Conveyor and Processing Equipment

Abstract

To provide a device capable of preventing fine powder of a tablet from adhering to a conveyor belt in the vicinity of a discharge position where the tablet is discharged.SOLUTION: A device for conveying a plurality of tablets to process them includes a suction belt 42, discharge mechanisms 100, 110, a receiving member 43 and a negative pressure generating part. The suction belt 42 conveys tablets while a plurality of suction holes 421 suck and hold them. The discharge mechanisms 100, 110 release suction of the tablets at discharge positions P6, P7. The receiving member 43 is provided at a small gap D1 from the suction belt 42. The negative pressure generating part creates negative pressure in one space R2 of the receiving member 43. The receiving member 43 has a through hole 430 communicating the space R2 and the small gap D1 with each other. Each of the suction holes 421 communicates with the small gap D1. At limitation positions P8, P9 on a downstream side of the discharge positions P6, P7, shield members 451, 452 for closing a part of the suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42 and the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 are further provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying and processing device that conveys a plurality of granular objects and performs a predetermined process. [Background technology]

[0002] Letters and codes are printed on pharmaceutical tablets to identify the product. Also, marks and illustrations may be printed on tablet candies such as Ramune. Conventionally, printing devices that print images on granular materials such as tablets and tablet candies using an inkjet method have been known. In particular, in recent years, the types of tablets have become more diverse due to the spread of generic drugs. For this reason, technology that prints clear images on tablets using an inkjet method to make them easier to identify has attracted attention.

[0003] In this type of printing device, a plurality of tablets fed into the device are conveyed one by one in the conveying direction at a predetermined interval, while undergoing predetermined processing such as printing, inspection, and drying on the surface. In the tablet manufacturing process using this type of printing device, a large number of tablets are conveyed in sequence over a long period of time, so that fine powder generated from the tablets may adhere to the conveying device. In this case, it becomes difficult to distinguish the fine powder adhered to the conveying device from the tablets during tablet inspection, and there is a risk of defects in the inspection results. Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device for removing drug powder (excess powder) adhered to a tablet conveying belt.

[0004] The device (10) described in Patent Document 1 sucks and holds tablets (T) in the suction grooves (12b) of the conveyor belts (12, 22) while conveying them. In addition, as the tablets (T) pass close to the inspection cameras (11, 21), the top and side surfaces of the tablets (T) are inspected for flaws and stains, and the tablets are conveyed to the next process. Furthermore, a video signal acquired by the inspection cameras (11, 21) is input to a belt cleaning control device (30, 40), and the accumulation of excess powder on the conveyor belts (12, 22) is detected based on the brightness level of the signal. Furthermore, compressed air is sprayed from a spray nozzle (16) of a belt cleaning unit (15) to clean stains on the conveyor belts (12, 22). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-143653 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, since the device (10) of Patent Document 1 is an inspection device that inspects tablets (T), there is a risk that the excess powder will again adhere to the vicinity of the suction groove (12b) of the conveyor belt (12, 22) when the tablets (T) are conveyed to the next process of drying, packaging, etc. In particular, when compressed air is sprayed toward the tablets (T) when conveying the tablets (T) to the next process, there is a risk that the powder will fly up and adhere to the vicinity of the suction groove (12b) of the conveyor belt (12, 22).

[0007] The present invention has been developed in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an apparatus that can prevent fine powder generated from tablets from adhering to a conveying belt near the discharge position where the tablets are discharged to the next process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present application is a conveying and processing device that conveys a plurality of granular objects and performs a predetermined process, the conveying and processing device comprising: an adsorption belt having a plurality of suction holes, which adsorbs and holds the granular objects in the suction holes while moving the granular objects along a predetermined conveying path; ,before a receiving member disposed with a small gap between it and one surface of the suction belt; and a negative pressure generating unit that creates a negative pressure in a space located on one side of the receiving member; a judgment unit which judges whether a processing state of the granular material is good or bad at a judgment position on the conveying path; a defective product discharge mechanism which applies positive pressure to the suction holes which adsorb and hold the granular material judged to be defective by the judgment unit at a defective product discharge position downstream of the judgment position on the conveying path, thereby releasing the adsorption of the granular material in the suction holes and allowing the granular material to fall to a defective product collection port; and a good product discharge mechanism which applies positive pressure to the suction holes which adsorb and hold the granular material judged to be good by the judgment unit at a good product discharge position downstream of the defective product discharge position on the conveying path, thereby releasing the adsorption of the granular material in the suction holes and allowing the granular material to fall to a good product discharge port. The receiving member has a through hole that communicates with the space and the minute gap, and each of the plurality of suction holes penetrates the suction belt and communicates with the minute gap. a first blocking member that blocks at least a portion of the through hole of the receiving member and the suction hole of the suction belt at a first limiting position that is located immediately downstream of the defective product discharge position on the conveying path, and a second blocking member that blocks at least a portion of the through hole of the receiving member and the suction hole of the suction belt at a second limiting position that is located immediately downstream of the non-defective product discharge position on the conveying path. Furthermore, The non-defective product discharge port is located above the defective product collection port. .

[0009] The second aspect of the present invention is the conveying and processing device according to the first aspect of the present invention, defective product The discharge mechanism is defective product In the ejection position, It was judged to be defective a blow mechanism that releases the suction of the granular material in the suction holes by applying a positive pressure to the suction holes in which the granular material is suctioned and held. The non-defective product discharge mechanism is a blow mechanism that releases the suction of the granular material in the suction hole by applying a positive pressure to the suction hole in which the granular material determined to be a non-defective product is suction-held at the non-defective product discharge position. .

[0010] The third invention of the present application is First invention or A conveying and processing device according to a second aspect of the present invention, comprising: a processing device for performing the predetermined processing on a surface of the granular material at a processing position on the conveying path; Department Furthermore, The determination position is located downstream of the processing position on the transport path. .

[0012] The present application 4 The invention relates to Any one of the first to third inventions The conveying and processing device according to the present invention No. 1 At least a portion of the shielding member is located in the minute gap and closes at least a portion of the through hole of the receiving member.

[0013] The present application 5 The invention is the first invention to the second invention. 4 In the conveying and processing device according to any one of the preceding aspects of the present invention, the granular matter has a greater lightness in the Munsell color system than a lightness of an outer surface of the suction belt that suctions and holds the granular matter.

[0014] The present application 6 The invention is the first invention to the second invention. 5 In the conveying and processing device of any one of the above aspects, the granular material is a tablet or tablet confectionery other than coated tablets, sugar-coated tablets, and capsule tablets. Effect of the Invention

[0015] The first to third aspects of the present application 6 According to the invention, No. 1 Shielding material and a second shielding member By this, the suction belt defective product Near the discharge position And near the non-defective product ejection position This weakens the suction power of the suction holes located at the defective product Near the discharge position And near the non-defective product ejection positionIn this case, adhesion to the suction holes can be suppressed.

[0016] In particular, 4 According to the invention, No. 1 Even when a shielding member is provided, a space for the passage of granular material is maintained, and the granular material can be transported without hindrance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side view of the tablet printing device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of the tablet printing apparatus. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the tablet printing apparatus. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram showing the suction conveyor and the reversing mechanism as viewed from the direction of the white arrow V1 in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing connections between a control unit and each unit. [Figure 8] 3 is a diagram showing the suction conveyor, the defective product collection mechanism, and the non-defective product discharge mechanism as viewed from the direction of the white arrow V2 in FIG. 2. [Figure 9] 9 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the defective product ejection position and the non-defective product ejection position in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the results of verifying the effect of providing a shielding member at the limit position. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart showing a process flow in the tablet printing device. [Figure 12] 9 is a modified example of an enlarged view of the vicinity of the defective product ejection position and the non-defective product ejection position in FIG. 8. [Figure 13] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the direction in which a plurality of granular objects are transported is referred to as the "transport direction," and the direction perpendicular and horizontal to the transport direction is referred to as the "width direction."

