Automatic viscosity measuring apparatus with rotor automatically detachable

A rotary viscometer comprising a detachable rotor and a detection head for measuring viscosity with the rotor connected thereto, wherein the improvement comprises:

• a detection head elevating mechanism for moving said detection head between a connection position at which the rotor is connected to said detection head, a separation position at which the connected rotor is separated from said detection head, and a predetermined initial position;
• a rotor holding section being disposed at the connection position for holding one or more rotors in a state in which they can be connected to said detection head;
• and
• a rotor movement regulation section being disposed at the separation position for suppressing displacement of the rotor connected to said detection head when the rotor is separated,
• said rotor having a rotor side attaching/detaching part on a top end,
• said detection head having a detection head side attaching/detaching part on a bottom part,
• said rotor side attaching/detaching part and said detection head side attaching/detaching part each having a member on which an attraction force acts mutually,
• wherein said detection head side attaching/detaching part is formed with a magnetic member as one of the members on which the attraction force acts and said rotor side attaching/detaching part has a top end formed with a connection shank made of soft magnetic metal having a taper, attracted by magnetic member, wherein
• said detection head side attaching/detaching part further includes a connection adapter made of soft magnetic metal and formed with a taper hole matching a taper face of said connection shank as the other member on which said attraction force acts, and wherein
• said magnetic member is disposed on a taper hole bottom side of said connection adapter for magnetically attracting said connection shank approaching it for connecting said rotor and said detection head so as to match the taper face of said connection shank with the taper hole of said connection adapter.

An automatic rotor attaching/detaching method used with a rotary viscometer comprising a detachable rotor and a detection head for measuring viscosity with the rotor connected thereto, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a rotor side attaching/detaching part with a tapered connection shank disposed on a top end of said rotor, and a detection head side attaching/detaching part with a connection adaptor with a taper hole matching a taper face of said connection shank disposed on a bottom end of said detection head, said rotor side and detection side head attaching/detaching parts each having a member on which an attraction force acts mutually;
• making one of said rotor side attaching/detaching part and said detection head side attaching/detaching part approach the other along a direction in which axial directions of both said parts substantially match for connecting both said attaching/detaching parts by the attraction force, thereby connecting said rotor and said detection head;
• and
• suppressing displacement of one of said rotor side attaching/detaching part and said detection head side attaching/detaching part in the direction and displacing the other along the direction against the attraction force for separating both said attaching/detaching parts, thereby separating said rotor and said detection head.

An automatic viscosity measurement method of an automatic viscosity measuring apparatus comprising a detachable rotor and a detection head for measuring viscosity with the rotor connected thereto, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a rotor side attaching/detaching part with a tapered connection shank disposed on a top end of said rotor and a detection head side attaching/detaching part with a connection adaptor with a taper hole matching a taper face of said connection shank disposed on a bottom end of said detection head, said rotor side and detection head side attaching/detaching parts each having a member on which an attraction force acts mutually;
• moving said detection head to one of previously stored rotors, positioned at a predetermined connection position for making them approach each other along an axial direction in which both axial directions of said rotor and said detection head substantially match for connecting both said attaching/detaching parts by the attraction force, thereby-connecting said rotor and said detection head;
• moving said detection head to which said rotor is connected to a predetermined viscosity measurement position and measuring viscosity;
• after the viscosity measurement is complete, moving said detection head with said rotor connected thereto to a predetermined separation position;
• and
• displacing said detection head in the axial direction against the attraction force with displacement of said rotor suppressed in said axial direction for separating both said attaching/detaching parts, thereby separating said rotor and said detection head.