GB2091240A - Apparatus for severing the heads of ampoules and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for severing the heads of ampoules made of glass and the like, with which a scoring of a neck portion of an ampoule is effected, whereupon the ampoule head is removed by breaking off, the apparatus comprising automatic means including a support (12) for the ampoule, which support is displaceable on a housing (2), a guideway for the ampoule neck, one member (18) only being shown, a scoring device in the form of a rotating abrasive or cutting disc or wheel (22) for acting in the plane of the ampoule guideway and a tapping device (32) for knocking off the ampoule head. The device enables ampoules to be opened automatically, the individual steps being switched on and off automatically as the operating cycle progresses. The severed heads collect in a container 39. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for severing the heads of ampoules and the like This invention relates to an apparatus for severing the heads of ampoules made of glass and the like in which the neck portion of the ampoule is scored, whereupon the ampoule head is moved by being broken off at the score.

Ampoules made of glass and the like generally have a body accommodating a liquid and a constricted neck is provided between the ampoule body and an ampoule head, this neck serving as a preferential breaking point.

To open the ampoule, the ampoule neck is manually scored with a file-like part, for example, a marking blade or a file, whereupon the ampoule head can be broken off by exerting a transversely directed pressure on to the free end of the ampoule head, so that the ampoule body is given a dispensing opening which- is free from splinters or the like. In the medical field, particularly in hospitals, but also in medical practices and the like, every day a large number of ampoules is used for many different purposes. The present opening of the ampoules by hand necessitates at least two operating steps and, for the prescribed clean opening of the ampoule, a certain amount of care and attention, and also of time, which is lost for other more important duties.

According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for severing the heads of ampoules made of glass and the like, with which a scoring of a neck portion of an ampoule is effected, whereupon the ampoule head is removed by breaking off, the apparatus including a support for an ampoule the support being displaceable on a housing, a guiding device for guiding the neck of the ampoule, a scoring device for acting in the plane of said guiding device for scoring the neck of an ampoule, and a device for knocking off the ampoule head once it has been scored.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of an apparatus for severing the heads of ampoules made of glass and the like, Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, on the line ll-ll of Fig. 3, Figure 3 is a plan view in the direction of the arrow Ill in Fig. 2, Figure 4 is a diagrammatic section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2, Figure 5 is an elevation in the direction of the arrow V of Fig. 2, parts situated behind what is shown being omitted, Figure 6 is similar to Fig. 3 but showing in diagrammatic form the position of the parts during scoring of an ampoule neck, and Figure 7 is similar to Fig. 5 but showing in diagrammatic form the position of the parts when a slide of the apparatus is pressed down.

Referring to the drawings, the appatus 1 for severing the heads of ampoules made of glass and the like includes a housing 2, in which are arranged an accommodation device 3 for the mounting and guiding of an ampoule, a guiding device 4 for the ampoule at the ampoule neck, a scoring device 5 for acting in the plane of the ampoule guiding device 4 for scoring the neck of an ampoule, and a device 6 for tapping or knocking off the ampoule head once it has been scored by the apparatus.

To accommodate and guide an ampoule 7, the housing 2 includes, on a front face of a front housing part 9, a slide 8, which is guided for displacement in the housing part 9 by a tongue and groove arrangement 10 and 11. An ampoule support 1 2 is provided in the slide 8 and is, seen in cross-section, advantageously angular or can also be formed as a trough. The support 1 2 is mounted displaceably in a transverse direction relatively to the longitudinally displaceable slide 8. For this purpose, the support 1 2 can be guided on a transverse pin 1 3 and be biassed by a spring 14.The possibility of transverse displacement of the support 1 2 permits an automatic adjustment of the ampoule lying on the support 1 2 with respect to the guide at the ampoule neck. The guiding device 4 for the ampoule neck is formed by a slot 16, which is defined by guide members 1 7 and 18, the upper end of the member 18 having a chamfer 18ato faciilitate insertion, the neck of the ampoule being situated between the guide members.

