WO2023243168A1

WO2023243168A1 - Raw material transfer device

Info

Publication number: WO2023243168A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/010451
Authority: WO
Inventors: 光太郎沖本; 貫児檜和田
Original assignee: 株式会社サタケ
Priority date: 2022-06-17
Filing date: 2023-03-16
Publication date: 2023-12-21
Also published as: JP2023184292A

Abstract

This raw material transfer device comprises a guidance part 2 that guides a raw material supplied from a supply unit to a downflow surface 102a, a support part 3 that supports the guidance part 2 so as to enable the guidance part 2 to swing vertically, and a biasing part 4 that biases the guidance part 2 upward. The biasing force of the biasing part 4 is set such that at least a prescribed amount of the raw material on the guidance part 2 accumulates to thereby cause the guidance part 2 to swing downward, and such that a space S1 through which the raw material can pass is formed between the biasing part 4 and the downflow surface 102a.

Description

Raw material delivery device

The present invention relates to a raw material delivery device for delivering raw materials supplied from a supply section to a conveying section, and in particular belongs to the technical field of a structure in which the raw materials supplied from the supply section are temporarily stored and then allowed to flow down.

Conventionally, it has been known that a raw material delivery device is interposed between the supply section and the conveyance section when raw materials such as grains are supplied from the supply section to the conveyance section (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). reference).

Patent Document 1 discloses a delivery device that includes an intermediate gutter that is slidable relative to a supply section. In Patent Document 1, when changing the slope of the conveyance section according to the size and weight of the raw material, if the slope is made steeper, the distance between the supply section and the conveyance section is shortened, and the intermediate gutter becomes closer to the feed section. If the slope is made gentler, the distance between the supply part and the conveyance part becomes longer, so the intermediate gutter slides below the supply part and overlaps with the supply part. It is designed so that the portions are small.

Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, a relay gutter is installed between the supply section and the upper part of the conveyance section. In Patent Document 2, a driving means for moving the relay gutter toward and away from the conveying section is provided, and the driving means automatically adjusts the position of the relay gutter according to the flow rate of the raw material.

Additionally, Patent Document 3 discloses providing a flow regulating plate made of an elastic material such as rubber within the conveyance section. In Patent Document 3, the flow of the raw material flowing inside the conveyance section is regulated by a flow regulating plate to stabilize the flow of the raw material.

Further, Patent Document 4 discloses that a regulating plate is provided in the supply section to suppress powder dispersion of the raw material.

Publication No. 56-62181 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-111434 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 116476/1983 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 55-165176

By the way, for example, an optical sorting machine that optically sorts raw materials is configured to use an optical device to sort out foreign substances contained in raw materials flowing through a conveying section, and to remove them using an ejector device. In order to improve the accuracy of sorting by optical equipment and reduce the frequency of errors in foreign matter removal by the ejector device, it is necessary to ensure that all raw materials flowing through the conveyance section are properly transferred from the supply section to the conveyance section. It is preferable to hand over the item without bouncing and without disturbing the posture.

When introducing an optical sorting machine to a site, for example, in the case of Patent Document 1, the slope of the conveying section is adjusted so that a good delivery condition is achieved, and the intermediate gutter is slid according to the slope to start operation. However, after the start of operation, raw materials different from those used at the time of adjustment may be supplied, or even if the raw materials are the same, raw materials with different sizes and shapes may be supplied due to different lots. In such a case, in Patent Document 1, the operator must adjust the slope of the conveying section and slide the intermediate gutter while the operation is stopped, which places a burden on the operator.

In this regard, in Patent Document 2, the driving means can automatically adjust the position of the relay gutter and cause the raw material to flow down at a constant speed to the same location in the conveyance section, so there is no need for adjustment work by the operator. However, since multiple serial processes are required, such as the process of detecting the flow rate of the raw material, the process of determining the flow rate with a threshold value, the drive amount calculation, the process of issuing an operation command to the drive means, and the process of operating the drive means, for example, If the flow rate of the raw material suddenly changes, the real-time response may not be good, and it is conceivable that good delivery conditions cannot be maintained from the time the flow rate changes until the position adjustment of the relay gutter is completed. Another problem is that manufacturing costs increase due to the need for equipment such as sensors, control devices, and actuators.

On the other hand, in Patent Document 3, a flow regulating plate is provided in the conveying section, but since the flow regulating plate is located in the vertical middle part of the conveying section, it is used as a member for transferring the raw material from the supply section to the conveying section. It does not work and it is not possible to achieve good delivery.

Further, the regulation plate of Patent Document 4 is a member for regulating the flow of raw materials within the supply section, and is not a member for delivering raw materials to the conveyance section, so its contribution to good delivery is low.

In addition, even in rice hulling machines other than optical sorters, in order to reliably perform the hulling process, it is necessary to perform good transfer of raw materials from the supply section to the conveyance section.

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and its purpose is to achieve a simple and low-cost transfer of raw materials when transferring the raw materials from the supply section to the conveyance section. The purpose is to stabilize the flowing state.

In order to achieve the above object, the first aspect is based on a raw material delivery device that delivers raw materials supplied from a supply section to a conveyance section that forms a downstream surface for the raw materials. The delivery device includes a guide section that guides the raw material supplied from the supply section to the downstream surface. The guide part is flexible and bends downward when a predetermined amount or more of the raw material accumulates on the guide part to form a gap between the downstream end of the guide part and the downstream surface through which the raw material can pass. have.

