Blister packaging machine and method for manufacturing blister sheets

Abstract

To provide a blister packaging machine with which the co-relationship between rows at the time of printing and those at the time of filling can be more easily determined and cost can be effectively reduced.SOLUTION: A PTP packaging machine includes a row number converting device 57 between an upstream conveying device 52 and a filling device 58 that converts the number of rows of tablets 5 from m to n. The row number converting device 57 has: the total number n of receiving parts which are provided in correspondence to the rows of tablets 5 conveyed by the upstream conveying device 52 and can each receive only the tablets 5 in each specific row; the total number n of discharge devices 571, 572 which discharge, to the receiving part side, tablets 5 conveyed by the upstream conveying device 52; and the total number n of intermediate conveyance devices 577, 578 which convey, to the filling device 58, the tablets 5 received by the receiving parts. The tablets 5 conveyed by the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 are, among the multiple rows of tables 5 relating to the filling device 58. each fed to one particular row which is unique to each one serving for conveyance among the intermediate conveyance devices 577, 578.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a blister packaging machine for producing blister sheets containing printed contents, and a method for producing blister sheets. [Background technology]

[0002] A press-through pack (PTP) sheet is known as a blister sheet generally used in the fields of medicines, food, etc. A PTP sheet comprises a container film having a pocket portion in which contents such as tablets are stored, and a cover film attached to the container film so as to seal the opening side of the pocket portion.

[0003] Such PTP sheets are manufactured through processes such as forming a pocket in a strip-shaped container film being transported, filling the pocket with contents, attaching a cover film to the container film so as to seal the open side of the pocket, and punching out the strip-shaped PTP film consisting of the container film and cover film into PTP sheet units.

[0004] Conventionally, some contents are printed with various information consisting of letters, symbols, etc., such as product names and product numbers. Also known is a blister packaging machine that is equipped with a printing device such as an inkjet printer, has a function of printing on the contents being conveyed, and has a function of sequentially filling the printed contents into pockets of a container film.

[0005] Furthermore, in recent years, a blister packaging machine has been proposed that is equipped with a device (row number conversion device) that increases the number of rows of contents when filling the pocket portion with contents to be greater than the number of rows of contents when performing printing processing (see, for example, Patent Document 1, etc.).

[0006] In the blister packaging machine according to Patent Document 1, the contents (tablets) are conveyed in m rows (e.g., 3 rows) by a conveyor belt having suction holes capable of suction-holding the contents, and a printing process is performed on the contents during the conveyance. Then, a predetermined discharge means (blow nozzle) blows air into the suction holes, releasing the suction-holding of the printed contents, and the contents fall into a receiving section. There are n receiving sections (n>m, e.g., 5), and as a result, the m rows of contents are distributed to the n receiving sections. The contents that have fallen into each receiving section are then conveyed to a filling drum, and finally the filling drum fills the n rows of contents into pocket sections. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-116084 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In the blister packaging machine according to Patent Document 1, when distributing the contents to n receiving sections, the contents of each row may be discharged to all of the receiving sections. Therefore, it is very difficult to know which row the contents finally filled in the pockets originally constituted at the time of printing (transportation). Therefore, when an abnormality such as a printing defect occurs in the contents on the blister sheet, it is difficult to identify (trace back) the row at the time of printing (transportation) related to the abnormality from the position of the defective contents on the blister sheet, and it may be difficult to understand the cause of the abnormality (for example, a defect in the device that performs the printing process on the contents of a certain row).

[0009] Furthermore, in the blister packaging machine according to Patent Document 1, in order to distribute m rows of contents to n receiving parts, m×n (for example, 15 if m=3 and n=5) discharge means (blow nozzles) and a control system for individually controlling these discharge means are required. This may lead to an increase in the number of parts, an increase in the complexity and size of the packaging machine, and complication of control processing, which may require a large cost in terms of manufacturing and maintenance of the packaging machine. In particular, when the container film is configured such that pockets corresponding to two or more sheets are arranged along its width direction, and the number of rows of contents increases during filling, a large number of discharge means must be provided, which may be extremely disadvantageous in terms of cost.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a blister packaging machine and a method for manufacturing blister sheets that can more easily grasp the correspondence between the rows at the time of printing and the rows at the time of filling, and that can effectively reduce costs, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The following describes each of the means suitable for achieving the above object. Note that, as necessary, the specific effects of the corresponding means will be added.

[0012] Means 1. A blister packaging machine for producing a blister sheet in which contents are contained in each of a plurality of pockets formed in a container film and a cover film is attached to the container film so as to cover the pockets, When a first predetermined number is m and a second number greater than the first number is n, an upstream conveying means for conveying the contents in a state of being arranged in m rows; a printing means for printing on the contents transported by the upstream transport means; a filling means for filling the pockets formed in the belt-shaped container film with the contents printed by the printing means and arranged in n rows; a row number conversion means for converting the row number of the contents from m to n between the upstream conveying means and the filling means, The column number conversion means A total of n receiving sections, each of which is provided corresponding to a row of contents transported by the upstream transport means and capable of receiving only the contents of a specific row; a total of n discharge means provided for each of the receiving sections, each of which discharges the contents conveyed by the upstream conveying means toward the receiving section; a total of n intermediate conveying means, each of which is independent of the other and provided for each of the receiving sections, for conveying the contents received by the receiving sections to the filling means; A blister packaging machine characterized in that the contents transported by the intermediate conveying means are supplied to a specific row of the multiple rows of contents related to the filling means, which row is different for each intermediate conveying means responsible for transportation.

[0013] According to the above-mentioned means 1, the multiple receiving sections receive only the contents of a specific row among the contents to be printed while being conveyed by the upstream conveying means, and the received contents are conveyed to the filling means by intermediate conveying means provided for each receiving section and independent of each other. Then, the contents conveyed by the intermediate conveying means are supplied to a specific row, which differs for each intermediate conveying means responsible for conveying, among the multiple (n) rows of contents related to the filling means. Therefore, it is possible to more easily grasp the correspondence relationship between the row at the time of printing and the row at the time of filling with respect to the contents. Therefore, it is possible to more easily grasp which row the contents originally constituted at the time of printing (at the time of conveying) based on the position of the filled pocket part. For example, when an abnormality such as a printing defect occurs in the contents in a blister sheet, it is possible to identify (trace back) the row at the time of printing (at the time of conveying) related to the occurrence of the abnormality from the position of the defective contents on the blister sheet. Therefore, it is possible to more easily and accurately grasp the cause of the abnormality.

[0014] In addition, according to the above-mentioned means 1, since the multiple receiving sections only receive the contents of one specific row, it is sufficient to provide one discharge means for each receiving section, and it is not necessary to provide many discharge means. For example, when converting the number of rows of contents from m rows to n rows, m×n discharge means are required in the conventional technology, but n discharge means are sufficient in the above-mentioned means 1. Also, according to the above-mentioned means 1, the number of discharge means is small, so that the control system for controlling the discharge means is also small. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of parts, simplify and downsize the packaging machine, and simplify the control process, and it is possible to effectively suppress costs related to manufacturing, maintenance, etc.

[0015] Furthermore, the above-mentioned cost reduction is particularly effective when the container film has a configuration in which pockets corresponding to two or more sheets are arranged along its width direction, and the number of rows of contents during filling is large (for example, when n≧10).

[0016] Furthermore, according to the above-mentioned means 1, the following various operational effects can be obtained. First, the contents can be printed in a relatively small number of rows, while the contents can be filled in a relatively large number of rows. Since the contents can be printed in a relatively small number of rows, the scale of the printing means can be made small, and costs related to manufacturing and maintenance can be more effectively reduced. On the other hand, since the contents can be filled in a relatively large number of rows, the filling of the contents can be accelerated, and a good production speed can be ensured.

[0017] Furthermore, when the blister packaging machine is equipped with a cleaning device for the printing means, the size of the cleaning device can also be made small, which makes it possible to more effectively reduce costs related to manufacturing, etc. When the printing means is configured as an inkjet type device equipped with a print head having a plurality of nozzles capable of ejecting ink, the "cleaning device" can be, for example, a device equipped with a cleaning mechanism that performs pressurized purging to discharge dust and thickened or solidified ink that have become clogged inside the nozzles to the outside, or a wiping mechanism that wipes the print head after purging.

[0018] Furthermore, when the printing means is configured by the above-mentioned inkjet type device, and printing is performed at any position on the content by ejecting ink from a selected / controlled one of the multiple nozzles, the above-mentioned means 1 can increase the printing frequency by the printing means. Therefore, each nozzle is more likely to be selected as a target for ejecting ink, and even nozzles that are generally less likely to be selected as targets for ejecting ink (for example, nozzles in charge of the edge of the printable area by the printing means) can more easily secure opportunities to eject ink. This effectively suppresses nozzle clogging due to solidification or thickening of the ink, and more reliably prevents printing defects from occurring. In addition, by making it difficult for nozzle clogging to occur, the frequency of cleaning the printing means can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce the cost of producing blister sheets and improve the production speed.

[0019] Means 2. A rotary receiving means is provided with a total of m or less receiving sections, the receiving section having a plurality of suction sections arranged in a rotation direction and capable of suction-holding the contents, the suction sections being capable of rotating while suction-holding the contents to transport the contents to the intermediate transport means, and one receiving section being constituted by one row of the suction sections arranged in the rotation direction, At a predetermined receiving position, the contents are discharged from the upstream conveying means and are received by the suction unit; The blister packaging machine described in Means 1, characterized in that the rotating receiving means is configured so that at the receiving position, the suction portion moves in the same direction as the contents transported by the upstream conveying means, and a plurality of rotating receiving means are provided along the direction in which the contents are transported by the upstream conveying means.

[0020] In the above-mentioned conventional technology (JP 2021-116084 A), the receiving section is a slide-like structure extending in a direction intersecting the conveying direction by the upstream conveying means, and the discharged contents fall into the receiving section and then slide on the receiving section. Therefore, when viewed in a plan view, the receiving section protrudes from the upstream conveying means in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the contents by the upstream conveying means, which may lead to the complication and size increase of the packaging machine. In addition, the conveying direction of the contents by the upstream conveying means and the moving direction of the contents in the receiving section are different, and the contents fall into the receiving section, and further, the contents slide on the receiving section for a relatively long distance. Therefore, there is a risk that the contents may be damaged due to changes in course, falling, sliding, etc.

