JP7467196B2 - Suction and transport device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an adsorption and transport device that can adsorb and transport small items such as medicines such as tablets and capsules, small snacks such as candy, and button batteries.

One example of the above-mentioned suction transport device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 3-248047 (Patent Document 1 below). This suction transport device is composed of a pair of slit plates facing each other to form a slit between their edges, guide rails formed on the edges of each slit plate, two endless annular transport belts that run guided by each guide rail, and suction means that exhausts air from between the slit plates and applies negative pressure to the slits.

With this suction conveying device, negative pressure acts between the conveying belts through the slits, and the object is attracted to the conveying belt by this negative pressure. Then, as the conveying belt moves, the object attracted to the conveying belt is conveyed together with the conveying belt.

In addition, in the following Patent Document 1, a conveying system is constructed in which two of the above-mentioned suction conveying devices of the same configuration, i.e., a first and a second suction conveying device, are connected in a vertically inverted state, and further, an appearance inspection device is constructed using this conveying system. The first and second suction conveying devices are connected so that their respective suction conveying surfaces face each other, and the first suction conveying device is arranged so that its suction conveying surface faces downward, while the second suction conveying device is arranged so that its suction conveying surface faces upward, and the conveying end of the first suction conveying device is connected to the conveying start of the second suction conveying device. In addition, an appearance inspection mechanism is arranged below the first suction conveying device, and similarly, an appearance inspection mechanism is arranged above the second suction conveying device.

Thus, with this visual inspection device, the object is transported with its top surface being adsorbed by the first suction and transport device, and during this transport process, the visual inspection mechanism inspects the visual appearance of its bottom and side surfaces. The object transported by the first suction and transport device is then handed over to the second suction and transport device, and is transported by the second suction and transport device with its bottom surface being adsorbed, and during this transport process, the visual inspection mechanism inspects the visual appearance of its top and side surfaces.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-248047

In the field of pharmaceuticals, in addition to visual inspection of tablets and the like, product numbers and other information have recently begun to be printed on the surface. To meet this demand, attempts have been made to incorporate a printing mechanism by arranging it in parallel with the visual inspection mechanism in the above-mentioned visual inspection device. As the printing mechanism, the adoption of an inkjet printing mechanism is being considered due to its ease of use, which allows it to easily handle a variety of printing.

However, in the case of inkjet printing mechanisms, due to the nature of printing by ejecting ink droplets onto an object, when ink droplets are ejected downward, good printing can be achieved, but when ink droplets are ejected upward, the ink droplets are ejected in the opposite direction to gravity, which makes it difficult to print well. In addition, there is a problem in that the sprayed ink droplets drip downward, causing the dripping ink to soil the area around the device.

Therefore, when printing on both sides of tablets, etc., it is necessary to print on the tablets from above, but when using the above-mentioned conveying system, it is not possible to print on both sides of the tablets from above.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a suction and transport device that makes it possible to print on both the top and bottom sides of objects such as tablets from above.

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides:
a conveyor belt formed in an endless loop, which defines linear outward and return paths arranged side by side with a gap between them, a first connecting path connecting an end of the outward path to a start of the return path, and a second connecting path connecting the start of the outward path to an end of the return path;
a suction box that is disposed within the loop of the conveyor belt so as to be in sliding contact with the conveyor belt in the outgoing path, the return path, and the first connecting path, and has suction ports that correspond to and are formed along the outgoing path, the return path, and the first connecting path, and applies negative pressure to the outgoing path, the return path, and the first connecting path through the suction ports;
a drive mechanism including a drive pulley around which the conveyor belt is wound in the second connection path and a drive motor for rotating the drive pulley, the drive motor driving the drive pulley to cause the conveyor belt to travel in a rotational direction;
a negative pressure mechanism for applying a negative pressure to the suction box,
the conveyor belt has two conveying support surfaces formed in parallel along the running direction thereof, and the forward path, the return path and the first connecting path form an adsorption conveying path by applying a negative pressure from the suction box between the conveying support surfaces;
Furthermore, in a portion of the suction box corresponding to the first connection path, a plurality of rotating rollers are arranged along the first connection path, and are rotatable around a support axis perpendicular to the running direction of the conveying belt, and the conveying belt is associated with an adsorption conveying device that is wound around the plurality of rotating rollers so as to circumscribe the conveying belt in the first connection path.

