JP2017024882A - Feeder for granular powder material - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a feeder for a granular powder material capable of reducing a load on a switching mechanism due to biting of the granular powder material, and besides capable of stably detecting existence of the material.SOLUTION: A feeder 1 for a granular powder material comprises: a container body 10 in which a discharge duct 14 having an axis along a vertical direction and a lower end face 15 inclined to an axial direction is provided; a nearly tabular lid body 25 opening or closing the discharge port 16 of the discharge duct by oscillation; a support member 20 supporting the lid body to allow the displacement of an oscillation fulcrum; and a noncontact type detector 5 detecting a detected part 29 of the lid body moving in accordance with opening or closing of the discharge port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a powder material supply apparatus for supplying powder material.

Conventionally, an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing a discharge port of the discharge pipe is provided in a discharge pipe at a lower end portion of a container such as a hopper that supplies the granular material to the next process. Examples of such an opening / closing mechanism include a slide damper that is slid by an air cylinder, a push damper, a flap-shaped damper that is rotatable around a rotation shaft, and the like. There is a problem that a load is easily applied to the opening and closing mechanism due to the biting of the material.
For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a collection device in which a lid suspended by a suspension member is provided at the lower end of a collection hopper so as to displace the open position and the standby position in a pendulum shape. Yes. In addition, there is a description that a material sensor that outputs a material request signal may be provided in a storage hopper provided below the collection hopper.

JP2015-42572A

  However, in the collection apparatus described in the said patent document 1, it was necessary to provide the sensor which detects a material level, and the space for it below the collection hopper. In addition, since the detection target is a granular material, if the type and bulk specific gravity of the material are different, it may be necessary to adjust the sensitivity or the like, and erroneous detection is likely to occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and allows a granular material capable of stably detecting the presence or absence of a material while being able to reduce the load on the opening and closing mechanism due to the biting of the granular material. The object is to provide a material supply device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the powder material supply device according to the present invention is provided with a discharge pipe having an axial direction along the vertical direction and a lower end surface inclined with respect to the axial direction. A container body, a substantially flat lid that swings like a pendulum to open and close the discharge port of the discharge pipe, and a support member that supports the lid so as to allow displacement of its swing fulcrum. And a non-contact detector for detecting a detected portion of the lid that moves as the discharge port is opened and closed.

  The powder material supply apparatus according to the present invention is configured as described above, so that it is possible to reduce the load on the opening and closing mechanism due to the biting of the powder material, but whether the material is present or not. It can be detected stably.

It is a partial fracture outline side view showing typically an example of the supply device of granular material concerning one embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to the view taken along line XX in FIG. 1, and (b) and (c) are partially broken schematic side views in which a part corresponding to FIG. 1 is omitted. FIG. (A), (b) is a schematic time chart which shows typically an example of the basic operation | movement performed in the supply apparatus, respectively. It is a partially broken schematic side view which shows typically an example of the supply apparatus of the granular material which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. (A), (b) is a partially broken schematic side view which abbreviate | omitted one part corresponding to FIG. It is a schematic time chart which shows typically an example of the basic operation performed in the supply apparatus. (A), (b) is a schematic time chart which shows typically the other example of the basic operation | movement performed in the supply apparatus, respectively. (A), (b) is the partially broken schematic side view which abbreviate | omitted one part which shows typically an example of the supply apparatus of the granular material which concerns on further another embodiment of this invention, respectively.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The schematic time charts in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7 schematically show the displacement of the lid, ON / OFF of each device, opening / closing operation, and the like.
1-3 is a figure which shows typically an example of the supply apparatus of the granular material which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and an example of the basic operation performed in this supply apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the powder material supply apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a discharge pipe 14 in which the axial direction is along the vertical direction and the lower end surface 15 is an inclined surface inclined with respect to the axial direction. , A substantially flat lid body 25 that opens and closes the discharge port 16 of the discharge pipe 14, a support member 20 that supports the lid body 25, and moves with the opening and closing of the discharge port 16. And a non-contact detector 5 that detects the detected portion 29 of the lid 25. In the present embodiment, the container body 10 is provided with a suction port 12a connected to the air suction source 2 and an introduction port 13a for receiving the particulate material that is air-transported. That is, in this embodiment, the supply device 1 is connected to the air suction source 2 and the transport source (material source) 3 of the granular material, and the granular material from the transport source 3 that is pneumatically transported by suction air. It is set as the collection device which makes it isolate | separate from suction air and collect.

Here, the above-mentioned powder material refers to a powder / granular material, but includes a fine flake shape, a short fiber piece shape, a sliver-like material, and the like.
Moreover, as said material, what kind of materials, such as synthetic resin materials, such as a resin pellet and a resin fiber piece, a metal material, a semiconductor material, a wood material, a chemical material, a food material, may be sufficient.
Moreover, as a granular material, when molding a synthetic resin molded product, for example, a natural material (virgin material), a pulverized material, a master batch material, various additives, and the like can be given. Moreover, it is good also as a structure containing reinforcement fibers, such as glass fiber and carbon fiber.

The air suction source 2 may be air suction means such as a suction blower connected via an air suction pipe. Such an air suction source 2 is not limited to the one dedicated to the supply device 1. For example, the air transport to the supply device 1 and the air transport to another supply device (collecting device) are switching valves or the like. It is good also as what was set as the aspect switched by.
As the transportation source 3, a material tank connected via a material transportation pipe, a dry hopper, a weighing hopper for measuring powder material, a blending hopper for blending a plurality of types of powder material at a predetermined ratio, etc. Good. Moreover, it is good also considering the temporary storage part provided in the downstream of these various hoppers as the transportation source 3. FIG. Further, the present invention is not limited to a mode in which the material transport pipe connected to the supply device 1 is connected to the single transport source 3 and the single powder material is collected in the supply device 1. For example, a material transport pipe connected to the supply device 1 is connected to a plurality of transportation sources 3 that store different granular material, and a plurality of types of particulate materials from the plurality of transportation sources 3 are connected. It is good also as an aspect collected in the said supply apparatus 1. FIG.

  In addition, as a supply destination of the supply device 1, a storage unit such as a storage tank or a storage hopper that temporarily stores the granular material collected in the supply device 1 may be used as the supply destination. A supply destination may be a dry hopper that dries the body material. Moreover, as a supply destination of the supply device 1, the cover body 25 that is in an open position for opening the discharge port 16 can be swung to the closed side as the material level decreases, as will be described later. As described above, processing (consumption) of the granular material may be performed at the supply destination. For example, a molding machine such as an injection molding machine may be the supply destination of the supply device 1. In this case, the supply device 1 may be installed directly on the molding machine. The molding machine as the supplier is not limited to an injection molding machine for molding a synthetic resin molded product, but may be an injection molding machine for other materials, or an extrusion molding machine or a compression molding machine for various materials. It is good also as an aspect which uses other molding machines as a supply destination. Further, the supply destination of the granular material collected by the supply device 1 is not limited to a single supply destination, and may be a plurality of supply destinations.

The container main body 10 has a hopper shape in which the upper side portion has a substantially cylindrical shape and the lower side portion has a substantially inverted conical shape.
In the illustrated example, a lid 11 that opens and closes the upper opening of the container main body 10 is provided with a suction connection tube 12 that is connected to the air suction source 2, with the opening on the lid 11 side forming a suction port 12 a. An example is shown. In addition, an opening on the side of the container body 10 forms an introduction port 13 a and a material introduction tube 13 connected to the transportation source 3 is provided on the side of the upper end side portion of the container body 10. In place of such an embodiment, the inlet 13a is provided so as to be located in the middle of the container body 10 in the vertical direction or at the lower end, and the suction port 12a is provided at the upper end so that the granular material can flow. It is good also as the aspect etc. which were made. Various modifications can be made to the positions and shapes of the suction port 12a and the introduction port 13a.