[0021] In this regard, according to the above-mentioned means 2, after the suction part (receiving part) receives the contents discharged from the upstream conveying means at a predetermined receiving position, the rotating receiving part rotates while suctioning and holding the contents, so that the contents can be conveyed to the intermediate conveying means side. Therefore, when the contents are delivered from the upstream conveying means to the suction part (receiving part), damage caused by dropping can be more reliably prevented from being caused to the contents. In addition, the sliding of the contents over a long distance when the contents are moved to the intermediate conveying means side can be suppressed, and damage caused to the contents can be further reduced. Furthermore, since the suction part is configured to move in the same direction as the contents conveyed by the upstream conveying means at the receiving position, the course of the contents does not change when the contents are delivered from the upstream conveying means to the suction part (receiving part), and damage caused to the contents due to the change in course can be prevented. As a result, damage to the contents and wear of the printed part can be more reliably prevented, and the occurrence of defective contents can be suppressed. Therefore, the cost of producing the blister sheet can be further reduced.

[0022] Furthermore, in plan view, the rotation direction of the rotary receiving means is parallel to the direction of conveyance of the contents by the upstream conveying means at the receiving position, and does not intersect with the conveying direction. Therefore, in plan view, it is possible to more reliably prevent the rotary receiving means from protruding from the upstream conveying means in a direction intersecting the direction of conveyance of the contents by the upstream conveying means. Furthermore, since the multiple rotary receiving means are provided along the direction of conveyance of the contents by the upstream conveying means, the rotary receiving means and the upstream conveying means can be more compactly arranged. As a result, it is possible to more effectively simplify and miniaturize the packaging machine.

[0023] Means 3. The blister packaging machine according to Means 2, characterized in that, at the receiving position, the suction section and the contents transported by the upstream transport means are configured to move at the same speed.

[0024] According to the above-mentioned means 3, the suction part and the contents move at the same speed at the receiving position. Therefore, the contents are less likely to be damaged when they are delivered from the upstream conveying means to the suction part (receiving part). This makes it possible to more effectively prevent the occurrence of defective contents, and further reduce the cost of producing blister sheets.

[0025] Means 4. A blister packaging machine according to Means 2 or 3, characterized in that each of the plurality of rotary receiving means has a total of m receiving portions.

[0026] According to the above-mentioned means 4, a packaging machine capable of increasing the number of rows of contents during filling to x times (x is a natural number of 2 or more) the number of rows of contents during printing can be realized with an extremely simple configuration.

[0027] Means 5. A blister packaging machine according to any one of means 1 to 4, characterized in that the intermediate conveying means is constituted by a flexible tubular part whose internal space constitutes a conveying path for the contents.

[0028] In addition, the term "flexible tubular part" refers to a tubular part that can be expanded, contracted, bent, etc. relatively easily. An example of a "flexible tubular part" is a tubular part formed by a coil spring (a so-called spring chute).

[0029] According to the above-mentioned means 5, the intermediate conveying means is made of a flexible tubular part, which makes it easy to set the conveying path of the contents from the receiving part to the filling means, thereby improving the convenience of the production of the blister sheet.

[0030] Means 6. The content has a surface on which printing is performed by the printing means, a back surface behind the surface, and a side surface sandwiched between the surface and the back surface; The tubular component is torsionally deformable; In the tubular part, the plurality of contents are transported in a state where the respective side surfaces are adjacent to each other and arranged in a row, The blister packaging machine according to Means 5, characterized in that the tubular part is twisted 180 degrees to invert the contents being conveyed.

[0031] According to the above-mentioned means 6, the tubular part is twisted 180 degrees (the outlet part of the tubular part is rotated 180 degrees with respect to the inlet part of the tubular part around the axis of the tubular part), thereby making it possible to invert the front and back of the contents conveyed by the tubular part. Therefore, the front and back orientation of the contents filled in the pocket part can be easily changed by simply adjusting whether or not to twist the tubular part 180 degrees. In addition, since there is no need to provide a special device for changing the orientation of the contents, it is possible to more reliably suppress increases in the cost of manufacturing the packaging machine and simplify and downsize the packaging machine while enabling the orientation of the contents to be changed.

[0032] Means 7: The filling means has a total of n connected portions to which the outlet portions of the tubular parts can be connected, each of the outlet portions of the plurality of tubular parts is configured to be detachable from each of the connected portions; The blister packaging machine according to means 5 or 6, characterized in that the row of contents related to the filling means, which is the destination of the contents transported by the tubular part, can be changed by changing the connected part to which the outlet part of the tubular part is connected.

[0033] According to the above-mentioned means 7, the outlet of each tubular part is detachable from all of the connected parts. By changing the connected part to which the outlet of the tubular part is connected, the row of contents related to the filling means to which the contents transported by the tubular part are supplied can be changed. Therefore, by simply changing the connection target of the outlet of the tubular part, the contents that constituted a certain row at the time of printing can be supplied to any row of contents in the filling means. This makes it extremely easy to change the pockets to be filled with the contents, which further increases the convenience of blister sheet production.

[0034] Means 8. A method for producing a blister sheet in which contents are contained in each of a plurality of pockets formed in a container film and a cover film is attached to the container film so as to cover the pockets, comprising the steps of: When a first predetermined number is m and a second number greater than the first number is n, An upstream conveying process for conveying the contents in an m-row arrangement; a printing step of printing on the contents transported by the upstream transport step; a filling step of filling the pockets formed in the belt-shaped container film with the contents printed in the printing step and arranged in n rows by a predetermined filling means; A column number conversion process is provided between the upstream conveying process and the filling process to convert the column number of the contents from m to n, The column number conversion step includes: a receiving step of receiving the contents transported by the upstream transport step using a total of n receiving sections, each of which is provided in one or more locations corresponding to the rows of contents transported by the upstream transport step and capable of receiving only the contents of a specific row; a discharge step of discharging the contents toward the receiving section by a total of n discharge means provided for each receiving section and capable of discharging the contents transported by the upstream transport step toward the receiving section; and an intermediate conveying step of conveying the contents from the receiving section side to the filling means by a total of n intermediate conveying means, each of which is independent of the other and provided for each receiving section, for conveying the contents received by the receiving section to the filling means, A method for producing a blister sheet, characterized in that the contents transported by the intermediate transport process are supplied to a specific row of the multiple rows of contents involved in the filling process, which row differs for each intermediate transport means responsible for the transport.

[0035] According to the above-mentioned means 8, the same effects as those of the above-mentioned means 1 are achieved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0036] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a PTP sheet. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the PTP sheet. [Diagram 3] This is a plan view of the PTP sheet as seen from the pocket side. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a PTP film. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a PTP packaging machine. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a printing and filling device. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a schematic configuration of the printing and filling device. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10]FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of an upstream conveying device, a distribution drum, etc. [Figure 11] 13 is a schematic diagram showing tablets and the like transported by an upstream transport device to explain the manner in which tablets are discharged toward each distribution drum. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of nozzle rows in a print head. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing a simplified intermediate conveying device that has been twisted by 180°. [Figure 16] FIG. [Figure 17] 13 is a graph roughly showing the tablet conveying speed, buffer amount, etc. [Figure 18] 13 is a schematic diagram showing tablets transported by an upstream transport device to explain the manner in which tablets are discharged toward each distribution drum when adjusting the number of tablets stored. FIG. [Figure 19] 13 is a schematic perspective view of a supply device and the like for explaining individual control of the shutters. FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a printing and filling device including a conveyor belt according to another embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing the general configuration of a printing and filling device in another embodiment, which has two conveying drums and is capable of performing printing processing on the front and back surfaces of tablets. [Figure 22] FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing the general configuration of a printing and filling device in another embodiment, which has two conveyor belts and is capable of performing printing processing on the front and back surfaces of tablets. [Figure 23] FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a printing and filling device having a slide-shaped receiving portion in another embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a receiving portion and the like in another embodiment. [Diagram 25]11 is a schematic diagram showing tablets and the like transported by an upstream transport device to explain the manner in which tablets are discharged toward each distribution drum in another embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0037] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of a PTP sheet as a "blister sheet" will be described.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the PTP sheet 1 has a container film 3 having a plurality of pocket portions 2, and a cover film 4 attached to the container film 3 so as to cover the pocket portions 2.

[0039] The container film 3 in this embodiment is made of a transparent thermoplastic resin material such as PP (polypropylene) or PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and has light-transmitting properties. On the other hand, the cover film 4 is made of an opaque material (such as aluminum foil) with a sealant made of polypropylene resin or the like provided on the surface. Of course, the materials of the films 3 and 4 are not limited to these, and other materials may be used.

[0040] The PTP sheet 1 has two rows of pockets in the short direction, each row consisting of seven pockets 2 arranged along the longitudinal direction of the sheet. In other words, a total of 14 pockets 2 are formed. Each pocket 2 contains one tablet 5 as the "contents".

[0041] The PTP sheet 1 is manufactured by punching out a strip-shaped PTP film 6 (see FIG. 4) formed from a strip-shaped container film 3 and a strip-shaped cover film 4 into a sheet, and is formed into a generally rectangular shape in a plan view. In this embodiment, the PTP film 6 is configured such that the number of pockets 2 corresponding to two sheets (i.e., 14) is arranged along its width direction.

[0042] In addition, the tablet 5 in this embodiment is a disk-shaped plain tablet having a circular shape in a plan view, and has a side surface 5a, and a surface 5b and a back surface 5c sandwiching the side surface 5a. As shown in FIG. 3, the surface 5b is disposed on the convex side of the pocket portion 2, and various information (characters, symbols, numbers, figures, etc.) related to the tablet 5 is printed on the surface 5b. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the PTP sheet 1 as viewed from the pocket portion 2 side. The printed portion 5e is visible from the outside through the transparent pocket portion 2. The surface 5b refers to the surface on which the printed portion 5e is provided, and the back surface 5c refers to the surface located behind the surface 5b. In this embodiment, the printed portion 5e is not formed on the back surface 5c.

