Drying equipment

Abstract

To provide a dryer capable of further enhancing the drying efficiency of an object to be dried in a drying tank.SOLUTION: The dryer comprises a vertical cylinder-shaped drying tank 11 into which an object to be dried is to be fed, and rotary scooping-up blades 31 and 32 attached to a rotary shaft 20 extending in a perpendicular axis in the drying tank 11. The rotary shaft 20 is constituted of a plurality of rotary shaft units 21 and 22 vertically arranged on the same axis, with the respective rotary shaft units 21 and 22 provided with corresponding rotary scooping-up blades 31 and 32. The rotary shaft units 21 and 22 are each made rotatable in the reverse direction relative to the rotary shaft units 22 and 21 adjoining to each other in the shaft direction. The rotary scooping-up blades 31 and 32 comprise base blades 33A and 33B respectively whose terminus sides extend obliquely upward in the opposite direction relative to the rotation direction of the rotary shaft units 21 and 22 from the start end sides which are connected to the corresponding rotary shaft units 21 and 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drying device that dries materials placed in a vertical cylindrical drying tank by rolling them up and pressing them against the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the drying tank. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known dryers for drying a wide variety of materials, such as granular, powdery, liquid, lumpy, etc. In particular, the present applicant has already proposed a dryer that can achieve ideal drying conditions by developing a unique blade called a cyclone fin (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] In this type of drying device, the material to be dried is placed in a vertical cylindrical drying tank and wound up by the rotation of multiple base blades that form a rotary winding blade attached to a rotating shaft. In this configuration, when the rotary winding blade rotates, the material to be dried is pressed into a thin film against the heated surface of the inner wall of the drying tank by centrifugal force, and this, combined with the action of the material to be dried being wound up later pushing up the previously wound up material, allows the material to be dried to be dried.

[0004] The rotating winding blade is not limited to a single stage, and a structure in which multiple stages are arranged vertically has also been disclosed. By configuring multiple stages in this way, the material to be dried is successively wound up by the base blade of each stage, and the material to be dried is pressed against the heating surface and dried, and then wound up by the base blade of the top stage, and the dried material is obtained. In other words, the material to be dried was designed to continuously rise from the bottom to the top of the drying tank while being dried. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 2840639 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 2958869 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The drying devices described in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2 are able to increase drying efficiency by configuring the rotating winding blades in multiple stages, but the rotation direction and rotation speed of the base blades in each stage are all the same. Therefore, rotation by a normal drive motor alone places a limit on the rotation speed of the material to be dried and the contact speed with the heating surface, and there has been a demand for ideas to further increase drying efficiency.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the problems inherent in the prior art as described above, and aims to provide a drying apparatus which can improve the heating efficiency of the material to be dried and increase the drying speed by increasing the rotation speed of the material to be dried in the drying tank and the contact speed with the heating surface, thereby further increasing the drying efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising: A drying apparatus having a vertical cylindrical drying tank into which an object to be dried is introduced, and a rotary lifting blade provided on a rotary shaft extending along a vertical axis within the drying tank, the rotating shaft is made up of a plurality of rotating shaft portions arranged coaxially one above the other, and the rotating winding blade is provided for each rotating shaft portion; Each of the rotary shaft portions is configured to be rotatable in a direction opposite to that of the rotary shaft portion adjacent thereto in the axial direction, The rotary take-up blade is characterized by having a base blade whose terminal end extends obliquely upward from a starting end connected to the rotary shaft portion toward the opposite side of the rotation direction of the rotary shaft portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the drying device of the present invention, by increasing the rotation speed of the material to be dried in the drying tank and the contact speed with the heating surface, it is possible to improve the heating efficiency of the material to be dried and increase the drying speed, thereby further increasing the drying efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a drying device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing a reverse rotation connecting portion in the drying device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a drying device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing a reverse rotation transmission section in a drying device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing an enlarged view of a reverse rotation transmission section in a drying device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Various embodiments representative of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The drying apparatus 10, 10A according to various embodiments rolls up materials to be dried placed in a vertical cylindrical drying tank 11 and dries them by pressing them against the inner surface of the peripheral wall 12 of the drying tank 11. Materials to be dried range widely, including food waste, leftover food, food scraps, sludge, livestock manure, etc., and come in a variety of forms, such as granular, powdery, liquid, and lumpy, and with a wide range of moisture contents. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and detailed descriptions of already well-known matters and redundant descriptions of substantially identical configurations may be omitted as appropriate.

[0012] [First embodiment] 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the drying device 10 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the reverse rotation connecting portion 23 of the drying device 10 according to the first embodiment. Note that hatching is omitted in the longitudinal cross-sectional view of Fig. 1. Furthermore, in each drawing, the relative dimensional relationships and shapes of the components are subject to appropriate design changes and may differ from the actual ones.