According to this suction conveying device, the inside of the suction box is made negative pressure by the negative pressure mechanism, and as a result, negative pressure acts on the outgoing path, return path and first connecting path of the conveying belt through suction ports that correspond to and are formed along the outgoing path, return path and first connecting path of the conveying belt. The conveying belt has two conveying support surfaces formed in parallel along its running direction, and the outgoing path, return path and first connecting path become suction conveying paths as negative pressure from the suction box acts between these conveying support surfaces.

In the portion of the suction box that corresponds to the first connection path, multiple rotating rollers that are rotatable around a support axis perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyor belt are arranged along the first connection path, and the negative pressure acting on the suction port acts on the conveyor belt through the gaps between the multiple rotating rollers, so that the first connection path becomes an adsorption conveyor path.

Meanwhile, the conveyor belt is driven in the rotation direction by the drive mechanism and runs in the rotation direction. At that time, the conveyor belt is wound around the multiple rotating rollers in the first connection path so that it circumscribes the rollers, and as the conveyor belt runs along the first connection path, the circumscribed rotating rollers rotate, allowing the conveyor belt to run along the first connection path without receiving resistance. In addition, the conveyor belt is configured to come into sliding contact with the suction box on the outward and return paths, but since the outward and return paths are linear, the conveyor belt runs in the rotation direction without receiving significant sliding resistance.

In this way, with this suction conveying device, an object that is appropriately supplied at the start of conveying on the forward side of the conveying belt is adsorbed to the two conveying support surfaces of the conveying belt, and the object thus adsorbed can be conveyed from the forward side to the return side via the first connecting path by the running of the conveying belt while maintaining the adsorbed state.

Therefore, this suction transport device is arranged with the outward side facing down and the return side facing up, and when the top side of the object is suctioned on the outward side and transported to the return side, the other side of the object becomes the top side on the return side. In other words, with this suction transport device, the object can be turned upside down by transferring it from the outward side to the return side.

Thus, with this suction conveying device, for example, when it is desired to print on the other side of the object using an inkjet printing mechanism, the inkjet printing mechanism can be disposed above the return path of the conveying belt and printing can be performed by ejecting ink droplets from above onto the other side of the object. This allows for better printing than when printing is performed by ejecting ink droplets from below, and also prevents problems such as the sprayed ink droplets dripping downward and soiling the area around the device.

The suction port can be formed from a single opening, or from multiple openings arranged along the outward path, the first connection path, and the return path.

In the present invention, it is also preferable that the forward and return paths of the conveyor belt are formed parallel to each other, and that the first connecting path is formed in an arc shape. In this way, the object can be stably transported (transferred) from the forward path to the return path while being adsorbed to the conveyor belt.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the suction box has guide sections for guiding the running of the conveyor belt on both sides of the suction port in the portions corresponding to the outgoing path, the return path, and the first connection path. In this way, the running of the conveyor belt can be guided by the guide sections, and the conveyor belt can be run in a stable state.

In this case, the conveyor belt can be constructed from a single belt in the shape of a band. The two conveyor support surfaces can be formed by forming a suction groove along the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the conveyor belt. In addition, by forming a plurality of through holes along the circumferential direction on the bottom surface of the suction groove, the negative pressure acting on the suction port of the suction box can be applied to the inside of the groove, i.e., between the two conveyor support surfaces, via the through holes.

The conveyor belt is composed of two belts arranged in parallel, and the outer surfaces of the two belts form the conveying support surfaces,
The suction box may have a guide groove for guiding the running of each of the belts on both sides of the suction port in the portions corresponding to the outgoing path, the return path and the first connecting path.

This configuration also allows a stable negative pressure for adhesion to be applied between the two belts, and the guiding action of the guide groove allows the belts to run in a stable manner.

