Article inspection device

Abstract

To provide an article inspection device that can discharge a good article without damaging the same.SOLUTION: An article inspection device comprises: a transportation part which sucks and holds a tablet, and transports the tablet to any one of an NG discharge position P3, an all discharge position P4, a fail-safe discharge position P5 and an OK discharge position P6 via an inspection position; In inspection part which inspects the tablet at the inspection position; and a selection part which selects the tablet at any one of the NG discharge position P3, the all discharge position P4, the fail-safe discharge position P5 and the OK discharge position P6 on the basis of an inspection result. The selection part has: an NG gate 71, an all discharge gate 72 and a fail-safe gate 73 that discharge the tablet W other than OK products from the transportation part; and an OK gate 74 which discharges the tablet W of OK product in the state with an impact on the tablet W lesser than the NG gate 71, the all discharge gate 72 and the fail-safe gate 73.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article inspection device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a conveying device that adsorbs molded products onto a rotating body that rotates around a predetermined rotation axis and transports the molded products along the rotational orbit to a terminal position. Before the molded products reach the terminal position, compressed air is sprayed from a spray nozzle to cause defective molded products to fall off the rotating body and drop into a chute, while non-defective molded products are released from the rotating body at the terminal position by releasing the suction of the suction holes, causing them to fall off. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-112199 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conveying device described in Patent Document 1, non-defective molded products are dropped at the terminal position, and therefore there is a risk that the molded products may be damaged by the impact of being dropped.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide an article inspection device that can eject non-defective articles without damaging them. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The object inspection device of the present invention comprises a conveying unit that sucks and holds an object to be inspected and conveys it through an inspection position to a sorting position, an inspection unit that inspects the object at the inspection position, and a sorting unit that sorts the object at the sorting position based on the results of the inspection, and the sorting unit has a first discharge unit that discharges objects other than good objects from the conveying unit, and a second discharge unit that discharges good objects from the conveying unit with less impact on the objects than the first discharge unit.

[0007] With this configuration, the item inspection device of the present invention has a sorting section that has a second discharge section that discharges good items with less impact on the items than the first discharge section that discharges non-good items, so that good items can be discharged from the conveying section without being damaged.

[0008] In the object inspection device of the present invention, it is preferable that the first discharge section has a physical first gate that prevents the non-good items from being transported, thereby peeling the non-good items off the transport section, and the second discharge section has a physical second gate with an inclined surface that gradually peels the good items off the transport section by contacting them at an angle.

[0009] With this configuration, the item inspection device of the present invention has a second discharge section that has a physical second gate with an inclined surface that gradually pulls the item away from the conveying section by contacting the good item at an angle, so that the good item can be discharged from the conveying section with reduced impact on the good item.

[0010] In the article inspection device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the second discharge section further includes an inclined chute that receives the non-defective articles that have been removed from the transport section by the second gate.

[0011] With this configuration, the item inspection device of the present invention has a second discharge section that further has an inclined chute that receives good items that have been torn off from the conveying section by the second gate, so that the good items can be discharged while mitigating the impact on them after they have been torn off from the conveying section.

[0012] Preferably, the article inspection device according to the present invention further comprises a transport mechanism that is disposed at the outlet of the chute and is capable of transporting the non-defective article discharged from the chute in any direction.

[0013] With this configuration, the article inspection device according to the present invention further includes a conveying mechanism that can convey non-defective articles discharged from the chute in any direction, so that non-defective articles can be conveyed in any direction depending on, for example, the installation location of downstream equipment, the installation location of the article inspection device, etc. Furthermore, the article inspection device can be installed in a layout that makes it easy for workers to work and perform maintenance.

[0014] In the item inspection device of the present invention, it is preferable that the first gate includes an NG gate that is located upstream of the second gate in the item conveying direction and discharges defective items, a full discharge gate that is located downstream of the NG gate in the item conveying direction and discharges all of the items, and a fail-safe gate that is located downstream of the full discharge gate in the item conveying direction and prevents items other than the non-defective items from being mistakenly transported to the second gate.

[0015] With this configuration, the article inspection device according to the present invention includes a first gate located upstream of the second gate in the article conveying direction, an NG gate, a full discharge gate located downstream of the NG gate in the article conveying direction, and a fail-safe gate located downstream of the full discharge gate in the article conveying direction, so that if an article that should be discharged by the NG gate or the full discharge gate passes through these gates, the article can be discharged by the fail-safe gate. This makes it possible to prevent articles other than non-defective articles from being mistakenly conveyed to the second gate.

[0016] The item inspection device of the present invention may further include a suction force limiting means for reducing the suction force of the item in the range from after the item passes the inspection position until at least after the item passes the sorting position compared to outside of the range.

[0017] With this configuration, the item inspection device of the present invention is equipped with a suction force limiting means that reduces the suction force of the item in the range from after the item passes the inspection position until at least until it passes the sorting position compared to outside of this range, thereby reducing the load related to suction on the conveying section and allowing the item to be separated from the conveying section with little force when being discharged from the conveying section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an article inspection device that can eject non-defective articles without damaging them. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an article inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a supply unit and a transport unit of an article inspection apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a supply unit and a transport unit of an article inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the supply unit and the transport unit of the article inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention, viewed from a direction different from that of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a sorting unit and a transport mechanism of an object inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the sorting unit and transport mechanism of an object inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention, viewed from a different direction from that of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a side view of the sorting unit of an article inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of an article inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, an article inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1, the item inspection device 1 of this embodiment aligns the items to be inspected and transports them individually while irradiating them with light at a predetermined inspection position, and inspects the quality of the items based on the spectral characteristics of the light that passes through the items as this light is irradiated.

