JP2016010437A - Tablet printing device and tablet printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tablet printing device and a tablet printing method which can prevent the tablets to which a foreign body has adhered from being mixed in performing printing processing on tablets.SOLUTION: A first secant camera 51 detects a foreign body adhering to one faces of a plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by a conveying drum 10. When the tablets 2 are passed from the conveying drum 10 to a first conveying belt 20, all of the tablets 2 are reversed. A second secant camera 52 detects a foreign body adhering to the other faces of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the first conveying belt 20. A first ink jet head 61 and a second ink jet head 62 perform printing processing only on the tablets 2 on which a foreign body has not detected by the first secant camera 51 and the second secant camera 52 of the plurality of tablets 2.

Description

  The present invention relates to a tablet printing apparatus and a tablet printing method for performing a printing process on a tablet.

  Conventionally, codes for identifying medicines are often printed on pharmaceutical tablets. Typically, the identification code printed on the tablet is, for example, a company code representing a manufacturer or a product code for distinguishing products. Such an identification code is mainly used for dispensing in medical institutions and pharmacies. In order to prevent accidental ingestion of tablets (for example, prevention of accidental ingestion of an antihypertensive agent and a pressor agent), an indication that can be clearly recognized by a patient may be attached to the tablet. In addition, there is a demand for numbering tablets for the purpose of pharmaceutical traceability.

  Such an identification code or the like may be imprinted on the surface of the tablet, but since there is a problem in visibility, there is an increasing need for printing directly on the tablet by printing. Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose a printing technique for tablets using an ink jet printer.

  In Patent Document 1, a plurality of randomly supplied workpieces (tablets) are imaged to detect information such as the position and orientation of each workpiece, and a print pattern for each workpiece is created based on the workpiece information. It is disclosed. Patent Document 2 discloses that a plurality of randomly supplied tablets are picked up by a line sensor camera, and print data corresponding to the direction of the score line of the tablets is created based on the image data.

JP 2011-20325 A JP 2013-121432 A

  On the other hand, strict inspections are performed on pharmaceutical tablets so that no foreign matter is mixed therein. In general, in the final step of tablet manufacture, it is often inspected for foreign matter adhering to the tablet by an inspection camera, and when the tablet is printed as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 Will be inspected after printing.

  However, when printing is performed on the surface of a tablet to which black spot-like foreign matter is attached, if ink is applied from the top of the foreign matter, it becomes difficult to distinguish the foreign matter from the printed content, and the foreign matter cannot be detected. The problem arises. If it does so, there exists a possibility that the tablet to which the foreign material has adhered may pass the test | inspection as it is.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tablet printing apparatus and a tablet printing method that can prevent mixing of tablets with foreign substances attached when printing is performed on tablets. To do.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the invention of claim 1 is a tablet printing apparatus that performs printing processing on a tablet, and includes a first detection unit that detects foreign matter adhering to one surface of the plurality of tablets, and a plurality of tablets. A second detection unit that detects foreign matter adhering to the other surface, a first printing unit that performs a printing process on at least one part of the plurality of tablets, and at least a part of the plurality of tablets. A second printing unit that performs a printing process on the other side; and a print control unit that controls the first printing unit and the second printing unit based on detection results by the first detection unit and the second detection unit; The print control unit includes a plurality of tablets that are not detected by the first detection unit and the second detection unit only in the first printing unit and the second printing unit. Have at least one print process And features.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the tablet printing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the tablet printing apparatus further includes an inspection unit that inspects the result of the printing process for a plurality of tablets.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the tablet in which foreign matter is detected by the first detection unit or the second detection unit among the plurality of tablets is treated as foreign matter. It is further characterized by further comprising a collection unit for collecting separately from the tablets for which no is detected.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the tablet printing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the first printing unit and the second printing unit are ink jet heads that eject ink droplets. It is characterized by having.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tablet printing apparatus that performs a printing process on a tablet, a detection unit that detects foreign matter attached to the tablet, a printing unit that performs a printing process on the tablet, and the detection unit. A printing control unit that controls the printing unit based on a detection result, wherein the printing control unit causes the printing unit to perform a printing process only when no foreign matter is detected by the detection unit. To do.

  Further, the invention of claim 6 is the tablet printing apparatus according to the invention of claim 5, wherein the detection unit detects foreign matter on at least the surface on the side where the printing unit performs the printing process among the front and back surfaces of the tablet. It is characterized by that.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the tablet printing apparatus according to the fifth or sixth aspect of the present invention, the tablet printing apparatus further includes an inspection unit that inspects the result of the printing process on the tablet.

  The invention according to claim 8 is a tablet printing method for performing a printing process on a tablet. In the tablet printing method, a first detection step of detecting a foreign matter attached to one side of a plurality of tablets, and the other side of the plurality of tablets are attached. A second detection step of detecting a foreign substance, a first printing step of performing a printing process on at least one side of the plurality of tablets, and at least a second side of the plurality of tablets. A second printing step for performing a printing process, and only the first printing step and the first of the plurality of tablets for which the foreign matter is not detected in the first detection step and the second detection step. The printing process is performed in at least one of the two printing processes.

  The invention of claim 9 is the tablet printing method according to the invention of claim 8, further comprising an inspection step of inspecting the results of the printing process for a plurality of tablets.

  The invention according to claim 10 is the tablet printing method according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein a tablet in which foreign matter is detected by the first detection step or the second detection step among a plurality of tablets is designated as foreign matter. It is further characterized by further comprising a recovery step of recovering separately from the tablets in which no is detected.

  The invention of claim 11 is a tablet printing method for performing a printing process on a tablet, and a detection step for detecting foreign matter attached to the tablet, and only when no foreign matter is detected in the detection step, And a printing process for performing a printing process.

  The invention of claim 12 is the tablet printing method according to the invention of claim 11, characterized in that, in the detection step, foreign matter is detected on at least the surface on which printing processing is performed among the front and back surfaces of the tablet. To do.

  The invention of claim 13 is the tablet printing method according to claim 11 or claim 12, further comprising an inspection step of inspecting the result of the printing process on the tablet.

  According to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, at least one of the first printing unit and the second printing unit is applied only to a tablet in which foreign matter is not detected by the first detection unit and the second detection unit among the plurality of tablets. Since the printing process is performed on one side, the printing process is not performed on the tablets to which foreign substances are attached, and as a result, mixing of the tablets having foreign substances attached thereto can be prevented.

  According to the inventions of claims 5 to 7, since the printing unit performs the printing process only when no foreign matter is detected by the detection unit, the printing process is not performed on the tablet on which the foreign matter is adhered. As a result, it is possible to prevent mixing of tablets with foreign matters attached thereto.

  According to the inventions of claims 8 to 10, the first printing step and the second printing step are performed only on the tablets in which foreign matters are not detected in the first detection step and the second detection step among the plurality of tablets. Since the printing process is performed in at least one of the steps, the printing process is not performed on the tablets to which foreign substances are attached, and as a result, mixing of the tablets having foreign substances attached thereto can be prevented.

  According to the inventions of claims 11 to 13, since the printing process is performed on the tablet only when no foreign matter is detected in the detection step, the printing process is performed on the tablet on which the foreign matter is attached. As a result, it is possible to prevent mixing of tablets with foreign substances attached thereto.

