JP6886550B2 - Conveyor and printing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transport device for transporting granules such as tablets and tablets, and a printing device for printing on the surface of the granules transported by the transport device.

Characters and codes for identifying products are printed on the surface of tablets, which are pharmaceutical products. In addition, marks and illustrations may be printed on the lock confectionery. Conventionally, there is known a technique of printing on the surface of granules such as tablets and tablets using an inkjet printing device. Such a printing apparatus is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

In the printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, ink is ejected from an inkjet head to a tablet conveyed by a transfer mechanism (conveyor conveyor) to print the tablet. Such a printing apparatus has a supply unit for supplying the granular material to the transport mechanism. In the printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a printing process is performed on tablets transported by a plurality of drum-shaped and belt-shaped transporting portions.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-223323

When the granules are transported by a plurality of transport portions, the positions of the granules are likely to shift when the granules are delivered from the transport portion on the upstream side to the transport portion on the downstream side. If misalignment occurs in the granules, there is a risk that the printing position will be misaligned in the printing process on the downstream side. Therefore, defective products may occur. In order to reduce the defective product occurrence rate, it is preferable to suppress the displacement of the granular material during the transfer between the transporting portions of the granular material in the transport device having a plurality of transporting portions.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a technique for suppressing misalignment of granules when transferring between transporting portions of granules in a transporting device having a plurality of transporting portions. The purpose is to do.

In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present application is a conveyor for transporting granules, which is arranged on an upper conveyor having a circulation band-shaped conveyor belt and on the downstream side in the conveyor direction of the upper conveyor. The upper conveyor and the lower conveyor each have a plurality of through holes arranged at intervals in the transport direction. The upper conveyor and the lower conveyor each attract the granules to the through holes by applying a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure to the plurality of through holes, and the upper conveyor is a cylinder. The lower transfer conveyor has a planar sending portion, and the lower conveyor has a cylindrical receiving portion facing the sending portion through a gap, and in a region where the sending portion and the receiving portion are closest to each other. The negative pressure from the through hole of the upper conveyor and the negative pressure from the through hole of the lower conveyor act on the granules at the same time, and in the upper conveyor, the sending portion and the receiving portion A first shielding member for shielding the through hole is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction from the closest region, and the lower conveyor has a region closer to the sending portion and the receiving portion than the region closest to the sending portion and the receiving portion. A second shielding member for shielding the through hole is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction, and the first shielding member is on the upstream side in the transport direction of the upper conveyor from atmospheric pressure with respect to the through hole. It has an outlet that acts on a high positive pressure.

The second invention of the present invention is the transport device of the first invention, wherein the upper transport conveyor and the lower transport conveyor further have a pair of cylindrical pulleys, and the transport belt is a pair of the pulleys. It is hung in an annular shape between them and circulates around the pair of pulleys.

The third invention of the present application is the transport device of the second invention, in which the pulleys of the upper transport conveyor are arranged at intervals in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and the inner peripheral surface of the transport belt is arranged. It has a plurality of disc portions having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface that abuts on the upper transport conveyor, and the through holes of the upper transport conveyor are arranged at positions that do not overlap the plurality of disc portions in the width direction, and the first The shielding member 1 is arranged between the plurality of discs.

The fourth invention of the present invention is the transport device of the third invention, in which the pulleys of the lower transport conveyor are arranged at intervals in the width direction, and a cylinder that abuts on the inner peripheral surface of the transport belt. The second through hole of the lower transport conveyor has a plurality of disc portions having a shape outer peripheral surface, and is arranged at a position where the plurality of disc portions do not overlap with each other in the width direction. The members are arranged between the plurality of discs.

The fifth invention of the present application is the transport device according to any one of the first invention to the fourth invention, and the granule is a tablet.

The sixth invention of the present application is a printing apparatus, which is a conveying apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, and a printing unit that ejects ink droplets on the surface of the granules conveyed by the conveying apparatus. And have.

According to the first to sixth inventions of the present application, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of misalignment of the granular material at the time of transfer between the transporting portions of the granular material.

It is a figure which showed the structure of the printing apparatus. It is a perspective view of the vicinity of a transport drum. It is a bottom view of a printing part. It is a block diagram which showed the connection between a control part and each part in a printing apparatus. It is the schematic which showed the structure around the transport mechanism. It is sectional drawing which showed the structure in the vicinity of a delivery part. It is a perspective view of the 1st pulley, the 1st shielding member and the 2nd shielding member. It is a perspective view of the 1st shielding member. It is the schematic which showed the positional relationship of each part of the transport mechanism before use of a printing apparatus. It is a flowchart which showed the flow of the position adjustment of each part of a transport mechanism at the start of use of a printing apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the direction in which a plurality of granules are conveyed is the "transport direction", the direction perpendicular to and horizontal to the transport direction is the "width direction", and the transport direction and the direction perpendicular to the width direction. Is referred to as "height direction".

<1. Printing device configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a printing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printing device 1 is a device that prints images such as a product name, a product code, a company name, and a logo mark on the surface of each tablet 9 while transporting a plurality of tablets 9 which are pharmaceutical products. The tablet 9 may be an uncoated tablet (naked tablet) or a coated tablet such as a film-coated tablet (FC tablet). Tablet 9 may be a capsule containing a hard capsule and a soft capsule. Further, the granular material to be transported in the present invention is not limited to tablets, and may be tablet confectionery such as ramune.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printing device 1 of the present embodiment includes a supply mechanism 20, a transport mechanism 30, a printing unit 40, an inspection mechanism 50, and a control unit 10.

The supply mechanism 20 includes a hopper 21, a straight-ahead feeder 22, a rotary feeder 23, a supply feeder 24, and a guide portion 25 (see FIG. 2). The supply mechanism 20 is a mechanism for delivering the tablets 9 put into the apparatus to the transport mechanism 30.

The hopper 21 is a charging unit for collectively receiving a large number of tablets 9 into the apparatus. The hopper 21 is arranged at the uppermost portion of the housing 100 of the printing device 1. The hopper 21 has an opening 211 located on the upper surface of the housing 100 and a funnel-shaped inclined surface 212 that gradually converges downward. The plurality of tablets 9 charged into the opening 211 flow into the straight feeder 22 along the inclined surface 212.

The straight-ahead feeder 22, the rotary feeder 23, and the supply feeder 24 are mechanisms for transporting a plurality of tablets 9 charged into the hopper 21 to the transport mechanism 30. The straight feeder 22 has a flat plate-shaped vibrating trough 221. The plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the hopper 21 to the vibration trough 221 are conveyed to the rotation feeder 23 side by the vibration of the vibration trough 221.

The rotary feeder 23 has a disk-shaped turntable 231. The plurality of tablets 9 that have fallen from the vibration trough 221 onto the upper surface of the turntable 231 gather near the outer peripheral portion of the turntable 231 due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the turntable 231.

