Article conveying device and tablet printing device using the same

Abstract

In an article conveying device, the flow of air entering the air intake through the gap between the toothed belt and the toothed pulley is suppressed to prevent displacement, tilting, and dropping of granular articles such as tablets from the conveying path. [Solution] The first toothed rotary conveying means has multiple intake ports on its circumferential surface and a circumferential groove formed on its circumferential surface with a sealing member wound around the portion of the circumferential groove; the second toothed rotary conveying means has a different axis of rotation from the first toothed rotary conveying means; and a toothed belt has multiple openings and is installed at least on the first toothed rotary conveying means and the second toothed rotary conveying means. The portion of the toothed belt wound around the first toothed rotary conveying means has at least one end in the axial direction in contact with the sealing member, and the first toothed rotary conveying means conveys the article by adsorption and holding it on the toothed belt.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to an article conveying device that conveys granular materials such as tablets using a toothed belt, and a tablet printing device that prints predetermined information on the front and back surfaces of tablets conveyed by the article conveying device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, tablet printing machines have been used in the manufacturing processes of pharmaceuticals, food products, and confectionery to print identification information such as company names, product names, letters, figures, and images onto tablets. These tablet printing machines require the handling of numerous tablets to print information on both the front and back surfaces.

[0003] As an example of such a tablet printing apparatus, Patent Document 1 discloses a tablet printing apparatus comprising a toothed belt with multiple suction holes for adsorbing tablets arranged in the direction of tablet transport, and a suction chamber with suction slits, which are intake ports, formed around its entire circumference facing the back surface of the toothed belt. The apparatus describes a tablet printing apparatus in which tablets on the toothed belt are adsorbed and held by the toothed belt by the suction force applied through each suction hole in the toothed belt and the intake port of the suction chamber, and while being transported, ink is ejected toward the tablets, and identification information is printed on the surface of the tablets. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-057788 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] However, in conventional tablet printing machines, air can sometimes flow from the side of the toothed belt through the gap between the toothed pulley and the toothed belt into the intake port of the suction chamber. This reduces the amount of air drawn in from the suction holes of the toothed belt, resulting in a decrease in the suction force on the surface of the toothed belt. In this case, misalignment of the tablet T on the transport path can occur, leading to printing defects. Alternatively, the tablet may tilt, causing it to get stuck in the gaps inside the machine. Furthermore, if the tablet's top surface is held by suction, a decrease in suction force can cause the tablet to fall and deviate from the transport path.

[0006] This disclosure was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to suppress the flow of air from the side of the toothed belt through the gap between the toothed belt and the toothed pulley into the intake port of the suction chamber, thereby suppressing a decrease in the suction force on the surface of the toothed belt. The objective is to provide an article conveying device and a tablet printing device using the same that can suppress misalignment and tilting of tablets on the conveying path and tablets falling from the conveying path. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An article conveying device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an article conveying device for conveying articles by adsorption and holding, comprising: a first toothed rotary conveying means having a plurality of intake ports on its circumferential surface and a circumferential groove formed on the circumferential surface with a sealing member wound around the portion of the circumferential groove; a second toothed rotary conveying means disposed on the downstream or upstream side of the first toothed rotary conveying means in the conveying direction; and a toothed belt having a plurality of openings, at least one end in the axial direction of the portion of the toothed belt wound around the first toothed rotary conveying means is in contact with the sealing member, and the first toothed rotary conveying means adopts a configuration for conveying articles by adsorption and holding them on the toothed belt. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the flow of air flowing into the intake port through the gap between the toothed belt and the toothed pulley from the side surface side of the toothed belt is suppressed, and a decrease in the adsorption force on the surface of the toothed belt is suppressed. As a result, it is possible to provide an article conveying device capable of suppressing displacement, inclination of articles such as tablets on the conveying path, and dropping of tablets from the conveying path, and a tablet printing device using the same.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009] [Figure 1] It is a schematic front view showing an outline of the configuration of a tablet printing device 1 according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] (a) is a schematic plan view of the toothed belt 53, (b) is a schematic side view, and (c) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the toothed belt cut along the line A1-A1 in (a). [Figure 3] (a) is a schematic front cross-sectional view of the main part related to the conveyance of the inversion conveyance means 5T, and (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the inversion conveyance means 5T cut along the line A2-A2 in (a). [Figure 4] It is a view of the inversion conveyance means 5T as viewed from the arrow B1 in Fig. 3(a). [Figure 5] (a) is an enlarged view of the portion C3 in Fig. 3(b), and (b) is an enlarged view of the portion C4 in Fig. 3(a). [Figure 6] (a) and (b) are schematic cross-sectional views of the meshing portion between the rotating drum 57, which is the adsorption portion of the tablet T, and the toothed belt 53, as viewed from the axial direction and the circumferential direction, respectively. [Figure 7] (a) is an enlarged view of the portion C1 in Fig. 3(b), and (b) is an enlarged view of the portion C2 in Fig. 3(a). [Figure 8] (a) and (b) are schematic cross-sectional views of the meshing portion between the rotating drum 52, which is the adsorption portion of the tablet T, and the toothed belt 53, as viewed from the axial direction and the circumferential direction, respectively. [Figure 9] (a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the portion where the toothed belt 53 moves from the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 52 onto the linear portion suction means 58 as viewed from the axial direction, and (b) is a view of the inversion conveyance means 5T as viewed from the arrow B2 in Figs. 3(a) and 9(a). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Summary of Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention The article conveying device according to the embodiment of this disclosure is an article conveying device for conveying articles by suction holding, and comprises: a first toothed rotary conveying means having a plurality of intake ports on its circumferential surface and a circumferential groove formed on its circumferential surface with a sealing member wound around the portion of the circumferential groove; a second toothed rotary conveying means having a rotation axis different from that of the first toothed rotary conveying means; and a toothed belt having a plurality of openings, at least one end in the axial direction of the portion of the toothed belt wound around the first toothed rotary conveying means is in contact with the sealing member, and the first toothed rotary conveying means adopts a configuration for conveying articles by suction holding on the toothed belt. In another embodiment, in the embodiment described above, when the sealing member is wound around the first toothed rotary conveying means, the inner diameter of the sealing member may be smaller than the root circle diameter of the first toothed rotary conveying means, and the outer diameter may be larger than the root circle diameter of the toothed belt.

[0011] In another embodiment, in any of the embodiments described above, the circumferential groove may be configured to be deeper than the tooth root of the first toothed rotary conveying means.

[0012] In another embodiment, in any of the embodiments described above, the sealing member may be an annular member made of an elastic material, and the sealing member may be wound around the circumferential groove in an elongated state.

[0013] In another embodiment, the sealing member may be an O-ring in any of the embodiments described above.

[0014] Furthermore, the tablet printing apparatus according to the embodiment of this disclosure is a tablet printing apparatus that prints information on the front and back surfaces of tablets being transported along a transport path, comprising: an upstream transport means that suction-holds the tablet with one of its front and back surfaces facing downwards facing the transport surface and transports it in a first direction; an upstream printing unit that prints information on the other of its front and back surfaces facing upwards on the tablet being transported by the upstream transport means; a reverse transport means disposed downstream of the upstream transport means in the transport direction, which suction-holds the tablet transported by the upstream transport means with the other surface facing the transport surface and reverses the tablet from the first direction to a second direction opposite to the first direction; and a downstream linear transport means that subsequently transports the reversed tablet in the second direction. The reverse conveying means includes a downstream printing unit for printing information on one side of the tablet being conveyed by the downstream linear conveying means, and the reverse conveying means includes a first toothed rotary conveying means having a plurality of first air intake ports on its circumferential surface, configured to draw air from the first air intake ports, and having a first circumferential groove formed on its circumferential surface, with a first sealing member wound around the portion of the first circumferential groove on the circumferential surface, and a toothed belt having a plurality of openings installed on the first toothed rotary conveying means, wherein at least one end of the toothed belt wound around the first toothed rotary conveying means is in contact with the first sealing member in the axial direction, and the upstream conveying means and the first toothed rotary conveying means are arranged facing each other in the boundary region of the conveying path with their respective conveying surfaces separated by a predetermined distance.

[0015] In another embodiment, in any of the embodiments described above, the first toothed rotary conveying means is further provided with a second toothed rotary conveying means, which is located downstream in the conveying direction of the first toothed rotary conveying means, has a plurality of second air intake ports on its circumferential surface and is configured to be able to draw air from the second air intake ports, and has a second circumferential groove formed on its circumferential surface, with a second sealing member wound around the portion of the second circumferential groove on the circumferential surface, wherein the toothed belt is installed on at least the first toothed rotary conveying means and the second toothed rotary conveying means, and the portion of the toothed belt wound around the second toothed rotary conveying means has at least one axial end in contact with the second sealing member.

[0016] In another embodiment, in any of the embodiments described above, the first toothed rotary conveying means is configured to draw air from the first intake port when the first intake port is within a first rotation angle range, and the second toothed rotary conveying means is configured to draw air from the second intake port when the second intake port is within a second rotation angle range, and the first toothed rotary conveying means starts drawing air when the first intake port faces a predetermined direction in the boundary region as it rotates, so that the other surface of the tablet being conveyed by the upstream conveying means passes through the opening of the toothed belt installed on the circumferential surface. The tablet is transferred from the upstream conveying means to the toothed belt by suction, and while rotating within the first rotation angle range, the tablet is held and transported by suction on the toothed belt, and the toothed belt transports the tablet to the second toothed rotary conveying means while the tablet is held and transported by suction on the toothed belt, while rotating within the second rotation angle range, by suction on the other surface of the tablet through the opening of the toothed belt installed on the circumferential surface, thereby transporting the tablet to the downstream linear conveying means while holding it and transporting it by suction on the toothed belt.