It is a figure which shows the whole schematic structure of the tablet printing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of a conveyance drum and a 1st conveyance belt. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the processing operation in the tablet printer of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the processing operation in the tablet printer of FIG. It is a top view of a tablet. It is a figure which shows an example of the imaging result by a 1st secant camera. It is a figure which shows an example of the imaging result by a 2nd secant camera. It is a figure which shows an example of the printing process result by a 1st inkjet head. It is a figure which shows an example of the imaging result by a 3rd secant camera. It is a figure which shows an example of the printing process result by a 2nd inkjet head.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall schematic configuration of a tablet printing apparatus 1 according to the present invention. The tablet printer 1 is a device that performs a printing process on both the front and back sides of a tablet. 1 and 2 have an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction and the XY plane is the horizontal plane in order to clarify the directional relationship. Further, in FIG. 1 and the subsequent drawings, the dimensions and numbers of the respective parts are exaggerated or simplified as necessary for easy understanding.

  The tablet printing apparatus 1 includes, as main elements, a hopper 8, a transport drum 10, a first transport belt 20, a second transport belt 30, a third transport belt 40, a first secant camera 51, a second secant camera 52, and a third secant. A camera 53, a first inkjet head 61, and a second inkjet head 62 are provided. Moreover, the tablet printing apparatus 1 is provided with the control part 3 which controls each drive part provided in the apparatus and advances the printing process with respect to a tablet.

  The hopper 8 is provided on the upper side of the ceiling portion of the housing 5 of the tablet printing apparatus 1. The hopper 8 is an input unit for supplying a large number of tablets into the apparatus at once. The plurality of tablets charged from the hopper 8 are guided to the transport drum 10 by the slider 9. The other elements except the hopper 8 are provided inside the housing 5 of the tablet printing apparatus 1.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the transport drum 10 and the first transport belt 20. The transport drum 10 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is rotated clockwise on the paper surface of FIG. 1 with a center axis along the Y-axis direction as a rotation center by a rotation drive motor (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of suction holes 11 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the transport drum 10. In the present embodiment, the suction holes 11 are formed in five rows at equal intervals along the central axis of the transport drum 10. Further, a set of suction holes 11 in five rows is provided in a plurality of rows at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the transport drum 10.

  The shape of the suction hole 11 is in accordance with the shape of the tablet to be printed. For example, in this embodiment, since the disk-shaped tablet is processed, the shape of the suction hole 11 is also circular. The size of the suction hole 11 is slightly larger than the size of the tablet. For example, if the diameter of the disc-shaped tablet is about 10 mm, the diameter of the suction hole 11 is about 12 mm.

  Small holes smaller than the suction holes 11 are provided at the bottoms of the plurality of suction holes 11, and each of the plurality of suction holes 11 is provided with a suction mechanism (illustrated) provided inside the transport drum 10 through the small holes. (Omitted). By operating the suction mechanism, a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure can be applied to each of the plurality of suction holes 11. Thereby, each adsorption hole 11 of the conveyance drum 10 can adsorb and hold one tablet.

  In addition, a blow mechanism is provided inside the transport drum 10 in the vicinity of a portion facing the first transport belt 20. The blow mechanism blows pressurized air toward the small hole provided at the bottom of the suction hole 11. When the blow mechanism blows air, a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure can be applied to the suction hole 11. Thereby, the adsorption state of the tablet by the adsorption hole 11 can be cancelled | released. As described above, the suction holes 11 arranged in five rows and one row facing the first transport belt 20 while applying a suction force to the entire plurality of suction holes 11 provided in the transport drum 10 by the suction mechanism. Can be released by the blow mechanism.

  The first conveyor belt 20 is configured by a belt in which a plurality of holding plates 22 are joined together and is stretched over a pair of pulleys. When the pair of pulleys are rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown), the belt-like body composed of the plurality of holding plates 22 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. The first conveyor belt 20 is installed such that a part of a belt-like body composed of a plurality of holding plates 22 is opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor drum 10.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of suction holes 21 are formed in each of the plurality of holding plates 22 at equal intervals along the belt width direction (Y-axis direction). In this embodiment, suction holes 21 are formed in each holding plate 22 in five rows along the Y-axis direction. The shape and size of the suction holes 21 themselves of the first transport belt 20 are the same as the suction holes 11 of the transport drum 10. The intervals between the suction holes 21 arranged in five rows on each holding plate 22 are also equal to the intervals between the suction holes 11 arranged in five rows along the central axis of the transport drum 10.

  Similar to the suction holes 11, small holes smaller than the suction holes 21 are provided at the bottoms of the plurality of suction holes 21, and each of the plurality of suction holes 21 passes through the small holes and the first transport belt 20. Is communicated with a suction mechanism provided in the interior. By operating the suction mechanism, a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure can be applied to each of the plurality of suction holes 21. Thereby, each adsorption hole 21 of the 1st conveyance belt 20 can adsorb and hold one tablet.

  In addition, a blow mechanism is provided inside the first transport belt 20 in the vicinity of a portion facing a second transport belt 30 described later. The blow mechanism blows pressurized air toward the small hole provided at the bottom of the suction hole 21. When the blow mechanism blows air, a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure can be applied to the suction hole 21. Thereby, the adsorption state of the tablet by the adsorption hole 21 can be cancelled | released.

  Next, the configurations of the second conveyor belt 30 and the third conveyor belt 40 are substantially the same as those of the first conveyor belt 20. That is, both the second conveyance belt 30 and the third conveyance belt 40 are configured by a plurality of holding plates joined together in a belt shape and stretched around a pair of pulleys. When the pair of pulleys are rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown), the second conveyor belt 30 and the third conveyor belt 40 each rotate in the directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. The second conveyor belt 30 is installed such that a part of a belt-like body composed of a plurality of holding plates faces the first conveyor belt 20 in the vicinity. Similarly, the third conveyor belt 40 is installed such that a part of a belt-like body composed of a plurality of holding plates faces the second conveyor belt 30 in the vicinity.

  A plurality of (five rows in this embodiment) suction holes are formed at equal intervals along the belt width direction (Y-axis direction) in the holding plates of the second transport belt 30 and the third transport belt 40. Similarly to the above, a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure can be applied to the suction holes of the second transport belt 30 by a suction mechanism provided inside the second transport belt 30. Thereby, each adsorption hole of the 2nd conveyance belt 30 can adsorb and hold one tablet. In addition, a blow mechanism is provided in the vicinity of the portion facing the third conveyor belt 40 inside the second conveyor belt 30. When the blow mechanism blows air, a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure is applied to the suction holes of the second transport belt 30 to release the tablet adsorption state by the suction holes.

  Similarly, a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure can be applied to the suction holes of the third transport belt 40 by a suction mechanism provided inside the third transport belt 40. Thereby, each adsorption hole of the 3rd conveyance belt 40 can adsorb and hold one tablet. In addition, blow mechanisms are provided at three locations inside the third conveyance belt 40. When the blow mechanism blows air, a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure is applied to the suction hole of the third transport belt 40 to release the tablet adsorption state by the suction hole.

  The three blow mechanisms of the third transport belt 40 all blow air downward or obliquely downward. Therefore, among the three blow mechanisms, a blow mechanism provided at a portion facing the non-defective duct 48 blows air, thereby releasing the tablet adsorption state by the suction holes and releasing the tablets to the non-defective duct 48. be able to. The tablets released into the good product duct 48 are collected in the good product collection box 58. In addition, when a blow mechanism provided at a portion facing the uninspected duct 47 blows air, the tablet is released from the suction state by the suction holes, and the tablet can be discharged into the uninspected duct 47. The tablets released into the uninspected duct 47 are collected in the uninspected box 57. Furthermore, when the blow mechanism provided at a portion facing the defective product duct 46 blows air, the tablet can be released from the suction state by the suction holes and can be discharged into the defective product duct 46. The tablets released into the defective product duct 46 are collected in the defective product box 56.

