Transportation means

Abstract

To provide a highly versatile conveying means capable of sending out articles in a stable posture without tilting them even if the width of the articles is changed during continuous conveying, when driving / stopping intermittent conveying, or when transferring between processes, etc. [Solution] In a conveying means including a sending means and a moving resistance adding means 20, the sending means has a pair of fingers 10 that contact the left and right sides of the upstream back surface of the article 201 in the conveying direction and slide parallel downstream to send out the article, and the moving resistance adding means 20 is arranged between the pair of fingers 10 and adds central moving resistance only to the lower surface of the article without pinching the article from above and below, making the central moving resistance greater than the moving resistance generated on the left and right sides of the article, so that when the pair of fingers 10 are moving or stopped, even if the magnitude of the moving resistance generated on the left and right is different, the posture of the article during movement is stabilized so that it does not tilt to the left or right.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a highly versatile conveying means capable of sending out an article in a stable position without tilting the article even when the width of the article being conveyed is changed.

[0002] Specifically, the present invention relates to a conveying means that uses a pair of fingers to send out articles of different widths in a stable position without tilting them to the left or right. The conveying means may be applied to either continuous or intermittent conveying, and is not limited to a conveying line that conveys articles in a linear manner, but may also be a circular conveying machine that conveys articles in a vertical direction.

[0003] The items to be transported are preferably packaged sheet bodies that tend to be of uneven thickness, or PTP sheets that may twist, or PTP sheets made of aluminum foil that are easily scratched, but are not limited to flat sheet bodies and may also be applied to laminates, strapped stacks, packages, etc. [Background technology]

[0004] For example, a packaging sheet in which granules are packed does not necessarily have a uniform thickness due to the particle size of the granules. In addition, a PTP sheet in which tablets are arranged and stored is formed by inserting the tablets into the tablet storage section, heat welding the back sheet, and then punching out, so that distortion due to heat or punching out may cause twisting.

[0005] From upstream to downstream, the sheet body is shipped through a lamination process, a strapping process, a pillow bag packaging process, a boxing process, etc. In each of these processes, the sheet body or a stack of sheet bodies is pushed along a conveyor line by a pair of fingers on the left and right, and is delivered to the downstream process via the delivery section of each process.

[0006] In addition, the conveying means for conveying the sheet body is provided with guide walls that support both sides of the sheet body so as to prevent the sheet body from falling off to the side. When the width of the sheet body becomes wider due to the amount and shape of the contents of the sheet body, the positions of the pair of left and right fingers do not change, and only the positions of the guide walls on both sides that support the sheet body are expanded, preventing the sheet body from falling off.

[0007] In this case, the distance from the finger to the side guide wall becomes large, and the sheet body tends to rotate around the downwardly convex part due to unevenness in thickness or twisting of the sheet body, and the sheet body may be sent out tilted to the left or right. In particular, if the sheet body tilts to the left or right at the delivery position when moving to the next process, the sheet body may become clogged or damaged, and the conveying line may be stopped to remove the sheet body, which is one of the factors that reduces production efficiency.

[0008] On the other hand, in order to protect the quality of the contents of the sheet, the use of PTP sheets in which the tablet storage area is made of an aluminum foil sheet that does not transmit ultraviolet light is also becoming more widespread. However, when both the front sheet and back sheet on which the tablet storage area is formed are made of aluminum foil, there is an issue that the tablet storage area becomes easily dented and scratched during transportation.

[0009] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for a conveying means that prevents the PTP sheet from losing its posture due to the inertial force generated when the intermittent conveyance is stopped, and enables stable conveyance. Specifically, an upper guide plate is provided above the conveying path, and a push-up member equipped with a biasing means is provided below the conveyance stop position, so that the PTP sheet is sandwiched between the upper guide plate and the push-up member at the conveyance stop position.

[0010] Even when intermittent transport stops, the PTP sheet is sandwiched from above and below, so it is said that it can be sent to the downstream inverting device without losing its position due to the inertial force that accompanies the movement. However, with this technology, since the PTP sheet is slid while being sandwiched from above and below, if the PTP sheet is made of aluminum foil, there is a possibility that the tablet storage section will be damaged.

[0011] Patent Document 2 discloses a packaging device technology that allows the user to select whether or not to use a band. According to this technology, after the PTP sheets are sent to the direction changing means downstream of the band, a top plate is provided as an auxiliary guide, so that even if the PTP sheets are not banded, the overlapped state will not shift.

