Moisture-sensitive material precision dispensing equipment and moisture-proof packaging process

Abstract

The present application relates to material packing and packaging technical field, concretely is hygroscopic material accurate packing equipment and moisture-proof packaging process, including sealed storage tank, protective gas storage tank, packing module and weighing module, the packing module includes material transition warehouse, rotary disc, spiral pipeline, rotary cover and weighing tray, the sealed storage tank is communicated with material transition warehouse through conveying pipeline, the protective gas storage tank is communicated with conveying pipeline, the bottom of material transition warehouse is coaxially rotatably connected with rotary disc, the top of weighing tray is coaxially rotatably connected with rotary cover, one end of spiral pipeline penetrates rotary disc and forms feed inlet, the other end penetrates rotary cover and forms discharge port, the purpose of the present application is to solve the problem that the material of traditional packing equipment is in contact with air for a long time, is easy to absorb the moisture in air, causes caking, and causes the problem of packing deviation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of material dispensing and packaging technology, specifically to equipment for precise dispensing of hygroscopic materials and moisture-proof packaging technology. Background Technology

[0002] Hygroscopic materials (such as Chinese medicine granules, Chinese medicine decoction pieces, pharmaceutical excipients, and pharmaceutical powders) face two major technical challenges in the packaging process: First, these solid materials easily absorb moisture from the air, leading to clumping and deviations in packaging accuracy, failing to meet the uniformity requirements of pharmaceutical materials. Second, prolonged contact between solid materials and air during packaging reduces stability, affecting pharmaceutical safety and storage life.

[0003] To address the aforementioned issues, there is an urgent need to design a specialized equipment and supporting process for hygroscopic materials that can achieve precise metering and dispensing, effectively reduce material contact with air, and improve the moisture-proof packaging effect, in order to overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a precise dispensing equipment and a moisture-proof packaging process for hygroscopic materials, so as to solve the problem that traditional dispensing equipment has a long contact time with air, which makes the materials easily absorb moisture from the air, resulting in clumping and filling deviation.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0006] A precision dispensing device for hygroscopic materials includes a sealed storage tank, a protective gas storage tank, a dispensing module, and a weighing module. The dispensing module includes a material transition chamber, a rotating disc, a spiral pipe, a rotating cover, and a weighing tray. The sealed storage tank is connected to the material transition chamber via a conveying pipeline. The protective gas storage tank is connected to the conveying pipeline. The bottom of the material transition chamber is coaxially rotatably connected to the rotating disc. The top of the weighing tray is coaxially rotatably connected to the rotating cover. One end of the spiral pipe passes through the rotating disc to form an inlet, and the other end passes through… A rotating cover forms a discharge port. A rotatable discharge port rotary valve is installed at the bottom of the rotating cover corresponding to the discharge port of the spiral pipe. The bottom of the weighing tray has an openable discharge port. The weighing module is installed at the bottom of the weighing tray to weigh the weight of the weighing tray. The hygroscopic materials that the equipment is suitable for processing are pharmaceutical granules, flakes or powdered solid materials with the following parameters: particle size 0.3-2.0cm (particle size of powdered materials ≤0.1cm), moisture content ≤8%, and bulk density 0.6-0.8g / cm³.

[0007] Preferably, a synchronous drive shaft is coaxially fixedly connected between the rotating disk and the rotating cover, and the synchronous drive shaft is rotatably connected to the material transition chamber.

[0008] Preferably, the weighing tray has a coaxial inverted conical structure on its inner bottom wall, and a rotatable discharge port rotary valve is installed at its bottom end corresponding to the discharge port.

[0009] Preferably, a connecting ring is fixedly connected to the bottom end of the rotating cover, and an annular groove is correspondingly opened on the top end of the weighing tray, with the depth of the annular groove being greater than the thickness of the connecting ring.

[0010] Preferably, the weighing module includes a weighing base and a weighing sensor. The weighing sensor is mounted on the weighing base, and a weighing connecting frame is fixedly mounted at the center of the top of the weighing surface of the weighing sensor. The top of the weighing connecting frame is coaxially fixed with the bottom of the weighing tray.

[0011] Preferably, one end of the spiral pipe passes through the rotating disk and communicates with the inside of the material transition chamber, and is fixedly connected to the rotating disk to form a feed inlet; the other end passes through the rotating cover and communicates with the inside of the weighing tray, and is fixedly connected to the rotating cover to form a discharge outlet.

