JP7408403B2 - Conveyance processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transport processing device that transports a plurality of granular materials and performs predetermined processing.

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, multiple tablets poured into the device are transported one by one at a predetermined interval in the transport direction, and the front and back surfaces are subjected to predetermined processing such as printing, inspection, and drying. conduct. In a tablet manufacturing process using this type of printing device, a large number of tablets are sequentially conveyed over a long period of time, so fine powder generated from the tablets may adhere to the conveyance device. In this case, when inspecting the tablets, it becomes difficult to distinguish between the fine powder adhering to the conveyance device and the tablets, which may cause problems in the inspection results. Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus for removing drug powder (excess powder) adhering to a belt for conveying tablets.

The device (10) described in Patent Document 1 conveys the tablet (T) while sucking and holding the tablet (T) in the suction groove (12b) of the conveying belt (12, 22). Furthermore, while the tablet (T) passes close to the inspection camera (11, 21), the tablet (T) is inspected for flaws and stains on the front (or back) and side surfaces, and then transported to the next process. Furthermore, the video signal acquired by the inspection camera (11, 21) is input to the belt cleaning control device (30, 40), and the accumulation of excess powder on the conveyor belt (12, 22) is detected based on the brightness level of the signal. do. Further, the brush mechanism (15a) provided in the belt cleaning section (15, 25) peels off excess powder adhering to the conveyor belt (12, 22), and a large amount of high-pressure compression is applied from the jet nozzle (16). Clean the dirt on the conveyor belt (12, 22) by blowing air.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-143653

However, in the device (10) of Patent Document 1, the belt cleaning section (15, 25) is used to clean the conveyor belt (12, 22) separately from the conveyance path along which the tablet (T) is conveyed. A route has been established. For this reason, the entire device including the conveyor belts (12, 22) becomes large, and there is a possibility that it will be difficult to arrange it in a limited space. Furthermore, when the brush mechanism (15a) comes into contact with the conveyor belts (12, 22), there is a possibility that the conveyor belts (12, 22) may be damaged or foreign objects may be mixed in therewith. As a result, there is a possibility that the quality of the tablet (T) manufactured using the device may be adversely affected.

Further, in the device (10) of Patent Document 1, after the upper surface side of the tablet (T) is suctioned and conveyed by the conveying belt (12), the conveying belt (22) suctions the lower surface side of the tablet (T). When the tablet (T) shakes or moves during delivery, excess powder from the tablet (T) adheres to the vicinity of the suction groove (12b) of the conveyor belt (12, 22) again, which may cause the tablet (T) to shake or move during subsequent inspection. There is a risk of adverse effects on In particular, when transferring the tablet (T) from the conveying belt (12) to the conveying belt (22), in order to transfer the tablet (T) more smoothly, When air is ejected toward the transport belt (22), there is a risk that the excess powder will be scattered and deposited near the suction groove (12b) of the transport belt (22).

The present invention was developed in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to clean the conveyor belt without adding a new route for cleaning the conveyor belt, and without directly contacting the conveyor belt. An object of the present invention is to provide a device capable of removing or reducing fine powder of granular materials.

In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present application is a conveyance processing device that conveys a plurality of granular materials and performs a predetermined treatment, which has a plurality of suction holes on the outer surface and has a negative impact on the suction holes. The cleaning device includes a suction belt that applies pressure to adsorb and hold the particulate matter while conveying it along a predetermined conveyance path, and a cleaning device that cleans the suction belt. It has a blow mechanism that blows compressed air toward the outer surface, and a recovery mechanism that collects the fine powder of the particulate matter blown off from the outer surface by the blowing of the compressed air toward the outer surface. Further, the conveyance processing device includes a camera that photographs the particulate matter being conveyed by the adsorption belt at an inspection position on the conveyance path, and an inspection that inspects the particulate matter based on the image taken by the camera. It further has a section. The blow mechanism blows compressed air toward the outer surface of the suction belt at a cleaning position upstream of the inspection position on the conveyance path.

A second invention of the present application is the conveyance processing apparatus of the first invention, wherein the blow mechanism includes a linear nozzle having an air outlet disposed at a position facing the plurality of suction holes, and a compressed air flowing through the linear nozzle. and an air hose for supplying gas, and the recovery mechanism includes a vacuum pump that sucks gas from an intake port facing the suction belt.

A third invention of the present application is the transport processing apparatus of the first invention, wherein the cleaning device includes a pair of the blow mechanisms that blow compressed air toward the same cleaning position on the transport path, and a pair of the blow mechanisms that blow compressed air toward the same cleaning position on the transport path. The recovery mechanism is located between the mechanisms and sucks gas from an intake port facing the suction belt.

A fourth invention of the present application is a conveyance processing device that conveys a plurality of granular materials and performs a predetermined treatment, the apparatus having a plurality of suction holes on the outer surface, and applying negative pressure to the suction holes to remove the granular materials. It has a suction belt that suctions and holds an object and conveys it along a predetermined conveyance path, and a cleaning device that cleans the suction belt, and the cleaning device blows compressed air toward the outer surface of the suction belt. and a recovery mechanism that recovers fine powder of the granular material blown off from the outer surface by blowing compressed air onto the outer surface. Further, the conveyance processing device includes a suction conveyor including a pair of pulleys each rotating around an axis extending in the width direction, and the annular suction belt spanned between the pair of pulleys; further comprises a suction drum that rotates around an axis extending in the width direction, and the suction drum has a plurality of drum suction holes for suctioning and holding the particulate matter one by one in the outer peripheral portion, After the granular material is suctioned and held in the drum suction hole and rotated and conveyed along the conveyance path, positive pressure is applied to the drum suction hole at a delivery position on the conveyance path, so that the suction The blow mechanism blows compressed air toward the outer surface of the adsorption belt at a cleaning position downstream of the delivery position on the conveyance path.

A fifth invention of the present application is a conveyance processing device that conveys a plurality of granular materials and performs a predetermined treatment, which has a plurality of suction holes on the outer surface, and applies negative pressure to the suction holes to remove the granular materials. It has a suction belt that suctions and holds an object and conveys it along a predetermined conveyance path, and a cleaning device that cleans the suction belt, and the cleaning device blows compressed air toward the outer surface of the suction belt. and a recovery mechanism that recovers fine powder of the granular material blown off from the outer surface by blowing compressed air onto the outer surface. Further, the conveyance processing device includes 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 conveyance path; A second inclined drum adjacent in the width direction and having a conical or pyramidal second side surface centered on a second axis inclined with respect to the width direction, the first inclined drum comprising: The first side surface has a plurality of first inverted suction holes arranged in an annular shape with the first axis as the center or an annular first suction slit with the first axis as the center; The drum has, on the second side surface, a plurality of second inverted suction holes arranged in an annular shape around the second axis or an annular second suction slit around the second axis; The first inclined drum rotates while suctioning and holding the particulate matter transferred from the adsorption belt on the first side surface at the reversing position on the conveyance path, and then rotates while suctioning and holding the particulate matter on the first side surface. By applying positive pressure to the first reversing suction hole or the first suction slit to release the adsorption of the particulate matter in the first reversing suction hole or the first suction slit, the particulate matter is transferred to the second inclined drum. After the second inclined drum rotates while adsorbing and holding the particulate matter delivered from the first inclined drum on the second side surface, the second inclined drum rotates while adsorbing and holding the particulate matter on the second side surface. Transferring the particulate matter to the suction belt by applying positive pressure to the hole or the second suction slit to release the adsorption of the particulate matter in the second reversal suction hole or the second suction slit. , the granular material is turned over, and the blow mechanism blows compressed air toward the outer surface of the suction belt at a cleaning position downstream of the reversal position on the conveyance path.