[0022] The items to be inspected are items that are relatively close in size to the area irradiated with light, and include items with an outer diameter φ of several mm to several tens of mm that can be transported individually without packaging, bite-sized items, as well as items and molded products of a predetermined shape manufactured using existing manufacturing equipment or manufacturing equipment without inspection functions, and especially items that do not change shape during transportation.

[0023] Examples of such articles include pharmaceutical preparations such as tablets, capsules, lozenges, and drops, as well as candy and chocolate. The following description will be given taking as an example an article to be inspected a tablet W that is circular in plan view and has a height (thickness) smaller than its diameter and is approximately cylindrical in side view. The tablet W in this embodiment constitutes an article. Note that the article to be inspected is not limited to a circular shape in plan view, and articles of various shapes such as an oval shape or a polygonal shape can also be used.

[0024] The article inspection device 1 includes a supply unit 2, a conveying unit 3, an inspection unit 4, a guide unit 5, and a sorting unit 6.

[0025] (Supply Department) As shown in Figure 2, supply unit 2 is configured as a vibration-free rotary parts feeder having a rotating, deep-dish-shaped supply container 20 and a circular rotating disk 21 that is rotatably provided inside supply container 20 and rotated by a drive source separate from supply container 20. The rotation direction of rotating disk 21 is the same as rotation direction A of supply container 20 (see Figure 1). Supply unit 2 is supported on a main body frame (not shown) via a base (not shown).

[0026] The supply container 20 is formed in a circular shape with an open top and a cross-sectional area that gradually decreases downward from the top, and an annular supply part 22 that serves as a supply path for the tablets W is formed at the open end of the top. The annular supply part 22 conveys the tablets W to the suction position P1 while rotating.

[0027] The rotating disk 21 is configured to rotate about a rotation axis different from the rotation axis of the supply container 20, and is disposed at an incline inside the supply container 20. Specifically, the rotating disk 21 is disposed inside the supply container 20 so that its upper end in the inclined direction faces the upper end of the supply container 20, i.e., the annular supply portion 22, and its lower end in the inclined direction is located below the supply container 20 at a position 180° opposite to the upper end. The rotating disk 21 supplies the tablets W in the supply container 20 to the annular supply portion 22 by rotating.

[0028] 1, tablets W are supplied to the supply container 20 from a tablet input unit 8. The tablet input unit 8 is configured to include a container 80 such as a hopper into which tablets W, which are molded products manufactured by existing manufacturing equipment or manufacturing equipment without an inspection function, are input, and a supply chute 81 that supplies the tablets W accumulated in the container 80 to the supply container 20.

[0029] The supply chute 81 has a plurality of air suction holes 82 formed therein, and a suction mechanism 83 consisting of a vacuum pump, a filter device, etc. is connected to the suction holes 82. Fine substances such as powder scattered on the supply chute 81 or attached to the tablets W, as well as broken tablets or tablet fragments, are sucked and removed through the suction holes 82 by driving the suction pump. This prevents the tablets W from being transported to the inspection unit 4 with powder or the like attached thereto, and prevents the adhesion of powder or the like to the inspection unit 4. As a result, a decrease in the accuracy of the inspection unit 4 due to the adhesion of powder or the like can be avoided. Each suction hole 82 is set to have a diameter smaller than the diameter of the tablets W.

[0030] The tablet feeding section 8 may not have a container 80 such as a hopper, and may be configured to supply the tablets W conveyed directly from a process preceding the inspection process to the supply container 20 from a supply chute 81.

[0031] In the supply unit 2, when tablets W are fed from the tablet feed unit 8 into the supply container 20 while the supply container 20 and the rotating disk 21 are rotated in the same direction at the same speed, the tablets W that have fallen to the lowest part of the rotating disk 21 (the lower end side in the inclined direction) move to the highest part of the rotating disk 21 (the upper end side in the inclined direction) as the rotating disk 21 rotates, and are placed on the annular supply unit 22. The rotation speeds of the supply container 20 and the rotating disk 21 do not have to be the same.

[0032] The tablets W placed on the annular supply unit 22 move while being aligned in the circumferential direction as the supply container 20 rotates, and are sent to the suction position P1. The suction position P1 is a position where the tablets W are transferred from the supply unit 2 to the conveying unit 3. The tablets W sent to the suction position P1 are adsorbed by the conveying disk 30 rotating in the conveying unit 3.

[0033] The annular supply section 22 is provided with a return guide 24 and a single-row regulating guide 25. In this embodiment, the return guide 24 and the single-row regulating guide 25 are configured as separate bodies, but they may also be configured as an integrated body.

[0034] The return guide 24 and the one-row regulating guide 25 are fixed to a base (not shown) so as not to rotate, so that the supply container 20 rotates while the return guide 24 and the one-row regulating guide 25 do not rotate.

[0035] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the return guide 24 is provided radially outward from the annular supply section 22 and is positioned on the side opposite the upper end of the rotating disk 21 in the inclined direction in the circumferential direction of the annular supply section 22.

[0036] The return guide 24 has an inner peripheral wall 24a formed in an arc shape along the annular supply part 22. The return guide 24 is a guide that uses the inner peripheral wall 24a to restrict the tablets W rising on the rotating disk 21 toward the upper end so that they do not fly out of the supply container 20.

[0037] The single-row regulating guide 25 guides the tablets W supplied from the supply section 2 to the adsorption position P1, and is provided radially outside the annular supply section 22 and arranged adjacent to the return guide 24 in the circumferential direction of the annular supply section 22.

