JP7193335B2 - Transfer device and transfer transfer method for vials - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vial transfer apparatus and transfer method.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a transfer device for transferring vials to a freeze-drying device for freeze-drying substances (dissolved drugs, etc.) filled in glass vials is known, for example, from Patent Document 1. This device has a conveying means for arranging a large number of vials in an upright position in a line along a conveying path and conveying them without leaving any gaps between the vials, and a transfer place provided on the conveying path. A transfer means is provided for transferring a predetermined number of vial bottles stacked in a row with no gaps between the vials to the freeze-drying apparatus.

Here, it is known that glass vials have a dimensional tolerance (eg, ±0.15 to 0.5 mm for vials of φ16 to 18 mm). Therefore, at the end of the vials stacked in one row (uppermost upstream position of the transfer location), there may be a gap of about one vial due to accumulated dimensional tolerances. In this case, the vials stacked in one row at the transfer location are repeatedly transferred to the freeze-drying apparatus, and the vials are arranged in a staggered pattern in multiple rows, so that the vials are moved so as to fill the gaps. Therefore, there is a problem that the zigzag arrangement of vials is broken, that is, so-called zigzag collapse occurs. In order to prevent this, the distance from the head to the tail of "one row" should be shortened, but this does not allow the throughput per lot of the freeze-drying apparatus to be increased. Such a zigzag collapse makes it difficult to carry out the freeze-dried vial from the freeze-drying apparatus, and also generates an unbalanced load when the vial is pushed in, causing the vial to collide with each other, resulting in breakage of the vial. There is a demand for the development of a transport transfer device that prevents the occurrence of staggering at the time of warehousing.

Patent No. 4574326

In view of the above points, the present invention provides a vial transporting/transferring apparatus and a transporting/transferring method that can prevent vials from being staggered at the time of storage and maintain a multi-row aligned storage state with a simple mechanism. The task is to provide

In order to solve the above problems, a conveying means for aligning and conveying a large number of vials in a row along a conveying path in an upright posture, and a predetermined number of vials stacked in a row at a transfer place provided on the conveying path. to a freeze-drying device for freeze-drying the substance filled in the vial, the vial transporting and transferring device of the present invention comprises a transport path on the upstream side of the transfer place The indexing means is provided with an indexing means provided in the portion of the indexing means, and the indexing means selects the vials conveyed from the portion of the conveying path on the upstream side from the installation position of the indexing means without leaving a gap between the vials. The vials are indexed one by one and delivered to a portion of the conveying path on the downstream side of the installation position of the indexing means with a gap of a predetermined width between the vials. A number of vials are stacked in one row with a predetermined gap between each vial, and the indexing means is arranged at circumferential intervals such that each vial can be received on the outer peripheral portion. A gear-shaped rotating body having a plurality of teeth is provided, and the rotating body is made of resin and has a tooth width smaller than half the height of the vial, and is half the height of the vial. It is characterized in that it is installed at the same position as the In this case, a pair of guide plates extending in the direction of transport of the vial with a spacing of one vial are provided in the portion of the transport path on the upstream side of the transfer place. It is preferable that an opening elongated in the conveying direction is provided, and the rotating body is installed so that at least two or more teeth always protrude inside the guide plate through the opening.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, there is a transporting process in which a large number of vials are aligned in a row along a transport path in an upright posture and transported, and a predetermined number of vials stacked in a line at a transfer place provided on the transport path. and a transfer step of transferring the vial to a freeze-drying device for freeze-drying the substance filled in the vial. Equipped with a plurality of teeth provided at circumferential intervals capable of receiving one vial, made of resin, and having a tooth width smaller than half the height of the vial, the vial is half the height of the vial. By indexing means having a gear-shaped rotating body installed in the portion of the conveying path on the upstream side of the transfer place so as to be at the same position, the part of the conveying path on the upstream side from the installation position of this indexing means The vials conveyed without leaving a gap between them are indexed one by one, and the vials are inserted into the portion of the conveying path on the downstream side of the installation position of the indexing means with a predetermined width between the vials. It is characterized by including an accumulating step of delivering a predetermined number of vials with a gap and accumulating a predetermined number of vials in a line at a transfer location with a predetermined gap between the vials.