  In addition, the container body 10 is provided with a separation unit that separates the granular material from the transport air toward the suction port 12a. As such a separation part, any material can be used as long as it can separate the particulate material and the transportation air, but the particulate material which is the raw material while allowing the dust to pass through in addition to the transportation air. It is good also as what consists of a perforated metal, a net-like (mesh shape) perforated plate-like body, etc. which block | prevent the passage of this. For example, such a separation part may be provided so as to cover the upper opening of the container body 10 and further may be configured such that the lid part 11 is provided so as to cover the separation part. In addition, it is possible to employ separation sections having various configurations. Moreover, it is good also as what was set as the structure made to isolate | separate a granular material from transport air by what is called a cyclone type, without providing such a separation part.

The discharge pipe 14 is provided on the lower end side of the portion of the container body 10 that has a substantially inverted conical shape. A lower end surface 15 serving as an opening end surface on the discharge port 16 side that opens toward the lower side of the discharge pipe 14 has a flat surface shape that faces obliquely downward.
The inclination angle (the angle formed between the lower surface 15 and the horizontal surface in contact with the lower end 15b in the inclination direction of the lower end surface 15) with respect to the horizontal surface (surface orthogonal to the falling direction of its own weight) of the lower end surface 15 as the inclined surface of the discharge pipe 14 is You may make it set suitably from a viewpoint of aiming at space-saving, discharge | emission property, and viewpoints of the opening / closing property by the cover body 25 mentioned later. If the inclination angle of the lower end surface 15 with respect to the horizontal plane is too small, the discharge performance and the opening / closing performance tend to be reduced. If the inclination angle is too large, the discharge pipe 14 itself and the lid body 25 tend to be large. There is.

From the above viewpoint, for example, the inclination angle of the lower end surface 15 with respect to the horizontal plane may be about 20 degrees to 80 degrees, preferably about 30 degrees to 60 degrees, and in the illustrated example, about 30 degrees. An example is shown.
In the following description, it is assumed that the upper end edge of the lower end surface 15 in the inclination direction upper end 15a side is the rear side, and the lower end surface of the lower end face 15 in the inclination direction lower end 15b side is the front side. That is, the horizontal direction in the direction along the inclination direction of the lower end surface 15 will be basically described as the front-rear direction.
Moreover, although the example which made the discharge pipe 14 substantially cylindrical shape is shown in the example of a figure, it is not restricted to such an aspect, It is good also as a substantially square cylinder shape, another polygonal cylinder shape, etc.

In the present embodiment, the container body 10 is fixed to the installation target of the supply device 1 and includes a base portion 4 provided so as to surround the discharge pipe 14 and the lid body 25 of the container body 10. .
The base portion 4 is provided with an opening for receiving the discharge pipe 14 at the upper end portion, and the lower end side is opened, and has a case shape that is substantially rectangular in plan view.
This base part 4 is set as the structure which made the opposing direction of one opposing both-sides wall part of the four surrounding side wall parts follow the front-back direction.
Further, in the illustrated example, a part of the lid body 25 is exposed from the lower end side opening of the base portion 4 when viewed from the side (as viewed in the vertical direction and the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction). Instead of such an aspect, the entire lid body 25 may be accommodated.
In addition, you may make it provide the translucent window etc. which enabled visual recognition of the cover body 25 grade | etc., In this base part 4. FIG. Further, the base portion 4 is not limited to such a case shape, but may be a storage hopper shape, and various other modifications are possible.

Moreover, in this embodiment, it is set as the structure which provided the air supply part 17 which supplies air in the container main body 10 in the lower end part of the container main body 10. As shown in FIG. The air supply unit 17 is configured such that air supply ports 17 c and 17 d are provided so as to open in the inner wall of the lower end portion of the container body 10. Moreover, in this embodiment, it is set as the structure which provided the upward air supply port 17d which produces the airflow which goes upwards, and the downward air supply port 17c which produces the airflow which goes below. The upward air supply port 17d is provided so as to supply air toward the inner wall of the portion of the container body 10 that has a substantially inverted conical shape. The downward air supply port 17 c is provided so as to generate a downward air flow in the discharge pipe 14 of the container body 10, and is provided so as to supply air toward the inner wall of the discharge pipe 14.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, a plurality (two in the example) of upward air supply ports 17d and a plurality (two in the example) of downward air supply ports 17c are provided. The configuration is provided. Further, an example is shown in which the plurality of air supply ports 17c and 17d are provided at substantially equal intervals in plan view.

  The air supply ports 17c and 17d are provided so as to blow out air in the axial (circular) direction in plan view. Further, the air blowing direction is substantially along the thickness direction of the lid body 25 at the closed position when viewed from the side so that the air is blown from the downward air supply port 17c toward the lid body 25 side at the closed position. It is provided as follows. In the illustrated example, an example in which the downward air supply port 17c is provided so as to open on the inner wall facing the rear side of the lower end portion of the container body 10 is shown. Further, in the illustrated example, the upward air supply port 17d is provided so as to open on the inner wall facing the front side of the lower end portion of the container body 10. In the illustrated example, the inner wall of the lower end portion of the container body 10 is provided with an annular protrusion that extends in the circumferential direction and has a tapered surface (inclined surface) that is inclined so that both side surfaces are tapered toward the tip in the protruding direction. An example is shown in which an upward air supply port 17d is provided so as to open on an inclined surface facing upwards of the two inclined surfaces, and a downward air supply port 17c is provided so as to open on an inclined surface facing downwards. ing. The positions and the number of the air supply ports 17c and 17d are not limited to the positions and the numbers in the illustrated example, and various modifications are possible.

The air supply part 17 is provided with a connection part 17a to which an air supply line connected to an air source is connected, and a communication path 17b for communicating the connection part 17a with the air supply ports 17c and 17d. It has been. In the example shown in the figure, the connecting portions 17a are provided at a plurality of locations on the outer peripheral side of the container main body 10 at intervals in the circumferential direction.
The air source may be a tank serving as a compressed air source, a tank serving as an inert gas source such as nitrogen or argon, or the like. That is, the air supplied into the container body 10 may be compressed air or an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon.
Further, the air supply pipe is provided with an air supply valve 7 (see FIG. 3A) for supplying and blocking the air supplied into the container body 10. The air supply valve 7 may be an on-off valve (ON / OFF valve) or a valve whose flow rate can be adjusted, for example, whose opening degree can be controlled. In addition to the air supply valve 7, a flow control valve capable of controlling the flow rate adjustment and a throttle valve (needle valve) capable of adjusting the flow rate by manual operation are provided in the air supply line. It is good also as an aspect.

  In this embodiment, the communication passage 17b includes a single annular groove that allows the connection portion 17a and the air supply ports 17c and 17d to communicate with each other. The annular groove is located on the outer peripheral side of the inner wall of the container body 10 and is concentrically provided on the lower end of the container body 10 over the entire circumference. In the illustrated example, the annular groove has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed in the groove longitudinal direction. The communication path 17b is configured such that a path for communicating the connecting portion 17a and a path for communicating the air supply ports 17c and 17d are provided in the single annular groove. That is, the passages through which air is circulated toward each of the upward air supply port 17d and the downward air supply port 17c are also used. In addition, instead of the communication passage 17b provided with such a single annular groove, a configuration in which a plurality of communication passages 17b for individually connecting the air supply ports 17c, 17d and the connection portions 17a are provided, etc. Various other modifications are possible. Further, in the illustrated example, the air supply ports 17c and 17d are provided so as to be opened at a lower portion of the portion of the container body 10 that is substantially inverted cone-shaped, but the lower end portion of the discharge pipe 14 is shown. You may provide so that it may open in the vicinity site | part, or you may provide so that it may open in the site | part made into the substantially inverted cone shape of the container main body 10. FIG.

