JPH0399247A - Powder sampling device in manufacturing apparatus of dry powder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve accuracy in a particle diameter measurement and to make sampling effective by directly sampling powder from the line of a manufacturing apparatus, mixing the powder into liquid such as water, and transporting the powder together with the liquid to a particle-diameter measuring device. CONSTITUTION:Finely crushed raw material 1 is supplied into a feeder 3 through a chute 2. The raw material 1 is introduced into a coarse powder cutting classifier 4 from the feeder 3 with air. The powder is circulated between the classifier 4 an a crusher 5, and the coarse particles are crushed. The classifier 4 drops the coarse particles in the circulating powder into the crusher 5 again. At the same time, the powder within the range of the specified particle diameters is taken out through an outlet port 4B. The classified and removed fine powder is conveyed into a back filter 8 through a pipe 7 with air. The powder within the range of the specified particle diameters is sent into a classifier 9 for cutting the fine powder again. The obtained powder is sent into a classifier 11 with a feeder 10. The fine powder is removed and the powder is sent into a mixer 15. The powder is mixed with liquid from a liquid injecting pipe 17 and dispersing agent from a dispersing-agent injecting pipe 19. The mixture is transported into a particle-diameter measuring device 25.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is an apparatus for manufacturing dry powder such as toner used in copying machines, in which the dry powder is directly branched from the production line to be produced online. The present invention relates to a particle size measuring device capable of continuously measuring particle size, and more particularly to a sampling device used in the online measuring device.

(Prior Art) Copying machines use toner made of dry powder as a developer, but the toner is manufactured after being strictly packed in a particle size tube.

Conventionally, in such a toner manufacturing apparatus, an operator manually takes out a sample of the toner manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus from the manufacturing line, and carries it to a measuring device for measurement.

(This will be referred to as the offline measurement method hereafter.) In the offline measurement method described above, if the distance between the manufacturing equipment and the measurement equipment is long, it takes time to carry the sample, and the measurement results are not obtained immediately after sampling. There was a problem that it was not clear. For this reason, when trying to control the powder particle size on the production line based on the particle size measurement results, there is a large time delay, making it impossible to achieve desirable particle size control, and increasing the It was causing a big problem.

To improve the shortcomings of the above offline measurement method,
A measuring device is also known in which powder is distributed directly from a production line to a measuring device, and the particle size of the powder is continuously measured at all times. (Hereinafter, this method will be referred to as the online measurement method.) In the online measurement method known in Japan and the United States, the powder is branched out from the production line, and the powder is transported through a pipe together with compressed air. It was used to transport the water to the measuring equipment.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, when powder is transported through a pipe together with air, the powder may adhere to the inner surface of the pipe or accumulate at the bent portion of the pipe, and this accumulation may occur. However, some of the particles may peel off and get mixed in during subsequent measurements, making the measurement results unreliable. (This is called a contamination phenomenon.) This contamination phenomenon occurs when powder is delivered alternately from the line of multiple manufacturing devices to one measuring device, or even when a single manufacturing device When extracting powder from a step-by-step location on a line and delivering it to a measuring device, etc.
A particular problem arises when the system is such that powder from multiple locations is branched out and measured using a single measuring device.

In order to improve the above drawbacks, the present inventors sampled dry powder from the production equipment line, mixed the dry powder into a liquid, and measured the particle size of the powder using the mixed liquid through a pipe. We have already proposed an online dry powder particle size measurement method and device that transports fluid to the device, eliminates the above-mentioned contamination phenomenon, and allows highly reliable measurement data to be obtained at all times. (Japanese Patent Application No. 1-108174) The sampling device used in the previously proposed method and device for measuring the particle size of dry powder does not adversely affect the operation of the line, has a simple structure, and is easy to operate. A simple device is also required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an effective sampling device for use in the previously proposed online dry powder particle size measurement method and device.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention is characterized in that, in a dry powder manufacturing device, powder is directly sampled from the line of the manufacturing device and mixed into a liquid such as water; The liquid is transported together with the liquid to a particle size measuring device.

(Example) Hereinafter, a dry powder particle size measuring apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing part of a line of a toner manufacturing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

Coarsely pulverized raw material 1 is fed through chute 2 to feed 8!3. The raw material 1 supplied to the feeder 8!3 is introduced from the feeder 3 into the coarse powder/powder classifier 8!4 by pneumatic transport. The coarse powder cut classification rock 4 consists of a cyclone-type classification rock, and the lower part of the coarse powder cut classification rock 4 has a crushing rock 5.
is provided. The outlet 5A of the crusher 8!5 and the inlet 4A of the coarse powder cut classifier 8!14 are connected by a circulation path 6, and the coarse powder cut classifier Iso 4 and the crusher Ff! The coarse powder is pulverized while circulating the powder between the i5 and the i5. The coarse powder cutting classifier 4 causes the coarse powder among the circulating powder to fall again to the crushing rock 5, and at the same time, the powder in a predetermined particle size range is sent to the outlet 4B.
It is used to extract ultra-fine powder from the air, and to classify and remove ultrafine powder. The classified and removed ultrafine powder is then conveyed to the bag 7 filter 8 via the conduit 7.

