EP2027020A1

EP2027020A1 - Assembly for the person-related filling of medicine dispensers

Info

Publication number: EP2027020A1
Application number: EP07729755A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hans Klingel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-06-10
Filing date: 2007-05-31
Publication date: 2009-02-25
Anticipated expiration: 2027-05-31
Also published as: DE102006027521A1; DE102006027521B4; CA2654946C; WO2007141192A1; JP5156012B2; EP2027020B1; DE502007002567D1; ATE454316T1; ES2338480T3; CA2654946A1; US8365507B2; AU2007255484A1; HK1127703A1; US20090250485A1; JP2009539517A

Abstract

In an assembly for filling medicine dispensers (11) with administering units (12/i) which are to be taken daily by patients, a deblistering apparatus (39) is provided for the separating, automatic removal of the medicines from the respective blister pack, the blister film (33) of which can be subjected to a notching or cutting pretreatment, only after which the medicine is removed. A transport device (18) is provided which supplies the medicine dispensers (11) to a feeding device, at which the individual medicines can be loaded into receiving compartments (14/1 to 14/4) of the medicine dispenser (11). The assembly comprises modules (17/i) which have in each case a blister shaft (62), a punching device and a feeding device and are arranged along the transport device (18) at spacings from one another which correspond to the spacing of the receiving compartments (14/i) of the dispensers (11/i) or to an integral multiple of said spacing.

Description

Attachment to a personal collection of medication dispensers

description

Plant for the personal placement of medication dispensers with administration units of medicaments.

The invention relates to a system for personal placement of drug dispensers with administration units - tablets, dragees, capsules - of drugs to be taken in a defined time sequence of patients, the drugs are arranged in a correlated with the time of use arrangement in the drug donor, wherein the medicaments are provided in standard blister packs arranged in "vertical" stacks containing a plurality of stacked standard blister packs comprising a defined number of trough-blister blisters each covered with a blister pack and with the other, in the The preamble of claim 1, genus-determining features.

The system comprises deblistering devices, which convey an automatic, occasional removal of the medicaments from the blister packs, which can then be introduced with a delivery device into receiving compartments of the respective medicament dispenser, which are assigned to the individual administration units. There is provided a transport device, by means of which the delivery of medicament dispenser takes place to the respective delivery device, for their automatic placement electrically controllable drives for the Entblisterungsvorrichtungen, the Zustellein- direction and the donor transport are provided, whose control mediates an electronic control unit, which consists of a processing machine- nerslesbarer personal data that are readable and processable in a well-defined correlation with the transport of the drug donor, which generates necessary for the placement process control signals.

To prepare and facilitate the deblistering - the removal of selected drugs from the respective Blisterhof of the standard blister - those areas of the blister foil, which cover each of the courtyard of the selected drug, subjected to a scratching or incision treatment by means of a punching tool ready in drug-adapted design ready is held. A plant of this type is the subject of a separate, not previously published patent application (Act No. 10 2005 047 429.2).

In the subject matter of the earlier patent application, rotatable blister storages are provided within subunits of the overall system, which to this extent has a modular design, within which the individual medicaments are assigned relatively narrow sector areas, within each of which a stack of a specific type of blister is arranged. The standard blister type required in each case for equipping the medication dispenser currently to be filled is brought into an issue position by turning the accumulator, in which the deblistering takes place by means of suitable tools and subsequently the entry of the deblistered medicament into the respective medicament dispenser.

In a typical design of such a deblistering and loading unit, it is arranged between two rotatable medicament stores, which are used alternately to provide blisters for dispensing, these units - two cylindrical columnar storages and the deblistering and equipping unit - a module of the system as it were which in itself fulfills the basic functions of the plant. This, however, results in an extension the known plant on a heightened variety of drugs requires a relatively large effort, since an increase in capacity to a module comprising two symmetrically arranged rotary magazines for at least twelve different drug types, in a variety of cases practically implies an unreasonably high cost.

The plant according to the earlier patent application is designed for a placement of drug dispensers, which have a quasi single-row arrangement of storage compartments, d. H. a configuration that is well-suited to provide a patient's daily needs, but not for an orderly intake of a total weekly requirement, as appropriate for long-lasting treatments and therefore often required.

In addition, the system according to the earlier patent application is subject to cycle time limitations because of the relatively large cylindrical storage space, since, depending on the localization of the medicament blister in the rotary magazine, relatively large angles of rotation must be passed in order to approach the equipping position and relatively large masses must be moved so that, regardless of the possibility of using high-performance drives, increased time required arises that high spins are to be avoided, since they only lead to unwanted forces on the drugs and can damage them, which is unacceptable would.

The object of the invention is therefore to improve a system of the type mentioned in that at a relatively low design effort increased assembly performance - increased number populated drug dispenser in the unit time - achieved and the system in a simple manner sufficient in a desired placement capacity configuration can be brought. - A -

This object is achieved according to the basic idea, by the characterizing features of claim 1.

According to this, the modules forming the system as a whole comprise in each case a magazine shaft in which a larger number of standard blisters are held ready in a stack, a punching device and an infeed device, the modules being arranged at intervals apart from one another along the usually rectilinearly executed transport device a multiple of the distance of the receiving compartments of the donor correspond, z. B. a multiple, which is larger by 1 than the number of consecutive in the transport direction receiving compartments of drug donors, which are provided for assembly. This arrangement corresponds to the best possible utilization of the subdivided in clock intervals time for the placement of the drug dispenser.

The magazine shafts are bounded on their underside by a slide which forms the bottom of the shaft and from which the lowest standard blister of a stack can be received after a standard blister which has been emptied beforehand by loading operations is removed, the standard blister accommodated by the slider again being arranged in the outside of the shaft Entblisterungs- and loading device is pushed out.