[0012] A moisture-proof packaging process based on the aforementioned hygroscopic material precision dispensing equipment includes the following steps:

[0013] A. Select hygroscopic pharmaceutical solid materials (such as Chinese medicine granules, Chinese medicine decoction pieces, pharmaceutical excipients, etc.) that meet the parameter requirements (particle size 0.3-2.0cm or powder ≤0.1cm, moisture content ≤8%, bulk density 0.6-0.8g / cm³) and store them in a sealed storage container.

[0014] B. Before dispensing begins, continuously introduce the protective gas from the protective gas storage tank into the delivery pipeline for at least 30 seconds to perform pre-displacement until the oxygen content in the equipment cavity drops below 1%, forming an initial moisture-proof protective atmosphere.

[0015] C. Open the connecting channel between the sealed storage tank and the material transition chamber. Under the assistance of gravity and protective gas flow, the material enters the material transition chamber through the conveying pipeline. The material falls into the weighing tray through the spiral pipe discharge port. The weighing sensor collects the weight data of the material in the weighing tray in real time. During the entire dispensing and metering process, the protective gas is continuously introduced and filled into the dispensing module at a pressure of 0.1-0.2MPa and a flow rate of 0.5-1L / min to maintain a moisture-proof atmosphere with an oxygen content of less than 1% in the equipment cavity. When the weight of the material in the weighing tray reaches the preset dispensing value, close the rotary valve of the discharge port.

[0016] D. Open the discharge port at the bottom of the weighing tray, use the finished product container to hold the material, and immediately seal the container after the material falls into it.

[0017] Preferably, the drive synchronous transmission shaft drives the rotating disk to rotate at a speed of 5-15 r / min, while simultaneously driving the rotating cover and spiral pipe to rotate synchronously.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0019] 1. Before dispensing, the oxygen content in the equipment cavity is reduced to below 1% by pre-purging with protective gas for 30 seconds. During the dispensing process, protective gas is continuously introduced at a pressure of 0.1-0.2MPa and a flow rate of 0.5-1L / min, so that the material is in a slightly positive pressure environment of protective gas throughout the entire process from storage, conveying, weighing to unloading, which greatly reduces the material's moisture absorption and weight gain rate, avoids material agglomeration, and improves the accuracy of dispensing and weighing.

[0020] 2. The synchronous drive shaft drives the rotating cover and spiral pipe to rotate, so that the material drop point is evenly distributed in the weighing tray. Combined with the guiding effect of the inverted conical bottom wall, the weighing error caused by local accumulation of material is completely solved. In addition, the protective gas flow helps the material move quickly, greatly reducing the material residue in the pipes and equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a front view of the entire invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a front view of the sectional view of the packaging module of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 For the present invention Figure 2 Enlarged view of point A in the middle;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional front view of the rotating disk and rotating cover of the present invention.

[0025] In the diagram: 1. Weighing base; 2. Weighing sensor; 3. Weighing connecting frame; 4. Weighing tray; 5. Discharge port rotary valve; 6. Annular groove; 7. Connecting ring; 8. Rotary cover; 9. Discharge port rotary valve; 10. Spiral pipe; 11. Rotary disc; 12. Synchronous drive shaft; 13. Material transition bin; 14. Material conveying pipe; 15. Sealed storage tank; 16. Gas conveying pipe; 17. Protective gas storage tank. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] Please see Figures 1 to 4The present invention provides a technical solution: a precision dispensing device for hygroscopic materials, including a sealed storage tank 15, a protective gas storage tank 17, a dispensing module, a weighing base 1 and a weighing sensor 2.

[0028] The sealed storage tank 15 is made of stainless steel and has a sealed inlet at the top with a sealed cover to isolate it from external air and moisture. The bottom of the sealed storage tank 15 has an outlet and is sealed to the packaging module through the material conveying pipe 14. The hygroscopic solid material in the tank (suitable material parameters: particle size range 0.3-2.0cm, moisture content ≤8%, bulk density 0.6-0.8g / cm³) is conveyed to the packaging module through the material conveying pipe 14.

