JP7539147B2 - Separating and feeding device, counting and filling device, and method for separating and feeding counted materials - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a separating and sending device that separates and sends out countable materials, which are small solid objects such as disk-shaped, triangular-shaped, capsule-shaped, etc. tablets, small solid foods such as hard candies, candies, drops, and gummies, and small solid objects such as desiccants, a counting and filling device that counts the sent out countable materials and fills them into a container, and a method for separating and sending out countable materials.

In general, various tablet separation and delivery devices have been proposed for use in counting and filling tablets, which are a typical type of counting material. For example, a tablet cassette includes a container section for storing tablets, an alignment plate rotatably installed within the container section, and a wing-shaped partition wall that divides the container section and the alignment plate into multiple compartments at equal pitches. The tablet cassette is configured such that an outlet is formed in a portion of the bottom of the container section that forms the lower surface of the annular gap, and tablets that enter the compartments of the rotating alignment plate are dropped one by one from the outlet using an endless belt. For this reason, the tablet cassette uses the endless belt to hold or partition the upper tablets that are overlapping in the alignment plate above the outlet, preventing the upper tablets that are overlapping above the outlet from falling from the outlet (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2015-12893 A

In conventional devices, tablets above the discharge outlet are held by an endless belt, or an endless belt is arranged above the discharge outlet to separate compartments for aligning tablets from unaligned tablets, preventing tablets from falling from the discharge outlet in an overlapping state. Only one compartment is formed on the alignment board, and the endless belt is arranged to prevent tablets from falling from this compartment. Therefore, when the processing speed is increased, it may happen that tablets are not stored in the compartment with only one compartment, or that tablets do not fall from the discharge outlet.

The present invention was invented to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a separation and delivery device, a counting and filling device, and a method for separating and delivering counted materials that can smoothly deliver counted materials even when the processing speed is increased.

In order to solve the above problem, the separating and sending out device according to the present invention comprises a cylindrical hopper fixed on a base, and a separation rotor which rotates while aligning and holding the counted materials between the hopper and the separation rotor in a partitioning section, and sends out the counted materials aligned in the partitioning section from a delivery outlet formed in the base. The separating and sending out device comprises a first belt arranged so that at least a portion of the belt enters the first horizontal groove and a second horizontal groove formed in a stepped manner in the partitioning section of the separation rotor, and a second belt arranged so that at least a portion of the belt enters the second horizontal groove. In the separating and sending out device, the partitioning section has a storage area on the periphery of the separation rotor which vertically aligns and stacks the counted materials from the bottom to the top of the separation rotor to separate them into a plurality of sections in the periphery direction. Furthermore, the separation and delivery device is configured such that the first belt is positioned above the delivery outlet so as to be partially inserted into the first horizontal groove, so as to position the first tier of counted materials in the storage area below and the second tier of counted materials in the storage area above, and the second belt is positioned above the delivery outlet so as to abut against either the second or third tier of counted materials in the storage area within a range from below the center to the bottom end of the counted materials.

In order to solve the above problem, the separating and sending out device according to the present invention comprises a cylindrical hopper fixed on a base, and a separation rotor which rotates while aligning and holding the counted materials between the hopper and the separation rotor through a partition section, and sends out the counted materials aligned in the partition section from a delivery outlet formed in the base. The separating and sending out device further comprises a guide cylinder which is disposed between the hopper and the separation rotor and has a first groove section and a second groove section formed in a stepped manner, a first belt which is disposed so as to enter a part of the first groove section from a side opening of the hopper which opens at a position opposite the first groove section and the second groove section of the guide cylinder, and a second belt which is disposed so as to enter a part of the second groove section. Furthermore, the separating and sending out device has at least the first partition section and the second partition section as a storage area between the guide cylinder and the separation rotor through grooves formed in the circumferential and vertical directions from the lower to the upper side of the separation rotor. The separating and sending device is configured such that the first belt is positioned above the sending outlet so that a portion of the first belt fits into a groove that separates the first and second partitions, so that the counted materials in the first partition are positioned below and the counted materials in the second partition are positioned above, and the second belt is positioned so that it abuts against either the counted materials partitioned in the second partition above the sending outlet or the counted materials partitioned above the second partition within a range from below the center of the counted materials to the lower end.

To solve the above problem, the counting and filling device includes the separating and sending device, an installation stand on which the separating and sending device is installed and which has a rotation drive mechanism, a counting device disposed in a fall passage that communicates with the delivery outlet of the separating and sending device on the installation stand, and a placement stand on which a container is placed that is detachably placed directly below the fall passage. The counting and filling device has a driven rotation mechanism on the base of the separating and sending device so as to engage the rotation shaft of the separating rotor of the separating and sending device with the rotation drive mechanism.

In order to solve the above problem, the method of separating and sending out counted materials according to the present invention includes a step of storing the counted materials in a cylindrical hopper, rotating a separation rotor in the hopper, and storing the counted materials in a partition formed on the periphery of the separation rotor between the separation rotor and the hopper while aligning the materials in the vertical direction, thereby partitioning the counted materials in the circumferential direction and aligning the counted materials. Then, by rotating the separation rotor, a first belt is interposed between a groove that partitions the counted materials in the first stage of the partition from the counted materials in the second stage of the partition above the delivery outlet of the counted materials, and the counted materials in the first stage are placed below the first belt and the counted materials in the second stage are placed above the first belt, thereby causing the counted materials in the first partition to fall into the delivery outlet. Furthermore, the dropping process also includes a process of supporting the counted materials in the second tier by contacting the second belt through a groove facing the counted materials in the second tier in the range from below the center of the height of the counted materials in the second tier to the bottom end in front of the outlet and above the outlet.

In order to solve the above problem, the method for separating and sending out counted materials according to the present invention includes a step of storing the counted materials in a cylindrical hopper, rotating a separation rotor, and aligning the counted materials in three tiers between the periphery of the separation rotor and the hopper through a first partition section, a second partition section, and a third partition section that are vertically partitioned by grooves. In addition to the aligning step, the separation rotor also includes a step of interposing a first belt between the grooves that partition the counted materials in the first partition section and the counted materials in the second partition section above the counted materials delivery outlet by rotating the separation rotor, thereby causing the counted materials in the first partition section to fall at the delivery outlet. Furthermore, the dropping process also includes a process of supporting the counted materials in the third partition by contacting the second belt in the range from below the center of the height of the counted materials in the third partition to the bottom end in front of the outlet and above the outlet.

The separating and delivering device, the counting and filling device, and the method for separating and delivering the materials to be counted according to the present invention have the following excellent effects.
In the separation and delivery device, the first belt acts to deliver the counted materials in the first tier of the partition to the delivery outlet, and the second belt acts not to apply a load to the counted materials in the first tier of the partition, so that the counted materials can be smoothly dropped one by one into the delivery outlet without being damaged even when the processing speed is increased.
In the counting and filling device, the materials to be counted are reliably fed one by one from the separating and feeding device, so that the materials to be counted can be accurately counted and filled into the container.

In the method for separating and sending out the counted materials, the materials to be counted are aligned in at least two tiers, stacked and aligned, the materials to be counted in the first compartment are sent downward by the first belt, the materials to be counted fall from the outlet, and the second belt abuts against the materials to be counted at a position overlapping the first compartment so as not to affect the materials to be counted in the first compartment. Therefore, the method for separating and sending out the counted materials can smoothly send out the materials to be counted in the first compartment from the outlet.

