WO2021205807A1

WO2021205807A1 - Alignment conveyance device

Info

Publication number: WO2021205807A1
Application number: PCT/JP2021/009712
Authority: WO
Inventors: 顕次真川; 善久小西; 智一松山; 健一笠井
Original assignee: クオリカプス株式会社
Priority date: 2020-04-07
Filing date: 2021-03-11
Publication date: 2021-10-14
Also published as: JPWO2021205807A1

Abstract

An alignment conveyance device 1 comprises a first conveyance device 10 and a second conveyance device 20 that sequentially adsorbs solid preparations P being conveyed by the first conveyance device 10 from above and conveys the solid preparations P in an aligned state. The second conveyance device 20 is equipped with: an endless belt body 23 that is wound around a first pulley 21 and a second pulley 22 and conveys the solid preparations P; and a guide member 24 that is disposed along the conveyance direction of the belt body 23. The guide member 24 is equipped with a suction unit 25 that sucks the solid preparations P through an opening in the belt body 23 and thereby adsorbs the solid preparations P onto the belt body 23. The suction unit 25 is provided so that the solid preparations P are adsorbed onto the belt body 23 near the lower portion of the first pulley 21 and conveyed in a straight line in the adsorbed state.

Description

Alignment transfer device

The present invention relates to an alignment transfer device, and more particularly to an alignment transfer device that conveys a solid preparation such as a tablet or a capsule in an aligned state.

As a conventional aligned transfer device, the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. As shown in FIG. 13, the alignment transfer device 50 includes a rotating disk 51, a first ring 52, and a second ring 53, each of which is rotationally driven individually in the direction indicated by the arrow. The solid preparation P supplied on the rotating disk 51 receives centrifugal force and moves to the upper part of the peripheral wall of the second ring 53 via the upper part of the peripheral wall of the first ring 52. The solid product P transported by the second ring 53 is adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 54 and transported upward.

Japanese Patent No. 6503525

In the conventional aligned transfer device 50, the solid formulation P conveyed by the suction roller 54 moves in an arc shape along the rotation direction of the suction roller 54. Therefore, for example, the solid formulation P is transferred from both sides of the suction roller 54 in the axial direction. However, it is difficult to perform printing, visual inspection, and the like, and there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of improving the handleability of the solid preparation P to be transported.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an alignment transfer device for aligning and transporting a solid preparation so as to be easy to handle.

The object of the present invention is to provide a rotating ring in which the rotating shaft is arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction and has a conveying portion at the upper portion, and the solid product is aligned with the conveying portion and conveyed in the rotating direction of the rotating ring. The first transport device and the second transport device that sequentially adsorbs the solid products transported by the first transport device from above and transports them in an aligned state are provided, and each of the second transport devices has a rotating shaft. A first pulley and a second pulley arranged horizontally, an endless belt body wound around the first pulley and the second pulley to transport a solid product, and a transport direction of the belt body. The belt body is provided with a guide member arranged along the line, and the opening of the belt body is formed continuously or intermittently along the longitudinal direction, and the guide member allows the solid preparation to be formed through the opening. The suction portion is provided with a suction portion that is attracted to the belt body by suction, and the solid preparation is attracted to the belt body in the vicinity of the lower part of the first pulley and is linearly conveyed in the attracted state. It is achieved by an alignment transfer device provided so as to be.

In this aligned transfer device, the diameter of the second pulley is preferably smaller than the diameter of the first pulley.

Further, it is preferable that the transport speed of the solid product by the second transport device is faster than the transport speed of the solid product by the first transport device.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an alignment transfer device that aligns and conveys a solid preparation so as to be easy to handle.

