JP7166990B2 - Particulate matter processing device and particulate matter processing method - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a granular material processing apparatus and a granular material processing method for performing a predetermined treatment on the surface of a granular material.

Characters and codes for identifying the product are printed on the surface of the tablet, which is a medicine. In addition, there are cases where marks and illustrations are printed on tablets such as ramune. Conventionally, there has been known a printing apparatus that prints an image on the surface of such granular materials such as tablets and tablet confectionery by an inkjet method. In particular, in recent years, the spread of generic drugs has led to a diversification of tablet types. For this reason, in order to make it easier to identify tablets, attention has been focused on a technique for clearly printing both the front and back surfaces of a tablet using an ink-jet method.

The printing apparatus of Patent Document 1 has an upstream transport section (3) and a downstream transport section (4). In the transport unit (3) on the upstream side, the tablet (T) is printed by the first printing unit (201) while transporting the tablet (T). In the downstream conveying section (4), while receiving and conveying a plurality of tablets (T) from the upstream conveying section (3) in an inverted state, the tablets (T) are printed by the second printing section (202). T). Thereby, printing is performed on the front surface and the back surface of the tablet (T).

JP 2017-200495 A

However, in Patent Document 1, both the upstream transport section (3) and the downstream transport section (4) are provided with a printing section and an imaging section attached to the printing section. That is, in Patent Document 1, a processing unit for performing printing and photographing on one side of the tablet and a processing unit for performing printing and photographing on the other side of the tablet are provided separately. ing. For this reason, in the structure of Patent Document 1, the number of parts of the printing apparatus increases, and it is difficult to reduce the size of the printing apparatus.

In order to print on both sides of the tablet with one printing unit, while conveying the tablet along the circular conveying path, the tablet is turned over at a certain position on the conveying path, It is conceivable to print the tablets at other locations. Moreover, in order to turn over the tablet, one side and the other side of the tablet may be alternately held and delivered. However, when the tablet is handed over, there is a risk that the tablet will fall off if the force for holding the tablet is weak, or that the tablet will break if an excessive load is applied to the tablet.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an inversion mechanism for turning over a granular material by alternately holding one surface and the other surface of the granular material conveyed by a conveying mechanism and delivering the granular material. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device that has a mechanism and that can prevent granules from falling off or being damaged when the granules are delivered by the reversing mechanism.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the first invention of the present application is a granular material processing apparatus for performing a predetermined treatment on the surface of granular materials, in which the granular materials are conveyed along a conveying path while holding the granular materials. a processing unit that performs the predetermined process on the first surface or the second surface of the granular material at a processing position of the transport mechanism on the transport path; and a reversing position of the transport mechanism on the transport path. and a reversing mechanism for reversing the front and back of the granular material, wherein the reversing mechanism includes a plurality of suction holes or suction slits in which a plurality of granular materials are sucked and held, and at least the plurality of suction holes or the suction slits. an elastic member that contacts the granular material at each edge , the conveying mechanism conveys the granular material along the annular conveying path, and the reversing mechanism reverses the front and back of the granular material. , to move the position of the granules in the width direction on the conveying path .

A second invention of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus according to the first invention, wherein the reversing mechanism has a first conical or pyramidal shape centered on a first axis inclined with respect to the width direction of the conveying path. a first slanted drum having flanks and a second slanted drum adjacent to said first slanted drum and having a conical or pyramidal second flank about a second axis slanted with respect to said widthwise direction; and the first inclined drum has, on the first side surface, the plurality of suction holes arranged in an annular shape about the first axis or the suction slits in an annular shape about the first axis. and the second inclined drum has, on the second side surface, the plurality of suction holes arranged in an annular shape centering on the second axis or the annular suction slit centered on the second axis. and the first inclined drum rotates while sucking and holding the granular material delivered from the conveying mechanism on the first side surface, delivers the granular material to the second inclined drum, and receives the granular material from the second inclined drum. The drum rotates while attracting and holding the granular material delivered from the first inclined drum to the second side surface, and delivers the granular material to the conveying mechanism.

A third invention of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus according to the second invention, wherein the first tilting drum and the second tilting drum are detachable from the tilting drum body and the tilting drum body, respectively. , and the elastic member having the plurality of suction holes or the suction slits.

A fourth invention of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus according to the third invention, wherein the inclined drum body has a base member and a pressing member fixed to the top of the base member, and the elastic member is , an annular shape centered on the first axis or the second axis, and sandwiched between the base member and the pressing member.

A fifth invention of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus according to the third invention, wherein the first inclined drum and the second inclined drum have the plurality of suction holes, and a plurality of suction holes provided for each of the suction holes. , wherein the plurality of elastic members are arranged in an annular shape around the first axis or the second axis.

A sixth invention of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus according to the first invention, wherein the conveying mechanism includes a holding surface in which a plurality of suction holes or suction slits for sucking and holding the granular materials are arranged in the width direction. The holding surface has a first area and a second area adjacent to each other in the width direction, and the reversing mechanism is held by a suction hole or a suction slit in the first area. The particulate matter is moved to the suction holes or suction slits of the second region.

A seventh invention of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus according to any one of the second invention to the fifth invention, wherein the vertical angle of the first inclined drum when viewed in the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism The sum with the vertical angle of the second tilting drum is 180°.

The eighth invention of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus according to any one of the second invention to the fifth invention or the seventh invention, wherein the first inclination when viewed in the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism The vertical angle of the drum and the vertical angle of the second inclined drum are both 90°.

A ninth invention of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus according to the eighth invention, wherein the first inclined drum and the second inclined drum have the same shape and size.

A tenth invention of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus according to any one of the second to fifth inventions or any one of the seventh to ninth inventions, wherein is larger than the adsorption force of the particulate matter at the first side surface.

An eleventh invention of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth inventions, wherein the processing section includes a printing section that prints on the surface of the granular material by an inkjet method.

A twelfth invention of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus according to any one of the first to eleventh inventions, wherein the processing section includes a camera for photographing the surface of the granular material.

A thirteenth invention of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus according to any one of the first to twelfth inventions, wherein the granular material is a tablet.

A fourteenth invention of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus according to any one of the first invention to the thirteenth invention, wherein the elastic member is made of silicone rubber.

A fifteenth invention of the present application is a granular material processing method for performing a predetermined treatment on the surface of the granular material, comprising: a) the step of carrying the granular material into an annular conveying path; and b) after the step a), a step of performing the predetermined treatment on the first surface of the granular material at a processing position on the conveying path while conveying the granular material along the conveying path, and c) after the step b), on the conveying path d) after step c), while conveying the granules along the conveying path, the second surface of the granules at the processing position; and e) carrying out the particulate matter from the conveying path after the step d), wherein the particulate matter is adsorbed to the adsorption holes or the adsorption slits in the step c). and, while holding the granular material by bringing it into contact with the elastic member forming the edge of the suction hole or the suction slit, the granular material is turned upside down , and in step c), the front side and back of the granular material are turned over. and move the position of the granular material in the width direction on the conveying path .

According to the first to fifteenth inventions of the present application, a plurality of particulates are sucked and held in a plurality of suction holes or suction slits, and the edges of the plurality of suction holes or suction slits are in contact with the elastic member. while turning the granules upside down. This makes it possible to easily prevent the particles from falling off or being damaged.

In particular, according to the second invention of the present application, it is possible to reduce the length in the conveying direction required for the reversing mechanism.

In particular, according to the third and fifth inventions of the present application, even if the granular material to be turned inside out is changed to another type of granular material having a different thickness or diameter, the changed granular material By selecting the most suitable elastic member for the thickness, diameter, etc., and attaching it to the inclined drum, it is possible to easily deal with the problem.

In particular, according to the ninth invention of the present application, the first tilting drum and the second tilting drum can be shared as parts.

