Material metering device and method

Abstract

The application discloses a material metering device, which comprises a material receiving and metering component, a scraping mechanism and a material blocking and discharging mechanism. The material receiving and metering component comprises a metering groove, at least one side of which is arranged to be inclined. The scraping mechanism is arranged above the metering groove and moves or swings along the horizontal direction to scrape the material on the top of the material receiving and metering groove. The material blocking and discharging mechanism is arranged below the metering groove to open and close the discharging port at the bottom of the metering groove. The application also discloses a material metering method, which is carried out by using the material metering device and comprises the following steps: S1, conveying the material into the metering groove; and S2, when the metering groove is filled with the material, the scraping mechanism swings from one side of the metering groove to the opposite side to scrape the material higher than the top of the metering groove. The material metering device and method have the advantages of reducing material damage and waste.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of food and pharmaceutical packaging machinery and equipment technology, specifically to a material metering device and method. Background Technology

[0002] Existing granule packaging equipment generally adopts a volumetric method—a metering box filling scheme, which is carried out through a metering filling device. For example, a high-speed metering filling device, feeding method and feedback control method with application number 201910311889.8 is used to place the metering box below the hopper to receive the material flowing out of the lower outlet of the hopper. A scraper is set above the metering box to scrape the material on the top of the metering box, and a blade is set below the metering box to block the bottom opening of the metering box when receiving material and to release the material when it is full.

[0003] Existing metering and filling devices have the following shortcomings: The top perimeter of the metering box is a relatively wide flat surface, causing material to accumulate there. This accumulated material remains on top of the metering chamber before being leveled, hindering overflow and recycling, resulting in material waste and low metering efficiency. When the scraper passes over the material, the scraper and the top of the metering box exert shearing forces, causing material breakage. Furthermore, the repeated scraping by the scraper further exacerbates this breakage due to the continuous external force applied to the accumulated material. Additionally, the fixed capacity of the metering box makes it difficult to meet different filling volume requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a material metering device and method to reduce material damage and waste.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A material metering device includes a receiving and metering component, a leveling mechanism, and a material blocking and discharging mechanism. The receiving and metering component includes a metering trough, at least one side of which is inclined. The leveling mechanism is disposed above the metering trough and moves or swings horizontally to level the material at the top of the receiving and metering trough. The material blocking and discharging mechanism is disposed below the metering trough and is used to open and close the material discharge port at the bottom of the metering trough.

[0007] As a further improvement to the above technical solution:

[0008] The metering trough slopes downward from the top inlet, either inward from the top inlet toward the inside of the metering trough or outward from the top inlet toward the outside of the metering trough, thereby forming a sharp edge structure in the inlet area.

[0009] The material discharge mechanism includes a discharge baffle and a swing drive assembly. The discharge baffle is disposed below the discharge port at the bottom of the metering trough. The swing drive assembly is connected to the discharge baffle and is used to drive the discharge baffle to swing up and down.

[0010] The swing drive assembly is a telescopic drive assembly, which is swing-oriented, and the telescopic end of the swing drive assembly is hinged to the material discharge baffle.

[0011] The leveling mechanism includes a scraper and a rotary drive assembly. The scraper is oscillating above the metering trough and connected to the rotary drive assembly.

[0012] The material receiving and metering component also includes a receiving plate, through which the metering groove extends to measure materials. The receiving plate has a discharge groove on the outside of the metering groove.

[0013] A movable block for changing the capacity of the metering tank is provided on one side of the metering tank, and the movable block is connected to a moving adjustment mechanism for moving the movable block.

[0014] The material metering device also includes a hopper and a vibrating feeding mechanism. The vibrating feeding mechanism is located between the hopper and the receiving metering trough and is used to vibrate and convey the material falling from the hopper into the metering trough.

[0015] The vibrating feeding mechanism includes a feeding trough and a vibrator for vibrating the feeding trough. The discharge port at the bottom of the hopper is aligned vertically with the feed end of the feeding trough, and the discharge end of the feeding trough is located above the metering trough.

