Powder bag and method for supplying powder

Abstract

Provided is a powder bag (10), which is capable of storing powder and from which the powder can flow out, the powder bag (10) having a storage part (12) for storing the powder, and an outflow part (14) extending downward from a lower end part of the storage part (12), formed in a cylindrical shape, and allowing the powder to flow out. A boundary part (13) between the storage part (12) and the outflow part (14) has a circumferential length (X), and the ratio of a circumferential length (Y) of a portion 200 mm above said boundary part to the circumferential length (X) is 1.5 times-10 times inclusive.

Description

Powder bag and powder supply method

[0001] The present invention relates to a powder bag and a method for supplying powder.

[0002] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-87597 discloses a powder hopper that includes a cylindrical member that opens upward, a funnel-shaped member connected to the lower end of the cylindrical member, and a piping material connected to the lower end of the funnel-shaped member.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-87597

[0004] In the hopper described in JP 2002-87597 A, the hopper needs to be washed after use to remove any powder remaining in the hopper. Therefore, it is considered to form the hopper from a material (such as synthetic resin) that can be easily disposed of after use.

[0005] On the other hand, there is a demand for improving the fluidity of the powder flowing out of the hopper.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a powder bag and a powder supplying method that can increase the fluidity of powder stored in a storage section when the powder flows out from an outflow section.

[0007] A powder bag according to one aspect of the present invention is a powder bag capable of storing powder and allowing the powder to flow out, and has a storage section that stores the powder, and an outflow section that extends downward from the lower end of the storage section and is formed in a cylindrical shape, allowing the powder to flow out, and the ratio of the perimeter of the boundary between the storage section and the outflow section to the perimeter of a section 200 mm above the boundary is 1.5 times or more and 10 times or less.

[0008] A powder supplying method according to one aspect of the present invention includes an installation step of installing a powder bag capable of storing powder and allowing the powder to flow out in a hopper, and a supply step of supplying the powder to the powder bag and allowing the powder to flow out from the powder bag, wherein the powder bag used in the installation step has a storage section that stores the powder, and an outflow section that extends downward from a lower end of the storage section and is formed in a cylindrical shape, and allows the powder to flow out, and a ratio of the perimeter of the powder bag to the diameter of the storage portion is 1.5 to 10 times, and the hopper used in the installation step has a shape that gradually reduces in diameter as it extends downward, and has a support portion that supports the storage portion, and a tubular portion that extends downward from the support portion and has a shape that surrounds the outflow portion, and in the installation step, the powder bag is installed so that the boundary portion of the powder bag is located below the boundary portion between the support portion and the tubular portion, and in the supply step, the powder is supplied to the storage portion and the powder is allowed to flow out from the outflow portion.

[0009] According to this invention, it is possible to provide a powder bag and a powder supplying method that can increase the fluidity of powder stored in a storage section when the powder flows out from an outflow section.

[0010] While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments and is not to be limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments.

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same or equivalent components are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0012] 1 is a perspective view of a powder bag according to an embodiment of the present invention. The powder bag 10 is made of, for example, a resin sheet. Examples of powder include culture media.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1 , the powder bag 10 has a storage portion 12 and an outlet portion 14 .

[0014] The storage section 12 is a section for storing powder. The storage section 12 opens upward. In this embodiment, the storage section 12 is formed in a quadrangular pyramid shape.

[0015] The outflow section 14 is a portion through which the powder flows out. The outflow section 14 extends downward from the lower end of the storage section 12 and is formed in a cylindrical shape. In this embodiment, the outflow section 14 is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape.

[0016] 1, the ratio of the perimeter Y of the portion 200 mm above the boundary 13 between the reservoir 12 and the outflow portion 14 to the perimeter X of the boundary 13 is preferably 1.5 to 10. The ratio is more preferably 1.5 to 5.

[0017] The powder bag 10 described above is used in a state where it is installed in a hopper 20, as shown in Fig. 2, for example. The hopper 20 has a support portion 22 and a cylindrical portion 24.

[0018] The support portion 22 is a portion that supports the storage portion 12. The support portion 22 has a shape that gradually reduces in diameter as it extends downward. The support portion 22 is formed in a quadrangular pyramid shape.

[0019] The cylindrical portion 24 extends downward from the lower end of the support portion 22 and surrounds the outflow portion 14. The cylindrical portion 24 is formed in the shape of a square tube.

[0020] Next, a description will be given of a method for supplying powder using the powder bag 10 and the hopper 20. This supply method includes an installation step and a supply step.

[0021] In the installation process, the powder bag 10 is installed in the hopper 20. More specifically, in the installation process, as shown in FIG. 2 , the powder bag 10 is installed so that the boundary portion 13 of the powder bag 10 is located below the boundary portion 23 between the support portion 22 and the cylindrical portion 24.

