JP3204593B2 - Paste supply device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paste supply device for appropriately supplying a paste contained in a container whose main part is formed of a flexible material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known to those skilled in the art, a dental silicone rubber impression material is composed of a base paste mainly composed of a silicone having a Si--H group and a silicone having a vinyl group, and a silicone and platinum having a vinyl group. A dental alginate-based impression material is produced by kneading a hardener paste mainly composed of a catalyst, and a dental alginate-based impression material is obtained by kneading a base paste mainly composed of alginic acid and a hardener paste mainly composed of gypsum. Generated by summing. Furthermore, other dental polyether rubber impression materials, dental thiochol rubber impression materials, and the like are also produced by kneading two types of pastes. As a paste supply device that can be effectively used for such kneading, a paste supply device in which two receiving portions are provided in a housing and a container support mechanism is provided in association with each of the receiving portions. Proposed and put to practical use. The two container supporting mechanisms support a container containing the base paste and a container containing the hardener paste, respectively, and the mouth and neck of the two containers are connected to the two receiving portions, respectively. In the housing, suction means is provided in association with each of the two receiving portions, and kneading means is provided. The base material paste is sucked from the mouth and neck of the container connected to the one receiving part by the action of the suction means, and the hardener paste is drawn from the mouth and neck of the container connected to the other receiving part by the action of the suction means. The base paste and the curing agent paste are kneaded by a kneading means, and are discharged from a discharge port provided on the front surface of the housing.

[0003] A container for accommodating the base paste and the curing agent paste includes a relatively rigid mouth and neck formed of a suitable synthetic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, and a suitable synthetic resin sheet such as a polyethylene sheet or film. A container in the form of a flexible body, which may be a film, is advantageously used. Such a container is preferably mounted on the container support mechanism in an inverted state, that is, with the main part extending upward from the mouth and neck with the mouth and neck down, and the mouth and neck connected to the receiving part.

[0004]

When the suction means provided in the housing is operated, the paste contained in the container flows out of the mouth and neck to receive the paste and the suction means. To the mixing means. According to the outflow of the paste from the container, the paste contained in the main part of the container flows gradually toward the mouth and neck as a whole,
When the main part of the container is squeezed progressively from its closed end (i.e., the closed end opposite the mouth and neck), the paste in the container is sufficiently well kneaded without any particular problem. Supplied to However, especially when the so-called yield value of the paste is relatively large, the paste contained in the main part of the container does not move downward over the entirety, and only the paste on the mouth and neck side of the specific part is applied to the mouth. In many cases, the paste flows toward the neck, and the paste on the closed end side of the specific portion does not flow but stays. Then, due to the occurrence of such a phenomenon, the main part of the container is locally squeezed at a specific site and a blockage occurs, and the paste present on the closed end side from the site is directed toward the mouth and neck. It tends to be unable to flow.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems,
Patent Application No. 180424, 1994 (filing date: July 7, 1994)
In the specification and drawings of "Month 11, Title of Invention: Paste Supply Apparatus", it is disclosed that a movable throttle member is provided along a main portion of a container supported by a container support mechanism. More specifically, it is disclosed that a rod extending along a main portion of a container supported in an inverted state is provided, and a disk-shaped throttle member is movably fitted to the rod. The squeezing member, which is biased downwards by its own weight, and thus towards the mouth and neck of the container, interferes with the main part of the container which is maintained in a swollen state by the contained paste, and thus has a neck and neck. The movement in the direction toward the mouth is prevented, but the paste moves in the direction toward the mouth and neck while squeezing the main part of the container according to the outflow of the contained paste from the mouth and neck. In the paste supply device provided with such a throttle member, the main part of the container is gradually squeezed from its closed end toward the mouth and neck portion in response to the outflow of the paste from the container by the pressing action of the throttle member, As a result, the paste in the container is also gradually moved down as a whole, thus solving the problem described above.

