JP7391657B2 - Conveying equipment and tablet printing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a conveying device for conveying granular materials and a tablet printing device equipped with the conveying device.

Pharmaceutical tablets are printed with characters and codes to identify the product. Also, marks and illustrations may be printed on tablets such as ramune. BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, printing apparatuses have been known that print images on granular materials such as tablets and tablet confections using an inkjet method. Particularly in recent years, with the spread of generic drugs, the types of tablets have diversified. For this reason, in order to make tablets easier to identify, technology that prints clear images on tablets using an inkjet method is attracting attention.

In this type of printing device, a large number of tablets are poured into a hopper for delivery. The printing device lines up the plurality of poured tablets one by one at predetermined intervals in the transport direction. Then, printing is performed on the plurality of tablets that are conveyed in an aligned state. In addition, not only printing devices but also inspection devices that inspect tablets and packaging devices that package tablets need to transport multiple tablets while aligning them at a predetermined interval in the transport direction. .

Mechanisms for transporting a plurality of tablets while arranging them at predetermined intervals in the transport direction are described, for example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-59036 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-85519

In the structure of Patent Document 1, a plurality of tablets (t) supplied along a chute (22) are cut into individual tablets (t) by a plurality of cutting pieces (31) of a supply roller (3), It is supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the charging drum (1) (see paragraph 0036, FIG. 4, etc.).

In the structure of Patent Document 2, the lowest tablet (9a) in the chute (50) is held by a stopper (70). Then, as the stopper (70) retreats in accordance with the rotation of the drum (1), the tablets (9a) fall and are supplied to the recess (2) of the drum (1).

However, in the structures of Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is a risk that the tablets may become jammed or cracked due to the tablets being caught between the chute and the cut-out piece or stopper.

On the other hand, for example, if the tablets are fed horizontally into a pocket provided on the outer peripheral surface of the drum, clogging and cracking of the tablets are considered to be relatively less likely to occur. However, when the tablets are fed horizontally, it is difficult to continuously feed the tablets in contact with each other, and it is difficult to stabilize the feeding interval of the tablets. Therefore, depending on the timing of supply of the tablet, the tablet may end up riding on the rear end of the pocket.

The present invention is a device for conveying granular materials such as tablets, in which the granular materials are fed horizontally to a pocket provided on the outer circumferential surface of a drum, and the granular materials ride on the rear end of the pocket. The purpose is to provide technology that can suppress this.

In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present application is a conveying device for conveying granular materials, which includes a supply mechanism that supplies a plurality of granular materials along a horizontal conveying direction, and a feeding mechanism that supplies a plurality of granular materials along a horizontal conveying direction; A drum that receives the granular material supplied from the supply mechanism while rotating around an axis parallel to the width direction , which is an orthogonal and horizontal direction, and a drum disposed near a transfer position from the supply mechanism to the drum. and a first elastic member that presses the first pressing member toward the drum. The outer peripheral surface of the drum receives granules, and has a plurality of concave pockets arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction about the axis, and the pockets are arranged at a rear end in the rotational direction of the drum. the drum has a slope that gradually becomes higher toward the rear from the bottom surface of the pocket; the drum has a plurality of suction holes for adsorbing particulate matter; the suction holes are located on the bottom surface of the pocket, and It is located closer to the front end than the center in the direction of rotation.

Part of the application2The invention is1In the conveying device of the invention, the suction hole is located at the front end of the bottom surface of the pocket in the rotational direction of the drum.

A third invention of the present application is the conveying device according to the first invention or the second invention , wherein the first pressing member has an abutment surface that holds the granular material between it and the inclined surface, and the shaft is The angle of inclination of the inclined surface with respect to the circumferential direction around the center is greater than the angle of inclination of the abutment surface with respect to the circumferential direction.

A fourth invention of the present application is the conveying device according to any one of the first to third inventions, in which the drum has a drum body having a cylindrical outer circumferential surface, and a drum body that has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface. and a removable retaining ring, and the plurality of pockets are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the retaining ring.

A fifth invention of the present application is the conveying device according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the granular material is a tablet.

A sixth invention of the present application is a tablet printing device that includes the conveying device of the fifth invention and a printing section that prints an image on the surface of a tablet using an inkjet method.

According to the first to sixth inventions of the present application, when the particulate matter rides on the rear end of the pocket, the particulate matter is sandwiched between the inclined surface and the first pressing member, The progress of particulate matter can be stopped. As the drum continues to rotate, particles can be dropped into the next pocket of the drum. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the particulate matter from being conveyed while riding on the rear end of the pocket. Furthermore, since the suction holes are located on the front end side of the pocket, the particulate matter supplied from the supply mechanism can easily move to the front end side of the pocket. Thereby, it is possible to further prevent particulate matter from riding on the rear end of the pocket.

In particular, according to the second invention of the present application, by bringing the front end of the granule into contact with the front end surface of the pocket, the posture of the granule can be stabilized. This can prevent particulate matter from being attracted and held in an upright position.