[0022] In the supplying process, powder is supplied to the powder bag 10 and the powder is caused to flow out from the powder bag 10. More specifically, in the supplying process, powder is supplied to the storage section 12 and the powder is caused to flow out from the outflow section 14.

[0023] As described above, in the powder bag 10 of this embodiment, the ratio of the perimeter Y of the portion 200 mm above the boundary 13 between the storage section 12 and the outflow section 14 to the perimeter X of the boundary 13 between the storage section 12 and the outflow section 14 is 1.5 to 10 times, so the fluidity of the powder stored in the storage section 12 is high when it flows out of the outflow section 14.

[0024] 3, the powder bag 10 may be made up of two sheets. In this case, the storage section 12 is formed in a conical shape, and the outflow section 14 is formed in a cylindrical shape.

[0025] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are examples of the following aspects.

[0026] [Aspect 1] A powder bag capable of storing powder and allowing the powder to flow out, comprising: a storage section that stores the powder; and an outflow section that extends downward from a lower end of the storage section and is formed in a cylindrical shape, and allows the powder to flow out; wherein the ratio of the perimeter of a portion 200 mm above the boundary between the storage section and the outflow section to the perimeter of the boundary is 1.5 to 10 times.

[0027] In this powder bag, the ratio of the perimeter of the boundary part to the perimeter of the area 200 mm above the boundary part is between 1.5 and 10 times, so that the powder stored in the storage part has high fluidity when it flows out from the outflow part.

[0028] [Aspect 2] The powder bag according to aspect 1, wherein the ratio is 1.5 times or more and 5 times or less.

[0029] [Aspect 3] The powder bag according to Aspect 1 or 2, wherein the outlet portion is formed in a square cylindrical shape, and the storage portion is formed in a square pyramid shape.

[0030] [Aspect 4] The powder bag according to Aspect 1 or 2, wherein the outlet portion is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the storage portion is formed in a cylindrical shape.

[0031] [Aspect 5] A method for manufacturing a powder bag for powder production, comprising: an installation step of installing a powder bag in a hopper, the powder bag being capable of storing powder and allowing the powder to flow out; and a supply step of supplying the powder to the powder bag and allowing the powder to flow out from the powder bag, wherein the powder bag used in the installation step has: a storage section that stores the powder; and an outflow section that extends downward from a lower end of the storage section and is formed in a cylindrical shape, and allows the powder to flow out, wherein the ratio of the perimeter of a portion 200 mm above the boundary between the storage section and the outflow section to the perimeter of the boundary is 1.5 to 10 times, and the hopper used in the installation step has: a support section that has a shape that gradually tapers in diameter downward and supports the storage section, and a cylindrical section that extends downward from the support section and has a shape that surrounds the outflow section, and wherein in the installation step, the powder bag is installed so that the boundary of the powder bag is located below the boundary between the support section and the cylindrical section, In the supplying step, the powder is supplied to the storage portion and the powder is caused to flow out from the outflow portion.

[0032] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the description of the above embodiments, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0033] 10 powder bag, 12 storage section, 13 boundary section, 14 outflow section, 20 hopper, 22 support section, 24 cylindrical section

Claims

1. A powder bag capable of storing powder and allowing the powder to flow out, comprising: a storage section for storing the powder; and an outflow section extending downward from a lower end of the storage section and formed in a cylindrical shape, allowing the powder to flow out; wherein the ratio of the perimeter of a portion 200 mm above the boundary between the storage section and the outflow section to the perimeter is between 1.5 and 10.

2. The powder bag of claim 1, wherein the ratio is between 1.5 and 5 times.

3. The powder bag according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outlet portion is formed in a square cylindrical shape, and the storage portion is formed in a square pyramid shape.

4. The powder bag according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outlet portion is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the storage portion is formed in a cylindrical shape.

5. A method for manufacturing a powder bag for powder production, comprising: an installation step of installing a powder bag capable of storing powder and allowing the powder to flow out in a hopper; and a supply step of supplying the powder to the powder bag and allowing the powder to flow out from the powder bag, wherein the powder bag used in the installation step has: a storage section for storing the powder; and an outflow section extending downward from a lower end of the storage section and formed in a cylindrical shape, allowing the powder to flow out; the ratio of the perimeter of a portion 200 mm above the boundary section to the perimeter of the boundary section between the storage section and the outflow section is 1.5 to 10 times; the hopper used in the installation step has: a support section which has a shape that gradually reduces in diameter as it extends downward, and which supports the storage section; and a cylindrical section which extends downward from the support section and has a shape that surrounds the outflow section; and wherein the powder bag is installed in the installation step such that the boundary section of the powder bag is located below the boundary section between the support section and the cylindrical section, The supplying step includes supplying the powder to the storage portion and causing the powder to flow out from the outflow portion.

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