It is a schematic front view of the alignment transfer apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. It is a main part plan view of the alignment transfer apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic front view of the alignment transfer apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the main part of the alignment transfer apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic front view of the alignment transfer apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a main part plan view of the alignment transfer apparatus shown in FIG. It is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. It is a schematic front view of the alignment transfer apparatus which concerns on still another Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic front view of the alignment transfer apparatus which concerns on still another Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic front view of the alignment transfer apparatus which concerns on still another Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the conventional alignment transfer apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an aligned transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the aligned transfer device 1 includes a first transfer device 10 and a second transfer device 20.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of the aligned transfer device 1 shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first transfer device 10 has the same configuration as the aligned transfer device disclosed in Patent Document 1, and includes a cap-shaped disk 11 and a disk 11. An intermediate ring 12 for accommodating the intermediate ring 12 and a rotating ring 13 for accommodating the intermediate ring 12 are provided.

While the rotating

shafts

11a and 13a of the disk 11 and the rotating ring 13 extend in the vertical direction, the rotating shafts 12a of the intermediate ring 12 are arranged so as to be slightly inclined with respect to the rotating

shafts

11a and 13a. The rotating

shafts

11a, 12a, and 13a are connected to drive sources (not shown) such as motors individually provided via

speed reducers

11b, 12b, and 13b, respectively, and the disk 11, intermediate ring 12, and rotation are rotated. The rings 13 can be rotationally driven independently of each other.

Conveying

portions

12c and 13c are formed on the upper portions of the intermediate ring 12 and the rotating ring 13, respectively, along the circumferential direction. The outer side of the transport portion 13c of the rotating ring 13 in the radial direction is covered with a ring-shaped protrusion 13d.

The second transfer device 20 is wound around the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 in which the rotating

shafts

21a and 22a are horizontally arranged, and the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22. It includes an endless belt body 23 and a guide member 24 arranged along the transport direction of the belt body 23. The diameter of the second pulley 22 is smaller than the diameter of the first pulley 21. The straight portion of the belt body 23 located between the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 becomes horizontal above the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22, and the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 become horizontal. It is inclined below the pulley 22 of the.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first pulley 21 is configured by connecting two

discs

21b and 21c with a rotating shaft 21a in a state where the two

discs

21b and 21c are spaced apart from each other. Like the first pulley 21, the second pulley 22 also includes two disks connected by a rotating shaft 22a at intervals from each other. In the present embodiment, the first pulley 21 is used as a drive pulley connected to a drive motor (not shown), and the second pulley 22 is used as a driven pulley. However, the first pulley 21 is used as a driven pulley and is used as a second pulley. The pulley 22 of the above may be used as a drive pulley.

The belt body 23 includes two belt-

shaped transport belts

23a and 23b, and the

transport belts

23a and 23b are wound around the

disks

21b and 21c of the first pulley 21, respectively. Between the two

transport belts

23a and 23b, an opening 23c formed of a fine gap is formed over the entire circumference of the belt body 23. The

transport belts

23a and 23b can be formed of, for example, a flat belt made of a soft material such as silicon rubber, but a V-belt, a toothed belt, or the like may be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the guide member 24 conveys a straight portion 24a arranged immediately below the vicinity of the belt body 23 extending horizontally between the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 and the straight portion 24a. It is provided with

arc portions

24b and 24c provided on both sides in the direction, respectively. The

arc portions

24b and 24c are inserted between the two discs of the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22, respectively, and are belt bodies wound around the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22. It is formed so as to be curved in an arc shape along 23.

As shown in FIG. 2, the guide member 24 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and a slit-shaped suction portion 25 is formed along the opening 23c at a portion where the guide member 24 faces the opening 23c of the belt body 23. Is formed. The inside of the guide member 24 can be depressurized by the operation of a vacuum pump (not shown), and the solid preparation P is sucked into the suction unit 25 through the opening 23c of the belt body 23, whereby the solid preparation P is sucked. Can be conveyed together with the belt body 23 in a state of being attracted to the belt body 23. The opening 23c of the belt body 23 of the present embodiment is continuously formed between the two

transport belts

23a and 23b along the longitudinal direction. Openings such as circular, elliptical, and slit-shaped may be formed intermittently along the longitudinal direction of the belt.

