JP2014094829A - Filling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a filling device that makes powder flow always stably, and improves the accuracy of the amount of powder filled in a container, etc.SOLUTION: A double tube nozzle 21 has an internal passage 24 in communication with a hopper 11 with powder stored therein and extending along a shaft center, and an outside passage 25 formed to surround the internal passage 24. Outside on-off valves 12, 13 open and close a discharge port of the outside passage 25. An inside on-off valve 14 opens and closes the discharge port of the internal passage 24. A load cell 17 connected to a weighing hopper 15 weighs a weight of the powder discharged from the double tube nozzle 21. In filling, the outside and inside on-off valves 12, 13, 14 are opened, and discharges the powder from the discharge port of the outside passage 25 and the internal passage 24, thereby performing a large injection filling. When the weight measured by the load cell 17 reaches a predetermined value, the outside on-off valves 12, 13 are closed, and the powder is discharged only from a discharge port of the internal passage 24, thereby performing a small injection filling.

Description

  The present invention relates to a filling device for filling a container or the like with powder such as instant coffee.

  Conventionally, as such a filling apparatus, those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known. In the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a discharge port and a branch pipe are formed below the charging hopper, and powder is discharged from each of the discharge port and the branch pipe. In the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, one discharge port is formed below the hopper, and a shutter whose opening degree can be adjusted is provided at the discharge port, and the filling degree is controlled by controlling the size of the opening degree. Is intended to enhance.

Japanese Patent No. 3732614 JP-A-11-152102

  However, according to the powder filling device of Patent Document 1, the powder flowing in the branch pipe is easily affected depending on the state of the powder flowing in the discharge port, so that the flow of the powder stops or suddenly flows. Or the powder may not flow stably. On the other hand, according to the powder filling apparatus of Patent Document 2, if the opening degree of the passage through which the powder flows is reduced, there is a problem that the powder hardly flows and clogging is likely to occur in the passage.

  An object of the present invention is to constantly and stably flow a powder and to improve the accuracy of the amount of powder filled in a container or the like.

  A filling device according to the present invention includes an inner passage that communicates with a hopper in which powder is stored and extends along an axis, and an outer passage that is formed so as to surround the inner passage. Double tube nozzle capable of discharging powder from one or both outlets of outer passage, outer opening / closing valve for opening / closing outlet of outer passage, inner opening / closing valve for opening / closing outlet of inner passage, and double The metering means that measures the weight of the powder discharged from the tube nozzle, and at the time of filling, the outer and inner open / close valves are opened and the powder is discharged from the outlets of the outer passage and the inner passage, so that the large throw filling When the weight measured by the weighing means reaches a predetermined value, close one of the outer and inner opening / closing valves and discharge the powder only from the other outlet of the outer passage and the inner passage. Investment It is characterized in that to perform.

  The outer opening / closing valve is preferably provided below the discharge port of the outer passage, and the inner opening / closing valve is preferably provided below the discharge port of the inner passage. In this case, for example, the outer opening / closing valve has a pair of outer closing plates capable of closing the discharge port of the outer passage and moving in the horizontal direction, and the inner opening / closing valve can close the discharge port of the inner passage, for example. It has an inner closing plate that can be advanced and retracted horizontally. Further, in this case, the filling apparatus includes a pair of outer closing plate moving means for moving the pair of outer closing plates, and an inner closing plate moving means for moving the inner closing plate. It may be attached below one of the pair of outer closing plate moving means.

  According to the present invention, in the filling device, the powder can always be stably flowed, and the accuracy of the amount of the powder filled in the container or the like can be improved.

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a powder filling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the opening / closing operation | movement of an outer side closing plate. It is a side view which shows an outer side open / close valve and an inner side open / close valve. It is a top view which shows a shutter and a shutter drive mechanism. It is a figure which shows the state which performs large throw filling with respect to a measurement hopper. It is a figure which shows the state in the middle of shifting to small throw filling after large throw filling. It is a figure which shows the state which performs a small throw filling. It is a figure which shows the state in the middle of closing a small throw filling and closing an outer side channel | path and an inner side channel | path. It is a figure which shows the state which closed the outer side channel | path and the inner side channel | path. It is a figure which shows the state by which powder is thrown into a container from a measurement hopper. It is sectional drawing which shows the inner nozzle with which the discharge port of the inner channel | path of a double tube nozzle is mounted | worn. It is a side view which shows the air cylinder of an outer opening / closing valve, and the spacer attached to an air cylinder. It is a perspective view which shows the other example of an outer side open / close valve, and shows an open state. It is a perspective view which shows the closed state of the outer side opening-and-closing valve of FIG.

