JPH11348903A - Method and device for filling powdery/granular body - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a powdery/granular body filling method and a device by which a lump-form powdery/granular body is filled in a packaging container with a favorable precision when the lump-form powdery/granular body is to be filled in the packaging container by deaerating air which is mixed in the powder or the granular body, in other words, the powdery/granular body. SOLUTION: A pressure-reducing deaerating part 14 on the top of which a hopper 11 is set, is pressure-reduced or vacuumized by a pressure-reducing device, and into a cylindrical filter 15 which constitutes the pressure-reducing deaerating part 14, air contained in a powdery/granular body which is fed from the hopper 11 is deaerated, and at the same time, the powdery/granular body which has stuck to the inner peripheral surface accompanying the deaeration, is scraped off by a screw 16, and sent to an outlet 19 under the pressure- reducing deaerating part 14, and when the powdery/granular body which has become a lump-form is filled in a packaging container 24 supported by a container-holding device 25a being arranged directly under the outlet 19, the screw 16 is rotated at a high speed at the initial time of the filling, and is rotated at a low speed at the filling completed time, and in addition, the container-holding device 25a is lowered accompanying the filling state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for filling a granular material, and more particularly, to a method for filling a granular material such as flour or sesame into a lump and packing it into a packaging container such as a bag. Regarding the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an apparatus called a powder filling machine has been used for packing powder such as flour, calcium carbonate or pesticides, and granules such as sesame or seed in a packaging container such as a bag. For details of such a powder filling apparatus, see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-206.
No. 128 is disclosed.

[0003] The invention disclosed in this publication is referred to as a powder deaerator, and includes a cylindrical housing inside a casing having an inlet for charging the powder and an outlet for removing the agglomerated powder. A filter (filter) was disposed, and a screw rotatable relative to the filter was disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the filter so as to wind around the filter.

[0004] When the powder is degassed by the powder deaerator configured as described above, the powder is put into a casing while depressurizing the inside of the filter, and is sent into the casing by a screw. Then, the air inside the powder is evacuated from the filter, the powder adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface of the filter is scraped off with a screw, and the mass of powder is taken out from the outlet of the casing.

[0005]

However, such a powder degassing apparatus is a device for literally degassing air from powder to form a lump, and a lump of powder such as a bag. It is not a device for packing. Actually, various measures are required to efficiently and accurately pack the agglomerated powder into the packaging container.

That is, in the conventional powder degassing apparatus, the packaging container is placed just below the outlet, and the massive powder coming out of the container is dropped into the packaging container. There was the danger that the powder would fall apart in the packaging container, causing air to enter again. Further, in the conventional powder deaerator, since the bulk powder continues to be filled into the packaging container at a constant speed regardless of the degree of filling of the bulk powder into the packaging container, it is very difficult to accurately control the filling amount. There was a problem that was difficult.

In a conventional powder degassing apparatus, when the powder adsorbed on the filter is scraped off by a screw and the direction of advance is vertical, that is, the direction of gravity, the filling of the powder into the packaging container is performed. Even if the device is stopped when the amount reaches a predetermined amount, the lumpy powder may spill out from the outlet and enter the packaging container, which also deteriorates the filling accuracy of the powder in the packaging container. There was a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve such a conventional problem. Powders and granules, in other words, powders and granules formed by degassing air mixed in the granules are deaerated. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for filling a granular material into which a lump of granular material is accurately filled in a packaging container when the body is filled in the packaging container.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for filling a granular material, and has the following structure to solve the above-mentioned technical problem. That is, according to the present invention, the powder and granular material accommodated in the accommodating portion is fed to the decompression and deaeration portion provided at the lower portion thereof, and the cylindrical member installed in the vertical outer cylinder constituting the decompression and deaeration portion is provided. Degass the air in the granular material by depressurizing from one peripheral surface of the filter, and adsorbs to the other peripheral surface of the filter as the air in the granular material is deaerated through this filter Scraping off the powdered granules with a screw, a method of filling the powdered granules for sending and filling the lumped powdered granules to a packaging container located further below the vacuum degassing section, It is characterized in that the screw is controlled to rotate at a high speed at the initial stage of the filling of the bulk powder and at a low speed at the final stage of the filling.

