JP2023170225A - Tablet supply device and tablet supply method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of improving the supply amount of tablets.SOLUTION: A tablet supply device includes: a tablet support part for supporting a side surface of a tablet 9 in a conveyance path in which the tablet 9 is conveyed; a tablet removal part for, in the conveyance path, removing the tablet 9 taking a posture which is not proper with respect to the conveyance direction of the tablet 9 from the conveyance path; and one or more injection parts 13 which discharge the air in the direction in which the tablet 9 is pressed to the tablet support part. Thereby, the supply amount of tablets can be improved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a tablet feeding device and a tablet feeding method for feeding tablets to a feeding destination.

Conventionally, tablet feeding devices that feed tablets to a destination are known. A conventional tablet feeding device is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

JP 2021-004107 Publication

A tablet feeding device (feeding mechanism 10) included in the printing device of Patent Document 1 includes a bowl feeder 11, a first chute 14, a feeding conveyor 17, and a second chute 18. Bowl feeder 11 has a disc-shaped trough 12 that receives a plurality of tablets 9. The bowl feeder 11 moves the plurality of tablets 9 by vibrating the trough 12 and supplies the tablets 9 to the first chute 14 . The first chute 14 extends in an arc shape between the outlet of the trough 12 and the supply conveyor 17. The first chute 14 has a plurality of conveyance paths. Bowl feeder 11 supplies tablets 9 to each conveyance path of first chute 14 . As a result, a large number of tablets 9 are arranged in a plurality of rows.

In the tablet feeding device of Patent Document 1, when the bowl feeder 11 supplies the tablets 9 to each conveyance path of the first chute 14, tablets whose posture does not match with each conveyance path of the first chute 14 are removed from the first chute 14. He was excluded from Shoot 14. This was a factor in reducing the amount of tablets 9 supplied by the tablet supply device of Patent Document 1.

The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can improve the supply amount of tablets.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a first invention of the present application is a tablet feeding device for feeding tablets to a feeding destination, the tablet supporting portion supporting the side surface of the tablet in a conveyance path along which the tablet is conveyed; a tablet removal section that removes the tablet that takes an incorrect posture with respect to the tablet transportation direction from the transportation path; and one that discharges gas in a direction that presses the tablet against the tablet support section. The above injection unit is provided.

A second invention of the present application is the tablet feeding device according to the first invention, in which at least one of the jetting parts contacts the tablet that takes an incorrect posture with respect to the conveying direction and the tablet discharging part. Exhales gas towards the point of contact.

A third invention of the present application is the tablet feeding device according to the first invention or the second invention, which includes a plurality of the injection sections, and a first one of the plurality of injection sections that is located on the most downstream side in the conveyance direction. The angle of the direction in which the gas is discharged by the injection section with respect to the transport direction is greater than or equal to the angle with respect to the transport direction of the direction in which the gas is discharged by the injection section located upstream of the first injection section.

A fourth invention of the present application is the tablet feeding device according to the third invention, wherein the further downstream each of the jetting sections is located in the transporting direction, the more the direction in which the gas is ejected from each of the jetting sections in the transporting direction. The angle with respect to becomes larger.

A fifth invention of the present application is the tablet feeding device according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein at least one of the jetting portions is arranged at an angle of 45° or more and 90° with respect to the conveyance direction. Discharge gas at an angle less than or equal to °.

A sixth invention of the present application is the tablet feeding device according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, in which at least one of the injection parts is made of metal.

A seventh invention of the present application is the tablet feeding device according to any one of the first to sixth inventions, wherein the tablet is an oval tablet.

An eighth invention of the present application is a tablet supplying method for supplying tablets to a supply destination, the method comprising: a) supporting the side surfaces of the tablet with a tablet supporting portion that supports the side surfaces of the tablet; b) discharging gas in the direction of pressing the tablet against the tablet support; c) transporting the tablet in an incorrect posture with respect to the transport direction; and a step of excluding it from the route.

According to the first to eighth inventions of the present application, the posture of the tablet can be corrected from an inappropriate posture with respect to the conveyance direction to a proper posture with respect to the conveyance direction. This makes it possible to increase the amount of tablets that are transported to the downstream side without being removed by the tablet removal section. Therefore, the amount of tablets supplied can be increased.

In particular, according to the second invention of the present application, the posture of the tablet can be corrected more effectively. Thereby, the amount of tablets supplied can be further improved.

In particular, according to the third invention of the present application, the posture of the tablet can be corrected while applying a propulsive force in the transport direction to the tablet. Thereby, the amount of tablets supplied can be further improved.

In particular, according to the fourth invention of the present application, the posture of the tablet can be corrected while applying a propulsive force in the transport direction to the tablet.

In particular, according to the fifth invention of the present application, the posture of the tablet can be corrected more effectively. Thereby, the amount of tablets supplied can be further improved.