However, according to the experience of the present inventors, the paste supply apparatus disclosed in the specification and drawings of the above-mentioned Patent Application No. 180424 is still not fully satisfactory. It turns out that the problem to be solved remains. That is, the squeezing member acts only on one side of the main portion of the container, and the paste may remain in the container with a certain thickness depending on the viscosity of the paste. In particular, when a disk-shaped throttle member is used, the throttle member does not easily act on both side edges in the width direction of the container. Therefore, the paste is not sufficiently squeezed out, especially at both widthwise side edges of the main part of the container,
A considerable amount of paste that is not used effectively tends to remain.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned facts, and a technical problem of the present invention is that the main part of the container is moved from its closed end to the mouth and neck in response to the outflow of the paste from the mouth and neck. Gradually, it is squeezed over the entire width by the action of the squeezing member, thus not creating a local blockage in the main part of the container and also leaving a considerable amount of paste on the side edges of the main part of the container. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved paste supply device capable of allowing a paste to flow out of a container sufficiently and as desired as desired.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above technical object, according to the present invention, a throttle member having an insertion opening which is elongated in the width direction of a container is connected to a container supported by a container support mechanism. The container is movably arranged in the direction in which the main portion extends, and the container is supported by the container support mechanism by inserting the main portion from the closed end into the insertion opening of the restricting member, and the restricting member is expanded by the contained paste. The movement in the direction toward the mouth and neck is prevented by being interfered by the main part of the container maintained in the ejected state, but the main part of the container is moved in accordance with the outflow of the contained paste from the mouth and neck. It is configured so that it can be moved in the direction toward the mouth and neck while squeezing.

That is, according to the present invention, as a paste supply device for achieving the above technical object, there is provided a housing provided with a receiving portion, a mouth and neck portion, and a main portion formed of a flexible material. And a container supporting mechanism for supporting the container accommodating the paste by connecting the mouth and neck thereof to the receiving portion, in a width direction of the container supported by the container supporting mechanism. An aperture member having an elongated insertion opening extending in the container is disposed movably in the direction in which the main part of the container extends, and the container is inserted from the closed end into the insertion opening of the aperture member. At least, the squeezing member is supported by the container supporting mechanism, and the squeezing member is prevented from moving in the direction toward the mouth and neck by being interfered by the main portion of the container maintained in a swelling state by the contained paste. The contained paste A paste supply device is provided, which is configured to be able to be moved in a direction toward the mouth and neck while squeezing the main portion of the container over the entire width direction in response to outflow from the mouth and neck. Is done.

Conveniently, the container is supported with the main part extending upwardly to its closed end with the mouth and neck connected to the receiving part down. In a preferred embodiment, a rod extending in the direction in which the main part of the container supported by the container support mechanism extends is provided, and the throttle member is movably mounted on the rod, and is attached to the mouth and neck by its own weight. It is biased in the direction toward. Instead, a through-threaded female screw hole is formed in the throttle member, and a male screw that is screwed into the through-hole female screw hole of the throttle member and extends in the extending direction of the main portion of the container supported by the container support mechanism. A drive source for rotatably mounting the rod and rotating the male screw rod may be provided. The insertion opening of the aperture member can be defined between a pair of rollers that are rotatably mounted and extend parallel to each other, if necessary. Conveniently, a detector is provided to detect when the aperture member moves to a predetermined position in the direction toward the mouth and neck.

[0011]

In the paste supply device of the present invention, the restricting member is gradually lowered in accordance with the outflow of the paste from the container, and squeezes the main part of the container. The aperture member has an insertion opening elongated in the width direction of the container, and the main part of the container is inserted from the closed end of the container into the insertion opening of the aperture member. Accordingly, the squeezing member acts from both sides of the main portion of the container over the entire width direction, and squeezes the main portion of the container gradually from the closed end toward the mouth and neck portion over the entire width direction. Thus, the paste flows out of the container as well as desired without causing localized blockage in the main part of the container and without leaving a considerable amount of paste on the side edges of the main part of the container. I can do it. Also,
By detecting that the squeezing member has moved to a predetermined position, it is possible to detect that the paste in the container has been almost consumed, and to operate the suction means after the paste in the container has been exhausted to activate the air. It is also possible to reliably prevent an undesirable phenomenon such as suction from occurring.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a fluid supply device constructed in accordance with the present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the paste dispenser of the present invention, which may be suitably used to produce a dental impression material. The paste supply device includes a housing indicated by reference numeral 2 as a whole. The housing 2 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main part 4 and a protruding part 6 projecting upward and forward from the main part 4. On the upper surface of the main part 4 of the housing 2, two receiving parts 10 are arranged at intervals in the lateral direction, and two container supporting mechanisms 12 are also associated with the two receiving parts 10. It is arranged. A container 14 having a main portion 16 and a mouth-neck portion 18 is attached to each of the container support mechanisms 12, and the mouth-neck portion 18 of the container 14 is connected to the receiving portion 10. The receiving unit 10, the container support mechanism 12, and the container 14 will be described in further detail later. In the housing 2, together with suction means (not shown) such as two suction pumps disposed in association with each of the two receiving portions 10, and mixing means such as a static mixer or a dynamic mixer. (Not shown) are provided. An inclined surface 20 is formed on the front surface of the protrusion 6 of the housing 2 so as to incline backward and downward. A discharge portion 22 that inclines downward and protrudes forward is formed on the inclined surface 20. It is attached. The suction means and the kneading means provided in the housing 2 do not constitute a novel feature in the illustrated paste supply device constructed according to the present invention, and may themselves be of a known form, Therefore, the description of the details of these configurations is omitted in this specification.

