Tablet manufacturing system and tablet manufacturing method using same

Abstract

A tablet manufacturing system and a tablet manufacturing method using same are provided. The tablet manufacturing system comprises: a feeder for supplying raw materials; a blender for mixing the raw materials provided from the feeder; a tablet press for forming tablets by compressing the raw materials provided from the blender; a coater for coating the tablets; an analyzer which receives the tablets from the tablet press, acquires ingredient information, sorts defective tablets and normal tablets on the basis of the ingredient information, and provides the normal tablets to the coater; and a transfer unit for moving the raw materials or the tablets so that the raw materials or the tablets proceed in the order of the feeder, the blender, the tablet press, the analyzer, and the coater.

Description

Tablet manufacturing system and tablet manufacturing method using the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a tablet manufacturing system and a tablet manufacturing method using the same.

[0002] Continuous manufacturing (CM) of tablets refers to the continuous execution of the entire process, from the input of raw materials to the production of tablets. Continuous manufacturing of tablets has recently gained popularity due to its ability to inspect or correct specific processes when problems arise, as well as its potential for reducing tablet manufacturing time, equipment costs, and operating costs. To achieve continuous production of tablets, a 100% inspection system can be introduced. This system ensures that the quality of all tablets produced remains consistent. Continuous production of tablets is possible through the CM system, which automates the entire tablet production process, including the process of sorting out normal and defective tablets. Furthermore, by inspecting all tablets produced, the defect rate can be significantly reduced compared to methods that rely on sampling and inspecting only a small number of tablets produced.

[0003] For example, while HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) equipment can be used to analyze the uniformity and content of tablets, it requires a lot of time for sample preparation and analysis, and generates a large amount of waste, such as organic solvents used in the analysis. In particular, because HPLC-based tablet analysis takes several hours or more, it is impossible to inspect tablets during the manufacturing process of continuously produced tablets. Furthermore, because HPLC-based tablet analysis destroys the sample tablet, it cannot be performed on all manufactured tablets, and only small samples can be measured. These problems can be solved by a tablet inspection method using near-infrared (NIR), which requires a continuous tablet production process.

[0004] Regarding the manufacturing process of tablets, a continuous production process of tablets is known, which supplies raw materials in a batch manner, mixes them, and presses them into tablets. However, a continuous production process of tablets, which includes all processes related to tablet production, from supplying raw materials in a continuous manner, mixing them, pressing them into tablets, and inspecting all tablets, coating them, and marking them, is underdeveloped.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a tablet manufacturing system capable of supplying raw materials, mixing the raw materials, forming tablets by pressing the raw materials, obtaining ingredient information of the tablets, sorting out defective tablets and normal tablets based on the obtained ingredient information, and providing normal tablets to a coating machine to manufacture tablets.

[0006] The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to those described above, and other technical problems can be inferred from the following examples.

[0007] A tablet manufacturing system according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a feeder for supplying raw materials, a blender for mixing raw materials provided from the feeder, a tablet press for pressing raw materials provided from the blender to form tablets, a coater for coating tablets, an analyzer for receiving tablets from the tablet press to obtain ingredient information, sorting out defective tablets and normal tablets based on the ingredient information, and providing normal tablets to the coater, and a conveying unit for moving raw materials or tablets so that the raw materials or tablets proceed in the order of the feeder, blender, tablet press, analyzer, and coater.

[0008] Additionally, the analyzer may include an internal conveyor that transports tablets supplied through an inlet end of the analyzer toward a discharge end of the analyzer, a component measurement sensor that obtains component information of tablets transported by the internal conveyor, and a blower configured to blow gas onto the internal conveyor to detach defective tablets selected based on the component information from the internal conveyor.

[0009] Additionally, the component measurement sensor may be equipped to obtain spectral information by irradiating electromagnetic waves to the tablets transported by the internal conveyor.

[0010] Additionally, the spectral information may include spatially-resolved near-infrared (NIR) spectral information.

[0011] Additionally, the transport unit includes a first external conveyor for transporting the tablets provided from the analyzer to the coater, and an upstream end of the first external conveyor may be positioned lower than a discharge end of the analyzer, and a downstream end of the first external conveyor may be positioned higher than an inlet end of the coater.

[0012] Additionally, the tablet manufacturing system may further include a marking device that marks the surface of a tablet provided from a coating machine and provides the marked tablet.

[0013] Additionally, the marking device may include an inspection unit that inspects the appearance of the tablet by photographing the tablet.

[0014] Additionally, the transport unit includes a second external conveyor that transports the tablets provided from the coating machine to the marking device, and an upstream end of the second external conveyor may be positioned lower than a discharge end of the coating machine, and a downstream end of the second external conveyor may be positioned higher than an inlet end of the marking device.

[0015] In addition, the transport unit includes a transport device that transports tablets provided from the tablet press to the analyzer, the transport device is provided to extend from an upstream end of the transport device to a downstream end of the transport device, and includes a guide surface that guides tablets discharged from the tablet press, and a pneumatic supply unit that blows gas onto the guide surface to guide the tablets by the guide surface and moves the tablets from the upstream end of the transport device toward the downstream end of the transport device, the upstream end of the transport device may be arranged lower than the discharge end of the tablet press, and the downstream end of the transport device may be arranged higher than the inlet end of the analyzer.

