JPH10165482A - Capsule filler - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a loading failure of an empty capsule, by sucking and removing a cap remained in a capsule containing part at a cleaning part before transporting an empty capsule from a transfer plate to the capsule containing part and equipping a cap storage space part in the midway of a suction passage of the cleaning part. SOLUTION: Compressed air is jetted out from the underside of a body segment 42 through a compressed air jetting nozzle 95 to push out remains in a capsule containing part, and a cap pocket 411 of a cap disc 41 is covered and sucked by a suction shoe 91 to suck and remove remains in the capsule containing part comprising the cap packet 411 and a body pocket 421 to clean the inside of the capsule containing part. To capture a separation failure cap A', a filter net 93 is placed obliquely in a suction passage 921 of a suction piping 92 to make a cap storage space part 94 which does not block the suction passage 921 even if it captured some tens of caps A'.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of supplying an empty capsule whose direction is regulated to a capsule conveying section comprising a cap disk having a cap pocket and a body segment having a body pocket. The empty capsule is accommodated in a capsule accommodating portion composed of a pocket, the empty capsule is separated into a cap and a body, and accommodated and transported in the cap pocket and the body pocket, respectively. After connecting the body and the cap at the capsule connecting part, the capsule filled part is taken out of the capsule containing part and collected at the capsule collecting part, thereby continuously producing capsules. More specifically, the cap disk of the cap disk As a result, it is possible to prevent as much as possible the incomplete loading of empty capsules into the capsule accommodating section composed of the body segment and the body pocket of the above-mentioned body segment. The present invention relates to a capsule filling machine capable of performing a filling operation stably by preventing occurrence of various inconveniences caused by defects as much as possible.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, a capsule filled with a drug in a hard capsule composed of a cap and a body has been used as an empty capsule in which a cap and a body are temporarily connected, and an upright with a cap up and a body down. A capsule supply unit that continuously supplies the capsules in a direction-controlled state, a capsule transport unit that transports the supplied empty capsules in an aligned state, a capsule separation unit that separates the empty capsules into a cap and a body, A capsule having a medicine filling portion for filling a medicine into the body of an empty capsule, a connecting portion for connecting the cap and the body again, and a capsule collecting portion for taking out and collecting the obtained capsule from the transporting portion. Automatic production is performed by a filling machine.

As such a conventional capsule filling machine, the one shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be exemplified. This capsule filling machine, as shown in FIGS.
A drive source (not shown) such as a motor is provided, and a capsule supply section 2, a capsule separation section 3, a capsule transport section 4, This is provided with a medicine filling section 5, a capsule connecting section 6, and a capsule collecting section 7.

As shown in FIG. 1, the capsule supply section 2 includes a hopper 21 for continuously supplying empty capsules in a state where a cap and a body are temporarily connected, and a plurality of capsule pockets on a peripheral surface. First drum 2 on which is formed
2, the second drum 23 and the third drum (supply drum) 24
And a direction restricting portion comprising:
An empty capsule is stored in the capsule pocket of the first drum 22 from 1 and is transferred to the capsule pocket of the second drum 23, and the body is turned up in the capsule pocket during rotation of the second drum 23. The empty capsule is turned over to regulate the direction to an upright state with the cap up, and this is transferred to the capsule pocket of the third drum (supply drum) 24 so that all empty capsules are once turned upside down with the body up. By transferring the empty capsules from the third drum (supply drum) 24 to the capsule transport unit 4, the empty capsules are aligned in an upright state with the cap up and continuously supplied to the capsule transport unit 4. It has become.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the capsule transport section 4 has a plurality of body pockets 421 below a ring plate-shaped cap disk 41 in which a plurality of cap pockets 411 are aligned. Are formed, and the cap disk 41 and the body segment 42 are intermittently rotated synchronously. Then, empty capsules are supplied from the third drum (supply drum) 24 into the capsule storage section formed by the cap pocket 411 and the body pocket 421.

The supply of empty capsules from the third drum (supply drum) 24 to the capsule storage section is performed by the third drum (supply drum) 24 and the cap disk 41 as shown in FIGS. The transfer is performed via a transfer plate 25 disposed between the two.

That is, the third drum (supply drum) 24
A transfer plate 25 formed by arranging a large number of transfer pockets 251 penetrating from the front and back is arranged between the cap disk 41 and the cap disk 41 so as to be able to move forward and backward. The transfer plate 25 moves forward and backward in synchronism with the rotational movement of the third drum (supply drum) 24.
A shutter 26 is provided on the lower surface side of the transfer pocket 2.
The lower end of 51 is opened and closed.

