Counting and filling device and counting and filling method

Abstract

To provide a counting and filling device and a counting and filling method having excellent versatility for a counting material.SOLUTION: A counting and filling device 100 includes: a storage hopper 5 for storing a counting material W; a posture adjustment mechanism 10 for aligning and delivering the postures of the counting materials W in the storage hopper 5; a conveyor belt mechanism 20 for conveying the counting materials W delivered in an aligned manner; and an alignment mechanism 300 for aligning the counting materials W conveyed by the conveyor belt mechanism 20, and is configured to drop the counting materials W aligned by the alignment mechanism 300 from a conveying end of the conveyor belt mechanism 20 and count them.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a counting and filling device and a method thereof for conveying, counting, and filling containers with counting materials such as tablets, capsules, tablet-type materials, capsule-type materials, vitamins, health solid foods, desiccants, gummies, drops, candies, etc.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, a counting and filling device that counts and fills tablets, which are a typical type of counting material, is known to convey and count tablets using a vibration conveying mechanism or a conveying mechanism using a vibration conveying mechanism and a spiral groove rod. Also, conventionally, a counting and filling device that conveys tablets using a conveying mechanism using a mesh belt has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). The conveying mechanism of this counting and filling device aligns the postures of the tablets supplied from a hopper by a posture adjusting mechanism, delivers them to a conveying belt mechanism having an endless belt, and moves the endless belt to convey them in the conveying direction while aligning them through an aligning mechanism and filling them into containers.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in conventional counting and filling devices, there has been room for further improvement in the posture adjusting mechanism that can handle a variety of types.

[0005] The present invention was devised to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a counting and filling device and a method thereof that are excellent in versatility with respect to counting materials.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, the counting and filling device according to the present invention includes a storage hopper for storing a counting material, an attitude adjustment mechanism for aligning and feeding out the attitude of the counting material in the storage hopper through a passage provided on the lower surface plate of the storage hopper, a conveyor belt mechanism for conveying the counting material whose attitude is aligned and fed out through the passage by a mesh endless belt, and an alignment mechanism for aligning the counting material conveyed by the conveyor belt mechanism. The counting material aligned by the alignment mechanism is dropped from the conveying end of the endless belt and counted. The counting and filling device is such that the attitude adjustment mechanism is arranged to form the passage on the surface plate, and includes a first roller and a second roller supported by a support portion arranged inside the surface plate, a first passage piece arranged on the surface plate so as to be adjacent below the first roller, and a second passage piece arranged on the surface plate so as to be adjacent below the second roller. Further, at least one of the first roller and the second roller rotates through a drive transmission mechanism, and is installed so that the distance between the first roller and the second roller can be freely approximated and separated along a long hole formed in the surface plate. At least one of the first passage piece and the second passage piece is detachably magnetically attached and arranged on the surface plate.

[0007] Also, in order to solve the above problems, the counting and filling method according to the present invention is a counting and filling method for counting a counting material by the counting and filling device, and includes a step of aligning the posture of the counting material in the storage hopper through a posture adjustment mechanism of the counting material and sending the counting material to a mesh endless belt of a conveyor belt mechanism; a step of placing the counting material sent out with the posture aligned on the endless belt and conveying it, and aligning the conveyed counting material into a preset number of rows by an alignment mechanism; and a step of dropping the aligned counting material from the conveying end of the endless belt and counting it. The step of aligning includes arranging a passage restricting body of the alignment mechanism to face the endless belt so as to restrict the width of the passage through which the counting material passes, and moving the plurality of passage restricting bodies in a preset range in a direction opposite to the conveying direction of the counting material by a moving mechanism of the alignment mechanism while placing the counting material on the endless belt and passing it through the passage between the passage restricting bodies.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] The counting and filling device and the counting and filling method according to the present invention exhibit the following excellent effects. In the counting and filling device and the counting and filling method, the posture control mechanism can change the width of the passage corresponding to the type of the counting material sent from the storage hopper to the mesh endless belt. Therefore, in the counting and filling device and the counting and filling method, the counting material sent out to the endless belt with the posture aligned is aligned and conveyed by the adjustment mechanism, and can be counted corresponding to the size, shape, etc. of the counting material, so it has excellent versatility.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7A

Figure 7B

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, the counting and filling device and the counting and filling method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, as an example of the counting material, a configuration in which disc-shaped tablets are counted by a counting and filling device will be described. Furthermore, regarding the relationship between the size of each component of the counting and filling device and the tablets used, or the position of the tablets, there are cases where they are appropriately deformed or schematically shown and described in the drawings. Also, on the drawings, to facilitate the explanation of the device configuration, the directions of up and down, left and right, front and back are shown, but they are not absolute.

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the counting and filling device 100 counts a preset quantity while conveying tablets W (see FIGS. 5 and 9) and fills them into a container B. This counting and filling device 100 includes a storage hopper 5 for storing the tablets W, an attitude adjustment mechanism 10 for aligning and sending out the attitude of the tablets W in the storage hopper 5, a conveyor belt mechanism 20 for conveying the tablets W sent out with their attitudes aligned, and an alignment mechanism 300 for aligning the tablets W conveyed by the conveyor belt mechanism 20. Note that the counting and filling device 100 also includes a counting device 60 here, which drops the tablets W aligned by the alignment mechanism 300 from the conveyance end of the conveyor belt mechanism 20 and counts them. In addition, the counting and filling device 100 includes a mounting table 70 for mounting the container B for filling the tablets W conveyed by the conveyor belt mechanism 20 and counted by the counting device 60 while adjusting the height. Furthermore, the counting and filling device 100 includes a dust collection mechanism 80 having a dust collection hopper 81 and an internal dust collection duct 82 inside the device for sucking powder generated from the tablets W below the endless belt 21 of the conveyor belt mechanism 20 here.

[0012] The counting material to be counted by the counting and filling device 100 takes a disc-shaped tablet W as a specific example, but other types, shapes, sizes, and solid objects to be counted with surface states (coated tablets or plain tablets) are targeted. Note that for tablets W that are long in a plan view of the counting material like a capsule type and have a long shape on one side, the long shape will be conveyed in a state perpendicular to the conveyance direction.