The powder having a predetermined particle size range from which the ultrafine powder and coarse powder have been removed is again passed through classification 8 to 9 to cut the ultrafine powder, thereby further cutting the remaining ultrafine powder. The powder from which the residual ultra-fine powder has been cut is air-transported to the fine-powder cutting classification W111 via the feeder 10. This fine powder cutting classification iso 11 cuts powder with a particle size below a predetermined particle size, and at the same time, it cuts even more particles! ＠Fine powder is removed, and the powder that comes out of this fine powder cutting classifier 11 is a product powder P having a particle size within a predetermined range.

The fine powder classified and removed by the fine powder cut/classifier 11 is
Class II again! ! 112 to cut the ultrafine powder, which is then stored in a storage container 13.

In addition, in the manufacturing equipment mentioned above, ultrafine powder is frequently removed, but since it is extremely difficult to completely remove ultrafine powder, removal operations are carried out as much as possible in each process. It is something.

Next, a particle size measurement system to which the sampling device of the present invention is attached will be explained.

This particle size measurement system samples only a portion of the product powder P, which has been cut into ultrafine powder and fine powder by the fine powder cutting and classification iso 11, and mixes and disperses this sampled powder in a liquid. The fluid is transported by pipes up to

To explain this in more detail, a part of the product powder P is sampled by the sampling device 14 and fed to the mixing port 15. The mixing rock 15 has a liquid injection pipe 17 that communicates with a liquid source 16 such as water, and a dispersant injection pipe 19 that communicates with a dispersant supply tank 18 that stores a dispersant such as a surfactant.
is installed with an opening, and injects a liquid and a dispersant into the sampled powder to mix and disperse them. The mixing rock 15 is provided with a pump 20 for circulating the mixed liquid.

The sampling, mixing, and fluid transportation devices are also installed in the classification sections 8 and 9 located in the middle of the production line.

It should be noted that the sampling, mixing and feeding devices installed in this classification rock 9 are the same as those installed in the fine powder cut classification fill, so the same reference numerals are given and the explanation will be omitted.

The liquid source 16 and the dispersant supply tank 18 are used in both the sampling, mixing, and transport devices, and therefore the liquid injection pipe 17 and the liquid source 16 are connected. The piping 21 and the piping 22 connecting the dispersant injection pipe 19 and the dispersant supply tank 18 are provided with three-way valves 23 and 24, respectively, and the three-way valves 23 and 24 are switched to supply the liquid and dispersant. It has a structure in which it is supplied to each of the mixing rocks 15, 15.

In addition, the particle size measuring device 25 is also used for both sampling, mixing, and transportation devices, and is used for mixing 8!15, 2 from 15.
A three-way valve 28 is provided in the middle of the main pipes 26 and 27, and by switching and using this valve, only one sampling device 14 can be selected. One pipe 2
6 is a water supply source 3 via a three-way valve 29 and a pipe 301 and a three-way valve 31.
2, and the other pipe 27 is also connected to the 3-way valve 29.
, a pipe 30, and a three-way valve 31 to communicate with a water supply source 32. The three-way valve 29 communicates on the one hand with a pipe 30 and on the other hand with a pipe 33 opening into the interior of the mixing bay 15.

Therefore, the circulation path of the mixed liquid in the mixing port 15 is defined by the mixing port 15, the pump 20, the three-way valve 31, the pipe 30, the three-way valve 29, and the pipe 33. When measuring the sampled mixture, stop the circulation up the pump 20 and close the three-way valve 3.
1 and transfer the mixed liquid accumulated in the pipe 30 to the water supply source 3.
The particles are transported to the particle size measuring device 25 under the pressure of 2. Note that it is also possible to use the liquid source 16 as the source of the liquid supplied to the water supply source 32 here,
It is also possible to use other liquid sources.

In the above description, liquid transportation is not necessarily limited to water, and other liquids such as alcohol can also be used.

It is also possible to adopt a method in which the powder mixture mixed in a mixer is stored in a measuring capsule and transported to the measuring device by a belt conveyor or a fluid conveyor.

Furthermore, although the powder production line is exemplified as a toner production line for a copying machine, the present invention is not limited to the above, and can be applied to various other dry powder production lines.

The sampling device of the present invention used in the line described above will be explained below using the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the sampling device of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2, and FIG.
It is a BB sectional view of the figure.

Referring to the diagram, the piping 41 is connected to the classifiers 9 and 11 in the NtJ1 diagram.
The dry powder is falling inside. The pipe 41 is provided with a storage body 42 that branches horizontally. The storage body 42 houses a cup 43 for receiving the powder, and the cup 43 is attached to a rod 44. Seal plates 45 and 46 are attached to the left and right sides of the cup 43 of the rod 44.