In particular, according to the sixth invention of the present application, the position of the injection part can be fixed with high accuracy. Thereby, gas can be discharged from the injection part at an appropriate discharge angle. Therefore, the amount of tablets supplied can be further improved.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a tablet printing device. It is a top view of a bowl feeder and a 1st chute. FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the trough and regulation guide as seen from the center of the bowl feeder. FIG. 3 is a partial top view of the trough and the regulation guide. It is a partial perspective view of a conveyor. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of one head. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the tablet printing device. FIG. 3 is a partial top view of the trough and the first chute. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a tablet supply process in a supply mechanism.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<1. Overall configuration of tablet printing device>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a tablet printing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. This tablet printing device 1 is a device that prints images such as a product name, product code, company name, logo mark, etc. on both the front and back surfaces of each tablet 9 while conveying a plurality of tablets 9. In the following description, a case will be described in which an oval tablet is used as the tablet 9.

The tablet 9 may be a plain tablet (naked tablet) or a coated tablet such as a sugar-coated tablet or a film-coated tablet (FC tablet). Moreover, the tablet 9 may be a capsule including a hard capsule and a soft capsule. Moreover, the "tablet" in the present invention is not limited to a tablet as a medicine, but may also be a tablet as a health food or a tablet confectionery such as ramune.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a supply mechanism 10, a first drum 19, a second drum 24, a conveyor 28, a first camera 32, a printing section 35, a second camera 40, a drying It includes a mechanism 45, a reversing mechanism 50, a discharge mechanism 55, and a control section 100.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the bowl feeder 11 and the first chute 14. FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the trough 12 and the regulation guide 15 when viewed from the center of the bowl feeder 11. FIG. 4 is a partial top view of the trough 12 and the regulation guide 15. Note that FIG. 4 is a partial top view of the area surrounded by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, and illustration of the injection part 13 is omitted. The configuration of the supply mechanism 10 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

The supply mechanism 10 is a tablet supply device that supplies a plurality of tablets 9 to a first drum 19, which is a supply destination, by conveying the plurality of tablets 9 in a predetermined conveyance direction. The supply mechanism 10 includes a bowl feeder 11, a first chute 14, a supply conveyor 17, and a second chute 18.

The bowl feeder 11 moves the plurality of tablets 9 by vibrating the trough 12 and supplies the tablets 9 to the first chute 14 . As shown in FIG. 2, the bowl feeder 11 includes a trough 12 and an injection section 13.

The trough 12 conveys the plurality of tablets 9 to the first chute 14. The trough 12 has a side wall portion 121, a bottom portion 122, and a vibrating portion (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, the trough 12 extends in an arc shape. As shown in FIG. 2, the trough 12 branches into a plurality of transport paths. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the plurality of conveyance paths are arranged in a stepped manner in the radial direction of the bowl feeder 11, and are separated from each other by the side wall portion 121. Therefore, the height of the bottom surface portion 122 gradually increases toward the outside in the radial direction of the bowl feeder 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of tablets 9 supplied to the trough 12 are supplied to one of the transport paths separated by the side wall portion 121.

The side wall portion 121 is provided substantially parallel to the conveying direction of the tablet 9, and supports the side surface of the tablet 9 from the side of the tablet 9. The bottom portion 122 supports the tablet 9 from below. The vibrating section applies vibration to the bottom surface section 122. As a result, the tablets 9 move toward the outside in the radial direction of the bowl feeder 11 and move toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction. The side wall portion 121 supports the side surface of the tablet 9 moving toward the outside in the radial direction of the bowl feeder 11 . Thereby, the tablet 9 is conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction while being pressed against the side wall portion 121. Note that the side wall portion 121 corresponds to the “tablet support portion” of the present invention.

The injection unit 13 discharges gas toward the tablet 9 being transported in the trough 12, thereby correcting the posture of the tablet 9 that is inappropriate with respect to the transportation direction. Details of the injection section 13 will be described later.

The first chute 14 is a mechanism that transports the tablets 9 supplied from the trough 12 to the supply conveyor 17 while arranging them. The first chute 14 is connected to the trough 12 and extends in an arc shape. As shown in FIG. 2, the first chute 14 has a plurality of supply paths corresponding to the plurality of conveyance paths in the trough 12. Therefore, in the first chute 14, a plurality of rows of tablets 9 arranged in the transport direction are formed in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the transport direction). The first chute 14 has a regulation guide 15 and a guide portion 16.

The regulation guides 15 are provided between the trough 12 and the first chute 14 for each of the plurality of conveyance paths. The regulation guide 15 excludes the tablet 9 from the conveyance path by restricting the movement of the tablet 9 in the conveyance direction if the tablet 9 takes an inappropriate posture with respect to the conveyance direction. Note that the regulation guide 15 corresponds to the "tablet removal section" of the present invention. The regulation guide 15 has a first exclusion part 151 and a second exclusion part 152. In the following explanation, "tilting in the vertical direction" is defined as the tablet 9 tilting at a predetermined angle or more in a state that is not parallel to the bottom surface portion 122, as in the case of the tablet 9A shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. do. Further, as in the tablet 9B shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the long axis of the tablet 9 is tilted by a predetermined angle or more with respect to the conveyance direction while remaining parallel to the bottom surface portion 122. It is defined as "tilting left and right."