According to the aligned transfer device 1 having the above configuration, a tablet, a capsule, or the like is placed on the disk 11 in a state where the disk 11, the intermediate ring 12, and the rotary ring 13 of the first transfer device 10 are rotationally driven in the same direction. By supplying a plurality of the solid product P, the solid product P receives centrifugal force and moves to the transport portion 13c of the rotating ring 13 via the transport portion 12c of the intermediate ring 12. In this way, the solid product P can be arranged in a row on the transport unit 13c, and the solid product P can be transported in the rotation direction of the rotating ring 13 (direction indicated by arrow B in FIG. 3). The rotation speeds of the disk 11, the intermediate ring 12, and the rotation ring 13 are preferably set so that the rotation speed of the disk 11 is the slowest and the rotation speed of the rotation ring 13 is the fastest, respectively. It is possible to promote reliable alignment and transportation of the solid preparation P by the above method.

The first transport device 10 may have a configuration in which the solid product P is aligned with the transport portion 13c of the rotary ring 13 and is transported in the rotation direction of the rotary ring 13, for example, the disc 11 without providing the intermediate ring 12. And, each rotation axis of the rotation ring 13 may be inclined with respect to each other, and the solid preparation P supplied on the disk 11 may be directly moved to the transport portion 13c of the rotation ring 13. The rotating shaft 13a of the rotating ring 13 is preferably arranged along the vertical direction as in the present embodiment, but may be arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction. For example, the rotating shaft 13a is slightly inclined with respect to the vertical direction. You may.

The solid product P aligned and conveyed toward the second transfer device 20 by the first transfer device 10 is sequentially attracted to the belt body 23 near the lower portion of the first pulley 21 by the suction of the suction unit 25 and rises. Then, the upper part of the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 is linearly conveyed in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 3 while being attracted. As described above, the solid product P aligned by the first transport device 10 can be linearly transported by the second transport device 20 while maintaining the aligned state, so that the handleability of the solid formulation P to be transported is improved. be able to.

Further, in the present embodiment, by making the diameter of the second pulley 22 smaller than the diameter of the first pulley 21, the belt body 23 located below the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 is formed. Since the first pulley 21 is inclined diagonally upward toward the second pulley 22, interference between the solid formulation P aligned with the transport portion 13c of the rotating ring 13 and the belt body 23 can be easily avoided. Can be done.

At the delivery position of the solid product P from the rotating ring 13 to the belt body 23, it is preferable that the transport direction by the rotating ring 13 and the transport direction by the belt body 23 coincide with each other as in the present embodiment, whereby the solid formulation is delivered. The delivery of P can be performed reliably. Further, by making the transport speed of the solid product P by the belt body 23 faster than the transport speed of the solid product P by the rotating ring 13, the alignment pitch of the solid product P aligned and transported by the belt body 23 can be widened. , The handleability of the solid product P that is linearly transported can be further improved.

The configuration that utilizes the linear transport of the solid product P is not particularly limited, but the aligned transport device 1 of the present embodiment is an visual inspection device that inspects the appearance of the solid product P that is linearly transported by the second transport device 20. It has 30. The visual inspection device 30 includes a sensor 31 that detects the approach of the solid product P transported by the second transport device 20, and

image pickup devices

32 and 33 that image both sides of the solid product P detected by the sensor 31 in the horizontal direction, respectively. By maintaining the state in which the solid product P is adsorbed on the belt body 23 up to the imaging position of the

imaging devices

32 and 33, the side surface inspection of the solid product P can be performed with high accuracy. Alternatively, by arranging a printing device instead of the

imaging devices

32 and 33, printing can be performed on the side surface or the like of the solid preparation P. When printing is performed on the solid formulation P that is conveyed in an arc, the print design is distorted along the arc, so that complicated correction processing is required. On the other hand, in the case of printing using the linear transport of the present embodiment, such a correction process is unnecessary, so that the handleability of the solid formulation P can be improved. The printing method on the side surface or the like is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, by providing the

imaging devices

32 and 33 and arranging the printing devices on both sides of the solid product P in the horizontal direction, printing can be performed on the side surface of the solid product P or the like.