[0012] In addition, with this technology, the stack is turned upside down and handed over by a single inverting conveyor. Therefore, if the item is a PTP sheet, it is handed over with the tablet storage section facing downwards. If the tablet storage section is made of aluminum foil, which is easily scratched, there is a problem that if it is conveyed downstream in this state, the tablet storage section facing downwards is likely to be scratched.

[0013] The applicant has implemented a technology of a conveying means that conveys a stack by inverting it by using two inverting conveyors in succession. With this technology, when the stack received in the receiving section of the first inverting conveyor and the stack strapped by the first inverting conveyor are handed over from the second inverting conveyor, they can be conveyed with their tops and bottoms facing the same direction, and damage to the tablet storage section during the conveying process can be suppressed.

[0014] According to this technology, first, PTP sheets are stacked to form a stack during the upstream transport process, and the stack (hereinafter also referred to as a stack) received at the receiving section of the first reversing conveying machine is banded in a lapped manner in the first reversing conveying machine to integrate it into a stack, and then passed on to the second reversing conveying machine via the transfer section.

[0015] However, because the PTP sheet has a tag on one end of its long side that lists the name and ingredients of the drug, even when the PTP sheets are integrated into a single stack, they do not form a completely symmetrical shape. As a result, they occasionally tilt to the left or right at the downstream transfer point, making it necessary to temporarily stop the transport to prevent them from falling off or getting caught. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0016] Patent Document 1: JP 2015-74559 A Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-187007 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0017] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a highly versatile conveying means that can send out articles in a stable posture without tilting them, even if the width of the article changes, during continuous conveying, when intermittent conveying is started or stopped, or when transferring between each process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0018] The first invention of the present invention is a conveying means for conveying articles of uneven thickness, comprising an output means and a movement resistance adding means, the output means having a pair of fingers which contact the left and right sides of the upstream back surface of the article in the conveying direction and slide parallel downstream to send out the article, the movement resistance adding means being arranged between the pair of fingers and adding a central movement resistance only to the lower surface of the article without pinching the article from above and below, the central movement resistance being greater than the movement resistance generated on the left and right sides of the article, and when the pair of fingers are moving or stopped, even if the magnitude of the movement resistance generated on the left and right is different, the posture of the article during movement is stabilized so that it does not tilt to the left or right.

[0019] The article having a non-uniform thickness is not limited to an uneven packaged sheet, a twisted PTP sheet, or an asymmetrical stack, and may be a box whose center of gravity is not in the center because the contents are non-uniform. The conveying means is not limited to a linear conveying line, and may be a circular conveying machine or a reversing conveying machine.

[0020] The movement resistance adding means may be provided along the entire conveying line, or may be provided only at stop positions of intermittent conveying, positions for transferring articles between processes, etc., and may add movement resistance by contacting the articles, or may apply central movement resistance by applying negative pressure without contacting the articles. The top surface of the movement resistance adding means may be flat, or the central portion may be recessed.

[0021] The central resistance is applied to the inside of a pair of fingers of the conveying means and is set to be a resistance greater than the resistance on the outside of the fingers on the left and right. This prevents the article from being sent out tilted to the left or right even if the resistance on the outside of the fingers is different during conveying, stopping, or article delivery.

[0022] According to the first invention, during continuous conveying, when moving or stopping in intermittent conveying, or when transferring between processes, articles can be transferred in a stable posture without being tilted left or right, which provides an unprecedented advantageous effect of maintaining production efficiency without stalling conveying.

[0023] A second aspect of the present invention is the conveying means of the first aspect, characterized in that the movement resistance adding means includes a resin member, and the resin member is in contact with a lower surface of the article.

[0024] The material of the resin member may be any material that generates frictional resistance when in contact with the lower surface of the article, and is not limited to polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, etc., as long as it does not soil the article and is durable. According to the second invention, there is an effect that the lower surface of the article is less likely to be soiled, and the maintenance and management of the conveying means is easy.

[0025] A third invention of the present invention is a conveying means of the second invention, characterized in that the width of the resin member is narrower than the spacing between the pair of fingers, and the height of each of the left and right outer edges of the resin member is higher than the center of the resin member and the conveying reference surface.

[0026] The height of the conveying reference surface may be the height of the conveying surface outside the fingers. If the height of the left and right outer edges of the resin member is about 3 mm higher than the conveying reference surface, it is preferable because the center movement resistance is easily generated effectively even if the PTP sheet forming the article is changed to a wide width and twisted. If the upstream production process is a process in which twisting is unlikely to occur in the article, the height of the left and right outer edges is not limited.