That is, when the raw material supplied from the supply section is guided toward the conveyance section by the guide section, the raw material temporarily accumulates on the guide section. When the amount of raw material accumulated on the guide part exceeds a predetermined amount, the guide part bends downward due to the weight of the raw material, creating a gap between the downstream end of the guide part and the downstream surface of the conveying part through which the raw material can pass. is formed, so the raw material accumulated on the guide part passes through the gap and flows down the flow down surface of the conveying part.

Here, since the downward bending deformation of the guide part is used, the gap between the downstream end of the guide part and the downstream surface of the conveying part increases as the amount of raw material accumulated on the guide part increases. I see, it expands, but the more it decreases, the more it shrinks. This gap changes immediately when the amount of raw material accumulated on the guide part changes, so the response speed is faster than when a conventional electric drive means is provided. Furthermore, since the gap is controlled by utilizing the flexibility of the guide portion, the manufacturing cost is lower than when a conventional electric drive means is provided.

Since the raw material once stored gradually flows through the gap, the posture of the raw material is less likely to be disturbed when it is transferred from the supply section to the conveyance section, and the bouncing of the raw material when it reaches the conveyance section is also suppressed. Therefore, the delivery from the supply section to the conveyance section is improved.

The delivery device according to a second aspect includes a support part that supports the guide part so that the guide part can swing freely in the vertical direction, and a biasing member that applies an upward biasing force to the guide part. It has a section. The biasing force of the biasing section causes the guide section to swing downward when a predetermined amount or more of the raw material accumulates on the guide section, thereby forming a gap between the guide section and the downstream surface through which the raw material can pass. It is set as follows.

According to this configuration, when the raw material accumulated on the guide part exceeds a predetermined amount, the guide part swings downward against the biasing force of the biasing part, and the guide part and the downstream surface of the conveying part A gap is formed between them through which the raw material can pass. Since this gap changes depending on the difference between the urging force of the urging section and the weight of the temporarily accumulated raw material, the response speed is faster than when a conventional electric drive means is provided. Furthermore, since the gap is controlled using the biasing force of the biasing section, the manufacturing cost is lower than when a conventional electric drive means is provided.

In a state where there is no raw material on the guide part, a gap smaller than the outer diameter of the raw material can be formed between the downstream end of the guide part and the downstream surface. That is, since the downstream end of the guide part and the downstream surface are separated from each other in advance, there is no frictional resistance between them, and the guide part bends and deforms as intended and swings. Furthermore, when the raw material accumulated on the guide part is less than a predetermined amount, the raw material can be prevented from flowing through the gap, and at least a predetermined amount of the raw material can be accumulated on the guide part. By flowing the once stored raw material through the gap, the effect of improving the delivery from the supply section to the conveyance section as described above becomes even more remarkable.

When there is no raw material on the guide part, an angle formed by an imaginary extended surface extending along the guide part until it intersects with the downstream surface and the downstream surface above the imaginary extended surface is 90 degrees. With the following settings, the guide part can be reliably bent or swung downwards when a predetermined amount or more of raw material has accumulated on the guide part.

Furthermore, in the first aspect, by arranging the starting point of bending deformation in the guide section adjacent to the downstream end of the supply section, the difference in level between the supply section and the guide section is reduced. Furthermore, in the second aspect, by arranging the swing center of the guide section adjacent to the downstream end of the supply section, the difference in level between the supply section and the guide section is reduced. Therefore, the raw material supplied from the supply section can be smoothly delivered to the guide section.

As explained above, in the first aspect, when a predetermined amount or more of the raw material accumulates on the guide part, the guide part is bent and deformed downward, forming a gap through which the raw material can pass. Further, in the second aspect, when a predetermined amount or more of the raw material accumulates on the guide part, the guide part can be swung downward to form a gap through which the raw material can pass. Therefore, when transferring the raw material from the supply section to the conveying section, it is possible to achieve a simple and low-cost transfer without the need for an electric drive means, and it is possible to achieve a good transfer and to stabilize the flow of the raw material. .

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a color sorter equipped with a raw material delivery device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the raw material delivery device. FIG. 2 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a case where less than a predetermined amount of raw material accumulates on the guide portion. FIG. 2 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a case where more than a predetermined amount of raw material has accumulated on the guide portion. FIG. 2 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a case where the flow rate of the raw material is increased. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram used when calculating a necessary biasing force. FIG. 2 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 according to a third modification of the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 10 showing a case where less than a predetermined amount of raw material accumulates on the guide portion. FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 10 showing a case where more than a predetermined amount of raw material has accumulated on the guide part. FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 10 showing a case where the flow rate of the raw material is increased. FIG. 2 is a diagram corresponding to a modification of Embodiment 2; FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a rice huller according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. It is a graph showing the raw material scattering rate of Embodiment 1 and a conventional example. It is a graph which shows the raw material scattering rate of Embodiment 2 and a conventional example. It is a graph showing the scattering rate of soybeans. It is a graph showing the relationship between scattering rate and sorting rate.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. Note that the following description of the embodiments is essentially just an example, and is not intended to limit the present invention, its applications, or its uses. For example, the shape of the members, the arrangement of the members, the size, etc. can be changed without departing from the present invention.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a color sorter 100 equipped with a raw material delivery device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The color sorter 100 is a device that sorts out and eliminates defective products such as foreign substances contained in raw materials. The raw materials that can be sorted by the color sorter 100 may be, for example, grains such as brown rice, polished rice, soybeans, and red beans, or granular materials such as resin pellets. For example, when brown rice or milled rice is the raw material, colored grains caused by pests, damaged grains caused by burnt rice, colored grains such as blue immature grains, unhulled rice, milky white grains, and foreign substances such as pebbles are classified as defective and good. are distinguished. When resin pellets are the raw material, foreign substances mixed in are treated as defective products and are distinguished from good products. Defective products can be excluded from non-defective products by the color sorter 100.

