CUTTING DEVICE FOR SEGMENTING A BLISTER PACK

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a cutting device for segmenting a blister pack, comprising a blade that can be moved by a motor against a counter bearing, wherein the blister pack can be guided between the counter bearing and the blade.

[0002] It is known to provide patient-specific blister packs of polypharmacy to facilitate the administration of the respective medication combination for the patient. From DE 10 2019 134 447 A1, a device for dispensing medication combinations is known in which the polypharmacy medications are arranged in a tubular blister.

[0003] The object of the invention is to provide a cutting device for segmenting a blister pack that is structurally simple and functionally reliable.

[0004] The invention is defined by the features of claim 1. Advantageous further developments and embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims. Further features, applications, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the explanation of exemplary embodiments of the invention illustrated in the figures.

[0005] The problem is solved according to claim 1 in that, in a cutting device with a blade that can be moved by a motor against a counter bearing, wherein the blister packaging can be guided between the counter bearing and the blade, the blade is held in a cutting unit comprising a blade holder that can be moved back and forth by a motor and a blade guide coupled to the blade holder and provided with a recess for the passage of the blade, wherein the blade holder and the blade guide are coupled to each other via at least one elastic intermediate piece.

[0006] The invention enables very simple operation using a single drive unit that generates a reciprocating or up-and-down movement, while simultaneously ensuring that the blade is guided in a protected manner until immediately before the actual cutting process, thus effectively preventing injuries to the user. The elastic intermediate piece keeps the blade holder and the blade guide, which encloses the blade, at a distance until the blade guide, clamping the blister pack, strikes the counter bearing. Subsequently, the motor-driven blade holder continues to press against the blade guide, thereby deforming the elastic intermediate piece. This reduces the distance between the blade holder and the blade guide, allowing the blade to emerge from the blade guide and cut through the blister pack.During the return movement of the knife holder, the elastic spacer is first reshaped to its original form. The knife guide initially remains in contact with the blister pack, but the knife blade is then re-engaged by the guide. Only then does the knife guide lift off the blister pack and thus off the counter bearing, releasing the detached blister pack. The knife edge is protected inside the knife guide, preventing any injury to the user. Finally, the knife holder and the knife guide, which is connected to it via the elastic spacer, are moved back to their starting position away from the counter bearing.

[0007] The elastic intermediate piece is preferably designed as a spring, particularly preferably as a coil spring. Alternatively, it can also have any other shape. Spring steel or a highly elastic plastic is preferably used as the material.

[0008] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a cutting edge of the knife is arranged in the recess in the home position of the cutting unit, wherein, furthermore, when a cutting operation is carried out, the cutting unit can be moved from the home position towards the counter bearing until the knife guide, while fixing the blister packaging, abuts the counter bearing and the knife holder can be moved against the knife guide by means of elastic deformation of the intermediate piece, and in a cutting position the knife cutting edge emerges from the recess to carry out the cutting operation.

[0009] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cutting device comprises a releasable locking device designed to prevent movement of the blade holder relative to the blade guide, thus preventing the blade from exiting the guide. The locking device remains in a locked position until shortly before the cutting position and can then be moved into a release position. This locking device effectively prevents unintentional relative movement between the blade holder and the blade guide by compressing the intermediate piece, for example, by objects such as the user's fingers unintentionally entering the gap between the blade guide and the counter bearing. This prevents the blade from unintentionally exiting the blade guide.

[0010] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the locking device comprises a cam. A locking pawl, tiltable about a transverse axis, is arranged on the measuring guide. The pawl has a guide arm at one end that rests against the cam and a locking arm at the other end. This arrangement ensures a structurally very simple and reliable operating mode of the locking device.

[0011] According to a further advantageous development of this design, the cam has a locking section and a release section, wherein in the locking section starting from the home position the locking pawl is held in the locking position and in the release section a movement of the locking pawl into the release position can be effected, in which the knife edge emerges from the recess to carry out the cutting process.

[0012] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the cutting device, the contact surface of the blade guide facing the counter bearing is provided with a friction-enhancing coating. This prevents the tube blister pack from slipping during the cutting process and thus impairing the quality of the cut. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the cutting device, the contact surface of the counter bearing facing the blade guide is provided with a friction-enhancing coating for the same purpose.

[0013] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the cutting device, the drive unit includes a current monitoring unit to return the cutting unit to its home position if a current threshold is exceeded. This provides a preferably second electronic safety feature in case an object, such as a user's finger, is located in the gap between the blade guide and the counter bearing during the movement of the cutting unit, thus returning the cutting unit to its home position.

[0014] Further advantages, features, and details will become apparent from the following description, which describes an exemplary embodiment in detail with reference to the drawings. Identical, similar, and / or functionally equivalent parts are identified by the same reference numerals.

[0015] They show: Figure 1: a schematic representation of a tube blister pack; Figure 2: a perspective view of part of a segmenting device for blister packs; Figure 3: a perspective view of a cutting device; Figure 4: a perspective sectional view of the cutting device of Figure 3 Figure 5: a perspective view of a locking device for the cutting device in a locked position; Figure 6: a perspective view of the locking device of Figure 5 in a release position; Figure 7: a perspective view of the locking device showing a cutting blade; Figure 8: a perspective sectional view of the cutting device of Figure 7 .

