TWI724586B - Granular material transporting apparatus and granular material treating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The subject of the present invention is to provide a granular material conveying device, which has a reversing mechanism that reverses the front and back of the granular material conveyed by the conveying mechanism, and can suppress other granular materials conveyed by the conveying mechanism and the reverse Unnecessary contact with the transfer agency. The granular material conveying device of the present invention includes a conveying mechanism and a reversing mechanism. The reversing mechanism has a first inclined drum 71 and a second inclined drum 72 having a conical shape. At the first position W1 in the width direction of the conveying mechanism, the first inclined drum 71 sucks and rotates the granular material 9 to be conveyed in the first suction hole 711, and then transfers it to the second inclined drum 72. The second inclined drum 72 sucks and rotates the granular material 9 received from the first suction hole 711 to the second suction hole 721, and transfers it to the second position W2 in the width direction of the conveying mechanism. The first suction hole 711 and the second suction hole 721 are provided on the convex portions 712 and 722, respectively. Therefore, the granular materials 9 located at positions other than the first position W1 and the second position W2 do not contact the inclined drums 71 and 72.

Description

Granular material conveying device and granular material processing device

The present invention relates to a granular material conveying device for conveying a plurality of granular materials and a granular material processing device provided with the granular material conveying device.

On the surface of pharmaceuticals, i.e. tablets, words or codes for product identification are printed. In addition, in Ramune and other ingot-shaped candies, there are also cases where symbols or illustrations are printed. Previously, there are known printing devices that use inkjet methods to print images on the surface of such granular objects such as tablets and lozenges. In particular, in recent years, due to the popularity of scientifically-named medicines, the types of tablets have been diversified. Therefore, in order to easily identify the tablets, the technology of clearly printing on the front and back sides of the tablets using inkjet methods has attracted attention.

The printing apparatus of Patent Document 1 has a conveying section (3) on the upstream side and a conveying section (4) on the downstream side. In the upstream conveying part (3), while conveying the tablet 9, the first printing part (201) prints on the tablet. On the downstream side of the conveying part (4), one side of the upstream side of the conveying part (3) receives and conveys a plurality of tablets in a state where the front and back sides are reversed, and the second printing part (202) aligns the tablets Print it. In this way, the surface and the back of the tablet are printed.

[Prior Technical Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] JP 2017-200495 A

However, in Patent Document 1, both the upstream conveying section (3) and the downstream conveying section (4) are provided with a printing section and an imaging section attached to the printing section. That is, in Patent Document 1, a processing section for printing and photographing one side of the tablet and a processing section for printing and photographing the other side of the tablet are respectively provided. Therefore, in the structure of Patent Document 1, the number of parts of the printing device increases, and it is difficult to miniaturize the printing device.

In order to use one printing unit to print on the front and back sides of the tablet, it is considered that one side conveys the tablet along a circular conveying path, and the front and back of the tablet are reversed at a certain position on the conveying path. Print the lozenges at other positions on the conveying path. However, in the tablet printing device, a large number of tablets are simultaneously conveyed. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent unintended contact between the lozenges or the lozenges and the reversing mechanism in the vicinity of the reversing mechanism for reversing the lozenges.

The present invention was completed in view of such a situation, and its object is to provide a granular material conveying device that has a reversing mechanism that reverses the front and back of the granular material conveyed by the conveying mechanism, and can suppress Unnecessary contact with other granular materials conveyed by the conveying mechanism and the reversing mechanism.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the granular material conveying device of the first invention of the application of the present invention includes: a conveying mechanism that holds and conveys a plurality of granular substances arranged in the width direction; and a reversing mechanism. The reversal position on the conveying path of the aforementioned conveying mechanism reverses the front and back of the granular material and moves the position of the granular material in the width direction; and the aforementioned reversing mechanism has: a first inclined drum, which has A conical or pyramid-shaped first side surface centered on the first axis that is inclined with respect to the width direction; and a second inclined drum adjacent to the first inclined drum in the width direction, and has opposite A conical or pyramid-shaped second side surface centered on the second axis inclined in the width direction; and the first side surface has: a first convex portion protruding toward the outside; and a first suction hole provided in the first 1 convex portion; the second side surface has: a second convex portion that protrudes outward; and a second suction hole provided in the second convex portion; the first inclined drum will be in the width direction of the conveying mechanism The granular material conveyed at the first position is adsorbed and held by the first suction hole, and rotates around the first axis, and the granular material is transferred to the second suction hole, and the second inclined drum will The particulate matter delivered from the first adsorption hole is adsorbed and held by the second adsorption hole, and rotates around the second axis to deliver the particulate matter to the second position in the width direction of the conveying mechanism.

The second invention of the application of the present invention is the granular material conveying device of the above invention, wherein the first convex portion is a circular ring centered on the first shaft, and the second convex portion is based on the second The shaft is a circular ring with the center.

The third invention of the application of the present invention is the granular material conveying device of the above-mentioned invention, wherein When the dimension in the width direction of the granular material conveyed by the conveying mechanism is set to D, the interval in the width direction of the plurality of granular materials conveyed by the conveying mechanism is set to P, and the first convex When the width of the generatrix direction of the first side surface of the portion and the width of the generatrix direction of the second side surface of the second convex portion are set to A, the relationship of P>A/2+D/2 is satisfied.

The fourth invention of the present application is the granular material conveying device of the aforementioned invention, wherein the reversing mechanism is located closer to the downstream side of the conveying path than the first inclined drum and the second inclined drum , Has a third inclined drum and a fourth inclined drum, the third inclined drum and the fourth inclined drum have the same structure as the first inclined drum and the second inclined drum, through the third By the inclined drum and the fourth inclined drum, the granular material conveyed at the third position in the width direction of the conveying mechanism moves to the fourth position in the width direction.

The fifth invention of the application of the present invention is the granular material conveying device of the above invention, wherein the first inclined drum is located closer to the downstream side in the rotation direction than the position opposed to the second inclined drum, It has a non-rotating first block member close to the first side surface, and the second inclined drum has a position closer to the second side surface on the downstream side in the rotation direction than the position opposed to the conveying mechanism. Non-rotating second block member.

The sixth invention of the present application is the granular material conveying device of the above-mentioned invention, wherein the first block member has a granular material that rotates with the first suction hole toward the first inclined drum The first inclined surface that flicks down on the outer peripheral side; the second block member has a second inclined surface that flicks the granular material rotating together with the second suction hole toward the outer peripheral side of the second inclined drum.

The seventh invention of the application of the present invention is the granular material conveying device of the above invention, wherein the reversing mechanism further has: an adjustment mechanism located below the first inclined drum and the second inclined drum, Adjusting the distance between the first inclined drum and the second inclined drum in the width direction; and the cover, which is located between the first inclined drum and the second inclined drum, and the adjustment mechanism.

The eighth invention of the present application is the granular material conveying device of the aforementioned invention, wherein the cover has: a first cover whose relative position with respect to the first inclined drum is fixed; and a second cover The relative position with respect to the second inclined drum is fixed; and by the adjustment mechanism, the first cover and the second cover overlap each other and move relatively in the width direction.

The ninth invention of the present application is the granular material conveying device of the aforementioned invention, wherein the conveying mechanism is located closer to the downstream side of the conveying path than the position opposed to the first inclined drum, and has detection Sensor for granular matter.

The tenth invention of the present application is the granular material conveying device of the above-mentioned invention, and further includes a control unit that stops the conveying mechanism based on the detection signal of the sensor.

The eleventh invention of the present application is the granular material conveying device of the above invention, wherein the granular material is a tablet.

The twelfth invention of the application of the present invention is a granular material processing apparatus equipped with the granular material conveying device of the above-mentioned invention. The part is located at the processing position on the aforementioned conveying path to perform specific processing on the surface of the granular material.