Hereinafter, the schematic structure of the color sorter 100 will be explained. The color sorter 100 includes a supply section 101 that supplies raw materials as objects to be sorted, an inclined chute 102 as a conveyance section, an optical sorting section 103, and a discharge hopper 105. The supply unit 101 includes a tank 101a in which raw materials are stored, and a vibrating feeder 101b that supplies the raw materials to the inclined chute 102. By vibrating the vibrating feeder 101b, the raw material in the tank 101a is sent to the downstream side of the vibrating feeder 101b. Note that the supply section 101 is not limited to a feeder, and may be of a cascade cut gate type, for example.

The inclined chute 102 has a predetermined width that is wider than the width of the vibrating feeder 101b, is arranged in an inclined position below the downstream side of the vibrating feeder 101b, and allows the raw material supplied from the vibrating feeder 101b to naturally flow down. . The inclined chute 102 includes a flat inclined plate part 102b forming a downstream surface 102a of the raw material, and side plate parts 102c rising from both sides of the inclined plate part 102b in the width direction. The slope of the inclined chute 102 is adjustable. Note that instead of the inclined chute 102, a belt-type conveyance section may be used.

A plurality of grooves (not shown) extending in the vertical direction may be provided in the downstream surface 102a of the inclined chute 102 at intervals from each other in the width direction. Further, a heater (not shown) may be provided on the back surface of the inclined plate portion 102b (the surface opposite to the downstream surface 102a) for suppressing foreign matter from adhering to the downstream surface 102a.

The optical sorting unit 103 includes optical detection devices 103a, 103b, 103c, background members 103d, 103e, 103f, which are disposed before and after the falling trajectory (indicated by a virtual line L1) of the raw material falling from the downstream end of the inclined chute 102. It consists of a lighting device (not shown), etc. The optical detection devices 103a, 103b, and 103c are configured by, for example, a CCD line sensor, and include an R element, a G element, and a B element that are sensitive to each color of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). ing. The light reception signals of the optical detection devices 103a, 103b, and 103c are photoelectrically converted into R, G, and B signals and output.

The optical detection devices 103a, 103b, 103c and the calculation device 110 are electrically connected, and each signal output from the optical detection devices 103a, 103b, 103c is input to the calculation device 110. The arithmetic unit 110 determines whether the raw material is a defective product or a non-defective product based on each signal input from the optical detection devices 103a, 103b, and 103c, and if it is determined to be a defective product, the defective product is a pest. It is also possible to distinguish between colored grains caused by grains such as grains, damaged grains caused by burnt rice, green immature grains, unhulled rice, colored grains such as milky white grains, and foreign substances. Since the discrimination logic is well known, a detailed explanation will be omitted, but from the R, G, and B values obtained by performing binarization processing on the captured image, the spectral ratio R/G, The spectral ratio R/B is calculated, and the obtained value is compared with a discriminant stored in a comparison circuit (not shown) to perform, for example, six types of discrimination.

The arithmetic device 110 is electrically connected to the ejector drive device 111, and an output signal from the arithmetic device 110 is input to the ejector drive device 111. That is, the signal of the determination result by the arithmetic unit 110 is output to the ejector drive device 111 that eliminates defective products. Further, the ejector drive device 111 is electrically connected to the ejector device 112 and is configured to output a rejection signal to the ejector device 112. When the ejector device 112 receives the rejection signal, it injects compressed air toward the fall trajectory L1 of the raw material just as the defective product passes in front of it, thereby blowing away the defective product. This method is also well known.

The discharge hopper 105 has a good product collection hopper 105a and a defective product collection hopper 105b. The defective products blown away by the ejector device 112 are collected by the defective product collection hopper 105b and discharged outside the machine. Non-defective products that are not blown away by the ejector device 112 are collected by a non-defective product recovery hopper 105a and discharged outside the machine.

In the color sorter 100 configured as described above, it is desired to improve the sorting accuracy by the optical sorter 103 and to reduce the frequency of errors in foreign matter removal by the ejector device 112 as much as possible. Therefore, when the raw material is transferred from the vibrating feeder 101b of the supply section 101 to the inclined chute 102, it is necessary to realize a good transfer. Good delivery of raw materials means delivery such that all the raw materials flowing down the downstream surface 102a of the inclined chute 102 do not splash and the postures of all the raw materials flowing down the downstream surface 102a are not disturbed. be.

The raw material delivery device 1 according to the present embodiment is a device that can achieve the above-mentioned good delivery, or a delivery very close to it, when delivering the raw material supplied from the supply unit 101 to the inclined chute 102. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the raw material delivery device 1 includes a guide part 2 that guides the raw material supplied from the vibrating feeder 101b to the downstream surface 102a of the inclined chute 102, and a guide part 2 that guides the raw material supplied from the vibrating feeder 101b to the downstream surface 102a of the inclined chute 102. It includes a support part 3 that supports the upstream side portion of the guide part 2 so as to be swingable, and an urging part 4 that applies an upward biasing force to the guide part 2.

The guide section 2 is composed of a gutter-like member that extends from the downstream end of the vibrating feeder 101b toward the downstream surface 102a of the inclined chute 102 while tilting downward. Each side plate portion 2b is provided with a rising side plate portion 2b. The side plate portion 2b is for preventing the raw material from leaking to the side, and may be provided as necessary, or only one side may be provided. If there is no side plate portion 2b, the guide portion 2 has a simple plate shape.