[0016] The discharge end of the feeding trough is connected to a guide trough, and the bottom end of the guide trough is aligned vertically with the metering trough.

[0017] A material metering method, using the aforementioned material metering device, includes the following steps:

[0018] S1. Convey the material into the metering tank;

[0019] S2. When the metering tank is full of material, the scraping mechanism swings from one side of the metering tank to the other side to scrape the material that is higher than the top of the metering tank.

[0020] As a further improvement to the above technical solution:

[0021] In S2, the top opening of the metering groove is set as the leveling opening, the plane where the leveling opening is located is set as the leveling plane, the projection of the starting position of the leveling mechanism swinging on the leveling plane is set as the starting projection A, the starting projection A is located outside the leveling opening, the projection of the ending position of the leveling mechanism swinging to the opposite side on the leveling plane is set as the ending projection B, and the ending projection B intersects with the leveling opening.

[0022] The position of the scraping mechanism on the opposite side and tangent to the scraping opening is set as the endpoint reference position C, and the angle between the termination projection B and the endpoint reference position C is set as β, satisfying that 0 < β < 5°.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0024] The material metering device of the present invention firstly conveys material into a metering trough; secondly, when the metering trough is full of material, a leveling mechanism swings from one side of the metering trough to the opposite side to level the material above the top of the metering trough; the metering trough is inclined inward or outward on at least one side, thereby forming a pointed edge structure with upward protrusions around the perimeter of the metering trough. When excess material is leveled, it will fall outward, preventing it from remaining at the top of the metering trough and being sheared. Simultaneously, it also facilitates the refilling and reuse of overflowing and swept-out material, reducing material waste. The materials to which this invention can be applied include, but are not limited to, granules, tablets, pills, and other similar materials. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the material metering device of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the material metering device of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a top view of the metering component of the material metering device of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the metering tank of the metering component of the material metering device of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a comparison diagram of the scraper positions in the material metering device of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the first structural design of the pointed edge of the material metering device of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the second structure of the pointed edge of the material metering device of the present invention.

[0032] The labels in the diagram represent:

[0033] 1. Hopper; 2. Vibrating feeding mechanism; 21. Feeding trough; 22. Vibrator; 3. Metering component; 31. Receiving plate; 32. Metering trough; 321. Sharp edge; 322. Sweeping opening; 4. Scraping mechanism; 41. Scraper; 42. Rotary drive assembly; 5. Material blocking and dropping mechanism; 51. Dropping baffle; 52. Swing drive assembly; 7. Guide trough; 8. Dropping trough; 9. Moving block; 91. Moving adjustment mechanism; A. Starting projection; B. Ending projection; C. Ending reference position. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0035] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0036] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0037] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "assembly," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0038] Example 1:

[0039] Figures 1 to 7 An embodiment of the material metering device of the present invention is shown. The material metering device of this embodiment includes a receiving and metering component 3, a leveling mechanism 4, and a material blocking and dropping mechanism 5. The receiving and metering component 3 includes a metering trough 32, the inlet area of ​​which is inclined. The leveling mechanism 4 is disposed above the metering trough 32 and moves or swings in the horizontal direction to level the material at the top of the receiving and metering trough 32. The material blocking and dropping mechanism 5 is disposed below the metering trough 32 and is used to open and close the dropping port at the bottom of the metering trough 32.

[0040] First, the material is conveyed into the metering tank 32. Second, when the metering tank 32 is full, the leveling mechanism 4 swings from one side of the metering tank 32 to the other side to level the material above the top of the metering tank 32. Then, the material-blocking and discharging mechanism 5 opens the discharge port at the bottom of the metering tank 32, allowing the material in the metering tank 32 to fall into the container below, achieving quantitative filling of the container. The metering tank 32 is inclined inwards or outwards on at least one side, forming a pointed edge 321 structure around its perimeter. When excess material is leveled, it falls outwards, preventing it from remaining at the top of the metering tank 32 and being sheared. This also facilitates the refilling and reuse of overflowing and swept-out material, reducing material waste. This invention can be applied to materials including, but not limited to, granules, tablets, and pills.

