JPS643502B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for transporting pharmaceutical tablets, capsules, or other pellet-like preparations (hereinafter collectively referred to as "solid preparations") using a transport drum. If there is a solid drug being transported in an abnormal upside down position, the system detects the abnormal posture and removes the solid drug from the transport path.
The aim is to create a new device that prevents the occurrence of abnormal loads caused by solid preparations getting caught in narrow transport paths during the transportation process, and this device is suitable for visual inspection of solid preparations. It can be successfully applied as a solid drug conveying device in a printing machine, a counting machine, etc. for solid drug preparations.

An apparatus as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has already been proposed as an appearance inspection machine for the above-mentioned solid preparation. In the figure, 1 is a supply hopper for solid preparations (hereinafter determined using "tablets" as an example), 2 is a supply drum, 3 is a first drum-shaped conveyance section (hereinafter referred to as "first drum"), and 4 is a supply hopper. A second drum-shaped conveyance unit (hereinafter referred to as "second drum"), 5 and 6, an observation device using, for example, an industrial television camera, disposed close to the outer periphery of the first and second drums 3 and 4; 8 is a determination device consisting of a circuit that comprehensively determines whether the tablet is good or bad based on the above two observation results, and 8 is a non-defective product recovery tank connected to the end position of the conveying process in the second drum 4 via a non-defective product transfer pipe 9. , 10 is a defective product recovery tank connected via a defective product transfer pipe 11 at a position before the terminal end, 12 is a tablet, and 13 is a chute connecting the hopper 1 and the inner space of the supply drum 2. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the supply drum 2 has an inner space 14.
is a tablet supply chamber, and tablet storage holes 15 are provided on the outer periphery as through holes arranged at predetermined intervals, and an outer guide 16 is provided on the lower outer peripheral area of the drum to prevent the tablets from falling out of the storage holes 15. is set up. On the other hand, pocket-shaped accommodation holes 17 are provided on the outer peripheries of the first and second drums 3, 4 at predetermined intervals equidistant with the accommodation holes 15. In addition, a fixed partition wall 1 is partitioned into the tablet conveying area of the drums 3 and 4, and a fixed partition wall 1 is provided inside the drum.
A vacuum chamber 19 is provided by 8, and the accommodation hole 17 is provided through a circumferential slit-shaped vacuum suction groove 20.
The housing hole 17 is configured to communicate with the housing hole 17 so that negative pressure is applied to the housing hole 17. In addition, the second drum 4 is further provided with a discharge mechanism consisting of nozzles 21 and 22 for jetting compressed air, respectively, opposite the transfer pipes 9 and 11 at the discharge points for good and defective products. As shown in the figure, the drums 2, 3, and 4 are arranged side by side on the left and right so that their outer circumferential surfaces face each other, and each drum is connected to a drive motor via a belt so that the drums are aligned with each other in the direction of the arrow. It is driven to rotate synchronously.

With this configuration, tablets 1 are introduced and supplied from the hopper 1 into the supply drum 2 as each drum rotates.
2 fall into the accommodation hole 15 one by one, and the guide 1
It is transported to the upper right while being guided by 6. Transfer position P where the tablet 12 contacts the drums 2 and 3
When the tablets 12 are transferred to the drum 3 from the accommodation hole 15 of the drum 2 due to the negative pressure on the drum 3 side, the tablets 12
is adsorbed and transferred to the accommodation hole 17 of. Thereafter, the tablets are conveyed on the upper surface area of the drum 3, and further passed through a transfer point P between the drums 3 and 4, and then suction conveyed on the lower surface area of the drum 4. During this conveyance process, the surfaces of each half of the tablet 12 are observed by the television cameras 5 and 6. Tablets semi-determined to be defective based on the discrimination results are sorted and discharged to the defective product collection tank 11 by the operation of the nozzle 22, and all remaining good products are carried out and collected by the operation of the nozzle 21 to the good product collection tank 8.

