Suction and transport device

Abstract

To provide a conveyance device which can perform adsorption and conveyance on a conveyance belt for forming a non-linear conveyance path in a stable state without an increase in power which causes a negative pressure in a suction chamber.SOLUTION: An adsorption conveyance device includes: conveyance belts 35, 36 formed in an endless annular manner and forming at least a going passage 45, a first connection passage 47 and a returning passage 46; suction boxes 11, 20 for allowing a negative pressure to act on the conveyance belts 35, 36; and a drive mechanism 37 for rotating the conveyance belts 35, 36. The going passage 45, the first connection passage 47 and the returning passage 46 form an adsorption conveyance passage, and a rotation auxiliary mechanism 25 is provided at a portion corresponding to the first connection passage 47. The rotation auxiliary mechanism 25 includes rotation auxiliary belts 26, 27 formed in an endless annular manner, and the conveyance belts 35, 36 are wound around the rotation auxiliary belts 26, 27 in the first connection passage 47.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a suction and conveyance device capable of suctioning and conveying small articles such as medicines such as tablets and capsules, small confectioneries such as candy, and button batteries. [Background technology]

[0002] A known example of the above-mentioned suction conveying device is the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2018-57788 (Patent Document 1 below). As disclosed in the publication, this suction conveying device is composed of a first rotor having an internal space, a duct connected to the first rotor so as to communicate with the internal space of the first rotor, a suction pipe that draws air into the duct, a second rotor provided opposite the first rotor across the duct, and a conveying belt stretched between the first rotor and the second rotor.

[0003] The conveying belt has a plurality of suction holes that are connected to the internal space of the first rotating body and the duct and are aligned in the rotational direction of the first rotating body, and the first rotating body and the duct form a suction chamber that applies suction force to the suction holes located on the outer periphery of the first rotating body and the duct in the conveying belt.

[0004] Thus, with this suction conveying device, the negative pressure in the first rotating body and the duct acts on the suction holes in the conveying belt, and this negative pressure causes the tablets to be adsorbed onto the conveying belt, and as the conveying belt moves, the objects adsorbed to the conveying belt are conveyed along with the conveying belt.

[0005] A print head device is provided near the conventional suction conveying device so as to face the conveying path formed by the conveying belt, and is configured so that printing is performed by the print head device on the tablets conveyed by the conveying belt. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-57788 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the above-mentioned conventional suction and transport device has the following problems. That is, in conventional suction and conveying devices, the duct is connected to the first rotating body so that their internal spaces are connected to each other, and since the fixedly positioned duct and the rotating first rotating body are interconnected, a gap of, for example, 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm is formed between the duct and the first rotating body to avoid friction between them.

[0008] As a result, outside air flows through this gap into the internal space of the duct and first rotor that form the suction chamber, increasing the pressure in the internal space, which weakens the suction force acting on the suction port of the conveyor belt and makes the state of the tablet attracted to the suction port unstable.In particular, because the conveyor path formed by the conveyor belt wrapped around the first rotor is arc-shaped, the adsorption state of the tablet is likely to become unstable on this arc-shaped conveyor path.

[0009] On the other hand, in order to stably adsorb the tablets onto the conveying path formed by the conveying belt, it is possible to consider lowering the pressure in the internal space of the duct and the first rotating body that form the suction chamber, but doing so creates another problem in that more power is required to generate the negative pressure.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned situation, and its object is to provide an adsorption and conveying device that can stably adsorb and convey objects onto a conveying belt that forms a non-linear conveying path, by preventing the inflow of outside air from any source other than the conveying path, without increasing the power required to create negative pressure inside the suction chamber. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides: a conveyor belt formed in an endless loop, which forms linear outward and return paths arranged side by side at a distance from each other, a first connecting path connecting the end of the outward path to the start of the return path, and a second connecting path connecting the start of the outward path to the end of the return path; a suction box disposed within the annular conveyor belt, the suction box having guide portions for guiding the rotation of the conveyor belt at least in portions corresponding to the outgoing path, the returning path, and the first connecting path, and having suction ports formed along the outgoing path, the returning path, and the first connecting path, and applying negative pressure to the outgoing path, the returning path, and the first connecting path through the suction ports; a drive mechanism including a drive pulley around which the conveyor belt is wound in the second connection path and a drive motor that rotates the drive pulley, and drives the drive pulley with the drive motor to rotate the conveyor belt; a negative pressure mechanism that applies negative pressure to the suction box, The conveyor belt has two conveying support surfaces formed parallel to the rotation direction of the conveyor belt, and a negative pressure from the suction box acts between the conveying support surfaces, so that the outgoing path, the return path, and the first connecting path form an adsorption conveying path. a rotation assist mechanism that assists the rotation of the conveyor belt is provided in a portion of the suction box that corresponds to the first connection path; the rotation assist mechanism includes a rotation assist belt formed in an endless loop and disposed within the loop of the conveyor belt, and at least two pulleys around which the rotation assist belt is wound, and between the two pulleys, a guide portion formed in the suction box abuts against the rotation assist belt from the inside to guide the rotation of the rotation assist belt, and a negative pressure via the suction port formed in the suction box acts on the first connection path, The conveyor belt is associated with a suction conveyor device that is wound around the rotation assist belt in the first connection path.

[0012] In this suction conveying device, a ring-shaped conveying belt forms linear outbound and return paths, a first connecting path connecting the end of the outbound path with the beginning of the return path, and a second connecting path connecting the beginning of the outbound path with the end of the return path. The conveying belt is driven by the drive mechanism and rotates in its longitudinal direction. This rotation is guided by a guide portion of a suction box disposed within the ring, and further, negative pressure within the suction box acts on the outbound path, return path, and first connecting path via suction ports formed in the suction box.

