CN116946445A

CN116946445A - Workpiece supply device

Info

Publication number: CN116946445A
Application number: CN202310291453.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 多贺僚治; 涩井将兴
Original assignee: CKD Corp
Current assignee: CKD Corp
Priority date: 2022-04-25
Filing date: 2023-03-23
Publication date: 2023-10-27
Also published as: JP2023161120A; JP7571079B2

Abstract

The invention provides a workpiece supply device, which can obtain excellent workpiece supply capability without enlarging the device and can reduce damage applied to a workpiece. The work supply device (50) includes an outer structure portion (60) and an inner drum portion (70) having a cylindrical side wall portion (71). The side wall portion (71) includes a work receiving groove (711) capable of receiving the tablets (5) in an aligned state, a work outlet portion (712) penetrating the inside and outside, and a guide portion (713), and the outer structure portion (60) has a work outflow path (61 a). By the rotation of the inner drum (70), the work receiving groove (711) and the work outflow path (61 a) are in a communicating state via the work outlet (712), whereby the plurality of tablets (5) received in the work receiving groove (711) are guided to the work outlet (712) side by the guide (713) due to the self weight of the tablets (5), and can be discharged to the supply object side by the work outlet (712) and the work outflow path (61 a).

Description

Workpiece supply device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a work supply device for supplying work such as tablets.

Background

As a blister sheet generally used in the fields of pharmaceuticals, foods, and the like, PTP (blister pack) sheets are known. The PTP sheet includes a container film having a pocket portion for receiving a work such as a tablet, and a cover film attached to the container film so as to seal an opening side of the pocket portion. PTP sheets are manufactured using a PTP packaging machine as one of blister packaging machines. The PTP packaging machine includes a filling mechanism or the like for filling a work in a bag portion formed on a band-shaped container film.

In addition, a workpiece supply apparatus, which is an apparatus for supplying a workpiece to be supplied such as a filler, is known. Conventionally, as a workpiece supply device, there has been known a vibratory hopper feeder including a disk body provided with a supply hole at a bottom portion thereof and capable of storing a workpiece, and rotating the workpiece by vibrating the disk body to supply the workpiece to a supply target side (downstream side) via the supply hole. As a vibration hopper feeder, there has been proposed a vibration hopper feeder in which concentric annular grooves are formed in a circular plate body so as to effectively remove dust generated from a tablet, and in which dust received in the annular grooves is discharged through a discharge hole (for example, refer to patent document 1).

As another workpiece supply device, a workpiece supply device including a rotatable feeder and a feeder cover disposed on an outer periphery of the feeder is known (for example, refer to patent document 2). In this work supply apparatus, the feeder is configured as follows: a groove extending in the rotation direction is provided in the inside, and a plurality of object discharge ports are formed so as to penetrate from the groove to the outer peripheral surface. On the other hand, the feeder cover is configured to block the material outlet except for a predetermined area. When the object discharge port reaches the predetermined area along with the rotation of the feeder, the workpiece entering the object discharge port is discharged outside the feeder by centrifugal force and is supplied to the supply target side (downstream side).

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: JP patent publication No. 2007-284087

Patent document 2: JP patent publication No. 2007-145415

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, there are cases where it is desired to improve the feeding capability of the workpiece feeding device to feed the workpiece to the feeding target side. Here, when the vibration hopper feeder is used as the workpiece supply device, the supply capacity can be improved by increasing the vibration, but if the vibration is increased, damage to the workpiece is large, and breakage of the workpiece is likely to occur. In addition, when the work is a tablet, dust generated from the tablet increases with the increase of damage, and therefore, it is necessary to take measures against dust such as the work supply device of patent document 1, and as a result, there is a concern of increasing the cost.

Further, regarding the workpiece supply device of patent document 2, for example, a configuration is considered in which the feeder is made larger in diameter and a larger number of object discharge ports are provided to improve the supply capacity, but in the case of such a configuration, the device is made larger in size. Further, although it is considered to increase the supply capacity by increasing the speed, there is a concern that damage applied to the workpiece increases with the increase in the speed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a workpiece supply device capable of obtaining excellent workpiece supply capability without increasing the size of the device, and capable of reducing damage applied to the workpiece, and the like.

Means for solving the problems

Hereinafter, each of the embodiments suitable for solving the above-mentioned object will be described in terms of terms. Further, the specific operational effects are described in the following of the corresponding means as required.

The invention according to claim 1 relates to a workpiece supply device for supplying a predetermined workpiece by being discharged to a supply target side, the workpiece supply device comprising:

an inner drum portion having a cylindrical side wall portion, rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a horizontal direction, and configured to input the work into an inner space surrounded by the side wall portion; and

an outer structure portion disposed outside the inner drum portion;

the side wall portion of the inner drum portion includes:

a work receiving groove extending in a rotation direction of the inner drum and opening toward the rotation shaft side, the work receiving groove being capable of receiving the work in a state of being aligned in the rotation direction;

A workpiece outlet portion penetrating inside and outside and communicating a rear side portion of the workpiece receiving groove in the rotation direction with an outside of the inner drum; and

a guide portion provided adjacent to a rear side portion in the rotation direction in the workpiece receiving groove, the guide portion being contactable in the rotation direction with a rearmost workpiece located rearmost in the rotation direction among the workpieces received in the workpiece receiving groove;

the outer structure portion has a work outflow path which communicates with the work receiving groove via the work outlet portion when at least the rearmost work received in the work receiving groove is movable toward the guide portion side by gravity on the side wall portion along with rotation of the inner drum portion;

the work supply device is configured as follows: the rotation of the inner drum portion causes the work receiving groove and the work outflow path to communicate with each other through the work outlet portion, so that the plurality of works received in the work receiving groove move toward the guide portion due to the weight of the works, are guided toward the work outlet portion by the guide portion, and can be discharged toward the supply target side in an aligned state through the work outlet portion and the work outflow path.

