Granulator, granulating method, and program

Abstract

To provide a granulator, a granulation method, and a program capable of improving in particle yield by reducing variation of average particle size among production batches.SOLUTION: A granulator that stirs fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank equipped with a water addition device and a stirring device to granulate particles, comprising: a sampling device for sampling the particles within the granulation tank; a dispersion device for uniformly dispersing the sampled particles in an analysis container; an imaging device for acquiring imaging data on the particles in the analysis container; a calculation unit for calculating the average particle diameter of the particles based on the imaging data; and a control unit for stopping the water addition when the average particle diameter meets predetermined conditions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a granulating apparatus, a granulating method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] For the purpose of improving fluidity, adhesion / aggregation phenomena, improving component uniformity, suppressing scattering of fine powder, improving appearance / taste, etc., fine particles are granulated to obtain particles. As an apparatus for granulating, for example, Patent Document 1 is known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, methods for manufacturing particles from fine particles include dry granulation, wet granulation, heat granulation, spray granulation, microencapsulation, etc. Also, there are several classifications within the wet granulation method, specifically, fluidized bed granulation method, stirring granulation method, extrusion granulation method, crushing granulation method, rolling granulation method, etc.

[0005] Among these, in the rolling granulation method, it rolls by the centrifugal force of a rotating rotor, and at this time, spherical granules with uniform particle size are grown in a snowman-like manner by the binding liquid sprayed from a spray gun to perform granulation. For example, in the rolling granulation method, fine particles are stirred in the gas phase by a rotor, and water is added thereto, and finally, the particles grow to a particle size several times to several tens of times the original fine particle size. Then, at the end stage of granulation, the person in charge of the granulating apparatus samples the particles in the granulating apparatus, predicts the water addition end time from the sampled particle size to the target particle size, and ends the water addition when the water addition end time has elapsed.

[0006] In the wet granulation method, due to changes in temperature and humidity according to seasons, water temperature, water content of raw material fine particles, and other various conditions, even when the stirring operation is performed for the same period of time, the particle sizes of the obtained particles often differ. For example, even if the water addition end time is predicted as described above, the time may vary by about 10 minutes at most. Therefore, automation is not easy, and it is inevitable to perform granulation work manually, imposing a heavy workload on workers. Further, in such a granulation method, if the stop timing is incorrect, the number of coarse particles increases and the particle yield decreases.

[0007] Furthermore, the person in charge of the granulation device samples the particles in the granulation device and visually determines the particle size. Therefore, variations are likely to occur in the particle size measurement results. Also, since it is necessary to sample and visually determine the particle size, the sampling interval is from several tens of seconds to every few minutes, easily missing the optimal particle size judgment timing and leading to a situation where particle size errors are likely to occur.

[0008] This patent has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a granulation device, a granulation method, and a program capable of reducing the variation in average particle size between production batches and improving the particle yield.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The inventors of the present invention have intensively studied to solve the above problems. As a result, they have found that by sampling the particles during granulation, imaging the sampled particles, measuring the particle size from the imaged images, and determining the stop conditions, granulation can be stopped under desired conditions, thus completing the present invention.

