Device for applying sealing liquid to capsule

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (10) for applying a sealing liquid to a capsule, comprising: a tank for storing the sealing liquid; the roller is driven by a rotary driver and is partially immersed in the sealing liquid; and a conveying device (26) for conveying the capsule to be sealed, the conveying device having a boundary facing the tank, the tank and the rollers being arranged on a common carrier, and the common carrier being able to drive the capsule to be sealed by means of a drive controlled by means of a control device. The capsule sealing device is characterized in that the capsule sealing device moves between a use position and a position different from the use position along the movement axis of the bearing part, in the use position, the rollers transfer sealing liquid from the rollers to the capsule to be sealed, and in the position different from the use position, the rollers transfer sealing liquid from the capsule to the capsule to be sealed. The distance between the roller and the capsule to be sealed is set to enable sealing liquid not to be transferred from the roller to the capsule to be sealed.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for applying a sealing liquid to capsules, comprising a tank for storing the sealing liquid, a roller driven by a rotary drive and partially immersed in the sealing liquid, and a conveying device for conveying capsules to be sealed, wherein the conveying device has a boundary facing the tank. Such a device can be found, for example, in European patent application EP 0 154 966 A2. BACKGROUND

[0002] When sealing capsules, a rotating roller is used which is immersed in a tank containing the sealing liquid. Typically, the sealing liquid has a high viscosity and adheres to the rotating roller, so that the sealing liquid can be transferred from the tank to the capsules and applied to the capsules by the roller.

[0003] The contents of the capsules can in particular be pharmaceuticals or dietary supplements, wherein the capsules are, for example, gelatin capsules or hard capsules made of gelatin and cellulose. The sealing liquid serves to seal the capsules in order to protect the capsule contents from external influences and, in the case of liquid contents, to prevent leakage. In addition, the seal also prevents tampering by unauthorized opening of the capsules.

[0004] The sealing liquid can contain a solvent which serves to form a material bond between the outer surface of the capsule and the sealing liquid. Since the production and sealing of capsules are usually carried out in large quantities and at high speed, the reliability of the sealing of the capsules is of great importance.

[0005] Since a large number of capsules have to be sealed in as short a time as possible, the capsules are usually processed and conveyed at high speed in an automated manner. In this process, the unsealed capsules are fed into a conveying device, for example a conveyor belt, and are applied with the sealing liquid during the conveying process. Downstream in the conveying direction, the newly sealed capsules are dried along a drying path. Even if the sealing liquid application apparatus is adjusted and maintained very carefully, malfunctions can occur in the processing and conveying of the capsules. If a capsule comes to a standstill in its conveying path, it can result in too much sealing liquid being applied to the individual capsule and / or the sealed capsule is not fed quickly enough into the drying path. These potential problems can lead to the fact that, in the event of a disruption in operation, the entire batch of capsules produced has to be discarded and the apparatus has to be started up again with new capsules. SUMMARY

[0006] On the basis thereof, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which enables the sealing process to be interrupted and resumed in a simple manner.

[0007] For a device of the type mentioned at the outset, the application achieves the stated object in that the trough and the roller are arranged on a common carrier, and the common carrier can be moved by means of a drive device controlled by a control device along an axis of movement of the carrier between a position of use and a position other than the position of use, in which position of use the roller transfers the sealing liquid from itself to the capsules to be sealed, and in which position other than the position of use the distance between the roller and the capsules to be sealed is set such that the sealing liquid cannot be transferred from the roller to the capsules to be sealed.

[0008] The device according to the application comprises a carrier, on which the trough for storing the sealing liquid and the roller are arranged, wherein the carrier can be moved in an automated manner along an axis of movement of the carrier with the aid of a control device and a drive device. The carrier can be moved at least into a position of use, in which position of use the roller transfers the sealing liquid from itself to the capsules to be sealed, so that in the position of use the upper region of the roller, which carries the sealing liquid, comes into contact with the capsules to be sealed, relative to the direction of gravity. Furthermore, the carrier can be moved into a position other than the position of use, in which position the distance between the roller and the capsules to be sealed is set such that the sealing liquid cannot be transferred from the roller to the capsules to be sealed.

[0009] The carrier can be brought into the position other than the position of use very quickly by means of the control device and the drive device, in particular without the need for manual operation of the carrier by staff. However, the movement of the carrier from the position of use into the position other than the position of use can also be triggered manually, for example by pressing an emergency button. The movement of the carrier can also be triggered in a sensor-aided manner, the sensors detecting the operating state of the device, in particular a fault in the capsule conveying process.

[0010] The device according to the application in particular makes it possible to avoid excessively long contact times of the capsules with the sealing liquid. This prevents possible softening damage to the capsules. In this way, it is also possible to avoid undesired leakage of the capsule contents and the resulting contamination of the device components and entrainment of the sealing liquid.