The rotating rollers may be arranged along the first connection path on both sides of the suction port, and may be cantilevered on the suction box. In this way, a negative pressure can be applied between the two conveyor support surfaces in the first connection path, so that the object can be reliably and stably attracted to the conveyor belt.

It is also preferable that the rotating rollers are disposed at equal intervals along the first connecting path. This allows the conveyor belt to travel stably along the first connecting path.

According to the suction conveying device of the present invention, one side of an object appropriately supplied at the start of conveying on the forward side of the conveying belt is adsorbed to the two conveying support surfaces of the conveying belt, and the object thus adsorbed can be conveyed from the forward side to the return side via the first connecting path by the running of the conveying belt while maintaining the adsorbed state. Therefore, by arranging this suction conveying device with the forward side facing down and the return side facing up, the object can be turned upside down by transferring it from the forward side to the return side.

For this reason, for example, when it is desired to print on the other side of an object using an inkjet printing mechanism, the inkjet printing mechanism can be disposed above the return side of the conveyor belt and printing can be performed by ejecting ink droplets from above onto the other side of the object. Therefore, better printing can be achieved than when printing is performed by ejecting ink droplets from below, and there is no problem of the sprayed ink droplets dripping downward and soiling the surroundings of the device.

1 is a front view showing an inspection and printing device equipped with a second suction and transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a front view showing a first suction and transport device that constitutes the inspection and printing device. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a second suction and transport device according to the embodiment. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 4. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 4.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a front view showing an inspection and printing device equipped with a second suction and conveying device according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the inspection and printing device 1 of this example is configured to include a first suction and conveying device 10, 3D inspection units 70, 75, printing units 71, 76, appearance inspection units 72, 77, a sorting and recovery unit 78, and a control device 80 in addition to the second suction and conveying device 30. In addition, in the inspection and printing device 1 of this example, the processing object is a tablet T, which is a pharmaceutical product, and the three-dimensional shape and appearance of the upper and lower surfaces of this tablet T are inspected, and printing is performed on the upper and lower surfaces.

The first suction conveying device 10 has a linear suction conveying path on its upper surface along the direction of the arrow D, while the second suction conveying device 30 has an suction conveying path that rotates in the direction of the arrow E, consisting of a linear outward path 60 on the lower surface, an arc-shaped first connecting path 61 on the right side, and a linear return path on the upper surface, and is disposed above the first suction conveying device 10 so that the suction conveying start end of the outward path 60 faces the suction conveying end of the first suction conveying device 10.

The 3D inspection unit 70, printing unit 71 and visual inspection unit 72 are sequentially arranged above the first suction transport device 10 along the direction of arrow D so as to face the suction transport path of the first suction transport device 10, and the 3D inspection unit 75, printing unit 76, visual inspection unit 77 and sorting and recovery unit 78 are sequentially arranged above the second suction transport device 30 along the direction of arrow E so as to face the return path 62 of the second suction transport device 30.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the first suction conveying device 10 is composed of a suction box 11 in the shape of a long, thin housing, two endless, annular conveying belts 15 and 16, an exhaust pump 17 that creates negative pressure inside the suction box 11, and a cover body 23 that surrounds the suction box 11.

The suction box 11 has a slit 12 that opens on its top surface and runs along its longitudinal direction, and further has guide grooves 13 and 14 formed on either side of the slit 12.

The cover body 23 has a drive pulley 18 and driven pulleys 19, 20, and 21 arranged at its four corners so as to surround the suction box 11, and the conveyor belts 15 and 16 are wound around the drive pulley 18 and driven pulleys 19, 20, and 21 while fitting into guide grooves 13 and 14, respectively, formed on the top surface of the suction box 11. A drive motor 22 is connected to the drive pulley 18, and the drive pulley 18 is driven by the drive motor 22. When the drive pulley 18 is rotated by the drive motor 22, the conveyor belts 15 and 16 rotate in the direction of arrow D.

In this example, the conveyor belts 15 and 16 are timing belts, and the drive pulley 18 and driven pulleys 19, 20, and 21 are each timing pulleys.