The first removing unit 151 is a mechanism that removes tablets 9 that take an inappropriate posture with respect to the transport direction from the transport path. Specifically, the first removing unit 151 removes the tablets 9 that are tilted in the vertical direction from the conveyance path by preventing the tablets 9 that are tilted in the vertical direction from moving from the trough 12 to the first chute 14 . The first removal section 151 extends linearly from the first chute 14 toward the trough 12. The first exclusion part 151 faces the bottom part 122 with a predetermined distance therebetween.

When the tablets 9 are being conveyed in a proper posture, they are supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14 without coming into contact with the first removal section 151. On the other hand, when the tablet 9 is tilted in the vertical direction due to riding on another adjacent tablet 9 like the tablet 9A, the movement of the tablet 9 in the transport direction is prevented by the first removal part 151. . The tablets 9 whose movement is prevented by the first removal part 151 fall from the bottom part 122 toward the inside of the bowl feeder 11 in the radial direction, thereby returning to the upstream part of the trough 12 . The tablets 9 that have returned to the upstream portion of the trough 12 are transported by the trough 12 again in the transport direction.

The second removing unit 152 is a mechanism for removing tablets 9 that take an inappropriate posture with respect to the transport direction from the transport path. Specifically, the second removing unit 152 removes the tablet 9 tilting in the left-right direction from the conveyance path by preventing the tablet 9 tilting in the left-right direction from moving from the trough 12 to the first chute 14 . The second exclusion section 152 extends linearly from the first chute 14 toward the trough 12. The second exclusion section 152 faces the side wall section 121 with a predetermined distance therebetween.

When the tablets 9 are being conveyed in a proper posture, the tablets 9 are supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14 without being prevented from moving by the second removal section 152. On the other hand, when the tablet 9 is tilted in the left-right direction like the tablet 9B, the movement of the tablet 9 in the transport direction is prevented by the second removal part 152. The tablets 9 whose movement is prevented by the second removal part 152 fall from the bottom part 122 toward the inside of the bowl feeder 11 in the radial direction, thereby returning to the upstream part of the trough 12 . The tablets 9 that have returned to the upstream portion of the trough 12 are transported by the trough 12 again in the transport direction.

As described above, the tablets 9 that take an incorrect posture with respect to the transport direction are not supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14 and are transported by the first removal section 151 or the second removal section 152 of the regulation guide 15. be excluded from the route. That is, only the tablets 9 aligned in a proper posture with respect to the transport direction are supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14.

The guide portion 16 covers the top and side surfaces of the tablets 9 being conveyed in the first chute 14 . Thereby, the tablets 9 supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14 in an appropriate posture can be prevented from tilting in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. Therefore, in the first chute 14, rows of tablets 9 aligned in an appropriate posture with respect to the transport direction are formed for each of the plurality of supply paths. The aligned tablets 9 are then supplied from the first chute 14 to the supply conveyor 17.

The supply conveyor 17 is a mechanism that conveys the tablets 9 from the first chute 14 to the second chute 18. The supply conveyor 17 has two pulleys 171 and an annular supply belt 172 that spans the two pulleys 171. One of the two pulleys 171 is rotated by power obtained from a motor (not shown). This causes the supply belt 172 to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The other pulley 171 rotates as the supply belt 172 rotates. Moreover, a partition plate extending along the boundaries of the rows of tablets 9 is provided on the upper part of the supply belt 172. The tablets 9 supplied from the first chute 14 are conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction by the rotation of the supply belt 172 while maintaining the state in which they are aligned in a plurality of rows by the partition plate.

The second chute 18 extends linearly between the supply conveyor 17 and the first drum 19. The second chute 18 has a plurality of horizontal supply channels. A plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the supply conveyor 17 are supplied to each supply path of the second chute 18. The tablets 9 in the second chute 18 are pushed by the subsequent tablets 9 conveyed by the supply conveyor 17 and are conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction. The tablets 9 are then supplied from the downstream end of the second chute 18 in the transport direction to the first drum 19 .

The first drum 19 is a mechanism that transports the plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 18 while holding them at regular intervals in the transport direction. The first drum 19 has a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on a first axis O1 parallel to the width direction. Further, a motor (not shown) is connected to the first drum 19. When the motor is driven, the first drum 19 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 about the first axis O1. The first drum 19 transports the tablets 9 from a first delivery position P1 near its upper end to a second delivery position P2 close to the second drum 24.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first drum 19 includes a drum body 20 and a retaining ring 21. As shown in FIG. The drum body 20 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on the first axis O1. The drum body 20 is made of metal such as stainless steel, for example. The retaining ring 21 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the drum body 20. Specifically, the plurality of retaining rings 21 are arranged at positions in the width direction corresponding to each row of tablets 9. The retaining ring 21 is made of resin such as polyacetal, for example.

The outer peripheral surface of each retaining ring 21 has a plurality of concave pockets 22 . The plurality of pockets 22 are provided at regular intervals in a circumferential direction centered on the first axis O1. The holding ring 21 also has suction holes 23 at the bottom of each pocket 22 for suctioning the tablets 9. The suction hole 23 is a through hole that penetrates the retaining ring 21.

