CN111788131B

CN111788131B - Granular material supply device, printing device provided with granular material supply device, and granular material supply method

Info

Publication number: CN111788131B
Application number: CN201880090421.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 中野信行; 松田邦利; 蒲隆
Original assignee: Screen Holdings Co Ltd
Current assignee: Screen Holdings Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-02-28
Filing date: 2018-11-28
Publication date: 2022-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 2038-11-28
Also published as: WO2019167364A1; JP2019147668A; KR102364911B1; CN111788131A; KR20200096640A

Abstract

When a bridge of the granular material is generated in the transfer path, the bridge is eliminated to suppress damage to the granular material and also suppress a decrease in throughput of supply of the granular material. The granular material supply device (23) is provided with a transfer path (231) and a raking member. The transfer path (231) is formed by spirally winding a wire material and has elasticity in the vertical direction. The raising member performs a first operation of moving from a lower position to an upper position disposed above the lower position while contacting a vertically intermediate portion of a wire rod constituting a transfer path (231).

Description

Granular material supply device, printing device provided with granular material supply device, and granular material supply method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a granular material supply device, a printing device provided with the granular material supply device, and a granular material supply method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a granular material supply device and a granular material supply method for transferring granular materials downward by gravity.

Background

Conventionally, the following techniques are known: in a packaging machine for packaging granular materials (for example, a PTP packaging machine), a printing device for printing on granular materials (for example, a tablet printing device), and the like, a transport path formed by winding a wire such as a metal wire in a spiral shape is used to transport the granular materials in an aligned manner. Such techniques are disclosed in patent documents 1 and 2, for example.

The tablet filling device described in patent document 1 includes a chute (transfer path) for transferring a tablet as a granular substance downward along with its gravity. In addition, the tablet filling device is provided with a mounting plate adjacent to the chute and supporting the chute. One end of the chute is fixed to the mounting plate, and a vibration generating device is mounted thereto. In the tablet filling device described in patent document 1, the chute is vibrated by the vibration generating device. In the tablet filling device described in patent document 1, with such a configuration, the generation of bridges in the chute can be suppressed to a small level, and the wear time and the damage rate of the tablets can be reduced.

The PTP packaging machine described in patent document 2 includes a spring tube (transfer path) for transferring a tablet as a granular material downward along with its gravity. Further, the PTP packaging machine includes a regulation guide mechanism for regulating downward movement of the tablet in the spring tube. The restricting guide mechanism has a pair of rollers and a moving mechanism for moving the rollers. In the PTP packaging machine described in patent document 2, when tablets in the filling device are supplied to the PTP packaging machine, the spring tube is wound in a substantially N-shape around the pair of rollers, and the rollers are moved downward from above by the moving mechanism, so that the tablets in the spring tube are slowly transferred downward. With the PTP packaging machine described in patent document 2, damage to the tablet transferred from the top to the bottom can be suppressed by such a structure.

As described above, conventionally, when a bridge of particulate matter is generated in the transfer path, the following measures are taken to eliminate the bridge: the conveying path is simply vibrated, or the downward conveying of the granular material in the conveying path is intentionally slowed down.

Documents of the prior art

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese Kokai publication Hei-7-26302

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open No. 2006-62710

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, since the tablet with the bridge is pressed by another tablet filled above the tablet, the bridge may not be eliminated by simply vibrating the transfer path as in patent document 1. On the other hand, when the downward transfer of the particulate matter in the transfer path is intentionally slowed as in patent document 2, a new problem occurs in that the throughput of supply of the particulate matter is lowered. There is still room for improvement in the techniques described in patent documents 1 and 2.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a potential object thereof is to provide a granular object supply device, a printing apparatus including the granular object supply device, and a granular object supply method, which can suppress damage to granular objects and also suppress a decrease in throughput of supply of granular objects by eliminating bridges of the granular objects when the bridges are generated in a transfer path.

Means for solving the problems

The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above, and the means for solving the problems will be described below.

In claim 1 of the present application, there is provided a granular material supply device for transferring granular materials downward by the gravity thereof. The granular material supply device is provided with a transfer path and a rake member. The transfer path is formed by spirally winding a wire material and has elasticity in the vertical direction. The raising member performs a first operation of moving from a lower position to an upper position disposed above the lower position while contacting a vertically intermediate portion of the wire rod constituting the transfer path.

In the 2 nd aspect of the present application, according to the particulate matter supply device of the 1 st aspect, the rake member alternately repeats a second operation of returning from the upper position to the lower position without contacting the wire material constituting the transfer path, with the first operation.

In the 3 rd aspect of the present application, the pellet supply apparatus according to the 1 st or 2 nd aspect, wherein the pellet is a tablet to be taken by a consumer.

In the 4 th aspect of the present application, in the pellet feeding apparatus according to the 3 rd aspect, the tablet is an oval tablet.

In the particulate matter supply device according to claim 5 of the present application, the transfer path includes a plurality of the transfer paths according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Further, the rake member simultaneously acts on the wire rods constituting the plurality of transfer paths.

In claim 6 of the present application, in the particulate matter feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the pickup member is made of resin.

In the 7 th aspect of the present application, in the particulate matter feeding device according to any one of the 1 st to 6 th aspects, the pickup member has a convex curved surface which comes into contact with the wire rod.

