JPH08113313A - Carry-in and-out method of small medicine vessel filled with solution of medicine to be dried n freeze dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To carry in and out small medicine vessels on the upper face of a drying rack stage in the state arranging and collecting the medicine small vessels, without using a tray, without providing a fixed guide on the drying rack face. CONSTITUTION: A carry-in and -out device (a) is provided on a horizontal base face 30, medicine small vessels (v) arranged and collected on the horizontal base face by the enclosure frame 4 are confined in the state, the space of right and left a pair of side frames 40 is a little spread so as to release confinement due to contact of the inner faces of the right and left side frames with the right and left both sides of a medicine small vessel group V, the front and rear frames 41, 42 are opened at the height not contacting with the top parts of the medicine small vessels, and the enclosure frame is drawn this side in parallel with the depth direction so as to return to the horizontal base face. The group V on the horizontal base face to be carried in are received from the rear end of spread enclosure frame into the interior, the space of side frames is put close, the front and rear frames are closed to confine it in the frame, they are pushed onto a drying rack stage 2, the medicine small vessels are carried in the drying rack stage by repeating this motion, and in reverse order they are carried out on the front horizontal base face.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention collects, by aseptic operation, small chemical containers such as vials filled with a chemical solution to be dried on a shelf surface of a drying tray equipped in a freeze drying chamber of a freeze dryer. The present invention relates to a method of loading and unloading a small chemical container filled with a chemical solution to be dried in a freeze dryer, which is loaded in an aligned state and is freeze-dried and then carried out aseptically.

Most of freeze-dried pharmaceuticals, especially injectables, are manufactured by the following steps. In a sterile air-conditioning room, a small amount of a chemical solution such as a vial is filled with a chemical solution, and in the case of a vial, a sealing rubber stopper is half-stopped at the opening of the top (halfway to a depth leaving a steam escape hole). A small chemical container filled with a chemical solution is carried into the freeze-drying chamber of a freeze-dryer having a front door on the side of the sterile air-conditioning chamber,
It is placed on the drying rack installed in the drying chamber. After closing the front door, the freeze-drying process of the drug solution filled in the small chemical container is performed inside the freeze-drying chamber. When this step is completed, when the small chemical container is a vial, the rubber stopper is completely stoppered (completely pushed until it becomes a sealed state) from the half stoppered state inside the freeze-drying chamber. From the freeze-drying chamber, the small chemical containers that have undergone freeze-drying of the drug solution are carried out to the sterile air-conditioning chamber. If the delivered small chemical container is a vial, transfer it to the aluminum capping (melting and closing in the case of an ampoule) process of the fully stoppered rubber stopper.

Even today, many small chemical containers such as vials are carried in and out with the intervention of an operator who enters the interior of the sterile chamber. However, in order to improve the sterility, the carrying in and out process is performed. There is a need for fully automatic unattended operation, at least remote control that keeps the sterilization room operators away from the drug and its container.

[0004]

Prior to the 1970s, the operation of loading and unloading a small chemical container filled with a chemical solution into and from a freeze-drying chamber of a freeze-dryer was mostly performed manually by an operator in a sterile chamber. In the case of mechanization, after arranging small drug containers (vials) in trays, these small drug containers are loaded on a multi-layered tray tray and lifted by a trolley to the front of the freeze-drying room with the front door open. Move and adjust the height of each tray stand to the drying rack in the freeze-drying chamber (usually the rack thickness is 25 mm.
After adjusting to a position that fits the height of about 100 mm (effective shelf interval), all tray trays are simultaneously pushed between the shelves, and the operation of the trolley with lift was performed by an operator in a sterile room. .

In 1978, all the trays of the drying trays provided in multiple stages in the freeze-drying chamber were intimately folded into the bottom of the freeze-drying chamber, and the height was the same as that of the topmost drying tray. A slot-shaped small door for loading and unloading is provided in the front door at the position, and only the small door for loading and unloading is opened and closed while the front door is closed, and the horizontal door is placed outside the front door. First of all, the small chemical containers (vials) are loaded into the shelf surface of the uppermost drying tray from the table surface, and when the arrangement of the small chemical containers (vials) on the shelf surface is completed, the trays are lifted up in order. hand,
The shelf surface of the lower drying tray is stopped at the height of the small door for loading and unloading, and the small chemical containers are loaded into it. By repeating this operation, the small chemical containers are sequentially loaded from the upper stage to the lower stage. Bring in. Also, in the reverse order, a method has been developed in which small chemical containers are successively carried out from the lowest shelf (Jitsuko Sho 61-30).
No. 147), and various methods based on this method were rapidly spread throughout the late 1970s and 1980s.