[0019] <1. Overall configuration of tablet printing device> Fig. 1 is a side view of a tablet printing device 1 which is an example of a conveying and processing device according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top view of the tablet printing device 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the tablet printing device 1. Note that in Fig. 1, a receiving member 43 of an adsorption conveyor 40, which will be described later, is omitted.

[0020] The tablet printing device 1 is a device that prints images such as a product name, a product code, a company name, and a logo mark on both sides of each tablet 9 while conveying a plurality of tablets 9, which are granular objects. In addition, in this embodiment, tablets that are likely to generate fine powder, such as coated tablets, sugar-coated tablets, and plain tablets (plain tablets) other than capsule tablets, are assumed as the tablets 9. However, the tablets 9 may be tablets as health foods other than pharmaceutical tablets, or tablet candies such as Ramune. In addition, in this embodiment, tablets 9 are assumed to be light-colored tablets such as white or light yellow. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the tablet 9. As shown in FIG. 13, the tablet 9 has a circular front and back surface and an annular side surface. However, the shape of the tablet 9 is not limited to this.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a feeder 10, a transport conveyor 20, an suction drum 30, an suction conveyor 40, a first camera 50, a printing unit 60, a second camera 70, a drying mechanism 80, an inversion mechanism 90, a defective product recovery mechanism 100, a non-defective product discharge mechanism 110, and a control unit 120.

[0022] The feeder 10 is a mechanism for feeding a plurality of tablets 9 fed into the tablet printing device 1 to the conveyor 20. The feeder 10 is composed of, for example, an input hopper, a rotary feeder, a vibrating feeder, etc. The plurality of tablets 9 fed into the tablet printing device 1 are aligned in a plurality of rows by these mechanisms and conveyed to the conveyor 20. Specifically, a plurality of rows (three rows in this embodiment) of tablets 9 aligned in the conveying direction are formed in the width direction. Then, the aligned plurality of tablets 9 are supplied to the conveyor 20. Note that only one row of tablets 9 is shown in FIG. 1.

[0023] The transport conveyor 20 is a mechanism for holding and transporting the tablets 9 horizontally between the feeder 10 and the suction drum 30. The transport conveyor 20 has a pair of pulleys 21 and a circular transport belt 22 stretched between the pair of pulleys 21. One of the pair of pulleys 21 rotates by power obtained from a motor M1. This causes the transport belt 22 to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1. The other of the pair of pulleys 21 rotates following the rotation of the transport belt 22.

[0024] The tablets 9 supplied from the feeder 10 are placed on the upper surface of the conveyor belt 22 and move in the conveying direction together with the conveyor belt 22. At this time, the tablets 9 have already been aligned in multiple rows in the width direction by the above-mentioned feeder 10, but the intervals between the tablets 9 in the conveying direction in each row are not uniform. The tablets 9 are conveyed in close proximity to each other in the conveying direction or with small intervals between them.

[0025] The suction drum 30 is located downstream of the conveyor 20 in the conveying path, and is a mechanism for transferring the tablets 9 from the conveyor 20 to the suction conveyor 40. The suction drum 30 has a substantially cylindrical outer circumferential surface centered on a rotation axis O extending horizontally in the width direction. In addition, as shown by a dashed line in FIG. 1, a motor M2 is connected to the suction drum 30. When the motor M2 is driven, the suction drum 30 rotates around the rotation axis O. A plurality of suction holes 301 are provided on the outer circumferential portion of the suction drum 30. The plurality of suction holes 301 are provided at intervals in the conveying direction at a plurality of widthwise positions corresponding to each row of the plurality of tablets 9 arranged in the width direction. Each suction hole 301 opens horizontally in the width direction.

[0026] When the suction drum 30 rotates, the multiple suction holes 301 move along an annular path including a first transfer position P1 close to the upper surface of the conveyor belt 22 and a second transfer position P2 close to the surface of the suction belt 42 described later. In this embodiment, the first transfer position P1 is located directly below the rotation axis O of the suction drum 30. The second transfer position P2 is located slightly upstream in the conveying direction from directly above the rotation axis O of the suction drum 30. However, the positional relationship between the first transfer position P1 and the second transfer position P2 is not limited to this.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the suction drum 30 is connected to a first suction mechanism 302. When the first suction mechanism 302 is operated, gas is sucked out from the internal space R1 of the suction drum 30 located in the angle range between the first delivery position P1 and the second delivery position P2. As a result, the internal space R1 becomes a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. The tablets 9 conveyed by the conveyor 20 and reaching the first delivery position P1 are adsorbed and held by the suction holes 301 of the suction drum 30 due to this negative pressure. The tablets 9 are adsorbed and held one by one by each of the suction holes 301. As a result, the intervals between the tablets 9 in the conveying direction become a predetermined interval according to the intervals between the suction holes 301. In other words, the tablets 9 can be aligned at a predetermined interval in the conveying direction in addition to the width direction.

[0028] The tablet 9 is sucked and held by the suction holes 301 and transported in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 from the first delivery position P1 to the second delivery position P2 by the rotation of the suction drum 30. Then, when the suction holes 301 pass the second delivery position P2, they are no longer within the angle range of the internal space R1 maintained at the above-mentioned negative pressure, and the suction of the tablet 9 is released. As a result, the tablet 9 is delivered from the suction drum 30 to the suction conveyor 40.

[0029] The suction conveyor 40 is a mechanism that suction-holds a plurality of tablets 9 and conveys them along a predetermined circular conveying path. The suction conveyor 40 has a pair of pulleys 41 and a circular suction belt 42 stretched between the pair of pulleys 41. One of the pair of pulleys 41 rotates around a rotation axis extending horizontally in the width direction by power obtained from a motor M3. This causes the suction belt 42 to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1. The other of the pair of pulleys 41 rotates around a rotation axis extending horizontally in the width direction in accordance with the rotation of the suction belt 42. In addition, in this embodiment, the color of the outer peripheral surface 420 (outer surface) of the suction belt 42 is, for example, brown or dark. That is, in the Munsell color system, the brightness of the tablet 9 is greater than the brightness of the outer surface of the suction belt 42 that suction-holds the tablet 9. A high contrast is generated between the original color of the outer peripheral surface 420 of the suction belt 42 and the color of the tablet 9.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the suction conveyor 40. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of suction holes 421 are provided on the outer peripheral surface 420 of the suction belt 42. The plurality of suction holes 421 are arranged at equal intervals in the conveying direction and the width direction. The suction conveyor 40 of this embodiment further includes a receiving member 43 (see FIG. 9), a second suction mechanism 44 (see FIG. 1), a first shielding member 451 (see FIG. 1), and a second shielding member 452 (see FIG. 1). The second suction mechanism 44 is a negative pressure generating unit that sucks out gas from a space inside the suction belt 42 (a space R2 located further inside the receiving member 43 described later). When the second suction mechanism 44 is operated, the space R2 becomes a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. The plurality of tablets 9 are sucked and held by the suction holes 421 one by one by the negative pressure. Each of the suction holes 421 sucks and holds the back surface of the tablet 9. The configuration of the suction conveyor 40 including the receiving member 43, the first shielding member 451, and the second shielding member 452 will be described in more detail later.

