CN112190480A

CN112190480A - Capsule filling machine

Info

Publication number: CN112190480A
Application number: CN202011145352.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 徐玫; 傅泽茂; 朱登新; T·B·威特罗尔; W·伦弗特; T·弗兰克
Original assignee: Xingdeke Package Technology Hangzhou Co Ltd
Current assignee: Syntegon Packaging Technology Hangzhou Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-10-23
Filing date: 2020-10-23
Publication date: 2021-01-08
Also published as: WO2022083727A1

Abstract

Disclosed is a capsule filling machine (1) comprising: a mold (11); a conveying mechanism (12); and a plurality of stations (13), wherein the plurality of stations comprises at least: at least two sequencing separation stations (131), a mold separation station (132), an unseparated capsule rejection station (133), at least one drug filling station (134), a mold alignment station (135), a capsule closing station (136), at least one capsule ejection station (137), and a cleaning station (138); the at least two sequencing separation stations comprise at least a first sequencing separation station (1311) for operating the holes of a first zone of the mould (11) and a second sequencing separation station (1312) for operating the holes of a second zone of the mould (11) different from the first zone, at least one of the first and second zones covering a partial area of at least two of the rows of holes of the mould. Can be operated efficiently and reliably.

Description

Capsule filling machine

Technical Field

The invention relates to a capsule filling machine.

Background

Various capsule filling machines are known in the industrial field and are used in the pharmaceutical field for filling capsules, including capsule bodies and caps, with a pharmaceutical product, in particular in the form of powder, granules or pellets. Capsule filling machines typically comprise a plurality of stations arranged along the revolving path of a transfer wheel.

The plurality of stations typically includes a capsule sorting station, a capsule separating station, an unseparated capsule rejection station, a capsule filling station, a capsule closing station, a capsule ejection station, a cleaning station, and the like. The capsule sorting station is used to sort the unordered empty capsules into aligned capsules, in particular into one or more rows, which are then placed into the respective molds. Along the periphery of the delivery wheel there are usually provided a plurality of moulds, each mould in turn usually having a plurality of holes for receiving respectively aligned capsules. When the aligned capsule is placed in the mold, the capsule separation station can separate the cap from the body, the separated body remains in the lower mold of the mold, and the separated cap can be retained by the upper mold of the mold. After the capsule cap is separated from the capsule body, the capsule body may be filled with a medicament at a capsule filling station. After the capsule body is filled with the medicament, the cap may be replaced onto the capsule body again to close the capsule, thereby forming a filled capsule at the capsule closing station. The filled capsules may be ejected at a capsule ejection station. Finally, a corresponding cleaning operation can be carried out at the cleaning station in order to be ready for the next filling cycle.

However, the working efficiency of the present capsule filling machines still needs to be improved to meet the increasing market demand.

Therefore, there may be a need to further improve existing capsule filling machines.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the technical problems of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved capsule filling machine.

In order to achieve the above object, there is provided a capsule filling machine including: a plurality of molds for holding capsules; a conveying mechanism for carrying the mold; and a plurality of stations arranged along the conveying mechanism, wherein the plurality of stations includes at least: at least two sorting separation stations for sorting disordered capsules and positioning the sorted capsules in a mould in an up-and-down separating manner, a mould separation station for separating upper and lower moulds of the mould, an unseparated capsule removing station for removing unseparated capsules, at least one medicine filling station for filling medicines, a mould alignment station for aligning the upper and lower moulds of the mould, a capsule closing station for closing the capsules up and down, at least one capsule ejecting station for ejecting closed filled capsules and a cleaning station for cleaning the mould; wherein the at least two sequencing separation stations comprise at least a first sequencing separation station for operating the orifices of a first region of the die and a second sequencing separation station for operating the orifices of a second region of the die different from the first region, at least one of the first and second regions covering a partial region of at least two rows of orifices of the plurality of rows of orifices of the die.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the transport mechanism is configured as a rotatable transport wheel; and/or the mold has at least three rows of holes.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the die has a first row of holes, a second row of holes, a third row of holes and a fourth row of holes which are arranged adjacently and in parallel in sequence; and/or the first and second sequenced separation stations are arranged adjacently.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, each row of holes comprises 12 holes; and/or the holes of the first region are a first row of holes and a third row of holes, and the holes of the second region are a second row of holes and a fourth row of holes; and/or any two adjacent rows of holes are staggered with each other along any extending direction of the rows; and/or the first row of holes is aligned with the third row of holes and the second row of holes is aligned with the fourth row of holes.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the second row of holes is staggered with respect to the first row of holes along a first extension direction of the rows, the third row of holes is staggered with respect to the second row of holes along a second extension direction of the rows opposite to the first extension direction, and the fourth row of holes is staggered with respect to the third row of holes along the first extension direction of the rows; and/or any two adjacent rows of holes are offset from each other by half the spacing between two adjacent holes in each row in either direction of extension of the rows.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the at least one drug filling station comprises at least a first filling station for filling holes of a first portion of the mould and a second filling station for filling holes of a second portion of the mould different from the first portion; and/or the at least one drug filling station further comprises at least one pellet filling station.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the holes of the first part are holes of a half-side part of the mould and the holes of the second part are holes of the other half-side part of the mould.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the at least one capsule ejection station comprises at least a first capsule ejection station for ejecting closed filled capsules within apertures in a first range of the mould and a second capsule ejection station for ejecting closed filled capsules within apertures in a second range of the mould different from the first range; and/or the capsule filling machine comprises at least 15 stations in total; and/or the rotational speed of the conveying mechanism is 125rpm-140 rpm.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first capsule ejection station is adapted to eject capsules respectively filled by the first filling station, and the second capsule ejection station is adapted to eject capsules respectively filled by the second filling station.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, at least one standby station for additional functions is reserved between the most downstream sequencing separation station and the mould separation station in the at least two sequencing separation stations; and/or the pellet filling station is arranged between the mould separating station and the unseparated capsule rejecting station; and/or when the at least one medication filling station comprises at least two filling stations, at least one standby station for additional functions is reserved between the at least two filling stations.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, a first standby station and a second standby station are reserved between the most downstream of the at least two sequenced separation stations and the mould separation station.

