JP6693779B2 - Tablet transport device and tablet printing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tablet conveying device and a tablet printing device .

  Conventionally, the tablet printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is known. This tablet printing device sequentially conveys tablets by a conveyor belt. Then, characters, marks, etc. are printed on the surface of the conveyed tablets by a printing unit equipped with an inkjet head.

  The printing unit has an inkjet head having a plurality of nozzles. Ink droplets are ejected from a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head according to a pattern based on print data, and thereby, a tablet is printed.

  When such a printing unit is used, even if the characters or marks to be printed are changed due to the change of tablet type or the like, it is possible to respond immediately by changing the print data to be provided. When a printing unit having an inkjet head is used, printing can be performed on tablets without contact. For this reason, it is hygienic and is particularly suitable when the tablets to be printed are drinkable.

JP, 7-081050, A

  In the printing apparatus as described above, the arrival of the tablets conveyed by the conveyor belt is detected by the sensor provided in the tablet conveyance path, and the subsequent processing such as printing by the nozzle head and inspection by the image pickup of the camera is performed. There is. Therefore, it is necessary to pass the tablet on a straight line facing the sensor, the nozzle head, the camera, and the like.

  Therefore, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 24, a tablet transporting device 700 including an aligning device 710 that aligns the tablets T in a line while transporting them is used before printing. The tablet conveying device 700 has a conveyor having a conveyor belt 720 that rotates endlessly, and the conveyor belt 720 rotates so that the conveyor surface 721 conveys the tablets T in the forward direction F. Move to. Therefore, the plurality of tablets T randomly supplied on the transport surface 721 move in the forward direction F. The aligning device 710 forms passages 711 arranged in the forward direction F at intervals such that the tablets T can pass one by one. The entrance of the tablet T of the passage 711 is inclined so that the passage width gradually increases from the interval wider than the passage width. The tablets T on the conveyor belt 720 are aligned in a line by entering from the inlet side of the aligning device 710 and passing through the passage 711.

  However, when a plurality of tablets T enter from the entrance side of the aligning device 710 as described above, these tablets T gradually move along the inclination of the entrance of the passage 711, so that the passage width becomes narrower. There is a possibility that a plurality of tablets T will be concentrated and clogging will occur as shown in FIG. When the tablet T is clogged in this way, the tablet T does not go to the downstream side, and processing such as printing is delayed.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a tablet conveying device capable of quickly eliminating tablet clogging and a tablet printing device capable of improving processing efficiency.

In order to achieve the above object, the tablet carrying device of the present invention switches a carrying surface on which a plurality of tablets are placed, a forward direction which is a direction in which the tablets are carried, and a reverse direction opposite thereto. A tablet that moves in the backward direction on the carrying surface when the moving direction of the carrying surface is switched from the forward direction to the backward direction. And a conversion mechanism for changing the position or the posture of the.

  A tablet printing apparatus of the present invention includes the tablet transporting device and a printing unit that prints on the tablet delivered from the transporting unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a tablet conveying device capable of quickly eliminating tablet clogging and a tablet printing device capable of improving processing efficiency.

It is a figure which shows typically the whole structure of the tablet printing apparatus containing the conveyance apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a top view of the conveyance apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is the side view (A) of the conveyance apparatus of 1st Embodiment, and the side view (B) of a return part. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow aa in the transport device of FIG. 2. It is a top view which shows the conversion mechanism of 1st Embodiment, and its circumference. FIG. 6 is a side view of the rotating plate of the conversion mechanism of FIG. 5 , as seen from the direction b. It is a top view which shows the conveyance operation at the time of normality of the conveyance apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the time of the tablet clogging of the conveyance apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the reverse running operation of the conveyance apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the re-conveyance operation | movement of the conveying apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the conversion mechanism and its circumference | surroundings in the conveyance apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is the arrow side view seen from the c direction of the rotating plate in the conversion mechanism of FIG. It is a top view which shows the conveyance operation at the time of normal of the conveyance apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the reverse running operation of the conveyance apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the conversion mechanism of the conveyance apparatus of 3rd Embodiment, and its periphery. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ee of FIG. 15, where (A) shows the shutter ascending and (B) shows the shutter descending. It is a top view which shows the reverse running operation of the conveyance apparatus of 3rd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the reverse running operation of the conveyance apparatus of 4th Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the conveying apparatus of 5th Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the stopped state of 6th Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the state which repeats back feeding and conveyance of 6th Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the example of the structure which makes the width | variety of the passage of an alignment part variable, (A) shows the state where the width was widest, and (B) shows the state where the width was narrowest. 22 is an alignment portion of FIG. 22, (A) is a cross-sectional view of the widest state, (B) is a plan view of the widest state, (C) is a cross-sectional view of the narrowest width, (D) is a plan view showing a state in which the width is the narrowest. It is a top view which shows an example of the conventional tablet conveying apparatus.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present embodiment is, as shown in FIG. 1, a tablet conveying device 120 configured as a part of the supply device 10 for supplying the tablets T in the tablet printing device S.
[Print target]
The tablet printing apparatus S uses the tablet T as a printing target. Tablets T include tablets and tablets such as a plain tablet (plain tablet), a sugar-coated tablet, a film-coated tablet (FC tablet), an enteric coated tablet, a gelatin-coated tablet, a multilayer tablet, and a dry-coated tablet. The tablets T also include capsule tablets such as hard capsules and soft capsules. The application of the tablet T may be pharmaceutical, edible, detergent, industrial or the like. Note that, in the present embodiment, a tablet having a circular shape in a plan view and an elliptical shape in a side view as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described as an example. The diameter of the circle in plan view is d.

[Basic configuration]
The tablet printing apparatus S of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The tablet printing apparatus S controls the supply apparatus 10, the printing conveyance apparatus 20, the sensor 30, the camera 40, the printing unit 50, the discharge apparatus 60, the collection apparatus 70, the storage apparatus 80, and the drive and processing of these units. It has a device 90. Although not shown, each of these devices is configured as a base that is fixedly mounted on a mount installed on the installation surface.

[Supply device]
As shown in FIG. 1, the supply device 10 includes a container device 110, a tablet transport device 120, and a delivery device 130.

[Container]
The storage device 110 is a device for storing the tablets T. The accommodating device 110 has a hopper 111 and a vibrating feeder 112. The hopper 111 is a container that stores a plurality of tablets T. The vibrating feeder 112 is a path for moving the tablets T sequentially discharged from the hopper 111 toward the tablet conveying device 120. The vibrating feeder 112 is provided with a shaker (not shown). The tablet T is moved by the vibration applied to the vibration feeder 112 by the vibrator.

[Conveyor]
The tablet transport device 120 is a device that transports the tablets T. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tablet transporting device 120 includes transporting units 1 and 2, a returning unit 3, an aligning unit 4, a receiving unit 5, and a changing unit 6. Each of these configurations will be described in detail below.

(Transportation part)
The transport units 1 and 2 have the following common basic structure. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, the transport units 1 and 2 have a transport belt 210 and a drive unit 220. The conveyor belt 210 is endless and has a width in which a plurality of tablets T are placed. Hereinafter, the surface of the transport belts 210 of the transport units 1 and 2 on which the tablets T are placed is referred to as a transport surface 211. In addition, one end of the transport surface 211 is a transport start end that starts transport of the tablets T supplied from the storage device 110, and the other end of the transport surface 211 is a transport that transfers the tablet T that has been transported to a delivery device 130 described later. The end. The left side (upstream side) in the drawings of FIGS. 2 and 3 is the conveyance start end, and the right side (downstream side) in the drawings of FIGS. 2 and 3 is the conveyance end.

  The drive unit 220 is a mechanism that moves the transport surface 211 on which the tablets T are placed. As shown in FIG. 3 (A), the drive unit 220 moves the transport surface 211 by switching between the forward transport direction F that is the transport direction of the tablet T and the reverse transport direction N that is the opposite direction. .. The progressive direction F is a direction from the transport start end to the transport end. The backward feeding direction N is a direction from the transport end to the transport start end.

  The drive unit 220 includes a drive pulley 221, a drive source 222, and a driven pulley 223. The drive pulley 221 and the driven pulley 223 are provided so as to be rotatable about their respective axes. The drive source 222 (for example, a motor) is connected to the shaft of the drive pulley 221, and the driven pulley 223 is arranged at a predetermined interval with respect to the drive pulley 221 in order to secure the transport distance of the tablets T. The conveyor belt 210 is stretched over the drive pulley 221 and the driven pulley 223, and the conveyor belt 210 is rotated by the rotation of the drive pulley 221. The surface of the conveyor belt 210 facing upward is the above-mentioned conveyor surface 211, and the rotation of the conveyor belt 210 moves the conveyor surface 211.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transport units 1 and 2 are arranged so that the transport surface 211 is horizontal and the return unit 3 is sandwiched therebetween. As a result, the tablets T supplied from the storage device 110 are transported by the two parallel transport paths formed by the two transport surfaces 211.