The bottom plate portion 2a is made of, for example, an acrylic flat plate. The material constituting the guide portion 2 is preferably a material that does not generate static electricity, and may be, for example, metal. Further, the guide portion 2 may be provided with a heater (not shown) to prevent dirt, or may be subjected to surface treatment to prevent dirt. Furthermore, the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 2a of the guide portion 2 may be provided with a groove (not shown) extending in the direction in which the raw material is guided.

The width of the guide part 2 is set to be slightly narrower than the width of the vibrating feeder 101b, so that the downstream part of the guide part 2 can be placed between the side plate parts 102c on both sides of the vibrating feeder 101b in the width direction.

The support part 3 is composed of a support shaft that extends horizontally along the width direction of the guide part 2. The support section 3 is a member that forms the swing center of the guide section 2, and is attached below the downstream end of the vibrating feeder 101b of the supply section 101. The upstream end of the guide section 2 is rotatably connected to the support section 3, so that the guide section 2 can be swung such that the downstream end moves in the vertical direction with the upstream end section as the center of oscillation. be able to move. The movement locus of the downstream end of the guide section 2 has an arc shape with the support section 3 as the center. Note that the upstream end of the guide section 2 may be fixed to the support section 3, and the support section 3 may be rotatably connected to the downstream end of the vibrating feeder 101b. can be moved.

The center of swing of the guide section 2 is adjacent to and below the downstream end of the vibratory feeder 101b of the supply section 101. This reduces the level difference between the bottom plate portion 2a of the guide portion 2 and the downstream end of the vibratory feeder 101b. Therefore, the raw material supplied from the vibrating feeder 101b can be smoothly delivered to the guide section 2.

The biasing part 4 is made of an elastic member such as a spring or rubber, and can be composed of a single spring, a single rubber, or a combination of a spring and rubber. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the biasing section 4 is made of a torsion spring, but the biasing section 4 may be composed of a spring other than a torsion spring, rubber, or the like. Since the biasing section 4 is composed of a torsion spring, the biasing section 4 includes a first arm 4a, a second arm 4b, and an elastic force generating section 4c that generates an elastic force between these arms 4a and 4b. have.

A spring fixing member 5 to which the first arm 4a of the urging section 4 is fixed is provided below the downstream end of the vibratory feeder 101b. The spring fixing member 5 is fixed, for example, to a frame member, a casing, or the like that constitutes a part of the raw material delivery device 1. The second arm 4b of the biasing section 4 is fixed to the lower surface of the bottom plate section 2a of the guide section 2. Thereby, the biasing section 4 always biases the guide section 2 upward.

For example, when the biasing part 4 is configured with a coil spring, one end of the coil spring is fixed to the spring fixing member 5, and the other end of the coil spring is fixed to the lower surface of the bottom plate part 2a of the guide part 2. good. In addition, when the urging part 4 is configured with a leaf spring, one end of the leaf spring is fixed to the spring fixing member 5, and the other end of the leaf spring is fixed to the lower surface of the bottom plate part 2a of the guide part 2. do it. Alternatively, the biasing force may be applied by pulling the guide portion 2 upward using a tension spring, rubber, or the like.

The urging force by the urging section 4 may be made adjustable. For example, in the case of raw materials with high specific gravity, the biasing force by the biasing unit 4 is increased, while in the case of raw materials with low specific gravity, the biasing force by the biasing unit 4 is decreased. For example, by changing the spring to one with a different spring constant, the biasing force of the biasing section 4 can be adjusted.

When the raw material is not supplied, that is, when there is no raw material on the guide section 2, a gap S1 is formed between the downstream end of the guide section 2 and the downstream surface 102a. The position of the guide part 2 when there is no raw material on the guide part 2 is called the initial position (no-load position). In other words, since the downstream end of the guide section 2 in the initial position is away from the downstream surface 102a, when the guide section 2 tries to swing downward, there is no frictional force (frictional resistance) between it and the downstream surface 102a. Does not occur. Therefore, the downward swinging of the guide portion 2 is smoothly performed as intended. Further, the downstream end of the guide portion 2 may be chamfered, for example, in order to reliably prevent interference with the downstream surface 102a.

The gap S1 when the guide part 2 is in the initial position is a gap smaller than the outer diameter of the raw material, and even if only a few grains of raw material are supplied in this state, the raw material will not flow downstream from the gap S1. Instead, it stays on the guide part 2. The size of the gap S1 when the guide section 2 is at the initial position can be changed, for example, by changing the length of the guide section 2 or by changing the relative distance between the guide section 2 and the inclined chute 102.

If the raw material has a shape close to a sphere, the outer diameter of any part is almost the same, so the outer diameter of the raw material to be measured when setting the gap S1 may be any part. On the other hand, if the raw material has a cross section close to an oval or ellipse, the dimension in the minor axis direction and the dimension in the major axis direction will be different, but in this case, the dimension of the raw material to be measured when setting the gap S1. The outer diameter is the outer diameter in the short diameter direction. Thereby, no matter what direction the raw material is oriented, it will not pass through the gap S1. Furthermore, when setting the gap S1, the average diameter of the raw materials may be calculated, and the gap S1 may be set to be less than the average diameter. Furthermore, when raw materials of different sizes are mixed, the gap S1 may be set to be less than the outer diameter of the smaller raw material.

Further, the imaginary line L2 shown in FIG. 2 indicates an imaginary extension surface (plane) extending along the downstream portion of the guide portion 2 until it intersects with the downstream surface 102a of the inclined chute 102. When there is no raw material on the guide part 2, the angle A between the virtual extension surface L2 and the downstream surface 102a above the virtual extension surface L2 is set to 90 degrees or less, and in this example, the angle A is 90 degrees.