[0011] The arrangement of the trough for storing the sealing liquid and the roller on a common carrier makes it possible to maintain the depth to which the roller is immersed in the sealing liquid, regardless of the position of the carrier along its axis of movement. This makes it possible to interrupt the production process only briefly, if necessary, and subsequently to return the carrier to the position of use, so that the processing of the capsules to be sealed in the current batch can be resumed.

[0012] Preferably, the axis of movement of the carrier is oriented vertically.

[0013] It is particularly preferred that the control device and the drive device are configured in such a way that the carrier can be moved into a maintenance position in which an empty intermediate space is formed between the boundary of the conveying device and the roller. This makes it possible to provide the intermediate space while keeping the roller immersed to the depth of the sealing liquid, allowing access to the roller from above and to the conveying device from below, for example in the case of a longer interruption of the operation for maintenance of the roller, the trough and / or the conveying device.

[0014] If the carrier is movable along a maintenance axis which is perpendicular to the movement axis of the carrier, the maintenance work carried out in the maintenance position of the carrier can be made easier. For example, the maintenance axis extends in horizontal direction. This can be achieved by horizontal sliding guides of the carrier, for example, so that the carrier can be arranged laterally offset with respect to the conveying system together with the trough and the roller.

[0015] It is particularly preferred that the control device and the drive device are configured in such a way that the carrier can be moved into an intermediate position in which, viewed along the movement axis of the carrier, the carrier is arranged between the position of use and the maintenance position. This intermediate position makes it possible to arrange the roller at a closer distance to the capsules to be sealed without transferring sealing liquid onto the capsules to be sealed.

[0016] It is particularly preferred that, in the intermediate position, the roller protrudes beyond the boundary of the conveying device in the direction of the movement axis towards the capsules to be sealed. Thus, the roller carrying the sealing liquid is still located in the immediate vicinity of the capsules to be sealed, but does not apply sealing liquid. From this intermediate position, the carrier can be returned very quickly to the position of use, so that the interrupted sealing process can be resumed quickly.

[0017] A further preferred embodiment provides that the control device is also used to control the rotary drive of the roller. This makes it possible to control the rotary drive of the roller depending on the position of the carrier along its movement axis.

[0018] It is particularly preferred that the control device is configured in such a way that the rotary drive of the roller is activated in the position of use and in the intermediate position (or one intermediate position) of the carrier. In this way, the roller can continue to be driven in rotation even when the carrier is in a position other than the position of use, that is to say in particular when the carrier is in the above-mentioned intermediate position, the roller is arranged adjacent to the capsules to be sealed but does not transfer sealing liquid.

[0019] It is further preferred that the control device is configured in such a way that the rotary drive of the roller is deactivated in the maintenance position (or one maintenance position) of the carrier. This deactivation is advantageous in the case of an intentional longer interruption of the sealing process, in particular for maintenance or cleaning of the trough or the roller.

[0020] The drive device preferably comprises an actuator for generating the drive movement. The actuator can in particular be driven electrically, pneumatically or hydraulically.

[0021] The movement of the carrier along its movement axis can be detected by, for example, position sensors, which are preferably associated with at least one of the following positions: the use position, a position other than the use position, an intermediate position, a maintenance position. In this way, a closed-loop control superimposition of the controlled movement of the carrier can be effected, so that a particularly reliable positioning of the carrier is achieved.

[0022] Furthermore, the drive movement of the actuator can be directly converted into a movement of the carrier. For example, a double-acting lifting cylinder can be used, which lifts the carrier along the movement axis. However, the drive movement can also be converted into a movement of the carrier along its movement axis by means of a mechanism.

[0023] It is particularly preferred that the drive device or the actuator of the drive device generates a drive movement along a horizontal drive axis. Preferably, the drive axis is perpendicular to the movement axis of the carrier.

[0024] A particularly preferred mechanism is a slot mechanism. This mechanism makes it possible to use a simple actuator and achieves a reliable and precise conversion of the movement to the carrier.

[0025] A further advantage of the slot mechanism is that the drive movement of the actuator can be variably converted into a movement of the carrier. It is particularly preferred that the mechanism has mechanism sections with different conversion ratios.

[0026] For example, the mechanism has a first mechanism section, which is associated with the movement of the carrier between the use position and the intermediate position (or one intermediate position).

[0027] The mechanism can also have a second mechanism section, which is associated with the movement of the carrier between the maintenance position (or one maintenance position) and the intermediate position (or one intermediate position).