A sixth invention of the present application is the conveyance processing device according to any one of the first invention to the fifth invention, wherein in the Munsell color system, the brightness of the particulate matter is the brightness of the outer surface of the adsorption belt. larger than

A seventh invention of the present application is the transporting and processing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth inventions, wherein the granular material is a tablet or tablet confectionery other than coated tablets, sugar-coated tablets, and capsule tablets.

According to the first to seventh inventions of the present application, fine powder of granules attached to the suction belt can be removed without adding a new path for cleaning the suction belt and without directly contacting the suction belt. Can be removed or reduced.

In particular, according to the third invention of the present application, fine powder of particulate matter blown off from the outer surface of the suction belt can be efficiently collected without scattering around the suction belt or the cleaning device.

According to the fourth invention and the fifth invention of the present application, by removing or reducing the fine powder of the particulate matter adhering to the suction belt during delivery of the particulate matter, it is possible to suppress an adverse effect on subsequent inspections.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the tablet printing device. FIG. 2 is a top view of the tablet printing device. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the tablet printing device. FIG. 2 is a partial side view of the vicinity of the suction drum of the tablet printing device. It is a partial perspective view of a suction conveyor. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the head. FIG. 2 is a diagram of the suction conveyor and reversing mechanism viewed from the direction of the white arrow V1 in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram of a suction conveyor, a defective product collection mechanism, and a non-defective product discharge mechanism as viewed from the direction of an outline arrow V2 in FIG. 2; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing connections between a control section and various sections. It is a partial perspective view of a cleaning device and a suction conveyor. It is a figure which shows the result of verifying the effect of cleaning an adsorption belt using a cleaning device. It is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the tablet printing device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tablet.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the following description, the direction in which a plurality of granular materials are conveyed will be referred to as the "conveyance direction", and the direction perpendicular and horizontal to the conveyance direction will be referred to as the "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 conveyance processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view of the tablet printing device 1. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the tablet printing device 1.

This tablet printing device 1 is a device that prints images such as a product name, product code, company name, logo mark, etc. on both the front and back surfaces of each tablet 9 while conveying a plurality of tablets 9 that are granular materials. Further, in this embodiment, the tablet 9 is assumed to be a tablet that easily generates fine powder, such as a coated tablet, a sugar-coated tablet, and an uncoated tablet (uncoated tablet) other than a capsule tablet. However, the tablet 9 may be a health food tablet or a tablet confectionery such as ramune, other than a pharmaceutical tablet. Further, in this embodiment, the tablet 9 is assumed to be a light-colored tablet such as white or pale yellow. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the tablet 9. As shown in FIG. 13, the tablet 9 has circular front and back surfaces and an annular side surface. However, the shape of the tablet 9 is not limited to this.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a feeder 10, a transport conveyor 20, a suction drum 30, a suction conveyor 40, a first camera 50, a printing section 60, a second camera 70, a drying It includes a mechanism 80, a reversing mechanism 90, a defective product collection mechanism 100, a non-defective product discharge mechanism 110, a cleaning device 120, and a control section 130.

The feeder 10 is a mechanism for transporting a plurality of tablets 9 loaded into the tablet printing apparatus 1 to a transport conveyor 20. The feeder 10 includes, for example, an input hopper, a rotary feeder, a vibration feeder, and the like. A plurality of tablets 9 input into the tablet printing device 1 are conveyed to the conveyor 20 while being arranged in a plurality of rows by these mechanisms. Specifically, a plurality of rows (in this embodiment, three rows) of tablets 9 are formed in the width direction. The plurality of aligned tablets 9 are then supplied to the conveyor 20. Note that in FIG. 1, only one row of tablets 9 is shown.

The conveyor 20 is a mechanism that horizontally conveys the tablets 9 between the feeder 10 and the suction drum 30 while holding them. The conveyor 20 includes a pair of pulleys 21 and an annular conveyor belt 22 stretched between the pair of pulleys 21 . One of the pair of pulleys 21 is rotated by power obtained from the motor M1. As a result, the conveyor belt 22 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The other of the pair of pulleys 21 rotates as the conveyor belt 22 rotates.

The plurality of tablets 9 fed from the feeder 10 are placed on the upper surface of the conveyor belt 22 and move together with the conveyor belt 22 in the conveyance direction. At this time, the tablets 9 have already been arranged in a plurality of rows in the width direction by the feeder 10 described above, but the intervals in the transport direction of the tablets 9 in each row are non-uniform. The plurality of tablets 9 are conveyed in close contact with each other or with slight intervals in the conveyance direction.

The suction drum 30 is located downstream of the conveyor 20 in the conveyance path, and is a mechanism for transferring the tablets 9 from the conveyor 20 to the suction conveyor 40. The suction drum 30 has a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on a rotation axis O that extends horizontally in the width direction. As shown by the broken line in FIG. 1, a motor M2 is connected to the suction drum 30. Further, FIG. 4 is a partial side view of the vicinity of the suction drum 30 of the tablet printing apparatus 1. In FIG. 4, as in FIG. 1, only one row of tablets 9 is shown. As shown in FIG. 4, the suction drum 30 includes a fixed drum 31 and a movable drum 32.

The fixed drum 31 is a cylindrical drum placed inside the movable drum 32. The fixed drum 31 is fixed to the frame of the tablet printing device 1. Therefore, the fixed drum 31 is kept non-rotating even when the motor M2 is driven. An internal space R1 is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the fixed drum 31 at a position in an angular range between a first delivery position P1 and a second delivery position P2, which will be described later.

The movable drum 32 is a cylindrical drum placed outside the fixed drum 31. The movable drum 32 forms the outer circumference of the suction drum 30. Movable drum 32 is connected to the output shaft of motor M2. Therefore, when the motor M2 is driven, the movable drum 32 rotates around the rotation axis O. The movable drum 32 is provided with a plurality of drum suction holes 301. The plurality of drum suction holes 301 are provided at a plurality of width direction positions corresponding to each row of the plurality of tablets 9 arranged in the width direction, at intervals in the transport direction. Each of the plurality of drum suction holes 301 communicates with the above-mentioned internal space R1. Further, each drum suction hole 301 opens horizontally in the width direction.

When the suction drum 30 rotates, the plurality of drum suction holes 301 form an annular shape including a first delivery position P1 close to the top surface of the conveyor belt 22 and a second delivery position P2 close to the surface of the suction belt 42, which will be described later. move along the route. In this embodiment, the first delivery position P1 is located directly below the rotation axis O of the suction drum 30. The second delivery position P2 is located upstream in the conveyance direction from directly above the rotation axis O of the suction drum 30. However, the positional relationship between the first delivery position P1 and the second delivery position P2 is not limited to this.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a first suction mechanism 302 is connected to the suction drum 30. When the first suction mechanism 302 is operated, gas is sucked out from the internal space R1 of the suction drum 30. Thereby, the internal space R1 becomes a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. The tablets 9 that have been transported by the transport conveyor 20 and have reached the first delivery position P1 are suction-held one by one in the drum suction holes 301 of the suction drum 30 by this negative pressure. A plurality of tablets 9 are sucked and held one by one in each drum suction hole 301. 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 drum suction holes 301. That is, the plurality of tablets 9 can be arranged at predetermined intervals not only in the width direction but also in the transport direction.

The tablet 9 is sucked and held in the drum suction hole 301 and is conveyed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 from the first delivery position P1 to the second delivery position P2 by the rotation of the suction drum 30. Then, when the drum suction hole 301 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 R1 maintained at the above-mentioned negative pressure.

Furthermore, the suction drum 30 has a first blow mechanism B1. The first blow mechanism B1 is provided inside the outer circumferential portion of the suction drum 30 having the plurality of drum suction holes 301, and immediately downstream of the above-mentioned internal space R1 in the conveying direction. The first blow mechanism B1 has a nozzle (not shown), and blows gas to only the drum suction hole 301 that just passes through the second delivery position P2 among the plurality of drum suction holes 301. That is, the suction drum 30 of this embodiment rotates and conveys the tablet 9 along the conveyance path while adsorbing and holding the tablet 9 in the drum suction hole 301, and then moves to the first blow mechanism at the second delivery position P2 on the conveyance path. By B1, positive pressure is applied to the drum suction hole 301 in which the tablet 9 was suctioned and held. As a result, the tablets 9 are smoothly transferred to the suction holes 421 of the suction conveyor 40, which will be described later.