1 is a perspective view showing a separating and sending device and a counting and filling device according to a first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the separating and sending-out device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the separating and sending-out device according to the first embodiment with a part thereof omitted. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the separating and sending-out device taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3 with a portion thereof omitted. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a separation rotor of the separating and feeding device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a separation rotor of the separating and feeding device according to the first embodiment. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating positions of a first belt and a second belt of the separating and sending out device according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a belt unit of the separating and sending out device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a first belt of the separating and sending out device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9B is an explanatory diagram illustrating the relationship between the first belt and the tablet shown in FIG. 9A. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a second belt of the separating and sending out device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram illustrating the relationship between the second belt and the tablet shown in FIG. 10A. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a counting and filling device according to a first embodiment; 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a separating and sending-out device according to a second embodiment with a part thereof omitted. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section of a storage area of a partition section in the separating and sending out device of FIG. 12. [0033] FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a separating and sending-out device according to a second embodiment with a part thereof omitted. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the positional relationship between a tablet and a first belt in each embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the positional relationship between a tablet and a first belt in each embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A separating and delivering device and a counting and filling device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In the first embodiment, in each drawing, a disk-shaped tablet is used as an example of the material to be counted. In addition, the relationship between the size of each component of the separating and sending device and the counting and filling device and the tablets to be used, or the position of the tablets, may be appropriately deformed or shown in the drawings. In addition, for the sake of explanation, the directions shown in the drawings as up, down, left, right, front and back are shown for ease of explanation.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the counting and filling device 300 separates and sends out the tablets W one by one using a separating and sending out device 100, counts the tablets W using a counting device 210 (see Figure 11), and fills a predetermined number of tablets W into a container B using a filling device 200.
Here, the configuration and operation of the separating and sending out device 100 will be described first, and then the configurations and operations of the counting device 210 and the filling device 200 will be described.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the separating and sending device 100 aligns a number of stored tablets and sends them out one by one. The separating and sending device 100 includes a base 10, a separation rotor 20 installed on the base 10, a belt unit 30 arranged close to the separation rotor 20, a hopper 40 that stores tablets together with the separation rotor 20, and a guide cylinder 50 interposed between the separation rotor 20 and the hopper 40. In the separating and sending device 100, the hopper 40 is formed so that the upper portion can be detachably attached, and for example, a configuration in which a connecting hopper 60 is attached to the upper end of the hopper 40 will be described.

In the separating and sending device 100, when the tablets W to be sent out one by one are supplied to the storage portion by the hopper 40 and the separation rotor 20, the separation rotor 20 rotates, and the tablets W are aligned by the partition portion 25 as a storage area formed on the outer periphery of the separation rotor 20 between the separation rotor 20 and the guide cylinder 50, thereby separating each tablet W from the entire stored tablets. Then, in the separating and sending device 100, the separation rotor 20 rotates, and the aligned tablets W are sequentially sent directly above the sending outlet 12 provided on the base 10, and the tablets W are dropped one by one into the sending outlet 12 via the first belt 31 and the second belt 32 provided on the belt unit 30. In this separating and sending device 100, 800 to 1200 tablets W can be sent out one by one at regular intervals per minute.
Each component of the separating and sending out device 100 will be described below.

＜Foundation＞
2, the base 10 includes a base body 11 placed on an installation stand 220 of the filling device 200 described below, a delivery port 12 formed by penetrating the base body 11 in the thickness direction, and a driven rotation mechanism 13 formed inside the base body 11. Here, the base 10, as the separating and delivering device 100, is provided with a handle 14 on the side of the base body 11 to facilitate handling. In addition, a resin plate 15 is formed on the base 10 at a position around the delivery port 12 where the tablet W described below comes into contact.
The base body 11 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a protruding connection portion at the center for the driven rotation mechanism 13. The driven rotation mechanism 13 is configured to engage with a rotating shaft 28 formed at the center of the separation rotor 20 and protruding downward, and to transmit a rotational driving force from a rotational driving mechanism 221 of the filling device 200 described later.

The delivery port 12 is an opening through which the tablets W delivered from the separation rotor 20 pass and are delivered to the side of a counting device 210 described later. The delivery port 12 is formed in a predetermined position of the base 10 with a preset size, and is provided so as to communicate with a counting opening 215 of the counting device 210.
In addition, the base body 11 has a resin plate 15 formed in an annular shape on the periphery of the connection part of the driven rotation mechanism 13. This resin plate 15 is stored in the first partition section 21, which is the lowest end of the partition section 25 of the separation rotor 20, and reduces deterioration due to friction of the tablets W moving in the circumferential direction by the rotation of the separation rotor 20. The resin plate 15 is formed in a range that abuts on the lower end side of the tablets W stored in the first partition section 21 of the separation rotor 20, and is preferably formed of a material that has low friction even when it comes into contact with the tablets W when they move. In addition, the delivery port 12 opens on the peripheral side of the resin plate 15.

<Separation rotor>
As shown in Fig. 3 to Fig. 6, the separation rotor 20 aligns the tablets W together with the guide cylinder 50 and sends the tablets W to the delivery port 12. The separation rotor 20 rotates inside the guide cylinder 50, divides and aligns the tablets W supplied to the hopper 40 and the connection hopper 60 in a storage area common to the inner circumferential surface of the guide cylinder 50, and sends out the tablets moved to the delivery port 12 one by one. The separation rotor 20 includes a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24 formed in a cylindrical shape, a conical inclined peripheral surface 26 formed continuously to the upper end of the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24, a rotation shaft 28 provided inside the inclined peripheral surface 26 and the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24, and a partition section 25 formed in the circumferential direction along the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24. As an example, the separation rotor 20 has the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24, the inclined peripheral surface 26, and the partition section 25 integrally formed of resin. The partition 25 forms a first partition 21 to a third partition 23 via partition blocks that protrude radially from the cylindrical outer circumferential surface 24 .
As an example, the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24 is formed so as to be approximately equal to the height of four stacked disk-shaped tablets W with their ends abutting against each other with their postures approximately aligned.
The inclined peripheral surface 26 is formed in a substantially conical shape so as to move the tablets W to be supplied between the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24 and the cylindrical inner peripheral surface of the guide cylinder 50 by its own weight. The inclined peripheral surface 26 is formed with an angle etc. so as to store the tablets W to be supplied to the region between the inclined peripheral surface 26 and the connecting hopper 60 and to sequentially move the tablets W to the partition section 25 side.

The partition section 25 is disposed in the circumferential direction along the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24, and aligns the tablets W. Here, the partition section 25 is formed integrally with partition blocks protruding in the radial direction from the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24. The partition section 25 includes a first partition section 21 formed on the surface of the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24 from the lower end side, a second partition section 22 formed above the first partition section 21, and a third partition section 23 formed above the second partition section 22.
The first partition section 21 to the third partition section 23 are vertical grooves formed to a width that allows tablets W to be inserted continuously in the vertical direction, and are formed so that three tablets W can be stored in an aligned state with their ends abutting each other while their postures are approximately the same. In addition, in the first partition section 21 to the third partition section 23, it is determined whether a preset number of tablets W should be partitioned in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical outer circumferential surface 24, and for example, 18 tablets W are partitioned and aligned here. Therefore, the first partition section 21 to the third partition section 23 are formed so that tablets W can be stored every 20 degrees in the circumferential direction.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the first partition section 21 to the third partition section 23 are divided by the first partition block 21b, the second partition block 22b, and the third partition block 23b, which are formed in the vertical direction. The first partition block 21b to the third partition block 23b are formed to protrude radially from the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24. Here, the first partition block 21b to the third partition block 23b are formed to have a rectangular shape when viewed from the front. In addition, the first partition block 21b to the third partition block 23b are formed to have a substantially trapezoidal cross-sectional shape, and are formed so that the area of the cross-section increases on the left and right as it moves away from the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24.