[0028] It is particularly preferred that a uniform drive movement of the actuator is converted into a slow movement of the carrier on the first mechanism section and into a fast movement of the carrier on the second mechanism section. The slow movement serves to achieve a precise control of the movement of the carrier, so that the carrier can be reliably and precisely moved between the use position and the intermediate position, which is close to the use position. The fast movement of the carrier towards and away from the maintenance position makes it possible to achieve a large displacement of the carrier, in particular to provide a sufficiently large intermediate space, while the drive movement of the actuator remains uniform.

[0029] Further features and advantages of the present application will be described in the following description and in the explanation of the exemplary embodiments in the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] In the drawings: Figure 1a front view showing an embodiment of a capsule sealing liquid application device; Figure 2 a front view showing an embodiment of a capsule sealing liquid application device; Figure 1 a detail marked II in an enlarged view of the bearing (for the trough and the roller) in the maintenance position; Figure 3 a front view showing an embodiment of a capsule sealing liquid application device; Figure 2 a corresponding view, in which the bearing is in the use position; and Figure 4 a front view showing an embodiment of a capsule sealing liquid application device; Figure 2 a corresponding view, in which the bearing is in the intermediate position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Figure 1 In the middle, the device for applying sealing liquid to capsules is designated as a whole by the reference numeral 10. The device 10 has a housing 12 for arranging an infeed unit 14, a sealing unit 16 and a drying unit 18 of capsules to be sealed. The infeed, sealed and dried capsules can be taken out at an outfeed 20.

[0032] The infeed device 14 comprises a chute 22 for storing capsules to be sealed. The capsules are conveyed by a conveying wheel 24 to a conveying device 26, in particular a belt conveying device. The conveying device 26 is moved in the direction of the arrow 28 by a drive 30. Figures 2 to 4 In the middle, the device for applying sealing liquid to capsules is designated as a whole by the reference numeral 10. The device 10 has a housing 12 for arranging an infeed unit 14, a sealing unit 16 and a drying unit 18 of capsules to be sealed. The infeed, sealed and dried capsules can be taken out at an outfeed 20. Figure 2 In the middle, the device for applying sealing liquid to capsules is designated as a whole by the reference numeral 10. The device 10 has a housing 12 for arranging an infeed unit 14, a sealing unit 16 and a drying unit 18 of capsules to be sealed. The infeed, sealed and dried capsules can be taken out at an outfeed 20.

[0033] After sealing of the capsules, a drying path 18 in the form of a conveying system is entered, in which the sealed capsules to be dried are guided along a plurality of conveying carriers 28. The conveying carriers 28 are moved parallel to a chain drive, which has diverting rollers 30 known per se.

[0034] The sealing unit 16 is shown in more detail in the middle. The sealing unit 16 has a drive device 32, which generates a drive movement along a drive axis 34, in particular a horizontal drive axis. The movement along the preferably horizontal drive axis 34 is converted by a mechanism 36 into a movement of the bearing 38 along a preferably vertical movement axis 40. In this way, the bearing 38 can be moved between a maintenance position (see Figures 2 to 4 Figure 2 , a use position (see Figure 3 ) and an intermediate position (see Figure 4 ).

[0035] ​The carrier comprises a carrier plate 42 for arranging at least one trough 44 in which a sealing liquid 46 is stored. Optionally, a second trough 48 can be arranged on the carrier 38, which is likewise filled with a sealing liquid 50.

[0036] The sealing unit 16 further comprises at least one roller 52, 54, which is rotatably driven about a respective axis of rotation 56, 58. The at least one axis of rotation 56, 58 is fixed relative to the carrier 38. A rotatable drive known per se (not shown in the figures) is likewise fixed on the carrier 38.

[0037] The at least one roller 52, 54 is preferably of a structure having a plurality of mutually parallel discs, the lower regions of which are immersed in the respective sealing liquid 46, 50 relative to the direction of gravity. By rotation of the discs of the rollers 52, 54, the sealing liquid 46, 50 is carried upwards relative to the direction of gravity and is supplied to the capsules 60 to be sealed (see Figure 3 ).

[0038] The conveying device 26 conveys the capsules 60 to be sealed in a conveying direction 62, wherein the capsules 60 to be sealed roll on the support 27 and are turned in a capsule rotation direction 64. The capsule rotation direction 64 is set in such a way that the capsules 60 to be sealed have a rotation direction parallel to the conveying direction 62 on the side facing away from the sealing unit 16, i.e. on the upper side. In the region of the capsules facing the rotating rollers 52, 54, the capsule rotation direction 64 is co-directional with the applied rotation direction 65 of the rollers 52, 54, i.e. opposite to the conveying direction 62.

[0039] The conveying device 26 has a boundary 66 facing the sealing unit. This boundary is formed, for example, by the lower boundary of the support 27. In the maintenance position (see Figure 2 ), an intermediate space 68 is formed between the rollers 52, 54 and the boundary 66 of the conveying device 26, which allows the sealing unit 16 to be maintained from above and the conveying device 26 to be maintained from below. The sealing unit 16 is movable along a preferably horizontal maintenance axis 70 (for example by providing a corresponding sliding guide or drawer), which facilitates such maintenance work.

