JP2004331368A - Charging method and device for solids - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charging device for solids capable of reducing damage of the solid surface such as cracking, chipping, etc., exfoliation due to printing, and generation of printing transcription when the solid is charged from the upper part to the lower part, allowing easy cleaning when the item is changed over, precluding contamination certainly, and assuring sanitation and excellent performance. <P>SOLUTION: The solid charging device 20 is arranged so that a transport container 12 is installed at the first hopper 14 upon closing all pinch valves 24 at first. Tablets 40 are dropped through a tube hose 28 by opening the pinch valves 24 at certain intervals in the sequence from above while the air from a control means 30 is controlled, and are charged into the second hopper 16. This can prevent the tablets 40 at the time of being charged from being damaged at the surface, chipping due to printing, and the printing transcription. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for feeding solids, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for feeding solids such as tablets, granules, powders, capsules and the like as pharmaceuticals and foods from above to below.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the process of manufacturing pharmaceuticals and foods, when supplying solids such as tablets, granules, powders, capsules, etc., stored as materials or products in the upper container to the lower container, The method of inputting is general. However, when the falling distance is long, the solid material vigorously collides with the bottom, the wall, or the solid materials of the container, and the impact causes damage such as cracking or chipping on the surface of the solid material. Damage to solids, especially cracks and chips, is a serious defect in the quality of pharmaceuticals.
[0003]
Therefore, conventionally, various attempts have been made to alleviate the impact applied to the solid matter at the time of charging into the container. In particular, in the solid material charging apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a spirally protruding blade that rotates around an axis is provided on the outer peripheral surface of a central shaft provided at the center of the container. It is constituted by a guide member and side walls provided so as to protrude from the upper surface of the blade at the entire outer peripheral edge of the blade, and when a solid is supplied from above the device, the solid is guided by its own weight. It is guided along the blades of the member and spirals around the central axis to a position near the bottom of the container and falls. As a result, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of cracks and chips on the surface of the solid material due to a drop impact.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-9-118411
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, although the solid material feeding device of Patent Document 1 has a certain effect on damage such as cracks and chips on the surface of the solid material due to a drop impact, the occurrence rate is not low.
[0006]
In addition, some tablets and capsules have a printed surface, and the surface of the solid material falls or slides down while directly contacting the blade surface at the time of injection, so that printing on the solid material surface due to friction occurs. Peeling, so-called printing chipping occurs. Since this is a quality defect, it is treated as a defective product. Further, so-called print transfer occurs in which the peeled print is transferred or adhered to another solid object. Since this is also a defect in quality, it is treated as a defective product. If these defective products are mixed in the product, they become serious defects in the quality of the product. Therefore, all of the defective products must be discarded, which lowers the overall manufacturing efficiency.
[0007]
Furthermore, in the case of a production line in which lots and types are frequently switched, the guide members and the side walls have a complicated structure in which the shapes are spiral, so that a large amount of time is required for cleaning when switching between lots and types. Solid matter from the previous production may remain in the gaps between the devices, causing a serious problem in quality control called cross-contamination.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and when pouring a solid material from above, damage to the surface of the solid material such as cracks and chips, and reduces the occurrence of print peeling and print transfer. It is another object of the present invention to provide an extremely sanitary and excellent solid material feeding device which can easily perform cleaning at the time of changing varieties and reliably prevent cross contamination.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Claim 1 of the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in a solid material charging method of charging a large number of solid materials stored in an upper container into a lower container by gravity drop, a container from the upper container to a lower container Form a falling flow path of the solid material until, step drop transport to open the plurality of places of the falling flow path in order from the upper side and drop the solid matter step by step, and at a plurality of places of the falling flow path The solid material is supplied by at least one of the intermittent drop transport in which the solid material is dropped by a predetermined amount by alternately performing the opening and closing operations.
[0010]
Here, the upper container includes a tank, a container, and a hopper, and the lower container includes a drum, a hopper, and a container of a production line. The term “storage” also includes temporary storage.
