Powder molded article inspection device

Abstract

To provide a powder molded article inspection device that can perform powder removal and quality inspection of a powder molded article by a single device.SOLUTION: A powder molded article inspection device comprises: a treatment container 1 consisting of a rotating container 1a to be rotated and driven around an axis X, and a lid part 1b adapted to a front end part of the rotating container 1a in a direction of the axis X; a suction chamber 2 provided so as to cover a peripheral wall part 1a1 of the rotating container 1a provided with a lot of vent holes, from the outside, and communicating with the inside of the treatment container 1 via the vent holes of the peripheral wall part 1a1; a suction part 3 for applying an air suction force to the suction chamber 2; and an inspection part 4 having a measurement part 4a for acquiring information correlated with the quality of a powder molded article rolling inside the treatment container 1, and a determination part 4b for determining whether or not the quality of the powder molded article complies with a predetermined standard, on the basis of the information acquired by the measurement part 4a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a powder molding product inspection device that inspects the quality of powder molding products molded by a molding machine such as a powder compression molding machine, such as tablets for medicines, foods, agricultural chemicals, etc., and electronic components. [Background technology]

[0002] Powder compression molding machines (also called tablet presses or tablet presses) are used to mold powder-molded products such as pharmaceutical tablets from raw powder. As is well known, powder compression molding machines include a table with vertically extending die holes, a filling device for filling the die holes in the table with powder, and upper and lower punches for compressing the powder filled in the die holes in the table to form powder-molded products. In rotary powder compression molding machines, multiple die holes are formed along the rotational direction on the outer periphery of the turntable table, and upper and lower punches are slidably held above and below each die hole. The table and punches (upper and lower punches) are rotated together horizontally. As the table and punches (upper and lower punches) rotate, the powder filled in the die holes is compressed as the pair of upper and lower punches passes between the upper and lower rolls.

[0003] The powder molded product compressed in the die bore of the powder compression molding machine is ejected from the powder compression molding machine and sent to a subsequent process where it is subjected to various processes by the devices or equipment installed there. These processes include removing powder, such as raw material powder, adhering to the powder molded product (powder removal), inspecting the appearance and quality of the powder molded product, printing or engraving on the surface of the powder molded product, coating the powder molded product, and packaging (including containerization) of the powder molded product. Recently, an increasing number of continuous processing systems are being developed that connect devices or equipment for performing subsequent processes downstream of the powder compression molding machine, and that perform the entire process from molding the powder molded product to the subsequent processes.

[0004] For example, in Patent Document 1, a powder remover (powder remover), a metal detector, a lifting device, a printing machine, and an inspection machine are sequentially arranged downstream of a powder compression molding machine. The powder remover is a device that removes powder adhering to the surface of a powder molded product discharged from the powder compression molding machine. The metal detector is a device that detects metal pieces if they are mixed in the powder molded product. The inspection machine is a device that inspects at least one of the characteristics of the powder molded product, such as weight, thickness, density, hardness, appearance, and composition. Powder, such as raw material powder, adheres to the surface of a powder molded product immediately after molding in the powder compression molding machine. If metal detection or characteristic inspection is performed in this state in a subsequent process, the detection accuracy and inspection accuracy will be reduced. Therefore, the powder molded product discharged from the powder compression molding machine is guided to the powder remover, where the powder adhering to the surface is removed by the powder remover, and then the product is sent to the subsequent process.

