JPS581636B2 - Capsule wrinkles - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a capsule picking mechanism for a high-speed pharmaceutical capsule inspection machine, etc., and the outline thereof is to load bulk capsules from a hopper onto a chain conveyor, align them, and transfer them to an inspection head. The point is to make it happen.

A series of rolls on the periphery of the head receive the capsule;
They form a vertical group that rotates around an axis.

The head is indexed to
ard), transported in stages from the capsule placement position to the transition point via the photoelectric inspection position.

The capsules are now removed and transferred to the foil.

This stripping foil is indexed and rotated in a timing relationship with the head.

The capsules are received on spaced pedestals on the tear-off foil and held on the pedestals by suction.

At the beginning of the movement, the reject capsules are removed from the pick-up foil by a discharge arm that is projected into the capsule passage according to the inspection result, and fall onto the reject lute.

The good capsule is then carried by the foil to the release point, where a cam removes the capsule and directs it to the good lute.

The present invention is based on U.S. Pat. No. 3, issued September 4, 1973.
No. 756,402 or pending U.S. Application No. 431,115 (Vanderberg et al.), filed on January 7, 1974; It is.

In a variant of such a machine, the test head has rotating rolls on its periphery forming a series of capsule-receiving groups therebetween.

The capsules rotate within this group in a vertical position and are held by the air flow in the suction passages between the rolls.

The head indexes and rotates through a loading position where it dumps the capsule and advances to an inspection position where the capsule is rotated about an axis by a rotating roll and inspected.

The capsule is then transported further to the ejection position.

Here, instead of the suction holding the capsule, a jet of air is applied to remove the capsule and eject the reject capsule.

A suitable capsule remains on the head and is transported to a release position where suction is cut off and an air jet is applied.

This testing device operates at high speeds of 600 to 1200 capsules per minute.

Acceptance and evacuation of inspected capsules by selective control of airflow in response to test results as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,402 is generally satisfactory in many inspection operations, especially at low inspection speeds. .

However, the effective sorting of acceptable and unacceptable capsules based on the test results requires accuracy and reliability, especially at high operating speeds.

The present invention provides such an accurate and reliable sorting method, so that fewer capsules are suitable for the group that is discarded as unsuitable, and fewer unsuitable capsules are for the group that is accepted as suitable. Product capsules can be sorted.

It also reduces the risk of damage to the capsules, in particular the risk of the capsules separating into body and cap during sorting operations.

According to the invention, the capsules are conveyed at regular intervals, preferably laterally, along the passageway, such as on the testing end of the mechanism described in US Pat. No. 3,756,402.

The inspected capsule on the inspection head is transported to the transition point,
There it is removed and transferred to a pedestal on foil.

The stripping foil indexes and rotates in timed relationship with the inspection head to transport the capsules along the sorting path.

The capsule passage on the stripping foil is approximately tangential to the capsule passage on the test head at the transition point, allowing a smooth flow of capsules from the test head to the transfer foil.

The capsule pedestal on the foil is a narrow concave pedestal on the outer periphery of the foil that securely fixes the capsule in an outward position and allows it to be placed and transported with sufficient spacing to allow for selective ejection. It is made easy.

At the transition point, the suction to the inspection head group is cut off;
Capsule transfer is effected by applying suction to the capsule receiving seat on the tear-off foil.

As the foil is indexed and rotated from the transition point, the capsules are first transported along the sorting path to the discharge position.

If it is determined that this capsule is to be ejected, an ejector arm protrudes (e.g. electromagnetically) into the path of the reject capsule on the tear-off foil and ejects the capsule as the foil rotates. It is dropped into the trunk.

If the capsule is a valid capsule, the ejection arm does not protrude into the capsule passage but remains retracted, and the valid capsule is conveyed to the position where it is released from the foil by the tearing cam.

The capsule on the peeling foil is held stationary without rotation.

The suction holding the capsule on the tear-off foil can be controlled to apply the minimum force necessary to hold the capsule stationary.

