JP7525883B2 - Counting and filling device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a counting and filling device.

There is a known weighing and filling device that counts tablets, capsules, and other filling materials to a predetermined number (filling number) and fills them into a specified container. As an example of this type of counting and filling device, as shown in Patent Document 1, there is a known device that rotates and conveys a number of filling materials supplied from a supply device while adsorbing them in a row on the outer circumferential surface of a rotating roller, and counts the filling materials to a predetermined number using a counting sensor during the rotation and conveyance. The counted filling materials are then filled into a specified container.

JP 2020-55614 A

In conventional counting and filling devices, the material is transported while filling a number of supply holes on the outer circumferential surface of the roller. To ensure that the material fills the supply holes, the rotation speed of the roller needs to be kept low to a certain extent. For this reason, it was difficult for conventional counting and filling devices to separate the material into a specified number of pieces at high speed.

The object of the present invention is to provide a counting and filling device that can fill a predetermined number of items into a specified container at high speed.

The means for solving the above problems are as follows.
<1> A counting and filling device that counts a filling material to a predetermined filling number and fills it into a predetermined container, the counting and filling device comprising: a plurality of longitudinal cylinders each including a passage for moving the filling material from an upstream side to a downstream side by its own weight; a supply device that supplies the filling material to each passage of the plurality of cylinders; a downstream shutter that is in a closed state to close the downstream side of each passage or in an open state to open the downstream side of each passage; an upstream shutter that is in a closed state to close the upstream side of each passage or in an open state to open the upstream side of each passage; a first process that brings the downstream shutter into a closed state and the upstream shutter into an open state so that a filling line in which a plurality of the filling materials are piled up in a line is formed in each of the passages; a control device that executes a second process of closing the downstream shutter and closing the upstream shutter so that a reference filling column is formed between the downstream shutter and the upstream shutter in each of the passages after the length of the reference filling column formed by the objects piled up in the passage exceeds the length of the reference filling column, and a third process of opening the downstream shutter and closing the upstream shutter so that only the reference number of the filled objects is discharged from each of the multiple cylinders after the reference filling column is formed in each of the passages; and a counting and filling device having a holder that holds each downstream end of the multiple cylinders, and a consolidator having a cylindrical main body that includes a through hole portion therein for passing the filled objects downstream so that the reference number of the filled objects discharged from each end is consolidated into one.

<2> The downstream shutter has a common plate-shaped downstream shutter portion so that the downstream side of each passage can be closed or opened collectively, and the upstream shutter has a common plate-shaped upstream shutter portion so that the upstream side of each passage can be closed or opened collectively. The counting and filling device described in <1>.

<3> The counting and filling device according to <1> or <2>, wherein the supply device includes a hopper in which the filling material is stored, a supply port connected to the upstream side of each passage in the plurality of cylinders and for supplying the filling material stored in the hopper to the outside, and a vibration device that applies vibration to the filling material stored in the hopper and encourages the filling material to move from the hopper through the supply port to each passage.

<4> The counting and filling device according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein the concentrator has a regulating portion on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical main body that surrounds the through-hole portion, for regulating clogging of the filling material.

<5> The counting and filling device described in any one of <1> to <4>, in which the holding device holds the height positions of the downstream ends of the multiple cylinders so that they are different from each other.

<6> The counting and filling device according to any one of <1> to <5>, wherein the filling material is a seamless capsule tablet.

The present invention provides a counting and filling device that can fill a predetermined number of items into a specified container at high speed by that number.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a multi-row packaging and filling machine equipped with a counting and filling device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a counting and filling device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a state in which a number of cylinders included in a counting and filling device are viewed from the left side of the counting and filling device; An explanatory diagram showing the structure of a cylindrical body. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a cylinder (intermediate cylinder) in a state in which a first process has been executed; FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a cylinder (middle cylinder) in a state in which a second process has been executed; FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a cylinder (intermediate cylinder) in a state in which a third process has been executed; FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the state in which the lower ends of the four cylinders are held by the collector. 9A-A line cross-sectional view FIG. 1 is a perspective cross-sectional view showing a state in which the lower ends of four cylindrical bodies are held by a collector; FIG. 11 is a perspective cross-sectional view showing a schematic diagram of a concentrator used in the counting and filling device of the second embodiment; FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic diagram of a concentrator used in the counting and filling device of the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of a concentrator used in the counting and filling device of the fourth embodiment;

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 10. In this embodiment, a counting and filling device 2 used in a multi-row packaging and filling machine 1 will be described. First, the multi-row packaging and filling machine 1 will be briefly described.

Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram that shows a schematic configuration of a multi-row packaging and filling machine 1 equipped with a counting and filling device 2 of embodiment 1. For ease of explanation, the front side of the page in Figure 1 is the front side of the multi-row packaging and filling machine 1, and the back side of the page is the rear side of the multi-row packaging and filling machine 1. In addition, the left side of Figure 1 is the left side side of the multi-row packaging and filling machine 1, and the right side of Figure 1 is the right side side of the multi-row packaging and filling machine 1.

