Isolator weighing system

Abstract

To provide an isolator weighing system that makes an introduction tube of a manufacturing apparatus movable while maintaining a containment state without being affected by a wall surface of a chamber, and comprises two-stages of sealing means that can perform accurate weighing, thereby improving safety of the state of containment between the wall surface of the chamber and the manufacturing apparatus.SOLUTION: An isolator weighing system comprises: an introduction tube that allows the inside of a chamber and the inside of a manufacturing apparatus to communicate with each other; and a weighing apparatus that supports the manufacturing apparatus and weighs the mass of a substance to be introduced. A bottom wall surface of the chamber and a barrel outer peripheral part of the introduction tube have first sealing means and second sealing means to maintain a containment state inside the chamber. The isolator weighing system makes the introduction tube movable relative to the bottom wall surface of the chamber when the weighing apparatus performs weighing, to accurately weigh the mass of the substance to be introduced without being affected by a load other than a change in the mass of the substance to be introduced.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an isolator weighing system, and more particularly to an isolator weighing system that weighs the mass of highly pharmacologically active substances and the like that are fed into a pharmaceutical manufacturing device connected to a containment isolator. [Background technology]

[0002] In pharmaceutical manufacturing sites, highly pharmacologically active substances such as powdered pharmaceutical raw materials are used, and it is necessary to protect workers from contamination and to prevent leakage of these highly pharmacologically active substances that can affect the human body from the work environment to the external environment. Furthermore, when loading highly pharmacologically active substances such as pharmaceutical raw materials into pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment, such as stirring tanks and dissolution adjustment tanks, particular care must be taken to prevent leakage during loading.

[0003] For such work, an isolator is used, allowing workers in the external environment to perform the loading work from outside the sealed chamber using gloves or a half suit. This type of isolator is specifically called a containment isolator. A containment facility that connects this containment isolator to a manufacturing device in the external environment and weighs and loads highly pharmacologically active substances into the manufacturing device is called an isolator weighing system. In this isolator weighing system, it is important to safely and accurately weigh the amount of highly pharmacologically active substances to be loaded.

[0004] The following Patent Document 1 proposes a filling method for weighing excipients in a solid formulation process that handles highly pharmacologically active substances. In this filling method, an operator in an external environment fills a powder container connected to an isolator with highly pharmacologically active substances through an isolator. Furthermore, the following Non-Patent Document 1 introduces a containment technology for highly pharmacologically active pharmaceutical ingredients, and describes a connecting valve for connecting isolators and other devices. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-001699 [Non-patent literature]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] IHI Technical Report, Vol. 54, No. 3, 45-48 (2014) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In conventional isolator weighing systems, if the isolator and manufacturing equipment are connected in a completely fixed manner, the weighing device supporting the manufacturing equipment cannot accurately weigh the input amount. Therefore, it is necessary to connect the inside of the manufacturing equipment to the inside of the isolator chamber using the input pipe of the manufacturing equipment, and to maintain a contained state by ensuring that the connection does not affect the weighing. Flexible pipes are generally used to connect the isolator and manufacturing equipment. It is also possible to use flexible containment seals based on a similar concept.

[0008] When the wall of the isolator chamber and the input tube of the manufacturing device are sealed with a sealing means such as a flexible sheet, the input tube of the manufacturing device remains movable without being affected by the wall of the chamber. This allows the weighing device supporting the manufacturing device to accurately weigh the input amount of a highly pharmacologically active substance, etc., without being subjected to any load other than the change in mass of the substance being input. However, in this case, the containment state between the isolator and the manufacturing device depends solely on the movable flexible sheet, and if the flexible sheet is damaged for any reason, the containment state will collapse.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention addresses the above-mentioned problems by providing an isolator weighing system that has a two-stage sealing means that allows the input pipe of the manufacturing equipment to move while maintaining a sealed state without being affected by the wall surface of the chamber, and that enables accurate weighing, thereby improving the safety of the sealed state between the wall surface of the chamber and the input pipe of the manufacturing equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the inventors conducted extensive research and discovered that a highly safe two-stage containment state can be achieved by using an expansion packing or a magnetic fluid seal in addition to a sealed state using a flexible sheet, etc., and thus completed the present invention.