Further, the present invention relates to an apparatus for filling a granular material, and is configured as follows to solve the above-mentioned technical problem. That is, the powder and granular material filling apparatus of the present invention is provided with a storage section for storing the powder and granules, and a decompression for supplying the powder and granular material in the storage section below the storage section to a packaging container located further below. A deaeration unit and an elevating device for raising and lowering the packaging container are included. The filter consists of a cylindrical filter that adsorbs particles on the other peripheral surface, and a screw that can rotate relative to the filter to scrape off the particles adsorbed on the peripheral surface of the filter and advance it. It is characterized by having been done.

<Specific Configuration of the Present Invention> The powder and granular material filling apparatus of the present invention comprises the essential components described above.
This is true even if the components are specifically as follows. The specific constituent element is that the decompression and deaeration section is provided with a weir plate at an outlet thereof.

[0012] Further, in the powder and granular material filling apparatus of the present invention, the filter is further decompressed and degassed from one peripheral surface side of the filter and the granular material is adsorbed to the other peripheral surface side. It is also preferable to provide a cleaning device that causes backflow of air by blowing pressurized air from the peripheral surface toward one peripheral surface to prevent clogging.

<Additional Configuration in the Present Invention> The powder and granular material filling apparatus of the present invention comprises the essential components described above.
This is true even if the following configuration is further added to the component. The additional component is that the lifting device is installed between a container holding device that holds the packaging container and is movable along the longitudinal direction of the filter and a supporting means that supports the container holding device, A load cell for detecting the filling amount of the granular material in the packaging container, and the elevating device gradually moves the container holding device in response to the detection signal from the load cell output as the filling amount of the granular material in the packaging container increases. It is characterized by lowering.

According to the granular material filling apparatus of the present invention, the granular material is sent from the storage section to the vacuum degassing section while degassing from one peripheral surface to the other peripheral surface of the filter. As a result, the air that has entered the inside of the powder and granules is rapidly degassed through the filter, and is thereby adsorbed on one peripheral surface of the filter.

[0015] Then, the screw is rotated to scrape off the granular material adsorbed on the peripheral surface of the filter, and is sent to the outlet of the vacuum degassing section. The deaerated powder and granular material sent to the outlet of the vacuum degassing unit has a lump shape and is discharged through an opening of a weir plate provided at the outlet of the vacuum degassing unit.

[0016] Immediately below the vacuum degassing section, a packaging container such as a bag is mounted on and supported by a lifting platform of an elevating apparatus. Is near the bottom inside the packaging container. For this reason, the powdered and granular material which has been degassed and lumps falls gently into the packaging container. The elevating table is gradually lowered with an increase in the amount of the bulk powder in the packaging container, thereby preventing a drop from a high position during the loading of the bulk powder into the packaging container. .

[0017] In this way, the filling of the bulk powder in the packaging container proceeds, and when the desired filling amount is approached, the screw is rotated at a low speed, and the discharge speed of the bulk powder is slowed down. When the amount of the filled powder particles reaches a predetermined amount, the rotation of the screw is stopped by the control of the control device based on the detection signal (weighing signal) from the load cell provided between the container holding device and the support means. To complete the filling. When the rotation of the screw is stopped and the filling is completed, the granular material tends to spill from the outlet of the vacuum degassing section, but such a granular material is so-called damped by a weir plate, and the spillage to the packaging container is prevented. Is prevented.

As described above, according to the method and the apparatus for filling the granular material of the present invention, the rotational speed of the screw for scraping off the granular material adhering to the cylindrical filter and moving forward is controlled, and the lifting and lowering supporting the packaging container is performed. The position of the table is controlled with an increase in the filling amount, and the spilling of the granules from the decompression and deaeration section after the filling is completed is also prevented by the dam plate, so that the lumped granules to the packaging container are The filling accuracy of can be improved.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a method and an apparatus for filling a granular material according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a granular material filling apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The powder-granule filling device 10 includes a hopper 11 that is a storage section for storing the powder and granules, a cylindrical decompression and deaeration unit 14 having a central axis aligned with that of the hopper and connected to a lower side thereof, A screw 16 extends from 11 through the vacuum degassing section 14 and further extends to the inside of an outlet pipe member 18 described below, which is attached to a lower portion thereof, and is rotatably arranged.

