JP7706209B2 - Conveyor belt and conveyor device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a conveyor belt and a conveyor device, and more specifically to a conveyor belt and a conveyor device used to convey solid preparations such as tablets and capsules.

As a belt for transporting solid preparations such as tablets, Patent Document 1 discloses a conveyor belt 100 that includes a belt-shaped belt body 101, a groove 102 extending in the longitudinal direction of the belt body 101, and a number of intake holes 103 formed in the bottom surface of the groove 102, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 8. This conveyor belt 100 conveys tablets by adsorbing them to the surface of the belt body 101 by suctioning through the intake holes 103 and the groove 102 from the back side of the belt body 101, and can inspect and print on the tablets while they are being transported.

International Publication No. 2014/013973

As shown in the side view of FIG. 9, in the above-mentioned conventional conveyor belt 100, when the solid preparation 110 being conveyed has a curved surface 111, such as an elliptical shape in side view, when the curved surface 111 is adsorbed and held in the groove 102 of the conveyor belt 100, the solid preparation 110 comes into contact with the groove 102 at two points on both sides in the width direction, and there is a risk that the solid preparation 110 will oscillate back and forth in the conveying direction T during conveyance. As a result, the position of the tablet will change during inspection or printing of the solid preparation 110, which may reduce inspection accuracy or printing accuracy.

In addition, there is a risk that dust, debris, etc. may accumulate between each air intake hole 103 formed in the groove 102. If this accumulates and blocks the air intake hole 103, the adsorption force of the solid preparation 110 will decrease, and the solid preparation 110 may shake more violently.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a conveyor belt and conveyor device that can transport solid preparations in a stable position regardless of their shape.

The object of the present invention is achieved by a conveyor belt in which an adsorbent portion communicating between the front and back sides is formed along the longitudinal direction of a band-shaped belt body, and a solid preparation can be adsorbed to the front side of the belt body by sucking the adsorbent portion from the back side of the belt body, the adsorbent portion having a front side opening and a back side opening, the front side opening having a shape in which a plurality of circular spaces are connected in the longitudinal direction of the belt body while partially overlapping each other, the front side openings of the plurality of spaces communicate with each other via constrictions, each of which has a tapered portion tapered toward the back side opening, and the edge portion on the front side of the adsorbent portion has a shape in which a plurality of arc-shaped portions are connected at the constrictions. It is preferable that the back side openings are separated from each other.

In this conveyor belt , the pitch of the arcuate portions is preferably set to be smaller than the length of the solid preparations to be conveyed in the conveying direction.

The object of the present invention is also achieved by a conveying device that includes the above-mentioned conveying belt, a first pulley, a second pulley, and a suction device, and that forms the conveying belt in an endless shape so that the surface side is exposed and wraps around the first pulley and the second pulley, and that adsorbs solid preparations onto the conveying belt by suction of the suction device in at least a portion of the conveying path.

The present invention provides a conveyor belt and conveyor device that can transport solid preparations in a stable position regardless of their shape.

1 is a schematic front view of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1. 1A is a plan view of a main portion of a conveyor belt according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of a main portion of the conveyor belt. 4A and 4B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view of a main portion, respectively, illustrating the configuration of the conveyor belt shown in FIG. 3 . 4A and 4B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view of a main portion, respectively, illustrating the configuration of the conveyor belt shown in FIG. 3 . 4 is a plan view of a main portion showing a modified example of the conveyor belt shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing another modified example of the conveyor belt shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 13 is a plan view of a main portion of a conventional conveyor belt. FIG. 9 is a side view of a main part of the conveyor belt shown in FIG. 8 .

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

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

While the rotation axes 11a, 13a of the disk 11 and the rotating ring 13 extend vertically, the rotation axis 12a of the intermediate ring 12 is arranged to be slightly inclined with respect to the rotation axes 11a, 13a. The rotation axes 11a, 12a, 13a are connected to individual drive sources such as motors (not shown) via reducers 11b, 12b, 13b, respectively, and the disk 11, intermediate ring 12, and rotating ring 13 can each be rotated independently.

