Reversal and conveying means

Abstract

The present invention provides a reversing conveying means that, when transferring an article with uneven thickness from a first reversing conveying machine to a second reversing conveying machine by gripping both the left and right sides of the central part, the article is sent out without tilting from side to side, even if the gripping pressure on both sides is not uniform. [Solution] The inversion conveying means includes a first inversion conveyor 10, a second inversion conveyor 20, a delivery means 30, and a posture stabilization means 40. Each inversion conveyor is equipped with gripping means arranged radially around its respective axis of rotation, and each gripping means 12 is designed to grip the left and right positions of the central part of an article even if the thickness is not uniform. Because the posture stabilization means 40 is in contact with the article outside of the left and right positions, when the delivery means delivers the article from the first inversion conveyor to the second inversion conveyor, the article is not tilted from side to side even if the gripping pressure on the left and right sides of the gripping means is not uniform.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inversion transfer means in which two inversion transfer machines are connected in series, and the height at which the upstream first inversion transfer machine receives an article is the same as the height at which the downstream second inversion transfer machine delivers the article. Specifically, the present invention relates to an inversion transfer means capable of delivering an article with a non-uniform thickness from the first inversion transfer machine to the second inversion transfer machine without tilting it left and right.

[0002] The inversion transfer means may function simply as a transfer means for inverting the top and bottom of an article and transferring it from upstream to downstream, or may function as a stacking means, a banding means, a product inspection means, etc. in the process of delivering the article. Articles with non-uniform thickness are preferably pharmaceutical sub-packets, PTP sheets, etc., but may also be a single article, a laminate of single articles stacked, and the type of article is not limited.

Background Art

[0003] [[ID=十五]] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of a banding machine related to an envelope pasting type. According to this technique, the front and back surfaces of a belt wound around an aggregate of PTP sheets are brought into contact with each other at a width of about 1 cm to form an overlapping portion, and the belt is wound around the central portion of the aggregate to be integrated so as not to separate the overlapping portion. The aggregate is sandwiched by one sandwiching body composed of a pair of upper and lower sandwiching plates, and is inverted and transferred while the belt is wound around the aggregate integrally, and the overlapping portion is heat-welded in an envelope pasting type in the process of the inversion transfer to band the aggregate.

[0004] Specifically, first, at a position where the sandwiching body sandwiching the central portion of the aggregate is rotated 90 degrees along a vertical plane from the receiving position, the overlapping belts located on the open side surface of the sandwiching body are heat-welded to be banded.

[0005] After heat welding, the material is further rotated 90 degrees to a transfer position, where it is pushed out to a downstream direction-changing means by a delivery claw. In this technology, in order to integrate the strip and the stack, a clamping body is positioned in the center of the stack to be inverted, the stack is banded, and then it is sent to the direction-changing means. Once sent to the direction-changing means which rotates horizontally, a top plate is provided as a guide aid, so even PTP sheets that have not been banded will not shift in their overlapping state.

[0006] On the other hand, since the stacks are inverted and transferred using a single inversion conveyor, if the item is a PTP sheet, it will be transferred and transferred with the tablet storage section facing downwards. In the case of PTP sheets made of double-sided aluminum foil, where the tablet storage section is easily damaged, there was a problem that the tablet storage section was easily scratched during the downstream transfer process, which could easily lead to product defects.

[0007] Furthermore, by changing the spacing between the upper and lower clamping plates that make up the clamping body in accordance with a change in the stacking height of the stack, specifically a change in the number of stacked PTP sheets, the inner surface height of the clamping plates supporting the items from below at the upstream receiving position and the inner surface height of the clamping plates supporting the items from below at the downstream handover position will change when the system is rotated 180 degrees from the receiving position to the handover position. This will result in a change in the height of the upstream and downstream conveying lines.

[0008] Therefore, if goods are reversed and conveyed using only one reversing conveyor, not only are the goods more susceptible to damage during the downstream conveying process, but if the stacking height is changed, it becomes necessary to add a mechanism to adjust the height of the conveying line, which could complicate the configuration of the conveying line. In addition, in the case of conventional envelope-type banding, the overlapping length of the band, which is about 1 cm, is positioned on the side of the stacking object, and the overlapping part is heat-sealed, which presents the problem that heat can easily affect the chemicals.

[0009] Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for a banding machine using a gusset-type fastening method, in which the heat of heat welding is less likely to affect the drug. In this gusset-type banding machine, in order to avoid affecting the drug, the inner surfaces of the bands are joined together in a gusset-like manner at the position of one corner edge of the aggregate, with an overlap length of approximately 2 mm.

[0010] The gusseted sealing method (see Figure 7(B)) involves heat-sealing only the overlapping strips 300, which prevents heat from escaping from the heat sealer 301 used for heat sealing. This allows the temperature of the heat sealer itself to be approximately 50°C to 70°C lower than in the envelope sealing method (see Figure 7(A)). Furthermore, since the heat sealer 400 is not pressed against the PTP sheet 401 as in the envelope sealing method, it has the advantage of being less likely to degrade the quality of the chemicals.

