Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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This Invention relates to a me-thod and an apparatus for
arranging capped capsules in a single direction, whereby many
capped e~pty capsules are put one by one in-to receiving holes
which are moving mechanically and while capped empty capsules are
being moved, they are divided into those with caps facing
upwardly and those with caps facing downwardly and the former is
left to move as it is but the latter is turned upside down so
that capped empty capsules facing in the same direction can be
supplied to a filling machined.
Even at the present time when capsules are filled with
medicines or the like automatically, mechanically and at high
efficiency, no apparatus is available for orienting capped empty
capsules automatically and it has been obliged to arrange the
directions of caps manually before supplying capped empty cap-
sules to a filling machine. This involves poor operation effi-
ciency and requires much labor. Although some machines have been
developed to orient capsule caps in a definite direction mechani-
cally, from the nature of a capsule, such as it is very ligh-t in
weight, is liable to generate static electricity, must be kept
absolutely from soiling, and so on, it has been difficult to
effect mechanical orientation of cap direction efficiently.
The present invention provides a method and an appara-
tus for arranging randomly oriented capped capsules in a singledirection mechanically, automatically and at high efficiency so
that at -the succeeding processes uncapping, putting of a medicine
or the like into a capsule body and capping may be done mechani-
cally, automatically and at high efficiency.
According to the present invention there is provided an
apparatus for arranging capped capsules in a definite direction,
said capsules having a cap portion which is larger than a body
portion, comprising a rotatable drum having an outer surface and
an inner surface, said drum having capsule receiving holes
located around the ou-ter circumference of said drum, said receiv-
B
ing holes passing from said ou-ter surface to said inner surface,
each oF sa~d receiving holes opening into a slot haYing a width
large enough -to allow only a capsule body portion to pass
therethrough; a tumbling device having an upper surface which is
located below the inner surface of said drum but which allows
said drum to pass freely thereover, said tumbling device haYing a
groove in said upper surface which is located below the inner
surface of said drum, said groove having a width large enough to
allow only the capsule body portion to pass therethrough, said
groove having a dep-th which decreases in the direction of rota-
tion of said drum such that the body portion of a capsule will be
urged up and turned so that the capsule body portion enters said
slot of a receiving hole; adjusting pawls caused to enter said
receiving holes to turn each capsule with its body portion
located in said slot to a position with the body portion facing
the outer circumference of said drum, the number of said pawls
being less than the number o receiving holes in said drum, each
of said pawls having a top end opposite to a base por-tion and a
groove in the middle thereof; means for turning an individual
pawl comprising a pin which is pivotably attached to the base
portion of a pawl, a small disk which is connected to said pin at
an eccentric position on said disk; planetary gear means for
rotating said disk, a cup which is within and rotatably connected
to said rotatable drum, said cup connected to said planetary gear
means for causing said disk to rotate, a guide pin flxedly
attached to said cup, said guide pin passing through said groove
of one of said pawls; whereby said turning means causes each pawl
to enter a receiving hole and turn a misaligned capsule so that
the body portion faces the outer circumference of said drum;
whereby capped capsules which were randomly supplied to receiving
holes in a single revolving drum fall freely from the receiving
holes with their cap portions all facing the same direction.
Suitably said drum is shaped in the form of a ring, said drum
being removable from a drum fitting member which is attached to
said means for rotating said drum, whereby drums having receiving
holes of different Si~8S may be used for orienting capsules of
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varlous diameters.
The present invention also provides a me-thod of arrang-
ing capped capsules ln a definite direction, said capsules having
a cap end which is larger than a body end thereof, comprising
placing a plurality of randomly oriented capsules one-by-one into
a plurality of capsule receiving holes located on the surface of
a single revolving drum such that some of said capsules are
inverted and have cap ends thereof facing away from an axis of
lo rotation of said drum and the remainder of said capsules have cap
ends thereof facing toward said axis of rotation of sald drum;
overturning with respect to an outer surface of said drum only
those inverted capsules placed in said drum with their cap ends
facing away from said axis of rotation of said drum and trans-
porting said remainder of said capsules in said drum with the capends thereof facing toward said axis of rotation of said drum
without moving said remainder of sai.d capsules with respect to
said drum, said overturning of said inverted capsules placed in
said drum with their cap ends facing away from said center of
rotation of said drum being carried out by first rotating them to
a semi-inverted position with the cap ends thereof facing a
direction of rotation of said revolving drum while maintaining at
least the cap ends thereof in said receiving holes of said
revolving drum and then completing said overturning with means
located adjacent a position in relation to said drum at which all
of said capsules are ejected from said receiving holes, said
means completing said overturning by rotating said semi-inverted
capsules to a position with cap ends thereof facing toward said
axis of rotat.i.on; and removing all capsules from said drum by
only rotation of said drum such that said capsules fall freely
only by gravity from said capsule receiving holes at said capsule
ejecting position with cap ends thereof facing said axis of ro-ta-
tion of said drum.