[0013] <About Drying Tank 11> As shown in Fig. 1, the drying tank 11 is made of metal and has a vertical cylindrical shape. The drying tank 11 is placed on the floor with legs (not shown) attached to its underside in a position with its axis vertical. The inner surface of the peripheral wall 12 of the drying tank 11 forms a heating surface 12a that transfers heat from a heating means to the material to be dried. The heating means here includes, for example, a jacket 13 formed to surround the outer periphery of the drying tank 11, and a boiler (not shown) connected to this jacket 13 and sending steam into the jacket 13.

[0014] Although not shown, the jacket 13 is provided with a steam inlet portion that introduces steam into the jacket 13 and a steam outlet portion that discharges steam out of the jacket 13. As another example of the heating means, it may be configured so that hot air is fed into the jacket 13 instead of steam, or it may be configured so that it comprises a heat medium contained in the jacket 13 and an electric heater disposed on the outer periphery of the jacket 13. In other words, the heat from the electric heater is transferred to the heating surface 12a via the heat medium. The configuration may be further simplified so that the heat from the electric heater disposed on the outer periphery of the jacket 13 is transferred directly to the heating surface 12a. In this way, various heating means are conceivable.

[0015] There are various configurations for supplying the material to be dried into the drying tank 11 and discharging it to the outside. For example, an openable supply port (not shown) may be provided in part of the top surface 15 of the drying tank 11, and the material to be dried may be introduced into the drying tank through this supply port. On the other hand, an openable discharge port (not shown) may be provided near the bottom surface 14 of the drying tank 11, and the dried material to be dried may be discharged to the outside through this discharge port. With such a configuration, a batch-type process is performed in which the material to be dried is not supplied or discharged midway until all steps are completed.

[0016] Alternatively, although not shown, a supply pipe may be connected to the peripheral wall 12 near the bottom 14 of the drying tank 11, and the material to be dried may be supplied into the drying tank 11 through the supply pipe, while a discharge pipe may be connected to the peripheral wall 12 near the top 15, and the dried material may be discharged to the outside through the discharge pipe. This configuration makes it possible not only to perform a batch process in which the supply of the material to be dried is divided and the dried material is obtained intermittently, but also to perform a continuous process in which the material to be dried is continuously supplied and the dried material is continuously discharged.

[0017] <About the rotating shaft 20> As shown in Figure 1, a rotating shaft 20 extending along the vertical axis is disposed within the drying tank 11. The rotating shaft 20 is supported while penetrating the center of the bottom surface 14 and the top surface 15 of the drying tank 11. The rotating shaft 20 is made up of multiple rotating shaft portions 21, 22 arranged vertically on the same axis, and each rotating shaft portion 21, 22 is provided with a rotating winding blade 31, 32, which will be described later. Each rotating shaft portion 21, 22 is configured to be rotatable in the opposite direction to the rotating shaft portions 21, 22 adjacent to it in the axial direction.

[0018] The rotating shaft 20 according to this embodiment is composed of two rotating shaft portions 21 and 22 arranged one above the other. The lower end of the lower rotating shaft portion 21 is rotatably supported by a lower bearing portion 16 provided below the bottom surface portion 14 of the drying tank 11. The lower end of the rotating shaft portion 21 protruding downward from the lower bearing portion 16 is connected to a lower drive motor 18 via a gear box 18a so as to transmit power. The lower rotating shaft portion 21 is configured to rotate about its axis in one operating direction by the lower drive motor 18. Here, the one operating direction is a clockwise direction in a plan view as indicated by an arrow V1 in FIG. 1, and will hereinafter be referred to as a "first direction V1."

[0019] Meanwhile, the upper end of the upper rotating shaft 22 is rotatably supported by an upper bearing 17 provided above the upper surface 15 of the drying tank 11. An upper drive motor 19 is connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft 22 protruding above the upper bearing 17 via a gear box 19a so as to transmit power. The upper rotating shaft 22 is set to rotate about its axis by the upper drive motor 19 in an operating direction opposite to the first operating direction. Here, the opposite operating direction is a counterclockwise direction in a plan view as indicated by an arrow V2 in FIG. 1, and will hereinafter be referred to as a "second direction V2."

[0020] <<Reverse rotation connecting portion 23>> The rotating shaft 20 also includes a reverse rotation coupling part 23 that couples the opposing ends of the upper and lower rotating shaft parts 21, 22 so that they can rotate in opposite directions. As shown in Fig. 2, the reverse rotation coupling part 23 includes an engaging protrusion 231 that extends coaxially at the lower end of the upper rotating shaft part 22, and an engaged recess 232 that is recessed coaxially at the upper end of the lower rotating shaft part 21 and into which the engaging protrusion 231 rotatably fits.

