SUBSTANCE TRANSFER DEVICE

Abstract

A material delivery apparatus is provided which is capable of delivering a material in a large amount per unit area per unit time without damaging the material, and capable of discharging the delivered material powerfully from the outlet port. A rotary body 30 rotates on the rotation axis, a line 36 (imaginary line) connecting the center point of the round top face 32 and the center point of the round bottom face 34. The rotary body 30 has on the outside peripheral face 31 a spiral fin 50 which rotates together with the rotary body 30. The fin 50 extends from the top end to the rear end (end to end) of the outside peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30. The fin 50 stretches out from the outside peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30 close to the inside peripheral face 24 of the casing 20 to cause little leakage of the material through the clearance between the edge of the fin 50 and the inside peripheral face 24. The distance d between the confronting faces of the fin 50 is kept unchanged.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a material delivery apparatus for delivering a material from an inlet port to an outlet port.

BACKGROUND TECHNIQUE

Material delivery apparatuses are known which deliver a solid-matter-containing fluid fed through an inlet port to an outlet port and discharge the fluid. Such a material delivery apparatus is useful, for example, for delivering a fluid from a large container (e.g., a tank) to plural small containers. Some conventional material delivery apparatuses have a spiral fin around a peripheral face of a cylindrical rotary body (e.g., Patent Document 1 shown below). With such a conventional apparatus for delivering a material, a larger amount of the material can be delivered at a higher discharge pressure (discharge power) by increasing the rotation speed of the cylindrical rotary body.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-269358

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

The above-mentioned rotation speed of the rotary body should be lower than a certain limit, since the rotary body rotated at a higher speed can damage the material introduced through the inlet port. Some kinds of materials to be delivered are fragile, which limits the rotation speed of the rotary body. On the other hand, when the material delivery apparatus is connected at the outlet port through a delivery pipe or the like to a small container to deliver a material, the pressure of the discharge of the material should be somewhat higher at the outlet port of the material delivery apparatus. At a lower discharge pressure, the material to be delivered may stagnate in the delivery pipe.

In view of the above matters, the present invention intends to provide a material delivery apparatus which is capable of delivering a material in a large amount per unit time per unit area without damage of the material, and is capable of discharging the material powerfully (at a high ejection pressure) out of the outlet port.

Means for Solving the Problem

To solve the above problems, the material delivery apparatus for delivering a material from an inlet port to outside of an outlet port thereof comprises:

(1) a casing having the inlet port and the outlet port, and having an internal space extending with the inside diameter increasing from the inlet port toward the outlet port and being defined by an inside peripheral face;
(2) a rotary body placed in the internal space extending with the diameter thereof increasing from the inlet port toward the outlet port, and being rotatable around a center axis passing the apex or center of the top face of the rotary body and the center of the bottom face thereof;
(3) a first fin formed spirally on the outside peripheral face of the rotary body with the interval between confronting faces of the fin being increased toward the outlet port, and rotatable together with the rotary body;
(4) a second fin extending spirally from a position between the inlet port and the outlet port on the peripheral face of the rotary body to the outlet port along the interval of the confronting faces of the first fin; and
(5) the internal space being in a shape of a cone or a truncated cone; and
(6) the rotary body being in a shape of a circular cone or a truncated cone.
(7) The internal space of the casing may be similar in shape to the rotary body.
(8) The fin may stretch out from the outside peripheral face of the rotary body close to the inside peripheral face of the casing.
(9) The fin may extend continuously on the peripheral face of the rotary body from near the inlet port to near the outlet port.
(10) The fin may be made thicker gradually toward the outlet port.
(11) The inclination angle of the fin defined as the angle between a parallel-shifted tangential line and the center axis of the rotary body is made smaller toward the outlet port: the tangential line being drawn at a point on the boundary between the fin and the peripheral face of the rotary body and being shifted parallel to cross the center axis.
(12) A shielding cover may be provided between adjacent edges of the fin to be parallel to the outside peripheral face of the rotary body to shield the outside peripheral face from the inside peripheral face of the casing.
(13) The inlet port may be provided to introduce the material in the direction of crossing the rotation axis or parallel to the rotation axis.
(14) A blocking board may be provided at the bottom face of the rotary body to prevent collision of the delivered material against the bottom face of the casing.

Incidentally, the rotary body may have any shape in which the width (or outside diameter) enlarging gradually from the inlet port toward the outlet port, including those having the outside peripheral face in an outline shape of a parabola, an exponential curve, or a hyperbola in a side view of the rotary body.

EFFECT OF THE INVENTION

In the material delivery apparatus of the present invention, the fin has the edge close enough to the inside wall face of the casing but not to hinder the rotary movement of the fin. Thereby, the delivery path (delivery space) is formed by the space surrounded by the outside peripheral face of the rotary body, the spiral fin, and the inside wall face of the casing. This delivery path continues spirally along the spiral fin on the outside peripheral face of the rotary body. The rotary body extends with the wideness (outside diameter) enlarging from the inlet port toward the outlet port. The apex (or the top face, the smallest portion) of the rotary body is placed near the inlet port, and the bottom face (the widest portion) thereof is placed near the outlet port. Thus the rotary body comes to be wider toward the outlet port (the outside diameter being enlarged). At a constant rotation speed of the rotary body, the peripheral speed of the outside peripheral face of the rotary body is increased toward the outlet port (the movement distance of a point on the outside peripheral face per one rotation cycle is longer). That is, the more apart from the center axis of the rotary body (the nearer to the outlet port), the higher is the peripheral speed at the point. Thus the material which is introduced through the inlet port into the delivery path is delivered toward the outlet port with its delivery speed increasing gradually with the increase of the above-mentioned peripheral speed. Since the rotary body is narrow near the inlet port, the speed of delivery of the material is low, not causing damage of the material.

As described above, the material delivery speed varies nearly in proportion to the peripheral speed of the outside face of the rotary body, and is increased gradually in proportion to the increasing peripheral speed. Therefore, the material is delivered without abrupt change of the delivery speed in a laminar flow (without forming a turbulent flow) smoothly to the outlet port. As mentioned above, the delivery speed of the material can be higher at the outlet port than that at the inlet port. Therefore, the material delivered to the outlet port is discharged from the outlet port powerfully (ejected at a higher ejection pressure) depending on the rotation speed of the rotary body. The material is delivered in a laminar flow in the delivery without violent collision against the inside wall face of the casing or the fin. Therefore, neither noise nor vibration is caused by the collision, and the material is not damaged.

