Installation and method for individually tailored filling of blister packs with medication according to predetermined prescription data

Abstract

The invention relates to an installation and a method for the individually tailored filling of blister packs (25) with medication according to predetermined prescription data, the blister packs (25) having receiving compartments for respective medication administration units, said compartments being arranged in a matrix configuration in rows corresponding to a number of administration times during a day and columns corresponding to a number of days, for example weekdays. The installation comprises a plurality of medication filling stations, arranged one behind the other, for filling each blister pack (25) with the respective specified medication and a transport device (10) designed to transport the blister packs (25) individually one behind the other in a direction of travel alongside the medication filling stations (40). Each blister back (25) is individually guided in such a way that said pack only approaches those medication filling stations (40) that are required by the prescription data for a filling operation, bypassing the other medication filling stations, and is directly conveyed onwards to the next required medication filling station or to a position behind a preceding blister pack (25) that is currently at a medication filling station (40). The individual guiding of the individual blister packs without a fixed cyclic operation to only those medication filling stations required by the prescription data permits a more rapid passage of the individual blister packs through the installation and thus increased efficiency. In addition, the operation of the installation is not brought to a standstill as a result of maintenance work on an individual medication filling station.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates to an installation and to a method for individually tailored filling of blister packs with medication according to predetermined prescription data, the blister packs having receiving compartments for respective medication administration units, said compartments being arranged in a matrix configuration in rows corresponding to a number of intake times during a day and columns corresponding to a number of days, for example weekdays.RELATED PRIOR ART[0002]DE 10 2004 034 024 A2 discloses an individual blister pack for the weekly medication requirement of a patient (weekly blister) who is to take the medication in a sequence arranged according to date, day of the week and time of day (morning, midday and evening and / or night). The receiving compartments of the blister pack for receiving the respective medication are arranged in matrix form with seven day columns each with at least three time-of-day compartments which are sealed overall by...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]It is therefore an object of the invention to propose an installation and a method for individually tailored filling of blister packs with medication according to predetermined prescription data which has improved efficiency and ease of maintenance.

[0009]The individual guiding of the individual blister packs without a fixed cyclic operation only to the medication filling stations required in each case according to the prescription data permits a more rapid passage of the individual blister packs through the installation and thus increased efficiency. Moreover, operation of the installation is not brought to a standstill as a result of maintenance work on an individual medication filling station.

[0010]Preferably, the blister packs are driven by means of a magnetic track with a linear motor, as a result of which individual control and reliable transport of a large number of blister packs is possible. Preferably, workpiece carriers guided in a magnetic track are provided for receiving the blister packs, which workpiece carriers are conveyed in a closed circuit, the blister packs being placed on the workpiece carriers before being filled and being removed again after the filling operation.

[0011]To increase the efficiency of the installation, in each case a column of a blister pack corresponding to a number of days can be filled simultaneously in one working step.

[0012]Preferably, each filling station has a movable premetering cartridge for filling the blister packs, as a result of which the time-critical operation of filling the blister pack is decoupled from the mechanically difficult operation of ejecting the medication units out of the blister strip.

[0016]In the method according to the invention, the sequence of the blister packs filled in succession can be specified according to the requirements of the recipients of the filled blister packs without a loss in the efficiency of the installation, as a result of which dispatch and marketing of the filled blister packs is simplified considerably.

Problems solved by technology

Moreover, operation of the installation is not brought to a standstill as a result of maintenance work on an individual medication filling station.

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