[0031] In this way, the tablets 9 are held on the surface of the suction belt 42 in a state of being aligned in the conveying direction and the width direction. The suction conveyor 40 rotates the suction belt 42 to move the tablets 9 along a predetermined circular conveying path formed by the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42. Note that a horizontal plane is included in part of the predetermined circular conveying path. In this embodiment, the tablets 9 are conveyed horizontally below the four heads 61 described later and below the three first blow mechanisms B1, the second blow mechanism B2, and the third blow mechanism B3 described later.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, the suction conveyor 40 further includes three first blow mechanisms B1. The three first blow mechanisms B1 are provided on the inside of the suction belt 42 and at positions facing the first inclined drum 91, the third inclined drum 93, and the fifth inclined drum 95 described later, respectively, through the suction belt 42. The three first blow mechanisms B1 blow gas only to the suction holes 421 facing the first inclined drum 91, the third inclined drum 93, and the fifth inclined drum 95 among the multiple suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42. Then, the suction holes 421 are at a positive pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. As a result, the suction of the tablets 9 at the suction holes 421 is released, and the tablets 9 are transferred from the suction belt 42 to the first inclined drum 91, the third inclined drum 93, and the fifth inclined drum 95.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the outer peripheral surface 420 of the suction belt 42 of this embodiment has a first region A1 for holding tablets 9 before inversion by an inversion mechanism 90 described later, and a second region A2 for holding tablets 9 after inversion. The first region A1 and the second region A2 are adjacent to each other in the width direction. In this embodiment, a plurality of suction holes 421 are provided in three rows in the width direction in the first region A1 and the second region A2. The tablets 9 delivered from the above-mentioned suction drum 30 are suctioned and held by the suction holes 421 in the first region A1. In addition, the plurality of tablets 9 that have been printed on both sides are discharged from the suction holes 421 in the second region A2 to the outside of the tablet printing device 1 by the defective product recovery mechanism 100 or the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110.

[0034] The first camera 50 is a processing unit for photographing the tablets 9 before printing. The first camera 50 is located downstream of the conveying path from the second delivery position P2 described above and upstream of the conveying path from the printing unit 60. The first camera 50 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. For example, a line sensor in which imaging elements such as CCD and CMOS are arranged in the width direction is used for the first camera 50. The first camera 50 photographs the tablets 9 conveyed by the suction belt 42. The image acquired by photographing is transmitted from the first camera 50 to the control unit 120. The control unit 120 detects the presence or absence of the tablets 9 in each suction hole 421, the front and back of the tablets 9, the rotational attitude of the tablets 9 around the vertical axis, and the positional deviation of the tablets 9 relative to the suction hole 421 based on the result of analyzing the distribution of the brightness values ​​of the pixels in the image obtained from the first camera 50. The control unit 120 also inspects each tablet 9 for defects such as chips, based on the results of analyzing the distribution of pixel brightness values ​​in the image obtained by the first camera 50.

[0035] The printing unit 60 is a processing unit that performs printing on the surface of the tablet 9 by an inkjet method at a printing position on the conveying path of the suction conveyor 40. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the printing unit 60 of this embodiment has four heads 61. The four heads 61 are located above the suction belt 42 and are arranged in a row along the conveying direction of the tablet 9. Each head 61 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2 of the suction belt 42. The four heads 61 eject ink droplets of different colors (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) toward the tablet 9. Then, a multicolor image is recorded on the surface of the tablet 9 by superimposing monochromatic images formed by each of these colors. Note that, for the ink ejected from each head 61, edible ink manufactured from raw materials approved by the Japanese Pharmacopoeia, the Food Sanitation Act, etc. is used.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a bottom view of one head 61. In FIG. 5, the suction belt 42 and the plurality of tablets 9 held by the suction belt 42 are indicated by a two-dot chain line. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 5, the bottom surface of the head 61 is provided with a plurality of nozzles 611 capable of ejecting ink droplets. In this embodiment, the plurality of nozzles 611 are two-dimensionally arranged in the conveying direction and the width direction on the bottom surface of the head 61. The nozzles 611 are arranged with their positions shifted in the width direction. In this way, if the plurality of nozzles 611 are arranged two-dimensionally, the positions of the nozzles 611 in the width direction can be brought close to each other. However, the plurality of nozzles 611 may be arranged in a line along the width direction.

[0037] The method of ejecting ink droplets from the nozzle 611 is, for example, a so-called piezo method in which a voltage is applied to a piezo element to deform it, thereby pressurizing and ejecting the ink in the nozzle 611. However, the method of ejecting ink droplets may also be a so-called thermal method in which electricity is passed through a heater to heat and expand the ink in the nozzle 611, thereby ejecting the ink.

[0038] The second camera 70 is a processing unit for photographing the tablet 9 after printing. The second camera 70 is located downstream of the printing unit 60 on the conveying path and upstream of the drying mechanism 80 on the conveying path. The second camera 70 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. For example, a line sensor in which imaging elements such as CCD and CMOS are arranged in the width direction is used for the second camera 70. The second camera 70 photographs a plurality of tablets 9 conveyed by the suction belt 42. The image acquired by photographing is transmitted from the second camera 70 to the control unit 120. The control unit 120 inspects whether the image printed on the tablet 9 has stains, misalignment of printed parts, or missing dots, based on the result of analyzing the distribution of pixel brightness values ​​in the image obtained from the second camera 70.

[0039] The drying mechanism 80 is a mechanism for drying ink attached to the surface of the tablet 9. The drying mechanism 80 is located downstream of the second camera 70 on the conveying path and upstream of the inversion mechanism 90, the defective product recovery mechanism 100, and the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 described later on the conveying path. The drying mechanism 80 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. For example, the drying mechanism 80 uses a hot air supply mechanism that blows heated gas (hot air) toward the tablet 9 conveyed by the suction belt 42. The ink attached to the tablet 9 is dried by the hot air and fixed to the surface of the tablet 9.

[0040] The reversing mechanism 90 is a mechanism that reverses the tablet 9 conveyed by the suction belt 42 and moves the tablet 9 from the first area A1 to the second area A2. The reversing mechanism 90 is located downstream of the defective product recovery mechanism 100 and the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 on the conveying path and upstream of the suction drum 30 on the conveying path.

[0041] Fig. 6 is a view of the suction conveyor 40 and the reversing mechanism 90 as viewed from the direction of the outlined arrow V1 in Fig. 1. Note that a receiving member 43 (described later) of the suction conveyor 40 is not shown in Fig. 6. As shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 6, the reversing mechanism 90 of this embodiment has a first inclined drum 91, a second inclined drum 92, a third inclined drum 93, a fourth inclined drum 94, a fifth inclined drum 95, and a sixth inclined drum 96.

[0042] The first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92 are disposed adjacent to each other in the width direction. The third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94 are disposed adjacent to each other in the width direction downstream of the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92 in the conveying path. The fifth inclined drum 95 and the sixth inclined drum 96 are disposed adjacent to each other in the width direction downstream of the third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94 in the conveying path. Hereinafter, the position where the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92 are provided on the conveying path of the suction conveyor 40 is referred to as the "first reversal position P3", the position where the third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94 are provided is referred to as the "second reversal position P4", and the position where the fifth inclined drum 95 and the sixth inclined drum 96 are provided is referred to as the "third reversal position P5".

[0043] The first inclined drum 91 has a conical first side surface 910 centered on a first axis C1 inclined with respect to the width direction. A part of the first side surface 910 faces the first area A1 of the suction belt 42 with a small gap therebetween. The first inclined drum 91 is fixed to the output shaft of a motor 91M. When the motor 91M is driven, the first inclined drum 91 rotates about the first axis C1.

[0044] The second inclined drum 92 has a cone-shaped second side surface 920 centered on a second axis C2 inclined with respect to the width direction. The first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92 are disposed adjacent to each other in the width direction so that their tops face each other. A part of the second side surface 920 faces the second area A2 of the suction belt 42 with a small gap therebetween. The other part of the second side surface 920 faces the first side surface 910 with a small gap therebetween. The second inclined drum 92 is fixed to the output shaft of a motor 92M. When the motor 92M is driven, the second inclined drum 92 rotates around the second axis C2.