The thirteenth invention of the present application is the granular material processing apparatus of the aforementioned invention, wherein the processing section includes a printing section that prints on the surface of the granular material by an inkjet method.

The fourteenth invention of the application of the present invention is the granular material processing apparatus of the above-mentioned invention, wherein the processing unit includes a camera that photographs the surface of the granular material.

According to the first invention to the fourteenth invention of the application of the present invention, the first convex portion protruding outward in the first side surface of the first inclined drum is provided with the first suction hole. In addition, a second suction hole is provided on the second convex portion protruding outward in the second side surface of the second inclined drum. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the granular objects transported at positions other than the first position and the second position in the width direction among the plurality of granular objects transported by the transport mechanism, and the first side surface and the second side of the first inclined drum. 2The second side contact of the inclined drum.

In particular, according to the fifth invention of the application of the present invention, when the transfer of the granular material from the first inclined drum to the second inclined drum fails, the granular material remaining in the first suction hole is transferred to the first block member. brush drop. In addition, when the delivery of the particulate matter from the second inclined drum to the conveying mechanism fails, the particulate matter remaining in the second suction hole is flicked off by the second block member. In this way, it is possible to prevent the granular material that fails to be transferred from contacting the subsequent granular material.

In particular, according to the sixth invention of the application of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the granular materials flicked off by the first block member from coming into contact with the granular materials held subsequent to the first inclined drum. In addition, it is possible to prevent the granular material flicked off by the second block member from coming into contact with the granular material held by the second inclined drum.

In particular, according to the seventh invention of the application of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the particulate matter flicked off by the first block member or the second block member from being mixed into the adjustment mechanism.

In particular, according to the ninth invention of the present application, when the transfer of the granular material from the conveying mechanism to the first inclined drum fails, the sensor can detect the granular material remaining in the conveying mechanism.

In particular, according to the twelfth invention of the present application, the two surfaces of the granular material can be specifically processed at the same processing position on the conveying path. Thereby, the number of parts of the device can be reduced, and the device can be miniaturized.

1: Tablet printing device

9: lozenge

10: Move into the institution

11: Feeder

12: Move into the conveyor

13: Move in the drum

20: Ring conveying mechanism (transporting mechanism)

21: Pulley

22: Conveyor belt

23: Conveying motor

24: Attracting agencies

25: Sensor

30: Printing Department

31: head

40: 1st camera

50: 2nd camera

60: Drying mechanism

70: Reversal mechanism

71: 1st tilt drum

71M: 1st motor

72: 2nd tilt drum

72M: 2nd motor

73: 3rd Inclined Drum

73M: 3rd motor

74: 4th Inclined Drum

74M: 4th motor

75: 5th tilt drum

75M: 5th motor

76: 6th Inclined Drum

76M: 6th motor

77: adjustment mechanism

78: Hood

79: Recycle Box

80: Move out of the organization

81: move out of the chute

90: Control Department

91: processor

92: memory

93: Memory Department

220: keep noodles

221: adsorption hole

310: Gushing Surface

311: Nozzle

710: side 1

711: The first adsorption hole

712: first convex

714: The first block member

714a: Inclined surface

720: second side

721: 2nd adsorption hole

722: 2nd convex part

724: The second block member

724a: Inclined surface

781: first cover

782: 2nd cover

A: width

A1: Zone 1

A2: Area 2

B1: No. 1 blowing mechanism

B2: The second blowing mechanism

B3: The third blowing mechanism

B4: No. 4 blowing mechanism

C1: 1st axis

C2: 2nd axis

CP: computer program

D: size

P: interval

S1~S11: steps

V: hollow arrow

W1: 1st position

W2: 2nd position

W3: 3rd position

W4: 4th position

W5: 5th position

W6: 6th position

Figure 1 is a side view of the tablet printing device.

Figure 2 is a partial perspective view of the ring-shaped conveying mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a view of the ring-shaped conveying mechanism and the reversing mechanism viewed from the direction of the hollow arrow V in Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is the bottom view of the head.

Figure 5 is a top view of the reversal mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the connection between the control unit and each part.

Figure 7 is a flow chart showing the flow of the printing process.

Figure 8 is a side view of the first inclined drum and the second inclined drum.

Figure 9 is a side view of the first inclined drum, the second inclined drum, and the mechanism supporting the drums.

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the following description, the direction in which the plural tablets are transported is referred to as the "transport direction", and the direction perpendicular to the transport direction and along the holding surface of the transport mechanism is referred to as the "width direction".

<1. The overall structure of the tablet printing device>

Fig. 1 is a side view of a tablet printing apparatus 1 as an example of the granular material processing apparatus of the present invention. The tablet printing device 1 is a device that conveys a plurality of tablets 9, which are granular materials, on one side, and prints images of product names, product codes, company names, logo marks, etc., on the front and back sides of each tablet 9 on the other. The tablet 9 can be an uncoated tablet (bare tablet), or a coated tablet such as a sugar-coated tablet or a film-coated tablet (FC tablet). In addition, the tablet 9 may also be a capsule containing a hard capsule and a soft capsule. In addition, the "granular substance" of the present invention is not limited to tablets used as medicines, and can also be tablets used as health foods or tablet-shaped candies such as Ramune.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tablet printing device 1 of this embodiment includes: a loading mechanism 10, a ring The shape conveying mechanism 20 (transporting mechanism), the printing unit 30, the first camera 40, the second camera 50, the drying mechanism 60, the reversing mechanism 70, the unloading mechanism 80, and the control unit 90. In this embodiment, the granular material conveying device includes a ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20 and a reversing mechanism 70.

The carrying-in mechanism 10 is a mechanism for carrying a plurality of tablets 9 put in the tablet printing device 1 into the ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20. The carry-in mechanism 10 of this embodiment has a feeder 11, a carry-in conveyor 12, and a carry-in drum 13. The plural tablets 9 put in the tablet printing device 1 are supplied to the carry-in conveyor 12 via the feeder 11. At this time, the plurality of tablets 9 are aligned in three rows arranged in the width direction. In addition, the lozenges 9 transported by the transport conveyor 12 are held by a plurality of suction holes provided in the transport drum 13 each. Thereby, a plurality of tablets 9 in each row are aligned at equal intervals in the conveying direction. Each lozenge 9 held by the loading drum 13 is conveyed in an arc shape by the rotation of the loading drum 13 and transferred to the ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20.

The ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20 is a mechanism for holding a plurality of lozenges 9 and conveying them along a ring-shaped conveying path. The endless transport mechanism 20 has a pair of pulleys 21 and an endless transport belt 22 spanned between the pair of pulleys 21. One of the pair of pulleys 21 is rotated by the power obtained from the conveying motor 23. Thereby, the conveying belt 22 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1. At this time, the other of the pair of pulleys 21 rotates in accordance with the rotation of the conveyor belt 22.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of suction holes 221 are provided on the holding surface 220 that is the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 22. The plurality of suction holes 221 are arranged at equal intervals in the conveying direction and the width direction. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, the endless conveying mechanism 20 has a suction mechanism 24 that sucks gas from the space inside the conveying belt 22. If the suction mechanism 24 is operated, Then, the space inside the conveying belt 22 becomes a larger and lower negative pressure. The plurality of tablets 9 are held in the adsorption hole 221 by the negative pressure adsorption.