[0013] In addition, the conveying belt has two conveying support surfaces formed parallel to the direction of rotation, and when negative pressure from the suction box acts between the conveying support surfaces, an adsorption conveying path consisting of the outbound path, first connecting path, and return path is formed, and the object to be conveyed is adsorbed to the conveying belt so as to straddle the two conveying support surfaces of the conveying belt, and is conveyed on the outbound path, first connecting path, and return path.

[0014] The suction box is also provided with a rotation assist mechanism for assisting the rotation of the conveyor belt in a portion corresponding to the first connection path. This rotation assist mechanism includes an endless annular rotation assist belt disposed within the loop of the conveyor belt, and at least two pulleys around which the rotation assist belt is wound, and a guide portion formed on the suction box contacts the rotation assist belt from the inside between the two pulleys to guide the rotation of the rotation assist belt. The conveyor belt is then wound around the rotation assist belt.

[0015] In this rotation assist mechanism, the rotation assist belt, which is wound around two pulleys, is configured to be rotatable in its longitudinal direction while being guided by the guide portion of the suction box, and by rotating in this manner, the rotation assist belt assists the rotation of the conveyor belt wound around it. In other words, if the conveyor belt is directly guided by the guide portion of the suction box, there is a risk that stable rotation of the conveyor belt will be hindered due to friction between the guide portion and the conveyor belt. However, by interposing the rotation assist belt between the guide portion of the suction box and the conveyor belt, no direct frictional force will be generated between the guide portion and the conveyor belt, and the sliding contact between the guide portion and the rotation assist belt, and the sliding contact between the rotation assist belt and the conveyor belt, allows the conveyor belt to rotate in a stable state.

[0016] Thus, this suction conveying device provides a rotation assist mechanism for assisting the rotation of the conveyor belt in the portion corresponding to the first connecting path, thereby enabling the conveyor belt to rotate in a stable manner. Furthermore, the suction boxes provided for the forward path, the return path, and the first connecting path are fixed and not comprised of a fixed portion and a rotating portion as in the conventional case. Therefore, even if the suction box is configured by connecting multiple structures, the connecting portions can be integrally connected in an airtight manner to prevent outside air from entering. Therefore, the internal pressure (negative pressure) within the suction box can be maintained at a stable pressure, and as a result, the conveyed object can be stably attracted to the conveyor belt and conveyed without requiring excessive power. Furthermore, by forming the suction box as an integral unit, the straightness of the conveyor belt can be improved, thereby enabling the conveyed object to be conveyed stably.

[0017] In the above-described suction conveying device, the rotation assist belt is preferably a flat belt, and more preferably made of a hard resin or metal with low frictional resistance. This minimizes frictional resistance between the guide portion and the rotation assist belt, allowing the conveyor belt to rotate stably. Furthermore, it is preferable that the conveyor belt be a toothed belt having grooves formed at predetermined intervals on its inner surface along the direction of rotation, the grooves being perpendicular to the direction of rotation, and that the drive pulley be a toothed pulley. This stabilizes the rotation speed of the conveyor belt, thereby allowing the conveyed objects to be conveyed at a stable speed.

[0018] In the above-described suction conveying device, the rotation assist mechanism preferably includes a tension adjusting unit that adjusts the tension of the rotation assist belt. By adjusting the tension of the rotation assist belt to an appropriate level by the tension adjusting unit, the rotation assist belt can be rotated in a stable state.

[0019] In the above-described suction conveying device, the forward and return paths of the conveyor belt may be formed parallel to each other, and the first connecting path may be formed in an arc shape. This allows the conveyor belt to rotate more smoothly, and the objects to be conveyed can be conveyed in a more stable state.

[0020] In addition, in the above-mentioned suction conveying device, the suction box can be configured to have guide portions on both sides of the suction port in the parts corresponding to the outbound and return paths, which guide the movement of the conveying belt.

[0021] In the above-mentioned suction conveying device, the conveying belt is composed of two belts arranged in parallel, and the outer surfaces of the belts respectively form the conveying support surfaces; the rotation assist belt is composed of two belts provided corresponding to the conveying belt, the suction box includes guide grooves for guiding the travel of each of the conveyor belts on both sides of the suction port in portions corresponding to the forward and backward paths, Furthermore, the guide portion of the rotation assist mechanism may have guide grooves on both sides of the suction port of the suction box, for guiding the running of each of the rotation assist belts. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the suction conveying device of the present invention, a rotation assist mechanism that assists the rotation of the conveyor belt is provided in the portion corresponding to the first connecting path, thereby allowing the conveyor belt to rotate in a stable manner. Furthermore, the suction boxes provided corresponding to the outbound path, the return path, and the first connecting path are configured in a fixed state, rather than being composed of a fixed portion and a rotating portion as in the conventional case. Therefore, even if the suction box is configured by connecting multiple structures, the connecting portions can be integrally connected in an airtight manner to prevent outside air from entering. Therefore, the internal pressure (negative pressure) within the suction box can be maintained at a stable pressure, and as a result, the conveyed object can be stably adsorbed to the conveyor belt and conveyed without requiring excessive power. Furthermore, by forming the suction box as an integral unit, the straightness of the conveyor belt can be improved, thereby also allowing the conveyed object to be conveyed stably. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing an inspection and printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view showing a first suction transfer device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a front cross-sectional view showing a second suction transfer device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view taken in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow CC in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 6 is a perspective view showing a second suction box and a rotation assist mechanism shown in FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 7] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow BB direction shown in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection and printing device 1 of this example is configured with a first suction and conveyance device 10, a second suction and conveyance device 50, 3D inspection units 90 and 95, printing units 91 and 96, appearance inspection units 92 and 97, a sorting and recovery unit 98, and a control device 100. In the inspection and printing device 1 of this example, the processing object is a pharmaceutical tablet T, and the three-dimensional shape and appearance of the upper and lower surfaces of this tablet T are inspected and printing is performed on the upper and lower surfaces. However, the above configuration and arrangement of the inspection and printing device 1 of this example are merely exemplary, and it goes without saying that various device configurations and arrangements can be adopted in realizing the present invention. Below, details of each part of the inspection and printing device 1 of this example are described.

