Powder and granular material measuring device and powder and granular material measuring method

Abstract

To provide a particulate measuring device for accurately measuring particulates while continuously passing the particulates therethrough.SOLUTION: A particulate measuring device 40 comprises a case 42, a drive part 43, partitions 45, and a photosensor 46. The case 42 is formed with an input part into which particulates are inputted, and a discharge part from which the particulates are discharged, and has a side wall which at least partially includes a light transmitting part which transmits light. The drive part 43 generates a driving force. The partitions 45 are arranged inside the case 42, and can be rotated with a direction parallel to a horizontal plane as a rotation axis 51 by the driving force generated by the drive part 43, and are disposed so as to be radially shaped as viewed in the direction of the rotation axis 51. The photosensor 46 optically is fixed to an outside surface of the light transmitting part and measures the particulates via the light transmitting part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention mainly relates to a powder / granular material measuring device for measuring powder / granular material. [Background technology]

[0002] The continuous mixing processing device of Patent Document 1 includes an agitator disposed inside a processing vessel. The agitator has a mixing blade, and by rotating the mixing blade, the raw material is mixed and a particulate processed material is produced. The particulate processed material is sent to a sizing mechanism via a discharge outlet (chute). A near-infrared sensor is provided at the discharge outlet to measure the physical properties of the particulate processed material.

[0003] The rotary powder compression molding machine of Patent Document 2 compresses powder to form tablets. The path along which the powder is sent is provided with a buffer tank for temporarily storing the powder and a chute for moving the powder. The buffer tank and the chute are equipped with near-infrared sensors for measuring the degree of mixing of the powder. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-7571 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-168634 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When an optical sensor is installed at the powder discharge port, the powder may not be sufficiently accumulated, which may result in a decrease in the accuracy of the powder measurement. However, when an optical sensor is installed in the buffer tank to increase the accuracy of the powder measurement, the powder may not be able to be continuously fed or the processing speed may be slowed down.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its main object is to provide a powder / granular material measuring device that accurately measures powder / granular material while the powder / granular material is continuously passing through the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above. Next, the means for solving this problem and the effects thereof will be explained.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a powder or granular material measuring device having the following configuration. That is, the powder or granular material measuring device includes a case, a drive unit, a partition, and an optical sensor. The case has an inlet section into which powder or granular material is introduced and an outlet section from which the powder or granular material is discharged, and has a sidewall that includes, at least in part, a light-transmitting section that transmits light. The drive unit generates a drive force. The partition is disposed inside the case and is rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to a horizontal plane by the drive force generated by the drive unit, with a plurality of partitions provided radially when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis. The optical sensor is fixed to the outer surface of the light-transmitting section and optically measures the powder or granular material through the light-transmitting section.

[0009] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the following powder or granular material measurement method. That is, in the powder or granular material measurement method, powder or granular material passing through a case is measured. The case has an inlet section into which powder or granular material is introduced and an outlet section from which the powder or granular material is discharged, and has a sidewall at least partly including a light-transmitting section that transmits light. The powder or granular material measurement method includes a moving step and a measuring step. In the moving step, a plurality of partitions arranged radially inside the case are rotated about a rotation axis parallel to a horizontal plane to move the powder or granular material from the inlet section side to the outlet section side. In the measuring step, an optical sensor fixed to the outer surface of the light-transmitting section is used to optically measure the powder or granular material through the light-transmitting section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] This allows the powder and granular material to be measured while it passes continuously. In addition, because the powder and granular material temporarily accumulates in the space surrounded by the partition, the accuracy of the powder and granular material measurement can be improved compared to a configuration in which an optical sensor is provided on the chute. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a granulation and drying apparatus including a powder or granular material measuring device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a powder or particle measuring device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional view of a powder or particle measuring device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for eliminating the influence of a partition by interrupting measurement by an optical sensor. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of removing the influence of partitions by extracting measurement values ​​of powder or granular material. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of a powder or particle measuring device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a front cross-sectional view of a powder or particle measuring device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of a granulation and drying apparatus 1 of a first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1.