[0043] Examples of various information related to the tablets 5 include "product name," "content," "dosage form," "manufacturer," "lot number," and "information related to when to take the tablets." In this embodiment, characters indicating the days of the week without the days of the week are printed on the surface 5b as "information related to when to take the tablets 5." Hereinafter, the part where the characters are printed is referred to as the "printed part 5e." In this embodiment, the tablets 5 are filled in the pockets 2 along the longitudinal direction of the PTP sheet 1 such that the days of the week indicated by the printed part 5e are arranged in order of the days of the week.

[0044] Next, there will be described a schematic configuration of a PTP packaging machine 10 for manufacturing the PTP sheet 1. In this embodiment, the PTP packaging machine 10 constitutes a "blister packaging machine."

[0045] As shown in Fig. 5, a strip-shaped original web of container film 3 is wound into a roll on the most upstream side of the PTP packaging machine 10. The pull-out end of the rolled container film 3 is guided by a guide roll 13. The container film 3 is hung on an intermittent feed roll 14 on the downstream side of the guide roll 13. The intermittent feed roll 14 is connected to a motor that rotates intermittently, and transports the container film 3 intermittently.

[0046] Between the guide roll 13 and the intermittent feed roll 14, a heating device 15 and a pocket forming device 16 are disposed in this order along the transport path of the container film 3. Then, after the container film 3 is heated by the heating device 15 and becomes relatively flexible, a plurality of pockets 2 are formed at predetermined positions in the container film 3 by the pocket forming device 16. The pockets 2 are formed during intervals between transport operations of the container film 3 by the intermittent feed roll 14.

[0047] The container film 3 fed from the intermittent feed roll 14 is wrapped around a tension roll 18, a guide roll 19, and a film receiving roll 20, in that order. The film receiving roll 20 is connected to a motor that rotates at a constant speed, so it transports the container film 3 continuously at a constant speed. The tension roll 18 pulls the container film 3 toward the tension side by its elastic force, preventing slack in the container film 3 due to differences in the transport operations of the intermittent feed roll 14 and the film receiving roll 20, and keeping the container film 3 in a constantly tensed state.

[0048] Between the guide roll 19 and the film receiving roll 20, a printing and filling device 21 and an inspection device 22 are disposed in this order along the transport path of the container film 3.

[0049] The printing and filling device 21 has a function of forming the printed portion 5e on the tablets 5 and a function of filling the tablets 5 into the pocket portions 2. The printing and filling device 21 will be described in detail later.

[0050] The inspection device 22 inspects, for example, whether the tablets 5 are securely filled in each pocket portion 2, whether there are any abnormalities in the tablets 5, whether there is any foreign matter mixed into the pocket portion 2, and the like.

[0051] On the other hand, the original web of cover film 4 formed in a belt shape is wound into a roll on the most upstream side. The drawn-out end of the rolled cover film 4 is guided toward heating roll 25 by guide roll 24.

[0052] The heating roll 25 can be pressed against the film receiving roll 20, and the container film 3 and the cover film 4 are fed between the rolls 20 and 25. The container film 3 and the cover film 4 pass between the rolls 20 and 25 in a heated and pressed state, whereby the cover film 4 is attached to the container film 3 and the pocket portion 2 is closed with the cover film 4. In this way, a strip-shaped PTP film 6 in which tablets 5 are accommodated in each pocket portion 2 is manufactured.

[0053] The PTP film 6 sent out from the film receiving roll 20 is hung in this order around the tension roll 27 and the intermittent feed roll 28. The intermittent feed roll 28 is connected to a motor that rotates intermittently, and therefore intermittently transports the PTP film 6. The tension roll 27 pulls the PTP film 6 toward the tensioned side by its elastic force, preventing slack in the PTP film 6 due to the difference in transport operation between the film receiving roll 20 and the intermittent feed roll 28, and keeping the PTP film 6 in a constant tensioned state.

[0054] The PTP film 6 sent out from the intermittent feed roll 28 is hung in this order around the tension roll 31 and the intermittent feed roll 32. The intermittent feed roll 32 is connected to a motor that rotates intermittently, and therefore intermittently transports the PTP film 6. The tension roll 31 pulls the PTP film 6 toward the tension side by its elastic force, and prevents the PTP film 6 from slackening between the intermittent feed rolls 28 and 32.

[0055] Between the intermittent feed roll 28 and the tension roll 31, a slit forming device 33 and an engraving device 34 are disposed in this order along the transport path of the PTP film 6. The slit forming device 33 has a function of forming a separation slit at a predetermined position on the PTP film 6. The engraving device 34 has a function of applying an engraving at a predetermined position (e.g., a tag portion) on the PTP film 6. Note that the separation slit and the engraving are not shown in FIG. 1 etc.

[0056] The PTP film 6 sent out from the intermittent feed roll 32 is hung in this order on the downstream side around a tension roll 35 and a continuous feed roll 36. A sheet punching device 37 is disposed between the intermittent feed roll 32 and the tension roll 35 along the transport path of the PTP film 6. The sheet punching device 37 has a function of punching out the outer edge of the PTP film 6 into individual PTP sheets.

[0057] The PTP sheet 1 punched by the sheet punching device 37 is transported by a conveyor 39 and stored in a finished product hopper 40. However, if a PTP sheet 1 is determined to be defective by the inspection device 22, the PTP sheet 1 determined to be defective is not sent to the finished product hopper 40 but is discharged separately by a defective sheet discharge mechanism (not shown).

[0058] A cutting device 41 is disposed downstream of the continuous feed roll 36. An unnecessary film portion 42 constituting a strip-shaped remaining material portion (scrap portion) remaining after punching by the sheet punching device 37 is guided to the tension roll 35 and the continuous feed roll 36, and then led to the cutting device 41. The cutting device 41 cuts the unnecessary film portion 42 to a predetermined size. The cut unnecessary film portion 42 (scrap) is stored in a scrap hopper 43 and then disposed of separately.

[0059] Next, the printing and filling device 21 will be described in detail. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the printing and filling device 21 includes a supply device 51, an upstream conveying device 52, a tablet inspection device 53, a first printing device 54a, a second printing device 54b, a printing inspection device 55, a defective product removal device 56, a row number conversion device 57, a filling device 58, and a control device 59. In this embodiment, the upstream conveying device 52 constitutes an "upstream conveying means", and similarly, the first printing device 54a and the second printing device 54b constitute a "printing means", the row number conversion device 57 constitutes a "row number conversion means", and the filling device 58 constitutes a "filling means".

[0060] The supply device 51 supplies tablets 5 from a storage section (e.g., a hopper or the like) (not shown) in which a large number of tablets 5 are stored, to the upstream conveying device 52. As shown in Fig. 8, the supply device 51 includes a supply chute 511 and a supply drum 512. The tablets 5 stored in the storage section do not have a printed section 5e formed thereon.

[0061] The supply chutes 511 transfer the tablets 5 supplied from the storage section one by one to the supply drum 512, and are provided in the same number as the number of rows of the tablets 5 transported by the supply drum 512. Each supply chute 511 is cylindrical and configured to be able to load the tablets 5 in a single row in the vertical direction. Each supply chute 511 is installed with its lower opening directly above the rotation axis of the supply drum 512 and in close proximity to the supply drum 512.

[0062] A shutter 511a capable of opening and closing the lower opening is provided near the lower opening of each supply chute 511. The operation of the shutter 511a is controlled by the control device 59. By opening and closing the opening by the operation of the shutter 511a, the tablets 5 drop one by one from the supply chute 511 and are supplied to the supply drum 512.

[0063] The supply drum 512 receives the tablets 5 supplied from the supply chute 511, and then, while suction-holding the tablets 5, conveys them to the upstream conveying device 52. The supply drum 512 has a cylindrical shape and is configured to be rotatable by a driving means (not shown).

[0064] A number of supply drum suction parts 512a (hereinafter simply referred to as "suction parts 512a") for suction-holding the tablets 5 are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the supply drum 512. Each suction part 512a is configured to be in a state in which a negative pressure is supplied by a predetermined suction mechanism (not shown) while moving from directly above the rotation axis of the supply drum 512 to a position slightly past directly below. As a result, each suction part 512a suction-holds the tablet 5 while moving from directly above the rotation axis of the supply drum 512 to a position slightly past directly below. On the other hand, each suction part 512a is configured to be in a state open to the atmosphere while moving from a position slightly past directly below the rotation axis of the supply drum 512 to near directly above. As a result, the tablet 5 suction-held by the suction part 512a is released from suction at a position slightly past directly below the rotation axis of the supply drum 512 and is delivered to the upstream conveying device 52.

[0065] The suction parts 512a are regularly arranged at predetermined intervals in the rotational direction and axial direction of the supply drum 512. In this embodiment, a large number of the suction parts 512a are provided at equal intervals along the rotational direction of the supply drum 512. A plurality of rows of the suction parts 512a aligned in this rotational direction are provided at equal intervals along the axial direction of the supply drum 512. The number of rows of the suction parts 512a is set to be the same as the number of rows of the tablets 5 transported by the upstream transport device 52.

[0066] The upstream transport device 52 transports the tablets 5 delivered from the supply device 51 to the row number conversion device 57 side while suction-holding the tablets 5. The upstream transport device 52 includes a transport drum 521 as shown in FIGS.

[0067] The transport drum 521 has a cylindrical shape and is configured to be rotatable by a driving means (not shown). The transport drum 521 also includes a transport drum suction portion 521a (hereinafter, simply referred to as "suction portion 521a") for suction-holding the tablet 5.

[0068] A large number of suction portions 521a are arranged at equal intervals along the rotation direction of the transport drum 521, i.e., along the transport direction of the tablets 5. When a predetermined first numerical value (however, a natural number) is m, m rows of suction portions 521a are formed that are arranged along the movement direction of the transport drum 521 (the transport direction of the tablets 5). In this embodiment, the first numerical value (i.e., m) is a natural number of 2 or more, and specifically, is set to "7".

