Distributor and distribution apparatus

Abstract

To provide a distributor and distribution apparatus by which to-be-processed objects including long members are efficiently and more uniformly stored into a plurality of storage containers.SOLUTION: A distributor 10 includes: a storage portion 1 that stores a to-be-processed object including a long member and has, on a bottom portion, a plurality of openings 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d for receiving the to-be-processed object and distributing the to-be-processed object into a plurality of storage containers; and a guide portion 4 that protrudes further upward than the plurality of openings 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d in the storage portion 1 and comes into contact with the to-be-processed object falling into the storage portion 1 to guide the to-be-processed object into the plurality of openings 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d. A curved surface portion C that prevents the long member falling into the storage portion 1 from being caught is formed in the storage portion 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a distributor and a distributor, and more particularly to a distributor and a distributor that distributes materials to be processed, including elongated members. [Background technology]

[0002] Distributors for distributing materials to be processed into a plurality of storage containers are known. For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 53-165578 (Patent Document 1) describes an example of a distributor that includes a distribution chute in which the upper portions of a plurality of chutes are gathered together, the openings at the upper ends are arranged circumferentially, and a cylindrical portion is connected to this gathering portion.

[0003] Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 04-014228 (Patent Document 2) describes an example of a distribution device in which an internal chute is provided inside a branch hopper equipped with multiple discharge chutes branching out radially, the internal chute having a supply port at the top and a discharge port facing the discharge chute side of the branch hopper, and the internal chute is rotatable on the central axis of the branch hopper.

[0004] In recent years, there has been an increasing need to recover valuable metals from various recycled materials such as discarded home appliances, scrap electrical and electronic components, industrial waste, etc. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 9-78151 (Patent Document 3) discloses a method for recycling valuable metals from scrap, in which scrap containing valuable metals is charged into a flash smelting furnace for smelting copper ore from the shaft ceiling, and the valuable metals are recovered in matte that remains in the furnace.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-236718 (Patent Document 4) describes a method in which industrial waste such as automobile shredder dust (ASR) and home appliance shredder dust is sieved using a trommel, the sieved material is separated into undersized and oversized materials based on a predetermined size standard, the undersized material is fed into a fluidized bed gasification furnace for combustion treatment, and valuable metals are separated and recovered from the combustion treatment material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Publication No. 53-165578 [Patent Document 2] Publication No. 04-014228 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-78151 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-236718 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The amount of recycled materials processed has been steadily increasing in recent years, creating a demand for efficient processing of large amounts of materials. For example, materials to be processed that have been sorted using a sorting machine such as a sieve are placed in a bag-shaped storage container such as a flexible container and transported. When the materials to be processed are placed in the storage container, it is desirable to distribute a large amount of materials to multiple storage containers using a distributor or the like in order to improve work efficiency.

[0008] However, depending on the structure of the distributor, uneven distribution may occur, making it difficult to distribute the materials to multiple storage containers evenly. In particular, when distributing materials to be processed that include long-shaped members into multiple storage containers, the long-shaped members may get caught on components inside the distributor and become entangled with other materials to be processed, causing them to become stuck. The long-shaped members that fall into the distributor may collide with protruding objects inside the distributor and be thrown out of the distributor.

[0009] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a distributor and a distributor that can efficiently and uniformly store objects to be processed, including long members, into a plurality of storage containers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, a distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention is a distributor that, on one side, comprises a storage section that stores processing objects including long-shaped members and has a plurality of openings at the bottom for receiving the processing objects and distributing them into a plurality of storage containers, and a guide section that protrudes above the plurality of openings within the storage section and comes into contact with the processing objects that fall into the storage section and guides them into the plurality of openings, and the storage section has a curved section formed therein to prevent the processing objects from getting caught on the long-shaped members that fall into the storage section.