When the angle A is 90 degrees, the gap S1 is the narrowest. That is, the inclination angle of the guide part 2 is set so that the gap S1 becomes the narrowest when there is no raw material on the guide part 2. When the raw material accumulates on the guide part 2 and the guide part 2 is pushed downward by the weight of the raw material, the guide part 2 swings downward without interfering with the downstream surface 102a of the inclined chute 102. As the guide section 2 swings downward, the angle A becomes smaller than 90 degrees, the downstream edge of the guide section 2 moves away from the downstream surface 102a, and the gap S1 widens (Fig. 4 , shown in Figure 5).

If the angle A becomes smaller than 90 degrees, the slope of the guide section 2 will become too steep, and the raw material supplied from the vibrating feeder 101b may accelerate on the guide section 2 and become likely to bounce. It is preferable that the angle is 90 degrees or less. On the other hand, if the angle A is larger than 90 degrees, when the guide section 2 attempts to swing downward, the downstream end of the guide section 2 will contact and interfere with the downstream surface 102a of the inclined chute 102, causing the guide section 2 will no longer swing downwards. Therefore, in this example, the angle A when the guide part 2 is at the initial position is 90 degrees, but it can be made smaller than 90 degrees as long as the raw material does not bounce. For example, the angle A can be set from 85 degrees to 90 degrees. It is also possible to set it within a range.

By the urging force of the urging section 4, it is possible to determine the timing at which the guide section 2 in the initial position starts to swing downward. That is, in a state where less than a predetermined amount of raw material has accumulated on the guide part 2 (as shown in FIG. 3), the urging force by the urging part 4 keeps the guide part 2 at the initial position, while As shown in the figure, the setting is such that when more than a predetermined amount of raw material accumulates on the guide part 2, the guide part 2 is swung downward to form a gap S1 between it and the downstream surface 102a through which the raw material can pass. has been done. While the raw material continues to flow, a gap S1 through which the raw material can pass is maintained. Also, when the flow rate of the raw material increases as shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 5, the guide part 2 swings downward more than in the case shown in FIG. While this continues, this large gap S1 is maintained.

The upper surface of the bottom plate portion 2a of the guide portion 2 may be provided with a high-friction material or a high-friction structure that generates a higher frictional force than a smooth metal plate surface. Thereby, the raw material supplied to the bottom plate part 2a of the guide part 2 stops flowing immediately, so that the raw material can be temporarily stored on the guide part 2. Further, an uneven shape may be provided on the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 2a of the guide portion 2. Thereby, the raw material supplied to the bottom plate part 2a of the guide part 2 becomes caught in the recesses and convex parts, and the raw material can be temporarily stored on the guide part 2.

The biasing force by the biasing unit 4 described above can be calculated using the schematic diagram shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 shows a pre-feeding state in which the vibrating feeder 101b of the supply section 101 and the inclined chute 102 face each other. In FIG. 6, a [mm] is the length of the guide section 2 (length from the upstream end to the downstream end), α [deg] is the inclination angle of the inclined chute 102, and θ [deg] is the guide section 2. 2 (0≦θ≦α), w [g] is the weight of the raw material accumulated on the guide part 2, and φ [deg] is the displacement between the inclined chute 102 and the guide part 2. kt [N·mm/deg] is the spring constant of the biasing section 4, and g is the gravitational acceleration. φ[deg] is 90[deg] when the guide section 2 is at the initial position.

When the flow rate of the raw material is a certain flow rate, the raw material w [g] is flowing while accumulating on the guide part 2, and the spring constant kt when the swing angle displacement of the guide part 2 is in a steady state at θ [deg] Find [N·mm/deg].

The force N1 exerted by the raw material w[g] on the guide section 2 is determined by calculating the component in the vertical direction of the guide section 2, as shown in the following equation (1).
N1=w・g・cos(π/2+θ−α) (1)

The moment M of force at a position a [mm] away from the center of swing of the guide section 2 can be calculated using the following equation (2).
M=N1・a=a・w・g・cos(π/2+θ−α) (2)

If the angular displacement of the guide portion 2 is maintained at θ [deg] when this moment of force is applied, the spring constant of the biasing portion 4 can be expressed by the following equation (3).
kt=M/θ=a・w・g・cos(π/2+θ−α)/θ (3)

Further, the relationship between the angular displacement θ [deg] of the guide portion 2 and the gap S1 (x [mm]) can be expressed by the following equation (4).
x=a・sin(θ)・tan(θ/2) (4)

The following equation is obtained from the above equations (3) and (4).
kt=x・w・g・cos(π/2+θ−α)/θ・sin(θ)・tan(θ/2)

In other words, when the weight of the raw material on the guide section 2 is w [g], by determining how much gap S1 is required, the spring constant of the biasing section 4 that can realize the gap S1 can be determined. . For example, if a is 100 mm, α is 60 deg, and w is 50 g, then if the gap S1 is to be maintained at 20 mm, the spring constant will be approximately 0.52 N·mm/deg. For w, a value suitable for the type of raw material may be determined in advance through experiments or the like. An appropriate size of the gap S1 is a size that allows the raw material to accumulate on the guide portion 2 and to maintain a state in which it does not overflow.

