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(11) | EP 4 094 837 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
| published in accordance with Art. 153(4) EPC |
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| (54) | BALL MILL DEVICE |
| (57) The present invention provides a ball mill device, including: a driving device to
generate a driving force; a grinding vessel in which a space for accommodating an
object to be pulverized ("object") therein is present; a first rotary body having
a first pulley, which is provided to rotate the grinding vessel about a first central
axis; a second rotary body having a second pulley, which is provided to rotate the
grinding vessel about a second central axis - wherein the second central axis is arranged
to intersect with the first central axis -; and an auxiliary pulley for changing a
rotational direction so that a rotational force about the first or second central
axis acts on the second or first central axis by a belt when the grinding vessel rotates
about the first or second central axis. |
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a ball mill device, and more particularly, to a ball mill device for milling or grinding an object to be pulverized or dispersing and mixing the same contained in a spherical grinding vessel by simultaneously rotating the same in vertical and horizontal directions.
[Background Art]
[0002] In companies that handle electronic materials, inks, cosmetics, electronic parts, chemicals, etc., power manufacturing equipment is used to pulverize a variety of raw materials. Further, the grinding equipment is now essential to analyze or research diverse materials in the research institutes of large corporations or government offices, wherein different materials in the department of material engineering in the collages or material fields are studied.
[0003] There are various types of powder manufacturing apparatuses according to the grinding method ("pulverization"), however, all of these apparatuses typically adopt a way of pulverizing by applying impact to an object to be pulverized in the same direction.
[0004] A representative one of the most commonly used pulverization apparatus is a ball mill (see FIG. 1a). Such a ball mill is driven such that, when a cylindrical (or drum-shaped) grinding vessel rotates around an eccentric horizontal rotation axis, an object is pulverized by impact while falling from a high position to a low position owing to the rotation. Therefore, there are problems that a pulverization size is limited to micro-units while extending a pulverization time due to weak force.
[0005] Therefore, it has been developed a device capable of pulverizing with higher impact energy than typical ball mill devices to thus shorten the pulverization time while decreasing a pulverized particle size, that is, a planetary ball mill device has been developed (see FIG. 1b).
[0006] Unlike general ball mills, the planetary ball mill performs pulverization while having revolution and rotation simultaneously, thereby enabling not only dry grinding but also wet grinding. Further, compared to the general ball mills, the planetary ball mill may attain high milling efficiency and is often used in materials researches or the like.
[0007] However, the planetary ball mill has a particle size limited to micro-unit during grinding, and thus it is difficult to grind the particles in a particle size of nano-unit. In addition, there is a problem in that the pulverized materials often stick to an inner wall of a grinding vessel during pulverization and become hardened. Further, high heat generated due to collision during pulverization would adversely affect a sample, hence causing some problems in the final pulverized product or mixture. Furthermore, it is difficult to separate the grinding vessel from the ball mill device due to thermal expansion of the grinding vessel after grinding operation, and there is a problem in that the grinding vessel must be separated to collect the sample after waiting until the grinding vessel is cooled. Further, there is a problem that a material with high viscosity cannot be pulverized since the viscous material is attached to the inner wall of the grinding vessel and rotates along with the same to thus induce no grinding effect.
[Disclosure]
[Technical Problem]
[0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide a ball mill device, which rotates in vertical and horizontal directions simultaneously to grind an object to be pulverized ("object"), so that impact applied to the object and a grinding vessel by a grinding ball may be evenly applied to thus prevent occurrence of high heat.
[Technical Solution]
[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a ball mill device, which includes: a driving device to generate a driving force; a grinding vessel in which a space for accommodating an object to be pulverized ("object") therein is present; a first rotary body having a first pulley, which is provided to rotate the grinding vessel about a first central axis; a second rotary body having a second pulley, which is provided to rotate the grinding vessel about a second central axis (wherein the second central axis is arranged to intersect with the first central axis); and an auxiliary pulley for changing a rotational direction so that a rotational force about the first or second central axis acts on the second or first central axis by a belt when the grinding vessel rotates about the first or second central axis.
