JP6163303B2 - Particle supply apparatus and particle charge amount measuring apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for continuously supplying fine particles such as toner and a particle charge amount measuring apparatus having the apparatus.

  As a particle supply device and a particle charge amount measuring device including the particle supply device, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a carrier made of a magnetic material to which fine particles such as toner for a copying machine are attached is a funnel. Is supplied toward the outer periphery of the carrier support through a carrier supply container, and the carrier adsorption / holding portion provided on the outer periphery of the carrier support is adsorbed and held by a magnetic force, and moves as the carrier support rotates. A configuration is known in which a gas ejected from a nozzle is blown toward a carrier to be blown, and particles are blown off from the carrier to be separated, and the separated particles are dropped and supplied to a charge amount measuring unit.

JP-A-3-269373

  In the particle charge amount measuring apparatus having the above configuration, when the gas ejection angle from the nozzle changes, the amount of particles separated from the carrier changes and the amount of particles supplied to the charge amount measuring unit changes. Depending on the measurer, the position of the nozzle and the inclination angle change, and there is a problem that the adjustment set of measurement values varies and affects the measurement accuracy.

  Further, in this particle charge amount measuring apparatus, the carrier supply container for supplying the carrier to the carrier support can be detached from the particle separation position where the nozzle is provided to the carrier supply position set on the upper side in the carrier rotation direction. The sample is removed and cleaned each time the sample is changed. The reproducibility of the mounting position when re-mounting the carrier supply container is poor, the distance between the carrier outlet of the carrier supply container and the carrier support is not constant, and the carrier supply amount varies. There was also a problem of affecting measurement accuracy.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such a situation, and reduces variation in adjustment by the measurer and the eye measurement to improve reproducibility, and accurately perform the separation and supply of particles from the carrier. It is an object of the present invention to provide a particle supply device capable of performing the above and a particle charge amount measuring device including the same.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

(1) The present invention provides a particle supply that separates and supplies particles from the carrier by adsorbing and holding the carrier with the particles attached thereto on the surface of the carrier support, moving the carrier, and ejecting gas toward the carrier. A device,
A nozzle position adjusting means for causing the nozzle for ejecting the gas for particle separation toward the carrier held by adsorption on the carrier support to approach and separate from the carrier adsorption portion of the carrier support; And a nozzle angle adjusting means that makes it possible to change the gas ejection angle by inclining the nozzle, and each adjusting means is provided with a scale for display indicating an adjustment state ,
The carrier support is a cylindrical shape that is rotatable around a vertical axis, and holds the carrier by suction on a carrier suction portion provided in an annular shape along the outer periphery thereof,
The length of the carrier support in the vertical direction is longer at the part vertically below the carrier adsorption part than at the part vertically above the carrier adsorption part.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the position and angle of the nozzle by checking the adjustment state by looking at the display scale, so that the setting of the nozzle can be performed with high reproducibility. In addition, it is possible to accurately separate the particles from the carrier by setting the position and angle of the nozzle.

  Particularly, since the nozzle tip position does not change even when the nozzle angle is adjusted, the angle can be set quickly.

(2) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, prior Symbol nozzle angle adjusting means includes a nozzle holder supporting said nozzle position for ejecting the gas downward, the nozzle holder, adjusting the inclination around the nozzle tip The nozzle position adjusting means supports the holder support member so that the holder support member can be individually adjusted and fixed in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction with respect to the carrier support body. To do.

  According to this embodiment, a desired gas ejection state is obtained with respect to the carrier by separately adjusting the horizontal position of the nozzle, the vertical position of the nozzle, and the angle adjustment around the tip of the nozzle. It becomes easy.

  (3) In another embodiment of the present invention, the holder support member has an arcuate guide that guides the nozzle holder so that the nozzle holder can be tilted about the nozzle tip.

  According to this embodiment, it is possible to arbitrarily tilt the nozzle holder without providing a fulcrum structure such as a fulcrum shaft on a fulcrum passing through the nozzle tip, and any location that does not interfere with nozzle mounting or the like. An arc-shaped guide can be installed on the nozzle and inclined at a desired angle around the nozzle tip.