According to the present invention, a predetermined number of vials are stacked in a row at a transfer location with a predetermined gap between the vials (the pitch between the vials is constant). , the dimensional tolerance of each vial is canceled by the gap of a given width between each vial (the dimensional tolerance of each vial is summed with the positioning tolerance of each gap of a given width by the indexing means, resulting in a pitch error. Therefore, a predetermined number of vials can be accumulated at the transfer location without accumulating dimensional tolerances. As a result, a gap corresponding to one vial does not occur at the end of the vials stacked in one row, and the vials can be prevented from being staggered when they are stored.

Here , in the above-described conventional transport transfer apparatus, a count sensor and a stopper are provided in the portion of the transport path on the upstream side of the transfer place. of the vial is held down to prevent it from passing through. On the other hand, in the present invention, if the indexing means is composed of a gear-shaped rotating body as described above, the number of vials indexed based on the number of rotations of the rotating body can be counted. By stopping the rotation of the body, the vial can be held so that it does not pass. As a result, the rotator can serve as a count sensor and a stopper, making the count sensor and stopper unnecessary, which is advantageous in that the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the conventional one.

FIG. 2 is a partially omitted cross-sectional view for explaining the transport/transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention; BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partially omitted plan view for explaining a transport transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Sectional drawing which follows the III-III line of FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged plan view for explaining the indexing operation of the embodiment of the present invention; The partial enlarged view which shows the tooth|gear part of the rotary body which concerns on the modification of embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the case where a glass vial bottle of 16 mm in diameter is transported and transferred to a freeze-drying device for freeze-drying a drug filled therein will be described as an example of the transporting-transferring device and the transporting-transferring method of the present invention. An embodiment of is described. Hereinafter, the vertical direction is defined as the Z-axis direction, and the two axes orthogonal to each other in the horizontal plane are defined as the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a freeze-drying apparatus for freeze-drying drugs filled in vials Vc. The freeze-drying apparatus 1 includes a freeze-drying tank 11 , a cold trap 12 that adsorbs water vapor vaporized from a drug, and a vacuum pump 13 that evacuates the inside of the freeze-drying tank 11 . In the freeze-drying tank 11 as an airtight container, a plurality of shelf plates 14 on which the vials Vc can be placed side by side are installed at intervals in the Z-axis direction. A heating and cooling mechanism 141 is incorporated in each shelf plate 14, and by heating or cooling the shelf plate 14, the drug filled in the vial bottle Vc can be heated or cooled by heat transfer from the shelf plate 14. there is In this case, although not shown and described, the freeze-drying tank 11 is provided with a driving means so that each shelf 14 can be moved up and down in the Z-axis direction.

The cold trap 12 includes a condenser tube 121 built in the freeze-drying tank 11 and a refrigerator 122 that supplies refrigerant to the condenser tube 121. It is designed to be cooled. The vacuum pump 13 is composed of, for example, a mechanical booster pump connected to the freeze-drying tank 11 via an exhaust pipe 131 and an oil rotary vacuum pump on the back pressure side thereof, and evacuates the inside of the freeze-drying tank 11 to a predetermined pressure. It is possible. Note that the freezer 122, the heating/cooling mechanism 141, and the driving means can be known ones, so detailed description thereof is omitted here.