[0011] According to an embodiment, the ball mill device of the present invention may further include: a shaft fixedly installed at a position opposite to the first pulley on the first central axis while penetrating through the first rotary body; and a third pulley which has a rotational axis inserted and installed in the above shaft to thus rotate independently of rotation of the first pulley, wherein a rotational force of the third pulley may be transferred to the second pulley via the auxiliary pulley by the belt.
[0012] According to an embodiment, the third pulley may include 3-1 pulley and 3-2 pulley disposed on the same rotational axis, the second pulley may include 2-1 pulley and 2-2 pulley disposed opposite to each other on the same rotational axis, and the auxiliary pulley may include a first auxiliary pulley provided between the 3-1 pulley and the 2-1 pulley, and a second auxiliary pulley provided between the 3-2 pulley and the 2-2 pulley.
[0013] According to an embodiment, the ball mill device of the present invention may further include: a fifth pulley positioned on one inner surface of the first rotary body opposite to the third pulley, wherein the second pulley includes 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys disposed opposite to each other on the same rotational axis, and wherein the auxiliary pulley may include a first auxiliary pulley provided between the third pulley and the 2-1 pulley, and a second auxiliary pulley provided between the fifth pulley and the 2-2 pulley.
[0014] According to an embodiment, when a plurality of grinding vessels is used, the second pulley may consist of a number of stages corresponding to the number of the grinding vessels.
[0015] According to an embodiment, when two grinding vessels are used, each of the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys has two stages, wherein any one of the two stages in each of the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys may be connected to the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys of the adjacent grinding vessel through the belts.
[0016] According to an embodiment, the ball mill device of the present invention may further include a fifth pulley positioned on one inner surface of the first rotary body opposite to the third pulley, wherein, if a plurality of grinding vessels is used, the second pulley may include 2-1a and 2-2b pulleys disposed opposite to each other on one of the same rotational axes while having 2-1b and 2-2b pulleys disposed opposite to each other on the other one of the same rotational axes, and wherein the auxiliary pulley may include a first auxiliary pulley provided between the third pulley and the 2-1a pulley and a second auxiliary pulley provided between the fifth pulley and the 2-1b pulley.
[0017] According to an embodiment, the plurality of grinding vessels may have different rotational directions when these rotate about the different second rotational axes.
[0018] According to an embodiment, the first pulley may include 1-1 and 1-2 pulleys disposed on the same rotational axis, the second pulley may include 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys disposed opposite to each other on the same rotational axis, the auxiliary pulley may include a first auxiliary pulley provided between the 1-1 pulley and the 2-1 pulley, and a second auxiliary pulley provided between the 1-2 pulley and the 2-2 pulley, and the driving device may be one for rotationally driving only the first pulley.
[0019] According to an embodiment, the driving device is interposed between first and second base plates such that the rotational axis becomes vertical, wherein the grinding vessel as well as the first and second rotary bodies are seated on the first base plate, and at least one buffer device (or shock absorber) for offsetting vibration may be interposed between the first and second base plates.
[0021] According to an embodiment, the grinding vessel may include a spherical body and a flange part extending outwardly from the edge of the body, wherein the second rotary body may include a pair of first and second inner plates coupled to the flange part in different sides and different directions about the main body, and third and fourth inner plates coupled between the pair of first and second inner plates to support each other.
[Advantageous effects]
[0022] Since the ball mill device according to an embodiment of the present invention grinds an object to be pulverized while simultaneously rotating in the vertical and horizontal directions, impact applied to the grinding vessel by the grinding ball is evenly distributed throughout the vessel and does not generate high heat.
[0023] Accordingly, there is no problem that the object to be pulverized adheres to the inner wall of the grinding vessel and hardens due to high heat. Further, it is not difficult to collect a sample by separating the grinding vessel from the ball mill immediately after grinding operation.
[0024] Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the grinding vessel is rotated using a belt pulley so as to reduce vibration or noise. Further, high-speed rotation is possible to thus allow fine pulverization.
[0025] Further, using the belt pulley enables two or more grinding vessels to rotate so that different samples can be pulverized at the same time.
[Description of Drawings]
[0026]
FIGS. 1a and 1b illustrate the appearance of a conventional ball mill device.
