Medicine container cap fastening device

Abstract

The present invention provides a medicine container cap fastening device for fastening a cap to a medicine container in a medicine packaging process in which medicine is fed into and packaged in the medicine container, the medicine container cap fastening device comprising: a base frame having a container fixing part formed at one side at the front thereof, so that a medicine container can be fixed onto the upper surface thereof; a cap transfer module which is disposed on the base frame, and which horizontally transfers, in a row toward the front thereof, caps supplied from a separate cap supply device; a cap picking module, which picks the cap at the very front thereof from among the caps transferred by the cap transfer module, so as to horizontally transfer same forward to a fastening standby position; a cap fastening module, which moves one level downward toward the fastening standby position so as to grip the cap transferred by the cap picking module, rotates around a vertical axis while gripping the cap, and moves two levels downward so as to screw-fasten the cap to the medicine container; and a control unit for controlling operations of the cap transfer module, the cap picking module and the cap fastening module.

Description

Cap fastening device for pharmaceutical containers

[0001] The present invention relates to a cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container that can accurately maintain the transport and alignment of a cap during the cap transport process, improve the transport and fastening speed of the cap, thereby reducing the overall process processing time, and minimize operational errors due to cap misalignment, thereby maintaining a more stable operating state.

[0002] Pharmaceuticals manufactured by pharmaceutical companies are diverse, and are supplied to users in various dosage forms, each tailored to their intended use or intended use. In particular, considering ease of use and ease of mass production, most pharmaceuticals are manufactured as tablets (or "pills") or capsules. After counting the dosage, they are typically packaged in pharmaceutical containers and supplied to users.

[0003] To distribute pharmaceuticals in packaged form, a pharmaceutical packaging device has been developed that places the pharmaceuticals in pharmaceutical containers and packages them. This device automates the entire pharmaceutical packaging process, including container washing, drug loading, antioxidant application, and capping.

[0004] These pharmaceutical packaging devices are configured to perform various processes, such as a container supply process for supplying pharmaceutical containers, a cleaning process for air-cleaning the inside of the pharmaceutical containers, a process for adding additives such as antioxidants to the inside of the pharmaceutical containers to prevent denaturation of the pharmaceuticals, a process for quantitatively counting pharmaceuticals and adding them to the pharmaceutical containers, and a process for fastening the caps on the pharmaceutical containers. Each process is performed in an automated manner by separately manufactured individual process devices.

[0005] The individual process devices used in these pharmaceutical packaging processes are manufactured in various forms depending on the circumstances of each pharmaceutical company. Among these individual process devices, the device that attaches the cap to the pharmaceutical container is manufactured in a wide variety of ways depending on the type of pharmaceutical container, type of cap, etc.

[0006] The cap fastening device for such a pharmaceutical container generally includes a cap supply unit that supplies caps, and a cap fastening unit that picks caps from the cap supply unit and fastens the caps to the pharmaceutical container, and is configured in a manner that mainly utilizes a rotating moving element in the process of supplying the caps to the cap picking position or in the process of picking the caps.

[0007] Utilizing a rotating movement element in this way during the cap transport process has the disadvantage of complicating the overall structure and complicating motion control. In particular, centrifugal force acts on the cap during the cap transport process, which limits the cap transport speed and thus reduces the process processing speed. Furthermore, due to the nature of the rotating transport structure, the accuracy of the cap transport position is reduced, which causes problems such as frequent errors during the process processing.

[0008] [Prior Art Literature]

[0009] [Patent Document]

[0010] (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent No. 10-1992271

[0011] The present invention was invented to solve the problems of the prior art, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide a cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container that can accurately maintain the transport and alignment state of the cap during the transport process of the cap, and can improve the transport speed and fastening speed of the cap, thereby shortening the overall process processing time.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container that can prevent separation and detachment of the cap during the transport process of the cap, improve the accuracy of the transport position, and thereby minimize operating errors due to misalignment of the cap position, thereby maintaining a more stable operating state.

[0013] The present invention provides a cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container that fastens a cap to a pharmaceutical container in a pharmaceutical packaging process of putting a pharmaceutical into a pharmaceutical container and packaging it, the device comprising: a base frame having a container fixing portion formed on a front side thereof so as to fasten the pharmaceutical container to an upper surface thereof; a cap transfer module disposed on the upper portion of the base frame and horizontally transferring caps supplied from a separate cap supply device in a row toward the front; a cap picking module that picks the frontmost cap among the caps transferred by the cap transfer module and horizontally transfers it forward to a fastening standby position; a cap fastening module that moves downward in one step toward the fastening standby position to grip the cap transferred by the cap picking module, and rotates around a vertical axis in a state of gripping the cap to fasten the cap to the pharmaceutical container in a screw manner in a second step; and a control unit that controls the operations of the cap transfer module, the cap picking module, and the cap fastening module.

[0014] At this time, the cap transport module includes a conveyor belt that receives caps from the cap supply device and horizontally transports them forward in a single line; a mounting plate arranged in front of the conveyor belt so that the caps transported from the conveyor belt are mounted; a guide bar that guides the positions of the caps so that the caps positioned on the conveyor belt and the mounting plate are arranged in a single line; and a belt drive unit whose operation is controlled by the control unit to rotate the conveyor belt, and the cap picking module can be configured to pick the caps mounted on the mounting plate.

[0015] In addition, the cap transport module further includes a cap blocking rod positioned in front of the settling plate and operating to protrude toward the upper portion of the settling plate so that the cap transported from the conveyor belt does not protrude forward, and the cap blocking rod can be operated by a separate actuator so that the cap picking module is released from protruding when the cap picking module moves backward to pick the cap of the settling plate and protrudes when the cap picking module moves forward to pick the cap of the settling plate.

[0016] In addition, two guide bars are provided so as to be positioned on both upper sides of the width direction of the conveyor belt in a direction parallel to the conveyor belt, and the two guide bars can be mounted so as to be able to adjust the mutual separation distance and the vertical height.

[0017] In addition, the cap picking module includes a picking moving body positioned on the upper portion of the conveyor belt and arranged to be linearly movable in the forward-backward direction; a picking moving body driving unit for linearly reciprocating the picking moving body in the forward-backward direction; a pair of picking arms coupled to the picking moving body and horizontally moving toward or away from each other in a direction perpendicular to the forward-backward direction; and a picking arm driving unit for linearly reciprocating the pair of picking arms toward or away from each other, wherein the pair of picking arms can be controlled to move toward each other while moving backward together with the picking moving body to pick a cap, move forward together with the picking moving body while the cap is picked to transfer the cap to the fastening standby position, and move away from each other while the cap is gripped by the cap fastening module to release the cap from being picked.

[0018] In addition, the pair of picking arms can pick the cap by making pressure contact with the lower portions of both sides of the cap, and the cap fastening module can grip the cap by making pressure contact with the upper portion of the outer surface of the cap while the cap is picked by the pair of picking arms.

[0019] In addition, the cap fastening module includes a vertically movable body arranged on the upper portion of the base frame so as to be vertically movable; a vertically movable body driving unit that vertically moves the vertically movable body; a rotating shaft that is coupled to be arranged in a vertical direction to the vertically movable body, moves up and down together with the vertically movable body, and is coupled so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis; a rotating driving unit that rotates the rotating shaft around the vertical axis; and a chucking member that operates to grip a cap and is coupled to a lower end of the rotating shaft so as to move up and down and rotate together with the rotating shaft, and the chucking member can be controlled to move downwardly so that the vertically movable body moves downwardly in one step to grip the cap at the fastening standby position, and at the same time, the rotating shaft rotates to fasten the cap to the pharmaceutical container.

[0020] Additionally, the chucking member can be coupled to the rotating shaft by a separate elastic spring so as to be elastically pressed downward.

[0021] According to the present invention, by configuring the cap to be transported in a linear manner rather than a rotational manner in the process of transporting the cap to fasten the cap to the pharmaceutical container, the transport and alignment state of the cap can be accurately maintained during the transport process of the cap, and the transport speed and fastening speed of the cap can be improved, thereby having the effect of shortening the overall process processing time.

[0022] In addition, the structure of the linear movement method can prevent separation and detachment of the cap during the cap transport process and improve the transport position accuracy, thereby minimizing operational errors due to misalignment of the cap position, thereby maintaining a more stable operating state.

[0023] In addition, by fastening the cap through a two-stage downward movement without going through a separate additional path in the process of fastening the cap to the pharmaceutical container through the cap fastening module, the occurrence of positional errors is minimized, which has the effect of enabling more accurate and stable cap fastening.

[0024] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the overall appearance of a cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 is a side view schematically illustrating the overall appearance of a cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the configuration of a cap transfer module according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 is a side view schematically illustrating the configuration of a cap transfer module according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] FIG. 5 is a drawing schematically illustrating a guide bar position adjustment state of a cap transfer module according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a form in which a cap picking module is combined with a cap transfer module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating the operating state of a cap picking module according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating the operating structure of a picking arm of a cap picking module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 9 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the configuration of a cap fastening module according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] FIG. 10 is a drawing schematically illustrating the internal structure of a cap fastening module according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 11 is a drawing schematically illustrating the operation process of a cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 12 is a conceptual drawing illustrating a cap fastening process of a cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. First, when assigning reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that, where possible, identical components are assigned the same reference numerals even if they appear in different drawings. Furthermore, when describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of known related structures or functions will be omitted if they are deemed to obscure the gist of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the overall appearance of a cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view schematically illustrating the overall appearance of a cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] A cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container according to one embodiment of the present invention is a device for fastening a cap (20) to a pharmaceutical container (10) in a pharmaceutical packaging process of putting a pharmaceutical into a pharmaceutical container (10) and packaging it, and is configured to include a base frame (100), a cap transfer module (200), a cap picking module (300), and a cap fastening module (400).

