Tablet supply device and tablet supply method

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of improving the supply amount of tablets.SOLUTION: A tablet supply device includes: a tablet support part for supporting a side surface of a tablet 9 in a conveyance path in which the tablet 9 is conveyed; a tablet removal part for, in the conveyance path, removing the tablet 9 taking a posture which is not proper with respect to the conveyance direction of the tablet 9 from the conveyance path; and one or more injection parts 13 which discharge the air in the direction in which the tablet 9 is pressed to the tablet support part. Thereby, the supply amount of tablets can be improved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tablet supplying device and a tablet supplying method for supplying tablets to a supply destination. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART A tablet supplying device that supplies tablets to a supply destination has been known in the past. A conventional tablet supplying device is described in, for example, Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-004107 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The tablet supply device (supply mechanism 10) provided in the printing apparatus of Patent Document 1 has a bowl feeder 11, a first chute 14, a supply conveyor 17, and a second chute 18. The bowl feeder 11 has a disk-shaped trough 12 that receives a plurality of tablets 9. The bowl feeder 11 vibrates the trough 12 to move the plurality of tablets 9 and supply them to the first chute 14. The first chute 14 extends in an arc between the discharge opening of the trough 12 and the supply conveyor 17. The first chute 14 has a plurality of conveying paths. The bowl feeder 11 supplies tablets 9 to each conveying path of the first chute 14. This aligns the numerous tablets 9 in a plurality of rows.

[0005] In the tablet supplying device of Patent Document 1, tablets that are not aligned with the respective conveying paths of first chute 14 are rejected from first chute 14 when bowl feeder 11 supplies tablets 9 to the respective conveying paths of first chute 14. This is one of the factors that reduces the amount of tablets 9 supplied by the tablet supplying device of Patent Document 1.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a technique that can improve the amount of tablets supplied. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, a first invention of the present application is a tablet supplying device that supplies tablets to a supply destination, the device comprising: a tablet support section that supports a side surface of the tablet in a conveying path along which the tablet is conveyed; a tablet removal section that removes, from the conveying path, a tablet that is in an inappropriate position with respect to the conveying direction of the tablet; and one or more ejection sections that eject gas in a direction that presses the tablet against the tablet support section. At least one of the ejection sections ejects gas toward a contact point where the tablet, which is in an inappropriate position with respect to the conveying direction, comes into contact with the tablet removal section. .

[0008] The second invention of the present application is: A tablet supplying device that supplies tablets to a destination, comprising: a tablet support section that supports the sides of the tablets on a conveying path along which the tablets are conveyed; a tablet removal section that removes tablets that are in an inappropriate position with respect to the conveying direction of the tablets from the conveying path; and a plurality of injection sections that eject gas in a direction that presses the tablets against the tablet support section, wherein the angle of the gas ejection direction of a first injection section that is located furthest downstream in the conveying direction among the plurality of injection sections, relative to the conveying direction, is greater than or equal to the angle of the gas ejection direction of a injection section that is located upstream of the first injection section, relative to the conveying direction.

[0010] The first part of this application 3 The invention is 2 In the tablet supplying device of the invention, the more downstream each of the ejection portions is located in the conveying direction, the larger the angle of the gas ejection direction from each of the ejection portions relative to the conveying direction.

[0011] The first part of this application 4 The inventions are the first invention to the second invention. 3 In the tablet supplying device of any one of the above aspects, at least one of the ejection sections ejects gas at an angle of 45° or more and 90° or less with respect to the conveyance direction.

[0012] The first part of this application 5 The inventions are the first invention to the second invention. 4 In the tablet supplying device of any one of the above-mentioned inventions, at least one of the ejection parts is made of metal.

[0013] The first part of this application 6 The inventions are the first invention to the second invention. 5 In the tablet supply device of any one of the above inventions, the tablets are oval tablets.

[0014] The first part of this application7 The present invention is a tablet supplying method for supplying tablets to a supply destination, comprising the steps of: a) transporting the tablet in a predetermined transport direction while supporting a side surface of the tablet by a tablet support portion that supports the side surface of the tablet; and b) From one or more jets a step of discharging gas in a direction to press the tablet against the tablet support portion; and c) removing the tablet that is in an inappropriate position with respect to the conveying direction from the conveying path along which the tablet is conveyed. The tablet removal section and a step of removing the In the step b), at least one of the ejection units ejects gas toward a contact point where the tablet, which is in an inappropriate position with respect to the conveying direction, comes into contact with the tablet removal unit. . The eighth invention of the present application is a tablet supply method for supplying tablets to a destination, comprising the steps of: a) transporting the tablet in a predetermined transport direction while supporting the side of the tablet with a tablet support section that supports the side of the tablet; b) ejecting gas from multiple injection sections in a direction that presses the tablet against the tablet support section; and c) using a tablet removal section to remove tablets that are in an incorrect position with respect to the transport direction from the transport path along which the tablet is transported, wherein in step b), the angle of the gas ejection direction by a first injection section that is located most downstream in the transport direction among the multiple injection sections, relative to the transport direction, is greater than or equal to the angle of the gas ejection direction by a injection section that is located upstream of the first injection section, relative to the transport direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, the orientation of the tablets can be corrected from an inappropriate orientation with respect to the conveying direction to an appropriate orientation with respect to the conveying direction. This increases the amount of tablets conveyed downstream without being rejected by the tablet rejection section. Therefore, the amount of tablets supplied can be improved.

[0016] In particular, First and Seventh Inventions According to this, the orientation of the tablets can be corrected more effectively, thereby further improving the amount of tablets that can be fed.