FIG. 2 illustrates a ball mill device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3a illustrates a ball mill device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3b illustrates some components only extracted from the ball mill device shown in FIG. 3a.
FIG. 3c illustrates the appearance of the components shown in FIG. 3b, which is viewed from another direction.
FIG. 3d illustrates a ball mill device according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is different from FIG. 3a.
FIG. 4a illustrates a ball mill device provided with a plurality of grinding vessels according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4b illustrates some components only extracted from the ball mill device shown in FIG. 4a.
FIG. 4c illustrates a ball mill device according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is different from FIG. 4a.
FIG. 5 illustrates a ball mill device provided with a single driving device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments of Invention]
[0027] Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are assigned with the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals in the drawings, and overlapping descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of only easy writing the specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles by themselves. Further, with regard to describing the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, if it is considered that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, and the technical spirit disclosed herein is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and it should be understood that the present invention includes all changes, equivalents or substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.
[0028] When a component is referred to as being "coupled" or "connected" to another component, it is understood that the other component may be directly coupled or connected to the other component, but it should also be understood that other components may exist therebetween. On the other hand, when a certain element is mentioned to be "directly coupled" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that no other element is present therebetween.
[0029] The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0030] In this specification, terms such as "comprises (includes)" or "have" are intended to designate that the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification are included, but it should be understood that the possible existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof are not precluded.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 2, the ball mill device according to an embodiment of the present invention may include: a driving device 1 to generate a driving force; a grinding vessel 10 in which a space for accommodating an object to be pulverized therein ("object") is present; a first rotary body 100 having a first pulley 110, which is provided to rotate the grinding vessel 10 about a first central axis (for example, x-axis); a second rotary body 200 having a second pulley 210, which is provided to rotate the grinding vessel 10 about a second central axis (for example, y-axis); and auxiliary pulleys 410a and 410b for changing a rotational direction so that a rotational force about the first or second central axis (x-axis or y-axis) acts on the second or first central axis (y-axis or x-axis) by a belt, whereby the ball mill device according to an embodiment of the present invention can mill (or grind) the object accommodated in the grinding vessel 10 while rotating the grinding vessel 10 in the vertical or horizontal directions at the same time.
[0033] In this regard, the second central axis (y-axis) may be arranged to intersect with the first central axis (x-axis), for example, at right angles to each other.
[0034] However, since the components shown in FIG. 2 are not essential, it goes without saying that a ball mill device having more or fewer components than the above components may be implemented.
[0036] The driving device 1 is a device for generating a rotational force or driving force to rotate or drive the grinding vessel 10, and may be a motor.
[0037] The grinding vessel 10 is a vessel having an accommodation space for an object to be pulverized and/or the grinding ball therein, and the grinding vessel 10 or the accommodation space (in the form of an inner wall of the grinding vessel 10) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention may be spherical and, in order to fix the grinding vessel 10 to the first or second rotary bodies 100 and 200, the grinding vessel 10 may include a flange part 11 that is formed and extended outward in one circumferential direction.
[0038] Since the grinding vessel 10 or the accommodation space (specifically, the inner wall of the grinding vessel 10) has a spherical shape, impact applied to the grinding vessel by a grinding ball may be evenly distributed throughout the vessel and thus not generate high heat. As a result, there is no problem that the object adheres to the inner wall of the grinding vessel and becomes hardened due to high heat, and it is not difficult to collect a sample by separating the grinding vessel from the ball mill immediately after milling operation.
[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, the flange part 11 is preferably fixedly coupled to first and second inner plates 201 and 202 of the second rotary body 200 by a fastening means or the like, wherein a pair of first and second inner plates 101 and 102 coupled to the flange part is preferably arranged on different sides and in different directions about a main body of the grinding vessel 10, that is, alternately along any one rotational direction so as to prevent the grinding vessel 10 from being easily separated during rotation.
[0040] Of course, in order to rotate the grinding vessel 10, the second rotary body 200 may further include third and fourth inner plates 203 and 204, which are coupled to support each other between the first and second inner plates 101 and 102, thereby connecting the first and second inner plates 101 and 102, in addition to the first and second inner plates 101 and 102.