[0011]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the solid is dropped and transported in a stepwise manner, a plurality of locations of the falling channel are all closed, and the first location from the top is opened first. As a result, the solids fall by gravity to the second place from the top and accumulate. Next, when the second place from the top is opened, the solids fall by gravity to the third place from the top and accumulate. By repeating this gradual drop, the solids are put into the lower container and the distance of falling by one gravity drop can be shortened. Damage such as chipping can be prevented. Further, after the solid material fills the entire falling channel by the stepwise drop transport, a large number of solid materials fall in a rod shape and fall, so that damage such as cracking or chipping on the surface of the solid material hardly occurs. In this case, the distance of gravity drop at one time is set to a distance shorter than the limit value of the drop strength of the solid matter to be thrown.
[0012]
When the solids are intermittently dropped and transported, the first part from the top is closed after a certain amount of the solids are dropped stepwise. Then, after the lowest part of the solid existing in the falling channel is opened, the second part from the top is closed. The opening and closing of the upper and lower parts is repeated, and when a certain interval is left, the first part from the top is opened to start additional charging. By repeating this operation and performing intermittent drop transport of dropping a fixed amount of solids at fixed intervals, when additional solids are added, cavities may be formed in the falling channel at intervals. Therefore, damage to the solid material surface due to the drop impact can be prevented. Furthermore, when the distance to be charged is extremely long, it is extremely effective in preventing damage to the surface of the underlying solid material caused by the buildup of the solid material itself.
[0013]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in a solid material feeding apparatus for feeding a large number of solid materials stored in an upper container into a lower container by gravity drop, a container from the upper container to a lower container is provided. Forming device body having a plurality of opening / closing means capable of adjusting the opening / closing of the falling flow path at a plurality of locations of the falling flow path while forming the falling flow path of the solid matter, and an upper side of the plurality of opening / closing means. Control means for performing at least one of first control for opening sequentially and second control for alternately opening and closing the plurality of opening and closing means to drop a predetermined amount at a time. And
[0014]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the solid material charging method according to the first aspect is configured as an apparatus, and the first control of the control means causes the opening and closing of the opening and closing means provided at a plurality of locations of the falling channel in order from the upper side. Intermittent drop transport that performs step-drop transport by opening, and controls opening and closing of the opening and closing means provided at a plurality of locations in the drop channel by a second control, and drops solids by a fixed amount at fixed intervals. Is performed.
[0015]
The opening / closing means according to the present invention has a structure in which the solid matter falling from above is stopped by closing the solid matter, and the solid matter itself is supplied downward by gravity drop by being opened. Therefore, in order to carry out the step drop transport, all the opening / closing means are closed, and then the container is attached to the drop device main body. Then, the opening / closing means is opened while leaving a predetermined time in order from the upper opening / closing means. Thus, the distance of a single gravity drop can be reduced, so that damage such as cracking or chipping of the surface of the solid object due to the impact at the time of the drop can be prevented.
[0016]
Further, the opening / closing means in the present invention controls the opening and closing of the upper and lower portions of the falling channel in cooperation with each other, so that a certain amount of solid matter is dropped stepwise, and after a certain interval, furthermore, Intermittent drop transport, in which a certain amount of solid matter is dropped stepwise, can be performed. As a result, in the falling channel, a certain amount of solid material is supplied from the upper container to the lower container at a constant interval, so that the solid material does not fall at a high falling speed in the falling channel. In addition, a large amount of solid matter does not accumulate in the falling channel. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent damage such as cracking or chipping of the surface of the solid material due to the impact at the time of falling or the accumulated pressure of the solid material itself.
[0017]
Furthermore, in the present invention, since the drop impact is not reduced by falling or sliding down of the solid material as in the related art, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of print chipping or print transfer due to the contact of the solid material surface. Therefore, the defective rate of solids generated at the time of charging can be significantly reduced, so that the production efficiency of the entire production line can be effectively improved.
[0018]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the charging device main body uses a pinch valve as the opening / closing means and forms a whole or a part of the falling channel by connecting a plurality of the pinch valves. It is characterized by. As described above, by using the pinch valve as the opening / closing means, the charging device main body can be easily manufactured. In this case, the falling channel may be formed only by the pinch valves, or a short pipe may be interposed between the pinch valves.
[0019]
A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the third aspect, a soft tube hose is detachably provided inside the falling channel, and the solid material falls inside the tube hose. As described above, by providing the flexible tube hose detachably inside the falling channel, the tube hose can be easily replaced when the lot and the type of the solid material to be input are switched. It is possible to easily prevent the cross contamination that sometimes occurs.