[0026] [First suction transport device] The first suction conveying device 10 is composed of a first suction box 11 and a second suction box 20, a pair of conveying belts 35, 36 wrapped around the first suction box 11 and the second suction box 20, a drive mechanism 37 that drives the conveying belts 35, 36, an exhaust pump 17 that creates negative pressure inside the first suction box 11 and the second suction box 20, and a rotation assist mechanism 25 provided in the second suction box 20.

[0027] The first suction box 11 is a hollow member having a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and is divided into two parts in the front-rear direction in Fig. 1, which is a front view, and is composed of a rear member 11a and a front member 11b. When the front member 11b and the rear member 11a are joined together, the internal space thereof forms a negative pressure chamber 11c.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 and 7, the rear member 11a and the front member 11b constituting the first suction box 11 have guide grooves 13 and 14 formed on their upper surfaces along the longitudinal direction, respectively, and guide grooves 15 and 16 formed on their lower surfaces along the longitudinal direction.

[0029] When the rear member 11a and the front member 11b are joined together, a suction port 12, which is an opening that connects to the negative pressure chamber 11c, is formed between the upper guide grooves 13 and 14 along the longitudinal direction thereof, and similarly, a suction port 12 that connects to the negative pressure chamber 11c is formed between the lower guide grooves 15 and 16 along the longitudinal direction thereof.

[0030] The second suction box 20 is a hollow member with a semicircular (crescent) shape with an arc on the right side when viewed from the front, and its linear left end is connected to the right end of the first suction box 11. The connection is airtight to prevent outside air from entering. The second suction box 20 is also divided into two in the front-to-rear direction in the front view of FIG. 1, and is composed of a rear member (rear member) 20a and a front member (front member) 20b. When the front member 20b and the rear member 20a are connected, the internal space forms a negative pressure chamber 20c. The negative pressure chamber 11c of the first suction box 11 and the negative pressure chamber 20c of the second suction box 20 are in communication with each other.

[0031] As shown in Figures 2, 4 to 6, the rear member 20a and the front member 20b constituting the second suction box 20 have guide grooves 22, 23 formed in the arcuate surfaces of their side faces, respectively, and when the rear member 20a and the front member 20b are joined together, a suction port 21, which is an opening connected to the negative pressure chamber 20c, is formed between the guide grooves 22, 23.

[0032] As shown in Figures 2, 4 to 6, the rotation assist mechanism 25 is composed of endless circular rotation assist belts 26, 27 that are fitted into the guide grooves 22, 23 of the second suction box 20, respectively, and are arranged to be slidable against the bottom surfaces of these guide grooves 22, 23, pulleys 28, 29 that are arranged above the guide grooves 22, 23 of the second suction box 20, respectively, and around which the rotation assist belts 26, 27 are wound, pulleys 30, 31 that are arranged below the guide grooves 22, 23, respectively, and around which the rotation assist belts 26, 27 are wound, and tensioning rollers 32, 33 that are arranged between the pulleys 28, 29 and the pulleys 30, 31 and apply tension to the rotation assist belts 26, 27, respectively.

[0033] The rotation-assist belts 26, 27 are flat belts made of hard resin so as to reduce frictional resistance against the bottom surfaces of the guide grooves 22, 23. Furthermore, openings communicating with the negative pressure chamber 20c are formed in the bottom surfaces of the guide grooves 22, 23 at the locations where the pulleys 28, 29, 30, 31 are provided, and the pulleys 28, 29, 30, 31 are provided so that their outer circumferential apexes face positions corresponding to the bottom surfaces of the guide grooves 22, 23. Thus, by arranging the pulleys 28, 29, 30, 31 in this manner, the rotation-assist belts 26, 27 are wound around them, respectively. In addition, the tension-applying rollers 32, 33 are arranged on the outside of the rotation assist belts 26, 27 (on the left side in Figures 2, 5 and 6), and move to the right to urge the rotation assist belts 26, 27 to the right (inside the loop), thereby applying an appropriate tension to the rotation assist belts 26, 27.

[0034] The conveyor belts 35, 36 are each made of a toothed belt (timing belt) formed in an endless loop, and are wound around the first suction box 11 and the second suction box 20 while being fitted into the guide grooves 13, 14, 15, 16 of the first suction box 11 and the guide grooves 22, 23 of the second suction box 20, and are further wound around a drive pulley 38 provided on the lower left of the first suction box 11 and a driven pulley 40 provided above it. At the guide grooves 22, 23 portions, the conveyor belts 35, 36 are wound around the rotation assist belts 26, 27 so as to overlap the rotation assist belts 26, 27 from the outside.

[0035] The drive pulley 38 is a toothed pulley (timing pulley) and is driven by a drive motor 39 to rotate the conveyor belts 35, 36 in the direction of arrow D. The drive pulley 38 and drive motor 39 constitute a drive mechanism 37. On the other hand, the driven pulley 40 is a general toothless pulley that does not have teeth formed thereon.

