CN111836612B

CN111836612B - Granular material processing apparatus and granular material processing method

Info

Publication number: CN111836612B
Application number: CN201980018561.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 中野信行; 山本昌宏
Original assignee: Screen Holdings Co Ltd
Current assignee: Screen Holdings Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-03-12
Filing date: 2019-01-18
Publication date: 2022-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 2039-01-18
Also published as: CN111836612A; KR20200102512A; JP2019154676A; KR102478914B1; JP6510102B1; WO2019176280A1

Abstract

The tablet printing device (1) is provided with: an annular conveying mechanism (20), a printing part (30) and a turnover mechanism (70). The annular conveying mechanism (20) adsorbs and holds the tablets (9) and conveys the tablets (9) along an annular conveying path. The printing unit (30) prints an image on the surface of the tablet (9) at a processing position on the conveying path of the annular conveying mechanism (20). The turning mechanism (70) turns the tablet (9) forward and backward at a turning position on the conveying path of the endless conveying mechanism (20). Therefore, both sides of the tablet (9) can be printed at the same processing position on the conveying path. This reduces the number of parts of the device and reduces the size of the device.

Description

Granular material processing apparatus and granular material processing method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a particulate matter processing apparatus and a particulate matter processing method for performing a predetermined process on a surface of a particulate matter.

Background

Characters and codes for identifying products are printed on the surface of the tablet serving as a medicine. Further, a mark or a graphic may be printed on a tablet candy such as soda candy. A printing apparatus for printing an image on the surface of such granular materials such as tablets and candies by an ink jet method has been known. In particular, the types of tablets have been diversified in recent years due to the spread of common-name medicines. Therefore, a technique of printing clearly on both the front and back surfaces of a tablet by an ink jet method in order to easily recognize the tablet has been attracting attention.

The printing apparatus of patent document 1 includes: an upstream conveying section (3) and a downstream conveying section (4). The upstream conveying section (3) conveys the tablets and prints the tablets by the first printing section (201). The downstream conveying section (4) receives and conveys the tablets from the upstream conveying section (3) while reversing the front and back of the tablets, and prints the tablets by the second printing section (202). Thereby, the front and back sides of the tablet are printed.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1 Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2015-223323

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in patent document 1, a printing unit and an imaging unit attached to the printing unit are provided in both the upstream conveying unit (3) and the downstream conveying unit (4). That is, in patent document 1, a processing section for printing and imaging one surface of a tablet and a processing section for printing and imaging the other surface of the tablet are provided separately. Therefore, in the configuration of patent document 1, the number of components of the printing apparatus is large, and it is difficult to downsize the printing apparatus.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a granular material processing apparatus and a granular material processing method which can perform predetermined processing on both the front and back surfaces of granular materials and can miniaturize the apparatus as compared with the prior art.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is a particulate matter processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a surface of a particulate matter, the particulate matter processing apparatus including: an annular conveying mechanism for adsorbing and holding the granular objects and conveying the granular objects along an annular conveying path; a processing unit that performs the predetermined processing on the surface of the particulate matter at a processing position on the conveying path of the endless conveying mechanism; and a turnover mechanism for turning the particulate matter forward and backward at a turnover position on the transport path of the endless transport mechanism.

The 2 nd invention of the present application is the particulate matter processing apparatus according to the 1 st invention, wherein the turnover mechanism turns over the front and back of the particulate matter and moves the position of the particulate matter in the width direction in the conveyance path.

The 3 rd aspect of the present application is the particulate matter processing apparatus according to the 2 nd aspect of the present invention, wherein the annular conveying mechanism rotates a holding surface along the conveying path, the holding surface has a plurality of suction holes arranged in the width direction for sucking and holding the particulate matter, the holding surface has a first region and a second region adjacent to each other in the width direction, and the turnover mechanism moves the particulate matter held by the suction holes in the first region to the suction holes in the second region.

The 4 th invention of the present application is the particulate matter processing apparatus according to the 2 nd or 3 rd invention, wherein the turnover mechanism includes: a first inclined roller having a first side surface of a conical shape or a pyramid shape centered on a first axis inclined with respect to the width direction; and a second inclined drum adjacent to the first inclined drum in the width direction and having a conical or pyramidal second side surface centered on a second axis inclined with respect to the width direction, wherein the first inclined drum sucks and holds the particulate matter delivered from the endless conveyor mechanism on the first side surface and rotates to deliver the particulate matter to the second inclined drum, and the second inclined drum sucks and holds the particulate matter delivered from the first inclined drum on the second side surface and rotates to deliver the particulate matter to the endless conveyor mechanism.

The 5 th aspect of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus according to the 4 th aspect of the present application, wherein a sum of an apex angle of the first inclined drum and an apex angle of the second inclined drum as viewed in a conveying direction of the endless conveying mechanism is 180 °.

The 6 th aspect of the present invention is the granular object processing apparatus according to the 5 th aspect of the present invention, wherein an apex angle of the first inclined roller and an apex angle of the second inclined roller are both 90 ° when viewed in the conveying direction of the endless conveying mechanism.

The 7 th invention of the present application is the particulate matter processing apparatus according to the 6 th invention, wherein the first inclined roller and the second inclined roller have the same shape and size.

The 8 th aspect of the present invention is the particulate matter processing apparatus according to any one of the 4 th to 7 th aspects, wherein the first inclined drum has a plurality of suction holes arranged in a circular ring shape around the first axis on the first side surface, the second inclined drum has a plurality of suction holes arranged in a circular ring shape around the second axis on the second side surface, and one particulate matter is sucked and held in each of the plurality of suction holes.

The 9 th aspect of the present invention is the particulate matter processing apparatus according to any one of the 4 th to 7 th aspects, wherein the first inclined drum has an annular suction notch centered on the first axis on the first side surface, the second inclined drum has an annular suction notch centered on the second axis on the second side surface, and the plurality of particulate matters are sucked and held in the suction notch.

