JP2005280780A - Fixed quantity feeding apparatus and fixed quantity feeding system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve operational reliability for feeding a fixed quantity of dry ice, and to easily and rapidly change a quantity of feeding the dry ice. <P>SOLUTION: A hopper 5 storing granular dry ice 3 and a feeding mechanism 6 for feeding the fixed quantity of the dry ice 3 from this hopper 5 are equipped. The feeding mechanism 6 has a rotary valve 15 provided in a feeding path for the dry ice 3 and rotated around a shaft in the horizontal direction, a motor 16 for rotatably driving this rotary valve 15, and a control part 17 for controlling the number of rotation of the rotary valve 15 by this motor 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a quantitative supply device and a quantitative supply system for supplying a fixed amount of granular dry ice.

  Generally, in a food store, for example, when frozen food or Western confectionery is purchased, dry ice for keeping cold during transportation is provided to the user. And in order to improve the troublesome work when providing dry ice to users in stores, a quantitative supply device for automatically supplying a fixed amount of cylindrical dry ice in a columnar shape has been proposed. Yes.

  A conventional quantitative supply device includes a gutter member having a measuring space for weighing a certain amount of dry ice, and by rotating the gutter member around a rotation axis provided in a vertical direction, a certain amount of dry ice is supplied. The structure which supplies ice is disclosed (for example, refer patent document 1).

  In addition, the supplied amount of dry ice varies in cooling duration depending on the temperature during use. For this reason, in the fixed-quantity supply apparatus, it is calculated | required to change the supply amount of dry ice according to the temperature at the time of use of dry ice.

In view of this, as another conventional quantitative supply device, there is disclosed a configuration including a fitting piece member that is detachably provided on the saddle member in order to change the amount of dry ice supplied by the saddle member (for example, a patent) Reference 2).
JP 2002-29579 A JP 2002-321778 A

  By the way, the conventional fixed quantity supply apparatus currently disclosed by patent documents 1, 2 may adhere to the corner | angular part etc. in a gutter member, and the crushing piece of dry ice may adhere, and it becomes small with adhering of the crushing piece. Depending on the measurement space, there is a possibility that the supply amount of dry ice may vary.

  Further, the conventional quantitative supply device has a troublesome operation of removing the pieces of dry ice that are fixed inside the gutter member.

  Further, in the conventional quantitative supply device disclosed in Patent Document 2, when changing the supply amount of dry ice, it is necessary to change the volume of the measuring space of the eaves member. There was a problem that the replacement work for attaching and detaching the members was troublesome.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a quantitative supply device and a quantitative supply system that can improve the operational reliability of supplying a certain amount of dry ice and can easily and quickly change the supply amount of dry ice. To do.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a quantitative supply device according to the present invention includes a storage tank that stores granular dry ice and a supply mechanism that supplies a certain amount of dry ice from the storage tank. The supply mechanism controls a rotation valve provided in the dry ice supply path and rotated about a horizontal axis, drive means for rotating the rotation valve, and the rotation speed of the rotation valve by the drive means. Control means.

  According to the quantitative supply device according to the present invention configured as described above, the driving unit is controlled by the control unit, and the rotating valve is rotated by a predetermined number of rotations by the driving unit, so that a certain amount of quantity is supplied from the storage tank. Dry ice is supplied. Moreover, according to this fixed amount supply apparatus, the supply amount of dry ice can be changed easily and quickly by changing the rotation speed of the rotary valve.

  Further, the quantitative supply system according to the present invention includes at least one quantitative supply device according to the present invention described above, an input means for introducing dry ice into the storage tank, and a fixed amount of dry ice supplied from the quantitative supply device. A conveying means for conveying.

  As described above, according to the present invention, by controlling the rotation speed of the rotary valve of the supply mechanism, the operation reliability of supplying a certain amount of dry ice is improved, and the supply amount of dry ice can be easily and quickly. Can be changed

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
The dry ice quantitative supply device according to the first embodiment is a dry ice quantitative supply device that is installed, for example, in a store that sells frozen foods and is used by being operated by a user.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the fixed amount supply device 1 includes a hopper 5 that is a storage tank for storing the dry ice 3 and a supply for supplying a certain amount of the dry ice 3 stored in the hopper 5. A mechanism 6, a plurality of stirring mechanisms 7 for stirring the dry ice 3 in the hopper 5, a holder mechanism 8 for temporarily holding the dry ice 3 supplied by the supply mechanism 6, and each of these mechanisms 6 , 7 and 8 are provided.

