Device and method for printing and inspecting tablet

A device for printing a tablet and inspecting an exterior of the tablet, comprising:

• a transfer unit arranging and transferring tablets supplied from a tablet supplier in a line;
• a pre-printing image-capturing unit located on a transfer path on which the tablets are transferred to discriminate positions and orientations of the tablets, and disposed to capture images of exteriors of the tablets being transferred;
• a tablet printing unit located next to the pre-printing image-capturing unit on the transfer path on which the tablets are transferred, and printing the tablets being transferred, in consideration of discriminated results acquired from the images captured by the pre-printing image-capturing unit;
• and
• a post-printing image-capturing unit located next to the tablet printing unit on the transfer path on which the tablets are transferred, and capturing images of exteriors of the printed tablets being transferred, to inspect the images or printed results of the printed tablets;
• wherein the pre-printing image-capturing unit acquires images of exteriors of the tablets being transferred, to recognize positions of the tablets, and transfers tablet information including information on orientations, shift changes, and rotations of the tablets obtained from the acquiring the images, to a controller, and
• the controller calculates a correction value including a position change value and a rotation value of the tablet printing unit in real time, based on the tablet information, and controls a laser irradiation position or a laser irradiation amount of the tablet printing unit, based on the correction value, and
• the post-printing image-capturing unit performs capturing images of at least one of a lateral surface and lateral edge of the tablet being transferred and an upper or lower surface of the tablet,
• wherein the tablet printing unit is configured to see a UV laser, and
• wherein the controller compares whether a character boundary line of a printed portion on the one surfaces of the tablets, captured by the post-printing image-capturing unit, and a character boundary line to be intended for printing are the same, and inspects whether a position of the character boundary line of the printed portion on the one surfaces of the tablets is in a central portion of each of the tablets, to discriminate whether the printed surface of each of the tablets is good.