JP2003026213A - Fixed amount shake-out device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fixed amount shake-out device capable of adequately shaking out a powder or granular material of the fixed amount without tilting a vessel to an inverted attitude. SOLUTION: In the fixed amount shake-out device, a space S comprising a bottom wall 20, a top wall 40, and a cylindrical wall 30 connecting outer circumferences thereof is formed on an upper part of the vessel, a tapered cylinder 21 which is protruded in an upwardly contracting manner with a tip thereof opened in the space S is formed on the bottom wall 20, a skirt wall 41 suspended from the top wall 40 so as to surround the tapered cylinder 21 is formed, and a shake-out opening 50 is formed outside a skirt wall forming part in the top wall 40 or the cylindrical wall 30. The shake-out opening 50 is formed in one part in the circumferential direction in the top wall 40 or the cylindrical wall 30, and the height of the skirt wall 41 from the top wall 40 is generally set so that the shake-out opening side 41a is higher than the tapered cylinder 21, and the shake-out opening 50 and the facing side 41b are lower than the tapered cylinder 21.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a metering device for discharging powder or granules (hereinafter referred to as powder / fluid) contained in a container by a fixed amount.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In this type of quantitative feeding device, powder and granules in a container are removed by repeating the operation of changing the container from an upright position to an inverted position, then again to the upright position and then to the inverted position. A typical one is one which is constructed so as to be squeezed out by a substantially constant amount, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-110063.
It has the structure shown in the publication. This structure is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a space S composed of a bottom wall 20, a ceiling wall 40, and a cylindrical wall 30 connecting between the outer peripheries of the bottom wall 20 and the ceiling wall 40 is formed at the top of the container C, and the bottom wall 20 has a diameter reduced upward. While the taper cylinder 21 is formed so as to project while having its tip open into the space, a skirt wall 41 that hangs from the ceiling wall 40 so as to surround the taper cylinder 21 is formed.
Moreover, a swing-out opening 50 is formed outside the skirt wall 41 in the ceiling wall 40. The space defined by the inner surface of the ceiling wall 40 and the inner surface of the skirt wall 41 in the upright position functions as a quantification unit A for quantifying powder and particles, and in the upright position, the bottom wall 20 around the taper cylinder 21 or The cylindrical wall 30 functions as a temporary storage part B before the quantified powder / granule is discharged and discharged.

When the container is changed from the upright position to the inverted position, the powder / grain particles in the container pass through the taper cylinder 21 and the above-mentioned fixed amount part A
Gravity falls inside. Although powders and granules behave like fluids, they do not have the same fluidity as liquids, so they can
When the amount of powder / grains accumulated in the inside reaches the extent of closing the tip of the taper cylinder 21, the above gravity drop is stopped. Subsequently, when the container is returned to the upright posture, the powder / granule in the fixed amount portion A flows out to the temporary storage portion B through the gap between the tip of the skirt wall 41 and the bottom wall 20. Since the temporary storage part B is directly connected to the swing-out opening 50, the powder and particles in the temporary storage part B are
It is discharged to the outside by gravity falling from the swing-out opening 50. When the inverted posture is taken again, the powder / granule in the container passes through the taper tube 21 in the same manner as described above, and the fixed amount portion A
And is ready for the next discharge. In this way, by repeating the operation of changing the container from the upright position to the inverted position, returning to the upright position, and then returning to the inverted position again, it is possible to continuously squeeze out the powder / particles by a fixed amount. .

[0004]

In the fixed amount feeding device having the above structure, the skirt wall 41 functioning as the fixed amount portion A is formed concentrically with the taper cylinder 21, and the skirt wall 41 and the taper cylinder 21 are formed together. The clearance between them is constant over the entire circumference of the skirt wall 41. This is because the drawing-out openings 50 are annularly arranged outside the skirt wall forming portion of the ceiling wall 40, so that the above-described quantitative drawing-out can be performed even if the container is tilted upside down in any direction. Considered to be a thing. However,
When adopting such a configuration, there are the following problems.

That is, the skirt wall 41 and the tapered cylinder 21
The clearance between and has to be relatively large, therefore
When the container is tilted to an upright position, for example, about 120 to 160 degrees from the upright posture, the powder / granule gravity-fallen from the taper cylinder 21 to the quantification part A is inclined from the edge of the quantification part A. A phenomenon occurs in which it overflows and flows continuously to the temporary storage unit, which makes it impossible to properly perform fixed-quantity drawing. In order to avoid this phenomenon, the container is rapidly inverted from the upright posture, that is, 180 degrees upside down,
Then, it is necessary to quickly return to the upright posture. It is difficult to ask the user to perform such an operation as a formal operation. This is because it is rather unnatural to tilt the container of this kind until it is in an inverted posture when the contents are discharged.