[0016] Additionally, the transport device may further include a depulping means for depulping the tablets transported by the transport device.

[0017] Additionally, the inlet end of the tablet press may be positioned vertically below the discharge end of the blender, and the conveying section may include a pipe connecting the inlet end of the tablet press and the discharge end of the blender to each other.

[0018] Additionally, the feeder can be configured to continuously provide raw material based on a preset discharge rate.

[0019] In addition, the tablet manufacturing system may further include a hopper for receiving raw materials from a feeder, guiding the raw materials to fall and provide them to a blender, and the hopper may include a body portion having a discharge end formed at the bottom that is vertically connected to an inlet end of the blender, a tapered surface formed on the inside with an inner diameter that narrows toward the discharge end, and an ultrasonic vibrator for vibrating the tapered surface.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a tablet using a tablet manufacturing system may include a step of mixing raw materials to form a mixture, a step of compressing the formed mixture to form a tablet, a step of depulping the formed tablet, a step of transporting the depulped tablet to an analyzer by a transport unit, a step of obtaining component information on the depulped tablet by the analyzer, a step of sorting out defective tablets and normal tablets among the depulped tablets based on the component information, and a step of providing normal tablets, a step of transporting the normal tablets to a coater by the transport unit, and a step of coating the provided normal tablets by a coater.

[0021] Additionally, the method for manufacturing tablets may further include a step of marking the surface of the coated tablet.

[0022] Additionally, the method for manufacturing a tablet may further include a step of photographing the marked tablet to inspect the appearance of the marked tablet.

[0023] Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

[0024] According to the present invention, it is possible to implement a continuous tablet production process including all processes related to tablet production, from raw material supply, mixing, tableting, full inspection of tablets, coating and marking, so that the tablet manufacturing time is shortened compared to the batch method, the number of production personnel and space is reduced, and the quality analysis time and cost are reduced.

[0025] In addition, according to the present invention, since the pressed tablets are continuously inspected and defective tablets are selectively sorted out, it is possible to supply tablets with guaranteed quality.

[0026] Furthermore, according to the present invention, thousands to tens of thousands of tablets can be fully inspected and manufactured per hour, enabling the rapid production of a large number of quality-assured tablets. The effects of the invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the claims. Each of the above-mentioned effects can be achieved through various individual embodiments of the present invention or through combinations thereof.

[0027] Figure 1 illustrates a conceptual diagram of a tablet manufacturing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 illustrates a tablet manufacturing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 3 shows a process for a tablet manufacturing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 4 illustrates a part of an analyzer according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Fig. 5 shows a part of a tablet press according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 6 illustrates one embodiment of an external conveyor according to the present invention.

[0033] Figures 7 and 8 show a side view and a perspective view, respectively, of a transport device according to the present invention.

[0034] Figure 9 shows one embodiment of a method for manufacturing a tablet according to the present invention.

[0035] Figure 10 shows another embodiment of a method for manufacturing a tablet according to the present invention.

[0036] The embodiments described in the present invention are illustrative rather than limiting, and those skilled in the art can design numerous alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims. The terms used in the embodiments have been selected from widely used and general terms as much as possible while considering the functions of the present invention. However, these may vary depending on the intention of those skilled in the art, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, in certain cases, the applicant may arbitrarily select terms, and in such cases, the meanings thereof will be described in detail in the relevant description. Therefore, the terms used in the present invention should be defined not simply based on the name of the term, but based on the meaning of the term and the overall content of the present invention.

[0037] As used herein, the singular expression includes both the singular and the plural, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0038] When it is said throughout this specification that a part "comprises" certain elements or certain steps, unless specifically stated to the contrary, that does not mean that the part must include all of those elements or steps, nor does it exclude the inclusion of elements or steps other than those listed in the claims or throughout this specification, but only that the part may include more.

[0039] Additionally, terms including ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., used herein may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms including the ordinal numbers. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component in one portion of the specification within the context. For example, a first component may be referred to as a second component in another portion of the specification, and conversely, a second component may also be referred to as a first component in another portion of the specification, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0040] In this specification, terms such as "mechanism," "element," "means," and "composition" are used broadly and are not limited to mechanical or physical components. These terms may also include a series of software routines in conjunction with a processor or the like.

[0041] The use of the term "above" and similar referential terms in this specification (especially in the claims) may refer to both the singular and the plural. Furthermore, when a range is described, it is intended to include individual values ​​within the range (unless otherwise stated), and is equivalent to describing each individual value constituting the range in the detailed description. Finally, unless the order of the steps constituting the method is explicitly stated or otherwise stated to the contrary, the steps may be rearranged and performed in any appropriate order, and the order in which the steps are described is not necessarily limited. The use of any examples or exemplary terms (e.g., "for example," etc.) is merely intended to further illustrate the technical idea and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention unless otherwise defined by the claims. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, combinations, and variations may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein, depending on design conditions and factors, to create new embodiments falling within the scope of the claims or their equivalents.

[0042] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of clarity in the specification and drawings, various functional components not relevant to understanding the present invention have been omitted from the drawings. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that various additional components may be included as part of specific embodiments of the present invention to enable additional functions not specifically described herein.