[0017] In particular, Second and Eighth Inventions According to the present invention, it is possible to correct the orientation of the tablet while applying a propulsive force to the tablet in the conveying direction, thereby further improving the amount of tablets supplied.

[0018] In particular, 3 According to the invention, the tablet's posture can be corrected while a propulsive force in the transport direction is applied to the tablet.

[0019] In particular, 4 According to the present invention, the orientation of the tablets can be corrected more effectively, thereby further improving the amount of tablets fed.

[0020] In particular, 5According to the present invention, the position of the ejection part can be fixed with high precision, which allows the gas to be ejected from the ejection part at an appropriate ejection angle, thereby further improving the amount of tablets supplied. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a tablet printing device. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a top view of the bowl feeder and the first chute. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a partial side view of the trough and regulating guide as viewed from the center of the bowl feeder. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a partial top view of the trough and the regulating guide. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a bottom view of one head. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the tablet printing device. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a partial top view of the trough and the first chute. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of tablet supply processing in the supply mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] <1. Overall configuration of tablet printing device> Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a tablet printing device 1. This tablet printing device 1 is a device that conveys a plurality of tablets 9 and prints images such as a product name, product code, company name, and logo mark on both the front and back of each tablet 9. In the following explanation, a case where oval tablets are used as the tablets 9 will be described.

[0024] The tablet 9 may be an uncoated tablet (plain tablet), or may be a coated tablet such as a sugar-coated tablet or a film-coated tablet (FC tablet). The tablet 9 may also be a capsule, including a hard capsule and a soft capsule. The "tablet" in the present invention is not limited to a pharmaceutical tablet, but may also be a health food tablet or a tablet candy such as Ramune soda.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1, the tablet printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a supply mechanism 10, a first drum 19, a second drum 24, a transport conveyor 28, a first camera 32, a printing unit 35, a second camera 40, a drying mechanism 45, an inversion mechanism 50, a discharge mechanism 55, and a control unit 100.

[0026] Fig. 2 is a top view of bowl feeder 11 and first chute 14. Fig. 3 is a partial side view of trough 12 and restriction guide 15 when viewed from the center of bowl feeder 11. Fig. 4 is a partial top view of trough 12 and restriction guide 15. Note that Fig. 4 is a partial top view of the area surrounded by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 3, and the spray unit 13 is not shown. The configuration of supply mechanism 10 will be described below with reference to Figs. 1 to 4.

[0027] The supply mechanism 10 is a tablet supply device that supplies a plurality of tablets 9 to a first drum 19, which is a supply destination, by conveying the plurality of tablets 9 in a predetermined conveying direction. The supply mechanism 10 includes a bowl feeder 11, a first chute 14, a supply conveyor 17, and a second chute 18.

[0028] The bowl feeder 11 vibrates the trough 12 to move the tablets 9 and supply them to the first chute 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the bowl feeder 11 includes the trough 12 and a jetting portion 13.

[0029] The trough 12 transports the plurality of tablets 9 to the first chute 14. The trough 12 has a side wall portion 121, a bottom portion 122, and a vibration portion (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, the trough 12 extends in an arc. As shown in FIG. 2, the trough 12 branches into a plurality of transport paths. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the plurality of transport paths are arranged in a stepped manner in the radial direction of the bowl feeder 11 and are separated from each other by the side wall portion 121. Therefore, the height of the bottom portion 122 increases in stages toward the radially outer side of the bowl feeder 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of tablets 9 supplied to the trough 12 are supplied to one of the transport paths separated by the side wall portion 121.

[0030] The side wall portion 121 is arranged approximately parallel to the conveying direction of the tablet 9 and supports the side of the tablet 9 from the side of the tablet 9. The bottom surface portion 122 supports the tablet 9 from below the tablet 9. The vibration portion applies vibration to the bottom surface portion 122. As a result, the tablet 9 moves radially outward of the bowl feeder 11 and also moves downstream in the conveying direction. The side wall portion 121 supports the side of the tablet 9 moving radially outward of the bowl feeder 11. As a result, the tablet 9 is pressed against the side wall portion 121 and conveyed downstream in the conveying direction. The side wall portion 121 corresponds to the "tablet support portion" of the present invention.

[0031] The ejection unit 13 corrects the posture of the tablet 9 that is inappropriate with respect to the conveying direction by ejecting gas toward the tablet 9 being conveyed in the trough 12. Details of the ejection unit 13 will be described later.

[0032] The first chute 14 is a mechanism that aligns the tablets 9 supplied from the trough 12 and transports them to the supply conveyor 17. The first chute 14 is connected to the trough 12 and extends in an arc. As shown in FIG. 2, the first chute 14 has a plurality of supply paths corresponding to the plurality of transport paths in the trough 12. Therefore, in the first chute 14, a plurality of rows of tablets 9 aligned in the transport direction are formed in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the transport direction). The first chute 14 has a regulating guide 15 and a guide portion 16.

[0033] The restricting guides 15 are provided for each of the multiple conveying paths between the trough 12 and the first chute 14. The restricting guides 15 restrict the movement of tablets 9 in the conveying direction that are not properly oriented relative to the conveying direction, thereby removing the tablets 9 from the conveying path. The restricting guides 15 correspond to the "tablet removal section" of the present invention. The restricting guides 15 have a first removal section 151 and a second removal section 152. In the following description, the term "tilting in the vertical direction" is defined as the case where the tablet 9 is tilted at a predetermined angle or more so as to be not parallel to the bottom surface 122, as in the case of tablet 9A shown in Figures 3 and 4. The term "tilting in the horizontal direction" is defined as the case where the tablet 9 is tilted at a predetermined angle or more relative to the conveying direction while remaining parallel to the bottom surface 122, as in the case of tablet 9B shown in Figures 3 and 4.