[0011] That is, according to claim 1, the isolator weighing system of the present invention comprises: An isolator weighing system (10) for weighing a mass of a substance introduced into a manufacturing device (40) connected to a bottom wall surface (32) of a chamber (31) of an isolator (30) from the inside of the chamber, an input pipe (23) that communicates the inside of the chamber with the inside of the manufacturing device; and a weighing device (40) that supports the manufacturing device and weighs the mass of the substance that is input; a bottom wall surface of the chamber and an outer periphery of the barrel of the charging pipe are provided with a first sealing means (50) and a second sealing means (60, 70) to maintain a sealed state inside the chamber; When weighing using the weighing device, the input tube moves relative to the bottom wall surface of the chamber, thereby accurately weighing the mass of the input substance without receiving any load other than the change in mass of the input substance.

[0012] According to claim 2, the present invention provides an isolator weighing system according to claim 1, The first sealing means is a hollow disk-shaped flexible sheet (50), The outer periphery (51) of the flexible sheet is tightly fixed to the bottom wall surface of the chamber by a fixing member A (52), The inner peripheral portion (53) of the flexible sheet is tightly fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the barrel of the feeding tube by a fixing member B (54), The portion (55) between the outer periphery and the inner periphery of the flexible sheet maintains its flexibility without being fixed to either of them. The bottom wall surface of the chamber and the outer periphery of the barrel of the feeding tube maintain a sealed state and accurately measure the mass of the substance being fed.

[0013] According to claim 3, the present invention provides an isolator weighing system according to claim 2, The second sealing means is an annular magnetic fluid seal (60), The magnetic fluid seal comprises a paramagnetic magnet (61) tightly fixed by a hollow disk-shaped fixing member C (63) provided so as to cover the flexible sheet fixed by the fixing member A from the outside of the chamber, and a magnetic fluid (62) that seals the gap between the paramagnetic magnet and the outer periphery of the barrel of the introduction tube, When weighing is performed by the weighing device, the magnetic fluid of the magnetic fluid seal slides on the outer periphery of the barrel of the input tube in a sealed state, so that the input tube is movable relative to the bottom wall surface of the chamber, The bottom wall surface of the chamber and the outer periphery of the barrel of the feeding tube maintain a sealed state and accurately measure the mass of the substance being fed.

[0014] According to claim 4, the present invention provides an isolator weighing system according to claim 2, The second sealing means is an annular expansion packing (70) that expands and contracts with compressed air supplied from a compressed air supply source, The expansion packing is composed of an outer circumferential portion that is tightly fixed by a hollow disk-shaped fixing member D (71) that is provided so as to cover the flexible sheet fixed by the fixing member A from the outside of the chamber, and an inner circumferential portion that expands to seal and fix the gap between the flexible sheet and the outer circumferential portion of the body of the introduction tube, When weighing is performed by the weighing device, the expansion packing contracts to release the fixed state of the outer periphery of the barrel of the feeding tube, thereby making the feeding tube movable relative to the bottom wall surface of the chamber; The bottom wall surface of the chamber and the outer periphery of the barrel of the feeding tube maintain a sealed state and accurately measure the mass of the substance being fed.