In particular, according to the tenth invention of the present application, it is possible to further suppress the drop of the granular material when the granular material is transferred from the first side surface to the second side surface.

In particular, according to the fourteenth invention of the present application, the elastic member can be easily processed and molded.

It is a side view of a tablet printing device. It is a top view of a tablet printing apparatus. It is a bottom view of a tablet printing apparatus. 4 is a partial perspective view of the transport mechanism; FIG. It is a bottom view of a head. It is the figure which looked at the conveyance mechanism and the reversing mechanism from the direction of the outline arrow V in FIG. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the tilting drum; 3 is a block diagram showing connections between a control unit and each unit; FIG. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of the process in a tablet printing apparatus. Fig. 10 is a graph showing the transfer success rate when tablets are transferred from a first inclined drum to a second inclined drum in a conventional tablet printing apparatus; Fig. 10 is a graph showing the delivery success rate when tablets are delivered from the second inclined drum to the second area in a conventional tablet printing apparatus; FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of a base member according to a modified example; It is a side view of the tablet printing apparatus which concerns on a modification. 1. It is the figure which looked at the conveyance mechanism and reversing mechanism which concern on a modification from the direction of the outline arrow V in FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 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 tablets are conveyed is called "conveying direction", and the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and along the holding surface is called "width direction".

<1. Overall configuration of tablet printing device>
FIG. 1 is a side view of a tablet printing apparatus 1, which is an example of a granular material processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view of the tablet printing apparatus 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the tablet printing apparatus 1. FIG.

This tablet printing apparatus 1 is a device that prints images such as a product name, a product code, a company name, a logo mark, etc. on both sides of each tablet 9 while conveying a plurality of tablets 9 that are granular materials. The tablet 9 may be an uncoated tablet (uncoated tablet) or a coated tablet such as a sugar-coated tablet or a film-coated tablet (FC tablet). Tablet 9 may also be a capsule, including hard capsules and soft capsules. In addition, the “particulate matter” in the present invention is not limited to tablets as pharmaceuticals, but may be tablets as health foods, tablet confectionery such as soda pop.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a loading mechanism 10, a conveying mechanism 20, a printing unit 30, a first camera 40, a second camera 50, a drying mechanism 60, a reversing mechanism 70, An unloading mechanism 80 and a control unit 90 are provided.

The carry-in mechanism 10 is a mechanism for carrying a plurality of tablets 9 put into the tablet printing apparatus 1 into the transport mechanism 20 . The carrying-in mechanism 10 has an alignment mechanism (not shown) composed of a vibration feeder, a rotary feeder, a chute, etc., and a carrying-in drum 11 . A plurality of tablets 9 loaded into the tablet printing apparatus 1 are aligned in a plurality of rows (three rows in this embodiment) by the alignment mechanism and supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the carry-in drum 11 . The carrying-in drum 11 rotates while sucking and holding a plurality of aligned tablets 9 one by one on its outer peripheral surface. As a result, the plurality of tablets 9 in each row are arranged at equal intervals in the conveying direction. Each tablet 9 held by the loading drum 11 is conveyed in an arc by the rotation of the loading drum 11 and transferred to the conveying mechanism 20 .

The conveying mechanism 20 is a mechanism that holds a plurality of tablets 9 and conveys them along an annular conveying path. The transport mechanism 20 has a pair of pulleys 21 and an annular transport belt 22 stretched between the pair of pulleys 21 . One of the pair of pulleys 21 is rotated by power obtained from a transport motor 23 . As a result, the conveyor belt 22 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. At this time, the other of the pair of pulleys 21 is driven to rotate as the conveyor belt 22 rotates.

4 is a partial perspective view of the transport mechanism 20. FIG. As shown in FIG. 4 , a plurality of suction holes 221 are provided on a holding surface 220 that is the outer peripheral surface of the conveying belt 22 . The plurality of suction holes 221 are arranged at regular intervals in the transport direction and width direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 1 , the transport mechanism 20 has a suction mechanism 24 that sucks gas from the space inside the transport belt 22 . When the suction mechanism 24 is operated, the space inside the conveying belt 22 becomes a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure. The plurality of tablets 9 are adsorbed and held in the adsorption holes 221 by the negative pressure.

In this manner, the plurality of tablets 9 are held on the surface of the transport belt 22 while being aligned in the transport direction and the width direction. The transport mechanism 20 then rotates the transport belt 22 to transport the plurality of tablets 9 along the annular transport path. A plurality of tablets 9 are horizontally conveyed below four heads 31, which will be described later.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the transport mechanism 20 has three first blow mechanisms B1 and one second blow mechanism B2. The three first blow mechanisms B1 are located inside the conveying belt 22 and at positions facing the first inclined drum 71, the third inclined drum 73, and the fifth inclined drum 75, which will be described later, via the conveying belt 22. is provided. The three first blow mechanisms B1 supply gas to only the suction holes 221 facing the first inclined drum 71, the third inclined drum 73, and the fifth inclined drum 75 among the plurality of suction holes 221 of the conveying belt 22. spray. Then, the suction hole 221 becomes a positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. As a result, the adsorption of the tablets 9 in the adsorption holes 221 is released, and the tablets 9 are transferred from the transport belt 22 to the first, third, and fifth inclined drums 71 , 73 and 75 .

The second blowing mechanism B<b>2 is provided inside the conveyor belt 22 and at a position facing the later-described discharge chute 81 via the conveyor belt 22 . The second blow mechanism B<b>2 blows gas only to the suction holes 221 facing the carry-out chute 81 among the plurality of suction holes 221 of the conveyor belt 22 . Then, the suction hole 221 becomes a positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. As a result, the suction of the tablets 9 in the suction holes 221 is released, and the tablets 9 fall from the conveyor belt 22 to the discharge chute 81 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holding surface 220 of the conveyor belt 22 of the present embodiment includes a first area A1 for holding the tablets 9 before being reversed by the later-described reversing mechanism 70, and a first area A1 for holding the tablets 9 after being reversed. and a second area A2 that holds the The first area A1 and the second area A2 are adjacent to each other in the width direction. In this embodiment, the plurality of suction holes 221 are provided in three rows in the width direction in each of the first area A1 and the second area A2. The tablet 9 carried in by the carrying-in mechanism 10 described above is sucked and held in the suction holes 221 of the first area A1. A plurality of tablets 9 printed on both sides are delivered to the carry-out mechanism 80 through the suction holes 221 in the second area A2.

The printing unit 30 is a processing unit that prints on the surface of the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveying belt 22 by an inkjet method. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printing section 30 of this embodiment has four heads 31 . The four heads 31 are positioned above the transport belt 22 and arranged in a row along the transport direction of the tablets 9 . Each head 31 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2 of the conveyor belt 22 . The four heads 31 eject ink droplets of different colors (eg, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) toward the surface of the tablet 9 . Then, a multicolor image is recorded on the surface of the tablet 9 by superimposing monochromatic images formed by these colors. The ink ejected from each head 31 is edible ink manufactured from raw materials approved by the Japanese Pharmacopoeia, the Food Sanitation Law, and the like.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of one head 31. FIG. In FIG. 5, the conveyor belt 22 and the plurality of tablets 9 held by the conveyor belt 22 are indicated by two-dot chain lines. As shown enlarged in FIG. 5, a plurality of nozzles 311 capable of ejecting ink droplets are provided on an ejection surface 310 that is the lower surface of the head 31 . In this embodiment, a plurality of nozzles 311 are two-dimensionally arranged in the transport direction and width direction on the lower surface of the head 31 . The nozzles 311 are arranged with their positions shifted in the width direction. By arranging the plurality of nozzles 311 two-dimensionally in this manner, the positions of the nozzles 311 in the width direction can be brought closer to each other. However, the plurality of nozzles 311 may be arranged in a row along the width direction.