  In the present embodiment, as the dry ice 3, for example, a so-called pellet shape having a columnar shape with a diameter of about 6 to 9 mm and a length of about 20 to 30 mm is used.

  The hopper 5 is formed in a substantially funnel shape, and is provided with an inlet 11 into which the dry ice 3 is introduced at the upper end and a supply port 12 for supplying the dry ice 3 at the lower end.

  Further, the outer periphery of the hopper 5 is covered with a casing 13, and a lid 14 is provided at the insertion port 11 so as to be openable and closable. The casing 13 and the lid body 14 are formed of, for example, a heat insulating material or the like, and the inside of the hopper 5 is blocked from the outside of the quantitative supply device 1 to ensure heat insulation.

  The lid body 14 is supported by the casing 13 through the hinge portion 10 so as to be openable and closable, and the inlet 11 is closed by the lid body 14 so that the inside of the hopper 5 is hermetically sealed. The lid body 14 is provided with a relief valve 19 for relieving the pressure inside the hopper 5 to make it constant, and it is possible to prevent the pressure from increasing with the sublimation of the dry ice 3 in the hopper 5. ing.

  The supply mechanism 6 includes a rotary valve 15 provided to open and close the supply port 12 of the hopper 5, a motor 16 that rotationally drives the rotary valve 15, and a control unit 17 that is a control unit that controls the motor 16. have.

  The rotary valve 15 is fixed to a rotary shaft whose axial direction is provided in parallel with the horizontal direction, and is supported so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis. The rotary valve 15 has, for example, six blades, and functions as a bag when rotated to scrape the dry ice 3 in the hopper 5. Therefore, the rotary valve 15 supplies a certain amount of dry ice 3 from the supply port 12 by being rotated by a predetermined number of rotations.

  The motor 16 is electrically connected to the control unit 17, and although not shown, a pulley provided on the drive shaft, a pulley provided on one end of the rotary shaft of the rotary valve 15, and a pulley are provided between the pulleys. And a passed timing belt. The motor 16 drives the rotary valve 15 by a predetermined number of revolutions by controlling the drive time for rotating the rotary valve 15 by the control unit 17.

  Each stirring mechanism 7 is disposed at a predetermined interval along the vertical direction in the hopper 5, and includes a rotary shaft 21 provided along the horizontal direction and a plurality of rotary shafts 21 provided on the rotary shaft 21. And a stirring rod 22. Each stirring rod 22 is provided radially around the axis of the rotary shaft 21 with a predetermined interval in the axial direction of the rotary shaft 21. The rotating shaft 21 of each stirring mechanism 7 is configured to be rotationally driven by the motor 16 of the supply mechanism 6 via a gear train (not shown), and rotates in conjunction with the rotational operation of the rotary valve 15 of the supply mechanism 6. Driven. Each agitation mechanism 7 agitates the group of dry ice 3 in the hopper 5 with the agitation rod 22 to eliminate the state in which the adjacent dry ices 3 are fixed to each other and the block state, and maintain a state of being well separated.

  The lowermost stirring mechanism 7 is arranged so that the moving region of the stirring bar 22 is positioned in the vicinity of the rotary valve 15 of the supply mechanism 6, and the state where each dry ice 3 is fixed is resolved and separated. The dried ice 3 can be smoothly flowed down to the rotary valve 15.

  The holder mechanism 8 includes a lead-out path 25 that is continuously provided at one end of the supply port 12 of the hopper 5, and a receiving unit 26 that receives a certain amount of dry ice supplied from the supply mechanism 6 through the lead-out path 25. have. The receiving portion 26 is provided so as to protrude from the outer peripheral portion of the housing 9 continuously to the other end of the lead-out path 25.

  The receiving portion 26 includes a takeout port 31 for dropping the dry ice 3 into a storage bag or a storage container made of, for example, a synthetic resin material, a door 32 for opening and closing the takeout port 31, and the door 32. And an opening / closing mechanism 33 for opening and closing. As shown in FIG. 2, the opening / closing mechanism 33 includes a support shaft 36 that supports the door body 32 at one end, a bearing 37 that supports the support shaft 36 so as to be movable in the axial direction, and the door body 32 that opens the outlet 31. A compression coil spring 38 that urges the support shaft 36 in the closing direction, and an operation button 39 provided at the other end of the support shaft 36 for opening the door body 32 via the support shaft 36 are provided.