The supply feeder 24 is a supply unit that supplies one tablet 9 to each of the holding units 610 described later. FIG. 2 is a perspective view including a part of the supply feeder 24, a part of the transfer drum 31 and a part of the upper transfer conveyor 32. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the supply feeder 24 extends vertically downward from the outer peripheral portion of the turntable 231 to the transport drum 31 described later of the transport mechanism 30.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of (8 in the example of FIG. 2) cavities 241 extending in the vertical direction are provided inside the supply feeder 24. The lower end portion of the cavity portion 241 is arranged so as to face the outer surface of the drum circulation portion 61, which will be described later, of the transport drum 31. The plurality of tablets 9 conveyed to the outer peripheral portion of the turntable 231 are each supplied to any one of the plurality of cavity portions 241 and fall vertically downward in the cavity portion 241. In this way, the plurality of tablets 9 are arranged in a plurality of transport rows by being dispersedly supplied to the plurality of cavities 241. Then, a plurality of tablets 9 in each transport row are supplied to the transport drum 31 in order from the first one. As a result, one tablet 9 is supplied to each of the holding portions 610 provided on the outer surface of the drum circulation portion 61.

The guide portion 25 is a mechanism for adjusting the posture of the tablet 9 supplied from the supply feeder 24 to the holding portion 610 of the transport drum 31, which will be described later. The guide portion 25 is composed of a leaf spring member 251 and a plurality of resin portions 252 (8 in the example of FIG. 2). Further, the guide portion 25 has a fixing portion 25a fixed to the supply feeder 24 and a plurality of contact portions 25b that can be deformed in a direction (height direction) perpendicular to the outer peripheral surface of the drum circulation portion 61.

The leaf spring member 251 is a plate-shaped member formed of a metal such as SUS. The leaf spring member 251 may be formed of a material other than metal. The leaf spring member 251 has a base end portion constituting the fixing portion 25a and a plurality of (eight in the example of FIG. 2) tip portions branched from the base end portion. The resin portion 252 is fixed to the lower surface of the tip end portion of the leaf spring member 251. The contact portion 25b is formed by the tip portion of the leaf spring member 251 and the resin portion 252. As long as the guide portion 25 is an elastic member that can be deformed in the height direction, another member may be used instead of the leaf spring member 251 and the resin portion 252.

When the tablet 9 passes below the guide portion 25, the lower surface of the contact portion 25b of the guide portion 25 comes into contact with the tablet 9 while being deformed up and down. As a result, the posture of the tablet 9 is adjusted to a stable transport posture. In this embodiment, the guide portion 25 has eight contact portions 25b, which is the same as the number of transport rows. Therefore, the contact portion 25b that comes into contact with the tablet 9 held by one holding portion 610 does not come into contact with the tablet 9 held by the other holding portion 610. Therefore, the movement of the contact portion 25b in contact with one tablet 9 does not affect the movement of the contact portion 25b in contact with the other tablet 9. Therefore, the adjustment of the posture of the tablet 9 by the contact portion 25b is not affected by the posture of the other tablets 9.

The transfer mechanism 30 includes a transfer drum 31, an upper transfer conveyor 32, a lower transfer conveyor 33, and a carry-out conveyor 34.

The transfer drum 31 is a transfer unit that transfers a plurality of tablets 9 from the supply feeder 24 to the upper transfer conveyor 32. As shown in FIG. 2, the transport drum 31 is provided with a plurality of holding portions 610 arranged at substantially equal intervals in the transport direction and the width direction. The holding portion 610 is a recess provided on the outer surface of the transport drum 31. The plurality of holding portions 610 of the transport drum 31 are arranged in the transport direction at the width direction positions corresponding to each of the plurality of transport rows. A through hole 600 is provided at the bottom of the holding portion 610. The through hole 600 is connected to a suction mechanism 64, which will be described later. When the suction mechanism 64 is operated, a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure is generated in each of the plurality of holding portions 610 located on the downstream side of the guide portion 25 through the through hole 600. The holding unit 610 sucks and holds the tablets 9 supplied from the supply feeder 24 one by one by the negative pressure.

Then, a positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure is applied to the holding portion 610 that has moved to a position facing the upper conveyor 32 on the transport drum 31 to release the adsorption of the tablet 9. In this way, the transfer drum 31 rotates while adsorbing and holding the plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the supply feeder 24, and delivers the tablets 9 to the upper transfer conveyor 32. When the tablet 9 is delivered from the transfer drum 31 to the upper transfer conveyor 32, the surface of the tablet 9 that the transfer drum 31 adsorbs and holds is different from the surface of the tablet 9 that the upper transfer conveyor 32 adsorbs and holds. Therefore, the front and back sides of the tablet 9 are reversed between the time when the tablet 9 is held by the transport drum 31 and the time when the tablet 9 is held by the upper conveyor 32.

The upper conveyor 32 is a belt conveyor-like conveyor having a conveyor belt 71 and a pair of pulleys 72. The transport belt 71 is looped between the pair of pulleys 72. The tablets 9 transported by the upper transfer conveyor 32 are subjected to a printing process by the first printing unit 41 described later of the printing unit 40. Further, the upper conveyor 32 delivers a plurality of tablets 9 to the lower conveyor 33.

The upper conveyor 32 is provided with a plurality of holding portions 710 arranged at substantially equal intervals in the transport direction and the width direction. The holding portion 710 is a recess provided on the outer surface of the transport belt 71. The distance between the plurality of holding portions 710 of the upper conveyor 32 in the transport direction and the width direction is equal to the distance between the plurality of holding portions 610 in the transport drum 31 in the transport direction and the width direction. A through hole 700 is provided at the bottom of the holding portion 710. The through hole 700 is connected to a suction mechanism 75, which will be described later. When the suction mechanism 75 is operated, a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure is generated in each of the plurality of holding portions 710 located in the predetermined region through the through hole 700. The holding unit 710 adsorbs and holds the tablets 9 one by one by the negative pressure.

A positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure is applied to the holding portion 710 that has moved to a position facing the lower conveyor 33 on the upper conveyor 32 to release the adsorption of the tablet 9. As a result, the upper conveyor 32 delivers the tablets 9 to the lower conveyor 33. When the tablets 9 are delivered from the upper conveyor 32 to the lower conveyor 33, the surface of the tablets 9 that the upper conveyor 32 sucks and holds is different from the surface of the tablets 9 that the lower conveyor 33 sucks and holds. Therefore, the front and back of the tablet 9 are reversed between the time when the tablet 9 is held by the upper conveyor 32 and the time when the tablet 9 is held by the lower conveyor 33.

The lower conveyor 33 has almost the same configuration as the upper conveyor 32. The lower conveyor 33 is a belt conveyor-like conveyor having a conveyor belt 71 and a pair of pulleys 72. The tablets 9 conveyed by the lower conveyor 33 are printed by the second printing unit 42, which will be described later, of the printing unit 40.

Below the lower conveyor 33, a chute 341 that connects the lower conveyor 33 and the unloading conveyor 34 is arranged. A positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure is applied to the holding portion 710 that has moved to a position facing the chute 341 on the lower conveyor 33 to release the adsorption of the tablet 9. As a result, the lower conveyor 33 drops the tablet 9 into the chute 341. As a result, the tablets 9 are delivered from the lower conveyor 33 to the unloading conveyor 34 via the chute 341.

