JP6856531B2 - Pharmaceutical packaging equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical packaging device, particularly a packaging device used in an automatic blister packaging machine.

Corresponding automatic blister packers are known from the prior art. For example, in International Patent Application Publication No. 2013/034504A1 (Patent Document 1), a drug is individually administered to each patient at a pharmacy and a hospital, or according to the number of doses instructed by a doctor having corresponding characteristics (dimensioning). Describes automatic blister packaging machines that can also be used in blister packaging centers. The packaging device of an automatic blister packaging machine packages a drug set (which can accommodate only one drug or multiple individual drugs) in a pouch formed from an endless packaging material web, a so-called blister pack. Out of the packaging for further use as a "blister tube" (a connected, pre-filled blister pack that has not yet been separated is called a blister tube). Blister packs generally correspond to the time the patient takes the drug, i.e., contain all the drugs that the patient must take, eg, in the morning.

The automatic blister packaging machine according to the specification of the international patent application includes a plurality of drug storage and release units, the storage and release unit interlocking with a plurality of swivel guide units, and the swivel guide unit also swivels. The drug is supplied to the collection unit, and the drug set is supplied to the packaging device through the collection unit. Due to its special design, automatic blister packers can provide multiple drug sets in a short amount of time, which imposes special requirements on the packaging equipment.

In known packaging devices, the provided drug set is fed to the packaging device itself via a corresponding transport unit and packaged in a blister pack at the packaging device (also referred to as blister packaging). The drug set is transferred into place on the packaging device. This is done, for example, by temporarily opening the transport unit and dropping the drug set onto the collision plate provided for that purpose upon opening. In the packaging device according to the prior art, the packaging device molds individual blister packs from the processing / bending assisting tool (from the processing / bending assisting tool) for the packaging material web that guides the collision plate through the collision plate. To be used at the same time. The packaging material web is normally bent along the longitudinal axis so that the folding area is located "downward" in this case. The individual agents of the agent set slide down from the collision plate into the bent area, which generally forms a stop by vertically welding the anterior pouch.

By aligning the collision plate with the folded packaging material web, the moving direction of the packaging material web and the structure of the collision plate generally allow the agent to be packaged to line up back and forth within the pre-folded packaging material web. Line up in. Depending on the number of agents, the pouch may be relatively long, resulting in wasted material and longer packaging time.

Depending on the shape of the drug to be packaged, the geometry of the impact plate may inconveniently supply the drug to the pre-folded portion of the packaging material web (eg, flat cylindrical tablets at the end face). Problems can occur during sealing of the pre-folded filling portion of the packaging material web and while further transporting the packaging material web through the packaging equipment.

International Patent Application Publication No. 2013/034504A1

It is an object of the present invention to provide a drug packaging device that improves the supply of the drug to the pre-folded packaging material web so that shorter drug packs can be created.

This object is achieved by the pharmaceutical packaging device according to claim 1, according to the present invention. In the packaging device according to the present invention, a packaging material supply means for supplying a flexible elongated packaging material web from a storage roll, and a bending guide unit (the term "downstream") arranged downstream of the packaging material supply means are used in this case. In the direction of movement of the packaging material web, starting with the storage roll and through the packaging device).

The folding guide unit includes a packaging material web receiving region and two packaging material web bending regions that meet at the bending portion, and the bending portion is arranged on the side opposite to the receiving region of the bending guide unit. The folding guide unit of the packaging device according to the present invention bends the packaging material web in the longitudinal direction, and at that time, guides the edge of the packaging material web along the packaging material web bending region, and the bending portion is A bent area is established in the packaging material web, whereby the folded packaging material web will eventually have a U-shaped cross section to some extent.

During the packaging operation, the drug is supplied to the pre-folded U-shaped region of the packaging material web, which is continuously "formed" during the movement of the packaging material web; This area is hereafter referred to as the "packaging area".

The folding guide unit includes a collision area with respect to the packaged drug, and the drug is guided to the area (packaging area) of the folded packaging material web by this collision area.