An opening 112 elongated in the Y-axis direction is formed on one side surface of the freeze-drying tank 11 in the X-axis direction, and is opened and closed by an open/close door 113 . Vial bottles Vc are juxtaposed on shelf board 14 through opening 112 . The transport transfer device Tm, which automatically loads and unloads the vials Vc onto the shelf plate 14, aligns a large number of the vials Vc in an upright posture along the transport path 2 elongated in the Y-axis direction. A predetermined number of vials stacked in a row at a transfer location 21 provided on the transfer path 2 so as to face the opening 112 of the freeze-drying tank 11 in the X-axis direction. A transfer means 4 for transferring the bottle Vc to the freeze-drying apparatus 1 is provided. Hereinafter, the direction from the transfer location 21 to the opening 112 of the freeze-drying tank 11 is defined as the positive direction of the X-axis, and the opposite direction is defined as the negative direction of the X-axis.

A pair of guide plates 22a and 22b extending in the Y-axis direction are provided in the portion of the transport path 2 on the upstream side of the transfer place 21, with a space of one vial in the X-axis direction. A large number of vials Vc can be aligned in a row along the transport path 2 and transported in an upright posture. In the transfer place 21, a guide plate 22c located at the same X-axis direction position as the guide plate 22a on the X-axis plus direction side is provided so as to be vertically movable in the Z-axis direction. Further, the transfer place 21 is provided with a first push plate 41 having a push surface 41a elongated in the Y-axis direction. In this case, at the standby position of the first push plate 41, the push surface 41a cooperates with the guide plate 22c to play the role of aligning a large number of vials Vc in one row in the upright posture.

The conveyor 3 includes a plurality of driving rollers 31 spaced apart in the Y-axis direction along the conveying path 2 and an endless conveying belt 32 stretched over the driving rollers 31 . In addition, the conveyer 3 moves the stop position of the most downstream vial Vc out of the predetermined number of vials Vc stacked in one row at the transfer location 21 to a substantially radius of the vial Vc in the Y-axis direction ( That is, the vials can be stopped after being shifted by half of the pitch between vials Vc including a gap of a predetermined width. As a result, when the vials Vc stacked in one row at the transfer location 21 are transferred by the transfer means 4, the vials Vc can be arranged in a zigzag pattern in a plurality of rows.

The transfer means 4 is configured by connecting a drive shaft 42 of drive means such as an air cylinder (not shown) to a first push plate 41 . The first push plate 41 can move back and forth in the X-axis direction. On the other hand, inside the freeze-drying tank 11, a second push plate 51 is provided facing the first push plate 41 so that the second push plate 51 can advance and retreat in the X-axis direction.

Between the transport path 2 and the shelf plate 14 of the freeze-drying tank 11, a bridging plate 6 is provided to bridge the vial bottle Vc through the opening 112 of the freeze-drying tank 11. As shown in FIG. The transfer means 4 is capable of transferring a predetermined number of vial bottles Vc stacked in a row at the transfer location 21 to the shelf board 14 via the transfer board 6 . The bridge plate 6 is connected to a fixed temporary placement plate portion 61 whose upper surface is flush with the upper surface of the conveyor belt 32 at the transfer location 21, and to the end portion of the temporary placement plate portion 61 in the positive direction of the X axis so that it can be raised and lowered. It is composed of a bridge plate portion 62 that is connected. When the bridge plate portion 62 is tilted in the X-axis direction with the opening/closing door 113 opened, the end portion of the shelf plate 14 in the minus direction of the X-axis is raised or lowered by a driving means (not shown) to match the height position. , the end portion of the bridge plate portion 62 in the positive direction of the X axis is locked. As a result, the shelf plate 14 and the conveying path 2 are positioned substantially in the same plane with the transfer plate 6 interposed therebetween, and the vial bottles Vc stacked in a row at the transfer location 21 are placed in the freeze-drying tank by the first push plate 41 . It can be transferred to the shelf board 14 of 11.