The 10 th invention of the present application is the particulate matter processing apparatus according to any one of the 4 th to 9 th inventions, wherein an adsorption force of the second side to the particulate matter is larger than an adsorption force of the first side to the particulate matter.

The 11 th aspect of the present invention is the particulate matter processing apparatus according to the 1 st aspect, wherein the turnover mechanism turns over the front and back of the particulate matter and moves the position of the particulate matter in the conveying direction in the conveying path.

The 12 th invention of the present application is the particulate matter processing apparatus according to any one of the 1 st to 11 th inventions, wherein the processing unit includes a printing unit that performs inkjet printing on the surface of the particulate matter.

The 13 th aspect of the present invention is the granular object processing apparatus according to any one of the 1 st to 12 th aspects of the present invention, wherein the processing unit includes a camera that captures an image of a surface of the granular object.

The 14 th invention of the present application is the granular object processing apparatus according to any one of the 1 st to 13 th inventions, wherein the granular object is a tablet.

The 15 th invention of the present application is the particulate matter processing apparatus according to any one of the 1 st to 14 th inventions, wherein the annular conveying mechanism conveys the particulate matter while adsorbing and holding the particulate matter at equal intervals in the conveying direction and the width direction, and the turnover mechanism turns the front and back of the particulate matter while holding the particulate matter at equal intervals in the conveying direction and the width direction.

The 16 th aspect of the present invention is a particulate matter processing method for performing a predetermined process on a surface of a particulate matter, the particulate matter processing method including: a) a step of carrying the granular material into an annular conveying path; b) a step of conveying the granular material along the conveyance path after the step a) and performing the predetermined treatment on a first surface of the granular material at a treatment position on the conveyance path; c) a step of reversing the front and back of the granular material at a reversing position on the conveying path after the step b); d) a step of conveying the granular material along the conveying path after the step c) and performing the predetermined treatment on a second surface of the granular material at the treatment position; and e) a step of carrying out the granular material from the conveying path after the step d).

The 17 th aspect of the present invention is the particulate matter processing method according to the 16 th aspect, wherein in the steps b) and d), the particulate matter is conveyed at equal intervals in the conveying direction and the width direction, and in the step c), the particulate matter is held at equal intervals in the conveying direction and the width direction, and the front and back of the particulate matter are reversed.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the invention 1 to the invention 17 of the present application, both surfaces of the particulate matter can be subjected to predetermined processing at the same processing position on the conveyance path. This reduces the number of parts of the device and reduces the size of the device.

In particular, according to the 4 th aspect of the present invention, the length of the turnover mechanism in the transport direction can be suppressed.

In particular, according to the invention 5 of the present application, the front and back of the particulate matter can be reversed on the same holding surface, and the position of the particulate matter in the width direction can be moved.

In particular, according to the 7 th aspect of the present invention, the first inclined roller and the second inclined roller can be used in common as parts.

In particular, according to the 8 th aspect of the present invention, the position of the particulate matter after the adsorption and holding on the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface is less likely to shift.

In particular, according to the 9 th aspect of the present invention, the granular material can be held even if the granular material is displaced to some extent when delivered.

In particular, according to the 10 th aspect of the present invention, the particulate matter is less likely to fall off when the particulate matter is delivered from the first side surface to the second side surface.

In particular, according to the 15 th and 17 th aspects of the present invention, the predetermined processing can be performed on the granular materials aligned at equal intervals in the conveyance direction and the width direction, and the processing accuracy can be improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view of a tablet printing apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a top view of a tablet printing apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the tablet printing apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of the ring conveyor.

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the inkjet head.

Fig. 6 is a view of the turnover mechanism as viewed in the conveying direction.

Fig. 7 is a view of the turnover mechanism as viewed along the conveying direction.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing connections between the control unit and each unit.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of printing processing in the tablet printing apparatus.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a conveying state of tablets in the first region.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a conveying state of tablets in the second region.

Fig. 12 is a side view of a tablet printing apparatus according to a modification.

Fig. 13 is a view of the inverting mechanism of the modification as viewed along the conveying direction.

Fig. 14 is a plan view of a tablet printing apparatus according to a modification.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the direction in which the tablets are conveyed by the annular conveying mechanism is referred to as "conveying direction", and the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and along the holding surface is referred to as "width direction".

< 1. integral Structure of tablet printing apparatus >

Fig. 1 is a side view of a tablet printing apparatus 1 as an example of the particulate matter processing apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the tablet printing apparatus 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the tablet printing apparatus 1.

The tablet printing apparatus 1 is an apparatus that conveys a plurality of tablets 9 as granular materials and prints images such as product names, product codes, company names, logo marks, and the like on both sides of each tablet 9. The tablet 9 may be a plain tablet (bare tablet) or a coated tablet such as a sugar-coated tablet or a film-coated tablet (FC tablet). In addition, the tablet 9 may be a capsule including a hard capsule and a soft capsule. The "granular material" in the present invention is not limited to tablets as a pharmaceutical product, and may be tablets as a health food, tablets such as a sugar soda, and candies as a tablet.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes: a carrying-in mechanism 10, a ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20, a printing portion 30, a first camera 40, a second camera 50, a drying mechanism 60, a turnover mechanism 70, a carrying-out mechanism 80, and a control portion 90.