However, the prior art is a dense state in which a large number of small chemical containers are aligned and gathered during the process of loading the small chemical containers and the process of arranging the small chemical containers on the shelf surface of the drying tray. In order to maintain it in the tray, the medicine containers are stored in trays (rectangular vial storage trays) and those trays are loaded or unloaded, or the left and right ends of the shelf surface of the drying tray or its shelf surface is loaded. A means for providing a fixed guide member for preventing the small chemical containers from diffusing in the left-right direction and falling from the shelf surface is used at positions equally divided into two or three or more in the width direction.

For example, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-89974, there is provided means for loading and unloading small chemical containers (vials) by using trays or containers arranged in the inside thereof.

Further, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-203382, the vial groups arranged in the width direction of the shelf surface of the drying shelf are moved row by row onto the shelf surface. It is a method to sequentially push the row of vials moved earlier in the depth direction of the shelf surface, but the movement of the vial on the shelf surface moves in the left and right direction by the fixed guides provided at the left and right ends of the shelf surface. Is a means of restraining.

In the technique disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 2-41482, a vial storage tray is not used, but in the case where it is difficult to smoothly move a small chemical container to be carried onto a shelf surface. Assuming that the small medicine container is supported by the mounting plate and loaded into the back of the shelf, the mounting plate is pulled out while the return of the small medicine container is restricted by the restricting member. At this time, the small chemical containers transferred from the loading plate to the shelf surface are prevented from diffusing in the left-right direction and falling from the shelf surface by using the fixed guide attached to the shelf surface of the drying tray. This is done by restricting the movement of the container.

As means for loading and unloading small chemical containers on the shelf surface of the drying tray without using the vial storage tray,
There is a means using a trolley provided with an automatic transfer device for sliding a small medicine container by a slide mechanism on a horizontal base surface. This means also has fixing guides on both sides in the width direction of the horizontal platform surface of the trolley, the portion for receiving the small chemical containers collectively and aligned, and the corresponding portion of the shelf surface of the drying shelf for arranging the small chemical containers. Each of them is provided, and with this restricting the lateral movement of the small chemical container, press plates that form a right angle within the space between the left and right fixed guides are assembled within the space between the left and right fixed guides on the horizontal platform.・ Move the small chemical container group onto the shelf surface by bringing it in front of the aligned small chemical container group and pushing it in the depth direction of the shelf surface, and also align and gather on the shelf surface. It is a means for bringing the push plates into contact with the inner side of the medicine small container group and pulling them forward along the left and right fixed guides.

[0011]

As detailed above,
The means for loading and unloading small chemical containers to and from the drying racks in the freeze-drying chamber of the conventional freeze dryer is a small container for the chemicals when the small containers for the chemicals are aligned and assembled and transferred onto the shelf surface of the drying rack. The diffusion to the left and right and the prevention of dropping from the shelf surface are performed by using a vial storage tray or by attaching a fixed guide (usually a square bar) to the shelf surface.

When the vial storage tray is used, the operation is made to store the small chemical container filled with the chemical solution and half-stopped in the tray, and the small chemical container that has been dried and carried out is transferred to the tray. In addition to the operation of removing from the tray, an additional step of washing, sterilizing and storing the tray is required every time. Further, since the total load of the tray and the small medicine container housed therein is concentrated at several points on the bottom surface of the tray, there is a disadvantage that fine powder of the tray material is generated due to sliding friction.

When the fixed guide is attached, the presence of the fixed guide poses a problem that cleaning of the shelf surface is difficult.

Further, sliding friction occurs between the group of small chemical containers to be pushed and the side surface of the fixed guide provided on the shelf surface, and in combination with the friction between the small chemical containers that are aligned and gathered together. Sometimes, it may be impossible to push the group of medicine containers that are gathered and aligned, or the medicine containers that are in contact with the fixed guide may be destroyed.

In an external mechanism in which a horizontal carrier surface of a carriage disposed outside the freeze-drying chamber of the freeze-dryer is provided with an automatic transporting device for transporting a small chemical container by a slide mechanism, a fixed guide provided therein is slid. A low friction material such as Teflon can be used for the moving surface, but the fixed guide provided on the shelf surface of the drying tray in the freeze-drying chamber requires thermal expansion during high-pressure steam sterilization and the need for automatic cleaning. This is because the material and structure are restricted by the above, and low friction materials such as Teflon cannot be used.

