Mixing device

Abstract

To provide an agitation device that conveys a fluid object while stirring it, and that can discharge a fluid object that is close to a liquid from a discharge port to the outside of a stirring chamber in a state where the object is sufficiently stirred. [Solution] The device comprises a case part in which a stirring chamber is formed, and a stirring / transport mechanism that stirs a fluid object put into the stirring chamber while sending it in a feed direction that is horizontal or along the horizontal. An inlet is formed on the upstream side of the feed direction in the case part, through which the object is put into the stirring chamber from the outside, and an outlet is formed on the downstream side, through which the object is discharged from the stirring chamber to the outside, and the outlet is formed to open in a direction other than directly below.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an agitation device that conveys a fluid object while agitating it. [Background technology]

[0002] A known stirring device includes a case portion having a stirring chamber formed therein, and a stirring / transporting mechanism that stirs an object placed in the stirring chamber while feeding it horizontally or in a feed direction that is aligned with the horizontal, and has an inlet formed on the upstream side of the case portion in the feed direction, through which the object is placed into the stirring chamber from the outside, and a discharge outlet formed on the downstream side, through which the object is discharged from the stirring chamber to the outside.

[0003] The agitation device in the above document allows for efficient operation because the material fed from the feed port is agitated as it is transported to the discharge port. However, if the material is close to a liquid and has a high flow rate, there is no resistance to transport, and the material may be discharged to the outside through the discharge port that opens directly below it if it is not sufficiently agitated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6889924 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention aims to provide an agitation device that transports fluid objects while stirring them, and that is capable of discharging objects that are close to liquid and have high fluidity outside the agitation chamber from an outlet after being sufficiently stirred. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the stirring device of the present invention comprises a case part having a stirring chamber formed therein, and a stirring / transporting mechanism that stirs a fluid object put into the stirring chamber while feeding it in a feed direction that is horizontal or along the horizontal, and is characterized in that an inlet is formed on the upstream side of the feed direction in the case part, through which the object is put into the stirring chamber from the outside, and a discharge outlet is formed on the downstream side thereof, through which the object is discharged from the stirring chamber to the outside, and the discharge outlet is formed to open in a direction other than directly downward.

[0007] The device may further include a guide member that is arranged on the outer surface side of the case portion and that guides an object that has been discharged from the stirring chamber to the outside through the discharge port in a predetermined direction.

[0008] The guide member may be configured to guide downward the object being discharged from the discharge port.

[0009] The guide member may form a discharge flow path extending from the discharge port to the outside.

[0010] The discharge port may be open upward, and the discharge flow path may be formed in an inverted U shape so as to discharge the object discharged upward from the discharge port downward.

[0011] The discharge port may be open to the side, and the discharge flow path may be formed in an L-shape so as to discharge downward the object discharged to the side from the discharge port.

[0012] The stirring / transporting mechanism may include a rotating shaft rotatably supported with at least a portion thereof facing the stirring chamber and facing the feed direction or a direction along that direction, a plurality of stirring blades attached and fixed to the portion of the rotating shaft facing the stirring chamber, and a drive device that rotates the rotating shaft, and the stirring / transporting mechanism may be configured to transport the object from the inlet side to the outlet side as the rotating shaft rotates in the forward direction, which is one side of the rotating shaft.

[0013] Some of the agitating blades may be configured to feed the object upstream in the feeding direction as the rotating shaft rotates in the forward direction.

[0014] The stirring blades arranged in a portion on the outlet side of the stirring chamber may be configured to feed the object upstream in the feed direction as the rotating shaft rotates in the forward direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, the discharge port formed to open in a direction other than directly downward makes it possible to impart a certain degree of flow resistance to the stirring chamber within the case portion, so that even if the object is close to liquid and has high fluidity, it is possible to discharge the object to the outside through the discharge port in a sufficiently stirred state. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a stirring device to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] 1 is a plan view of a stirring device to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a stirring chamber formed in a case. [Figure 4] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration inside the case of a stirring device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration inside the case of a stirring device according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] 1 and 2 are side and plan views of an agitation device to which the present invention is applied, Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an agitation chamber formed in a case, and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in Fig. 2. The illustrated agitation device includes a case (case portion) 1 into which a fluid object such as a liquid, a mixture of liquid and granular material, or muddy water is introduced, a mixing and conveying mechanism 3 that conveys the object introduced into the case 1 (specifically, the mixing chamber S formed inside the case 1) to one side (downstream) of a feed direction that is a horizontal direction or a direction along the horizontal (in this example, the horizontal direction), a mounting frame 4 on whose upper surface the case 1 and the agitation and conveying mechanism 3 are mounted and fixed, a base 6 on whose upper surface the mounting frame 4 is installed and fixed, and a pair of mounting frames 7, 7 that position (install) the entire agitation device on the installation surface M with the base 6 floating above the installation surface M.