The slides of the individual modules are formed in two parts and have a plate-shaped guide member which is guided in guides, which are arranged on the mutually parallel Schachtbegrenzungswänden, at least within the respective magazine shaft horizontally with respect to the transport forward and backward displaceable, and a frame part, the one enables positive reception of the respectively lowest standard blister of a stack, such that this blister can not move out of the frame part either laterally or in the direction of displacement, while This must be moved for the purpose of Entblisterung the positioning of the ejection of the respective drug.

This design of the system according to the invention is characterized by a particularly simple structure, which also leads to a high functional reliability, and the system is adaptable by adding or removing system modules each with little effort exactly to the necessary for the placement of drug dispensers variety of drugs , which ultimately leads to the shortest possible cycle times overall.

In a particularly simple design of the plant modules, reduced to the essential basic functions, these can be designed in such a way that approaching the dispensing position in which the unbleached medicament is dispensed to the medicament dispenser simply takes place by further shifting the standard blister by a receiving compartment distance beyond the deflagration position, which of course implies that the cutting of the blister cover and the ejection of the drug from the prepared Blisterhof opening can be done in the same orientation of Blisterhofes, which is in any case possible if the standard blisters are oriented so that the blister caps are arranged facing down and the cutting of the blister caps by means of the punching tool can also be done "from below" in this orientation.

In a preferred embodiment of the plant modules according to the features of claim 2, the frame part of the respective slide relative to the - plate-shaped - guide member rotatable by 180 ° about the common central longitudinal axis of the frame and guide member, such that the frame ment part z. B. from an orientation in which the blister caps are arranged facing up and a cutting or punching "from above" is possible by means of a vertically displaceable punching tool, can be rotated in an orientation in which the blister caps are arranged facing down and the ejection of the respective drug in the "below" - arranged below the frame part medicenspen- is possible, characterized in that By means of a punch on the - upwards - - bulges of the Blisterhöfe is acted, whereby these are deformed and the drugs can fall under evasion of the blister cap parts down.

In view of the large variety of industrially manufactured standard blister types, it is particularly expedient if the modules from which placement systems according to the present invention can be constructed are adaptable to the medication blister used for the distribution in order to ensure reliable operation of the respective module.

In conjunction with a design according to claim 3 of the magazine shafts of the system modules as a transport device towards open C-profile arrangement in which the clear distance zueinanderender narrow end faces of narrow free profile legs is significantly smaller than the distance from each other parallel profile leg surfaces of the C-slot profile assembly, which conveys the lateral guidance of standard blisters, it is particularly advantageous if the spacing of these lateral guide limbs of the C-profile arrangement and / or the spacing of vertical guide surfaces thereof from these opposite narrow guide profile surfaces of the free narrow profile limbs delimiting the opening is adjustable / are in order to easily adjust the guides for the stacked standard blisters on their geometric dimensions.

The construction outlined by the features of claim 5 according to the construction and operating principle is for the case that the standard blister two or comprise more rows of Blisterhöfen, suitably designed so that one of the number of blister rows corresponding number of punching tools is provided, with each of which the blister caps of one of the rows of Blisterhöfen are anschneidbar, the punching tools can be actuated together, but that for ejecting the blister - Drugs are provided separately actuatable ejection tools, so that the drugs whose blister packs have been prepared together for the removal of the drugs, can be delivered one after the other in the respective drug donor.

Accordingly, it is advantageous in terms of a simple design of the system when a common actuating drive is provided for the punching tools according to claim 8, and according to claim 9 for the individual actuation of the ejection tools a movable between the Ausstoßpositi- ones drive for actuating the ejection tools is present. A designed according to claim 10 and stored, drum-shaped tool carrier on which both punching tools for opening the blister yards and ejection tools for the delivery of the deblistered drugs to the drug dispenser to be filled "vertically", ie perpendicular to the course of the transport paths of Medicament dispensers are arranged displaceably, is preferably designed so that the position is determined by the displacement positions of the slide of the respective system module, the position in mutually aligned guide grooves or openings of the blister tray of the respective module and its tool carrier within narrow ToIe- tolerances, in the alone Tool holder for functionally correct positioning and orientation of the punching tools and the ejection tool used in each case is rotatable, for which by the features of claim 12 is given a structurally as well as structurally simple design. Due to the features of claim 13, a type of storage of the drum-shaped tool carrier by means of rollers, which roll as it were on the circumference of the tool carrier, indicated, which are preferably provided in the arrangement according to claim 14.

Such roles can mediate both by a form-fitting engagement roller-side grooves with a radially projecting edge of a ring-shaped bearing part of the drum-shaped tool carrier both a common storage and a reliable backup against axial displacements of the tool carrier, wherein the rotary drive of the tool carrier, for reversing the tool carrier of the Entbliste- is required position in the ejection position, according to claim 16 may be formed attacking only one of the rollers and, if necessary, a drive coupling all roles by a surrounding these drive belt, which can be held under elastic tension, is feasible.

The system according to the invention is according to the features of claims 17 and 18 in a simple manner interpretable so that drug dispensers containing the weekly needs of a patient, ordered by intake times and days contain, can be equipped in a rational manner.

Further details of the system according to the invention will become apparent from the following description of specific embodiments thereof with reference to the drawing. Show it:

1 shows the basic structure of a system according to the invention for the personal placement of drug dispensers with drugs, in a schematically simplified plan view, 2a is a section along the line IIa - IIa of FIG. 1 to illustrate details of a system module for the construction of the system according to FIG. 1 suitable with a rotatable, drum-shaped tool carrier,

2b equipped with punching tools and ejection tools, rotatable drum-shaped tool carrier of the module of FIG. 2a, in section along the line IIb - IIb of Fig. 2a,

2c shows a view of the tool carrier according to FIG. 2a in the direction of the arrow Nc of FIG. 2b, FIG.