According to the above-described claim 1, by rotating the inner drum portion, the plurality of work pieces received in the work piece receiving groove can be discharged at a time in a state of being aligned to the supply object side by the self weight of the work pieces. Therefore, excellent workpiece supply capability can be obtained without increasing the size of the apparatus.

In addition, unlike the vibration hopper feeder, since vibration for feeding is not required to be applied to the workpiece, damage applied to the workpiece can be reduced. This can prevent breakage of the workpiece more reliably. In addition, when the work is a tablet, the dust generated from the tablet can be reduced, and as a result, the cost of the dust countermeasure can be suppressed from increasing.

In addition, since the work supply device according to claim 1 basically operates by rotating the inner drum, the device can be miniaturized and simplified.

The invention according to claim 2 relates to the workpiece supply device according to claim 1, wherein the inner drum portion is rotatably supported by a bearing, and the inner drum portion has a valve portion that can open and close the workpiece outlet portion by rotation;

the work supply device is configured as follows: the workpiece outlet is opened by rotation of the valve portion, whereby the workpiece receiving groove and the workpiece outflow path can be brought into communication via the workpiece outlet.

According to the above-described claim 2, a valve portion capable of opening and closing the workpiece outlet portion is provided. By providing the valve portion, friction between the workpiece disposed at the workpiece outlet portion and the outer structure portion or pinching of the workpiece by the inner drum portion and the outer structure portion can be more reliably prevented. As a result, damage to the workpiece can be reduced more effectively, and breakage of the workpiece can be prevented more reliably.

The invention according to claim 3 relates to the workpiece supply device according to claim 2, wherein the valve portion is configured as follows: the work outlet portion can be opened by rotating by its own weight so as to fall into the work outflow path.

According to the above-described claim 3, the valve portion can be rotated to open the workpiece outlet portion without using a driving mechanism such as a motor. Therefore, the cost of manufacturing, maintaining, etc. of the device can be suppressed.

A workpiece supply device according to claim 4 is characterized in that the valve portion is configured as follows: in a state where the work is stored in the work outflow path, the work is brought into contact with the work to restrict rotation to the work outflow path side.

According to the above-described claim 4, in a state in which the work is stored in the work outflow path, the valve portion is brought into contact with the stored work to restrict rotation to the work outflow path side. Therefore, in the state where the work is stored in the work outflow path, the work outlet portion can be maintained in the closed state, and more work can be prevented from being discharged to the work outflow path in which the work has been stored.

In addition, since a special mechanism or the like is not required to restrict rotation of the valve portion, the device can be further miniaturized and simplified.

The invention according to claim 5 is the workpiece supply device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the outer structure portion includes a rotation restricting portion that restricts rotation of the valve portion due to its own weight by contact with the valve portion, thereby closing the workpiece outlet portion.

According to the above-described claim 5, the valve portion can be rotated so that the workpiece outlet portion is opened and closed at a predetermined position by the self weight of the workpiece outlet passage, the rotation restricting portion, and the valve portion, which are provided in the outer structure portion. Therefore, the opening/closing state of the workpiece outlet can be appropriately switched by a very simple structure, and the device can be further miniaturized and simplified.

The invention described in claim 6 relates to the workpiece supply device according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece receiving groove has a tapered portion that gradually widens toward the rotation axis side on an opening side of the workpiece receiving groove.

According to the above-described claim 6, since the taper portion is provided, the work piece is more easily entered into the work piece receiving groove. Therefore, a plurality of workpieces are easily accommodated in the workpiece accommodating groove, and more excellent workpiece supply capability can be obtained.

The invention according to claim 7 relates to the workpiece supply device according to claim 6, wherein at least a rear side portion of the tapered portion in the rotation direction is formed so that a width thereof becomes gradually narrower toward a rear side in the rotation direction.

If the workpiece rides over the portion of the inner drum portion constituting the tapered portion and is in a state of being caught by the guide portion in the rotation direction of the inner drum, there is a concern that the movement of the workpiece received in the workpiece receiving groove to the guide portion side (workpiece outlet portion side) is hindered by the workpiece. If such a movement obstruction of the workpiece occurs, the workpiece is difficult to come out from the workpiece outlet, and therefore, the workpiece that causes the movement obstruction needs to be removed, but the manually performed removal operation is troublesome and troublesome, and there is a concern that productivity may be lowered.

In contrast, for example, in the case where the workpiece receiving groove is set to be extreme, the workpiece on the portion of the upper inner drum portion constituting the tapered portion is configured so as not to come into contact with the workpiece received in the workpiece receiving groove, and thus the above-described movement inhibition of the workpiece is not generated. However, if the work receiving groove is deepened, there is a concern that the device is enlarged and the internal space of the inner drum (i.e., the space into which the work is put and stored) is reduced.

In this regard, according to the above-described claim 7, at least the rear side portion in the rotation direction, that is, at least the portion on the guide portion side in the tapered portion is configured so that the width becomes gradually narrower toward the rear side in the rotation direction. Therefore, even when the workpiece is placed on the portion of the inner drum portion that constitutes the taper portion, the workpiece can be moved in a direction away from the bottom of the workpiece receiving groove as the workpiece approaches the guide portion side, and the workpiece can be further separated from the workpiece received in the workpiece receiving groove. Thus, the movement inhibition of the work received in the work receiving groove caused by the work on the straddle can be effectively suppressed. In addition, the frequency of the work removal operation, which is a cause of the movement inhibition, can be reduced, and the productivity can be improved.