[0011] In another aspect, the present invention provides a distribution device comprising the above-mentioned distributor; a cylindrical conveying section connected to the distributor for conveying the material to be processed to a plurality of storage containers through a plurality of openings; and a switching chute connected between the distributor and the conveying section, which has a connecting section formed of a flexible material and which can switch the orientation of the tip of the conveying section from one storage container to another storage container. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a distributor and a distributor that can efficiently and uniformly store objects to be processed, including long members, in a plurality of storage containers. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view illustrating a distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a photograph showing an example of a long member. [Figure 3] Figure 3(a) is a cross-sectional view of the partition member along the III-III direction in Figure 1, Figure 3(b) is a perspective view showing an example of a dispersion member, and Figure 3(c) is a perspective view showing another example of a dispersion member. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the relationship in size between a dispersion member and a storage section. [Figure 5] Figure 5(a) is an oblique view showing an example of the configuration of a distributor having a corner on the partition member, and Figure 5(b) is a photograph showing an example of clogging of the material to be processed when distribution processing is performed using a distributor having a corner on the partition member. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a distributor showing an example in which the size of the dispersion member is too large. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a distributor according to a modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a distribution device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of a distribution device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of a distribution device according to an embodiment of the present invention after a switching operation. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a distribution process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a conventional distribution device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, identical or similar parts are designated by identical or similar reference numerals. Note that the embodiments shown below are merely examples of devices and methods for embodying the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention does not limit the structure, arrangement, etc. of component parts to those described below.

[0015] <Distributor> As shown in Figure 1, the distributor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a storage section 1 having a plurality of openings 11a to 11d at the bottom for storing the material to be processed and for receiving and distributing the material into a plurality of storage containers 30 (see Figure 8), and a guide section 4 within the storage section 1 that protrudes above the plurality of openings 11a to 11d and has an inclined or curved surface for contacting the material to be processed that falls into the storage section 1 and guiding it into the plurality of openings 11a to 11d, and a curved section C is formed within the storage section 1 to prevent it from getting caught on long-shaped members that fall into the storage section 1.

[0016] The object to be treated can suitably be a material containing a long member. A long member typically refers to a long object having a length (maximum length in the long axis direction) of about 5 to 15 cm, more typically about 5 to 10 cm, and a thickness (maximum diameter) of about 0.5 to 2.0 mm, as shown in FIG. 2. The material of the long member is not particularly limited, and various substances can be used, including copper, iron, stainless steel, aluminum, plastic, and resins such as rubber. The long member may be made from at least one of ASR, home appliance shredder dust, and scrap electrical and electronic components. The long member typically includes copper wire scraps. The shape of the long member is also not particularly limited. For example, the long member may be a U-shaped thin wire as shown in FIG. 2, a serpentine or spiral shape, a rod or column shape, or a mass formed by intertwining multiple members.

[0017] When objects to be processed, including long members, are dropped into the storage unit 1 from above and sent to the multiple openings 11a-11d, they may get caught on sharp parts in the storage unit 1 that exist in the direction of the drop, such as parts that receive the long members linearly or parts that receive the falling long members on a surface, and become retained in the storage unit 1. When long members become retained in the storage unit 1, they may become entangled with objects to be processed that are subsequently supplied, causing the objects to become retained and causing blockages. In some cases, long members may collide with sharp parts in the storage unit 1 and be thrown out of the storage unit 1.

[0018] According to the distributor 10 of the embodiment of the present invention, a curved surface C is formed in the storage unit 1 to prevent the falling long-shaped members from getting caught or becoming stuck. As a result, when the objects to be stored, including the long-shaped members, fall into the storage unit 1, the long-shaped members are more smoothly guided to the openings 11a to 11d within the storage unit 1. As a result, the occurrence of problems such as poor distribution due to clogging can be suppressed for a long period of time, and the objects to be processed, including the long-shaped members, can be distributed evenly and efficiently among multiple storage containers.

[0019] The curved surface portion C can be provided, for example, at any location in the falling direction D of the object to be processed inside the storage unit 1, such as a portion that protrudes with respect to the falling direction D of the object to be processed, a sharp portion (a corner portion), or a portion where a depression has occurred. Typically, the curved surface portion C is provided on the guide portion 4 that protrudes above the multiple openings 11a to 11d inside the storage unit 1. Note that in this embodiment, the falling direction D means the free falling direction (vertical direction) of the object to be stored.