[0010] That is, the present invention is as follows. 〔1〕 A granulation device that granulates particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank having a water addition device and a stirring device, a sampling device that samples the particles in the granulation tank, A dispersion device that uniformly disperses the sampled particles in an analysis container, An imaging device that acquires imaging data of the particles in the analysis container, A calculation unit that calculates the average particle size of the particles based on the imaging data, A control unit that stops water addition when the average particle size satisfies a predetermined condition, comprising: A granulation device. [2] A granulation device that granulates particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank having a water addition device and a stirring device, A sampling device that samples the particles in the granulation tank, A dispersion device that uniformly disperses the sampled particles in an analysis container, An imaging device that acquires imaging data of the particles in the analysis container, A calculation unit that calculates the average particle size of the particles based on the imaging data, An estimation unit that estimates the water addition end time based on the average particle size, A control unit that stops water addition at the estimated water addition end time, comprising: The estimation unit estimates the water addition end time based on the average particle size of the particles sampled at a plurality of different timings. A granulation device. [3] The sampling device has a cup that captures the particles in the granulation tank, Further comprising a cleaning device that flushes the particles captured in the cup into the analysis container with a liquid, The granulation device according to (1) or (2). [4] The dispersion device uniformly disperses the particles in the analysis container by causing the analysis container to perform a revolution motion and a rotation motion in a horizontal plane when the analysis container contains the particles and a liquid. The granulation device according to any one of (1) to (3). [5] After the dispersion device revolves the analysis container, the analysis container is rotated to uniformly disperse the particles in the analysis container. The granulation device according to [4]. [6] The imaging device acquires a plurality of imaging data of the particles in the analysis container. The calculation unit calculates, in each of the plurality of imaging data, the total number of particles in the imaging data and the number of specific particles that satisfy a predetermined circular condition and / or particle size condition, and calculates the average particle size of the particles in the imaging data in which the total number of particles and the number of specific particles satisfy a predetermined condition. The granulation device according to any one of [1] to [5]. [7] The calculation unit calculates the total number of particles in the imaging data, and calculates the average particle size of the particles in the imaging data in which the total number of particles satisfies a predetermined condition. The granulation device according to any one of [1] to [6]. [8] In a granulation device that granulates particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank having a water addition device and a stirring device, Sampling the particles in the granulation tank; Uniformly dispersing the sampled particles in an analysis container; Acquiring imaging data of the particles in the analysis container; Calculating the average particle size of the particles based on the imaging data; Estimating the water addition end time based on the average particle size; Stopping the water addition at the estimated water addition end time, and executing. In the step of estimating the water addition end time, the water addition end time is estimated based on the average particle sizes of the particles sampled at different timings. Program. [9] A granulation device granulates particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank having a water addition device and a stirring device. sampling the particles in the granulation tank; uniformly dispersing the sampled particles in an analysis container; acquiring imaging data of the particles in the analysis container; calculating an average particle size of the particles based on the imaging data; estimating a water addition end time based on the average particle size; stopping water addition at the estimated water addition end time, and executing, In the step of estimating the water addition end time, the water addition end time is estimated based on the average particle sizes of the particles sampled at a plurality of different timings. Granulation method.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a granulation device, a granulation method, and a program capable of reducing the variation in average particle size between production batches and improving the particle yield.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist thereof.

[0014] In this specification and / or the drawings, unless otherwise specified, the following interpretations shall apply. Terms and / or numerical values representing shapes and / or geometric conditions need not be bound by a strict meaning, and may be interpreted to include a range to the extent that similar functions can be expected. For example, terms such as "parallel" and / or "orthogonal" fall under the above terms. Also, "length values" and / or "angle values" fall under the above numerical values.

[0015] When a certain configuration is described as being "above", "below", "on the upper side", "on the lower side", "above", or "below" another configuration, it may include a mode in which a certain configuration is in direct contact with another configuration and a mode in which another configuration is included between a certain configuration and another configuration. In other words, a mode in which another configuration is included between a certain configuration and another configuration may also be expressed as a certain configuration being in indirect contact with another configuration. Also, the expressions "above", "on the upper side", or "above" are interchangeable with the expressions "below", "on the lower side", or "below". In other words, the up-down direction may be reversed.

[0016] When the same reference numerals or similar reference numerals are assigned to the same part and / or parts having similar functions, repeated descriptions may be omitted. Also, the dimensional ratios in the drawings may differ from the actual ratios. Also, a part of the configuration of the embodiment may be omitted from the drawings.

[0017] 1.1. First Embodiment: Granulating Device The granulation device according to the first embodiment is a granulation device that granulates particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank having a water addition device and a stirring device, and includes a sampling device that samples the particles in the granulation tank, a dispersion device that uniformly disperses the sampled particles in an analysis container, an imaging device that acquires imaging data of the particles in the analysis container, a calculation unit that calculates the average particle size of the particles based on the imaging data, and a control unit that stops water addition when the average particle size satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the granulation device according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment described later. As shown in FIG. 1, the granulation device 10 according to the first embodiment is a granulation device that granulates particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank 100 having a water addition device 110 and a stirring device 120. In the first embodiment, the raw material supplied to the granulation tank 100 is referred to as "fine particles", and the product obtained from the fine particles is referred to as "particles".

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the granulation device 10 separates the particles in the granulation tank 100 sampled by the sampling device 130 into different analysis containers 150 at each sampling timing. Then, the dispersion device 160 is used to uniformly disperse the particles in the analysis container 150. After that, the imaging device 170 acquires imaging data of the particles in the analysis container 150, calculates the average particle size of the particles based on the imaging data, and stops water addition.

[0020] Accordingly, without going through personal operations, the water addition can be controlled for each granulation operation according to the situation inside the particles in the granulation tank 100. Specifically, even when various conditions such as differences in temperature and humidity due to seasonal differences, differences in the temperature of the water used for water addition, and the moisture content of the raw materials are complexly different, the water addition can be controlled for each granulation operation according to the situation inside the particles in the granulation tank 100 without going through personal operations. In this way, by switching from the conventional method of judging water addition stop based on the visually observed particle size by an operator to the method of judging water addition stop based on the relationship between the predicted water addition end time and the water addition start time by the granulation apparatus of this embodiment, the variation in the average particle size for each production batch can be suppressed, and at the same time, a reduction in the operator's workload and an improvement in the yield can be expected. In the first embodiment, the average particle size may be the particle size most frequent value (mode diameter) or the median value (median diameter). Hereinafter, each configuration will be described in detail.