The first partition section 21 is formed by the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24 and the first partition blocks 21b on both sides in the circumferential direction. This first partition section 21 is formed to partition and store the tablets W by the two first partition blocks 21b. Therefore, when the tablets W are stored in the first partition section 21, which forms a storage space between the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24 and the two first partition blocks 21b in the circumferential direction, the tablets W are suppressed from moving in the radial direction and the circumferential direction from the center of the separation rotor 20, and are stably supported in the first partition section 21. In addition, the second partition section 22 has a storage space formed by the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24 and the second partition blocks 22b on both sides in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, the third partition section 23 has a storage space formed by the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24 and the third partition blocks 23b on both sides in the circumferential direction. In addition, the second partition section 22 and the third partition section 23 can also stably support the tablets W like the first partition section 21. In addition, the circumferential width of the first compartment block 21b to the third compartment block 23b is uniformly sized to accommodate 18 tablets in the circumferential direction, for example 18 tablets.

The heights of the first partition block 21b to the third partition block 23b are set so that the first partition block 21b to the third partition block 23b are vertical grooves deep enough that the tablets W can be stacked vertically with their three ends abutting. Therefore, the first partition block 21 to the third partition block 23 are formed by continuous vertical grooves, so when the tablets W stored in the first partition block 21 are sent out from the delivery port 12, the tablets W stored in the second partition block 22 move downward to the first partition block 21 by their own weight. Also, the tablets W stored in the third partition block 23 move downward to the second partition block 22 by their own weight. Note that, as an example, the third partition block 23 is provided above the preparation partition peripheral surface 24A described later. And, the tablets W aligned on the preparation partition peripheral surface 24A are formed to move by their own weight to the third partition block 23 where a space is available and stored.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first partition block 21b and the second partition block 22b are separated vertically with a gap therebetween by a first horizontal groove 21A formed in the circumferential direction, and the second partition block 22b and the third partition block 23b are separated vertically with a gap therebetween by a second horizontal groove 22A formed in the circumferential direction.
The first horizontal groove 21A and the second horizontal groove 22A may be formed to have the same peripheral surface as the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24, or the groove depth may be adjusted to be higher than the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24 so as to limit the penetration depth of the first belt 31 and the second belt 32 described below. For example, when the groove depth of the first horizontal groove 21A and the second horizontal groove 22A is set to half the thickness of the tablet W contacting the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24, the groove depth is formed to a height from the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24 to half the thickness of the tablet W, thereby limiting the state of penetration into the groove of the first belt 31 or the second belt 32.
The first compartment block 21b is formed so that the vertical length h1 is smaller than the diameter of the tablet W and is also smaller than the vertical length h2 of the second compartment block 22b. The first horizontal groove 21A formed between the first compartment block 21b and the second compartment block 22b is formed at a position where the upper ends of the tablets W stored in the first compartment 21 and the lower ends of the tablets W stored in the second compartment 22 are exposed.

The second partition block 22b is formed such that the vertical length h2 is such that, when a tablet W is stored in the second partition section 22, the lower end of the tablet W is positioned between the first horizontal grooves 21A and the upper end of the tablet W does not exceed the upper end of the second partition block 22b.
The third compartment block 23b is formed so that the vertical length h3 is approximately the same height as the upper end of the third tier of tablets W when three tablets W are stacked in approximately the same posture. The lower end of the third compartment block 23b is formed so that the range D (see FIG. 7) from less than the height center to the lower end of the third tier of tablets W is exposed. In other words, the second horizontal groove 22A is formed so that it can be contacted by the second belt 32 at a position in the range from the lower end to less than the height center of the tablets W of the third tier.

Therefore, the upper end of the tablet W stored in the first partition section 21 and the lower end of the tablet W stored in the second partition section 22 are located between the first horizontal groove 21A that separates the first partition block 21b and the second partition block 22b.
The upper ends of the tablets W stored in the second partition 22 are positioned so as to be equal to or lower than the upper end of the second partition block 22b. Furthermore, the area from the lower end to the center of the tablets W stored in the third partition 23 is positioned between the second horizontal grooves 22A, and the upper ends of the tablets W in the third row are positioned so as to be equal to the upper end of the third partition block 23b.
In addition, a preparation section peripheral surface 24A, which is a part of the cylindrical outer circumferential surface 24 within an area in which one tablet W can be aligned, is further formed in the circumferential direction between the third compartment block 23b and the inclined peripheral surface 26. The lower ends of the tablets W aligned on this preparation section peripheral surface 24A are aligned in abutment with the upper ends of the tablets W stored in the third compartment 23, or are aligned in abutment with the upper end of the third compartment block 23b.
By providing this preparation partition peripheral surface 24A, the tablets W can be aligned in the third partition section 23 more smoothly by first aligning the tablets W on the preparation partition peripheral surface 24A and then storing them in the third partition section 23, rather than moving downward from the inclined peripheral surface 26 under their own weight and being directly stored in the third partition section 23. The preparation partition peripheral surface 24A is provided by not forming partition blocks with the width of the tablets W on the cylindrical outer circumferential surface 24.

The rotating shaft 28 is provided inside the separation rotor 20, and is formed with its axial center aligned with the center of the separation rotor 20. This rotating shaft 28 is formed to a length that protrudes downward from the lower end of the cylindrical outer circumferential surface 24. The rotating shaft 28 is configured to engage with the driven rotation mechanism 13 of the base 10 by a key groove or the like in order to rotate the separation rotor 20.
The separation rotor 20 can rotate by engaging the rotating shaft 28 with a rotation drive mechanism 221 (see FIG. 11) via the driven rotation mechanism 13 .

It is preferable that at least the partitioning section 25 of the separation rotor 20 is made of resin. In addition, at least the inner surface of the guide cylinder 50 described later is also made of resin, and it is more preferable that it is made of the same resin as the partitioning section 25. And, it is preferable that the resin plate 15 that becomes the upper surface of the base 10 is also made of the same resin as the partitioning section 25. As an example of the resin used, it is preferable to use ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (conductive grade, conductive grade). In other words, by using ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, the surface of the member that comes into contact when the tablets W are aligned has a very low friction coefficient, slides well, is a non-toxic material, is safe, and has excellent performance such as being difficult to charge, making it ideal for food and medicine. In addition, it is preferable to use ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene for the resin plate 15 provided on the upper surface of the base body 11 of the base 10. In other words, it is preferable to use ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene for the member of the part where the tablets W are aligned.

<Guide cylinder>
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , the guide cylinder 50 is disposed facing the separation rotor 20 so as to align the tablets W in the partition sections 25 of the separation rotor 20 .
The guide cylinder 50 includes a first guide groove 51 and a second guide groove 52 formed in a cylindrical guide main body 53 .
The guide cylinder 50 is formed, for example, from the same type of resin as the partition section 25, specifically, from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, from which at least the inner circumferential surface of the guide main body 53 is formed. The guide cylinder 50 is formed to a height such that its upper end is located at a position higher than the upper end of the separation rotor 20.
The first guide groove 51 is formed at a position facing the first horizontal groove 21A of the partitioning portion 25. The second guide groove 52 is formed at a position that is different in level from the first guide groove 51 and facing the second horizontal groove of the partitioning portion 25.