[0015] According to claim 5, the present invention provides an isolator weighing system according to claim 3 or 4, The flexible sheet fixed by the fixing member A and the fixing member B, the magnetic fluid seal or the expansion packing, and the area surrounded by the outer periphery of the body of the feeding tube are maintained at a negative pressure relative to the external environment. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the above configuration, the isolator weighing system of the present invention includes a feed pipe that connects the interior of the chamber with the interior of the manufacturing equipment, and a weighing device that supports the manufacturing equipment and weighs the mass of the material fed in. The bottom wall surface of the chamber and the outer periphery of the body of the feed pipe are provided with first and second sealing means, maintaining the interior of the chamber in a sealed state. In this configuration, when weighing is performed using the weighing device, the feed pipe moves relative to the bottom wall surface of the chamber, allowing the mass of the material to be accurately weighed without receiving any load other than changes in the mass of the material being fed.

[0017] This allows the input tube of the manufacturing equipment to move while remaining sealed without being affected by the wall of the chamber, and a two-stage sealing means is provided for accurate weighing, providing an isolator weighing system that improves the safety of the sealed state between the wall of the chamber and the input tube of the manufacturing equipment.

[0018] Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the first sealing means may be a hollow, disk-shaped flexible sheet. The outer periphery of this flexible sheet is tightly fixed to the bottom wall surface of the chamber by fixing member A. Meanwhile, the inner periphery of the flexible sheet is tightly fixed to the outer periphery of the barrel of the feeding tube by fixing member B. Furthermore, the portion of the flexible sheet between the outer periphery and the inner periphery remains flexible without being fixed to either. This allows the bottom wall surface of the chamber and the outer periphery of the barrel of the feeding tube to maintain a sealed state and accurately weigh the mass of the substance being fed, thereby more specifically and effectively achieving the above-mentioned operational effects.

[0019] Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the second sealing means may be an annular magnetic fluid seal. This magnetic fluid seal is composed of a paramagnetic magnet tightly fixed by a hollow disk-shaped fixing member C that is provided so as to cover the flexible sheet fixed by fixing member A from the outside of the chamber, and a magnetic fluid that seals the gap between the paramagnetic magnet and the outer periphery of the barrel of the feeding tube.

[0020] When weighing with the weighing device, the magnetic fluid in the magnetic fluid seal slides on the outer periphery of the barrel of the input tube in a sealed state, allowing the input tube to move relative to the bottom wall of the chamber. This allows the bottom wall of the chamber and the outer periphery of the barrel of the input tube to maintain a sealed state and accurately weigh the mass of the substance being input, thereby more specifically and effectively achieving the above-mentioned effects.

[0021] Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the second sealing means may be an annular expansion packing that expands and contracts with compressed air supplied from a compressed air supply source. This expansion packing is composed of an outer peripheral portion that is tightly fixed by a hollow disk-shaped fixing member D that is provided so as to cover the flexible sheet fixed by fixing member A from the outside of the chamber, and an inner peripheral portion that expands to seal and fix the gap with the outer peripheral portion of the barrel of the feeding tube.

[0022] When weighing is performed using the weighing device, the expansion packing contracts, releasing the fixed state of the outer periphery of the barrel of the feeding tube, allowing the feeding tube to move relative to the bottom wall of the chamber. This allows the bottom wall of the chamber and the outer periphery of the barrel of the feeding tube to maintain a sealed state and allows the mass of the substance to be accurately weighed, thereby more specifically and effectively achieving the above-mentioned effects.

[0023] Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the area surrounded by the flexible sheet fixed by fixing member A and fixing member B, the magnetic fluid seal or expansion packing, and the outer periphery of the barrel of the feeding tube may be maintained at a negative pressure relative to the external environment, thereby making it possible to more specifically and effectively exert the above-mentioned effects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic front view of an isolator weighing system according to the present invention; FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state of a flexible sheet as a first sealing means and a magnetic fluid seal as a second sealing means for an input tube in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a flexible sheet as a first sealing means and an expansion packing as a second sealing means are expanded relative to the input tube in the second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a flexible sheet as a first sealing means and an expansion packing as a second sealing means are contracted relative to the input tube in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] The isolator weighing system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to various embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0026] First Embodiment In this first embodiment, a flexible sheet is used as the first sealing means and a magnetic fluid seal is used as the second sealing means to maintain the containment state inside the chamber. Figure 1 is a schematic front view of an isolator weighing system according to the present invention. In Figure 1, the isolator weighing system 10 is composed of a stirring tank 20 placed on the floor, an isolator 30 disposed above the stirring tank 20, and a weighing device 40 that weighs the mass of a highly pharmacologically active substance charged into the stirring tank 20.