[0029] Nitrogen or argon is stored in the protective gas storage tank 17. The outlet of the protective gas storage tank 17 is connected to the material conveying pipe 14 through the gas conveying pipe 16. A pressure reducing valve is installed in the middle section of the gas conveying pipe 16 (to reduce the high pressure gas to 0.1-0.2MPa). A flow controller is added between the pressure reducing valve and the material conveying pipe 14 (to control the output flow rate to 0.5-1L / min). During the dispensing process, the protective gas is continuously introduced into the material conveying pipe 14 and fills the entire dispensing module. This not only prevents the material from absorbing moisture and increasing its weight, but also enables the material to move quickly and reduces pipeline residue. Under the protection of the protective gas, the moisture absorption and weight gain rate of the material is ≤0.5% / h.

[0030] The packaging module includes a material transfer bin 13, a rotary disc 11, a spiral pipe 10, a rotating cover 8, and a weighing tray 4.

[0031] The top of the material transition chamber 13 is connected to the material conveying pipe 14, and the bottom of the material transition chamber 13 is coaxially and rotatably connected to the rotating disk 11. The top of the weighing pallet 4 is coaxially and rotatably connected to the rotating cover 8. A synchronous drive shaft 12 is coaxially and fixedly connected between the rotating disk 11 and the rotating cover 8. The synchronous drive shaft 12 is rotatably connected to the material transition chamber 13. The synchronous drive shaft 12 is driven by a stepper motor on the surface of the material transition chamber 13 and can synchronously drive the rotating disk 11 and the rotating cover 8 to rotate.

[0032] One end of the spiral pipe 10 passes through the rotating disk 11 and communicates with the inside of the material transition chamber 13, and is fixedly connected to the rotating disk 11 to form a feed inlet. The other end passes through the rotating cover 8 and communicates with the inside of the weighing tray 4, and is fixedly connected to the rotating cover 8 to form a discharge port. With the above design, when the rotating disk 11 rotates, the material in the material transition chamber 13 can be kept in an active state, avoiding blockage of the feed inlet of the spiral pipe 10. When the rotating cover 8 rotates, the spiral pipe 10 also rotates synchronously, so that the discharge point is not fixed, preventing the material from accumulating in the weighing tray 4.

[0033] At the bottom of the rotating cover 8, corresponding to the discharge port of the spiral pipe 10, a discharge port rotary valve 9 driven by an independent stepper motor is installed to control the discharge switch of the spiral pipe 10. The inner bottom wall of the weighing tray 4 is provided with a coaxial inverted conical structure, and the bottom is set as the discharge port. At the bottom corresponding to the discharge port, a discharge port rotary valve 5 driven by a third stepper motor is installed to realize the control of finished product discharge. At the same time, the inverted conical bottom wall of the weighing tray 4 can guide the material to move towards the middle discharge port, further avoiding accumulation. Meanwhile, the material conveying path is under the protection of protective gas throughout, which greatly reduces the risk of moisture absorption and weight gain. Combined with the anti-blocking and anti-accumulation design and the weighing system, the high-precision packaging of materials is finally achieved.

[0034] The load cell 2 is installed on the weighing base 1. A weighing connecting frame 3 is fixedly installed at the top center of the weighing surface of the load cell 2. The weighing connecting frame 3 is a stainless steel frame structure. The top of the weighing connecting frame 3 is coaxially fixed with the bottom of the weighing tray 4 to weigh the material in the weighing tray 4.

[0035] The bottom of the rotating cover 8 is fixedly connected to a connecting ring 7, and the top of the weighing tray 4 is provided with an annular groove 6. The depth of the annular groove 6 is greater than the thickness of the connecting ring 7, so as to ensure that the weighing tray 4 has the range of motion to move up and down without affecting the weighing accuracy.

[0036] The rotation of the three stepper motors is started as needed by the control system. The weighing sensor 2 collects the material weight data in the weighing tray 4 in real time and transmits the data to the control system. The system uses a PLC controller as the core control unit. By comparing the preset dispensing weight with the real-time weighing data, it accurately controls the start and stop of the stepper motor that drives the rotary valve 9 at the discharge port, thereby adjusting the start and stop of the spiral pipe 10 to achieve high-precision measurement of the material quantity.

