Conveyance device and tablet printing device

Abstract

To provide a technology that can convey granular materials in a desired posture using a granular material conveyance device.SOLUTION: A conveyance device is equipped with a supply mechanism and a first drum 20. The supply mechanism supplies a plurality of tablets 9, which are granular materials, along a horizontal conveying direction. The first drum 20 receives the tablets 9 from the supply mechanism 10 near its upper end while rotating around a horizontal axis. The outer circumference of the first drum 10 has a plurality of concave granular material holding parts (pockets) 23. The granular material holding parts 23 each has a loading surface 231, a front end surface 232 located at the front end of the loading surface 231 and extending in the radial direction of the first drum 20, and a first adsorption hole 241 and two second adsorption holes 242. The first adsorption hole 241 is located near the front end of the loading surface 231 and in the center in the width direction. The second adsorption holes 242 are located behind the first adsorption holes 241, spaced apart in the width direction. This prevents the rear end of the granular material from being lifted up.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device for conveying granular material and a tablet printing device including the conveying device. [Background technology]

[0002] Letters and codes are printed on pharmaceutical tablets to identify the product. Also, marks and illustrations may be printed on tablet candies such as Ramune. Conventionally, printing devices that print images on granular materials such as tablets and tablet candies using an inkjet method have been known. In particular, in recent years, the types of tablets have become more diverse due to the spread of generic drugs. For this reason, technology that prints clear images on tablets using an inkjet method to make them easier to identify has attracted attention.

[0003] In this type of printing device, a large number of tablets are fed into a hopper for feeding. The printing device aligns the fed tablets one by one at a predetermined interval in the conveying direction. Then, printing is performed on the aligned tablets that are conveyed. In addition to printing devices, inspection devices that inspect tablets and packaging devices that package tablets also need to convey the tablets while aligning them at a predetermined interval in the conveying direction.

[0004] A mechanism for conveying a plurality of tablets while aligning them at predetermined intervals in the conveying direction is described in, for example, Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-4107 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the structure of Patent Document 1, when tablets (9) are supplied from the supply mechanism (10) to the first drum (20), each tablet (9) is placed in a pocket (23) provided on the surface of the first drum (20). At this time, the bottom surface (231) of the pocket (23) serves as a placement surface for the tablets (9).

[0007] A suction hole (24) is provided near the front end in the rotation direction of the bottom surface (231) on which the tablet (9) is placed. As a result, the tablet (9) is attracted to the front end of the pocket (23) and positioned in the pocket (23) so as to come into contact with the front end surface (232) of the pocket (23).

[0008] In this structure, depending on the shape of the tablet (9), the front end side of the tablet (9) in the direction of rotation may be attracted too far toward the bottom surface (231) by the suction hole (24), causing the rear end side of the tablet (9) in the direction of rotation to float up from the bottom surface (231).

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a technology for conveying granular material such as tablets in a conveying device, which is capable of conveying granular material in a desired posture. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the first invention of the present application is a conveying device for conveying granular material, comprising: a supply mechanism which supplies a plurality of granular materials along a horizontal conveying direction; and a first drum which rotates about an axis which is perpendicular to the conveying direction and parallel to a width direction which is a horizontal direction, and receives the granular materials supplied from the supply mechanism near its upper end, the first drum having a plurality of granular material holding portions arranged in the conveying direction and the width direction and which receive the granular materials supplied from the supply mechanism one by one, each of the granular material holding portions having a mounting surface on which the granular materials are placed, a front end surface which is arranged at the front end of the mounting surface in the rotation direction of the first drum and extends radially outward from the mounting surface, a first suction hole which is arranged on the mounting surface near the front end in the rotation direction and in the center in the width direction, and two second suction holes which are arranged on the mounting surface rearward of the first suction hole in the rotation direction and spaced apart in the width direction.

[0011] A second aspect of the present invention is the transport device of the first aspect, wherein the second suction hole is disposed rearward of a center of the placement surface in the rotation direction.

[0012] A third aspect of the present invention is the transport device of the first aspect, wherein the second suction hole is disposed at an end of the placement surface in the width direction.

[0013] A fourth aspect of the present invention is the transfer device of the first aspect, wherein an opening area of ​​the second suction holes is smaller than an opening area of ​​the first suction holes.

[0014] The fifth invention of the present application is a conveying device of the first invention, wherein each of the granular material holding portions further has an inclined surface that extends radially outward of the first drum as it moves rearward in the rotational direction from the rear end of the placement surface in the rotational direction.

[0015] A sixth invention of the present application is a conveying device of the first invention, wherein the first drum further has a plurality of side walls adjacent to both sides of the placement surface in the width direction and extending radially outward from the placement surface of the first drum.

[0016] A seventh aspect of the present invention is the conveying device of the sixth aspect, wherein a height of the side wall, which is a distance from the placement surface to an outer side in a radial direction of the first drum, is greater than a height of the front end surface.

[0017] An eighth aspect of the present invention is the conveying device of any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the granular material is a tablet.