Further, one of the important difficulties in attaching the fixed guide is that when the number of small chemical containers to be freeze-dried is less than the total number of shelves and it is sufficient to use some of the shelves, unused shelves are used. Also, it is necessary to load an empty medicine container or fill a spacer instead of the medicine container. Because, after drying, the operation of completely capping the semi-capped chemical small containers is to compress the semi-capped chemical small containers up and down by narrowing the intervals of all shelves by the hydraulic mechanism for driving the rack up and down. Depending on the method, only the upper shelf plate above the uppermost drying tray for placing small chemical containers and the rib structure at the bottom of the lowermost tray can withstand the strong hydraulic pressing force at the time of full stoppering. This is because the intermediate drying tray for the small chemical container array has a structure that is strong enough to maintain a flat plate shape without being bent only when the front and back surfaces are evenly pressed. The drying tray on which the small chemical containers are placed must be cooled and heated by the heat medium / refrigerant that circulates inside, and even if it does not make its heat capacity excessive, its strength is not practical. . When there is a drying tray with no small chemical containers placed, the pressing force applied to all the small containers placed on the shelf surface of the drying tray just above or just below it is Only the fixed guides at the left and right edges of the surface, or in addition to that, will receive it, and the bending of the drying tray caused by it will cause all the small chemical containers on the drying tray immediately above (immediately below) to be stoppered. Will be incomplete, and excessive force will be applied to the 3 drying trays, leading to the risk of damage.

Finally, and most importantly, in both tray use and fixed guide installation, either the tray edge or the fixed guide provides heat transfer fins to the adjacent drug vial. Functioning as a container and receiving significant additional heat input as compared to a small drug container not adjacent to the tray edge or fixed guide, impairing the uniformity in the freeze-drying process. Generally, freeze-dried drugs are highly heat-sensitive substances, and uneven freeze-drying conditions within a batch may impair the product quality.

The present invention has been made in order to solve various problems caused by the above-mentioned tray use or the fixed guide on the shelf in the conventional means, and solves these problems. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a new means for ensuring a reliable loading / unloading operation.

[0019]

In the present invention, as a means for achieving the above object, a small chemical container such as a vial filled with a chemical solution to be dried is placed in a freeze drying chamber of a freeze dryer. It was densely gathered on a horizontal table surface that was placed in front of the opening that can be opened and closed freely, and the horizontal table surface and the shelf surface of the drying rack installed in the freeze-drying chamber were adjusted to the same height. In this state, by moving in the depth direction of the drying tray, it is loaded onto the drying tray, and by moving it in the opposite direction, it is carried out to the upper surface of the horizontal table surface. On the table surface, a horizontal enclosure frame with internal dimensions that correspond to the depth and left and right width of the specified range where the small chemical containers on the shelf surface of the drying tray are placed Carry-in back and forth along the table A device is provided to hold the small chemical containers that are aligned and assembled on the horizontal table surface by the enclosure of the device in a state where they are aligned and assembled, and in that state, the enclosure moves horizontally to a predetermined position on the drying shelf. When pushed in, in that state, the space between the pair of left and right side frames of the enclosure is slightly expanded to release the constraint due to the contact between the inner surface of the left and right side frames and the left and right sides of the small chemical container group, and the front frame of the enclosure. Open the rear frame to a height that does not come in contact with the top of the small chemical container, pull the enclosure frame parallel to the depth direction and return it to the horizontal platform, and then collectively align it on the horizontal platform for loading. The small chemical container group is housed inside the surrounding frame from the rear end of the surrounding frame that is open to the front and back, and the space between the left and right side frames is reduced, and the front and rear frames are closed to close the small chemical containers. Restrain the container group in the enclosure and push it into place on the drying rack. , By repeating this operation, a small medicine container is loaded onto the drying tray and is carried out in the reverse order described above onto the horizontal table surface in front of the door. It proposes a method of loading and unloading small containers.

[0020]

According to the means of the present invention, the tray is not used, and the fixing guide is not provided on the shelf surface of the drying shelf.
The small chemical containers can be loaded and unloaded on the upper surface of the drying shelf in the aligned and assembled state, and the generation of fine powder of the tray material due to the use of the tray is eliminated, and the small chemical containers and the fixed guide It prevents frictional sliding contact with and from causing damage or damage to the loading / unloading operation.

