Article handling equipment

Abstract

To make article processing means for processing different articles compact, and suppress enlargement of the device.SOLUTION: An article processing device comprises: conveyance means 4 for moving holding means 14 along an annular movement path; and measurement means 6 and filling means 7 (article processing means) provided along a conveyance path of a container 1 (article) according to the conveyance means 4. The conveyance means 4 includes an inside conveyance path CA and an outside conveyance path CB provided in parallel as conveyance paths of the article, and controls the measurement means 6 and the filling means 7 according to switching to an inside operation mode (a) for processing a syringe 1A conveyed on the inside conveyance path CA, and an outside operation mode (b) for processing a vial 1B conveyed on the outside conveyance path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article processing apparatus, and more particularly to an article processing apparatus having a transport means and an article processing means inside a sterile chamber. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an item processing apparatus is known that includes a conveying means for moving a holding means for holding an item inside a sterile chamber whose interior is maintained in a sterile state, and an item processing means provided along a path along which the item is transported by the conveying means. Known examples of such article processing devices include one in which the holding means is moved along a circulation path (Patent Document 1), and one in which the head of the article processing means is interchangeable in order to process multiple types of articles (devices) (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-192642 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-116495 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the article processing apparatus of Patent Document 1 requires redundant space between adjacent article processing means, and the article processing apparatus of Patent Document 2, although capable of processing multiple types of articles, requires redundant space to ensure working space, resulting in the problem that the machine becomes larger and it becomes difficult to maintain a sterile state in the internal space of the sterile chamber. In view of these problems, the present invention provides an article processing apparatus that can effectively utilize the internal space of a sterile chamber and prevent the apparatus from becoming large. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] That is The present invention relates to a first article and a second article having different shapes. A conveying means for moving the holding means along a circular moving path, the above Along the transport path of goods Multiple In an article processing apparatus including an article processing means, The conveying means has an inner conveying path and an outer conveying path provided in parallel as conveying paths for the article, the above Multiple Item Processing Means Each of The inner conveying path is 1. An inner operation mode for performing processing on articles, and an outer operation mode for performing processing on articles transported along the outer transport path. Second The present invention is characterized by being switchable between an outer operation mode for processing articles and an outer operation mode for processing articles. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the above invention, the above The means of transport A first article is conveyed along the inner conveying path and a second article is conveyed along the outer conveying path. In addition to transporting Each of the above The article processing means is transported along the inner transport path. 1. The goods are transported along the outer transport path. Second The articles are treated in different operating modes. By providing a plurality of parallel conveying paths formed in a circular shape in this manner, article processing means for processing different articles can be provided. Share it It is possible to make the device compact, and it is possible to prevent the device from becoming large. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a drug filling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] Side view of drug filling device [Diagram 3] A plan view of a holding means constituting the conveying means. [Figure 4] Partial sectional view of the conveying means [Diagram 5] Plan view of the metering means and filling means DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] The illustrated embodiment will now be described. FIG. 1 shows a drug filling device 2 as an article processing device that fills a drug into a container 1 as an article. The drug filling device 2 of this embodiment is capable of filling two types of containers 1, namely, syringes 1A and vials 1B, with a drug. The drug filling device 2 comprises a sterile chamber 3 the interior of which is maintained in a sterile state, a transporting means 4 provided inside the sterile chamber 3 and which transports the container 1, a container supplying means 5 which supplies empty containers 1 into the sterile chamber 3, a weighing means 6 which weighs the container 1, a filling means 7 which fills the container 1 with drug, a capping means 8 which attaches a cap to the container 1, and a container discharging means 9 which discharges the container 1, and these are controlled by a control means not shown.

[0009] The syringe 1A is a cylindrical container made of glass or resin with a tapered needle attachment part at the tip to which an injection needle can be attached, and when filling the syringe 1A with a medicine, it is transported with the capped needle attachment part facing downward, and the medicine is filled from the opening on the base side where the flange is formed. The opening is capped with a rubber cap by the capping means 8. On the other hand, the vial 1B is a cylindrical glass container with a bottom, an opening formed at the top, and a flat bottom, and the opening is adapted to be capped with a rubber cap by the capping means 8. As the syringe 1A and vial 1B have different shapes, in the past, separate drug filling devices 2 were used to fill them with drugs, but in this embodiment, it is possible to process these containers 1 using a single drug filling device 2.