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

As shown in FIG. 1, the conveying device 1 includes a first pulley 21 and a second pulley 22, each of which has a horizontally arranged rotation axis 21a, 22a, an endless belt-like conveying belt 50 wound around the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22, and a suction device 24 arranged along the conveying direction of the conveying belt 50. The diameter of the second pulley 22 is smaller than the diameter of the first pulley 21. The straight portion of the conveying belt 50 located between the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 is horizontal above the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22, and is inclined below the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first pulley 21 is configured by two disks 21b, 21c connected by a rotating shaft 21a with a gap between them. The second pulley 22, like the first pulley 21, also has two disks connected by a rotating shaft 22a with a gap between them. In this embodiment, the first pulley 21 is a driving pulley connected to a drive motor (not shown) and the second pulley 22 is a driven pulley, but the first pulley 21 may be a driven pulley and the second pulley 22 may be a driving pulley.

The conveyor belt 50 has a belt body 51 formed in a rectangular cross section, and an adsorption portion 52 that connects the front and back of the belt body 51 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the belt, and the adsorption portion 52 is disposed between the disks 21b and 21c of the first pulley 21. The conveyor belt 50 can be formed of a soft material such as silicone rubber.

As shown in FIG. 1, the suction device 24 has a straight section 24a disposed immediately below the vicinity of the conveyor belt 50 that extends horizontally between the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22, and arc sections 24b and 24c provided on both sides of the straight section 24a in the conveying direction. Each arc section 24b and 24c is inserted between two disks provided on the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22, respectively, and is formed to curve in an arc along the conveyor belt 50 that is wound around the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, the suction device 24 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and a slit-shaped suction section 25 is formed along the suction section 52 at the portion where the suction device 24 faces the suction section 52 of the conveyor belt 50. The inside of the suction device 24 can be depressurized by operating a vacuum pump (not shown). By sucking the solid preparation 90 into the suction section 25 through the suction section 52 of the conveyor belt 50, the solid preparation 90 can be adsorbed to the conveyor belt 50 and conveyed together with the conveyor belt 50.

Figure 3(a) is a plan view of the main part of the conveyor belt 50, and Figure 3(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of Figure 3(a). As shown in Figures 3(a) and (b), the suction section 52 is formed in the center of the belt body 51 along the longitudinal direction BL by a plurality of spaces 53. The front side openings 54 of the plurality of spaces 53 are connected via constrictions 55, and the solid preparations 90 shown by the dashed lines are supported mainly by contact with both ends of the constrictions 55. The rear side openings 56 of the plurality of spaces 53 are separated from each other.

Inside each space 53, a tapered section 57 is formed that tapers from the front side toward the rear opening 56. Each tapered section 57 is connected to the rear opening 56 via a cylindrical section 58 with a constant cross section.

Figure 4 is (a) a plan view and (b) a cross-sectional view for explaining in more detail the configuration of the suction portion 52 shown in Figure 3. The multiple spaces 53 shown in Figure 4 are the multiple spaces 53 constituting the suction portion 52 shown in Figure 3, spaced apart from each other. As shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), each space 53 has a surface side opening 54 formed in a circular shape, and the tapered portion 57 is formed so that the diameter decreases from the surface side opening 54 toward the upper end of the cylindrical portion 58.

The suction portion 52 has a shape in which a plurality of spaces 53 shown in FIG. 4 are connected in the longitudinal direction BL of the belt body 51 while overlapping each other, and the upper parts of adjacent tapered portions 57 are integrated and communicated with each other as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and (b). The edges of the surface side openings 54 of each space 53 are cut out as shown by the two-dot chain lines due to the partial overlap between adjacent spaces 53, forming arc-shaped portions 60 on both sides of the width of the belt body 51. The edge of the surface side of the suction portion 52 has a shape in which a plurality of arc-shaped portions 60 are connected at the constriction portion 55, and the arc-shaped portions 60 having a predetermined pitch P are formed continuously along the conveying direction T. In this way, the suction portion 52 can be formed by connecting the spaces 53 of the same shape in the longitudinal direction BL, making it easy to process the belt body 51.