[0021] The granulation tank 100 is an apparatus for granulating particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions, and examples include those that can be used in a wet granulation method, particularly a rolling granulation method. As shown in FIG. 1, the granulation tank 100 has a water addition device 110 and a stirring device 120. While rotating the rotor of the stirring device 120, the fine particles before granulation are put into the granulation tank 100, and water or the like is sprayed in a mist form by the nozzle of the water addition device 110. Due to the rotation by the stirring device 120, the fine particles dance inside the granulation tank 100, and using water as a binding liquid, the fine particles collide and combine with each other to grow into particles. By continuing the supply of water for a predetermined time, particles of a desired particle size are formed. And when the water addition is stopped when the particles reach particles of a predetermined size, the growth of the particle size of the particles also stops. Here, the time from the start of water addition to the stop of water addition is referred to as the "water addition end time" and is a parameter for determining the average particle size.

[0022] The water addition device 110 is a device capable of supplying and stopping water to the granulation tank 100. The tip inside the granulation tank 100 of the water addition device 110 may be constituted by a spray nozzle. Also, a valve or the like capable of controlling the supply and stop of water and the supply amount may be provided upstream of the water addition device 110. The stirring device 120 is not particularly limited, and examples include stirring blades such as a rotor.

[0023] The supply and stop of water and the supply amount of the water addition device 110, as well as the stirring and its stop and the stirring speed of the stirring device 120, etc. may be controlled by the control unit 212 of the management device 200 described later.

[0024] The sampling device 130 is a device for sampling particles inside the granulation tank 100. The sampling device 130 is not particularly limited as long as it is a mechanism capable of taking out a part of the particles inside the granulation tank 100 outside the granulation tank 100. For example, it may have a cup for capturing particles inside the granulation tank 100. Specifically, a sampling bar attached to the granulation tank 100 is inserted into the granulation tank 100, and fine particles floating in the granulation tank 100 can be captured in a depression (cup) provided at the tip of the sampling bar. Then, by pulling out the sampling bar, the fine particles captured in the cup can be taken out of the granulation tank 100. Note that the sampling device 130 may be constituted by a sampling bar and a peripheral device that executes the insertion operation and the pulling-out operation of the sampling bar. Also, the peripheral device may insert and remove the sampling bar so that the sampling time interval is an arbitrary time interval such as several seconds to one minute, and the sampling device 130 samples the fine particles inside the granulation tank 100.

[0025] In addition, when the sampling device 130 has a cup for capturing particles in the granulation tank 100, the granulation device 10 may further include a cleaning device 140 that flushes the particles captured in the cup into the analysis container 150 with a liquid. Thereby, the cleaning of the cup and the collection of the particles can be performed simultaneously. The cleaned cup can also be used for sampling. At this time, the analysis container 150 may be in a state where a liquid such as water is contained in advance.

[0026] In the above description, the mode in which the particles are flushed into the analysis container 150 together with the liquid and the particles are dispersed in the liquid in the analysis container 150 has been described. However, without being limited thereto, the sampled particles may exist in the analysis container 150 only in the state of the particles. Here, for the purpose of improving the dispersibility of the particles, a mode in which the particles are dispersed in the liquid in the analysis container 150 is preferable.

[0027] The dispersion device 160 is a device that uniformly disperses the sampled particles in the analysis container 150. In the state where the particles are transferred to the analysis container 150, the particles are not dispersed in the analysis container 150, and in many cases, a plurality of particles are in a piled-up state. Even if imaged as it is, the correct number of particles and the correct average particle size cannot be measured. Therefore, the particles are uniformly dispersed in the analysis container 150.

[0028] Specifically, the dispersion device 160 may uniformly disperse the particles in the analysis container by causing the analysis container 150 supplied with the sampled particles to perform a revolution motion and a rotation motion on a horizontal plane. At this time, it is preferable that the dispersion device 160 performs the above revolution motion and rotation motion in a state where the analysis container 150 contains the particles and the liquid. The coexistence of the liquid causes the particles floating in the liquid to be uniformly dispersed by the revolution motion and the rotation motion. Here, the horizontal plane refers to a plane perpendicular to the action of gravity. Also, the above revolution motion and rotation motion may be performed with respect to a plane having an inclination with the horizontal plane.