Further, since it is not necessary to make the work receiving groove extremely deep, the enlargement of the apparatus and the reduction of the inner space of the inner drum can be prevented more reliably.

The invention according to claim 8 relates to the workpiece supply device according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece has a circular shape in a plan view;

the workpiece receiving groove is configured to receive the workpiece in a state in which the workpiece is rotatable in the rotation direction.

According to the above-described claim 8, the work can be rolled and discharged to the supply object side. Therefore, the work can be discharged more smoothly, and the work supply capability can be further improved.

The invention according to claim 9 relates to the workpiece supply device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the guide portion that contacts the workpiece and guides the workpiece toward the workpiece outlet is formed in a shape that gradually approaches the workpiece outlet toward the rear side in the rotation direction.

According to the above-described claim 9, the workpiece can be guided more smoothly toward the workpiece outlet portion. Thereby, the feeding capability of the work can be further improved.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a PTP sheet;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a PTP sheet;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a PTP film;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an outline structure of the PTP wrapping machine;

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a workpiece supply apparatus;

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line J-J in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of an outer structure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of an outer structure;

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of an inner drum;

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of an inner drum;

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line K-K in FIG. 5;

FIG. 12 is a partially cut-away schematic perspective view of a workpiece supply;

fig. 13 is a partially enlarged sectional view for explaining movement of the tablet based on the taper portion;

fig. 14 is a partially enlarged sectional view for explaining movement of the tablet based on the taper portion;

fig. 15 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional schematic view for explaining movement of the tablet based on the taper portion;

fig. 16 is a schematic perspective view for explaining the ejection of tablets by the work feeding device;

fig. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the ejection of tablets by the work feeding device;

fig. 18 is a schematic sectional view showing a state in which the tablet received in the work receiving groove is in contact with the guide portion with rotation of the inner drum portion;

Fig. 19 is a schematic sectional view showing a state in which the tablet received in the work receiving groove is discharged through the work outlet portion or the like with rotation of the valve portion;

fig. 20 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a tablet is discharged through a work discharge path or the like;

fig. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a workpiece outlet and the like returned to a closed state by rotation of the valve portion;

fig. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which rotation of the valve portion is regulated by the tablet;

FIG. 23 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a filling device or the like to be supplied;

fig. 24 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a work supply device having an ultrasonic sensor for grasping whether or not the remaining amount of tablets is appropriate in another embodiment;

fig. 25 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a work feeding device having a transmission sensor for grasping whether the remaining amount of tablets is appropriate in another embodiment.

Detailed Description

An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the structure of a PTP sheet as "blister sheet" will be described.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the PTP sheet 1 includes a container film 3 and a cover film 4, and the container film 3 has a plurality of bag portions 2, and the cover film 4 is attached to the container film 3 so as to close the bag portions 2.

The container film 3 of the present embodiment is formed of a transparent thermoplastic resin material such as PP (polypropylene) or PVC (polyvinyl chloride), and has light transmittance. On the other hand, the overcoat film 4 is made of an opaque material (for example, aluminum foil or the like) provided with a sealant made of, for example, polypropylene resin or the like on the surface. Of course, the material of each of the films 3 and 4 is not limited to this, and other materials may be used.

In the PTP sheet 1, a bag row constituted by 3 bag portions 2 arranged in the longitudinal direction thereof forms 2 rows in the width direction thereof. That is, a total of 6 pockets 2 are formed. In each pocket 2, 1 tablet 5 as a "work piece" is received. The tablet 5 is a disc-shaped flat tablet having a circular shape in plan view.

The PTP sheet 1 is manufactured by punching a band-shaped PTP film 6 (see fig. 3) into a sheet shape, and the PTP film 6 is formed of a band-shaped container film 3 and a band-shaped cover film 4, and the PTP sheet 1 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view.

Next, an outline structure of PTP packaging machine 10, which is a "blister packaging machine" for manufacturing PTP sheet 1 described above, will be described.

As shown in fig. 4, the raw material roll of the band-shaped container film 3 is wound in a roll shape on the most upstream side of the PTP packaging machine 10. The take-out end side of the wound container film 3 in a roll shape is guided to the guide roller 13. The container film 3 is wound around an intermittent conveyance roller 14 on the downstream side of the guide roller 13. The intermittent conveyance roller 14 is connected to a motor that rotates intermittently, and conveys the container film 3 intermittently.

Between the guide roller 13 and the intermittent conveyance roller 14, a heating device 15 and a bag forming device 16 are provided in this order along the conveyance path of the container film 3. Next, the container film 3 is heated by the heating device 15, and the container film 3 is in a relatively soft state, and a plurality of bag portions 2 are formed at predetermined positions of the container film 3 by the bag portion forming device 16. The formation of the bag portion 2 is performed at the interval between the conveyance operations of the container film 3 by the intermittent conveyance roller 14.

The container film 3 fed from the intermittent feed roller 14 is wound around a tension roller 18, a guide roller 19, and a film support roller 20 in this order. Since the film support roller 20 is connected to a motor that rotates at a constant speed, the container film 3 is continuously and at a constant speed. The tension roller 18 stretches the container film 3 to one side which is stretched by the elastic force, prevents the container film 3 from being loosened due to the difference in the conveying operation of the intermittent conveying roller 14 and the film supporting roller 20, and keeps the container film 3 in the stretched state all the time.

Between the guide roller 19 and the film support roller 20, a filling device 21 and an inspection device 22 are disposed in this order along the transport path of the container film 3.

