ES1235600U - MIXER (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Mixer, with a series of deposits of components and additives, including additives with different optical characteristics, comprising a transport system (2) to a mixing chamber (3), characterized in that at the outlet of The mixing chamber (3) has a series of optical sensors (4) comprising one or more cameras (41) and lighting sources (42) coordinated to detect the optical characteristics and controlled by a control unit (5) configured to modify the proportions of components and additives and the conditions of the mixing chamber (3). (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

description

Mixer

technical sector

The present invention relates to a mixer, for example of ceramic components with their additives, which form the raw material for ceramics, which comprises a mixing control equipment.

It is applied in the field of the manufacture of ceramic elements, especially colored, of fertilizers or of food products, as well as any type of industry in which additives with remarkable characteristics detectable by optical route are mixed, generally the color.

state of the art

In patents such as EP2550242 a way of mixing the different components and additives of a ceramic piece, such as a tile, is described. These types of mixers have a very poor management system, while the programming of the different products corresponds to programmed recipes. Any error in the process, due to a batch of components or additives that do not exactly meet the specifications or due to a failure in any element of the mixer, produces a batch of product that has to be rejected.

Therefore, it is essential to define a production control system that responds quickly to any variable, to avoid the generation of mixtures that must be adjusted manually, or directly discarded.

The applicant knows no solution to these problems cited that may be considered similar to the invention.

reve exp cac n e a nvenc n

The invention consists of a mixer according to the claims. Its different embodiments solve the problems of the state of the art and provide remarkable advantages.

This mixer offers several improvements over previous solutions:

- Energy and material savings by having efficient, improved control when recirculations of nonconforming material occur.

- Process readjustments continuously, so that the process is continuous from the beginning, without having to stop it to control the result.

- It is a very compact solution that eliminates the use of large structures.

- You can control the final color, but you can also control the degree of humidity, particle size, pH, etc ...

The mixer is based on a series of deposits of components and additives, including additives with different optical characteristics (color, absorption spectrum.) Or detectable by optical means (size.) With an object recognition system. The mixer comprises a transport system to a mixing chamber with modifiable conditions or characteristics: rotation speed, residence time, humidity, pressure. The mixer also comprises, at the outlet of the mixing chamber, a series of optical sensors (at least one) comprising one or more cameras and coordinated lighting sources to detect the optical characteristics of the additives. The sensors are controlled by a control unit configured to modify the proportions of components and additives, the conditions of the mixing chamber and the speeds of the transport system between cameras. The sensors can be complemented with additional sensors, humidity, pH, density, granule size, etc.

Preferably, the mixer has a recirculation or feedback circuit to derive the nonconforming products back to the mixing chamber. In this situation, the material input from the tanks can be regulated so that the mixer works mainly with the "non-compliant" product and the additives that are calculated (depending on the mass, for example) to achieve the desired result. It can be done, in particular, during the time the recipe is changed until the result is stabilized.In another way of working, the nonconforming product is gradually added to the inflow so that the system can absorb it without stopping The main production.

Preferably, the recirculation circuit has an intermediate warehouse or warehouse.

The recirculation circuit starts downstream of the optical sensors (or additional sensors) and reaches the mixing chamber or a point in the transport system before the mixing chamber.

Preferably, the mixer is arranged at vertical levels, so that the component tanks are at a higher level, the mixing chamber at an intermediate level and the output with the optical sensors is at a lower level.

Other variants will be displayed in the rest of the memory.

description of the drawings

For a better understanding of the invention, the following figures are included.

Figure 1: example of mixer with vertical arrangement.

Figure 2: schematic detail of the position and operation of the sensors in an exemplary embodiment.

Figure 3: example of the procedure scheme applied in the mixer.

embodiments of the invention

Next, an embodiment of the invention is briefly described, as an illustrative and non-limiting example thereof, applied to the field of ceramic components.

The mixer of the invention comprises a series of deposits of components and additives, such as hoppers (1,11) of which one or more carry the main component and the others a series of additives. The components and additives can be supplied wet or dry. For this invention, the additives have a series of detectable optical characteristics, either against visible light or against other frequencies, the color of the additive being the most common. Other variants are the reflection index, or the absorption spectrum.