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a guide part 2 is provided on the upper surface of the body frame 1 of the counting and filling device 100, and a storage hopper 5 is arranged above the guide part 2. A conveyor belt mechanism 20 is arranged on the upper surface 3 side of the body frame 1 that is one step lower from the guide part 2, and guide frames 3A are arranged along both sides of the conveyor belt mechanism 20. Further, in the body frame 1, a mounting table 70 is arranged on the front side of the body frame 1 at a position where the tablets W fall on the conveyance end side. Also, a support table 4 that protrudes forward is arranged on the front side of the body frame 1, and an operation panel 90 for operation and monitoring is installed on the support table 4.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the storage hopper 5 stores the input tablets W and supplies the tablets W to the posture adjustment mechanism 10. This storage hopper 5 includes an input port 5a that is widely open upward, a storage part 5b that is formed by narrowing the opening area gradually downward from the input port 5a, and a drop port 5c that is formed to drop above the rotating roller 12 of the posture adjustment mechanism 10 below the storage part 5b. The passage 19 is formed so that the tablets W in a posture that meets the conditions set in advance by the rotating roller 12 of the posture adjustment mechanism 10 and the passage piece 16A can pass through. The passage 19 is set to smoothly send out the tablets W by adjusting the position of the rotating roller 12 of the posture adjustment mechanism 10 in advance via the interval adjustment mechanism 18 and arranging the passage piece 16A. After passing between the rotating rollers 12, the passage 19 is sent out to the endless belt 21 of the conveyor belt mechanism 20 along the passage piece 16A.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the posture adjustment mechanism 10 supplies the tablets W with their postures aligned and in the same posture to the endless belt 21 of the conveyor belt mechanism 20. The posture adjustment mechanism 10 includes a rotating roller 12A (first roller 12A1 and second roller 12A2) disposed on the surface plate 11a of the frame body 11 at a position below the dropping port 5c of the storage hopper 5, and a passage piece 16A (first passage piece 16A1 and second passage piece 16A2) disposed on the surface plate 11a adjacent to the lower side of the rotating roller 12A, which constitutes a passage 19. And at least one of the first roller 12A1 and the second roller 12A2 rotates via a drive transmission mechanism 10A. Further, the posture adjustment mechanism 10 is installed such that the interval between the first roller 12A1 and the second roller 12A can be freely approximated and separated by an interval adjustment mechanism 18 along the long hole 11b formed in the surface plate 11a. Also, at least one of the first passage piece 16A1 and the second passage piece 16A2 is detachably magnetically attached to the surface plate 11a. Here, both the first passage piece 16A1 and the second passage piece 16A2 are configured to be magnetically attached to the surface plate 11a.

[0016] The frame body 11 is for arranging the posture adjustment mechanism 10, the interval adjustment mechanism 18, the drive transmission mechanism 10A, and the support portion 11A below the storage hopper 5. The frame body 11 is formed, for example, in a housing shape made of metal. On the front side of the surface plate 11a of the frame body 11, the rotating roller 12 and the passage piece 16A that form the passage 19 of the posture adjustment mechanism 10 are arranged. Also, on the back side of the surface plate 11a of the frame body 11, the drive transmission mechanism 10A and the interval adjustment mechanism 18 are arranged, and the operation knob of the interval adjustment mechanism 18 protrudes to the outside from the side surface of the frame body 11. Further, the frame body 11 is arranged to cover the first support portion 11A1 and the second support portion 11A2 which are the support portions 11A.

[0017] The interval adjustment mechanism 18 includes an operation knob 18A1 protruding from the side surface of the frame body 11, a feed screw 18A2 continuous with the operation knob 18A1, a fixing portion 18A3 that rotatably fixes the feed screw 18A2 to the first support portion 11A1, and a screw receiving portion 18A5 fixed to the second support portion 11A2 and rotatably supporting the feed screw. The fixing portion 18A3 has a female screw portion that engages with the screw portion 18A4 of the feed screw 18A2. The interval adjustment mechanism 18 also has a linear guide 18B arranged along the feed screw 18A2. As an example, here, linear guides are arranged parallel to the feed screw 18A2 on both sides of the feed screw 18A2. Note that the linear guide has a first linear guide 18B1 and a second linear guide 18B2 arranged thereon. Therefore, by rotating the operation knob 18A1, the interval adjustment mechanism 18 rotates the feed screw 18A2, and due to the rotation of this feed screw, the first support portion 11A1 can move so as to approach or separate from the second support portion 11A2 while being guided by the linear guide 18B. By moving the first support portion 11A1, the interval between the first roller 12A1 and the second roller 12A2 can be adjusted. Note that the first passage piece 16A1 and the second passage piece 16A2 can be adjusted in interval by an operator manually positioning and magnetically attaching them below the first roller 12A1 and the second roller 12A2.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the posture adjustment mechanism 10 aligns the postures of the tablets W descending from the storage hopper 5 and sends them out to the endless belt 21 through the passage 19. As an example, the posture adjustment mechanism 10 uses the rotating roller 12A and the passage piece 16A as the passage 19 to align the tablets W in the same posture and send them out to the endless belt 21. The posture adjustment mechanism 10 includes the rotating roller 12A and the passage piece 16A, and a drive transmission mechanism 10A. Note that the drive transmission mechanism 10A rotates the rotating roller 12A through a plurality of gears that transmit the driving force from the drive source.

[0019] As an example, the drive transmission mechanism 10A includes a first gear 13A1 attached to the first roller shaft 12B1 of the first roller 12A1, a second gear 13A2 attached to the second roller shaft 12B2 of the second roller 12A2, a first cooperation gear 15A1 engaged with the first gear 13A1, a second cooperation gear 15A2 engaged with the second gear 13A2 and also engaged with the first cooperation gear 15A1, a transmission gear 17A3 engaged with the second gear 13A2 to transmit the driving force from the drive source, a first engagement plate 14A1 attached to the first roller shaft 12B1 so as to rotate at a predetermined angle and supporting the rotation shaft 15B1 of the first cooperation gear 15A1, a second engagement plate 14A2 attached to the second roller shaft 12B2 so as to rotate at a predetermined angle and supporting the rotation shaft 15B2 of the second cooperation gear 15A2, and a connecting member 15C connecting the two rotation shafts 15B1 and 15B2.

[0020] The drive transmission mechanism 10A rotates the first gear 13A1 and the second gear 13A2 via the transmission gear 17A3 and the cooperation gears 15A with the drive shaft of the drive motor as the drive source. The drive transmission mechanism 10A rotates the first roller 12A1 and the second roller 12A2 by rotating the first gear 13A1 and the second gear 13A2. Note that the first roller 12A1 rotates counterclockwise and the second roller 12A2 rotates clockwise. The transmission gear 17A3 includes one or more gears and transmits the driving force from the drive source to the first roller 12A1 and the second roller 12A2. As an example, here, the transmission gear 17A3 includes a first transmission gear 17A1 engaged with the second gear 13A2 and a second transmission gear 17A2 engaged with the first transmission gear 17A1. And the second transmission gear 17A2 is attached to the drive shaft of the drive source.

[0021] Further, the first coupling gear 15A1 is supported by a rotating shaft 15B1 rotatably disposed on the first engaging plate 14A1. And the first engaging plate 14A1 is disposed rotatably within a predetermined angle range about the first roller shaft 12B1. Similarly, the second coupling gear 15A2 is supported by a rotating shaft 15B2 rotatably disposed on the second engaging plate 14A2. And the second engaging plate 14A2 is disposed rotatably within a predetermined angle range about the second roller shaft 12B2. Further, the rotating shaft 15B1 of the first coupling gear 15A1 and the rotating shaft 15B2 of the second coupling gear 15A2 are connected by a connecting member 15C. The connecting member 15C is set to a length that can maintain the engagement state between the first coupling gear 15A1 and the second coupling gear 15A2 even when the first support portion 11A1 moves and the distance between the first coupling gear 15A1 and the second coupling gear 15A2 changes. The connecting member 15C is formed, for example, in a plate shape and is rotatably attached to the two rotating shafts 15B1 and 15B2.