The multi-row packaging and filling machine 1 is a device that continuously produces four rows of cylindrical packaging bags filled with a predetermined number of seamless capsules S (an example of a filling material). In this specification, the predetermined number of packaging bags filled with seamless capsules S is referred to as the "filling number."

The seamless capsule S is a type of seamless soft capsule used in the fields of medicine, food, etc. The seamless capsule S is approximately spherical, and the diameters of the seamless capsules S are approximately the same (uniform). The diameter of such seamless capsules S is not particularly limited as long as it does not impair the object of the present invention, but may be set to, for example, 4 mm to 6 mm.

The multi-row packaging and filling machine 1 mainly comprises a film supply section 10, a slitter 12, a bag making and filling device 13, a vertical sealing device 14, a horizontal sealing device 15, a counting and filling device 2, and a cutter device 16.

The film supply unit 10 is a device that supplies the original film f1 from the roll-shaped packaging material roll 11. The slitter 12 is a device that cuts the original film f1 parallel to its length direction to form four rows of divided films f2. The bag making and filling device 13 is a device that forms each divided film f2 into a cylindrical shape and fills the cylindrically formed divided film f2 with seamless capsule agent S. The bag making and filling device 13 is equipped with four formers 131 assigned to each divided film f2 and four filling chutes 75 (see FIG. 1). The formers 131 are vertically long members that form the divided films f2 into a cylindrical shape in such a way that the side edges of the divided films f6 overlap each other to form one packaging bag, and are arranged in a state where they are aligned parallel to each other while being aligned in the up-down direction (vertical direction). The filling chute 75 is used as a filling path for the seamless capsule S, and is a pipe-shaped (cylindrical) member that passes through the center of the former 131 in the longitudinal direction.

The vertical sealing device 14 is a device that seals (thermocompresses) the longitudinal seams of the cylindrically shaped divided film f2 to form a cylindrical film f3.

The horizontal sealing device 15 is a device that seals the tubular film f3 in the width direction (horizontal width direction) to form a half-packaging bag f4 that is opened in one direction on the upstream side of the sealed area. The horizontal sealing device 15 has a pair of heater blocks, and seals the tubular film in the width direction between them. The horizontal sealing device 15 is also configured to be able to move up and down (reciprocate) using a servo motor as a driving source. The horizontal sealing device 15 descends downstream while heat-pressing the tubular film f3 between the heater blocks, and when it has descended by the length of one packaging bag, it releases the heat-pressed tubular film 3, and then repeats the operation of rising again to the original position. In this way, the horizontal sealing device 15 also has the function of pulling and moving each divided film f2 (tubular film f3) from the upstream side to the downstream side.

The horizontal sealing device 15 seals the tubular film f3 in the width direction, forming a semi-packaging bag f4 that is open in one direction on the upstream side as described above, and forming a packaging bag f5 with seamless capsule agent S sealed in it in a connected state on the downstream side of the semi-packaging bag f4.

The counting and filling device 2 is a device that counts seamless capsules S (an example of a filling material) to a predetermined number (filling number) and fills them into a semi-packaging bag f4, which is a specified container. The counting and filling device 2 separates the seamless capsules S into a predetermined number of capsules, and fills the separated seamless capsules S into the semi-packaging bag f4 through a pipe-shaped filling chute 75 that penetrates the former 131. The lower end of the pipe-shaped filling chute 75 is disposed inside the semi-packaging bag f4. The upper end of the filling chute 75 is attached to the through-hole portion 72 of the concentrator 70, as described later. The counting and filling device 2 will be described in detail later.

The cutter device 16 is a device that cuts the boundary between the packaging bags f5 that are connected in the length direction, and cuts the packaging bags f5 into individual bags. Each packaging bag f5 finally obtained by cutting in this way is filled with a predetermined number (filling number) of seamless capsules S.

Next, the counting and filling device 2 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 2 to 10. Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram that shows a schematic configuration of the counting and filling device 2 of the first embodiment. Figure 2 shows the front side of the counting and filling device 2. The counting and filling device 2 mainly includes a plurality of cylinders 21, a supply device 30, a downstream shutter 40, an upstream shutter 50, a control device 60, and a concentrator 70.

The supply device 30 includes a hopper 31 for storing seamless capsule agent S, a movable bottom 32 that constitutes the bottom of the hopper 31 and is movable up and down within the hopper 31, and a moving device 33 that moves the movable bottom 32 up and down.

The hopper 31 is generally cylindrical and has an opening 31a at the top that is used as an inlet for the seamless capsule agent S. The hopper 31 is designed so that the inner diameter gradually decreases from the upper opening 31a toward the lower opening 31b. The opening 31b located below the hopper 31 is generally cylindrical (rectangular) and extends in the vertical direction, and a movable bottom 32 is housed inside.

