JPS6240884Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an inverted empty ampoule feeding device suitable for automatic manufacturing equipment for empty ampules, particularly products packaged in plastic ampoule-type containers.

Products packaged in plastic ampoule-type containers have begun to be widely used as a packaging form for medicines such as ointments and jellies, replacing conventional products packaged in metal tubes.

The currently common manufacturing method for this drug is to manually invert a plastic ampoule-shaped container with an open bottom into a holder placed on an endless conveyor, and then pour the contents from the same end. This method performs measures such as filling, closing the open end, and shaping. However, with this known means, the reliance on manual labor to invert the empty ampoule into the holder is a major obstacle to full automation. Therefore, a method was considered to use a vibrating centrifugal feeder such as a parts feeder to feed the ampoule with a bottom to the holder and then open the bottom, but with this type of feeder,
Empty ampoules with bottoms placed into the hopper are all sent out with the bottom at the beginning due to their center of gravity, so if you insert them into the holder as they are, they will be in an upright position, and the ampoule will be filled from the bottom side. , the purpose of closing the bottom opening surface cannot be achieved. The present invention provides an interface located between the outlet of a vibrating centrifugal feeding device for feeding empty plastic ampoule-type containers and a container holder for performing post-processes such as filling and closing the containers. The present invention relates to an apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus for inverting an empty ampoule-type container that is sent in an upright position and storing it in the holder in an inverted position accurately.

Conventionally, the mechanism itself is such that an empty glass ampoule-shaped container is fed in an upright state into the recess of a disc-shaped inversion device equipped with a conformal radial recess, and the container is discharged in an inverted state by half a rotation of the disc. Although it is already known and disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 52-25792, the plastic empty ampoule type container which is the object of the present invention is lightweight, and also has a holder (disc). Since the coefficient of friction against the recess (inner recess) is large, it is impossible to accurately accommodate the object in the lower holder using the natural fall method as in the above invention. However, if the diameter of the recess is increased, it becomes impossible to avoid accidental free fall, and the precision decreases, making it difficult to align with the axis of the holder, which also makes it impossible to securely store it upside down.

In order to easily solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has been developed in such a way that discs for holding empty ampoule type containers (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "empty ampoules" or simply "ampoules") are spaced apart from each other. It is composed of a pair of disc bodies placed apart from each other, and recesses for accommodating empty ampoules for accommodating the container are carved in a conformal radial pattern on the opposing inner surfaces of the disc bodies, and the empty ampule The ampoule is provided with a slip prevention means for preventing the ampoule from slipping down from within the recess between the upright state and the inverted state, and a swinging lever type empty container removal means for reliably taking out the ampoule from each recess. It is characterized by this.

As mentioned above, when the empty ampoule storage recess of the vertically rotating disc body is in the upward position, the empty ampoule falls from the pre-feeding device through the passageway into the recess due to its own weight and is stored in the disc body. The ampoule holder is displaced as the body rotates, and when it finally reaches an inverted position, it is transferred to a movable ampoule holder.
There is a risk that the ampoule will slip out of the recess under its own weight, especially after the ampoule has been displaced by more than 90° from its initial position in the recess.
As a means to prevent the ampoule from sliding down, there is a method of connecting a vacuum suction device to each recess, but since the mechanism of the entire device becomes complicated, it is possible to connect a vacuum suction device to each recess. Preferably, a gutter-like cover is provided that extends from the empty ampoule receiving position to the inverted transfer position of the ampoule.

When the empty ampoule reaches the inverted transfer position and separates from the fitting relationship with the gutter-like cover, its own weight causes it to fall from the recess of the vertically rotating disc body onto the ampoule holder waiting at the position below, but the plastic Empty ampoules are extremely lightweight;
In consideration of the fact that the ampoule may not be completely ejected due to the frictional resistance between the ampoule surface and the inner surface of the recess, and the fact that the empty ampoule is accurately supported upside down on the ampoule holder, this book has been developed. The invented device includes a removal means for forcibly ejecting the empty ampoule from the recess when it reaches the inverted transfer position. As the removing means, it is practically preferable to use a lever-type removing device that operates to apply a slight downward impact to the bottom of an empty ampoule that is in an inverted state within a recess of a vertically rotating disc body.

Empty ampoules are normally fed continuously from an empty ampoule supply device such as a vibrating centrifugal feeder to the device of the present invention, while on the ampoule holder on the side that receives empty ampoules in an inverted state from the device of the present invention. Thereafter, operations such as cutting the bottom of the empty ampoule and filling the ampule with medicine are performed, so the movement of the holder must necessarily be performed intermittently. The device of the present invention is configured so that the rotational movement of the disc body rotates fractionally at every fixed rotation angle in order to adjust the disharmony between the two. As a device for performing this fractional rotation operation, any intermittent drive mechanism such as a Geneva stop or a pulse motor can be used.

