Blister packaging machine

Abstract

This invention provides a blister packaging machine that can more reliably prevent heat from being transferred from the heating roll or preheating means to the cover film when the machine is stopped, and can also hold the cover film in the correct position by adsorption when the cover film is returned to a state where it can be heated. [Solution] The blister packaging machine comprises a sealing device 53 having a film receiving roll 51 and a heating roll 52 that sandwich and attach the container film 3 and the heating film 4, an adsorption roll 55 that supplies the cover film 4 toward the sealing device 53 while adsorbing and holding it, a preheating roll 56 and a preheating plate 57 that preheat the cover film 4, and a separation device 60. The separation device 60 is configured to separate the heating roll 52, preheating roll 56 and preheating plate 57 from the cover film 4 while the cover film 4 is adsorbed and held by the adsorption roll 55.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a blister packaging machine for manufacturing a blister sheet that houses contents such as tablets.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, in the field of pharmaceuticals and the like, blister sheets such as PTP (Press Through Pack) sheets are known. A blister sheet includes a container film having a pocket portion for housing contents (for example, tablets and the like), and a cover film attached to the container film so as to seal the opening side of the pocket portion. Further, in consideration of the recyclability of used blister sheets or scraps remaining after separating the blister sheets, the cover film may be made of resin.

[0003] The above-described blister sheet can be manufactured by a blister packaging machine. The blister packaging machine includes means for forming a pocket portion in a conveyed strip-shaped container film, means for filling the pocket portion with contents, means for attaching a strip-shaped cover film to the container film so as to seal the opening side of the pocket portion, and means for obtaining a blister sheet by separating a strip-shaped blister film composed of the container film and the cover film into sheet units.

[0004] In addition, when attaching the cover film to the container film, in order to align a portion that requires alignment provided on the cover film (for example, identification information such as code information such as a barcode, characters, a pattern, or a weak portion for easily taking out the contents from the pocket portion) with a sheet planned portion that is a portion of the container film that becomes a blister sheet (particularly the outer edge portion or the pocket portion of the sheet planned portion), the cover film may be stretched. As a blister packaging machine capable of stretching the cover film, there is known one that controls the amount of stretching of the cover film while preheating the cover film so that the relative positional relationship between the portion that requires alignment and the sheet planned portion is appropriate (for example, see Patent Document 1 and the like).

[0005] The blister packaging machine described in Patent Document 1 above includes a heating roll (pressure roller), a film receiving roll (blister roller), and a preheating means (tension roller), among other things.

[0006] The heating roll attaches the container film and cover film by heating them while sandwiching them between the film receiving roll. The film receiving roll conveys the container film and the attached cover film downstream by rotating with a pocket portion housed in a recess formed on its outer circumference. The preheating means is a rotatable roll located upstream of the heating roll, and preheats the cover film when the conveyed cover film is placed on it. The preheating means is also capable of adsorbing the cover film, and the rotation speed of the preheating means is set to be lower than the rotation speed of the film receiving roll, thereby stretching the cover film.

[0007] Furthermore, this blister packaging machine has a sensor that detects registration marks (reference symbols) provided on the cover film, and when the sensor detects a registration mark, it has a function to correct the misalignment of the parts that need to be aligned with the planned sheet area by lowering the rotation speed of the preheating means.

[0008] Incidentally, when a blister packaging machine is stopped, if devices for heating the cover film, such as heating rolls and preheating means, remain in contact with the cover film, there is a risk that the cover film may be damaged due to the effects of heat. Therefore, it is conceivable to configure the blister packaging machine so that the heating rolls (sealing rollers) and preheating means (preheating plates) can be separated from the cover film when the machine is stopped (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2001-502642 [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2014-528389 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0010] However, in the blister packaging machine described in Patent Document 1, the cover film is placed on the outer surface of the preheating means (pull roller), particularly on the side opposite to the film receiving roll (blister roller), and a part of the heating roll (pressure roller) is positioned between the preheating means and the film receiving roll. Therefore, even if one tries to move the preheating means to the side away from the cover film, that is, to the side where the film receiving roll and heating roll are located, it is extremely difficult to move the preheating means because the film receiving roll and heating roll get in the way.

[0011] Furthermore, even if the preheating mechanism could be separated from the cover film by moving the cover film, when the cover film is returned to a state where it can be heated in order to restart the blister packaging machine, the position of the cover film held by the preheating mechanism along the longitudinal direction of the cover film may be significantly shifted from the correct position. If the amount of shift in the holding position is large, the amount of shift in the position of the part that needs to be aligned with the sheet target area will also be large. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to correct these misalignments little by little using the aforementioned misalignment correction function, a large amount of cover film will be sent to the sealing mechanism side before the correction is completed. As a result, a large amount of blister film with an inappropriate relative positional relationship between the sheet target area and the part that needs to be aligned, i.e., defective blister film, may be produced, which may lead to increased production costs and decreased productivity.

[0012] Furthermore, in the blister packaging machine described in Patent Document 2, when the heating roll and preheating means that have been separated from the cover film are returned to their original positions, there is a risk that the amount of misalignment of the sheet planning area and the alignment required area will be relatively large.

[0013] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a blister packaging machine that can more reliably prevent the cover film from being affected by heat when stopped by separating the heating roll and preheating means from the cover film, and furthermore, can hold the cover film in the correct position by adsorption when the cover film is returned to a state where it can be heated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] Below, we will describe, in separate sections, each means suitable for achieving the above objectives. Furthermore, we will add notes on the effects and benefits specific to each means as needed.