Note that the drum suction holes 301 may open in the radial direction on the outer peripheral surface of the suction drum 30. In that case, the first blow mechanism B1 may apply pressure toward the suction conveyor 40 to the tablet 9 via the drum suction hole 301.

The suction conveyor 40 is a mechanism that suction-holds a plurality of tablets 9 and conveys them along a predetermined annular conveyance path. The suction conveyor 40 includes a pair of pulleys 41 and an annular suction belt 42 spanned between the pair of pulleys 41 . One of the pair of pulleys 41 is rotated about a rotating shaft extending horizontally in the width direction by power obtained from the motor M3. As a result, the suction belt 42 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The other of the pair of pulleys 41 rotates as the suction belt 42 rotates about a rotation axis that extends horizontally in the width direction. Further, in this embodiment, the color of the outer circumferential surface 420 (outer surface) of the suction belt 42 is, for example, brownish or darkish. That is, in the Munsell color system, the brightness of the tablet 9 is greater than the brightness of the outer surface of the suction belt 42 that holds the tablet 9 by suction. There is a high contrast between the original color of the outer peripheral surface 420 of the suction belt 42 and the color of the tablet 9.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the suction conveyor 40. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of suction holes 421 are provided in the outer peripheral surface 420 of the suction belt 42. As shown in FIG. The plurality of suction holes 421 are arranged at equal intervals in the transport direction and the width direction. Moreover, the suction conveyor 40 of this embodiment further includes a second suction mechanism 44 (see FIG. 1). The second suction mechanism 44 is a negative pressure generating section that sucks out gas from the space R2 inside the suction belt 42. When the second suction mechanism 44 is operated, the space R2 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. Each suction hole 421 suction-holds the front or back surface of the tablet 9.

In this way, the plurality of tablets 9 are held on the outer circumferential surface 420 (outer surface) of the suction belt 42 in a state where they are aligned in the transport direction and the width direction. By rotating the suction belt 42, the suction conveyor 40 moves the plurality of tablets 9 along a predetermined annular conveyance path formed by the outer peripheral surface 420 of the suction belt 42. Note that a part of the predetermined annular transport path includes a horizontal surface. In this embodiment, below the four heads 61 (described later), below the three second blow mechanisms B2 (described later), third blow mechanism B3 (described later), and fourth blow mechanism B4 (described later), a plurality of tablets 9 is transported horizontally.

As shown in FIG. 1, the adsorption conveyor 40 further includes three second blow mechanisms B2, one third blow mechanism B3, and one fourth blow mechanism B4. The three second blow mechanisms B2 are located inside the suction belt 42 and at positions facing a first tilted drum 91, a third tilted drum 93, and a fifth tilted drum 95, which will be described later, via the suction belt 42, respectively. It is provided. The three second blow mechanisms B2 supply gas only to the suction holes 421 facing the first inclined drum 91, the third inclined drum 93, and the fifth inclined drum 95 among the plurality of adsorption holes 421 of the adsorption belt 42. Spray. 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 transferred from the suction belt 42 to the first inclined drum 91, the third inclined drum 93, and the fifth inclined drum 95. Note that the configurations of the third blow mechanism B3 and the fourth blow mechanism B4 will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42 of this embodiment includes a first area A1 that holds the tablet 9 before being turned over by a turning mechanism 90, which will be described later, and a first area A1 that holds the tablet 9 after being turned over. There is a second area A2 for holding. The first area A1 and the second area A2 are adjacent to each other in the width direction. In this embodiment, a plurality of suction holes 421 are provided in three rows in the width direction in the first area A1 and the second area A2. The tablets 9 delivered from the suction drum 30 described above are suction-held in the suction holes 421 in the first area A1. Further, the plurality of tablets 9 that have been subjected to the printing process on both the front and back surfaces are discharged to the outside of the tablet printing apparatus 1 from the suction hole 421 in the second area A2 by the defective product collection mechanism 100 or the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110.

The first camera 50 is a processing unit for photographing the tablet 9 before printing. The first camera 50 is located at a first inspection position P3 that is downstream of the above-described second delivery position P2 on the conveyance path and upstream of the printing section 60 on the conveyance path. Further, the first camera 50 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. 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 suction belt 42 at the first inspection position P3 on the conveyance path. The image acquired by photography is transmitted from the first camera 50 to the control unit 130. The control unit 130 determines the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in each suction hole 421, the front and back sides of the tablet 9, and the circumference of the vertical axis of the tablet 9, based on the results of analyzing the distribution of pixel brightness values in the image obtained from the first camera 50. The rotational posture of the tablet 9 and the positional shift of the tablet 9 with respect to the suction hole 421 are detected. The control unit 130 also inspects each tablet 9 for defects such as chips, based on the results of analyzing the distribution of pixel brightness values in the image obtained from the first camera 50.

The printing unit 60 is a processing unit that prints on the surface of the tablet 9 using an inkjet method at a printing position on the conveyance path by the suction conveyor 40. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printing section 60 of this embodiment has four heads 61. The four heads 61 are located above the suction belt 42 and arranged in a line along the conveyance direction of the tablets 9. Each head 61 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2 of the suction belt 42. 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 front or back side 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. 6 is a bottom view of one head 61. In FIG. 6, the suction belt 42 and the plurality of tablets 9 held by the suction belt 42 are shown by two-dot chain lines. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 6, 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 at a second inspection position P4 that is downstream of the printing unit 60 in the conveyance path and upstream of the drying mechanism 80 in the conveyance path. Further, the second camera 70 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. 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 suction belt 42 at a second inspection position P4 on the conveyance path. The image acquired by photography is transmitted from the second camera 70 to the control unit 130. Based on the results of analyzing the distribution of pixel brightness values in the image obtained from the second camera 70, the control unit 130 determines that the image printed on the tablet 9 is free from stains, misalignment of printed areas, missing dots, etc. Check whether

The drying mechanism 80 is a mechanism that dries the ink adhering to the surface of the tablet 9. The drying mechanism 80 is located downstream of the second camera 70 in the transport path, and upstream of the reversing mechanism 90, the defective product collection mechanism 100, and the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 in the transport path. Further, the drying mechanism 80 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. 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 suction belt 42 . The ink attached to the tablet 9 is dried by hot air and fixed on the surface of the tablet 9.

The reversing mechanism 90 is a mechanism for reversing the front and back sides of the tablet 9 conveyed by the suction belt 42 and for moving the tablet 9 from the first area A1 to the second area A2. The reversing mechanism 90 is located downstream of the defective product collection mechanism 100 and the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 in the transport path, and upstream of the suction drum 30 in the transport path.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of the suction conveyor 40 and the reversing mechanism 90 viewed from the direction of the outlined arrow V1 in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 7, the reversing mechanism 90 of this embodiment includes a first inclined drum 91, a second inclined drum 92, a third inclined drum 93, a fourth inclined drum 94, a fifth inclined drum 94, and a fifth inclined drum 94. It has a drum 95 and a sixth inclined drum 96.

The first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92 are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction. The third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94 are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction on the downstream side of the conveyance path than the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92. The fifth inclined drum 95 and the sixth inclined drum 96 are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction on the downstream side of the conveyance path than the third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94. Below, the position on the conveyance path of the suction conveyor 40 where the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92 are provided will be referred to as the "first reversal position P5", and the position where the third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94 are provided. The position will be referred to as a "second reversal position P6", and the position where the fifth tilted drum 95 and the sixth tilted drum 96 are provided will be referred to as a "third reversal position P7".