A lid 1 is provided at an open top of the hopper 11.
2 is arranged and closed. In the hopper 11,
A powder supply unit 13 that supplies powder into the hopper 11 from a powder supply port provided in the lid 12 is provided.

On the other hand, the decompression and deaeration section 14 connected to the lower side of the hopper 11 comprises a cylindrical filter 15 and an outer cylinder 17 which surrounds the filter at a radial interval. The connection between the hopper 11 and the vacuum degassing unit 14 will be described in more detail. The lower end outlet of the hopper 11 is provided with a tube disposed below the hopper 11 so as to have the same longitudinal central axis as the central axis of the hopper. The hopper 11 is connected to the upper end of the filter 15 via a joint pipe member, and thus the hopper 11 is in direct communication with the inside of the filter 15.

In the hopper 11, a spindle 20 is arranged so that the center axis thereof coincides with that of the hopper 11, and an upper end of the spindle 20 is connected to an output pulley of an electric mechanism device 21 installed on the upper part of the hopper 11. Have been. The input pulley of the electric mechanism device 21 is connected to the rotation drive shaft of the electric motor 22, and a belt is applied to the two pulleys so that the rotational force is transmitted from the input side to the output side.

The lower end of the spindle 20 is connected to the screw 16. When the electric motor 22 is driven, the screw 16 is rotated through the power transmission unit such as the pulley and the spindle 20, and The powder and granules placed in the filter are sent into a cylindrical filter 15 in the vacuum degassing section 14. The screw 16 can be formed of a metal such as aluminum, copper, stainless steel or various resin materials. However, in order to improve durability and prevent powder from adhering to the screw itself, an elastic material such as spring steel is used. It is preferable to be formed of a material.

The lower end of the cylindrical filter 15 constituting the vacuum degassing section 14 is connected to an outlet pipe member 18, and the open lower end thereof is a mass of powdery particles degassed by the vacuum degassing section 14. And an outlet 19 for discharging the weir plate 2
7 are provided. This weir plate 27 is a disk having a plurality of openings formed therein, and in the specific example shown in FIG.
One fan-shaped opening 27a is divided and formed by a cross-shaped partition 27b. The weir plate 27 is for improving the accuracy of filling the powdery material into the packaging container, as will be described in detail in the operation described later.

Next, the detailed structure of the vacuum degassing section 14 will be described. The cylindrical filter 15 constituting the decompression and deaeration section 14 includes a filter main body 15a made of a sintered body of a metal fiber as shown in a partially enlarged view in FIG. This sintered body is formed by sintering a web, a net, or a woven fabric using a fine strand having a wire diameter of 15 μm or less, preferably 1 to 10 μm. Such a material has an excellent cutting strength, is capable of microfiltration, and withstands long-term use.

Usually, such a metal fiber structure (layer)
May be vacuum-sintered and compressed, and a wire mesh may be applied to both sides thereof, or may be sintered integrally with the wire mesh. The layer of the metal fiber sintered body may be a single layer, or may be a laminate of a plurality of layers that are appropriately combined as necessary. The porosity of such a layer is usually preferably selected from the range of 65 to 82%.

As the metal, for example, corrosion resistance such as stainless steel, nickel, Inconel, carpenter, Hastelloy,
Heat-resistant metals, alloys, and the like can be given. Wire mesh 1 on both sides
Examples of 5, 15 include those having a plain weave structure of 20 to 40 mesh, but are not limited to these materials.

A porous cylindrical metal protection plate 15b is provided inside the filter main body 15a having such a configuration, and this metal protection plate 15b serves both to protect the metal fiber sintered body and to keep its shape. And usually the thickness is 2-3m
m, and a punching metal having an opening ratio of 60 to 70% is used. The inner diameter of the porous cylindrical part (metal sintered body) is 100 mm
In the following small-sized apparatus, it is preferable to employ a metal mesh having a wire diameter of 0.4 mm or more and be sintered integrally with the metal fiber layer.