The stripping cam also ejects eligible capsules from the mechanism with less force than prior art air jets, resulting in more accurate capsule sorting with less damage.

The stripping foil preferably has a pedestal divided into two pedestal parts located on either side of the central group and between the radial faces of the foil, and the stripping arm comprises three fingers. There is.

The center one goes into the group, and the two outer ones overlap the radial surface and engage one capsule at both ends, and can also engage half of the capsule at two places. , the capsule can be reliably removed from the peeling foil.

The capsule sorting machine shown in the accompanying drawings is for inspecting conventional pharmaceutical capsules 10 consisting of a body portion 11 and a cap 12 having generally cylindrical side walls and rounded ends.

Since the capsules supplied from the capsule making machine are assembled loosely enough to allow separation of the cap and body for filling, extreme care must be taken to avoid rough handling that would cause the capsules to separate. There is.

The illustrated machine consists of a frame 14 defining a lower chamber 16 containing a motor 18 which drives the machine via a transmission 20 including a clutch and a brake.

A frame-mounted conveyor 22 is spanned between a pair of lower sprockets 24 and a pair of upper sprockets forming the sides of a transition foil 26.

The conveyor consists of a capsule-receiving packet 28 supported between a pair of side chains 30 on both sprockets.

The upper extension of the conveyor extends through the bottom of the small hopper 32 and allows capsules to be placed in the packets 28 by means disclosed in the aforementioned patents and patent applications.

To be tested, the capsules must all have the same orientation, preferably with the cap facing forward.

To obtain such directionality, the conveyor must pass through the alignment zone 34.

This alignment zone is provided with a mechanism for changing the body-facing capsule to a cap-facing position, as shown in the Vandenberg et al. application.

The capsules are transported from alignment zone 34 to transfer foil 26 and from there to inspection head 36.

The inspection head, conveyor and transfer wheel are timed by a motor 18 and a transmission 20 by separate timing belts 21 and 23, respectively.

The inspection head, whose horizontal and vertical cross-sectional views are shown in FIGS.
0 on its periphery.

Each rotating roll 50 is fixed to a shaft 58, and a rotating gear 60 is attached to the lower end thereof.

As shown in FIG. 2, this rotary gear 60 is a ring type that is continuously driven by a rotary drive gear 64 mounted on a parallel shaft.
It is now in constant mesh with gear 62.

Each pair of rolls 50 has a capsule receiving group 66 between them.
form.

These rolls are in close contact with the outer periphery of the carrier 52 and the molded part of the end flange on their sides and ends, and with capsule receiving groups 66 on the inner and outer peripheries.
close to.

The bottom of each group 66 communicates with an air passage 68 leading to a hollow cavity 70 within the carrier 52.

A valve block is installed in this hollow cavity to form a vacuum chamber 74.

This vacuum chamber communicates with the air passage 68 over a defined arc of its travel, and at other parts of its travel by an arcuate portion of the valve block 72.
It is configured so that it does not communicate with 8.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each rotating roll 50 has an upper portion adapted to engage the body of the capsule and an upper portion adapted to engage the cap of the capsule in its intermediate position. Preferably, it is configured to have a downwardly directed shoulder portion 51 between the lower diameter portion and the lower diameter portion.

The capsules are placed and transported by rotating rolls in the reverse position, ie, with the cap down and the body up.

Air entering group 66 and flowing through passage 68 holds the capsules within the group in contact with the roll.

The roll rotates continuously, thereby causing the capsule to continuously rotate about its axis as it is carried by the inspection head.

The inspection head is indexed and rotated step by step.

To obtain the desired indexing, the main shaft 56 is connected to an indexing device 76, as shown in FIG.

This indexing device is connected to a transmission device 20 by a timing belt 21.
is driven by.

The power take-off belt 78 drives a transmission 80 for the rotary drive wheel 64.

This device is such that during a rest period during which capsules are inspected and transferred, the main shaft 56 of the inspection head 36 indexes and rotates, while the rotary drive wheel 64 rotates continuously.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the capsules are fed to the test head at a feeding position 35. As shown in FIGS.

