Granular material supplying device and granular material printing device

Abstract

To suppress the damage of granular materials by eliminating the bridges of granular materials in both of a transfer path and a transfer section while maintaining the throughput of supplying granular materials.SOLUTION: A granular material supply device of the present invention includes: a transfer path 231 formed by spirally winding a wire material and having elasticity in the up and down direction; a lifting member 904 that alternately repeats a first action of moving from a lower position toward an upper position P2 located above the lower position while making contact with the upper and middle parts of the wire material making the transfer path 231 and a second action of returning from the upper position P2 to the lower position without coming into contact with the wire material making the transfer path 231; a transfer section 232 connected to the transfer path 231 and having a wall surface covering the periphery of the granular material; and a vibration generator 91 that vibrates the transfer section 232 by striking the transfer section 232 in synchronization with the action of the lifting member 904.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a granular material supplying device and a granular material printing device, and more particularly to a granular material supplying device that transports granular material downward according to its gravity, and a granular material printing device including the granular material supplying device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in packaging machines (e.g., PTP packaging machines) that package granular materials and printing devices (e.g., tablet printing devices) that print on granular materials, it is known to use a transport path formed by spirally wound wire such as a metal wire to align and transport the granular materials. However, in the spiral transport path, clogging can occur, causing transport to be delayed. Specifically, while the granular materials pass through the transport path, they can become tilted relative to the direction of transport, resulting in a so-called bridge.

[0003] Therefore, the granular material supplying device described in Patent Document 1 includes a transfer path formed by spirally wound wire material and having flexibility in the vertical direction, and a lifting member that performs a first action of moving from a lower position to an upper position located above the lower position while contacting the upper and lower midpoints of the wire material that forms the transfer path. This eliminates bridges that may occur in the granular material in the transfer path, thereby suppressing damage to the granular material and also suppressing a decrease in the throughput of the granular material supply.

[0004] In this way, in the past, when a bridge occurred in the granular material within the transport path, measures were taken such as contacting the upper and lower middle parts of the wire that forms the transport path and lifting the transport path from a lower position to an upper position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-147668 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in general, a cylindrical transfer section is connected to the end of a spiral transfer path. The transfer section is composed of a wall surface that surrounds the granular material. Therefore, compared to a spiral transfer path, the contact area with the granular material is larger, and friction between the granular material and the transfer section is greater. As a result, when the granular material is transferred from the transfer path to the transfer section, friction from the wall surface of the transfer section reduces the transfer speed of the granular material, and bridging may occur. Therefore, even if bridging is eliminated within the transfer path, bridging of granular material may occur within the transfer section located below.

[0007] The present invention has been developed in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a technology that suppresses damage to granular materials by eliminating bridging of granular materials in both the transfer path and the transfer section while maintaining the supply throughput of granular materials. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present application is a granular material supplying device that transfers granular material downwards due to gravity, comprising: a transfer path formed by spirally wound wire material and having flexibility in the vertical direction; a lifting member that alternately performs a first action of moving from a lower position to an upper position located above the lower position while contacting the upper and lower midpoints of the wire material that forms the transfer path; and a second action of returning from the upper position to the lower position without contacting the wire material that forms the transfer path; and a transfer section that is connected to the transfer path and has a wall surface that surrounds the granular material. By utilizing the operation of the lifting member, and a vibration device that vibrates the transfer section by striking the transfer section in synchronization with the operation of the lifting member.

[0009] The second invention of the present application is: A granular material supplying device that transfers granular material downward due to gravity, comprising: a transfer path formed by spirally wound wire material and having vertical flexibility; a lifting member that alternately performs a first action of moving from a lower position to an upper position located above the lower position while contacting a vertical midpoint of the wire material that forms the transfer path; and a second action of returning from the upper position to the lower position without contacting the wire material that forms the transfer path; a transfer section that is connected to the transfer path and has a wall surface that surrounds the granular material; and a vibration device that vibrates the transfer section by hitting the transfer section in synchronization with the action of the lifting member.The vibration device has a movable part that strikes the transfer part by performing a reciprocating motion between a first position and a second position, and the movable part contacts the transfer part at the first position and does not contact the transfer part at the second position.

[0010] A third aspect of the present invention is the granular material supplying device of the second aspect, wherein the second operation includes an operation of moving the movable part from the first position to the second position.

[0011] A fourth invention of the present application is a granular material supplying device of the third invention, wherein the second action includes an action of moving the movable part to the second position by pushing the movable part located at the first position.

[0012] The fifth invention of the present application is a granular material supplying device according to any one of the second to fourth inventions, wherein the vibration device is provided with an oscillating shaft that oscillates the movable part, and the movable part performs the reciprocating motion by oscillating around the oscillating shaft.

[0013] The sixth invention of the present application is a granular material supplying device according to any one of the second to fifth inventions, which is provided with a movement restricting part that restricts the movable part, which has moved from the second position toward the first position, from moving beyond the first position.