[0018] A ninth aspect of the present invention is a tablet printing device, comprising the conveying device of the eighth aspect of the invention and a printing unit that prints images on the surfaces of tablets using an inkjet system. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the first to ninth inventions of the present application, when the front end of a granular object on the mounting surface is positioned by the front end face and the first suction hole, the presence of two second suction holes behind the first suction hole prevents the rear end of the granular object from floating up. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a tablet printing device. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a bottom view of one head. [Figure 4] 2 is a block diagram showing connections between a control unit and each unit in the tablet printing device. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the first drum. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a partial top view of the first drum. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the first drum. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is an enlarged top view of the first drum. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a conventional first drum. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a conventional first drum. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state of a first delivery position at a certain point in time. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position at another time point. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position at another time point. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position at another time point. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is an enlarged top view of a first drum according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] <1. Overall configuration of tablet printing device> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a tablet printing device 1 including a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This tablet printing device 1 is a device that prints images such as product name, product code, company name, logo mark, etc. on the surface of each tablet 9 while conveying a plurality of tablets 9, which are granular materials. The tablets 9 may be plain tablets (plain tablets), or may be coated tablets such as sugar-coated tablets and film-coated tablets (FC tablets). The tablets 9 may also be capsules, including hard capsules and soft capsules. The "granular materials" in the present invention are not limited to tablets as medicines, but may also be tablets as health foods or tablet candies such as Ramune.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a supply mechanism 10, a first drum 20, a second drum 30, a transport conveyor 40, a first camera 50, a printing unit 60, a second camera 70, a drying mechanism 80, a discharge mechanism 90, and a control unit 100.

[0024] The supply mechanism 10 is a mechanism that supplies a plurality of tablets 9 input into the tablet printing apparatus 1 to the first drum 20. The supply mechanism 10 of this embodiment has a bowl feeder 11, a first chute 12, a supply conveyor 13, and a second chute 14.

[0025] The bowl feeder 11 has a disk-shaped trough 110 that receives a plurality of tablets 9. The bowl feeder 11 vibrates the trough 110 to move the plurality of tablets 9 and supply them to the first chute 12.

[0026] The first chute 12 extends in an arc shape between the discharge port of the trough 110 and the supply conveyor 13. The first chute 12 has a plurality of conveying paths arranged in the width direction. The width direction is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The bowl feeder 11 supplies tablets 9 to each conveying path of the first chute 12. As a result, a large number of tablets 9 are aligned in a plurality of rows. That is, a plurality of rows of tablets 9 aligned in the conveying direction are formed in the width direction. Then, the aligned tablets 9 are supplied from the first chute 12 to the supply conveyor 13. Note that only one row of tablets 9 is shown in FIG. 1.

[0027] The supply conveyor 13 is a mechanism for horizontally and linearly conveying the tablets 9 from the first chute 12 to the second chute 14. The supply conveyor 13 has two pulleys 131 and a circular supply belt 132 stretched around the two pulleys 131. One of the two pulleys 131 rotates by power obtained from a motor (not shown). This causes the supply belt 132 to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1. The other pulley 131 rotates in response to the rotation of the supply belt 132. In addition, a partition plate extending along the boundary between the rows of the tablets 9 is provided on the upper portion of the supply belt 132. The tablets 9 supplied from the first chute 12 are conveyed downstream in the conveying direction by the rotation of the supply belt 132 while being kept aligned in multiple rows by the partition plate.

[0028] The second chute 14 extends linearly between the supply conveyor 13 and the first drum 20. The second chute 14 has a plurality of conveying paths aligned in the width direction. A plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the supply conveyor 13 are supplied to each conveying path of the second chute 14. The tablets 9 in the second chute 14 are pushed by the succeeding tablets 9 conveyed by the supply conveyor 13, and advance downstream in the conveying direction. The tablets 9 are supplied from the end of the second chute 14 downstream in the conveying direction to the first drum 20.

[0029] The first drum 20 is a mechanism for holding and conveying a plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 14 at regular intervals in the conveying direction. The first drum 20 has a substantially cylindrical outer circumferential surface centered on a first axis O1 extending in the width direction. A motor (not shown) is connected to the first drum 20. When the motor is driven, the first drum 20 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 around the first axis O1. The first drum 20 conveys the tablets 9 from a first transfer position P1 near the upper end of the first drum 20 to a second transfer position P2 adjacent to the second drum 30.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, the first drum 20 has a drum body 21 and a plurality of retaining rings 22. The retaining rings 22 are attached to the outer peripheral surface of the drum body 21. Specifically, the plurality of retaining rings 22 are arranged at widthwise positions corresponding to the respective rows of tablets 9. The retaining rings 22 are formed of a resin such as polyacetal. The outer peripheral surface of each retaining ring 22 has a plurality of concave pockets 23. The plurality of pockets 23 are provided at regular intervals in the circumferential direction centered on the first axis O1. In addition, the retaining ring 22 has suction holes 241, 242 (see FIG. 5) at the bottom of each pocket 23 for suctioning the tablets 9.

[0031] The first drum 20 is connected to a suction mechanism (not shown). When the suction mechanism is operated, gas is sucked out from the internal space of the first drum 20 located in the angular range between the first delivery position P1 and the second delivery position P2. This causes the internal space to have a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. The tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 14 are sucked and held by the suction holes 241, 242 of the first drum 20 due to this negative pressure. The shape of the pocket 23 and the suction holes 241, 242 will be described in detail later.

