JP2022141100A - Article conveyance device and article inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an article conveyance device and an article inspection device by which an article being conveyed by a conveyance unit can be securely ejected outside the conveyance unit.SOLUTION: An article conveyance device that conveys a tablet W for inspection from an article supply position P2, through an article inspection position P4 to an NG article sorting position P5 or an OK article sorting position P6 and, at an either the sorting position, ejects the tablet to an NG article collecting area 17A or an OK article collecting area 17B, includes: an annular outside conveyance unit 12 rotatably provided so as to convey tablets W to the sorting positions; and a circular inside conveyance unit 11 rotatably provided radially inside the outside conveyance unit 12 and that supplies the tablets W to the outside conveyance unit 12. A diameter of the inside conveyance unit 11 is smaller than an inner diameter of the outside conveyance unit 12, and a position of a rotation center O1 of the inside conveyance unit is different from that of a rotation center O2 of the outside conveyance unit 12. The NG article collecting area 17A and the OK article collecting area 17B are provided in a space S defined between an outer periphery 11d of the inside conveyance unit 11 and an inner periphery 12a of the outside conveyance unit 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an article conveying device and an article inspection device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a linear feeder, a vibrating member that is fixed to the linear feeder and vibrates linearly by the linear feeder, a vibration direction converting mechanism that converts the linear vibration of the vibrating member into a circumferential vibration, and the vibrating direction. A circular vibrating feeder is disclosed which has a component unloading container rotatably fixed to the rotating shaft of a conversion mechanism, and vibrates the component unloading container in the circumferential direction using linear vibration of the linear feeder as a drive source.

JP-A-2005-59979

In the circular vibrating feeder disclosed in Patent Literature 1, the parts supplied into the parts unloading container are continuously guided to the upper part of the parts unloading container. Therefore, the parts guided to the upper part of the parts carrying-out container are carried out to the next process from above the circular vibrating feeder, that is, from above the parts carrying-out container. In order to carry out the parts from above the parts carry-out container, it is necessary to individually pick up the parts from the upper side of the parts carry-out container by, for example, air suction.

However, picking up the parts from the upper side of the parts carrying-out container is very troublesome, is likely to fail, and is less reliable. In particular, it is very difficult to pick up a component moving at high speed in the direction of rotation from above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an article conveying apparatus and an article inspection apparatus capable of reliably discharging an article being conveyed by a conveying section to the outside of the conveying section. there is

An article conveying apparatus according to the present invention conveys an article (W) to be inspected from an article supply position (P2) to an article discharge position (P5, P6) via an article inspection position (P4). an article conveying device that discharges articles to predetermined discharge areas (17A, 17B) by means of a rotatable annular outer conveying portion that conveys the articles from the article supply position toward the article discharge position. (12), and a circular inner transport section (11) provided rotatably radially inward of the outer transport section and supplying the article to the outer transport section at the article supply position, wherein the The inner conveying portion has a smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the outer conveying portion, and is provided at a position where the center of rotation (O1) is different from the center of rotation (O2) of the outer conveying portion, and the predetermined discharge area is located on the inner side. It has a configuration provided in a space (S) formed between the outer circumference of the conveying section and the inner circumference of the outer conveying section.

With this configuration, the article conveying apparatus according to the present invention does not need to pick up the article being conveyed by the outer conveying section from above, and can reliably discharge the article being conveyed by the outer conveying section to the outside of the outer conveying section. can.

In addition, in the article conveying apparatus according to the present invention, the predetermined discharge area is provided in the space formed inside the outer conveying section. Space saving of the article conveying device can be achieved.

Further, in the article conveying apparatus according to the present invention, the outer conveying section has a cutout portion (a notch portion ( 12b) are formed in plurality, and further includes a discharge portion (16) for discharging the article accommodated in the notch radially inward at the article discharge position.

With this configuration, in the article conveying apparatus according to the present invention, the article can be reliably discharged from the notch to the predetermined discharge area by the discharge section at the article discharge position.

Further, in the article conveying apparatus according to the present invention, the discharge section has a configuration comprising an air blowing section for blowing air onto the article from the radially outer side.