The transition foil 26 has a delivery finger 82 with a suction seat at its end.

The delivery finger advances through the receiving packet 28 as it moves around the transfer foil 26, lifting the capsule 10 outward to an upright position as shown in FIG.

In this position the capsule faces closely the capsule receiving group 66 on the test head.

When the capsule reaches this position, the suction holding the capsule on the delivery finger 82 is broken and the capsule is forced into the group 6 of the head by the air flow through the air passage 68.
Drawn to 6.

The capsules within the group are supported by a rotating roll 50 and rotated about its axis.

The inspection head 36 rotates the rotating capsule 1 during the indexing sequence.
0 to the testing position 45 shown diagrammatically at the bottom of FIG.

Here, the rotating capsule is illuminated by an illumination stem including a lamp 84 and inspected by an inspection stem 86 which is activated in response to reflected light from the rotating capsule.

This test result is processed appropriately and used to control subsequent capsule sorting.

After inspection, the capsule is transported through four further indexing stages to a transfer position 55 and transferred to a peeling foil 40.

The stripping foil 40 consists of a rotating head with six capsule receiving seats 88 arranged at regular intervals on its periphery.

Each pedestal has a short upper portion 87 and a lower portion 89 on either side of the central peripheral group 90.

The outer end of this pedestal portion reaches the radial surface of the stripping foil 40.

The pedestal parts 87 and 89 communicate with a vacuum chamber 93 in the tear-off foil 40 by an air passage 92.

The pedestal parts can work together to support the entire capsule, or can work separately to support either the cap or the body of the capsule.

As illustrated in FIG.
6 and 98 ( journal
d) installed on a hollow shaft 94;

In the space between the bearings, the hollow shaft 94 has a side outlet 102, and this space surrounding the hollow shaft is connected to the vacuum line 1 via a vacuum passage 104, as shown in FIG.
It is connected to 06.

A drive gear 108 is attached to the lower end of the hollow shaft 94 and always meshes with a drive gear 110 attached to the main shaft 56 of the inspection head 36.

Therefore, the stripping foil 40 and its hollow shaft are connected to the main shaft 56.
It is driven in synchronization with the indexing movement of.

The stripping foil 40 has a diameter half that of the inspection head 360 and has six capsule receiving seats 88.

On the other hand, the inspection head 36 has twelve capsule receiving groups 66.

Therefore, the drive ratio of gears 108 and 110 is 2:1,
At the same time that the capsule receiving group 66 of the test head 36 is indexed into the transition position 55, the peeling foil pedestal 88 is also indexed into the transition position.

In order to transfer the capsule from the inspection head 36 to the stripping foil 40, a vacuum chamber 93 in the foil is continuously maintained under vacuum and air is sucked through the air passage 92;
The capsule is peeled off and held on the base 88 of the foil 40 by suction.

In the test head, the vacuum chamber 74 extends from slightly before the supply position to the air passage 68 at the transition point of the stripping foil 40 in the direction of indexing movement of the test head, i.e. clockwise.
It extends to just before.

Thus, when the group 66 containing the capsules 10 reaches the transition point, the suction from the air passageway 68 is cut off and the suction holding the capsules 10 in the group 66 ends.

The capsule is then suction-held onto the pedestal 88 on the tear-off foil 40 by a continuous flow of air through the passageway 92.

As shown in FIG. 2, the counterclockwise indexing movement of the stripping foil 40 brings the capsule 10 to position 10a, while the next pedestal 88 advances to the transition position to pick up the next capsule from the inspection head 36. I am ready to receive it.

If the capsule delivered to position 10a is unsuitable and should be rejected, it is brushed off from the stripping foil 40 during the next indexing movement.

In order to shake off such defective capsules, a stripping arm 120 is provided which reciprocates between a rest position shown in solid lines in FIG. 2 and an operating position shown in broken lines.

This arm 120 is a long rod supported at its center by a pivot arm 122, and its rear end is connected to a crank arm 124 of a rotary solenoid 126.