As a method for ejecting ink droplets from the nozzles 311, for example, a so-called piezo method is used, in which ink in the nozzles 311 is pressurized and ejected by applying a voltage to a piezo element, which is a piezoelectric element, to deform it. However, the method of ejecting the ink droplets may be a so-called thermal method in which the heater is energized to heat and expand the ink in the nozzle 311 to eject the ink droplets.

The first camera 40 is a processing unit for photographing the surface of the tablet 9 before printing. The first camera 40 is located downstream of the carry-in drum 11 in the transport path and upstream of the four heads 31 in the transport path. Also, the first camera 40 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. For the first camera 40, for example, a line sensor in which imaging elements such as CCD and CMOS are arranged in the width direction is used. A first camera 40 photographs a plurality of tablets 9 conveyed by the conveying belt 22 . The captured image is transmitted from the first camera 40 to the control unit 90, which will be described later. Based on the image obtained from the first camera 40 , the control unit 90 detects the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in each suction hole 221 , the position of the tablet 9 and the orientation of the tablet 9 . Based on the image obtained from the first camera 40, the control unit 90 also inspects each tablet 9 for defects such as chipping.

The second camera 50 is a processing unit for photographing the surface of the tablet 9 after printing. The second camera 50 is located downstream of the four heads 31 in the transport path and upstream of the drying mechanism 60 in the transport path. Also, the second camera 50 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. For the second camera 50, for example, a line sensor in which imaging elements such as CCD and CMOS are arranged in the width direction is used. A second camera 50 photographs a plurality of tablets 9 conveyed by the conveying belt 22 . An image obtained by photographing is transmitted from the second camera 50 to the control unit 90, which will be described later. The control unit 90 inspects the quality of the image printed on the surface of the tablet 9 based on the image obtained from the second camera 50 .

The drying mechanism 60 is a mechanism for drying ink adhering to the surface of the tablet 9 . The drying mechanism 60 is located downstream of the second camera 50 in the transport path and upstream of the transport path from the reversing mechanism 70 and the carry-out chute 81 which will be described later. Moreover, the drying mechanism 60 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. For the drying mechanism 60, for example, a hot air supply mechanism that blows heated gas (hot air) toward the tablets 9 conveyed by the conveying belt 22 is used. The ink adhering to the surface of the tablet 9 is dried by hot air and fixed to the surface of the tablet 9 .

As described above, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has four processing units: the printing unit 30 , the first camera 40 , the second camera 50 and the drying mechanism 60 . Each processing unit performs predetermined processing, that is, printing, photographing, and drying, on the surface of tablet 9 at each processing position on the transport path in transport mechanism 20 .

The reversing mechanism 70 is a mechanism that reverses the front and back of the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveying belt 22 and moves the tablet 9 from the first area A1 to the second area A2. The reversing mechanism 70 is located downstream of the carry-out chute 81 and upstream of the carry-in drum 11 in the transport path.

FIG. 6 is a view of the conveying mechanism 20 and the reversing mechanism 70 viewed from the direction of the outline arrow V in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 6, the reversing mechanism 70 of this embodiment includes a first tilting drum 71, a second tilting drum 72, a third tilting drum 73, a fourth tilting drum 74, a fifth tilting drum It has a drum 75 and a sixth inclined drum 76 .

The first tilting drum 71 and the second tilting drum 72 are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction. The third tilting drum 73 and the fourth tilting drum 74 are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction downstream of the first tilting drum 71 and the second tilting drum 72 in the conveying path. The fifth tilting drum 75 and the sixth tilting drum 76 are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction downstream of the third tilting drum 73 and the fourth tilting drum 74 in the conveying path. Below, the position where the first tilted drum 71 and the second tilted drum 72 are provided on the transport path of the transport mechanism 20 is referred to as the "first reversing position", and the position where the third tilted drum 73 and the fourth tilted drum 74 are provided. is referred to as a "second reversing position", and the position where the fifth tilting drum 75 and the sixth tilting drum 76 are provided is referred to as a "third reversing position".

The first inclined drum 71 has a conical first side surface 710 centered on a first axis C1 inclined with respect to the width direction. A portion of the first side surface 710 faces the first area A1 of the conveyor belt 22 with a small gap therebetween. Also, the first tilting drum 71 is fixed to the output shaft of the first motor 71M. When the first motor 71M is driven, the first tilting drum 71 rotates about the first axis C1.

The second inclined drum 72 has a conical second side surface 720 centered on a second axis C2 inclined with respect to the width direction. The first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction so that their top portions face each other. A portion of the second side surface 720 faces the second area A2 of the conveyor belt 22 with a slight gap therebetween. Another portion of the second side surface 720 faces the first side surface 710 with a small gap therebetween. Also, the second tilting drum 72 is fixed to the output shaft of the second motor 72M. When the second motor 72M is driven, the second tilting drum 72 rotates about the second axis C2.

In this embodiment, the vertical angle of the first tilted drum 71 and the vertical angle of the second tilted drum 72 when viewed in the transport direction of the transport mechanism 20 are both 90°. Further, the inclination angle of the first axis C1 with respect to the holding surface 220 is 45°. Further, the inclination angle of the second axis C2 with respect to the holding surface 220 is 45°. Therefore, the first side surface 710 and the second side surface 720 face each other at a position of 90° with respect to the holding surface 220 . Also, the first tilting drum 71 and the second tilting drum 72 have the same shape, structure and size. Therefore, the first tilting drum 71 and the second tilting drum 72 can be shared as components. Thereby, the manufacturing cost of the tablet printing apparatus 1 can be reduced.

7 is an exploded perspective view of each of the first tilting drum 71 and the second tilting drum 72. FIG. As shown in FIG. 7 , each of the first tilting drum 71 and the second tilting drum 72 has a base member 51 , an elastic member 52 and a pressing member 53 . A portion of each of the first tilting drum 71 and the second tilting drum 72 excluding the elastic member 52 is made of, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel. However, the first tilting drum 71 and the second tilting drum 72 as a whole may be made of elastic silicon rubber or the like.

The base member 51 has a base surface 511 , a flange portion 512 and a tip projecting portion 513 . The base surface 511 forms the outer peripheral surface of the base member 51 between the flange portion 512 and the tip projecting portion 513 . In the first inclined drum 71, the base surface 511 spreads in an annular shape about the first axis C1. The flange portion 512 protrudes outward along the entire circumference from the peripheral portion of the end portion of the base member 51 on the first motor 71M side. The tip protrusion 513 protrudes from near the tip of the base surface 511 along the first axis C1. A threaded hole 514 recessed along the first axis C<b>1 is formed in the end face of the distal projection 513 on the distal end side. Similarly, in the second tilting drum 72, the base surface 511 extends annularly around the second axis C2. The flange portion 512 protrudes outward over the entire circumference from the peripheral portion of the end portion of the base member 51 on the second motor 72M side. The tip protrusion 513 protrudes from near the tip of the base surface 511 along the second axis C2. A threaded hole 514 recessed along the second axis C<b>2 is formed in the end face of the distal projection 513 on the distal end side.

Furthermore, the base member 51 is provided with a plurality of base through holes 510 . Each of the plurality of base through-holes 510 opens to the base surface 511 while penetrating the base member 51 in the thickness direction. In the first tilting drum 71, a plurality of (six in this embodiment) base through-holes 510 are provided in an annular shape around the first axis C1 at equal angular intervals. In the second tilting drum 72, a plurality (six in this embodiment) of base through-holes 510 are provided in an annular shape around the second axis C2 at equal angular intervals. The diameter of the base through-hole 510 is preferably larger than the diameter of the through-hole 520 formed in the elastic member 52, which will be described later. Also, the plurality of base through-holes 510 may be connected to each other.

The elastic member 52 has a truncated cone tubular three-dimensional shape. Silicon rubber, for example, is used as the material of the elastic member 52 . Thereby, the elastic member 52 can be easily processed and molded. However, the elastic member 52 may be made of any material that has higher elasticity than the base member 51 and the pressing member 53, such as urethane rubber (urethane foam) or butyl rubber. Also, the inner diameter of the elastic member 52 is smaller than the outer diameter of the flange portion 512 of the base member 51 . As will be described later, the elastic member 52 is arranged on the base surface 511 of the base member 51 . In the first tilting drum 71, the elastic member 52 spreads in an annular shape about the first axis C1. Then, the outer peripheral surface of the elastic member 52 becomes the above-described first side surface 710 . In the second tilting drum 72, the elastic member 52 spreads in an annular shape about the second axis C2. Then, the outer peripheral surface of the elastic member 52 becomes the above-described second side surface 720 .

Furthermore, the elastic member 52 is provided with a plurality of (six in this embodiment) through holes 520 . Each of the plurality of through holes 520 penetrates the elastic member 52 in the thickness direction. Each through-hole 520 overlaps with the base through-hole 510 in the thickness direction and communicates with the base through-hole 510 when the elastic member 52 described later is arranged on the base surface 511 . As a result, a plurality of (six in this embodiment) first suction holes 711 are formed in an annular shape around the first axis C1 at equal angular intervals on the first side surface 710 of the first inclined drum 71. . Also, on the second side surface 720 of the second tilting drum 72, a plurality of (six in this embodiment) second suction holes 721 are formed in an annular shape around the second axis C2 at equal angular intervals.

The pressing member 53 has a hat-shaped three-dimensional shape. The pressing member 53 has a recess 530 , a flange portion 531 and a through hole 532 . The recessed portion 530 is a portion that is recessed toward the tip side from the opening that opens in the end surface of the pressing member 53 on the side of the base surface 511 . The flange portion 531 protrudes outward along the entire circumference from the peripheral portion of the end portion of the pressing member 53 on the side of the base surface 511 . The outer diameter of the flange portion 531 is larger than the inner diameter of the distal end of the elastic member 52 . The through-hole 532 penetrates the end surface (bottom surface of the concave portion 530) of the pressing member 53 on the tip side in the thickness direction.

When assembling the first tilting drum 71 and the second tilting drum 72 , first, the elastic member 52 is placed on the base surface 511 , and the tip protrusion 513 of the base member 51 is inserted into the recess 530 of the pressing member 53 . Then, the screw 54 is screwed into the screw hole 514 of the base member 51 while passing through the through hole 532 of the pressing member 53 . Thereby, the elastic member 52 is clamped and fixed between the base member 51 and the pressing member 53 .

The pressure in the internal space of the first tilting drum 71 is kept at a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure by a suction mechanism (not shown). The first inclined drum 71 holds the plurality of tablets 9 one by one in the plurality of first suction holes 711 by this negative pressure. Similarly, the pressure in the inner space of the second tilting drum 72 is also maintained at a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure by a suction mechanism (not shown). The second inclined drum 72 holds the plurality of tablets 9 one by one in the plurality of second suction holes 721 by this negative pressure.

Here, when the first inclined drum 71 sucks and holds each tablet 9 in the first suction hole 711 , each tablet 9 contacts the elastic member 52 at the edge of the first suction hole 711 . Also, when the second inclined drum 72 sucks and holds each tablet 9 in the second suction hole 721 , each tablet 9 contacts the elastic member 52 at the edge of the second suction hole 721 . The effect of this will be described later in detail.

As indicated by broken lines in FIG. 6, inside the first tilting drum 71, a third blowing mechanism B3 is provided. The third blow mechanism B<b>3 blows gas only to the first suction holes 711 facing the second tilted drum 72 among the plurality of first suction holes 711 of the first tilted drum 71 . Then, the pressure in the first adsorption hole 711 becomes a positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. As a result, the adsorption of the tablets 9 in the first adsorption holes 711 is released, and the tablets 9 are transferred from the first adsorption holes 711 of the first inclined drum 71 to the second adsorption holes 721 of the second inclined drum 72. .

A fourth blowing mechanism B4 is provided inside the second tilting drum 72, as indicated by a dashed line in FIG. The fourth blow mechanism B<b>4 blows gas only to the second suction holes 721 facing the second area A<b>2 of the conveyor belt 22 among the plurality of second suction holes 721 of the second inclined drum 72 . Then, the second suction holes 721 have a positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. As a result, the suction of the tablets 9 at the second suction holes 721 is released, and the tablets 9 are delivered from the second suction holes 721 of the second inclined drum 72 to the suction holes 221 of the second area A2 of the conveyor belt 22. be

The suction force of the tablets 9 by the plurality of second suction holes 721 on the second side surface 720 is preferably slightly larger than the suction force of the tablets 9 by the plurality of first suction holes 711 on the first side surface 710 . By doing so, when the tablets 9 are transferred from the first suction holes 711 of the first inclined drum 71 to the second suction holes 721 of the second inclined drum 72, the tablets 9 are less likely to fall off. However, the adsorption force of the plurality of first adsorption holes 711 of the first inclined drum 71 and the adsorption force of the plurality of second adsorption holes 721 of the second inclined drum 72 may be the same.

The third tilting drum 73 and the fourth tilting drum 74 have the same structure as the first tilting drum 71 and the second tilting drum 72 and, like the first tilting drum 71 and the second tilting drum 72, are arranged adjacent to each other. It is However, the third tilted drum 73 and the fourth tilted drum 74 are arranged at a second transfer position downstream of the first transfer position where the first tilted drum 71 and the second tilted drum 72 are arranged. . Further, the third tilted drum 73 and the fourth tilted drum 74 are shifted in the width direction from the first tilted drum 71 and the second tilted drum 72 by one widthwise arrangement interval of the tablets 9. are placed. The third tilting drum 73 is fixed to the output shaft of the third motor 73M. The fourth tilting drum 74 is fixed to the output shaft of the fourth motor 74M.

The fifth tilting drum 75 and the sixth tilting drum 76 also have the same structure as the first tilting drum 71 and the second tilting drum 72, and are arranged adjacently like the first tilting drum 71 and the second tilting drum 72. It is However, the fifth inclined drum 75 and the sixth inclined drum 76 are arranged at a third delivery position downstream of the second delivery position where the third inclined drum 73 and the fourth inclined drum 74 are arranged. . In addition, the fifth tilted drum 75 and the sixth tilted drum 76 are shifted in the width direction from the third tilted drum 73 and the fourth tilted drum 74 by one widthwise arrangement interval of the tablets 9. are placed. The fifth tilting drum 75 is fixed to the output shaft of the fifth motor 75M. The sixth tilting drum 76 is fixed to the output shaft of the sixth motor 76M.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the tablets 9 held by the suction holes 221 at the first position W1 in the width direction of the transport belt 22 and transported to the first reversing position are delivered to the first inclined drum 71. be The first tilted drum 71 rotates while sucking and holding the tablets 9 received from the conveying belt 22 in the first suction holes 711 of the first side surface 710 and delivers them to the second tilted drum 72 . After that, the second tilted drum 72 rotates while sucking and holding the tablets 9 received from the first tilting drum 71 in the second suction holes 721 of the second side surface 720 to reach the second position in the width direction of the conveyor belt 22 . Transfer to the suction hole 221 of W2. As a result, the position of the tablet 9 in the width direction on the conveying path moves from the first position W1 belonging to the first area A1 to the second position W2 belonging to the second area A2, and the tablet 9 is turned upside down.