[0037] The PLC controller (model: Siemens S7-200 SMART ST40) connects to various sensors, actuators, and human-machine interface components. Sensors include a material level monitoring unit (such as a material level sensor) and a weighing sensor 2 inside the sealed storage tank 15, used to collect key data such as material level and weight in real time. Actuators include various stepper motors, solenoid valves, etc., responsible for executing control commands. The control system is equipped with a touch screen, which allows for intuitive setting and real-time monitoring of parameters such as dispensing weight, protective gas flow rate, and stepper motor speed. Through the linkage of preset parameters and sensor signals, the PLC controller can accurately coordinate the collaborative work of various modules, realizing fully automated production without manual intervention.

[0038] In practical applications, the sealed storage tank 15, material transition chamber 13, and protective gas storage tank 17 are all fixedly installed using dedicated brackets (not shown in the figure). The brackets can be flexibly adjusted in height and installation position according to the site layout, ensuring the stability of each tank and pipeline connection, preventing tank shaking from affecting material conveying and weighing accuracy, and reserving sufficient operating space for subsequent maintenance and repair of the equipment, adapting to the layout requirements of different workshops. In addition, based on the protective gas protection layout of this equipment, the gas flow structure can be adaptively modified to further ensure the stability of the moisture-proof atmosphere throughout the process (specific improvements). The method is a conventional adaptation and adjustment of the protective gas layout in this application, which will not be elaborated here): First, a small ventilation gap (≤0.1mm) can be reserved in the closed state of the discharge port rotary valve 9 and the discharge port rotary valve 5 to ensure that a small amount of protective gas can flow through and maintain a slight positive pressure in the pipeline and weighing tray 4; Second, an additional gas branch pipe can be added between the protective gas storage tank 17 and the weighing tray 4 to directly introduce protective gas into the weighing tray 4, thereby enhancing the local protection effect. The above improvements are all adaptive optimizations to the protective gas utilization method of this application and do not deviate from the core protection logic.

[0039] The moisture-proof packaging process for precision dispensing equipment for hygroscopic materials includes the following steps:

[0040] Material pretreatment: The moisture content of hygroscopic solid materials to be packaged must be tested in advance to ensure that the moisture content is ≤8%. If the moisture content exceeds the standard, it must be dried at low temperature (temperature ≤45℃) before being put into use to avoid the material itself carrying water and causing subsequent moisture absorption and deterioration.

[0041] Protective gas atmosphere pre-replacement: Open the protective gas supply valve to allow the protective gas to enter the material conveying pipe 14 through the gas conveying pipe 16 and fill all the cavities through which the material flows, such as the sealed storage tank 15, the material transition chamber 13, and the weighing tray 4. Continue to replace for 30 seconds to remove the air and moisture from the cavities until the oxygen content in the cavities is ≤1%.

[0042] Protective gas-assisted conveying: When the bottom outlet of the sealed storage tank 15 is opened, the material moves to the material transition chamber 13 through the material conveying pipe 14 under the combined action of gravity and protective gas flow. The protective gas flow drives the material to flow rapidly.

[0043] Transition chamber anti-clogging and moisture absorption: Start the stepper motor that drives the synchronous transmission shaft 12 to drive the rotating disk 11 to rotate at a speed of 5-15 r / min. The rotating disk 11 keeps the material in the transition chamber 13 in an active state, avoiding blockage of the feed port of the spiral pipe 10. During this process, protective gas continuously fills the transition chamber to maintain a dry and oxygen-free environment inside the chamber.

[0044] Dynamic anti-accumulation and moisture-proof weighing tray: The synchronous drive shaft 12 rotates to drive the rotating cover 8 and the spiral pipe 10 to rotate synchronously, so that the material drop point of the spiral pipe 10 discharge port is evenly distributed in the weighing tray 4, avoiding local accumulation of materials. At the same time, the inverted conical bottom wall of the weighing tray 4 guides the material to move towards the center, further reducing retention. After the material falls into the weighing tray 4, the weighing sensor 2 collects the weight data in real time and transmits it to the PLC control system. When the weight reaches 90% of the preset value, the control system starts the stepper motor of the discharge port rotary valve 9 and gradually closes it to achieve deceleration and material discharge until the discharge port is closed. Throughout the weighing process, the weighing tray 4 always maintains a protective gas slightly positive pressure atmosphere to prevent the material from absorbing moisture and increasing its weight.

