JPH07124230A - Method for driving stopper into container - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent foreign matter and bacteria from entering a container by driving a stopper into the mouth of the container, supplying the container into a vacuum chamber, evacuating the vacuum chamber, lifting the stopper relative to the container, and re-driving the stopper into the container. CONSTITUTION:A container 1 fitted with a stopper 5 under atmospheric pressure is supplied into a vacuum chamber 12 and the chamber is sealed, and a stopper holding means 18 is lowered to press the upper side of the container 1 with a step 18c to hold the container 1. Then, a passage switching valve 14 is switched to communicate the inside of the vacuum chamber 12 with a vacuum pump 15 to keep the inside of the vacuum chamber 12 in a low vacuum, and the stopper 5 is pushed out of the container 1 and into a through hole 18a and held in position. Next, the inside of the vacuum chamber 12 is highly evacuated, and after the vacuum pressure is introduced into the container 1, a stopper driving pin 17 is slightly lowered to introduce air into the vacuum chamber 12 to create atmospheric pressure therein, thereby moving the stopper 5 downwards by means of the vacuum pressure and the atmospheric pressure.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for plugging an inside plug into a container for plugging an inside plug into the container.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a vacuum stoppering machine for stoppering an inside stopper into a syringe barrel as a container in a vacuum state (Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-28386). This vacuum stoppering machine is provided with a vacuum chamber, a rack for holding a container filled with a chemical solution with its mouth upward, and a plate provided above the mouth of the container held by the rack to hold the stopper. And a capping pin that is provided above the plate and that fits the inner plug held by the plate into the mouth of the container. In the vacuum stopper machine, while setting the container in the rack outside the vacuum chamber, set the stopper inside the plate and set the plate on the rack,
Next, this is supplied to a predetermined position in the vacuum chamber. When this state is reached, the inside of the vacuum chamber is evacuated to a vacuum state, and then the stopper pin is lowered,
The inner stopper held by the plate is fitted into the mouth of the container to seal the container. After that, the vacuum chamber is opened, atmospheric pressure is introduced into the vacuum chamber, and the inner plug fitted to the mouth of the container is automatically moved to a predetermined position in the container due to the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the container. To complete the stoppering work of the inner stopper to the container.

However, in the above vacuum stopper machine, since it is necessary to switch the inside of the vacuum chamber between the vacuum and the atmospheric pressure each time the container is taken in and out, when the inside of the vacuum chamber is evacuated. It is desirable to be able to insert many stoppers into many containers at once. For this purpose, for example, the containers and inner stoppers arranged in multiple rows in the vertical and horizontal directions may be loaded into the vacuum chamber. However, in that case, the work of setting a large number of containers in a rack, the work of setting a large number of inner stoppers in a plate, the work of setting the plate on the rack, and the work of supplying it to the vacuum chamber are performed. Therefore, the container filled with the chemical solution is left in the atmosphere for a long time with the mouth open, and the risk of foreign matter and bacteria entering the container increases accordingly. In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides a method for plugging the inside of a container, which can prevent foreign substances and bacteria from entering the container more reliably.

[Means for Solving the Problems] That is, the present invention comprises the steps of fitting an inner plug into the mouth of a container, supplying the container fitted with the inner plug to a predetermined position in a vacuum chamber, A container characterized by comprising a step of evacuating the vacuum chamber and lifting an inner plug fitted into the mouth of the container with respect to the container, and a step of fitting the inner plug into the container again. The present invention provides a method for plugging the inside plug into.
Further, the present invention comprises a step of fitting an inner stopper to the mouth of the container under atmospheric pressure to seal the mouth, and a step of supplying the container fitted with the inner stopper to a predetermined position in a vacuum chamber. A step of extruding an inner plug fitted into an opening of the container from the container due to a pressure difference between the container and the vacuum chamber by applying a vacuum to the inside of the vacuum chamber, and the inner plug extruded from the container into the container The present invention provides a method for plugging an inside plug into a container, which comprises a step of lifting it against the container and a step of fitting the inside plug again into the container.