[0016] Figure 1Figure 1 schematically shows an example of a tube-blister pack 14, which consists of a transparent plastic film 82 folded at 84 and has a continuous longitudinal weld seam 86 on the opposite side. The tube-blister pack 14 is divided into individual closed pockets or blister packs 90a, 90b by regularly spaced transverse weld seams 88, each containing tablets 92. All pockets 90a, 90b can contain the same tablets 92 or individual tablet combinations for different times of day (morning, noon, evening). Preferably, a perforation 94 is provided in the center of each transverse weld seam 88 to allow manual separation of the end (first) pocket 90b from the rest of the tube-blister pack 14. The tube blister packaging 14 has an approximate width of 7-8 cm and adjacent transverse weld seams 88 are approximately 7-8 cm apart.

[0017] The Figures 2 to 4 show part of a segmentation device 10 for segmenting the in Figure 1 shown tube blister packs 14, comprising a conveying device 12 for conveying such a tube blister pack 14 to a cutting device 16 in order to cut the tube blister pack 14 into individual blister packs 90 ( Figure 1 ) to separate the individual tubes. For this purpose, a knife cuts the tube blister packs 14 as precisely as possible at the point of perforation 94.

[0018] The cutting device 16 comprises a frame 18 on which guides 20 (designed as guide rods in the illustrated embodiment) are mounted for guiding an oscillating back-and-forth (or in Figure 2The cutting unit 22 is movable up and down. The cutting unit 22 essentially consists of a blade holder 24, which is movable along the guides 20 by a motor and is coupled (in the illustrated embodiment) to a blade guide 28 via two elastic intermediate pieces 26. The blade guide 28 is thus moved along the blade during the motor-driven movement. A blade 30 is fixed to the blade holder 24 and passes through a recess 32 in the blade guide 28. The recess 32 can be a laterally closed or open slot. The intermediate pieces 26 are dimensioned such that, when the blade guide 28 is not in contact with the counter bearing, the cutting edge 34 of the blade 30 is located inside the recess 32, thus effectively preventing injuries or damage from the blade cutting edge 34.By means of the drive device (not shown), which is operatively connected to the knife holder 24, the knife holder 24 is moved towards the blister packaging belt 14, thereby pushing the knife guide 28 ahead of it until the latter, securing the tube blister pack 14, abuts a counter bearing 36, which in the illustrated embodiment is part of the frame 18. The drive device and the locking device are dimensioned such that the drive device cannot overcome the locking device when locked. The drive device pushes the knife holder 24 further, whereas the knife guide 28, which is pressing against the counter bearing 36, cannot move any further, so that the intermediate pieces 26 slide together and thus the distance between the knife holder 24 and the knife guide 28 decreases.This causes the cutting edge 34 at the end of the knife holder 24 to emerge from the recess 32 in a cutting position and, while cutting through the tube blister pack 14, enter a recess or gap in the counter bearing 36. This marks the end of the stroke of the cutting unit 22, which then moves back upwards to its starting position, driven by a motor and reshaping the intermediate pieces 26. The tube blister pack 14 is then advanced by the conveyor 12 by one blister pack.

[0019] The intermediate pieces 26 can preferably be designed as springs, in particular coil springs, or as rubber-elastic elements. These can also include damping elements to prevent reverberation. It is also possible to use only one intermediate piece 26 instead of two.

[0020] Where the terms "above" and "below" are used in connection with the cutting device 16 according to the invention, this refers to one possible arrangement. The cutting device 16 can alternatively also be arranged below or to the side of the tube blister pack 14, in which case the terminology would change.

[0021] In the Figures 5 and 6A preferred embodiment is shown which prevents the intermediate pieces 26 from unintentionally sliding together before the start of the cutting process, i.e., before the knife holder 24 contacts the counter bearing 36. For example, a finger or other body part of a user could get caught between the knife holder 24 and the counter bearing 36 when the cutting unit 22 is in or near its upper end position. For this purpose, a locking device 38 is provided, which includes a tiltable locking pawl 40 that is tiltable or pivotable about a transverse axis 41 on the knife guide 28. The locking pawl 40 comprises a lower guide arm 42, which is pressed against a cam 46 by spring means (not shown), and an upper locking arm 44, which serves as a stop for the knife holder 24 when the locking pawl 40 is in the Figure 4The locking position shown is shown. In this locking position, the locking arm 44 prevents the knife holder 24 and the knife guide 28 from approaching each other, so that the knife edge 34 located inside the knife guide 28 cannot protrude from the recess 32 and cause injury or damage. The cam 46 comprises two sections for this purpose: a locking section 48 and a release section 50, between which a transition point 52 is formed. The release section 50 allows the guide arm 42 to move and thus – as shown in the views of Figure 4 and 5 - a pivoting or tilting movement of the pawl 40 in a clockwise direction about the transverse axis 41 from the in Figure 5 shown locking position in the Figure 6The release position shown is as follows. In this position, the locking arm 44 moves out of the movement range of the knife holder 42, allowing the knife holder 24 to approach the knife guide 28 under elastic deformation of the intermediate pieces 26. This causes the knife cutting edge 34 to emerge from the recess 32 to perform the cutting operation on the tube blister pack 14. The transition point 52 is preferably selected such that the movement of the locking pawl 40 into the release position occurs only shortly before the knife guide 28 contacts the tube blister pack 14, ensuring that no body parts can be positioned between them. The cam 46 can also be designed as part of one of the guides 20 for the cutting unit.