[0043] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a tablet manufacturing system (10) according to one embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, the tablet manufacturing system (10) may include a feeder (11) for supplying raw materials, a blender (12) for mixing raw materials provided from the feeder (11), a tablet press (13) for pressing raw materials provided from the blender (12) to form tablets, a coater (16) for coating tablets, and an analyzer (15) for receiving tablets from the tablet press (13) to obtain ingredient information, sorting out defective tablets and normal tablets based on the ingredient information, and providing normal tablets to the coater (16).

[0044] In one embodiment, the raw material may be supplied by a feeder (11). A plurality of feeders (11) may be provided. When a plurality of feeders (11) are provided, different types of raw materials may be fed into the blender (12) from each of the plurality of feeders (11). The feeder (11) may be provided so as to supply a fluid raw material in powder form or in liquid or gas form to the blender (12).

[0045] In one embodiment, the feeder (11) may be configured to continuously supply raw materials based on a preset discharge speed. The raw material discharge speed of the feeder (11) may be controlled, and when multiple feeders (11) are provided, the discharge speed of each raw material may be controlled, thereby adjusting the mixing ratio of each raw material supplied from each of the multiple feeders (11).

[0046] In one embodiment, the blender (12) can mix raw materials provided from the feeder (11) and provide them to the tablet press (13). The tablet press (13) can form tablets by pressing the raw materials mixed by the blender (12). However, if necessary (for example, when manufacturing single-component tablets), the tablet press (13) can also form tablets by directly receiving raw materials from the feeder (11). The tablet press (13) can be provided in a continuous manner so that the input of raw materials and the discharge of pressed tablets are performed simultaneously.

[0047] In one embodiment, tablets transferred from the tablet press (13) to the analyzer (15) may be dedusted. By introducing pre-dedusted tablets into the analyzer (15), the components of the tablets can be measured more accurately by the analyzer (15).

[0048] In one embodiment, the analyzer (15) receives tablets from the tablet press (13), obtains ingredient information, and can sort out defective tablets and normal tablets based on the ingredient information. The analyzer (15) can provide the sorted normal tablets to the coater (16). In one embodiment, the defective tablets can be crushed by a crusher (not shown) or the like and recycled as raw materials. The analyzer (15) will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 4.

[0049] In one embodiment, the coating device (16) can coat the normal tablets provided from the analyzer (15). The coating device (16) can coat the tablets by spraying a coating material onto the surface of the tablets. The coating device (16) can be installed continuously so that the input of tablets and the discharge of coated tablets can be performed simultaneously.

[0050] In one embodiment, the tablet manufacturing system (10) may further include a marking device (17) that marks the surface of a tablet provided from a coating device (16) and provides the marked tablet. The marking device (17) may include a marking unit (17a). For example, the marking unit (17a) may include a laser, and characters or patterns, etc. may be marked on the surface of the coated tablet by the laser of the marking unit (17a).

[0051] In one embodiment, the marking device (17) may include an inspection unit (17c) that photographs the tablet to inspect its appearance. For example, the inspection unit (17c) may include a sensor such as a camera, and the surface or appearance of the tablet may be inspected by the sensor of the inspection unit (17c). Inspection information about the tablet may be obtained from the inspection unit (17c), and defective tablets and normal tablets may be sorted based on the inspection information.

[0052] FIG. 2 illustrates a tablet manufacturing system (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention. The tablet manufacturing system (100) may correspond to the tablet manufacturing system (10) shown in FIG. 1. In one embodiment, the tablet manufacturing system (100) may include at least one of a feeder (110), a blender (120), a tablet press (130), an analyzer (150), a coater (160), and a marking device (170). The feeder (110), blender (120), tablet press (130), analyzer (150), coater (160), and marking device (170) may correspond to the feeder (11), blender (12), tablet press (13), analyzer (15), coater (16), and marking device (17) shown in FIG. 1, respectively. Therefore, the functions of the devices (110, 120, 130, 150, 160, 170) that overlap with the devices (11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17) shown in FIG. 1 are omitted.

[0053] In one embodiment, the tablet manufacturing system (100) may include a conveying unit (180) that moves the raw material or tablets so that the raw material or tablets proceed in the following order: feeder (110), blender (120), tablet press (130), analyzer (150), coater (160), and marking device (170). Specifically, the transfer unit (180) may include at least one of a hopper (181) that transfers raw materials discharged from the feeder (110) to the blender (120), a third pipe (182-3) that transfers raw materials discharged from the blender (120) to the tablet press (130), a transfer device (183) that transfers tablets discharged from the tablet press (130) to the analyzer (150), a first external conveyor (185) that transfers tablets discharged from the analyzer (150) to the coater (160), and a second external conveyor (186) that transfers tablets discharged from the coater (160) to the marking device (170).

[0054] In one embodiment, the discharge end (119) of the feeder (110) may be positioned higher than the inlet end (121) of the blender (120). Accordingly, the raw material discharged from the discharge end (119) of the feeder (110) may fall to the inlet end (121) of the blender (120), thereby enabling the transfer of the raw material without using additional external power.

[0055] In one embodiment, the tablet manufacturing system (100) may further include a hopper (181) for receiving raw materials from a feeder (110), guiding the raw materials to fall and provide them to a blender (120). Specifically, the hopper (181) may include a body portion (1811) having a discharge end (1811b) formed at the bottom that is vertically connected to an inlet end (121) of the blender (120), and a tapered surface (1811c) formed on the inside, the inner diameter of which narrows toward the discharge end (1811b).