[0020] The storage unit 1 has a concave shape that is open at the top, and stores therein an object to be stored that is supplied from above the storage unit 1. The outer shape of the storage unit 1 is not particularly limited, and may be rectangular when viewed from above as shown in FIG. 1, or may be circular, elliptical, or polygonal when viewed from above, and various shapes can be adopted depending on the application. The material of the storage unit 1 is also not particularly limited. Typically, the storage unit 1 is made of a metal such as stainless steel that is durable enough for long-term use.

[0021] 1, the storage unit 1 includes a first inner wall surface 12a, a second inner wall surface 12b opposing the first inner wall surface 12a, a third inner wall surface 12c connected to the first inner wall surface 12a and the second inner wall surface 12b, a fourth inner wall surface 12d opposing the third inner wall surface 12c, and a receiving surface 15 connected to the first inner wall surface 12a, the second inner wall surface 12b, the third inner wall surface 12c, and the fourth inner wall surface 12d. To facilitate transportation of the storage unit 1, handles 13 may be formed above the first inner wall surface 12a and the second inner wall surface 12b.

[0022] The receiving surface 15 is provided at the bottom of the storage unit 1 and is a surface capable of receiving objects to be processed that drop into the storage unit 1 from above, and multiple openings 11a to 11d are formed in the receiving surface 15. The receiving surface 15 is typically provided as a substantially horizontal plane for ease of processing during manufacturing. The receiving surface 15 may be an inclined surface that slopes upward from the center to the periphery of the storage unit 1, so that long objects that drop onto the receiving surface 15 can be more smoothly supplied to the openings 11a to 11d. The receiving surface 15 may also have a concave curved surface.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 8, cylindrical supply units 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d connected to a plurality of storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d are connected below receiving surface 15 in order to supply the material to be processed in storage unit 1 to a plurality of storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d. Note that in the examples of Figs. 1 and 8, an example is shown in which four openings 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d are formed in receiving surface 15 in the up, down, left, and right directions of the page, but the number and specific shapes of openings 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d are not particularly limited. In the example of FIG. 1, openings 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d are circular. Ideally, however, openings 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d would occupy the entire bottom of storage unit 1 except for the area where guide portion 4 is formed. This would allow objects to be processed in storage unit 1 to be more smoothly placed into storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d. Furthermore, chamfered portions 16, which are curved and chamfered to round the corners of the peripheries of the multiple openings 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d shown in FIG. 1, may be formed on at least a portion of the periphery. Providing chamfered portions 16 on the peripheries of multiple openings 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d improves the sliding properties of the elongated object relative to the peripheries of multiple openings 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d, reducing the likelihood of the elongated object getting caught.

[0024] The guide section 4 includes a partition member 2 that separates adjacent openings 11a to 11d, and a dispersion member 3 that is arranged on the partition member 2 in the center of the storage section 1 and has multiple inclined or curved surfaces that slope downward from the center of the storage section 1 toward the periphery.

[0025] The partition member 2 serves to distribute the material to be processed introduced into the storage unit 1 more evenly among the openings 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d. Therefore, the partition member 2 extends radially from the center of the storage unit 1 toward the periphery along a direction parallel to the plane (receiving surface 15) on which the openings 11a to 11d are formed, so as to separate the material between the openings 11a and 11b, between the openings 11b and 11d, between the openings 11a and 11c, and between the openings 11c and 11d. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the partition member 2 has a cross shape. The partition member 2 shown in FIG. 1 includes a partition member 2a between the openings 11a and 11c, a partition member 2b between the openings 11a and 11b, a partition member 2c between the openings 11b and 11d, and a partition member 2d between the openings 11d and 11c.

[0026] The partition members 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d each protrude from the receiving surface 15 and have a convex shape in which the cross section perpendicular to the extension direction is convex upward. There are no restrictions on the specific shape of the convex shape, but any shape can be used in which the cross section perpendicular to the extension direction is high in the center and slopes downward obliquely toward both ends, such as a semicircular, semi-elliptical, arched (semi-cylindrical), or mountain-shaped. As shown in Figure 3(a), curved portions C are formed on the surfaces of the partition members 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d that may come into contact with long members included in the processing target.