[0029] The order of the revolution motion and the rotation motion is not particularly limited. For example, it is preferable that the dispersion device 160 rotates the analysis container 150 after revolving it. Thereby, the particles are collected at the center of the analysis container 150 by the revolution motion, and the particles collected at the center are uniformly diffused around by the rotation motion, so that the uniform dispersion of the particles in the analysis container 150 is further improved.

[0030] Here, when performing the revolution motion, although not particularly limited, for example, it is preferable to shift the center of rotation by a desired distance on the swirling accumulation stage, revolve the analysis container 150, and accumulate the particles at the center of the analysis container 150. Further, when performing the rotation motion, the analysis container 150 is moved to the rotation dispersion stage and the analysis container 150 is rotated to uniformly disperse the particles in the analysis container 150. As a result, the state in which a plurality of particles overlap is eliminated, and more accurate particle numbers and average particle diameters can be obtained during the image processing described later.

[0031] In addition, the dispersion device 160 is not particularly limited as long as it is a device that uniformly disperses the sampled particles in the analysis container 150. In addition to the above, as the dispersion device 160, for example, a device that applies a predetermined vibration to the analysis container 150 to disperse the particles in the analysis container 150 may be used.

[0032] The analysis container 150 is not particularly limited as long as it can hold particles and can hold liquid as needed. For example, it may be a petri dish or the like. A new analysis container 150 may be used for each sampling. Specifically, the analysis containers 150 for the number of samplings are prepared by stacking them directly below the sampling device 130 or the like, and when the particles sampled by the sampling device 130 are transferred to one analysis container 150, the analysis container 150 may be moved to the dispersion device 160 so that a new analysis container 150 can receive the particles.

[0033] If the particles can be uniformly dispersed in the analysis container 150, move the analysis container 150 to the imaging position of the particles and image the uniformly dispersed particles.

[0034] The imaging device 170 is a device that acquires imaging data of the particles in the analysis container. As described above, one analysis container 150 contains the particles obtained by one sampling. At this time, the imaging device 170 may acquire a plurality of imaging data of the particles in the analysis container 150. Due to the dispersion by the dispersion device 160 or the movement of moving the analysis container 150 from the sampling device 130 to the imaging device 170, the particles in the analysis container 150 may move during the imaging by the imaging device 170. At this time, as described above, by acquiring a plurality of imaging data of the particles in the analysis container 150, even if the particles move and blur in one imaging data, it is highly likely that non-blurred data can be obtained in other imaging data. By obtaining imaging data of particles without blur, the calculation of the particle size described later can be accurately executed, so that the variation in the average particle size between production batches can be reduced and the particle yield can be improved.

[0035] The sampling of the particles by the sampling device as described above, the dispersion process of the particles in the analysis container 150 by the dispersion device 160, and the acquisition process of the imaging data by the imaging device 170 may be performed in a set with a cycle of several tens of seconds to several minutes. The captured imaging data is sent to a management device 200 described later, and the average particle size is calculated by a calculation unit 211 and a determination of water addition stop is made by a control unit 212.

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a management device 200 including a calculation unit 211 that calculates the average particle size of the particles based on the imaging data, and a control unit 212 that stops water addition when the average particle size satisfies a predetermined condition. The management device 200 is not particularly limited. For example, a general-purpose computer such as a desktop or a laptop can be mentioned, but it is not particularly limited as long as it can function as the calculation unit 211 and the control unit 212.

[0037] FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the management device 200 of the granulation devices according to the first and second embodiments. Hereinafter, the hardware configuration and functional configuration of the management device 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The management device 200 includes, for example, a processor 210, a communication interface 220, an input / output interface 230, a memory 240, a storage 250, and one or more communication buses 260 for interconnecting these components.

[0038] The processor 210 executes the processing, functions, or methods realized by the code or instructions included in the program stored in the storage 250. The processor 210 includes, by way of non-limiting example, a CPU, a GPU, etc., and may realize each of the processing, functions, or methods disclosed in each embodiment by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit or the like or a dedicated circuit.

[0039] The processor 210 executes the processing, functions, or methods realized by the code or instructions included in the program stored in the storage 250. As shown in FIG. 2, the processor 210 according to the first embodiment may be configured to function as a calculation unit 211, a control unit 212, and an estimation unit 213. Note that the estimation unit 213 will be described in detail in the second embodiment.

[0040] The communication interface 220 transmits and receives various data to and from other devices via the network N. The communication may be performed either wired or wirelessly, and any communication protocol may be used as long as mutual communication can be executed. For example, the communication interface 220 is implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, various communication software, or a combination thereof.