The empty capsule AB (the cap A and the body B are connected, hereinafter the same) housed in the capsule pocket 241 of the third drum (supply drum) 24 and carried on the transfer plate 25 is shown in FIG. 3,4
As shown in FIG.
5 and then is transferred onto the cap disk 41 by advancing (moving to the right in the figure) the transfer plate, as shown in FIG.
Cap pocket 411 and body segment 4
The body is moved to a capsule housing portion including the second body pocket 421.

In this case, the third drum (supply drum)
The lower rear 1/4 part of the capsule 24 is covered with a guide plate 242, and the capsule pocket 241 is closed by the guide plate 242.
B is prevented from falling off before being transferred to the transfer plate 25. Then, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the guide plate 2 is placed on each transfer pocket 251 of the transfer plate 25.
42 is interrupted, the capsule pocket 241 is opened,
The empty capsule AB is transferred to the transfer pocket 251.

Each capsule pocket 241 communicates with a compressed air flow passage 243 provided in the third drum (supply drum) 24 along the axial direction.
When the compressed air 41 reaches the transfer plate 25, the compressed air flow passage 243 coincides with the compressed air blowing hole 244 provided at one axial end of the supply drum 24, and compressed air is supplied to the compressed air flow passage 243. Empty capsule AB
Is pushed out of each capsule pocket 241, and
Each transfer pocket 251 for receiving the empty capsule AB coincides with the exhaust shoe 252 disposed on the lower side of the transfer plate 25, and the inside is sucked, thereby forcing the empty capsule AB from the capsule pocket 241 to the transfer pocket 251. To move to. At this time, transfer pocket 2
The lower end of 51 is closed by the shutter 26 in an air-flowing state, and the empty capsule AB is held in the transfer pocket 251.

When the transfer plate 25 moves forward and the transfer pockets 251 containing the empty capsules AB reach the cap pockets 411 of the cap disk 41, as shown in FIG. Is moved so that the lower end of each transfer pocket 251 is opened and each empty capsule AB is put into each capsule accommodating portion formed by each cap pocket 411 of the cap disc 41 and the body pocket 421 of the body segment 42. Has become.

For the sake of convenience in the drawings and description, the capsule pocket 241 of the third drum (supply drum) 24, the transfer pocket 251 of the transfer plate 25, the cap pocket 411 of the cap disk 41, and the body pocket of the body segment 42. 421 shows only four of them each, but in each case, ten rows of similar pockets are formed in the front-rear direction in the figure, that is, a pocket row composed of four pockets is formed in the front-rear direction (for example, The three drums 24 are formed in 10 rows in the axial direction), and the same operation as described above is performed in each row.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the empty capsule AB is immediately accommodated in each of the capsule accommodating portions formed by the cap pockets 411 and the body pockets 421. B. That is, the lower portion of the cap pocket 411 of the cap disk 41 is formed in a small diameter so that the empty capsule A
B can pass through the body B, but cannot pass through the cap A. In this state, the inside of the capsule accommodating portion is sucked by the capsule separating exhaust shoe 31 disposed below the body segment 42, As a result, the body B of the empty capsule AB is sucked and stored in the body pocket 421 while leaving the cap A in the cap pocket 411, and the empty capsule AB is separated into the cap A and the body B. As described above, the empty capsule AB is separated into the cap A and the body B as soon as it is delivered from the transfer plate 25 to the capsule transport unit 4, and is transferred from the transfer plate 25 to the capsule transport unit 4. The delivery portion of the empty capsule AB is the capsule separating section 3.

The cap A and the body B separated by the capsule separating section 3
11. When the cap disk 41 and the body segment 42 rotate while being housed in the body pocket 421, the poorly separated capsule discharging section 8 (FIG. 1,
2) (not shown in FIG. 2) and a drug filling section 5 (see FIGS.
Transported to At this time, the body segment 4
2 gradually descends and moves outward at the same time,
The cap disk 41 is separated from the lower surface of the cap disk 41 downward by a predetermined distance, and projects outward from the outer peripheral edge of the cap disk 41.

In the poorly separated capsule discharging section 8, the cap disk 41 and the body segment 42 temporarily stop, and as shown in FIG. 6, a capsule ejecting pin 811 corresponding to the cap pocket 411 projects between them. 6B, the capsule ejection arm 81 is inserted, and as shown in FIG. 6B, the capsule ejection arm 81 moves upward in this state, and the capsule ejection pin 811 is moved into the cap pocket 411. To enter,
The capsule separating section 3 pushes the empty capsule AB held in the cap pocket 411 upward in a state where the cap A and the body B are connected without being separated into the cap A and the body B, and The capsule is collected in a poorly separated capsule collection container 82 arranged on the disk 41. Then, the capsule discharge arm 81
Is lowered and the capsule ejecting pin 811 withdraws from the cap pocket 411.
And the body segment 42 rotates again, and the cap A
And the body B is sent to the medicine filling section 5.