[0045] In this embodiment, the apex angle of the first inclined drum 91 and the apex angle of the second inclined drum 92 when viewed in the conveying direction of the adsorption conveyor 40 are both 90°. In addition, the inclination angle of the first axis C1 with respect to the outer peripheral surface 420 of the adsorption belt 42 is 45°. In addition, the inclination angle of the second axis C2 with respect to the outer peripheral surface 420 of the adsorption belt 42 is 45°. Therefore, the first side surface 910 and the second side surface 920 face each other at a position of 90° with respect to the outer peripheral surface 420. In addition, the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92 have the same shape, structure, and size. Therefore, the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92 can be made common as parts. This reduces the manufacturing cost of the tablet printing device 1.

[0046] A plurality of suction holes 911 are provided on the first side surface 910. The plurality of suction holes 911 are provided at equal angular intervals in a circular shape centered on the first axis C1. Similarly, a plurality of suction holes 921 are provided on the second side surface 920. The plurality of suction holes 921 are provided at equal angular intervals in a circular shape centered on the second axis C2.

[0047] The pressure in the internal space of the first inclined drum 91 is maintained at a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure by a suction mechanism (not shown). The first inclined drum 91 holds the tablets 9 one by one in the suction holes 911 by this negative pressure. Similarly, the pressure in the internal space of the second inclined drum 92 is also maintained at a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure by a suction mechanism (not shown). The second inclined drum 92 holds the tablets 9 one by one in the suction holes 921 by this negative pressure.

[0048] As shown by the dashed line in FIG. 6, a fourth blow mechanism B4 is provided inside the first inclined drum 91. The fourth blow mechanism B4 blows gas only to the suction holes 911 facing the second inclined drum 92 among the multiple suction holes 911 of the first inclined drum 91. As a result, the suction holes 911 are at a positive pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. As a result, the suction of the tablet 9 at the suction holes 911 is released, and the tablet 9 is transferred from the suction holes 911 of the first inclined drum 91 to the suction holes 921 of the second inclined drum 92.

[0049] As shown by the dashed line in FIG. 6, a fifth blow mechanism B5 is provided inside the second inclined drum 92. The fifth blow mechanism B5 blows gas only to the suction holes 921 of the second inclined drum 92 that face the second area A2 of the suction belt 42. Then, the suction holes 921 are at a positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. As a result, the suction of the tablet 9 at the suction holes 921 is released, and the tablet 9 is transferred from the suction holes 921 of the second inclined drum 92 to the suction holes 421 of the second area A2 of the suction belt 42.

[0050] The suction force of the plurality of suction holes 921 on the second side surface 920 for the tablets 9 may be set slightly greater than the suction force of the plurality of suction holes 911 on the first side surface 910. This makes it difficult for the tablets 9 to fall off when the tablets 9 are transferred from the suction holes 911 of the first inclined drum 91 to the suction holes 921 of the second inclined drum 92. However, the suction force of the plurality of suction holes 911 of the first inclined drum 91 and the suction force of the plurality of suction holes 921 of the second inclined drum 92 may be the same.

[0051] The third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94 have the same structure as the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92, and are arranged adjacent to each other like the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92. However, the third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94 are arranged at a second inversion position P4 downstream of the conveying path from the first inversion position P3 where the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92 are arranged. In addition, the third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94 are arranged at a position shifted in the width direction by one of the arrangement intervals of the tablets 9 in the width direction from the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92. The third inclined drum 93 is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 93M. The fourth inclined drum 94 is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 94M.

[0052] The fifth inclined drum 95 and the sixth inclined drum 96 have the same structure as the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92, and are arranged adjacent to each other like the first inclined drum 91 and the second inclined drum 92. However, the fifth inclined drum 95 and the sixth inclined drum 96 are arranged at a third inversion position P5 downstream of the conveying path from the second inversion position P4 where the third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94 are arranged. In addition, the fifth inclined drum 95 and the sixth inclined drum 96 are arranged at a position shifted in the width direction by one of the arrangement intervals of the tablets 9 in the width direction from the third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94. The fifth inclined drum 95 is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 95M. The sixth inclined drum 96 is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 96M.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 3, the tablet 9 held in the suction hole 421 at the first position W1 in the width direction of the suction belt 42 and transported to the first reversal position P3 in the transport direction is delivered to the first inclined drum 91. The first inclined drum 91 rotates while suction-holding the tablet 9 received from the suction belt 42 in the suction hole 911 of the first side surface 910, and delivers it to the second inclined drum 92. Thereafter, the second inclined drum 92 rotates while suction-holding the tablet 9 received from the first inclined drum 91 in the suction hole 921 of the second side surface 920, and delivers it to the suction hole 421 at the second position W2 in the width direction of the suction belt 42. As a result, the position of the tablet 9 in the width direction on the transport path moves from the first position W1 belonging to the first region A1 to the second position W2 belonging to the second region A2, and the front and back of the tablet 9 are reversed.

[0054] Similarly, the third inclined drum 93 and the fourth inclined drum 94 move the widthwise position of the tablet 9 on the conveying path from a third position W3 in the widthwise direction belonging to the first region A1 to a fourth position W4 in the widthwise direction belonging to the second region A2 at the second reversal position P4 in the conveying direction, and invert the tablet 9. Similarly, the fifth inclined drum 95 and the sixth inclined drum 96 move the widthwise position of the tablet 9 on the conveying path from a fifth position W5 in the widthwise direction belonging to the first region A1 to a sixth position W6 in the widthwise direction belonging to the second region A2 at the third reversal position P5 in the conveying direction, and invert the tablet 9.

[0055] The defective product collecting mechanism 100 is a mechanism for carrying out tablets 9 determined to be defective by the control unit 120 described later from the suction conveyor 40. The non-defective product discharging mechanism 110 is a mechanism for carrying out tablets 9 determined to be non-defective by the control unit 120 described later from the suction conveyor 40. Detailed configurations of the defective product collecting mechanism 100 and the non-defective product discharging mechanism 110 will be described later.

[0056] The control unit 120 is a means for controlling the operation of each unit in the tablet printing apparatus 1. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the connection between the control unit 120 and each unit in the tablet printing apparatus 1. As conceptually shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 120 is composed of a computer having a processor 121 such as a CPU, a memory 122 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 123 such as a hard disk drive. A computer program CP for executing the printing process is installed in the storage unit 123.

[0057] 7, the control unit 120 is connected to the above-mentioned feeder 10, the transport conveyor 20 (including the motor M1), the suction drum 30 (including the motor M2 and the first suction mechanism 302), the suction conveyor 40 (including the motor M3, the second suction mechanism 44, and the first blow mechanism B1), the first camera 50, the printing unit 60 (including the head 61), the second camera 70, the drying mechanism 80, the reversing mechanism 90 (including the motors 91M to 96M, the fourth blow mechanism B4, the fifth blow mechanism B5, and the suction mechanism), the defective product collecting mechanism 100 (including the second blow mechanism B2 described later), and the non-defective product discharging mechanism 110 (including the motor M4 and the third blow mechanism B3 described later) in a wired or wireless manner so as to be able to communicate with each of them. The control unit 120 temporarily reads out the computer program CP and data stored in the storage unit 123 into the memory 122, and the processor 121 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program CP, thereby controlling the operation of each of the above-mentioned units. This allows the transportation of the tablets 9 and the printing process for each tablet 9 to proceed.