The packaging device according to the invention includes a first joining unit that is located downstream of the bending guide unit and is used to join the packaging material webs to each other perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, usually two vertical joining regions. Is manufactured for each drug pack or blister pack to be manufactured. Since the blister pack is usually not separated by the device after packaging or manufacturing, the junction area is generally used as the "end" of one of the previous blister packs and the "starting edge" of the new blister pack. However, two separate vertical junction regions can also be created for each blister pack, depending on the exact embodiment of the first junction unit.

In addition, the packaging device is arranged downstream of the bending guide unit to join the folded packaging material webs to each other in parallel with the longitudinal direction, facing the bending region, or separated from the bending region. It further includes a second joining unit to be used.

The order in which the first joining unit and the second joining unit are arranged in the packaging device with respect to the moving direction of the packaging material web is not essential for the present invention, and is determined by the design details of the packaging device. However, usually, the first joining unit is placed after the bending guide unit.

According to the present invention, the bending guide unit includes a drug supply section separated from the bending section, and the packaged drug is vertically separated from the bending region and bent through the drug supply section. Guide within the packaging material web (the packaging material webs are joined vertically to each other downstream of the supply area) (packaging area).

Prior art packaging equipment uses a flat blister, which supplies the drug to be packaged to the packaging area near the vertical bending region, but generally during packaging the packaging material web. As a result, the drug is basically placed back and forth, which results in the drug pack being packaged by insufficiently utilizing the volume of the drug pack created in the blister packaging process. It becomes relatively "long" with respect to the longitudinal direction of the material web.

For an embodiment of the folding guide unit according to the invention, the drug is guided vertically into the packaging area, vertically separated from the bending area, whereby the drug is first provided by the vertical bonding area of the previous drug pack. It is stopped and falls into the bent area, allowing the next drug to be arbitrarily placed on the drug already supplied. The supplied drugs no longer interfere with each other, thereby allowing the same number of drugs to be packaged more quickly at a constant rate (compared to known packaging devices), and the drugs to be placed in the drug pack only back and forth. It can be wrapped in a "shorter" drug pack because it is also placed above and below. The bending guide unit according to the present invention can improve the supply of individual drugs in a drug set, thus allowing shorter drug packs to be made, resulting in material savings, especially with respect to packaging materials. However, the individual agents do not interfere with each other so much during supply and the device can operate more quickly, allowing for faster blister packaging at the same time.

When using known collision plates, in an unfavorable case, a cylindrical drug may be fed to the packaging material web area bent at the end face of the drug. Therefore, when packaging a relatively large diameter drug, it is possible and possible that the drug will be supplied and packaged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the packaging material web with respect to the radial portion of the drug. As a result, depending on the size of the drug or the filling state of the bent packaging material web area to be sealed, the following problems with the joining area may occur. For example, if the bent packaging material web bulges too strongly, the packaging material web will inevitably not reach the actual bonding area of the bonding unit, so it is too "flat" and the second bonding unit is parallel to the longitudinal unit. There is a possibility that they cannot be joined to each other.

In a preferred embodiment of the packaging device according to the invention, the condition is that the surface of the bending guide unit that provides the collision region is mounted as a concave surface. This, on the other hand, results in a steep slope of the collision area (compared to the non-concave surface embodiment), but the drug supply section located at the tip of the triangular bending guide unit is flat. Or, in contrast, the surface of the bending guide unit is mounted to be a kind of "ski jumping platform", through which the drug is particularly effectively and directed (abbreviated as the junction region). Guide to the pre-folded area of the packaging material web (in parallel). The vertical junction region of the previous drug pack forms a stop for the drug within that area, from which the drug falls into the bent area, which increases the probability of placement up and down.

While the drug collides in the collision area of the bending guide unit, extremely small drug particles are routinely separated and contaminate the surface of the bending guide unit. Subsequent agents may carry the contaminant particles, which increases the contamination of the agent in the agent pack over time. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the bending guide unit on a regular basis, which is troublesome and requires undesired interruption of blister packaging.