The filling device 21 fills the bag portion 2 formed on the band-shaped container film 3 with the tablets 5 supplied in a state of being arranged in a plurality of rows. The filling device 21 includes a filling chute 211, and the filling chute 211 has therein a number of receiving spaces 211a (see fig. 23) equal to the number of rows (3 in the present embodiment) of the bag portions 2 in the container film 3. A shutter (not shown in the figure) capable of opening and closing the opening is provided near the lower opening of the filling chute 211, and the tablet 5 received in the receiving space 211a is dropped one by the shutter operation, so that the tablet is filled in the bag 2.

The filling device 21 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be appropriately modified. For example, as the filling device 21, a device (such as an adsorption drum) may be used in which the tablet 5 is sucked and held by the outer peripheral portion, and the tablet 5 is filled into the bag portion 2 with the suction released.

The PTP packaging machine 10 further includes a work feeder 50 described later, and the tablet 5 is fed from the work feeder 50 to the filling device 21 as a "feeding target" via a predetermined spring chute 51. As for the work supply device 50, details will be described later.

The inspection device 22 performs inspection regarding, for example, whether or not the tablets 5 are reliably filled in the respective bag portions 2, whether or not abnormality of the tablets 5 is present, whether or not foreign matter is mixed into the bag portions 2, and the like.

On the other hand, the raw material roll of the cover film 4 formed in a band shape is wound in a roll shape on the most upstream side. The pull-out end of the cover film 4 wound in a roll shape is guided to a heating roller 25 by a guide roller 24.

The heating roller 25 is press-fitted to the film support roller 20, and the container film 3 and the cover film 4 are fed between the rollers 20 and 25. In addition, the container film 3 and the cover film 4 pass between the two rollers 20 and 25 in the thermo-compression state, and thereby the cover film 4 is attached to the container film 3, and the bag portion 2 is closed by the cover film 4. Thereby, a band-shaped PTP film 6 in which the tablet 5 is received in each pocket 2 is manufactured.

The PTP film 6 fed out from the film support roller 20 is wound around a tension roller 27 and an intermittent conveyance roller 28 in this order. Since the intermittent conveyance roller 28 is connected to the motor that rotates intermittently, the PTP film 6 is conveyed intermittently. The tension roller 27 stretches the PTP film 6 to a side that is stretched by an elastic force, prevents the PTP film 6 from being loosened due to the difference in the conveying operation of the film support roller 20 and the intermittent conveying roller 28, and keeps the PTP film 6 in a stretched state all the time.

The PTP film 6 fed from the intermittent transport roller 28 is wound around a tension roller 31 and an intermittent transport roller 32 in this order. Since the intermittent conveyance roller 32 is connected to the motor that rotates intermittently, the PTP film 6 is conveyed intermittently. The tension roller 31 stretches the PTP film 6 to a side that is stretched by elastic force, and prevents the PTP film 6 from being loosened between the intermittent conveyance rollers 28 and 32.

Between the intermittent conveyance roller 28 and the tension roller 31, a slit forming device 33 and an engraving device 34 are disposed in this order along the conveyance path of the PTP film 6. The slit forming apparatus 33 has a function of forming a slit for dicing at a predetermined position of the PTP film 6. The embossing device 34 has a function of embossing a predetermined position (for example, a label portion) of the PTP film 6. In fig. 1 and the like, the slit for separation and the imprint are not shown.

The PTP film 6 fed from the intermittent transport roller 32 is wound around a tension roller 35 and a continuous transport roller 36 in this order on the downstream side thereof. A sheet punching device 37 is provided along the conveyance path of the PTP film 6 between the intermittent conveyance roller 32 and the tension roller 35. The sheet punching device 37 has a function of punching out the PTP film 6 in PTP sheet 1 units at the outer edge thereof.

The PTP sheet 1 cut by the sheet cutting device 37 is transported by a conveyor belt 39 and stored in a hopper 40 for finished products. However, when the inspection device 22 determines that the sheet is defective, the PTP sheet 1 determined to be defective is not fed to the hopper 40 for finished products, but is discharged separately by a defective sheet discharge mechanism not shown in the drawings.

A cutting device 41 is disposed downstream of the continuous conveyance roller 36. The unnecessary film 42 constituting the surplus material portion (scrap portion) remaining in a band shape after being die-cut by the sheet die-cutting device 37 is guided to the tension roller 35 and the continuous feed roller 36, and then guided to the cutting device 41. The cutting device 41 cuts the unnecessary film portion 42 to a predetermined size. The cut unnecessary film 42 (waste) is stored in the waste hopper 43 and then separately discarded.

Next, the work supply device 50 will be described. As described above, the work supply device 50 supplies the tablet 5 as the "work" to the filling device 21 as the "supply target". As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the work supply device 50 includes an outer structure portion 60 and an inner drum portion 70 rotatable in one direction (the direction of the bold arrow in fig. 5 and 6) by a rotation shaft RL extending in the horizontal direction.

First, the outer structure 60 will be described. The outer structure 60 is disposed outside the inner drum 70, and has a function of receiving the inner drum 70 inside, forming a discharge path for the tablet 5, and the like. As shown in fig. 7 and 8, the outer structure 60 includes a cylindrical outer tube 61 and an end structure 62 protruding downward from the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 61 and having a substantially triangular shape in a front view.

The outer tube 61 has a work outflow path 61a on its inner peripheral surface that opens toward a side wall portion 71 side of the inner drum 70, which will be described later. In the present embodiment, the work flow-out path 61a extends in the circumferential direction of the outer tube 61, and a plurality of (3 in the present embodiment) work flow-out paths are provided at intervals in the direction of the central axis (rotation axis RL) of the outer tube 61.