[0058] As described above, the control unit 120 analyzes the distribution of pixel brightness values ​​in the images received from the first camera 50 and the second camera 70, and inspects each tablet 9 for defects such as chipping, and for stains, misalignment of printed areas, or missing dots in the images printed on the tablets 9, based on the analysis results. Then, based on the inspection results, it determines whether each tablet 9 is good or bad. That is, the control unit 120 functions as a determination unit that determines the quality of the printing state and shape of the tablet 9 at a determination position downstream of the printing position in the transport direction (near the lower position of the second camera 70).

[0059] <2. Detailed configuration of each discharge mechanism and suction conveyor> Next, a detailed configuration of the suction conveyor 40 in the vicinity of the defective product collection mechanism 100 and the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 will be described. Fig. 8 is a view of the suction conveyor 40, the defective product collection mechanism 100 (partially omitted), and the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 as viewed from the direction of the outlined arrow V2 in Fig. 2.

[0060] The defective product collecting mechanism 100 is a discharge mechanism for discharging tablets 9 determined to be defective by the control unit 120 from the suction conveyor 40 at a defective product discharge position P6 downstream of the determination position on the conveying path. As shown in Fig. 8, the defective product collecting mechanism 100 has a defective product chute 101, a second blow mechanism B2, and a collection box (not shown).

[0061] The defective product chute 101 is located downstream of the drying mechanism 80 on the conveying path and upstream of the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 on the conveying path. The defective product chute 101 is formed in a cylindrical shape. A defective product collection port 102, which is an opening at the upper end of the defective product chute 101, faces the second area A2 of the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42 in the vertical direction with a gap therebetween.

[0062] The second blow mechanism B2 is provided inside the suction belt 42 and at a position facing the defective product collection port 102 through the suction belt 42. The second blow mechanism B2 has a nozzle 103. When the suction hole 421 that suction-holds the tablet 9 determined to be defective reaches the defective product discharge position P6 facing the defective product collection port 102, the second blow mechanism B2 blows gas vertically downward only to the suction hole 421 at the defective product discharge position P6 among the multiple suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42. Then, the suction hole 421 becomes a positive pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. As a result, the suction of the tablet 9 at the suction hole 421 is released, and the tablet 9 falls from the suction belt 42 to the defective product collection port 102.

[0063] The tablets 9 that have fallen from the suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42 to the defective product collection port 102 of the defective product chute 101 are collected in the collection box through the inside of the defective product chute 101. The tablets 9 collected in the collection box are then collected by an operator or the like and discarded outside the tablet printing device 1.

[0064] The non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 is a discharge mechanism for conveying out, from the suction conveyor 40, tablets 9 determined as non-defective by the control unit 120 at a non-defective product discharge position P7 downstream of the determination position and the defective product discharge position P6 on the conveying path. As shown in FIG. 8, the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 has a non-defective product chute 111, a third blow mechanism B3, a non-defective product discharge conveyor 112, and a cover 113.

[0065] The non-defective product chute 111 is located downstream of the defective product recovery mechanism 100 on the transport path. The non-defective product chute 111 has a cylindrical shape with a partially curved structure. A non-defective product discharge port 114, which is an opening at the upper end of the non-defective product chute 111, faces the second area A2 of the outer circumferential surface 420 of the suction belt 42 in the vertical direction with a gap therebetween.

[0066] The third blow mechanism B3 is provided on the inside of the suction belt 42 and at a position facing the non-defective product discharge port 114 via the suction belt 42. The third blow mechanism B3 has a nozzle 117. When the suction hole 421 that suction-holds the tablet 9 determined to be a non-defective product reaches the non-defective product discharge position P7 facing the non-defective product discharge port 114, the third blow mechanism B3 blows gas vertically downward only to the suction hole 421 at the non-defective product discharge position P7 among the multiple suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42. Then, the suction hole 421 becomes a positive pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. As a result, the suction of the tablet 9 at the suction hole 421 is released, and the tablet 9 falls from the suction belt 42 to the non-defective product discharge port 114.

[0067] The tablets 9 that have fallen from the suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42 to the non-defective product discharge port 114 of the non-defective product chute 111 pass through the inside of the non-defective product chute 111 and fall onto the non-defective product discharge conveyor 112. The non-defective product discharge conveyor 112 has a configuration similar to that of the above-mentioned transport conveyor 20. The pulley 115 of the non-defective product discharge conveyor 112 rotates by power obtained from the motor M4, causing the transport belt 116 to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 8. The tablets 9 that have fallen onto the non-defective product discharge conveyor 112 are carried out to the outside of the tablet printing apparatus 1 while being placed on the transport belt 116.

[0068] FIG. 9 is a further enlarged view of the vicinity of the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7 in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 9, in the adsorption conveyor 40, a receiving member 43 is provided on the inside of the adsorption belt 42 and is fixed to the housing of the tablet printing device 1. Here, as described above, the adsorption belt 42 has a ring-shaped structure stretched between a pair of pulleys 41. The receiving member 43 is disposed along the inner surface of the adsorption belt 42 and separated from the inner surface of the adsorption belt 42 by a minute gap D1. In the vicinity of the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7, the receiving member 43 is disposed separated from the upper surface 431 (inner surface) of the adsorption belt 42 by a minute gap D1. By providing the receiving member 43 in the adsorption conveyor 40, the adsorption belt 42 is more stably held.

[0069] 9, in the vicinity of the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7 of the suction belt 42, the upper surface 431 of the suction belt 42 faces the lower surface of the receiving member 43 while facing the opposite side to the lower surface 432 of the suction belt 42 on which the tablets 9 are adsorbed and held. Each of the multiple suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42 penetrates the suction belt 42 in the thickness direction (a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and the width direction, and in the vertical direction in the vicinity of the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7) and communicates with the minute gap D1. Furthermore, the receiving member 43 has multiple through holes 430. Each of the multiple through holes 430 penetrates the receiving member 43 in the thickness direction (the vertical direction in the vicinity of the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7). The nozzle of the first blow mechanism B1, the nozzle 103 of the second blow mechanism B2, and the nozzle 117 of the third blow mechanism B3 each pass through the through hole 430, and their tips reach the vicinity of the suction hole 421 of the suction belt .

[0070] By providing the through hole 430 in the receiving member 43, the space R2 located further inside the receiving member 43 (upper side in the vicinity of the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7) communicates with the minute gap D1. Here, the second suction mechanism 44 always sucks gas out of the space R2 when the tablet printing device 1 is driven, thereby making the space R2 a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. Then, in addition to the space R2, gas is sucked out of the minute gap D1 through the multiple through holes 430, and the multiple suction holes 421 become negative pressure. As a result, the tablets 9 are stably sucked and held in the multiple suction holes 421.

[0071] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a first shielding member 451 is provided at a first limiting position P8 located immediately downstream of the defective product discharge position P6 on the transport path. Also, a second shielding member 452 is provided at a second limiting position P9 located immediately downstream of the non-defective product discharge position P7 on the transport path.

[0072] The first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 are each located in the minute gap D1 and are fixed to the lower surface of the receiving member 43 or the housing of the tablet printing apparatus 1. However, the upper portions of the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 may extend above the lower surface of the receiving member 43. In addition, the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 each cover the upper portions of the three suction holes 421 in the width direction of the second region A2.

[0073] The first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 each block a part of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43. As a result, the suction force of the suction holes 421 is weakened in the vicinity of the first limiting position P8 and the second limiting position P9. However, since these suction holes 421 are also connected to a through hole 430 other than the through hole 430 blocked by the first shielding member 451 or the second shielding member 452, the suction force does not become completely zero. As a result, even when the tablet 9 passes through the first limiting position P8 or the second limiting position P9, the suction hole 421 can continue to suction and hold the tablet 9.