In a preferred embodiment of the packaging device according to the present invention, for this purpose, the bending guide unit has a removable drug supply component and a bending component, and the supply unit is a part of the removable drug supply component. The condition is that the bent portion is a part of the bent part. As soon as a certain level of contamination is reached, according to an embodiment of the bending guide unit according to the invention, only the removable drug supply parts that come into contact with the drug must be replaced, but reliably guide the packaging material web. The bent parts to be bent can be left as they are in the packaging device. Therefore, it is not necessary to insert the entire bending guide unit into the guide path of the packaging material web, and the replacement can be performed much more quickly.

As already mentioned above, the ability to place the drug up and down in the packaging area is also a very important advantage of the packaging device according to the invention. The optimum placement of the drug in the bent region of the packaging material web is determined by the distance from the supply to the bent region of the packaging material web, or more precisely, the distance from the top of the supply to the bottom of the bend. In order to make this distance ideally configurable, a preferred embodiment is conditioned on the pivotally mounting of removable drug feed components.

As already mentioned, contamination of the surface of the bend guide unit is a problem and it is necessary to provide a clean surface on a regular basis. This can be done, for example, by replacing at least one component of the bend guide unit or the bend guide unit. In a preferred embodiment of the packaging device according to the invention, in order to extend the interval providing the cleaning surface, the surface of the bending guide unit providing the collision area is provided with an anti-adhesion coating that makes it more difficult for the separated drug particles to adhere. The condition is to prepare at least partially. Drug particles that may separate are guided with the drug into the folded packaging material web and do not remain on the surface.

Alternatively, or in addition, in a further preferred embodiment, a cleaning unit that can be used to remove contaminants adhering to the surface of the bending guide unit is assigned to the bending guide unit. This can be done, for example, by applying a fluid to the surface of the bending guide unit and allowing the adhering contaminants to flow into the packaging material web. Contaminated areas of the packaging material web are joined together as usual to form a pouch and then disposed of. For example, the cleaning fluid can be used as the cleaning fluid. In embodiments relating to the guidance of cleaning units and cleaning fluids, ensuring that contaminant particles do not flow into other areas of the packaging device.

The packaging material web is provided to the bending guide unit via the packaging material supply means, especially from a storage roll that can be usually placed in a special part of the packaging device. In particular, in large blister packaging centers, large amounts of drug are often blister-packed in a repeating sequence, so the storage roll may already have the packaging material web area printed or marked. In such cases, the drug to be packaged can be changed immediately only by replacing the storage roll with the already marked packaging material web. In a preferred embodiment of the packaging device according to the invention, the packaging device comprises a marking unit used to mark the packaging material web according to the packaging agent or the already packaged agent so as to be flexible with respect to the agent to be packaged. Is a condition. The corresponding markings are usually printed on the packaging material web, so it is preferable to place the marking unit upstream of the folding guide unit so as to print the packaging material web that has not yet been folded.

Embodiments of the packaging device according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

A perspective view of the packaging device according to the present invention is shown, and the packaging material web is guided through the device. A perspective view of a packaging device according to the present invention is shown without a packaging material web. A detailed view of the packaging apparatus according to the present invention with respect to the area of the bending guide unit is shown. A side view of the packaging device according to the present invention with respect to the area of the bending guide unit is shown. It shows a schematic of supplying a drug to a packaging material web when a typical collision plate is used. A schematic diagram of supplying a drug to the packaging material web when the bending guide unit according to the present invention is used is shown. The figure regarding the embodiment of the bending guide unit is shown.

1A and 1B show perspective views of an embodiment of a packaging device according to the present invention. In FIG. 1A, the packaging material web 2 guided through the apparatus is shown in the upper region, and the packaging material web 2 exits the apparatus as a blister tube 2d (shown only). A blister tube is formed as it passes through the device; how this is done accurately will be described with reference to the following figures. The packaging material web and blister tube are omitted in FIG. 1B, and other than that, both drawings are the same.