The shape of the seal plates 45 and 46 is preferably circular, but is not necessarily limited to a circle and may be rectangular, but in this case it is necessary that the seal body 47 described below has a rotatable structure. becomes. A seal body 47 is provided near the opening of the pipe 41 inside the storage body 42 .

The seal body 47 has a hole 48 having the same shape as one seal plate 45.
is provided, and when the seal plate 45 is inserted into the hole 48 and the seal plate 45 is at the position of the hole 48, the hole 4
8 is obstructed. Further, the hole 48 is closed by inserting the other seal plate 46. Note that the one sealing plate 45 and the other sealing plate 46 do not necessarily need to be inserted into the hole 48, and it is sufficient that they close the hole 48, for example, the opening of the hole 48. It is also possible to have a structure in which it comes into contact with and closes.

A hopper 49 is opened and provided on the lower surface of the storage body 42, and the hopper 49 communicates with a mixing vessel 50 (same as the mixing shore 15 in FIG. 1). A rotary actuator 51 is provided at the end of the rod 44, and the rotary actuator 51 is fixed to an end plate 52. The rotary actuator 51 rotates the cup 43 from upward to downward. There are various means for this rotary actuator 51, and specifically, various means such as fluid rotational drive, mechanical rotational drive, and electrical rotational drive are known. Since these rotary 7 actuators are well known, their explanation will be omitted. End plate 5
A fluid cylinder 53 serving as a reciprocating means is attached to 2, and the cup 43 is reciprocated by the fluid cylinder 53 via the end plate 52.

This fluid cylinder 53 can be replaced by a mechanical reciprocating means or an electric reciprocating means.

The operation of the present invention designed as described above will be explained with reference to FIG. 5 (a) and (b) as well.

When sampling is not performed, the cup 43 is in the state shown in FIG. 5(a). In this state, one of the seal plates 45 closes the hole 48 of the seal body 47, and the powder falling inside the pipe 41 is prevented from entering the storage body 42.

Now, when trying to sample the powder falling inside the pipe 41, the fluid cylinder 53 contracts and the rod 44 moves to the left in the figure via the end plate 52. For this reason, cup 4
3 is inserted through the hole 48 of the seal body 47 and moved to the inside of the pipe 41, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 5(B).

The cup 43 is placed inside the pipe 41 for a predetermined period of time to accommodate the powder in the cup 43. In this state, the sealing plate 46 closes the hole 48 of the sealing body 47, and the powder falling inside the pipe 41 does not enter the storage body 42. After a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the fluid sill 53 expands and the cup 43 returns to its original position, returning to the state shown in (a).

After returning to the state of (a), the rotary actuator 51 is activated and the cup 43 is rotated 180 degrees.

Then, the powder contained in the cup 43 falls and is supplied to the mixing rock 50 via the hopper 49.

The above explanation is about the toner used for duplication! ! ! Although it is explained as a sampling device in a production line,
The present invention can also be applied to sampling devices in other dry powder production lines, and these are also included in the present invention.

Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the sampled dry powder is fluidly transported to the measuring device, but the present invention is not limited to the means for transporting the dry powder to the measuring device. This also includes transportation that is carried out artificially or by other means.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, the powder does not enter the storage body during sampling suspension and sampling, so the accuracy of particle size measurement of the powder is improved.

Furthermore, since the sampling device of the present invention has a simple structure, there are fewer failures and fewer malfunctions, so there is no reduction in the operating rate of the entire device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a dry powder manufacturing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the sampling device of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along A-A in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 2, and FIGS. 5A and 5B are sectional views for explaining the operation of the present invention. 41: Piping 42: Storage body 43: Cup 44: Rod 45, 46: Seal plate 47: Seal body 47 48: Hole 49: Hopper 51
: Rotary actuator 52: End plate 53: Fluid cylinder

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] An apparatus for sampling dry powder from a manufacturing equipment line and measuring the particle size of the dry powder, comprising a pipe 41 through which the dry powder falls, and a storage body 42 branching from the pipe 41. , a seal body 47 provided near the opening of the pipe 41 inside the storage body 42 , a hole 48 provided in the seal body, and a cup 43 disposed in the storage body 42 . A rod 44 is provided on the left and right sides of the cup 43 of the rod 44, and when the cup 43 is located inside the pipe 41, one of the rods 44 is provided in the hole 48 of the seal body 47.
two seal plates 45 and 46 provided so that the other one closes the hole 48 of the seal body 47 when the cup 43 is located inside the housing body 42;
a hopper 49 provided with an opening on the lower surface of the rod 44; and a rotary actuator 5 provided at the end of the rod 44.
1, an end plate 52 to which the rotary actuator 51 is fixed, and a reciprocating means 53 connected to the end plate 52.