The carrying-in mechanism 10 is a mechanism for carrying in the plurality of tablets 9 loaded into the tablet printing apparatus 1 to the annular conveying mechanism 20. The carrying-in mechanism 10 includes: an alignment mechanism (not shown) including a vibration feeder, a rotary feeder, a chute, and the like; and a carry-in drum 11. The plurality of tablets 9 loaded into the tablet printing apparatus 1 are arranged in a plurality of rows (three rows in the present embodiment) by the aligning mechanism, and are supplied along the outer peripheral surface of the carry-in drum 11. The carry-in drum 11 sucks and holds the aligned plurality of tablets 9 on the outer peripheral surface, rotates the same, and delivers the tablets 9 to the annular conveying mechanism 20.

The annular conveying mechanism 20 is a mechanism that holds a plurality of tablets 9 and conveys them along an annular conveying path. The endless conveying mechanism 20 includes a pair of pulleys 21 and an endless conveyor belt 22 stretched between the pair of pulleys 21. One of the pair of pulleys 21 is rotated by power obtained from the conveyance motor 23. Thereby, the conveyor belt 22 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in fig. 1. At this time, the other of the pair of pulleys 21 is driven to rotate in accordance with the rotation of the conveyor belt 22.

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of the ring conveyor 20. As shown in fig. 4, a plurality of suction holes 221 are provided in the holding surface 220, which is the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 22. The plurality of suction holes 221 are arranged at equal intervals in the conveyance direction and the width direction. As shown in fig. 1, the endless conveying mechanism 20 includes a suction mechanism 24, and the suction mechanism 24 sucks gas from a space inside the conveying belt 22. When the suction mechanism 24 is operated, a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure is generated in the space inside the conveyor belt 22. The plurality of tablets 9 are sucked and held in the suction holes 221 by the negative pressure.

In this way, the plurality of tablets 9 are held on the surface of the conveyor belt 22 in a state aligned in the conveying direction and the width direction. The endless conveying mechanism 20 conveys the plurality of tablets 9 along an endless conveying path by rotating the conveyor belt 22. The plurality of tablets 9 are conveyed in the horizontal direction below the four inkjet heads 31 described later.

As shown by the broken line in fig. 1, the endless conveying mechanism 20 includes a first air blowing mechanism 25 and a second air blowing mechanism 26. The first air blowing mechanism 25 is provided inside the conveyor belt 22 and at a position facing a first inclined drum 71, which will be described later, with the conveyor belt 22 interposed therebetween. The first air blowing mechanism 25 blows the gas only to the adsorption hole 221 facing the first inclined drum 71 among the adsorption holes 221 of the conveyor belt 22. Thus, the adsorption hole 221 generates a positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. This releases the adsorption of the tablet 9 by the adsorption holes 221, and the tablet 9 can be delivered from the conveyor belt 22 to the first inclined drum 71.

The second air blowing mechanism 26 is provided inside the conveyor belt 22 and at a position facing a later-described carrying-out chute 81 through the conveyor belt 22. The second air blowing mechanism 26 blows gas only to the adsorption hole 221 facing the carry-out chute 81 among the plurality of adsorption holes 221 of the conveyor belt 22. Thus, the adsorption hole 221 generates a positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. This releases the adsorption of the tablets 9 by the adsorption holes 221, and the tablets 9 can be delivered from the conveyor belt 22 to the delivery conveyor 82 through the delivery chute 81.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the holding surface 220 of the conveyor belt 22 according to the present embodiment includes: a first region a1 that holds the tablet 9 before being turned over by the turning mechanism 70, and a second region a2 that holds the tablet 9 after being turned over. The first region a1 and the second region a2 are adjacent in the width direction. In the present embodiment, in the first region a1 and the second region a2, the suction holes 221 are provided in three rows in the width direction. The tablet 9 carried in by the carrying-in mechanism 10 is sucked and held in the suction hole 221 of the first region a 1. The plurality of tablets 9 printed on both sides are delivered from the suction holes 221 in the second area a2 to the carrying-out mechanism 80.

The printing unit 30 is a processing unit that performs printing by an inkjet method on the surface of the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 22. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the printing unit 30 of the present embodiment includes four inkjet heads 31. The four inkjet heads 31 are positioned above the conveyor belt 22 and arranged in a line along the conveying direction of the tablets 9. Each ink jet head 31 extends in the width direction across both the first area a1 and the second area a2 of the conveyor belt 22. The four ink jet heads 31 eject ink droplets of different colors (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black colors) toward the surface of the tablet 9. Thus, a multicolor image can be recorded on the surface of the tablet 9 by superimposing monochromatic images formed by the respective colors. As the ink to be ejected from each ink jet head 31, an edible ink manufactured from a material approved by japanese pharmacopoeia, food hygiene law, or the like can be used.

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of one ink jet head 31. The conveyor belt 22 and the plurality of tablets 9 held by the conveyor belt 22 are shown by two-dot chain lines in fig. 5. As shown in fig. 5 in an enlarged manner, a plurality of nozzles 311 capable of ejecting ink droplets are provided on the ejection surface 310 which is the lower surface of the inkjet head 31. In the present embodiment, the plurality of nozzles 311 are two-dimensionally arranged in the conveyance direction and the width direction on the lower surface of the inkjet head 31. The nozzles 311 are arranged at positions shifted in the width direction. If the plurality of nozzles 311 are arranged two-dimensionally in this manner, the positions of the nozzles 311 in the width direction can be brought close to each other. However, the plurality of nozzles 311 may be arranged in a row in the width direction.

The manner of ejecting ink droplets from the nozzles 311 may be, for example, a piezoelectric manner, that is: the ink in the nozzle 311 is pressurized and ejected by applying a voltage to a piezoelectric element (piezo element) to deform the element. However, the way in which the ink droplets are ejected can also be thermally induced, i.e.: the heater is energized to heat and expand the ink in the nozzle 311 for ejection.

