JP2016043291A - Agitation device and storage container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an agitation device and a storage container which can suppress cost, and can agitate an object to be agitated adequately so as to prevent contamination of foreign matters.SOLUTION: An agitation device includes an agitation shaft for agitating an object to be agitated, a bearing part for supporting the agitation shaft, a drive device for revolving the agitation shaft so that an end part draws a circle and swings with a bearing center of the bearing part as a fulcrum, and a storage container for storing the object to be agitated. The storage container includes an outer peripheral wall part for covering an outer periphery of the storage container, and an inner peripheral wall part which is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape to form a space for storing the agitation shaft in the storage container and forms a sealed space for storing the object to be agitated with the outer peripheral wall part. The outer peripheral wall part and the inner peripheral wall part are formed of flexible material formed in a film shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a stirrer and a container used in the stirrer. In particular, an agitator that agitates an object to be agitated by turning the agitation shaft so that the end of the agitation shaft swings around a bearing center of a bearing portion that supports the agitation shaft, and a container used in the agitation device About.

  In production processes in the pharmaceutical and chemical fields, stirring processes such as mixing, dissolution, crystallization, concentration, slurry suspension, and gas-liquid contact are performed. In such a stirring process, a member that has been in contact with the material to be stirred is used only once, and a so-called single use technique is used in which a cleaning process is omitted. For example, a one-time-use member includes a container that contains a material in a highly sterilized state in order to mix, adjust, store, and transfer the material while maintaining the sterilized state. . Examples of such a one-time use container include a bag made of a biocompatible plastic that is flexible and sterilized by gamma radiation.

  Moreover, the following two stirring systems are mainly proposed as a system for mixing materials in the container. That is, one is an agitation system (an oscillating agitation system) in which a main container containing a material is placed in a dish and the material in the container is agitated by wave agitation by oscillating motion so as to be homogeneous. The other is a system (stirring system based on a squeezing action of a peristaltic pump) that squeezes a container that contains a material using a peristaltic pump and agitates and mixes the material in the container.

  However, the oscillating stirring system has a problem that it is not suitable for a mixing operation in which the powder is dissolved in the solution. On the other hand, the stirring system by the squeezing action of the peristaltic pump has a problem that the living cells may be crushed by the pressure applied to the tube in order to circulate the material.

  In view of this, an agitation system has been proposed that includes a paddle that vibrates in order to agitate the material and uses a container that is used only once (for example, Patent Document 1). Furthermore, instead of this paddle, a stirring system that includes a flexible tube into which a rigid mixing rod is inserted and from which the mixing rod can be extracted has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 2). That is, the stirring system (mixing device) according to Patent Document 2 includes a storage container (flexible bag) for storing materials, a seal mounted in an opening of the storage container, and a storage container that penetrates the seal. A flexible tube that plunges into the tube, a rigid mixing rod that is inserted into the flexible tube and can be removed from the flexible bag after the mixing operation is completed, and is detachably connected to one end of the mixing rod It has the structure which consists of a motor.

Japanese Patent No. 5451600 Japanese Patent No. 4369121

  By the way, in the case of the stirring system of Patent Document 1, in order to prevent cross contamination, it is necessary to discard the paddle together with the storage container for each use. For this reason, compared with the case where only the storage container is discarded, the cost required for one use increases by the amount of the paddle.

  On the other hand, in the case of the stirring system of Patent Document 2, it is not necessary to discard the paddle for each use as in Patent Document 1. However, in order to insert the mixing rod into the flexible tube in a state of being separated from the flexible tube, there is a problem that a large number of ring-shaped inserts are necessary and costly. Furthermore, in a flexible tube, since the part between inserts becomes hollow, this part may be dented by the pressure from a fluid, etc. at the time of stirring. Furthermore, since the flexible tube also moves in accordance with the rotating (spinning) rod, the seal and the flexible tube may be rubbed and foreign matter may be mixed into the material to be stirred.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, and provides the stirring apparatus and storage container which can stir a stirring object appropriately so that cost may be suppressed and foreign material mixing may not arise. With the goal.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an agitation apparatus according to the present invention has an agitation shaft for agitating an object to be agitated, a bearing portion that supports the agitation shaft, and a bearing center of the bearing portion as a fulcrum. A drive device for turning the stirring shaft so that the portion swings in a circle, and a storage container for storing the stirring object, the storage container covering an outer peripheral wall of the storage container; An inner peripheral wall portion that is provided in a cylindrical shape with a bottom so as to form a space for storing the stirring shaft in the storage container, and that forms a sealed space for storing the stirring object together with the outer peripheral wall portion; The outer peripheral wall portion and the inner peripheral wall portion are formed of a flexible material molded into a film shape.

