JPH03176307A - Apparatus for loading fine particle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a fine particle injection port of a loading apparatus from being clogged at the time of loading a specific amount of fine particles with a high density in a short time by setting a diameter of the fine particle injection port corresponding to a decompression degree inside and outside a vessel into which the fine particles are to be loaded and an amount of the fine particles to be loaded into the vessel. CONSTITUTION:A diameter of a fine particle injection port 28 at the lower end of a nozzle 26 is specified in advance according to a decompression degree inside and outside a vessel 80 and an amount of toner to be loaded into the vessel 80 so that an area of its opening is a specific value. for example while the decompression degree inside the vessel 80 and the decompression degree in a decompression case 20 which is equal to the decompression degree outside the vessel 80 are -690 mmHg or lower, when toner of a particle diameter of approximately 5 to 20 mum is to be loaded into the vessel 80 with a high density of approximately 0.3 to 0.4 g/cm<3>, the diameter of the fine particle injection port 28 is specified so that it has at least a port diameter area as shown in the figure with respect to the amount of toner to be loaded. By thus specifying, the fine particle injection port 28 is free from being clogged even if the fine particles are to be loaded with a high density while inside and outside the vessel 80 are decompressed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a powder filling method capable of filling powder such as toner used in an image forming apparatus into a predetermined container at high speed and with high density. Regarding equipment.

(Prior Art) Toner used in image forming apparatuses such as electrophotographic copying machines is normally filled in a bottle-shaped or cylindrical container for transportation, storage, etc. Conventionally, toner is filled into a container by placing the container below a toner supply device and allowing the toner in the toner supply device to fall naturally into the container.

In this method, the toner does not fall into the container at high speed due to the air present in the container, and the toner that falls into the container is mixed with the air inside the container, so the bulk density is reduced. smaller and not densely packed. For this reason, it is not possible to fill a container with a predetermined amount of toner by gravity-falling. For example, it is impossible to fill a container with about half the amount of toner that should be filled into the container by gravity-dropping. A method is adopted in which the remaining toner is filled after a predetermined period of time has elapsed for the toner to settle down. In such a method,
The toner could not be efficiently filled into the container, resulting in very poor work efficiency.

Therefore, the applicant of the present application, for example,
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 03, a powder filling device has been proposed which can fill powder such as toner at high speed and with high density, and which has a relatively simple configuration.

This powder filling device reduces the pressure inside the container to be filled, and utilizes the pressure difference between the container and the powder feeder to quickly fill high-density powder from the powder feeder. It is designed so that it can be filled into the container at any time.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) In such a powder filling device, in order to fill a predetermined amount of powder into a container in a predetermined short time, it is necessary to bring the inside of the container into a predetermined reduced pressure state. . However, in order to fill a container with a predetermined amount of toner in a short time under a predetermined reduced pressure state, the toner similarly passes through the input port of the toner filling device in a short time. For this reason, there is a possibility that the toner becomes clogged at the inlet.

The present invention solves the above conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide powder that does not cause the powder inlet of a filling device to become clogged when filling a predetermined amount of powder at high density in a short time. An object of the present invention is to provide a body filling device.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The powder filling device of the present invention simultaneously charges the inside and outside of a container filled with powder from a reduced pressure state such that the inside and outside of the container are in an equilibrium state. A powder filling device that fills powder into a container by increasing the pressure and simultaneously dropping the powder from a powder inlet into an opening of the container, the powder filling device The diameter of the inlet port is set in accordance with the degree of vacuum between the inside and outside of the container filled with powder, and the amount of powder to be charged into the container. The purpose is achieved.

(Example) The present invention will be described below with reference to Examples.

As shown in FIG. 1, the powder filling device of the present invention includes a toner supply device 10 capable of supplying a predetermined amount of fine powder toner, and a toner supply device 1o disposed below the toner supply device 1o. Decompression case 2 in which a container 80 filled with is held
0.

The toner supply device IO is connected to a toner cutter (not shown) capable of cutting out a predetermined amount of toner from a powder storage tank, for example, and to the toner cutter, and stores a predetermined amount of toner cut out by the toner cutter. The toner hopper 11 has a powder supply pipe 12 that communicates the toner fall port in the toner hopper 11 with the inside of the decompression case 20, and an on-off valve I3 interposed in the powder supply pipe 12. However, when the on-off valve 3 is released, a predetermined amount of toner is dropped from the toner hopper 11 into the decompression case 20.

The decompression case 20 includes an upper half 21 that can be divided into upper and lower parts,
It is composed of a lower half body 22. The lower half 22 is raised and lowered by an air cylinder 70 so that it can be joined to and separated from the upper half 21. Then, as the lower half body 22 is raised by the air cylinder 70,
The lower half 22 is joined to the upper half 21. Seal members 21a and 22a made of soft rubber, for example, are fixedly installed at the joints of the two, and the lower half 22 raised by the air cylinder 70 is joined to the upper half 2. As a result, the seal members 21a and 22a are airtightly engaged, and the inside of the decompression case 20 is made airtight.