The first drum 19 is connected to a suction mechanism (not shown). When the suction mechanism is operated, gas is sucked out from the internal space of the first drum 19 located in the angular range between the first delivery position P1 and the second delivery position P2. Thereby, the internal space becomes a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. Further, negative pressure is also generated in the suction holes 23 communicating with the internal space. The plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 18 are suction-held in the suction holes 23 of the retaining ring 21 by this negative pressure.

The tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 18 are accommodated one by one in the pockets 22 and held in the suction holes 23 by suction. At this time, the tablet 9 is guided into the pocket 22 of the retaining ring 21 by being pressed by the pressing mechanism 181. As a result, the intervals between the plurality of tablets 9 in the transport direction become a predetermined interval corresponding to the interval between the pockets 22. Each tablet 9 is sucked and held in the suction hole 23 in the pocket 22 and is conveyed from the first delivery position P1 to the second delivery position P2 by the rotation of the first drum 19. Then, when the tablet 9 passes through the second delivery position P2, the suction of the tablet 9 is released by moving out of the angular range of the internal space maintained at the above-mentioned negative pressure. Thereby, the tablets 9 are transferred from the first drum 19 to the second drum 24.

The second drum 24 is a mechanism that transports the tablets 9 delivered from the first drum 19 to the transport conveyor 28. The second drum 24 has a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on a second axis O2 parallel to the width direction. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the first drum 19 and the outer diameter of the second drum 24 are substantially the same. However, the outer diameter of the first drum 19 and the outer diameter of the second drum 24 may be different. A motor (not shown) is connected to the second drum 24. When the motor is driven, the second drum 24 rotates in the opposite direction to the first drum 19 about the second axis O2. The second drum 24 transports the tablets 9 from a second delivery position P2 adjacent to the first drum 19 to a third delivery position P3 adjacent to the transport conveyor 28. The height of the third delivery position P3 is higher than the heights of the first delivery position P1 and the second delivery position P2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the second drum 24 includes a drum body 25 and a retaining ring 26. The drum body 25 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on the second axis O2. The drum body 25 is made of metal such as stainless steel, for example. The retaining ring 26 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the drum body 25. Specifically, a plurality of retaining rings 26 are arranged at positions in the width direction corresponding to each row of tablets 9. The retaining ring 26 is made of resin such as silicone, for example.

Each retaining ring 26 has a plurality of suction holes 27. The suction hole 27 is a through hole that penetrates the retaining ring 26. Further, the second drum 24 is connected to a suction mechanism (not shown). When the suction mechanism is operated, gas is sucked out from the internal space of the second drum 24 located in the angular range between the second delivery position P2 and the third delivery position P3. Thereby, the internal space becomes a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. Further, negative pressure is also generated in the suction hole 27 that communicates with the internal space. The plurality of tablets 9 delivered from the first drum 19 are suction-held in the suction holes 27 of the retaining ring 26 by this negative pressure.

The tablet 9 suction-held in the suction hole 27 is conveyed from the second delivery position P2 to the third delivery position P3 by the rotation of the second drum 24. Then, when the tablet 9 passes through the third delivery position P3, the suction of the tablet 9 is released by moving out of the angular range of the internal space maintained at the negative pressure. As a result, the tablets 9 are transferred from the second drum 24 to the conveyor 28.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the supply mechanism 10 are conveyed to the conveyor 28 via the two drums, the first drum 19 and the second drum 24. The first drum 19 holds a plurality of tablets 9 at intervals in the transport direction. The second drum 24 transports the tablets 9 to the transport conveyor 28 while maintaining the interval in the transport direction. At this time, the direction of conveyance (direction of rotation) of the tablets 9 is reversed between the first drum 19 and the second drum 24. Thereby, the tablets 9 can be sent from the second drum 24 to the transport conveyor 28 in accordance with the direction of movement of the transport conveyor 28.

The conveyor 28 is a mechanism that conveys the plurality of tablets 9 delivered from the second drum 24 while holding them by suction. The conveyor 28 includes a pair of pulleys 29 and an annular conveyor belt 30 stretched between the pair of pulleys 29 . One of the pair of pulleys 29 is rotated by power obtained from a motor (not shown). As a result, the conveyor belt 30 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The other of the pair of pulleys 29 rotates as the conveyor belt 30 rotates.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the conveyor 28. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of suction holes 31 are formed in the conveyor belt 30. The plurality of suction holes 31 are arranged at intervals in the transport direction and the width direction. Each suction hole 31 is a through hole that penetrates the conveyor belt 30. Further, the conveyor 28 has a suction mechanism (not shown) that sucks out gas from the space inside the conveyor belt 30. When the suction mechanism is operated, the space inside the conveyor belt 30 becomes a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. The plurality of tablets 9 are suction-held one by one in the suction holes 31 by the negative pressure.

In this way, the plurality of tablets 9 are held on the surface of the conveyor belt 30 in a state in which they are aligned in the conveyance direction and the width direction. The conveyor 28 then rotates the conveyor belt 30 to convey the plurality of tablets 9 along the annular conveyance path. Below four heads 36, which will be described later, a plurality of tablets 9 are conveyed in the horizontal direction while being held on the upper surface of the conveyor belt 30. Moreover, above the discharge mechanism 55 described later, the plurality of tablets 9 are conveyed in the horizontal direction while being held on the lower surface of the conveyor belt 30.