[0032] The tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 14 are accommodated in the pockets 23 one by one and are adsorbed and held by the suction holes 241, 242. As a result, the intervals between the tablets 9 in the conveying direction become a predetermined interval according to the intervals between the pockets 23. Each tablet 9 is conveyed from the first transfer position P1 to the second transfer position P2 by the rotation of the first drum 20 while being adsorbed and held by the suction holes 241, 242 in the pockets 23. Then, when the tablet 9 passes the second transfer position P2, it leaves the angle range of the internal space maintained at the negative pressure, and the adsorption of the tablet 9 is released. As a result, the tablet 9 is delivered from the first drum 20 to the second drum 30.

[0033] At the first delivery position P1, the tablet 9 is pressed by the pressing mechanism 25 and guided into the pocket 23 of the retaining ring 22. This makes it possible to accommodate one tablet 9 in each pocket 23 while preventing the tablet 9 from clogging or cracking. Details of the pressing mechanism 25 will be described later.

[0034] The second drum 30 is a mechanism for transporting the tablets 9 delivered from the first drum 20 to the transport conveyor 40. The second drum 30 has a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on a second axis O2 extending in the width direction. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the first drum 20 and the outer diameter of the second drum 30 are substantially the same. However, the outer diameter of the first drum 20 and the outer diameter of the second drum 30 may be different. A motor (not shown) is connected to the second drum 30. When the motor is driven, the second drum 30 rotates in the opposite direction to the first drum 20 around the second axis O2. The second drum 30 transports the tablets 9 from a second delivery position P2 adjacent to the first drum 20 to a third delivery position P3 adjacent to the transport conveyor 40. The height of the third delivery position P3 is higher than the heights of the first delivery position P1 and the second delivery position P2.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1, the second drum 30 has a drum body 31 and a retaining ring 32. The retaining ring 32 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the drum body 31. The retaining ring 32 has a plurality of suction holes 34 on the outer peripheral surface. The second drum 30 is connected to a suction mechanism (not shown). When the suction mechanism is operated, gas is sucked out from the internal space of the second drum 30 located in the angle range between the second delivery position P2 and the third delivery position P3. This causes the internal space to have a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. The plurality of tablets 9 delivered from the first drum 20 are sucked and held by the suction holes 34 of the retaining ring 32 due to this negative pressure.

[0036] The tablet 9 adsorbed and held in the suction holes 34 is transported from the second delivery position P2 to the third delivery position P3 by the rotation of the second drum 30. Then, when the tablet 9 passes the third delivery position P3, it leaves the angle range of the internal space maintained at the above-mentioned negative pressure, and the adsorption of the tablet 9 is released. As a result, the tablet 9 is delivered from the second drum 30 to the transport conveyor 40.

[0037] Thus, in this embodiment, a plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the supply mechanism 10 are transported to the transport conveyor 40 via two drums, the first drum 20 and the second drum 30. The first drum 20 holds a plurality of tablets 9 at intervals in the transport direction. The second drum 30 transports the tablets 9 to the transport conveyor 40 while maintaining the interval in the transport direction. At that time, the first drum 20 and the second drum 30 have opposite rotation directions. Therefore, the transport direction of the tablets 9 is reversed between the first drum 20 and the second drum 30. As a result, the tablets 9 can be sent from the second drum 30 to the transport conveyor 40 in accordance with the direction of operation of the transport conveyor 40.

[0038] In addition, the retaining ring 32 of the second drum 30 is made of a material that is more easily elastically deformed than the retaining ring 22 of the first drum 20. That is, the outer peripheral surface of the second drum 30 is made of a material that is more easily elastically deformed than the outer peripheral surface of the first drum 20. In addition, the retaining ring 32 of the second drum 30 is made of a material that is more easily elastically deformed than the conveyor belt 42 of the conveyor 40, which will be described later. Specifically, the retaining ring 32 of the second drum 30 is made of, for example, silicon. In this way, the elastic force of the retaining ring 32 acts when the tablets 9 are transferred from the first drum 20 to the second drum 30 and from the second drum 30 to the conveyor 40, thereby suppressing the tablets 9 from falling off or cracking, and increasing the success rate of the transfer.

[0039] The transport conveyor 40 is a mechanism for transporting the tablets 9 delivered from the second drum 30 while suction-holding them. The transport conveyor 40 has a pair of pulleys 41 and a circular transport belt 42 stretched between the pair of pulleys 41. One of the pair of pulleys 41 rotates by power obtained from a motor (not shown). This causes the transport belt 42 to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1. The other of the pair of pulleys 41 rotates following the rotation of the transport belt 42.

[0040] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the transport conveyor 40. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of suction holes 421 are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the transport belt 42. The plurality of suction holes 421 are arranged at equal intervals in the transport direction and the width direction. The transport conveyor 40 also has a suction mechanism (not shown) that sucks out gas from the space inside the transport belt 42. When the suction mechanism is operated, the space inside the transport belt 42 becomes negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. The plurality of tablets 9 are sucked and held one by one by the suction holes 421 due to the negative pressure.