In addition, the work outflow passage 61a is not endless, but a passage having both ends. In the present embodiment, the workpiece outflow path 61a extends from a position slightly shifted to the front side in the rotation direction of the inner drum portion 70 from the vertically lower side of the rotation axis RL to a position laterally of the rotation axis RL via the vertically upper side of the rotation axis RL. Therefore, the work flow path 61a in the present embodiment is formed over a range of about 2/3 of the entire inner circumference of the outer tube 61.

The outer tube 61 has a rotation restricting portion 61b between both ends of the work outflow path 61a, and the rotation restricting portion 61b is an arc-shaped surface having no groove. In the present embodiment, the rotation restriction portion 61b is provided corresponding to a predetermined rotation restriction section NA (see fig. 6). The rotation restriction section NA is a section from the side of the rotation axis RL to a position slightly shifted to the front side of the rotation direction of the inner drum portion 70 than the vertical lower side of the rotation axis RL, and is a section in which, when the valve portion 72 described later is disposed, a force in the direction of rotating the valve portion 72 toward the outside (the side away from the rotation axis RL) is applied due to the self weight of the valve portion 72. The rotation restricting portion 61b is provided in contact with or in close proximity to the outer peripheral surface of the inner drum portion 70 (particularly, a side wall portion 71 described later), and is in contact with the valve portion 72 disposed in the rotation restricting section NA, thereby restricting rotation due to the weight of the valve portion 72.

The end structure 62 is a portion constituting the discharge port of the tablet 5 in the work supply device 50. The end structure 62 is located vertically below the rotation axis RL and has a discharge surface 62a extending in the vertical direction. A distal flow path 62b that opens to the discharge surface 62a is formed in the distal structure 62. The tip flow passages 62b are provided in plural (3 in the present embodiment) at intervals in the central axis direction of the outer tube 61. Each of the end flow paths 62b communicates with the work flow path 61a, and extends obliquely downward from a boundary portion with the work flow path 61a in a direction substantially parallel to a tangential direction of the work flow path 61a located at the boundary portion (see fig. 6).

Next, the inside drum 70 will be described. The inner drum 70 is rotatably supported by the rotation shaft RL, and in the present embodiment, is configured to continuously rotate at a constant speed in one direction by a driving mechanism (for example, a motor or the like) shown in the figure. However, the inner drum 70 does not rotate at a high speed, and is controlled so as to rotate one turn within a few seconds, for example.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, the inner drum portion 70 has a side wall portion 71 and a valve portion 72. The side wall portion 71 is cylindrical and forms an outer peripheral portion of the inner drum portion 70. In the present embodiment, a predetermined chute 52 (the chute 52 is not shown in fig. 5 and the like with reference to fig. 23) is used for the inner space surrounded by the side wall portion 71, and the tablet 5 is put in. Instead of the chute 52, the tablet 5 may be fed into the internal space by a conveyor, a suction hose, or the like. In addition, in practice, a cover for preventing the tablet 5 from overflowing from the above-described internal space is provided on the front face (proximal face) of the side wall portion 71, but the cover is omitted in the drawing.

The side wall portion 71 has a work receiving groove 711, a work outlet portion 712, and a guide portion 713.

The work receiving groove 711 is a groove formed on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall portion 71 for receiving the plurality of tablets 5 in a state of being aligned in the rotation direction of the inner drum portion 70. The work receiving groove 711 extends in the rotation direction of the inner drum 70, and opens toward the rotation shaft RL side. The work receiving grooves 711 are provided in plurality (two in the present embodiment) so as to be arranged in series along the rotation direction of the inner drum 70, and the rows of the work receiving grooves 711 constituted by the plurality of work receiving grooves 711 are provided in parallel (three rows in the present embodiment). In addition, the depth of the work receiving groove 711 is the same as the outer diameter of the tablet 5.

As shown in fig. 11, each work receiving groove 711 has a fixed width portion 711a constituting the bottom side of the work receiving groove 711 and a tapered portion 711b constituting the opening side of the work receiving groove 711.

The fixed width portion 711a has a constant width along both the rotation direction and the radial direction (the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis RL) of the inner drum 70. The width of the fixed width portion 711a is set to a degree only slightly larger than the thickness of the tablet 5. Thus, the tablet 5 is received in the work receiving groove 711 in an upright state, that is, in a state in which it can roll on the side wall portion 71 in the rotation direction of the inner drum portion 70.

The tapered portion 711b is provided so that the tablet 5 more easily enters (is guided to) the work receiving groove 711, and has a shape that gradually widens toward the rotation axis RL side. The rear side portion in the rotation direction of the inner drum portion 70 in the tapered portion 711b is configured as follows: the width gradually becomes narrower toward the rear side in the rotation direction (the guide portion 713 side) (see fig. 11 and 12). Thereby, the rear side portion of the tapered portion 711b in the rotation direction gradually becomes distant from the bottom of the work receiving groove 711 toward the rear side (the guide portion 713 side) in the rotation direction.

As described above, the width of the rear side portion of the tapered portion 711b gradually becomes narrower, and as shown in fig. 13 to 15, the tablet 5 on the portion of the upper inner drum portion 70 constituting the tapered portion 711b moves in a direction away from the bottom of the work receiving groove 711 as approaching the guide portion 713 side with the rotation of the inner drum portion 70. Then, finally, the tablet 5 rides on the upper guide portion 713 in a state of being disengaged from the work receiving groove 711.

The work outlet portion 712 is an opening constituting an outlet of the tablet 5 from the inner drum portion 70. As shown in fig. 6, the workpiece outlet portion 712 penetrates the inside and outside of the side wall portion 71, and communicates the rear side portion in the rotation direction in the workpiece receiving groove 711 with the outside of the inner drum portion 70.