Similarly, the third tilting drum 73 and the fourth tilting drum 74 move from the third position W3 belonging to the first area A1 to the fourth position W4 belonging to the second area A2 in the width direction of the tablet 9 in the conveying path. is moved, and the front and back of the tablet 9 are reversed. Similarly, the fifth tilted drum 75 and the sixth tilted drum 76 move from the fifth position W5 belonging to the first area A1 to the sixth position W6 belonging to the second area A2 in the width direction of the tablet 9 on the conveying path. is moved, and the tablet 9 is turned upside down.

As described above, the elastic member 52 is detachable from the inclined drum body including the base member 51 and the pressing member 53 in each of the first to sixth inclined drums 71 to 76 . In the present embodiment, as the elastic members 52, in addition to the elastic members 52 already arranged on the base surface 511, a plurality of elastic members 52 having different thicknesses or different sizes of the through-holes 520 and being exchangeable with each other are prepared. It is As a result, even when the tablet 9 to be processed is changed to another type of tablet 9 having a different thickness, diameter, or the like, the optimum elastic member 52 suitable for the changed tablet 9 thickness, diameter, or the like can be selected. , the first tilting drum 71 to the sixth tilting drum 76, it is possible to easily deal with the problem. For example, when using a tablet 9 with a small thickness, by attaching the elastic member 52 with a large thickness to the base surface 511, the delivery of the tablet 9 between the first inclined drum 71 to the sixth inclined drum 76 is stably performed. be able to.

The carry-out mechanism 80 is a mechanism for carrying out the plurality of tablets 9 from the transport mechanism 20 to the outside of the tablet printing apparatus 1 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the carry-out mechanism 80 has a carry-out chute 81 and a carry-out conveyor (not shown). The carry-out chute 81 is positioned downstream of the drying mechanism 60 in the conveying path and upstream of the reversing mechanism 70 in the conveying path. Also, the carry-out chute 81 faces the second area A2 of the conveyor belt 22 . When the tablets 9 adsorbed to the adsorption holes 221 in the second area A2 reach the position of the carry-out chute 81, the adsorption of the tablets 9 is released by the second blow mechanism B2. As a result, the tablets 9 fall from the second area A2 of the conveyor belt 22 through the discharge chute 81 onto the upper surface of the discharge conveyor. Then, the fallen tablets 9 are carried out to the outside of the tablet printing apparatus 1 by the carry-out conveyor.

The control unit 90 is means for controlling the operation of each unit in the tablet printing apparatus 1 . FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing connections between the control unit 90 and each unit in the tablet printing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. As conceptually shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 90 is configured by a computer having a processor 91 such as a CPU, a memory 92 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 93 such as a hard disk drive. A computer program CP is installed in the storage unit 93 to execute the transport process and the print process.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 90 controls the above-described loading mechanism 10 (including the alignment mechanism and the loading drum 11), the transport mechanism 20 (the transport motor 23, the suction mechanism 24, the first blow mechanism B1, and the second blow mechanism B2), printing unit 30 (including four heads 31), first camera 40, second camera 50, drying mechanism 60, reversing mechanism 70 (first motor 71M to sixth motor 76M, third 3 blow mechanism B3, 4th blow mechanism B4, and suction mechanism), and a carry-out mechanism 80 are communicably connected. The control unit 90 temporarily reads the computer program CP and data stored in the storage unit 93 into the memory 92, and the processor 91 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program CP, thereby controlling the operation of each unit described above. do. As a result, the conveying process and printing process for the plurality of tablets 9 proceed.

<2. About the flow of processing>
Next, the flow of the conveying process and the printing process using the tablet printing apparatus 1 described above will be described. Processing performed on one tablet 9 will be described below in order. However, this tablet printing apparatus 1 performs a predetermined process while sequentially conveying a plurality of tablets 9 along the conveying path. Therefore, a plurality of tablets 9 exist inside the tablet printing apparatus 1 at the same time.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing in the tablet printing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. When the tablet 9 is loaded into the tablet printing apparatus 1, the loading mechanism 10 first loads the tablet 9 into the loading path on the transport mechanism 20 (step S1). The transported tablets 9 are held by suction in the suction holes 221 in the first area A1 of the conveying belt 22 . As the conveying belt 22 rotates, the tablets 9 are conveyed along the annular conveying path.

Hereinafter, the surface facing the outside of the tablet 9 while held in the suction holes 221 of the first area A1 is referred to as "first surface". Also, in this state, the surface that is sucked by the suction holes 221 will be referred to as a “second surface”. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the first surface of the tablet 9 is shaded in order to distinguish between the first surface and the second surface. However, the “first side” and the “second side” are irrelevant to the original front and back surfaces of the tablet 9 . For example, when the tablet 9 is a tablet with a scored line only on one side, among the plurality of tablets 9 held in the first area A1, the tablet 9 whose side with the scored line is the first side and the tablet 9 with the scored line Tablets 9 having the blank side as the first side may be mixed.

When the tablet 9 reaches below the first camera 40 , the first camera 40 photographs the first surface of the tablet 9 . Thereby, the image data of the first surface of the tablet 9 is obtained. The acquired image data is transmitted from the first camera 40 to the control section 90 . Also, the control unit 90 performs a pre-printing inspection of the first surface based on the image data received from the first camera 40 (step S2). Specifically, the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in the suction hole 221, the front and back sides of the tablet 9, the rotational posture of the tablet 9 around the vertical axis, the positional deviation of the tablet 9 with respect to the suction hole 221, the presence or absence of a shape defect of the tablet 9, etc. are inspected. be done.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches below the printing unit 30 , the four heads 31 eject ink droplets toward the first surface of the tablet 9 . Thereby, the printing process is performed on the first surface of the tablet 9 . As a result, an image is printed on the first surface of tablet 9 (step S3). At this time, the control unit 90 adjusts the image to be printed on each tablet 9 based on the inspection result of step S2 described above. For example, from the image for the front side and the image for the back side, an appropriate image is selected according to the front and back sides of each tablet 9, and the selected image is rotated according to the rotational posture of each tablet 9. A print signal is input to the head 31 based on the adjusted image. As a result, an appropriate image is printed on the first side of each tablet 9 in an appropriate orientation.

Subsequently, when the tablet 9 reaches below the second camera 50 , the second camera 50 photographs the first surface of the tablet 9 . Thereby, the image data of the first surface of the tablet 9 is acquired. The acquired image data is transmitted from the second camera 50 to the control section 90 . The control unit 90 also performs a post-printing inspection of the first surface based on the image data received from the second camera 50 (step S4). Specifically, for example, the control unit 90 compares the image data received from the second camera 50 and the data of the normal image prepared in advance, so that the image printed on the first surface of each tablet 9 is displayed. Determine whether the image is normal.

Subsequently, when the tablet 9 reaches the position of the drying mechanism 60 , the drying mechanism 60 blows hot air toward the first surface of the tablet 9 . As a result, the ink adhering to the first surface of the tablet 9 is dried and fixed on the first surface (step S5).

Thereafter, when the tablet 9 reaches the first to third reversing positions on the conveying path, the reversing mechanism 70 moves the position of the tablet 9 in the width direction and reverses the front and back of the tablet 9 (step S6). . Specifically, the tablets 9 conveyed at the first position W1 in the width direction are moved to the second position W2 in the width direction by the first tilted drum 71 and the second tilted drum 72 . The tablets 9 conveyed at the third position W3 in the width direction are moved to the fourth position W4 in the width direction by the third tilted drum 73 and the fourth tilted drum 74 . The tablets 9 conveyed at the fifth position W5 in the width direction are moved to the sixth position W6 in the width direction by the fifth tilted drum 75 and the sixth tilted drum . As a result, the plurality of tablets 9 move from the suction holes 221 in the first area A1 of the conveying mechanism 20 to the suction holes 221 in the second area A2.

