Directional restriction mechanism for a capsule
By combining the supply passage, the limiting device, and the discharge passage, and using the pushing component and the attitude change part to achieve capsule orientation restriction, the problems of complex structure and large size in the prior art are solved, and a compact and reliable capsule orientation uniformity is achieved.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- QUALICAPS CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2021-11-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-12
AI Technical Summary
Existing capsule orientation restriction mechanisms are prone to large-scale and complex structures, and there is a need for simplification of processes and construction.
The capsule employs a combination structure of supply passage, limiting device and discharge passage. It uses a pushing component and posture changing part to achieve directional restriction of the capsule. The capsule posture is made consistent by pushing and frictional force changes, including a protrusion and a cap pushing part to ensure uniformity of direction.
It achieves reliable capsule orientation constraint in a compact structure, simplifies the process and construction, and improves the efficiency of capsule orientation uniformity.
Smart Images
Figure CN116601080B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to a capsule orientation limiting mechanism. Background Technology
[0002] In the prior art, when continuously supplying capsules including caps and bodies for filling contents, measuring mass / size, etc., the orientation of the capsules is pre-defined so that the caps of each capsule face the same direction.
[0003] For example, in the dimensional measuring device disclosed in Patent Document 1, capsules supplied in a row from the hopper via a supply chute are sequentially conveyed to a direction-limiting roller by a supply roller. The direction-limiting roller is configured to limit the direction of the capsules received in the pocket, so that the dimensions of the cap and the body can be measured by handing the capsules from the cap side to the subsequent roller, whether the capsules are received from either the cap or the body.
[0004] Existing technical documents
[0005] Patent documents
[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-181001 Summary of the Invention
[0007] The problem that the invention aims to solve
[0008] However, the directional restraint of the capsule by the directional restraint roller requires increasing the diameter of the directional restraint roller to a certain extent, thus leading to the problem of the mechanism becoming too large. As an existing capsule directional restraint mechanism, there is also a "racetrack mode" in which two rods reciprocate in the up-down and left-right directions respectively, but because it is a complex mechanism consisting of two strokes, simplification of the process and structure is desired.
[0009] The purpose of this invention is to provide a capsule orientation limiting mechanism that can reliably limit the orientation of a capsule through a compact structure.
[0010] Technical solutions for solving the problem
[0011] The above-mentioned objective of the present invention is achieved by a capsule orientation limiting mechanism, comprising: a supply passage capable of supplying a capsule with a cap embedded in the body to a predetermined position; a limiting device for limiting the orientation of the capsule supplied to the predetermined position; and a discharge passage capable of discharging the capsule whose orientation has been limited by the limiting device to the outside, the limiting device comprising: a pushing member for pushing the capsule at the predetermined position in the width direction to move the capsule toward the discharge passage; and a slit-shaped attitude changing portion disposed between the predetermined position and the discharge passage for changing the attitude of the capsule, the attitude changing portion being configured such that the cap slides and generates friction as the capsule passes through, thereby causing the body to proceed ahead of the cap, the pushing member comprising: a protrusion for pushing the axial central portion of the capsule; and cap pushing portions disposed on both sides of the protrusion for pushing the cap of the capsule whose attitude has changed due to the attitude changing portion.
[0012] In the capsule's orientation limiting mechanism, it is preferable that the pushing member pushes the capsule obliquely downward relative to the horizontal direction. More preferably, the angle between the horizontal direction and the pushing direction of the pushing member is 30 to 60 degrees.
[0013] The supply passage is preferably configured to introduce the capsule through the upper opening and allow it to move axially, and the discharge passage is preferably configured to allow the capsule to move axially and discharge it through the lower opening. More preferably, the upper opening and the lower opening are arranged on the same vertical line.
[0014] Preferably, the cap-pressing part includes an air jetting part that sprays air into the cap when the cap is pressed.
[0015] Preferably, the supply passage is configured to supply multiple capsules in an arrangement to the designated position, and the limiting device uses the pushing member to simultaneously push the multiple capsules in an arrangement, and uses the posture changing part to change the posture individually, thereby limiting the orientation of each capsule.
[0016] Preferably, the supply passage, the limiting device, and the discharge passage are each arranged in a pair symmetrically on the left and right sides.
[0017] Invention Effects
[0018] The capsule orientation limiting mechanism according to the present invention can reliably limit the orientation of the capsule through a compact structure. Attached Figure Description
[0019] Figure 1 This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the capsule orientation limiting mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Enlarged view of the main part in the direction of arrow A.
[0021] Figure 3 It means Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the main part of an example of the operation process of the capsule's orientation limiting mechanism.