The movable bottom 32 is in the form of a plate that supports the seamless capsules S inside the hopper 31, and both ends of the plate are curved upward. This movable bottom 32 can move up and down inside the cylindrical opening 31b while being supported by the arm 33a of the moving device 33. The movable bottom 32 also has a plurality of holes 32a that are large enough to discharge the seamless capsules S one by one.

The moving device 33 supports the movable bottom 32 with an arm portion 33a, and moves the movable bottom 32 vertically at a predetermined amplitude and speed via the arm portion 33a. When the movable bottom 32 moves vertically in this manner by the moving device 33, vibrations are applied to the seamless capsules S in the hopper 31 supported by the movable bottom 32. Note that a known mechanism can be used as the mechanism for moving the movable bottom 32 vertically.

When the movable bottom 32, which moves vertically, applies vibrations to the seamless capsules S in the hopper 31, the seamless capsules S are moved vertically within the hopper 31, making it easier for them to be discharged to the outside through the holes 32a in the movable bottom 32. In this way, the supply device 30 can use the moving device 33 to supply seamless capsules S to each cylinder 21 connected to each hole 32a. The speed (amount) at which seamless capsules S are supplied from the supply device 30 can be adjusted by appropriately setting the moving speed of the movable bottom 32, etc.

3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic view of a plurality of cylinders 21 provided in the counting and filling device 2, as viewed from the left side of the counting and filling device 2. The cylinders 21 are elongated members including a through-hole-like passage 22 inside. In this embodiment, the cylinders 21 are arranged mainly along the up-down direction (vertical direction). The cylinders 21 are configured to be in groups of four. In this specification, a group of four cylinders 21 is referred to as a "cylinder group 23". The counting and filling device 2 of this embodiment is provided with four cylinder groups 23. In the multi-row packaging and filling machine 1, the packaging bags f5 are produced in four rows, and one cylinder group 23 is assigned to each row. In other words, in each row for producing the packaging bags f5, four cylinders 21 are used to fill one half packaging bag f4 with seamless capsule agent S.

The passage 22 in the cylindrical body 21 has an inner diameter and other dimensions set so that the seamless capsules S can pass one by one from the upstream side to the downstream side. In the passage 22 in the cylindrical body 21, the seamless capsules S can move from the upstream side to the downstream side due to their own weight (gravity).

Figure 3 also shows downstream shutters 40 that can be in a closed state to close the downstream side of each passage 22 or in an open state to open the downstream side of each passage 22, and upstream shutters 50 that can be in a closed state to close the upstream side of each passage 22 or in an open state to open the upstream side of each passage 22.

Here, the cylinders 21 constituting the cylinder group 23 will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the cylinders 21. The longitudinal cylinder 21 is mainly composed of three parts. Specifically, the cylinder 21 includes an intermediate cylinder 21a used for counting the seamless capsules S (i.e., for securing a predetermined number of seamless capsules S), an upstream cylinder 21b connecting the upstream opening end 21a1 of the intermediate cylinder 21a to the hole 32a of the movable bottom 32, and a downstream cylinder 21c (see FIG. 9) connecting the downstream opening end (not shown) of the intermediate cylinder 21a to the condenser 70.

The intermediate cylinder 21a is, for example, a straight, rigid metal pipe. The inner diameter of the intermediate cylinder 21a (i.e., the size of the passage 22) is set to a size such that the seamless capsules S are stacked in a line when the downstream shutter 40 is closed, as described below.

The upstream cylinder 21b is, for example, a flexible synthetic resin tube. As shown in FIG. 4, when the movable bottom 32 moves up and down, the upstream cylinder 21b curves and swings between the intermediate cylinder 21a and the movable bottom 32. This swinging of the upstream cylinder 21b encourages the seamless capsule agent S supplied from the hole 32a of the movable bottom 32 into the upstream cylinder 21b to move further downstream.

The inner diameter of the upstream cylinder 21b is set to be approximately the same as the inner diameter of the intermediate cylinder 21a, and is sized so that the seamless capsules S can be stacked in a line inside the passage 22. Similarly to the upstream cylinder 21b, the downstream cylinder 21c is also made of a flexible synthetic resin tube, and its inner diameter is set to be approximately the same as the inner diameter of the intermediate cylinder 21a. Details of the downstream cylinder 21c will be described later.

In the counting and filling device 2 of this embodiment, a process of dividing the seamless capsules S into a predetermined number (filling number) (hereinafter, the counting process) is repeatedly performed using a cylinder group 23 consisting of four cylinders 21, a downstream shutter 40, and an upstream shutter 50. Such a counting process is performed simultaneously in parallel (concurrently) for the four cylinder groups 23.