  In the opening / closing mechanism 33, when the operation button 39 is pushed in against the urging force of the compression coil spring 38, the support shaft 36 is moved in the axial direction to open the door body 32. Further, the opening / closing mechanism 33 releases the pushing operation of the operation button 39, whereby the support shaft 36 is moved in the axial direction by the urging force of the compression coil spring 38, and the door body 32 is automatically closed. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent air containing moisture from entering the hopper 5 from the take-out port 31 during the take-out operation of the dry ice 3.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the receiving portion 26 is provided with a pair of hooks 29 for suspending the storage bag 40.

  The fixed amount supply device 1 also includes a coin insertion unit 45 into which coins or dedicated coins (not shown) are inserted when the supply mechanism 6 is driven, and a counter that counts coins and the like inserted into the coin insertion unit 45. Unit 46 and a liquid crystal display unit 47 for displaying various states of the quantitative supply device 1. The counter unit 46 and the liquid crystal display unit 47 are electrically connected to the control unit 17, and the counting result by the counter unit 46 is output to the control unit 17, and various states are displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 47 from the control unit 17. A control signal is input.

  Then, the control unit 17 detects that the remaining amount of the dry ice 3 in the hopper 5 is insufficient based on the counting result of the counter unit 46, and displays an instruction to prompt the hopper 5 to replenish the dry ice 3. 47 is displayed. Further, the control unit 17 causes the display unit 47 to display an instruction to take out coins from a coin tank (not shown) in the coin insertion unit 45 based on the counting result by the counter unit 46. The display unit 47 is provided with a warning lamp 48, and the warning lamp 48 is turned on as necessary.

  Moreover, the fixed quantity supply apparatus 1 is mounted and used on the support stand 49 as shown in FIG. 1 as needed. For example, a storage bag 40 or the like is stored in the support base 49.

  The operation | movement which supplies the fixed quantity of dry ice 3 about the fixed quantity supply apparatus 1 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated.

  First, in the quantitative supply device 1, the lid 14 is opened while the power is turned off, and the dry ice 3 is charged into the hopper 5 from the charging port 11. After the dry ice 3 is put into the hopper 5, the inlet 11 is closed by the lid body 14 and the inside of the hopper 5 is made airtight.

  The user of the dry ice 3 receives a dedicated coin from the store side, for example, attaches the storage bag 40 to the hook 29 of the holder mechanism 8, and inserts the coin into the coin insertion part 45. After the coins are inserted, in the fixed amount supply device 1, the rotary valve 15 is rotationally driven by a motor 16 of the supply mechanism 6 for a predetermined drive time, and each stirring mechanism 7 is driven in conjunction with the rotational drive of the rotary valve 15. Then, a certain amount of dry ice 3 is supplied from the supply port 12 of the hopper 5.

In the fixed amount supply device 1 of the present embodiment, the supply amount of the dry ice 3 by the supply mechanism 6 and the drive time of the rotary valve 15 by the motor 16, that is, the timer set value are set as shown in Table 1, for example. Yes.

  As described above, in the constant amount supply device 1, the supply amount of the dry ice 3 is controlled in accordance with the rotational speed of the rotary valve 15.

  The holder mechanism 8 holds the fixed amount of dry ice 3 supplied from the supply port 12 of the hopper 5 in the receiving portion 26. The dry ice 3 in the receiving part 26 is opened by the user pressing the operation button 39 to open the door body 32 and falls into the storage bag 40 from the take-out port 31. Finally, the user removes the storage bag 40 in which a certain amount of dry ice 3 is stored from the hook 29 and takes it home.

  As described above, according to the quantitative supply device 1, by providing the supply mechanism 6 having the rotary valve 15, the operation reliability of supplying a certain amount of dry ice 3 is improved, and the drive time of the rotary valve 15 is appropriately set. By changing, the supply amount of the dry ice 3 can be changed easily and quickly.

  Moreover, according to this fixed amount supply apparatus 1, by providing the stirring mechanism 7 disposed so that the moving region of the stirring bar 22 is positioned in the vicinity of the rotary valve 15 of the supply mechanism 6, the stirring supply can be favorably separated by the stirring bar 22. It is possible to smoothly flow the dry ice 3 into the rotary valve 15 and prevent the dry ice 3 from being clogged in the supply port 12.