[0041] Furthermore, the metering trough 32 slopes downwards from the top inlet, with the slope including inwards from the top inlet towards the inside of the metering trough 32 and / or outwards from the top inlet. The inlet area of ​​the metering trough 32 slopes to form a sharp edge 321, for example, the sharp edge 321 has a sharp blade structure, meaning the top edge of the metering trough 32 has an acute angle. The sharp edge 321 is on the same horizontal plane and encloses the top inlet of the metering trough 32 (hereinafter referred to as the leveling opening 322). The narrow width of the sharp edge 321 reduces the contact area with the material, thereby reducing damage to overflowing and swept-out material, facilitating the refilling and reuse of overflowing and swept-out material, and minimizing material waste.

[0042] Furthermore, such as Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the material-discharging mechanism 5 includes a material-discharging baffle 51 and a swing drive assembly 52. ​​The material-discharging baffle 51 is correspondingly disposed below the material-discharging opening at the bottom of the metering trough 32. The swing drive assembly 52 is connected to the material-discharging baffle 51 and is used to drive the material-discharging baffle 51 to swing up and down. The swing drive assembly 52 drives the material-discharging baffle 51 to swing up to block the material-discharging opening at the bottom of the metering trough 32, and the swing drive assembly 52 drives the material-discharging baffle 51 to swing down to open the material-discharging opening at the bottom of the metering trough 32. The material-discharging mechanism 5 discharges material by swinging downward. During the discharge process, the material-discharging baffle 51 and the metering trough 32 do not generate horizontal shearing force on the material, further reducing damage to the material.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the swing drive assembly 52 is a telescopic drive assembly, which is oscillatingly configured, and its telescopic end is hinged to the discharge baffle 51. The swing drive assembly 52 is a cylinder, hydraulic cylinder, or electric cylinder. The telescopic movement of the swing drive assembly 52 causes the discharge baffle 51 to swing up and down.

[0044] Furthermore, such as Figure 3As shown, in this embodiment, the leveling mechanism 4 includes a scraper 41 and a rotary drive assembly 42. The scraper 41 is oscillatingly positioned above the metering trough 32 and connected to the rotary drive assembly 42. The rotary drive assembly 42 drives the scraper 41 to oscillate horizontally, leveling the material above the top of the metering trough 32. Compared to linear reciprocating scraping, the horizontal shear force between materials is small, making it less likely to damage the material.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the receiving and metering component 3 also includes a receiving plate 31, with a metering trough 32 extending vertically through the receiving plate 31 for material metering. The receiving plate 31 has a discharge trough 8 on the outside of the metering trough 32. The metering trough 32 is used to meter materials before filling, and the receiving plate 31 is used to receive materials overflowing and swept out from the top of the metering trough 32.

[0046] Furthermore, when the inlet area of ​​the metering tank 32 is inclined outward, a guide surface can be provided between the pointed edge 321 and the discharge trough 8. The guide surface is used to guide the overflowing and swept material to the discharge trough 8, which facilitates the collection of the overflowing and swept material. When metering is performed, slightly more material than the capacity of the metering tank 32 can be added, and the excess material can enter the discharge trough 8 along the guide surface.

[0047] Furthermore, as an optional implementation of this embodiment, the inlet area of ​​the metering tank 32 is inclined outward, and the outer wall of the metering tank 32 is in contact with the discharge trough 8. When metering is performed, the material added slightly more than the capacity of the metering tank 32 will fall directly into the discharge trough 8 under the action of gravity.

[0048] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a movable block 9 for changing the capacity of the metering tank 32 is movably provided on one side of the metering tank 32. The movable block 9 is connected to a moving adjustment mechanism 91 for moving the movable block 9. By adjusting the movement of the movable block 9, the volume inside the metering tank 32 can be changed, thereby realizing the specification change of the filling volume and meeting different filling volume specification requirements.

[0049] Furthermore, such as Figure 4 As shown, the metering tank 32 and the moving block 9 enclose an effective loading space, and the bottom of the loading space is opened and closed by the material blocking and dropping mechanism 5.