The outer cylinder 17 surrounding such a cylindrical filter 15 is provided with a connection port 17a protruding from the outer wall of the outer cylinder body for exhaust pipe connection. Decompression device 2 consisting of a vacuum pump, etc.
3 is connected via an exhaust pipe 23a.

By the way, immediately below the outlet pipe member 18, there is provided an elevating device 25 which supports a packing container 24 for filling and lowers the packing container 24 in accordance with the state of filling of the lumpy particles coming out from the outlet 19. Have been. The elevating device 25 includes a container holding device 25a that directly supports the packaging container 24, and a driving unit 25b that elevates and lowers the container. The former container holding device 25a suspends and holds the packaging container 24 with its mouth open, and is supported by the latter driving means 25b via a load cell, that is, a weight measuring device 25c.

On the other hand, the latter drive means 25b is constituted by a hydraulic piston device housed and arranged inside a support base 26 erected in parallel with the decompression and deaeration section 14 to support the above-mentioned electric mechanism device 21. Have been. The driving means 25b composed of the hydraulic piston device is operated by pressure oil from a pressure oil supply device (not shown). The pressure oil supply device is controlled by a control device (not shown) according to an electric signal from the load cell 25c and an operation program stored in advance.

However, as the driving means 25b for raising and lowering the container holding device 25a, various conventional devices can be used, such as a device for raising and lowering by a pneumatic piston cylinder, or a support rod or a guide rod for the container holding device. A device may be provided in which a rack is provided at 25d, and a pinion meshing with the rack is rotated by a motor or the like (not shown) to raise and lower the rack.

Next, the operation of the granular material filling apparatus 10 according to this embodiment will be described. By operating the decompression device 23 and depressurizing and degassing the inside of the outer cylinder 17 of the decompression deaerator 14 via the exhaust pipe 23 a, the powder is charged into the hopper 11 from the powder supply unit 13. As a result, the granular material enters the storage space in the hopper 11 and is stored.

Next, the electric motor 22 is operated, the spindle 20 is rotated via the power transmission unit, and the screw 16 is rotated accordingly. When the screw 16 rotates, the granular material existing in the storage space in the hopper 11
It is sent into the cylindrical filter 15 in the vacuum degassing section 14. The air mixed in the granular material sent into the cylindrical filter 15 is deaerated to the outside through the openings of the metal protection plate 15b in the filter 15 and the myriad of voids in the filter body 15a. Accordingly, the granular material itself is adsorbed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical filter 15.

As the powder 16 is sent from the storage space of the hopper 11 to the vacuum degassing section 14 by the continuous rotation of the screw 16, the degassing proceeds and the powder is deposited on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical filter. At the same time as the adsorption grows, the powder particles adsorbed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical filter by the screw 16 that spirally rotates around the inner periphery of the cylindrical filter 15 are scraped off and sent out toward the outlet 19. The granular material scraped off from the cylindrical filter 15 is compressed by a weir plate 27 provided at the outlet 19 and discharged from each of the openings 27a.

By the way, immediately below the vacuum degassing section 14, that is, immediately below the outlet 19 of the outlet pipe member 18, the packaging container 24 is provided.
Are supported by the container holding device 25a. In the initial stage of filling, the container holding device 25a is in the ascending position indicated by the imaginary line, and the outlet 19 is near the bottom in the packaging container 24.
For this reason, the deaerated and agglomerated powder particles gently fall into the packaging container 24. The weight acting on the container holding device 25a with the increase in the amount of the lump of granular material in the packaging container 24 is detected by the load cell 25c.

The detection signal from the load cell 25c is input to the control device, and based on this signal, the control device causes the driving means 25b to gradually lower the container holding device 25a.
Is controlled, thereby preventing the bulk powder from dropping from a high position during filling of the packaging container 24. The control device performs pulse control of the rotation of the screw 16 and performs two-stage rotation control at the time of large injection at the beginning of filling and at the time of small injection at the end of filling.

