AUTOMATIC GEL RIBBON THICKNESS ADJUSTMENT DEVICE

An automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device is provided. The automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device includes a driving device installed on a spreader box for supplying liquid gelatin to a casting drum by spreading the liquid gelatin in a sheet form, a blocking plate of the spreader box moves vertically by the driving device to adjust an opening width of an outlet, a thickness measurement device is installed on a path through which the gel ribbon in the casting drum is supplied to a forming machine, and a controller controls the driving device, the spreader box includes a blocking plate elastically supported on a box body having a hollow portion and is movable vertically, and the driving device presses the elastically supported blocking plate to stably adjust the thickness of the gel ribbon while adjusting the opening width of the outlet.

BACKGROUND

The disclosure relates to an automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device for supplying liquid gelatin by spreading the liquid gelatin in a sheet form. More particularly, the disclosure relates to an automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device which can automatically adjust a thickness of a gel ribbon while reducing malfunction occurred when a spreader box supplies the liquid gelatin by spreading the liquid gelatin in a sheet form and a load applied to a driving motor.

2. Description of Related Art

Generally, when a gelatin capsule manufacturing device supplies a raw material, which is supplied in a liquid state from gelatin supply devices, onto a casting drum in a sheet form in a state where the gelatin supply devices are provided symmetrically on both sides of the gelatin capsule manufacturing device, the casting drum cools and solidifies liquid gelatin, and guide rollers guide a gelatin sheet (also referred to as a gelatin ribbon or a gel ribbon) in the casting drum to supply the gelatin sheet to a forming machine. In this case, the forming machine laminates a pair of gelatin sheets (also referred to as gelatin ribbons or gel ribbons) guided by the guide rollers provided on left and right sides thereof, respectively, to form capsules, and at the same time, encapsulates the pair of gelatin sheets while injecting a chemical solution thereinto.

The gelatin supply device herein supplies the liquid gelatin to a spreader box, and the spreader box supplies the liquid gelatin onto the casting drum that is slowly rotated to form the liquid gelatin into a sheet form.

In this case, a thickness of the gel ribbon varies depending on a type and amount, or application of the chemical solution during encapsulation of the gelatin sheet (also referred to as a gelatin ribbon or a gel ribbon).

Therefore, the conventional gelatin supply device adjusts a thickness of a gelatin ribbon, which is discharged manually, by forming an adjustment knob on the spreader box to adjust a height of an outlet.

In the above method, a worker adjusts the height of the outlet while visually and repeatedly measuring the thickness of the sheet, so that the thickness is inaccurately measured, a waiting time to readjust the thickness becomes longer, and a cost is lost.

Therefore, Applicant of the disclosure has separately developed an automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device (Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-1580825) capable of automatically adjusting a thickness of a gelatin sheet and supplying the gelatin sheet.

That is, Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-1580825 discloses an automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device which can automatically control a thickness of a gel ribbon, in which a driving device is separately installed on a spreader box for supplying liquid gelatin to a casting drum in a sheet form, a blocking plate is moved up and down by the driving device to adjust an opening width of an outlet, a thickness measurement device is installed on a path through which the gel ribbon is supplied, and a controller controls the driving device based on information measured through the thickness measurement device.

However, in the automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device as described above, the blocking plate, which is moved up and down, is simultaneously lifted and supported by driving motors provided on left and right sides, and maintains a state of the blocking plate constant, so that whenever the liquid gelatin contained in the spreader box is discharged out of the outlet, a considerable load is applied to the driving motors, resulting in failures.

According to an embodiment, as the driving motors provided on the left and right sides are operated unbalanced due to a wear state or pressure difference occurred when the blocking plate is moved up and down, the blocking plate may not move or malfunction.

Moreover, when a pressure, which is equal to or higher than a set pressure, is applied to the spreader box having a limited space and the liquid gelatin overflows out of the outlet, an area around the outlet is contaminated, and in this case, the driving device located around the blocking plate is also contaminated, so that it is possible to perform cleaning only when connected components are separated one by one.

