JP4094393B2 - Powder filling equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a powder filling apparatus for filling powder containers with powders such as toner used in dry PPC, printers, FAX, and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a copying machine or the like using an electrophotographic system, an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor is developed with a toner powder and visualized by a developing device. The toner used for the development is supplied by attaching a toner container to the developing device. When the toner container is filled with toner, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the powder conveyed from the large hopper is temporarily stored in the hopper 22 having the auger 21, and then rotated by the drive motor 23. A predetermined amount is filled while being measured from the opening at the bottom of the hopper 22 to the powder container 25 through the cutout 24. Each powder container 25 moving on the conveyor 26 is lightly tared before filling, and a certain amount of powder is supplied by controlling the rotational speed of the auger 21 by the rotational speed of the drive motor 23 based on the data. To do. In addition, the powder container 25 after filling is weighed again, and the amount of the filled powder is detected based on the difference from the previously weighed tare, and those that do not meet or exceed the allowable range are excluded. I am doing so.
[0003]
The powder supplied to the hopper 22 usually contains a lot of air because it is conveyed by pneumatic transportation or the like. For this reason, it takes time for the powder to settle in the powder container 25, filling is not efficient, and it is difficult to fill with high density.
[0004]
In order to remove the air contained in the powder, for example, in the apparatus and method disclosed in JP-A-8-198203 (Patent Document 1) and JP-A-2001-301701 (Patent Document 2), Rather than letting the powder settle naturally in the powder container 4, the air is actively separated and discharged to be filled with high density.
[0005]
However, in the method and apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, since powder such as toner is loaded with a load by an auger, the toner powder bridges due to the rotational friction of the auger, and the pressure piece. There is a problem of becoming.
Moreover, in the powder filling apparatus shown by patent document 1 or patent document 2, many holes which let air pass but do not let powder pass are provided in the air separation part of the front-end | tip of an air suction pipe. Therefore, it is necessary to process a large number of small holes in the air suction pipe, and there is a problem that the processing is not easy and requires a lot of time and cost.
In addition, depending on the arrangement of a large number of holes in the air separation unit, air is not sufficiently separated in the part away from the vicinity of the hole, so the distribution of air contained in the powder filled in the powder container depends on the location. There is a problem that it becomes difficult to uniformly increase the filling density, and the powder container cannot be filled with a sufficient filling amount.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-198203 [Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-301701
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
An object of the present invention is to provide a powder filling apparatus that improves the above-mentioned disadvantages, eliminates the load on the powder, and can be filled at a uniform high density while maintaining the filling speed. It is.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the present invention, the following powder filling apparatus is provided.
[1] In an apparatus for filling a powder container with powder supplied from a hopper, a hopper having a gas inlet, a powder inlet, a powder outlet and a gas outlet, and an external gas are taken in Is provided with a pressure varying means for varying the pressure inside the hopper, and the opening direction of the powder intake port and the opening direction of the gas exhaust port provided in the upper central portion of the hopper form a right angle, The powder filling device is characterized in that an opening direction of the powder take-in port is provided on a lateral side surface of the hopper.
[2] The powder filling apparatus according to [1], wherein a non-contact portion is provided between the hopper and the powder discharge port or in the middle of the powder discharge port.
[3] The powder filling apparatus according to [2], wherein the non-contact portion is covered with a cloth.
[4] The air pressure varying means is a means for varying the air pressure in the hopper by taking in an external gas by opening and closing the exhaust valve provided in the hopper or in the powder exhaust port in accordance with the filling amount of the powder. The powder filling device according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein
[5] The powder filling apparatus according to [4], wherein the on-off valve is made of an elastic material.
[6] The powder according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein a plurality of powder removal layers made of sieve meshes or filters having different meshes are provided at the entrance of the gas exhaust port. Body filling device.
[7] The powder filling apparatus according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein spiral concavo-convex portions are provided in the hopper.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the process from the powder storage tank through the respective stages until the powder such as toner is finally filled into the powder container. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a gas exhaust port for discharging gas. 2a is a solenoid valve, 2b is a solenoid valve, 3 is a powder outlet for discharging powder, 4 is a flow of air in the hopper, 5 is a gas that takes gas and powder into the hopper, , 6 is a hopper, 7 is a powder container, 8 is powder, and 9 is a meter.
FIG. 1 (a) is an explanatory view of the powder filling device of the present invention as seen from the front, and FIG. 1 (b) shows the flow of powder in the hopper 6 of the powder filling device as seen from above. It is explanatory drawing.