The suction portion 25 is formed from a position where the solid formulation P is attracted to the belt body 23 in the arc portion 24b of the guide member 24 to a necessary portion of the straight portion 24a (for example, a portion where the visual inspection and printing of the solid formulation P are completed). It does not have to be formed in the entire longitudinal direction of the guide member 24. The solid product P after the visual inspection falls from the belt body 23, is discharged from the discharge chute 100 shown in FIG. 1, and is sent to the next step.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the alignment transfer device 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be added with the sandwiching transfer device 40 as a configuration that utilizes the linear transfer of the solid formulation P. The pinching transfer device 40 includes a third pulley 41 and a fourth pulley 42, and a pinching belt 43 that is wound around the third pulley 41 and the fourth pulley 42 to sandwich the solid product P. By driving the third pulley 41 or the fourth pulley 42, the holding belt 43 can be driven in the direction indicated by the arrow. In addition to the sensor 31 and the

imaging devices

32 and 33 shown in FIG. 1, the visual inspection device 30 includes

imaging devices

34 and 35 that image the solid product P sandwiched between the sandwiching belts 43 from both the upper and lower sides, respectively. ..

As shown in the side view in FIG. 5, the holding belt 43 is composed of two

endless belts

43a and 43b, and a gap 44 is formed between the

endless belts

43a and 43b. The third pulley 41 includes a gap adjusting member 45 interposed in the gap 44 of the holding belt 43. The gap adjusting member 45 is composed of a pair of gap up rollers rotatably supported by a bracket (not shown), and is arranged so as to expand the gap 44. The gap adjusting member 45 is also provided in the fourth pulley 42, and the gap 44 of the holding belt 43 becomes large in the vicinity of the third pulley 41 and the fourth pulley 42, and is centered from both sides between them. It gradually narrows toward.

The sandwiching and transporting device 40 having such a configuration sandwiches the solid product P linearly transported by the second transporting device 20 in the gap 44 of the sandwiching belt 43, and transports the solid product P in a state where both the upper and lower surfaces are exposed. Therefore, in addition to the visual inspection of both side surfaces of the solid product P by the

imaging devices

32 and 33, the visual inspection of the front and back surfaces of the solid product P by the

imaging devices

34 and 35 can be performed. The solid product P imaged by the

image pickup devices

34 and 35 falls due to the widening of the gap 44 of the holding belt 43 during transportation, and is discharged from the discharge chute 100. In order to accurately inspect the front and back surfaces of the solid product P, a guide device as disclosed in International Publication No. 2018/100980 is provided between the third pulley 41 and the fourth pulley 42. You may. Further, a printing device may be provided instead of the

imaging devices

34 and 35.

FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of the aligned transfer device according to another embodiment of the present invention. The alignment transfer device 1'shown in FIG. 6 is the alignment transfer device 1 shown in FIG. 1 in which a transfer guide 110 is provided between the first transfer device 10 and the second transfer device 20. The configuration other than 110 is the same as the configuration of the aligned transfer device 1 shown in FIG. Therefore, in the aligned transfer device 1'shown in FIG. 6, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, the delivery guide 110 includes a fixed guide member 111 supported by a bracket (not shown). As shown in the plan view of FIG. 7, the fixed guide member 111 is formed in a hollow disk shape so that the inner peripheral edge thereof is along the transport path 13c of the first transport device 10, and is attracted by the second transport device. It has a notched shape near the position. In FIG. 7, the illustration of the second transport device is omitted, and only the first pulley 21 included in the second transport device is shown by a chain double-dashed line.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cover portion 112 and the inner guide portion 113 are fixed to the notch-shaped portion of the fixed guide member 111. The cover portion 112 is made of a sheet-like member that is not easily bent and deformed, and is interposed between the solid product P that is transported through the transport path 13c of the first transport device 10 and the belt body 23 of the second transport device 20. NS. The inner guide portion 113 is arranged below the cover portion 112, and has a guide surface 113a along the inner peripheral side of the transport path 13c of the first transport device 10.