(Return section)
The returning unit 3 is a device that returns the tablets T that have come off the transport units 1 and 2 to the transport units 1 and 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 (B), the return unit 3 has the same basic structure as the above-described transport units 1 and 2. Note that FIG. 3B is a side view in which the transport units 1 and 2 of the tablet transport device 120 are omitted in order to facilitate understanding of the return unit 3. The return unit 3 has a return belt 310 and a drive unit 320. The return belt 310 is endless and has a width in which a plurality of tablets T are placed. Hereinafter, the surface of the return belt 310 of the return section 3 on which the tablets T are placed will be referred to as the return surface 311. Further, one end of the return surface 311 is a return end for returning the tablets T to the conveyance start ends of the conveyance units 1 and 2, and the other end of the return surface 311 is a return start end. The right side in FIGS. 2 and 3 is the return start end, and the left side in FIGS. 2 and 3 is the return end.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the return unit 3 is sandwiched between the transport units 1 and 2 and is arranged so as to be adjacent to and parallel to the transport units 1 and 2, and also, as shown in FIGS. As shown in, the return surface 311 is arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the horizontal transport surface 211 of the transport units 1 and 2. In particular, the return surface 311 at the return end has the same height as the transfer surface 211 at the transfer start end of the transfer units 1 and 2, and the return surface 311 at the return start end is higher than the transfer surface 211 at the transfer end of the transfer units 1 and 2. Is also arranged to be lower. For this reason, the tablets T that have come off the conveying surface 211 during the conveyance by the conveying units 1 and 2 fall on the return surface 311.

The drive unit 320 is a mechanism that moves the return belt 310. This drive unit 320 is
It has a drive pulley 321, a drive source 322, and a driven pulley 323, and the drive pulley 322 and the driven pulley 323 are rotatably provided around an axis, respectively. The drive source 322 (for example, a motor) is connected to the shaft of the drive pulley 321 and rotates the drive pulley 321. The drive unit 320 returns the tablets T placed on the return belt 310 to the conveyance start ends of the conveyance units 1 and 2 by rotating the return belt 310 bridged over the drive pulley 321 and the driven pulley 323. The return surface 311 is moved in the direction R, that is, from the return start end to the return end. In the return belt 310, the surface facing upward is the above-mentioned return surface 311.

  Further, the return section 3 has a return member 330 as shown in FIG. The return member 330 is a substantially triangular plate member provided at the return end of the return surface 311. The return member 330 is arranged in parallel with the inclined return surface 311, and one vertex of the substantially triangular shape, that is, the apex of the substantially V-shaped portion is directed toward the return start end side. For this reason, the tablet T that has moved to the return end side together with the return surface 311 moves to either the left or the right along the substantially V-shaped portion of the return member 330 depending on the position thereof. It is sorted to one of the two transport surfaces 211.

(Alignment part)
The alignment section 4 is a member that contacts the tablets T on the transport surface 211 to align the directions in which the tablets T are arranged. The alignment unit 4 is provided in each of the transport units 1 and 2 as shown in FIG.

  The alignment section 4 includes a side guide 400, alignment guides 410 and 420, and an upper guide 430. The side guide 400 is an elongated plate-like member, and is provided along the edge of the transport units 1 and 2 on the side opposite to the return unit 3 of the transport surface 211. As shown in FIG. 3A, the side guides 400 are provided at a height such that the tablets T being conveyed come into contact with the tablet guide device 120. In FIG. 3A, the side guides 400 are shown by alternate long and short dash lines so that the transport unit 2 can be easily seen.

  The alignment guides 410 and 420 are members that guide both sides of the tablet T on the transport surface 211. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the alignment guide 410 is arranged on the transport surface 211 along both sides of the transport surface 211 on the side opposite to the return section 3 with a gap. The alignment guides 420 are arranged on both sides of the transport surface 211 along the return section 3 side and on the transport surface 211 with a gap. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the alignment guides 410 and 420 are provided at positions close to the end of the transportation so as to align the tablets T before the end of the transportation.

  The alignment guides 410 and 420 have straight-moving portions 411 and 421 and introducing portions 412 and 422. The straight advancing portions 411 and 421 are linear side walls along the parallel forward direction F, and the straight advancing portions 411 and 421 are wider than the diameter of one tablet T, as shown in FIG. A passage U having a width Wa narrower than the diameter of each piece is formed. Therefore, the tablets T passing between the alignment guides 410 and 420 enter the passage U and are aligned in a line. Although FIGS. 5 and 7 to 10 show the one transport unit 1 and the returning unit 3 in FIG. 2, the same applies to the other transport unit 2.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, the introducing portions 412 and 422 are curved side walls provided at the ends of the straight-moving portions 411 and 421 on the transport start end side. The introduction portions 412 and 422 are gradually narrowed from each other in the distance from the width of the transport surface 211 to the width of the passage U, and are continuous with the straight traveling portions 411 and 421. The introduction section 412 extends toward the conveyance start end side with respect to the introduction section 422. Therefore, in the space on the transport surface 211 near the introduction parts 412 and 422, the tablets T are moved to the passage U through the gradually narrowing gap while dropping the excessive tablets T to the return part 3 side. Therefore, the tablets can be aligned while preventing the tablets from being clogged at the introduction portions 412 and 422.

The upper guide 430 is a member that eliminates the overlapping of the tablets T. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the upper guide 430 is a plate-shaped member that is horizontally provided so as to straddle the upper portions of the introduction portions 412 and 422 of the alignment guides 410 and 420. 2 and 5, the upper guide 430 is indicated by a chain line (similarly in other plan views) so that the passage U and the like can be easily seen. As shown in FIG. 4 , the height h from the conveying surface 211 to the lower surface of the upper guide 430 is higher than the thickness th of one tablet T and lower than the thickness of two tablets T. The heights of the alignment guides 410 and 420 described above are provided such that the height of the upper guide 430 is the height h. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the edge portion of the upper guide 430 on the conveyance start end side forms an inclined portion 431 that is inclined with respect to the forward direction F in plan view. As for the inclination of the inclined portion 431, when the tablet T moving in the forward direction F is contacted, the moving direction of the tablet T can be dropped to the returning portion 3 so that the end portion on the returning portion 3 side is the conveyance end side. It is inclined.

(Receptor)
The receiving unit 5 is a member that delivers the tablets T dropped from the transport ends of the transport units 1 and 2 to the returning unit 3. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the receiving portion 5 is arranged below the transport end of the transport portions 1 and 2 and above the return start end of the return portion 3.

  The receiving part 5 has a receiving plate 510 and a collecting guide 520. The receiving plate 510 is a flat plate-shaped member that is disposed below both transport ends of the transport units 1 and 2 and above the return start end of the return unit 3. The receiving plate 510 is inclined so as to descend toward the return surface 311 of the return unit 3 from the conveyance end side of the conveyance units 1 and 2.

  The collection guide 520 is a pair of surfaces provided on the lower edge of the receiving plate 510 and inclined toward the return surface 311. The tablets T received by the receiving plate 510 are also inclined from both ends of the receiving plate 510 toward the center so that the tablets T are gathered in the center by their own weight, and the width of the central portion is, as shown in FIG. It has a corresponding width (for example, a width narrower than the width of the return surface 311).

(Change part)
As shown in FIG. 2, the changing unit 6 changes the position or the posture of the tablet T on the transport surface 211 when the moving direction of the transport surface 211 is switched from the forward feeding direction F to the backward feeding direction N. Is. Details of switching the moving direction of the transport surface 211 will be described later. The position of the tablet T is a position in the horizontal direction on the transport surface 211. The posture of the tablet T is the state of the tablet T on the transport surface 211, such as the orientation, inclination, and front and back.

  The changing unit 6 has a conversion mechanism 610 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 6 is a view of the conversion mechanism 610 seen from the direction b of FIG. The conversion mechanism 610 allows the tablet T to move in the forward direction F as shown in FIG. 7, and changes the moving direction in contact with the tablet T moving in the backward direction N as shown in FIG. It is a mechanism to make.