[0034] The first exclusion unit 151 is a mechanism that excludes tablets 9 that are not properly oriented with respect to the conveying direction from the conveying path. Specifically, the first exclusion unit 151 prevents tablets 9 that are tilted vertically from moving from the trough 12 to the first chute 14, thereby eliminating the tablets 9 that are tilted vertically from the conveying path. The first exclusion unit 151 extends linearly from the first chute 14 toward the trough 12. The first exclusion unit 151 faces the bottom surface unit 122 with a predetermined gap therebetween.

[0035] When the tablet 9 is being conveyed in the correct orientation, it is supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14 without coming into contact with the first exclusion section 151. On the other hand, when a tablet 9 is tilted vertically because it is riding on another adjacent tablet 9, as in the case of tablet 9A, the movement of the tablet 9 in the conveying direction is prevented by the first exclusion section 151. The tablet 9 whose movement is prevented by the first exclusion section 151 falls from the bottom surface section 122 toward the radially inner side of the bowl feeder 11, and returns to the upstream part of the trough 12. The tablet 9 that has returned to the upstream part of the trough 12 is conveyed again in the conveying direction by the trough 12.

[0036] The second exclusion section 152 is a mechanism that excludes tablets 9 that are not properly oriented with respect to the conveying direction from the conveying path. Specifically, the second exclusion section 152 prevents tablets 9 that are tilted left or right from moving from the trough 12 to the first chute 14, thereby excluding tablets 9 that are tilted left or right from the conveying path. The second exclusion section 152 extends linearly from the first chute 14 toward the trough 12. The second exclusion section 152 faces the side wall section 121 with a predetermined gap therebetween.

[0037] When the tablet 9 is being conveyed in the correct orientation, it is supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14 without being hindered in its movement by the second removal section 152. On the other hand, when the tablet 9 is tilted left or right, as in the case of tablet 9B, the movement of the tablet 9 in the conveying direction is hindered by the second removal section 152. The tablet 9 whose movement is hindered by the second removal section 152 falls from the bottom surface section 122 toward the radially inner side of the bowl feeder 11, and returns to the upstream part of the trough 12. The tablet 9 that has returned to the upstream part of the trough 12 is conveyed again in the conveying direction by the trough 12.

[0038] As described above, tablets 9 that are not properly oriented with respect to the conveying direction are not supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14, but are removed from the conveying path by the first removal section 151 or the second removal section 152 of the regulating guide 15. In other words, only tablets 9 that are properly aligned with respect to the conveying direction are supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14.

[0039] The guide section 16 covers the top and side surfaces of the tablets 9 transported in the first chute 14. This prevents the tablets 9, which are supplied in the correct orientation from the trough 12 to the first chute 14, from tilting in the left-right and up-down directions. Therefore, in the first chute 14, rows of tablets 9 aligned in the correct orientation with respect to the transport direction are formed for each of the multiple supply paths. The aligned tablets 9 are then supplied from the first chute 14 to the supply conveyor 17.

[0040] The supply conveyor 17 is a mechanism for transporting the tablets 9 from the first chute 14 to the second chute 18. The supply conveyor 17 has two pulleys 171 and a circular supply belt 172 stretched over the two pulleys 171. One of the two pulleys 171 is rotated by power obtained from a motor (not shown). This causes the supply belt 172 to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1. The other pulley 171 is rotated in response to the rotation of the supply belt 172. A partition plate extending along the boundaries of the rows of tablets 9 is provided above the supply belt 172. The tablets 9 supplied from the first chute 14 are transported downstream in the transport direction by the rotation of the supply belt 172 while being kept aligned in multiple rows by the partition plate.

[0041] The second chute 18 extends linearly between the supply conveyor 17 and the first drum 19. The second chute 18 has multiple horizontal supply paths. A plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the supply conveyor 17 are supplied to each supply path of the second chute 18. The tablets 9 in the second chute 18 are pushed by the following tablets 9 transported by the supply conveyor 17 and transported downstream in the transport direction. The tablets 9 are then supplied to the first drum 19 from the downstream end of the second chute 18 in the transport direction.

[0042] The first drum 19 is a mechanism that holds and conveys a plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 18 at regular intervals in the conveying direction. The first drum 19 has a substantially cylindrical outer circumferential surface centered on a first axis O1 parallel to the width direction. A motor (not shown) is connected to the first drum 19. When the motor is driven, the first drum 19 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 around the first axis O1. The first drum 19 conveys the tablets 9 from a first transfer position P1 near its upper end to a second transfer position P2 adjacent to the second drum 24.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 1, the first drum 19 has a drum body 20 and a retaining ring 21. The drum body 20 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on a first axis O1. The drum body 20 is formed of a metal such as stainless steel. The retaining ring 21 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the drum body 20. Specifically, a plurality of retaining rings 21 are arranged at widthwise positions corresponding to the respective rows of tablets 9. The retaining ring 21 is formed of a resin such as polyacetal.

[0044] The outer peripheral surface of each retaining ring 21 has a plurality of recessed pockets 22. The plurality of pockets 22 are provided at regular intervals in the circumferential direction centered on the first axis O1. The retaining ring 21 also has suction holes 23 at the bottom of each pocket 22 for suctioning the tablets 9. The suction holes 23 are through-holes that pass through the retaining ring 21.

