EP2814739A1 - System und verfahren zur ausgabe eines partikelmaterials - Google Patents
System und verfahren zur ausgabe eines partikelmaterialsInfo
- Publication number
- EP2814739A1 EP2814739A1 EP12707138.9A EP12707138A EP2814739A1 EP 2814739 A1 EP2814739 A1 EP 2814739A1 EP 12707138 A EP12707138 A EP 12707138A EP 2814739 A1 EP2814739 A1 EP 2814739A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- air
- main body
- particulate
- air inlet
- container
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B1/00—Packaging fluent solid material, e.g. powders, granular or loose fibrous material, loose masses of small articles, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
- B65B1/04—Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles
- B65B1/16—Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles by pneumatic means, e.g. by suction
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a system and a method for dispensing particulate material from a source container into one or more destination containers, wherein said material is in the form of a fine particulate powder.
- Known methods of dispensing materials in powdered form incorporate funnel- shaped devices, wide at their inlet and narrow at their outlet, and generally utilize gravity for dispensing said material.
- Other solutions comprise the use of screw conveyors which guide the powder to the exit of the filling funnel, while in some other applications compressed air is filled inside the dispenser device for fluidizing the material and enhancing its flowing properties.
- Agitating or vibrating means are also used to unblock the funnels to prevent blockages, but they result inevitably in a very complex system requiring particular maintenance and involving high costs.
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,794 describes a powder filling apparatus and a method for filling a container with powder.
- the toner container is filled by conveying toner from a supply hopper through a nozzle with a valve on the end.
- the valve is disposed at the bottom opening of the nozzle to release and close the opening of the nozzle by the vertical movement of the valve element.
- U.S. Pat. Appl. 2004/011425 discloses a method and an apparatus for directing toner from a hopper containing a supply of toner.
- the apparatus includes a conduit member connected to the hopper and having a discharging end for permitting a toner to be moved there through, a conveyor device located at least partially within the conduit member for moving the toner from the hopper in a toner moving direction towards the container and a nozzle device including a nozzle member for directing the toner from the conveyor to cleanly fill the container.
- a miniature vibrator assists in providing the flow of particulate material from the hopper to the container.
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,338 teaches a developer which discharges used carrier particles using a magnetic valve. Discharge of developer material from the developer housing is controlled by a permanent magnet and an electromagnet positioned adjacent an exit port in the developer housing.
- the permanent magnet generates a magnetic flux field in the region of the exit port to form a developer material curtain which prevents the passage of developer material from the exit port.
- the electromagnet When the electromagnet is energized, it generates a magnetic flux field which attracts developer material from the developer material curtain. Upon de-energization of the electromagnet, the developer material attracted to it is discharged.
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,561 ,759 discloses a device for filling and filtering toner from a supply container.
- a filter basket is disposed in the region of the filling opening which is closed from the feed container by a filter mesh and an electric vibrator connected thereto by a linkage which can be automatically triggered at the beginning of a filling operation.
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,296 teaches a filling machine for filling containers with particulate material using a nozzle having an outlet end for delivery of particulate material to a container. The nozzle is encircled by a downwardly facing seal to engage the upper open end of the container.
- the nozzle has an outer annular cavity terminating in an annular port around the open end of the nozzle in which a relatively high vacuum is drawn to evacuate the container and draw material through the passageway into the container.
- the nozzle has an inner annular cavity terminating in a porous wall encircling the discharge end of the nozzle in which a relatively low vacuum is drawn to adhere material in the nozzle to the wall to terminate flow through the nozzle.
- EP 11 15036 describes a powder discharging device for discharging coloring powder from a powder container via an outlet formed in the container, the powder container including a deformable bag storing the colouring powder, a position maintaining device configured to maintain the position of the bag, and a mounting portion configured to removably mount the bag. A gas is fed into the bag in order to fluidize the coloring powder and cooperates with the position maintaining device to maintain the position of the bag.
- the present invention seeks therefore to avoid the mentioned disadvantages and has the primary object of providing a system and a method for dispensing particulate material into a destination container, allowing a controllable, uniform flow of material without the risk of blockages and clogging which may interrupt its discharge.