According to the invention, the filling efficiency can be greatly improved. Moreover, the capsule filling machine of the present invention can achieve stable filling results. In other words, not only the accuracy of filling but also a stable filling quality can be achieved. Furthermore, the provision of a standby station also offers a number of possibilities for the functional extension of the capsule filling machine.

Drawings

The invention and its advantages may be further understood by reading the following detailed description of some preferred exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. The drawings comprise:

fig. 1 schematically shows a basic configuration of a capsule filling machine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a top view of a mold according to an alternative exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a first part and a second part of a mould according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In the following, some exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings in order to better understand the basic concept of the invention. The inventive subject matter may, however, be embodied in many different forms. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of these subject matter to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like reference numerals designate like parts, elements, components or devices.

As shown in fig. 1, the capsule filling machine 1 may comprise: a plurality of moulds 11 for holding capsules, a conveying mechanism 12 for carrying said moulds 11 and a plurality of stations 13 arranged along said conveying mechanism 12, wherein said plurality of stations 13 comprises at least two sorting and separating stations 131 for sorting unordered capsules and positioning the sorted capsules separately up and down into the moulds 11, a mould separating station 132 for separating the upper and lower moulds of the moulds 11, an unseparated capsule rejecting station 133 for rejecting unseparated capsules, at least one medicament filling station 134 for filling medicaments, a mould aligning station 135 for aligning the upper and lower moulds of the moulds 11, a capsule closing station 136 for closing the capsules up and down, at least one capsule ejecting station 137 for ejecting closed filled capsules and a cleaning station 138 for cleaning the moulds 11.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the conveyor mechanism 12 may be configured as a rotatable conveyor wheel, as shown in FIG. 1. Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the delivery structure 12 is not so limited.

It is noted that the exemplary capsule filling machine 1 shown in fig. 1 operates with a clockwise rotation, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Fig. 2 shows a top view of a mold 11 according to an alternative exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 2, the die 11 has four rows of holes, i.e. a first row of holes 111, a second row of holes 112, a third row of holes 113 and a fourth row of holes 114, preferably arranged in parallel, each row of holes containing 12 holes, thus totaling 48 holes. Each aperture should be able to receive one capsule.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, as shown in fig. 1, the at least two sequencing and separating stations 131 may comprise a first sequencing and separating station 1311 and a second sequencing and separating station 1312, preferably arranged adjacently, wherein the first sequencing and separating station 1311 is adapted to operate on the holes of a first zone of the mould 11 and the second sequencing and separating station 1312 is adapted to operate on the holes of a second zone (in this case the remaining zone) of the mould 11, other than the first zone. After the respective mold 11 passes through the second sequencing and separation station 1312, all of its holes are filled with capsules. At this time, the cap and body of the capsule are in a separated state in the mold 11.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the first and second areas covers a partial area of at least two rows of holes of the plurality of rows of holes of the mold 11.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the holes of the first area are a first row of holes 111 and a third row of holes 113, and the holes of the second area are a second row of holes 112 and a fourth row of holes 114. In particular, the first sorting and separating station 1311 is used to sort unordered capsules and position the sorted capsules into the first and third rows of

holes

111, 113, and the second sorting and separating station 1312 is used to sort unordered capsules and position the sorted capsules into the second and fourth rows of

holes

112, 114. Preferably, the holes of each row are uniformly arranged and the pitch of the holes of each row is the same as each other.