[0010]
The powder filling device of the present invention is a device for filling powder into a powder container from a hopper. As shown in FIG. 1, the powder filling apparatus includes (1) a large-capacity powder storage tank (not shown) and a powder supply unit mainly composed of a hopper 6, and (2) a powder container 7. And (3) a measuring instrument 9 and (4) an air suction device (not shown) such as a central or a vacuum cleaner.
[0011]
The hopper 6 constituting the powder filling apparatus of the present invention has a gas and powder intake port 5, a powder discharge port 3, and a gas exhaust port 1. Furthermore, the powder filling apparatus of the present invention is provided with an atmospheric pressure varying means for taking in an external gas and varying the atmospheric pressure in the hopper 6.
[0012]
Since the powder filling apparatus of the present invention is configured as described above, when air is sucked from an air suction device (not shown) from the gas exhaust port 1 (that is, a pipe provided at the upper center of the hopper 6), the hopper 6 is decompressed, gas is sucked into the hopper 6 from the gas and powder intake port 5 provided on the lateral surface of the hopper, and powder such as toner is also sucked into the hopper 6 together with the gas. The sucked air becomes a swirling airflow inside the hopper 6 as shown in FIG. 1B, and gradually rises toward the center while swirling the side surface inside the hopper 6, and is provided at the upper center of the hopper. It is discharged from the gas exhaust port 1. On the other hand, the sucked powder such as toner swirls on the side of the hopper 6 together with air. However, since the powder is heavier than air, the powder is filled in the powder container 7 from the powder discharge port 3 below the hopper 6 by gravity. When the filling amount set in the measuring device 9 provided under the container 7 is reached, the air pressure enters the hopper 6 from the outside by the action of the pressure changing means, and the pressure inside the hopper 6 becomes the same as the outside pressure. Powder suction stops.
[0013]
Since the powder filling apparatus of the present invention fills the powder container 7 with powder such as toner in this way, unlike the conventional apparatus, the powder filled in the powder container 7 is freed of air. Therefore, since there is no portion that imposes a load on the powder such as an auger, there is no problem of a pressure piece due to powder bridging due to rotational wear of the auger or the like.
[0014]
In the powder filling apparatus of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, a non-contact portion 10 is provided between the hopper 6 and the powder discharge port 3 so that the hopper 6 and the powder discharge port 3 are not directly connected. It is preferable that the non-contact portion 10 is provided in the middle of the powder discharge port 3 so that the hopper 6 and the entire powder discharge port 3 are not directly connected. When the hopper 6 and the powder discharge port 3 are connected, since the pressure inside the hopper is reduced, the weight of the hopper itself fluctuates, so that the amount of powder filling easily varies. When the non-contact portion 10 is provided between the hopper 6 and the powder discharge port 3, the connection with the hopper 6 is lost, and the weight of the powder itself such as toner filled in the powder container 7 is easily measured. Can improve filling accuracy.
The non-contact portion 10 is preferably covered with a tubular fabric 11 as shown in FIG. With this configuration, it is possible to easily prevent the powder from spilling out. However, the present invention is not limited to the fabric, and for example, the non-contact portion 10 may be covered using a bellows hose.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 3, the air pressure varying means of the present invention is configured so that the exhaust valve 12 provided in the hopper 6 corresponds to the amount of powder filling the powder container 7 from the discharge valve opening / closing device 13. It is preferable that it is a means for taking in an external gas and changing the atmospheric pressure in the hopper by opening and closing according to the signal. When the exhaust valve 12 working in this way is provided, when the filling amount set in the measuring device 9 provided under the powder container 7 is reached, the exhaust valve 12 provided at the outlet of the hopper 6 opens, Air enters the hopper 6 from the outside, the atmospheric pressure in the hopper 6 becomes the same as the external atmospheric pressure, and the suction of the powder stops. When the opening / closing of the exhaust valve 12 is controlled in this manner, the powder container 7 is not filled with powder such as toner remaining in the hopper 6, so that the filling accuracy is excellent. Become.
However, in the present invention, the exhaust valve 12 may be provided at the outlet of the hopper 6 or may be provided in the powder exhaust port 3.
[0017]
The on-off valve 12 is preferably made of an elastic material such as plastic, rubber, or cotton. If the on-off valve 12 is made of a non-elastic material, it is easy to create a gap between the hopper 6 and the on-off valve 12 or between the powder discharge port 3 and the on-off valve 12, and the powder can be removed from the gap. May fall out and the powder filling amount may vary.
