EP0197900A2 - Verteilungsvorrichtung für pharmazeutische Produkte - Google Patents

Verteilungsvorrichtung für pharmazeutische Produkte Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0197900A2
EP0197900A2 EP86850035A EP86850035A EP0197900A2 EP 0197900 A2 EP0197900 A2 EP 0197900A2 EP 86850035 A EP86850035 A EP 86850035A EP 86850035 A EP86850035 A EP 86850035A EP 0197900 A2 EP0197900 A2 EP 0197900A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
feed
means according
control unit
transfer
pharmaceuticals
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP86850035A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0197900B1 (de
EP0197900A3 (en
Inventor
Nils Sarv
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
APOTEKSBOLAGET AB
Original Assignee
APOTEKSBOLAGET AB
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by APOTEKSBOLAGET AB filed Critical APOTEKSBOLAGET AB
Publication of EP0197900A2 publication Critical patent/EP0197900A2/de
Publication of EP0197900A3 publication Critical patent/EP0197900A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0197900B1 publication Critical patent/EP0197900B1/de
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B35/00—Supplying, feeding, arranging or orientating articles to be packaged
    • B65B35/30—Arranging and feeding articles in groups
    • B65B35/34—Arranging and feeding articles in groups by agitators or vibrators

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a means for dispensing solid pharmaceuticals in the form of pills, tablets, capsules and the like into medication receptacles, said means comprising a control unit and a feeding unit controlled by the control unit and containing a plurality of feed-in stations, one feed-out means from which the pharmaceuticals are supplied to the medication receptacles, transport members by which the pharmaceuticals are carried from the feed-in stations to the feed-out means, and a positioning member bringing the medication receptacles into position in relation to the feed-out means.
  • a tablet from the stock is vibrated out into the receptacle by means of a vibration magnet activated by the control unit.
  • a photoelectric arrangement emits a signal to the control unit each time a tablet is dispensed.
  • the control unit disconnects the vibration means and causes the revolver head to be indexed forward to the next desired position, and so on.
  • a printer writes out a label with information as to patient and medicine and the label is then secured to the receptacle.
  • the feeding unit 1 comprises a frame supporting the construction elements making up the unit, enclosed in a casing 4. An opening 5 is provided, through which the receptacles 25 to be filled with medicine are inserted. On each side of a feed-out means 12 in the upper part of the feeding unit 1 are a plurality of stationary vibration channels 6. Each channel 6 leads from a feed-in station 32 through which the tablets are fed onto a channel.
  • the channels 6 are elongate and formed in sections 7, 8, 9, 10, 16. The sections are stepwise one after the other.
  • the channels 6 have a relatively obtuse-angled cross section, see Fig. 4, but the channel halves incline sufficiently to ensure that the tablets tend towards the middle of the channel 6 during their movement in longitudinal direction.
  • Each transport channel is vibrated individually by an electromagnet 11 supplied with alternating current.
  • a channel 6 When a channel 6 is vibrated with a frequency and/or amplitude equivalent to the physical properties, i.e. size, weight, shape of the tablets in the channel 6, they will be moved along the channel and, due to the inclination of the sides, will strive towards the middle of the channel. Since the channel 6 is stepped, tablets piled on top of each other will be separated on the drop from one section to the next. At the end of the channel 6 a tablet will fall over the edge into a feed-out means and thence into the medication receptacle.
  • the feed-out means comprises at least one funnel 12 with its orifice above the desired medication receptacle.
  • a tablet falls from a channel 6 into the funnel 12 it breaks a light beam illuminating a photocell 13, which thus emits a pulse to the control unit 2.
  • the current to the vibration magnet 11 in each channel 6 will be disconnected so that no more tablets are fed along this channel.
  • each funnel 12 is supplied by four vibration channels 6.
  • each channel may of course have its own feed-out means or all the tracks 6 may be connected to a single feed-out means which then supplies tablets to a single receptacle.
  • Each channel 6 leads from a feed-in station 32 by which tablets are supplied to the end section 16 of a channel 6.
  • the feed-in station 32 comprises a holder 19 above the channel 6, provided with a through-hole 20, its opening located above an inlet 18 to the end section 16.
  • the holder 19 is provided with a circular recess 21 into which a jar 22 containing pharmaceuticals is placed, with the jar opening directed downwardly.
  • the hole 20 is of course in the bottom of the recess 21..To prevent the contents of the jar 22 from running out when being placed upside-down in the holder 19, it is provided with a special lid 23.
  • This lid 23 has a slide 24 which is pulled out when the jar 22 is in place, exposing the jar opening and permitting an arbitrary quantity of the contents to fall down onto the channel section 16 through the hole 20.
  • the holder 19 on each side may be made in a single piece.
  • a supply pipe is formed in one piece with the end section 16, terminating at the lower orifice of the hole 20.
  • the end section 16 is provided with a turn-gate 17 to regulate the outlet opening from the end section 16.
  • the holder 19 is provided with a tubular insert 26 extending down into the end section 16.