[0038] The single row regulating guide 25 has an inner peripheral wall 25a formed in an arc shape along the annular supply unit 22. The single row regulating guide 25 regulates the radial width (horizontal direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction) of the annular supply unit 22 to a width that prevents two tablets W from lining up in the radial direction. For example, the single row regulating guide 25 is provided so that the radial width of the annular supply unit 22 is approximately the same as the radial width of the tablets W. This allows the tablets W placed on the annular supply unit 22 to be aligned in a single row.

[0039] As shown in Figure 4, the single-row regulating guide 25 has a protruding portion 25b formed on the upper part of the inner wall 25a on the side of the adsorption position P1, which gradually protrudes radially inward from the inner wall 25a as it approaches the adsorption position P1, while maintaining a predetermined height in the vertical direction between it and the annular supply portion 22.

[0040] As a result, among the tablets W placed on the annular supply section 22 from the rotating disk 21, tablets W that are not placed on the annular supply section 22 in the proper state, such as tablets W that are standing so that their thickness direction is horizontal, or tablets W that are at least partially overlapping tablets W whose thickness direction is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, are removed by the single-row regulating guide 25.

[0041] The single row regulating guide 25 is configured so that its position in the height direction can be adjusted by an adjustment mechanism (not shown) according to the height (thickness) of the inspection object. That is, the single row regulating guide 25 is configured so that the height of the protruding portion 25b from the annular supply portion 22 can be changed according to the height (thickness) of the inspection object.

[0042] 4, a return mechanism 27 is provided above the suction position P1. The return mechanism 27 is supported on a base (not shown) via a bracket or the like.

[0043] The return mechanism 27 is a mechanism for returning poorly adsorbed tablets W at the adsorption position P1 into the supply container 20, and is configured by an air blow device in this embodiment. Poor adsorption may occur, for example, when multiple tablets W are adsorbed to one adsorption hole 32, when a tablet W is adsorbed with a large gap between it and the adsorption hole 32, or when another tablet W is sandwiched between tablets W adsorbed to the adsorption holes 32.

[0044] The return mechanism 27 blows air from a plurality of air blowing holes 27a that open toward the suction position P1 side, thereby returning the poorly suctioned tablets W into the supply container 20. The air pressure of the return mechanism 27 is set to a pressure that can blow away the poorly suctioned tablets W and that does not cause the properly suctioned tablets W to come off the suction holes 32 of the conveying disk 30.

[0045] The base (not shown) on which the supply unit 2 configured as described above is supported is movably supported by a main body frame (not shown). Therefore, the supply unit 2 is configured to be adjustable in position relative to the conveying unit 3. For example, the supply unit 2 is configured to be movable up and down via the base, and to be movable in directions approaching and moving away from the conveying unit 3. As a result, by adjusting the positional relationship between the supply unit 2 and the conveying unit 3, the tablet W can be efficiently adsorbed to the center of the suction hole 32.

[0046] (Transportation section) As shown in Fig. 1, the transport unit 3 includes a circular transport disk 30 that is rotatably and horizontally supported on a main body frame (not shown). The transport disk 30 is driven to rotate by a drive motor 30M (see Fig. 5). The transport disk 30 suction-holds the tablet W and transports it to the inspection position P2, and has a plurality of suction holes 32 formed at predetermined intervals around the entire periphery of the outer periphery 30a.

[0047] An air passage 30b communicating with each suction hole 32 is formed inside the center of the conveying disc 30. Suction holes (not shown) communicating with each suction hole 32 are formed in the inner peripheral wall of the air passage 30b. A suction device 31 such as a vacuum pump is connected to the suction holes 32 of the conveying disc 30 through the air passage 30b, and the tablets W are sucked into the suction holes 32 by the negative pressure generated by the suction device 31. This allows the conveying disc 30 to rotate and convey the tablets W while they are sucked into the suction holes 32.

[0048] A flow rate limiting member 30c is provided in the air passage 30b as a suction force limiting means. The flow rate limiting member 30c is composed of a substantially semicircular cylindrical piece with an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the air passage 30b. The outer peripheral wall of the flow rate limiting member 30c is positioned close to the inner peripheral wall of the air passage 30b, thereby reducing the flow rate of air sucked through suction holes (not shown) formed in the inner peripheral wall of the air passage 30b. This reduces the suction force at the suction holes 32 that communicate with the suction holes (not shown) facing the outer peripheral wall of the flow rate limiting member 30c.

[0049] In this embodiment, the outer peripheral wall of the flow rate limiting member 30c is arranged so as to be close to the inner peripheral wall of the air passage 30b in the range from after passing the inspection unit 4 (inspection position P2) to just before reaching the suction position P1. Therefore, in the range from after passing the inspection unit 4 to just before reaching the suction position P1, the suction force in the suction holes 32 is smaller than in other ranges. This is because there is no need to maintain the posture of the tablet W after the inspection in the inspection unit 4 is completed. Therefore, in the range from after passing the inspection unit 4 to just before reaching the suction position P1, it is sufficient if the suction force is strong enough to hold the tablet W.

[0050] In this way, in this embodiment, by providing a flow rate restricting member 30c, the load on the suction device 31 can be reduced, and when the tablet W is discharged from the conveying disc 30, the tablet W can be separated from the conveying disc 30 with a small force, specifically, pulled off.

