Powder dispensing device

Abstract

To provide a powder dispensing device capable of high-precision dispensing by rotating a housing to enhance the flowability of the powder in the housing.SOLUTION: The powder dispensing device has a housing having a hopper for storing powder and a cylindrical nozzle connected to the hopper and having a dispensing port for dispensing the powder stored in the hopper; a shaft inserted into the nozzle and movable relative to the nozzle in a direction along the central axis of the nozzle; and a knocker which, by repeatedly colliding with the housing, vibrates the housing and rotates the housing about the central axis.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a powder dispensing device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a dispenser device for supplying a required amount of powder. This dispenser device has a housing having a powder discharge port and a feed / closing member inserted into the housing. Further, a recess is formed in the feed / closing member that opens on the side surface. By moving the feed / closing member upward to open the recess into the housing, the powder in the housing is introduced into the recess, and by moving the feed / closing member downward to open the recess outside the discharge port, the powder in the recess can be discharged from the discharge port. Further, in the dispenser device, by rotating the feed / closing member with respect to the housing, aggregation of the powder in the housing is suppressed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in such a dispenser device, a drive source for rotating the feed / closing member with respect to the housing is required, leading to an increase in the size of the device and power consumption.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The powder dispensing device of the present invention includes a housing having a hopper for storing powder, and a cylindrical nozzle connected to the hopper and having a discharge port for discharging the powder stored in the hopper. A shaft that is inserted into the nozzle and moves in a direction along the central axis of the nozzle with respect to the nozzle, A knocker that repeatedly collides with the housing to vibrate the housing and rotate it about the central axis.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 12

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0007] Hereinafter, the powder dispensing device of the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. <First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of the powder dispensing device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the housing as viewed from below. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the state where the shaft is in the closed state. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the state where the shaft is in the open state. FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing the state where the knocker collides with the housing. FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing the state where the knocker is separated from the housing. FIG. 7 is a bottom view showing the state where the housing rotates. FIGS. 8 to 11 are cross-sectional views showing the state where the powder is not stably discharged from the discharge port even though a sufficient amount of powder is stored in the housing.

[0008] In the following, for convenience of explanation, the upper side of FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 8 to 11 is also referred to as "upper", and the lower side is also referred to as "lower". Also, the longitudinal direction of the paper surface of FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 8 to 11 is along the vertical direction.

[0009] The powder dispensing device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a housing 2 for storing the powder Q, an exterior 3 as a support portion for rotatably supporting the housing 2, a shaft 4 inserted into the housing 2, a spiral wire 5 connected to the shaft 4, a shaft driving portion 6 for moving the shaft 4 up and down with respect to the housing 2, a knocker 7 for hitting the housing 2 to vibrate and rotate it, a knocker driving portion 8 for driving the knocker 7, and a control device 9 for controlling the shaft driving portion 6 and the knocker driving portion 8. having.

[0010] The housing 2 has a hopper 21 for storing the powder Q and a nozzle 22 connected to the lower end of the hopper 21. The hopper 21 is a circular tube extending in the vertical direction, and the powder Q is stored inside. Further, the hopper 21 has a cylindrical portion 211 with a constant inner diameter along the vertical direction, and a tapered portion 212 located below the cylindrical portion 211 and having a reduced inner diameter towards the lower side. Also, an annular flange 213 protruding outward is formed at the upper end of the cylindrical portion 211. And the nozzle 22 is connected to the lower end of the tapered portion 212. That is, the tapered portion 212 is located between the cylindrical portion 211 and the nozzle 22. According to such a configuration, the powder Q in the housing 2 is smoothly guided to the nozzle 22 by the tapered portion 212. The nozzle 22 extends in the vertical direction, has a cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter than the cylindrical portion 211, and is arranged coaxially with the hopper 21. Also, the lower end of the nozzle 22 is a discharge port 221, and the powder Q in the hopper 21 is discharged outside the housing 2 through this discharge port 221.

[0011] Further, the housing 2 has unevenness 23 provided annularly around the central axis J of the nozzle 22 on the outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion 212. As shown in FIG. 2, the unevenness 23 has a shape in which arc-shaped protrusions 231 are continuously arranged around the central axis J. As will be described later, since the knocker 7 collides with the unevenness 23, by forming each protrusion 231 constituting the unevenness 23 in an arc shape, damage to the unevenness 23 due to the collision with the knocker 7 can be effectively suppressed.