[0022] Therefore, even when the first support portion 11A1 moves closer to the second support portion 11A2 so as to change from the state of FIG. 7A to the state of FIG. 7B, the engagement state of the first coupling gear 15A1 and the second coupling gear 15A2 does not change. That is, when the first support portion 11A1 moves by the interval adjustment mechanism 18, the interval between the first roller 12A1 and the second roller 12A2 changes. At this time, the engagement state of the first coupling gear 15A1 and the second coupling gear 15A2 is always kept constant by the connecting member 15C. This is because when the first support portion 11A1 moves in the direction approaching the second support portion 11A2, the first engaging plate 14A1 and the second engaging plate 14A2 rotate at a predetermined angle about the first roller shaft 12B1 and the second roller shaft 12B2, respectively. And the first engaging plate 14A1 and the second engaging plate 14A2 change their postures so that the inclination angle becomes larger (in the direction approaching the vertical direction). Thus, even if the postures of the first engaging plate 14A1 and the second engaging plate 14A2 change, the first coupling gear 15A1 and the second coupling gear 15A2 can transmit the driving force from the transmission gear 17A3 because the connecting member 15C always maintains the state of engaging the first coupling gear 15A1 and the second coupling gear 15A2.

[0023] Further, when the first support portion 11A1 moves from the state of FIG. 7B to the state of FIG. 7A, the first cooperation gear 15A1 and the second cooperation gear 15A2 are as follows. That is, when the first support portion 11A1 moves so as to be separated from the second support portion 11A2, the first engagement plate 14A1 and the second engagement plate 14A2 rotate at a predetermined angle around the first roller shaft 12B1 and the second roller shaft 12B2, respectively, so as to be in a posture approaching the horizontal state. Then, the first engagement plate 14A1 and the second engagement plate 14A2 change their postures so that the inclination angle becomes smaller (in the direction approaching the horizontal direction). Thus, even if the postures of the first engagement plate 14A1 and the second engagement plate 14A2 change, the first cooperation gear 15A1 and the second cooperation gear 15A2 can transmit the driving force from the transmission gear 17A3 because the connecting member 15C always maintains the state of engaging the first cooperation gear 15A1 and the second cooperation gear 15A2. Note that the first roller 12A1 projects the first roller shaft 12B1 from the surface plate 11a of the frame body 11, but since the long hole 11b is formed along the moving direction in the surface plate 11a, it can move.

[0024] Since the first support portion 11A1 is in a state where the first roller shaft 12B1 can move along the long hole 11b by the operation of the interval adjustment mechanism 18, it can move in the direction approaching the second support portion 11A2 or in the direction separated from the second support portion 11A2. This operation is for the operator to adjust the width of the passage 19 according to the size and shape of the tablet W. By performing such an operation, the posture adjustment mechanism 10 can align the postures of the tablets W falling from the storage hopper 5 to be the same according to the size and shape of the tablets W through the passage 19 and send them out to the endless belt 21. Note that the diameters of a plurality of gears are appropriately adjusted so that the rotation speeds of the first roller 12A1 and the second roller 12A2, which are the rotating rollers 12A, are substantially the same. Further, the rotating roller 12A is configured such that a spiral groove is formed on the roller surface to easily change the posture of the tablet W whose posture is not adjusted.

[0025] Further, a monitoring sensor capable of monitoring the tablets W on the endless belt 21 may be arranged on the frame body 11. When the density of the tablets W supplied in an aligned posture on the endless belt 21 is high or the flow is slow, the rotation of the rotary roller 12A is stopped by stopping the operation of the drive source of the rotary roller 12A according to the signal from the monitoring sensor of the posture adjustment mechanism 10, so that the supply of the tablets W to the endless belt 21 is temporarily stopped or decreased. Further, the posture adjustment mechanism 10 resumes the drive of the drive source of the rotary roller 12A when it is known from a signal from the monitoring sensor that a state where the density of the tablets W is too high or the flow is slow has been eliminated, or when a certain period of time has elapsed, and aligns the postures of the tablets W by the rotary roller 12A and supplies the tablets W to the endless belt 21 again.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 8, the conveyor belt mechanism 20 receives the tablets W with aligned postures and conveys the received tablets W to the conveying end. This conveyor belt mechanism 20 includes a mesh-shaped endless belt 21, a first rotating shaft 22 arranged on the conveyance terminal side of the endless belt 21, a second rotating shaft 23 arranged on the conveyance start end side of the endless belt 21, a drive unit 24 that rotates the first rotating shaft 22 and the second rotating shaft 23, and a bearing 25 for the second rotation at a position facing the drive unit 24. Here, the drive unit 24 rotates the first rotating shaft 22 and the second rotating shaft 23 with the endless belt 21 functioning as a drive belt. The endless belt 21 is formed into an endless shape by connecting the belt-shaped ends formed in a mesh shape of metal or resin. The size of the mesh of this endless belt 21 is formed smaller than the diameter of the tablets W. It is desirable that the endless belt 21 is formed with a mesh size capable of maintaining the posture of the tablets W when the tablets W are placed on the belt surface.

[0027] The endless belt 21 includes a central belt placement surface 21A for placing and conveying the tablets W, and belt covering surfaces 21B without meshes on both end sides of the belt placement surface 21A. And, directly below the endless belt 21, a dust collection hopper 81 of a dust collection mechanism 80 described later is disposed opposite thereto, so that the powder generated when conveying the tablets W can be collected. When the suction operation of the dust collection mechanism 80 is being performed, the tablets W placed on the endless belt 21 are in a state of being sucked toward the endless belt 21 side and their postures are maintained.

[0028] The first rotating shaft 22 alternately includes a belt contact shaft portion 22a having a large diameter that contacts the endless belt 21 and a small-diameter shaft portion 22b having a small diameter that does not contact the endless belt 21. The belt contact shaft portions 22a are arranged at the center in the width direction of the endless belt 21 and at both ends in the width direction, and the small-diameter shaft portions 22b are arranged between the belt contact shaft portions 22a. The position of the small-diameter shaft portion 22b corresponds to the position where the rows of the tablets W are adjusted and aligned by the endless belt 21. That is, the tablets W conveyed by the endless belt 21 are, here as an example, aligned in two rows by the alignment mechanism 300 and conveyed to the conveyance end. And the position of the small-diameter shaft portion 22b is installed so as to correspond to the positions of the two rows. Also, the second rotating shaft 23 is formed with the same diameter and is formed so as to contact in the width of the endless belt 21. As an example, a tension roller may be installed between the first rotating shaft 22 and the second rotating shaft 23 so that the belt does not slacken. Also, the first rotating shaft 22 and the second rotating shaft 23 are respectively rotatably supported by bearings 25 and 27 disposed on the guide frame 3A.

[0029] Furthermore, the drive unit 24 uses a drive motor such as a servo motor used in this type of configuration. The drive unit 24 engages with the second rotating shaft 23 and rotates the second rotating shaft 23 to feed the endless belt 21 in the conveying direction, and is configured such that the first rotating shaft 22 is driven as the endless belt 21 moves in the conveying direction. The endless belt 21 has belt covering surfaces 21B that are resin surfaces at predetermined widths on both ends of the belt placement surface 21A at the center thereof. These belt covering surfaces 21B increase the adhesion with the first rotating shaft 22 and the second rotating shaft 23 to prevent idling, and also make it easier for the dust collection force from the dust collection mechanism 80 to be exerted on the central belt placement surface 21A. The drive unit 24 is configured such that, immediately before the counting device 60 counts a preset number of tablets W and reaches the set number, the rotation of the drive motor of the drive unit 24 is gradually reduced via the control device by a signal from the counting device 60 to be described later. By gradually reducing the rotation of the drive motor, it becomes easier to count the preset number of tablets W and store them in the container B.

