JP7412188B2 - 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, a plurality of tablets poured into the device are transported one by one at a predetermined interval in the transport direction, and the surfaces thereof are subjected to predetermined processing such as printing, inspection, and drying. 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 top and side surfaces of the tablet (T) are inspected for flaws and stains, 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. Furthermore, compressed air is injected from the injection nozzle (16) of the belt cleaning section (15) to clean dirt on the conveyor belt (12, 22).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-143653

However, since the device (10) of Patent Document 1 is an inspection device that inspects tablets (T), when the tablets (T) are transported to the next process of drying, packaging, etc. There is a possibility that the particles may adhere to the vicinity of the suction groove (12b) of the conveyor belt (12, 22). In particular, when compressed air is injected toward the tablet (T) when transporting the tablet (T) to the next process, more powder is scattered, and the suction groove of the conveyor belt (12, 22) 12b) There is a possibility that it may adhere to the vicinity.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a device that can suppress fine powder generated from tablets from adhering to a conveyor belt near a discharge position where tablets are discharged to the next process. The purpose is to

In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present application is a transport processing device that transports a plurality of granular materials and performs predetermined processing, the device having a plurality of suction holes, and the granular materials being transported into the suction holes. A suction belt that moves the particulate matter along a predetermined transport route while holding it by suction, and a discharge unit that releases the adsorption of the particulate matter in the suction hole at a discharge position on the transport route and causes the particulate matter to fall to a discharge port. a mechanism, a receiving member disposed with a small gap from one surface of the suction belt, and a negative pressure generating section that generates a negative pressure in a space located on one side of the receiving member, the receiving member has a through hole that communicates the space with the minute gap, and each of the plurality of suction holes passes through the suction belt and communicates with the minute gap, and is located at the same discharge position on the conveyance path. Alternatively, at least a portion of the through hole of the receiving member and the suction hole of the suction belt are closed at a restriction position located downstream of the ejection position, and the ejection mechanism This blow mechanism releases the adsorption of the particulate matter in the suction hole by applying positive pressure to the suction hole in which the particulate matter is adsorbed and held .

A second invention of the present application is the conveyance processing device of the first invention, further comprising a shielding member that closes at least a portion of the through hole of the receiving member and the suction hole of the suction belt at the restriction position. .

A third invention of the present application is the transport processing apparatus according to the second invention, which includes: a processing section that performs the predetermined processing on the surface of the granular material at a processing position on the transport route; The discharge mechanism further includes a determination unit that determines whether the processing state of the granular material is good or bad at a determination position downstream from the determination position, and the discharge mechanism At the non-defective discharge position, a positive pressure is applied to the suction hole in which the particulate matter determined to be good by the determination unit is adsorbed and held, to release the adsorption of the particulate matter in the suction hole, and discharge the particulate matter. The granular material is allowed to fall to the non-defective product outlet, which is the outlet.

A fourth invention of the present application is the transport processing apparatus according to the second invention, which includes: a processing section that performs the predetermined processing on the surface of the granular material at a processing position on the transport route; The discharge mechanism further includes a determination unit that determines whether the processing state of the granular material is good or bad at a determination position downstream of the determination position, and the discharge mechanism at a defective product discharge position, applying positive pressure to the suction hole in which the particulate matter determined to be a defective product by the determination unit is adsorbed and held, to release the adsorption of the particulate matter in the suction hole; The granular material is dropped into the defective product collection port which is the discharge port.

A fifth invention of the present application is the conveyance processing apparatus according to the third or fourth invention, wherein at least a part of the shielding member is located in the minute gap, and at least a part of the through hole of the receiving member is located in the small gap. Obstruction.

A sixth invention of the present application is the conveyance processing device of the first invention, wherein the ejection mechanism closes at least a portion of the through hole of the receiving member and the suction hole of the suction belt at the restriction position. This is a shielding member that releases the adsorption of the particulate matter in the adsorption hole.

A seventh invention of the present application is the conveyance processing device according to any one of the first invention to the sixth invention, wherein in the Munsell color system, the brightness of the particulate matter is determined by the adsorption belt's absorption of the particulate matter. Greater than the brightness of the outer surface to be retained.