[0041] In this manner, the tablets 9 are held aligned in the conveying direction and the width direction on the surface of the conveyor belt 42. The conveyor 40 conveys the tablets 9 by rotating the conveyor belt 42. Below the four heads 61 described below, the tablets 9 are conveyed in the horizontal direction.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 1, the transport conveyor 40 has a blow mechanism 44. The blow mechanism 44 is provided inside the transport belt 42 and at a position facing a discharge chute 91 (described later) across the transport belt 42. The blow mechanism 44 blows gas only to the suction holes 421 of the transport belt 42 that face the discharge chute 91. Then, the suction holes 421 are at a positive pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. This releases the suction of the tablets 9 at the suction holes 421, and the tablets 9 are transferred from the transport belt 42 to the discharge conveyor through the discharge chute 91.

[0043] As described above, in this embodiment, the supply mechanism 10, the first drum 20, the second drum 30, and the transport conveyor 40 constitute a transport device that transports the tablets 9.

[0044] The first camera 50 is a processing unit for photographing the tablets 9 before printing. The first camera 50 is located downstream of the third delivery position P3 described above and upstream of the printing unit 60 on the conveying path. For example, a line sensor in which imaging elements such as CCD and CMOS are arranged in the width direction is used for the first camera 50. The first camera 50 photographs the tablets 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 42. The image acquired by photographing is transmitted from the first camera 50 to the control unit 100 described later. Based on the image obtained from the first camera 50, the control unit 100 detects the presence or absence of the tablets 9 in each suction hole 421, the position of the tablets 9, and the attitude of the tablets 9. The control unit 100 also inspects whether or not each tablet 9 has defects such as chips based on the image obtained from the first camera 50.

[0045] The printing unit 60 is a processing unit that prints an image on the surface of the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 42 by an inkjet method. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing unit 60 of this embodiment has four heads 61. The four heads 61 are located above the conveyor belt 42 and are arranged in a row along the conveying direction of the tablet 9. The four heads 61 eject ink droplets of different colors (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) toward the tablet 9. Then, a multicolor image is recorded on the front or back of the tablet 9 by superimposing monochromatic images formed by these colors. Note that, for the ink ejected from each head 61, edible ink manufactured from raw materials approved by the Japanese Pharmacopoeia, the Food Sanitation Act, etc. is used.

[0046] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of one head 61. In FIG. 3, the conveyor belt 42 and the plurality of tablets 9 held by the conveyor belt 42 are indicated by two-dot chain lines. As shown enlarged in FIG. 3, the bottom surface of the head 61 is provided with a plurality of nozzles 611 capable of ejecting ink droplets. In this embodiment, the plurality of nozzles 611 are two-dimensionally arranged in the conveying direction and the width direction on the bottom surface of the head 61. The nozzles 611 are arranged with their positions shifted in the width direction. In this way, by arranging the plurality of nozzles 611 two-dimensionally, the positions of the nozzles 611 in the width direction can be brought close to each other. However, the plurality of nozzles 611 may be arranged in a line along the width direction.

[0047] The method of ejecting ink droplets from the nozzle 611 is, for example, a so-called piezo method in which a voltage is applied to a piezo element to deform it, thereby pressurizing and ejecting the ink in the nozzle 611. However, the method of ejecting ink droplets may also be a so-called thermal method in which electricity is passed through a heater to heat and expand the ink in the nozzle 611, thereby ejecting the ink.

[0048] The second camera 70 is a processing unit for photographing the tablets 9 after printing. The second camera 70 is located downstream of the printing unit 60 on the conveying path and upstream of the drying mechanism 80 on the conveying path. For example, a line sensor in which imaging elements such as CCD and CMOS are arranged in the width direction is used for the second camera 70. The second camera 70 photographs the tablets 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 42. The image acquired by photographing is transmitted from the second camera 70 to the control unit 100 described later. The control unit 100 inspects the quality of the image printed on the tablets 9 based on the image obtained from the second camera 70.

[0049] The drying mechanism 80 is a mechanism for drying the ink adhering to the tablet 9. The drying mechanism 80 is located downstream of the second camera 70 on the conveying path and upstream of a discharge chute 91 described below on the conveying path. For example, the drying mechanism 80 uses a hot air supply mechanism that blows heated gas (hot air) toward the tablet 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 42. The ink adhering to the tablet 9 is dried by the hot air and fixed on the front or back surface of the tablet 9.

[0050] The discharge mechanism 90 is a mechanism for discharging a plurality of tablets 9 from the transport conveyor 40 to the outside of the tablet printing apparatus 1. The discharge mechanism 90 has a discharge chute 91 shown in FIG. 1 and a discharge conveyor not shown. The discharge chute 91 is located downstream of the transport path from the drying mechanism 80. When the tablet 9 adsorbed to the suction hole 421 reaches a position facing the discharge chute 91, the tablet 9 is released from the suction hole 421 by the blow mechanism 44. This causes the tablet 9 to fall from the suction hole 421 of the transport belt 42 through the discharge chute 91 to the upper surface of the discharge conveyor. The fallen tablet 9 is then discharged to the outside of the tablet printing apparatus 1 by the discharge conveyor.

[0051] The control unit 100 is a means for controlling the operation of each unit in the tablet printing apparatus 1. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the connection between the control unit 100 and each unit in the tablet printing apparatus 1. As conceptually shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 100 is composed of a computer having a processor 101 such as a CPU, a memory 102 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 103 such as a hard disk drive. A computer program CP for executing the printing process is installed in the storage unit 103.