[0045] The first drum 19 is connected to a suction mechanism (not shown). When the suction mechanism is operated, gas is sucked out from the internal space of the first drum 19 located in the angular range between the first delivery position P1 and the second delivery position P2. This causes the internal space to have a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. Negative pressure is also generated in the suction holes 23 communicating with the internal space. The multiple tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 18 are sucked and held in the suction holes 23 of the retaining ring 21 by this negative pressure.

[0046] The tablets 9 supplied from the second chute 18 are accommodated one by one in the pockets 22 and adsorbed and held in the suction holes 23. At this time, the tablets 9 are pressed by the pressing mechanism 181 and guided into the pockets 22 of the retaining ring 21. As a result, the spacing between the tablets 9 in the conveying direction becomes a predetermined spacing corresponding to the spacing between the pockets 22. While being adsorbed and held in the suction holes 23 in the pockets 22, each tablet 9 is conveyed from the first delivery position P1 to the second delivery position P2 by the rotation of the first drum 19. Then, when the tablet 9 passes the second delivery position P2, it moves out of the angle range of the internal space maintained at the negative pressure, and the adsorption of the tablet 9 is released. As a result, the tablet 9 is transferred from the first drum 19 to the second drum 24.

[0047] The second drum 24 is a mechanism that transports the tablets 9 transferred from the first drum 19 to the transport conveyor 28. The second drum 24 has a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on a second axis O2 parallel to the width direction. In this embodiment, the outer diameters of the first drum 19 and the second drum 24 are substantially the same. However, the outer diameters of the first drum 19 and the second drum 24 may differ. A motor (not shown) is connected to the second drum 24. When the motor is driven, the second drum 24 rotates around the second axis O2 in the opposite direction to the first drum 19. The second drum 24 transports the tablets 9 from a second transfer position P2 adjacent to the first drum 19 to a third transfer position P3 adjacent to the transport conveyor 28. The height of the third transfer position P3 is higher than the heights of the first transfer position P1 and the second transfer position P2.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 1, the second drum 24 has a drum body 25 and a retaining ring 26. The drum body 25 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on the second axis O2. The drum body 25 is formed of a metal such as stainless steel. The retaining ring 26 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the drum body 25. Specifically, a plurality of retaining rings 26 are arranged at widthwise positions corresponding to the respective rows of tablets 9. The retaining ring 26 is formed of a resin such as silicone.

[0049] Each retaining ring 26 has a plurality of suction holes 27. The suction holes 27 are through-holes that penetrate the retaining ring 26. The second drum 24 is also connected to a suction mechanism (not shown). When the suction mechanism is operated, gas is sucked out from the internal space of the second drum 24 located in the angular range between the second delivery position P2 and the third delivery position P3. This causes the internal space to have a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. Negative pressure is also generated in the suction holes 27 that communicate with the internal space. The plurality of tablets 9 delivered from the first drum 19 are sucked and held in the suction holes 27 of the retaining ring 26 by this negative pressure.

[0050] The tablet 9 held by suction in the suction holes 27 is transported from the second delivery position P2 to the third delivery position P3 by the rotation of the second drum 24. When the tablet 9 passes the third delivery position P3, it moves out of the angle range of the internal space maintained at the negative pressure, and the suction of the tablet 9 is released. As a result, the tablet 9 is delivered from the second drum 24 to the transport conveyor 28.

[0051] As described above, in this embodiment, a plurality of tablets 9 supplied from the supply mechanism 10 are transported to the transport conveyor 28 via two drums, the first drum 19 and the second drum 24. The first drum 19 holds the plurality of tablets 9 spaced apart in the transport direction. The second drum 24 transports the tablets 9 to the transport conveyor 28 while maintaining the spacing in the transport direction. At this time, the transport direction (direction of rotation) of the tablets 9 is reversed between the first drum 19 and the second drum 24. This allows the tablets 9 to be sent from the second drum 24 to the transport conveyor 28 in accordance with the direction of operation of the transport conveyor 28.

[0052] The transport conveyor 28 is a mechanism that adsorbs and holds the tablets 9 delivered from the second drum 24 while transporting them. The transport conveyor 28 has a pair of pulleys 29 and a circular transport belt 30 stretched between the pair of pulleys 29. One of the pair of pulleys 29 is rotated by power obtained from a motor (not shown). This causes the transport belt 30 to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1. The other of the pair of pulleys 29 is rotated in response to the rotation of the transport belt 30.

[0053] FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the transport conveyor 28. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of suction holes 31 are formed in the transport belt 30. The plurality of suction holes 31 are arranged at intervals in the transport direction and the width direction. Each suction hole 31 is a through-hole that penetrates the transport belt 30. The transport conveyor 28 also has a suction mechanism (not shown) that sucks out gas from the space inside the transport belt 30. When the suction mechanism is operated, the space inside the transport belt 30 becomes negative pressure, which is lower than atmospheric pressure. The plurality of tablets 9 are sucked and held one by one by the suction holes 31 due to the negative pressure.