[0017] In another embodiment, in any of the embodiments described above, a linear suction means may be arranged parallel to the toothed belt between the first toothed rotary conveying means and the second toothed rotary conveying means, and in a predetermined section after the tablet has moved from the first toothed rotary conveying means to the linear suction means, the tablet may be held and conveyed on the toothed belt by suction due to negative pressure from the first toothed rotary conveying means.

[0018] Furthermore, the tablet printing apparatus according to the embodiment of this disclosure is a tablet printing apparatus that prints information on the front and back surfaces of tablets being transported along a transport path, comprising: an upstream linear transport means that suction-holds the tablet with one of the front and back surfaces of the tablet facing downwards and transports it in a first direction; an upstream transport means disposed downstream of the upstream linear transport means in the transport direction and suction-holds the tablet transported by the upstream linear transport means with one of its surfaces facing the transport surface and inverts the tablet from the first direction to a second direction opposite to the first direction; an upstream printing unit that prints information on the other of the front and back surfaces of the tablet being transported by the upstream linear transport means and transports the tablet inverted by the inverting transport means with the other surface facing the transport surface The inverting conveying means comprises a downstream conveying means for adsorbing and holding and conveying in the second direction, and a downstream printing unit for printing information on one side of the tablet being conveyed by the downstream conveying means, wherein the inverting conveying means comprises a first toothed rotary conveying means having a plurality of first air intake ports on its circumferential surface and configured to draw air from the first air intake ports, and a first circumferential groove formed on its circumferential surface with a first sealing member wound around the portion of the first circumferential groove on its circumferential surface, and a toothed belt having a plurality of openings installed on the first toothed rotary conveying means, wherein at least one end of the toothed belt wound around the first toothed rotary conveying means is in contact with the first sealing member in the axial direction, and the downstream conveying means and the first toothed rotary conveying means may be configured to face each other in the boundary region of the conveying path with their respective conveying surfaces separated by a predetermined distance.

[0019] <Embodiment 1> The configuration of the article conveying device (reversing conveying device 5T) and the tablet printing device 1 according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, in this specification, the X, Y, and Z directions in each figure may be referred to as the width direction, depth direction, and height direction, respectively, and the positive direction of the height direction may be referred to as the "up" direction and the negative direction as the "down" direction.

[0020] Furthermore, the scale of the components in each drawing is not necessarily the same as the actual scale. Also, for the sake of clarity, illustrations of covers and other parts may be omitted. In addition, some components, transport routes, etc., may be illustrated schematically or schematically. Furthermore, in this specification, the symbol "~" used to indicate a numerical range includes the values ​​at both ends. Also, the materials, numerical values, etc. described in this embodiment are merely examples of preferred materials and are not limiting. Furthermore, modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the scope of the technical idea of ​​this disclosure. In addition, combinations of parts of the configuration with other embodiments are possible as long as they do not result in inconsistencies.

[0021] <About the configuration of the tablet printing device 1> The configuration of the tablet printing device 1 will be explained using drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic front view showing an overview of the configuration of the tablet printing device 1 according to Embodiment 1 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "printing device 1").

[0022] (Overall structure) The printing device 1 is a printing device that prints identification information such as characters, figures, and images representing the company name or product name on the front and back surfaces of tablets T, which constitute the outer surface of tablets T, in the manufacturing process of pharmaceuticals, food products, confectionery, etc. As shown in Figure 1, the printing device 1 comprises a base 1a that supports each part and functions as a housing, a tablet supply unit 2 that supplies tablets T, an upstream transport means 3 that transports the supplied tablets T, an upstream printing unit 4U that prints information on the tablets T transported by the upstream transport means 3, a downstream transport means 5 located downstream of the upstream transport means 3, a downstream printing unit 4D that prints information on the tablets T transported by the downstream transport means 5, a good product extraction unit 8, a discharge transport means 9 located downstream of the downstream printing unit 4D, and a control means 10.

[0023] (Overview of the structure of each section) The following describes the general configuration of each part of the printing device 1.

[0024] [Tablet T] Tablet T is the object to be printed on in the printing device 1. Tablet T is made up of various drugs, foods, confectionery, etc., and is formed into a flat shape. Identification information such as company name, product name, content, dosage form, etc., is printed on the front and / or back surfaces of Tablet T to allow healthcare professionals and patients to identify the drug.

[0025] The shape of tablet T may be the same for both its front and back surfaces, or it may have different shapes, such as a score line molded into one surface. The thickness of tablet T may be, for example, 2 mm to 8 mm, but is not limited to this. The shape of tablet T in plan view may be a circle, ellipse, oblong, rectangle, polygon, etc. Furthermore, tablet T may be composed of multiple different shapes, as long as the thickness is approximately constant.

[0026] [Tablet supply unit 2] The tablet supply unit 2 is a unit that supplies multiple tablets T to the main system and is arranged on the base 1a. It includes a hopper 21 that receives a large number of tablets T from above and sends them downward, and a feeder 22 that converts the multiple tablets T supplied from the hopper 21 into multiple rows and outputs them sequentially to the upstream transport means 3.

[0027] In this example, the feeder 22 consists of a disc-shaped member. By rotating around its central axis 22o, the feeder 22 uses centrifugal force to guide multiple tablets T placed on its upper surface along its outer edge, and then sequentially outputs the tablets T to the upstream conveying means 3 through two supply holes (not shown) opened on the outer edge. In this example, the tablets T are distributed into two rows and supplied in series to the upstream conveying means 3.

[0028] [Upstream conveying means 3] The upstream transport means 3 is a transport mechanism that transports tablets T supplied from the tablet supply unit 2 by adsorption, with one of the tablet T's front and back surfaces facing downwards facing the transport surface of the upstream transport means 3, in the first direction D1 (upper right direction in Figure 1), and transfers them to the downstream transport means 5. While the tablets T are being transported by the upstream transport means 3, the upstream printing unit 4U, described later, prints on the other surface of the tablet T that faces upwards.

[0029] In this embodiment, the upstream transport means 3 is arranged linearly on the base 1a in a first direction D1, is driven by the control means 10, and transports the tablets T at predetermined intervals from left to right in Figure 1 (arrow T1 in Figure 1).

[0030] The upstream conveying means 3 comprises a pair of toothed pulleys 31 and 32 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "pulleys 31 and 32") that constitute a drive pulley and a driven pulley, and a toothed belt 33 suspended between them.

[0031] The toothed belt 33 is a belt that attracts and holds tablets T on its upper surface for transport, primarily by gravity and frictional force on the upper surface. The toothed belt 33 transports tablets T when the pulley 31 is driven and controlled by the device drive control unit (not shown). In this example, as shown in Figures 5(a) and 7(a) described later, two toothed belts 33 are suspended in the axial direction, and tablets T can be attracted and held on the back surface of each belt for transport.

[0032] Here, in order to ensure that the tablets T are held in place by the toothed belt 33, for example, the toothed belt 33 may be provided with a plurality of air intake ports (not shown) and a suction device (not shown) that sucks air from these air intake ports, thereby ensuring that the tablets T placed on the toothed belt 33 are held in place and transported securely by suction. In this case, the suction force applied to the tablets T by the upstream transport means 3 is auxiliary and is far smaller than the suction force applied to hold the tablets T in place on the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 52 against gravity and centrifugal force. The toothed belt 33 may be a belt with the same specifications as the toothed belt 53 in the downstream transport means 5, which will be described later, except for the circumference.

[0033] Furthermore, the system includes a detection means 34 for detecting the time when a tablet T passes a predetermined position on the transport path. The detection means 34 can be a reflective or transmissive optical sensor, a laser detector, an image sensor, a line camera capable of acquiring images of multiple line-shaped pixels, etc. The detection means 34 detects the time when the tablet T passes and outputs the detection result to the control means 10.

[0034] [Upstream Printing Section 4U] The upstream printing unit 4U is a printing unit positioned at a predetermined location on the transport path of the upstream transport means 3. The upstream printing unit 4U is positioned above the toothed belt 33 between the pulleys 31 and 32 and prints on the upward-facing surface of the tablet T being transported by the upstream transport means 3.

[0035] The upstream printing unit 4U is positioned on the base 1a and is configured to include, in that order, a target image acquisition unit 41U, a print head 42U, and an inspection image acquisition unit 43U, from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transport path.

[0036] The target image acquisition unit 41U is an image acquisition means that acquires an image of the object to be printed, using the transported tablet T as the image target, and is positioned opposite the transport surface of the upstream transport means 3 with a predetermined gap in between. The acquired image of the object to be printed is output to the control means 10, and the control means 10 detects the position and passage timing of the tablet T to be printed in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction based on the image.

[0037] The print head 42U is a print head that performs non-contact printing on the upper surface of the transported tablet T, and is positioned opposite the transport surface of the upstream transport means 3 with a predetermined gap in between. The print head 42U can be an inkjet type print head having multiple line-shaped nozzles in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. With this print head 42U, based on print data output from the control means 10 according to the image of the object to be printed, ink is selectively ejected from nozzles corresponding to the passage position of the tablet T in the Y direction, in accordance with the passage time of the tablet T, and a predetermined pattern is printed on the upper surface of the tablet T.

