JPS6337011B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a pneumatic pipe system for pneumatically transporting containers filled with dangerous samples such as radioactive materials. The present invention relates to a feeding device disposed near a sending device of a pneumatic tube to feed a sender into the sending device.

Conventionally, in this type of pneumatic pipe equipment, a cartridge serving as a pneumatic feeder and a jig serving as a container are placed in an inner box that is sealed off from the outside, and the sample is filled into the jig within the inner box, and the jig is After fitting the cartridge, the fitted jag and cartridge are placed in a delivery machine placed inside the inner box and connected to the pneumatic pipe, and then sent out to the pneumatic pipe to the destination. Since the sample was being transported by air, the cartridge was exposed to the inside of the inner box, which was contaminated by the sample filling operation, and the contaminated cartridge was eventually transported, greatly contaminating the pneumatic tube. In addition, contaminated pneumatic pipes pose a risk of radiation exposure to outsiders, so they must be replaced with new pipes.Furthermore, the replacement work not only incurs high equipment costs, but also poses a risk of radiation exposure to construction workers. Alternatively, problems such as disposal of construction waste had arisen. In order to solve these problems, the inventor of the present invention has proposed a method in which an empty cartridge is fed into the pneumatic tube from a midway point and stored inside the delivery machine without exposing the contaminated inner box. We came up with the idea that it would be sufficient to fit the sample into the jig inside the sending machine. However, in this case, although there is very little contamination of the cartridge,
In order to realize the above technical idea, it is necessary to install a feeding device for feeding empty cartridges from an intermediate position in the pneumatic pipe. The feeding device needs to communicate with the pneumatic pipe when feeding empty cartridges into the pneumatic pipe, and although the degree of contamination is lower than that of the pneumatic pipe in conventional pneumatic pipe equipment, there is still some degree of contamination. It is necessary to take care to prevent contamination from leaking to the outside from the pneumatic pipe, which has a contamination level of In addition, since it is necessary to supply empty cartridges to the feeding device, when this feeding work is done manually, the worker must get close to the feeding device, so there is a slight difference in the distance from the feeding device. Even if contamination leaks outside, there is a risk that the worker will be exposed to radiation.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and provides a feeding device that does not leak even the slightest amount of contaminants in the pneumatic pipe to the outside when transferring an empty cartridge from the supply pipe to the pneumatic pipe. The purpose is to provide

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the fitted state of a jug 1, which is a container used in the present invention for filling a sample, and a cartridge 2, which is a pneumatic tube. Embodiment FIGS. 8 to 13 show a second embodiment of the present invention.

First, a first embodiment of a feed device configured to automatically feed an empty cartridge 2 into the feeder will be described.

Figure 2 shows an overall diagram of the pneumatic pipe equipment using the above-mentioned feeding device, and shows an empty cartridge 2.
a feeding device B having a mechanism capable of feeding the supplied empty cartridge 2 from a supply pipe 5 to a pneumatic feed pipe 7 serving as a pneumatic feed path;
It is provided at the end of the pneumatic pipe 7 and placed inside an inner box D whose inside is maintained at a negative pressure by a ventilation device C, and the jig 1 is fitted and combined with the cartridge 2 inside. A delivery machine E for delivering air from the air into the pneumatic pipe 7 is provided. The above-mentioned ventilation system C connects the suction blower _C1 and the inside of the inner box D through a ventilation pipe C2, and connects the inner box D to the outside through _an intake pipe _C4 having a filter _C3 attached to the outside end. It is constructed by communicating with each other. Then, the empty cartridge 2 placed in the feeder A enters the feeder B through the supply pipe 5 by suction air from the blower _A1 , and from there is fed into the pneumatic pipe 7 near the feeder E. Ru. The empty cartridge 2 that has entered the pneumatic pipe 7 falls down into the delivery machine E due to its own weight, and
On the other hand, from the outside of the inner box D, the tongs _D1 are operated to push the jag 1 filled with the sample toward the empty cartridge 2 housed inside the sending machine E. It fits into the cartridge 2. Then, this jag 1 is fitted from the delivery machine E, and the combined cartridge is delivered into the pneumatic pipe 7 and transported by air. In addition
D ₂ is a carrying tube having lids that can be opened and closed at both upper and lower ends for putting the empty jug 1 into the inner box D.