At this time, the first inclined drum 71 sucks the tablets 9 delivered from the first area A1 one by one to the plurality of first suction holes 711, and constitutes the edge of each first suction hole 711. The tablet 9 is rotated while being held by being brought into contact with the elastic member 52 , and delivered to the second inclined drum 72 . The second tilted drum 72 sucks the tablets 9 delivered from the first tilted drum 71 one by one to the plurality of second suction holes 721, and an elastic member forming the edge of each second suction hole 721. By bringing the tablet 9 into contact with 52, it is rotated while being held, and transferred to the second area A2.

Similarly, the third inclined drum 73 sucks the tablets 9 delivered from the first area A1 to the plurality of suction holes one by one, and the tablets 9 are attached to the elastic members 52 forming the edge of each suction hole. is rotated while being held by contact with the , and delivered to the fourth inclined drum 74 . The fourth tilted drum 74 sucks the tablets 9 delivered from the third tilted drum 73 one by one to the plurality of suction holes, and the tablets 9 are brought into contact with the elastic members 52 forming the edge of each suction hole. It is rotated while being held by being rotated, and delivered to the second area A2. In addition, the fifth inclined drum 75 sucks the tablets 9 delivered from the first area A1 to the plurality of suction holes one by one, and the tablets 9 are attached to the elastic member 52 forming the edge of each suction hole. It rotates while being held by contact and is transferred to the sixth inclined drum 76 . The sixth tilted drum 76 sucks the tablets 9 delivered from the fifth tilted drum 75 one by one to the plurality of suction holes, and the tablets 9 are brought into contact with the elastic members 52 forming the edge of each suction hole. It is rotated while being held by being rotated, and delivered to the second area A2. As described above, all the tablets 9 arranged in three rows in the width direction are turned upside down at the first to third turning positions, and are sucked in the second area A2 with the second surface facing outward. It is held by suction in the hole 221 .

Subsequently, when the tablet 9 reaches below the first camera 40 , the first camera 40 photographs the second surface of the tablet 9 . Thereby, the image data of the second surface of the tablet 9 is acquired. The acquired image data is transmitted from the first camera 40 to the control section 90 . Further, the control unit 90 performs a pre-printing inspection of the second surface based on the image data received from the first camera 40 (step S7). Specifically, the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in the suction hole 221, the front and back sides of the tablet 9, the rotational posture of the tablet 9 around the vertical axis, the positional deviation of the tablet 9 with respect to the suction hole 221, the presence or absence of a shape defect of the tablet 9, etc. are inspected. be done.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches below the printing unit 30 , the four heads 31 eject ink droplets toward the second surface of the tablet 9 . Thereby, the printing process is performed on the second surface of the tablet 9 . As a result, an image is printed on the second surface of tablet 9 (step S8). At this time, the control unit 90 adjusts the image to be printed on each tablet 9 based on the inspection result of step S7 described above. For example, from the image for the front side and the image for the back side, an appropriate image is selected according to the front and back sides of each tablet 9, and the selected image is rotated according to the rotational posture of each tablet 9. A print signal is input to the head 31 based on the adjusted image. As a result, an appropriate image is printed on the second surface of each tablet 9 in an appropriate orientation.

Subsequently, when the tablet 9 reaches below the second camera 50 , the second camera 50 photographs the second surface of the tablet 9 . Thereby, the image data of the second surface of the tablet 9 is obtained. The acquired image data is transmitted from the second camera 50 to the control section 90 . The control unit 90 also performs a post-printing inspection of the second surface based on the image data received from the second camera 50 (step S9). Specifically, for example, the control unit 90 compares the image data received from the second camera 50 and the data of the normal image prepared in advance, so that the image data printed on the second surface of each tablet 9 is displayed. Determine whether the image is normal.

Subsequently, when the tablet 9 reaches the position of the drying mechanism 60 , the drying mechanism 60 blows hot air toward the second surface of the tablet 9 . As a result, the ink adhering to the second surface of the tablet 9 is dried and fixed on the second surface (step S10).

Thereafter, when the tablets 9 reach the position of the carry-out chute 81, the tablets 9 fall from the conveyor belt 22 through the carry-out chute 81 to the carry-out conveyor. Then, the tablet 9 is carried out to the outside of the conveying path of the tablet printing apparatus 1 by the carry-out conveyor (step S11).

As described above, the tablet printing apparatus 1 conveys the tablets 9 along the annular conveying path. A part of the conveying path is provided with a reversing mechanism 70 that reverses the front and back of the tablet 9 and moves the position of the tablet 9 in the width direction. Therefore, each process of photographing by the first camera 40, printing by the printing unit 30, photographing by the second camera 50, and drying by the drying mechanism 60 is performed on both sides of the tablet 9 at the same position in the conveying direction. can. Therefore, the number of parts of the tablet printing apparatus 1 can be reduced as compared with the case where these processes for the first surface and these processes for the second surface are performed at separate positions. Moreover, the tablet printing apparatus 1 can be miniaturized.

In particular, in this embodiment, a pair of inclined drums are used to realize the reversal of the tablet 9 and the movement in the width direction. According to this mechanism, the tablet 9 can be turned upside down and moved in the width direction without changing the position in the conveying direction. Therefore, the length in the conveying direction required for the reversing mechanism 70 can be suppressed. Thereby, the tablet printing apparatus 1 can be made more compact.

<3. Effect of elastic member>
As described above, in the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, each tablet 9 is sucked and held in a plurality of suction holes, and while the edges of each of the plurality of suction holes are in contact with the elastic member 52, the tablet Flip 9 upside down. The result of verifying the effect of holding and delivering the tablet 9 via the elastic member 52 in this way will be described below.

FIG. 10 shows that in the conventional tablet printing apparatus 1, the tablets 9 are held in direct contact with the peripheral edges of the suction holes of the first to sixth metal inclined drums 71 to 76 without the elastic member 52 interposed therebetween. In the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the tablet 9 indirectly contacts the periphery of the suction holes of the first to sixth inclined drums 71 to 76 via the elastic member 52. tablets 9 from the first inclined drum 71 to the second inclined drum 72, from the third inclined drum 73 to the fourth inclined drum 74, or from the fifth inclined drum 75 to the sixth inclined drum 76. The result of verifying the success rate of safely delivering the tablet 9 without falling off or being damaged during delivery is shown. In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis represents the side surfaces of the first inclined drum 71, the third inclined drum 73, or the fifth inclined drum 75 on which the suction holes are formed, the second inclined drum 72 adjacent to these in the width direction, It shows the gap between the side surface of the fourth inclined drum 74 or the sixth inclined drum 76 where each suction hole is formed. The vertical axis indicates the success rate of successfully delivering the tablet 9 without falling off or breaking.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the case of the conventional tablet printing apparatus 1, the sides of the first tilted drum 71, the third tilted drum 73, or the fifth tilted drum 75 on which the suction holes are formed, and the sides thereof in the width direction. The gap between the side surfaces of the adjacent second inclined drum 72, fourth inclined drum 74, or sixth inclined drum 76 on which the suction holes are formed is ± It was confirmed that the transfer success rate is greatly reduced when the deviation is about 50 microns or more. On the other hand, as in the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the tablet 9 is held in contact with the periphery of the suction holes of the first inclined drum 71 to the sixth inclined drum 76 via the elastic member 52, , when the tablets 9 are transferred from the first inclined drum 71 to the second inclined drum 72, from the third inclined drum 73 to the fourth inclined drum 74, or from the fifth inclined drum 75 to the sixth inclined drum 76, It was confirmed that a high delivery success rate can be maintained even when the gap between the two is shifted by about ±300 microns (a shift of up to about ±300 microns is acceptable). The reason for this is that even when the above-mentioned gap is narrowed by about 50 microns or more from the value at which the delivery success rate is highest, the elasticity of the elastic member 52 suppresses excessive load on the tablet 9. It is conceivable that breakage is less likely to occur. In addition, even if the above-mentioned gap expands by about 50 microns or more from the value at which the delivery success rate is highest (even if the tablet 9 is separated from the suction port that sucks and holds the tablet 9), the tablet 9 and the elastic member It is conceivable that the tablet 9 continues to be held by the frictional force between it and the tablet 52, making it difficult to fall off.

