JPH04235005A - Feeder of powdery and granular body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a feeder of a powdery and granular body, which can feed a desired, fixed and very small quantity of the powdery and glanular body constantly. CONSTITUTION:A feed part 21 possesses a rotary drum 22 and feeds a powdery and granular body 23 under a dropping state. The rotary drum 22 is turned and driven by a motor 24 and oscillated by an oscillation feeder 25. An opening 26 is formed at one end of the rotary drum 22 and a scooping plate 27 is provided within the rotary drum 22. When the powdery and granular body 23 on the inside of the rotary drum 22 is turned and driven, the same is scooped up by the scooping plate 27 and dropped into a recessed part 30 of a feeding tool 29. An oscillation is applied to the same at a feeding position by an excitation mechanism 33. The oscillation is applied to the feeder 29, the powdery and granular body 23 swollen on the inside of the recessed part 30 is filled evenly with the powdery and granular body 23 and the surplus powdery and granular body is thrown off from the recessed part 30. A fixed feed quantity is held accurately within the recessed part 30 of the feed tool 29.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a powder supply device for supplying a predetermined amount of powder or granule used as a spacer member for a liquid crystal display.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacturing process of liquid crystal displays, there is a step of dispersing powder and granules to serve as spacer members onto a glass substrate. This spacer dispersion involves supplying a certain amount of spacer members into a flow path pipe of a dispersion device, then blowing off the spacer members with compressed air using a nozzle, and dispersing them onto a glass substrate. In this case, the amount of spacer members to be dispersed is very small, several tens of milligrams per glass substrate. If this amount of supply varies greatly, the number of spacers in the finished liquid crystal display will vary, resulting in problems such as gap defects. Therefore, a spacer member supplying device is required to have the ability to accurately supply a constant, minute amount without causing variations.

Conventionally, this type of powder supply device includes:
The one shown in FIG. 5 is used. In this Figure 5,
11 is a bottle containing powder and granular material such as the spacer member,
This bottle 11 is supported by a support 12 so that the outlet of the powder or granular material is directed downward. Reference numeral 13 denotes a feeder plate, and the feeder plate 13 consists of a receiving part 14 for the powder and granular material supplied from the bottle 11, and a tapered outlet part 15 for supplying the powder and granular material to a predetermined supply location. , supported on the vibratory feeder 16.

[0004] The powder supply device having the above structure applies vibration to the powder supplied from the bottle 11 to the receiving portion 14 of the feeder plate 13 by the vibrating feeder 16, and the powder is delivered from the tapered outlet portion 15. It supplies granules continuously.

[0005] Here, the amount of granular material supplied from the outlet portion 15 of the feeder pan 13 is determined by the thickness of the layer of granular material on the surface of the feeder pan 13, the magnitude of the vibration applied, and the duration of the vibration. . However, the thickness of the powder layer is not constant because of agglomeration and dispersion of the powder. In other words, peaks and troughs are formed in the powder or granule when it comes out of the bottle 11 or while being sent by vibration. For this reason, when a peak reaches the outlet portion 15 of the feeder plate 13, the amount of feed becomes extremely large, whereas when a trough reaches the feeder plate 13, the feed amount decreases. As a result, it is not possible to maintain a constant and accurate supply of a minute amount, such as several tens of milligrams.

Furthermore, particles may adhere to each other and form clumps.

[0007] In order to prevent this granular material from being fed into lumps, it is known to feed the granular material through a filter, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-5728. .

However, if the powder is simply passed through a filter, if the powder gets caught in the filter, the amount of powder supplied changes or clogging is likely to occur.

[0009]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, in the conventional feeding device, the layer of powder and granular material on the feeder plate 13 is not uniform, so it is difficult to supply a constant amount of powder and granular material. I have a problem that I can't do.

[0010] Furthermore, the method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-5728 has a problem in that when powder or granules are caught in the filter, the amount of powder or granules supplied may change or clogging may easily occur.

[0011] The present invention has been made to solve the above problem, and the object of the present invention is to provide a powder supply device capable of supplying a desired constant minute amount with high precision. purpose.