[0015] Method 1: A filling means for filling the contents into a pocket formed in a strip-shaped container film, A sealing means for attaching a strip-shaped resin cover film to the container film, The system includes a punching means for obtaining a blister sheet by punching out a strip-shaped blister film, which is formed by attaching the cover film to the container film, The container film is configured such that multiple sheet portions, which are the parts that will become the blister sheets, are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the container film. The cover film has a plurality of registration marks provided at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction, and a positioning portion provided in a predetermined positional relationship with the registration marks, and which is necessary to be provided in a certain relative positional relationship with the planned sheet portion when the cover film is attached to the container film. The sealing means is A rotatable film receiving roll, The system includes a heating roll capable of sandwiching the container film and the cover film between itself and the film receiving roll at a predetermined sealing position, A blister packaging machine is configured such that, as the film receiving roll rotates, the container film and the cover film attached to the container film are transported together downstream, and a plurality of the planned sheet portions sequentially pass through the sealing position, so that the portion of the planned sheet portion located at the sealing position changes periodically. A phase acquisition means that acquires phase information indicating the portion located at the seal position in the planned sheet portion, A cover film supply means that supplies the cover film toward the sealing means while adsorbing and holding it, A preheating means is provided between the cover film supply means and the sealing means for preheating the cover film, A pre-seal detection means is provided between the cover film supply means and the preheating means for detecting the registration mark, In order to position the required alignment portion with respect to the planned sheet portion at a certain relative position, a control means controls the amount of cover film supplied by the cover film supply means toward the sealing means so that the phase acquired by the phase acquisition means at the timing when the registration mark is detected by the pre-seal detection means becomes a predetermined pre-seal target phase, A blister packaging machine comprising a separation means capable of separating the heating roll and the preheating means from the cover film while the cover film is held in place by the cover film supply means through adsorption.

[0016] According to the above-described means 1, the heating roll and preheating means can be separated from the cover film by the separation means. Therefore, when the blister packaging machine is stopped, it is possible to more reliably prevent heat from being transferred from the heating roll and preheating means to the cover film.

[0017] Also, by the separation means, the heating roll and the preheating means can be separated from the cover film while the cover film is adsorbed and held by the cover film supply means. Therefore, when restarting the blister packaging machine to return the cover film to a heatable state, the adsorption and holding position of the cover film by the cover film supply means can be maintained at an appropriate position.

[0018] Furthermore, according to the above means 1, since the cover film is adsorbed and held by the cover film supply means, the length of the cover film supplied per unit time from the cover film supply means toward the sealing means side is made smaller than the length of the container film and the cover film conveyed per unit time by the film receiving roll, so that the cover film can be stretched between the cover film supply means and the sealing means. That is, the adsorption and holding function of the cover film by the cover film supply means is not only used to prevent the deviation of the adsorption and holding position when the cover film is returned to a heatable state, but also used for stretching the cover film. Therefore, the blister packaging machine can be simplified and miniaturized.

[0019] In addition, according to the above means 1, in order to provide the alignment necessary part with a certain relative positional relationship with respect to the sheet planned part, the control means controls the supply amount of the cover film toward the sealing means side so that the phase at the timing when the registration mark is detected by the pre-sealing detection means becomes the predetermined pre-sealing target phase. Therefore, the stretching amount of the cover film can be appropriately adjusted, and the alignment necessary part can be more reliably provided with a certain relative positional relationship with respect to the sheet planned part. As a result, in the obtained blister sheet, the alignment necessary part can be provided at an appropriate position, and thus the quality of the blister sheet can be improved.

[0020] Also, as described above, since the cover film supply means can maintain the adsorption and holding position of the cover film at an appropriate position, when the blister packaging machine is restarted, even if the cover film is displaced relative to the container film (displacement of the portion requiring alignment with respect to the planned sheet portion) for some reason, the amount of displacement can be made very small. Therefore, when adjusting the stretching amount of the cover film to correct the displacement, this correction can be completed at an early stage. As a result, it is possible to prevent a large amount of defective blister films (blister films with an inappropriate relative positional relationship between the planned sheet portion and the portion requiring alignment) from occurring. Consequently, it is possible to reduce production costs and improve productivity.

[0021] Means 2. The blister packaging machine according to Means 1, further comprising path line adjusting means capable of adjusting the path line of the cover film so that no slack occurs in the cover film in a state where the heating roll and the preheating means are separated from the cover film by the separating means.

[0022] According to the above Means 2, the path line adjusting means can prevent slack from occurring in the cover film. As a result, it is possible to make it less likely for the cover film to meander or for the portion requiring alignment with respect to the planned sheet portion to be displaced due to the slack of the cover film. Consequently, it is possible to more effectively reduce production costs and improve productivity.

[0023] Means 3. Comprising post-sealing detection means provided downstream of the seal position for detecting the registration mark. The blister packaging machine according to means 1, characterized in that the control means corrects the pre-seal target phase based on the difference between the phase acquired by the phase acquisition means at the timing when the registration mark is detected by the post-seal detection means and a predetermined post-seal target phase, thereby controlling the amount of cover film supplied by the cover film supply means toward the sealing means so that the phase acquired by the phase acquisition means at the timing when the registration mark is detected by the post-seal detection means becomes the post-seal target phase.

[0024] According to the above-described means 3, the control means corrects the pre-seal target phase based on the difference between the phase at the time the registration mark is detected by the post-seal detection means and a predetermined post-seal target phase, thereby controlling the amount of cover film supplied by the cover film supply means so that the phase at the time the registration mark is detected by the post-seal detection means becomes the post-seal target phase. Therefore, even if the amount of stretching of the cover film downstream of the pre-seal detection means fluctuates due to changes in the temperature of the heating roll or preheating means, and consequently causes a misalignment of the alignment required part relative to the planned sealing part, the amount of stretching of the cover film can be appropriately adjusted so that this misalignment does not occur. This makes it possible to more reliably set the alignment required part in a constant relative positional relationship with the planned sheet part, and to more effectively reduce production costs.

[0025] Means 4. The film receiving roll has a plurality of receiving recesses on its outer circumferential surface capable of accommodating the pocket portion, and is configured to convey the container film with respect to the pocket portion by rotating with the pocket portion accommodating in the receiving recesses. The blister packaging machine according to means 3, characterized in that the phase acquisition means acquires information relating to the rotation angle of the film receiving roll as the phase.

[0026] The clamping action between the film receiving roll and the heating roll can cause stretching of the container film, which in turn can cause fluctuations in the actual width of the intended sheet portion of the container film (the length along the conveying direction of the blister film).

[0027] In this regard, according to the above means 4, the container film is transported with the pocket portion as the reference, and information with respect to the pocket portion is obtained as the phase. Therefore, even if the actual width of the planned sheet portion changes, the phase can be detected with the total width of the planned sheet portion equal to a predetermined angle (for example, 360°), regardless of the actual width of the planned sheet portion. As a result, the detection of the registration mark by the post-seal detection means can be less affected by the stretching of the container film, etc., at the seal position. This makes it possible to more reliably provide the alignment required portion with respect to the planned sheet portion in a constant relative positional relationship.