Specifically, the counting process is performed by the downstream shutter 40 and the upstream shutter 50 operating appropriately based on commands from the control device 60. For the counting process, the control device 60 repeatedly executes a first process, a second process, and a third process, described below, in this order. For ease of explanation, a case will be described here in which a predetermined number (reference number) of seamless capsules S is obtained using one cylinder 21 constituting one cylinder group 23, the downstream shutter 40, and the upstream shutter 50.

The downstream shutter 40 is disposed on the left side of the counting and filling device 2 so as to face the cylinder 21 (intermediate cylinder 21a) (see FIG. 2). The downstream shutter portion 40a of the downstream shutter 40 is configured to be able to move back and forth between a position inserted into the downstream insertion portion 24 and a position retracted outside the downstream insertion portion 24. The upstream shutter 50 is disposed on the left side of the counting and filling device 2 so as to be upstream (upper) than the downstream shutter 40 and to face the cylinder 21 (intermediate cylinder 21a) (FIG. 2). The upstream shutter portion 50a of the upstream shutter 50 is configured to be able to move back and forth between a position inserted into the upstream insertion portion 25 and a position retracted outside the upstream insertion portion 25.

Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram that shows the cylinder 21 (middle cylinder 21a) in a state where the first process has been performed. The first process is a process in which the downstream shutter 40 is closed and the upstream shutter 50 is opened so that a filling row T is formed in each passage 22, in which a plurality of seamless capsules S are stacked in a line. Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the state in which seamless capsules S are stacked in a line in the passage 22 of the cylinder 21. The middle cylinder 21a of the cylinder 21 is in a state of standing upright along the vertical direction. The upper side of Figure 5 corresponds to the upstream side of the cylinder 21, and the lower side of Figure 5 corresponds to the downstream side of the cylinder 21.

A slit-shaped downstream insertion section 24 is formed on the downstream side of the intermediate cylinder 21a, into which the plate-shaped downstream shutter section 40a of the downstream shutter 40 can be inserted. Also, a slit-shaped upstream insertion section 25 is formed on the upstream side of the intermediate cylinder 21a (upstream of the downstream insertion section 24), into which the plate-shaped upstream shutter section 50a of the upstream shutter 50 can be inserted.

The downstream shutter section 40a is in the form of a plate extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cylinder 21 (middle cylinder 21a). The downstream shutter section 40a is shared by the four cylinders 21 constituting one cylinder group 23, and operates to simultaneously place each cylinder 21 in a closed or open state. In particular, in the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the downstream shutter section 40a is shared by the four cylinders 21 constituting the cylinder group 23 (16 in total), and operates to simultaneously place each cylinder 21 in a closed or open state.

The upstream shutter section 50a, like the downstream shutter section 40a, is a plate extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cylinder 21 (middle cylinder 21a). Like the downstream shutter section 40a, the upstream shutter section 50a is common to the four cylinders 21 that make up one cylinder group 23, and is common to each of the cylinders 21 (16 in total) that make up the four cylinder groups 23, and operates to simultaneously bring each cylinder 21 into a closed or open state.

As described above, when the first process is executed, the downstream shutter portion 40a of the downstream shutter 40 is inserted into the downstream insertion portion 24, and the inside (passage 22) of the intermediate cylinder 21a near the downstream insertion portion 24 is blocked by the downstream shutter portion 40a. Therefore, of the seamless capsule agent S supplied from the supply device 30 to the cylinder 21, the seamless capsule agent S upstream of the downstream shutter portion 40a is blocked by the downstream shutter portion 40a.

When the first process is executed, the upstream shutter section 50a is not inserted into the upstream insertion section 25, so the inside (passage 22) of the intermediate cylinder 21a near the upstream insertion section 25 is open. Therefore, the movement of the seamless capsule S from the upstream insertion section 25 to the downstream shutter section 40a (downstream insertion section 24) is not restricted. In other words, the seamless capsule S can move from the upstream side to the downstream side through the inside (passage 22) of the intermediate cylinder 21a so as to pass through the upstream insertion section 25.

As described above, when the first process is performed, the seamless capsules S are blocked by the downstream shutter section 40a, so that multiple seamless capsules S are stacked in a line from the downstream side to the upstream side in the passage 22 of the intermediate cylinder 21a (cylinder 21). In this specification, the line of multiple seamless capsules S stacked in a line on the downstream shutter section 40a is referred to as the "filling line T."

In the intermediate cylinder 21a (cylinder 21), the position at which the upstream insertion section 25 is provided is set so that, when the downstream shutter section 40a is inserted into the downstream insertion section 24, a predetermined number (reference number) of seamless capsules S are stacked in a row between the downstream shutter section 40a and the upstream insertion section 25. For example, FIG. 5 shows a state in which 10 seamless capsules S (one example of a predetermined reference number) are stacked in a row between the downstream shutter section 40a inserted into the downstream insertion section 24 and the upstream insertion section 25. In this specification, the predetermined number of seamless capsules S secured by one cylinder 21 is referred to as the "reference number."