Fig. 3a details of a punching tool and a suitable for its displaceable mounting on the tool carrier, usable in this tool holder, in a the central axis of the

Holder-containing level,

Fig. 3b shows a preferred design and arrangement of a pair of

Ejecting tools of a tool carrier of a plant module, for the deblistering of double-row standard blisters and alternating medication dispensing from the yards of these

Blister rows is designed

Fig. 4a successive functional positions of the module acc. Fig. 2a in a same corresponding sectional view, to explain its function and

Fig. 5 is a suitable for the equipping operation of the system of FIG. 1 arrangement and type of transport of medicenspen- the, to explain a compact design of the entire system. The plant designated as a whole by 10 in FIG. 1 is intended for the fitting of medicament dispensers 11 which, as required, contain the medicaments to be taken daily or weekly in a prescriptive amount and shape for a patient, whereby the respective medicament dispenser 11 in turn is designed in the manner of a blister pack, or can be implemented in structural analogy to such.

The system 10 comprises the various medicaments 12 / i, with which the medicament dispensers 11 - in a variety of combinations - should be able to be equipped, individually associated component modules 17 / i, which are arranged along a transport device designated overall by 18, by means of which the medicament dispenser 11 the Component modules 17 / i - can be supplied serially - at which the output of the respective medicament 12 / i takes place into the receiving compartment 14 / j provided in each case for medicament dispenser 11 (j = 1 to k; k = number of receiving compartments of the dispenser 11) ,

For the system 10, a clock-controlled operation is assumed, wherein the feed of the medicament dispenser 11 takes place in the same advancing steps, which correspond to the distance a of successive receiving compartments (14 / j) and, viewed along the transport device 18, the distance of consecutive component modules 17 / i an integer multiple of the transport pitch or the distance of the receiving compartments 14 / j corresponds.

In the embodiment chosen for explanation is a straight line

"linear" design of the transport device 18 provided, but of course other, for example, partially circular or angled running, with respect to a main direction back and forth leading rail movements possible and useful depending on the spatial conditions.

The component modules 17 / i are designed such that they can receive from the respective medicament 12 / i a supply of standard blisters 28, which are arranged in the respective module in a stack 27 (FIG. 2 a) and - as required controlled - a deflagration and Separation of drugs 12 / i, as well as their issue to the drug donor 11 mediate, d. H. the respective assembly module - with the exception of the further transport of the dispenser 11 for the associated drug mediates the complete sequence of the individual functions and therefore as an interchangeable unit of the assembly system 10 can be realized, thus easy way to the respective variety to be processed Medication is customizable.

For a more detailed explanation of the structure and function of the assembly modules 17 / i, reference is now made to the relevant details of Fig. 2a:

The mounting modules 17 / i arranged along the transport device 18, which may be realized in the manner of a conveyor belt, each have a "vertical" shaft 61 releasably mounted on a frame 60 Fig. 2a, which is only schematically indicated, and which holds a supply of one of the components provided drugs contained in standard blisters 28, which in turn are arranged in a vertical stack 27.

These standard blisters 28 are arranged in the explanatory example shown in FIG. 2 a such that, when the blister plaques are horizontal, their arched courts 31 / i, which contain the individual medicaments, are arranged pointing downwards, wherein they communicate with the courtyards 31 / i are each supported on the flat board areas, the openings of the Blisterhöfe beranden, which are however covered in the initial state of the standard blister 28 by the blister sheet 33.

The shaft 61 is represented in the illustration of FIG. 1 by a "standing" C-profile arrangement 62, which has perpendicular to a wide yoke leg 62/1 subsequent longitudinal legs 62/2 and 62/3 and two at right angles from the free sides of the longitudinal leg 62/2 and 62/3 projecting and facing each other narrow guide legs 62/4 and 62/5, which are arranged opposite the yoke leg 62/1 and significantly narrower than this, so that they with their narrow longitudinal end faces 63 / I and. 63 / r define a vertical longitudinal slot 64 of the manhole profile 62 through which the standard blister 28 contained in the manhole 61 are accessible, if necessary.

The clear distance b of the longitudinal legs 62/2 and 62/3 of the shaft profile 62 from each other and the clear distance I of the narrow guide legs 62/4 and 62/5 of the yoke leg 62/1 of the shaft profile 62 correspond, apart from a small to smooth displacement of the Standard blister required oversize, the respective width b and the respective length I of stackable in the respective slot 62 standard blister 28th

In the illustrative example shown, the shaft profile 62 is closed on its underside facing the frame 60 by a base plate 66, on which a plate-shaped guide element 67, which is rectangular in its basic form, is slidably supported by a slider designated overall by 68 (FIG lower edge end faces 69 / I and 69 / r of the narrow guide legs 62/4 and 62/5 (Fig. 2a) and lower edge steps 71/1 and 71 / r of the lateral longitudinal legs 62/2 and 62/3 of the shaft profile 62 and between the Base plate 66 and the stood by this arranged lower edge 72 of the yoke leg 62/1 of the chess profile 62 is guided horizontally displaceable.

The slider 68 further comprises a flat plate-shaped frame or window part 73, which has the same width b as the guide element 67 and also the same "vertical" thickness d as the latter, and together with this in the said guide elements of the shaft, d. H. essentially slidably guided between the edge steps 71/1 and 71 / r of the C-profile 62 of the shaft.

The frame part 73 is rotatably connected thereto about a central longitudinal axis 74 of the guide element 67, wherein the longitudinal center axis of the frame part 73 is aligned with the central longitudinal axis 74 of the guide element 67.

The slider 68 is by means of a merely schematically indicated drive means 76, the z. B. may be formed in the manner of a spindle drive with electric drive motor, so far from an inner end position in which the frame member 73 is disposed entirely within the C-slot profile 62, disengaged from the shaft profile 62 that the frame member 73 "outside" the to each other narrow guide legs 62/4 and 62/5 about the central longitudinal axis 74 of the plate-shaped guide member 67 is rotatable (Fig. 4c).

In the inner end position (Figure 1) of the slider 68, the downwardly curved Blisterhöfe 31 / i of each lowermost standard blister, which is arranged in the respective shaft, in window recesses 77 / I and 77 / r of the frame part 73 and thereby fall into form liquid engagement with the edges of these window recesses 77 / I and 77 / r arrive, so that in a subsequent pushing out of the frame member 73 of the frame member 73 held on standard blister is taken along and the other closing standard blisters following from above initially slidably supported on adjacent edge portions of the frame member 73 and the guide member 67 and, after the frame member is completely pushed out of the C-slot profile 62 (Fig. 4c), rests only on the plate-shaped guide member 67 which covers the bottom plate 66 of the shaft 61 in the end position achieved in this case.