In particular, according to the third invention of the present application, the gap between the inclined surface and the contact surface becomes smaller. Therefore, it is possible to further prevent particulate matter from riding on the rear end of the pocket.

In particular, according to the fourth aspect of the present application, the retaining ring can be replaced depending on the shape and size of the granules. Thereby, the shape of the slope of the pocket can be changed to a shape suitable for the granular material to be transported without changing the shape of the drum body.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a tablet printing device. It is a partial perspective view of a conveyor. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of one head. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing connections between a control unit and various parts within the tablet printing device. FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the first drum. FIG. 3 is a side view of the pressing mechanism. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position at a certain point in time. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position at another time. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position at another time. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position at another time. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position at another time. It is a partial side view of the 1st drum concerning the 1st modification. It is a partial side view of the 1st drum concerning a 2nd modification. FIG. 7 is a side view of a pressing mechanism according to a third modification.

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

<1. Overall configuration of tablet printing device>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a tablet printing apparatus 1 including a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This tablet printing device 1 is a device that prints images such as a product name, product code, company name, logo mark, etc. on the surface of each tablet 9 while conveying a plurality of tablets 9 that are granular materials. The tablet 9 may be a plain tablet (naked tablet) or a coated tablet such as a sugar-coated tablet or a film-coated tablet (FC tablet). Moreover, the tablet 9 may be a capsule including a hard capsule and a soft capsule. Moreover, the "granular material" in the present invention is not limited to a tablet as a pharmaceutical product, but may also be a tablet as a health food or a tablet confectionery such as Ramune.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a supply mechanism 10, a first drum 20, a second drum 30, a conveyor 40, a first camera 50, a printing section 60, a second camera 70, a drying It includes a mechanism 80, a discharge mechanism 90, and a control section 100.

The supply mechanism 10 is a mechanism that supplies a plurality of tablets 9 input into the tablet printing device 1 to the first drum 20. The supply mechanism 10 of this embodiment includes a bowl feeder 11, a first chute 12, a supply conveyor 13, and a second chute 14.

Bowl feeder 11 has a disc-shaped trough 110 that receives a plurality of tablets 9. The bowl feeder 11 moves the plurality of tablets 9 by vibrating the trough 110 and supplies the tablets 9 to the first chute 12 . The first chute 12 extends in an arc shape between the outlet of the trough 110 and the supply conveyor 13. The first chute 12 has a plurality of conveyance paths. Bowl feeder 11 supplies tablets 9 to each conveyance path of first chute 12 . As a result, a large number of tablets 9 are arranged in a plurality of rows. That is, a plurality of rows of tablets 9 lined up in the transport direction are formed in the width direction (a direction perpendicular to and horizontal to the transport direction). The aligned tablets 9 are then supplied from the first chute 12 to the supply conveyor 13. Note that in FIG. 1, only one row of tablets 9 is shown.

The supply conveyor 13 is a mechanism that conveys the tablets 9 horizontally and linearly from the first chute 12 to the second chute 14. The supply conveyor 13 has two pulleys 131 and an annular supply belt 132 stretched around the two pulleys 131. One of the two pulleys 131 is rotated by power obtained from a motor (not shown). This causes the supply belt 132 to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The other pulley 131 rotates as the supply belt 132 rotates. Furthermore, a partition plate is provided on the upper part of the supply belt 132 and extends along the boundaries of the rows of tablets 9. The tablets 9 supplied from the first chute 12 are conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction by the rotation of the supply belt 132 while maintaining the tablets 9 arranged in a plurality of rows by the partition plate.

The second chute 14 extends linearly between the supply conveyor 13 and the first drum 20. The second chute 14 has a plurality of conveyance paths. The plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the supply conveyor 13 are supplied to each conveyance path of the second chute 14. The tablets 9 in the second chute 14 are pushed by the subsequent tablets 9 conveyed by the supply conveyor 13, thereby advancing toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction. The tablets 9 are then supplied to the first drum 20 from the downstream end of the second chute 14 in the transport direction.

The first drum 20 is a mechanism that transports a plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 14 while holding them at regular intervals in the transport direction. The first drum 20 has a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on a first axis O1 extending in the width direction. Further, a motor (not shown) is connected to the first drum 20. When the motor is driven, the first drum 20 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 about the first axis O1. The first drum 20 transports the tablets 9 from a first delivery position P1 near its upper end to a second delivery position P2 close to the second drum 30.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first drum 20 includes a drum body 21 and a retaining ring 22. As shown in FIG. The drum body 21 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on the first axis O1. The drum body 21 is made of metal such as stainless steel, for example. The retaining ring 22 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the drum body 21. Specifically, the plurality of retaining rings 22 are arranged at positions in the width direction corresponding to each row of tablets 9. The retaining ring 22 is made of resin such as polyacetal, for example.

The outer peripheral surface of each retaining ring 22 has a plurality of concave pockets 23 . The plurality of pockets 23 are provided at regular intervals in the circumferential direction centered on the first axis O1. The retaining ring 22 also has suction holes 24 at the bottom of each pocket 23 for suctioning the tablets 9. The suction hole 24 is a through hole that penetrates the retaining ring 22.