[0010] In order to process two types of containers 1, namely syringes 1A and vials 1B, in the drug filling device 2 of this embodiment, the conveying means 4 is configured to convey the syringes 1A and vials 1B along an inner conveying path CA and an outer conveying path CB which are arranged in parallel. In this embodiment, the syringe 1A is transported along an inner transport path CA, and the vial 1B is transported along an outer transport path CB that is provided in parallel with the inner transport path CA. Furthermore, the container supply means 5, measuring means 6, filling means 7, capping means 8, and container discharge means 9 each constitute an item processing means according to the present invention, and as will be described in detail later, the control means controls these item processing means to process the syringe 1A transported along the inner conveying path CA in an inner operation mode, and to process the vial 1B transported along the outer conveying path CB in an outer operation mode.

[0011] The internal space of the sterile chamber 3 is formed to a size capable of accommodating the above-mentioned conveying means 4, measuring means 6, filling means 7, etc., and outside the sterile chamber 3, there are provided an air supply means for supplying sterile air and an exhaust means for exhausting air from within the sterile chamber 3, although not shown. As shown in FIG. 2, the air supply means is adapted to supply sterile air from air supply ports 11 provided at the top of the sterile chamber 3, and although not shown in FIG. 1, the air supply ports 11 are provided at multiple points in the sterile chamber 3. In response to this, the exhaust means is provided with an exhaust port 12 at the bottom of the sterile chamber 3, and the exhaust port 12 is provided with a conventionally known HEPA unit to purify the exhausted air. With this configuration, the sterile air supplied from the air intake port 11 inside the sterile chamber 3 forms a laminar flow from the top to the bottom of the sterile chamber 3 and is exhausted from the exhaust port 12.

[0012] In this embodiment, the exhaust port 12 is located inside the conveying means 4, specifically on the inner side of the movement path of the holding means 14 that constitutes the conveying means 4, and the exhaust port 12 is provided at a position lower than the conveying height of the container 1 by the conveying means 4. In this way, by locating the exhaust port 12 inside the conveying means 4, the exhaust port 12 is located approximately in the centre of the sterile chamber 3. As described above, inside the sterile chamber 3 which has a large internal space capable of accommodating item processing means such as the conveying means 4, weighing means 6 and filling means 7, an air flow is formed in the central part where air flow is likely to stagnate, thereby maintaining a sterile state. Furthermore, as described below, the driving means of the conveying means 4 in this embodiment is provided on the inner side of the movement path of the holding means 14, so that dust generated by the driving means can be sucked in through an exhaust port 12 provided on the inside of the conveying means 4, thereby preventing dust from entering the container 1 or the drug. The exhaust port 12 may be provided at a plurality of locations inside the transport means 4 .

[0013] The conveying means 4 includes an endless elliptical rail 13, a plurality of holding means 14 which move along the rail 13 and hold the containers 1, and a driving means 15 which moves the holding means 14 individually along the rail 13. The rail 13 is arranged in a substantially elliptical shape consisting of the straight portion and the arc-shaped portion, and as shown in FIG. 2, the rail 13 is provided at a required height from the floor surface of the sterile chamber 3 by means of pillar-shaped members 13a provided at multiple intervals. By supporting the rail 13 in this manner with a plurality of columnar members 13a, the air flowing within the sterile chamber 3 flows between the columnar members 13a and toward the exhaust port 12 located inside the conveying means 4.

[0014] 3 shows a plan view of the holding means 14. In this embodiment, one holding means 14 holds one container 1, and the control means controls the driving means 15, so that each holding means 14 can be moved individually. The holding means 14 of this embodiment is adapted to be used interchangeably as an inner holding means 14A for holding the syringe 1A and an outer holding means 14B for holding the vial 1B. The inside holding means 14A and the outside holding means 14B have a common configuration, and are provided with a pair of gripping members 16 for gripping the container 1, and opening / closing means 17 for opening and closing the gripping members 16. The gripping member 16 has a recess 16a formed at a facing position for gripping the container 1, and when the gripping member 16 is closed by the opening / closing means 17, the container 1 is accommodated between the recesses 16a, 16a, and the container 1 is gripped by the holding means 14. The recess 16a is provided at different positions depending on the container 1 to be held, with the recess 16a of the inner holding means 14A that holds the syringe 1A being formed at a position on the inner transport path CA, and the recess 16a of the outer holding means 14B that holds the vial 1B being formed at a position on the outer transport path CB.