[0027] For example, if a columnar structure with a rectangular cross section having a corner E as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 3(a) is used as the partition member 2, the corner E may cause the long object to get caught, changing the trajectory of the falling direction of the long object and preventing it from being properly accommodated in the openings 11a to 11d. According to this embodiment, by making the surface of the partition member 2 convex upward so that such a corner E is not formed, the long object can be sent more smoothly through the partition member 2 to the openings 11a to 11d without getting caught on the partition member 2.

[0028] The partition member 2 preferably has a curved surface throughout to minimize the formation of sharp edges that would make linear contact with the object to be processed or edges that would make surface contact with the object to be processed and cause the object to remain on the surface. If the height H (see FIG. 3(a)) of the convex shape of the partition member 2 is too small, the function of distributing the object to be processed may not be sufficient. While not limited to the following, the height H of the partition member 2 is set to be 20 mm or more, more preferably 25 mm or more, above the receiving surface 15, thereby enabling more efficient distribution of elongated objects to the openings 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d. The upper limit of the height H of the partition member 2 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 40 mm or less, or even 30 mm or less.

[0029] It is preferable that the partition member 2 is disposed as close to the openings 11a to 11d as possible. By disposing the partition member 2 close to the openings 11a to 11d, it is possible to prevent the elongated member from getting caught between the partition member 2 and the openings 11a to 11d. For example, the partition member 2 may be disposed so that a portion of its bottom surface overlaps the openings 11a to 11d.

[0030] The dispersion member 3 is provided in the center of the storage unit 1 so as to come into contact with the objects to be processed that fall into the storage unit 1 and send the objects to the openings 11a-11d. The dispersion member 3 serves to more uniformly disperse the objects to the openings 11a-11d while suppressing entanglement of the long objects to be processed in the center of the storage unit 1. For this reason, the dispersion member 3 preferably has a convex shape with one or more inclined surfaces 31 or curved surfaces that slope downward from the center to the periphery of the storage unit 1. Typically, the dispersion member 3 may have a cone shape with multiple inclined surfaces 31 or a dome shape that is convex upward. The number of inclined surfaces 31 or curved surfaces of the dispersion member 3 is not particularly limited. Typically, the number of inclined surfaces 31 of the dispersion member 3 is preferably the same as the number of openings 11a-11d or a multiple of the number of openings 11a-11d so that the objects to be processed can be efficiently sent along the multiple inclined surfaces 31 to the adjacent openings 11a-11d below.

[0031] Each of the inclined surfaces 31 of the dispersion member 3, which slope downward from the center to the periphery of the storage unit 1, may be flat as shown in FIG. 3(b) or curved as shown in FIG. 3(c). Furthermore, to prevent objects to be processed from getting caught on the dispersion member 3 as they fall into the storage unit 1, a curved surface C may be formed on the top 33 of the dispersion member 3. The boundary 32 between the multiple inclined surfaces 31 may also have a curved surface C formed by chamfering or other methods. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3(d), the dispersion member 3 may have a dome-shaped convex upper surface, resulting in a curved surface C as a whole. When the dispersion member 3 is conical as shown in FIG. 3(b) or 3(c), the curved surface C does not significantly contribute to the catching or retention of elongated objects within the storage unit 1, and therefore the curved surface C may not be formed on the top 33.

[0032] If the dispersion member 3 is too small, it will be less effective in uniformly dispersing the materials to be processed into the openings 11a to 11d, while if it is too large, it may cause clogging of the materials to be processed. For example, as shown in Figure 6, if the dispersion member 3 is large enough to cover the partition member 2, the materials to be processed may become significantly stuck at the bottom of the storage unit 1. Even if only the dispersion member 3 is placed in the storage unit 1 without the partition member 2, the materials to be processed may become stuck, and the distribution effect of the dispersion member 3 may not be significantly achieved. As shown in FIG. 4, it is more preferable to determine the size of the dispersion member 3 so that the ratio (L1 / L2) of the length L1 of the bottom surface of the dispersion member 3 (see FIG. 4; the maximum length of the bottom surface of the dispersion member 3 in the extension direction of the partition members 2a and 2c) to the length L2 of the shortest distance between the opposing inner walls of the storage section 1 (see FIG. 4; the distance between the third inner wall surface 12c and the fourth inner wall surface 12d on the receiving surface 15) is 1 / 4 to 3 / 4, more preferably 1 / 3 to 2 / 3. By adjusting the shape of the dispersion member 3 so that the inclination angle of the inclined surfaces 31c and 31d is 40 to 70°, more preferably 45 to 60°, the material to be processed can be smoothly supplied to the openings 11a to 11d. Here, the inclination angle of the inclined surfaces 31c and 31d refers to the angle between the bottom surface of the dispersion member 3 and the inclined surfaces 31c and 31d. When the inclined surfaces 31c and 31d are curved surfaces, the angle refers to the angle formed by the bottom surface of the dispersion member 3 and a plane connecting the highest point of the dispersion member 3 and the bottom side of the inclined surfaces 31c and 31d.