FIG. 11 shows that in the conventional tablet printing apparatus 1, the tablets 9 are held while directly contacting the peripheral edges of the suction holes of the first to sixth metal inclined drums 71 to 76 without the elastic member 52 interposed therebetween. In the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the tablet 9 indirectly contacts the periphery of the suction holes of the first to sixth inclined drums 71 to 76 via the elastic member 52. When the tablets 9 are transferred from the second inclined drum 72, the fourth inclined drum 74, or the sixth inclined drum 76 to the second area A2 of the conveyor belt 22, the tablets 9 drop off or fall off. The result of verifying the success rate of being delivered safely without being damaged is shown. In FIG. 11, the horizontal axis represents the side surfaces of the second inclined drum 72, the fourth inclined drum 74, or the sixth inclined drum 76 where the suction holes are formed, and the second area A2 of the conveying belt 22 that faces these sides. shows the gap between The vertical axis indicates the success rate of successfully delivering the tablet 9 without falling off or breaking.

As shown in FIG. 11, in the case of the conventional tablet printing apparatus 1, the sides of the second inclined drum 72, the fourth inclined drum 74, or the sixth inclined drum 76 on which the suction holes are formed, and the conveying planes facing these sides It was confirmed that when the gap between the belt 22 and the second area A2 deviated from the above-mentioned value at which the delivery success rate was highest by about ±50 microns or more, the delivery success rate was significantly reduced. On the other hand, as in the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the tablet 9 contacts the periphery of the suction hole of the second inclined drum 72, the fourth inclined drum 74, or the sixth inclined drum 76 via the elastic member 52. When tablets 9 are transferred from the second inclined drum 72, the fourth inclined drum 74, or the sixth inclined drum 76 to the second area A2 of the conveying belt 22, the above gap is ± It was confirmed that even when there is a deviation of about 100 microns, a high delivery success rate can be maintained (a deviation of up to about ±100 microns can be tolerated). The reason for this is that even when the above-mentioned gap is narrowed by about 50 microns or more from the value at which the delivery success rate is highest, the elasticity of the elastic member 52 suppresses excessive load on the tablet 9. It is conceivable that breakage is less likely to occur. In addition, even if the above-mentioned gap expands by about 50 microns or more from the value at which the delivery success rate is highest (even if the tablet 9 is separated from the suction port that sucks and holds the tablet 9), the tablet 9 and the elastic member It is conceivable that the tablet 9 continues to be held by the frictional force between it and the tablet 52, making it difficult to fall off.

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

In the above-described embodiment, a plurality of suction holes are annularly formed at equal angular intervals on the outer peripheral surface of one elastic member 52 attached to each inclined drum. However, in each inclined drum, a plurality of suction holes may be formed, and an elastic member may be provided for each suction hole. FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view of the vicinity of the base surface 511 of the base member 51 according to this modification. As shown in FIG. 12, in this modification, a plurality of (nine in this modification) suction holes 101 are provided on the side surface formed by the base surface 511 of the inclined drum. Moreover, a plurality of elastic members 102 are fixed to the peripheral edge of each suction hole 101 by adhesion, and are arranged in an annular shape about the third axis C3. Even in this case, the tablet 9 can be held by suction in the suction hole 101 and can be turned upside down while the edge of the suction hole 101 is in contact with the elastic member 102 . As a result, it is possible to prevent the tablet 9 from falling off or being damaged, as in the above embodiment. That is, the reversing mechanism of the present invention only needs to have an elastic member that contacts the tablet 9 at least at the edge of each of the plurality of suction holes, thereby preventing the tablet 9 from falling off or being damaged. . Furthermore, in this modified example, the usage amount of the elastic member 52 in each inclined drum can be suppressed, leading to cost reduction.

In the above-described embodiment, the reversing mechanism 70 reverses the front and back of the tablet 9 and moves the position of the tablet 9 in the width direction. However, the reversing mechanism 70 may reverse the front and back of the tablet 9 without moving the position of the tablet 9 in the width direction. FIG. 13 is a side view of the tablet printing apparatus 1 provided with such a reversing mechanism 70. As shown in FIG.

In this example, the tablets 9 before reversal and the tablets 9 after reversal are alternately arranged on the holding surface 220 of the transport belt 22 in the transport direction. The first blow mechanism B1 blows gas toward the tablet 9 before reversing when the tablet 9 reaches the reversing position. As a result, among the plurality of tablets 9 held and conveyed by the conveying belt 22 , only the tablets 9 before reversing are delivered to the reversing mechanism 70 .

The reversing mechanism 70 of FIG. 13 has the same configuration as the reversing mechanism 70 of the above-described embodiment. However, in the example of FIG. 13, the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 are arranged adjacent to each other in the transport direction. Therefore, the reversing mechanism 70 that receives the tablet 9 from the conveying belt 22 transfers the tablet 9 after reversing to the suction hole 221 of the conveying belt 22 while reversing the front and back of the tablet 9 . Then, the reversing mechanism 70 moves the position of the tablet 9 in the conveying direction in the conveying path.

Even in such a configuration, in one transport mechanism 20, both surfaces of the tablet 9 are photographed by the first camera 40, printed by the printing unit 30, photographed by the second camera 50, and dried by the drying mechanism 60. each process can be executed. Therefore, the number of parts of the tablet printing apparatus 1 can be reduced compared to the case where these processes for the first surface and these processes for the second surface are performed in separate transport mechanisms. Moreover, the tablet printing apparatus 1 can be miniaturized.

Each tilting drum of the above embodiments had a plurality of small holes, or suction holes. However, as shown in FIG. 14, each inclined drum may have an annular suction slit on the side surface, which is the outer peripheral surface. For example, the first tilting drum 871 may have an annular suction slit 811 centered on the first axis C1 on the first side surface 810 . Further, the second inclined drum 872 may have an annular suction slit 821 centered on the second axis C2 on the second side surface 820 . A plurality of tablets 9 may be held by suction in these suction slits 811 and 821 . In this way, the tablet 9 can be sucked and held at any position of the suction slits 811 and 821 . Therefore, even if the tablet 9 is slightly displaced when the tablet 9 is delivered, the tablet 9 can be sucked and held.

Similarly, elastic members 852 that come into contact with the tablets 9 may be provided at the edges of the suction slits 811 and 821 . Then, the reversing mechanism 870 adsorbs the tablet 9 to the adsorption slits 811 and 821 and holds the tablet 9 by bringing it into contact with the elastic member 852 forming the edges of the adsorption slits 811 and 821 , while simultaneously invert the This can prevent the tablet 9 from falling off or being damaged.

Furthermore, the suction slit may be provided in an arc shape on the side surface, which is the outer peripheral surface of each inclined drum. However, as in the above-described embodiment, the adsorption and holding of the tablet 9 by the adsorption holes 711 and 721, which are small holes, has the advantage that the positional displacement of the tablet 9 after adsorption is less likely to occur.