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated for explanation, the two of the basic form of rectangular window openings 77 / I and 77 / r of the frame part 73 respectively mark the envelope of the outer contours of two rows 78 / I and 78 / r (FIG. 1) of blister yards of the respective standard - Dardblisters, these rows, in the illustrated embodiment each include five Blisterhöfe.

For the purpose of a contamination-free removal of drugs 12 / i from the standard blister 28 and introduction of the "unblended" drugs in the drug dispenser 11 to be populated, the individual assembly modules 17 / i are adapted to the drugs 12 / i punching or scratching tools 89 / i Opening the blister yards and provided with Ausstoßwerkzeu- 91 for ejecting the respective drug from the blister court prepared for opening, which are arranged in the assembly modules 17 / i individually associated drum-shaped tool carriers 79 / i movable, in turn, functional elements of the drug-related placement modules 17 / i are.

The respective drum-shaped tool carrier 79 / i (FIG. 2a) is arranged on the yoke leg 62/1 of the C-slot profile 62 facing away from the outside of the vertical longitudinal slot 64 of the shaft profile 62 bounding narrow guide legs 62/4 and 62/5 and to these a housing-fixed axle 74 / t (FIG. 2c) which is rotatably mounted with the central longitudinal axis. se 74 of the slider 68 in its functional position within the assembly module 17 / i coincides.

The drum-shaped tool carrier 79 / i has a central, slot-shaped through-channel, which is delimited at the end faces 84 / a and 84 / i of this tool carrier by the edges of rectangular openings 86 whose clear dimensions b / t and d / t, apart from a small excess of the width b / f and the thickness d / f (Fig. 2a, 2b) of the frame and the plate-shaped support member of the slider 68 corresponds.

In the basic structure of the system 10 explained so far, the basic functions required for deblistering standard blisters and for equipping the medicament dispensers can be implemented as explained below. In this case, it is assumed that an electronic control device required for controlling these functions can readily be implemented by a person skilled in the art with knowledge of these functions on the basis of his specialist knowledge and can therefore be disregarded from a related explanation.

For purposes of explanation, assume that the considered placement module 17 / i is designed for a supply of standard blisters 28, each having two rows 78 / I and 78 / r of five blister yards 31 / i (1 = 1 ... 10 ) to have.

To explain a typical loading cycle through which a medicament 12 / i enters the selected receiving compartment 14 / i of a medicament dispenser 11 to be loaded in the component module 17 / i under consideration, let us say that the "basic" shown in solid lines in FIG. Starting position that results when, after a complete "consumption" of the drugs 12 / i a standard blister 28 and its removal of the slider 68 after the placement process in that Position - by the rotatably driven tool carrier 79 / i through - moved back into the slot of the mounting module 17 / i, in which the frame part 73 of the slider 68 can accommodate the bottom standard blister of the stack 28.

In this engagement position, the arrangement of the standard blister 28 within the frame portion 73 of the slider 68 is defined by a positive fit, that the Blisterhofausbuchtungen on the outer longitudinal edges 87 / al and 87 / ar of the window recesses 77 / I and 67 / r of the frame member 73 and preferably also abut the inner longitudinal edges 87 / il and 87 / ir of the rectangular window recesses, whereby the standard blister 28 against lateral, d. H. transverse displacements are ensured transversely to the vertical longitudinal center plane of the placement module 17 / i, and by planting the terminal blister yards 31/1 and 31/5 as well as 31/6 and 31/10 of the two blister rows 78 / I and 78 / r at the narrow transverse edges 88 / Iv and 88 / Ir and at the rear transverse edges 88 / Ib and 88 / rb (Figure 2b) of the frame openings 77 / I and 77 / r against axial, d. H. is secured parallel to the track of the vertical center plane 42 (Fig. 1) of the mounting module 17 / i directed displacements.

In this basic position, in which the frame part 73, seen in the axial direction between the yoke leg 62/1 and the narrow guide legs 62/4 and 62/5 of the C-profile 62 of the vertical shaft 61, the frame part 68 is so far, d , H. completely disengaged from the according to the end view of Fig. 2c rectangular passageway 83 of the drum-shaped tool carrier 79 / i that it can be rotated about the central drum axis 74 / t, which coincides with the central longitudinal axis 74 of the slider 68.

In the basic position of the slide 68 explained so far, its plate-shaped guide element 67 is essentially located outside the shaft profile 62 arranged and guided only in a short, the frame member 73 facing front end portion within the rectangular opening of the yoke leg 62/1, the lateral guide edges with the guide edges of the narrow guide profile legs 62/4 and 62/5, untwisted.

With the described basic position of the slide 68 also corresponds to a basic position of the drum-shaped tool carrier, which is defined by the fact that the longitudinal edges of the passage channel 83 of the tool carrier 79 / i of the slot-shaped passage channel 83 "horizontally", d. H. run parallel to the longitudinal edges of the slot-shaped recess of the yoke leg 62/1 of the C-profile 62 and thus the frame member 73 of the slider 68 and possibly also the plate-shaped guide member 67 of the slider with an "outer" end portion through the passageway 83 pass through or at least a little way into this can occur.

The described basic position of the slide 68 may be conveniently defined by stop action of the slide with a frame-fixed element, for. As the rectangular-plate-shaped guide member 67 with a schematically indicated, frame-fixed stop 67 / a (Fig. 1), seen in the direction of displacement of the slider 68, adjustable-lockable designed to adjust the slide base position to different sizes of standard blisters can.