An eighth invention of the present application is the conveying and processing apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh 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 eighth aspects of the present application, the shielding member weakens the suction force of the suction holes located near the discharge position of the suction belt. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the fine powder generated from the granular material from adhering to the suction holes near the discharge position.

In particular, according to the fifth aspect of the present application, even when a shielding member is provided, a space for passing the granular material can be maintained, and the granular material can be transported without any trouble.

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. 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. 2 is a block diagram showing connections between a control section and various sections. 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; 9 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the defective product discharge position and the non-defective product discharge position in FIG. 8. FIG. It is a figure which shows the result of verifying the effect by providing a shielding member in a restriction position. It is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the tablet printing device. 9 is a modification of the enlarged view of the vicinity of the defective product discharge position and the non-defective product discharge position in FIG. 8. 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. Note that in FIG. 1, illustration of a receiving member 43 of the suction conveyor 40, which will be described later, is omitted.

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, and a control section 120.

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. Further, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 1, a motor M2 is connected to the suction drum 30. When the motor M2 is driven, the suction drum 30 rotates around the rotation axis O. A plurality of suction holes 301 are provided on the outer periphery of the suction drum 30 . The plurality of 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, with intervals in the transport direction. Each suction hole 301 opens horizontally in the width direction.

When the suction drum 30 rotates, the plurality of suction holes 301 form an annular structure 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 slightly 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.

As shown in FIG. 1, 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 located in the angular range between the first delivery position P1 and the second delivery position P2. Thereby, the internal space R1 becomes a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. The tablets 9 that have been conveyed by the conveyor 20 and have reached the first delivery position P1 are suction-held in the suction holes 301 of the suction drum 30 by this negative pressure. The plurality of tablets 9 are suction-held one by one in each 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 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 suction hole 301 and is conveyed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 from the first delivery position P1 to the second delivery position P2 by the rotation of the suction drum 30. Then, when the 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. Thereby, the tablets 9 are transferred from the suction drum 30 to the suction conveyor 40.

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 rotating shaft 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 circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42 and the color of the tablet 9.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the suction conveyor 40. As shown in FIG. 4, 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. In addition, the suction conveyor 40 of this embodiment includes a receiving member 43 (see FIG. 9), a second suction mechanism 44 (see FIG. 1), a first shielding member 451 (see FIG. 1), and a second shielding member 452. (See FIG. 1). The second suction mechanism 44 is a negative pressure generating section that sucks out gas from a space inside the suction belt 42 (a space R2 located further inside the receiving member 43, which will be described later). 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 back surface of the tablet 9. Note that a more detailed configuration of the suction conveyor 40 including the receiving member 43, the first shielding member 451, and the second shielding member 452 will be described later.

In this way, the plurality of tablets 9 are held on the 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, a plurality of tablets 9 are provided below the four heads 61 (described later), and below the three first blow mechanisms B1 (described later), second blow mechanism B2 (described later), and third blow mechanism B3 (described later). is transported horizontally.

As shown in FIG. 1, the adsorption conveyor 40 further includes three first blow mechanisms B1. The three first blow mechanisms B1 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 first blow mechanisms B1 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.

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 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 . The image acquired by photography is transmitted from the first camera 50 to the control unit 120. The control unit 120 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 120 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 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. 5 is a bottom view of one head 61. In FIG. 5, 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. 5, 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. 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. The image acquired by photography is transmitted from the second camera 70 to the control unit 120. Based on the results of analyzing the distribution of pixel brightness values in the image obtained from the second camera 70, the control unit 120 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, defective product collection mechanism 100, and non-defective product discharge mechanism 110, which will be described later. 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. 6 is a diagram of the suction conveyor 40 and the reversing mechanism 90 viewed from the direction of the outlined arrow V1 in FIG. Note that in FIG. 6, illustration of a receiving member 43 of the suction conveyor 40, which will be described later, is omitted. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 6, 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, 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 P3", 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 P4," 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 P5."

