JP2010058018A - Mixing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small mixing device of a simple structure which does not require much operations to mount a container to a rotary drive mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: This mixing device 1 includes a container body 11 and a flange part 15 protrusively arranged at the outer surface of the container body 11, and further includes a stationary upper arm 31 in contact with the upper surface of the flange part 15 and a lower arm 33 in contact with the lower surface. The lower arm 33 can ascend/descend with the help of an air cylinder 40 arranged on the upper arm 31. The upper arm 31 has a container rotating shaft 37 connected with a motor 38. The container 10 is allowed to enter the gap between the upper arm 31 and the lower arm 33 in such a state that the lower arm 33 is lowered below the flange part 15. After this procedure, the upper surface of the flange part 15 is brought into contact with the upper arm 31 by making the ascent of the lower arm 33 with the help of the air cylinder 40, and the flange part 15 is held between the upper and lower arms 31 and 33. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mixing device that rotates a container containing powder particles to mix and agitate the powdered fluid inside.

  A container rotation type mixing apparatus is generally composed of a container and a mechanism for rotationally driving the container itself. A container can be moved and stored as a single unit. In such a mixing apparatus, in order to rotationally drive the container, it is necessary to lift the container from the floor surface. Therefore, there is a container that lifts the container to the rotational drive mechanism by a transport device such as a forklift (for example, see Patent Document 1). ). In addition, there is a container rotation mechanism that includes a cage (casing) that accommodates the entire container and rotates the container together with the cage (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

In the above-described type that requires a forklift or the like for lifting the container, it is necessary to operate the forklift for each work. For this reason, it is difficult to omit container transport and mixing / stirring operations.
In addition, the type in which the entire container is accommodated in the cage will increase the size of the entire apparatus.
Furthermore, there are some which use bolts and ferrules when attaching the container to the rotation drive mechanism. In this case, it is a manual operation, and automation becomes difficult.

JP-A-3-38235 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-168887

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a small-sized and simple mixing apparatus that does not require much labor for mounting the container on the rotation drive mechanism.

  The mixing device of the present invention is a mixing device for rotating the container having the following items a) to c) to mix the powder particles: a) a container main body that contains the powder particles; b) the container; A flange portion projecting from the outer surface of the main body, c) a leg with wheels extending downward from the container main body, an upper arm fixed to abut on the upper surface of the flange portion, and a container rotating shaft connected to the upper arm A rotating drive means for the rotating shaft; a lower arm that faces the upper arm and that can be raised and lowered; abuts against a lower surface of the flange portion; an elevating means for the lower arm; the lower arm and the flange Positioning means provided between the first and second portions, and when the container is placed on the mixing device, the flange portion of the container enters above the lower arm in the lowered position, and the lower arm The flange portion is positioned with respect to the arm, the upper surface of the flange portion abuts on the upper arm, and the flange portion is sandwiched between the upper and lower arms.

  According to the present invention, since the flange portion of the container is sandwiched and held by the upper and lower arms of the container rotation driving mechanism, bolts, ferrules and the like for fixing the container to the rotation driving mechanism are unnecessary. In addition, since the arm for holding the container is provided with a container lifting mechanism, it is not necessary to attach the container to the rotating shaft with a forklift or the like. Therefore, the mounting operation of the container to the rotational drive mechanism can be almost automated. Further, the container rotation shaft is connected to an upper arm that holds the container but does not move up and down (fixed position), and rotates the container while supporting the container in a cantilevered manner, thereby reducing the size of the apparatus. Further, since it is not necessary to move the upper arm rotational drive mechanism up and down, the structure of the apparatus can be simplified.

  In the present invention, the positioning means includes a positioning hole formed on the lower surface of the flange portion and a positioning projection formed on the upper surface of the lower arm, and the positioning projection of the flange portion is raised when the lower arm is raised. It is preferable that the lower arm and the flange portion are positioned by engaging with the positioning hole.