Crank arm 124 is biased to its normal rest position, shown in solid lines, by a biasing spring, not shown.

Capsules that are thrown off from the foil are unsuitable Lute 42
to fall.

The upper end of the lute is located between 1) the end wall 136 of the frame 14 and a slope shield 137 mounted on a bearing block that supports the bearing of the main shaft 56 and the shaft of the rotary drive gear 64; ) is formed between the bearing block 100 of the stripping foil hollow shaft 94 and the reel wall 140 which shields the lute from the stripping arm support and actuation mechanism.

The solenoid 126 and pivot arm 122 that actuate the stripping arm 120 are conveniently connected to the reel wall 140.
A mount fixed to the inner surface of the end wall 136 on the back side of the
It is attached to plate 125.

As shown in FIG. 5, the front end of the stripping arm 120 has three seven fingers 128, 129, and 130.

When this stripping arm 120 is moved into the stripping position, the three fingers enter into the passage of the capsule carried by the stripping foil 40.

Upper and lower fingers 128 and 130 overlap the top and bottom radial surfaces of tear-off foil 40, with intermediate finger 129 extending into group 90 between top 87 and bottom 89 of the pedestal.

When the stripping foil 40 performs the next indexing movement, the reject capsule is brought to position 10b and the stripping arm 120
The scraper engages with the finger of the scraper and is thrown off from the scraper foil 40 to the reject lute 42.

The rotary solenoid 126 operates in response to the test results at the test station 45 shown in FIG. 2 and in a timed relationship with the movement of the capsule being tested.

In other words, the defective capsule is at position 10 on the tear-off foil.
When point a is reached, the rotary solenoid is actuated to move the stripping arm 120 to the operating position so that the reject capsule is picked off from the foil 40 at position 10b during the next indexing movement of the foil. .

If the capsule is in good condition, the solenoid will not be activated and the stripping 6 arm 120 will also be in the rest position.

In such a case, the suitable capsule will remain on the pedestal on the peeling foil and will be brought to a position where it will be removed from the foil by the release cam 134.

Such a release cam is fixed in the capsule passage on the stripping foil 40 at a constant distance from the stripping arm 120.

The capsules removed from the peeling foil by this cam 134 are discharged into a suitable lute 44 and supplied to a suitable capsule container.

Cam 134 is conveniently shown mounted to housing end wall 136 by a pair of bolts 139 for sliding within its mounting.

As shown in FIG. 3, the front end of the cam has an upper finger 133 and a lower finger 135 that overlap the top and bottom surfaces of the stripping foil 40 head, and a middle finger 1
37 is preferably molded to fit into the group 90 of the head.

The operation of this machine is as follows.

The capsules for inspection are transferred from the capsule manufacturing machine to hopper 3.
2 and then continuously moving conveyor 22
It is discarded in packet 28.

The conveyor carries the capsules through an alignment zone 34 which replaces all body-facing capsules into a cap-facing position.

As the capsule moves around the transition foil 26 and crosses the top of the foil, it is lifted out of the packet and carried into the transition position by the delivery finger 82, as shown in FIG.

When each capsule reaches the position facing the group 660 of the inspection head 36, the suction from the delivery finger is cut off, and the capsules are moved to the group 660 under the influence of the suction from the inspection foil.
Move to 6.

The rotating rolls 50 forming the group 66 rotate the capsule about its axis.

The inspection head 36 has a stem 8 in which each rotating capsule is photoelectrically
4 to 86 until the inspection position 45 is indexed in successive steps.

This head transports the inspected capsule to the transfer position 55 opposite the pedestal 88 on the peeling foil 40.

At this transition point, suction from the air passage 68 of the test head is cut off by the valve block 72, but suction from the air passage 92 leading to the peeling foil pedestal 88 is maintained continuously so that the capsule remains in the peeling foil. It moves to the upper pedestal, and is then carried on the latter pedestal.