[0028] Means 5. The blister packaging machine according to means 4, characterized in that the post-seal detection means is configured to detect the registration mark on the portion of the blister film that is hung on the film receiving roll.

[0029] According to the above means 5, the post-seal detection means detects the registration mark on the portion of the blister film that is mounted on the film receiving roll, that is, the portion of the blister film that is being transported relative to the pocket portion. Therefore, the detection of the registration mark by the post-seal detection means can be made less susceptible to the effects of stretching of the container film, etc., at the sealing position. This makes it possible to more reliably position the necessary alignment portion with respect to the planned sheet portion in a fixed relative position.

[0030] Furthermore, the technical aspects related to each of the above means may be combined as appropriate. For example, the technical aspects related to means 2 may be combined with the technical aspects related to means 3. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0031] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a PTP sheet. [Figure 2] This is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a PTP sheet. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the back of a PTP sheet. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the back side of the PTP film. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of a PTP packaging machine. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the sealing system during operation of a PTP packaging machine. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the sealing system when the PTP packaging machine is stopped. [Figure 8] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the rotation speed of the suction roll and the amount of cover film supplied when the phase of the registration mark detected before sealing coincides with the target phase before sealing. [Figure 9] This is an explanatory diagram to illustrate the rotation speed of the suction roll and the amount of cover film supplied when the phase of the registration mark detected before sealing does not match the target phase before sealing. [Figure 10] This is an explanatory diagram to illustrate the pre-seal target phase and cover film supply amount when the phase detected after sealing of the registration mark does not match the post-seal target phase. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0032] The following describes one embodiment with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the PTP sheet as a "blister sheet" will be explained in detail.

[0033] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the PTP sheet 1 has a container film 3 with a plurality of pocket portions 2 and a cover film 4 attached to the container film 3 so as to close the pocket portions 2.

[0034] The container film 3 is made of transparent or translucent polypropylene (PP) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and is light-transmitting. On the other hand, the cover film 4 is made of a predetermined thermoplastic resin (e.g., PP). The container film 3 may also be made of a metal laminate film using aluminum or the like. Furthermore, the resin material constituting the cover film 4 may be changed as appropriate.

[0035] A printing section 8 is provided on the side of the cover film 4 opposite to the pocket section 2 (i.e., the back surface of the PTP sheet 1) (see Figure 3). The printing section 8 is necessary to be positioned at a certain location relative to the sheet area 101 (particularly the outer edge of the sheet area 101 and the pocket section 2) when the cover film 4 is attached to the container film 3, and consists of identification information such as barcodes, letters, numbers, and diagrams. In this embodiment, the printing section 8 constitutes the "alignment required section".

[0036] Furthermore, a weak point may be provided in the cover film 4 at the position that closes the pocket portion 2, in order to easily remove the tablet 5 (described later) from the pocket portion 2. The weak point is intended to make the resin cover film 4 easier to break, and it must be provided at the position that closes the pocket portion 2. Therefore, if a weak point is provided, it constitutes a "part requiring alignment".

[0037] The PTP sheet 1 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view, with its four corners forming arcs. The PTP sheet 1 has two rows of pockets, each consisting of three pocket sections 2 arranged along its long side, and two rows of pockets along its short side. In other words, a total of six pocket sections 2 are formed. Each pocket section 2 contains one tablet 5 as the "contents".

[0038] The PTP sheet 1 is manufactured by punching out a strip-shaped PTP film 6 (see Figure 4), which is formed from a strip-shaped container film 3 and a strip-shaped cover film 4, into a sheet. In this embodiment, the PTP film 6 corresponds to the "blister film". Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the container film 3 that constitutes the PTP film 6 has a configuration in which the sheet portion 101, which is the part that will become the PTP sheet 1 when punched out by a sheet punching device 37 described later, is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the container film 3, and one row of the sheet portion 101 is provided.

[0039] Furthermore, the strip-shaped cover film 4 that makes up the PTP film 6 has a registration mark 7 pre-printed on it.

[0040] The registration mark 7 is rectangular in shape when viewed from above, and multiple marks are provided at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the PTP film 6. The registration mark 7 is printed on the back surface of the cover film 4 that is attached to the container film 3, and has a fixed positional relationship with the printed area 8.

[0041] Next, the general configuration of the PTP packaging machine 10 for manufacturing the PTP sheet 1 described above will be explained. In this embodiment, the PTP packaging machine 10 corresponds to a "blister packaging machine".

[0042] As shown in Figure 5, at the upstream end of the PTP packaging machine 10, a strip of container film 3 is wound into a roll. The end of the roll of container film 3 is guided by a guide roll 13. Downstream of the guide roll 13, the container film 3 is mounted on an intermittent feed roll 14. The intermittent feed roll 14 is connected to a motor that rotates intermittently, and intermittently conveys the container film 3.

[0043] Between the guide roll 13 and the intermittent feed roll 14, a heating device 15 and a pocket forming device 16 are arranged in order along the transport path of the container film 3. When the container film 3 is heated by the heating device 15 and becomes relatively flexible, the pocket forming device 16 forms a plurality of pockets 2 at predetermined positions on the container film 3. The formation of the pockets 2 takes place during the intervals between the transport operations of the container film 3 by the intermittent feed roll 14.

[0044] The container film 3, fed out from the intermittent feed roll 14, is mounted on the tension roll 18 and then the guide roll 19 in that order. The tension roll 18 is positioned to pull the container film 3 towards the side where it is tensioned by elastic force, preventing slack in the container film 3 due to differences in the transport operation between the intermittent feed roll 14 and the film receiving roll 51 (described later), and keeping the container film 3 in a constantly taut state.

[0045] Between the guide roll 19 and the sealing device 53 (particularly the film receiving roll 51 described later), a filling device 21 and an inspection device 22 are arranged in order along the transport path of the container film 3. In this embodiment, the filling device 21 constitutes the "filling means".

[0046] The filling device 21 fills each pocket 2 with tablets 5 by, for example, opening shutters at predetermined intervals to allow the tablets 5 to fall freely. The inspection device 22 performs inspections to check, for example, whether the tablets 5 are properly filled into each pocket 2, whether there are any abnormalities in the tablets 5, and whether there are any foreign objects mixed into the pockets 2.