8 and 9 are enlarged views of the main parts of FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the cover portion 112 extends to the vicinity of the lowermost portion of the belt body 23 included in the second transport device 20, and is a solid product that is transported through the transport path 13c of the first transport device 10. It is arranged so as to cover the upper part of P. According to this configuration, there is no possibility that the solid product P transported through the transport path 13c is adsorbed on the belt body 23 by decompression suction before reaching the lowermost portion of the belt body 23. Therefore, since the solid product P can be reliably adsorbed at the lowermost portion where the belt body 23 is closest to the belt body 23, the ascending distance of the solid product P between the first transport device 10 and the second transport device 20 is suppressed. Then, the solid preparation P can be delivered at an appropriate timing and posture.

As shown in FIG. 9, the inner guide portion 113 extends from the inner peripheral side of the fixed guide member 111 to the suction position of the solid formulation P at the lowermost portion of the belt body 23, and is a transport path of the first transport device 10. The solid product P to which the 13c is conveyed is conveyed to the adsorption position while sliding on the guide surface 113a. The distance S formed between the ring-shaped protrusion 13d covering the radial outer side of the transport path 13c and the guide surface 113a is larger than the lateral length of the solid preparation P having various shapes such as soft capsules and deformed tablets. Is also large, and it is preferable that it is smaller than the longitudinal length of the solid preparation P. According to this configuration, the solid product P can be adsorbed on the second transport device 20 in a state where the postures are aligned so that the longitudinal direction of the solid formulation P is along the transport direction, so that the solid formulation P is transported by the transport device 20. The posture of the solid product P can be stabilized.

The configuration in which the straight portion of the belt body 23 of the second transfer device 20 is inclined below the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, for example. , As shown in FIG. 10, the second pulley 22 may be arranged diagonally upward with respect to the first pulley 21. Alternatively, an additional pulley 121 is further arranged with respect to the second transport device 20 shown in FIG. 10 as shown in FIG. 11, and the straight portion of the belt body 23 is above the additional pulley 121 and the second pulley 22. It can also be configured to be horizontal. A plurality of additional pulleys 121 may be arranged. As another configuration, as shown in FIG. 12, the second pulley 22 is arranged vertically above the first pulley 21, and the second transfer is performed so that the solid product P is linearly conveyed in the vertical direction. The device 20 can also be configured. The first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 may have the same diameter or different diameters from each other.

1 Aligned transport device 10 First transport device 13 Rotating ring 13c Transport unit 20 Second transport device 21 First pulley 22 Second pulley 23 Belt body 23c Opening 24 Guide member 25 Suction unit

Claims

A first transport device provided with a rotary ring having a transport portion on the upper portion in which a rotary shaft is arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction, and a first transport device for aligning a solid product on the transport portion and transporting the solid product in the rotational direction of the rotary ring.
It is provided with a second transport device that sequentially adsorbs the solid product transported by the first transport device from above and transports it in an aligned state.
The second transport device includes a first pulley and a second pulley, an endless belt body wound around the first pulley and the second pulley to transport a solid product, and the belt body. It is equipped with a guide member arranged along the transport direction.
The belt body has openings formed continuously or intermittently along the longitudinal direction.
The guide member includes a suction portion that sucks the solid preparation to the belt body by sucking it through the opening.
The suction unit is an aligned transfer device provided so that the solid preparation is attracted to the belt body in the vicinity of the lower portion of the first pulley, rises, and is linearly conveyed in the attracted state.
The aligned transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the straight portion of the belt body located between the first pulley and the second pulley is inclined below the first pulley and the second pulley.
The diameter of the second pulley is formed to be smaller than the diameter of the first pulley.
The aligned transfer device according to claim 2, wherein the straight portion of the belt body located between the first pulley and the second pulley is horizontal above the first pulley and the second pulley. ..
The aligned transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transport speed of the solid product by the second transport device is faster than the transport speed of the solid product by the first transport device.
The aligned transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an visual inspection device for visually inspecting the solid preparation linearly transported by the second transport device.
The aligned transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a printing device that prints on a solid preparation linearly conveyed by the second transfer device.