JP2023149864A - Conveyance state detection device for edible body and printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a conveyance state detection device capable of easily and reliably detecting a conveyance state of an edible body.SOLUTION: A conveyance state detection device 100 for an edible body includes: a conveyance part 2 that conveys a plurality of edible bodies P in a row along a conveyance path 2a; a detection part 30 that detects the edible body P conveyed by the conveyance part 2; and a control part that determines whether each edible body P is being conveyed in a separated state, by acquiring one-dimensional or two-dimensional appearance information of the edible body P based on a detection by the detection part 30 and comparing an index value based on appearance information with a reference value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an edible object transport state detection device and a printing device.

BACKGROUND ART A tablet printing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, is known as a device that detects and prints the transportation state of edible objects such as medicines and foods. This device acquires image data by imaging randomly supplied tablets with a line sensor camera, and only when the brightness of the image data is above a certain level and this state continues for more than a certain span, the device detects the corresponding tablet. It is configured to import image data as image data of a tablet and print it.

Patent No. 5688770

In the tablet printing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, when two adjacent tablets are conveyed in a so-called twin tablet state in which they are in contact with each other, there is a risk that they will be captured as image data of a single tablet. There is a risk that printing errors such as misalignment, chipping, and omissions may occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an edible object transport state detection device that can easily and reliably detect the transport state of an edible object, and a printing apparatus equipped with the same.

The object of the present invention is to provide a conveyance unit that conveys a plurality of edible objects in a row along a conveyance path, a detection unit that detects the edible objects conveyed by the conveyance unit, and a detection unit that detects the edible objects that are conveyed by the conveyance unit. By obtaining one-dimensional or two-dimensional appearance information of the edible object based on the appearance information and comparing the index value based on the appearance information with a reference value, it is determined whether each edible object is being transported in a separated state. This is achieved by an edible object conveyance state detection device including a control section that performs the following steps.

It is preferable that this transportation state detection device for an edible object further includes a return section that selectively returns the edible object that has passed through the detection section to an upstream side in the transportation direction from the detection section, and the control section includes: It is preferable that the return unit is operated for the plurality of edible objects that have been determined to be in a non-separated state, and the edible objects are allowed to pass through the detection unit again.

The detection unit may be a sensor or a camera, and the control unit may use the length of the edible object in the conveyance direction as the index value. Alternatively, the detection unit may be a camera, and the control unit may use at least one of the area, contour length, fillet diameter, circularity, or shape matching of the edible object as the index value.

Further, the above object of the present invention is achieved by a printing device including the above-described edible object conveyance state detection device and a printing unit that prints on the edible object determined to be in the separated state.

According to the transport state detection device for an edible object of the present invention, the transport state of an edible object can be detected easily and reliably.

1 is a schematic front view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing main parts of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing other main parts of the printing device shown in FIG. 1; 2 is a block diagram of the printing device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a printing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a printing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 1 includes an edible object conveyance state detection device (hereinafter simply referred to as "conveyance state detection device") 100. The transport state detection device 100 includes a transport section 2, a detection section 30, and a return section 40. The edible object is a small article having fixed shape such as a tablet, a capsule, an empty capsule, or a solid food. In this embodiment, a case where the edible body is a tablet will be explained as an example.

2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of the conveying section 2 shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the transport section 2 includes a first transport device 10 and a second transport device 20. The first conveyance device 10 includes a shade-shaped disk 11, an intermediate ring 12 that accommodates the disk 11, and a rotating ring 13 that accommodates the intermediate ring 12.

The rotating shafts 11a and 13a of the disk 11 and the rotating ring 13 extend vertically, whereas the rotating shaft 12a of the intermediate ring 12 is arranged to be slightly inclined with respect to the rotating shafts 11a and 13a. The rotating shafts 11a, 12a, and 13a are connected to individually provided drive sources (not shown) such as motors through reducers 11b, 12b, and 13b, respectively, and are connected to the disk 11, the intermediate ring 12, and the rotating shafts. The rings 13 can be rotated independently.

Conveying surfaces 12c and 13c are formed along the circumferential direction on the upper portions of the intermediate ring 12 and the rotating ring 13, respectively. The conveying surface 13c of the rotating ring 13 is covered on the radially outer side by a ring-shaped protrusion 13d.