In claim 8 of the present application, in the particulate matter supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the rake member repeats the first operation at a frequency of 20 times/minute or more and 200 times/minute or less.

In claim 9 of the present application, in the particulate matter supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, a frequency at which the rake member repeats the first operation may be changed according to a weight of the particulate matter.

In a 10 th aspect of the present application, in the particulate matter feeding device according to any one of the 1 st to 9 th aspects, the rake member repeats the first operation in synchronization with a rotational motion output from the motor.

In an 11 th aspect of the present application, the particulate matter feeding device according to the 10 th aspect, wherein the rake member rotates about a rotation shaft. The rack member is disposed at one phase position in the entire circumference of the rotary shaft.

In claim 12 of the present application, there is provided a printing apparatus comprising: the particulate matter feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 11; and a printing section. The printing unit performs printing on the surface of the supplied granular material.

In the 13 th aspect of the present application, there is provided a method of supplying granular materials using a granular material supply device provided with a transfer path and a rake member. The transfer path is formed by spirally winding a wire material and has elasticity in the vertical direction. The pickup member may be in contact with upper and lower intermediate portions of the wire rod constituting the transfer path. In the particulate matter supply method, the following steps a) to c) are performed. In the step a), the granular material is supplied into the transfer path from an upper end of the transfer path. In the step b), the rake member is moved from a lower position to an upper position disposed above the lower position while being brought into contact with the vertical middle portion of the wire. In the step c), after the step b), the pickup member is separated from the wire rod, and the pickup member is returned from the upper position to the lower position.

In claim 14 of the present application, there is provided a particulate matter supply method in which the step b) and the step c) are alternately repeated.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the invention of claims 1 to 14, when a bridge of the particulate matter is generated in the transfer path, the bridge is eliminated, whereby damage to the particulate matter can be suppressed, and a decrease in throughput of supply of the particulate matter can be suppressed.

In particular, according to claim 1 of the present application, the wire rod is lifted by being brought into contact with the lifting member that performs the first action, and the spiral of the wire rod is extended, so that the passage in the transfer path through which the granular material passes is narrowed. Accordingly, the posture of the granular object is corrected, and the bridge is eliminated. As a result, the throughput of supplying the particulate matter can be suppressed from decreasing, and the particulate matter can be prevented from being damaged.

In particular, according to the 2 nd aspect of the present invention, the first action causes the wire to contact the pickup member and be picked up, the wire spirally extends, and the granular objects are arranged in the longitudinal direction in the transfer passage. Then, while the pick-up member performs the second operation, the spiral of the wire rod contracts, and the granular objects naturally fall down in the transfer path by the gravity thereof. By repeating the first operation and the second operation, the bridge of the particulate matter can be eliminated, and the supply of the particulate matter can be promoted.

In particular, according to claim 3 of the present application, the tablet can be damaged by generation of a bridge or the like in the process of transferring the tablet by using the granular material supply device. Thus, a good quality tablet can be provided to the consumer.

Here, in general, the elliptical agent is likely to rotate in the major axis direction, and thus a bridge is likely to be generated during the transfer. In this regard, according to the 4 th aspect of the present application, the bridge generated by the ellipticity agent can be eliminated by the action of the raking member.

According to the 5 th aspect of the present application, a plurality of bridges that can be generated for each existing transfer path can be eliminated at the same time by using the common pickup member. Thus, a structure for eliminating the bridge can be realized at low cost.

In particular, according to the 6 th aspect of the present application, by repeating the contact of the pickup member with the wire, even if the pickup member is worn, metal powder is not generated. Therefore, the labor and time required for cleaning the inside of the particulate matter supply device can be reduced. In addition, for example, when the granular material is a tablet to be taken by a consumer, the metal piece can be prevented from adhering to the tablet.

In particular, according to the 7 th aspect of the present application, hooking at the contact portion of the rake member and the wire can be prevented. Therefore, the spiral formed by the wire rod can be smoothly stretched, and the posture of the granular objects can be smoothly corrected.

In particular, according to the 8 th aspect of the present application, the following cycle can be repeated at an appropriate cycle: the spiral of the wire rod extends to narrow the transfer path, thereby correcting the posture of the granular substance in the transfer path, and then the spiral of the wire rod contracts to widen the transfer path, thereby the granular substance in the transfer path falls down along with gravity. In other words, the spiral formed by the wire rod can be expanded and contracted with a sufficient stroke in order to feed the granular objects accumulated in the transfer path while forming the bridge to the outside.

In particular, according to the 9 th aspect of the present application, for example, the lighter the weight of the particulate matter is, the less frequently the first operation can be performed. Thus, after the posture of the granular material in the conveying path is corrected, the time interval necessary for freely falling and discharging the granular material to the outside can be appropriately secured in accordance with the weight of the granular material.

In particular, according to the 10 th aspect of the present application, the first operation can be easily repeated by the rotational motion output from the motor. As a result, the bridges of the particulate matter can be periodically eliminated with a simple structure.

According to the 11 th aspect of the present application, the spiral formed by the wire rod can be extended and contracted with a sufficient stroke by a simple structure.

According to the 12 th aspect of the present application, the granular material can be stably supplied to the printing portion. As a result, printing on the granular material can be smoothly performed.