Further, since the fixing guide is not provided on the shelf surface of the drying tray, even if an empty tray without a small medicine container is formed in the drying trays provided in multiple stages, the small medicine is not produced. To fold the rubber stopper plugged in a half-stopped state into the container opening to the full-stopped state, when folding the multi-stage drying trays to close the shelf intervals, The entire surface is pressed into contact with the lower surface of the shelf directly above it, transforming it into a shelf.
Prevents distortion and completes the process of plugging all small chemical containers.

Further, since the tray and the fixed guide are not used, the edge of the tray and the fixed guide function as heat transfer fins for the small chemical container adjacent to the tray and the additional heat input, and the freeze-drying process is evenly performed. The problem of becoming impaired is eliminated.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the means of the present invention, in which 1 is a freeze-drying chamber of a freeze-dryer D, and 2 is a freeze-drying chamber.
Is a drying shelf to be installed in the freeze-drying chamber 1, 11 is a loading port installed on the front side of the freeze-drying chamber 1, 30 is a horizontal surface provided on the front side of the freeze-drying chamber 1, and a is its Horizontal surface 30
The loading / unloading device installed above, 4 is an enclosure of the loading / unloading device a, v is a small medicine container placed on the horizontal platform 30, V is a group of aligned small medicine containers, and E is a small medicine container. 3 shows a mounting table on which v ... Is mounted and prepared.

The freeze dryer D is a conventionally known one. The freeze-drying chamber 1 is also of a normal type, which is connected to an exhaust system for evacuating to a vacuum, and has a loading port 11 opened and closed by a door 10 on the front side. Although the door 10 is rotated by a hinge to open and close, it may be opened and closed by sliding and is appropriately configured.
Further, this door 10 is a group of small chemical containers V collected in a predetermined number when the front side of the freeze-drying chamber 1 is closed.
There is a case where a window hole-shaped loading port for loading and unloading is opened and an opening / closing door is mounted here.

The drying shelf 2 installed in the freeze-drying chamber 1 is
By circulating the heat medium or the refrigerant medium and the heat medium inside, the chemical liquid in the small chemical containers v placed on the shelf surface of the medium is freeze-dried. Further, although only one is shown in FIG. 1, it is one of those provided in multiple stages vertically as shown in FIG. Each of the drying shelves 2 is connected to the uppermost shelf plate 2b which is lifted and lowered by the operation of the hydraulically operated lifting device 2a through a suspension rod (not shown) having a constant vertical length, As shown by the chain line in FIG. 2, when the shelf board 2b is lifted, the shelf board 2b is vertically aligned with a predetermined interval, and when the shelf board 2b is lowered, as shown by the solid line in FIG. It has a form in which it is mounted in the freeze-drying chamber 1 so as to switch to a state in which it is closed at the upper and lower intervals and stacked on the bottom of the inner cavity of the freeze-drying chamber 1.

The horizontal surface 30 is, as shown in FIG.
It is mounted so as to slide back and forth on the upper surface of the vehicle body 3a of the trolley 3 which is configured to move freely by the traveling wheels 31 provided at the bottom.

The loading / unloading device a to be mounted on the upper surface of the horizontal table surface 30 includes an enclosure frame 4 for enclosing the periphery of the small chemical containers v ... Aligned and assembled on the upper surface of the horizontal table surface 30, and the horizontal table surface 30. And a drive mechanism 5 for moving the front-back direction along the upper surface of the.

The enclosure frame 4 has a shelf surface on which one small container v of the drying shelf 2 is to be placed, or an area obtained by dividing the shelf surface into two to three minutes or more in the width direction. It has a rectangular or rectangular frame shape in a plan view having a width w and a depth L of the portion. Then, the left and right side frames 40, 40 are configured such that their interval width w is slightly expanded or contracted,
In addition, the front frame 41 and the rear frame 42 are configured to rotate outward along the front-rear direction with respect to the left and right side frames 40, 40 around the hinge provided on the upper edge side, or slide vertically. , The enclosed small chemical containers v ... Are allowed to pass in the front-rear direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the drive mechanism 5 is composed of a rack provided on the side of the horizontal base 30 and a pinion provided on the side of the surrounding frame 4 so as to mesh with the rack.

The mounting table E is a small chemical container v to be dried.
Is a mounting table for mounting and preparing the ..., and is arranged in a sterile room in which the freeze-drying chamber 1 of the freeze-dryer D is installed.