[0012] Such a housing 2 is composed of various resin materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyamide, and ABS resin, and various metal materials such as aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel.

[0013] The housing 2 has been described above. However, the configuration of the housing 2 is not particularly limited. For example, the shape of the unevenness 23 is not particularly limited as long as it can generate the force F described later. For example, it may have a shape in which triangular protrusions 231 are continuously arranged around the central axis J.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the exterior 3 covers the periphery of the housing 2 and supports the housing 2 so as to be rotatable about the central axis J. By providing such an exterior 3, the posture of the housing 2 is stabilized. The exterior 3 includes a cylindrical base body 31 surrounding the outer periphery of the housing 2, an annular floor portion 32 disposed at the lower end of the base body 31, three support columns 33 standing upright upward from the floor portion 32 and supporting the housing 2 so as to support it from below, and an annular flange 34 located above the housing 2 and protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the base body 31. The three support columns 33 are arranged at equal intervals around the central axis J, that is, at 120° intervals, and their upper ends are in contact with the tapered portion 212 of the housing 2. Further, the flange 34 is vertically opposed to the flange 213 of the housing 2, and an elastic cushion member 35 is disposed between them in a state of being elastically deformed so as to be crushed vertically. Therefore, the housing 2 is lightly pressed against the three support columns 33 by the elastic force of the cushion member 35 to such an extent that the rotation of the housing 2 about the central axis J is not hindered. According to such a configuration, the posture of the housing 2 is more stable. The cushion member 35 is made of, for example, various rubber materials.

[0015] The exterior 3 has been described above. However, the configuration of the exterior 3 is not particularly limited. For example, the number of the support columns 33 is not particularly limited and may be four or more. Also, the cushion member 35 may be omitted and the flanges 34 and 213 may be in contact with each other.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1, the shaft 4 penetrates the housing 2 vertically and is inserted into the nozzle 22. Also, the shaft 4 is arranged coaxially with the central axis J and moves up and down along the central axis J by the shaft drive unit 6. Further, the shaft 4 has a recess 41 that opens on the side surface of its lower end. By moving the shaft 4 up and down with respect to the housing 2, it is possible to switch between the closed state P1 shown in Fig. 3 and the open state P2 shown in Fig. 4. In the closed state P1, the recess 41 is located within the hopper 21, and the powder Q within the hopper 21 is supplied into the recess 41. On the other hand, in the open state P2, the recess 41 faces outside the housing 2 through the nozzle 22, and the powder Q within the recess 41 is discharged from the discharge port 221. In the powder dispensing device 1, by alternately repeating these closed state P1 and open state P2, a dispensing operation for discharging a predetermined amount of the powder Q is performed.

[0017] Such a shaft 4 is composed of various metal materials such as aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel, various ceramic materials such as alumina and titania, and various resin materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyamide, and ABS resin. As described above, the shaft 4 has been explained, but the configuration of the shaft 4 is not particularly limited.

[0018] Here, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, if a part of the powder Q within the hopper 21 aggregates to form a lump Q1, the lump Q1 reduces the fluidity of the powder Q or makes it unstable. Also, the nozzle 22 may be clogged by the lump Q1. Therefore, the discharge of the powder Q becomes unstable, and it may be difficult to adjust the discharge amount. Thus, the powder dispensing device 1 is provided with a wire body 5 as a means for crushing the lump Q1, stabilizing the discharge of the powder Q, and facilitating the adjustment of the discharge amount.

[0019] The wire body 5 is arranged around the shaft 4 so as to surround the shaft 4, and forms a spiral shape that extends along the central axis J while rotating around the central axis J. Further, the wire body 5 is connected to the shaft 4 at its upper end. Therefore, the upper end is a fixed end and the lower end is a free end. Further, the diameter of the wire body 5 gradually increases from the upper end side toward the lower end side. Such a wire body 5 is elastically deformable and expands and contracts and vibrates in the direction along the central axis J as the shaft 4 moves up and down.

[0020] When the shaft 4 is moved up and down to switch between the closed state P1 and the open state P2, the wire body 5 moves up and down and expands and contracts and vibrates accordingly. Then, the vibrating wire body 5 fluidizes the powder Q or contacts the mass Q1 to crush the mass Q1. As a result, the discharge of the powder Q is stabilized and a highly accurate dispensing operation can be performed. In the powder dispensing device 1, the wire body 5 may be vibrated by finely moving the shaft 4 up and down while maintaining the closed state P1. Thereby, the mass Q1 can be crushed before starting the dispensing operation. Therefore, the discharge of the powder Q is stabilized and a highly accurate dispensing operation can be performed. Further, since the discharge of the powder Q and the crushing of the mass Q1 can be controlled independently, the dispensing operation becomes more stable.