[0033] The example shown in Figure 5(a) is a distributor 10A equipped with a partition member 2A having an inclined surface that protrudes above the openings 11a-11d and contacts the material to be processed that falls into the storage unit 1 to guide it into the multiple openings 11a-11d. The distributor 10A shown in Figure 5(a) has a corner at the top 8 of the partition member 2A. In such a distributor 10A, the resistance at the top 8 of the partition member 2A increases, and fine scraps may accumulate in the storage unit 1, grow larger, and cause clogging (Figure 5(b)).

[0034] The example shown in Figure 6 is a distributor 10B in which the size of the dispersion member 3B housed in the housing section 1 is larger than that of the distributor 10 in Figure 1. In the distributor 10B in Figure 6, the distance between the inclined surface 31 of the dispersion member 3B and the first to fourth inner wall surfaces 12a to 12d of the housing section 1 is short, so that the contact points between the dispersion member 3B and the first to fourth inner wall surfaces 12a to 12d create resistance and cause clogging.

[0035] 1, according to the distributor 10 of the embodiment of the present invention, curved surface portions C for preventing the objects from getting caught are formed on protruding portions that may catch the objects to be treated in the direction D of fall of the objects falling from above the storage unit 1, typically on the partition member 2 and the dispersion member 3 as the guide unit 4. This makes it possible to more uniformly and efficiently store the objects to be treated, including long objects, in multiple storage containers.

[0036] (Variation) As shown in FIG. 7, a distributor 10 according to a modified embodiment of the present invention may include guide portions 15a to 15d that are formed so as to be continuous with the plurality of openings 11a to 11d and have inclined or curved surfaces that extend from the plurality of openings 11a to 11d toward the inner wall surfaces 12a to 12d of the adjacent storage portion 1, respectively.

[0037] Guide portion 15a is chamfered from the periphery of opening 11a toward the upper opening of storage portion 1 so as to round the connecting portion (corner) between first inner wall surface 12a and third inner wall surface 12c. Guide portion 15b is chamfered from the periphery of opening 11b toward the upper opening of storage portion 1 so as to round the connecting portion (corner) between first inner wall surface 12a and fourth inner wall surface 12d. Guide portions 15c and 15d are similarly chamfered from the periphery of openings 11c and 11d toward the upper opening of storage portion 1 so as to round the connecting portions (corner) between third inner wall surface 12c and second inner wall surface 12b, and between fourth inner wall surface 12c and second inner wall surface 12b, respectively. One end of the guide portions 15a to 15d is continuous with the openings 11a to 11d so as to contact at least 1 / 4, more preferably at least 1 / 3 of the entire peripheral edge of the openings 11a to 11d (the circumference of the openings 11a to 11d in the example of FIG. 7).

[0038] According to the distributor 10 shown in FIG. 7, by providing guide sections 15a to 15d at the connection portions of the first to fourth inner wall surfaces 12a to 12d of the storage section 1, which are one of the uneven portions within the storage section 1, it is possible to reduce the number of areas where the long-shaped member may get caught, and thereby the material to be processed can be more uniformly and efficiently stored in the multiple storage containers 30 through the multiple openings 11a to 11d.

[0039] (distribution device) A distributor 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used to configure a distributor for distributing materials to be processed to a plurality of storage containers. As shown in FIG. 8, the distributor 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the distributor 10 and a switching chute 20.