2, the left end of the first guide groove 51 is formed so that the groove starts on the right side of the left end of the second guide groove 52 when viewed from the front. Also, the right end of the first guide groove 51 is formed so that the groove ends on the left side of the right end of the second guide groove 52 when viewed from the front. This first guide groove 51 is formed in a circumferential range in which a part of a first belt 31 of a belt unit 30 described later can be inserted and enter the first horizontal groove 21A of the partitioning portion 25. Also, the second guide groove 52 is formed in a circumferential range in which a part of a second belt 32 of a belt unit 30 described later can be inserted and enter the second horizontal groove 22A of the partitioning portion 25.
The first guide groove 51 and the second guide groove 52 are formed, for example, in a circumferential direction at an angle ranging from 45 degrees to 60 degrees with the start positions of the grooves shifted in steps. The second guide groove 52 is located to the left of the first guide groove 51 with respect to the delivery port 12, so that it can come into contact with the tablets W supported by the second belt 32 earlier than the first belt 31 entering the first guide groove, and preparations can be made to more reliably not affect the tablets W delivered by the first belt 31.
The entire guide cylinder 50 may be made of the same resin as the partition section 25. By forming at least the inner peripheral surface of the guide cylinder 50 that comes into contact with the tablets W from the same resin as the partition section 25, which is ultra-high molecular weight polyester, the guide cylinder 50 can cooperate with the partition section 25 to smoothly align and send out the tablets W.

<Hopper>
2 to 4, the hopper 40 is connected to the connecting hopper 60 to store the tablets W and forms the outer wall of the device. The hopper 40 includes a hopper body 42 formed in a cylindrical shape, a hopper flange portion 43 formed at the lower end of the hopper body 42, and a connecting hopper 60 connected to the upper end of the hopper body 42.
The hopper body 42 has a rectangular side opening 41 formed in a position facing the first guide groove 51 and the second guide groove 52 of the guide cylinder 50 .

The hopper flange 43 is formed to protrude horizontally from the lower end of the hopper body 42 and is formed to have a rectangular outer shape when viewed from above. The hopper flange 43 is disposed in contact with the peripheral edge of the base 10. The hopper flange 43 is formed with mounting holes 44 for set bolts 34, which are fixing means for the belt unit 30 described below, and also with screw holes for mounting to the base 10.
Here, the hopper 40 is formed separately from the connection hopper 60 and is configured to be detachably connected to the connection hopper 60. The connection hopper 60 is formed so that the hopper opening 62 on the upper end side is larger than the connection part 61 on the lower end side. The upper end of the connection hopper 60 is formed at a height located above the upper end of the inclined peripheral surface 26 of the separation rotor 20. And, it is formed so that the tablets W can be supplied and stored in the space between the inclined peripheral surface 26 of the separation rotor 20 and the inner peripheral surface of the connection hopper 60. Here, the hopper 40 and the connection hopper 60 are formed of a metal material as an example.

<Belt unit>
8, the belt unit 30 includes a first belt 31 and a second belt 32, and is configured so as to be detachably attached to the hopper flange portion 43. The first belt 31 and the second belt 32 of the belt unit 30 are for sending out the tablets W that have moved to the delivery port 12 and for holding the other tablets W. The belt unit 30 includes a first belt 31, a second belt 32, three first pulleys 31A11, 31A12, 31A13 supporting the first belt 31, their respective first support shafts 31A21, 31A22, 31A23, two second pulleys 32A11, 32A12 supporting the second belt, their respective second support shafts 32A21, 32A22, a support plate 33 supporting the first support shafts 31A21, 31A22, 31A23 and the second pulleys 32A11, 32A12, and a set bolt 34 as a fixing means for removably attaching the support plate 33.

As shown in FIG. 2, the belt unit 30 is attached to the hopper flange portion 43 or to the hopper flange portion 43 and the upper surface of the base 10 with set bolts 34, so that the first belt 31 and the second belt 32 are positioned at predetermined positions.
3, 4 and 7, the first belt 31 has three first pulleys 31A11, 31A12, 31A13 and first support shafts 31A21, 31A22, 31A23 arranged so as to partially insert into the first horizontal groove 21A of the partition section 25. The second belt 32 has two second pulleys 32A11, 32A12 and second support shafts 32A21, 32A22 arranged so as to face or partially insert into the second horizontal groove 22A of the partition section 25.

The first belt 31 and the second belt 32 are endless belts formed with a substantially circular cross section. As an example, the first belt 31 and the second belt 32 are made of silicone, preferably with a shear hardness of 65 to 75, more preferably with a shear hardness of 68 to 72. Here, the first belt 31 and the second belt 32 are made of silicone resin, which is a material conforming to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law for tablets, etc.
As shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the first belt 31 is disposed so as to enter between the upper end of the tablet W in the first partition section 21 and the lower end of the tablet W in the second partition section 22 directly above the delivery port 12. The first belt 31 is stretched over and rotatably supported by first pulleys 31A11, 31A12, and 31A13 which are rotatably supported by three first support shafts 31A21, 31A22, and 31A23. The first belt 31 is disposed so as to be partially inserted into the first horizontal groove 21A of the separation rotor 20 through the side opening 41 of the hopper 40 and the first guide groove 51 of the guide cylinder 50. The first belt 31 is disposed so as to enter the entire first horizontal groove 21A at a position directly above the delivery port 12 and then enter a part of the first horizontal groove 21A which moves directly above the delivery port 12. Furthermore, the first belt 31 is positioned so as not to enter a part of the first horizontal groove 21A that moves to a position immediately after passing through the delivery outlet 12, and gradually move away from the first horizontal groove 21A so as not to overlap with the first horizontal groove 21A. The first belt 31 is disposed so that the area ratio of the first belt 31 that enters the first horizontal groove 21A just before the delivery outlet 12 is larger than the area ratio of the first belt 31 that enters the first horizontal groove 21A at a position immediately after the delivery outlet 12.

The second belt 32 is disposed immediately above the delivery port 12 and in a position where it is in contact with and holds the tablets W in the third partition section 23 that will next move to the delivery port 12, and where the weight of the tablets W does not affect the downward movement. The second belt 32 is stretched around second pulleys 32A11, 32A12 that are rotatably supported on two second support shafts 32A21, 32A12. The second belt 32 is disposed so that a part of it faces the second horizontal groove 22A of the separation rotor 20 or a part of it passes through the second horizontal groove 22A of the separation rotor 20 via the side opening 41 of the hopper 40 and the second guide groove 52 of the guide cylinder 50.
The second belt 32 is installed so as to enter the second horizontal groove 22A at a position directly above the delivery outlet 12 so as to come into contact with and hold the tablets W in the third partition 23, and also so as to enter a part of the second horizontal groove 22A so as to come into contact with and hold a part of the tablets W in the third partition 23 that will next move to the delivery outlet 12. This second belt 32 is disposed at a position directly above the delivery outlet 12 where the tablets W in the third partition 23 do not come into contact with the tablets W stored in the second partition 22.

In addition, the second belt 32 is positioned at a position where, when the tablets W stored in the third partition section 23 in front of the discharge outlet 12 move due to the rotation of the separation rotor 20, a part of the second belt 32 enters a part of the second horizontal groove 22A at the tip side in the movement direction so that a part of the second belt 32 comes into contact with the tablets W.
The second belt 32 is disposed facing or entering the second horizontal groove so as to contact and hold the tablet W at a position within range D (see FIG. 7) between the center and the lower end of the tablet W. The second belt 32 is disposed so as not to enter the second horizontal groove 22A of the third partition section 23 at a position where the tablet W moves ahead beyond the delivery outlet 12, and so as not to come into contact with the tablet W partitioned by the third partition section 23. In other words, the second belt 32 is disposed so as not to come into contact with the tablet W of the third partition section 23 that has passed the delivery outlet 12, so that the tablet W partitioned by the third partition section 23 that moves beyond directly above the delivery outlet 12 falls into the second partition section 22 by its own weight.

The separating and sending out device 100 configured as above separates and sends out the tablets W one by one as described below.
The separating and sending device 100 supplies tablets W into the connection hopper 60 and rotates the separation rotor 20. As the separation rotor 20 rotates, the tablets W are sent by their own weight between the partitioning section 25 of the separation rotor 20 and the guide cylinder body 50, and are partitioned into the first partitioning section 21 to the third partitioning section 23 while being aligned at the position of the partitioning section 25. The tablets W are also aligned in a regulated position on the preparation partition peripheral surface 24A directly above the partitioning section 25 so that they can be easily partitioned into the partitioning section 25.

