RAIL TRANSPORTATION MEANS USED IN BOTTLED PREPARATION MANUFACTURING PROCESS

• US 20140093335A1
• Filed: 08/07/2013
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Wei-Hua Chiang
• Original Assignee: Wei-Hua Chiang
• Inventors: CHIANG, Wei-Hua
• Application Number:
  US13/960,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20140093335A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/222.01
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 3/003 Filling medical containers such as ampoules, vials, syringes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 31/025 specially adapted for rigid or semi-rigid containers B65B31/021, B65B31/022 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/30 Arranging and feeding articles in groups
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 55/025 Packaging in aseptic tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 49/00 Conveying systems characterised by their application for specified purposes not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A rail transportation means used in bottled preparation manufacturing process is provided with a rail and a slide block slidably mounted on the rail. On the slide block are provided a first movable guideway, a second movable guideway, a position-switch device and a material loading-and-unloading mechanism. The rail transportation means is capable of automatically transporting feeding trays to and forth between the filling area and other relative equipments involved in the manufacturing process, such as the lyophilizer and the sealing device, without requiring manual intervention, thus allowing the bottled preparation manufacturing process to be carried out in a dust-free and sterile environment, increasing product yield and production efficiency.

Claims

1. A rail transportation means used in bottled preparation manufacturing process to transport a feeding tray, comprising:

a rail extending in a first direction;

a slide block including a base portion slidably mounted on the rail and a control unit mounted on the base portion, the base portion being controlled by the control unit to move on the rail along the X direction;

a first movable guideway including a first guideway which is mounted on the base portion of the slide block and perpendicular to the first direction, and a first power source provided at one end of the first guideway, a direction in which the first guideway moves being defined as a second direction;

a second movable guideway including a second guideway which is disposed at one side of the first guideway and perpendicular to the first and second directions, a drive member connected between the first and second guideways, and a second power source disposed at one end of the second guideway, a direction along which the second guideway extends being defined as a third direction, the second guideway and the drive member being driven by the first guideway to move along the second direction, and the second guideway being driven by the second power source to move in the third direction;

a material loading-and-unloading mechanism including a first picking member and a second picking member which are disposed on the second guideway in a superimposed manner, at one end of each of the first and second picking members being formed a drive portion, another end of each of the first and second picking members being provided with two inserting members to insert in a feeding tray, and the inserting members of the first and second picking members being located opposite to each other, the first and second picking members being driven by their respective power sources to move oppositely along the third direction; and

a position-switch device including a third movable guideway mounted on a top of the first movable guideway and extending in the third direction, and a hook member which has a connecting portion coupled to and driven by the third movable guideway to move along the third direction, the connecting portion extending in the first direction and having two hook ends to hook the feeding tray for enabling the first and second picking members to pick up the feeding tray by inserting the inserting members into the feeding tray.

2. The rail transportation means used in bottled preparation manufacturing process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the feeding tray is provided at each of two opposite sides thereof with an upper rib and a lower rib which are parallel to each other and define therebetween a slot, so that the hook ends of the hook member can be inserted in the slot to hook the feeding tray, making the feeding tray move between the inserting members of the first and second picking members, the first and second picking members of the material loading-and-unloading mechanism are moved by the first and second movable guideways to a position where the inserting members are supported against a bottom of the lower ribs of the feeding tray, then the feeding tray is placed on or removed from the hook member by the first and second picking members and finally moved to equipments involved in the manufacturing process.

3. The rail transportation means used in bottled preparation manufacturing process as claimed in claim 1, wherein a filling area is disposed at one side of the rail, and at another side of the rail is provided another lyophilizer, a sealing device and a final-product storage area.

4. The rail transportation means used in bottled preparation manufacturing process as claimed in claim 1, wherein a lyophilizer is disposed at each of two opposite sides of the rail, and the two lyophilizers are located at two opposite ends of the rail.

5. The rail transportation means used in bottled preparation manufacturing process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material loading-and-unloading mechanism is provided with a pair of clamping members, the feeding tray is correspondingly provided with a pair of clamping portions, and clamping operation of the clamping members is controlled by two pressure cylinders.

6. The rail transportation means used in bottled preparation manufacturing process as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of the clamping members is provided with an abutting portion, so that the clamping portions of the feeding tray are against the abutting portions when clamped by the clamping members.