As shown in FIG. 5, the surface of the conveyor belt 30 of this embodiment has a first area A1 that holds the tablets 9 before being inverted by the inverting mechanism 50, and a second area A2 that holds the tablets 9 after being inverted. have The first area A1 and the second area A2 are adjacent to each other in the width direction. In this embodiment, a plurality of suction holes 31 are provided in three rows in the width direction in the first area A1 and the second area A2. The tablets 9 supplied by the supply mechanism 10, the first drum 19, and the second drum 24 are suction-held in the suction holes 31 in the first area A1. Further, the plurality of tablets 9 printed on both sides are discharged to the discharge mechanism 55 from the suction holes 31 in the second area A2.

The first camera 32 is a processing unit for photographing the tablet 9 before printing. The first camera 32 is located downstream of the third delivery position P3 and upstream of the printing section 35 in the transport path. Further, the first camera 32 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. The first camera 32 uses, for example, a line sensor in which imaging elements such as CCD and CMOS are arranged in the width direction. The first camera 32 photographs the plurality of tablets 9 being conveyed by the conveyor belt 30. The image acquired by photography is transmitted from the first camera 32 to the control unit 100, which will be described later. The control unit 100 detects the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in each suction hole 31, the position of the tablet 9, and the posture of the tablet 9 based on the image obtained from the first camera 32. The control unit 100 also inspects each tablet 9 for defects such as chips, based on the image obtained from the first camera 32.

The printing unit 35 is a processing unit that prints an image on the surface of the tablet 9 transported by the transport belt 30 using an inkjet method. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing section 35 of this embodiment has four heads 36. The four heads 36 are located above the conveyor belt 30 and are arranged in a line along the conveyance direction of the tablets 9. Each head 36 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. The four heads 36 eject ink droplets of different colors (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) toward the tablet 9. Then, a multicolor image is recorded on the surface of the tablet 9 by superimposing the monochrome images formed by these colors. Note that the ink ejected from each head 36 is an edible ink manufactured from raw materials approved by the Japanese Pharmacopoeia, the Food Sanitation Law, etc.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of one head 36. In FIG. 6, the conveyor belt 30 and the plurality of tablets 9 held by the conveyor belt 30 are shown by two-dot chain lines. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 5, a plurality of nozzles 37 capable of ejecting ink droplets are provided on the lower surface of the head 36. In this embodiment, a plurality of nozzles 37 are two-dimensionally arranged on the lower surface of the head 36 in the transport direction and the width direction. The nozzles 37 are arranged with their positions shifted in the width direction. In this manner, by arranging the plurality of nozzles 37 two-dimensionally, the positions of the nozzles 37 in the width direction can be made close to each other. However, the plurality of nozzles 37 may be arranged in a line along the width direction.

As a method for ejecting ink droplets from the nozzle 37, for example, a so-called piezo method is used in which ink in the nozzle 37 is pressurized and ejected by applying a voltage to a piezo element to deform it. However, the ink droplet ejection method may be a so-called thermal method in which the ink droplets are ejected by energizing a heater to heat and expand the ink in the nozzle 37.

The second camera 40 is a processing unit for photographing the tablet 9 after printing. The second camera 40 is located downstream of the printing unit 35 in the conveyance path and upstream of the drying mechanism 45 in the conveyance path. Further, the second camera 40 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. The second camera 40 uses, for example, a line sensor in which imaging elements such as CCD and CMOS are arranged in the width direction. The second camera 40 photographs the plurality of tablets 9 being conveyed by the conveyor belt 30. The image acquired by photography is transmitted from the second camera 40 to the control unit 100, which will be described later. The control unit 100 inspects the quality of the image printed on the tablet 9 based on the image obtained from the second camera 40.

The drying mechanism 45 is a mechanism that dries the ink adhering to the tablet 9. The drying mechanism 45 is located downstream of the second camera 40 in the transport path and upstream of the reversing mechanism 50 and discharge mechanism 55, which will be described later. Further, the drying mechanism 45 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. The drying mechanism 45 includes, for example, a hot air supply mechanism that blows heated gas (hot air) toward the tablets 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 30. The ink attached to the tablet 9 is dried by hot air and fixed on the front or back surface of the tablet 9.

The reversing mechanism 50 is a mechanism for reversing the front and back sides of the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 30 and for moving the tablet 9 from the first area A1 to the second area A2. The reversing mechanism 50 is located downstream of the drying mechanism 45 in the conveyance path. The reversing mechanism 50 has a plurality of pairs of inclined drums 51 arranged in the width direction. Each inclined drum 51 has a conical holding surface. Among the pair of inclined drums 51, one of the inclined drums 51 rotates while adsorbing the tablet 9 conveyed in the first area A1 on its holding surface, and transfers the tablet 9 to the other inclined drum 51. The other inclined drum 51 rotates while adsorbing the tablet 9 received from the one inclined drum 51 onto its holding surface, and delivers the tablet 9 to the second area A2. As a result, the tablet 9 is turned over, and the tablet 9 is moved from the first area A1 to the second area A2.