[0005] Powder removers (powder removers) can be broadly divided into brush-type machines, which use a brush to remove powder adhering to the surface of powder-molded products; jet-type machines, which use compressed air to blow off powder adhering to the surface of powder-molded products; and rotating-container-type machines, which roll the powder-molded products in a rotating container to remove the powder adhering to the surface. Rotating-container-type powder removers, as described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, for example, are basically composed of a processing container that rotates around its axis, a conveying means (e.g., screw blades, spiral protrusions, spirally arranged guide plates) installed inside the processing container, and a suction means. The peripheral wall of the processing container has multiple air vents. Powder-compressed molded products supplied from one axial end of the processing container are transported by the conveying means to the other axial end while rolling within the processing container as the processing container rotates, and are sequentially discharged from the other axial end. During the transport process, the powder adhering to the surface of the powder molded product is brushed off within the processing vessel and is discharged to the outside of the processing vessel through the ventilation holes in the peripheral wall by the suction force of the suction means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-164786 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3193943 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-41241 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] When inspecting the quality (e.g., ingredient content, dispersibility, weight, density, porosity, moisture content, and foreign matter contamination) of powder-molded products produced by a powder compression molding machine, conventional continuous processing equipment requires a powder removal machine upstream of a quality inspection machine. The powder removal machine removes powder adhering to the surface of the powder-molded product, and the product is then transported to a downstream quality inspection machine for quality inspection. Thus, conventional continuous processing equipment requires both a powder removal machine and a quality inspection machine, which complicates the processing equipment's structure. Furthermore, as the powder-molded product discharged from the powder removal machine is transported to the quality inspection machine, powder remaining in the transport path may adhere to the surface of the powder-molded product, reducing the reliability of the quality inspection performed by the quality inspection machine.

[0008] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention has as its technical object to provide a powder molding product inspection device that can perform powder removal and quality inspection of powder molding products in a single device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a powder molding inspection device that removes powder adhering to the surface of a powder molding and inspects the quality of the powder molding, and includes: a processing container having a peripheral wall portion with a large number of air vents, at least a portion of which is rotated around an axis while containing a predetermined amount of powder molding; a suction chamber that is arranged to cover the peripheral wall portion with the air vents from the outside and communicates with the inside of the processing container via the air vents; a suction unit that applies air suction force to the suction chamber; a measuring unit that acquires information correlated to the quality of the powder molding product rolling inside the processing container; and an inspection unit that has a judgment unit that judges whether the quality of the powder molding product conforms to a predetermined standard based on the information acquired by the measuring unit.

[0010] In the above configuration, the quality of the powder molded product includes the active ingredient content, additive ingredient content (fillers, lubricants, binders, disintegrants, etc.), ingredient identification, dispersibility, segregation, disintegrability, weight, density, porosity, moisture content, foreign matter contamination, surface condition, etc. Information correlated with the quality of the powder molded product includes the spectrum of light or electromagnetic waves transmitted through or reflected by the powder molded product, light intensity, optical images of the powder molded product, etc. The measurement unit also includes spectroscopic sensors such as near-infrared spectroscopic sensors, mid-infrared spectroscopic sensors, and Raman spectroscopic sensors, optical sensors such as laser sensors and CCD cameras, and X-ray sensors. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the powder molding product inspection device of the present invention, it is possible to provide a powder molding product inspection device that can perform powder removal and quality inspection of powder molding products using a single device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an inspection device for powder molded products, as viewed obliquely from the front. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the powder molding product inspection device taken along the axis X direction. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a view of the powder molding product inspection device as seen from the rear side. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the state when tablets are discharged from the inside of the processing container. [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a continuous processing apparatus in which a powder molding product inspection device according to an embodiment is connected downstream of a rotary powder compression molding machine. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a flowchart showing a processing flow according to the configuration example of FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] 1 to 4 are diagrams conceptually illustrating a powder molding product inspection device according to this embodiment. The powder molding product inspection device according to this embodiment is a device that combines the function of removing powder, such as raw material powder, adhering to the surface of a powder molding product with the function of inspecting the quality of the powder molding product. The powder molding product is, for example, a pharmaceutical tablet T molded by a rotary powder compression molding machine or the like. Here, the left side of the direction of axis X in the paper plane of FIGS. 2 and 4 is the front, and the right side is the rear.

[0015] The powder molding product inspection device of this embodiment is configured with the following basic components: a processing container 1 having a peripheral wall portion with a large number of air vents, at least a portion of which is rotated around an axis X while containing a predetermined amount (predetermined number: multiple) of tablets T; a suction chamber 2; a suction section 3 that applies air suction force to the suction chamber 2; and an inspection section 4 that inspects the quality of the tablets T.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the processing vessel 1 is composed of a rotary vessel 1a that is driven to rotate around an axis X, and a lid portion 1b that fits onto one end (here, the “front end”) of the rotary vessel 1a in the axis X direction.