[0047] Downstream of the guide roll 19, the container film 3 is conveyed toward the sealing device 53. In this embodiment, the sealing device 53 constitutes the "sealing means". The sealing device 53 includes a film receiving roll 51 and a heating roll 52, and is used to attach the cover film 4 to the container film 3 to obtain a strip-shaped PTP film 6 in which tablets 5 are contained in each pocket portion 2. The sealing system 50 having the sealing device 53 will be described later.

[0048] The PTP film 6, fed out from the sealing device 53 (particularly the film receiving roll 51), is mounted via the guide roll 26, then the tension roll 27, and finally the intermittent feed roll 28. The intermittent feed roll 28 is connected to a motor that rotates intermittently, thus intermittently transporting the PTP film 6. The tension roll 27 is positioned to pull the PTP film 6 towards the side where it is tensioned by elastic force, preventing slack in the PTP film 6 due to differences in transport operation between the film receiving roll 51 and the intermittent feed roll 28, and maintaining the PTP film 6 in a constantly taut state.

[0049] The PTP film 6 fed from the intermittent feed roll 28 is mounted on the tension roll 31 and the intermittent feed roll 32 in that order. The intermittent feed roll 32 is connected to a motor that rotates intermittently, so it conveys the PTP film 6 intermittently. The tension roll 31 is positioned to pull the PTP film 6 towards the side where it is tensioned by elastic force, preventing slack in the PTP film 6 between the intermittent feed rolls 28 and 32.

[0050] Between the intermittent feed roll 28 and the tension roll 31, a slitting device 33 and an engraving device 34 are arranged in order along the transport path of the PTP film 6. The slitting device 33 has the function of forming separation slits at predetermined positions on the PTP film 6. The engraving device 34 has the function of engraving at predetermined positions on the PTP film 6. Note that the separation slits and engraving are not shown in Figure 1, etc.

[0051] The PTP film 6, fed from the intermittent feed roll 32, is then mounted on the tension roll 35 and the continuous feed roll 36 downstream. Between the intermittent feed roll 32 and the tension roll 35, a sheet punching device 37 is positioned along the transport path of the PTP film 6.

[0052] The sheet punching device 37 is a device for obtaining a PTP sheet 1 by punching out the PTP film 6. In this embodiment, the sheet punching device 37 constitutes the "punching means".

[0053] The PTP sheets 1 obtained by the sheet punching device 37 are transported by the conveyor 39 and temporarily stored in the finished product hopper 40. However, if the inspection device 22 determines that a sheet is defective, the PTP sheet 1 that is found to be defective is not sent to the finished product hopper 40, but is instead discharged separately by a defective sheet discharge mechanism (not shown).

[0054] A cutting device 42 is located downstream of the continuous feed roll 36. The scrap 43 remaining after punching by the sheet punching device 37 is guided to the tension roll 35 and the continuous feed roll 36, and then to the cutting device 42. The cutting device 42 cuts the scrap 43 to predetermined dimensions. The cut scrap 43 is stored in the scrap hopper 44 and then disposed of separately.

[0055] Next, the sealing system 50 will be described. As shown in Figure 6, in addition to the sealing device 53 having the film receiving roll 51 and heating roll 52 described above, the sealing system 50 includes an encoder 54, a suction roll 55, a preheating roll 56, a preheating plate 57, a pre-seal detection sensor 58, a post-seal detection sensor 59, a separation device 60, and a control device 70. In this embodiment, the encoder 54 constitutes the "phase detection means," similarly, the suction roll 55 constitutes the "cover film supply means," the preheating roll 56 and preheating plate 57 constitute the "preheating means," the pre-seal detection sensor 58 constitutes the "pre-seal detection means," the post-seal detection sensor 59 constitutes the "post-seal detection means," the separation device 60 constitutes the "separation means," and the control device 70 constitutes the "control means."

[0056] The film receiving roll 51 has a receiving recess 51a on its outer surface for housing the pocket portion 2 and is connected to a motor M1 that rotates at a constant speed. When the motor M1 operates with the pocket portion 2 housed in the receiving recess 51a, the film receiving roll 51 continuously and at a constant speed, using the pocket portion 2 as a reference.

[0057] The heating roll 52 is a driven-rotatable roll that can be pressed against the film receiving roll 51 at a predetermined sealing position SP, and heats both the container film 3 and the cover film 4 while sandwiching them between the film receiving roll 51. The raw material of the strip-shaped cover film 4 is wound into a roll at the upstream end, and the end of the cover film 4 is guided toward the suction roll 55. In the cover film 4 that constitutes the raw material, the distance between the centers of the registration marks 7 along the longitudinal direction of the cover film 4 is set to be slightly smaller than the design width of one PTP sheet 1 (one sheet portion 101).

[0058] Then, the container film 3 and the cover film 4 pass between the two rolls 51 and 52 in a heated and compressed state, causing the cover film 4 to attach to the container film 3 and the pocket portions 2 to be sealed by the cover film 4. This produces a strip-shaped PTP film 6 in which tablets 5 are contained in each pocket portion 2.

[0059] Furthermore, as the film receiving roll 51 rotates, the container film 3 and the cover film 4 attached to the container film 3 are transported together downstream. In addition, multiple sheet portion sections 101 pass through the seal position SP sequentially, so that the portion of the sheet portion section 101 located at the seal position SP changes periodically. In this embodiment, the film receiving roll 51 is configured to transport the container film 3, etc., with a length equal to the width of the designed sheet portion section 101 by rotating 60°.

[0060] Furthermore, the heating roll 52 is configured to move between a normal position (see Figure 6) in which it sandwiches both films 3 and 4 between itself and the film receiving roll 51, and a stopped position (see Figure 7) in which it separates itself from the cover film 4. The movement of the heating roll 52 is performed by a separation device 60 (particularly a drive device 62, which will be described later).

[0061] The encoder 54 acquires phase information, which indicates the location of the seal position SP in the sheet area 101. In this embodiment, the encoder 54 acquires information related to the rotation angle of the film receiving roll 51 as the phase, and the phase advances by 360° each time the film receiving roll 51 conveys a container film 3 (PTP film 6) that is the same length as the width of the designed sheet area 101. Therefore, for example, if the film receiving roll 51 rotates 30° and conveys a container film 3 (PTP film 6) that is half the length of the width of the designed sheet area 101, the phase will advance by 180°. The encoder 54 outputs the acquired phase to the control device 70. The phase returns to 0° when it reaches 360°.