[0015] The opening / closing means 17 includes two arms 17b that are pivotally mounted on a pivot shaft 17a, and the gripping member 16 is fixed to one end of each arm 17b, and a cam (not shown) is provided on each arm 17b. As a result, the arms 17b pivot in unison to open and close the gripping member 16. A spring 17c is provided at the end of each of the arms 17b on the gripping member 16 side, and the spring 17c biases the gripping members 16 in a direction to approach each other, that is, to bias the holding means 14 to a closed state. One arm 17b is provided so as to protrude toward the rail 13, and a cam follower 17d is provided at its tip. When the cam follower 17d is pressed, the arm 17b swings about the swing shaft 17a, so that the gripping member 16 opens and closes.

[0016] An opening / closing bar 18 driven by a driving means (not shown) is provided inside the cam follower 17d, and the opening / closing bar 18 is arranged so as to move forward and backward in a direction perpendicular to the transport path of the container 1. When the opening / closing bar 18 presses the cam follower 17d from the inside to the outside of the rail 13, the gripping member 16 swings to an open state, and when the opening / closing bar 18 moves from the outside to the inside from that state, the gripping member 16 becomes closed due to the biasing force of the spring 17c. The opening and closing bar 18 is provided at a position adjacent to each of the container supply means 5, weighing means 6, and container discharge means 9 provided along the conveying means 4 as shown in Figure 1, and has a predetermined length in the conveying direction so as to simultaneously press the cam followers 17d of multiple holding means 14 to open and close them simultaneously.

[0017] The driving means 15 moves the holding means 14 by a conventionally known linear drive, and as shown in Figure 4, is composed of rails 13 arranged in parallel above and below, a plurality of electromagnetic coils 19 arranged between the rails 13, and a shuttle 20 which holds the holding means 14 and moves by electromagnetic induction generated between the electromagnetic coils 19. The shuttle 20 includes a permanent magnet 20 a provided in the vicinity of the electromagnetic coil 19 , and rollers 20 b provided above and below the permanent magnet 20 a and engaging with the rail 13 . The holding means 14 is provided on the upper part of the shuttle 20, and when replacing the inner holding means 14A that holds the syringe 1A with the outer holding means 14B that holds the vial 1B, the holding means 14 is removed from the shuttle 20, or the entire shuttle 20 is replaced. With the above-mentioned configuration, the control means controls each electromagnetic coil 19, thereby making it possible to move each shuttle 20 and to move the holding means 14 provided on that shuttle 20. The control means is also capable of recognizing the position of each holding means 14 and storing the weight of the syringe 1A or vial 1B held by the holding means 14 in correspondence with the position of each holding means 14.

[0018] The container supply means 5 stores the syringes 1A and vials 1B in grids called nests (not shown), and transports the nests together in a transport container 21 from outside the sterile chamber 3. The container supply means 5 is equipped with a belt conveyor 5a for transporting the transport container 21, and a robot 5b for removing the syringes 1A and vials 1B from the transport container 21 on the belt conveyor 5a and transferring them to the holding means 14 of the transport means 4. The belt conveyor 5a transports a transport container 21 containing pre-sterilized syringes 1A or vials 1B from the outside to the inside of the sterile chamber 3, and then stops the transport container 21 at a position adjacent to the transport means 4. On the other hand, the conveying means 4 stops the plurality of holding means 14 at a position adjacent to the container supplying means 5 by the control means, and the opening and closing bar 18 is provided at the stopping position of the holding means 14. The robot 5b is equipped with multiple holding heads, and when the holding heads hold the container 1 contained in the transport container 21, they move it to the holding means 14 which has been opened by the opening and closing bar 18, and hand over the container 1 to the holding means 14. Incidentally, since the configuration of the robot 5b itself is conventionally known, a detailed description of the configuration will be omitted.

