Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 03128096 2021-07-28
-1-
Description
Title
Apparatus for transporting at least one object, in
particular a pharmaceutical container
The invention relates to an apparatus for transporting
at least one object, in particular a pharmaceutical
container, as claimed in the preamble of the
independent claim.
Prior art
A star wheel arrangement for transporting containers is
disclosed in DE 1020080002245 Al, comprising a first
star wheel, a second star wheel and a transfer device
which is arranged in the transport direction between
the two star wheels. The transfer device comprises a
first star segment with a first drive, a further star
segment with a further drive and a third star segment
with a third drive, wherein the star segments are
arranged one above the other and so as to be rotatable
about a common axis.
A robot for performing handling procedures in a clean
room has already been disclosed in DE 202005017588 Ul.
Drive means move a robot arm which is located in the
clean room. Sealing means, which completely seal the
interior of the robot arm relative to the clean room,
are provided.
An apparatus for filling and closing containers, in
particular different types of pharmaceutical
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-28
CA 03128096 2021-07-28
-2-
containers, having processing stations for performing
various processing steps on the different types of
containers is disclosed in DE 102009045947 Al, wherein
different processing steps are performed at the
processing stations depending on the type of containers
to be filled and closed. At least one processing
station is configured for performing different
processing steps on different types of containers.
The object of the invention is to improve further the
prior art, in particular to reduce the technical
effort. The object is achieved by the features of the
independent claim.
Advantages of the invention
The apparatus according to the invention having the
features of the independent claim accordingly has, in
particular, the advantage for the pharmaceutical field
that a simple transport apparatus which is configured
as a lifting and rotating device is required. In
particular, in processes which always follow one
another without intermediate steps a separate handling
of the objects (i.e. the separate introduction and
removal for each process station) is not required. The
transport of the objects in these successive process
steps may be implemented by simpler, more cost-
effective, and preferably stationary, transport
devices. These stations which are fixedly linked
together are configured as process islands. The process
islands are supplied with objects to be treated, which
are removed again after the processing, by means of
high-quality, multi-axle robot technology, for example.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-28
CA 03128096 2021-07-28
-3-
The robot, however, does not access the individual
processes. To this end, the apparatus for transporting
the object has been designed such that the objects
handled thereby are appropriately provided for very
different process requirements but are still always
able to remain in the transport device. The design of
such a transport apparatus may be carried out in a
simple and cost-effective manner. Thus there is a
substantial advantage that less complex robot
technology has to be used, in particular the greater
the number of process islands which are formed. A
further advantage is that correspondingly fewer access
operations to the objects, in particular sensitive
glass containers, are required. This increases the
safety of the treatment processes. Advantageously, the
loading and removal of the objects relative to the
process islands may be carried out in parallel with the
process sequences. Thus the total cycle time which is
required simply results from the process times in
addition to a simple change of position of the
preferably stationary transport apparatus. For the
complex external robot technology, therefore, there is
the possibility to travel more slowly within a larger
time window. Thus the influence on the laminar flow in
terms of flow technology, in particular in sensitive
filling regions, is reduced. Alternatively, more tasks
may be completed than previously and/or a further
saving of robot technology may be implemented, for
example when using a robot with double grippers instead
of two robots with single grippers.
In an expedient development a handling device,
preferably a robot, which delivers and/or removes the
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-28
CA 03128096 2021-07-28
-4-
object into the delivery and/or removal position of the
receiving device, is provided. A handling device is
simply required for this activity. During the actual
process steps, the transport is carried out via the
transport apparatus.
In an expedient development the delivery and/or removal
of the objects takes place when a further object is
located in the region of at least one station. Thus the
object handling may be undertaken during operation,
without interrupting the process step. As a result,
process sequences may be accelerated as a whole.
In an expedient development the receiving device
comprises at least one base holder and a receiver for
the object, wherein the base holder and the receiver
are configured to be movable relative to one another.
By this limited possibility of movement, in some cases
lifting procedures which are required in the processes
may be carried out in a particularly simple manner,
without a complete relocation of the object having to
be carried out.
In an expedient development the receiver and/or the
base holder comprises a guide means. In particular, the
guide means is configured to be pin-shaped or conical.
As a result, limited relative movements between the
receiver and the base holder may be carried out in a
particularly simple manner. To this end, the guide
means may expediently cooperate with a recess on the
base holder or on the receiver.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-28
CA 03128096 2021-07-28
-5-
In an expedient development at least one drive for
generating a movement of the receiving device and/or a
movement means, for example for driving a station, is
provided. The lifting movement may be carried out via
the drive which is already present in any case. As a
result, the construction of the entire apparatus may be
simplified.
In an expedient development the receiving device
comprises at least one delimiting means for delimiting
a relative movement between the receiver and the base
holder. Thus the lifting only takes place in the
desired permitted regions. The safety of the
arrangement is increased. Particularly expediently, the
receiver comprises a molded seat. This molded seat
ensures the secure retention of the top region of the
object, so that damage may be avoided. Particularly
expediently, the receiver has a lower retaining region
which may cooperate with the base of the object and/or
weighing scales. Firstly a secure retention is ensured,
and secondly the object may be released for accurate
recording of the weight. Particularly expediently, the
receiver consists of plastics. This ensures a
particularly delicate handling of the objects to be
received, in particular in the case of sensitive glass
containers or the like.
Further expedient developments are disclosed in the
further dependent claims and in the description.
Drawing
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-28
CA 03128096 2021-07-28
-6-
An exemplary embodiment of the apparatus according to
the invention is shown in the drawing and is described
in more detail hereinafter.
In the drawing:
figure 1 shows a perspective view of a basic
construction of the apparatus for
transporting an object,
figure 2 shows a perspective view of the receiving
device with the receiver,
figure 3 shows a section through the receiving device
in the unlifted state,
figure 4 shows a section through the receiving device
in the lifted state,
figure 5 shows a perspective view of a process island
with a robot as an external handling device
and
figure 6 shows a more accurate perspective view of
the transport apparatus with associated
stations.
An apparatus 10 for transporting an object 11 comprises
a sub-assembly 32, at least one receiving device 30
being arranged on the plate 23 thereof. In the
exemplary embodiment there are three receiving devices
30. The receiving devices 30 are in each case fixedly
connected to the plate 23. The receiving devices 30 may
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-28
CA 03128096 2021-07-28
-7-
be set into a rotational movement 17 along an axis 25
by a drive 16. Moreover, a lifting drive 20 is
provided, the sub-assembly 32 being able to be lifted
or lowered thereby. This movement is identified as a
movement 21 with a double arrow. The axis 25 is
surrounded by a column 12 which is fixedly connected,
for example, to a base plate. The base plate is
preferably oriented horizontally. The base plate
serves, for example, in the pharmaceutical field as a
partition for a clean room or other sterile region in
which objects 11 to be transported are treated. In this
case the objects 11 may be filled, for example, with
pharmaceuticals and/or weighed and/or closed. The
apparatus 10 transfers the objects 11 from a delivery
and/or removal position 46 to the individual stations
50, 52, 54 and/or process stations in the clean room. A
plurality of apparatuses 10 may also be provided.
The apparatus 10 is configured as a lifting-rotating
unit. Stations 50, 52, 54 which are associated with
successive processes (for example filling, weighing,
closing) are not separately loaded and emptied but
connected by a lifting-rotating movement of the
apparatus 10. A handling device 48, such as for example
a robot, delivers and/or removes objects 11 from the
apparatus 10 whilst the processes are running, i.e. no
longer after the end of the process.
The construction of the receiving device 30 is shown in
more detail in figure 2. In the exemplary embodiment
the receiving device 30 serves for receiving two
objects 11. The receiving device 30, however, could
also receive just one object 11 or a plurality of
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-28
CA 03128096 2021-07-28
-8-
objects 11 at the same time. The objects 11 may be, for
example, glass containers, ampoules, vials or the like
which are filled, in particular, with a pharmaceutical
product.
A receiver 31 is provided for protecting the object 11.
The receiver 31 is configured, for example, as a
formatting part and is oriented according to the
geometry of the object 11 to be received. The receiver
31 could be configured, for example, from plastics. The
receiver 31 receives the base of the object 11 in a
lower region 33. Moreover, the object 11 is laterally
enclosed by corresponding openings which are adapted to
the outer contour of the object 11 to be received. Such
contours are provided in the central region of the
receiver 31 and in the upper region of the receiver 31.