Hereinafter, a powder filling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the filling apparatus. A double tube nozzle 21 is provided on the bottom surface of the hopper 11 where the powder is stored. The double pipe nozzle 21 extends vertically downward, and a pair of outer open / close valves 12 and 13 and an inner open / close valve 14 are disposed below the double pipe nozzle 21 to open and close the discharge port of the double pipe nozzle 21. Is done. A weighing hopper 15 is provided below the outer opening / closing valves 12 and 13 and the inner opening / closing valve 14. The weighing hopper 15 is connected to the load cell 17 via the connecting member 16, and the weight of the powder stored in the weighing hopper 15 is measured by the load cell 17. A shutter 31 for opening and closing the discharge port of the weighing hopper 15 is provided below the weighing hopper 15. The container C to which the powder is supplied is disposed so as to face the discharge port of the weighing hopper 15.

  The double tube nozzle 21 communicates with the hopper 11 and has an inner tube 22 and an outer tube 23 provided concentrically. The inner tube 22 forms an inner passage 24 extending along the axis, and an outer passage 25 formed so as to surround the inner passage 24 is defined between the inner tube 22 and the outer tube 23. Both the inner passage 24 and the outer passage 25 communicate with the hopper 11, and one or both of the passages 24, 25 are arranged depending on the open / close state of the discharge ports formed at the lower ends of the passages 24, 25. Powder can be discharged from the discharge port.

  The outer opening / closing valves 12 and 13 are provided below the discharge port of the outer passage 25 and open and close the discharge port. The outer opening / closing valves 12 and 13 have outer closing plates 42 and 43, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer closing plates 42 and 43 have recesses 42a and 43a cut out in a semicircular shape at the inner end of a rectangular plate-like member. As shown in FIG. 2A, when the outer closing plates 42 and 43 are retracted and the inner edges thereof are located outside the outer wall surface of the outer tube 23 of the double tube nozzle 21, 24 and the outer passage 25 are both opened. As shown in FIG. 2 (b), the outer passage 25 begins to close as the outer closing plates 42, 43 advance toward each other. When the outer closing plates 42 and 43 further advance and come into contact with each other, the recesses 42a and 43a come into contact with the inner tube 22 as shown in FIG. 2C, and the outer closing plates 42 and 43 are outside. Only the passage 25 is closed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the outer closing plates 42 and 43 are moved by air cylinders (outer closing plate moving means) 44 and 45, and can be moved back and forth in the horizontal direction. In the double tube nozzle 21, the inner tube 22 protrudes slightly below the outer tube 23, and the outer closing plates 42 and 43 can advance to a position where they abut against the outer wall surface of the inner tube 22. In a state where the outer closing plates 42 and 43 are in contact with the outer wall surface of the inner tube 22, the discharge port of the outer passage 25 is closed by the outer closing plates 42 and 43. The plate thickness of the outer closing plates 42 and 43 is substantially equal to the protruding amount of the inner tube 22 from the outer tube 23.

  A support plate 46 is connected to the end of one outer closing plate 43 opposite to the double tube nozzle 21. An air cylinder (inner closing plate moving means) 47 of the inner opening / closing valve 14 is attached to the lower surface of the support plate 46. That is, the inner opening / closing valve 14 is provided below the discharge port of the inner passage 24. The inner closing plate 48 of the inner opening / closing valve 14 is a plate-like member having a semicircular shape with a tip portion having substantially the same radius of curvature as the inner tube 22. The inner closing plate 48 is moved by the air cylinder 47 and can move back and forth in the horizontal direction, and slides with respect to the support plate 46 and the outer closing plate 43. That is, in a state where the outer closing plate 43 closes the outer passage 25, the inner closing plate 48 is advanced by the air cylinder 47, and the discharge port of the inner passage 24 can be closed.

  FIG. 4 shows a shutter drive mechanism that opens and closes the shutter 31. The shutter 31 is a disc member having a diameter that is slightly larger than the discharge port of the weighing hopper 15. The shutter 31 is fixed to one end of the arm 32. The arm 32 is rotatably supported by a first pin 34 provided on a support member 33 to which the weighing hopper 15 is fixed. Further, the support member 33 is provided with a second pin 35, the second pin 35 and the arm 32 are connected by a tension spring 36, and the arm 32 is a direction in which the shutter 31 closes the discharge port of the hopper 15. Always energized. On the other hand, a roller 37 is provided at the other end of the arm 32. When the arm 32 is biased by a tension spring 36, the roller 37 is always engaged with the surface of a pusher 39 that is advanced and retracted by an air cylinder 38. To do.