[0018] The case 1 is cylindrical in shape with its entire length directed in the feed direction or a direction along it (in this example, the feed direction), and the space on its inner peripheral surface (inner surface side) forms the stirring chamber S described above.

[0019] Hereinafter, this feeding direction is defined as the front-rear direction, and the left-right and up-down directions are determined based on this front-rear direction.

[0020] The case 1 comprises a U-shaped groove-shaped main body 8 that extends in the overall length direction and is open at the top, a top plate 9 that covers the entire open upper part of the main body 8, and a pair of wall panels 11, 12 that close both ends of the main body 8 in the overall length direction.

[0021] Flanges 8a, 8a are integrally provided extending toward the sides spaced apart (outside in the width direction) from both widthwise ends located at the upper end of the main body 8. The pair of flanges 8a, 8a are rectangular plates formed over the entire length of the main body 8, and at least their upper surfaces are formed flat.

[0022] The top plate 9 is a rectangular plate that is long in the overall length direction of the case 1. The top plate 9 is detachably fixed to the flanges 8a, 8a (on the main body 8 side) with fasteners 10 such as bolts, or by welding, with each of its widthwise edges placed on the upper surfaces of the corresponding flanges 8a, 8a of the main body 8. Incidentally, the top plate 9 is disposed over most or the entire length of the main body 8.

[0023] One of the wall panels 11, 12 is a start-side wall panel 11 that covers and blocks the start-side, which is the upstream end of the mixing chamber S in the case 1 in the feed direction, and the other is a finish-side wall panel 12 that covers and blocks the end of the mixing chamber S in the case 1 in the downstream end of the feed direction.

[0024] This case 1 (mixing chamber S) has an inlet 1a that opens upward at a portion near its starting end (upstream side), and an outlet 1b that opens in a direction other than directly downward (to the side in the illustrated example, more specifically, directly to the side) at a portion near its terminal end (downstream side). Incidentally, this outlet 1b may open diagonally downward as long as it is not directly downward, but preferably opens to the side, directly upward, or diagonally upward.

[0025] The insertion port 1a is formed as an opening on the top surface of the case 1 near the beginning (specifically, the portion near the beginning of the top plate 9), taking up most of its left-right width, and its shape is a rectangle that is long from left to right when viewed in a plane.

[0026] The outlet 1b is formed by opening into the upper part of the side surface near the beginning of the case 1 (specifically, the side surface near the end of the case 1), and its shape is a rectangle that is long from front to back when viewed from the side.

[0027] A vertically tubular hopper 13 is integrally formed and protrudes upward from the location where the inlet 1a is formed in the case 1 (top plate 9). In a plan view, the hopper 13 has a rectangular frame shape that surrounds the open inlet 1a, and an object introduced into the space on the inner circumferential surface side is introduced into the mixing chamber S in the case 1 through the inlet 1a.

[0028] A guide member 14 is provided at the location where the discharge port 1b is formed on one of the left and right sides of the case 1 (main body 8) to guide downward (directly downward in this example) the object discharged from inside the case 1 to the outside through the discharge port 1b. The guide member 14 is formed in a pipe shape and has therein a discharge flow path R through which the object discharged from the discharge port 1b flows.

[0029] One end of the discharge flow path R, i.e., the starting point R1, communicates with the stirring chamber S via the discharge port 1b, and the other end, i.e., the terminal point R2, opens directly downward to the outside. The discharge flow path R is curved downward midway so that the entire discharge flow path R is L-shaped in front view. Due to this shape of the discharge flow path R, the guide member 14 guides the object discharged from the stirring chamber S to the outside side via the discharge port 1b directly downward.