[0051] At the adsorption position P1, the tablet W is adsorbed and held on the conveying disk 30 in a position where its thickness direction is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, i.e., where its cylindrical axis is parallel to the vertical direction, and is transported circumferentially toward the inspection position P2 as the conveying disk 30 rotates while maintaining that position.

[0052] At this time, ideally, the tablet W should be adsorbed and held on the conveying disk 30 in a position where the cylindrical axis is parallel to the vertical direction at the adsorption position P1, but there is a risk that the position will change when the tablet W is adsorbed onto the conveying disk 30, and the cylindrical axis may not be parallel to the vertical direction.

[0053] In this embodiment, in order to reduce the change in the posture of the tablet W when it is adsorbed onto the conveying disk 30, a posture guide 33 is provided which extends a predetermined length from the adsorption position P1 downstream in the conveying direction.

[0054] 4, the posture guide 33 is formed in an arc shape along the outer peripheral edge 30a of the conveying disk 30, and is disposed below the conveying path of the tablet W conveyed by the conveying disk 30. The posture guide 33 contacts the lower surface of the tablet W from the lower side of the conveying disk 30 to reduce changes in the posture of the tablet W.

[0055] In this embodiment, an example in which the posture guide 33 is provided will be described, but the posture guide 33 does not necessarily have to be provided.

[0056] Here, the conveying direction in the conveying unit 3 means the direction in which the tablet W adsorbed at the adsorption position P1 moves, i.e., the direction in which the tablet W adsorbed on the conveying disc 30 rotates. Therefore, the downstream side in the conveying direction means the downstream side in the direction in which the tablet W adsorbed on the conveying disc 30 moves, and the upstream side in the conveying direction means the upstream side in the direction in which the tablet W adsorbed on the conveying disc 30 moves.

[0057] In this embodiment, the path along which the tablet W adsorbed at the adsorption position P1 travels is referred to as the conveying path. Note that the conveying unit 3 is not limited to a mechanism that conveys the tablet W using a circular conveying disk 30, and may be a mechanism that conveys the tablet W linearly, for example, a linear conveyor that adsorbs the tablet W laterally.

[0058] 1, around the conveying disk 30, a suction position P1, an inspection position P2, an NG discharge position P3, a full discharge position P4, a fail-safe discharge position P5, and an OK discharge position P6 are arranged in this order from the upstream side in the conveying direction along the conveying path of the tablets W. The NG discharge position P3, the full discharge position P4, the fail-safe discharge position P5, and the OK discharge position P6 constitute sorting positions.

[0059] The conveying disk 30 conveys the tablet W to be inspected from the suction position P1 through the inspection position P2 to either the NG discharge position P3, the full discharge position P4, the fail-safe discharge position P5, or the OK discharge position P6, and at either the NG discharge position P3, the full discharge position P4, the fail-safe discharge position P5, or the OK discharge position P6, it discharges the tablet W to the NG drop chute 75, the full discharge drop chute 76, the fail-safe drop chute 77, or the OK recovery chute 78 described below.

[0060] (Inspection Department) The inspection unit 4 is attached at the inspection position P2 to a main body frame that supports the conveying disk 30. The inspection unit 4 inspects the tablets W by irradiating light onto the tablets W at the inspection position P2, and more specifically, determines whether the quality of the tablets W is good or bad.

[0061] A tablet detection sensor 44 is disposed upstream in the conveying direction of the inspection unit 4. When a tablet W is detected by the tablet detection sensor 44, the inspection unit 4 irradiates light onto the tablet W at the timing when the detected tablet W reaches the inspection position P2. The timing when the tablet W reaches the inspection position P2 can be measured based on the rotation angle of the conveying disk 30 and the detection timing of the tablet detection sensor 44.

[0062] The inspection unit 4 is configured to be able to measure the spectral characteristics of the tablets W transported by the transport disk 30 in a non-contact manner using an optical sensor composed of a light irradiation unit and a light detection unit (not shown). The inspection unit 4 is configured to judge the quality of the tablets W, whether they are within a standard range, and whether they are good or bad (OK product or NG product), based on the measured spectral characteristics. In this embodiment, tablets W within the standard range are good products and are referred to as "OK product," and tablets W outside the standard range are defective products and are referred to as "NG product."

[0063] When the tablet W determined to be an "OK product" by the inspection unit 4 reaches the OK discharge position P6, the gate 74 is activated and the tablet W is discharged into an OK collection chute 78 which serves as a chute.

[0064] When the tablet W determined to be an "NG product" by the quality determination by the inspection unit 4 reaches the NG discharge position P3, the gate 71 is activated and the tablet W is discharged into the NG drop chute 75.

[0065] (Guide part) As shown in FIG. 1, the guide section 5 is provided between the suction position P1 and the inspection position P2 along the conveyance path of the tablet W, and guides the tablet W conveyed to the inspection position P2.

[0066] The guide section 5 is configured to include a first guide 11, a second guide 12, and a third guide 13. The first guide 11, the second guide 12, and the third guide 13 are supported non-rotatably by a main body frame (not shown).

[0067] As shown in Figure 4, the first guide 11 is composed of a first upper guide piece 51 that contacts the tablet W from above, and a first lower guide piece 52 that is arranged opposite the first upper guide piece 51 across the transport path of the tablet W.

[0068] The first guide 11 has a guide surface inclined so that the distance between the guide surface of the first upper guide piece 51 and the guide surface of the first lower guide piece 52, which are opposite each other across the conveying path of the tablet W, narrows from the upstream side in the conveying direction of the tablet W toward the downstream side in the conveying direction.