The upper half 21 of the decompression case 20 is connected to the powder supply pipe 1
It is fixedly attached to the lower part of 2. A powder supply nozzle 24 projecting downward is fixedly provided on the upper surface of the upper half 21, and the lower end of the powder supply conduit 12 is inserted into the powder supply nozzle 24. A contact surface portion 25 is provided on the upper outer peripheral surface of the powder supply nozzle 24 to engage a packing 25a made of soft rubber. Below the corresponding contact surface 25,
The nozzle portion 26 has an inverted truncated cone shape whose diameter gradually decreases as it goes downward.

The lower end of the powder supply conduit 12 opens at the center of the lower end surface of the nozzle portion 26 as a powder inlet 28 . Nozzle part 2
The outer diameter at the upper end of 6 is the filling opening 8 provided at the upper end of the powder filling container 80 held in the vacuum case 20.
The inner diameter is approximately equal to the inner diameter of No. 3.

The diameter of the powder agent 28 at the lower end surface of the nozzle portion 26 is determined in advance in accordance with the degree of vacuum in the container 80 and the vacuum case 20, and the amount of toner to be filled in the container 80, as will be described later. It is set.

The lower half 22 of the decompression case 20 is provided with a container elevating means 60 that holds a cylindrical powder filling container 80 shown in FIG. 2 and moves the powder filling container 80 up and down. The container elevating means 60 is interposed between an elevating table 62 disposed within the lower half of the lower half body 22 so as to be able to rise and fall in a substantially horizontal state, and between the elevating table 62 and the bottom surface of the lower half body 22. , and a push spring 63 that always urges the lifting table 26 upward. The lifting platform 62 is provided with a holding frame 62a that holds the lower end of the powder filling container 80, and the holding frame 62a fits into the lower end of the powder filling container 80 to remove the powder. The body filling container 80 can be held in a substantially vertical state. Then, when the air cylinder 70 is operated so that the lower half 22 rises with the powder filling container 80 placed on the lifting platform 62, the powder filling container 80 rises and its filling opening is lifted. The nozzle part 2 of the powder supply nozzle 24 is installed in the part 83.
6 is inserted. When the lower half body 22 is completely joined to the upper half body 21, the powder filling container 80 is urged upward by the push spring 63, and the upper end of the filling opening 83 is pressed against the packing 25.
A is hermetically pressed.

On the upper surface of the upper half 21 of the decompression case 20, there are provided a decompression means 40 that can appropriately reduce the pressure inside the decompression case 20, and a pressure increase means 50 that can appropriately increase the pressure from this depressurized state.
Each is equipped with The pressure reducing means 40 includes a first pressure reducing pipe 41 that connects the vacuum pump 44 and the inside of the pressure reducing case 20 in a communicating state, and an on-off valve 42 and a flow f1 regulating valve 43 that are interposed in the first pressure reducing pipe 41. , a second pressure reduction line 45 connected between the powder supply line 30 and the first pressure reduction line 41 on the vacuum pump 44 side, and an on-off valve 46 interposed in the second pressure reduction line 45. and a flow rate adjustment valve 47.

With the filling device of the present invention having such a configuration, toner is filled into the container 80 as follows.

First, with the on-off valve 13 disposed below the toner hopper 11 closed, a predetermined amount of toner to be filled into the container 80 is cut out using a toner cutting device (not shown), and the toner is placed inside the toner hopper 11. to be stored. The amount of toner stored in the toner hopper 11 corresponds to the amount of toner to be filled into the container 80.

When the toner is stored in the toner hopper 11, the air cylinder 70 is operated to lower the lower half 22 of the decompression case 20, and the lower half 22 is separated from the upper half 21. In this state, the powder filling container 80 is moved onto the lifting platform 62 so that the filling opening 83 is located on the upper side.
Place it in the specified position.

Next, until the lower half 22 is joined to the upper half 21,
Operate the air cylinder 70. When the lower half body 22 is joined to the upper half body 21, the powder filling container 80 held in the decompression case 20 is urged upward by the push spring 63, and its filling opening 83 is connected to the powder supply nozzle. It is airtightly connected to powder filling ports 28 of 24. Next, the atmosphere introduction pipe 51
The on-off valve 52 installed in the decompression case 2 is closed.
Keep the inside of 0 airtight. At this time, the flow rate TA regulating valves 43 and 47 installed in the respective pressure reduction pipes 41 and 45 correspond to the capacity within the pressure reduction case 20 and the capacity of the powder filling container 80 held within the pressure reduction case 20. The flow rate of gas flowing through each pipe is set in advance.