As mentioned above, the delivery speed of the material in the delivery path is increased with approach to the outlet port. Therefore, it seems that the amount of the material discharged from the outlet port (discharge amount) can be larger than the amount of the material introduced through the inlet port (supplied amount) per unit area per unit time. Actually, however, only the amount of the material introduced through the inlet port is discharged from the outlet port. Therefore, the material fed to the inlet port is sucked into the interior of the delivery path (toward the outlet port). Thereby the material fed successively through the inlet port can be delivered smoothly without clogging to the outlet port to be discharged therefrom.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates schematically a material delivery system employing the material delivery apparatus of Example 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the material delivery apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 with the casing broken away.

FIG. 3A is a side view of the rotary body and fin of the material delivery apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 3B is a side view of another internal space (the rotary body being similar). FIG. 3C is a side view of still another internal space (the rotary body being similar).

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the rotary body and fin of FIG. 3A taken along line B-B.

FIG. 5 is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 1 with that of Comparative Example: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 at a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the pressures at the inlet port and the outlet port: the abscissa denoting the length direction of the casing, and the ordinate denoting the pressure in water head (m).

FIG. 7 is a side view of the rotary body and fin of the material delivery apparatus of Example 2.

FIG. 8 is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 2 with that of Example 1: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 through a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the rotary body and fin of the material delivery apparatus of Example 3.

FIG. 10 is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 3 with those of Examples 1 and 2: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 through a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the rotary body and fin of the material delivery apparatus of Example 4.

FIG. 12 is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 4 with those of Examples 1, 2 and 3: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 at a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the rotary body and fin of the material delivery apparatus of Example 5.

FIG. 14 is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 5 with that of Example 1: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 at a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port.

FIG. 15A is a side view illustrating the material delivery apparatus of Example 6. FIG. 15B is an enlarged sectional view of a part of FIG. 15A.

FIG. 16 is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 6 with that of Example 1: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 at a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port.

FIG. 17 is a side view illustrating the material delivery apparatus of Example 7.

FIG. 18 is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 7 with that of Example 1: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 at a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port.

FIG. 19 is a side view illustrating the material delivery apparatus of Example 8.

FIG. 20A is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 8 with that of Example 1: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 at a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port. FIG. 20B is a graph showing the pressures at the inlet port and the outlet port: the abscissa denoting the length direction of the casing, and the ordinate denoting the pressure in water head (m).

FIG. 21 is a side view illustrating the material delivery apparatus of Example 9.

FIG. 22A is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 9 with that of Examples 1 to 8: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 at a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port. FIG. 22B is a graph showing the pressures at the inlet port and the outlet port: the abscissa denoting the length direction of the casing, and the ordinate denoting the pressure in water head (m).

FIG. 23 is a side view illustrating schematically the material delivery apparatus of Example 10.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention is realized in a material delivery apparatus for delivering materials including foodstuffs such as dairy products and seasoning materials; chemicals such as paints; cosmetics such as creams; medicines such as ointments, and so forth.

Example 1

Example 1 of the material delivery apparatus of the present invention is described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

FIG. 1 illustrates schematically a material delivery system employing the material delivery apparatus of Example 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the inside of the material delivery apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 with the casing broken away. FIG. 3A is a side view of the rotary body and fin of the material delivery apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 3B is a side view of another internal space (the rotary body being similar). FIG. 3C is a side view of still another internal space (the rotary body being similar). FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the rotary body and fin of FIG. 3A taken along line B-B. FIG. 5 is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 1 with that of Comparative Example: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 at a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port. FIG. 6 is a graph showing the pressures at the inlet port and the outlet port: the abscissa denoting the length direction of the casing, and the ordinate denoting the pressure in water head (m).

The material delivery apparatus 10 is used, for example as illustrated in FIG. 1, for transferring a fluidized material from a large container (e.g., a tank) 2 through delivery pipes 4A and 4B to a plurality of smaller containers 6-1, 6-2, and so forth. The material delivery apparatus 10 is placed between the delivery pipes 4A, 4B (for connection), and delivers a material which has fed by gravity from the container 2 into the inlet port 12 of the material delivery apparatus 10 to the outlet port 14, and to discharges (ejects) the material into the delivery pipe 4B. Incidentally, the smaller containers 6-1, 6-2, and so forth may be successively conveyed thereto in the arrow-A direction by a conveyor belt.

The material delivery apparatus 10 has a casing 20 which has an inlet port 12 for receiving the fed material and an outlet port 14 for discharging (ejecting) the material fed through the inlet port 12. The inlet port 12 and the outlet port 14 are circular in cross-sections perpendicular to the directions (indicated by the arrow mark IN and the arrow mark OUT). The casing 20 has an internal space 22. This internal space 22 has its inside diameter increasing from the inlet port 12 toward the outlet port 14. Therefore, the internal space 22 is expanded gradually from the smallest diameter R2 near the inlet port 12 to the largest diameter R1 near the outlet port 14. In FIG. 1, the internal space 22 is illustrated to be in a shape of a truncated cone, but may be in a shape of a cone. Otherwise, the internal space 22 may flare out as illustrated in FIG. 3B, or may be in a shape of a bullet as illustrated in FIG. 3C. The casing 20 has an inside peripheral face 24 defining the internal space 22 corresponding, for example, to the outside peripheral face of the truncated cone. At the outlet port 14, a flowmeter 16 is equipped for measuring the flow rate of the material discharged through the outlet port 14. This flowmeter 16 measures the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 through a cross-section perpendicular to the material discharge direction (the arrow-A direction) at the outlet port 14. At the inlet port 12, a pressure indicator 13 is equipped to measure the pressure of the fluidized material at the inlet port 12; and at the outlet port 14, a pressure indicator 15 is equipped to measure the pressure of the fluidized material at the outlet port 14. An example of the pressures measured by the pressure indicators 13, 15 is shown in FIG. 6 in terms of a water head (m). The pressure indicator 13 is a manometer (measurement unit: water head (m)) produced by Plant Construct and Engineering Co. The pressure indicator 15 is a Bourdon-pipe type pressure gauge (general type; measurement unit: MPa), and the pressure is converted to a water head (m). The measured pressures in the water head are shown later by a graph. The flowmeter 16 is a float type flowmeter (Flometer; measurement unit: L/min) Incidentally the flowmeter is capable of measuring only the flow rate of water.