[0011] Incidentally, the applicant has been using a technology that involves continuously reversing and conveying two reversing conveyors 500 and 600 in order to minimize damage to the tablet storage area and to avoid having to change the height of the pharmaceutical manufacturing line even if the height of the stack changes (see Figure 8(A)). Specifically, the stack 200 is banded onto the upstream first reversing conveyor 500 in a gable-banding manner, then reversed by the downstream second reversing conveyor 600, and then passed to the conveyor line further downstream, so that the receiving height of the first reversing conveyor and the handover height of the second reversing conveyor remain unchanged.

[0012] In the first reversing conveyor, in the gable-type banding method, in order to simultaneously heat-weld and cut the band wrapped around the stack 200, a space the width of the band was left, and the stack was gripped between a pair of left and right clamping bodies 501, 501 and reversed and conveyed. Furthermore, when transferring the stack between the two reversing conveyors, the shaft body 502 was slid between the pair of left and right clamping bodies to send the stack from the first reversing conveyor to the second reversing conveyor.

[0013] The PTP sheet has a rectangular shape with a row of tablet storage compartments, and a tag with the drug name, etc., is provided at one end along the longer side. Therefore, even if the PTP sheet is transported in the direction along its shorter side, the tablet storage compartments of the PTP sheet could not be fed out in a symmetrical configuration. Similarly, even when the tablet storage compartments are facing each other and interlocked as an aggregate, the aggregate could not be fed out in a symmetrical configuration with respect to the transport direction.

[0014] When the left and right sides of the central part of an article that does not have a symmetrical shape are clamped by clamping bodies 501, 501, the clamping pressure may be uneven between the left and right clamping bodies (see Figure 8(B)). Specifically, if one clamping body clamps the position β directly above adjacent tablet storage compartments, and the other clamping body clamps the position γ between the tablet storage compartments, the clamping pressure will be smaller when clamping the position γ between the tablet storage compartments than when clamping the position β directly above the tablet storage compartments.

[0015] When the clamping pressure of the left and right clamping bodies is uneven, the shaft positioned between the left and right clamping bodies pushes the back of the stacked object to feed it out. The side with the greater clamping pressure (β) tends to feed out later than the side with the less clamping pressure (γ), and occasionally the stacked object may tilt to the left or right at the transfer position (see Figure 8(C)). In this case, there was a problem in that the reversing conveyor had to be stopped in an emergency to avoid the stacked object falling out or getting jammed. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0016] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-187007 Patent Document 2: Patent No. 7303966 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0017] The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a reversing conveying means that, when transferring an article with uneven thickness from an upstream first reversing conveying machine to a downstream second reversing conveying machine, the article is transported without being tilted from side to side, while the left and right sides of the central part of the article are sandwiched between them. [Means for solving the problem]

[0018] The inversion conveying means of the first invention of the present invention is an inversion conveying means for conveying articles of uneven thickness, and includes a first inversion conveyor, a second inversion conveyor, a delivery means, and a posture stabilization means, wherein the first inversion conveyor and the second inversion conveyor are equipped with a plurality of gripping means arranged radially around their respective axes of rotation and function as a delivery means for inverting the articles and transferring them, each of the gripping means gripping the left and right sides of the article outside the center, the delivery means slides toward a transfer position from the first inversion conveyor to the second inversion conveyor to deliver the stack, and the posture stabilization means is characterized in that, when the delivery means transfers the articles at the transfer position, it makes even contact with the articles outside the left and right sides, so that even if the gripping pressure on the left and right sides is different, the articles are transferred without tilting to the left or right.

[0019] Suitable items with uneven thickness include, for example, PTP sheets and individual packaging sheets containing powdered materials, but any flat object is acceptable, and is not limited to paper sheets, flat boxes containing confectionery, etc. The two reversing conveyors are arranged such that the transfer position of the first reversing conveyor aligns with the receiving position of the second reversing conveyor.

[0020] Each of the radially arranged clamping means clamps the article from above and below, leaving a gap in the center of the article, allowing for banding in a gusseted manner, defect inspection imaging, etc. The spacing between the left and right clamping means is not limited; it is sufficient to ensure the necessary space for banding, etc., in the center.

[0021] The form of the upper and lower clamping members that constitute each clamping means is not limited and may be either a plate or a shaft. Furthermore, the clamping distance between the upper and lower clamping members is not limited and may be adjustable; as long as they are in contact with the article and capable of clamping it from above and below, it is sufficient.

[0022] In the first invention, the posture stabilization means makes even contact with the article at a position outside the left and right positions where the gripping means grips the article. Specifically, when the delivery means also serves as the posture stabilization means, when the delivery means in contact with the article delivers and hands over the article, even if the article is gripped by the gripping means with different left and right gripping forces, the delivery means makes even contact with the article at a position outside the gripping means, so it is not affected by the different left and right gripping forces and can deliver the article in a stable posture without tilting it from side to side.

