JP7740948B2 - Alignment and conveyance device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an alignment conveying device, and more specifically to an alignment conveying device that conveys solid preparations such as tablets and capsules in an aligned state.

A known conventional aligning and conveying device is the one disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. 5(a), this aligning and conveying device 100 comprises a rotating disk 10, a first ring 20, and a second ring 30, each of which is independently rotated in the same direction indicated by the arrow. Solid preparations P supplied to the rotating disk 10 are subjected to centrifugal force and move to the upper part of the peripheral wall of the first ring 20 at the first transfer position P1. After being aligned and conveyed by the first ring 20, they move to the upper part of the peripheral wall of the second ring 30 at the second transfer position P2. The solid preparations P aligned and conveyed by the second ring 30 are attracted to the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 50 and conveyed upward.

Patent No. 6503525

In the conventional aligning and conveying device 100 described above, under normal conditions, as shown in Figure 5(a), solid medications P are aligned tightly on the upper peripheral walls of the first ring 20 and the second ring 30 and conveyed in a single row and single layer. However, depending on the shape of the solid medications P and the conveying conditions, when multiple solid medications P are simultaneously supplied from the rotary disc 10 to the first ring 20 at the first transfer position P1, the solid medications P may overlap vertically in the first ring 20.

As shown in Figure 5(b), excess solid dosage forms P' piled on top of solid dosage forms P aligned in a single layer on the first ring 20 are transported to the second transfer position P2 in an unstable state, and as they move to the second ring 30, they may catch the surrounding solid dosage forms P and fall onto the rotary disc 10 as a group. As a result, gaps G may appear in parts of the row of solid dosage forms P transported by the second ring 30 due to the impact of the fall, and these gaps G may result in a decrease in transport efficiency.

The present invention therefore aims to provide an alignment and conveying device that can reliably prevent a decline in conveying efficiency.

The object of the present invention is to provide a rotating disk having a disk-shaped bottom wall and rotatably supported, a first ring having a first peripheral wall surrounding the bottom wall and rotatably supported, a second ring having a second peripheral wall surrounding the first peripheral wall and rotatably supported, and drive means for independently rotating the rotating disk, the first ring, and the second ring around their respective rotation axes, wherein a first conveying section and a second conveying section are provided above the first peripheral wall and the second peripheral wall, respectively, and the rotating disk and the first ring are arranged such that the bottom wall is located below the first conveying section and the inside of the first ring is rotated. This is achieved by an alignment and conveying device in which the rotation axes of the first ring and second ring are inclined relative to each other so that the solid formulations move from the bottom wall to the first conveying section at the first transfer position while forming a storage space for the solid formulations, and the rotation axes of the first ring and second ring are inclined relative to each other so that the solid formulations move from the first conveying section to the second conveying section at the second transfer position while the first conveying section is located lower than the second conveying section, and the alignment and conveying device further includes a dropping mechanism that drops onto the bottom wall any excess solid formulations stacked on the solid formulations being aligned and conveyed in a single layer by the first conveying section.

In this alignment and conveying device, the dropping mechanism preferably includes a guide section disposed above the first conveying section so that solid preparations conveyed in a single layer pass through while the surplus solid preparations come into contact with and are guided to the bottom wall.

It is preferable that the guide portion be formed in a planar shape along a vertical plane and be inclined inward with respect to the tangent direction of the first conveying portion.

The alignment and conveying device of the present invention can provide an alignment and conveying device that can reliably prevent a decrease in conveying efficiency.

1 is a plan view of an aligning and conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the aligning and conveying device shown in FIG. 1 taken along line AA. 2 is a plan view of a main part for explaining the operation of the aligning and conveying device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part corresponding to FIG. 3 . FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the operation of a conventional aligning and conveying device.

One embodiment of the aligning and conveying device according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a plan view of the aligning and conveying device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the aligning and conveying device shown in Figure 1 taken along line A-A.