[0030] The stirring and conveying mechanism 3 has a rotating shaft 16 that is oriented in a direction along the feed direction (specifically, the same direction as the feed direction) and is supported so as to be rotatable around its own axis, a plurality of stirring blades 17 that are mounted on the rotating shaft 16 and rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 16, and a drive device 18 that drives the rotating shaft 16 to rotate.

[0031] The rotating shaft 16 is inserted into insertion holes 11a, 12a formed in each of the pair of wall panels 11, 12, and most of the rotating shaft 16 is exposed to the stirring chamber S. A plurality of stirring blades 17 are attached and fixed to the portion of the rotating shaft 16 exposed to the stirring chamber S.

[0032] The rotating shaft 16 is rotatably supported at its opposite ends by bearings 19 and 21. Each of the pair of bearings 19 and 21 is fixedly attached to the corresponding wall panel 11 or 12. In other words, the rotating shaft 16 is rotatably supported on the case 1 by the pair of bearings 19 and 21.

[0033] The driving device 18 is disposed outside the case 1 and includes an actuator such as an electric motor, and is installed on the upper surface of the base 6 together with the case 1 by means of the mounting frame 4. The rotational power generated by the driving device 18 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 16, which drives and rotates the stirring blade 17 inside the case 1. Incidentally, the rotating shaft 16 (stirring blade 17) is configured to rotate only in one direction around its axis (specifically, the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4, hereinafter referred to as "forward rotation").

[0034] Each agitator blade 17 protrudes away from the rotary shaft 16, and the end (base end) opposite to the protruding end (tip) is detachably attached and fixed to the rotary shaft 16 by a fixing part 22. The multiple agitator blades 17 are arranged spirally on the outer circumferential surface of the rotary shaft 16 (specifically, spirally on the forward rotation side toward the downstream side in the feed direction).

[0035] More specifically, the agitating blade 17 is curved on the opposite side to the forward rotation side as it moves away from the rotating shaft 16 when viewed in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 16, and rotation on the forward rotation side makes it possible to agitate the object with low load. Also, several types of agitating blades 17 are provided, one of which is a feed blade 17A that is curved on the downstream side in the feed direction and sends the object downstream in the feed direction as it rotates on the forward rotation side, and the other is a return blade 17B that is curved on the upstream side in the feed direction and sends the object upstream in the feed direction as it rotates on the forward rotation side.

[0036] The agitator blade 17 arranged in the space of the agitator chamber S other than the part on the discharge outlet 1b side is a feed blade 17A, and the agitator blade 17 arranged in the part on the discharge outlet 1b side of the agitator chamber S (more specifically, the downstream end in the feed direction) is a return blade 17B.

[0037] That is, the stirring / transport mechanism 3 is configured so that the majority of the multiple stirring blades 17 provided on the rotating shaft 16 are feed blades 17A, thereby stirring and transporting the object in the stirring chamber S downstream in the feed direction. On the other hand, the return blade 17B provided on the rotating shaft 16 and positioned downstream in the feed direction can efficiently prevent the object from accumulating in the downstream portion of the stirring chamber S in the feed direction.

[0038] Furthermore, discharge port 1b is disposed on one side of the left or right side of case 1 (specifically, the side on which stirring blade 17 rotates in the forward direction and moves downward, which is the left side in FIG. 4, hereinafter referred to as the "downward displacement side"). With this arrangement, the object that has been sufficiently stirred can be efficiently discharged from the inside to the outside of case 1.

[0039] Incidentally, the portion of the main body 8 (case 1) below the discharge port 1b constitutes a bottom 8b formed in the shape of an arc surface that follows the circular rotation path of the agitating blade 17. This bottom 8b of the case 1 can efficiently prevent excess rotational resistance from acting on the agitating blade 17 that is driven to rotate in the forward direction.

[0040] With the stirring device configured as described above, the object introduced into the stirring chamber S through the introduction port 1a is given appropriate flow resistance by the discharge port 1b, which opens in a direction other than directly downward, and the discharge flow path R, which is bent in an L-shape, allowing for efficient and appropriate stirring. The object that has been sufficiently stirred inside the case 1 flows into the discharge flow path R through the discharge port 1b, drops out from the terminal end R2 of the discharge flow path R, and is collected in a collection container C or the like.