  Next, the first secant camera (first detection unit) 51, the second secant camera (second detection unit) 52, and the third secant camera 53 are all imaging units for imaging a predetermined area, for example, a CCD. It is a camera. The first secant camera 51 is installed facing the outer peripheral surface so that the imaging area becomes the outer peripheral surface of the transport drum 10. Further, the first secant camera 51 is provided at a position where the downstream side along the transport direction of the transport drum 10 can be imaged from the slider 9. The first secant camera 51 images a plurality of tablets that are sucked and held in the suction holes 11 of the transport drum 10. The size of the imaging area of the first secant camera 51 can be set as appropriate, but since the cylindrical peripheral surface of the transport drum 10 is imaged, focusing is performed over a wide range of the cylindrical peripheral surface. It is difficult. For this reason, the imaging area of the 1st secant camera 51 should just be the magnitude | size which can image the tablet of 5 rows 1 line facing the 1st secant camera 51 at least.

  The second secant camera 52 is installed facing the transport surface so that the imaging area becomes the transport surface of the first transport belt 20. The second secant camera 52 is provided at a position downstream of the position facing the transport drum 10 along the transport direction of the first transport belt 20 and at a position where the upstream side of the first inkjet head 61 can be imaged. It has been. The second secant camera 52 images a plurality of tablets that are sucked and held by the first transport belt 20 and transported. The size of the imaging area of the second secant camera 52 can be set appropriately, and may be any size as long as it can capture at least 5 columns and 1 row of tablets facing the second secant camera 52. . Unlike the transport drum 10, the transport surface of the first transport belt 20 is a substantially flat surface, so that even if the imaging area of the second secant camera 52 is wide, it is relatively easy to focus on the entire surface.

  The third secant camera 53 is installed facing the conveyance surface so that the imaging area becomes the conveyance surface of the second conveyance belt 30. The third secant camera 53 is a position downstream of the position facing the first conveyor belt 20 along the conveyance direction of the second conveyor belt 30 and a position where the upstream side of the second inkjet head 62 can be imaged. Is provided. The third secant camera 53 images a plurality of tablets that are sucked and held by the second transport belt 30 and transported. The size of the imaging area of the third secant camera 53 can be set appropriately, and may be any size as long as it can capture at least 5 columns and 1 row of tablets facing the third secant camera 53. . Similarly to the second secant camera 52, the transport surface of the second conveyor belt 30 is substantially flat, so that it is relatively easy to focus on the entire surface even if the imaging area of the third secant camera 53 is large. .

  The first inkjet head (first printing unit) 61 and the second inkjet head (second printing unit) 62 have a plurality of ejection nozzles, and eject ink droplets from these ejection nozzles by an inkjet method. The inkjet method may be a piezo method in which a voltage is applied to a piezo element (piezoelectric element) to deform and eject ink droplets, or ink droplets are generated by energizing a heater to heat the ink. It may be a thermal method that discharges water. In the present embodiment, in order to perform a printing process on a pharmaceutical tablet, the edible ink produced from the raw materials recognized by the Food Sanitation Law is used as the ink ejected from the first inkjet head 61 and the second inkjet head 62. use. The first ink jet head 61 and the second ink jet head 62 can eject inks of four colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), and mix them. Color printing is possible.

  The first inkjet head 61 is provided on the downstream side of the second secant camera 52 along the conveyance direction of the first conveyance belt 20. The first inkjet head 61 performs a printing process on a plurality of tablets that are sucked and held by the first transport belt 20 and transported. The second inkjet head 62 is provided on the downstream side of the third secant camera 53 along the conveyance direction of the second conveyance belt 30. The second inkjet head 62 performs a printing process on the plurality of tablets that are sucked and held by the second transport belt 30 and transported. The first inkjet head 61 and the second inkjet head 62 are preferably full-line heads that cover the entire width direction of the first conveyor belt 20 and the second conveyor belt 30, respectively.

  In addition, the tablet printing apparatus 1 includes a first inspection camera 71 and a second inspection camera 72. As the 1st inspection camera 71 and the 2nd inspection camera 72, a CCD camera can be used like the secant camera mentioned above, for example. The first inspection camera 71 is installed facing the conveyance surface so that the imaging area becomes the conveyance surface of the second conveyance belt 30. The first inspection camera 71 is provided at a position where the downstream side of the second inkjet head 62 can be imaged along the conveyance direction of the second conveyance belt 30. The first inspection camera 71 images a plurality of tablets that are sucked and held by the second transport belt 30 and transported. As shown in FIG. 1, the first inspection camera 71 is provided below the second transport belt 30, but the second transport belt 30 sucks and holds the tablets and transports them, so that the tablets are on the lower side. Even if the tablet is facing (the suction hole is opened downward), the tablet is transported without dropping.

  The second inspection camera 72 is installed to face the conveyance surface so that the imaging area becomes the conveyance surface of the third conveyance belt 40. The second inspection camera 72 images a plurality of tablets that are sucked and held by the third transport belt 40 and transported.

  Further, the tablet printing apparatus 1 includes a first heater 76 and a second heater 77. As the first heater 76 and the second heater 77, for example, a hot-air drying heater that blows hot air to heat and dry the tablet can be used. The first heater 76 is provided on the downstream side of the first inkjet head 61 along the conveyance direction of the first conveyance belt 20. The first heater 76 blows hot air on the tablets on which the printing process has been performed by the first inkjet head 61 to dry them.

  The second heater 77 is provided on the downstream side of the second inkjet head 62 along the conveyance direction of the second conveyance belt 30. The second heater 77 blows hot air on the tablets that have been printed by the second inkjet head 62 and dries them. The first heater 76 and the second heater 77 are provided below the first conveyor belt 20 and the second conveyor belt 30, respectively, but the first conveyor belt 20 and the second conveyor belt 30 are the same as described above. Since the tablet is transported while adsorbing and holding the tablet, the tablet is transported without falling even when the tablet faces downward.

  Furthermore, the tablet printing apparatus 1 includes four cleaning mechanisms 81, 82, 83, and 84. The powder generated from the tablet may adhere to the transport drum 10, the first transport belt 20, the second transport belt 30, and the third transport belt 40. The cleaning mechanisms 81, 82, 83, 84 clean the powder adhering to the transport drum 10, the first transport belt 20, the second transport belt 30, and the third transport belt 40, respectively. As the cleaning mechanisms 81, 82, 83, and 84, for example, a mechanism that sucks and collects the ambient atmosphere by blowing air can be employed.

  The control unit 3 controls the various operation mechanisms provided in the tablet printing apparatus 1. The configuration of the control unit 3 as hardware is the same as that of a general computer. That is, the control unit 3 stores a CPU that performs various arithmetic processes, a ROM that is a read-only memory that stores basic programs, a RAM that is a readable and writable memory that stores various information, control software, data, and the like. It is configured with a magnetic disk. When the CPU of the control unit 3 executes a predetermined processing program, processing for the tablet in the tablet printing apparatus 1 proceeds. The control unit 3 also has a function as a print control unit that controls the first inkjet head 61 and the second inkjet head 62 based on image data acquired by the first secant camera 51, the second secant camera 52, and the like. doing.

  Next, the processing operation in the tablet printing apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described. 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing the procedure of the processing operation in the tablet printing apparatus 1. First, a plurality of tablets are collectively put into the hopper 8 of the tablet printing apparatus 1 (step S1). The batch loading of tablets may be performed manually by an operator using a bucket or the like, or may be automatically performed by a transport mechanism separate from the tablet printing apparatus 1. However, the plurality of tablets to be charged all are of the same type.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of disc-shaped tablets 2 are put into the hopper 8. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the tablet 2. On one side of the tablet 2, a score line 7 for dividing the tablet 2 in half is engraved. The secant 7 is a groove carved along the radial direction of the disc-shaped tablet 2. The secant 7 is engraved only on one side of the tablet 2.