The second conveyance device 20 includes a first pulley 21 and a second pulley 22, each of which has a horizontally arranged rotating shaft 21a, 22a, and an endless belt wound around the first pulley 21 and second pulley 22. 23, and a guide member 24 arranged along the conveyance direction of the belt body 23. The diameter of the second pulley 22 is smaller than the diameter of the first pulley 21. The straight portion of the belt body 23 located between the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 is arranged horizontally above the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 to form a linear conveyance path 2a. On the other hand, the lower part of the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 is inclined.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first pulley 21 is configured by two discs 21b and 21c connected to each other by a rotating shaft 21a with an interval between them. Like the first pulley 21, the second pulley 22 also includes two discs spaced apart from each other and connected by a rotating shaft 22a. In this embodiment, the first pulley 21 is a driving pulley connected to a drive motor (not shown), and the second pulley 22 is a driven pulley. It may also be used as a drive pulley.

The belt body 23 includes two belt-shaped conveyor belts 23a, 23b, each of which is wound around the disks 21b, 21c of the first pulley 21, respectively. An opening 23c consisting of a minute gap is formed over the entire circumference of the belt body 23 between the two conveyor belts 23a and 23b. The conveyance belts 23a and 23b can be formed of, for example, flat belts made of a soft material such as silicone rubber, but a V-belt, a toothed belt, or the like may also be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the guide member 24 has a straight portion 24a disposed directly below the belt body 23 that extends horizontally between the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 along the conveyance path 2a, and It includes arcuate portions 24b and 24c provided on both sides of the portion 24a in the conveying direction, respectively. Each of the arcuate portions 24b and 24c is inserted between two disks of the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22, and extends along the belt body 23 wound around the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22. It is formed to curve into an arc.

As shown in FIG. 2, the guide member 24 is formed into a hollow cylindrical shape, and a slit-shaped suction portion 25 is provided along the opening 23c in the portion where the guide member 24 faces the opening 23c of the belt body 23. is formed. The pressure inside the guide member 24 can be reduced by operating a vacuum pump (not shown), and by sucking the tablet P into the suction part 25 through the opening 23c of the belt body 23, the tablet P is transferred to the belt. It can be conveyed together with the belt body 23 while adsorbed to the body 23. The opening 23c of the belt body 23 in this embodiment is formed continuously along the longitudinal direction between the two conveyor belts 23a and 23b. Openings in a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a slit shape, etc. may be formed intermittently along the longitudinal direction of the belt.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the vicinity of the conveyance path 2a in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the detection unit 30 is a transmission type photoelectric sensor including a light emitter 31 and a light receiver 32 arranged on both sides of the transport path 2a in the horizontal direction. A detection signal of the tablet P is generated while the light reception at the light receiving section 32 is blocked by the tablet P passing between the light receiving section 32 and the light receiving section 32 . The detection unit 30 may be another sensor capable of detecting the tablet P conveyed by the conveyance unit 2, such as a laser sensor, a reflective photoelectric sensor, a fiber sensor, or a proximity sensor. Further, the detection unit 30 may be a camera such as a line camera or an area camera equipped with an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS. When the detection unit 30 is a camera, the direction in which the tablet P is imaged can be, for example, a vertical direction or a horizontal direction.

The return unit 40 is disposed on the downstream side of the detection unit 30 in the conveyance direction in the vicinity of the conveyance path 2a, and injects compressed air to the tablets P conveyed through the conveyance path 2a. 10, the tablet P can be selectively returned. The tablet P detached from the conveyance path 2a by the operation of the return unit 40 falls directly or via a chute (not shown) onto the first conveyance device 10 disposed below the conveyance path 2a, and the detection unit 30 is again conveyed as if passing through. The configuration and arrangement of the return unit 40 are not particularly limited as long as it is possible to selectively return the tablet P that has passed through the detection unit 30 to the conveyance path 2a upstream of the detection unit 30 in the conveyance direction. For example, the return unit 40 consisting of a pusher or the like that physically presses the tablets P on the transport path 2a can be arranged so that the tablets P fall into the first transport device 10 when activated.

As shown in the block diagram in FIG. 5, the conveyance state detection device 100 further includes a control section 50. The control unit 50 controls the operations of the transport unit 2, the detection unit 30, and the return unit 40.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a printing section 60, a print inspection section 70, and a distribution damper 80 in addition to the above-mentioned conveyance state detection device 100. The printing section 60, the print inspection section 70, and the distribution damper 80 are sequentially provided on the downstream side of the return section 40 in the transportation direction in the vicinity of the transportation path 2a. The operations of the printing section 60, the print inspection section 70, and the distribution damper 80 are controlled by the control section 50.