That is, as shown in Figures 4, 6 and 7, in the method for separating and sending out tablets, tablets W are stored in a cylindrical hopper 40, and while rotating the separation rotor 20, the tablets are aligned circumferentially into at least three stages between the periphery of the separation rotor 20 and a guide cylinder 50 arranged inside the hopper 40, via a first partition section 21, a second partition section 22, and a third partition section 23, which is vertically separated from the second partition section 22 by a second horizontal groove 22A.
In conjunction with this alignment process, the separation rotor 20 rotates to interpose a first belt 31 between the first horizontal groove 21A, which separates the tablets W in the first partition section 21 and the tablets W in the second partition section 22, above the tablet W discharge outlet 12, so that the tablets W in the first partition section 21 are below the first belt 31 and the tablets W in the second partition section 22 are above the first belt 31.

In this way, by interposing the first belt, a process is performed in which the tablets W in the first partition 21 are dropped downward from the delivery port 12. In addition to this dropping process, a process is performed in which the second belt 32 is brought into contact with the tablets W in the third partition 23 in a range D from less than the center in the height direction of the tablets W in the third partition 23 to the lower end, in front of the delivery port 12 and above the delivery port 12.
Therefore, in the separating and sending-out device 100, the separating rotor 20 rotates to align the tablets in the partition section 25 and divide them into the first partition section 21 to the third partition section 23, and the tablets W divided in the first partition section 21 are repeatedly caused to fall from the sending-out port 12 via the first belt 31 and the second belt 32.

Hereinafter, a more specific description will be given with reference to FIGS. 9A, 9B, 10A, and 10B.
The first belt 31 and the second belt 32 are installed at predetermined positions in the first horizontal groove 21A and the second horizontal groove 22A as described above, thereby moving the tablets W partitioned in the first partition section 21 to the third partition section 23 as follows.
That is, as shown in Figures 9A and 9B, a part of the first belt 31 enters the first horizontal groove 21A in front of the delivery outlet 12, and the whole of the first horizontal groove 21A enters between the tablets W immediately above the delivery outlet 12. The first belt 31 contacts the lower ends of the tablets W partitioned by the second partition 22 immediately above the delivery outlet 12, and contacts the upper ends of the tablets W partitioned by the first partition 21, thereby delivering the tablets W in the first partition 21 to the delivery outlet 12 and causing them to fall downward by their own weight, and supporting the tablets W in the second partition 22 so as not to fall. The first belt 31 is rotatably supported by the first pulleys 31A11 and 31A12. Therefore, the first belt 31 enters and enters the first horizontal groove 21A while rotating between the first pulleys 31A11, 31A12, so that the tablets W moving due to the rotation of the separation rotor 20 can be separated into upper and lower without being rubbed.

In addition, as shown in Figures 10A and 10B, the second belt 32 holds the tablets W in the third partition section 23, which is directly above the second partition section 22 just before the outlet 12 and directly above the outlet 12, so as to prevent a load from above from being applied to the tablets W in the second partition section 22.
Therefore, the tablets W in the first partition section moving directly above the delivery port 12 are pushed downward by the first belt 31 and fall from the delivery port 12 under their own weight, and the lower ends of the tablets W in the second partition section 22 are supported by the first belt 31, and the tablets W in the third partition section 23 are held by the second belt 32 so that no load is applied downward. Therefore, only the tablets W in the first partition section 21 can be delivered and dropped from the delivery port 12 without being affected by the tablets W located above. The second belt 32 is supported rotatably by the second pulleys 32A11, 32A12, and 32A13. Therefore, the second belt 32 can support the tablets W without applying friction when it comes into contact with the tablets W.
Therefore, the tablets W partitioned in the first partition section can be dropped downward from the delivery port 12 by the rotation of the separation rotor 20 via the first belt 31 and the second belt 32, for example, 1000 tablets per minute. By appropriately arranging the positions of the first belt 31 and the second belt 32, the tablets W in the first partition section 21 can be moved directly above the delivery port 12 and dropped reliably one by one. In addition, since the first belt 31 and the second belt 32 are freely rotatable by their respective pulleys, they rotate synchronously with the rotation of the separation rotor 20 as a driving source, and friction with the tablets W is minimized and they can be smoothly separated and sent out one by one without being rubbed by the belts.

In addition, since the first partition section 21 that has passed through the delivery port 12 becomes a space, the tablets W partitioned in the second partition section 22 that has passed directly above the delivery port 12 are released from the support of the first belt 31 and move under their own weight to fit into the space of the first partition section 21. Furthermore, since the space of the second partition section 22 opens, the tablets W partitioned in the third partition section 23 are released from the support of the second belt 32 and move under their own weight to fit into the space of the second partition section 22.
Furthermore, the tablets W aligned on the preparation compartment peripheral surface 24A above the third compartment 23 will move into the space of the third compartment 23 under their own weight.
The tablets W dropped from the delivery port 12 of the separating and delivering device 100 are counted by the counting device 210 of the counting and filling device 300 and stored in a container B by the filling device 200.

As described above, a portion of the first belt gradually enters between the tablets W in the first partition 21 and the second partition 22 from immediately before the outlet 12. The first belt 31 is arranged so that the belt width fits between the upper end of the tablets W in the first partition 21 and the lower end of the tablets W in the second partition 22 directly above the outlet 12. Therefore, the tablets W in the first partition 21 are pushed downward by the first belt 31, making it easier for them to fall downward from the outlet 12 under their own weight. In addition, above the outlet 12, the tablets W in the second partition 22 are supported at their lower ends by the first belt 31, so that no unnecessary load is applied downward. Furthermore, directly above the outlet 12, the second belt 32 holds the tablets W in the third partition 23 so that no downward load is applied, so that the tablets W in the first partition 21 can smoothly fall downward from the outlet 12 without being affected by the tablets W in the second partition 22 and the third partition 23.

Next, the counting device 210 and the filling device 200 will be described.
As shown in Fig. 11, the counting device 210 is attached to the filling device 200 and counts the tablets W sent out from the separating and sending device 100. The counting device 210 is provided with an optical sensor 213 on a path continuing to a counting opening 215 through which the tablets W fall. The optical sensor 213 is provided with a sensor light emitting unit 211 and a sensor light receiving unit 212 arranged to face the sensor light emitting unit 211 on the opposite side across the falling path of the tablets W. The optical sensor 213 is provided on a frame body 214. The frame body 214 is provided with a counting opening 215 in the center through which the tablets W fall and are counted, and is detachably attached to an installation opening 222 formed on an installation stand 220 of the filling device 200. The frame body 214 has a flange-shaped peripheral edge on the upper plate of the frame body 214, and when the frame body 214 is placed on the installation opening 222, the flange-shaped peripheral edge abuts the peripheral portion of the installation opening 222, positioning it at a fixed position, and the counting device 210 is placed on the filling device 200.
When the tablets W fall, the counting device 210 counts the tablets W by an optical sensor 213. The counting result is displayed on a monitor screen 260, which will be described later.

The filling device 200 stores the counted tablets W in a container B. The filling device 200 is provided with a mounting table 220 on which the separating and sending out device 100 is mounted and the counting device 210 is mounted, a lifting mechanism 240 for supporting the container B at a predetermined height, a mounting table 250 which is lifted and lowered by the lifting mechanism 240, and a monitor screen 260 for displaying the filling status and for performing operations.
The installation table 220 is adapted to install the separating and sending out device 100 and to engage with the driven rotation mechanism 13 of the installed separating and sending out device 100 so that the rotating shaft 28 of the separating rotor 20 can rotate. In addition, the installation table 220 is adapted so that an installation opening 222 in which the counting device 210 is installed communicates with the counting opening 215 of the counting device 210 which communicates with the sending out port 12 of the separating and sending out device 100. The installation table 220 is installed at a predetermined distance from the base 280 via a support 270 provided on one end side of the base 280 on which the monitor screen 260 is formed, ensuring an area in which the container B can be placed. The installation opening 222 is provided with a shutter, which is formed so as to operate when the tablets W reach a preset number and prevent the tablets W from falling.