The lid body 25 swings like a pendulum and opens and closes the discharge port 16 of the discharge pipe 14 and is formed larger than the discharge port 16 so that the discharge port 16 at the lower end of the discharge pipe 14 can be closed. Yes. In other words, the outer dimensions of the lid body 25 in the state in which the lid body 25 is viewed in the thickness direction rather than the outer dimension of the lower end face 15 in a state of facing the lower end face 15 of the discharge pipe 14 facing obliquely downward. Is formed to be large.
As shown in FIG. 1, the lid 25 is an inclined surface of the discharge pipe 14 at a standby position where the suction force by the air suction source 2 and the load of the granular material are not acting on the lid 25. It is arranged in an inclined state so as to face the end face 15 and generally follow.
The lid 25 may be formed in a thin plate shape from a synthetic resin material, a metal material, or the like. Further, an antistatic agent or the like is applied to at least the upper surface (the surface facing the lower end surface 15 side (the surface facing the obliquely upper front side) in the standby position), or the lid body 25 itself has an antistatic property. It may be formed from a material having

Further, the lid body 25 is connected to a plate-like lid body portion 26 that is brought into contact with the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14 at a closed position where the discharge port 16 is closed, and a support member 20 described later. And a detected portion 29 to be detected by the non-contact detector 5 to be described later.
In this embodiment, it is set as the structure which provided the connection parts 28 and 28 in each of the both ends of the direction orthogonal to the up-down direction and the front-back direction in the cover main-body part 26. As shown in FIG. In the illustrated example, both sides of the lid main body portion 26 are bent so as to protrude from both side ends of the lid main body portion 26 to one side in the thickness direction of the lid main body portion 26 (the discharge port 16 side). 27 shows an example in which 27 and 27 are provided, and connecting portions 28 and 28 are provided on both side pieces 27 and 27, respectively.

The detected portion 29 is configured to move so as to draw a substantially constant locus when the lid body 25 opens and closes the discharge port 16.
In the present embodiment, the detected portion 29 is provided at the upper end portion of the lid body 25 that is disposed in an inclined manner so as to follow the inclination of the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14. That is, the detected portion 29 is provided at the end of the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14 in the lid body 25 on the upper end 15a side in the inclination direction. Further, the detected portion 29 is provided in a bent shape at the upper end portion of the lid main body portion 26. In the illustrated example, a folded piece is further provided on a piece provided in a bent shape so as to protrude from the upper end of the lid body 26 to the other side in the thickness direction of the lid body 26 (the anti-discharge port side). The example which provided is shown. Further, as shown in FIG. 2 (c), the detected portion 29 is brought into contact with or close to the detection surface 6 facing the front side of the non-contact detector 5 to be described later in a state where the lid body 25 is opened. It is set as the structure arranged.

As shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, when the lid body 25 swings from the closed position side to the open position side, the detected portion 29 moves upward toward the rear side. Moves diagonally upward so as to move. On the other hand, when the lid body 25 swings from the open position side to the closed position side, the cover body 25 moves obliquely forward so as to move downward as it moves forward.
In the present embodiment, at least a portion of the detected portion 29 that is detected by the non-contact detector 5 is formed from a conductor such as a metal-based material. For example, the entire lid body 25 may be formed of a conductor such as a metal-based material.

The non-contact detector 5 detects (ON) the detected portion 29 if the detected portion 29 that is in contact with or away from (approaching / separating from) the detection surface 6 exists within a predetermined detection area. If the detection unit 29 is outside the detection area, the detection unit 29 is in a non-detection (OFF) state. As such a non-contact type detector 5, proximity switches (sensors) such as an electromagnetic induction type, a capacitance type, an ultrasonic type, and a photoelectric type may be adopted. In the present embodiment, as described above, at least a portion of the detected portion 29 that is detected by the non-contact detector 5 is a conductor, and the non-contact detector 5 is an electromagnetic induction type.
Moreover, in this embodiment, the to-be-detected part 29 and the non-contact-type detector 5 are provided so that the to-be-detected part 29 which moved to the open position from the closed side may be detected. That is, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2C, the detected portion 29 of the lid body 25 in the open position is closest to the detection surface 6 of the non-contact detector 5.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, it is set as the structure which provided the non-contact-type detector 5 so that it might be located in the back side of the to-be-detected part 29 of the cover body 25 of an open position. In addition, the non-contact detector 5 is configured such that the detection surface 6 faces the front side. Moreover, in the example of a figure, the example which provided the non-contact-type detector 5 so that the rear side wall part of the base part 4 may be penetrated in the thickness direction is shown. Moreover, although the example of a figure has shown the example to which the to-be-detected part 29 of the cover body 25 of an open position contact | abuts to the detection surface 6 of this non-contact-type detector 5, the aspect approached without contact | abutting It is good.

The support member 20 is configured to support the lid body 25 so as to allow displacement of the swing fulcrum. The support member 20 is configured to support a lid body 25 that is moved in a pendulum shape so as to be spaced apart from the lower end 15b side in the inclination direction of the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14 to be opened. .
Further, in the present embodiment, the support member 20 is connected to the lid body 25 at the lower end side so as to suspend and support the lid body 25, and can follow the movement of the lid body 25 that swings like a pendulum when opened and closed. The suspension member 20 is made deformable. In addition, the upper end portion 21 of the suspension member 20 is disposed at a position closer to the upper end 15a in the inclination direction of the lower end surface 15 than the axial center of the discharge pipe 14 in the horizontal direction. That is, the suspension member 20 is viewed from the side (as viewed in the vertical direction and the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction), and the upper end portion 21 is closer to the upper end 15 a in the inclined direction of the lower end surface 15 than the axis of the discharge pipe 14. It is supposed to be positioned.
Further, the suspension member 20 has a lower end portion 22 connected to a portion closer to the upper end 15a in the inclined direction in the horizontal direction than the center of gravity of the lid body 25 (approximately the center when the lid body 25 is viewed in the thickness direction). Has been. That is, the lower end portion 22 of the hanging member 20 is connected to a connecting portion 28 provided at an upper portion in the standby position with respect to the center of gravity of the lid body 25 in a side view.

The suspension member 20 suspends and supports the lid body 25 so that the lid body 25 can close the discharge port 16 by the action of the suction force of the air suction source 2 on the lid body 25, and FIG. As shown to (c), it is set as the structure which supports the cover body 25 open | released with the load of the granular material material which the air suction source 2 stops etc. and falls (flows down) in an open position.
Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the suspension member 20 has a predetermined gap between at least the lower end 15 b side of the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14 and the lid 25 when the lid 25 is in the standby position. It is set as the structure which supports the cover body 25 so that a clearance gap may be formed. That is, the lid body that is suspended and supported by the suspension member 20 that is disposed so as to hang down at the standby position where the suction force by the air suction source 2 and the load of the granular material do not act on the lid body 25. A predetermined gap is formed between 25 and at least the lower end 15b of the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14 in the inclined direction.

