SYSTEM FOR INDIVIDUALIZED FILLING OFBLISTERS OF BLISTER PACKS

• US 20090133362A1
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uhlmann Pac-Systeme GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Uhlmann Pac-Systeme GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Pfau, Georg, BENTELE, Josef
• Granted Patent: US 8,406,916 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/54
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/18 by suction-operated grippers
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/105 by grippers B65B5/12 and B65B5/108 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/12 Introducing successive articles, e.g. confectionery products, of different shape or size in predetermined positions
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/12 and operating to control, or stop, the feed of wrapping materials, containers, or packages

Abstract

Blister packs each having a plurality of pockets with individualized assortments of small objects are filled by fitting to each of a plurality of shuttles a respective such blister pack and circulating the shuttles around an annular track through a plurality of filling machines. Each machine has a plurality of supplies each holding a bulk quantity of small objects of a respective type, respective feeders each receiving the objects of a respective supply and advancing same one at a time to a respective picking location, and respective pickers. A memory of each shuttle is programmed with data regarding the intended contents of the pockets of the respective blister pack, and in each of the machines, the memories of the shuttles are read as they pass through the respective filling machine. The respective pickers are operated to move small objects from the feeders to the pockets in accordance with the data for the respective blister pack.

Claims

1. A method of filling blister packs each having a plurality of pockets with individualized assortments of small objects, the method comprising the steps of:

fitting to each of a plurality of shuttles a respective blister pack;

circulating the shuttles around an annular track through a plurality of filling machines each having

a plurality of supplies each holding a bulk quantity of small objects of a respective type,

respective feeders each receiving the objects of a respective supply and advancing same one at a time to a respective picking location, and

respective pickers;

programming a memory of each shuttle with data regarding the intended contents of the pockets of the respective blister pack; and

in each of the machines, reading the memories of the shuttles as they pass through the respective filling machine and operating the respective pickers to move small objects from the feeders to the pockets in accordance with the data for the respective blister pack.

2. The filling method defined in claim 1 wherein the track subdivides at each machine into a siding segment that passes through the respective machine and a bypass segment that does not, the method comprising the step of moving shuttles along the bypass segments past filling stations in which blister packs on shuttles are being filled.

3. The filling method defined in claim 2, further comprising the step of

stopping each of the shuttles with the respective blister pack in the filling machines during operation of the respective pickers.

4. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of

removing blister packs from the shuttles downstream of the filling machines and erasing the respective memories.

5. The filling method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step in each of the filling machines of

verifying that the objects in the pockets of a blister pack correspond to the data in the respective memory and triggering culling of the pack when the contents of the respective pockets are incorrect.

6. The filling method defined in claim 5, further comprising the step of

supplying a shuttle from which a pack has been culled with a fresh pack and then recirculating it through the filling machines without changing the data in the respective memory.

7. A system for filling blister packs each having a plurality of pockets with individualized assortments of small objects, the system comprising:

a plurality of filling machines each having

a plurality of supplies each holding a bulk quantity of small objects of a respective type,

respective feeders each receiving the objects of a respective supply and advancing same one at a time to a respective picking location, and

respective pickers;

an annular track extending through all of the filling machines;

a plurality of shuttles movable around the track through the filling machines, each adapted to hold a respective blister pack, and each having a respective memory;

means for programming each of the memories with data regarding the intended contents of the pockets of the respective blister pack; and

control means in each filling machine for reading the memories of the shuttles as they pass through the respective filling machine and for operating the respective pickers to move small objects from the feeders to the pockets in accordance with the data for the respective blister pack.

8. The filling system defined in claim 7 where each feeder has a vibrating trough or a conveyor belt.

9. The filling system defined in claim 8 wherein each feeder has two an upstream part and a downstream part, the latter moving more rapidly than the upstream part to separate the objects thereon.

10. The filling system defined in claim 8 wherein the two parts are separated by a gap below which is provided a waste collector.

11. The filling system defined in claim 10 wherein each feeder has a respective chute extending from below the respective gap to the respective waste collector.

12. The filling system defined in claim 7 wherein each filling machine has

a camera system for locating the small objects or for checking their integrity or their ingredients or a light curtain or a near-infrared system.

13. The filling system defined in claim 7 wherein the track includes respective siding segments passing through the filling machines and respective bypass segments each going around a respective filling machine.

14. The filling system defined in claim 13, further comprising

means for sending the shuttles on the bypass segments past filling machines in which other shuttles with blister packs are being filled.

15. The filling system defined in claim 7 further comprising a light curtain for checking the dispensing of the small objects by the picker system into the blister packs.

16. The filling system defined in claim 7 wherein each memory is rewritable and nonvolatile.

17. The filling system defined in claim 7 further comprising

means downstream of the filling machines for verifying that the contents of each blister pack correspond to the data in the respective shuttle memory and, if not, culling the pack off the track at a culling station.

18. The filling system defined in claim 17 further comprising

means for removing filled blister packs from the track for packaging downstream of the culling station;

means for supplying fresh blister packs to the shuttles downstream of the culling station;

means for overwriting the memories of shuttles from which blister packs have not been culled and leaving undisturbed the memories of the other shuttles.

19. The filling system defined in claim 7 wherein each supply has a sealing slide for releasing the small objects.

20. The filling system defined in claim 7 wherein the pickers are have suction grabs.

21. The filling system defined in claim 7, further comprising

a pocket-forming station upstream of the filling machines and

a sealing station downstream of the filling machines.