[0052] As shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 100 is connected to the bowl feeder 11, the supply conveyor 13, the first drum 20, the second drum 30, the transport conveyor 40, the first camera 50, the printing unit 60, the second camera 70, the drying mechanism 80, and the discharge mechanism 90, each of which is communicatively connected by wire or wirelessly. The control unit 100 temporarily reads out the computer program CP and data stored in the storage unit 103 into the memory 102, and the processor 101 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program CP, thereby controlling the operation of each of the above-mentioned units. As a result, the transportation of the multiple tablets 9 and the printing process for each tablet 9 proceed.

[0053] <2. Outer surface shape of the first drum> Next, the detailed shape of the outer peripheral surface of the first drum 20 will be described. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the first drum 20. FIG. 6 is a partial top view of the first drum 20. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first drum 20 has a partition ring 220 in addition to the drum body 21 and the multiple retaining rings 22. The partition ring 220 is disposed at both ends of the multiple retaining rings 22 in the width direction and between adjacent retaining rings 22. That is, the partition ring 220 is adjacent to both ends of each retaining ring 22 in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the first drum 20 of this embodiment has three retaining rings 22 and four partition rings 220. As a result, the first drum 20 conveys the tablets 9 arranged in three rows.

[0054] The retaining ring 22 of the first drum 20 has a plurality of pockets 23 and a plurality of convex portions 230. The plurality of pockets 23 are provided at regular intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the retaining ring 22. The convex portions 230 are located between adjacent pockets 23. The circumferential length of the pockets 23 is greater than one tablet 9 to be transported and less than two tablets 9. Therefore, one pocket 23 can accommodate only one tablet 9.

[0055] 5 and 6, the pocket 23 of this embodiment has a placement surface 231, a front end surface 232, and a rear inclined surface 233. The pockets 23 are arranged in the conveying direction and the width direction, and constitute a "granular material holding portion" that receives the tablets 9 supplied from the supply mechanism 10 one by one.

[0056] The placement surface 231 is a surface that constitutes the bottom of the pocket 23. The placement surface 231 spreads in a substantially flat shape along the rotation direction of the first drum 20. The tablet 9 is placed on the placement surface 231. In the following, the rotation direction of the first drum 20 is simply referred to as the "rotation direction", the direction toward the radial outside of the first drum 20 is simply referred to as the "height direction", and the distance from the placement surface 231 in the height direction is simply referred to as the "height". In addition, the front end portion in the rotation direction of the first drum 20 is simply referred to as the "front end portion", and the rear end portion in the rotation direction of the first drum 20 is simply referred to as the "rear end portion".

[0057] The height of the partition rings 220 arranged on both sides in the width direction of the retaining ring 22 is greater than the height of the convex portions 230. The partition rings 220 arranged on both sides in the width direction of the retaining ring 22 are adjacent to both sides in the width direction of the mounting surface 231 and form side walls extending from the mounting surface 231 radially outward of the first drum 20. The pocket 23 is surrounded by the convex portions 230 at the front and rear in the rotation direction and the partition rings 220 on both sides. As a result, the pocket 23 becomes a recess provided on the outer circumferential surface of the first drum 20.

[0058] The front end surface 232 is located at the front end of the pocket 23 (the end on the downstream side in the conveying direction). That is, the front end surface 232 is disposed at the front end of the placement surface 231. The front end surface 232 extends approximately perpendicular to the circumferential direction centered on the first axis O1. That is, the front end surface 232 extends in the height direction from the placement surface 231.

[0059] The rear inclined surface 233 is located at the rear end of the pocket 23 (the end on the upstream side in the conveying direction). The rear inclined surface 233 is an inclined surface that connects the placement surface 231 and the outer surface of the rear convex portion 230. That is, the rear inclined surface 233 extends from the rear end of the placement surface 231 toward the rear in the rotation direction and toward the radially outer side of the first drum. The rear inclined surface 233 serves to guide the tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 14 to the pocket 23.

[0060] Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the pocket 23 of the first drum 20 with the tablet 9 held in the pocket 23. Fig. 8 is an enlarged top view of the vicinity of the pocket 23 of the first drum 20 with the tablet 9 held in the pocket 23. In Fig. 7, the suction force that the first suction hole 241 exerts on the tablet 9 is indicated by a solid arrow, and the suction force that the second suction hole 242 exerts on the tablet 9 is indicated by a dashed arrow.

[0061] The placement surface 231 of each pocket 23 is provided with one first suction hole 241 and two second suction holes 242 .

[0062] The first suction hole 241 is disposed near the front end of the mounting surface 231 in the rotation direction of the first drum 20 and in the center of the mounting surface 231 in the width direction. In this embodiment, the first suction hole 241 is disposed at the front end of the mounting surface 231. The two second suction holes 242 are disposed on the mounting surface 231 rearward of the first suction hole 241 in the rotation direction and spaced apart in the width direction. In this embodiment, the second suction holes 242 are disposed at the ends of the mounting surface 231 in the width direction.

[0063] The opening area of ​​the second suction hole 242 is smaller than the opening area of ​​the first suction hole 241. Therefore, the suction force in the first suction hole 241 is larger than the suction force in the second suction hole 242.