[0038] The inspection image acquisition unit 43U is an image acquisition means that acquires an image of the printed tablet T, with the printed tablet T as the image target, and is positioned opposite the transport surface of the upstream transport means 3 with a predetermined gap in between. The acquired image of the printed tablet T is output to the control means 10, and the control means 10 determines the quality of the print based on the image.

[0039] [Downstream conveying means 5] The downstream conveying means 5 is located above the upstream conveying means 3 and is a conveying mechanism that holds the tablet T conveyed by the upstream conveying means 3 by adsorption with the upper surface of the tablet T facing the conveying surface, inverts the tablet T from the first direction D1 (right direction in Figure 1) to the second direction D2 (left direction in Figure 1), and then conveys it in the second direction D2.

[0040] In the printing apparatus 1, the downstream transport means 5 is located above the upstream transport means 3 and consists of a reversal transport means 5T that reverses the transport direction of the tablet T from a first direction D1 (right direction in Figure 1, arrow T1) to a second direction D2 (left direction in Figure 1, arrow T2) and a downstream linear transport means 5L that is located downstream of the reversal transport means 5T in the transport path and linearly transports the tablet T, which has been reversed front and back, in the second direction D2 (same, arrow T3). Of these, the reversal transport means 5T constitutes the article transport apparatus according to the embodiment. Furthermore, while the tablet T is being transported by this downstream linear transport means 5L (same, arrow T3), printing is performed on the upper surface of the tablet T from the downstream printing unit 4D.

[0041] The specific configuration of the downstream conveying means 5 is as follows: In the printing apparatus 1, as shown in Figure 1, the inversion conveying means 5T is configured to include a swing arm 6 supported on a base 1a, a rotating drum 52 supported on the swing arm 6, a rotating drum 57 positioned at the rotation center 57o of the swing arm 6, a linear section suction means 58 positioned in the space between the rotating drum 52 and the rotating drum 57, and a toothed belt 53. The rotating drums 52 and 57 are toothed pulleys that mesh with the toothed belt 53.

[0042] Specifically, the side conveying means 5 comprises a drive-side toothed pulley 51 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "pulley 51") disposed on the base 1a, a rotating drum 57 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "toothed rotating conveying means 57" or "second toothed rotating conveying means 57") that rotates in conjunction with it (hereinafter, arrow R57), a rotating drum 52 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "toothed rotating conveying means 52" or "first toothed rotating conveying means 52") disposed on the base 1a via a swing arm 6, a retaining pulley 54, a toothed belt 53 suspended from these, and a linear section suction means 58. These elements constitute the reversing conveying means 5T and the downstream linear conveying means 5L.

[0043] The toothed belt 53 is a belt that attracts, holds, and conveys tablets T on its upper surface, and the pulley 51 is driven and rotated by the control means 10 (arrow R51 in Figure 1) to convey the tablets T. In this example, as an example, two toothed belts 53 are suspended in the axial direction of the pulley 51 and the rotating drums 52 and 57, and tablets T can be attracted, held, and conveyed on the upper surface of each.

[0044] Figure 2(a) is a schematic plan view of the toothed belt 53, Figure 2(b) is a schematic side view, and Figure 2(c) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the toothed belt 53 taken along the line A1-A1 in Figure 2(a). As shown in the figure, the toothed belt 53 is, for example, an endless belt reinforced with a core wire, and is composed of, for example, a circumferential back rubber portion 531 and a toothed rubber portion 532 bonded to the back rubber portion 531.

[0045] As shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(c), the toothed belt 53 has the back rubber portion 531 removed over its entire circumference in the central width w of the belt width direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction, and an opening 53a of width w (opening width) is provided in the gap between adjacent tooth rubber portions 532 in the circumferential direction. A chamfer 531a may also be provided on the edge of the opening 53a of width w. In the toothed belt 53, the width w is smaller than the minimum dimension of the target tablet T in a plan view, and the tablet T can be placed on the back rubber portions 531 on both sides of the opening 53a. At this time, the cut line BL may be facing either up or down. Furthermore, in this state, by applying suction through the opening 53a, the tablet T can be adsorbed, held, and transported on the back surface of the toothed belt 53 suspended on the rotating drum 52.

[0046] (Reversing and conveying means 5T) Next, the configuration of the reversing and conveying means 5T will be explained using the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the swing arm 6 is mounted on the base 1a so as to swing around the rotation center 57o of the rotating drum 57 by a swing mechanism described later (arrow R6 in the same figure), and the swinging motion causes the rotating drum 52 to move up and down. With this configuration, the height of the rotating drum 52 relative to the upstream conveying means 3 can be changed, and the gap δ between the inverting conveying means 5T and the upstream conveying means 3 can be freely adjusted to suit the thickness of the target tablet T.

[0047] As shown in Figure 1, the rotating drum 52 has a plurality of intake ports 52a on its circumferential surface, and is equipped with a suction mechanism that enables suction from the intake ports 52a by communicating with a negative pressure chamber 52b (suction chamber) formed inside the rotating drum 52 within a predetermined rotation angle range. In the example shown in Figure 1, the rotating drum 52 is configured such that the intake ports 52a communicate with the negative pressure chamber 52b within a rotation angle range from 6 o'clock to 12 o'clock in a counterclockwise direction with respect to the rotation center 52o (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "first rotation angle range"). In addition, a sealing member 152 (see Figure 7), which will be described later, is wound around the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 52.

[0048] As shown in Figure 1, the rotating drum 57 also has a suction mechanism that allows suction from the intake ports 57a by communicating with a negative pressure chamber 57b (suction chamber) formed inside the rotating drum 57 within a predetermined range of rotation angles. In the example shown in Figure 1, the rotating drum 57 is configured such that the intake ports 57a communicate with the negative pressure chamber 57b within a range of rotation angles from approximately 2 o'clock to approximately 12 o'clock (slightly closer to 11 o'clock) in a counterclockwise direction, with respect to the rotation center 57o (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "second range of rotation angles"). In addition, a sealing member 157 is wound around the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 57.

[0049] Furthermore, the linear section suction means 58 also has multiple suction ports 58a that communicate with the negative pressure chamber 58b inside the linear section suction means 58 on the wall surface (right side of the paper in Figure 1) on the side of the toothed belt 53 that transports the tablets T, enabling suction through the opening 53a of the toothed belt 53.

[0050] The cross-sectional configuration of the reversal conveying mechanism 5T will be explained below with reference to the drawings. Figure 3(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main part of the reversing conveying means 5T related to conveying, obtained by cutting the rotating drums 52 and 57 of the reversing conveying means 5T in the XZ plane, and (b) is a cross-sectional view obtained by cutting the reversing conveying means 5T along the line A2-A2 in (a). Figure 4 is a view of the reversing conveying means 5T as seen from arrow B1 in Figure 3(a).

[0051] As shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b), in the reversing conveying means 5T, the hollow shaft 59 is fixed to the base 1. The swing arm 6 has its base pivotally supported on the hollow shaft 59 and swings around the hollow shaft 59. A rotating drum 57 is also rotatably attached to the hollow shaft 59.

[0052] The oscillating arm 6 has a hollow shaft 55 rotatably supported at its tip, and a rotating drum 52 is rotatably attached to the hollow shaft 55. As a result, the rotating drum 52 rotates around the hollow shaft 55 and oscillates around the hollow shaft 59 based on the movement of the oscillating arm 6.

[0053] The rotating drum 57 has a hollow cylindrical structure in which both ends of the cylindrical portion 572 are sealed by a pair of flange portions 571 and 573, and a negative pressure chamber 57b is located inside. The flange portions 571 and 573 are each rotatably attached to the hollow shaft 59 via bearings 574. A sealing member 575 is interposed between the inner circumference of the flange portion 573 and the outer circumference of the hollow shaft 59 to ensure airtightness of the negative pressure chamber 57b. A toothed belt 53 is suspended from the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 57, and when a pulley 51 (see Figure 1) is driven to rotate, the rotating drum 57 rotates in conjunction with it (arrow R57 in the same figure).

[0054] The cylindrical portion 572 that constitutes the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 57 has a plurality of intake ports 57a provided in the circumferential direction in the portion located below the toothed belt 53, and the negative pressure chamber 57b of the rotating drum 57 is configured to communicate with the outside space through the opening 53a of the toothed belt 53.

[0055] Figure 5(a) is an enlarged view of section C3 in Figure 3(b), and Figure 5(b) is an enlarged view of section C4 in Figure 3(a). Figures 6(a) and 6(b) are schematic cross-sectional views of the engagement portion between the rotating drum 57, which is the tablet adsorption part, and the toothed belt 53, viewed from the axial and circumferential directions, respectively.

[0056] The rotating drum 57 is a toothed pulley having a plurality of teeth 572a arranged circumferentially on the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 572 at the same pitch as the toothed belt 53, and the intake port 57a may be opened at the tooth tip portion of the cylindrical portion 572.

[0057] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 5(a)(b) and 6(a)(b), circumferential grooves 572b are formed on the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 572 of the toothed belt 53 at adjacent positions on both axial sides, and a sealing member 157 is wound around each of these circumferential grooves 572b of the rotating drum 57. These circumferential grooves 572b are formed deeper than the tooth roots 572d of the rotating drum 57. As a result, the portion of the toothed belt 53 wound around the rotating drum 57 is in contact with the sealing member 157 at both axial ends.