[0027] The stirring tank 20 is connected to an isolator 30 via an input pipe 23 at the tip of the upper pipe 22 of the tank body 21. The upper pipe 22 can be disconnected by a mechanism (not shown) such as an active valve or passive valve. The isolator 30 comprises a chamber 31 and an air supply mechanism and an exhaust mechanism (not shown), and controls the pressure inside the chamber 31 to be negative relative to the external environment, thereby forming a containment isolator. Its structure is common, and a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0028] The introduction pipe 23 of the stirring tank 20 is inserted into an opening 32a provided in the bottom wall surface 32 of the chamber 31, connecting the inside of the chamber 31 with the inside of the tank body 21. The opening 32a between the bottom wall surface 32 of the chamber 31 and the outer periphery of the body of the introduction pipe 23 is sealed in two stages by a first sealing means and a second sealing means (described later), thereby maintaining the inside of the chamber 31 in a sealed state.

[0029] The weighing device 40 weighs the mass of the stirring tank 20 and the highly pharmacologically active substance to be added. Note that the main body is not shown in Figure 1, and only the support mechanism 41 of the weighing device 40 is shown. Note that the stirring tank 20 is usually placed on the floor, but when a highly pharmacologically active substance is added, the entire tank is supported by the support mechanism 41 of the weighing device 40 and weighed.

[0030] In the isolator weighing system 10 configured as described above, an operator (not shown) in an external environment uses work gloves (not shown) of the isolator 30 to charge a highly pharmacologically active substance from inside the chamber 31 into the stirring tank 20 via the charging pipe 22. The mass of the charged highly pharmacologically active substance is accurately measured by the weighing device 40.

[0031] Next, we will explain the state of communication between the inside of the chamber 31 and the inside of the stirring tank 20, and the state of containment inside the chamber 31. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state of a flexible sheet as a first sealing means and a magnetic fluid seal as a second sealing means for the input tube in the first embodiment.

[0032] 2, the input pipe 23 of the stirring tank 20 (not shown) is inserted into the opening 32a in the bottom wall surface 32 of the chamber 31 (not shown). The opening 32a is sealed between the bottom wall surface 32 and the outer periphery of the body of the input pipe 23 by a two-stage sealing means. In this first embodiment, a flexible sheet 50 is used as the first sealing means, and a magnetic fluid seal 60 is used as the second sealing means.

[0033] First, the first sealing means will be described. Flexible sheet 50 may be made of any material and thickness, as long as it stretches and contracts without being subjected to loads other than those resulting from changes in the mass of the highly pharmacologically active substance being added when feed tube 23 moves up and down relative to bottom wall surface 32 of chamber 31 during weighing. Examples of materials include silicone, polyurethane, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyester, polyamide, and polyolefin. In this first embodiment, a silicone rubber sheet was used.

[0034] Silicone rubber sheet 50 is a hollow, disk-shaped sheet that covers opening 32a of bottom wall 32, with its outer periphery 51 tightly fixed to bottom wall 32 by fixing member 52, and its inner periphery 53 tightly fixed to the outer periphery of the barrel of input tube 23 by fixing member 54. Meanwhile, portion 55 of silicone rubber sheet 50 between outer periphery 51 and inner periphery 53 remains flexible without being fixed to either. As a result, bottom wall 32 of chamber 31 and the outer periphery of the barrel of input tube 23 maintain a first-stage containment state by silicone rubber sheet 50.