It should be noted that a double-sided printing machine for solid preparations is also equipped with almost the same conveyance device as above, and a printing mechanism is installed in place of the television camera in FIG. Furthermore, a mechanism for sorting out defective products is omitted.

By the way, as mentioned above, if the posture of the tablets 12 falling one by one into the accommodation hole 15 of the supply drum 2 is normal, the tablets 12 will fall into the accommodation hole 15 in a stable posture as shown by the reference numeral 12 in FIGS. 3a and 3b. It is packed and transported. On the other hand, if the object falls into the accommodation hole 15 in a bad posture, it will be transported into the accommodation hole 15 in an inverted position, as shown by reference numeral 12' in FIGS. 3a and 3c. Some tablets in an inverted position change to a stable normal position as shown in FIG. Transport may be continued while maintaining an inverted position. When the tablet 12' reaches the transfer point P between the first drum 3 and the tablet 12', the tablet 12' is vacuum-adsorbed into the accommodation hole 17 of the first drum 3 in an inverted position. 4th circumference
As shown in Figures a and c, the robot is transported while maintaining an inverted posture. Here, in contrast to the stable normal posture 12, the inverted posture 12' will be referred to as an abnormal posture. In this way, the tablets 12' conveyed in an abnormal position have a height that protrudes from the circumferential surface of the drums 2 and 3.
It is extremely large compared to , and its height level is as shown by the symbol h. As a result, a tablet in an abnormal position will be bitten by the narrow midway point of the solid preparation conveyance path, for example, at a transfer point P where the first drum 3 and the second drum 4 are in contact with each other. When such a tablet chewing phenomenon occurs, not only is a large abnormal load placed on the conveying device, but the tablet itself is damaged and its powder is scattered and adheres to the drum or the subsequent tablets being conveyed. Furthermore, tablets with excess powder adhering to their surfaces will be mistakenly judged as defective products with scratches on the surface when visually inspected using a television camera.
This leads to a decrease in tablet discrimination performance.

For this reason, in conventional equipment, the inspection machine is constantly monitored by maintenance personnel, and when an abnormal load occurs due to tablets being chewed, the equipment is immediately stopped, broken tablets are removed, and the drum is cleaned. The inspection machine had been restarted, but the work was cumbersome and the operating rate of the inspection machine decreased due to the suspension of operation.

The present invention has been developed in consideration of the above points, and has the advantage that it is possible to prevent the occurrence of biting and damage of solid preparations due to abnormal posture, thereby improving the operating rate and enabling unmanned operation. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a transportation device for solid preparations.

This purpose is achieved by the present invention, in which a solid drug conveying device consisting of a combination of a supply drum and a drum-shaped conveying section is used, in which a solid drug is transported in an abnormal position at a midway point in the conveyance path near the solid drug supply side. This is achieved by including a sensor that detects the preparation, and a removal mechanism that removes the solid preparation in an abnormal posture from the conveyance path based on an abnormal posture detection signal from the sensor.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the present invention will be explained in detail based on illustrated embodiments. First, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a sensor 23 is installed near the outer peripheral surface of the drum 3 at a location close to the tablet transfer point P on the supply drum side of the first drum 3 to detect an abnormal posture of the tablet. is located. This sensor 23
employs an optical sensor consisting of a light-emitting element 24 and a light-receiving element 25, which are arranged opposite to each other on both the left and right sides of the drum 3 so as to sandwich the conveyance path, and the sensor 23 is arranged such that the light beam is at a predetermined height level above the outer peripheral surface of the drum 3. It is specified that it is transparent. That is, as shown in the figure, the tablet 12 in a normal position does not emit light, but when the tablet 12' in an inverted abnormal position passes the sensor 23, the light from the optical sensor is emitted immediately. Detected. Further, an air nozzle 26 as a removal mechanism is located inside the drum 3 and located slightly behind the sensor 23 along the conveyance path.
are installed toward the row of housing holes 17 in the drum 3. The air nozzle 26 is connected to an on-off control valve 27.
When the valve 27 is opened, the air flow ejected from the nozzle 26 passes through the air passage slit 20 opened at the bottom of the pocket-shaped accommodation hole 17 and enters the accommodation hole 17. It's blown out. The opening/closing control valve 27 is temporarily opened by a signal given from the control circuit 29 based on the abnormal posture detection signal outputted from the sensor 23, and the timing of the operation is set when the valve passes through the sensor 23. Abnormal posture tablet 1
2' is automatically adjusted in advance in synchronization with the moving speed of the accommodation hole 17 so that it coincides with the point in time when the air nozzle 26 just approaches the installation position. In addition, a tablet return shooter 30 is installed which connects the outer periphery of the drum 3 facing the air nozzle 26 and the inner space 14 of the supply drum 2 and serves as a return passage for the solid preparation. The end is opened facing outward from the row of accommodation holes 17.