With this configuration, the article conveying apparatus according to the present invention can discharge articles accommodated in the cutout portion at high speed and with certainty even when the outer conveying portion rotates at high speed.

Further, in the article conveying device according to the present invention, the outer conveying unit is provided in a region other than the inner conveying unit and the space in the area surrounded by the outer conveying unit, and between the outer circumference of the inner conveying unit and the outer conveying unit. It further comprises a chute (13) extending into the .

With this configuration, the article conveying apparatus according to the present invention can return articles conveyed to the outer conveying section to the inner conveying section for re-inspection or the like.

An article inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes an article conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and an article inspection section (3) that inspects the article at the article inspection position.

With this configuration, the article inspection apparatus according to the present invention can reliably discharge the articles being conveyed by the outer conveying section to the outside of the outer conveying section, and the size of the article conveying apparatus can be reduced by saving space. .

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an article conveying apparatus and an article inspection apparatus capable of reliably discharging an article being conveyed by the conveying section to the outside of the conveying section.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an article inspection device provided with an article conveying device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of an article inspection device provided with an article conveying device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of an article inspection apparatus provided with an article conveying apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, viewed from III-III in FIG.

An article inspection apparatus equipped with an article conveying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, an article inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment irradiates light at a predetermined article inspection position while aligning articles to be inspected and conveying them individually. The quality of the article is inspected based on the spectral properties of the transmitted light.

The article to be inspected is a small-diameter article whose light irradiation area is relatively close to the diameter of the irradiation port that irradiates light onto the article to be inspected. In addition to articles of several tens of millimeters, bite-sized articles, articles with a predetermined shape and molded articles manufactured with existing manufacturing equipment and manufacturing equipment without inspection functions, especially items that do not change their shape during transportation.

Such articles include formulations such as tablets, capsules, lozenges, drops, candy, chocolate, and the like. Hereinafter, as an article to be inspected, a tablet W having a circular shape in a plan view and a substantially cylindrical shape in a side view with a height (thickness) smaller than its diameter will be described as an example. The tablet W of this embodiment constitutes an article.

As shown in FIG. 1, an article inspection apparatus 1 includes an article conveying apparatus 2 that conveys tablets W along a circumferential conveying course, and an article inspecting tablet W at an article inspection position P4 in the middle of the conveying course. and an inspection unit 3 .

[Article Conveyor]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the article conveying device 2 includes an inner conveying section 11, an annular outer conveying section 12, a chute section 13, an article supplying section 14, an article adjusting section 15, and a discharging section 16. and

The article conveying device 2 conveys tablets W for inspection from an article supply position P2, which will be described later, via an article inspection position P4 to a NG product sorting position P5 or an OK product sorting position P6, and then to the NG product sorting position P5 or OK product sorting position P5. At the position P6, it is discharged to the NG product collection area 17A and the OK product collection area 17B.

(Inner transport section)
The inner conveying part 11 is installed inside a rotating deep dish-shaped supply container 10 . The inner conveying section 11 is composed of a circular plate member that rotates with a drive source separate from the supply container 10 . The inner conveying section 11 supplies tablets W to the outer conveying section 12 at an article supply position P2, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, the supply container 10 is formed in a cylindrical shape with an upper surface opened by an opening 10a. The upper end of the supply container 10 faces the lower end of a first chute 13A, which will be described later.

The supply container 10 has a circular bottom wall 10b with a diameter smaller than that of the outer conveying part 12 and a cylindrical side wall 10c. A through hole 10d is formed in the bottom wall 10b.

The inner conveying portion 11 is provided radially inward of the outer conveying portion 12 . In other words, the outer conveying section 12 is provided radially outward of the inner conveying section 11 so as to surround the inner conveying section 11 when the article conveying device 2 is viewed from above. The inner conveying portion 11 is formed to have a smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the outer conveying portion 12 .

The supply container 10 is rotatably attached to the body frame 50 (see FIG. 3). The central axis of rotation of the supply container 10 coincides with a line passing through the center of the bottom wall 10b and perpendicular to the bottom wall 10b. An annular internal gear 10e is fixed to the lower surface of the bottom wall 10b of the supply container 10 so as to be centered on the bottom wall 10b.