[0021] Such a wire body 5 can be composed of, for example, hard steel wire, piano wire, stainless steel wire, or the like.

[0022] The wire body 5 has been described above. However, the configuration of the wire body 5 is not particularly limited. For example, the wire body 5 may be connected to the shaft 4 at its lower end, and its diameter may gradually increase from the lower end side toward the upper end side. Further, the wire body 5 may be omitted.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the shaft drive unit 6 has a motor 61 connected to the upper end of the shaft 4. By driving the motor 61, the shaft 4 moves up and down with respect to the housing 2, and the closed state P1 and the open state P2 are switched.

[0024] The shaft drive unit 6 has been described above. However, the configuration of the shaft drive unit 6 is not particularly limited.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the knocker 7 has a rod shape with a rounded tip. Further, the knocker 7 is inserted into a through hole formed at a position corresponding to the unevenness 23 of the base body 31. Then, the knocker 7 reciprocates along a direction along the normal plane of the central axis J. Specifically, the central axis JJ of the knocker 7 intersects the central axis J and is orthogonal to the central axis J, and the knocker 7 reciprocates along the central axis JJ. In this way, by reciprocating the knocker 7 along the central axis JJ, the tip of the knocker 7 repeatedly collides with the tapered portion 212 of the housing 2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, a contact state P3 in which the tip of the knocker 7 contacts the unevenness 23 of the housing 2 and, as shown in FIG. 6, a separation state P4 in which the tip of the knocker 7 is separated from the unevenness 23 of the housing 2 are repeatedly alternated, thereby repeatedly colliding with the unevenness 23. In this way, when the knocker 7 repeatedly collides with the unevenness 23, the housing 2 vibrates in a direction orthogonal to the central axis J. Further, when the knocker 7 collides with the unevenness 23, as shown in FIG. 7, a force F around the central axis J is applied to the housing 2, and the housing 2 rotates around the central axis J due to the repeated application of the force F.

[0026] In this way, by vibrating the housing 2, the powder Q adhering to the inner wall of the housing 2 can be peeled off, and the peeled powder Q can be made to flow toward the nozzle 22. As a result, even though a sufficient amount of the powder Q is stored in the housing 2, such as the so-called "bridge" shown in FIG. 8, the so-called "rat hole" shown in FIG. 9, and the so-called "wall adhesion" shown in FIG. 10, it is possible to effectively suppress a state in which a predetermined amount of the powder Q is not discharged from the discharge port 221, and the powder Q can be stably discharged from the discharge port 221. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the knocker 7 collides with the tapered portion 212, vibration can be effectively applied to the vicinity of the nozzle 22 of the housing 2. Therefore, the fluidity of the powder Q in the vicinity of the nozzle 22 can be increased, and the powder Q can be discharged more stably from the discharge port 221.

[0027] Thus, by vibrating the housing 2, it is possible to avoid the "bridge", "rat hole", and "wall adhesion" shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10. However, if the same location of the housing 2 is continuously struck by the knocker 7, as shown in FIG. 11, uneven distribution of the powder Q occurs inside the housing 2. Thus, even though a sufficient amount of the powder Q is stored in the housing 2, a predetermined amount of the powder Q cannot be discharged from the discharge port 221. Therefore, in the present embodiment, not only is the housing 2 vibrated, but the housing 2 is also rotated about the central axis J, so that the striking location of the housing 2 by the knocker 7 changes over time. As a result, since the striking is applied evenly from all directions of the housing 2, the above-described uneven distribution of the powder Q is suppressed. Further, even when the housing 2 rotates, the spiral wire 5 extending along the central axis J of the shaft 4 does not rotate. For this reason, the effect that the wire 5 breaks up the powder Q occurs, and a predetermined amount of the powder Q can be stably discharged from the discharge port 221. That is, the rotation of the wire 5 is locked. In FIGS. 8, 9, 10, and 11, the wire 5 is shown omitted.