[0058] Furthermore, the sealing member 157 may be an annular member made of an elastic material, for example, an O-ring may be used. In this case, the sealing member 157 is wound around the circumferential groove 572b in a state of being stretched by a predetermined amount. As the elastic material, rubber materials such as FKM (fluororubber), ethylene propylene rubber such as EPDM (ethylene propylene diene rubber), and other silicone rubber materials or elastomers may be used, which have excellent chemical resistance when cleaning the printing apparatus 1. The rubber hardness may be, for example, 50 to 70 ± 10 Hs.

[0059] As shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), when the sealing member 157 is wound around the rotating drum 57, the inner diameter D of the sealing member 157 157I The root circle diameter D of the rotating drum 57 57 Smaller than the outer diameter D of the sealing member 157 157Ois configured to be larger than the root circle diameter D of the toothed belt 53 53 is larger than that.

[0060] With such a configuration, due to the contact between the seal member 157 and the side surface of the toothed belt 53, the gap between the toothed belt 53 and the rotating drum 57 on the side surface of the toothed belt 53 can be blocked. In other words, the gap δ 57B (backlash) between the teeth 572a of the rotating drum 57 and the teeth of the toothed belt 53, and the gap δ 57T between the root 572d of the teeth of the rotating drum 57 and the tip 532a of the teeth of the toothed belt 53, and the communication port with the outside (the entrance of the gap δ 57B , δ 57T ) can be sealed. Thereby, the inflow of external air into the intake port 57a through the gaps δ 57B , δ 57T between the toothed belt 53 and the rotating drum 57 can be suppressed, the decrease in the suction force from the opening 53a can be reduced, and the suction force can be improved by about 10% compared to the case without passing through the seal member 157.

[0061] The hollow shaft 59 is fixed to the base 1a by the flange 590 shown in FIGS. 3(b) and 4. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3(b) and 4, a pulley 72 with a toothed belt 73 suspended thereon is attached (fixed) to the hollow shaft 59. The hollow shaft 59 has a bottomed cylindrical hollow shaft 591 with a closed tip and a negative pressure chamber 59b inside as a main member, a dimple knob 592 for preventing the rotation drum 57 from coming off is attached to the tip, and a vacuum pipe 593 communicating with a vacuum exhaust device VP (not shown) is connected to the open end of the base.

[0062] As shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b), multiple openings 59a are formed on the circumferential surface of the hollow shaft 591 in the portion inserted into the rotating drum 57, and a partition member 594 is provided over a predetermined rotation angle range with respect to the rotation center 57o. The partition member 594 is fixed to the circumferential surface of the hollow shaft 591 by fasteners 595. This partition member 594 is a member that blocks the openings 59a of the hollow shaft 591 and the intake port 57a of the rotating drum 57, and defines the outer edge of the negative pressure chamber 57b. Therefore, by adjusting the rotation angle range in which the partition member 594 is attached to the hollow shaft 591, the angle range in the rotating drum 57 where the partition member 594 does not exist can be made to function as the negative pressure chamber 57b, and suction through the intake port 57a of the rotating drum 57 becomes possible within that rotation angle range.

[0063] The swing arm 6 has a structure in which the arm member 61 is rotatably attached to the hollow shaft 59 at its base via a bearing 63, and the hollow shaft 55 is rotatably held at its tip via a bearing 62. The swing arm 6 swings by the drive mechanism 16. Specifically, the arm member 61 of the swing arm 6 has a flange 66 connected to the hollow shaft 59 in the axial direction, and the flange 66 is further connected to the output shaft of the servo motor 64 via a reduction gear 65. The servo motor 64 is fixed to the base 1a together with the reduction gear 65 by a stay 67 (see Figure 4). As a result, the arm member 61 swings around the hollow shaft 59 by the rotation of the servo motor 64.

[0064] The rotating drum 52 has a hollow cylindrical structure in which both ends of the cylindrical portion 522 are sealed by a pair of flange portions 521 and 523, and a negative pressure chamber 52b is located inside. The flange portions 521 and 523 are each rotatably attached to the hollow shaft 55 via bearings 524. A sealing member 525 is interposed between the inner circumference of the flange portion 523 and the outer circumference of the hollow shaft 55 to ensure airtightness of the negative pressure chamber 52b. A toothed belt 53 is suspended on the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 52, and when the pulley 51 is driven to rotate, the rotating drum 52 rotates in conjunction with it (arrow R52 in Figure 1).

[0065] The cylindrical portion 522 that constitutes the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 52 has a plurality of intake ports 52a in the circumferential direction in the portion located below the toothed belt 53, and the negative pressure chamber 52b of the rotating drum 52 is configured to communicate with the space above the toothed belt 53 through the intake ports 52a and the opening 53a of the toothed belt 53.

[0066] Figure 7(a) is an enlarged view of section C1 in Figure 3(b), and Figure 7(b) is an enlarged view of section C2 in Figure 3(a). Figures 8(a) and 8(b) are schematic cross-sectional views of the engagement portion between the rotating drum 52, which is the tablet adsorption part, and the toothed belt 53, viewed from the axial and circumferential directions, respectively.

[0067] As shown in Figure 8(b), the rotating drum 52 is a toothed pulley having multiple teeth 522a arranged circumferentially on the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 522 at the same pitch as the tooth pitch of the toothed belt 53, similar to the rotating drum 57, and the intake port 52a may be opened at the tooth tip portion of the cylindrical portion 522.

[0068] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 7(a)(b) and 8(a)(b), circumferential grooves 522b are formed on the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 522 at adjacent positions on both axial sides of the toothed belt 53, and sealing members 152 are wound around each of these circumferential grooves 522b on the rotating drum 52. These circumferential grooves 522b are formed deeper than the tooth roots 522d of the rotating drum 52. As a result, the portion of the toothed belt 53 wound around the rotating drum 52 is in contact with the sealing members 152 at both axial ends.

[0069] Furthermore, the sealing member 152 may be an annular member made of an elastic material, for example, an O-ring may be used. In this case, the sealing member 152 is wound around the circumferential groove 522b in a state of being stretched by a predetermined amount. The elastic material may be the same material as the sealing member 157, or a different material may be used.

[0070] As shown in Figures 8(a) and 8(b), when the sealing member 152 is wound around the rotating drum 52, the inner diameter D of the sealing member 152 152I The root circle diameter D of the rotating drum 52 52 Smaller than, outer diameter D 152O The root circle diameter D of the toothed belt 53. 53 It is composed of a larger structure.

[0071] As a result, the contact between the sealing member 152 and the side surface of the toothed belt 53 closes the gap between the toothed belt 53 and the rotating drum 52 on the side surface of the toothed belt 53. In other words, the gap δ in the meshing between the teeth 522a of the rotating drum 52 and the teeth of the toothed belt 53 is closed. 52B (Backlash) and the gap δ between the tooth root 522d of the rotating drum 52 and the tooth tip 532a of the toothed belt 53. 52T and the opening for communication with the outside (gap δ) 52B , δ 52T The entrance can be sealed. This allows the gap δ between the toothed belt 53 and the rotating drum 52 to be sealed. 52B , δ 52TThis prevents outside air from flowing into the air intake port 52a through the sealing member 152, reduces the decrease in suction force from the opening 53a, and improves the suction force by about 10% compared to the case without the sealing member 152.

[0072] As described above, the hollow shaft 55 is rotatably held by the arm member 61 via the bearing 62, and is configured to swing around the rotation center 57o. This configuration allows the position of the downstream conveying means 5 relative to the upstream conveying means 3 to be changed, and the distance between the reversing conveying means 5T and the upstream conveying means 3 (gap δ in Figure 1) can be freely adjusted to suit the thickness of the target tablet T. In addition, as shown in Figure 3(b), a driven pulley 71 on which a toothed belt 73 is suspended is mounted on the hollow shaft 55.

[0073] In the printing apparatus 1, a pulley 71, a drive-side pulley 72, and a toothed belt 73 constitute an attitude control mechanism 7 for the hollow shaft 55 of the rotating drum 52 and the partition member 554 housed in the negative pressure chamber 52b. As a result, the attitude control mechanism 7 controls the attitude of the negative pressure chamber 52b on its circumferential surface (specifically, the angle around the rotation center 52o).

[0074] In the attitude control mechanism 7, for example, the driven pulley 71 mounted (fixed) on the hollow shaft 55 and the drive pulley 72 mounted (fixed) on the hollow shaft 59 have equivalent numbers of teeth (in other words, they have the same diameter), and the hollow shaft 59, which is rotatably supported by the arm member 61, is connected in the forward direction with a reduction ratio equivalent to that of the hollow shaft 55. As a result, when the swing arm 6 swings, the rotation of the pulley 72 is restrained by the hollow shaft 59 fixed to the base 1a, so the toothed belt 73 is conveyed, causing the pulley 71 to rotate and the hollow shaft 55 to rotate.