[0014] The seventh invention of the present application is a granular material printing device comprising a granular material supplying device according to any one of the first to sixth inventions, and a printing unit that prints on the surface of the granular material supplied to the granular material supplying device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the first to seventh aspects of the present invention, a single mechanism can eliminate bridges of granular materials in the transfer path and transfer section, thereby preventing damage to the granular materials. Furthermore, when eliminating bridges, a decrease in the throughput of the granular materials supply can be prevented.

[0016] In particular, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the operation of the lifting device can be used to operate the vibration device, thereby reducing the number of parts, manufacturing costs, and the size of the device.

[0017] In particular, according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the movable part can be stably held at the first position, and therefore the movable part can be stably reciprocated between the first position and the second position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a particulate printing device including a particulate supply device; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a conveying drum and its surroundings. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a lifting device. [Figure 4A] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state where a bridge of particles occurs in a transport path. [Figure 4B] 4B is a schematic diagram showing the state inside the transfer path when the lifting member is caused to perform a first operation from the state of FIG. 4A. FIG. [Figure 4C] 4C is a schematic diagram showing the state inside the transfer path when the lifting member is caused to perform a second operation from the state of FIG. 4B. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the configuration of a vibration device. [Figure 6A] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of the lifting device and the vibration device when the lifting member comes into contact with the movable part. [Figure 6B] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the states of the lifting device and the vibration device when the movable part reaches a swing position. [Figure 6C] 6C is a diagram showing the state of the lift-up device and the vibration device when the lift-up member continues to rotate from the state shown in FIG. 6B. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the direction in which gravity acts on the granular material will be referred to as "downward," and the opposite direction will be referred to as "upward."

[0020] <1. Configuration of tablet printing device> First, the overall configuration of a tablet printing device (granular material printing device) 1 equipped with a tablet supplying device (granular material supplying device) 23 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 shows a schematic configuration of the tablet printing device 1 for printing on tablets 9 as granular materials. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a conveying drum 30 and the configuration of its periphery.

[0021] The tablet printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is an apparatus that prints images such as the product name, product code, manufacturer name, and logo mark on the surface of each tablet 9 while conveying a plurality of granular tablets 9. As shown in FIG. 1, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment has a hopper 10, a feeder unit 20, a conveying drum 30, a first printing unit 50, a second printing unit 60, an output conveyor 70, and a control unit 80. The tablets 9 of this embodiment are oval tablets. Generally, oval tablets are prone to three-dimensional rotation, which makes bridging more likely to occur during transportation.

[0022] The hopper 10 is an input section for receiving a large number of tablets 9 into the device all at once. The hopper 10 is located at the top of the housing 100 of the tablet printing device 1. The hopper 10 has an opening 11 located on the top surface of the housing 100 and a funnel-shaped inclined surface 12 that gradually converges downward. The tablets 9 input into the opening 11 flow along the inclined surface 12 into a linear feeder 21, which will be described later.

[0023] The feeder unit 20 is a mechanism that transports a plurality of tablets 9 fed into the hopper 10 to the transport drum 30. The feeder unit 20 of this embodiment has a linear feeder 21, a rotary feeder 22, and a supply feeder (granular material supply device) 23. The linear feeder 21 has a flat vibrating trough 211. The plurality of tablets 9 fed from the hopper 10 to the vibrating trough 211 are transported toward the rotary feeder 22 by the vibration of the vibrating trough 211. The rotary feeder 22 has a disk-shaped turntable 221. The plurality of tablets 9 that drop from the vibrating trough 211 onto the upper surface of the turntable 221 are collected near the outer periphery of the turntable 221 by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the turntable 221.

[0024] The supply feeder 23 as a granular material supply device according to this embodiment transports tablets 9 from the outer periphery of the turntable 221 to the transport drum 30. The supply feeder 23 includes a transport path 231, a transport section 232, and a dispensing section 233. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the transport path 231 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The transport path 231 is a path through which tablets 9 pass in order to transport them downward under their gravity. The transport path 231 according to this embodiment is formed by spirally winding a wire 231a such as a metal wire. Therefore, the transport path 231 can expand and contract in the longitudinal direction while expanding and contracting the radial dimension of the spiral formed by the wire 231a. In other words, the transport path 231 is configured as an expandable spring chute (coil pipe).

[0025] As shown in Fig. 2, a plurality of (eight in this embodiment) transfer paths 231 are arranged substantially parallel to one another so as to extend in the vertical direction. Each of the plurality of tablets 9 transported to the outer periphery of the turntable 221 shown in Fig. 1 is supplied to one of the plurality of transfer paths 231 and falls within the transfer path 231, more specifically, within the spiral formed by the wire 231a.

