An online cleaning and sterilization automatic radial movement positioning docking mechanism

Abstract

The application discloses an automatic radial moving positioning butt joint mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization, which comprises a rotatable filling disc, a transfer disc arranged below the filling disc and rotating synchronously with the filling disc, a plurality of filling needle assemblies distributed along the circumference of the filling disc, a mechanical hand assembly arranged on the transfer disc and matched with the filling needle assemblies, a cleaning assembly arranged on the transfer disc and capable of moving up and down, a cleaning pipe horizontally moving on the mechanical hand assembly, one end of the cleaning pipe being connected with the cleaning assembly through a hose and the other end being provided with a cleaning nozzle matched with a filling needle of the filling needle assembly, a hinged rod being hinged on the cleaning pipe, one end of the hinged rod away from the cleaning pipe being hinged with the cleaning assembly, and the filling disc being connected with a lifting mechanism. Compared with the prior art, the cleaning nozzle and the filling needle of the application can be quickly and automatically butt jointed and sealed, quickly enter the online cleaning and sterilization process, save manual work, reduce the labor intensity, and greatly improve the production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of cleaning and filling equipment technology, and in particular to an automatic radial movement positioning and docking mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization. Background Technology

[0002] Filling machines are a key quality control point in the pharmaceutical industry's liquid dosage form manufacturing process. The ease of cleaning, disinfection, and use of filling machines is a crucial technical issue that needs to be addressed in the liquid dosage form filling production of pharmaceuticals. Currently, the common piping connection method for cleaning and sterilizing large-capacity and small-capacity liquid filling machines involves equipping a cleaning manifold with quick-connect or quick-release interfaces on the manifold wall, corresponding to the number of filling ports. At the beginning and end of cleaning and sterilization, the cleaning hoses between the two interfaces must be manually connected and disconnected, preventing automatic connection and separation. Therefore, fully automated dynamic online cleaning and sterilization cannot be achieved. This is particularly time-consuming and labor-intensive for cleaning and sterilizing high-capacity, multi-head filling machines, resulting in low efficiency and a risk of contamination during disassembly. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention provides an automatic radial movement positioning and docking mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization, which solves the problem that existing rotary filling machines cannot perform dynamic online cleaning and online sterilization.

[0004] This invention provides an automatic radial moving positioning docking mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization, including a rotatable filling tray, a central turntable rotating synchronously with the filling tray below the filling tray, multiple filling needle assemblies distributed along the circumference of the filling tray, a robotic arm assembly cooperating with the filling needle assemblies on the central turntable, a cleaning assembly capable of vertical movement on the central turntable, a cleaning tube moving horizontally on the robotic arm assembly, one end of the cleaning tube being connected to the cleaning assembly via a flexible tube, and the other end having a cleaning nozzle cooperating with the filling needles of the filling needle assemblies, a hinge rod hinged to the cleaning tube, the end of the hinge rod away from the cleaning tube being hinged to the cleaning assembly, and a lifting mechanism connected to the filling tray.

[0005] Preferably, a lifting cylinder is fixed on the transfer plate, the piston rod of the lifting cylinder is connected to the cleaning assembly, the cleaning assembly is located below the transfer plate, and the lifting cylinder passes through the filling tray.

[0006] Preferably, the cleaning assembly includes a first annular plate and a manifold, the manifold being fixed below the first annular plate, the first annular plate being fixedly connected to a lifting cylinder, the first annular plate being hinged to a hinge rod, and the manifold being connected to a cleaning pipe via a flexible hose.

[0007] Preferably, a plurality of support plates are provided between the first annular plate and the manifold, the support plates being fixed to the first annular plate by buffer pads and the support plates being fixed to the manifold by uprights.

[0008] Preferably, a cleaning guide rod is slidably disposed on the robotic arm assembly. The cleaning guide rod is fixed to the cleaning tube by a clamping block. The cleaning guide rod is located above the cleaning tube. The two ends of the hinge rod are respectively hinged to the cleaning guide rod and the first annular plate.

[0009] Preferably, it further includes a positioning block, which is fixed to the guide shaft of the robotic arm assembly, and the cleaning guide rod is slidably connected to the positioning block. Both the cleaning guide rod and the cleaning tube are located between the two guide shafts.

[0010] Preferably, the lifting cylinder is fixed to the joint plate via a floating joint, the joint plate is fixed to the first annular plate, and there are multiple lifting cylinders.