[0019] Here, the container supplying means 5 of this embodiment is controlled by the control means in the inside operation mode or the outside operation mode depending on whether the container 1 to be treated is a syringe 1A or a vial 1B. In other words, in the container supply means 5, the syringes 1A and vials 1B are supplied in the transport container 21 at different intervals and arrangements, and since the holding means 14 of the transport means 4 also holds the syringes 1A or vials 1B at different positions between the inner holding means 14A and the outer holding means 14B, it is necessary to control the belt conveyor 5a and the robot 5b differently. In other words, when processing the syringe 1A, the recess 16a of the inner holding means 14A is formed at a position on the inner transport path CA, so that the robot 5b moves the syringe 1A onto this inner transport path CA and controls the syringe 1A to be grasped by the inner holding means 14A. In contrast, when processing vial 1B, since the recess 16a of the outer holding means 14B is formed at a position on the outer transport path CB, the robot 5b moves the vial 1B onto this outer transport path CB and controls the outer holding means 14B to grasp the vial 1B.

[0020] Next, the measuring means 6 and the filling means 7 will be described with reference to FIG. The weighing means 6 has two sets of four weighers 6a spaced apart on the upstream and downstream sides along the path of movement of the holding means 14 by the conveying means 4, and a robot 6b is provided adjacent to each set of weighers 6a for moving the syringe 1A between the holding means 14 and the weighers 6a. The conveying means 4 is provided with an opening / closing bar 18 for opening and closing the holding means 14 in accordance with the position where the weighing device 6a is provided. The weighing device 6a includes a receiving tray 6c for supporting the container 1 from below when the container 1 is weighed, and the receiving tray 6c is disposed along the outer conveying path CB. When processing the syringe 1A, the receiving tray 6c is adapted to be attached to two sets of weighing devices 6a on the upstream and downstream sides, and the receiving tray 6c attached at this time has a shape capable of accommodating the tip of the syringe 1A. On the other hand, when the vial 1B is processed, the receiving tray 6c is attached only to the four upstream weighing devices 6a, and the downstream weighing devices 6a are not used as described later. The receiving tray 6c has a flat upper surface, and the height of the upper surface is set to be approximately the same as the bottom surface of the vial 1B transported by the transport means 4. The robot 6b is equipped with a holding head (not shown) for holding the syringe 1A, and holds the syringe 1A held by the inner holding means 14A and places it on a receiving tray 6c arranged on the outer conveying path CB.When weighing of the syringe 1A is completed, the robot 6b holds the syringe 1A on the receiving tray 6c and passes it to each inner holding means 14A. On the other hand, when the vial 1B is processed, the robot 5b is not used and is in a standby state.

[0021] The filling means 7 is equipped with four filling nozzles 7aA for filling the syringe 1A with a medicine and four filling nozzles 7aB for filling the vial 1B with a medicine, each of which is raised and lowered by a lifting means (not shown) and receives a medicine from a medicine supply means (not shown). Four filling nozzles 7aA for filling the syringe 1A with a medicine are provided between the two sets of weighing devices 6a provided on the upstream and downstream sides, and above the inner transport path CA. On the other hand, four filling nozzles 7aB for filling the vials 1B with medicine are provided above the receiving trays 6c of the four upstream weighing devices 6a, and therefore above the outer transport path CB.

[0022] The stoppering means 8 includes four stoppering heads 8aA for attaching rubber caps to the opening formed at the base of the syringe 1A, and four stoppering heads 8aB for attaching rubber caps to the opening of the vial 1B, and the rubber caps that fit the vial 1B or syringe 1A are supplied to these stoppering heads 8aA by a cap supply means not shown. The stoppering head 8aA for the syringe 1A is provided above the inner transport path CA, and the stoppering head 8aA for the vial 1B is provided above the outer transport path CB, each of which is capable of being raised and lowered by a lifting means not shown.

[0023] The container discharging means 9 includes a syringe discharging means 9A for discharging the syringe 1A, and a vial discharging means 9B for discharging the vial 1B. First, the vial discharge means 9B is composed of a belt conveyor 22 provided adjacent to the downstream side of the stoppering means 8, and a robot 23 provided adjacent to the belt conveyor 22, and the conveying means 4 is provided with an opening / closing bar 18 at the position of the vial discharge means 9B. With this configuration, when the outer holding means 14B holding the vial 1B stops at a position adjacent to the belt conveyor 22, the robot 23 receives the vial 1B held by the outer holding means 14B and places it on the belt conveyor 22. The belt conveyor 22 then transports the vial 1B to a subsequent process (not shown) located outside the sterile chamber 3. Next, the syringe discharge means 9A is provided on the downstream side of the vial discharge means 9B in the conveying means 4, specifically, further downstream of the arc portion of the rail 13 adjacent to the downstream side of the vial discharge means 9B. The syringe discharge means 9A is composed of a transport conveyor 24 with multiple hakama on the upper part and a robot 25 provided adjacent to the transport conveyor 24, and the transport means 4 is provided with an opening / closing bar 18 at the position of the syringe discharge means 9A. With this configuration, when the inside holding means 14A holding the syringe 1A stops at a position adjacent to the transport conveyor 24, the robot 25 receives the syringe 1A held by the inside holding means 14A and stores it in a compartment on the transport conveyor 24. The transport conveyor 24 then transports the syringe 1A to a subsequent process (not shown) provided outside the sterile chamber 3.