  According to the above configuration, the stirring device can stir the stirring target object by turning the stirring shaft about the bearing center with the driving device.

  Further, since the stirring shaft can be stored in the inner peripheral wall portion of the storage container, the stirring target is not stored in the sealed space of the storage container without directly contacting the stirring target in the storage container. The stirring object can be stirred. For this reason, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from being mixed into the stirring object, and it is not necessary to replace or wash the stirring shaft after the stirring work, thereby reducing the cost.

  Furthermore, the inner peripheral wall portion is formed of a flexible material molded into a film shape. For this reason, the inner peripheral wall portion can move following the turning motion of the stirring shaft during the stirring operation, and the stirring target object in the container can be appropriately stirred. Further, since the stirring shaft does not substantially rotate during the stirring operation, it does not rub against the inner peripheral wall portion, and it is possible to prevent problems such as wear of the inner peripheral wall portion and opening of holes. .

  Therefore, the stirrer according to the present invention has the effect of being able to appropriately stir the stirring target so as to reduce costs and prevent foreign matter from being mixed.

  In the agitation device according to the present invention, in the configuration described above, the storage container may be formed by joining the outer peripheral wall portion and the inner peripheral wall portion.

  In the stirring device according to the present invention, in the configuration described above, in the storage container, the outer peripheral wall portion and the inner peripheral wall portion may be integrally formed of the same material.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the container according to the present invention has an agitation shaft for agitating an object to be agitated, a bearing portion that supports the agitation shaft, and a bearing center of the bearing portion as a fulcrum. A container for use in a stirrer provided with a drive device for turning the stirring shaft so that the part swings in a circle, the container being located on the inner side of the outer peripheral wall and the outer peripheral wall. An inner peripheral wall portion that is provided in a bottomed cylinder shape so as to form a space for accommodating the stirring shaft therein, and that forms a sealed space for accommodating the stirring object together with the outer peripheral wall portion, The outer peripheral wall portion and the inner peripheral wall portion are formed of a flexible material molded into a film shape.

  According to the said structure, since the storage container has an inner peripheral wall part, a stirring shaft can be accommodated in this inner peripheral wall part. Thereby, it is possible to stir the stirring object without being directly in contact with the stirring object in the storage container and while the stirring object is stored in the sealed space of the storage container. For this reason, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from being mixed into the stirring object, and it is not necessary to replace or wash the stirring shaft after the stirring work, thereby reducing the cost.

  Moreover, the storage container which concerns on this invention is formed of the flexible material by which the inner peripheral wall part was shape | molded in the film form. For this reason, the inner peripheral wall portion can move following the turning motion of the stirring shaft during the stirring operation, and the stirring target object in the container can be appropriately stirred. Further, since the agitation shaft does not rotate during the agitation operation, it does not rub against the inner peripheral wall portion, and it is possible to prevent problems such as wear of the inner peripheral wall portion and opening of holes.

  Therefore, the storage container according to the present invention has an effect that the object to be stirred can be appropriately stirred so as to reduce costs and prevent foreign matters from being mixed.

  The stirring device and the storage container according to the present invention are configured as described above, and have an effect that the stirring target can be appropriately stirred so as to reduce costs and prevent foreign matter from being mixed.

It is a sectional side view which shows an example of schematic structure of the stirring apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the rotation stop part with which the stirring apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is a sectional side view which shows an example of schematic structure of the stirring apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view which shows another Example of the storage tank which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows another Example of the storage tank which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a specific configuration example of the stirring device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout all the drawings, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

(Configuration of stirring device)
The configuration of the stirring device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an example of a schematic configuration of a stirring device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The stirrer 1 according to the present embodiment is used for stirring processes such as mixing, dissolution, crystallization, concentration, slurry suspension, and gas-liquid contact in a production process in the pharmaceutical and chemical fields, for example. Device. The stirrer 1 stirs a stirring target object by turning a bar-shaped or bowl-shaped stirring shaft 4 extending linearly.