The first drum 20 is connected to a suction mechanism (not shown). When the suction mechanism is operated, gas is sucked out from the internal space of the first drum 20 located in the angular range between the first delivery position P1 and the second delivery position P2. Thereby, the internal space becomes a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. Further, negative pressure is also generated in the suction holes 24 communicating with the internal space. The plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 14 are suction-held in the suction holes 24 of the retaining ring 22 by this negative pressure.

The tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 14 are accommodated one by one in the pockets 23 and held in the suction holes 24 by suction. As a result, the intervals between the plurality of tablets 9 in the transport direction become a predetermined interval corresponding to the interval between the pockets 23. Each tablet 9 is sucked and held by the suction hole 24 in the pocket 23 and is conveyed from the first delivery position P1 to the second delivery position P2 by the rotation of the first drum 20. Then, when the tablet 9 passes through the second delivery position P2, the suction of the tablet 9 is released by moving out of the angular range of the internal space maintained at the above-mentioned negative pressure. Thereby, the tablets 9 are transferred from the first drum 20 to the second drum 30.

Note that at the first delivery position P1, the tablet 9 is pushed by the pressing mechanism 25 and is drawn into the pocket 23 of the retaining ring 22. Thereby, one tablet 9 can be accommodated in each pocket 23 while suppressing clogging and cracking of the tablet 9. Details of this pressing mechanism 25 will be described later.

The second drum 30 is a mechanism that transports the tablets 9 delivered from the first drum 20 to the transport conveyor 40. The second drum 30 has a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on a second axis O2 extending in the width direction. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the first drum 20 and the outer diameter of the second drum 30 are substantially the same. However, the outer diameter of the first drum 20 and the outer diameter of the second drum 30 may be different. A motor (not shown) is connected to the second drum 30. When the motor is driven, the second drum 30 rotates in the opposite direction to the first drum 20 around the second axis O2. The second drum 30 transports the tablets 9 from a second delivery position P2 adjacent to the first drum 20 to a third delivery position P3 adjacent to the transport conveyor 40. The height of the third delivery position P3 is higher than the heights of the first delivery position P1 and the second delivery position P2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the second drum 30 includes a drum body 31 and a retaining ring 32. The drum body 31 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on the second axis O2. The drum body 31 is made of metal such as stainless steel, for example. The retaining ring 32 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the drum body 31. Specifically, the plurality of retaining rings 32 are arranged at positions in the width direction corresponding to each row of tablets 9. The retaining ring 32 is made of resin such as silicone, for example.

Each retaining ring 32 has a plurality of suction holes 34. The suction hole 34 is a through hole that penetrates the retaining ring 22. Further, the second drum 30 is connected to a suction mechanism (not shown). When the suction mechanism is operated, gas is sucked out from the internal space of the second drum 30 located in the angular range between the second delivery position P2 and the third delivery position P3. Thereby, the internal space becomes a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. Further, negative pressure is also generated in the suction hole 34 communicating with the internal space. The plurality of tablets 9 delivered from the first drum 20 are suction-held in the suction holes 34 of the retaining ring 32 by this negative pressure.

The tablet 9 suction-held in the suction hole 34 is conveyed from the second delivery position P2 to the third delivery position P3 by the rotation of the second drum 30. Then, when the tablet 9 passes through the third delivery position P3, the suction of the tablet 9 is released by moving out of the angular range of the internal space maintained at the negative pressure. As a result, the tablets 9 are transferred from the second drum 30 to the conveyor 40.

Thus, in this embodiment, the plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the supply mechanism 10 are conveyed to the conveyor 40 via the two drums, the first drum 20 and the second drum 30. The first drum 20 holds a plurality of tablets 9 at intervals in the transport direction. The second drum 30 transports the tablets 9 to the transport conveyor 40 while maintaining the interval in the transport direction. At this time, the direction of conveyance (direction of rotation) of the tablets 9 is reversed between the first drum 20 and the second drum 30. Thereby, the tablets 9 can be sent from the second drum 30 to the transport conveyor 40 in accordance with the direction of operation of the transport conveyor 40.

Further, the retaining ring 32 of the second drum 30 is made of a material that is more easily elastically deformed than the retaining ring 22 of the first drum 20. That is, the outer circumferential surface of the second drum 30 is made of a material that is more easily elastically deformed than the outer circumferential surface of the first drum 20. Further, the holding ring 32 of the second drum 30 is made of a material that is more easily elastically deformed than the conveyor belt 42 of the conveyor 40, which will be described later. Specifically, the retaining ring 32 of the second drum 30 is made of silicon, for example. In this way, the elastic force of the holding ring 32 acts when the tablets 9 are transferred from the first drum 20 to the second drum 30 and from the second drum 30 to the conveyor 40, so that the tablets 9 It is possible to increase the success rate of delivery by suppressing falling off and cracking.