In the first suction conveying device 10, when the exhaust pump 17 exhausts air from the suction box 11 to create a negative pressure in the suction box 11, this negative pressure acts between the conveying belts 15 and 16 through the slit 12. Then, when tablets T are sequentially supplied from the upstream side of the first suction conveying device 10 so as to straddle the conveying belts 15 and 16, the supplied tablets T are adsorbed onto the conveying belts 15 and 16 by the action of the negative pressure, and the tablets adsorbed to the conveying belts 15 and 16 are conveyed toward the second suction conveying device 30 by the movement of the conveying belts 15 and 16 in the direction of the arrow D.

In this way, in the first suction conveying device 10, the upper surfaces of the conveying belts 15 and 16 serve as conveying support surfaces, and their running paths serve as suction conveying paths.

As shown in Figures 1 and 4-6, the second suction transport device 30 is composed of a suction box 31 in the shape of a long, thin housing, two endless annular transport belts 35, 36, an exhaust pump 37 as a negative pressure mechanism for creating negative pressure inside the suction box 31, and a cover body 43 provided on both sides of the suction box 31. Note that Figure 4 shows the second suction transport device 30 with the cover body 43 removed.

The two conveyor belts 35, 36 are composed of endless circular timing belts, and form a linear outward path 60 and a return path 62, an arc-shaped first connection path 61 that connects the end of the outward path 60 to the start of the return path 62, and a second connection path 63 that connects the start of the outward path 60 to the end of the return path 62. The outward path 60 and the return path 62 are arranged in parallel, with the outward path 60 located on the lower side and the return path 62 located on the upper side.

The suction box 31 is disposed within the ring of the conveyor belts 35, 36 so as to be in sliding contact with the conveyor belts 35, 36 on the outgoing path 60, the first connecting path 61, and the return path 62. That is, the portions corresponding to the outgoing path 60 and the return path 62 are formed in a straight line, and the portion corresponding to the first connecting path 61 is formed in an arc shape (semicircular shape).

The suction box 31 also has a suction port 32 that corresponds to and is formed along the outgoing path 60, the first connecting path 61, and the return path 62, and guide grooves 33, 34 are formed on both sides of the suction port 32 along the outgoing path 60, the first connecting path 61, and the return path 62, respectively, and the conveyor belts 35, 36 are fitted into the guide grooves 33, 34, respectively. The suction port 32 can be composed of a single opening formed along the outgoing path 60, the first connecting path 61, and the return path 62, or can be composed of a group of multiple openings that are continuously, preferably at equal intervals, arranged along the outgoing path 60, the first connecting path 61, and the return path 62.

The suction box 31 has its interior placed under negative pressure as the air inside is exhausted by the exhaust pump 37, and this negative pressure acts between the conveyor belts 35, 36 that form the outgoing path 60, the first connecting path 61, and the return path 62 through the suction port 32. Thus, the outgoing path 60, the first connecting path 61, and the return path 62 form an adsorption conveying path.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the portion of the suction box 31 corresponding to the first connection path 61, rotating rollers 48, 49 and rotating rollers 54, 55 are disposed on either side of the suction port 32 so as to face each other and be coaxial with each other.

The rotating rollers 48, 49 are rotatable around a support shaft 46 that is perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyor belts 35, 36, and this support shaft 46 is fastened to the suction box 31 by a nut 50, so that the rotating rollers 48, 49 are cantilevered by the support shaft 46. A rotating roller unit consisting of the support shaft 46, the rotating rollers 48, 49, and the nut 50 is disposed at equal intervals along the first connection path 61.

Similarly, the rotating rollers 54, 55 are rotatable about a support shaft 52 that is perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyor belts 35, 36, and this support shaft 52 is fastened to the suction box 31 by a nut 56, so that the rotating rollers 54, 55 are cantilevered by the support shaft 52. A rotating roller unit consisting of the support shaft 52, the rotating rollers 54, 55, and the nut 56 is disposed at equal intervals along the first connection path 61.

