Unit for filling containers with products, in particular, pharmaceutical products

• US 7,878,366 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2003
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IMA - Industria Macchine Automatiche SPA (Vacchi Family)
• Original Assignee: IMA - Industria Macchine Automatiche SPA (Vacchi Family)
• Inventors: Cicognani, Sergio
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford; Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kumar; Rakesh
• Application Number:
  US10/515,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20050217208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,814 Days
• Field of Search: 53/54, 532/50, 535/01, 535/04, 535/44, 539/00, 532/44, 531/60, 221/7, 198/771, 198/758, 271/71
• US Class Current: 221/7
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/14 by agitators or vibrators
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/18 by suction-operated grippers
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 37/04 by vibratory feeders
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 37/14 by pneumatic feeders
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/08 Packaging groups of articles, the articles being individually gripped or guided for transfer to the containers or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/14 and operating to control, or stop, the feed of articles or material to be packaged
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/20 Applications of counting devices for controlling the feed of articles other applications B65B65/08
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 65/08 Devices for counting or registering the number of articles handled, or the number of packages produced by the machine
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/848 the article-engaging elements being suction or magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 53/90 Capsules

Abstract

A unit (100) for filling containers (2) with products (1), in particular pharmaceutical products (1), includes a hopper (3,3a) containing a mass of products (1) in bulk, conveying means (5,6) aimed at feeding the products (1) leaving the hopper (3) along a predetermined path (P) up to a station (SR), where the containers (2) are filled with the products (1). The containers (2) are fed to the filling station (SR) by transporting means (4,C). A checking station (SC) for checking the products (1) is situated along the path (P) upstream of the filling station (SR). The conveying means (5,6) include first means (51,52,53) consisting of vibrating planes and second conveying means (6). The second conveying means (6) are situated at the checking station (SC) between the conveying vibrating planes means (51,52,53) and the filling station (SR). The second conveying means (6) are equipped with holding means (65) for holding single products (1) thus forming, on the second conveying means (6), a series of single products (1), spaced apart and moving forward to the filling station (SR) along a portion of the path (P).

Claims

1. A unit (100) for filling containers (2) with products (1) comprising:

a hopper (3,3a) for containing a mass of products (1) in bulk;

conveying means (5,6) for feeding said products (1) coming out of said hopper (3) along a predetermined path (P);

a filling station (SR), situated downstream of said conveying means (5,6) for filling said containers (2) with the products (1);

transporting means (4,C) for delivering said container to said filling station (SR); and

a checking station (SC) for checking said products (1), situated along said path (P) upstream of said filling station (SR), said checking station (SC) including optical means (7) for checking each product (1), to determine if each said product is acceptable for packaging by identifying determined physical features of said product (1) and for counting the products passing to said filling station (SR), said optical means sending reference signals to a processing device (E) connected to the optical means (7), the processing device using the reference signals to determine whether or not each said product is acceptable;

said conveying means (5,6) including first vibrating conveying means (51,52,53) consisting of vibrating planes, and second conveying means (6) situated at said checking station (SC) between said first vibrating conveying means (51,52,53) and said filling station (SR), product holding means (65) associated with said second conveying means (6) for holding single products so as to form on said second conveying means (6), a series of single spaced apart products (1), moving forward to said filling station (SR) along a part of said path (P), said second conveying means (6) including a drum (6) rotating continuously, which moves said series of single spaced apart products (1) to said filling station (SR) along a curved portion of said path (P), a whole peripheral surface of said drum (6) having a plurality of grooves (64), each groove having lateral walls (64a, 64b) and a bottom, the lateral walls of each groove converging toward the bottom of each groove in order to receive said products therein, a plurality of holding means (65), each holding means connecting to pairs of channels (66), each of said holding means (65) and each said pair of channels (66) communicating between pairs of holes in each of said grooves (64) and a suction source, such that each hole connects through a pair of channels (66) to two adjacent holding means (65), said pairs of holes having openings close to each other for holding said products (1) within the grooves on the surface of said drum by aspiration, said checking station checking said products held on said drum;

said filling station (SR) includes a plurality of feeding channels (9), through which transiting products (1) pass, and deflecting means (8) for detaching said products (1) held in the grooves (64) of said drum (6) and transferring selected products (1) into said feeding channels (9), said deflecting means (8) include a plurality of deflecting bars (81), each of which is associated to a relative feeding channel (9);

each of said deflecting bars (81) being operated by activating means controlled by the processing device (E), to move alternately between a detach position (A), in which a free end of the bar (81) is situated close to said drum (6), in order to detach a product (1) conveyed by the drum (6) and to allow the product (1) to enter a relative channel (9), and a single products rejection position (B), in which a free end of the bar (81) is situated far from said drum (6), in order to allow said products (1) to move on the drum (6) past the filling station, until they reach a deflecting panel (85), that makes the single products (1) fall into a rejection container (86), each deflecting bar being responsive to a reference signal received from the processing device to either pass an individual product for rejection or to detach an individual product for filling a container such that individual products are either detached from the drum for packaging or conveyed to the deflecting panel where they fall into the reject container.

2. The unit according to claim 1 wherein said optical means (7) include at least one video camera (71), which detects information concerning features of said products (1) located on said second conveying means {6).

3. The unit according to claim 1 wherein each feeding channel (9) is defined by an upper housing (91), whose outlet mouth communicates with an inlet mouth of a lower housing (92), which is in turn equipped with a relative outlet mouth situated above a container (2);

and further comprising bulkhead means (93) situated between said upper housing (91) and said lower housing (92), said bulkhead means (93) being operated, by said processing device (E), to move alternately between a position, in which said outlet mouth of said upper housing (91) is closed and a position, in which the same outlet mouth is open.

4. The unit according to claim 1 wherein said first vibrating conveying means (51,52,53) and said second conveying means (6) are equipped with a plurality of guides or grooves (54,64), on which the products (1) move;

said holding means (65) acting on said grooves (64) of said second conveying means (6) to hold the series of single products (1) along the portion of path (P).

5. A packaging machine (M) containing at least one unit (100) according to claim 1.