Soft capsule feeding apparatus

Abstract

To provide a soft capsule feeder capable of smoothly and sequentially feeding soft capsules to pockets of a packaging sheet.SOLUTION: This device is provided with a rotary disk 1 which holds soft capsules supplied from a storage mechanism on the upper surface and has many elliptical small holes 2 for housing the soft capsules one by one in the radial direction and is obliquely provided, rotary brushes 3 and 4 for moving the soft capsules held on the upper surface of the rotary disk 1, a support plate 6 for supporting the soft capsules housed in the small holes 2 under the rotary disk 1, and a shutter mechanism 7 for allowing the soft capsules housed in the small holes 2 to be supplied to a pocket of a packaging sheet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a soft capsule supply device used in a PTP packaging machine (a machine that heat-forms a plastic sheet to form a container, places the contents inside, covers the opening with a material based on aluminum foil that is relatively easy to tear, heat-seals it, and packages the contents so that the aluminum foil or the like tears when pressed from above, allowing the contents to be easily removed), and in particular to a soft capsule supply device for sequentially supplying soft capsules to pockets of a packaging sheet in a PTP packaging machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, supply devices that supply tablets sequentially include those that use a rotating drum with recesses formed on the circumferential surface for accommodating tablets, or those that use a rotating disk with recesses formed on the periphery for accommodating tablets (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-161260 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-2169 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, ellipsoidal (rugby ball-shaped) soft capsules containing liquid or paste-like substances are widely used, but this type of soft capsule is prone to variations in dimensional accuracy, surface hardness, and coefficient of friction.In particular, plant-derived soft capsules have a soft surface and a high coefficient of friction, so when they are fed sequentially into pockets of a packaging sheet using the above-mentioned conventional feeding device, there is a problem that the soft capsules get caught on the feeding device and are damaged, or they cannot be fed smoothly sequentially.

[0005] In consideration of the problems that arise when supplying soft capsules sequentially to the pockets of a packaging sheet, the present invention aims to provide a soft capsule supply device that enables soft capsules to be smoothly and sequentially supplied to the pockets of a packaging sheet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the soft capsule supply device of the present invention is a soft capsule supply device for sequentially supplying soft capsules to pockets of a packaging sheet, and is characterized by comprising an inclined rotating disk that holds the soft capsules supplied from a storage mechanism on its upper surface and has a large number of small elliptical holes aligned radially to accommodate each soft capsule, a rotating brush that moves the soft capsules held on the upper surface of the rotating disk, a support plate that supports the soft capsules contained in the small holes below the rotating disk, and a shutter mechanism that is provided at an interrupted position of the support plate and allows the soft capsules contained in the small holes to be supplied to the pockets of the packaging sheet.

[0007] In this case, the small holes can be aligned in the minor axis direction, and the shutter plate of the shutter mechanism can be moved in the minor axis direction.

[0008] The small holes may be formed on a line offset by a certain distance from the center line of the rotary disk.

[0009] In addition, the rotating brush can consist of a first rotating brush with bristles planted in a spiral shape that moves the soft capsules held on the upper surface of the rotating disk toward the center of the rotating disk, and a second rotating brush with bristles planted in a cylindrical shape that allows the soft capsules to be placed one by one in each small hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the soft capsule supply device of the present invention, the soft capsules can be smoothly and sequentially supplied to the pockets of the packaging sheet without the soft capsules getting caught in the supply device and being damaged. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a flow chart showing the soft capsule supplying process in the soft capsule supplying device of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a soft capsule supply device of the present invention. [Figure 3] 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2) of the soft capsule supply device as seen from the front. [Figure 4] 2A and 2B show the soft capsule supply device, where (a) is a side view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. [Figure 5] 4 is a plan view (cross-sectional view taken along CC in FIG. 3) of the lower structure of the soft capsule supply device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the soft capsule supplying device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the soft capsule supplying device of the present invention. This soft capsule supplying device is used to sequentially supply soft capsules to pockets of a packaging sheet in a PTP packaging machine, and Figure 1 shows the soft capsule supplying process of this soft capsule supplying device. (1) The soft capsules are temporarily stored in a hopper (storage mechanism). The hopper is provided with a detection mechanism that detects the amount of soft capsules stored, and is designed to sound an alarm when the amount of soft capsules stored reaches a lower limit (low remaining). (2) The soft capsules discharged from the hopper are fed into the bowl of a parts feeder equipped with a vibration mechanism, which is located below the hopper. (3) The soft capsules are fed from the ball of the parts feeder to the top surface of the rotating disk 1 via a chute or tube. The amount of soft capsules held on the upper surface of the rotary disk 1 is detected by, for example, a capacitance sensor, and the parts feeder is controlled to maintain a constant amount. (4) The soft capsules held on the upper surface of the rotating disk 1 are supplied through small oval holes 2 formed on the rotating disk 1, each containing a soft capsule, to a pocket in the packaging sheet located below the shutter plate 71 of the shutter mechanism 7 when the shutter plate 71 is open.

[0014] The soft capsule supply mechanism used in the above steps (3) to (4) comprises an inclined rotating disk 1 that holds the soft capsules supplied from the storage mechanism on its upper surface and has a large number of small elliptical holes 2 aligned radially, each of which holds a soft capsule individually; rotating brushes 3 and 4 that move the soft capsules held on the upper surface of the rotating disk 1; a support plate 6 that supports the soft capsules held in the small holes 2 below the rotating disk 1; and a shutter mechanism 7 that is provided at an interrupted position on the support plate 6 and allows the soft capsules held in the small holes 2 to be supplied to a pocket in the packaging sheet.