[0056] The inlet end (121) of the blender (120) may be positioned lower than the discharge end (1811b) of the hopper (181), specifically, vertically below. Accordingly, the raw material discharged from the discharge end (1811b) of the hopper (181) may fall to the inlet end (121) of the blender (120).

[0057] The conveying unit (180) includes a second pipe (182-2), and the inlet end (121) of the blender (120) can be connected to the discharge end (1811b) of the hopper (181) through the second pipe (182-2). The second pipe (182-2) can prevent the raw material from flying due to wind or the like.

[0058] The discharge end (119) of the feeder (110) can be positioned higher than the inlet end (1811a) of the hopper (181), specifically, vertically. Accordingly, the raw material discharged from the discharge end (119) of the feeder (110) can fall to the inlet end (1811a) of the hopper (181).

[0059] The conveying section (180) includes a first pipe (182-1), and the discharge end (119) of the feeder (110) can be connected to the inlet end (1811a) of the hopper (181) through the first pipe (182-1). The first pipe (182-1) can prevent the raw material from flying due to wind or the like.

[0060] In one embodiment, the hopper (181) is provided with a plurality of inlet ends (1811a), and each of the discharge ends (119) of the plurality of feeders (110) can be connected to each of the plurality of inlet ends (1811a). Accordingly, each raw material discharged from the plurality of feeders (110) can be collected into the discharge end (1811b) of the hopper (181) by the tapered surface (1811c).

[0061] In one embodiment, the hopper (181) may include a vibrator (1813) that vibrates the tapered surface (1811c). The vibrator (1813) may include an ultrasonic vibrator. By the vibrator (1813), the raw material or the like attached to the tapered surface (1811c) is peeled off and falls to the discharge end (1811b), thereby preventing the raw material from being deposited in the hopper (181) or clogging the hopper (181).

[0062] In one embodiment, the inlet end (131) of the tablet press (130) is positioned vertically below the discharge end (129) of the blender (120), and the conveying unit (180) may include a third pipe (182-3) connecting the inlet end (131) of the tablet press (130) and the discharge end (129) of the blender (120) to each other. The third pipe (182-3) can prevent the raw material from flying due to wind or the like.

[0063] In one embodiment, the feeder (110) may be placed on the upper layer, and the tableting machine (130) may be placed on the lower layer. In this case, at least one of the first pipe (182-1), the second pipe (182-2), and the third pipe (183-3) may be provided to penetrate an interlayer separation wall (e.g., a ceiling or a floor) between the upper and lower layers. For example, the feeder (110) and the hopper (181) may be placed on the second layer, and the blender (120) and the tableting machine (130) may be placed on the first layer. In this case, the second pipe (182-2) may be placed to penetrate an interlayer separation wall (e.g., a second-floor floor or a first-floor ceiling) between the first and second layers. This allows for the feeder (110), hopper (181), blender (120), and tablet press (130) to be placed appropriately vertically, enabling efficient spatial arrangement of each component, minimizing the transport distance of raw materials, and minimizing additional power input.

[0064] In one embodiment, the transport unit (180) may include a transport device (183) that transports tablets provided from the tablet press (130) to the analyzer (150). The transport device (183) may be configured to transport the tablets by placing the tablets on a seating surface and moving the seating surface from an upstream end (183a) of the transport device (183) toward a downstream end (183b) of the transport device (183). For example, the transport device (183) may be a conveyor or the like.

[0065] For another example, the transport device (183) may be configured to transport the tablets from the upstream end (183a) of the transport device (183) toward the downstream end (183b) of the transport device (183) by pushing the tablets by gas or air pressure. An embodiment of such a transport device (183) is described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0066] In one embodiment, the transport device (183) may further include a dedusting means for dedusting the tablets transported by the transport device (183). For example, the dedusting means may include a vibrating means such as a vibrator or a pneumatic providing means such as a blower.

[0067] In one embodiment, the upstream end (183a) of the transport device (183) may be positioned lower than the discharge end (139) of the diaphragm (130), and the downstream end (183b) of the transport device (183) may be positioned higher than the inlet end (151) of the analyzer (150). Specifically, the upstream end (183a) of the transport device (183) may be positioned vertically below the discharge end (139) of the diaphragm (130), and the downstream end (183b) of the transport device (183) may be positioned vertically above the inlet end (151) of the analyzer (150). Accordingly, tablets discharged from the discharge end (139) of the tablet press (130) can be fed by gravity into the upstream end (183a) of the transfer device (183), and tablets discharged from the downstream end (183b) of the transfer device (183) can be fed by gravity into the inlet end (151) of the analyzer (150). Accordingly, tablets can be fed from the tablet press (130) to the analyzer (150) with only a simple configuration.

[0068] In one embodiment, the upstream end (183a) of the transport device (183) may be positioned lower than the downstream end (183b) of the transport device (183). That is, the transport device (183) may transport the tablet upward. Accordingly, the tablet press (130) and the analyzer (150) may be positioned at the same / similar height, thereby improving the arrangement efficiency of each device.