Although the means of the present invention is carried out by using the apparatus constructed as described above, in the case where a plurality of freeze-drying chambers 1 ... Using the trolley 3 provided with the loading / unloading device a, the small chemical containers v ... Collected on the pedestal surface 60 on the upper surface of the mounting table E are placed on the horizontal pedestal surface 30 of the trolley 3 on the drying tray 2 The small chemical containers v on the shelf surface are aligned and assembled so as to correspond to the section range consisting of the width w and the depth L, which is the range in which the small chemical containers v are to be placed. By moving the trolley 3 while the container group V is surrounded and constrained by the surrounding frame 4 of the loading / unloading device a mounted on the horizontal pedestal 30,
It is moved to the front of the predetermined freeze-drying chamber 1, and the upper surface of the horizontal platform 30 of the carriage 3 and the small chemical container v in the freeze-drying chamber 1 ...
Fig. 2 shows the height with the shelf surface of the drying shelf 2 on which the tray is to be placed.
In the state in which the loading port 11 installed in the freeze-drying chamber 1 is opened, the horizontal base surface 3
0 is slid forward with respect to the vehicle body of the trolley 3, and the leading edge of the horizontal pedestal surface 30 is brought into contact with or sufficiently close to the front edge of the drying shelf 2, and then the loading / unloading device a is operated. The enclosure 4 is pushed into the freeze-drying chamber 1, and the small chemical container group V enclosed in the enclosure 4 is slid onto the shelf surface of the drying shelf 2.

At this time, since a low friction material such as Teflon can be used on the horizontal table surface 30 of the carriage 3 and the table surface 60 of the mounting table E outside the freeze-drying chamber 1, the loading / unloading device a
The individual small chemical containers v transferred by the above are aligned and collected on the table surface 60 of the mounting table E, and the horizontal container surface 3 of the carriage 3 is assembled.
In the process up to the transfer to 0, the width w of the partition range in which the small chemical containers v on the shelf surface of the drying shelf 2 are mounted on the table surface 60 of the mounting table E and the horizontal table surface 30 of the cart 3. A fixed guide b for aligning and assembling the small chemical containers v ... may be used in correspondence with the depth L.

As a result, the small chemical containers v ... Mounted on the table surface 60 of the mounting table E are gathered and aligned by the fixed guides b, b so as to have a predetermined width w, and in that state, the cart 3 Therefore, it is possible to smoothly transfer and mount it on the receiving portion on the horizontal table surface 30 of the above.

Then, from this state, the surrounding frame 4 of the loading / unloading device a provided on the horizontal base surface 30 of the carriage 3 restrains the four circumferences to maintain the aligned shape, and the rack surface of the drying rack 2 is fixed. ,
The small chemical containers v ... are made to slide into the area in which they should be placed.

In this way, when the small chemical containers v ... Are pushed into a predetermined partition range on the shelf surface of the drying shelf 2 in a predetermined aligned / collected state, in that state, as shown in FIG. The left and right side frames 40 of the loading / unloading device a
By slightly displacing each of them outward so that the distance between them is slightly widened (w + Δw). At the same time, the front frame 41 on the front end side is rotated forward around the hinge provided on the upper edge thereof to open the front surface of the enclosure frame 4 so that the small chemical containers v ... 42
Is rotated rearward about the hinge provided on the upper edge thereof to open the rear surface of the surrounding frame 4 so that the small chemical containers v.

In this state, the loading / unloading device a
Is operated to pull back the surrounding frame 4. As a result, the small chemical containers v ... Transferred to the upper surface of the drying shelf 2 are enclosed by the enclosure frame 4.
Is released, and the enclosure 4 is formed in a tunnel shape in the front-rear direction that allows passage of the small chemical containers v ..., so that it remains transferred onto the shelf surface of the drying tray. The whole remains, and only the surrounding frame 4 is pulled back onto the horizontal base surface 30 of the carriage 3 as shown in FIG.

Next, in this state, the horizontal base surface 30 of the carriage 3 is slid forward (rearward), and its rear end edge is brought close to the front end edge of the mounting table E as shown in FIG. And

Next, from this state, the table surface 60 of the mounting table E is
The extruding member d separately provided in a state where a predetermined number of the small chemical containers v ... Mounted on the table surface 60 are aligned and assembled by a pair of fixed guides b.
Then, it is pushed forward and transferred into the enclosure frame 4 on the horizontal base surface 30. The pushing member d is controlled so as to automatically stop at a predetermined position.

Next, from this state, the space between the left and right side frames 40, 40 of the enclosure 4 is reduced to the old interval width w, and the front frame 41 and the rear frame 42 are shielded in front of and behind the enclosure 4. Back to
The small chemical containers v ... Transferred onto the horizontal surface 30 are brought into a restrained state.