The operation of the above configuration is as follows. All the tablets 12 are kept in a normal position and fed to the supply drum 2.
While the tablets 12 are being transferred and conveyed from the sensor 23 to the first drum 3, the light flux does not emit from the tablets 12 passing through the sensor 23, and therefore the air nozzle 26 is in a non-operating state. On the other hand, as described above, when the tablet is transferred from the supply drum 2 to the first drum 3 in an abnormal upside down position and is adsorbed, the tablet 1 in this abnormal position
When the light beam 2' passes through the sensor 23, the light beam is emitted and detected. This detection signal is output to the opening/closing control valve 27 of the air nozzle 26, and the valve 27 is temporarily opened at the timing when the tablet 12' has just reached the installation position of the air nozzle 26. Therefore, the air flow ejected from the air nozzle 26 is directed towards the tablet 12' which is housed in the housing hole 17 and is in an abnormal position.
is blown outward from the accommodation hole 17. As a result, the tablets 12' are removed from the transport path and returned to the supply drum 2 via the return shooter 30 as indicated by arrow A.

Further, FIGS. 7 and 8 show other embodiments, in which the sensor 23 is installed in the supply drum 2 in the middle of the conveyance path on the front side of the transfer point P, and its specific structure is shown in the eighth embodiment. As shown in the figure.
In this embodiment, light emitting elements 24 are provided on both left and right sides of the supply drum 2, located close to the inner circumferential surface of the supply drum 2.
Since the light receiving element 25 is arranged, a window hole 31 for transmitting the light beam is opened in the side wall of the drum corresponding to each accommodation hole 15. The operation of detecting the abnormally positioned tablet 12' by the sensor 23 is performed in substantially the same manner as in the previous embodiment. On the other hand, the air nozzle 26 as a removal mechanism
is positioned at a transfer point P where the supply drum 2 and first drum 3 are in contact with each other, as shown in FIG. 7, and is installed behind the accommodation hole 17 in the first drum 3. Also, the air nozzle 26 is controlled in the same manner as in the previous embodiment. Therefore, the tablets 12' in an abnormal position detected during the conveyance process in the supply drum 2 are placed in the first position.
When reaching the transfer point to be transferred to the drum 3, the air nozzle 26 operates to eject air, and the ejected air flow passes through the slit 20 and the accommodation hole 17 in the first drum 3, and the tablet 12' is delivered from the accommodation hole 15 into the supply drum 2. It is blown away towards Space 14. As a result, the tablets 12' in the abnormal position are removed from the conveyance path and returned to the supply drum 2 as indicated by arrow A. In addition, in this embodiment, the accommodation hole 15 of the supply drum 2 serves as the return path for the solid preparation, so there is no need to specially attach the return shutter 30 as shown in FIG. 5, and the structure can be easily constructed. There are advantages.

Note that each of the above embodiments shows an example of a three-drum system consisting of a combination of a supply drum and two drum-shaped conveyance sections as the first and second inspection drums, but the supply drum itself is By similarly equipping a so-called two-drum type conveyance device, which is configured to double as the first drum and is combined with a drum-shaped conveyance section as a second inspection drum, with a sensor and an exclusion mechanism, The same effect as the previous embodiment can be achieved by detecting and eliminating solid posture agents in abnormal postures.