[0064] When the tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 14 are contained in the pocket 23, the tablets 9 are attracted to the front end of the pocket 23 mainly by the suction force of the first suction holes 241. This allows the front end of the tablets 9 to come into contact with the front end surface 232 of the pocket 23, positioning the tablets 9 and holding them by suction. Therefore, the tablets 9 can be aligned at constant intervals with high precision in the conveying direction.

[0065] This point is the same in a conventional first drum that does not have the second suction holes 242. However, depending on the shape of the tablet 9, the tablet 9 may tilt if there is only the first suction holes 241. This will be described with reference to Figs. 9 and 10.

[0066] 9 and 10 are enlarged cross-sectional views of a conventional first drum 20X. As shown in Fig. 9 and 10, when tablets 9A and 9B are contained in a pocket 23X and the tablets 9A and 9B are moved to the front end of the pocket 23X by the first suction holes 241X, the lower surfaces of the front portions of the tablets 9A and 9B are strongly sucked by the suction force of the first suction holes 241X.

[0067] At this time, as shown in Fig. 9, if the tablet contained in the pocket 23X is a tablet 9A having a thick cylindrical side surface 91A, the side surface 91A comes into contact with the front end surface 232X, so that the position of the tablet 9A is stabilized. Therefore, even if the front lower surface of the tablet 9A is strongly sucked, the tablet 9A is unlikely to tilt.

[0068] In contrast, as shown in Fig. 10, when the tablet contained in the pocket 23X is a tablet 9B with a cylindrical side surface 91B having a small thickness, the contact area between the side surface 91B and the front end surface 232X is small, so the position of the tablet 9B is not stable. Therefore, when the front lower surface of the tablet 9B is strongly sucked, there is a risk that the tablet 9B will tilt, as shown in Fig. 10.

[0069] In contrast, in the pocket 23 of this embodiment, in addition to the first suction hole 241, the second suction hole 242 is arranged. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the tablet 9 attracted to the front end of the pocket 23 by the suction force of the first suction hole 241 is subjected to the suction force by the first suction hole 241 on the front lower surface, and the suction force by the second suction hole 242 on the rear lower surface. As a result, the tablet 9 is subjected to a well-balanced suction force that attracts the front of the tablet 9 downward and a suction force that attracts the rear of the tablet downward. As a result, regardless of the shape of the side of the tablet 9, the tablet 9 is prevented from tilting due to the suction force of the first suction hole 241. In other words, regardless of the shape of the tablet 9, the rear end of the tablet 9 can be prevented from floating up.

[0070] 8, the width W of the mounting surface 231 is designed to be slightly larger than the tablet 9. The first suction hole 231 is disposed in the center of the width of the mounting surface 231. As a result, when the tablet 9 is contained in the pocket 23, the entire first suction hole 231 overlaps with the tablet 9 when viewed from the radial outside of the first drum 20.

[0071] In contrast, the length L of the mounting surface 231 in the rotational direction is greater than the length W in the width direction. The second suction hole 242 is disposed rearward of the center in the rotational direction of the mounting surface 231. In addition, the position of the second suction hole 242 in the rotational direction is disposed in a range farther from the front end of the mounting surface 231 than half the length W in the width direction and closer than the length W in the width direction.

[0072] 8, when the tablet 9 is placed along the front end surface 232 of the placement surface 231, only a portion of the second suction hole 232 overlaps with the tablet 9 when viewed from the radial outside of the first drum 20. Therefore, even if the rear lower surface of the tablet 9 is tilted in a direction approaching the second suction hole 232, the lower surface of the tablet 9 completely covers the second suction hole 232, preventing the tablet 9 from sticking to the second suction hole 232.

[0073] In this way, by setting the opening area and position of the second suction hole 232 to the above conditions, the suction force of the first suction hole 231 moves the tablet 9 toward the front end of the pocket 23, and the balance of the suction forces of the first suction hole 231 and the second suction hole 232 prevents the tablet 9 from tilting.

[0074] <3. Pressing mechanism> This tablet printing apparatus 1 has a pressing mechanism 25 between the second chute 14 and the first drum 20. A pressing mechanism 25 is provided for each row of tablets 9. Each pressing mechanism 25 presses the tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 14 toward the first drum 20 at the first delivery position P1. As a result, the tablets 9 are stored one by one in each of the multiple pockets 23 of the first drum 20.

[0075] 11 is a side view of the pressing mechanism 25. As shown in FIG. 11, the pressing mechanism 25 has a first pressing member 26, a first elastic member 27, a second pressing member 28, and a second elastic member 29.

[0076] The first pressing member 26 is supported rotatably about a first rotation axis A1 extending in the width direction. The tip of the first pressing member 26 is located between the end of the second chute 14 on the downstream side in the conveying direction and the outer circumferential surface of the first drum 20. The first pressing member 26 is formed of a resin such as polyacetal.

[0077] The first elastic member 27 is a member for pressing the first pressing member 26 toward the first drum 20. For example, a coil spring is used for the first elastic member 27. The lower end of the first elastic member 27 is connected to the first pressing member 26. The upper end of the first elastic member 27 is connected to a frame whose position is fixed. Therefore, when the tip of the first pressing member 26 is displaced upward, a downward pressing force is generated at the tip of the first pressing member 26 due to contraction of the first elastic member 27. Note that the first elastic member 27 may be an elastic member other than a coil spring, such as a torsion spring or a leaf spring.