[0011] Preferably, the lifting mechanism includes: a second annular plate, a vertical rod, and a lifting assembly. The second annular plate is located below the filling tray. One end of the vertical rod passes through the central turntable and is fixed to the filling tray, while the other end is fixed to the second annular plate. The outer diameters of the first annular plate and the manifold are both smaller than the inner diameter of the second annular plate. The lifting assembly is used to drive the second annular plate to lift.

[0012] Preferably, the lifting assembly includes a plurality of first guide rods capable of being lifted and lowered, the upper end of the first guide rods being provided with a clamping block, and the clamping block being provided with pulleys at both the upper and lower ends of the second annular plate.

[0013] Preferably, the lifting assembly includes: a lifting motor, two base plates and two synchronous shafts. The base plates are fixed to two first guide rods. A lead screw is threaded onto the base plates. The lead screw is connected to the synchronous shafts via a chain drive mechanism. The two synchronous shafts are connected via a belt drive mechanism. The lifting motor is used to drive one synchronous shaft to rotate. The lead screw and the synchronous shaft are both located on the outer side of the second annular plate.

[0014] Compared with existing technologies, the cleaning nozzle and filling needle of this invention can quickly and automatically connect and seal, rapidly entering the online cleaning and sterilization process, saving labor, reducing manual labor intensity, and greatly improving production efficiency. It solves the problem of manually connecting and disassembling filling and cleaning / sterilization lines one by one during the cleaning and sterilization process of existing liquid filling machines. Secondly, the layout is reasonable, making full use of the space between the filling tray, transfer tray, filling needle assembly, and robotic arm assembly, requiring minimal modifications to the filling machine and reducing the difficulty of modification. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention on a filling machine;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram from another perspective of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning structure of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning assembly of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 7 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the lifting mechanism of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 8 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the lifting assembly of the present invention.

[0024] Figure label:

[0025] 1. Filling tray, 2. Transfer tray, 3. Filling needle assembly, 4. Robotic arm assembly, 5. Cleaning assembly, 6. Cleaning structure, 7. Lifting mechanism, 8. Lifting cylinder, 31. Filling needle, 41. Guide shaft, 51. First annular plate, 52. Manifold, 53. Support plate, 54. Buffer pad, 55. Upright pole, 56. Floating connector, 57. Connector plate, 61. Cleaning tube, 62. Hose, 63. Cleaning nozzle, 64. Hinge rod, 65. Cleaning guide rod, 66. Clamping block, 67. Positioning block, 71. Second annular plate, 72. Vertical rod, 73. Lifting assembly, 731. First guide rod, 732. Clamping block, 733. Pulley, 734. Lifting motor, 735. Base plate, 736. Synchronous shaft, 737. Lead screw, 738. Chain drive mechanism, 739. Belt drive mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0027] See attached document Figure 1 This embodiment provides an automatic radial movement positioning and docking mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization, including a rotatable filling tray 1, a central turntable 2 that rotates synchronously with the filling tray 1 below the filling tray 1, multiple filling needle assemblies 3 distributed along the circumference of the filling tray 1, and multiple robotic arm assemblies 4 that cooperate with the filling needle assemblies 3 on the central turntable 2, each corresponding to a filling needle assembly 3. A cleaning assembly 5 capable of vertical movement is also provided on the central turntable 2. (See attached diagram.) Figure 4 A cleaning tube 61 moves horizontally on the robotic arm assembly 4. One end of the cleaning tube 61 is connected to the cleaning assembly 5 via a flexible hose 62, and the other end is equipped with a cleaning nozzle 63 that mates with the filling needle 31 of the filling needle assembly 3. The cleaning nozzle 63 is located between the filling needle 31 and the cleaning assembly 5, and between the central turntable 2 and the robotic arm of the robotic arm assembly 4. The cleaning nozzle 63 is arranged one-to-one with the filling needle 31. A hinge rod 64 is hinged to the cleaning tube 61. The end of the hinge rod 64 away from the cleaning tube 61 is hinged to the cleaning assembly 5. (See attached diagram) Figure 2 The filling tray 1 is connected to a lifting mechanism 7, which drives the filling tray 1 to rise and fall. In this invention, the lifting mechanism 7 drives the filling tray 1 to rise, thereby causing the filling needle 31 to rise. When the bottom of the filling needle 31 is higher than the height of the cleaning nozzle 63, the filling needle 31 stops rising. The cleaning assembly 5 moves upward, driving the cleaning tube 61 to move outward (towards the filling needle 31) through the hinge rod 64. When the cleaning nozzle 63 is directly below the filling needle 31, the cleaning assembly 5 stops moving upward. The lifting mechanism 7 drives the filling tray 1 to fall, causing the filling needle 31 to fall. After the filling needle 31 extends into the cleaning nozzle 63, it is tightly sealed with the cleaning nozzle 63. The cleaning assembly 5 ensures that each filling head tube is reliably cleaned and sterilized through the cleaning nozzle 63. After cleaning, the lifting mechanism 7 drives the filling needle 31 to move upward, then the cleaning assembly 5 moves downward, causing the cleaning nozzle 63 to move inward, and finally the lifting mechanism 7 drives the filling needle 31 to move downward again, returning the filling needle 31 to the filling position. The connection and disconnection of pipelines in the entire cleaning and sterilization process are completed automatically, eliminating the need for manual splicing and disassembly. This improves the cleaning and sterilization efficiency and indirectly increases the production efficiency of the filling machine. Furthermore, the layout is reasonable and makes full use of the filling machine's space, requiring minimal modifications to the machine.