If the capsule is unsuitable, the indexing movement of the stripping foil causes the stripping arm 120 to rotate
Actuated by solenoid 126 to operate fingers 128~
130 protrudes into the capsule passage, and peels off the capsule from the foil 40 at the position 10b through the ejection chute 13.
Pay it off to 2.

The correct capsule is not ejected at this point, but is removed from the tearing foil 40 by the release cam 134 after being indexed three more times.

The suitable capsules thus released from the tear-off foil 40 are thrown into the receiver 46 through the chute 44.

This tearing mechanism enables accurate sorting of acceptable capsules and unsuitable capsules based on the inspection results at the inspection position 45.

This mechanism handles the capsule, especially the fit capsule, with a minimum of force and roughness, minimizing the risk of damage to the capsule and separation of the cap and body of the capsule.

Examples of embodiments of the present invention are listed below.

1. A mechanism for a capsule sorting device, etc., which has a carrier that is placed and transported at regular intervals along a passageway in order to sort capsules, and (1) has a capsule receiving pedestal on the periphery of the foil, and a capsule receiving pedestal on the pedestal. (2) a stripping foil rotatable for transporting capsules through the sorting aisle; (2) driving the foil in a timed relationship with the carrier such that the pedestal is sequentially moved to a capsule receiving position at a transition position along the carrier pathway; (3) means for transferring the capsules from the carrier to the pedestal on the foil in the transfer position and suction means for retaining the capsules on the pedestal as they are carried along the sorting path by the foil; (4) the foil; (5) a stripping arm having a normal rest position in which it does not protrude into the capsule sorting path above and an actuated position for ejecting the first group of capsules from the foil in the first position; (5) a second stripping arm along the capsule path above the foil; and (6) means for moving a tearing arm to an operative position as the first group of capsules approaches the first position.

2. said first .carrier transporting the capsules laterally along a passageway, and wherein said stripping foil transports the capsules laterally along a sorting passageway, said peeling foil being substantially tangential to said carrier passageway in the transition position; Tear-off mechanism.

3. pedestals spaced at regular intervals around the periphery of the foil extend axially for carrying the capsule laterally and are shorter in length than the capsule and span a radial surface on the foil; A stripping arm having fingers at its distal end overlaps the radial surface in the actuated position and engages the distal end of the capsule, dislodging the capsule from the base. Tear-off mechanism.

4. Pedestals arranged at regular intervals on the periphery of the foil are adapted to engage and carry capsules disposed at regular intervals in the axial direction with a lateral force that supports and transports the capsules; Said first part is separated by groups on the foil periphery, and further has a central finger in which the stripping arm in its operating position enters into the group and reaches the central lower part of the capsule of the pedestal main. Tear-off mechanism.

5. It has a stripping pedestal that engages the axially spaced capsules and carries the capsules in a circular path laterally as the foil rotates; The distance between the radial sides is arranged slightly shorter than that of the capsule, and moreover, the stripping arm has a central finger that reaches into the group in its working position, and 2 that overlap the radial surfaces and span the pedestal.
the three side fingers engage the ends of the capsule on the foil pedestal at its midsection, and the two fingers of the cap or body of the capsule held on the pedestal part. said first. Tear-off mechanism.

6. the tear-off foil has circumferentially spaced pedestals, each pedestal having two axially spaced portions molded into a concave surface that engages the body of the capsule and the cylindrical side of the cap; The two spaced apart sections have separate suction passages that work together to hold an entire capsule and also separately to hold the capsule body and capsule. operative, and having spaced fingers spanning each of said spaced sections when the stripping arm is in the operative position, and for stripping the entire capsule or separate body or cap from that section. The above-mentioned 1. which can be excluded. Tear-off mechanism.

7. a rotatable head in which the carrier has an axial capsule-receiving group on the periphery of the foil, means for indexing and rotating the head to move the group to a transition point, and the stripping foil and the head are interrelated; said first drive means for driving the foil in a timed relationship with the head so that the pedestal reaches the transition point at the same time as the group on the head. Tear-off mechanism.

8. 7. The number of peeling foil pedestals is half the number of head groups, and the indexing speed of the foil is twice that of the head. Tear-off mechanism.