[0026] The transfer units 232 are connected to the lower ends of the multiple transfer paths 231, respectively. The transfer units 232 are fixed to the frame of the tablet printing apparatus 1. The transfer units 232 have walls that cover the tablets 9 on all sides and have a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. The tablets 9 are supplied from one of the transfer paths 231 to the transfer unit 232 connected to the lower end of that transfer path 231. The tablets 9 are stacked in each transfer unit 232 and in each transfer path 231 above it. In this way, the multiple tablets 9 are distributed and supplied to the multiple transfer paths 231 and aligned in multiple (eight in this embodiment) conveyance rows. The transfer units 232 also include a stopper mechanism (not shown) that prevents the tablets 9 from being discharged from the transfer unit 232. The stopper mechanism releases the blocking of the tablets 9 at a timing determined based on the shape of the tablets 9, the rotation speed of the conveyor drum 30, etc. Then, the tablets 9 in each conveyance train are cut out one by one, starting from the bottom, by the cutout unit 233 shown in Figures 1 and 2. The cut tablets 9 in each conveyance train are supplied to the conveyance drum 30.

[0027] In addition to the above-mentioned components, supply feeder 23 is equipped with a lifting device 90 and a vibration device 91 shown in Figures 1 and 3. The specific configurations of lifting device 90 and vibration device 91 will be described in detail later.

[0028] The conveying drum 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a mechanism to which the tablets 9 cut out by the cutting unit 233 are transferred. The conveying drum 30 has a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface. The conveying drum 30 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIGS. 1 and 2 about its central axis by power obtained from a motor (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of holding portions 31 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the conveying drum 30. The holding portions 31 are recesses recessed inward from the outer peripheral surface of the conveying drum 30. The plurality of holding portions 31 are arranged along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the conveying drum 30 at widthwise positions corresponding to each of the plurality of conveying rows described above. In addition, a suction hole 32 is provided at the bottom of each holding portion 31.

[0029] A suction mechanism (not shown) is provided inside the conveying drum 30. When the suction mechanism is operated, a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure is generated in each of the multiple suction holes 32. The holding unit 31 uses this negative pressure to suction and hold the tablets 9 supplied from the supply feeder 23 one by one. A blowing mechanism (not shown) is also provided inside the conveying drum 30. The blowing mechanism blows locally pressurized gas from the inside of the conveying drum 30 toward the conveying conveyor 51 (described later). As a result, the suction state of the tablets 9 is maintained in the holding unit 31 not facing the conveying conveyor 51, while the suction of the tablets 9 is released in the holding unit 31 facing the conveying conveyor 51. In this way, the conveying drum 30 rotates while suction-holding the multiple tablets 9 supplied from the supply feeder 23, and can transfer the tablets 9 to the conveying conveyor 51.

[0030] A state detection camera 33 is provided at a position facing the outer circumferential surface of the conveying drum 30. The state detection camera 33 photographs the tablets 9 conveyed by the conveying drum 30 and transmits the obtained images to the control unit 80. Based on the received images, the control unit 80 detects the presence or absence of tablets 9 in each holding unit 31, the front and back sides of the tablets 9 held in the holding units 31, and the rotation angle.

[0031] The first printing unit 50 is a processing unit for printing an image on one side of the tablet 9. The first printing unit 50 has a transport conveyor 51, a state detection camera 52, a head unit 53, an inspection camera 54, and a fixing unit 55.

[0032] The transport conveyor 51 is a transport mechanism of a known configuration, such as a belt conveyor. A portion of the transport belt 512 of the transport conveyor 51 is disposed so as to closely face the outer circumferential surface of the transport drum 30. The transport belt 512 of the transport conveyor 51 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIGS. 1 and 2 by power obtained from a motor (not shown).

[0033] 2, a plurality of holding portions 513 are provided on the conveyor belt 512 of the conveyor 51. The holding portions 513 are recesses that are recessed inward from the outer surface of the belt of the conveyor 51. The plurality of holding portions 513 are arranged in the conveying direction at widthwise positions corresponding to each of the plurality of conveying rows. The widthwise spacing between the plurality of holding portions 513 on the conveyor belt 512 of the conveyor 51 is equal to the widthwise spacing between the plurality of holding portions 31 on the conveyor drum 30.

[0034] A suction hole 514 is provided at the bottom of each holding section 513. The transport conveyor 51 also has a suction mechanism (not shown) inside the transport belt 512. When the suction mechanism is operated, a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure is generated in each of the multiple suction holes 514. The negative pressure causes the holding section 513 to suction and hold each tablet 9 delivered from the transport drum 30. As a result, the transport conveyor 51 transports the multiple tablets 9 while holding them aligned in multiple transport rows spaced apart in the width direction. The transport belt 512 also has a blow mechanism (not shown). When the blow mechanism is operated, the suction of the tablets 9 in the holding section 413 facing the transport conveyor 61 (described later) is released, and the tablets 9 are delivered from the transport conveyor 51 to the transport conveyor 61.

[0035] The state detection camera 52 is an imaging unit that images the state of the tablets 9 held on the transport conveyor 51, located upstream of the head unit 53 in the transport direction. The state detection camera 52 and the state detection camera 33 image opposite sides of the tablets 9. The images obtained by the state detection camera 52 are transmitted from the state detection camera 52 to the control unit 80. Based on the received images, the control unit 80 detects the presence or absence of tablets 9 in each holding unit 513, the front and back sides, and the rotation angle of the tablets 9 held in the holding units 513.