By the way, if a large number of vials Vc are stacked in a row at the transfer location 21 without leaving any gaps between the vials Vc, the dimensional tolerance of each vial Vc accumulates, and the vials stacked in one row At the end of the vial Vc (uppermost upstream position of the transfer location 21), there may be a gap of about one vial Vc. This causes a zigzag collapse at the time of storage, and the vials Vc are transferred to the shelf plate 14 in a collapsed state rather than in a multi-row and aligned state. As a result, the vials Vc cannot be evenly transferred to the conveyor 3 in the process when the vial Vc is delivered after the freeze-drying process is completed, and the downstream process of the conveyor 3 (the delivery of the vial Vc process) may cause clogging.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of indexing means 7 are provided in the portion of the transport path 2 on the upstream side of the transfer location 21 at intervals in the circumferential direction so that one vial bottle Vc can be received at each outer peripheral portion. In the embodiment, a gear-shaped rotor 7 having 12 teeth 7a is provided. Specifically, an opening 23 elongated in the Y-axis direction is formed in the guide plate 22b, and the rotating body 7 is installed so that at least two or more teeth 7a always protrude inside the guide plate 22b through the opening 23. did. The height position of the rotating body 7 in the Z-axis direction is, as shown in FIG. (By this, the friction disturbance generated between the bottom surface of the vial bottle Vc and the surface of the conveyor 3 can be effectively suppressed). A drive shaft 7b of a motor (not shown) is connected to the center of rotation of the rotating body 7 so that the rotating body 7 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 2 at a constant angular velocity. In this case, the motor is provided with detection means such as an encoder so that the rotation angle of the rotor 7 can be detected. The angular velocity of the rotating body 7 is such that the locations (release points) at which the restraint of each vial Vc, which is composed of the guide plate 22a and the toothed portion 7a, are released are at a constant pitch (that is, a gap of a predetermined width) on the conveyor 3. Vc) is engraved. By the rotation of the rotating body 7, the vials Vc conveyed from the portion of the conveying path 2 on the upstream side of the rotating body 7 are indexed one by one without any gaps between the vials Vc. The indexed vial Vc is transported downstream of the rotating body 7 with a gap Gp of a predetermined width (0.4 mm to 1.0 mm) between it and the following vial Vc, as will be described later. It is delivered to part of path 2.

The transport transfer device Tm includes control means (not shown) including a known microcomputer, sequencer, and the like. , 51 are controlled integrally. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4 as well, a transport transfer method for transporting the vial bottle Vc to the freeze-drying apparatus 1 using the transport transfer apparatus Tm of the above-described embodiment will be specifically described.

First, the vial Vc is cleaned and sterilized prior to filling the drug into the vial Vc. For sterilization, steam sterilization (121° C. or higher, 20 minutes) using steam of distilled water is used. After cleaning and sterilization are completed, the medicine is filled into the upright vial bottle Vc. The vial bottles Vc filled with drugs are transferred to the transport path 2, and a large number of vial bottles Vc are transported in a row along the transport path 2 in an upright posture by a pair of guide plates 22a and 22b. At this time, the rotating body 7 is stopped in a state in which _one tooth portion 7a1 protrudes inside the guide plate 22b through the opening 23 (this is hereinafter referred to as the origin position of the rotating body 7). When the vial Vc is transported along the transport path 2, the side surface of the vial Vc ₁ on the most downstream side comes into contact with one tooth 7a1 of the rotor _{7 to prevent the vial Vc 1 from} passing through. pressed by. For this reason, the following vials Vc _{2 to} Vc ₄ are also dammed, and these vials Vc _{1 to} Vc ₄ are aligned in a row without leaving any gaps between the vials Vc (Fig. 4(a) reference).

