US3814931A

US3814931A - Inspection apparatus and means

Info

Publication number: US3814931A
Application number: US00255766A
Authority: US
Inventors: T Kuroda; T Shimizu
Original assignee: Parke Davis and Co LLC
Current assignee: Parke Davis and Co LLC
Priority date: 1972-05-22
Filing date: 1972-05-22
Publication date: 1974-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 1991-06-04
Also published as: JPS4929670A; DE2325341C2; AU5587573A; GB1402239A; BR7303694D0; CA998133A; BE799781A; CH554672A; DE2325341A1; FR2185450A1; FR2185450B1; IT986088B

Abstract

Apparatus and means are provided for the quality control of hard shell pharmaceutical capsules comprising a set of collets or holders arranged side-by-side in a row for supporting and moving successive sets of individual capsule shells open-end foremost in timed relation from a work station, photosensor means for scanning a light beam projected across the path of the conveyed capsule parts, control means for activating the scanning mode during a predetermined time segment in the motion cycle such that during the time segment the light beam bypasses the leading edge of advancing standard-length capsule parts but is blocked and prevented from being scanned by the intervention of any overlength capsule parts, and means responsive to the scanning means for signalling and/or rejecting capsule parts thus found blocking the beam.

Description

United States Patent [191 Kuroda et a1.

[ INSPECTION APPARATUS AND MEANS [75] Inventors: Toyoaki Kuroda, Troy, Mich.;

Toyokazu Shimizu, Sagamihara, Japan [73] Assignee: Parke, Davis & Company, Detroit,

Mich.

22 Filed: May 22, 1972 211 App]. No.: 255,766

[52]- US. Cl... 250/223 R, 209/111.7, 250/560 [51] Int. Cl. H0lj 39/12 [58] Field of Search... 250/221, 222, 223 R, 223 B, 250/220 M, 219 DF, 219 TH, 219 WD, 219

[ 1 June4,.1974

Keller 250/223 B Primary Examiner.1ames W. Lawrence Assistant ExaminerD. C. Nelms [5 7] 9 ABSTRACT Apparatus and means are provided for the quality control of hard shell pharmaceutical capsules compris ing a set of collets or holders arranged side-by-side in a row for supporting and moving successive sets of individual capsule shells open-end foremost in timed relation from a work station, photosensor means for scanning a light beam projected across the path of the conveyed capsule parts, control means for activating the scanning mode during a predetermined time segment in the motion cyc1e such that during the time segment the light beam bypasses the leading edge of advancing standard-length capsule parts but is blocked and prevented from being scanned by the intervention of any over-length capsule parts, and means responsive to the scanning means for signalling and/or rejecting capsule parts thus found blocking the beam.

6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures 1 INSPECTION APPARATUS AND MEANS SUMMARY AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION This invention relates to apparatus and means for inspecting capsules in connection with pharmaceutical capsule production. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus and means for inspecting capsule shell parts. by photosensor means.

In the production of capsules by the dip-molding technic the art has provided apparatus for discriminating between standard-length capsule parts and overlength capsule parts so that the latter are rejected during the course of normal production operations (see, for example, US. Pat. No. 3,508,647). Thus, after the dried capsule shells are stripped and cut, they are individually carried by a battery of collets to a like number of joiner blocks. In so doing, the capsule shells approach a rejection station located in front of the joiner blocks where any over-length shells are destroyed or dislodged from their respective collets by the action of rejection fingers which, at a precise point in the transfer c'ycle, momentarily intersect the path of the leading edges of shells just prior to their advance into the joiner blocks. While available means have been satisfactory, there has been no provision for calling attention to the operator the occurrence of a malfunction, particularly when it occurs, or for collecting and accounting for rejected capsules.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide means for detecting the presence of defective capsule parts or over-length capsule parts being produced during the production operation. 1

It is also an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for detecting and eliminating from the production output capsule parts which exceed a standard predetermined length.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for rejecting over-length capsule parts without physically contacting the rejected parts during the detection step.

These and other objects, purposes and advantages of the invention will be seen in the following description and'the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view, in part, of a capsule production machine;

FIG. 2 is a view in elevation of the capsule machine taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d are side views showing at different stages of the motion cycle the positional relationship of a capsule shell holder, 21 light beam and a capsule joiner block;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the detection system of the invention showing cam-operated switch means for indexing the detection system; and

FIG. 5 is a view ofa segment of the conveyor line and of a gating mechanism for rejecting over-length capsules.