In the paste supply apparatus as described above, for example, a container 14 containing a base paste is mounted on one of the two container support mechanisms 12, and a container 14 containing the hardener paste is mounted on the other. Be attached. And
The paste is sucked from the two containers 14 by the action of the suction means provided in the housing 2, and is supplied to the kneading means provided in the housing 2. The kneading means kneads the pastes fed from the two containers 14 to produce a dental impression material, and passes the impression material through a discharge path in a discharge portion 22 provided on the front surface of the housing 2. The paper is discharged from a discharge port formed at the tip of the discharge part 22.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the two receiving portions 10 is constituted by a receiving block 24 fixed to the upper surface of the main portion 4 of the housing 2. A through opening 26 is formed at the center of each of the receiving blocks 24. The cross-sectional shape of the through-opening 26 may be circular. An O-ring 28 for sealing is provided at the upper end of the through opening 26.

Each of the two container support mechanisms 12 disposed in relation to the two receiving portions 10 includes a bracket member 30 fixed to the upper surface of the main portion 4 of the housing 2. Each of the bracket members 30 disposed adjacent to and behind the receiving block 24 is provided with a flat base 3.
2, a pair of upright walls 34 extending upward from a rear portion of the base 32 at a lateral interval, and a contact piece 36 provided at a front portion of the base 32. A support frame 40 is provided between a pair of upright walls 34 of the bracket member 30 via a pivot shaft 38.
Is mounted so as to be free to turn. The support frame 40 includes a lower member 42, a rod 44, and an upper member 46. The lower end of a rod 44 formed of a straight bar is fixed to the lower member 42, and the upper end thereof is connected to the upper member 4.
6 fixed. The pivot shaft 38 extends substantially horizontally through the lower member 42 of the support frame 40 together with the pair of upright walls 34 of the bracket member 30, and the support frame 40
2 is a pivot axis extending substantially horizontally between the operation position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 and the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3 and the attaching / detaching operation position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Center axis)
It is mounted so that it can turn around the center. In the operation position, the rod 44 of the support frame 40 extends substantially vertically, and in the attachment / detachment operation position, the rod 44 of the support frame 40 is 20 degrees ≦ α ≦ 70 degrees, particularly, 30 degrees ≦ α ≦ 60. It extends obliquely upward and rearward (thus in a direction away from the receiving part 10) at an inclination angle α preferably in degrees. As can be clearly seen from FIG. 3, the abutment piece 36 is inverted L-shaped and extends upward and then substantially horizontally rearward. An opening 48 is formed at a widthwise central portion of a portion of the contact piece 36 extending substantially horizontally. The detecting means 5 is provided on the base 32 of the bracket member 30.
0 is provided. The detecting means 50 is connected to the opening 48.
A micro switch having a detection arm projecting upward through the switch. Lower member 4 of support frame 40
2 has a substantially inverted L-shaped main part, a contact surface 52 is formed on the lower surface of the front part of the main part, and a contact surface 54 (FIG. 2) is formed on the lower part of the rear surface. When the support frame 40 is moved to the operation position, the contact surface 52 comes into contact with the upper surface of the contact piece 36, and therefore, the support frame 40 is prevented from further turning counterclockwise in FIG. The support frame 40 is held in the above-mentioned working position by its own weight. Further, the contact surface 52 acts on the detection arm of the microswitch constituting the detection means 50, and thus the support frame 40
Is detected by the detecting means 50. The detection signal of the detection means 50 is sent to a control means (not shown) which can be constituted by a microcomputer or an electronic control circuit, and only when the detection means 50 generates the detection signal, the operation of the device ( That is, the above-described operation of the suction unit and the mixing unit is permitted. Support frame 40
Is moved to the attaching / detaching operation position, the contact surface 54
Abuts against the upper surface of the base 32 of the bracket member 30, thus preventing the support frame member 40 from further turning clockwise in FIG. 2, and the support frame body 40 is held in the mounting operation position by its own weight. You. If desired, a suitable locking means for releasably locking the support frame 40 at the above-mentioned working position and / or the above-mentioned mounting operation position can be provided.