The first camera 40 is a processing unit for capturing an image of the surface of the tablet 9 before printing. The first camera 40 is positioned downstream of the carry-in drum 11 and upstream of the four inkjet heads 31 in the conveyance path. The first camera 40 extends in the width direction across both the first area a1 and the second area a 2. The first camera 40 may be a line sensor in which image sensors such as CCD and CMOS are arranged in the width direction. The first camera 40 photographs the plurality of tablets 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 22. The captured image is transmitted from the first camera 40 to the control unit 90 described later. The control section 90 detects, based on the image obtained from the first camera 40: the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in each adsorption hole 221, the position of the tablet 9, and the posture of the tablet 9. Further, the control unit 90 also checks whether or not each tablet 9 has a defect such as a defect based on the image obtained from the first camera 40.

The second camera 50 is a processing unit for photographing the surface of the printed tablet 9. The second camera 50 is positioned downstream of the four inkjet heads 31 in the conveyance path and upstream of the drying mechanism 60 in the conveyance path. The second camera 50 extends in the width direction across both the first area a1 and the second area a 2. The second camera 50 may be a line sensor in which image sensors such as CCD and CMOS are arranged in the width direction. The second camera 50 photographs the plurality of tablets 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 22. The captured image is transmitted from the second camera 50 to the control unit 90 described later. The control section 90 checks whether or not the image printed on the surface of the tablet 9 is good based on the image obtained from the second camera 50.

The drying mechanism 60 is a mechanism for drying the ink adhering to the surface of the tablet 9. The drying mechanism 60 is positioned downstream of the second camera 50 and upstream of a carrying-out chute 81 described later. The drying mechanism 60 extends in the width direction across both the first region a1 and the second region a 2. The drying mechanism 60 may be, for example, a hot air supply mechanism that blows heated gas (hot air) to the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 22. The ink adhering to the surface of tablet 9 is dried with hot air and fixed to the surface of tablet 9.

As described above, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes four processing units, i.e., the printing unit 30, the first camera 40, the second camera 50, and the drying mechanism 60. Each processing unit performs each process such as printing, imaging, and drying on the surface of the tablet 9 at each processing position on the conveying path.

The turning mechanism 70 is a mechanism that turns the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 22 in the front-back direction and moves the tablet 9 from the first area a1 to the second area a 2. The turnover mechanism 70 is positioned downstream of a delivery chute 81 described later in the conveyance path and upstream of the delivery drum 11 in the conveyance path. The position on the conveying path where the reversing mechanism 70 is provided is hereinafter referred to as "reversing position".

Fig. 6 and 7 are views of the turnover mechanism 70 as viewed from the lower side along the conveying direction. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the turnover mechanism 70 of the present embodiment includes: a first inclined roller 71 and a second inclined roller 72. The first inclined roller 71 has a conical first side surface 710 centered on a first axis C1 inclined with respect to the width direction. A portion of the first side surface 710 surrounding the first axis C1 faces the first region a1 of the conveyor belt 22 with a slight gap therebetween. Further, the first tilting roller 71 is fixed to an output shaft of the first motor 73. When the first motor 73 is driven, the first tilting roller 71 rotates about the first axis C1.

The second inclined roller 72 has a conical second side surface 720 centered on a second axis C2 inclined with respect to the width direction. The first inclined roller 71 and the second inclined roller 72 are disposed adjacent to each other in the width direction so that tops of the rollers face each other. A portion of the second side surface 720 around the second axis C2 faces the second region a2 of the conveyor belt 22 with a slight gap therebetween. The other portion of the second side surface 720 surrounding the second axis C2 faces the first side surface 710 with a slight gap therebetween. In addition, the second tilting roller 72 is fixed to an output shaft of the second motor 74. When the second motor 74 is driven, the second tilting roller 72 rotates about the second axis C2.

In the present embodiment, the apex angle of the first inclined roller 71 and the apex angle of the second inclined roller 72 are both 90 ° when viewed in the conveying direction. In addition, the angle of inclination of the first axis C1 with respect to the holding surface 220 is 45 °. In addition, the inclination angle of the second axis C2 with respect to the holding surface 220 is 45 °. Thus, the first side 710 and the second side 720 are opposite to each other at 90 ° with respect to the holding surface 220. If the first inclined roller 71 and the second inclined roller 72 are formed in the same shape and the same size, the first inclined roller 71 and the second inclined roller 72 can be used in common as parts. This can reduce the manufacturing cost of the tablet printing apparatus 1.

The first side 710 has a plurality of adsorption holes 711. In the present embodiment, three suction holes 711 arranged at equal intervals along the generatrix of the first side surface 710 are annular around the first axis C1 and are provided at equal angular intervals. Similarly, the second side surface 720 is also provided with a plurality of suction holes 721. In the present embodiment, three suction holes 721 arranged at equal intervals along the generatrix of the second side surface 720 are annular around the second axis C2 and are provided at equal angular intervals.

The pressure of the internal space of the first inclined roller 71 is maintained at a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure by a suction mechanism, not shown. The first inclined roller 71 holds one tablet 9 in each of the plurality of suction holes 711 by the negative pressure. Similarly, the pressure in the internal space of the second inclined roller 72 is also maintained at a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure by a suction mechanism, not shown. The second inclined roller 72 holds one tablet 9 at each of the plurality of adsorption holes 721 by the negative pressure.

As shown by a broken line in fig. 6, a third air blowing mechanism 75 is provided inside the first inclined drum 71. The third air blowing mechanism 75 blows air only to the adsorption hole 711 facing the second inclined drum 72 among the adsorption holes 711 of the first inclined drum 71. Thus, the adsorption hole 711 generates a positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. This releases the adsorption of the tablet 9 by the adsorption hole 711, and the tablet 9 can be delivered from the adsorption hole 711 of the first inclined drum 71 to the adsorption hole 721 of the second inclined drum 72.