[0012]Furthermore, the thing described in claim 2 is
In addition to the above objects, it is an object of the present invention to provide a powder supply device that does not supply lumps of powder or granules without changing the amount of powder or granules supplied or causing clogging.

[0013]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A powder or granular material supply device according to claim 1 includes a supply section that drops and supplies the powder or granular material, and a supply tool having a recessed portion with a storage capacity corresponding to a predetermined supply amount. , a drive for moving the supply tool to a position where the powder or granular material is dropped by the supply section and a predetermined supply position, and driving the recessed part upward at the drop position and downward at the supply position; and a vibration mechanism that applies vibration to the supply tool at the drop position and the supply position, respectively.

[0014] A powder supply device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the powder supply device according to the first aspect, wherein the supply portion includes a mesh portion having a diameter larger than that of the powder material and a vibration mechanism that vibrates the mesh portion. The mesh part is vibrated to cause the powder to fall.

[0015]

[Operation] The powder or granular material supplying device according to claim 1 is capable of receiving powder or granular material supplied in a falling state by a supplying tool having a recessed portion with a capacity corresponding to a predetermined supply amount, and in this state, the supplying tool Excess powder and granular material is removed by applying vibration to maintain a predetermined supply amount. After the supply tool is moved to a predetermined supply location, it is turned downward and vibrated again in this state to prevent powder and granules from remaining attached to the inner wall of the supply tool and not falling. As a result, the desired minute amount can be kept constant and supplied with high precision.

[0016] In the powder supply device according to claim 2, in the powder supply device according to claim 1, the amount of powder and granule to be supplied is controlled by vibrating the mesh portion and causing the powder to fall. To accurately maintain and supply a desired minute amount at a constant rate without changing the temperature or causing clogging, and without supplying lumps of powder or granular material.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 21 denotes a supply section, and this supply section 21 has a rotating drum 22, and supplies powder and granular material 23 contained therein in a falling state. This rotating drum 22 is moved in a fixed direction (in the direction of the arrow) by a motor 24.
The feeder 25 is rotated by a vibration feeder 25 and given vibration.

An opening 26 is formed in one end surface of the rotating drum 22 for communication with the outside, and a scooping plate 27 is provided inside. Therefore, when the rotating drum 22 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow by the motor 24, the powder 23 such as a spacer member accommodated in the rotating drum 22 is scooped up by the scooping plate 27.
It falls from the top toward the center of the rotating drum 22.

Furthermore, at this time, the rotating drum 22 is subjected to vibrations from the vibrating feeder 25, thereby preventing the powder particles 23 from agglomerating and adhering to the inner wall of the rotating drum 22, thereby improving the feeding efficiency of the powder particles 23. can be improved.

Reference numeral 29 denotes a supply tool, and the supply tool 29 may be, for example, a cylindrical one formed in an L-shape, with a recessed portion having a storage capacity corresponding to a predetermined amount of powder or granular material supplied in the vertical part thereof. 30 are formed in the vertical direction. This supply tool 29 is
A drive mechanism (not shown) passes through an opening 26 formed on one end surface of the rotary drum 22 and inserts the powder into the center of the rotary drum 22, that is, the position where the powder and granules 23 falling and supplied by the scooping plate 27 fall. Ru.

Further, by a drive mechanism (not shown), the granular material 23 is pulled out from the falling position in the rotary drum 22 to a predetermined supply location outside the rotary drum 22. Furthermore, this supplying tool 29 is operated by a stepping motor 31 that constitutes a part of the drive mechanism, so that the concave portion 30 is directed upward at the falling position of the powder and granular material 23, and the feeding tool 29 is moved to the predetermined supplying position of the powder and granular material 23. The concave portion 30 is rotated so as to face downward.