The device 5 for scoring the ampoule neck includes an electric motor 20 with a drive shaft 21, on a leading end of which is arranged an abrasive or cutting disc or wheel 22. The electric motor 20, with the shaft 21 and abrasive wheel 22, is mounted as a unit to be swivellable in a horizontal direction transversely of the guide 4. The motor 20 is arranged in a holder 23, which has at its rear an angle rail 24, an arm 24a of which being axially parallel to the main body of the holder 23 and bearing against an arm 25a of a fixed holding device 25, the two arms 24 a and 25a being connected together by bolts 26 which are arranged spaced from one another and which are under the action of a compression spring 27. By this means, the electric motor 20 with the shaft 21 and abrasive wheel 22 are mounted to be pivotable about a vertical axis.The connecting line of the bolts 26 defines a corresponding linear pivot axis, the springs 27 maintaining the holder 23 with the electric motor 20 in the initial position parallel to the guiding device 4, as can be seen from Fig. 3. In this rest position, the supply of current to the motor 20 is switched off. This can be achieved by a micro-switch 28, a lug 30 which is connected to the holder 23 coacting with a projecting switch pin 29 of the switch 28. It is only with outward swinging of the holder 23 of the motor 20, the shaft 21 and abrasive wheel 22 to the position shown in Fig. 6 by an ampoule neck guided past at this position that the motor is briefly set in operation.In this way, a reliable application of the scoring device to the ampoule neck is guaranteed, so that the force of the scoring of the ampoule neck, depending on the wall thickness of the ampoule and also the size of the said neck, becomes effective in a reliable manner. As soon as the scoring operation is completed, these parts are drawn back by the spring 27 into the position of Fig.

3, whereby the supply of current to the electric motor 20 is automatically switched off by the microswitch 28.

The tapping device 6 for the severing of the scored ampoule head comprises a hammerlike part 32, which is pivotally mounted by means of a comparatively long lever arm 33 about a pivot pin 34, the lever arm 33 being biassed by a spring 35. Pivoting of the hammer-like part 32 with the lever arm 33 is controlled by a cam and depends on the position of the slide 8. Arranged on the back of the side 8 is a groove 36 which is triangular in shape and with which engages a projection 37, e.g. a pin or the like, which is connected to the hammer-like part 32. An obliquely ascending branch 36a of the groove 36 serves to swing the hammer-like part 32 to tension it against the bias of the spring 35 as the slide 8 is depressed.Following this oblique groove is a horizontal groove 36b, by which the pin is freed in a lowermost position of the slide 8 for carying out the tapping movement of the hammer-like part 32 (see Fig. 7). The third portion 36coy the groove connects the two groove portions 36a and 36b. In this way, by displacement of the slide 8 with the ampoule support 12, the hammerlike part 32 is swung out and thus tensioned, until the slide with support 1 2 and the ampoule disposed therein has reached the lowermost position after the scoring operation, whereupon the hammer-like part is released when the horizontal groove 36b is reached, this resulting in the ampoule head being cleanly knocked off in the desired direction.

The release of the hammer-like part 32 causes a corresponding acceleration of the tapping mass of the hammer-like part. The control for the severing of the ampoule head is effected in a strictly mechanical manner, depending on the position of th slide 8 carrying the support 12.

The part of the housing which accommodates the electric motor 20 and the electrical supply is separated from the front housing part 9 by a transverse wall or partition 9a, which merely has slots for the transverse movement of the shaft 21 of the electric motor and of the lever arm 33. The whole is surrounded by the housing 2, intoKthe bottom part of which can be fitted a collecting container 39. By means of a slide 40, which has a dog 41, the collecting container 39 can be easily pulled out of and pushed into the housing, it being possible for the slide 40 to be provided with a handle 42. The collecting container 39 is advantageously a one-way container, which can be closed by a spring loaded cover (not shown).

The slide 8 and the front side of the housing part 9 is provided with and closed by a protective cover 43, (Fig. 1), which is formed with a longitudinal slot 44, along which is movable the support 12 for the ampoule. The cover 43 can engage at the bottom over pins 45 and be fixed at the top by a screw 46 or the like on the housing 2. The upper part of the slot 44 is covered by tongues 47 of resilient material, so that no glass portions of the ampoule can be thrown out in an upward direction. The clover 43 co-acts on its inside with a switch arranged on the housing 2, by which switch the supply of current to the electric motor is interrupted when the cover is removed from the housing 2. Thus, the electrical equipment is switched off from the current supply when the protective cover 43 is removed for cleaning the internal space of the front housing part 9.