[0041] The input / output interface 230 includes an input device for inputting various operations to the management device 200 and an output device for outputting the processing results processed by the management device 200. For example, the input / output interface 230 includes information input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel, and information output devices such as a display. Note that the management device 200 may receive a predetermined input or execute a predetermined output by connecting an external input / output interface 230.

[0042] The memory 240 temporarily stores the program loaded from the storage 250 and provides a working area for the processor 210. Various data generated while the processor 210 is executing the program are also temporarily stored in the memory 240. The memory 240 may be, for example, a high-speed random access memory such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random access solid-state storage devices, or a combination thereof.

[0043] The storage 250 stores programs, each functional unit, and various data. The storage 250 may be, for example, a non-volatile memory such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices, or a combination thereof.

[0044] The data recorded by the storage 250 is not particularly limited, and for example, particle size data 251 may be mentioned. The particle size data 251 is not particularly limited, but for example, an ID may be assigned for each sampling, and together with the ID, imaging data acquired by the imaging device 170, the elapsed time since the start of water addition, the average particle size calculated by the calculation unit 211 described later, and the water addition end time output by the estimation unit 213 may be recorded.

[0045] The calculation unit 211 calculates the average particle size based on the imaging data. The calculation method is not particularly limited, but for example, a method of identifying independent particles shown in the imaging data and estimating their diameters, and repeating this process a plurality of times for each particle shown in the imaging data, and then averaging the obtained diameters to calculate the average particle size can be mentioned. Note that the average to be calculated may be the above-described mode system or the cumulative average (D50). Note that "independent particles" refer to one particle that can be confirmed as circular and is not overlapping or adjacent to two particles.

[0046] As a method for calculating the average particle size of particles based on the imaging data, there is no particular limitation as long as it is a conventionally known method. For example, after binarizing the imaging data, a method of calculating the diameter of each particle from the pixel size of the imaging device 170 can be mentioned. Then, an arbitrary average particle size such as the mode diameter or the D50 particle diameter can be obtained from the particle size distribution of each particle calculated in this way.

[0047] When the imaging device 170 obtains particles by one sampling, in other words, when a plurality of imaging data are acquired for one analysis container 150, the calculation unit 211 may calculate the total number of particles in the imaging data and the number of specific particles that satisfy a predetermined circular condition and / or particle size condition in each of the plurality of imaging data. Then, the calculation unit 211 can calculate the average particle size of the particles in the imaging data in which the total number of particles and the number of specific particles satisfy a predetermined condition.

[0048] Note that when acquiring a plurality of imaging data, the same image may be captured 5 times at a cycle of 0.5 to 1 second. Then, the average particle size is calculated from each of the plurality of images (for example, 4 images) that are not excluded, and the average value of the average particle sizes is set as the average particle size at the time of that sampling. By such processing, the influence of resonance generated when the natural vibration frequency of the camera holding unit as described above is applied can be reduced.

[0049] Here, the "specific particle number" means particles that satisfy predetermined circular conditions and / or particle size conditions, and may refer to the number of effective particles for evaluating the particle size without blurring in the imaging data, or may refer to the number of ineffective particles for evaluating the particle size in the presence of blurring in the imaging data. In the granulation tank 100 where a large motor stirs particles weighing several hundred kilograms, large vibrations containing multiple frequency components occur periodically.

[0050] The "predetermined circular conditions and / or particle size conditions" are conditions for determining whether the particles reflected in the imaging data are such that their circularity or particle size exceeds the reference range due to blurring during imaging and is not valuable for evaluation, or whether they are valuable for evaluation. For example, for particles that are ellipses significantly deviating from a perfect circle, it is suspected that they appear in such a shape due to blurring during imaging. Also, for particles with a significantly large particle size, it is suspected that they appear in such a particle size due to blurring during imaging. Note that the particle size conditions may vary according to the granulation treatment time. For example, as the granulation treatment time becomes longer, the normal range of particle size determined by the particle shape conditions may be made larger.

[0051] The "predetermined conditions" satisfied by the total particle number and the specific particle number are not particularly limited, but examples include conditions that can evaluate whether the specific particle number is large or small. More specifically, examples include the ratio of the specific particle number to the total particle number.

[0052] When the average particle size calculated by the calculation unit 211 satisfies a predetermined condition, the control unit 212 stops the water addition. Specifically, the calculation unit 211 may calculate the total number of particles in the imaging data and calculate the average particle size of the particles in the imaging data where the total number of particles satisfies the predetermined condition. Depending on the sampling, there may be cases where a sufficient number of particles cannot be captured by the sampling device. In such cases, the number of particles for evaluating the particle size decreases, and the detection accuracy of the particle size may decrease. Therefore, it is preferable to calculate the average particle size of the particles in the imaging data where the total number of particles satisfies the predetermined condition.