  According to the present invention, when the lower arm is raised by the elevating means, the arm and the flange portion of the container can be positioned. Further, the container and the arm are fixed by the positioning protrusion, whereby the arm is reinforced by the container.

  Further, in the present invention, the elevating means is disposed between the lower arm and the upper arm, a cylinder barrel having a cylinder barrel fixed to the upper arm, and a cylinder having a piston rod fixed to the lower arm. If the provided guide mechanism is provided, the container can be raised and lowered in a horizontal state.

  As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the flange portion of the container is sandwiched and held by the upper and lower arms, so that bolts, ferrules and the like for fixing the container to the rotation drive mechanism are unnecessary. Further, since the arm for gripping the container is provided with a container lifting mechanism, it is not necessary to attach the container to the rotating shaft with a forklift or the like. Therefore, the mounting operation of the container to the rotational drive mechanism can be almost automated. Furthermore, since the container is rotated while being supported in a cantilever manner, the apparatus can be miniaturized. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to move the container rotation drive up and down, the apparatus structure can be simplified.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing the entire mixing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the mixing apparatus of FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the AA cross section of FIG. 1.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mixing apparatus 1 includes a container 10 in which contents to be stirred and mixed are accommodated, and a rotating device 30 that rotates the container 10.

First, the container 10 will be described.
The container 10 includes a container main body 11 (for example, made of SUS304) that accommodates powder particles. The container main body 11 includes a rectangular parallelepiped trunk portion 11a having a square planar shape and a quadrangular pyramid discharge portion 11b. A charging port 11c is provided in the center of the upper surface of the trunk portion 11a. The insertion port 11 c is opened and closed by a lid 12. A discharge port 11d is provided at the tip of the discharge portion 11b. The discharge port 11d can be opened and closed by a butterfly valve 13. As an example, the container body 11 has a side length of 1000 mm, a height of 1570 mm, a volume of 800 liters, and a weight of 200 kg.

  Below the outer surface of the trunk portion 11a, a flange 15 is provided in a protruding manner over the entire circumference. As shown in FIG. 3, the flange has a U-shaped protrusion 15a that opens to the inner surface side (container barrel side), and an upper edge that protrudes upward and downward from the upper and lower end edges of the protrusion 15a. 15b and a lower edge 15c. The upper edge portion 15b and the lower edge portion 15c are fixed to the outer surface of the body portion 11a by welding or the like. As will be described in detail later, a positioning hole 15d for positioning with the lower arm 33 of the container rotation device 30 is formed in the lower surface of the protrusion 15a.

  Support legs 17 extending downward are provided at the upper four corners of the discharge portion 11b. A frame 18 is bridged between the adjacent support legs 17. A wheel 19 is attached to the lower end of each support leg 17. With this structure, the container 10 can be installed alone and can be moved.

Next, the rotating device 30 will be described.
The rotating device 30 includes an upper arm 31 and a lower arm 33 facing each other that hold the container 10, a container rotating shaft 37 connected to the upper arm 31, and rotation driving means (motor with a speed reducer) for the container rotating shaft 37. 38.

  The upper arm 31 is a member made of a square pipe and having a U-shaped planar shape (see FIG. 2), and has an opposing side frame portion 31a and a front frame portion 31b. The arm 31 is in a horizontal posture in a side view (FIGS. 1 and 4). The distance between the opposite side frame portions 31 a is slightly larger than the length of one side of the trunk portion 11 a of the container body 11 of the container 10. The length of the side frame portion 31 a is slightly shorter than the length of one side of the trunk portion 11 a of the container 11. Further, the width of the side frame portion 31 a is wider than the width of the flange protrusion 15 a of the container 10. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in a state where the container 10 is gripped by the upper and lower arms 31, 33, the side frame portion 31 a projects outward from the flange protrusion 15 a of the container 10.