In this state, the on-off valves 42 and 46 interposed in the first pressure reducing pipe line 41 and the second pressure reducing pipe line 45 are respectively opened, and the vacuum pump 44 is driven. This results in
The air outside the powder filling container 80 in the decompression case 20 is sucked by the vacuum pump 44 through the first decompression pipe 41 at a predetermined flow rate defined by the flow ffi adjustment valve 43. The air in the powder filling container 80 held in the decompression case 20 is regulated by the vacuum pump 44 at the flow WL adjustment valve 47 through the lower part of the powder supply pipe 12 and the second decompression pipe 45. A predetermined flow rate is sucked at a time. The flow rate of each flow jl adjustment valve 43 and 47 is determined so that the pressure reduction inside and outside of the powder filling container 80 by the vacuum pump 44 is performed in a substantially balanced state. Then, when the pressure inside the powder filling container 80 and the pressure inside the vacuum case 20 surrounding the powder filling container 80 are in an equilibrium state,
When a reduced pressure state, which is a preset substantially vacuum state, is reached, the on-off valves 42 and 46 are opened.

When the on-off valves 4Z and 46 are closed, the on-off valve 13 is then opened, and the on-off valve 52 interposed in the atmospheric air introduction pipe 51 is opened. By opening the on-off valve 13, the toner stored in the toner hopper 11 is transferred to the container 80 via the powder supply pipe 12.
A person falls inside at high speed.

When the toner is dropped into the container 80, the pressure inside the container 80 is reduced, so the toner dropped into the container 80 contains almost no air. Filled. Furthermore, at the same time as the on-off valve 13 is opened, the on-off valve 52 interposed in the atmosphere introduction pipe 51 is opened, so that the air introduction pipe 5
1 flows in at a predetermined flow rate defined by the flow ffi adjustment valve 53, and the pressure inside the pressure reducing case 20 increases.

Therefore, when the toner falls into the container 80,
Even if the pressure inside the container 80 increases, there is no risk of the container 80 being damaged because the pressures inside and outside the container 80 are balanced.

Powder inlet 28 on the lower end surface of the nozzle part 26 in the filling device
are the degree of vacuum inside and outside the container 80, and the degree of vacuum inside and outside the container 80.
The diameter of the opening is set in advance so that the area of the opening becomes a predetermined value in accordance with the amount of toner that is injected into the opening. For example, the degree of vacuum inside the container 80 and the degree of vacuum inside the vacuum case 20, which is the degree of vacuum outside the container 80, are -690.
If it is less than ma+Hg, the grain size is 5 to 20 μm.
The amount of toner with a bulk density of 0.3 to 0.
When filling at a high density of about 4 g/cm', the diameter of the powder inlet 28 is set to have at least the diameter area shown in FIG. 2, relative to the amount of toner to be introduced. By setting in this way, there is no fear that the powder inlet 28 will be clogged even when the container 80 is filled with high density while the inside and outside of the container 80 are under reduced pressure.

In the filling device of the present invention shown in FIG.
The diameter of the container 80 is 16 m (diameter area 2.01 cm"), and the degree of vacuum between the inside and outside of the container 80 is -690 mmHg. An experiment was conducted to determine the relationship between the two and the results shown in Table 1 were obtained.

In the table, O indicates that the powder was filled without any toner remaining in the hopper, × indicates that powder remained in the hopper, and △ indicates that the hopper was filled with powder. This indicates that the toner has fallen as if falling apart.

In the above embodiment, the pressure inside and outside the cartridge is reduced by two systems of pressure reduction paths, but the method is not limited to such two systems. It is also possible to use a depressurization route of the 1 system as disclosed in the publication.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, in the filling device of the present invention, since the powder input port has a diameter area corresponding to the degree of pressure reduction between the inside and outside of the container and the amount of powder input, To reliably fill a container with powder at high density without clogging a powder inlet.

4. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the powder filling device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the amount of toner and the aperture area of the powder inlet.

10... Toner supply device, 20... Decompression case, 4o
...Pressure reducing means, 50...Pressure increasing means, 60...
Container lifting means, 8°...Powder filling container.

that's all 1st figure Figure 2 Toner amount

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. From a state where the pressure is reduced so that the inside and outside of the container filled with powder are in an equilibrium state, the pressure inside and outside of the container is simultaneously increased, and at the same time, the pressure of the powder is increased. A powder filling device that fills a container with powder by dropping the powder into an opening of the container from an inlet, the powder filling a diameter of the powder inlet in the filling device. 1. A powder filling device characterized in that settings are made in accordance with the degree of vacuum between the inside and outside of a container and the amount of powder to be charged into the container.