[0027] In addition, the inner height of the resin member is lower than the left and right outer edges, and it is sufficient that the resin member is formed in a concave shape with the center lowered toward the conveying direction, and is not limited to the height of the conveying reference surface. According to the third invention, even if the width of the article is changed and the central bottom of the article is twisted downwardly in a convex manner, the article and the left and right outer edges of the resin member can be brought into contact with each other, and the center movement resistance can be effectively applied.

[0028] A fourth invention of the present invention is a conveying means of the first invention, characterized in that the movement resistance adding means includes a flat body and a negative pressure generating means, the flat body faces the lower surface of the article, and the negative pressure generating means generates negative pressure on the flat body directed toward the lower surface of the article, thereby adding the central movement resistance.

[0029] According to the fourth invention, negative pressure is generated in the flat plate, and the negative pressure attracts the article, generating a center movement resistance. Since the center movement resistance is applied from the flat plate toward the lower surface of the article, it is not necessary to increase the negative pressure, and even if the article is an aluminum foil PTP sheet, it is difficult to damage it, and dust is not scattered and is not mixed into the article.

[0030] The fifth aspect of the present invention is the conveying means of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, further comprising a pair of guide walls, the pair of guide walls being arranged on the left and right of the article in a direction intersecting the conveying direction, and being capable of changing positions symmetrically across the pair of fingers. The guide walls only need to be spaced apart from the article by a distance that does not tilt the article, and they do not have to be in contact with the article.

[0031] According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, guide walls are provided to sandwich the article on both sides, preventing the article from falling off the conveying path. In addition, since the guide walls are symmetrically changeable in position, the conveying means can be used as a conveying means for articles of different widths simply by changing the position of the guide walls, which has the effect of increasing the versatility of the conveying means.

[0032] The sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the first to fourth conveying means include a first inversion conveying machine and a second inversion conveying machine, the articles being a stack of PTP sheets, the first inversion conveying machine and the second inversion conveying machine have a plurality of stack holding sections arranged radially around their respective rotation axes and function as a transfer means for inverting the stack and transferring it, each of the stack holding sections has a pair of holding claws that hold the left and right sides of the stack that are outboard of the center, in the first inversion conveying machine, the rotation space between the pair of holding claws functions as a space for banding the stack in a palm-to-palm style, and the movement resistance adding means is provided in at least one of the first inversion conveying machine or the second inversion conveying machine, inside the pair of holding claws, at the transfer position from the first inversion conveying machine to the second inversion conveying machine.

[0033] At the transfer position from the first reversing conveyor to the second reversing conveyor, it is preferable that both the first reversing conveyor and the second reversing conveyor are provided with a center movement resistance adding means, but if at least one of the first reversing conveyor or the second reversing conveyor is provided with a center movement resistance adding means, the posture can be stabilized. Also, at the transfer position from the second reversing conveyor, the stack can be transported in the same up-down posture as the posture at the receiving position of the first reversing conveyor.

[0034] According to the sixth invention, the stack holding section does not have to clamp the stack from the top and bottom, which makes it possible to suppress damage to the stack, which is easily damaged when transferred to the downstream conveying line, and also has the effect of stabilizing the posture of the stack at the transfer position without changing its posture. Effect of the Invention

[0035] According to the first aspect of the present invention, during continuous conveying, when moving or stopping in intermittent conveying, or when transferring between processes, articles can be transferred in a stable position without being tilted left or right, which provides an unprecedented advantageous effect of maintaining production efficiency without stagnation of conveying. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the lower surface of the article is less likely to be soiled, and maintenance and management of the conveying means is easy. According to the third aspect of the present invention, even if the width of the article is changed and the central bottom of the article is twisted convexly downward, the article can be brought into contact with the left and right outer edges of the resin member, thereby providing effective resistance to central movement.