The drum-shaped tool carrier 79 / i, the explanation of which is now also supplementary to the detailed illustrations of Fig. 3a and 3b reference is, according to the number of blister rows of each standard blister 28, in the embodiment chosen for explanation with two punching tools 89 / i (FIG. 3a) as well as with two ejection tools 91 (FIG. 3b), which are assigned to the blister stations each one of the blister rows 78 / I and 78 / r. These tools 89 / i and 91 are symmetrical with respect to a plane containing the central axis 74 / t of the drum-shaped tool carrier 79 / i

92 (Fig. 3b) arranged in the basic position of the tool carrier 79 / i, in which the longitudinal edges of the openings 86 of the passage channel 83 parallel to the large-scale boundary surfaces of the plate-shaped guide member 67 of the slider 68, in the longitudinal center plane 42 (Fig.1 ) of the loading unit 10, wherein, as seen in this basic position, the punching tools 89 / i above the transverse center plane 93 of the tool carrier 79 / i and the ejection tools 91 below this transverse center plane

93 (Fig. 2b, 2c) are arranged.

The punching tools 89 / i are adapted to the shape of the blister yards 31 / i such that the punched contours or the lines along which a series of perforation holes are obtained by the punches are spaced a small distance from the edges of the blister yard openings 16 / i of these opening edges run so that the blister caps 34, which cover the openings of the blister yards 31 / i, remain stuck to edge regions of the blister foil 33 after the stowage process, but bridges still existing there can be torn off during ejection without any appreciable expenditure of force, however also edge regions remain over which the blister caps 34 remain connected to the subsequent blister film 33 contiguous, so that the blister caps 34, which thus remain hingedly connected to the blister film 33, can not get into the receiving compartments of the drug dispenser 11 to be loaded together with the medicaments.

Depending on the form of the medication, to which the shape of the Blisterhöfe 31 / i is adapted, the punching tools are designed so that, for. For example, in a circular shape of the blister caps, these only over a narrow tongue, the one

Angular expansion of z. B. 30 °, related to the blister film or in the case of elongated medicaments, in such a way that the blister caps remain connected to the blister foil 33 along almost the entire longitudinal extent of a long-hole-shaped opening area.

The punches are expediently designed such that their punches are interchangeably arranged on punch carriers 94 (FIG. 3 a), by means of which the punching tools 89 / i are displaceably guided within the tool carrier 79 / i and in a defined position and orientation with respect to the standard blister to be treated are arranged.

In the orientation of the tool carrier 79 / i intended for the deflaking and also in the direction provided for the ejection of the medicaments from the blister stations, the central axes 96 / I and 96 / r (FIG. 2 a) of the punching tools 89 / i and the central ones run Axes 97 / I and 97 / r (Figure 3b) of the ejection tools 91 are each vertically vertical on either side of the vertical center plane 42 of the mounting module 17 / i and perpendicular to the horizontal plane marked by the bearing surface of the plate-shaped guide member 67 (Figure 2a) is on which the blister stack 27 is supported during the operation at least with a part of its base.

The "axis" plane 98 (FIG. 1) spanned by the two central axes 96 / I and 96 / r of the punching tools, on the one hand, and the "outer" marked by the central axes 97 / I and 97 / r of the ejection tools 91 / i "Axial plane 99 (FIG. 1), on the other hand, each extend at right angles to the central, vertical longitudinal center plane 42 of the mounting module 17 / i, as seen in its working position. It is understood that the distance between the two axis planes 98 and 99 corresponds at least to the distance between the respective blister stations within the blister rows 78 / I and 78 / r. The punch carriers 94 (FIG. 3 a) are in the specific embodiment chosen for explanation, formed in the form of a cylindrical pot-shaped sleeves with a defined orientation with respect to the axial plane of the central bore axes, with which the central axes 96 / l / r the coincident respective tool carrier 79 / i, in bores 101 (Fig. 3a) of the basic shape cylindrical or partially cylindrical body 102 of the respective tool carrier 79 / i are used, which is provided with the "rectangular" passage 83, wherein the punch carrier 94 supported on a querkanalseitig, narrow inner radial annular shoulder 103 and held by means of an attacking on the opposite annular end face of the shell of the punch carrier 94 mounting ring 104 in contact with the annular shoulder 103 and releasably secured in the bore 101 (Fig. 3a).

For the defined oriented fixation of the respective stamp carrier 94 in its receiving bore 101, mutually engageable complementary shaped projections of the annular shoulder 103 and indentations or recesses 106 are provided in the outer peripheral region of the sleeve sheath near the bottom.

The tool 89 / i, which is arranged on the outside of the sleeve bottom 107, is releasably fixedly connected to a flange-shaped guide ring 111 (FIG. 3 a) by means of a guide rod 109 passing through an opening 108 of the sleeve base 107, by means of which it is fixed to the inside of the Jacket tube of the punch carrier - at a significant distance from the bottom part 107 - is slidably guided, wherein the orientation of the punch 89 / i is ensured by the complementary shaped, not rotationally symmetrical guide elements, namely the guide rod 109 and the opening 108, the tool 89th / i secure against twisting about the central axis 96l / r of the tool holder. It is understood that the complementarily shaped guide elements and securing elements of the stamp carrier are adapted to the shape of the standard blisters to be processed in such a way that non-destructive deblistering of the medicaments is achieved.

The basic position of the punching tool 89 / i is the position in which it bears against the outside of the bottom 107 of the sleeve 94. In this investment position, the tool 89/1 is urged by a prestressed coil spring 105, which extends between the inside of the sleeve bottom 107 and the spaced-apart guide ring 111 and is supported on each of these.

From this guide ring 111 projects externally a centrally arranged actuating plunger 112, on which a punching operation of the tool 89/1 provided actuator, attacks, which is designed as a linear drive and z. B. may be formed as a pneumatic cylinder or a spindle drive, for the sake of simplicity, however, is not specifically shown.

From a design of system modules 17 / i with two punching tools 89 / i and two ejection tools 91 (Figure b) for processing double-row standard blisters starting, for actuation of the punching tools 89 / i an actuator may be sufficient, the z. B. is slidably disposed on the system module 17 / i so that it allows an individual actuation of the two punches.