Figure 5 shows a state in which one seamless capsule S1 is placed on the downstream shutter section 40a, and other seamless capsules S2 to S10 are placed one by one on top of the seamless capsule S1.

In this specification, a predetermined number (reference number) of seamless capsules S piled up in a line in the passage 22 is referred to as a "reference filling line _T0 ." Fig. 5 shows a state in which other seamless capsules S11, S12, etc. are piled up upstream of the reference filling line _T0 to form a filling line T longer than the reference filling line _T0 .

For ease of explanation, in this specification, the length of the reference packing row _T0 formed in the passage 22 is assumed to be equal to the distance _L0 between the downstream shutter portion 40a inserted into the downstream insertion portion 24 and the upstream insertion portion 25.

In addition, in this specification, the state in which the downstream shutter section 40a is inserted into the downstream insertion section 24 and blocks the passage 22 of the cylinder 21 near the downstream insertion section 24 is referred to as the "closed state" of the downstream shutter 40, and the state in which the downstream shutter section 40a is not inserted into the downstream insertion section 24 and opens the passage 22 of the cylinder 21 near the downstream insertion section 24 is referred to as the "open state" of the downstream shutter 40.

The state in which the upstream shutter section 50a is inserted into the upstream insertion section 25 and blocks the passage of the cylinder 21 near the upstream insertion section 25 is referred to as the "closed state" of the upstream shutter 50, and the state in which the upstream shutter section 50a is inserted into the upstream insertion section 25 and opens the passage 22 of the cylinder 21 near the upstream insertion section 25 is referred to as the "open state" of the upstream shutter 50.

6 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of the cylinder 21 (middle cylinder 21a) in a state in which the second process has been performed. The second process is a process in which, after the length of the filling line T in each passage 22 exceeds the length _L0 of a reference filling line _T0 formed by piling up a predetermined reference number (10 seamless capsules) in the passage 22, the downstream shutter 40 is closed and the upstream shutter 50 is closed so that the reference filling line _T0 is formed between the downstream shutter 40 (downstream shutter portion 40a) and the upstream shutter 50 (upstream shutter portion 50a) in each passage 22.

6, in the passage 22 of the cylinder 21 (middle cylinder 21a), a reference filling line _T0 is formed between the downstream shutter portion 40a of the downstream shutter 40 and the upstream shutter portion 50a of the upstream shutter 50. The upstream shutter portion 50a is inserted into the upstream insertion portion 25 after the length of the filling line T in the passage 22 of the cylinder 21 exceeds the length _L0 of the reference filling line _T0 .

In the second process, when the upstream shutter portion 50a is inserted into the upstream insertion portion 25, the seamless capsules S10 arranged at the most upstream side (upper side) among the seamless capsules S constituting the standard filling line _T0 in the passage 22 are separated from another seamless capsule S11 adjacent to the seamless capsules S10 on the upstream side (upper side) by the upstream shutter portion 50a. That is, after the length of the filling line T exceeds the length _L0 of the standard filling line _T0 in the passage 22, the upstream shutter portion 50a is inserted into the upstream insertion portion 25, and the length of the filling line T is adjusted to be shorter by the upstream shutter portion 50a. As a result, the standard filling line _T0 is formed between the downstream shutter 40 (downstream shutter portion 40a) in a closed state and the upstream shutter 50 (upstream shutter portion 50a) in a closed state.

When the standard filling row _T0 is formed, only the standard number (10 pieces) of seamless capsules S (S1 to S10) is secured between the downstream shutter section 40a and the upstream shutter section 50a. In this manner, in this embodiment, the standard number (10 pieces) of seamless capsules S can be secured without excess or deficiency by one cylinder 21 (middle cylinder 21a). In this embodiment, each cylinder 21 constituting one cylinder group 23 is configured to secure the same standard number of seamless capsules S. Therefore, four cylinders 21 provide four standard numbers of seamless capsules S. The standard number set for each cylinder 21 is obtained by dividing a predetermined number of seamless capsules S by the number of cylinders 21 constituting one cylinder group 23.

7 is an explanatory diagram showing the cylinder 21 (middle cylinder 21a) in a state where the third process has been performed. The third process is a process in which, after the reference filling row _T0 is formed in each passage 22, the downstream shutter 40 is opened and the upstream shutter 50 is closed so that only the reference number of seamless capsules S is discharged from each of the cylinders 21.

As described above, in the second process, when the reference filling line _T0 is formed between the downstream shutter 40 in the closed state and the upstream shutter 50 in the closed state, the third process is then executed and the downstream shutter 40 is switched from the closed state to the open state, so that the reference number (10 pieces) of seamless capsules S located downstream (below) of the upstream shutter portion 50a can move downstream by their own weight through the passage 22 of the cylindrical body 21. Note that the seamless capsules S11, S12, etc. located upstream (above) of the upstream shutter portion 50a are blocked by the upstream shutter portion 50a and are in a standby state to form the reference filling line _T0 in the next counting process.