According to the 13 th aspect of the present application, the wire rod is contacted with the pickup member and picked up, the wire rod extends in a spiral shape, and the granular objects are arranged in the longitudinal direction in the transfer path. Then, while the pickup member is away from the wire, the spiral of the wire contracts, and the granular material naturally falls down in the transfer passage by its gravity. Thus, the bridge of the granular objects can be eliminated by the simple action of the raking component, and the supply of the granular objects can be promoted.

In particular, according to claim 14 of the present application, the operation of the pickup member for picking up the wire is repeated at intervals, so that the occurrence of the bridge can be periodically eliminated.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a particulate matter printing apparatus including a particulate matter supply device according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the conveying roller.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of a rake device including the rake member of the present embodiment.

Fig. 4A is a schematic view showing a state where a bridge of the particulate matter is generated in the transfer path.

Fig. 4B is a schematic view showing a state in the transfer path when the rake member is caused to perform the first operation from the state shown in fig. 4A. The double-dashed circle in the figure indicates the rake part when located at the lower position. The solid circles in the figures represent the rake parts when in the up position.

Fig. 4C is a schematic view showing the state in the transfer path when the rake member is caused to perform the second operation from the state shown in fig. 4B. The black arrows in the figure indicate the direction in which the particulate matter falls.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, a direction in which a weight is applied to the granular material may be referred to as "downward" and a direction opposite to the downward direction may be referred to as "upward".

< 1. Structure of tablet printing apparatus >

First, the overall configuration of a tablet printing apparatus (granular material printing apparatus) 1 including a tablet supply apparatus (granular material supply apparatus) 23 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration of a tablet printing apparatus 1 for printing on a tablet 9 as a granular object. Fig. 2 shows the structure of the conveying roller 30 and its periphery.

The tablet printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is an apparatus that prints images such as product names, product codes, manufacturing company names, and icons on the surfaces of a plurality of tablets 9 as granular objects while conveying the tablets 9. As shown in fig. 1, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a hopper 10, a feeder unit 20, a transport cylinder 30, a first printing unit 50, a second printing unit 60, a carry-out conveyor 70, and a control unit 80.

The hopper 10 is a loading section for collectively receiving a plurality of tablets 9 into the apparatus. The hopper 10 is disposed at the uppermost portion of the casing 100 of the tablet printing apparatus 1. The hopper 10 has an opening 11 located on the upper surface of the box 100; and a funnel-shaped inclined surface 12 which gradually shrinks downward. The plurality of tablets 9 put into the opening 11 flow into a straight feeder 21 described later along the inclined surface 12.

The feeder unit 20 is a mechanism for conveying the plurality of tablets 9 loaded into the hopper 10 to the conveying drum 30. The feeder unit 20 of the present embodiment includes a linear feeder 21, a rotary feeder 22, and a supply feeder (particulate matter supply device) 23. The linear feeder 21 has a plate-shaped vibration groove 211. The plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the hopper 10 to the vibration tank 211 are conveyed to the rotary feeder 22 side by the vibration of the vibration tank 211. The rotary feeder 22 includes a disc-shaped rotary table 221. The plurality of tablets 9 dropped from the vibration groove 211 onto the upper surface of the rotary table 221 are gathered near the outer circumferential portion of the rotary table 221 by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the rotary table 221.

The supply feeder 23 as the granular material supply device of the present embodiment conveys the tablet 9 from the outer periphery of the rotary table 221 to the conveying drum 30. More specifically, the supply feeder 23 includes a transfer path 231, a sorting unit 232, and the like, which will be described later. In fig. 1 and 2, the transfer path 231 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The transfer path 231 is a cylindrical path through which the tablet 9 passes in order to transfer the tablet downward by the gravity of the tablet 9. The transfer path 231 of the present embodiment is formed by winding a wire 231a such as a metal wire in a spiral shape. Therefore, the transfer path 231 can be expanded and contracted by expanding and contracting the dimension in the radial direction of the spiral formed by the wire 231 a. In other words, the transfer path 231 is configured as a flexible spring tube chute (spiral tube).

As shown in fig. 2, a plurality of (eight in the present embodiment) transfer paths 231 are arranged substantially parallel to each other so as to extend in the vertical direction. The tablets 9 conveyed to the outer periphery of the rotary table 221 shown in fig. 1 are supplied to any one of the plurality of transfer paths 231, and fall into the transfer path 231, more specifically, fall in a spiral formed by the wire 231 a. Then, a plurality of tablets 9 are supplied into each transfer path 231. In this way, the plurality of tablets 9 are supplied to the plurality of transfer paths 231 in a dispersed manner, and are thereby arranged in a plurality of (eight in the present embodiment) conveying rows. Then, the plurality of tablets 9 in each conveying row are sequentially sorted out one by the sorting section 232 shown in fig. 1 and 2 from the lower tablet. The separated tablets 9 in each transport line are supplied to the transport drum 30.

The supply feeder 23 includes a raking device 90 shown in fig. 1 and 3 in addition to the above-described components. The specific structure of the pickup 90 will be described in detail later.