The receivers 31 are designed such that the objects 11
are centered in the best possible manner in the
receivers 31, in particular by a molded seat 35 in the
upper region of the object 11, in particular in the
case of syringes. The actual relocation process of the
objects 11 by the apparatus 10 is carried out by
lifting and rotating (in the exemplary embodiment a
1200 rotation).
Moreover, the receiver 31 comprises at least one guide
means 34. In the exemplary embodiment three guide means
34 are provided. These guide means 34 are configured,
for example, as conical guide pins. Preferably, the
guide pins taper toward the end. The guide means 34 are
aligned in corresponding openings and/or recesses 27 of
the receiving devices 30. In the exemplary embodiment,
these openings 27 are configured in the base holder 26.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-28
CA 03128096 2021-07-28
-9-
The base holder 26 in turn surrounds the receiver 31.
The base holder 26 serves for holding the receiver 31.
The guide means 34 set the accurate position of the
receiver 31 relative to the base holder 26. Moreover, a
delimiting means 28 is provided. The delimiting means
28 is located above the base holder 26. The delimiting
means 28 cooperates with a bearing surface 29 of the
receiver 31. The delimiting means 28 may permit a
certain defined lifting movement of the receiver 31
along the axis of the object 11 and/or corresponding to
the lifting movement 21.
The particularity of the invention is that, depending
on the requirement of the process, the receivers 31 may
be processed together with the objects 11 freely
suspended in the respective stations 50, 52, 54 (for
example when closing and/or positioning stoppers) or
said receivers may be lifted when the objects are
deposited on weighing scales 52 and/or a weighing
station (for filling on the weighing scales 52). The
receiver 31 is configured to be capable of being lifted
up relative to the receiving device 30 and/or in the
base holder 26. In particular, by the use of conical
guide pins as guide means 34, a positioning of the
objects 11 which is not braced but nevertheless
sufficiently accurate in the lifted state is possible.
Thus, for example, when filling the empty objects 11 on
the weighing scales and/or weighing station 52, with
the receiver 31 lifted, a tare value of the product is
recorded. In the exemplary embodiment, the process is
configured to have two positions. Two objects 11 may be
filled and weighed at the same time at two independent
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-28
CA 03128096 2021-07-28
-10-
weighing and filling positions in the filling station
50 and/or weighing station 52.
The various lifting positions are shown in figures 3
and 4. The view according to figure 3 shows the object
inserted into the receiver 31 but not lifted. In this
position, the object 11 may be transported and/or is
suitable for such process steps in which the object 11
does not have to be lifted.
In the view according to figure 4, however, the object
11 has been lifted. By way of example, the object 11 is
shown in a filling position on weighing scales 52. The
product to be filled is delivered via a filling needle
38 which is immersed from above into the object 11 to
be filled and at the same time weighed in the released
state. Thus, during the filling procedure, the
delivered product may be recorded and/or weighed and
the filling process correspondingly controlled. In the
lifted position the guide means 34 are no longer held
by the preferably conical bearing surfaces of the
recesses of the base holder 26. Nevertheless, the guide
means 34 are still located within the recesses 27, so
that they may be easily introduced therein when reset.
The lifting could be carried out, for example, by the
lifting drive 20. Alternatively, movement devices which
could be components of the stations 50, 52, 54, and
which are able to act on the receiver 31 for the
purpose of lifting, are provided.
The exemplary embodiment according to figure 5 shows by
way of example a complete process island 44 with a
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-28
CA 03128096 2021-07-28
-11-
handling of the objects 11 using only one handling
device 48, such as for example a robot. This handling
device 48 comprises, for example, a double gripper. The
grippers 49 of the double gripper are in each case
operated autonomously from one another. The grippers
are provided in each case with two clamping points for
receiving two objects 11. A greater number or a smaller
number of clamping points may be provided. In this
variant the handling of the objects 11 takes place in
parallel with the process sequences. Thus a delivery or
removal of the objects 11 relative to the receiving
devices 30 is carried out when performing the processes
at the respective stations 50, 52, 54. On the process
island 44 two new, empty objects 11 to be filled are
delivered by the robot 48 at a delivery position 46.