[0040] In the use position of the carrier 38, the carrier is arranged at a height at which the rollers 52, 54, which carry the sealing liquid 46, 50 brought out of the troughs 44, 48, come into contact with the capsules 60 to be sealed and transfer the sealing liquid 46, 50 to the capsules 60 to be sealed.

[0041] The carrier 38 is movable along a movement axis 40 into at least one position different from the use position shown. Figure 3 This position can be: - only Figure 2 the maintenance position shown, or - onlyFigure 4 the intermediate position, or - Figure 2 the maintenance position, and Figure 4 both the intermediate position.

[0042] In Figure 4 the intermediate position, the distance between the rollers 52, 54 and the capsules 60 to be sealed is such that the sealing fluid 46, 50 can no longer be transferred. In this case, the rollers 52, 54 are arranged directly adjacent to the capsules 60 to be sealed, preferably such that, viewed along the movement axis 40, the respective uppermost regions 71, 72 of the rollers 52, 54 are still located above the boundary 66 of the transport device 26.

[0043] The drive device 32 has an actuator 74, for example an electric actuator, which is activated by a control device 76.

[0044] The mechanism 36 is configured, for example, as a slot mechanism, which has a slot guide 78, which preferably has a plurality of mechanism sections. A first mechanism section 80 has a small slope; a second mechanism section 82, which follows the first mechanism section, has a larger slope. A slot wheel 84 is mounted rotatably on a carrier 86 and is guided in the slot 78. The carrier 86 is connected to the carrier part 38.

[0045] The first mechanism section 80 is associated with the movement of the carrier part 38 between the use position and the intermediate position; the second mechanism section 82 is associated with the movement of the carrier part 38 between the intermediate position and the maintenance position.

Claims

1. An apparatus (10) for applying a sealing liquid (46) to capsules (60), comprising: - a trough (44) for storing the sealing liquid (46), - a roller (52) driven by a rotary drive and partially immersed in the sealing liquid (46), and - a conveying device (26) for conveying capsules (60) to be sealed, wherein the conveying device (26) has a boundary (66) facing the trough (44), characterized in that - the trough (44) and the roller (52) are arranged on a common carrier (38), and - the common carrier (38) is movable by a drive device (32) controlled by a control device (76) along an axis of movement (40) of the carrier (38) between a use position, in which the roller (52) transfers sealing liquid (46) from the roller (52) to capsules (60) to be sealed, and a position different from the use position, in which the distance between the roller (52) and capsules (60) to be sealed is set such that sealing liquid (46) cannot be transferred from the roller (52) to capsules (60) to be sealed.

2. The apparatus (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that The control device (76) and the drive device (32) are configured to be able to move the carrier (38) into a maintenance position, in which an empty intermediate space (68) is formed between the boundary (66) of the conveying device (26) and the roller (52).

3. The apparatus (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that The control device (76) and the drive device (32) are configured to be able to move the carrier (38) into an intermediate position, in which, viewed along the axis of movement (40) of the carrier (38), the carrier (38) is arranged between the use position and the maintenance position.

4. The apparatus (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that In the intermediate position of the carrier (38), viewed in the direction of the axis of movement (40) towards capsules (60) to be sealed, the roller (52) protrudes beyond the boundary (66) of the conveying device (26).

5. The apparatus (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The control device (76) is further used to control the rotary drive of the roller (52).

6. The apparatus (10) according to claim 5, characterized in that The control device (76) is configured to activate the rotary drive of the roller (52) in the use position and the intermediate position of the carrier (38).

7. The apparatus (10) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that The control device (76) is configured to deactivate the rotary drive of the roller (52) in the maintenance position of the carrier (38).

8. The apparatus (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The drive device (32) comprises an actuator (74) for generating a drive movement.

9. The apparatus (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The drive movement is converted by a mechanism (36) into a movement of the carrier (38) along the axis of movement (40) of the carrier (38).

10. The apparatus (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that The mechanism (36) is a rack-and-pinion mechanism.

11. The apparatus (10) according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The mechanism (36) comprises mechanism sections (80, 82) having different conversion ratios.

12. The apparatus (10) according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The mechanism (36) has a first mechanism section (80) associated with the movement of the carrier (38) between the use position and the intermediate position.

13. The apparatus (10) according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that The mechanism has a second mechanism portion (82) which is associated with the movement of the carrier (38) between a maintenance position and an intermediate position.

14. The apparatus (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The carrier (38) is movable along a maintenance axis (70) which is perpendicular to the movement axis (40) of the carrier (38).

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