[0023] If the posture stabilization means is separate from the feeding means and consists of plates that are in contact with the left and right sides of the article, even if the article is held with different gripping forces on the left and right, the plates in contact with the left and right sides of the article function as guide walls that prevent the article from tilting from side to side during feeding, allowing the article to be fed out in a stable posture.

[0024] The posture stabilization means is not limited to being provided continuously from the first reversing conveyor to the second reversing conveyor, but may also be provided intermittently. For example, plates that contact the left and right sides of the article may be provided at each clamping part and may be provided at both the first and second reversing conveyors so as to rotate integrally with the clamping parts. Alternatively, plates that contact the sides of the article may be provided separately and continuously to the sides of the transfer position from the first reversing conveyor to the second reversing conveyor.

[0025] According to the first invention, since the posture stabilizing means is evenly in contact with the aggregate outside the left and right clamping means, even if the clamping pressure of the left and right clamping means is not uniform, the aggregate will not tilt left and right when being fed out. As a result, even for an article with non-uniform thickness and different left and right clamping forces, the article can be transferred while being prevented from tilting left and right, and the line can be driven without urgently stopping the reverse transfer means, which has an advantageous effect not found in the prior art.

[0026] The second invention of the present invention is the reverse transfer means of the first invention, each of which is in a plate shape, and the pair of facing wall plates form the posture stabilizing means, and each of the wall plates is in contact with the left and right side surfaces of the article at the delivery position.

[0027] According to the second invention, the pair of facing wall plates in contact with the left and right side surfaces of the article function as posture stabilizing means. The pair of facing wall plates may be rotated together with the clamping means, or may be fixed at the delivery position from the first reverse transfer machine to the second reverse. According to the second invention, by simply adding wall plates with a simple shape to a conventional reverse transfer machine, the effect of being able to reversely transfer the article without tilting it left and right can be achieved.

[0028] The third invention of the present invention is the reverse transfer means of the second invention, characterized in that the separation distance between the pair of facing wall plates is adjustable.

[0029] The form of adjusting the separation distance is not limited, for example, it may be adjusted by replacing the wall plates, or the wall plates may be slid in the width direction by a known ball screw shaft or the like. According to the third invention, it can be applied to various articles with different lengths in the width direction, and a versatile reverse transfer means can be obtained.

[0030] The fourth invention of the present invention is a reversal conveying means of the first invention, characterized in that each of the shafts is axial, the pair of shafts constitute the posture stabilization means, each of the shafts is in contact with the left and right sides of the back surface of the article being delivered at the transfer position, and the left and right sides of the back surface of each of the shafts are located outward from the gripping means.

[0031] In the fourth invention, the shaft that constitutes the feeding means may function as the attitude stabilization means, but a shaft separate from the feeding means may also function as the attitude stabilization means. The shape of the shaft may be claw-shaped or rod-shaped, and is not limited to these. According to the fourth invention, since the shaft is located outward from the left and right clamping means, it has the effect of being able to feed out the article without tilting it from side to side, even if the clamping pressure on the left and right sides is different.

[0032] The fifth aspect of the present invention is the reversal conveying means of the fourth aspect invention, characterized in that the distance between the pair of shaft bodies is adjustable.

[0033] According to the fifth invention, the distance between the pair of shafts is adjustable. This allows each shaft to adjust its position in contact with the back of the assembly as a dispensing means, according to the width of the article, resulting in high versatility and the effect of preventing the article from tilting too much to the left or right.

[0034] The sixth invention of the present invention is a reversing conveying means of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the article is an aggregate of PTP sheets, and in the first reversing conveying machine, the left and right width of the rotation space functions as a space for tying the aggregate in a gable-like manner.

[0035] According to the sixth invention, the rotational space between the left and right sides of the clamping means that holds the stacked articles is used as a space for strapping the stacked articles in a gable-style manner. This allows the articles to be transferred without tilting from side to side, even when the first reversing conveyor is used as a gable-style strapping machine, and has the advantageous effect of allowing the manufacturing line to continue operating without having to make an emergency stop of the reversing conveyor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0036] According to the first invention of this invention, even articles with uneven thickness and different gripping forces on the left and right sides can be transferred without tilting from side to side, and the line can be driven without having to make an emergency stop of the reversing conveying means, which is an advantageous effect not found in the prior art. According to the second invention of this invention, by simply adding a wall plate of a simple shape to a conventional reversing conveyor, it is possible to reverse and convey items without tilting them from side to side. According to the third invention of the present invention, a versatile reversal conveying means can be applied to a variety of articles with different lengths in the width direction.