[0078] 11, the tip of the first pressing member 26 has a holding surface 261 and a contact surface 262. The holding surface 261 is the lower surface of the tip of the first pressing member 26. The holding surface 261 and the outer circumferential surface of the first drum 20 face each other in the vertical direction. When the tip of the first pressing member 26 is not displaced upward, the vertical distance between the holding surface 261 and the convex portion 230 is smaller than the thickness of the tablet 9 to be conveyed.

[0079] The abutment surface 262 is located on the upstream side (second chute 14 side) of the conveying path from the holding surface 261. The abutment surface 262 expands obliquely upward from the upstream end of the holding surface 261. Specifically, the abutment surface 262 is inclined so as to gradually move away from the outer circumferential surface of the first drum 20 as it approaches the second chute 14. However, the inclination angle of the abutment surface 262 with respect to the circumferential direction centered on the first axis O1 is smaller than the inclination angle of the rear inclined surface 233 of the pocket 23. The upstream end of the abutment surface 262 is close to the downstream end of the second chute 14. The holding surface 261 and the abutment surface 262 are connected via a smooth curved surface. Therefore, even if the tablet 9 has a groove such as a score line, it is possible to prevent the tablet 9 from getting caught at the boundary between the holding surface 261 and the abutment surface 262.

[0080] The second pressing member 28 is located downstream of the conveying path relative to the first pressing member 26. The second pressing member 28 is supported rotatably about a second rotation axis A2 extending in the width direction. The tip of the second pressing member 28 is disposed at a position adjacent to the downstream side of the tip of the first pressing member 26. The second pressing member 28 is formed of a resin such as polyacetal.

[0081] The second elastic member 29 is a member for pressing the second pressing member 28 toward the first drum 20. For example, a coil spring is used for the second elastic member 29. The lower end of the second elastic member 29 is connected to the second pressing member 28. The upper end of the second elastic member 29 is connected to a frame whose position is fixed. Therefore, when the tip of the second pressing member 28 is displaced upward, a downward pressing force is generated at the tip of the second pressing member 28 due to the contraction of the second elastic member 29. Note that the second elastic member 29 may be an elastic member other than a coil spring, such as a torsion spring or a leaf spring.

[0082] 11, the tip of the second pressing member 28 has a pressing protrusion 281 that protrudes downward. The pressing protrusion 281 has a pressing surface 282 at its lower end. The pressing surface 282 is disposed at a position close to the downstream side of the holding surface 261 of the first pressing member 26. When the tip of the second pressing member 28 is not displaced upward, the vertical distance between the pressing surface 282 and the convex portion 230 is smaller than the thickness of the tablet 9 to be conveyed.

[0083] 11, the second pressing member 28 has a guide surface 283. The guide surface 283 is located downstream of the pressing protrusion 281 in the conveying path. The guide surface 283 is inclined so as to gradually approach the outer circumferential surface of the first drum 20 toward the downstream side of the conveying path. The downstream end of the guide surface 283 is located near the second rotation shaft A2.

[0084] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position P1 at a certain time when a plurality of tablets 9 are continuously conveyed. As shown in FIG. 12, among the plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 14, some tablets 9 may not be directly contained in the pocket 23 and may be supplied onto the convex portion 230. At this time, the tablet 9 abuts against the abutment surface 262 of the first pressing member 26. As a result, the tablet 9 is blocked until the next pocket 23 of the first drum 20 reaches the first delivery position P1. Then, when the next pocket 23 reaches the first delivery position P1 due to the rotation of the first drum 20, the blocked tablet 9 falls into the pocket 23. As a result, the tablet 9 can be normally contained in the pocket 23.

[0085] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position P1 at another time. The pressing force of the first pressing member 26 by the first elastic member 27 is set to a force that does not damage the tablet 9. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 13, the first pressing member 26 may be pushed by the tablet 9 and displaced upward. In this case, the tablet 9 is sandwiched between the holding surface 261 of the first pressing member 26 and the convex portion 230 of the first drum 20. That is, the tablet 9 is held between the holding surface 261 and the convex portion 230 of the first pressing member 26 by the pressing force of the first pressing member 26 by the first elastic member 27. As a result, the tablet 9 stops at that position on the conveying path without moving downstream. Then, when the next pocket 23 reaches the first delivery position P1 due to the rotation of the first drum 20, the stopped tablet 9 falls into the pocket 23. As a result, the tablet 9 can be normally stored in the pocket 23.

[0086] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position P1 at another time. When the front end (end on the downstream side) of the tablet 9 is accommodated in the pocket 23 and the rear end (end on the upstream side) of the tablet 9 is riding on the front end of the convex portion 230, the tablet 9 may push up the first pressing member 26 while maintaining that posture and be transported to below the second pressing member 28. In this case, the pressing protrusion 281 of the second pressing member 28 is once displaced upward by being pressed by the tablet 9. Then, when the rear end of the tablet 9 approaches the pressing protrusion 281, the pressing protrusion 281 is lowered again by the elastic force of the second elastic member 29. Then, the tablet 9 is pressed by the pressing surface 282 of the pressing protrusion 281 and is pushed into the pocket 23 on the front side (downstream side in the transport direction) as shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. 14. At that time, the tablet 9 moves smoothly into the pocket 23 along the rear inclined surface 233 of the pocket 23. This allows the tablet 9 to be properly stored in the pocket 23.