[0050] Furthermore, the moving block 9 is inclined outward toward the metering trough 32, forming a narrow edge at the top of the metering trough 32. The narrow edge and the pointed edge 321 enclose the entrance to the loading space, which is the leveling opening 322 (preferably a square opening with rounded corners). The narrow edge and the pointed edge 321 are located on the same horizontal plane.

[0051] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the material metering device also includes a hopper 1 and a vibrating feeding mechanism 2. The vibrating feeding mechanism 2 is located between the hopper 1 and the receiving and metering trough 32, and is used to vibrately convey the material falling from the hopper 1 into the metering trough 32. The hopper 1 is no longer placed above the metering trough 32; the falling material is vibratedly conveyed into the metering trough 32 by the vibrating feeding mechanism 2. Vibration feeding can effectively prevent excessive accumulation of material on the metering trough 32, reducing both the squeezing and wear between materials and the risk of materials sticking together.

[0052] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vibrating feeding mechanism 2 includes a feeding trough 21 and a vibrator 22 for vibrating the feeding trough 21. The discharge port at the bottom of the hopper 1 is aligned vertically with the feed end of the feeding trough 21, and the discharge end of the feeding trough 21 is located above the metering trough 32.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the discharge end of the feeding trough 21 is connected to the guiding trough 7, and the bottom end of the guiding trough 7 is aligned vertically with the metering trough 32.

[0054] Figure 4 and Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the first structure of the pointed edge 321 is shown, in which the side of the pointed edge 321 facing into the metering groove 32 is a vertical surface and the other side is an arc surface. Figure 7 A second structural schematic diagram of the pointed edge 321 is shown, wherein the side of the pointed edge 321 facing the metering groove 32 is an inclined surface, and the other side is a vertical surface.

[0055] Example 2:

[0056] A material metering method, using the material metering device of Embodiment 1, includes the following steps:

[0057] S1. The material is conveyed into the metering tank 32; specifically, the vibrating feeding mechanism 2 is started to vibrate and convey the material falling from the hopper 1 into the receiving and metering component 3.

[0058] S2. When the metering trough 32 is full of material, the leveling mechanism 4 swings from one side of the metering trough 32 to the other side to level the material above the top of the metering trough 32. When the receiving and metering component 3 is full of material, the vibrating feeding mechanism 2 stops, and the leveling mechanism 4 swings to level the material at the top of the metering trough 32. After the material at the top of the metering trough 32 is leveled, the material blocking and dropping mechanism 5 swings downward to open the dropping port at the bottom of the metering trough 32, and the material in the metering trough 32 falls into the container below under the action of gravity, thus achieving material filling.

[0059] This material metering method can be implemented using the material metering device of Embodiment 1. Because the inlet area of ​​the metering trough 32 slopes downwards, a sharp edge 321 is formed, and the width of the sharp edge 321 is narrow. The material lacks the space required to remain at the edge of the metering trough, causing overflowing material to fall into the discharge trough 8, thus avoiding the shearing force of the scraper 41 and the metering trough 32. Simultaneously, it reduces the contact area with the material, thereby reducing damage to overflowing and swept-out material and minimizing material waste.

[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in S2, as... Figure 5 As shown, the top opening of the metering tank 32 is designated as the leveling opening 322, and the plane containing the leveling opening 322 is designated as the leveling plane. The projection of the starting position of the leveling mechanism 4 on the leveling plane is designated as the starting projection A, which is located outside the leveling opening 322. The projection of the ending position of the leveling mechanism 4 on the opposite side on the leveling plane is designated as the ending projection B, which intersects with the leveling opening 322. The intersection of the ending projection B and the leveling opening 322 means that the scraper 41 of the leveling mechanism 4 does not completely sweep across the leveling opening 322, but leaves a small area unswept at the corners of the leveling opening 322 for material position adjustment, reducing material damage from shearing and compression.