[0037] According to the fourth invention of this invention, since the shaft is located outward from the left and right clamping means, it has the effect of being able to feed out the article without tilting it from side to side, even if the clamping pressure on the left and right sides is different. According to the fifth invention of this invention, the position in which each shaft body contacts the discharge back surface of the assembly can be adjusted according to the width of the article, providing high versatility and the effect of preventing the article from tilting too much to the left or right. According to the sixth invention of this invention, the advantageous effect is that the manufacturing line can be continuously driven without having to make an emergency stop of the reversal conveying means. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0038] [Figure 1] Diagram illustrating a pharmaceutical manufacturing line (Example 1). [Figure 2] Diagram illustrating the first reversing conveyor and the strapping mechanism (Example 1). [Figure 3] An explanatory diagram of the posture stabilization means formed by the clamping means and the wall plate integrated with it (Example 1). [Figure 4] Diagram illustrating the adjustment of the clamping height (Example 1). [Figure 5] An explanatory diagram of the posture stabilization means provided by a fixed wall plate (Example 2). [Figure 6]An explanatory diagram of the posture stabilization means formed by a pair of shafts (Example 3). [Figure 7] Diagrams illustrating the envelope-type and gable-type band structures (conventional technology). [Figure 8] Diagram illustrating the reversal and conveying mechanism (conventional technology). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0039] The reversing conveying means, which reverses and conveys an article from the first reversing conveying machine to the second reversing conveying machine, is equipped with posture stabilization means that contact the article on the outside of each of the gripping means that grips the article at the left and right positions in the center of the article, so that when the delivery means delivers the article, the article does not tilt from side to side even if the gripping pressure on the left and right is not uniform. [Examples]

[0040] In Example 1, a reversal conveying means 1, in which wall plates in contact with both sides of the article, which form a posture stabilization means, are rotated together with the clamping means, will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In each example, as a specific example in which the clamping pressure on the left and right sides tends to be uneven, an article consisting of a stack of PTP sheets with the tablet storage portions facing in one direction will be described as an example.

[0041] Figure 1 shows an explanatory diagram of the pharmaceutical manufacturing line 100. The aggregate 200 is transported from left to right as indicated by the arrow in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows an explanatory diagram of the first reversing conveyor and the strapping mechanism. Figure 3(A) shows an explanatory diagram of the reversing conveyor mechanism. Figure 3(B) shows a cross-sectional view AA of Figure 3(A). Figure 3(C) shows a plan view of the material being transported from the first reversing conveyor to the second reversing conveyor. The thick arrow in Figure 3(A) indicates the rotation direction of the reversing conveyor.

[0042] Figure 4 shows a side view of the clamping height adjustment mechanism of the clamping means. Figure 4(A) shows the case where the stacking height of the aggregate is low, and Figure 4(B) shows the case where the stacking height of the aggregate is high. The dashed line δ in Figure 4 indicates the central position of the first and second reversing conveyors. In Figure 4, the wall plates in contact with the articles are omitted to make the position of the clamping means easier to understand.

[0043] The stacked object 200 is transported with its longest side facing the transport direction, and the "left-right" direction refers to the direction intersecting the transport direction. The front and back of the stacked object are defined as the downstream side of transport being the front and the upstream side being the back. On the other hand, the top and bottom surfaces of the stacked object refer to the top and bottom surfaces of the stacked object at the receiving position of the first reversing conveyor.

[0044] First, in the pharmaceutical manufacturing line 100 (see Figure 1), the surface sheet conveyor 101 forms the tablet storage section, the tablet dispenser 102 dispenses tablets into the tablet storage section, the back sheet supplyer 103 supplies back sheets to close the tablet storage section, and the welding machine 104 welds the surface sheet and back sheet together.

[0045] Furthermore, the sheet cutting machine 105 cuts the PTP sheets into the desired planar shape. Then, the stacking device 106 stacks the multiple PTP sheets in the desired stacking format to form an aggregate. Furthermore, the aggregate 200, with the tablet storage section facing upward, is transported by the conveying conveyor forming the upstream transport path 107 to the inversion transport means 1 and handed over to the first inversion transport machine 10.

[0046] The PTP sheets may be stacked together with the tablet storage sections, and the stacking configuration is not limited. The items forming the stack are not limited to PTP sheets, but may also be individual packaging sheets containing powdered drugs, paper sheets such as paper bundles, flat packaging boxes, etc. The downstream transport path 108 that receives the stack from the second reversing conveyor 20 should be configured to lead to a packaging machine that bags or boxes the stack.

[0047] The reversing conveying means 1 (see the thick dashed line in Figure 1) comprises a first reversing conveyor 10, a second reversing conveyor 20, a delivery means 30, and a posture stabilization means 40. In addition, it comprises a strapping means 50 and a second delivery means 60. The two reversing conveyors are arranged so that the handover position of the first reversing conveyor 10 (hereinafter referred to as the first handover position 110) and the receiving position of the second reversing conveyor (hereinafter referred to as the second receiving position 120) are aligned (see Figures 1 and 2).

[0048] The receiving height of the receiving position of the first reversing conveyor (hereinafter referred to as the first receiving position 111), the delivery height of the delivery position of the second reversing conveyor (hereinafter referred to as the second delivery position 121), the conveying surface of the upstream conveying path 107, and the conveying surface of the downstream conveying path 108 are all at the same height (see Figure 1).

[0049] The two inverting conveyors 10 and 20 rotate synchronously and both function as transfer means that invert the top and bottom of the stacked object and hand it over to the downstream side (see Figure 2). Each inverting conveyor rotates around a horizontally extending rotation axis 11 and repeatedly performs an intermittent conveying operation, pausing every 90 degrees clockwise rotation to transport the stacked object.

[0050] The pair of shafts 31 forming the delivery means 30 are positioned between the left and right clamping bodies 14, 14 forming the clamping means 12 at the first handover position 110, and slide in contact with the delivery rear surface of the accumulating body 200, delivering the accumulating body from the first handover position 110 toward the second receiving position 120 (see Figures 2 and 3). The delivery operation of the delivery means 30 is not limited to reciprocating linear motion, but may be operated to sequentially repeat forward, downward, backward, and upward movements. The attitude stabilization means 40 (see Figures 1 and 3) consists of a pair of wall plates that clamp the left and right sides of the accumulating body and rotates together with the clamping means.

[0051] The strapping means 50 supplies straps 51 between the left and right clamping bodies of the first reversing conveyor 10 so that the space between the left and right clamping bodies functions as a space for strapping the accumulating body 200 in a gable-like manner (see Figure 2). The second delivery means 60 is positioned between the left and right clamping bodies at the second handover position 121 and sends the accumulating body from the second handover position to the downstream conveyor path 108 by bringing a pair of shafts into contact with the delivery back surface of the accumulating body (see Figure 1).

[0052] The first reversing conveyor 10 is equipped with four gripping means 12 arranged in a cross shape around a rotating shaft 11, and a driving means (not shown) for rotating each gripping means around the rotating shaft (see Figure 2). In the reversing conveyor 1, the first reversing conveyor 10 is connected to two roughly cross-shaped plates arranged on the left and right sides, with a rotating shaft 11 positioned at its center, and each arm portion 13, which forms a roughly cross shape, is equipped with a gripping means 12 for separating the arm portion from the front.

[0053] Each clamping means 12 consists of a clamping body 14 provided on each of the left and right arms 13, which form roughly cross-shaped plates. Each clamping body 14 is open toward the outer diameter direction of the rotational trajectory and consists of a pair of clamping members 15 and 16 arranged vertically. Each clamping body clamps the left and right sides of the central part of the aggregate from the sides of the aggregate (see Figures 2 and 3).

[0054] The gap between the upper and lower clamping members 15 and 16 that make up the clamping body 14 forms the clamping portion that clamps the aggregate 200 (see Figure 2). The clamping height adjustment means 70 consists of an elongated hole 71 extending in the vertical direction and a fixing device 72, and the height of the clamping portion can be adjusted by raising and lowering the upper clamping member 15 along the elongated hole 71 in the vertical direction. In addition, the upper clamping member 15 that contacts the top surface of the aggregate is a movable member equipped with a rotating shaft 17 and a biasing means 18 on the front open side (see the downward-facing clamping means 12 in Figure 2).

[0055] The upper clamping member 15 is biased by the biasing means 18 toward the receiving space 201 of the aggregate, and is pivotally supported so as to narrow the receiving space toward the back than the open end. Therefore, when the aggregate is not being clamped, the receiving space is narrowed toward the back. The biasing means 18 can be any known leaf spring or coil spring and is not limited to that.

[0056] At the first receiving position 111, when the clamping means 12 receives the aggregate 200, the upper clamping member 15 is pushed up against the biasing means, and clamping pressure is applied to the aggregate 200 from the clamping member 15. At this time, the upper and lower clamping members 15 and 16 are in contact with the bottom and top surfaces of the aggregate, respectively, in a substantially parallel manner.

[0057] The distance between the left and right clamping bodies 14, 14 that sandwich the aggregate 200 is slightly wider than the width of the band that binds the aggregate (see Figure 3(B)). Also, the left and right clamping bodies 14, 14 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the widthwise central position α of the aggregate (see dashed line in Figure 3(B)). On the other hand, since the PTP sheet 210 has a tag portion 211 at one end in the widthwise direction, the tablet storage portions 212 are not arranged symmetrically in the widthwise direction.

[0058] Therefore, one clamping body 14 may clamp the position β directly above the tablet storage section, while the other clamping body 14 may clamp the position γ between adjacent tablet storage sections (see Figures 3(B) and 3(C)). For this reason, even if the elastic force from the biasing means 18 (see Figure 2) is the same on both sides, the clamping pressure applied to the aggregate 200 from the clamping means 12 is not necessarily uniform on both sides.