The aligning and conveying device 1 of this embodiment is a device that aligns and conveys solid preparations P in the same manner as the aligning and conveying device 100 shown in Figure 5, and can supply them in an aligned state to an inspection device, marking device, etc., and is configured by adding a drop mechanism 40 to the conventional aligning and conveying device 100 shown in Figure 5. Examples of solid preparations P include tablets and capsules.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the alignment and conveying device 1 includes a rotating disk 10 having a disk-shaped bottom wall 11 and supported rotatably about a rotation axis 10X of the bottom wall 11; a first ring 20 having a first peripheral wall 21 surrounding the bottom wall 11 and supported rotatably about a rotation axis 20X of the first peripheral wall 21; a second ring 30 having a second peripheral wall 31 surrounding the first peripheral wall 21 and supported rotatably about a rotation axis 30X of the second peripheral wall 31; and drive units 15, 25, and 35 that independently drive and rotate the rotating disk 10, first ring 20, and second ring 30 about their respective rotation axes 10X, 20X, and 30X. In this embodiment, the rotation axes 10X and 30X are aligned with each other.

A first conveying section 91 and a second conveying section 92 are provided on the upper portions of the first ring 20 and the second ring 30, respectively, to convey the solid preparations P in a circumferentially aligned state. The first conveying section 91 consists of the upper end surface of the cylindrical first peripheral wall 21, the radial outer side of which is covered by the inner wall surface of the second peripheral wall 31, and the radial width of the first peripheral wall 21 is determined so that the solid preparations P are aligned in a line along the circumferential direction. The second conveying section 92 consists of a cutout portion formed by cutting out the radially inner side of the upper end surface of the cylindrical second peripheral wall 31 in the circumferential direction, and the radial width of the cutout portion is determined so that the solid preparations P are aligned in a line along the circumferential direction, and holds the lower and radial outer sides of the solid preparations P.

The rotating disk 10 and the first ring 20 have their bottom wall 11 positioned below the first conveying section 91 to form a retention space S inside the first ring 20 that can retain solid dosage forms P. At the first transfer position P1, the bottom wall 11 is at approximately the same height as the first conveying section 91, allowing the transfer of solid dosage forms P. The first ring 20 and the second ring 30 have their first conveying section 91 positioned below the second conveying section 92, and their respective rotation axes 20X and 30X are inclined relative to each other to form a retention space S inside the first ring 20 that can retain solid dosage forms P. At the second transfer position P2, the first conveying section 91 and the second conveying section 92 are at approximately the same height, allowing the transfer of solid dosage forms P. The first transfer position P1 and the second transfer position P2 are point-symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis 10X in a plan view, and the second transfer position P2 is located 180° rotated around the rotation axis 10X from the first transfer position P1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating disk 10 has a shaft 12 that extends vertically downward from the center of the bottom wall 11 along the rotation axis 10X, and the shaft 12 is driven to rotate by a drive unit 15. The first ring 20 has a lower cover 23 that covers the lower part of the first peripheral wall 21, and a shaft 22 that extends downward from the center of the lower cover 23 along the rotation axis 20X, and the shaft 22 is driven to rotate by a drive unit 25. The shaft 22 is a hollow shaft, through which the shaft 12 of the rotating disk 10 is inserted. The inclination angle of the rotation axis 20X of the first ring 20 relative to the rotation axis 10X of the bottom wall 11 is, for example, 1 to 20 degrees.

The second ring 30 has a lower cover 33 that covers the lower part of the second peripheral wall 31, and a shaft 32 that extends vertically downward from the center of the lower cover 33 along the rotation axis 30X. The shaft 32 is driven to rotate by a drive unit 35. The shaft 32 is a hollow shaft, through which the shaft 22 of the first ring 20 is inserted. The rotation axis 30X of the second ring 30 coincides with the rotation axis 10X of the wall 11.

The drive devices 15, 25, and 35 are, for example, electric motors, and drive the rotating disk 10, first ring 20, and second ring 30 to rotate in the same direction. In this embodiment, the rotational speed of the first ring 20 is set to be faster than the rotational speed of the rotating disk 10 and slower than the rotational speed of the second ring 30.