On the other hand, an actuator is also possible by means of which both punching tools of the respective system module 17 / i are jointly "actuated", which is at least useful if it can be assumed that the two simultaneously unblistered drugs in short time to a drug dispenser 11 can be used. In contrast to the Entblisterung it is necessary for an assembly of storage compartments 14 / i and drug dispensers 11, which should be equipped with drugs in the system 10, that this assembly can be done individually for each receptacle 14 / i, which in the Explanation selected embodiment either per ejection tool 91 each requires an actuator or controlled between the two ejection tools reciprocable actuator.

The ejection tools 91 (FIG. 3b) can be largely analogously realized with regard to their actuation and their mounting on the drum-shaped tool carrier 79 / i to the stamping tools, so that to that extent a more detailed explanation of the ejection tools can be dispensed with. It should merely be noted that the ejection tools and carriers containing them, which are analogous to the tool carriers 94 of the punching tools, can be rotationally symmetrical with respect to the central axis, provided that only the ejection stroke of the ejection tools can be sufficiently dimensioned to prevent the medication from escaping to ensure from the opened blister courtyards.

To explain a typical working cycle of one of the system modules 17 / i, reference should now be made to FIGS. 4 a to 4 d. Starting from the configuration shown in Fig. 4a, the drug is 12 / M, the z. B. in the left Blisterhof 31/11 of the drum-shaped Werkzeughal- ter 79 / i nearest Blisterhofpaares of the frame part 73 of the slide 68 already recorded standard blister is placed in a receiving compartment of a drug dispenser 11 are delivered. Let it be assumed, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2a, that starting position of the drum-shaped tool carrier 79 / i is assumed, in which its punching tool (e) is arranged above the horizontal transverse center plane 93 of the system module 17 / i. For this purpose, the slider 68 is first pushed into the position shown in Fig. 4b, in which the selected Blisterhof with his drug 12 / M below the punching device is to be operated to cut the blister cap of Blisterhofes concerned. After actuation of the slider 68 is pushed so far until the gap 113, through which the frame-shaped guide member 73 is offset from the plate-shaped guide element 67, is located within the personigen gap 114 or congruent with this is arranged between the drum-shaped tool carrier 79 / i and the facing this end faces of the facing narrow frame legs 62/4 and 62/5 remains, thus the position of the slider 68 is reached, in which the frame member 73 relative to the plate-shaped guide member 67 which is disposed within the C-slot profile, twisted can be (Fig. 4c).

After execution of this rotation about the central longitudinal axis 74 / t of the drum-shaped tool carrier 79 / i, a position is reached, in which now the ejection tool is arranged above a chute 116 of the drum-shaped tool carrier 79 / i, below which the web runs, along which the populating drug dispenser 11 are passed to the system module 17 / i.

Thereafter, the slider 68 is pushed back so far back towards its initial position until the opened Blisterhof 31/11 is disposed below the ejection tool 91 (Fig. 4d) and by the actuation of the drug can be ejected into the discharge chute 116 and in the for collecting already positioned receiving compartment 14 / j of the drug dispenser 11 may fall into it. After retracting - lifting - the ejection tool from its engagement position with the left in the frame opening 77/1 and 77 / r blister part of the slider 68 is pushed back into the initial position shown in FIG. 1, now in the drum-shaped tool carrier 79 / I as it were released again and can be rotated back to that starting position in which the punching tools are again located above the transverse center plane 93 of the tool carrier and thus the placement module 17 / i is prepared to carry out the next assembly cycle.

The extent explained construction of a Entblisterungs- and Bestückungsmoduls 17 / i of a placement system 10 is initially suitable for automatic placement of such drug dispensers, the receiving times associated receiving compartments for receiving the daily needs of a patient and thus have arranged in a single row compartments, the z. B. the intake times "morning", "noon", "A bend" and "night" are assigned.

Of course, systems of this kind are in principle also suitable for equipping medicament dispensers which contain the weekly requirement, ie. H. include the stock of medicines contained in seven daily supplies. A simple realization of such a "weekly need" dispenser is z. B. in the form of a cassette, such as the known Temmler cassette or in the manner of a 7x4 blister pack as described in the own older Patentanmel- 10 2005 047 429.2.

For explanation of a particularly expedient design of a system 10 suitable for this purpose, reference is now made to FIG. 5.

The system 10/5 of FIG. 5 differs in terms of their basic structure of the system 10 of FIG. 1 essentially only by the design of the transport device and its operation, by means of which the medicament dispenser containing the weekly requirement of a patient are transported to the placement modules 17/1 of the placement system 10/5 which are arranged "serially" in the transport direction, but at least temporarily in parallel but simultaneously.

In the system 10/5 of FIG. 5, the successively arranged plant modules 17 / i are arranged so that the discharge openings of their Entblisterungsstationen are arranged at regular intervals from each other, said output openings of the modules and the clear cross-sectional dimensions of the openings of the receiving compartments Medicament dispenser 110 / i are coordinated so that in the stoppage phase of the drug dispenser 11, the vertical projection of the respective output openings is always within the openings of the receiving compartments 14/1, so that it is ensured that emerging from the discharge opening of the respective assembly module drugs always in the "arranged underneath" to be populated receiving compartment of each drug dispenser.

Step size and cycle of the transport movements of the medicament dispenser and the release processes of the output window of the placement modules are also coordinated so that successive reaching into the opening area medicine receiving compartments can be equipped in a clearly correlated manner.

Again, it is assumed that the implementation of the control measures required for this purpose is possible for the skilled person due to his specialist knowledge and that further explanations are not required in this regard. The receiving compartments 14 / j of the medicament dispensers 11 / i are arranged in matrix-like manner in four daily time lines assigned to the daily intake times and seven daily columns assigned to the weekdays, and transport of the medicament dispensers 11 / i takes place in the direction of the parallel time lines of time. Accordingly, within the transport area, which leads across the entire plant from plant to module module, four trajectories for drug dispensers specified in each of which one of the Tageszeitzeilen their receiving compartments is guided past the output openings of the modules, on the placement of the compartments of the respective time line can be done.