(4) In still another embodiment of the present invention, the nozzle position adjusting means has screw feeding means for moving and adjusting the holder support member in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction with respect to the carrier support .

  According to this embodiment, the position adjustment of the nozzle can be finely and easily performed in combination with the visual recognition of the scale.

  (5) In another embodiment of the present invention, a carrier with particles flows down toward a carrier adsorbing portion of the carrier support from a position where particles are separated by the nozzle to a position on the upper side in the moving direction of the carrier support. A container holder for removably supporting the supply container at a fixed position and posture; and a container position adjusting means capable of changing and adjusting the position of the container holder with respect to the carrier support. Has a scale for display.

  According to this embodiment, when removing and remounting the carrier supply container for cleaning or the like, it can be easily mounted in the original position and posture. Further, when changing and adjusting the position of the carrier supply container in response to the change of the carrier or the like, the predetermined container position can be set by visually observing the scale.

  (6) In still another embodiment of the present invention, a felt-shaped scraper that is in sliding contact with the carrier adsorbing portion on the outer periphery of the carrier support is provided at a position on the lower side in the moving direction of the carrier support from the particle separation position by the nozzle.

  According to this embodiment, the carrier that has passed through the particle separation unit is surely scraped and removed by the scraper in the carrier recovery unit, and the carrier adsorbing unit without the carrier moves to the carrier supply unit again, so that the subsequent carrier Adsorption holding can be performed suitably.

  (7) In another embodiment of the present invention, the nozzle holder is provided with an electromagnetic valve for intermittently ejecting gas from the nozzle.

  According to this embodiment, the distance from the solenoid valve to the nozzle tip is short, and it is possible to perform the gas ejection control with good response to the operation of the solenoid valve, and the pressure in the gas flow from the solenoid valve to the nozzle tip. There is almost no loss, and the particles can be suitably separated by blowing the gas at a desired jet pressure.

  (8) In another embodiment of the present invention, a buffer tank that supplies pressurized gas to the electromagnetic valve is provided.

  According to this embodiment, since the pressure of the gas supplied to the solenoid valve is stabilized, even if the gas is intermittently ejected, the gas can be ejected at a stable ejection pressure, and the separation of the particles is reliably and stably performed. Can be done.

  (9) A particle charge amount measuring apparatus according to the present invention includes the particle supply device according to any one of (1) to (8), and drops and supplies particles separated from a carrier to a charge amount measuring unit.

  According to the present invention, the variation in adjustment by the measurer and the eye measurement is reduced to improve the reproducibility, the particles are separated and supplied from the carrier accurately, and the particle supply to the charge amount measuring unit is stably performed. Highly accurate charge amount measurement can be performed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a particle supply device capable of reducing the variation in adjustment by the measurer and the eye measurement to improve the reproducibility and accurately performing the separation and supply of the particles from the carrier, and the same are provided. In addition, a particle charge amount measuring apparatus can be provided.