[0022] Figure 4 It means Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the main part of another example of the action process of the capsule's orientation limiting mechanism.
[0023] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the capsule orientation limiting mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] Figure 6 This is an enlarged view of the main part of the capsule's orientation limiting mechanism, which is another embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] Figure 7 This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the capsule orientation limiting mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a capsule orientation limiting mechanism (hereinafter referred to as "orientation limiting mechanism") according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the directional restriction mechanism 1 includes a supply passage 10, a restriction device 20, and a discharge passage 30.
[0027] A supply passage 10 is formed inside the block-shaped main body 2, and a capsule 90 is introduced vertically downward through an upper opening 11 formed at the top of the main body 2. The capsule 90 is, for example, a hard capsule for pharmaceutical use, with a cap 92 externally fitted into the main body 91 axially. The supply passage 10... Figure 1 The shown side view shows a curved central section with a cross-section where the capsule 90 can only pass through axially. The capsules 90, introduced vertically into the supply passage 10 through the upper opening 11, are transported in a row axially and supplied to a predetermined position P in an inclined posture. Near the predetermined position P, a stop 3 is provided to stop the capsules 90 in the supply passage 10 by driving the lever 4. By controlling the reciprocating motion of the stop 3, the capsules 90 can be supplied to the predetermined position P sequentially at predetermined times.
[0028] The limiting device 20 is a device that limits the direction of the capsule 90 supplied to the predetermined position P, and includes a pushing member 40 and a posture changing unit 50. The pushing member 40 has an elongated cross section along the axial direction of the capsule 90 supplied to the predetermined position P, and reciprocates by driving a rod 44 via a drive unit (not shown), pushing the capsule 90 at the predetermined position P in a width direction orthogonal to the axial direction, causing the capsule 90 to move towards the discharge passage 30. The posture changing unit 50 is disposed between the predetermined position P and the discharge passage 30, and changes the posture of the capsule 90 as it passes through the discharge passage 30 pushed out by the pushing member 40.
[0029] The front end of the pressing member 40 has a curved shape in the side view, and a protrusion 41 is formed in the center of the front end. Cap pressing portions 42 and 43 are formed on the upper and lower sides of the protrusion 41. The protrusion 41 presses the axial center of the capsule 90. The cap pressing portions 42 and 43 are parts of the cap 92 of the capsule 90, and are curved to match the surface shape of the cap 92.
[0030] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A magnified view of the main part in the direction of arrow A. (See image below.) Figure 2 As shown, the attitude-changing section 50 is formed into a slit shape by joining a pair of elongated pieces 51 and 52, each with a central groove-shaped cutout, with the cutouts facing each other, using rivets 53 and 54, etc. The width W of the attitude-changing section 50 is set to be approximately the same as the width of the cap 92 of the capsule 90. When the capsule 90 passes through the attitude-changing section 50, the cap 92 slides on the inner wall surface of the attitude-changing section 50. If the capsule 90 is flexible, the width W of the attitude-changing section 50 can be slightly smaller than the width of the cap 92, or the cap 92 can be configured to pass through the attitude-changing section 50 while elastically deforming.
[0031] The discharge passage 30 is formed inside the main body 2, through which the capsule 90, whose direction is restricted by the restraint device 20, is discharged to the outside from the lower opening 31 formed at the bottom of the main body 2. The discharge passage 30 is curved in the center when viewed from the side, having a cross-section that allows the capsule 90 to pass only axially. The capsule 90, having passed through the attitude change section 50, is conveyed axially and discharged vertically downwards from the lower opening 31. The lower opening 31 is positioned on the same vertical line as the upper opening 11 of the supply passage 10.
[0032] In the directional limiting mechanism 1 with the above-described structure, a capsule 90 stored in a hopper (not shown) or the like is axially conveyed through the upper opening 11 to the supply passage 10. For example... Figure 1As shown, the orientation of the capsules 90 through the supply passage 10 is random, with capsules 90 with their caps 92 located on the lower side and capsules 90 with their caps 92 located on the upper side mixed together. The capsules 90 can be empty or filled with contents.
[0033] like Figure 3 As shown in (a), when the capsule 90 is supplied to the designated position P with the cap 92 on the lower side, the capsule 90 is supported in an inclined state along the inlet of the attitude change section 50. By driving the pushing member 40 in the direction of the arrow, the capsule 90 is pressed into the interior of the attitude change section 50 when the protrusion 41 pushes the axial center of the capsule 90 in the width direction.