The first inclined drum 91 has a conical first side surface 910 centered on a first axis C1 inclined with respect to the width direction. A portion of the first side surface 910 faces the first region A1 of the suction belt 42 with a slight gap therebetween. Further, the first inclined drum 91 is fixed to the output shaft of a motor 91M. When the motor 91M is driven, the first inclined drum 91 rotates about the first axis C1.

The second inclined drum 92 has a conical second side surface 920 centered on a second axis C2 inclined with respect to the width direction. The first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92 are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction so that their tops face each other. A portion of the second side surface 920 faces the second region A2 of the suction belt 42 with a slight gap therebetween. Another part of the second side surface 920 faces the first side surface 910 with a slight gap therebetween. Further, the second inclined drum 92 is fixed to the output shaft of a motor 92M. When the motor 92M is driven, the second inclined drum 92 rotates about the second axis C2.

In this embodiment, the apex angle of the first inclined drum 91 and the apex angle of the second inclined drum 92 are both 90° when viewed in the conveying direction of the suction conveyor 40. Further, the inclination angle of the first axis C1 with respect to the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42 is 45°. Further, the inclination angle of the second axis C2 with respect to the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42 is 45°. Therefore, the first side surface 910 and the second side surface 920 face each other at a position of 90 degrees with respect to the outer circumferential surface 420. Further, the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92 have the same shape, structure, and size. Therefore, the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92 can be made common as parts. Thereby, the manufacturing cost of the tablet printing device 1 can be reduced.

A plurality of first inversion suction holes 911 are provided in the first side surface 910 . The plurality of first inversion suction holes 911 are provided in an annular shape centered on the first axis C1 at equal angular intervals. Similarly, the second side surface 920 is also provided with a plurality of second inverted suction holes 921 . The plurality of second inversion suction holes 921 are provided in an annular shape centered on the second axis C2 at equal angular intervals.

The pressure in the internal space of the first inclined drum 91 is maintained at a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure by a suction mechanism (not shown). The first inclined drum 91 holds the plurality of tablets 9 one by one in the plurality of first reversal suction holes 911 by this negative pressure. Similarly, the pressure in the internal space of the second inclined drum 92 is also maintained at a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure by a suction mechanism (not shown). The second inclined drum 92 holds the plurality of tablets 9 one by one in the plurality of second reversal suction holes 921 by this negative pressure.

As shown by the broken line in FIG. 7, a fifth blow mechanism B5 is provided inside the first inclined drum 91. The fifth blow mechanism B5 blows gas only to the first inverted suction holes 911 facing the second inclined drum 92 among the plurality of first inverted suction holes 911 of the first inclined drum 91. Then, the first inverted suction hole 911 has a positive pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. As a result, the adsorption of the tablet 9 in the first inverted suction hole 911 is released, and the tablet 9 is transferred from the first inverted suction hole 911 of the first inclined drum 91 to the second reversed adsorption hole 921 of the second inclined drum 92. It is handed over.

Moreover, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 7, a sixth blow mechanism B6 is provided inside the second inclined drum 92. The sixth blow mechanism B6 blows gas to only the second reversal suction holes 921 facing the second region A2 of the suction belt 42 among the plurality of second reversal suction holes 921 of the second inclined drum 92. Then, the second reversal suction hole 921 has a positive pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. As a result, the suction of the tablet 9 in the second reversal suction hole 921 is released, and the tablet 9 is transferred from the second reversal suction hole 921 of the second inclined drum 92 to the suction hole 421 of the second area A2 of the suction belt 42. It is handed over.

Note that the suction force of the tablet 9 by the plurality of second inverted suction holes 921 on the second side surface 920 is preferably slightly larger than the suction force of the tablet 9 by the plurality of first inverted suction holes 911 on the first side surface 910. This makes it difficult for the tablets 9 to fall off when the tablets 9 are transferred from the first inverted suction hole 911 of the first inclined drum 91 to the second inverted suction hole 921 of the second inclined drum 92. However, the suction force of the plurality of first inverted suction holes 911 of the first inclined drum 91 and the suction force of the plurality of second reversed suction holes 921 of the second inclined drum 92 may be the same.

The third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94 have the same structure as the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92, and are arranged adjacent to each other similarly to the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92. has been done. However, the third tilted drum 93 and the fourth tilted drum 94 are arranged at a second reversal position P6 downstream of the conveyance path than the first reversal position P5 where the first tilted drum 91 and the second tilted drum 92 are arranged. be done. Further, the third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94 are at positions shifted in the width direction from the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92 by one widthwise arrangement interval of the tablets 9. It is located. The third inclined drum 93 is fixed to the output shaft of a motor 93M. The fourth inclined drum 94 is fixed to the output shaft of a motor 94M.

The fifth tilted drum 95 and the sixth tilted drum 96 also have the same structure as the first tilted drum 91 and the second tilted drum 92, and are arranged adjacently like the first tilted drum 91 and the second tilted drum 92. has been done. However, the fifth tilted drum 95 and the sixth tilted drum 96 are arranged at a third reversal position P7 downstream of the conveyance path than the second reversal position P6 where the third tilted drum 93 and the fourth tilted drum 94 are arranged. be done. Further, the fifth inclined drum 95 and the sixth inclined drum 96 are located at positions shifted in the width direction from the third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94 by one widthwise arrangement interval of the tablets 9. It is located. The fifth inclined drum 95 is fixed to the output shaft of a motor 95M. The sixth inclined drum 96 is fixed to the output shaft of a motor 96M.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tablet 9 held in the suction hole 421 at the first position W1 in the width direction of the suction belt 42 and conveyed to the first reversal position P5 on the conveyance path is transferred to the first inclined drum 91. It is handed over. The first inclined drum 91 rotates while sucking and holding the tablet 9 received from the suction belt 42 at the first reversing position P5 in the first reversing suction hole 911 of the first side surface 910, and then transfers it to the second inclined drum 92. Hand over. Thereafter, the second inclined drum 92 rotates while suctioning and holding the tablet 9 received from the first inclined drum 91 in the second inverted suction hole 921 of the second side surface 920, and then It is delivered to the suction hole 421 at position W2. As a result, the position of the tablet 9 in the width direction on the transport 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 over.

Similarly, the third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94 move from the third position W3 in the width direction belonging to the first area A1 to the third position W3 in the width direction belonging to the second area A2 at the second reversing position P6 on the conveyance path. The widthwise position of the tablet 9 on the transport path is moved to the fourth position W4, and the tablet 9 is turned over. Similarly, the fifth inclined drum 95 and the sixth inclined drum 96 move from the fifth position W5 in the width direction belonging to the first area A1 to the width belonging to the second area A2 at the third reversing position P7 in the conveying direction. The widthwise position of the tablet 9 on the transport path is moved to the sixth position W6 in the direction, and the tablet 9 is turned over.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of the suction conveyor 40, the defective product collection mechanism 100 (partially shown), and the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110, viewed from the direction of the outlined arrow V2 in FIG. 2. The defective product recovery mechanism 100 removes the tablets 9 determined to be defective by the control unit 130 at a defective product discharge position P8 downstream in the transport direction from the first inspection position P3 and the second inspection position P4 on the transport path. This is a discharge mechanism for carrying out the suction conveyor 40. As shown in FIG. 8, the defective product collection mechanism 100 includes a defective product chute 101 and a collection box (not shown).

The defective product chute 101 is located downstream of the drying mechanism 80 in the transport path and upstream of the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 in the transport path. Defective product chute 101 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The defective product collection port 102, which is an opening at the upper end of the defective product chute 101, faces the second region A2 of the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42 in the vertical direction with a gap therebetween.