[0075] At this time, the hollow shaft 55 rotates in a manner that compensates for the angle change associated with the oscillation, so the absolute angle of the hollow shaft 55 around the axis centered on the rotation center 52o in the XZ plane in Figure 1 remains unchanged, and the posture of the hollow shaft 55 is maintained. Simultaneously, the absolute angle of the partition member 554 is also maintained. That is, when viewed from a viewpoint outside the reversing conveying means 5T, when the oscillating arm 6 oscillates, the driven pulley 71 and the driving pulley 72 maintain the same position in their respective circumferential directions. Therefore, the angle range in which the partition member 554 does not exist around the rotation center 52o is maintained, and the rotation angle range in which the rotating drum 52 can draw air through the intake port 52a is maintained.

[0076] The attitude control mechanism 7 is a mechanism that defines the starting and ending angles of the first rotation angle range, and in this embodiment, the attitude control mechanism 7 functions as an attitude holding mechanism.

[0077] Here, the starting angle of the first rotation angle range refers to the rotation angle at which suction from the intake port 52a begins as the rotating drum 52 rotates, and the ending angle of the first rotation angle range refers to the rotation angle at which suction from the intake port 52a is released as the rotating drum 52 rotates. The hollow shaft 55 has a closed end and a bottomed cylindrical hollow shaft 551 having a negative pressure chamber 55b inside as its main component. A dimple knob 552 is attached to the end to prevent the rotating drum 52 from coming off, and a vacuum pipe 553, which is connected to a vacuum exhaust device VP (not shown), is connected to the open end of the base.

[0078] As shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b), multiple openings 55a are formed on the circumferential surface of the hollow shaft 551 in the portion inserted into the rotating drum 52, and a partition member 554 is provided over a predetermined rotation angle range with respect to the rotation center 52o. The partition member 554 is fixed to the circumferential surface of the hollow shaft 551 by fasteners 555. This partition member 554 is a member that blocks the openings 55a of the hollow shaft 551 from the intake port 52a of the rotating drum 52, and defines the outer edge of the negative pressure chamber 52b. Therefore, by adjusting the rotation angle range in which the partition member 554 is attached to the hollow shaft 551, the angle range in the rotating drum 52 where the partition member 554 does not exist can be made to function as the negative pressure chamber 52b, and suction from the intake port 52a of the rotating drum 52 becomes possible within that rotation angle range.

[0079] The linear section suction means 58 is a suction mechanism positioned parallel to the toothed belt 53 in the space between the rotating drum 57 and the rotating drum 52. It has a negative pressure chamber 58b inside, which is connected to a vacuum exhaust device VP (not shown). The linear section suction means 58 also has multiple intake ports 58a on the upper right wall surface of Figure 3(a).

[0080] Figure 9(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken from the axial direction of the rotating drum 52, showing the portion where the toothed belt 53 transitions from the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 52 to the linear section suction means 58. As shown in Figure 9(a), if PT is the position where the toothed belt 53 begins to separate from the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 522 of the rotating drum 52, then the section from PT to the position of the first intake port 58a of the linear section suction means 58 is the transition section RA of the linear section suction means 58. In this transition section RA, the outer wall portion of the negative pressure chamber 58b of the linear section suction means 58 is located below the opening 53a of the toothed belt 53, and the intake port 58a is not present. Therefore, structurally, the suction force from the negative pressure chamber 58b is not biased towards the opening 53a of the toothed belt 53.

[0081] Therefore, in the printing apparatus 1, as shown in Figure 9(a), the outer edge of the partition member 554 housed in the negative pressure chamber 52b of the rotating drum 52 is positioned further back in the rotational direction of the rotating drum 52 than the transition section RA to the linear section suction means 58. This configuration ensures that in the transition section RA to the linear section suction means 58, the suction force from the negative pressure chamber 52b of the rotating drum 52 biases the tablets T on the toothed belt 53.

[0082] Figure 9(b) is a view of the inversion conveying means 5T as seen from the direction of arrow B1 in Figures 3(a) and 9(a). As shown in Figure 9(b), there is a predetermined gap δ between the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 522 of the rotating drum 52 and the outer wall portion of the negative pressure chamber 58b of the linear portion suction means 58 that is facing it. 58 It exists.

[0083] However, since the sealing member 152 is wound around the circumferential groove 522b of the rotating drum 52, there is a gap δ 58 By reducing the width of the air inflow path through it, the gap δ between the rotating drum 52 and the negative pressure chamber 58b is reduced. 58 This prevents external air from flowing into the intake port 52a through this passage. This reduces the abrupt decrease in suction force from the opening 53a that occurs when the toothed belt 53 enters the cross section RA from the circumferential surface of the cylindrical section 522. As a result, displacement and tilting of the tablets T on the straight section suction means 58, and dropping of the tablets T from the transport path can be suppressed.

[0084] With the inverting conveying means 5T having the above configuration, when the intake port 52a faces a predetermined direction, such as vertically downward, as it rotates, suction is started, and as shown in Figure 1, the upper surface of the tablet T being conveyed by the upstream conveying means 3 is sucked in, and the tablet T is held by suction on the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 52. The tablet T is held by suction while it rotates within a predetermined rotation angle range and conveyed until the toothed belt 53 separates from the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 52. After that, the tablet T is held by suction on the toothed belt 53 by the linear suction means 58 and conveyed to the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 57. Furthermore, the tablet T is held by suction on the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 57 and conveyed while it rotates within a predetermined rotation angle range, and can be transferred to the downstream linear conveying means 5L.

[0085] (Downstream linear conveying means 5L) In the downstream linear conveying means 5L, the tablets T are conveyed linearly by a toothed belt 53. Here too, in order to ensure that the tablets T are held in place by the toothed belt 53, for example, the toothed belt 53 may be provided with a plurality of air intake ports (not shown) and a suction device (not shown) that sucks air from these air intake ports, thereby ensuring that the tablets T placed on the toothed belt 53 are held in place and conveyed by suction.

[0086] [Downstream printing section 4D] The downstream printing unit 4D is a printing unit positioned at a predetermined location on the transport path of the downstream linear transport means 5L. The downstream printing unit 4D is positioned above the toothed belt 53 between the pulley 51 and the rotating drum 52, and prints on the upward-facing surface of the tablet T being transported by the downstream transport means 5.

[0087] The downstream printing unit 4D is mounted on the base 1a and is configured to include, in that order, a target image capturing unit 41D, a print head 42D, and an inspection image capturing unit 43D, from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transport path. The configurations of the target image capturing unit 41D, print head 42D, and inspection image capturing unit 43D in the downstream printing unit 4D are the same as those of the target image capturing unit 41U, print head 42U, and inspection image capturing unit 43U in the upstream printing unit 4U, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0088] [Good product extraction section 8] The good product extraction unit 8 is located downstream of the downstream printing unit 4D on the transport path and is a mechanism unit that transfers tablets T, which are good products with good print quality, from the downstream transport means 5 to the discharge transport means 9. In this example, the good product extraction unit 8 transfers the tablets T onto the transport path of the discharge transport means 9 below by injecting air blow from the side onto the tablets T on the transport path of the downstream linear transport means 5L (arrow T4 in Figure 1).

[0089] [Discharge and transport means 9] The discharge and conveying means 9 is a conveying mechanism that conveys the good tablets T supplied from the good product extraction unit 8 and discharges them out of the system (arrow T6 in Figure 1). The upstream conveying means 3 comprises a pair of pulleys 91 and 92 acting as a drive pulley and a driven pulley, and a toothed belt 93 suspended between them.

[0090] The quality of the printing on the front and back surfaces of the tablet T is determined by the control means 10 based on the printed object images captured by the inspection image acquisition units 43U and 43D. If the printing quality on the front and back surfaces of the target tablet T meets the predetermined printing standards, the good product extraction unit 8, based on the instructions of the control means 10, ejects an air blow to transfer the target tablet T from the downstream linear transport means 5L to the discharge transport means 9 (arrow T4 in Figure 1).

[0091] Furthermore, if, with respect to the target tablet T, at least one of the printing quality on the front or back surface does not meet the predetermined printing standards, the good product extraction unit 8 will not inject air blow based on the instructions of the control means 10, and the tablet T will be discharged outside the system by passing it directly through the downstream transport means 5 without being transferred to the discharge transport means 9 (arrow T5 in Figure 1).

[0092] [Control means 10] The control means 10 is electrically connected to the tablet supply unit 2, the upstream transport means 3, the upstream printing unit 4U, the downstream transport means 5, the downstream printing unit 4D, the good product extraction unit 8, and the discharge transport means 9, and outputs control signals to control the operation of each unit. The control means 10 consists of a control unit 11 that acquires signals from each unit and issues control signals to them, and a drive unit 12 that operates each unit by supplying current to drive means such as motors and piezoelectric elements based on the control signals.

[0093] The control unit 11 is implemented as a computer, for example, comprising a general CPU (Central Processing Unit) and RAM (Random Access Memory), and a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which programs executed by these are stored. The control unit 11 reads a control program related to the printing device 1 from a storage device or the like into the RAM and executes it, thereby controlling each unit constituting the printing device 1 to operate in coordination, and thus realizing the functions of the printing device 1.

[0094] The drive unit 12 consists of various motors that operate the feeder 22, the upstream transport means 3, the downstream transport means 5, and the discharge transport means 9, respectively, the print heads of the upstream printing unit 4U and the downstream printing unit 4D, and drive circuits for driving the electromagnetic air valves in the upstream transport means 3, the downstream transport means 5, and the good product extraction unit 8.