[0013] The granulation and drying apparatus 1 produces granules from raw materials such as powder, and then dries the granules to produce a granulated product. In the following description, the term "powder and granules" may be used to refer to both powder and granules.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the granulation drying apparatus 1 includes a granulation section 2, a gas supply section 3, a drying section 4, a collection section 5, and a gas suction section 6. The granulation section 2 and the gas supply section 3 are each connected to the drying section 4 via a flow path. The drying section 4 is connected to the collection section 5 via a flow path. The collection section 5 is connected to the gas suction section 6 via a flow path. The flow path is, for example, a pipe.

[0015] The granulation unit 2 processes the supplied raw material into granules. The granulation unit 2 has a feeder 15, a binder supply unit 17, and a granulation device 19. The feeder 15 supplies the raw material to the granulation device 19. The binder supply unit 17 supplies the binder to the granulation device 19. The granulation device 19 uses the supplied raw material and binder to produce granules (processed object).

[0016] The gas supply unit 3 supplies high-temperature gas (air) to the drying unit 4 side of the granulation drying apparatus 1. The gas supply unit 3 has a blower 21 and a heater 23. The blower 21 sucks in outside air and sends it out. The heater 23 heats the gas sent from the blower 21. The heated gas flows toward the drying unit 4. Although outside air (air) is used as this gas, an inert gas such as nitrogen may also be used. The type of heater 23 is not particularly limited.

[0017] Drying section 4 dries the granules supplied from granulation section 2 using high-temperature gas (drying gas) supplied from gas supply section 3. A mixed fluid obtained by mixing the granules from granulation section 2 and the high-temperature gas from gas supply section 3 is supplied to drying section 4. Drying section 4 has a flash dryer.

[0018] The recovery section 5 can recover the granular material sent from the drying section 4 as a product. In this embodiment, the recovery section 5 has a cyclone 25 and a bag filter 27. The cyclone 25 separates the mixed fluid from the drying section 4 into granular material and gas. Of the mixed fluid, the granular material flows toward the discharge section 29, and the gas flows toward the bag filter 27. The powder and granular material from the cyclone 25 is discharged as a product at the discharge section 29. The bag filter 27 removes remaining fine powder from the gas from the cyclone 25. The gas from which the fine powder has been removed flows toward the gas suction section 6. The configuration of the recovery section 5 is not particularly limited. For example, the recovery section 5 may have only a bag filter without a cyclone.

[0019] The gas suction unit 6 can transfer the granular material together with the gas as a mixed fluid by sucking in the gas from the recovery unit 5 side. The gas suction unit 6 has a blower 31. The blower 31 sucks in the gas in the flow path on the recovery unit 5 side. The gas sucked into the blower 31 is discharged into the atmosphere.

[0020] A powder or granular material measuring device 40 is provided in the flow path connecting the granulating unit 2 and the drying unit 4. The powder or granular material measuring device 40 measures the moisture content (specifically, the moisture amount or moisture content) of the powder or granular material passing through. This makes it possible to confirm the moisture level of the powder or granular material before it is fed into the drying unit 4. In addition, a powder or granular material measuring device 40 having a similar configuration is provided between the cyclone 25 and the discharge unit 29. This powder or granular material measuring device 40 confirms whether the moisture content of the powder or granular material discharged from the discharge unit 29 is within an appropriate range.

[0021] The powder or granular material measuring device 40 may be configured to measure other physical properties of the powder or granular material (content or mixture ratio of a specific material) instead of the moisture content of the powder or granular material.

[0022] Next, the powder / particle measuring device 40 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0023] As described above, the powder or granular material measuring device 40 is provided in the flow path. As shown by the thick arrows in Fig. 2, powder or granular material is supplied from above and discharged from below. The moisture content of the powder or granular material is measured from the time the powder or granular material is supplied until it is discharged. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the powder or granular material measuring device 40 includes a hopper 41, a case 42, a drive unit 43, a partition 45, an optical sensor 46, and a control unit 47.

[0024] Hopper 41 receives powder and granular material supplied from above and guides it to case 42 below. Hopper 41 has a shape that widens so that the opening area increases as it approaches the top. Hopper 41 in this embodiment does not have a shutter mechanism (a mechanism that switches between a state in which powder and granular material are supplied downward and a state in which they are not), but it may have a shutter mechanism.