[0036] In addition, a tensioning roller 41 is provided between the drive pulley 38 and the driven pulley 40. This tensioning roller 41 is arranged inside the conveying belts 35, 36 (on the right side in Figure 2) and moves to the left (outside the ring) to urge the conveying belts 35, 36 to the left, thereby applying an appropriate tension to the conveying belts 35, 36.

[0037] In the first suction transfer device 10 configured as described above, the air inside the first suction box 11 and the second suction box 20 is exhausted by the exhaust pump 17, creating a negative pressure inside the boxes, thereby forming a negative pressure chamber 11c and a negative pressure chamber 20c, respectively. In the first suction box 11, the negative pressure inside the negative pressure chamber 11c acts between the conveyor belts 35 and 36 through the suction port 12, and in the second suction box 20, the negative pressure inside the negative pressure chamber 20c acts between the conveyor belts 35 and 36 through the suction port 21.

[0038] Then, due to the negative pressure acting between the conveyor belts 35, 36, the tablets T, which are the processing objects, are adsorbed onto the conveyor belts 35, 36 so as to straddle the conveyor belts 35, 36. The conveyor belts 35, 36 are rotated in the direction of arrow D by a drive mechanism 37, and the tablets T adsorbed to the conveyor belts 35, 36 are transported in the direction of arrow D together with the rotation of the conveyor belts 35, 36. In this way, the conveyor belts 35, 36 form a transport support surface that is provided parallel to the rotation direction.

[0039] Thus, of the traveling paths of the conveyor belts 35, 36 along the direction of arrow D, the upper side of the first suction box 11 forms a linear outgoing path 45, the lower side of the first suction box 11 forms a linear return path 46, the portion of the second suction box 20 forms an arc-shaped first connecting path 47 connecting the end of the outgoing path 45 to the start of the return path 46, and the portion corresponding to the drive pulley 38 and driven pulley 40 forms a linear second connecting path 48 connecting the end of the return path 46 to the start of the outgoing path 45. The tablets T are continuously supplied one by one from an appropriate external supply mechanism to a supply unit Sp set near the conveyance start end of the outgoing path 45.

[0040] Furthermore, the first connecting path 47 is an arc-shaped conveying path, but the conveyor belts 35, 36 can run smoothly without resistance because they are wound around the rotation assist belts 26, 27 of the rotation assist mechanism 25 in the first connecting path 47. That is, the rotation assist belts 26, 27 are wound around pulleys 28, 29 and pulleys 30, 31 and are provided rotatable in their longitudinal directions, so the rotation assist belts 26, 27 assist the rotation of the conveyor belts 35, 36 by rotating themselves.

[0041] In a configuration in which the conveying belts 35, 36 are fitted into the guide grooves 22, 23 of the second suction box 20 and directly guided, there is a risk that stable rotation of the conveying belts 35, 36 may be hindered due to friction between the guide grooves 22, 23 and the conveying belts 35, 36. However, by interposing the rotation assist belts 26, 27 between the guide grooves 22, 23 of the second suction box 20 and the conveying belts 35, 36, no direct frictional force is generated between the guide grooves 22, 23 and the conveying belts 35, 36, and the sliding contact between the guide grooves 22, 23 and the rotation assist belts 26, 27, and the sliding contact between the rotation assist belts 26, 27 and the conveying belts 35, 36 allows the conveying belts 35, 36 to rotate in a stable manner.

[0042] As described above, according to the first suction conveying device 10, a rotation assisting mechanism 25 that assists the rotation of the conveyor belts 35, 36 is provided in a portion corresponding to the first connecting path 47, so that the conveyor belts 35, 36 can be rotated in a stable state. Furthermore, the first suction box 11 and the second suction box 20 provided corresponding to the outgoing path 45, the return path 46, and the first connecting path 47 are integrally joined in an airtight state that prevents outside air from entering. Therefore, compared to the conventional device, the internal pressure (negative pressure) in the first suction box 11 and the second suction box 20 can be maintained at a stable pressure. As a result, the tablets T can be stably adsorbed to the conveyor belts 35, 36 and conveyed without requiring excessive power. Furthermore, by integrally forming the first suction box 11 and the second suction box 20, the linearity of the conveyor belts 35, 36 can be improved, and in this sense, the tablets T can be stably conveyed.

[0043] [Second suction transport device] The second suction and conveying device 50 has the same configuration as the first suction and conveying device 10 described above, and is disposed below the first suction and conveying device 10 in a state in which it is laterally reversed with respect to the first suction and conveying device 10. Note that, again, the specific configuration of this second suction and conveying device 50 will be described below. In this description, reference will be made to Figures 1, 2, and 4 to 7 which show the first suction and conveying device 10.

[0044] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the second suction conveying device 50 is composed of a first suction box 51 and a second suction box 60, a pair of conveying belts 75, 76 wrapped around the first suction box 51 and the second suction box 60, a drive mechanism 77 for driving the conveying belts 75, 76, an exhaust pump 57 for creating negative pressure inside the first suction box 51 and the second suction box 60, and a rotation assist mechanism 65 provided in the second suction box 60.

[0045] 1, which is a front view, is divided into two parts in the front-rear direction, and is composed of a rear member (rear member) 51a and a front member (front member) 51b. When the front member 51b and the rear member 51a are joined together, the internal space thereof forms a negative pressure chamber 51c.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 3, the rear member 51a and the front member 51b constituting the first suction box 51 have guide grooves 53 and 54 formed on their upper surfaces along the longitudinal direction, and guide grooves 55 and 56 formed on their lower surfaces along the longitudinal direction.