The conveyor belt 35 is wound around the plurality of rotating rollers 48, 49 arranged along the first connection path 61 so as to circumscribe the conveyor belt 35, and similarly, the conveyor belt 36 is wound around the plurality of rotating rollers 54, 55 arranged along the first connection path 61 so as to circumscribe the conveyor belt 35.

In addition, a driving pulley 38 and driven pulleys 39, 40, and 41, each of which is made up of a timing pulley, are disposed in the portion corresponding to the second connection path, and the conveyor belts 35 and 36 are wound around the driving pulley 38 and driven pulleys 39, 40, and 41. A tension adjustment mechanism is attached to the driven pulley 41, and the tension of the conveyor belts 35 and 36 is adjusted by the action of this tension adjustment mechanism.

The drive pulley 38 is connected to a drive motor 42 as a drive mechanism, and the drive pulley 38 is driven by the drive motor 42. When the drive pulley 38 is rotated by the drive motor 42, the conveyor belts 35, 36 rotate in the direction of the arrow E. At that time, the conveyor belts 35, 36 are wound around the plurality of rotating rollers 48, 49, 54, 55 in the first connection path 61 so as to be circumscribed therearound. Therefore, when the conveyor belts 35, 36 run along the first connection path 61, the circumscribed rotating rollers 48, 49, 54, 55 rotate, allowing the conveyor belts 35, 36 to run along the first connection path 61 without receiving resistance. The conveyor belts 35, 36 are configured to slide against the guide grooves 33, 34 of the suction box 31 in the outgoing path 60 and the returning path 62, but since the outgoing path 60 and the returning path 62 are linear, the conveyor belts 35, 36 run in the direction of the arrow E, which is the rotational direction, without receiving large sliding resistance.

In the second suction conveying device 30 of this example having the above configuration, when the inside of the suction box 31 is evacuated by the exhaust pump 37 and the inside of the suction box 31 is made negative pressure, this negative pressure acts between the conveying belts 35, 36 through the suction port 32. Then, the tablet T conveyed to the end of the suction conveying line with its lower surface being adsorbed to the conveying belts 15, 16 by the first suction conveying device 10 has its upper surface adsorbed so as to straddle the conveying belts 35, 36 at the adsorption conveying start end of the outward path 60 of the second suction conveying device 30 by the action of the negative pressure, and is transported from the outward path 60 to the return path 62 side through the first connecting path 61 in the direction indicated by arrow E. In addition, the outer surfaces of the conveying belts 35, 36 are conveying support surfaces on the outward path 60, the first connecting path 61, and the return path 62.

The 3D inspection units 70 and 75 are inspection units that irradiate tablet T with slit light perpendicular to the conveying direction from diagonally in front or behind the conveying direction, and capture an image of the slit light irradiated onto the tablet T from directly above it with a camera. Based on the image obtained, the three-dimensional shape of the tablet T is measured by the so-called light cutting method, and the quality of the tablet T is judged.

The printing units 71 and 76 are units equipped with a so-called inkjet printing mechanism that ejects ink droplets onto an object to perform printing.

The appearance inspection units 72 and 77 are units that use a camera to capture an image of the outer surface of the tablet T and, based on the image obtained, inspect the outer surface of the tablet T for defects in appearance such as cracks, chips, and stains, and the quality of the printing applied by the printing units 71 and 76.

The sorting and recovery unit 80 is a unit that sorts and recovers good tablets T and defective tablets T based on the inspection results of the 3D inspection units 70 and 75 and the visual inspection units 72 and 77.

The control device 80 is composed of a computer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and controls the operation of the first suction and transport device 10, the second suction and transport device 30, the 3D inspection units 70, 75, the printing units 71, 76, the appearance inspection units 72, 76, and the sorting and recovery unit 78, and also processes images captured by the 3D inspection units 70, 75 and the appearance inspection units 72, 76, and performs a pass/fail judgment process based on the images.