[0025] The case 42 is disposed below the hopper 41. An inlet 421 is formed in the upper part of the case 42. The inlet 421 of the case 42 is connected to the lower surface of the hopper 41. This allows the powdered or granular material to be supplied to the case 42 via the hopper 41. A discharge outlet 422 is formed in the lower part of the case 42. The powdered or granular material is discharged downward from the discharge outlet 422 and flows to the next process.

[0026] The case 42 also has a sidewall 42a, which is a wall portion connecting the insertion port 421 and the discharge port 422. A portion of the sidewall 42a is configured as a light-transmitting portion 42b that transmits light (particularly visible light, near-infrared light, near-ultraviolet light, etc.). Specifically, for example, an opening is formed in a portion of the metal sidewall 42a, and the light-transmitting portion 42b is fitted into and fixed in the opening. In consideration of strength and light transmittance, sapphire glass is preferable for the light-transmitting portion 42b, but it may also be made of a different material (quartz glass, acrylic, etc.).

[0027] The drive unit 43 is an electric motor that generates a drive force using electric power supplied from an external source to rotate the drive shaft 43a. The drive unit 43 is not limited to an electric motor as long as it is capable of generating a drive force.

[0028] The partitions 45 are plate-shaped members, and a plurality of them are arranged inside the case 42. As shown in Fig. 3, the plurality of partitions 45 are arranged radially around the drive shaft 43a. The partitions 45 and the drive shaft 43a are connected, and the partitions 45 are rotated around a rotation axis 51 by the driving force generated by the drive unit 43. The rotation axis 51 is parallel to the horizontal plane and perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0029] The partitions 45 are basically rotated at a constant speed. Two adjacent partitions 45 form a storage space together with the inner wall surface of the case 42. The powder or granular material supplied from the inlet 421 is sent downward while being piled up in this storage space, and is then discharged from the outlet 422. By providing the partitions 45 and rotating them at a low speed, even if there is variation in the amount of powder or granular material fed into the inlet 421, this can be smoothed out and the powder or granular material can be discharged from the outlet 422.

[0030] The optical sensor 46 measures the physical properties of the powder or granular material. In this embodiment, the powder or granular material is measured using near-infrared spectroscopy, but other methods (e.g., Raman spectroscopy) may also be used to measure the powder or granular material. The optical sensor 46 measures the powder or granular material from the outside rather than the inside of the case 42. This prevents the optical sensor 46 from becoming dirty and simplifies the wiring. Specifically, the optical sensor 46 irradiates the powder or granular material with near-infrared light via the light-transmitting portion 42b and receives the reflected light. The moisture content of the powder or granular material can be measured by spectrally analyzing the light received by the optical sensor 46.

[0031] The optical sensor 46 is attached to the case 42 so that the optical axis direction is substantially parallel to the rotation axis 51. "Substantially parallel" does not only mean being strictly parallel, but also includes a case where there is a difference of a few degrees. This allows the powder or granular material to be measured while reducing the influence of the partition 45. The optical sensor 46 is also attached to the side wall 42a so that it does not rotate integrally with the partition 45 (in other words, so that the position of the optical sensor 46 does not change even if the partition 45 rotates).

[0032] Here, in order to improve the accuracy of optical measurement, it is necessary to measure a location where a certain amount of powder or granular material has accumulated. Furthermore, it is necessary to prevent the optical sensor 46 from measuring the partition 45 as much as possible. The specific arrangement of the optical sensor 46 will be described below.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 3, the angle of the partition 45 when it is parallel to the horizontal plane is defined as 0 degrees and 180 degrees. Furthermore, the angle when the partition 45 faces vertically upward with the rotation axis 51 as the base end is defined as 90 degrees. Each partition 45 rotates through 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and then returns to 0 degrees.

[0034] In the powder / granular material measuring device 40 of this embodiment, when the center of the storage space faces 0 degrees, no powder / granular material is supplied to the storage space. Thereafter, as the partition 45 rotates, powder / granular material is supplied to the storage space. The peak of powder / granular material being supplied to the storage space occurs when the center of the storage space faces 90 degrees or when it faces just before or after that. When the center of the storage space faces 180 degrees, no new powder / granular material is supplied to the storage space. In other words, there is sufficient powder / granular material in the storage space when the center of the storage space faces between 90 degrees and 180 degrees.