The casing 20 has an internal space 22, encasing a rotary body 30 which rotates in the internal space 22. The rotary body 30 extends with its width (corresponding to the outside diameter of a circular cone or a truncated cone) increasing from the inlet port 12 toward the outlet port 14. The rotary body 30 is preferably similar in shape to the internal space 22, but is not limited thereto. In Example 1, the internal space 22 is in a shape of a truncated cone, and the rotary body 30 is also in a shape of a truncated cone as illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3A. The internal space 22 of the casing 20 and the rotary body 30 in the circular cone shape or truncated cone shape are readily manufactured, and enable smooth delivery of the material. Further, the similar shapes of the internal space 22 and the rotary body 30 are convenient in manufacture of the material delivery apparatus 10.

The rotary body 30 rotates on a center axis which is a straight line 36 (imaginary line) connecting the center of the circular top face 32 with the center of the circular bottom face 34. In this Example, the rotary body 30 is rotated around the center axis 38 which is concentric with the straight line 36. The lengthwise ends of the center axis 38 are supported rotatably by bearings 40, 42. The portion of the center axis 38 fixed rotatably to the bearing 42 is coupled to a motor 44. This motor 44 drives the rotary body 30 to rotate. The motor 44 is controlled by a controller (not shown in the drawing). A blocking board 35 is provided on the bottom face 34 of the rotary body 30 to prevent collision of the delivered material against the bottom (bottom of the inside wall) of the casing 20. The blocking board 35 is wider (having a larger diameter) than the bottom face 34 and the outside diameter is nearly equal to that of the fin 50 near the bottom face 34. The top face 32 of rotary body 30 and the blocking board 35 are constructed not to touch the inside wall face of the casing 20, so that the rotary body 30 can rotate smoothly without touching the fixed non-rotatable casing 20.

A spiral fin 50 is provided on the peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30. The fin 50 rotates together with the rotary body 30. This fin 50 extends spirally from the top end to the tail end (from end to end) of the peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30. Otherwise, the fin 50 may be constructed to extend along the peripheral face 31 from near the inlet port 12 to near the outlet port 14 (not end-to-end). Therefore, as mentioned later, the portions of the fin 50 may lack at one or both of the lengthwise ends of the rotary body 30. As mentioned later, a portion of the fin 50 may lack at the either lengthwise end of the rotary body 30. The fin 50 stretches out from the peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30 close to the inside peripheral face 24 of the casing 20 to cause little leakage of the delivered material through the clearance between the edge of the fin 50 (portion facing the inside peripheral face 24) and the inside peripheral face 24 of the casing 20. The distance (inter-fin distance) d between the confronting faces of the fin 50 is fixed (constant throughout the fin). The fin 50 and the inside peripheral face 24 are constructed not to touch each other to enable smooth rotation of the fin 50. The casing 20 is fixed with legs (not shown in the drawing) to the floor or the like not to be rotated.

The inclination angle θ is defined as an angle of crossing of a parallel-shifted tangential line 52 with the center axis 38: the tangential line being drawn at a point on the boundary between the peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30 and the spiral fin 50 and being shifted parallel to cross the center axis 38 (line 36). This inclination angle θ is kept constant at 84° as illustrated in FIG. 3A. This inclination angle θ may be changed to increase the amount of delivery of the material as described later.

The parts including the casing 20, rotary body 30, and fin 50 are made from a metal of a resin to be suitable for the delivered material. The materials to be delivered by the material delivery apparatus 10 include foodstuffs, chemicals, cosmetics, detergents, and medicines. The foodstuffs include diary products, seasoning materials, cooked foods, beverages, alcoholic drinks, and confectionery products. The chemicals include paints. The cosmetics and detergents include creams, shampoos, and cleansers. The medicines include ointments, eye lotions, and glycerin.

The internal space 22 of the casing 20 has a bottom face of a diameter R1 of 18 cm, a top face of a diameter R2 of 4 cm, a length L1 (corresponding to the length of the rotary body 30) of 20.7 cm. The inlet port 12 having a round cross-section of a diameter R5 has a sectional area of twice that of the output port 14: the output port 14 having a diameter R6 of 2.0 cm. The rotary body 30 has the bottom face of a diameter R3 of 13 cm, and the top face of a diameter R4 of 1.3 cm. The distance (interspace) d between the confronting faces of the fin 50 is 2.5 cm. With this apparatus, the amount of the delivery of the material was measured. In Example 1, water only was used as the delivery material. In other Examples described later also, water was used as the delivery material. FIG. 5 shows the results. FIG. 5 shows also flow rates in a material delivery apparatus of Comparative Example. In Comparative Example, the material delivery apparatus has the internal space in a cylindrical shape having a diameter of 7 cm, and the rotary body having a diameter (outside diameter) of 1.3 cm, with the other parts being the same in size as those in the material delivery apparatus 10. In this measurement, the flow rate was measured by the flowmeter 16, and the material delivery apparatus 10 and that of Comparative Example are made of a resin.

As shown in FIG. 5, the flow is increased in proportion to the rotation speed (rpm) both in material delivery apparatus 10 of Example 1 and in the material delivery apparatus of Comparative Example. However, the increasing rate of the flow with the increase of the rotation speed is much greater in the material delivery apparatus 10.

FIG. 6 shows the pressures at the inlet port 12 and at the outlet port 14 of the material delivery apparatus 10 having the above size. In FIG. 6, the pressure is shown in terms of a water head (m). The pressure was negative at the inlet port 12, and the pressure at the outlet port 14 is higher than a water head of 2 m. From the result, the material is considered to be sucked into the inside at the inlet port 12 by the negative pressure.

The above results shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are considered below.

In the material delivery apparatus 10, the fin 50 has the edge closest to the inside peripheral face 24 but not to prevent the rotation of the fin 50, whereby the material does not leak through the clearance between the fin 50 and the inside peripheral face 24. Therefore the delivery path (delivery space) 60 for the material is a space surrounded by the outside peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30, spiral fin 50, and the inside peripheral face 24 of the casing 20. This delivery path 60 continues along the spiral fin 50 to form the delivery path 60 in a spiral shape on the outside peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30.