[0034] When the capsule 90 is pressed in, the attitude-changing part 50 generates a large frictional force with the cap 92 due to the sliding of the cap 92. On the other hand, since the width of the main body 91, on which the cap 92 is embedded, is smaller than the cap 92, the frictional force generated between the main body 91 and the attitude-changing part 50 is less than the frictional force generated between the cap 92 and the attitude-changing part 50. Therefore, when the pushing member 40 is further driven in the arrow direction, as... Figure 3 As shown in (b), the posture of capsule 90 changes in a manner in which the body 91 precedes the cap 92.
[0035] When the pusher component 40 is driven further in the direction of the arrow, as... Figure 3 As shown in (c), the posture of capsule 90 changes further, and the lower cap-pressing part 43 abuts against cap 92. Thus, cap 92 overcomes the frictional force with posture-changing part 50 and moves together with the pressing part 40, passing through posture-changing part 50. Having passed through posture-changing part 50, capsule 90 maintains the state where the main body 91 precedes cap 92, while utilizing its own weight... Figure 1 The capsule 90 is conveyed in the discharge passage 30 shown and discharged from the lower opening 31. The capsule 90 discharged from the lower opening 31 is, for example, housed in a pocket of a conveying roller (not shown) and conveyed to the device for a subsequent process.
[0036] On the other hand, such as Figure 4 As shown in (a), if the capsule 90 is supplied to the designated position P with the cap 92 on the upper side, and the capsule 90 is pressed into the posture changing part 50 by the pushing of the protrusion 41, then, similarly as described above, a large frictional force is generated between the cap 92 and the posture changing part 50, such as... Figure 4 As shown in (b), the posture of capsule 90 changes in such a way that the body 91 precedes the cap 92.
[0037] When the push-pressing component 40 is further driven, such as Figure 4As shown in (c), the posture of capsule 90 changes further, with the upper cap-pressing part 42 abutting against cap 92, forcibly pressing cap 92 into posture-changing part 50. Thus, cap 92 overcomes the frictional force with posture-changing part 50 and passes through it. Having passed through posture-changing part 50, capsule 90 maintains the state where the main body 91 precedes cap 92, while... Figure 1 It is transported in the discharge passage 30 shown and discharged from the lower opening 31.
[0038] After the capsule 90 passes the attitude change section 50, the pushing member 40 retracts to its original position. Then, the stop member 3 retracts, supplying the capsule that was stopped by the stop member 3 to the designated position P, thereby sequentially restricting the direction of the capsule 90.
[0039] According to the direction limiting mechanism 1 of this embodiment, even if the direction of the capsule 90 supplied to the supply passage 10 is random, the direction of the capsule 90 can be limited by the pushing action of the pushing member 40 of the limiting device 20 in one direction, so that the main body 91 precedes the cap 92. The direction of the capsule 90 can be reliably limited with a compact structure.
[0040] The pushing direction of the pushing member 40, which pushes the capsule 90 to a predetermined position P in the width direction, is not limited. However, in order to reliably accommodate the attitude change of the capsule 90 caused by the passage of the attitude change section 50, and to reliably maintain the changed attitude of the capsule 90, it is preferable to be obliquely downward relative to the horizontal direction. More preferably, the angle between the horizontal direction and the pushing direction of the pushing member 40 is ( Figure 3 The angle θ shown in (a) is preferably 30 to 60 degrees.
[0041] The arrangement and shape of the supply passage 10 and the discharge passage 30 are not particularly limited, but they are preferably configured, as in this embodiment, to maintain the posture of the capsule 90 and to facilitate smooth transport using the weight of the capsule 90 itself. Specifically, the supply passage 10 is preferably configured to allow the capsule 90, introduced from the upper opening 11, to move axially, and the discharge passage 30 is preferably configured to allow the capsule 90 to move axially and be discharged from the lower opening 31. In this structure, the upper opening 11 and the lower opening 31 are preferably arranged on the same vertical line, thereby facilitating the overall layout design, including the devices used in the preceding and following processes of the direction limiting mechanism 1, and achieving a compact overall structure.
[0042] However, the capsule 90 can be supplied to the designated position P in an orientation orthogonal to the pushing direction of the pushing member 40. For example, the supply passage 10 can supply the capsule 90 in the width direction. In addition, regarding the discharge passage 30, in addition to the structure that discharges the capsule 90 in the axial direction, it can also be configured to change the transport direction of the capsule 90 that has passed through the attitude change section 50, for example, to discharge the capsule 90 in the width direction.