[0040] The switching chute 20 includes a cylindrical conveying section 21 that conveys the material to be processed to a plurality of storage containers 30 through a plurality of openings 11a to 11d, and a connection section 22 connected between the distributor 10 and the conveying section 21.

[0041] The transport unit 21 can typically be a tubular member such as a resin pipe, and has a length and diameter sufficient to transport the processing object from the connection unit 22 to multiple storage containers 30. The outlet of the transport unit 21 is connected to any of the storage containers 30. In the example of FIG. 8, four connection units 22 extend from the distributor 10. The processing object accommodated in the opening 11a is accommodated in the storage container 30a via the connection unit 22 and the transport unit 21, the processing object accommodated in the opening 11b is accommodated in the storage container 30b via the connection unit 22 and the transport unit 21, the processing object accommodated in the opening 11c is accommodated in the storage container 30c via the connection unit 22 and the transport unit 21, and the processing object accommodated in the opening 11d is accommodated in the storage container 30d via the connection unit 22 and the transport unit 21.

[0042] The connecting part 22 is formed of a flexible material that allows the orientation of the switching chute 20 to be switched between the multiple storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d or the spare storage containers 34a and 34b. The connecting part 22 is configured, for example, as a corrugated hose made of a resin such as rubber, and an example is shown in which the conveying part 21 and the connecting part 22 are connected by inserting and fixing a tubular member serving as the conveying part 21 inside the tip of the corrugated hose, but it goes without saying that this example is not the only possible configuration. The storage containers 30a, 30b, 30d, and 30d and the spare storage containers 34a and 34b are typically containers made of plastic or the like, with bag-shaped packaging such as flexible container bags placed inside.

[0043] 9, in addition to the plurality of storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d, spare storage containers 34a and 34b are arranged adjacent to the plurality of storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d at the bottom of the distributing device 100. In particular, when the processing target contains long members, it is difficult to distribute the materials equally into the plurality of storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d simultaneously, which can result in uneven distribution performance and some of the storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d becoming full.

[0044] In such a case, for example, as shown in Fig. 10, the outlet of the transport unit 21 is switched from the multiple storage containers 30a, 30d to the spare storage containers 34a, 34b, and the processing objects are stored in the spare storage containers 34a, 34b. In this way, by switching the outlet of the transport unit 21 from the multiple storage containers 30a, 30d to the spare storage containers 34a, 34b and replacing the multiple storage containers 30a, 30d with new storage containers (not shown) while the processing objects are being stored in the spare storage containers 34a, 34b, the processing can be continued without stopping the distribution processing by the distribution device 100, and therefore the processing can be performed efficiently even when the distribution of the processing objects is uneven.

[0045] (Distribution method) FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a distribution method using a distributor 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, as shown in FIG. 8, multiple storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d and spare storage containers 34a and 34b are arranged below the distributor 100 (step S11). If the inclination angle of the conveying section 21, which sends the materials to the multiple storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d, is too small, the materials may become stuck inside the conveying section 21. The inclination angle θ of the conveying section 21 (the inclination of the conveying section 21 relative to the horizontal plane (see FIG. 8)) is preferably set according to the frictional resistance of the materials and can typically be set within a range of 25 to 90 degrees. To maintain the inclination angle θ of the conveying section at an appropriate angle, the distributor 100 is supported by a support structure (not shown) for supporting the distributor 100 arranged around the distributor 100 or by a physical separator such as a sieve arranged above the distributor 100.

[0046] When materials to be processed, including elongated objects, are supplied from above the distributor 10, the materials are supplied to the openings 11a-11d via the partition member 2 or the dispersing member 3, etc., and then distributed to the plurality of storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d through the bellows-shaped connecting portion 22 and the conveying portion 21, which is made of a cylindrical tubular member (step S12). The operator appropriately checks the distribution process by the distributor 100 to determine whether or not the storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d need to be replaced (step S13). If container replacement is not required, the distribution process continues (step S12). If container replacement is required, the process proceeds to step S14, where the tip of the conveying portion 21 connected to the storage container 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d that is determined to need replacement is switched to the spare storage container 34a and 34b. After the tip of the conveying unit 21 is switched to the spare storage containers 34a, 34b, the storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d that need to be replaced are replaced with new storage containers, and the tip of the conveying unit 21 is switched again to the new storage containers (step S15). After that, if the distribution work is to be ended, the distribution work is ended (step S16). If the distribution work is to be continued, the process returns to step S12.