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 conveyance 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 suction holes 911 are provided in the first side surface 910 . The plurality of 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 suction holes 921. The plurality of 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 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 suction holes 921 by this negative pressure.

As shown by the broken line in FIG. 6, a fourth blow mechanism B4 is provided inside the first inclined drum 91. The fourth blow mechanism B4 blows gas only to the suction holes 911 facing the second inclined drum 92 among the plurality of suction holes 911 of the first inclined drum 91. Then, the suction hole 911 has a positive pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. As a result, the suction of the tablet 9 in the suction hole 911 is released, and the tablet 9 is transferred from the suction hole 911 of the first inclined drum 91 to the suction hole 921 of the second inclined drum 92.

Further, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 6, a fifth blow mechanism B5 is provided inside the second inclined drum 92. The fifth blow mechanism B5 blows gas to only the suction holes 921 facing the second area A2 of the suction belt 42 among the plurality of suction holes 921 of the second inclined drum 92. Then, the suction hole 921 has a positive pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. As a result, the suction of the tablet 9 in the suction hole 921 is released, and the tablet 9 is transferred from the suction hole 921 of the second inclined drum 92 to the suction hole 421 of the second area A2 of the suction belt 42.

Note that the suction force of the tablet 9 by the plurality of 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 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 suction holes 911 of the first inclined drum 91 to the suction holes 921 of the second inclined drum 92. However, the suction force of the plurality of suction holes 911 of the first inclined drum 91 and the suction force of the plurality of 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 P4 downstream of the conveyance path than the first reversal position P3 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 P5 downstream of the conveyance path than the second reversal position P4 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 by 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 P3 in the conveyance direction is received by the first inclined drum 91. passed on. The first inclined drum 91 rotates while adsorbing and holding the tablets 9 received from the suction belt 42 in the suction holes 911 of the first side surface 910, and delivers them to the second inclined drum 92. Thereafter, the second inclined drum 92 rotates while sucking and holding the tablet 9 received from the first inclined drum 91 in the suction hole 921 of the second side surface 920, and moves the tablet 9 to the second position W2 in the width direction of the suction belt 42. It is delivered to the suction hole 421. 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 P4 in the conveyance direction. 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 P5 in the conveyance 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.

Defective product recovery mechanism 100 is a mechanism for carrying out tablets 9 determined to be defective by control unit 120, which will be described later, from adsorption conveyor 40. The non-defective product discharging mechanism 110 is a mechanism for transporting tablets 9 determined to be non-defective by a control unit 120, which will be described later, from the suction conveyor 40. Detailed configurations of the defective product collection mechanism 100 and the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 will be described later.

The control section 120 is a means for controlling the operation of each section within the tablet printing apparatus 1. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing connections between the control section 120 and each section within the tablet printing apparatus 1. As conceptually shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 120 is constituted by a computer having a processor 121 such as a CPU, a memory 122 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 123 such as a hard disk drive. A computer program CP for executing print processing is installed in the storage unit 123.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 120 controls the feeder 10 described above, the transport conveyor 20 (including the motor M1), the suction drum 30 (including the motor M2 and the first suction mechanism 302), the suction conveyor 40 (the motor M3, second suction mechanism 44, and first blow mechanism B1), first camera 50, printing section 60 (including head 61), second camera 70, drying mechanism 80, reversing mechanism 90 (motor 91M to motor 96M, a fourth blow mechanism B4, a fifth blow mechanism B5, and a suction mechanism), a defective product collection mechanism 100 (including a second blow mechanism B2 described later), and a non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 (including a motor M4 and a suction mechanism described later). 3 (including the blow mechanism B3), and are communicably connected to each other by wire or wirelessly. The control unit 120 temporarily reads the computer program CP and data stored in the storage unit 123 into the memory 122, and the processor 121 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 120 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 120 functions as a determination unit that determines whether the printing state and shape of the tablet 9 are good or bad at a determination position downstream in the transport direction from the printing position (near the lower position of the second camera 70).