(Operations and effects of Embodiment 1)
As explained above, according to the first embodiment, the guide part 2 supported so as to be swingable in the vertical direction is urged upward by the urging part 4. The biasing force of the biasing unit 4 causes the guide unit 2 to swing downward when a predetermined amount or more of raw material accumulates on the guide unit 2, and the raw material passes between the guide unit 2 and the downstream surface 102a of the inclined chute 102. Since the setting is made to form a possible gap S1, as shown in FIG. Temporarily accumulates on top of 2.

Since the raw material is continuously supplied from the supply part 101, as shown in FIG. move. By swinging the guide section 2 downward, a gap S1 through which the raw material can pass is formed between the downstream end of the guide section 2 and the downstream surface 102a of the inclined chute 102. The raw material passing through the gap S1 flows down the flow down surface 102a.

As shown in FIG. 5, the gap S1 between the downstream end of the guide section 2 and the downstream surface 102a of the inclined chute 102 increases as the amount of raw material accumulated on the guide section 2 increases. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the smaller the amount of raw material accumulated on the guide section 2, the smaller the guide section 2 becomes. Since the gap S1 changes immediately when the amount of raw material accumulated on the guide portion 2 changes, the response speed is faster than when a conventional electric drive means is provided. Furthermore, since the gap S1 is controlled using the biasing force of the biasing section 4, the manufacturing cost is lower than when a conventional electric drive means is provided.

Since the raw material once stored gradually flows through the gap S1, the posture of the raw material is less likely to be disturbed when it is delivered from the supply section 101 to the inclined chute 102, and the raw material is also prevented from bouncing when it reaches the inclined chute 102. suppressed. Therefore, the delivery from the supply section to the inclined chute 102 is improved.

(Modification of Embodiment 1)
FIG. 7 shows a first modification of the first embodiment. In this modification 1, the bottom plate part 2a of the guide part 2 is curved upward, and the side plate part 2b is also curved accordingly. By curving the bottom plate part 2a upward, it becomes difficult for the raw material to accumulate on the upstream part of the guide part 2, but it becomes easier to accumulate in the vicinity of the downstream end of the guide part 2, and the temporarily accumulated raw material can flow into the inclined chute 102.

FIG. 8 shows a second modification of the first embodiment. In this modification 2, the bottom plate part 2a of the guide part 2 is curved downward, and the side plate part 2b is also curved accordingly. By curving the bottom plate portion 2a downward, the raw material on the guide portion 2 can be reliably guided to the downstream end of the guide portion 2.

FIG. 9 shows a third modification of the first embodiment. This third modification is an example in which the present invention is applied to a case of post-feeding in which the vibrating feeder 101b of the supply section 101 and the inclined chute 102 are not faced to each other. That is, the inclined chute 102 is inclined in the opposite direction to that in the case of front loading shown in FIG. 2 and the like. Correspondingly, the guide portion 2 is also inclined in the opposite direction to that in the case of front loading. The spring fixing member 5 is provided with a support portion 3 that swingably supports the guide portion 2. The biasing force 4 fixed to the spring fixing member 5 applies the biasing force as described above to the guide section 2 . Therefore, the guide part 2 can be swung in the same way as in the case of pre-loading.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the raw material remains accumulated on the guide portion 2 after the operation is stopped, but the accumulated raw material may be discharged. For example, after the operation is stopped, the guide section 2 may be vibrated, the guide section 2 may be greatly swung downward, an air blower may be installed to blow the raw material on the guide section 2, or a wiper may be used to scrape the material on the guide section 2. etc. may be provided.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 10 shows a raw material delivery device 1 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Embodiment 2 differs from Embodiment 1 in that the guide portion 20 bends and deforms. Hereinafter, the same parts as in Embodiment 1 will be given the same reference numerals as in Embodiment 1, and description thereof will be omitted.

The guide portion 20 has desired flexibility. Specifically, when more than a predetermined amount of raw material accumulates on the guide part 20, the guide part 20 bends downward, and the raw material is disposed between the downstream end of the guide part 20 and the downstream surface 120a of the inclined chute 102. It has flexibility to form a gap S1 through which it can pass (see FIGS. 12 and 13).

That is, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the shape of the guide section 20 when there is no raw material on the guide section 20 is referred to as the initial shape (no-load shape). The same gap S1 as in the first embodiment is formed between the downstream end of the guide portion 20 in the initial shape and the downstream surface 102a. Further, when the guide portion 20 is in the initial shape, the angle A between the virtual extension surface L2 and the downstream surface 102a above the virtual extension surface L2 is set similarly to the first embodiment.

The guide section 20 maintains its initial shape when less than a predetermined amount of raw material has accumulated on the guide section 20 (as shown in FIG. 11), but as shown in FIG. When more than a certain amount of raw material accumulates, it bends downward to form a gap S1 between it and the downstream surface 102a through which the raw material can pass. Since the guide portion 20 remains bent while the raw material continues to flow, the gap S1 through which the raw material can pass is maintained. Also, when the flow rate of the raw material increases as shown in FIG. 12, as shown in FIG. 13, the guide part 20 bends downward more than in the case shown in FIG. 12, and the gap S1 becomes wider, and the raw material continues to flow. During this time, this gap S1 is maintained.

The starting point 20a of the deflection deformation in the guide section 20 is adjacent to the downstream end of the vibrating feeder 101b of the supply section 101. This reduces the level difference between the guide section 20 and the downstream end of the vibratory feeder 101b, so that the raw material supplied from the vibratory feeder 101b can be smoothly delivered to the guide section 20.