[0030] Also, as shown in FIG. 9, it is preferable to have a conveying path cover 26 disposed above the endless belt 21 so as to be close thereto without contacting the tablets W from directly below the rotating roller 12A of the posture adjustment mechanism 10 to the position of the passage regulating body 30 of the aligning mechanism 300. This conveying path cover 26 is disposed at a height from the endless belt 21 such that the tablets W cannot be stacked with a thickness of two. Further, the conveying path cover 26 is desirably formed of a translucent resin or glass so that the state of the tablets W can be confirmed. Furthermore, the conveying path cover 26 is formed so as to also cover above the two first alignment passages R1 and the second alignment passage R2 formed by the passage regulating body 30 here. That is, the conveying path cover 26 is formed to have a size that covers the entire belt placement surface on which the tablets W are placed in the range up to the passage regulating body 30, and is formed to have a size corresponding to the passage width at the positions of the first alignment passage R1 and the second alignment passage R2 of the passage regulating body 30. Although the conveying path cover 26 is shown in the drawing as covering the range up to the middle of the passage regulating body 30, it may be formed to cover the upper surface up to the conveying end of the tablets W.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 10, the dust collection mechanism 80 sucks, collects, and removes wear powder and the like from the tablets W. The dust collection mechanism 80 includes a dust collection hopper 81 disposed to face the lower side of the endless belt 21, and an internal dust collection duct 82 connected to the dust collection hopper 81. The internal dust collection duct 82 is connected to a dust collection motor 84 installed outside the apparatus via an external duct 83. When the dust collection motor 84 of the dust collection mechanism 80 sucks and collects dust, the tablets W placed on the endless belt 21 are always biased downward (in the suction direction). The tablets W are easily maintained in an aligned state by being sucked onto the belt placement surface of the endless belt 21. The first rotation shaft 22 of the endless belt 21 is arranged such that the upper hopper end 81a on one side of the dust collection hopper 81 covers from below up to the center height of the belt contact shaft portion 22a. Therefore, since the suction of the tablets W placed and conveyed on the belt placement surface of the endless belt 21 is released at the position of the upper hopper end 81a, even if the conveyance speed is somewhat high, they will be sent downward in the direction of falling together with their own weight. The dust collection motor 84 is, for example, a vacuum motor or the like that is used for suction when collecting dust. The dust collection motor 84 is installed outside the counting and filling device 100 and is set to connect the external duct 83 to the internal dust collection duct 82 to collect the powder of the tablets W outside the apparatus.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 9, 11 to 15, the alignment mechanism 300 aligns the tablets W conveyed with their postures aligned into a preset number of rows on the endless belt 21. The alignment mechanism 300 includes a passage regulating body 30 disposed to face the endless belt 21 with its long side facing the conveyance direction, a support portion 40 that supports the passage regulating body 30 from above, and a moving mechanism 50 that moves the support portion 40 within a preset moving range in the conveyance direction and the direction opposite to the conveyance direction. It is preferable that a conveyance guide 7 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) for guiding the rows of the tablets W is provided at one end on the conveyance end side of the passage regulating body 30 of the alignment mechanism 300. The passage regulating body 30 is continuously formed to have a length exceeding the conveyance end of the endless belt 21 from the start end of passage of the tablets W (the ends of the guide portions 32d, 33d, 34d have a length exceeding the conveyance end).

[0033] As an example of a configuration including a plurality, the passage restricting body 30 is formed by a central restricting body 31 and side restricting bodies 32 and 33 disposed on both sides of the central restricting body 31 so as to arrange a first alignment passage R1 and a second alignment passage R2 through which the tablets W pass in an aligned manner. The central restricting body 31 is formed in a long rectangular parallelepiped shape, and includes an inclined portion 31c that inclines from the center toward both side surfaces in a plan view at one end of the long main body portion. Further, the central restricting body 31 forms a recess 31a from the upper surface to the lower surface in a part thereof, and installs magnets 31b at two locations in the recess 31a. One side surface and one inclined portion 31c of the central restricting body 31 constitute one side surface forming the first alignment passage R1. And the other side surface and the other inclined portion 31c of the central restricting body 31 constitute one side surface forming the second alignment passage R2.

[0034] Also, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the other end of the central restricting body 31 is formed to extend to the conveyance end side of the tablet W. That is, the other end of the central restricting body 31 is continuous to the conveyance end side (length exceeding the conveyance end) of the tablet W so as to function as a guide portion 31d. This guide portion 31d is formed to have a length capable of guiding the tablet W until it falls from the conveyance end when the central restricting body 31 moves back and forth as described later. Further, the guide portion 31d is formed to have a thickness thicker than the tablet W from the upper surface of the endless belt 21 in the posture when the tablet W is conveyed. Therefore, the tablet W can be guided in the conveyance direction by the side surface of the guide portion 31d.

[0035] The side regulating body 32 is formed in a long rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is provided with an inclined portion 32c formed at one end of the main body portion so as to be an inclined surface from one side surface (outer side surface) toward the other side surface (inner side surface). Further, the side regulating body 32 continues to the conveyance end side of the tablet W (a length exceeding the conveyance end) so that the other end functions as a guide portion 32d. The guide portion 32d is formed to have a length capable of guiding the tablet W until it drops from the conveyance end when the side regulating body 32 moves back and forth as described later. Furthermore, the side regulating body 32 forms concave grooves 32a penetrating both side surfaces in the width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction in a part thereof. And magnets 32b are provided at two locations on the groove bottom surface of the concave groove 32a. The side regulating body 32 constitutes one side surface of the side regulating body 32 and the inclined portion 32c and the other side surface forming the first alignment passage R1 with one side of the central regulating body 31.

[0036] The side regulating body 33 is formed in a long rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is provided with an inclined portion 33c formed at one end portion of the main body portion so as to be an inclined surface from one side surface (outer side surface) toward the other side surface (inner side surface). Further, the side regulating body 33 continues to the conveyance end side of the tablet W (a length exceeding the conveyance end) so that the other end functions as a guide portion 33d. The guide portion 33d is formed to have a length capable of guiding the tablet W until it drops from the conveyance end when the side regulating body 33 moves back and forth as described later. Furthermore, the side regulating body 33 forms concave grooves 33a penetrating both side surfaces in the width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction in a part thereof. And magnets 33b are provided at two locations on the groove bottom surface of the concave groove 33a. The side regulating body 33 constitutes one side surface of the side regulating body 33 and the inclined portion 33c and the other side surface forming the second alignment passage R2 with the other side of the central regulating body 31.