When the third process is executed, the reference number (10 pieces) of seamless capsules S that have moved downstream of the cylinder 21 (middle cylinder 21a) reach the downstream cylinder 21c that constitutes the downstream portion of the cylinder 21, and are then discharged from the downstream cylinder 21c into the concentrator 70. Figure 8 is a plan view (top view) that shows the state in which the lower ends of the four cylinders 21 are held in the concentrator 70, and is a cross-sectional view along line A-A in Figure 9, and Figure 10 is a perspective cross-sectional view that shows the state in which the lower ends of the four cylinders 21 are held in the concentrator 70.

The concentrator 70 is a device that consolidates a standard number (10 pieces) of seamless capsules S discharged from a plurality (four pieces) of cylinders 21 constituting one cylinder group 23 into one to obtain a predetermined filling number (40 pieces in this case). The concentrator 70 is equipped with a cylindrical main body 71 including a through hole 72 that penetrates in one direction (up and down) inside, and a holder 73 that holds the lower end 21c1 of each cylinder 21 (downstream cylinder 21c) and is attached to the upstream (upper) opening end 72a of the through hole 72.

The cylindrical main body 71 and the holder 73 of the collector 70 are made of, for example, a metal material processed into a predetermined shape. In other embodiments, the collector 70 may be made of a molded synthetic resin product, etc. As shown in FIG. 2, the collector 70 is arranged on the lower side of the cylinder 21 so that the through hole 72 on the inside of the cylindrical main body 71 is aligned in the vertical direction. The collector 70 is fixed by a fixing device (not shown) so that it remains stationary at such a predetermined height position.

As shown in Figures 8 to 10, the lower end portions 21c1 of the four cylinders 21 (downstream cylinders 21c) are inserted into through-hole-shaped retaining hole portions 73a formed in the retainer 73 and are held by the retainer 73. The retainer 73 has four through-hole-shaped retaining hole portions 73a extending in the vertical direction, and the lower end portions 21c1 of the cylinders 21 (downstream cylinders 21c) are attached to the respective retaining hole portions 73a. In this embodiment, the height positions of the lower end portions 21c1 of the cylinders 21 (downstream cylinders 21c) are set to be the same as each other.

As described above, the downstream cylinder 21c of the cylinder 21 is made of a flexible synthetic resin tube, and multiple (four) cylinders 21 can be brought close to each other using the holder 73 to form a bundle. In addition, multiple vents 73b are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the holder 73, forming holes that penetrate in the vertical direction between the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical main body 71 that surrounds the through-hole portion 72. In addition, a vent 73c that penetrates in the vertical direction is provided in the center of the holder 73.

The retainer 73 is provided with a number of locking portions 73d that protrude outward (in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction). When the retainer 73 is attached to the through-hole 72 of the cylindrical main body 17, the locking portions 73d are placed (locked) on a number of recessed lockable portions 74 provided at the opening end 72a of the through-hole 72, and the retainer 73 is positioned within the through-hole 72 of the cylindrical main body 17. The retainer 73 is attached to the cylindrical main body 17 in a detachable state.

The upper end of a pipe-shaped filling chute 75 is inserted into the downstream (lower) open end 72b of the through-hole 72. A tapered collecting passage 72c is formed between the part of the through-hole 72 provided in the cylindrical main body 71 where the holder 73 is attached and the part where the upper end of the filling chute 75 is attached, and the tapered collecting passage 72c is set so that the inner diameter gradually decreases from the upstream side to the downstream side. The seamless capsule agent S discharged from each cylindrical body 21 is received by the collecting passage 72c and then moves further downstream.

The seamless capsules S discharged from the lower end 21c1 of each cylinder 21 held by the holder 73 join together in the tapered collection passage 72c, and are collected into one as they move downstream through the pipe-shaped filling chute 75. In other words, the seamless capsules S that pass through this collection device 70 are collected to a predetermined number (40 capsules) for filling.

The seamless capsules S (40 capsules) collected through the collector 70 pass through a pipe-shaped filling chute 75 and are finally filled into the semi-packaging bag f4 described above.

As described above, the counting and filling device 2 of this embodiment can fill a predetermined number of seamless capsules S into a specified packaging bag (container) at high speed. For example, by increasing the number of cylinders 21 that make up one cylinder group 23, a large standard number of seamless capsules S can be secured at one time.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a counting and filling device of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a perspective cross-sectional view that shows a schematic diagram of a concentrator 70A used in the counting and filling device of the second embodiment. The counting and filling device of the second embodiment differs from the counting and filling device 2 of the first embodiment only in the concentrator 70A, and the configuration other than the concentrator 70A is the same as that of the first embodiment.