3 to 7 show the feeding device B disposed in the pneumatic pipe equipment, and this feeding device B will be described in detail below. Reference numeral 3 in the figure indicates this feeding device B.
This is the main body of the feeding machine, and the supply pipe 5 and pneumatic pipe 7 of the empty cartridge 2 are connected to the upper plate 4 of the main body.
Further, an end pneumatic pipe 9 is connected to the bottom plate 8, which is disposed on a downward extension of the pneumatic pipe 7 and whose lower end is connected to a sending machine E installed below. Further, a motor 10 is placed on the vertical axis of the feeding machine main body 3.
A rotation shaft 11 is rotatably provided, which can rotate reciprocally by driving. Furthermore, in the feeding machine main body 3,
It is fixed on the rotation shaft 11 so as to rotate together with the rotation shaft 11, while the end 6 of the supply pipe 5 and the pneumatic tube 7 are positioned so as to be on the rotation path thereof, and the end Part 6
A receiving hole 12 communicates with the pneumatic feed tube 7 and the end pneumatic tube 9 to receive the empty cartridge 2 and send the empty cartridge 2 into the pneumatic feed tube 7, and a jig fed from the feeder E by communicating with the pneumatic feed tube 7 and the end pneumatic feed tube 9. The rotor 14 has a communication hole 13 through which the cartridge 2 into which the cartridge 1 is fitted passes. In addition, when the receiving hole 12 moves to a position below the supply pipe 5, the bottom plate 8 is arranged so as to be located below the receiving hole 12 in the above position in order to suck the air inside the receiving hole 12. ventilation pipe
A suction tube 15 connected to C ₂ is provided. and,
A suction mechanism is composed of this suction pipe 15, a ventilation pipe _C2 of a ventilation device C provided in the inner box D to which the suction pipe 15 is connected, and a suction blower _C1 provided at the outer end of the ventilation pipe _C2 . There is. In addition, the feeder main body 3 is disposed at the end 6 of the supply pipe 5, and the end 6 is blocked to temporarily stop the empty cartridge 2, so that the receiving hole 12 of the rotor 14 is positioned below. When the empty cartridge 2 is inserted into the receiving hole 12,
In addition, a circular hole 16 is provided in order to allow the rotary shaft 11 to fall, and a substantially fan-shaped shutoff is loosely fitted onto the rotary shaft 11 so that it can be horizontally rotated by being intermittently pushed by a locking rod 17 provided integrally with the rotary shaft 11. A blocking plate 18 is provided as a member.

Note that the shielding plate 18 is inserted into the groove 19 of the upper plate 4 of the feeding machine main body 3, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.
A pair of stepped portions 21 and 21' are provided at both ends of the root periphery 20 of the blocking plate 18 so as to come into contact with the locking rod 17, and are opposed to each other with a certain distance between them. As the rotation shaft 11 and the locking rod 17 provided integrally therewith rotate, the stepped portion 21 or the stepped portion 21' is pushed by the locking rod 17. is rotated. In addition,
In FIG. 3, reference numeral 22 indicates a square column provided so that the rotation shaft 11 can be rotated manually, 23 indicates a pointer for checking the rotation angle of the rotation shaft 11, and 24 indicates the blocking plate 1.
Seal to prevent contamination from spreading from part 8, 2
5, 25', 25'' are packing, 26, 26' are
Bearings 27 and 27″ for smooth rotation of the rotating shaft 11 are interlocking wheels 28 attached to the lower end of the rotating shaft 11 and the output shaft of the motor 10, respectively.
The belt 2 is placed around the two interlocking wheels 27, 27'.
Reference numerals 9 and 29 indicate support frames fixed to a substrate (not shown) fixed to the end pneumatic tube 9 in order to support the feeder main body 3.