[0035] Next, we will explain the second sealing means. The magnetic fluid seal is composed of a paramagnetic magnet and a magnetic fluid, and can form a contactless seal by holding the magnetic fluid in a contactless magnetic circuit created by the paramagnetic magnet using a magnetic field.

[0036] The magnetic fluid seal 60 is an annular seal made up of a paramagnetic magnet 61 and a magnetic fluid 62. The paramagnetic magnet 61 is tightly fixed to the entire inner periphery of a hollow, disk-shaped fixing member 63 that is provided so as to cover the silicone rubber sheet 50 fixed by the fixing member 52 from the outside (the lower side in the figure) of the chamber 31.

[0037] Although the outer periphery of the body of input tube 23 (this portion is magnetic) and paramagnetic magnet 61 are not in contact with each other, a magnetic field is generated in the magnetic circuit by paramagnetic magnet 61. As a result, magnetic fluid 62 is held by the magnetic field in the magnetic circuit between the outer periphery of the body of input tube 23 and the inner periphery of paramagnetic magnet 61. As a result, the second stage of containment state by magnetic fluid seal 60 is maintained between bottom wall surface 32 of chamber 31 and the outer periphery of the body of input tube 23.

[0038] In this way, in the two-stage containment state by the silicone rubber sheet 50 and the magnetic fluid seal 60, the input tube 23 moves up and down relative to the bottom wall surface 32 of the chamber 31 during weighing by the weighing device 40. At this time, the silicone rubber sheet 50 expands and contracts without receiving any load other than the change in mass of the highly pharmacologically active substance being input. Meanwhile, the magnetic fluid 62 of the magnetic fluid seal 60 slides up and down while maintaining a sealed state around the outer periphery of the barrel of the input tube 23, without receiving any load other than the change in mass of the highly pharmacologically active substance being input.

[0039] Although not adopted in the first embodiment, this can further improve the safety of the contained state. Specifically, in addition to the two-stage sealing means described above, the air pressure in the region between silicone rubber sheet 50 and magnetic fluid seal 60 (hereinafter referred to as the "intermediate region") may be controlled to a negative pressure lower than the external environment. Silicon rubber sheet 50 fixed by fixing members 51 and 54, magnetic fluid seal 60, and the intermediate region surrounded by the outer periphery of the barrel of input tube 23 are sealed from the inside of chamber 31 and the external environment.

[0040] Therefore, the air pressure in this intermediate region is set to the same as the air pressure inside chamber 31 (negative pressure compared to the external environment), or to an intermediate pressure between the air pressure inside chamber 31 and the air pressure of the external environment. The method of air pressure control is not particularly limited, and a normal exhaust mechanism may be employed. This prevents leakage of the highly pharmacologically active substance, etc. from the intermediate region to the external environment even if the first sealing means made of silicone rubber sheet 50 or the second sealing means made of magnetic fluid seal 60 is broken for some reason.

[0041] As described above, in this first embodiment, the sealing means is two-staged, allowing the input pipe of the manufacturing equipment (stirring tank) to move while remaining sealed without being affected by the wall surface of the chamber, and enabling accurate weighing, thereby providing an isolator weighing system that improves the safety of the sealed state between the wall surface of the chamber and the input pipe of the manufacturing equipment.

[0042] Second Embodiment In this second embodiment, a flexible sheet is used as the first sealing means and an expansion packing is used as the second sealing means to maintain the containment state inside the chamber. Note that the isolator weighing system in this second embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, and the isolator weighing system 10 is composed of a stirring tank 20, an isolator 30, and a weighing device 40, and the respective reference numerals are the same as those in the first embodiment (see FIG. 1).

[0043] The following describes the communication state between the interior of the chamber 31 and the interior of the stirring tank 20, and the containment state of the interior of the chamber 31 in this second embodiment. Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a flexible sheet as the first sealing means and an expansion packing as the second sealing means are expanded relative to the input pipe in the second embodiment. Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a flexible sheet as the first sealing means and an expansion packing as the second sealing means are contracted relative to the input pipe in the second embodiment.