[0054] In this way, the plurality of tablets 9 are held on the surface of the conveyor belt 30 in a state aligned in the conveying direction and the width direction. The conveyor 28 then rotates the conveyor belt 30 to convey the plurality of tablets 9 along the circular conveying path. Below four heads 36 (described later), the plurality of tablets 9 are held on the upper surface of the conveyor belt 30 and conveyed horizontally. Above a discharge mechanism 55 (described later), the plurality of tablets 9 are held on the lower surface of the conveyor belt 30 and conveyed horizontally.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 5, the surface of the conveyor belt 30 in this embodiment has a first region A1 that holds tablets 9 before they are inverted by the inverting mechanism 50, and a second region A2 that holds tablets 9 after they are inverted. The first region A1 and the second region A2 are adjacent in the width direction. In this embodiment, a plurality of suction holes 31 are provided in three rows in the width direction in the first region A1 and the second region A2. The tablets 9 supplied by the above-mentioned supply mechanism 10, first drum 19, and second drum 24 are suction-held by the suction holes 31 in the first region A1. Furthermore, a plurality of tablets 9 printed on both sides are discharged to the discharge mechanism 55 from the suction holes 31 in the second region A2.

[0056] The first camera 32 is a processing unit for photographing the tablets 9 before printing. The first camera 32 is located downstream of the third delivery position P3 and upstream of the printing unit 35 on the conveying path. The first camera 32 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. The first camera 32 is, for example, a line sensor in which imaging elements such as CCD or CMOS are arranged in the width direction. The first camera 32 photographs the tablets 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 30. The images acquired by photographing are transmitted from the first camera 32 to the control unit 100, which will be described later. Based on the images obtained from the first camera 32, the control unit 100 detects the presence or absence of tablets 9 in each suction hole 31, the position of the tablets 9, and the posture of the tablets 9. Based on the images obtained from the first camera 32, the control unit 100 also inspects each tablet 9 for defects such as chips.

[0057] The printing unit 35 is a processing unit that prints images on the surfaces of the tablets 9 transported by the conveyor belt 30 using an inkjet method. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing unit 35 of this embodiment has four heads 36. The four heads 36 are located above the conveyor belt 30 and arranged in a row along the transport direction of the tablets 9. Each head 36 extends in the width direction, spanning both the first area A1 and the second area A2. The four heads 36 eject ink droplets of different colors (e.g., cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) toward the tablets 9. A multicolor image is then recorded on the surface of the tablets 9 by superimposing the monochromatic images formed by these colors. The ink ejected from each head 36 is edible ink made from ingredients approved by the Japanese Pharmacopoeia, the Food Sanitation Act, etc.

[0058] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of one head 36. In FIG. 6, the conveyor belt 30 and the plurality of tablets 9 held on the conveyor belt 30 are indicated by a two-dot chain line. As shown enlarged in FIG. 5, the bottom surface of the head 36 is provided with a plurality of nozzles 37 capable of ejecting ink droplets. In this embodiment, the plurality of nozzles 37 are two-dimensionally arranged in the conveyance direction and width direction on the bottom surface of the head 36. The nozzles 37 are arranged with their positions shifted in the width direction. By arranging the plurality of nozzles 37 two-dimensionally in this way, the positions of the nozzles 37 in the width direction can be made close to each other. However, the plurality of nozzles 37 may also be arranged in a line along the width direction.

[0059] The ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle 37 by a so-called piezo method, in which a voltage is applied to a piezo element to deform it, thereby pressurizing and ejecting the ink inside the nozzle 37. However, the ink droplets may also be ejected by a so-called thermal method, in which electricity is applied to a heater to heat and expand the ink inside the nozzle 37, thereby ejecting the ink.

[0060] The second camera 40 is a processing unit for photographing the tablets 9 after printing. The second camera 40 is located downstream of the printing unit 35 on the conveying path and upstream of the drying mechanism 45 on the conveying path. The second camera 40 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. For example, a line sensor in which imaging elements such as CCD or CMOS are arranged in the width direction is used for the second camera 40. The second camera 40 photographs the plurality of tablets 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 30. The images acquired by photographing are transmitted from the second camera 40 to the control unit 100, which will be described later. The control unit 100 inspects the quality of the images printed on the tablets 9 based on the images obtained from the second camera 40.

[0061] The drying mechanism 45 is a mechanism for drying ink adhering to the tablet 9. The drying mechanism 45 is located downstream of the second camera 40 on the conveying path and upstream of the inversion mechanism 50 and discharge mechanism 55 described below on the conveying path. The drying mechanism 45 extends in the width direction across both the first area A1 and the second area A2. The drying mechanism 45 may be, for example, a hot air supply mechanism that blows heated gas (hot air) toward the tablet 9 being conveyed by the conveyor belt 30. The ink adhering to the tablet 9 is dried by the hot air and fixed to the front or back surface of the tablet 9.

[0062] The inversion mechanism 50 inverts the tablets 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 30 and moves the tablets 9 from the first region A1 to the second region A2. The inversion mechanism 50 is located downstream of the drying mechanism 45 on the conveying path. The inversion mechanism 50 has multiple pairs of inclined drums 51 lined up in the width direction. Each inclined drum 51 has a conical holding surface. One of the pair of inclined drums 51 rotates while adsorbing the tablets 9 conveyed in the first region A1 to the holding surface, and transfers the tablets 9 to the other inclined drum 51. The other inclined drum 51 rotates while adsorbing the tablets 9 received from the other inclined drum 51 to the second region A2. As a result, the tablets 9 are inverted and moved from the first region A1 to the second region A2.