[0035] In this embodiment, when the powder or granular material measuring device 40 is viewed in the direction of the rotation axis 51, the movement trajectory (1 / 4 circle shape) of the partition 45 when it moves from 90 degrees to 180 degrees overlaps with the position of the optical sensor 46. This allows optical measurement of powder or granular material to be performed in a location where a large amount of powder or granular material is present in the storage space. Preferably, the movement trajectory of the partition 45 when it moves from 100 degrees to 150 degrees overlaps with the position of the optical sensor 46.

[0036] Furthermore, the height of the optical sensor 46 is also important for accurate measurement of powder and granular materials. For example, if the position of the optical sensor 46 is too high, there is a possibility that the powder and granular materials are not present in the measurement area of ​​the optical sensor 46, and therefore the powder and granular materials may not be measured properly. On the other hand, if the position of the optical sensor 46 is too low, it takes a long time for the optical sensor 46 to measure the partition 45.

[0037] 3, in this embodiment, the height H1 of the optical sensor 46 is higher than the height of the rotation axis 51 and lower than the height H2 of the center of the longitudinal direction of the partition 45 when the partition 45 is at a 90-degree angle. This allows the powder or granular material to be measured appropriately. Note that the longitudinal direction of the partition 45 refers to the radial direction of the partition 45 (the direction extending radially from the rotation axis 51).

[0038] Next, a method for processing the measurement value of the optical sensor 46 while eliminating the influence of the partition 45 will be described.

[0039] Even when the optical sensor 46 is placed in the appropriate position as described above, it is unavoidable that the partition 45 crosses the measurement range of the optical sensor 46, and therefore it is necessary to eliminate this influence. Two methods for eliminating the influence of the partition 45 will be described below.

[0040] The first method is to interrupt the measurement by the optical sensor 46 when the partition 45 overlaps the measurement range of the optical sensor 46. The control unit 47 controls the drive unit 43, and therefore can identify the position of the partition 45 based on the control information thereof or information acquired by an encoder (not shown).

[0041] While the control unit 47 determines that the partition 45 has not yet overlapped the measurement area of ​​the optical sensor 46 (S101 in FIG. 4), it executes measurement of the powder or granular material by the optical sensor 46 (S102). Next, the control unit 47 calculates the moisture content of the powder or granular material based on the measurement value of the optical sensor 46 (S103). This process is repeated until the partition 45 overlaps the measurement area.

[0042] Thereafter, when the control unit 47 determines that the partition 45 is about to overlap the measurement area of ​​the optical sensor 46 (S101), it transmits a signal to that effect to the optical sensor 46 and interrupts measurement by the optical sensor 46 (S104).

[0043] Thereafter, after the partition 45 moves out of the measurement area of ​​the optical sensor 46, the processes of steps S102 and S103 are performed again to calculate the moisture content of the powder or granular material. By repeating the above processes, the moisture content of the powder or granular material being continuously fed can be measured in real time. Furthermore, in the first method, the control unit 47 only needs to calculate the moisture content of the powder or granular material using all the measurement values ​​of the optical sensor 46, which simplifies the calculation.

[0044] In this embodiment, the measurement by the optical sensor 46 is interrupted when the partition 45 is in the measurement area of ​​the optical sensor 46, but it is also possible to block the measurement value input from the optical sensor 46 to the control unit 47 at this timing so that it is not received.

[0045] The second method is to eliminate unnecessary measurement values ​​through data processing by the control unit 47 without interrupting the measurement by the optical sensor 46.

[0046] First, the control unit 47 receives measurement values ​​from the optical sensor 46 (S201). The measurement values ​​received by the control unit 47 from the optical sensor 46 include a measurement value obtained by the optical sensor 46 measuring the powder or granular material (hereinafter referred to as the measurement value of the powder or granular material) and a measurement value obtained by the optical sensor 46 measuring the partition 45 (hereinafter referred to as the measurement value of the partition 45).

[0047] The control unit 47 extracts the measurement value of the powder or granular material by excluding the measurement value of the partition 45 from the measurement values ​​received from the optical sensor 46 (S202). In this embodiment, near-infrared spectroscopy is performed, so light of a wavelength corresponding to the substance in the measurement area is absorbed, and the optical sensor 46 receives the remaining light. In other words, the spectrum of light received by the optical sensor 46 should be completely different when there is powder or granular material in the measurement area and when there is the partition 45 in the measurement area. Therefore, the control unit 47 can distinguish between the measurement value of the powder or granular material and the measurement value of the partition 45 based on the spectrum, and can extract the measurement value of the powder or granular material by excluding the measurement value of the partition 45 from the measurement values ​​received from the optical sensor 46.