Continuing the description with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3,
At the front of the lower member 42 of the support frame 40, the container 14
The mouth-and-neck holding means 56 for detachably holding the mouth-and-neck portion 16 is provided. As clearly illustrated in FIG.
The lower member 42 has a protruding plate-like portion extending forward, and an opening 58 is formed in the protruding plate-like portion. The opening 58 is formed in a laterally outer edge of the semicircular portion and a width corresponding to its diameter in the lateral direction of the protruding plate portion (in the container support mechanism 12 located on the right side in FIG. The container support mechanism 12 has a rectangular shape extending to the left edge of the protruding plate-like portion). A locking groove 60 extending over the entire inner surface is formed on the inner surface defining the opening 58.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support frame 4
The main part holding means 62 for detachably holding the closed end of the main part 16 of the container 14 (that is, the closed end located on the opposite side to the mouth and neck part 18) is provided at the front part of the upper member 46. Are arranged. The upper member 46 is formed with a pair of projecting walls 66 projecting forward and then hanging downward,
A holding member 70 is mounted between the pair of projecting wall portions 66. Short axes 72 projecting substantially horizontally are integrally formed on both lateral sides of the holding member 70, and each of the short axes 72 is rotatably mounted on each of the pair of projecting wall portions 66,
Thus, the holding member 70 is pivotally mounted between the working position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 and the non-working position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 with the central axis of the short shaft 72 as the pivot axis. FIG.
As is clearly shown in FIG. 3, when the holding member 70 is in the operating position, the substantially flat clamping surface 74 of the holding member 70 is brought into close proximity to and substantially with the front surface 76 of the base wall 64. They are located in parallel. When the holding member 70 is moved to the inoperative position, a considerable gap is formed between the holding member 70 and the front surface 76 of the base wall 64.

Continuing the description with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2,
It is important that a throttle member 78 is provided in each of the container support mechanisms 12. The throttle member 78 in the illustrated embodiment is formed of a material having a relatively high specific gravity, such as steel, and has a substantially circular rear portion 80 and a front portion that extends elongated in the width direction (perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 2). 82.
A circular opening through which the rod 44 penetrates is formed at the center of the rear portion 80 of the diaphragm member 78. On the other hand, the aperture member 7
An insertion opening 92 that is elongated in the width direction is formed in the front part of 8. The extension length of the insertion opening 92 is
It is preferable that the length is somewhat longer than the widthwise dimension of the main portion 16 of the first embodiment. The width of the insertion opening 92 is preferably slightly larger than the thickness of the main part of the container in the absence of the paste, and the main part 16 of the container 14 is formed from a synthetic resin sheet or film. 1 to 5m if available
m, especially about 2 to 3 mm. If the width of the insertion opening 92 is excessively large, the squeezing action or the squeezing action of the squeezing member 78 on the main portion 16 of the container 14 decreases, and the amount of the paste remaining in the main portion 16 of the container 14 increases. On the other hand, if the width of the insertion opening 92 is too small, the operation of inserting the main portion 16 of the container 14 from the closed end into the insertion opening 92 becomes difficult, and the mutual friction action between the main portion 16 of the container 14 and the throttle member 78 becomes difficult. Becomes excessive, and the aperture member 7
8 tends to be disturbed. A grip portion 94 is formed at the front edge of the aperture member 78. Such a throttle member 78 is movably fitted on the rod 44 along the rod 44 (therefore, in the extending direction of the main portion 16 of the container 14 supported by the container support mechanism 12), and has its own It is biased downward by weight (and thus toward the mouth and neck 18 of the container 14 supported by the container support mechanism 12). If desired, in addition to or instead of the weight of the squeezing member 78 itself, suitable resilient biasing means may be provided, such as a spring member for biasing the squeezing member 78 toward the mouth and neck 18 of the container 14. it can. In connection with the throttle member 78, on each rear upper surface of the lower member 42 in each of the container support mechanisms 12, there is provided a detection means 96 which can be constituted by a microswitch having a detection arm projecting upward. I have. The operation of the aperture member 78 and the detecting means 96 will be described later.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the container 14, which may be in a known form per se, has a main part 1 as described above.
6 and the mouth and neck 18. The main part 16 is formed in a bag shape from a flexible material which may be an appropriate synthetic resin sheet or film such as a polyethylene sheet or film. As will be further mentioned below, the main part 16 of the container 14 has its closed end (FIG. 1).
From the upper end in the state shown in FIG.
However, in order to facilitate such insertion, if necessary, only the closed end of the main part 16 of the container 14 is locally enlarged. It can be made rigid. To locally increase the rigidity of the closed end of the main part 16 of the container 14, for example, the thickness of the closed end can be locally increased or a rigid plate-like piece can be attached to the closed end. . On the other hand, the mouth and neck portion 18 of the container 14 is formed by injection or compression molding from an appropriate synthetic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, and is relatively rigid. The mouth-neck portion 18 has a substantially cylindrical shape, is connected to the center of one end of the main portion 16, and communicates with the inside of the main portion 16. An annular flange 98 and an external thread 100 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth and neck portion 18. The thickness of the annular flange 98 corresponds to the width of the locking groove 60 of the mouth and neck holding means 56 described above. Such a container 14 contains, for example, a base material paste or a curing agent paste, and before the container 14 is mounted on the container support mechanism 12 as described below, the mouth and neck portion 18 has an external thread. A lid (not shown) having a female screw thread to be screwed into 100 is attached, and the mouth and neck portion 18 is closed.