In this way, a plurality of tablets 9 are held on the surface of the conveying belt 22 in a state aligned in the conveying direction and the width direction. Then, the ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20 rotates the conveying belt 22 to convey the plurality of tablets 9 along the ring-shaped conveying path. Below the four heads 31 described later, a plurality of tablets 9 are transported in the horizontal direction.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the endless conveying mechanism 20 has three first blowing mechanisms B1, and one second blowing mechanism B2. The three first blowing mechanisms B1 are provided inside the conveying belt 22 and A position facing each of the first inclined drum 71, the third inclined drum 73, and the fifth inclined drum 75 to be described later across the conveyor belt 22. The three first blowing mechanisms B1 only blow toward the suction holes 221 facing the first inclined drum 71, the third inclined drum 73, and the fifth inclined drum 75 among the plurality of suction holes 221 of the conveyor belt 22 gas. If so, the adsorption hole 221 forms a relatively high positive pressure. Thereby, the suction of the tablet 9 at the suction hole 221 is released, and the tablet 9 is transferred from the conveying belt 22 to the first inclined drum 71, the third inclined drum 73, and the fifth inclined drum 75.

The second air blowing mechanism B2 is provided inside the conveying belt 22 at a position facing the carrying out chute 81 described later with the conveying belt 22 interposed therebetween. The second blowing mechanism B2 blows gas only to the suction holes 221 facing the carrying out chute 81 among the plurality of suction holes 221 of the conveying belt 22. If so, the adsorption hole 221 forms a relatively high positive pressure. Thereby, the adsorption of the tablet 9 at the adsorption hole 221 is released, and the tablet 9 falls from the conveying belt 22 toward the carrying out chute 81.

FIG. 3 is a view of the annular conveying mechanism 20 and the reversing mechanism 70 viewed from the direction of the hollow arrow V in FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holding surface 220 of the conveyor belt 22 of this embodiment has: a first area A1 that holds the lozenge 9 before the reversal performed by the reversing mechanism 70; and a second area A2 , It remains the lozenge 9 after the reversal. The first area A1 and the second area A2 are adjacent to each other in the width direction. In this embodiment, in the first area A1 and the second area A2, a plurality of suction holes 221 are provided in three rows each in the width direction. The tablet 9 carried in by the carrying mechanism 10 described above is adsorbed and held in the suction hole 221 of the first area A1. In addition, the plurality of tablets 9 printed on both sides are transferred to the carrying-out mechanism 80 from the suction hole 221 of the second area A2.

The printing section 30 is a processing section for printing the surface of the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveying belt 22 by an inkjet method. As shown in Fig. 1, the printing unit 30 of this embodiment has four heads 31. The four heads 31 are located above the conveyor belt 22 and are arranged in a row along the conveying direction of the tablet 9. Each head 31 straddles both the first area A1 and the second area A2 of the conveyor belt 22 and extends in the width direction. The four heads 31 eject ink droplets of different colors (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) toward the surface of the tablet 9. If so, a multi-color image is recorded on the surface of the tablet 9 by using the superposition of the monochromatic images formed by the respective colors. Furthermore, the ink ejected from each head 31 uses an edible ink made from raw materials approved by the Japanese Pharmacopoeia, Food Sanitation Law, etc.

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of a head 31. In FIG. 4, the conveyor belt 22 and the plurality of tablets 9 held on the conveyor belt 22 are represented by a two-dot chain line. As shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 4, a plurality of nozzles 311 capable of ejecting ink droplets are provided on the ejection surface 310, which is the lower surface of the head 31. In this embodiment, on the lower surface of the head 31, a plurality of nozzles 311 are arranged two-dimensionally in the conveying direction and the width direction. The nozzles 311 are arranged in a shifted position in the width direction. In this way, if the plural numbers are arranged two-dimensionally With two nozzles 311, the positions of the nozzles 311 in the width direction can be close to each other. However, a plurality of nozzles 311 may also be arranged in a row along the width direction.

In the ejection method of ink droplets from the nozzle 311, for example, a so-called piezoelectric method in which the ink in the nozzle 311 is pressurized and ejected by applying a voltage to a piezoelectric element (Piezo element) to deform it is used. However, the ejection method of ink droplets can also be a so-called thermal method in which the ink in the nozzle 311 is heated and expanded by energizing the heater.

The first camera 40 is a processing part for photographing the surface of the tablet 9 before printing. The first camera 40 is located closer to the downstream side of the conveying path than the loading drum 13 and closer to the upstream side of the conveying path than the four heads 31. In addition, the first camera 40 straddles both the first area A1 and the second area A2, and extends in the width direction. For the first camera 40, for example, a linear sensor in which imaging elements such as CCD or CMOS are arranged in the width direction is used. The first camera 40 photographs a plurality of tablets 9 conveyed by the conveying belt 22. The image obtained by shooting is sent from the first camera 40 to the control unit 90 described later. Based on the image obtained from the first camera 40, the control unit 90 detects the presence or absence of the tablet 9 at each suction hole 221, the position of the tablet 9, and the posture of the tablet 9. In addition, the control unit 90 checks whether there are defects such as defects in each tablet 9 based on the image obtained from the first camera 40.

The second camera 50 is a processing part for photographing the surface of the tablet 9 after printing. The second camera 50 is located closer to the downstream side of the conveying path than the four heads 31 and closer to the upstream side of the conveying path than the drying mechanism 60. In addition, the second camera 50 straddles both the first area A1 and the second area A2, and extends in the width direction. For the second camera 50, for example, a linear sensor in which imaging elements such as CCD or CMOS are arranged in the width direction is used. The second camera 50 photographs the plural tablets 9 conveyed by the conveying belt 22. The image obtained by shooting is sent from the second camera 50 to the control unit 90 described later. The control unit 90 checks the quality of the image printed on the surface of the tablet 9 based on the image obtained from the second camera 50.

The drying mechanism 60 is a mechanism for drying the ink attached to the surface of the tablet 9. The drying mechanism 60 is located closer to the downstream side of the conveying path than the second camera 50 and closer to the upstream side of the conveying path than the reversing mechanism 70 and the carry-out chute 81 described later. In addition, the drying mechanism 60 straddles both the first area A1 and the second area A2, and extends in the width direction. As the drying mechanism 60, for example, a hot air supply mechanism that blows heated gas (hot air) toward the lozenge 9 conveyed by the conveying belt 22 is used. The ink attached to the surface of the tablet 9 is fixed on the surface of the tablet 9 by hot air drying.

In this way, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has four processing units: a printing unit 30, a first camera 40, a second camera 50, and a drying mechanism 60. Each processing unit at each processing position on the conveying path performs various processing of printing, photographing, and drying on the surface of the tablet 9.

The reversing mechanism 70 is a mechanism that reverses the front and back of the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 22 and moves the tablet 9 from the first area A1 to the second area A2. The reversing mechanism 70 is located closer to the downstream side of the conveying path than the drying mechanism 60 and the unloading chute 81 described later, and closer to the upstream side of the conveying path than the loading drum 13.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the reversing mechanism 70. FIG. In FIG. 5, the conveying trajectory of the tablet 9 is indicated by a broken arrow. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, the reversing mechanism 70 of this embodiment has: a first inclined drum 71, a second inclined drum 72, a third inclined drum 73, and a fourth inclined drum 74. The fifth inclined drum 75 and the sixth inclined drum 76.

The first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction. The third inclined drum 73 and the fourth inclined drum 74 are located closer to the downstream side of the conveying path than the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 and are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction. The fifth inclined drum 75 and the sixth inclined drum 76 are located closer to the downstream side of the conveying path than the third inclined drum 73 and the fourth inclined drum 74 and are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction. Hereinafter, the positions where the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 are installed on the conveying path of the endless conveying mechanism 20 are respectively referred to as the "first reversal position", and the third inclined drum 73 and the second inclined drum 73 are installed. 4 The position of the inclined drum 74 is referred to as the "second reverse position", and the position where the fifth inclined drum 75 and the sixth inclined drum 76 are provided is referred to as the "third reverse position".