  In this embodiment, the surface on the side where the secant 7 is provided is the surface of the tablet 2. The secant 7 is not engraved on the back surface of the tablet 2. In addition, there is no difference in the properties as a medicine between the front surface and the back surface of the tablet 2, and the surface on the side where the secant line 7 is provided is merely used as the front surface for convenience of distinction.

  The plurality of tablets 2 put into the hopper 8 are guided to the transport drum 10 by the slider 9, and the plurality of tablets 2 are sucked and held in the suction holes 11 of the transport drum 10 one by one. In the transport drum 10, suction holes 11 are formed in five rows along the direction perpendicular to the transport direction (the circumferential direction of the transport drum 10), that is, along the central axis direction of the transport drum 10. Accordingly, the transport drum 10 transports the plurality of tablets 2 in five rows in which five tablets are aligned in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. In this specification, a unit in which five tablets are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the conveyance drum 10 is referred to as “row”. That is, the transport drum 10 sucks and holds the tablets 2 individually in the suction holes 11 and transports the plurality of tablets 2 in a state in which the tablets 2 are arranged in a plurality of rows and columns (step S2). The hopper 8 is provided with an alignment mechanism for aligning and feeding the plurality of tablets 2 by five so that the transport drum 10 can smoothly adsorb and hold the tablets 2 fed from the hopper 8 by five. May be. As such an alignment mechanism, for example, a ball folder type mechanism can be adopted.

  Next, the 1st secant camera 51 images the some tablet 2 currently conveyed by the conveyance drum 10 (step S3). The plurality of tablets 2 are held in the suction holes 11 of the transport drum 10 and are transported clockwise along the circumferential direction of the transport drum 10 on the paper surface of FIG. Although the plurality of tablets 2 are conveyed in an array of 5 rows, it is completely random whether the surface of each tablet 2 faces the inside of the conveyance drum 10 (the center side of the conveyance drum 10) or the outside. . Further, since the circular tablet 2 is held by the circular suction hole 11, the directionality of the tablet 2 is arbitrary, and the direction of the dividing line 7 of each tablet 2 conveyed by the conveyance drum 10 is completely random. The first secant camera 51 images the tablet 2 from the outside of the transport drum 10. Therefore, the plurality of tablets 2 imaged by the first secant camera 51 randomly include those having the front side facing the first secant camera 51 and those having the back side facing.

  In other words, the first secant camera 51 images one side of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the conveyance drum 10. Here, the “one side” is a side facing the outside of the tablet 2 being conveyed by the conveyance drum 10 regardless of whether it is the front surface or the back surface of the tablet 2.

  In addition, the first secant camera 51 performs imaging for each row in which five tablets are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the conveyance drum 10. The reason for this is that it is difficult to focus the first secant camera 51 over a plurality of rows because the outer peripheral surface of the transport drum 10 is cylindrical.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an imaging result obtained by the first secant camera 51. The first secant camera 51 images one side of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the conveyance drum 10. When each tablet 2 is held by suction on the transport drum 10, it is random whether the surface faces the outside or the inside. Therefore, the secant 7 is placed on one surface of the plurality of tablets 2 imaged by the first secant camera 51. The surface on which is formed and the back surface, which is the opposite surface, are randomly included. In the example of FIG. 6, among the tablets 2 arranged in five rows, the front surface is imaged for the left end and the center tablet 2, and the back surface of the other tablets 2 is imaged by the first secant camera 51.

  Moreover, the foreign material adhering to the one surface of the some tablet 2 is detected by the 1st secant camera 51 (step S4). Usually, when manufacturing the tablet 2 which is a pharmaceutical product, thorough quality control is performed so that no foreign matter is mixed in, but the foreign matter may still be mixed. Examples of such a foreign material include human hair and metal powder. The first secant camera 51 detects a foreign matter adhering to one side of the plurality of tablets 2 by imaging one side of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the conveyance drum 10. In the example of FIG. 6, the first secant camera 51 detects that the foreign substance 6 is attached to the back surface of the rightmost tablet 2 among the tablets 2 arranged in five rows.

  Image data as shown in FIG. 6, which is a result captured by the first secant camera 51, is transmitted to the control unit 3. The controller 3 applies predetermined image processing to the image data, so that the foreign matter 6 is attached to the direction of the dividing line 7 and one surface of the tablet 2 facing the one surface among the plurality of tablets 2. Recognize tablet 2.

  Next, the tablets 2 in five columns and one row imaged by the first secant camera 51 are further transported by the transport drum 10 and reach a position that is in close proximity to the first transport belt 20. At this time, the blow mechanism of the transport drum 10 releases the suction state for the tablets 2 in the 5 rows and 1 row by blowing air to the 5 suction holes 11 in which the tablets 2 in the 5 rows and 1 row are sucked and held. To do. On the other hand, a negative pressure is applied to the suction hole 21 of the holding plate 22 of the first transport belt 20 at a position close to and facing the transport drum 10. Accordingly, the tablets 2 in the 5th row and the 1st row released from the suction state by the transport drum 10 are transferred from the suction holes 11 of the transport drum 10 to the suction holes 21 of the first transport belt 20 and sucked and held. . In order to reliably deliver such a tablet 2, the control unit 3 equalizes the conveyance speed of the conveyance drum 10 and the conveyance speed of the first conveyance belt 20, and the adsorption hole 11 and the adsorption hole 21 accurately. Control is performed to synchronize the operations of both transport units so as to face each other.

  When the tablet 2 is delivered from the transport drum 10 to the first transport belt 20, the tablet 2 moves as it is without rotating. That is, each tablet 2 is transferred from the transport drum 10 to the first transport belt 20 while maintaining the direction of the dividing line 7.

  Further, when the tablets 2 are transferred from the transport drum 10 to the first transport belt 20, the respective tablets 2 are turned upside down. In other words, the tablet 2 that has been sucked and held with the front surface on which the dividing line 7 is formed on the transport drum 10 facing outward is sucked and held in the suction hole 21 of the first transport belt 20 with the back surface facing outward. On the contrary, the tablet 2 that has been suction-held on the transport drum 10 with the back surface facing outward is sucked and held on the first transport belt 20 with the front surface facing outward. Therefore, each tablet 2 transported by the transport drum 10 is turned upside down while being maintained in its direction, transferred to the first transport belt 20 and transported (step S5).

  Subsequently, the second secant camera 52 images the plurality of tablets 2 being transported by the first transport belt 20 (step S6). The first conveying belt 20 conveys the plurality of tablets 2 received by being reversed from the conveying drum 10 in five rows in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The second secant camera 52 images the tablet 2 from the outside of the first transport belt 20. Therefore, the plurality of tablets 2 imaged by the second secant camera 52 also randomly include those having the front side and the back side facing the second secant camera 52. However, since each tablet 2 is reversed when the tablets 2 are transferred from the transport drum 10 to the first transport belt 20, the front and back of each tablet 2 imaged by the first secant camera 51 and the corresponding image captured by the second secant camera 52 are corresponding. The front and back of tablet 2 is completely reversed.

  In other words, the second secant camera 52 images the other surface of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the first conveyance belt 20. Here, the “other surface” means a surface opposite to the one surface described above, and is transported by the first transport belt 20 regardless of whether it is the front surface or the back surface of the tablet 2. This is the surface facing the outside of the tablet 2.