[0041] In the above example, the discharge flow path R is formed inside the guide member 14 alone, but a discharge flow path having a similar function may be formed between the guide member 14 and the outer surface of the case 1. This configuration eliminates the need to mold the guide member 14 into a complex shape such as a pipe shape.

[0042] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, another embodiment of the present invention will be described, focusing on the differences from the above embodiment.

[0043] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration inside the case of a stirring device according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the stirring device shown in Fig. 5, outlet 1b is located on the side opposite to the downward displacement side of the left and right sides of case 1 (specifically, on the side where stirring blade 17 rotates forward and moves upward, which is the right side in Fig. 5, hereinafter referred to as the "upward displacement side").

[0044] Next, with reference to FIG. 6, another embodiment of the present invention will be described, focusing on the differences from the above embodiment.

[0045] 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration inside the case of a stirring device according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in the figure, a discharge port 1b is provided on the upper surface (top plate 9) of the case 1 in a downstream portion in the feed direction, with the discharge port 1b opening directly upward. Incidentally, the discharge port 1b is formed in a portion closer to one of the left and right sides of the top plate 9 (specifically, the downward displacement side).

[0046] Correspondingly, the hollow pipe-shaped guide member 14 is formed in an inverted U shape when viewed in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 16, with its starting end connected to the opening of the discharge outlet 1b on the top surface of the case 1 and its terminal end positioned to the side of the downward displacement side of the case 1.

[0047] Inside the guide member 14, an inverted U-shaped discharge flow path R is formed, similar to the guide member 14. The starting end R1 of this discharge flow path R communicates with the stirring chamber S via the discharge port 1b, and the ending end R2 opens directly downward.

[0048] The object that flows from the stirring chamber S into the discharge flow path R via the discharge port 1b flows in an inverted U-shaped detour and is discharged from the end of the discharge flow path R directly below.

[0049] According to this configuration, it is possible to add a higher flow resistance to the object, so that even objects with higher fluidity and that are close to liquid can be efficiently stirred and transported. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 Case (case part) 1a Inlet 1b Outlet 3. Mixing and transport mechanism 14 Guide member 16 Rotation Axis 17 Stirring blade 17A Feed blade 17B Return Blade 18 Drive unit R Discharge flow path S Mixing chamber

Claims

1. a case portion having a stirring chamber formed therein; a stirring and conveying mechanism that stirs the fluid material introduced into the stirring chamber while feeding the material in a feeding direction that is a horizontal direction or a direction along the horizontal; An inlet for introducing an object into the mixing chamber from the outside is formed on the upstream side of the case in the feed direction, and an outlet for discharging the object from the mixing chamber to the outside is formed on the downstream side thereof, The outlet is formed to open in a direction other than directly below. A stirring device characterized by:

2. a guide member that is disposed on the outer surface side of the case portion and that guides an object that has been discharged from the stirring chamber to the outside through the discharge port in a predetermined direction; The stirring device according to claim 1 .

3. The guide member is configured to guide downward the object to be discharged from the discharge port. The stirring device according to claim 2 .

4. The guide member forms a discharge flow path extending from the discharge port to the outside. The stirring device according to claim 2 .

5. The outlet is open upward, The discharge flow path is formed in an inverted U shape so as to discharge the object discharged upward from the discharge port downward. The stirring device according to claim 4.

6. The outlet is open to the side, The discharge flow path is formed in an L-shape so as to discharge downward the object discharged laterally from the discharge port. The stirring device according to claim 4.

7. The stirring and transport mechanism includes a rotating shaft, at least a portion of which faces the stirring chamber and is rotatably supported in a position facing the feed direction or a position facing a direction along the feed direction, a plurality of stirring blades attached and fixed to a portion of the rotating shaft facing the stirring chamber, and a drive device that rotationally drives the rotating shaft, The stirring and transporting mechanism is configured to transport the object from the inlet side to the outlet side as the rotation of the rotary shaft is in the forward direction. The stirring device according to claim 1 .

8. Some of the agitating blades are configured to send the object to the upstream side in the feed direction as the rotating shaft rotates in the forward direction. The stirring device according to claim 7.

9. The stirring blades arranged in the portion on the outlet side of the stirring chamber are configured to feed the object to the upstream side in the feed direction as the rotating shaft rotates in the forward direction. The stirring device according to claim 8.

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