It is a schematic plan view of a particle charge amount measuring apparatus. It is a top view of a particle supply device. It is a front view which shows a carrier supply part and a carrier collection | recovery part. It is a perspective view of a carrier supply part. It is a front view of a particle separation part. It is a partially vertical side view which shows the principal part of a particle charge amount measuring apparatus. It is a perspective view of a particle separation part.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a particle supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This particle supply apparatus 1 fixes a carrier supply unit 11, a particle separation unit 12, and a carrier recovery unit 13 in this order around a carrier support 6 that is rotatable about a vertical axis x along the rotation direction. Deployed and configured. The carrier supply unit 11 supplies the carrier c to the carrier support 6. The particle separation unit 12 blows an inert gas such as nitrogen gas to the carrier c adsorbed and held on the carrier support 6 through the nozzle 41, and the toner to be measured attached to the carrier c. The particles are separated and supplied to the charge amount measuring unit 3. The carrier collection unit 13 removes the carrier c from which the particles have been separated from the carrier support 6 and collects the carrier c.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the particle charge amount measuring device has a member (represented by an alternate long and short dash line) arranged under a particle supply device assembled in a box shape as a base top plate 2. The particle supply device 1 is mounted on the top plate 2 and the charge amount measuring unit 3 is provided below the top plate 2.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the particle supply device 1 mounts and supports an electromagnetic coil 5 on a frame 4 fixedly arranged on a top plate 2 via a support column 10, and a carrier support 6 below the electromagnetic coil 5. Is mounted around a vertical axis x so as to be rotatable, and a motor 8 with a speed reducer and a carrier support 6 arranged in a vertical posture on a top plate 2 via a pedestal 7 are wound around a belt 9 and interlocked. Then, the carrier support 6 is configured to be driven and rotated in a constant direction at a constant speed, and the carrier supply unit 11 and the particle separation are arranged around the carrier support 6 along the rotation direction as described above. The unit 12 and the carrier recovery unit 13 are fixedly arranged in this order.

  The carrier support 6 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape by sandwiching and connecting a ring-shaped member made of a magnetic metal serving as the carrier adsorbing portion 15 from above and below with a nonmagnetic material 16 made of a hard resin material. As shown in FIG. 1, a fan-shaped electromagnet 17 excited by an electromagnetic coil 5 is fixedly arranged. The arc-shaped outer periphery of the electromagnet 17 is close to and opposed to the inner periphery of the ring member 15 in a range from the carrier supply unit 11 to the particle separation unit 12, and in this range, the ring member 15 is excited, and from a magnetic material such as iron powder. The carrier c is configured to be electromagnetically attracted and held on the outer peripheral surface of the ring member 15.

  As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the carrier supply unit 11 is configured so that the carrier c to which particles such as toner are contained in a carrier supply container 21 formed in a funnel shape is attached to the outer periphery of the ring member 15 in the carrier support 6. A support block 22 is supplied to the carrier adsorbing portion 15 formed on the surface by its own weight, and is fixed to the lower portion of the container holder 23 by being externally fitted and fixed to the flow down pipe 21 a extending from the carrier supply container 21. The holding portion 23a is detachably fitted and supported at a fixed position and posture, and is fixed by a set screw 24.

  Therefore, after the set screw 24 is loosened for cleaning or the like and the carrier supply container 21 is removed from the holding part 23a, the carrier supply container 21 is correctly placed in the original position and position by simply fitting the support block 22 into the holding part 23a again. Can be attached to the posture.

  The container holder 23 is fitted and supported so as to be vertically slidable by a vertically long horizontal movement metal fitting 26 supported by a bracket 25 connected to the frame 4, and horizontally and vertically so that it can approach and separate from the carrier support 6. The position can be adjusted in the direction.

  More specifically, the upper end of the horizontal moving metal fitting 26 is fitted and guided so as to be horizontally movable with respect to the bracket 25, and is supported by an adjusting screw 27 attached to the bracket 25 so as to be horizontally screw-movable. . Further, the container holder 23 fitted to the horizontal movement metal fitting 26 so as to be slidable up and down is supported so that it can be moved up and down by an adjustment screw 28 and fixed by tightening a set screw 29. The position of the container holder 23 is adjusted by screw feed movement in two directions, the distance between the lower end of the flow down pipe 21a in the carrier supply container 21 and the carrier adsorbing section 15 in the carrier support 6, and the down flow pipe 21a with respect to the carrier adsorbing section 15. It is configured to adjust the position of the lower end in the vertical direction.

  Each adjustment location is provided with scales 30 and 31 for visually confirming the adjustment positions in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, so that the lower end of the downflow pipe 21a can be correctly set at a predetermined position even if the measurer changes. It is possible.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 to 7, in the particle separation unit 12, an inert gas such as nitrogen gas is supplied to the carrier c that is adsorbed and held by the carrier support 6 through the nozzle 41. The particles such as the toner to be measured attached to the carrier c are separated and supplied by being sprayed. The nozzle 41 is mounted at a predetermined angular position in a downward posture at the lower part of the nozzle holder 42. An electromagnetic valve 43 for intermittently controlling gas ejection from the nozzle 41 is also supported by the nozzle holder 42.