By this way of operating in spaced rows, the means of the first 1311 and second 1312 sequencing and separating stations can be more easily constructed and allow the spacing between the rows to be smaller, which in turn makes the capsule filling machine 1 more compact.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, any two adjacent rows of holes, e.g., the first row of holes 111 and the second row of holes 112, are offset from each other in the direction in which the rows extend, preferably by half the spacing between two adjacent holes in each row of holes, as shown, for example, in fig. 2. In this way, the holes can be formed more densely.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the "rows" herein are relative to a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the sequenced separation station pushes the capsules horizontally during operation. In some cases, the rows are also relative to a direction perpendicular to the radial direction of the transport wheels.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first region may also be a lateral partial region of the mold 11. In this case, for example, the first sequencing separation station 1311 may operate on the holes of the right half area of the mold 11 shown in fig. 2, while the second sequencing separation station 1312 may operate on the holes of the left half area of the mold 11 shown in fig. 2.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not so limited and can be adapted accordingly depending on the specific design of the first and second sequenced

separation stations

1311, 1312.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the mould 11 has at least three rows of holes to increase the filling efficiency of the capsule filling machine 1 as much as possible.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 1, the at least one medicine filling station 134 may include at least two filling stations, including, for example, a first filling station 1341 and a second filling station 1342, wherein the first filling station 1341 is used for filling the holes of a first portion of the mold 11, and the second filling station 1342 is used for filling the holes of a second portion of the mold 11 (in this case, the remaining holes) except the first portion. The filling station may be used for filling powdered medications, for filling pellets, or any other possible form of medication.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a first part 115 and a second part 116 of a mould 11 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 3, the first portion 115 is a left half of the mold 11, and the second portion 116 is a right half of the mold 11. In fig. 3, the first portion 115 and the second portion 116 are schematically separated by a fold line 117.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the first and

second portions

115, 116 shown in fig. 3 are exemplary only, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be adjusted accordingly depending on the specific design of the first and

second filling stations

1341, 1342.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 1, the drug filling station 134 may also include at least one pellet filling station 1343. Likewise, as the name suggests, the pellet filling station is for filling tiny pills.

Since the first filling station 1341 and/or the second filling station 1342 may be filled with powder and/or pellets themselves, and particularly when combined with the pellet filling station, the capsule filling machine 1 may selectively fill powder-like drugs and/or pellet-like drugs according to the filling task, thereby enriching the functions of the capsule filling machine 1 and expanding the application scenarios of the capsule filling machine 1.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the at least one capsule ejection station 137 may comprise at least two capsule ejection stations, here as shown in fig. 1, a first capsule ejection station 1371 and a second capsule ejection station 1372, wherein the first capsule ejection station 1371 may be used to eject closed filled capsules within the holes of the mold 11 in a first range and the second capsule ejection station 1372 may be used to eject closed filled capsules within the holes of the mold 11 in a second range, in this case the remaining holes, other than the first range.

Similar to the first and

second filling stations

1341, 1342, the first and second

capsule ejection stations

1371, 1372 may be used to eject capsules within any suitable range of apertures on the mold 11, respectively. For example, according to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a first capsule ejection station 1371 may be used to eject capsules correspondingly filled by the first filling station 1341, while a second capsule ejection station 1372 may be used to eject capsules correspondingly filled by the second filling station 1342.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 1, at least one standby station for additional functions is reserved between the most downstream sequenced separation station (e.g., the second sequenced separation station 1312) of the at least two sequenced separation stations 131 and the mold separation station 132. For example, as shown in fig. 1, a first standby station 139 and a second standby station 140 are reserved. At said optional stations, suitable devices can be arranged to operate according to the needs.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 1, a pellet filling station 1343 may be disposed between the mold separation station 132 and the unseparated capsule ejection station 133. This arrangement of the pellet filling station 1343 takes into account the characteristics of the pellets and the arrangement of the overall capsule filling machine. It is conceivable that the dropping of the pellets is easily collected even if there is an unseparated capsule.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when the at least one drug filling station 134 comprises at least two filling stations, at least one standby station may be reserved between the at least two filling stations.

For example, a third standby station 141 may be reserved between the first filling station 1341 and the second filling station 1342, as shown in fig. 1.

As can also be seen from fig. 1, the capsule filling machine 1 comprises, by way of example, 15 stations.