The lifting mechanism 240 is disposed along the side surface on the support column 270 side, and disposes the mounting table 250 at any desired position above or below. The lifting mechanism 240 moves the mounting table 250 up and down along a guide bar by rotating a feed screw, for example. The lifting mechanism 240 is not particularly limited as long as it can move the mounting table 250 up and down to a desired position, and may be configured to move up and down using a hydraulic mechanism or an air mechanism.
The loading table 250 is for loading the container B below the falling tablets W. The loading table 250 is provided with a stopper 251. The stopper 251 is set so that the state in which the side surface of the container B is abutted against the stopper 251 is a position where the tablets W can be appropriately stored in the container B.

Here, the container B stores the tablets W via a funnel 230 for guiding the falling tablets W to the opening of the container B. The funnel 230 can be detachably attached to the lower end of the installation stand 220. It is to be noted that even if the funnel 230 is not attached, the position of the mounting table 250 may be moved upward so that the tablets W that fall into the storage opening of the container B are directly stored.
The base 280 has a support 270 on one end and a monitor screen 260 on the other end. The monitor screen 260 is a touch screen that has buttons for operating commands such as the counting status of the tablets W and turning the power on and off. The monitor screen 260 has a general configuration used in this type of device.

In the filling device 200 having the counting device 210 configured as above, the container B is placed on the placement table 250 and placed at a predetermined position by adjusting the height with the lifting mechanism 240. Then, the number of tablets W to be stored in the container B is set via the monitor screen 260.
When tablets W are sent out from the separating and sending out device 100, the filling device 200 counts them using the optical sensor 213 of the counting device 210 and displays the counting status on the monitor screen 260.When a preset number of tablets W is reached, the tablets W are prevented from falling via a shutter, thereby allowing a predetermined number of tablets W to be stored in the container B.

Second Embodiment
Next, a separating and sending out device according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
The separating and sending device 100B will be described as handling capsule tablets WB as the material to be counted. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the separating rotor 20B is different from that of the first embodiment, so the separating rotor 20B will be mainly described, and the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the configuration already described, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.
The separating and sending device 100B includes a cylindrical hopper 40 fixed on a base 10, a separating rotor 20B which rotates while aligning and holding the capsule tablets WB between the hopper 40 by a partitioning section 25B, and is configured to send out the capsule tablets WB aligned and partitioned by the partitioning section 25B from a sending outlet 12 formed in the base 10. The separating and sending device 100B includes a first belt 31 which is arranged so that at least a part of the belt 31 enters the first horizontal groove 121, and a second belt 32 which is arranged so that a part of the belt 31 enters the second horizontal groove 122, with respect to a first horizontal groove 121 and a second horizontal groove 122 which are formed in a stepped manner in the partitioning section 25B of the separating rotor 20B.

In the separating/sending device 100B, the partitioning section 25B has a storage area 123 on the periphery of the separating rotor 20B, which stacks the capsule tablets WB vertically in an aligned position from the bottom to the top, and partitions them in the periphery. Furthermore, in the separating/sending device 100B, the first belt 31 is arranged above the sending outlet 12 so that it partially enters the first horizontal groove 121 so as to position the capsule tablets WB in the first vertical row below and the counted materials in the second vertical row above. In the separating/sending device 100B, the second belt 32 is arranged above the sending outlet 12 so that it partially enters the first horizontal groove 121 so as to abut either the capsule tablets WB in the second or third vertical row in the storage area 123 within a range from less than the center to the lower end of the capsule tablets WB.

The separation rotor 20B has a conical inclined peripheral surface 26 that is continuous with the upper end of the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24, and has a partition section 25B that stores the capsule tablets WB in a vertically aligned and stacked manner along the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24. The partition section 25B has through holes that penetrate from the upper end to the lower end of the annular portion that is installed in a circumferential ring shape at equal intervals to form a storage area 123. As an example, the storage area 123 is formed so that there are 18 equally spaced locations in the circumferential direction. The storage area 123 is formed via a tapered surface so that the width of the upper end opening and the width of the lower end opening are wider than the width of the hole diameter of the central area in the vertical direction. In other words, the storage area 123 has a wide opening so that the capsule tablets WB to be aligned can be easily received from the upper end opening side, and when they are aligned by stacking them up and down, the hole diameter is slightly wider than the diameter of the capsule tablets WB, so that the capsule tablets WB are aligned in approximately the same vertical position.

In addition, by making the lower end opening wider than the central region, it becomes easier to send the capsule tablets WB to the sending outlet 12 on the sending outlet 12. The lower end opening is formed to be smaller in opening width than the upper end opening. The upper end opening is formed wider because the capsule tablets WB are introduced from a random posture. In addition, the lower end opening is made difficult to stick to the inner wall surface of the opening hole due to static electricity, etc., so that the capsule tablets WB can easily fall from the sending outlet 12 by their own weight. The central region has a constant diameter of at least half the height of the entire height of the capsule tablets WB stored in a stacked manner. In other words, by positioning at least 1/3 or more of the capsule tablets WB in the central region, even if the remaining part is positioned on the lower end opening side or the upper end opening side, the capsule tablets WB can be stored in a stacked posture in approximately the same vertical direction. In the storage region 123, the region where the capsule tablets WB in the first row are located in a vertically stacked manner is the first partition, and the region where the capsule tablets WB in the second row are located is the second partition.

The partition 25B is formed so that the portion between adjacent storage areas 123 and the outer periphery of the storage area 123 form the same cylindrical outer periphery. The partition 25 has a first horizontal groove 121 formed all around the circumference in the circumferential direction, and a second horizontal groove 122 formed all around the circumference in the circumferential direction at a different level from the first horizontal groove 121. In other words, the first horizontal groove 121 and the second horizontal groove 122 are also formed in the storage area 123 and between the two storage areas 123.

The first horizontal groove 121 is formed so as to be located between the capsule tablets in the first and second rows when the capsule tablets WB are stored in the storage area 123 with the capsule tablets WB overlapping each other along the vertical direction in the longitudinal direction. The first horizontal groove 121 is also formed so as to have a groove depth that allows the first belt 31 to be directly below the center of the capsule tablets WB in the storage area 123 directly above the delivery port 12.
The second horizontal groove 122 is formed so as to be located within a range D from less than the center to the lower end in the longitudinal direction of the capsule tablets WB of the second row when two tablets are stored in the storage area 123 by stacking the capsule tablets WB vertically along the longitudinal direction. As already described, the partitioning section 25B is preferably formed of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene together with the resin plate 15 provided on the upper surface of the base 10. In addition, the partitioning section 25B is formed integrally with the separation rotor 20B.

The first belt 31 and the second belt 32 are supported by the belt unit 30. The belt unit 30 is installed on the hopper flange portion 43 of the hopper 40, so that the first belt 31 and the second belt 32 drop the capsule tablets WB in the first row of the storage area 123 from the outlet 12 directly above the outlet 12 and hold the capsule tablets WB in the second row to prevent them from dropping from the outlet 12. The first belt 31 and the second belt 32 are made of a resin having the material and hardness already described.
The first belt 31 gradually enters between the first and second tiers of capsule tablets WB stored in the storage area 123 located just before the feed outlet 12, via the first horizontal groove 121, and is further arranged so as to be positioned between the first and second tiers of capsule tablets WB stored in the storage area 123 located at the position of the feed outlet 12, via the first horizontal groove 121.
The first belt 31 is positioned between the upper ends of the capsule tablets WB in the first tier and the lower ends of the capsule tablets WB in the second tier directly above the delivery port 12. Therefore, the capsule tablets WB located in the first tier of the storage area 123 are pushed downward by the first belt 31, and the capsule tablets WB located in the second tier are supported upward so as not to apply a load downward.