An illustrated embodiment of a packaging device according to the present invention comprises a storage roll 11, in which the packaging material web 2 is stored, and when the packaging material web passes through the packaging device, the packaging material web 2 is used as a pouch. Mold and fill with drug. The packaging material web 2 is supplied from the storage roll 11 to the bending guide unit 20 by using the packaging material supply means 10, and in the illustrated embodiment, the marking unit 60 also has the storage roll and the bending guide unit 20. In between, the marking unit 60 can be used to impart item information to the packaging material web.

In this embodiment, the triangular bending guide unit 20 and the subsequent first joining unit 40 are used to bend the packaging material web 2 in the longitudinal direction to form a U-shaped double web, which is double. The two "legs" of the web are generally of equal width and / or height. The actual bending operation of the packaging material web performed on the same part of the packaging device and the exact method of filling the folded packaging material web will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings below.

Using the first joining unit 40 disposed downstream of the bending guide unit 20, the bent packaging material web filled with the drug is placed in the longitudinal direction or the moving direction X (see FIG. 1) of the packaging material web. They join each other vertically, whereas the joining area is at the same time the start of a new (not yet sealed) blister pack and the end of the previous blister pack. In the illustrated embodiment, the first joining unit 40 is mounted by a welding unit, and the welded double web is welded perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction using the welding unit. The cleaning unit 29 can be fixed to the first joining unit 40, and the cleaning unit 29 can be used to apply the cleaning fluid to the surface of the bending guide unit 20 to remove contaminants from the surface.

The second joining unit 50 is located downstream of the first joining unit 40 and is filled with a chemical using the second joining unit 50 and is a bent double web that already has a vertical joining area. Are joined to each other parallel to the longitudinal direction of the packaging material web and separated from the folds of the packaging material web, but in the illustrated embodiment, this is also implemented by welding. The completed blister tube 2d is guided out of the automatic blister packer and supplied for inspection and separation (eg, patient related).

2A to 2E show detailed views of the region of the bending guide unit 20 according to the embodiment of the packaging device according to the present invention. As can already be seen in FIG. 2A, the packaging material web 2 is bent using the bending guide unit 20 and the first joining unit 40 to form the double web 2c.

For this purpose, the unbent packaging material web 2 is guided in the packaging material web receiving region 21 under the triangular bending guide unit 20. The portions 2a and 2b of the packaging material web 2 project to the lateral region of the bending guide unit. At the tip of the bending guide unit 20 (not shown in FIG. 2A), a bending region, that is, a region where the packaging material web is actually bent is established. The folds of the double web are maintained in this case by the first joining unit 40 downstream from the bending guide unit 20.

In addition, FIG. 2A shows several details of the first joining unit 40, particularly two welding rollers 41 and 42, which are the longitudinal direction or movement of the packaging material web (or double web). Aligned perpendicular to the direction, welding rollers 41, 42 are used to orient the welding or joining region perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the packaging material web.

During blister packaging, the welding rollers 41, 42 rotate, but the rotation speed is adapted to the pouch length and moving speed of the packaging material web. In the illustrated embodiment, each welding roller comprises two opposing welding portions 41a, 41b, 42a, 42b (see FIG. 2B for this), and the welding roller is welded in these regions during rotation. It only comes into contact with the double web that guides between the rollers. The welds are adapted to each other so that the welds come into contact with the double web every X cm and mount the junction region 4 during the progress of the double web and during the rotation of the weld roller. The "non-contact" path length between the weld and the double web defines the length of the blister pack.

The illustration in FIG. 2B is only used to illustrate the roller / contact area. As is clear, the junction region is at the axial height of the welding roller in the direction of movement of the packaging material web, i.e., "just" introduced the junction region 4; to reproduce this welding just done. , It was necessary to rotate the roller 90 degrees to show. However, I chose this illustration because it is easy to understand.

As already shown, the bending guide unit 20 can be embodied by a plurality of parts, and the bending guide unit 20 can have a detachable drug supply part and a bending part. In FIG. 2C, the removable drug supply component 26 is omitted, and only the triangular bent component 27, which is mounted flat, can be seen. Further, in this figure, the packaging material web 2 after being guided by the packaging material web receiving region 21 under the bending guide unit 20 is the other two lateral regions of the bending guide unit 20, so-called packaging material web. Only the "right" packaging material web bending area 22a in the direction of travel is seen protruding at the bending area.