The operation of the feeding device B will be explained below.

In FIG. 4, which shows a standby state in which an empty cartridge 2 is waiting to be supplied, when the empty cartridge 2 reaches the end of the supply pipe 5 and rides on the blocking plate 18, the switch SW ₁ is turned on and rotates. As the shaft 11 rotates clockwise in FIG. 4, the rotor 14
are rotated together, and the receiving hole 12 is moved directly below the end 6 of the supply pipe 5 as shown in FIG. The blocking plate 18 moves to the position shown in FIG. At that time, the circular hole 16 is under the end 6 of the supply pipe 5, so that the empty cartridge 2 in the end 6 falls into the receiving hole 12 of the rotor 14. When the empty cartridge 2 is dropped, the switch SW ₂ is turned on, the rotating shaft 11 and the rotor 14 are rotated counterclockwise, and the receiving hole 12 containing the empty cartridge 2 is opened to air. Move to a position where the tube 7 and the end pneumatic tube 9 communicate with each other. The empty cartridge 2 then falls into the delivery machine E through the end pneumatic tube 9. Further, as the rotation shaft 11 rotates, the locking rod 17 also rotates in the same direction, but in the state shown in FIG. Since the plate 18 moves along the root periphery 20 and then comes into contact with the other step 21' to rotate the blocking plate 18, the receiving hole 12 is connected to the end pneumatic pipe 9.
When reaching the position, the blocking plate 18 remains in the same position as the standby state shown in FIG.
is located at the position indicated by the imaginary one-dot chain line. When the empty cartridge 2 falls inside the end pneumatic pipe 9, the switch SW ₃ is turned on and the rotation shaft 11, locking rod 17 and rotor 14 rotate clockwise again.
Of these, the locking rod 17 moves from the position indicated by the one-dot chain line to the position indicated by the solid line, and the receiving hole 12 of the rotor 14 also returns to the standby state. Each of the switches SW ₁ , SW ₂ , and SW ₃ has a delay circuit so that the rotation shaft 11 is rotated after a certain period of time after the switches SW 1 , SW 2 , and SW 3 are turned on. End 6
This prevents the risk of rotating the rotor 14 during the transfer from the receiving hole 12 to the end pneumatic pipe 9 and from the receiving hole 12 to the end pneumatic tube 9.

Furthermore, when the receiving hole 12 moves directly below the end 6 of the supply pipe 5', the ventilation pipe C of the ventilation device C is ₂ to the suction blower C ₁ from the receiving hole 12
A small amount of contaminants contained therein can be sucked together with air, completely preventing the contamination from spreading to the supply pipe 5 above. In addition, although the blocking plate 18 moves as the rotating shaft 11 rotates, it never reaches the position of the pneumatic tube 7, which is prone to contamination, and always moves back and forth only within the groove 19 of the upper plate 4. Consequently, contaminants will not be diffused from the blocking plate 18 to the supply pipe 5.

Next, the second
The feeding device B' which is an embodiment of the present invention and which manually feeds an empty cartridge 2 into the interior will be described in detail.

FIG. 8 is an overall view of the pneumatic pipe equipment using the feeding device B', which includes a feeding section 54 whose inside is shut off from the outside by a lid 52 serving as a blocking member, and the feeding section A feeding device having a mechanism for feeding the empty cartridge 2 introduced into the pneumatic pipe 55
B' and an inner box D which is provided at the end of the pneumatic pipe 55 and whose inside is maintained at a negative pressure by a ventilation device C, and fitting the jig 1 to the cartridge 2 inside, After combining, pneumatic pipe 5
A delivery machine E is disposed within the container 5. The above-mentioned ventilation system C connects the suction blower _C1 and the inside of the inner box D through a ventilation pipe C2, and connects the inner box D to the outside through _an intake pipe _C4 having a filter _C3 attached to the outside end. It is structured in a connected manner. Further, the above-mentioned delivery machine E has the same configuration as the delivery machine D of the pneumatic pipe equipment in the first embodiment.