[0074] In this embodiment, the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 are positioned in the minute gap D1 on the upper surface 431 side of the suction belt 42, rather than on the lower surface 432 side, thereby maintaining a space for passing the tablets 9 and allowing the tablets 9 to be transported without hindrance. Note that, although the tablets 9 determined to be non-defective are continuously sucked and held from the defective product discharge position P6 to the non-defective product discharge position P7, once the non-defective product discharge position P7 is passed, all the tablets 9 fall from the suction holes 421 into the non-defective product chute 111. For this reason, after passing the non-defective product discharge position P7, the suction force of the suction holes 421 may become completely zero.

[0075] As described above, the second blow mechanism B2 blows gas onto the suction holes 421 that have reached the defective product discharge position P6. The third blow mechanism B3 blows gas onto the suction holes 421 that have reached the non-defective product discharge position P7. This causes more fine powder to be generated from the surface of the tablet 9. For this reason, if the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 were not provided, the fine powder generated from the tablet 9 would move slightly downstream in the conveying direction due to the airflow that flows along the lower surface of the suction belt 42, which is generated as the suction belt 42 moves, and there is a risk that the fine powder would adhere again to the suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42 or around the suction holes 421 (see the right diagram in FIG. 10, which will be described later). In this case, if the suction belt 42 with the fine powder attached thereto were then used to transport a new tablet 9 and photograph the tablet 9 using the first camera 50 and the second camera 70, it would be difficult to distinguish between the tablet 9 and the suction hole 421 with the fine powder attached in the obtained image data, which could cause problems with the inspection results performed by the control unit 120.

[0076] However, in this embodiment, the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 block a part of the through hole 430, and thus the suction force of the suction hole 421 is weakened in the vicinity of the first limiting position P8 and the second limiting position P9 downstream of the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7. This prevents the fine powder generated from the tablet 9 from adhering to the suction hole 421 again.

[0077] FIG. 10 shows the results of verifying the effect of the suction belt 42 after processing about 1 million tablets 9 using the tablet printing device 1 of this embodiment in the case where the above-mentioned second shielding member 452 is provided at the second limiting position P9 located immediately downstream of the non-defective product discharge position P7 on the conveying path and in the case where the second shielding member 452 is not provided. The left diagram of FIG. 10 shows an image of the suction belt 42 after processing about 1 million tablets 9 using the tablet printing device 1 in the case where the second shielding member 452 is provided. The right diagram of FIG. 10 shows an image of the suction belt 42 after processing about 1 million tablets 9 using the tablet printing device 1 in the case where the second shielding member 452 is not provided.

[0078] 10, it was visually confirmed that the adhesion of fine powder generated from the tablets 9 to the suction holes 421 and the vicinity of the suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42 was suppressed in the case where the second shielding member 452 was provided (left diagram) compared to the case where the second shielding member 452 was not provided (right diagram). Note that in the processing process using the tablet printing apparatus 1 of the present invention, usually, approximately 99% or more of the tablets 9 are ultimately judged to be non-defective and discharged by the non-defective product discharge mechanism 110 (i.e., gas is blown from the third blow mechanism B3), so verification was performed by providing only the second shielding member 452, which is expected to be more effective.

[0079] The length of the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 in the conveying direction may be determined in consideration of the weight and volume of the tablet 9 as well as the conveying speed of the tablet 9. Also, as in the above-mentioned verification, only one of the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 (for example, the second shielding member 452) may be provided. Furthermore, the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452 may each be fixed to the receiving member 43 or the like and have a structure that blocks a part of the suction hole 421 of the suction belt 42 instead of blocking a part of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43. That is, the first shielding member 451 may have a structure that blocks at least a part of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 and the suction hole 421 of the suction belt 42 at the first limit position P8. The second shielding member 452 may have any structure as long as it is capable of blocking at least a portion of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 and the suction hole 421 of the suction belt 42 at the second limiting position P9.

[0080] <3. Processing flow> Next, the flow of the transport process and the printing process using the above-mentioned tablet printing device 1 will be described. Below, the process performed on one tablet 9 will be described in order. However, this tablet printing device 1 performs a predetermined process while transporting multiple tablets 9 sequentially along a transport path. Therefore, multiple tablets 9 are present inside the tablet printing device 1 at the same time.

[0081] 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the tablet printing apparatus 1. When a plurality of tablets 9 are fed into the tablet printing apparatus 1 (step S1), first, the feeder 10 supplies the plurality of tablets 9 to the transport conveyor 20. The plurality of tablets 9 supplied to the transport conveyor 20 are placed on the upper surface of the transport belt 22, and move approximately horizontally in the transport direction to a first delivery position P1 as the transport belt 22 rotates (step S2).

[0082] Next, the tablets 9 are adsorbed and held by the suction holes 301 of the suction drum 30 at the first delivery position P1, and are moved in the conveying direction to the upper second delivery position P2 by the rotation of the suction drum 30. At this time, the tablets 9 are aligned so that the intervals between the tablets 9 in the conveying direction are predetermined intervals corresponding to the intervals between the suction holes 301. When the tablets 9 reach the second delivery position P2, the suction of the tablets 9 at the suction holes 301 is released. As a result, the tablets 9 are delivered from the suction drum 30 to the suction conveyor 40 (step S3).

[0083] Next, the tablet 9 is adsorbed and held by the suction holes 421 in the first area A1 of the suction belt 42. Then, as the suction belt 42 rotates, the tablet 9 is conveyed along the circular conveying path. Hereinafter, the surface of the tablet 9 facing outward when held by the suction holes 421 in the first area A1 is referred to as the "first surface". In addition, in this state, the surface adsorbed by the suction holes 421 is referred to as the "second surface". In Figs. 2 and 3, the first surface of the tablet 9 is shaded to distinguish between the first surface and the second surface. However, the "first surface" and the "second surface" are unrelated to the original front and back surfaces of the tablet 9. For example, if the tablet 9 is a scored tablet having a score line 130 (see Figure 13) on only one side, the multiple tablets 9 held in the first area A1 may include a mixture of tablets 9 in which the side having the score line 130 is the first side and tablets 9 in which the side without the score line 130 is the first side.

[0084] When the tablet 9 reaches below the first camera 50, the first camera 50 captures an image of the first side of the tablet 9. This acquires image data of the first side of the tablet 9. The acquired image data is transmitted from the first camera 50 to the control unit 120. The control unit 120 performs a pre-printing inspection of the first side based on the image data received from the first camera 50 (step S4). Specifically, the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in the suction hole 421, the front and back of the tablet 9, the rotational attitude of the tablet 9 around the vertical axis, the positional deviation of the tablet 9 with respect to the suction hole 421, the presence or absence of shape defects of the tablet 9, etc. are inspected.

[0085] Next, when the tablet 9 reaches the printing position below the printing unit 60, the four heads 61 eject ink droplets toward the first surface of the tablet 9. This causes a printing process to be performed on the first surface of the tablet 9. As a result, an image is printed on the first surface of the tablet 9 (step S5). At this time, the control unit 120 adjusts the image to be printed on each tablet 9 based on the inspection result of the above-mentioned step S4. For example, an appropriate image is selected depending on whether the tablet 9 is on the surface having the score line 130 or the opposite surface, and the selected image is rotated depending on the rotational attitude of each tablet 9. Then, a print signal is input to the head 61 based on the adjusted image. As a result, an appropriate image is printed on the first surface of each tablet 9 in an appropriate attitude.