[0043] like Figure 5 As shown, air injection units 44a and 45a can be provided on the cap-pushing portions 42 and 43 of the pushing member 40, respectively. The air injection units 44a and 45a are connected to a compressed air supply source (not shown) via air flow paths 44 and 45. By controlling the operation of solenoid valves 46 and 47, air can be injected into the cap 92 when the cap-pushing portions 42 and 43 push it. With this structure, the stroke of the reciprocating motion of the pushing member 40 can be reduced, and the capsule 90 reliably passes through the attitude change portion 50, thus enabling rapid and reliable directional restriction of the capsule 90.
[0044] In this embodiment, the limiting device 20 is configured such that the pushing member 40 pushes a single capsule 90 through the posture changing section 50, thereby limiting the direction of the capsule 90. However, it can also be configured as follows: Figure 6 As shown in the enlarged view of the main part, the pressing member 40 is configured to include multiple protrusions 41 arranged side by side, and multiple posture changing sections 50 allow the capsules pressed by each protrusion 41 to change posture individually. In this structure, multiple capsules are supplied to a predetermined position through multiple rows of supply passages 10 (shown by dashed lines), and are simultaneously pressed by the pressing member 40 and pressed into each posture changing section 50. Cap pressing sections 42 and 43 are formed above and below each pressing member 40. Similar to this embodiment, the posture-changed capsules are pressed by the cap pressing sections 42 and 43 and pass through the posture changing sections 50 respectively. In this way, the orientation of multiple capsules can be efficiently restricted using a compact structure.
[0045] like Figure 7 As shown, Figure 1 Multiple directional limiting mechanisms 1 are arranged symmetrically on the left and right sides of the vertical plane V, thereby forming a structure in which a pair of supply passages 10, limiting devices 20 and discharge passages 30 are arranged symmetrically on the left and right sides respectively. Figure 7 The directional limiting mechanism 1 shown is also related to Figure 6 The structure shown also enables efficient directional confinement of multiple capsules through a compact design. Figure 7 The direction limiting mechanism 1 shown is connected to... Figure 6 The structural combination shown can be configured as left and right limiting devices 20, 20, which simultaneously restrict the direction of multiple capsules.
[0046] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures
[0047] 1. Directional limiting mechanism
[0048] 10 Supply Channels
[0049] 11. Opening at the top
[0050] 20. Limiting devices
[0051] 30 Excretion pathway
[0052] 31. Lower opening
[0053] 40 Pushing component
[0054] 41. Protrusion
[0055] 42, 43 Cap Push-press Section
[0056] 44a, 45a air jet section
[0057] 50 Attitude Change Unit
[0058] 90 capsules
[0059] 91 Main Body
[0060] 92 hats
[0061] P is the designated position.
Claims
1. A capsule orientation limiting mechanism, characterized in that, include: The supply channel is capable of supplying the capsule, with its cap embedded in the body, to the designated location; A limiting device for restricting the direction of the capsule supplied to the designated position; and The discharge passage allows the capsule, whose orientation has been restricted by the limiting device, to be discharged to the outside. The limiting device includes: a pushing member that pushes the capsule at the predetermined position in the width direction to move the capsule toward the discharge passage; and a slit-shaped attitude-changing part disposed between the predetermined position and the discharge passage for changing the attitude of the capsule. The posture-changing part is configured such that friction is generated when the capsule slides past the cap, causing the main body to move ahead of the cap. The pushing component includes: a protrusion that pushes the axial central portion of the capsule; and cap pushing portions disposed on both sides of the protrusion, which push the cap of the capsule whose pushing posture changes due to the posture changing portion. The supply passage is formed such that the capsule is introduced axially and vertically downward from the upper opening, and when viewed from the side, the central portion is curved, thereby supplying the capsule to the designated position at an inclined position. The pushing component pushes the capsule at the designated position diagonally downward relative to the horizontal direction, causing it to pass through the attitude change section. The discharge passage is configured to allow the capsule to move axially and be discharged from the lower opening.
2. The capsule orientation limiting mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The angle between the horizontal direction and the pushing direction of the pushing component is 30 degrees to 60 degrees.
3. The capsule orientation limiting mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The upper opening and the lower opening are arranged on the same vertical line.
4. The capsule orientation limiting mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The cap-pressing part includes an air jetting part that sprays air into the cap when pressing it.
5. The capsule orientation limiting mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The supply channel is configured to supply multiple capsules in an orderly fashion to the designated position. The limiting device uses the pushing component to simultaneously push multiple capsules arranged together, and uses the posture changing component to change the posture of each capsule, thereby limiting the direction of each capsule.
6. The capsule orientation limiting mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The supply passage, the limiting device, and the discharge passage are each arranged in a pair symmetrically on the left and right sides.