As shown in FIG. 7, the medicine filling section 5 has a metering hole 511 formed in the periphery thereof in accordance with the amount of the medicine to be filled, corresponding to the body pocket 421 of the body segment 42. 51, and a medicine is pushed into the above-mentioned metering hole 511 of the metering disk 51 to form a cylindrical drug molded product D.
And a filling plunger 52 for filling the drug molded product D in the metering hole 511 into the capsule body B, as shown in FIG. 7 (A). As shown, the cap disk 41
Body segment 42 projecting outward from the outer peripheral edge of
The peripheral portion of the metering disk 51 is positioned so as to overlap with the upper portion, and the filling plunger 52 is disposed above the peripheral portion of the metering disk 51.

In the medicine filling section 5, the rotation of the cap disc 41 and the body segment 42 is temporarily stopped, and as shown in FIG. 7, the medicine formed by the pushing plunger (not shown). The metering hole 511 of the metering disk 51 filled with the molded product D is aligned with the body pocket 421 of the body segment 42, and as shown in FIG. The jar 52 descends and its tip enters the above-mentioned metering hole 511, and the medicine filling D inside the metering hole 511.
11 and dropped into the body pocket 421 of the body segment 42 located below the metering disk 51, whereby the capsule body B held in the body pocket 421 is filled with the drug substance D. It has become. Then, the body B and the cap A of the capsule filled with the medicine in the medicine filling section 5
Are the cap disk 41 and the body segment 42
Is transported to the capsule connecting portion 6 by rotating again. At this time, the body segment 42 gradually rises and moves inward at the same time, so that the upper surface of the body segment 42 is in close contact with the lower surface of the cap disk 41.

As shown in FIG. 8, the capsule connecting portion 6 includes a pressing plate 61 disposed close to the upper surface of the cap disk 41, and a lower side of the body segment 42 opposed to the pressing plate 61. And a connection plunger 62 arranged to be vertically movable.

In the capsule connecting portion 6, the rotation of the cap disk 41 and the body segment 42 is temporarily stopped, and as shown in FIG.
Is closed at the upper end of the cap pocket 411 of the cap disc 41, and the connecting plunger 62 is connected to the body pocket 4 of the body segment 42.
21. In this state, the connecting plunger 62 rises, and its distal end is moved to the body segment 42.
Into the body pocket 421 from below. As a result, the capsule body B in the body pocket 421 is pushed up, enters the cap pocket 411 of the cap disk 41, and the cap A in the cap pocket 411 is pressed by the pressing plate 61, so that the cap A and the medicine Is connected to a body B filled with a predetermined drug to obtain a capsule AB filled with a predetermined drug (hereinafter, referred to as “capsule AB”). And
The capsule AB is filled with the cap pocket 41 of the cap disc 41 while the lower end of the body B is inserted into the body pocket 421 of the body segment 42.
1 and is conveyed to the capsule collecting section 7 when the cap disk 41 and the body segment 42 rotate again.

As shown in FIG. 9, the capsule collecting section 7 is configured to hold the base 1 from the upper surface of the cap disk 41.
, An air cylinder 73 for moving an extruding plate 731 disposed in the base end of the collection tube 71, and a vertically movably disposed below the body segment 42. Extruded plunger 72. In this case, the collecting pipe 71 is formed with a collecting hole 711 corresponding to the cap pocket 411 of the cap disk 41 at one end of the bottom wall adjacent to the upper surface of the cap disk 41, and the collecting hole 711 is formed. The front is inclined downward from the flat base end,
The capsule AB collected from the collection hole 711 into the collection pipe 71 is pushed to the inclined portion by the pushing plate 731 which advances and retreats by the air cylinder 73, and flows under its own weight.

In the capsule collecting section 7, the rotation of the cap disk 41 and the body segment 42 is temporarily stopped, and as shown in FIG.
The recovery plunger 72 is aligned with the cap pocket 411 of the cap disk 41, and the extruded plunger 72 is aligned with the body pocket 421 of the body segment 42. In this state, the extruded plunger 72 is raised. The tip of the capsule AB enters the body pocket 421 of the body segment 42 from below, pushes up the capsule AB, and discharges the capsule AB from the body pocket 421 and the cap pocket 411. 71
1, the capsule AB is pushed into
B is pushed up to discharge the capsule AB into the collection pipe 71. Thereafter, the push-out plunger 72 descends, and the tip thereof retreats from the collection hole 711, the cap pocket 411, and the body pocket 421, and returns to the initial state.
The emptied cap pocket 411 and body pocket 241 return to the capsule separating unit 3 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 via a cleaning unit (not shown) as the cap disk 41 and the body segment 42 rotate, and After the inside of the cleaning unit (not shown) is suction-cleaned, the empty capsule AB is received again from the third drum (supply drum) 24 via the transfer plate 25.