[0037] The central regulating body 31, and the side regulating bodies 32 and 33 are arranged such that the inclined portions 31c, 32c, and 33c face one end on the side that receives the tablet W. Therefore, the first alignment passage R1 is formed by the central regulating body 31 and the side regulating body 32, with the passage on the receiving port side leading to the first alignment passage R1 being widened by one inclined portion 31c of the central regulating body 31 and the inclined portion 32c of the side regulating body 32, and gradually aligned to form a single row. Also, the second alignment passage R2 is formed by the central regulating body 31 and the side regulating body 33, with the passage on the receiving port side leading to the other side of the second alignment passage R2 being widened by the other inclined portion 31c of the central regulating body 31 and the inclined portion 33c of the side regulating body 33, and gradually aligned to form a single row.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the central regulating body 31, and the side regulating bodies 32 and 33 are each detachably supported by a support portion 40. The support portion 40 includes a central support portion 41, and side support portions 42 and 43 disposed on both sides thereof, and is held by a moving mechanism 50 via a support housing 44. The central support portion 41, and the side support portions 42 and 43 are formed in the same shape and from the same material. That is, the central support portion 41 and the side support portions 42 and 43 include metal magnetic attachment portions 41a, 42a, and 43a sized to fit into the concave portion 31a and the concave grooves 32a and 33a respectively, and support columns 41b, 42b, and 43b provided on the upper surfaces of the metal magnetic attachment portions 41a, 42a, and 43a. And the support columns 41b, 42b, and 43b are held by the moving mechanism 50 described later. The moving mechanism 50 is installed in a support mechanism (not shown) including a support housing 44 having a guide hole 45 formed to move within a preset range when moving the support columns 41b, 42b, and 43b, and a mounting plate 46 for attaching bearings 47 (47A, 47B, 47C) provided on the upper side of the support housing 44. Further, the support mechanism is installed on the upper surface 3 of the body frame 1 so as to straddle an endless belt 21 via a support member (not shown).

[0039] Each of the metal magnetic attachment parts 41a, 42a, and 43a of the central support part 41 and the side support parts 42 and 43 fits into the recess 31a of the central regulating body 31 and the concave grooves 32a and 33a of the side regulating bodies 32 and 33, and is magnetically attached to the respective magnets 31b, 32b, and 33b, thereby supporting the central regulating body 31 and the side regulating bodies 32 and 33. Each of the metal magnetic attachment parts 41a, 42a, and 43a is connected to and held by the moving mechanism 50 via the respective support columns 41b, 42b, and 43b. Further, each of the support columns 41b, 42b, and 43b is held by the holding parts 51A, 51B, and 51C of the moving mechanism 50 in a state of being inserted through the guide holes 45 provided in the bottom plate of the support housing 44. The support columns 41b, 42b, and 43b are adapted to move via the moving mechanism 50 within the range of the longitudinal direction of the guide holes 45 along the guide holes 45 which are long holes. Therefore, along with the movement of the support columns 41b, 42b, and 43b, the central regulating body 31 and the side regulating bodies 32 and 33 can move back and forth along the conveying direction of the tablet W within a preset range. Note that the description of the moving states of the central regulating body 31 and the side regulating bodies 32 and 33 will be given later.

[0040] Also, the central regulating body 31 and the side regulating bodies 32 and 33 are magnetically attached to the metal magnetic attachment parts 41a, 42a, and 43a by the magnet 31b in the recess 31a or the magnets 32b and 33b in the concave grooves 32a and 33a, respectively. Therefore, the central regulating body 31 and the side regulating bodies 32 and 33 can adjust the magnetic attachment positions corresponding to the size of the counting material by adjusting the distance between them. That is, the position of the side regulating bodies 32 and 33 with respect to the central regulating body 31 can be freely adjusted, and the passage widths of the first alignment passage R1 and the second alignment passage R2 can be freely set according to the size of the tablet W. Then, when performing the counting filling of tablets (counting materials) W of different sizes, the passage regulating body 30 does not need to be replaced with a separate unit for corresponding to the size, so it has further excellent versatility and also facilitates parts management.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the moving mechanism 50 includes a holding portion 51 (51A, 51B, 51C) that holds the support portion 40 via a guide hole 45, which is a long hole formed according to the moving range, a groove portion 52 (52A, 52B, 52C) formed on the upper surface of the holding portion 51, a guide portion 53 (53A, 53B, 53C) that moves along the groove portion 52 (52A, 52B, 52C), a crankshaft 54 (54A, 55A, 54B, 55B, 54C, 55C) having the guide portion 53 (53A, 53B, 53C), and a third drive portion 59 (59A, 59B) that rotates the crankshaft 54 via a transmission mechanism. Each of the holding portions 51A, 51B, 51C is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that forms groove portions 52A, 52B, 52C on the upper surface and holds support columns 41b, 42b, 43b on the lower surface, respectively. The holding portions 51A, 51B, 51C are arranged adjacent to each other such that the groove portions 52A, 52B, 52C are linearly aligned, and are slidably installed on the bottom plate of the support housing 44 along the guide hole 45.

[0042] The guide parts 53A, 53B, and 53C are engaged with the groove parts 52A, 52B, and 52C of the holding parts 51A, 51B, and 51C, respectively, and are provided so as to be movable along the groove parts 52A, 52B, and 52C. The guide parts 53A, 53B, and 53C are formed in a cylindrical shape or a tubular shape, and are provided at the crank parts 54A, 54B, and 54C of the respective crank shafts 54. The crank parts 54A, 54B, and 54C are continuously provided on the shaft parts 55A, 55B, and 55C, respectively. And the crank parts 54A, 54B, and 54C are provided on the upper surface and the lower surface of the rectangular parallelepiped-shaped crank part so that the guide parts 53A, 53B, and 53C and the shaft parts 55A, 55B, and 55C are not opposed to each other. The shaft parts 55A, 55B, and 55C are rotatably supported by the bearings 47A, 47B, and 47C of the mounting plate 46 provided on the support housing 44. The shaft parts 55A, 55B, and 55C are provided so as to rotate by the driving force from the third driving part 59 via a transmission mechanism on the upper end side thereof. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the positions of the groove part 52A of the guide part 53A and the positions of the groove parts 52B and 52C of the guide parts 53B and 53C are arranged so that the left and right are opposite.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 10, the third driving part 59 includes a driving motor 59B and a driving shaft 59A of the driving motor 59B. And the third driving part 59 arranges the driving shaft 59A and the shaft part 55A so as to be on the same axis. Further, the driving shaft 59A is configured to rotate the shaft parts 55A, 55B, and 55C via a pulley of the transmission mechanism and a third driving belt. The transmission mechanism includes pulleys 56A1, 56A2, 56B, and 56C provided on the upper end sides of the shaft parts 55A, 55B, and 55C, a driving belt 57 (third driving belt) wound around the pulley 56A1 and the pulley 56B, and a driving belt 58 (third driving belt) wound around the pulley 56A2 and the pulley 56C. And the pulleys 56A1 and 56A2 are installed so as to rotate coaxially with the driving shaft 59A.