In the paste supply device as described above, the container 14 can be mounted on the container support mechanism 12 by the following procedure. First, the support frame 40
Is shown in FIG. 2 by a two-dot chain line and in FIG. 3 by a solid line. Next, the main portion 16 of the container 14 is inserted from its closed end into an insertion opening 92 formed in the throttle member 78 fitted on the rod 44. Thereafter, the holding member 70 of the main part holding means 62 is turned to the non-operating position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, and the closed end inserted through the insertion opening 92 in the main part 16 of the container 14. Is inserted into the gap between the holding member 70 and the front surface 76 of the base wall portion 64, and then the holding member 70 is pivoted to the operative position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, thus closing the closed end of the main portion 16 of the container 14. It is compressed and held between the fastening surface 74 of the holding member 70 and the front surface 76 of the base wall portion 64. As can be understood by referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the main portion 16 of the container 14 contains a paste, and the main portion 1
6 is in a swelling state, so that only a part of the main portion 16 on the closed end side can be inserted through the insertion opening 92 of the throttle member 78. Therefore, the closed end of the main portion 16 of the container 14 is When holding by the means 62, it is necessary to move the throttle member 78 along the rod 44 to a position close to the main part holding means 62. When the holding member 70 of the main part holding means 62 is turned to the operation position shown by the solid line in FIG.
Since the closed end of the main portion 16 of the container 14 is compressed so that the clamping surface 74 of the holding member 70 extends substantially parallel to the front surface 76 of the base wall 64, the holding member 70 is sufficiently securely in the working position. Maintained to hold the closed end of the main portion 16 of the container 14. If desired, a suitable locking means for releasably locking the holding member 70 in the operating position can be provided. Further, the fastening surface 74 of the holding member 70 and / or the front surface 7 of the base wall portion 64.
A material having a high coefficient of friction and elasticity, such as a rubber plate, can also be attached to 6.

The main part 1 of the container 14 by the main part holding means 62
Subsequent to, or prior to, holding the closed end of the container 6, an annular flange 98 formed on the neck 18 of the container 14
Is positioned in the locking groove 60 of the mouth and neck holding means 56, and the mouth and neck 18 of the container 14 is inserted into the opening 58 of the mouth and neck holding means 56. Thus, since the annular flange 98 is locked in the locking groove 60, the mouth and neck 18 is prevented from moving in the central axis direction with respect to the mouth and neck holding means 56, and the mouth and neck 16 can be sufficiently moved. It is securely held.
The opening 58 in which the locking groove 60 is formed is opened in the direction of the pivot axis of the support frame 40, that is, in the container support mechanism 12 located on the right side in FIG. The container support mechanism 12 is open to the left edge of the protruding plate-like portion and is closed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis, so that when the support frame 40 is turned, There is no danger that the mouth and neck 18 may be accidentally detached from the locking groove 60. When the container 14 is mounted on the support frame 40 in the state shown in FIG. 2 by the two-dot chain line and in the attachment / detachment operation position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 as described above, the container 14 moves along the rod 44 of the support frame 40. Therefore, in the direction away from the receiving part 10 formed in the main part 4 of the housing 2,
It extends at an inclination angle α which is preferably 20 degrees ≦ α ≦ 70 degrees, particularly preferably 30 degrees ≦ α ≦ 60 degrees. An operation of inserting the main part 16 of the container 14 from the closed end thereof into the insertion opening 92 of the throttle member 78, an operation of holding the closed end of the main part 16 of the container 14 by the main part holding means 62, and
6, the operation of holding the mouth and neck portion 18 of the container 14 can be performed in a state where the support frame 40 is set in the attaching / detaching operation position, so that one operator can easily and quickly perform the operation. It is possible.