The conveyor 40 is a mechanism that conveys the plurality of tablets 9 delivered from the second drum 30 while holding them by suction. The conveyor 40 includes a pair of pulleys 41 and an annular conveyor belt 42 stretched between the pair of pulleys 41 . One of the pair of pulleys 41 is rotated by power obtained from a motor (not shown). As a result, the conveyor belt 42 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The other of the pair of pulleys 41 rotates as the conveyor belt 42 rotates.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the conveyor 40. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of suction holes 421 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 42. The plurality of suction holes 421 are arranged at equal intervals in the transport direction and the width direction. Further, the conveyor 40 has a suction mechanism (not shown) that sucks out gas from the space inside the conveyor belt 42. When the suction mechanism is operated, the space inside the conveyor belt 42 becomes a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. The plurality of tablets 9 are suction-held one by one in the suction holes 421 by the negative pressure.

In this way, the plurality of tablets 9 are held on the surface of the conveyor belt 42 in a state where they are aligned in the conveyance direction and the width direction. The conveyor 40 then conveys the plurality of tablets 9 by rotating the conveyor belt 42. A plurality of tablets 9 are conveyed in the horizontal direction below four heads 61, which will be described later.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the conveyor 40 has a blow mechanism 44. The blow mechanism 44 is provided inside the conveyor belt 42 and at a position facing a discharge chute 91, which will be described later, via the conveyor belt 42. The blow mechanism 44 blows gas to only the suction holes 421 facing the discharge chute 91 among the plurality of suction holes 421 of the conveyor belt 42 . Then, the suction hole 421 has a positive pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. As a result, the suction of the tablet 9 in the suction hole 421 is released, and the tablet 9 is delivered from the conveyor belt 42 through the discharge chute 91 to the discharge conveyor.

As described above, in this embodiment, the supply mechanism 10, the first drum 20, the second drum 30, and the conveyor 40 constitute a conveyance device that conveys the tablets 9.

The first camera 50 is a processing unit for photographing the tablet 9 before printing. The first camera 50 is located downstream of the above-mentioned third delivery position P3 on the conveyance path and upstream of the printing section 60 on the conveyance path. The first camera 50 uses, for example, a line sensor in which imaging elements such as CCD and CMOS are arranged in the width direction. The first camera 50 photographs the plurality of tablets 9 being conveyed by the conveyor belt 42. The image acquired by photography is transmitted from the first camera 50 to the control unit 100, which will be described later. The control unit 100 detects the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in each suction hole 421, the position of the tablet 9, and the posture of the tablet 9 based on the image obtained from the first camera 50. The control unit 100 also inspects each tablet 9 for defects such as chips, based on the image obtained from the first camera 50.

The printing unit 60 is a processing unit that prints an image on the surface of the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveyance belt 42 using an inkjet method. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing section 60 of this embodiment has four heads 61. The four heads 61 are located above the conveyor belt 42 and are arranged in a line along the conveyance direction of the tablets 9. The four heads 61 eject ink droplets of different colors (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) toward the tablet 9. Then, a multicolor image is recorded on the surface of the tablet 9 by superimposing the monochrome images formed by these colors. Note that the ink ejected from each head 61 is an edible ink manufactured from raw materials approved by the Japanese Pharmacopoeia, the Food Sanitation Law, etc.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of one head 61. In FIG. 3, the conveyor belt 42 and the plurality of tablets 9 held by the conveyor belt 42 are shown by two-dot chain lines. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 3, a plurality of nozzles 611 capable of ejecting ink droplets are provided on the lower surface of the head 61. In this embodiment, a plurality of nozzles 611 are two-dimensionally arranged on the lower surface of the head 61 in the transport direction and the width direction. The nozzles 611 are arranged with their positions shifted in the width direction. In this way, by arranging the plurality of nozzles 611 two-dimensionally, the positions of the nozzles 611 in the width direction can be made close to each other. However, the plurality of nozzles 611 may be arranged in a line along the width direction.

As a method for ejecting ink droplets from the nozzle 611, for example, a so-called piezo method is used in which ink in the nozzle 611 is pressurized and ejected by applying a voltage to a piezo element to deform it. However, the ink droplet ejection method may be a so-called thermal method in which the ink droplets are ejected by energizing a heater to heat and expand the ink in the nozzle 611.

The second camera 70 is a processing unit for photographing the tablet 9 after printing. The second camera 70 is located downstream of the printing unit 60 in the conveyance path and upstream of the drying mechanism 80 in the conveyance path. The second camera 70 uses, for example, a line sensor in which imaging elements such as CCD and CMOS are arranged in the width direction. The second camera 70 photographs the plurality of tablets 9 being conveyed by the conveyor belt 42. The image acquired by photography is transmitted from the second camera 70 to the control unit 100, which will be described later. The control unit 100 inspects the quality of the image printed on the tablet 9 based on the image obtained from the second camera 70.