Further, as shown by a broken line in fig. 6, a fourth air blowing mechanism 76 is provided inside the second inclined drum 72. The fourth air blowing mechanism 76 blows air only to the adsorption hole 721 opposed to the second region a2 of the conveyor belt 22 among the adsorption holes 721 of the second inclined drum 72. Thus, the adsorption holes 721 generate a positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. This releases the adsorption of the tablet 9 by the adsorption holes 721, and the tablet 9 can be delivered from the adsorption holes 721 of the second inclined drum 72 to the adsorption holes 221 of the second region a2 of the conveyor belt 22.

As shown in fig. 7, the tablets 9 held by the suction holes 221 of the first area a1 of the conveyor belt 22 and conveyed to the turning position are delivered to the first inclined roller 71. The first inclined roller 71 sucks and holds the tablet 9 received from the conveyor belt 22 to the suction hole 711 on the first side 710, rotates, and delivers the tablet to the second inclined roller 72. Thereafter, the second inclined roller 72 sucks and holds the tablet 9 received from the first inclined roller 71 to the suction holes 721 of the second side surface 720 and rotates, thereby delivering it to the suction holes 221 of the second region a2 of the conveying belt 22. Thereby, the position in the width direction of the tablet 9 is moved from the first region a1 to the second region a2 and the tablet 9 is turned upside down.

The suction force of the plurality of suction holes 721 of the second inclined roller 72 may be slightly greater than the suction force of the plurality of suction holes 711 of the first inclined roller 71. This makes it difficult for the tablet 9 to fall off when the tablet 9 is delivered from the suction hole 711 of the first inclined drum 71 to the suction hole 721 of the second inclined drum 72. However, the suction force of the suction holes 711 of the first inclined drum 71 may be the same as the suction force of the suction holes 721 of the second inclined drum 72.

The carrying-out mechanism 80 is a mechanism for carrying out the plurality of tablets 9 from the annular conveying mechanism 20 to the outside of the tablet printing apparatus 1. As shown in fig. 1 and 3, the carrying-out mechanism 80 includes a carrying-out chute 81 and a carrying-out conveyor 82. The position of the carry-out chute 81 is downstream of the drying mechanism 60 in the conveyance path and upstream of the inverting mechanism 70 in the conveyance path. The carrying-out chute 81 faces the second region a2 of the conveyor belt 22. When the tablet 9 sucked through the suction holes 221 of the second area a2 reaches the position of the carrying-out chute 81, the suction of the tablet 9 is released by the second air blowing mechanism 26. Thereby, the tablet 9 is caused to fall from the second region a2 of the conveyor belt 22 to the upper surface of the carry-out conveyor 82 through the carry-out chute 81. The dropped tablet 9 is carried out to the outside of the tablet printing apparatus 1 by the carrying-out conveyor 82.

The control unit 90 controls the operation of each unit in the tablet printing apparatus 1. Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing the connection between the control unit 90 and each unit in the tablet printing apparatus 1. As conceptually shown in fig. 8, the control unit 90 is constituted by a computer having a processor 91 such as a CPU, a memory 92 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 93 such as a hard disk drive. A computer program CP for executing a printing process is installed in the storage unit 93.

As shown in fig. 4, the control unit 90 is communicably connected to the carrying-in mechanism 10 (including the alignment mechanism and the carrying-in drum 11), the annular conveying mechanism 20 (including the conveying motor 23, the suction mechanism 24, the first air blowing mechanism 25, and the second air blowing mechanism 26), the printing unit 30 (including the four inkjet heads 31), the first camera 40, the second camera 50, the drying mechanism 60, the reversing mechanism 70 (including the first motor 73, the second motor 74, and the suction mechanism), and the carrying-out mechanism 80 (including the carrying-out conveyor 82) described above, by a wired method or a wireless method, respectively. The control unit 90 temporarily reads the computer program CP and data stored in the storage unit 93 into the memory 92, and the processor 91 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program CP to control the operations of the above-described units. Thereby, the plurality of tablets 9 are subjected to the printing process.

< 2. about the Process flow

Next, a flow of a printing process using the tablet printing apparatus 1 will be described. The treatment of the one-tablet 9 will be described in order below. However, in the tablet printing apparatus 1, a plurality of tablets 9 are sequentially conveyed and processed, and a plurality of tablets 9 are simultaneously present in the tablet printing apparatus 1.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of a printing process in the tablet printing apparatus 1. Fig. 10 is a view showing a state of conveyance of the tablet 9 (conveyance of the tablet 9 in the first region a 1) in steps S1 to S6 in fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a view showing a state of conveyance of the tablet 9 (conveyance of the tablet 9 in the second region a 2) in steps S6 to S11 in fig. 10.

When the tablet 9 is loaded into the tablet printing apparatus 1, the loading mechanism 10 first loads the tablet 9 into the ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20 (step S1). The carried-in tablet 9 is sucked and held by the suction holes 221 of the first region a1 of the conveyor belt 22. The tablets 9 are conveyed along the endless conveying path with the rotation of the conveying belt 22.

The surface of the tablet 9 facing outward in the state of being held by the suction holes 221 of the first region a1 will be referred to as "first surface" hereinafter. In addition, the surface sucked by the suction holes 221 in this state is referred to as a "second surface". In fig. 2 and 3, the first surface of tablet 9 is marked with diagonal lines to distinguish the first surface from the second surface. However, the "first surface" and the "second surface" are not related to the original front and back surfaces of the tablet 9. For example, when the tablets 9 are cut-line tablets, the tablets 9 having a cut-line surface as the first surface and the tablets 9 having a non-cut-line surface as the first surface may be mixed in the plurality of tablets 9 held in the first region a 1.