The present invention has been conceived under such circumstances, and provides a fixed-quantity drawing device capable of appropriately performing fixed-quantity drawing-out of powders and granules without tilting the container to an inverted posture. That is the subject.

[0007]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical means.

[0008] That is, in the quantitative drawing device provided by the present invention, a space consisting of a bottom wall, a ceiling wall, and a cylindrical wall connecting the outer peripheries of these is formed in the upper part of the container, and the bottom wall is directed upward. A taper cylinder is formed which projects while reducing its diameter and has its tip open into the space, while a skirt wall hanging from the ceiling wall so as to surround the taper cylinder is formed, and the ceiling wall or the tubular wall. In the fixed-quantity drawing-out device, wherein the drawing-out opening is formed outside the skirt wall forming part in the above-mentioned, the drawing-out opening is formed at one position in the circumferential direction on the ceiling wall or the tubular wall, and the skirt is formed. The height of the wall from the ceiling wall is the highest on the side of the tapping opening with respect to the taper tube in the diametrical direction of the space that passes through the tapping opening, and Wherein the swung open opposite side are formed as best lower Te.

In the above structure, the space surrounded by the inner surface of the ceiling wall and the skirt wall functions as a fixed portion in the inclined inverted state, but in the present invention, the height of the skirt wall is set as described above. , The upper edge of the skirt wall is pre-inclined in a predetermined direction in side view. Therefore, when the container is rotated in the direction of the swing-out opening so that it cannot be inverted,
In other words, the upper edge of the skirt wall can be in a horizontal state or a state close to a horizontal state when it is inclined from the upright posture by about 120 to 160 degrees. As a result, it is possible to prevent the powder / particles that fall by gravity through the taper cylinder from flowing into the quantification part from inadvertently overflowing from the edge of the skirt wall. Can be done properly. When the tilted inverted posture is returned to the upright posture, the powder and granules collected in the fixed amount part flow out to the temporary storage part formed by the cylindrical wall rising from the bottom wall and its surroundings, and thus to the temporary storage part. The powder and granules are discharged to the outside by gravity falling from the swing-out opening when the container is tilted upside down in the same direction as above. Also,
At this time, powder and granules are supplied from the taper cylinder to the fixed quantity part in the same manner as above in preparation for the next fixed quantity discharge.

As described above, according to the quantitative drawing apparatus having the above-described structure, even if the container is not rotated to the inverted posture, the container is rotated from the upright posture to the direction of the swing-out opening to the tilted inverted posture, and then the upright posture is obtained. By repeating the operation of returning to the tilted inverted posture after returning, it is possible to properly perform the fixed amount of powder / granulate.

In a preferred embodiment, the skirt wall has a distance from the taper cylinder that is the largest on the side of the taper tube on the side of the taper tube in the diametrical direction of the space passing through the box on the screen. It is formed so that the side opposite to the drawing opening is the smallest. A so-called teardrop shape is typical of such a planar shape of the skirt wall.

With this configuration, the fixed amount of squeeze can be set as desired by selecting the distance of the skirt wall on the side of the squeeze opening with respect to the tapered cylinder.

Further, in a preferred embodiment, the bottom wall is, in a plan view, along a portion of the skirt wall opposite to the drawing opening with respect to the tapered cylinder, or
Alternatively, guide walls that surround the skirt wall and that extend in the swing-out opening direction are formed on both sides of the skirt wall.

According to this structure, when the container in the tilted inverted posture is returned to the upright posture, the powder / granule in the fixed quantity part is allowed to flow out only in the region of the bottom wall surrounded by the guide wall. be able to. Further, since the guide wall extends in the swing-out opening direction, when the container is tilted upside down again, the powder and granules temporarily stored in the limited area as described above are completely discharged. Emitted from.

In a preferred embodiment, the bottom wall provided with the taper tube, the ceiling wall provided with the skirt wall, and the tubular wall connecting them are integrally formed in a cap shape which is detachable from the container body. ing.

According to such a cap-shaped fixed amount feeding device, for example, it is mounted on a can-shaped container and used, and when the contents of the can are completely consumed, it is mounted on a new can and used. , Can be used repeatedly.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description given below with reference to the drawings.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to FIGS. In these figures, the same or equivalent members or parts as those of the conventional example shown in FIG. 8 are designated by the same reference numerals.

1 to 5 show a fixed-quantity drawing device 10 according to a first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the fixed-quantity drawing device 10 according to this embodiment is configured as a cap type to be used by being attached to an upper opening of a can C from which an upper lid is removed in a pull-up manner. It has a circular bottom wall 20, a cylindrical wall 30 that stands up from the periphery of the bottom wall 20, and a ceiling wall 40 whose peripheral edge is connected to the upper end of the cylindrical wall 30.
The cylindrical wall 30 and the ceiling wall 40 form an internal space S.