  More specifically, the conversion mechanism 610 has a rotating plate 611 that rotates in contact with the tablet T. The rotating plate 611 is a rectangular flat plate that is erected on the upstream side of the aligning unit 4, that is, in the vicinity of the introducing units 412 and 422. The rotating plate 611 has a hollow shaft 612a at its center. The hollow shaft 612a is supported by a shaft 612 that is erected on a fixed base 620, and is rotatably provided around the shaft 612. The fixed base 620 is fixedly provided on a base (not shown), and projects toward the return section 3 side. Further, a stopper 613 that restricts the rotation of the rotating plate 611 is provided on the fixed base 620 at a position that is closer to the return section 3 side than the hollow shaft 612a and is to the transport start end side.

  One side of the rotating plate 611 is a conversion part 611A and the other side is a restriction part 611B with the hollow shaft 612a interposed therebetween. The conversion unit 611A is a portion that comes into contact with and separates from the tablet T on the transport surface 211. The restriction portion 611B is a portion that comes into contact with and separates from the stopper 613.

  Further, between the hollow shaft 612a and the shaft 612, a biasing member (not shown) that biases the hollow shaft 612a in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the shaft 612 is provided. As the biasing member, for example, an elastic member such as a torsion spring is used. Therefore, when the rotating plate 611 is not biased from the outside, as shown in FIG. 5, the restricting portion 611B is in contact with the stopper 613, and the converting portion 611A moves in the forward direction F. It has an inclined angle. That is, the conversion unit 611A exists in a direction intersecting the course of the tablet T in the forward feeding direction F and the backward feeding direction N. The urging force of the urging member is set to a force that allows the rotating plate 611 to rotate clockwise when the tablet T comes into contact with the conversion unit 611A. As a result, the rotating plate 611 freely rotates with respect to the biasing force from the forward feeding direction F, and does not rotate with respect to the biasing force from the backward feeding direction N, which is restricted by the stopper 613.

  The angle of the conversion unit 611A when the restriction unit 611B is in contact with the stopper 613 is an angle that changes the moving direction of the tablet T that has moved in the backward feeding direction N to the direction from the transport surface 211 toward the return unit 3. Further, for example, in the case of the tablet T having a circular shape in a plan view, the distance wb from the downstream end of the conversion unit 611A to the side edge of the transport surface 211 on the return unit 3 side is equal to or larger than the radius of the tablet T. It is preferable that the angle is set to a certain angle. However, the tablet T is moved by setting an interval equal to or larger than the diameter d of the tablet T between the alignment section 4, that is, the side guide 400, the alignment guides 410 and 420, and the end of the conversion section 611A. Try not to interfere.

(Delivery device)
As shown in FIG. 1, the delivery device 130 is a device that receives the tablets T from the tablet delivery device 120 and delivers them to the printing delivery device 20. In the delivery device 130, a conveyor belt having a suction port is wound around two pulleys (not shown), and a suction chamber connected to the suction device (not shown) is provided inside the conveyor belt. The delivery device 130 is arranged above the transport ends of the two transport units 1 and 2 of the tablet transport device 120 and above the front end of the printing transport device 20.

[Conveying device for printing]
The printing transport device 20 is a device that transports the tablets T. The printing transport device 20 is disposed downstream of the supply device 10 as shown in FIG. 1. The printing transport device 20 includes a transport belt 21, a drive pulley 22, a tension pulley 23, two adjusting pulleys 24 a and 24 b, a suction chamber 25, and an encoder 27. The transport belt 21 is a belt that transports the tablets T by sucking and holding the tablets T on the transport surface 21a and moving the tablets. The conveyor belt 21 has an endless shape and is wound around a drive pulley 22, a tension pulley 23, and two adjusting pulleys 24a and 24b. In FIG. 1, the transport direction of the tablet T due to the transport surface 21a of the transport belt 21 moving is indicated by D. In addition, the position where the transported tablet T passes first is defined as the upstream side, and the position where the tablet T passed later is defined as the downstream side. The upper side and the lower side of the printing transport device 20 are opposite to the upstream side and the downstream side.

  The conveyor belt 21 is provided with a plurality of suction ports (not shown). The plurality of suction ports are formed in a row along the transport direction D of the tablet T at predetermined intervals. By applying a suction force to the suction port, the tablets T are adsorbed on the conveyor belt 21.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the drive pulley 22 is rotated by the motor M. The conveyor belt 21 is driven by the rotation of the drive pulley 22. The suction chamber 25 has a substantially box shape, and is provided inside the annular transport belt 21. The suction chamber 25 is provided with an exhaust port 25a formed at a predetermined portion, and an exhaust device such as a vacuum pump (not shown) is coupled to the exhaust port 25a.

  With such a suction chamber 25, the suction port located between the drive pulley 22 and the adjustment pulley 24a, the suction port located between the drive pulley 22 and the adjustment pulley 24b, and the drive pulley 22 in the transport belt 21 are provided. A suction force is applied to each of the suction ports located on the outer periphery of the.

  The encoder 27 is a rotary encoder that operates with the rotation of the drive shaft of the motor M. By obtaining the count value of the encoder pulse after the tablet T passes the reference position (reference position), the existing position of the tablet T after passing the reference position can be traced. The type of the encoder 27 is not specified, as long as it can be used for specifying the position of the tablet T.

[Sensor]
The sensor 30 is a detection unit that detects the presence / absence of the tablet T conveyed to the printing conveyance device 20. In FIG. 1, the position for detecting the presence / absence of tablets T conveyed by the conveyor belt 21 is a tablet detection position Pd on the conveyor belt 21 facing the sensor 30, and this tablet detection position Pd is upstream of the camera 40. On the side. The tablets T are individually detected by the sensor 30, and the transport position of each tablet T is grasped and tracked based on this detection signal. Further, based on the transport position of the tablet T, processing such as printing performed on the downstream side of the sensor 30 is performed.

  As the sensor 30, for example, a reflection type optical sensor such as a laser sensor can be used. The sensor 30 detects the distance from the sensor 30 to the detection target. For example, the sensor 30 has a distance from the sensor 30 to the transport surface 21a of the transport belt 21, a surface of the tablet T on the transport belt 21 from the sensor 30 (a surface opposite to the surface in contact with the transport surface 21a, In the embodiment, the distance to the upper surface) is detected. "From the sensor 30" means "from a predetermined position" and differs depending on the calculation method of the distance of the sensor. For example, the lower surface of the sensor can be located at a predetermined position, but is not limited to this. The sensor 30 temporally detects the distance toward the surface of the conveyor belt 21 driven in the conveying direction D, and outputs an output value corresponding to the distance to the control device 90. Based on this output value, the control device 90 detects the arrival of the tablet T and outputs a detection signal.

[camera]
The camera 40 is an imaging unit that images each tablet T before printing. The camera 40 captures an image of the tablet T that is transported upstream of the printing unit 50 in the transport direction D, and outputs the captured image signal to the control device 90. The control device 90 takes in an image pickup signal from the camera 40, measures the posture and appearance of the tablet T by image processing, and determines whether or not the tablet T is a non-defective product. The appearance state is a state of the tablet T which can be seen from the appearance such as cracking, chipping of a tablet, adhesion of a foreign substance or dirt. The area on the conveyor belt 21 within the field of view of the camera 40 includes a predetermined range between the tablet detection position Pd of the conveyor belt 21 and the printing position Pp for printing downstream thereof. The field of view of the camera 40 has only to be large enough to capture the entire image of at least one tablet T.

[Printing department]
The printing unit 50 is a mechanism that prints on the tablets T conveyed to the printing conveyance device 20. The printing unit 50 includes a print head 51, a print confirmation camera 52, and a drying unit 53. In the case of the present embodiment, the print head 51 is an inkjet head that prints on the surface of the tablet T according to print data. The print head 51 has a plurality of nozzles that eject ink droplets to print by driving energy generating elements such as piezoelectric elements and thermal elements. The print head 51 is arranged to face the surface of the conveyor belt 21 at the print position Pp on the downstream side of the camera 40.

  The print confirmation camera 52 is an imaging unit that images the tablet T after printing. The print confirmation camera 52 images the tablet T after passing through the print head 51. The control device 90 confirms the print state based on the captured image. The imaging region of the print confirmation camera 52 is set to a predetermined range on the downstream side of the printing position Pp in the transport direction D of the tablet T.

  The drying unit 53 is provided below the lower portion of the printing transport device 20. The drying unit 53 is a device which is provided on the drive pulley 22 side of the transport belt 21 and which dries and fixes ink of characters or marks printed on the surface of the tablet T when the tablet T is transported to the transport belt 21.

[Ejection device]
The ejection device 60 is a device that ejects the tablets T, which the control device 90 has determined to be defective based on the images obtained by the camera 40 and the print confirmation camera 52, from the printing transport device 20. The discharge device 60 is composed of an air injection nozzle. The blowing side of the air injection nozzle is provided in the suction chamber 25 at a position facing the recovery device 70 with the conveyor belt 21 interposed therebetween.