  The nozzle holder 42 is arranged in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction so that the tip of the nozzle 41 can be moved closer to and away from the carrier support 6 via a bracket 44 connected to the frame 4 via a horizontal movement fitting 45 and a vertical movement fitting 46. It is supported so that the position can be adjusted and the inclination can be adjusted.

  That is, the horizontal movement metal fitting 45 is supported so as to be horizontally movable with respect to the bracket 44 via the guide shaft 47, and can be moved in the horizontal direction by the adjusting screw 48 and fixed by tightening the set screw 49. Supported as possible. Further, the vertical movement metal fitting 46 is guided and supported by the horizontal movement metal piece 45 through a guide shaft 50 so as to be movable up and down, and can be moved in the vertical direction by an adjusting screw 51, and the set screw 52 can be tightened. It is supported so that it can be fixed. The nozzle holder 42 is moved by the screw feed movement in these two directions, and the distance between the tip of the nozzle 41 and the carrier adsorption portion 15 in the carrier support 6 and the vertical direction of the tip of the nozzle 41 with respect to the carrier adsorption portion 15 are moved. The position adjustment is performed.

  In addition, a holder support member 53 is integrally connected to the vertical movement metal fitting 46, and an arcuate protrusion 55 projecting from the upper back of the nozzle holder 42 is formed on an arcuate guide 54 formed as an arcuate groove on the holder support member 53. The nozzle 41 can be set to an arbitrary position angle via the nozzle holder 42 by being fitted and moving the projection 55 along the arcuate guide 54. Further, by tightening the set screw 56, the nozzle holder 42 can be fixed at an arbitrary inclined position.

  Here, the arcuate guide 54 is set so that the center of curvature y corresponds to the tip position of the nozzle 41 attached and fixed to the nozzle holder 42, and therefore the nozzle holder 42 is centered on the tip of the nozzle 41. By moving along the arcuate guide 54, the nozzle 41 can be changed to an arbitrary angle with its tip as the center.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 7, each adjustment location is provided with scales 57 and 58 for visually confirming the horizontal and vertical adjustment positions, and a scale 59 for visually confirming the nozzle angle. Therefore, even if the measurer changes, the lower end position of the nozzle 41 and the nozzle angle can be correctly set to a predetermined position and angle.

  The carrier recovery unit 13 shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 removes the carrier c adhering and remaining on the carrier support 6 from the carrier adsorption unit 15 after the particle separation process, and recovers the carrier c. A scraper 63 made of felt is clamped and attached to a holder 62 that is attached to the frame 4 via an adjustment shaft 61 so as to be adjustable in height, and the scraper 63 is pressed against the entire outer periphery of the carrier support 6. The scraper 63 can recover the residual carrier c that affects the measured value almost completely.

  The charge amount measuring unit 3 is performed immediately below the particle separating unit 12 and collects particles separated from the carrier c and supplied by being dropped into the cylindrical hood 65 as shown in FIG. At the same time, the particles are sucked and introduced into a suction tube 66 with a filter arranged vertically in the hood and sent to the charge amount measuring unit 3 having a known structure.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the solenoid valve 43 that performs gas ejection control from the nozzle 41 is connected to a buffer tank 66 that stores pressurized gas via a hose 67, and intermittently controls gas ejection. When performing the above, it is possible to avoid a decrease in the gas ejection pressure at the time of the ejection start.