[0069] A negative pressure is supplied to the internal space of the conveying drum 521 by a suction mechanism (not shown), and the internal space is in a substantially vacuum state. As a result, the suction part 521a is supplied with negative pressure, and the upstream conveying device 52 conveys the tablets 5 arranged in m rows as the conveying drum 521 rotates while suction-holding the tablets 5 by the suction part 521a. In this embodiment, the process of conveying the tablets 5 arranged in m rows by the upstream conveying device 52 corresponds to the "upstream conveying process". Note that in FIG. 6 and other figures, the internal space of the conveying drum 521 is shown in a state where it is open to the outside in order to show the defective product removing device 56 and the discharge devices 571 and 572 described later, but in reality, the internal space is in a sealed state.

[0070] In this embodiment, the upstream conveying device 52 is provided with an encoder (not shown), and a signal related to the amount of rotation (amount of movement) of the conveying drum 521 is transmitted from the encoder to the control device 59 at predetermined time intervals. This allows the control device 59 to grasp the position of the tablet 5 conveyed by the upstream conveying device 52.

[0071] As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the tablet inspection device 53 is provided along the transport path of the tablets 5 by the upstream transport device 52, and inspects the tablets 5 that are transported. The tablet inspection device 53 includes a camera for capturing images of the tablets 5 that are transported, and a tablet judgment device (both not shown) for judging the quality of the tablets 5 based on the captured images obtained by the camera. The captured images of the tablets 5 obtained by the camera and the judgment results by the tablet judgment device are transmitted to a control device 59.

[0072] The first printing device 54a and the second printing device 54b are arranged downstream of the tablet inspection device 53 along the transport direction of the tablet 5 by the upstream conveying device 52, and perform non-contact printing on the transported tablet 5 using a predetermined inkjet method (e.g., a piezoelectric method or a thermal method).

[0073] Each of the printing devices 54a, 54b includes m printing heads (not shown) arranged in the width direction of the transport drum 521 so as to correspond to the m suction portions 521a (tablets 5) arranged in the width direction. Each printing head is responsible for printing on a row of tablets 5 arranged in the rotation direction of the transport drum 521. Each printing head ejects ink toward each tablet 5 passing through the printing devices 54a, 54b, thereby printing on each tablet 5 and forming the printed portion 5e.

[0074] Furthermore, each print head is equipped with two nozzle rows La and Lb in which a plurality of nozzles capable of ejecting ink droplets are arranged at regular intervals (see FIG. 12).

[0075] The nozzle row La has x nozzles Na (Na1, Na2, Na3, Na4, Na5, . . . Nax) spaced at regular intervals in the head width direction, and the nozzle row Lb has x nozzles Nb (Nb1, Nb2, Nb3, Nb4, Nb5, . . . Nbx) spaced at regular intervals in the head width direction. In this embodiment, a predetermined edible ink is supplied to each nozzle Na, Nb from an ink tank (not shown).

[0076] Furthermore, each nozzle Nb in the nozzle row Lb is misaligned in the head width direction with respect to each nozzle Na in the nozzle row La, and is located between the nozzles Na. In other words, the nozzles Na, Nb in both nozzle rows La, Lb are generally arranged in a staggered pattern, and are aligned at regular intervals in the head width direction.

[0077] In addition, each print head is provided with a cleaning mechanism that performs pressurized purging to expel dust, thickened or solidified ink, etc. that has accumulated inside the nozzles Na, Nb to the outside, and a cleaning device (not shown) that includes a wiping mechanism that wipes the print head after purging.

[0078] In this embodiment, the second printing device 54b performs printing processing in place of the first printing device 54a when the printing processing by the first printing device 54a is stopped during cleaning, etc. In other words, the second printing device 54b functions as a backup for the first printing device 54a.

[0079] In addition, both the printing devices 54a and 54b may perform printing processes in parallel. In addition, if the printing unit 5e is configured with two colors, the first printing device 54a may be configured to handle one color and the second printing device 54b may be configured to handle the other color.

[0080] Furthermore, the printing positions of the printing devices 54a and 54b are controlled by the control device 59. As a result, even if the states (positions in this embodiment) of the tablets 5 being transported are different from one another, the printed portion 5e is formed at an appropriate position on each tablet 5.

[0081] Furthermore, the contents printed by each of the printing devices 54a, 54b are also controlled by the control device 59. In this embodiment, the contents printed by each of the printing devices 54a, 54b are controlled so that the days of the week indicated by each printing section 5e on the m tablets 5 arranged along the axial direction of the conveying drum 521 are arranged in order of the days of the week. In this embodiment, the process of printing by the printing devices 54a, 54b on the tablets 5 conveyed by the upstream conveying device 52 corresponds to the "printing process".

[0082] The print inspection device 55 inspects the print section 5e formed by the printers 54a and 54b. The print inspection device 55 includes a camera for capturing an image of the conveyed tablet 5, and a print judgment device (not shown) for judging the quality of the print section 5e based on the captured image obtained by the camera, and thus judging the quality of the tablet 5. The judgment result by the print judgment device is transmitted to the control device 59.

[0083] The defective product removing device 56 is a device for removing tablets 5 determined to be defective by the tablet inspection device 53 or the print inspection device 55 from the system (i.e., outside the conveying path of the upstream conveying device 52). The defective product removing device 56 is provided downstream of the print inspection device 55 along the conveying direction of the tablets 5 by the upstream conveying device 52. The defective product removing device 56 includes a blow nozzle 56a for defective products and a defective product storage section 56b.

[0084] The defective product blow nozzle 56a is a device for releasing the suction holding of the tablet 5 by blowing on the suction part 521a, and discharging the tablet 5 to the outside of the system. The defective product blow nozzles 56a are provided in the internal space of the conveying drum 521 in a number m. Each defective product blow nozzle 56a is aligned in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the tablet 5 by the conveying drum 521, and each is responsible for removing one row of tablets 5 aligned in the conveying direction by the conveying drum 521. This makes it possible to selectively remove only the defective tablets 5 to the outside of the system.

[0085] The defective product storage section 56b is a box for storing defective tablets 5. The defective product storage section 56b has an insertion port (not shown), and the insertion port is located near the outer circumferential surface of the conveying drum 521. The tablets 5 removed by the blowing action of the defective product blow nozzle 56a are stored in the defective product storage section 56b through the insertion port.

[0086] The row number conversion device 57 is for increasing the number of rows of the tablets 5 between the upstream conveying device 52 and the filling device 58 when the filling device 58 is filling the tablets 5 compared to the number of rows of the tablets 5 when the tablets 5 are transported by the upstream conveying device 52. In other words, when a second numerical value that is greater than the first numerical value is n (n is a natural number), the row number conversion device 57 has a function of converting the number of rows of the tablets 5 from m to n between the upstream conveying device 52 and the filling device 58. In this embodiment, the second numerical value (i.e., n) is a natural number equal to or greater than 3, and is specifically set to "14".

[0087] As shown in Figs. 6 to 10, the row number conversion device 57 includes a first discharge device 571, a second discharge device 572, a first distribution drum 573, a second distribution drum 574, a first drum cover 575, a second drum cover 576, a first intermediate conveying device 577, and a second intermediate conveying device 578. In this embodiment, some functions of the control device 59 (particularly functions related to the discharge of the tablets 5 by the discharge devices 571 and 572) also constitute a part of the row number conversion device 57. In this embodiment, the first discharge device 571 and the second discharge device 572 constitute a "discharge means", and similarly, the first distribution drum 573 and the second distribution drum 574 constitute a "rotary receiving means", and the first intermediate conveying device 577 and the second intermediate conveying device 578 constitute an "intermediate conveying means".

[0088] The first discharge device 571 is provided corresponding to a first receiving position P1 (see FIG. 10) which is downstream of the defective product removing device 56 along the conveying direction of the tablets 5 by the upstream conveying device 52 and slightly upstream of directly below the rotation axis of the conveying drum 521. On the other hand, the second discharge device 572 is provided corresponding to a second receiving position P2 (see FIG. 10) which is downstream of the first discharge device 571 along the conveying direction of the tablets 5 and slightly downstream of directly below the rotation axis of the conveying drum 521. Each of the discharge devices 571, 572 is constituted by a blow nozzle installed inside the conveying drum 521. In this embodiment, the receiving positions P1, P2 each correspond to a "receiving position".

[0089] Each of the discharge devices 571, 572 releases the suction holding of the tablet 5 at each of the receiving positions P1, P2 by blowing on the suction portion 521a, and discharges the tablet 5 toward the distribution drums 573, 574. Each of the discharge devices 571, 572 is arranged in a line of m units (seven units in this embodiment) along a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the tablet 5 by the upstream conveying device 52. Therefore, a total of n (=m×2) units of the discharge devices 571, 572 are provided.

[0090] Further, each of the first discharge devices 571 is provided for each of the m first receiving portions 573a described later, and each of the second discharge devices 572 is provided for each of the m second receiving portions 574a described later. In addition, all of the blow ports (gas (e.g., air) blow ports) in each of the discharge devices 571, 572 are arranged to overlap with the adsorption portion 521a at regular intervals.

[0091] The operation of each of the discharge devices 571, 572 is controlled by the control device 59. The first discharge device 571 is controlled to discharge every other row of tablets 5 (seven tablets 5 surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 11) aligned in the axial direction of the conveying drum 521. On the other hand, the second discharge device 572 is controlled to discharge the remaining tablets 5 (tablets 5 not surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 11). In this embodiment, the process of discharging the tablets 5 by the discharge devices 571, 572 from the upstream conveying device 52 to the receiving sections 573a, 574a described later corresponds to the "discharge process".

[0092] Each of the distribution drums 573 and 574 receives the tablets 5 discharged by the discharge devices 571 and 572 and transports the tablets 5 to the intermediate transport devices 577 and 578. Each of the distribution drums 573 and 574 has a cylindrical shape and is configured to be rotatable by a driving means (not shown). Each of the distribution drums 573 and 574 is provided along the transport direction of the tablets 5 by the upstream transport device 52.