In this state, the carriage 3 is moved to the position where the next time it should be carried in, and the above steps are repeated to carry in the small chemical containers v ... into the predetermined range of the predetermined drying shelf 2.

After the delivery of the small chemical containers v ... is completed, a freeze-drying process is performed. When the process is completed, if the small chemical containers v ... are vials, the drying trays 2 ... Then, the step of setting the rubber stoppers in the half stoppered state to the full stoppered state is performed, and then, in the reverse order of the above-mentioned carrying-in step, the trays are taken out from the shelf surface of the drying shelf 2 ... ,
Then, it is transferred to a conveyor table for an aluminum crown winding step (a step of covering and fixing all the stoppered rubber stoppers with an aluminum crown). When the small chemical container is an ampoule or the like that is not suitable for the process of capping all in the freeze-drying chamber 1, when the freeze-drying process is completed, it is taken out of the freeze-drying chamber 1 and transferred to the process of sealing it.

Next, FIGS. 7 to 15 show an embodiment of the carriage 3 used for implementing the above-mentioned means of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, the bogie 3 has a vehicle body 3a assembled into a substantially rectangular cage-like frame by pillars and girders, and traveling wheels 31, 31 on the bottom side thereof. Is rotatably supported and travels in the left-right direction by driving the traveling wheels 31, 31.

A motor M1 for driving the running wheels 31, 31 and a battery 32 for operating the motor M1 are mounted on the bottom of the inner cavity of the vehicle body 3a.

A pedestal 33 is fixedly mounted on the vehicle body 3a at a portion near the bottom of the inner cavity of the vehicle body 3a, and a support pedestal 34 is driven by the motor M2 on the pedestal 33. It is supported so as to move up and down by the operation of the screw jack 35.

A horizontal table surface 30 formed in a table shape is slidably supported on the upper surface of the support table 34 so as to be slidable back and forth, and the screw shaft 36 driven by a motor M5 operates to move a desired amount back and forth. Slide to.

Further, on the left and right sides of the table-like horizontal base surface 30, the conduction cases 7 and 7 in the shape of a rectangular tube which are long in the front and rear direction.
However, as shown in FIG. 10, the sliding member 70 is attached to the brackets 340 and 340, which are formed so as to be longer than the horizontal base surface 30 and are arranged, and which are provided at both left and right ends of the support base 34. -It is mounted so that it can slide back and forth via 70.

At the rear end portions (right end portions in FIG. 10) of the right and left conduction cases 7 of the rectangular tube shape, a conduction shaft 72 is supported by a bridge, and is attached to the outer surface side of the conduction cases 7 and 7. Pinions 73, 73 are respectively attached to the protruding left and right shaft ends.

These pinions 73, 73 are provided on the brackets 34 provided at the left and right ends of the support base 34, respectively.
The racks 74 and 74, which are fixedly attached to the outer ends of 0 and 340, are engaged with the long racks 74 and 74, respectively, and the one pinion 73
A bevel gear G1 is provided at the outer end of the transmission shaft 72 projecting from the transmission shaft 72, and the bevel gear G1 is transmitted to the output shaft of the motor M3 which is supported outside the rear end of one of the transmission cases 7 via the supporting frame 75. By engaging with G2, it is rotated by the operation of the motor M3 to roll on the racks 74, 74 and slide the left and right conductive cases 7, 7 back and forth.

As shown in FIG. 10, the racks 74, 74 are provided on the outer sides of the left and right conductive cases 7, 7 so as to be in parallel with the conductive cases 7, 7.

The enclosing frame 4 is formed in an enclosing frame shape by the left and right side frames 40, 40 and the front frame 41 and the rear frame 42. The left and right side frames 40, 40 are shown in FIG. like,
It is formed in a push plate shape facing the lower half side of the body of the small chemical container v ... Mounted on the upper surface of the horizontal base surface 30, and is formed on the inner surface side of the front half side of the left and right conductive cases 7 It is arranged and attached to the conduction case 7 so that it can move a certain distance in the left-right direction.

As shown in FIG. 13, the left and right side frames 40, 40 have their supporting rods 400 supported by the conductive case 7 so as to slide in the left-right direction, and by means of springs, they are conductive. It is urged to be drawn into the case 7. At the protruding end of the support rod 400, the rotating shaft 76
The outer peripheral surface of the eccentric cam wheel c that rotates about the center is in contact with the eccentric cam wheel c, and the cam wheel c rotates 180 degrees in FIG. Is pushed to the position shown by the chain line in FIG. 13 and the cam ring c is further rotated by 180 degrees, so that the side frame 4
0 is drawn into the position shown by the solid line in FIG.