[0020]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the charging device main body is configured such that the falling channel is formed of a flexible tube hose, and a belt member wound around the outer circumference of the tube hose is used as the opening / closing means. It is characterized in that a belt winding device is used which is capable of tightening the tube hose in the radial direction by winding with a take-up driving unit.
[0021]
In this way, if the charging device main body is constituted by the tube hose and the belt winding device, an inexpensive and lightweight charging device main body can be manufactured. In addition, since the tube hose can be easily changed when the lot and the type of the solid to be input are switched, it is possible to easily prevent the cross contamination that easily occurs when the lot and the type are switched.
[0022]
To perform step drop transport and / or intermittent drop transport with a belt winder, wind up the belt member until it can no longer be wound, tighten the tube hose, close the tube hose, and release the winding force of the belt winder. By doing so, the tube hose may be opened with the weight of the solid matter.
[0023]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the charging device main body is configured such that the falling flow path is formed of a flexible tube hose, and the two expanding / contracting plates provided on the outer periphery of the tube hose as the opening / closing means. Are connected to each other and one is fixed, and the other is supported by a rod of a cylinder device. By expanding the rod, the two expansion plates are expanded in a ring shape and the rod is contracted. In this case, an enlargement / reduction device that closes the expanded enlargement / reduction plate in a single character is used.
[0024]
In order to carry out step drop transport and / or intermittent drop transport with the expansion / contraction device, close the two expansion / contraction plates in a straight line, close the tube hose, expand the two expansion / contraction plates in a ring shape, and use the weight of the solid material. The tube hose may be opened.
[0025]
In this way, if the charging device main body is constituted by the tube hose and the belt winding device, an inexpensive and lightweight charging device main body can be manufactured. In addition, since the opening / closing means is constituted by the expansion / contraction device, the tube hose can be more securely sandwiched between the opening and closing means.
[0026]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a method and an apparatus for charging solid matter according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0027]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a pharmaceutical production line 10 provided with a solid substance introduction device 20 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and is an example in which a pinch valve is provided as an opening / closing means.
[0028]
As shown in FIG. 1, the pharmaceutical production line 10 is divided into a ceiling portion 10A and a ground portion 10B. A transport container 12 and a first hopper 14 are provided on the ceiling portion 10A, and a second hopper 16 is provided on the ground portion 10B. , A manufacturing device 18 and a solid material input device 20 are provided.
[0029]
The transport container 12 is a container capable of storing a large amount of pharmaceutical tablets (hereinafter referred to as tablets), which are solid substances to be charged, and can be freely moved on the ceiling 10A of the pharmaceutical production line 10 with an attached scaffold. , Can be fixed at any place. A first hopper 14 is installed on the floor of the ceiling 10A, and a valve 13 that can be opened and closed is disposed above the first hopper 14. When the valve 13 is opened by connecting the lower part of the transport container 12 and the valve 13, the solid matter is supplied to the first hopper 14.
[0030]
The manufacturing device 18 provided on the ground part 10B is a device for processing tablets to produce a product, and a second hopper 16 is provided at the upper part. The second hopper 16 is for storing a certain amount of tablets to be supplied to the manufacturing device 18.
[0031]
Between the first hopper 14 and the second hopper 16, a solids feeding device 20 is provided. The solids charging device 20 mainly includes a charging device main body 22 and a control unit 30. The input device main body 22 is a cylindrical falling flow path that connects the first hopper 14 and the second hopper 16, and includes a large number of pinch valves 24, 24,. . Are connected to each other. The pinch valve 24 whose opening and closing are controlled by air pressure is used. In addition, a cylindrical tube hose 28 is mounted inside the charging device main body 22. For the tube hose 28, it is preferable to use a resin material such as high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene fluoride, and vinyl chloride so that the inner surface of the tube hose 28 has good slipperiness and has a degree of flexibility not to hinder the opening and closing function of the pinch valve 24. . Both ends thereof are detachably attached to the first hopper 14 and the second hopper 16, and are replaceable without any hygiene problems when used for medicines.
[0032]
The distance between the pinch valves 24, 24,... Is set by adjusting the slide tubes 26, 26,. It is preferable to use a transparent material such as acrylic for each slide tube 26 so that the tablets passing therethrough can be seen.
[0033]
The control means 30 turns ON / OFF the air pipes 32, 32 ... connected to the respective pinch valves 24, 24 ... and the air supply to the respective pinch valves 24, 24 ... via the respective air pipes 32, 32 .... An air controller 34 is provided.