The guide section 20 having flexibility as described above can be constructed of, for example, an elastic metal plate, a resin plate, or a combination thereof. In addition, in order to obtain the above-mentioned flexibility, the guide section 20 may be constructed by combining multiple types of materials, the thickness of the plate material constituting the guide section 20 may be adjusted, or the guide section 20 may be constructed by combining a plurality of materials. The shape of 20 may be devised. Further, the elastic force of the guide portion 20 may be configured to be smaller in the downstream portion than in the upstream portion, for example, the elastic force may be configured to become softer toward the downstream end of the guide portion 20. Further, the thickness of the downstream portion of the guide portion 20 may be made thinner than the thickness of the upstream portion, and the material of the downstream portion of the guide portion 20 may be made to have lower rigidity than the material of the upstream portion. Further, the guide portion 20 may be flat or may be curved upward or downward.

(Operations and effects of Embodiment 2)
As described above, according to the second embodiment, the flexible guide section 20 is provided, and when a predetermined amount or more of raw material accumulates on the guide section 20, the guide section 20 is not bent downward. A gap S1 through which the raw material can pass is formed between the tip and the downstream surface 102a of the inclined chute 102. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, when the raw material supplied from the supply section 101 is guided toward the inclined chute 102 by the guide section 20, the raw material temporarily accumulates on the guide section 20.

Since the raw material is continuously supplied from the supply section 101, as shown in FIG. 12, when the amount of raw material accumulated on the guide section 20 exceeds a predetermined amount, the guide section 20 is bent downward due to the weight of the raw material. A gap S1 is formed between the downstream end of the guide portion 20 and the downstream surface 102a of the inclined chute 102, through which the raw material can pass. As a result, the raw material accumulated on the guide portion 20 passes through the gap S1 and flows down the flow down surface 102a.

As shown in FIG. 13, the larger the amount of raw material accumulated on the guide part 20, the more the guide part 20 is bent, and thus the gap S1 becomes larger. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, the smaller the amount of raw material accumulated on the guide section 20, the smaller the deflection of the guide section 20, so the gap S1 is reduced. Since the gap S1 changes immediately when the amount of raw material accumulated on the guide portion 20 changes, the response speed is faster than when a conventional electric drive means is provided. Furthermore, since the gap S1 is controlled using the flexibility of the guide section 20, the manufacturing cost is lower than when a conventional electric drive means is provided.

(Modification of Embodiment 2)
FIG. 14 shows a modification of the second embodiment. The raw material delivery device 1 according to this modification includes a support member 21 that supports the lower surface of the guide section 20. The support member 21 is fixed to a frame member, a casing, etc. that constitutes a part of the raw material delivery device 1, and does not move in the vertical direction. It is movable in the left and right directions. When the support member 21 is disposed at the position shown by the solid line, it is possible to support a portion of the guide portion 20 near the upstream end from below. On the other hand, when the support member 21 is arranged at the position shown by the imaginary line, the middle part of the guide part 20 in the guiding direction can be supported from below, and the guide part 20 is less likely to bend downward compared to the position shown by the solid line. . That is, by moving the support member 21 in the guiding direction of the guide section 20, the ease of bending of the guide section 20, that is, the elastic force can be adjusted, so that the elastic force matched to the type of raw material can be easily obtained. Note that the support member 21 may be positionally adjustable in the guiding direction of the guide portion 20, or may be positionally adjustable in multiple stages.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 15 shows a huller 200 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and this huller 200 is equipped with the raw material delivery device 1 of the first embodiment. Note that the rice huller 200 may include the raw material delivery device 1 of the second embodiment.

The hulling machine 200 includes a hulling section 204 in which a pair of rubber hulling rolls 202 and 203 are rotatably arranged in a machine frame 201, a hulling section 204, and a rice hopper 205 provided above the hulling section 204. A paddy supply section 207 that is equipped with a vibration feeder 206 for flow rate adjustment and that stores paddy as a raw material and feeds it out appropriately, and an inclined chute that guides the paddy supplied from the paddy supply section 207 to the husking section 204. (Transportation section) 209 constitutes the main section. The inclined chute 209 has a raw material flow surface 209a.

The husking section 204 rotates the pair of husking rolls 202 and 203 in opposite directions at different circumferential speeds, and supplies the paddy to the gap between the husking rolls 202 and 203. This is a roll-type rice huller that removes the rice husks by shearing and breaking the rice husks using the difference in circumferential speed between them. Reference numeral 210 indicates a motor for rotating the shredding roll 203, and reference numeral 211 indicates a motor for rotating the shredding roll 202. The rotational force of the motors 210 and 211 is transmitted to the shredding rolls 202 and 203 by a transmission belt (not shown) or the like.

The vibration mechanism 206a of the vibration feeder 206 causes the vibration trough 206b to vibrate. The paddy supply unit 207 supplies the paddy put into the paddy hopper 205 to the downstream side by a vibrating vibrating trough 206b.

The paddy flowing down from the downstream end of the vibrating trough 206b is supplied onto the guide section 2 of the delivery device 1. In the case of the delivery device 1 of Embodiment 1, when more than a predetermined amount of raw material accumulates on the guide section 2, the guide section 2 swings downward, and the downstream end of the guide section 2 and the downstream surface 209a. In between, a gap is formed through which the raw material can pass. On the other hand, in the case of the delivery device 1 of the second embodiment, when more than a predetermined amount of raw material accumulates on the guide section 20, the guide section 20 is bent downward, and the downstream end of the guide section 20 and the downstream surface 209a are bent. In between, a gap is formed through which the raw material can pass.

Therefore, similarly to Embodiments 1 and 2, when transferring paddy from the paddy supply section 207 to the inclined chute 209, it is possible to realize a good transfer and stabilize the flowing state of the raw material while being simple and low cost. Can be done.