The tablets 9 conveyed from the supply mechanism 10 to the conveyor 28 via the first drum 19 and the second drum 24 are first held in the first region A1 of the conveyor belt 30. Then, the tablet printing device 1 transports the tablet 9 while holding it in the first area A1, and one side of the tablet 9 is photographed by the first camera 32, printed by the printing unit 35, and printed by the second camera 40. Photographing and drying by the drying mechanism 45 are performed. Subsequently, the reversing mechanism 50 reverses the tablet 9 and moves the tablet 9 from the first area A1 to the second area A2. Thereafter, the tablet printing device 1 transports the tablet 9 while holding it in the second area A2, and the other side of the tablet 9 is photographed by the first camera 32, printed by the printing unit 35, and printed by the second camera 40. Photographing and drying by the drying mechanism 45 are performed.

The discharge mechanism 55 is a mechanism for discharging a plurality of tablets 9 printed on both sides from the conveyor 28. The discharge mechanism 55 is located downstream of the drying mechanism 45 in the conveyance path. The discharge mechanism 55 discharges the tablets 9 held in the second area A2 of the conveyor belt 30 while separating them into defective products and non-defective products.

The control section 100 is a means for controlling the operation of each section within the tablet printing apparatus 1. FIG. 7 is a control block diagram of the tablet printing apparatus 1. As conceptually shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 100 is constituted by a computer having a processor 101 such as a CPU, a memory 102 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 103 such as a hard disk drive. In the storage unit 103, a computer program CP for carrying out the transportation and printing processing of the tablets 9 is stored.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 100 includes the bowl feeder 11, the injection unit 13, the supply conveyor 17, the first drum 19, the second drum 24, the transport conveyor 28, the first camera 32, and the printing unit 35. , the second camera 40, the drying mechanism 45, the reversing mechanism 50, and the ejecting mechanism 55, respectively. The injection section 13 includes a first injection section 131 and a second injection section 132, which will be described later.

The control unit 100 temporarily reads the computer program CP and data stored in the storage unit 103 into the memory 102, and the processor 101 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program CP, thereby controlling the operation of each of the above units. do. As a result, the transportation of the plurality of tablets 9 and the printing process for each tablet 9 proceed.

<2. Regarding the configuration of the injection section>
Next, the detailed configuration of the injection section 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 8. FIG. 8 is a partial top view of the trough 12 and the first chute 14. In addition, in FIG. 8, only one conveyance path is shown among the plurality of conveyance paths in the trough 12. Further, in FIG. 8, illustration of the first exclusion section 151 is omitted. Moreover, the black arrow in FIG. 8 indicates the discharge direction of the gas discharged from the injection part 13.

The injection section 13 corrects the posture of the tablet 9 by discharging gas in a direction that presses the tablet 9 against the side wall section 121. As shown in FIG. 3, the injection section 13 is located above the trough 12. Further, the injection section 13 is provided for each of the plurality of transport routes. In this embodiment, the supply mechanism 10 includes a first injection section 131 and a second injection section 132 as the injection section 13 .

In the following description, the angle of the gas discharge direction by the injection unit 13 with respect to the conveyance direction will be referred to as a "discharge angle." Here, the force exerted on the tablet 9 by the gas discharged from the injection part 13 will be considered separately into a transport direction component parallel to the transport direction and a width direction component parallel to the width direction.

The smaller the discharge angle of the gas discharged from the injection section 13, the greater the component of the force that the gas exerts on the tablet 9 in the transport direction. As the transport direction component of the force exerted by the gas on the tablet 9 increases, the tablet 9 receives a stronger driving force in the transport direction, and therefore the transport speed of the tablet 9 increases.

On the other hand, the greater the discharge angle of the gas discharged from the injection section 13, the greater the width direction component of the force exerted by the gas on the tablet 9. The larger the width direction component of the force exerted by the gas on the tablet 9, the more strongly the tablet 9 is pressed against the side wall portion 121, so the posture of the tablet 9 in the left-right direction is corrected more effectively.

In addition, with respect to the inclination of the tablet 9 in the vertical direction, the first injection part 131 and the second injection part 132 cannot effectively correct the inclination of the tablet 9, no matter at which ejection angle they eject the gas. can.

As described above, by adjusting the direction in which the gas is discharged by the jetting section 13, the ratio of the conveyance direction component and the width direction component of the force exerted on the tablet 9 by the gas discharged from the jetting section 13 can be adjusted. be able to. Thereby, the tablet 9 can be further propelled in the transport direction, and the posture of the tablet 9 in the left-right direction can be more effectively corrected.

The first injection section 131 is located downstream of the second injection section 132 in the conveyance direction. That is, the first injection section 131 is located at the most downstream side in the conveyance direction among the plurality of injection sections 13 included in the supply mechanism 10 . Further, the first injection section 131 is located upstream of the second removal section 152 in the conveyance direction. The second injection section 132 is located upstream of the first injection section 131 in the conveyance direction. Further, the second injection section 132 is located upstream of the first removal section 151 in the conveyance direction.

