Conveyor Device Having a Filling Device for Vertical Flow of Material, Without Demixing, of Powdered Media

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveyor device having a filling device (7) for vertical flow of material, without demixing, of powdered media having different particle sizes and particle densities, having the following features: a supply container (8) having a lower opening (9) to which the filling device (7) can be coupled; an inlet hopper (1) having an upper inlet opening (10) and a lower outlet opening (11) of a guide tube (12), the inlet opening (10) being couplable to the lower opening (9) of the supply container (8); telescopic elements (13), which are arranged on the guide tube (12), and an outlet hopper (3) having an outlet flap (4).

Description

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying Figures:

FIG. 1 shows a conveyor device having a filling device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, after the filling device has been docked to a supply container;

FIG. 2 shows a conveyor device having a filling device according to FIG. 1, after the filling device has been docked to a feed shoe.

FIG. 1 shows a conveyor device 6 having a filling device 7 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, after the filling device 7 has been docked to a supply container 8. The supply container 8 has a lower opening 9 to which an inlet hopper 1 is coupled by its upper opening 10. The lower opening 9 of the supply container 8 is closable by means of a flap 26, the flap 26, the outline of which is shown by a dotted line, being pivoted about the axis 27. In the position shown here by the dotted line, the flap 26 is in an open position.

The inlet hopper 1 serves at the same time for receiving a telescopic tube 2 which is shown in the contracted position in FIG. 1. In this embodiment the telescopic tube 2 consists of four telescopic elements 13 which, by virtue of their graduated diameters, are pushed one inside the other by sliding. The innermost telescopic element 13 is arranged to slide on the outer wall of a guide tube 12, which is rigidly connected to the inlet hopper 1, and carries the contracted telescopic tube 2 on its outer wall.

The guide tube 12 has an outlet opening 11 which is smaller than the inlet opening 10 at the upper side of the inlet hopper 1. The inner contour 25 of the inlet hopper 1 is funnel-shaped in this embodiment and can also have the shape of a truncated cone. The telescopic elements 13 pushed one inside the other are surrounded on the outside by an outlet hopper 3, which has in its lower region 19 a filling opening 24 which is very slightly larger than the outlet opening 11 of the guide tube 12 of the inlet hopper 1. When the telescopic tube 2 is in the contracted position, the filling opening 24 of the outlet hopper 3 is closed by an outlet flap 4 which is pivotable about axis 22.

Accordingly, after the filling device 7 has been docked to the supply container 8, the powdered medium to be conveyed is able to fill the inlet hopper 1 in the outlet hopper 3 only as far as the outlet flap 4. The outlet hopper 3 has, outside the filling volume, a handle 5 which is connected to the outer wall of the outlet hopper 3 and which guides the telescopic tube 2 during the extension and contraction of the telescopic elements 13. In the lower region 19 of the outlet hopper 3 there is also arranged a mouthpiece 20 which has a rubber-elastic tubular casing 21 which is connectible to a tubular socket of the feed shoe.

In this embodiment of the invention, the total length Λ of the contracted filling device 7 is about 30 cm and the inlet opening 10 has a diameter of about 25 cm, while the diameter of the outlet opening 11 is about 9 cm. The filling opening 24 at the end of the outlet hopper 3 has a diameter of about 10 cm, which at the same time also corresponds to the diameter of the outlet flap 4. Because the filling opening 24 is very slightly larger than the outlet opening 11 it is ensured that there is no clogging of the media on transition from the outlet hopper 3 to the feed shoe. The outlet flap 4 has only one special embodiment. Alternative embodiments of the outlet flap 4 can have, for example, two bows which are pivoted towards one another for opening, and in so doing are turned in opposite directions about the axis 22.

FIG. 2 shows a conveyor device 6 having a filling device 7 according to FIG. 1, after the filling device 7 has been docked to a feed shoe 23. Components having the same functions as in FIG. 1 are indicated by the same reference numerals and are not discussed separately.

For docking the filling device 7 to the feed shoe 23, the telescopic tube 2 has been extended with the aid of the handle 5 so that the filling device 7 has a length L of about 75 cm and can be docked to the feed shoe 23 arranged vertically below the supply container 8 by means of the mouthpiece 20 of the filling device 7. In order to seal the four telescopic elements 13 relative to one another and relative to the inlet hopper 1 and the outlet hopper 3, corresponding sealing rings 16 are provided on the upper and lower edges 17 and 18 of the telescopic elements 13. For that purpose, the guide tube 12 of the inlet hopper 1 and the telescopic elements 13 each have at least one sealing ring 16 in the region of their lower edges 18. The sealing ring 16 is for that purpose arranged in an annular recess of the respective outer surfaces 15 of guide tube 12 and telescopic elements 13.