[0028] In another embodiment of the present invention: a lifting cylinder 8 is fixed on the transfer plate 2, and the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 8 is connected to the cleaning assembly 5. The cleaning assembly 5 is located below the transfer plate 2, and the lifting cylinder 8 passes through the filling tray 1. The vertically arranged lifting cylinder 8 can occupy as little space as possible between the filling tray 1 and the transfer plate 2. In this structural design, the lifting of the cleaning assembly 5 is achieved by the lifting cylinder 8.

[0029] One embodiment of cleaning component 5: Refer to the attached document. Figure 6 The cleaning assembly 5 includes a first annular plate 51 and a manifold 52. The manifold 52 is annular and fixed below the first annular plate 51. The first annular plate 51 is fixedly connected to a lifting cylinder 8 and hinged to a hinge rod 64. The manifold 52 is connected to the cleaning pipe 61 via a hose 62. The lifting cylinder 8 drives the first annular plate 51 to rise and fall, thereby driving the manifold 52 to rise and fall. When the first annular plate 51 rises and falls, it drives the cleaning nozzle 63 to move horizontally via the hinge rod 64. The annular shape of the first annular plate 51 and the manifold 52 effectively avoids affecting the installation and operation of other components of the filling machine and reduces the difficulty of modification.

[0030] In another embodiment of the present invention: a plurality of support plates 53 are provided between the first annular plate 51 and the manifold 52. The support plates 53 are fixed to the first annular plate 51 by buffer pads 54, and the support plates 53 are fixed to the manifold 52 by uprights 55. A telescopic rod is fixed on the support plate 53, and the telescopic rod passes through the first annular plate 51 and is fixed to the central turntable 2. When the lifting cylinder 8 drives the manifold 52 to rise and fall through the first annular plate 51, the buffer pads 54 can buffer the rise and fall of the manifold 52. The telescopic rod helps to make the lifting and falling of the cleaning assembly 5 more stable.

[0031] As another embodiment of the present invention: refer to the appendix Figure 5 A cleaning guide rod 65 is slidably mounted on the robotic arm assembly 4. The cleaning guide rod 65 is radially distributed along the central turntable 2. A support is fixed to the central turntable 2 at an inner position of the robotic arm assembly 4. The cleaning guide rod 65 slides horizontally along the support. This structural design allows the cleaning guide rod 65 to slide more smoothly. The cleaning guide rod 65 is fixed to the cleaning tube 61 by a clamping block 66. The cleaning guide rod 65 is located above the cleaning tube 61. The two ends of the hinge rod 64 are respectively hinged to the cleaning guide rod 65 and the first annular plate 51. In this structural design, when the cleaning guide rod 65 slides horizontally, it will drive the cleaning tube 61 to move horizontally through the clamping block 66, thereby driving the cleaning nozzle 63 to move horizontally.

[0032] In another embodiment of the present invention, this embodiment further includes a positioning block 67, which is fixed to the guide shaft 41 of the robotic arm assembly 4. A cleaning guide rod 65 is slidably connected to the positioning block 67. Both the cleaning guide rod 65 and the cleaning tube 61 are located between the two guide shafts 41, and a clamping block 66 is located outside the positioning block 67. This structural design can fully utilize the space at the robotic arm assembly 4, effectively reducing modifications to the filling machine and lowering manufacturing difficulty.

[0033] In another embodiment of the present invention: the clamping block 66 is provided with a clearance groove, the cleaning tube 61 passes through the clearance groove and is connected to the cleaning nozzle 63, the clamping block 66 is fixed to the cleaning nozzle 63 by a connecting plate, and the connecting plate is located below the cleaning tube 61.

[0034] Specifically, the cleaning structure 6 consists of the cleaning pipe 61, the hose 62, the cleaning nozzle 63, the hinge rod 64, the cleaning guide rod 65, the clamping block 66, and the positioning block 67.