[0017] The rotary container 1a has one end in the direction of its axis X (herein referred to as the "front end"), the other end in the direction of axis X (herein referred to as the "rear end"), a peripheral wall portion 1a1 between the front end and the rear end, and a hollow shaft portion 1a2 extending rearward along the axis X from the periphery of the rear end. The front end of the rotary container 1a is open, and the rear end is closed, with a plane including the front end and a plane including the rear end each perpendicular to the axis X. All or a portion of the rear end, for example, the central region of the rear end, is made of a light-transmitting member 1a3 made of transparent glass or transparent resin. In addition, a flange 1a4 is provided that protrudes radially outward from the periphery of the front end, and a sliding ring 1a5 is fixed to the rear surface of the flange 1a4. The peripheral wall portion 1a1 is formed of a perforated plate in the shape of a conical or polygonal conical cylinder whose diameter gradually increases from the rear end to the front end, and has numerous ventilation holes. The ventilation holes are large enough to prevent tablets T from passing through.

[0018] The rotating vessel 1a is rotatably mounted on the main wall F1 of the equipment frame F with its axis X inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the horizontal. The main wall F1 is inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the horizontal, and with the rotating vessel 1a mounted, a plane including the front surface of the main wall F1 is perpendicular to the axis X of the rotating vessel 1a. The rotating vessel 1a passes through an opening F11 in the main wall F1, and a sliding ring 1a5 fixed to the rear surface of a flange 1a4 at the front end thereof slides against the front surface of the main wall F1 along the periphery of the opening F11. The shaft 1a2 of the rotating vessel 1a is connected to an appropriate rotation drive mechanism D on the rear side of the main wall F1. 3, the rotation drive mechanism D can be composed of a sprocket D1 connected to the shaft 1a2, a sprocket D2 rotatably attached to the rear surface of the main wall F1, a chain D3 (partially not shown) wound around the sprockets D1 and D2, and an electric motor D4 connected to the sprocket D2. When the electric motor D4 rotates, its rotational power is transmitted to the shaft 1a2 via the sprockets D1, D2 and the chain D3, thereby rotating the rotary vessel 1a.

[0019] The cover 1b has a main portion 1b1 having a conical or polygonal conical cylindrical shape whose diameter gradually decreases from the rear to the front along the axis X, a flange 1b2 protruding radially outward from the periphery of the rear end of the main portion 1b1, and an insertion port 1b3 provided at the front end of the main portion 1b1. A linear actuator 5 (a ball screw mechanism, a cam mechanism, an electric cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, an air cylinder, or the like) that operates in the direction of the axis X is attached to the flange 1b2, and the cover 1b is attached to the front side of the main wall portion F1 via the linear actuator 5 so that it can move in the axial direction X. The lid portion 1b is normally abutted against the rotary container 1a in the direction of the axis X with its rear end fitting into the front end of the rotary container 1a and its flange 1b2 in close contact with the flange 1a4 of the rotary container 1a. However, as shown in FIG. 4, when the linear actuator 5 is actuated to move the lid portion 1b forward in the direction of the axis X, the gap between the rear end of the lid portion 1b and the front end of the rotary container 1a opens (gap W).

[0020] When the rotating vessel 1a rotates, the rotating vessel 1a rotates with the flange 1a4 and the sliding ring 1a5 sandwiched between the flange 1b2 of the lid portion 1b and the main wall portion F1 on both sides in the direction of the axis X. At this time, the front surface of the flange 1a4 is in sliding contact with the rear surface of the flange 1b2 of the lid portion 1b, and the rear surface of the sliding ring 1a5 is in sliding contact with the front surface of the main wall portion F1. The lid portion 1b does not rotate.