In the above embodiment, the vertical angle of the first tilted drum 71 and the vertical angle of the second tilted drum 72 are both 90° when viewed in the conveying direction. However, the vertical angle of the first tilting drum 71 and the vertical angle of the second tilting drum 72 do not necessarily have to be 90°. However, when it is desired to move the tablet 9 while reversing it on the same holding surface 220, the sum of the vertical angle of the first inclined drum 71 and the vertical angle of the second inclined drum 72 when viewed in the conveying direction is , 180°. For example, the vertical angle of the first tilted drum 71 when viewed in the transport direction may be 60°, and the vertical angle of the second tilted drum 72 when viewed in the transport direction may be 120°.

In the embodiments described above, the first to sixth inclined drums 71 to 76 all had conical side surfaces. However, the side surfaces of the first to sixth inclined drums 71 to 76 may have a polygonal pyramid shape such as a quadrangular pyramid, a hexagonal pyramid, and an octagonal pyramid.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the printing unit 30 is provided with four heads 31 . However, the number of heads 31 included in the printing unit 30 may be 1 to 3, or may be 5 or more.

In addition, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the above-described embodiment includes the printing unit 30, the first camera 40, the second camera 50, and the drying mechanism 60 as processing units that process the tablets 9 on the transport path of the transport mechanism 20. I was prepared. However, the tablet printing apparatus 1 may include only some of these processing units. Moreover, the tablet printing apparatus 1 may be provided with another processing unit.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the tablet 9 is conveyed along the annular conveying path has been described. However, in the granular material processing apparatus of the present invention, while conveying the granular material along a non-circular conveying path, the granular material is reversed in a part of the conveying path, and the position of the granular material in the width direction is moved. It may have a reversing mechanism.

Further, the detailed configuration inside the device may be different from each figure of the present application. Also, the elements appearing in the above-described embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined as long as there is no contradiction.

Reference Signs List 1 tablet printer 9 tablet 10 loading mechanism 11 loading drum 20 transport mechanism 21 pulley 22 transport belt 23 transport motor 24 suction mechanism 30 printing unit 31 head 40 first camera 50 second camera 51 base member 52 elastic member 53 pressing member 54 screw 60 drying mechanism 70 reversing mechanism 71 first tilting drum 71M first motor 72 second tilting drum 72M second motor 73 third tilting drum 73M third motor 74 fourth tilting drum 74M fourth motor 75 fifth tilting drum 75M 5 Motor 76 Sixth Inclined Drum 76M Sixth Motor 80 Unloading Mechanism 81 Unloading Chute 90 Control Part 101 Suction Hole 102 Elastic Member 220 Holding Surface 221 Suction Hole 510 Base Penetration Hole 511 Base Surface 512 Flange 513 Tip Protrusion 514 Screw Hole 520 Through hole 530 Recessed portion 531 Flange portion 532 Through hole 710 First side surface 711 First suction hole 720 Second side surface 721 Second suction hole 810 First side surface 811 Suction slit 820 Second side surface 821 Suction slit 852 Elastic member 870 Reversing mechanism 871 Second 1 inclined drum 872 2nd inclined drum A1 1st area A2 2nd area B1 1st blow mechanism B2 2nd blow mechanism B3 3rd blow mechanism B4 4th blow mechanism

Claims (15)

A granular material processing apparatus for performing a predetermined treatment on the surface of granular materials,
a conveying mechanism that holds the particulate matter and conveys the particulate matter along the conveying path;
a processing unit that performs the predetermined processing on the first surface or the second surface of the granular material at a processing position on the conveying path of the conveying mechanism;
a reversing mechanism for reversing the front and back of the granular material at a reversing position on the transport path of the transport mechanism;
with
The reversing mechanism is
a plurality of suction holes or suction slits in which a plurality of particulate matter are held by suction;
an elastic member that contacts the granular material at least at the edges of each of the plurality of suction holes or the suction slits;
has
The conveying mechanism conveys the granular material along the annular conveying path,
The reversing mechanism reverses the front and back of the granular material and moves the position of the granular material in the width direction of the conveying path . The granular material processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The reversing mechanism is
a first inclined drum having a conical or pyramidal first side surface centered on a first axis inclined with respect to the width direction of the conveying path;
a second tilting drum adjacent to the first tilting drum and having a conical or pyramidal second side surface centered on a second axis tilted with respect to the width direction;
has
The first inclined drum has, on the first side surface, the plurality of suction holes annularly arranged around the first axis or the annular suction slits centered around the first axis,
the second inclined drum has, on the second side surface, the plurality of suction holes annularly arranged around the second axis or the annular suction slits centered around the second axis;
The first inclined drum rotates while adsorbing and holding the granular material delivered from the transport mechanism to the first side surface, and delivers the granular material to the second inclined drum;
The granular material processing apparatus, wherein the second inclined drum rotates while attracting and holding the granular material delivered from the first inclined drum to the second side surface, and delivers the granular material to the transport mechanism. The granular material processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The first tilting drum and the second tilting drum each:
an inclined drum body;
the elastic member that is detachable from the inclined drum body and has the plurality of suction holes or the suction slits;
A granular material processing apparatus. The granular material processing apparatus according to claim 3,
The inclined drum body is
a base member;
a pressing member fixed to the top of the base member;
has
The granular material processing apparatus, wherein the elastic member has an annular shape centered on the first axis or the second axis, and is sandwiched between the base member and the pressing member. The granular material processing apparatus according to claim 3,
The first tilting drum and the second tilting drum each have the plurality of suction holes and a plurality of the elastic members provided for each of the suction holes,
The granular material processing apparatus, wherein the plurality of elastic members are arranged in an annular shape around the first axis or the second axis. The granular material processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The conveying mechanism rotates along the conveying path a holding surface on which a plurality of the plurality of suction holes or suction slits for sucking and holding the granular material are arranged in a width direction,
The holding surface has a first region and a second region adjacent in the width direction,
The reversing mechanism moves the particulates held in the suction holes or the suction slits of the first area to the suction holes or the suction slits of the second area. The granular material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The granular material processing apparatus, wherein the sum of the vertical angle of the first tilted drum and the vertical angle of the second tilted drum when viewed in the transport direction of the transport mechanism is 180°. The granular material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5 or claim 7,
The granular material processing apparatus, wherein the apical angle of the first inclined drum and the apical angle of the second inclined drum are both 90° when viewed in the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism. The granular material processing apparatus according to claim 8,
The granular material processing apparatus, wherein the first inclined drum and the second inclined drum have the same shape and size. The granular material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5 or any one of claims 7 to 9,
The granular material processing apparatus, wherein the adsorption force of the particulate matter on the second side surface is greater than the adsorption force of the particulate matter on the first side surface. The granular material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The processing unit is
Printing unit that prints on the surface of granular materials using an inkjet method
A particulate processing apparatus comprising: The granular material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The processing unit is
A camera that captures the surface of a granular object
A particulate processing apparatus comprising: The granular material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
A granular material processing apparatus, wherein the granular material is a tablet. The granular material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
The granular material processing apparatus, wherein the elastic member is made of silicon rubber. A granular material processing method for performing a predetermined treatment on the surface of a granular material,
a) loading the granules into an annular conveying path;
b) after step a), performing the predetermined treatment on the first surface of the granular material at a processing position on the conveying path while conveying the granular material along the conveying path;
c) a step of reversing the front and back of the granular material at a reversing position on the conveying path after the step b);
d) after the step c), performing the predetermined treatment on the second surface of the particulate matter at the processing position while conveying the particulate matter along the conveying path;
e) after step d), unloading the particulate material from the conveying path;
has
In the step c), the particulate matter is adsorbed to the adsorption holes or the adsorption slits, and held by contacting the elastic member constituting the edge portion of the adsorption holes or the adsorption slits. Flip the front and back,
In the step c), the granular material processing method includes reversing the front and back of the granular material and moving the position of the granular material in the width direction of the conveying path.

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