The third blow mechanism B3 of the suction conveyor 40 is provided inside the suction belt 42 and at a position facing the defective product collection port 102 via the suction belt 42. When the suction hole 421 that suction-holds the tablet 9 that has been determined to be a defective product reaches the defective product discharge position P8 facing the defective product collection port 102, the third blow mechanism B3 moves the plurality of suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42 Of these, gas is blown vertically downward only into the suction holes 421 at the defective product discharge position P8. 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 falls from the suction belt 42 to the defective product collection port 102.

The tablets 9 that have fallen from the suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42 to the defective product collection port 102 of the defective product chute 101 pass through the interior of the defective product chute 101 and are stored in the above-mentioned collection box. The tablets 9 accommodated in the collection box are then collected by an operator or the like and disposed of outside the tablet printing apparatus 1.

The non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 is configured to detect non-defective products by the control unit 130 at a first inspection position P3, a second inspection position P4, and a non-defective product discharge position P9 downstream of the defective product discharge position P8 on the transport path. This is a discharge mechanism for transporting the tablets 9 from the suction conveyor 40. As shown in FIG. 8, the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 includes a non-defective product chute 111, a non-defective product discharge conveyor 112, and a cover 113.

The good product chute 111 is located downstream of the defective product recovery mechanism 100 in the conveyance path. The non-defective chute 111 has a cylindrical shape and a partially curved structure. A good product discharge port 114, which is an opening at the upper end of the good product chute 111, faces the second region A2 of the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42 in the vertical direction with a gap therebetween.

The fourth blow mechanism B4 of the suction conveyor 40 is provided inside the suction belt 42 and at a position facing the good product discharge port 114 via the suction belt 42. When the suction hole 421 that suction-holds the tablet 9 determined to be a good product reaches the good product discharge position P9 facing the good product discharge port 114, the fourth blow mechanism B4 selects one of the plurality of suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42. Gas is blown vertically downward only into the suction hole 421 at the non-defective product discharge position P9. 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 falls from the suction belt 42 to the non-defective product outlet 114.

The tablets 9 that have fallen from the suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42 to the non-defective product discharge port 114 of the non-defective product chute 111 pass through the interior of the non-defective product chute 111 and fall onto the non-defective product discharge conveyor 112. The non-defective product discharge conveyor 112 has the same configuration as the above-described transport conveyor 20. When the pulley 115 of the non-defective product discharge conveyor 112 is rotated by the power obtained from the motor M4, the conveyor belt 116 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The plurality of tablets 9 that have fallen onto the non-defective product discharge conveyor 112 are carried out to the outside of the tablet printing apparatus 1 while being placed on the conveyor belt 116.

The cleaning device 120 is a device for cleaning the suction belt 42. The configuration of the cleaning device 120 will be described in detail later.

The control section 130 is a means for controlling the operation of each section within the tablet printing apparatus 1. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing connections between the control section 130 and each section within the tablet printing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. As conceptually shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 130 is constituted by a computer having a processor 131 such as a CPU, a memory 132 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 133 such as a hard disk drive. A computer program CP for executing print processing is installed in the storage unit 133.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 130 includes the feeder 10 described above, the conveyor 20 (including the motor M1), the suction drum 30 (including the motor M2, the first suction mechanism 302, and the first blow mechanism B1). ), suction conveyor 40 (including motor M3, second suction mechanism 44, and blow mechanisms B2 to B4), first camera 50, printing section 60 (including head 61), second camera 70, drying mechanism 80, reversing Mechanism 90 (including motors 91M to 96M, fifth blow mechanism B5, sixth blow mechanism B6, and suction mechanism), non-defective product discharging mechanism 110 (including motor M4), and cleaning device 120 (seventh blow mechanism described later) B7 and the recovery mechanism 121), respectively, so as to be communicably connected by wire or wirelessly. The control unit 130 temporarily reads the computer program CP and data stored in the storage unit 133 into the memory 132, and the processor 131 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program CP, thereby controlling the operation of each of the above-mentioned units. do. As a result, the transportation of the plurality of tablets 9 and the printing process for each tablet 9 proceed.

Furthermore, as described above, the control unit 130 analyzes the distribution of pixel brightness values in the images received from the first camera 50 and the second camera 70, and based on the analysis results, detects defects such as chips in each tablet 9. The presence or absence of stains, misalignment of printed areas, missing dots, etc. in the image printed on the tablet 9 is inspected. Based on the inspection results, it is determined whether each tablet 9 is a good product or a defective product. That is, the control unit 130 includes an inspection unit and a determination unit that inspects the tablet 9 based on each image taken by the first camera 50 and the second camera 70, and determines the quality of the printing state and shape of the tablet 9. function as a department.

<2. Configuration of cleaning device>
Next, the configuration of the cleaning device 120 will be explained in detail. FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of the cleaning device 120 and the suction conveyor 40.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 10, the cleaning device 120 is arranged above the suction drum 30. The cleaning device 120 includes a pair of seventh blow mechanisms B7 and a recovery mechanism 121 located between the pair of seventh blow mechanisms B7. The pair of seventh blow mechanism B7 and recovery mechanism 121 are each fixed to the housing of the tablet printing device 1. Further, the pair of seventh blow mechanism B7 and recovery mechanism 121 each extend in the width direction while facing the suction belt 42 and spanning both the first area A1 and the second area A2 of the suction belt 42. .

In addition, in FIG. 10, for convenience of explanation, the pair of seventh blow mechanism B7 and the recovery mechanism 121 are shown spaced apart from each other. However, the pair of seventh blow mechanism B7 and recovery mechanism 121 may be arranged close to each other. Further, the pair of seventh blow mechanisms B7 and the recovery mechanism 121 may be fixed to the housing of the tablet printing device 1 as an integrated unit.

Each seventh blow mechanism B7 has one linear nozzle 71. Each linear nozzle 71 of this embodiment is provided with six air outlets 710. Each of the six blow-off ports 710 is provided at a position facing six suction holes 421 adjacent to each other in the width direction of the suction belt 42 . However, these air outlets 710 may be connected to each other. That is, each linear nozzle 71 only needs to have an air outlet 710 disposed at a position facing one or more suction holes 421 adjacent in the width direction of the suction belt 42 .

Each linear nozzle 71 is connected to an air supply source 73 (see FIG. 4) via an air hose 72. Further, the air hose 72 is provided with an on-off valve 74. When the on-off valve 74 is opened, pressurized clean dry air (compressed air) is supplied from the air supply source 73 to the linear nozzle 71 through the air hose 72.

In this embodiment, the pair of seventh blow mechanisms B7 are arranged vertically with respect to each other. The pair of seventh blow mechanisms B7 blow compressed air toward the same position on the conveyance path on the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42. In the present embodiment, the pair of seventh blow mechanisms B7 are located downstream of the second delivery position P2 where the tablets 9 are delivered from the suction drum 30 on the transport path to the suction conveyor 40, and the camera 50 on the transport path. , 70 are arranged, compressed air is blown toward the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42 at a cleaning position P10 which is a position upstream of the inspection positions P3 and P4 where the suction belts 42 and 70 are disposed. More specifically, the pair of seventh blow mechanisms B7 each have six suction holes 421 that are located at the same position in the conveying direction (cleaning position P10) on the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42 and that are adjacent to each other in the width direction. and blow compressed air towards these areas. By blowing compressed air onto the outer circumferential surface 420 of the adsorption belt 42, the fine powder of the tablets 9 adhering to the outer circumferential surface 420 is blown away toward the space between the pair of seventh blow mechanisms B7 in the vertical direction.