Next, the rotor 7 is rotated clockwise at a preset angular velocity. While the rotating body 7 is rotated clockwise from the origin position by a rotation angle of 30 degrees or less, _one tooth portion 7a1 of the rotating body 7 is always in contact with the side surface of the _most downstream vial Vc1. , the vial Vc ₁ moves downstream at the angular velocity of the rotor 7 . That is, the vial bottle Vc1 does not move downstream from the _one tooth portion _7a1 (see FIG. 4(b)). Then, when the rotation angle of the rotating body 7 reaches 30 degrees (release point), the _one tooth portion 7a1 is retracted into the opening 23, and the vial _bottle Vc1 is released from the _one tooth portion 7a1 and indexed. (when the distance between the guide plates 22a and 22b is the same as the barrel diameter of the vial Vc). In actual design, the distance between the guide plates 22a and 22b must be greater than the maximum tolerance of the barrel diameter of the vial Vc in order to prevent the vial Vc from being clogged when it is conveyed by the conveyor 3. Vc ₁ is opened before one tooth portion 7 a ₁ is retracted into opening 23 . That is, the open position is set so that the distance between _one tooth portion 7a1 and the guide plate 22a is within the tolerance of the vial Vc and the tooth portion 7a of the rotating body 7, centering on the position where the nominal barrel diameter of the vial Vc is reached. (manufacturing error) and the total amount of rotational deflection of the rotor 7 causes variation in the opening position (this is the pitch error between the vials). How to deal with these problems will be described later. After that, the indexed vial bottle Vc1 is conveyed downstream at the conveying speed of the conveyor ₃ .

Before _one tooth 7a1 sinks into the opening 23, the _next tooth _7a2 protrudes inside the guide plate 22b through the opening 23 and waits for Vc2. When the side surface of the subsequent vial Vc ₂ comes into contact with the next toothed portion 7a ₂ , while the rotating body 7 is rotated clockwise from the origin position at a rotation angle of 60 degrees or less, _The toothed portion _7a2 is always in contact with the side surface of the vial Vc2 on the most downstream side, and the vial Vc2 moves downstream at the angular velocity of the rotating body 7. As shown in _FIG . The initial contact position between the vial Vc ₂ and the next toothed portion 7a2 is set to the _{side of the vial Vc 2, so that the component force for pressing the vial Vc 2 toward the} guide plate 22a can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent clogging by the indexing means. At this time, the following vials Vc _{3 and} Vc ₄ are blocked by the vial Vc ₂ and move downstream, while the vial Vc ₁ on the most downstream side and the following vial Vc ₂ In addition, a gap gradually occurs according to the speed of the angular velocity of the rotating body 7 and the conveying speed of the conveyor 3 (see FIG. 4(c)).

When the rotor 7 is rotated 60 degrees clockwise, the vial Vc2 is released from the _next tooth _7a2 and indexed. As a result, a gap Gp having a predetermined width is created between the vial _bottle Vc1 and the vial bottle Vc2 (see _FIG . 4(d)). After that, the above operation is repeated to index the vials conveyed without leaving a gap one by one. , and sent to the portion of the conveying path 2 on the downstream side.

Next, the detection means detects the number of rotations of the rotor 7, and when the number reaches a predetermined value, the rotation of the rotor 7 is stopped assuming that a predetermined number of vials Vc have been indexed. In this case, the vial Vc in the portion of the conveying path 2 on the upstream side of the rotating body 7 is again blocked by the teeth 7a of the rotating body 7 at the origin position, as described above. The vials Vc indexed by the rotating body 7 are conveyed by the conveyor 3 with a predetermined gap Gp between each vial Vc, and a first predetermined number of vials Vc are transferred to the transfer location 21 . The vials are stacked in a single row with a gap Gp of a predetermined width between the vials Vc (a predetermined pitch between the vials Vc is maintained).