A first motor 21 is attached to the body frame 50, and a pinion 22 provided on a drive shaft 21a of the first motor 21 is meshed with the internal gear 10e. When the first motor 21 is driven, the supply container 10 rotates about its central axis in the direction of rotation A (see FIG. 1). In the present embodiment, the rotation direction A of the supply container 10 in plan view of the article conveying device 2 is the counterclockwise rotation direction.

The inner conveying part 11 is arranged at an angle inside the supply container 10 . The upper end portion 11b of the inner conveying portion 11 in the inclined direction faces the inner circumference 12a of the outer conveying portion 12, and the upper end portion 11b of the inner conveying portion 11 faces the inner circumference 12a. The lower end portion 11c faces the lower edge of the side wall 10c of the supply container 10. As shown in FIG.

That is, the lower end portion 11c of the inner conveying portion 11 in the inclined direction is the lowest in the portion facing the lower edge of the side wall 10c of the supply container 10, and the upper end portion 11b of the inner conveying portion 11 in the inclined direction is the outer conveying portion. The portion facing the inner periphery 12a of 12 is the highest. A drive shaft 11a (see FIG. 2) is fixed to the center of the lower surface of the inner conveying portion 11 so as to be perpendicular to the inner conveying portion 11. It is connected to the second motor 23 (see FIG. 2) through the through hole 10d.

The second motor 23 is supported by the body frame 50 that supports the supply container 10 . Inside the supply container 10, when the second motor 23 is driven, the inner conveying section 11 rotates around the drive shaft 11a in the rotation direction B (see FIG. 1). The rotation direction B of the inner conveying part 11 and the rotation direction A of the supply container 10 are the same. As shown in FIG. 1 , the center of rotation O1 of the inner conveying section 11 is provided at a position different from the center of rotation O2 of the outer conveying section 12 .

Thus, in this embodiment, the diameter of the inner conveying portion 11 is smaller than the inner diameter of the outer conveying portion 12, and the center of rotation O1 of the inner conveying portion 11 and the center of rotation O2 of the outer conveying portion 12 are aligned. Therefore, a space S is formed between the outer circumference 11 d of the inner conveying section 11 and the inner circumference 12 a of the outer conveying section 12 .

(outer transport section)
The outer conveying unit 12 conveys the tablets W from the article supply position P2 (see FIG. 1) through the article inspection position P4 toward the NG article selection position P5 and the OK article selection position P6 as article discharge positions described later. It is rotatably provided on the frame 51 .

An external gear (not shown) is formed on the outer periphery of the outer conveying section 12 over the entire periphery. A third motor 52 is attached to the frame 51 , and a pinion 52 b attached to a rotating shaft 52 a of the third motor 52 meshes with the external gear of the outer conveying section 12 . Accordingly, when the third motor 52 is driven, the outer conveying section 12 rotates in the rotation direction C (see FIG. 1) around its rotation center axis. The rotation direction C is the same as the rotation direction A and the rotation direction B. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the upper surface of the outer conveying portion 12 is provided with a notch opening radially inward so as to receive the tablets W supplied from the inner conveying portion 11 from the radially inner side. 12b are formed. A plurality of notch portions 12b are formed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer conveying portion 12 .

The notch portion 12b is recessed downward from the upper surface of the outer conveying portion 12 and opens toward the inner periphery 12a of the outer conveying portion 12 . The notch portion 12b extends radially outward from the inner circumference 12a side of the outer conveying portion 12 .

The notch portion 12b is formed so that the width in the circumferential direction gradually narrows from the inner periphery 12a of the outer conveying portion 12 toward the outer periphery. Specifically, the notch 12b is formed in a substantially V-shape that opens radially inward, and is formed in a U-shape in which the tablet W can be accommodated on the radially outward side. The tablet W entering the notch 12b from the radially inner side at the article supply position P2 is settled radially outwardly of the U-shape by centrifugal force until it reaches the article inspection position P4. . A guide for guiding the tablets W radially outward as the outer conveying unit 12 rotates may be separately provided in the notch 12b.

The circumferential width of the notch 12b on the inner circumference 12a side (the circumferential width of the opening) is the width when two tablets W are arranged in the circumferential direction, that is, twice the diameter of the tablet W. , and formed into a shape that makes it difficult for two tablets W to enter at the same time.