The first inclined drum 71 has a conical first side surface 710 centered on the first axis C1 inclined with respect to the width direction. A part of the first side surface 710 around the first axis C1 is opposed to the first area A1 of the conveyor belt 22 with a very small gap. In addition, the first tilt drum 71 is fixed to the output shaft of the first motor 71M. When the first motor 71M is driven, the first inclined drum 71 rotates around the first axis C1.

The second inclined drum 72 has a conical second side surface 720 centered on the second axis C2 inclined with respect to the width direction. The first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction so that their tops face each other. A part of the second side surface 720 around the second axis C2 is opposed to the second area A2 of the conveyor belt 22 with a very small gap. In addition, the other part of the second side surface 720 around the second axis C2 is opposed to the first side surface 710 with a very small gap. In addition, the second inclined drum 72 is fixed to the output shaft of the second motor 72M. When the second motor 72M is driven, the second inclined drum 72 rotates around the second axis C2.

In this embodiment, the apex angle of the first inclined drum 71 and the apex angle of the second inclined drum 72 when viewed in the conveying direction are both 90°. In addition, the inclination angle of the first axis C1 with respect to the holding surface 220 is 45°. The inclination angle of the second axis C2 with respect to the holding surface 220 is 45°. Therefore, the first side surface 710 and the second side surface 720 face each other at a position of 90° with respect to the holding surface 220. In this way, if the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 have the same shape and the same size, the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 can be shared as parts. Thereby, the manufacturing cost of the tablet printing device 1 can be reduced.

On the first side surface 710, a plurality of first suction holes 711 are provided. In the present embodiment, a plurality of first suction holes 711 are provided in an annular shape at equal angular intervals around the first axis C1. Similarly, a plurality of second suction holes 721 are provided on the second side surface 720. In this embodiment, a plurality of second suction holes 721 are provided in an annular shape at equal angular intervals with the second axis C2 as the center.

The pressure in the internal space of the first inclined drum 71 is maintained at a relatively large and low negative pressure by a suction mechanism (not shown). The first inclined drum 71 holds one tablet 9 in each of the plurality of first suction holes 711 by the negative pressure. Similarly, the pressure in the internal space of the second inclined drum 72 is also maintained at a relatively large and low negative pressure by a suction mechanism (not shown). The second inclined drum 72 holds one tablet 9 in each of the plurality of second suction holes 721 by the negative pressure.

Moreover, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 3, the 3rd blowing mechanism B3 is provided in the inside of the 1st inclined drum 71. As shown in FIG. The third blowing mechanism B3 blows gas only to the first suction holes 711 facing the second inclined drum 72 among the plurality of first suction holes 711 of the first inclined drum 71. If yes, the first adsorption hole 711 is shaped It becomes a higher positive pressure with larger air pressure. Thereby, the suction of the tablet 9 at the first suction hole 711 is released, and the tablet 9 is transferred from the first suction hole 711 of the first inclined drum 71 to the second suction hole 721 of the second inclined drum 72 .

In addition, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 3, a fourth blowing mechanism B4 is provided inside the second inclined drum 72. The fourth air blowing mechanism B4 blows air only to the second suction holes 721 facing the second area A2 of the conveyor belt 22 among the plurality of second suction holes 721 of the second inclined drum 72. If so, the second adsorption hole 721 forms a relatively high positive pressure. Thereby, the adsorption of the tablet 9 at the second adsorption hole 721 is released, and the tablet 9 is transferred from the second adsorption hole 721 of the second inclined drum 72 to the adsorption hole 221 of the second area A2 of the conveyor belt 22 .

The adsorption force of the plurality of second adsorption holes 721 of the second inclined drum 72 may be slightly larger than the adsorption force of the plurality of first adsorption holes 711 of the first inclined drum 71. Thereby, when the tablet 9 is transferred from the first suction hole 711 of the first inclined drum 71 to the second suction hole 721 of the second inclined drum 72, the tablet 9 is unlikely to fall off. However, the suction force of the plurality of first suction holes 711 of the first inclined drum 71 and the suction power of the plurality of second suction holes 721 of the second inclined drum 72 may be the same.

The third inclined drum 73 and the fourth inclined drum 74 have the same structure as the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72, and are similar to the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72. Neighborhood configuration. However, the third inclined drum 73 and the fourth inclined drum 74 are arranged at a second transfer position closer to the downstream side of the conveying path than the first transfer position where the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 are arranged. position. In addition, the third inclined drum 73 and the fourth inclined drum 74 are arranged at an interval that is offset from the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 in the width direction by one interval of the arrangement interval of the tablet 9 in the width direction. 的的位置。 The location. The third inclined drum 73 is fixed to the output shaft of the third motor 73M. The fourth tilt drum 74 is fixed to the output shaft of the fourth motor 74M.

The fifth inclined drum 75 and the sixth inclined drum 76 also have the same structure as the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72, and are similar to the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72. Arrange adjacently. However, the fifth inclined drum 75 and the sixth inclined drum 76 are arranged at a third transfer position closer to the downstream side of the conveying path than the second transfer position where the third inclined drum 73 and the fourth inclined drum 74 are arranged. . In addition, the fifth inclined drum 75 and the sixth inclined drum 76 are arranged at an interval that is offset from the third inclined drum 73 and the fourth inclined drum 74 in the width direction by one interval of the arrangement interval of the tablet 9 in the width direction.的的位置。 The location. The fifth tilt drum 75 is fixed to the output shaft of the fifth motor 75M. The sixth inclined drum 76 is fixed to the output shaft of the sixth motor 76M.

As shown in FIG. 5, the tablet 9 held in the suction hole 221 at the first position W1 in the width direction of the conveying belt 22 and conveyed to the first reversal position is transferred to the first inclined drum 71. The first inclined drum 71 rotates the tablet 9 received from the conveyor belt 22 while sucking and holding the first suction hole 711 of the first side surface 710, and transfers it to the second inclined drum 72. After that, the second inclined drum 72 rotates while sucking and holding the tablet 9 received from the first inclined drum 71 on the second suction hole 721 of the second side surface 720, and moves toward the second suction hole 721 in the width direction of the conveying belt 22. The suction hole 221 at the position W2 is handed over. Thereby, the position of the tablet 9 in the width direction moves from the first position W1 of the first area A1 to the second position W2 of the second area A2, and the front and back of the tablet 9 are reversed.

Similarly, the third position W3 of the third inclined drum 73 and the fourth inclined drum 74 belonging to the first area A1 move toward the fourth position W4 belonging to the second area A2 to move the position of the tablet 9 in the width direction. And Reverse the front and back of the tablet 9. Also, similarly, the fifth position W5 of the fifth inclined drum 75 and the sixth inclined drum 76 belonging to the first area A1 moves toward the sixth position W6 belonging to the second area A2 to move the tablet 9 in the width direction. , And reverse the front and back of the tablet 9.

The carrying-out mechanism 80 is a mechanism for carrying out a plurality of tablets 9 from the ring-shaped carrying mechanism 20 to the outside of the tablet printing apparatus 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the carry-out mechanism 80 has a carry-out chute 81 and a carry-out conveyor (not shown). The carry-out chute 81 is located closer to the downstream side of the conveying path than the drying mechanism 60 and closer to the upstream side of the conveying path than the reversing mechanism 70. In addition, the unloading chute 81 is opposed to the second area A2 of the conveying belt 22. When the tablet 9 adsorbed to the adsorption hole 221 of the second area A2 reaches the position of the carrying out chute 81, the adsorption of the tablet 9 is released by the second blowing mechanism B2. Thereby, the lozenge 9 falls from the 2nd area A2 of the conveyance belt 22 to the upper surface of a conveyance conveyor via the conveyance chute 81. Then, the dropped lozenge 9 is carried out to the outside of the lozenge printing apparatus 1 by a carry-out conveyor.