[0021] The engaging protrusion 231 is provided in the shape of a shaft whose diameter is reduced from the lower end of the upper rotating shaft portion 22. On the other hand, the engaged recess 232 is provided inside the cylindrically formed upper end of the lower rotating shaft portion 21. In an opposite embodiment, the engaged recess 232 may be provided at the lower end of the upper rotating shaft portion 22, while the engaging protrusion 231 is provided at the upper end of the lower rotating shaft portion 21. Furthermore, a plurality of bearings 233 to 235 are arranged between the outer periphery of the engaging protrusion 231 and the inner periphery of the engaged recess 232.

[0022] Each of the bearings 233-235 facilitates the rotation of the engaging protrusion 231 about its axis relative to the engaged recess 232, and as its configuration is common, a detailed description will be omitted. The specific number and arrangement of the bearings 233-235 are design matters that can be determined as appropriate. The engaging protrusion 231 between the upper and lower bearings 233, 234 is fitted with a collar 236 on its exterior to maintain the distance between the upper and lower bearings.

[0023] A flange 237 is provided around the opening of the engaged recess 232 at the upper end of the lower rotating shaft 21. A ring-shaped plate 238 is disposed between this flange 237 and a stepped surface around the base end of the engaging protrusion 231 at the lower end of the upper rotating shaft 22. The plate 238 is fixed integrally with the flange 237, and prevents the bearings 233 to 235 from coming off without interfering with the rotation of the engaging protrusion 231.

[0024] <About the rotating winding blades 31 and 32> As shown in Fig. 1, rotary winding blades 31, 32 are provided for each of the rotary shaft portions 21, 22 of the rotary shaft 20. The lower rotary shaft portion 21 rotates in a first direction V1 by being driven by the lower drive motor 18, and the rotary winding blade 31 provided on this rotary shaft portion 21 rotates in the first direction V1 in synchronization with the rotary shaft portion 21. On the other hand, the upper rotary shaft portion 22 rotates in a second direction V2 by being driven by the upper drive motor 19, and the rotary winding blade 32 provided on this rotary shaft portion 22 rotates in the second direction V2 in synchronization with the rotary shaft portion 22.

[0025] Each rotary blade 31, 32 extends radially from the rotary shaft 21, 22 and is made up of a plurality of base blades 33A, 33B that rotate together with the rotary shaft 21, 22. In this embodiment, the lower rotary blade 31 has two base blades 33A, and the upper rotary blade 32 similarly has two base blades 33B. Here, the base blades 33A, 33B extend obliquely upward from their starting ends connected to the rotary shafts 21, 22 toward the opposite side of the rotation of the rotary shafts 21, 22.

[0026] In the lower rotary winding blade 31, each base blade 33A is formed to have the same shape and is arranged with a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees. Here, each base blade 33A has a flat surface on which the material to be dried can be placed from the starting end and wound up while moving it to the terminal end in a plan view. This flat surface is formed so as to extend while curving obliquely upward from the starting end to the terminal end toward the opposite side of the first direction V1 in which the rotary shaft 21 rotates. In other words, each base blade 33A is configured to place the material to be dried on its flat surface and wind it up, while pressing it against the heating surface 12a of the drying tank 11 by centrifugal force.

[0027] In the upper rotary winding blade 32, each base blade 33B is formed in the same shape and is arranged with a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees. Here, each base blade 33B also has a flat surface on which the material to be dried can be placed from the starting end and wound up while moving it to the terminal end in a plan view. This flat surface is formed so as to extend while curving obliquely upward from the starting end to the terminal end toward the opposite side of the second direction V2 in which the rotary shaft 22 rotates. In other words, each base blade 33B is configured to place the material to be dried on its flat surface and wind it up, while pressing it against the heating surface 12a of the drying tank 11 by centrifugal force.

[0028] In this way, the base blades 33A and 33B of the upper and lower rotary winding blades 31 and 32 are configured to face in opposite directions. The outer circumferential edge of the flat surface at the end of each base blade 33A and 33B is close to the heating surface 12a of the drying tank 11. A gap is provided between the outer circumferential edge of the flat surface and the heating surface 12a to allow rotation of each base blade 33A and 33B.

[0029] The starting end of each base blade 33A, 33B is connected to the rotary shafts 21, 22, and the terminal end is supported by an arm 34 extending radially from the rotary shafts 21, 22. Furthermore, the starting end and the terminal end of each upper base blade 33B are also supported midway by an arm 35 extending radially from the rotary shaft 22. Here, the tips of the arms 34, 35 are fixed to the back side of the flat surface of each base blade 33A, 33B.