[0036] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, even if the article is a PTP sheet made of aluminum foil, the article is unlikely to be damaged, and dust is not scattered or mixed into the article. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, by simply changing the position of the guide wall, the conveying means can be used as a conveying means for articles of different widths, thereby increasing the versatility of the conveying means. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress damage to the stack, which is easily damaged when transferred to the downstream conveying line, and it is also possible to stabilize the posture of the stack at the transfer position without changing its posture. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0037] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a pharmaceutical manufacturing process (Example 1). [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of changing the width of a PTP sheet (Example 1). [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of delivery by two reversing conveyors (Example 1). [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a movement resistance adding means using a negative pressure generating means (Example 2). [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of strapping by the first reversing conveyor (Example 3). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] Even if the width of a fragile item is changed, by simply changing some of the parts of the conveying means, a resin member with left and right outer edges higher than the center and the conveying reference surface is provided between the pair of fingers so that the item can be conveyed in a stable posture using the same conveying line. Even if the center of the item is twisted convexly, the highly versatile conveying means can convey the item without tilting it to the left or right. EXAMPLES

[0039] In the first embodiment, a conveying means 1 capable of conveying articles in a stable position without tilting them will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, taking as an example a pharmaceutical manufacturing line 100 in which tablets are stored in PTP sheets and the PTP sheets are packed and boxed as an aggregate. Fig. 1(A) shows the process up to the point where the PTP sheets are made into an aggregate, and Fig. 1(B) shows a simplified diagram of the process up to the point where the aggregate is strapped, changed in direction, and packaged in a pillow bag. Fig. 1(C) shows a simplified diagram of the operation of fingers that send out articles on the conveying line.

[0040] Fig. 2(A) shows a plan view of a narrow PTP sheet being conveyed, Fig. 2(B) shows a cross-sectional view of position B in Fig. 2(A), Fig. 2(C) shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a wide PTP sheet warped downward, and Fig. 2(D) shows a plan view of a wide PTP sheet being conveyed.

[0041] Fig. 2(E-1) shows a cross-sectional view of a wide PTP sheet when it is warped downward, and Fig. 2(E-2) shows a cross-sectional view of a wide PTP sheet when it is warped upward. Fig. 3(A) shows an explanatory diagram of a movement resistance adding means when the sheet is reversed and conveyed using two reverse conveyors, and Fig. 3(B) shows a cross-sectional view of position B in Fig. 3(A).

[0042] First, in pharmaceutical production line 100 (see Figure 1), starting from the upstream side, a tablet storage section molding machine 101 forms a tablet storage section in a top sheet, a tablet inserter 102 inserts tablets into the tablet storage section, the tablet storage section is closed by a back sheet supplied by a back sheet supplyer 103, and the top sheet and back sheet are welded together by a welding machine 104.

[0043] Furthermore, the PTP sheet is punched and cut into a desired planar shape by a sheet cutter 105. Then, a plurality of PTP sheets are stacked in a desired stacking manner by a stacking device 106 to form an stack (see FIG. 1(A)). Furthermore, the stack 200 is transported to a first reversing conveyor 107 with its long side facing downstream, and while the first reversing conveyor 107 is rotating and reversing, the stack 200 is strapped, photographed, inspected, and the like, and then delivered to a second reversing conveyor 108. The stack transported from the second reversing conveyor is changed in direction by a direction changer 109 so that its short side faces downstream, and is transported further downstream to be packed into a pillow bag 110.

[0044] The PTP sheets may be stacked with tablet storage sections between the sheet cutter 105 and the stacking device 106, and the stacking mode is not limited, but for ease of understanding, the stacking process is omitted in the pharmaceutical production line 100. In the first embodiment, the article is described as a PTP sheet, but the article is not limited to this and may be a package sheet containing a powdered drug, paper sheets such as a paper bundle, a flat packaging box, etc., as a matter of course.

[0045] The conveying mode is often, but not limited to, continuous conveying at a predetermined speed from the formation of the tablet storage section to the punching and cutting of the PTP sheet (see the thin black arrows in Fig. 1(A) and Fig. 1(B)), and intermittent conveying after the PTP sheet is formed (see the hollow arrows in Fig. 1(A) and Fig. 1(B)). In the stacking section 111 of the accumulating device 106, the PTP sheets intermittently conveyed by the fingers along the conveying line are stacked on top of the PTP sheets that have been lowered in sequence to form a predetermined number of stacks 200.

[0046] The stacking unit 111, which holds the specified number of stacks, is raised to the height of the original conveying line, and the stacks are conveyed by the fingers from the stacking unit to a waiting location 112 of the first inverting conveyor. The fingers transfer the stacks from the waiting location to an empty stack holding unit of the first inverting conveyor 107, which has four stack holding units at 90 degree intervals. The area from the waiting location to the empty stack holding unit is set as the stack transfer position.