[0028] In particular, in the powder dispensing device 1, only by driving the knocker 7, the housing 2 can be vibrated and further rotated about the central axis J. Therefore, a new drive source for rotating the housing 2 is not required, and the powder dispensing device 1 can be made smaller, simpler, and consume less power.

[0029] Such a knocker 7 is composed of, for example, various metal materials such as aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel, and various ceramic materials such as alumina and titania. As a result, the knocker 7 has high strength.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, the knocker drive unit 8 has a motor 81 connected to the base end of the knocker 7. By driving the motor 81, the knocker 7 reciprocates along the central axis JJ and repeatedly collides with the housing 2.

[0031] The above is the description of the knocker drive unit 8. However, the configuration of the knocker drive unit 8 is not particularly limited.

[0032] The control device 9 independently controls the driving of the motor 61 of the shaft drive unit 6 and the motor 81 of the knocker drive unit 8, respectively. The control device 9 is composed of, for example, a computer and has a processor (CPU) that processes information, a memory communicably connected to the processor, and an external interface for connecting to an external device. Various programs executable by the processor are stored in the memory, and the processor can read and execute the programs stored in the memory.

[0033] The configuration of the powder dispensing device 1 has been briefly described above. In such a powder dispensing device 1, the knocker 7 is repeatedly collided with the housing 2 to vibrate the housing 2 and rotate it around the central axis J, and while the total discharge amount of the powder Q reaches the target dispensing amount, the shaft 4 is moved up and down to repeatedly close the state P1 and open the state P2 to discharge the powder Q. According to such a dispensing method, it is possible to avoid a state where a predetermined amount of the powder Q is not discharged from the discharge port 221 due to the vibration and rotation of the housing 2 caused by the impact of the knocker 7, and by the up and down movement and the telescopic vibration of the wire body 5 accompanying the up and down movement of the shaft 4, the fluidity of the powder Q can be improved and the lump Q1 can be crushed. Therefore, the discharge of the powder Q is stable, and a highly accurate dispensing operation can be performed in a shorter time.

[0034] The powder dispensing device 1 has been described above. As described above, such a powder dispensing device 1 includes a housing 2 having a hopper 21 for storing the powder Q, and a cylindrical nozzle 22 connected to the hopper 21 and having a discharge port 221 for discharging the powder Q stored in the hopper 21. It also has a shaft 4 inserted into the nozzle 22 and moving in a direction along the central axis J of the nozzle 22 with respect to the nozzle 22, and a knocker 7 that repeatedly collides with the housing 2 to vibrate the housing 2 and rotate it about the central axis J. According to such a configuration, the fluidity of the powder Q in the housing 2 is improved, and the powder Q can be stably discharged from the discharge port 221. Therefore, an accurate dispensing operation can be performed. In particular, by only driving the knocker 7, the housing 2 can be vibrated and further rotated about the central axis J. Therefore, a new drive source for rotating the housing 2 is not required, and the powder dispensing device 1 can be miniaturized, simplified, and the power consumption can be reduced, etc.

[0035] Also, as described above, the hopper 21 has a body portion 211 and a tapered portion 212 located between the body portion 211 and the nozzle 22 and having a reduced diameter from the body portion 211 side toward the nozzle 22 side. And the knocker 7 collides with the tapered portion 212. According to such a configuration, vibration can be effectively applied to the vicinity of the nozzle 22 of the housing 2. Therefore, the fluidity of the powder Q in the vicinity of the nozzle 22 can be increased, and the powder Q can be discharged more stably from the discharge port 221.

[0036] Also, as described above, the knocker 7 repeatedly collides with the housing 2 by reciprocating in a direction along the normal plane of the central axis J. According to such a configuration, the housing 2 can be efficiently vibrated in a direction perpendicular to the central axis J. Therefore, the fluidity of the powder Q in the housing 2 can be increased, and the powder Q can be discharged more stably from the discharge port 221.

[0037] Further, as described above, the housing 2 has irregularities 23 that are disposed on the outer peripheral surface and provided annularly around the central axis J. Then, the knocker 7 collides with the irregularities 23. According to such a configuration, the housing 2 can be rotated around the central axis J with a simple configuration.

[0038] Further, as described above, the powder dispensing device 1 has an exterior 3 as a support portion that supports the housing 2 such that the housing 2 rotates around the central axis J by the collision. According to such a configuration, the housing 2 is supported by the exterior 3, and the posture of the housing 2 is stabilized.