When tablet 9 reaches under first camera 40, first camera 40 takes a picture of the first side of tablet 9. Thereby, image data of the first surface of the tablet 9 is acquired. The obtained image data is transmitted from the first camera 40 to the control section 90. Further, the control section 90 performs the pre-printing inspection on the first surface based on the image data received from the first camera 40 (step S2). Specifically, the method comprises the following steps: the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in the suction hole 221, the front and back sides of the tablet 9, the rotational posture of the tablet 9 about the vertical axis, the positional deviation of the tablet 9 with respect to the suction hole 221, the presence or absence of shape defects in the tablet 9, and the like.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches below the printing portion 30, the four ink jet heads 31 eject ink droplets onto the first surface of the tablet 9. Thereby, an image can be printed on the first surface of the tablet 9 (step S3). At this time, the control unit 90 adjusts the image to be printed on each tablet 9 based on the inspection result of step S2. For example, an appropriate image is selected from the image for the front surface and the image for the back surface in accordance with the front and back surfaces of each tablet 9, and the selected image is rotated in accordance with the rotational posture of each tablet 9. Then, a print signal is input to the inkjet head 31 based on the adjusted image. As a result, an appropriate image can be printed on the first surface of each tablet 9 in an appropriate posture.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches below the second camera 50, the second camera 50 takes an image of the first surface of the tablet 9. Thereby, image data of the first surface of the tablet 9 is acquired. The obtained image data is transmitted from the second camera 50 to the control section 90. Further, the control section 90 performs post-printing inspection of the first surface based on the image data received from the second camera 50 (step S4). Specifically, the control unit 90 compares the image data received from the second camera 50 with the data of a normal image prepared in advance, for example, to determine whether or not the image printed on the first surface of each tablet 9 is normal.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches the position of the drying mechanism 60, the drying mechanism 60 blows hot air to the first surface of the tablet 9. Thereby, the ink adhering to the first surface of the tablet 9 is dried and the ink adheres to the first surface fixedly (step S5).

Thereafter, when the tablet 9 reaches the turning position, the turning mechanism 70 moves the position in the width direction of the tablet 9 and turns the front and back of the tablet 9 (step S6). Specifically, first, the first inclined roller 71 sucks and holds the tablet 9 delivered from the first region a1, rotates the same, and delivers the same to the second inclined roller 72. Then, the second inclined roller 72 adsorbs and holds the tablet 9 received from the first inclined roller 71 and rotates, delivering the tablet 9 to the second area a 2. Thereby, the tablet 9 moves from the first area a1 to the second area a2 of the conveyor belt 22. In addition, the tablet 9 is sucked and held by the suction holes 221 of the second region a2 in a posture in which the second face faces outward.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches under the first camera 40, the first camera 40 takes a picture of the second side of the tablet 9. Thereby, image data of the second surface of the tablet 9 is acquired. The obtained image data is transmitted from the first camera 40 to the control section 90. Further, the control section 90 performs pre-printing inspection on the second side based on the image data received from the first camera 40 (step S7). Specifically, the method comprises the following steps: the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in the suction hole 221, the front and back sides of the tablet 9, the rotational posture of the tablet 9 about the vertical axis, the positional deviation of the tablet 9 with respect to the suction hole 221, the presence or absence of shape defects in the tablet 9, and the like.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches below the printing portion 30, the four ink jet heads 31 eject ink droplets onto the second surface of the tablet 9. Thereby, an image can be printed on the second surface of the tablet 9 (step S8). At this time, the control section 90 checks the image to be printed on each tablet 9 based on the result of the check at step S7. For example, an appropriate image is selected from the images for the front surface and the images for the back surface in accordance with the front and back surfaces of each tablet 9, and the selected image is rotated in accordance with the rotational posture of each tablet 9. Then, a print signal is input to the inkjet head 31 based on the adjusted image. As a result, an appropriate image can be printed on the second surface of each tablet 9 in an appropriate posture.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches under the second camera 50, the second camera 50 takes a picture of the second side of the tablet 9. Thereby, image data of the second surface of the tablet 9 is acquired. The obtained image data is transmitted from the second camera 50 to the control section 90. Further, the control section 90 performs post-printing inspection of the second side based on the image data received from the second camera 50 (step S9). Specifically, the control section 90 determines whether or not the image printed on the second surface of each tablet 9 is normal by comparing the image data received from the second camera 50 with the data of a normal image prepared in advance, for example.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches the position of the drying mechanism 60, the drying mechanism 60 blows hot air to the second surface of the tablet 9. Thereby, the ink adhering to the second surface of the tablet 9 is dried and the ink adheres to the second surface (step S10).

After that, when the tablet 9 reaches the position of the carrying-out chute 81, the tablet 9 falls from the conveyor belt 22 to the carrying-out conveyor 82 through the carrying-out chute 81. Then, the tablet 9 is carried out to the outside of the tablet printing apparatus 1 by the carry-out conveyor 82 (step S11).

As described above, the tablet printing apparatus 1 conveys the tablet 9 along the endless conveying path. Then, the front and back of the tablet 9 are reversed in a part of the conveying path, and the position of the tablet 9 in the width direction is moved. Therefore, it is possible to perform processes such as the imaging by the first camera 40, the printing by the printing portion 30, the imaging by the second camera 50, and the drying by the drying mechanism 60 on both sides of the tablet 9 at the same position in the conveying direction. Therefore, the number of components of the tablet printing apparatus 1 can be reduced as compared with a case where these processes on the first surface and those on the second surface are performed at different positions. And the tablet printing apparatus 1 can be miniaturized.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the first inclined roller 71 and the second inclined roller 72 are used to reverse the tablet 9 in the front and back direction and move the tablet in the width direction. With this mechanism, the tablet 9 can be reversed in the front-back direction and moved in the width direction without changing the position in the conveying direction. Therefore, the length of the turnover mechanism 70 in the conveyance direction can be suppressed. This enables the tablet printing apparatus 1 to be further miniaturized.