In addition, the suspension member 20 is configured so as to hang obliquely so that the lower end side is positioned closer to the upper end 15a in the horizontal direction than the upper end side when the lid 25 is in the standby position.
The suspension member 20 is connected to the connecting portion 19 of the container body 10 as an object to be fixed so that the upper end portion 21 can swing relative to the container body 10, and the lower end portion 22 can swing relative to the lid body 25. It is connected to the connecting portion 28 of the lid 25. In addition, when the lid 25 is in the standby position and the open position, the suspension member 20 is in a tensioned state so as to extend substantially linearly due to the weight of the lid 25 (and the load of the granular material). On the other hand, when the lid body 25 is in the closed position, the lid body 25 is in a deformed state so as to allow the closure of the discharge port 16 by the lid body 25. That is, the connecting portion 28 of the lid body 25 and the connecting portion 19 of the container body 10 in the closed position are more than the linear dimension connecting the connecting portion 28 of the lid body 25 and the connecting portion 19 of the container body 10 in the standby position and the open position. The connecting linear dimension is shortened, and the suspension member 20 can be deformed so as to absorb this dimensional difference.

With the configuration as described above, in the present embodiment, the upper end side portion of the lid body 25 that is set to the standby position is configured to abut on the upper end 15 a in the inclination direction of the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14. That is, in a state where the suction force by the air suction source 2 and the load of the granular material are not applied to the lid body 25, the lid body 25 is suspended by the suspension member 20 connected to the upper end side portion from the center of gravity. However, the upper end side portion of the lid body 25 is in contact with the upper end 15a in the inclined direction of the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14, although the lower end side portion of the connecting portion 28 tends to move downward due to its own weight. It is set as the structure regulated in contact. Thus, the lid body 25 suspended and supported by the suspension member 20 is regulated by the suspension member 20 and the upper end 15a in the inclination direction of the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14, and so to speak, an open position and a standby position in a pendulum shape. It is set as the structure displaced to.
In addition, depending on a structure, rigidity, etc., the suspension member 20 will be in a tension | tensile_strength state so that the cover body 25 may extend linearly with the dead weight (and load of a granular material) of the cover body 25 in a stand-by position and an open position. It is not restricted to what was set as the structure, and may be bent.

Moreover, in this embodiment, it is set as the structure which provided the suspending members 20 and 20 in the shape of a pair so that it may oppose at intervals in the up-down direction and the direction orthogonal to the front-back direction.
The pair of suspension members 20 and 20 have the same configuration as each other, and are provided so as to overlap each other when viewed from the side. That is, the suspension members 20 and 20 are provided so that the upper end portions 21 and 21 and the lower end portions 22 and 22 are at the same height in the front-rear direction. The suspension members 20 and 20 are configured to operate in substantially the same manner when the lid body 25 is displaced.
In the present embodiment, the suspension members 20 are arranged on the outer peripheral side of the discharge pipe 14.

Moreover, in this embodiment, these suspension members 20 and 20 shall be made into the chain shape which consists of a some ring. The suspension members 20 and 20 may be bent or deformed so as to bend and behave so as to follow the opening and closing of the lid 25, and are not limited to chain-like ones. It may be a combination of a ring and a plate (bar) member, a belt, a wire (string), or a plurality of plate (bar) members rotatably connected to each other. It may be a multi-joint shape, may be a relatively hard rubber or the like, or a combination thereof.
The suspension members 20 and 20 may be arranged obliquely so as to approach each other toward the lower end side, or the suspension members 20 and 20 are arranged parallel to each other. Etc.

In the present embodiment, the upper end portions 21, 21 of the suspension members 20, 20 are placed on the lower end portions of the hanging piece portions 18, 18 provided so as to be spaced apart from the outer peripheral wall of the discharge pipe 14 of the container body 10. The example connected with the provided connection parts 19 and 19 is shown. In the illustrated example, the connecting portion 19 is shown as an insertion hole that penetrates in the front-rear direction and through which the ring on the upper end side of the hanging member 20 is inserted.
Further, an example is shown in which the lower end portions 22 and 22 of the suspension members 20 and 20 are connected to connecting portions 28 and 28 provided on both side pieces 27 and 27 of the lid 25. In the illustrated example, the connecting portion 28 is penetrated in a direction orthogonal to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction, and an example is illustrated as an insertion hole through which the ring on the lower end side of the suspension member 20 is inserted. The connecting portions 19, 19, 28, and 28 on the container body 10 side and the lid body 25 side are not limited to those shown in the drawings, and various other configurations, various positions, etc. It is good also as what was provided in. For example, the suspension members 20, 20 may be connected to the base portion 4 or may be connected so as to be positioned in the container body 10. Moreover, it is not restricted to the aspect which provided the pair of suspension members 20 and 20 on both sides, It is good also as an aspect etc. which provided the single or 3 or more suspension members.

  In addition, the supply device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a control connected to the non-contact detector 5, the air suction source 2, the air supply valve 7 (see FIG. 3A), etc. via a signal line or the like. It has a board. This control panel is composed of, for example, a CPU and the like, and has a time measuring means, an arithmetic processing unit, etc., and sets and inputs a control unit that controls each unit according to a predetermined program set in advance and various settings. A display operation unit for displaying or displaying, a storage unit for storing setting conditions and input values, various programs, and the like set and input by operating the display operation unit. Each unit is controlled by the control unit of the control panel, and an example of a basic operation described later is executed. The control panel is not limited to the configuration provided in the supply device 1, but is any of a transportation source 3, a supply destination, an air transportation machine having an air suction source 2, etc. that configure a supply system including the supply device 1. It is good also as a structure provided in.

Next, an example of a basic operation executed in the supply system including the supply device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In Fig.3 (a), it is set as the aspect which judges that there is no material in the lid | cover 25 which the suction force or the load of granular material does not act on a standby position, and air-transports granular material.
First, at the initial stage of starting the supply system, the material level on the supply destination side of the supply apparatus 1 is the material requirement level, that is, the lid 25 is in the standby position and the non-contact detector 5 is covered with the lid 25. If the detection unit 29 is in a non-detection (OFF) state and this non-detection state continues until a predetermined delay time elapses, it is determined that the material is in a required state, and the air suction source 2 is driven (ON). As shown in FIG. 1, if the air suction source 2 is driven and the suction force is applied to the lid body 25 that is in the standby position where the suction force by the air suction source 2 and the load of the granular material are not applied. The inside of the container body 10 becomes negative pressure, and the lid body 25 moves so as to be lifted while the suspension member 20 is deformed or moved. As shown in FIG. Is closed. Thereby, the granular material is pneumatically transported from the transport source 3 and collected by the supply device 1.

  For example, when a predetermined transportation time has elapsed, the air suction source 2 is stopped (OFF). As a result, in addition to its own weight, the load of the falling particulate material acts on the lid 25 in the closed position, and as shown in FIG. 2 (c), the lid is covered by the falling particulate material. 25 is moved so as to be pushed away to the open position, and the discharge port 16 is opened. That is, the lid body 25 moves from the closed position through the standby position so as to retreat by the falling granular material, and is set to the open position. Thereby, the granular material collected in the supply device 1 is discharged. Thereby, the non-contact detector 5 is in a state where the detected portion 29 of the lid 25 is detected (ON), that is, a material presence state.

  In this operation example, after the air suction source 2 is stopped, air is supplied through the air supply ports 17c and 17d. In this operation example, an example in which the air supply valve 7 is opened intermittently is shown. As the air supply mode, the opening of the lid 25 is assisted (assist), the powder material in the container body 10 is dropped, or the adhesion of the powder material to the inner wall of the container body 10 is suppressed. It is good also as a suitable aspect from a viewpoint to do. Moreover, although the example which made the aspect which opens the air supply valve 7 immediately after stopping the air suction source 2 in the example of a figure is shown, it is not restricted to such an aspect, Air is immediately before stopping the air suction source 2. The supply valve 7 may be opened, or after the air suction source 2 is stopped, the air supply valve 7 may be opened after a predetermined time has elapsed, and various other modifications are possible.