[0047] The delivered stack is rotated intermittently 1 / 4 of a turn clockwise to a position where it is strapped, photographed, inspected, etc., and then rotated intermittently 1 / 4 of a turn clockwise to stop at a transfer location for the second inverting conveyor 108. The empty stack holder of the second inverting conveyor is open toward this transfer location. The area from this transfer location to the empty stack holder forms the transfer location for the two inverting conveyors.

[0048] After being delivered to the second reversing conveyor at the delivery position, the stack is rotated 1 / 2 turn clockwise and directed toward direction changer 109, where it is sent out by the fingers. In the direction changer, the conveying direction is rotated 90 degrees (see the thick black arrow in FIG. 1(B)), and the short side direction is directed downstream, after which the stack is sent out by the fingers to pillow bag 110.

[0049] When sending out linearly the same distance on a plane, fingers can be protruded from the endless belt and the endless belt can be rotated intermittently. However, the moving distance and movement of the fingers differ when sending out linearly on the conveyor line, when sending out from the conveyor line to a reversing conveyor, when sending out at a transfer position between two reversing conveyors, and when changing direction and sending out a large distance downstream (see the outlined arrows in Figure 1(A) and Figure 1(B)).

[0050] When the finger movement distance and movement motion are different, the finger 10 can be controlled by a cam, link, servo motor, etc. to repeat the horizontal feed motion to send out an article, the horizontal return motion to return to the original position, and the upward motion to make the next article available for sending (see Figure 1(C)).

[0051] Here, a case where the width of the article is changed to a different width, that is, a case where the conveying target is changed from a narrow width PTP sheet 201 to a wide width PTP sheet 202, will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2(A) and Fig. 2(B) show a state where a narrow width PTP sheet 201 is being conveyed. Fig. 2(D), Fig. 2(E-1), and Fig. 2(E-2) show a state where a wide width PTP sheet 202 is being conveyed.

[0052] The PTP sheet is pushed from the upstream rear side by a pair of fingers 10, 10 and sent out (see the outlined arrow in Figure 2(A)). Between the pair of fingers is disposed a movement resistance adding means 20 made of a resin member. The resin member is wide enough not to contact the pair of fingers 10, 10, and has a concave cross-sectional shape with left and right outer edges 21 higher than a central portion 22. The height difference (α) between the left and right outer edges 21 and the central portion 22 is 3 mm. Furthermore, the height of the transport reference surface 30 of the transport rail outside the fingers is the same as the central portion 22.

[0053] In addition, a pair of L-shaped resin members, each having a bottom 40 and a wall 41, are attached symmetrically to the top surface of the transport rail so that the wall 41 sandwiches the narrow PTP sheet 201 with a small gap between them. Even if the central bottom 203 of the narrow PTP sheet is slightly warped downward, the convex portion of the central bottom 203 is spaced from the central portion 22 of the recess of the resin member, so that the PTP sheet 201 does not rotate horizontally around the convex portion when transported by the pair of fingers 10, 10 (see FIG. 2B).

[0054] Now, when a wide PTP sheet 202 is to be transported on the same transport line, the pair of L-shaped resin members that sandwiched the PTP sheet from the left and right are replaced. The L-shaped resin members may be attached to the bottom surface of the transport rail so that the walls 51 sandwich the wide PTP sheet with a small gap between them, and the bottoms 50 are attached to the bottom surface of the transport rail so that they are symmetrical along the transport rail.

[0055] The wide PTP sheet 202 is likely to have a larger height difference (β) in the warp than the narrow PTP sheet 201 due to residual stress caused by heat or punching depending on the width, and may be about 1 mm. In the first embodiment, the left and right outer edges 21 of the recess are provided with a height difference (α) of 3 mm from the center 22 and the transport reference surface 30, so even if the bottom surface of the wide PTP sheet 202 is warped downward or upward by 1 mm (see Figures 4(E-1) and 4(E-2)), the bottom surface of the PTP sheet does not come into contact with the transport path at a position outside the fingers 10, 10, and the PTP sheet is transported in a state in which a central movement resistance is generated only by the left and right outer edges 21 of the resin member forming the movement resistance adding means.

[0056] The pair of fingers pushes out articles that come into contact with the conveying rail only between the fingers, in other words, articles that generate central movement resistance only between the fingers, so that even articles that are prone to warping can be pushed out without tilting to the left or right, and the article can be transported in a stable posture.