  Since the transport surface of the first transport belt 20 is a substantially flat surface, the second secant camera 52 can capture images of the tablet 2 over a plurality of lines, but in this embodiment, it matches the imaging range of the first secant camera 51. As described above, the second secant camera 52 also performs imaging for each row in which five tablets are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the first conveyance belt 20.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an imaging result obtained by the second secant camera 52. The second secant camera 52 images the other surface of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the first conveyance belt 20. The other surface is a surface opposite to one surface of the plurality of tablets 2 imaged by the first secant camera 51. Therefore, the back surface of the tablet 2 whose surface is imaged by the first secant camera 51 is imaged by the second secant camera 52. Conversely, the front surface of the tablet 2 whose back surface is imaged by the first secant camera 51 is imaged by the second secant camera 52. Accordingly, in the example of FIG. 7, contrary to FIG. 6, among the tablets 2 arranged in five rows, the back side is imaged for the left end and the center tablet 2, and the secant 7 is formed for the other tablets 2. The surface is picked up by the second secant camera 52. In FIG. 7, a dotted line indicates the dividing line 7 on the one surface side of the tablet 2 captured and recognized by the first secant camera 51 and is directly imaged by the second secant camera 52. is not.

  Moreover, the foreign material adhering to the other surface of the some tablet 2 is detected by the 2nd secant camera 52 (step S7). The second secant camera 52 detects foreign matter adhering to the other surface of the plurality of tablets 2 by imaging the other surface of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the first conveying belt 20. In the example of FIG. 7, it is detected by the second secant camera 52 that the foreign substance 6 is attached to the surface of the tablet 2 second from the left end among the tablets 2 arranged in five rows.

  Image data as shown in FIG. 7 which is a result of imaging by the second secant camera 52 is transmitted to the control unit 3. The controller 3 applies predetermined image processing to the image data, so that the foreign substance 6 is attached to the direction of the dividing line 7 and the other surface of the tablet 2 facing the other surface among the plurality of tablets 2. Recognize tablet 2.

  Next, the tablet 2 imaged by the second secant camera 52 is further transported by the first transport belt 20 and reaches a position facing the first inkjet head 61. And the 1st inkjet head 61 performs the printing process with respect to the tablet 2 (step S8). Here, the control unit 3 controls the printing process by the first inkjet head 61 based on the image data acquired by the first secant camera 51 and the second secant camera 52. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print processing result by the first inkjet head 61.

  As described above, the first secant camera 51 images one surface of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the conveyance drum 10. When the tablets 2 are transferred from the transport drum 10 to the first transport belt 20, the front and back of all the tablets 2 are reversed. Then, the second secant camera 52 images the other surface of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the first conveyance belt 20. Therefore, the front and back surfaces of all tablets 2 are imaged by the first secant camera 51 and the second secant camera 52, and image data is acquired. Specifically, the back surface of the tablet 2 whose front surface is imaged by the first secant camera 51 is imaged by the second secant camera 52 (left and center tablets 2 in the examples of FIGS. 6 and 7). On the contrary, the front surface of the tablet 2 whose back surface is imaged by the first secant camera 51 is imaged by the second secant camera 52 (in the example of FIGS. 6 and 7, the second, fourth, and fifth tablets 2 from the left). ).

  The first inkjet head 61 performs a printing process on the other surface of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the first conveyance belt 20. However, the 1st inkjet head 61 is only with respect to the tablet 2 from which the foreign material was not detected in both the 1st foreign material detection process (step S4) and the 2nd foreign material detection process (step S7) among the some tablets 2. Perform the printing process. Specifically, no foreign matter was detected by the first secant camera 51 and the second secant camera 52 out of the plurality of tablets 2 based on the image data acquired by the first secant camera 51 and the second secant camera 52. The control unit 3 controls the first inkjet head 61 so as to perform the printing process only on the tablet 2. That is, the first inkjet head 61 does not perform the printing process on the tablet 2 from which foreign matter is detected by the first secant camera 51 or the second secant camera 52. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first inkjet head 61 is used for the tablet 2 at the right end where foreign matter is detected by the first secant camera 51 and the second tablet 2 from the left end where foreign matter is detected by the second secant camera 52. Does not print.

  Further, the controller 3 prints the front surface on the first inkjet head 61 based on the front surface print data for the tablet 2 having the other surface of the plurality of tablets 2 transported by the first transport belt 20. Let the process do. Here, for example, character data of “ABCD” is used as the front surface print data.

  Further, the control unit 3 causes the first inkjet head 61 to perform a surface printing process on the surface along a predetermined direction with respect to the secant 7 engraved on the surface of the tablet 2. In the present embodiment, the first inkjet head 61 performs a printing process along a direction parallel to the secant 7 on the surface of the tablet 2. About the direction of the secant 7 in the tablet 2 whose other side is the surface among the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the first conveying belt 20, control is performed by performing image processing on the image data acquired by the second secant camera 52. It can be recognized by the unit 3 (the direction of the dividing line 7 indicated by the solid line in FIG. 8).

  On the other hand, the controller 3 prints the back surface of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the first conveying belt 20 on the first inkjet head 61 based on the back surface print data for the tablet 2 whose other surface is the back surface. Let the process do. Here, for example, character data “1234” is used as the back side print data.

  The control unit 3 causes the first inkjet head 61 to perform the back surface printing process on the back surface of the tablet 2 along the same direction as the predetermined direction with respect to the secant 7 engraved on the surface of the tablet 2. In this embodiment, the printing process is performed on the surface of the tablet 2 along a direction parallel to the secant line 7, and also on the back surface of the tablet 2 along the direction parallel to the secant line 7 on the front surface side. The first inkjet head 61 performs a printing process. Regarding the direction of the secant 7 on the front side of the tablet 2 whose other side is the back side among the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the first conveying belt 20, image processing is performed on the image data acquired by the first secant camera 51. Thus, the control unit 3 can recognize (the direction of the dividing line 7 indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 8).

  Further, the control unit 3 performs fine adjustment (correction) of the printing position for each tablet 2 by the first inkjet head 61 based on the image data acquired by the second secant camera 52. Since the size of the suction hole 21 of the first transport belt 20 is slightly larger than the size of the tablet 2, the directionality of each tablet 2 is maintained when the tablet 2 is transferred from the transport drum 10 to the first transport belt 20. However, some variation occurs within the range of the suction holes 21. The control unit 3 detects a shift of the position of each tablet 2 in the suction hole 21 from the image data acquired by the second secant camera 52, and executes fine adjustment of the printing position based on the detection result. In this way, the printing process for the other side of the plurality of tablets 2 is executed.

  In the present embodiment, since the printing process is not performed on the tablet 2 in which a foreign object is detected, the first inkjet head 61 is operated by a first secant camera 51 and a second secant camera 52 as shown in FIG. The printing process is executed only for the first, third, and fourth tablets 2 from the left where no foreign matter is detected. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, a foreign substance is not detected among the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the first conveying belt 20, and the other surface is the tablet 2 (fourth from the left in FIG. 8). For the tablet 2), the character string “ABCD” is printed on the surface of the tablet 2 by the first inkjet head 61 along a direction parallel to the secant 7 engraved on the surface. Moreover, about the tablet 2 (the 1st and 3rd tablet 2 from the left of FIG. 8) by which a foreign material is not detected among the several tablets 2 conveyed by the 1st conveyance belt 20, and the other side is a back surface. The character string “1234” is printed on the back surface of the tablet 2 by the first ink jet head 61 along a direction parallel to the secant 7 engraved on the front surface.

  Next, the tablet 2 on which the printing process has been performed on the other side is further transported by the first transport belt 20 and reaches a position facing the first heater 76. As shown in FIG. 1, the first heater 76 is installed below the first conveyor belt 20, and when the tablet 2 reaches a position facing the first heater 76, the tablet 2 is in contact with the first conveyor belt 20. Is held downward. Since the first conveying belt 20 sucks and holds the tablet 2 by applying a negative pressure to the suction hole 21, it is also possible to hold the tablet 2 downward.

  The first heater 76 blows hot air on the other surface of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the first conveyance belt 20 to dry the plurality of tablets 2 (step S9). By performing such a drying process, the ink discharged from the first inkjet head 61 to the plurality of tablets 2 can be quickly dried to prevent bleeding.