As described above, according to this capsule filling machine, the direction of the continuously supplied empty capsules is regulated to the upright state with the cap facing upward, and this is separated into the cap and the body, and the predetermined amount is fixed to the body. After filling the medicine, the cap and the body are connected again to continuously produce capsules filled with a predetermined medicine.

[0023]

However, in this conventional capsule filling machine, the empty capsule AB is transferred from the third drum (supply drum) 24 to the cap pocket 411 of the cap disk 41 and the body pocket 421 of the body segment 42. When supplying the capsule A to the formed capsule storage unit, or filling the empty capsule AB with the cap A and the body B
When they are separated and stored in the cap pocket 411 of the cap disk 41 and the body pocket 421 of the body segment 42, respectively, a loading failure may occur. A capsule obtained due to the loading failure may occur. Defects such as deformation, cracking, empty capsules (capsules not filled with drugs), tears, double caps, double bodies, etc. may occur, and the filling machine may not be able to operate continuously.

The inventor of the present invention has studied the improper loading of the empty capsules and found that the following improper loading patterns are the improper loading patterns that cause inconvenience that the filling machine needs to be stopped.

The first pattern is, as shown in FIG. 10, a loading defect caused by a defective separation of empty capsules.
That is, as described above, the capsule filling machine immediately supplies the empty capsule AB from the transfer plate 25 to the capsule storage portion formed by the cap pocket 411 of the cap disk 41 and the body pocket 421 of the body segment 42. The empty capsule AB is separated into a cap A and a body B by suction of the capsule separating exhaust shoe 31. In this case, FIG.
(A) As shown in (B), in the state of the empty capsule AB in which the cap A and the body B are temporarily connected without being separated into the cap A and the body B by the capsule separating section 3, May be transported to the process. In this case, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10 (C), such a poorly separated capsule AB is usually removed by the above-described poorly separated capsule discharge unit 8, but as shown in FIG. When the body B ′ is separated from the cap A ′ while moving from the cap 3 to the poorly separated capsule discharge section 8, and the separated body B ′ is not accommodated in the predetermined body pocket 421, FIG. As shown, the remaining cap A ′ cannot be removed by the defective separation capsule discharge section 8, and the cap pocket 4 ′ remains as it is.
Since no capsule body remains in the body pocket 421 and remains in the body pocket 421, the capsule body returns to the empty capsule supply unit without being removed by the capsule collection unit 7. In that case, as shown in FIG.
The improper separation cap A 'prevents the transfer of the next empty capsule AB' to be loaded, resulting in a defective loading. Further, although not particularly shown, the empty capsule AB ′ that has been improperly loaded is left in the transfer pocket 251 of the transfer plate 25 as it is sandwiched between the shutters 26, and is transferred from the third drum (supply drum) 24 to the transfer plate 25. The transfer of the empty capsule to the container is hindered, and loading failure occurs in a chain, so that continuous operation cannot be performed.

The second pattern is an improper loading caused by an improper transfer of the empty capsule from the third drum (supply drum) 24 to the transfer plate 25. That is,
As shown in FIG. 11A, when the empty capsule AB is transferred from the capsule pocket 241 of the third drum (supply drum) 24 to the transfer pocket 251 of the transfer plate 25, the transfer failure of the empty capsule AB 'is performed.
This may cause the defective empty capsule AB 'to roll down on the cap disk 41, and the defective empty capsule AB' is placed between the transfer plate 25 and the cap disk 41 as shown in FIG. When entering, the defective empty capsule AB 'prevents the transfer of the next empty capsule AB "supplied from the transfer plate 26 and causes a loading failure. Further, the defective empty capsule AB" having the transfer failure is shown in FIG. As shown in (C),
It is sandwiched between the shutters 26 and remains in the transfer pocket 251 of the transfer plate 25 as it is, and prevents the transfer of the empty capsule from the third drum (supply drum) 24 to the transfer plate 25. Can not be performed. In addition,
In the state shown in FIG. 11A, if the defective empty capsule AB 'does not roll on the cap disk 41 and remains on the transfer plate 25 without being properly loaded, the defective empty capsule AB' is replaced with the next empty capsule. From the capsule pocket 241 of the third drum (supply drum) 24 to the transfer pocket 25 of the transfer plate 25
1 and the blocked empty capsule spills onto the cap disk 25, causing a similar defective loading.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a defective loading of an empty capsule into a capsule receiving portion comprising a cap pocket of the cap disk and a body pocket of the body segment as much as possible. In addition, a capsule filling machine capable of performing a filling operation stably by reliably removing an empty capsule that has become improperly loaded from the filling mechanism and preventing occurrence of various inconveniences caused by improper loading as much as possible. The purpose is to provide.