The recovery mechanism 121 has a main body piping 81 and a vacuum pump 82. An intake port 810 extending in the width direction is formed at one end side of the main body piping 81. The intake port 810 faces across both the first area A1 and the second area A2 of the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42. When the vacuum pump 82 is operated, the fine powder of the tablets 9 blown off from the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42 as described above is suctioned from the suction port 810 together with gas such as air. Furthermore, a filter 83 having meshes finer than the fine powder of the tablet 9 is provided inside the main body piping 81 . Thereby, the collection mechanism 121 can discharge gas such as air sucked from the intake port 810 through the filter 83 and collect the fine powder of the tablets 9 at the filter 83 . However, the filter 83 does not necessarily have to be provided. Even in this case, the fine powder of the tablets 9 contained in the gas can be recovered after the gas sucked through the intake port 810 is discharged.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 130 controls the opening and closing of the on-off valves 74 of the pair of seventh blow mechanisms B7 and the operation of the vacuum pump 82 of the recovery mechanism 121. However, these may be performed manually by an operator or the like. Further, the gas ejected from the seventh blow mechanism B7 may be not only clean dry air but also other gas (for example, nitrogen, etc.) that does not affect the production of the tablets 9. Further, the seventh blow mechanism B7 may emit a fixed amount of gas at all times, but depending on the process of cleaning work, the seventh blow mechanism B7 may eject intermittently, temporarily stop ejecting gas, or may emit gas for a certain period of time. The amount of ejection may be changed each time.

Here, as described above, in order to smoothly transfer the tablets 9 from the suction drum 30 to the suction conveyor 40, the first blow mechanism B1 of the suction drum 30 is inserted into the drum suction hole 301 that just passes the second delivery position P2. Spray gas. For this reason, more fine powder is generated from the surface of the tablet 9, or the generated fine powder is scattered toward the suction conveyor 40, and adheres to the suction hole 421 of the suction belt 42 and the vicinity of the periphery of the suction hole 421, and is stacked. There are cases where In this case, if a new tablet 9 is transported without being cleaned and the tablet 9 is photographed by the first camera 50 and the second camera 70, the obtained image data will show that the tablet 9 and the suction hole 421 to which fine powder has adhered are This makes it difficult to determine whether the control unit 130 is running or not, and there is a risk that the results of the inspection performed by the control unit 130 may be incorrect.

However, in the present embodiment, by cleaning the suction belt 42 using the cleaning device 120, the fine powder of the tablets 9 adhering to the suction holes 421 and the vicinity of the periphery of the suction holes 421 is removed, or the amount of fine powder is reduced. Can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the adverse effect on the subsequent inspection due to adhesion or stacking of the fine powder of the tablets 9. Moreover, by using the above-described cleaning device 120, the fine powder of the tablets 9 adhering to the suction belt 42 can be removed or reduced without directly contacting the suction belt 42. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the suction belt 42 from being scratched or mixed with foreign matter, which may occur if the suction belt 42 comes into direct contact with the suction belt 42, and to suppress the adverse effect on the quality of the tablet 9 as a product.

Moreover, by using the cleaning device 120 of this embodiment, the fine powder of the tablets 9 adhering to the suction belt 42 can be removed or reduced without adding a new path for cleaning the suction belt 42. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the entire tablet printing apparatus 1 including the suction belt 42 from increasing in size. As a result, the suction belt 42 can be cleaned even in a limited space.

Further, the cleaning device 120 of the present embodiment blows compressed air from a pair of seventh blow mechanisms B7 arranged at intervals in the vertical direction toward the same cleaning position P10 in the conveyance direction. Then, the fine powder of the tablets 9 blown toward the space between the pair of seventh blow mechanisms B7 in the vertical direction is recovered by the recovery mechanism 121 located between the pair of seventh blow mechanisms B7. Therefore, the fine powder of the tablets 9 can be efficiently collected without scattering around the suction belt 42 or the cleaning device 120. Note that the pair of seventh blow mechanisms B7 may be arranged at intervals in the left-right direction, and the recovery mechanism 121 may be arranged between the pair of left and right seventh blow mechanisms B7.

FIG. 11 shows a case in which the suction belt 42 is cleaned using the cleaning device 120 after printing one lot of tablets 9 (approximately 1 million tablets) using the tablet printing device 1 of this embodiment. The results of verifying the effects seen in practice are shown below. The left diagram in FIG. 11 shows an image taken of the suction belt 42 immediately after printing approximately one million tablets 9 using the tablet printing apparatus 1. The right diagram in FIG. 11 shows an image of the suction belt 42 after the cleaning of the suction belt 42 has been completed using the cleaning device 120.

As shown in FIG. 11, when cleaning is performed using the cleaning device 120 (right figure), the tablets in the suction hole 421 and the vicinity of the periphery of the suction hole 421 are better than before cleaning (left figure). It was confirmed by visual observation that the adhesion amount of No. 9 was significantly suppressed.

<3. About the process flow＞
Next, the flow of conveyance processing, printing processing, and cleaning work using the above-mentioned tablet printing apparatus 1 will be explained. Below, the processing performed on one tablet 9 and the subsequent operations will be explained in order. However, this tablet printing device 1 performs predetermined processing while sequentially transporting the plurality of tablets 9 along the transport path during transport processing and printing processing. Therefore, a plurality of tablets 9 are present inside the tablet printing device 1 at the same time.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the tablet printing apparatus 1. When a predetermined number of tablets 9 (for example, 1 lot = about 1 million tablets) are input into the tablet printing device 1 (step S1), the feeder 10 first supplies the plurality of tablets 9 to the conveyor 20. The plurality of tablets 9 supplied to the conveyor 20 are placed on the upper surface of the conveyor belt 22, and as the conveyor belt 22 rotates, they move approximately horizontally in the conveyance direction to the first delivery position P1 (step S2). .

Next, the tablet 9 is suction-held in the drum suction hole 301 of the suction drum 30 at the first delivery position P1, and is moved in the transport direction to the second delivery position P2 in the upper part by the rotation of the suction drum 30. At this time, the plurality of tablets 9 are arranged so that the intervals in the transport direction become a predetermined interval corresponding to the interval between the drum suction holes 301. When the tablet 9 reaches the second delivery position P2, the suction of the tablet 9 in the drum suction hole 301 is released. As a result, the tablets 9 are transferred from the suction drum 30 to the suction conveyor 40 (step S3).

Subsequently, the tablet 9 is suction-held in the suction hole 421 in the first area A1 of the suction belt 42. As the suction belt 42 rotates, the tablet 9 is conveyed along the annular conveyance path. Hereinafter, the surface of the tablet 9 facing outward when held in the suction hole 421 of the first region A1 will be referred to as the "first surface." Further, in this state, the surface that is sucked by the suction holes 421 is referred to as a "second surface." In FIGS. 2 and 3, the first side of the tablet 9 is shaded in order to distinguish between the first side and the second side. However, the "first side" and the "second side" are unrelated to the original front and back sides of the tablet 9. For example, when the tablet 9 is a scored tablet having the score line 140 (see FIG. 13) on only one side, the surface having the score line 140 is the first side of the plurality of tablets 9 held in the first area A1. A mixture of tablets 9 and tablets 9 whose first side is the side without the score line 140 may be present.

When the tablet 9 reaches the first inspection position P3 below the first camera 50, the first camera 50 photographs the first surface of the tablet 9. As a result, image data of the first side of the tablet 9 is obtained. The acquired image data is transmitted from the first camera 50 to the control unit 130. The control unit 130 performs a pre-print inspection of the first side based on the image data received from the first camera 50 (step S4). Specifically, the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in the suction hole 421, 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 421, the presence or absence of shape defects in the tablet 9, etc. are inspected. be done.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches the printing position below the printing section 60, the four heads 61 eject ink droplets toward the first surface of the tablet 9. As a result, the printing process is performed on the first side of the tablet 9. As a result, an image is printed on the first side of the tablet 9 (step S5). At this time, the control unit 130 adjusts the image to be printed on each tablet 9 based on the inspection results in step S4 described above. For example, an appropriate image is selected depending on whether the surface has the secant line 140 or the surface opposite thereto, and the selected image is rotated according to the rotational posture of each tablet 9. Then, a print signal is input to the head 61 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 the second inspection position P4 below the second camera 70, the second camera 70 photographs the first surface of the tablet 9. As a result, image data of the first side of the tablet 9 is obtained. The acquired image data is transmitted from the second camera 70 to the control unit 130. Furthermore, the control unit 130 performs a post-printing inspection of the first side based on the image data received from the second camera 70 (step S6). Specifically, the control unit 130 determines the printing state of the first side of each tablet 9 by comparing the image data received from the second camera 70 and normal image data prepared in advance, for example. Determine pass/fail.