Next, the operation of the conveying device 1 having the above configuration will be described. With the disk 11, intermediate ring 12, and rotating ring 13 of the supply device 10 rotated in the same direction, multiple solid preparations 90 such as tablets and capsules are supplied onto the disk 11, and the solid preparations 90 are subjected to centrifugal force and move to the conveying section 13c of the rotating ring 13 via the conveying section 12c of the intermediate ring 12. In this way, the solid preparations 90 can be aligned in a row on the conveying section 13c and conveyed in the rotational direction of the rotating ring 13.

The solid preparations 90 aligned and conveyed by the supply device 10 are sequentially adsorbed to the conveyor belt 50 near the bottom of the first pulley 21 by the suction of the suction unit 25 of the conveyor device 1, and rise, and are linearly conveyed above the first pulley 21 and the second pulley 22 while still adsorbed. As shown in FIG. 1, an appearance inspection device 30 for inspecting the appearance of the solid preparations 90 is disposed in the portion linearly conveyed by the conveyor device 1. The appearance inspection device 30 is equipped with a sensor 31 for detecting the approach of the solid preparations 90 conveyed by the conveyor device 1, and imaging devices 32 and 33 for imaging both horizontal sides of the solid preparations 90 detected by the sensor 31, and the solid preparations 90 are maintained in a state of being adsorbed to the conveyor belt 50 until the imaging positions of the imaging devices 32 and 33, thereby enabling accurate side inspection of the solid preparations 90. Alternatively, a printing device can be disposed instead of the imaging devices 32 and 33 to perform side printing on the solid preparations 90.

The suction device 24 may be formed from the position where the solid preparation 90 is adsorbed to the conveyor belt 50 in the arc portion 24b to a necessary portion of the straight portion 24a (e.g., the portion where the visual inspection or printing of the solid preparation 90 is completed), and may be configured to adsorb the solid preparation 90 to the conveyor belt 50 in at least a portion of the conveying path. After the visual inspection, the solid preparation 90 falls from the conveyor belt 50 and is discharged from the discharge chute 100 shown in Figure 1 and sent to the next process.

As shown in FIG. 5(a), the solid preparation 90 adsorbed to the conveyor belt 50 is supported at four points (the sharp portions between the two arc-shaped portions 60, 60 surrounded by the dotted circle) at both end edges of the constricted portion 55 of the adsorption portion 52. As a result, even if the solid preparation 90 is adsorbed to the conveyor belt 50 in a state inclined with respect to the conveying direction, the solid preparation 90 can be conveyed with its posture stabilized by suppressing the shaking of the solid preparation 90 during conveyance, so that the inspection accuracy of the solid preparation 90 by the appearance inspection device 30 can be maintained at a good level. Alternatively, if a printing device is arranged instead of the appearance inspection device 30, the printing accuracy of the solid preparation 90 can be maintained at a good level.

In order to reliably support the solid preparation 90 at the four points on the edge of the suction portion 52, the pitch P of the continuous arc-shaped portions 60 of the suction portion 52 shown in FIG. 5(a) is set to be smaller than the length L of the solid preparation 90 in the conveying direction. In addition, it is preferable that the diameter D of the front side opening 54 of the space portion 53 is also set to be smaller than the length L of the solid preparation 90 in the conveying direction T.

If the length L of the solid preparation 90 in the conveying direction is too long compared to the pitch P of the arc-shaped portion 60, the solid preparation 90 is more likely to sway, whereas if the length L of the solid preparation 90 in the conveying direction is too short compared to the pitch P, the solid preparation 90 will sink significantly into the pitch P, which may make it difficult to inspect or print the entire side of the solid preparation 90. Therefore, it is preferable that the pitch P satisfies L/8<P<L/2.