[0041] According to a preferred embodiment, the grinding vessel 10 may have a form in which the hemispheres having the flange part 11 are coupled to face each other, so that a user can open the grinding vessel 10 as needed and put an object to be pulverized in the accommodation space or collect the same.
[0042] According to an embodiment of the present invention, in order to rotate the grinding vessel 10 in the vertical and horizontal directions, that is, to transfer the driving force generated by the driving device 1 to the grinding vessel 10, a plurality of pulleys may be included.
[0043] Specifically, a first pulley 110 may be provided on one side of the first rotary body 100 so that the grinding vessel 10 can rotate based on the first central axis (x-axis), and a second pulley 210 may be provided on one side of the second rotary body 200 so that the grinding vessel 10 can rotate based on the second central axis (y-axis) which is orthogonal to the first central axis (x-axis).
[0044] According to a specific embodiment, the second rotary body 200 is positioned and coupled to the inside of the first rotary body 100, wherein the second rotary body 200 can be coupled to be rotatable about the second central axis (y-axis) by tension of the belt suspending on the second pulley 210. At this time, the first rotary body 100 may be coupled to the first pulley 110 to be rotatable about the first central axis (x-axis) by the tension of the belt suspending on the first pulley 110.
[0045] As a result, owing to the tension of the belts suspending on the first and second pulleys 110 and 210, respectively, the grinding vessel 10 coupled to the first rotary body 100 and the second rotary body 200 may rotate in vertical and horizontal directions.
[0046] Meanwhile, in order to transfer the driving force to the second pulley 210, according to an embodiment of the present invention, auxiliary pulleys 410a and 410b for changing the rotational direction may be further included so that, when the grinding vessel 10 rotates about the first or second central axis (x-axis, y-axis), the rotational force around the first or second central axis (x-axis, y-axis) acts on the second or first central axis (y-axis, x-axis) by the belts.
[0047] According to a specific embodiment, a shaft 120 may be fixedly installed at a position opposite to the first pulley 110 on the first central axis (x-axis) while penetrating through one side of the first rotary body 100, specifically, a first outer plate 101. Further, a third pulley 310 having a rotational axis inserted into the shaft 120 may further be included.
[0048] As a result, the rotational force or driving force generated by another driving device (not shown) is transferred to the third pulley 310 that shares the rotational axis through the fourth pulley 130. Further, by means of a ring belt (or a round belt) (hereinafter, abbreviated as a "round belt") covering the third pulley 310, the auxiliary pulleys 410a and 410b, and the second pulley 210, the second pulley 210 and the second rotary body 200 coupled thereto may be rotatable by the driving force acting on the fourth pulley 130.
[0049] As shown in FIG. 2, the auxiliary pulleys 410a and 410b are preferably formed in a pair and provided between the second and third pulleys 210 and 310, specifically, on each of both sides of a fourth outer plate 104 which is the lower side of the first rotary body 100, therefore, the round belt as a whole may be formed in a "¬" (or "L") shape, whereby a driving force can be transferred between the second and third pulleys 210 and 310 having different rotational axes, respectively.
[0050] In this way, since the grinding vessel 10 is rotated using the belt pulley, vibration or noise may be reduced. Further, high-speed rotation is possible to thus achieve effects of finely pulverizing an object (to be pulverized) through high-speed rotation.
[0051] Meanwhile, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the second pulley 210 may be provided in plural, specifically, two of second pulleys may be provided.
[0052] FIG. 3a illustrates a ball mill device according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3b illustrates some components only extracted from the ball mill device shown in FIG. 3a; and FIG. 3c illustrates the appearance of the components shown in FIG. 3b, which is viewed from another direction.
[0053] As illustrated in FIGS. 3a to 3c, in the ball mill device according to another embodiment of the present invention, the second pulley 210 may include 2-1 pulley and 2-2 pulley 211 and 212, which are disposed opposite to each other on the second central axis provided on the second rotary body 200, that is, the same rotational axis, and the second rotary body 200 may be rotated by rotation of the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212.