11, the concentrator 70A of this embodiment is provided with a regulating portion 76 for regulating clogging of seamless capsule agent S on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical main body portion 71A surrounding the through hole portion 72A. When the seamless capsule agent S discharged from each lower end portion 21c1 of the cylindrical body 21 (downstream cylindrical body 21c) is received in the concentrating passage 72Ac of the concentrator 70A, if it takes time to move to the filling chute 75 side by rotating in the inner peripheral direction of the cylindrical main body portion 71A, depending on the predetermined number of fillings, etc., there is a risk that the seamless capsule agent S will be clogged in the concentrating passage 72Ac. Therefore, in this embodiment, the regulating portion 76 is provided in the concentrating passage 72Ac so that the seamless capsule agent S discharged from each cylindrical body 21 can move smoothly downstream. The regulating portion 76 protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical main body portion 71A and has a plate shape extending from the upstream side to the downstream side. By providing such a restricting portion 76, the seamless capsule S discharged from each cylinder 21 is prevented from moving in the inner circumferential direction of the cylindrical main body portion 71A, and is guided more reliably downstream.

For ease of explanation, the holders for holding the lower ends 21c1 of the cylinders 21 are omitted from FIG. 11. However, in this embodiment, as in embodiment 1, a holder is attached to the upstream opening end 72Aa of the through-hole 72A. Also, as in embodiment 1, a filling chute 75 is attached to the downstream opening end 72Ab of the through-hole 72A.

In this embodiment, the restricting portions 76 are provided at positions facing each other on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical main body portion 71A surrounding the collecting passage 72Ac (i.e., positions 180° apart from each other when the collecting passage 72Ac is viewed from above and below). The restricting portions 76 divide the lower end portions 21c1 of the four cylindrical bodies 21 into two at the through-hole portion 72A.

As described above, the concentrator 70A may be equipped with a regulating section 76 to prevent clogging of the seamless capsules S and retention caused by the seamless capsules S moving downstream while rotating in the inner circumferential direction.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, a counting and filling device of the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view that shows a schematic diagram of a concentrator 70B used in the counting and filling device of the third embodiment. The counting and filling device of the present embodiment differs from the counting and filling device 2 of the first embodiment only in that the concentrator 70B is different, and the configuration other than the concentrator 70B is the same as that of the first embodiment.

The concentrator 70B of this embodiment is provided with a holder 73B that holds the lower end 21c1 of each cylinder 21 (downstream cylinder 21c) so that the height positions of the lower end 21c1 are different from each other. The holder 73B is provided with a through-hole-shaped retaining hole portion 73Ba, but is provided with a locking portion 73Be that locks with the lower end 21c1 so that the positions (height positions) of the lower end 21c1 inserted into each retaining hole portion 73Ba are different from each other. In this way, when the height positions of the lower end 21c1 of each cylinder 21 are set to be different, the timing of discharge from each cylinder 21 into the concentrator 70B (collecting passage 72Bc) is shifted, and a large amount of seamless capsule agent S is prevented from remaining in the concentrator 70B (collecting passage 72Bc) at one time. If a large amount of seamless capsule agent S is discharged into the concentrator 70B at one time, depending on the conditions, the concentrator 70B may become clogged. Therefore, as in this embodiment, it is preferable to maintain the height positions of the lower ends 21c1 of the cylinders 21 at different positions.

<Embodiment 4>
Next, the counting and filling device of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a plan view (top view) that shows a schematic representation of the concentrator 70C used in the counting and filling device of the fourth embodiment. In the counting and filling device of this embodiment, one cylinder group is composed of five cylinders. The lower end 21Cc1 of each downstream cylinder 21Cc of each cylinder is held by 73C of the concentrator 70C. The holder 73C is provided with five holding holes 73Ca, and the lower end 21Cc1 of each downstream cylinder 21Cc is inserted into each of the holding holes 73Ca. In addition, five vents 73Cb are provided on the outer periphery of the holder 73C. The concentrator 70C of this embodiment is substantially cylindrical in plan view. In this embodiment, the holder 73C of the concentrator 70C is formed with retaining holes 73Ca for holding each lower end 21Cc1 of each cylinder, corresponding to the number of cylinders that constitute one cylinder group.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and the following embodiments, for example, are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

(1) In each of the above embodiments, the seamless capsule agent, which is the filling material, is filled into the packaging bag, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the counting and filling device may be configured to fill a container such as a bottle with the filling material.

(2) In the above embodiment, a predetermined number of fillings (seamless capsules) was secured in one counting step, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the counting step as described above may be repeated multiple times (e.g., twice) to set the desired number of fillings. However, from the standpoint of high speed filling, etc., it is preferable to configure the counting and filling device so that the required number of fillings is secured in one counting step.

(3) In the above embodiment, by appropriately adjusting the amount of filling material (amount supplied per unit time) supplied from the supply device to each cylinder, etc., it is possible to quickly repeat the counting process (first process, second process, and third process), and in particular, high-speed filling of the filling material becomes possible.

