Shibaura Mechatronics Corporation

Hitoshi Aoyagi

Ryo Ikuta

Hikaru Hoshino

Shinichi Ogimoto

Azusa Hirano

Yutaka Okabe

Yasutsugu Tsuruoka

Junsuke Komito

Toru Kuribayashi

Junpei Tanaka

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.

Tablet printing apparatus

According to one embodiment, a tablet printing apparatus includes: a conveyor configured to convey tablets sequentially supplied thereto while sucking and holding the tablets by a suction chamber; a print head located to face the conveyor and configured to elect ink to the tablet conveyed by the conveyor to perform printing; and partition wallsand suction pathsthat serve as a suction force adjusting device configured to reduce a suction force applied to the tablet at a conveyance position facing the print head to be lower than a suction force applied to the tablet at conveyance positions in front of and behind the conveyance position.

Tablet printing apparatus and tablet printing method

According to one embodiment, a tablet printing apparatus includes a conveyor configured to convey tablets sequentially supplied while sucking and holding the tablets; a print head arranged to face the conveyor to perform printing on each of the tablets being conveyed; a detector arranged upstream of the print head to detect the posture of each of the tablets; and a print condition tester arranged downstream of the print head to check print condition on each of the tablets. Suction force applied to the tablets is reduced at least in an area from a detection position to a print condition check position than in other area.

[Problem to be Solved] To provide a tablet printing apparatus that can prevent drying of ink on the tip end of each nozzle of an inkjet printing mechanism, when a tablet does not arrive at a print position. [Solution] A tablet printing apparatus includes: conveyor mechanismthat conveys sequentially fed tablets by moving a conveyor belt; an inkjet printing mechanism that performs printing on a tablet in a print position; a suction mechanismthat holds a tablet on the surface of the conveyor belt in a predetermined area including at least the print position by sucking in air; determination means (S) that determines whether a tablet arrives at the print position; and head retreat means (, S) that retreats an inkjet headsuch that a tip end part of each of the nozzles of the inkjet printing mechanism goes away from the surface of the conveyor belt, when it is determined that a tablet does not arrive at the print position.

According to one embodiment, a tablet printing apparatus includes: a first conveyor conveying a tablet while holding a other surface of the tablet; a second conveyor conveying the tablet transferred from the first conveyor while holding a one surface of the tablet; a first print head performing printing on the one surface of the tablet; a second print head performing printing on the other surface of the tablet; a first detection mechanism detecting the one surface of the tablet; a second detection mechanism detecting the other surface of the tablet; and a controller sending a printing instruction to the first and the second print heads based on information related to the state of a split line included in detection information on the one surface of the tablet or detection information on the other surface of the tablet.

According to one embodiment, a tablet printing apparatus includes: a conveyor; an inkjet head configured to eject ink from a nozzle to a tablet conveyed by the conveyor to perform printing; an ink tank configured to contain the ink to be supplied to the inkjet head; a moving device configured to change the height of the ink tank; and a control unit configured to control the moving device. The control unit controls the moving device to change the height of the ink tank based on a use amount of the ink figured out in advance to maintain a head difference between the height of the liquid level of the ink in the ink tank and the height of a nozzle forming surface, where the nozzle is formed in the inkjet head, at a predetermined value.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Hitoshi Aoyagi