  When the pusher 39 is in the retracted position (state shown by the solid line in FIG. 4), the shutter 31 is biased by the tension spring 36 and closes the discharge port of the hopper 15. When the air cylinder 38 is driven and the pusher 39 moves forward (as indicated by the broken line in FIG. 4), the arm 32 rotates against the tension spring 36, and the shutter 31 opens the discharge port.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the load cell (measuring means) 17 is connected to the measuring hopper 15 via the connecting member 16 and measures the weight of the powder discharged from the double tube nozzle 21. That is, the load cell 17 generates an electrical signal corresponding to the weight of the powder stored in the weighing hopper 15 in a state where the discharge port of the weighing hopper 15 is closed. It is output to a control circuit (not shown) for driving 45 and 47.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 5 shows a state in which large throwing filling is performed at the start of filling the weighing hopper 15. In the large throw filling, the outer opening / closing valves 12 and 13 and the inner opening / closing valve 14 are opened, and powder (for example, instant coffee powder) is discharged from the outlets of the outer passage 25 and the inner passage 24 of the double tube nozzle 21. The In the large throw filling, as clearly shown in FIG. 5B, the outer closing plates 42 and 43 and the inner closing plate 48 are in the most retracted positions in order to open the inner passage 24 and the outer passage 25.

  When the weight of the weighing hopper 15 weighed by the load cell 17 reaches a predetermined value, the air cylinders 44 and 45 of the outer open / close valves 12 and 13 are driven, and the outer closing plates 42 and 43 begin to move forward, and FIG. ), (B), the outer passage 25 begins to close. Thereby, the flow rate of the powder discharged from the double tube nozzle 21 is reduced.

  The outer closing plates 42 and 43 are further advanced and contact each other to close the outer passage 25 as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b). That is, the outer open / close valves 12 and 13 are closed, and the powder is discharged only from the discharge port of the inner passage 24, so that the small throw filling with a smaller flow rate than the large throw filling is performed. On the other hand, the inner closing plate 48 of the inner opening / closing valve 14 moves forward together with the outer closing plate 43, and the inner closing plate 48 is closed in the state where the outer opening / closing valves 12, 13 close the outer passage 25 as shown in FIG. The tip of the plate 48 is close to the tip of the inner tube 22.

  When the weight of the weighing hopper 15 reaches a predetermined value in the small throw filling, the air cylinder 47 of the inner opening / closing valve 14 is driven and the inner closing plate 48 starts to move forward, as shown in FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b). Thus, the inner passage 24 begins to be closed, and eventually the inner opening / closing valve 14 completely closes the inner passage 24 as shown in FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (b). That is, the outer passage 25 is closed by the outer closing plates 42, 43 and the inner passage 24 is closed by the inner closing plate 48. By this time at the latest, the container C is transported and arranged immediately below the double tube nozzle 21, and the mouth of the container C faces the discharge port of the weighing hopper 15.

  FIGS. 10A and 10B show a state where powder is put into the container C. FIG. In the step (FIGS. 5 to 9) in which powder is charged from the hopper 11 to the weighing hopper 15, the discharge port of the weighing hopper 15 is closed by the shutter 31, but the powder is charged from the weighing hopper 15 to the container C. In the process, the shutter 31 moves in the horizontal direction and the discharge port of the weighing hopper 15 is opened.

  When the powder in the weighing hopper 15 is completely supplied to the container C, the shutter 31 closes the discharge port of the weighing hopper 15 and the container C filled with the powder is conveyed to the next step. Further, the outer opening / closing valves 12 and 13 and the inner opening / closing valve 14 are again set to the open state (see FIG. 5B), and powder is charged into the weighing hopper 15 for the next filling.

  As described above, the filling device of the present embodiment performs large throw filling by opening both the outer passage 25 and the inner passage 24 of the double tube nozzle 21, and the weight of the powder charged into the weighing hopper 15 is predetermined. When the value is reached, the outer passage 25 is closed and only the inner passage 24 is used for small throw filling. Thus, in the large throw filling and the small throw filling, the powder always flows continuously through the double tube nozzle 21 and does not flow in the two branched paths as in the prior art. That is, since the powder does not suddenly flow into the passage where the flow area is reduced, the flow state of the powder into the double tube nozzle 21 does not change suddenly and the flow of the powder does not stagnate. Stabilize. Therefore, the amount of the powder filled in the container or the like can be accurately determined, and the accuracy of the amount of the powder filled can be improved.