[0095] <Operation of Printer 1> The operation of the printing device 1 equipped with the above configuration will be described below. First, in the printing device 1, the upstream transport means 3 holds the tablet T by suction with one of its surfaces (the one facing downwards) facing the transport surface of the toothed belt 33, and transports it in the first direction D1 (arrow T1 in Figure 1).

[0096] At this time, the upstream printing unit 4U prints information on the tablet T being transported by the upstream transport means 3, on the other side of the front and back surfaces that is facing upwards.

[0097] Next, in the printing apparatus 1, the downstream conveying means 5 holds the tablet T conveyed by the upstream conveying means 3 by suction with the other side facing the conveying surface of the toothed belt 53, and then reverses the tablet T from the first direction D1 to the second direction D2 which is opposite to the first direction D1 (arrow T2), and then conveys it linearly in the second direction D2 (arrow T3).

[0098] At this time, the downstream printing unit 4D prints information on one of the aforementioned surfaces of the tablet T that is being transported in the second direction D2 by the downstream transport means 5.

[0099] Furthermore, when changing the thickness of the tablet T to be printed, the servo motor 64 is driven to swing the oscillating arm 6 around the hollow shaft 59, adjusting the height of the rotating drum 52 supported on the hollow shaft 55, and adjusting the gap δ between the reversing conveying means 5T and the downstream conveying means 5 to match the thickness of the tablet T.

[0100] In this case, in the printing apparatus 1, the rotatably supported hollow shaft 59 is connected in the forward direction with a reduction ratio equivalent to that of the hollow shaft 55. Therefore, the hollow shaft 55 rotates to compensate for the angle change associated with the swinging of the swinging arm 6, and the posture of the hollow shaft 55 and the partition member 554 is maintained. As a result, the rotation angle range in which the rotating drum 52 can draw air through the intake port 52a is maintained.

[0101] Through the above operations, the printing device 1 can realize a tablet printing operation in which information is printed on the front and back surfaces of tablets T being transported along the transport path.

[0102] <Effects> (Regarding the reversal and conveying means 5T) As described above, the inversion conveying means 5T used in the tablet printing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 is an article conveying device that adsorbs, holds, and conveys articles that are granular materials such as tablets T, and comprises a first toothed rotary conveying means 52 having a plurality of intake ports 52a opened on its circumferential surface and a circumferential groove 522b formed on its circumferential surface with a sealing member 152 wound around the portion of the circumferential groove 522b, a second toothed rotary conveying means 57 having a different rotation axis from the first toothed rotary conveying means 52, and a toothed belt 53 having a plurality of openings 53a installed on at least the first toothed rotary conveying means 52 and the second toothed rotary conveying means 57, wherein at least one end in the axial direction of the portion of the toothed belt 53 wound around the first toothed rotary conveying means 52 is in contact with the sealing member 152, and the first toothed rotary conveying means 52 adopts a configuration that adsorbs, holds, and conveys articles on the toothed belt.

[0103] As described above, conventional material handling devices used in tablet printing machines are configured to hold and transport tablets on a toothed belt by suction force applied through the suction holes of the toothed belt and the intake port of the suction chamber. However, air can flow into the intake port of the suction chamber from the side of the toothed belt through the gap between the toothed pulley and the toothed belt, reducing the amount of air drawn in from the suction holes of the toothed belt and thus reducing the suction force on the surface of the toothed belt. Furthermore, when the top surface of the tablet is being held by suction, the reduced suction force can cause the tablet to fall and deviate from the transport path.

[0104] In contrast, with the reversing conveying means 5T, by adopting the above configuration, the gap δ between the toothed belt 53 and the teeth of the first toothed rotating conveying means 52 is reduced from the side of the toothed belt 53. 52B , δ 52T This can suppress the airflow that flows into the intake port through this passage, thereby suppressing a decrease in the suction force on the surface of the toothed belt 53.

[0105] This reduces the decrease in suction force from the opening 53a, thereby suppressing displacement and tilting of granular materials such as tablets T on the transport path, and preventing the tablets T (granular materials) from falling off the transport path.

[0106] Furthermore, the above configuration has the advantage that the first toothed rotary conveying means 52 can be easily manufactured when multiple toothed belts 53 are suspended in parallel on a single toothed rotary conveying means 52. For example, it is conceivable to arrange toothed pulleys for multiple toothed belts 53 in series and attach flanges to both axial sides of each toothed pulley instead of sealing members.

[0107] However, attaching flanges to both sides of each toothed belt that is suspended from a toothed pulley, which has teeth machined along its entire axial width, presented challenges in terms of both manufacturing cost and parts precision.

[0108] In contrast, in the inverting conveying means 5T according to the embodiment, circumferential grooves 522b are formed by cutting and cutting at adjacent positions on both the axial sides of each of the multiple toothed belts 53 suspended on the circumferential surface of the continuously formed toothed pulley, making it easy to manufacture a configuration for winding the sealing member 152 around the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 522 of the first toothed rotary conveying means 52.

[0109] Furthermore, in the reversing conveying means 5T, when the sealing member 152 is wound around the first toothed rotary conveying means 52, the inner diameter D of the sealing member 152 152I The root circle diameter D of the first toothed rotary conveying means 52 is 52 Smaller than, outer diameter D 152O The root circle diameter D of the toothed belt 53. 53 A larger configuration is also acceptable.

[0110] Furthermore, in the reversing conveying means 5T, the circumferential groove 522b may be configured to be deeper than the tooth root 522d of the first toothed rotary conveying means 52.

[0111] With this configuration, in the article conveying device, the gap δ between the toothed belt 53 and the teeth of the first toothed rotary conveying means 52 is maintained from the side of the toothed belt 53. 52B , δ 52T This configuration specifically allows for the suppression of the airflow that passes through and flows into the intake port 52a.

[0112] The sealing member 152 in the reversing conveying means 5T has an outer diameter D 152O The root circle diameter D of the toothed belt 53 Even if the value is greater than this, it does not have a guiding function for the toothed belt 53 that restricts the axial position of the toothed belt 53. Therefore, the reversing conveying means 5T is equipped with another guiding means (not shown) that restricts the axial position of the toothed belt 53, and the sealing member 152 is not biased with a force for restricting the axial position of the toothed belt 53.

[0113] Furthermore, in the reversing conveying means 5T, the sealing member 152 may be an annular member made of an elastic material, and the sealing member may be wound around the circumferential groove 522b in a state of being stretched by a predetermined amount. In this case, for example, the sealing member 152 may be an O-ring.

[0114] With this configuration, the O-ring is expandable and expandable, and therefore can be removed at any time. This makes it easy to perform periodic replacement of the sealing member 152 to maintain sealing performance. In addition, for example, when changing the items to be transported, the cylindrical portion 522 of the rotating drum 52, including the circumferential groove 522b, can be easily cleaned with a solvent or the like with the sealing member 152 removed.

[0115] (Regarding tablet printing device 1) The tablet printing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 is a tablet printing apparatus that prints information on the front and back surfaces of tablets T being transported along a transport path, comprising: an upstream transport means 3 that suction-holds the tablet T with one of its front and back surfaces facing downwards facing the transport surface and transports it in a first direction D1; an upstream printing unit 4U that prints information on the other of its front and back surfaces facing upwards on the tablet T being transported by the upstream transport means 3; and a downstream side of the upstream transport means 3 in the transport direction The system includes a reverse conveying means 5T that holds a tablet T, which has been transported by the upstream conveying means 3, with its other side facing the conveying surface, and reverses the tablet T from a first direction D1 to a second direction D2 opposite to the first direction D1; a downstream conveying means 5 having a downstream linear conveying means 5L that then transports the reversed tablet T in the second direction D2; and a downstream printing unit 4D that prints information on one side of the tablet T being transported by the downstream linear conveying means 5L.

[0116] The reversing conveying means 5T is configured to draw air from the first intake ports 52a when the first intake ports 52a are within a first rotation angle range, and a circumferential groove 522b (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the first circumferential groove 522b) is formed on the circumferential surface, and a sealing member 152 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the first sealing member 152) is wound around the portion of the first circumferential groove 522b on the circumferential surface. sealing member 152 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the first sealing member 152) is wound around the portion of the first circumferential groove 522b on the circumferential surface. The system comprises a second toothed rotary conveying means 57 configured to draw air from a second air intake port 57a when the conveying means is within a second rotation angle range, a first toothed rotary conveying means 52, and a toothed belt 53 which is installed over the second toothed rotary conveying means 57 and has a plurality of openings 53a, wherein at least one end of the toothed belt 53 wound around the first toothed rotary conveying means 52 is in contact with the first seal member 152 in the axial direction, and the upstream conveying means 3 and the first toothed rotary conveying means 52 are arranged facing each other in the boundary region BR on the conveying path with their respective conveying surfaces separated by a predetermined distance (gap δ).

[0117] With this configuration, the gap δ between the toothed belt 53 and the teeth of the first toothed rotary conveying means 52 is visible from the side of the toothed belt 53. 52B , δ 52T This can suppress the airflow that passes through to the intake port, thereby suppressing a decrease in the suction force on the surface of the toothed belt 53.

[0118] This makes it possible to suppress misalignment and tilting of granular materials such as tablets T on the transport path, as well as the dropping of tablets T (granular materials) from the transport path, thereby suppressing printing defects caused by misalignment of tablets.