[0093] The first distribution drum 573 is provided with a first receiving portion 573a for suction-holding the tablets 5 discharged by the first discharging device 571. In addition, the second distribution drum 574 is provided with a second receiving portion 574a for suction-holding the tablets 5 in the same manner as the first receiving portion 573a.

[0094] The first receiving section 573a is composed of a row of first distribution drum suction sections 573b (hereinafter, simply referred to as "suction sections 573b") arranged at equal intervals along the rotation direction of the first distribution drum 573, i.e., the conveying direction of the tablets 5. In Fig. 9, a virtual line passing through the center of the row of suction sections 573b constituting the first receiving section 573a is shown by a two-dot chain line. As shown by this virtual line, m first receiving sections 573a composed of the row of suction sections 573b are provided along the axial direction of the first distribution drum 573.

[0095] The second receiving section 574a is composed of a row of second distribution drum suction sections 574b (hereinafter, simply referred to as "suction sections 574b") arranged at equal intervals along the rotation direction of the second distribution drum 574, i.e., the conveying direction of the tablets 5. In FIG. 9, a virtual line passing through the center of the row of suction sections 574b constituting the second receiving section 574a is shown by a two-dot chain line. As shown by this virtual line, m pieces of the second receiving section 574a composed of the row of suction sections 574b are provided along the axial direction of the second distribution drum 574. In this embodiment, the first receiving section 573a and the second receiving section 574a each constitute a "receiving section", and the suction sections 573b and 574b each constitute an "suction section".

[0096] In this embodiment, the first receiving portion 573a and the second receiving portion 574a are provided one by one corresponding to the row of tablets 5 transported by the upstream transport device 52. In other words, two "receiving portions" are provided for each row of tablets 5 transported by the upstream transport device 52. Therefore, in this embodiment, a total of n (=m×2) receiving portions 574a, 574b are provided.

[0097] In addition, a negative pressure is supplied to the internal space of the first distribution drum 573 by a suction mechanism (not shown), and the negative pressure is supplied to the first receiving position P1 and the suction portion 573b arranged in the vicinity thereof. As a result, the first distribution drum 573 can receive the tablets 5 discharged from the upstream conveying device 52 at the first receiving position P1 by the first receiving portion 573a (suction portion 573b). Each of the first receiving portions 573a can receive only one specific row of tablets 5 out of the m rows of tablets 5 conveyed by the upstream conveying device 52. After receiving the tablets 5, the first distribution drum 573 conveys the tablets 5 to the first intermediate conveying device 577 side as it rotates, while suction-holding the tablets 5 by the suction portion 573b.

[0098] Furthermore, a negative pressure is also supplied to the internal space of the second distribution drum 574 by a suction mechanism (not shown), and the negative pressure is supplied to the second receiving position P2 and the suction portion 574b arranged in the vicinity thereof. As a result, the second distribution drum 574 can receive the tablets 5 discharged from the upstream conveying device 52 at the second receiving position P2 by the second receiving portion 574a (suction portion 574b). Note that, like the first receiving portion 573a, each second receiving portion 574a can receive only one specific row of tablets 5 out of the m rows of tablets 5 conveyed by the upstream conveying device 52. After receiving the tablets 5, the second distribution drum 574 conveys the tablets 5 to the second intermediate conveying device 578 side as it rotates, while adsorbing and holding the tablets 5 by the suction portion 574b. In this embodiment, the process of receiving the tablets 5 conveyed by the upstream conveying device 52 by the receiving portions 573a and 574a corresponds to the "receiving process".

[0099] In addition, the first distribution drum 573 is configured so that, at the first receiving position P1, the moving direction of the suction part 573b is the same as the moving direction of the tablet 5 transported by the upstream transport device 52. Furthermore, at the first receiving position P1, the moving speed of the suction part 573b and the moving speed of the tablet 5 transported by the upstream transport device 52 are configured so that.

[0100] Similarly, the second distribution drum 574 is configured such that, at the second receiving position P2, the suction portion 574b moves in the same direction as the tablet 5 transported by the upstream transport device 52, and the moving speeds of the suction portion 574b and the tablet 5 are the same.

[0101] The first drum cover 575 covers the outer peripheral surface of the first distribution drum 573 from immediately downstream of the first receiving position P1 to slightly downstream of the side of the rotation axis of the first distribution drum 573. The first drum cover 575 forms a first conveying path 575a between itself and the outer peripheral surface of the first distribution drum 573, and prevents the tablets 5 from flying out from the first distribution drum 573 side due to centrifugal force. A plurality of first conveying paths 575a are provided for each first receiving section 573a, and each is independent. That is, a total of m first conveying paths 575a are provided. The tablets 5 received by each first receiving section 573a are conveyed through different first conveying paths 575a for each first receiving section 573a.

[0102] Further, a first connecting path 575b is formed in the first drum cover 575, which is connected to the most downstream side of the first conveying path 575a and through which the tablets 5 conveyed through the first conveying path 575a pass. The first connecting path 575b is provided for each first conveying path 575a, and an inlet portion 577a (described later) of the first intermediate conveying device 577 is inserted into the most downstream portion of each first connecting path 575b.

[0103] The second drum cover 576 covers the outer peripheral surface of the second distribution drum 574 from immediately downstream of the second receiving position P2 to slightly downstream of the side of the rotation axis of the second distribution drum 574. The second drum cover 576 forms a second conveying path 576a between itself and the outer peripheral surface of the second distribution drum 574, and prevents the tablets 5 from flying out from the second distribution drum 574 side due to centrifugal force. The second conveying path 576a is provided for each second receiving portion 574a and is independent of each other. That is, a total of m second conveying paths 576a are provided. The tablets 5 received by each second receiving portion 574a are conveyed through different second conveying paths 576a that are different for each second receiving portion 574a.

[0104] Further, the second drum cover 576 is formed with a second connecting path 576b that communicates with the most downstream of the second conveying path 576a and through which the tablet 5 conveyed through the second conveying path 576a passes. The second connecting path 576b is provided for each second conveying path 576a, and an inlet portion 578a of the second intermediate conveying device 578 is inserted into the most downstream portion of each second connecting path 576b. In each connecting path 575b, 576a, the tablet 5 is in an upright position (a position in which the central axis of the tablet 5 is horizontal), and the tablet 5 that has passed through each connecting path 575b, 576a is guided to the intermediate conveying device 577, 578 while maintaining this position.

[0105] The first intermediate conveying device 577 conveys the tablet 5 received by the first receiving unit 573a toward the filling device 58. The second intermediate conveying device 578 conveys the tablet 5 received by the second receiving unit 574a toward the filling device 58. In this embodiment, the process of conveying the tablet 5 from the receiving units 573a, 574a to the filling device 58 by the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 corresponds to the "intermediate conveying process".

[0106] Each of the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 is configured by a flexible tubular part whose internal space forms a conveying space for the tablets 5. In this embodiment, this tubular part is a spring chute that is made by winding a specific wire in a spiral shape and can be expanded, contracted, and bent relatively easily (see FIG. 13).

[0107] Each of the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 is independent and provided for each of the receiving portions 573a, 574a. Therefore, a total of n (=m×2) intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 are provided. Each of the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 has an inlet portion 577a, 578a formed by one end of the intermediate conveying device 577, 578. The inlet portions 577a, 578a are inserted into the connecting passages 575b, 576b, so that the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 are connected to the drum covers 575, 576.

[0108] Meanwhile, each of the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 has an outlet portion 577b, 578b (see FIG. 16) configured by the other end portion of the intermediate conveying device 577, 578. Each of the outlet portions 577b, 578b is detachable from all of the connected portions 581a of the filling device 58, which will be described later.

[0109] In the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578, the tablets 5 are conveyed in a line with their side surfaces 5a adjacent to each other (see FIG. 13). Furthermore, each of the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 has an elliptical cylindrical shape, and the relative rotation of the tablets 5 with respect to the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 is restricted (see FIG. 14).

[0110] In addition, the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 are configured to be twistable. In this embodiment, the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 can be twisted by 180°, that is, the outlets 577b, 578b can be rotated by 180° with respect to the inlets 577a, 578a around the axis of the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 (spring chute) (see FIG. 15). In FIG. 15, the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 are shown in a simplified form, and a virtual line VL is added to make the state of twisting easier to understand. Compared to a state in which the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 are not twisted, the tablet 5 can be turned over between the inlets 577a, 578a and the outlets 577b, 578b by twisting the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 by 180°.

[0111] In this embodiment, each of the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 is in a state of being twisted by 180°. By twisting the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 by 180°, the printed portion 5e of the tablet 5 filled in the pocket portion 2 is arranged on the convex portion (top) side of the pocket portion 2.

[0112] When the printing unit 5e is disposed on the opening side of the pocket portion 2, it is only necessary to not twist the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578. Also, by twisting only a part of the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 by 180 degrees, the front surface 5e can be disposed on the convex side of some of the pocket portions 2 in the PTP sheet 1, while the back surface 5c can be disposed on the convex side of the remaining pocket portions 2.

[0113] According to the row number conversion device 57 configured as above, the tablets 5 transported by the upstream transport device 52 in a state of being arranged in m rows are arranged in n rows in the intermediate transport devices 577, 578. That is, the number of rows of the tablets 5 is converted from m to n. In this embodiment, the process of converting the number of rows of the tablets 5 from m to n by the row number conversion device 57 corresponds to the "row number conversion process".

[0114] The filling device 58 fills the tablets 5, which are conveyed in n rows, into the pockets 2 formed in the strip-shaped container film 3. As shown in Fig. 16, the filling device 58 includes a filling chute 581 and a filling drum 582. Note that the printing unit 5e is not shown in Figs. 6, 16, etc.

[0115] The filling chute 581 transfers the tablets 5 supplied via the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 one by one to the filling drum 582, and is provided in the same number (n in this embodiment) as the number of pockets 2 along the width direction of the container film 3. Each filling chute 581 basically has the same function as the supply chute 511, and drops the tablets 5 one by one to supply them to the filling drum 582 by operating a predetermined shutter (not shown).