In addition, the gel ribbon guided by the guide rollers is soft, and a thickness of the gel ribbon is changed during guiding, so that it is inevitable to measure the thickness when the gel ribbon is finally introduced into the forming machine, and oil needs to be applied to an inside and outside of the gel ribbon using an oil roller so as to prevent the gel ribbon from smearing on the guide rollers in the middle of guiding. This is because whenever a displacement sensor measures the thickness of the gel ribbon, the thickness of the gel ribbon may be erroneously measured due to a thickness of the oil applied to the inside and outside of the gel ribbon.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to adjust a thickness of a gel ribbon while reducing a load applied to a driving motor when liquid gelatin is received and supplied by being spread in a sheet form and stably moving a blocking plate.

Another aspect of the disclosure is to easily and detachably mount a driving device by modularizing the driving device mounted on a spreader box, so that even if liquid gelatin overflows and contaminates an area around the driving device, the modularized driving device can be immediately cleaned by being easily separated from the spreader box and secure convenience of setting.

Another aspect of the disclosure is to more accurately measure a thickness of a gel ribbon and automatically adjust the thickness of the gel ribbon.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, an automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device is provided. The automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device automatically controls a thickness of a gel ribbon, in which a driving device is installed on a spreader box for supplying liquid gelatin to a casting drum by spreading the liquid gelatin in a sheet form, a blocking plate of the spreader box is moved vertically by the driving device so as to adjust an opening width of an outlet, a thickness measurement device is installed on a path through which the gel ribbon in the casting drum guided by a guide roller is supplied to a forming machine, and a controller controls the driving device installed on the spreader box based on information measured through the thickness measurement device, wherein the spreader box of the automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device includes a blocking plate which is elastically supported on a box body having a hollow portion and is movable vertically, and the driving device presses the elastically supported blocking plate to stably adjust the thickness of the gel ribbon while adjusting the opening width of the outlet.

Therefore, in the disclosure, when an error occurs in the thickness of the gel ribbon, the thickness of the gel ribbon is adjusted, thereby minimizing unnecessarily wasted time or an amount of lost gelatin.

In particular, as the blocking plate of the spreader box is elastically supported, a lifted state of the blocking plate can be stably maintained, and as the opening width of the outlet is adjusted by pressurization of the driving device, a load applied to the driving motor can be minimized, and the thickness of the gel ribbon can be adjusted by stably moving the blocking plate.

In addition, in the disclosure, as the driving device is detachably assembled on the spreader box in a modularized state, the driving device can be cleaned after simply separating the entire driving device when the gelatin overflows.

In addition, in the disclosure, after the displacement sensor, which is provided on the guide wall, stably and accurately measures the thickness of the gel ribbon passing through the mounting jig, oil is applied to the inside of the gel ribbon, such that the thickness of the gel ribbon can be more accurately adjusted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Accordingly, the embodiments described in the specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely preferred embodiments according to the disclosure, and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications may be substituted therefor at the time of filing of the present application.

In addition, the expression “configured” or “formed” herein is not limited to its closed sense, and should be interpreted in “open” sense as “include” or “provide.”

Hereinafter, a detailed description for carrying out the disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG.1shows an overall appearance of a gelatin capsule manufacturing device mounted with an automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device according to an embodiment of the disclosure,FIG.2shows a partial enlarged automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device according to an embodiment of the disclosure, andFIG.3is a front view ofFIG.1according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring toFIGS.1to3, a gelatin capsule manufacturing device of the disclosure manufactures an easy-to-take chemical solution capsule, in which in a state where gelatin supply devices1are provided symmetrically on both sides thereof, a raw material, which is supplied in a liquid state from the gelatin supply devices, is supplied onto a casting drum2by spreading the raw material in a sheet form, the casting drum cools and solidifies liquid gelatin, the gel ribbon solidified by the casting drum is supplied to a forming machine4while being guided by guide rollers3, and the forming machine laminates a pair of gel ribbons, which is supplied by the guide rollers3provided on left and right sides thereof, to form a capsule, and at the same time, injects a chemical solution thereinto.