33 is a vibrating mechanism, and this vibrating mechanism 33 is
Vibration is applied to the supplying tool 29 at the dropping position of the powder and granular material 23 and at the supplying position of the powder and granular material 23, respectively. This vibration mechanism 33 includes an impact pin 3 extending in the radial direction from an end of a rotating shaft 32 of a stepping motor 31 directly connected to the supply tool 29, on the opposite side to the supply tool 29.
Has 4. Further, a U-shaped pin receiver 35 is provided for this impact pin 34. The pin receivers 35 are attached to both ends of a holding member 37 that is driven forward and backward along the axial direction of the stepping motor 31 by a slide mechanism 36. The pin receiver 35 is arranged so that the tip of the impact pin 34 is located inside the U-shape when the supply tool 29 is at the dropping position of the powder 23 and the supplying position of the powder 23. The position is controlled by a slide mechanism 36. The tip of the impact pin 34 is configured to have some distance from the upper and lower inner walls of the pin receiver 35, and collides with the upper and lower inner walls during the rotation operation of the stepping motor 31, which will be described later. Vibration is applied to the rotating shaft 32 and the supply tool 29 directly connected thereto.

In the above configuration, when supplying the powder or granule 23 in small predetermined amounts, first the supply tool 29 is inserted into the center of the rotating drum 22, that is, at the position where the powder or granule 23 falls, by a drive mechanism (not shown). do. At this time, the supply tool 29
The recess 30 is controlled by a stepping motor 31 so as to face upward.

In this state, when the motor 24 and the vibrating feeder 25 are operated, the powder 23 in the rotating drum 22 is
is scooped up by the scooping plate 27 and falls from the top toward the center of the rotating drum 22. In this center,
As described above, since the supply tool 29 is positioned with its recess 30 facing upward, the fallen powder 23 enters the recess 30 of the supply tool 29, fills the recess 30, and swells.

Next, the slide mechanism 36 is operated to advance the pin receiver 35 to a position where the tip of the impact pin 34 enters inside thereof. In this state, the stepping motor 31 is alternately rotated in opposite directions by a predetermined angle. The rotation angle of the stepping motor 31 is set to a small enough angle that the tip of the impact pin 34 collides with the upper and lower inner walls of the pin receiver 35. In this way, by alternately rotating the stepping motor 31 and repeatedly causing the tip of the impact pin 34 to collide with the upper and lower inner walls of the pin receiver 35 each time the stepping motor 31 rotates, the supply tool 29
vibration is added to

By applying this vibration to the supply tool 29 for a certain period of time, the powder 2 that has risen above the recess 30 is removed.
3 is uniformly clogged in the recess 30 and excess powder 23
is shaken off from the upper edge of the recess 30. As a result, the recess 30 of the supply tool 29 accommodates the amount accommodated therein, that is, a predetermined supply amount with high accuracy.

Next, in the above state, the supply tool 29 is pulled out from inside the rotating drum 22 by a drive mechanism (not shown).
Move to the predetermined powder supply position. After this operation moves the supply tool 29 to the predetermined powder supply position, the stepping motor 31 moves the supply tool 29 through 180 degrees.
Rotate it so that the recess 30 faces downward.

Of course, when the supply tool 29 is rotated 180 degrees, the pin receiver 35 is moved back to a position away from the impact pin 34. However, after turning 180°, the pin holder 35
is advanced to a position where it engages with the impact pin 34. In this state, the stepping motor 31 is again rotated in opposite directions alternately by a predetermined angle to apply vibration to the supply tool 29.

By rotating the supplying tool 29 by 180° and applying vibration in this way, the powder 23 in the recess 30 is not attached to the inner surface of the recess 30 and is completely delivered to a predetermined supply location, for example. , it falls into the flow pipe of a spacer dispersion device in the manufacturing process of liquid crystal display devices and is supplied.

Here, the storage capacity of the recess 30 of the supply tool 29 is set in advance in accordance with a predetermined supply amount as described above, and at the position where the powder or granules fall, the powder or granules raised on the recess 30 are 23 is evenly packed into the recess 30 by vibration, and the excess powder 23 is shaken off by vibration.Furthermore, at a predetermined powder supply position, the supply tool 29 is reversed downward and vibration is applied. , granular material 2 in the recess 30
Since all 3 are made to fall reliably, it is possible to maintain a predetermined minute supply amount with high accuracy.

Note that a servo motor may be used as the stepping motor 31.