[0034]
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the pinch valve 24. As shown in FIG. 2A, the pinch valve 24 includes a sleeve 24a, a main body 24b, and an air nozzle 24c, and is connected and fixed by flanges 24d, 24d. The sleeve 24a has a cylindrical shape, and is made of an elastic material such as rubber. The main body 24b has a hemispherically projecting shape and is provided so as to cover the outer periphery of the sleeve 24a. The air nozzle 24c is provided at one end of the main body 24b, and is connected to the air pipe 32. When a certain amount of pressurized air is supplied to the pinch valve 24 from the air controller 34 via the air nozzle 24c, the sleeve 24a expands inward of the pinch valve 24 to be in the state shown in FIG. That is, the sleeve 24a does not expand in the center direction of the circumference of the pinch valve 24, but expands so as to be in close contact with the vertical axis in a planar manner to be in a closed state. When pulled out, the sleeve 24a is made of a material and a structure that returns to the original cylindrical shape.
[0035]
The operation of the solid material feeding device 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described. FIG. 3 shows a state before the start of the charging operation in the solid material charging device 20.
[0036]
As shown in FIG. 3, first, the air controller 34 is operated so as to close all the pinch valves 24, 24. Next, when the transport container 12 is set on the first hopper 14 and the valve 13 is opened, a large amount of tablets 40 stored in the transport container 12 are gravitationally moved through the first hopper 14 to the solid matter input device 20. At the top of the pinch valve 24 at the uppermost stage. In addition, there is no problem because the pressure applied to the tablet 40 by dropping and accumulating due to accumulation when applied from the transport container 12 to the uppermost pinch valve 24 is a distance that does not damage the surface of the tablet 40.
[0037]
When the above operation is completed, the feeding of the tablets 40 to the second hopper 16 is started. When the uppermost pinch valve 24 is opened, the tablets 40 accumulated on the upper part fall by gravity and stop at the upper part of the second-stage pinch valve 24. Since the falling distance, that is, the length of the slide tube 26 is set shorter than the length corresponding to the drop strength of the tablet 40, damage to the surface of the tablet 40 due to a drop impact can be prevented.
[0038]
After a certain period of time, that is, after the tablet 40 has been dropped and moved, when the second-stage pinch valve 24 is opened, it stops above the third-stage pinch valve 24. By setting the timing of opening each of the pinch valves 24, 24... For a predetermined time, the falling speed applied to the tablet 40 when the tablet 40 is dropped can be reduced.
[0039]
When the above operations are performed in order from top to bottom to open the lowermost pinch valve 24, the tablets 40 are supplied to the second hopper 16 and the tablets 40 are supplied to the manufacturing apparatus 18.
[0040]
As described above, when the tablet 40 is loaded from above to below, the tablet 40 is dropped in a stepwise manner by using the solid material feeding device 20 having the pinch valves 24, 24,. Since the impact due to the falling of the tablet 40 can be minimized, it is possible to prevent the surface of the tablet 40 from being damaged, such as cracking or chipping, due to the falling impact at the time of throwing. In addition, since the method is not the conventional method of lowering the falling speed by dropping or sliding down the tablet 40, there is little chance that the surface of the tablet 40 comes into contact, and the tablet 40 comes into contact with the soft tube hose 28 having good slipperiness. In this way, it is possible to greatly reduce the occurrence of chipping or printing transfer on the surface of the tablet 40 due to contact at the time of feeding.
[0041]
Furthermore, if the tube hose 28 is made disposable, the cleaning work required for switching between lots and varieties and at the time of regular maintenance only needs to be replaced with the tube hose 28. The time and cost required for work and cleaning work can be significantly reduced. In addition, a serious problem of cross-contamination, which occurs when switching between lots and types, can be reliably prevented. Therefore, the use of the solid matter dosing device 20 of the present invention makes it possible to perform the dosing of the tablets 40 with less rejects and extremely excellent hygiene when handling pharmaceuticals and the like.
[0042]
By the way, when the installed transport container 12 becomes empty and the transport container 12 is replaced and the injection of the tablets 40 is started again, the cavity longer than the length corresponding to the drop strength of the tablets 40 is filled with solids. It may be formed on the device 20. If the tablet 40 is added as it is, the surface of the tablet 40 may be damaged by the dropped impact. Further, when the distance to be charged is extremely long, there is a possibility that the surface of the tablet 40 underneath may be damaged by the product pressure of the tablet 40 itself.
