Conveyor belts and conveying devices

Abstract

A conveyance belt 50 comprises: a band-like belt body 51; a groove part 52 which extends in the longitudinal direction of the belt body 51; and an air intake part 53 which is formed in the bottom surface of the groove part 52. The conveyance belt has retention sections 54, 55 for retaining small articles 90, at rims on both sides of the groove part 52. The retention sections 54, 55 are so formed in a thin wall shape made by cutouts 56, 57 formed on the belt body 51 along the longitudinal direction of the groove part 52, and are capable of bending and deforming toward the respective cutouts 56, 57. The cutouts 56, 57 are preferably formed on the side opposite to the groove part 52 with the retention sections 54, 55 therebetween.

Description

Technical Field

[0005] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveyor belt and a conveying device, and more particularly to a conveyor belt and a conveying device used for conveying small articles (for example, solid preparations such as tablets and capsules).

Background Art

[0002] As a belt for conveying solid preparations such as tablets, Patent Document 1 discloses a conveyor belt 100 including a belt-shaped belt body 101, a groove 102 extending in the longitudinal direction of the belt body 101, and a plurality of intake holes 103 formed in the bottom surface of the groove 102, as shown in a plan view in FIG. 11. By sucking from the back surface side of the belt body 101 through the intake holes 103 and the groove 102, the conveyor belt can adsorb and convey tablets on the surface of the belt body 101, and inspections and printing of the tablets can be performed during conveyance.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] <​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​On the other hand, if the conveyor belt 100 is made of a soft material that is easily elastically deformed, the oscillation of the solid formulation 110 is suppressed because the contact area increases due to the deformation of the part of the conveyor belt 100 that contacts the solid formulation 110. However, the entire conveyor belt 100 becomes more prone to deformation due to a decrease in rigidity, and in this case as well, there is a risk that it will be difficult to stably convey the tablets.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a conveyor belt and conveying device that can transport small items such as solid pharmaceutical preparations while maintaining a stable posture. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The object of the present invention is a conveyor belt comprising a strip-shaped belt body, a groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the belt body, and an air intake formed on the bottom surface of the groove, and having holding portions for holding small items on both side edges of the groove, wherein the holding portions are formed in a thin-walled shape by notches formed in the belt body along the longitudinal direction of the groove, and the conveyor belt is capable of bending and deforming toward the notches.

[0008] In this conveyor belt, the notch can be formed on the opposite side of the groove from the holding portion. Preferably, the notch is formed in a circular arc shape in cross-section.

[0009] Alternatively, the notch can be formed by cutting out a portion of the side surface of the groove.

[0010] Furthermore, the aforementioned object of the present invention is achieved by a conveying device comprising the above-described conveying belt, a first pulley and a second pulley, and a suction device, wherein the conveying belt is formed in an endless manner and wrapped around the first pulley and the second pulley, and small items are brought into close contact with the holding portion by suction of the suction device in at least a part of the conveying path. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a conveyor belt and conveying device that can transport small items in a stable position regardless of their shape. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic front view of a transport device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view AA in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of a key part of a conveyor belt according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the conveyor belt. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the state in which a solid drug formulation is held on the conveyor belt shown. [Figure 6] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a modified version of the conveyor belt shown in Figure 4. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view of a key part of a conveyor belt according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the conveyor belt. [Figure 9] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the state in which a solid drug formulation is held on the conveyor belt. [Figure 10] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a modified version of the conveyor belt shown in the main section. [Figure 11] This is a plan view of the main components of a conventional conveyor belt. [Figure 12] Figure 11 is a side view of the main part of the conveyor belt. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a conveying device according to one embodiment of the present invention. The conveying device 1 shown in Figure 1 can adsorb and convey solid preparations 90 such as tablets and capsules supplied from a supply device 10.

[0014] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the supply device 10 includes a disk 11 in the shape of a hat, an intermediate ring 12 that houses the disk 11, and a rotating ring 13 that houses the intermediate ring 12.

[0015] While the rotation axes 11a and 13a of the disk 11 and the rotating ring 13 extend in the vertical direction, the rotation axis 12a of the intermediate ring 12 is arranged so as to be slightly inclined with respect to the rotation axes 11a and 13a. The rotation axes 11a, 12a, and 13a are respectively connected to a drive source (not shown) such as a motor provided individually via reduction gears 11b, 12b, and 13b, and the disk 11, the intermediate ring 12, and the rotating ring 13 can be rotationally driven independently.