[0030] <Action of the Drying Device 10> Next, the operation of the drying device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described. In FIG. 1, the material to be dried is introduced into the drying tank 11 through a supply port (not shown) on the upper surface 15. Then, the lower drive motor 18 and the upper drive motor 19 are driven simultaneously. As a result, the lower rotary shaft 21 and rotary winding blade 31 rotate in a first direction V1, which is clockwise in a plan view, and the upper rotary shaft 22 and rotary winding blade 32 rotate in a second direction V2, which is counterclockwise in a plan view. In this way, the upper and lower rotary winding blades 31 and 32 rotate in opposite directions. At this time, steam is introduced from a boiler into the jacket 13 to heat the heating surface 12a.

[0031] In the drying tank 11, first, the material to be dried on the bottom surface 14 is scraped up by the lower rotary winding blade 31. Here, the starting end of each base blade 33A of the rotary winding blade 31, which is connected to the rotary shaft 21, is close to the bottom surface 14 so that it can scrape up the material to be dried on the bottom surface 14 of the drying tank 11. The material to be dried scraped up from the starting end of each base blade 33A continues to be wound up and rise on the flat surface toward the terminal end in the direction opposite to the first direction V1. At this time, the material to be dried on the flat surface of each base blade 33A is pressed into a thin film against the heating surface 12a in the drying tank 11 by centrifugal force and dried.

[0032] The material to be dried, as a thin film, is scraped up by the lower rotary winding blade 31 at the normal rotation speed and then scooped up by the upper rotary winding blade 32. More specifically, the material to be dried, which rises in a thin film form from the end of each base blade 33A of the lower rotary winding blade 31, rotates at a relatively high speed together with each base blade 33A between the start of each base blade 33B of the upper rotary winding blade 32. As the material to be dried rises further, it is scooped up by the upper rotary winding blade 32 rotating in the second direction V2, the opposite direction.

[0033] When the material to be dried moves from the lower rotating winding blade 31 to the upper rotating winding blade 32 in this way, the material is subjected to the rotational speed of the lower rotating blade in the first direction V1 and the rotational speed of the upper rotating winding blade 32 in the second direction V2. As a result, the force with which the material to be dried is wound up by the rotation of the upper rotating winding blade 32 increases beyond the normal rotational speed of this rotating winding blade 32. In this way, the upper and lower rotating winding blades 31, 32 rotate in opposite directions to each other, creating a synergistic effect in which the relative rotational speed of the material to be dried is further accelerated.

[0034] In the upper rotary winding blade 32, the material to be dried scooped up from the starting end of each base blade 33B is wound up and raised on the flat surface toward the terminal end in the direction opposite to the second direction V2. At this time, the material to be dried on the flat surface of each base blade 33B is pressed into a thin film against the heating surface 12a in the drying tank 11 by centrifugal force and dried. Because of the synergistic effect described above, even at a normal rotation speed, the rotation speed of the material to be dried and the contact speed with the heating surface 12a become very high, improving thermal efficiency and increasing the drying speed.

[0035] To achieve this synergistic effect of the rotation speed of the material to be dried and the contact speed with the heating surface 12a due to the forward and reverse rotation of the upper and lower rotary winding blades 31, 32, using a single drive motor that rotates the upper and lower rotary winding blades in the same direction, the drive motor's rotation speed must be increased, resulting in a very large load. Furthermore, increasing the drive motor's rotation speed increases the likelihood of malfunctions due to noise, vibration, and load on the drive system, and also shortens the durability of each part of the drying device 10. However, with the present drying device 10, the aforementioned synergistic effect can be achieved, making it possible to further improve drying efficiency without increasing the drive motor's rotation speed.

[0036] Furthermore, in the drying device 10 according to the first embodiment, the upper and lower rotary winding blades 31, 32 are driven by separate drive motors 18, 19, respectively, which makes it possible to rotate the upper and lower rotary winding blades 31, 32 at different rotational speeds. The rotating shafts 21, 22 on which the upper and lower rotary winding blades 31, 32 are mounted can be connected coaxially via the counter-rotation connector 23, regardless of whether they rotate in opposite directions or at the same or different rotational speeds, and can be configured as a single rotating shaft 20.

[0037] [Second embodiment] 3 to 5 show a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the drying device 10A according to the second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the reverse rotation transmission unit 24 of the drying device 10A according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an exploded view of the main parts of the reverse rotation transmission unit 24. Note that hatching is omitted in the vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. 3. Also, FIG. 5 shows the components of the reverse rotation transmission unit 24 in a schematic manner and is not necessarily an exact illustration. Furthermore, in each drawing, the relative dimensional relationships and shapes of the components are subject to appropriate design changes and may differ from the actual ones.

[0038] The drying apparatus 10A according to the second embodiment has a basic configuration in common with the drying apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. In particular, the drying tank 11, which constitutes the main part of the drying apparatus 10A, is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the rotating shaft 20A and its drive system are different from those of the first embodiment. Below, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and parts similar to those of the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted.