- a further object of the invention is to provide a particulate material filling device which can be easily coupled and adapted to the particulate containers - the one to be emptied and to the one to be filled - in an easy and quick way, thus limiting the operation time and costs and contemporarily avoiding any leakage of material.
- the system and the method according to the present invention will be now explained in details with particular reference to the attached figures.
- the system according to the present invention includes an air mixer funnel 1 which comprises an air inlet nozzle A extending from the inside of a main body B of the funnel 1 into the source container 8, wherein said nozzle A is provided with perforations a ⁇ to a n with n integer >1 , through which air flows inside the main body B and/or the source container 8.
- the system may further comprise
- the main body B of the air mixer funnel 1 has an upper part b1 with cylindrical cross-section and a lower part b2 having a frustoconical cross-section.
- the air inlet nozzle A is in the form of a hollow tube extending from the inside of the main body B into the opening 9 of the source container 8.
- the nozzle A comprises a number of perforations ai to a n with n being an integer greater than 1 , distributed along its length at equal distances. Additionally, a further perforation a t is provided on the tip of the nozzle A. Air is injected into the nozzle A through an opening 4 in the upper part b1 of the main body B by means of an air inlet device 2 as depicted in Figures 3, 3a and 5.
- This kind of configuration allows to form a vortex of blown air which facilitates the emptying of the source container 8 and, at the same time, fluidizes uniformly and more efficiently the particulate material, so that a downwardly directed flow of particles into the main body B of funnel 1 is formed.
- the main body B has an upper part b1 having cylindrical cross-section and a lower part b2 having a frustoconical cross-section.
- the particulate material flowing inside the funnel 1 is dispensed through a particulate suction opening 101 discharging into a sealable connection tip 102 extending outside the main body B.
- the arrangement of perforations along the air inlet nozzle A is shown in Fig.4. Said perforations are distributed at equal distances from each other such that the distance between perforations a n and a n+ i is always the same.
- the perforations are grouped in a number of four holes individuating a plane which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the nozzle A.
- Fig.4a is a cross section along the aforementioned plane of holes and shows a further embodiment wherein an additional hole a t is provided on the tip of the nozzle A.
- the air inlet device 2 of Fig.5 is connected to an air pump 15 provided with a control unit 16, which regulates the air pressure and the material flow.
- the flow of air between the pump 15 and the air nozzle 2 is secured by means of a one-way valve 20 positioned on the air conduct 21 as shown in Fig. 7, which prevents the flow-back of particulate material.
- the air inlet device 2 is optionally provided with means 5 for the discontinuous insufflations of air, said means being preferably in the form of a spring engaged by a steel ball. This system allows to stop the flow of air into the air inlet nozzle A thus controlling more accurately the quantity of air and the insufflating time.
- the internal walls of the frustoconical lower part b2 of the main body B may optionally show a pattern of curved grooves (not shown) radially converging into the middle of said lower part b2 in direction of the particulate suction opening 101.
- the effect of the particular configuration of the perforations ai to a n and/or a t is the following: when particulate material fills the main body B, the powder tends to form agglomerates on the bottom and becomes more compact, with the risk of clogging and thus compromising the discharge process.
- Compressed air is then pumped through the perforations ai to a n in a direction which is perpendicular to the main body longitudinal axis.
- the particulate is therefore blown and fluidized, the agglomerates disrupted and the material is accelerated centrally in direction of the suction opening 101.
- the system of the present invention may further comprise an adapter 6, which can be coupled to the main body B.
- This adapter 6 engages the main body B and is sealed to the source container 8 outlet opening 9 by means of the ring 7 (Fig. 6a).
- the adapter 6 allows to fit the air mixer funnel 1 to every kind of opening of a particulate source container, thus rendering the system according to the present invention a quick to set and universally applicable device.
- the sealable connection tip 102 can be connected to a particulate discharge tube 12 which is fixed to an inlet opening 13 of said particulate destination container 14.
- the tube 12 comprises a discharge blocking system 121.
- the ring 7 seals directly the main body B to the opening 9 of the source container 8.
- the present invention provides also a method for filling particulate material from a source container 8 into a destination container 14.
- the method comprises the following steps:
- air is blown discontinuously through the air inlet nozzle A into the main body B and/or in the source container 8.