[0043]
Then, in the solids feeding device 20, after dropping a certain amount of tablets 40 step by step, the top pinch valve 24 is closed, and the tablets 40 in the falling flow path are closed to stop falling. After the opened pinch valve 24 is opened, the second-stage pinch valve is closed. By repeating this operation, the tablets 40 are supplied to the second hopper. When the pinch valve at the top is opened at a predetermined interval and the supply of a certain amount of tablets is started again, the solid material supply device 20 is as shown in FIG. In this manner, the upper and lower pinch valves 24, 24... Are opened and closed stepwise to carry out intermittent drop transport in which the tablets 40 are transported at a constant interval by a constant amount, so that the product pressure due to drop impact or accumulation is applied to the tablets 40. Without being given, it can be thrown from the first hopper 14 to the second hopper 16.
[0044]
Furthermore, by combining the step drop transport and the intermittent drop transport in the loading device main body 22, the defect rate of the tablets 40 generated at the time of loading can be significantly reduced, so that the production efficiency and the production cost of the entire pharmaceutical production line 10 can be improved. Can be effectively reduced.
[0045]
FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a belt winding device 50 is used instead of a pinch valve as opening / closing means.
[0046]
As shown in FIG. 5, in the solid material introduction device 42, a first hopper (not shown) and a second hopper (not shown) are connected only by a tube hose 28, and a support rod is provided in parallel with the tube hose 28. 44 are provided. A plurality of belt winding devices 50 are provided so as to be vertically connected to the tube hose 28 and the support rod 44. The interval is set lower than the height corresponding to the drop strength of the tablet 40.
[0047]
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the belt winding device 50. As shown in FIG. 6, the belt winding device 50 is provided with a belt member 52 so as to wind around the outer circumference of the tube hose 28. The belt member 52 is preferably made of a soft material such as silicone rubber that does not give an impact to the tablet 40. Then, a roller 54 for winding and feeding the belt member 52 and a motor 56 as a power source for rotating the roller 54 in the normal and reverse directions as a winding drive unit are fixed to the support rod 44 by a fixing member 46. Fixed.
[0048]
Next, the operation of the belt winding device 50 according to the second embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.
[0049]
In the belt winding device 50 provided as opening / closing means, the motor 56 and the rollers 54 are controlled so that the belt member 52 is loosened at the time of opening. When the belt member 52 is in a loosened state, the tube hose 28 expands due to the gravity of the tablet 40 itself and forms a falling path. When the belt winding device 50 is closed, the motor 56 is driven in the winding direction to wind the belt member 52 around the roller 54, so that the belt member 52 closes the tube hose 28 and the tablets in the tube hose 28 are closed. Stop the fall of 40. As described above, since the belt winding device 50 has a relatively simple structure, it is possible to reduce the weight of the entire solid matter charging device 20 and is optimal when the solid material is charged over a long distance. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the equipment cost required for supporting the solid material introduction device 58 and the equipment cost as the opening / closing means itself. Note that the basic operation of the solid material charging device 42 is the same as that of the solid material charging device 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0050]
FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, in which an enlargement / reduction device 60 is used instead of a belt winding device as opening / closing means.
[0051]
As shown in FIG. 7, in the solid material introduction device 58, a first hopper (not shown) and a second hopper (not shown) are connected only by a tube hose 28, and a support rod 44 for supporting the tube hose 28 is provided. Are juxtaposed. A plurality of expansion / contraction devices 60 are provided so as to be connected to the tube hose 28 and the support rod 44 in the vertical direction. The interval is set lower than the height corresponding to the drop strength of the tablet 40.
[0052]
The expansion / contraction device 60 is covered with a lightweight and rigid outer wall 62 made of aluminum or the like, and one end of the expansion / contraction device 60 is fixed to a support rod 44 provided in parallel with the tube hose 28. Are set shorter than the height corresponding to the drop strength of the tablet 40. An expansion / contraction section 64 and an air cylinder 66 are provided inside the outer wall 62.
