertical axis.
is moved onto a container in the device in which the powder is to be fed and then lowered towards the container, at a suitable point in the meantime the container holding device 4 is reversed about the axis 17 and the powder is fed. The powder container 1 is connected to the desired device in an inverted state.

FIG. 1 shows the state in which the powder container 1, which has been inverted and lowered in this way, is replaced with a receiver 50 in a device to supply powder, and a chute connected to the receiver 50 via a joint 52. By pressing the joint cylinder 39 of the damper frame 30 against the mouth edge of the damper frame 51, the two are tightly joined. In addition, in the figure, 53 is a support arm of the chute 51.
After the powder container 1 and the chute 51 are securely joined in this way, the opening/closing plate 36 is attached to the pneumatic cylinder 40.
When the opening portion 36b is aligned with the opening 37 of the support member 35, the powder in the inverted powder container 1 is supplied into the receiver 50 through the chute 51 below.

If the powder in the container 1 is not being discharged smoothly, or if the discharge of the powder in the container is almost completed, the pneumatic cylinder 48 operates the knocker 47 that strikes the wall of the container, and the powder is discharged. promote.

When the discharge of the powder in the container 1 is completed, the container 1 is returned to the original tray 7 by an operation completely opposite to that described above, and is placed on standby for the transfer of the next powder container.

Although a control device for controlling the series of operations described above will not be described, it can be easily realized by known means. Furthermore, although a case has been described in which a pneumatic cylinder is used as a means for driving each part, other appropriate actuators can be used.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the powder supply device of the present invention detailed above, it is possible to automatically replace the powder in the powder container with another receptacle, etc., and in this case, in particular, Since the powder container is clamped by a pair of clamp members having inwardly inclined surfaces at both ends, it is possible to clamp the powder container with its center always aligned with the clamp center. I can do it,
As a result, the connecting tube provided on the damper frame and the mouth edge of the container, etc., into which powder is to be supplied can be easily and securely connected in a state in which they are centered, and the connecting tube is formed into a tapered shape. Coupled with that,
The joint tube and the rim of a container or the like can be tightly connected.

In addition, the opening/closing plate provided on the damper frame is configured to include a plate-like part that closes the mouth of the powder container and an opening part that opens the mouth, and by sliding the opening/closing plate, the above-mentioned Since the mouth is opened and closed by the plate-shaped part and the opening part, the opening/closing plate does not move back to a position where it is removed from above the mouth when opening the mouth, unlike when simply crossing a flat plate. Therefore, when the mouth part is opened, powder does not leak to the outside through the opening/closing plate guide groove of the damper frame, and as a result, the joint cylinder and the mouth edge of the container etc. can be tightly connected. This synergistic effect makes it possible to perform refilling operations without opening the container as much as possible, and in the case of food- and drug-related powders, the powder does not come into contact with human hands, improving hygiene. In addition, there is no possibility of powder floating or scattering in the air, deteriorating the environment, or loss of powder due to scattering.

Furthermore, since it is equipped with a knocker that taps the wall of the powder container, there may be cases where the powder is not discharged smoothly or
When the discharge of the powder is almost completed, by striking the wall surface of the container with the knocker, the discharge of the powder can be promoted and the powder can be reliably discharged to the end.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a powder supply device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a partially cutaway side view of a container holding device, and Fig. 3 is a partially cutaway rear view of only the right half of the device. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view of the clamp member as seen in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway plan view of the container holding device. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Powder container, 3... Reversing transfer machine, 4... Container holding device, 20... Base frame, 22... Clamp member, 30... Damper frame, 36... Opening/closing plate, 39
...joint cylinder.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A container holding device that clamps a powder container, and simultaneously moving the container holding device from a clamping position of the powder container to a position of a container to which powder is to be supplied;
and a reversing transfer machine that automatically reverses the powder container during the movement; a pair of opposing clamp members each having an inwardly sloping surface, a damper frame that can be driven in directions toward and away from the mouth of the clamped powder container, and a knocker that strikes the wall surface of the powder container. The damper frame has a plate-shaped part that closes the mouth of the powder container and an opening part that opens the mouth, and an opening and closing mechanism that opens and closes the mouth by sliding within the plate surface. Powder supply by automatic reversal of a powder container, characterized in that a plate is provided and a tapered joint tube that tightly fits the mouth edge of a container, etc. to which powder is to be supplied is provided. Device.