- toner powders require in fact several precautions for their handling and use during recycling of exhausted laser printer cartridges by professional recyclers.
- a major problem has been identified in handling large containers (typically from 1 kg to 10 kg) to transfer the toner into smaller containers of preset weight to match the specific gram-fill required by each model of printer cartridge or to refill directly these cartridges with the correct amount of toner.
- Fig.1 side view of the air mixing funnel 1 ;
- Fig.2 cross-section of the lower part of the main body B
- Fig.3 cross-section of the cylindrical section b1 of the main body B showing the opening 4 and the connection with the air inlet nozzle A;
- Fig.3a cross section of the main body B perpendicular to the longitudinal axis
- Fig.4 longitudinal section of the air inlet nozzle A
- Fig.4a cross section of the air inlet nozzle A perpendicular to the longitudinal axis;
- Fig. 5 longitudinal section of the air inlet device 2;
- Fig. 6 longitudinal section of the adapter 6
- Fig.6a connection ring 7;
- Fig.6b connecting sleeve for ring 7;
- Fig.7 schematic representation of the particulate filling apparatus according to the present invention.
- Fig.8 a schematic view of the control unit 16 and air pump 15.
- the opening 101 of Fig. 2 discharges into the sealable connection tip 102.
- the sealable connection of the tip 102 may be of any suitable shape, and may take advantage of known sealing profiles, including threaded portions and light friction fits. It may also take the form of a flat or contoured plate, or any shaped surface which corresponds with another surface to reduce leakage of dust particles during dispensing of particulate.
- Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the adapter 6 which engages the air mixer main body B.
- the opening of a particulate material source container is connected with the upper part of the adapter, which is also provided with a protruding contoured profile 61 for engaging the ring 7.
- Fig. 6a shows a side view of the ring 7 when it engages the outflow opening of a source container.
- Fig. 6b depicts a longitudinal section of the sleeve which allows the ring 7 to be connected to the adapter 6.
- Fig. 7 provides a schematic view of the apparatus according to the present invention.
- a source container 8 in the form of a bag or a hopper of particulate material is hanged in a vertical position, so that the powder material flows in direction of the outlet opening 9.
- the air mixer 1 according to the present invention is connected to said opening 9 through the adapter 6 and sealed with the ring 7.
- Compressed air is pumped by the air pump 15 and regulated by the control unit 16.
- the air flow is secured by means of the one way valve 20 which can open/close the flux by idle operations and prevents the particulate material flow-back.
- the particulate discharge tube 12 connected to the sealable connection tip 102 and fixed to an inlet opening 13 of the particulate destination container 14 is provided with a discharge blocking system 121 which blocks the particulate flow.
- the discharge tube 12 and the system 121 are not restricted to particular materials or configurations.
- the discharge blocking system 121 can be e.g. a pinch clamp.
- Fig. 8 offers a schematic representation of the control unit 16 comprising the built-in air pump 15.
- the control unit provides regulated power to a built-in air pump 15 (preferably 1 10 l/h capacity, 120 mbar max. pressure) connected to the air mixer funnel 1 through a tube 21.
- the unit is operated by one touch start/stop button 71 and provides selection means 74 for choosing continuous operation or intermittent operation depending on user requirements of flow and particulate characteristics. Additionally, it provides electronic adjustment of air flow power 73 and operating time adjustment 72 (e.g. from 10 sec. to 2.5 min.) to allow best fitting to each specific quantity requirement and to prevent excessive air overflow inside the destination container 14.
- the apparatus of the present invention may also comprise weighing pre-dosage system to allow the in-line control of the amount of particulate discharged.
- the operative conditions which have been applied during the process of filling of particulate have been optimized for minimizing both the time for filling the destination containers and the quantity of lost particulate at the end of the procedure.
- the best results have been obtained by applying inside the air mixer funnel 1 an air pressure of between 0.5 and 2.5 bar.
- the air has been blown discontinuously according to a "slow” or a “fast mode”: the “slow mode” foresees a 5Hz frequency with a duty-cycle at 10%, whilst in the "fast mode” the frequency of blown air is at 10Hz with a duty-cycle of 10%.