[0016] On the upper parts of the intermediate ring 12 and the rotating ring 13, conveying parts 12c and 13c are respectively formed along the circumferential direction. The conveying part 13c of the rotating ring 13 is covered by a ring-shaped protrusion 13d on the radially outer side.

[0017] [[ID=ll]] As shown in Figure 1, the conveying device 1 includes a first pulley 21 and a second pulley 22 whose respective rotation axes 21a and 22a are arranged horizontally, an endless belt-shaped conveying belt 50 wound around the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22, and a suction device 24 arranged along the conveying direction of the conveying belt 50. The diameter of the second pulley

[0018] As shown in Figure 2, the first pulley 21 is constructed by connecting two discs 21b and 21c with a gap between them via a rotating shaft 21a. The second pulley 22 also has two discs connected with a gap between them via a rotating shaft 22a, similar to the first pulley 21. In this embodiment, the first pulley 21 is used as a drive pulley connected to a drive motor (not shown), and the second pulley 22 is used as a driven pulley. However, the first pulley 21 may be used as a driven pulley and the second pulley 22 as a drive pulley.

[0019] The conveyor belt 50 comprises a strip-shaped belt body 51 formed in a rectangular cross-section, a groove 52 formed to extend in the longitudinal direction of the belt body 51, and an air intake portion 53 formed on the bottom surface of the groove 52, with the groove 52 positioned between the discs 21b and 21c of the first pulley 21.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the suction device 24 comprises a straight section 24a positioned directly below the conveyor belt 50 that extends horizontally between the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22, and arc sections 24b and 24c provided on both sides of the straight section 24a in the conveying direction. Each arc section 24b and 24c is inserted between the two discs of the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22, and is formed to curve in an arc along the conveyor belt 50 wrapped around the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, the suction device 24 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and a slit-shaped suction section 25 is formed along the groove 52 in the portion of the suction device 24 that faces the groove 52 of the conveyor belt 50. The inside of the suction device 24 can be depressurized by operating a vacuum pump (not shown), and by sucking the solid formulation 90 through the suction section 53 of the conveyor belt 50, the solid formulation 90 can be adsorbed onto the conveyor belt 50 and conveyed together with the conveyor belt 50.

[0022] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the main part of the conveyor belt 50, and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the conveyor belt 50 shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the groove 52 has a rectangular cross-section and is formed in the center in the width direction on the surface side of the belt body 51. The intake section 53 is provided with a plurality of intake holes 53a that penetrate the bottom surface of the groove 52 to the back side. The intake holes 53a are formed at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the groove 52.

[0023] On both sides of the widthwise edge of the groove 52, retaining portions 54 and 55 are formed along the longitudinal direction of the groove 52, for contact with and holding the solid formulation 90, indicated by the dashed lines. The retaining portions 54 and 55 are formed in a thin-walled manner by notches 56 and 57 formed in the belt body 51 with a gap between them and the groove 52, and stand upright relative to the bottom surface of the groove 52. The notches 56 and 57 are formed in a semicircular cross-section, and the retaining portions 54 and 55 are formed so that the thickness in the widthwise direction gradually increases from the tip to the base.

[0024] Next, the operation of the transport device 1 having the above configuration will be explained. With the disk 11, intermediate ring 12, and rotating ring 13 of the supply device 10 rotated in the same direction, multiple solid formulations 90 such as tablets and capsules are supplied onto the disk 11. The solid formulations 90 are subjected to centrifugal force and move from the transport section 12c of the intermediate ring 12 to the transport section 13c of the rotating ring 13. In this way, the solid formulations 90 are aligned in a line on the transport section 13c and can be transported in the rotational direction of the rotating ring 13.