[0022] In the Figures 7 and 8In two perspective views of the cutting device 16, a cutting blade 54 is shown, which is arranged at a distance from the main blade 30 and passes through a cutting blade slot 56. The cutting blade 54 is arranged at a distance of approximately 1-2 cm from the main blade 30 and serves to form a slot 96 of 3-5 mm in length in the longitudinal weld seam 86 of the tube blister pack 14, which only partially (40-60%) cuts through the longitudinal weld seam 86 and serves to make it easier to manually tear open an individual blister pack 90b.

[0023] Although the invention has been further illustrated and explained in detail by means of preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited by the disclosed examples, and other variations can be derived by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the invention. It is therefore clear that a multitude of possible variations exist. It is also clear that the embodiments mentioned as examples are truly only examples and are not to be understood in any way as limiting, for instance, the scope of protection, the possible applications, or the configuration of the invention as defined by the claims. Reference symbol list

[0024] 10 Segmenting device 12 Conveyor device 14 Tube blister pack 16 Cutting device 18 Frame 20 Guides 22 Cutting unit 24 Knife holder 26 Spacers 28 Knife guide 30 Knife 32 Recess 34 Cutting edge 36 Counter bearing 38 Locking device 40 Locking pawl 41 Transverse axis 42 Guide arm 44 Locking arm 46 Slide 48 Locking section 50 Release section 52 Transition point 54 Lead knife 56 Lead knife slot 82 Plastic film 84 Folding 86 Longitudinal weld 88 Transverse welds 90a,b Pockets / Blister packs 92 Tablets 94 Perforation 96 Slot

Claims

1. Cutting apparatus for segmenting a tubular blister pack (14), comprising a blade (30) which is movable in motordriven manner against a counter bearing (36), wherein the tubular blister pack (14) can be guided between the counter bearing (36) and the blade (30), characterised in that the blade (30) is held in a cutting apparatus (22), which comprises a blade holder (24), which can be moved back and forth by means of a motor, and a blade guide (28) which is provided with a recess (32) for the blade (30) to pass through and is coupled to the blade holder (24), wherein the blade holder (24) and the blade guide (28) are connected to each another by means of at least one elastic intermediate piece (26).

2. Cutting apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that in a basic position of the cutting unit (22), a cutting edge (34) of the blade (30) is arranged in the recess (32), wherein, furthermore, when a cutting procedure is carried out, the cutting unit (22) is movable from the basic position to the counter bearing (36) until the blade guide (28), fixating the tubular blister pack (14), abuts the counter bearing (36) and the blade holder (24) is movable against the blade guide (28) with elastic deformation of the intermediate piece (26), and thereby in a cutting position the blade cutting edge (34) emerges from the recess (32) to perform the cutting procedure.

3. Cutting apparatus according to claim 2, characterised in that it comprises a releasable blocking device (38) in the direction of movement of the cutting apparatus, which is designed to prevent a movement of the blade holder (24) relative to the blade guide (28) in order to prevent the blade cutting edge (34) from emerging from the blade guide (28), wherein the blocking device (38) is in a blocking position until shortly before the cutting position and is subsequently movable into a release position.

4. Cutting apparatus according to claim 3, characterised in that the blocking device (38) comprises a slotted link (46), and a pawl (40) which can be tilted about a transverse axis is arranged on the blade guide (28) and has, at one end, a guide arm (42) abutting the slotted link (46) and, at the other end, a blocking arm (44).

5. Cutting apparatus according to claim 4, characterised in that the slotted link (46) has a blocking portion (48) and a release portion (50), wherein in the blocking portion (48) the pawl (40), starting from the basic position, is held in the blocking position and in the release portion (50) a movement of the pawl (40) into the release position can be brought about, in which the blade cutting edge (34) emerges from the recess (32) in order to perform the cutting procedure.

6. Cutting apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises a cutting blade (54) for forming a cutting blade slot (56) in the tubular blister pack (14).

7. Cutting apparatus according to claim 6, characterised in that the cutting blade (54) is attached to the blade holder (24).

8. Cutting apparatus according to claim 7, characterised in that the blade guide (28) has a second slot for the cutting blade (54) to past through.

9. Cutting apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the contact surface of the blade guide (28) facing the counter bearing is provided with a friction-increasing coating.

10. Cutting apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the contact surface of the counter bearing (36) facing the blade guide (28) is provided with a friction-increasing coating.

11. Cutting apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the drive unit comprises a current monitoring unit for moving the cutting unit (22) back into the basic position if a current threshold value is exceeded.