  The particle charge measuring device of this embodiment is configured as described above, and the carrier supply unit 11 supports the carrier adsorption unit 15 of the carrier support 6 on the carrier adsorption unit 15 while rotating the carrier support 6 in a certain direction at a constant low speed. c is adsorbed and held by a predetermined amount, and when the adsorbed and held carrier c reaches the particle separation unit 12, particles adhering to the carrier c by gas blowing from the nozzle 41 are separated and dropped, and the suction tube 66 is dropped. The particle size and the charge amount distribution are measured by being sent to the charge amount measuring unit 3. As shown in FIG. 6, the length of the nonmagnetic body 16 of the carrier support 6 in the vertical direction is longer than the nonmagnetic body 16 above the carrier adsorption portion 15. The blown particles are prevented from reattaching to the bottom surface of the carrier support 6 again.

  The carrier c that has passed through the particle separation unit 12 is scraped and removed by the scraper 63 in the carrier recovery unit 13, and the carrier adsorption unit 15 without the carrier c moves to the carrier supply unit 11 again.

(Other embodiments)
Contrary to the above-described embodiment, the arc-shaped guide 54 protrudes from the front surface of the holder support member 53, and an arc-shaped groove that engages with the arc-shaped guide 54 is formed on the back surface of the nozzle holder 42. The angle of the holder 42 can also be adjusted around a fulcrum y passing through the nozzle tip.

  In a state where the carrier support 6 is stopped, gas may be blown from the nozzle 41 of the particle separation unit 12 to separate the particles from the carrier c and supply them to the charge amount measurement unit 3.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Charge amount measurement part 6 Carrier support body 41 Nozzle 42 Nozzle holder 53 Holder support member 54 Arc-shaped guide 57 Scale 58 Scale 59 Scale 63 Scraper 66 Buffer tank c Carrier x Axis y Support

Claims (9)

A particle supply device that separates and supplies particles from a carrier by adsorbing and moving the carrier to which the particles are attached to the surface of a carrier support, moving the carrier, and ejecting a gas toward the carrier,
A nozzle position adjusting means for causing the nozzle for ejecting the gas for particle separation toward the carrier held by adsorption on the carrier support to approach and separate from the carrier adsorption portion of the carrier support; And a nozzle angle adjusting means that makes it possible to change the gas ejection angle by inclining the nozzle, and each adjusting means is provided with a scale for display indicating an adjustment state ,
The carrier support is a cylindrical shape that is rotatable around a vertical axis, and holds the carrier by suction on a carrier suction portion provided in an annular shape along the outer periphery thereof,
The vertical length of the carrier support is such that the part vertically below the carrier adsorption part is longer than the part vertically above the carrier adsorption part,
The particle supply apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. Before SL nozzle angle adjusting means includes a nozzle holder supporting said nozzle position for ejecting the gas downward, the nozzle holder, and a holder supporting member for adjusting the inclination and fixably supported around the nozzle tip Have
The nozzle position adjusting means supports the holder support member such that the holder support member can be individually adjusted and fixed in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction with respect to the carrier support .
The particle supply apparatus according to claim 1. The holder support member has an arcuate guide that guides the nozzle holder so that the nozzle holder can be tilted about the nozzle tip.
The particle supply apparatus according to claim 2. The nozzle position adjusting means includes screw feeding means for moving and adjusting the holder support member in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction with respect to the carrier support .
The particle supply apparatus according to claim 2 or 3. A carrier supply container for supplying a carrier with particles to the carrier adsorbing part of the carrier support can be attached and detached at a certain position and posture from the particle separation position by the nozzle to the position on the upper side in the moving direction of the carrier support. And a container position adjusting means capable of changing and adjusting the position of the container holder with respect to the carrier support, and the container position adjusting means has a scale for display indicating an adjustment state.
The particle supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A felt-shaped scraper that is in sliding contact with the carrier adsorbing portion on the outer periphery of the carrier support is provided at a location on the lower side in the moving direction of the carrier support from the particle separation location by the nozzle.
The particle supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The nozzle holder is equipped with a solenoid valve for intermittently ejecting gas from the nozzle.
The particle supply apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4 . A buffer tank for supplying pressurized gas to the solenoid valve;
The particle supply apparatus according to claim 7. The particle supply device having the structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the particles separated from the carrier are dropped and supplied to the charge amount measuring unit.
An apparatus for measuring the amount of charged particles.

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