  In addition, the supply mechanism 6 provided in the fixed amount supply device 1 facilitates maintenance work such as cleaning of the rotary valve 15 even when the fragments of the dry ice 3 are fixed to the blades of the rotary valve 15 or the like. It can be carried out.

  Although not shown, the quantitative supply device 1 is configured to include, for example, a load cell that detects a load applied to the hook 29 on which the storage bag 40 is suspended, and the control unit 17 is based on the detection result of the load cell. However, the weight of the dry ice 3 in the storage bag 29 may be calculated, and the number of rotations of the rotary valve 15 may be controlled by the control unit 17, so that the accuracy of the supply amount can be improved.

(Second Embodiment)
A fixed quantity supply system including a plurality of fixed quantity supply apparatuses will be described with reference to the drawings. In the quantitative supply system of the present embodiment, for convenience, the same members as those of the quantitative supply device 1 of the embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  The fixed-quantity supply system of 2nd Embodiment is used in order to supply the fixed quantity of dry ice 3 to the conveyance box in which frozen food was accommodated, for example in the conveyance process of frozen food.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the fixed amount supply system 2 includes first to fourth fixed amount supply devices 51 to 54 that supply a certain amount of dry ice 3, and these fixed amount supply devices. A feeding device 56 for feeding dry ice 3 to 51-54, a primary feeding device 57 for feeding dry ice 3 to the feeding device 56, and a fixed amount of dry ice by each of the quantitative feeding devices 51-54 3 is provided with a transport device 58 for transporting each transport box 59 supplied with 3.

  Each of the first to fourth quantitative supply devices 51 to 54 is arranged along the direction of arrow a in FIG. 3, which is the direction of conveyance of the conveyance box 59 by the conveyance device 57, and the supply mechanism 6 that is independently driven. have. As shown in FIG. 3B, a stirring mechanism 60 having a rotating shaft with the axial direction provided in the vertical direction is provided in the hopper 5 of each of the quantitative supply devices 51-54.

   Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a flow rate regulating unit 70 for regulating the inflow amount of the dry ice 3 flowing into the rotary valve 15 is formed at the supply port 12 of the hopper 5 of each of the fixed amount supply devices 51 to 54. Has been. The flow restricting unit 70 includes a restricting flow path 71 in which the flow path is bent in a substantially square shape with respect to the vertical direction, and a restricting plate 72 for restricting the flow rate of the dry ice 3 flowing into the rotary valve 15. doing.

  The restricting plate 72 is provided adjacent to the outer peripheral portion of the rotary valve 15 and continuously to the inner peripheral portion of the supply port 12, and the dry ice 3 that has passed through the supply port 12 is placed in the outer peripheral portion of the rotary valve 15. The flow path is narrowed so as to flow into the rotary valve 15 from only the part. Moreover, although not shown in figure, this control board 72 is provided so that a movement is possible, and the flow volume of the dry ice 3 can be adjusted as needed.

   The flow rate regulating unit 70 regulates the inflow amount of the dry ice 3 flowing into the space formed between the blades of the rotary valve 15 and the peripheral wall covering the rotary valve 15 by the regulation channel 71 and the regulation plate 72. The inflow amount is controlled to be about 80% or less of the total volume capable of transferring the dry ice 3 by the rotary valve 15. Thereby, damage to the dry ice 3 transferred by the rotary valve 15 is prevented, and the pellet-shaped dry ice 3 can be supplied satisfactorily. If the dry ice 3 flows in excess of 80% of the total volume, the dry ice 3 adversely affects the rotating operation of the rotary valve, which increases the risk of the dry ice 3 being broken and damaged.

  Moreover, although not shown in figure in each fixed supply apparatus 51-54, it is for detecting the presence or absence of the dry ice 3 supplied by the supply mechanism 6 to the flow-down port which flows down the dry ice 3 transferred by the rotary valve 15. A supply presence / absence detection unit, which is a supply presence / absence detection means, is provided.

  The supply presence / absence detection unit is electrically connected to the control unit 17 and includes, for example, a pair of light emitting elements and light receiving elements disposed with a flow path of the dry ice 3 from the rotary valve 15 interposed therebetween. Have. The supply presence / absence detection unit is configured to receive the detection light emitted from the light emitting element by the light receiving element, and supply of the dry ice 3 by blocking the detection light by the dry ice 3 passing through the flow path. The presence or absence of is detected.