[0062] The suction roll 55 supplies the cover film 4 toward the sealing device 53 while holding it by suction. The suction roll 55 is located upstream of the sealing device 53 along the transport path of the cover film 4 and is configured to hold the cover film 4 by suction on its outer surface. The suction roll 55 is connected to a continuously rotating motor M2, and as the motor M2 operates while the cover film 4 is held by suction on its outer surface, the cover film 4 is continuously supplied toward the sealing device 53. Unlike the heating roll 52, the suction roll 55 does not have the function of heating the cover film 4.

[0063] The operation of motor M2, that is, the operation of the suction roll 55, is controlled by the control device 70. In other words, the amount of cover film 4 supplied per unit time toward the sealing device 53 is controlled by the control device 70. The control device 70 adjusts the amount of cover film 4 supplied per unit time toward the sealing device 53 to be smaller than the amount of container film 3 transported per unit time, so that the cover film 4 is pulled and stretched between the suction roll 55 and the film receiving roll 51. The amount of stretching of the cover film 4 is, for example, 3-7%, and is determined based on the material of the cover film 4.

[0064] The preheating roll 56 is located between the suction roll 55 and the sealing device 53, and preheats the cover film 4 upstream of the sealing device 53. The preheating of the cover film 4 is performed to prevent the cover film 4 from tearing or other damage that may occur if the cover film 4 is heated too quickly to a temperature at which it can be attached to the container film 3 (for example, about 180°C). The preheating roll 56 is a rotatable roll equipped with an electric heater or the like, and preheats the cover film 4 that comes into contact with its outer surface. The preheating roll 56 is particularly responsible for preheating the surface of the cover film 4 that will be attached to the container film 3.

[0065] The preheating plate 57 is provided between the preheating roll 56 and the sealing device 53, and, like the preheating roll 56, preheats the cover film 4 upstream of the sealing device 53. The preheating plate 57 has a heat-generating curved sliding surface, and the cover film 4 is preheated by being conveyed while in contact with this sliding surface. The preheating plate 57 is responsible for preheating the back surface of the cover film 4, in particular, the surface that is attached to the container film 3. In addition, the sliding surface may be provided with a plurality of protrusions that gradually widen from the center in the width direction of the sliding surface toward the edge in the width direction, from the upstream side toward the downstream side. By providing such protrusions, the cover film 4 can be tensioned in its width direction, and shrinkage of the cover film 4 due to preheating can be suppressed.

[0066] Furthermore, the preheating plate 57 is indirectly fixed to the heating roll 52 and is integrated with the heating roll 52. Therefore, the preheating plate 57 moves together with the heating roll 52. The heating temperature of the cover film 4 by the preheating roll 56 and the preheating plate 57 is set to be lower than the heating temperature of the cover film 4 by the heating roll 52.

[0067] The pre-seal detection sensor 58 is located between the suction roll 55 and the preheating roll 56 and detects the registration mark 7 provided on the cover film 4. The detection result from the pre-seal detection sensor 58 is sent to the control device 70.

[0068] The post-seal detection sensor 59 is located downstream of the sealing device 53 (seal position SP) and detects the registration marks 7 of the PTP film 6. In this embodiment, the post-seal detection sensor 59 specifically detects the registration marks 7 of the portion of the PTP film 6 that is mounted on the film receiving roll 51. The detection result from the post-seal detection sensor 59 is sent to the control device 70.

[0069] The separation device 60 is a device for stopping the heating of the cover film 4 by separating the heating roll 52, preheating roll 56, and preheating plate 57 from the cover film 4 when the PTP packaging machine 10 is stopped. The separation device 60 includes a pass line adjustment roll 61 and a drive device 62. In this embodiment, the pass line adjustment roll 61 constitutes the "pass line adjustment means".

[0070] The pass line adjustment roll 61 has the function of separating the cover film 4 from the preheating roll 56 and adjusting the pass line of the cover film 4 so that there is no slack in the cover film 4. The pass line adjustment roll 61 is configured to move between a stopped position (see Figure 7) where the cover film 4 is mounted and a normal position (see Figure 6) where it is separated from the cover film 4. When the pass line adjustment roll 61 is positioned in the stopped position, the cover film 4 is separated from the preheating roll 56 and the pass line of the cover film 4 is adjusted so that there is no slack in the cover film 4.

[0071] Furthermore, the path length of the cover film 4 from the suction roll 55 to the sealing device 53 (seal position SP) when the pass line adjustment roll 61 is in its stopped position is the same as the path length when the pass line adjustment roll 61 is in its normal position. Therefore, the pass line adjustment roll 61 also has the function of maintaining a constant path length of the cover film 4 from the suction roll 55 to the sealing device 53.

[0072] The drive unit 62 is a device for moving the pass line adjustment roll 61 and the heating roll 52 and the preheating plate 57 integrated therewith. The drive unit 62 moves the pass line adjustment roll 61 and the heating roll 52 to their normal positions, thereby enabling the heating of the cover film 4 by the heating roll 52, preheating roll 56, and preheating plate 57 (see Figure 6). On the other hand, the drive unit 62 moves the pass line adjustment roll 61 and the heating roll 52 to their stopped positions, thereby separating the cover film 4 from the heating roll 52, preheating roll 56, and preheating plate 57, and stopping the heating of the cover film 4 by these components (see Figure 7). In this embodiment, when the PTP packaging machine 10 is stopped, the pass line adjustment roll 61 and the heating roll 52 are automatically moved to their stopped positions, and when the PTP packaging machine 10 is restarted, the pass line adjustment roll 61 and the heating roll 52 are automatically moved to their normal positions.

[0073] In addition, the separation device 60 is provided separately from the suction roll 55. Therefore, the separation device 60 can separate the heating roll 52, preheating roll 56, and preheating plate 57 from the cover film 4 while the cover film 4 remains held in place by the suction roll 55 (see Figure 7).

