Patent · US10864717B2 · B2 · US

Tablet printing apparatus

(11) Publication number

US10864717B2

(21) Application number

16/204,229

(22) Filing date

2018-11-29

(30) Priority date

2016-06-27

(43) Publication date

2020-12-15

(45) Date of grant

2020-12-15

(51) IPC

A61J 3/00; B41F 17/36; B41F 23/00; B65G 47/14

(52) CPC

B41F Printing machines or presses: 17/36, 23/005
A61J Containers specially adapted for medical or pharmaceutical purposes; devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms; devices for administering food or medicines orally; baby comforters; devices for receiving spittle: 3/007, 3/06
B41P Indexing scheme relating to printing, lining machines, typewriters, and to stamps: 2217/50, 2235/27
B65G Transport or storage devices, e.g. conveyors for loading or tipping, shop conveyor systems or pneumatic tube conveyors: 15/58, 21/2036, 2201/027, 23/04, 2812/02148, 47/1471

(73) Assignee

Shibaura Mechatronics Corp

(72) Inventors

Shinichi Ogimoto; Ryo IKUTA; Yutaka Okabe; Hitoshi Aoyagi; Hikaru HOSHINO; Azusa Hirano; Toru Kuribayashi; Yasutsugu TSURUOKA; Junpei Tanaka

(54) Title

Tablet printing apparatus

(57) Abstract

According to one embodiment, a tablet printing apparatus includes: a first rotator having an inner space; a duct configured to communicate with the inner space of the first rotator; a suction pipe configured to suck inside the duct; a second rotator arranged to face the first rotator across the duct; a conveyor belt wrapped around the first rotator and the second rotator; and a print head that performs printing on a tablet held on the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt includes a plurality of suction holes which communicate with the inner space of the first rotator and that of the duct, and are arranged in the rotation direction of the first rotator. The first rotator and the duct constitutes a suction chamber that applies a suction force to those of the suction holes of the conveyor belt located around the outer periphery of the first rotator and the duct.

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Claims (19)

A tablet printing apparatus, comprising: a first rotator having an inner space; a chamber configured to communicate with the inner space of the first rotator; a suction pipe configured to suck inside the chamber; a second rotator arranged to face the first rotator across the chamber; a conveyor belt wrapped around the first rotator and the second rotator; and a print head configured to perform printing on a tablet that is held on the conveyor belt, wherein the first rotator is provided with a through hole extending in a rotation direction of the first rotator, the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space of the first rotator through the through hole, the conveyor belt includes a plurality of suction holes which communicate with the inner space of the first rotator and an inner space of the chamber, and are arranged in the rotation direction of the first rotator, and the first rotator and the chamber constitutes a suction chamber that applies a suction force to those of the suction holes of the conveyor belt that are located around an outer periphery of the first rotator and an outer periphery of the chamber.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space of the first rotator from a surface of the first rotator that extends in the rotation direction of the first rotator.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a suction force adjuster configured to reduce the suction force in a first area of the conveyor belt including at least an area under the print head compared to a second area of the conveyor belt other than the first area.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; and a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space between the conveyor pulleys of the first rotator.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys; and a pair of guide pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the guide pulleys configured to rotate together with the conveyor pulleys in contact with the conveyor belt, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space between the guide pulleys of the first rotator.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys; and a guide pulley having a plurality of through holes and provided to the rotating shaft, the guide pulley configured to rotate together with the conveyor pulleys in contact with the conveyor belt, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space of the first rotator through the through holes.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein distance between the first rotator and the chamber is smaller than a thickness of the tablet.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a suction force adjuster configured to reduce the suction force in a first area of the conveyor belt including at least an area under the print head compared to a second area of the conveyor belt other than the first area.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; and a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space between the conveyor pulleys of the first rotator.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys; and a pair of guide pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the guide pulleys configured to rotate together with the conveyor pulleys in contact with the conveyor belt, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space between the guide pulleys of the first rotator.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys; and a guide pulley having a plurality of through holes and provided to the rotating shaft, the guide pulley configured to rotate together with the conveyor pulleys in contact with the conveyor belt, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space of the first rotator through the through holes.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the suction force adjuster is a suction force lowering member located in the suction chamber at a position corresponding to the first area.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of through holes, which communicate with the inner space of the chamber, are formed on the chamber to be arranged in conveying direction of the tablet, and the suction force adjuster is configured to adjust the suction force by reducing size of the through holes in a position corresponding to the first area smaller than in other positions.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; and a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space between the conveyor pulleys of the first rotator.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys; and a pair of guide pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the guide pulleys configured to rotate together with the conveyor pulleys in contact with the conveyor belt, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space between the guide pulleys of the first rotator.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys; and a guide pulley having a plurality of through holes and provided to the rotating shaft, the guide pulley configured to rotate together with the conveyor pulleys in contact with the conveyor belt, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space of the first rotator through the through holes.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein distance between the first rotator and the chamber is smaller than a thickness of the tablet.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a supplier configured to supply the tablet onto the conveyor belt; an imager located downstream of the supplier in a conveying direction of the tablet, and configured to photograph the tablet; a gas blower located downstream of the supplier and upstream of the imager in the conveying direction of the tablet, and configured to blow gas toward the conveyor belt; and a gas suction member configured to suck the gas from the gas blower, wherein the gas suction member includes an inlet port and an outlet port, the inlet port is an opening arranged along the conveying direction of the tablet, and is located upstream of the print head in the conveying direction of the tablet, and the outlet port is connected to the chamber.
The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a suction force adjuster, wherein the suction chamber is divided into a plurality of compartments, and the suction force adjuster is configured to adjust the suction force with respect to each of the compartments.