[0057] Here, a case where two reversing conveyors are used in succession to reverse and convey a stack will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3(A) shows a side view, and Fig. 3(B) shows a cross-sectional view at position B in Fig. 3(A). In Fig. 3(A), the PTP sheet and fingers before delivery are shown in solid lines, and the PTP sheet and fingers after delivery are shown in thin dashed lines. The movement resistance adding means is shown in thick dashed lines.

[0058] A continuous movement resistance adding means 20 is provided at each of the first transfer position 113 from the upstream conveying line to the receiving part of the first reversing conveying machine, the second transfer position 114 from the transfer part of the first reversing conveying machine to the receiving part of the second reversing conveying machine, and the third transfer position 115 from the transfer part of the second reversing conveying machine to the downstream conveying line. The shape of the movement resistance adding means 20 is preferably a shape with a recess in the center, but if the integrated stack is not warped, it may be a resin member with a flat top surface.

[0059] If the integrated stack 200 is not warped and is unlikely to tilt at the transfer position, the movement resistance adding means 20 may be provided only on either the upstream or downstream side of each of the first transfer position 113 to the third transfer position 115, and the manner in which the movement resistance adding means 20 is provided can be determined depending on the product precision of the items transported from upstream.

[0060] At the first transfer position 113, a movement resistance adding means is provided inside a pair of left and right holding claws forming the stack holding section of the first inverting conveyor. Each holding claw is composed of an upper holding claw 120 and a lower holding claw 121. At the first transfer position 113, the bottom surface of the PTP sheet forming the stack 200 is supported only by the movement resistance adding means 20, and is slightly spaced from the upper holding claw 120 forming the stack holding section, so that the tablet storage section does not come into contact with the upper holding claw 120. In addition, a shaft body 123 that supports the stack is provided at the back of the stack holding section. It is preferable to position the height of the movement resistance adding means higher than the height of the lower holding claw.

[0061] After the stack is received in a stable position at the first transfer position, the stack 200 supported by the shaft 123, the upper holding claw 120, and the lower holding claw 121 is rotated 1 / 4 revolution clockwise around the first reversing conveyor 107, where strapping, imaging inspection, etc. are performed. It is further rotated 1 / 4 revolution clockwise, and the stack is turned upside down to reach the second transfer position 114. At the second transfer position 114, the tablet storage section of the stack is at the bottom, but the strap portion is in contact with the movement resistance adding means 20 (Fig. 3(B)). At the second transfer position 114, the stack 200 is sent out by the finger 10 to the receiving position of the second reversing conveyor.

[0062] When the second reversing conveyor 108 rotates 1 / 2 a turn clockwise, the stack 200 is turned upside down, and with the bottom surfaces of the PTP sheets constituting the stack facing downward, the stack can be conveyed by the fingers 10 downstream from the third delivery position 115, which is at the same height as the first delivery position. Since two reversing conveyors that are line-symmetrical with respect to the vertical center line of the second delivery position 114 are connected in succession to turn the stack one revolution, the heights of the first delivery position 113 and the third delivery position 115 can be made the same, which is preferable because the height of the pharmaceutical production line 100 can be unified. EXAMPLES

[0063] In the second embodiment, the conveying means 2 that causes the negative pressure generating means to function as the movement resistance adding means will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4(A) shows an explanatory diagram of the second transfer position 114 from the first reversing conveying machine to the second reversing conveying machine. Fig. 4(B) shows an explanatory diagram for explaining the mechanism of the negative pressure generating means. In the second and subsequent embodiments, the configurations other than the movement resistance adding means are the same as those in the first embodiment, so the same reference numerals are used and the explanations are omitted.

[0064] In the conveying means 2, negative pressure generating means for generating negative pressure toward the top surface of the downward-facing stack 200 constitutes the movement resistance adding means (see FIG. 4(A)). The negative pressure generating means is composed of a flat plate-like body 60 extending horizontally continuously in the conveying direction, a negative pressure generator 61 for generating negative pressure in the flat plate-like body, and a cylinder 62 extending from the negative pressure generator to the flat plate-like body (see FIG. 4(B)).

[0065] At the second transfer position 114, the flat body 60 is arranged so as to be sandwiched between a pair of left and right retaining claws 120, 121 (see Figure 3(B)), and is set at a height slightly higher than the height of the retaining claws 121 located below on the left and right, and so as to be in contact with the top surface of the downward-facing stack 200, and it is preferable to generate negative pressure only in the area around which the strip is wound.