The transport drum 30 shown in fig. 1 and 2 is a mechanism for receiving and delivering the tablets 9 taken out by the taking-out section 232. The conveying roller 30 has a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface. The conveying roller 30 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in fig. 1 and 2 about its center axis by power obtained from a motor, not shown. As shown in fig. 2, a plurality of holding portions 31 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the transport drum 30. The holding portion 31 is a concave portion recessed inward from the outer circumferential surface of the transport drum 30. The plurality of holding portions 31 are arranged in the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the conveying drum 30 at the width direction position corresponding to each of the plurality of conveying lines. Further, a suction hole 32 is provided in the bottom of each holding portion 31.

A suction mechanism, not shown, is provided inside the transport drum 30. When the suction mechanism is operated, a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure is generated in each of the plurality of suction holes 32. The holding unit 31 holds the tablets 9 supplied from the supply feeder 23 by suction one by the negative pressure. An air blowing mechanism, not shown, is provided inside the transport drum 30. The air blowing mechanism partially blows the pressurized gas from the inside of the conveying drum 30 toward the conveying belt 51 described later. This allows the holding portion 31 not facing the conveying conveyor 51 to release the suction of the tablets 9 while maintaining the suction state of the tablets 9 in the holding portion 31 facing the conveying conveyor 51. In this way, the conveying drum 30 rotates while holding the plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the supply feeder 23 by suction, and the tablets 9 can be transferred to the conveying conveyor 51.

A state detection camera 33 is provided at a position facing the outer peripheral surface of the conveying drum 30. The state detection camera 33 captures an image of the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveying drum 30, and sends the obtained image to the control unit 80. The control unit 80 detects the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in each holding unit 31, the front or back surface of the tablet 9 held in the holding unit 31, and the rotation angle based on the received image.

The first printing unit 50 is a processing unit for printing an image on one surface of the tablet 9. The first printing unit 50 includes a transport conveyor 51, a state detection camera 52, a head unit 53, an inspection camera 54, and a fixing unit 55.

The conveying belt 51 is a conveying mechanism having a known structure such as a belt conveyor. The conveying belt 512 of the conveying belt 51 is disposed so that a part thereof is close to and faces the outer peripheral surface of the conveying roller 30. The conveying belt 512 of the conveying conveyor belt 51 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in fig. 1 and 2 by power obtained from a motor, not shown.

As shown in fig. 2, the conveying belt 512 of the conveying conveyor 51 is provided with a plurality of holding portions 513. The holding portion 513 is a concave portion that is recessed inward from the outer surface of the belt of the conveying conveyor belt 51. The plurality of holding portions 513 are arranged in the conveying direction at a width direction position corresponding to each of the plurality of conveying rows. The intervals in the width direction of the plurality of holding portions 513 in the conveyance belt 512 of the conveyance belt 51 are equal to the intervals in the width direction of the plurality of holding portions 31 in the conveyance roller 30.

A suction hole 514 is provided in the bottom of each holding portion 513. The conveying belt 51 has a suction mechanism, not shown, inside the conveying belt 512. When the suction mechanism is operated, a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure is generated in each of the plurality of suction holes 514. The holding section 513 holds the tablets 9 transferred from the transport drum 30 by suction one by the negative pressure. Thus, the conveying conveyor 51 holds and conveys the plurality of tablets 9 while arranging them in a plurality of conveying rows spaced apart in the width direction. The conveyor belt 512 is provided with an air blowing mechanism, not shown. When the blower mechanism is operated, the holding portion 413 facing the transport conveyor 61 described later releases the adsorption of the tablets 9 in the holding portion 413, and the tablets 9 are transferred from the transport conveyor 51 to the transport conveyor 61.

The state detection camera 52 is an imaging unit that images the state of the tablets 9 held by the conveying conveyor 51 on the upstream side in the conveying direction from the head unit 53. The state detection camera 33 and the state detection camera 52 take images of the mutually opposite sides of the tablet 9. The image obtained by the state detection camera 52 is sent from the state detection camera 52 to the control section 80. The control unit 80 detects the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in each holding unit 513, and the front and back surfaces and the rotation angle of the tablet held in the holding unit 513 based on the received image.

The head unit 53 ejects ink droplets toward the surface of the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveying conveyor 51, thereby printing on the surface of the tablet 9. The head unit 53 has a plurality of heads 531 aligned in the conveying direction. The plurality of heads 531 eject ink droplets of mutually different colors toward the surface of the tablet 9. Thereby, a multicolor image is printed on the surface of the tablet 9.

The inspection camera 54 is applied to an image pickup section for confirming a printing result of the head unit 53. The inspection camera 54 photographs the tablets 9 conveyed to the conveying belt 512 on the downstream side in the conveying direction from the head unit 53. In addition, the inspection camera 54 transmits the obtained image to the control section 80. The control section 80 detects whether or not the image printed on the surface of each tablet 9 is defective based on the received image.

The fixing portion 55 is a mechanism for fixing the ink discharged from the head unit 53 to the tablet 9. The fixing unit 55 is, for example, a hot air drying type heater that blows hot air toward the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveying conveyor 51.