- the duration of air impulses for the "slow mode” is 10ms ON and 190ms OFF, and for the "fast mode” is 10ms ON and 90ms OFF.
- the use of deionized air enhances the process of filling the destination containers since it increases and speeds up the fluidization of the particulate inside the air mixer funnel 1.
- the following examples show the values referring to the filling of different quantities of particulate into destination containers by use of the device according to the present invention.
- the source container contains for all the examples 10Kg of particulate to be transferred.
- the first column on the left indicates how many grams of particulate have been added to each destination container.
- the second column indicates the total number of containers which have been filled with the respective particulate quantity.
- the column on the right it has been indicated the sum of the weight of particulate filled in all the containers of each kind.
- the first example relates to the filling process of 40 to 45g of particulate into destination containers.
- the source container contains 10 Kg of particulate.
- the second example relates to the filling process of 150 to 155g of particulate into destination containers.
- Table 2 below reports the values obtained. Only 2.5% of the initial particulate quantity has been lost during the operations.
- the third example relates to the filling process of 300 to 305g of particulate into destination containers.
- Table 3 below reports the values obtained. Only 1% of the initial particulate quantity has been lost during the operations.
- the apparatus and method of the present invention provide a quick and reliable way of filling the destination containers with particulate in a reproducible, simple and cost-effective way, which can be adapted each time to the specific procedural needs as required by the volumes of the destination container used.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Basic Packing Technique (AREA)
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/IB2012/050685 WO2013121247A1 (en) | 2012-02-15 | 2012-02-15 | System and method for dispensing particulate material |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2814739A1 true EP2814739A1 (de) | 2014-12-24 |
Family
ID=45809355
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP12707138.9A Withdrawn EP2814739A1 (de) | 2012-02-15 | 2012-02-15 | System und verfahren zur ausgabe eines partikelmaterials |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP2814739A1 (de) |
WO (1) | WO2013121247A1 (de) |
Family Cites Families (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB247744A (de) * | ||||
DE3224296C1 (de) | 1982-06-29 | 1983-06-09 | Siemens AG, 1000 Berlin und 8000 München | Vorrichtung zum Einfuellen und Sieben von Toner aus einem Behaelter in einen Tonervorratsbehaelter |
US5129766A (en) * | 1988-06-21 | 1992-07-14 | Shell Oil Company | Aeration tube discharge control device |
GB8817708D0 (en) | 1988-07-25 | 1988-09-01 | Portals Eng Ltd | Improvements in filling machines |
US5095338A (en) | 1991-02-21 | 1992-03-10 | Xerox Corporation | Developer which discharges used carrier particles using a magnetic valve |
US5337794A (en) | 1992-02-20 | 1994-08-16 | Mita Industrial Co., Ltd. | Powder filling apparatus and a method for filling a container with powder |
US5474111A (en) * | 1993-10-22 | 1995-12-12 | Degussa Corporation | Fine particle handling |
DE19526743A1 (de) * | 1995-07-21 | 1997-01-23 | Wacker Chemie Gmbh | Verfahren zum Befüllen und Entleeren eines Behälters |
US6102088A (en) * | 1997-09-03 | 2000-08-15 | Xerox Corporation | Vacuum valve shutoff for particulate filling system |
US6021821A (en) * | 1998-10-15 | 2000-02-08 | Xerox Corporation | Particulate processing apparatus |
JP3935666B2 (ja) * | 1999-09-30 | 2007-06-27 | 株式会社リコー | ノズル、トナー移送装置および画像形成装置 |
CN1222839C (zh) | 2000-01-07 | 2005-10-12 | 株式会社理光 | 粉体收纳容器,粉体排出装置及图像形成装置 |
US6722406B2 (en) | 2002-07-17 | 2004-04-20 | Xerox Corporation | Toner filling apparatus and method including a nozzle having post-cutoff vibrator assembly |
-
2012
- 2012-02-15 EP EP12707138.9A patent/EP2814739A1/de not_active Withdrawn
- 2012-02-15 WO PCT/IB2012/050685 patent/WO2013121247A1/en active Application Filing
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
See references of WO2013121247A1 * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2013121247A1 (en) | 2013-08-22 |
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