[0074] The control device 70 controls the amount of cover film 4 supplied per unit time toward the sealing device 53 by adjusting the rotation speed of the suction roll 55 based on the phase acquired by the encoder 54 and the detection results from both detection sensors 58 and 59. The control device 70 is composed of a computer system including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs predetermined calculations, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various programs and fixed value data, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores various data when various calculations are performed, and peripheral circuits for these.

[0075] The control device 70 adjusts the rotation speed of the suction roll 55 to control the amount of cover film 4 supplied by the suction roll 55 toward the sealing device 53, so that the phase acquired by the encoder 54 at the timing when the registration mark 7 is detected by the pre-seal detection sensor 58 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of pre-seal detection") becomes a predetermined pre-seal target phase α, in order to position the printing section 8 with respect to the sheet planning section 101 in a fixed relative position (target relative position).

[0076] More specifically regarding the control of the suction roll 55 by the control device 70, as shown in Figure 8, when the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of pre-seal detection" is the pre-seal target phase α (for example, 0°), that is, when both phases coincide, the control device 70 controls the suction roll 55 to rotate at a predetermined normal speed s0. However, the control device 70 controls the suction roll 55 so that the amount of cover film 4 supplied per unit time toward the sealing device 53 is less than the amount of container film 3 transported per unit time. Note that "Sheet No." in Figure 8, etc., is an example of a sequential number set for each sheet planning section 101.

[0077] As the suction roll 55 rotates at a normal speed s0, while conveying a portion of container film 3 corresponding to the width of the planned sheet area 101 in the design (i.e., one sheet of container film 3), it supplies a portion of cover film 4 equal to the distance between the centers of the registration marks 7 along the longitudinal direction of the cover film 4 (i.e., one pitch of cover film 4) toward the sealing device 53. By appropriately setting the positional relationship between the two films 3 and 4 supplied to the sealing device 53 (for example, the positional relationship between the pocket area 2 and the registration marks 7), when the suction roll 55 is rotating at a normal speed s0, the relative positional relationship between the planned sheet area 101 (e.g., the pocket area 2) and the printed area 8 in the resulting PTP film 6 is usually constant.

[0078] In contrast, if the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of pre-seal detection" does not match the pre-seal target phase α, that is, if the suction roll 55 is rotated at the same speed, a PTP film 6 will be produced with a slight misalignment between the sheet target area 101 and the printing area 8. In such cases, as shown in Figure 9, the control device 70 increases or decreases the rotation speed of the suction roll 55 to control the supply amount of cover film 4 toward the sealing device 53, so that the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of pre-seal detection" matches the pre-seal target phase α (so that both phases match). For example, if the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of pre-seal detection" is 2° behind the pre-seal target phase α, the control device 70 rotates the suction roll 55 at a rotation speed [s0 × (1 + 2° / 360°)] obtained by subtracting the pre-seal target phase α from the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of pre-seal detection" (2° - 0° = 2°) (see arrows A and B in Figure 9), thereby increasing the supply amount of cover film 4.

[0079] By increasing or decreasing the rotation speed of the suction roll 55, the amount of stretching of the cover film 4 between the suction roll 55 and the sealing device 53 is increased or decreased, and the position of the registration marks and printed area 8 along the conveying direction of the cover film 4 is adjusted. For example, if the suction roll 55 is controlled to rotate at a rotation speed of [s0 × (1 + 2° / 360°)], the amount of cover film 4 supplied per unit time increases, and the amount of stretching of the cover film 4 decreases. As a result, the position of the registration marks 7 and printed area 8 is adjusted in a direction that eliminates the 2° delay (see arrow C in Figure 9). Note that the amount of container film 3 conveyed required until the position adjustment of the registration marks 7, etc. is completed, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, is an example for the sake of explanation.

[0080] Then, by adjusting the positions of the registration mark 7 and the printing section 8, the relative positional relationship between the sheet target section 101 and the printing section 8 in the resulting PTP film 6 becomes a constant positional relationship (the target positional relationship). When the relative positional relationship between the sheet target section 101 and the printing section 8 becomes constant and the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of pre-seal detection" and the pre-seal target phase α coincide, the control device 70 returns the operating speed of the suction roll 55 to the normal speed s0.

[0081] Furthermore, if the control device 70 does not match the phase acquired by the encoder 54 at the time the registration mark 7 is detected by the post-seal detection sensor 59 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of post-seal detection") with a predetermined post-seal target phase β (for example, 0°), it corrects the pre-seal target phase α based on the difference between the two phases. Then, through this correction, the control device 70 controls the amount of cover film 4 supplied by the suction roll 55 toward the sealing device 53 so that the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of post-seal detection" becomes the post-seal target phase β.

[0082] More specifically, if the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of detection after sealing" does not match the target phase β after sealing, that is, if the suction roll 55 is rotated at the same speed, a PTP film 6 will be produced with a slight misalignment between the sheet target area 101 and the printing area 8, the control device 70 corrects the target phase α before sealing based on the difference between the two phases. In this embodiment, the target phase α before sealing is corrected by the same value as the difference between the target phase β after sealing and the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of detection after sealing". Therefore, as shown in Figure 10, for example, if the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of detection after sealing" is 1° behind the target phase β after sealing, the target phase α before sealing is corrected from 0° to -1° (see arrows F and G in Figure 10).

[0083] Then, as described above, the control device 70 adjusts the rotation speed of the suction roll 55 so that the "phase of the registration mark 7 when detected before sealing" becomes the target phase α before sealing. As a result, the amount of cover film 4 supplied by the suction roll 55 toward the sealing device 53 is controlled so that the "phase of the registration mark 7 when detected after sealing" becomes the target phase β after sealing. For example, if the target phase α before sealing is corrected to -1°, the control device 70 rotates the suction roll 55 at a rotation speed [s0 × (1 + 1° / 360°)] which is obtained by subtracting the target phase α before sealing from the "phase of the registration mark 7 when detected before sealing" [0° - (-1°) = 1°] (see arrows H and I in Figure 10). This increases the rotation speed of the suction roll 55, and the amount of cover film 4 supplied increases so that the "phase of the registration mark 7 when detected after sealing" becomes the target phase β after sealing.