[0054] In addition, first and second auxiliary pulleys 411 and 412 corresponding to the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212, respectively, may be provided on the first rotary boy 100. Further, the third pulley 310 may include 3-1 and 3-2 pulleys 311 and 312 (or two stages) provided on the same rotational axis. At this time, the first and second auxiliary pulleys 411 and 412 may be disposed on the bottom surface of the third outer plate 103 and the top surface of the fourth outer plate 104, respectively, wherein the first auxiliary pulley 411 is positioned between the 3-1 pulley 311 and the 2-1 pulley 211 while the second auxiliary pulley 412 is positioned between the 3-2 pulley 312 and the 2-2 pulley 212. Herein, the first and second auxiliary pulleys 411 and 412 are disposed opposite to each other, wherein these auxiliary pulleys may be disposed to correspond to positions of the 3-1 and 3-2 pulleys 311 and 312 rather than in a straight line.
[0055] As a result, the rotational force or driving force transferred through the fourth pulley 130 may be transferred to the 3-1 and 3-2 pulleys 311 and 312. Further, by means of a round belt in a "L" shape covering the 3-1 pulley 311, the first auxiliary pulley 411 and the 2-1 pulley 211, and simultaneously, by means of another round belt in a "¬" shape covering the 3-2 pulley 312, the second auxiliary pulley 412 and the 2-2 pulley 212, the second rotary body 200 can be rotated.
[0056] Since the grinding vessel 10 rotates based on the second central axis (y-axis) by the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212 which are provided at the top and bottom ends of the second rotary body 200, respectively, it may achieve effects of possibly implementing stable rotation during high-speed rotation.
[0057] Of course, each of the first and second auxiliary pulleys 411 and 412 is preferably composed of a pair of pulleys on both sides of one end of each of the fourth and third outer plates 104 and 103, respectively (see FIG. 2).
[0058] Meanwhile, FIG. 3d illustrates a ball mill device according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is different from FIG. 3a.
[0059] As illustrated in FIG. 3d, in the ball mill device according to another embodiment of the present invention, the second pulley 210 may include 2-1 pulley and 2-2 pulley (211, 212), which are disposed opposite to each other on the second central axis provided on the second rotary body 200, that is, the same rotational axis, and the second rotary body 200 may be rotated by rotation of the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212.
[0060] In addition, first and second auxiliary pulleys 411 and 412 corresponding to the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys (211, 212), respectively, may be provided on the first rotary boy 100, wherein the first auxiliary pulley 411 may be provided on one side of the fourth outer plate 104 while the second auxiliary pulley 412 may be provided on the other side of the third outer plate 103. That is, the first and second auxiliary pulleys 411 and 412 are positioned on the top and bottom surfaces, respectively, wherein these auxiliary pulleys are provided to be staggered on lateral sides at positions opposite to each other.
[0061] Further, a fifth pulley 140 may be mounted at a position opposite to the third pulley 310 on one side of the first rotary body 100 on the first central axis (x-axis), specifically, inside the second outer plate 102. Accordingly, the rotational force or driving force acting on the first pulley 110 enables the first rotary body 100 to rotate, and may also rotate the fifth pulley 140 along with the first rotary body 100 about the first central axis (x-axis).
[0062] Therefore, the first auxiliary pulley 411 may be provided between the third pulley 310 and the 2-1 pulley 211, while the second auxiliary pulley 412 may be provided between the fifth pulley 140 and the 2-2 pulley 212.
[0063] As a result, the rotational force or driving force transferred through the fourth pulley 130 may be transferred to the third pulley 310 and, by means of a round belt in a "L" shape covering the third pulley 310, the first auxiliary pulley 411 and the 2-1 pulley 211, and simultaneously, by means of another round belt in a "¬" shape covering the fifth pulley 140, the second auxiliary pulley 412 and the 2-2 pulley 212, the second rotary body 200 can be rotated.
[0064] Since the grinding vessel 10 is rotated based on the second central axis (y-axis) by the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212 provided on the top and bottom ends of the second rotary body 200, respectively, it may achieve effects of possibly implementing stable rotation during high-speed rotation.
[0065] Of course, each of the first and second auxiliary pulleys 411 and 412 is preferably composed of a pair of pulleys on both sides of one end of each of the fourth and third outer plates 104 and 103, respectively (see FIG. 2).