The carry-out conveyor 34 is a transport unit that carries out a plurality of printed tablets 9 to the outside of the housing 100 of the printing device 1. The upstream end of the carry-out conveyor 34 is located below the chute 341. The downstream end of the carry-out conveyor 34 is located outside the housing 100. The downstream end of the unloading conveyor 34 is connected, for example, to a packaging device for packaging the printed tablets 9. For the carry-out conveyor 34, for example, a belt transport mechanism is used. The plurality of tablets 9 delivered from the lower conveyor 33 to the carry-out conveyor 34 are carried out of the housing 100 by the carry-out conveyor 34.

In this way, the supply mechanism 20 and the transfer mechanism 30 constitute a transfer device for transporting the tablet 9. The detailed configuration of each part of the transport mechanism 30 will be described later.

The printing unit 40 has a first printing unit 41 and a second printing unit 42.

The first printing unit 41 is a printing processing unit for printing an image on the surface of one side of the tablet 9. As shown in FIG. 1, the first printing unit 41 has a head unit 410 having four heads 400. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of one head 400. In FIG. 3, each part of the transport belt 71 is shown by a chain double-dashed line. Further, in FIG. 3, a plurality of tablets 9 held by the transport belt 71 are shown by broken lines.

Each of the four heads 400 included in the head unit 410 is an inkjet head that ejects ink droplets toward the surface of the tablet 9 transported by the transport mechanism 30 to perform printing processing. The four heads 400 eject ink droplets of different colors (eg, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black). A multicolor image is recorded on the surface of the tablet 9 by superimposing the monochromatic images formed by each of these colors. As the ink discharged from each head 400, edible ink produced from a raw material approved by the Food Sanitation Law is used.

As shown enlarged in FIG. 3, a plurality of nozzles 401 capable of ejecting ink droplets are provided on the lower surface of the head 400. In the present embodiment, a plurality of nozzles 401 are two-dimensionally arranged on the lower surface of the head 400 in the transport direction and the width direction. The nozzles 401 are arranged so as to be displaced in the width direction. By arranging the plurality of nozzles 401 two-dimensionally in this way, the positions of the nozzles 401 in the width direction can be brought close to each other. However, the plurality of nozzles 401 may be arranged in a row along the width direction.

As a method for ejecting ink droplets from the nozzle 401, for example, a so-called piezo method is used in which the ink in the nozzle 401 is pressurized and ejected by applying a voltage to the piezo element, which is a piezoelectric element, to deform the ink droplets. The ink droplet ejection method may be a so-called thermal system in which the heater is energized and the ink in the nozzle 401 is heated and expanded to eject the ink droplets.

The second printing unit 42 is a processing unit for printing an image on the other side of the tablet 9. Since the configuration of the second printing unit 42 is the same as that of the first printing unit 41, the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection mechanism 50 includes a first visual inspection camera 51, a second visual inspection camera 52, a first print inspection camera 53, a third visual inspection camera 54, and a second print inspection camera 55. And a defective product collection unit 56.

The first visual inspection camera 51 is a camera that photographs the surface of the other side of the tablet 9 transported by the transport drum 31. The second visual inspection camera 52 is a camera that photographs the surface of one side of the tablet 9 conveyed by the upper conveyor 32 on the upstream side of the first printing unit 41. The captured images obtained by the first visual inspection camera 51 and the second visual inspection camera 52 are input to the control unit 10. Based on the obtained photographed image, the control unit 10 detects the presence / absence of the tablet 9 in each of the holding units 610 and 710, the presence / absence of the shape defect of each tablet 9, the orientation of each tablet 9, and the like.

The first printing inspection camera 53 is a camera that photographs the surface of one side of the tablet 9 conveyed by the upper conveyor 32 on the downstream side of the first printing unit 41. The captured image obtained by the first print inspection camera 53 is input to the control unit 10. The control unit 10 detects the presence or absence of defects in the printing process by the first printing unit 41 based on the obtained captured image.

The third visual inspection camera 54 is a camera that photographs the surface of the other side of the tablet 9 conveyed by the lower conveyor 33 on the upstream side of the second printing unit 42. The captured image obtained by the third visual inspection camera 54 is input to the control unit 10. Based on the obtained photographed image, the control unit 10 detects the presence / absence of the tablet 9 in each holding unit 710 of the lower conveyor 33, the presence / absence of the shape defect of each tablet 9, the orientation of each tablet 9, and the like.

The second printing inspection camera 55 is a camera that photographs the surface of the other side of the tablet 9 conveyed by the lower conveyor 33 on the downstream side of the second printing unit 42. The captured image obtained by the second print inspection camera 55 is input to the control unit 10. The control unit 10 detects the presence or absence of defects in the printing process by the second printing unit 42 based on the obtained captured image.

The defective product collection unit 56 collects the tablet 9 determined to be defective in shape and the tablet 9 determined to be defective in printing based on the captured images obtained by the above five cameras 51 to 55. The defective product collection unit 56 has a pressurizing mechanism (not shown) and a collection box 561. The pressurizing mechanism releases the adsorption of the tablet 9 by blowing a locally pressurized gas from the inside of the lower conveyor 33 onto the holding portion 710 that holds the tablet 9 in which the defect is detected. To do. As a result, the tablet 9 in which the defect is detected is collected in the collection box 561.

The control unit 10 is a means for controlling the operation of each unit in the printing apparatus 1. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the connection between the control unit 10 and each unit in the printing device 1. As conceptually shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 10 is composed of a computer having an arithmetic processing unit 101 such as a CPU, a memory 102 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 103 such as a hard disk drive. The computer program P and data D for executing the printing process are stored in the storage unit 103.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 10 includes a straight feeder 22, a rotary feeder 23, a transfer drum 31 (including a motor, a suction mechanism and a pressurizing mechanism), and an upper conveyor 32 (motor, a suction mechanism and a pressurizing mechanism). Included), lower conveyor 33 (including motor, suction mechanism and pressurizing mechanism), unloading conveyor 34, head 400 of first printing section 41 and second printing section 42, first visual inspection camera 51, second appearance The inspection camera 52, the first print inspection camera 53, the third appearance inspection camera 54, the second print inspection camera 55, and the defective product collection unit 56 are connected to each other so as to be communicable.

The control unit 10 temporarily reads the computer program P and data D stored in the storage unit 103 into the memory 102, and the arithmetic processing unit 101 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program P, thereby performing arithmetic processing on each of the above units. To control the operation. As a result, the printing process for the plurality of tablets 9 proceeds.

<2. Configuration of each transport unit>
Subsequently, the detailed configuration of the three transport parts of the transport drum 31, the upper transport conveyor 32, and the lower transport conveyor 33 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the transport mechanism 30. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the transport mechanism 30 in the vicinity of the delivery portions 301, 302, and 303.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, the transport drum 31 includes a circulation band-shaped drum circulation portion 61, a cylindrical portion 62 arranged inside the drum circulation portion 61, and a drum circulation portion 61 and a cylindrical portion 62. It has a drum cover portion 63 that covers the side surface in the width direction, a suction mechanism 64, and a pressurizing mechanism 65.

The drum circulation portion 61 is a resin-made cylindrical member. The drum circulation unit 61 is rotated in the directions of the arrows in FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 6 about a rotation axis extending in the width direction by a power obtained from a motor (not shown).