[0039] <About the rotating shaft 20A> 3, the rotating shaft 20A according to the second embodiment also comprises a plurality of rotating shaft portions 21, 22 arranged coaxially above and below each other, but the rotating shaft portions 21, 22 are coaxially connected to each other via a reverse rotation transmission portion 24 that can reversely transmit the rotational force of the upper rotating shaft portion 22 to the lower rotating shaft portion 21. In the rotating shaft 20A, the number of rotating shaft portions 21, 22 connected via the reverse rotation transmission portion 24 is not limited to two as in the first embodiment; for example, it is also possible to connect three or more rotating shaft portions at their adjacent ends via the reverse rotation transmission portion 24.

[0040] The upper end of the upper rotating shaft 22 is rotatably supported by an upper bearing 17 provided above the upper surface 15 of the drying tank 11. An upper drive motor 19 is connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft 22 protruding above the upper bearing 17 via a gear box 19a so as to transmit power. The upper rotating shaft 22 is set to rotate about its axis in one operating direction by the upper drive motor 19. The rotational drive of the upper rotating shaft 22 by the upper drive motor 19 is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0041] On the other hand, the lower end of the lower rotating shaft 21 is rotatably supported by a lower bearing 16 provided below the bottom surface 14 of the drying tank 11. Here, the lower end of the lower rotating shaft 21 is not connected to the lower drive motor 18 as in the first embodiment. In other words, the rotational force of the upper rotating shaft 22 is transmitted in reverse by the reverse rotation transmission unit 24 to the lower rotating shaft 21, so that the lower rotating shaft 21 rotates in the opposite operating direction to the upper rotating shaft 22.

[0042] In the second embodiment, the rotation direction of the upper rotating shaft 22 that is closest to the upper drive motor 19 and that is rotated first by the upper drive motor 19 is defined as "one operating direction." Therefore, contrary to the first embodiment, one operating direction in which the upper rotating shaft 22 rotates is the "second direction V2" indicated by arrow V2 in FIG. 3, and the opposite operating direction in which the lower rotating shaft 21 rotates is the "first direction V1" indicated by arrow V1 in FIG. 3. Note that the single drive motor that rotates the entire rotating shaft 20A may be configured as the lower drive motor 18 that directly drives the lower rotating shaft 21, rather than the upper drive motor 19 that directly drives the upper rotating shaft 22.

[0043] <<Reverse rotation transmission unit 24>> The rotating shaft 20A of the second embodiment includes a reverse rotation transmission unit 24 that connects the opposing ends of the upper and lower rotating shaft units 21, 22 in order from the side closest to the upper drive motor 19 to the side furthest from the upper drive motor 19 so as to be able to transmit the rotational force of the upper drive motor 19 in reverse. As shown in Fig. 4, the reverse rotation transmission unit 24 includes, in addition to the engaging protrusion 241 and engaged recess 242 that are common to the first embodiment, a pair of first bevel gears 25A, 25B arranged around the engaging protrusion 241 and engaged recess 242, and a plurality of second bevel gears 26, 26... that rotatably mesh with each of the first bevel gears 25A, 25B.

[0044] The engaging protrusion 241, like the engaging protrusion 231 in the first embodiment, is provided in the shape of a shaft whose diameter is reduced from the lower end of the upper rotating shaft portion 22, and extends longer than that in the first embodiment by an amount sufficient to pass between the bevel gears 25A, 25B, and 26 described below. On the other hand, like the engaged recess 232 in the first embodiment, the engaged recess 242 is provided on the inside of the lower rotating shaft portion 21. Also, like the first embodiment, a plurality of bearings 233 to 235, a collar 236, etc. are provided between the outer periphery of the tip end side of the engaging protrusion 241 and the inner periphery of the engaged recess 242.

[0045] The pair of first bevel gears 25A, 25B are arranged coaxially facing each other, with one first bevel gear 25A fixed to the base end side of the engaging protrusion 241 and the other first bevel gear 25B fixed to a flange 237 around the opening of the engaged recess 242. Also, as shown in Fig. 5, in this embodiment, four second bevel gears 26, 26... are arranged at intervals around the rotation shaft 20A between the upper and lower first bevel gears 25A, 25B. As shown in Fig. 4, each second bevel gear 26 is rotatable around a gear shaft 27 whose attitude is adjusted radially relative to the rotation shaft 20A, and is rotatably meshed with each first bevel gear 25A, 25B.

[0046] A disk-shaped plate 28 is fixed to the upper side of one of the first bevel gears 25A on the base end side of the engaging protrusion 241. A wheel 29 is journaled on one end of the gear shaft 27 of each second bevel gear 26. Here, each wheel 29 is in rotatable contact with the plate 28. In this state, each second bevel gear 26 rotatably meshes with the upper and lower first bevel gears 25A, 25B. When the first bevel gear 25A rotates in the second direction V2 together with the upper rotating shaft 22 connected to the upper drive motor 19, the rotating shaft 21 rotates in the first direction V1, which is opposite to the second direction V2, together with the lower first bevel gear 25B via each second bevel gear 26.