Thereafter, the lid (not shown) is detached from the mouth and neck 18 of the container 14, the mouth and neck 18 are opened, and the support frame 40 is shown by a solid line in FIG. 2 and two points in FIG. Swivel to the operating position indicated by the dashed line. As can be clearly understood with reference to FIGS.
When the operator turns 0 to the operating position, the detecting means 50 detects this as described above and generates a signal, and the tip of the mouth and neck 18 of the container 14 mounted on the support frame 40 is Receiving part 1 arranged on the upper surface of main part 4
The O-ring 28 is inserted into the through-opening 26 of the first opening and the O-ring 28 disposed in the through-opening 26 is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the mouth-and-neck portion 18. A state is established in which it can be sucked into the housing 2 through the ten through openings 26. With the support frame 40 in the operative position, as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container 14 moves upwardly along the rod 44 from the neck 18 connected to the receiving part 10 and thus substantially vertically. Extending upward.

As can be clearly seen from FIG.
Although the squeezing member 78 attached to 4 is biased downward by its own weight, it is interfered by the main portion 16 maintained in a swelled state by the paste contained in the main portion 16 of the container 14, As a result, the downward movement is prevented, and thus, when a large amount of paste is stored in the main portion 16 of the container 14, the container is located at the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. When the paste contained in the main portion 16 of the container 14 is gradually discharged from the mouth and neck portion 18 by the suction action of the suction means (not shown) provided in the housing 2, Accordingly, the throttle member 78 gradually descends toward the mouth and neck portion 18. Container 14
The main part 16 of the container 14 is inserted from the upper end, that is, the closed end, into the insertion opening 92 of the restricting member 78. Therefore, when the restricting member 78 is lowered, the main part 16 of the container 14 is moved from both the front side and the rear side. Over the entire width direction, the paste is gradually squeezed from the upper end, that is, the closed end, toward the mouth and neck portion 18, and the entire paste contained in the main portion 16 is caused to flow gradually downward. When the diaphragm member 78 is relatively lightweight, the width of the insertion opening 92 is considerably narrow, and so on, the lowering of the diaphragm member 78 is not always realized smoothly, it is formed at the front edge of the diaphragm member 78. By grasping the grasping portion 94, the squeezing member 78 can be manually moved down, and thus the pressing of the main portion 16 of the container 14 can be promoted or promoted. Approximately half of the paste contained in the main part 16 of the container 14
8, the main part 16 of the container 14
2A, and the diaphragm member 78 descends to the position shown by the two-dot chain line 78A in FIG.
When most of the paste contained in the main portion 16 of the container 14 flows out of the mouth and neck portion 18, the main portion 1 of the container 14
6 is in the state shown by the two-dot chain line 16B in FIG.
The diaphragm member 78 is lowered to a position indicated by a two-dot chain line 78B in FIG. 2, that is, a position near the lower end of the rod 44. When the throttle member 78 moves down to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line 78B in FIG. 2, the throttle member 78 acts on the detection arm of the detection means 96, and the throttle member 78 moves down to a position near the lower end. The detection means 96 detects that the paste in 14 is almost used, and generates a signal. The signal generated by the detecting means 96 is sent to the above-mentioned control means (not shown), which disables the operation of the paste supply device. Also, if necessary, warning means (not shown) such as a warning lamp for urging the user to replace the container 14 with a new one is activated.

The container 1 mounted on the container support mechanism 12
When replacing 4, the support frame 40 is again turned to the attachment / detachment operation position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 and the solid line in FIG.
Then, the holding member 70 of the main part holding means 62 is pivoted to a non-operating position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 to disengage the closed end of the main part 16 of the container 14 from the main part holding means 62 and By moving the neck 18 laterally outward, it is disengaged from the mouth and neck holding means 56, thus disengaging the container 14 from the container support mechanism 12.

FIGS. 4 to 7 show modified examples of the aperture member. In the diaphragm member 102 shown in FIG. 4, the front portion 104 is defined by a round bar portion having a circular or semicircular cross-sectional shape, and the cross-sectional shape of both side walls of the insertion opening 106 formed in the front portion 104 is It has a smooth semicircular shape. Therefore, the mutual friction between the insertion opening 106 and the main portion 16 of the container 14 inserted therethrough is small, and the container 1
In response to the outflow of the paste from 4, the squeezing member 102 is smoothly lowered to squeeze the main part 16 of the container 14 as desired. In the diaphragm member 102 shown in FIG.
No grip is formed at its leading edge. Aperture member 102
The rear portion 103 is provided with a throttle member 78 shown in FIGS.
As in the case of (1), it is movably fitted on the rod 44.