The drying mechanism 80 is a mechanism that dries the ink adhering to the tablet 9. The drying mechanism 80 is located downstream of the second camera 70 in the conveyance path and upstream of a discharge chute 91, which will be described later, in the conveyance path. The drying mechanism 80 includes, for example, a hot air supply mechanism that blows heated gas (hot air) toward the tablets 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 42. The ink attached to the tablet 9 is dried by hot air and fixed on the front or back surface of the tablet 9.

The discharge mechanism 90 is a mechanism for discharging a plurality of tablets 9 from the conveyor 40 to the outside of the tablet printing apparatus 1. The discharge mechanism 90 includes a discharge chute 91 shown in FIG. 1 and a discharge conveyor not shown. The discharge chute 91 is located downstream of the drying mechanism 80 in the conveyance path. When the tablet 9 adsorbed by the suction hole 421 reaches a position facing the discharge chute 91, the suction of the tablet 9 is released by the blow mechanism 44. As a result, the tablets 9 fall from the suction holes 421 of the conveyor belt 42 through the discharge chute 91 onto the upper surface of the discharge conveyor. The dropped tablets 9 are then discharged to the outside of the tablet printing apparatus 1 by the discharge conveyor.

The control section 100 is a means for controlling the operation of each section within the tablet printing apparatus 1. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing connections between the control section 100 and each section within the tablet printing apparatus 1. As conceptually shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 100 is constituted by a computer having a processor 101 such as a CPU, a memory 102 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 103 such as a hard disk drive. A computer program CP for executing print processing is installed in the storage unit 103.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 100 includes the bowl feeder 11, the supply conveyor 13, the first drum 20, the second drum 30, the conveyor 40, the first camera 50, the printing unit 60, and the second camera. 70, a drying mechanism 80, and a discharge mechanism 90, each of which is communicably connected by wire or wirelessly. The control unit 100 temporarily reads the computer program CP and data stored in the storage unit 103 into the memory 102, and the processor 101 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program CP, thereby controlling the operation of each of the above units. do. As a result, the transportation of the plurality of tablets 9 and the printing process for each tablet 9 proceed.

<2. Regarding the outer peripheral surface shape of the first drum>
Next, the detailed shape of the outer peripheral surface of the first drum 20 will be explained. FIG. 5 is a partial side view of the first drum 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the retaining ring 22 of the first drum 20 has a plurality of pockets 23 and a plurality of convex portions 230. The plurality of pockets 23 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the retaining ring 22 at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. The convex portion 230 is located between adjacent pockets 23. The circumferential length of the pocket 23 is larger than one tablet 9 to be transported and smaller than two. Therefore, the number of tablets 9 that can be normally accommodated in one pocket 23 is one.

As shown in FIG. 5, the pocket 23 of this embodiment has a bottom surface 231, a front end surface 232, and a rear inclined surface 233. The bottom surface 231 is a surface that constitutes the bottom of the pocket 23. The bottom surface 231 extends in a substantially planar shape along the rotational direction of the first drum 20 . The front end surface 232 is located at the front end of the pocket 23 (the downstream end in the conveyance direction). The front end surface 232 extends substantially perpendicularly to the circumferential direction centered on the first axis O1. The rear inclined surface 233 is located at the rear end of the pocket 23 (the end on the upstream side in the conveyance direction). The rear inclined surface 233 is an inclined surface that connects the bottom surface 231 and the outer surface of the rear convex portion 230. The height of the rear inclined surface 233 gradually increases toward the rear.

Each suction hole 24 of the first drum 20 is located at the front end of the bottom surface 231 of the pocket 23 in the rotational direction of the first drum 20 (a portion of the inner surface of the suction hole 24 provided through the first drum 20 is located at the front end surface 231). (or a position where a part of the inner surface of the suction hole 24 is located on the front side in the rotational direction of the drum 20 from the front end surface 232).

<3. About the pressing mechanism>
This tablet printing device 1 has a pressing mechanism 25 between the second chute 14 and the first drum 20. A pressing mechanism 25 is provided for each row of tablets 9. Each pressing mechanism 25 presses the tablet 9 supplied from the second chute 14 toward the first drum 20 at the first delivery position P1. As a result, one tablet 9 is stored in each of the plurality of pockets 23 of the first drum 20.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the pressing mechanism 25. As shown in FIG. 6, the pressing mechanism 25 includes a first pressing member 26, a first elastic member 27, a second pressing member 28, and a second elastic member 29.

The first pressing member 26 is rotatably supported around a first rotation axis A1 extending in the width direction. The tip of the first pressing member 26 is located between the downstream end of the second chute 14 in the conveyance direction and the outer peripheral surface of the first drum 20. The first pressing member 26 is made of resin such as polyacetal, for example.

The first elastic member 27 is a member for pressing the first pressing member 26 toward the first drum 20. For example, a coil spring is used for the first elastic member 27. A lower end portion of the first elastic member 27 is connected to the first pressing member 26 . The upper end of the first elastic member 27 is connected to a frame whose position is fixed. Therefore, when the tip of the first pressing member 26 is displaced upward, a downward pressing force is generated at the tip of the first pressing member 26 due to contraction of the first elastic member 27. Note that the first elastic member 27 may be an elastic member other than a coil spring (for example, a torsion spring or a leaf spring).