The drum circulation portion 61 has a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of holding portions 610 arranged at substantially equal intervals in the transport direction and the width direction are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the drum circulation portion 61. The plurality of holding portions 610 are arranged in a grid pattern on the outer peripheral surface of the transport drum 31 at positions in the width direction corresponding to each of the supply feeders 24.

Each of the holding portions 610 is a recess provided on the outer surface of the drum circulation portion 61. A through hole 600 is provided at the bottom of the holding portion 610. That is, the drum circulation portion 61 has a plurality of through holes 600 arranged in a grid pattern at intervals in the transport direction and the width direction.

The drum circulation portion 61 has a drum suction region 611, a drum blow region 612, and a drum cutoff region 613 according to the position in the transport direction thereof. In the drum suction region 611, a suction force acts on the through hole 600 from the inside of the drum circulation portion 61. In the drum blow region 612, gas is blown from the inside of the drum circulation portion 61 to the through hole 600. In the drum blocking region 613, the action of air pressure from the inside of the drum circulation portion 61 on the through hole 600 is blocked.

The drum suction region 611 is arranged on the downstream side of the supply feeder 24 and the guide portion 25. That is, the drum suction region 611 is arranged on the downstream side of the first delivery portion 301 in which the tablet 9 is delivered from the supply feeder 24 to the transport drum 31. As a result, the tablet 9 supplied from the supply feeder 24 and whose posture is adjusted by the guide portion 25 is sucked and held in the holding portion 610 in the drum suction region 611.

Here, as shown in FIG. 5, a cylindrical surface-shaped portion of the drum circulation portion 61 that faces the upper conveyor 32 via a gap is referred to as a drum delivery portion 61a. As shown in FIG. 6, the drum blow region 612 is arranged at a position closest to the upper conveyor 32 in the drum delivery portion 61a. The drum delivery portion 61a includes at least a downstream end portion of the drum suction region 611, a drum blow region 612, and an upstream end portion of the drum cutoff region 613. In the drum delivery unit 61a, the drum suction region 611, the drum blow region 612, and the drum cutoff region 613 are arranged adjacent to each other in the transport direction in order from the upstream side to the downstream side.

The cylindrical portion 62 is a member arranged inside the drum circulation portion 61. The cylindrical portion 62 is fixed to the housing 100 of the printing device 1. The cylindrical portion 62 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 621, a recess 622, a suction passage portion 623, a plurality of suction ports 624, a pressure passage portion 625, and a plurality of outlets 626.

The outer peripheral surface 621 faces the cylindrical inner peripheral surface of the drum circulation portion 61 via a minute gap. The recess 622 is recessed inward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface 621. The recess 622 is provided only in a part in the transport direction. The widthwise range of the recess 622 includes all transport rows aligned in the width direction. Further, the range of the recess 622 in the transport direction includes a plurality of rows of the holding portion 610. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the recess 622 is provided so as to include the holding portion 610 for about eight rows.

The suction passage portion 623 extends in the cylindrical portion 62 in the direction of the rotation axis. One end of the suction passage portion 623 in the rotation axis direction (that is, the width direction) is covered with the drum cover portion 63. Alternatively, the one-sided end of the suction passage portion 623 does not reach the one-sided end of the cylindrical portion 62. The other end of the suction passage portion 623 is connected to the suction mechanism 64.

The suction port 624 is arranged inside the recess 622, and connects the space inside the recess 622 with the suction passage portion 623. That is, the suction passage portion 623 and the suction port 624 connect the space in the recess 622 and the suction mechanism 64. In the present embodiment, a total of 28 suction ports 624 are arranged at four locations in the transport direction and seven locations in the width direction, respectively. The number of suction ports 624 and their arrangement are not limited to this. When the suction mechanism 64 is driven, a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure is generated in the recess 622 via the suction passage portion 623 and the suction port 624. Due to the negative pressure, the tablet 9 held in the holding portion 610 arranged at a position overlapping the recess 622 is adsorbed into the through hole 600.

As a result, in the drum circulation portion 61, the transport direction region that overlaps the concave portion 622 of the cylindrical portion 62 in the radial direction becomes the drum suction region 611.

The pressure passage portion 625 extends in the cylindrical portion 62 in the direction of the rotation axis. One end of the pressure passage portion 625 in the rotation axis direction is covered with the drum cover portion 63. Alternatively, the one-sided end of the pressure passage portion 625 does not reach the one-sided end of the cylindrical portion 62. The other end of the pressurizing passage portion 625 is connected to the pressurizing mechanism 65.

The air outlet 626 is provided on the outer peripheral surface 621 on the downstream side of the recess 622. The outlet 626 is provided near the downstream end of the recess 622. The outlet 626 is arranged at a position corresponding to the transport row of the tablets 9. That is, the outlet 626 is arranged at a position corresponding to the through hole 600 of the drum circulation portion 61 in the width direction. Therefore, in the present embodiment, eight outlets 626 are arranged, which is the same as the number of transport rows.

The pressurizing passage portion 625 connects the air outlet 626 and the pressurizing mechanism 65. Therefore, when the pressurizing mechanism 65 is driven, gas is blown out from the outlet 626 through the pressurizing passage portion 625. By driving the pressurizing mechanism 65 at the timing when the drum circulation portion 61 rotates and the through hole 600 and the air outlet 626 are arranged at the overlapping position, the holding portion 610 has an atmospheric pressure at a predetermined transport direction position. Higher positive pressure acts. As a result, gas is blown to the tablet 9 held in the holding portion 610 through the through hole 600, and the adsorption of the tablet 9 is released.

As a result, in the drum circulation portion 61, the transport direction region overlapping the air outlet 626 in the radial direction becomes the drum blow region 612.

In the present embodiment, the drum circulation portion 61 and the cylindrical portion 62 are arranged adjacent to each other in the radial direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. A cylindrical intermediate member that rotates together with the drum circulation portion 61 may be interposed between the drum circulation portion 61 and the cylindrical portion 62. However, in that case, it is assumed that the intermediate member is provided with a through hole for communicating the through hole 600 and the inside of the intermediate member.

The upper conveyor 32 includes a conveyor belt 71, a pair of pulleys 72, a frame body 73, a pair of side covers 74, a suction mechanism 75, a first shielding member 76, a second shielding member 77, and pressurization. It has a mechanism 78.

As described above, the transport belt 71 is looped between the pair of pulleys 72. The transport belt 71 rotates between the pulleys 72 by a drive mechanism (not shown). The pulley 72 is a substantially cylindrical member fixed to the housing 100 of the printing device 1. Therefore, the portion of the transport belt 71 that comes into contact with the pulley 72 has a cylindrical surface shape. The transport belt 71 rotates between the pulleys 72 by a drive mechanism (not shown).

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the outer surface of the transport belt 71 is provided with a plurality of holding portions 710 arranged at substantially equal intervals in the transport direction and the width direction. Each of the holding portions 710 is a recess provided on the outer surface of the transport belt 71. A through hole 700 is provided at the bottom of the holding portion 710. The transport belt 71 has a plurality of holding portions 710 and through holes 700 arranged in a grid pattern at intervals in the transport direction and the width direction.