That is, in the initial stage of the filling operation in the powder and particle filling apparatus 10, the screw 16 is rotated at a relatively high speed to quickly send a large amount of the powder and particles into the degassing unit 14 for degassing. The granular material adsorbed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical filter 15 is sent out from the vacuum degassing unit 14 and is so-called rapidly filled in the packaging container 24.

As described above, when the packing container 24 is filled with the bulk powder and gradually approaches the desired filling amount, the control device receives the detection signal from the load cell 25c and rotates the screw 16 at a low speed. Then, the discharge speed of the bulk powder is reduced, and thereafter, when the amount of the powder in the packaging container 24 reaches a predetermined amount, the rotation of the screw 16 is stopped to finish the charging.

When the rotation of the screw 16 is stopped and the filling is completed, the granular material tends to spill out from the outlet 19 of the outlet pipe member 18, but such a granular material is so-called dammed by the dam plate 27. Spilling into the packaging container 24 is prevented.

As described above, in the operation of the granular material filling apparatus 10, the rotational speed of the screw 16 for scraping the granular material adhered to the cylindrical filter 15 and advancing the same is controlled, and the packaging container 24 is supported. Because the position of the container holding device 25a is controlled in accordance with the filling amount, the spilling of the granular material from the outlet pipe member 18 below the vacuum degassing unit 14 after the filling is prevented by the weir plate 27. In addition, it is possible to improve the accuracy of filling the bulk powder into the packaging container 24, and it is also possible to stably fill the powder that causes bulk return.

In the powder and particle filling apparatus 10 according to the above-described embodiment, the cylindrical filter 15 is inserted into the outer cylinder 17.
It is also preferable to provide a washing means (backwash function) for blowing pressurized air toward to prevent clogging. As a specific example of such a cleaning means, for example, a multidirectional switching valve is provided in an exhaust system that connects the pressure reducing device 23 and the exhaust pipe 23a so that air discharged from a vacuum pump can be sent to the exhaust pipe 23a. (Not shown), but it is preferably connected to a pipe of an externally installed air compressor (not shown) via a valve, and pressurized by opening and closing the valve if necessary. It is configured to blow air.

Further, in the powder and particle filling apparatus 10 according to the above-described embodiment, the depressurizing and degassing section 14 depressurizes the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical filter 15 and feeds the powder and granular material sent to the inner peripheral side thereof. While degassing the air, the powder particles adsorbed on the inner peripheral surface were scraped off with a screw, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. Like the powder deaerator that has been used in the past, the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical filter is depressurized to deaerate the air inside the granular material sent to the outer peripheral side, and accordingly, it is adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface The powdered granules may be scraped off with a screw.

If the powder and the granular material are filled into the packaging container by the method and the apparatus for filling the powder and the particle as described above, the volume of the powder and the particle is reduced, the filling efficiency of the filling container is improved, and the bulk density of the powder and the particle is increased. And the accuracy of filling and weighing is improved. In addition, since the granular material filling device of this embodiment is of a vertical type, the granular material is sucked by the deaeration effect together with the gravity drop, so that the filling capacity is improved.

Further, if the powder and granules are filled into a packaging container or the like by using the powder and granule filling apparatus, dust generation is greatly reduced,
The working environment can be improved, and the occurrence of poor heat sealing at the mouth can be reduced when a packaging container made of a resin film is used.

[0046]

As described above, according to the method and the apparatus for filling the granular material of the present invention, the granular material is sent to the vacuum degassing section in which the cylindrical filter is arranged, and one of the filters is provided. By controlling the rotation of the screw that scrapes off the powder and granules adsorbed on the peripheral surface and feeds it to the outlet of the vacuum degassing unit at the beginning of the filling operation, and then slows it down, the mass of powder into the packaging container is reduced. Not only can the packing accuracy of the granules be significantly improved, but also the packing can be carried out at a high packing ratio and with a uniform bulk density. In addition, according to the powder and particle filling apparatus, dust generation is significantly reduced, and the working environment can be improved.
It is possible to improve poor heat sealing at the mouth when a packaging container made of a resin film is used.