M4 is a motor for rotating the cam wheel c, which is a pinion 73.
It is attached to the rear end of the conductive case 7 located on the side opposite to the side where the motor M3 for driving 73 is attached. The motor M4 is an electric cylinder that moves in and out by energization, and its operation drives the rotating shaft 76 of the cam wheel c via a transmission mechanism 77 provided in the transmission case 7. The conduction mechanism 77 conducts via a conduction shaft 78 to a conduction mechanism provided symmetrically to the conduction mechanism 77 in the conduction case 7 on the side where the motor M3 for driving the pinion is mounted, and the motor M4. Is operated in synchronism with the transmission mechanism 77 to drive the cam wheel that operates the side frame 40 provided on the inner surface side of the conduction case 7 on which the motor M3 is mounted.

Further, the front frame 41 and the rear frame 42 of the enclosure frame 4
Are respectively arranged on the front end side and the rear end side of the space formed between the left and right side frames 40, 40, and are assembled to the side frames 40, 40 so as to close the front and rear of the space. The left and right ends of the front frame 41 and the rear frame 42 on the upper edge side are provided with hinges 410 and 420 protruding in the left and right direction, and the hinges 410 and 420 are pivotally supported by the left and right conductive cases 7 and 7, respectively.
By pivoting about the hinges 410 and 420 to be in a vertical posture, the front and back of the space between the left and right side frames 40 and 40 are closed, respectively, and the horizontal posture allows the left and right sides to be closed. The front and rear of the space between the frames 40 are opened so as to allow the small chemical containers v ... to pass therethrough.

The front frame 41 and the rear frame 42 are connected to the hinge 41.
14 and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the bevel gear G3 is attached to the end of the hinges 410 and 420 provided on the front frame 41 or the rear frame 42 that projects into the conduction case 7, and the bevel gear G4 that meshes with the bevel gear G3 is attached to the conduction case. 7 is assembled to a conductive shaft 79 disposed inside 7, and the conductive shaft 79 is transmitted to the above-described conductive mechanism 77, whereby the left and right side frames 40, 40 are operated by the operation of the motor M3.
The front frame 41 and the rear frame 42 are opened and closed in synchronization with each other when the width of the space is expanded or contracted.

Then, the enclosure frame 4 assembled by the left and right side frames 40, 40, the front frame 41 and the rear frame 42, the left and right conductive cases 7 and 7 for moving the front and back, and the side frame 4
A mechanism such as a cam ring c for expanding and contracting the interval width of 0.40, and a bevel gear G3 for opening and closing the front frame 41 and the rear frame 42.
A mechanism such as G4 constitutes a loading / unloading device a for loading and unloading the small chemical containers v ... Mounted on the horizontal table surface 30 into / from the shelf surface of the drying shelf 2 in the freeze-drying chamber 1. There is.

[0056]

As described above, in the means of the present invention, the small drug container v filled with the drug to be lyophilized is ...
To the shelf surface of the drying racks 2 in the freeze-drying chamber 1 of the freeze dryer D, and the small chemical containers v after the freeze-drying process are transferred to the rack surface of the drying racks. When carrying out from above, the trays are not used, and the fixed trays b ... are not provided on the rack surfaces of the drying racks 2 ... 2 can be carried in and out on the shelf surface, the generation of fine powder of the tray material due to the use of the tray is eliminated, and the loading and unloading operation is disordered due to the friction sliding contact between the small chemical container and the fixed guide. Avoid damage.

Further, since the fixing guide is not provided on the shelf surface of the drying tray, even if an empty tray without a small medicine container is generated in the drying trays provided in multiple stages, the small medicine is not produced. To fold the rubber stopper plugged in a half-stopped state into the container opening to the full-stopped state, when folding the multi-stage drying trays to close the shelf intervals, The entire surface is pressed into contact with the lower surface of the shelf directly above it, transforming it into a shelf.
Prevents distortion and completes the process of plugging all small chemical containers.