[0047] When the rear member 51a and the front member 51b are joined together, a suction port 52 connected to the negative pressure chamber 51c is formed between the upper guide grooves 53 and 54 along the longitudinal direction thereof, and similarly, a suction port 2 connected to the negative pressure chamber 51c is formed between the lower guide grooves 55 and 56 along the longitudinal direction thereof.

[0048] The second suction box 60 is a hollow member with a semicircular (crescent) shape with an arc on the left side when viewed from the front, and its straight right end is connected to the left end of the first suction box 51. The connection is airtight to prevent outside air from entering. The second suction box 60 is also divided into two in the front-rear direction in the front view of FIG. 1, and is composed of a rear member (rear member) 60a and a front member (front member) 60b. When the front member 60b and the rear member 60a are connected, the internal space forms a negative pressure chamber 60c. The negative pressure chamber 51c of the first suction box 51 and the negative pressure chamber 60c of the second suction box 60 are in communication with each other.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 3, the rear member 60a and the front member 60b that constitute the second suction box 60 have guide grooves 62, 63 formed in the arcuate surfaces that are their side faces, and when the rear member 60a and the front member 60b are joined together, a suction port 61, which is an opening that connects to the negative pressure chamber 60c, is formed between the guide grooves 62, 63.

[0050] As shown in Figure 3, the rotation assist mechanism 65 is composed of endless circular rotation assist belts 66, 67 that are fitted into the guide grooves 62, 63 of the second suction box 60, respectively, and are slidable against the bottom surfaces of these guide grooves 62, 63; pulleys 68, 69 that are arranged above the guide grooves 62, 63 of the second suction box 60, respectively, and around which the rotation assist belts 66, 67 are wound; pulleys 70, 71 that are arranged below the guide grooves 62, 63, respectively, and around which the rotation assist belts 66, 67 are wound; and tensioning rollers 72, 73 that are arranged between the pulleys 68, 69 and the pulleys 70, 71 and apply tension to the rotation assist belts 66, 67, respectively.

[0051] The rotation-assist belts 66, 67 are flat belts made of hard resin so as to reduce frictional resistance against the bottom surfaces of the guide grooves 62, 63. Furthermore, openings communicating with the negative pressure chamber 60c are formed in the bottom surfaces of the guide grooves 62, 63 at the locations where the pulleys 68, 69, 70, 71 are provided, and the pulleys 68, 69, 70, 71 are provided so that their outer circumferential apexes face positions corresponding to the bottom surfaces of the guide grooves 62, 63. Thus, by arranging the pulleys 68, 69, 70, 71 in this manner, the rotation-assist belts 66, 67 are wound around them, respectively. In addition, the tension-applying rollers 72, 73 are arranged outside the rotation assist belts 66, 67 (on the right side in Figure 3), and move to the left to urge the rotation assist belts 66, 67 to the left (inside the loop), thereby applying an appropriate tension to the rotation assist belts 66, 67.

[0052] The conveyor belts 75, 76 are each made of a toothed belt (timing belt) formed in an endless loop, and are wound around the first suction box 51 and the second suction box 60 while being fitted into the guide grooves 53, 54, 55, 56 of the first suction box 51 and the guide grooves 62, 63 of the second suction box 60, and are further wound around a drive pulley 78 provided on the lower right of the first suction box 51 and a driven pulley 80 provided above it. At the guide grooves 62, 63, the conveyor belts 75, 76 are wound around the rotation assist belts 66, 67 so as to overlap the rotation assist belts 66, 67 from the outside.

[0053] The drive pulley 78 is a toothed pulley (timing pulley) and is driven by a drive motor 79 to rotate the conveyor belts 75, 76 in the direction of arrow E. The drive pulley 78 and drive motor 79 constitute a drive mechanism 77. On the other hand, the driven pulley 80 is a general toothless pulley that is not formed with teeth.

[0054] In addition, a tensioning roller 81 is provided between the drive pulley 78 and the driven pulley 80. This tensioning roller 81 is arranged inside the conveying belts 75, 76 (on the left side in Figure 3) and moves to the right (outside the ring) to urge the conveying belts 75, 76 to the right, thereby applying an appropriate tension to the conveying belts 75, 76.

[0055] In the second suction transfer device 50 configured as described above, the air inside the first suction box 51 and the second suction box 60 is exhausted by the exhaust pump 57, thereby creating a negative pressure inside the boxes, and forming negative pressure chambers 51c and 60c, respectively. In the first suction box 51, the negative pressure inside negative pressure chamber 51c acts between the conveyor belts 75 and 76 through the suction port 52, and in the second suction box 60, the negative pressure inside negative pressure chamber 60c acts between the conveyor belts 75 and 76 through the suction port 61.

[0056] Then, due to the negative pressure acting between the conveyor belts 75, 76, the tablets T, which are the processing objects, are adsorbed onto the conveyor belts 75, 76 so as to straddle the conveyor belts 75, 76. The conveyor belts 75, 76 are rotated in the direction of arrow E by a drive mechanism 77, and the tablets T adsorbed to the conveyor belts 75, 76 are transported in the direction of arrow E together with the rotation of the conveyor belts 75, 76. In this way, the conveyor belts 75, 76 form a transport support surface that is provided parallel to the rotation direction.