[0066] The flat plate 60 has small holes 63 arranged regularly facing upward and for transmitting the negative pressure from the cylindrical body (see FIG. 4(B)). Each hole 63 is connected to the cylindrical body 62 via a communication pipe 64. It is preferable to arrange the holes 63 in the flat plate within the range of the band wrapped around the assembly, so that the negative pressure can be transmitted to the assembly 200 efficiently and without waste.

[0067] The shape of the hole 63 is not limited to a circle, and may be a stripe-like slit, or any other shape that can transmit negative pressure. The negative pressure generator 61 is not limited to any particular shape as long as it is a known air pump. The negative pressure generator 61, the cylindrical body 62, and the flat body 60 that constitute the negative pressure generating means are arranged so as to maintain the function of the finger 10 that constitutes the delivery means.

[0068] The negative pressure generating means constituting the movement resistance adding means generates a negative pressure toward the top surface of the stack facing downward at the second transfer position 114, and adds a center movement resistance to the stack between the pair of fingers 10, 10. Since a center movement resistance larger than the movement resistance generated on the left and right sides of the articles by the holding claws is added, the stack 200 can be transferred without tilting left and right. EXAMPLES

[0069] In the third embodiment, a first reversing conveyor that functions as a strapping means and is equipped with a movement resistance adding means will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5(A) shows a cross-sectional view of the first reversing conveyor 107, and Fig. 5(B) shows an explanatory diagram of a strapping method using a lapped edge attachment. In the first reversing conveyor 107, the strapping means is disposed at a strapping position 130 where the stack holding section is rotated 1 / 4 of a turn clockwise from the first transfer position. The strapping means is composed of a strap supplying means, a winding means, a folding back means, a heat welding means, and a cutting means.

[0070] The supply means comprises a supply roll 132 on which the strip 131 is wound in a roll shape, and a take-up roll 133 which takes up the strip. In the case of a product which does not require strapping, the supply roll 132 and take-up roll 133 can be removed and the product can be passed through this position without strapping.

[0071] The strip 131 is supplied from the supply roll to the take-up roll and passed between the left and right holding claws 120, 121 of the first reversing conveyor. Therefore, when the stack 200 is reversed and conveyed to the strapping position 130, the middle part of the stretched strip 131 is wound on the downstream side of the stack. For the other three sides, the folding means is lowered along the winding means to wind the strip around the stack.

[0072] In the palm-attached type, the strip 131 is wrapped around the center of the stack, and then the inner faces of the strip are overlapped and attached together for heat welding, and the strip is cut at the heat-welded portion (see FIG. 5(B)). Therefore, part of the heat-welded portion of the strip is attached to the strip wound around the stack, and the remaining part is attached to the strip that is connected and extends between the supply roll and the take-up roll. The take-up roll 133 takes up a predetermined length of the strip each time a strip is wrapped around the stack, so that the strip to be wound around the next stack does not have multiple heat-welded portions.

[0073] The winding means comprises a first lifting plate 134 which presses the strip against the top of the stack and winds it around, and a second lifting plate 135 which presses the strip against the bottom of the stack and winds it around (see Fig. 5(A)). The folding means comprises a plate-like body 136 with a thickness equivalent to the thermal welding width of the strip, and a lifting means for it. Below the plate-like body are a heat sealer 137 which constitutes the thermal welding means, and a lifting means for it (see Fig. 5(A)).

[0074] The heat sealers 137 are arranged adjacent to each other with a gap between the upstream heat sealer and the downstream heat sealer. A cutting blade 138 that protrudes slightly from the top surface of the heat sealer is provided in the gap as a cutting means. The cutting blade 138 is raised and lowered together with the pair of heat sealers, and divides the heat-sealed portion of the strip 131 into a downstream side and an upstream side (see FIG. 5(A)).

[0075] To heat-seal the strip, a plate-like member 136 forming the folding means folds the strip extending from the supply roll downward along the stack (see FIG. 5(A)). Then, at the position of the lower corner ridge of the stack, the stacked strips are sandwiched and heat-sealed by the plate-like member forming the folding means and the heat sealer forming the heat-sealing means, and the heat-sealed portion is cut by a cutting blade, completing the wrapping of the strip around the stack (see FIG. 5(B)).

[0076] The movement resistance adding means 140 disposed at the first transfer position 113 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the unstrapped stack 200 sandwiched between the left and right holding claws 120, 121, and receives the stack at the first transfer position without tilting it. The movement resistance adding means 141 disposed at the second transfer position 114 transfers the strapped stack sandwiched between the left and right holding claws to the second reversing conveyor 108 without tilting it, preventing the stack from falling off or becoming defective in the downstream process.