[0044] Therefore, the passage regulating body 30 performs the following operations by the moving mechanism 50. When the third drive unit 59 of the moving mechanism 50 is driven, the drive shaft 59A is rotated, and the crankshaft 54 is rotated via the transmission mechanism. When the crankshaft 54 rotates, it is moved along a constant circular orbit while reciprocating the guide portion 53 provided at the tip along the groove portion 52 of the holding portion 51. The guide portions 53 are such that the central guide portion 53A and the left and right guide portions 53B and 53C are installed at positions 180 degrees different from each other in advance. Therefore, in order for the guide portions 53A, 53B, and 53C to move along the groove portion 52 so as to draw a circular orbit, as shown in FIGS. 15(a), (b), (c), and (d), the central holding portion 51A first moves backward, then continues to move forward, and the left and right holding portions 51B and 51C first move forward and then continue to move backward. Then, the holding portions 51A, 51B, and 51C continuously perform the operation.

[0045] The forward and backward movement of the holding portions 51A, 51B, and 51C is restricted in the longitudinal direction of the guide hole 45 because the support columns 42A, 42B, and 42C respectively held in the guide holes 45 of the support housing 44 are inserted therethrough. The central restricting body 31 supported by the holding portion 51A via the support portion 40 moves continuously backward and then forward as described above along with the operations of the holding portion 51 and the support portion 40, and continues its reciprocating operation. Also, the side restricting bodies 32 and 33 supported by the holding portions 51B and 51C via the support portion 40 continue their reciprocating operations of moving continuously forward and then backward as described above. Therefore, the holding portion 51 moves the central holding portion 51A and the left and right holding portions 51B and 51C alternately back and forth in a staggered manner, and the central restricting body 31 and the side restricting bodies 32 and 33 alternately move back and forth in a staggered manner.

[0046] In addition, when the central regulating body 31 and the side regulating bodies 32 and 33 move back and forth, the first alignment passage R1 and the second alignment passage R2 for the tablets W are formed up to the conveyance end of the tablets W by the guide portions 31d, 32d, and 33d that are the other ends respectively. Then, by arranging the guide portions 31d and 32d and the guide portions 31d and 33d to face each other, even when the central regulating body 31 and the side regulating bodies 32 and 33 move back and forth, the tablets W can be guided without deviating from the first alignment passage R1 and the second alignment passage R2 to the conveyance end.

[0047] The alignment mechanism 300 aligns the tablets W conveyed by the endless belt 21 into two rows by alternately moving the central regulating body 31 and the side regulating bodies 32 and 33 back and forth by the moving mechanism 50. As shown in FIG. 10, the tablets W aligned in two rows by the alignment mechanism 300 are guided by the conveyance guide 7 to the conveyance end of the endless belt 21, conveyed, the suction is released, and then they fall by their own weight, are counted, and are stored in the storage bottle. That is, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the first rotating shaft 22 of the conveyance belt mechanism 20 is formed corresponding to the positions of two rows where the small-diameter shaft portions 22b are aligned, and the hopper upper end portion 81a of the dust collecting hopper 81 is formed up to the center of the second rotating shaft 23. Therefore, the suction of the tablets W is released in the vicinity of the hopper upper end portion 81a, and the tablets W fall within the range of a preset orbit due to the position of the curved surface of the endless belt 21 and their own weight.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the counting device 60 counts the tablets W that are conveyed and sent out. This counting device 60 is arranged for each row of tablets W to be aligned, and uses an optical sensor that can judge and count the state where the light is blocked when the tablets W fall. Therefore, the counting device 60 here includes a first counting device 61 that counts the tablets W from the first alignment passage R1, and a second counting device 62 that counts the tablets W from the second alignment passage R2. The optical sensors used in the first counting device 61 and the second counting device are general sensors used when counting the tablets W. When using an optical sensor, in the light irradiation part and the light receiving part, two or more air chambers whose volume gradually decreases are arranged between the position where the tablets W fall and the light irradiation part and the light receiving part (for details, refer to Patent No. 3041343). Therefore, even when the powder generated from the tablets W is falling as the tablets W fall, it is difficult for the powder to adhere to the light receiving surface or the like, and the counting accuracy will not decrease.

[0049] The tablets W fall along a preset path and are stored in the container B placed on the placement table 70. The path along which the tablets W fall is a passage for counting the tablets W and storing them in the container B. Here, this path is formed such that the path is separated and independent from the opening for receiving the upper tablets W through the counting device 60 to the supply port supplied by the container B, and the tablets W falling from the conveying end can be stored in the container B placed on the placement table 70 and is configured in a cylindrical shape. Also, each falling path of the tablets W is provided in a tapered shape so as to gradually become narrower from top to bottom here. Note that a path switching flap (not shown in the figure) is provided in the falling path of the tablets W so that the falling tablets W can be distributed to the good product path or the defective product discharge path of the counting path. This path switching flap is configured to recognize the aligned tablets W with a camera and switch the path of the tablets W that do not meet the preset conditions under the control of the control means and exclude them. The installation position of the camera is preferably a position where the tablets W aligned by the alignment mechanism 300 can be imaged before reaching the conveying end.

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mounting table 70 for mounting the container B is installed such that the height at which the container B is mounted can be freely adjusted by a lifting mechanism provided on the lower side of the support table 4. Further, the container B is for storing a preset number of tablets W. The shape, size, material, color, etc. of this container B are not particularly limited. Note that the mounting table on which the container B is mounted may be configured such that an operator can manually replace the container B, or may be configured to move when a preset quantity (filling quantity: the numerical value to be stored in the container) is filled in conjunction with a conveyor.

[0051] The operation panel 90 is for turning on and off the power switch, inputting the type of tablet W to be counted, the conveying speed, the number to be counted, etc., and displaying the state of the tablet W photographed by a camera arranged along the conveying path. It is set so that the operation and control of the counting and filling device 100 can be performed by this operation panel 90. In the counting and filling device 100, members that directly contact the tablet W, such as the rotating roller 12A, are formed of elastic members such as silicon rubber and resin (polyacetal, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene) that are softer than metal here. Further, even a member formed of metal may be configured to coat the surface with the above-described elastic member.

[0052] Next, a counting and filling method using the counting and filling device 100 will be described with appropriate reference to a plurality of drawings. The counting and filling method includes a step of aligning the postures of tablets in a storage hopper through a posture adjustment mechanism of the tablets and sending them out to a mesh endless belt of a conveyor belt mechanism (sending-out step), a step of placing the tablets sent out with aligned postures on the endless belt and conveying them, and aligning the conveyed tablets into a preset number of rows by an alignment mechanism (conveying and aligning step), and a step of dropping the aligned tablets from the conveyance end of the endless belt and counting them (counting step). And the aligning step is such that a passage restricting body of the alignment mechanism is arranged to face the endless belt and restrict the width of the passage through which the tablets pass, and while the tablets are placed on the endless belt and passed through the passage between the passage restricting bodies, one and the other of a plurality of passage restricting bodies are alternately moved in a preset range in a direction opposite to the tablet conveyance direction by a movement mechanism of the alignment mechanism. The counting and filling method first performs a step of loading tablets W (loading step). The loading step is a step of loading the tablets W to be counted into the storage hopper 5. In this step, the tablets W are loaded into the storage hopper 5 by an operator or a loading device (not shown). The tablets W loaded in this step descend by their own weight from the dropping port 5c of the storage hopper 5 and drop onto the rotating roller 12A side of the posture adjustment mechanism 10.