  The stirring device 1 is provided with a storage container 2 for storing an object to be stirred below. As shown in FIG. 1, the storage container 2 is disposed in a bottomed cylindrical storage tank 3. The storage container 2 is formed of a sealed bag, in which a stirring object is stored. Although not particularly shown in FIG. 1, a connector for supplying the stirring target object into the storage container 2 or discharging the stirring target object from the storage container 2 to the outside may be provided. . The connector, for example, distributes the stirring object when discharging the stirring object in the container 2 to the outside, and a supply opening joined to a tube for circulating the stirring object supplied from the outside. It can be set as the structure provided with the opening part for discharge | emission to which a tube is joined. When it is not necessary to join a tube to each of the supply opening and the discharge opening, the supply opening and the discharge opening are covered with a cap and the sealed state of the container 2 is maintained. It is preferred that

  As shown in FIG. 1, the storage container 2 has the following configuration in a state where it is disposed in the storage tank 3. That is, the storage container 2 is provided in a bottomed cylindrical shape so as to form an outer peripheral wall portion 21 covering the outer periphery and a space for storing the stirring shaft 4 in the storage container 2. And an inner peripheral wall portion 22 that forms a sealed space for accommodating an object. The inner peripheral wall portion 22 is formed in a shape that follows the shape of the stirring shaft 4 as shown in FIG. Specifically, the inner peripheral wall portion 22 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape so as to follow the outer shape of the columnar stirring shaft 4. No spacer is interposed between the inner peripheral surface of the inner peripheral wall portion 22 and the outer peripheral surface of the stirring shaft 4, and the inner peripheral surface of the inner peripheral wall portion 22 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the stirring shaft 4. Moreover, in the storage container 2, the outer peripheral wall part 21 and the inner peripheral wall part 22 are both formed in a film shape from the same material (for example, synthetic resin), and the outer peripheral wall part 21 and the inner peripheral wall part 22 are welded together. The storage container 2 is formed. For this reason, the storage container 2 is a sealed bag having flexibility. In addition, since the storage container 2 is comprised by the bag sealed as mentioned above, it can be conveyed in the state which accommodated the stirring target object in the storage container 2, and also the inside of the storage container 2 from the outside Foreign matter is not mixed in. Although not shown in particular, the storage tank 3 for storing the storage container 2 may be mounted on a mounting table.

  Above the container 2, a drive device 5 for turning the stirring shaft 4 and a bearing 6 serving as a fulcrum for the turning motion of the stirring shaft 4 are provided. It is supported by the bearing portion 6. More specifically, the driving device 5 supports the stirring shaft 4 by joining the driving device 5 and one end portion (upper end portion) of the stirring shaft 4. Further, the bearing portion 6 supports the stirring shaft 4 at an arbitrary position between both end portions of the stirring shaft 4. For example, a spherical bearing can be adopted as the bearing portion 6 that supports the stirring shaft 4 and serves as a fulcrum of the turning motion.

  And the stirring shaft 4 is arrange | positioned so that the center axis A of a stirring shaft may be extended in the up-down direction in the state inclined only (alpha) with respect to the center axis B of the drive device.

  The drive device 5 includes an actuator 51 such as an electric motor and a rotating member 52 connected to the actuator 51. The rotating member 52 includes an output shaft 52 a that extends in the vertical direction, and a link portion 52 b that connects the output shaft 52 a and the end of the stirring shaft 4. In the present embodiment, the center axis B of the driving device 5 and the rotation axis of the rotating member 52 are configured to coincide with each other. Therefore, the central axis B of the drive device 5 can also be said to be the rotation axis of the rotation member 52.

  The output shaft 52a of the rotating member 52 is connected to the actuator 51 at one end and is connected to the link 52b at the other end. The link portion 52b has a first connecting member 52b1 whose one end is connected to the output shaft 52a and extends in the vertical direction, and the other end of the first connecting member 52b1 with respect to the extending direction of the first connecting member 52b1. And a second connecting member 52b2 protruding in a substantially vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the link portion 52 b is joined to the output shaft 52 a in a state where the first connecting member 52 b 1 is inclined with respect to the central axis B of the driving device 5. Moreover, the upper end part of the stirring shaft 4 is being fixed by the lower surface side of the 2nd connection member 52b2. Note that a bearing (not shown) is provided at a connection portion between the second connecting member 52b2 and the stirring shaft 4.

  In the stirring device 1 of the present embodiment, the position of the central axis B of the driving device 5 does not coincide with the position of the central axis C of the storage tank 3 as shown in FIG. As a result, the same stirring effect as when the baffle plate (also referred to as “baffle”) is placed in the container 2 can be obtained. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and the configuration may be such that the central axis B of the drive device 5 and the central axis C of the storage tank 3 coincide.