9. the carrier comprises a rotatable inspection head having a series of capsule-receiving groups on the periphery of the foil, and inspection means for inspecting and sorting the capsules in the group into at least two types at a fixed position on the head; said first capsule having means for selectively actuating said stripping arm in response to said means in synchronized relation with movement of said head and foil to remove one of the capsules; Tear-off mechanism.

10. In the first embodiment, the stripping arm comprises a longitudinal arm, i.e. a support pivot arm and a drive device. Item 9: Peeling mechanism.

However, this support pivot arm is rotatably fixed to a fixed pivot away from the reciprocating path of the stripping arm, and is connected to the stripping arm to support movement in the longitudinal direction.

The drive device also has an arm connected at a remote point from the stripping arm and capable of moving the stripping arm into an operative position.

11. 10. The driving device is a rotary solenoid. Tear-off mechanism.

However, this rotary solenoid has an operating arm that is parallel to the pivot arm at a constant distance.

．． 12--A rotary inspection head having a series of capsule-receiving groups arranged at regular intervals on the circumference of the foil, and drive means for sequentially indexing and rotating the groups through the inspection position and into the transition position; (1) having a series of capsule-receiving pedestals spaced at regular intervals around the foil periphery, and spaced apart from the head such that the pedestals are in transitional relationship with the head at transition points; (2) means for driving the foil in a timed relationship with the head so that the pedestal moves to the transition position simultaneously with the head group; (3) for retaining the capsule on the pedestal; (4) a head with release means so that the capsule can be transferred to the foil in a transfer position; (5) a rest position remote from the movement path of the capsule carried by the foil and in the passage; and (6) a stripping arm having an actuated position for dislodging capsules from the foil in a first ejection position as the foil is rotated to transport the capsules along the first predetermined group. (7) means for removing the second group of capsules from the foil at a second location along the capsule path on the foil;

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory side view of a capsule inspection machine equipped with a tearing mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view, partially in section, showing the relationship between the inspection head and the stripping foil and associated mechanisms. FIG. 3 shows an end portion of the stripping cam shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. Numbers in main parts diagram: 10 Capsule (11 body, 12
Cap), 22 Conveyor, 36 Inspection head, 40
Peeling foil, 50 rotating spout, 66 capsule receiving group, 88 capsule receiving pedestal label peeling arm.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A mechanism for a capsule sorting device or the like having a carrier for placing and transporting capsules at regular intervals along a passage for sorting the capsules, the mechanism comprising: (1) having a capsule receiving pedestal on the periphery of the foil; (2) a stripping foil rotatable for transporting the capsules on the carrier path through the sorting path; (3) means for transferring the capsules from the carrier to the pedestal on the foil in a transfer position and suction for retaining the capsules on the pedestal as they are carried along the sorting path by the foil; means; (4) a mowing arm having a normal rest position in which it does not protrude into the capsule sorting passageway on the foil and an actuated position for ejecting a first group of capsules from the foil in a first position; (5) on the foil; (6) means for moving the stripping arm to an operative position as the first group of capsules approaches the first position; Capsule ripping mechanism equipped with 2. A capsule inspection machine having a rotary inspection head having a series of capsule receiving groups arranged at regular intervals on the periphery of a foil, and drive means for sequentially indexing and rotating the groups through an inspection position and into a transition position. A mechanism for: (1) having a series of capsule-receiving pedestals spaced at regular intervals on the foil periphery; (2) means for driving the foil in a timed relationship with the head such that the pedestal is moved to the transition position simultaneously with the head group; (3) the capsule is placed on the pedestal; (4) a head with release means so that the capsule can be transferred to the foil in a transfer position; (5) a rest position remote from the travel path of the capsule carried by the foil; (6) a first predetermined group of capsules having an actuated position for dislodging the capsules from the foil in a first ejection position as the foil is rotated to convey the capsules along the passageway; (7) means for removing the second group of capsules from the foil at a second location along the capsule passageway on the foil; Capsule removal mechanism.