  A container rotating shaft 37 is fixed to the front frame portion 31 b of the upper arm 31 via a boss 36. The container rotation shaft 37 is connected to the rotation shaft of a motor 38 with a speed reducer placed on the gantry 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the axis 37 </ b> X of the container rotation shaft 37 passes through the center of the container 10 in a plan view, but the coaxial core 37 </ b> X does not coincide with the center axis 10 </ b> X of the container 10. In this example, the angle θ between the two is 20 °.

  The lower arm 33 is a bar-shaped member made of a square pipe, the length is shorter than the length of the side frame portion 31a of the upper arm 31, and the width is equal to the width of the side frame portion 31a. That is, like the upper arm 31, when the container 10 is held by the upper and lower arms 31 and 33, the lower arm 33 projects outward from the flange protrusion 15 a of the container 10 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. .

  The lower arm 33 is provided below the both side frame portions 31a of the upper arm 31 so as to be moved up and down by the air cylinder 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the air cylinder 40 is disposed in parallel to the vertical axis of the container 10 in plan view. As shown in FIG. 3, the cylinder barrel 41 of the air cylinder 40 is fixed to the upper surface of the side frame portion 31 a of the upper arm 31. The piston rod 42 of the air cylinder 40 extends downward from the lower end of the cylinder barrel 41 through the upper arm side frame portion 31a, and the lower end is fixed to the center in the length direction on the upper surface of the lower arm 33. . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cylinder barrel 41 and the piston rod 42 of the air cylinder 40 protrude outward from the flange protrusion 15a of the container 10 of the upper arm side frame portion 31a and the lower arm 33, respectively. It is fixed to the part. Note that an air supply pipe (not shown) of the air cylinder 40 branches from a supply source installed on the gantry 2 at a portion of the boss 36 and extends to each air cylinder 40.

  On both sides of the air cylinder 40, guide mechanisms 50 for guiding the raising and lowering of the lower arm 33 are provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the guide mechanism 50 includes a linear shaft 51 fixed to the lower arm 33 and a linear bush 52 fixed to the upper arm 31. The linear shaft 51 is fixed to the upper surfaces of both end portions of the lower arm 33. The linear bushing 52 is fixed so as to penetrate both end portions of the side frame portion 31 a of the upper arm 31, and guides each of the linear shafts 52. As shown in FIG. 2, the linear shaft 51 and the linear bush 52 are fixed to portions of the lower arm 33 and the upper arm side frame portion 31a that protrude outward from the flange protrusion 15a of the container 10, respectively.

  Further, the lower arm 33 is provided with a positioning mechanism for the container 10. The positioning mechanism is an upward projection 55 formed between the piston rod 42 and each linear shaft 51 on the upper surface of the lower arm 33. Each protrusion 55 is formed on the upper surface of the lower arm 33 that overlaps the flange protrusion 15a of the container 10 in plan view. And the positioning hole 15d which this protrusion 55 engages is made in the lower surface of the flange protrusion 15a of the container 10 as mentioned above.

Next, a method for attaching the container 10 to the container rotating device 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 1.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a container mounting method.
First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the air cylinder 40 is driven and the lower arm 33 of the container rotating device 30 is sufficiently lowered with respect to the upper arm 31. Specifically, the lower arm 33 is lowered until the height of the projection 55 of the arm 33 is sufficiently lower than the height of the lower surface of the flange protrusion 15a of the container 10. Then, the container 10 is conveyed between the upper arms 31 manually or automatically. At this time, since the air cylinder 40 and the linear shaft 52 between the upper and lower arms 31 and 33 are disposed outside the flange protrusion 15a of the container 10, the container 10 has the trunk portion 11a and the front frame portion of the upper arm 31. It enters until it comes into contact with 31b. Further, since the positioning projection 55 of the lower arm 33 is positioned below the flange projection 15a of the container 10, the positioning projection 55 does not hit the projection 15a when the container 10 is transported between the upper arms 31.