  In the driving device 5 having the above-described configuration, when the actuator 51 is operated, the output shaft 52a of the rotating member 52 is rotationally driven, and the first connecting member 52b1 of the link portion 52b connected to the output shaft 52a is also rotated. When the first connecting member 52b1 rotates, the second connecting member 52b2 joined at the end also rotates (circulates) around the first connecting member 52b1. Then, the upper part of the stirring shaft 4 (the connection portion with the second connecting member 52b2) moves so as to stroke the side surface of the inverted cone having the bearing center O of the bearing portion 6 as the apex and the axis A of the stirring shaft 4 as the generating line. As a result, the stirring shaft 4 pivots around the bearing center of the bearing portion 6 so that the end portion of the stirring shaft 4 swings in a circle around the axis of the central axis of the storage tank 3 in the horizontal direction. (The lower part of the stirring shaft 4 moves so as to stroke the side surface of the cone having the bearing center O of the bearing portion 6 as the apex and the axis A of the stirring shaft 4 as a generating line).

  Thus, the power from the drive device 5 is transmitted from the output shaft 52a of the rotating member 52 to the stirring shaft 4 via the link portion 52b, and the end of the stirring shaft 4 is joined to the second connecting member 52b2. Thus, the rotational motion of the output shaft 52a is converted into the turning motion of the stirring shaft 4. As described above, the stirring shaft 4 performs a turning motion with the bearing center O of the bearing portion 6 as a fulcrum, but the stirring shaft 4 itself does not rotate.

  As described above, the stirring shaft 4 itself has a configuration in which the stirring shaft 4 itself does not rotate when swiveling around the bearing center O of the bearing portion 6 as a fulcrum. However, when the stirring shaft 4 performs a turning motion, the stirring shaft 4 may rotate due to the resistance from the bearing portion 6 in contact with the stirring shaft 4. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, a rotation stopper 7 is provided to prevent the stirring shaft 4 from rotating.

  The rotation stopper 7 is composed of a first stopper member 71 positioned above and fixed to the gantry 8, and a second stopper member 72 positioned below and fixed to the stirring shaft 4. When viewed from the left side of FIG. 1, the first stopper member 71 has a substantially U-shaped shape in which a long hole whose major axis is the vertical direction is formed in a substantially rectangular plate as shown in FIG. 2. It is a metallic plate having a shape. On the other hand, the second stopper member 72 is a metallic plate having a shape that is substantially L-shaped when viewed from the front of the sheet of FIG. That is, the second stopper member 72 is formed such that the upper end of the plate extending in the vertical direction is bent in a substantially horizontal direction and the side surface shape (the shape when viewed from the front in FIG. 1) is L-shaped. ing. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotation stopper 7 is configured such that a portion 72 a bent in the horizontal direction of the second stopper 72 is inserted into the long hole portion of the first stopper 71. FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of the rotation stopper 7 provided in the stirring device 1 shown in FIG.

  For this reason, the second stop member 72 fixed to the stirring shaft 4 can swing in the vertical direction with respect to the first stop member 71, but the movement in the left-right direction is restricted. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the stirring shaft 4 from rotating. The portion 72a bent in the horizontal direction is formed in a cylindrical shape. Thereby, the movement of the agitation shaft 4 when viewed from the side shown in FIG. 2 while regulating the movement in the left-right direction shown in FIG. 2, in other words, when viewed from the side in FIG. It is possible to form a pendulum shape with a substantially central portion (the portion 72a bent in the horizontal direction).

  As described above, the stirring device 1 according to the present embodiment can stir the stirring target object by turning the stirring shaft 4 around the bearing center O by the drive device 5. Further, since the stirring shaft 4 can be stored in the inner peripheral wall portion 22 of the storage container 2, the stirring target object is not directly in contact with the stirring target object in the storage container 2 and the stirring target object is placed in the sealed space of the storage container 2. The stirring object can be stirred while being contained in the container. For this reason, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from being mixed into the stirring object, and it is not necessary to replace or wash the stirring shaft 4 after the stirring work, thereby reducing the cost.

  Furthermore, the inner peripheral wall portion 22 is formed of a flexible material (for example, synthetic resin) molded into a film shape. For this reason, the inner peripheral wall portion 22 can move following the turning motion of the stirring shaft 4 during the stirring operation, and can appropriately stir the stirring target object in the container 2. Further, since the stirring shaft 4 does not rotate during the stirring operation, it does not rub against the inner peripheral wall portion 22, and it is possible to prevent problems such as wear of the inner peripheral wall portion 22 and opening of holes. In addition, although it does not specifically limit as a plastic material, Rubber materials (Synthetic rubber etc.) other than a synthetic resin (For example, PET, PE, PP, PVA, and those using these two or more) can also be utilized.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the container stopper part 9 may be provided in the insertion port part 23 which inserts the stirring shaft 4 of the internal peripheral wall part 22. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing an example of a schematic configuration of the stirring apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The container stopper 9 can be formed by, for example, a belt-like member such as a rubber band. And it is stopped by this container stop part 9 so that the outer periphery of the stirring shaft 4 inserted may cover the insertion port part 23 part.