The front side of the housing 2 is preferably provided so as to extend obliquely inwards, so that the ampoules assume an inclined position during the opening operation to retain the liquid therein. The inclined position of the front side of the housing can even be horizontal, so that the severing of the ampoule heads is effected with the ampoules in a vertical position. Thus, the opened ampoule can be removed in a more less upright position.

To open an ampoule 7, the ampoule is guided by its neck through the guideway 16, the ampoule 7 being received by the support 12. By pressing the support 12 downwards, the ampoule neck reaches the abrasive wheel 22, which is somewhat deflected together with the electric motor 20, whereby the motor is automatically set in operation and the neck is scored. After this scoring operation, the support 1 2 with the ampoule is pressed still further downardly, the hammer-like part 32 being moved into the tensioned position. In the lowermost position of the slide 8, the hammer-like part 32 is freed, so that it is able to strike with suitable force against the ampoule head. The severed ampoule head then drops into the collecting container 39. The slide 8 is under the action of a spring. With the ampoule removed, the slide 8 with the support 1 2 returns into its upper initial posi tion. If such a return spring is not provided, the slide can be returned into its initial position by being lifted. The opening device causes a clean separation of the ampoule head from the ampoule, the operations being adapted to one another in a reliable manner by the displacement of the slide 8.

By using the automatic arrangement as provided, the opening operation no longer requires any particular care, so that the manipulation of the ampooule and of the support 1 2 can take place in a strictly mechanical manner. With the movement of the support along the guide-way, ihe steps necessary for opening the ampoule are caused automatically, so that the dpened ampoule can be removed from the support table at the end of the displacing movement. Time is saved by the automatic procedure. In addition, the device is reliable in operation and the detached ampoule heads can be easily collected.

Claims (20)

1. An apparatus for severing the heads of ampoules made of glass and the like, with which a scoring of a neck portion of an ampoule is effected, whereupon the ampoule head is removed by breaking off, the apparatus including a support for an ampoule the support being displaceable on a housing, a guiding device for guiding the neck of the ampoule, a scoring device for acting in the plane of said guiding device for scoring the neck of an ampoule, and a device for knocking off the ampoule head once it has been scored.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said scoring device is in the form of an abrasive disc or wheel.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said scoring device is in the form of a cutting disc or wheel.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said housing includes, on a front face of a front housing part thereof, a slide which is guided for displacement relatively to said front face, said support being arranged on said slide so as to be transversely displaceable relatively to the slide under a spring bias.

5. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said support is angular or trough-shaped as viewed in crosssection.

6. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said guiding device comprises two guide members spaced from dna another to define a slot in which the neck of an ampoule can be situated.

7. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said scoring device is fitted on a leading end of a drive shaft of an electric motor, the motor, drive shaft and scoring device being mounted so as to be able to pivot in a direction transversely of said guiding device.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said motor is mounted in a holder which has at its rear a part which is axially parallel to the main body of the holder and bears under a resilient bias against a fixed member, this arrangement allowing for the pivotal movement of said motor as aforesaid.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein means are provided to switch off the motor when it is at its rest position.

10. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said device for knocking off the ampoule head includes a hammer-like part which is pivotally mounted on a lever arm which is under a spring bias.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 as appendant to claim 2, wherein said hammer-like part has a projection which co-operates with a guiding part of said slide.

1 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said guiding part of said slide is a triangular groove of which one branch serves for tensioning said hammer-like part against its spring bias, and of which another branch frees the hammer-like part, said projection extending into said groove and being moved around the groove with displacement of said slide.

1 3. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said housing has a partition dividing the housing into a front section and a rear section, the rear section accommodating electrical components of the apparatus.

14. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which said housing defines a chamber in which a container can be fitted to receive the broken-off heads of ampoules.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein a slide arrangement is provided to enable said container to be pulled out from said housing.

1 6. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a front side of said housing is provided with a protective cover which is formed with a slot along which said support for an ampoule is movable.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein part of said slot of said cover is covered by tongues of resilient material to prevent glass from an ampoule being thrown out.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16 or 17, wherein said protective cover co-operates with a switch arranged inside said housing in order to switch off power supply to the apparatus when said protective cover is removed.

1 9. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a front side of said housing extends obliquely inwardly.

20. An apparatus for severing the heads of ampoules made of glass and the like, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.