[0028]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a plurality of empty capsules in a state in which a cap and a body are temporarily connected are regulated in an upright state with the cap facing upward. It is stored in a capsule pocket formed on the peripheral surface of the supply drum, a predetermined number of empty capsules are collectively stored once in the capsule pocket of the transfer plate,
Move the capsule on the cap disc of the capsule transport mechanism comprising a ring plate-shaped cap disc having a cap pocket formed thereon and a plurality of body segments having a body pocket, and remove each empty capsule from the cap pocket and the body pocket. The empty capsule is separated into a cap and a body, and the empty capsule is housed in the cap pocket and the body pocket, respectively, which are conveyed by intermittently rotating the cap disc and the body segment. Then, filling the body with the medicine in the medicine filling section, connecting the body and the cap in the capsule connecting section, and then taking out and collecting the capsule filled with the medicine in the capsule collecting section in the capsule collecting section, Capse for continuous production of capsules In the filling machine, the following (A) ~
(D) A capsule filling machine characterized by having at least one configuration. (A) Before transferring the empty capsule from the transfer plate to the capsule storage portion including the cap pocket and the body pocket, a cleaning unit is provided for sucking and removing the residue in the capsule storage unit. The cap remaining in the housing is suctioned and removed, and a cap housing space is provided in the suction passage of the cleaning unit. (B) At the front end of the transfer plate, there is provided a guide inclined plate for guiding the mis-loaded capsule toward the inside of the ring plate-shaped cap disk, and the mis-loaded capsule is provided on each side edge of the transfer plate. And a fall prevention plate for preventing the spill from falling onto the cap disk, and further, a housing portion for the improperly loaded capsule is provided inside the cap disk. (C) An edge portion of a guide plate for preventing the empty capsule disposed along the outer peripheral surface of the supply drum from falling off is chamfered to have a smooth shape, and the empty capsule is transferred from the capsule pocket of the supply drum to the transfer pocket. It prevents the guide plate from being caught on the edge of the guide plate when shifting to the capsule pocket of the plate. (D) A plurality of compressed air passages are provided in the supply drum along the axial direction, and a plurality of capsule pockets communicating with the compressed air passages are formed side by side along the compressed air passages. When moving the empty capsule into the transfer pocket of the transfer plate, the compressed air is supplied to the compressed air flow passage by aligning the compressed air blowing hole provided at one end of the supply drum with one end of the compressed air flow passage. A mechanism for extruding empty capsules from the capsule pocket of the supply drum by the compressed air and moving the capsules to the transfer pocket of the transfer plate, and for reducing the pressure of the compressed air ejected from the compressed air blowing holes to the compressed air in the compressed air flow passage. Is set so that turbulence does not occur on the first capsule pocket counted from one end where It.

That is, similarly to the above-mentioned conventional capsule filling machine, the capsule filling machine of the present invention regulates the direction of the empty capsule in an upright state with the cap up, and provides a capsule conveying section comprising a cap disk. While the empty capsule is transported by the capsule transport unit, the empty capsule is separated into a cap and a body, and the body is filled with a drug. Then, the body and the cap are connected to each other. In a capsule filling machine that continuously manufactures capsules by taking out and collecting the used capsules from the capsule transport unit, the above-described configuration (A) to (D) is added, thereby causing the above-described loading failure. As much as possible, preventing the occurrence of inconvenience caused by improper loading, so that the capsule can be manufactured stably, In the configuration (A), the first pattern described above suctions and removes the poorly separated cap remaining in the cap pocket of the cap disk, thereby preventing the occurrence of a loading failure caused by the poorly separated cap, and The configurations (B) to (D) prevent the improper loading caused by the second pattern described above, and the configuration (B) is a configuration in which an empty capsule having a migration failure generated when shifting from the supply drum to the transfer plate is used. The configuration (C) and the configuration (D) ensure that the transfer of the empty capsule from the supply drum to the transfer plate is prevented, and the occurrence of the transfer failure capsule itself is prevented. Things.

[0030]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described specifically with reference to examples. In this case, in the following embodiments, the same components as those of the above-described conventional capsule filling machine are denoted by the same reference numerals as those described above, and description thereof will be omitted.

The configuration (A) is for preventing the first pattern described above, that is, the improper loading of the empty capsule caused by the improper separation cap A '(see FIG. 10). The cap A ′ is removed before the cap A ′ prevents the next empty capsule from being loaded.

To explain the configuration of (A), the conventional capsule filling machine has a cap as shown in FIG. 12 between the normal capsule discharge section 7 and the empty capsule supply section from the transfer plate 25. A cleaning unit 9 is provided for cleaning the interior of the capsule housing unit comprising the cap pocket 411 of the disk 41 and the body pocket 421 of the body segment 42 by suction. The poorly separated cap A remaining in the cap pocket 411 by the cleaning unit 9 is provided. It is possible to aspirate '.