[0039] Further, as described above, the powder dispensing device 1 has a spiral wire body 5 that is connected to the shaft 4, extends along the central axis J around the shaft 4, and has its rotation locked. According to such a configuration, when the wire body 5 contacts the mass Q1 of the powder Q in the housing 2, the mass Q1 is pulverized. Further, since the spiral wire body 5 does not rotate, the wire body 5 can break up the powder Q. Therefore, the fluidity of the powder Q in the housing 2 is improved, and the powder Q can be stably discharged from the discharge port 221.

[0040] <Second Embodiment> FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the housing included in the powder dispensing device according to the second embodiment.

[0041] The powder dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment is the same as the powder dispensing device 1 of the first embodiment described above, except that the configurations of the housing 2 and the knocker 7 are different. In the following description, regarding the present embodiment, the differences from the above-described embodiments will be mainly described, and the description of the same matters will be omitted. Also, in the drawings of the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those in the above-described embodiments.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 12, in the powder dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, the unevenness 23 is omitted from the housing 2 provided in the powder dispensing device 1 of the first embodiment described above. Further, in the powder dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, in a plan view from the direction along the central axis J, the central axis JJ of the knocker 7 passes through the contact point PP between the knocker 7 and the housing 2 and is inclined with respect to the virtual straight line L orthogonal to the central axis J. Therefore, by reciprocating the knocker 7 along the central axis JJ and repeatedly colliding it with the housing 2, a force F around the central axis J is applied to the housing 2, and the housing 2 rotates around the central axis J by repeatedly applying the force F. According to such a configuration, compared with the first embodiment described above, the shape of the housing 2 is simplified because there is no unevenness 23, and the housing 2 can be rotated with a simple configuration.

[0043] As described above, in the powder dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, in a plan view from the direction along the central axis J, the direction of reciprocating movement, that is, the central axis JJ, passes through the contact point PP between the knocker 7 and the housing 2 and is inclined with respect to the virtual straight line L orthogonal to the central axis J. According to such a configuration, the housing 2 can be rotated with a simple configuration.

[0044] Also, such a second embodiment can exhibit the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above.

[0045] As described above, the powder dispensing device of the present invention has been described based on the illustrated embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of each part can be replaced with any configuration having the same function. Also, any other arbitrary components may be added to the present invention. Further, the embodiments may be combined.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0046] 1... Powder dispensing device, 2... Housing, 21... Hopper, 211... Barrel part, 212... Taper part, 213... Flange, 22... Nozzle, 221... Discharge port, 23... Concave and convex, 231... Protrusion, 3... Exterior, 31... Base body, 32... Floor part, 33... Support column, 34... Flange, 35... Cushion member, 4... Shaft, 41... Recess, 5... Wire body, 6... Shaft drive part, 61... Motor, 7... Knocker, 8... Knocker drive part, 81... Motor, 9... Control device, F... Force, J... Central axis, JJ... Central axis, L... Virtual straight line, P1... Closed state, P2... Open state, P3... Contact state, P4... Separation state, PP... Contact point, Q... Powder, Q1... Mass

Claims

1. A housing having a hopper for storing powder, and a cylindrical nozzle connected to the hopper and having a discharge port for discharging the powder stored in the hopper. A shaft inserted into the nozzle and moving in a direction along the central axis of the nozzle with respect to the nozzle. A powder dispensing device, comprising a knocker that repeatedly collides with the housing to vibrate the housing and rotate it about the central axis.

2. The hopper has a body portion and a tapered portion located between the body portion and the nozzle and having a reduced diameter from the body portion side toward the nozzle side. The powder dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the knocker collides with the tapered portion.

3. The powder dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the knocker repeatedly collides with the housing by reciprocating in a direction along a normal plane of the central axis.

4. In a plan view from a direction along the central axis, the direction of the reciprocating movement is inclined with respect to a virtual straight line orthogonal to the central axis and passing through the contact point between the knocker and the housing. The powder dispensing device according to claim 3.

5. The powder dispensing device according to claim 3, wherein the housing has irregularities disposed on an outer peripheral surface and provided annularly around the central axis, and the knocker collides with the irregularities.

6. The powder dispensing device according to claim 1, further comprising a support portion that supports the housing such that the housing rotates about the central axis by the collision.

7. The powder dispensing device according to claim 1, further comprising a spiral wire connected to the shaft and extending along the central axis around the shaft, with rotation thereof locked.

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