The control unit 90 is a mechanism for controlling the actions of each part in the tablet printing apparatus 1. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the connection between the control unit 90 and various parts in the tablet printing device 1. As shown conceptually in FIG. 6, the control unit 90 includes a computer having a processor 91 such as a CPU, a memory 92 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 93 such as a hard disk drive. In the memory portion 93, a computer program CP for executing printing processing is installed.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 90 can interact with the above-mentioned carry-in mechanism 10 (including the feeder 11, the carry-in conveyor 12, and the carry-in drum 13), the ring-shaped transport mechanism 20 (including the transport motor 23, suction The mechanism 24, the first blowing mechanism B1, and the second blowing mechanism B2), the printing section 30 (including the four heads 31), the first camera 40, the second camera 50, the drying mechanism 60, and the reversing mechanism 70 (including the 1 horse Up to 71M to the sixth motor 76M, the third blowing mechanism B3, the fourth blowing mechanism B4, the suction mechanism), and the unloading mechanism 80 are respectively communicably connected. In addition, the control unit 90 is also communicably connected with the sensor 25 described later. The control unit 90 temporarily reads the computer program CP or data stored in the memory unit 93 to the memory 92, and the processor 91 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program CP, thereby controlling the actions of the above-mentioned parts. Thereby, the conveyance process and printing process of a plurality of tablets 9 are performed.

<2. Processing flow>

Next, the flow of the printing process using the above-mentioned tablet printing apparatus 1 will be described. Hereinafter, the processing performed on a certain tablet 9 will be sequentially described. However, the tablet printing device 1 processes a plurality of tablets 9 while sequentially transporting them. Therefore, inside the tablet printing device 1, there are a plurality of tablets 9 at the same time.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the printing process of the tablet printing device 1. When the lozenge 9 is put into the lozenge printing apparatus 1, first, the carry-in mechanism 10 transports the lozenge 9 to the ring-shaped transport mechanism 20 (step S1). The loaded tablet 9 is sucked and held by the sucking hole 221 of the first area A1 of the conveying belt 22. Then, along with the rotation of the conveying belt 22, the tablet 9 is conveyed along the endless conveying path.

Hereinafter, the surface of the tablet 9 facing the outside while the tablet 9 is held in the suction hole 221 of the first area A1 is referred to as the "first surface". In addition, the surface of the tablet 9 adsorbed to the adsorption hole 221 while being held in the adsorption hole 221 of the first area A1 is referred to as the "second surface". However, the "side 1" and "side 2" have nothing to do with the original front and back sides of the tablet 9. For example, in the case where the lozenge 9 is a secant ingot with a secant line only on a single surface, among the plurality of lozenges 9 held in the first area A1 Among them, a lozenge 9 with a secant surface as the first side and a lozenge 9 with a non-secant side as the first side can be mixed.

When the tablet 9 reaches below the first camera 40, the first camera 40 photographs the first side of the tablet 9. In this way, the image data of the first side of the tablet 9 is obtained. The acquired image data is sent from the first camera 40 to the control unit 90. In addition, the control unit 90 performs a pre-print inspection of the first side based on the image data received from the first camera 40 (step S2). Specifically, check the presence or absence of the tablet 9 at the adsorption hole 221, the front and back of the tablet 9, the rotation posture of the tablet 9 around the vertical axis, the positional deviation of the tablet 9 relative to the adsorption hole 221, and the tablet 9. Whether there is a shape defect, etc.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches below the printing section 30, the four heads 31 eject ink droplets toward the first surface of the tablet 9. In this way, the first side of the tablet 9 is printed. As a result, an image is printed on the first surface of the tablet 9 (step S3). At this time, the control unit 90 adjusts the image to be printed on each tablet 9 based on the inspection result of step S2 described above. For example, from the image for the surface and the image for the back, an appropriate image is selected according to the front and back of each tablet 9 and the selected image is rotated corresponding to the rotation posture of each tablet 9. Then, based on the adjusted image, a printing signal is input to the head 31. As a result, an appropriate image is printed in an appropriate posture on the first side of each tablet 9.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches below the second camera 50, the second camera 50 photographs the first side of the tablet 9. In this way, the image data of the first side of the tablet 9 is obtained. The acquired image data is sent from the second camera 50 to the control unit 90. In addition, the control unit 90 performs a post-print inspection of the first side based on the image data received from the second camera 50 (step S4). Specifically, the control unit 90 determines the printing by comparing the image data received from the second camera 50 with the data of the normal image prepared in advance, for example. Whether the image on the first side of each tablet 9 is normal.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches the position of the drying mechanism 60, the drying mechanism 60 blows the hot air toward the first surface of the tablet 9. Thereby, the ink attached to the first surface of the tablet 9 is dried, and the ink is fixed on the first surface (step S5).

After that, when the tablet 9 reaches the first to the third inversion position, the inversion mechanism 70 moves the position in the width direction of the tablet 9 and inverts the front and back sides of the tablet 9 (step S6) . Specifically, the tablet 9 conveyed at the first position W1 in the width direction is moved to the second position W2 in the width direction by the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72. The tablet 9 conveyed at the third position W3 in the width direction is moved to the fourth position W4 in the width direction by the third inclined drum 73 and the fourth inclined drum 74. The tablet 9 conveyed at the fifth position W5 in the width direction is moved to the sixth position W6 in the width direction by the fifth inclined drum 75 and the sixth inclined drum 76. Thereby, a plurality of tablets 9 are moved from the suction hole 221 of the first area A1 of the ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20 to the suction hole 221 of the second area A2. At this time, the tablet 9 is sucked and held in the sucking hole 221 of the second area A2 in a posture with the second surface facing the outside.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches below the first camera 40, the first camera 40 photographs the second surface of the tablet 9. By this, the image data of the second side of the tablet 9 is obtained. The acquired image data is sent from the first camera 40 to the control unit 90. In addition, the control unit 90 performs a pre-print inspection of the second surface based on the image data received from the first camera 40 (step S7). Specifically, check the presence or absence of the tablet 9 at the adsorption hole 221, the front and back of the tablet 9, the rotation posture of the tablet 9 around the vertical axis, the positional deviation of the tablet 9 relative to the adsorption hole 221, and the tablet 9. Whether there is a shape defect, etc.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches below the printing section 30, the four heads 31 eject ink droplets toward the second surface of the tablet 9. In this way, the second side of the tablet 9 is printed. As a result, an image is printed on the second surface of the tablet 9 (step S8). At this time, the control unit 90 adjusts the image to be printed on each tablet 9 based on the inspection result of step S7 described above. For example, from the image for the surface and the image for the back, an appropriate image is selected according to the front and back of each tablet 9 and the selected image is rotated corresponding to the rotation posture of each tablet 9. Then, based on the adjusted image, a printing signal is input to the head 31. As a result, an appropriate image is printed in an appropriate posture on the second side of each tablet 9.

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches below the second camera 50, the second camera 50 photographs the second surface of the tablet 9. By this, the image data of the second side of the tablet 9 is obtained. The acquired image data is sent from the second camera 50 to the control unit 90. In addition, the control unit 90 performs a post-printing inspection of the second side based on the image data received from the second camera 50 (step S9). Specifically, the control unit 90 determines whether the image printed on the second side of each tablet 9 is normal by comparing the image data received from the second camera 50 with the data of the normal image prepared in advance, for example. .

Next, when the tablet 9 reaches the position of the drying mechanism 60, the drying mechanism 60 blows hot air toward the second surface of the tablet 9. Thereby, the ink adhering to the second surface of the tablet 9 is dried, and the ink is fixed on the second surface (step S10).

After that, when the lozenge 9 reaches the position of the carry-out chute 81, the lozenge 9 falls from the conveying belt 22 to the carry-out conveyor via the carry-out chute 81. Then, the lozenge 9 is carried out to the outside of the lozenge printing apparatus 1 by the carry-out conveyor (step S11).