[0069] The second guide 12 is composed of a second lower guide piece 53 that contacts the tablet W from below, and a second upper guide piece 54 that is arranged opposite the second lower guide piece 53 across the conveying path of the tablet W.

[0070] Like the first guide 11, the second guide 12 has its guide surfaces inclined so that the distance between the guide surface of the second lower guide piece 53 and the guide surface of the second upper guide piece 54, which are opposite each other across the conveying path of the tablet W, narrows from the upstream side in the conveying direction of the tablet W toward the downstream side in the conveying direction.

[0071] The third guide 13 is composed of a guide piece that is disposed on the inspection position P2 side of the first guide 11 and the second guide 12 and below the conveying path of the tablets W.

[0072] A guide surface is formed on the conveying path side of the third guide 13, which contacts the tablets W from below on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the tablets W. The guide surface is inclined so as to gradually move away from the tablets W as it moves toward the downstream side in the conveying direction of the tablets W.

[0073] In this embodiment, the first upper guide piece 51 and the second upper guide piece 54 are integrally formed, and the first lower guide piece 52, the second lower guide piece 53, and the third guide 13 are integrally formed. However, these may all be formed separately.

[0074] The integrally formed first upper guide piece 51 and second upper guide piece 54, and the integrally formed first lower guide piece 52, second lower guide piece 53, and third guide 13 are configured so that their respective mounting positions can be adjusted by an adjustment mechanism 50 (see FIG. 8). The adjustment mechanism 50 is configured, for example, by a linear motion mechanism such as a rack-and-pinion mechanism or a ball screw, driven by a motor or the like. Note that the mounting positions of the aforementioned guide pieces and guides may also be configured so that they can be manually adjusted.

[0075] (Sorting Department) 1, the sorting unit 6 is provided downstream in the conveying direction of the inspection unit 4. The sorting unit 6 also has an NG discharge position P3, a full discharge position P4, a fail-safe discharge position P5, and an OK discharge position P6.

[0076] In the sorting unit 6, based on the result of the inspection by the inspection unit 4, the tablets W are sorted so as to be discharged at any one of the NG discharge position P3, the full discharge position P4, the fail-safe discharge position P5, and the OK discharge position P6.

[0077] The sorting unit 6 has an NG gate 71, a total discharge gate 72, a fail-safe gate 73, and an OK gate 74. The NG gate 71, the total discharge gate 72, and the fail-safe gate 73 constitute a first discharge unit and a first gate. The OK gate 74 constitutes a second discharge unit and a second gate.

[0078] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the NG gate 71 is provided at the NG discharge position P3, and is driven by an actuator 71a such as an Elecylinder (registered trademark) or an air cylinder, and is located at a position that opens the transport path for the tablets W when in the off state, and is controlled to be in the on state, i.e., when activated, it moves to a position that blocks the transport path for the tablets W.

[0079] The full discharge gate 72 is provided at the full discharge position P4 and is driven by an actuator 72a such as an Elecylinder (registered trademark) or an air cylinder, and is positioned to open the transport path for the tablets W when in the off state, and is controlled to be in the on state, i.e., when activated, moves to a position to block the transport path for the tablets W.

[0080] The fail-safe gate 73 is provided at the fail-safe discharge position P5, and is driven by an actuator 73a such as an Elecylinder (registered trademark) or an air cylinder, and is positioned to block the conveying path of the tablets W when in the off state, and is controlled to be in the on state, i.e., when activated, moves to a position to open the conveying path of the tablets W.

[0081] The OK gate 74 is provided at the OK discharge position P6 and is driven by an actuator 74a such as an Elecylinder (registered trademark) or an air cylinder, and is positioned to open the transport path for the tablets W when in the off state, and is controlled to be in the on state, i.e., when activated, moves to a position to block the transport path for the tablets W.

[0082] The sorting unit 6 is provided with an NG detection sensor 45, a full discharge detection sensor 46, a rejection failure detection sensor 47, an OK detection sensor 48, and a sorting monitoring sensor 49.

[0083] The NG detection sensor 45 is arranged upstream of the NG discharge position P3 in the conveying direction. The full discharge detection sensor 46 is arranged upstream of the full discharge position P4 in the conveying direction and downstream of the NG discharge position P3 in the conveying direction. The rejection failure detection sensor 47 is arranged upstream of the fail-safe discharge position P5 in the conveying direction and downstream of the full discharge position P4 in the conveying direction. The OK detection sensor 48 is arranged upstream of the OK discharge position P6 in the conveying direction and downstream of the fail-safe discharge position P5 in the conveying direction. The sorting monitoring sensor 49 is arranged downstream of the OK discharge position P6 in the conveying direction.

[0084] At the NG discharge position P3, an NG drop chute 75 is arranged to receive the discharged NG tablets W. At the full discharge position P4, an all-discharge drop chute 76 is arranged to receive all the discharged tablets W. At the fail-safe discharge position P5, a fail-safe drop chute 77 is arranged to receive the discharged tablets W as a fail-safe. At the OK discharge position P6, an OK collection chute 78 is arranged to receive the discharged OK tablets W.

[0085] The NG gate 71 operates a predetermined delay time after the NG tablet W is detected by the NG detection sensor 45, and blocks the conveying path of the tablet W. As a result, the NG tablet W that has reached the NG discharge position P3 is peeled off from the conveying disk 30 by the NG gate 71 that has blocked the conveying path, and is discharged to the NG drop chute 75. The NG tablet W discharged to the NG drop chute 75 is collected in a collection box (not shown).