  As described above, in the case of the configuration including the container stopper 9, a part of the storage container 2 such as the insertion port 23 can be stopped by the stirring shaft 4, so that one of the flexible storage containers 2 can be used during the stirring operation. The range in which the part moves can be reduced. For this reason, the possibility that the stirring shaft 4 and the container 2 are rubbed during the stirring operation and the container 2 is damaged can be suppressed. Moreover, since the stirring shaft 4 does not rotate as described above, the insertion port portion 23 and the stirring shaft 4 that are stopped by the container stopper 9 do not rub against each other. For this reason, even if it stops so that the insertion port part 23 and the stirring shaft 4 may contact | connect by the container stopper part 9, problems, such as a rubbing and tearing of the insertion port part 23 part, will not arise.

  From the foregoing description, many modifications and other embodiments of the present invention are obvious to one skilled in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be construed as illustrative only and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. The details of the structure and / or function may be substantially changed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  For example, a baffle plate may be installed in a sealed space in the storage container 2. In this case, an inner peripheral wall portion that forms a space for storing the baffle plate with the plastic material molded into a film shape in the storage container 2 and that forms a sealed space for storing the stirring object together with the outer peripheral wall portion 21. 22 may be provided. The plastic material molded into the film shape may be integrally molded with the same material. Depending on the contents to be stirred, the stirring effect can be enhanced by providing a baffle plate.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4a, a concave portion may be provided in a part of the storage tank 3 in a horizontal sectional view to force the storage container 2 to be recessed from the outside to replace the baffle plate. The recess is not particularly limited, and as shown in FIG. 4b, the whole may be recessed from the upper part to the lower part of the storage tank 3, or only a part of the intermediate part may be recessed. Moreover, you may make it dent several places. FIG. 4a is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the storage tank 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Moreover, FIG. 4 b is a side sectional view showing another example of the storage tank 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The present invention is capable of effectively stirring an object to be stirred, particularly when performing a stirring process that employs a single use technique in a production process in the pharmaceutical and chemical fields, and needs to be discarded after a one-time use. A certain member can be reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Stirring apparatus 2 Storage container 3 Storage tank 4 Stirring shaft 5 Drive apparatus 6 Bearing part 7 Anti-rotation part 8 Mount 9 Container stop part 21 Outer peripheral wall part 22 Inner peripheral wall part 51 Actuator 52 Rotating member 52a Output shaft 52b Link part 52b1 1st Connection member 52b2 Second connection member 71 First stop member 72 Second stop member 72a Horizontally bent portion A Center axis of stirring shaft B Center axis of driving device C Center axis C of storage tank
O Bearing center

Claims (4)

A stirring shaft for stirring the stirring object;
A bearing that supports the stirring shaft;
A drive device for turning the stirring shaft so that the end portion swings in a circle with the bearing center of the bearing portion as a fulcrum;
A storage container for storing the stirring object,
The storage container includes an outer peripheral wall that covers an outer periphery of the storage container;
An inner peripheral wall portion that is provided in a cylindrical shape with a bottom so as to form a space for storing the stirring shaft in the storage container, and that forms a sealed space for storing the stirring object together with the outer peripheral wall portion; Have
The outer peripheral wall portion and the inner peripheral wall portion are stirring devices formed of a flexible material molded into a film shape.   The stirring device according to claim 1, wherein the container is formed by joining the outer peripheral wall portion and the inner peripheral wall portion.   The stirrer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container is integrally formed of the same material with the outer peripheral wall portion and the inner peripheral wall portion. A stirring shaft for stirring a stirring object, a bearing portion that supports the stirring shaft, and a drive device that rotates the stirring shaft so that the end portion swings in a circle with the bearing center of the bearing portion as a fulcrum A container used in a stirring device comprising:
An outer peripheral wall,
It is located inside the outer peripheral wall and is provided in a bottomed cylindrical shape so as to form a space for storing the stirring shaft in the storage container, and stores the stirring object together with the outer peripheral wall. An inner peripheral wall part forming a sealed space,
The said outer peripheral wall part and the said inner peripheral wall part are the storage containers currently formed with the flexible material shape | molded by the film form.

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