As shown in FIG. 6, the tip of the first pressing member 26 has a holding surface 261 and an abutment surface 262. The holding surface 261 is the lower surface of the tip of the first pressing member 26 . The holding surface 261 and the outer peripheral surface of the first drum 20 face each other in the vertical direction. When the tip of the first pressing member 26 is not displaced upward, the vertical distance between the holding surface 261 and the convex portion 230 is smaller than the thickness of the tablet 9 to be conveyed.

The contact surface 262 is located on the upstream side of the conveyance path (on the second chute 14 side) rather than the holding surface 261. The contact surface 262 extends diagonally upward from the upstream end of the holding surface 261. Specifically, the contact surface 262 is inclined so as to gradually move away from the outer circumferential surface of the first drum 20 as it approaches the second chute 14 . The upstream end of the contact surface 262 is close to the downstream end of the second chute 14 . The holding surface 261 and the contact surface 262 are connected via a smooth curved surface. Therefore, even if the tablet 9 has a groove such as a score line, the tablet 9 can be prevented from being caught at the boundary between the holding surface 261 and the contact surface 262.

The second pressing member 28 is located downstream of the first pressing member 26 in the conveyance path. The second pressing member 28 is rotatably supported around a second rotation axis A2 extending in the width direction. The tip of the second pressing member 28 is arranged downstream and adjacent to the tip of the first pressing member 26 . The second pressing member 28 is made of resin such as polyacetal, for example.

The second elastic member 29 is a member for pressing the second pressing member 28 toward the first drum 20. For example, a coil spring is used for the second elastic member 29. A lower end portion of the second elastic member 29 is connected to the second pressing member 28 . The upper end of the second elastic member 29 is connected to a frame whose position is fixed. Therefore, when the tip of the second pressing member 28 is displaced upward, a downward pressing force is generated at the tip of the second pressing member 28 due to contraction of the second elastic member 29. Note that the second elastic member 29 may be an elastic member other than a coil spring (for example, a torsion spring or a leaf spring).

As shown in FIG. 6, the tip of the second pressing member 28 has a pressing protrusion 281 that projects downward. The pressing protrusion 281 has a pressing surface 282 at the lower end. The pressing surface 282 is arranged at a position close to the downstream side of the holding surface 261 of the first pressing member 26 . When the tip of the second pressing member 28 is not displaced upward, the vertical distance between the pressing surface 282 and the convex portion 230 is smaller than the thickness of the tablet 9 to be conveyed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the second pressing member 28 has a guide surface 283. The guide surface 283 is located downstream of the pressing protrusion 281 in the conveyance path. Further, the guide surface 283 is inclined so as to gradually approach the outer circumferential surface of the first drum 20 as it goes downstream of the conveyance path. The downstream end of the guide surface 283 is located near the second rotation axis A2.

<4. Concerning the transport status of tablets at the first delivery position>
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position P1 at a certain point in time when a plurality of tablets 9 are being continuously transported. As shown in FIG. 7, some of the tablets 9 among the plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 14 may not be directly accommodated in the pocket 23 but may be supplied onto the convex portion 230. . At this time, the tablet 9 contacts the contact surface 262 of the first pressing member 26 . Thereby, the tablets 9 are blocked until the next pocket 23 of the first drum 20 reaches the first delivery position P1. When the next pocket 23 reaches the first delivery position P1 due to the rotation of the first drum 20, the tablets 9 that have been blocked fall into the pocket 23. Thereby, the tablet 9 can be properly accommodated in the pocket 23.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position P1 at another point in time. The pressing force of the first pressing member 26 by the first elastic member 27 is set to a force that does not damage the tablet 9. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the first pressing member 26 may be displaced upward by being pushed by the tablet 9. In this case, the tablet 9 is sandwiched between the holding surface 261 of the first pressing member 26 and the convex portion 230 of the first drum 20. That is, the tablet 9 is held between the holding surface 261 of the first pressing member 26 and the convex portion 230 by the pressing force of the first pressing member 26 by the first elastic member 27 . Thereby, the tablet 9 stops at the corresponding position on the transport path without moving downstream. Then, when the next pocket 23 reaches the first delivery position P1 due to the rotation of the first drum 20, the stopped tablet 9 falls into the pocket 23. Thereby, the tablet 9 can be properly accommodated in the pocket 23.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position P1 at another point in time. As shown in FIG. 9, after one tablet 9 is accommodated in the pocket 23, the front end (downstream end) of a subsequent tablet 9 may enter the same pocket 23. In this case, the tablets 9 are arranged obliquely along the rear inclined surface 233 of the pocket 23. Further, the rear end (upstream end) of the tablet 9 protrudes from the pocket 23.