The guide portion 713 has a function of guiding the tablet 5 received in the work receiving groove 711 to the work exit portion 712 side or the like. The guide portion 713 is provided adjacent to the rear side portion of the work receiving groove 711 in the rotation direction, and is configured to contact the rearmost work 5x (see fig. 17, etc.) located rearmost in the rotation direction among the tablets 5 received in the work receiving groove 711 in the rotation direction.

In addition, a guide surface 713a, which is a surface of the guide portion 713 facing the rear side portion of the workpiece receiving groove 711 in the rotation direction, is formed in an inclined surface shape gradually approaching the workpiece outlet portion 712 toward the rear side in the rotation direction. That is, the guide surface 713a, which is in contact with the tablet 5 received in the work receiving groove 711 and serves to guide the tablet 5 to the work outlet 712 side, is shaped so as to smoothly guide the tablet 5 to the work outlet 712 side.

The valve portion 72 is disposed in the workpiece outlet 712, and is used to switch the opening/closing state of the workpiece outlet 712. One end of the valve portion 72 is rotatably supported by a bearing, and the workpiece outlet 712 is opened and closed by rotation of the valve portion 72 (see fig. 9 and 10).

The valve portion 72 is configured to be rotatable by its own weight, and when the valve portion 72 reaches the formation site of the work outflow path 61a with the rotation of the inner drum portion 70, the valve portion 72 basically rotates so as to fall into the work outflow path 61a (see fig. 19). Then, the workpiece outlet 712 is opened by the rotation of the valve portion 72, and the workpiece receiving groove 711 and the workpiece outflow path 61a are communicated with each other via the workpiece outlet 712.

However, in a state where the tablet 5 is stored in the work flow path 61a, the valve portion 72 is brought into contact with the stored tablet 5 to restrict rotation to the work flow path 61a side (see fig. 22). Therefore, even if the valve portion 72 reaches the formation portion of the work outflow path 61a with the rotation of the inner drum portion 70 in the state where the tablet 5 is stored in the work outflow path 61a, the work outlet portion 712 is not opened and remains closed.

The valve portion 72 is capable of contacting the rotation restricting portion 61b, and is capable of restricting rotation due to the dead weight by contacting the rotation restricting portion 61 b. Therefore, in the present embodiment, while the inner drum portion 70 is rotating, the rotation of the valve portion 72 is restricted while the valve portion 72 is located in the rotation restricting section NA, and the workpiece outlet portion 712 is maintained in a closed state (see fig. 18).

Next, the discharge (supply) of the tablet 5 from the filling device 21 side of the work supply device 50 will be described in more detail. Further, a predetermined amount of the tablet 5 is previously put into the inner space of the inner drum portion 70, and is appropriately replenished in accordance with the discharge (supply) (see fig. 16, etc.). If the inner drum 70 rotates, the tablet 5 in the inner space is received in the work receiving groove 711 (see fig. 17). At this time, basically, a plurality of tablets 5 are received in an aligned state with respect to the work receiving groove 711, but there are cases where only 1 tablet 5 is received or no tablet 5 is received with respect to the work receiving groove 711.

Then, if the inner drum 70 is further rotated, the tablet 5 received in the work receiving groove 711 moves (rolls) on the side wall portion 71 by its own weight, and the tablet 5 (rearmost work 5 x) is in contact with the guide portion 713 (see fig. 18). In fig. 18 and the like, for convenience of illustration, only the tablet 5 received in the work receiving groove 711 among the tablets 5 put into the inner space of the inner drum 70 is illustrated, and illustration of other tablets 5 is omitted.

In addition, when the inner drum 70 is further rotated, and at least the rearmost workpiece 5x accommodated in the workpiece accommodating groove 711 is allowed to move (roll) on the side wall 71 by gravity toward the guide 713, the valve 72 is rotated so as to fall into the workpiece outflow path 61a, and the workpiece outlet 712 is opened. Then, the work receiving groove 711 and the work outflow path 61a communicate with each other via the open work outlet 712 (see fig. 19).

In this state, the plurality of tablets 5 received in the work receiving groove 711 are moved to the guide portion 713 side by the weight of the tablets 5, guided to the work outlet portion 712 side by the guide portion 713, and discharged to the filling device 21 side in an aligned state through the work outlet portion 712, the work outflow path 61a, and the distal end flow path 62b (see fig. 19 and 20).

In the present embodiment, by setting the rotation speed of the inner drum 70 low and the communication time between the work receiving groove 711 and the work outflow path 61a via the work outlet 712 long, the plurality of tablets 5 received in the work receiving groove 711 can be discharged to the filling device 21 side at a time in an aligned state. When the inner drum 70 is further rotated and the valve 72 reaches the side of the rotation axis RL, the valve 72 is rotated by its own weight, and the workpiece outlet 712 returns to the closed state (see fig. 21).

As described in detail above, according to the present embodiment, by rotating the inner drum 70, the plurality of tablets 5 received in the work receiving groove 711 can be discharged at a time by the self weight of the tablets 5 in a state of being aligned on the filling device 21 side. Thus, excellent feeding ability of the tablet 5 can be obtained without enlarging the work feeding apparatus 50.

In addition, unlike the vibration hopper feeder, vibration for feeding (discharging) the tablet 5 is not required, and thus damage to the tablet 5 can be reduced. This can prevent breakage of the tablet 5 more reliably. In addition, since the dust generated from the tablet 5 can be reduced, as a result, the cost increase associated with the dust countermeasure can be suppressed.

Further, since the work supply device 50 operates by rotating the inner drum 70, the device can be miniaturized and simplified.