  The supply presence / absence detection unit outputs a detection signal to the control unit 17 when the supply of the dry ice 3 is not detected for a predetermined time, for example, 2 seconds after the rotary valve 15 is driven to rotate. Based on the detection result of the supply presence / absence detection unit, the control unit 17 determines that an abnormality has occurred such as the dry ice 3 not being supplied by the supply mechanism, and emits a warning lamp or a warning sound as necessary. It is configured.

  Further, although not shown in the drawings, each of the quantitative supply devices 51 to 54 is configured to control the rotation speed of the rotary valve 15 according to time, but based on the weight of the dry ice 3 supplied to the transport box 59, the rotary valve You may be comprised so that the rotation speed of 15 may be controlled. In the case of this configuration, each of the quantitative supply devices 51 to 54 includes a load cell that is a load detection means for detecting the weight of the dry ice 3 supplied by the supply mechanism 6.

  The load cell is disposed so as to detect the weight of the transport box 59 to which the dry ice 3 is supplied, and is electrically connected to the control unit 17. And the detection result by a load cell is input into the control part 17, and the rotation speed of the rotary valve 15 is controlled by the control part 17 drive-controlling the motor 16 of the supply mechanism 6 based on this detection result, A certain amount of dry ice 3 is supplied. For example, the control unit 17 is configured to control the number of rotations of the rotary valve 15 based on the driving time and to perform feedback control so as to correct the supply amount based on the weight of the supplied dry ice 3. Also good.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the charging device 56 constitutes a conveyance path for supplying the dry ice 3 supplied from the primary supply device 57 to each of the quantitative supply devices 51 to 54. A transport pipe 62 is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the charging device 56 includes a plurality of discs 75 provided in the transport pipe 62 for transporting the dry ice 3 in the direction of arrow b in FIG. It has a connecting member 76 for connecting the plates 75 to each other and a drive mechanism (not shown) for moving the respective discs 75 to constitute a so-called pipe conveyor.

  The conveyance pipe 62 constitutes an annular conveyance path extending in the vertical direction, and has horizontal conveyance paths at upper and lower positions as shown in FIG. In the transport pipe 62, a carry-out port (not shown) for feeding the dry ice 3 into the supply devices 51 to 54 along the upper horizontal transport path corresponds to the input port 11 of each hopper 5. Is provided. Each carry-out port is provided with a lead-out pipe 63 for allowing the dry ice 3 to flow down into the hopper 5. Further, the transport pipe 62 is provided with a carry-in port (not shown) through which the dry ice 3 is carried from the primary supply device 57 along the horizontal transport path below.

   Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the transport pipe 62 has a discharge port 64 for discharging the dry ice 3 in the transport pipe 62 outward in a direction opposite to the arrow b direction. It is provided at a position separated by a distance. The discharge port 64 is provided with, for example, a lid, an on-off valve, and the like, and is opened when the dry ice 3 is discharged. As a result, when the supply operation of the dry ice 3 is finished, the dry ice 3 remaining in the transfer pipe 62 can be surely discharged, so that the dry ice 3 remaining in the transfer pipe 62 is removed. The conveyance path 62 is prevented from clogging due to being fixed.

  In addition, although not shown, the charging device 56 has a predetermined amount of dry ice in the hopper 5 of the fourth fixed amount supply device 54 arranged on the most downstream side in the direction of the arrow b, which is the transfer direction of the dry ice 3 by the transfer pipe 62. 3 has a load detection mechanism for detecting that 3 is inserted.

  The load detection mechanism includes, for example, a hopper support member that supports the hopper 5 and a load cell on which the load of the hopper 5 into which the dry ice 3 is put is loaded via the hopper support member. Therefore, the fourth fixed amount supply device 54 is configured by separating the hopper 5 from the transport pipe 62, and is configured to be able to detect the amount of the dry ice 3 charged into the hopper 5 by the load detection mechanism. ing.