[0086] The total discharge gate 72 operates a predetermined delay time after the tablets W to be totally discharged are detected by the total discharge detection sensor 46, and blocks the conveying path of the tablets W. As a result, the tablets W that have reached the total discharge position P4 are peeled off the conveying disk 30 by the total discharge gate 72 that has blocked the conveying path, and are discharged into the total discharge drop chute 76. The tablets W discharged into the total discharge drop chute 76 are collected in a collection box (not shown).

[0087] For example, when tablets W to be discharged are continuously being discharged, the NG gate 71 and the full discharge gate 72 may be kept in operation rather than being operated intermittently. In this case, early wear of the drive system can be suppressed.

[0088] The fail-safe gate 73 always stands by at a position where it blocks the conveyance path of the tablets W. In other words, the fail-safe gate 73 always stands by at a position where it discharges the tablets W. This prevents, for example, NG tablets W that have failed to be discharged by the NG gate 71 from being conveyed to the OK discharge position P6. NG tablets W that have failed to be discharged by the NG gate 71 are discharged by the fail-safe gate 73 into the fail-safe drop chute 77. NG tablets W discharged into the fail-safe drop chute 77 are collected in a collection box (not shown).

[0089] The fail-safe gate 73 operates from a position blocking the conveying path of the tablets W to a position opening the conveying path after a predetermined delay time has elapsed since the OK tablets W were detected by the removal failure detection sensor 47, thereby allowing the OK tablets W to pass.

[0090] The OK gate 74 operates after a predetermined delay time has elapsed since the OK detection sensor 48 detected the tablet W, and blocks the conveying path of the tablet W. As a result, the tablet W that has reached the OK discharge position P6 is peeled off from the conveying disc 30 by the OK gate 74 that has blocked the conveying path, and is discharged to the OK recovery chute 78.

[0091] The OK gate 74 may be configured to be constantly operating and thereby constantly blocking the conveyance path of the tablets W. In this case, early wear of the drive system can be suppressed.

[0092] The sorting monitoring sensor 49 is a sensor that monitors whether any tablet W has passed through the OK gate 74. When the sorting monitoring sensor 49 detects a tablet W, it is determined that there is a tablet W that has not been sorted out by any of the NG gate 71, the full discharge gate 72, the fail-safe gate 73, and the OK gate 74, and the article inspection device 1 is stopped.

[0093] Next, the shapes of the NG gate 71, the total discharge gate 72, the fail-safe gate 73, and the OK gate 74 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 7, the NG gate 71, the total discharge gate 72, the fail-safe gate 73, and the OK gate 74 have different gate shapes.

[0095] The NG gate 71, the full discharge gate 72, and the fail-safe gate 73 are gates that discharge tablets W other than OK products from the conveying disk 30, and are physical gates that prevent the conveyance of tablets W other than OK products, thereby peeling off tablets W other than OK products from the conveying disk 30.

[0096] The NG gate 71, the total discharge gate 72, and the fail-safe gate 73 have blocking surfaces 71b, 72b, and 73b, respectively, which come into contact with the tablets W on the conveying path and block their conveyance.

[0097] The blocking surfaces 71b, 72b, and 73b are configured by wall surfaces standing in a direction (vertical direction in this embodiment) substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction of the tablets W. Therefore, when the tablets W are discharged by the NG gate 71, the full discharge gate 72, and the fail-safe gate 73, the blocking surfaces 71b, 72b, and 73b block the conveying path, thereby preventing the movement of the tablets W. As a result, the conveying disc 30 rotates while the movement of the tablets W is prevented, causing the positions of the tablets W and the suction holes 32 to shift, and the tablets W are peeled off from the conveying disc 30.

[0098] The blocking surfaces 71b, 72b, and 73b are slightly inclined toward the downstream side in the conveying direction with respect to a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the tablet W (vertical direction in this embodiment). This is to prevent the tablet W from moving upward when it is peeled off the conveying disc 30.

[0099] If the tablet W moves upward on the blocking surfaces 71b, 72b, and 73b, the tablet W is dropped downward by the ceiling surfaces 71c, 72c, and 73c formed by bending in an L shape from the blocking surfaces 71b, 72b, and 73b. This ensures that the tablet W discharged by the NG gate 71, the total discharge gate 72, and the fail-safe gate 73 is discharged reliably into the NG drop chute 75, the total discharge drop chute 76, and the fail-safe drop chute 77.

[0100] The OK gate 74 is a gate that discharges OK tablets W from the conveying disk 30 in a state where the impact on the tablets W is smaller than that of the NG gate 71, the full discharge gate 72, and the fail-safe gate 73 described above.

[0101] Specifically, the OK gate 74 is a physical gate having an inclined surface 74b that gradually peels off the tablet W of an OK product from the conveying disk 30 by coming into contact with the tablet W at an angle.

[0102] The inclined surface 74b of the OK gate 74 is more inclined toward the downstream side in the conveying direction with respect to a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the tablets W (vertical direction in this embodiment) than the above-mentioned blocking surfaces 71b, 72b, 73b.

[0103] Therefore, when the tablet W reaches the OK discharge position P6, it first comes into contact with the upper side of the inclined surface 74b of the OK gate 74, moves downward on the inclined surface 74b as the conveying disk 30 rotates, and when it finally moves to the lower side of the inclined surface 74b, the tablet W comes out of the suction hole 32 and is pulled off from the conveying disk 30.