[0025] The solid formulations 90, which are aligned and conveyed in the supply device 10, are sequentially attracted to the conveyor belt 50 near the lower part of the first pulley 21 by the suction unit 25 of the conveying device 1 and rise upward, and are conveyed linearly above the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 while remaining in the state of attraction. As shown in Figure 1, an appearance inspection device 30 for visual inspection of the solid formulations 90 is positioned in the section where the solid formulations 90 are conveyed linearly by the conveying device 1. The appearance inspection device 30 includes a sensor 31 that detects the approach of the solid formulations 90 being conveyed by the conveying device 1, and imaging devices 32 and 33 that image both sides of the solid formulations 90 in the horizontal direction, respectively, as detected by the sensor 31. By maintaining the state in which the solid formulations 90 are attracted to the conveyor belt 50 until the imaging position of the imaging devices 32 and 33, accurate side inspection of the solid formulations 90 can be performed. Alternatively, by arranging a printing device instead of the imaging devices 32 and 33, side printing on the solid formulations 90 can also be performed.

[0026] The suction device 24 only needs to be formed from the position where the solid formulation 90 is adsorbed onto the conveyor belt 50 in the arc section 24b to the necessary portion of the straight section 24a (for example, the portion where the visual inspection and printing of the solid formulation 90 are completed), and it is sufficient that the solid formulation 90 is adsorbed onto the conveyor belt 50 in at least a part of the conveying path. After the visual inspection, the solid formulation 90 falls from the conveyor belt 50 and is discharged from the discharge chute 100 shown in Figure 1 and sent to the next process.

[0027] As shown in Figure 5, the solid formulation 90 is held in the holding parts 54 and 55 by suction from the back side of the conveyor belt 50 via the intake part 53. The holding parts 54 and 55 deform by bending towards the notches 56 and 57 formed on the opposite side of the groove 52 due to the weight of the solid formulation 90 and the suction force, as indicated by the arrows. As a result, the solid formulation 90 makes contact with the side surface of the groove 52, which is the inner surface of the holding parts 54 and 55, over a wide area (for example, line contact along the longitudinal direction of the groove 52), thereby suppressing the oscillation of the solid formulation 90 during conveyance without excessively increasing the suction pressure, and allowing the solid formulation 90 to be conveyed in a stable position. Therefore, the inspection accuracy of the solid formulation 90 by the visual inspection device 30 can be maintained well. Alternatively, if a printing device is used instead of the visual inspection device 30, the printing accuracy of the solid formulation 90 can be maintained well.

[0028] The belt body 51 is preferably made of a soft material such as silicone rubber or urethane rubber. If the hardness of the belt body 51 is too low, it becomes difficult for the holding portions 54 and 55 to hold the solid formulation 90, while if it is too high, the holding portions 54 and 55 become difficult to bend and deform. For example, a Shore A hardness of 50 to 70 degrees is preferable. The thickness of the holding portions 54 and 55 is also preferably appropriate so as to reliably hold the solid formulation 90 while promoting bending deformation of the holding portions 54 and 55 toward the notches 56 and 57. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the thickness W at the tip of the holding portion 54 is preferably 0.1 mm to 2.0 mm, and more preferably 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm.

[0029] The cross-sectional shape of the notches 56 and 57 is preferably arc-shaped, as in this embodiment. This increases the thickness of the base side of the holding parts 54 and 55, improving strength while promoting deflection deformation at the tip side of the holding parts 54 and 55. Furthermore, since no corners are formed in the holding parts 54 and 55, damage due to stress concentration and dust accumulation can be suppressed. However, the cross-sectional shape of the notches 56 and 57 is not necessarily limited to an arc shape. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the cross-sectional shape of the notches 56 and 57 may be rectangular, and the thickness of the holding parts 54 and 55 may be made constant throughout. Alternatively, the cross-sectional shape of the notches 56 and 57 may be triangular or a polygon with pentagons or more, so that the thickness of the holding parts 54 and 55 changes in the height direction.

[0030] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the specific aspects of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in this embodiment, notches 56 and 57 are formed on the opposite side of the groove 52, sandwiching the holding portions 54 and 55, but other configurations are also possible as long as the holding portions 54 and 55, which are formed in a thin-walled shape by the notches 56 and 57, are capable of bending and deforming toward the notches 56 and 57.