In this way, the tablet 9 riding on the rear end of the pocket 23 is held between the rear inclined surface 233 of the pocket 23 and the contact surface 262 of the first pressing member 26. This stops the tablet 9 from moving downstream in the transport direction. As the rotation of the first drum 20 progresses, the position of the tablet 9 moves from the rear inclined surface 233 to the upper surface of the convex portion 230. As a result, the tablet 9 is held between the holding surface 261 of the first pressing member 26 and the convex portion 230, as in FIG. 8 described above.

Thereafter, when the first drum 20 further rotates and the next pocket 23 reaches the first delivery position P1, the stopped tablet 9 falls into the pocket 23. This prevents the tablets 9 from moving downstream in the conveying direction while riding on the rear end of the pocket 23, and allows each pocket 23 to properly accommodate one tablet 9. can.

The suction hole 24 is located on the front end side of the bottom surface 231 of the pocket 23 with respect to the center in the rotational direction of the first drum 20 . Therefore, the tablet 9 that is first supplied to one pocket 23 is not adsorbed by the suction hole 24 while riding on the rear end of the pocket 23 . That is, the tablet 9 initially supplied to one pocket 23 moves smoothly to the front end of the pocket 23. Thereby, it is possible to further prevent the tablet 9 from being transported while riding on the rear end of the pocket 23.

In particular, in this embodiment, the suction hole 24 is located at the front end of the bottom surface 231 of the pocket 23 in the rotational direction of the first drum 20 . In this way, the front end surface of the tablet 9 can be brought into contact with the front end surface 232 of the pocket 23, and the tablet 9 can be held by suction while being positioned. Therefore, the tablets 9 can be accurately aligned at regular intervals in the transport direction. Further, by bringing the front end surface of the tablet 9 into contact with the front end surface 232 of the pocket 23, the front end surface of the tablet 9 assumes a posture along the front end surface 232 of the pocket 23. This can prevent the tablet 9 from being sucked and held in the suction hole 24 in an upright position.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, the inclination angle α of the rear inclined surface 233 with respect to the circumferential direction centered on the first axis O1 is the same as that of the contact surface 262 with respect to the circumferential direction centered on the first axis O1. is slightly larger than the inclination angle β. That is, the relationship between these inclination angles α and β is α>β. In this way, the gap between the rear inclined surface 233 and the contact surface 262 becomes smaller than when α≦β. Therefore, it is possible to further prevent the tablet 9 from riding on the rear end of the pocket 23.

Further, as described above, the retaining ring 22 is attachable to and detachable from the outer peripheral surface of the drum body 21. Therefore, the retaining ring 22 can be replaced depending on the shape and size of the tablet 9. Thereby, the shape of the rear inclined surface 233 of the pocket 23 can be changed to a shape suitable for the tablet 9 to be processed without changing the shape of the drum body 21. For example, a plurality of retaining rings 22 having different inclination angles α may be prepared in advance, and the retaining ring 22 having the optimum inclination angle α may be selected and used depending on the type of tablet 9.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position P1 at another time. If the tablet 9 is supplied to the upper surface of the convex portion 230 and fails to be stopped by the first pressing member 26, the tablet 9 remains on the upper surface of the convex portion 230 and is pressed against the second pressing member 28. It may be transported all the way to the bottom. In this case, the pressing protrusion 281 of the second pressing member 28 is once displaced upward by being pressed by the tablet 9. Then, when the rear end of the tablet 9 approaches the pressing projection 281, the pressing projection 281 descends again due to the elastic force of the second elastic member 29. Then, the tablet 9 is pressed by the pressing surface 282 of the pressing protrusion 281 and pushed into the pocket 23 at the front (downstream side in the transport direction) as indicated by the broken line arrow in FIG. At this time, the tablet 9 smoothly moves into the pocket 23 along the rear inclined surface 233 of the pocket 23. Thereby, the tablet 9 can be properly accommodated in the pocket 23.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position P1 at another point in time. Some tablets 9 may be held in an abnormal posture within the pocket 23. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, some tablets 9 may be suction-held in the suction holes 24 in an upright position. As the tablet 9 is conveyed downstream by the rotation of the first drum 20, the tablet 9 is corrected to a normal posture by the guide surface 283 that gradually approaches the tablet 9. As a result, the tablet 9 can be stored in the pocket 23 in a normal posture.

As described above, in this tablet printing apparatus 1, even if the tablet 9 does not directly enter the pocket 23 of the first drum 20 from the second chute 14, the pressing mechanism 25 The tablet 9 can be guided into the pocket 23 by adjusting the circumferential position of the tablet 9 on the outer peripheral surface of the pocket 23 . Thereby, the tablets 9 can be normally accommodated in each pocket 23 of the first drum 20 while suppressing clogging of the tablets 9 and cracking of the tablets 9.

<5. Modified example>
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

<5-1. First modification>
FIG. 12 is a partial side view of the first drum 20 according to the first modification. In the embodiment described above, the suction hole 24 was provided at the front end of the bottom surface 231 of the pocket 23 in the rotational direction of the first drum 20 . However, the suction hole 24 may be provided at a position other than the front end of the bottom surface 231 of the pocket 23. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the suction hole 24 may be provided near the center of the bottom surface 231 of the pocket 23 in the rotational direction of the first drum 20. Even in this case, by providing the rear inclined surface 233 at the rear end of the pocket 23, it is possible to prevent the tablet 9 from riding on the rear end of the pocket 23. That is, in the present invention, it is not essential to provide the suction hole 24 at the front end of the bottom surface 231 of the pocket 23.