The printing unit 60 is a laser printing device, and can mark letters, numbers, symbols, figures, etc. by heating and denaturing the surface of the tablet P conveyed to a predetermined position by scanning a laser spot. The printing unit 60 may be another printing device such as an inkjet printing device.

Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be explained. By feeding a plurality of tablets P onto the disk 11 while the disk 11, intermediate ring 12, and rotary ring 13 of the first conveying device 10 are driven to rotate in the same direction, the tablets P are subjected to centrifugal force, and the intermediate ring 12 to the conveyance surface 13c of the rotary ring 13. In this way, the tablets P are aligned in a line on the conveyance surface 13c so that the longitudinal direction of the tablets P is along the circumferential direction of the rotary ring 13, and the tablets P are can be transported. It is preferable that the rotational speeds of the disk 11, the intermediate ring 12, and the rotating ring 13 are set such that the rotating speed of the disk 11 is the slowest and the rotating speed of the rotating ring 13 is the fastest. This allows the tablets P to be reliably conveyed in an aligned manner.

The first conveyance device 10 may be configured to align the tablets P on the conveyance surface 13c of the rotary ring 13 and convey them in the rotational direction of the rotary ring 13. A configuration may also be adopted in which the rotating axes of the rings 13 are inclined relative to each other so that the tablets P supplied on the disk 11 are directly moved to the conveying surface 13c of the rotating ring 13. The rotating shaft 13a of the rotating ring 13 is preferably arranged along the vertical direction as in this embodiment, but may be arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction.For example, the rotating shaft 13a may be slightly inclined with respect to the vertical direction. You may.

The tablets P aligned and conveyed by the first conveying device 10 toward the second conveying device 20 are suctioned by the suction unit 25 and are successively attracted to the belt body 23 near the lower part of the first pulley 21 and raised to the suction state. As it is, it is linearly conveyed above the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 in the direction of arrow D2 in FIG. In this way, the tablets P aligned by the first conveying device 10 are conveyed along the linear conveying path 2a while maintaining the aligned state by the second conveying device 20. At the delivery position of the tablet P from the rotary ring 13 to the belt body 23, it is preferable that the conveyance direction by the rotary ring 13 and the conveyance direction by the belt body 23 coincide with each other, as in the present embodiment. Delivery can be carried out reliably.

By making the conveyance speed of the tablets P by the rotating ring 13 slower than the conveyance speed of the tablets P by the belt body 23, the pitch (interval) between the tablets P that are aligned and conveyed toward the printing section 60 along the conveyance path 2a can be reduced. While it is possible to spread the tablets P, if it is too slow, the transport efficiency of the tablets P will decrease, so it is preferable to make the pitch of the tablets P as small as possible. For this reason, some of the tablets P transported along the transport path 2a may be transported in a state where the pitch cannot be ensured and they are in contact with each other.

The detection unit 30 transmits a detection signal to the control unit 50 while the tablet P being conveyed passes through the conveyance path 2a. Based on the detection by the detection unit 30, the control unit 50 calculates the length in the conveyance direction, which is appearance information of the tablet P, as an index value from the conveyance speed of the tablet P and the duration of the detection signal, and compares it with a reference value.

As shown in FIG. 6(a), when each tablet P is transported in a separated state, the index value calculated by the control unit matches the length L1 of the tablet P in the transport direction, 6(b), when a plurality of tablets P are conveyed in contact with each other, the index value calculated by the control unit 50 is the sum of the lengths L1 in the conveyance direction of the plurality of tablets P that are in contact with each other. It becomes L2. Therefore, by setting the reference value to an appropriate value between L1 and L2, the control unit 50 can correctly determine whether or not each tablet P is being transported in a separated state.

The tablet P that has passed the detection section 30 is conveyed toward the printing section 60. The control unit 50 allows the tablets P determined to be in a separated state to pass through the return unit 40, while operating the return unit 40 for tablets P determined to be in a non-separated state (i.e., a plurality of tablets P in contact with each other). Then, it is returned to the first conveyance device 10 which is upstream of the detection unit 30 in the conveyance direction. The tablet P returned to the first conveyance device 10 will pass through the detection section 30 again, but if it is determined that it is in a separated state at this time, it will pass through the return section 40 and be conveyed to the printing section 60. . The control unit 50 may not only calculate the length of the tablets P in the transport direction, but also calculate the pitch between adjacent tablets P, and if this pitch is within a predetermined range, each tablet P It can be confirmed that the material is being transported stably.