A circular opening 12c through which inspection light passes is formed radially outward of the notch 12b. In this embodiment, the opening 12c is configured by a through hole having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the tablet W. As shown in FIG. The opening 12c is formed at a position that is closed by the tablet W when the tablet W fits into the U-shape on the radially outward side.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lower surface of the notch portion 12b, that is, the surface in which the opening portion 12c is formed, has the same height as the upper end portion 11b of the inner conveying portion 11 in the inclination direction, or It is formed so as to be lower than 11b. As a result, the tablets W supplied to the inner conveying portion 11 from the upper end portion 11b side of the inner conveying portion 11 can smoothly enter the notch portion 12b.

(Chute part)
The chute portion 13 is provided in a region other than the inner transport portion 11 and the space S in the region surrounded by the outer transport portion 12 . The chute portion 13 is provided so as to extend between the outer circumference 11 d of the inner conveying portion 11 and the inner circumference 12 a of the outer conveying portion 12 . The chute unit 13 returns the tablets W conveyed to the outer conveying unit 12 to the inner conveying unit 11 for, for example, reinspection, or removes the tablets W removed from the notch 12b by the article adjustment unit 15, which will be described later. It guides the tablets W to the inner conveying portion 11 when returning them to the inner conveying portion 11 .

The chute portion 13 includes a first chute 13A positioned between the inner circumference 12a of the outer conveying portion 12 and the upper end of the supply container 10, and a position between the lower end of the first chute 13A and the outer circumference 11d of the inner conveying portion 11. and a second chute 13B.

The first chute 13A has, as outer peripheral ends, an outer peripheral end 13a on the inner peripheral 12a side of the outer conveying section 12 and an outer peripheral end 13b on the space S side. The outer peripheral end 13a is formed in an arc shape so as to follow the shape of the inner periphery 12a of the outer conveying portion 12. As shown in FIG. The outer peripheral end 13b is formed in an arc shape having a radius of curvature larger than that of the outer peripheral end 13a, and is adjacent to the space S. Note that the outer peripheral end 13b may have any shape as long as the space S can be secured between the first chute 13A and the inner periphery 12a of the outer conveying portion 12. For example, the outer peripheral end 13b may be linear, or may have different curvature radii. It may be arcuate.

The first chute 13</b>A slopes downward gradually from the outer peripheral ends 13 a and 13 b toward the inner peripheral end 13 c on the upper end side of the supply container 10 . The outer peripheral end 13a of the first chute 13A is fixed to the frame 51 . Therefore, the first chute 13A cannot rotate.

The area of the first chute 13A on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the outer transport section 12 from the article supply position P2 is smaller than the area on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the outer transport section 12 from the article supply position P2. may be configured. Further, the configuration may be such that the first chute 13A is not provided on the upstream side. This is because the tablets W are not returned to the inner conveying portion 11 upstream of the article supply position P2 in the rotational direction of the outer conveying portion 12 . The upstream side of the article supply position P2 in the rotational direction of the outer transport section 12 is a portion located between the OK article selection position P6 and the article supply position P2 in the rotational direction of the outer transport section 12 .

The second chute 13B is formed by part of the side wall 10c of the supply container 10. As shown in FIG. Specifically, a portion of the side wall 10c of the supply container 10 located above the inner conveying section 11 functions as the second chute 13B.

(Goods supply department)
As shown in FIG. 1 , the article supply section 14 is installed above the article conveying device 2 . The article supply unit 14 has a container such as a hopper (not shown) into which tablets W, which are molded articles manufactured by existing manufacturing equipment or manufacturing equipment without an inspection function, are charged. The article supply section 14 accumulates the tablets W thrown into the container, and supplies the accumulated tablets W to the inner conveying section 11 from the outlet 14b at the article entry position P1 through the entry passage 14a. The article supply section 14 may have no container such as a hopper, and may be configured to directly supply the tablets W conveyed to the input passage 14a from the preceding process of the inspection process to the inner conveying section 11 from the discharge port 14b. .