1 and 2, the alignment and conveying device 1 further includes a suction roller 50 that vacuum-sucks the solid preparations P conveyed by the second conveying unit 92 onto its outer peripheral surface and rotates to convey the solid preparations P. The suction roller 50 is positioned so that its outer peripheral surface faces the second conveying unit 92 from above at the third transfer position P3, and is driven to rotate by a suction roller drive unit 55. A groove 53 is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 50 along the circumferential direction, and multiple suction ports 51a are formed at the bottom of the groove 53 over the entire circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotation shaft 50X is slightly inclined toward the bottom wall 11 with respect to the horizontal direction H so that the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 50 faces radially outward from the second conveying unit 92 at the third transfer position P3, thereby ensuring reliable suction of the solid preparations P. To ensure that the solid medications P conveyed by the second conveying unit 92 are reliably aligned and held in a stable position, the second transfer position P2 to the third transfer position P3 are spaced apart by at least half a circumference of the second ring 30. The rotation speed of the suction roller 50 is preferably set to be faster than the rotation speed of the second ring 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, a cover 60 is fixedly installed above the second conveying unit 92, covering the upstream side of the suction roller 50 in the rotational direction of the second ring 30. The cover 60 is positioned so as to protrude directly above the second conveying unit 92 from the radially outer side toward the radially inner side of the second ring 30, and is configured so that the protrusion width directly above the second conveying unit 92 gradually increases along the rotational direction of the second ring 30. With this configuration, solid articles P conveyed by the second conveying unit 92 in an improper position move radially inward along the edge of the cover 60 and return to the bottom wall 11, ensuring that only solid articles P in the correct position are conveyed reliably.

As shown in FIG. 1, the drop mechanism 40 is formed in a block shape, is supported on the outside of the second ring 30, and is positioned so as to cover the top of the first conveying section 91 and the second conveying section 92. As will be described later, the drop mechanism 40 releases the stacked state of the solid medications P in the first conveying section 91, and includes a guide section 41 positioned directly above the first conveying section 91.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned aligning and conveying device 1 will be described. Solid preparations P are introduced into the holding space S formed by the rotating disk 10 and the first ring 20 from a hopper (not shown) or the like. Due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the rotating disk 10, the solid preparations P move radially outward from the bottom wall 11 and are then moved in an aligned state from the first transfer position P1 to the first conveying unit 91. When the solid preparations P conveyed by the first conveying unit 91 reach the second transfer position P2, they are subjected to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the first ring 20 and are moved from the first conveying unit 91 to the second conveying unit 92. When the solid preparations P conveyed by the second conveying unit 92 reach the third transfer position P3, they are attracted to the suction roller 50 and conveyed upward. In this manner, the solid preparations P are aligned and conveyed.

The solid dosage forms P conveyed by the first conveying unit 91 are normally arranged in a single row and single layer with no gaps between them. However, when multiple solid dosage forms P are simultaneously supplied from the rotary disc 10 to the first conveying unit 91 at the first delivery position P1, other solid dosage forms P may be stacked on top of the solid dosage forms P being aligned and conveyed in a single layer by the first conveying unit 91. In the following description, solid dosage forms P stacked in two or more layers will be referred to as surplus solid dosage forms, to distinguish them from solid dosage forms P conveyed in a single layer (first layer).

Figure 3 is a plan view of the main parts to explain the operation of the aligning and conveying device 1 shown in Figure 1, and (a) to (c) show the changes in state near the drop mechanism 40 that accompany conveyance by the first conveying section 91. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts near the drop mechanism 40 as seen from the downstream side in the conveying direction, and Figures 4(a) to (c) correspond to Figures 3(a) to (c), respectively.

As shown in Figures 3(a) and 4(a), the guide portion 41 of the dropping mechanism 40 is formed in a planar shape along a vertical plane, and the tip side in the conveying direction (arrow direction) in plan view is inclined inward (toward the bottom wall 11) with respect to the tangent direction of the first conveying portion 91. The height position of the guide portion 41 relative to the first conveying portion 91 is set so that the solid preparations P conveyed in a single layer by the first conveying portion 91 pass through without coming into contact with the guide portion 41.