In a preferred form illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 the apparatus includes a row of joiner blocks 11 having channels Ila and 11b in conventional form for receiving paired bodies 12 and caps 13, respectively; collets 14 are provided for holding the individual capsule shells l2 and 13 and presenting them for joining to the joiner blocks 11. The housing (FIG. 2) contains a light source 21, a first reflecting mirror 22, a focussing lens 23 for projecting a light beam 24, a second reflecting mirror in a suitable mounting 25a, and a photosensor 26. The first mirror 22 has a surface which reflects and also transmits light. The housing includes a horizontal adjustment control 31 and a vertical adjustment control 32 for purposes of aligning the light beam 24 in the direction illustrated.

The apparatus also includes a conveyor extending along the length of the row of joiner blocks 11 to a receiver 41. Near the end of the conveyor is a gate 42 which reciprocates from a closed position to an open position under action of a rotary solenoid 43. The apparatus further includes means for discriminating optically between the presence of reflected light from the mirror 25 and the absence thereof. These means shown in FIG. 4 comprise a photosensor 26 and amplifier 27 in series with a cam-driven switch 28 operating from the drive cam 29 of the automatic drive means 30. The switch 28 in turn operates in a circuit with an alarm device 44 and/or light (not shown) and with a timer in series with agate solenoid 43.

OPERATION In the conventional operation of making capsules by the dip-molding technic, capsule parts are stripped from the pins into supporting collets, adjusted to length, cut while being rotated and, finally, carried by the collets to the position illustrated in FIG. I. It will be realized that the apparatus operates in the latter respect by bringing the body parts on one side of the joiner blocks and the cap parts from the opposite side and that from this configuration each pair of parts is then brought together and joined in its respective joiner block. In principle, however, the operation on the body side is equivalent to that on the cap side of the machine. For purposes of illustration, therefore, the operation as it applies to the present invention will be described only with respect to the body side of the machine. For inspection purposes according to the invention, the optical system is activated and set up, if necessary by adjustment of the geometry controls 31 and 32 as indicated, so that the projected light beam follows the line shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In a preferred form, the cross-section of the beam 24 is rectangular as seen in FIG. 3a where it impinges on the mounting 25a and mirror 25 for the full height and width thereof as shown by the dotted outline of the beam. The mirror in turn corresponds in height to the width of a capsule body. The invention contemplates the use of detachable mountings 25a (as a covering mask for the mirror 25) having apertures of differing dimension so that in effect the'exposed dimension of the mirror 25 can be varied to correspond with each different capsule size being processed, as desired.

Regarding the work flow through the machine, the beam 24 at all times, regardless of the phase of the work cycle, is projected toward the mirror 25 by means of the light source 21, the reflecting mirror 22, and the lens 23, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3a. In the absence of obstruction in the scanning zone, the beam is reflected back from mirror 25 through the lens 23 and light transmitting mirror 22 to the photosensor 26. At the point in the work cycle when a standard-length colletheld capsule body (FIG. 3b) is movedtoward the joiner block 11 with its leading edge just short of the beam,- the alarm circuit is enabled by the cam 29 and switch means 28 of FIG. 4. At this same point, however, when an over-length capsule body (FIG. 3c, over-length usually because it is uncut) is brought into the area of the light beam 24, it blocks the beam and therefore causes the photosensor 26 to send an input to the alarm 44 and timer 45. The scanning mode (lasting about 0.1 second and corresponding to the part of the motion cycle illustrated in FIGS. 3b and 3c) is activated during the time the switch 28 is biased by cam 29 into the on position. As soon as the cam'29 clears the switch 28, the scanning mode ceases for the balance of the collet transfer cycle (about 3 seconds, corresponding in part to the motions illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 3d). Thus, when the collet l4 and ejector rod advance (FIG.

3d) through the beam 24 for transferring the'body into the joiner block and ejecting the body joined with the cap 13 from the joiner block the alarm system is deactivated. As indicated, the system remains deactivated for the rest of the cycle during which the empty collet 14 and ejector rod 15 retract through the beam and return to original position for pickup of the next capsule shell from the mold pin.