[0061] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the position where the leveling mechanism 4 is located on the opposite side and tangent to the leveling opening 322 (this position is a dummy position, and the leveling mechanism 4 does not actually move to this position when scraping material) is set as the endpoint reference position C. The angle between the termination projection B and the endpoint reference position C is set as β, satisfying 0 < β < 5°. The part where the interval between the termination projection B and the endpoint reference position C intersects with the leveling opening 322 is the small area at the corner of the leveling opening 322 that is not swept, 0 < β < 5°, which is more conducive to material position adjustment and reduces material damage from shearing and squeezing.

[0062] While the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can make many possible variations and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention, or modify them into equivalent embodiments, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention, without departing from the scope of the present invention, should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A material metering method, characterized in that, The material metering device is used, which includes a receiving and metering component (3), a leveling mechanism (4), and a material blocking and dropping mechanism (5). The receiving and metering component (3) includes a metering trough (32), at least one side of which is inclined. The leveling mechanism (4) is located above the metering trough (32) and moves or swings horizontally to level the material at the top of the receiving and metering trough (32). The material blocking and dropping mechanism (5) is located below the metering trough (32) and is used to open and close the dropping port at the bottom of the metering trough (32). The material metering method includes the following steps: S1. The material is conveyed into the metering tank (32); S2. When the metering tank (32) is full of material, the scraping mechanism (4) swings from one side of the metering tank (32) to the other side to scrape the material that is higher than the top of the metering tank (32); In S2, the top opening of the metering groove (32) is set as the leveling opening (322), the plane where the leveling opening (322) is located is set as the leveling plane, the projection of the starting position of the leveling mechanism (4) swinging on the leveling plane is set as the starting projection (A), the starting projection (A) is located outside the leveling opening (322), the projection of the ending position of the leveling mechanism (4) swinging to the opposite side on the leveling plane is set as the ending projection (B), the ending projection (B) intersects with the leveling opening (322).

2. The material metering method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The position of the scraping mechanism (4) located on the opposite side and tangent to the sweeping opening (322) is set as the endpoint reference position (C). The angle between the termination projection (B) and the endpoint reference position (C) is set as β, satisfying that 0 < β < 5°.

3. A material metering device, characterized in that: The material metering method for implementing claim 1 or 2 includes a receiving and metering component (3), a leveling mechanism (4), and a material blocking and dropping mechanism (5). The receiving and metering component (3) includes a metering trough (32), at least one side of which is inclined. The leveling mechanism (4) is located above the metering trough (32) and moves or swings in the horizontal direction to level the material at the top of the receiving and metering trough (32). The material blocking and dropping mechanism (5) is located below the metering trough (32) and is used to open and close the dropping port at the bottom of the metering trough (32).

4. The material metering device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The metering trough (32) is inclined downward from the top inlet, and the inclination forms include inclination from the top inlet toward the inside of the metering trough (32) and / or inclination from the top inlet toward the outside of the metering trough (32).

5. The material metering device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The leveling mechanism (4) includes a scraper (41) and a rotary drive assembly (42). The scraper (41) is oscillating above the metering groove (32) and connected to the rotary drive assembly (42).

6. The material metering device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The receiving and metering component (3) also includes a receiving plate (31), the metering groove (32) extends through the receiving plate (31) vertically, and the receiving plate (31) has a discharge groove (8) on the outside of the metering groove (32).

7. The material metering device according to claim 6, characterized in that: A movable block (9) for changing the capacity of the metering tank (32) is provided on one side of the metering tank (32), and the movable block (9) is connected to a movable adjustment mechanism (91) for moving the movable block (9).

8. The material metering device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that: The material metering device also includes a hopper (1) and a vibrating feeding mechanism (2). The vibrating feeding mechanism (2) is located between the hopper (1) and the receiving metering trough (32) and is used to vibrate and transport the material falling from the hopper (1) into the metering trough (32).

9. The material metering device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The vibrating feeding mechanism (2) includes a feeding trough (21) and a vibrator (22) for vibrating the feeding trough (21). The discharge port at the bottom of the hopper (1) is aligned vertically with the feed end of the feeding trough (21). The discharge end of the feeding trough (21) is located above the metering trough (32). The discharge end of the feeding trough (21) is connected to a guide trough (7). The bottom end of the guide trough (7) is aligned vertically with the metering trough (32).

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