  • the pipe 26 is detachable and preferably made of plastic, thus enabling the means shown in Figure 3 to be cleaned considerably more easily than that shown in Figure 2.
  • the pipe 26 is simply removed from the holder and cleaned, thus leaving all parts of the end section 16 easily accessible for cleaning.
  • Figure 3 also shows an arrangement in which the flow of tablets from the end section 16 to the next section 7 can be extremely accurately controlled since the inclination of the end section 16 is adjustable.
  • One end of section 16 is pivotably journalled about a pin 27 and the other end has a sloping portion which is actuated by a cam 31 movable in longitudinal direction.
  • the cam 31 is secured to a screw 29, turned in a nut 30 secured to the frame.
  • Section 16 is pressed against the cam 31 by a spring 28.
  • the screw 29 When the screw 29 is turned, it will move the cam 31 and itself in the longitudinal direction of the channel 6 and either lift the end of section 16 or permit it to be lowered by the force of gravity and the influence of the spring 28.
  • the longitudinal inclination of section 16 can thus be set extremely accurately to obtain a well controlled supply of tablets to the subsequent channel section 7.
  • channel section 16 may be provided with a turn-gate 17 to regulate the feed-out opening of end section 16.
  • a motor-driven coordinate table 14 is arranged below the feed-out means 12 in the lower part of the feeding unit 1.
  • the coordinate table 14 is provided with control and stop members so that the medication receptacles are brought into the correct position upon insertion of the feeding unit 1.
  • the motors 15 of the coordinate table 14, their current supply being controlled by control unit 2 may be of any known type, such as DC motors or step motors.
  • the position of the coordinate table 14 is read by transducers which read the number of turns performed by the motor, for instance, and emit corresponding signals to the control unit 2.
  • tray 25 for a week's supply of medication receptacles When a tray 25 for a week's supply of medication receptacles is to be filled, it is preferably arranged in a rigid cassette since disposable trays are usually thin and slippery making them easily deformed and difficult to position correctly on the coordinate table 14.
  • section 10 of the transport channel 6 can be titled, enabling a medicine jar 22 (shown in broken lines) to be placed below the edge of the penultimate section 9 so that tablets left in the end section 16 can be returned to the medicine jar 22.
  • the control unit 2 consists of a small computer which, depending on the program entered, containing details _ of the patient and the medication prescribed, and on signals received from the feeding unit 1, emits signals which control the current supply to the vibration magnets 11 and motors 15 of the coordinate table 14.
  • the tray is sealed with a perforated lid, the perforations agreeing with perforations on the tray so that each medication receptable receives a lid.
  • the printer 3 connected to each control unit 2 provides each lid with details of the patient such as name and social security number, date of admittance and morning, lunch, dinner or evening.
  • the medicine contained in the receptacle may also be stated.
  • the control unit 2 then activates the motors 15 of the coordinate table 14 which move the coordinate table to a new position where the control unit activates the appropriate transport channels 6 for the new position. This continues until the coordinate table 14 h 3 s assumed all its positions, after which it is moved to the exit position where the cassette with the filled tray 25 can be removed. At the same time the printer 3 has been instructed by the control unit 2 to write out a ⁇ heet of labels which is now adhered to the tray 25 and reals it.
  • Figure 6 shows a detail of a tr:rd embodiment differing from those described earlier i: that the channels, together with their filling mean can be removed individually from the apparatus in the form of cassettes.
  • a channel cassette provided for each type of medicine to be distributed whth the aid of the dispensing means, and the cassettis not in use are kept outside the machine.
  • the cassettes need not be emptied between each oc:asion of use, but may be stored together with the reit of the medicine. This is a great advantage over fixed channels since it dispenses with the need to empty and clean a track to remove medicine remnants when a different type of medicine is used.
  • each channel 34 is in the form of a cassette detachably secured in the dispensing apparatus.
  • the cassette 34 In operating position, the cassette 34 is secured in a channel holder 33, driven by a motor 11 to give it an oscillating movement.
  • Two locking shoulders 35, 36 facing the channel 34 are permanently secured to the channel holder 33.
  • Each locking shoulder 35, 36 comprises two stop surfaces 37, 38; 39, 40, a first surface 38; 40 parallel to the direction of movement of the holder and an inclined second surface 37; 39.
  • the two stop surfaces 37, 38 and 39, 40 for an acute angle.
  • the cassette 34 consisting of an elongate channel portion 47 and a feed-in portion 48 is provided with two opposing locking shoulders 41, 44 on the portion 47, which are directed towards the channel holder 33 and located the same distance from each other as the locking shoulders 35, 36 of the channel holder.
  • Each of the locking shoulders 41, 44 is provided with stop surfaces 42, 43; 45, 46 corresponding to the stop surfaces 37, 38; 39, 40, that is to say a first stop surface 43; 46 parallel to the direction of movement of the channel holder and a second stop surface 42; 45 forming an acute angle with the first one.
  • the axis of the threaded opening is substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the channel holder 33.