[0018]
In the powder filling apparatus of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, it is preferable that a plurality of powder removal layers 14 made of sieve meshes or filters having different meshes are provided at the entrance of the gas exhaust port 1. If such a powder removal layer 14 is not provided, a small amount of powder such as toner is discharged from the gas exhaust port 1 at the top of the hopper together with gas (usually air), so the yield is slightly higher. descend. An inner layer formed of a coarse mesh (# 100 or less) sieve mesh or filter and an outer layer filter formed of a fine mesh (# 2000-3000) sieve mesh or filter are provided at the inlet of the exhaust port above the hopper 6. When the exhaust valve 12 is opened, the gas enters from the outside when the exhaust valve 12 is opened, the air pressure in the hopper 6 rises, and the toner that is caught on the filter etc. Yield is improved because it falls to the hopper outlet.
[0019]
In the powder filling apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that spiral concavo-convex portions 15 are provided in the hopper 6 as shown in FIG. If the spiral irregularities 15 are not provided, the powder of toner or the like becomes a lid and closes the outlet of the hopper 6, so that the air in the powder container 7 cannot be smoothly removed. There is a possibility that toner filling into the powder container 7 may be delayed. If the spiral irregularities 15 are provided, the flow of the powder is stabilized, so that it is possible to prevent the powder from becoming a lid and closing the outlet of the hopper 6. Further, since the powder does not block the powder discharge port 3, the powder flows on the side surface of the hopper 6 and the air flows in the center of the hopper 6, so that the powder filling speed into the powder container 7 is increased.
[0020]
【The invention's effect】
In the powder filling apparatus of the present invention, there are a hopper having a gas and powder intake port, a powder discharge port and a gas exhaust port, and an atmospheric pressure variable means for varying the atmospheric pressure in the hopper by taking in an external gas. Because it is provided, unlike conventional devices, the powder filled in the powder container is filled with high density because the air is removed, and there is no part that places a load on the powder such as auger. Therefore, the problem of the pressure piece due to the bridging of the powder due to rotational wear of the auger or the like does not occur.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 (a) is an explanatory view of a powder filling device of the present invention as seen from the front. FIG.1 (b) is explanatory drawing which looked at the flow of the powder in the hopper of the powder filling apparatus of this invention from the upper direction.
FIG. 2 (a) is an explanatory view of the powder filling apparatus of the present invention provided with a non-contact portion as viewed from the front. FIG.2 (b) is explanatory drawing which looked at the flow of the powder in the hopper of the powder filling apparatus of this invention provided with the non-contact part from upper direction.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram viewed from the front of the powder filling apparatus according to the present invention, in which an air pressure varying means including an exhaust valve and a discharge valve opening / closing device is provided.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram viewed from the front of the powder filling apparatus of the present invention in which a plurality of powder removal layers 14 are provided.
FIG. 5 (a) is an explanatory diagram viewed from the front of the powder filling apparatus according to the present invention, in which spiral irregularities are provided in the hopper. FIG. 5B is an explanatory view of the flow of powder in the hopper of the powder filling apparatus according to the present invention, in which spiral irregularities are provided in the hopper, as viewed from above.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a conventional powder filling apparatus.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of another conventional powder filling apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Gas exhaust port 2 Powder discharge port 5 Gas and powder intake port 6 Hopper 7 Powder container 8 Powder 9 Measuring instrument 10 Non-contact part 11 Fabric 12 Discharge valve 13 Discharge valve opening / closing device 14 Powder removal layer 15 Spiral shape Irregularities

Claims (7)

In an apparatus for filling a powder container with powder supplied from a hopper, a hopper having a gas inlet and a powder inlet, a powder outlet and a gas outlet, and the hopper by taking in an external gas And an opening direction of the powder intake port and an opening direction of the gas exhaust port provided in the upper central portion of the hopper are perpendicular to each other, and A powder filling apparatus, wherein an opening direction of a powder intake port is provided on a lateral side surface of the hopper.   The powder filling device according to claim 1, wherein a non-contact portion is provided between the hopper and the powder discharge port or in the middle of the powder discharge port.   The powder filling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the non-contact portion is covered with a cloth.   The pressure varying means is means for varying the pressure in the hopper by taking in an external gas by opening and closing the exhaust valve provided in the hopper or in the powder exhaust port corresponding to the amount of powder filling. The powder filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   5. The powder filling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the on-off valve is made of an elastic material.   The powder filling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of powder removal layers made of sieve meshes or filters having different meshes are provided at the entrance of the gas exhaust port.   The powder filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein spiral concavo-convex portions are provided in the hopper.

Images