The hoppers (1,11) are communicated with a transport system (2) which can be a conveyor belt, an Archimedes screw, a pneumatic system or another method. The position of the main hoppers (1) and additive hoppers (11) can be at different points of the transport system (2). The transport system (2) gathers all the material flows in a mixing chamber (3), with an agitator inside that has a series of variable characteristics, such as the speed of rotation, the temperature, the time of residence or the addition of water or other liquid (alcohol, solvent ...).

A series of optical sensors (4) formed by one or more cameras (41) and coordinated lighting sources (42) are arranged at the output of the mixing chamber (3). That is, if the optical characteristics to be reviewed is the color and its homogeneity, the light source (42) will generate white light and the cameras (41) will be configured to detect those colors. If it is desired to analyze the absorption spectrum in the infrared, the lighting sources (42) and the cameras (41) will be properly configured. Different optical sensors (4) can measure different variables consecutively or in parallel. It should be considered that a sensor that captures images and processes them by an object recognition system is also considered an "optical sensor" within the invention.

A control unit (5) will be responsible for reading the results of the optical sensors (4) and analyzing whether the result obtained is adequate, comparing it with an expected result. The control unit (5) can be a computer with an image recognition system that detects the color of the sample, in continuous, and if the distribution is very homogeneous. These optical sensors (4) can be complemented with mass, humidity, etc. sensors.

If the result of the measurements or observations is not desired, the control unit (5) can regulate the opening of the mouths of the different hoppers (1.11), the characteristics of the mixing chamber (3), the speed of the transport system (2) from the feed hoppers (1,11) the opening of a recirculation circuit (6) or feedback that directs the resulting product that is considered "nonconforming", and is rejected, to the chamber of mixture (3) or to a point in the transport system (2) above this. In this way the proportion of additive can be readjusted and it is not necessary to discard the non-compliant product.

In use, once production has begun, the control unit (5) regulates the mixing chamber (3), the hopper outlet (1.11) to a predefined condition or "recipe" for the product to be manufactured. This "recipe" may be the regulation with which the production was finished the last time, or always the same. After a waiting time for production to stabilize, the optical sensors (4) begin to detect if the result corresponds to the desired one. If the lack or excess of any additive is detected, the output of the corresponding additive hopper (11) is regulated. If the result is not homogeneous, the agitator speed, residence time and activation of the recirculation circuit (6) are increased. While the product is non-compliant, bypass (61) to the recirculation circuit (6) can be activated for reprocessing, with an optional intermediate temporary storage.

Other modifications of the mixer regulation will depend on the results of the different sensors.

The mixer can have additional sensors (7), which measure humidity, pH, or any other variable. For example, the option of measuring humidity can be performed through an additional submerged sensor (7) or equivalent. Depending on the degree of humidity obtained, the control unit (5) could resend the output product to the mixing chamber (3) in which water can be added or the temperature raised to correct the degree of humidity.

A second example of an additional sensor (7) is configured to measure the size of grain at the outlet and in case the grain does not comply with the necessary size or direct the product to an external process (grinding or agglomerator), or direct the product to the mixing chamber (3) where a stirring system can modify the grain size.

In the most preferred embodiment, the mixer is arranged at vertical levels, so that the component tanks are at a higher level, the mixing chamber (3) at an intermediate level and the output with the optical sensors (4) and eventually the additional sensors (7) are at a lower level. This solution optimizes the available space and facilitates the natural flow of the different components, additives and intermediate products.

Claims (1)

1- Mixer, with a series of deposits of components and additives, including additives with different optical characteristics, comprising a transport system (2) to a mixing chamber (3), characterized by the output of The mixing chamber (3) has a series of optical sensors (4) comprising one or more cameras (41) and lighting sources (42) coordinated to detect the optical characteristics and controlled by a control unit (5) configured to modify the proportions of components and additives and the conditions of the mixing chamber (3). 2- Mixer according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a recirculation circuit (6) or feedback from downstream of the optical sensors (4) to the mixing chamber (3) or a point of the transport system (2) before the mixing chamber (3). 3- Mixer according to claim 1, characterized in that it is arranged at vertical levels, so that the component tanks are at a higher level, the mixing chamber (3) at an intermediate level and the output with the optical sensors ( 4) is at a lower level.