[0047] The example shown in FIG. 12 illustrates a distribution process in which six storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, and 30e are placed below a hexagonal pyramidal distributor 10C, and the storage objects are simultaneously stored in the six storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, and 30e. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the distributor 10C is placed above the six storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, and 30e in a central location. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the equipment must be stopped every time the storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, and 30e are replaced. Furthermore, it is difficult to adjust the filling amount for each storage container 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, and 30e, and the dispersibility becomes unstable depending on the position of the distributor 10A when it is placed on the storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, and 30e.

[0048] On the other hand, according to the distributor 100 and the distribution method using the distributor according to the embodiment of the present invention, even if a temporary imbalance occurs in the filling amounts of the storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d during the distribution process, the filling amounts can be adjusted by switching the outlets of the conveying units 21 of the storage containers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d to the spare storage containers 34a and 34b. Furthermore, by distributing the processing target including long members that are prone to getting caught during the distribution process using the distributor 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the long members from getting caught in the distributor 10, thereby making the distribution process more efficient.

[0049] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the above embodiments and examples, the descriptions and drawings forming part of this disclosure should not be understood to limit the present invention. In other words, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and examples, and the components may be modified and embodied within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1: Storage section 2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2A: Partition members 3, 3B: Dispersion member 4: Information department 8:Top 10, 10A, 10B, 10C: Distributor 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d: Opening 12a: First inner wall surface 12b: Second inner wall 12c: 3rd inner wall surface 12d: 4th inner wall surface 13: Handle 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d: Supply section 15: Receiving face 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d: Induction part 16: Chamfered part 20: Switch shot 21: Transport unit 22: Connection 30, 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 303: storage container 31: Inclined surface 32: Boundary part 33:Top of the head 34a, 34b: Spare storage containers 100:Distribution device C: Curved part

Claims

1. a storage section that stores the object to be processed, including the elongated member, and has a plurality of openings at its bottom for receiving the object to be processed and distributing it into a plurality of storage containers; a guide portion that protrudes above the plurality of openings in the storage portion and comes into contact with the object to be processed that falls into the storage portion to guide the object into the plurality of openings; Equipped with A distributor characterized in that a curved surface portion is formed in the storage portion to prevent the long-shaped member from getting caught on the long-shaped member that falls into the storage portion.

2. The guide portion is a partition member that separates adjacent openings; a dispersion member disposed on the partition member and having an inclined or curved surface that slopes downward from the center of the storage section toward the periphery; The distributor of claim 1 .

3. The distributor according to claim 2 , wherein the partition member extends radially from the center of the accommodating portion toward the periphery, and has a convex shape in a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction that is convex upward.

4. The distributor according to claim 3 , wherein the curved surface portion is formed on the partition member.

5. The distributor according to claim 2 , wherein the dispersion member has a cone shape with a plurality of the inclined surfaces, and the number of the inclined surfaces constituting the cone shape is a multiple of the number of the openings.

6. The distributor according to claim 5 , wherein the curved surface portion is formed on the dispersion member.

7. A distributor as described in claim 2, wherein the ratio (L1 / L2) of the length L1 of the bottom surface of the dispersion member to the length L2 of the shortest distance between the opposing inner wall surfaces of the storage section is greater than 1 / 4 and less than 3 / 4.

8. The distributor according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the plurality of openings are chamfered.

9. The distributor according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the plurality of openings further include an inclined or curved guide portion extending toward the inner wall surface of the storage portion adjacent to the plurality of openings.

10. A distributor according to any one of claims 1 to 7; a cylindrical conveying unit connected to the distributor and configured to convey the object to the plurality of storage containers through the plurality of openings; and a switching chute connected between the distributor and the conveying unit, configured to switch the orientation of the tip of the conveying unit from one storage container to another storage container and configured to include a connecting part made of a flexible material. A dispensing device comprising:

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