Hopper

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of suppressing formation of a bridge even for a mixture including materials of different shapes and particle diameters.SOLUTION: A hopper capable of opening / closing a discharge port includes a partition plate that partitions the inside of the hopper into a main storage chamber which comes into contact with the discharge port and a sub storage chamber which does not come into contact with the discharge port. At least a part of the partition plate is a movable plate that can switch between an open state of opening a sub discharge path leading to the discharge port from the sub storage chamber and a cut-off state of cutting off the sub discharge path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a hopper with an openable and closable discharge port.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a powder supply device that can prevent the formation of a bridge and adjust the state of air present in the powder.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] A common problem regarding hoppers is the formation of a bridge. When a bridge is formed in a hopper, for example, in a factory, it is necessary to stop the line each time and remove the bridge, which is one of the factors that hinder the efficiency of the process.

[0005] One example of a countermeasure against bridges is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the example disclosed in Patent Document 1, a long member inserted into the supply is moved along the vertical direction to push the supply toward the discharge port. Such a countermeasure may not be effective depending on the material composition of the supply. In particular, when the supply is a mixture containing materials with different shapes and particle sizes, there is a concern that a stronger bridge may be formed by the supply being pushed in from above.

[0006] One object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique capable of suppressing the formation of a bridge even in a mixture containing materials with different shapes and particle sizes, which is likely to form a bridge.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The first aspect relates to a hopper with an openable and closable discharge port. The hopper is provided with a partition plate that divides the inside of the hopper into a main storage chamber in contact with the discharge port and a secondary storage chamber not in contact with the discharge port. At least a part of the partition plate is in an open state that opens a secondary discharge path from the secondary storage chamber to the discharge port, and in a blocked state that blocks the secondary discharge path and is a movable plate that can be switched.

[0008] The second aspect further has the following features in addition to the first aspect. In the discharging process, after the discharge port is opened, the movable plate switches from the blocked state to the open state.

[0009] The third aspect further has the following features in addition to the first aspect. The partition plate includes a first partition plate provided with a first movable plate and a second partition plate provided with a second movable plate, and in the discharging process, after the discharge port is opened, the first movable plate switches from the blocked state to the open state, and after the first movable plate switches back to the blocked state, the second movable plate switches to the open state.

[0010] The fourth aspect further has the following features in addition to the first aspect. It is provided with a control device for controlling the switching between the open state and the blocked state of the movable plate, and the control device controls the duration of the open state and the blocked state of the movable plate according to the amount of the supply material supplied to the hopper stored in the secondary storage chamber.

[0011] The fifth aspect further has the following features in addition to any one of the first to fourth aspects. The supply material supplied to the hopper is a mixture containing at least powder, metal foil, and resin film.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] According to the first aspect, the inside of the hopper is divided into a main storage chamber and a sub-storage chamber by a movable plate. By discharging the supply for each chamber, concentration of the supply near the discharge port is prevented, and formation of a bridge is suppressed.

[0013] According to the second aspect, after the discharge port is opened, the movable plate switches from the blocked state to the open state. Thereby, the supply in the main storage chamber and the storage in the sub-storage chamber can be discharged at different timings, and concentration of the supply near the discharge port can be more reliably prevented.

[0014] According to the third aspect, the hopper includes a first movable plate and a second movable plate, and after the discharge port is opened, the two movable plates open and close at different timings. Thereby, even when there are a plurality of movable plates, concentration of the supply near the discharge port can be prevented.

[0015] According to the fourth aspect, the hopper is provided with a control device that controls switching between the open state and the blocked state of the movable plate. Thereby, the movable plate can be opened and closed at an appropriate timing, so that the discharging operation can be performed efficiently.

[0016] According to the fifth aspect, the supply supplied to the hopper is a mixture containing at least powder, metal foil, and resin film. Thus, when the supply is a mixture containing materials with different shapes and particle sizes, the hopper of the present disclosure is particularly effective.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] 1. Configuration of Hopper FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of the appearance of the hopper 1 according to the present embodiment. The hopper 1 is arranged in a factory or the like and is supplied with the material processed in the previous process. The hopper 1 temporarily stores the supplied material and then discharges it from the discharge port 10, and sends the material to the subsequent process. As the subsequent process of the hopper 1, the material may be directly sent to another device, or may be sent to another process by a belt conveyor or the like. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the hopper 1 is directly connected to the previous process section that undertakes the previous process. The material supplied to the hopper 1 is not particularly limited as long as it is a fluid object such as powder or granular material.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of the internal structure of the hopper 1 according to the present embodiment. In order to make the internal structure visible, a part of the side wall 50 of the hopper 1 is not shown. The broken line in the figure indicates the outer shape of the omitted part. In the figures after FIG. 2, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis are inserted. The z-axis indicates the vertical direction, the x-axis and the y-axis are perpendicular to each other, and both are perpendicular to the z-axis. Here, the y-axis is defined so that the plane in which the partition plate 30 described later extends is parallel to the yz plane.