As described above, the tablet printing apparatus 1 conveys the tablet 9 along a circular conveying path. Furthermore, a reversing mechanism 70 is provided in a part of the conveying path, which reverses the front and back sides of the tablet 9 and moves the position of the tablet 9 in the width direction. Therefore, it is possible to perform photography by the first camera 40, printing by the printing unit 30, photography by the second camera 50, and by the drying mechanism 60 on both sides of the tablet 9 at the same position in the conveying direction. The various drying treatments carried out. Therefore, compared with the case where the processing for the first surface and the processing for the second surface are performed at different positions, the number of parts of the tablet printing device 1 can be reduced. In addition, the tablet printing apparatus 1 can be downsized.

In particular, in this embodiment, a pair of inclined drums is used to realize the reversal of the front and back sides of the tablet 9 and the movement in the width direction. According to this mechanism, it is possible to reverse the front and back sides of the tablet 9 and move in the width direction without changing the position of the conveying direction. Therefore, the length of the conveying direction required by the reversing mechanism 70 can be suppressed. Thereby, the tablet printing apparatus 1 can be further miniaturized.

<3. Composition used to prevent unnecessary contact of tablets>

As described above, the tablet printing device 1 conveys a plurality of tablets 9 in multiple rows in the ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20, while the tablet 9 is in the first reverse position to the third reverse position. The reverse side is reversed and the position of the tablet 9 in the width direction is changed. At this time, it is necessary to prevent unnecessary contact between the tablets 9 or between the tablets 9 and the reversing mechanism 70. Hereinafter, various configurations for preventing unnecessary contact between the lozenges 9 or between the lozenges 9 and the reversing mechanism 70 in the vicinity of the reversing mechanism 70 will be described.

<3-1. The convex part of the inclined drum>

FIG. 8 is a side view of the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72. FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the first side surface 710 of the first inclined drum 71 has a first convex portion 712 protruding outward. In addition, a first suction hole 711 is provided in the first convex portion 712. The first convex portion 712 is provided on only a part of the conical first side surface 710 in the direction of the generatrix. The first convex portion 712 may be one annular protrusion centered on the first axis C1. Alternatively, a plurality of first convex portions 712 may be arranged in an annular shape with the first axis C1 as the center.

Similarly, the second side surface 720 of the second inclined drum 72 has a second convex portion 722 that protrudes outward. In addition, a second suction hole 721 is provided in the second convex portion 722. The second convex portion 722 is provided on only a part of the conical second side surface 720 in the direction of the generatrix. The second convex portion 722 may be one annular protrusion centered on the second axis C2. Alternatively, a plurality of second convex portions 722 may be arranged in an annular shape with the second axis C2 as the center.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first convex portion 712 is close to the holding surface 220 of the conveying belt 22 so as to be able to receive the conveyed lozenge 9 at the first position W1 in the width direction of the annular conveying mechanism 20. In addition, the second convex portion 722 approaches the holding surface 220 of the conveyor belt 22 so that the tablet 9 can be delivered to the second position W2 in the width direction of the ring-shaped conveyor mechanism 20. However, the other parts of the side surfaces of the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 did not protrude. Therefore, the lozenges 9 conveyed in the other positions W3 to W6 in the width direction of the annular conveying mechanism 20 do not contact the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72. Therefore, the lozenges 9 that do not need to be transferred between the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 can pass through the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72.

As shown in Fig. 8, the dimension in the width direction of the lozenge 9 to be conveyed is set to D, the arrangement interval of the plurality of lozenges 9 in the width direction is set to P, and the first side surface of the first convex portion 712 The width of the generatrix direction of 710 and the width of the generatrix direction of the second side surface 720 of the second convex portion 722 are set to A. In this case, the first convex portion 712 and the second convex portion 722 preferably satisfy the dimensional relationship of the following formula (1).

P>A/2+D/2 (1)

If the relationship of the formula (1) is satisfied, it is possible to prevent the lozenges 9 conveyed in adjacent rows in the width direction from contacting the first convex portion 712 or the second convex portion 722. Therefore, the lozenges 9 that do not need to be transferred between the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 can be moved downstream of the conveying path without contacting the first convex portion 712 and the second convex portion 722 Side transport.

The third inclined drum 73, the fourth inclined drum 74, the fifth inclined drum 75, and the sixth inclined drum 76 are also provided with the same convex portions. Thereby, unnecessary contact between the plurality of tablets 9 conveyed by the ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20 and the inclined drums 73 to 76 can be prevented.

<3-2. Block member>

As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5, and FIG. 8, the first inclined drum 71 has a first block member 714. The position of the first block member 714 around the first inclined drum 71 is closer to the downstream side (for example, the 90° downstream side) in the rotation direction than the position opposed to the second inclined drum 72, which is the same as the first The side surface 710 is arranged closely. The first block member 714 is fixed to the non-rotating shaft of the first inclined drum 71 and the housing of the first motor 71M. Therefore, when the first inclined drum 71 rotates, the first block member 714 is also held non-rotating.

When the transfer of the tablet 9 from the first inclined drum 71 to the second inclined drum 72 fails, the tablet 9 rotates further while being adsorbed and held in the first suction hole 711. However, the lozenge 9 comes into contact with the first block member 714 before approaching the holding surface 220 of the ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20 again. Then, the tablet 9 in contact with the first block member 714 detaches from the first suction hole 711 and is swept down below the first inclined drum 71. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the lozenge 9 that failed to be transferred from the first inclined drum 71 to the second inclined drum 72 from approaching the holding surface 220 of the ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20 again and contacting the subsequent lozenge 9.

In particular, the first block member 714 of this embodiment has a cylindrical side surface. The cylindrical side surface includes an inclined surface 714 a inclined with respect to the rotation direction of the first inclined drum 71. The lozenge 9 that failed to be transferred is brought down toward the outer peripheral side of the first inclined drum 71 by contacting the inclined surface 714a of the first block member 714. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the lozenge 9 that has been flicked off by the first block member 714 from contacting the lozenge 9 held by the first inclined drum 71 afterwards.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5, and FIG. 8, the second inclined drum 72 has a second block member 724. The second block member 724 is located nearer to the downstream side (for example, 90° downstream side) in the rotation direction around the second inclined drum 72 than the position opposed to the conveying belt 22, and is close to the second side surface 720地Configuration. The second block member 724 is fixed to the non-rotating shaft of the second inclined drum 72 and the housing of the second motor 72M. Therefore, when the second inclined drum 72 rotates, the second block member 724 is also held non-rotating.

In the case where the transfer of the tablet 9 from the second inclined drum 72 to the annular conveying mechanism 20 fails, The tablet 9 is further rotated while being adsorbed and held in the second adsorption hole 721 unchanged. However, this lozenge 9 comes into contact with the second block member 724 before approaching the first inclined drum 71 again. Then, the lozenge 9 in contact with the second block member 724 detaches from the second suction hole 721, and flicks down below the second inclined drum 72. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the lozenge 9 that failed to be transferred from the second inclined drum 72 to the ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20 from approaching the first inclined drum 71 again and contacting the subsequent lozenge 9.

In particular, the second block member 724 of this embodiment has a cylindrical side surface. The cylindrical side surface includes an inclined surface 724 a inclined with respect to the rotation direction of the second inclined drum 72. The lozenge 9 that failed to be transferred is brought into contact with the inclined surface 724 a of the second block member 724, and is swept down toward the outer peripheral side of the second inclined drum 72. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the lozenge 9 that has been flicked off by the second block member 724 from contacting the lozenge 9 held by the second inclined drum 72 afterwards.