[0021] In this embodiment, the suction chamber 2 is composed of an opening F11 in the main wall F1, a partition member 6 on the rear side of the main wall F1 that separates the periphery of the opening F11 from the rear end of the rotary vessel 1a, a sliding ring 1a5, a flange 1a4, and a space surrounded by the peripheral wall 1a1. The suction section 3 is composed of a suction pipe 3a connected to the suction chamber 2 and an air suction source 3b, such as a suction blower or a dust collector, connected to the suction pipe 3a.

[0022] The inspection unit 4 has a measurement unit 4a that acquires information correlated with the quality of the tablets T rolling inside the processing container 1, and a judgment unit 4b that determines whether the quality of the tablets T conforms to a predetermined standard based on the information acquired by the measurement unit 4a.

[0023] In this embodiment, the measurement unit 4a is composed of a light-transmitting member 1a3 provided at the rear end of the rotating container 1a and a spectroscopic sensor, particularly a near-infrared spectroscopic sensor (NIR sensor) 4a1. The near-infrared spectroscopic sensor 4a1 is attached to a leg F2 provided on the rear side of the main wall portion F1, and its light-emitting / receiving portion faces the light-transmitting member 1a3 via the hollow portion of the shaft portion 1a2 of the rotating container 1a. In general, a near-infrared spectroscopic sensor is an optical measuring instrument (optical sensor) that irradiates a measurement object with near-infrared light (inspection light), receives the reflected light reflected by the measurement object (or the transmitted light that has passed through the measurement object), and acquires the spectrum (NIR spectrum) of the reflected light (or transmitted light) of the measurement object. The NIR spectrum of the measurement object acquired by the near-infrared spectroscopic sensor correlates with the quality of the measurement object. In this embodiment, near-infrared light is irradiated from the near-infrared spectroscopic sensor 4a1 through the light-transmitting member 1a3 onto the tablet T that is in contact with the light-transmitting member 1a3 while rolling within the rotating container 1a, and the near-infrared spectroscopic sensor 4a1 receives the reflected light from the tablet T through the light-transmitting member 1a3 to acquire its NIR spectrum. The determining unit 4b analyzes the spectrum of the reflected light from the tablet T acquired by the near-infrared spectroscopic sensor 4a1, and determines whether the quality of the tablet T, for example, the active ingredient content (drug content), conforms to a predetermined standard.

[0024] Quality inspection of tablets T using the powder molded product inspection device of this embodiment is performed in a series of consecutive steps: adding tablets T → removing powder (rotating container 1a rotates) → inspection (rotating container 1a rotates) → discharging all tablets T (rotating container 1a stops).

[0025] The loading step is a step of loading a predetermined amount of tablets T molded by a rotary powder compression molding machine or the like into the processing vessel 1 through the loading port 1b3 of the lid portion 1b. Immediately after molding, powder such as raw material powder adheres to the surface of the tablets T. When the predetermined amount of tablets T is loaded into the processing vessel 1, the rotary vessel 1a is rotated, the suction portion 3 is activated, and the powder removal step is started.

[0026] The powder removal process is a process in which the tablets T are rolled inside the processing vessel 1 by the rotation of the rotary vessel 1a, and powder adhering to the surfaces of the tablets T is brushed off and removed. In the powder removal process, the suction unit 3 (air suction source 3b) is activated, generating an air suction force (negative pressure) inside the suction chamber 2. The powder brushed off from the tablets T inside the processing vessel 1 is attracted by the air suction force of the suction chamber 2 acting inside the processing vessel 1 through the air vents in the peripheral wall 1a1 of the rotary vessel 1a, flows into the suction chamber 2 through the air vents in the peripheral wall 1a1, and is collected from the suction chamber 2 through the suction pipe 3a in the powder collection unit of the air suction source 3b.