[0069] In one embodiment, the transport unit (180) includes a first external conveyor (185) that transports the tablets provided from the analyzer (150) to the coater (160), and an upstream end (185a) of the first external conveyor (185) may be positioned lower than a discharge end (159) of the analyzer (150), and a downstream end (185b) of the first external conveyor (185) may be positioned higher than an inlet end (161) of the coater (160). Specifically, the upstream end (185a) of the first external conveyor (185) may be positioned vertically below the discharge end (159) of the analyzer (150), and the downstream end (185b) of the first external conveyor (185) may be positioned vertically above the inlet end (161) of the coater (160). Accordingly, tablets discharged from the discharge end (159) of the analyzer (150) can be fed by gravity to the upstream end (185a) of the first external conveyor (185), and tablets discharged from the downstream end (185b) of the first external conveyor (185) can be fed by gravity to the inlet end (161) of the coater (160). Accordingly, tablets can be transferred from the analyzer (150) to the coater (160) with only a simple configuration.

[0070] In one embodiment, the upstream end (185a) of the first external conveyor (185) may be positioned lower than the downstream end (185b) of the first external conveyor (185). That is, the first external conveyor (185) may transport the tablet upward. Accordingly, the analyzer (150) and the coater (160) may be positioned at the same / similar height, thereby improving the arrangement efficiency of each device.

[0071] In addition, in one embodiment, the transport unit (180) includes a second external conveyor (186) that transports the tablets provided from the coater (160) to the marking device (170), and the upstream end (186a) of the second external conveyor (186) may be positioned lower than the discharge end (169) of the coater (160), and the downstream end (186b) of the second external conveyor (186) may be positioned higher than the inlet end (171) of the marking device (170). Specifically, the upstream end (186a) of the second external conveyor (186) may be positioned vertically below the discharge end (169) of the coater (160), and the downstream end (186b) of the second external conveyor (186) may be positioned vertically above the inlet end (171) of the marking device (170). Accordingly, tablets discharged from the discharge end (169) of the coating machine (160) can be fed by gravity to the upstream end (186a) of the second external conveyor (186), and tablets discharged from the downstream end (186b) of the second external conveyor (186) can be fed by gravity to the inlet end (171) of the marking device (170). Accordingly, tablets can be transferred from the coating machine (160) to the marking device (170) with only a simple configuration.

[0072] In one embodiment, the upstream end (186a) of the second external conveyor (186) may be positioned lower than the downstream end (186b) of the second external conveyor (186). That is, the second external conveyor (186) may transport the tablet upward. Accordingly, the coater (160) and the marking device (170) may be positioned at the same / similar height, thereby improving the placement efficiency of each device.

[0073] The tablets discharged from the discharge end (179) of the marking device (170) may be fed into an additional device for further processing. At this time, the transport unit (180) may further include an additional transport means, such as a conveyor, to transport the tablets to the additional device.

[0074] Figure 3 illustrates a process for a tablet manufacturing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Each component shown in Figure 3 may correspond to a component with the same name shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2.

[0075] According to step S301, raw materials in a powder or premix state can be fed into the raw material conveyor hopper.

[0076] According to step S302, raw materials in a powder or premix state can be transferred from the raw material transfer hopper to the feeder by the raw material transfer machine.

[0077] According to step S303, raw materials in a powder or premix state can be fed into the blender at a constant rate by one or more feeders.

[0078] According to step S304, raw materials discharged from one or more feeders may be blended by one or more blenders.

[0079] According to step S305, the raw material or mixture can be transported by the pipe and fed into the inlet end of the tableting machine.

[0080] According to step S306, the raw material or mixture may be compressed at a certain pressure by a tablet press to form a tablet in the form of a core tablet.

[0081] According to step S307, the feed may be separated by the transport device and fed into the inlet end of the analyzer.

[0082] According to step S308, the content of the tablet can be inspected or analyzed in real time by the analyzer, so that the suitability / unsuitability of the tablet can be determined.

[0083] According to step S309, the coating material may be transported by a conveyor and fed into the inlet end of the coating machine.

[0084] According to step S310, a coating liquid may be sprayed onto the surface of the tablet by a coating machine to form a coated tablet.

[0085] According to step S311, the coating agent can be transported by the conveyor and fed into the inlet end of the marking device.

[0086] According to step S312, an imprint may be engraved on the surface of the coating by a marking device, and inspection of the appearance, etc. may be performed.

[0087] Since all steps from step S301 to step S312 of FIG. 3 can be performed without the intervention of a worker, problems that may arise due to worker errors in the tablet manufacturing process can be prevented, ultimately reducing tablet production costs and shortening production time.

[0088] FIG. 4 illustrates a portion of an analyzer according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 4 illustrates a portion of the analyzer (150) shown in FIG. 2. In one embodiment, the analyzer (150) may include an internal conveyor (153) that transports tablets supplied through an inlet end (151) of the analyzer (150) toward a discharge end (159) of the analyzer, a component measurement sensor (157) that obtains component information of tablets transported by the internal conveyor (153), and a blower (158) configured to blow gas onto the internal conveyor (153) to detach defective tablets selected based on the component information from the internal conveyor (153).

[0089] In one embodiment, tablets supplied through the inlet end (151) may be placed on an internal conveyor (153). To place tablets on the internal conveyor (153) at regular intervals, a centrifugal feeder or the like may be used.