According to the inspection/printing device 1 of this example having the above configuration, when tablets T are sequentially supplied from the upstream side of the first suction/transport device 10 so as to straddle the conveyor belts 15, 16, the supplied tablets T are adsorbed onto the conveyor belts 15, 16 by the action of the negative pressure, and the tablets T adsorbed onto the conveyor belts 15, 16 are transported toward the second suction/transport device 30 by the movement of the conveyor belts 15, 16 in the direction of the arrow D.

Then, during the process of being transported by the first suction transport device 10, the tablet T has its three-dimensional shape judged by the 3D inspection unit 70, and then the printing unit 71 appropriately prints on its top surface (one side) from above. After this, the appearance inspection unit 72 judges whether the appearance and printing are good or bad, and after going through each of these processes, it reaches the end of the suction transport.

Next, at the start of the suction transport of the outgoing path 60 of the second suction transport device 30, the tablet T is adsorbed by its upper surface (one side) so as to straddle the transport belts 35, 36 due to the action of the negative pressure, and is transported in the direction of arrow E from the outgoing path 60 through the first connecting path 61 to the return path 62 side, during which the tablet T is turned upside down, and on the return path 62, the other side of the tablet T, which is the side opposite to the one side, becomes the upper side.

As the tablets T are transported along the return path 62, the 3D inspection unit 75 judges whether their three-dimensional shape is good or bad, and then the printing unit 76 prints on the other sides from above as appropriate. The appearance inspection unit 77 then judges whether the appearance and printing are good or bad. After undergoing each of these processes, the tablets T are collected in a sorting and recovery unit 78, sorted into good and bad tablets T based on the inspection results of the 3D inspection units 70, 75 and the appearance inspection units 72, 77.

In this way, with the inspection and printing device 1 of this example, when it is necessary to print on both sides of the tablet T, during the process of transporting the tablet T by the first suction and transport device 10, an inkjet printing mechanism is used to eject ink droplets from above, thereby printing on one side. Then, the tablet T with one side printed is sucked by the second suction and transport device 30 and transported to the return path 62, whereby the tablet is turned upside down so that the other side faces upward, and on this return path 62, an inkjet printing mechanism is used to eject ink droplets from above, thereby printing on the other side.

Thus, with the inspection and printing device 1 equipped with this second suction and transport device 30, when printing on both sides of the tablet T, printing can be performed by ejecting ink droplets from above each side, which allows for better printing than when printing is performed by ejecting ink droplets from below, and also prevents problems such as the sprayed ink droplets dripping downward and soiling the area around the device.

In addition, in the second suction conveying device 30 of this example, the rotating rollers 48, 49 and the rotating rollers 54, 55 are arranged along the first connection path 61 on both sides of the suction port 32, and further, these are each configured to be supported by a cantilever on the suction box 31, so that a good negative pressure can be applied to the suction port 32, and the tablets T can be more reliably and stably adsorbed and conveyed by the conveying belts 35, 36 in the first connection path 61.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the specific aspects that the present invention can adopt are in no way limited to this.

For example, if sufficient negative pressure can be applied to the suction port 32, the rotating rollers 48, 49, 54, 55 can be supported rotatably by a single support shaft supported at both ends by nuts 50, 56 on the suction box 31. In this case, the rotating roller unit consisting of the support shaft, rotating rollers 48, 49, 54, 55, and nuts 50, 56 is disposed at equal intervals along the first connection path 61. Even in this way, the negative pressure in the suction box 31 acts on the conveyor belts 35, 36 through the gap between the rotating rollers 48, 49, 54, 55 and the rotating rollers 48, 49, 54, 55 adjacent to each other in the direction along the first connection path 61, so that the first connection path 61 can be used as an adsorption conveying path.

In addition, the rotating rollers 48 and 49 in the above example may be combined into one rotating roller, and similarly, the rotating rollers 54 and 55 may be combined into one rotating roller.

In the above example, the forward path 60 and the return path 61 of the conveyor belts 35, 36 are horizontal, but they do not necessarily have to be horizontal in the strict sense, and may have some inclination as long as it does not interfere with printing. Also, the first connection path 61 is formed in an arc shape, but it is not necessarily limited to this shape.