  Next, the tablets 2 in 5 columns and 1 row dried by the first heater 76 are further transported by the first transport belt 20 and reach a position in close proximity to the second transport belt 30. At this time, the blow mechanism of the first conveying belt 20 blows air to the five suction holes 21 in which the tablets 2 in the five rows and one row are held by suction, thereby sucking the tablets 2 in the five rows and one row. Is released. On the other hand, negative pressure is applied to the suction holes of the second conveyor belt 30 at positions close to and opposed to the first conveyor belt 20. Therefore, the tablets 2 in the 5th row and the 1st row released from the suction state by the first transport belt 20 are transferred from the suction holes 21 of the first transport belt 20 to the suction holes of the second transport belt 30 and sucked and held. It will be. In order to reliably deliver such tablets 2, the control unit 3 equalizes the conveyance speed of the first conveyance belt 20 and the conveyance speed of the second conveyance belt 30, and the suction holes of both conveyance belts are accurate. Control is performed so that the operations of both conveyor belts are synchronized so as to face each other.

  When the tablet 2 is delivered from the first conveyor belt 20 to the second conveyor belt 30, the tablet 2 moves as it is without rotating. That is, each tablet 2 is transferred from the first conveyor belt 20 to the second conveyor belt 30 while maintaining the direction of the dividing line 7.

  Further, when the tablets 2 are transferred from the first conveying belt 20 to the second conveying belt 30, the respective tablets 2 are turned upside down. That is, the tablet 2 that has been sucked and held on the first transport belt 20 with the front surface on which the dividing line 7 is formed facing outward is sucked and held on the second transport belt 30 with the back surface facing outward. On the contrary, the tablet 2 that has been suction-held by the first transport belt 20 with the back surface facing outward is sucked and held by the second transport belt 30 with the front surface facing outward. Therefore, each tablet 2 transported by the first transport belt 20 is turned upside down while being maintained in its direction, transferred to the second transport belt 30 and transported (step S10).

  Then, the 3rd secant camera 53 images the several tablet 2 currently conveyed by the 2nd conveyance belt 30 (step S11). The second conveyor belt 30 conveys the plurality of tablets 2 received by being reversed from the first conveyor belt 20 in five rows in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction. The third secant camera 53 images the tablet 2 from the outside of the second transport belt 30. Therefore, the front and back of each tablet 2 imaged by the third secant camera 53 is completely opposite to the front and back of the corresponding tablet 2 imaged by the second secant camera 52, while the correspondence captured by the first secant camera 51 is captured. The front and back of the tablet 2 to be completely matched. That is, as with the first secant camera 51, the third secant camera 53 images one side of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the second conveyor belt 30.

  Since the transport surface of the second transport belt 30 is a substantially flat surface, the third secant camera 53 can capture the image of the tablet 2 over a plurality of lines. However, in this embodiment, it matches the imaging range of the first secant camera 51. As described above, the third secant camera 53 also performs imaging for each row in which five tablets are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the second conveyance belt 30.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of an imaging result obtained by the third secant camera 53. Similar to the first secant camera 51, the third secant camera 53 images one side of the plurality of tablets 2 that are conveyed by the second conveying belt 30. Therefore, the imaging result obtained by the third secant camera 53 is substantially the same as the imaging result obtained by the first secant camera 51. In particular, with respect to the directionality of each of the plurality of tablets 2, the imaging result obtained by the third secant camera 53 and the imaging result obtained by the first secant camera 51 completely coincide.

  In the example of FIG. 9, as in FIG. 6, among the tablets 2 arranged in five rows, the left end and the center tablet 2 are imaged on the surface on which the secant 7 is formed, and the other tablets 2 have the back surface. The image is captured by the third secant camera 53. Image data as shown in FIG. 9 as a result of imaging by the third secant camera 53 is transmitted to the control unit 3. In FIG. 9, the dotted line shows the secant 7 on the other side of the tablet 2 captured and recognized by the second secant camera 52 and is directly imaged by the third secant camera 53. is not.

  However, the control unit 3 does not recognize the direction of the secant 7 engraved on the surface of the tablet 2 from the image data acquired by the third secant camera 53. This is because the direction of the secant 7 has already been recognized from the image data acquired by the first secant camera 51 for the tablet 2 whose one side is the surface, and there is no need to perform it again. Rather, when the control unit 3 recognizes the direction of the dividing line 7 from the image data acquired by the third dividing line camera 53, there is a possibility that the printing is reversed by 180 ° during the printing process by the second inkjet head 62 described later. There is.

  Imaging by the third secant camera 53 is performed in order to detect variations in the positions of the plurality of tablets 2 sucked and held by the second transport belt 30. The control unit 3 detects a shift in the position of each tablet 2 in the suction hole of the second transport belt 30 from the image data acquired by the third secant camera 53.

  Next, the tablet 2 imaged by the third secant camera 53 is further transported by the second transport belt 30 and reaches a position facing the second inkjet head 62. And the 2nd inkjet head 62 performs the printing process with respect to the tablet 2 (step S12). Here, the control unit 3 controls the printing process by the second inkjet head 62 based on the image data acquired by the first secant camera 51 and the second secant camera 52. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print processing result by the second inkjet head 62.

  The second inkjet head 62 performs a printing process on one surface of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the second conveyance belt 30. However, as with the first inkjet head 61, the second inkjet head 62 detects foreign matter in both the first foreign matter detection step (step S4) and the second foreign matter detection step (step S7) among the plurality of tablets 2. Only the tablet 2 that has not been printed is printed. Specifically, no foreign matter was detected by the first secant camera 51 and the second secant camera 52 out of the plurality of tablets 2 based on the image data acquired by the first secant camera 51 and the second secant camera 52. The control unit 3 controls the second inkjet head 62 so as to perform the printing process only on the tablet 2. That is, the second inkjet head 62 does not perform the printing process on the tablet 2 in which foreign matter is detected by the first secant camera 51 or the second secant camera 52. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the second inkjet head 62 is applied to the rightmost tablet 2 from which foreign matter is detected by the first secant camera 51 and the second tablet 2 from the left end from which foreign matter is detected by the second secant camera 52. Does not print.

  Further, the controller 3 prints the front surface on the second inkjet head 62 based on the front surface print data for the tablet 2 having one surface of the plurality of tablets 2 transported by the second transport belt 30. Let the process do. Here, the front-side print data is “ABCD” character data similar to the above.

  Further, the control unit 3 causes the second inkjet head 62 to perform a surface printing process on the surface along the predetermined direction with respect to the secant 7 engraved on the surface of the tablet 2. In the present embodiment, the second inkjet head 62 performs a printing process along a direction parallel to the secant 7 on the surface of the tablet 2. About the direction of the secant 7 in the tablet 2 whose one side is the surface among the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the second conveying belt 30, control is performed by performing image processing on the image data acquired by the first secant camera 51. It can be recognized by the unit 3 (the direction of the dividing line 7 shown by the solid line in FIG. 10).

  On the other hand, the control unit 3 prints the back surface on the second inkjet head 62 based on the back surface print data for the tablet 2 whose one surface is the back surface among the plurality of tablets 2 transported by the second transport belt 30. Let the process do. Here, the back side print data is character data “1234” similar to the above.

  The control unit 3 causes the second inkjet head 62 to perform the printing process for the back surface of the tablet 2 along the same direction as the predetermined direction with respect to the secant 7 engraved on the surface of the tablet 2. In this embodiment, the printing process is performed on the surface of the tablet 2 along a direction parallel to the secant line 7, and also on the back surface of the tablet 2 along the direction parallel to the secant line 7 on the front surface side. The second inkjet head 62 performs a printing process. Regarding the direction of the front dividing line 7 in the tablet 2 whose one side is the back side among the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the second conveying belt 30, image processing is performed on the image data acquired by the second dividing line camera 52. Thus, the control unit 3 can recognize (the direction of the dividing line 7 indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 10).