[0063] The tablet 9 transported from the supply mechanism 10 to the transport conveyor 28 via the first drum 19 and the second drum 24 is first held in the first area A1 of the transport belt 30. The tablet printing apparatus 1 then transports the tablet 9 while holding it in the first area A1, and performs the following processes on one side of the tablet 9: photographing by the first camera 32, printing by the printing unit 35, photographing by the second camera 40, and drying by the drying mechanism 45. Next, the inversion mechanism 50 inverts the tablet 9 and moves it from the first area A1 to the second area A2. The tablet printing apparatus 1 then transports the tablet 9 while holding it in the second area A2, and performs the following processes on the other side of the tablet 9: photographing by the first camera 32, printing by the printing unit 35, photographing by the second camera 40, and drying by the drying mechanism 45.

[0064] The discharge mechanism 55 is a mechanism for discharging a plurality of tablets 9 printed on both sides from the transport conveyor 28. The discharge mechanism 55 is located downstream of the transport path from the drying mechanism 45. The discharge mechanism 55 discharges the tablets 9 held in the second area A2 of the transport belt 30 while separating them into defective tablets and non-defective tablets.

[0065] The control unit 100 is a means for controlling the operation of each unit in the tablet printing apparatus 1. FIG. 7 is a control block diagram of the tablet printing apparatus 1. As conceptually shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 100 is composed of a computer having a processor 101 such as a CPU, a memory 102 such as RAM, and a storage unit 103 such as a hard disk drive. A computer program CP for carrying out the conveyance and printing process of the tablets 9 is stored in the storage unit 103.

[0066] 7, the control unit 100 is electrically connected to the bowl feeder 11, the spray unit 13, the supply conveyor 17, the first drum 19, the second drum 24, the transport conveyor 28, the first camera 32, the printing unit 35, the second camera 40, the drying mechanism 45, the reversing mechanism 50, and the discharge mechanism 55. The spray unit 13 includes a first spray unit 131 and a second spray unit 132, which will be described later.

[0067] The control unit 100 temporarily loads the computer program CP and data stored in the storage unit 103 into the memory 102, and the processor 101 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program CP, thereby controlling the operation of each of the above-mentioned units. This allows the transportation of multiple tablets 9 and the printing process for each tablet 9 to proceed.

[0068] <2. Configuration of the injection part> Next, the detailed configuration of the spray unit 13 will be described with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a partial top view of the trough 12 and the first chute 14. Note that Fig. 8 shows only one of the multiple transport paths in the trough 12. Also, Fig. 8 does not show the first removal unit 151. Also, the black arrow in Fig. 8 indicates the direction in which the gas is discharged from the spray unit 13.

[0069] The ejector 13 corrects the position of the tablet 9 by ejecting gas in a direction that presses the tablet 9 against the side wall 121. As shown in FIG. 3, the ejector 13 is located above the trough 12. A separate ejector 13 is provided for each of the multiple conveying paths. In this embodiment, the supply mechanism 10 includes a first ejector 131 and a second ejector 132 as the ejector 13.

[0070] In the following description, the angle of the gas ejection direction from the ejection unit 13 relative to the conveying direction is referred to as the "ejection angle." Here, the force that the gas ejected from the ejection unit 13 exerts on the tablet 9 is considered to be divided into a conveying direction component parallel to the conveying direction and a width direction component parallel to the width direction.

[0071] The smaller the discharge angle of the gas discharged from the ejection part 13, the larger the conveying direction component of the force that the gas exerts on the tablet 9. The larger the conveying direction component of the force that the gas exerts on the tablet 9, the stronger the propulsive force that the tablet 9 receives in the conveying direction, and therefore the conveying speed of the tablet 9 increases.

[0072] On the other hand, the larger the discharge angle of the gas discharged from the ejection part 13, the larger the width direction component of the force that the gas applies to the tablet 9. The larger the width direction component of the force that the gas applies to the tablet 9, the more strongly the tablet 9 is pressed against the side wall part 121, and therefore the posture of the tablet 9 in the left-right direction is corrected more effectively.

[0073] In addition, with regard to the tilt of the tablet 9 in the up-down direction, the first ejection part 131 and the second ejection part 132 can effectively correct the tilt of the tablet 9 regardless of the ejection angle at which the gas is ejected.

[0074] As described above, by adjusting the direction in which the gas is ejected from the ejector 13, it is possible to adjust the ratio between the transport direction component and the width direction component of the force that the gas ejected from the ejector 13 exerts on the tablet 9. This makes it possible to propel the tablet 9 in the transport direction and more effectively correct the position of the tablet 9 in the left-right direction.

[0075] The first ejection unit 131 is located downstream in the conveying direction from the second ejection unit 132. That is, the first ejection unit 131 is located furthest downstream in the conveying direction from the multiple ejection units 13 included in the supply mechanism 10. The first ejection unit 131 is also located upstream in the conveying direction from the second removal unit 152. The second ejection unit 132 is also located upstream in the conveying direction from the first ejection unit 131. The second ejection unit 132 is also located upstream in the conveying direction from the first removal unit 151.

[0076] The gas discharge angle θ1 by the first jetting unit 131 is equal to or greater than the gas discharge angle θ2 by the second jetting unit 132. As described above, the smaller the discharge angle, the greater the propulsive force applied to the tablet 9. Therefore, the second jetting unit 132 serves to correct the vertical posture of the tablet 9 while propelling the tablet 9 in the conveying direction. Also, as described above, the larger the discharge angle, the more strongly the tablet 9 is pressed against the side wall portion 121, and therefore the posture of the tablet 9 in the left-right direction is more effectively corrected. Therefore, the first jetting unit 131 serves to correct the left-right posture of the tablet 9.

[0077] In this manner, in this embodiment, the second ejection part 132 applies a propulsive force in the conveying direction to the tablets 9, thereby improving the supply speed of the tablets 9. Therefore, the supply amount of the tablets 9 can be improved.