  • a locking screw 50 can be turned in the nut 49, the screw 50 being moved axially to bring its free end into or out of contact with the filling end 48 of the channel 34.
  • the cassette is secured in the holder portion 33 by placing it with its horizontal stop surfaces 43, 46 abutting the corresponding surfaces 38, 40 of the holder portion 33.
  • the cassette 34 is then moved (to the left in Figure 6) so that its sloping stop surfaces 42, 45 are brought into contact with the corresponding sloping surfaces 37, 39 of the locking shoulders 41, 44.
  • the locking screw 50 is then turned until its free end comes into contact with one end of the channel 34 and so that the sloping stop surfaces 37, 42 and 39, 45 respectively, are kept pressed against each other.
  • the channel is thus secured to the holder.
  • the channel 34 is designed substantially the same as in the first embodiment of the invention, i.e. with a stepped transport channel 47, extending from a feed-in station to a feed-out station.
  • the feed-in station 48 has no holder for a medicine jar and consists instead of a fairly spacious funnel.
  • the funnel 48 is provided along one side with a sliding shutter to regulate the size of the supply opening 52 to the channel 47.
  • the shutter 51 can be locked in the desired position by means of a locking screw screwed into one wall of the funnel 48.
  • One receiving means may then be arranged at the start of each channel, in which the feed-in station is positioned and retained.
  • the receiving means may either consist of a separate unit or form an integrated part of the channel.
  • the channels may either be permanently arranged in the apparatus stand or, as in the embodiment shown in Figure 6, be detachably secured, as desired.
  • Figure 7 shows an example of a detachably secured feed-in station comprising a container 68 consisting of three main elements, a casing part 54, a bottom part 55 and a positioning part 56.
  • the container 68 is inserted into a receiver 57 at the start of the channel, the receiver being made in one piece with the channel and having non-circular cross-section.
  • the outer contour of the positioning part 56 of the container 68 is in agreement with, but obviously sligthly smaller than, the inner contour of the receiver 57 to allow place for the positioning part 56.
  • the positioning part 56 is provided with an opening 58 which, when the container 68 is in its correct position, faces towards the channel.
  • the central part of the positioning part 56 is formed by a step-like depression, the first section 59 of the depression having a diameter somewhat larger than the outer diameter of the casing part 54 and its next section 60 having a diameter somewhat larger than that of a dowel 61 protruding from the bottom part 55.
  • the casing part 54 is permanently secured to the bottom part 55 and is pivotable in the positioning part 56.
  • the positioning part is provided with a groove in which a ball 62 is pressed radially inwardly by a spring 63 towards a seat so that the ball 62 protrudes outside the annular defining surface of the second section 60.
  • the dowel 61 of the bottom part 55 is provided with recesses 64 or grooves 65 designed to cooperate with the ball 62 so that the bottom part 55 and thus the casing part 54 can be snapped into various angular positions.
  • the lower part of the casing part 54 is provided with two feed-out openings 65, 66 of different sizes which can be brought into position opposite the opening 58 of the positioning part 56 by turning the casing part 54.
  • the recesses 64 or grooves in the dowel 61 are so arranged that the ball 62 snaps into one of them when a feed-out opening is in the correct position or when the opening 58 is fully closed by a portion of the casing located between the feed-out openings 65, 66.
  • the container 68 is suitably provided with a lid 67.
  • the tablets need not be removed from the container 68 when dispensing has been completed. When it is to be used it is applied in a receiver 57 and is thus prevented from turning. The casing part 54 is then turned so that the correct feed-out opening 65, 66 is opposite the opening 58 of the positioning part, whereupon dispensing may start.
  • the transfer tracks 6, 47 are straight and run parallel to each other. They can of course be arranged differently. They might, for instance, be curved and certain sections be located one above the other. Each transfer track 6, 47 is driven along its entire length with the same frequency/amplitude but it is quite possible in order to increase the space between tablets and/or improve feeding, to arrange for each transfer track 6 to be driven individually, a certain section or sections being driven separately by its/their own vibration magnet at a different frequency/amplitude from the adjacent sections. There are sixteen transfer tracks in the example shown, but this number can be varied as required.
  • the means is primarily intended for dispensing different types of pharmaceuticals into medication receptacles, but it should be obvious that it could also be used to distribute one type of medicine into single-dose packs.
  • the example has also been described in connection with filling a tray with a week's supply of the 4x7 type. However, it is equally suitable for filling other types of packs, such as packs with medication receptacles arranged in a single row.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)
  • Basic Packing Technique (AREA)
  • Preparation Of Compounds By Using Micro-Organisms (AREA)
  • Fats And Perfumes (AREA)
EP86850035A 1985-02-08 1986-02-05 Verteilungsvorrichtung für pharmazeutische Produkte Expired EP0197900B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SE8500576A SE8500576L (sv) 1985-02-08 1985-02-08 Medicinutportioneringsanordning
SE8500576 1985-02-08