[0048] The control unit 47 calculates the moisture content of the powder or granular material based on the measurement value of the powder or granular material extracted in step S202 (S203). By repeating the above process, the moisture content of the powder or granular material being continuously fed can be measured in real time. Furthermore, in the second method, the control unit 47 can omit the process of estimating the timing when the partition 45 overlaps the measurement area.

[0049] Next, a powder or particle measuring device 40 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, in comparison with the first embodiment.

[0050] The powder or particle measuring device 40 of the second embodiment has the same configuration and operating principle as the powder or particle measuring device 40 of the first embodiment, but the size ratio is different. Hereinafter, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 6, and 7, the length of the storage space in a direction parallel to the rotation axis 51 is referred to as the width, and the length of the storage space in a direction extending radially along the partition 45 is referred to as the diameter. The width of the storage space of the powder or particle measuring device 40 of the first embodiment is referred to as width w1, and the diameter is referred to as diameter d1. Similarly, the width of the storage space of the powder or particle measuring device 40 of the second embodiment is referred to as width w2, and the diameter is referred to as diameter d2.

[0051] The width w2 of the powder or particle measuring device 40 of the second embodiment is smaller than the width w1 of the powder or particle measuring device 40 of the first embodiment. Furthermore, the diameter d2 of the powder or particle measuring device 40 of the second embodiment is larger than the diameter d1 of the powder or particle measuring device 40 of the first embodiment. The powder or particle measuring device 40 of the second embodiment has a configuration in which the diameter d2 is increased instead of the width w2 being reduced, thereby maintaining the capacity of the storage space.

[0052] The advantage of narrowing the width is that the optical sensor 46 can perform appropriate measurement even if the amount of powder or granules introduced into the storage space is small. In order for the optical sensor 46 to measure the powder or granules, the powder or granules must be accumulated up to the position where the optical sensor 46 is located. If the height H2 of the optical sensor 46 is constant, the smaller the width of the storage space, the greater the likelihood that the powder or granules will be accumulated up to the position where the optical sensor 46 is located. In other words, the narrower the width of the storage space, the less powder or granules are required to accumulate up to the position where the optical sensor 46 is located. Therefore, there is no need to reduce the rotation speed to store the powder or granules, and the powder or granules can be measured continuously.

[0053] For example, the width w1 in the first embodiment is approximately 0.9 times the diameter d1. The inventors have confirmed that the powder or granular material measuring device 40 of the first embodiment can also adequately detect powder or granular material. Therefore, the width of the powder or granular material measuring device 40 is preferably smaller than 0.9 times the diameter. Furthermore, the width w2 in the second embodiment is approximately 0.5 times the diameter d2. When the amount of powder or granular material to be added is small, the shape of the powder or granular material measuring device 40 of the second embodiment is preferable. Therefore, it is even more preferable that the width of the powder or granular material measuring device 40 be 0.5 to 0.9 times the diameter. Alternatively, when the amount of powder or granular material to be added is even smaller, it is preferable that the width of the powder or granular material measuring device 40 be smaller than 0.5 times the diameter.

[0054] The height of the optical sensor 46 may be determined according to the diameter of the powder or particle measuring device 40. For example, it may be set to be 1 / 5 or more and half or less of the diameter of the powder or particle measuring device 40. When the height of the optical sensor 46 is determined according to the diameter of the powder or particle measuring device 40, the longer the diameter, the higher the height of the optical sensor 46. As a result, the proportion of time that the partition 45 passes in front of the optical sensor 46 can be reduced, and the measurement time can be extended.

[0055] As described above, the powder / granular material measuring device 40 of this embodiment includes a case 42, a drive unit 43, a partition 45, and an optical sensor 46. The case 42 has an inlet portion into which powder / granular material is introduced and an outlet portion through which powder / granular material is discharged, and has a sidewall 42a that includes, at least in part, a light-transmitting portion 42b that transmits light. The drive unit 43 generates a driving force. The partitions 45 are disposed inside the case 42 and are rotatable about a rotation axis 51 parallel to the horizontal plane by the driving force generated by the drive unit 43. A plurality of partitions 45 are provided so as to form a radial pattern when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis 51. As the partitions 45 rotate, the powder / granular material is transported from the inlet 421 side to the outlet 422 side (moving step). The optical sensor 46 is fixed to the outer surface of the light-transmitting portion 42b and optically measures the powder / granular material through the light-transmitting portion 42b (measuring step). The powder / granular material measuring method is performed as described above.