[0047] <About the rotating winding blades 31 and 32> As shown in Fig. 3, rotary winding blades 31, 32 are provided on each of the rotary shaft portions 21, 22 of the rotary shaft 20A, as in the first embodiment. The upper rotary shaft portion 22 rotates in the second direction V2 when driven by the upper drive motor 19, and the rotary winding blade 32 provided on this rotary shaft portion 22 rotates in the second direction V2 in synchronization with the rotary shaft portion 22. Meanwhile, the lower rotary shaft portion 21 rotates in the first direction V1 when driven by the upper drive motor 19 via the reverse rotation transmission unit 24, and the rotary winding blade 31 provided on this rotary shaft portion 21 rotates in the first direction V1 in synchronization with the rotary shaft portion 21. The details of the rotary winding blades 31, 32 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore a repeated description will be omitted.

[0048] <Function of Drying Device 10A> Next, the operation of the drying apparatus 10A according to the second embodiment will be described, focusing on differences from the first embodiment. In Fig. 3, after the material to be dried is placed in the drying tank 11, when the upper drive motor 19 is driven, the upper rotating shaft 22 and the rotary winding blade 32 rotate in the second direction V2, which is counterclockwise in plan view. Then, the rotation of the upper rotating shaft 22 is reversed and transmitted to the lower rotating shaft 21 via the reverse rotation transmission unit 24, and the lower rotating shaft 21 and the rotary winding blade 31 rotate in the first direction V1, which is clockwise in plan view.

[0049] 4, when the upper drive motor 19 rotates the upper rotary shaft 22 in the second direction V2, one first bevel gear 25A fixed to this rotary shaft 22 also rotates in the second direction V2. The rotation of one first bevel gear 25A is transmitted in the reverse direction to the other first bevel gear 25B via the four second bevel gears 26. Therefore, the lower rotary shaft 21 to which the other first bevel gear 25B is fixed rotates in the first direction V1 together with the lower rotary winding blade 31.

[0050] In this way, by driving one upper drive motor 19, each of the rotating shaft portions 21, 22 of the rotating shaft 20A rotates in the opposite direction to the other rotating shaft portions 21, 22 adjacent in the axial direction via the reverse rotation transmission portion 24. Therefore, the momentum of the material to be dried being wound up upward by the rotation of the lower rotating winding blade 31 is received by the upper rotating winding blade 32 rotating in the opposite direction, thereby generating a synergistic effect in which the relative rotation speed of the material to be dried is further accelerated, as in the first embodiment.

[0051] Furthermore, in the drying device 10A according to the second embodiment, the upper and lower rotary winding blades 31, 32 are each driven by a single upper drive motor 19, thereby reducing costs compared to a case in which two drive motors are provided. Furthermore, the rotary shafts 21, 22 of the rotary shaft 20A are not limited to two upper and lower stages, but three or more rotary shafts can be connected at their adjacent ends via the reverse rotation transmission unit 24. The reverse rotation transmission unit 24 is not limited to the configuration shown in the figure, and may have another configuration as long as it can transmit the rotational force in the reverse direction.

[0052] [Configuration and effects of the present invention] Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described various embodiments. The present invention derived from the above-described various embodiments will be described below.

[0053] First, the present invention provides a drying device 10, 10A having a vertical cylindrical drying tank 11 into which an object to be dried is introduced, and rotary winding blades 31, 32 provided on rotary shafts 20, 20A extending along a vertical axis within the drying tank 11, The rotary shafts 20 and 20A are each made up of a plurality of rotary shaft portions 21 and 22 arranged vertically on the same axis, and the rotary winding blades 31 and 32 are provided for each of the rotary shaft portions 21 and 22, The rotating shaft portions 21 and 22 are configured to be rotatable in the opposite direction to the rotating shaft portions 21 and 22 adjacent to each other in the axial direction, The drying device 10, 10A is characterized in that the rotating winding blades 31, 32 are provided with base blades 33A, 33B whose terminal ends extend diagonally upward from the starting end connected to the rotating shaft portions 21, 22 toward the opposite side of the rotation direction of the rotating shaft portions 21, 22.

[0054] With this configuration, the directions in which the base blades 33A, 33B of the rotary winding blades 31, 32 of each rotary shaft 21, 22 extend are opposite to each other at the top and bottom depending on the rotation direction of each rotary shaft 21, 22. The material to be dried is wound up by each of the multiple stages of rotary winding blades 31, 32 while moving from the starting end to the terminal end on the flat surface of each base blade 33A, 33B, and is successively raised from the lower stage to the upper stage of the rotary winding blades 31, 32 while being pressed in the form of a thin film against the heating surface 12a of the drying tank 11 by centrifugal force.