[Recovery device]
The collection device 70 is a device that collects the tablets T determined to be defective by the control device 90. The recovery device 70 is a container that is arranged on the downstream side of the drying unit 53 and has an open upper side. The collecting device 70 faces the discharging device 60 with the conveyor belt 21 interposed therebetween.

[Storage device]
The storage device 80 is a device that stores a non-defective product (that is, a device other than those that the control device 90 determines to be defective). The storage device 80 is a tray which is arranged on the downstream side of the recovery device 70 at a position where the suction action of the suction chamber 25 does not work and whose upper side is opened.

[Control device]
The control device 90 is a device that controls the operation of the tablet printing apparatus S. The control device 90 can be realized by, for example, a dedicated electronic circuit or a computer operating with a predetermined program.

  The control device 90 controls the drive sources, valves, switches, power supplies, etc. of the mechanical units such as the supply device 10, the printing transport device 20, and the printing unit 50. That is, the feeding speed of the feeding device 10 and the printing transport device 20, the signal processing of the sensor 30, the grasping and tracking of the position of the tablet to be transported, the imaging of the camera 40 and the print confirmation camera 52, the image processing of the captured image, and the defect. Determination, printing by the printing unit 50, discharge of defective tablets T by the discharge device 60, and the like are processed and controlled.

  Although not shown, the control device 90 controls signal storage and input / output with a storage unit that stores various kinds of information necessary for the processing of the tablet printing apparatus S and each unit to be controlled. Has an interface. In addition, a display for checking the state of the device, an output device such as a lamp and a meter, and an input device such as a switch, a touch panel, a keyboard and a mouse for an operator to input information necessary for the operation of the tablet printing apparatus S. Have.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when the sensor 30 as the detection unit does not detect the tablet T for the predetermined time while the transport surface 211 is moving in the forward direction F, the transport surface 211 moves in the reverse direction N. Thus, the drive unit 220 is controlled.

  The storage unit of the control device 90 stores a first reference value for starting the movement in the reverse feeding direction N and a second reference value from the start of the movement in the backward feeding direction N to the return to the conveyance. It is preset. For example, as the first reference value, the moving direction of the transport surface 211 is switched to the backward feeding direction N after a lapse of a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) from the time when the detection unit no longer detects the presence of the tablet T. The second reference value can be set to, for example, a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds), and when 30 seconds have elapsed after switching the moving direction of the transport surface 211, the processing is switched to the forward direction F and the processing is restarted. Control to do so.

[motion]
The operation of the tablet printing apparatus S of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10 in addition to FIGS.
[Supply operation]
Plural tablets T to be conveyed are loaded into the hopper 111 of the container 110. The tablet T in the hopper 111 moves in the vibrating feeder 112 by the vibration applied to the vibrating feeder 112 by the vibrator, and is divided into the conveying unit 1 and the conveying unit 2 of the tablet conveying apparatus 120 as shown in FIG. And is randomly supplied to the transport start end side of the transport surface 211.

  Each of the transport belts 210 of the transport unit 1 and the transport unit 2 rotates in the direction in which the transport surface 211 moves in the forward direction F as the drive pulley 221 rotates by the drive unit 220. When the tablets T are supplied to the transport surface 211 moving in this way as described above, the tablets T move in the forward direction F.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a part of the plurality of tablets T contacts the upstream surface of the conversion unit 611A during transportation, so the rotating plate 611 is urged by the tablets T in the forward direction F. To be done. Since the rotation plate 611 is not restricted from being rotated by the urging force from the forward direction F, when the tablet T comes into contact with the rotation plate 611, the rotation plate 611 rotates along the flow of the tablet T and allows the tablet T to move. Therefore, the tablet T continues to move in the forward direction F.

  Of the plurality of tablets T, the tablet T in contact with the introduction portions 412 and 422 moves to the passage U side along the curved surface. In this way, the tablets T being conveyed are collected on the passage U side, and the tablets T form one row and enter the respective passages U.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the tablets T moving in the passage U move in a line toward the terminal end side of the conveyance. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, when the tablet T reaches the end of conveyance, the delivery device 130 sucks the tablet T by the suction action of the suction chamber to receive the tablet T.

  The tablets T that have not been received by the delivery device 130 are separated from the transport end of the transport surface 211 and fall into the receiving section 5. As shown in FIG. 3 (B), the dropped tablets T are placed on the receiving plate 510 of the receiving portion 5 and, while moving downward along the inclination of the receiving plate 510, are gathered in the central portion by the collecting guide 520 and returned. It falls on the return surface 311 of the part 3.

  The return belt 310 of the return unit 3 rotates in the direction in which the return surface 311 moves in the return direction R as the drive pulley 321 rotates by the drive unit 320. The tablets T dropped on the returning surface 311 moving in this way move in the returning direction R. As shown in FIG. 2, the moved tablet T comes into contact with the substantially V-shaped portion of the returning member 330 at the returning end and moves to the left or right along the inclination thereof. As a result, the tablets T are distributed to either the transport unit 1 or the transport unit 2 and returned to the transport start end side of the transport surfaces 211 of the transport units 1 and 2, and the tablets T newly supplied from the storage device 110. Merge and move in the forward direction F again.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, during the transportation of the transportation belt 210, for example, in the vicinity of the introduction portions 412 and 422, the tablet T that overflows without being able to enter the passage U also comes off the transportation surface 211 and returns to the return portion. It falls to the 3 side. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when the tablets T overlap or stand up and hit the inclined portion 431 of the upper guide 430, the tablets T cannot enter the passage U either. , And then falls off from the transport surface 211 to the return section 3 side. The tablets T that have fallen on the return section 3 in this way also move in the return direction R by the return surface 311, so that they are returned to the transport sections 1 and 2 by the return member 330 and are transported again by the transport sections 1 and 2.

[Print operation]
The operation of printing characters and marks on the surface of the tablet T supplied to the printing transport device 20 will be described. The transport belt of the delivery device 130 that has received the tablets T delivers the tablets T to the printing transport device 20 at a position where the suction action of the suction chamber does not work. The printing transport device 20 transports the tablets T in a state where the tablets T are suction-held in two rows on the transport belt 21.

  The transported tablet T is detected by the sensor 30. When the tablets T in each row conveyed to the conveyance device 20 reach the tablet detection position Pd, the sensor 30 outputs a detection signal indicating that the tablets T are present, based on the output signal of the sensor 30. .. Based on this detection signal, the control device 90 starts counting from the signal of the encoder 27, and tracks the position of the tablet T that caused this detection signal. When the control device 90 does not detect the tablet T for a predetermined time based on the output signal of the sensor 30, the control device 90 determines that the tablet jam has occurred and switches to the operation when the tablet jam occurs. This will be described later in detail.

  The camera 40 takes an image of the tablet T at a timing when the tracking tablet T reaches a position where the entire tablet T enters the imaging region in the imaging region (field of view) of the camera 40.

  When it is determined that printing is possible, the print head 51 prints on the tablet T passing through the print position Pp. For this printing, ink droplet ejection patterns from the plurality of nozzles of the print head 51 are generated based on print data such as characters and marks to be printed and information on the detected attitude of the tablet T. The print head 51 discharges ink droplets in accordance with this discharge pattern, so that characters or marks are printed at a predetermined position on the surface of the tablet T in a predetermined direction. If the control device 90 determines that printing is not possible due to a poor appearance or a bad posture based on the image obtained by the camera 40, the print head 51 does not print on the tablets T passing through the printing position Pp.

  Further, when the tablet T printed at the printing position Pp enters the photographing area of the print confirmation camera 52, the print confirmation camera 52 captures an image of a predetermined image pickup area. The control device 90 determines whether or not characters or marks are normally printed on the tablet T based on the imaged image data. The tablet T that is determined not to be printed normally is determined to be defective.

  The tablets T that have passed through the photographing region of the print confirmation camera 52 are further transported as the transport belt 21 moves, and when transported to face the drying unit 53, the ink of characters or marks printed on the surface is It is dried and fixed. Further, the tablets T that have been subjected to the above-described processing move toward the defective product discharge position corresponding to the collection device 70 and the non-defective product discharge position corresponding to the storage device 80.

  The air injection nozzle of the discharge device 60 injects air when the tablets T that have not been printed or the tablets T that are defective due to poor appearance or printing come to a position corresponding to the recovery device 70, The collection device 70 is dropped. In this way, the non-defective tablets T are skipped from the conveyor belt 21 and fall into the collecting device 70 to be collected.

  The normally printed non-defective tablet T reaches the non-defective product discharge position, the suction action of the suction chamber 25 does not work, and falls into the storage device 80 to be stored. That is, it is discharged as a good product.