[0056] This allows the powder and granular material to be measured while it is continuously passing through. In addition, because the powder and granular material is temporarily accumulated in the storage space surrounded by the partition, the accuracy of the powder and granular material measurement can be improved compared to a configuration in which an optical sensor is provided on the chute.

[0057] In the powder / particle measuring device 40 of this embodiment, the angle of the partition 45 when it is parallel to the horizontal plane is defined as 0 degrees and 180 degrees. The angle of the partition 45 when it is facing vertically upward from the rotation axis 51 is defined as 90 degrees. When viewed in the direction of the rotation axis 51, the movement trajectory of the partition 45 as it moves from 90 degrees to 180 degrees overlaps with the position of the optical sensor 46.

[0058] This allows optical measurement to be performed at a location where the powder or granular material is sufficiently accumulated in the storage space surrounded by the partition, thereby increasing the accuracy of measurement of the powder or granular material.

[0059] In the powder / particle measuring device 40 of this embodiment, the height H1 of the optical sensor 46 is higher than the height of the rotation axis 51 and lower than the height H2 of the longitudinal center of the partition 45 when the partition 45 is at 90 degrees.

[0060] As a result, the powder or granular material is deposited from the bottom, and by performing optical measurement at a relatively low position, the accuracy of the measurement of the powder or granular material can be improved.

[0061] The powder or granular material measuring device 40 of this embodiment includes a control unit 47 that analyzes the measurement values ​​obtained by optical measurement using the optical sensor 46. The control unit 47 creates the measurement results of the powder or granular material without including the measurement values ​​of the partition 45 measured by the optical sensor 46.

[0062] This allows the properties of the powder or granular material to be measured without using the measurement results of the partition 45, thereby increasing the accuracy of the measurement of the powder or granular material.

[0063] In the powder or granular material measuring device 40 of this embodiment, the control unit 47 obtains an overall measurement result including the measurement value of the powder or granular material and the measurement value of the partition 45 based on optical measurement by the optical sensor 46. The control unit 47 performs a process to exclude the measurement value of the partition 45 from the overall measurement result, and creates the measurement result of the powder or granular material.

[0064] This simplifies the control of the optical sensor 46.

[0065] In the powder / granular material measuring device 40 of this embodiment, a measurement value is obtained when the partition 45 is not present in the measurement area of ​​the optical sensor 46. A measurement value is not obtained when the partition 45 is present in the measurement area of ​​the optical sensor 46.

[0066] This reduces the amount of calculation required to calculate the measurement results from the measurement values.

[0067] In powder or granular material measuring device 40 of this embodiment, the storage space is a space within case 42 that is divided by partition 45 and that temporarily stores powder or granular material heading to the discharge section. When the length of the storage space in a direction parallel to rotation axis 51 is defined as the width and the length of the storage space in a direction extending radially along partition 45 is defined as the diameter, the width is smaller than 0.9 times the diameter.

[0068] This allows for a relatively narrow configuration, so that even when the amount of powder or granular material added is small, the powder or granular material can be measured appropriately.

[0069] The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the above configuration can be modified, for example, as follows.

[0070] Although the light transmitting portion 42b in the above embodiment is attached to the side wall 42a, the entire case 42 or the entire surface on which the optical sensor 46 is attached may be configured as the light transmitting portion.