<5-2. Second modification>
FIG. 13 is a partial side view of the first drum 20 according to the second modification. In the above embodiment, the suction hole 24 was provided in the bottom surface 231 of the pocket 23 provided in the retaining ring 22 . In contrast, the retaining ring 22 in FIG. 13 has a wall portion 221 adjacent to the pocket 23 in the width direction. A suction hole 24 is provided in the wall portion 221. The suction hole 24 opens in the width direction toward the pocket 23 side. In this example, the suction hole 24 holds the tablet 9 accommodated in the pocket 23 by suctioning the side surface of the tablet 9 .

When the side surface of the tablet 9 is annular, the side surface of the tablet 9 is attracted to the suction hole 24, so that the tablet 9 can be held at a fixed position relative to the suction hole 24. Therefore, it is not necessary to position the tablet 9 by bringing the front end of the tablet 9 into contact with the front end surface 232 of the pocket 23 as in the above embodiment.

<5-3. Third modification>
FIG. 14 is a side view of the pressing mechanism 25 according to the third modification. The pressing mechanism 25 of the above embodiment had a first pressing member 26 and a first elastic member 27, and a second pressing member 28 and a second elastic member 29. The second pressing member 28 and the second elastic member 29 played the role of normally storing the tablet 9 in the pocket 23 in the state shown in FIG. 10 or 11. However, depending on the type of tablet 9, the situations shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 may not easily occur. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 14, the second pressing member 28 and the second elastic member 29 may be omitted, and the pressing mechanism 25 may be configured only with the first pressing member 26 and the first elastic member 27. good. That is, in the present invention, the second pressing member 28 and the second elastic member 29 are not essential.

<5-4. Other variations>
The shapes of each member such as the first pressing member, the second pressing member, and the retaining ring are not limited to the shapes shown in the figures of the present application. The shape of each of these members may be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Further, in the above embodiment, the printing section 60 was provided with four heads 61. However, the number of heads 61 included in the printing section 60 may be one to three, or five or more.

Further, in the above embodiment, the tablet printing device 1 that prints an image on the tablet 9 has been described. However, the conveyance device of the present invention may be used in an inspection device that inspects the tablets 9 or a packaging device that packages the tablets 9.

Furthermore, the elements appearing in the above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate to the extent that no contradiction occurs.

1 Tablet printing device 9 Tablet 10 Supply mechanism 20 First drum 21 Drum body 22 Retaining ring 23 Pocket 24 Adsorption hole 25 Pressing mechanism 26 First pressing member 27 First elastic member 28 Second pressing member 29 Second elastic member 30 Second Drum 31 Drum body 32 Retaining ring 40 Conveyor 50 First camera 60 Printing section 70 Second camera 80 Drying mechanism 90 Discharging mechanism 100 Control section 151 Groove 230 Convex portion 231 Bottom surface 232 Front end surface 233 Rear inclined surface 261 Holding surface 262 Contact surface 281 Pressing projection 282 Pressing surface 283 Guide surface

Claims (6)

A conveying device for conveying granular materials,
a supply mechanism that supplies a plurality of granules along a horizontal conveyance direction;
a drum that receives the granular material supplied from the supply mechanism while rotating around an axis parallel to the width direction , which is a direction perpendicular to and horizontal to the conveyance direction;
a first pressing member disposed near a delivery position from the supply mechanism to the drum;
a first elastic member that presses the first pressing member toward the drum;
Equipped with
The drum receives the granules supplied from the supply mechanism near an upper end of the drum,
The outer peripheral surface of the drum is
having a plurality of concave pockets arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction centered on the axis,
The pocket is
The rear end portion in the rotational direction of the drum has an inclined surface that gradually becomes higher toward the rear from the bottom surface of the pocket,
The drum is
It has multiple adsorption holes that adsorb particulate matter,
The suction hole is located on the front end side of the bottom surface of the pocket with respect to the center in the rotational direction of the drum. The conveying device according to claim 1,
The suction hole is located at the front end of the bottom surface of the pocket in the rotational direction of the drum. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2,
The first pressing member is
having a contact surface that holds the granular material between the inclined surface and the inclined surface;
In the conveying device, an inclination angle of the inclined surface with respect to a circumferential direction centering on the axis is larger than an inclination angle of the abutment surface with respect to the circumferential direction. The conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The drum is
a drum body having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface;
a retaining ring that is detachable from the outer peripheral surface of the drum body;
has
In the conveying device, the plurality of pockets are provided on an outer peripheral surface of the retaining ring. The conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A conveying device, wherein the granular material is a tablet. The conveying device according to claim 5,
a printing section that prints an image on the surface of the tablet using an inkjet method;
A tablet printing device comprising:

Images