Although FIG. 2D shows the complete bend guide unit 20, the packaging material web 2 is omitted, in which the “left” packaging material web bending region 22b is visible.

In FIG. 2E, in order to illustrate the region where the folded packaging material web regions 2a and 2b are integrated, the first joining unit is omitted and the fold is illustrated, and this region 6 is only schematically. Illustrated. For example, the packaging material web regions 2a and 2b indicate that they merge into one point in region 6, but since the region 6 is continuously filled with a drug and the region is deformed by the drug, the region is actually Is not quite accurate.

During blister packaging through the packaging device, the packaging material web / double web is moved, and the junction area also moves further (in the direction of the arrow) with the web. The folded packaging material web and the folding guide unit 20 form a kind of funnel and guide the blister-packed drug into the funnel via the folding guide unit (see also FIG. 3B for this).

In the illustration shown in FIG. 2F, both the first joining unit and the packaging material web / double web are omitted, and the bending guide unit 20 embodied in accordance with the present invention can be seen. In the illustrated embodiment, the bending guide unit 20 is composed of two parts, and the bending guide unit 20 has a lower bending part 27 and an upper medicine supply part 26, and the medicine supply part is folded. Detachably fixed to bent parts. In the illustrated embodiment, the drug supply component 26 provides a collision area 24 and supplies the drug to be packaged from the collision area 24 to the packaging area.

As can be seen from FIG. 2F, in this example, the two packaging material web bending regions 22a and 22b provided by the folding component 27 are merged at the bending portion 23, and the folding portion 23 is the folding of the packaging material web. Define the bending region. The drug supply component 26 has a drug supply section 25 in the tip region, and the drug supply section 25 is mounted so as to be separated from the bent portion 23 in the vertical direction (upward). Further, it can already be inferred from FIG. 2F that the surface of the drug supply component 26 is mounted as a concave surface.

3A and 3B show side views of the packaging device according to the invention with respect to the region of the bending guide unit 20. In FIG. 3A, the bending path of the packaging material web 2 is illustrated from the side surface, omitting the first joining unit. In this illustration, it can be seen that the bending guide unit itself is tilted and arranged in the packaging device, and the bent packaging material web 2c is further guided in a tilted state after bending.

FIG. 3B shows a further side view of the packaging device according to the present invention, in which a portion of the folded packaging material web, region 2b, is omitted from FIG. 3A, whereby the bending guide unit 20 Is made visible. In the illustration according to FIG. 3B, on the other hand, to illustrate the supply of the drug 7 to the packaging area 6 and the placement of the individual drugs in a blister pack (unfinished) (defined by the junction areas 4a and 4b). , A plurality of agents 7 are also shown.

The drug set to be supplied is supplied to the bending guide unit 20 via the supply means 5, and the drug set hits the collision region 24 (incident) at the bending guide unit 20. By forming the surface of the bending guide unit 20 formed in the embodiment shown by the chemical supply component 26 and the bending component 27 into a concave shape, the angle of the collision region becomes steeper as compared with the surface not mounted as a concave surface. , Thereby accelerating the drug more strongly. The drug supply unit 25 is mounted in the tip region of the bending guide unit 20, particularly vertically separated from the bending unit 23. In the embodiment of the folding guide unit 20 according to the present invention, the agent 7 is not supplied to the packaging area 6 in the area of the fold 3, but rather in the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the packaging material web from the fold 3. It has the effect of supplying it separately. The bending guide unit according to the present invention forms a kind of ski jumping platform (reinforcing this effect by making the surface concave), but as a result the chemicals 7 are simply added one after another within the bending region 3. Instead of accumulating, it "jumps" into packaging area 6. The drug 7 collides with the packaging region, the "snapshot" shown in this example, against the joint region 4a in the vertical direction, and then falls in the direction of the bending region 3. In this way, not only can the agents be placed one after the other (in the direction of movement of the packaging material web), but they can also be placed on top of each other so that the same number of medicines can be packaged in a smaller blister pack. The correspondingly manufactured blister packs are shown "on the left" from the junction region 4a in FIG. 3B. It can also be seen that the joint region 4a of the freshly manufactured blister pack is the "starting end" and the end of the previous blister pack pack.