[0087] As described above, the two second suction holes 242 are disposed at both ends in the width direction of the mounting surface 231. Therefore, when the tablet 9 moves as indicated by the dashed arrow in Fig. 14, the tablet 9 can reach the front end surface 232 of the pocket 23 without being attracted to the second suction holes 242 and stopping.

[0088] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the state of the first delivery position P1 at another time. Some tablets 9 may be held in an abnormal posture in the pocket 23. For example, some tablets 9 may be adsorbed and held in the first suction hole 241 in an upright posture as shown in FIG. 15. As such tablets 9 are conveyed downstream by the rotation of the first drum 20, they are corrected to a normal posture by the guide surface 283 which gradually approaches them. As a result, the tablets 9 can be stored in the pocket 23 in a normal posture. At this time, the suction force of the second suction hole 242 acts on the rear end of the tablet 9. This makes it easier for the posture of the tablet 9 to return to a normal posture.

[0089] As described above, in this tablet printing device 1, even if the tablets 9 do not directly enter the pockets 23 of the first drum 20 from the second chute 14, the pressing mechanism 25 can adjust the circumferential position of the tablets 9 on the outer circumferential surface of the first drum 20 to guide the tablets 9 into the pockets 23. This makes it possible to properly accommodate the tablets 9 in each pocket 23 of the first drum 20 while suppressing clogging and cracking of the tablets 9.

[0090] <4. Modifications> Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0091] Fig. 16 is an enlarged top view of a first drum 20C according to one modified example. In the example of Fig. 16, the first suction hole 241C and the second suction hole 242C provided on the mounting surface 231C of the retaining ring 22C have a shape of a semicircle and a rectangle connected together in a top view. In the above embodiment, the first suction hole 241 and the two second suction holes 242 are both circular in a top view. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the shapes of the first suction hole and the second suction hole may be selected arbitrarily.

[0092] Furthermore, the shapes of the pocket 23 of the retaining ring 22, the first pressing member, the second pressing member, the guide rail, and other members are not limited to the shapes shown in the drawings of this application. The shapes of these members may be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0093] In the above embodiment, the printing unit 60 is provided with four heads 61. However, the number of heads 61 included in the printing unit 60 may be one to three, or may be five or more.

[0094] In the above embodiment, a description has been given of the tablet printing device 1 that prints images on the tablets 9. However, the conveying device of the present invention may be used in an inspection device that inspects the tablets 9 or a packaging device that packages the tablets 9.

[0095] Furthermore, the elements appearing in the above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate to the extent that no contradiction arises. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 1 Tablet printing equipment 9,9A,9B Tablets 10 Supply mechanism 20,20C 1st drum 21 Drum body 22,22C Retaining ring 23 Pocket (Granular material holding section) 60 Printing Department 230 Convex part 231, 231C Placement surface 232 Front end surface 233 Rear slope 241,241C 1st adsorption hole 242,242C 2nd adsorption hole

Claims

1. A conveying device for conveying granular material, A supply mechanism that supplies a plurality of granular objects along a horizontal conveying direction; a first drum that rotates about an axis parallel to a width direction that is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and receives the granular material supplied from the supply mechanism near an upper end of the first drum; having The first drum is a plurality of granular material holding sections arranged in the conveying direction and the width direction, each of which receives the granular material supplied from the supply mechanism one by one; having Each of the granular material holding portions is A placement surface on which the granular material is placed; a front end surface disposed at a front end of the mounting surface in a rotation direction of the first drum and extending from the mounting surface toward an outer side in a radial direction of the first drum; a first suction hole disposed on the mounting surface near a front end in the rotation direction and at a center in the width direction; two second suction holes arranged on the mounting surface at a position rearward of the first suction holes in the rotation direction and spaced apart from each other in the width direction; A conveying device comprising:

2. 2. The conveying device according to claim 1, The second suction hole is disposed rearward of a center of the placement surface in the rotation direction.

3. 2. The conveying device according to claim 1, The second suction hole is disposed at an end of the placement surface in the width direction.

4. 2. The conveying device according to claim 1, A conveying device, wherein an opening area of ​​the second suction hole is smaller than an opening area of ​​the first suction hole.

5. 2. The conveying device according to claim 1, Each of the granular material holding portions is an inclined surface that extends from the rear end of the mounting surface in the rotation direction toward the outside in the radial direction of the first drum as it moves rearward in the rotation direction; The conveying device further comprises:

6. 2. The conveying device according to claim 1, The first drum is a plurality of side walls adjacent to both sides of the placement surface in the width direction and extending from the placement surface toward the outside in the radial direction of the first drum; The conveying device further comprises:

7. 7. The conveying device according to claim 6, A conveying device, wherein a height of the side wall, which is a distance from the placement surface to an outer side in the radial direction of the first drum, is greater than a height of the front end surface.

8. A conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, A conveying device, wherein the granules are tablets.

9. A conveying device according to claim 8 ; A printing unit that prints images on the surface of the tablet using an inkjet method; A tablet printing device having the above structure.

Images