In any of the methods of the present invention, first, the inner plug is fitted into the mouth of the container, and the container is supplied into the vacuum chamber in the subsequent steps. Therefore, the container is supplied into the vacuum chamber. Even if a lot of work and time are required, it is possible to reliably prevent foreign matter and bacteria from entering the container. Then, in the step of making the inside of the vacuum chamber vacuum, since the inner plug fitted in the mouth of the container is lifted with respect to the container, the inside of the container can be surely made to be a vacuum, and the subsequent steps By re-fitting the inner plug in the container, the inner plug can be plugged in the container in a vacuum state. Alternatively, if necessary, after the inside of the container is evacuated, an inert gas may be supplied into the vacuum chamber to fill the inside of the container with the inert gas, and in this state, the inner stopper may be fitted into the container again. It is possible.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. In FIG. 1 (a), an injection cylinder or container 1 is inserted into a holder 2 with its lower part having a mounting opening 1a for an injection needle facing downward. Therefore, the holder 2 holds the mouth portion 1b of the container 1 in a state of facing upward. A cap 3 is attached to the mounting opening 1a, and the container 1 is already filled with a drug solution. The air around the container 1 is kept in a clean state. The tapping pin 4 which is lifted and lowered by an elevating mechanism such as a cylinder device (not shown) is provided at a position as close as possible to the outlet of a filling machine that fills the container 1 with the drug solution, and the filling machine fills the container 1 with the drug solution. Immediately after filling the container 1, the inner stopper 5 is plugged into the container 1 by the stopper pin 4 so that foreign substances and bacteria are not mixed in the drug solution filled in the container 1. The inner plug 5 is supplied to the lower end of the stopper pin 4 manually or automatically, and is sucked and held at the lower end of the stopper pin 4 by the negative pressure supplied to the negative pressure passage 4a formed in the stopper pin. It has become so. The inner plug 5 is
As shown in FIG. 2, it is made of rubber in a columnar shape, and has three annular seal portions 5a protruding outward in the radial direction at upper and lower ends and an intermediate portion in the axial direction, and adjacent annular seal portions 5a. An annular concave portion 5b is formed between them. Further, a bottomed hole 5c is formed in the center of the upper surface of the inner plug 5, and the lower end portion of the tapping pin 4 can be fitted into the hole 5c. Further, in FIG. 1A, a gap pin 6 is provided integrally and in parallel with the tapping pin 4, and the gap pin 6 is an inner plug 5 held by the tapping pin 4.
It comes in contact with or close to the outer peripheral surface of the inner plug 5 and projects downward from the lower surface of the inner plug 5 by a predetermined amount. When the inner stopper is fitted into the mouth portion 1b of the container 1 filled with the chemical solution, the inner stopper 5 is manually or automatically operated as described above.
Is supplied to the lower end portion of and is suction-held by negative pressure. Then, in this state, the stopper pin 4 and the gap pin 6 are lowered, firstly the lower end portion of the gap pin 6 is inserted into the mouth portion 1b of the container 1, and then the inner stopper 5 is inserted into the mouth portion 1b of the container 1. It is fitted (FIG. 1 (b)). At this time, since the gap pin 6 is interposed between the outer peripheral surface of the inner plug 5 and the inner peripheral surface of the container 1 to form a gap in that portion, the air in the container 1 is smoothly released while letting it escape to the outside. The inner stopper 5 can be pressed into the container 1. Then, when the inner stopper 5 is inserted into the container 1 until the upper surface of the inner stopper 5 is substantially the same as the upper surface of the container 1,
The suction holding of the inner plug 5 by the negative pressure is released, and the stopper pin 4 and the gap pin 6 are raised. At this time, since the frictional force between the inner stopper 5 and the gap pin 6 is much smaller than the frictional force between the inner stopper 5 and the container 1, the inner stopper 5