[0021] The side wall 50 is typically formed by joining a plurality of metal plates by welding or the like. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the side wall 50 is configured by combining planar plates, but it may have a curved surface configuration.

[0022] The discharge port 10 is arranged at the lower end of the hopper 1. The discharge port 10 is openable and closable. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the double-opening door being exemplified, modes such as a sliding door are exemplified.

[0023] The hopper 1 further includes a partition plate 30. The partition plate 30 divides the inside of the hopper 1 into a main storage chamber 21 and a sub-storage chamber 22. The main storage chamber 21 is a space connected to the discharge port 10, and the sub-storage chamber 22 is a space not connected to the discharge port 10. The path from the main storage chamber 21 to the discharge port 10 is defined as the main discharge path 101. At least a part of the partition plate 30 is movable, and this part is particularly called the movable plate 31. The movable plate 31 can switch between an open state in which the sub-discharge path 102 from the sub-storage chamber 22 to the discharge port 10 is opened and a blocked state in which the sub-discharge path 102 is blocked. The number of the partition plates 30 is not limited to a specific number, and it may be only one or a plurality. In the example shown in FIG. 2, two partition plates 30 are provided, both of which have the function as the movable plate 31. The two partition plates 30 (movable plates 31) extend parallel to the yz plane. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the two partition plates 30 (movable plates 31) are in the blocked state. The partition plate 30 does not need to divide the entire inside of the hopper 1, and may be configured to partition a part near the discharge port 10 as in the example of FIG. 2.

[0024] The movable plate 31 is switched between the open state and the blocked state through the movement of the opening / closing device 40. In the example of FIG. 2, the opening / closing device 40 has a rotating body 41 that rotates about the y-axis. The rotating body 41 and the movable plate 31 are mechanically joined by bolts. When the rotating body 41 rotates, the state of the movable plate 31 joined to the rotating body 41 is switched. In FIG. 2, although the two rotating bodies 41 are attached to the side of the two surfaces of the movable plate 31 on the sub-storage chamber 22 side, they may be attached to the main storage chamber 21 side.

[0025] The opening / closing device 40 consists of a rotating body 41 inside the hopper 1 and a driving device outside the hopper 1 (not shown). The rotating body 41 is rotationally driven by the driving device outside the hopper 1. The driving device of the opening / closing device 40 includes a pneumatic cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder, and it is possible to rotate the rotating body 41 by converting the reciprocating motion of the cylinder into a rotational motion via a crank mechanism or the like. The operation of the opening / closing device 40 is typically automatically controlled by a control device. As another mode, it may be mechanically moved by a person (such as an operator), or the opening / closing device 40 may perform a preset operation when a person presses a switch. The control method of the opening / closing device 40 by the control device will be described later.

[0026] 2. Discharge process FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the hopper 1 cut along the xz plane for showing the discharge process of the hopper 1 according to the present embodiment. Similar to FIG. 2, two partition plates 30 (movable plates 31) are installed. Here, the two partition plates 30 are distinguished as a first partition plate 30A and a second partition plate 30B. Considering in the same way as FIG. 2, the first partition plate 30A functions as a first movable plate 31A, and the second partition plate 30B functions as a second movable plate 31B. Also, the auxiliary storage chamber 22 formed by the first movable plate 31A is particularly called a first auxiliary storage chamber 22A, and the auxiliary storage chamber 22 formed by the second movable plate 31B is particularly called a second auxiliary storage chamber 22B. Hereinafter, the process of the hopper 1 discharging the supply will be described.

[0027] (A) in FIG. 3 shows a state where the supply is stored. At this time, the discharge port 10 is closed, and both the first movable plate 31A and the second movable plate 31B are in a blocked state. It is desirable that the height of the supply stored in each storage chamber remains at a position lower than the upper end of the movable plate 31.

[0028] First, the discharge port 10 is opened. Thereby, the main discharge path 101 from the main storage chamber 21 to the outside of the discharge port 10 is opened, and the supply accumulated in the main storage chamber 21 adjacent to the discharge port 10 is discharged (see (B) in FIG. 3).

[0029] Next, the first movable plate 31A switches from the blocked state to the open state. As a result, the first secondary discharge path 102A leading from the first secondary reservoir 22A to the discharge port 10 is opened, and the supply material accumulated in the first secondary reservoir 22A is discharged (see (C) in FIG. 3).

[0030] Next, the first movable plate 31A switches from the open state to the blocked state. That is, the first secondary discharge path 102A is blocked (see (D) in FIG. 3).