The bottom wall 20 is made of a plastic member formed to have a constant thickness, the peripheral portion of the bottom wall 20 is the lowest, the height is higher toward the center, and the central wall is contracted toward the top. A tapered cylinder 21 is formed that is diametrically protruding and has an open upper end.

The ceiling wall 40 and the cylindrical wall 30 are made of an integral plastic member, and the inner wall of the ceiling wall 40 has a cylindrical skirt that hangs down so as to surround the tip of the tapered cylinder 21 in plan view. The wall 41 is integrally formed. Further, at one location in the circumferential direction of the ceiling wall 40, the swing-out opening 5 is arranged so as to straddle the cylindrical wall 30.
0 is formed. An opening / closing lid 51 is preferably attached to the drawing opening 50.

The bottom wall 20 described above is connected to the lower end portion of the cylindrical wall 30 by, for example, adhesion or welding, and the cap-shaped fixed amount feeding device 10 is assembled.

As shown in FIG. 1, the skirt wall 41 has a height from the ceiling wall 40 in the diametrical direction of the space S passing through the splaying opening 50. The upper edge is formed to be linearly inclined in a side view so that the side 50 (41 a) is highest and the side (41 b) opposite to the swing-out opening 50 is lowest with respect to the tapered cylinder 21. At the same time, the plane shape of the skirt wall 41, as well shown in FIG. 2, has a distance from the tapered cylinder 21 with respect to the tapered cylinder 21 in the diametrical direction of the space S passing through the drawing opening 50. The largest side is the swing-out opening side (41a), and the side opposite to the swing-out opening (41
It is formed in a so-called teardrop shape so that b) is the smallest. More specifically, the skirt wall 41 is composed of a small-diameter cylindrical wall 41b that is substantially concentric with the tapered cylinder 21 on the side opposite to the drawing opening 50 with respect to the tapered cylinder 21 in plan view. On the side of the drawing opening 21 with respect to 21, the large-diameter cylindrical wall 41a is formed at a position separated from the taper cylinder 21 by a predetermined distance. It is formed so as to be connected by 41c.

The ceiling wall 40 and the skirt wall 41 are provided in a fixed or tilted inverted posture of the fixed-quantity drawing device 10.
It functions as a quantification unit A for quantifying the powder and particles that are gravity-falling from the taper cylinder 21. The bottom wall 20 or the cylindrical wall 30 rising from the periphery thereof functions as a temporary storage portion B for the powder / granule before being ejected and discharged.

As described above, the fixed-quantity drawing-out device 10 is used by being attached to the upper opening of the can C from which the upper lid is removed in a pull-up manner. , Functions as a container for quantitatively dispensing powder and granules. The powder and granules as the contents of the can include powdered tea, powdered coffee, powdered foods such as salt and sugar, and powdered detergent, but the types thereof are not limited. Further, the particle size of the powder varies from fine powder to so-called granules and is not limited.

Next, the method of use and the operation of the fixed-quantity drawing apparatus 10 having the above-mentioned structure will be described.

When the container C is rotated from the upright posture shown in FIG. 1 toward the swing-out opening 50 by, for example, 120 to 160 degrees to take the inclined inverted posture, as shown in FIG.
The lower surface of the bottom wall 20 functions as a hopper, and the powder in the container C
Grain drops by gravity through the tapered cylinder 21 into the quantified portion A. This gravitational drop naturally stops when the powder / granule accumulated in the fixed amount section A reaches a point where it blocks the tip of the tapered cylinder 21.

As shown in FIG. 3, since the upper edge of the fixed portion A, that is, the upper edge of the skirt wall 41 is inclined so that the drawing opening side (41a) is the highest,
As described above, when the container is placed in an inverted inverted posture of 120 to 160 degrees without being turned upside down, the fixed portion A
The upper edge becomes horizontal or almost horizontal. Therefore,
The fixed amount A can properly receive a predetermined amount of powder / granular particles falling from the tapered cylinder 21 by gravity, and it is possible to prevent the powder / granular particles from inadvertently overflowing from the upper edge of the fixed amount A. it can. Moreover, since the fixed quantity part A is expanded toward the opening side with respect to the taper cylinder 21, it is possible to properly carry out a fixed quantity of a relatively large amount of powder or granules.