Next, another embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. Note that the same parts as those in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

The supply section 41 has a chute body 43 which has an open top and one end, is inclined downwardly toward the one end side, and has a pentagonal cross-section with the one end serving as a falling section 42 and whose diameter is reduced downward. The granular material 23 accommodated in the chute body 43 is supplied in a falling state from the falling part 42. This chute body 43 is given vibration by a vibration feeder 44 as a vibration mechanism provided at the lower part of this chute body 43.

Further, a funnel body 47 located at the lower part of the falling part 42, whose diameter is reduced downward and has an introduction hole 45 at the upper part and a discharge hole 46 at the lower part, is attached to the chute body by an L-shaped fixture 48. It is attached to 43. The introduction hole 45 of the funnel body 47 is provided with a mesh portion 49 having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the powder particles of the powder material 23 .

When vibration is applied by the vibration feeder 44, the powder 23 moves within the chute body 43,
The powder 23 falls from the falling part 42. The fallen powder 23 is transferred to the funnel body 4 which vibrates together with the chute body 43.
The particles 23 fall onto the mesh portion 49 of the introduction hole 45 of No. 7, and due to the vibration of the mesh portion 49, the powder 23 passes through the mesh and falls from the discharge hole 46, and is supplied to the recess 30. This mesh part 49
When the powder and granular material 23 passes through, even if the powder and granular material 23 adhere to each other and become lumps, most of them are dispersed by falling and vibration, so no lumps are supplied to the recesses 30. . Furthermore, the powder and granular material 23 dropped from the falling part 42 is
Since it is once received by the mesh portion 49, it is no longer affected by the strength of the compressive force due to the difference in the falling amount of the powder or granular material 23, and the degree of clogging disappears and is packed in a constant state.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, conventionally, even if the powder or granular material 23 has lumps or changes in the degree of clogging, according to the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the powder or granular material 23 No lumps or changes in clogging will occur.

Note that the powder 23 dropped into the recess 30 of the supply tool 29 is held in the same manner as shown in FIG.

Furthermore, if the temperature and humidity of the atmosphere surrounding the powder 23 is controlled, the dispersibility of the powder 23 will be improved, and the adhesion of the powder 23 to each other, chute body 43, funnel body 47,
The generation of powder particles 23 adhering to the recesses 30 and the like can be prevented.

[0040]

According to the powder supply device according to claim 1, the powder and granule supplied in a falling state can be received by the supply tool having a recessed portion with a storage capacity corresponding to a predetermined supply amount, and Excess powder and granular material is removed by applying vibration to the supplying tool in this state, and the predetermined supply amount is maintained. After the supply tool is moved to a predetermined supply location, it is inverted downward and vibrated again in this state to prevent powder and granules from remaining attached to the inner wall of the supply tool and not falling. As a result, a desired minute amount can be kept constant and supplied with high precision.

According to the powder supply device according to claim 2,
In the powder supply device according to claim 1, by vibrating the mesh part and causing the powder to fall, the powder can be delivered without changing the amount of powder supplied or causing clogging. It is possible to supply a desired minute amount at a constant level with high precision without supplying lumps.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a powder supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the powder supply device same as above.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of powder and granular material supplied to the concave portion.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of powder and granular material supplied to a concave portion in a conventional example.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional powder supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

21, 41 Supply section 23 Powder 29 Supply tool 30 Concave section 31 Stepping motor 33 forming part of the drive mechanism Vibration mechanism 44 Vibration feeder 49 as a vibration mechanism
mesh part

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A supplying unit that drops and supplies powder or granular material, a supplying tool having a recessed portion with a storage capacity corresponding to a predetermined amount of supply, and a supplying tool that is arranged at a position where the powdery or granular material is dropped by the supplying section and a drive mechanism that moves the concave portion to a predetermined supply position, and drives the concave portion upward at the drop position and downward at the supply position; A powder supply device characterized in that it is equipped with a vibration mechanism that applies vibration to each of the powder and granule materials. 2. The supply section has a mesh section having a larger diameter than the powder and granular material, and a vibration mechanism that vibrates the mesh section, and the mesh section is vibrated to cause the powder and granular material to fall. The powder supply device according to claim 1.