Four-way distributor

Abstract

The utility model relates to a four-way distributor, and belongs to the field of raw material loading and unloading equipment. Comprising a funnel chute, a fan-shaped gate rotationally arranged in the funnel chute and two hydraulic push rods symmetrically arranged on the outer wall of the funnel chute. The funnel chute comprises a feeding hole and three discharging holes; the two fan-shaped gates are coaxially arranged through the same circle center shaft. And each hydraulic push rod drives one fan-shaped gate to rotate around the shaft. By controlling the rotating direction and the rotating angle of the fan-shaped gate, selection of the discharging direction and the discharging flow is achieved; according to the multi-direction blanking device, blanking in multiple directions can be realized, the occupied space is small, each gate is separately controlled, the position can be timely complemented when a fault occurs, and the working continuity is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of raw material loading and unloading equipment, and relates to a four-way distributor. Background Technology

[0002] As a core guiding device in material conveying systems, the distributor plays a crucial role in raw material transfer in industries such as metallurgy and power. With the increasing demands for material handling efficiency in modern industry, traditional distributors have gradually revealed systemic technical deficiencies in terms of functional expansion and structural optimization. Existing three-way distributors commonly employ a single-gate structure, which, while enabling switching between two discharge directions, necessitates an increase in equipment height to accommodate the gate's travel, resulting in significant limitations in space-constrained scenarios such as mobile unloading vehicles. A more prominent contradiction is that this design only provides a choice between two flow control options, failing to meet the operational needs of modern material yards that require simultaneous connection to three silos. When dealing with powdery or high-temperature materials, the linear contact sealing method between the gate and the chute sidewall is prone to gaps due to material impact, causing continuous leakage and exacerbating equipment wear and environmental pollution risks.

[0003] To overcome the limitations of directional control, existing technologies have attempted to develop four-way distributors. However, traditional designs often fall into the trap of "functional expansion leading to structural complexity." A typical solution achieves multi-directional control by stacking multiple independent gates, each equipped with a dedicated drive unit. While this mechanically stacked design theoretically expands the dispensing direction, it introduces new technical bottlenecks: the coordinated control of multiple actuators requires precise position sensing and complex linkage algorithms. In actual operation, accumulated mechanical tolerances can easily lead to misalignment of the sealing surfaces, resulting in material leakage when the gap exceeds a critical value. Gates arranged on different axes pose a risk of spatial interference during operation, often requiring additional avoidance mechanisms, further increasing system complexity. The dispersed arrangement of drive units not only worsens the equipment's center of gravity distribution but also exacerbates structural deformation under high-temperature conditions due to differences in material thermal expansion coefficients, severely impacting operational stability. These defects are particularly prominent in dynamic operation scenarios such as mobile unloading vehicles. Under the dual pressure of equipment vibration and space constraints, the failure rate of traditional four-way distributors increases significantly, and maintenance costs multiply.

[0004] The conflict between the need for functional expansion and the demand for structural simplification has not been effectively reconciled. Taking a typical four-way distributor as an example, to achieve independent control of the three outlets, at least three gates and corresponding drive mechanisms are usually required. This linear superposition leads to an exponential increase in system complexity. The vector superposition of the motion trajectories of each gate not only requires high-precision control but also causes the cumulative effect of tolerances on multiple sealing surfaces—a small deviation of a single sealing surface may be amplified into an overall sealing failure after being transmitted through the system. At the same time, the superimposed flow guiding structure forces the equipment height to exceed the actual installation space limit, often facing the dilemma of being difficult to adapt to existing platforms in retrofit projects. In terms of sealing reliability, the sliding friction method of traditional planar gates and fixed sealing strips has inherent defects: when the gate reciprocates, material particles are easily embedded in the contact surface, forming abrasive wear. The adhesion of wet materials will further increase the opening and closing resistance, leading to overload of the drive system. The intertwining of these problems makes it difficult for existing distributors to balance control accuracy and operational reliability under harsh conditions of high temperature and high dust. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a four-way feeder that can feed materials from multiple directions, occupies little space, and has separate control for each gate, which can promptly fill in the gaps in case of failure and ensure continuous operation.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution:

[0007] A four-way feeder includes a funnel chute, one end of which is a feed inlet and the other end is provided with three discharge outlets; it also includes two sector gates that are rotatably disposed in the funnel chute and are coaxially arranged through a central axis; the sector gates are used to control the opening and closing of the discharge outlets and the discharge flow rate.

[0008] Optionally, each of the aforementioned sector gates is equipped with a hydraulic push rod.

[0009] Optionally, each of the two hydraulic push rods can individually drive the corresponding sector gate to rotate around its axis.

[0010] Optionally, the two hydraulic push rods are symmetrically arranged on the outer wall of the funnel chute.

[0011] Optionally, the hydraulic actuator is an electro-hydraulic actuator.

[0012] Optionally, the arc segment of the sector gate covers the inner diameter of the discharge port.

[0013] Optionally, the three discharge ports have the same inner diameter.

[0014] Optionally, the inner wall of the funnel chute is further provided with a limiting block for limiting the sector gate.

[0015] Optionally, the limiting block is located above the inner wall of the discharge port.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0017] This utility model's four-way distributor features a simple internal control gate structure, easily enabling material feeding in three directions. It proposes a coaxial dual-gate collaborative control structure. The complex multi-degree-of-freedom motion of traditional solutions is simplified to pure rotational control around a single axis, utilizing the opening and closing combination of two coaxial sector gates to achieve precise flow guidance at the three discharge ports. The three-station control is transformed into a combined operation of two gate opening and closing states, simplifying the control method while ensuring basic functionality is maintained through a linkage mechanism even in the event of a single actuator failure. This structural approach effectively breaks through the traditional design constraint of "adding a station inevitably requires adding an actuator unit," opening a new technological path for the efficient and compact development of industrial material distribution equipment.