  Further, the control unit 3 performs fine adjustment (correction) of the printing position with respect to each tablet 2 by the second inkjet head 62 based on the image data acquired by the third secant camera 53. As described above, when the tablets 2 are transferred from the first conveying belt 20 to the second conveying belt 30, the orientation of each tablet 2 is maintained, but there is some variation in the range of the suction holes. Occurs. The control unit 3 detects the position shift of each tablet 2 in the suction hole of the second transport belt 30 from the image data acquired by the third secant camera 53, and finely adjusts the print position based on the detection result. Do it. In this way, the printing process for one surface of the plurality of tablets 2 is executed.

  In the present embodiment, since the printing process is not performed on the tablet 2 in which the foreign matter is detected, the second inkjet head 62 is operated by the first secant camera 51 and the second secant camera 52 as shown in FIG. The printing process is executed only for the first, third, and fourth tablets 2 from the left where no foreign matter is detected. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, a foreign substance is not detected among the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the second conveyance belt 30, and the tablet 2 whose first side is the surface (first and left from the left in FIG. 10) For the third tablet 2), the character string “ABCD” is printed on the surface of the tablet 2 by the second inkjet head 62 along a direction parallel to the secant 7 engraved on the surface. Moreover, about the tablet 2 (the 4th tablet 2 from the left of FIG. 10) from which the foreign material is not detected among the several tablets 2 conveyed by the 2nd conveyance belt 30, and one surface is a back surface, it is on the surface. A character string “1234” is printed on the back surface of the tablet 2 by the second inkjet head 62 along a direction parallel to the engraved dividing line 7.

  Next, the tablet 2 on which the printing process has been performed on one side is further transported by the second transport belt 30 and reaches a position facing the first inspection camera 71. The first inspection camera 71 images one side of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the second conveyance belt 30 and images the result of the printing process on one side of the plurality of tablets 2 by the second inkjet head 62. The first inspection camera 71 transmits the acquired image data to the control unit 3. Based on the image data acquired by the first inspection camera 71, the control unit 3 confirms the print processing result of the second inkjet head 62 for one surface of the plurality of tablets 2 (step S13). At this time, regarding the tablet 2 (the tablet 2 at the right end in FIG. 10) on which one of the plurality of tablets 2 has the foreign substance 6 adhered, the adhesion of the foreign substance 6 is also detected by imaging by the first inspection camera 71. It will be.

  Subsequently, the tablet 2 in which the print processing result on one side is inspected is further transported by the second transport belt 30 and reaches a position facing the second heater 77. The second heater 77 blows hot air on one surface of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the second conveyance belt 30 to dry the plurality of tablets 2 (step S14). By performing such a drying process, the ink ejected from the second inkjet head 62 to the plurality of tablets 2 can be quickly dried to prevent bleeding.

  Next, the tablets 2 in 5 columns and 1 row dried by the second heater 77 are further transported by the second transport belt 30 and reach a position in close proximity to the third transport belt 40. At this time, the blowing mechanism of the second conveyor belt 30 blows air to the five suction holes in which the tablets 2 in the five rows and one row are held by suction, thereby changing the suction state to the tablets 2 in the five rows and one row. To release. On the other hand, a negative pressure is applied to the suction hole of the third conveyor belt 40 at a position close to and opposed to the second conveyor belt 30. Therefore, the tablets 2 in the 5th row and the 1st row released from the suction state by the second transport belt 30 are transferred from the suction holes of the second transport belt 30 to the suction holes of the third transport belt 40 and held by suction. It becomes. In order to reliably deliver such a tablet 2, the control unit 3 equalizes the conveyance speed of the second conveyance belt 30 and the conveyance speed of the third conveyance belt 40, and the suction holes of both conveyance belts are accurate. Control is performed so that the operations of both conveyor belts are synchronized so as to face each other.

  When the tablet 2 is delivered from the second conveyor belt 30 to the third conveyor belt 40, the tablet 2 moves as it is without rotating. That is, each tablet 2 is transferred from the second conveyor belt 30 to the third conveyor belt 40 while maintaining the direction of the dividing line 7.

  Further, when the tablets 2 are transferred from the second conveyance belt 30 to the third conveyance belt 40, the respective tablets 2 are turned upside down. In other words, the tablet 2 that has been sucked and held on the second transport belt 30 with the front surface on which the dividing line 7 is formed facing outward is sucked and held on the third transport belt 40 with the back surface facing outward. On the contrary, the tablet 2 that has been sucked and held by the second transport belt 30 with the back surface facing outward is sucked and held by the third transport belt 40 with the front surface facing outward. Therefore, each tablet 2 transported by the second transport belt 30 is turned upside down while being maintained in its direction, transferred to the third transport belt 40 and transported (step S15).

  Subsequently, the second inspection camera 72 images the plurality of tablets 2 being transported by the third transport belt 40. Similar to the first conveyor belt 20, the third conveyor belt 40 holds and holds the plurality of tablets 2 with the other surface of the plurality of tablets 2 facing outward. Therefore, the second inspection camera 72 images the other surface of the plurality of tablets 2 conveyed by the third conveyance belt 40 and images the result of the printing process on the other surface of the plurality of tablets 2 by the first inkjet head 61. . The second inspection camera 72 transmits the acquired image data to the control unit 3. Based on the image data acquired by the second inspection camera 72, the control unit 3 confirms the print processing result of the first inkjet head 61 for the other surface of the plurality of tablets 2 (step S16). At this time, regarding the tablet 2 (the second tablet 2 from the left in FIG. 10) in which the foreign substance 6 adheres to the other surface among the plurality of tablets 2, the adhesion of the foreign substance 6 is also captured by the second inspection camera 72. It will be detected.

  Finally, a sorting process is performed on the tablets 2 that have been inspected on both sides (step S17). The tablet 2 having no problem in the print processing inspection results on the front and back surfaces in step S13 and step S16, that is, the non-defective tablet 2, is put into the non-defective product duct 48 by air blowing from the blow mechanism. The tablet 2 discharged into the non-defective duct 48 is collected in the non-defective product collection box 58. On the other hand, the tablet 2 having a problem in the print processing inspection result on both the front and back surfaces, that is, the defective tablet 2 is introduced into the defective product duct 46 by air blowing from the blow mechanism. The tablet 2 discharged to the defective product duct 46 is collected in the defective product box 56.

  Further, among the plurality of tablets 2, the tablet 2 in which foreign matter is detected by the first secant camera 51 or the second secant camera 52, that is, the tablet 2 on which the printing process has not been performed, is uninspected by air blowing from the blow mechanism. 47. The tablet 2 discharged to the uninspected duct 47 is collected in the uninspected box 57. As described above, the tablet 2 in which the foreign matter is detected is collected in the uninspected box 57 separately from the tablet 2 on which the printing process has been performed without detecting the foreign matter. As described above, the printing process on the tablet 2 in the tablet printing apparatus 1 is completed.

  In this embodiment, based on the foreign object detection result by the 1st secant camera 51 and the 2nd secant camera 52, the tablet in which the foreign material was not detected by the 1st secant camera 51 and the 2nd secant camera 52 among several tablets 2 The first ink jet head 61 and the second ink jet head 62 perform the printing process only for 2. The tablet printing apparatus 1 includes a first inspection camera 71 and a second inspection camera 72, and the tablet 2 after the printing process is inspected by these. However, if the printing process is performed on the tablet 2 on which the foreign matter is adhered, if the ink is applied from above the foreign matter, the foreign matter cannot be detected and the foreign matter attached tablet 2 is regarded as a good product. There is also a risk of recovery. If the printing process is performed only on the tablet 2 in which the foreign matter is not detected among the plurality of tablets 2 as in the present embodiment, the printing process is not performed on the tablet 2 to which the foreign matter is attached. Such a tablet 2 is prevented from passing through the inspection and being collected in the non-defective product collection box 58. As a result, it is possible to prevent the tablet 2 to which foreign matter is adhered.