The accompanying drawings show preferred embodiments of
the present invention. In the drawings;-
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Fig. 1 is a perspec-tive view of a mechanism of horizon-
-tally rota-ting sys-tem;
Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly cut away, showing
the relation between -the vertically movable rod and the capsule
receiving hole;
Fig. 3 is an exploded sectional view, illustrating the
movement of capsules, in which X is the case where a capsule is
put in with its cap facing downwardly and Y is tha case where a
capsule is put in with its cap facing upwardly;
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a drum system of
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this invention;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the capsule putting
in position of the drum sys-tem, partly cut away; and
Fig. 6 is a cross section, taken on line A - A
of Fig. 4.
DETAr~ED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Embodiment 1
-
This embodiment is of horizontally rotating system
and is shown in Fig. 1 - Fig. 3. Numeral 11 denotes many
capsule receiving holes made in the outer circumferential
part of a rotary body 12. The hole 11 comprises a starting
portion or a smaller diameter portion 14 in which a capsule
body 13 can enter, an intermediate portion or a composite
portion 16, the upper half of which has a diameter large
enough to allow a capsule cap to pass therethrough and
the lower half of which has a diameter to allow only a
capsule body to pass therethrough, and a terminal portion 17
having a larger diameter large enough to allow the cap 15
to pass therethrough. Numeral 18 are teeth made at the
outer periphery of the rotary body 12. Numeral 19 is a
transmission gear which is provided relative to a motive
power part (not shown in the drawings) and moves the
rotary body 12 in the direction indicated by the arrow 20.
Numeral 21 is a pusher guiding plate, with its base part
22 fixed to the machine frame, its extreme top end forming
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.an inclilled part 23 in the diagonal]y upward d:irec-tion and
the other part of its top end forming a plane part 24
fixed adjacent the surface of the receiving hole 11.
Numeral 25 is a bevel gear which is connected to a motive
machine and is so arranged tha-t it interlocks an upper
gear 27 and a lower gear 28 through the medium of a
transmission gear 26. Numeral 29 is an upper rotary plate.
Numeral 30 is a lower rotary plate. These -two rotary plates
are turned by means of the upper gear 27 and the lower gear
28 respectively. Numeral 31 is a vertically movable rod
which is pivotally secured to the eccentric positions 32,
33 of both rotary plates 29, 30 respectively. With the
turn~ng of the rotary plates 29, 30 in the direction
indicated by the arrow 34, the rod 31 begins to assume a
perpendicular posture and causes its lower half part to
do rising and falling motion while moving its lowermost
part 31a in the direction indicated by the arrow 20.
NumeraI 35 is a capsule receiving disk which is so provided
that it -turns in close vicinity to the lower surface of
the rotary body 12 and has capsule receiving holes 36, each
made at the position corresponding to the position immediately
below the larger diameter portion 17 of the hole 11 which
has come round.
This embodiment is constructed as s-tated above.
Let us suppose that capsules are put, irrespective of top
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and bottom, in the composite portion 16 of the receiving
hole 11 positioned a-t the e~treme left end in Fig. 3.
Since the upper half of the composite portion 16 has a
larger diameter large enough to allow the cap 15 to enter
therein but the lower half of it has a smaller diameter to
allow only the capsule body to enter therein, among capsules
put in the hole those which have been put in with their
cap facing downwardly present such appearance that, as
shown in X of Fig. 3, only the cap 15 is inserted in the
upper part of -the hole 11 and the capsule body is exposed
above the rotary body 12. Under such appearance, if the
rotary body 12 turns further in the direction indicated
by the arrow 20, the capsule body 13 is unable to maintain
its upright position because of the existence of the
inclined part 23 of the pusher guiding plate 21 above
against which the capsule body 13 moves. Thus, as shown
in X of Fig. 3, the capsule body 13 comes down in the
direction of smaller diameter portion while the cap 15 is
still kept in the composi-te portion 16 and the capped
capsule will present an appearance of lying down between
16 and 14. With further turning of the rotary body 12,
the capsule body 13 of the lying down capped capsule comes
immediately below the vRrtically movable rod 31.
At this time, since the lower end of the rod 31 is moving
in the rightward direction in the drawing as it is descending,
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~as shown in ~ of ~ig. 3, the body 13 moves rightward as
it is descending diagonally the smaller diameter portion
14 until the cap 15 and the body 13 stand upright in the
composite portion 16. Then the vertically movable rod 31
moves further to the right as it is shifting to the rising
motion and the upright capped capsule is pushed as it is
toward the larger diameter por-tion 17 which allows a cap
to pass therethrough, where the capped capsule falls
downwardly and is received, with its cap facing~upwardly,
in the capsule receiving hole 36 of the capsule receiving
disk 35 which is waiting for it below.
On the other hand, among capsules put in the hole
those which have been put in with their cap facing upwardly
are inserted in their entirety in the composite portion 16,
lS as shown in Y of Fig. 3, and move as they are in the
direction indicated by the arrow 20 and then pushed at
their side to the right by the vertically movable rod 31
toward the larger diameter portion 17 where they fall
downwardly, with their cap facing upwardly, into the
capsule receiving hole waiting for it below.