[0086] Next, when the tablet 9 reaches a judgment position below the second camera 70, the second camera 70 photographs the first side of the tablet 9. As a result, image data of the first side of the tablet 9 is acquired. The acquired image data is transmitted from the second camera 70 to the control unit 120. The control unit 120 also performs a post-printing inspection of the first side based on the image data received from the second camera 70 (step S6). Specifically, the control unit 120 judges whether the printing state of the first side of each tablet 9 is good or bad by, for example, comparing the image data received from the second camera 70 with data of a normal image prepared in advance.

[0087] Next, when the tablet 9 reaches a position below the drying mechanism 80, the drying mechanism 80 blows hot air toward the first surface of the tablet 9. This dries the ink adhering to the first surface of the tablet 9, and the ink is fixed to the first surface (step S7).

[0088] Thereafter, when the tablet 9 reaches the first inversion position P3, the second inversion position P4, or the third inversion position P5, which is an inversion position on the conveying path, the inversion mechanism 90 inverts the tablet 9 and moves the tablet 9 from the first area A1 to the second area A2 (step S8). By this step S8, the first surface of the tablet 9 is attracted to the suction hole 421 in the second area A2, and the second surface faces outward.

[0089] Next, when the tablet 9 reaches below the first camera 50, the first camera 50 captures an image of the second side of the tablet 9. This acquires image data of the second side of the tablet 9. The acquired image data is transmitted from the first camera 50 to the control unit 120. The control unit 120 also performs a pre-printing inspection of the second side based on the image data received from the first camera 50 (step S9). Specifically, the presence or absence of the tablet 9 in the suction hole 421, the front and back of the tablet 9, the rotational attitude of the tablet 9 around the vertical axis, the positional deviation of the tablet 9 with respect to the suction hole 421, the presence or absence of shape defects of the tablet 9, etc. are inspected.

[0090] Next, when the tablet 9 reaches the printing position below the printing unit 60, the four heads 61 eject ink droplets toward the second surface of the tablet 9. This causes a printing process to be performed on the second surface of the tablet 9. As a result, an image is printed on the second surface of the tablet 9 (step S10). At this time, the control unit 120 adjusts the image to be printed on each tablet 9 based on the inspection result of the above-mentioned step S9. For example, an appropriate image is selected depending on whether the tablet 9 is the surface having the score line 130 or the surface opposite thereto, and the selected image is rotated depending on the rotational attitude of each tablet 9. Then, a print signal is input to the head 61 based on the adjusted image. As a result, an appropriate image is printed in an appropriate attitude on the second surface of each tablet 9.

[0091] Next, when the tablet 9 reaches a judgment position below the second camera 70, the second camera 70 photographs the second side of the tablet 9. As a result, image data of the second side of the tablet 9 is acquired. The acquired image data is transmitted from the second camera 70 to the control unit 120. The control unit 120 also performs a post-printing inspection of the second side based on the image data received from the second camera 70 (step S11). Specifically, the control unit 120 judges whether the printing state of the second side of each tablet 9 is good or bad by, for example, comparing the image data received from the second camera 70 with data of a normal image prepared in advance.

[0092] Next, when the tablet 9 reaches a position below the drying mechanism 80, the drying mechanism 80 blows hot air toward the second surface of the tablet 9. This dries the ink adhering to the second surface of the tablet 9, and the ink is fixed to the second surface (step S12).

[0093] As described above, the control unit 120 judges whether the printing state of the tablet 9 is good or not and whether there is a shape defect such as a chip, based on the image data received from the first camera 50 and the second camera 70. That is, the control unit 120 functions as a judgment unit that judges whether the printing state and shape of the tablet 9 are good or not at a judgment position downstream in the transport direction from the printing position. Furthermore, the judgment unit judges for each tablet 9 whether it is a good product with a good printing state and no shape defects such as chips, or whether it is a defective product with poor printing or shape defects (step S13).

[0094] When the tablet 9 is judged to be a defective product by the judgment unit (step S13=NO), when the tablet 9 judged to be a defective product subsequently reaches the defective product discharge position P6 downstream of the judgment position in the conveying direction, a positive pressure is applied to the suction hole 421 of the suction conveyor 40 where the tablet 9 is suction-held, and the suction of the tablet 9 in the suction hole 421 is released. As a result, the tablet 9 judged to be a defective product is discharged to the defective product collection port 102 (step S14). At this time, the suction force of the suction hole 421 near the first limiting position P8 is weakened by the first shielding member 451 provided at the first limiting position P8 located immediately downstream of the defective product discharge position P6 on the conveying path. Therefore, the fine powder generated from the tablet 9 at the above-mentioned suction release is suppressed from adhering again to the suction hole 421.

[0095] When the tablet 9 is judged to be a good product by the judgment unit (step S13=YES), when the tablet 9 judged to be a good product subsequently reaches a good product discharge position P7 downstream of the judgment position in the conveying direction, a positive pressure is applied to the suction hole 421 of the suction conveyor 40 to which the tablet 9 is suction-held, and the suction of the tablet 9 in the suction hole 421 is released. As a result, the tablet 9 judged to be a good product is discharged to the good product discharge outlet 114 (step S15). The tablets 9 that have fallen from the good product discharge outlet 114 to the good product discharge conveyor 112 are carried out to the outside of the tablet printing device 1 while being placed on the conveyor belt 116. At this time, the suction force of the suction hole 421 near the second limit position P9 is weakened by the second shielding member 452 provided at the second limit position P9 located immediately downstream of the good product discharge position P7 on the conveying path. For this reason, the fine powder generated from the tablet 9 at the time of the above-mentioned release of suction is suppressed from adhering again to the suction hole 421.

[0096] <4. Modifications> Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0097] FIG. 12 is a modified example of the view further enlarging the vicinity of the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7 in FIG. 8 of the above-mentioned embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, in this modified example, the above-mentioned third blow mechanism B3 is not provided. On the other hand, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, a first shielding member 451 is provided at a first limiting position P8 located immediately downstream of the defective product discharge position P6 on the conveying path. In addition, a second shielding member 452B is provided at a second limiting position P9 located immediately downstream of the non-defective product discharge position P7 on the conveying path. The first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452B are each located in the minute gap D1 and are fixed to the lower surface of the receiving member 43 or the housing of the tablet printing device 1. In addition, the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452B each cover the upper part of the three suction holes 421 in the width direction of the second region A2. The first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452B each block a portion of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43. The first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452B may each be fixed to the receiving member 43 or the like and have a structure that blocks a portion of the suction hole 421 of the suction belt 42 instead of blocking a portion of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43.

[0098] The second shielding member 452B of this modification is longer in the conveying direction than the second shielding member 452 in the above embodiment. Therefore, the area of ​​the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 blocked by the second shielding member 452B in this embodiment is larger than the area of ​​the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 blocked by the second shielding member 452 in the above embodiment. As a result, the suction force of the suction hole 421 is considerably weakened in the vicinity of the second limiting position P9. As a result, although gas is not blown from the second blow mechanism B2 to the suction hole 421 of the suction belt 42 at the second limiting position P9, the suction force of the suction hole 421 is considerably weakened, and the tablet 9 is released from the suction belt 42 to the non-defective product discharge port 114 of the non-defective product chute 111 by the suction force of the suction hole 421 being considerably weakened, and the tablet 9 falls naturally from the suction belt 42 to the non-defective product discharge port 114 of the non-defective product chute 111. That is, the second shielding member 452 of this modified example serves as a discharge mechanism that releases the suction of the tablets 9 at the suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42 by blocking at least a part of the through-hole 430 of the receiving member 43 at the second limiting position P9. Note that, as shown in Fig. 12, it is desirable that the non-defective product discharge outlet 114B of the non-defective product chute 111B of this modified example be provided longer in the conveying direction than the non-defective product discharge outlet 114 of the non-defective product chute 111 of the above-mentioned embodiment, in accordance with the length of the second shielding member 452B in the conveying direction.