Furthermore, in the storage area 123 that has passed through the delivery port 12, the first belt 31 is positioned so that it barely comes into contact with the capsule tablets WB in the second tier. Therefore, as the separation rotor 20B rotates, the capsule tablets WB in the second tier fall into the delivery port 12 and move down by their own weight into the space that is vacant as the first partition, so that they are stored. Note that the first belt 31 rotates as an endless belt between the first pulleys 31A11 and 31A12, so that it rubs against the tablets WB with minimal friction and does not damage them.

The second belt 32 gradually comes into contact with the lower end side of the second stage capsule tablets WB stored in the storage area 123 located immediately before the outlet 12 via the second horizontal groove 122, and is further arranged at a position where it comes into contact with the lower end side of the second stage capsule tablets WB stored in the storage area 123 located immediately above the outlet 12 via the second horizontal groove 122. The second belt 32 comes into contact with the lower end side of the second stage capsule tablets WB directly above the outlet 12 to prevent the load from being applied downward. The second belt 32 holds the capsule tablets WB by coming into contact with any of the positions in the range D from a position less than the center in the height direction, which is the lower end side of the capsule tablets WB, to the lower end, to prevent the capsule tablets WB from being affected downward.
Furthermore, in the storage area 123 that has passed through the delivery port 12, the second belt 32 is arranged so as not to come into contact with the capsule tablets WB in the second tier. Therefore, as the separation rotor 20B rotates, the capsule tablets WB in the second tier that have been held above the delivery port 12 move down by their own weight into the empty space of the first tier that becomes the first partition section and are stored therein.
In addition, since the capsule tablets WB in the second stage are supported at their lower ends by the first belt 31 and held at their lower ends by the second belt, they are securely held and no extra load is applied downward, even if the first belt 31 and the second belt 32 are endless belts with small cross-sectional areas. In addition, since the second belt 32 rotates as an endless belt between the second pulleys 32A11, 32A12, and 32A13, it is possible to support the tablets WB with minimal friction without rubbing them.

When the capsule tablet WB is released from the second belt 32 and the first belt and descends to the first level in the storage area 123 under its own weight, and the second compartment, which is the space of the second level of the storage area 123, is vacant, the capsule tablet WB located above it moves under its own weight and enters the second level of the storage area 123. When the capsule tablet WB that enters the second level from above descends from the upper end opening of the storage area 123 to the central area, it assumes a posture such that its longitudinal direction is aligned vertically due to the hole shape of the storage area 123, so that it assumes approximately the same posture as the capsule tablet WB in the first compartment, which is the first level, and is stored in the second compartment, which is the second level. The lower end of the capsule tablet located in the second level of the storage area 123 is stored in a state in which it abuts against the upper end of the capsule tablet WB located in the first level.

In the separating/sending device 100B, due to the shape and material of the capsule tablets WB that are handled as the counted material, the separating rotor 20B rotates intermittently, for example. The number of capsule tablets WB that can be partitioned, aligned, and dropped into the sending outlet 12 by the separating/sending device 100B is, for example, 300 to 500 tablets per minute.

The separating and sending device 100B configured as above fills a preset quantity into the container B using the counting device 210 and the filling device 200 already described. If the size of the container B is different, the height of the mounting table 250 can be adjusted via the lifting mechanism 240 so that the container B is placed in an appropriate position. In addition, since the separating and sending device 100B can be detachably installed on the mounting table of the filling device 200, even if the configuration of the separation rotor changes due to the size, shape, and material of the counted material to be counted and filled, the diameter of the separation rotor and the position and configuration of the rotation axis can be standardized, and the containers can be counted and filled by the filling device 200 and the counting device 210.

Further, the number of materials to be counted that are partitioned and aligned by the partitions provided on the periphery of the separation rotor has been described as 18 as an example, but it may be in the range of 16 to 24. When setting the number of partitions, as shown in Fig. 15A, it is preferable to arrange the partitions 25 in the circumferential direction so that the inclination angle θ of a line connecting the center of the partitions 25 adjacent in the circumferential direction and the center of the partitions 25 on the delivery port 12 is within the range of 15 to 25 degrees with respect to a horizontal line passing through the center of the partitions 25 on the delivery port 12 and perpendicular to a line connecting the center of the partitions 25 on the delivery port 12 and the center of rotation of the separation rotor 20.
That is, the angle of the periphery (the tangent in the case of a cylindrical periphery) facing the tablets W in the storage area of the separation rotor is preferably formed so that the inclination angle θ is in the range of 15 degrees to 25 degrees with respect to the horizontal line in Fig. 15A. By setting the positions of the partitions at the inclination angle θ in this manner, the first belt 31 can gradually enter between the materials to be counted located in the first partition and the second partition as it moves toward the outlet 12, with respect to the materials to be counted moving just before the outlet 12. Therefore, the materials to be counted in the first partition can be sent out so as to fall from the outlet on the outlet 12, and the materials to be counted in the second partition can be reliably supported.

15A and 15B, the position where the first belt 31 enters between the lower end of the counted material directly above the outlet 12 and the upper end of the counted material below through the first horizontal groove may be inclined within the range indicated by angle α from the horizontal direction. In other words, the first belt 31 may be arranged at a predetermined angle as long as it can act to send the counted material downward and support the counted material located above. In addition, the second belt 32 is also arranged at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal line, so that the contact area with the lower end side of the counted material (a position that can hold any of the counted materials within the range from less than the center in the height direction to the lower end) gradually increases from just before the outlet 12, and above the outlet 12, the contact area of the second belt 32 with the lower end side of the counted material through the second horizontal groove 122 is large, and the counted materials can be held. Therefore, even if the counted material located below and above the outlet 12 moves to be sent out from the outlet 12, the second belt 32 can hold the counted material below without affecting it.

Although disk tablets and capsule tablets have been described as examples of the materials to be counted, the materials may be desiccants other than tablets to be counted, such as rugby ball tablets, circular tablets, triangular rice ball-shaped tablets, or other solid foods or resin materials, as long as they have a shape, material, and size that allows them to be partitioned and aligned around the periphery of the separation rotor. In addition, the shape of the separation rotor can be changed to accommodate different types of materials to be counted, but the counting device 210 and filling device 200 of the counting and filling device 300 can accommodate different types without changing their configuration.

Further, in the separating and sending out devices 100 and 100B, the partitions provided on the periphery of the separating rotor are configured such that the counted materials are aligned vertically and overlap in at least two layers, and such that the counted materials are aligned vertically and overlap in three layers, but four or more layers may be used. When the counted materials are aligned in two or more layers, the second belt is positioned at either the position of the counted materials in the second layer or the position of the counted materials in the third layer. The first belt 31 may be positioned so that it enters between the counted materials in the first layer and the counted materials in the second layer immediately above the sending out port 12, and the proportion of the first belt 31 entering between the counted materials in the first layer and the counted materials in the second layer in front of the sending out port 12 is increased.
The first compartment block 21b may have a tapered shape (see FIG. 7) in which the width of the block in a front view decreases toward the bottom. By making the first compartment block 21b tapered toward the bottom in this manner, the materials to be counted that have moved to the delivery port 12 can be easily delivered.
In addition, the first belt 31 and the second belt 32 have been described as being detachable by the belt unit 30, but they may be fixed so that the rotation axis is provided on the base 10 side, and it is sufficient that the first belt 31 and the second belt 32 are formed as endless belts so as to be rotatable between pulleys. The state in which the first belt 31 enters the first horizontal groove 21A and the state in which the second belt 32 enters the second horizontal groove 22A can be restricted by adjusting the groove depth, and can be set to be appropriate for the shape and size of the materials to be counted.