A further sealing ring 16 is arranged at the upper edges 17 of the telescopic elements 13 and of the outlet hopper 3, the inner surfaces 14 having for that purpose an annular recess on the respective inner surface 14 to accommodate the sealing ring 16. Accordingly, the gap between the telescopic elements 13 themselves and between the telescopic elements 13 and the guide tube 12 of the inlet hopper 1 and the inner surface 14 of the outlet hopper 3 is in each case safeguarded by two sealing rings 16. As FIG. 2 shows, when the telescopic tube 2 is docked to the feed shoe 23, the outlet flap 4 is in an open position. The outlet flap 4 can be rotated into that position about the axis 22 from outside the filling device 7 with the aid of an operating element.

List of Reference Numerals

• 1 inlet hopper
• 2 telescopic tube
• 3 outlet hopper
• 4 outlet flap
• 5 handle
• 6 conveyor device
• 7 filling device
• 8 supply container
• 9 lower opening of the supply container
• 10 inlet opening of the inlet hopper
• 11 outlet opening
• 12 guide tube
• 13 telescopic element
• 14 inner surface of the telescopic elements
• 15 outer surfaces
• 16 sealing ring
• 17 upper edges
• 18 lower edges
• 19 lower region of the outlet hopper
• 20 mouthpiece
• 21 rubber-elastic tubular casing
• 22 axis of the outlet flap
• 23 feed shoe
• 24 filling opening
• 25 inner contour
• 26 flap
• 27 axis
• Λ length of filling device when contracted
• L length of filling device when extended

Claims

1. Conveyor device having a filling device (7) for vertical flow of material, without demixing, of powdered media having different particle sizes and particle densities, having the following features: a supply container (8) having a lower opening (9) to which the filling device (7) can be coupled;an inlet hopper (1) having an upper inlet opening (10) and a lower outlet opening (11) of a guide tube (12), the inlet opening (10) being couplable to the lower opening (9) of the supply container (8);telescopic elements (13), which are arranged on the guide tube (12), and an outlet hopper (3) having an outlet flap (4).

2. Conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the supply container is constructed so as to be closable.

3. Conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein there is a flap as closure of the supply container.

4. Conveyor device according to claim 3, wherein there is a pivot axis for the flap.

5. Conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the internal diameters and external diameters of the telescopic elements (13) are so matched to one another that they have a sliding fit.

6. Conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the telescopic elements (13) and the outlet hopper (3) each have on their inner surfaces (14) in the region of their upper edges (17) at least one sealing ring (16), which is arranged in an annular recess in the respective inner wall (14).

7. Conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the guide tube (12) and the telescopic elements (13) each have in the region of their lower edges (18) at least one sealing ring (16), which is arranged in an annular recess in the respective outer walls (15).

8. Conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the guide tube (12) and the telescopic elements (13) each have in the region of their lower edges (18) at least one sealing ring (16), which is arranged in an annular recess in the respective outer walls (15), and the telescopic elements (13) and the outlet hopper (3) each have on their inner surfaces (14) in the region of their upper edges (17) at least one sealing ring (16), which is arranged in an annular recess in the respective inner wall (14).

9. Conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein by means of a handle (5), which is arranged on the outer surface (15) of the outlet hopper (3), the telescopic elements (13) can be pulled out of one another and pushed one inside the other.

10. Conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the outlet hopper (3) has, in its lower region, a mouthpiece (20) which can be docked to a feed shoe (23) of a tablet press and has a rubber-elastic tubular casing (21).

11. Conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the outlet flap (4) is pivotable about an axis (22) inside the outlet hopper (3) and is displaceable by means of an operating element arranged outside the outlet hopper (3).

12. Conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the outlet flap (4) is closed when the telescopic elements (13) area in the contracted position and while the telescopic elements (13) are being extended, and when the telescopic elements (13) are in the extended position the outlet flap (4) is open when the mouthpiece (20) of the outlet hopper (3) has been docked to a feed shoe (23).

13. Filling device especially for a conveyor device in accordance with claim 1, the filling device (7) having the following features: an inlet hopper (1) having an upper inlet opening (10) and a lower outlet opening (11) of a guide tube (12), the inlet opening (10) being couplable to a lower opening (9) of a supply container (8);telescopic elements (13), which are arranged on the guide tube (12) and carry an outlet hopper (3) having an outlet flap (4).

14. Use of the conveyor device (6) according to claim 1 or of the filling device (7) according to claim 1 for vertical flow of material, without demixing, of powdered media having different particle sizes and different particle densities, especially for filling tabletting machines, wherein the powdered press mass to be tabletted having different particle sizes and different particle densities is guided vertically, without demixing, from a supply container (8), which is arranged above a tablet press, with the telescopic elements (13) being extended and the outlet flap (4) being closed, into a feed shoe (23) of the tablet press, with the outlet flap (4) being opened.