In the specific illustrative example according to FIG. 5, the arrangement of the respective successive medicament dispensers is selected so that from donor to donor, the time line, which can be equipped, changes, for example, such that, after the receiving compartments z. As the night line of a "preceding" drug dispenser is equipped, next the evening line of the following to be fitted weekly drug dispenser is equipped and then the next week donor, the receiving pockets of his daily intake line and finally the next medication donor Morgennahnahmefächer the morning income line - the considered reference plant module 17th / i - be populated, whereupon again the night line of the next drug dispenser is filled, etc.

In order for a supply of medicament dispensers 11 / i to be able to be equipped as required with very different combinations of medicaments, the transport device must be designed and controllable such that each of the receiving compartments 14 / i of the drug delivery belts 11 / i has exactly once each the insertion openings of the assembly modules 17 / i has been passed before it is removed from the assembly. discharged and the intended use in the patient can be supplied.

This condition, which can be met in a variety of ways, is met in the embodiment chosen for explanation in that each associated with a drug supply modules 17 / i at equal intervals from each other an integer multiple, z. B. the seven times a Vorschubtaktstrecke a, along a z. B. rectilinear route, along which also the "multi-lane" - "four-lane" - transport device leads, and that the medicament dispensers 11 each four times along this module arrangement are guided and this time from time to time laterally by the width of their lines, the ingestion time are assigned, so that in each one of the passes that lead past the output stations, one after the other in the "morning" -, "noon" -, "evening" - and the "Nachf'-line consecutive receiving compartments would be equipped with a drug and accordingly equippable as needed.

In this type of assembly occurs at the latest after a first complete run, d. H. after a drug dispenser has been transported four times along the module assembly, the case that thereafter at an output continuously stocked drug donors can be removed, of course, provided that constantly new drug donors are supplied to the input side of the system and to be filled more and more populated state accepting drug dispensers as it were seamlessly passed through the system.

The designs of a placement system 10 according to the invention explained so far are each designed for automatic operation, for the control of which a complex, not shown for the sake of simplicity, electronic control device is provided, which for the appropriate triggering of drug selection operations required for the Entblisterung of standard blisters, the equipment required for equipping the dispenser movements of punching and ejection tools and the control signals required for controlling the rotational movements of tool carriers and the displacement movements of blister carriers control signals from a suitable processing patient-related information signals generated, which contain the necessary information about the patient and the drug combinations to be taken by these, with which in turn the drug donors are to be fitted for prescription.

These control signals are - suitably clock-controlled - generated in such a way that the transport and the various processes, which are necessary in total for the placement of the medicament dispenser, can be synchronized in a simple manner.

The patient-related data are hereby stored in machine-readable form on data carriers which are transported in a spatially defined correlation with respect to the drug dispenser to be loaded by the transport device 18 and are already detected by means of reading devices with which the component modules 17 / i are in turn equipped. before they have to be usable to control the individual functional units. In particular, an arrangement of the reading station with respect to the output station controlled by it is expedient in that read-in of the data is already possible or takes place before the medication dispenser 11 to be loaded has arrived at the respective dispensing station.

Furthermore, the drug donors, z. B. expediently provided with printable fields in the area their receiving compartments overhead parts on the means of the modules 17 / i each individually assigned, not shown pressure equipment protocol information can be printed on the basis of which the assembly of the respective drug donors can be reconstructed, which for reasons of fault tolerance or any required error analysis may be of importance.

Furthermore, safety devices also include sensor devices of the most varied types, which for simplicity also serve as control devices which continuously monitor the defibrillation of the standard blisters and the loading of the medicament dispensers with the medicament units taken from the standard blisters, wherein the equipping operations are expediently quantitative and not just randomly monitored. In this case, in particular optical monitoring devices are used, which enable a medication-friendly control operation. These safety devices are also individually assigned to the system modules 17 / i.

The structure of the so far explained plant (s) 10 from plant modules 17 / i, each associated with a single drug type, d. H. the "dissolution" of the plant into the smallest possible units, each of which can function independently, offers the greatest possible freedom with regard to the design of the topology of the plant, ie. H. the guidance of the transport route from the blister opening, d. H. the introduction of medication dispensers in the transport area of the plant until the removal of the dispensed drug dispensers from the plant. In this case, it is expedient if the entrance and exit are arranged spatially adjacent to each other, wherein in the sense of good space utilization even meandering configurations of the transport path, possibly even three-dimensional guides are possible, which allows a total compact design of the system with the widest possible space utilization ,

Claims

Patentansprϋche

1. Equipment for the personal placement of drug dispensers (11) with administration units (12 / i) - tablets, dragees, capsules - of medications that are administered daily in a defined time

Order to be taken by the patient, wherein the drugs are arranged in a correlated with the time of use arrangement in the drug dispenser (11), with

a) a drug store that is designed to provide a

A plurality of different medicaments contained in standard blister packs (28), in which there is one trough-shaped yard (31) covered with a blister film (33) per administration unit, these standard blister packs (28) being arranged in vertical stacks (28). 27) are arranged, which are positively slidably vertically slidably guided in the various medicaments individually associated magazine shafts,

b) a de-blistering device (39) for singularly withdrawing the medicaments from the respective blister pack, wherein the blister foil (33) is subject to the area of scribing or incipient pre-treatment covering the yard (31) of the selected medicament, the subsequent removal facilitates the removal, after which the removal of the drug and thereafter its transfer to the donor unit,

c) a transport device (18) by means of which the medicament dispenser (11) can be fed to an infeed device by means of which the isolated drugs in the administration units