Before explaining the detailed structure of the apparatus of the present invention with reference to embodiments, the manufacturing process of a plastic ampoule-shaped container product using the apparatus of the present invention will be explained with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. In the same figure,
A large number of empty ampoules placed in the empty ampule hopper A fall naturally into the vibrating centrifugal feeder B through the chute a, and are placed on the rotating inclined plate b ₁ with the bottom facing forward due to centrifugal force. were made to line up,
Then, while forming a helical trajectory, they gradually ascend the slope of inclined plate _B1 while remaining in a line, and reach coil chute C.
and slides inside the chute C to reach the supply nozzle _{c 2 .}

An inverted empty ampoule supply device D according to the present invention is installed directly below the supply nozzle _c2 of the coil chute C, and when the empty ampoule V reaches the supply nozzle _c2 , the vertically rotating disc body of the device D of the present invention If the empty ampoule accommodating recess _d1 is located directly below the supply nozzle _c2 , the ampoule V will fall and be accommodated therein. If the disc body _d1 is in the fractional rotation operation, the bottom of the empty ampoule V abuts against the circumferential surface of the disc body _d1 , and the subsequent recess of the disc body _d1 is connected to the supply nozzle c. When it reaches the position directly facing ₂ , it is first dropped into the recess.

As mentioned above, the vertically rotating disc body _d1 rotates fractionally in the direction of the arrow at every fixed rotation angle in conjunction with the operation of the ampoule holder F, which moves horizontally intermittently.
When the recess of the disc body d ₁ directly faces the supply nozzle c ₂ of the coil chute C, the empty ampoule V' housed in the recess in an erect state is gradually displaced as the disc body d ₁ rotates fractionally. Then, the ampoule holder F
When the ampoule holder reaches a position directly facing the ampoule holder F, the ampoule holder F is in an inverted state, and a slight impact is applied to the bottom of the ampoule holder by a lever-type removal device E, so that the ampoule holder F is pushed into the ampoule holder F. During the above-mentioned displacement operation of the empty ampoule V', its tip slides along the groove provided on the inner surface of the trough-like cover _d2 , so that the ampoule V' is in a downwardly inclined state. It never slips out of the recess in the disc body d ₁ while passing through the area where it becomes .

The plurality of ampoule holders F are mounted on the endless conveyor device G at regular intervals, and are intermittently moved in the direction of the arrow in connection with the operation of cutting the bottom of the ampoule, filling the medicine, sealing the bottom of the ampoule, etc., which will be described later. . The empty ampoule V' transferred onto this ampoule holder F in an inverted state will soon be transferred to the first cutter H.
After moving to the position where the bottom part is horizontally cut and opened, it is further moved to the next drug filling position. The empty ampoule that has reached the drug filling position is raised by the lift device I together with the ampoule holder F to the position where it engages with the filling nozzle j ₁ of the drug filling machine J, and the plaster-like ampule stored in the raw material hopper j ₂ is A fixed amount of medicine is injected by valve cylinder _j3 .

Once a certain amount of drug has been filled, the lift device I is lowered again and then the ampoule filled with drug is removed.
V'' is moved to the position of the bottom sealing machine K, where the bottom is melt-sealed using energy such as ultrasonic waves, and further subjected to shaping processing by the second cutter L. In this way, the drug is filled. The completed ampoule V is removed from the ampoule holder F by the transfer M, sent onto the automatic weighing machine O by the conveyor belt N, and after screening out defective products, only the accepted products are discharged via the chute P. .

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The structure of an embodiment of the device according to the present invention will be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the device according to the present invention shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a disk body 1 is a main component thereof.
A first disc member 1a having a flat plate shape having a circular hole 2 in the center and a second disc member 1b having a ring-shaped spacer part 3 in the center projecting laterally are arranged to face each other in parallel. , and are constructed by combining and fixing both with bolts 4. Between the facing surfaces of the first disc member 1a and the second disc member 1b configured in this way,
A gap 5 corresponding to the height of the spacer portion 3 of the second disc member 1b is formed. The first disc member 1a and the second disc member 1b have substantially semi-cylindrical recesses 6 at intervals of 45° along the circumference of their opposing surfaces.
and 7 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), and the pair of recesses 6 and 7 constitute a cylindrical recess 8 having substantially the same shape and size as the outer shape of the body of the empty ampoule 11.

The disc body 1 is mounted on a rotating shaft 10 via a hub 9, and is rotated in the direction of the arrow at every fixed rotation angle (45° in this example) by a known intermittent drive device (not shown), such as a pulse motor or a Geneva stop. The recess 8 is connected to the supply nozzle c ₂ of the coil chute C.
Stop at a position directly facing the At this time, the empty ampoule 11 that has reached the supply nozzle c ₂ falls from the bottom into the recess 8 due to its own weight and is accommodated there (this position will hereinafter be referred to as the empty ampoule receiving position).