In this case, the gelatin capsule manufacturing device includes an automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device5which can automatically control a thickness of a sheet when the liquid gelatin is supplied by being spread in a sheet form.

The automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device5includes a spreader box10having an outlet11formed therein to supply the liquid gelatin in a sheet form, a driving device20for adjusting an opening width of the outlet11of the spreader box10, a thickness measurement device40for measuring a thickness of a gel ribbon guided to the forming machine4by the guide rollers3, and a controller50for controlling the driving device20installed on the spreader box by receiving a signal from the thickness measurement device40.

FIGS.4,5,6,7,8,9, and10show states of the spreader box and the driving device of the automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring toFIGS.4to10, in the automatic gel ribbon thickness adjustment device5according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the spreader box10includes a blocking plate13which is elastically supported on a box body12and is movable vertically, and the driving device20presses the elastically supported blocking plate13to stably adjust the thickness of the gel ribbon while adjusting the opening width of the outlet11.

In this case, the spreader box10receives the liquid gelatin from a melting tank, which stores the liquid gelatin, and supplies the liquid gelatin onto the casting drum2by spreading the liquid gelatin in a sheet form, and the outlet11is laterally formed on a lower end of the spreader box10and is mounted closely to the casting drum2.

In addition, the spreader box10has the blocking plate13mounted on the box body12having a hollow portion, in which the blocking plate13is slidably mounted in a vertical direction, and the opening width of the outlet11is adjusted while adjusting a height of the blocking plate13by the driving device20.

In this case, a fixing rod17is provided on an upper rear portion of the blocking plate13in a horizontal direction, extension portions15are provided on left and right sidewalls14of the spreader box10to protrude rearward of the blocking plate13, support rods16crossing the blocking plate13are fixed to the extension portions15on the left and right sidewalls, respectively, in a state where the support rods16are positioned below the fixing rod17to correspond to the fixing rod17, and an assembling member19is provided in a space between the fixing rod17and the support rods16while being supported by an elastic body, so that as the blocking plate13is elastically supported by the support rods16positioned below the fixing rod and an elastic body18, the outlet for discharging the gelatin can be stably maintained while maintaining a lifted state of the blocking plate13.

In addition, the driving device20is configured to adjust the thickness of the gel ribbon while adjusting a width of the opened outlet11by moving the blocking plate13of the spreader box10, in particular, the driving device20is detachably assembled in a state where the driving device is modularized on the blocking plate13of the spreader box10.

In this case, the driving device20has a mounting plate21formed laterally by a length between the extension portions15on the left and right sidewalls, support portions are formed by downwardly bending left and right side ends of the mounting plate, and the support portions are detachably assembled using a fastening unit26in a state where the support portions are placed on the extension portions15, respectively.

In addition, a plurality of driving motors22are provided on the mounting plate21so that left and right sides of the mounting plate21are not lifted to different heights due to a pressure at which the gelatin is discharged.

Each moving shaft of the driving motors perforates the mounting plate21to protrude downward at the same time when each driving motor22is operated so that the fixing rod is pressed, and a proximity sensor23is provided around each of the driving motors22to adjust a zero point according to moving up and down of the blocking plate13. In this case, the proximity sensor23is fixedly installed on a mounting member24to check a position of the fixing rod17through the mounting plate21, so that when the gelatin in the spreader box10overflows, the entire driving device20can be easily separated from the spreader box10only by releasing the fastening unit26provided on the support rod of the mounting plate21, and the contaminated spreader box10can thus be easily cleaned and reset.