[0027] After the powder adhering to the surface of the tablet T is removed by the powder removal process, the inspection process is started while the rotating container 1a continues to rotate. The timing of transition from the powder removal process to the inspection process can be set using the rotation speed and time of the rotating container 1a as indicators. For example, for a predetermined rotation speed of the rotating container 1a, the time from the start of rotation of the rotating container 1a until the powder adhering to the surface of the tablet T is sufficiently removed is determined in advance by experiment, and the inspection process is started when that time has elapsed from the start of the powder removal process. Alternatively, in the powder removal process, the surface condition of the tablet T may be monitored by an appropriate monitoring means, and the inspection process may be started when it is determined that the powder adhering to the surface of the tablet T has been sufficiently removed. This monitoring means may be configured by installing a dedicated measuring device or the like, or may be configured by utilizing the inspection unit 4. In the latter case, the correlation between the spectrum of the reflected light of the tablet T acquired by the near-infrared spectroscopic sensor 4a1 and the surface condition of the tablet T is determined in advance through experiments, and the inspection process is started when the judgment unit 4b determines that the powder adhering to the surface of the tablet T has been sufficiently removed.

[0028] The inspection step is a step in which the quality of the tablets T, particularly the active ingredient content (drug content), is inspected by the inspection unit 4 in the above-described manner to determine whether or not the tablets T conform to predetermined standards while the tablets T are rolled inside the processing container 1 by the rotation of the rotating container 1a. The rotation speed of the rotating container 1a in the inspection step may be the same as or different from the rotation speed of the rotating container 1a in the powder removal step. Furthermore, the inspection step may be performed with the suction unit 3 (air suction source 3b) operating, or may be performed with the suction unit 3 stopped.

[0029] After the inspection process is completed and the rotating container 1a stops rotating, the linear actuator 5 is actuated to move the lid portion 1b forward in the direction of the axis X by a predetermined amount, as shown in Fig. 4. This opens the gap between the front end of the rotating container 1a and the rear end of the lid portion 1b, and the predetermined amount (predetermined number) of tablets T that were put into the processing container 1 flow out by gravity from the gap W between the front end of the rotating container 1a and the rear end of the lid portion 1b and are discharged in their entirety.

[0030] The tablets T flowing out from the gap W between the rotary container 1a and the lid 1b flow downward along the front surface of the main wall F1, but in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, a branch section 7 is provided in the front surface of the main wall F1 at a position below the gap W. The branch section 7 is composed of a good-product branch path 7a through which tablets T whose quality meets predetermined standards (good tablets T1) pass, a defective-product branch path 7b through which tablets T whose quality does not meet predetermined standards (defective tablets T2) pass, and a switching means 7c that selectively sends the tablets T discharged in their entirety from the processing container 1 through the gap W to either the good-product branch path 7a or the defective-product branch path 7b. In the example shown in the figure, the good-product branch path 7a and the defective-product branch path 7b are composed of passage members attached to the front surface of the main wall F1, and the switching means 7c is composed of a valve member such as a damper attached to the front surface of the main wall F1. The switching means 7c is operated by an appropriate operating mechanism and is selectively switched between a first state in which the upper part of the non-defective product branch path 7a is open and the upper part of the defective product branch path 7b is closed, and a second state in which the upper end of the non-defective product branch path 7a is closed and the upper end of the defective product branch path 7b is open, based on the judgment result of the judgment unit 4b. That is, when the judgment unit 4b judges that the tablets T in the processing container 1 are non-defective tablets T1, the switching means 7c is switched to the first state. As a result, the non-defective tablets T1 discharged in full from the processing container 1 are sent to the non-defective product branch path 7a by the switching means 7c, and are sent to downstream devices, equipment, a non-defective product collection container, etc. via the non-defective product branch path 7a. On the other hand, when the judgment unit 4b judges that the tablets T in the processing container 1 are defective tablets T2, the switching means 7c is switched to the second state. As a result, all of the defective tablets T2 discharged from the processing container 1 are sent to the defective product branch path 7b by the switching means 7c, and are sent to downstream devices, equipment, defective product collection containers, etc. via the defective product branch path 7b.