The second printing unit 60 is a processing unit for printing an image on the other surface of the tablet 9 after the printing by the first printing unit 50. As shown in fig. 1, the second printing unit 60 includes a conveyance belt 61, a state detection camera 62, a head unit 63, an inspection camera 64, a fixing unit 65, and a defective product collection unit 66. The conveying conveyor 61 holds and conveys the plurality of tablets 9 delivered from the upstream conveying conveyor 51. The state detection camera 62 photographs the plurality of tablets 9 conveyed by the conveying conveyor 61 on the upstream side in the conveying direction from the head unit 63. The head unit 63 ejects ink droplets toward the surface of the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveying conveyor 61. The inspection camera 64 photographs the plurality of tablets 9 conveyed by the conveying conveyor 61 on the downstream side in the conveying direction from the head unit 63. The fixing portion 65 fixes the ink discharged from each head unit 631 of the head unit 63 to the tablet 9.

The configurations and functions of the transport conveyor 61, the state detection camera 62, the head unit 63, the inspection camera 64, and the fixing unit 65 are the same as those of the transport conveyor 51, the state detection camera 52, the head unit 53, the inspection camera 54, and the fixing unit 55, and therefore, a repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

The defective tablet collecting unit 66 collects tablets 9 determined to be defective based on the captured images obtained from the five

cameras

33, 52, 54, 62, and 64. The defective product collecting unit 66 includes an air blowing mechanism (not shown) disposed inside the conveying conveyor 61 and a collecting box 661. If it is determined that a defective tablet 9 is conveyed to the defective tablet collecting section 66, the blowing mechanism blows pressurized gas from the inside of the conveying conveyor 61 toward the tablet 9. Thereby, the tablets 9 are dropped off from the conveying conveyor 61 and collected in the collection box 661.

The carrying-out conveyor 70 is a mechanism for carrying the plurality of tablets 9 determined to be good products to the outside of the casing 100 of the tablet printing apparatus 1. The upstream end of the discharge conveyor 70 is positioned below the conveyance conveyor 61. The downstream end of the discharge conveyor 70 is located outside the casing 100. The discharge conveyor 70 uses a known belt conveying mechanism, for example. The plurality of tablets 9 that have passed through the defective product collecting portion 66 are released from the suction by the suction holes and fall from the conveying conveyor 61 onto the upper surface of the discharge conveyor 70. Then, the plurality of tablets 9 are carried out to the outside of the casing 100 by the carrying-out conveyor 70.

The control unit 80 controls the operations of the respective units in the tablet printing apparatus 1. The control unit 80 is constituted by a computer having a processor such as a CPU, a memory such as a RAM, and a storage device such as a hard disk drive. A computer program and data for executing the printing process and the inspection process are stored in the storage device.

The control unit 80 is connected to the linear feeder 21, the rotary feeder 22, the transport drum 30, the state detection camera 33, the transport conveyor 51, the state detection camera 52, the head unit 53, the inspection camera 54, the fixing unit 55, the transport conveyor 61, the state detection camera 62, the head unit 63, the inspection camera 64, the fixing unit 65, the defective item collection unit 66, the carry-out conveyor 70, and the like, so as to be able to communicate with each other.

In addition to the above-described parts, the clogging detection sensor 239 shown in fig. 1 is communicably connected to the control unit 80. The jam sensor 239 is a sensor for detecting whether or not the tablet is present in the dispensing section 232. The control unit 80 determines whether or not the transfer path 231 is clogged based on the signal received from the clogging detection sensor 239. For example, when the dispensing unit 232 is kept in a state where no tablet is present for a predetermined time or more, it is determined that a jam has occurred in the transfer path 231. In this case, the control unit 80 generates, for example, an alarm sound or turns on an alarm lamp (not shown) to notify the operator of the occurrence of the jam.

Here, in the supply feeder 23 as the granular material supply device, it is desirable that the tablet (granular material) 9 is supplied to the conveying drum 30 at the subsequent stage without being transferred downward and standing. However, in a conveying path such as a conventionally known spring tube chute, there is a case where a blockage occurs and the conveyance is stopped. More specifically, while the tablet passes through the transfer path, the tablet is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction, and a so-called "bridge (ブリッジ)" may be generated in the transfer path.

Specifically, in order to smoothly transfer the tablet downward, the tablet needs to pass through the transfer path with its longitudinal direction oriented in the vertical direction (longitudinal direction). However, depending on the shape of the tablet, the tablet may rotate during transportation, and a bridge may be generated. The bridges are generated by overlapping several tablets in the vertical direction in an inclined posture with respect to the longitudinal direction. In particular, it is known that when the tablet is an oval tablet, the tablet is liable to rotate in various directions, and bridges are more liable to be generated. When a bridge is generated in the transfer path, it is desirable to eliminate the bridge quickly. In this regard, the supply feeder 23 of the present embodiment includes a pickup device 90 having a pickup member 94, and is configured to quickly eliminate a bridge generated in the transfer path 231.

< 2. Structure of raking device >

The structure of the pickup device 90 including the pickup member 94 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 3. Fig. 3 schematically shows the structure of the rake 90. The rake device 90 of the present embodiment includes a motor 91, a rotating shaft 92, a pair of mounting plates 93, and a rake member 94.

The motor 91 is a drive source of the rake 90. The rotary shaft 92 rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the output shaft of the motor 91. The rotary shaft 92 of the present embodiment rotates integrally with the output shaft of the motor 91. The pair of mounting plates 93 is fixed to both end portions of the rotating shaft 92. Specifically, the center portion of the plate surface of the mounting plate 93 is fixed to the end portion of the rotating shaft 92 so as to be relatively non-rotatable. The rising member 94 is a resin elongated cylindrical member. As the resin constituting the rising member 94, for example, any one of POM (polyacetal), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), and PET (polyethylene terephthalate), or a composite material containing at least one of these can be used.