Finally, the first predetermined number of vial bottles Vc stacked in one row at the transfer place 21 are transferred to the transfer plate 6 by moving the first push plate 41 in the positive direction of the X axis with a predetermined first stroke. is transferred to the temporary placement plate portion 61 of the . Further, in the same manner as described above, a second predetermined number of vials Vc, which is one less than the first predetermined number indexed by the rotating body 7, is conveyed to the transfer location 21 by the conveyor 3. FIG. In this case, the stop position of the most downstream vial Vc out of the second predetermined number of vials Vc is shifted in the Y-axis direction by the radius of the vial Vc (that is, half the pitch between the predetermined vials Vc). ) shift. Then, in the same manner as described above, the second predetermined number of vial bottles Vc stacked in one row at the transfer place 21 is moved by the first stroke in the positive direction of the X-axis to move the first push plate 41 to the first position. The first row of vials Vc of a predetermined number contacts the second row of vials Vc of a predetermined number, resulting in two rows. (When carrying out this contact movement, if the first push plate 41 is moved in the X-axis plus direction by a predetermined first stroke in a state where the pitches between the vial bottles Vc in each row are not aligned, the rows will be moved. Collapse occurs, causing various problems such as overturned bottles and blockages during storage/delivery). By repeating this operation, the vials Vc stacked in one row in the Y-axis direction are arranged in multiple rows in a staggered manner in the X-axis direction.

On the other hand, in the freeze-drying tank 11, the shelf board 14 on which the vials Vc have already been transferred is raised, the opening/closing door 113 is moved to the open position, and the transfer plate section 62 is tilted in the X-axis direction in this state to empty the space. The end of the bridge plate portion 62 in the positive direction of the X axis is engaged with the end of the shelf plate 14 in the negative direction of the X axis. Then, when the vials Vc aligned in one row in the Y-axis direction are arranged in a plurality of rows in a staggered manner in the X-axis direction, the first push plate 41 is moved in the X-axis positive direction by a predetermined second stroke. , the vials Vc are transferred to the shelf plate 14 while being arranged side by side in a zigzag pattern. By repeating this operation, the vials Vc are transferred to a plurality of shelf boards 14, and when this is completed, the transfer plate portion 62 is lifted back toward the temporary placement plate portion 61, and the opening/closing door 113 is moved to the closed position. , freeze-drying is performed. Since the freeze-drying process itself is known, detailed description thereof is omitted here. When the freeze-drying is completed, the shelf board 14 is lowered and the opening/closing door 113 is moved to the open position. is locked at the end of the X-axis plus direction. Then, when the second push plate 51 is moved in the negative direction of the X axis by a predetermined stroke, the freeze-dried vials Vc are transferred to the transfer place 21 via the transfer plate 6, and each vial Vc is transferred. It is conveyed to the downstream side of the loading place 21 .

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a predetermined number of vials Vc are stacked on the transfer location 21 in a row with a predetermined gap Gp between the vials Vc. , the dimensional tolerance of each vial Vc is canceled out by the gap Gp of the predetermined width between the vials Vc, so that the predetermined number of vials Vc can be stacked at the transfer location 21 without accumulating the dimensional tolerance. . As a result, a void corresponding to one vial does not occur at the end of the vials Vc stacked in one row, and the vials Vc can be prevented from being staggered when they are stored. In this case, the number of vials Vc indexed based on the number of rotations of the rotor 7 can be counted, and the rotation of the rotor 7 can be stopped to prevent the vials Vc from passing. Therefore, the rotating body 7 has functions of a count sensor and a stopper. According to this, there is no need to provide a count sensor and a stopper, and the number of parts can be reduced, which is advantageous.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention. In the above embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the rotating body 7 is a symmetrical gear, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 5, as the rotating body 70 in the modified example, a toothed portion 70a has an asymmetrical chamfered surface Ro on the rotational direction side (that is, the toothed surface on the side where the toothed portion 7a of the rotating body 7 does not come into contact with the vial Vc). Toothed gears can be used. Simultaneously with this chamfering, offsetting the tooth depth direction from the rotation center of the rotor 7 is also an effective means. By using this rotating body 70, when the rotating body 7 indexes the vial Vc _, the teeth _7a3 of the _rotating body 70 protrude from the guide plate 22b. (that is, a position that does not interfere with the following vial Vc), and at the same time, three tooth portions 7a of the rotating body 70 can be protruded from the inner surface of the guide plate 22b. Become. This is advantageous because it enables contact with the vial Vc after the toothed portion 7a has sufficiently risen, so that the component of force that presses the guide plate 22a can be further suppressed.