[0059] Now, the pair of wall plates 41 that function as posture stabilization means 40 are in the shape of upright flat plates and rotate together with the clamping means 12 around the rotation axis 11 (see Figure 3(A)). Here, an example of attaching the wall plates 41 to each clamping means 12 is illustrated, but the shape of the pair of wall plates is not limited to this, and of course, a circular disc of the same size as the rotation track may be attached to the first reversing conveyor 10 to serve as the wall plate.

[0060] The pair of wall plates 41, 41 that are in contact with the left and right sides of the aggregate 200 are each provided with a bent plate body 42 at its base, which serves as a mounting means for attaching to a clamping means, and the middle portion 43 of the bent plate body extends in the width direction along the lower surface of the aggregate (see Figure 3(B)). The bent plate body 42 can be fixed to the clamping member 15 by screws 44 or the like, but the fixing method is not limited.

[0061] The delivery means 30 consists of a pair of shafts 31, 31 that slide along the inside of the left and right clamping bodies 14, 14. The pair of shafts 31, 31 contact the delivery back surface of the accumulator 200 and deliver the accumulator from the first transfer position 110 toward the second receiving position 120 (see Figure 3(C)). At this time, even if the side of the accumulator with less clamping pressure (γ) is about to be delivered first, the pair of wall plates 41, 41 contact and support the left and right sides of the accumulator 200, so the accumulator is not delivered at an angle.

[0062] The transport operation of the first reversing transporter 10 will now be explained with reference to Figure 2. The first reversing transporter 10 is first intermittently stopped at the first receiving position 111 with the gripping members 15 and 16 open toward the upstream transport path, and receives the accumulated body 200 that has been transported from the upstream transport path, and grips the accumulated body from above and below with the upper and lower gripping members 15 and 16.

[0063] Then, the drive means is driven again, and the clamping members 15 and 16 are rotated 90 degrees around the rotation axis 11 and stopped at a position (hereinafter referred to as the strapping position), causing the strapping body 51 to be strapped around the accumulator. Once strapping is complete, the drive means is driven again, and the clamping members 15 and 16 are rotated 90 degrees around the rotation axis 11 and stopped at the first transfer position 110. Then, with the left and right sides of the accumulator 200 supported by the paired wall plates, the accumulator is transferred from the first reversing conveyor 10 to the second reversing conveyor 20 by the delivery means 30 at the second receiving position.

[0064] Once the transfer of the assemblies 200 is complete, the drive mechanism is restarted, and the clamping members 15 and 16 are rotated 90 degrees around the rotation axis and stopped at the lower end of the rotation trajectory. Furthermore, the clamping members 15 and 16 are rotated another 90 degrees to return to their original position and stop again at the first receiving position 111. This intermittent transport operation is repeated, and the assemblies are sequentially transferred to the second reversing transport machine 20.

[0065] The specific configuration of the banding mechanism 50 will now be explained with reference to Figure 2. The banding mechanism 50 is positioned at the banding location and includes a band supply mechanism 52, a winding mechanism 53, a folding mechanism 54, a heat welding mechanism 55, and a cutting mechanism 56. The supply mechanism 52 includes a supply roll 57 in which the band 51 is wound into a roll shape, and a winding roll 58 for winding the band. In the case of product specifications that do not require banding, the supply roll and winding roll can be removed.

[0066] The strip 51 is supplied from the supply roll 57 towards the winding roll 58, and the intermediate portion between the supply roll and the winding roll is passed between the left and right clamping bodies 14, 14 of the first reversing conveyor 10. Therefore, when the stacked body 200 is reversed and conveyed to the stripping position, the intermediate portion of the stretched strip is wound around the front of the stacked body 200, and the remaining three sides are wound around the stacked body by the winding means 53 and the folding means 54.

[0067] In the gable-type fastening method, the strip 51 is wrapped around the four sides of the central part of the stack, then the inner surfaces of the strips are overlapped and bonded together by heat welding, and the strip is cut from the center of the heat-welded section (see Figure 7(B)). As a result, part of the heat-welded section of the strip is attached to the strip wrapped around the stack, and the remainder is attached to the strip that extends between the supply roll and the winding roll. The winding roll 58 winds up a predetermined length of strip each time the strip is fastened, so that multiple heat-welded sections are not attached to the strip that is wound around the next stack.

[0068] The winding means 53 consists of a first lifting plate that pushes the strip down toward the upper surface of the stack and winds it around, and a second lifting plate that pushes the strip up toward the lower surface of the stack and winds it around (see Figure 2). The folding means 54 consists of a plate-like body with a thickness corresponding to the heat-welding width of the strip and a means for lifting the plate-like body. Below the plate-like body are a heat sealer that forms the heat-welding means 55 and a means for lifting the heat sealer.