That is, as shown in FIG. 12, the cleaning section 9 injects compressed air from the lower side of the body segment 42 by the compressed air injection nozzle 95 to push out the residue in the capsule housing, and to remove the cap. By covering the cap pocket 411 of the cap disc 41 with a suction shoe 91 provided close to the upper surface of the disc 41 and sucking the inside of the suction shoe 91 through a suction pipe 92,
This is to remove the residue in the capsule housing portion composed of the cap pocket 411 and the body pocket 421 by suction and to clean the inside of the capsule housing portion. The cleaning portion 9 removes the poorly separated cap A ′ remaining in the cap pocket 411. It is also possible to remove by suction.

However, the conventional cleaning unit 9 is provided for sucking and removing drug powder, dust, dust, and the like originally adhered to the inside of the capsule storage unit including the cap pocket 411 and the body pocket 421. It is not for removing the cap of the capsule by suction.
For this reason, when the above-mentioned poor separation cap A 'is removed by suction, a filter net 93 provided in the suction passage 921 of the suction pipe 92 prevents the suction object from being sucked into the suction device (not shown). Cap A 'is captured,
When several caps A 'are captured, the suction passage 92
1 is in a closed state, and thereafter the defective separation cap A '
Cannot be removed by suction, and it also interferes with normal cleaning.

In view of the above, the configuration (A) of the present invention is such that a cap accommodating space portion for accommodating and accommodating the poorly separated cap A 'is provided in a part of the suction passage 921 of the suction pipe 92. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the filter net 93 is disposed obliquely in the suction passage 921, and the suction passage 921 is not closed even if at least several tens of caps A 'are captured. The cap accommodating space 94 is used to capture the poorly separated cap A ′.

This ensures that the defective separation cap A '
Can be removed from the cap pocket 411 of the cap disk 41 to prevent the occurrence of the improper loading caused by the above-described first pattern, and that the suction passage 921 can be closed in a short time. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily cope with long-term continuous operation.

FIG. 13 shows an example of the above configuration (A), and the cap housing space portion 94 can be modified as appropriate. For example, a portion of the suction passage 921 is formed to have a large diameter, and the large-diameter portion has a cap housing space portion 9.
4 may be formed, and an opening / closing portion for removing the captured cap A ′ may be provided in the cap housing space 94, and the captured cap A ′ may be periodically removed. It is also possible to provide a mechanism for discharging the cap A ′ from 94 continuously or as needed.

Next, the configuration shown in FIG.
In the occurrence of the improper loading due to the second pattern shown in (2), the improper transfer of the empty capsule AB ′ caused when transferring the empty capsule from the supply drum 24 to the transfer plate 25 is prevented from rolling down onto the cap disk 41. Things.

That is, due to the guide inclined plate provided at the front end of the transfer plate and the fall prevention plates provided at both side edges of the transfer plate, the deficient transfer of the empty capsule AB 'falls onto the cap disk. In addition, the poorly transferred capsule is guided to the accommodating portion of the improperly loaded capsule provided inside the cap disk by the guide inclined plate, and is recovered. This is to prevent the loading failure of the pattern shown in FIG. 11 from occurring as much as possible.

As a specific embodiment of the configuration (B), the configuration shown in FIG. 14 can be exemplified. That is, the guide inclined plate 2 inclined toward the inside of the ring-shaped cap disk 41 is provided at the front end of the transfer plate 25.
52 and the transfer plate 2
5 are respectively set up from the both side edges of the guide inclined plate 252 to the middle portions of the both side edges of the guide inclined plate 252. The fall prevention plate 253 spills the empty capsule AB 'which has failed to move onto the cap disk 41. In addition, the capsule AB ′ with poor migration is guided to the accommodating section 412 of the poorly loaded capsule provided inside the cap disk 41 by the guide inclined plate 252 and collected. FIG. 14 shows an example of the configuration (B), and the shapes and the like of the guide inclined plate 252 and the fall prevention plate 253 can be appropriately changed.

The configuration of (C) is the same as that of FIG.
When the transfer of the empty capsule from the supply drum 24 to the transfer plate 25 is performed, the empty capsule is surely transferred to the transfer pocket 251 of the transfer plate 25 in the occurrence of the loading failure due to the second pattern shown in FIG.
In this case, the occurrence of the improperly loaded capsule AB ′ due to the improper transfer is prevented, and the occurrence of the improperly loaded imbalance due to the second pattern is prevented as much as possible.