(12 / i) associated receiving compartments (14/1 to 14/4) of the medicament dispenser (11) can be entered,

d) for automatic placement of the drug dispenser electronically controllable drives for the de-blister, the delivery device and the donor transport are provided to control an electronic control unit is used, the processing of machine-readable personal data, the legible in defined correlation with the transport of the donor and processable, which generates control signals required for the assembly process, and

e) a transport device (18) is provided, by means of which the medicament dispensers can be fed to the delivery device,

characterized by the following features:

f) the modules 10 (17 / i) forming the system 10 each comprise a blister tray (62), a punching device and a delivery device and are mounted at intervals from one another along the transport device (18) which, seen in the transport direction of the medicament dispenser (11) correspond to the distance of the receiving compartments (14 / i) of the dispensers (11 / i) or an integer multiple of this distance;

g) the magazine shafts (62) are delimited on their underside by a slide which receives the respectively lowest standard blister which engages in this receiving position after a deflated standard blister has been removed and is returned from this position. to be pushed out into the deblistering and loading station

h) the slides are each formed in two parts and have a guide part for the horizontally displaceable guide, which is displaceably guided at least within the respective magazine shaft, and a window part which is designed for a positive reception of the standard blister,

i) the slides are as far as disengageable transversely to the transport direction of the drug dispensers from the respective magazine shaft that in a Entblisterungsbereich scratching pretreatment of the cover sheets of standard blisters and the withdrawal of medication from the open Blisterhof and the delivery of the drug to the respective drug donor are executable.

2. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the window part of the slider is rotatable relative to the guide member by 180 ° about the common central longitudinal axis of the slider, which extends horizontally and transversely to the transport direction of the medicament dispenser.

3. Plant according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the magazine shaft is formed by a transport device (19) towards open C-profile, in which the clear distance of the facing each other narrow end faces of the narrow free profile legs is significantly smaller than that essentially the distance between the mutually parallel profile legs of the C-channel profile, which convey the lateral guidance of the standard blister.

4. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the distance of the lateral guide legs of the C-profilfömigen magazine shaft and / or the distance of the vertical guide surface thereof, which is arranged opposite the narrow guide profile legs, to adapt to the standard blister shapes is adjustable / are.

5. Plant according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the punching device (89 / i) is arranged on the transport device for the medicament dispenser (11) facing the outside of the gap of the shaft limiting profile leg, such that the blister through outward displacement into the punching device and by further displacement beyond the punching device out into the output station are transportable, where the ejection of the deblistered medication in the associated receiving compartment of the drug dispenser (11) to be loaded takes place.

6. Plant according to claim 5, wherein the standard blisters have two or more rows of blister yards which extend in the direction of displacement of the respective standard blister (28), characterized in that a number of blanks corresponding to the number of blister rows (89 / i) is provided, each of the farms each one of the rows of Blisterhöfen (31 / i) are assigned, and that for ejecting the deblistered medicaments separately actuable ejection tools (91) are provided.

7. Plant according to claim 6, characterized in that the tools for punching and / or cutting the court covering areas of the blister sheets (33) and the / the tool (s) for the Ejecting deblistered drugs are arranged on one of the system module (17 / i) removably mountable tool carrier.

8. Plant according to claim 7, characterized in that a common actuating drive is provided for the punching tools.

9. Plant according to claim 6 or claim 7, characterized in that a provided for the individual actuation of the ejection tools, provided between the different ejection positions movable drive.

10. Installation according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the punching tools and the ejection tools are arranged on tool carriers, which are rotatably mounted on the stack of standard blisters containing shaft of the respective system module and each with a for receiving the respective Slider provided passageway are provided whose clear dimensions correspond to those of the guide grooves of the manhole in which the plate-shaped guide member and also the frame-shaped part of the slide are guided displaceably.

11. Installation according to one of claims 2 to 10, characterized in that the punching tools and the / the ejection tool (s) are mounted at right angles to the wide boundary surfaces of the passage channel displaceable on a rotatable drum-shaped carrier, which is secured against rotation, when the frame-shaped slide member engages both the guide frame of the slider and the slide guide members of the tray, and is rotatable when either the slider is completely disengaged from or received by the tray, that it no longer engages with the guide elements of the shaft and that the plate-shaped guide part of the slider does not protrude into the passage channel of the carrier and thus rotation of the frame-shaped slider part with respect to the plate-shaped guide part is possible.

12. Installation according to one of claims 2 to 11, characterized in that the drum-shaped tool carrier by means of an annular disc-shaped bearing element, at the edge of the Schaftkonstruk- tion of the respective system module rotatably mounted rollers engage positively around the central axis of the plate-shaped and the frame-shaped slide element is rotatably mounted and by means of its own rotary drive to perform a 180 ° rotation is driven.

13. Plant according to claim 12, characterized in that for the storage mediated roles a symmetrical arrangement with respect to the axis of rotation of the respective tool carrier containing horizontal center plane of the slider or the Schieberführungseinrich- device is provided.

14. Installation according to claim 13, characterized in that four rollers are provided, which are arranged in pairs on the narrow profile legs of the C-profile arrangement of the respective magazine shaft.

15. Plant according to claim 13 or claim 14, characterized in that the rollers at its periphery a z. B. groove-shaped profiling, which are in positive engagement with at least one edge region of a disk-shaped bearing element of the drum-shaped tool carrier.

16. Installation according to claim 15, characterized in that at least one of the rollers with the drum-shaped tool carrier is profiled in the radial direction, formflüssigem or kraft-formflüssigem engagement and is provided with its own rotary drive means.

17. Plant according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized by a design of the transport device to the effect that the medicament dispensers (11) along a Bestückungspfades are transported along which each receiving compartment (14 / i) of the respective drug dispenser (11) to the Ejecting station each of the component modules (17 / i) of the system (10) passes.

18. Plant according to claim 17, characterized in that the transport path, along which the medicament dispenser (11) to the mounting modules (17 / i), sections in a straight line, with a two- or three-dimensional course is guided such that within one of Basic shape rectangular surface area or more of such areas, which are arranged one above the other in the manner of floors, the simply continuous transport path that leads from a feed inlet, are introduced to the drug dispenser, leads to an exit on the drug-loaded drug dispensers from the Bestückungsanla - be discharged ge.