Further, since the valve portion 72 is provided, the occurrence of the following situation can be prevented more reliably: the tablet 5 provided on the work exit portion 712 rubs against the outer structure portion 60, or the tablet 5 is held by the inner drum portion 70 and the outer structure portion 60. As a result, damage to the tablet 5 can be reduced more effectively, and breakage of the tablet 5 can be prevented more reliably.

Further, since the valve portion 72 rotates by its own weight, the workpiece outlet portion 712 can be opened without using a separate driving mechanism such as a motor. Therefore, the cost of manufacturing, maintaining, and the like of the device can be suppressed.

In a state where the tablet 5 is stored in the work flow path 61a, the valve portion 72 is in contact with the stored tablet 5, thereby restricting rotation to the work flow path 61a side. Thus, in the state where the tablet 5 is stored in the work outflow path 61a, the work outlet 712 can be maintained in the closed state, and more discharge of a larger amount of tablet 5 from the stored work outflow path 61a can be prevented more reliably. Further, since a special mechanism or the like is not required for rotation restriction of the valve portion 72, further downsizing and simplification of the apparatus can be achieved.

The valve portion 72 can be rotated by the self weights of the work outflow path 61a, the rotation restricting portion 61b, and the valve portion 72 of the outer structure portion 60, so that the work outlet portion 712 can be opened and closed at a predetermined position. Therefore, the opening/closing state of the workpiece outlet 712 can be appropriately switched by a very simple structure, and the device can be further miniaturized and simplified.

In addition, since the taper portion 711b is provided in the work receiving groove 711, the tablet 5 more easily enters the work receiving groove 711. Thus, the plurality of tablets 5 are easily received in the work receiving groove 711, and more excellent feeding ability of the tablets 5 can be obtained.

At least a rear portion of the tapered portion 711b in the rotational direction of the inner drum 70, that is, at least a portion of the tapered portion 711b located on the guide portion 713 side is configured to gradually narrow in width toward the rear side in the rotational direction. Thus, even when the tablet 5 is in a state of straddling the portion constituting the taper portion 711b in the inner drum 70, the tablet 5 can be moved in a direction away from the bottom of the work receiving groove 711 as the tablet 5 approaches the guide portion 713 side, and the tablet 5 can be further separated from the tablet 5 received in the work receiving groove 711. In particular, in the present embodiment, eventually, the tablet 5 can be separated from the work receiving groove 711 beyond the upper guide 713. Thus, the movement inhibition of the tablet 5 received in the work receiving groove 711 due to the tablet 5 riding on the portion constituting the tapered portion 711b in the upper inner drum 70 can be effectively suppressed. In addition, the frequency of the removal operation of the tablet 5, which is a cause of the movement inhibition, can be reduced, and productivity can be improved.

In addition, in order to suppress the movement obstruction of the tablet 5 received in the work receiving groove 711 caused by the tablet 5 straddling the portion of the upper inner drum 70 constituting the taper portion 711b, it is not necessary to extremely deep the work receiving groove 711. Therefore, the enlargement of the device and the reduction of the internal space of the inner drum 70 can be more reliably prevented.

Further, since the tablet 5 has a circular shape in plan view, the tablet 5 can be rolled and discharged to the filling device 21 side. Thus, the tablet 5 can be discharged more smoothly, and the feeding capability of the tablet 5 can be further improved.

The guide surface 713a is formed in an inclined surface shape gradually approaching the workpiece outlet 712 toward the rear side in the rotation direction of the inner drum 70. Thus, the tablet 5 can be guided to the work exit portion 712 more smoothly. This can further improve the feeding ability of the tablet 5.

The present invention is not limited to the description of the above embodiments, and may be implemented as follows, for example. Of course, other application examples and modification examples not listed below are also possible.

(a) In the above embodiment, the tablet 5 is supplied from the work supply device 50 to the filling device 21 via the spring chute 51, but the tablet 5 may be directly supplied from the work supply device 50 to the filling device 21. This structure can be realized, for example, by: the discharge surface 62a is set to be horizontal, and the outer structure 60 (the end structure 62) is formed such that the most downstream portion of the end flow path 62b opens at the discharge surface 62a, and the work supply device 50 and the filling device 21 are connected such that the end flow path 62b directly communicates with the receiving space 211 a. With this configuration, the arrangement position of the work feeder 50 can be reduced, and thus the PTP packaging machine 10 can be miniaturized. In addition, when the tablet 5 is supplied to the work supply device 50 by a manual operation, the work supply device 50 is arranged at a low position, and thus the supply operation can be made easier. In addition, convenience in maintenance and the like of the workpiece supply device 50 can be improved.

(b) In the above embodiment, the valve portion 72 is rotated by the self weight, but as the valve portion, a valve portion rotated by electromagnetic force, spring force, or the like may be used.

(c) In the above embodiment, the inner drum portion 70 is configured to rotate continuously, but may be configured to rotate intermittently (to repeat rotation and temporary stop alternately). In this case, the rotation of the inner drum 70 may be temporarily stopped at the time of discharging the tablet 5 through the work outlet 712.

(d) In the above embodiment, the tablet 5 is a disc-shaped uncoated tablet (disc-shaped flat tablet) having a circular shape in a plan view, but the type, shape, and the like of the tablet are not limited to the above embodiment. For example, tablets include not only medicines but also tablets for dietary use and the like. The tablets include not only uncoated tablets but also sugar-coated tablets, film-coated tablets, orally disintegrating tablets, enteric-coated tablets, gelatin-coated tablets, and the like, and various capsule tablets such as hard capsules and soft capsules.

In the above embodiment, the tablet 5 is exemplified as the "work", but the "work" is not limited to the tablet. Accordingly, the "work" may be, for example, a bearing, a washer, a food (e.g., snack, etc.), a coin, or the like.