In addition, a tapered section 57 that tapers toward the rear opening 56 is formed inside each space 53 that is connected so as to overlap in part, so that dust, dirt, etc. that has entered the suction section 52 can be smoothly discharged from the rear opening 56 along the tapered section 57. This can reliably prevent a decrease in suction force due to foreign matter remaining in the suction section 52, which can also stabilize the position of the solid preparation 90 during transportation. The cross-sectional shape of the tapered section 57 is linear in this embodiment, but it may also be, for example, a curved shape that is curved convexly or concavely.

In the present embodiment, the suction portion 52 has a surface opening 54 with circular spaces 53 that are connected in the longitudinal direction BL of the belt body 51 while overlapping each other, and the edge of the suction portion 52 has a shape in which a plurality of arc-shaped portions 60 are connected at the constricted portion 55 as shown in FIG. 5(a). Therefore, when the solid preparation 90 is transported from the supply device 10 or another transport device to the transport device 1, the arc-shaped portions 60 act as guides by following the curved surface of the solid preparation 90, and the solid preparation 90 can be reliably adsorbed to a predetermined position on the transport belt 50. In addition, since the arc-shaped portions 60 do not have corners that are prone to stress concentration, the solid preparation 90 can be stabilized in a predetermined position while suppressing a decrease in the strength of the belt body 51. However, the shape of the front-side opening 54 of each space 53 is not necessarily limited to a circular shape, and may be, for example, a polygonal shape such as a square shape as shown in FIG. 6(a) or a hexagonal shape as shown in FIG. 6(b), or may be an elliptical shape as shown in FIG. 6(c).

In the conveyor belt 50 of this embodiment, the back side openings 56 of the multiple spaces 53 are separated from each other, so that the strength of the belt body 51 is well maintained and dirt and the like can be reliably removed by individually sucking each tapered portion 57. However, as shown in FIG. 7, the multiple back side openings 56 can be connected to each other in the same way as the front side openings 54 by, for example, tapering the lower portion of the tapered portion 57 toward the back side openings 56.

The conveyor belt 50 does not necessarily have to be a single unit. For example, the conveyor belt 50 can be configured by arranging a pair of symmetrical split belts in parallel in the width direction, and the conveyor device 1 can operate each split belt at a synchronized timing.

The type of solid preparation 90 adsorbed and transported by the conveyor belt 50 is not particularly limited to tablets, capsules, etc., but it is particularly effective when the solid preparation has a curved shape along the longitudinal direction, which is the transport direction, and a preferred example is a soft capsule.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Conveyor device 21 First pulley 22 Second pulley 24 Suction device 50 Conveyor belt 51 Belt body 52 Suction section 53 Space section 54 Front side opening 55 Narrowed section 56 Back side opening 57 Tapered section 60 Arc-shaped section 90 Solid preparation

Claims (4)

A conveyor belt comprising a belt-shaped belt body having an adsorption portion formed along a longitudinal direction thereof, the adsorption portion communicating the front and back of the belt body, and capable of adsorbing a solid preparation to the front side of the belt body by sucking the adsorption portion from the back side of the belt body,
the suction portion has a front side opening and a back side opening, the front side opening having a shape in which a plurality of circular spaces are aligned in a longitudinal direction of the belt body while partially overlapping each other,
The plurality of spaces have the front surface side openings communicating with each other via constricted portions, and each space has a tapered portion therein that tapers toward the rear surface side opening,
The conveyor belt has an edge portion on the front surface side of the suction portion, the edge portion having a shape in which a plurality of arc-shaped portions are connected at the constricted portion . The conveyor belt according to claim 1, wherein the rear openings are separated from each other. 2. The conveyor belt according to claim 1 , wherein the pitch of the arcuate portions is set smaller than the length of the solid preparations in the conveying direction. A conveyor belt according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , a first pulley, a second pulley, and a suction device,
The conveying belt is formed endlessly so that the surface side is exposed and is wound around the first pulley and the second pulley, and the solid preparations are adsorbed onto the conveying belt by suction from the suction device in at least a portion of the conveying path.

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