The gap pin 6 can be pulled out while leaving the container 1 in the container 1 (FIG. 1C). In this state, the mouth 1b of the container 1 is sealed by the inner stopper 5, so that even if it takes much time and work until the container 1 is supplied to a predetermined position in the vacuum chamber thereafter. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent foreign substances and bacteria from entering the chemical solution. Further, in this state, the inside of the container 1 and the inside of the annular recess 5b of the inner stopper 5 are both at atmospheric pressure. Next, FIG. 3 shows the structure of a vacuum stopper machine. The vacuum stopper machine is provided with a vacuum chamber 12 which is moved up and down by a cylinder device 11 and the lower end opening is sealed when lowered. The chamber 12 is connected to either the vacuum pump 15 or the atmosphere via a flexible hose 13 and a flow path switching valve 14. In the vacuum chamber 12, a gap pin 16, a tapping pin 17, and an inner plug holding means 18 are provided above the container 1 when the container 1 is supplied to a predetermined position in the vacuum chamber. There is. The gap pin 16 is attached to the lower end portion of a hollow rod 21 provided in the vacuum chamber 12 so as to be airtight and capable of moving up and down, and an arm portion 21a provided at the upper end portion of the hollow rod 21 and an upper surface of the vacuum chamber 12. Cylinder device 2 provided between
2, the hollow rod 21 and the gap pin 16 can be moved up and down. Further, the stopper pin 17 is attached to the lower end portion of an elevating rod 23 which is provided in the hollow rod 21 so as to be able to ascend and descend while keeping airtightness, and the elevating rod 23 is provided at the upper end portion of the elevating rod 23. The arm portion 23a and the arm portion 21 of the hollow rod 21
Cylinder device 24 provided between a and a can be raised and lowered. Therefore, when the hollow rod 21 and the gap pin 16 are moved up and down by the cylinder device 22, the cylinder device 24, the lift rod 23, and the stopper pin 17 can be moved up and down integrally with the hollow rod 21 and the gap pin 16. On the other hand, when the lifting rod 23 and the stopper pin 17 are moved up and down by the cylinder device 24, the stopper pin 17 can be moved up and down with respect to the gap pin 16. further,
The inner plug holding means 18 is for holding the inner plug 5 fitted in the mouth portion 1b of the container 1. In this embodiment, the container 1 is generated when the vacuum chamber 12 is evacuated. The inner plug 5 fitted into the opening 1b of the container 1 is extruded from the container 1 by the pressure difference between the internal atmospheric pressure and the vacuum pressure in the vacuum chamber 12, and the extruded inner plug 5 is held by the inner plug. It can be held by means 18. The inner plug holding means 18 has a configuration in which a through hole 18a is formed in a flat plate-like member, and the inner diameter of the through hole 18a is made slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the inner plug 5, so that the inner plug 5 is formed. When is pushed into the through hole 18a, the inner plug 5 can be held in the through hole 18a by the frictional force between the two. A guide groove 18b for guiding the gap pin 16 is formed in the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 18a along the axial direction. Further, on the lower surface of the inner plug holding means 18, a step portion 18c and a taper hole 1 are formed continuously with the through hole 18a.
8d are provided in series so that the mouth 1b of the container 1 is centered by the tapered hole 18d and the upper surface of the container 1 can be pressed and held by the step 18c. The inner plug holding means 18 is provided at a lower end portion of an elevating rod 25 that is provided in the vacuum chamber 12 so as to be airtight and capable of elevating, and an arm portion 25 provided at an upper end portion of the elevating rod 25.
A double rod cylinder device 26 is attached to a, the lower end of the cylinder rod 26a of the double rod cylinder device 26 is attached to the upper surface of the arm portion 21a of the hollow rod 21, and the upper end of the cylinder rod 26a is attached to the vacuum chamber 12. The lower surfaces of the brackets 27 are in contact with each other.
The axial length of the cylinder rod 26a is matched with the distance between the upper surface of the arm portion 21a and the lower surface of the bracket 27 when the hollow rod 21 is positioned at the rising end by the cylinder device 22. Next, the operation of the vacuum stopper machine having the above structure will be described. In the container 1 in which the stopper 5 is fitted under the atmospheric pressure by the above-described process, the vacuum chamber 12 is moved to the rising end by the cylinder device 11. In the state where it is located, it is supplied into the vacuum chamber 12 and positioned directly below the stopper pin 17. After positioning the container 1 at a predetermined position in the vacuum chamber 12, the vacuum chamber 12 is moved by the cylinder device 11.
And the vacuum chamber 12 is sealed. In this state, the cylinder devices 22, 24, 26 have the gap pins 16,
The stopper pin 17 and the inner stopper holding means 18 are respectively located at the rising ends, and the flow path switching valve 14 is provided in the vacuum chamber 1.