[0035] In another embodiment of the present invention: the lifting cylinder 8 is fixed to the connector plate 57 via the floating joint 56, the connector plate 57 is fixed to the first annular plate 51, there are multiple lifting cylinders 8, and the lifting cylinder 8 is fixed on the turntable 2 via the mounting plate.

[0036] One embodiment of the lifting mechanism 7: The lifting mechanism 7 includes a second annular plate 71, a vertical rod 72, and a lifting assembly 73. The vertical rod 72 is located between two adjacent support plates 53. The second annular plate 71 is located below the filling tray 1. One end of the vertical rod 72 passes through the central turntable 2 and is fixed to the filling tray 1, while the other end is fixed to the second annular plate 71. The outer diameters of the first annular plate 51 and the manifold 52 are both smaller than the inner diameter of the second annular plate 71. The first annular plate 51 and the manifold 52 are both located between the second annular plate 71 and the filling tray 1. The lifting assembly 73 is used to drive the second annular plate 71 to rise and fall. The second annular plate 71 drives the filling tray 1 to rise and fall via the vertical rod 72. The second annular plate 71, the vertical rod 72, and the lifting assembly 73 are all located on the outside of the filling machine. This design can effectively avoid affecting the installation and operation of other components of the filling machine and reduce the difficulty of modification.

[0037] One embodiment of the lifting assembly 73: Refer to the attached document. Figure 8 The lifting assembly 73 includes multiple lifting first guide rods 731. Each first guide rod 731 has a clamping block 732 at its upper end. The clamping block 732 has pulleys 733 at both the upper and lower ends of the second annular plate 71, and the pulleys 733 roll along the second annular plate 71. When the second annular plate 71 rotates with the filling tray 1, the first guide rods 731 remain connected to the second annular plate 71 via the pulleys 733. When the lifting assembly 73 is not in operation, it will not affect the normal operation of the filling tray 1.

[0038] As another embodiment of the present invention: refer to the appendix Figure 3 and attached Figure 7 The lifting assembly 73 includes: a lifting motor 734, two base plates 735, and two synchronous shafts 736. The base plates 735 are fixed to two first guide rods 731. A lead screw 737 is threaded onto the base plate 735. The lead screw 737 is connected to the synchronous shafts 736 through a chain drive mechanism 738. The two synchronous shafts 736 are connected through a belt drive mechanism 739. The lifting motor 734 drives one synchronous shaft 736 to rotate, thereby driving the two lead screws 737 to rotate. The rotation of the lead screws 737 drives the base plates 735 to rise and fall, thereby driving the first guide rods 731 to rise and fall. The lead screws 737 and the synchronous shafts 736 are both located on the outside of the second annular plate 71. One of the first guide rods 731 on the base plate 735 passes through the chain drive mechanism 738. In this structural design, the lifting motor 734, base plate 735, synchronous shaft 736, lead screw 737, chain drive mechanism 738, and belt drive mechanism 739 are all located on the outside of the filling machine. This design effectively avoids affecting the installation and operation of other components of the filling machine and reduces the difficulty of modification. Secondly, setting two base plates 735 can effectively ensure the stable lifting of the first guide rod 731.

[0039] Specifically, the lifting motor 734 is fixed to the drive wheel via a reducer and a commutator. A tensioning pulley is provided between the drive wheel and the synchronous shaft 736. The belt drive mechanism 739 is connected to the tensioning pulley and the drive wheel.

[0040] In this invention, when the machine has finished filling and the liquid flow pipeline needs to be cleaned and sterilized, the lifting motor 734, which is vertically installed at the bottom of the main unit, first drives the lead screw 737 to rotate through the belt drive mechanism 739 and the chain drive mechanism 738. The rotation of the lead screw 737 drives the base plate 735 to move upward, thereby driving the second annular plate 71 and the filling tray 1 to move upward together. The rising of the filling tray 1 drives the filling needle assembly 3 to move upward. When the liquid outlet at the lower end of the filling needle 31 is higher than the cleaning nozzle 63, the four lifting motors on the central turntable 2... Simultaneously, the lowering cylinder 8 actuates, pulling the first annular plate 51 and manifold 52 upwards. The first annular plate 51, via the hinge rod 64, pushes the cleaning guide rod 65 outwards. The cleaning guide rod 65 moves the cleaning nozzle 63 directly below the filling needle 31. The filling needle assembly 3 then moves downwards via the lifting motor 734, ensuring that the filling needle 31 is fully inserted into the cleaning nozzle 63 and reliably sealed. This guarantees that each filling head tubing is reliably cleaned and sterilized. After completion, the tubing is automatically separated according to the reverse procedure. The entire cleaning and sterilization process is automated, eliminating the need for manual splicing and disassembly, resulting in high efficiency.