[Operation when the tablet is clogged]
Up to this point, the case has been described in which the tablet T is normally transported and the printing process is performed. Next, as shown in FIG. 8, an operation when the tablets T are clogged in the transport units 1 and 2 will be described.

  The control device 90 switches the moving direction of the transport surface 211 from the forward feeding direction F to the backward feeding direction N based on the first reference value. For example, when 30 seconds have passed after the sensor 30, which is the detection unit, no longer detects the presence of the tablet T, the controller 90 causes the tablet T to be clogged in either one or both of the transport units 1 and 2. Then, the drive unit 220 is operated in the reverse direction. As a result, the tablets T on the transport surface 211 move in the backward feeding direction N.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the tablets T clogged at the entrance of the passage U separate from the passage U. Then, since some of the tablets T contact the downstream surface of the conversion portion 611A of the rotating plate 611 while moving in the backward direction N, the rotating plate 611 is attached in the backward direction N by the tablets T. Energized. The rotation of the rotating plate 611 due to the bias in the reverse feeding direction N is restricted by the stopper 613. Therefore, the tablet T does not rotate even if it comes into contact with the tablet T, and the conversion unit 611A maintains the state in which the conversion unit 611A is inclined and intersects in the backward feeding direction N.

  Therefore, the moving direction of the tablet T is converted to the direction in which the tablet T moves out of the transport surface 221 by coming into contact with the conversion unit 611A, and drops into the return unit 3. The tablets T thus dropped are returned to the transport units 1 and 2 as described above. In the case of the tablet T having a circular shape in plan view, the distance wb from the downstream end of the conversion unit 611A to the side edge of the transport surface 211 on the return unit 3 side is equal to or larger than the radius of the tablet T. It is highly possible that the conversion unit 611A can contact the tablet T that has moved in the backward feeding direction N as a tangent to the circle, and the tablet T can be discharged smoothly to the return unit 3.

  Further, when 30 seconds, which is the second reference value, elapses after the drive unit 220 starts operating in the reverse direction, the control device 90 causes the drive unit 220 to operate in the forward direction. Then, the transport belt 210 rotates so that the transport surface 211 moves in the forward direction F. As a result, the tablets T on the transport surface 211 move in the forward direction F again. The second reference value can be set to be equal to or longer than the time (or the distance) required for the tablets T existing near the introduction sections 412 and 422 to be conveyed to the vicinity of the changing section 6.

  At this time, as described above, since the position and the posture of the tablet T near the entrance of the passage U are changed, the state of causing the clogging is eliminated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, even if the tablets T move in the forward direction F again, they do not become clogged and enter the passage U to be aligned.

[Effect]
The tablet conveying device 120 of the present embodiment as described above has the conveying surface 211 on which a plurality of tablets T are placed, the forward direction F which is the direction in which the tablets T are conveyed, and the reverse conveying direction N which is the opposite direction. The transport units 1 and 2 having a drive unit 220 that switches and moves the transport surface 211, the aligning unit 4 that aligns the directions in which the tablets T are aligned by contacting the tablets T on the transport surface 211, and the transport surface 211. When the moving direction is switched from the forward feeding direction F to the backward feeding direction N, the changing unit 6 that changes the position or the posture of the tablet T on the transport surface 211 is included.

  In this way, when tablet jamming occurs, the transport surface 211 is not simply moved in the backward feeding direction N, but is moved in the backward feeding direction N, and the position of the tablet T or Change your posture. Therefore, when the transport surface 211 is again moved in the forward direction F, the state of the tablet T in which the tablet clogging has occurred is changed, and thus the tablet clogging is prevented from occurring again.

  Further, the changing unit 6 has a conversion mechanism 610 that allows the tablet T to move in the forward direction F and contacts the tablet T moving in the backward direction N to change the moving direction.

  In this way, the conversion mechanism 610 contacts the tablet T moving in the backward feeding direction N and changes the moving direction, so that the position of the tablet T changes. For this reason, when moving again in the forward direction F of the transport surface 211, the position toward the aligning section 4 is different, and tablet jamming is prevented from occurring again.

  Further, the conversion mechanism 610 has a rotating plate 611 that rotates in contact with the tablet T. The rotating plate 611 rotates when the tablet T moving in the forward feeding direction F comes into contact therewith, allows the tablet T to move, and rotates when the tablet T moving in the backward feeding direction N comes into contact with it. The rotation of the moving plate 611 is restricted, and the direction of the tablet T changes. Therefore, with a simple configuration, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of tablet clogging.

  Further, the conversion mechanism 610 comes into contact with the tablet T moving in the backward feeding direction N and moves it in the direction of discharging from the transport surface 211. For this reason, the excess of the tablets T is eliminated, so that the occurrence of tablet clogging again can be prevented. The discharged tablets T can be returned to the transport units 1 and 2 again by dropping to the return unit 3.

[Second Embodiment]
The second embodiment has basically the same configuration as the first embodiment. However, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the rotating plate 614, which is the conversion mechanism 610 of the second embodiment, is a rectangular flat plate and has a hollow shaft 615a on one side thereof. FIG. 12 is a diagram of the conversion mechanism 610 viewed from the direction c in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the hollow shaft 615a is supported by a shaft 615 that is erected on a fixed base 620 and is rotatably provided around the shaft 615. That is, the rotating plate 614 has a flag shape extending from the hollow shaft 615a in only one direction. Further, a stopper 616 that restricts the rotation of the rotating plate 614 is provided on the fixed base 620 at a position that is closer to the transport units 1 and 2 than the shaft 615 and is to the transport end side. Although FIGS. 11, 13, and 14 show the one transport unit 1 and the return unit 3, the same applies to the other transport unit 2.

  One surface of the rotating plate 614 is the allowance portion 614A, and the other surface is the conversion portion 614B. The allowance portion 614A is a surface that comes into contact with and separates from the tablet T that moves in the forward direction F. The allowance portion 614A also contacts and separates from the stopper 616. The conversion unit 614B is a surface that comes into contact with and separates from the tablet T that moves in the backward feeding direction N.

  Similar to the first embodiment, between the hollow shaft 615a and the shaft 615, an urging member for urging the hollow shaft 615a in the rotational direction with respect to the shaft 615, for example, an elastic member such as a torsion spring is provided. ing. This urging member urges the hollow shaft 615a in the clockwise direction, which is the opposite direction to that of the first embodiment. The stopper 616 is provided on the allowance portion 614A side as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the urging force is not applied to the rotating plate 614, the allowing portion 614A is in contact with the stopper 616, and the converting portion 614B has an angle inclined with respect to the forward direction F. That is, the conversion unit 614B exists in a direction intersecting the course of the tablet T in the forward feeding direction F and the backward feeding direction N. The urging force of the urging member is set to a force that allows the rotating plate 614 to rotate clockwise when the tablet T comes into contact with the allowance portion 614A. As a result, the rotating plate 614 freely rotates with respect to the urging force from the forward feeding direction F and does not rotate with respect to the urging force from the backward feeding direction N, which is restricted by the stopper 616.

  Thus, as shown in FIG. 13, when the transport surface 211 is moving in the forward direction F, when the tablet T comes into contact with the rotary plate 614, the rotary plate 614 rotates along the flow of the tablet T, and Allow movement. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14, when the transport surface 211 is moving in the backward feeding direction N, the rotating plate 614 is regulated by the stopper 616 and does not rotate even if the tablet T comes into contact with the tablet T. Comes into contact with the conversion unit 614B and drops into the return unit 3.

  In this embodiment as described above, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, by using the rotating plate 614 which is simpler and smaller than the rotating plate 611 of the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the space required around the transport units 1 and 2 and reduce the manufacturing cost.

[Third Embodiment]
The third embodiment has basically the same configuration as the first embodiment. However, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the conversion mechanism 610 according to the third embodiment retracts when the transport surface 211 moves in the forward feeding direction F, and descends when the transport surface 211 moves in the backward feeding direction N. Have. The shutter 617 is a flat plate raised in a direction orthogonal to the transport surface 211, and is inclined in a direction intersecting the path of the tablet T in the forward direction F and the backward direction N in a plan view. Note that, although FIGS. 15 and 17 show the one transport unit 1 and the return unit 3, the same applies to the other transport unit 2.