The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be construed in a limiting manner. Furthermore, all modifications and changes that come within the scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention can be applied to devices other than the color sorter 100 and the huller 200.

(Test example)
FIG. 16 is a graph showing the raw material scattering rate of Embodiment 1 and the conventional example. In the first embodiment, the inclined chute 102 was provided with a heater (with heater) and the inclined chute 102 was not provided with a heater (without heater). Comparative Examples 1 and 2 are examples in which the guide part is fixed and the raw material can always pass through the gap between it and the inclined chute 102. In Comparative Example 1, the raw material flow rate is 37.5 kg/ This is an example in which the guide part is adjusted so that the angle and position are suitable when the flow rate of raw material is 5.2 kg/h/ch. This is an example in which the guide section is adjusted as follows. Comparative Examples 1 and 2 both have a heater. The raw material is short grain white rice. As shown in the graph of FIG. 16, it can be seen that in Embodiment 1, the scattering rate of the raw material is reduced compared to Comparative Examples 1 and 2 in both "with heater" and "without heater".

FIG. 17 is a graph showing the raw material scattering rate of Embodiment 2 and the conventional example. In the second embodiment, the inclined chute 102 was provided with a heater (with heater) and the inclined chute 102 was not provided with a heater (without heater). In Comparative Examples 1 to 4, the guide part is fixed, and the raw material can always pass through the gap between it and the inclined chute 102, and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 are the same as Comparative Examples 1 and 2 above. . Comparative Example 3 is an example in which the guide portion is adjusted to have an angle and position appropriate when the flow rate of the raw material is 37.5 kg/h/ch, and is “without heater”. Comparative Example 4 is an example in which the guide portion is adjusted to have an angle and position appropriate when the flow rate of the raw material is 5.2 kg/h/ch, and is “without heater”. The raw material is short grain white rice. As shown in the graph of FIG. 17, it can be seen that in Embodiment 2, the scattering rate of the raw material is reduced in both "with heater" and "without heater" compared to Comparative Examples 2 to 4.

FIG. 18 is a graph showing the scattering rate when the raw material is soybean. Embodiment 1 is "without heater" in which the inclined chute 102 is not provided with a heater. In Comparative Example 5, the guide part is fixed and the raw material can always pass through the gap between it and the inclined chute 102, and the angle and position are suitable when the flow rate of the raw material is 5.2 kg/h/ch. This is an example in which the guide section is adjusted so that As shown in the graph of FIG. 18, it can be seen that in Embodiment 1, the soybean scattering rate is significantly reduced compared to Comparative Example 5.

FIG. 19 is a graph showing the relationship between the scattering rate of raw materials and the sorting rate. The sorting rate is the sorting rate by the color sorting machine 100, and the higher the numerical value, the more correctly sorted. Embodiment 1 is "without heater" in which the inclined chute 102 is not provided with a heater. Comparative Examples 1 and 2 are the same as Comparative Examples 1 and 2 above. As shown in this graph, it can be seen that if the scattering rate of raw materials can be reduced, the sorting rate by the color sorter 100 tends to improve.

As explained above, the raw material delivery device according to the present invention can be used when various raw materials supplied from the supply section are temporarily stored and then delivered to the transport section.

1 Raw material delivery device 2 Guide section 3 Support section 4 Urging section 20 Guide section 101 Supply section 102 Inclined chute (transport section)
102a Downstream surface L2 Virtual extension surface S1 Gap

Claims

A raw material delivery device that delivers raw materials supplied from a supply part to a conveyance part that forms a downstream surface of the raw materials,
comprising a guide part that guides the raw material supplied from the supply part to the downstream surface,
The guide part is flexible and bends downward when a predetermined amount or more of the raw material accumulates on the guide part to form a gap between the downstream end of the guide part and the downstream surface through which the raw material can pass. A raw material delivery device characterized by having:
A raw material delivery device that delivers raw materials supplied from a supply part to a conveyance part that forms a downstream surface of the raw materials,
a guide section that guides the raw material supplied from the supply section to the downstream surface;
a support part that supports the guide part so that the guide part can swing vertically;
a biasing portion that applies an upward biasing force to the guide portion;
The biasing force of the biasing section causes the guide section to swing downward when a predetermined amount or more of the raw material accumulates on the guide section, thereby forming a gap between the guide section and the downstream surface through which the raw material can pass. A raw material delivery device characterized by being set as follows.
The raw material delivery device according to claim 1,
A raw material transfer device characterized in that, when there is no raw material on the guide part, a gap smaller than the outer diameter of the raw material is formed between the downstream end of the guide part and the downstream surface. .
The raw material delivery device according to claim 2,
A raw material transfer device characterized in that, when there is no raw material on the guide part, a gap smaller than the outer diameter of the raw material is formed between the downstream end of the guide part and the downstream surface. .
The raw material delivery device according to claim 1,
When there is no raw material on the guide part, an angle formed by an imaginary extended surface extending along the guide part until it intersects with the downstream surface and the downstream surface above the imaginary extended surface is 90 degrees. A raw material delivery device characterized by the following settings.
The raw material delivery device according to claim 2,
When there is no raw material on the guide part, an angle formed by an imaginary extended surface extending along the guide part until it intersects with the downstream surface and the downstream surface above the imaginary extended surface is 90 degrees. A raw material delivery device characterized by the following settings.
The raw material delivery device according to claim 1,
A raw material delivery device characterized in that a starting point of deflection deformation in the guide section is adjacent to a downstream end of the supply section.
The raw material delivery device according to claim 2,
A raw material delivery device characterized in that a swing center of the guide section is adjacent to a downstream end of the supply section.