The rotary body 30 extends from the inlet port 12 to the outlet port 14 with the outside diameter increasing (the smallest diameter R4 to the largest diameter R3) to have the top face 32 near the inlet port 12 and the bottom face 34 near the outlet port 14. Thus the rotary body 30 becomes larger in diameter toward the outlet port 14. Accordingly, at a constant rotation speed of the rotary body 30, the peripheral speed of the outside peripheral face 31 is higher at the portion nearer to the outlet port 14 (the rotary movement distance in one rotation cycle of a point on the outside peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30 is longer). In other words, the more apart a point on the outside peripheral face 31 from the center axis 38 of the rotary body 30 (the nearer to the outlet port 14), the higher is the peripheral speed. Thus, in the delivery path 60 continuing spirally from the inlet port 12 to the outlet port 14, the peripheral speed increases continuously toward the outlet port 14 depending on the outer diameter of the rotary body 30. Therefore, the material introduced through the inlet port 12 reaches the delivery path 60 near the inlet port 12, and is delivered through the delivery path 60 at the delivery speed increasing gradually nearly in proportion to the above-mentioned peripheral speed toward the outlet port 14. The flow of the material is denoted by a two-dot spiral line F. In contrast, in the material delivery apparatus of Comparative Example, which has the internal space and the rotary body both cylindrical, the material delivery speed is nearly constant throughout the path from the inlet port to the outlet port.

In the material delivery apparatus 10, as described above, the delivery speed of the material is nearly proportional to the peripheral speed of the outside peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30. Therefore, the material is delivered at a delivery speed increasing gradually in proportion to the gradually increasing peripheral speed without abrupt change in the delivery speed in a laminar flow (without forming a turbulent flow) smoothly to the outlet port 14. The delivery speed of the material can be higher at the outlet port 14 than at the inlet port 12, so that the material delivered to the outlet port 14 is ejected powerfully from the outlet port 14 in accordance with the rotation speed of the rotary body 30 (ejected at a higher ejection pressure). Since the material is delivered in a laminar flow in the delivery path 60 as mentioned above, the material will not collide violently against the inside peripheral face 24 of the casing 20 or the fin 50, and will not cause a noise of a vibration by the collision.

The delivery speed can become higher toward the outlet port 14 in the delivery path 60 in the material delivery apparatus 10 as described above. Therefore, the amount of the material discharged from the outlet port 14 (discharge amount) seems to be larger than the amount of the material introduced through the inlet port 12 (feed amount) per unit area per unit time. Actually, however, only the introduced amount of the material through the inlet port 12 can be discharged from the outlet port 14. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, a negative pressure is generated to suck the material from the inlet port 12 into the delivery path 60 (toward the outlet port 14). Thereby, the material introduced continuously through the inlet port 12 can be delivered smoothly without clogging and be discharged from the outlet port 14. In contrast, in the material delivery apparatus of Comparative Example, which has the internal space and the rotary body both cylindrical, the delivery speed are the same at or around the inlet port and the outlet port.

Next, the design approach is described f ▪ for the length of the casing 20 (length of the rotary body 30), the number of turns of the spiral fin 50, the inter-fin distance d, and the inclination angle θ of the fin 50.

In the description below, the symbols denote the followings: L1, the length of the rotary body 30; R3, the diameter of the bottom face of the rotary body 30; d, the distance between the confronting faces of the fin 50; N, the number of turns of the fin 50; R1, the inside diameter of the internal space 22 near the outlet port 14 (being approximate to the diameter of the end of the fin 50): and

θ, the angle of inclination of the fin 50 to the center axis 38. Then

L1=d×N;

θ=90°−(tan−1(d/3.14×R1))°;

Width W of Solid Matter: W<d;

Thickness of Solid Matter: H<(R1−R3)/2;

Maximum Diameter of Solid Matter: d1=(W2+H2+B2)½;
where B denotes the depth of the solid matter, and d1<d.

The diameter R6 of the outlet port 14 is decided from the maximum diameter d1 of the solid matter and the required flow rate. The diameter R5 of the inlet port 12 is decided to be larger than the diameter R6 of the outlet port 14 at the sectional area ratio in the range from 2 to 3. The clearance between the fin 50 and the inside peripheral face of the casing 20 is preferably in the range from 0.01 mm to 0.2 mm in consideration of leakage of the delivered material, working of the parts, difficulty in assemblage, and so forth.

Example 2

Example 2 of the material delivery apparatus of the present invention is described below with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the rotary body and fin of the material delivery apparatus of Example 2. FIG. 8 is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 2 with that in Example 1: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 through a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port. In FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the same symbols are used for denoting corresponding constituent elements as in FIGS. 1 to 6.

The material delivery apparatus 110 of Example 2 has basically the same structure as the material delivery apparatus 10 of Example 1 except the shape of the fin. The distance (interspace) d between the confronting faces of the fin 150 of the material delivery apparatus 110 is increased toward the outlet port 14 (FIG. 2, etc.). Specifically, the distance d near the inlet port 12 (FIG. 2, etc.) is 2.5 cm, and the distance d5 near the outlet port 14 is 6.7 cm. The distance (d to d5) is increased every turn of the fin 150, from 3.0 cm through 3.75 cm to 4.75 cm. Thereby, the number of turns of the fin 150 is decreased in comparison with that of Example 1 (from 8 turns to 6 turns).

The gradual increase of the distance from d near the inlet port 12 to d5 near the outlet port 14 increases the sectional area (area of the face perpendicular to the delivery direction) of the delivery path 160 toward the outlet port 14 to enable smoother delivery of the material in a larger amount. However, an extremely long distance d tends to cause stagnation and a turbulent flow of the material in the delivery path 160. For preventing the occurrence of the turbulent flow, a second fin may be provided as mentioned later. FIG. 8 shows the amounts of the material delivered by the material delivery apparatus 110 of Example 2 in comparison with that of the material delivery apparatus 10 of Example 1.

As shown in FIG. 8, the flow rate increases in proportion to the rotation speed (rpm) with the material delivery apparatus 110 of Example 2 as well as with the material delivery apparatus 10 of Example 1. However, the increasing rate of the amount of the material flow is higher with the material delivery apparatus 110. This is because the larger sectional area of the delivery path 160 (the area of the plane perpendicular to the delivery direction) enables a larger amount of delivery of the material, and the generated sucking force (negative pressure) serves to suck the material through the inlet port 12 into the delivery path 160 (toward the outlet 14). However, excessive expansion of the distance d5 tends to cause material stagnation and a turbulent flow in the delivery path 160 as described above.

The distances d to d5 are designed according to the design approach as described in Example 1 for the length of the casing 20 (length of the rotary body 30), the turn number of the fin 50, the inter-fin distance d, and the inclination angle θ of the fin 50.

