JPH052083B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tablet weight measuring device, and particularly to a device for measuring the weight of tablets formed by a tablet machine. For the purpose of obtaining data to adjust the amount of
The required number, for example, 1 to 200 tablets, are sampled from the population flow of tablets made by a tablet machine that flow on a belt conveyor installed along the conveyance route in the tablet manufacturing process, and the weight is determined. The tablets that have been measured are removed from the scale.

BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY This type of tablet weight measuring device that has been used in the past has a schematic configuration as shown in the block diagram of FIG. was. In the figure, A is a tablet machine,
a shows the flow of the population of tablets to be measured, and when not measuring, it passes through the switching device B and passes through the path b.
flowing to. When measuring the weight of tablets, the switching device B is switched in the direction of path c for the necessary time, and the tablets are temporarily stored in a sampling container C, such as a rotating ball or a hopper, and are collected as a small group from among them.
After taking the required number of samples, measuring the weight, and outputting the results to the outside, the tablets remaining in the extraction container C and the already measured tablets are transferred to the weight measuring section D via route d through route d to D. -e or d' to be discharged to the rejection container E.

Therefore, in the conventional method, when sampling from sampling container C, the number of samples is inaccurate;
In addition, since a small group of tablets is required several times as much as the required sample, the removal container E becomes large, and the switching mechanism, sampling mechanism, and removal mechanism are complex, and the amount handled is large, resulting in machine malfunctions and breakdowns. The drawback was that there was a high possibility of tablet breakage.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention eliminates the drawbacks of the above-mentioned conventional examples, and makes it possible to reliably and accurately sample a large population of tablets directly and at any time without overflowing the flow of the population. We have created a new tablet weight measurement device that can eliminate sampled tablet breakage and machine malfunction.

Configuration of the Invention That is, the tablet weight measuring device according to the present invention includes a belt conveyor that is installed in a tablet conveyance path in a tablet manufacturing process and conveys a large population of tablets in one direction in a generally horizontal state, and the belt conveyor. a rotary wheel whose one side is placed over the upper surface of the intermediate portion of the tablet from the side, and which has pockets arranged at predetermined intervals on the outer peripheral surface for accommodating tablets on the belt conveyor one by one, and pockets on the belt conveyor. a tablet ejecting means that sucks and holds the tablet by introducing negative pressure into the pocket and causes the tablet to fall downward by introducing positive pressure into the pocket at a predetermined ejecting position outside the belt conveyor; A receiving tube for receiving tablets from an opening at one end, a weighing means comprising an electronic scale for measuring the weight of the tablets stored in the receiving tube, and tablets falling sequentially from the tablet ejecting means on the way to being accommodated in the receiving tube. a counting means for counting the number of tablets without contact; a tablet discharging means for absorbing and discharging the tablets in the receiving tube from the other end opening of the receiving tube; and a tablet ejecting means, a measuring means, a counting means, and a tablet discharging means. It is characterized by comprising a control means for sequentially controlling each operation.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tablet weight measuring device according to the present invention includes a conveyor means 10 for conveying tablets,
A tablet ejecting means 20 that sucks up the tablets from the conveyor means one by one and discharges them out of the conveyor means, a counting means 40 that counts the tablets discharged one by one from the tablet ejecting means without contact, and a tablet ejecting means. a measuring means 50 for storing the tablets ejected from the receiving tube into a receiving tube and measuring its weight; a tablet discharging means 60 for ejecting the tablets stored in the receiving tube; the tablet ejecting means, the counting means, the measuring means, the tablets. comprising a control means 70 for sequentially controlling the operation of the ejection means,
Further, a tablet ejecting means 20 and a tablet discharging means 50
Each is equipped with a vacuum device as a reduced pressure source and a negative pressure source. The conveyor means 10 is composed of a belt conveyor 11 that conveys the tablets P in one direction, and the conveyor 11 is provided along the tablet conveying route in the tablet manufacturing process, and conveys a large number of tablets. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, tablets made by tablet machine A are supplied from the hopper 12 to one side of the conveyor 11 as shown in FIG. It is supplied to the next process F. Guides 14 are attached to both sides of the conveyor 11 to guide the conveyance of the tablets while preventing them from falling. Further, it is preferable to provide a guide plate 15 above the conveyor for guiding the tablets to the tablet ejecting means.