When one recess 8 is stopped facing upward at the empty ampoule receiving position as described above, the recess 8' located at the opposite position is stopped facing downward facing the ampoule holder F. Therefore, the empty ampoule 11 housed in the recess 8 in an upright state at the empty ampoule receiving position is displaced as the disc body 1 rotates fractionally, and when it reaches the position facing the ampoule holder F, its orientation changes. Reverse the position and become inverted. The empty ampoule 11 in an inverted state tries to escape from the recess 8' in a downward state due to its own weight, but if it cannot escape smoothly due to frictional resistance with the wall surface of the recess 8' or some other force. also occurs, so the recess 8' of the disc body 1
It is preferable to provide a removal device for forcibly ejecting the empty ampoule 11 by applying a light impact to the bottom of the empty ampoule 11 in an inverted state, for example, when the empty ampoule 11 reaches a position directly facing the ampoule holder F. In this example device, a lever 14 that is moved up and down by a fluid pressure cylinder device 13 is employed as the removal device. As shown in more detail in FIG. 5, this lever 14 is inserted into the gap 5 between the first disc member 1a and the second disc member 1b, and its tip portion is inserted into the recess 8' facing downward. While placed on the bottom, the rear end is connected to a horizontal push rod 16 by an L-shaped connecting fitting 15, and by moving this horizontal push rod up and down by the cylinder device 13, the empty ampoule 11 is pushed into the ampoule holder F. It works like this.

In the device of this example, the empty ampoule 11 housed in the recess 8 of the disc body 1 is displaced from an erect state to an inverted state as the disc body rotates as described above.
When it shifts to this inverted state, it will slide down from within the recess 8, so to prevent this, a gutter-like cover 12 is provided along the circumference of the disc body 1 from the empty ampoule receiving position to the empty ampoule transfer position. During the aforementioned turning process, the empty ampoule 11 moves along the groove 12a of the trough-like cover 12 with its pointed end.

As described above, the present invention is a disc that can be rotated fractionally at each fixed rotation angle, and the disc is composed of two disc bodies of the same shape spaced apart from each other, and the disc body is are provided with recesses for accommodating a plastic empty ampoule-shaped container, which are carved equiangularly radially from the periphery of the disc body toward the center on the opposing inner surfaces of the disks, and the empty ampoule-shaped container is turned from an upright state to an inverted state. An inverted plastic empty ampoule type container is provided with a sliding prevention means for preventing the container from falling from the recess until the state is reached, and a swinging lever type empty container ejecting means in the lower gap between both disc bodies. The present device has a simple structure as a whole and is equipped with the above-mentioned slip-off prevention means.
It is possible to completely prevent the risk of the container accommodated in each recess slipping out of the recess when it is gradually displaced downward as the disc body rotates;
Moreover, by providing the removing means, the empty ampoule, which is difficult to escape from the recess due to its light weight and high surface friction resistance, can be reliably taken out from the recess.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the manufacturing process of an ampoule-shaped container product incorporating the device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view of an embodiment of the device of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the same side, and Fig. 4 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the disc body, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the empty ampoule removal device. 1: disk body, 1a: first disk member, 1b: second
Disc member, 2: circular hole, 3: spacer part, 4: bolt, 5: gap, 6, 7: semi-cylindrical recess, 8,
8': Cylindrical recess, 9: Hub, 10: Rotating shaft,
11: Empty ampoule, 12: Gutter-shaped cover, 13: Cylinder device, 14: Lever, 15: L-shaped connecting fitting, 16: Horizontal push rod, A: Empty ampoule hopper,
B: Vibrating centrifugal supply device, C: Coil chute,
D: Empty ampule inverted supply device, E: Empty ampule removal device, F: Ampoule holder, G: Conveyor device, H: First cutter, I: Lift device, J: Drug filling machine, K: Bottom sealing machine, L :Second cutter,
M: Transfer, N: Conveyor belt, O: Automatic weighing machine, P: Product conveyor, V,
V′, V″: Ampoule.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] It is a disc that can be rotated fractionally at each fixed rotation angle, and the disc consists of two discs of the same shape spaced apart from each other, and the discs have inner surfaces facing each other. A recess for accommodating a plastic empty ampoule type container is provided, which is carved in an equiangular radial pattern from the periphery of the disc body toward the center, and the recess is formed between the empty ampoule type container from an upright state to an inverted state. A slip prevention means for preventing the container from falling from the recess and a swinging lever type empty container removing means in the lower gap between both disc bodies, and when the recess is positioned upward, the container is disposed with the bottom first. The empty ampoule type containers sent one by one are received in each recess in an upright state, and when the empty containers are displaced as the disc rotates and become inverted, the removing means swings. An inverted plastic empty ampoule type container, characterized in that the container is pushed into an ampoule holder located at the bottom by applying a downward pressing force to the bottom of the inverted container. Feeding device.