[0045] Material feeding and finished product preservation stage: When the weight of the material in the weighing tray 4 reaches the preset value, the discharge port rotary valve 9 immediately closes, and then the stepper motor of the discharge port rotary valve 5 is started to open the discharge port. Under the guidance of the inverted conical bottom wall, the material quickly falls into the finished product sealed container. The finished product container must be precisely aligned with the discharge port. After the material falls into the finished product container, the container is immediately sealed.

[0046] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A precise dispensing equipment for hygroscopic materials, comprising a sealed storage tank (15), a protective gas storage tank (17), a dispensing module and a weighing module, characterized in that, The sub-packaging module comprises a material transition bin (13), a rotating disc (11), a spiral pipe (10), a rotating cover (8) and a weighing tray (4), the sealed storage tank (15) is communicated with the material transition bin (13) through a conveying pipeline, the protective gas storage tank (17) is communicated with the conveying pipeline, the bottom of the material transition bin (13) is coaxially and rotatably connected with the rotating disc (11), the top of the weighing tray (4) is coaxially and rotatably connected with the rotating cover (8), one end of the spiral pipe (10) penetrates through the rotating disc (11) to form a feeding port, the other end penetrates through the rotating cover (8) to form a discharging port, a rotatable discharging port rotary valve (9) is installed at the bottom end of the rotating cover (8) corresponding to the discharging port of the spiral pipe (10), a switchable discharging port is formed at the bottom of the weighing tray (4), and a weighing module is installed at the lower end of the weighing tray (4) to weigh the weight of the weighing tray (4); The rotating disc (11) and the rotating cover (8) are coaxially and fixedly connected with a synchronous transmission shaft (12), and the synchronous transmission shaft (12) is rotatably connected with the material transition bin (13); The bottom end of the rotating cover (8) is fixedly connected with a connecting ring (7), the top end of the weighing tray (4) is correspondingly provided with an annular groove (6), and the groove depth of the annular groove (6) is greater than the thickness of the connecting ring (7); One end of the spiral pipe (10) penetrates through the rotating disc (11) and is in communication with the inside of the material transition bin (13), and is fixedly connected with the rotating disc (11) to form a feeding port, the other end penetrates through the rotating cover (8) and is in communication with the inside of the weighing tray (4), and is fixedly connected with the rotating cover (8) to form a discharging port.

2. The absorbent material precision dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The inside bottom wall of the weighing tray (4) is provided with a coaxial inverted conical structure, and a rotatable discharging port rotary valve (5) is installed at the bottom end corresponding to the discharging port.

3. The absorbent material precision dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The weighing module comprises a weighing base (1) and a weighing sensor (2), the weighing sensor (2) is installed on the weighing base (1), a weighing connecting frame (3) is fixedly installed at the top center of the weighing surface of the weighing sensor (2), and the top of the weighing connecting frame (3) is coaxially and fixedly connected with the bottom end of the weighing tray (4).

4. A moisture-proof packaging process based on the precise dispensing equipment for hygroscopic materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: A, the hygroscopic pharmaceutical solid material is put into the sealed storage tank (15) for storage; B, before sub-packaging, the protective gas in the protective gas storage tank (17) is continuously introduced into the conveying pipeline for at least 30 seconds, pre-replacement is carried out, the oxygen content in the cavity of the equipment is reduced to below 1%, and an initial anti-hygroscopic protective atmosphere is formed; C, open the communication channel between the sealed storage tank (15) and the material transition warehouse (13), the material is put into the material transition warehouse (13) under the gravity and the protection of the gas flow, the material falls into the weighing tray (4) through the discharge port of the spiral pipeline (10), and the weighing sensor (2) collects the weight data of the material in the weighing tray (4) in real time; during the whole process of packaging and metering, the protective gas is continuously introduced into the packaging module at a pressure of 0.1-0.2MPa and a flow rate of 0.5-1L / min, and the oxygen content in the cavity of the equipment is maintained below 1% to prevent moisture absorption; when the weight of the material in the weighing tray (4) reaches the preset packaging value, the discharge port rotary valve (9) is closed; D, open the discharge port at the bottom of the weighing tray (4), use the finished product container to package, and immediately seal the container after the material falls into the finished product container.

5. The moisture barrier packaging process of claim 4, wherein, The driving synchronous transmission shaft (12) drives the rotating disc (11) to rotate at a speed of 5-15r / min, and simultaneously drives the rotating cover (8) and the spiral pipeline (10) to rotate synchronously.

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