[0071] The flowcharts shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and some processes may be omitted, some processes may be changed, or new processes may be added. For example, in the flowcharts of Figures 4 and 5, the moisture content of the powder or granular material is calculated each time measurement is performed by the optical sensor 46, but instead, measurement values ​​for a predetermined period of time may be stored, and the average value of the moisture content of the powder or granular material measured over the predetermined period of time may be calculated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 40 Powder and granular material measuring device 41 Hopper 42 cases 42a side wall 42b Light transmitting part 43 Drive unit 45 Dividers 46 Optical Sensor 47 Control Unit

Claims

1. a case having a sidewall formed with an input section into which powder or granular material is input and an output section from which the powder or granular material is output, the sidewall including at least a light transmitting section that transmits light; a drive unit that generates a drive force; a plurality of partitions disposed inside the case, rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to a horizontal plane by a driving force generated by the drive unit, the partitions being arranged radially when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis; an optical sensor fixed to an outer surface of the light transmitting portion and optically measuring the powder or granular material through the light transmitting portion; Equipped with A powder and granular material measuring device characterized in that a space within the case separated by the partition, which is a space that temporarily stores the powder and granular material heading to the discharge section, is designated as a storage space, and the powder and granular material temporarily stored in the storage space is measured by the optical sensor.

2. a case having a sidewall formed with an input section into which powder or granular material is input and an output section from which the powder or granular material is output, the sidewall including at least a light transmitting section that transmits light; a drive unit that generates a drive force; a plurality of partitions disposed inside the case, rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to a horizontal plane by a driving force generated by the drive unit, the partitions being arranged radially when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis; an optical sensor fixed to an outer surface of the light transmitting portion and optically measuring the powder or granular material through the light transmitting portion; Equipped with The angle of the partition when the partition is parallel to a horizontal plane is defined as 0 degrees and 180 degrees, The angle of the partition when the partition faces vertically upward from the rotation axis is defined as 90 degrees, A powder or particle measuring device characterized in that, when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis, the movement trajectory of the partition as the partition moves from 90 degrees to 180 degrees overlaps with the position of the optical sensor.

3. The powder and granular material measuring device according to claim 2, A powder and granular material measuring device characterized in that the height of the optical sensor is higher than the height of the rotation axis and lower than the height of the center of the longitudinal direction of the partition when the partition is at 90 degrees.

4. a case having a sidewall formed with an input section into which powder or granular material is input and an output section from which the powder or granular material is output, the sidewall including at least a light transmitting section that transmits light; a drive unit that generates a drive force; a plurality of partitions disposed inside the case, rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to a horizontal plane by a driving force generated by the drive unit, the partitions being arranged radially when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis; an optical sensor fixed to an outer surface of the light transmitting portion and optically measuring the powder or granular material through the light transmitting portion; a control unit that analyzes measurement values ​​acquired by optical measurement using the optical sensor; Equipped with The optical sensor is disposed so that the partition passes through a measurement range of the optical sensor, The powder / granular material measuring device is characterized in that the control unit creates a measurement result of the powder / granular material without including a measurement value of the partition measured by the optical sensor.

5. The powder and granular material measuring device according to claim 4, the control unit acquires an overall measurement result including a measurement value of the powder or granular material and a measurement value of the partition based on the optical measurement by the optical sensor, The powder / granular material measuring device is characterized in that the control unit performs a process of excluding the measurement value of the partition from the overall measurement result, and creates the measurement result of the powder / granular material.

6. The powder and granular material measuring device according to claim 4, The control unit acquiring a measurement value at a timing when the partition is not present in the measurement area of ​​the optical sensor; A powder or granular material measuring device, characterized in that measurement values ​​are not acquired when the partition is present in the measurement area of ​​the optical sensor.

7. The powder / particle measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a storage space that is a space divided by the partition within the case and that temporarily stores the powder or granular material heading to the discharge portion; A powder or granular material measuring device characterized in that, when the length of the storage space in a direction parallel to the rotation axis is defined as a width and the length of the storage space in a direction extending radially along the partition is defined as a diameter, the width is smaller than 0.9 times the diameter.

8. A powder / granular material measuring method, comprising: a case having an inlet portion into which powder / granular material is introduced and an outlet portion from which the powder / granular material is discharged; and a side wall having at least a light transmitting portion that transmits light; a moving step of rotating a plurality of partitions provided radially inside the case about a rotation axis parallel to a horizontal plane to move the powder or granular material from the input portion side to the discharge portion side; a measuring step of optically measuring the powder or granular material through the light transmitting portion using an optical sensor fixed to an outer surface of the light transmitting portion; Including, In the measurement process, a space within the case separated by the partition, which is a space for temporarily storing the powder or granular material heading to the discharge section, is designated as a storage space, and the powder or granular material temporarily stored in the storage space is measured by the optical sensor.

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