<2. Detailed configuration of each discharge mechanism and adsorption conveyor>
Next, detailed configurations of the defective product collection mechanism 100, the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110, and the suction conveyor 40 in the vicinity of the defective product collection mechanism 100 and the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 will be described. 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 is a discharge mechanism for carrying out the tablets 9 determined to be defective by the control unit 120 from the suction conveyor 40 at a defective product discharge position P6 downstream of the determination position on the conveyance path. . As shown in FIG. 8, the defective product collection mechanism 100 includes a defective product chute 101, a second blow mechanism B2, 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 into 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 peripheral surface 420 of the suction belt 42 in the vertical direction with a gap therebetween.

The second blow mechanism B2 is provided inside the suction belt 42 and at a position facing the defective product collection port 102 with the suction belt 42 interposed therebetween. The second blow mechanism B2 has a nozzle 103. When the suction hole 421 that suction-holds the tablet 9 determined to be a defective product reaches the defective product discharge position P6 facing the defective product collection port 102, the second blow mechanism B2 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 P6. 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 discharge tablets 9 determined to be non-defective by the control unit 120 from the suction conveyor 40 at a non-defective product discharge position P7 downstream of the determination position on the conveyance path and the defective product discharge position P6. It is a mechanism. As shown in FIG. 8, the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 includes a non-defective product chute 111, a third blow mechanism B3, 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 third blow mechanism B3 is provided inside the suction belt 42 and at a position facing the non-defective product discharge port 114 via the suction belt 42. The third blow mechanism B3 has a nozzle 117. When the suction hole 421 that suction-holds the tablet 9 determined to be a good product reaches the good product discharge position P7 facing the good product discharge port 114, the third blow mechanism B3 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 P7. 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.

FIG. 9 is a further enlarged view of the vicinity of the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, in the suction conveyor 40, a receiving member 43 is provided inside the suction belt 42 and is fixed to the housing of the tablet printing apparatus 1. Here, as described above, the suction belt 42 has an annular structure spanned between the pair of pulleys 41. The receiving member 43 is arranged along the inner surface of the suction belt 42 and separated from the inner surface of the suction belt 42 by a minute gap D1. In the vicinity of the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7, the receiving member 43 is arranged with a small gap D1 in between and the upper surface 431 (inner surface) of the suction belt 42. In the suction conveyor 40, by providing the receiving member 43, the suction belt 42 is held more stably.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, near the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7 of the suction belt 42, the upper surface 431 of the suction belt 42 is different from the lower surface 432 of the suction belt 42 on which the tablet 9 is suction-held. It faces the lower surface of the receiving member 43 while facing the opposite side. The plurality of suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42 each hold the suction belt 42 in the thickness direction (the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction and the width direction, and the vertical direction near the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7). It penetrates and communicates with the minute gap D1. Furthermore, the receiving member 43 has a plurality of through holes 430. Each of the plurality of through holes 430 penetrates the receiving member 43 in the thickness direction (in the vertical direction near the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7). Note that the nozzle of the first blow mechanism B1, the nozzle 103 of the second blow mechanism B2, and the nozzle 117 of the third blow mechanism B3 each penetrate through the through hole 430, and their tips reach near the suction hole 421 of the suction belt 42. are doing.

By providing the through hole 430 in the receiving member 43, the space R2 located further inside the receiving member 43 (upper side near the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7) and the minute gap D1 communicate with each other. Here, the second suction mechanism 44 always sucks out gas from the space R2 when the tablet printing device 1 is driven, thereby making the space R2 a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. Then, in addition to the space R2, gas is sucked out from the minute gap D1 through the plurality of through holes 430, and the plurality of suction holes 421 become under negative pressure. As a result, the tablet 9 is stably sucked and held in the plurality of suction holes 421.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first shielding member 451 is provided at the first restriction position P8 located immediately downstream of the defective product discharge position P6 on the transport path. Further, a second shielding member 452 is provided at a second restriction position P9 located immediately downstream of the non-defective product discharge position P7 on the conveyance path.