[0090] In one embodiment, the tablets may be arranged on the internal conveyor (153) in a direction of travel of the internal conveyor (153).

[0091] In one embodiment, the component measurement sensor (157) may be provided to acquire spectral information by irradiating electromagnetic waves to the tablets transported by the internal conveyor (153). For example, the component measurement sensor (157) may be provided to irradiate electromagnetic waves to the first tablet (211) at position P to acquire spectral information about the first tablet (211). The component information of the first tablet (211) may be acquired through the spectral information.

[0092] In one embodiment, the spectral information may include near-infrared (NIR) spectral information. Using a near-infrared sensor, thousands to tens of thousands of tablets can be inspected per hour, allowing for 100% inspection of the contents of tablets within a continuous tablet production process, thereby reducing the defect rate of manufactured tablets. In one embodiment, the spectral information may include spatially-resolved near-infrared (NIR) spectral information. For example, the composition measurement sensor (157) may include a near-infrared spatially-resolved spectroscopy (NIR SRS) sensor that obtains near-infrared spatially-resolved spectral information about the tablet. The composition information of the tablet can be identified through the spectral information. The composition measurement sensor (157) using a spatially-resolved spectroscopy method can measure the components of the tablet at a high speed. For example, the ingredient measurement sensor (157) can obtain ingredient information of thousands or tens of thousands of tablets per hour. Based on the ingredient information of the tablet, the tablet can be judged as defective or normal.

[0093] The measurement time interval of the component measurement sensor (157) of the present invention is about 10 ms or less, and 40,000 pieces of purified component information can be obtained per hour.

[0094] The measurement wavelength range of the component measurement sensor (157) of the present invention may be 940 nm or more and 1700 nm or less.

[0095] In one embodiment, the blower (158) can provide air pressure from the side of the tablet progression path on the internal conveyor (153) to remove defective tablets. If the second tablet (213) at the Q position is determined to be a defective tablet based on the ingredient information obtained at the P position, the blower (158) can operate to remove the second tablet (213) from the internal conveyor (153). Accordingly, the defective tablet is removed from the internal conveyor (153), so that the defective tablet is isolated from the normal tablet, and the normal tablet can be transported to the discharge end (159) by the internal conveyor (153).

[0096] Fig. 5 illustrates a portion of a tablet press according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, Fig. 5 may illustrate a portion of the tablet press (130) illustrated in Fig. 2. In one embodiment, the tablet press (130) may measure the components of a raw material or mixture fed into the tablet press (130). For example, the tablet press (13) may include a raw material component measurement sensor (137). The raw material component measurement sensor (137) may measure the components of the raw material or mixture by irradiating near-infrared rays to the raw material or mixture. The raw material component measurement sensor (137) may be provided in a diode array manner. For example, the measurement wavelength range of the raw material component measurement sensor (137) of the present invention may be 1100 nm or more and 2100 nm or less.

[0097] In one embodiment, the tablet inspection system may include a raw material component measurement sensor (137) and a component measurement sensor (157). In this case, since the components of the tablet are measured in both the raw material (or mixture) form and the tablet form, the accuracy of the measurement may be improved.

[0098] Specifically, the tablet (130) may include a shaft (133) that is provided to be rotated about a fixed axis, a plurality of radial side walls (134) extending radially from an outer surface of the shaft (133), at least one cell (135) partitioned by two adjacent radial side walls (134), and a lower plate (136) disposed below at least one cell (135).

[0099] For example, a raw material or mixture can be fed into a cell (135) through an inlet (132) of a shaft press (130). By the rotational drive of the shaft (133), the cell (135) also rotates. At this time, the raw material component measurement sensor (137) can measure the components of the raw material or mixture fed into at least one cell (135). A hollow (138) can be formed in the lower plate (136), and when the cell (135) is placed on the hollow (138) by the rotational drive of the shaft (133), the raw material or mixture inside the cell (135) is discharged downward through the hollow (138).

[0100] A plurality of sets of shafts (133), a plurality of radial side walls (134), and cells (135) may be provided. More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the sets of shafts (133), a plurality of radial side walls (134), and cells (135) are provided adjacent to each other, and a mixing section is provided at the bottom of both sets for mixing raw materials, so that the two sets can share the mixing section. Raw materials discharged through the hollow (138) of the lower plate (136) of each set can be mixed in the mixing section and then proceed to the next process.

[0101] Fig. 6 illustrates one embodiment of an external conveyor (585) according to the present invention. Since the external conveyor (585) illustrated in Fig. 6 may correspond to the first external conveyor (185), the second external conveyor (186), or the transfer device (183) illustrated in Fig. 2, descriptions of functions overlapping with the first external conveyor (185), the second external conveyor (186), or the transfer device (183) illustrated in Fig. 2 are omitted.

[0102] In one embodiment, an external conveyor (585) can transport raw materials, mixtures, or tablets discharged from the discharge end (519) of the first device (510) to the inlet end (521) of the second device (520). The first device (510) and the second device (520) can each be one of a feeder, a blender, a tablet press, an analyzer, a coater, and a marking device according to the present disclosure.