[0053] The feeding step is a step of aligning the tablets W in a preset posture and feeding them onto the endless belt 21 of the conveyor belt mechanism 20. In this step, since the rotating roller 12A of the posture adjusting mechanism 10 rotates in the direction opposite to the fall of the tablets W, if the posture of the tablets W is not in a posture that can pass through the passage 19, the tablets W will be lifted upward by the rotating roller 12A once, and thus the orientation of the posture of the tablets W can be changed. The space between the rotating roller 12A and the passage piece 16A is such that it can pass through when in a posture within a preset thickness range. Here, the distance between the rotating roller 12A that forms the passage 19 and the passage piece 16A is set so that it can pass through within the range of the disc-shaped thickness of the tablets W. Therefore, in this step, the tablets W pass between the rotating roller 12A and the passage piece 16A in a posture where the disc-shaped plane faces each other on the conveyor belt mechanism 20, and the aligned tablets W are fed onto the endless belt 21. Incidentally, the interval between the rotating rollers 12A can be adjusted by moving the first support portion 11A1 by operating the operation knob 18A1 of the interval adjusting mechanism 18, making it possible to correspond to the size and shape of the tablets W to be handled. Also, the passage piece 16A can be adjusted in interval by repositioning it at the position of the rotating roller 12A moved by the operator's finger.

[0054] The conveying and aligning step is a step of conveying the tablets W fed out with their postures aligned on the endless belt 21 of the conveyor belt mechanism 20 toward the conveying end by the endless belt 21 and aligning them in a preset number of rows. In this step, the tablets W placed on the endless belt 21 are in a state of being attracted to the surface of the endless belt 21 by the suction of the dust collecting mechanism 80, and are conveyed while it is easier to maintain the posture of the tablets W. In this step, it is preferable to detect the conveyance state of the tablet W with a monitoring sensor and adjust the response when the density of the tablet W exceeds a preset state or when the conveyance speed of the tablet W is slower than a preset state. That is, it is preferable to send a signal to the control device by detecting the conveyance state with the monitoring sensor and control the control device to stop the rotating roller 12A of the attitude adjustment mechanism 10. When the rotating roller 12A stops, the space between the rotating roller 12A and the passage 5d is gradually blocked by the tablet W in a posture that cannot pass through the passage 5d, suppressing the delivery of the tablet W. Further, the rotating roller 12A operates according to a signal from the monitoring sensor that detects that the density and delivery speed of the tablet W have been resolved.

[0055] In this conveyance and alignment step, the tablet W is aligned and conveyed by a first alignment passage R1 formed by one side of the central regulating body 31 and the side regulating body 32 of the alignment mechanism 300, and a second alignment passage R2 formed by the other side of the central regulating body 31 and the side regulating body 33. In this conveyance and alignment step, the tablets W from the center to the left side on the endless belt 21 are guided to the first alignment passage R1 side by one inclined portion 31c of the central regulating body 31 and the inclined portion 32c of the side regulating body 32, and gradually aligned in a row. Also, in this conveyance and alignment step, the tablets W from the center to the right side on the endless belt 21 are guided to the second alignment passage R2 side by the other inclined portion 31c of the central regulating body 31 and the inclined portion 33c of the side regulating body 33, and gradually aligned in a row.

[0056] The central regulating body 31 and the side regulating bodies 32 and 33 reciprocate within a predetermined range on the upper surface of the endless belt 21 by the movement mechanism 50 alternately in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the tablets W. Therefore, in this step, the tablets W sucked onto the belt surface of the endless belt 21 can be gradually guided to either the first alignment passage R1 or the second alignment passage R2 by the movement of the central regulating body 31 and the side regulating bodies 32 and 33. Also, in this step, since the conveying path cover 26 is installed on the endless belt 21, even if the tablets W tend to overlap due to the operation of the passage regulating body 30, they are regulated by the conveying path cover 26 so that they cannot overlap. And in this conveying and aligning step, the tablets W aligned in the first alignment passage R1 and the second alignment passage R2 by the passage regulating body 30 of the aligning mechanism 300 are conveyed to the conveying end of the endless belt 21 while being guided along the guide portions 31d, 32d, and 33d.

[0057] The counting step is a step of counting the conveyed tablets W. In this step, the tablets W sent out from the conveying end fall toward the path to be counted and are counted by the counting device 60 in the falling path. In this step, since the tablets W are finally aligned in two rows on the endless belt 21, the counting device 60 counts the tablets W by the first counting device 61 and the second counting device 62. And in this step, immediately before reaching the preset quantity, a signal is sent from the counting device 60 to slow down the conveying speed of the endless belt 21 by the control device so that the preset quantity can be surely filled into the container B.

[0058] Note that the tablets W conveyed by the endless belt 21 are sucked onto the belt surface by the dust collecting mechanism 80, so their postures are not disturbed by inertia even if the conveying speed of the endless belt 21 changes. Also, when the container B is replaced, the tablets W are in a state where the conveying has stopped, but since they are still sucked onto the belt surface even when the movement stops, their postures are not disturbed. When the empty container B is replaced, a signal is sent from the sensor provided on the mounting table 70 on which the container B is mounted, and a signal is sent again to the third drive unit 59 to resume the conveying operation of the tablets W. In addition, the tablet W can be configured such that, by providing imaging means up to the conveyance end, data of the image captured by the imaging is sent to the control device so that defects such as chips in the tablet W can be judged, and the chipped tablet W can be sorted, and defective tablet W can be excluded before being stored in the container B during falling.

[0059] In the counting and filling device 100, since it operates as described above, the tablets W can be accurately counted and filled into the container B at high speed. Further, in the counting and filling device 100, since the distance between the rotating roller 12A and the passage piece 16A can be set in advance to align the postures of the tablets and convey and align them with a mesh-shaped endless belt, sugar-coated tablets with little powder, tablets that generate a lot of powder, and counting materials with different shapes but the same thickness condition can be counted and filled corresponding to versatility. In the counting and filling device 100, since the distance between the rotating rollers 12A can be freely set via the distance adjusting mechanism 18, it can further correspond to the size and shape even if the type of counting material changes. Further, since the passage restricting body 30 can change the distance between the central restricting body 31 and the side restricting bodies 32, 33, it can correspond to more types of counting materials.

[0060] In the counting and filling device 100, since the powder of the counting material can be recovered via the dust collecting mechanism 80 and the counting material being conveyed can be sucked onto the belt surface, accurate counting can be performed even if the conveyance posture is stable and the conveyance speed is high. Further, in the counting and filling device 100, since the central restricting body 31 and the side restricting bodies 32, 33 of the passage restricting body 30 alternately reciprocate in the conveyance direction and the opposite direction of the counting material, it can be gradually guided and aligned to the first alignment passage R1 and the second alignment passage R2 while contacting the counting material sucked onto the surface of the endless belt 21. Note that the counting and filling device 100 may be configured such that the number of aligned rows is one row or three or more rows. The number of aligned rows can be configured by increasing or decreasing the number of passage restricting bodies. Further, the counting and filling device 100 can count a large number of counting materials and fill them in a short time by adjusting the conveyance speed of the conveyance belt mechanism 20.