Example 3

Example 3 of the material delivery apparatus of the present invention is described below with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the rotary body and fin of the material delivery apparatus of Example 3. FIG. 10 is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 3 with those of Examples 1 and 2: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 through a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port. In FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the same symbols are used for denoting corresponding constituent elements as in FIGS. 1 to 8.

The material delivery apparatus 210 of Example 3 has basically the same structure as the material delivery apparatus 110 of Example 2 except the inter-fin distance and provision of a second fin 252. The inter-fin distance (interval) d between the confronting faces of the fin 250 of the material delivery apparatus 210 of Example 3 is increased toward the outlet port 14 (FIG. 2, etc.) similarly as in the material delivery apparatus 110 in Example 2. However, the inter-fin distance d of the fin 250 near the outlet port 14 is larger than that of the fin 150. Specifically, the distance d near the inlet port 12 (FIG. 2, etc.) is 2.5 cm, and the distance d5 near the outlet port 14 is 7.45 cm. Between the both ends, the distance is increased every turn of the fin 250 from d2 to d5 as 3.0 cm, 3.75 cm to 4.75 cm.

The successive increase of the distance from the inlet port 12 through d, d2, d3, d4, and d5 toward the outlet port 14 makes larger the sectional area (area of the face perpendicular to the delivery direction) toward the outlet port 14. However, an extremely long distance of d5 is liable to cause stagnation and a turbulent flow of the material in the delivery path 260. For preventing the occurrence of the turbulent flow, a second fin 252 is provided.

This second fin 252 is provided spirally from a position in the interspace between the confronting faces of the fin 250 (from the interspace of the fin at the distance d4) without touching the fin 250 along the peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30. Specifically, the second fin 252 is formed to start from the position opposite to the point of start of the last 1.5 turns of the fin 250 relative to the center axis 38 (FIG. 2) toward the outlet port 14. The second fin 252 is lower at the starting position and the height is made gradually increased to nearly the height of the fin 250 near the outlet port 14. This second fin 252 serves to straighten the flow of the material delivered through the delivery path 260 to prevent the occurrence of the stagnation or the turbulent flow which may be caused by the excessive large inter-fin distance d of the fin 250. Incidentally, the starting point of formation of the second fin can be decided to meet the kind of the delivered material by experiment.

FIG. 10 compares the amounts of the material delivered by the material delivery apparatus 210 of Example 3 in which the distance d is changed and the second fin 252 is provided, by the material delivery apparatus 110 of Example 2, and by the material delivery apparatus 10 of Example 1.

As shown in FIG. 10, the flow rate increases in proportion to the rotation speed (rpm) with any of the material delivery apparatus 10 of Example 1, the material delivery apparatus 110 of Example 2, and the material delivery apparatus 210 of Example 3. However, the rate of increase of the amount of the material flow is the highest with the material delivery apparatus 210. This is because the larger sectional area (the area of the face perpendicular to the delivery direction) enables delivery of a larger amount of the material; the second fin 252 serves to make the flow laminar; and a sucking force (negative pressure) is generated for sucking the material through the inlet port 12 into the delivery path 260 (toward the outlet port 14). Incidentally, no turbulent flow is generated, so that the delivered material is not damaged.

Example 4

Example 4 of the material delivery apparatus of the present invention is described below with reference to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the rotary body and fin of the material delivery apparatus of Example 4. FIG. 12 is a graph showing the amounts of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 4 in comparison with the delivery amount in Examples 1, 2, and 3: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 through a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port. In these drawings, the same symbols are used for denoting corresponding constituent elements as in FIGS. 1 to 10.

The material delivery apparatus 310 of Example 4 has basically the same structure as the material delivery apparatus 10 of Example 1 except that the thickness t of the fin is increased toward the outlet port 14 (made thinner toward the inlet port 12). In this Example 4, the thickness t of the fin 350 of the material delivery apparatus 310 is 2.0 mm near the inlet port 12 (FIG. 2, etc.), and 5.0 mm near the outlet port 14. Therebetween the thickness t is increased by about 0.5 mm every turn of the fin 350. The thickness of the fin is designed not to decrease the breadths (d-d5) of the flow path.

The gradual increase of the thickness t of the fin 350 from the inlet port 12 toward the outlet port 14 improves the endurance of the fin 350 owing to the larger thickness of the fin 350 in the region in which the delivery speed is higher. Near the inlet port 12 (low delivery speed region), the smaller thickness of the fin 350 makes the material introduced through the inlet port 12 less liable to collide against the fin 350 and prevents the damage of the material. Further, the resistance of the material to the delivery is reduced to enable smooth delivery of the material.

FIG. 12 shows the amounts of delivery by the material delivery apparatus 310 of Example 4 in comparison with the material delivery apparatuses 10, 110, and 210 of Examples 1, 2, and 3.

FIG. 12 shows that, in any of the material delivery apparatuses 10, 110, 210, and 310, the amount of the delivery of the material increases with increase of the rotation speed. The increasing rate of the flow by the increase of the rotation speed is highest with the material delivery apparatus 210.

Example 5

Example 5 of the material delivery apparatus of the present invention is described below with reference to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the rotary body and fin of the material delivery apparatus of Example 5. FIG. 14 is a graph showing the amounts of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Examples 5 and the material delivery apparatus of Example 1 for comparison: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 through a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port. In these drawings, the same symbols are used for denoting corresponding constituent elements as in FIGS. 1 to 12.

The material delivery apparatus 410 of Example 5 has basically the same structure as the material delivery apparatus 10 of Example 1 except that the inclination angle θ of the fin is varied to be smaller toward the outlet port 14. Here, the inclination angle θ is defined as an angle of crossing of a parallel-shifted tangential line 52 with the center line 36: the tangential line being drawn at a point on the boundary between the peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30 and the spiral fin 450 and being shifted parallel to cross the center line 36 (center axis 38). This inclination angle θ may be decided experimentally depending on the kind and size of the solid matter to be delivered. The relation between the inclination angle θ and the flow rate (delivery amount) is described by two examples with reference to FIG. 14.