[0069] As a heat sealer, a pair of upstream and downstream heat sealers are arranged with a gap between them. In the gap, a cutting blade is provided as a cutting means 56, which protrudes slightly from the top surface of the heat sealer. The cutting blade moves up and down together with the pair of heat sealers, dividing the heat-sealed portion of the strip into a downstream side and an upstream side.

[0070] When heat-welding the strip 51, the plate-like body forming the folding means 54 folds the strip 51, which extends from the supply roll 57 to the upper surface of the stack 200, downwards, pushing it down to the corner ridge formed by the back and bottom surfaces of the stack (see Figure 2). At the corner ridge, the plate-like body and the heat sealer forming the heat-welding means 57 sandwich the overlapping strips and heat-weld them, and the heat-welded portion is cut by a cutting blade, completing the application of the strip to the stack (see Figure 7(B)).

[0071] Here, a specific example of changing the clamping height of the clamping means 12 and the configuration of the second inverting conveyor 20 will be briefly explained with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4(A) shows an example of adjusting the clamping height to be smaller to match an aggregate 200 with a small stacking height, and Figure 4(B) shows an example of adjusting the clamping height to be larger to match an aggregate 203 with a large stacking height.

[0072] In the first reversing conveyor 10, the clamping height adjustment means 70 adjusts the clamping height by sliding the upper clamping member 15, which is in contact with the top surface of the accumulating body 200, up and down, so as not to change the receiving height of the first receiving position 111 from the height of the conveying surface of the upstream conveying path.

[0073] The clamping height adjustment means 70 consists of a vertically extending elongated hole 71 formed in the upper clamping member 15 and a fixing device 72 that slides within the elongated hole 71, but is not limited to this. For example, it is preferable to allow the clamping height of the four clamping members to be adjusted integrally using a known cam mechanism, gears and spur gears, etc.

[0074] On the other hand, at the first transfer position 110, the top and bottom of the stacked body 200 are inverted, so the upper clamping member 15 is positioned downwards. Therefore, when the clamping height at the first receiving position 111 is reduced (see the white arrow in Figure 4(A)), the transfer height to the second inversion conveyor 20 increases (see the thick arrow in the same figure), and when the clamping height at the first receiving position 111 is increased (see the white arrow in Figure 4(B)), the transfer height decreases (see the thick arrow in the same figure).

[0075] Therefore, the second inverting conveyor 20 is positioned symmetrically with the first inverting conveyor 10, with the center of the first transfer position 110 and the second receiving position 120 being the reference line δ (see dashed line in Figure 4), so that the clamping height of the clamping means 12 of the second inverting conveyor at the second receiving position 120 is the same as the height of the clamping portion 12 of the opposing first inverting conveyor at the first transfer position 110.

[0076] In other words, even if the height of the transfer position to the second inverting conveyor changes due to the inverting conveyance of the first inverting conveyor 10, the second inverting conveyor that receives the aggregate is positioned symmetrically with respect to the first inverting conveyor with respect to the reference line δ, so the second transfer position 121 of the second inverting conveyor becomes the receiving position 111 of the first inverting conveyor. This eliminates the need to adjust the height of the conveying surface of the entire pharmaceutical manufacturing line. [Examples]

[0077] In Example 2, the inversion conveying means 2, which consists of a wall plate 81 fixed to the first transfer position 110 as the attitude stabilization means 80, will be described with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5(A) shows a side view of the inversion conveying means. Figure 5(B) shows a cross-sectional view AA of Figure 5(A). In Examples 2 and below, the components other than the attitude stabilization means are the same as in Example 1, so the same reference numerals are used and their descriptions are omitted.

[0078] In the reversal conveying means 2, a pair of wall plates 81, 81 fixed from the first handover position 110 to the second receiving position 120 are positioned as walls that stand upright in contact with the left and right sides of the stack, forming the posture stabilization means 80. The pair of wall plates 81, 81 may be provided only at the first handover position 110, or they may also be provided at the second handover position 120.

[0079] The pair of wall panels 81 are configured such that the distance between the left and right wall panels can be changed according to the width of the assembly by a spacing adjustment means 82. The spacing adjustment means 82 consists of a ball screw shaft 83, two sliding parts 84 and 85, and a servo motor 86 that rotates the ball screw shaft.

[0080] The ball screw shaft has a positive thread portion 87 and a negative thread portion 88 on a single shaft. Two sliding portions are integrated with the wall plate, with one sliding portion 84 screwed into the positive thread portion 87 and the other sliding portion 85 screwed into the negative thread portion 88. When the ball screw shaft 83 is rotated forward by the servo motor 86, the two sliding portions 84 and 85 are brought closer together, narrowing the distance between the pair of wall plates 81 and 81 (see the thick arrow in Figure 5(B)).