The inventor of the present invention supplies empty capsules to the supply drum 24.
As a result of studying a mechanism that causes a transfer failure capsule AB ′ when transferring from the transfer plate 25 to the transfer plate 25, a guide plate for preventing an empty capsule disposed along the outer peripheral surface of the supply drum 24 from dropping off. 242
It has been found that the shape of the edge portion has an effect on the occurrence of poor transition. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, the empty capsule A from the supply drum 24 to the transfer plate 25
The transfer of B is performed when the guide plate 242 is interrupted on each transfer pocket 251 of the transfer plate 25, the capsule pocket 241 is opened, and the empty capsule AB moves from the capsule pocket 241 to the transfer pocket 251. At this time, the empty capsule AB 'is caught on the edge of the guide plate 242. In particular, a step formed at the boundary between the cap and the body of the empty capsule AB' is caught on the edge of the guide plate 242, and It has been found that the posture of the capsule AB 'is disturbed, and poor transition is likely to occur.

Therefore, in the configuration (C) of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 16, the edge of the guide plate 242 is chamfered to be smooth, and the empty capsule AB is the capsule of the supply drum 24. This prevents the guide plate 242 from being caught by the edge of the guide plate 242 when moving from the pocket 241 to the capsule pocket 251 of the transfer plate 25.

Further, in the configuration of (D), similarly to the configuration of (C), in the occurrence of a loading failure due to the second pattern shown in FIG. When transferring to the plate 25, ensure that the empty capsule is transferred to the transfer plate 2
By transferring to the transfer pocket 251 of No. 5, the occurrence of the improperly loaded capsule AB ′ due to the improper transfer is prevented, and the occurrence of the improperly loaded by the second pattern is prevented as much as possible.

The inventor of the present invention supplies empty capsules to the supply drum 24.
As a result of examining the mechanism of the occurrence of the transfer failure capsule AB ′ when transferring from the transfer plate 25 to the transfer plate 25, the shape of the edge of the guide plate 242 affects the occurrence of the transfer failure, It has been found that the first capsule pocket counted from one end where the compressed air is introduced into the compressed air flow passage of the drum 24 frequently causes a transfer failure.

That is, as shown in FIG. 17A, a plurality of compressed air flow passages 243 are formed in the supply drum 24 along the axial direction. A plurality of capsule pockets 241 (ten in the figure) are provided in communication with the compressed air flow passage 243 along the compressed air flow passage 243, and as described above, the capsule pocket 241 is inserted into the compressed air flow passage 243 from one end. By supplying compressed air and forcing empty capsules out of each capsule pocket 241 by the compressed air, the empty capsules are transferred to the transfer pocket 251 of the transfer plate 25. In this case, the compressed air is introduced. An empty capsule housed in the first cap pocket 241a counted from the side is likely to cause a transfer failure to the transfer pocket 251. Was Desa had. Therefore, as a result of further study on this phenomenon, as shown in FIG. 17B, the compressed air flow passage 243 is
Since the compressed air is introduced from the compressed air blowing hole having a smaller diameter than the compressed air, a turbulent flow is generated near the blowing hole due to the compressed air being blown out. It has been found that this is the cause of poor transfer (poor loading).

Therefore, the configuration (D) of the present invention adjusts the ejection pressure of compressed air into the compressed air flow passage 243 to count from one end where the compressed air in the compressed air flow passage 243 is introduced. This is to prevent turbulence from occurring on the first capsule pocket 241a, whereby the empty capsule can be pushed out of the capsule pocket 241 satisfactorily and reliably transferred to the transfer pocket 251 of the transfer plate 25. is there.

In this case, the adjustment of the compressed air ejection pressure is performed as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, turbulence does not occur on the first capsule pocket 241a counted from one end to which compressed air is supplied, and each capsule pocket 241 is formed by compressed air.
(Including 241 a) is set to a pressure capable of effectively extruding the empty capsule therein, and the inner diameter d ¹ of the compressed air flow passage 243,
It is appropriately set according to the inner diameter d ^{2 of} the compressed air outlet, the distance e from the compressed air outlet to the first capsule pocket 241a, the total sectional area s of the cap pockets in one row, and the like. Is, for example, d ¹ = 10-1
4 mm, d ² = 2-4 mm, e = 20-30 mm, s =
In the case of a supply drum 24 of 1700-2380 mm ² ,
0.8 to 1.4 kg / cm ² , preferably 0.2 to 0.4 kg / cm ² .
The pressure is adjusted to 6 kg / cm ² , whereby turbulence does not occur on the first capsule pocket 241a from the compressed air blowing hole, and moreover, each capsule pocket 24
1 (including 241a) can be effectively pushed out, and can be reliably transferred to the transfer pocket 251 of the transfer plate 25, so that the occurrence of improper loading can be effectively prevented.