  And with the consumption (processing) of the granular material at the supply destination, the material level decreases, and the load of the granular material acting on the lid 25 that is in the open position as described above becomes smaller or disappears. Then, the lid body 25 returns to the standby position by its own weight. As a result, the non-contact detector 5 enters the non-detection (OFF) state of the detected portion 29 of the lid 25, and if this non-detection state continues until a predetermined delay time elapses as described above, the material request state And the air suction source 2 is driven (ON) to transport, collect and discharge the particulate material, and the same operation is repeated thereafter.

Next, another example of the basic operation executed in the supply system including the supply device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that differences from the above-described basic operation will be mainly described, and description of similar operations will be omitted or briefly described.
In FIG.3 (b), when the open defect of the cover body 25 arises, it is set as the aspect which supplies air.
In this operation example, after the air suction source 2 is driven (ON) to transport and collect the particulate material and the air suction source 2 is stopped (OFF), the non-contact detector 5 is moved to the lid 25. When the predetermined first time has passed without detecting (ON) the detected portion 29, the air supply valve 7 is opened and air is supplied. In other words, during normal operation, if the air suction source 2 is stopped, the lid 25 is brought into the open position in a relatively short time by the falling powder material, but depending on the type of the powder material, The fine powdery material acts like a binder, and the lid body 25 is brought into close contact with the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14, and the lid body 25 is not opened due to its own weight and the load of the falling powder material, and is opened. It is possible that defects will occur. In this operation example, it is possible to forcibly open the lid body 25 by determining that such an opening failure has occurred and supplying air. The predetermined first time may be an appropriate time so that a normal operation and an open failure can be distinguished.
Moreover, each said operation example is only an example, and various deformation | transformation are possible for others.

The powder material supply apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, so that the load on the opening and closing mechanism due to the biting of the powder material can be reduced, but the material The presence or absence can be detected stably.
That is, the substantially flat lid body 25 that swings in a pendulum shape and opens and closes the discharge port 16 of the discharge pipe 14 is supported by the support member (suspending member) 20 so as to allow the displacement of the swing fulcrum. It is configured. Accordingly, the degree of freedom of movement of the lid body 25 supported by the support member (suspending member) 20 with respect to the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14 can be improved, so that the opening / closing mechanism when the granular material is bitten is used. The load on can be reduced.

  In addition, the non-contact detector 5 that detects the detected portion 29 of the lid 25 that moves as the discharge port 16 is opened and closed is provided. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the necessity of providing a material sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the particulate material and a space therefor on the lower side of the discharge port 16, and to make the vertical dimension compact. In addition, when a material sensor that directly detects such a granular material is provided, it is necessary to adjust the sensitivity according to the type of material and bulk specific gravity, or false detection is likely to occur. However, according to the present embodiment, the presence or absence of the material can be detected stably. That is, since the detection target is the detected portion 29 of the lid body 25, it is possible to stably detect the presence or absence of the particulate material without depending on the type of material, the difference in bulk specific gravity, etc. Can be suppressed. Further, for example, a contact-type limit switch that is turned ON / OFF by the movement of the support member (suspending member) 20 or the lid body 25 may be provided as a detector. The opening and closing operation of the body 25 is performed smoothly, and defective discharge or the like can be suppressed.

In the present embodiment, at least a portion of the lid 25 that is detected by the non-contact detector 5 of the detected portion 29 is a conductor, and the non-contact detector 5 is an electromagnetic induction proximity switch. Therefore, erroneous detection can be more effectively suppressed as compared with the case of using another non-contact type detector such as a capacitance type.
Further, in the present embodiment, the detected portion 29 of the lid body 25 is provided at the upper end portion of the lid body 25 that is arranged in an inclined manner so as to follow the inclination of the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14. Accordingly, when the lid body 25 is displaced in a pendulum shape and opened to discharge the granular material, the detected portion 29 is located at a position spaced apart from the lower side of the discharge port 16 serving as a flow path for the granular material. Will be provided. Further, the non-contact detector 5 is provided on a side different from the side opened by the lid 25, that is, a position partitioned from the discharge port 16 by the lid 25. Thereby, adhesion of the granular material to the detection surface 29 of the detected part 29 or the non-contact detector 5 can be effectively suppressed, and erroneous detection can be more effectively suppressed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the support member 20 is connected to the lid body 25 at the lower end side so as to suspend and support the lid body 25, and can follow the movement of the lid body 25 that swings like a pendulum when opened and closed. The suspension member 20 is made deformable. Therefore, the structure can be simplified as compared with a slide damper, a push damper, or the like. In addition, for example, the bearing portion serving as the swing fulcrum is made larger than the shaft diameter, or the bent portion is hooked on a rod-like suspension portion that is fixedly provided by bending the plate-like member at the center in the longitudinal direction. Compared to the above, the degree of freedom of movement of the lid 25 supported by the suspension member 20 with respect to the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14 can be further improved. The load on the opening / closing mechanism can be reduced more effectively. Moreover, the cleaning property can be improved.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the container body 10 is provided with a suction port 12a connected to the air suction source 2 and an introduction port 13a for receiving the granular material to be transported by air, and the upper end 21 of the suspension member 20 is provided. In the horizontal direction, the lower end surface 15 is disposed closer to the upper end 15a in the inclination direction than the axial center of the discharge pipe 14. Therefore, as described above, when the air suction source 2 is operated, the inside of the container body 10 becomes negative pressure, a suction force acts on the lid 25, and the discharge port 16 is closed. Thereby, the granular material can be smoothly pneumatically transported into the container main body 10, and the container main body 10 can function as a collection hopper. On the other hand, if the load of the powder material that falls due to the stop of the air suction source 2 or the like, the lid body 25 is hung on the lid body 25 so as to move to the open side, and the lid body 25 is opened. The powder material can be discharged smoothly.

In the present embodiment, an air supply port 17c is provided in the discharge pipe 14 to generate an airflow directed downward. Therefore, depending on the type of granular material, etc., as described above, the lid body 25 in the closed position may remain in close contact with the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14, and an open defect may occur. By supplying air from the supply port 17c, such an open failure can be suppressed. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the air supply port 17c is provided so as to blow out air downward, but the container may also be provided when air is blown out in the horizontal direction or obliquely upward. By introducing air into the main body 10, the inside of the container main body 10 becomes a positive pressure, and it is possible to generate an air flow toward the lower side in the discharge pipe 14.
Moreover, in this embodiment, the air supply port 17d which produces the airflow which goes upwards is provided in the lower end part of the container main body 10. As shown in FIG. Therefore, adhesion of the granular material to the inner wall of the container body 10 and solidification (bridge) of the granular material can be suppressed.

Next, another embodiment of the powder material supply apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
4-7 is a figure which shows typically an example of the supply apparatus of the granular material which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and an example of the basic operation performed in this supply apparatus.
Note that differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

In the powder material supply apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment, the discharge pipe 14A of the container body 10A, the detection mode of the detected part 29A of the lid 25A by the non-contact detector 5, and the configuration of the air supply part 17A This is mainly different from the first embodiment.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the air supply unit 17 </ b> A has a mode in which air passages for individually circulating air toward the upward air supply port 17 d and the downward air supply port 17 c are individually provided. . That is, the communication path 17b including a single annular groove that allows the plurality of downward air supply ports 17c and the connection portion 17a to communicate with each other, and the single annular groove that allows the plurality of upward air supply ports 17d and the connection portion 17Aa to communicate with each other. The communication path 17Ab is provided separately. With such an aspect, it is possible to execute control that makes the timing for supplying air via the downward air supply port 17c different from the timing for supplying air via the upward air supply port 17d. .