The first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 are each located in the minute gap D1 and are fixed to the lower surface of the receiving member 43 or the casing of the tablet printing device 1. However, the upper portions of the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 may extend above the lower surface of the receiving member 43. Further, the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 each cover the upper part of the three suction holes 421 in the width direction of the second area A2.

The first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 each close a part of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43. As a result, the suction force of the suction hole 421 is weakened near the first restriction position P8 and the second restriction position P9, respectively. However, since these suction holes 421 also communicate with through holes 430 that are different from the through holes 430 that are closed by the first shielding member 451 or the second shielding member 452, the suction force does not become completely zero. . Thereby, even when the tablet 9 passes through the first restriction position P8 or the second restriction position P9, it is possible to continue suction-holding the tablet 9 in the suction hole 421.

Further, in this embodiment, the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 are respectively located in the minute gap D1 on the upper surface 431 side of the suction belt 42 instead of on the lower surface 432 side, thereby allowing the tablets 9 to pass through. The tablets 9 can be transported without any hindrance. Note that from the defective product discharging position P6 to the non-defective product discharging position P7, tablets 9 determined to be good products are continuously sucked and held; It falls into chute 111. Therefore, after passing through the non-defective product discharge position P7, the suction force of the suction hole 421 may become completely zero.

As described above, the second blow mechanism B2 blows gas to the suction hole 421 that has reached the defective product discharge position P6. The third blow mechanism B3 blows gas to the suction hole 421 that has reached the non-defective product discharge position P7. As a result, more fine powder is generated from the surface of the tablet 9. Therefore, if the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 are not provided, the fine powder generated from the tablets 9 will be removed by the airflow flowing along the lower surface of the suction belt 42 as the suction belt 42 moves. There was a risk that the particles would move a little downstream in the conveyance direction and adhere again to the suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42 or the periphery of the suction holes 421 (see the right diagram of FIG. 10, which will be described later). In this case, when the suction belt 42 with the fine powder adhering to it is used as it is to convey a new tablet 9 and the tablet 9 is photographed by the first camera 50 and the second camera 70, the obtained image data shows that the tablet 9 and the fine powder are This makes it difficult to distinguish between the suction holes 421 and the adsorbed holes 421, which may cause problems in the inspection results by the control unit 120.

However, in the present embodiment, the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 close part of the through hole 430, so that the first restriction position P8 downstream of the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7 In the vicinity of the second restriction position P9, the suction force of the suction hole 421 is weakened. This prevents the fine powder generated from the tablet 9 from adhering to the suction hole 421 again.

FIG. 10 shows a case where the second shielding member 452 described above is provided and a case where the second shielding member 452 is not provided at the second restriction position P9 located immediately downstream of the good product discharge position P7 on the conveyance path. 1 and 2 show the results of verifying the effects seen on the suction belt 42 after processing approximately one million tablets 9 using the tablet printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment. The left diagram in FIG. 10 shows an image of the suction belt 42 after processing approximately one million tablets 9 using the tablet printing device 1 in the case where the second shielding member 452 is provided. . The right diagram in FIG. 10 shows an image taken of the suction belt 42 after processing approximately one million tablets 9 using the tablet printing device 1 in the case where the second shielding member 452 is not provided. There is.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the second shielding member 452 is provided (left figure), the fine powder generated from the tablet 9 is transferred to the suction belt more than when the second shielding member 452 is not provided (right figure). Visual observation confirmed that adhesion to the suction holes 421 of No. 42 and the vicinity of the suction holes 421 was suppressed. In addition, in the processing process using the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the present invention, approximately 99% or more of the tablets 9 are usually finally determined as non-defective products and are ejected by the non-defective product discharging mechanism 110 (i.e., the third blow mechanism Since the gas is blown from B3), the verification was performed by providing only the second shielding member 452, which is expected to be more effective.

Note that the lengths of the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 in the conveyance direction may be determined by taking into consideration the conveyance speed of the tablet 9 in addition to the weight and volume of the tablet 9. Further, as in the above-described verification, only one of the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 (for example, the second shielding member 452) may be provided. Further, each of the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 is fixed to the receiving member 43 and the like, and instead of blocking a part of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43, the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 are fixed to a part of the suction hole 421 of the suction belt 42. The structure may be such that the portion is closed. That is, the first shielding member 451 may have a structure that closes at least a portion of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 and the suction hole 421 of the suction belt 42 at the first restriction position P8. The second shielding member 452 may have a structure that closes at least a portion of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 and the suction hole 421 of the suction belt 42 at the second restriction position P9.