[0099] As described above, in this modification, the first shielding member 451 and the second shielding member 452B each block a part of the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43, thereby weakening the suction force of the suction holes 421 near the first limiting position P8 and the second limiting position P9 downstream of the defective product discharge position P6 and the non-defective product discharge position P7. This prevents fine powder generated from the tablet 9 from adhering to the suction holes 421 again.

[0100] In the above-mentioned embodiment and modified example, the second shielding member 452B is located in the minute gap D1 and has a structure that blocks the through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 from the lower surface side of the receiving member 43. However, since all the tablets 9 fall from the suction holes 421 to the non-defective product chute 111 after passing the non-defective product discharge position P7, the second shielding member 452B may be located below the suction holes 421 of the suction belt 42 and may have a structure that blocks the suction holes 421 from the lower surface 432 side of the suction belt 42. The second shielding member 452B may have a configuration that causes the tablet 9 to fall from the suction belt 42 by contacting the tablet 9 being conveyed. Even in this case, the suction force of the suction holes 421 near the second limit position P9 downstream of the non-defective product discharge position P7 is weakened. This suppresses the fine powder generated from the tablet 9 from adhering to the suction holes 421 again.

[0101] In the above-mentioned embodiment and modified example, the upper surface 431 (inner surface) of the suction belt 42 faces the opposite side to the lower surface 432 of the suction belt 42 on which the tablet 9 is suctioned and held. The receiving member 43 is disposed across a minute gap D1 from the upper surface 431 of the suction belt 42. The through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 communicates with the space R2 above the receiving member 43 and the minute gap D1. The second suction mechanism 44 has a configuration for sucking out gas from the space R2 above the receiving member 43. However, the positional relationship between them may be different. For example, the receiving member 43 may be disposed across a minute gap D1 from one surface of the suction belt 42 that is different from the surface that suctions and holds the tablet 9. The through hole 430 of the receiving member 43 may be disposed across a minute gap D1 from the space R2 adjacent to the receiving member 43 (located on one side). Moreover, the second suction mechanism 44 may have a configuration for sucking out gas from the space R2 adjacent to the receiving member 43 (located on one side).

[0102] In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the suction holes 421 are arranged at equal intervals in the conveying direction and the width direction on the outer peripheral surface 420 of the suction conveyor 40. However, the suction holes 421 may be arranged at unequal intervals in the conveying direction or the width direction on the outer peripheral surface 420 of the suction conveyor 40. In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, each suction hole 421 is a small hole having a perfect circle shape. However, each suction hole 421 may be a hole having a non-perfect circle shape. In addition, the suction hole 421 may be a slit formed between two belts.

[0103] Furthermore, the tablet printing device 1 in the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples includes a printing unit 60 that performs a printing process on the surfaces of the tablets 9 at a printing position on the transport path of the suction conveyor 40. However, the tablet printing device 1 may also include other processing units, such as a packaging device that packages the tablets 9. That is, in the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples, the "printing position" should be read as the "processing position", the "printing process" as the "predetermined process", and "determining the quality of the printed state of the tablet" as "determining the quality of the processed state of the tablet".

[0104] In the above-described embodiment, each of the first inclined drum 91 to the sixth inclined drum 96 has a conical side surface. However, the shape of the side surface of the first inclined drum 91 to the sixth inclined drum 96 may be a polygonal pyramid such as a quadrangular pyramid, a hexagonal pyramid, or an octagonal pyramid.

[0105] In the above embodiment, the printing unit 60 is provided with four heads 61. However, the number of heads 61 included in the printing unit 60 may be one to three, or may be five or more.

[0106] In addition, the detailed configuration of the device may differ from that shown in each drawing of the present application. Furthermore, the elements appearing in the above-described embodiment and modified examples may be appropriately combined to the extent that no contradiction occurs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0107] 1 Tablet printing equipment 9 tablets 10 Feeder 20 Transport Conveyor 21 Pulley 22 Conveyor belt 30 Suction drum 40 Suction conveyor 41 Pulley 42 Suction Belt 43 Supporting member 44 Second suction mechanism 50 Camera No. 1 60 Printing Department 61 Head 70 Second Camera 80 Drying mechanism 90 Reversal mechanism 100 Defective Goods Collection Agency 101 Defective Product Shoot 102 Defective product collection port 103 Nozzle 110 Good product discharge mechanism 111,111B Good Product Shoot 112 Good product discharge conveyor 113 Cover 114,114B Good product outlet 115 Pulley 116 Conveyor Belt 117 Nozzle 120 Control section 301 Adsorption hole 302 1st suction mechanism 420 Outer surface 421 Adsorption hole 430 Through hole 451 First shielding member 452, 452B Second shielding member A1 1st area A2 2nd area B2 Second blow mechanism B3 3rd blow mechanism D1 Micro gap P6 Defective product discharge position P7 Good product discharge position P8 First limit position P9 Second limit position R2 space

Claims

1. A conveying and processing device that conveys a plurality of granular objects and performs a predetermined process, an adsorption belt having a plurality of adsorption holes, which adsorbs and holds the granular material in the adsorption holes and moves the granular material along a predetermined conveying path; a receiving member disposed at a small gap from one surface of the suction belt; a negative pressure generating unit that generates a negative pressure in a space located on one side of the receiving member; a determination unit that determines whether a processing state of the granular material is good or bad at a determination position on the transport path; a defective product discharge mechanism that applies positive pressure to the suction holes that adsorb and hold the granular object determined to be a defective product by the determination unit at a defective product discharge position downstream of the determination position on the conveying path, thereby releasing the suction of the granular object in the suction holes and causing the granular object to fall into a defective product recovery port; a non-defective product discharge mechanism that applies positive pressure to the suction holes that adsorb and hold the granular object determined to be a non-defective product by the determination unit at a non-defective product discharge position downstream of the defective product discharge position on the conveying path, thereby releasing the suction of the granular object in the suction holes and causing the granular object to fall into a non-defective product discharge port; having The receiving member has a through hole that communicates the space with the minute gap, Each of the plurality of suction holes penetrates the suction belt and communicates with the minute gap; a first blocking member that blocks at least a part of the through hole of the receiving member and the suction hole of the suction belt at a first limiting position that is located immediately downstream of the defective product discharge position on the conveying path; a second blocking member that blocks at least a part of the through hole of the receiving member and the suction hole of the suction belt at a second limiting position that is located immediately downstream of the non-defective product discharge position on the conveying path; and and The non-defective product discharge outlet is located above the defective product recovery outlet.

2. The conveying and processing device according to claim 1 , the defective product discharge mechanism is a blow mechanism that releases the suction of the granular material determined to be a defective product in the suction hole by applying a positive pressure to the suction hole in which the granular material determined to be a defective product is suction-held at the defective product discharge position, The good product discharge mechanism is a blow mechanism that releases the suction of the granular material in the suction hole by applying positive pressure to the suction hole in which the granular material determined to be a good product is adsorbed and held at the good product discharge position, in a conveying and processing device.

3. A conveying and processing device according to claim 1 or claim 2, a processing section for performing the predetermined processing on a surface of the granular material at a processing position on the transport path; and The determination position is located downstream of the processing position on the transport path.

4. A conveying and processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, At least a portion of the first shielding member is positioned in the minute gap and blocks at least a portion of the through hole of the receiving member.

5. A conveying and processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A conveying and processing device, wherein the granular matter has a greater lightness in the Munsell color system than a lightness of an outer surface of the suction belt that suctions and holds the granular matter.

6. A conveying and processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A conveying and processing device, wherein the granular material is a tablet or tablet confectionery other than coated tablets, sugar-coated tablets, and capsule tablets.

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