[0116] Further, at the upper part of each filling chute 581, a cylindrical connected part 581a to which the outlet parts 577b, 578b of the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 (spring chute) can be connected is provided. A total of n connected parts 581a are provided, and the outlet parts 577b, 578b of the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 can be attached and detached to the connected parts 581a by inserting and removing the outlet parts 577b, 578b of the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 inside the connected parts 581a. As described above, each outlet part 577b, 578b is attachable and detachable to all connected parts 581a. Therefore, by changing the connected parts 581a to which the outlet parts 577b, 578b are connected, the row of tablets 5 related to the filling device 58, which is the supply destination of the tablets 5 conveyed by the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578, can be changed.

[0117] The filling drum 582 adsorbs and holds the tablets 5 supplied from the filling chute 581, and fills the tablets 5 into the pockets 2 of the transported container film 3. The filling drum 582 has a cylindrical shape and is configured to be rotatable by a driving means (not shown).

[0118] Further, a number of filling drum suction parts 582a (hereinafter simply referred to as "suction parts 582a") for suction-holding the tablets 5 are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the filling drum 582. Each suction part 582a basically has the same function as the supply drum 512, and suction-holds the tablets 5 while moving from just below the filling chute 581 to near just below the rotation axis of the filling drum 582, and releases the suction of the tablets 5 just below the rotation axis of the filling drum 582 and feeds the tablets 5 into the pocket parts 2.

[0119] The suction parts 582a are regularly arranged at predetermined intervals in the rotational direction and axial direction of the filling drum 582. In this embodiment, the suction parts 582a are provided in large numbers at equal intervals along the rotational direction of the filling drum 582. The rows of the suction parts 582a arranged in this rotational direction are provided at equal intervals in n rows along the axial direction of the filling drum 582 so that the rows correspond to the number of rows of the pocket parts 2 along the width direction of the container film 3. As a result, the filling device 58 sequentially fills the tablets 5 arranged in n rows by suction and held by the suction parts 582a into the pocket parts 2 arranged in n rows in the width direction of the container film 3. In this embodiment, the process of filling the tablets 5 arranged in n rows into the pocket parts 2 by the filling device 58 corresponds to the "filling process".

[0120] Furthermore, the tablets 5 transported by the intermediate transport devices 577, 578 are supplied to one specific row, which differs for each intermediate transport device 577, 578 responsible for the transport, among the rows of multiple tablets 5 related to the filling device 58. Therefore, the tablets 5 delivered from the upstream transport device 52 to one receiving unit 573a, 574a are supplied to one specific row, which corresponds to this one receiving unit 573a, 574a, among the rows of multiple tablets 5 related to the filling device 58.

[0121] In addition, in this embodiment, the rotation speed of the filling drum 582 and the conveying speed of the container film 3 are set so that the packaging capacity of the tablets 5 and thus the productivity of the PTP sheet 1 are sufficiently high. The "packaging capacity of the tablets 5" corresponds to the number of tablets 5 filled into the pocket portion 2 per unit time by the filling device 58. The packaging capacity of the tablets 5 is basically maintained constant.

[0122] The control device 59 includes a CPU as a calculation means, a ROM for storing various programs, a RAM for temporarily storing various data, a storage medium for long-term storage of information (e.g., a hard disk, etc.), etc. The control device 59 executes control processing for each device of the printing and filling device 21 by the CPU executing a predetermined program.

[0123] The control device 59 also stores print data related to the printing portion 5e in advance. When forming the printing portion 5e on the tablet 5, the control device 59 operates as follows. That is, the control device 59 grasps the state (position in this embodiment) of the tablet 5 based on the captured image obtained by the camera of the tablet inspection device 53. Then, the control device 59 selects appropriate nozzles Na, Nb as targets for ink ejection based on the grasped state of the tablet 5, and controls the printing device 54a (or the printing device 54b) to eject ink from the selected nozzles Na, Nb. At this time, the control device 59 also controls the printing timing (ink ejection timing) by the printing device 54a (or the printing device 54b) based on the signal from the encoder of the upstream conveying device 52. As a result, the printing portion 5e is formed at an appropriate position according to the state of the tablet 5.

[0124] The control device 59 can identify defective tablets 5 based on the judgment results by the tablet inspection device 53 and the print inspection device 55. The control device 59 calculates the timing at which the defective tablet 5 reaches the defective removal device 56 based on the signal from the encoder of the upstream conveying device 52, and controls the defective blow nozzle 56a to blow to release the adsorption of the tablet 5 at the calculated timing. As a result, the defective tablet 5 is discharged outside the system and fed into the defective storage section 56b.

[0125] Furthermore, while continuing printing by the printing device 54a (or the printing device 54b), the control device 59 adjusts the number of tablets 5 printed per unit time by the printing device 54a (or the printing device 54b) (i.e., the "printing capacity") based on the number of tablets 5 stored between the downstream of the receiving units 573a, 574a and the upstream of the filling device 58 (in this embodiment, each of the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 and each of the filling chutes 581). Note that since there are a total of n portions for storing tablets 5 between the downstream of the receiving units 573a, 574a and the upstream of the filling device 58, there will be a maximum of n types of stored tablets 5.

[0126] In this embodiment, in order to adjust the printing capacity, the control device 59 controls the operation of the upstream conveying device 52 to change the conveying speed of the tablets 5 by the upstream conveying device 52. The printing capacity is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of tablets 5 per unit time that reach the printing devices 54a and 54b in accordance with the change in the conveying speed.

[0127] To describe the adjustment of the "printing capacity" in more detail, the control device 59 controls the upstream conveying device 52 so that, when the minimum value of the number of tablets 5 stored (buffer amount) reaches a preset lower limit, the conveying speed of the tablets 5 becomes a predetermined first speed V1, while when the maximum value of the number of tablets stored reaches a preset upper limit, the conveying speed of the tablets 5 becomes a second speed V2 lower than the first speed V1. In FIG. 17, the conveying speed of the tablets 5 is roughly indicated by a solid line, and the number of tablets 5 stored is roughly indicated by a dotted line. In addition, while the packaging capacity of the tablets 5 is maintained constant in this embodiment, in FIG. 17, the packaging capacity is roughly indicated by a dashed line. The number of tablets 5 stored can be grasped based on the number of tablets 5 supplied from the supply device 51 to each row of the suction section 521a, the number of defective tablets 5 discharged from each row of the suction section 521a, and the like. Of course, the above (FIG. 17, etc.) is merely an example, and for example, the conveying speed of the tablets 5 may be gradually changed.

[0128] In addition, the control device 59 calculates the timing at which the tablets 5 arranged in a line in the axial direction of the conveying drum 521 reach the first discharge device 571 based on the signal from the encoder of the upstream conveying device 52. The control device 59 basically alternately controls the first discharge device 571 to perform a blow to release the suction of the tablets 5 at this calculated timing, and controls the second discharge device 572 to perform a similar blow. As a result, the tablets 5 arranged in a line in the axial direction of the conveying drum 521 are discharged toward the first distribution drum 573 (first receiving section 573a) every other line, and the remaining tablets 5 are discharged toward the second distribution drum 574 (second receiving section 574a).

[0129] Furthermore, the control device 59 can control the discharge devices 571, 572 and the shutter 511a so that there is no extreme variation in the number of tablets 5 stored (in each intermediate conveying device 577, 578, etc.) between the downstream of the receiving sections 573a, 574a and the upstream of the filling device 58.

[0130] More specifically, when the number of tablets 5 stored in the first intermediate conveying device 577 etc. and the second intermediate conveying device 578 etc., which store tablets 5 each having the same printed portion 5e, differ by a predetermined number or more, the control device 59 controls the discharge devices 571, 572 so that more tablets 5 are fed into the device with the fewer stored numbers. For example, as shown in Fig. 18, the control device 59 controls the discharge devices 571, 572 so that the tablets 5 (tablets 5 surrounded by a square two-dot chain line in Fig. 18) that are normally discharged toward the second distribution drum 574 are discharged toward the first distribution drum 573.

[0131] In addition, when the number of tablets 5 stored in the two intermediate conveying devices 577, 578, etc., which store tablets 5 having the same printed portion 5e formed thereon, is less than the number of tablets 5 stored in the other intermediate conveying devices 577, 578, etc. by a predetermined number or more, the control device 59 individually controls each shutter 511a so as to reduce the number of tablets 5 supplied to the rows of the suction section 521a corresponding to the other intermediate conveying devices 577, 578, etc. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the control device 59 controls each shutter 511a so that, at the timing when the tablets 5 are supplied from the supply chute 511 to the supply drum 512, the openings of the supply chute 511 corresponding to the two intermediate conveying devices 577, 578, etc. are opened, while the openings of the supply chute 511 corresponding to the other intermediate conveying devices 577, 578, etc. are closed.

[0132] As described above in detail, according to this embodiment, the plurality of receiving sections 573a, 574a receive only one specific row of tablets 5 among the tablets 5 to be printed while being conveyed by the upstream conveying device 52, and the received tablets 5 are conveyed to the filling device 58 by the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 provided for each receiving section 573a, 574a and independent of each other. Then, the tablets 5 conveyed by the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 are supplied to one specific row, which differs for each intermediate conveying device 577, 578 that conveys, among the rows of the plurality (n) tablets 5 related to the filling device 58. Therefore, it is possible to more easily grasp the correspondence between the row at the time of printing and the row at the time of filling with respect to the tablets 5. Therefore, it is possible to more easily grasp which row the tablets 5 originally constituted at the time of printing (at the time of conveyance) based on the position of the filled pocket portion 2. For example, when an abnormality such as a printing defect occurs in a tablet 5 on the PTP sheet 1, it is possible to identify (trace back) the row at the time of printing (transportation) related to the occurrence of the abnormality from the position of the defective tablet 5 on the PTP sheet 1. Therefore, the cause of the abnormality can be grasped more easily and accurately. This advantageous effect is more effectively exhibited when m is a relatively large number (for example, 5 or more).