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

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the tablet printing apparatus 1. When a plurality of tablets 9 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 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 are a predetermined interval corresponding to the interval between the suction holes 301. When the tablet 9 reaches the second delivery position P2, the suction of the tablet 9 in the 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, in the case where the tablet 9 is a scored tablet having a score line 130 (see FIG. 13) on only one side, the surface having the score line 130 among the plurality of tablets 9 held in the first area A1 is the first side. A mixture of tablets 9 and tablets 9 whose first side is the side without the score line 130 may be present.

When the tablet 9 reaches 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 120. The control unit 120 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 120 adjusts the image to be printed on each tablet 9 based on the inspection result in step S4 described above. For example, an appropriate image is selected depending on whether the surface has the secant line 130 or the opposite surface, 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 determination position 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 120. Furthermore, the control unit 120 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 120 determines the printing state of the first 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 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 P3, the second reversal position P4, or the third reversal position P5, 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 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 120. Further, the control unit 120 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 120 adjusts the image to be printed on each tablet 9 based on the inspection results in step S9 described above. For example, an appropriate image is selected depending on whether the surface has the secant line 130 or the opposite surface, 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 determination position 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 120. Furthermore, the control unit 120 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 120 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 120 determines whether the printing condition of the tablet 9 is good or not, and whether there is a shape defect such as a chip, based on the image data received from the first camera 50 and the second camera 70. That is, the control unit 120 functions as a determination unit that determines the quality of the printing state and shape of the tablet 9 at a determination position downstream of the printing position in the conveyance direction. Further, the determination unit 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 determination unit (step S13=NO), then the tablet 9 determined to be a defective product reaches the defective product discharge position P6 downstream of the determination position in the transport direction. Then, positive pressure is applied to the suction hole 421 of the suction conveyor 40 in which the tablet 9 is suctioned and held, and the suction of the tablet 9 in the suction hole 421 is released. Thereby, the tablet 9 determined to be defective is discharged to the defective product collection port 102 (step S14). At this time, the suction hole 421 near the first restriction position P8 is sucked by the first shielding member 451 provided at the first restriction position P8 located immediately downstream of the defective product discharge position P6 on the conveyance path. Power weakens. Therefore, the fine powder generated from the tablet 9 during the above-described suction release is suppressed from adhering to the suction hole 421 again.

If the tablet 9 is determined to be a good product by the determination section (step S13=YES), then when the tablet 9 determined to be a good product reaches the good product discharge position P7 downstream of the determination position in the transport direction, the corresponding Positive pressure is applied to the suction holes 421 of the suction conveyor 40 in which the tablets 9 are suctioned and held, 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. At this time, the suction force of the suction hole 421 near the second restriction position P9 is increased by the second shielding member 452 provided at the second restriction position P9 located immediately downstream of the good product discharge position P7 on the conveyance path. weakens. Therefore, the fine powder generated from the tablet 9 during the above-described suction release is suppressed from adhering to the suction hole 421 again.

<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.

FIG. 12 is a modification of the diagram in which the vicinity of the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7 in FIG. 8 of the above-described embodiment is further enlarged. As shown in FIG. 12, in this modification, the third blow mechanism B3 described above is not provided. On the other hand, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the first shielding member 451 is provided at the first restriction position P8 located immediately downstream of the defective product discharge position P6 on the conveyance path. Further, a second shielding member 452B is provided at a second restriction position P9 located immediately downstream of the non-defective product discharge position P7 on the conveyance path. The first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452B are each located in the minute gap D1 and are fixed to the lower surface of the receiving member 43 or the casing of the tablet printing device 1. Further, the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452B each cover the upper part of the three suction holes 421 in the width direction of the second area A2. The first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452B each close a part of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43. Note that while each of the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452B is fixed to the receiving member 43 etc., instead of closing a part of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43, the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452B close one of the suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42. The structure may be such that the portion is closed.