[0031] Fig. 5 shows an example of the configuration of a continuous processing device in which the powder molded product inspection device of this embodiment is connected downstream of a rotary powder compression molding machine (rotary tablet press) R, and Fig. 6 shows the processing flow for this example configuration. In this example configuration, a plurality of powder molded product inspection devices, for example, two powder molded product inspection devices A and B, are connected downstream of the rotary tablet press R. A storage valve 10 is connected to a tablet discharge port Ra of the rotary tablet press R, and branch valves 11A and 11B are branched and connected to the storage valve 10, and input pipes 12A and 12B are connected to the branch valves 11A and 11B, respectively. The input pipes 12A and 12B are connected to or inserted into input ports 1b3 of the processing containers 1 (lid portions 1b) of the powder molded product inspection devices A and B, respectively. The storage valve 10 has a function of storing a predetermined amount (predetermined number) of tablets T that are compression-molded by the rotary tablet press R and discharged from the tablet discharge port Ra, and selectively sending the stored predetermined amount of tablets T to the branch valves 11A and 11B. The branch valves 11A and 11B each have a function of temporarily blocking a predetermined amount of tablets T sent from the storage valve 10, releasing the blocking at a predetermined timing, and sending the predetermined amount of tablets T to the input pipes 12A and 12B.

[0032] The suction section 3 is composed of a common suction pipe 3a connected to the suction chambers 2 of the powder molded product inspection devices A and B, and a dust collector as a common air suction source 3b connected to the suction pipe 3a.

[0033] For example, tablets T discharged from the tablet discharge port Ra of the rotary tablet press R are stored in the storage valve 10 until a predetermined amount is reached, and when the storage amount reaches the predetermined amount, the predetermined amount of tablets T is sent from the storage valve 10 to the branch valve 11A. The branch valve 11A temporarily blocks the predetermined amount of tablets T sent from the storage valve 10, and then releases the blockage of the tablets T at a predetermined timing and sends them to the input pipe 12A. As a result, the predetermined amount of tablets T is introduced into the processing container 1 of the powder molded product inspection device A via the input pipe 12A and the input port 1b3. After the predetermined amount of tablets T is introduced into the processing container 1 of the powder molded product inspection device A in this way, the powder molded product inspection device A performs a series of consecutive processes in the above-described manner: powder removal (the rotating container 1a rotates, and the suction unit 3 is activated) → inspection (the rotating container 1a rotates, and the suction unit 3 is activated or stopped) → discharge of all tablets T (the rotating container 1a is stopped, and the suction unit 3 is stopped). In the discharge process, a predetermined amount of tablets T is discharged in its entirety from the processing container 1 of the powder molding product inspection device A, and is selectively sent by the branching section 7 to either the good product branch path 7a or the bad product branch path 7b depending on the judgment result of the judgment section 4b, and is sent to downstream devices, equipment, collection containers, etc.

[0034] On the other hand, when the storage valve 10 sends a predetermined amount of stored tablets T to the branch valve 11A, it returns to the storage position and stores subsequent tablets T discharged from the tablet discharge port Ra. Then, when the stored amount of subsequent tablets T reaches a predetermined amount, the predetermined amount of tablets T is sent from the storage valve 10 to the branch valve 11B. The branch valve 11B temporarily blocks the predetermined amount of tablets T sent from the storage valve 10, and releases the blockage of the tablets T at a predetermined timing to send them to the input pipe 12B. As a result, the predetermined amount of tablets T is introduced into the processing container 1 of the powder molded product inspection device B via the input pipe 12B and the input port 1b3. In this way, after a predetermined amount of tablets T is charged into the processing container 1 of the powder molding product inspection device B, a series of consecutive processes are carried out in the powder molding product inspection device B in the manner described above: powder removal (rotating container 1a rotates, suction unit 3 operates) → inspection (rotating container 1a rotates, suction unit 3 operates or stops) → discharge of all tablets T (rotating container 1a stops rotating, suction unit 3 stops). In the discharge process, the predetermined amount of tablets T discharged from the processing container 1 of the powder molding product inspection device B is selectively sent by the branching unit 7 to either a good product branching path 7a or a bad product branching path 7b depending on the judgment result of the judgment unit 4b, and is sent to downstream devices, equipment, collection containers, etc.