[0103] In one embodiment, the upstream end (585a) of the external conveyor (585) may be positioned lower than the discharge end (519) of the first device (510). At this time, the first hopper (581) may be positioned between the discharge end (519) of the first device (510) and the upstream end (585a) of the external conveyor (585). Accordingly, the raw material, mixture, or tablet discharged from the discharge end (519) of the first device (510) may be more effectively guided to the upstream end (585a) of the external conveyor (585).

[0104] In one embodiment, the downstream end (585b) of the external conveyor (585) may be positioned higher than the inlet end (521) of the second device (520). At this time, the second hopper (582) may be positioned between the downstream end (585b) of the external conveyor (585) and the inlet end (521) of the second device (520). Accordingly, the raw material, mixture, or tablet discharged and falling from the downstream end (585b) of the external conveyor (585) may be more effectively guided to the inlet end (521) of the second device (520).

[0105] In one embodiment, the external conveyor (585) may include a first side wall (5855-1) and a second side wall (5855-2) that are arranged upright on both sides of the belt (5851). Accordingly, the raw material, mixture, or tablet conveyed by the belt (5851) of the external conveyor (585) may be prevented from being separated from the external conveyor (585).

[0106] In one embodiment, the external conveyor (585) may be provided with the upstream end (585a) lower than the downstream end (585b). That is, the external conveyor (585) may be provided in an upward direction. In this case, the belt (5851) may be provided with a mounting portion (5852) that protrudes outward. The raw material, mixture, or tablet may be mounted on the mounting portion (5852) to prevent it from flowing backward in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the belt (5851) that drives upward.

[0107] In one embodiment, the external conveyor (585) may be supported by a support (5857) that is upright with respect to the ground, and a movable member (5858) may be provided at the bottom of the support (5857). The movable member (5858) allows the external conveyor (585) to be easily oriented.

[0108] Figures 7 and 8 respectively illustrate a side view and a perspective view of a transport device (183) according to the present invention. Specifically, Figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of the transport device (183) cut along line TT' of Figure 7. The transport device (183) illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 may correspond to the transport device (183) illustrated in Figure 2.

[0109] In one embodiment, the transport device (183) may include a guide surface (1833) extending from an upstream end (183a) of the transport device (183) to a downstream end (183b) of the transport device (183) and guiding tablets discharged from the tablet press, and a pneumatic supply unit that blows gas onto the guide surface (1833) to guide the tablets by the guide surface (1833) and move the tablets from the upstream end (1831) of the transport device (183) toward the downstream end (1832) of the transport device (183). The tablets discharged from the tablet press may be fed into the upstream end (1831) of the transport device (183), guided and moved along the guide surface (1833) by pneumatic pressure to the downstream end (1832), and discharged from the downstream end (1832).

[0110] The pneumatic supply unit may include a first inner cylinder (1835). Specifically, the transport device (183) may include a first inner cylinder (1835), a second inner cylinder (1836), and an outer cylinder (1834) having the same central axis and different diameters. In addition, the transport device (183) may include a guide surface (1833) that extends from an outer surface of the first inner cylinder (1835) to an inner surface of the second inner cylinder (1836) and is formed in a spiral shape with the first inner cylinder (1835) as an axis. At this time, pneumatic pressure may be provided from an inner space of the first inner cylinder (1835) toward the outside of the first inner cylinder (1835). By the provided air pressure, gas is blown obliquely on the guide surface (1833), so that the tablets move along the spiral guide surface (1833) toward the downstream end (1832) of the transport device (183). Accordingly, the tablets can be transported by the air pressure and decomposed by the air pressure at the same time. At least one hollow (1833a) can be formed in the guide surface (1833). The tablets can be transported and decomposed more effectively by the flow of air passing through the hollow (1833a).

[0111] In one embodiment, air can flow into a space between the second inner cylinder (1836) and the outer cylinder (1834). The space between the second inner cylinder (1836) and the outer cylinder (1834) can be in fluid communication with an air inlet end (1832) of a transport device (183) and an air discharge end (1838) of the transport device. Air containing dust and the like decomposed from the purifier can be discharged from the air inlet end (1832) through the space between the second inner cylinder (1836) and the outer cylinder (1834) to the air discharge end (1838). For this purpose, the air discharge end (1838) side can be maintained in a vacuum or near-vacuum state.

[0112] Figure 9 shows one embodiment of a method for manufacturing a tablet according to the present invention.

[0113] In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing a tablet may include a step of mixing raw materials to form a mixture (S910), a step of compressing the formed mixture to form a tablet (S920), a step of depulping the formed tablet (S930), a step of transporting the depulped tablet by a transport unit to an analyzer (S935), a step of obtaining component information on the depulped tablet by the analyzer, and selecting defective tablets and normal tablets among the depulped tablets based on the component information, and providing normal tablets (S940), a step of transporting the normal tablets to a coater by the transport unit (S945), and a step of coating the provided normal tablets by a coater (S950). At this time, the step of depulping the formed tablet (S930) may be omitted if necessary.

[0114] Figure 10 shows another embodiment of a method for manufacturing a tablet according to the present invention.