[0066] Meanwhile, FIG. 4a illustrates a ball mill device provided with a plurality of grinding vessels according to another embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 4b illustrates some components only extracted from the ball mill device shown in FIG. 4a.
[0067] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the grinding vessel 10, the second rotary body 200, and the second pulley 210 (or the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212)), respectively, may be provided in plural.
[0068] That is, according to another embodiment of the present invention, when the grinding vessel 10 is provided in plural as indicated by the reference numerals 10a and 10b, the second rotary body 200 may be of course provided in plural as indicated by the reference numerals 200a and 200b and, preferably, the second pulley 210 (or the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212) may also be a plurality of stages as indicated with reference numerals 2111a, 2112a, 2121a, 2122a, 2111b, 2112b, 2121b and 2122b.
[0069] Since the second pulley 210 (or the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212) is provided as a plurality of stages and the adjacent second pulleys 210 (or the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212) are connected using a round belt, etc. to thus implement transfer of tension of the belt, it is of course not required to replace the existing "L" (or "¬") belt with a long one, and it may achieve effects of easily extending (or increasing) the number of the grinding vessel 10 (or the second rotary body 200) into two, three, ..., etc.
[0070] As a specific example, as shown in FIG. 4a, if there are two grinding vessels (10a, 10b), the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212 are each composed of two stages, wherein one of the two stages in each of the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212 may be connected to a pulley at the same height as the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212 provided on the adjacent grinding vessel (or the second rotary body) by a round belt. As a result, when the first grinding vessel 10a rotates about x-axis and y1-axis, the second grinding vessel 10b may also rotate about x-axis and y2-axis simultaneously.
[0071] Of course, even when three or more grinding vessels (10a, 10b) are used, the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212 are each composed of two stages, wherein one of the two stages in each of the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212 may be connected to a pulley at the same height as the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212 provided on the adjacent grinding vessel (or the second rotary body) like a chain by a round belt, whereby it is very easy to extend the number of the grinding vessels.
[0072] Meanwhile, FIG. 4c illustrates a ball mill device according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is different from FIG. 4a.
[0073] As shown in FIG. 4c, in the ball mill device according to another embodiment of the present invention, when there is a plurality of grinding vessels 10a and 10b, the second rotary bodies 200a and 200b are also provided in plural. Preferably, as indicated by reference numerals 2111a, 2112a, 2121a, 2122a, 2111b, 2112b, 2121b and 2122b, the second pulley 210 (or the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212) may include 2-1a and 2-2a pulleys (211a, 212a), which are disposed opposite to each other on one of the same rotational axes, while 2-1b and 2-2b pulleys (211b, 212b) of the second pulley may be disposed opposite to each other on another one of the same rotational axes, wherein each pulley may have a plurality of stages.
[0074] Since the second pulley 210 (or the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212) is provided as a plurality of stages, and the adjacent second pulleys 210 (or the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212) are connected using a round belt, etc. to thus implement transfer of tension of the belt, it is of course not required to replace the existing "L" (or "¬") belt with a long one, and it may achieve effects of easily extending (increasing) the number of the grinding vessel 10 (or the second rotary body 200) into two, three, ..., etc.
[0075] As a specific example, as shown in Fig. 4a, if there are two grinding vessels (10a, 10b), the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212 are each composed of two stages, wherein one of the two stages of the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212 may be connected to a pulley at the same height as the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212 provided on the adjacent grinding vessel (or the second rotary body) by a round belt. As a result, when the first grinding vessel 10a rotates about x-axis and y1-axis, the second grinding vessel 10b can rotate about x-axis and y2-axis simultaneously. For example, reference numerals 2121a and 21121b, reference numerals 2122a and 2122b, and/or reference numerals 2112a and 2112b may be connected by a round belt.