  FIG. 11 shows an inner nozzle 26 attached to the discharge port of the inner passage 24 of the double tube nozzle 21. The inner nozzle 26 is mounted when it is desired to reduce the discharge amount of the inner passage 24. By selecting the inner diameter and shape of the inner wall surface of the inner nozzle 26, the flow state of the powder can be adjusted.

  FIG. 12 shows a spacer 49 attached to the piston rod 44 a of the air cylinder 44 of the outer opening / closing valve 12. In the above embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the outer passage 25 is fully opened in the large throw filling, but the spacer 49 is attached by fitting the notch 49a of the spacer 49 to the piston rod 44a. As a result, the retracted position of the outer closing plate 42 can be limited. The same applies to the other outer opening / closing valve 13. If such a spacer 49 is used, as shown in FIG. 2B, for example, the opening degree of the outer passage 25 can be set to, for example, about 50%, and the flow rate in large throw filling can be reduced.

  13 and 14 show modifications of the outer opening / closing valve. The outer opening / closing valve 51 is configured by accommodating an opening / closing shutter 53 having a configuration similar to that of a spaghetti measure or a camera aperture in an annular main body 52. FIG. 13 shows an open state determined in the large throw filling, and the open / close shutter 53 is fully opened. The open / close shutter 53 is opened and closed by displacing the lever 54 in the rotational direction, and FIG. 14 shows a closed state determined in the small throw filling, that is, a state in which the outer passage 25 (see FIG. 2) is closed. If the outer opening / closing valve 51 is used, the outer opening / closing valve 12 can be omitted, and the configuration is simplified.

  In the above-described embodiment, the outer passage 25 is closed in the small throw filling, but the inner passage 24 may be closed instead. In this case, various configurations are possible for the inner opening / closing valve. For example, a butterfly valve may be provided at the tip of the inner tube 22.

  In the above embodiment, the small throw filling is performed after the large throw filling. However, the present invention is not limited to this. First, the small throw filling is performed, and then the large throw filling is performed. It is also possible to perform a small throw filling after filling.

  Furthermore, it is not essential to use the weighing hopper 15, and the load cell 17 can be connected to the plate on which the container C is placed without using the weighing hopper 15, and the powder can be directly discharged into the container C for weighing. .

11 Hopper 12, 13 Outer open / close valve 14 Inner open / close valve 15 Weighing hopper 17 Load cell (weighing means)
21 Double pipe nozzle 24 Inner passage 25 Outer passage 42, 43 Outer closing plate 48 Inner closing plate

Claims (4)

An inner passage that communicates with a hopper in which powder is stored and extends along an axial center, and an outer passage that is formed so as to surround the inner passage, and one or both of the inner passage and the outer passage. A double tube nozzle capable of discharging the powder from the discharge port;
An outer opening and closing valve for opening and closing the discharge port of the outer passage;
An inner opening and closing valve for opening and closing the discharge port of the inner passage;
Measuring means for measuring the weight of the powder discharged from the double tube nozzle,
At the time of filling, the outer and inner opening / closing valves are opened and powder is discharged from the outlets of the outer passage and the inner passage to perform large throw filling, and the weight measured by the weighing means reaches a predetermined value. In this case, the filling device is characterized in that small throw filling is performed by closing one of the outer and inner opening / closing valves and discharging the powder only from the other outlet of the outer passage and the inner passage.   The filling device according to claim 1, wherein the outer opening / closing valve is provided below a discharge port of the outer passage, and the inner opening / closing valve is provided below a discharge port of the inner passage.   The outer opening / closing valve has a pair of outer closing plates capable of closing the discharge port of the outer passage and capable of moving back and forth in the horizontal direction, and the inner opening / closing valve is a horizontal plate capable of closing the discharge port of the inner passage. The filling device according to claim 2, further comprising an inner closing plate capable of moving forward and backward in a direction. A pair of outer closing plate moving means for moving the pair of outer closing plates;
An inner closing plate moving means for moving the inner closing plate;
4. The filling device according to claim 3, wherein the inner closing plate moving means is attached below one of the pair of outer closing plate moving means.

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