Figures 9 to 13 show the feeding device B' arranged in the pneumatic pipe equipment, and hereinafter this feeding device
B′ will be explained in detail.

In the figure, the reference numeral 50 indicates a main body of the feeder, and an upper plate 51 thereof is configured to input an empty cartridge 2 and to communicate with a suction tube 53 when the lid 52 is opened and closed. An input section 54 for empty empty cartridges 2 is provided, a pneumatic tube 55 is connected, and the lower end is fed out so as to be located on the extension line of the pneumatic tube 55 to the bottom plate 56 of the feeding machine main body 50. The upper end of the end pneumatic pipe 57 that is continuous with the machine E is connected. The feeder main body 50 also has a rotating shaft 59 located on the longitudinal axis and having a handle 58 attached to the lower end thereof inside the feeder body 50, which is isolated from the outside. Pivotally supported. Further, a pneumatic tube 55 is fixed to the rotating shaft 59 so as to rotate together therewith, communicates with the input section 54, and is disposed on the rotating path of the pneumatic tube 55, so as to carry the empty cartridge 2. After receiving the rotor 62, a rotor 62 having a receiving hole 60 for feeding the pneumatic pipe 55 into the pneumatic pipe 55 and a communication hole 61 through which the upper ends of the pneumatic pipe 55 and the end pneumatic pipe 57 can communicate is inserted into the upper plate. 51 and the bottom plate 56.

The input unit 54 includes an input hole 63 that vertically passes through the lower rotor 62 portion and the outside, a lid body 52 that is rotatably supported vertically to open and close the upper part of the input hole 63, and the input hole. 63, a suction pipe 53 that communicates from the horizontal direction and has a built-in valve body 64 that can be opened and closed by rotation of the rotation shaft 59, a ventilation pipe C ₂ to which this suction pipe 53 is connected, and a suction blower C ₁ . The mechanism includes a rotating shaft 52 of the lid 52 to rotate the valve body 64 as the lid 52 is opened and closed.
The free ends of the first arm 65 and the second arm 66 are pivotally connected at both ends to a second arm 66 whose one end is fixed to the rotating shaft 64a of the valve body 64. An interlocking mechanism connected by a third arm 67 is provided. Note that the lid body 52 is
A return spring 68 wound around the rotating shaft 52a always presses against the upper part of the charging hole 63, completely blocking the inside and outside of the charging hole 63, and the lid body
Even if the lid 2 is opened, if you release your hand, the lid will be immediately returned to its original position and closed by the biasing force of the spring 68.

In the drawings, reference numerals 69 and 69 are rollers for smoothing the rotation of the rotation shaft 59, and 70 is for urging the handle 58 in the direction of putting it into the standby state shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. A tension spring 71 is a first stopper for defining the handle 58 in the standby position, and a tension spring 72 is a first stopper for defining the handle 58 in the standby position.
The second stop, 73, is a packing for defining the position of the handle 58 so that it can move between the pneumatic tube 55 and the end pneumatic tube 57.

Next, the operation of the feeding device B' will be explained.

In the standby state shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, an operator opens the lid 52 of the input section 54 and inserts the
When an empty cartridge 2 is thrown into the slot, the empty cartridge 2 falls into the receiving hole 60 of the rotor 62 located below the charging hole 63. When the lid body 52 is closed (it will be automatically closed by the return spring 68 when the hand is released) and the handle 58 is rotated until it comes into contact with the second stopper 72, the receiving hole 60 containing the empty cartridge 2 will open. , the empty cartridge 2 is moved between the pneumatic pipe 55 and the end pneumatic pipe 57, and the empty cartridge 2 falls through the end pneumatic pipe 55 and is housed inside the delivery machine E below. Inside the sending machine E, the jug 1 filled with the sample is fitted and combined, and then fed into the pneumatic pipe 55 and transported by air.
When the handle 58 is released after the empty cartridge 2 has fallen, the tension spring 70 works to return the handle 58 to the above-mentioned standby state. The end pneumatic pipes 57 are connected by a communication pipe 61.