  Then, the loading device 56 temporarily stops the conveyance operation by the conveyance pipe 62 when the dry ice 3 is sufficiently charged into the hopper 5 based on the detection result by the load detection mechanism, and enters the hopper 5. Stop charging dry ice 3. That is, when the dry ice 3 is sufficiently charged into the hopper 5 of the fourth fixed amount supply device 54 located on the most downstream side in the conveyance direction by the conveyance pipe 62, the first to third positions located on the upstream side in the conveyance direction. Similarly, the dry ice 3 is sufficiently supplied into the hoppers 5 of the fixed quantity supply devices 51 to 53.

  In this manner, the charging device 56 stops the charging operation of the dry ice 3 based on the detection result by the load detection mechanism, so that the dry ice 3 charged into each of the quantitative supply devices 51 to 54 is discharged from each hopper 5. It is prevented from overflowing.

  The primary supply device 57 includes a storage hopper 65 that is a storage tank for temporarily storing the dry ice 3 to be put into each hopper 5 of each of the quantitative supply devices 51 to 54, and the inside of the storage hopper 65. And a stirring mechanism 66 for stirring the dry ice 3. The storage hopper 65 is formed in a substantially funnel shape, and a supply port (not shown) at the lower end is connected to a carry-in port of the carry pipe 62 via a lead-out pipe 67.

   In addition, a supply mechanism 78 similar to the supply mechanism 6 provided in the above-described fixed amount supply devices 1, 51 to 54 is provided at the supply port of the storage hopper 65. The supply mechanism 78 includes a rotary valve 79, a motor (not shown) that rotationally drives the rotary valve 79, and a control unit that is a control unit that controls the motor.

  The primary supply device 57 is configured such that the supply amount of the dry ice 3 supplied from the storage hopper 65 into the transfer pipe 62 is the volume of each transfer space formed between the adjacent disks 75 in the transfer pipe 62 of the input device 56. The rotational speed of the rotary valve 79 of the supply mechanism 78 is controlled so as to be about 80% or less. By securing a predetermined empty space between the discs 75 and transporting them in this way, damage to the dry ice 3 transported in the transport pipe 62 is prevented, and the pellet-shaped dry ice 3 is supplied to each quantitative supply device. 51 to 54 can be satisfactorily charged.

  When the dry ice 3 is supplied over 80% of the volume between the discs 75, the transport tube 62 is damaged by the dry ice 3 transported between the discs 75 being rubbed against the inner peripheral wall of the transport tube 62. This is not preferred because it increases the risk of

  The transport device 58 includes a conveyor 69 that transports the transport box 59 supplied with the dry ice 3 from each of the quantitative supply devices 51 to 54 in the direction of arrow a, and a drive mechanism (not shown) that drives the conveyor 69. Yes.

  Regarding the quantitative supply system 2 configured as described above, an operation in which a certain amount of dry ice 3 is supplied to the transport box 59 and the transport box 59 is transported will be described.

  First, in the quantitative supply system 2, the dry ice 3 is supplied into the storage hopper 65 of the primary charging device 57. The dry ice 3 in the storage hopper 65 is carried into the transport pipe 62 from the outlet pipe 67, transported upward along the transport path by the disk, and from the outlet pipe 63 to the hoppers of the quantitative supply devices 51 to 54. 5 respectively.

  Moreover, the conveyance mechanism 58 conveys each conveyance box 59 mounted on the conveyor 69 to a position corresponding to the supply port 12 of the hopper 5 of each quantitative supply device 51 to 54. Each of the fixed amount supply devices 51 to 54 is independently driven, and supplies a certain amount of dry ice 3 into each of the transport boxes 59 by rotating the rotary valve 15 for a predetermined time by the supply mechanism 6. Each transport box 59 supplied with a certain amount of dry ice 3 is transported in the direction of arrow a by a conveyor 69.

  Further, in this fixed amount supply system 2, after the supply operation of the dry ice 3 is finished, the dry ice 3 left in the storage hopper 65 and the transfer pipe 62 is discharged to the outside of the system. At this time, the charging device 56 is driven so that the discharge port 64 of the transport pipe 62 is opened and the disk 75 is moved in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow b, which is the transport direction by the transport pipe 62. 65 and the dry ice 3 left in the transfer pipe 62 are completely discharged to the outside of the system without being put into the hoppers 5 of the fixed quantity supply devices 51 to 54. Further, the dry ice 3 left in each hopper 5 of the quantitative supply devices 51 to 54 is discharged to, for example, a discharge container (not shown) by the supply mechanism 6 and the inside of each hopper 5 is emptied.