[0115] In one embodiment, the method for manufacturing a tablet may include a step of mixing raw materials to form a mixture (S1010), a step of compressing the formed mixture to form a tablet (S1020), a step of depulping the formed tablet (S1030), a step of transferring the depulped tablet by a transfer unit to an analyzer (S1035), a step of obtaining component information on the depulped tablet by the analyzer, and a step of sorting out defective tablets and normal tablets among the depulped tablets based on the component information, and providing normal tablets (S1040), a step of transferring the normal tablet to a coater by the transfer unit (S1045), a step of coating the provided normal tablet by a coater (S1050), a step of transferring the normal tablet to a marking device by the transfer unit (S1055), a step of marking the surface of the coated tablet by the marking device (S1060), and a step of photographing the marked tablet by the marking device to inspect the appearance of the marked tablet (S1070). At this time, the step (S1030) of decomposing the formed tablets as needed may be omitted.

[0116] The purification manufacturing system may include a control device. Each step of the methods described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 may be automatically performed by the control device.

Claims

1. Feeder that supplies raw materials; A blender that mixes raw materials provided from the above feeder; A tablet press that forms tablets by pressing raw materials provided from the blender; A coater that coats tablets; An analyzer that receives tablets from the tablet press, obtains ingredient information, selects defective tablets and normal tablets based on the ingredient information, and provides normal tablets to the coating machine; and Including a conveying unit that moves the raw material or tablet so that the raw material or tablet proceeds to the feeder, blender, tablet press, analyzer and coater in that order. Refinery manufacturing system.

2. In paragraph 1, The above analyzer, An internal conveyor for transporting purified water supplied through the inlet end of the analyzer toward the discharge end of the analyzer; A component measurement sensor that obtains component information of tablets transported by the internal conveyor; and A blower configured to blow gas onto the internal conveyor to separate defective tablets selected based on the ingredient information from the internal conveyor. Refinery manufacturing system.

3. In paragraph 2, The above component measurement sensor, Equipped to obtain spectral information by irradiating electromagnetic waves to the tablets transported by the internal conveyor, Refinery manufacturing system.

4. In paragraph 3, The above spectral information is, Contains spatially-resolved near-infrared (NIR) spectral information, Refinery manufacturing system.

5. In paragraph 2, The above transport unit, Including a first external conveyor for transporting the tablets provided from the above analyzer to the above coating machine, The upstream end of the first external conveyor is positioned lower than the discharge end of the analyzer, and the downstream end of the first external conveyor is positioned higher than the inlet end of the coater. Refinery manufacturing system.

6. In paragraph 5, Further comprising a marking device for marking the surface of the tablet provided from the above coating machine and providing the marked tablet. Refinery manufacturing system.

7. In paragraph 6, The above marking device includes an inspection unit that inspects the appearance of the tablet by photographing the tablet. Refinery manufacturing system.

8. In paragraph 6, The above transport unit, A second external conveyor is included for transporting the tablets provided from the coating machine to the marking device, The upstream end of the second external conveyor is positioned lower than the discharge end of the coating machine, and the downstream end of the second external conveyor is positioned higher than the inlet end of the marking device. Refinery manufacturing system.

9. In paragraph 1, The above transport unit, It includes a transport device that transports the tablets provided from the tablet press to the analyzer, The above transport device is, A guide surface provided to extend from the upstream end of the transport device to the downstream end of the transport device and to guide the tablets discharged from the tableting machine; and A pneumatic supply unit is provided to blow gas onto the guide surface to guide the tablet by the guide surface, thereby moving the tablet from the upstream end of the transport device toward the downstream end of the transport device. The upstream end of the transport device is positioned lower than the discharge end of the pressure regulator, and the downstream end of the transport device is positioned higher than the inlet end of the analyzer. Refinery manufacturing system.

10. In paragraph 9, The above transport device is, Further comprising a depulping means for depulping the tablets transported by the above transport device, Refinery manufacturing system.

11. In paragraph 1, The inlet end of the above-mentioned tablet is positioned vertically below the outlet end of the above-mentioned blender, The above transport unit, Including a pipe connecting the inlet end of the above-mentioned tablet machine and the outlet end of the above-mentioned blender to each other, Refinery manufacturing system.

12. In paragraph 1, The above feeder is configured to continuously provide raw materials based on a preset discharge speed. Refinery manufacturing system.

13. In paragraph 1, Further comprising a hopper for receiving raw materials from the feeder, inducing the raw materials and dropping them to the blender, The above hopper, A body part having a discharge end formed at the bottom that is vertically connected to the inlet end of the blender, and a tapered surface formed on the inside with an inner diameter that narrows toward the discharge end; and Including an ultrasonic vibrator that vibrates the above tapered surface, Refinery manufacturing system.

14. In a method for manufacturing tablets using a tablet manufacturing system, A step in which raw materials are mixed to form a mixture; A step in which the formed mixture is pressed to form a tablet; The step of decomposing the formed tablets; A step in which the tablets decomposed by the transfer unit are transferred to the analyzer; A step of obtaining component information on the tablets decomposed by the analyzer, selecting defective tablets and normal tablets among the decomposed tablets based on the component information, and providing normal tablets; A step in which the normal tablet is transferred to the coating machine by the above transfer unit; and A step in which the provided normal tablet is coated by the above coating machine, Method for manufacturing purified water.

15. In paragraph 14, Further comprising a step of marking on the surface of the coated tablet, Method for manufacturing purified water.

16. In paragraph 15, Further comprising a step of photographing the marked tablet and inspecting the appearance of the marked tablet. Method for manufacturing purified water.

Images