Embodiment 2
-
This embodiment is of drum type and is shown in
Fig. 4 - Fig. 6. Numeral 48 denotes a direction adjusting
drum and capsule receiving holes 49, 49 in two rows are
made in the cylindrical outer circumference divided equally.
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.Numeral 50 is a cham~ered entrance of each capsule receiving
hole ~9. Numeral 51 is a groove for direction adjusting.
This groove 51 has a width which is slightly smaller than
the outside diameter of capsule body and connects a slit
52 for capsule lateral turning having the hole width equal
to the diameter of the capsule receiving hole 49 slightly
larger than the outside diameter of the cap 15 and the
capsule receiving hole 49. Numeral 53 is a drum fitting
hole provided at the side of the drum and is fixed removably
to the top end of a drum fitting member 54.
Capsules of five different diameters are used
generally and the drum is made detachable so that a drum
corresponding tc each diameter of capsule can be used.
Numeral 55 is a capsule- tumbling plate provided along the
undersurface of the upper part of the drum 48. Capsule
body 13 fitting in grooves 56, 56 are made in said capsule
tumbling plate. This -tumbling plate 55 is stationary even
when the drum 48 turns. A capsule, with its cap facing
upwardly, sinks its body 13 in the body fitting in groove
56. Since -there is the tumbling plate 55 having the upper
surface 58 of gradually rising inclination at the bottom
of the groove 56, the capsule body 13 which has been
upright in the capsule receiving hole 49 is pushed up upon
contact with said inclined upper surface 58 and is tumbled
in the slot 52 for capsule lateral turning with its cap
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ahead and is shifted with the turning of the drum 48.
~n the other hand, in the case of a capsule wi-th its
cap 15 facing downwardly, the cap 15 wi-th a larger
diameter does not fit in the body fitting in groove 56
in the tumbling plate 55 which is below the drum and
has a smaller width but with the turning of the dru~l 48,
it moves as it is upright in the capsule receiving hole
49 with its cap facing downwardly, from the upper leading-
in point to the lower leading-out point, making 180
turing movement. Thus, capsules are fed, with their cap
facing upwardly, in the capsule receiving hole 36 made at
the circumferential surface of the capsule receiving disk
35. Mumeral 61 is a guide which makes capsules put in
with their cap facing upwardly turn sideways to the full
and which prevents capsules from slipping off. When the
drum 48 -turns, capsules are held in the drum 48 as they
are upright or lying down and said guide 61 is necessary
only at the part where capsules tend to fall. Since such
- tendency shifts to the outer circumferential side of the
drum at the lower half of the drum, the guide is provided
inside at the upper half and is provided outside at the
lower half (not shown in the drawings). Numeral 62 is
a fixing member which is fitted in the inside of a base
for the drum fitting member 54, through the medium of
25 bearings 63, 63, so that the drum fitting member 54 is
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~made rotatable around the fixing member 62. Numeral 64 is
an internal gear provided at the inner circumference of
the drum fitting member 54. Numeral 65 is a cup provided
rotatably, through the medium of bearings 67, 67, to a
fixed shaft 66 with its one end fixed to the fixing
member 62. A cut turning gear 68 which engages with the
internal gear 64 is fixed to the outer circumference at
one end. Numeral 69 is a drive gear which is fixed to
the top end of a driving shaft 70 rotatably suppor-ted
by the fixing member 62 and engages with the cup turning
gear 68. This drive gear 69 is turned by motive power
from the outside and drives the cup turning gear 68 and
the internal gear 64. Numeral 71 is a stationary gear
fixed to the fixed shaft 66 inside the cup 65. Numeral 72
denotes four planetary gears which are provided by dividing
the inner surface of the cup into four equal parts and
which engage with the stationary gear 71. A small disk 73
having an eccentric pin 74 at the top end thereof is fixed
to an axis of rotation 75, the base end of which is
rotatably fixed to the cut 65. Numeral 76 denotes four
adjusting pawls with their base portion rotatably fixed to
the eccentric pin 74. Each of these adjusting pawls forks
into two branches at its top end so that it may have access
to the capsule receiving holes 49, 49 made in two rows in
the drum 48. Numeral 77 is a long groove made at the
_ g _
,middle part ot each adjusting pawl 76. As a guide pin 78
fi~ed at the outer circumferential part of the cup 65
passes through this slidable long groove, movement of
the adjusting pawl 76 is controlled by both of the eccentric
pin 74 and the guide pin 78. The planetary gear 72
revolves round the stationary gear 71 and the eccentric
pin 74 which effects revolution similar -to that of the
planetary gear describes a cycloid curve around the
stationary gear 71. Since the guide pin 78 ac-ts as a
slide guide, with the eccentric pin 74 as center, the top
end of the adjusting pawl 76 faces the ou-te-r circumference
of the drum 48 when it begins to come into con-tact with
a lying down capsule. ~rhen a capsule stands upright
perfectly in this way, the capsule stands upright with
its body side 13 facing the outer circumference of the drum.
This indicates that the capsule stands upright in the same
direction as a capsule which fell with its cap 15 facing
downwardly when it was supplied to the drum (namely, a
capsule which does not require adjustment of direction).
Thus, both capsules are arranged in the same direction
and are drawn out.
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