As is clear from the description of each of the above embodiments, according to the present invention, the conveyance path is narrow, such as the tablet transfer location between the first drum and the second drum, and solid preparations in abnormal postures are bitten and damaged. A sensor that detects solid preparations in an abnormal posture is installed in a portion of the conveyance path close to the solid preparation supply side, well before the point where this is likely to occur, and solid preparations in an abnormal posture are removed from the conveyance path based on the detection signal of the sensor. The device is equipped with an ejection mechanism that automatically prevents troubles such as abnormal loads caused by biting of solid preparations that are transported in abnormal positions or breakage of solid preparations. can. Along with this, there is no longer any risk of dirt on the drum due to scattering of broken powder or powder adhering to test preparations, improving inspection performance and operation rate compared to conventional solid drug appearance inspection machines, and eliminating the need for monitoring personnel. It is possible to provide an excellent solid drug transport device that can be operated unmanned.

It should be noted that the present invention can be similarly applied to solid preparation conveying devices employed in various fields, such as solid preparation printing machines and counting machines, other than the solid preparation appearance inspection machine described in the examples, to achieve the same effect. can.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a visual inspection machine for solid preparations cited as an example of the implementation target of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a detailed structural diagram of the solid preparation conveying device in Fig. 1, and Figs. 3a, b, c, and Figures 4a, b, and c are explanatory diagrams of the conveyance posture of the solid preparation in Figure 2, and Figures b and c are cross-sectional views taken along arrows b-b and c-c in Figure a, respectively, and Figures 5 and FIG. 7 is a structural layout diagram showing a different embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 6 and 8 are enlarged sectional views showing the main mechanisms in FIGS. 5 and 7. In each figure, common symbols indicate the same or equivalent parts, and the correspondence between the main parts and the symbols is as follows. 2... Supply drum, 3... Drum-shaped conveyance section, 1
2...Solid preparation, 12'...Solid preparation in abnormal posture,
15... Solid drug storage hole of supply drum, 17...
solid preparation accommodation hole in the drum-shaped conveyance section, 20...air passage opened at the bottom of the accommodation hole, 23...sensor;
24... Light emitting element, 25... Light receiving element, 26...
Air nozzle as a removal mechanism, 30... Shuter as a path for returning the solid preparation, P... Solid preparation transfer point between drums, A... Return direction of the solid preparation.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A supply drum whose inner space is a solid preparation supply chamber and whose outer peripheral surface is provided with solid preparation storage holes arranged in a circumferential pattern, and which is arranged adjacent to the rear stage of the supply drum, and It consists of a drum-shaped conveyance section with pocket-shaped solid preparation storage holes arranged circumferentially on its outer circumferential surface, and by driving each drum to rotate in opposite directions, a solid preparation conveyance path spanning both drums is carried. In a conveying device that conveys solid preparations from a supply drum to a drum-shaped conveyance section at a later stage, the height level of the storage posture of solid preparations being transported that protrudes from the circumferential surface of the drum at a midway point in the conveyance path area near the solid preparation supply side. An optical sensor consisting of a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element is placed on both sides of the solid preparation transport path to detect when the height exceeds a predetermined reference height level, and based on the abnormality detection signal of the sensor. It is characterized by being equipped with a removal mechanism that blows air toward the storage hole from behind the bottom of the solid preparation storage hole in the drum-shaped transport section to remove the solid preparation in an abnormal position from the transport path and return it to the supply drum. Transport device for solid preparations. 2. In the conveyance device according to claim 1, the solid preparation that is removed from the conveyance path and returned into the supply drum by the operation of the removal mechanism is located at a location on the solid preparation conveyance path that faces the removal mechanism. A conveying device for a solid preparation, characterized in that the solid preparation is returned via a solid preparation return path connecting the inner space of a supply drum.