Description

Embodiments described herein relate generally to a tablet printing apparatus.

Generally, a tablet printing apparatus is used to print identification information such as letters or characters (alphabet, kana character, number, etc.) and marks (symbol, figure, etc.) on the surface of a tablet to identify the tablet. As such tablet printing apparatuses, those that perform printing on tablets being conveyed with a transfer drum or inkjet system have been developed. An inkjet tablet printing apparatus is configured to eject ink (for example, edible ink) toward tablets while conveying them by a conveyor belt, thereby printing identification information on the surfaces of the tablets.

Some of the tablet printing apparatuses are provided with a tablet conveying device that conveys tablets while holding them on a conveyor belt by suction force. The conveyor belt has a plurality of suction holes, which are aligned in the conveying direction of the tablets, for sucking the tablets. Further, there is provided a suction chamber that has a suction slit over the entire circumference and faces a surface (back surface) of the conveyor belt opposite to the surface where tablets are held. Tablets are held on the conveyor belt by suction force applied via the suction holes of the conveyor belt and the suction slit of the suction chamber.

While the conveyor belt moves for conveying tablets, the suction chamber is fixedly arranged in the apparatus. Accordingly, the back surface of the conveyor belt moves in contact with the suction chamber.

Citations (11)

US5695043A
JPH0484213U
JPH06143539A
US5423252A
JPH06183552A
JPH09118414A
US5996768A
US8371216B2
JP2012153048A
JP2013013711A
JP2015204851A