[0084] By controlling the supply amount of the cover film 4, the amount of stretching of the cover film 4 between the suction roll 55 and the sealing device 53 increases or decreases, thereby adjusting the position of the registration marks 7 and printed area 8 along the conveying direction of the cover film 4. For example, if the target phase α before sealing is -1°, the position of the registration marks 7 and printed area 8 is adjusted in a direction that eliminates the 1° delay related to the "phase of the registration marks 7 when detected after sealing" (see arrow J in Figure 10).

[0085] Then, by adjusting the positions of the registration mark 7 and the printing section 8, the relative positional relationship between the sheet target section 101 and the printing section 8 in the resulting PTP film 6 becomes a constant positional relationship (the target positional relationship). When the relative positional relationship between the sheet target section 101 and the printing section 8 becomes constant and the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of pre-seal detection" and the pre-seal target phase α coincide, the control device 70 returns the operating speed of the suction roll 55 to the normal speed s0.

[0086] Furthermore, the control device 70 is set not to perform further correction of the pre-seal target phase α if the phase of the registration mark 7 detected after sealing does not match the target phase β after sealing, during the period from the time the pre-seal target phase α is corrected until the phase of the registration mark 7 detected after sealing returns to match the target phase β after sealing. This prevents unnecessary positional adjustments of the registration mark 7 and the printing unit 8.

[0087] As described in detail above, according to this embodiment, the separation device 60 can separate the heating roll 52, preheating roll 56, and preheating plate 57 from the cover film 4. Therefore, when the PTP packaging machine 10 is stopped, it is possible to more reliably prevent heat from being transferred from the heating roll 52, preheating roll 56, etc. to the cover film 4.

[0088] Furthermore, the separation device 60 allows the heating roll 52 and preheating roll 56 to be separated from the cover film 4 while the cover film 4 remains held in place by the suction roll 55. Therefore, when the cover film 4 is returned to a state where it can be heated in order to restart the PTP packaging machine 10, the position in which the cover film 4 is held by the suction roll 55 can be maintained at the appropriate position.

[0089] Furthermore, since the cover film 4 is held in place by the suction roll 55, the length of the cover film 4 supplied per unit time from the suction roll 55 toward the sealing device 53 can be made smaller than the length of the container film 3, etc., conveyed per unit time by the film receiving roll 51, thereby stretching the cover film 4 between the suction roll 55 and the sealing device 53. In other words, the suction holding function of the cover film 4 by the suction roll 55 is used not only to prevent displacement of the suction holding position when the cover film 4 is returned to a state where it can be heated, but also for stretching the cover film 4. Therefore, the PTP packaging machine 10 can be simplified and miniaturized.

[0090] In addition, in order to position the printing section 8 in a constant relative position with respect to the sheet target section 101, the control device 70 controls the amount of cover film 4 supplied toward the sealing device 53 so that the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of pre-seal detection" becomes the pre-seal target phase α. Therefore, by appropriately adjusting the amount of stretching of the cover film 4, the printing section 8 can be more reliably positioned in a constant relative position with respect to the sheet target section 101. As a result, the printing section 8 can be positioned in an appropriate location on the resulting PTP sheet 1, and consequently, the quality of the PTP sheet 1 can be improved.

[0091] Furthermore, as described above, the suction roll 55 can maintain the suction holding position of the cover film 4 in the correct position. Therefore, even if a misalignment of the cover film 4 relative to the container film 3 (misalignment of the printed section 8 relative to the sheet planning section 101) occurs for some reason when the PTP packaging machine 10 is restarted, the amount of misalignment can be kept very small. Consequently, when correcting the misalignment by adjusting the stretching amount of the cover film 4, this correction can be completed quickly. This prevents the generation of a large number of defective PTP films 6 (PTP films 6 in which the relative positional relationship between the sheet planning section 101 and the printed section 8 is inappropriate). As a result, production costs can be reduced and productivity can be improved.

[0092] Furthermore, the pass line adjustment roll 61 prevents slack in the cover film 4. This makes it less likely for the cover film 4 to meander or for the printing section 8 to be misaligned with the sheet's planned area 101 due to slack in the cover film 4. As a result, production costs can be reduced and productivity can be improved more effectively.

[0093] In addition, the control device 70 corrects the pre-seal target phase α based on the difference between the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of post-seal detection" and the post-seal target phase β, thereby controlling the amount of cover film 4 supplied by the suction roll 55 so that the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of post-seal detection" becomes the post-seal target phase β. Therefore, even if the amount of stretching of the cover film 4 downstream of the pre-seal detection sensor 58 fluctuates due to changes in the temperature of the heating roll 52, preheating roll 56, preheating plate 57, etc., and consequently causes a misalignment of the printing section 8 relative to the planned sealing section 101, the amount of stretching of the cover film 4 can be appropriately adjusted so that this misalignment does not occur. This makes it even more reliable to position the printing section 8 in a constant relative position to the planned sheet section 101, and makes it possible to more effectively reduce production costs.

[0094] In addition, the sandwiching by both rolls 51 and 52 causes stretching of the container film 3, and consequently, the actual width of the sheet portion 101 in the container film 3 (length along the conveying direction of the PTP film 6) may fluctuate. In this embodiment, the container film 3 is conveyed with the pocket portion 2 as the reference, and phase information is obtained with the pocket portion 2 as the reference. Therefore, even if the actual width of the sheet portion 101 fluctuates, the phase can be detected with the total width of the sheet portion 101 set to a predetermined angle (360° in this embodiment), regardless of the actual width of the sheet portion 101. As a result, the detection of the registration mark 7 by the post-seal detection sensor 59 can be made less susceptible to the influence of the stretching of the container film 3 at the seal position SP. This makes it even more reliable to position the printing portion 8 with respect to the sheet portion 101 in a constant relative position.

[0095] Furthermore, the post-seal detection sensor 59 detects the registration mark 7 of the portion of the PTP film 6 that is mounted on the film receiving roll 51, that is, the portion of the PTP film 6 that is being transported relative to the pocket portion 2. Therefore, the detection of the registration mark 7 by the post-seal detection sensor 59 can be made less susceptible to the effects of stretching of the container film 3, etc., at the seal position SP. This makes it even more reliable to position the printing portion 8 with respect to the sheet planning portion 101 in a fixed relative position.

[0096] Furthermore, the embodiment is not limited to the description above, and may be implemented as follows, for example. Of course, other applications and modifications not exemplified below are also possible.