[0133] In addition, it is sufficient to provide one discharge device 571, 572 for each of the receiving sections 573a, 574a, and there is no need to provide a large number of them. Also, since the number of discharge devices 571, 572 is small, the number of control systems for controlling the discharge devices 571, 572 from the control device 59 is also small. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of parts, simplify and downsize the packaging machine, and simplify the control process, and it is possible to effectively suppress costs related to manufacturing, maintenance, etc.

[0134] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the tablets 5 can be filled in a relatively large number of rows while printing the tablets 5 in a relatively small number of rows. Since the tablets 5 can be printed in a relatively small number of rows, the scale of the printing devices 54a and 54b can be made small, and costs related to manufacturing and maintenance can be more effectively reduced. On the other hand, since the tablets 5 can be filled in a relatively large number of rows, the filling of the tablets 5 can be accelerated, and a good production speed can be ensured.

[0135] Furthermore, the size of the cleaning device in the printing devices 54a and 54b can be reduced, which makes it possible to more effectively reduce costs associated with manufacturing and the like.

[0136] Furthermore, as a result, the printing frequency by the printing devices 54a and 54b can be increased, so that each nozzle Na, Nb is more likely to be selected as a target for ink ejection. Therefore, even nozzles Na, Nb that are generally not easily selected as targets for ink ejection (for example, nozzles in charge of the edge of the printable area by the printing devices 54a and 54b) are more likely to have the opportunity to eject ink. This effectively suppresses clogging of the nozzles Na, Nb due to solidification or thickening of the ink, and more reliably prevents printing defects from occurring. In addition, by making it difficult for the nozzles to be clogged, the frequency of cleaning the printing devices 54a and 54b can be reduced. As a result, the cost of producing the PTP sheet 1 can be reduced and the production speed can be further improved.

[0137] In addition, in this embodiment, after the tablet 5 discharged from the upstream conveying device 52 is received by the suction parts 573b, 574b (receiving parts 573a, 574a) at the receiving positions P1, P2, the distribution drums 573, 574 rotate while suction-holding the tablet 5, thereby enabling the tablet 5 to be conveyed to the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578. Therefore, when the tablet 5 is delivered from the upstream conveying device 52 to the suction parts 573b, 574b (receiving parts 573a, 574a), damage caused by dropping can be more reliably prevented from being caused to the tablet 5. In addition, the tablet 5 can be prevented from sliding over a long distance when moving the tablet 5 to the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578, thereby further reducing damage caused to the tablet 5. Furthermore, at the receiving positions P1, P2, the suction parts 573b, 574b move in the same direction as the tablet 5 transported by the upstream transport device 52, so that the tablet 5 does not have to change course when it is delivered from the upstream transport device 52 to the suction parts 573b, 574b, and damage to the tablet 5 due to a change in course can be prevented. As a result, breakage of the tablet 5 and wear of the printed part 5e can be more reliably prevented, and the occurrence of defective tablets 5 can be suppressed. Therefore, the cost of producing the PTP sheet 1 can be further reduced.

[0138] Furthermore, in plan view, the rotation direction of the distribution drums 573, 574 is parallel to the conveying direction of the tablets 5 by the upstream conveying device 52 at the receiving positions P1, P2, and does not intersect with the conveying direction. Therefore, in plan view, it is possible to more reliably prevent the distribution drums 573, 574 from protruding from the upstream conveying device 52 in a direction intersecting with the conveying direction of the tablets 5 by the upstream conveying device 52. In addition, since the multiple distribution drums 573, 574 are provided along the conveying direction of the tablets 5 by the upstream conveying device 52, the distribution drums 573, 574 and the upstream conveying device 52 can be more compactly arranged. As a result, it is possible to more effectively simplify and miniaturize the PTP packaging machine 10.

[0139] Furthermore, at the receiving positions P1, P2, the suction parts 573b, 574b and the tablets 5 move at the same speed. Therefore, when the tablets 5 are delivered from the upstream conveying device 52 to the suction parts 573b, 574b (the receiving parts 573a, 574a), the tablets 5 are less likely to be damaged. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent the generation of defective tablets 5, and further reduce the cost of producing the PTP sheet 1.

[0140] In addition, since the distribution drums 573, 574 each have m receiving portions 573a, 574a, a PTP packaging machine 10 can be realized with a very simple configuration, capable of increasing the number of rows of tablets 5 during filling to twice the number of rows of tablets 5 during printing.

[0141] In addition, since the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 are composed of flexible tubular parts (spring chutes), it becomes easy to set the conveying path for the tablets 5 from the receiving sections 573a, 574a to the filling device 58, thereby improving convenience in the production of the PTP sheet 1.

[0142] Furthermore, by twisting the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 by 180°, the front and back of the tablets 5 conveyed by the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 can be inverted. Therefore, the front and back orientation of the tablets 5 filled in the pocket portion 2 can be easily changed by simply adjusting whether or not to twist the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 by 180°. In addition, since there is no need to provide a special device for changing the orientation of the tablets 5, it is possible to more reliably suppress an increase in costs related to the manufacture of the PTP packaging machine 1 and simplify and miniaturize the PTP packaging machine 1 while enabling the orientation of the tablets 5 to be changed.

[0143] In addition, the outlets 577b, 578b of the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 are detachable from all the connected parts 581a. By changing the connected parts 581a to which the outlets 577b, 578b are connected, the row of tablets 5 in the filling device 58 to which the tablets 5 conveyed by the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 are supplied can be changed. Therefore, by simply changing the connection target of the outlets 577b, 578b, the tablets 5 that constituted a certain row at the time of printing can be supplied to an arbitrary row of tablets 5 in the filling device 58. This makes it extremely easy to change the pockets 2 to be filled with the tablets 5, and further improves the convenience of manufacturing the PTP sheet 1.

[0144] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be implemented as follows: Of course, other applications and modifications not exemplified below are also possible.

[0145] (a) In the above embodiment, the upstream conveying device 52 is configured to convey the tablet 5 by a conveying drum 521. In contrast to this, as shown in Fig. 20, the upstream conveying device 52 may convey the tablet 5 by a conveying belt 522.

[0146] The conveyor belt 522 is stretched over a pair of pulleys 523a, 523b arranged at a predetermined interval, and rotates with the rotation of the pulleys 523a, 523b. In addition, the conveyor belt 522 has m rows of conveyor belt suction parts 522a (hereinafter simply referred to as "suction parts 522a") aligned along the rotational movement direction (the conveying direction of the tablets 5). Furthermore, a negative pressure is supplied to the internal space of the conveyor belt 522 by a suction mechanism (not shown), and the suction parts 522a are in a state in which negative pressure is supplied. As a result, the conveyor belt 522 can convey the tablets 5 in a state of being aligned in m rows, like the conveyor drum 521, while suctioning and holding the tablets 5 by the suction parts 522a. Note that, although FIG. 20 and the like show a state in which the internal space of the conveyor belt 522 is open to the outside, in reality, the internal space is in a sealed state.

[0147] (b) In the above embodiment, the printed portion 5e is formed only on the front surface 5b of the tablet 5, but the printed portion 5e may be formed on the back surface 5c. In other words, the printed portion 5e may be formed on both the front and back surfaces of the tablet 5.

[0148] In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 21, the upstream conveying device 52 may be provided with a first conveying drum 524a that conveys the tablet 5 when printing on one of the front surface 5b and the back surface 5c, and a second conveying drum 524b that conveys the tablet 5 when printing on the other of the front surface 5b and the back surface 5c. The tablet 5 is delivered from the first conveying drum 524a to the second conveying drum 524b, and the front and back of the tablet 5 are inverted at the time of delivery. Each of the conveying drums 524a and 524b basically has a configuration similar to that of the conveying drum 521, and conveys the tablet 5 while adsorbing and holding it. In addition, tablet inspection devices 525a and 525b, first printing devices 526a and 526b, second printing devices 527a and 527b, and print inspection devices 528a and 528b may be provided corresponding to each of the conveying drums 524a and 524b. These have the same configuration as the tablet inspection device 53, the first printing device 54a, the second printing device 54b, and the print inspection device 55 in the above embodiment. The printing devices 526a and 527a print on one of the front surface 5b and the back surface 5c, and the printing devices 526b and 527b print on the other of the front surface 5b and the back surface 5c.

[0149] Also, when double-sided printing is performed on the tablet 5, a conveyor belt may be used instead of the conveyor drum, as shown in FIG. 22. That is, the upstream conveyor device 52 may include a first conveyor belt 529a that conveys the tablet 5 when printing on one of the front surface 5b and the back surface 5c, and a second conveyor belt 529b that conveys the tablet 5 when printing on the other of the front surface 5b and the back surface 5c. Each of the conveyor belts 529a and 529b has a configuration similar to that of the conveyor belt 522. Also, the tablet 5 is delivered from the first conveyor belt 529a to the second conveyor belt 529b, and the front and back of the tablet 5 are inverted at the time of delivery.

[0150] When printing is applied to both sides of the tablet 5, any one of the two sides becomes the "front side 5a" and the surface opposite the one side becomes the "back side 5c."

[0151] (c) In the above embodiment, each of the receiving sections 573a, 574a is configured by one row of the suction sections 573b, 574b aligned in the rotation direction of the distribution drums 573, 574, but the configuration of the receiving section is not limited thereto. Therefore, for example, as shown in Figs. 23 and 24, the first receiving section 573c and the second receiving section 573d may be used, which receive the tablets 5 discharged by the discharge devices 571, 572 and dropped at the inclined bottom surface portion, and convey the dropped tablets 5 along the bottom surface portion to the intermediate conveying devices 577, 578 side. In this example, the first receiving section 573c and the second receiving section 573d are provided one by one corresponding to each row of the tablets 5 conveyed by the upstream conveying device 52. That is, one set of receiving sections 573c, 573d is provided for each row of the tablets 5. Each set of receiving sections 573c, 573d is intended to receive only the tablets 5 in one specific row.