  The inclination angle of the shutter 617 is an angle that changes the moving direction of the tablet T that has moved in the backward feeding direction N toward the returning portion 3. Further, for example, in the case of a tablet T having a circular shape in a plan view, an angle at which the distance wb from the downstream end of the shutter 617 to the side edge of the transport surface 211 on the return section 3 side is equal to or larger than the radius of the tablet T. It is preferable that However, an interval equal to or larger than the diameter d of the tablet T is provided between the alignment section 4, that is, the side guide 400, the alignment guides 410 and 420, and the shutter 617, so that the tablet T in the backward feeding direction N is moved. Do not prevent movement and discharge.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the shutter 617 is provided to be vertically movable by an elevating mechanism 617a. Various drive mechanisms such as a cylinder and a ball screw can be applied to the lifting mechanism 617a. As shown in FIG. 16A, when the shutter 617 is raised, there is a height interval equal to or larger than the thickness of the tablet T between the transport surface 211 and the lower side of the shutter 617. Further, as shown in FIG. 16B, when the shutter 617 is lowered, the movement of the conveying surface 211 is allowed, but the tablet T that has moved in the backward feeding direction N is brought into contact with the tablet T and the feeding direction is conveyed. The direction of discharging from the surface 211 to the return unit 3 is changed.

  The raising / lowering of the shutter 617 by the raising / lowering mechanism 617a is controlled by the controller 90 as follows. Normally (when the tablets are not clogged), the shutter 617 is retracted to the raised position, and the transport surface 211 is moved in the forward direction F. Similar to the first embodiment, the control device 90 determines that the tablet is clogged based on the detection signal of the sensor 30 when the tablet T does not arrive for a predetermined time. At this time, in the present embodiment, the control device 90 switches the transport surface 211 to the reverse feeding direction N and simultaneously lowers the shutter 617. After that, when the predetermined time elapses again, the control device 90 switches the moving direction of the transport surface 211 to the forward feeding direction F and retracts the shutter 617 to the normal raised position. The height position of the lower end portion of the shutter 617 when it is lowered is a position lower than the height th of the tablet T, and is a position where it does not contact the transport surface 211.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 15, when the transport surface 211 is moving in the forward direction F, the shutter 617 allows the tablet T to move because it is in the raised position. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 17, when the transport surface 211 is moving in the backward feeding direction N, the shutter 617 is in the lowered position, and therefore the tablet T existing near the shutter 617 contacts. The tablet T that has come into contact with the shutter 617 will fall onto the return section 3.

  In this embodiment as described above, the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments can be obtained. Further, since the conversion mechanism 610 has the shutter 617 which is retracted from the tablet T moving in the forward feeding direction F and is in contact with the tablet T moving in the backward feeding direction N, the shutter 617 is applied to the tablet T moving from the forward feeding direction F. Do not come into contact with each other, so that the direction of movement of the tablet T in a normal state and the surface of the tablet T are not affected.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The fourth embodiment has basically the same configuration as that of the above-described first embodiment. However, as shown in FIG. 18, the changing unit 6 of the fourth embodiment includes a spraying device 630 that sprays gas onto the tablets T on the transport surface 211. Note that, although FIG. 18 shows the one transport unit 1 and the return unit 3, the same applies to the other transport unit 2. In this embodiment, air is used as the gas. The spraying device 630 is configured as a nozzle that is connected to a gas circuit such as a blower unit, pipes, valves and the like (not shown). The tip of this nozzle is an outlet 631 which is an opening through which air is blown out. The air outlet 631 has a direction in which the air is blown from the vicinity of the introduction portions 412 and 422 of the alignment guides 410 and 420, that is, from the vicinity of the entrance of the passage U toward the return portion 3.

  The control device 90 controls the air blowing of the blowing device 630 as follows. Normally (when tablets are not clogged), air is not blown from the blowing device 630, and the transport surface 211 moves in the forward direction F. Similar to the first embodiment, the control device 90 determines that the tablet is clogged based on the detection signal of the sensor 30 when the tablet T does not arrive for a predetermined time. At this time, in the present embodiment, the control device 90 starts blowing air from the blowing device 630 at the same time as switching the transport surface 211 to the reverse feeding direction N. After that, when a predetermined time elapses again, the control device 90 switches the moving direction of the transport surface 211 to the forward direction F and stops the blowing of air from the blowing device 630.

  Accordingly, when the transport surface 211 is moving in the forward direction F, the spraying device 630 does not operate, and thus the tablet T is allowed to move. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 18, when the transport surface 211 is moving in the backward feeding direction N, the tablets T on the transport surface 211 are blown by the air from the spraying device 630, and thus fall into the return section 3. It will be.

  In this embodiment as described above, the same effects as those of the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the third embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, since the changing unit 6 has the spraying device 630 that sprays the gas onto the tablet T moving in the backward feeding direction N, the tablet T is supplied by spraying the gas, so compared with the case of mechanical contact. The damage to the tablets T is small, and the occurrence of defective tablets T can be reduced. Therefore, it is more suitable when the surface hardness is low, the surface is easily scratched, or the weight is light, as in the case of a bare tablet or an uncoated tablet. Further, since the gas is blown, the number of mechanical parts is small, and the possibility that the movement of the tablet T is stagnant due to a malfunction can be reduced.

[Fifth Embodiment]
The fifth embodiment basically has the same configuration as that of the above-described first embodiment. However, as shown in FIG. 19, the changing unit 6 of the fifth embodiment has a vibrating device 640 that vibrates the transport surface 211. The vibration referred to here includes not only repeated short-cycle movements but also movements that give a single impact. As the vibrating device 640, for example, an electromagnetic exciter in which the core portion vibrates by energizing the electromagnet is used.

  The vibrating device 640 is disposed below the transport surface 211 of the transport belt 210, and the vibrating portion 641 connected to the core portion comes in and out according to the movement of the core portion, thereby contacting and separating from the transport belt 210. To do. The vibrating portion 641 of the vibrating device 640 comes into contact with and separates from the conveyor belt 210 near the entrance of the passage U.

  The vibration by the vibrating device 640 is controlled by the control device 90 as follows. Normally (when the tablets are not clogged), the vibrating device 640 does not operate and the transport surface 211 moves in the forward direction F. Similar to the first embodiment, the control device 90 determines that the tablet T is clogged based on the detection signal of the sensor 30 when the tablet T does not arrive for a predetermined time. At this time, in the present embodiment, the control device 90 switches the transport surface 211 to the reverse feeding direction N and simultaneously vibrates the vibrating section 641 of the vibration exciter 640 to vibrate the transport surface 211. After that, when the predetermined time elapses again, the control device 90 switches the moving direction of the transport surface 211 to the forward feeding direction F and stops the operation of the vibrating device 640.

  Accordingly, when the transport surface 211 is moving in the forward direction F, the vibrating device 640 does not operate, and thus the tablet T is allowed to move. On the other hand, when the transport surface 211 is moving in the backward feeding direction N, the tablet T on the transport surface 211 is subjected to vibration from the vibrating device 640, so that the position and the posture thereof change and a part of the tablet T is changed. The tablets T will fall to the return section 3.

  In this embodiment as described above, the same effects as those of the first to fourth embodiments can be obtained. Further, since the vibrating device 640 that vibrates the transport surface 211 is provided, damage to the tablet T is reduced as compared with the case where a mechanically contacting member is added. Further, the position and orientation of the tablet Tb can be changed in a relatively wide range by vibrating. Further, since the vibration device 640 may be arranged below the transport surface 211, the required space in the horizontal direction does not expand.

[Sixth Embodiment]
[Constitution]
The sixth embodiment has basically the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. However, in the sixth embodiment, the drive unit 220 of the tablet carrying device 120 is used as the changing unit. That is, the drive unit 220 functions as a variable unit that changes the position of the tablet T by changing the speed of the transport surface 211. Alternatively, the drive unit 220 functions as an add / change unit that changes the position of the tablet T by repeating the movement of the transport surface 211 in the backward feeding direction N and the movement in the forward feeding direction F in small increments. In the present embodiment, the drive unit 220 stops the transport surface 211 as one mode of changing the speed of the transport surface 211 moved in the reverse feeding direction N.