[0076] Unlike the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b, each of the first auxiliary pulley 411 and the second auxiliary pulley 412 may be provided in a pair on any one of the first to fourth outer plates 101 to 104, for example, at each of both ends of the fourth outer plate 104. Accordingly, the first auxiliary pulley 411 is provided between the third pulley 310 and the 2-1 pulley 211a, while the second auxiliary pulley 412 is provided between the fifth pulley 140 and the 2-1 pulley 211b, whereby the rotational force or driving force transferred through the fourth pulley 130 may be transferred to the third pulley 310 and, by means of a round belt in a "L" shape covering the third pulley 310, the first auxiliary pulley 411 and the 2-1 pulley 211a, the first grinding vessel 10a can be rotated, at the same time, the second rotary body 200b can be rotated by means of another round belt in a "L" shape covering the fifth pulley 140, the second auxiliary pulley 412 and the 2-1 pulley 211b.
[0077] At this time, the fifth pulley 140 may be formed in two stages 141 and 142 as shown in the drawings, but is not particularly limited thereto.
[0078] However, preferably, the first grinding vessel 10a and the second grinding vessel 10b are designed to rotate in different directions to offset the centrifugal force generated by each of the grinding vessels, thereby keeping its balance.
[0079] In other words, it is preferable to rotate the first and third pulleys 110 and 310 such that a rotational direction of the second grinding vessel 10b about y2-axis as the driving device rotates the first pulley 110 is opposite to a rotational direction of the first grinding vessel 10a about y1-axis as the driving device rotates the third pulley 310.
[0080] At this time, when the first and second grinding vessels 10a and 10b rotate in opposite directions, any one stage in each of the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212, which are each composed of two stages, may not be connected to a pulley at the same height as the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212 provided in the adjacent grinding vessel (or the second rotary body) by a round belt.
[0081] Meanwhile, FIG. 5 illustrates a ball mill device provided with a single driving device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0082] As illustrated in FIG. 5, only one driving device 1 may be provided and, in this case, the first pulley 110 may not be included as an essential component unlike the previous embodiment.
[0083] However, the third pulley 310 may include 3-1 and 3-2 pulleys 311 and 312 (or two stages) which are provided on the same rotational axis. In this regard, the first and second auxiliary pulleys 411 and 412 may be disposed on an inner surface of the third outer plate 103 and an inner surface of the fourth outer plate 104, respectively. Further, the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys 211 and 212 may be disposed opposite to each other while interposing the second rotary body 200 therebetween. Further, the first auxiliary pulley 411 may be provided between the 3-1 pulley 311 and the 2-1 pulley 211 while the second auxiliary pulley 412 may be provided between the 3-2 pulley 312 and the 2-2 pulley 212. Of course, like in the previous embodiment, the first and second auxiliary pulleys 411 and 412 may be disposed opposite to each other and may be disposed to correspond to the positions of the 3-1 and 3-2 pulleys 311 and 312 rather than in a straight line.
[0084] However, the driving force or rotational force generated by the driving device 1 may rotate the main pulley P via a timing belt B1 and, according to the rotation of the main pulley P, the first rotary body 100 may rotate based on the central axis (x-axis) of the main pulley P.
[0085] At this time, the 3-1 and 3-2 pulleys 311 and 312 may be fixed to a first base plate 510 and may not rotate. Further, as the first rotary body 100 rotates about the first central axis (x-axis), tension acts on a round belt in a "¬" shape or "L" shape (B2, B3) so that the second rotary body 200 may also rotate about the second central axis (y-axis), whereby the grinding vessel 10 coupled to the second rotary body 200 can rotate simultaneously in vertical and horizontal directions.
[0086] Herein, one driving device 1 may be installed to be interposed between first and second base plates 510 and 520, which are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, so that a rotational axis becomes vertical. The grinding vessel 10 as well as the first and second rotary bodies 100 and 200 may be provided to be seated on the first base plate 510, and at least one buffer device (or shock absorber) 610 and 620 may be provided between the first and second base plates 510 and 520 in order to offset vibration generated by rotation of the grinding vessel 10.
[0087] As described above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. The description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that the present invention can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention.
[0088] Therefore, the scope of the present invention is specified by the appended claims to be described later rather than the above detailed description, and it should be interpreted that all changes or modifications derived from the meanings, scope, and equivalent concept of the claims are included in the scope of the present invention.