[0031] Figure 7 is a perspective view of the main part of a conveyor belt 50 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the conveyor belt 50 shown in Figure 7. In the conveyor belt 50 shown in Figures 7 and 8, notches 56 and 57 are formed along the longitudinal direction of the groove 52, which has a rectangular cross-section formed along the longitudinal direction in the center of the width direction of the belt body 51, so as to cut out the portion shown by the dashed line in Figure 8. The holding parts 54 and 55 are formed by the notches 56 and 57 in a thin-walled shape that extends substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the groove 52. The intake part 53 is provided with a plurality of intake holes 53a that penetrate the bottom surface of the groove 52 to the back side.

[0032] As shown in Figure 9, the solid formulation 90 is held in the holding parts 54 and 55 by being sucked in from the back side of the conveyor belt 50 via the intake part 53. The holding parts 54 and 55 deform by bending towards the notches 56 and 57 formed below the holding parts 54 and 55 as indicated by the arrows, due to the weight of the solid formulation 90 and the suction force. As a result, the solid formulation 90 makes contact with the surface of the belt body 51, which is the front side of the holding parts 54 and 55 (for example, line contact along the longitudinal direction of the groove 52), thereby suppressing the oscillation of the solid formulation 90 during conveyance without excessively increasing the suction pressure, and allowing the solid formulation 90 to be conveyed in a stable position.

[0033] The notches 56 and 57 shown in Figure 8 are formed by cutting out the entire side surface of the groove 52, but the cross-sectional shape and size of the notches 56 and 57 are not particularly limited. For example, as shown in Figure 10(a), the notches 56 and 57 may be formed in a trapezoidal cross-section so that the holding parts 54 and 55 taper from the base end to the tip in the horizontal direction. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 10(b), the notches 56 and 57 can be formed by cutting out only the central part in the depth direction on the side surface of the groove 52.

[0034] The conveyor belt 50 does not necessarily have to be a single unit; for example, it is possible to configure the conveyor belt 50 by arranging a pair of symmetrical divided belts in parallel in the width direction, and the conveying device 1 can operate each divided belt at a synchronized timing.

[0035] The type of solid preparation 90 that is adsorbed and conveyed by the conveyor belt 50 is not particularly limited, but is especially effective when it has a curved shape along the longitudinal direction of conveyance, and soft capsules are a preferred example. The items to be conveyed by the conveyor belt 50 are not necessarily limited to solid preparations 90, as long as they are small items that can be held by the thin-walled holding parts 54, 55 and have a size and weight that can be adsorbed by suction via the suction part 53. Examples of such small items include small foods and confectionery such as solid health foods, candies, gummies, and chocolates, or small articles made of resin or metal such as parts used in automobiles, electronic devices, and various other devices. The weight of the small article is preferably, for example, 50 to 2000 mg.

[0036] The conveyor belt and conveying device of the present invention are particularly suitable for conveying small items that tend to become unstable in their posture due to swaying back and forth in the conveying direction because they have a curved surface. Examples of the side view shapes of such small items include lens shape, round shape, oblong shape, oval shape, cylindrical shape (ring shape), and rugby ball shape. When the side view of the small item is elliptical, the major axis can be 8 to 25 mm and the minor axis can be 6 to 10 mm. When the plan view is circular and the side view is elliptical, the diameter in the plan view can be 6 to 13 mm and the thickness in the side view can be 2 to 8 mm. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 1. Conveying device 21 First Pulley 22 Second Pulley 24 Suction device 50 Conveyor belts 51 Belt body 52 Groove 53 Intake section 54,55 Holding part 56, 57 Notches 90 Solid dosage forms (small items)

Claims

1. A conveyor belt comprising a strip-shaped belt body, a groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the belt body, and an air intake formed on the bottom surface of the groove, and having holding portions for holding small items on both side edges of the groove, The retaining portion is formed in a thin-walled shape by a notch formed in the belt body along the longitudinal direction of the groove, and is a conveyor belt that can bend and deform toward the notch.

2. The conveyor belt according to claim 1, wherein the notch is formed on the opposite side of the groove, with the holding portion in between.

3. The conveyor belt according to claim 2, wherein the notch is formed in a circular arc shape in cross-section.

4. The conveyor belt according to claim 1, wherein the notch is formed to cut out the side surface of the groove.

5. A conveyor belt according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a first pulley and a second pulley, and a suction device, A conveying device in which the conveying belt is formed in an endless shape and wrapped around the first pulley and the second pulley, and in at least a part of the conveying path, small items are brought into close contact with the holding part by the suction of the suction device.

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