[0055] When the material to be dried moves from the lower rotating winding blade 31 to the upper rotating winding blade 32, the rotation speed of the material in the first direction V1 at the lower stage is added to the rotation speed of the upper rotating winding blade 32 in the second direction V2. As a result, the force with which the material to be dried is wound up by the rotation of the upper rotating winding blade 32 increases beyond the normal rotation speed of the upper rotating winding blade 32.

[0056] In this way, the upper and lower rotary winding blades 31, 32 rotate in opposite directions to each other, which creates a synergistic effect that further accelerates the relative rotation speed of the material to be dried. This synergistic effect can increase the rotation speed of the material to be dried in the drying tank 11 and the contact speed with the heating surface 12a. This makes it possible to improve the heating efficiency of the material to be dried by the drying device 10 and increase the drying speed, thereby further increasing the drying efficiency of the material to be dried.

[0057] In the present invention, the rotating shaft 20 is composed of two rotating shaft portions 21 and 22 arranged vertically, a lower drive motor 18 connected to the lower end of the lower rotating shaft portion 21 and rotating the lower rotating shaft portion 21 about its axis in one operating direction; an upper drive motor (19) connected to the upper end of the upper rotating shaft portion (22) and rotating the upper rotating shaft portion (22) about its axis in an operating direction opposite to the one operating direction; The rotating shaft 20 is characterized by further comprising a reverse rotation connecting portion 23 that connects the opposing ends of the upper and lower rotating shaft portions 21, 22 so that they can rotate in opposite directions.

[0058] With this configuration, the upper and lower rotary winding blades 31, 32 are driven by separate drive motors 18, 19, respectively, which makes it possible to rotate the upper and lower rotary winding blades 31, 32 at different rotational speeds. The rotating shafts 21, 22 on which the upper and lower rotary winding blades 31, 32 are mounted can be connected coaxially via the counter-rotation connecting part 23, and can be configured as a single rotating shaft 20, regardless of whether they rotate in opposite directions or have the same or different rotational speeds.

[0059] In the present invention, the reverse rotation connecting portion 23 is an engaging protrusion 231 extending coaxially from one end of the upper and lower rotary shaft portions 21, 22; The rotary shaft 21 is characterized by comprising an engaged recess 232 that is recessed coaxially at the other end of either the upper or lower rotary shaft portion 21, 22 and into which the engaging protrusion 231 is rotatably fitted.

[0060] With this configuration, the ends of the upper and lower rotating shafts 21, 22, which rotate in opposite directions, can be coaxially connected with a simple configuration without interfering with their rotation. Here, if bearings 233-235 are interposed between the outer periphery of the engaging protrusion 231 and the inner periphery of the engaged recess 232, the state in which they rotate in opposite directions can be maintained more smoothly.

[0061] In the present invention, the rotating shaft 20A is composed of two or more rotating shaft portions 21 and 22 arranged vertically, a drive motor 19 connected to an end of the rotary shaft portions 21 and 22 at either the upper or lower end of the rotary shaft 20A, for rotating the rotary shaft portions 21 and 22 about an axis in one operating direction; The rotating shaft 20A is characterized by further comprising a reverse rotation transmission section 24 that connects the opposing ends of each rotating shaft section 21, 22 in a manner that allows the rotational force of the drive motor 19 to be transmitted in reverse, in order from the side closer to the drive motor to the side farther from the drive motor.

[0062] According to this configuration, the rotating shaft 22 connected to the drive motor 19 first rotates in one operating direction (second direction V2). The rotating shaft 21 adjacent to this rotating shaft 22 receives the rotational force of the drive motor 19 in a reversed direction and transmits it via the reverse rotation transmission part 24, so that the rotating shaft 21 rotates in an operating direction opposite to the one operating direction (first direction V1). That is, the rotational force is transmitted to the rotating shafts 21, 22 adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 20A in order from the side closer to the drive motor 19 to the side farthest from the drive motor 19, but the rotational directions are reversed alternately.

[0063] In this way, the vertically adjacent rotary winding blades 31, 32 are each driven by a single drive motor 19, thereby reducing costs compared to the case where two drive motors 18, 19 are provided. The rotary shaft portions 21, 22 of the rotary shaft 20A are not limited to two upper and lower stages, but three or more rotary shaft portions can also be connected at their adjacent ends via the reverse rotation transmission portion 24. Furthermore, the rotary winding blades 31, 32 can be provided in multiple stages depending on the number of rotary shaft portions 21, 22.