  After the container 10 is conveyed between the upper arms 31, the air cylinder 40 is driven to raise the lower arm 33. Then, as shown in FIG. 4 (B), the positioning projection 55 of the lower arm 33 starts to engage with the positioning hole 15d of the flange protrusion 15a of the container 10, and the lower arm 33 and the container 10 are positioned. The upper surface of the lower arm 33 contacts the lower surface of the flange protrusion 15a. When the air cylinder 40 is further driven to raise the lower arm 33, the flange 15 is lifted by the lower arm 33, and the container 10 starts to rise. During this time, the lower arm 33 is raised parallel to the upper arm 31 by the guide mechanism 50, and the container 10 is raised in a horizontal state. When the lower arm 33 is further raised, the upper surface of the flange protrusion 15 a of the container 10 eventually comes into contact with the lower surface of the side frame portion 31 a of the upper arm 31. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the flange 15 of the container 10 is sandwiched between the side frame portions 31 a of the upper arm 31 and the lower arm 33. The container 10 is supported in a cantilever manner on the container rotation shaft 37 in a state of floating from the floor surface. In one example, the container 10 is lifted by about 270 mm. Further, the container 10 and the arms 31 and 33 are fixed by the positioning protrusion 55, whereby the arms 31 and 33 are reinforced by the container 10.

  Thereafter, the container 38 is rotated by rotating the motor 38 at a predetermined rotation speed. As an example, the rotation speed is 2 to 30 rpm. Thereby, the granular material inside a container is mixed and stirred. At this time, as described above, the container 10 is disposed obliquely with respect to the rotation shaft 37 in a plan view, so that the powder particles inside fall in the container in an oblique direction. As a result, the falling distance of the contents becomes long and the dropping motion becomes irregular, so that the contents are sufficiently stirred.

  After the agitation work is completed, the air cylinder 40 is driven to lower the lower arm 33, and the container 10 is first lowered to the floor surface. Thereafter, the air cylinder 40 is further driven to lower the lower arm 33, and the positioning protrusion 55 is removed from the positioning hole 15 d of the flange protrusion 15 a of the container 10. As a result, the container 10 is detached from the rotation drive device 30.

It is a side view showing the whole mixing device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a top view of the mixing apparatus of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the AA cross section of FIG. It is a figure explaining the mounting method of a container.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mixing device 2 Base 10 Container 11 Container main body 12 Cover 13 Butterfly valve 15 Flange part 17 Support leg 18 Frame 19 Wheel 30 Rotating device 31 Upper arm 33 Lower arm 36 Boss 37 Rotating shaft 38 Motor 40 Air cylinder 41 Cylinder barrel 42 Piston rod 50 Guide mechanism 51 Linear shaft 52 Linear bush 55 Positioning hole

Claims (3)

A mixing device for rotating the container having the following items a) to c) and mixing the granular material,
A) Container body that contains powder particles inside,
A) A flange portion protruding from the outer surface of the container body,
C) Wheeled legs extending downward from the container body;
An upper arm of a fixed position that contacts the upper surface of the flange portion;
A container rotation shaft connected to the upper arm;
Rotation driving means of the rotating shaft;
A lower arm facing the upper arm and capable of moving up and down, and in contact with the lower surface of the flange portion;
Elevating means for the lower arm;
Positioning means provided between the lower arm and the flange portion;
With
When placing the container on the mixing device,
The flange portion of the container enters above the lower arm in the lowered position;
As the lower arm rises, the flange portion is positioned relative to the arm,
A mixing apparatus, wherein an upper surface of the flange portion abuts on the upper arm, and the flange portion is sandwiched between upper and lower arms. The positioning means comprises a positioning hole formed on the lower surface of the flange portion and a positioning projection formed on the upper surface of the lower arm,
The mixing device according to claim 1, wherein the lower arm and the flange portion are positioned by engaging a positioning protrusion with a positioning hole of the flange portion when the lower arm is raised. The lifting means is
A cylinder barrel fixed to the upper arm, and a cylinder having a piston rod fixed to the lower arm;
A guide mechanism disposed between the lower arm and the upper arm;
The mixing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

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