The rake member 94 is bridged between the pair of mounting plates 93 in a state parallel to the rotation shaft 92. Specifically, both end portions of the rake member 94 are attached to one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the pair of attachment plates 93. Further, the rake member 94 is not provided at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the pair of mounting plates 93. In other words, the rake member 94 is provided at only one phase position in the entire circumference of the rotating shaft 92. The rotation of the rotary shaft 92 causes the rake member 94 to rotate while tracing an arc-shaped trajectory.

As shown in fig. 3, the pickup 90 is provided in the vicinity of the plurality of transfer paths 231. More specifically, the pickup 90 is disposed so that the pickup member 94 can simultaneously contact the middle portions of the plurality of transfer paths 231 in the vertical direction in a predetermined rotation range. Strictly speaking, the rake member 94 contacts the middle portion in the vertical direction of the linear material (wire) 231a constituting the transfer path 231.

The pickup member 94 is disposed below the rotating shaft 92 before the pickup member 94 comes into contact with the wire 231 a. Fig. 4A shows the state of the transfer path 231, the tablet 9, and the rake member 94 at this time.

After the state of fig. 4A, when the rake member 94 reaches a predetermined rotational position (hereinafter referred to as "lower position P1") within the rotational range thereof with the rotation of the rotating shaft 92, the circumferential surface 94A of the rake member 94 comes into contact with the upper and lower middle portions of the wire 231a constituting the transfer path 231. Fig. 4B shows the state of the transfer path 231, the tablet 9, and the rake member 94 at this time. Further, the rake member 94 located at the lower position P1 is shown by a circle of a two-dot chain line in fig. 4B.

When the rotary shaft 92 is further rotated from the state shown by the two-dot chain line in fig. 4B, the rack member 94 reaches a predetermined rotational position (hereinafter, referred to as "upper position P2") disposed above the lower position P1 within the rotational range thereof. During the operation (hereinafter referred to as "first operation") in which the pickup member 94 rotates from the lower position P1 toward the upper position P2, the circumferential surface 94a of the pickup member 94 is held in contact with the middle portion in the vertical direction of the wire 231a constituting the transfer path 231. As a result, the wire 231a constituting the transfer path 231 is raked upward. Further, the rake member 94 located at the upper position P2 is shown by a solid-line circle in fig. 4B. Comparing fig. 4A and 4B, it is understood that the wire 231a is pulled along with the first operation of the raking member 94.

The spiral formed by the wire 231a in the state shown in fig. 4B has a smaller diameter than the spiral formed by the wire 231a in the state shown in fig. 4A. In other words, when the rake member 94 performs the first operation, the wire 231a is pulled upward, and the passage in the transfer path 231 through which the tablet 9 passes is narrowed. Accordingly, the posture of the tablet 9 is corrected from the state of being bridged as shown in fig. 4A to the state of being aligned in the vertical direction as shown in fig. 4B.

When the rotary shaft 92 is further rotated from the state shown by the solid line in fig. 4B, the rack member 94 is rotated in a direction away from the transfer path 231. More specifically, the pickup member 94 rotates while moving away from the transfer path 231 from the upper position P2 to the lower position P1 (hereinafter referred to as "second operation"). Thereby, the rotational position of the rake member 94 is returned from the upper position P2 to the lower position P1. Fig. 4C shows a state of the transfer path 231 during the second operation. During the second operation, the circumferential surface 94a of the pickup member 94 does not contact the line 231a constituting the transfer path 231. Thereby, the wire 231a raked up as shown in fig. 4B returns to the original state as shown in fig. 4C. In other words, the pitch of the spiral formed by the wire 231a is reduced, and the passage in the transfer path 231 is widened. At this time, since the state in which the tablets 9 are bridged is eliminated at the stage shown in fig. 4B, the tablets 9 naturally fall downward in the transfer path 231. This quickly eliminates the bridges between the tablets 9, and facilitates the feeding of the tablets 9 to the conveying drum 30.

Further, by driving the motor 91, the rake member 94 of the present embodiment alternately repeats the first operation and the second operation by the rotational movement of the motor 91. This periodically eliminates the state of the tablets 9 called bridges, and the tablets 9 can be continuously and stably supplied to the conveying drum 30.

In the present embodiment, the output shaft of the motor 91 rotates at a rotational speed of 20 rpm or more and 200 rpm or less. Therefore, the rake member 94 repeats the first operation and the second operation at a frequency of 20 times/minute or more and 200 times/minute or less. Thus, the following cycle can be formed at an appropriate cycle: the spiral formed by the wire 231a is pulled to correct the posture of the tablet 9, and then the spiral formed by the wire 231a contracts, and the tablet 9 falls by its own weight.

However, in the present embodiment, the rotation speed of the rotation shaft 92 can be increased or decreased in software according to the weight of the tablet 9. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the lighter the tablet 9 is, the less frequently the rake member 94 performs the first operation. This can appropriately ensure a time interval required for substantially freely dropping the tablets 9 and supplying the tablets to the conveying drum 30 in accordance with the weight of the tablets 9.