[0035] Thereafter, the above-described series of steps by the powder molding product inspection device A and the above-described series of steps by the powder molding product inspection device B are repeatedly performed.

[0036] 5, a pneumatic conveying unit 13 is connected to the non-defective product branch path 7a of the branching unit 7 of the powder molding product inspection devices A and B, and non-defective tablets T1 sent to the non-defective product branch path 7a are pneumatically conveyed by the pneumatic conveying unit 13 and collected in a non-defective product collection container 14. In addition, defective product collection containers 15, 15 are arranged below the defective product branch path 7b of the branching unit 7 of the powder molding product inspection devices A and B, and defective tablets T2 sent to the defective product branch path 7b are collected in the defective product collection containers 15, 15.

[0037] In the above-described embodiment and configuration example, the rotating container 1a is stopped when the tablets T are discharged, but the tablets T may be discharged while the rotating container 1a is rotating.

[0038] The ventilation holes in the peripheral wall 1a1 of the rotary container 1a may be provided over the entire area of the peripheral wall 1a1, or may be provided only in a partial area of the peripheral wall 1a1.

[0039] Furthermore, the processing vessel 1 may be configured so that the rotary vessel 1a and the lid 1b rotate integrally. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1. Processing container 1a Rotating vessel 1a3 Light-transmitting member 1b Lid 2 Suction chamber 3 Suction part 4. Inspection Department 4a Measuring part 4a1 Near-infrared spectroscopic sensor 4b Judgment part 5 Linear Actuators 7 Branch 7a Good Product Branch 7b Defective Product Branch 7c Switching means F Device frame

Claims

1. A powder molding inspection device that removes powder adhering to the surface of a powder molding and inspects the quality of the powder molding, a processing vessel having a peripheral wall portion provided with a large number of vent holes, at least a portion of which is driven to rotate about an axis while accommodating a predetermined amount of powder molded products; a suction chamber provided to cover the peripheral wall portion having the vent hole from the outside, the suction chamber communicating with the inside of the processing vessel via the vent hole; a suction unit that applies air suction force to the suction chamber; A powder molded product inspection device comprising: a measuring unit that acquires information correlated with the quality of the powder molded product rolling inside the processing vessel; and an inspection unit having a judging unit that judges whether the quality of the powder molded product conforms to a predetermined standard based on the information acquired by the measuring unit.

2. 2. The powder molded product inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the measuring unit comprises: a light-transmitting member provided in the processing vessel so as to come into contact with the powder molded product rolling inside the processing vessel; and an optical sensor that acquires, via the light-transmitting member, information correlated with the quality of the powder molded product in contact with the light-transmitting member.

3. 3. The powder molded product inspection device according to claim 2, wherein the processing vessel is composed of a rotary container that is driven to rotate about its axis and a lid portion that fits one end of the rotary container in the axial direction, the rotary container has the peripheral wall portion in which the air vent is provided and has the light-transmitting member at the other end of the axial direction, the lid portion is configured to be movable with respect to the rotary container, and when the powder molded product is discharged, the lid portion moves in a direction away from the one end of the rotary container, thereby discharging all of the powder molded product inside the processing vessel from the processing vessel.

4. 4. The powder molding product inspection device according to claim 3, further comprising a branching section having a good product branching path through which the powder molding products whose quality conforms to a predetermined standard pass, a defective product branching path through which the powder molding products whose quality does not conform to the predetermined standard pass, and a switching means for selectively sending the powder molding products discharged from the processing container to the good product branching path or the defective product branching path based on the judgment result of the judgment section.

5. 5. The powder molding product inspection device according to claim 4, wherein the rotary container is rotatably attached to an apparatus frame, the lid portion is movably attached to the apparatus frame, and the branch portion is attached to the apparatus frame.

6. The powder molding product inspection device according to claim 5, wherein the optical sensor is attached to the device frame so as to face the light-transmitting member.

7. 7. The powder molding product inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit is a spectroscopic sensor.

8. 8. The powder molding product inspection device according to claim 7, wherein the spectroscopic sensor is a near-infrared spectroscopic sensor.

Images