The second shielding member 452B of this modification is longer in the transport direction than the second shielding member 452 in the above-described embodiment. Therefore, the area of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 that is closed by the second shielding member 452B in this embodiment is the area of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 that is closed by the second shielding member 452 in the above embodiment. wider than As a result, the suction force of the suction hole 421 is considerably weakened near the second restriction position P9. As a result, at the second restriction position P9, gas is not blown from the second blow mechanism B2 to the suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42, but the suction force of the suction holes 421 is considerably weakened, The suction of the tablets 9 is released, and the tablets 9 naturally fall from the suction belt 42 to the good product outlet 114 of the good product chute 111. That is, the second shielding member 452 of this modification prevents the tablet 9 from being adsorbed in the suction hole 421 of the suction belt 42 by blocking at least a portion of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 at the second restriction position P9. It has an ejection mechanism that releases it. As shown in FIG. 12, the non-defective product outlet 114B of the non-defective product chute 111B of this modification is the same as the non-defective product outlet 114 of the non-defective product chute 111 of the embodiment described above, in accordance with the length of the second shielding member 452B in the conveyance direction. It is desirable to provide a longer length than 114 in the conveyance direction.

In addition, as described above, in this modification, the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452B respectively close a part of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43, so that the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7 The suction force of the suction hole 421 in the vicinity of the first restriction position P8 and the second restriction position P9 on the downstream side of is weakened. This prevents the fine powder generated from the tablet 9 from adhering to the suction hole 421 again.

Furthermore, in the embodiment and modification described above, the second shielding member 452B was located in the minute gap D1 and had a structure that closed the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 from the lower surface side of the receiving member 43. However, after passing the good product discharge position P7, all the tablets 9 fall from the suction hole 421 to the good product chute 111, so the second shielding member 452B is located below the suction hole 421 of the suction belt 42, The suction hole 421 may be closed from the lower surface 432 side. The second shielding member 452B may be configured to cause the tablet 9 to fall from the suction belt 42 by coming into contact with the tablet 9 being conveyed. Also in this case, the suction force of the suction hole 421 near the second restriction position P9 on the downstream side of the non-defective product discharge position P7 is weakened. This prevents the fine powder generated from the tablet 9 from adhering to the suction hole 421 again.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments and modifications, the upper surface 431 (inner surface) of the suction belt 42 faced the opposite side to the lower surface 432 of the suction belt 42 on which the tablet 9 was suctioned and held. The receiving member 43 was arranged with a small gap D1 in between and the upper surface 431 of the suction belt 42. Further, the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 communicated with the space R2 above the receiving member 43 and the minute gap D1. Further, the second suction mechanism 44 had a configuration that sucks out gas from the space R2 above the receiving member 43. However, these positional relationships may be different. For example, the receiving member 43 may be disposed with a minute gap D1 in between and one surface of the suction belt 42 that is different from the surface on which the tablet 9 is suctioned and held. Further, the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 only needs to communicate with the space R2 adjacent to the receiving member 43 (located on one side) and the minute gap D1. Further, the second suction mechanism 44 only needs to have a configuration that sucks out gas from the space R2 adjacent to (located on one side of) the receiving member 43.

Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment and modification, the plurality of suction holes 421 were arranged at equal intervals in the conveyance direction and the width direction on the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction conveyor 40. However, on the outer peripheral surface 420 of the suction conveyor 40, the plurality of suction holes 421 may be arranged at irregular intervals in the conveyance direction or the width direction. Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment and modification, each suction hole 421 was a perfectly circular small hole. However, each suction hole 421 may have a non-perfect circular shape. Further, the suction hole 421 may be a slit formed between two belts.

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 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, "printing position" is defined as "processing position", "printing process" is defined as "predetermined process", and "determining good quality of tablet printing" is defined as "tablet processing". It can be read as "determining whether the condition is good or bad".

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.