[0036] The head unit 53 prints on the surface of the tablet 9 by ejecting ink droplets toward the surface of the tablet 9 being transported by the transport conveyor 51. The head unit 53 has a plurality of heads 531 arranged along the transport direction. The plurality of heads 531 eject ink droplets of different colors toward the surface of the tablet 9. In this way, a multi-color image is printed on the surface of the tablet 9.

[0037] The inspection camera 54 is an imaging unit for checking the printing results by the head unit 53. The inspection camera 54 photographs the tablets 9 being transported on the transport belt 512 downstream of the head unit 53 in the transport direction. The inspection camera 54 also transmits the obtained images to the control unit 80. Based on the received images, the control unit 80 inspects whether the images printed on the surface of each tablet 9 have any defects.

[0038] The fixing unit 55 is a mechanism for fixing the ink ejected from the head unit 53 onto the tablet 9. For example, the fixing unit 55 uses a hot air drying heater that blows hot air toward the tablet 9 transported by the transport conveyor 51.

[0039] The second printing unit 60 is a processing unit for printing an image on the other side of the tablets 9 after printing by the first printing unit 50. As shown in FIG. 1, the second printing unit 60 has a conveyor 61, a condition detection camera 62, a head unit 63, an inspection camera 64, a fixing unit 65, and a defective product recovery unit 66. The conveyor 61 holds and transports multiple tablets 9 handed over from the upstream conveyor 51. The condition detection camera 62, upstream of the head unit 63 in the transport direction, photographs the multiple tablets 9 transported by the conveyor 61. The head unit 63 ejects ink droplets toward the surfaces of the tablets 9 transported by the conveyor 61. The inspection camera 64, downstream of the head unit 63 in the transport direction, photographs the multiple tablets 9 transported by the conveyor 61. The fixing unit 65 fixes the ink ejected from each head unit 631 of the head unit 63 onto the tablets 9.

[0040] The configurations and functions of the transport conveyor 61, the status detection camera 62, the head unit 63, the inspection camera 64, and the fixing unit 65 are the same as those of the transport conveyor 51, the status detection camera 52, the head unit 53, the inspection camera 54, and the fixing unit 55 described above, so duplicate explanations will be omitted.

[0041] The defective product recovery section 66 recovers tablets 9 determined to be defective based on the photographed images obtained from the five cameras 33, 52, 54, 62, and 64. The defective product recovery section 66 has a blow mechanism (not shown) disposed inside the transport conveyor 61, and a recovery box 661. When a tablet 9 determined to be defective is transported to the defective product recovery section 66, the blow mechanism blows pressurized gas toward the tablet 9 from inside the transport conveyor 61. This causes the tablet 9 to fall off the transport conveyor 61 and be recovered in the recovery box 661.

[0042] The discharge conveyor 70 is a mechanism that transports a plurality of tablets 9 that have been determined to be non-defective to the outside of the housing 100 of the tablet printing apparatus 1. The upstream end of the discharge conveyor 70 is located below the transport conveyor 61. The downstream end of the discharge conveyor 70 is located outside the housing 100. For example, a known belt transport mechanism is used for the discharge conveyor 70. The plurality of tablets 9 that have passed through the defective product recovery section 66 fall from the transport conveyor 61 onto the upper surface of the discharge conveyor 70 when the suction of the suction holes is released. The discharge conveyor 70 then transports the plurality of tablets 9 to the outside of the housing 100.

[0043] The control unit 80 is a means for controlling the operation of each unit in the tablet printing apparatus 1. The control unit 80 is composed of a computer having a processor such as a CPU, a memory such as RAM, and a storage device such as a hard disk drive. The storage device stores computer programs and data for executing the printing process and the inspection process.

[0044] In addition, the control unit 80 is communicatively connected to the above-mentioned linear feeder 21, rotary feeder 22, conveying drum 30, condition detection camera 33, conveying conveyor 51, condition detection camera 52, head unit 53, inspection camera 54, fixing unit 55, conveying conveyor 61, condition detection camera 62, head unit 63, inspection camera 64, fixing unit 65, defective product recovery unit 66, discharge conveyor 70, and motor 901 described later.

[0045] In addition to the above-mentioned components, a clogging detection sensor 239 shown in FIG. 1 is also communicatively connected to the control unit 80. The clogging detection sensor 239 is a sensor that detects whether or not there is a tablet 9 in the dispensing unit 233. The control unit 80 determines whether or not there is a clogging in the transfer path 231 and the transfer unit 232 based on a signal received from the clogging detection sensor 239. For example, if there is no tablet 9 in the dispensing unit 233 for a predetermined time or longer, the control unit 80 determines that a clogging has occurred in the transfer path 231 or the transfer unit 232. In this case, the control unit 80 may, for example, sound an alarm or turn on an alarm lamp (not shown) to alert the operator of the occurrence of a clogging.