Here, as shown in FIG. 5, of the pair of pulleys 72 of the upper conveyor 32, the pulley 72 close to the conveyor drum 31 and the lower conveyor 33 is referred to as a first pulley 721. The other pulley 72 (see FIG. 1) is referred to as a second pulley 722. Further, in the transport belt 71, a cylindrical surface portion that contacts the first pulley 721 is referred to as a first pulley contact portion 701. Further, the cylindrical surface portion of the transport belt 71 that contacts the second pulley 722 is referred to as a second pulley contact portion 702 (see FIG. 1).

The transport belt 71 has a flat surface between the pulleys 72. Between the pulleys 72, the inner peripheral surface of the transport belt 71 is supported by the frame body 73. The frame body 73 of the present embodiment supports the widthwise end portion of the transport belt 71 between the pulleys 72. Here, in the transport belt 71, two planar portions arranged between the first pulley contact portion 701 and the second pulley contact portion 702 are referred to as a first plane portion 703 and a second plane portion 704. The first flat surface portion 703 is a portion hung on the upper portion of the pulley 72 on the downstream side of the first pulley contact portion 701 and on the upstream side of the second pulley contact portion 702. Further, the second flat surface portion 704 is a portion hung on the lower portion of the pulley 72 on the downstream side of the second pulley contact portion 702 and on the upstream side of the first pulley contact portion 701.

The transport belt 71 has an upper cutoff region 711, a suction region 712, a blow region 713, and a lower cutoff region 714, depending on the position in the transport direction. In the upper blocking region 711 and the lower blocking region 714, the action of air pressure from the inside of the transport belt 71 on the through hole 700 is blocked. In the suction region 712, a suction force acts on the through hole 700 from the inside of the transport belt 71. In the blow region 713, gas is blown from the inside of the transport belt 71 to the through hole 700.

The first pulley 721 of the upper conveyor 32 is arranged below the conveyor drum 31 and above one of the pulleys 72 of the lower conveyor 33. As a result, the upper portion of the first pulley contact portion 701 is arranged close to the transfer drum 31, and the lower portion thereof is arranged close to the lower transfer conveyor 33. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, a cylindrical portion of the first pulley contact portion 701 that faces the transport drum 31 via a gap is referred to as a conveyor receiving portion 71a. Further, a cylindrical surface portion of the first pulley contact portion 701 that is arranged below the first pulley contact portion 701 and faces the lower conveyor 33 via a gap is referred to as a conveyor delivery portion 71b.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the position of the conveyor receiving portion 71a closest to the transport drum 31, that is, the position facing the drum blow region 612 is referred to as the tablet receiving position P1. The upper blocking region 711 is arranged on the upstream side of the tablet receiving position P1. The adsorption region 712 continues from the tablet receiving position P1 to the downstream side. In this way, in the conveyor receiving portion 71a, the upper blocking region 711 and the suction region 712 are arranged adjacent to each other in the transport direction in order from the upstream side to the downstream side.

The suction region 712 continues from the tablet receiving position P1 to the downstream side, extends to the entire area of the first flat surface portion 703, the second pulley contact portion 702, and the second flat surface portion 704, and extends to the lower part of the first pulley contact portion 701. Therefore, the tablet 9 received from the transport drum 31 at the tablet receiving position P1 of the conveyor receiving portion 71a passes through the first flat surface portion 703, the second pulley contact portion 702, and the second flat surface portion 704 to the conveyor sending portion 71b. Be transported.

The blow region 713 is arranged at a position closest to the lower conveyor 33 in the conveyor delivery unit 71b. The conveyor delivery portion 71b includes at least a downstream end portion of the suction region 712, a blow region 713, and an upstream end portion of the lower cutoff region 714. In the conveyor delivery unit 71b, the suction region 712, the blow region 713, and the lower cutoff region 714 are arranged adjacent to each other in the transport direction in order from the upstream side to the downstream side.

Here, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the first pulley 721, the first shielding member 76, and the second shielding member 77. Further, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the first shielding member 76. Since the first pulley 721 and the second pulley 722 have the same shape, only the first pulley 721 will be described below. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the pulley 72 has a connecting portion 723 extending in a columnar shape along the central axis, and a plurality of disc portions 724 extending in a disk shape around the central axis. The outer end surface of the disk portion 724 comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the transport belt 71. Each of the disc portions 724 is arranged at a position in the width direction that does not overlap with the through hole 700 of the transport belt 71. As a result, the inside of the holding portion 710 and the space between the disc portions 724 communicate with each other through the through hole 700.

The side cover 74 is a member that covers both ends of the pulley 72 and the transport belt 71 in the width direction. The side cover 74 on the other side in the width direction is provided with a ventilation hole 741 (see FIG. 5) for connecting the internal space 70 surrounded by the transport belt 71 and the side cover 74 and the suction mechanism 75. As a result, when the suction mechanism 75 is driven, a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure is generated in the internal space 70 through the ventilation hole 741. Therefore, a negative pressure is also generated in the space between the disc portions 724 of the pulley 72 arranged in the internal space 70. When the through hole 700 and the internal space 70 communicate with each other, the tablet 9 held by the holding portion 710 is adsorbed to the through hole 700 by the negative pressure.

The first shielding member 76 is a member for contacting the inner peripheral surface of the transport belt 71 and shielding the through hole 700. The first shielding member 76 is arranged in the vicinity of the first pulley 721. As shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the first shielding member 76 has a plurality of first shielding portions 761 and a first fixing portion 762. The first shielding portions 761 are respectively arranged between the disc portions 724 of the first pulley 721. The first shielding portion 761 has a first shielding surface 760 which is an arc-shaped end surface. The outer end surfaces of the plurality of disc portions 724 and the first shielding surface 760 of the plurality of first shielding portions 761 form a curved surface along the inner surface of the transport belt 71. As shown in FIG. 6, the first fixing portion 762 extends from the first shielding portion 761 along the first plane portion 703 of the transport belt 71 and is fixed to the frame body 73.

At the transport direction position where the first shielding surface 760 is arranged, the communication between the through hole 700 and the internal space 70 is blocked by the first shielding portion 761 of the first shielding member 76. As a result, the action of atmospheric pressure on the through hole 700 is blocked at the position in the transport direction. Of the transport belt 71, the transport direction position that overlaps the first shielding surface 760 in the radial direction is the upper cutoff region 711. Further, in the region adjacent to the downstream side of the upper blocking region 711, the through hole 700 is not shielded by the first shielding surface 760, so that the through hole 700 communicates with the internal space 70 having a negative pressure. Therefore, the region adjacent to the downstream side of the upper blocking region 711 becomes the adsorption region 712.

The second shielding member 77 is a member for contacting the inner peripheral surface of the transport belt 71 and shielding the through hole 700. Further, the second shielding member 77 is a member for forming a pressure passage portion 774 for applying a high positive pressure to the through hole 700 at the same time.

The second shielding member 77 is arranged in the vicinity of the first pulley 721. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the second shielding member 77 has a plurality of second shielding portions 771 and a second fixing portion 772. The second shielding portions 771 are respectively arranged between the disc portions 724 of the first pulley 721. The second shielding portion 771 has a second shielding surface 770 which is an arc-shaped end surface. The outer end surfaces of the plurality of disc portions 724 and the second shielding surfaces 770 of the plurality of second shielding portions 771 form a curved surface along the inner surface of the transport belt 71. As shown in FIG. 6, the second fixing portion 772 extends from the second shielding portion 771 along the second plane portion 704 of the transport belt 71 and is fixed to the frame body 73.