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 21 Pulley 22 Conveyor belt 30 Suction drum 40 Suction conveyor 41 Pulley 42 Suction belt 43 Receiving member 44 Second suction mechanism 50 First camera 60 Printing section 61 Head 70 Second camera 80 Drying Mechanism 90 Reversing mechanism 100 Defective product collection mechanism 101 Defective product chute 102 Defective product collection port 103 Nozzle 110 Good product discharge mechanism 111, 111B Good product chute 112 Good product discharge conveyor 113 Cover 114, 114B Good product discharge port 115 Pulley 116 Conveyor belt 117 Nozzle 120 Control Part 301 Suction hole 302 First suction mechanism 420 Outer surface 421 Suction hole 430 Through hole 451 First shielding member 452, 452B Second shielding member A1 First area A2 Second area B2 Second blow mechanism B3 Third blow mechanism D1 Micro Gap P6 Defective product discharge position P7 Good product discharge position P8 First restriction position P9 Second restriction position R2 Space

Claims (8)

A transport processing device that transports a plurality of granular materials and performs predetermined processing,
a suction belt that has a plurality of suction holes and moves the particulate matter along a predetermined conveyance path while adsorbing and holding the particulate matter in the suction holes;
a discharge mechanism that releases the adsorption of the particulate matter in the suction hole and causes the particulate matter to fall to the discharge port at the discharge position on the conveyance path;
a receiving member disposed with a small gap from one surface of the suction belt;
a negative pressure generator that makes a space located on one side of the receiving member negative pressure;
has
The receiving member has a through hole that communicates the space and the minute gap,
Each of the plurality of suction holes passes through the suction belt and communicates with the minute gap,
At least a portion of the through hole of the receiving member and the suction hole of the suction belt are closed at a restriction position that is the same as the discharge position on the conveyance path or located downstream of the discharge position ,
The conveyance processing device, wherein the discharge mechanism is a blow mechanism that releases the adsorption of the particulate matter in the suction hole by applying positive pressure to the suction hole in which the particulate matter is adsorbed and held at the discharge position. The conveyance processing device according to claim 1,
a shielding member that closes at least a portion of the through hole of the receiving member and the suction hole of the suction belt at the restriction position;
A conveyance processing device further comprising: The conveyance processing device according to claim 2,
a processing section that performs the predetermined processing on the surface of the granular material at a processing position on the transport path;
a determination unit that determines whether the processing state of the granular material is good or bad at a determination position downstream of the processing position on the conveyance path;
It further has
The ejecting mechanism is configured to positively move the particulate matter determined to be non-defective by the determination unit to the suction hole in which the particulate matter determined to be non-defective is held by suction at a non-defective discharge position that is downstream of the determination position on the conveyance path. A conveyance processing device that applies pressure to release the adsorption of the particulate matter in the adsorption hole, and causes the particulate matter to fall to the non-defective product discharge port, which is the discharge port. The conveyance processing device according to claim 2,
a processing section that performs the predetermined processing on the surface of the granular material at a processing position on the transport path;
a determination unit that determines whether the processing state of the granular material is good or bad at a determination position downstream of the processing position on the conveyance path;
It further has
The ejecting mechanism includes the suction hole in which the particulate matter determined to be a defective product by the determination unit is adsorbed and held at a defective product discharge position that is downstream of the determination position on the conveyance path. A conveyance processing device that applies positive pressure to release the adsorption of the particulate matter in the adsorption hole, and causes the particulate matter to fall to the defective product collection port that is the discharge port. The conveyance processing device according to claim 3 or 4,
At least a portion of the shielding member is located in the minute gap and closes at least a portion of the through hole of the receiving member. The conveyance processing device according to claim 1,
The discharge mechanism is a shielding member that releases the adsorption of the particulate matter in the suction hole by blocking at least a portion of the through hole of the receiving member and the suction hole of the suction belt at the restriction position. , conveyance processing equipment. The conveyance processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
In the Munsell color system, the brightness of the particulate matter is greater than the brightness of an outer surface of the suction belt that adsorbs and holds the particulate matter. The conveyance processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
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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