[0024] The operation of the medicine filling device 2 having the above configuration will now be described. First, the operation for syringe 1A will be explained. The transport means 4 is previously equipped with an inner holding means 14A for transporting syringe 1A along the inner transport path CA, the measuring means 6 has upstream and downstream weighing devices 6a equipped with receiving trays 6c for syringe 1A, the filling means 7 is equipped with a filling nozzle 7aA above the inner transport path CA, and the capping means 8 is equipped with a capping head 8aA above the inner transport path CA. In this state, the operator instructs the control means to execute processing in the inside operation mode for processing the syringe 1A, and also supplies the transport container 21 containing the syringe 1A to the container supply means 5. The control means then controls the container supply means 5, causing the belt conveyor 5a to move the transport container 21 to a position adjacent to the conveying means 4, and at this time the conveying means 4 causes the four inner holding means 14A to wait in a position adjacent to the belt conveyor 5a and keeps them in an open state by the opening and closing bar 18. Next, the robot 5b of the container supplying means 5 holds the syringe 1A contained in the transport container 21 and delivers it to the holding means 14. As a result, the syringe 1A is held on the inside transport path CA by the inside holding means 14A.

[0025] Next, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the control means controls the conveying means 4 to move the four holding means 14 to positions adjacent to the four weighing devices 6a on the upstream side of the weighing means 6, and then controls the robot 6b of the weighing means 6 to move the syringe 1A from the holding means 14 to the receiving tray 6c of the weighing device 6a. After the weight of the empty syringe 1A is measured by the four upstream weighing devices 6a, the robot 6b transfers the weighed syringe 1A to the inner holding means 14A, and the control means moves the inner holding means 14A between the upstream weighing devices 6a and the downstream weighing devices 6a. At this position, the filling nozzle 7aA of the filling means 7 is located above the inner transport path CA, and the control means controls the filling means 7 to fill a predetermined amount of drug into the syringe 1A held by the inner holding means 14A. When the filling of the drug is completed, the transporting means 4 moves the inner holding means 14A to the four downstream weighing devices 6a, and the robot 6b of the weighing means 6 moves the syringe 1A from the inner holding means 14A to the receiving tray 6c of the weighing device 6a, and the weight of the syringe 1A filled with the drug is measured. The control means calculates the amount of drug filled from the weight of empty syringe 1A weighed by upstream weigher 6a and the weight of syringe 1A filled with drug weighed by downstream weigher 6a.

[0026] Once the amount of drug filled into syringe 1A has been measured in this manner, the control means moves the inner holding means 14A to the capping means 8 and attaches a rubber cap to syringe 1A using the capping head 8aA located above the inner transport path CA. Then, the control means moves the holding means 14 to the syringe discharge means 9A in the container discharge means 9, where the robot 25 transfers the syringe 1A in the holding means 14 to a holder provided on the transport conveyor 24, and then the syringe 1A is discharged outside the sterile chamber 3.

[0027] Next, the operation for vial 1B will be described. In this case as well, outer holding means 14B for transporting vial 1B on outer transport path CB is attached to transport means 4 in advance, a receiver 6c for vial 1B is attached to upstream weigher 6a of measuring means 6, a filling nozzle 7aB is attached above outer transport path CB to filling means 7, and a stoppering head 8aB is attached above outer transport path CB to stoppering means 8. In this state, the operator issues an instruction to the control means to carry out processing in the outside operation mode for processing the vial 1B, and supplies the transport container 21 containing the vial 1B to the container supply means 5. The control means then controls the container supply means 5, and when the belt conveyor 5a moves the transport container 21 to a position adjacent to the transport means 4, the robot 5b transfers the vial 1B contained in the transport container 21 to the outer holding means 14B. As a result, the vial 1B is held on the outer conveying path CB of the conveying means 4 by the outer holding means 14B.