[0053] When there are significantly fewer particles reflected in the imaging data due to sampling errors, the calculation unit 211 may not calculate the average particle size for that sampling. Specifically, for example, if there are five pieces of imaging data obtained during sampling, and based on these five pieces of imaging data, the number of particles calculated (for the five pieces) is less than the set desired number, it is determined as a sampling error, and the same average particle size as the previous sampling or the average particle size of the previous sampling + α is set as the average particle size for this sampling. For example, when it can be determined that there should originally be 1000 or more particles, if there are about 100 to 200 particles, it is determined as a sampling error. By such processing, the influence of errors due to sampling errors can be reduced.

[0054] 1.2. First Embodiment: Operation Processing The granulation method of the first embodiment is a granulation apparatus 10 that granulates particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank 100 having a water addition device 110 and a stirring device 120, and includes a step of sampling the particles in the granulation tank 100, a step of uniformly dispersing the sampled particles in an analysis container 150, a step of acquiring imaging data of the particles in the analysis container, a step of calculating the average particle size of the particles based on the imaging data, and a step of stopping water addition when the average particle size satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0055] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the processing in the second embodiment. While referring to steps S01 to S06, the granulation method will be described below.

[0056] Fine particles before granulation are put into the granulation tank 100. When the fine particles are put in, the stirring device 120 may be operating. That is, the fine particles may be put into a place where a stirring flow is generated so that the fine particles ride on the stirring flow. Then, the water addition by the water addition device 110 is started. Regarding the start of water addition and the amount of water added, the control unit 212 may control. Also, water addition and stirring may continue until the control unit 212 stops them in step S07 described later. Further, stirring may continue even after water addition is stopped.

[0057] In step S01, the sampling device 130 may sample the fine particles in the granulation tank 100 at an arbitrary time interval, such as every few seconds to one minute. Specifically, the sampling device 130 periodically and automatically inserts a sampling bar attached to the granulation tank 100 into the granulation tank 100 to capture the fine particles floating in the granulation tank 100 in a depression (cup) provided at the tip of the sampling bar. Then, by pulling out the sampling bar, the fine particles captured in the cup can be taken out of the granulation tank 100.

[0058] At this time, the cleaning device 140 that detects that the sampling device 130 has been taken out of the granulation tank 100 may wash the fine particles captured in the cup of the sampling device 130 into the analysis container 150. At this time, the analysis container 150 may be pre-filled with a liquid. The analysis container 150 may be conveyed to the dispersion device 160 by a predetermined conveying device.

[0059] In step S02, when fine particles are accommodated in the analysis container 150, the dispersion device 160 uniformly disperses the sampled particles in the analysis container. The analysis container 150 after the dispersion process may be conveyed to the imaging device 170 by a predetermined conveying device.

[0060] In step S03, when the analysis container 150 after the dispersion process is transported into the imaging field of view, the imaging device 170 acquires imaging data of the particles in the analysis container 150. The acquired imaging data may be transmitted from the imaging device 170 to the management device 200. Here, the imaging device 170 may acquire a plurality of imaging data for one analysis container 150.

[0061] In step S04, the calculation unit 211 of the management device 200 calculates the total number of particles in the imaging data and determines whether the total number of particles satisfies a predetermined condition. At this time, if the total number of particles does not satisfy the predetermined condition, sampling is executed again. Also, if the total number of particles satisfies the predetermined condition, the process proceeds to step S05. Note that the "predetermined condition" may be a condition regarding whether the total number of particles is equal to or greater than a predetermined number.

[0062] In step S05, the calculation unit 211 of the management device 200 calculates the average particle size based on the imaging data. At this time, before calculating the average particle size, if there is a plurality of imaging data for one analysis container 150, the calculation unit 211 may execute a selection process of the imaging data suitable for calculating the average particle size.

[0063] Also, the calculation process of the average particle size is not limited to the process for one piece of imaging data, and the average particle size may be calculated for each of a plurality of pieces of imaging data, and the average of the average particle sizes may be used as the "average particle size" by the calculation unit 211.

[0064] Specifically, in step S06, the calculation unit 211 of the management device 200 calculates, for each of the plurality of imaging data, the total number of particles in the imaging data and the number of specific particles that satisfy a predetermined circular condition and / or particle size condition, and in the imaging data where the total number of particles and the number of specific particles satisfy the predetermined condition, the average particle size of the particles may be calculated.