According to the invention, the filling efficiency can be greatly improved. For example, if the die 11 shown in fig. 2 is used, which has 48 holes, 125 × 48 capsules per minute can be filled to a maximum of 6000 capsules at a feed wheel speed of 125rpm (up to 140rpm, for example 125rpm can be used to reduce wear). Moreover, the capsule filling machine of the present invention can achieve stable filling results. In other words, not only the accuracy of filling but also a stable filling quality can be achieved. Furthermore, the provision of a standby station also offers a number of possibilities for the functional extension of the capsule filling machine 1.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover all such modifications, alterations, and changes as fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. Capsule filling machine (1) comprising:

a plurality of moulds (11) for holding capsules;

-a conveying mechanism (12) for carrying the moulds (11); and

a plurality of stations (13) arranged along the conveyor means (12), wherein the plurality of stations (13) comprises at least: at least two sorting and separating stations (131) for sorting unordered capsules and positioning the sorted capsules separately up and down into the mould (11), a mould separating station (132) for separating the upper and lower moulds of the mould (11), an unseparated capsule rejecting station (133) for rejecting unseparated capsules, at least one medicine filling station (134) for filling medicine, a mould aligning station (135) for aligning the upper and lower moulds of the mould (11), a capsule closing station (136) for closing the capsules up and down, at least one capsule ejecting station (137) for ejecting closed filled capsules, and a cleaning station (138) for cleaning the mould (11);

wherein the at least two sequenced separation stations (131) comprise at least a first sequenced separation station (1311) and a second sequenced separation station (1312), the first sequenced separation station (1311) being intended to operate on the holes of a first zone of the mould (11), the second sequenced separation station (1312) being intended to operate on the holes of a second zone of the mould (11) different from the first zone, at least one of said first and second zones covering a partial area of at least two rows of holes of the plurality of rows of holes of the mould (11).

2. The capsule filling machine (1) according to claim 1,

the conveying mechanism (12) is configured as a rotatable conveying wheel; and/or

The die (11) has at least three rows of holes.

3. The capsule filling machine (1) according to claim 2,

the die (11) is provided with a first row of holes (111), a second row of holes (112), a third row of holes (113) and a fourth row of holes (114) which are sequentially arranged adjacently in parallel; and/or

The first sequenced separation station (1311) and the second sequenced separation station (1312) are adjacently disposed.

4. Capsule filling machine (1) according to claim 3,

each row of holes comprises 12 holes; and/or

The holes of the first area are a first row of holes (111) and a third row of holes (113), and the holes of the second area are a second row of holes (112) and a fourth row of holes (114); and/or

Any two adjacent rows of holes are staggered with each other along any extending direction of the rows; and/or

The first row of holes (111) is aligned with a third row of holes (113), and the second row of holes (112) is aligned with a fourth row of holes (114).

5. The capsule filling machine (1) according to claim 4,

the second row of holes (112) is staggered with respect to the first row of holes (111) along a first extension direction of the rows, the third row of holes (113) is staggered with respect to the second row of holes (112) along a second extension direction of the rows opposite to the first extension direction, the fourth row of holes (114) is staggered with respect to the third row of holes (113) along the first extension direction of the rows; and/or

Any two adjacent rows of holes are offset from each other by half the spacing between two adjacent holes in each row in either direction of extension of the rows.

6. Capsule filling machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the at least one drug filling station (134) comprises at least a first filling station (1341) and a second filling station (1342), wherein the first filling station (1341) is configured to fill holes of a first portion of the mold (11) and the second filling station (1342) is configured to fill holes of a second portion of the mold (11) different from the first portion; and/or

The at least one drug filling station (134) further includes at least one pellet filling station (1343).

7. The capsule filling machine (1) according to claim 6,

the holes of the first portion (115) are holes of a half-side portion of the mold (11), and the holes of the second portion (116) are holes of the other half-side portion of the mold (11).

8. Capsule filling machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the at least one capsule ejection station (137) comprises at least a first capsule ejection station (1371) and a second capsule ejection station (1372), wherein the first capsule ejection station (1371) is for ejecting closed filled capsules within apertures in a first range of a mould (11), and the second capsule ejection station (1372) is for ejecting closed filled capsules within apertures in a second range of a mould (11) different from the first range; and/or

The capsule filling machine (1) comprises at least 15 stations in total; and/or

The rotating speed of the conveying mechanism is 125-140 rpm.

9. The capsule filling machine (1) according to claim 8,

the first capsule ejection station (1371) is used for ejecting capsules respectively filled by the first filling station (1341), and the second capsule ejection station (1372) is used for ejecting capsules respectively filled by the second filling station (1342).

10. Capsule filling machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

at least one standby station for additional functions is reserved between the most downstream sequencing separation station of the at least two sequencing separation stations (131) and the mold separation station (132); and/or

The pellet filling station (1343) is arranged between a mold separation station (132) and the unseparated capsule ejection station (133); and/or

When the at least one medication filling station (134) comprises at least two filling stations, at least one standby station for additional functions is reserved between the at least two filling stations.

11. The capsule filling machine (1) according to claim 10,

a first standby station (139) and a second standby station (140) are reserved between the most downstream sequencing separation station of the at least two sequencing separation stations (131) and the mold separation station (132).