In the above example, the first suction conveying device 10 uses two conveying belts 15, 16 to form a conveying path, and similarly, the second suction conveying device 30 uses two conveying belts 35, 36 to form a conveying path, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a belt-shaped conveying belt may be used, and a suction groove may be formed in the outer surface of the conveying belt along the circumferential direction to form two conveying support surfaces, and multiple through holes may be formed in the bottom surface of the suction groove along the circumferential direction to allow the negative pressure acting on the suction port of the suction box 11, 31 to act in the groove, i.e., between the two conveying support surfaces, through the through holes. In this way, the tablets T can be adsorbed onto the two conveying support surfaces.

In this case, it is preferable that the suction boxes 11, 31 are provided with guide sections on both sides of the suction ports 12, 32 to guide the movement of the conveyor belt.

In addition, the objects that can be used with the inspection and printing device 1 of this example are not limited to the tablets T in the above example, but can also be medicines such as capsules, small confectioneries such as candies, and small items such as button batteries.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 1 Inspection/printing device 10 First suction/transport device 11 Suction box 12 Slit 13, 14 Guide groove 15, 16 Transport belt 17 Exhaust pump 18 Drive pulley 19, 20, 21 Driven pulley 22 Drive motor 30 Second suction/transport device 31 Suction box 32 Suction port 33, 34 Guide groove 35, 36 Transport belt 38 Drive pulley 39, 40, 41 Driven pulley 42 Drive motor 46, 52 Support shaft 48, 49, 54, 55 Rotating roller 60 Outward path 61 First connecting path 62 Return path 63 Second connecting path 70, 75 3D inspection unit 71, 76 Printing unit 72, 77 Appearance inspection unit 78 Sorting/recovery unit 80 Control device T Tablet

Claims (6)

a conveyor belt formed in an endless loop, which defines linear outward and return paths arranged side by side with a gap between them, a first connecting path connecting an end of the outward path to a start of the return path, and a second connecting path connecting the start of the outward path to an end of the return path;
a suction box that is disposed within the loop of the conveyor belt so as to be in sliding contact with the conveyor belt in the outgoing path, the return path, and the first connecting path, and has suction ports that correspond to and are formed along the outgoing path, the return path, and the first connecting path, and applies negative pressure to the outgoing path, the return path, and the first connecting path through the suction ports;
a drive mechanism including a drive pulley around which the conveyor belt is wound in the second connection path and a drive motor for rotating the drive pulley, the drive mechanism driving the drive pulley by the drive motor to cause the conveyor belt to travel in a rotational direction;
a negative pressure mechanism for applying a negative pressure to the suction box,
the conveyor belt has two conveying support surfaces formed in parallel along the running direction thereof, and the forward path, the return path and the first connecting path form an adsorption conveying path by applying a negative pressure from the suction box between the conveying support surfaces;
Furthermore, a plurality of rotating rollers rotatably provided around a support shaft perpendicular to a running direction of the conveyor belt are disposed along the first connecting path at a portion of the suction box corresponding to the first connecting path, and the conveyor belt is wound around the plurality of rotating rollers in the first connecting path so as to be in circumscribing contact therewith ;
The suction conveying device is characterized in that the rotating rollers are disposed along the first connecting path on both sides of the suction port . The suction conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the forward and return paths of the conveying belt are formed parallel to each other, and the first connecting path is formed in an arc shape. The suction box is provided with guide sections for guiding the running of the conveyor belt on both sides of the suction port in the portions corresponding to the forward path, the return path, and the first connection path. The suction box is provided with guide sections for guiding the running of the conveyor belt on both sides of the suction port in the portions corresponding to the forward path, the return path, and the first connection path. The conveyor belt is composed of two belts arranged in parallel, and the outer surface of each belt forms the conveying support surface,
The suction box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in the portions corresponding to the outbound path, the return path and the first connection path, the suction box is provided with guide grooves on both sides of the suction port for guiding the running of each of the belts. 5. The suction conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the rotating roller is supported by a cantilever on the suction box. 6. The suction conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating rollers are disposed at equal intervals along the first connecting path.

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