Moreover, from the viewpoint of suppressing the pitch error between the vials Vc described above, it is desirable that the rotating body 7 and the tooth portion 7a be manufactured integrally. This is because, as long as the tolerance of the general-purpose vial Vc is allowed, it is necessary to suppress the variation by improving the accuracy of the rotor 7 side. As a matter of course, the structure for pivotally supporting the rotating body 7 is required to have a structure in which the amount of rotational deflection is not deteriorated even if a moment load is applied. Further, from the viewpoint of smoothly indexing the vial Vc at the release point, it is desirable that the material of the tooth portion 7a and the guide plate 22a is made of fluororesin. In the above-described embodiment, the rotating body 7 is manufactured as an integrated body including the teeth 7a by cutting a fluororesin as a raw material. Stable indexing is difficult with other materials due to the problem of coefficient of friction.

In the above embodiment, the case where the indexing means is the gear-shaped rotating body 7 has been described as an example. It is not limited to this as long as it can be delivered with a gap Gp of a predetermined width between them. Although not shown and described, for example, an endless belt is wound between a pair of drive rollers, and a plurality of projecting pieces are formed on the surface of the belt at predetermined intervals. At least two protrusions may always protrude inside the guide plate 22b.

Gp... Gap of predetermined width, Tm... Transfer transfer device, Vc... Vial bottle, 1... Freeze drying apparatus, 2... Transfer path, 21... Transfer place, 3... Transfer means (conveyor), 4... Transfer means, 7 ... Indexing means (gear-shaped rotating body).

Claims (3)

A conveying means for arranging and conveying a large number of vials in a row along a conveying path in an upright posture, and a predetermined number of vials stacked in a row at a transfer location provided on the conveying path are transferred to the vials. A transfer device for vial bottles comprising transfer means for transferring the filled substance to a freeze-drying device for freeze-drying,
An indexing means is provided in a portion of the transport path on the upstream side of the transfer place, and the indexing means creates a gap between the vials from the portion of the transport path on the upstream side of the installation position of the indexing means. One by one, the vials conveyed without the indexing means are indexed, and the vials are sent to the portion of the conveying path on the downstream side of the installation position of this indexing means with a predetermined gap between each vial. and a predetermined number of vials are stacked in a row at a transfer location with a predetermined gap between each vial ,
The indexing means has a gear-shaped rotating body having a plurality of teeth provided at intervals in the circumferential direction so as to be able to receive one vial on each outer periphery, and the rotating body is made of resin. and a vial having a tooth width smaller than half the height of the vial, and installed at a position approximately equal to the height of the vial. A pair of guide plates extending in the direction of transport of the vial with a spacing of one vial are provided in the portion of the transport path on the upstream side of the transfer place. 2. The vial according to claim 1, wherein a longitudinal opening is provided, and said rotating body is installed so that at least two or more tooth portions always protrude inside said guide plate through said opening. transport transfer device. A conveying step of arranging a large number of vials in an upright posture and conveying them in a line along a conveying path; and a transfer step of transferring the filled substance to a freeze-drying device for freeze-drying,
The conveying step has a plurality of teeth provided on the outer peripheral portion at intervals in the circumferential direction so as to be able to receive one vial each, is made of resin, and has a face width smaller than half the height of the vial. Installation of this indexing means by means of an indexing means having a gear-shaped rotating body that is installed in the portion of the conveying path on the upstream side of the transfer place so that the position is approximately the same as the height of the half of the vial bottle. The vials conveyed without leaving a gap between the vials are indexed one by one from the portion of the conveying path on the upstream side of the indexing means, and the vials are transferred to the portion of the conveying path on the downstream side of the installation position of the indexing means. A stacking process in which the vials are sent out with a predetermined gap between each vial, and a predetermined number of vials are stacked in a row at the transfer location with a predetermined gap between each vial. A method for conveying and transferring a vial, comprising:

Images