< 3. modification example >

The main embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

< 3-1. variation 1 >)

In the above-described embodiment, the turnover mechanism 70 turns over the front and back of the tablet 9 and moves the position of the tablet 9 in the width direction. However, the inverting mechanism 70 may be configured to invert the front and back of the tablet 9 without moving the position of the tablet 9 in the width direction. Fig. 12 is a side view of the tablet printing apparatus 1 including the turnover mechanism 70. In the example of fig. 12, the first air blowing mechanism 25 and the reversing mechanism 70 are provided at a reversing position on the downstream side of the drying mechanism 60 in the conveyance path and on the upstream side of the discharge chute 81 in the conveyance path.

In this example, the tablets 9 before turning and the tablets 9 after turning are alternately arranged three by three in the conveying direction on the holding surface 220 of the conveyor belt 22. In fig. 12, a diagonal line is marked on the tablet 9 before turning. When the tablet 9 before the turning reaches the turning position, the first air blowing mechanism 25 blows the gas to the tablet 9. Thus, among the plurality of tablets 9 held and conveyed by the conveyor 22, only the tablet 9 before turning can be delivered to the turning mechanism 70.

The turnover mechanism 70 of fig. 12 has the same structure as the turnover mechanism 70 of the above-described embodiment. However, in the example of fig. 12, the first inclined roller 71 and the second inclined roller 72 are disposed adjacent to each other in the conveying direction. Therefore, the inverting mechanism 70 that receives the tablet 9 from the conveyor belt 22 inverts the front and back of the tablet 9 and moves the tablet 9 in the conveying direction. Then, the reversed tablet 9 is delivered to the suction hole 220 of the conveyor belt 22. The suction holes 220 for holding the tablet 9 after the inversion may be the same suction holes 220 as the suction holes 220 for holding the tablet 9 before the inversion, or may be suction holes 220 at different positions in the conveying direction.

With this configuration, it is also possible to perform processes such as the imaging by the first camera 40, the printing by the printing unit 30, the imaging by the second camera 50, and the drying by the drying mechanism 60 on both sides of the tablet 9 in one endless conveying mechanism 20. Therefore, the number of components of the tablet printing apparatus 1 can be reduced as compared with a case where these processes on the first surface and those on the second surface are performed in different endless conveying mechanisms. Further, the tablet printing apparatus 1 can be downsized.

< 3-2. variation 2 >)

The first inclined roller 71 and the second inclined roller 72 of the above embodiment have a plurality of

adsorption holes

711 and 721 as small holes. However, as shown in fig. 13, the first inclined roller 71 may have an annular suction notch 712 centered on the first axis C1 on the first side 710. The second inclined roller 72 may have an annular suction notch 722 centered on the second axis C2 on the second side surface 720. A plurality of tablets 9 may be sucked and held in the

suction notches

712 and 722. Thus, the tablet 9 can be sucked and held at any position of the

suction notches

712 and 722. Therefore, the tablet 9 can be held by suction even if the tablet 9 is displaced to some extent when the tablet 9 is delivered.

However, the method of holding the tablet 9 by suction through the suction holes 711 and 721 as small holes as in the above embodiment has an advantage that the tablet 9 after suction is less likely to be displaced.

< 3-3. variation 3 >)

In the above-described embodiment, the apex angle of the first inclined roller 71 and the apex angle of the second inclined roller 72 are both 90 ° when viewed in the conveying direction. However, the top angle of the first inclined roller 71 and the top angle of the second inclined roller 72 do not necessarily have to be 90 °. However, if it is desired to turn and move the tablets 9 on the same holding surface 220, it is preferable that the sum of the top angle of the first inclined roller 71 and the top angle of the second inclined roller 72 be 180 ° when viewed in the conveying direction. For example, the apex angle of the first inclined roller 71 as viewed in the conveying direction may be 60 °, and the apex angle of the second inclined roller 72 as viewed in the conveying direction may be 120 °.

< 3-4. variation 4 >)

In the above embodiment, the first side surface 710 of the first inclined roller 71 is a conical surface centered on the first axis C1. The second side surface 720 of the second inclined roller 72 is a conical surface centered on the second axis C2. However, the first side surface 710 and the second side surface 720 may be polygonal pyramid surfaces such as a rectangular pyramid, a hexagonal pyramid, and an octagonal pyramid.

< 3-5. variation 5 >)

In the above embodiment, the holding surface 220 of the conveyor belt 22 is divided into the first region a1 and the second region a2 with the center in the width direction as a boundary. However, the positional relationship between the first region a1 and the second region a2 is not necessarily the same as described above. For example, as shown in fig. 14, a plurality of first regions a1 and a plurality of second regions a2 may be provided on the holding surface 220 of the conveyor belt 22. Also, the first regions a1 and the second regions a2 may be alternately arranged in the width direction. At this time, a plurality of turning mechanisms may be provided to turn and move the tablet 9 from the first area a1 to the second area a 2.

< 3-6. other modifications

In addition, the turnover mechanism 70 of the above embodiment has the first inclined roller 71 and the second inclined roller 72. However, the turning mechanism 70 may be configured to turn the tablet 9 forward or backward and move the tablet in the width direction by other mechanisms. For example, the tablets 9 may be sequentially transferred from the conveyor 22 to two other conveyors, and transferred again to the conveyor 22, so that the front and back of the tablets 9 are reversed and the positions of the tablets 9 in the width direction are moved.

In the above embodiment, the printing unit 30 is provided with four ink jet heads 31. However, the number of the ink jet heads 31 included in the printing unit 30 may be one to three or five or more.