Further, since the tray and the fixed guide are not used, the edge of the tray and the fixed guide function as heat transfer fins for the chemical container adjacent to the tray and the additional heat input to provide uniform heat in the freeze-drying process. It can solve the problem of losing production.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a medicine container carrying-in / out apparatus used in the means of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view of the same device in a used state.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the same apparatus at the time of loading operation.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same apparatus at the time of unloading operation.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a heat transfer state with respect to a small chemical container on the drying tray of the conventional means.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a heat transfer state with respect to a small chemical container on a drying tray in the means of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of a device for carrying in / out a medicine container according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the apparatus according to the above embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway side view of the apparatus according to the above embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a main part of the same apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway side view of the main part of the same device.

FIG. 12 is a rear view in which a main part of the same apparatus is partially broken.

FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional rear view of the expansion / contraction operation mechanism portion of the side frame of the same apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a vertical sectional side view of an opening / closing operation mechanism portion of the front frame and the rear frame of the same apparatus.

FIG. 15 is a vertical sectional rear view of the opening / closing operation mechanism portion of the front frame and the rear frame of the same apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

D ... Freeze dryer, V ... Group of small chemical containers, v ... Small container of chemicals,
E ... Loading table, a ... Loading / unloading device, b ... Fixed guide, c ... Cam ring, d ... Extrusion member, L ... Depth, W ... Horizontal width, w ... Interval, M ... Motor, G ... Bevel gear, 1 ... Freezing Drying room,
10 ... Door, 11 ... Loading port, 2 ... Drying shelf, 2a ... Lifting device, 2b ... Shelf plate, 3 ... Bogie, 3a ... Car body, 30 ... Horizontal surface, 31 ... Running wheel, 32 ... Battery, 33 ... Stand Three
4 ... Support base, 340 ... Bracket, 35 ... Screw jack, 36 ... Screw shaft, 4 ... Enclosing frame, 40 ... Side frame, 4
00 ... Support rod, 41 ... Front frame, 42 ... Rear frame, 410/42
0 ... Hinge, 5 ... Drive mechanism, 60 ... Table surface, 7 ... Conductive case, 40 ... Sliding member, 72 ... Conductive shaft, 73 ... Pinion,
74 ... Rack, 75 ... Support frame, 76 ... Rotating shaft, 77 ...
Transmission mechanism, 78/79 ... Transmission shaft.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A horizontal table surface 3 on which a small chemical container v such as a vial filled with a chemical solution to be dried is arranged in front of a loading port 11 which is openably and closably mounted in a freeze-drying chamber 1 of a freeze-dryer D.
0 in the depth direction of the drying rack 2 with the horizontal base surface 30 and the drying rack 2 installed in the freeze-drying chamber 1 adjusted to the same height. In the method of loading and unloading small chemical containers in a freeze dryer, which is loaded on the drying rack 2 by moving and is loaded on the upper surface of the horizontal bed 30 by moving in the opposite direction, a drying rack is placed on the horizontal bed 30. The enclosure frame 4 having an inner dimension corresponding to the depth L and the left-right width W of a predetermined range in which the small chemical containers v are placed on the shelf surface of the step 2 or a section range in which the container is divided into a certain unit is a horizontal surface. Loading / unloading device a that reciprocates back and forth along 30
Is provided and the small chemical containers v ... Aligned and gathered on the horizontal table surface 30 by the surrounding frame 4 are constrained in a state of being aligned and gathered, and in this state, the horizontal movement of the surrounding frame 4 causes the drying tray 2 to be dried. Push it into the prescribed position, and in that state,
The distance w between the pair of left and right side frames 40, 40 of the enclosure frame 4 is slightly expanded to release the constraint due to the contact between the inner surface of the left and right side frames 40, 40 and the left and right sides of the small chemical container group V, and the enclosure frame 4 Open the front frame 41 and the rear frame 42 of No. 2 to a height that does not contact the top of the small chemical container v, pull the enclosure frame 4 parallel to the depth direction and return it to the horizontal platform surface 30, and then carry it in. Horizontal surface 3
A group of small chemical containers V collectively gathered and aligned on 0 is opened from the rear end of the surrounding frame 4 with the front and back opened to the surrounding frame 4
It is housed inside and the gap w between the left and right side frames 40, 40 is reduced,
By closing the front frame 41 and the rear frame 42, the chemical small container group V
Is held in the enclosure frame 4 and pushed into a predetermined position on the drying shelf 2, and by repeating this operation, the small chemical containers v ... Are carried in on the drying shelf 2, and in the reverse order to the above, the door 10 front The method for loading and unloading a small chemical container filled with a chemical solution to be dried in a freeze dryer, which is carried out on the horizontal table surface 30 of.