(4) In the above embodiment, various conditions such as the length of the filling row in which the filling material (seamless capsules, etc.) is stacked in a line and the number of cylinders that make up one cylinder group can be arbitrarily set based on the required filling capacity (e.g., filling speed, etc.) and the number of fillings required for one packaging bag, which differs depending on the size of the packaging bag, etc.

1...Multi-row packaging and filling machine, 2...Counting and filling device, 21...Cylinder, 21a...Intermediate body, 21b...Upstream cylinder, 21c...Downstream cylinder, 21c1...Lower end of cylinder, 30...Supply device, 31...Hopper, 32...Movable bottom, 32a...Hole, 33...Moving device, 40...Downstream shutter, 40a...Downstream shutter section, 50...Upstream shutter, 50a...Upstream shutter section, 60...Control device, 70...Concentrator, S...Seamless capsule agent (filling material)

Claims (6)

A counting and filling device that counts the number of filling items to be filled into a predetermined container and fills the items into a predetermined container,
A plurality of longitudinal cylindrical bodies each including a passage therein for moving the packed material from the upstream side to the downstream side by its own weight;
A supply device that supplies the filling material to each of the passages of the plurality of cylindrical bodies;
a downstream shutter that is in a closed state for closing the downstream side of each of the passages or in an open state for opening the downstream side of each of the passages;
an upstream shutter that is in a closed state for closing the upstream side of each of the passages or in an open state for opening the upstream side of each of the passages;
a control device that executes a first process of closing the downstream shutter and opening the upstream shutter so that a filling line formed by a plurality of the filling materials being piled up in a line is formed in each of the passages, a second process of closing the downstream shutter and closing the upstream shutter so that the reference filling line is formed between the downstream shutter and the upstream shutter in each of the passages after the length of the filling line in each of the passages exceeds the length of a reference filling line formed by a predetermined reference number of the filling materials being piled up in the passage, and a third process of opening the downstream shutter and closing the upstream shutter so that only the reference number of the filling materials is discharged from each of the plurality of cylinders after the reference filling line is formed in each of the passages;
a collector having a holder for holding each downstream end of the plurality of cylindrical bodies, and a cylindrical main body including a through hole portion therein for passing the filling material downstream so that the reference number of the filling material discharged from each end is collected into one ,
The collector has a restriction portion on an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical main body portion surrounding the through hole portion to restrict clogging of the filling material,
The regulating portion protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical main body and has a plate shape extending from the upstream side to the downstream side . The counting and filling device according to claim 1 , wherein the restricting portion is disposed at a position not overlapping with downstream ends of the plurality of cylindrical bodies in the up-down direction. A counting and filling device that counts the number of filling items to be filled into a predetermined container and fills the items into a predetermined container,
A plurality of longitudinal cylindrical bodies each including a passage therein for moving the packed material from the upstream side to the downstream side by its own weight;
A supply device that supplies the filling material to each of the passages of the plurality of cylindrical bodies;
a downstream shutter that is in a closed state for closing the downstream side of each of the passages or in an open state for opening the downstream side of each of the passages;
an upstream shutter that is in a closed state for closing the upstream side of each of the passages or in an open state for opening the upstream side of each of the passages;
a control device that executes a first process of closing the downstream shutter and opening the upstream shutter so that a filling line formed by a plurality of the filling materials being piled up in a line is formed in each of the passages, a second process of closing the downstream shutter and closing the upstream shutter so that the reference filling line is formed between the downstream shutter and the upstream shutter in each of the passages after the length of the filling line in each of the passages exceeds the length of a reference filling line formed by a predetermined reference number of the filling materials being piled up in the passage, and a third process of opening the downstream shutter and closing the upstream shutter so that only the reference number of the filling materials is discharged from each of the plurality of cylinders after the reference filling line is formed in each of the passages;
a collector having a holder for holding each downstream end of the plurality of cylindrical bodies, and a cylindrical main body including a through hole portion therein for passing the filling material downstream so that the reference number of the filling material discharged from each end is collected into one,
The holding device holds multiple cylindrical bodies on a circumference centered on the axis of the cylindrical main body, and holds the height positions of each downstream end of the multiple cylindrical bodies so that they are different from each other. The downstream shutter has a common plate-shaped downstream shutter portion that can collectively close or open the downstream sides of the passages,
4. The counting and filling device according to claim 1, wherein the upstream shutter has a common plate-shaped upstream shutter portion that can collectively close or open the upstream sides of the passages. The counting and filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the supply device comprises a hopper in which the filling material is stored, a supply port connected to the upstream side of each of the passages in the multiple cylindrical bodies and for supplying the filling material stored in the hopper to the outside, and a vibration device that imparts vibration to the filling material stored in the hopper and urges the filling material to move from the hopper through the supply port to each of the passages. The counting and filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the filling material is a seamless capsule tablet.

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