As described above, the supply feeder (particulate matter supply device) 23 of the present embodiment includes: a transfer path 231 formed by spirally winding a wire material 231a such as a metal wire; and a rake 90 having a rake member 94. The rake member 94 performs a first operation of moving from the lower position P1 toward the upper position P2 while contacting the upper and lower middle portions of the wire 231a constituting the transfer path 231. Thereby, the wire 231a is lifted by contacting the lifting member 94, and the spiral of the wire 231a is expanded, thereby narrowing the passage in the transfer path 231 through which the tablet (granular material) 9 passes. This corrected the posture of tablet 9 and eliminated the bridge. As a result, damage to the tablet 9 can be suppressed, and a decrease in throughput of the supply of the tablet 9 can also be suppressed.

In the feed feeder 23 of the present embodiment, the second operation of returning the pick-up member 94 from the upper position P2 to the lower position P1 without contacting the wire 231a is repeated alternately with the first operation. Thereby, the wire 231a is raked up by being brought into contact with the raking member 94, the spiral of the wire 231a is extended, and the tablets 9 are aligned in the longitudinal direction in the transfer passage. Thereafter, while the rake member 94 performs the second operation, the spiral formed by the wire 231a contracts, whereby the passage through which the tablets 9 pass becomes wider, and the tablets 9 naturally fall down in the transfer path 231 according to the gravity thereof. By repeating the first operation and the second operation, the bridge of the tablet 9 can be eliminated, and the feeding of the tablet 9 can be facilitated.

In the present embodiment, the "granular material" is the tablet 9 to be taken by the consumer. In the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress damage due to the generation of bridges or the like in the process of conveying the tablet 9 using the supply feeder 23. Thus providing the consumer with a good quality tablet 9.

In the present embodiment, the tablet 9 may be an elliptic tablet. Here, in general, since the elliptical agent is likely to rotate three-dimensionally, more specifically, to rotate in the major axis direction, a bridge is likely to be generated during the transfer. In this regard, according to the structure of the present embodiment, the bridge generated by the elliptical agent can be eliminated by the rotational movement of the raking member 94. Alternatively, particularly well-broken soft capsules may be advantageously employed as tablets.

As shown in fig. 3, the supply feeder 23 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of transfer paths 231. The rake member 94 acts on the line 231a of the plurality of transfer paths 231 at the same time. This allows the bridge that can be generated for each of the existing transfer paths 231 to be eliminated simultaneously by the common pickup member 94. Thus, a structure for eliminating the bridge can be realized at low cost.

In the present embodiment, the rising member 94 is made of resin. Thus, the rake member 94 repeatedly comes into contact with the wire 231a, and thus, even if worn, no metal powder is generated. Therefore, the labor and time required for cleaning the inside of the tablet printing apparatus 1 can be reduced. In addition, the metal powder can be prevented from adhering to the tablet 9.

In the present embodiment, the pickup member 94 has a circumferential surface 94a that is a convex curved surface, and the circumferential surface 94a is in contact with the wire 231 a. This can prevent the rake member 94 from hooking at the contact portion with the wire 231 a. Therefore, the spiral formed by the wire 231a can be smoothly stretched, and the posture of the tablet 9 can be smoothly corrected.

In the present embodiment, the frequency at which the rising member 94 repeats the first operation is set to 20 times/minute or more and 200 times/minute or less. Thus, the following cycle can be formed at an appropriate cycle: the spiral of the wire 231a extends to narrow the transfer path 231, thereby correcting the posture of the tablet 9 in the transfer path 231, and thereafter, the spiral of the wire 231a contracts to widen the transfer path 231, thereby allowing the granular material in the transfer path 231 to fall down by gravity. In other words, the spiral formed by the wire 231a can be expanded and contracted by a sufficient stroke in order to feed the tablet 9 accumulated in the transfer path 231 while forming the bridge to the outside.

In the present embodiment, the rake member 94 repeats the first operation and the second operation in synchronization with the rotational motion output from the motor (electric motor) 91. This makes it possible to easily repeat the first operation and the second operation by using a simple rotational motion output from the motor 91.

In the present embodiment, the rising member 94 rotates about the rotating shaft 92. Further, the pickup member 94 is disposed at only one phase position in the entire circumference of the rotating shaft 92. This makes it possible to maintain the rotational speed of the motor at a high-efficiency rated rotational speed and optimize the cycle of the first operation of the raising member 94. As a result, the spiral formed by the wire 231a can be expanded and contracted with a sufficient stroke.

The tablet printing apparatus 1 as a printing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a supply feeder (granular material supply device) 23 and

printing units

50 and 60. This enables stable supply of the tablet 9, which is an example of a granular material, to the

printing portions

50 and 60. As a result, printing on the granular material can be performed smoothly.

< 3. about the modification

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications other than the above embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the pickup member 94 rotates in an arc shape in synchronization with the rotation of the rotating shaft 92, but is not limited thereto. The movement of the rake part need not be a rotary movement but may be a linear movement using a cylinder or the like, for example. That is, the first operation may be an operation in which the pick-up member moves from the lower position P1 toward the upper position P2 while contacting the wire.