[0065] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, the average particle size calculated based on the imaging data where the total number of particles and the number of specific particles satisfy the predetermined condition may be used in the subsequent step S07. This is because the average particle size of the particles in each imaging data has already been calculated in the determination of whether the total number of particles and the number of specific particles satisfy the predetermined condition.

[0066] In step S10 (not shown), when the average particle size satisfies a predetermined condition, the control unit 212 of the management device 200 stops the water addition. Thereafter, the obtained particles may be subjected to a drying process or a classification process using a sieve.

[0067] 1.3. First Embodiment: Program The program of the first embodiment is such that the granulation device 10 that granulates particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank 100 having a water addition device 110 and a stirring device 120 includes a step of sampling the particles in the granulation tank 100, a step of uniformly dispersing the sampled particles in an analysis container 150, a step of acquiring imaging data of the particles in the analysis container, a step of calculating the average particle size of the particles based on the imaging data, and a step of stopping the water addition when the average particle size satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0068] The program may be recorded on a readable recording medium. Note that since the specific mode of the processing executed by the program of the first embodiment has been described in the above operation processing, detailed description is omitted here.

[0069] 2.1. Second Embodiment: Granulation Device Further, the granulation device of the second embodiment is a granulation device that granulates particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank having a water addition device and a stirring device, and includes a sampling device that samples the particles in the granulation tank, a dispersion device that uniformly disperses the sampled particles in an analysis container, an imaging device that acquires imaging data of the particles in the analysis container, a calculation unit that calculates the average particle size of the particles based on the imaging data, an estimation unit that estimates the water addition end time based on the average particle size, and a control unit that stops the water addition at the estimated water addition end time. The estimation unit may estimate the water addition end time based on the average particle sizes of the particles sampled at a plurality of different timings.

[0070] In the granulation apparatus of the second embodiment, instead of stopping the water addition when the average particle size satisfies a predetermined condition, the estimation unit 213 estimates the water addition end time based on the average particle sizes of the particles sampled at different timings, and the control unit 212 stops the water addition at the estimated water addition end time. Other configurations can be the same as those in the above embodiment. Hereinafter, the different configurations in the second embodiment will be described in detail.

[0071] The estimation unit 213 in the second embodiment estimates the water addition end time based on the average particle size calculated by the calculation unit 211. At this time, the estimation unit 213 estimates the water addition end time based on the average particle sizes of the particles sampled at different timings. Also, the control unit 212 in the second embodiment stops the water addition at the water addition end time estimated by the estimation unit 213. Hereinafter, specific processing will be shown.

[0072] 2.2. Second Embodiment: Operation Processing The granulation method of the second embodiment is a granulation apparatus 10 that granulates particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank 100 having a water addition device 110 and a stirring device 120, and includes a step of sampling the particles in the granulation tank 100, a step of uniformly dispersing the sampled particles in an analysis container 150, a step of acquiring imaging data of the particles in the analysis container, a step of calculating the average particle size of the particles based on the imaging data, a step of estimating the water addition end time based on the average particle size, and a step of stopping the water addition at the estimated water addition end time. In the step of estimating the water addition end time, the water addition end time is estimated based on the average particle sizes of the particles sampled at different timings.

[0073] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the processing in the second embodiment. In the operation processing of the second embodiment, steps S01 to S06 may be implemented in the same manner as described above.

[0074] In step S07, the estimation unit 213 estimates the water addition end time based on the average particle sizes of particles sampled at a plurality of different timings. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the estimation unit 213 may estimate the water addition end time that becomes the target particle size from information regarding the increasing tendency of the average particle size with respect to the elapsed time (min) from the start of water addition. Specifically, an approximate curve may be created by a known process such as the least squares method for the plot of the average particle size with respect to the elapsed time (min) from the start of water addition, and the water addition end time may be estimated from the approximate curve.

[0075] This estimation process of the water addition end time is updated each time sampling is performed, and the estimation unit 213 may update the latest water addition end time. Note that sampling is performed at an arbitrary time interval such as several seconds to one minute as described above, and the water addition end time is also updated at an arbitrary time interval such as several seconds to one minute. At this time, the estimation process of the water addition end time by the estimation unit 213 may be repeatedly executed as long as the timing for calculating the next latest water addition end time does not exceed the most recent water addition end time.

[0076] That is, in step S08, the control unit 212 of the management device 200 determines whether the next scheduled sampling time is after the water addition end time. If the next scheduled sampling time is after the water addition end time, the sampling process is executed again, and if the next scheduled sampling time is before the water addition end time, the process proceeds to step S09.

[0077] In step S09, the control unit 212 of the management device 200 controls the water addition device 110 at the estimated water addition end time to stop the water addition. Thereafter, the obtained particles may be subjected to a drying process or a classification process using a sieve.