[0018] Other advantages, objectives, and features of this invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following examination and study, or may be learned from practice of this invention. The objectives and other advantages of this invention can be realized and obtained through the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the preferred embodiments of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0020] Figure 1 This is a front view of the four-way distributor at workstation 1;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a front view of the four-way feeder at workstation 2;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a front view of the three- or four-way feeder at the workstation.

[0023] Figure label:

[0024] 1. Funnel chute, 2. Sector gate, 3. Hydraulic push rod, 4. Limit block. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this utility model from the content disclosed in this specification. This utility model can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this utility model. It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of this utility model. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0026] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are schematic diagrams, not actual pictures. They should not be construed as limiting the present invention. To better illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, some parts in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual product dimensions. It is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted in the drawings.

[0027] In the accompanying drawings of this utility model, the same or similar reference numerals correspond to the same or similar components. In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that if terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," and "rear" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, they are only for the convenience of describing this utility model 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, the terms used to describe positional relationships in the drawings are only for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting this utility model. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0028] Please see Figures 1-3 This is a four-way feeder, including a funnel chute 1, with a feed inlet at one end and three discharge outlets at the other end; it also includes two sector gates 2 that are rotatably installed inside the funnel chute 1 and are coaxially arranged through a central shaft; the two sector gates 2 can be fitted together or separated from each other, and the opening and closing of the discharge outlets and the discharge flow rate can be controlled by adjusting the rotation direction and rotation angle of the two sector gates 2.

[0029] Each sector gate 2 is equipped with a hydraulic push rod 3, preferably an electro-hydraulic push rod. Two hydraulic push rods 3 independently drive the corresponding sector gate 2 to rotate around its axis. The two hydraulic push rods 3 are symmetrically arranged on the outer wall of the funnel chute 1. When one hydraulic push rod 3 fails, the other hydraulic push rod 3 can still control the corresponding sector gate 2, maintaining basic functions and improving system reliability.

[0030] The three discharge ports have the same inner diameter, and the arc segment of the sector gate 2 can cover the inner diameter of the discharge port. This setting also makes it easy for each sector gate 2 to match each discharge port, which facilitates flexible control of the opening and closing of the discharge port. In addition, if one sector gate 2 fails, it ensures that the other sector gate 2 can also control the opening and closing of each discharge port and the discharge flow rate.

[0031] The inner wall above the discharge port of the funnel chute 1 is also provided with a limiting block 4 for limiting the fan-shaped gate 2.

[0032] The four-way distributor of this utility model is generally installed below the discharge hopper of a belt conveyor or unloading vehicle. Two sector-shaped gates 2 are located within the hopper chute 1. The sector-shaped gates 2 are driven to rotate around an axis by an external electro-hydraulic actuator. Each sector-shaped gate 2 has at least two working positions. The electro-hydraulic actuator separately controls the two sector-shaped gates 2. Figure 2 The material flow at the workstation shown can be discharged from the left-side outlet. When the sector gate 2 moves to the position shown... Figure 1 At the station shown, the material flow is discharged from the middle outlet. When the sector gate 2 moves to the position shown... Figure 3 At the station shown, the material flows out from the right-side outlet. The fan-shaped gate 2 can also be controlled to rotate between the two outlets, and the discharge flow rate can be adjusted by changing the rotation angle.

[0033] In this invention, the two sector gates 2 share the same rotating shaft, reducing the number of components and making installation and maintenance more convenient. Compared to having a separate rotating shaft for each sector gate 2, the coaxial arrangement results in a more compact structure and saves installation space, offering significant advantages, especially in the limited space inside the distributor. It also allows for more space for the material flow, making discharge smoother. When the two sector gates 2 are in contact, a better seal is formed, preventing leakage. When the material flow consists of fine or dusty materials, it reduces pollution and waste. Furthermore, this invention allows the other hydraulic push rod 3 to partially control the gate even if one fails, maintaining basic functionality and improving system reliability.

[0034] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of this utility model and are not intended to limit it. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solution of this utility model without departing from the spirit and scope of this technical solution, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A four-way distributor, characterized in that: It includes a funnel chute (1), one end of which is a feed inlet and the other end is provided with three discharge outlets; it also includes a fan-shaped gate (2) that is rotatably installed in the funnel chute (1), there are two fan-shaped gates (2) and they are coaxially arranged through a central axis; the fan-shaped gate (2) is used to control the opening and closing of the discharge outlets and the discharge flow rate.

2. The four-way distributor according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the aforementioned sector gates (2) is equipped with a hydraulic push rod (3).

3. The four-way distributor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The two hydraulic push rods (3) drive the corresponding sector gates (2) to rotate around the axis individually.

4. The four-way distributor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The two hydraulic push rods (3) are symmetrically arranged on the outer wall of the funnel chute (1).

5. The four-way distributor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The hydraulic push rod (3) is an electro-hydraulic push rod.

6. The four-way distributor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The arc segment of the fan-shaped gate (2) covers the inner diameter of the discharge port.

7. The four-way distributor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The three discharge ports have the same inner diameter.

8. The four-way distributor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner wall of the funnel chute (1) is also provided with a limiting block (4) for limiting the fan-shaped gate (2).

9. The four-way distributor according to claim 8, characterized in that: The limiting block (4) is located above the inner wall of the discharge port.

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