The exact method of accumulating the drug in the packaging area depends on the drug itself and the blister pack length. In the illustrated state, the drug collides with the junction area and then falls. During the course of the packaging material web as the junction region 4a moves further to the left, it is possible that the drug no longer collides with the junction region, but rather simply reaches the packaging region separated in the direction of travel.

4A-4C and 5A-5C schematically show the differences in manufacturing a blister pack using a known collision plate and a bending guide unit according to the present invention, FIGS. 4A-4C. Shows about manufacturing using the known collision plate 20'.

6A-6D show various diagrams relating to embodiments of the bending guide unit 20 according to the present invention, the illustrated embodiment comprising a drug supply component 26 and a bending component 27.

In the illustrated embodiment, the bent component 27 is mounted as a flat triangular plate. However, in particular, the underside of the bent component can be mounted quite differently in other embodiments.

In the drawings, particularly FIG. 6C, the concave shape of the surface of the drug supply component 26 can be clearly seen. Further, the packaging material web receiving region 21 and the packaging material web bending regions 22a and 22b are also clearly visible, and these regions are provided in the embodiment shown by the bending component 27.

It is possible to mount the drug supply component pivotally with respect to the bend component, thereby allowing the bend guide unit to be compatible with the drug to be packaged or blister-packed, as shown in FIGS. 6E and 6E. It can be seen well on the 6th floor.

Claims (7)

Packaging material supply means (10), which supplies a flexible elongated packaging material web (2) from a storage roll (11),
Bending guides arranged downstream of the packaging material supply means (10) and having two packaging material web bending regions (22a, 22b) that meet at the packaging material web receiving region (21) and the bending portion (23). A unit (20), the bending guide unit (20) bends the packaging material web (2) in the longitudinal direction, and at that time, the edge of the packaging material web is bent. Guided along the regions (22a, 22b), the bent portion (23) establishes a bent region (3) in the packaging material web (2), and the bent guide unit (20) is covered. Bending guide unit (20), having a collision area (24) with respect to the packaging agent,
A first joining unit (40), which is arranged downstream of the bending guide unit (20) and used to join the bent packaging material webs (2) to each other in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.
A second joining unit (50) arranged downstream of the bending guide unit (20) and used to join the bent packaging material webs (2) to each other in parallel with the longitudinal direction.
It is a packaging device for medicines (1) having
The bending guide unit (20) has a surface having the shape of a "ski jumping table" and has a drug supply section (25) separated upward from the bending section (23) to supply the drug. A drug packaging device (1) that "jumps" the drug from section (25) and guides it into the bent packaging material web (2). The pharmaceutical packaging device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the bending guide unit (20) that provides the collision region (24) is mounted as a concave surface. The bending guide unit (20) has a removable drug supply component (26) and a bending component (27), and the supply unit (25) is one of the removable drug supply components (26). The pharmaceutical packaging device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bent portion (23) is a part of the bent part (27). The removable drug supply component (26) can be pivoted so that the supply section (25) of the drug supply component (26) can be adjusted in the direction perpendicular to the bending region (3). The drug packaging device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that it is attached to. Any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the surface of the bending guide unit (20) that provides the collision region (24) is at least partially provided with an anti-adhesion coating (28). (1). The bending guide unit (20) is characterized in that a cleaning unit (29) is assigned to the bending guide unit (20), and the cleaning unit can be used to remove contaminants adhering to the surface of the bending guide unit (20). The pharmaceutical packaging device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The pharmaceutical use according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the packaging device (1) includes a marking unit (60) arranged upstream of the bending guide unit (20). Packaging device (1).

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