Subsequently, when the tablet 9 reaches a position below the drying mechanism 80, the drying mechanism 80 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 dries, and the ink is fixed on the first surface (step S7).

Thereafter, when the tablet 9 reaches the first reversal position P5, the second reversal position P6, or the third reversal position P7, which are the reversal positions on the conveyance path, the reversal mechanism 90 reverses the tablet 9 from front to back, and The tablet 9 is moved from the first area A1 to the second area A2 (step S8). By this step S8, the first surface of the tablet 9 is suctioned by the suction hole 421 in the second area A2, and the second surface faces outward.

Subsequently, when the tablet 9 reaches the first inspection position P3 below the first camera 50, the first camera 50 photographs the second surface of the tablet 9. As a result, image data of the second side of the tablet 9 is obtained. The acquired image data is transmitted from the first camera 50 to the control unit 130. Furthermore, the control unit 130 performs a pre-print inspection of the second side based on the image data received from the first camera 50 (step S9). Specifically, the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in the suction hole 421, 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 421, the presence or absence of shape defects in the tablet 9, etc. are inspected. be done.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches the printing position below the printing section 60, the four heads 61 eject ink droplets toward the second surface of the tablet 9. Thereby, the printing process is performed on the second side of the tablet 9. As a result, an image is printed on the second side of the tablet 9 (step S10). At this time, the control unit 130 adjusts the image to be printed on each tablet 9 based on the inspection result in step S9 described above. For example, an appropriate image is selected depending on whether the surface has the secant line 140 or the surface opposite thereto, and the selected image is rotated according to the rotational posture of each tablet 9. Then, a print signal is input to the head 61 based on the adjusted image. As a result, an appropriate image is printed on the second side of each tablet 9 in an appropriate orientation.

Subsequently, when the tablet 9 reaches the second inspection position P4 below the second camera 70, the second camera 70 photographs the second surface of the tablet 9. As a result, image data of the second side of the tablet 9 is obtained. The acquired image data is transmitted from the second camera 70 to the control unit 130. Further, the control unit 130 performs a post-printing inspection of the second side based on the image data received from the second camera 70 (step S11). Specifically, the control unit 130 determines the printing state of the second side of each tablet 9 by, for example, comparing the image data received from the second camera 70 and normal image data prepared in advance. Determine pass/fail.

Subsequently, when the tablet 9 reaches a position below the drying mechanism 80, the drying mechanism 80 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 dries, and the ink is fixed on the second surface (step S12).

As described above, the control unit 130 includes an inspection unit that inspects the tablet 9 based on each image taken by the first camera 50 and the second camera 70, and determines the quality of the printing state and shape of the tablet 9. and functions as a judgment unit. The control unit 130 also determines whether each tablet 9 is a good product with good printing condition and no shape defects such as chipping, or a defective product with printing defects or shape defects. (Step S13).

If the tablet 9 is determined to be a defective product by the control unit 130 (step S13=NO), then when the tablet 9 determined to be a defective product reaches the defective product discharge position P8, the tablet 9 is suctioned and held. Positive pressure is applied to the suction holes 421 of the suction conveyor 40, and the suction of the tablets 9 in the suction holes 421 is released. Thereby, the tablet 9 determined to be defective is discharged to the defective product collection port 102 (step S14).

If the tablet 9 is determined to be a good product by the control unit 130 (step S13=YES), then when the tablet 9 determined to be a good product reaches the good product discharge position P9, the suction conveyor on which the tablet 9 is held by suction Positive pressure is applied to the suction holes 421 of 40, and the suction of the tablets 9 in the suction holes 421 is released. As a result, the tablets 9 determined to be non-defective are discharged to the non-defective product outlet 114 (step S15). The plurality of tablets 9 that have fallen from the non-defective product discharge port 114 to the non-defective product discharge conveyor 112 are carried out to the outside of the tablet printing apparatus 1 while being placed on the conveyor belt 116.

Thereafter, the control unit 130 performs transport processing and printing processing on all of the predetermined number of tablets 9 input into the tablet printing device 1 , and the non-defective product discharging mechanism 110 or the defective product collection mechanism 100 controls the tablet printing device 1 . It is determined whether or not it has been discharged to the outside (step S16). If it is determined that the processing for all the predetermined number of tablets 9 has been completed and they have been discharged to the outside of the tablet printing device 1 (step S16 = YES), the control unit 130 activates the cleaning device 120 to perform cleaning. Cleaning work of the suction belt 42 is performed at position P10 (step S17). At this time, the control unit 130 continuously operates the cleaning device 120 to clean the suction belt 42 while rotating the suction belt 42 with no tablets 9 held in any of the suction holes 421. . Thereby, all the suction holes 421 provided in the annular suction belt 42 and the fine powder of the tablets 9 adhering to their surroundings can be removed or reduced. As a result, when a predetermined number of tablets 9 (for example, 1 lot = about 1 million tablets) are newly input into the tablet printing device 1 for processing, the fine powder of the tablets 9 may have an adverse effect on the subsequent inspection. It is possible to suppress the effects.

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

In the embodiment described above, all of the predetermined number of tablets 9 input into the tablet printing device 1 are subjected to transport processing and printing processing, and after being discharged outside the tablet printing device 1, the tablets 9 are The cleaning device 120 was operated to clean the suction belt 42 while rotating the suction belt 42 without being held. However, while the plurality of tablets 9 are being conveyed or printed, the cleaning device 120 may be operated in parallel to clean the suction belt 42.

In this case, the cleaning device 120 may be placed, for example, near the first area A1 on the downstream side of the first to sixth inclined drums 91 to 96 in the conveyance direction. Then, at the cleaning position P11 (see FIG. 3) on the downstream side of the first reversing position P5, the second reversing position P6, and the third reversing position P7 on the conveyance path, the suction belt 42 is The fine powder of the tablets 9 blown off from the suction belt 42 may be collected by the collection mechanism 121 by blowing compressed air toward the outer circumferential surface 420 of the tablet 9 .

Further, the cleaning device 120 may be arranged near the second area A2 on the downstream side of the good product discharge mechanism 110 in the transport direction. Then, at a cleaning position P12 (see FIG. 3) on the downstream side of the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 on the conveyance path, compressed air is blown toward the outer circumferential surface 420 of the adsorption belt 42 by a pair of seventh blow mechanisms B7 to collect the product. The fine powder of the tablets 9 blown off from the suction belt 42 may be collected by the mechanism 121 .

As shown in FIG. 3, these cleaning positions P11 and P12 face suction holes 421 that do not hold tablets 9. Therefore, even if the cleaning device 120 is operated in parallel while a plurality of tablets 9 are being conveyed or printed, compressed air or fine powder may hit the tablets 9 being processed. The impact can be suppressed.

In the embodiment described above, the cleaning device 120 had two seventh blow mechanisms B7 and one recovery mechanism 121. However, the number of seventh blow mechanisms B7 and recovery mechanisms 121 that cleaning device 120 has is not limited to this. For example, the cleaning device 120 may include one seventh blow mechanism B7 and one collection mechanism 121. For example, the recovery mechanism 121 may be arranged below the seventh blow mechanism B7. Further, the seventh blowing mechanism B7 located above blows compressed air toward the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42, and the collection mechanism 121 located below collects the fine powder of the tablets 9 blown from the suction belt 42. good.