The robot 48 has previously removed objects 11, which
are possibly already filled, by means of the further
gripper 49. The robot 48 transports the filled objects
11 to the transfer point of the next process island.
Moreover, the robot 48 fetches new, empty objects 11
from the previous transfer point (for example a station
which removes and provides the empty objects 11 from a
nest (a holding device for a plurality of generally
pre-sterilized objects 11)) for further processing.
The process island 44 comprises a plurality of
stations. In this case it may be a filling station 50
and/or weighing station 52 with weighing scales and/or
a closing station 54 and/or a control station or the
like.
A detailed view of the process island 44 with the
corresponding transport apparatus 10 is shown in detail
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-28
CA 03128096 2021-07-28
-12-
in figure 6. It may be seen therefrom how the gripper
49 of the handling device 48 delivers and/or removes
the objects 11 relative to the apparatus 10. Thus the
empty objects 11 are pushed into the receivers 31. The
gripper 49 is then opened. The gripper 49 is moved away
again from the delivery position 46. In the exemplary
embodiment, the apparatus 10 for transporting the
object 11 is moved counterclockwise to the next
station, namely to the filling station 50. As already
indicated in figure 4, in the filling position the
filling needle 38 is lowered into the object 11 to be
filled. In order to release the object 11 to be filled,
this object is lifted together with the receiver 31.
The weighing scales of a weighing station 52 are
located therebelow.
Generally, the processes are able to lift the receivers
31 or process the receivers in the lowered state. In
this case the process units simply have to permit a
lateral rotation of the objects 11 in their receivers
31.
After the filling process is complete, the filled
objects 11 are transferred back again with the
associated receivers 31 into the unlifted state. The
apparatus 10 moves the objects 11 onward to the next
station 54. In the exemplary embodiment the next
process station 54 is a closing station. In this case,
closing elements such as stoppers or the like are
positioned in a suitable manner over the opening of the
object 11 and pushed in. The pushing-in may be carried
out by a corresponding movement of the closing station
54 and/or by a lifting movement 21 of the apparatus 10.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-28
CA 03128096 2021-07-28
-13-
After the closure is completed, the apparatus 10 moves
the filled and closed object 11 into the delivery
and/or removal position 46. Here the gripper 49 of the
handling device 48 removes the filled and closed
objects 11. The handling device brings the closed
objects 11 to a further station (for example an
inspection station, labeling or the like). At this
point, the handling device 48 could place the filled
and closed objects 11 back into a nest. Subsequently
the handling device 48, as already described, delivers
empty objects 11 which are yet to be filled in the
delivery position 46 of the apparatus 10 for
transporting the objects 11.
Alternatively, there may be various other stations
(removal from a nest, cleaning station, inspection
station, weighing station, labeling, placing stoppers,
positioning caps on vials, crimping vials, returning
into a nest, etc.)
On the one hand, the apparatus 10 for transporting the
object 11 is characterized by a simple design. Thus the
apparatus 10 performs only one rotating-lifting
movement. The movement path of the receiving device 30
is characterized by a simple continuous movement so
that as few disruptive air flows as possible are
generated. In particular when the receiving device 30
is at a standstill, the lifting movement 21 may bring
about a lifting or lowering of the receiving device 30.
This is achieved according to the invention by an
apparatus for transporting at least one object 11, in
particular a pharmaceutical container, comprising at
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-28
CA 03128096 2021-07-28
-14-
least one receiving device 30, at least one drive 16,
20 for generating a lifting-rotating movement 21 of the
receiving device 30 for transporting the object 11
located in the receiving device 30 between a plurality
of stations 50, 52, 54, in particular a filling station
50, wherein the receiving device 30 comprises at least
one base holder 26 and at least one receiver 31 for the
object 11, wherein the base holder 26 and the receiver
31 are configured to be movable relative to one
another.
A plurality of objects 11 and/or containers, in
particular pharmaceutical containers such as syringes,
vials, cartridges, ampoules or the like, may be
transported by means of the apparatus 10. The apparatus
10 is particularly suitable for applications requiring
a high degree of sterility, for example when filling
pharmaceuticals or food, in particular under aseptic
conditions. The use, however, is not limited thereto.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-28