[0046] <2. Configuration of the lifting device> The configuration of the lifting device 90 including the lifting member 904 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the lifting device 90. The lifting device 90 of this embodiment includes a motor 901, a rotating shaft 902, a mounting plate 903, and the lifting member 904.

[0047] The motor 901 is a drive source for the lifting device 90. The motor 901 outputs rotational motion based on a signal supplied from the control unit 80. The rotating shaft 902 rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the output shaft of the motor 901. In this embodiment, the rotating shaft 902 rotates integrally with the output shaft of the motor 901. The mounting plate 903 is fixed to one end of the rotating shaft 902. More specifically, the center of the plate surface of the mounting plate 903 is fixed to the end of the rotating shaft 902 so as not to rotate relative to it.

[0048] The lifting member 904 is a cylindrical member extending in the width direction. The lifting member 904 is made of resin. As a result, even if the lifting member 904 wears, no metal powder is generated. This reduces the effort required for cleaning the tablet printing device 1. It also prevents metal powder from adhering to the tablets 9. The resin constituting the lifting member 904 can be, for example, any one of POM (polyacetal), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), and PET (polyethylene terephthalate), or a composite material containing at least one of these.

[0049] The lift-up member 904 is fixed to the mounting plate 903 in a state parallel to the rotation shaft 902. Specifically, one end of the lift-up member 904 is attached to one longitudinal end of the mounting plate 903. Note that the lift-up member 904 is not provided at the other longitudinal end of the mounting plate 903. In other words, the lift-up member 904 is provided only at one phase position around the entire circumference of the rotation shaft 902. As the rotation shaft 902 rotates, the lift-up member 904 rotates while tracing an arc-shaped trajectory.

[0050] 3, the lifting device 90 is provided near the plurality of transfer paths 231. More specifically, the lifting device 90 is arranged so that the lifting member 904 can simultaneously come into contact with the vertical midpoints of the plurality of transfer paths 231 within a predetermined rotation range. Strictly speaking, the lifting member 904 comes into contact with the vertical midpoints of the wire (metal wire) 231a that forms the transfer path 231.

[0051] Immediately before the lifting member 904 comes into contact with the wire 231a, the lifting member 904 is positioned below the rotation shaft 902. The state of the transfer path 231, the tablet 9, and the lifting member 904 at this time is shown in FIG. 4A.

[0052] After the state shown in Figure 4A, when the rotation of the rotary shaft 902 causes the lifting member 904 to reach a predetermined rotation position (hereinafter referred to as "lower position P1") within its rotation range, the peripheral surface 904a of the lifting member 904 comes into contact with the upper or lower middle portion of the wire 231a forming the transfer path 231. The state of the transfer path 231, the tablet 9, and the lifting member 904 at this time is shown in Figure 4B. In Figure 4B, the lifting member 904 at the lower position P1 is indicated by a two-dot chain circle.

[0053] As the rotating shaft 902 rotates further from the state indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4B, the lifting member 904 reaches a predetermined rotational position (hereinafter referred to as "upper position P2") located above the lower position P1 within its rotational range. During the rotational movement of the lifting member 904 from the lower position P1 to the upper position P2 (hereinafter referred to as "first movement"), the circumferential surface 904a of the lifting member 904 is kept in contact with the vertical midpoint of the wire 231a forming the transfer path 231. As a result, the wire 231a forming the transfer path 231 is lifted upward. Note that in FIG. 4B, the lifting member 904 at the upper position P2 is indicated by a solid circle. Comparing FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, it can be seen that the wire 231a is stretched as the lifting member 904 performs the first movement.

[0054] Here, the peripheral surface 904a of the lifting member 904 has a convex curved surface, which prevents the lifting member 904 from getting caught at the contact point with the wire 231a, and therefore allows the spiral formed by the wire 231a to be smoothly stretched.

[0055] The spiral formed by the wire 231a in the state shown in Fig. 4B has a narrower diameter than the spiral formed by the wire 231a in the state shown in Fig. 4A. In other words, when the lifting member 904 performs the first operation, the wire 231a is stretched upward, narrowing the passage in the transfer path 231 through which the tablet 9 passes. Accordingly, the posture of the tablet 9 is corrected from the bridged state shown in Fig. 4A to a vertically aligned state shown in Fig. 4B.

[0056] When the rotating shaft 902 further rotates from the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 4B, the lift-up member 904 rotates in a direction away from the transfer path 231. More specifically, the lift-up member 904 performs an operation (hereinafter referred to as the "second operation") in which it rotates from the upper position P2 toward the lower position P1 while moving away from the transfer path 231. As a result, the rotation position of the lift-up member 904 returns from the upper position P2 to the lower position P1. FIG. 4C shows the state of the transfer path 231 during the second operation. The black arrow in FIG. 4C indicates the direction in which the granular material falls. While the second operation is being performed, the circumferential surface 904a of the lift-up member 904 does not come into contact with the wire 231a that forms the transfer path 231. As a result, the wire 231a that has been lifted up as shown in FIG. 4B returns to its original state as shown in FIG. 4C. In other words, the spiral pitch of the wire 231a is reduced, widening the passage in the transfer path 231. At this time, the bridge between the tablets 9 has been eliminated at the stage shown in FIG. 4B, so the tablets 9 naturally fall downward in the transfer path 231. In this way, the bridge between the tablets 9 is quickly eliminated, facilitating the supply of the tablets 9 to the conveying drum 30.