[0061] In addition, the types of counting materials, such as tablets W that can be handled by the counting and filling device 100, can be transported even if they are, for example, annular tablets or triangular dumpling-shaped tablets. Further, the counting materials are not particularly limited as long as they are items that need to be counted, such as confectionery, supplements, desiccants, mechanical parts, semiconductor parts, etc., other than tablets. If the counting material has a long shape, it is preferable that the posture adjustment mechanism passes the longitudinal direction in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and the alignment mechanism aligns and transports the longitudinal direction along the transport direction.

Explanation of Signs

[0062] 1 Body frame 2 Guide 3 Upper surface 3A Guide frame 3B Support frame 4 Support table 5 Storage hopper 5a Inlet 5b Storage part 5c Drop port 5d Passage 10 Posture adjustment mechanism 10A Drive transmission mechanism 11 Frame body 11A Support part 11a Surface plate 11b Long hole 11A1 First support part 11A2 Second support part 12A Rotating roller 12A1 First roller 12A2 Second roller 12B1 First roller shaft 12B2 Second roller shaft 13A1 First gear 13A2 Second gear 14A1 First engaging plate 14A2 Second engaging plate 15A Link gear 15A1 First link gear 15A2 Second link gear 15B1 Rotating shaft 15B2 Rotating shaft 15C Connecting member 16A Passage piece 16A1 First passage piece 16A2 Second passage piece 17A3 Transmission gear 17A1 First transmission gear 17A2 Second transmission gear 17B1 First transmission gear shaft 17B2 Second transmission gear shaft 18 Spacing adjustment mechanism 18A1 Operating knob 18A2 Feed screw 18A3 Fixed part 18A4 Threaded part 18A5 Thread receiving part 18B Linear guide 18B1 First linear guide 18B2 Second linear guide 19 Passage 20 Conveyor belt mechanism 21 Endless belt 21A Belt placement surface 21B Belt covering surface 22 First rotating shaft 22a Belt contact shaft part 22b Small diameter shaft part 23 Second rotating shaft 24 Driving part 26 Conveyor path cover 30 Passage restricting body 31 Central restricting body 31a Recess 32a, 33a Concave groove 31b, 32b, 33b Magnet 31c, 32c, 33c Inclined part 31d, 32d, 33d Guide part 32, 33 Side restricting body 40 Support part 41 Central support part 41a Metal magnetizing part 41b Support column 42 Side support part 42A Support column 44 Support housing 45 Guide hole 46 Mounting plate 47 Bearing 50 Moving mechanism 51, 51A, 51B, 51C Holding part 52, 52A, 52B, 52C Groove part 53, 53A, 53B, 53C Guide part 54 Crankshaft 54A, 54B, 54C Crank part 55A, 55B, 55C Shaft part 56A1, 56A2, 56B, 56C Pulley 57, 58 Drive belt 59 Third drive part 59A Drive shaft 59B Drive motor 60 Counting device 61 First counting device 62 Second counting device 70 Mounting table 80 Dust collecting mechanism 81 Dust collecting hopper 81a Hopper upper end part 82 Internal dust collecting duct 83 External duct 90 Operation panel 100 Counting and filling device 300 Alignment mechanism B Container R1 First alignment path R2 Second alignment path W Tablet (counting material)

Claims

1. A counting and filling device comprising: a storage hopper for storing counting materials; a posture adjustment mechanism for aligning the postures of the counting materials in the storage hopper and sending them out through a passage provided on a surface plate below the storage hopper; a conveyor belt mechanism for conveying the counting materials sent out through the passage in an aligned posture using a mesh-like endless belt; and an alignment mechanism for aligning the counting materials conveyed by the conveyor belt mechanism, wherein the counting materials aligned by the alignment mechanism are dropped from the conveying end of the endless belt and counted, the attitude adjustment mechanism is arranged to form the passage on the surface plate, and includes a first roller and a second roller supported by a support portion arranged on the inside of the surface plate, a first passage piece arranged on the surface plate adjacent to and below the first roller, and a second passage piece arranged on the surface plate adjacent to and below the second roller, At least one of the first roller and the second roller is rotated via a drive transmission mechanism, and is installed so that the distance between the first roller and the second roller can be freely adjusted along an elongated hole formed in the front plate, At least one of the first passage piece and the second passage piece is detachably magnetically attached to the front plate of the counting and filling device.

2. the drive transmission mechanism comprises a first gear attached to a first roller shaft of the first roller, a second gear attached to a second roller shaft of the second roller, a first linked gear engaging with the first gear, a second linked gear engaging with the second gear and also engaging with the first linked gear, a transmission gear engaging with the second gear to transmit a drive force from a drive source, a first engagement plate attached to the first roller shaft so as to rotate at a predetermined angle and supporting a rotation shaft of the first linked gear, a second engagement plate attached to the second roller shaft so as to rotate at a predetermined angle and supporting the rotation shaft of the second linked gear, and a connecting member connecting the two rotation shafts, the support portion includes a first support portion that supports a first roller shaft of the first roller, and a second support portion that supports a drive shaft of the drive source and a second roller shaft of the second roller, the first support portion being disposed so as to be movable toward and away from the second support portion; The counting and filling device described in claim 1, wherein the connecting member has a length such that when the first support portion moves toward or away from the second support portion, the first engaging gear and the second engaging gear are always engaged within a range in which the first engaging plate and the second engaging plate rotate at a predetermined angle.

3. The counting and filling device described in claim 2, wherein the gap adjustment mechanism for adjusting the gap between the first support portion and the second support portion comprises a feed screw arranged on the first support portion via a fixed portion, a linear guide arranged parallel to the feed screw, and an operating knob arranged at one end of the feed screw.

4. the alignment mechanism includes a plurality of path regulators arranged facing the endless belt with their long sides facing the conveying direction, a support portion supporting each of the path regulators from above, and a movement mechanism moving the support portion in the conveying direction and in a direction opposite to the conveying direction within a preset movement range; The plurality of path regulators are disposed at intervals in the width direction of the endless belt to allow the counting materials to pass therethrough, and adjacent ones of the plurality of path regulators are installed so as to move alternately in the conveying direction and the opposite direction, 2. The counting and filling device according to claim 1, wherein each of said path regulators is formed continuously over a length extending from a passage start point of said counting materials to a conveyance end point of said endless belt.

5. 5. The counting and filling device according to claim 4, wherein the first and second alignment paths through which the counting materials pass are formed by a plurality of said path regulators disposed at the center and on both sides of said center in the width direction of said endless belt.

6. A counting and filling method for counting ingredients using the counting and filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising: a step of aligning the counting materials in the storage hopper using a position adjustment mechanism and feeding the counting materials onto a mesh-like endless belt of a conveyor belt mechanism; a step of placing the counting materials sent out in a uniform position on the endless belt and transporting the counting materials, and aligning the transported counting materials in a predetermined number of rows by an alignment mechanism; and dropping the aligned counting materials from the end of the endless belt, and counting the materials. The aligning step is a counting and filling method in which path regulators of the alignment mechanism are positioned to face the endless belt and regulate the width of the path through which the counting materials pass, and a moving mechanism of the alignment mechanism alternately moves the multiple path regulators within a predetermined range in the conveying direction of the counting materials and the direction opposite to the conveying direction, while placing the counting materials on the endless belt and passing them through the passage between the path regulators.

Images