Each of the first inclined drum 91 to the sixth inclined drum 96 of the above-described embodiment had a plurality of suction holes, which were small holes. However, each of the first to sixth inclined drums 91 to 96 may have an annular suction slit (not shown) on the side surface. For example, the first inclined drum 91 may have an annular first suction slit centered on the first axis C1 on the first side surface 910. Further, the second inclined drum 92 may have a second adsorption slit in the second side surface 920 that is annular and centered on the second axis C2. A plurality of tablets 9 may be held by suction in these suction slits. In this way, the tablet 9 can be suction-held at any position of the suction slit. Therefore, even if the tablet 9 is slightly misaligned during delivery, the tablet 9 can be held by suction.

In the embodiment described above, each of the first to sixth inclined drums 91 to 96 had a conical side surface. However, the side surfaces of the first to sixth inclined drums 91 to 96 may have a polygonal pyramid shape such as a square pyramid, a hexagonal pyramid, or an octagonal pyramid.

Further, in the embodiment described above, 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.

Moreover, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the above-described embodiment and modification example was equipped with a printing unit 60 that performs a printing process on the front or back surface of the tablet 9 at a printing position on the conveyance path by the suction conveyor 40. However, the tablet printing device 1 may include other processing units such as a packaging device for packaging the tablets 9. That is, in the above-described embodiments and modifications, "a plurality of tablets are transported and a printing process is performed" can be read as "a plurality of tablets are transported and a predetermined process is performed".

Further, the detailed configuration inside the device may be different from each figure of the present application. 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 Feeder 20 Conveyor 30 Suction drum 31 Fixed drum 32 Movable drum 40 Suction conveyor 41 Pulley 42 Suction belt 44 Second suction mechanism 50 First camera 60 Printing section 70 Second camera 71 Linear nozzle 72 Air hose 73 Air supply source 74 Open/close valve 80 Drying mechanism 81 Main body piping 82 Vacuum pump 83 Filter 90 Reversing mechanism 91 First inclined drum 92 Second inclined drum 93 Third inclined drum 94 Fourth inclined drum 95 Fifth inclined drum 96 Sixth inclined drum 100 Defective product collection mechanism 110 Good product discharge mechanism 120 Cleaning device 121 Collection mechanism 130 Control unit 301 Drum suction hole 302 First suction mechanism 420 Outer peripheral surface (outer surface)
421 Suction hole 710 Air outlet 810 Intake port 910 First side surface 911 First inverted suction hole 920 Second side surface 921 Second inverted suction hole A1 First area A2 Second area B1 First blow mechanism B2 Second blow mechanism B5 Fifth Blow mechanism B6 Sixth blow mechanism B7 Seventh blow mechanism C1 First axis C2 Second axis P1 First delivery position P2 Second delivery position P3 First inspection position P4 Second inspection position P5 First reversal position P6 Second reversal position P7 Third reversal position P8 Defective product discharge position P9 Good product discharge position P10 Cleaning position P11 Cleaning position P12 Cleaning position R1 Internal space R2 Space

Claims (7)

A transport processing device that transports a plurality of granular materials and performs predetermined processing,
a suction belt having a plurality of suction holes on its outer surface and conveying the particulate matter along a predetermined conveyance route while applying negative pressure to the suction holes to attract and hold the particulate matter;
a cleaning device that cleans the suction belt;
has
The cleaning device includes:
a blow mechanism that blows compressed air toward the outer surface of the suction belt;
a recovery mechanism that recovers fine powder of the granules blown off from the outer surface by blowing compressed air onto the outer surface;
has
a camera that photographs the particulate matter being conveyed by the suction belt at an inspection position on the conveyance path;
an inspection unit that inspects the particulate matter based on an image taken by the camera;
It further has
The blow mechanism is a conveyance processing device that blows compressed air toward the outer surface of the suction belt at a cleaning position upstream of the inspection position on the conveyance path . The conveyance processing device according to claim 1,
The blow mechanism is
a linear nozzle having an air outlet arranged at a position facing the plurality of suction holes;
an air hose that supplies compressed air to the linear nozzle;
has
The collection mechanism is
A conveyance processing device including a vacuum pump that suctions gas from an intake port facing the suction belt. The conveyance processing device according to claim 1,
The cleaning device includes:
a pair of blow mechanisms that blow compressed air toward the same cleaning position on the conveyance path;
the recovery mechanism that is located between the pair of blow mechanisms and sucks gas from an intake port facing the suction belt;
A conveyance processing device having: A transport processing device that transports a plurality of granular materials and performs predetermined processing,
a suction belt having a plurality of suction holes on its outer surface and conveying the particulate matter along a predetermined conveyance route while applying negative pressure to the suction holes to attract and hold the particulate matter;
a cleaning device that cleans the suction belt;
has
The cleaning device includes:
a blow mechanism that blows compressed air toward the outer surface of the suction belt;
a recovery mechanism that recovers fine powder of the granules blown off from the outer surface by blowing compressed air onto the outer surface;
has
a suction conveyor including a pair of pulleys each rotating around an axis extending in the width direction, and the annular suction belt spanning between the pair of pulleys;
a suction drum that rotates around an axis whose outer peripheral portion extends in the width direction;
It further has
The suction drum includes, in the outer peripheral portion,
A plurality of drum suction holes that suction and hold the particulate matter one by one.
and after rotating and conveying the granular material along the conveyance path while adsorbing and holding the granular material in the drum suction hole, positive pressure is applied to the drum suction hole at a delivery position on the conveyance path. to the adsorption conveyor,
The blow mechanism is a conveyance processing device that blows compressed air toward the outer surface of the adsorption belt at a cleaning position on the downstream side of the delivery position on the conveyance path. A transport processing device that transports a plurality of granular materials and performs predetermined processing,
a suction belt having a plurality of suction holes on its outer surface and conveying the particulate matter along a predetermined conveyance route while applying negative pressure to the suction holes to attract and hold the particulate matter;
a cleaning device that cleans the suction belt;
has
The cleaning device includes:
a blow mechanism that blows compressed air toward the outer surface of the suction belt;
a recovery mechanism that recovers fine powder of the granules blown off from the outer surface by blowing compressed air onto the outer surface;
has
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 conveyance path;
a second inclined drum adjacent to the first inclined drum in the width direction and having a conical or pyramidal second side surface centered on a second axis inclined with respect to the width direction;
It further has
The first inclined drum has a plurality of first inverted suction holes arranged in an annular shape around the first axis or an annular first suction slit around the first axis on the first side surface. have,
The second inclined drum has a plurality of second inverted suction holes arranged in an annular shape around the second axis or an annular second suction slit around the second axis on the second side surface. have,
The first inclined drum rotates while suctioning and holding the particulate matter transferred from the adsorption belt on the first side surface at the reversing position on the conveyance path, and then rotates while suctioning and holding the particulate matter on the first side surface. By applying positive pressure to the first inverted suction hole or the first suction slit to release the adsorption of the particulate matter in the first inverted suction hole or the first suction slit, the particulate matter is transferred to the second inclined drum. Deliver things,
The second inclined drum rotates while adsorbing and holding the particulate matter delivered from the first inclined drum on the second side surface, and then rotates through the second inverted suction hole or the second inverted suction hole in which the particulate matter is adsorbed and held. By applying positive pressure to the second suction slit to release the adsorption of the particulate matter in the second reversal suction hole or the second suction slit, the particulate matter is transferred to the suction belt. Turn things upside down,
The blow mechanism is a conveyance processing device that blows compressed air toward the outer surface of the suction belt at a cleaning position on the downstream side of the reversal position on the conveyance path. The conveyance processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
In the Munsell color system, the brightness of the granular material is greater than the brightness of the outer surface of the suction belt. The conveyance processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The granular material is a tablet or confectionery excluding coated tablets, sugar-coated tablets, and capsule tablets, the conveyance processing device.

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