[0057] When the lifting member 904 returns to the lower position P1 by the second operation, the rotation shaft 902 further rotates, thereby continuously repeating the first operation. Therefore, the first operation and the second operation are alternately repeated. Therefore, the bridge of the tablets 9 is periodically eliminated, and the supply of the tablets 9 is promoted.

[0058] <3. Configuration of the vibration device> The configuration of the vibration device 91 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a perspective view that schematically shows the configuration of the vibration device 91. The vibration device 91 operates in synchronization with the rotation of the lifting member 904, and is a device that eliminates bridges that occur on the tablets 9 in the transport section 232. The vibration device 91 is provided near the lifting member 904, the transport path 231, and the transport section 232. As shown in FIG. 5, the vibration device 91 includes a fixed part 92 that is fixed to the frame of the tablet printing apparatus 1, and a movable part 93 that is movable relative to the fixed part 92.

[0059] The fixed part 92 includes a base part 921, a pair of side parts 922, a swing shaft 923, and a swing regulation part 924. The base part 921 is fixed to the frame of the tablet printing apparatus 1. The pair of side parts 922 are fixed to both ends of the base part 921. The swing shaft 923 is bridged between the pair of side parts 922. The swing shaft 923 extends parallel to the lift-up member 904. The swing regulation part 924 is provided on one of the pair of side parts 922.

[0060] The movable part 93 includes a connection part 931, an upper plate 932, a lower plate 933, and a stopper 935. The connection part 931 has an insertion hole into which the swing shaft 923 is inserted. This allows the movable part 93 to swing freely around the swing shaft 923. The upper plate 932 is a plate-shaped member fixed to one end of the connection part 931. The lower plate 933 is a plate-shaped member fixed to the other end of the connection part 931. Both the upper plate 932 and the lower plate 933 extend along a plane parallel to the lift-up member 904. In the following description, the surfaces of the upper plate 932 and the lower plate 933 facing the transfer path 231 are referred to as the "front surface," and the surfaces facing the connection part 931 are referred to as the "rear surface." A protrusion 934 protruding perpendicularly from the front surface of the lower plate 933 is provided at the lower end of the lower plate 933.

[0061] The stopper 935 is a rod-shaped member that protrudes from the connection portion 931 in parallel to the oscillation shaft 923. When no external force is applied to the movable portion 93, the stopper 935 is supported by the oscillation regulating portion 924 while contacting the oscillation regulating portion 924 from above. In the following description, the position of the movable portion 93 when the stopper 935 is in contact with the upper surface of the oscillation regulating portion 924 is referred to as the "initial position Q1." The "initial position Q1" corresponds to the "first position" in the present invention.

[0062] At the initial position Q1, the swing restriction portion 924 restricts the stopper 935 from moving downward beyond the swing restriction portion 924. Therefore, the movable portion 93 is restricted from swinging from the initial position Q1 in the direction in which the stopper 935 moves downward. The "swing restriction portion 924" and the "stopper 935" in this embodiment correspond to the "movement restriction portion" of the present invention.

[0063] Furthermore, at the initial position Q1, the protrusion 934 and the transport portion 232 remain in contact with each other.

[0064] FIG. 6A is a diagram showing the state of the lift-up device 90 and the vibration device 91 when the lift-up member 904 contacts the movable part 93. The two-dot chain line in FIG. 6A indicates the state of the lift-up device 90 when the lift-up member 904 is located at the upper position P2. As described above, the lift-up member 904 performs a first movement in which it rotates from the lower position P1 to the upper position P2, and then performs a second movement in which it rotates from the upper position P2 to the lower position P1. The upper plate 932 of the movable part 93 is located on the rotation path of the lift-up member 904 when it performs the second movement. Therefore, after performing the first movement, the lift-up member 904 rotates from the upper position P2 to a position where the lift-up member 904 contacts the rear surface of the upper plate 932 of the vibration device 91 during the second movement.

[0065] 6A, as the lift-up member 904 rotates further, the lift-up member 904 slides on the rear surface of the upper plate 932 as it rotates, and pushes the upper plate 932 from the rear surface to the front surface. When the upper plate 932 is pushed, the movable part 93 swings from the initial position Q1 around the swing shaft 923.