The article supply unit 14 has a function of supplying the tablets W in accordance with the ability of the inner conveying unit 11 and the outer conveying unit 12 to convey the tablets W. As shown in FIG. In other words, the article supply unit 14 sets the supply amount of the tablets W to the inner conveying unit 11 according to the ability of the article conveying device 2 to convey the tablets W (for example, the number of tablets W conveyed per unit time). be.

(Goods Coordination Department)
The article adjustment section 15 is provided at an article adjustment position P3 on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12 with respect to the article supply position P2. The article adjustment unit 15 returns the tablets W that are not in the normal posture to the notch 12b to the normal posture in the notch 12b, and removes the tablets W protruding from the notch 12b from the notch 12b. or remove. Here, the normal posture of the tablet W is a posture in which the tablet W faces sideways. The sideways orientation of the tablet means, for example, an orientation in which the surface with a high degree of flatness is oriented vertically, or in the case of the tablet W of the present embodiment, an orientation in which the thickness (height) is the smallest.

The article adjustment unit 15 is composed of a brush, air, a discharge plate, etc., and when the tablets W supplied to the notch 12b run on the upper surface of the outer conveying unit 12, the tablets are normally placed in the notch 12b. or remove it from the notch 12b.

Also, when one tablet W is in a bad posture (vertical orientation), the tablet W is removed from the notch 12b. The tablets W removed from the notch portion 12b are returned to the inner conveying portion 11. As shown in FIG.

Specifically, when the tablet W is positioned above the upper surface of the tablet W, which assumes a normal posture at the notch portion 12b, the article adjustment unit 15 supplies air above the upper surface of the tablet W. The tablet W having a bad posture is adjusted (posture corrected or eliminated) by doing so or by operating the reject plate.

(Discharge part)
The discharge section 16 is provided on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the outer transport section 12 with respect to the article inspection position P4. The discharge unit 16 discharges the tablets W accommodated in the notch 12b radially inward at either the NG product selection position P5 or the OK product selection position P6 as the product discharge position. .

The discharge unit 16 includes an NG product discharge unit 16A provided at the NG product selection position P5, and an OK product discharge unit 16B provided at a predetermined interval in the rotation direction of the conveying unit 12 outside the NG product selection position P5. and have

At the NG product sorting position P5, an NG product collection area 17A is provided for collecting the tablets W discharged radially inward by the NG product discharge unit 16A. An OK product collection area 17B is provided at the OK product selection position P6 for collecting the tablets W discharged radially inward by the OK product discharge unit 16B. A collection box or the like is provided in each of the collection areas 17A and 17B (not shown).

The NG product discharge unit 16A and the OK product discharge unit 16B are air blowing units for blowing air onto the tablets W from the outside in the radial direction. As the air blowing unit, for example, an air jet device, an air blow device, or the like can be used. Note that the NG product discharge unit 16A and the OK product discharge unit 16B may have any structure as long as they can discharge tablets W radially inward, and are not limited to air blowing units. For example, it may be configured by physical contact such as extruding the tablet W with a cylinder.

The NG product discharge unit 16A conveys the tablet W determined as a defective product (NG product) by the product inspection unit 3 to the NG product selection position P5 on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the outer conveying unit 12 with respect to the product inspection unit 3. By blowing air onto the tablets W from the radially outer side of the outer conveying portion 12 when the tablets W have been fed, the tablets W are discharged from the notch portion 12b to the NG product collection area 17A.

The OK product discharge unit 16B ejects the tablet W from the radially outer side of the outer conveying unit 12 when the tablet W determined to be a normal product (OK product) by the product inspection unit 3 is conveyed to the OK product selection position P6. By blowing air onto W, the tablet W is discharged from the notch portion 12b to the OK product collection area 17B.

Note that the discharge section 16 may have a full discharge section in addition to the NG product discharge section 16A and the OK product discharge section 16B. In this case, the all discharge section is preferably provided, for example, between the NG product selection position P5 and the OK product selection position P6. It is preferably provided between 17A and the OK product collection area 17B. The full discharge section collects the tablets W that could not be inspected normally at the start of the operation of the article inspection apparatus 1 or after the recovery operation after an emergency stop. By blowing air onto the tablets W from one side, the tablets W are discharged to the all article collection area. In this case, a collection box or the like is provided in the all-items collection area.