[0015] The rotating disk 1 is tilted at an angle θ (5 to 20°; in this embodiment, 10°) with respect to the horizontal plane, and is rotated in synchronization with the transport speed of the packaging sheet in the PTP packaging machine.

[0016] The rotating disk 1 holds a predetermined amount of soft capsules on the upper surface of the lower side of the rotating disk 1, and has a peripheral wall 8 on its outer periphery to prevent the held soft capsules from falling.

[0017] The small holes 2 are formed to match the shape of the target soft capsules and the position of the pockets in the packaging sheet. If the target soft capsules or the position of the pockets in the packaging sheet change, the rotating disk 1 is replaced with one on which small holes 2 that match the changes are formed.

[0018] The small holes 2 are aligned so that the short axis directions of the elliptical small holes 2 are aligned (in this embodiment, 5 x 2 sets = 10), and the shutter plate 71 of the shutter mechanism 7 can be opened and closed by moving in the short axis direction. This allows the soft capsules to be smoothly and sequentially fed into the pockets of the packaging sheet, even in the case of soft capsules with a large coefficient of friction.

[0019] The small holes 2 can be formed on a line offset from the center line of the rotary disk 1 by a certain distance d (in this embodiment, about 50 mm). This allows the spacing between adjacent small holes 2 to be large, and coupled with the fact that the short axis directions of the elliptical small holes 2 are aligned, it is possible to accommodate each small hole 2 individually without the soft capsules interfering with each other.

[0020] The rotating brushes 3 and 4 are composed of a first rotating brush 3 with bristles planted in a spiral shape that moves the soft capsules held on the upper surface of the rotating disk 1 toward the center of the rotating disk 1, and a second rotating brush 4 with bristles planted in a cylindrical shape that allows the soft capsules to be accommodated one by one in each small hole 2. The rotating brushes 3 and 4 are preferably made of synthetic resin, particularly nylon, which has excellent abrasion resistance, elasticity, flexibility and durability, does not contain harmful substances, is resistant to corrosion and is hygienic. The rotary brushes 3 and 4 are configured such that the second rotary brush 4 is rotationally driven by a motor 51, and the first rotary brush 3 is rotationally driven via a driven mechanism 52 such as a timing belt. As a result, first, the first rotating brush 3 moves the soft capsules held on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the rotating disk 1 (which tend to be biased toward the outer periphery) toward the center of the rotating disk 1, ensuring that the soft capsules are contained in each small hole 2; then, the second rotating brush 4 sweeps back, toward the first rotating brush 3, any excess soft capsules present on the upper surface of the rotating disk 1 at the position of the second rotating brush 4, excluding the soft capsules contained in the small holes 2, so that only the soft capsules contained in the small holes 2 are supplied to the position of the shutter plate 71 of the shutter mechanism 7.

[0021] The support plate 6 supports the soft capsules contained in the small holes 2 below the rotating disk 1 to prevent them from falling, and in this embodiment, it is shaped to cover approximately half of the underside of the rotating disk 1.

[0022] The shutter plate 71 of the shutter mechanism 7 is provided at a position where the support plate 6 is interrupted, and allows the soft capsules contained in the small holes 2 to be supplied to the pockets of the packaging sheet.The shutter plate 71 moves in the short axis direction of the elliptical small holes 2 to open and close the small holes 2, allowing the soft capsules contained in the small holes 2 to fall in the same position and be supplied to the pockets of the packaging sheet. Here, the shutter plate 71 can be driven by an actuator such as an air cylinder. In addition, the shutter plate 71 is formed to match the position of the pocket of the packaging sheet, so when the position of the pocket of the packaging sheet is changed, the shutter plate 71 is replaced with one that matches the position.

[0023] The soft capsule supply device of the present invention has been described above based on its embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiment, and the configuration can be changed as appropriate within the scope of its intent. [Industrial Applicability]

[0024] The soft capsule supply device of the present invention is capable of smoothly and sequentially supplying soft capsules into the pockets of a packaging sheet, and therefore can be suitably used for sequentially supplying soft capsules into the pockets of a packaging sheet in a PTP packaging machine. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 1 rotating disk 2 small holes 3 Rotating brush (first rotating brush) 4 Rotating brush (second rotating brush) 51 Motor 52 Driven mechanism 6 Support plate 7. Shutter mechanism 8 Peripheral wall

Claims

1. A soft capsule supply device for sequentially supplying soft capsules to pockets of a packaging sheet, characterized in that it comprises: an inclined rotating disk that holds the soft capsules supplied from a storage mechanism on its upper surface and has a large number of small elliptical holes aligned radially to accommodate each soft capsule; a rotating brush that moves the soft capsules held on the upper surface of the rotating disk; a support plate that supports the soft capsules accommodated in the small holes below the rotating disk; and a shutter mechanism that is provided at an interrupted position on the support plate and allows the soft capsules accommodated in the small holes to be supplied to the pockets of the packaging sheet.

2. 2. The soft capsule supplying device according to claim 1, wherein the small holes are aligned in the minor axis direction, and the shutter plate of the shutter mechanism is movable in the minor axis direction.

3. 3. The soft capsule supplying device according to claim 1, wherein the small holes are formed on a line offset by a predetermined distance from the center line of the rotary disk.

4. A soft capsule supply device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rotating brush consists of a first rotating brush with bristles planted in a spiral shape that moves the soft capsules held on the upper surface of the rotating disk toward the center of the rotating disk, and a second rotating brush with bristles planted in a cylindrical shape that allows the soft capsules to be placed one by one in each small hole.

Images