[0064] In the present invention, the reverse rotation transmission unit 24 is an engaging protrusion 241 extending coaxially at an end of each of the rotary shaft portions 21, 22 and one of the rotary shaft portions 21, 22 adjacent to each other in the axial direction; an engaged recess 242 that is recessed coaxially at the other end of each of the rotary shaft portions 21, 22 and the rotary shaft portions 21, 22 adjacent to each other in the axial direction, and into which the engaging protrusion 241 is rotatably fitted; a pair of first bevel gears 25A, 25B provided around the engaging protrusion 241 and the engaged recess 242 and arranged coaxially; and a plurality of second bevel gears 26 that are arranged at intervals around the rotation shaft 20A between the pair of first bevel gears 25A, 25B, are rotatable around gear shafts 27 whose attitudes are adjusted radially relative to the rotation shaft 20A, and are rotatably meshed with the first bevel gears 25A, 25B.

[0065] According to this configuration, with the ends of the upper and lower rotating shafts 21, 22 coaxially connected, when the first bevel gear 25A fixed to the rotating shaft 22 closer to the drive motor 19 rotates in one operating direction (second direction V2), the first bevel gear 25B fixed to the adjacent rotating shaft 21 rotates in the opposite operating direction (first direction V1) via the second bevel gear 26. Therefore, the rotational force of the rotating shaft 22 closer to the drive motor 19 can be reliably converted and transmitted in the opposite direction to the other rotating shaft 21 adjacent in the axial direction.

[0066] Furthermore, in the present invention, the rotary winding blades 31, 32 are made up of a plurality of base blades 33A, 33B that extend radially from the rotary shafts 21, 22 and rotate together with the rotary shafts 21, 22, and each base blade 33A, 33B is characterized by having a flat surface on which the material to be dried can be placed from the starting end and wound up while moving it to the terminal end.

[0067] With this configuration, each of the rotary winding blades 31, 32 can efficiently scoop up and wind up the material to be dried using the flat surfaces of the base blades 33A, 33B, while pressing the material into a thin film against the heating surface 12a of the drying tank 11 by centrifugal force. The material to be dried, which has a lower moisture content due to contact with the heating surface 12a, moves on the flat surfaces of the base blades 33A, 33B in a direction away from the heating surface 12a to be replaced by material to be dried with a higher moisture content. This allows the material to be dried efficiently.

[0068] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and modifications and additions that do not depart from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. For example, although the drying tank 11 in each embodiment has a cylindrical shape overall, it may also be configured, for example, as an inverted truncated cone whose cross-sectional area gradually decreases from the top surface 15 to the bottom surface 14 of the drying tank 11.

[0069] In each embodiment, the base blade 33A of the lower rotary winding blade 31 and the base blade 33B of the upper rotary winding blade 32 are symmetrical except for facing in opposite directions, but they may be formed to have different lengths or widths, for example. Specifically, if the lower base blade 33A is formed longer than the upper base blade 33B, it can apply a greater winding force to the materials to be dried that accumulate in large amounts on the bottom surface 14 of the drying tank 11.

[0070] Furthermore, in each embodiment, the rotary winding blades 31, 32 are each configured to have two base blades 33A, 33B, but the number of base blades 33A, 33B may be three, four, or more. As another variation of the rotary winding blade, the rotary winding blade may be configured with a continuous spiral base blade that revolves from the starting end connected to the rotary shafts 21, 22 in the direction opposite to the rotational direction of the rotary shafts 21, 22 to the terminal end. [Industrial Applicability]

[0071] The drying device of the present invention can be used to dry various types of materials, and can be widely used as a drying device that can efficiently dry materials that include solid or semi-solid materials or highly viscous materials. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 10...Drying device 11...Drying tank 12...Peripheral wall part 12a...Heating surface 13...Jacket 14…Bottom part 15...Top part 18...Lower drive motor 19...Upper drive motor 20...Rotation axis 21...Rotating shaft 22...Rotating shaft 23...Reverse rotation coupling 24...Reverse rotation transmission part 31...Rotating winding blade 32...Rotating winding blade 33A…Basic feather 33B…Basic feather

Claims

[Claim 1] A drying apparatus having a vertical cylindrical drying tank into which an object to be dried is introduced, and a rotary lifting blade provided on a rotary shaft extending along a vertical axis within the drying tank, the rotating shaft includes two rotating shaft portions arranged coaxially above and below each other, and the rotating winding blades are provided on each of the upper and lower rotating shaft portions; The ends of the upper and lower rotating shafts facing each other on the same axis are connected by a reverse rotation connecting portion so as to be rotatable in opposite directions about the same axis, and the upper and lower rotating shafts can be simultaneously rotated while being connected by separate drive motors, The reverse rotation coupling portion is an engaging protrusion extending coaxially from an end of one of the upper and lower rotary shaft portions; an engaged recess that is recessed coaxially at the other end of either the upper or lower rotary shaft portion, and into which the engaging protrusion is rotatably fitted; The rotary winding blades provided on each of the upper and lower rotating shaft portions each include a plurality of base blades each extending obliquely upward from a starting end connected to the rotating shaft portion toward the opposite side of the rotation direction of the rotating shaft portion.

Images