[0066] When the lift-up member 904 rotates further from the state shown in FIG. 6A, the movable part 93 reaches a position where the swing angle of the movable part 93 is maximum (hereinafter referred to as "swing position Q2"). The "swing position Q2" corresponds to the "second position" of the present invention. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing the state of the lift-up device 90 and the vibration device 91 when the movable part 93 reaches the swing position Q2. The two-dot chain line in FIG. 6B indicates the positions of the lift-up device 90 and the movable part 93 in the state shown in FIG. 6A.

[0067] Figure 6C is a diagram showing the state of the lift-up device 90 and the vibration device 91 when the lift-up member 904 continues to rotate from the state shown in Figure 6B. Note that the two-dot chain line in Figure 6C indicates the positions of the lift-up device 90 and the movable part 93 in the state shown in Figure 6B. When the lift-up member 904 continues to rotate from the state shown in Figure 6B, the lift-up member 904 rotates in a direction away from the upper plate 932. Thereafter, the lift-up member 904 rotates to the lower position P1, completing the second operation.

[0068] Furthermore, as the lift-up member 904 moves away from the upper plate 932, the action of the lift-up member 904 pressing the upper plate 932 is released. Here, the center of gravity of the movable part 93 is located closer to the stopper 935 than the swing shaft 923. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6C , the movable part 93 swings due to gravity in the direction opposite to the direction in which it was pushed by the lift-up member 904, and eventually returns to the initial position Q1. As described above, the movable part 93 reciprocates between the initial position Q1 and the swing position Q2 around the swing shaft 923.

[0069] At the same time that the movable part 93 returns from the swing position Q2 to the initial position Q1, the protrusion 934 of the lower plate 933 comes into contact with the transport part 232 again. At this time, an impact is applied to the transport part 232 from the protrusion 934, causing a gap to form in the part of the stacked tablets 9 inside the transport part 232 where they were pinched and fixed between other tablets 9 and the inner surface of the transport part 232. This causes the tablets 9 to no longer form a bridge, and they are aligned vertically.

[0070] Furthermore, at the same time that the movable part 93 returns from the swing position Q2 to the initial position Q1, the stopper 935 of the movable part 93 comes into contact with the swing restriction part 924 of the fixed part 92 again. At this time, the swing restriction part 924 restricts the movable part 93 from swinging beyond the initial position Q1. This allows the movable part 93 to stop swinging at the initial position Q1. Therefore, when the lift-up member 904 next starts its second operation, the movable part 93 has stopped at the initial position Q1. Therefore, the movable part can reciprocate between the initial position Q1 and the swing position Q2 in synchronization with the second operation of the lift-up member 904.

[0071] In this embodiment, the second operation by the lifting member 904 is repeatedly performed alternately with the first operation. Therefore, the movable part 93 is pushed by the lifting member 904 at a constant cycle, thereby performing a swinging operation. This allows the lower plate 933 to vibrate the conveying part 232 at a constant cycle. Therefore, the bridge of the tablets 9 inside the conveying part 232 is quickly eliminated, facilitating the supply of the tablets 9.

[0072] As described above, the vibration device 91 of this embodiment uses the rotation of the lifting member 904 to cause the movable part 93 to reciprocate between the initial position Q1 and the swinging position Q2. The movable part 93 moves from the swinging position Q2 to the initial position Q1, thereby striking the conveying part 232. This aligns the tablets 9 stacked inside the conveying part 232 and eliminates bridges.

[0073] In this embodiment, the output shaft of the motor 901 rotates at a rotational speed of 20 rpm or more and 200 rpm or less. Therefore, the lifting member 904 repeats the first operation and the second operation at a frequency of 20 rpm or more and 200 rpm or less. As a result, in the lifting device 90, a cycle can be formed at an appropriate period in which the spiral formed by the wire 231a is stretched to correct the posture of the tablet 9, and then the spiral formed by the wire 231a contracts and the tablet 9 falls under its own weight. Furthermore, in the vibration device 91, the transfer unit 232 is vibrated, and a cycle in which the tablets 9 inside the transfer unit 232 are aligned can be formed at an appropriate period.

[0074] However, the rotation speed of the rotating shaft 902 can be increased or decreased by software depending on the weight of the tablet 9. Specifically, in this embodiment, the lighter the tablet 9, the less frequently the lifting member 904 is made to perform the first and second operations. This makes it possible to appropriately ensure the time interval required for the tablet 9 to fall naturally inside the transfer path 231 or inside the transfer section 232 and be supplied to the conveying drum 30 according to the weight of the tablet 9.

[0075] <4. Modifications> Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the tablet 9 is an oval tablet. However, the shape of the tablet 9 is not limited to an oval tablet. For example, the present invention may be applied to a tablet 9 that is a soft capsule that is easily broken.

[0077] Furthermore, the "granular material" in the present invention is not limited to tablets as medicines taken by consumers, but may also be tablets as health foods such as supplements, or tablet candies such as Ramune.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the lift-up member 904 rotates in an arc in synchronization with the rotation of the rotary shaft 902, but this is not limiting. The movement of the lift-up member 904 does not necessarily have to be a rotational movement, and may be a linear movement using, for example, an air cylinder. That is, the first operation may be any operation in which the lift-up member 904 moves from the lower position P1 to the upper position P2 while contacting the wire 231a.