The capsule filling machine of the present invention has at least one of the above constitutions (A) to (D), but preferably has all of the above constitutions (A) to (D). Thereby, it is possible to extremely effectively prevent the occurrence of a defective loading, and to perform the unmanned continuous operation for a long time. In addition, the above configurations (A) to (D)
Both can be configured very simply and can be easily provided in the conventional capsule filling machine described above,
An extremely high effect can be obtained at low cost.

[0050]

As described above, according to the capsule filling machine of the present invention, various inconveniences caused by improper loading can be prevented as much as possible, and the filling operation can be performed stably. This enables unmanned continuous operation for a long time. Further, the capsule filling machine of the present invention can be easily configured by improving a conventional capsule filling machine, and can achieve extremely high effects at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a conventional capsule filling machine.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the filling machine.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a capsule transport section and a capsule separation section of the filling machine.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the capsule transport section and the capsule separation section.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the capsule transport section and the capsule separation section.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a poorly separated capsule discharge section of the filling machine.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a medicine filling section of the filling machine.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a capsule connecting portion of the filling machine.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a capsule collecting section of the filling machine.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a first pattern in which a loading failure occurs.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a second pattern in which a loading failure occurs.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a conventional cleaning unit.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration (A) of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing an example of the configuration (B) of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating the occurrence of a loading failure due to a conventional guide plate.

FIG. 16 is a schematic view showing an example of the configuration (C) of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing a conventional compressed air flow passage.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration (D) of the invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 24 Third Drum (Supply Drum) 241 Capsule Pocket 242 Guide Plate 243 Compressed Air Flow Path 244 Compressed Air Blow Out Hole 25 Transfer Plate 251 Transfer Pocket 252 Induction Inclined Plate 253 Fall Prevention Plate 3 Capsule Separating Unit 4 Capsule Conveying Unit (Capsule Conveying Mechanism) 41 Cap disc 411 Cap pocket 412 Poorly loaded capsule storage section 42 Body segment 421 Body pocket 5 Drug filling section 6 Capsule connecting section 7 Capsule collection section 9 Cleaning section 921 Suction passage 94 Cap storage space A Cap B body AB Empty capsule or capsule agent

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of empty capsules in a state where a cap and a body are temporarily connected are regulated in an upright state with the cap facing upward, and accommodated in a capsule pocket formed on a peripheral surface of a supply drum, A predetermined number of empty capsules are collectively accommodated in a capsule pocket of a transfer plate, and a capsule transport mechanism including a ring-plate-shaped cap disk having a cap pocket formed therein and a plurality of body segments having a body pocket formed therein. The capsule is moved onto a cap disk, and each empty capsule is accommodated in a capsule accommodating portion composed of the cap pocket and the body pocket.The empty capsule is separated into a cap and a body and accommodated in the cap pocket and the body pocket, respectively. , These are intermittent between the cap disc and body segment The capsule is filled with the medicine from the capsule storage part at the capsule collection part after the body is filled with the medicine at the medicine filling part and the body and the cap are connected at the capsule connection part. In a capsule filling machine for continuously producing capsules by taking out and collecting, the following (A)
A capsule filling machine having at least one configuration of (D). (A) Before transferring the empty capsule from the transfer plate to the capsule storage portion including the cap pocket and the body pocket, a cleaning unit is provided for sucking and removing the residue in the capsule storage unit. The cap remaining in the housing is suctioned and removed, and a cap housing space is provided in the suction passage of the cleaning unit. (B) At the front end of the transfer plate, there is provided a guide inclined plate for guiding the mis-loaded capsule toward the inside of the ring plate-shaped cap disk, and the mis-loaded capsule is provided on each side edge of the transfer plate. And a fall prevention plate for preventing the spill from falling onto the cap disk, and further, a housing portion for the improperly loaded capsule is provided inside the cap disk. (C) An edge portion of a guide plate for preventing the empty capsule disposed along the outer peripheral surface of the supply drum from falling off is chamfered to have a smooth shape, and the empty capsule is transferred from the capsule pocket of the supply drum to the transfer pocket. It prevents the guide plate from being caught on the edge of the guide plate when shifting to the capsule pocket of the plate. (D) A plurality of compressed air passages are provided in the supply drum along the axial direction, and a plurality of capsule pockets communicating with the compressed air passages are formed side by side along the compressed air passages. When moving the empty capsule into the transfer pocket of the transfer plate, the compressed air is supplied to the compressed air flow passage by aligning the compressed air blowing hole provided at one end of the supply drum with one end of the compressed air flow passage. A mechanism for extruding empty capsules from the capsule pocket of the supply drum by the compressed air and moving the capsules to the transfer pocket of the transfer plate, and for reducing the pressure of the compressed air ejected from the compressed air blowing holes to the compressed air in the compressed air flow passage Is set so that turbulence does not occur on the first capsule pocket counted from one end where It.