Further, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the above embodiment includes, as a processing section for processing the tablets 9 on the conveying path of the endless conveying mechanism 20: a printing section 30, a first camera 40, a second camera 50, and a drying mechanism 60. However, the tablet printing apparatus 1 may be provided with only some of these processing units. The tablet printing apparatus 1 may have another processing unit.

In addition, the construction of the details within the device may also differ from those shown in the figures of the present application. In addition, the respective elements in the above-described embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined within a range not inconsistent with each other.

Description of the symbols

1-tablet printing device; 9-a tablet; 10-carry in mechanism; 20-an annular conveying mechanism; 22-a conveyor belt; 30-a printing section; 31-an inkjet head; 40-a first camera; 50-a second camera; 60-a drying mechanism; 70-turning over mechanism; 71-a first inclined drum; 72 — a second inclined roller; 73 — a first motor; 74 — a second motor; 80-carrying out mechanism; 90-a control section; 220-holding surface; 221-adsorption holes; 710 — a first side; 711 — adsorption wells; 712-adsorption slot; 720-second side; 721-adsorption holes; 722-an adsorption notch; a1 — first region; a2 — second area; c-first axis; c2 — second axis.

Claims

1. A granular material processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on the surface of a granular material,

the granular object processing apparatus is characterized by comprising:

an annular conveying mechanism for adsorbing and holding the granular objects and conveying the granular objects along an annular conveying path;

a processing unit that performs the predetermined processing on the surface of the particulate matter at a processing position on the conveying path of the endless conveying mechanism; and

a turnover mechanism that reverses the front and back of the particulate matter at a turnover position on the conveyance path of the endless conveyance mechanism and moves a position of the particulate matter in the width direction in the conveyance path,

the turnover mechanism is provided with:

a first inclined roller having a first side surface of a conical shape or a pyramid shape centered on a first axis inclined with respect to the width direction; and

a second inclined roller adjacent to the first inclined roller in the width direction and having a second side surface of a conical shape or a pyramid shape centered on a second axis inclined with respect to the width direction,

the first inclined roller sucks and holds the granular material delivered from the annular conveying mechanism on the first side surface and rotates to deliver the granular material to the second inclined roller,

the second inclined roller sucks and holds the granular material delivered from the first inclined roller on the second side surface, rotates, and delivers the granular material to the annular conveying mechanism.

2. The particulate matter processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the annular conveying mechanism rotates a holding surface along the conveying path, wherein a plurality of adsorption holes for adsorbing and holding the granular objects are arranged on the holding surface in the width direction,

the holding face has a first region and a second region adjacent in the width direction,

the turnover mechanism moves the particulate matter held by the adsorption holes of the first region to the adsorption holes of the second region.

3. The pellet handling apparatus according to claim 1,

the sum of the apex angle of the first inclined roller and the apex angle of the second inclined roller as viewed in the conveying direction of the endless conveying mechanism is 180 °.

4. The particulate matter processing apparatus according to claim 3,

the apex angle of the first inclined roller and the apex angle of the second inclined roller as viewed in the conveying direction of the endless conveying mechanism are both 90 °.

5. The particulate matter processing apparatus according to claim 4,

the first inclined roller and the second inclined roller have the same shape and size.

6. The particulate matter processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the first inclined drum has a plurality of adsorption holes arranged in a circular ring shape with the first axis as a center on the first side surface,

the second inclined roller is provided with a plurality of adsorption holes which are arranged in a circular ring shape by taking the second shaft as the center on the second side surface,

one pellet is held in each of the plurality of adsorption holes.

7. The pellet handling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the first inclined roller has an annular suction notch centered on the first axis on the first side surface,

the second inclined roller has an annular suction notch centered on the second axis on the second side surface,

and adsorbing and holding a plurality of particles in the adsorption notch.

8. The pellet handling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the second side has a larger suction force to the pellets than the first side.

9. The particulate matter processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the processing unit includes a printing unit that performs inkjet printing on the surface of the particulate matter.

10. The particulate matter processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the processing unit includes a camera that photographs the surface of the particulate matter.

11. The particulate matter processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the granulate is a tablet.

12. The particulate matter processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the annular conveying mechanism adsorbs and holds the granular objects at equal intervals in the conveying direction and the width direction and conveys the granular objects,

the turnover mechanism holds the granular objects at equal intervals in the conveying direction and the width direction and turns the granular objects forward and backward.

13. A method for treating a particulate matter, which is a method for treating a particulate matter by performing a predetermined treatment on the surface of the particulate matter, comprising:

a) a step of carrying the granular material into an annular conveying path;

b) a step of conveying the granular material along the conveyance path after the step a) and performing the predetermined treatment on a first surface of the granular material at a treatment position on the conveyance path;

c) a step of reversing the front and back of the particulate matter at a reversing position on the transport path and moving the position of the particulate matter in the width direction in the transport path after the step b);

d) a step of conveying the granular material along the conveying path after the step c) and performing the predetermined treatment on a second surface of the granular material at the treatment position; and

e) a step of carrying out the granular material from the conveying path after the step d),

in the step c), a first inclined drum having a first side surface of a conical shape or a pyramid shape centered on a first axis inclined with respect to the width direction and a second inclined drum adjacent to the first inclined drum in the width direction and having a second side surface of a conical shape or a pyramid shape centered on a second axis inclined with respect to the width direction are used, and the particulate matter delivered from the transport path is sucked and held on the first side surface and rotated in the first inclined drum to deliver the particulate matter to the second inclined drum, and the particulate matter delivered from the first inclined drum is sucked and held on the second side surface and rotated in the second inclined drum to deliver the particulate matter to the transport path.

14. The pellet handling method as claimed in claim 13,

in the steps b) and d), the granular material is conveyed at equal intervals in the conveying direction and the width direction,

in the step c), the front and back of the granular material are reversed while holding the granular material at regular intervals in the conveyance direction and the width direction.