In the above embodiment, the first operation and the second operation of the raising member 94 are periodically repeated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the first operation and the second operation may be performed irregularly, for example. More specifically, if the jam of the tablet 9 in any of the transfer paths 231 is detected by the jam sensor 239, the rake member 94 may be caused to perform the first operation and the second operation. The control unit 80 may cause the raising member 94 to execute the first operation and the second operation periodically or aperiodically.

Alternatively, the rotary shaft 92 may be intermittently rotated, for example, in order to sufficiently ensure the stroke of the rack member 94 for repeating the first and second operations.

The rake member 94 may be provided separately for each of the plurality of transfer paths 231.

The "granule" in the present invention is not limited to a tablet as a pharmaceutical product to be taken by a consumer, and may be a tablet as a health food such as a dietary supplement, or a tablet-shaped snack such as a refreshing drink. Alternatively, the "particulate matter" may be a chip component to be inserted and supplied to the chip.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the tablet printing apparatus 1 is used as the granular material supply device (supply feeder 23) of the present invention has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the tablet feeder as the granular material feeder of the present invention may be used in a PTP packaging machine.

The elements described in the above embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined within a range not inconsistent with each other.

Description of the symbols

1-tablet printing device (printing device), 9-tablet (granular material), 23-supply feeder (granular material supply device), 50-first printing section (printing section), 60-second printing section (printing section), 80-control section, 90-hug up device, 91-motor (electric motor), 92-rotation axis, 94-hug up component, 94 a-peripheral surface (convex curved surface), 231-transfer path, 231 a-wire, 232-sorting section, 239-jam detection sensor.

Claims

1. A granular material supply device for transferring granular materials downward by gravity, comprising:

a transfer path formed by spirally winding a wire material and having elasticity in the vertical direction; and

a rake member that performs a first operation of moving from a lower position toward an upper position disposed above the lower position while contacting upper and lower intermediate portions of the wire rod constituting the transfer path, and that stretches a spiral formed by the wire rod to narrow a passage in the transfer path through which the granular objects pass, thereby aligning the posture of the granular objects in a longitudinal direction in the transfer path,

the holding member is in contact with the wire constituting the transfer path while drawing an arc-shaped trajectory,

the granular material supply device further includes:

a jam sensor for detecting whether the granular material is present at the lower end of the transfer path; and

a control unit for determining whether the transfer path is clogged based on a signal received from the clogging detection sensor,

the control unit determines that a jam has occurred in the transfer path when the particulate matter is not present at the lower end of the transfer path for a predetermined time or longer.

2. The pellet supply apparatus according to claim 1,

the raising member performs a second operation of returning the wire rod from the upper position to the lower position without contacting the wire rod constituting the transfer path, thereby contracting the spiral formed by the wire rod, widening a passage in the transfer path through which the granular objects pass, naturally dropping the granular objects in the transfer path by gravity, and alternately repeating the second operation with the first operation.

3. The pellet supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

the granules are tablets to be taken by the consumer.

4. The pellet supply apparatus according to claim 3,

the tablets are oval.

5. The pellet supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

there are a plurality of the above-mentioned transfer paths,

the rake member simultaneously acts on the wire rods constituting the plurality of transfer paths.

6. The pellet supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

the rising member is made of resin.

7. The pellet supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

the raking component is provided with a convex curved surface,

the curved surface is in contact with the wire.

8. Particulate matter feeding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

the raising member repeats the first operation at a frequency of 20 times/minute or more and 200 times/minute or less.

9. The pellet supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

the frequency of the first operation repeated by the rake member can be changed according to the weight of the granular material.

10. Particulate matter feeding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

the rake member repeats the first operation in synchronization with a rotational motion output from the motor.

11. The pellet supply apparatus as claimed in claim 10,

the raking component rotates by taking the rotating shaft as a center,

the rack member is disposed at only one phase position in the entire circumference of the rotating shaft.

12. A printing apparatus is characterized by comprising:

the pellet supply device as claimed in claim 1 or 2; and

a printing part for printing on the surface of the supplied granular objects.

13. A granular material supply method for supplying granular materials by using a granular material supply device, the granular material supply device comprising:

a holding member capable of contacting with the upper and lower middle portions of the wire rod constituting the transfer path,

the above-mentioned method for supplying the granular material is characterized in that,

a) the granular material is supplied into the transfer path from the upper end of the transfer path,

b) the attitude of the granular material is aligned in the longitudinal direction in the transfer path by moving the rake member from a lower position to an upper position disposed above the lower position while contacting the rake member with the vertical middle portion of the wire material, thereby stretching the spiral formed by the wire material to narrow a passage in the transfer path through which the granular material passes,

c) after the step b), the spiral of the wire rod is contracted by separating the pickup member from the wire rod and returning the pickup member from the upper position to the lower position, whereby a passage in the transfer path through which the granular objects pass is widened and the granular objects are naturally dropped in the transfer path by gravity,

d) determining whether the transfer path is blocked based on a signal received from a blockage detection sensor that detects whether the particulate matter is present at a lower end of the transfer path,

in the step b), the pick-up member is brought into contact with the wire rod constituting the transfer path while drawing an arc-shaped trajectory,

in the step d), when the state where the particulate matter is not present at the lower end of the transfer path continues for a predetermined time or more, it is determined that the clogging is generated in the transfer path.

14. The pellet supply method according to claim 13,

the step b) and the step c) are alternately repeated.