[0097] (a) In the above embodiment, if the phase of the registration mark 7 detected before sealing does not match the target phase α before sealing, the rotation speed of the suction roll 55 (amount of cover film 4 supplied per unit time) is changed by the amount of the phase difference between the two. Alternatively, upper and lower limits may be set on the amount of change in rotation speed, or the amount of change in rotation speed may be fixed. For example, if the upper limit of the amount of change in rotation speed is set to [s0 × (+1° / 360°)], even if the phase difference between the two is 2°, the amount of change in rotation speed may be set to [s0 × (+1° / 360°)] or less.

[0098] (b) In the above embodiment, if the "phase of the registration mark 7 at the time of detection after sealing" does not match the target phase β after sealing, the pre-seal target phase α is corrected by the same value as the difference between the two phases. In other words, the amount of correction for the pre-seal target phase α is set to the same value as the difference between the two phases. Alternatively, upper and lower limits may be set for the correction amount, or the correction amount may be set to a fixed value. For example, if the upper limit of the correction amount is set to 1°, even if the difference between the two phases is 2°, the correction amount may be set to 1° or less instead of 2°.

[0099] (c) In the above embodiment, the preheating roll 56 is separated from the cover film 4 by the movement of the pass line adjustment roll 61, but it is also possible to separate the preheating roll 56 from the cover film 4 by the movement of the preheating roll 56 itself.

[0100] (d) In the above embodiment, a preheating roll 56 and a preheating plate 57 are provided as "preheating means," but only one of the preheating roll 56 and the preheating plate 57 may be provided as "preheating means." Of course, preheating means other than the preheating roll 56 and the preheating plate 57 may also be provided.

[0101] (e) In the above embodiment, the container film 3 is configured to have one row of sheet portion 101, but it may also be configured to have multiple rows of sheet portion 101.

[0102] (f) In the above embodiment, the case where the contents are tablets 5 is described, but the type, shape, etc. of the contents are not particularly limited. Therefore, the contents may be different from tablets 5, for example, capsules, food, electronic components, etc.

[0103] (g) The configuration of the PTP sheet 1 to be manufactured is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the arrangement and number of pockets 2 in the PTP sheet 1 unit are not limited in any way to the above embodiment.

[0104] (h) In the above embodiment, PTP sheet 1 is given as the "blister sheet," but the technical concept of the present invention may also be applied to blister packaging machines capable of producing blister sheets other than PTP sheet 1. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0105] 1...PTP sheet (blister sheet), 2...Pocket section, 3...Container film, 4...Cover film, 5...Tablet (contents), 6...PTP film (blister film), 7...Registration mark, 8...Printing section (section requiring alignment), 10...PTP packaging machine (blister packaging machine), 21...Filling device (filling means), 37...Sheet die-cutting device (die-cutting means), 51...Film receiving roll, 51a...Storage recess, 52...Heating roll, 53...Sealing device (seal 54... Encoder (phase detection means), 55... Suction roll (cover film supply means), 56... Preheating roll (preheating means), 57... Preheating plate (preheating means), 58... Pre-seal detection sensor (pre-seal detection means), 59... Post-seal detection sensor (post-seal detection means), 60... Separation device (separation means), 61... Pass line adjustment roll (pass line adjustment means), 70... Control device (control means), 101... Sheet placement area, SP... Seal position.

Claims

1. A filling means for filling the contents into pockets formed in a strip-shaped container film, A sealing means for attaching a strip-shaped resin cover film to the container film, The system includes a punching means for obtaining a blister sheet by punching out a strip-shaped blister film, which is formed by attaching the cover film to the container film, The container film is configured such that multiple sheet portions, which are the parts that will become the blister sheets, are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the container film. The cover film has a plurality of registration marks provided at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction, and a positioning portion provided in a predetermined positional relationship with the registration marks, and which is necessary to be provided in a certain relative positional relationship with the planned sheet portion when the cover film is attached to the container film. The sealing means is A rotatable film receiving roll, The system includes a heating roll capable of sandwiching the container film and the cover film between itself and the film receiving roll at a predetermined sealing position, A blister packaging machine is configured such that, as the film receiving roll rotates, the container film and the cover film attached to the container film are transported together downstream, and a plurality of the planned sheet portions sequentially pass through the sealing position, so that the portion of the planned sheet portion located at the sealing position changes periodically. A phase acquisition means that acquires phase information indicating the portion located at the seal position in the planned sheet portion, A cover film supply means that supplies the cover film toward the sealing means while adsorbing and holding it, A preheating means is provided between the cover film supply means and the sealing means for preheating the cover film, A pre-seal detection means is provided between the cover film supply means and the preheating means for detecting the registration mark, In order to position the required alignment portion with respect to the planned sheet portion at a certain relative position, a control means controls the amount of cover film supplied by the cover film supply means toward the sealing means so that the phase acquired by the phase acquisition means at the timing when the registration mark is detected by the pre-seal detection means becomes a predetermined pre-seal target phase, A blister packaging machine comprising a separation means capable of separating the heating roll and the preheating means from the cover film while the cover film is held in place by the cover film supply means through adsorption.

2. The blister packaging machine according to claim 1, further comprising a pass line adjusting means capable of adjusting the pass line of the cover film so that slack does not occur in the cover film when the heating roll and the preheating means are separated from the cover film by the separation means.

3. A post-seal detection means is provided downstream of the seal position and for detecting the registration mark, The blister packaging machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means corrects the pre-seal target phase based on the difference between the phase acquired by the phase acquisition means at the timing when the registration mark is detected by the post-seal detection means and a predetermined post-seal target phase, thereby controlling the amount of cover film supplied by the cover film supply means toward the sealing means so that the phase acquired by the phase acquisition means at the timing when the registration mark is detected by the post-seal detection means becomes the post-seal target phase.

4. The film receiving roll has a plurality of receiving recesses on its outer circumferential surface capable of accommodating the pocket portion, and is configured to convey the container film with the pocket portion as a reference by rotating with the pocket portion accommodated in the receiving recesses. The blister packaging machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the phase acquisition means acquires information relating to the rotation angle of the film receiving roll as the phase.

5. The blister packaging machine according to claim 4, characterized in that the post-seal detection means is configured to detect the registration mark on the portion of the blister film that is hung on the film receiving roll.

Images