The second shielding member 77 has an outlet 773 arranged near the lower end of the second shielding surface 770, and a pressure passage portion 774 extending from the outlet 773 into the second shielding member 77. The air outlet 773 is provided near the upstream end of the second shielding surface 770. The outlet 773 is arranged at a position corresponding to the transport row of the transport belt 71. That is, the outlet 773 is arranged at a position that coincides with the through hole 700 of the transport belt 71 in the width direction. Therefore, in the present embodiment, eight outlets 773 are arranged, which is the same as the number of transport rows.

The pressure passage portion 774 extends from the outlet 773 to the end of the second fixing portion 772. The end of the pressurizing passage portion 774 on the opposite side of the outlet 773 is connected to the pressurizing mechanism 78. That is, the pressure passage portion 774 connects the outlet 773 and the pressure mechanism 78. Therefore, when the pressurizing mechanism 78 is driven, gas is blown out from the outlet 773 to the outside through the pressurizing passage portion 774. By driving the pressurizing mechanism 78 at the timing when the transport belt 71 rotates and the through hole 700 and the air outlet 773 are arranged at the overlapping position, the holding portion 710 has an atmospheric pressure at a predetermined transport direction position. Higher positive pressure acts. As a result, gas is blown to the tablet 9 held in the holding portion 710 through the through hole 700, and the adsorption of the tablet 9 is released.

Of the transport direction regions in which the second shielding surface 770 is arranged, the transport direction position in which the air outlet 773 is arranged is the blow region 713 in which gas is blown from the inside of the transport belt 71 to the through hole 700. Further, in the region on the downstream side of the outlet 773 in the transport direction region in which the second shielding surface 770 is arranged, the through hole 700 and the internal space 70 are communicated with each other by the second shielding portion 771 of the second shielding member 77. It is blocked. As a result, the action of atmospheric pressure on the through hole 700 is blocked at the position in the transport direction. Therefore, in the transport belt 71, the transport direction position that overlaps the second shielding surface 770 in the radial direction on the downstream side of the outlet 773 is the lower blocking region 714. Further, in the region adjacent to the upstream side of the blow region 713, the through hole 700 is not shielded by the second shielding surface 770, so that the through hole 700 communicates with the internal space 70 having a negative pressure. Therefore, the region adjacent to the upstream side of the lower blocking region 714 is the adsorption region 712.

The lower conveyor 33 has almost the same configuration as the upper conveyor 32. Therefore, a detailed description of the lower conveyor 33 will be omitted. The blow region 713 of the conveyor sending portion 71b of the upper conveyor 32 and the tablet receiving position P2 near the upstream end of the suction region 712 of the conveyor receiving portion 71a of the lower conveyor 33 are arranged so as to face each other. ..

With the above configuration, the drum delivery section 61a of the transfer drum 31 and the conveyor receiving section 71a of the upper conveyor 32 constitute a second delivery section 302 in which the tablet 9 is delivered. In the second delivery section 302, the transport drum 31 is the "first transport section", the drum circulation section 61 is the "first circulation section", the drum delivery section 61a is the "delivery section", and the upper conveyor 32 is the "second transport section". , The conveyor belt 71 of the upper conveyor 32 constitutes the "second circulation portion", and the conveyor receiving portion 71a of the upper conveyor 32 constitutes the "receiving portion". Further, in the transport drum 31, the drum suction region 611 constitutes the “first suction region”, the drum blow region 612 constitutes the “blow region”, and the drum cutoff region 613 constitutes the “first cutoff region”. In the upper conveyor 32, the upper blocking region 711 constitutes the “second blocking region” and the suction region 712 constitutes the “second suction region”.

Here, in the second receiving unit 302, the tablet 9 delivered from the drum blow region 612 of the transport drum 31 to the tablet receiving position P1 of the upper conveyor 32 is adjacent to the downstream side of the drum blow region 612 of the transport drum 31. It is conveyed on the upper transfer conveyor 32 in a state of facing the portion. Therefore, when the action of atmospheric pressure such as negative pressure or pressurization acts on the through hole 600 from the inside of the drum circulation portion 61 in the portion adjacent to the downstream side of the drum blow region 612 of the transport drum 31, the upper transport conveyor There is a risk that the action of the atmospheric pressure will affect the tablet 9 delivered to 32. Then, due to the action of the atmospheric pressure, the tablet 9 delivered to the upper conveyor 32 may be misaligned.

In the transfer mechanism 30, the drum delivery portion 61a of the transfer drum 31 has a drum cutoff region 613. As a result, it is possible to prevent the tablet 9 delivered from the drum blow region 612 to the tablet receiving position P1 of the upper conveyor 32 from being displaced due to the change in air pressure inside the transport drum 31. Will be done.

Further, before delivery of the tablet 9 in the second receiving portion 302, the tablet 9 faces the portion adjacent to the upstream side of the tablet receiving position P1 of the upper conveyor 32 on the upstream side of the drum blow region 612 of the transport drum 31. It is transported in the state of being Therefore, when the action of atmospheric pressure such as negative pressure or pressurization acts on the through hole 700 from the inside of the conveyor 71 in the portion adjacent to the upstream side of the tablet receiving position P1 of the upper conveyor 32, the conveyor drum 31 There is a risk that the action of the atmospheric pressure will affect the tablets 9 transported above. Then, due to the action of the atmospheric pressure, there is a possibility that the tablet 9 may be misaligned before delivery.

In the transport mechanism 30, the upper conveyor receiving portion 71a of the upper conveyor 32 has an upper blocking region 711 at a position adjacent to the upstream side of the tablet receiving position P1. As a result, it is possible to prevent the tablet 9 from being displaced due to the change in air pressure inside the upper conveyor 32 before the tablet 9 is delivered. In this way, it is possible to prevent the tablet 9 from being displaced before and after the tablet 9 is delivered by the second delivery unit 302. Therefore, in the printing apparatus 1, the occurrence rate of defective products can be reduced.

Further, according to the above configuration, the conveyor sending section 71b of the upper conveyor 32 and the conveyor receiving section 71a of the lower conveyor 33 constitute a third delivery section 303 in which the tablets 9 are delivered. In the third delivery unit 303, the upper transfer conveyor 32 is the "first transfer unit", the transfer belt 71 of the upper transfer conveyor 32 is the "first circulation unit", and the conveyor delivery unit 71b of the upper transfer conveyor 32 is the "delivery unit". The lower conveyor 33 constitutes the "second conveyor", the conveyor belt 71 of the lower conveyor 33 constitutes the "second circulation portion", and the conveyor receiving portion 71a of the lower conveyor 33 constitutes the "receiving portion". Further, in the upper conveyor 32, the suction region 712 is the “first suction region”, the blow region 713 is the “blow region”, the lower cutoff region 714 is the “first cutoff region”, and the second shield portion 771 is the “first”. Shielding member ". In the lower conveyor 33, the upper blocking region 711 constitutes the "second blocking region", the suction region 712 constitutes the "second suction region", and the first shielding portion 761 constitutes the "second shielding member".