10 Base 11 Base body 12 Delivery port 13 Driven rotation mechanism 14 Handle 15 Resin plate 20 Separation rotor 21 First partition section 21A, 121 First horizontal groove (groove)
22A, 122 Second horizontal groove (groove)
21b First partition block 22b Second partition block 23b Third partition block 22 Second partition section 23 Third partition section 24 Cylindrical outer peripheral surface 24A Preparation partition peripheral surface 25 Partition section 26 Inclined peripheral surface 27 Storage section 28 Rotary shaft 30 Belt unit 31 First belt 31A11, 31A12 First pulley 31A21, 31A22 First support shaft 32 Second belt 32A11, 32A12, 32A13 Second pulley 32A21, 31A22 Second support shaft 33 Support plate 34 Set bolt (fixing means)
40 Hopper 41 Side opening 42 Hopper body 43 Hopper flange portion 50 Guide cylinder body 51 First guide groove (first groove portion)
52 Second guide groove (second groove portion)
53 Guide body 60 Connection hopper 61 Connection portion 62 Hopper opening 100, 100B Separating and sending device 200 Filling device 210 Counting device 220 Installation stand 221 Rotation drive mechanism 230 Sending chute 240 Lifting table 250 Placement table 260 Display monitor 300 Counting and filling device

Claims (11)

A separating and sending out device comprising a cylindrical hopper fixed on a base and a separation rotor which rotates while aligning and holding counted materials between the hopper and the cylindrical hopper by a partition section, the separating and sending out the counted materials aligned by the partition section from a delivery port formed in the base,
a first belt arranged so that at least a portion of the first belt fits into the first horizontal groove and a second horizontal groove arranged so that a portion of the second belt fits into the second horizontal groove, the first belt being disposed so that at least a portion of the second belt fits into the second horizontal groove,
the partitioning section has a storage area on a periphery of the separation rotor, which is partitioned into a plurality of storage areas in a periphery direction by stacking the counted materials in a vertically aligned manner from the bottom to the top of the separation rotor,
the first belt is disposed above the delivery outlet so as to be partially inserted into the first horizontal groove, so as to position the first tier of counted materials in the storage area below and the second tier of counted materials in the storage area above;
The second belt is disposed above the discharge outlet so as to contact one of the second or third tiers of counted materials in the storage area within a range from less than the center to the lower end of the counted materials. A separating and sending out device comprising a cylindrical hopper fixed on a base and a separation rotor which rotates while aligning and holding counted materials between the hopper and the cylindrical hopper by a partition section, the separating and sending out the counted materials aligned by the partition section from a delivery port formed in the base,
a guide cylinder disposed between the hopper and the separation rotor and having a first groove and a second groove formed in a stepped manner;
a first belt arranged to partially enter the first groove portion from a side opening of the hopper that opens at a position facing the first groove portion and the second groove portion of the guide cylinder, and a second belt arranged to partially enter the second groove portion,
the partition portion has at least a first partition portion and a second partition portion as a storage area between the guide cylinder and the separation rotor via grooves formed in a circumferential direction and a vertical direction from the bottom to the top of the separation rotor,
the first belt is disposed above the delivery port so as to be partly inserted into a groove that divides the first partition section and the second partition section, so as to position the counted materials in the first partition section below and the counted materials in the second partition section above,
The second belt is a separation and delivery device positioned so as to abut against either the counted materials partitioned in the second partition above the delivery outlet or the counted materials partitioned above the second partition within a range from below the center to the lower end of the counted materials. The separation and sending device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first belt and the second belt are each formed as an endless belt and are arranged to rotate freely between a plurality of pulleys. the first belt and the second belt are provided in a belt unit that is detachably attached to the base by a fixing means,
3. The separating and sending out device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the belt unit comprises: pulleys supporting the first belt and the second belt, each of the pulleys being formed of an endless belt having a substantially circular cross section; a rotating shaft supporting the pulleys so as to be freely rotatable; and a support plate supporting the rotating shaft and being detachably attached by the fixing means. The separation and delivery device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the partitions in the circumferential direction are arranged so that a line connecting the center of adjacent partitions in the circumferential direction and the center of the partition on the delivery outlet is within a range of 15 to 25 degrees with respect to a horizontal line passing through the center of the partition on the delivery outlet and perpendicular to a line connecting the center of the partition on the delivery outlet and the center of rotation of the separation rotor. one groove end of the first groove portion of the guide cylinder is located closer to the outlet side than one groove end of the second groove portion in the circumferential direction, and the other groove end of the first groove portion is located farther from the outlet side than the other groove end of the second groove portion,
a portion of the first belt is disposed between the materials to be counted in the first partition section and the materials to be counted in the second partition section through a groove that divides the partition section;
3. The separating and delivering device according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the second belt is positioned within a range from less than the center to the lower end of the counted materials aligned above the first partition, through a groove that divides the partition. The separation and delivery device according to claim 2, in which the material of the partition of the separation rotor and the material of the guide cylinder are made of the same resin. 8. A filling device comprising: the separating and sending out device according to claim 1; an installation stand on which the separating and sending out device is installed and which has a rotation drive mechanism; a counting device disposed in a fall passage communicating with a sending outlet of the separating and sending out device on the installation stand; and a placement stand on which a container is placed that is detachably placed immediately below the fall passage,
The counting and filling device has a driven rotation mechanism on a base of the separating and delivering device so as to engage a rotating shaft of a separating rotor of the separating and delivering device with the rotation drive mechanism. A process is performed in which the materials to be counted are stored in a cylindrical hopper, and while a separation rotor is rotated in the hopper, the materials to be counted are stored in a partition formed on the periphery of the separation rotor between the separation rotor and the hopper, with the materials being aligned in the vertical direction, thereby partitioning the materials to be counted in the circumferential direction and aligning the materials to be counted;
a step of interposing a first belt between a groove separating a first tier of counted materials from a second tier of counted materials in the partition section above the discharge port of the counted materials by rotation of the separation rotor, and disposing the first tier of counted materials below the first belt and the second tier of counted materials above the first belt, thereby causing the counted materials in the first partition section to fall into the discharge port,
This method for separating and sending out counted materials includes a process in which the dropping process includes a process of supporting the counted materials in the second tier by abutting a second belt through a groove facing the counted materials in the second tier in a range from below the center of the height of the counted materials in the second tier to the bottom end just before the outlet and above the outlet. The materials to be counted are stored in a cylindrical hopper, and while the separation rotor is being rotated, the materials to be counted are aligned in three tiers between the periphery of the separation rotor and the hopper via a first partition section, a second partition section, and a third partition section that are vertically partitioned by grooves;
a step of interposing a first belt between a groove that separates the counted materials in the first partition section from the counted materials in the second partition section above the discharge port of the counted materials by rotating the separation rotor, so that the counted materials in the first partition section are below the first belt and the counted materials in the second partition section are above the first belt, thereby causing the counted materials in the first partition section to fall at the discharge port,
In the dropping process, a process of supporting the counted materials in the third partition section by abutting a second belt in front of the outlet and above the outlet in a range from below the center of the height of the counted materials in the third partition section to the lower end is also carried out in this method for separating and sending out counted materials. The method for separating and sending out counted materials according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the first belt and the second belt are each formed as an endless belt and are arranged to rotate freely between a plurality of pulleys.

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