Further, according to the method and apparatus for filling a granular material according to the present invention, since the position of the container holding device for supporting the packaging container is controlled in accordance with the filling amount, the granular material is packed in the packaging container. Bulk return at the time can be prevented, and stable filling can be achieved.

Further, according to the method and the apparatus for filling the granular material of the present invention, by providing a special weir plate at the substantial outlet of the vacuum degassing section, the granular material scraped off from the cylindrical filter by a screw. The filling accuracy can be further improved by improving the exhaustion of the body.

Further, according to the method and the apparatus for filling a granular material of the present invention, a cleaning means for blowing compressed air toward a cylindrical filter to prevent clogging thereof may be further provided. As a result, the filter can be used for a long time without disassembling and cleaning the cylindrical filter.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a granular material filling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a weir plate provided at an outlet of a casing in the granular material filling apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a vacuum degassing section in the granular material filling apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Granular material filling apparatus 11 Hopper (accommodating part) 12 Lid 13 Granular material supply part 14 Decompression deaeration part 15 Cylindrical filter 15a Filter main body 15b Metal protection plate 16 Screw 17 Outer cylinder 17a Connection port 18 Exit pipe Member 19 Outlet 20 Spindle 21 Electric mechanism device 22 Electric motor 23 Pressure reducing device 23a Exhaust pipe 24 Packaging container 25 Elevating device 25a Container holding device 25b Driving means 25c Load cell 26 Supporting stand 27 Weir plate

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A method according to claim 1, wherein the granular material accommodated in the accommodating portion is fed into a decompression degassing portion provided at a lower portion thereof, and a cylindrical member installed in a vertical outer cylinder constituting the decompression degassing portion is provided. Depressurizing from one peripheral surface side of the filter to deaerate the air in the granular material, and deaeration of the air in the granular material through the filter to the other peripheral surface side of the filter A method of filling the granular material by scraping off the adsorbed granular material with a screw, sending out and filling the agglomerated granular material into a packaging container located further below the vacuum degassing unit, Wherein the screw is controlled to rotate at a high speed at the initial stage of filling the bulk powder and at a low speed at the final stage of filling. 2. A container for accommodating the powder and granules, a decompression and deaeration unit at a lower portion of the container for supplying the powder and granules in the container to a packaging container located further below the container. An elevating device for elevating and lowering the packaging container, wherein the depressurized deaeration section is disposed in a vertically arranged outer cylinder, and is disposed in the outer cylinder, and decompressed and degassed from one peripheral surface side to perform the other The filter is composed of a cylindrical filter that adsorbs powder particles on the surface side, and a screw that is rotatable relative to the filter so as to scrape the powder particles adsorbed on the peripheral surface of the filter and feed it forward. A powder and granular material filling apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. The apparatus for filling a granular material according to claim 2, wherein the reduced-pressure degassing unit includes a weir plate provided at an outlet thereof. 4. The vacuum / gas degassing section, wherein the powder / particle filling apparatus further comprises a vacuum / gas degassing section for degassing from one peripheral surface of the filter and adsorbing the powder / particles on the other peripheral surface. 4. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a cleaning device that blows pressurized air from the other peripheral surface toward the one peripheral surface to prevent clogging thereof. 5. 5. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the filter is a metal fiber sintered filter comprising a cylindrical filter portion formed by sintering a metal fiber having a size of 10 μm or less in a felt shape and sandwiching a cylindrical porous plate from inside and outside. 5. The method according to claim 2, wherein:
A powder and granular material filling apparatus according to item 1. 6. The container according to claim 1, wherein the lifting device is installed between a container holding device that holds the packaging container and is movable along a longitudinal direction of the filter and a supporting unit that supports the container holding device. A load cell for detecting a filling amount of the granular material in the packaging container, wherein the lifting device receives the detection signal from the load cell which is output as the filling amount of the granular material in the packaging container increases, and The apparatus for filling a granular material according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the apparatus is gradually lowered.