  The operation of the drive unit 220 is controlled by the control device 90 as follows. Normally (when the tablets are not clogged), the drive unit 220 is driven so that the transport surface 211 moves in the forward direction F. Similar to the first embodiment, the control device 90 determines that the tablet T is clogged based on the detection signal of the sensor 30 when the tablet T does not arrive for a predetermined time. At this time, in the present embodiment, the control device 90 controls the drive unit 220 such that the moving direction of the transport surface 211 is the reverse feeding direction N. Then, after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of the movement in the reverse feeding direction N, the control device 90 stops the driving of the drive unit 220 to stop the transport surface 211. After that, the controller 90 switches the moving direction of the transport surface 211 to the forward direction F again. As a result, as shown in FIG. 20, the transport surface 211 moving in the backward feeding direction N is temporarily stopped, so that the position and orientation of the tablets T on the transport surface 211 change due to inertial force, and some tablets T Will fall to the return section 3. 20 and 21 show the one transport unit 1 and the return unit 3, but the same applies to the other transport unit 2.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 21, the drive unit 220 repeats the moving operation in the backward feeding direction N and the moving operation in the forward feeding direction F. This repetition is performed in small steps as follows. First, when the control device 90 determines that the tablet T is clogged, the control device 90 controls the drive unit 220 such that the moving direction of the transport surface 211 is the reverse feeding direction N. In the above-described first embodiment, the conveying surface 211 is moved again in the forward feeding direction F after a predetermined time has passed after the backward feeding direction N has been reached. The movement in the feeding direction F and the movement in the backward feeding direction N are repeated a plurality of times. Since this predetermined time is a relatively short time of about several seconds, the repetition becomes small. For example, the movement in the forward feeding direction F and the movement in the backward feeding direction N are alternately performed every 2 seconds, and after the alternating movement is repeated three times, the control device 90 causes the conveyance surface 211 to move in the forward direction. The drive unit 220 is controlled so as to be in the feeding direction F, and the movement similar to the normal operation is resumed. The predetermined time from the start of the movement in the reverse feeding direction N to the stop, the predetermined time of the operation in the reverse feeding direction N and the operation in the forward feeding direction F, the number of repetitions, and the like are stored in advance in the storage unit of the control device 90. Is set to.

  As a result, the transport surface 211 moves in small steps alternately in the forward feeding direction F and the backward feeding direction N, so that the tablets T on the transport surface 211 are alternately subjected to inertial forces in the opposite directions. Therefore, the position and the posture of the tablet change due to the inertial force repeatedly applied, and a part of the tablet T falls to the return section 3. In addition, it is considered that the possibility that the state in which the clogging has occurred is eliminated is higher than that in the example in which the driving unit 220 is stopped.

  In this embodiment as described above, the same effects as those of the first to fifth embodiments can be obtained. Further, the drive unit 220 of the tablet carrying device 120 is used as an altering unit, and the drive unit 220 changes the position of the tablet T by stopping the carrying surface 211 moved in the backward feeding direction N. Alternatively, the drive unit 220 changes the position of the tablet T by repeating the movement of the transport surface 211 in the backward feeding direction N and the movement in the forward feeding direction F in small increments. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a special device, mechanism, or member as the changing unit, and the simple structure has few failures and the required space and manufacturing cost can be saved.

[Other Embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
(1) The operation of moving the tablet T in the backward feeding direction N when the tablet T is clogged may be performed by an operator's instruction input. For example, when the sensor 30 detects that the arrival of the tablets T has stopped for a predetermined time, the control device 90 stops the drive unit 220 and outputs an alarm from an output device such as a speaker or a buzzer to perform the work. The member may move the transport surface 211 in the backward feeding direction N by inputting an instruction to move in the backward feeding direction N using an input device. Further, when the worker visually recognizes that the tablet T is stopped, the operator inputs an instruction to move the tablet T in the backward feeding direction N by using the input device, so that the feeding surface 211 is fed backward. It may be moved in the direction N. In this case, the detection of the tablet clogging by the detection unit can be eliminated.

(2) The configuration for maintaining the angle of the rotating plate at a fixed position is not limited to the one by the self-weight as described above. If the rotation plate is rotated by the urging force of the tablet T from the forward direction F and the movement of the tablet T is allowed, the structure may be such that the tablet T is held at a predetermined angle by an elastic body. For example, the rotating plates 611 and 614 may be held by the spring or the like at the above angle.

(3) The return unit 3 does not necessarily have to be provided. The tablets T dropped from the transport surface 211 may be collected by a collection container or the like and then put into the storage device 110 again.

(4) The spraying device 630 only needs to change the position or posture of the tablet T by spraying gas, and its installation position, spraying time, spraying frequency, gas blowing flow rate, blowing pressure, etc. are not specified. Not limited. The short spraying may be performed only once or may be repeated multiple times. You may continue spraying for a predetermined time.

  A plurality of spraying devices 630 may be provided. In this case, the spray may be concentrated on a specific location, or may be dispersed and sprayed on a plurality of locations. The blowing position, the blowing time, the number of times of blowing, the flow rate of the gas, the pressure of the gas, and the like may be changed for each of the plurality of spraying devices 630. Furthermore, the position or the spraying direction of the spraying device 630 may be variable, and the spraying device 630 may be adjusted so that the spraying is performed at an appropriate position according to the tendency of the tablet T to be clogged. The gas sprayed by spraying device 630 is not limited to air. Depending on the target tablet T, another gas such as an inert gas may be blown.

(5) The vibration device 640 only needs to be able to change the position or orientation of the tablet T by vibration, and the installation position, vibration time, number of vibrations, vibration intensity, etc. are not limited to particular ones. The short pressing or vibration may be applied only once, or may be repeated multiple times. Vibration may be continuously applied for a predetermined time. A plurality of vibrating devices 640 may be provided. In this case, a specific place may be concentrated and vibrated, or it may be distributed and arranged and a plurality of places may be vibrated. The vibration position, the vibration time, the number of times of vibration, the strength of vibration, and the like may be changed for each of the plurality of vibration devices 640. Further, the position of the vibrating device 640 may be made variable, and adjustment may be made so that vibration is applied to an appropriate place according to the tendency of the tablet T to be clogged.

(6) A flexible material may be used for the contact portions of the rotating plates 611 and 614 and the shutter 617 with the tablet Tb. Examples of the flexible material include sponge, rubber, polymer gel and the like. As a result, the physical impact on the contacting tablet Tb can be mitigated.

(7) In the tablet carrying device 120, the tablets T are carried in two rows by the carrying units 1 and 2 in the above-described embodiment, but the number of rows for carrying the tablets T is three or more even if one row. May be. That is, the number of transport units is free.

(8) The storage device 110 may be any device that can store a plurality of tablets T and discharge them to the tablet transport device 120. Therefore, the tablet T may be discharged by its own weight.

(9) In the sixth embodiment, the transport surface 211 after being moved in the reverse feeding direction N is stopped, but the speed of the transport surface 211 may be changed without stopping. For example, the position of the tablet T can be changed by increasing or decreasing the moving speed of the transport surface 211 in the backward feeding direction N. Further, the tablet T can be tilted by repeatedly changing the speed of the transport surface 211.

  The operation of changing the speed of the transport surface 211 or repeating the movement in the backward feeding direction N and the forward feeding direction F may be performed by the operator's instruction input. For example, when the operator visually confirms the clogging of the tablet T, the speed of the transport surface 211 or the moving direction may be changed by inputting an instruction using the input device.

(10) The aligning section 4 may have a passage width adjusting mechanism 450 that makes the width of the passage U variable according to the size of the tablet T, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23. The passage width adjustment mechanism 450 is provided with, for example, the support portion 451, the alignment guide 452, and the adjustment portion 453 at the same position as the alignment guide 410 of the above-described embodiment. The support portion 451 is a plate-shaped member having an inverted L-shaped cross section, which is fixed to a base (not shown). The alignment guide 452 is a member having the same shape as the alignment guide 410 described above, and is supported by the lower part of the horizontal plane of the support portion 451 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the forward direction F.

  As shown in FIGS. 23A and 23B, the alignment guide 452 is provided with a rectangular parallelepiped slot 452a whose upper side is open and whose longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the forward direction F. A pair of cam grooves 452b are formed on the inner side surfaces of the groove hole 452a which are orthogonal to the forward direction F and are opposed to each other. The cam groove 452b is inclined so that it is higher on the passage U side and lowers as it goes away from the passage U.

  The adjustment unit 453 is a device that adjusts the position of the alignment guide 452. The adjusting unit 453 includes an operating unit 453a, an advancing / retreating unit 453b, a connecting unit 453c, and a cam follower 453d. The operating portion 453a and the advancing / retreating portion 453b are screw mechanisms that convert the rotation of the operating portion 453a into the linear movement of the advancing / retreating portion 453b, similarly to the micrometer.

  The operation unit 453a is supported and fixed to the support unit 451 and rotates the cylindrical head to move the advance / retreat unit 453b in the vertical direction. The advancing / retreating portion 453b is a rod-shaped member in the vertical direction, and is inserted into the groove hole 452a. The connecting portion 453c is provided at the lower end of the advancing / retreating portion 453b and moves up and down as the advancing / retreating portion 453b moves in the vertical direction.

  The cam followers 453d are respectively provided on the side surfaces of the connecting portion 453c that face the cam grooves 452b, and are slidably inserted into the cam grooves 452b. The cam follower 453d is provided on the connecting portion 453c so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the forward direction F. The rotation of the cam follower 453d is smoothed by the bearing.