[0081] On the other hand, when the ball screw shaft 83 is reversed, the two sliding parts 84 and 85 are separated, and the distance between the pair of wall plates 81 and 81 is widened (see the white arrow in Figure 5(B)). Alternatively, the servo motor 86 may be omitted, and the ball screw shaft 83 may be rotated using a hand tool. [Examples]

[0082] In Embodiment 3, the posture stabilization means 90, consisting of a pair of shafts 91, 91 positioned outward from the pair of left and right clamping bodies 14, will be described with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6(A) shows a side view of the inversion conveying means 3. Figure 6(B) shows a cross-sectional view AA of Figure 6(A).

[0083] In the reversal conveying means 3, the delivery means 30 positioned at the first handover position 110 functions as an attitude stabilization means 90 (see Figure 6(A)). The distance between the pair of shafts 91, 91 forming the delivery means 30 is wider than the distance between the left and right clamping bodies 14, 14 (see Figure 6(B)). Therefore, when the pair of shafts 91, 91 contact the delivery back surface of the accumulating body 200 and deliver it, they are positioned further out than the left and right clamping bodies 14, 14, preventing the accumulating body from tilting to the left or right.

[0084] (others) In Example 3, the posture stabilization means was shown to be a shaft that also functions as a delivery means. Of course, the shaft that constitutes the posture stabilization means may also be added to a reversing conveyor that is equipped with a shaft that constitutes the delivery means. • In the embodiments, for the sake of ease of understanding, the first reversing conveyor and the second reversing conveyor are described as having gripping means of the same shape, but are not limited to these. The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not limited to the foregoing description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0085] 1, 2, 3... Reversal and conveying means, 10...First reversing conveyor, 11...Rotation axis, 12...Gripping means, 13...Arm section, 14...Gripping body, 15, 16... Clamping member, 17... Rotating shaft, 18... Biasing means, 20...Second reversing conveyor, 30...Dispensing means, 31...Pair of shafts, 32...Dispensing means, 33...Slide part, 40...Posture stabilization means, 41...Wall plate, 42...Bent plate body, 43...Intermediate part, 44...Screw 50... means for attaching the band, 51... band body, 52... means for supplying, 53... means for winding, 54... means for folding back, 55...Heat welding means, 56...Cutting means, 57...Supply roll, 58...Winding roll, 60...second sending means, 70... means for adjusting clamping height, 71... elongated hole, 72... fixing device, 80...Posture stabilization means, 81...Wall plate, 82...Separation distance adjustment means, 83...Ball screw shaft, 84, 85...Slide part, 86...Servo motor, 87...Right-hand thread part, 88...Reverse-hand thread part, 90... Stabilization means for posture, 91... Pair of shafts, 100...Pharmaceutical manufacturing line, 101...Surface sheet conveyor, 102...Tablet dispenser, 103...Back sheet feeding machine, 104...Welding machine, 105...Sheet cutting machine, 106...Collection device, 107…Upstream transport path, 108…Downstream transport path, 110...First handover location, 111...First receiving location 120...Second receiving position, 121...Second handover position, 200, 203... aggregate, 201... receiving space, 202... band, 210...PTP sheet, 211...Tag section, 212...Tablet storage section, 300...Band, 301...Heat sealer, 400...Heat sealer, 401...Band 500...First reversing conveyor, 501...Clamping body, 502...Shaft body, 600...Second reversing conveyor

Claims

1. In a reversing conveying means for transporting articles of uneven thickness, It includes a first reversing conveyor, a second reversing conveyor, a delivery means, and an attitude stabilization means. The first inverting conveyor and the second inverting conveyor are equipped with multiple gripping means arranged radially around their respective rotation axes, and function as transfer means for inverting the article and transferring it. Each of the clamping means clamps the left and right positions of the article, which are outside the central part. The aforementioned delivery means slides toward the transfer position from the first reversing conveyor to the second reversing conveyor to deliver the accumulated object. The posture stabilization means, when the delivery means delivers the article at the delivery position, makes even contact with the article on the outer sides rather than the left and right sides, and even if the clamping pressure on the left and right sides is different, the article is delivered without tilting to the left or right. A reversing and conveying means characterized by the following:

2. Each of them is plate-shaped, and the pair of wall plates constitute the posture stabilization means. Each of the wall panels is in contact with the left and right sides of the article at the handover position. The reversal conveying means according to feature 1.

3. The distance between the pair of wall panels is adjustable. The reversal conveying means according to feature 2.

4. Each is axial, and the pair of axial bodies constitute the posture stabilization means. Each of the shafts, at the transfer position, is in contact with the left and right sides of the back surface of the article being delivered and is delivered. The left and right sides of each of the aforementioned sending back surfaces are located outward from the clamping means. The reversal conveying means according to feature 1.

5. The distance between the pair of shafts is adjustable. The reversal conveying means according to feature 4.

6. The aforementioned article is an aggregate formed by accumulating PTP sheets, In the first reversing conveyor, the left and right width of the rotation space functions as a space for tying the aggregate in a gable-like manner. The reversing conveying means according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images