Record as JSON

{
  "publication_number": "US10864717B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Tablet printing apparatus",
  "abstract": "According to one embodiment, a tablet printing apparatus includes: a first rotator having an inner space; a duct configured to communicate with the inner space of the first rotator; a suction pipe configured to suck inside the duct; a second rotator arranged to face the first rotator across the duct; a conveyor belt wrapped around the first rotator and the second rotator; and a print head that performs printing on a tablet held on the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt includes a plurality of suction holes which communicate with the inner space of the first rotator and that of the duct, and are arranged in the rotation direction of the first rotator. The first rotator and the duct constitutes a suction chamber that applies a suction force to those of the suction holes of the conveyor belt located around the outer periphery of the first rotator and the duct.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A tablet printing apparatus, comprising: a first rotator having an inner space; a chamber configured to communicate with the inner space of the first rotator; a suction pipe configured to suck inside the chamber; a second rotator arranged to face the first rotator across the chamber; a conveyor belt wrapped around the first rotator and the second rotator; and a print head configured to perform printing on a tablet that is held on the conveyor belt, wherein the first rotator is provided with a through hole extending in a rotation direction of the first rotator, the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space of the first rotator through the through hole, the conveyor belt includes a plurality of suction holes which communicate with the inner space of the first rotator and an inner space of the chamber, and are arranged in the rotation direction of the first rotator, and the first rotator and the chamber constitutes a suction chamber that applies a suction force to those of the suction holes of the conveyor belt that are located around an outer periphery of the first rotator and an outer periphery of the chamber.",
    "2. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space of the first rotator from a surface of the first rotator that extends in the rotation direction of the first rotator.",
    "3. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a suction force adjuster configured to reduce the suction force in a first area of the conveyor belt including at least an area under the print head compared to a second area of the conveyor belt other than the first area.",
    "4. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; and a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space between the conveyor pulleys of the first rotator.",
    "5. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys; and a pair of guide pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the guide pulleys configured to rotate together with the conveyor pulleys in contact with the conveyor belt, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space between the guide pulleys of the first rotator.",
    "6. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys; and a guide pulley having a plurality of through holes and provided to the rotating shaft, the guide pulley configured to rotate together with the conveyor pulleys in contact with the conveyor belt, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space of the first rotator through the through holes.",
    "7. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein distance between the first rotator and the chamber is smaller than a thickness of the tablet.",
    "8. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a suction force adjuster configured to reduce the suction force in a first area of the conveyor belt including at least an area under the print head compared to a second area of the conveyor belt other than the first area.",
    "9. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; and a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space between the conveyor pulleys of the first rotator.",
    "10. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys; and a pair of guide pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the guide pulleys configured to rotate together with the conveyor pulleys in contact with the conveyor belt, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space between the guide pulleys of the first rotator.",
    "11. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys; and a guide pulley having a plurality of through holes and provided to the rotating shaft, the guide pulley configured to rotate together with the conveyor pulleys in contact with the conveyor belt, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space of the first rotator through the through holes.",
    "12. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the suction force adjuster is a suction force lowering member located in the suction chamber at a position corresponding to the first area.",
    "13. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of through holes, which communicate with the inner space of the chamber, are formed on the chamber to be arranged in conveying direction of the tablet, and the suction force adjuster is configured to adjust the suction force by reducing size of the through holes in a position corresponding to the first area smaller than in other positions.",
    "14. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; and a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space between the conveyor pulleys of the first rotator.",
    "15. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys; and a pair of guide pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the guide pulleys configured to rotate together with the conveyor pulleys in contact with the conveyor belt, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space between the guide pulleys of the first rotator.",
    "16. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first rotator includes: a rotating shaft; a pair of conveyor pulleys that are provided to the rotating shaft so as to face each other while being spaced apart in a direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the conveyor belt being wrapped around the conveyor pulleys; and a guide pulley having a plurality of through holes and provided to the rotating shaft, the guide pulley configured to rotate together with the conveyor pulleys in contact with the conveyor belt, and wherein the chamber is configured to communicate with the inner space of the first rotator through the through holes.",
    "17. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein distance between the first rotator and the chamber is smaller than a thickness of the tablet.",
    "18. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a supplier configured to supply the tablet onto the conveyor belt; an imager located downstream of the supplier in a conveying direction of the tablet, and configured to photograph the tablet; a gas blower located downstream of the supplier and upstream of the imager in the conveying direction of the tablet, and configured to blow gas toward the conveyor belt; and a gas suction member configured to suck the gas from the gas blower, wherein the gas suction member includes an inlet port and an outlet port, the inlet port is an opening arranged along the conveying direction of the tablet, and is located upstream of the print head in the conveying direction of the tablet, and the outlet port is connected to the chamber.",
    "19. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a suction force adjuster, wherein the suction chamber is divided into a plurality of compartments, and the suction force adjuster is configured to adjust the suction force with respect to each of the compartments."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "Embodiments described herein relate generally to a tablet printing apparatus.\n\nGenerally, a tablet printing apparatus is used to print identification information such as letters or characters (alphabet, kana character, number, etc.) and marks (symbol, figure, etc.) on the surface of a tablet to identify the tablet. As such tablet printing apparatuses, those that perform printing on tablets being conveyed with a transfer drum or inkjet system have been developed. An inkjet tablet printing apparatus is configured to eject ink (for example, edible ink) toward tablets while conveying them by a conveyor belt, thereby printing identification information on the surfaces of the tablets.\n\nSome of the tablet printing apparatuses are provided with a tablet conveying device that conveys tablets while holding them on a conveyor belt by suction force. The conveyor belt has a plurality of suction holes, which are aligned in the conveying direction of the tablets, for sucking the tablets. Further, there is provided a suction chamber that has a suction slit over the entire circumference and faces a surface (back surface) of the conveyor belt opposite to the surface where tablets are held. Tablets are held on the conveyor belt by suction force applied via the suction holes of the conveyor belt and the suction slit of the suction chamber.\n\nWhile the conveyor belt moves for conveying tablets, the suction chamber is fixedly arranged in the apparatus. Accordingly, the back surface of the conveyor belt moves in contact with the suction chamber.",
  "cpc": [
    "B41F 17/36",
    "A61J 3/007",
    "A61J 3/06",
    "B41F 23/005",
    "B41P 2217/50",
    "B41P 2235/27",
    "B65G 15/58",
    "B65G 21/2036",
    "B65G 2201/027",
    "B65G 23/04",
    "B65G 2812/02148",
    "B65G 47/1471"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "A61J 3/00",
    "B41F 17/36",
    "B41F 23/00",
    "B65G 47/14"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Shibaura Mechatronics Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Shinichi Ogimoto",
    "Ryo IKUTA",
    "Yutaka Okabe",
    "Hitoshi Aoyagi",
    "Hikaru HOSHINO",
    "Azusa Hirano",
    "Toru Kuribayashi",
    "Yasutsugu TSURUOKA",
    "Junpei Tanaka"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2018-11-29",
  "publication_date": "2020-12-15",
  "grant_date": "2020-12-15",
  "priority_date": "2016-06-27",
  "application_number": "US-201816204229-A",
  "family_id": "61909113",
  "cited_by_count": 0,
  "citations": [
    "US5695043A",
    "JPH0484213U",
    "JPH06143539A",
    "US5423252A",
    "JPH06183552A",
    "JPH09118414A",
    "US5996768A",
    "US8371216B2",
    "JP2012153048A",
    "JP2013013711A",
    "JP2015204851A"
  ]
}

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