In the diaphragm member 108 shown in FIG. 5, a support arm 112 projecting forward is formed on both sides in the width direction of a rear portion 110 of a substantially semicircular shape movably fitted on the rod 44. I have. A pair of rollers 114 extending parallel to each other in the width direction are rotatably mounted between support arms 112 projecting parallel to each other, and an insertion opening 116 is defined between the rollers 114. In the case of the aperture member 108, the insertion opening 116
The friction between the main part 16 of the container 14 inserted into the container 14 is extremely small, so that the squeezing member 108 is lowered sufficiently smoothly in response to the outflow of the paste from the container 14,
The main part 16 of the container 14 is squeezed as desired.

In the diaphragm member 118 shown in FIG. 6, a substantially semicircular rear portion 120 movably fitted to the rod 44 has an elongated portion 122 extending in the width direction at the front edge thereof. ing. One end of the revolving piece 126 is rotatably connected to one end of the extending portion 122 via a connecting pin 124. A set screw 128 is attached to the other end of the turning piece 126, and the other end of the turning piece 126 is screwed into the other end of the extending portion 122 so that the other end of the turning piece 126 is extended. Is detachably fastened to the other end. When the other end of the revolving piece 126 is fastened to the other end of the extension 122, the extension 12
Insertion opening 1 extending in the width direction between the rotating piece 2 and the turning piece 126
30 are defined. A grip 131 is formed at the center of the front edge of the revolving piece 126. Aperture member 1 shown in FIG.
In 18, when the main part 16 of the container 14 is inserted into the insertion opening 130 from the closed end thereof, the other end of the revolving piece 126 is detached from the other end of the extending part 122 by operating the set screw 128. At least, the turning piece 126 is turned to the position shown by the two-dot chain line, and thus the front part of the insertion opening 130 is opened. Thereafter, the required portion of the main portion 16 of the container 14 is positioned along the extending portion 122, and then the turning piece 126 is returned to the position shown by the solid line again, and the other end of the turning piece 126 is extended by the set screw 128. Fastened to the other end of the part 122. Thus, the state where the main portion 16 of the container 14 is inserted through the insertion opening 130 of the throttle member 118 can be sufficiently easily established.

In the throttle member 132 shown in FIG. 7, a front end of a substantially semicircular rear portion 133 movably fitted to the rod 44 is provided with a spring member 134 formed of a flat annular spring steel. One side is fixed, and the insertion opening 136 is defined by the spring member 134. In the throttle member 132 shown in FIG.
When the main part 16 of the fourth member 4 is inserted into the insertion opening 136 from the closed end thereof, the spring member 134 is elastically deformed to a state shown by a two-dot chain line to enlarge the width dimension of the insertion opening 136, and in this state Is maintained, the main part 16 of the container 14 is inserted through the insertion opening 136 from the closed end thereof, and thereafter the spring member 134 can be returned to the original state.

FIG. 8 shows a modification of the mounting mode and the moving mode of the aperture member. In the modification shown in FIG. 8, a male screw rod 244 having an external thread formed on the outer peripheral surface is provided between the lower member 242 and the upper member 246 of the container support mechanism 212. The lower end and the upper end of the male screw rod 244 are rotatably mounted on the lower member 242 and the upper member 246 via appropriate bearing members (not shown). On the other hand, a penetrating female screw hole 281 is formed in the rear portion 280 of the throttle member 278, and the male screw rod 244 is screwed into the penetrating female screw hole 281 and extends in a required direction. The rotation drive source 28 which may be an electric motor is provided on the upper surface of the upper member 246.
3 is mounted, and the output shaft of the drive source 283 is
It is drivingly connected to the external thread rod 244 via an appropriate speed reduction mechanism (not shown) as necessary. An auxiliary hole 285 is further formed in the rear portion 280 of the aperture member 278, and a restraining rod 287 extending through the auxiliary hole 285 is provided. The lower end of the restraining rod 287 is fixed to the lower member 242, and the upper end is the upper member 246.
It is fixed to. Restriction rod 287 is male screw rod 2
The rotation of the aperture member 278 associated with 44 is prevented. In the container support mechanism 212 of the form shown in FIG. 8, the suction means (not shown) provided in the paste supply device is operated to respond to the flow of the paste from the container 14. The drive source 283 is urged for a required time to rotate the male screw rod 244 in a predetermined direction, thereby lowering the throttle member 278 by a predetermined distance. Accordingly, in response to the outflow of the paste from the container 14, the squeezing member 278 is reliably lowered by a predetermined distance, and the main portion 16 of the container 14 is squeezed as required over the entire width direction. Container support mechanism 21 shown in FIG.
2 is substantially the same as the container support mechanism 12 shown in FIGS.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, two receiving portions 10 are provided in the housing 2 and two container support mechanisms 12 are provided. It goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a paste supply device in which the unit 10 and the container support mechanism 12 are each single. Further, in the above-described embodiment, it is detected that the paste in the container 14 is almost used by detecting that the squeezing member 78 has dropped to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line 78B in FIG. However, instead of or in addition to this, it is detected that the main portion 16 of the container 14 has entered the state shown by the two-dot chain line 16B in FIG. 2 by appropriate detection means such as a micro switch or an optical switch. By doing so, it is possible to detect that the paste in the container 14 is almost used. Further, the paste supply device of the present invention can be conveniently applied to supply of any paste. In particular, a mode in which two receiving portions are provided in a housing and two container support mechanisms are provided. The apparatus of the above-mentioned dental silicone rubber impression material, dental polyether rubber impression material,
It should be understood that it can be suitably used for kneading and supplying a two-component paste-type impression material such as a dental thiochol rubber impression material and a dental alginate impression material.