In FIG. 14, Line-I denotes the flow rate in Example 1 (material delivery apparatus 10) with the inclination angles θ1, θ2, and θ3 being kept constant at 84° throughout the fin 50. Line-II in FIG. 14 denotes the flow rate in the apparatus with the inclination angle θ1 of 85° at the position of the fin 450 nearest to the inlet port 12; the inclination angle θ2 of 82° at the middle position; and the inclination angle θ3 of 75° at the position nearest to the outlet port 14. Line-III in FIG. 14 denotes the flow rate in the apparatus with the inclination angle θ1 of 77° at the position of the fin 450 nearest to the inlet port 12; the inclination angle θ2 of 73° at the middle position; and the inclination angle θ3 of 55° at the position nearest to the outlet port 14.

In the above experiment, the flow rate is the highest with the apparatus in which the inclination angle θ1 is 85° at the position of the fin 450 nearest to the inlet port 12, the inclination angle being decreased gradually toward the outlet port 14 to the inclination angle θ3 of 75° at the position nearest to the outlet port 14. This is because the smaller the inclination angle θ, the higher is the rate of the delivery of the material (the peripheral speed of the outside peripheral face 31) to increase the acceleration to the material. An excessively small inclination angle θ tends to damage the delivered material by the greater acceleration force.

In experiments, fragile solid materials were delivered with water as the carrying fluid, the fragile solid materials including boiled potato in a size of about 10 mm, carrot, radish, rice grains, and beans. The solid materials were discharged from the outlet port with the shape kept unchanged by the delivery. In another experiment, living killifish were delivered together with carrier water, and the living killifish were discharged alive from the outlet port.

Experiment 6

Example 6 of the material delivery apparatus of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 15 and FIG. 16.

FIG. 15A is a side view of the material delivery apparatus of Example 6. FIG. 15B is an enlarged sectional view of a part of FIG. 15A. FIG. 16 is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery of the material by the material delivery apparatus of Example 6 with that of Example 1: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 through a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port. In these drawings, the same symbols are used for denoting corresponding constituting elements as in FIGS. 1 to 14.

The material delivery apparatus 510 of Example 6 has basically the same structure as the material delivery apparatus 10 of Example 1 except that a shielding cover 552 is provided around a portion of the fin 50 near the outlet port 14. The shielding cover 552, which shields the outside peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30 against the inside peripheral face 24 of the casing 20, extends between the adjacent edges (top) of the fin 50 parallel to the outside peripheral face 31. The shielding cover 552 may be provided over the entire part of the fin 50. However, the entire coverage with the shielding cover 552 may hinder cleaning of the material delivery apparatus 510.

In the portion covered by the shielding cover 552, the material being delivered does not brought into contact with the inside peripheral face 24 (fixed) of the casing 20. Therefore, the material can be delivered more smoothly without friction between the delivered material and the inside peripheral face 24.

FIG. 16 compares the flow rates of the material in the presence of and absence of the shielding cover 552. The material delivery apparatus 510 having the shielding cover 552 delivers the material at a higher flow rate than that by the material delivery apparatus 10 (Example 1) having no shielding cover 552.

Example 7

Example 7 of the material delivery apparatus of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 17 and FIG. 18.

FIG. 17 is a side view of the material delivery apparatus of Example 7. FIG. 18 is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 7 with that of Example 1: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 through the cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port. In these drawings, the same symbols are used for denoting corresponding constituent elements as in FIGS. 1 to 16.

The material delivery apparatus 610 of Example 7 has basically the same structure as the material delivery apparatus 10 of Example 1 except that the fin 650 is partially cut away near the inlet port on a portion of the outside peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30. The material delivery apparatuses of Examples 1 to 6 have the fin formed from end to end on the outside peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30, whereas the material delivery apparatus 610 of Example 7 has the fin 650 lacking at the portion near the inlet port on the outside peripheral face 31 of the rotary body 30. With such an apparatus, since the resistance by the fin 650 is lower near the inlet port, the flow rate tends to increase slightly as shown in FIG. 18. The material introduced from the inlet port 12 is not immediately brought into contact with the fin 650, which reduces damage of the delivered material. Such a material delivery apparatus 610 is suitable for delivery of a fragile solid matter (e.g., a soft material).

The ratio of the length Lx of the portion lacking the fin 650 is preferably not higher than 0.5, more preferably not higher than 0.3 in terms of Lx/L1.

Example 8

Example 8 of the material delivery apparatus of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 19 and FIG. 20.

FIG. 19 is a side view of the material delivery apparatus of Example 8. FIG. 20A is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 8 with that of Example 1: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the delivery amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 through a cross-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port. FIG. 20B is a graph showing the pressures at the inlet port and the outlet port: the abscissa denoting the length direction in the casing, and the ordinate denoting the pressure in water head (m). In these drawings, the same symbols are used for denoting corresponding constituent elements as in FIGS. 1 to 18.

The material delivery apparatus 710 of Example 8 has basically the same structure as the material delivery apparatus 10 of Example 1 except the lengths of the casing 720 and rotary body 730, and the number of the fins 750, 752, 754. To the rotary body 730, is fixed a blocking board 735 similar to the blocking board 35 (FIG. 2).

The material delivery apparatus 710 has a casing 720, an internal space 722 therein, and a rotary body 730 which are wider and shorter than those of the material delivery apparatus 10, and the internal space 722 and the rotary body 730 are in a truncated cone shape. The internal space 722 has a bottom face of a diameter R1 of 20 cm and a top face of a diameter R2 of 12 cm, and has a length L1 of 17.5 cm. The rotary body 730 has a bottom face 734 of a diameter R3 of 15 cm, and a top face 732 of a diameter R4 of 7 cm. The rotary body 730 has, on the outside peripheral face 731, three separate fins: 750, 752 (second fin), and 754 (third fin).

The fin 750 is wound spirally from the top face 732 of the outside peripheral face 731 of the rotary body 730 to the bottom face 734 thereof (end to end) in about one turn (wound in about 360 around the peripheral face 731). The second fin 752 is wound from a lengthwise middle portion of the outside peripheral face 731 of the rotary body 730 to the bottom face 734 thereof in nearly half a turn around the peripheral face 731 (wound about 120° to 130° in terms of the center angle). The third fin 754 is wound starting from a lengthwise middle portion of the outside peripheral face 731 of the rotary body 730. This starting point of the winding is lengthwise nearly the same as the starting point of the second fin 752, but is deviated by about 120° in terms of the center angle from the second fin. The third fin 754 is wound just to the bottom face 734, in nearly half a turn around the peripheral face 731 (wound about 120° to 130° in terms of the center angle).

Although the large inter-fin distance d between the confronting portions of the fin 750 tends to cause stagnation and a turbulent flow of the material in the delivery path 760 as described in Example 3, the turbulent flow is prevented by the second fin 752 and the third fin 754.