  According to the quantitative supply system 2 described above, by providing the first to fourth quantitative supply devices 51 to 54, the operation reliability of supplying a certain amount of dry ice 3 to each transport box 59 is improved. When using a transport box of a seed | species, it becomes possible to change the supply amount of the dry ice 3 easily and rapidly according to the volume of a transport box. Therefore, according to this fixed quantity supply system 2, the operation efficiency at the time of supplying the dry ice 3 to multiple types of conveyance boxes can be improved.

  Moreover, according to the fixed amount supply system 2, since the first to fourth fixed amount supply devices 51 to 54 operate independently of each other, for example, the dry ice 3 is placed in the number of transport boxes 59 smaller than the number of fixed amount supply devices. In the case of supplying, for example, the dry ice 3 can be supplied by stopping the operation of the first fixed amount supply device 51 and operating only the second to fourth fixed amount supply devices 52 to 54 as necessary.

It is a front view which shows the fixed quantity supply apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the said fixed supply apparatus typically. It is a figure which shows the fixed quantity supply system of 2nd Embodiment, Comprising: (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a side view. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the flow volume control part of a fixed amount supply apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the conveyance state of the dry ice conveyed by a conveyance pipe.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fixed supply apparatus 2 Fixed supply system 3 Dry ice 5 Hopper 6 Supply mechanism 7 Stirring mechanism 8 Holder mechanism 9 Housing | casing 11 Input port 12 Supply port 15 Rotary valve 16 Motor 17 Control part 22 Stirring rod 51 1st fixed_quantity | feed_rate apparatus 52 Second fixed supply device 53 Third fixed supply device 54 Fourth fixed supply device 56 Input device 57 Primary supply device 58 Transport device 59 Transport box

Claims (12)

In a quantitative supply device comprising a storage tank for storing granular dry ice, and a supply mechanism for supplying a certain amount of the dry ice from the storage tank,
The supply mechanism includes a rotary valve provided in the dry ice supply path and rotated about a horizontal axis, drive means for rotationally driving the rotary valve, and a rotational speed of the rotary valve by the drive means. A quantitative supply device comprising a control means for controlling.   The quantitative supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a stirring mechanism that stirs the dry ice in the storage tank in conjunction with a rotation operation of the rotary valve.   The quantitative supply device according to claim 2, wherein the stirring mechanism includes a rotating shaft and a plurality of stirring rods spaced apart in the axial direction of the rotating shaft and provided radially around the shaft. At least one metering device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Charging means for charging the dry ice into the storage tank;
A fixed-quantity supply system provided with the conveyance means which conveys the fixed quantity of said dry ice supplied from the said fixed-quantity supply apparatus.   The feeding means connects a transport pipe forming a transport path for the dry ice to be put into the storage tank, a plurality of disks provided in the transport pipe for transporting the dry ice, and the plurality of disks The fixed-quantity supply system of Claim 4 which has a connection member to do. Comprising a plurality of said quantitative supply devices,
The fixed quantity supply system according to claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of fixed quantity supply devices operates independently. A container for storing the dry ice supplied from the supply mechanism, and a load detection means for detecting a load of the container in which the dry ice is stored,
The quantitative supply system according to claim 4, wherein the control unit controls the number of rotations of the rotary valve based on a detection result by the load detection unit. A plurality of the quantitative supply devices are arranged along the transport pipe of the charging means,
The quantitative supply device located on the most downstream side in the transport direction by the transport pipe is provided with further load detecting means for detecting the load of the storage tank filled with the dry ice by the transport pipe. The quantitative supply system according to claim 5. A storage tank for temporarily storing the dry ice for charging into the transfer pipe of the charging means;
The quantitative supply system according to claim 5, wherein an amount of the dry ice introduced from the storage tank into the transport pipe is controlled according to a volume between the adjacent disks in the transport pipe.   The quantitative supply system according to claim 4, wherein the quantitative supply device includes a flow rate regulating unit that regulates an inflow amount of the dry ice flowing into the rotary valve.   The quantitative supply system according to claim 5, wherein the transport pipe is provided with a discharge port for discharging the dry ice in the transport pipe to the outside.   The quantitative supply system according to claim 4, wherein the quantitative supply device is provided with a supply presence / absence detection means for detecting the presence / absence of the dry ice supplied from the supply mechanism.

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