The gas discharge angle θ1 by the first injection unit 131 is greater than or equal to the gas discharge angle θ2 by the second injection unit 132. As described above, the smaller the ejection angle, the greater the driving force applied to the tablet 9. Therefore, the second injection unit 132 plays a role of correcting the vertical posture of the tablet 9 while propelling the tablet 9 in the transport direction. Further, as described above, the larger the ejection angle, the more strongly the tablet 9 is pressed against the side wall portion 121, so the posture of the tablet 9 in the left-right direction is corrected more effectively. Therefore, the first injection section 131 plays a role of correcting the posture of the tablet 9 in the left-right direction.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the supply speed of the tablets 9 can be improved by applying a propulsive force in the transport direction to the tablets 9 by the second injection section 132. Therefore, the amount of tablets 9 supplied can be increased.

Further, in the present embodiment, the vertical posture of the tablet 9 is corrected by the second ejection unit 132. By correcting the vertical posture of the tablets 9 before the tablets 9 tilted in the vertical direction are removed by the first removal unit 151, the number of tablets 9 removed by the first removal unit 151 can be reduced. can. Then, the posture of the tablet 9 in the left-right direction is corrected by the first injection section 131. By correcting the horizontal posture of the tablets 9 before the tablets 9 tilted in the left-right direction are removed by the second removal section 152, the number of tablets 9 removed by the second removal section 152 can be reduced. can. Therefore, the amount of tablets 9 supplied can be increased.

Note that the discharge angle θ1 of the first injection part 131 is preferably 45° or more and 90° or less. Thereby, the first injection part 131 can press the tablet 9 more strongly against the side wall part 121, and can more effectively correct the posture of the tablet 9 in the width direction.

Moreover, the discharge angle θ2 of the second injection part 132 is preferably greater than 0° and less than or equal to 45°, and more preferably greater than or equal to 25° and less than or equal to 45°. Thereby, the driving force can be applied to the tablet 9 more effectively.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the first injection section 131 discharges gas toward a contact point P where the second ejection section 152 contacts the tablet 9 that has an incorrect posture with respect to the transport direction. If the posture of the tablet 9 is corrected at a point upstream of the contact point P, there is a possibility that the posture of the tablet 9 will tilt in the left-right direction again in the process of moving from the point to the contact point P. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the posture of the tablet 9 can be corrected immediately before the tablet 9 contacts the second removal part 152 by causing the first injection part 131 to discharge gas toward the contact point P. Can be done. Thereby, the tablets 9 can be fed from the trough 12 to the first chute 14 while maintaining the corrected posture of the tablets 9.

As described above, it is important to discharge gas from the injection section 13 at an appropriate discharge angle in order to improve the supply amount of the tablets 9. Therefore, it is preferable to arrange the injection part 13 at an appropriate position with high precision. For example, by using metal such as stainless steel as the material for the injection part 13, the position of the injection part 13 can be fixed with high accuracy. Note that the material of the injection part 13 is not particularly limited as long as the position of the injection part 13 can be fixed with high precision.

<3. Supply processing by supply mechanism>
Next, the flow of the feeding process for the tablets 9 in the feeding mechanism 10 will be explained.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the tablet 9 supply process in the supply mechanism 10. When a plurality of tablets 9 are fed into the supply mechanism 10, the bowl feeder 11 starts transporting the tablets 9 in the transport direction using the trough 12. Next, the trough 12 supplies the tablets 9 to any one of the plurality of transport paths separated by the side wall portions 121 (step S1). While the tablet 9 is being conveyed on the conveyance path, the side surface of the tablet 9 is supported by the side wall portion 121.

After step S1, the injection section 13 discharges gas in a direction that presses the tablet 9 moving along the conveyance path against the side wall section 121 (step S2). Thereby, the tablet 9 is corrected to an appropriate posture with respect to the transport direction.

After step S2, the tablets 9 are fed from the trough 12 to the first chute 14. At this time, the regulation guide 15 provided between the trough 12 and the first chute 14 removes the tablet 9 that takes an inappropriate posture with respect to the transport direction from the transport path (step S3). That is, the tablets 9 whose postures have not been sufficiently corrected in step S2 are not supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14. As a result, only the tablets 9 aligned in a proper posture with respect to the transport direction are supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14.

After step S3, the tablets 9 are conveyed from the first chute 14 to the second chute 18 by the supply conveyor 17 (step S4). The tablets 9 supplied from the first chute 14 are conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction by rotation of the supply belt 172 while maintaining the state in which they are aligned in a plurality of rows. A plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the supply conveyor 17 are supplied to each supply path of the second chute 18.

After step S4, the tablets 9 in the second chute 18 are pushed by the subsequent tablets 9 transported by the supply conveyor 17, thereby being transported downstream in the transport direction. The tablets 9 are then supplied from the downstream end of the second chute 18 in the transport direction to the first drum 19 (step S5).

As described above, in this supply mechanism 10, the tablet 9 is pressed against the side wall part 121 by discharging gas from the injection part 13. Thereby, the tablet 9 is corrected to an appropriate posture with respect to the transport direction. In this way, the number of tablets 9 excluded in the regulation guide 15 can be reduced. Therefore, more tablets 9 can be conveyed from the trough 12 to the first chute 14 in an aligned state. Consequently, the amount of tablets 9 supplied by the supply mechanism 10 can be increased.