Next, when the container C is returned to the upright posture, in the process, the powder / granular particles in the fixed quantity part A are the most part of the skirt wall 41 forming the fixed quantity part A as shown in FIG. It flows out to the temporary storage part B while spilling from the high part 41a, that is, the part close to the drawing opening 50. Therefore, most of the powder / granule is temporarily stored in a portion of the bottom wall 20 near the drawing opening 50.

Next, when the container C is tilted again toward the swing-out opening 50, in the process, the powder and granules accumulated in the temporary storage portion B are discharged from the swing-out opening 50 by gravity to the outside. It Then, as shown in FIG. 5, in the fixed quantity portion A, the powder / grains are quantitatively dropped by weight from the taper cylinder 21 in the same manner as described above, and are prepared for the next discharge.

In this way, by repeating the operation of tilting the container C from the upright position toward the swing-out opening 50 to the tilted inverted position, returning to the upright position and again tilted and inverted position in the same direction, A certain amount of powder and granules are properly shaken out and discharged.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show another embodiment of the fixed-quantity drawing device 10 according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the bottom wall 20 is different from the above-described embodiment in that a guide wall 22 is provided upright, and the other points are the same. As shown in FIG. 7, the guide wall 22 extends along or surrounds a portion 41b of the skirt wall 41 on the side opposite to the swing-out opening 50 in plan view,
Further, it is formed so as to extend in the direction of the swing-out opening 50 on both sides of the skirt wall 41. In detail,
The guide wall 22 has a substantially U shape in a plan view, and the tip of the tapered cylinder 21 is arranged at a bottom portion of the U shape so as to follow the side surface of the substantially tear-shaped skirt wall 41. The pair of walls has a form extending toward the direction of the drawing opening.

According to this structure, when the container C is tilted upside down and the powder / grains stored in the quantification part A are discharged to the temporary storage part B in the process of returning the container C to the upright position, -Because the granules are stored in a limited area surrounded by the guide wall 22, when discharging the fixed amount of powder and granules from the swing-out opening 50 again in a tilted inverted posture, be sure to discharge the entire amount. Will be able to.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and all modifications within the scope of the matters described in the claims are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, in the embodiment, the cap-shaped device to be attached to the can is used, but it goes without saying that a plastic container may be configured as a whole and the quantitative dispensing device configured as described above may be incorporated in the upper part thereof.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of a fixed-quantity drawing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the operation of the present invention, showing a state in which the container is changed from an upright posture to a tilted inverted posture.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the operation of the present invention, showing a state in which the container is returned from the tilted inverted posture of FIG. 3 to the upright posture.

5 is an explanatory view of the operation of the invention of the present application, showing a state in which the container is tilted and inverted again from the upright position of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a quantitative drawing device according to the present invention.

7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Quantitative drawing device 20 bottom wall 21 Taper tube 22 Guide wall 30 tubular wall 40 ceiling wall 41 skirt wall 50 opening C container (can) Quantitative department B Temporary storage section S space

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A space formed by a bottom wall, a ceiling wall, and a cylindrical wall connecting between outer peripheries of the bottom wall and the ceiling wall is formed in the upper part of the container, and
A taper cylinder is formed on the bottom wall, the taper cylinder projecting upward while being reduced in diameter and having a tip opening into the space, while a skirt wall hanging from the ceiling wall so as to surround the taper cylinder is formed, and A fixed-quantity drawing device in which a drawing opening is formed outside the skirt wall forming portion of the ceiling wall or the tubular wall, wherein the drawing opening is formed at one position in the circumferential direction of the ceiling wall or the tubular wall. In addition, the skirt wall generally has a height from the ceiling wall that is higher in the diametrical direction of the space passing through the splaying opening on the side of the sloping opening with respect to the taper cylinder and larger than that of the skirting wall with respect to the taper cylinder. A fixed-quantity drawing device, characterized in that it is formed so that the opposite side is lower. 2. The skirt wall is such that the distance from the taper cylinder is larger on the side of the taper tube than the taper tube and on the side opposite to the taper tube on the side opposite to the taper tube in the diametrical direction of the space passing through the box. The fixed-quantity drawing apparatus according to claim 1, which is formed to have 3. The quantitative dispensing device according to claim 2, wherein the skirt wall is formed in a substantially teardrop shape in a plan view with respect to the ceiling wall. 4. The bottom wall is, in plan view, along or surrounded by a portion of the skirt wall opposite to the swing-out opening with respect to the tapered cylinder, and on both sides of the skirt wall in the swing-out opening direction. The fixed-quantity drawing device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein an extending guide wall is formed. 5. A bottom wall provided with a taper tube, a ceiling wall provided with a skirt wall, and a tubular wall connecting these are integrally formed in a cap shape that can be attached to and detached from the container body. The fixed amount drawing-out device according to any one of 1 to 4.