FIG. 20 shows the flow rate, and the difference in pressure between the inlet port 12 and the outlet port 14 of the above material delivery apparatus 710 in comparison with those of the material delivery apparatus 10 (Example 1) in delivery of water only. In this Example, the second fin 752 and the third fin 754 are wound around the outside peripheral face 731 of the rotary body 730. Otherwise, three short fins may be wound by shifting the winding position by the center angles of 90.

Example 9

Example 9 of the material delivery apparatus of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 21 and FIG. 22.

FIG. 21 is a side view of the material delivery apparatus of Example 9. FIG. 22A is a graph for comparing the amount of delivery by the material delivery apparatus of Example 9 with that of Examples 1 to 8: the abscissa denoting the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotary body, and the ordinate denoting the delivery amount of the material delivery (L/min) per cm2 through a-section perpendicular to the delivery direction at the outlet port. FIG. 22B is a graph showing the pressures at the inlet port and the outlet port: the abscissa denoting the length direction in the casing, and the ordinate denoting the pressure in water head (m). In these drawings, the same symbols are used for denoting corresponding constituting elements as in FIGS. 1 to 20.

The material delivery apparatus 810 of Example 9 has a structure which is basically the same as the material delivery apparatus 10 of Example 1. In this apparatus, the inter-fin distance of the fin 850 (d, d2, d3, d4, d5) is made longer gradually similarly as in the material delivery apparatus 110 in Example 2; a second fin 852 is provided similarly as in the material delivery apparatus 210 in Example 3; and a shielding cover 854 is provided similarly as in the material delivery apparatus 510 in Example 6.

The material delivery apparatus 810 is superior in the delivery amount and the pressure to the other material delivery apparatuses 10, 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, and 610 as shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B.

Example 10

Example 10 of the material delivery apparatus of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 23.

FIG. 23 is a side view of the material delivery apparatus of Example 10.

In the material delivery apparatuses described in Examples 1 to 9, the inlet port 12 is provided to introduce the material in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis 38 of the rotary body 30 (an example of the crossing direction). In this Example 10, the material delivery apparatus 910 has the inlet port 912 provided to introduce the material in the direction parallel to the rotation axis 938 of the rotary body 930 (direction of arrow IN). The outlet 914 is provided to discharge the material in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis 938 (direction of the arrow OUT) similarly as in Examples 1 to 9.

The material delivery apparatus 910 has a casing 920 which has an inlet port 912 for introducing (feeding) a material in the direction parallel to the rotation axis 938 (direction of arrow IN), and the outlet port 914 for discharging the material introduced through the inlet port 912 out of the casing in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis 938 (direction of the arrow OUT). The inlet port 12 and the outlet port 14 are respectively circular in a cross-section (a plane perpendicular to the flow of the material (directions of the arrow IN and the arrow OUT)). The casing 920 has internal space 922 which extends with its inside diameter increasing from the inlet port 912 to the outlet port 914. That is, the internal space 922 is gradually expanded from the smallest inner diameter near the inlet port 912 to the largest inner diameter near the outlet port 914. The internal space 922 is illustrated to be a truncated cone in the side view, FIG. 23, but may be in a shape of a circular cone. Otherwise, the internal space 922 may be in a shape of a flare as illustrated in the side view, FIG. 3B, or in a shape of a bullet as illustrated in the side view, FIG. 3C.

The internal space 922 of the casing 920 is defined by the inside peripheral face 924. This inside peripheral face 924 corresponds to the outside peripheral face of the truncated cone or the like. A flowmeter 16 is equipped at the outlet port 914 for measuring the flow of the material discharged from the outlet port 914 through a sectional plane (perpendicular to the material discharge direction (direction of the arrow OUT)) in terms of L/min per cm2 in the discharge direction. A pressure gauge 13 is equipped at the inlet port 912 for measuring the pressure at the inlet port 912. A pressure gauge 15 is equipped at the outlet port 914 for measuring the pressure at the outlet port 914.

The casing 920 encases, in the internal space 922, a rotary body 930 which rotates in the internal space 922. This rotary body 930 extends with the outside diameter increasing from the inlet port 912 to the outlet port 914. This rotary body 930 has preferably a shape similar to that of the internal space 922, but may be not similar. Since, in Example 1, the internal space 22 is in a shape of a truncated cone, the rotary body 930 is correspondingly in a shape of the truncated cone. However, the top 932 of the rotary body 930 has a curved face so as not to cause damage by collision of the material fed through the inlet port 912.

The rotary body 930 rotates on a center axis 938, the line passing through the apex of the smoothly curved top 932 and the center of the round bottom face 934. The one lengthwise end of the center axis 38 is supported rotatably by a bearing 942, and the rotatably supported portion of the center axis 938 is coupled to a motor 944 which drives the rotary body 930 to rotate. This motor 944 is controlled by a controller (not shown in the drawing). The top portion 932 and bottom face 934 of the rotary body 930 are constructed not to touch the inside wall face of the casing 920 so that the rotary body 930 rotates smoothly without touching the fixed casing 920. A blocking board 935 is fixed to the rotary body 930 similarly as the blocking board 35 (FIG. 2).

Spiral fins 950, 952 are provided on the outside peripheral face 931 of the rotary body 930, and rotate together with the rotary body 930.

The fin 950 extends spirally from slightly inside of the top 932 of the outside peripheral face 931 to the other end (bottom face) 934 of the rotary body 930. The fin 952 extends spirally from the lengthwise middle portion of the outside peripheral face 931 to the bottom face 934 without crossing the fin 950. The two fins 950, 952 enables enlargement of the sectional area (perpendicular to the material delivery direction) for delivery of a larger amount of the material, and the second fin 952 prevents the formation of a turbulent flow to enable the smooth delivery of the material in a larger amount without damaging the material.

In this Example 10, two fins are employed. However, one single continuous fin may be employed as in Example 1, or a shielding cover may be provided as in Example 6. Further, the second fin may be omitted as in Example 2, or the fin may be made thicker toward the outlet port 914 as in Example 4.