[0053]
FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the expansion / contraction device 60 as viewed from above. FIG. 8A shows an opened state, and FIG. 8B shows a closed state. In the enlargement / reduction device 60, the enlargement / reduction unit 64 is composed of two enlargement / reduction plates 64a, 64a. As the expansion / contraction plate 64a, a soft material such as silicone rubber is used so as not to give an impact to the tablet when opening and closing. Each of the expansion / contraction plates 64a, 64a has, when viewed from above, a shape of one character when expanded and a shape of a semi-ellipse when expanded. Hinges 64b, 64b are attached to both ends of the expansion / contraction plate 64a. One end is fixed to the outer wall 62 and the other end is fixed to the tip of the rod 68 of the air cylinder 66, so that the expansion / contraction plates 64a, 64a are connected to each other. Thus, the enlargement / reduction section 64 is configured. Each hinge 64b, 64b is installed so as to bend in the direction in which the expansion and contraction plate 64a expands. Therefore, when the expansion and contraction plates 64a and 64a are expanded, the expansion and contraction portion 64 forms a ring shape so as to surround the tube hose 28. The air cylinder 66 is controlled by an unillustrated control means, and the supply direction of the compressed air is switched by an unillustrated solenoid valve, so that the rod 68 of the air cylinder 66 expands and contracts.
[0054]
Next, the operation of the enlargement / reduction device 60 according to the third embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0055]
In the expansion / contraction device 60, the supply of compressed air to the air cylinder 66 may be switched in the air supply direction by switching the solenoid valve in the open state as shown in FIG. When the compressed air is supplied to the air cylinder 66, the rod 68 expands, so that the hinges 64b, 64b... Of the expansion plates 64a, 64a bend and the expansion plates 64a, 64a expand, thereby expanding and contracting the expansion and contraction portion 64. Form a ring shape. Then, since the expanding / contracting portion 64 and the tube hose 28 do not come into contact with each other, the tube hose 28 becomes cylindrical and forms a falling path.
[0056]
On the other hand, in order to make the expansion / contraction device 60 closed as shown in FIG. 8B, the supply of compressed air to the air cylinder 66 may be switched by switching the solenoid valve in the exhaust direction. When the compressed air is exhausted from the air cylinder 66, the rod 68 contracts, so that the connected hinges 64b, 64b are in a straight line, and the expansion and contraction plates 64a, 64a are expanded. Form a shape. Then, since the tube hose 28 inside the expanding / contracting portion 64 is sandwiched between the expanding / contracting plates 64a, 64a, the tablet 40 is prevented from falling in the tube hose 28.
[0057]
In this way, by using the expanding / contracting device 60 as the opening / closing means, an inexpensive and lightweight dosing device main body 22 can be manufactured. Can be greatly reduced. In addition, since the tube hose 28 can be reliably opened and closed by sandwiching the tube hose 28 between the expansion and contraction plates 64, more accurate step drop transport and intermittent drop transport can be performed. Note that the basic operation of the solid material input device 58 is the same as that of the solid material input device 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment of the present invention, the hinges 64b, 64b are used to connect the expansion plates 64a, 64a, but the expansion plates 64a, 64a are not used without using the hinges 64b, 64b. They may be directly connected to each other.
[0058]
The number, shape, material, and the like of each member and device in the above-described solid material feeding devices 20, 42, and 58 are not particularly limited.
[0059]
In the solids feeding device 20, the slide tube 26 is provided and connected between the opening / closing means, but is not particularly limited. The slide tube 26 may be omitted and all may be connected by opening / closing means.
[0060]
Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the tablets 40 are loaded by performing the step drop transport and / or the intermittent drop transport. Peristaltic motion may be performed in the falling channel by alternately generating a relaxation operation and a contraction operation. The peristaltic movement does not mean that the opening / closing means is completely closed or opened as in the case of the step drop transport and the intermittent drop transport described above. A loosened portion having a wide cross section and a contracted portion having a narrow flow path cross section are alternately formed so that the relaxed portion becomes a contracted portion over time and the contracted portion changes to a relaxed portion. As a result, peristaltic motion occurs in the dispensing device main body 22, and a certain amount of tablets 40 is gradually moved downward from the first hopper 14, so that damage such as cracking or chipping on the surface of the tablets 40 due to impact at the time of dropping is prevented. Can be prevented.