<4. Modified example>
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

In the above embodiment, tablet 9 was an oval tablet. Further, the gas discharge angle θ1 by the first injection unit 131 was greater than or equal to the gas discharge angle θ2 by the second injection unit 132. Thereby, the posture of the tablet 9 in the left-right direction was corrected by being pressed more strongly against the side wall portion 121 by the gas discharged by the first injection portion 131. However, when the major axis and minor axis of the tablet 9 are equal, for example, when the tablet 9 is a round tablet, there is no need to correct the posture in the left-right direction. Therefore, the discharge angle of the first injection section 131 may be narrowed to the discharge angle of the second injection section 132 or less. Thereby, the tablet 9 can be further propelled in the transport direction. Therefore, the supply amount of tablets 9 can be further improved.

In the embodiment described above, the supply mechanism 10 includes the first injection section 131 and the second injection section 132 as the injection section 13. However, the supply mechanism 10 may include more injection parts 13 in addition to the first injection part 131 and the second injection part 132. In this case, the discharge angle of each jetting part 13 may become larger as each jetting part 13 is located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction. Thereby, the injection section 13 located further upstream propels the tablet 9 in the transport direction, and the injection section 13 located further downstream corrects the posture of the tablet 9 in the left-right direction. Thereby, the feeding speed of the tablets 9 can be further increased, and the posture of the tablets 9 can be corrected more effectively.

In the above embodiment, the regulation guide 15 excludes the tablet 9 from the transport path by preventing the tablet 9 from moving in the transport direction in an incorrect posture with respect to the transport direction. However, the supply mechanism 10 may include a sensor that detects the posture of the tablet 9 and a gas discharge mechanism that removes the tablet 9 instead of the regulation guide 15. In this modification, the sensor and the gas discharge mechanism are provided between the trough 12 and the first chute 14. Further, the control unit 100 is electrically connected to a sensor and a gas discharge mechanism in addition to the units described in the above embodiments. The sensor detects the tablet 9 in an incorrect posture with respect to the transport direction. The gas discharge mechanism removes the tablet 9 from the conveyance path by discharging gas to the tablet 9 that is detected by the sensor and has an incorrect posture with respect to the conveyance direction.

In the above embodiment, the printing section 35 was provided with four heads 36. However, the number of heads 36 included in the printing section 35 may be one to three, or five or more.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the tablet printing apparatus 1 that prints on the tablets 9 has been described as the tablet processing apparatus of the present invention. However, in the present invention, granular materials such as tablets may be subjected to processes other than printing. For example, in the present invention, a particulate material such as a tablet may be inspected without being printed.

Further, each element appearing in the above-described embodiments and modifications may be selected as appropriate within a range that does not cause any contradiction.

1: Tablet printing device 9: Tablet 10: Supply mechanism 11: Bowl feeder 12: Trough 13: Injection section 14: First chute 15: Regulation guide 19: First drum 24: Second drum 28: Conveyor 32: First Camera 35: Printing section 40: Second camera 45: Drying mechanism 50: Reversing mechanism 55: Ejection mechanism 100: Control section 121: Side wall section 122: Bottom section 131: First injection section 132: Second injection section 151: First Elimination section 152: Second exclusion section

Claims (8)

A tablet supply device for supplying tablets to a supply destination,
a tablet support part that supports a side surface of the tablet in a conveyance path along which the tablet is conveyed;
a tablet removal unit that removes from the transport path the tablet that takes an incorrect posture with respect to the transport direction of the tablet;
one or more jetting units that discharge gas in a direction that presses the tablet against the tablet support;
A tablet feeding device comprising: The tablet feeding device according to claim 1,
At least one of the jetting units discharges gas toward a contact point where the tablet and the tablet discharging unit come into contact with each other, the tablet taking an incorrect posture with respect to the transport direction. The tablet feeding device according to claim 1 or 2,
comprising a plurality of the injection parts,
Among the plurality of injection units, the angle of the gas discharge direction of the first injection unit located on the most downstream side in the conveyance direction with respect to the conveyance direction is the same as the angle with respect to the conveyance direction of the first injection unit located on the upstream side of the first injection unit. A tablet feeding device, wherein the gas discharge direction is at least at an angle with respect to the conveying direction. The tablet feeding device according to claim 3,
In the tablet feeding device, the angle of the gas ejection direction of each of the jetting parts with respect to the transporting direction becomes larger as each of the jetting parts is located on the downstream side in the transporting direction. The tablet feeding device according to claim 1 or 2,
At least one of the ejecting units is a tablet feeding device that ejects gas at an angle of 45° or more and 90° or less with respect to the transport direction. The tablet feeding device according to claim 1 or 2,
At least one of the injection parts is made of metal, the tablet feeding device. The tablet feeding device according to claim 1 or 2,
A tablet feeding device, wherein the tablet is an oval tablet. A tablet supply method for supplying tablets to a supply destination, the method comprising:
a) a step of transporting the tablet in a predetermined transport direction while supporting the side surface of the tablet by a tablet supporting part that supports the side surface of the tablet;
b) discharging gas in the direction of pressing the tablet against the tablet support;
c) removing the tablet that takes an incorrect posture with respect to the transport direction from the transport path along which the tablet is transported;
A method of dispensing tablets, including:

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