The tablet ejecting means 20 is attached to a support shaft 2 as shown in FIG.
1, a slide valve 23 fixedly provided on the lower surface of the wheel 22, a reduced pressure source 25 for introducing negative pressure into the slide valve 23 via a conduit 24, and the conduit The rotary wheel 24 is composed of a solenoid valve 26 that opens and closes the rotary wheel 24, and a drive source 30 that drives the spindle 21 of the rotary wheel 22.
The rotating wheel 22 is made of a circular plate as shown in FIG. 4, and has a plurality of pockets 27 opened at regular intervals on its outer circumferential surface, and the bottom surface of the pockets 27 is connected to the wheel via a conductive path 28. It communicates with a vent hole 29 opened on the lower surface of. The pocket 27 provided in the wheel 22 has a size sufficient to almost completely store approximately one tablet P, and is opened on the outer circumferential surface and the lower surface of the wheel 22, and the tablet on the conveyor 11 is inserted through the opening. Once the tablet is stored in the pocket 27, the conductive path 28 provided at the bottom of the pocket 27
The tablet is sucked into the bottom surface of the pocket 27 by the negative pressure introduced from the opening 31 of the pocket 27. With the rotating wheel 22 in a horizontal state, the lower end surface of one side thereof is brought close to the conveyor 11,
For example, while the wheels 22 are arranged approximately parallel to each other with a gap of about 0.5 mm, the other side of the wheel 22 is arranged outside the conveyor 11, and the tablets on the conveyor 11 are sucked into the pockets 27 by the one side, and the other side is placed on the outside of the conveyor 11. Tablets can be dropped from the side pocket 27 to the outside of the conveyor 11 and downward. Slide valve 23
The upper surface of the wheel 22 is pressed against the lower surface of the wheel 22 in a substantially airtight state by a pressure contact means (not shown) such as a spring or an air cylinder, so that the wheel 22 can freely rotate relative to the fixed slide valve 23. Arranged so as to be slidable between the wheels 22,
In addition, an annular ventilation groove 32 for introducing negative pressure is provided on the upper surface corresponding to the ventilation hole 29 on the lower surface of the wheel, and a conduit 24 of a reduced pressure source 25 is connected to the ventilation groove 32.
An exhaust port 33 is provided on the same inner circumference of the ventilation groove 32 and apart from the ventilation groove 32, and the exhaust port 33 is connected to a positive pressure source 35 or the atmosphere via a conduit 34. The reduced pressure source conduit and the positive pressure source conduit are opened and closed by electromagnetic valves 26 and 36, respectively. When the negative pressure introduced into the ventilation groove 32 is introduced from the ventilation port 29 to the bottom surface of the pocket 27 via the conduction path 28, the tablet can be adsorbed into the pocket 27, while the positive pressure introduced into the exhaust port 33 When the tablets are introduced into the bottom surface of the pocket 27 from the vent 29 through the conduit 28, the tablets in the pocket 27 can fall below the wheel 22 and the slide valve 23. Therefore, when the wheel 22 is rotated in one direction by the drive source 30 of the support shaft 21, one by one of the many tablets on the conveyor 11 is suctioned into the pocket 27 of the wheel 22.
When the tablets rotate together with the wheel 22 and are conveyed to the outside of the conveyor 11, the sucked tablets are transferred to the pocket 2.
Starting from 7, it will fall downwards. In addition, when not measuring, the ventilation groove 32 is set to atmospheric pressure or slightly positive pressure, and when measuring, in the open position, the exhaust port 33 is set to atmospheric pressure or slightly positive pressure. Whether to do so or not can be selected depending on the situation. or,
Depending on the shape and slipperiness of the tablet, the wheel 22 may be rotated only during measurement and stopped during non-measurement, and even in that case, the influence of the wheel 22 on the flow of the tablet population is slight. . Furthermore, the second
In the figure, the rotary wheel 22 for picking up tablets is on the right side in the direction of tablet flow.
It may be on the left side or on both the left and right sides.

The counting means 40 consists of a pair of photoelectric switches consisting of a light emitter 41 and a light receiver 42, and a counter 43 connected to the photoelectric switches, and counts the tablets dropped from the pocket 27 of the wheel 22 by the photoelectric switch without contact while the tablets are falling. The number of detections is counted by a counter 43. The weighing means 50 includes a receiving tube 51 that receives tablets dropped from the pocket 27 of the wheel 22 from an opening on one side via a guide tube 55, and an electronic scale that measures the weight of the tablet received into the receiving tube 51. Consists of 52. Receiving tube 51
The pipe is bent into a roughly U-shape, and one end of the pipe is opened 53 upward to receive the tablets, while the other end of the other side is opened roughly horizontally 54 so that the tablets can be discharged. Make it. The tablet discharging means 60 includes a suction conduit 61 which is provided so that its opening 62 approaches and communicates with the other end opening 54 of the receiving tube 51 in a non-contact manner, a removal container 63 that communicates with the suction conduit 61, and It consists of a negative pressure source 65 that introduces negative pressure into the container 63 via a conduit 64, and a solenoid valve 66 that opens and closes the conduit 64. 61, the negative pressure is introduced into the receiver tube 51, and the suction force causes the receiver tube 51 to
All the tablets in the container are removed via the suction conduit 61 into the removal container 6.
It will be stored in 3. Note that there is a gap between the opening 54 of the receiving tube 51 and the opening 60 of the suction conduit 61.
They are placed close enough to prevent outside air from being sucked in between them. Therefore, the suction conduit 61 and the measuring tube 5
The tablets in the receiver tube 51 after being weighed can be sucked while separating the tablets from the tablets 1 and 1. The control means 70 includes a drive source 30 for the support shaft 21, each conduit 24,
34, 64, the solenoid valves 26, 36, 66, the counter 43, and the scale 52 are sequentially controlled to control the conveyor 11.
Some of the tablets conveyed by the conveyor 11 are sucked up one by one into the pockets 27 of the rotating wheel 22.
It is discharged to the outside, counted by a certain number with a counter 43, and then weighed with a scale 52, and these counted values and measured values are fed back to, for example, the control circuit 71 of the tablet machine to control the formulation of the tablet machine. After that, the tablets in the receiving tube 51 are discharged into the removal container 63. Therefore, the tablet weight measuring device of the present invention is a device for measuring the weight of tablets made by a tablet machine, and is a device for adjusting the amount of raw material fed to the die of the tablet machine. , for the purpose of obtaining data, the necessary number of tablets, for example 1 to 200, are sampled from a population flow of tablets made by a tablet machine, the weight is measured, and the measured tablets are , which can be removed from the scale 52. The outline of such a device is shown in a block diagram as shown in Fig. 7, where A stands for a tablet machine and a stands for a tablet machine.
It shows the path of the population of tablets to be measured, that is, the belt conveyor 11, and this path does not change during measurement or non-measurement. Keep sampling until you reach the required number. Moreover, the path d uses the tablet and pick-up wheel 22, and its position does not change whether it is being measured or not.