[0078] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second ejection unit 132 corrects the vertical orientation of the tablet 9. By correcting the vertical orientation of the tablet 9 before the tablet 9 tilted in the vertical direction is rejected by the first rejection unit 151, the number of tablets 9 rejected by the first rejection unit 151 can be reduced. Then, the first ejection unit 131 corrects the horizontal orientation of the tablet 9. By correcting the horizontal orientation of the tablet 9 before the tablet 9 tilted in the horizontal direction is rejected by the second rejection unit 152, the number of tablets 9 rejected by the second rejection unit 152 can be reduced. Therefore, the supply amount of tablets 9 can be improved.

[0079] The discharge angle θ1 of the first ejection part 131 is preferably 45° or more and 90° or less. This allows the first ejection part 131 to press the tablet 9 more strongly against the side wall part 121, and more effectively correct the posture of the tablet 9 in the width direction.

[0080] Furthermore, the discharge angle θ2 of the second ejection part 132 is preferably greater than 0° and equal to or less than 45°, and more preferably equal to or greater than 25° and equal to or less than 45°. This allows a propulsive force to be applied to the tablet 9 more effectively.

[0081] 8, the first ejection unit 131 ejects gas toward a contact point P where a tablet 9 that is in an incorrect position relative to the conveying direction comes into contact with the second exclusion unit 152. If the position of the tablet 9 is corrected at a point upstream of the contact point P, the position of the tablet 9 may tilt again in the left-right direction during the process of moving from that point to the contact point P. In contrast, in this embodiment, the first ejection unit 131 ejects gas toward the contact point P, so that the position of the tablet 9 can be corrected immediately before the tablet 9 comes into contact with the second exclusion unit 152. This allows the tablet 9 to be supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14 while maintaining the corrected position of the tablet 9.

[0082] As described above, ejecting gas from the ejection portion 13 at an appropriate ejection angle is important in improving the supply amount of tablets 9. Therefore, it is preferable to position the ejection portion 13 accurately at an appropriate position. For example, by using a metal such as stainless steel as the material of the ejection portion 13, the position of the ejection portion 13 can be fixed accurately. Note that the material of the ejection portion 13 is not particularly limited as long as the position of the ejection portion 13 can be fixed accurately.

[0083] <3. Supply processing by supply mechanism> Next, the flow of the supply process of the tablets 9 in the supply mechanism 10 will be described.

[0084] 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the supply process of tablets 9 in the supply mechanism 10. When a plurality of tablets 9 are fed into the supply mechanism 10, the bowl feeder 11 starts conveying the tablets 9 in the conveying direction by the trough 12. Next, the trough 12 supplies the tablets 9 to one of a plurality of conveying paths separated by side wall portions 121 (step S1). While the tablets 9 are conveyed in the conveying path, the sides of the tablets 9 are supported by the side wall portions 121.

[0085] After step S1, the ejection unit 13 ejects gas in a direction to press the tablet 9 moving along the conveying path against the side wall 121 (step S2). This causes the tablet 9 to be corrected to an appropriate posture with respect to the conveying direction.

[0086] After step S2, the tablets 9 are supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14. At this time, the regulating guide 15 provided between the trough 12 and the first chute 14 removes from the conveying path any tablets 9 that are in an incorrect position relative to the conveying direction (step S3). That is, tablets 9 whose position is not sufficiently corrected in step S2 are not supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14. As a result, only tablets 9 that are aligned in an appropriate position relative to the conveying direction are supplied from the trough 12 to the first chute 14.

[0087] After step S3, the tablets 9 are transported from the first chute 14 to the second chute 18 by the supply conveyor 17 (step S4). The tablets 9 supplied from the first chute 14 are transported downstream in the transport direction by the rotation of the supply belt 172 while maintaining a state of being aligned in multiple rows. The multiple tablets 9 supplied from the supply conveyor 17 are supplied to each supply path of the second chute 18.

[0088] After step S4, the tablets 9 in the second chute 18 are conveyed downstream in the conveying direction by being pushed by the succeeding tablets 9 conveyed by the supply conveyor 17. Then, the tablets 9 are supplied to the first drum 19 from the downstream end of the second chute 18 in the conveying direction (step S5).

[0089] As described above, in this supply mechanism 10, the tablets 9 are pressed against the side wall portion 121 by discharging gas from the ejection portion 13. This causes the tablets 9 to be corrected to an appropriate position in the conveying direction. In this way, the number of tablets 9 rejected by the regulating guide 15 can be reduced. Therefore, more tablets 9 can be conveyed in an aligned state from the trough 12 to the first chute 14. This in turn increases the amount of tablets 9 supplied by the supply mechanism 10.

[0090] <4. Modifications> Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the tablet 9 was an oval tablet. Furthermore, the gas discharge angle θ1 from the first jetting section 131 was equal to or greater than the gas discharge angle θ2 from the second jetting section 132. This caused the tablet 9 to be pressed more strongly against the side wall 121 by the gas discharged from the first jetting section 131, correcting its posture in the left-right direction. However, if the major axis and minor axis of the tablet 9 are equal, for example, if the tablet 9 is a round tablet, there is no need to correct its posture in the left-right direction. Therefore, the discharge angle of the first jetting section 131 may be narrowed to be equal to or less than the discharge angle of the second jetting section 132. This allows the tablet 9 to be further propelled in the conveying direction. Therefore, the supply amount of the tablet 9 can be further improved.