As shown in Figures 3(b) and 4(b), when surplus solid dosage forms P' are stacked on top of solid dosage forms P aligned in a single layer and transported, the guide portion 41 abuts against the surplus solid dosage forms P' and guides the surplus solid dosage forms P' to fall onto the bottom wall 11, as shown in Figures 3(c) and 4(c). The inward inclination angle θ of the guide portion 41 with respect to the tangent direction T of the first transport portion 91 is preferably an angle that can reliably guide the surplus solid dosage forms P' onto the bottom wall 11, and in this embodiment is set to approximately 45 degrees.

In this way, by removing excess solid preparations P' from the first conveying unit 91 and reliably maintaining the solid preparations P aligned in a single layer, it is possible to reliably prevent the solid preparations P from falling together as they move from the first conveying unit 91 to the second conveying unit 92. As a result, there is no risk of gaps forming in the row of solid preparations P being conveyed by the second conveying unit 92, and a decrease in conveying efficiency can be reliably prevented. Note that when excess solid preparations P' abutting the guide unit 41 fall onto the bottom wall 11, there is a risk that the solid preparations P below them will also fall at the same time. However, even if gaps do form in the row of solid preparations P in the first conveying unit 91 in such a situation, these gaps are eliminated as the positions of the solid preparations P are aligned during conveyance by the first conveying unit 91, thereby preventing gaps from forming in the row of solid preparations P in the second conveying unit 92.

The material of the guide portion 41 is not particularly limited, but a soft material such as synthetic resin, rubber, or sponge is preferable to prevent damage to the conveyed surplus solid dosage forms P' when they come into contact with the guide portion 41. The guide portion 41 may be formed from a flexible plate- or sheet-like member, and can be configured to guide the surplus solid dosage forms P' to the bottom wall 11 while flexing and deforming when it comes into contact with the surplus solid dosage forms P'. The surface shape of the guide portion 41 is not limited to a flat shape, and may be a curved surface, such as an arc-shaped surface in a plan view with a bulging central portion.

The dropping mechanism 40 may be another mechanism capable of selectively dropping only the surplus solid preparations P' conveyed by the first conveying unit 91 onto the bottom wall 11, such as a mechanism including a pusher that can move radially back and forth, or an air injection mechanism.

1 Aligning and conveying device 10 Rotating disk 10X Rotating shaft 11 Bottom wall 20 First ring 20X Rotating shaft 21 First circumferential wall 30 Second ring 30X Rotating shaft 31 Second circumferential wall 35 Driving device 40 Drop mechanism 41 Guide unit 50 Suction roller 91 First conveying unit 92 Second conveying unit P Solid preparations P' Surplus solid preparations P1 First delivery position P2 Second delivery position P3 Third delivery position S Retention space

Claims (3)

a rotating disk having a disk-shaped bottom wall and supported rotatably;
a first ring having a first peripheral wall surrounding the bottom wall and rotatably supported;
a second ring having a second peripheral wall surrounding the first peripheral wall and rotatably supported;
a driving means for independently driving the rotary disk, the first ring, and the second ring to rotate about their respective rotation axes;
a first conveying section and a second conveying section are provided on the upper portions of the first peripheral wall and the second peripheral wall, respectively;
the rotary disk and the first ring have their rotation axes inclined relative to one another so that the bottom wall is positioned lower than the first conveying section to form a storage space for the solid preparation inside the first ring, and the solid preparation moves from the bottom wall to the first conveying section at the first delivery position;
the first ring and the second ring have their rotation axes inclined relative to each other so that the first conveying unit is located lower than the second conveying unit and the solid preparations are moved from the first conveying unit to the second conveying unit at a second delivery position,
The aligning and conveying device further includes a dropping mechanism for dropping onto the bottom wall any excess solid preparations stacked on the solid preparations aligned and conveyed in a single layer by the first conveying section. The alignment and conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the dropping mechanism includes a guide section disposed above the first conveying section so that solid preparations conveyed in a single layer pass through while excess solid preparations come into contact with and are guided to the bottom wall. The alignment and conveying device described in claim 2, wherein the guide portion is formed in a planar shape along a vertical plane and is inclined inward with respect to the tangent direction of the first conveying portion.