In addition, according to an embodiment, the driving device20may further include a protection case25that is detachably provided on the mounting plate21.

Further, the proximity sensor23is configured to detect a position of the fixing rod17that moves up and down in a through-hole while being supported by the mounting member24by forming the through-hole in the mounting plate21in a vertical direction and installing the mounting member24around the through-hole, so that the blocking plate is safely moved by the driving motor in a limited range by setting the position when the outlet11is fully closed or fully opened as a reference point.

In addition, a leveling device30is configured to support the spreader box10by assembling the spreader box10and prevent the spreader box10from being in close contact with the casting drum2due to an excessive pressure, and the leveling device30includes a bracket for mounting the spreader box10, a mounting member for mounting the bracket, a shaft for enabling a lifting operation in a state where the bracket is mounted on the mounting member, and a spring for maintaining a close contact state between the spreader box and the casting drum while reducing a load of the spreader device pressed by the casting drum.

In addition, a reference block, which is in close contact with a surface of the casting drum2, may be mounted on a lower end of the spreader box10, in which the reference block is preferably formed of a synthetic resin with good durability and low surface friction coefficient.

FIGS.11,12,13, and14show configurations of the thickness measurement device according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring toFIGS.11to14, guide rollers3of the disclosure are to guide the gel ribbon cooled by the casting drum to the forming machine, and only one oil roller3ais provided to apply oil to only an outer side of the gel ribbon when the soft gel ribbon is guided and supplied to the forming machine.

In particular, the thickness measurement device40is provided between the forming machine4and the guide rollers3to accurately measure the thickness of the gel ribbon when the soft gel ribbon is supplied to the forming machine.

In this case, the thickness measurement device40includes another guide roller46provided between left and right sidewalls of a mounting jig to supply the gel ribbon guided to the inside of a mounting jig41, which is perforated in a front-rear direction, by the guide rollers3to the forming machine4, and another oil roller47for applying oil to the inside of the gel ribbon just before the gel ribbon guided by the other guide roller46is supplied to the forming machine.

Moreover, support walls43protruding upward are formed on left and right sidewalls42of the mounting jig41, a guide wall44is provided between the support walls43on the left and right sidewalls42, and a displacement sensor45, which measures the thickness of the gel ribbon, is provided on the guide wall, so that the displacement sensor45provided on the guide wall more stably and accurately measures the thickness of the gel ribbon passing through the mounting jig41, and adjusts the thickness.

For reference, the controller50checks whether an error occurs by receiving a value through the displacement sensor of the thickness measurement device to compare a thickness value thereof with a thickness value set by an operator. Moreover, when an error occurs, the controller50generates a correction value for adjusting the thickness of the gel ribbon to correspond to the error, and then applies the correction value to the driving motors of the driving device20, so that the driving motor presses the elastically supported blocking plate13to stably adjust the thickness of the gel ribbon.

In this case, the controller50may include a button or touch panel for adjusting the thickness of gelatin, and a display panel capable of checking the set value or the measured thickness value.

Moreover, when the thickness of the gel ribbon discharged from the spreader box10is corrected, the controller50has a delay time not to control the driving device20until the gel ribbon reaches the displacement sensor45.

That is, when after the thickness is measured from the displacement sensor45the controller50controls the driving device20to correct the thickness of the gel ribbon and adjust the height of the blocking plate, the controller50repeatedly performs an operation in which a standby state is maintained/reflected during the delay time at which the gel ribbon discharged from the spreader box10is transferred until the gel ribbon reaches the displacement sensor45via the casting drum2and the guide rollers3, and then the thickness of the gel ribbon is measured and corrected.

In addition, when an error of thickness of the gel ribbon is detected from the displacement sensor45, the controller50preferably controls the blocking plate13of the spreader box10to gradually open without controlling the blocking plate13to instantaneously open, and in particular, a time to adjust the height of the blocking plate13preferably includes the delay time described above.