[0031] Next, the second movable plate 31B switches from the blocked state to the open state. As a result, the second secondary discharge path 102B leading from the second secondary reservoir 22B to the discharge port 10 is opened, and the supply material accumulated in the second secondary reservoir 22B is discharged (see (E) in FIG. 3). Up to this point, all of the supply material supplied to the hopper 1 has been discharged. After the first movable plate 31A switches from the open state to the blocked state, the second movable plate 31B switches from the blocked state to the open state in order to prevent interference between the movable plates 31 and to widen the movable range of the later-moving movable plate 31 (here, the second movable plate 31B).

[0032] Next, the discharge port 10 is closed. Also, the second movable plate 31B switches from the open state to the blocked state, and the second secondary discharge path 102B is blocked (see (F) in FIG. 3). As a result, the state is the same as in (A) in FIG. 3, and a new supply material can be supplied to the hopper 1. By repeating the series of steps shown in FIG. 3, the hopper 1 can continuously discharge the supply material.

[0033] Here, the movable plate 31 may repeat switching a plurality of times during one process. For example, in (C) in FIG. 3, if there is only one opening and closing (switching from the blocked state to the open state), there is a possibility that the supply material may remain near the joint between the opening and closing device 40 and the first movable plate 31A. In order to reliably discharge it, in (C) in FIG. 3, the first movable plate 31A may be opened and closed a plurality of times. The above explanation also holds for the second movable plate 31B in (E) in FIG. 3.

[0034] 3. Effects As a general problem related to a hopper, the formation of a bridge can be mentioned. A bridge is an arch-shaped aggregate structure formed by the supply material so as to cover the discharge port during the discharge process. The bridge is formed by the supply material concentrating toward the discharge port, which generates pressure between the supply materials and frictional resistance generated between the supply materials and between the supply materials and the hopper, making it difficult for the supply material to slide and causing the supply materials to become entangled with each other. When a bridge is formed in the hopper, for example, in a factory, it is necessary to stop the line each time and remove the bridge, which is one of the factors that hinders the efficiency of the process.

[0035] As described above, in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1, a long member inserted into the supply material is moved along the vertical direction to push the supply material toward the discharge port. Such a countermeasure may not be effective depending on the material composition of the supply material. In particular, when the supply material is a mixture containing materials with different shapes and particle sizes, there is a concern that a stronger bridge may be formed when the supply material is pushed in from above.

[0036] In the present disclosure, the inside of the hopper 1 is divided by the partition plate 30, and the generation of a bridge is suppressed by discharging the supply material for each chamber. The effect of the present disclosure will be described based on FIG. 3.

[0037] In (B) in FIG. 3, the supply material accumulated in the main storage chamber 21 drops (is discharged) with little resistance because the movable plate 31 is installed in the vertical direction. Further, since it is partitioned by the movable plate 31, the concentration of the supply material near the discharge port 10 is unlikely to occur.

[0038] In (C) in FIG. 3, since the side wall 50 of the hopper 1 has a certain gradient, although resistance is generated, the supply material is not discharged from other directions (from the main storage chamber 21 or the second sub-storage chamber 22B), so the concentration of the supply material does not occur.

[0039] By the above actions, the formation of a bridge is suppressed by the hopper 1 of the present disclosure. This can contribute to the efficiency improvement of the working process in a factory or the like.

[0040] The hopper 1 of the present disclosure is effective even when the mixture contains materials with different shapes and particle sizes that are likely to form a bridge because it does not push the supply from above. For example, various materials such as metals and resins are used in the batteries used in electric vehicles. When crushing for recycling, the crushed materials become a mixture with different shapes and particle sizes including powders, metal foils, resin films, etc. Therefore, the hopper 1 of the present disclosure is particularly effective when used in the process of crushing and recycling used batteries.

[0041] 4. Control of the opening / closing device by the control device Consider the case where the opening / closing device 40 is controlled by the control device. The control device controls the switching between the open state and the shut-off state of the movable plate 31 via the opening / closing device 40. That is, the control device controls the duration of the open state and the shut-off state of the movable plate 31. In particular, if the duration of the open state is too short, not all of the supply will be discharged, and the efficiency of the discharge process will decrease. Conversely, if the duration of the open state is too long, even though all of the accumulated supply has been discharged, there will be a time when the next process cannot proceed, which is not efficient. Therefore, appropriately controlling the duration of the open state of the movable plate 31 is important from the viewpoint of improving the efficiency of the discharge process.

[0042] The larger the amount of the accumulated supply, the more time it takes to discharge. Therefore, it is desirable to adjust (control) the duration of the open state according to the amount of the accumulated supply. That is, it is reasonable that the larger the amount of the accumulated supply, the longer the open time, and conversely, the smaller the amount of the accumulated supply, the shorter the open time.