[0092] In the above embodiment, the supply mechanism 10 includes the first and second spray units 131 and 132 as the spray units 13. However, the supply mechanism 10 may include more spray units 13 in addition to the first and second spray units 131 and 132. In this case, the discharge angle of each spray unit 13 may be larger as the spray unit 13 is located downstream in the conveying direction. As a result, the spray units 13 located more upstream propel the tablets 9 in the conveying direction, and the spray units 13 located more downstream correct the left-right orientation of the tablets 9. This increases the supply speed of the tablets 9 and more effectively corrects the orientation of the tablets 9.

[0093] In the above embodiment, the regulating guide 15 prevents tablets 9 that are oriented improperly relative to the conveying direction from moving in the conveying direction, thereby removing the tablets 9 from the conveying path. However, the supply mechanism 10 may include a sensor that detects the orientation of the tablets 9 and a gas discharge mechanism that removes the tablets 9, instead of the regulating guide 15. In this modification, the sensor and gas discharge mechanism are provided between the trough 12 and the first chute 14. Furthermore, the control unit 100 is electrically connected to the sensor and gas discharge mechanism in addition to the components described in the above embodiment. The sensor detects tablets 9 that are oriented improperly relative to the conveying direction. The gas discharge mechanism discharges gas toward tablets 9 that are oriented improperly relative to the conveying direction, detected by the sensor, thereby removing the tablets 9 from the conveying path.

[0094] In the above embodiment, the printing unit 35 is provided with four heads 36. However, the number of heads 36 included in the printing unit 35 may be one to three, or may be five or more.

[0095] In the above embodiment, the tablet printing device 1 that prints on tablets 9 has been described as the tablet processing device of the present invention. However, the present invention may also be used to perform processing other than printing on granular objects such as tablets. For example, the present invention may also be used to inspect granular objects such as tablets without printing on them.

[0096] Furthermore, the elements appearing in the above-described embodiments and modifications may be selected as appropriate within the scope of not causing any contradiction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1: Tablet printing device 9: Tablets 10: Feeding mechanism 11: Bowl feeder 12: Trough 13: Injection part 14: First shot 15: Regulatory Guide 19: First drum 24: 2nd drum 28:Transport conveyor 32: First camera 35:Printing Department 40: Second camera 45:Drying mechanism 50: Reversal mechanism 55: Ejection mechanism 100: Control unit 121: Side wall 122: Bottom part 131: 1st injection part 132:Second injection part 151: 1st elimination section 152:Second elimination section

Claims

1. A tablet supplying device that supplies tablets to a supply destination, a tablet support part that supports a side surface of the tablet in a conveying path along which the tablet is conveyed; a tablet removal unit that removes, from the conveying path, the tablets that are in an inappropriate position with respect to the conveying direction of the tablets; one or more ejection units that eject gas in a direction that presses the tablet against the tablet support unit; Equipped with At least one of the ejection sections ejects gas toward a contact point where the tablet, which is in an incorrect position with respect to the conveying direction, comes into contact with the tablet removal section.

2. A tablet supplying device that supplies tablets to a supply destination, a tablet support part that supports a side surface of the tablet in a conveying path along which the tablet is conveyed; a tablet removal unit that removes, from the conveying path, the tablets that are in an inappropriate position with respect to the conveying direction of the tablets; a plurality of ejection units that eject gas in a direction that presses the tablet against the tablet support unit; Equipped with A tablet supply device in which the angle of the gas ejection direction by a first ejection section, which is located furthest downstream in the conveying direction among the multiple ejection sections, relative to the conveying direction is greater than or equal to the angle of the gas ejection direction by an ejection section located upstream of the first ejection section, relative to the conveying direction.

3. 3. The tablet supply device according to claim 2, The tablet supplying device, wherein the angle of the gas ejection direction from each of the ejection sections relative to the conveying direction becomes larger as each of the ejection sections is positioned downstream in the conveying direction.

4. The tablet supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, At least one of the ejection sections ejects gas at an angle of 45° or more and 90° or less with respect to the conveying direction.

5. The tablet supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, At least one of the ejection portions is made of metal.

6. The tablet supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A tablet supplying device, wherein the tablet is an oval tablet.

7. A tablet supply method for supplying tablets to a supply destination, comprising: a) conveying the tablet in a predetermined conveying direction while supporting the side surface of the tablet with a tablet support portion that supports the side surface of the tablet; b) discharging gas from one or more jetting portions in a direction to press the tablet against the tablet support portion; c) a step in which a tablet removal unit removes the tablet that is in an inappropriate position with respect to the conveying direction from a conveying path along which the tablet is conveyed; Including, A tablet supply method in which, in step b), at least one of the injection sections ejects gas toward the contact point where the tablet, which is in an incorrect position with respect to the conveying direction, comes into contact with the tablet removal section.

8. A tablet supply method for supplying tablets to a supply destination, comprising: a) conveying the tablet in a predetermined conveying direction while supporting the side surface of the tablet with a tablet support portion that supports the side surface of the tablet; b) discharging gas from a plurality of ejection portions in a direction to press the tablet against the tablet support portion; c) a step in which a tablet removal unit removes the tablet that is in an inappropriate position with respect to the conveying direction from a conveying path along which the tablet is conveyed; Including, A tablet supply method, wherein in step b), the angle of the gas ejection direction by a first ejection section, which is located furthest downstream in the conveying direction among the plurality of ejection sections, relative to the conveying direction is equal to or greater than the angle of the gas ejection direction by an ejection section located upstream of the first ejection section relative to the conveying direction.

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