[0057] Thus, of the travel paths of the conveying belts 75, 76 along the direction of arrow E, the upper side of the first suction box 51 is the outbound path 85, the lower side of the first suction box 51 is the return path 86, the portion of the second suction box 60 is the first connecting path 87 connecting the end of the outbound path 85 to the beginning of the return path 86, and the portion corresponding to the drive pulley 78 and driven pulley 80 is the second connecting path 88 connecting the end of the return path 86 to the beginning of the outbound path 85. In addition, the second suction conveying device 50 is arranged below the first suction conveying device 10 so that the starting end of its outbound path 85 connects to the end of the return path 46 of the first suction conveying device 10, and a tablet T transported to the end of the return path 46 of the first suction conveying device 10 is handed over to the starting end of the outbound path 85 of the second suction conveying device 50 at this connection, adsorbed by the second suction conveying device 50, and transported along the outbound path 85, first connecting path 87, and return path 46.

[0058] Although the first connection path 87 is an arc-shaped conveying path, the conveying belts 75, 76 can run smoothly without resistance because they are wound around the rotation assist belts 66, 67 of the rotation assist mechanism 65 in the first connection path 87. That is, the rotation assist belts 66, 67 are wound around pulleys 68, 69 and pulleys 70, 71 and are provided rotatable in the longitudinal direction, so the rotation assist belts 66, 67 assist the rotation of the conveying belts 75, 76 by rotating themselves.

[0059] In a configuration in which the conveying belts 75, 76 are fitted into the guide grooves 62, 63 of the second suction box 60 and directly guided, there is a risk that stable rotation of the conveying belts 75, 76 may be hindered due to friction between the guide grooves 62, 63 and the conveying belts 75, 76. However, by interposing the rotation assist belts 66, 67 between the guide grooves 62, 63 of the second suction box 60 and the conveying belts 75, 76, no direct frictional force is generated between the guide grooves 62, 63 and the conveying belts 75, 76, and the conveying belts 75, 76 can be rotated in a stable manner due to the sliding contact between the guide grooves 62, 63 and the rotation assist belts 66, 67, and the sliding contact between the rotation assist belts 66, 67 and the conveying belts 75, 76.

[0060] As described above, according to the second suction conveying device 50, a rotation assisting mechanism 65 that assists the rotation of the conveyor belts 75, 76 is provided in the portion corresponding to the first connecting path 87, so that the conveyor belts 75, 76 can be rotated in a stable state. Furthermore, the first suction box 51 and the second suction box 60 provided corresponding to the outgoing path 85, the return path 86, and the first connecting path 87 are integrally joined in an airtight state that prevents outside air from entering. Therefore, compared to the conventional device, the internal pressure (negative pressure) in the first suction box 51 and the second suction box 60 can be maintained at a stable pressure. As a result, the tablets T can be stably adsorbed to the conveyor belts 75, 76 and conveyed without requiring excessive power. Furthermore, by integrally forming the first suction box 51 and the second suction box 60, the linearity of the conveyor belts 75, 76 can be improved, and in this sense, the tablets T can be stably conveyed.

[0061] [3D inspection unit, printing unit, appearance inspection unit and sorting and recovery unit] The 3D inspection unit 90, printing unit 91, and appearance inspection unit 92 are sequentially arranged above the first suction and conveying device 10 along the direction of arrow D so as to face the outgoing path 45 of the first suction and conveying device 10. Furthermore, the 3D inspection unit 95, printing unit 96, and appearance inspection unit 97 are sequentially arranged above the second suction and conveying device 30 along the direction of arrow E so as to face the outgoing path 85 of the second suction and conveying device 50, and the sorting and recovery unit 98 is arranged below the second suction and conveying device 30 so as to face the return path 86 of the second suction and conveying device 50.

[0062] The 3D inspection units 90 and 95 are inspection units that irradiate tablet T with slit light perpendicular to the conveying direction from diagonally in front or behind the conveying direction, and capture an image of the slit light irradiated onto tablet T from directly above using a camera, and based on the obtained image, measure the three-dimensional shape of tablet T using the so-called light cutting method to determine whether it is good or bad.

[0063] The printing units 91 and 96 are units equipped with a so-called inkjet printing mechanism that ejects ink droplets onto the tablets T to perform printing.

[0064] In addition, the appearance inspection units 92, 97 are units that take an image of the outer surface of the tablet T using a camera and, based on the obtained image, inspect the presence or absence of appearance defects such as cracks, chips, or stains on the outer surface of the tablet T, as well as the quality of the printing applied by the printing units 91, 96.

[0065] The sorting and recovery unit 98 is a unit that sorts and recovers non-defective tablets T and defective tablets T based on the inspection results of the 3D inspection units 90 and 95 and the appearance inspection units 92 and 97.

[0066] [Control device] The control device 100 is composed of a computer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and controls the operation of the first suction and conveying device 10, the second suction and conveying device 50, the 3D inspection units 90, 95, the printing units 91, 96, the appearance inspection units 92, 97, and the sorting and recovery unit 98, and also processes images captured in the 3D inspection units 90, 95 and the appearance inspection units 92, 97, and performs a pass / fail judgment process based on these images.

[0067] According to the inspection and printing device 1 of this example having the above configuration, tablets T are continuously supplied one by one from an external supply mechanism provided upstream of the first suction and conveying device 10 to a supply section Sp set on the outbound path 45 so as to straddle the conveyor belts 35, 36. The supplied tablets T are then adsorbed onto the conveyor belts 35, 36 by the negative pressure acting between the conveyor belts 35, 36, and in this adsorbed state are conveyed towards the second suction and conveying device 50 by the travel of the conveyor belts 35, 36 in the direction of arrow D.