(Emission area)
In this embodiment, the NG product collection area 17A and the OK product collection area 17B constitute a predetermined discharge area, and a space formed between the outer circumference 11d of the inner conveying section 11 and the inner circumference 12a of the outer conveying section 12. It is placed in S. Therefore, the NG product collection area 17A and the OK product collection area 17B are positioned radially inward of the outer conveying section 12 .

[Item Inspection Department]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the article inspection section 3 is provided at an article inspection position P4 downstream of the article adjustment position P3 in the rotational direction of the outer conveying section 12 . The article inspection section 3 is supported by the frame 51 . The product inspection unit 3 inspects the tablets W at the product inspection position P4, and specifically determines whether the quality of the tablets W is good or bad.

The article inspection section 3 is configured to be able to measure the physical properties of the tablets W conveyed by the outer conveying section 12 in a non-contact state by means of an optical sensor composed of a light irradiation section and a light detection section (not shown). . The article inspection unit 3 is not limited to an optical sensor, and any inspection means can be used according to the type of article to be inspected, the purpose of inspection, and the like.

[Operation of article inspection device]
In the article inspection apparatus 1 configured as described above, the tablets W are fed from the article supply section 14 to the inner conveying section 11 . Furthermore, the article inspection apparatus 1 rotates the first motor 21, the second motor 23, and the third motor 52 in the same direction so that the inner conveying section 11, the supply container 10, and the outer conveying section 12 are synchronized. drive. As a result, the inner conveying section 11, the supply container 10, and the outer conveying section 12 rotate in the same direction.

While the inner conveying portion 11, the supply container 10, and the outer conveying portion 12 are rotating in the same direction, the tablets W dropped to the lowest portion of the inner conveying portion 11 (the side of the lower end portion 11c in the inclination direction) As the conveying unit 11 rotates, the article moves to the highest portion of the inner conveying unit 11 (on the side of the upper end 11b in the inclined direction), is supplied to the outer conveying unit 12 at the article supply position P2, and is supplied to the notch of the outer conveying unit 12. 12b.

The tablet W received in the cutout portion 12b of the outer conveying portion 12 is accommodated on the radially outer side of the U-shaped cutout portion 12b due to the centrifugal force acting as the outer conveying portion 12 rotates. After that, the tablet W is transported toward the article inspection position P4 while being accommodated on the radially outer side of the U-shaped notch 12b.

When the tablet W reaches the article inspection position P4, the quality of the tablet W is judged by the article inspection section 3 at the article inspection position P4. After passing through the product inspection position P4, the tablets W are conveyed toward the NG product selection position P5 or the OK product selection position P6.

At this time, if there is a tablet W determined to require re-inspection, the tablet W is moved from the product inspection position P4 to the downstream side in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12 and before reaching the NG product selection position P5. , preferably at the transport position where the chute 13 is present, to the inner transport 11 . As a configuration for returning tablets W determined to require re-inspection to the inner transport section 11, for example, a configuration similar to that of the NG product discharge section 16A and the OK product discharge section 16B can be used.

The tablet W determined as a defective product (NG product) by the product inspection unit 3 is blown with air when it is transported to the NG product sorting position P5, and is discharged from the notch 12b to the NG product recovery area 17A. .

Tablets W determined to be normal products (OK products) by the product inspection unit 3 are blown with air when conveyed to the OK product selection position P6, and discharged from the notch 12b to the OK product recovery area 17B. .

[Effect]
As described above, in the article conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment, the diameter of the inner conveying section 11 is smaller than the inner diameter of the outer conveying section 12, and the rotation center O1 of the inner conveying section 11 is equal to the rotation center O2 of the outer conveying section 12. The NG product collection area 17A and the OK product collection area 17B are provided in a space S formed between the outer circumference 11d of the inner conveying section 11 and the inner circumference 12a of the outer conveying section 12.

With this configuration, the article conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment does not need to pick up the tablets W being conveyed by the outer conveying section 12 from above, and the tablets W being conveyed by the outer conveying section 12 are removed from the outer conveying section 12. can be discharged without fail.

In addition, in the article conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment, the NG product collection area 17A and the OK product collection area 17B are provided in the space S formed inside the outer conveying unit 12. Therefore, these collecting areas are arranged outside the outer conveying unit. As compared with the case where the article conveying device is provided in the space of the article conveying device, it is possible to save space.