Since the conveyor delivery portion 71b of the upper conveyor 32 has the lower cutoff region 714, the upper conveyor can be transferred to the tablet 9 delivered from the blow region 713 of the upper conveyor 32 to the tablet receiving position P2 of the lower conveyor 33. The misalignment of the tablet 9 due to the change in the pressure inside the 32 is suppressed.

Since the conveyor receiving portion 71a of the lower conveyor 33 has the upper blocking region 711 at a position adjacent to the upstream side of the tablet receiving position P2, it is caused by the change in air pressure inside the lower conveyor 33 before the tablet 9 is delivered. As a result, the misalignment of the tablet 9 is suppressed. In this way, it is possible to prevent the tablet 9 from being displaced before and after the tablet 9 is delivered by the third delivery unit 303. Therefore, in the printing apparatus 1, the occurrence rate of defective products can be further reduced.

<3. About adjusting the position of the transport unit>
Subsequently, the position adjustment of each part of the transport mechanism 30 before the use of the printing device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 9 and 10. FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the positional relationship of each part of the transport mechanism 30 before the use of the printing device 1. In FIG. 9, the positions of the upper conveyor 32, the lower conveyor 33, and the unloading conveyor 34 when the printing apparatus 1 is used are shown by broken lines. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of position adjustment of each part of the transport mechanism 30 at the start of use of the printing device 1.

The printing device 1 can perform printing processing on a plurality of types of tablets 9. The thickness, size, shape, etc. of the tablet 9 differ depending on the type. Therefore, the shapes of the appropriate holding portions 610, 710, and 710 differ depending on the type of tablet 9 to be transported (printed). In this printing apparatus 1, the drum circulation unit 61 and the transport belt 71 can be replaced depending on the type of tablet 9 to be transported.

Further, regardless of whether or not the drum circulation unit 61 and the transport belt 71 are replaced for each type of print target, the appropriate interval between the transport portions at the delivery location of the tablet 9 depends on the type of tablet 9 to be transported. different. Therefore, the distance between the lower end of the supply feeder 24 and the transfer drum 31, the distance between the drum blow area 612 of the transfer drum 31 and the tablet receiving position P1 of the upper transfer conveyor 32, and the blow area 713 of the upper transfer conveyor 32. The distance between the lower transfer conveyor 33 and the tablet receiving position P2 is preferably changed depending on the type of the tablet 9 to be transferred.

If the spacing between the transport portions in the delivery portions 301, 302, and 303 is not appropriate, there is a high possibility that the tablet 9 will have defects such as chipping or the tablet 9 will be misaligned. In that case, the incidence of defective products will increase. For this reason, it is important to properly maintain the intervals between the transport units in the delivery units 301, 302, and 303.

As conceptually shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the transfer mechanism 30 of the present embodiment is a first moving mechanism 35 that moves the position of the transfer drum 31, and a second moving mechanism that moves the positions of the upper transfer conveyor 32. 36, it has a third moving mechanism 37 that moves the position of the lower conveyor 33, and a fourth moving mechanism 38 that moves the position of the unloading conveyor 34. Further, the printing device 1 has an input unit 11 for inputting an upper side to the control unit 10. The input unit 11 may be composed of, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and a display, or may be composed of a touch panel. As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 10 is communicably connected to the first moving mechanism 35, the second moving mechanism 36, the third moving mechanism 37, the fourth moving mechanism 38, and the input unit 11, respectively. ..

Before the start of use of the printing device 1, as shown in FIG. 9, the transfer drum 31, the upper transfer conveyor 32, the lower transfer conveyor 33, and the unload conveyor 34 are arranged at standby positions A1, A2, A3, and A4, respectively. Will be done. Then, by adjusting the positions, the transfer drum 31, the upper transfer conveyor 32, the lower transfer conveyor 33, and the carry-out conveyor 34 are moved to the printing positions B1, B2, B3, and B4, respectively.

When the transport portions 31 to 34 of the transport mechanism 30 are arranged at the standby positions A1 to A4, the distance between them is larger than that when they are arranged at the print positions B1 to B4. Specifically, the distance between the lower end of the supply feeder 24 and the transfer drum 31 at the standby position A1 is larger than the distance between the lower end of the supply feeder 24 and the transfer drum 31 at the printing position B1. The distance between the transfer drum 31 at the standby position A2 and the upper transfer conveyor 32 at the standby position A3 is larger than the distance between the transfer drum 31 at the print position B2 and the upper transfer conveyor 32 at the print position B3. Further, the distance between the upper conveyor 32 at the standby position A3 and the lower conveyor 33 at the standby position A4 is larger than the distance between the upper conveyor 32 at the printing position B3 and the lower conveyor 33 at the printing position B4.

In the present embodiment, in the upper conveyor 32, the pulley 72 (first pulley 721) on the side where the tablet 9 is delivered moves at the standby position A2 and the printing position B2, but the other pulley 72 (second pulley) 722) does not move. Similarly, for the lower conveyor 33, one pulley 72 for delivering and delivering the tablet 9 moves at the standby position A3 and the printing position B3, but the other pulley 72 does not move. In this way, at least at the place where the tablet 9 is delivered, it is sufficient that the interval between the transporting portions can be adjusted.

As shown in FIG. 10, at the time of position adjustment before the start of use of the printing apparatus 1, the user first prepares each circulation unit (step S1). Specifically, the drum circulation portion 61 of the transfer drum 31, the transfer belt 71 of the upper transfer conveyor 32, and the transfer belt 71 of the lower transfer conveyor 33 are required according to the type of the tablet 9 to be transferred. If there is, replace it.

Subsequently, the user inputs information regarding the type of the tablet 9 to be printed (transported target) to the control unit 10 via the input unit 11 (step S2). In the present embodiment, the storage unit 103 of the control unit 10 stores in advance data including information on the printing positions B1, B2, B3, and B4 of each part of the transport mechanism 30 for each type of tablet 9. .. Therefore, when the type of the tablet 9 is input, the control unit 10 calls the data from the storage unit 103 and performs the following steps S3 to S7. The information input in step S2 may be information on the shape and size of the tablet 9.

After the control unit 10 recognizes the print positions B1, B2, B3, and B4, the control unit 10 causes the first movement mechanism 35 to move the transport drum 31 from the standby position A1 to the print position B1 (step S3). As a result, the transfer drum 31 approaches the supply feeder 24 side from the standby position A1, and the distance between the supply feeder 24 and the transfer drum 31 becomes an interval according to the type of the tablet 9.

Next, the control unit 10 causes the second moving mechanism 36 to move the upper conveyor 32 from the standby position A2 to the printing position B2 (step S4). As a result, the upper transfer conveyor 32 approaches the transfer drum 31 side from the standby position A2, and the distance between the transfer drum 31 and the upper transfer conveyor 32 becomes an interval according to the type of the tablet 9.

After that, the control unit 10 causes the third moving mechanism 37 to move the lower conveyor 33 from the standby position A3 to the printing position B3 (step S5). As a result, the lower conveyor 33 approaches from the standby position A3 to the upper conveyor 32 side, and the distance between the upper conveyor 32 and the lower conveyor 33 becomes an interval according to the type of the tablet 9.