As will be understood, the capsules in any case whether standard-length or over-length are delivered to the joiner blocksin normal fashion and ejected. They fall upon ejection to the conveyor where they are conveyed toward the exit end of the conveyor. In normal fashion, the capsules ejected in each cycle (e.g., 30 in number) tend to aggregate together in spaced groups moving ,on the conveyor surface, illustrated in FIG. 1 as groups A, B, C and D. [n this regard the invention in the mentioned preferred form provides for the timer 45 to send a signal to the gate solenoid 43 for operation in connection with the detection of light beam interference by an over-length capsule shell. The timer is set so that the signal to the solenoid is delayed until the capsule group containing the defective capsule reaches the gate 42, which delay is a function of rate of conveyor travel. At this time the gate solenoid 43 is activated to open the gate 42 whereupon the defective capsule group is dropped through the reject chute 46 to a receptacle 47. The gate then closes before the next succeeding capsule group arrives. In the absence of beam interference during the scanning mode, the capsules in each group processed are allowed to pass the gate 42 to the end of the conveyor and to be collected as normal capsules in the output receptacle 4].

While the invention has been illustrated in considerable detail, it will be realized by those skilled in the art that wide variation can be made in such detail without departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for the quality control of hard shell pharmaceutical capsules having a set of collets arranged side-by-side in a straight row for supporting and moving successive sets of individual capsule shells with their open-ends forward in timed relation from a work station to'a corresponding parallel row of joiner blocks, characterized by a light beam projected on a line parallel to the joiner blocks across the, path of the conveyed capsule parts, photosensor means for scanning the light beam, control means for activating the photosensor means during a predetermined time segment such that t the light beam bypasses the leading edge of advancing standard-length capsule parts but is blocked and prevented from being scanned by the intervention of any over-length capsule parts, and means responsive to the scanning means for rejecting any set'of capsule parts thus found blocking the beam.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 where the light beam is projected by means of first and second reflecting mirrors.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 where the control means comprises an electrical switch operated by cam means.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 where the means responsive to the scanning means comprises a solenoiddriven gate for rejecting capsule parts.

5. The apparatus of claim I where the rejection means responsive to the scanning means comprises time-delay signalling means.

6. Apparatus for the quality control of hard shell pharmaceutical capsules having a set of collets arranged side-by-side in a straight row for supporting and moving successive sets of individual capsule shells with their open-ends forward in timed relation from a work station to a corresponding parallel row of joiner blocks, characterized by a light beam projected on a line parallel to the joiner blocks across the path of the conveyed capsule parts, photosensor means for scanning the light beam, control means for activating the photosensor means during a predetermined time segment such that the light beam bypasses a leading edge of advancing standard-length capsule parts but is blocked and prevented from being scanned by the intervention of any over-length capsule parts, and means responsive-t0 the scanning means for signalling the presence of any set of capsule parts thus found blocking the beam.

Claims

1. Apparatus for the quality control of hard shell pharmaceutical capsules having a set of collets arranged side-byside in a straight row for supporting and moving successive sets of individual capsule shells with their open-ends forward in timed relation from a work station to a corresponding parallel row of joiner blocks, characterized by a light beam projected on a line parallel to the joiner blocks across the path of the conveyed capsule parts, photosensor means for scanning the light beam, control means for activating the photosensor means during a predetermined time segment such that the light beam bypasses the leading edge of advancing standard-length capsule parts but is blocked and prevented from being scanned by the intervention of any over-length capsule parts, and means responsive to the scanning means for rejecting any set of capsule parts thus found blocking the beam.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 where the means responsive to the scanning means comprises a solenoid-driven gate for rejecting capsule parts.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 where the rejection means responsive to the scanning means comprises time-delay signalling means.

6. Apparatus for the quality control of hard shell pharmaceutical capsules having a set of collets arranged side-by-side in a straight row for supporting and moving successive sets of individual capsule shells with their open-ends forward in timed relation from a work station to a corresponding parallel row of joiner blocks, characterized by a light beam projected on a line parallel to the joiner blocks across the path of the conveyed capsule parts, photosensor means for scanning the light beam, control means for activating the photosensor means during a predetermined time segment such that the light beam bypasses a leading edge of advancing standard-length capsule parts but is blocked and prevented from being scanned by the intervention of any over-length capsule parts, and means responsive to the scanning means for signalling the presence of any set of capsule parts thus found blocking the beam.