[0119] Furthermore, in the printing apparatus 1, the first toothed rotary conveying means 52 may start suction when the first intake port faces a predetermined direction in the boundary region BR as it rotates, and suction the other side of the tablet T being conveyed by the upstream conveying means 3 through the opening 53a of the toothed belt 53 installed on the circumferential surface, thereby transferring the tablet T from the upstream conveying means 3 to the toothed belt 53, and while rotating within the first rotation angle range, the tablet T is held and conveyed by suction on the toothed belt 53, and the toothed belt conveys the tablet T to the second toothed rotary conveying means 57 while holding it on the toothed belt 53, and the second toothed rotary conveying means 57 may convey the tablet T to the downstream linear conveying means 5L while rotating within the second rotation angle range, by suctioning the other side of the tablet T through the opening 53a of the toothed belt 53 installed on the circumferential surface.

[0120] With this configuration, for example, when transferring an inverted tablet T from the upstream transport means 3 to the downstream transport means 5, the phenomenon of the tablet T being pulled backward by negative pressure from the upstream side in the transport direction can be suppressed, thereby preventing misalignment or tilting of the tablet T on the transport path and preventing the tablet T from falling off the transport path. Alternatively, it can prevent the tablet T from tilting and getting stuck in the gap between the upstream transport means 3 and the downstream transport means 5.

[0121] Furthermore, in the printing apparatus 1, the second toothed rotary conveying means 57 may have a circumferential groove 572b (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the second circumferential groove 572b) formed on its circumferential surface, and a sealing member 157 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the second sealing member 157) may be wound around the portion of the second circumferential groove 572b on its circumferential surface, so that at least one of the axial ends of the toothed belt 53 wound around the second toothed rotary conveying means 57 is in contact with the second sealing member 157.

[0122] With this configuration, the gap δ between the toothed belt 53 and the teeth of the second toothed rotary conveying means 57 is visible from the side of the toothed belt 53. 57B , δ 57T This reduces the airflow that flows into the intake port 57a through this passage. As a result, it is possible to suppress misalignment and tilting of the tablets T on the transport path and the dropping of tablets T from the transport path, thereby suppressing printing defects caused by misalignment of the tablets T and problems caused by tilting of the tablets T, and providing a tablet printing device 1 that can suppress the dropping of tablets T from the transport path.

[0123] Furthermore, the sealing member 157 in the printing device 1 has the same outer diameter D as the sealing member 152 described above. 157O The root circle diameter D of the toothed belt 53 Even if the value is greater than this, it does not have a guiding function for the toothed belt 53 that restricts the axial position of the toothed belt 53. Therefore, the printing apparatus 1 is equipped with another guiding means (not shown) that restricts the axial position of the toothed belt 53, and the sealing member 157 is not biased by a force for restricting the axial position of the toothed belt 53.

[0124] Furthermore, in the printing apparatus 1, a linear section suction means 58 may be arranged parallel to the toothed belt 53 between the first toothed rotary conveying means 52 and the second toothed rotary conveying means 57, and in the transition section RA after the tablet T has moved from the first toothed rotary conveying means 52 to the linear section suction means 58, the negative pressure from the first toothed rotary conveying means 52 may be used to adsorb, hold, and convey the tablet T on the toothed belt 53.

[0125] With this configuration, the sealing member 152 wound around the rotating drum 52 reduces the gap δ between the rotating drum 52 and the negative pressure chamber 58b. 58 This prevents external air from flowing into the intake port 52a through the passage, and reduces the abrupt decrease in suction force from the opening 53a that occurs when the toothed belt 53 enters the section RA from the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 522. As a result, displacement or tilting of the tablets T on the straight section suction means 58 and dropping of the tablets T from the transport path can be suppressed.

[0126] ≪Variations≫ (1) In one embodiment, the tablet printing apparatus 1 is configured such that a single first toothed rotary conveying means 52 and a second toothed rotary conveying means 57 each have two toothed belts 53 suspended in the axial direction, and a row of tablets T are held and conveyed by suction on the back surface of each. With this configuration, the axial width of the toothed belt 53 can be reduced, and for example, the distance between the good product extraction unit 8 and the tablets T on the toothed belt 53 can be shortened. As a result, the good product extraction unit 8 can stably drop the tablets T onto the conveying path of the discharge conveying means 9 below by injecting an air blow from the side onto the tablets T on the conveying path.

[0127] Furthermore, in this configuration, by arranging multiple toothed belts 53 at a predetermined distance apart in the axial direction of the first toothed rotary conveying means 52 and the second toothed rotary conveying means 57, the upstream printing units 4U for multiple rows of tablets T can be arranged in overlapping order in the conveying direction (for example, in series in the axial direction). The same applies to the downstream printing unit 4D.

[0128] In contrast, in the configuration according to Modification 1 of the printing device 1, multiple rows of tablets T may be arranged in parallel on a single toothed belt 53 for parallel transport. In this case as well, by winding a sealing member 152 around the circumferential groove 522b on the circumferential surface of the first toothed rotary transport means 52, and adopting a configuration in which at least one axial end of the toothed belt 53 is in contact with the sealing member 152, it is possible to suppress the flow of air flowing from the side of the toothed belt 53 through the gap between the toothed belt 53 and the teeth of the first toothed rotary transport means 52 to the air intake port, similar to the printing device 1, and reduce the decrease in suction force from the opening 53a.

[0129] (2) In the printing apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the reversing conveying means 5T is a first toothed rotary conveying means 52 having a plurality of first air intake ports 52a opened on its circumferential surface and configured to draw air from the first air intake ports 52a, and a first circumferential groove 522b formed on its circumferential surface and a first sealing member 152 wound around the portion of the first circumferential groove 522b on its circumferential surface, and a plurality of second suction The configuration includes a second toothed rotary conveying means 57, which has an air port 57a on its circumferential surface and is configured to draw in air from a second air intake port 57a, and a second circumferential groove 572b formed on its circumferential surface, with a second sealing member 157 wound around the portion of the second circumferential groove 572b on its circumferential surface; and a toothed belt 53 which is installed over at least a first toothed rotary conveying means 52 and the second toothed rotary conveying means 57 and has a plurality of openings 53a.

[0130] However, in the printing apparatus according to Modification 2, the conveying means 5T does not include the second toothed rotary conveying means 57, and may be configured to include a first toothed rotary conveying means 52 having a plurality of first air intake ports 52a opened on its circumferential surface and configured to be able to draw air from the first air intake ports 52a, and a first circumferential groove 522b formed on its circumferential surface and a first sealing member 152 wound around the portion of the first circumferential groove 522b on its circumferential surface, and a toothed belt 53 having a plurality of openings 53a installed on at least the first toothed rotary conveying means 52.

[0131] With this configuration, the reversing conveying means is composed of a first toothed rotary conveying means 52 and a toothed belt 53, and the reversing conveying means can be realized with a simple mechanism.

[0132] (3) In the printing apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the downstream transport means 5 is located above the upstream transport means 3, and the tablet T transported by the upstream transport means 3 is held by suction with the upper surface of the tablet T facing the transport surface, the tablet T is inverted from the first direction D1 to the second direction D2 which is opposite to the first direction D1, and then transported in the second direction D2.

[0133] Therefore, the downstream conveying means 5 includes a reversing conveying means 5T that reverses the conveying direction of the tablets T from a first direction D1 to a second direction D2, and a downstream linear conveying means 5L located downstream of the reversing conveying means 5T in the conveying direction, which linearly conveys the tablets T, whose front and back sides have been reversed, in the second direction D2.

[0134] However, in the tablet printing apparatus according to Modification 3, the upstream conveying means is located above the downstream conveying means, and the tablets T conveyed in the first direction by the upstream conveying means are reversed from the first direction to a second direction opposite to the first direction, and then conveyed in the second direction by the downstream conveying means.

[0135] In this case, the upstream conveying means may include an upstream linear conveying means that linearly conveys the tablets T in a first direction, and a reversing conveying means located downstream of the upstream linear conveying means in the conveying direction, which reverses the conveying direction of the tablets T from the first direction to a second direction. The downstream conveying means may be located downstream of the upstream conveying means in the conveying direction, and may be configured to hold the tablets T that have been reversed by the reversing conveying means on the conveying surface and linearly convey them in the second direction.

[0136] Specifically, the tablet printing apparatus according to Modification 3 is, for example, a tablet printing apparatus that prints information on the front and back surfaces of tablets being transported along a transport path, comprising: an upstream linear transport means that holds the tablet by suction with one of its front and back surfaces facing downwards facing the transport surface and transports it in a first direction; and a second transport means arranged downstream of the upstream linear transport means in the transport direction, which holds the tablet transported by the upstream linear transport means by suction with one surface facing the transport surface and transports the tablet from the first direction to the second direction opposite to the first direction. The system includes an upstream conveying means having a reversing conveying means for reversing in a direction; an upstream printing unit for printing information on the other side of the tablet being conveyed by the upstream linear conveying means, which is facing upward; a downstream conveying means disposed downstream of the conveying direction of the upstream conveying means, which holds the tablet that has been reversed by the reversing conveying means by suction with the other side facing the conveying surface, and conveys it in a second direction; and a downstream printing unit for printing information on one side of the tablet being conveyed by the downstream conveying means.

[0137] Furthermore, the inverting conveying means includes a first toothed rotary conveying means having a plurality of first air intake ports on its circumferential surface, configured to draw air from the first air intake ports, and a first circumferential groove formed on its circumferential surface, with a first sealing member wound around the portion of the first circumferential groove on the circumferential surface; and a toothed belt having a plurality of openings, at least one end of the portion of the toothed belt wound around the first toothed rotary conveying means in the axial direction in contact with the first sealing member, and the downstream conveying means and the first toothed rotary conveying means may be configured to face each other in the boundary region of the conveying path with their respective conveying surfaces separated by a predetermined distance.