Further, in the article conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment, the outer conveying portion 12 has a cutout portion that opens radially inward so as to receive the tablets W supplied from the inner conveying portion 11 from the radially inner side. 12b are formed, and a discharge portion 16 for discharging the tablets W accommodated in the notch portions 12b radially inward at the NG product selection position P5 or the OK product selection position P6 is further provided.

With this configuration, the article conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment allows the ejection unit 16 to eject the tablets W from the notch 12b into the NG product collection area 17A and the OK product collection area 17B at the NG product selection position P5 or the OK product selection position P6. can be reliably discharged.

In addition, in the article conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment, since the discharge section 16 is composed of an air blowing section that blows air onto the tablets W from the outside in the radial direction, even if the outer conveying section 12 rotates at high speed, The tablet W housed in the notch portion 12b can be discharged quickly and reliably.

In addition, in the article conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment, in the area surrounded by the outer conveying section 12, the outer conveying section 11 is provided in a region other than the inner conveying section 11 and the space S, and the outer circumference 11d of the inner conveying section 11 and the outer conveying section 12 It further comprises a chute portion 13 extending between it and the inner circumference 12a.

With this configuration, the article conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment can return the tablets W conveyed to the outer conveying section 12 to the inner conveying section 11 for re-inspection or the like, or return the tablets W conveyed to the outer conveying section 12 to the inner conveying section 11 for reinspection or the like. The tablet W removed from the inner transport section 11 can be returned to the inner transport section 11 .

In this embodiment, an example in which the NG product collection area 17A and the OK product collection area 17B are provided as the predetermined discharge areas has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, one collection area is provided as the predetermined discharge area. , the one recovery area may be used as a common recovery area for the NG product recovery area and the OK product recovery area. In this case, the tablets W collected in the one collection area can be sorted by a flapper depending on whether they are NG products or OK products, and can be collected through different collection passages.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, it will be apparent that modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. All such modifications and equivalents are intended to be included in the following claims.

Reference Signs List 1 article inspection device 2 article conveying device 3 article inspection section 10 supply container 11 inner conveying section 11d outer circumference 12 outer conveying section 12a inner circumference 12b notch 12c opening 13 chute section 13a, 13b outer circumference end 13c inner circumference end 13A first Chute 13B Second chute 14 Article supply section 15 Article adjustment section 16 Discharge section 16A NG product discharge section 16B OK product discharge section 17A NG product recovery area 17B OK product recovery area P1 Article input position P2 Article supply position P3 Article adjustment position P4 Article Inspection position P5 NG product sorting position (article discharge position)
P6 OK product selection position (article discharge position)
O1, O2 Center of rotation S Space W Tablet (article)

Claims (5)

An article (W) for inspection is transported from the article supply position (P2) to the article discharge position (P5, P6) via the article inspection position (P4), and at the article discharge position, predetermined discharge areas (17A, 17B) are transported. ) is an article conveying device that discharges to
an annular outer conveying portion (12) rotatably provided to convey the articles from the article supply position toward the article discharge position;
a circular inner conveying part (11) rotatably provided radially inward of the outer conveying part and supplying the article to the outer conveying part at the article supply position;
The inner conveying part has a smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the outer conveying part and is provided at a position where the center of rotation (O1) is different from the center of rotation (O2) of the outer conveying part,
The article conveying device, wherein the predetermined discharge area is provided in a space (S) formed between the outer circumference of the inner conveying section and the inner circumference of the outer conveying section. The outer conveying portion is formed with a plurality of notch portions (12b) that open radially inward so as to receive the articles supplied from the inner conveying portion from the radially inner side,
2. The article conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge section (16) for discharging the article housed in the notch radially inward at the article discharge position. 3. The article conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the discharge section comprises an air blowing section for blowing air onto the article from radially outward. A chute portion (13) provided in a region surrounded by the outer conveying portion other than the inner conveying portion and the space and extending between the outer circumference of the inner conveying portion and the outer conveying portion. 4. An article conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. an article conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4;
and an article inspection unit (3) that inspects the article at the article inspection position.

Images