[0078] Also, even after the water addition end time, the sampling device 130 may continue sampling, and the calculation unit 211 may continue to calculate the average particle size of the particles.

[0079] 2.3. Second Embodiment: Program The program of the second embodiment causes the granulation device 10 to execute steps of sampling particles in the granulation tank, uniformly dispersing the sampled particles in an analysis container, acquiring imaging data of the particles in the analysis container, calculating the average particle size of the particles based on the imaging data, estimating the water addition end time based on the average particle size, and stopping the water addition at the estimated water addition end time. In the step of estimating the water addition end time, the water addition end time is estimated based on the average particle sizes of the particles sampled at different timings.

[0080] The program may be a thing recorded on a readable recording medium. Note that since the specific modes of the processing executed by the program of the second embodiment are described in the above operation processing, detailed description is omitted here.

Industrial Applicability

[0081] The granulation device of the present embodiment has industrial applicability in the field of manufacturing particles with uniform quality.

Explanation of Signs

[0082] 10…Granulation device, 100…Granulation tank, 110…Water addition device, 120…Stirring device, 130…Sampling device, 140…Washing device, 150…Analysis container, 160…Dispersion device, 170…Imaging device, 200…Management device, 210…Processor, 211…Calculation unit, 212…Control unit, 213…Estimation unit, 220…Communication interface, 230…Input / output interface, 240…Memory, 250…Storage, 251…Particle size data, 260…Communication bus

Claims

1. A granulation device that granulates particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank having a water addition device and a stirring device, a sampling device that samples the particles in the granulation tank, a dispersion device that uniformly disperses the sampled particles in an analysis container, an imaging device that acquires imaging data of the particles in the analysis container, a calculation unit that calculates the average particle diameter of the particles based on the imaging data, and a control unit that stops water addition when the average particle diameter satisfies a predetermined condition. Granulation device.

2. A granulation device that granulates particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank having a water addition device and a stirring device, a sampling device that samples the particles in the granulation tank, a dispersion device that uniformly disperses the sampled particles in an analysis container, an imaging device that acquires imaging data of the particles in the analysis container, a calculation unit that calculates the average particle diameter of the particles based on the imaging data, an estimation unit that estimates the water addition end time based on the average particle diameter, and a control unit that stops water addition at the estimated water addition end time. The estimation unit estimates the water addition end time based on the average particle diameters of the particles sampled at a plurality of different timings. Granulation device.

3. The sampling device has a cup that captures the particles in the granulation tank, and further includes a cleaning device that flushes the particles captured in the cup into the analysis container with a liquid. The granulation device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The dispersion device causes the analysis container to perform a revolving motion and a rotating motion on a horizontal plane in a state where the analysis container contains the particles and the liquid, thereby uniformly dispersing the particles in the analysis container. The granulation device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The dispersion device uniformly disperses the particles in the analysis container by causing the analysis container to perform the rotating motion after causing the analysis container to perform the revolving motion. The granulation device according to claim 4.

6. The imaging device acquires a plurality of pieces of imaging data of the particles in the analysis container. The calculation unit calculates, for each of the plurality of pieces of imaging data, the total number of particles in the imaging data and the number of specific particles that satisfy a predetermined circular condition and / or particle size condition, and calculates the average particle size of the particles in the imaging data in which the total number of particles and the number of specific particles satisfy a predetermined condition. The granulation device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The calculation unit calculates the total number of particles in the imaging data, and calculates the average particle size of the particles in the imaging data in which the total number of particles satisfies a predetermined condition. The granulation device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. In a granulation device that granulates particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank having a water addition device and a stirring device, sampling the particles in the granulation tank; uniformly dispersing the sampled particles in an analysis container; acquiring imaging data of the particles in the analysis container; calculating the average particle size of the particles based on the imaging data; estimating the water addition end time based on the average particle size; causing the step of stopping water addition at the estimated water addition end time to be executed; In the step of estimating the water addition end time, the water addition end time is estimated based on the average particle size of the particles sampled at different timings. Program.

9. A granulation device that granulates particles by stirring fine particles under predetermined water addition conditions using a granulation tank having a water addition device and a stirring device, the step of sampling the particles in the granulation tank; the step of uniformly dispersing the sampled particles in an analysis container; the step of obtaining imaging data of the particles in the analysis container; the step of calculating the average particle size of the particles based on the imaging data; the step of estimating the water addition end time based on the average particle size; causing the step of stopping water addition at the estimated water addition end time to be executed; In the step of estimating the water addition end time, the water addition end time is estimated based on the average particle size of the particles sampled at different timings. Granulation method.

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