1. A ball mill device, comprising:
a driving device to generate a driving force;
a grinding vessel in which a space for accommodating an object to be pulverized ("object") therein is present;
a first rotary body having a first pulley, which is provided to rotate the grinding vessel about a first central axis;
a second rotary body having a second pulley, which is provided to rotate the grinding vessel about a second central axis - wherein the second central axis is arranged to intersect with the first central axis -; and
an auxiliary pulley for changing a rotational direction so that a rotational force about the first or second central axis acts on the second or first central axis by a belt when the grinding vessel rotates about the first or second central axis.
2. The ball mill device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a shaft fixedly installed at a position opposite to the first pulley on the first central axis while penetrating through the first rotary body; and
a third pulley which has a rotational axis inserted and installed in the above shaft to thus rotate independently of rotation of the first pulley,
wherein a rotational force of the third pulley is transferred to the second pulley via the auxiliary pulley by the belt.
3. The ball mill device according to claim 2, wherein the third pulley includes 3-1 pulley
and 3-2 pulley disposed on the same rotational axis,
the second pulley includes 2-1 pulley and 2-2 pulley disposed opposite to each other on the same rotational axis, and
the auxiliary pulley includes a first auxiliary pulley provided between the 3-1 pulley and the 2-1 pulley, and a second auxiliary pulley provided between the 3-2 pulley and the 2-2 pulley.
4. The ball mill device according to claim 2, further comprising:
a fifth pulley positioned on one inner surface of the first rotary body opposite to the third pulley,
wherein the second pulley includes 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys disposed opposite to each other on the same rotational axis, and
wherein the auxiliary pulley includes a first auxiliary pulley provided between the third pulley and the 2-1 pulley, and a second auxiliary pulley provided between the fifth pulley and the 2-2 pulley.
5. The ball mill device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein, when a plurality of grinding
vessels is used, the second pulley consists of a number of stages corresponding to
the number of the grinding vessels.
6. The ball mill device according to claim 5, wherein, when two grinding vessels are
used, each of the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys has two stages, wherein any one of the two stages
in each of the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys is connected to the 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys of the
adjacent grinding vessel through the belts.
7. The ball mill device according to claim 2, further comprising:
a fifth pulley positioned on one inner surface of the first rotary body opposite to the third pulley,
wherein, if a plurality of grinding vessels is used, the second pulley includes 2-1a and 2-2b pulleys disposed opposite to each other on one of the same rotational axes while having 2-1b and 2-2b pulleys disposed opposite to each other on the other one of the same rotational axes, and
wherein the auxiliary pulley includes a first auxiliary pulley provided between the third pulley and the 2-1a pulley and a second auxiliary pulley provided between the fifth pulley and the 2-1b pulley.
8. The ball mill device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of grinding vessels
have different rotational directions when these vessels rotate about the different
second rotational axes.
9. The ball mill device according to claim 1, wherein the first pulley includes 1-1 and
1-2 pulleys disposed on the same rotational axis,
the second pulley includes 2-1 and 2-2 pulleys disposed opposite to each other on the same rotational axis,
the auxiliary pulley includes a first auxiliary pulley provided between the 1-1 pulley and the 2-1 pulley, and a second auxiliary pulley provided between the 1-2 pulley and the 2-2 pulley, and
the driving device is one for rotationally driving only the first pulley.
10. The ball mill device according to claim 9, wherein the driving device is interposed
between first and second base plates such that the rotational axis becomes vertical,
wherein the grinding vessel as well as the first and second rotary bodies are seated on the first base plate, and
at least one buffer device (or shock absorber) for offsetting vibration is interposed between the first and second base plates.
11. The ball mill device according to claim 1, wherein the accommodation space has a spherical
shape.
12. The ball mill device according to claim 1, wherein the grinding vessel includes a
spherical body and a flange part extending outwardly from the edge of the body,
wherein the second rotary body includes a pair of first and second inner plates coupled to the flange part on different sides and in different directions about the main body, and third and fourth inner plates coupled between the pair of first and second inner plates to support each other.
wherein the second rotary body includes a pair of first and second inner plates coupled to the flange part on different sides and in different directions about the main body, and third and fourth inner plates coupled between the pair of first and second inner plates to support each other.