In the present embodiment, the inclination angle (the angle formed between the lower surface 15A and the horizontal surface in contact with the lower end 15b in the inclination direction of the lower end surface 15A) with respect to the horizontal surface (the surface perpendicular to the falling direction of its own weight) of the lower end surface 15A of the discharge pipe 14A. The angle is larger than that of the first embodiment. In the illustrated example, the inclination angle is set to about 45 degrees. The lid body portion 26A of the lid body 25A is formed larger than the discharge port 16A so that the discharge port 16A of the discharge pipe 14A can be closed.
In the present embodiment, the non-contact detector 5 and the detected portion 29A of the lid body 25A are provided so as to detect the detected portion 29A of the lid body 25A that has moved from the open position to the closed side. Further, the non-contact detector 5 and the detected portion 29A of the lid body 25A are provided so as to detect the detected portion 29A of the lid body 25A moved from the open position and the closed position to the standby position.

That is, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the configuration in which the detected portion 29A of the lid body 25A that is in the standby position is closest to the detection surface 6 of the non-contact detector 5, that is, When the lid 25A is in the standby position, the non-contact detector 5 is in a state of detecting (ON) the detected portion 29A of the lid 25A.
Further, when the lid body 25A in the standby position is displaced to the closed position, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), the detected portion 29A of the lid body 25A moves forward so as to be non-contact. The contactless detector 5 moves away from the detection surface 6 of the detector 5 so that the detected portion 29A of the lid 25A is not detected (OFF).

Further, when the lid body 25A in the closed position is displaced to the open position, as shown in FIG. 4, the non-contact detector is configured so that the detected portion 29A of the lid body 25A moves rearward. 5, the non-contact detector 5 detects (ON) the detected portion 29 </ b> A of the lid body 25 </ b> A, and then detects the lid body 25 </ b> A as shown in FIG. 5B. The part 29A moves away from the detection surface 6 of the non-contact detector 5 so as to move upward, and the non-contact detector 5 puts the detected part 29A of the lid 25A into a non-detection (OFF) state.
Further, in the present embodiment, the suspension member 20A is made longer than the first embodiment in correspondence with the displacement of the lid 25A and the lower end surface 15A of the discharge pipe 14A. Further, the vertical dimension of the base portion 4A is larger than that of the first embodiment.

Next, an example of a basic operation executed in the supply system including the supply device 1A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
Also in FIG. 6, as in the basic operation example described above, the lid body 25 </ b> A to which the suction force or the load of the granular material is not applied is determined as no material at the standby position, and the granular material is pneumatically transported. It is said.
Also in this operation example, first, at the initial stage when the supply system is activated, the material level on the supply destination side of the supply apparatus 1A is the material request level, that is, the lid 25A is in the standby position, and the non-contact detector 5 Is in the detection (ON) state of the detected portion 29A of the lid 25A, and if this detection state continues until a predetermined delay time elapses, it is determined that the material is in a required state, and the air suction source 2 is driven (ON). Let Thereby, as shown above, as shown in FIG. 5A, the lid body 25A is set to the closed position, and the granular material is pneumatically transported from the transport source 3 and collected by the supply apparatus 1A. Accordingly, the non-contact detector 5 enters the non-detection (OFF) state of the detected portion 29A of the lid 25A.

  For example, when a predetermined transportation time has elapsed, the air suction source 2 is stopped (OFF). As a result, the lid body 25A in the closed position is changed from the closed position to the open position through the standby position. Thereby, the granular material collected in the supply apparatus 1A is discharged. In addition, as a result, the non-contact detector 5 enters a non-detection (OFF) state, that is, a material-existing state through a state in which the non-contact detector 5 detects (ON) the detected portion 29A of the lid 25A. The time for detecting (ON) the detected portion 29A of the lid body 25A at the standby position when displacing from the closed position to the open position is relatively short and is shorter than the delay time described above. The air suction source 2 is not driven by detection (ON). In other words, the delay time may be set to an appropriate time so that detection of such a relatively short time (ON) is not determined as a material request.

Also in this operation example, as described above, after the air suction source 2 is stopped, the air supply valve 7 is intermittently opened, and air is supplied through the air supply ports 17c and 17d.
And with the consumption (processing) of the granular material at the supply destination, the material level decreases, and the load of the granular material acting on the lid body 25A opened as described above becomes smaller or disappears. Then, the lid 25A returns to the standby position by its own weight. As a result, the non-contact detector 5 is in the detection (ON) state of the detected portion 29A of the lid 25A, and if this detection state continues until a predetermined delay time elapses, it is determined as the material request state. Then, the air suction source 2 is driven (ON) to transport, collect, and discharge the particulate material, and the same operation is repeated thereafter.

Next, another example of the basic operation executed in the supply system including the supply apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b). Note that differences from the above-described basic operation will be mainly described, and description of similar operations will be omitted or briefly described.
In Fig.7 (a), it is set as the aspect which supplies air, if the closure failure of the cover body 25A arises.
In this operation example, after the air suction source 2 is driven (ON), the air supply valve 7 is opened if a predetermined second time has passed without the non-contact detector 5 being in the non-detection (OFF) state. In this mode, air is supplied. That is, during normal operation, if the air suction source 2 is driven, the lid body 25A moves from the standby position to the closed position, and the non-contact detector 5 is in the non-detection (OFF) state in a relatively short time. It is conceivable that the lid body 25A is not closed due to the powder material being bitten between the lid body 25A and the lower end surface 15A of the discharge pipe 14A. In this operation example, it is determined that such a closing failure has occurred, and air is supplied, so that the granular material caught between the lid 25A and the lower end surface 15A of the discharge pipe 14A is aired. It can remove so that it may blow off, and, thereby, the cover body 25A can be made into a closed position. The predetermined second time may be an appropriate time so that normal operation and poor closure can be distinguished.

In FIG. 7B, in the same manner as the operation example described with reference to FIG. 3B, air is supplied when the opening failure of the lid 25A occurs.
Also in this operation example, after the air suction source 2 is driven (ON) to transport and collect the particulate material, and the air suction source 2 is stopped (OFF), the non-contact detector 5 is closed. When a predetermined first time has elapsed without detecting (ON) the detected portion 29A of 25A, the air supply valve 7 is opened and air is supplied. That is, when the air suction source 2 is stopped during normal operation, the lid body 25A is brought into the open position through the standby position in a relatively short time by the powder material falling, but the lid body 25A is similar to the above. Is not opened, and it is considered that an opening failure occurs. Also in this operation example, it is possible to forcibly open the lid body 25A by determining that such an opening failure has occurred and supplying air.
Note that each of the above operation examples is merely an example, and various other modifications are possible.

The powder material supply apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment also has substantially the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above.
In the present embodiment, the non-contact detector 5 and the detected portion 29A of the lid body 25A are provided so as to detect the detected portion 29A of the lid body 25A that has moved from the open position to the closed side. Therefore, as described above, the powder material is consumed on the downstream side (next process) from the state in which the lid body 25A is in the open position (the material presence state) due to the presence of the powder material, and the material level is lowered. Then, the detected portion 29A of the lid body 25A that has moved to the closed side can be detected. Thereby, it can be determined that there is no material and can be output as a material request signal. Further, for example, as in the first embodiment, if the detected portion 29 of the lid body 25 that has moved from the closed side to the open position is detected, the material level is lowered, and the lid body 25 is moved to the closed side. If it moves and becomes a non-detection state, it will be judged as a material requirement state, but in this case, it may be judged as a material requirement state due to disconnection or the like, but this is suppressed. be able to.