[0028] As shown in Figure 5(b), the control means controls the conveying means 4 to move the four outer holding means 14B to the positions of the receiving trays 6c of the four upstream weighing devices 6a in the weighing means 6, and then the holding means 14 is put into an open state. As a result, the weigher 6a starts to measure the weight of the vial 1B, and thereafter the control means controls the filling nozzle 7aB of the filling means 7 provided above the outer transport path CB to start filling the vial 1B with the drug. The weighing device 6a measures the amount of medicine to be filled, and when a predetermined amount of medicine has been filled into the vial 1B, the control means stops the supply of medicine, retracts the filling nozzle 7aB, and the outer holding means 14B again holds the vial 1B. Thereafter, the conveying means 4 moves the outer holding means 14B filled with the drug past the four downstream weighing devices 6a to the capping means 8, and attaches a rubber cap to the vial 1B using the capping head 8aB located above the outer conveying path CB. Thereafter, the conveying means 4 moves the outer holding means 14B to the vial discharge means 9B in the container discharge means 9, and the robot 23 receives the vial 1B from the outer holding means 14B and transfers it to the belt conveyor 22, and the vial 1B is discharged outside the sterile chamber 3.

[0029] While the syringe 1A or vial 1B is being processed, sterile air is supplied from an air inlet 11 provided above inside the sterile chamber 3, and the sterile air forms a laminar flow toward an exhaust outlet 12 provided below. Furthermore, the exhaust port 12 is provided inside the movement path of the holding means 14 in the conveying means 4, and the driving means 15 of the conveying means 4 is provided inside the conveying trajectory of the vial 1B and the syringe 1A. This creates an air flow in the central part of the sterile chamber 3 where air flow was prone to stagnation, and also prevents dust generated by the movement of the holding means 14 from being mixed into the medicine, as the dust flows toward the exhaust port 12, which is inside the transport path of the container 1.

[0030] Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, syringes 1A and vials 1B having different shapes are transported using the inner transport path CA and the outer transport path CB, respectively, and the item processing means such as the weighing means 6 and the filling means 7 are controlled using an inner operation mode for syringes 1A and an outer operation mode for vials 1B, respectively. As a result, whereas conventionally a dedicated drug filling device 2 was used to fill the syringe 1A and the vial 1B with the drug, it is now possible to process both using a single drug filling device 2.

[0031] Although the above embodiment describes a drug filling device 2 that fills a syringe 1A or a vial 1B with a drug inside a sterile chamber 3, the device may also be used to process other articles as long as it is an article processing device equipped with a conveying means 4 that circulates a holding means 14 that holds an article inside the sterile chamber 3. In addition, the conveying means 4 in the above embodiment is configured to move the holding means 14 by linear drive, but it may be a curved conveyor called a hakama that conveys articles stored in the holding means 14. In this case, too, the movement path of the holding means 14 is made a circulation path, and the exhaust port 12 of the exhaust means is provided inside the circulation path, thereby preventing dust from adhering to the articles. In addition, when processing the vial 1B, the vial 1B may be weighed before or after filling. That is, a receiving tray 6c may be provided on the downstream weighing device 6a, and a filling nozzle 7aB may be provided on the outer conveying path CB between the weighing devices 6a. The capping means 8 may be a capping device such as a screw capper or a PP capper. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1 Container (item) 1A Syringe 1B Vial 3 Sterile chamber 4 Conveying means 5 Container supplying means 6 Measuring means 7 Filling means 8 Capping means 9 Container discharge means 11 Air intake 12 Air exhaust 13 Rail 14 Retaining means 15 Drive means CA Inner conveying path CB Outer transport path

Claims

1. An article processing apparatus comprising: a conveying means for moving a holding means for holding a first article and a second article having different shapes along a circular moving path; and a plurality of article processing means provided along the conveying path of the articles by the conveying means, The conveying means has an inner conveying path and an outer conveying path provided in parallel as conveying paths for the article, An article processing apparatus characterized in that each of the multiple article processing means is switchable between an inner operating mode in which processing is performed on a first article transported along the inner conveying path, and an outer operating mode in which processing is performed on a second article transported along the outer conveying path.

2. 2. The article processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying means and the article processing means are provided in a sterile chamber the inside of which is maintained in a sterile state.

3. 3. An article processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the article processing means comprises at least a filling means and a capping means.

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