GB1411951A - Article dispersing device - Google Patents

Abstract

1411951 Discharging hoppers K J HURST and W G PEARSON 28 Sept 1972 [8 Oct 1971 10 Sept 1972] 44925/72 Heading B8S [Also in Division A4] Dispensing apparatus, e.g. for pills or capsules comprises a support 24 having an inclined support surface, a disc 30 having rotary drive means on the support 24, an upstanding wall 27 on the disc 30 defining a rotary hopper 26, and slots 34 in the disc 30, communicating at one end 41 with the hopper 26 and passing over a drop-out aperture 46 in the support surface as the disc 30 rotates so that pills &c., pass through the slots 34 to the aperture 46 and are discharged in succession. The slots comprise an intermediate section angled in the direction of disc rotation, Fig. 2. As the disc 30 rotates, the pills, &c., move towards its centre in the slots, to a discharge point monitored by a counting sensor. The hopper 27 is secured to the periphery of the disc 36 for rotation by a motor 45 on the sloping support 24, the whole forming a unit which may be housed with others in a cabinet for dispensing several kinds of pills &c. All units may be connected to a single counting control means 18. The disc has a truncated conical upper surface 36 cut away adjacent the periphery to expose the slots to a contained mass of articles. In one form, each slot has a third section 38 joined to second and first sections 39, 41, the section 38 having a trailing angle to obviate jamming of articles entering. The leading angle of the section 39 causes articles other than that which has reached the innermost section 41 to fall back as the respective slot approaches the discharge aperture 46 in the surface 24. The sensor arm 53 is accommodated in an annular slot 44 in the disc base, which intersects the section 41 and sends a signal to a counting circuit, Figs. 7, 8 (not shown), which may be substantially as described in U.S.A. Specification 3,368,713 and includes means to stop the disc rotation when the desired count is reached. The control system may include means to permit a number of dispensing units to be operated together and to give a visual count and an indication of the number of dispensing operations, Fig. 8 (not shown). In another form of disc, for pills, Fig. 6 (not shown), the leading face of the section 38 may have a depression (47) to trap the pill adjacent that being dispensed to prevent it touching the sensor arm and giving a false count. In a further form for capsules, the inner section may be curved in the direction of rotation, Fig. 16 (not shown), followed by a reversed curved portion and a straight portion leading to the disc periphery. The discs may be interchangeable for different sizes of article, a complete set being provided to enable one dispenser to be used for the complete range of pills and capsules. The base 24a on which the disc rotates may be spring biased towards it to obviate jamming of articles between the base and disc 32a, Fig. 11.