[0068] Then, in the process of being transported by the first suction transport device 10, the tablet T has the quality of the three-dimensional shape of its upper surface (one side) judged by the 3D inspection unit 90, and then the printing unit 91 appropriately prints on the upper surface from above, and then the appearance inspection unit 92 judges the quality of the appearance of the upper surface and the quality of the printing, and after undergoing each of these processes, the tablet T passes through the arc-shaped first connecting path 47 and reaches the return path 46. Then, in the process of transportation from the outgoing path 45 to the first connecting path 47 and reaches the return path 46, the tablet T is turned upside down, and on the return path 46, the other side opposite to the one side becomes the upper side, and is delivered to the second suction transport device 50 at the end of the transport of the return path 46.

[0069] In addition, since the first connecting path 47 is provided with a rotation assist mechanism 25 that assists the rotation of the conveyor belts 35, 36, the conveyor belts 35, 36 can be rotated in a stable state. Furthermore, the first suction box 11 and the second suction box 20 provided corresponding to the outgoing path 45, the return path 46, and the first connecting path 47 are integrally joined in an airtight state that prevents outside air from entering, and therefore, compared to the conventional art, the internal pressure (negative pressure) in the first suction box 11 and the second suction box 20 can be maintained at a stable pressure, and as a result, the tablets T can be stably sucked onto the conveyor belts 35, 36 and conveyed without requiring excessive power. Furthermore, by integrally forming the first suction box 11 and the second suction box 20, the straightness of the conveyor belts 35, 36 can be improved, and in this sense, the tablets T can also be stably conveyed.

[0070] Next, at the starting point of the adsorption conveying of the outgoing path 85 of the second adsorption conveying device 50, the tablet T has its underside (other side) adsorbed so as to straddle the conveying belts 75, 76 due to the action of the negative pressure, and is transported in the direction of arrow E from this outgoing path 85 through the first connecting path 87 to the return path 86 side.

[0071] Then, in the process of being transported by the second suction transport device 50, the tablet T has the three-dimensional shape of its upper surface (other surface) judged by the 3D inspection unit 90, and then the printing unit 91 appropriately prints on the other surface from above, and then the appearance inspection unit 92 judges whether the appearance of the other surface and the printing are good or bad. After undergoing each of these processes, the tablet T reaches the return path 86 via the arc-shaped first connection path 87, and during the transport process, the tablet T is turned upside down again, and on the return path 86, the one surface becomes the upper surface. Then, after undergoing each of these processes, the sorting and recovery unit 98 provided on the return path 86 side recovers the tablets T in a sorted state, into good tablets T and defective tablets T, based on the inspection results of the 3D inspection units 90, 95 and the appearance inspection units 92, 97.

[0072] In addition, since the first connecting path 87 is provided with a rotation assist mechanism 65 that assists the rotation of the conveyor belts 75, 76, the conveyor belts 75, 76 can be rotated in a stable state. Furthermore, the first suction box 51 and the second suction box 60 provided corresponding to the outgoing path 85, the return path 86, and the first connecting path 87 are integrally joined in an airtight state that prevents outside air from entering, and therefore, compared to the conventional art, the internal pressure (negative pressure) in the first suction box 51 and the second suction box 60 can be maintained at a stable pressure, and as a result, the tablets T can be stably attracted to the conveyor belts 75, 76 and conveyed without requiring excessive power. Furthermore, by integrally forming the first suction box 51 and the second suction box 60, the straightness of the conveyor belts 75, 76 can be improved, and in this sense, the tablets T can be stably conveyed.

[0073] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the specific aspects that the present invention can adopt are not limited to this in any way.

[0074] For example, in the first suction transfer device 10 of the above example, the negative pressure chamber 11c of the first suction box 11 and the negative pressure chamber 20c of the second suction box 20 are configured to communicate with each other, but this is not limiting and the negative pressure chamber 11c and the negative pressure chamber 20c may not be configured to communicate with each other. In this case, the negative pressure chamber 20c may be made negative by the exhaust pump 17, or it may be made negative by an exhaust pump other than the exhaust pump 17.

[0075] In addition, in the first suction conveying device 10, the tensioning roller 41 may be arranged on the outside of the ring of the conveying belts 35, 36 (left side in Figure 2), and moved to the right to urge the conveying belts 35, 36 to the right, thereby applying tension to the conveying belts 35, 36.

[0076] In addition, in the first suction conveying device 10, the tensioning rollers 32, 33 may be arranged inside the rotation auxiliary belts 26, 27 (on the right side in Figures 2, 5 and 6), and may be configured to apply tension to the rotation auxiliary belts 26, 27 by moving them to the left and urging the rotation auxiliary belts 26, 27 to the left.

[0077] Similarly, in the first suction transfer device 50, the negative pressure chamber 51c of the first suction box 51 and the negative pressure chamber 60c of the second suction box 60 are configured to communicate with each other, but this is not limiting and the negative pressure chamber 51c and the negative pressure chamber 60c may not be configured to communicate with each other. In this case, the negative pressure chamber 60c may be made negative by the exhaust pump 57, or may be made negative by an exhaust pump other than the exhaust pump 57.

[0078] In addition, in the second suction conveying device 50, the tensioning roller 81 may be arranged on the outer side of the ring of the conveying belts 75, 76 (on the right side in Figure 3), and may be configured to move to the left and urge the conveying belts 75, 76 to the left, thereby applying tension to the conveying belts 75, 76.

[0079] In addition, in the second suction conveying device 50, the tensioning rollers 72, 73 may be arranged inside the rotation auxiliary belts 66, 67 (on the left side in Figure 3) and moved to the right to urge the rotation auxiliary belts 66, 67 to the right, thereby applying tension to the rotation auxiliary belts 66, 67.

[0080] The rotation assist belts 26, 27, 66, 67 may be made of flat belts made of metal.

