SYSTEM, METHOD AND CORRESPONDING APPARATUS FOR SINGULATING A UNIT DOSE BLISTER CARD

• US 20110132163A1
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Original Assignee: McKesson Automation Incorporated (Omnicell Inc)
• Inventors: Deutsch, David, Meyer, William, Monto, David, Jaynes, Robert, Greyshock, Shawn T., Thompson, Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 8,869,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 83/78
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/085 for thin material, e.g. for sheets, strips or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/007 Control means comprising cameras, vision or image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/32 with the record carrier formed by the work itself
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/40 including a metering device
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/00 Details of apparatus for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting cutters B26D1/00; arrangements for guiding hand cutting tools B26B29/06; punching tools or dies, cutting-out knives or dies B26F
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/01 Means for holding or positioning work
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/02 with clamping means B26D7/018 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/0633 by grippers
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 9/00 Cutting apparatus combined with punching or perforating apparatus or with dissimilar cutting apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B26F 1/00 Perforating; Punching; Cutting-out; Stamping-out; Apparatus therefor subbjecting the grinding tools or the abrading medium to vibration, e.g. grinding with ultrasonic frequency B24B1/04, perforating by sand-blasting B24C; e.g. abrasive blasting used for cutting B24C1/045; punching cards or tapes for statistical and record purposes G06K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B26F 3/002 Precutting and tensioning or breaking
• CPC Class Codes: B26F 3/02 Tearing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/202 With product handling means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/543 Sensing means responsive to work indicium or irregularity
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/7487 Means to clamp work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/9454 Reciprocable type

Abstract

An apparatus for singulating unit dose blisters from a blister card including at least two perforations separating unit dose blisters positioned adjacent to each other and extending along a longitudinal length of the blister card is provided. The apparatus may include a perforation determiner and a blister card cutter. The perforation determiner may be configured to generate information indicative of a distance between a first perforation location and a second perforation location of the blister card with respect to perforations extending along a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the blister card and separating unit dose blisters to be singulated. The blister card cutter may be configured to utilize the received information indicative of the distance and the total number of perforations to determine cutting locations for cutting at the first perforation location, the second perforation location and additional perforation locations and enable cutting of each perforation extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the blister card responsive to sequential cutting and repositioning operations based on determined cutting locations.

Claims

1. An apparatus for singulating unit dose blisters from a blister card including at least two perforations separating unit dose blisters positioned adjacent to each other and extending along a longitudinal length of the blister card, the apparatus comprising:

a perforation determiner configured to generate information indicative of a distance between a first perforation location and a second perforation location of the blister card, the perforations extending along a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal length and separating unit dose blisters to be singulated; and

a blister card cutter configured to utilize the received information indicative of the distance to determine cutting locations for cutting at the first perforation location, the second perforation location and additional perforation locations and to enable cutting of each perforation extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the blister card responsive to sequential cutting and repositioning operations based on determined cutting locations.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blister card cutter includes a blade configured to cut the perforations substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal length to separate unit dose blisters from the blister card.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the blister card cutter further comprises a second cutting device configured to cut along a perforation extending parallel to the longitudinal length of the blister card, the perforation extending parallel to the longitudinal length of the blister card separating a pair of unit dose blisters such that cutting along the perforation extending parallel to the longitudinal length of the blister card singulates the unit dose blisters, the unit dose blisters being positioned to define at least two rows of unit dose blisters having at least one unit dose blister positioned on each side of the perforation extending parallel to the longitudinal length of the blister card of the blister card.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a positioning device configured to grip a portion of the blister card to position the blister card for cutting via the blade and thereafter position the pair of unit dose blisters for cutting by the second cutting device.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a card holder disposed proximate to the blade to hold remaining portions of the blister card during and after cutting operations of the blade.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second cutting device comprises a rotary blade.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the perforation determiner is configured to receive information indicative of a total number of perforations extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the blister card.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the blister card cutter is configured to utilize the received information indicative of the distance and the total number of perforations to determine the cutting locations.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the perforation determiner comprises a moveable table configured to enable alignment of the blister card such that the first perforation location is aligned with one end of the moveable table, and the second perforation location and a perforation extending parallel to the longitudinal length of the blister card are aligned with a visual indicator.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein a distance between the first perforation location and the second perforation location is determined based on a distance between the one end of the moveable table and a position of the visual indicator.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the perforation determiner comprises a moveable table including a linear variable differential transformer configured to measure a distance of the moveable table from a particular baseline position responsive to positioning of the blister card on the moveable table.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a positioning device including fingers selectively positionable on opposite sides of a portion of the blister card to enable the fingers to grip the blister card to position the blister card for the sequential cutting and repositioning operations.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the positioning device includes at least two fingers positionable on opposite sides of a perforation extending parallel to the longitudinal length of the blister card of a face of the blister card to enable a cutting device to cut along the perforation extending parallel to the longitudinal length of the blister card while the blister card is being gripped by the positioning device to singulate unit dose blisters.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the positioning device is configured to enable motion parallel to the longitudinal length of the blister card and the positioning device includes fingers configured to enable motion of the fingers in directions perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the blister card for gripping of the blister card.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the positioning device is configured to release singulated unit dose blisters into a chute.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is operably connected to a dispensing robot configured to enable automatic dispensing of unit dose blisters singulated by the apparatus.

17. A method of singulating unit dose blisters from a blister card including at least two perforations separating unit dose blisters positioned adjacent to each other and extending along a longitudinal length of the blister card, the method comprising:

receiving information indicative of a distance between a first perforation location and a second perforation location of the blister card, the perforations extending along a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the blister card and separating unit dose blisters to be singulated;

utilizing the received information to determine cutting locations for cutting at the first perforation location, the second perforation location and additional perforation locations; and

enabling cutting of each perforation extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the blister card responsive to sequential cutting and repositioning operations based on determined cutting locations.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising enabling cutting of a perforation extending parallel to the longitudinal length of the blister card.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the perforation extending parallel to the longitudinal length of the blister card separates unit dose blisters extending longitudinally in rows on opposite sides of the perforation extending parallel to the longitudinal length of the blister card such that cutting of the perforation extending along the perforation extending parallel to the longitudinal length of the blister card singulates two unit dose blisters.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving information indicative of a total number of perforations extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the blister card, and wherein utilizing the received information comprises utilizing the received information indicative of the distance and the total number of perforations to determine the cutting locations.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein enabling cutting comprises enabling cutting perforations substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal length with a blade and passing cut stock removed by the blade through a second cutting device configured to cut along a perforation extending parallel to the longitudinal length of the blister card of the blister card to singulate the unit dose blisters.

22. An apparatus for singulating unit dose blisters from a blister card including at least two rows of unit dose blisters positioned relative to a centerline defining a longitudinal length of the blister card, the apparatus comprising:

a perforation determiner configured to generate information indicative of a distance between a first perforation location and a second perforation location of the blister card, the perforations separating unit dose blisters to be singulated and extending along a direction substantially perpendicular to the centerline and; and

a blister card cutter configured to utilize the received information indicative of the distance to determine cutting locations for cutting at the first perforation location, the second perforation location and additional perforation locations and to enable cutting of each perforation extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the blister card responsive to sequential cutting and repositioning operations based on determined cutting locations.