[0041] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic radial movement positioning and docking mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization, characterized in that, The device includes a rotatable filling tray, a central turntable rotating synchronously below the filling tray, multiple filling needle assemblies distributed along the circumference of the filling tray, a robotic arm assembly cooperating with the filling needle assemblies on the central turntable, a cleaning assembly capable of vertical movement on the central turntable, and a cleaning tube that moves horizontally on the robotic arm assembly. One end of the cleaning tube is connected to the cleaning assembly via a flexible hose, and the other end has a cleaning nozzle that mates with the filling needles of the filling needle assemblies. The cleaning nozzle is located between the filling needles and the cleaning assembly, and between the central turntable and the robotic arm of the robotic arm assembly. The cleaning nozzle and the filling needle are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence. A hinge rod is hinged to the cleaning tube. The end of the hinge rod away from the cleaning tube is hinged to the cleaning assembly. The filling tray is connected to a lifting mechanism. The lifting mechanism drives the filling tray to rise, thereby driving the filling needle to rise. When the bottom of the filling needle is higher than the height of the cleaning nozzle, the filling needle stops rising. The cleaning assembly moves upward and drives the cleaning tube to move outward through the hinge rod. When the cleaning nozzle is directly below the filling needle, the cleaning assembly stops moving upward. The lifting mechanism drives the filling tray to fall, thereby driving the filling needle to fall. After the filling needle extends into the cleaning nozzle, it is tightly sealed with the cleaning nozzle.

2. The automatic radial movement positioning and docking mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization according to claim 1, characterized in that, A lifting cylinder is fixed on the transfer plate. The piston rod of the lifting cylinder is connected to the cleaning assembly, which is located below the transfer plate. The lifting cylinder passes through the filling tray.

3. The automatic radial movement positioning and docking mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cleaning assembly includes a first annular plate and a manifold. The manifold is fixed below the first annular plate. The first annular plate is fixedly connected to a lifting cylinder and hinged to a hinge rod. The manifold is connected to a cleaning pipe through a flexible hose.

4. The automatic radial movement positioning and docking mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization according to claim 3, characterized in that, Multiple support plates are provided between the first annular plate and the manifold. The support plates are fixed to the first annular plate by buffer pads and to the manifold by uprights.

5. The automatic radial movement positioning and docking mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization according to claim 4, characterized in that, A cleaning guide rod is slidably mounted on the robotic arm assembly. The cleaning guide rod is fixed to the cleaning tube by a clamping block. The cleaning guide rod is located above the cleaning tube. The two ends of the hinge rod are respectively hinged to the cleaning guide rod and the first annular plate.

6. The automatic radial movement positioning and docking mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a positioning block, which is fixed to the guide shaft of the robotic arm assembly. The cleaning guide rod is slidably connected to the positioning block, and both the cleaning guide rod and the cleaning tube are located between the two guide shafts.

7. The automatic radial movement positioning and docking mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization according to claim 6, characterized in that, The lifting cylinder is fixed to the joint plate via a floating joint, and the joint plate is fixed to the first annular plate. There are multiple lifting cylinders.

8. The automatic radial movement positioning and docking mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization according to claim 7, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism includes a second annular plate, a vertical rod, and a lifting assembly. The second annular plate is located below the filling tray. One end of the vertical rod passes through the central turntable and is fixed to the filling tray, while the other end is fixed to the second annular plate. The outer diameters of the first annular plate and the manifold are both smaller than the inner diameter of the second annular plate. The lifting assembly is used to drive the second annular plate to lift.

9. The automatic radial movement positioning and docking mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization according to claim 8, characterized in that, The lifting assembly includes multiple first guide rods capable of being lifted and lowered. The upper end of each first guide rod is provided with a clamping block, and the clamping block is provided with pulleys at both the upper and lower ends of the second annular plate.

10. The automatic radial movement positioning and docking mechanism for online cleaning and sterilization according to claim 9, characterized in that, The lifting assembly includes: a lifting motor, two base plates, and two synchronous shafts. The base plates are fixed to two first guide rods. A lead screw is threaded onto the base plates. The lead screw is connected to the synchronous shafts via a chain drive mechanism. The two synchronous shafts are connected via a belt drive mechanism. The lifting motor is used to drive one synchronous shaft to rotate. The lead screw and the synchronous shaft are both located on the outer side of the second annular plate.

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