[0104] In this way, the OK gate 74 can gradually peel the tablet W from the conveying disc 30. Here, it is preferable that the movement amount of the OK gate 74 is set so that when the OK gate 74 is activated, the lower end of the inclined surface 74b is lower than the lower surface of the conveying disc 30. This allows the OK gate 74 to reliably peel the tablet W from the conveying disc 30.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 5, below the OK gate 74, an inclined OK collection chute 78 is provided for receiving the OK tablets W peeled off from the transfer disk 30 by the OK gate 74.

[0106] The OK collection chute 78 is inclined at a predetermined angle, with the lower end (entrance) of the OK gate 74 as its uppermost end and the end (exit) opposite the lower end of the OK gate 74 as its lowermost end.

[0107] The OK collection chute 78 has a chute body 78a with a U-shaped cross section that receives OK tablets W, and a chute cover 78b that covers the open surface (top surface) of the chute body 78a. The OK collection chute 78 prevents the tablets W from flying out to the side by the U-shaped cross section of the chute body 78a, and further prevents the tablets W from flying out upward by the chute cover 78b, while preventing tablets W other than OK tablets from getting mixed into the chute body 78a. Note that the chute cover 78b may be unnecessary.

[0108] Below the outlet of the OK recovery chute 78, a conveying mechanism 90 is arranged which can convey the OK tablets W discharged from the OK recovery chute 78 in any direction (in this embodiment, the direction indicated by arrow C in Figure 5).

[0109] The transport mechanism 90 is configured by a belt transport device that rotates a belt in any direction (in the present embodiment, the direction indicated by the arrow C in FIG. 5) by a drive source (not shown). Note that the transport mechanism 90 is not limited to a belt transport device, and may be another type of transport mechanism, such as a conveyor device.

[0110] The conveying mechanism 90 is configured to be able to arbitrarily change the conveying direction depending on the layout, specifications, etc. of the downstream process of the article inspection device 1. Furthermore, in addition to conveying the OK tablets W discharged from the OK recovery chute 78 in the horizontal direction, the conveying mechanism 90 may also convey them in a gradually upward direction toward the input position, for example, when the input position of the downstream process is high.

[0111] (Electrical configuration) Next, the electrical configuration of the article inspection device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0112] As shown in FIG. 8, the article inspection device 1 according to this embodiment includes a control unit 100 that performs overall control of the article inspection device 1.

[0113] The control unit 100 is configured by a computer unit that includes at least a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an input port, and an output port.

[0114] The control unit 100 is connected to various sensors such as the tablet detection sensor 44, NG detection sensor 45, full discharge detection sensor 46, rejection failure detection sensor 47, OK detection sensor 48 and sorting monitoring sensor 49 described above.

[0115] In addition to the above-mentioned inspection unit 4, return mechanism 27, actuators 71a, 72a, 73a, 74a, drive motor 30M, adjustment mechanism 50, suction mechanism 83, suction device 31, and conveying mechanism 90, various devices such as a display unit 120 are connected to the control unit 100.

[0116] The control unit 100 has a memory unit 101 that stores the pass / fail judgment results of the inspection unit 4 as measurement data for each tablet W. The control unit 100 assigns identification information that can individually identify the tablets W, for example, a management number, to each of the above-mentioned measurement data in a consecutive manner, and then stores each measurement data in the memory unit 101. When this measurement data is stored, management of each tablet W begins.

[0117] In this embodiment, the control unit 100 manages each tablet W as described above by storing in the memory unit 101, in addition to the judgment results of the inspection unit 4, information such as the discharge results indicating where the tablet W was discharged, linked to each measurement data.

[0118] Furthermore, each measurement data stored in the storage unit 101 can be read out in response to an operation on the display unit 120. This makes it possible to track the measurement data of each tablet W by its management number.

[0119] The display unit 120 is configured, for example, by a touch panel display. The display unit 120 has a display function for displaying various information in addition to a viewer display screen related to the management of each tablet W, and also has a function as an input unit for accepting operations from the user. Examples of user operations include various setting operations, operating operations, and selection operations.

[0120] The control unit 100 controls the driving of the actuator 71a so that the NG gate 71 operates to block the conveyance path of the tablets W after a predetermined delay time has elapsed since the NG detection sensor 45 detected the NG tablet W.

[0121] The control unit 100 controls the driving of the actuator 72a so that the full discharge gate 72 operates to block the transport path of the tablets W after a predetermined delay time has elapsed since the tablets W to be fully discharged are detected by the full discharge detection sensor 46.

[0122] The control unit 100 controls the driving of the actuator 73a so that the fail-safe gate 73 operates and opens the conveying path for the tablets W after a predetermined delay time has elapsed since the OK tablets W were detected by the removal failure detection sensor 47.

[0123] The control unit 100 controls the driving of the actuator 74a so that the OK gate 74 operates to block the conveyance path of the tablets W after a predetermined delay time has elapsed since the OK detection sensor 48 detected the tablet.

[0124] (Action and effect) As described above, in the product inspection device of this embodiment, the sorting section 6 has an NG gate 71 that discharges tablets W other than OK products, an OK gate 74 that discharges OK products tablets W with less impact on the tablets W than the full discharge gate 72 and the fail-safe gate 73, so that OK products tablets W can be discharged from the conveying disk 30 without being damaged.

[0125] The product inspection device of this embodiment has a physical OK gate 74 with an inclined surface 74b that gradually peels the OK tablet W off the conveying disk 30 by contacting the OK tablet W at an angle, so that the OK tablet W can be discharged from the conveying disk 30 with less impact on the OK tablet W.

[0126] The item inspection device of this embodiment further has an inclined OK recovery chute 78 that receives OK tablets W that have been peeled off the conveying disk 30 by the OK gate 74, so that the OK tablets W can be discharged while mitigating the impact on them after being peeled off the conveying disk 30.