The inside of 2 is communicated with the atmosphere (see FIG. 4 (a)). When the vacuum chamber 12 is sealed, both rod cylinder devices 26 are operated to lower the elevating rod 25 and the inner plug holding means 18, and the tapered hole 18 of the inner plug holding means 18 is operated.
The mouth 1b of the container 1 is centered on the stopper pin 17 by d, and the upper surface of the container 1 is pressed by the step portion 18c to hold the container 1 (see FIG. 4B). In this state, the flow path switching valve 14 is switched to connect the inside of the vacuum chamber 12 to the vacuum pump 14, and the inside of the vacuum chamber 12 is set to a low vacuum state of, for example, about 300 Torr. Then, this causes a pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure in the container 1 and the vacuum pressure in the vacuum chamber 12,
At the same time when the inner plug 5 is pushed out of the container 1, it is pressed into the through hole 18a of the inner plug holding means 18 and held by the inner plug holding means 18 (FIG. 4).
(B)). Next, when this state is reached, the inner plug holding means 18 is raised to the original rising end position by the rod cylinder devices 26. This makes it possible to lift the inner plug 5 held by the inner plug holding means 18 with respect to the container 1,
The inside of the container 1 can be surely evacuated by communicating the inside of the container 1 with the inside of the vacuum chamber 12. On the other hand, by raising the inner plug 5 integrally with the inner plug holding means 18, the lower end portion of the tapping pin 17 is fitted into the hole 5c of the inner plug 5, and the gap pin 16 is the inner plug holding means. 18 guide grooves 1
It is guided by 8b and protrudes below the lower surface of the inner plug 5 (FIG. 4 (c)). When a predetermined vacuum pressure is introduced into the container 1 in this way, the double rod cylinder device 2
6 is operated to lower the inner plug holding means 18 again, and the cylinder device 22 is operated to lower the gap pin 16 and the tapping pin 17 integrally. When the step portion 18c of the inner plug holding means 18 comes into contact with the upper surface of the container 1, the descent is stopped (FIG. 4 (d)), but the cylinder device 22
The descent of the gap pin 16 and the stopper pin 17 is continued (see FIG. 4 (e)). And the gap pin 16 and the stopper pin 1
As the descent of 7 continues, the inner plug 5 held by the inner plug holding means 18 is inserted into the container 1. At this time, the outer peripheral surface of the inner plug 5 and the inner peripheral surface of the container 1 are separated from each other. Since the gap pin 16 is interposed therebetween to form a gap in that portion, it is possible to smoothly insert the inner plug 5 into the container 1 while allowing a small amount of air remaining in the container 1 to escape into the vacuum chamber 12. it can. Further, when the gap pin 16 and the stopper pin 17 become the descending ends and the descending is stopped, a predetermined distance δ between the lower surface of the inner stopper 5 and the liquid surface of the chemical solution is set. It can be secured (FIG. 4 (e)). Further, at this time, when the hollow rod 21 is lowered by the cylinder device 22, the distance between the upper surface of the arm portion 21a of the hollow rod 21 and the lower surface of the bracket 27 widens, so that both rods for operating the inner plug holding means 18 are activated. The cylinder device 26 also descends integrally with the arm portion 21a, but when the step portion 18c of the inner plug holding means 18 contacts the upper surface of the container 1, the lowering is stopped. In this state, the cylinder rod 26a
The upper and lower ends are the lower surface of the bracket 27 and the arm portion 21a.
And the bottom surface of both rod cylinder devices 26 and bracket 27 because the holding force for holding container 1 is only the weight of both rod cylinder devices 26, elevating rod 25 and inner plug holding means 18. Between the spring 2
8 is elastically mounted, and the elastic force of the spring 28 provides the necessary holding force for the container 1. When the gap pin 16 and the stopper pin 17 become the descending ends and the descending is stopped, the inside of the vacuum chamber 12 is then changed to, for example, 10-5.
A high vacuum state of about 0 Torr is provided, and the vacuum pressure is introduced into the container 1 through the gap formed by the gap pin 16.