Then, the control unit 10 moves the unloading conveyor 34 from the standby position A4 to the printing position B4 (step S6). As a result, the unloading conveyor 34 approaches the lower transport conveyor 33 from the standby position A4.

In this way, the distance between the transport units 31 to 34 of the transport mechanism 30 is set according to the type of the tablet 9. As a result, the tablet 9 can be delivered between the transport units 31 to 34 of the transport mechanism 30 at intervals according to the type of the tablet 9. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tablet 9 from being chipped or the tablet 9 from being misaligned when the tablet 9 is delivered between the transport units 31 to 34.

When the movements of the transport units 31 to 34 of the transport mechanism 30 in steps S3 to S6 are completed, the positions of the drum circulation portion 61 and the transport belt 71, which are circulation portions having the holding portions 610 and 710, are subsequently adjusted. (Steps S7 to S9).

First, the control unit 10 rotates the drum circulation unit 61 to adjust the position of the drum circulation unit 61 of the transport drum 31 in the transport direction to the initial position (step S7). In the present embodiment, in the initial position, the drum circulation portion 61 is arranged so that the portion between the rows formed by the holding portion 610 faces the lower end portion of the supply feeder 24. As a result, the tablets 9 supplied into the supply feeder 24 before the start of transportation by the transfer mechanism 30 are prevented from colliding with the edge portion of the holding portion 610 and being lost.

Next, the control unit 10 rotates the conveyor belt 71 of the upper conveyor 32 to adjust the transport direction position of the conveyor belt 71 to the initial position (step S8). The initial position of the conveyor belt 71 of the upper conveyor 32 is determined depending on the initial position of the drum circulation portion 61 of the conveyor drum 31. Specifically, the transport direction position of the holding portion 710 of the upper transport conveyor 32 and the transport position of the holding portion 610 of the transport drum 31 are arranged at positions facing each other in the second delivery section 302.

Subsequently, the control unit 10 rotates the conveyor belt 71 of the lower conveyor 33 to adjust the transport direction position of the conveyor belt 71 to the initial position (step S9). The initial position of the conveyor belt 71 of the lower conveyor 33 is determined depending on the initial position of the conveyor belt 71 of the upper conveyor 32. Specifically, the transport direction position of the holding portion 710 of the lower conveyor 33 and the transport direction position of the holding portion 710 of the upper conveyor 32 are arranged at positions facing each other in the third delivery portion 303.

In steps S7 to S9, by adjusting the transport direction positions of the holding portions 610 and 710 of the circulating portions 61 and 71, the tablet 9 is delivered between the holding portions 610 and 710 at the delivery portions 301, 302 and 303. Can be done smoothly. Therefore, the misalignment of the tablet 9 can be suppressed.

In this embodiment, the transport drum 31 is moved in order to adjust the distance between the supply feeder 24 and the transport drum 31. However, the supply feeder 24 side may be moved in order to adjust the distance between the supply feeder 24 and the transfer drum 31. Similarly, the order of movement and the direction of movement of each of the transport units 31 to 34 are not limited to those described above.

<4. Modification example>
Although the main embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

The above-mentioned transport mechanism 30 is provided inside the printing apparatus 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. The transport mechanism 30 of the present invention may be used for applications other than the printing device 1.

Further, the above-mentioned printing device 1 is a device that prints on both sides of the tablet 9 by the first printing unit 41 and the second printing unit 42. However, the tablet printing device of the present invention may be a device that prints only on one side of the tablet 9.

Further, the detailed configuration of the printing apparatus 1 may be different from each drawing of the present application. Further, the elements appearing in the above-described embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined as long as there is no contradiction.

1 Printing device 9 Tablets 10 Control unit 24 Supply feeder 30 Transfer mechanism 31 Transfer drum 32 Upper transfer conveyor 33 Lower transfer conveyor 34 Carry-out conveyor 61 Drum circulation part 61a Drum delivery part 62 Cylindrical part 63 Drum cover part
64 Suction mechanism 65 Pressurization mechanism 70 Internal space 71 Conveyor belt 71a Conveyor receiving part 71b Conveyor sending part 72 Pulley 74 Side cover 75 Suction mechanism 76 1st shielding member 77 2nd shielding member 78 Pressurizing mechanism 600 Through hole 610 Holding part 611 Drum suction area 612 Drum blow area 613 Drum cutoff area 621 Outer peripheral surface 622 Recess 623 Suction passage part 624 Suction port 625 Pressure passage part 626 Air outlet 700 Through hole 710 Holding part 711 Upper cutoff area 712 Suction area 713 Blow area 714 Lower side Blocking area 723 Connecting part 724 Disc 760 1st shielding surface 761 1st shielding part 762 1st fixing part 770 2nd shielding surface 771 2nd shielding part 772 2nd fixing part 773 Air outlet 774 Pressurized passage part

Claims (6)

A transport device for transporting granular materials.
An upper conveyor with a circulation belt-shaped conveyor belt and
A lower conveyor arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction of the upper conveyor and having a circulation belt-shaped conveyor belt, and a lower conveyor.
With
The upper conveyor and the lower conveyor each have a plurality of through holes arranged at intervals in the transport direction.
The upper conveyor and the lower conveyor each attract the granules to the through holes by applying a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure to the plurality of through holes.
The upper conveyor has a cylindrical surface-shaped delivery portion.
The lower conveyor has a cylindrical receiving portion that faces the sending portion with a gap.
In the region where the sending portion and the receiving portion are closest to each other, the negative pressure from the through hole of the upper conveyor and the negative pressure from the through hole of the lower conveyor act on the granules at the same time.
The upper conveyor has a first shielding member for shielding the through hole on the downstream side in the conveying direction from the region where the sending portion and the receiving portion are closest to each other.
The lower conveyor has a second shielding member for shielding the through hole on the upstream side in the conveying direction from the region where the sending portion and the receiving portion are closest to each other.
The first shielding member is a conveyor having an air outlet on the upstream side of the upper conveyor in the transport direction, which applies a positive pressure higher than atmospheric pressure to the through hole. The transport device according to claim 1.
The upper conveyor and the lower conveyor
It also has a pair of cylindrical pulleys
A transport device in which the transport belt is annularly hung between the pair of pulleys and circulates around the pair of pulleys. The transport device according to claim 2.
Each of the pulleys of the upper conveyor
It has a plurality of discs that are spaced apart in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction and have a cylindrical outer peripheral surface that abuts on the inner peripheral surface of the transport belt.
The through holes of the upper conveyor are arranged at positions that do not overlap the plurality of discs in the width direction.
The first shielding member is a transport device arranged between the plurality of discs. The transport device according to claim 3.
Each of the pulleys of the lower conveyor
It has a plurality of discs that are spaced apart in the width direction and have a cylindrical outer peripheral surface that abuts on the inner peripheral surface of the transport belt.
The through holes of the lower conveyor are arranged at positions that do not overlap the plurality of discs in the width direction.
The second shielding member is a transport device arranged between the plurality of discs. The transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The transport device, wherein the granules are tablets. The transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
A printing unit that ejects ink droplets onto the surface of the particles transported by the transport device, and
Has a printing device.

Images