Tablet sensor
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for sorting tablets by capacitance measurements, comprising:
- a) a rotatable disk having means for rotating at a controllable rate in a substantially horizontal plane;
b) a first conductive plate placed a predetermined distance above said disk, and a second conductive plate placed a predetermined distance below said disk, and means for measuring a capacitance value between said plates, whereby a measured capacitance value with a tablet conveyed between said plates is representative of the weight of said tablet;
c) a first guide assembly placed proximate the periphery of said disk and bridging an arcuate span between said first and second conductive plates, said first guide assembly having an arcuate inner edge formed along a first radius of curvature, said inner arcuate edge forming a guide path at least partially about said disk;
d) a second guide assembly placed on the top surface of said disk and rotatable therewith, said second guide assembly having an outer edge formed along a second radius of curvature smaller than said first radius of curvature, thereby forming a guide channel between said first and second guide assemblies;
e) a resilient planar clamping member affixed to said first guide assembly and extending over said guide channel a predetermined height above said guide channel; and
f) means for receiving a sequential stream of tablets into said guide channel, whereby the width of each of said tablets is slightly larger than the difference between said first and second radii of curvature, and the height of each of said tablets is larger than said predetermined height.
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Abstract
An apparatus for measuring the capacitance of tablets of varying shapes and sizes by conveying the tablets along a curved path which includes a zone of travel between the plates of a capacitive sensing device. The tablets are conveyed in a relatively fixed orientation by constructing a guide channel including a fixedly-positioned curved guide spaced away from a rotatable disk, and wherein a resilient clamp is provided above the guide channel so as to compress the tablet against the rotatable disk during its path of travel.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for sorting tablets by capacitance measurements, comprising:
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a) a rotatable disk having means for rotating at a controllable rate in a substantially horizontal plane; b) a first conductive plate placed a predetermined distance above said disk, and a second conductive plate placed a predetermined distance below said disk, and means for measuring a capacitance value between said plates, whereby a measured capacitance value with a tablet conveyed between said plates is representative of the weight of said tablet; c) a first guide assembly placed proximate the periphery of said disk and bridging an arcuate span between said first and second conductive plates, said first guide assembly having an arcuate inner edge formed along a first radius of curvature, said inner arcuate edge forming a guide path at least partially about said disk; d) a second guide assembly placed on the top surface of said disk and rotatable therewith, said second guide assembly having an outer edge formed along a second radius of curvature smaller than said first radius of curvature, thereby forming a guide channel between said first and second guide assemblies; e) a resilient planar clamping member affixed to said first guide assembly and extending over said guide channel a predetermined height above said guide channel; and f) means for receiving a sequential stream of tablets into said guide channel, whereby the width of each of said tablets is slightly larger than the difference between said first and second radii of curvature, and the height of each of said tablets is larger than said predetermined height. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An improvement in apparatus for sorting tablets by capacitance measurements, with a rotatable disk for carrying tablets between the plates of a capacitance sensor, wherein the improvement comprises:
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a) a first guide assembly having an inner edge first radius of curvature, said first guide assembly closely spaced above and proximate the periphery of said disk;
said inner edge traversing an arc including the plates of said capacitance sensor;b) a second guide assembly positioned atop said disk and rotatable therewith;
said second guide assembly having an outer edge formed about a second radius of curvature, smaller than said first radius of curvature, whereby a tablet channel having a width slightly greater than the width of a tablet to be measured is created between said first and second guide assemblies; andc) a resilient planar clamping member extending at least partially over said tablet channel at a first predetermined height dimension;
whereby said height dimension is 70%-90% of the height of a tablet to be measured. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification