Tablet printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10486440-B2
Application number	US-201816017397-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2018
Priority date	Jun 26, 2017
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a tablet printing apparatus performs printing by using an inkjet print head device for a tablet conveyed by a conveying device. The conveying device includes a conveyor belt having a suction hole and configured to convey the tablet while sucking the tablet from the suction hole. The tablet printing apparatus further includes a rectifying board arranged at a distance from the conveyor belt so as to face a surface of the conveyor belt. The rectifying board has a gas permeability to let an airflow flowing toward the suction hole pass therethrough.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tablet printing apparatus performing printing by using an inkjet print head device for a tablet conveyed by a conveying device, wherein
the conveying device includes
a conveyor belt having a plurality of suction holes and configured to convey the tablet while sucking and holding the tablet by any of the suction holes, and
a rectifying board having a gas permeability and arranged so that an airflow flowing toward any of the suction holes can pass through the rectifying board, and
the rectifying board is arranged opposite to the conveyor belt across the tablet conveyed by the conveyor belt at a distance from the conveyor belt so as to face a surface of the conveyor belt.

2. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rectifying board is arranged to face a curved surface of the conveyor belt.

3. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rectifying board includes a receiving surface configured to receive a tablet falling from the surface of the conveyor belt.

4. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a housing arranged at a distance from the conveyor belt so as to face the surface of the conveyor belt, and configured to house the print head device,
wherein the rectifying board is arranged relative to the housing so as to be located outside the housing.

5. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a supply device configured to supply the tablet;
a first printing device configured to perform printing on the tablet supplied by the supply device;
a second printing device configured to perform printing on the tablet supplied by the supply device; and
a collecting device configured to collect the tablet having undergone the printing by either one or both of the first printing device and the second printing device, wherein
the supply device, the first printing device, and the second printing device include the conveyor belt, and
the first printing device and the second printing device include the print head device.

6. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rectifying board includes a plurality of through holes, and is arranged horizontally.

7. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rectifying board includes a plurality of through holes, and is arranged to be inclined to a horizontal direction.

8. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of rectifying boards arranged so as to sandwich a space between an upper surface of the rectifying board and a lower surface of the conveyor belt, the rectifying boards each having a gas permeability and arranged so that an airflow flowing toward any of the suction holes can pass through the rectifying boards.

9. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein gas permeability volume of the rectifying board is variable.

10. A tablet printing apparatus performing printing by using an inkjet print head device for a tablet conveyed by a conveying device, wherein
the conveying device includes
a conveyor belt having a plurality of suction holes and configured to convey the tablet while sucking and holding the tablet by any of the suction holes, and
a rectifying board having a gas permeability and arranged so that an airflow flowing toward any of the suction holes can pass through the rectifying board, and

the rectifying board is arranged to face the conveyor belt configured to convey the tablet by sucking the tablet from above.

11. The tablet printing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the rectifying board includes a receiving surface configured to receive a tablet falling from the surface of the conveyor belt.

Assignees

• Shibaura Mechatronics Corp

Inventors

• Hirano Azusa
• Tsuruoka Yasutsugu
• Haijima Hironori
• Kuribayashi Toru

Classifications

• B41J3/407 Primary

  for marking on special material · CPC title

• B41J11/0085 Primary

  Using suction for maintaining printing material flat (on rotatable drums B41J13/226) · CPC title

• B65G21/2036

  for retaining the load on the load-carrying surface (individual suction grippers B65G17/323) · CPC title

• B41J11/007

  Conveyor belts or like feeding devices · CPC title

• A61J3/007

  Marking tablets or the like (apparatus for printing on tablets or the like B41F17/36) · CPC title