[0061]
Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable to perform stepwise drop transport as the first step of loading, perform peristaltic drop transport in which the fall path is peristaltic as the second step after the fall channel is filled with the tablets 40. In this peristaltic movement, the wave of relaxation and contraction may move downward from above, but it is preferable to move the wave upward from below such that the fall of the tablet 40 is not stopped. This makes it possible to slow down the falling speed at which a large number of tablets 40 drop in a bar shape, thereby further reducing damage such as cracking or chipping on the surface of tablets 40.
[0062]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the solid material charging method and apparatus of the present invention, when a solid material is charged from above to below, a plurality of opening / closing means for performing step drop transport and intermittent drop transport are provided, and the inside thereof is provided. By attaching and connecting a detachable soft tube pipe to the solid object, damage such as cracking or chipping of the solid material surface due to a drop impact at the time of throwing can be surely prevented. Further, since the solid material is not dropped or slid down to reduce the drop impact, it is possible to greatly reduce defects such as print missing or print transfer due to friction of the solid material surface. Furthermore, in the case of switching between lots and varieties, it is only necessary to replace the tube pipe, so that the time and cost required for cleaning can be greatly reduced, and the occurrence of cross contamination can be reliably prevented.
[0063]
As a result, extremely sanitary solids with a low reject rate can be introduced without increasing equipment costs, so that safe and efficient production of foods and pharmaceuticals can be performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a pharmaceutical production line provided with a solid substance introduction device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a pinch valve provided in the solid matter charging device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a state before starting a charging operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a state during a charging operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a solid material feeding device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view illustrating a belt winding device provided in a solid material charging device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a solid material feeding device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory view for explaining an expanding / contracting device provided in a solid material feeding device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Pharmaceutical production line, 12 ... Transport container, 13 ... Valve, 14 ... First hopper, 16 ... Second hopper, 18 ... Manufacturing apparatus, 20 ... Solid material input device, 22 ... Input device main body, 24 ... Pinch Valve, 24a ... Sleeve, 24b ... Main body, 24c ... Air nozzle, 24d ... Flange, 26 ... Slide tube, 28 ... Tube hose, 30 ... Control means, 32 ... Air tube, 34 ... Air controller, 40 ... Tablet, 42 ... Solid Object loading device, 44 ... Support rod, 46 ... Fixing member, 50 ... Belt winding device, 52 ... Belt member, 54 ... Roller, 56 ... Motor, 58 ... Solid loading device, 60 ... Expansion / reduction device, 62 ... Outer wall, 64: expansion / contraction section, 66: cylinder, 68: rod

Claims (6)

In a solid material charging method of charging a large number of solid materials stored in an upper container into a lower container by gravity drop,
Form a flow path of the solids from the upper container to the lower container,
The step of drop transport, in which a plurality of locations of the drop channel are opened in order from the upper side to drop the solid step by step, and the opening and closing operation of the plurality of locations of the drop channel are alternately performed to remove the solid. A method for charging solids, wherein the solids are charged by at least one of the following intermittent drop transports: In a solids feeding device that throws a large number of solids stored in an upper container into a lower container by gravity drop,
A charging device body having a plurality of opening / closing means capable of adjusting the opening / closing of the falling flow path at a plurality of locations of the falling flow path, while forming a falling flow path of the solid from the upper container to the lower container.
A control for performing at least one of a first control for opening the plurality of opening / closing means sequentially from an upper side and a second control for alternately opening / closing the plurality of opening / closing means and dropping a predetermined amount at a time. And a means. The charging device body,
Using a pinch valve as the opening and closing means,
3. The solid material injection device according to claim 2, wherein all or a part of the falling channel is formed by connecting a plurality of the pinch valves. 4. A flexible tube hose is detachably provided inside the falling channel,
4. The solid material charging device according to claim 3, wherein the solid material falls within the tube hose. The charging device body,
The fall channel is formed by a flexible tube hose,
As the opening / closing means, a belt winding device capable of tightening the tube hose in a radial direction by winding a belt member wound around the outer circumference of the tube hose by a winding driving unit is used. 3. The solid material input device according to claim 2. The charging device body,
The fall channel is formed by a flexible tube hose,
The opening / closing means is configured by connecting both ends of two expansion / contraction plates provided on the outer periphery of the tube hose, fixing one of them, and supporting the other by a rod of a cylinder device, by extending the rod. 3. The solid object feeding device according to claim 2, wherein an expanding / contracting device is used to expand the two expanding / contracting plates into a ring shape and to contract the rod to close the expanded enlarging / reducing plates in a single character.

Images