When the required number of samples is reached, the weight is measured, the result is output to the outside, and then the samples are discharged into the rejection container E via path e.

Therefore, since the path e uses the suction conduit 61, there is no mechanical change both during evacuation and non-evacuation.

Effects As described in detail in the above embodiments, the tablet weight measuring device according to the present invention is equipped with a belt that is installed in a tablet conveyance path in a tablet manufacturing process and conveys a large group of tablets in a generally horizontal state in one direction. a conveyor, a rotating wheel whose one side is placed over the upper surface of the intermediate portion of the belt conveyor from the side, and which has pockets arranged at predetermined intervals on its outer circumferential surface for accommodating tablets on the belt conveyor one by one; tablet ejecting means for sucking and holding the tablet by introducing negative pressure into the pocket on the belt conveyor, and introducing positive pressure into the pocket at a predetermined ejection position outside the belt conveyor to cause the tablet to fall downward; a receiver for receiving tablets dropped from the ejecting means through an opening at one end; a weighing means comprising an electronic scale for measuring the weight of the tablets accommodated in the receiver; a counting means for counting the number of tablets falling one after another without contact;
A tablet discharging means for absorbing and discharging the tablets in the receiving tube from the opening at the other end of the receiving tube, and a control means for sequentially controlling the respective operations of the tablet ejecting means, measuring means, counting means, and tablet discharging means. It uses a rotating wheel to hold the item in the pocket for a sufficient amount of time.
Since the tablets are directly sampled one by one from a large population of tablets, it is possible to reliably sample each tablet one by one.Also, the period of releasing the tablets from the pocket of the rotating wheel is constant and there is no possibility of dropping the tablets. Since the trajectory is accurate, tablets can be counted accurately. moreover,
A measuring receiver is installed in the middle of the conveyance path that conveys the tablets taken out for weighing from the belt conveyor to the tablet ejecting means, so the tablets can be weighed while being conveyed, eliminating the need for the tablet ejecting means mentioned above. Providing a path for returning the tablets from the container to the belt conveyor that transports the population of tablets allows the tablets to be continuously circulated after being weighed, thereby preventing tablets from being wasted. In addition, since the rotating wheel uses air pressure differences to sample and remove tablets, it is possible to automatically measure the minimum amount of sample necessary, so there is less chance of the machine damaging the tablets. Furthermore, the structure of the entire device is simple and there are fewer failures.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the general structure of the tablet weight measuring device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a part of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the wheel in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the slide valve in FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the other part in FIG. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a conventional device corresponding to FIG. 7. 10... Conveyor means, 11... Conveyor, 20
...Tablet taking out means, 22...Wheel, 27...Pocket, 40...Counting means, 50...Measuring means, 51...Receiving tube, 60...Tablet discharging means, 70...Controlling means.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A belt conveyor that is installed in a tablet conveyance path in a tablet manufacturing process and conveys a large population of tablets in one direction in a generally horizontal state; a rotary wheel whose one side is covered and which has pockets arranged at predetermined intervals on its outer circumferential surface for accommodating tablets on the belt conveyor one by one; negative pressure is introduced into the pockets on the belt conveyor; A tablet ejecting means that sucks and holds the tablet and causes the tablet to fall downward by introducing positive pressure into the pocket at a predetermined ejecting position outside the belt conveyor, and a receiver that receives the tablet dropped from the tablet ejecting means through an opening at one end. a measuring means consisting of a cylinder, an electronic scale for measuring the weight of the tablets accommodated in the receiving cylinder, and a non-contact measuring means for measuring the number of tablets falling sequentially from the tablet ejecting means on the way to being stored in the receiving cylinder. a counting means for counting the tablets at the other end of the receiver; a tablet discharging means for discharging the tablets in the receiver by suctioning them under negative pressure from the other end opening of the receiver; and a tablet ejecting means, a measuring means, a counting means, and a tablet discharging means, respectively 1. A tablet weight measuring device comprising: control means for sequentially controlling operations.