[0127] The article inspection device according to this embodiment further includes a conveying mechanism 90 capable of conveying the OK tablets W discharged from the OK collection chute 78 in any direction, so that the OK tablets W can be conveyed in any direction depending on, for example, the installation location of a downstream process device or the installation location of the article inspection device 1. Furthermore, the article inspection device 1 can be installed in a layout that makes it easy for workers to work and for maintenance to be performed.

[0128] The article inspection device according to this embodiment includes, as gates for discharging tablets W other than OK products, an NG gate 71, a total discharge gate 72 arranged downstream of the NG gate 71 in the conveying direction of the tablets W, and a fail-safe gate 73 arranged downstream of the total discharge gate 72 in the conveying direction of the tablets W. Therefore, if a tablet W that should be discharged by the NG gate 71 or the total discharge gate 72 passes through these gates, the tablet W can be discharged by the fail-safe gate 73. This makes it possible to prevent tablets W other than OK products from being mistakenly conveyed to the OK gate 74.

[0129] (Variation) In this embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the suction mechanism 83 is connected to the suction hole 82 of the supply chute 81. However, for example, if the suction force of the suction device 31 is sufficient, the suction device 31 may be connected to the suction hole 82 of the supply chute 81, and the suction device 31 may be used as a negative pressure generating source for both the suction hole 82 of the supply chute 81 and the suction hole 32 of the conveying disk 30.

[0130] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the flow rate limiting member 30c may be configured to exhaust air from its arc-shaped outer periphery toward suction holes (not shown) that are formed in the inner circumferential wall of the air passage 30b of the transfer disk 30 and communicate with each of the suction holes 32. In this case, by exhausting air toward suction holes (not shown) that communicate with each of the suction holes 32, the suction force of the suction holes 32 can be further reduced.

[0131] Furthermore, in the above configuration in which the flow rate limiting member 30c discharges air from the arc-shaped outer periphery, high-pressure air may be ejected into suction holes (not shown) communicating with each suction hole 32 at the timing of sorting the tablets W in the sorting section 6. In this case, the tablets W can be peeled off from the conveying disc 30 even more easily.

[0132] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the physical OK gate 74 and OK collection chute 78 are used as a configuration for discharging OK tablets W from the conveying disk 30, but the configuration is not limited to this and any configuration that reduces the impact on OK tablets W discharged from the conveying disk 30 may be used, for example, a configuration using an air jet and OK collection chute 78. In this case, it is preferable to set the inclination and shape of the OK collection chute 78 so that OK tablets W peeled off from the conveying disk 30 by air injected from the air jet are smoothly delivered to the OK collection chute 78 without or with an extremely small impact. For example, the OK collection chute 78 is shaped so that the inclination becomes gradually gentler as it approaches the outlet.

[0133] While an embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention, and it is intended that all such modifications and equivalents be included in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0134] 1. Item inspection equipment 2 Supply section 3. Conveyor 4. Inspection Department 5 Guide section 6. Sorting Department 8 Tablet dispenser 30 Transfer disc 30c Flow rate limiting member (suction force limiting means) 30M drive motor 32 suction holes 71 NG gate (first discharge section, first gate) 72 Total discharge gate (first discharge section, first gate) 73 Fail-safe gate (first discharge section, first gate) 74 OK Gate (Second Discharge Section, Second Gate) 74b Slope 78 OK recovery shot (shot) 90 Transport mechanism 100 control section P1 Adsorption position P2 inspection position P3 NG discharge position (sorting position) P4 All discharge positions (sorting position) P5 Fail-safe discharge position (sorting position) P6 OK discharge position (sorting position) W Tablet (item)

Claims

1. a conveying section (3) that suction-holds an object (W) to be inspected and conveys it to a sorting position (P3, P4, P5, P6) via an inspection position (P2); an inspection unit (4) that inspects the item at the inspection position; a sorting unit (6) that sorts the items at the sorting position based on the results of the inspection, The sorting unit is a first discharge section (71, 72, 73) that discharges articles other than non-defective articles from the conveyance section; and a second discharge section (74) that discharges non-defective articles from the transport section with less impact on the articles than the first discharge section.

2. the first discharge section has a physical first gate (71, 72, 73) that prevents the non-defective articles from being transported, thereby removing the non-defective articles from the transport section; The object inspection device of claim 1, wherein the second discharge section has a physical second gate (74) having an inclined surface (74b) that contacts the good object at an angle to gradually peel the object away from the conveying section.

3. 3. An object inspection device according to claim 2, wherein the second discharge section further comprises an inclined chute (78) for receiving the non-defective objects removed from the transport section by the second gate.

4. 4. An article inspection device according to claim 3, further comprising a transport mechanism (90) disposed at an outlet of the chute and capable of transporting the non-defective article discharged from the chute in any direction.

5. The first gate is The second gate is disposed upstream of the second gate in the article conveying direction, 5. An object inspection device as described in any one of claims 2 to 4, comprising: an NG gate (71) that discharges defective objects; a full discharge gate (72) that is arranged downstream of the NG gate in the object conveying direction and discharges all of the objects; and a fail-safe gate (73) that is arranged downstream of the full discharge gate in the object conveying direction and prevents objects other than the non-defective objects from being mistakenly transported to the second gate.

6. The object inspection device of claim 1, further comprising a suction force limiting means (30c) for reducing the suction force of the object in the range from after the object passes the inspection position until at least the range until the object passes the sorting position compared to outside the range.

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