When a high vacuum pressure is introduced into the container 1 in this way, the cylinder device 24 is actuated to slightly lower the tapping pin 17 by a predetermined required amount (FIG. 4 (f)), and the flow path switching is continued. When the valve 14 is switched to introduce clean air into the vacuum chamber 12 to make the inside thereof atmospheric pressure, the inner stopper 5 is moved downward by the vacuum pressure inside the container 1 and the external atmospheric pressure, and its lower surface. Will stop in a state of being substantially in contact with the liquid surface of the drug solution (FIG. 4 (g)). In this state, the lower end portion of the gap pin 16 is located between the annular seal portion 5a below the inner plug 5 and the intermediate annular seal portion 5a. It is introduced into the two annular recesses 5b through the gaps to be formed, and the inside of each annular recess 5b is brought to atmospheric pressure. On the other hand, the lower annular seal portion 5a prevents the interior of the container 1 from communicating with the vacuum chamber 12. Thus, the annular recess 5b
When a clean gas is filled in the inside, the dirty air outside the syringe after shipping is sucked into the annular recess 5b, or the liquid medicine is used as in the case where the inside of the annular recess 5b is kept at a vacuum pressure. Since the air is not sucked, it is possible to keep the external dirty air and the chemical liquid well separated from each other, and therefore it is possible to prevent the chemical liquid from being contaminated by the dirty air. Vacuum chamber 1 by the above-mentioned process
When the atmosphere is introduced into the inside of 2 and the annular recess 5b, the gap pin 16, the tapping pin 17 and the like are returned to their original rising end positions, and the cylinder device 11 causes the vacuum chamber 12 to move.
The container 1 can be carried out from inside by raising. Although the gap pins 6 and 16 are made of solid rods in the above embodiment, they may be made of hollow rods. The inner stopper holding means 18 is the inner stopper 5 described above.
You may have the clamping means which clamps. In this case, the inside plug 5 can be press-fitted into the mouth portion 1b of the container 1 by about half and the upper end portion thereof can be projected outside the container 1, and the protruding portion can be held by the clamping means. Further, in this case, it is obvious that the step of extruding the inner plug 5 by the pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure in the container 1 and the vacuum pressure in the vacuum chamber 12 can be omitted. Further, in the above-described embodiment, after the inside of the container 1 is evacuated in the vacuum chamber 12, the inner stopper 5 is fitted into the container 1 again in that state. , A step of supplying an inert gas into the vacuum chamber to fill the inside of the container with the inert gas between the step of fitting the inner stopper 5 into the container 1 again, and inserting the inside of the container into the inert gas. The inner plug may be fitted again in the container in a state of being filled with.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the container is supplied into the vacuum chamber after the inner plug is fitted into the mouth of the container, the container is supplied into the vacuum chamber. Even if a lot of work and time are required, it is possible to reliably prevent foreign matter and bacteria from entering the container.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a process diagram showing a process of stoppering an inner plug 5 into a container 1 under atmospheric pressure.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an inner plug 5.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a vacuum stopper machine.

FIG. 4 is a process diagram showing a process of inserting the inner stopper 5 into the container 1 under a vacuum state by the vacuum inner stopper machine.

[Explanation of sign]

1 ... Container 1b ... Mouth 4, 17 ...
Capping pin 5 ... Inner plug 6, 16 ... Gap pin 12 ... Vacuum chamber 18 ... Inner plug holding means

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A step of fitting an inner plug into an opening of a container, a step of supplying the container fitted with the inner plug to a predetermined position in a vacuum chamber, and evacuating the vacuum chamber and container. A method of plugging an inside plug into a container, comprising: a step of lifting the inside plug fitted into the mouth of the container to the container; and a step of fitting the inside plug into the container again. 2. A step of fitting an inner plug into the mouth of the container under atmospheric pressure to seal the mouth, and a step of supplying the container fitted with the inner plug to a predetermined position in a vacuum chamber. A step of extruding an inner plug fitted into an opening of the container from the container due to a pressure difference between the container and the vacuum chamber by applying a vacuum to the inside of the vacuum chamber, and the inner plug extruded from the container into the container A method for plugging an inside plug into a container, which comprises a step of lifting it against the container, and a step of fitting the inside plug again into the container. 3. The stopper plug for a container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the step of fitting the inside plug into the container is performed in a state where the inside and outside of the inside plug are in communication with each other. Method.