[0079] In the above embodiment, the first and second operations of the pumping-up member 904 are repeated periodically, but this is not necessarily limited thereto, and for example, the first and second operations may be performed irregularly. More specifically, the pumping-up member 904 may be caused to perform the first and second operations only when the jamming detection sensor 239 detects a jam of tablets 9 in any of the transport paths 231 or the transport section 232. Furthermore, the control section 80 may cause the pumping-up member 904 to perform the first and second operations periodically or irregularly.

[0080] Alternatively, in order to ensure a sufficient stroke for the repeated first and second movements of the lift-up member 904, for example, the rotating shaft 902 may be rotated intermittently.

[0081] In the above embodiment, the lift-up device 90 is disposed so that the lift-up member 904 can simultaneously contact the vertical midpoints of the multiple transfer paths 231 within a predetermined rotation range. However, the lift-up member 904 may be provided individually for each of the multiple transfer paths 231. In this case, it is sufficient that any one of the multiple lift-up members 904 swings the movable part 93 of the vibration device 91 from the initial position Q1 to the swing position Q2.

[0082] In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the granular material supplying device (supply feeder 23) according to the present invention is used in the tablet printing device 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the tablet supplying device as the granular material supplying device according to the present invention may be used in a PTP packaging machine.

[0083] In the above embodiment, the vibration device 91 includes the swing restriction portion 924 and the stopper 935. However, the swing restriction portion 924 and the stopper 935 do not necessarily have to be provided.

[0084] In the above embodiment, the lift-up member 904 performs an action of pushing the upper plate 932 from the rear surface toward the front surface as it rotates. This causes the movable part 93 of the vibration device 91 to swing between the initial position Q1 and the swing position Q2. However, the lift-up member 904 and the movable part 93 may be connected by a predetermined power transmission mechanism. The movable part 93 may also be configured to move in conjunction with a change in the phase of the lift-up member 904. For example, the lift-up member 904 and the movable part 93 may be connected by a crank mechanism.

[0085] Furthermore, the elements appearing in the above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate within the scope of not causing any contradiction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1: Tablet printing device 9: Tablets 20: Feeder section 23: Supply feeder 50: 1st printing department 60: 2nd printing department 80: Control unit 90: Squeezing device 91: Vibration device 92:Fixed part 93: Moving part 231:Transportation route 231a: Wire rod 232:Transfer section 233: Cutout section 239: Detection sensor 901: Motor 902: Rotating axis 903: Mounting plate 904: Squeezing member 904a: Peripheral surface 921: Base 922: Side part 923: Oscillating shaft 924: Swing control part 931: Connection 932: Upper plate 933: Lower plate 934 : Protrusion 935: Stopper

Claims

1. A granular material supplying device that transfers granular material downward according to its gravity, a transport path formed by spirally winding the wire and having flexibility in the vertical direction; a lifting member that alternately performs a first operation of moving from a lower position to an upper position located above the lower position while contacting a middle portion of the wire rod that forms the transfer path, and a second operation of returning from the upper position to the lower position without contacting the wire rod that forms the transfer path; a transfer section connected to the transfer path and having a wall surface surrounding the granular material; a vibration device that uses the operation of the lifting member to perform a tapping operation on the transfer unit in synchronization with the operation of the lifting member, thereby vibrating the transfer unit; A granular material supplying device comprising:

2. A granular material supplying device that transfers granular material downward according to its gravity, a transport path formed by spirally winding the wire and having flexibility in the vertical direction; a lifting member that alternately performs a first operation of moving from a lower position to an upper position located above the lower position while contacting a middle portion of the wire rod that forms the transfer path, and a second operation of returning from the upper position to the lower position without contacting the wire rod that forms the transfer path; a transfer section connected to the transfer path and having a wall surface surrounding the granular material; a vibration device that vibrates the transfer unit by striking the transfer unit in synchronization with the operation of the lifting member; Equipped with the vibration device includes a movable part that performs a reciprocating motion between a first position and a second position to strike the transfer part, The movable part is In the first position, the transfer portion is in contact with the transfer portion; The granular material supplying device does not contact the transfer portion in the second position.

3. The granular material supplying device according to claim 2, The granular material supplying device, wherein the second operation includes an operation of moving the movable part from the first position to the second position.

4. The granular material supplying device according to claim 3, The second operation includes an operation of pushing the movable part located at the first position to move the movable part to the second position.

5. A granular material supplying device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, the vibration device includes an oscillation shaft that is an axis that oscillates the movable part, The movable part performs the reciprocating motion by swinging around the swing axis.

6. A granular material supplying device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, A granular material supplying device comprising a movement restricting portion that restricts the movable portion, which has moved from the second position toward the first position, from moving beyond the first position.

7. A granular material supplying device according to any one of claims 1 to 6; a printing unit that prints on the surface of the granular material supplied to the granular material supply device; A particulate printing device comprising:

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