Further, the shape of the "workpiece" may be, for example, not only a planar circular shape but also a planar polygonal shape, a planar elliptical shape, a planar oblong shape, or the like. Therefore, the "work" can be moved toward the guide portion 713 by sliding on the side wall portion 71.

(e) A remaining amount grasping device for grasping whether the remaining amount of the tablet 5 in the inner drum portion 70 is appropriate may be provided. As the remaining amount grasping device, there may be mentioned an ultrasonic sensor 81 as shown in fig. 24, and the ultrasonic sensor 81 is provided in the inner space of the inner drum 70, and can grasp the distance to the tablet 5 located in the inner space. As the remaining amount grasping means, a transmission sensor 82 shown in fig. 25 may be used, and the transmission sensor 82 may grasp whether the tablet 5 is present above a predetermined reference height, based on whether or not the light from the light projector 82b reaches the light-transmittable portion (for example, a transparent portion) provided on the outer structure portion 60 and the inner drum portion 70, and reaches the photoreceptor 82 a. In the case of using the transmission sensor 82, the outer structure 60 is configured such that the light from the light projector 82b reaches the light receiver 82a only 1 time during 1 rotation of the inner drum 70, and it is possible to determine whether or not the remaining amount of the tablet 5 is appropriate based on whether or not the light reaches the light receiver 82a during 1 rotation of the inner drum 70.

(f) In the above embodiment, the filling device 21 is set as the "supply target", but the "supply target" is not limited to the filling device and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the "supply object" may be a counter of the tablet 5, an inspection device for judging whether the tablet 5 is good or bad, a container for receiving a work, or the like.

(g) In the above embodiment, the work supply device 50 is provided on the PTP packaging machine 10, but the work supply device 50 may be used independently of the PTP packaging machine 10.

(h) In the above embodiment, the side wall portion 71 has a structure in which two work receiving grooves 711 are arranged in series along the rotation direction of the inner drum portion 70, and three rows of work receiving grooves 711 are provided in the row of the two work receiving grooves 711, but the number and arrangement of the work receiving grooves 711 may be changed as appropriate. Therefore, for example, the following configuration is also possible: one or more work receiving grooves 711 are provided along the above-described rotation direction. For example, 1, 2, or 4 or more columns of the work receiving grooves 711 may be provided in a column of the work receiving grooves 711, which is formed by 1 work receiving groove 711 or 2 or more work receiving grooves 711 arranged in series.

(i) In the above embodiment, the PTP sheet 1 is exemplified as the "blister sheet", but the technical idea of the present invention may be applied to blister sheets other than the PTP sheet 1. The configuration of the PTP sheet manufactured by the PTP packaging machine 10 is not limited to the above embodiment, and for example, the arrangement and the number of the bag portions 2 in the PTP sheet 1 may be appropriately changed.

Description of the reference numerals:

reference numeral 5 denotes a tablet (work);

reference numeral 50 denotes a work supply device;

reference numeral 60 denotes an outer structure portion;

reference numeral 61a denotes a work outflow path;

reference numeral 61b denotes a rotation restriction portion;

reference numeral 70 denotes an inner drum portion;

reference numeral 71 denotes a side wall portion;

reference numeral 72 denotes a valve portion;

reference numeral 711 denotes a work receiving groove;

reference numeral 711b denotes a taper;

reference numeral 712 denotes a workpiece outlet portion;

reference numeral 713 denotes a guide portion;

the reference RL denotes a rotation axis.

Claims

1. A workpiece supply apparatus for supplying a predetermined workpiece by being discharged to a supply target side, the workpiece supply apparatus comprising:

an outer structure portion disposed outside the inner drum portion;

the side wall portion of the inner drum portion includes:

a workpiece receiving groove extending in a rotation direction of the inner drum portion and opening toward the rotation shaft side, the workpiece receiving groove being capable of receiving the workpiece in a state of being aligned in the rotation direction;

a guide portion provided adjacent to a rear side portion in the rotation direction in the workpiece receiving groove, the guide portion being capable of contacting a rearmost workpiece located rearmost in the rotation direction among the workpieces received in the workpiece receiving groove;

the outer structure portion has a work outflow path which communicates with the work receiving groove via the work outlet portion when at least the rearmost work received in the work receiving groove is movable toward the guide portion side by gravity on the side wall portion along with rotation of the inner drum portion,

2. The workpiece supply device according to claim 1, wherein the inner drum portion is rotatably supported by a bearing, the inner drum portion has a valve portion capable of opening and closing the workpiece outlet portion by rotation,

3. The workpiece supply device according to claim 1, wherein the valve portion is configured as follows: the work outlet portion can be opened by rotating by its own weight so as to fall into the work outflow path.

4. A workpiece supply device according to claim 3, wherein the valve portion is configured as follows: in a state where the work is stored in the work outflow path, the work is brought into contact with the work to restrict rotation to the work outflow path side.

5. The workpiece supply device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the outer structure portion has a rotation restricting portion that restricts rotation of the valve portion due to its own weight by contact with the valve portion, thereby bringing the workpiece outlet portion into a closed state.

6. The workpiece supply device according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece receiving groove has a tapered portion that gradually widens toward the rotation axis side on an opening side of the workpiece receiving groove.

7. The workpiece supply device according to claim 6, wherein at least a rear side portion of the taper portion in the rotation direction is configured to gradually narrow in width toward a rear side in the rotation direction.

8. The workpiece supply device according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece has a circular shape in a plan view;

9. The workpiece supply device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the guide portion that contacts the workpiece to guide the workpiece toward the workpiece outlet is formed in a shape that gradually approaches the workpiece outlet toward the rear side in the rotation direction.