[0138] With this configuration, similar to the printing device 1, it is possible to suppress the decrease in suction force on the surface of the toothed belt, thereby suppressing displacement and tilting of granular materials such as tablets T on the transport path, and preventing the tablets T (granular materials) from falling off the transport path, and thus suppressing printing defects caused by the displacement of tablets.

[0139] ≪Additional Information≫ The embodiments described above all represent preferred specific examples of the present invention. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement and connection configurations of components, processes, and order of processes shown in the embodiments are examples only and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, components in the embodiments that are not described in the independent claims representing the highest-level concept of the present invention are described as any components that constitute a more preferred form.

[0140] Furthermore, the order in which the above methods are performed is illustrative for the purpose of specifically illustrating the present invention, and may be performed in a different order. Also, some of the above methods may be performed simultaneously (in parallel) with other methods.

[0141] Furthermore, for the sake of easier understanding of the invention, the scale of the components shown in the figures of each embodiment described above may differ from that of the actual components. Moreover, the present invention is not limited by the descriptions of each embodiment described above, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, at least some of the functions of each embodiment and its modified form may be combined. [Industrial applicability]

[0142] An article conveying device according to one aspect of this disclosure, and an article conveying device, can be suitably used as a tablet printing device in the manufacturing process of pharmaceuticals and the like, for printing identification information such as characters, figures, and images representing company names and product names on the front and back surfaces of tablets made from various drugs, foods, confectionery, etc. They can also be used as printing devices in other manufacturing lines, etc., for printing information on the front and back surfaces of articles such as products, parts, workpieces, packaging, and various containers. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0143] 1. Tablet printing machine 1a Base 2. Tablet supply unit 21 hoppers, 22 feeders 3. Upstream conveying means 31, 32 Pulley, 33 Toothed belt, 34 Detection means 4U Upstream Printing Unit 41U Target image acquisition unit, 42U Print head, 43U Inspection image acquisition unit 4D downstream printing section 41D Target image acquisition unit, 42D Print head, 43D Inspection image acquisition unit 5 Downstream conveying means 5L Downstream Linear Conveying Means 51 Pulley 54 Retaining pulley 5T Reversing and Conveying Mechanism 5T (Article Conveying Device) 52 Rotating drum (toothed rotary conveying means, first toothed rotary conveying means) 53 Toothed belt 55, 59 hollow shaft 57 Rotating drum (toothed rotary conveying means, second toothed rotary conveying means) 58 Straight line suction means 152, 157 Sealing members 6. Swivel Arm 61 Arm member, 62, 63 Bearing 16 Drive mechanism 64 Servo motor, 65 Gear reducer, 66 Flange 67 Stay 7. Attitude control mechanism 71, 72, 74 Pulleys, 73 Toothed belt, 75 Servo motor 8 Good product extraction section 9 Discharge and conveying means 91, 92 Pulleys, 93 Toothed belt 10 Control means 11 Control unit, 12 Drive unit T Tablets

Claims

1. An article conveying device that uses suction to hold and transport articles, A first toothed rotary conveying means having multiple intake ports on its circumferential surface, a circumferential groove formed on its circumferential surface, and a sealing member wound around the portion of the circumferential groove on its circumferential surface, A second toothed rotary conveying means having a different rotation axis from the first toothed rotary conveying means, The system comprises a first toothed rotary conveying means and a toothed belt having multiple openings, which is at least mounted on the second toothed rotary conveying means. The portion of the toothed belt that is wound around the first toothed rotary conveying means has at least one end in the axial direction in contact with the sealing member. The first toothed rotary conveying means conveys the article by adsorbing and holding it on the toothed belt. Material handling device.

2. With the sealing member wound around the first toothed rotary conveying means, The inner diameter of the sealing member is smaller than the root circle diameter of the first toothed rotary conveying means, and the outer diameter is larger than the root circle diameter of the toothed belt. The article conveying device according to claim 1.

3. The circumferential groove is deeper than the tooth root of the first toothed rotary conveying means. The article conveying device according to claim 2.

4. The sealing member is an annular member made of an elastic material, The sealing member is wound around the circumferential groove in an extended state. The article conveying device according to claim 1.

5. The sealing member is an O-ring. The article conveying device according to claim 4.

6. A tablet printing device that prints information on the front and back surfaces of tablets being transported along a transport path, An upstream conveying means that holds the tablet by suction with one of its front and back surfaces facing downwards facing the conveying surface, and conveys it in a first direction, An upstream printing unit prints information on the other side of the tablet, which is facing upward, of the front and back surfaces, as the tablet is being transported by the upstream transport means. A downstream conveying means having a reverse conveying means positioned downstream of the upstream conveying means in the conveying direction, which holds the tablet conveyed by the upstream conveying means by adsorption with the other side facing the conveying surface, and reverses the tablet from the first direction to a second direction opposite to the first direction, and a downstream linear conveying means that subsequently conveys the reversed tablet in the second direction, The system includes a downstream printing unit that prints information on one side of the tablet being transported by the downstream linear conveying means, The aforementioned reversing and conveying means is A first toothed rotary conveying means having multiple first air intake ports on its circumferential surface, configured to draw air in from the first air intake ports, and having a first circumferential groove formed on its circumferential surface, with a first sealing member wound around the portion of the first circumferential groove on the circumferential surface, The first toothed rotary conveying means is equipped with at least a toothed belt having multiple openings, The portion of the toothed belt that is wound around the first toothed rotary conveying means has at least one end in the axial direction in contact with the first sealing member. The upstream conveying means and the first toothed rotary conveying means are arranged facing each other in the boundary region of the conveying path, with their respective conveying surfaces separated by a predetermined distance. Tablet printing machine.

7. Furthermore, the system includes a second toothed rotary conveying means, which is positioned downstream of the first toothed rotary conveying means in the conveying direction, has a plurality of second air intake ports on its circumferential surface, is configured to draw air from the second air intake ports, and has a second circumferential groove formed on its circumferential surface, with a second sealing member wound around the portion of the second circumferential groove on the circumferential surface. The toothed belt is installed on at least the first toothed rotary conveying means and the second toothed rotary conveying means, The portion of the toothed belt wound around the second toothed rotary conveying means has at least one axial end in contact with the second sealing member. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 6.

8. The first toothed rotary conveying means is configured to draw air from the first intake port when the first intake port is within a first rotation angle range, The second toothed rotary conveying means is configured to draw air from the second intake port when the second intake port is within the second rotation angle range, The first toothed rotary conveying means starts suction when the first intake port faces a predetermined direction in the boundary region as it rotates, and suctions the other side of the tablet being conveyed by the upstream conveying means through the opening of the toothed belt installed on the circumferential surface, thereby transferring the tablet from the upstream conveying means to the toothed belt, and conveys the tablet by adsorption and holding it on the toothed belt while rotating within the first rotation angle range. The toothed belt transports the tablets to the second toothed rotary transport means while holding them in place by suction on the toothed belt. The second toothed rotary conveying means, by rotating, attracts the other surface of the tablet through the opening of the toothed belt mounted on the circumferential surface, thereby adsorbing and holding the tablet on the toothed belt while rotating within the second rotation angle range, and conveying it to the downstream linear conveying means. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 7.

9. A linear suction means is arranged parallel to the toothed belt between the first toothed rotary conveying means and the second toothed rotary conveying means, and in a predetermined section after the tablet has moved from the first toothed rotary conveying means to the linear suction means, the negative pressure from the first toothed rotary conveying means holds the tablet on the toothed belt by suction and conveyance. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 8.

10. A tablet printing device that prints information on the front and back surfaces of tablets being transported along a transport path, An upstream linear conveying means that holds the tablet by suction with one of its front and back surfaces facing downwards facing the conveying surface and conveys it in a first direction; and an inversion conveying means disposed downstream of the upstream linear conveying means in the conveying direction and holds the tablet conveyed by the upstream linear conveying means by suction with one of its surfaces facing the conveying surface and inverts the tablet from the first direction to a second direction opposite to the first direction, An upstream printing unit prints information on the other side of the tablet, which is facing upward, of the front and back surfaces, as the tablet is being transported by the upstream linear transport means. A downstream conveying means is positioned downstream of the upstream conveying means in the conveying direction, and holds the tablet that has been inverted by the inverting conveying means by adsorption with the other side facing the conveying surface, and conveys it in the second direction. The system includes a downstream printing unit that prints information on one side of the tablet being transported by the downstream transport means, The aforementioned reversing and conveying means is A first toothed rotary conveying means having multiple first air intake ports on its circumferential surface, configured to draw air in from the first air intake ports, and having a first circumferential groove formed on its circumferential surface, with a first sealing member wound around the portion of the first circumferential groove on the circumferential surface, The first toothed rotary conveying means is equipped with at least a toothed belt having multiple openings, The portion of the toothed belt that is wound around the first toothed rotary conveying means has at least one end in the axial direction in contact with the first sealing member. The downstream conveying means and the first toothed rotary conveying means are arranged facing each other in the boundary region of the conveying path, with their respective conveying surfaces separated by a predetermined distance. Tablet printing machine.

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