[0152] (d) In the above embodiment, the tablets 5 arranged in one row in the axial direction of the conveying drum 521 are usually discharged every other row toward the first receiving section 573a, and the remaining tablets 5 are discharged toward the second receiving section 574a, but the discharge pattern of the tablets 5 toward the receiving sections 573a, 574a is not limited to this. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 25, the tablets 5 in each row may be configured to be continuously discharged toward the first receiving section 573a or the second receiving section 574a. FIG. 25 shows an example in which the three rows of tablets 5 surrounded by a two-dot chain line are discharged toward the first receiving section 573a, and the three rows of tablets 5 not surrounded by the two-dot chain line are discharged toward the second receiving section 574a. Of course, other discharge patterns of the tablets 5 may be adopted.

[0153] (e) In the above embodiment, the distribution drums 573 and 574 are each provided with a total of m receiving portions 573a and 574a, but the number of receiving portions 573a and 574a is not limited to this. Therefore, the distribution drums 573 and 574 may each be provided with less than m receiving portions 573a and 574a in total. In addition, the number of first receiving portions 573a provided on the first distribution drum 573 and the number of second receiving portions 574a provided on the second distribution drum 574 may be different. Therefore, for example, the first distribution drum 573 may be configured to have a total of seven first receiving portions 573a, while the second distribution drum 574 may be configured to have a total of five second receiving portions 574a.

[0154] (f) In the above embodiment, the discharge devices 571, 572 are configured to discharge the tablets 5 by blowing, but the configuration of the discharge devices may be modified as appropriate as long as they are capable of discharging the tablets 5 outside the transport path taken by the upstream transport device 52.

[0155] (g) In the above embodiment, an example is given in which the number of columns of the tablets 5 is changed from "7" to "14" by the column number conversion device 57, but the number of columns of the tablets 5 before and after conversion may be changed as appropriate as long as the number of columns of the tablets 5 after conversion is greater than the number of columns of the tablets 5 before conversion. For example, the number of columns of the tablets 5 may be changed from "5" to "10" by the column number conversion device 57.

[0156] (h) In the above embodiment, tablets 5 are given as the contents, but the contents are not limited to tablets.

[0157] In the above embodiment, the tablet 5 is exemplified as a plain disc tablet (flat disc tablet) having a circular shape in plan view, but the type and shape of the tablet are not limited to those in the above embodiment. For example, the tablet includes not only medicines but also tablets used for eating and drinking. In addition, the tablet includes not only plain tablets but also sugar-coated tablets, film-coated tablets, oral disintegrating tablets, enteric tablets, gelatin-coated tablets, and various capsule tablets such as hard capsules and soft capsules.

[0158] Furthermore, the shape of the contents may be, for example, not only a circular shape when viewed from above, but also a polygonal shape, an elliptical shape, an oval shape when viewed from above, or the like when viewed from above.

[0159] (i) The configuration of the PTP sheet to be manufactured is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the arrangement and number of pockets 2 in one PTP sheet unit may be changed as appropriate.

[0160] In the above embodiment, the PTP film 6 is configured to have a number of pockets 2 arranged along its width direction corresponding to two sheets, but the configuration of the PTP film 6 is not limited to this. For example, the PTP film 6 may have a number of pockets 2 arranged along its width direction corresponding to three or more sheets. In this case, three or more receiving units may be provided for each row of tablets 5 transported by the upstream transport device 52. For example, when using a PTP film 6 in which a number of pockets 2 corresponding to three sheets are arranged, three distribution drums having a configuration similar to the distribution drums 573 and 574 are provided along the transport direction of the tablets 5 by the upstream transport device 52, so that three receiving units can be provided for each row of tablets 5 transported by the upstream transport device 52.

[0161] (j) In the above embodiment, the PTP sheet 1 is given as an example of a blister sheet, but the technical concept of the present invention may be applied to blister sheets other than the PTP sheet 1.

[0162] (k) The configuration of the printing devices 54a and 54b is not limited to that of the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, two printing devices 54a and 54b are provided, but the number of printing devices may be changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of the printing unit 5e.

[0163] In addition, in the above embodiment, both printing devices 54a, 54b are equipped with multiple printing heads arranged in the width direction of the conveying drum 521, but it is also possible to configure them to be equipped with only one printing head, and to print multiple tablets 5 arranged in the width direction at once using this one printing head.

[0164] In addition, the configuration of the print head is not limited to that of the above embodiment, but may be configured to have one row or three or more rows of nozzles.

[0165] Furthermore, the cleaning mechanism for the print head in the above embodiment is configured to remove dust, ink, etc. by pressure purging, but is not limited to this, and may be configured to remove dust, etc. by suction purging.

[0166] Also, a printing device using a method other than the inkjet method may be used. For example, a printing device that performs printing by directly contacting the tablet 5 or a printing device that performs printing by irradiating the tablet 5 with a laser may be used.

[0167] (l) In the above embodiment, the inspection devices 53, 55 are provided upstream and downstream of the printing devices 54a, 54b, but only one of the inspection devices 53, 55 may be provided. When only the print inspection device 55 is provided, the print inspection device 55 may have a function of determining whether the tablet 5 itself is good or bad. [Explanation of symbols]

[0168] 1... PTP sheet (blister sheet), 2... pocket portion, 3... container film, 4... cover film, 5... tablet (contents), 5a... side, 5b... front surface, 5c... back surface, 10... PTP packaging machine (blister packaging machine), 52... upstream conveying device (upstream conveying means), 54a... first printing device (printing means), 54b... second printing device (second printing means), 57... row number conversion device (row number conversion means), 58... filling device (filling means), 571... first discharge device (discharge means), 572... second discharge device (discharge means), 573... first distribution Drum (rotating receiving means), 573a...first receiving portion (receiving portion), 573b...first distribution drum suction portion (suction portion), 574...second distribution drum (rotating receiving means), 574a...second receiving portion (receiving portion), 574b...second distribution drum suction portion (suction portion), 577...first intermediate conveying device (intermediate conveying means), 577b...outlet portion, 578...second intermediate conveying device (intermediate conveying means), 578b...outlet portion, 581a...connected portion, P1...first receiving position (receiving position), P2...second receiving position (receiving position).

Claims

1. A blister packaging machine for producing a blister sheet in which contents are contained in each of a plurality of pockets formed in a container film and a cover film is attached to the container film so as to close the pockets, When a first predetermined number is m and a second number greater than the first number is n, An upstream conveying means for conveying the contents in an m-row arrangement; a printing means for printing on the contents transported by the upstream transport means; a filling means for filling the pockets formed in the belt-shaped container film with the contents printed by the printing means and arranged in n rows; a row number conversion means for converting the number of rows of the contents from m to n between the upstream conveying means and the filling means, The column number conversion means A total of n receiving sections, each of which is provided corresponding to a row of contents transported by the upstream transport means and capable of receiving only the contents of a specific row; a total of n discharge means provided for each of the receiving sections, each of which discharges the contents conveyed by the upstream conveying means toward the receiving section; a total of n intermediate conveying means, each of which is independent of the other and provided for each of the receiving sections, for conveying the contents received by the receiving sections to the filling means; A blister packaging machine characterized in that the contents transported by the intermediate conveying means are supplied to a specific row of the multiple rows of contents related to the filling means, which row is different for each intermediate conveying means responsible for transportation.

2. a rotary receiving means having a total of m or less receiving sections, the rotary receiving means having a plurality of suction sections arranged in a rotational direction and capable of suction-holding the contents, the suction sections rotating while suction-holding the contents, the receiving section being constituted by one row of the suction sections arranged in the rotational direction, At a predetermined receiving position, the contents are discharged from the upstream conveying means and are received by the suction unit; 2. The blister packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the rotating receiving means is configured so that, at the receiving position, the suction portion moves in the same direction as the contents transported by the upstream transport means, and a plurality of the rotating receiving means are provided along the transport direction of the contents by the upstream transport means.

3. 3. The blister packaging machine according to claim 2, wherein the suction unit and the contents transported by the upstream transport means are configured to move at the same speed at the receiving position.

4. 4. The blister packaging machine according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of rotary receiving means has a total of m receiving portions.

5. 5. The blister packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate conveying means is constituted by a flexible tubular part whose internal space constitutes a conveying path for the contents.

6. the content has a surface on which printing is performed by the printing means, a back surface behind the surface, and a side surface sandwiched between the surface and the back surface; The tubular component is torsionally deformable; In the tubular part, the plurality of contents are transported in a state where the respective side surfaces are adjacent to each other and arranged in a row, 6. The blister packaging machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the tubular part is twisted 180 degrees to turn the contents being conveyed upside down.

7. the filling means has a total of n connection portions to which the outlet portions of the tubular part can be connected, each of the outlet portions of the plurality of tubular parts is configured to be detachable from each of the connected portions; The blister packaging machine according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the row of contents related to the filling means, to which the contents transported by the tubular part are supplied, can be changed by changing the connected part to which the outlet part of the tubular part is connected.

8. A method for producing a blister sheet in which contents are contained in each of a plurality of pockets formed in a container film, and a cover film is attached to the container film so as to cover the pockets, comprising: When a first predetermined number is m and a second number greater than the first number is n, An upstream conveying process for conveying the contents in an m-row arrangement; a printing step of printing on the contents transported by the upstream transport step; a filling step of filling the pockets formed in the belt-shaped container film with the contents printed in the printing step and arranged in n rows by a predetermined filling means; A column number conversion process is provided between the upstream conveying process and the filling process to convert the column number of the contents from m to n, The column number conversion step includes: a receiving step of receiving the contents transported by the upstream transport step using a total of n receiving sections, each of which is provided in one or more locations corresponding to the rows of contents transported by the upstream transport step and capable of receiving only the contents of a specific row; a discharge step of discharging the contents toward the receiving section by a total of n discharge means provided for each receiving section and capable of discharging the contents transported by the upstream transport step toward the receiving section; and an intermediate conveying step of conveying the contents from the receiving section side to the filling means by a total of n intermediate conveying means, each of which is independent of the other and provided for each receiving section, for conveying the contents received by the receiving section to the filling means, A method for manufacturing a blister sheet, characterized in that the contents transported by the intermediate transport process are supplied to a specific row of the multiple rows of contents involved in the filling process, which row is different for each intermediate transport means responsible for the transport.

Images