[0044] 3 and 4, as in the first embodiment, the input pipe 23 of the stirring tank 20 (not shown) is inserted into the opening 32a of the bottom wall surface 32 of the chamber 31 (not shown). The opening 32a is sealed between the bottom wall surface 32 and the outer periphery of the body of the input pipe 23 by a two-stage sealing means. In this second embodiment, a flexible sheet 50 is used as the first sealing means, and an expansion packing 70 is used as the second sealing means.

[0045] First, the first sealing means will be described. Similar to the first embodiment, the first sealing means uses a silicone rubber sheet 50. The shape of the silicone rubber sheet 50 and the method of tightly fastening it are similar to those of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here. This maintains a first-stage containment state between the bottom wall surface 32 of the chamber 31 and the outer periphery of the barrel of the feeding tube 23 by the silicone rubber sheet 50.

[0046] Next, the second sealing means will be described. The expansion packing 70 is an annular tube that expands and contracts with compressed air supplied from a compressed air supply source. The expansion packing 70 may be made of a tube of any material and thickness. Examples include silicone, polyurethane, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyester, polyamide, and polyolefin materials. In the second embodiment, a silicone rubber tube is used.

[0047] The outer periphery of expansion packing 70 is tightly fixed to the entire inner periphery of hollow, disk-shaped fixing member 71, which is provided so as to cover silicone rubber sheet 50, which is fixed by fixing member 52, from the outside (the lower side in the figure) of chamber 31. On the other hand, the inner periphery of expansion packing 70 is not tightly fixed to the outer periphery of the barrel of input tube 23.

[0048] 3 shows a state in which expansion packing 70 has expanded and is in close contact with the outer periphery of the body of feeding tube 23 when weighing by weighing device 40 is not being performed. In this state, the outer periphery of the body of feeding tube 23 is sealed and fixed by expanded expansion packing 70, and feeding tube 23 does not move up and down relative to bottom wall surface 32 of chamber 31. Therefore, bottom wall surface 32 of chamber 31 and the outer periphery of the body of feeding tube 23 maintain a second-stage containment state by expansion packing 70.

[0049] 4 shows a state in which expansion packing 70 has contracted and is not in close contact with the outer periphery of the barrel of input tube 23 when weighing is performed by weighing device 40. In this state, the outer periphery of the barrel of input tube 23 is not fixed by the contracted expansion packing 70, and input tube 23 moves up and down relative to bottom wall surface 32 of chamber 31. At this time, silicone rubber sheet 50 expands and contracts without receiving any load other than the change in mass of the highly pharmacologically active substance being input. On the other hand, expansion packing 70 may not be in close contact with and fixed to the outer periphery of the barrel of input tube 23, but may be in contact or slide within a range in which it is not subjected to any load other than the change in mass of the highly pharmacologically active substance being input.

[0050] Although not adopted in the second embodiment, this can further improve the safety of the containment state. Specifically, as described in the first embodiment, the air pressure in the region between the silicone rubber sheet 50 and the expansion packing 70 (hereinafter referred to as the "intermediate region") may be controlled to a negative pressure relative to the external environment. The air pressure in the intermediate region surrounded by the silicone rubber sheet 50 fixed by the fixing members 51 and 54, the expansion packing 70, and the outer periphery of the body of the feeding tube 23 is set to the same as the air pressure inside the chamber 31 (which is a negative pressure relative to the external environment), or to an intermediate pressure between the air pressure inside the chamber 31 and the external environment. The method of air pressure control is not particularly limited, and a normal exhaust mechanism may be used.