[0077] (others) In each embodiment, in order to facilitate understanding, the first reversing conveyor 107 and the second reversing conveyor 108 are simply described as having the same shape, and the guide walls 41, 51 provided on the sides of the articles are simply described, but it goes without saying that the shape of the guide walls is not limited. In the first and second embodiments, different types of movement resistance adding means have been described, but a movement resistance adding means having a type suitable for the application position may be appropriately selected and applied. In the first embodiment, for ease of understanding, an example has been described in which a warped PTP sheet is treated as the article and the sides of the PTP sheet do not come into contact with the conveying rail. However, even if the article comes into contact with the conveying rail, it is of course sufficient that the central movement resistance added by the movement resistance adding means is greater than the movement resistance of both sides. The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above description but is indicated by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1...conveying means, 2...conveying means, 10...finger, 20...movement resistance adding means, 21...left and right outer edges, 22...center, 30...conveyance reference surface, 40...bottom, 41...Wall part, 50...Bottom part, 51...Wall part, 60...flat plate-like body, 61...negative pressure generator, 62...cylindrical body, 63...hole, 64...communicating pipe, 100: pharmaceutical manufacturing line; 101: tablet storage molding machine; 102: tablet inserting machine; 103: back sheet supplying machine, 104: welding machine, 105: sheet cutting machine, 106: stacking device; 107: first inverting conveyor; 108: second inverting conveyor; 109: direction changer, 110: pillow bag body, 111: stacking section, 112: waiting area, 113...first delivery position, 114...second delivery position, 115...third delivery position, 120...Upper holding claw, 121...Downward holding claw, 123...Shaft body, 130: strapping position; 131: strap body; 132: supply roll; 133...winding roll, 134...first lift plate, 135...second lift plate, 136: plate-shaped body, 137: heat sealer, 138: cutting blade, 140...movement resistance adding means, 141...movement resistance adding means 200...aggregate; 201...narrow width PTP sheet; 202…Wide PTP sheet, 203…Center bottom

Claims

1. In a conveying means for conveying an object having a non-uniform thickness, A sending means and a movement resistance adding means are included, the delivery means includes a pair of fingers that contact the left and right sides of the upstream rear surface of the article and slide in parallel downstream to deliver the article; the movement resistance adding means is disposed between the pair of fingers and adds a central movement resistance only to the lower surface of the article without pinching the article from above and below; the central movement resistance is greater than the movement resistance occurring on the left and right sides of the article, When the pair of fingers are moving or stopped, even if the magnitude of the movement resistance generated on the left and right sides is different, the posture of the article during movement is stabilized so that the article does not tilt to the left or right. A transport means characterized by:

2. the movement resistance adding means includes a resin member, The resin member is in contact with the lower surface of the article.

2. The conveying means according to claim 1.

3. The width of the resin member is narrower than the distance between the pair of fingers, the height of each of the left and right outer edges of the resin member is higher than the center of the resin member and a transport reference surface; 3. The conveying means according to claim 2.

4. The movement resistance adding means includes a flat plate-like body and a negative pressure generating means, The flat plate faces the lower surface of the article, the negative pressure generating means generates a negative pressure on the flat plate toward the lower surface of the article, thereby adding the center movement resistance; 2. The conveying means according to claim 1.

5. Further, the pair of guide walls are included. The pair of guide walls are disposed on the left and right of the article in a direction intersecting the conveying direction, and are capable of being symmetrically changed in position with the pair of fingers therebetween. Conveying means according to any one of the preceding claims.

6. A first reversing conveyor and a second reversing conveyor are included, The article is an assembly of PTP sheets, The first and second inverting conveyors each include a plurality of stack holders arranged radially around a rotation axis of the first and second inverting conveyors, and function as a transfer means for transferring the stack by inverting it upside down; Each of the stack holders includes a pair of holding claws that hold the stack on the left and right sides outward from the center of the stack, In the first reversing conveyor, a rotation space between the pair of holding claws functions as a space for banding the stack in a palm-to-palm manner, the movement resistance adding means is provided on at least one of the first reversing conveyor and the second reversing conveyor, at a transfer position from the first reversing conveyor to the second reversing conveyor, on the inside of the pair of holding claws; 5. Conveying means according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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