In the present embodiment, the non-contact detector 5 and the detected portion 29A of the lid body 25A are provided so as to detect the detected portion 29A of the lid body 25A moved from the open position and the closed position to the standby position. Yes. Therefore, as described above, it can be determined that a closing failure or an opening failure has occurred. Instead of such a mode, in addition to the standby position, a mode in which the non-contact detector 5 detects (ON) the detected portion 29A of the lid 25A even in the closed position may be employed.
Also, different configurations of the supply device 1A according to the present embodiment and the supply device 1 according to the first embodiment, and different operations in the operation examples described in the embodiments may be appropriately rearranged or combined. May be applied.
In each of the above embodiments, the air supply units 17 and 17A are provided. However, the air supply units 17 and 17A may not be provided.

Next, still another embodiment of the powder material supply apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a powder material supply apparatus according to the third embodiment.
Note that differences from the above embodiments will be mainly described, and the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

The powder material supply apparatus 1 </ b> B according to the present embodiment is mainly different from the above embodiments in that the lid 25 </ b> B is normally maintained in a closed (normally closed) state.
In the present embodiment, the lower end side of the suspension member 20B is connected to the lower end side in the inclination direction from the center of gravity or the center of gravity of the lid body 25B in the direction along the inclination direction of the lower end surface 15 of the discharge pipe 14B. The lid body 25B is suspended and supported so that the lid body 25B comes into contact with the lower end surface 15 by its own weight to be in a closed state. In addition, the driving unit 30 is provided to move and open the lid 25B so as to be separated from the lower end 15b side of the lower end surface 15 in the inclination direction. That is, in the present embodiment, the lid body 25B is configured to be in the open position by the drive unit 30 and to be in the closed position by its own weight. This lid 25B is also configured to swing like a pendulum as it is opened and closed, generally in the same manner as in the above embodiments.
Further, in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the non-contact detector 5 and the detected portion 29B of the lid body 25B are moved from the closed side to the detected portion 29B of the lid body 25B. It is set as the aspect detected.

Moreover, it is set as the structure which provided the driven part 29B moved by the drive part 30 when the said cover body 25B is open | released in the cover body 25B. In the present embodiment, the driven portion 29B is a detected portion 29B that is detected by the non-contact detector 5. Further, a driven portion 29B is provided at the upper end side end portion in the inclination direction of the lid main body portion 26. In the illustrated example, the driven portion 29B is in the form of a piece provided to bend downward with respect to the lid main body portion 26 in the closed state and to extend in the outer diameter direction of the discharge pipe 14B.
Further, in the present embodiment, the lower end side of the suspension member 20B is coupled to the lower end side in the tilt direction with respect to the center of gravity of the lid body 25B in the direction along the tilt direction of the lower end surface 15 (when viewed from the side). In the illustrated example, an example in which the lower end side of the suspension member 20B is connected to the approximate center of the lid main body portion 26 (both side piece portions 27, 27) in the direction along the inclination direction of the lower end surface 15 is shown. That is, in the present embodiment, the follower 29B is provided in the upper end side end of the lid main body 26 as described above, and the center of gravity of the lid 25B is inclined by the follower 29B in the inclination direction of the lower end surface 15. The lid main body portion 26 (both side pieces) in the direction along the inclination direction of the lower end surface 15 which is located on the upper end side in the inclination direction from the substantial center of the lid main body portion 26 in the direction along The connecting portion 28 to which the lower end portion 22 of the suspension member 20B is connected is provided at substantially the center of the portions 27, 27).

Similarly to the above, the suspension member 20B is provided in a pair, and the suspension member 20B can support the suspension of the lid 25B that is closed by its own weight, and can be opened by the drive unit 30 from the closed state. It is connected to the container body 10B and the lid body 25B so as to allow displacement. Further, the suspension member 20B supports the lid body 25B so that the lid body 25B is maintained at the open position by the load of the granular material even after the drive to the open side by the drive unit 30 is unloaded. It is supposed to be configured.
Further, in the present embodiment, the upper end portion 21 of the hanging member 20B is configured to be disposed at a site slightly closer to the lower end 15b side in the inclined direction of the lower end surface 15 than the axis of the discharge pipe 14B in the horizontal direction. That is, the suspension member 20B is configured such that the upper end portion 21 is positioned slightly on the lower end 15b side in the inclination direction of the lower end surface 15 with respect to the axis of the discharge pipe 14B when viewed from the side. Instead of such a mode, the upper end portion 21 of the suspension member 20B is configured to be positioned at the axial center of the discharge pipe 14B in a side view, or the lower end surface 15 is slightly higher than the axial center in the inclination direction. It may be configured to be located on the 15a side.

Further, in the illustrated example, a frame-like member is fixed to the outer peripheral side of the inverted conical portion of the container body 10B, and a hanging portion provided with a connecting portion 19 to which the upper end portion 21 of the suspension member 20B is connected is provided on this frame-like member. The example which provided 18 A of piece parts so that it hangs down is shown.
Moreover, the length dimension of this suspension member 20B is a dimension which can support suspension of the cover body 25B made into a closed state by dead weight, as shown to Fig.8 (a). In the present embodiment, the lid body 25B is in a closed state, and when viewed from the side, the lower end portion 22 is positioned substantially directly below the upper end portion 21 of the hanging member 20B.

The drive unit 30 includes a cylinder 31 as a drive unit body and a lever 33 operated (turned) by a rod 32 of the cylinder 31. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, the driving unit 30 and the driven unit 29B of the lid 25B moved by the driving unit 30 are not in contact with each other when the lid 25B is closed.
The cylinder 31 is an air cylinder, for example, and includes a rod 32 that can be expanded and contracted with respect to the cylinder body. Along with the expansion and contraction of the rod 32, the lever 33 is rotated around the rotation fulcrum 36, and the distal end portion 35 thereof moves up and down. In the illustrated example, the cylinder 31 is fixed to the outer wall of the substantially inverted conical portion of the container main body 10B via a frame-like member.

Further, in the illustrated example, the cylinder 31 is configured to extend the rod 32 toward the lower side, and by this rod 32, the base end portion 34 of the lever 33 which is on the base end side with respect to the shaft portion 36 serving as a pivot point. By pushing down, the tip 35 of the lever 33 moves upward in a so-called lever shape.
With such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the rod 32 of the cylinder 31 is extended, the proximal end portion 34 is pushed down and the distal end portion 35 of the lever 33 moves upward. Thereby, the follower 29B of the lid 25B is pushed up, the lid 25B moves to the open side, and the discharge port 16 of the discharge pipe 14B is opened.
In the present embodiment, the non-contact detector 5 detects the driven portion 29B, which is the detected portion of the lid 25B in the open position. That is, in this open position, the non-contact detector 5 detects (ON) the driven portion 29B of the lid body 25B, and the material is present. In the example shown in the figure, the non-contact detector 5 is provided so as to be positioned above the driven portion 29B of the lid body 25B that moves generally upward. Moreover, the example which has arrange | positioned the non-contact-type detector 5 with the detection surface 6 facing below is shown.