Fig. 9 is a side view of the first inclined drum 71, the second inclined drum 72, and the mechanism supporting the drums. As shown by the broken line in FIG. 9, the reversing mechanism 70 of the present embodiment has an adjustment mechanism 77 for adjusting the gap between the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 in the width direction. The adjustment mechanism 77 is located below the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72. For the adjustment mechanism 77, for example, a mechanism having a ball screw extending in the width direction and a nut that moves in the width direction by the rotation of the ball screw is used. In the case of changing the interval in the width direction of the tablets 9 of the ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20 according to the type of the tablet 9 to be processed, the administrator of the tablet printing apparatus 1 operates the adjustment mechanism 77 to adjust the first inclined drum The distance between the wheel 71 and the second inclined drum 72 in the width direction.

In addition, the reversing mechanism 70 of this embodiment has a cover covering the upper part of the adjustment mechanism 77 78. And recycling box 79. The cover 78 is located between the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 and the adjustment mechanism 77. The recycling box 79 is located below the adjustment mechanism 77. The lozenges 9 that have been dropped by the first block member 714 or the second block member 724 are recovered to the recovery box 79 directly or after contacting the cover 78. Since the upper part of the adjustment mechanism 77 is covered by the cover 78, the lozenge 9 does not intrude into the adjustment mechanism 77. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lozenge 9 from being mixed into the gap between the members in the adjustment mechanism 77.

As shown in FIG. 9, the cover 78 of this embodiment has a first cover 781 and a second cover 782. The first cover 781 is fixed to the first inclined drum 71. The second cover 782 is fixed to the second inclined drum 72. Each of the first cover 781 and the second cover 782 is a mountain-shaped plate extending in the width direction, and partially overlaps each other. When the adjustment mechanism 77 is operated, the first cover 781 and the second cover 782 maintain a state of being partially overlapped with each other, and relatively move in the width direction. Therefore, regardless of the widthwise interval between the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72, the first cover 781 and the second cover 782 constitute a continuous cover 78 with no gap in the width direction as a whole. Therefore, regardless of the interval between the first inclined drum 71 and the second inclined drum 72 in the width direction, the flicked tablet 9 can be prevented from being mixed into the adjustment mechanism 77.

Furthermore, the third inclined drum 73, the fourth inclined drum 74, the fifth inclined drum 75, and the sixth inclined drum 76 are also provided with the first block member 714 and the second block member described above. 724 The same block member. Therefore, the same is true in the inclined drums 73 to 76, and the lozenges 9 that have failed to be transferred can be swept away. As a result, it is possible to prevent the lozenge 9 that has failed the transfer from contacting the subsequent lozenge 9.

In addition, below the third inclined drum 73 and the fourth inclined drum 74, and below the fifth inclined drum 75 and the sixth inclined drum 76, the above-mentioned adjustment mechanism 77, cover 78, And back The collection box 79 has the same adjustment mechanism, cover body, and collection box. Thereby, the widthwise interval between the third inclined drum 73 and the fourth inclined drum 74 and the widthwise interval between the fifth inclined drum 75 and the sixth inclined drum 76 can be adjusted according to the situation. In addition, it is possible to prevent the lozenge 9 that has been dropped by the block member from being mixed into the adjustment mechanism 77, and to collect the lozenge 9 into the recovery box 79.

<3-3. Sensor>

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the ring-shaped conveying mechanism 20 of the present embodiment has a sensor 25 that detects the lozenge 9 that has failed to be transferred to the reversing mechanism 70. The sensor 25 is located closer to the downstream side of the conveying path than the reversing mechanism 70 and closer to the upstream side of the conveying path than the loading drum 13. In addition, the sensor 25 is installed at a position facing the first area A1 of the conveyor belt 22. The sensor 25 detects the conveyed tablet 9 held in the suction hole 221 of the first area A1 of the conveying belt 22 at this position, and sends a detection signal to the control unit 90.

If the transfer of the tablet 9 from the first area A1 of the conveyor belt 22 to the first inclined drum 71, the third inclined drum 73, or the fifth inclined drum 75 fails, the tablet 9 will remain adsorbed and held on the conveyor belt The state of the suction hole 221 of 22 is conveyed toward the downstream side of the conveying path. However, the tablet 9 will be detected by the sensor 25 before it approaches the loading drum 13 again. When the sensor 25 detects the lozenge 9, it sends a detection signal to the control unit 90. When the control unit 90 receives the detection signal from the sensor 25, it stops the conveyance of the tablet 9 by the ring conveying mechanism 20 by stopping the conveying motor 23.

As a result, it is possible to prevent the lozenge 9 that failed to be transferred from the conveyor belt 22 to the first inclined drum 71, the third inclined drum 73, or the fifth inclined drum 75 from approaching the loading drum 13 again, and to the subsequent ingots. Agent 9 contact.

Furthermore, it is also possible to provide a mechanism for flicking the lozenge 9 closer to the downstream side of the conveying path than the sensor 25 and closer to the upstream side of the conveying path than the loading drum 13. In addition, the control unit 90 can operate the mechanism when receiving the detection signal from the sensor 25, so that the lozenge 9 that has failed to be delivered can be wiped off. For the mechanism for blowing off the lozenge 9, for example, the same blowing mechanism as the first blowing mechanism B1 or the second blowing mechanism B2 may be used.

<4. Variations>

Although the main embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, each of the first inclined drum 71 to the sixth inclined drum 76 has a conical side surface. However, the shape of the side surfaces of the first inclined drum 71 to the sixth inclined drum 76 may also be a polygonal pyramid such as a quadrangular pyramid, a hexagonal pyramid, and an octagonal pyramid.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, four heads 31 are provided in the printing section 30. However, the number of heads 31 included in the printing unit 30 may be 1 to 3, or may be 5 or more.

In addition, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment includes a printing unit 30, a first camera 40, a second camera 50, and a drying mechanism 60 as a processing unit for processing the tablet 9 on the conveying path of the ring conveying mechanism 20 . However, the lozenge printing device 1 may only include a part of these processing sections. In addition, the tablet printing apparatus 1 may include other processing units.

Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the tablet 9 is conveyed along the annular conveyance path was demonstrated. However, the granular material conveying device of the present invention may also convey the granular material along a conveying path that is not circular, and at a part of the conveying path, reverse the granular material and make the width direction of the granular material The position of the mover.

In addition, the structure of the fine parts in the device may be different from the drawings in the application of the present invention. In addition, as long as there is no contradiction, the various requirements appearing in the above-mentioned embodiment and modification examples can be appropriately combined.

<5. Inventions from other viewpoints (Part 1)>

Furthermore, if "suppressing the contact between the granular material that failed to be transferred and the subsequent granular material" is set as the first task, the "first convex portion" and the "second convex portion" may not be necessary, instead of Here, an invention that includes the "first block member" and the "second block member" as essential requirements is extracted from the above-mentioned embodiment.

The invention is, for example, "a granular material conveying device, which is provided with: a conveying mechanism which conveys a plurality of granular materials while holding a plurality of granular materials in a state arranged in the width direction; and a reversing mechanism, which is in the aforementioned conveying mechanism The reversal position on the conveying path reverses the front and back of the granular material, and moves the position of the granular material in the width direction; and the aforementioned reversing mechanism has: a first inclined drum, which is provided with respect to the aforementioned A conical or pyramid-shaped first side surface with a first axis inclined in the width direction as the center; and a second inclined drum adjacent to the first inclined drum in the width direction, and having an angle relative to the width direction Cone or angle with the second axis of inclination as the center Cone-shaped second side surface; and the first side surface has a first suction hole, the second side surface has a second suction hole, the first inclined drum will be conveyed at the first position in the width direction of the conveying mechanism The substance is adsorbed and held in the first suction hole, and it rotates around the first axis to transfer the granular substance toward the second suction hole, and the second inclined drum will transfer the granular substance from the first suction hole. The object is sucked and held in the second suction hole, and it rotates around the second axis, and the granular object is transferred to the second position in the width direction of the conveying mechanism. The first inclined drum is in comparison with the first 2 The position facing the inclined drum is closer to the downstream side of the rotation direction, and has a non-rotating first block member close to the first side surface, and the second inclined drum is opposite to the conveying mechanism The position is closer to the downstream side in the rotation direction, and there is a non-rotating second block member close to the second side surface. ".