  The width of the passage U in the alignment section 4 as described above is adjusted as follows. First, as shown in FIGS. 22 (A), 23 (A), and (B), when the cam follower 453d is at the highest position, the alignment guide 452 is on the vertical surface side of the support portion 451 and the passage The width of U is the widest.

  When the operating portion 453a is rotated from this state and the advancing / retreating portion 453b is advanced downward, the connecting portion 451 descends, and the cam follower 453d moves while pressing the inside of the cam groove 452b downward. Then, the inclined cam groove 452b converts the downward force of the advancing / retreating portion 453b into a horizontal force, so that the alignment is performed as shown in FIGS. 22 (A), 23 (C), and (D). The guide 452 moves in a direction away from the vertical surface of the support portion 451. Therefore, the alignment guide 452 approaches the alignment guide 420 facing the alignment guide 452, and thus the width of the passage U becomes narrow. When it is desired to increase the width of the passage U, contrary to the above, the operating portion 453a is operated to raise the advancing / retreating portion 453b.

  Thereby, the passage U can be adjusted to have an appropriate width according to the size of the tablet T. Since the passage width adjusting mechanism 450 is disposed above the transport surface 211, the space in the lateral direction of the transport surface 211, that is, the space in the horizontal direction does not expand. Note that the positions of both side surfaces of the passage U may be adjustable by having the same structure as the indicating portion 451, the aligning guide 452, and the adjusting portion 453 on the side of the alignment guide 420 as well.

(11) The above embodiment has been described as an example applied to the tablet printing apparatus S that prints on one surface of the tablet T. However, the tablet printing apparatus S is capable of printing on both sides of the tablet T by adding a printing transporting apparatus 20, a sensor, a camera, a printing mechanism, a discharging apparatus, a collecting apparatus, and a storing apparatus having the same configuration as described above. It can also be configured as the tablet printing apparatus S.

(12) In the embodiment, the sensor 30 as the detection unit is a reflection type optical sensor such as a laser sensor, but the laser beam shape is not limited. For example, it may be a spot beam or a line beam. Also, an image sensor such as a line sensor can be applied. Further, light other than laser light may be used, or ultrasonic light may be used. Various sensors can be applied as long as the tablet T on the transport surface 211 can be detected.

(13) The camera 40 and the print confirmation camera 52 may be used as the detection unit. That is, when the camera 40 and the print confirmation camera 52 do not capture the image of the tablet T for a predetermined time, the control device 90 determines that the tablet T is clogged, and the processing described in each of the above embodiments. You may go. The camera 40 and the print confirmation camera 52 may be omitted.

(14) In the embodiment, the printing unit 50 having an inkjet head has been described, but the printing unit 50 may be a non-contact type that can print on the tablets T at various timings, and may be, for example, a laser printer.

(15) In the embodiment, the drying unit 53 is provided, but the drying unit 53 may not be necessarily provided as long as it is possible to dry during transportation.

(16) The shape of the tablet T is not limited to a circle. Various tablets T such as an elliptical shape, a track shape, a rounded triangular shape or a square shape can be applied.

(17) The above-described tablet transporting device 120 is configured as a part of the tablet printing device S, but as a device for linearly aligning the tablets Tb, it can be applied to a device other than the printing device.

(18) In the embodiment, in the determination of the magnitudes of various set values, the determination of match / mismatch, etc., it is determined that the values are included as follows, or as greater than, greater than, greater than, less than, less than, less than It is up to you to set whether or not to include the value. The “reference value” is the predetermined time, but is not limited to this. For example, the count value of the encoder pulse of the encoder 27 may be used as the reference value. The second reference value can also be the time length from the start of the movement in the backward direction N to the return to the movement in the forward direction F or the count value of the encoder pulse. The worker can input the first reference value and the second reference value by using the input device with reference to the input screen displayed on the output device.

(19) Although the embodiment of the present invention and the modification of each part have been described above, the modification of this embodiment and each part are presented as an example, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. . These novel embodiments described above can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention and also included in the invention described in the claims.

1, 2 Conveying unit 3 Returning unit 4 Aligning unit 5 Receiving unit 6 Changing unit 10 Supplying device 20 Conveying device for printing 21 Conveying belt 21a Conveying surface 22 Driving pulley 23 Tension pulleys 24a, 24b Adjustment pulley 25 Suction chamber 25a Exhaust port 27 Encoder 30 Sensor 40 Camera 50 Printing unit 51 Printing head 52 Printing confirmation camera 53 Drying unit 60 Ejection device 61, 62 Air injection nozzle 70 Recovery device 71, 72 Recovery tray 80 Storage device 90 Control device 110 Storage device 111 Hopper 112 Vibration feeder 120 Tablet conveying device 130 Transfer device 210 Conveying belt 211 Conveying surface 220 Driving portion 221 Driving pulley 222 Driving source 223 Driven pulley 310 Return belt 311 Returning surface 320 Driving portion 321 Driving pulley 322 Driving source 323 Driving pulley 330 Returning member 40 Side guides 410, 420 Alignment guides 411, 421 Straight advance parts 412, 422 Introductory part 430 Upper guide 431 Inclined part 450 Passage width adjustment mechanism 451 Support part 452 Alignment guide 452a Slot groove 452b Cam groove 453 Adjustment part 453a Operation part 453b Advance part 453c Connecting part 453d Cam follower 510 Receiving plate 520 Collecting guide 610 Converting mechanism 611 Rotating plate 611A Converting part 611B Restricting part 612 Shaft 612a Hollow shaft 613 Stopper 614 Rotating plate 614A Allowing part 614B Converting part 615 Shaft 615a Hollow shaft 616 Stopper 617 Shutter 617a Elevating mechanism 630 Spraying device 631 Air outlet 640 Vibrating device 641 Vibrating part S Tablet printing device T Tablet

Claims (8)

A transport unit having a transport surface on which a plurality of tablets are placed, and a drive unit that moves the transport surface by switching the forward transport direction, which is the direction in which the tablets are transported, and the reverse transport direction opposite thereto.
When the moving direction of said conveying surface is switched to the reverse feeding direction from the progressive direction, a conversion mechanism for changing the position or orientation of the tablet to move the backhaul direction on the conveying surface,
Have a,
The conversion mechanism is rotated by the biasing force of the forward feed direction, and a tablet conveying, characterized in that have a rotating plate which rotates is restricted for the biasing force from the reverse feeding direction apparatus. A transport unit having a transport surface on which a plurality of tablets are placed, and a drive unit that moves the transport surface by switching the forward transport direction, which is the direction in which the tablets are transported, and the reverse transport direction opposite thereto.
When the moving direction of the transport surface is switched from the forward direction to the reverse direction, a conversion mechanism that changes the position or orientation of the tablet that moves in the reverse direction on the transport surface,
Have
The conversion mechanism includes a shutter having a liftable lifting mechanism with respect to the conveying surface, the shutter is lowered to the conveyor surface when the moving direction of said conveying surface is switched to the reverse feeding direction A tablet conveying device characterized by: A transport unit having a transport surface on which a plurality of tablets are placed, and a drive unit that moves the transport surface by switching the forward transport direction, which is the direction in which the tablets are transported, and the reverse transport direction opposite thereto.
When the moving direction of the transport surface is switched from the forward direction to the reverse direction, a conversion mechanism that changes the position or orientation of the tablet that moves in the reverse direction on the transport surface,
Have
The conversion mechanism, tablet conveying apparatus characterized by having a spray device for spraying a gas on the tablet to move the backhaul direction. The conversion mechanism, in the direction of discharge from the conveying surface, the tablet conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that moving the tablet to move the backhaul direction. A transport unit having a transport surface on which a plurality of tablets are placed, and a drive unit that moves the transport surface by switching the forward transport direction, which is the direction in which the tablets are transported, and the reverse transport direction opposite thereto.
When the moving direction of the transport surface is switched from the forward direction to the reverse direction, a conversion mechanism that changes the position or orientation of the tablet that moves in the reverse direction on the transport surface,
Have
The conversion mechanism, tablet conveying apparatus characterized by having a vibrating device for vibrating the conveying surface. The conversion mechanism controls the drive unit to repeatedly move the transport surface such that the moving direction of the transport surface alternates between the forward feeding direction and the backward feeding direction. The tablet conveying device according to any one of 1 to 5 . At a predetermined position on the transportation path of the tablet, further has a detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of the tablet,
When the conveying surface is moving in the progressive direction, when the detecting unit does not detect the predetermined time the tablet, wherein the driving unit and wherein the moving the conveying surface to said backhaul direction Item 7. The tablet conveying device according to any one of items 1 to 6 . A tablet transportation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
A printing unit that prints on the tablets passed from the transport unit,
A tablet printing apparatus comprising:

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