[0032]

According to the paste supply apparatus of the present invention,
It is sufficiently effective to prevent the specific portion of the main part of the container from leaving the paste on the closed end side and to be locally squeezed, and to have a considerable amount of paste on both side edges of the main part of the container. Is effectively prevented from remaining, and substantially all of the paste contained in the main part of the container can be sufficiently and sufficiently discharged from the mouth and neck. Further, by detecting by the detector that the squeezing member has moved to the predetermined position, it is possible to reliably detect that the paste in the container has almost been consumed, and thus the paste in the container has been exhausted. Activating the suction means later to cause undesirable phenomena, such as air suction, can be reliably avoided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of a paste supply device configured according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial side view showing a receiving unit, a container support and support mechanism, a throttle member, and a container in the paste supply device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing a receiving unit, a container support mechanism, and a part of the container in the paste supply device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial slope showing a modification of the diaphragm member.

FIG. 5 is a partial slope view showing another modification of the aperture member.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing still another modification of the aperture member.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view showing still another modification of the aperture member.

FIG. 8 is a partial slope showing a modification of the mounting mode and the moving mode of the aperture member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2: Housing 10: Receiving part 12: Container support mechanism 14: Container 16: Main part of container 18: Mouth and neck part of container 40: Supporting frame body 44: Rod 56: Mouth and neck part holding means 62: Main part holding means 78 : Diaphragm member 92: insertion opening 96: detector 102: diaphragm member 106: penetration opening 108: diaphragm member 114: roller 116: penetration opening 118: diaphragm member 130: penetration opening 132: diaphragm member 136: penetration opening 212: container support Mechanism 244: Male thread rod 278: Throttle member 283: Drive source

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-8-24618 (JP, A) JP-A-2-119690 (JP, A) JP-A-4-152943 (JP, A) JP-A-1- 181860 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61C 9/00 B01J 4/00-4/04

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A container having a receiving portion, a housing having a mouth and a neck, and a main portion formed of a flexible material and containing a paste, the mouth and the neck being connected to the receiving portion. And a container supporting mechanism for supporting the container, wherein a restricting member having an insertion opening extending in the width direction of the container supported by the container supporting mechanism is formed by extending a main portion of the container. The main part of the container is inserted from the closed end into the insertion opening of the squeezing member and supported by the container support mechanism, and the squeezing member is moved by the contained paste. Interference with the main part of the container maintained in the bulging state prevents movement in the direction toward the mouth and neck,
It is configured to be able to be moved in a direction toward the mouth and neck while squeezing the main portion of the container over the entire width direction in accordance with the outflow of the contained paste from the mouth and neck. Paste supply device. 2. The paste supply device according to claim 1, wherein the container is supported with the main part extending upward to the closed end thereof with the mouth and neck connected to the receiving part downward. 3. A rod extending in a direction in which a main portion of the container supported by the container support mechanism extends, and the throttle member is movably mounted on the rod, and is attached to the mouth and neck by its own weight. The paste supply device according to claim 1, wherein the paste supply device is biased in a direction toward the paste supply device. 4. A female screw hole is formed in the throttle member, and an extending direction of a main portion of the container supported by the container support mechanism is screwed into the female screw hole of the throttle member. 3. The paste supply device according to claim 1, wherein a male screw rod extending in a direction is rotatably mounted, and a drive source for rotating the male screw rod is provided. 4. 5. The paste supply device according to claim 1, wherein said insertion opening of said throttle member is rotatably mounted and defined between a pair of rollers extending in parallel with each other. 6. The paste supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a detector for detecting when the squeezing member moves to a predetermined position in a direction toward the mouth and neck portion.