Furthermore, when the lid body 52 is opened, the valve body 64 that can be linked with the lid body 52 is also opened, so that the suction blower C ₁ is always activated.
The inside of the suction tube 53 and the input hole 6 which are being suctioned by
3 and the air and contaminants in the receiving hole 60 are removed by suction, and the contaminants do not diffuse to the outside of the input portion 54.

The present invention is provided near an inner box of a pneumatic tube to communicate with the inner box, and is connected with a supply tube for supplying an empty pneumatic tube, and controls the state of communication with the outside via the supply tube. and a rotatable rotor that controls the state of communication with the pneumatic pipe, and the rotor is provided with a position corresponding to the pneumatic pipe and the supply pipe on the rotation path. A receiving hole for the pneumatic sender is provided in order to provide the air carrier, and when the receiving hole is in a position corresponding to the supply pipe and the blocking member is in the communicating position, and the receiving hole is in communication with the outside, We have provided a suction mechanism to suck air from the hole, so when you open the blocking member that isolates the inside and outside of the feeder body, the air inside is sucked and diffused to the outside of the feeder body. The contaminants to be removed are removed by suction together with the air, eliminating the risk of external exposure.In addition, the receiving hole returns to its original position after sending the empty cartridge to the delivery machine. It is separated from the pneumatic pipe, which has a certain degree of contamination, and has the feature of preventing contamination from spreading to the outside.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view showing a fitted and combined state of a jig and a cartridge used in the present invention.
2 to 7 show the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an overall view of the pneumatic pipe equipment, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the inside, and FIG. The figure is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in Figure 3, which crosses the blocking plate part, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in Figure 3, which crosses the rotor part, and Figures 6 and 7 show the operating state. FIG. 8 to 13 show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 8 is an overall view of the pneumatic pipe equipment, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the inside, and FIG. The figure is a plan view, FIG. 11 is a side view, FIG. 12 is a plan view across the loading portion, and FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of the loading portion. 1... Jag, 2... Cartridge, 3, 50... Feeding machine body, 5... Supply pipe, 7, 55... Pneumatic pipe, 9,
57... End pneumatic pipe, 11, 59... Rotating shaft, 12,
60... Receiving hole, 13, 61... Communication hole, 14, 62...
Rotor, 15, 53... Suction pipe, C... Ventilation device,
C ₁ ...suction blower, 16...circular hole, 17...locking rod,
18...Blocking plate, 54...Insertion part, 58...Handle,
64... Valve body, B, B'... Feeding device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A dangerous sample such as a radioactive substance is stored in a container within an inner box, and this container is further stored in a pneumatic carrier in a delivery machine installed inside the inner box, and this pneumatic carrier is then released from the delivery machine. In pneumatic pipe equipment for conveying air by sending it into a pipe, a supply pipe is provided near the inner box of the pneumatic pipe to communicate with the inner box, and a supply pipe for supplying an empty pneumatic tube is connected to the pneumatic pipe. A displaceable blocking member that controls the communication state with the outside via the supply pipe, and a rotatable rotor that controls the communication state with the pneumatic pipe are provided, and the rotor is provided with a movable blocking member that controls the communication state with the outside via the supply pipe, and the rotor is provided with a displaceable blocking member that controls the communication state with the outside via the supply pipe, and a rotatable rotor that controls the communication state with the pneumatic pipe and the pneumatic pipe. A receiving hole for the pneumatic sender is provided so as to have a position corresponding to the supply pipe on the rotation path, and the receiving hole is located corresponding to the supply pipe, and the blocking member is in a communicating position, 1. A pneumatic feeder feeding device for pneumatic pipe equipment, characterized in that a suction mechanism is provided for sucking air from the receiving hole when the hole is in communication with the outside.