Further, if the rod 32 of the cylinder 31 is shortened, the tip portion 35 of the lever 33 moves downward, and the lid 25B can be displaced toward the closed position by its own weight. The timing of unloading the drive to the open side of the drive unit 30 so that the lid 25B can be displaced toward the closed position by its own weight as the material level decreases after the lid 25B is opened. Etc. may be set as appropriate.
Even when the rod 32 of the cylinder 31 is shortened as described above, the lid body 25B is maintained in the open position if the powder material is present. However, as described above, the material level is lowered and the open position is set. If the load of the granular material acting on the lid body 25B decreases or disappears, the lid body 25B returns to the closed position by its own weight. Thereby, like the said 1st Embodiment, the non-contact-type detector 5 will be in the non-detection (OFF) state of the driven part 29B of the cover body 25B.
Thus, even when the load of the powder material is applied to the lid body 25B with the lid body 25B closing the discharge port 16, the lid body 25B sandwiches the center side in the inclination direction of the lower end surface 15. Thus, a large amount of load is applied to both sides substantially equally or on the upper end side in the inclined direction, and the lid 25B is maintained in the closed position where the discharge port 16 is closed.

  Note that the drive unit 30 that moves the driven portion 29B of the lid 25B so as to open the lid 25B is not limited to the above-described mode. For example, instead of the aspect in which the lever-like lever 33 is provided such that the tip 35 moves to the opposite side of the expansion and contraction of the rod 32, the tip that contacts the driven portion 29 </ b> B has the same direction as the extension and contraction of the rod 32. It is possible to adopt a mode in which a lever configured to move to is provided, and various other modifications are possible. Further, the drive unit body of the drive unit 30 is not limited to the air cylinder 31, but is not limited to a hydraulic cylinder, and further to such a cylinder, a solenoid or an electric motor is used, and other various actuators are used. You may make it employ | adopt.

In addition, the basic operation executed in the supply system including the supply device 1B according to the present embodiment can be executed in substantially the same basic operation as in the first embodiment, but after the air suction source 2 is stopped. The drive unit 30 may be driven to open the lid 25B.
In addition, the supply device 1B according to the present embodiment also has substantially the same effect as the first embodiment.
In the present embodiment, the lid 25B does not move to the open side due to the load of the granular material, and the closed state can be maintained. Therefore, the granular material is stored in the container body 10B. The container body 10B can function as a storage container or a weighing container. Moreover, since the drive part 30 which opens the cover body 25B is provided, a granular material material can be supplied toward the downstream (next process) by making it open | release. Further, since the lid 25B can be opened and closed by its own weight by the driving unit 30, for example, by repeatedly opening and closing the lid 25B, vibration (impact) is applied to the container main body 10B, and the container It is also possible to suppress adhesion of powder material, fine powder, etc. to the inner surface of the main body 10B and the lid body 25B.

The supply device 1B according to the present embodiment maintains the closed state of the lid body 25B and can store the granular material, so that the container body 10B has a suction port connected to the air suction source 2 and the like. Without being provided, the granular material may be appropriately charged by the upstream charging means or the like. Further, for example, the container main body 10B may be a measuring container, and a mass detection unit that detects the mass of the granular material that is provided to support the measuring container and is stored in the measuring container may be provided. According to this, the supply device 1B can function as a weighing device.
Also in the present embodiment, the air supply units 17 and 17A as described above may be provided.

Moreover, in each said embodiment, the to-be-detected parts 29, 29A, and 29B of the cover bodies 25, 25A, and 25B are distribute | arranged so that it may follow the inclination of the lower end surfaces 15 and 15A of the discharge pipes 14, 14A, and 14B. Although the example provided in the upper end part of the lid bodies 25, 25A, and 25B is shown, it is not limited to such a mode. For example, the detected portions 29, 29A, and 29B of the lids 25, 25A, and 25B may be provided at the lower ends of the lids 25, 25A, and 25B that are arranged in an inclined manner, or may be provided on the side portions and the like. . In this case, the arrangement position of the non-contact detector 5 may be appropriately modified.
In each of the above embodiments, the support member is a lid body whose lower end side is connected to the lid bodies 25, 25A, 25B to suspend and support the lid bodies 25, 25A, 25B, and swings like a pendulum when opened and closed. Although an example in which the suspension members 20, 20 </ b> A, and 20 </ b> B are made deformable so as to be able to follow the movements of 25, 25 </ b> A, and 25 </ b> B is shown, the present invention is not limited to such a mode.

  The support member described above may be any member that supports the lids 25, 25A, 25B so as to allow the displacement of the swing fulcrum of the lids 25, 25A, 25B, which swings like a pendulum with opening and closing, In other words, any structure may be used as long as it is configured to support the lids 25, 25A, and 25B without providing a shaft portion or a bearing portion that can swing around a fixed swing fulcrum. For example, it is good also as an aspect which provided the large diameter-shaped bearing part supported so that the displacement of the axial part provided in the cover bodies 25, 25A, and 25B was accept | permitted. Further, for example, a balance portion is provided through a bent portion in the lid body portion that opens and closes the discharge ports 16 and 16A, and a rod-like support member that supports the bent portion is fixed around the discharge pipes 14 and 14A. It is good also as an aspect provided in. In this case, as in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, at the standby position, a predetermined distance is provided between the lower end surface 15b of the lower end surfaces 15 and 15A of the discharge pipes 14 and 14A and the lower end side of the lid main body portion. The gap may be formed. Further, the lids 25, 25A, 25B are not limited to the mode in which the lids 25, 25A, 25B are suspended from the upper side, and may be configured to be swingably supported on the lower side. Is possible.

1, 1A, 1B Powder material supply device 2 Air suction source 5 Non-contact type detector 10, 10A, 10B Container body 12a Suction port 13a Inlet port 14, 14A, 14B Discharge tube 15, 15A Lower end surface 15a Inclination direction Upper end 15b Inclination direction lower end 16, 16A Discharge port 17c Downward air supply port (air supply port)
20, 20A, 20B Suspension member (support member)
21 Upper end 25, 25A, 25B Lid 29, 29A, 29B Detected part 30 Drive part

Claims (7)

A container main body provided with a discharge pipe having an axial direction along the vertical direction and a lower end surface inclined with respect to the axial direction;
A substantially flat lid that swings like a pendulum and opens and closes the outlet of the discharge pipe;
A support member that supports the lid so as to allow displacement of the swing fulcrum;
A non-contact detector that detects a detected portion of the lid that moves in accordance with opening and closing of the discharge port;
An apparatus for supplying granular material, comprising: In claim 1,
The detected part of the lid is provided at the upper end of the lid arranged in an inclined manner so as to follow the inclination of the lower end surface of the discharge pipe,
The non-contact detector is provided so as to be able to detect the detected portion. In claim 1 or 2,
The non-contact detector and the detected part of the lid are provided so as to detect the detected part of the lid moved from the open position to the closed side. Feeding device. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
The support member has a lower end connected to the lid body to suspend and support the lid body, and can be deformed so as to be able to follow the movement of the lid body that swings like a pendulum when opened and closed. A powder material supply device, characterized in that it is a lower member. In claim 4,
The container body is provided with a suction port connected to an air suction source and an introduction port for receiving the air-transported granular material,
The suspension member is arranged at a portion where the upper end of the suspension member is closer to the upper end side in the inclination direction of the lower end surface than the axis of the discharge pipe in the horizontal direction. In claim 5,
An apparatus for supplying a granular material, wherein an air supply port is provided in the discharge pipe for generating an air flow directed downward. In claim 4,
The suspension member is closed when the lower end side is connected to the lower end side in the inclined direction with respect to the center of gravity or the center of gravity of the lid body in the direction along the inclination direction of the lower end surface, and the lid body is brought into contact with the lower end surface by its own weight. The lid body is suspended and supported so that
The powder material supply apparatus, further comprising a drive unit that moves the lid to move away from the lower end side in the inclination direction of the lower end surface to open.

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