[0081] In the above example, the outgoing path 45 and the returning path 46 of the first suction and transport device 10 and the outgoing path 85 and the returning path 86 of the second suction and transport device 50 are horizontal, but they do not necessarily have to be horizontal in the strict sense and may have a slight inclination as long as it does not interfere with printing. In addition, the first connecting path 47 of the first suction and transport device 10 and the first connecting path 87 of the second suction and transport device 50 are formed in an arc shape, but they are not necessarily limited to this shape and various shapes can be used.

[0082] In the above example, the first suction conveying device 10 uses two conveyor belts 35, 36 to form a conveying path, and the second suction conveying device 50 uses two conveyor belts 75, 76 to form a conveying path. However, this configuration is not limited to this. For example, a single belt-shaped conveyor belt may be used. Two conveyor support surfaces may be formed by forming suction grooves along the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the conveyor belt. A plurality of through-holes may be formed along the circumferential direction in the bottom surface of the suction groove. The negative pressure acting on the suction ports 12, 52 of the first suction boxes 11, 51 and the suction ports 21, 61 of the second suction boxes 20, 60 may be applied to the grooves, i.e., between the two conveyor support surfaces, via the through-holes. This configuration also allows the tablets T to be adsorbed onto the two conveyor support surfaces.

[0083] In this case, it is preferable that the first suction boxes 11, 51 have guide portions on both sides of the suction ports 12, 52, and the second suction boxes 20, 60 have guide portions on both sides of the suction ports 21, 61, which guide the movement of the conveying belt.

[0084] Furthermore, the objects that can be applied to the inspection and printing device 1 of this example are not limited to the tablets T in the above example, but can also be other small items such as medicines such as capsules, small sweets such as candy, and button batteries. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1 Inspection and printing equipment 10 First suction and transport device 11 First suction box 11c Negative pressure chamber 12 Suction port 13, 14, 15, 16 Guide groove 17 Exhaust pump (negative pressure mechanism) 20 Second suction box 20c Negative pressure chamber 21 Suction port 22,23 Guide groove 25 Rotation assist mechanism 26,27 Rotation support belt 35,36 Conveyor belt 37 Drive mechanism 45 Outbound 46 Return 47 First Connection 48 Second Connection 50 Second suction and transport device 51 First suction box 51c Negative pressure chamber 52 Suction port 53, 54, 55, 56 Guide groove 57 Exhaust pump (negative pressure mechanism) 60 Second suction box 60a, 60b Box forming members 60c negative pressure chamber 61 Suction port 62,63 Guide groove 65 Rotation assist mechanism 66,67 Rotation support belt 75,76 Conveyor belt 77 Drive Mechanism 85 Outbound 86 Return 87 First Connection 88 Second Connection 90,95 3D inspection unit 91,96 Printing unit 92,97 Visual inspection unit 98 Sorting and Collection Unit 100 control device T tablets

Claims

1. a conveyor belt formed in an endless loop, which forms linear outward and return paths arranged side by side at a distance from each other, a first connecting path connecting the end of the outward path to the start of the return path, and a second connecting path connecting the start of the outward path to the end of the return path; a suction box disposed within the annular conveyor belt, the suction box having guide portions for guiding the rotation of the conveyor belt at least in portions corresponding to the outgoing path, the returning path, and the first connecting path, and having suction ports formed along the outgoing path, the returning path, and the first connecting path, and applying negative pressure to the outgoing path, the returning path, and the first connecting path through the suction ports; a drive mechanism including a drive pulley around which the conveyor belt is wound in the second connection path and a drive motor that rotates the drive pulley, and drives the drive pulley with the drive motor to rotate the conveyor belt; a negative pressure mechanism that applies negative pressure to the suction box, The conveyor belt has two conveying support surfaces formed parallel to each other along the rotation direction of the conveyor belt, and a negative pressure from the suction box acts between the conveying support surfaces, so that the outgoing path, the return path, and the first connecting path form an adsorption conveying path. a rotation assist mechanism that assists the rotation of the conveyor belt is provided in a portion of the suction box that corresponds to the first connection path; the rotation assist mechanism includes a rotation assist belt formed in an endless loop and disposed within the loop of the conveyor belt, and at least two pulleys around which the rotation assist belt is wound, and between the two pulleys, a guide portion formed in the suction box abuts against the rotation assist belt from the inside to guide the rotation of the rotation assist belt, and a negative pressure via the suction port formed in the suction box acts on the first connection path; The suction conveying device is characterized in that the conveying belt is wound around the rotation assist belt in the first connecting path.

2. the conveyor belt is a toothed belt having grooves formed at predetermined intervals on its inner surface along the rotation direction and perpendicular to the rotation direction, the drive pulley is a toothed pulley; 2. The suction conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation assist belt is a flat belt.

3. 3. The suction conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation assist mechanism includes a tension adjusting section for adjusting the tension of the rotation assist belt.

4. 4. The suction conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the outgoing and returning paths of the conveying belt are formed parallel to each other, and the first connecting path is formed in an arc shape.

5. An adsorption conveying device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the suction box is provided with guide portions on both sides of the suction port in the portions corresponding to the forward and return paths, for guiding the movement of the conveying belt.

6. the conveyor belt is composed of two belts arranged in parallel, and the outer surfaces of the belts respectively form the conveying support surfaces; the rotation assist belt is composed of two belts provided corresponding to the conveying belt, the suction box includes guide grooves for guiding the travel of each of the conveyor belts on both sides of the suction port in portions corresponding to the forward and backward paths, The suction conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further characterized in that the guide portion of the rotation assist mechanism is provided with guide grooves on both sides of the suction port of the suction box to guide the running of each of the rotation assist belts.

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