[0043] The amount of the accumulated supply may be detected by attaching pressure sensors to the movable plate 31 and the side wall 50 and based on the measured value of the pressure generated by the supply. Also, when the drive device of the opening / closing device 40 includes a cylinder, the duration of the open state may be controlled according to the load (resistance force) of the cylinder required to maintain the shut-off state.

[0044] 5. Other configuration examples FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing another configuration example of the hopper 1. Here, descriptions of the components already shown in FIG. 2 are omitted.

[0045] The hopper 1 is provided with a viewing window 70. The viewing window 70 is attached to the side wall 50 for the purpose of visually checking whether the supply is properly discharged. The material of the viewing window 70 is preferably tempered glass or the like.

[0046] Furthermore, in addition to the movable plate 31, the partition plate 30 is provided with a different flow rectifying plate 32. The flow rectifying plate 32 is typically composed of a metal plate and is fixed to the side wall 50 of the hopper 1 by welding. Therefore, unlike the movable plate 31, the flow rectifying plate 32 has no opening / closing mechanism and is installed to appropriately distribute the supply material supplied from above to the main storage chamber 21 and the sub-storage chambers 22. The flow rectifying plate 32 does not need to extend to the opposite side of the wall of the hopper 1. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, it is assumed that the hopper 1 mainly receives the supply material at a part of the side wall 50 (the side opposite to the side wall where the viewing window 70 is installed), and the flow rectifying plate 32 is installed only at the part that mainly receives the supply material.

[0047] FIG. 5 is an xy plan view showing still another configuration example of the hopper 1. The hopper 1 is provided with an air blowing device 60. The air blowing device 60 is provided near the inlet of the hopper 1 and blows out air along the wall surface of the hopper 1 toward the bottom of the hopper 1. Thereby, the supply material remaining in the hopper 1 without being discharged by the operation of the movable plate 31 is blown down to the bottom of the hopper 1 by the air. Here, a total of three air blowing devices 60 are installed in each of the main storage chamber 21 and the two sub-storage chambers 22.

[0048] FIG. 6 is an xy plan view showing still another configuration example of the hopper 1. The side wall 50 of the hopper 1 is composed of a plurality of flat plates. Further, inside the hopper 1, a connecting plate 50a is attached along the joints between the flat plates. The connecting plate 50a is configured such that the flat plates are gently angled with respect to each other via the connecting plate 50a. In the case where there is no connecting plate 50a (for example, in the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 5), the flat plates intersect at a sharper angle. In the hopper 1 formed by combining flat plates, the intersection portion intersecting at a sharp angle has a shape like a deep valley. In that case, it is likely to receive frictional resistance from the side wall 50 and the supply material is likely to accumulate. As a result, the supply material is likely to remain without being completely discharged. The connecting plate 50a eliminates such a valley shape, so that the supply material is more likely to be discharged. The connecting plate 50a may be manufactured by manufacturing the side wall 50 so as to be formed from the beginning, or may be formed by welding a steel plate or the like additionally after forming the side wall 50 without the connecting plate 50a once.

Description of the reference numerals

[0049] 1: Hopper, 10: Discharge port, 21: Main storage chamber, 22: Sub-storage chamber, 30: Partition plate, 31: Movable plate, 32: Rectifying plate, 40: Opening / closing device, 41: Rotating body, 50: Side wall, 60: Air blowing device, 70: Visual confirmation window, 101: Main discharge path, 102: Sub-discharge path

Claims

1. A hopper with an openable and closable discharge port, comprising a partition plate that divides the interior of the hopper into a main storage chamber in contact with the discharge port and a secondary storage chamber not in contact with the discharge port, at least a part of the partition plate is in an open state that opens a secondary discharge path from the secondary storage chamber to the discharge port, and a movable plate that can be switched to a blocked state that blocks the secondary discharge path Hopper.

2. The hopper according to claim 1, wherein during the discharge process, after the discharge port is opened, the movable plate switches from the blocked state to the open state Hopper.

3. The hopper according to claim 1, wherein the partition plate includes a first partition plate having a first movable plate and a second partition plate having a second movable plate, during the discharge process, after the discharge port is opened, the first movable plate switches from the blocked state to the open state, and after the first movable plate switches back to the blocked state, the second movable plate switches to the open state Hopper.

4. The hopper according to claim 1, wherein it is provided with a control device for controlling the switching between the open state and the blocked state of the movable plate, the control device is controlling the duration of the open state and the blocked state of the movable plate according to the amount of the supply material supplied to the hopper stored in the secondary storage chamber Hopper.

5. The hopper according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the supply material supplied to the hopper is a mixture containing at least powder, metal foil, and resin film Hopper.

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