According to this invention, when the transfer of the particulate matter from the first inclined drum to the second inclined drum fails, the particulate matter remaining in the first suction hole is flicked off by the first block member. In addition, when the delivery of the particulate matter from the second inclined drum to the conveying mechanism fails, the particulate matter remaining in the second suction hole is flicked off by the second block member. In this way, it is possible to prevent the granular material that fails to be transferred from contacting the subsequent granular material. In addition, in this invention, various elements appearing in the above-mentioned embodiments or modified examples may be combined.

<6. Inventions from other viewpoints (Part 2)>

In addition, if the "detection of failed granular materials" is set as the first task, the "first convex portion" and the "second convex portion" do not need to be required as essential elements, instead of this, it is extracted from the above-mentioned embodiment The invention of "sensor" as a must.

The invention is, for example, "a granular material conveying device, which is provided with: a conveying mechanism, which A plurality of granular objects are conveyed while being held in a state arranged in the width direction; and a reversing mechanism, which reverses the front and back sides of the granular objects at the reversal position on the conveying path of the aforementioned conveying mechanism, and Move the position of the granular material in the width direction; and the aforementioned reversing mechanism has: a first inclined drum having a cone-shaped or pyramid-shaped first side surface centered on a first axis inclined with respect to the aforementioned width direction; And a second inclined drum, which is adjacent to the first inclined drum in the width direction and has a conical or pyramidal second side surface centered on a second axis inclined with respect to the width direction; and The first side surface has a first suction hole, the second side surface has a second suction hole, and the first inclined drum sucks and holds the granular material conveyed at the first position in the width direction of the conveying mechanism in the first suction The first axis rotates around the first axis, and the granular material is transferred to the second adsorption hole. The second inclined drum adsorbs and holds the granular material transferred from the first adsorption hole in the second adsorption The second axis rotates around the second axis, and the granular material is delivered to the second position in the width direction of the conveying mechanism. The conveying mechanism is closer to conveying than the position opposite to the first inclined drum. The downstream side of the direction has a sensor for detecting granular materials. ".

According to this invention, when the transfer of the granular material from the conveying mechanism to the first inclined drum fails, the granular material remaining in the conveying mechanism can be detected by the sensor. In addition, in this invention, various elements appearing in the above-mentioned embodiments or modified examples may be combined.

9: lozenge

20: Ring conveying mechanism

22: Conveyor belt

71: 1st tilt drum

72: 2nd tilt drum

220: keep noodles

710: side 1

711: The first adsorption hole

712: first convex

714: The first block member

714a: Inclined surface

720: second side

721: 2nd adsorption hole

722: 2nd convex part

A: width

C1: 1st axis

C2: 2nd axis

D: size

P: interval

W1: 1st position

W2: 2nd position

W3: 3rd position

W4: 4th position

W5: 5th position

W6: 6th position

Claims (14)

A granular material conveying device, comprising: a conveying mechanism which holds and conveys a plurality of granular materials arranged in the width direction; and a reversing mechanism which is in the reverse position on the conveying path of the aforementioned conveying mechanism , Reversing the front and back of the granular material, and moving the position of the granular material in the width direction; and the reversing mechanism has: a first inclined drum with a first axis inclined with respect to the width direction A cone-shaped or pyramid-shaped first side surface at the center; and a second inclined drum adjacent to the first inclined drum in the width direction and having a second axis inclined with respect to the width direction as the center The second side surface is conical or pyramid-shaped; and the first side surface has: a first convex portion that protrudes toward the outside; and a first suction hole provided on the first convex portion; and the second side surface has: The second convex part protrudes outward; and the second suction hole is provided in the second convex part; and the first inclined drum will be conveyed at the first position in the width direction of the conveying mechanism. The material is adsorbed and held in the first adsorption hole, and it rotates around the first axis to transfer the granular material to the second adsorption hole; the second inclined drum will transfer the particles from the first adsorption hole The substance is adsorbed and maintained at the aforementioned The second suction hole rotates around the second axis to deliver the granular material to the second position in the width direction of the conveying mechanism. The granular material conveying device of claim 1, wherein the first convex portion is an annular shape centered on the first axis, and the second convex portion is an annular shape centered on the second axis. The granular material conveying device of claim 1, wherein the dimension in the width direction of the granular material conveyed by the conveying mechanism is set to D, and the width direction of the plurality of granular materials conveyed by the conveying mechanism is set to When the interval is set to P, and the width of the first side surface of the first convex portion in the generatrix direction and the width of the second convex portion in the second side surface of the second convex portion in the generatrix direction are set to A, it satisfies P>A/2+ The relationship of D/2. The granular material conveying device of claim 1, wherein the reversing mechanism has a third inclined drum and a fourth inclined drum on the downstream side of the conveying path than the first inclined drum and the second inclined drum. Inclined drum, the third inclined drum and the fourth inclined drum have the same structure as the first inclined drum and the second inclined drum, with the third inclined drum and the fourth inclined drum Thus, the granular material conveyed at the third position in the width direction of the conveying mechanism moves to the fourth position in the width direction. Such as the granular material conveying device of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The first inclined drum is located closer to the downstream side of the rotation direction of the first inclined drum than the position opposed to the second inclined drum, and has a position close to the first side surface and relative to the first inclined drum The first block member in which the non-rotating shaft of the wheel is fixed, and the second inclined drum is located closer to the downstream side of the rotation direction of the second inclined drum than the position opposed to the conveying mechanism, and has the same A second block member in which the second side surface is close to and fixed with respect to the non-rotating axis of the second inclined drum. The granular material conveying device of claim 5, wherein the first block member has a first inclined surface that flicks the granular material rotating together with the first suction hole toward the outer peripheral side of the first inclined drum, The second block member has a second inclined surface that flicks the granular material rotating together with the second suction hole toward the outer peripheral side of the second inclined drum. Such as the granular material conveying device of claim 5, wherein the reversing mechanism further has: an adjustment mechanism, which is located below the first inclined drum and the second inclined drum, and adjusts the first inclined drum and the first inclined drum 2 The interval in the width direction of the inclined drum; and the cover, which is located between the first inclined drum and the second inclined drum, and the adjustment mechanism. The granular material conveying device of claim 7, wherein the cover has: a first cover whose relative position to the first inclined drum is fixed; and The second cover body has a fixed relative position to the second inclined drum; and by the adjustment mechanism, the first cover body and the second cover body overlap each other and move relatively in the width direction. The granular material conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the conveying mechanism is located closer to the downstream side of the conveying path than the position opposed to the first inclined drum, and has a granular material detecting device. Sensor. The granular material conveying device of claim 9 further includes a control unit that stops the conveying mechanism based on the detection signal of the sensor. The granular material conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the granular material is a lozenge. A granular material processing device, which is provided with the granular material conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the aforementioned conveying mechanism conveys the granular material along a circular conveying path, and further comprising: a processing unit, which is The processing position on the aforementioned conveying path performs specific processing on the surface of the granular material. Such as the granular material processing device of claim 12, wherein the aforementioned processing unit includes: a printing unit that prints the surface of the granular material by inkjet. Such as the granular material processing device of claim 12, wherein the aforementioned processing unit includes a camera that photographs the surface of the granular material.

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