In the apparatus in which the inlet port 912 is formed to introduce (feed) the material in the direction (direction of arrow IN) parallel to the rotation axis 938 as mentioned above, the material is introduced nearly parallel to the outside peripheral face 931 of the rotary body 930. This makes the material less liable to be damaged immediately after the introduction through the inlet port 912. Further, with this apparatus, the rotary body 930 can be made shorter than in the apparatus in which the inlet port is provided to introduce the material in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis 938, whereby the rotation axis 938 can readily be balanced during the rotation. Furthermore, the maintenance and checking of the apparatus are easy since the rotation axis 938 is supported at one side (by the bearing 942). Further, this material delivery apparatus 910 can readily be assembled and disassembled for cleaning the inside.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

With the material delivery apparatus, materials can be delivered, including foodstuffs such as dairy products and seasoning materials; chemicals such as paints; cosmetics such as creams; and medicines such as plasters.

Claims

1. A material delivery apparatus for delivering a material from an inlet port to outside of an outlet port thereof, comprising:

a casing having the inlet port and the outlet port, and having an internal space extending with the inside diameter increasing from the inlet port toward the outlet port and being defined by an inside peripheral face defining the internal space;

a rotary body placed, in the internal space, extending with the diameter thereof increasing from the inlet port toward the outlet port, and being rotatable around a center axis passing the apex or the center of the top face of the rotary body and the center of the bottom face thereof;

a first fin formed spirally on the outside peripheral face of the rotary body with the interval between confronting faces of the fin being increased toward the outlet port, and rotatable together with the rotary body;

a second fin extending spirally from a position between the inlet port and the outlet port on the peripheral face of the rotary body to the outlet port along the interval of the confronting faces of the first fin; and

the internal space being in a shape of a circular cone or a truncated cone; and

the rotary body being in a shape of a cone or a truncated cone.

2. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the internal space of the casing is similar in shape to the rotary body.

3. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fin stretches out from the outside peripheral face of the rotary body close to the inside peripheral face of the casing.

4. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fin extends continuously on the peripheral face of the rotary body from near the inlet port to near the outlet port.

5. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fin is made thicker gradually toward the outlet port.

6. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclination angle of the fin defined as the angle of crossing between a parallel-shifted tangential line and the center axis of the rotary body is made smaller toward the outlet port, the tangential line being drawn at a point on the boundary between the fin and the peripheral face of the rotary body and being shifted parallel to cross the center axis.

7. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a shielding cover is provided between adjacent edges of the fin to be parallel to the outside peripheral face of the rotary body to shield the outside peripheral face from the inside peripheral face of the casing.

8. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inlet port is provided to introduce the material in the direction crossing with the rotation axis or parallel to the rotation axis.

9. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a blocking board is provided at the bottom face of the rotation member to prevent collision of the delivered material against the bottom face of the casing.

10. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fin stretches out from the outside peripheral face of the rotary body close to the inside peripheral face of the casing.

11. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fin extends continuously on the peripheral face of the rotary body from near the inlet port to near the outlet port.

12. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the fin extends continuously on the peripheral face of the rotary body from near the inlet port to near the outlet port.

13. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fin is made thicker gradually toward the outlet port.

14. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the fin is made thicker gradually toward the outlet port.

15. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the fin is made thicker gradually toward the outlet port.

16. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the inclination angle of the fin defined as the angle of crossing between a parallel-shifted tangential line and the center axis of the rotary body is made smaller toward the outlet port, the tangential line being drawn at a point on the boundary between the fin and the peripheral face of the rotary body and being shifted parallel to cross the center axis.

17. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the inclination angle of the fin defined as the angle of crossing between a parallel-shifted tangential line and the center axis of the rotary body is made smaller toward the outlet port, the tangential line being drawn at a point on the boundary between the fin and the peripheral face of the rotary body and being shifted parallel to cross the center axis.

18. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the inclination angle of the fin defined as the angle of crossing between a parallel-shifted tangential line and the center axis of the rotary body is made smaller toward the outlet port, the tangential line being drawn at a point on the boundary between the fin and the peripheral face of the rotary body and being shifted parallel to cross the center axis.

19. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the inclination angle of the fin defined as the angle of crossing between a parallel-shifted tangential line and the center axis of the rotary body is made smaller toward the outlet port, the tangential line being drawn at a point on the boundary between the fin and the peripheral face of the rotary body and being shifted parallel to cross the center axis.

20. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a shielding cover is provided between adjacent edges of the fin to be parallel to the outside peripheral face of the rotary body to shield the outside peripheral face from the inside peripheral face of the casing.

21. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a shielding cover is provided between adjacent edges of the fin to be parallel to the outside peripheral face of the rotary body to shield the outside peripheral face from the inside peripheral face of the casing.

22. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a shielding cover is provided between adjacent edges of the fin to be parallel to the outside peripheral face of the rotary body to shield the outside peripheral face from the inside peripheral face of the casing.

23. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a shielding cover is provided between adjacent edges of the fin to be parallel to the outside peripheral face of the rotary body to shield the outside peripheral face from the inside peripheral face of the casing.

24. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a shielding cover is provided between adjacent edges of the fin to be parallel to the outside peripheral face of the rotary body to shield the outside peripheral face from the inside peripheral face of the casing.

25. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the inlet port is provided to introduce the material in the direction crossing with the rotation axis or parallel to the rotation axis.

26. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the inlet port is provided to introduce the material in the direction crossing with the rotation axis or parallel to the rotation axis.

27. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the inlet port is provided to introduce the material in the direction crossing with the rotation axis or parallel to the rotation axis.

28. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the inlet port is provided to introduce the material in the direction crossing with the rotation axis or parallel to the rotation axis.

29. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the inlet port is provided to introduce the material in the direction crossing with the rotation axis or parallel to the rotation axis.

30. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the inlet port is provided to introduce the material in the direction crossing with the rotation axis or parallel to the rotation axis.

31. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a blocking board is provided at the bottom face of the rotation member to prevent collision of the delivered material against the bottom face of the casing.

32. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a blocking board is provided at the bottom face of the rotation member to prevent collision of the delivered material against the bottom face of the casing.

33. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a blocking board is provided at the bottom face of the rotation member to prevent collision of the delivered material against the bottom face of the casing.

34. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a blocking board is provided at the bottom face of the rotation member to prevent collision of the delivered material against the bottom face of the casing.

35. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a blocking board is provided at the bottom face of the rotation member to prevent collision of the delivered material against the bottom face of the casing.

36. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a blocking board is provided at the bottom face of the rotation member to prevent collision of the delivered material against the bottom face of the casing.

37. The material delivery apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a blocking board is provided at the bottom face of the rotation member to prevent collision of the delivered material against the bottom face of the casing.