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0197900A2 true EP0197900A2 (de) 1986-10-15
EP0197900A3 EP0197900A3 (en) 1987-04-15
EP0197900B1 EP0197900B1 (de) 1988-12-28

Family

ID=20359049

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP86850035A Expired EP0197900B1 (de) 1985-02-08 1986-02-05 Verteilungsvorrichtung für pharmazeutische Produkte

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0197900B1 (de)
DE (1) DE3661515D1 (de)
DK (1) DK160141B (de)
FI (1) FI83033C (de)
NO (1) NO860448L (de)
SE (1) SE8500576L (de)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2240543A (en) * 1990-02-06 1991-08-07 Huang Ming Sheng Medicine dispensing device
EP1294610A1 (de) * 2000-06-05 2003-03-26 Manrex Pty. Ltd. Medikamentenspender
CN110745448A (zh) * 2019-05-05 2020-02-04 浙江亿诚智能科技有限公司 一种多层上下药箱切换装置

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3885702A (en) * 1974-04-03 1975-05-27 Sherwood Medical Ind Inc Storage means for pellet dispenser

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3885702A (en) * 1974-04-03 1975-05-27 Sherwood Medical Ind Inc Storage means for pellet dispenser

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2240543A (en) * 1990-02-06 1991-08-07 Huang Ming Sheng Medicine dispensing device
EP1294610A1 (de) * 2000-06-05 2003-03-26 Manrex Pty. Ltd. Medikamentenspender
EP1294610A4 (de) * 2000-06-05 2004-10-06 Manrex Pty Ltd Medikamentenspender
CN110745448A (zh) * 2019-05-05 2020-02-04 浙江亿诚智能科技有限公司 一种多层上下药箱切换装置

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FI860522A (fi) 1986-08-09
FI860522A0 (fi) 1986-02-05
EP0197900B1 (de) 1988-12-28
FI83033C (fi) 1991-05-27
DK57686A (da) 1986-08-09
DK160141B (da) 1991-02-04
SE8500576D0 (sv) 1985-02-08
DK57686D0 (da) 1986-02-06
SE8500576L (sv) 1986-08-09
NO860448L (no) 1986-08-11
EP0197900A3 (en) 1987-04-15
FI83033B (fi) 1991-02-15
DE3661515D1 (en) 1989-02-02

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