[0051] As described above, in the second embodiment, the sealing means is two-staged, allowing the input pipe of the manufacturing equipment (stirring tank) to move while remaining sealed without being affected by the wall surface of the chamber, and enabling accurate weighing, thereby providing an isolator weighing system that improves the safety of the sealed state between the wall surface of the chamber and the input pipe of the manufacturing equipment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 10...Isolator weighing system, 20...mixing tank, 21...tank body, 22...upper piping, 23...feeding pipe, 30... isolator, 31... chamber, 32... bottom wall surface, 32a... opening, 40...weighing device, 41...support mechanism, 50... flexible sheet (silicon rubber sheet), 51... outer periphery, 52, 54... fixing member, 53...inner periphery, 55...portion between the outer periphery and the inner periphery, 60...magnetic fluid seal, 61...paramagnetic magnet, 62...magnetic fluid, 63...fixed member, 70...expansion packing, 71...fixing member.

Claims

1. An isolator weighing system for weighing a mass of a substance introduced into a manufacturing device connected to a bottom wall surface of a chamber of an isolator from inside the chamber, an input pipe that communicates the inside of the chamber with the inside of the manufacturing device; and a weighing device that supports the manufacturing device and weighs the mass of the substance that is input; a bottom wall surface of the chamber and an outer periphery of the barrel of the feeding tube have a first sealing means and a second sealing means to maintain a sealed state inside the chamber; An isolator weighing system characterized in that, when weighing is performed using the weighing device, the input tube moves relative to the bottom wall surface of the chamber, thereby accurately weighing the mass of the input substance without receiving any load other than the change in mass of the input substance.

2. the first sealing means is a hollow disk-shaped flexible sheet, The outer periphery of the flexible sheet is tightly fixed to the bottom wall surface of the chamber by a fixing member A, The inner peripheral portion of the flexible sheet is tightly fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the barrel of the feeding tube by a fixing member B, The portion between the outer periphery and the inner periphery of the flexible sheet maintains flexibility without being fixed to either of them.

2. The isolator weighing system according to claim 1, wherein the bottom wall surface of the chamber and the outer periphery of the body of the input tube maintain a sealed state and accurately weigh the mass of the input material.

3. The second sealing means is an annular magnetic fluid seal, the magnetic fluid seal comprises a paramagnetic magnet tightly fixed by a hollow disk-shaped fixing member C provided so as to cover the flexible sheet fixed by the fixing member A from the outside of the chamber, and a magnetic fluid sealing the gap between the paramagnetic magnet and the outer periphery of the barrel of the introduction tube; When weighing is performed by the weighing device, the magnetic fluid of the magnetic fluid seal slides on the outer periphery of the barrel of the input tube in a sealed state, so that the input tube is movable relative to the bottom wall surface of the chamber, 3. The isolator weighing system according to claim 2, wherein the bottom wall surface of the chamber and the outer periphery of the body of the input tube maintain a sealed state and accurately weigh the mass of the input material.

4. the second sealing means is an annular expansion packing that expands and contracts with compressed air supplied from a compressed air supply source, the expansion packing is composed of an outer circumferential portion that is tightly fixed by a hollow disk-shaped fixing member D that is provided so as to cover the flexible sheet fixed by the fixing member A from the outside of the chamber, and an inner circumferential portion that expands to seal and fix the gap between the flexible sheet and the outer circumferential portion of the barrel of the introduction tube, When weighing is performed by the weighing device, the expansion packing contracts to release the fixed state of the outer periphery of the barrel of the feeding tube, thereby making the feeding tube movable relative to the bottom wall surface of the chamber; 3. The isolator weighing system according to claim 2, wherein the bottom wall surface of the chamber and the outer periphery of the body of the input tube maintain a sealed state and accurately weigh the mass of the input material.

5. 5. The isolator weighing system according to claim 3, wherein an area surrounded by the flexible sheet fixed by the fixing member A and the fixing member B, the magnetic fluid seal or the expansion packing, and the outer periphery of the body of the feeding tube is maintained at a negative pressure relative to the external environment.

Images