The tablet P printed by the printing unit 60 is imaged by the print inspection unit 70 and subjected to a print inspection. The control unit 50 controls the operation of the sorting damper 80 to sort the tablets P whose quality has been determined by the print inspection to a good product box 81 and a defective product box 82 .

According to the printing device 1 of the present embodiment, the conveyance state detection device 100 can detect whether or not the tablet P is being conveyed in a separated state. It is possible to reliably prevent printing errors such as misalignment, chipping, and missing parts. Therefore, the pitch between tablets P can be minimized, thereby increasing the transport efficiency and printing efficiency of tablets P.

In addition, the plurality of tablets P determined to be in a non-separated state are not discarded, but are returned to the upstream side in the transport direction of the detection unit 30 by the operation of the return unit 40 and pass through the detection unit 30 again, so that the tablets P are not discarded. The printing unit 60 can print on all tablets P.

The control unit 50 of this embodiment acquires one-dimensional appearance information along the conveyance direction based on the detection by the detection unit 30 consisting of a sensor or camera as described above, and calculates the length in the conveyance direction based on this appearance information. Although it is used as an index value, it is also possible to obtain two-dimensional appearance information along a horizontal plane by capturing an image of the tablet P from above using the detection unit 30 consisting of a camera, and from this, the separation state of the tablet P can be determined. can be performed more accurately.

An example of the index value based on two-dimensional appearance information is the area of the tablet P. FIG. 7 shows an example of image data captured by the detection unit 30. When each tablet P is transported in a separated state as shown in FIG. 7(a), the index value calculated by the control unit 50 based on the image data matches the area S1 of each tablet P. On the other hand, when a plurality of tablets P are conveyed in contact with each other as shown in FIG. It becomes S2. Therefore, by setting the reference value to an appropriate value between S1 and S2, the control unit 50 can correctly determine whether or not each tablet P is being transported in a separated state. When the area of the tablet P is used as an index value, the index value may be calculated by extracting the image of the tablet P from the imaging data, or the index value may be calculated by extracting a background image from the imaging data. can.

The index value based on two-dimensional appearance information is not limited to the area of the tablet P, but may also include, for example, the outline length of the tablet P, the fillet diameter of the tablet P, the circularity of the tablet P, the degree of shape matching, etc. By comparison with a preset reference value, it can be determined whether the tablet P is being transported in a separated state. The fillet diameter of the tablet P can be, for example, the fillet diameter in the conveyance direction or the fillet diameter in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction. Further, the degree of shape matching can be calculated by pattern matching with a preset reference pattern. A plurality of these index values may be appropriately combined and used for determining the separation state.

The transport unit 2 is not particularly limited as long as it has a configuration that transports a plurality of tablets P randomly in a row along a transport path. For example, the conveyance section 2 shown in FIG. The detection section 30, the return section 40, and the printing section 60 may be arranged sequentially along the direction. Alternatively, as disclosed in International Publication No. 2018/100980, it is also possible to use a conveyance unit that conveys the tablets P by sandwiching them between one side of a plurality of conveyor belts.

1 Printing device 2 Conveyance section 2a Conveyance path 30 Detection section 40 Return section 50 Control section 60 Printing section 100 Conveyance state detection device P Tablet (edible object)

Claims (5)

a conveyance unit that conveys a plurality of edible objects in a row along a conveyance path;
a detection unit that detects the edible object conveyed by the conveyance unit;
By acquiring one-dimensional or two-dimensional appearance information of the edible object based on detection by the detection unit and comparing an index value based on the appearance information with a reference value, each edible object is transported in a separated state. An apparatus for detecting a conveyance state of an edible object, comprising: a control section for determining whether or not the edible object is being transported. further comprising a return unit that selectively returns the edible object that has passed through the detection unit to an upstream side in the conveyance direction from the detection unit,
The conveyance state detection device for edible objects according to claim 1, wherein the control section operates the return section for the plurality of edible objects determined to be in a non-separated state to cause them to pass through the detection section again. The detection unit is a sensor or a camera,
The conveyance state detection device for an edible object according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control section uses a length of the edible object in the conveyance direction as the index value. The detection unit is a camera,
The conveyance state detection device for an edible object according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control section uses at least one of the area, outline length, fillet diameter, circularity, or shape matching of the edible object as the index value. . An edible object transport state detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4;
A printing device including a printing unit that prints on an edible object determined to be in a separated state.

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