  Further, based on the image data of the front and back surfaces of the plurality of tablets 2 acquired by the first secant camera 51 and the second secant camera 52, the surface of the tablet 2 is a surface along a predetermined direction with respect to the front secant line 7. In addition to the printing process for the back surface, the back surface printing process is performed on the back surface of the tablet 2 along the same direction as the predetermined direction on the back surface. For this reason, the printing process can be performed in the same direction with respect to the secant 7 on both the front and back sides of the tablet 2.

  While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be modified in various ways other than those described above without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in each of the above embodiments, the printing process is performed on both the front and back surfaces of the tablet 2, but the printing process may be performed only on either the front surface or the back surface. For example, if the printing process is performed only on the front surface, the first inkjet head 61 performs the printing process on the tablet 2 whose other surface is conveyed by the first conveyance belt 20, and the second conveyance belt 30. The second inkjet head 62 performs a printing process on the tablet 2 whose one surface is conveyed by the second inkjet head 62. At this time, neither the first inkjet head 61 nor the second inkjet head 62 performs the printing process on the back surface of the tablet 2. Even in this case, the first inkjet head 61 and the second inkjet head 62 are printed only on the tablet 2 in which no foreign matter is detected by the first secant camera 51 and the second secant camera 52 among the plurality of tablets 2. Process.

  The technique according to the present invention can also be applied to the case where the tablet 2 is not provided with the secant line 7, that is, when the printing process is performed on the tablet 2 with no distinction between the front and the back. In this case, as long as printing is possible only on one side of the tablet 2, printing may be performed by only one of the first inkjet head 61 and the second inkjet head 62. Even in this case, the first inkjet head 61 or the second inkjet head 62 prints only on the tablet 2 in which no foreign matter is detected by the first secant camera 51 and the second secant camera 52 among the plurality of tablets 2. Process.

  Further, when printing is performed on the tablet 2 with no distinction between the front and back, if printing is performed only with either the first inkjet head 61 or the second inkjet head 62, the first secant camera 51 and the first It is not necessary to detect foreign matter on both sides of the tablet 2 by the secant camera 52. In this case, if foreign matter is detected only on the side of the tablet 2 on which the printing process is performed and only the tablet 2 on which no foreign matter is detected is printed, It is possible to prevent the printing process from being performed. In addition, when the foreign material has adhered to the surface of the tablet 2 on which the foreign material is not detected, the foreign material is subjected to a separate inspection (for example, inspection by the first inspection camera 71 and the second inspection camera 72). Since it is detected, the tablet 2 is prevented from being mixed into a non-defective product. In other words, foreign matter may be detected on at least the surface on which the printing process is performed, of the front and back surfaces of the tablet 2.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the printing process was performed on the front and back along the direction parallel to the secant 7 of the tablet 2, it is not limited to this, What is printed on the front and back of the tablet 2 in the same direction? For example, printing processing can be performed in any direction with respect to the secant line 7.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the printing process is performed by an ink jet method that discharges ink droplets, but the printing process method is not limited to this, and intaglio printing including letterpress printing and gravure printing, Alternatively, laser printing or the like may be used.

  Moreover, the shape of the tablet 2 is not limited to a disk shape, and may be another shape such as a substantially elliptical shape or a rod shape. In this case, the suction hole of each transport unit is in accordance with the shape of the tablet 2.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it was made to convey the tablet 2 by the unit of 5 columns 1 line, it is not limited to this, You may make it convey the tablet 2 by 1 row, The tablets 2 may be transported in two or more rows.

  The tablet printing apparatus and tablet printing method according to the present invention can be suitably used for printing on pharmaceutical tablets and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tablet printer 2 Tablet 3 Control part 6 Foreign material 7 Split line 8 Hopper 10 Transport drum 20 1st transport belt 30 2nd transport belt 40 3rd transport belt 51 1st secant camera 52 2nd secant camera 53 3rd secant camera 61 1st DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet head 62 2nd inkjet head 71 1st inspection camera 72 2nd inspection camera 76 1st heater 77 2nd heater

Claims (13)

A tablet printing apparatus for performing a printing process on a tablet,
A first detector for detecting foreign matter adhering to one side of the plurality of tablets;
A second detector for detecting foreign matter adhering to the other side of the plurality of tablets;
A first printing unit that performs a printing process on at least one part of a plurality of tablets;
A second printing unit that performs a printing process on at least a part of the other surface of the plurality of tablets;
A print control unit for controlling the first printing unit and the second printing unit based on detection results by the first detection unit and the second detection unit;
With
The printing control unit prints on at least one of the first printing unit and the second printing unit only for a tablet in which foreign matter is not detected by the first detection unit and the second detection unit among a plurality of tablets. A tablet printer characterized in that processing is performed. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1,
A tablet printing apparatus, further comprising: an inspection unit that inspects the results of printing processing on a plurality of tablets. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A tablet printing apparatus, further comprising a collection unit that collects a tablet in which foreign matter is detected by the first detection unit or the second detection unit from a plurality of tablets separately from a tablet in which no foreign matter is detected. . In the tablet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The tablet printing apparatus, wherein the first printing unit and the second printing unit include an inkjet head that ejects ink droplets. A tablet printing apparatus for performing a printing process on a tablet,
A detection unit for detecting foreign matter adhering to the tablet;
A printing unit that performs printing processing on tablets;
A print control unit that controls the printing unit based on a detection result by the detection unit;
With
The tablet printing apparatus, wherein the printing control unit causes the printing unit to perform a printing process only when no foreign matter is detected by the detection unit. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
The said detection part detects a foreign material about the surface by which the said printing part performs a printing process among the front and back both surfaces of a tablet, The tablet printing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In the tablet printing apparatus according to claim 5 or 6,
A tablet printing apparatus, further comprising an inspection unit for inspecting a result of a printing process on a tablet. A tablet printing method for performing a printing process on a tablet,
A first detection step of detecting foreign matter adhering to one side of the plurality of tablets;
A second detection step of detecting foreign matter adhering to the other side of the plurality of tablets;
A first printing step of performing a printing process on at least one part of the plurality of tablets;
A second printing step for performing a printing process on at least a part of the other surface of the plurality of tablets;
With
Printing is performed in at least one of the first printing step and the second printing step only for the tablets in which foreign matter is not detected in the first detection step and the second detection step among a plurality of tablets. The tablet printing method characterized by performing. The tablet printing method according to claim 8, wherein
A tablet printing method, further comprising an inspection step of inspecting a result of printing processing for a plurality of tablets. In the tablet printing method according to claim 8 or 9,
A tablet printing method, further comprising: a collecting step of collecting a tablet in which foreign matter is detected in the first detecting step or the second detecting step among a plurality of tablets separately from a tablet in which no foreign matter is detected. . A tablet printing method for performing a printing process on a tablet,
A detection process for detecting foreign matter adhering to the tablet;
A printing step of performing a printing process on the tablet only when no foreign matter is detected in the detection step;
A tablet printing method comprising: The tablet printing method according to claim 11,
In the detection step, foreign matter detection is performed on at least the surface on which the printing process is performed among the front and back surfaces of the tablet. The tablet printing method according to claim 11 or 12,
A tablet printing method, further comprising an inspection step of inspecting a result of a printing process on the tablet.

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