[0039] The base frame (100) is configured to support the entire device and is configured in a form in which a plurality of frames and plates, etc. are combined. A container fixing part (110) is formed on one front side of the upper surface of the base frame (100) so as to fix a pharmaceutical container (10). The container fixing part (110) may be configured to pressurize and fix the pharmaceutical container (10) by moving a fixing block through a separate container fixing driving part (not shown). The container fixing part (110) is configured so that the pharmaceutical container (10) is continuously and repeatedly supplied through a separate container supply device (not shown) as the cap fastening work on the pharmaceutical container (10) is completed.

[0040] The cap transfer module (200) is configured to transfer caps (20), is placed on the upper portion of the base frame (100), and horizontally transfers caps (20) supplied from a separate cap supply device (not shown) in a single row toward the front. The cap supply device may be placed at the rear of the base frame (100), and caps (20) are continuously supplied from the cap supply device to the cap transfer module (200), and the cap transfer module (200) horizontally transfers the supplied caps (20) in a single row toward the front where the container fixing part (110) is located.

[0041] The cap picking module (300) is coupled to the base frame (100) so as to be positioned above the cap transport module (200), and picks the frontmost cap (20) among the caps (20) continuously transported by the cap transport module (200) and transports it horizontally forward to a fastening standby position (CP). The fastening standby position (CP) is formed vertically above the vertical center of the pharmaceutical container (10) fixed to the container fixing member (110).

[0042] The cap fastening module (400) is coupled to the base frame (100) so as to be positioned above the cap picking module (300), and grips the cap (20) transferred to the fastening standby position (CP) by the cap picking module (300) and fastens it to the top of the pharmaceutical container (10) in a screw manner. At this time, the cap fastening module (400) moves downward in two stages. First, it moves downward in one stage toward the fastening standby position (CP) and grips the cap (20) transferred to the fastening standby position (CP) by the cap picking module (300), and then, while gripping the cap (20), it moves downward in two stages while rotating around the vertical axis and fastens the cap (20) to the pharmaceutical container (10) in a screw manner.

[0043] The cap transfer module (200), cap picking module (300), and cap fastening module (400) are controlled to operate in conjunction with each other through a separate control unit (not shown).

[0044] According to this structure, the caps supplied from the cap supply device are continuously horizontally moved forward through the cap transfer module (200), sequentially moved horizontally from the frontmost cap (20) to the fastening standby position (CP) by the cap picking module (300), and at the fastening standby position (CP), they are rotated in a gripped state by the cap fastening module (400) and vertically moved downward to be fastened to the pharmaceutical container (10).

[0045] The cap transfer module (200) and the cap picking module (300) operate to move the cap (20) in a horizontal straight line, and the cap fastening module (400) operates to move the cap (20) in a vertical straight line. Therefore, in the cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container according to one embodiment of the present invention, there is no rotational movement path that moves along a curved path in the process of transporting and fastening the cap (20), and only a straight movement path in a vertical or horizontal direction exists, so that the structure of the entire device can be simplified. In addition, since centrifugal force, etc. is not applied during the transport process of the cap (20), not only can the transport and alignment state of the cap (20) be accurately maintained, but also the transport speed of the cap (20) can be made faster, thereby improving the overall process processing speed and minimizing errors due to positional misalignment during the process processing.

[0046] Below, the detailed structures of the cap transfer module (200), the cap picking module (300), and the cap fastening module (400) according to one embodiment of the present invention will be examined.

[0047] FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the configuration of a cap transfer module according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a side view schematically illustrating the configuration of a cap transfer module according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a drawing schematically illustrating a guide bar position adjustment state of a cap transfer module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] A cap transport module (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a conveyor belt (210) that receives caps (20) from a cap supply device and horizontally transports them forward in a single line, a mounting plate (220) that is arranged in front of the conveyor belt (210) so that the caps (20) transported from the conveyor belt (210) are mounted, a guide bar (230) that guides the position of the caps (20) so that the caps (20) located on the conveyor belt (210) and the mounting plate (220) are arranged in a single line, and a belt drive unit (240) whose operation is controlled by a control unit so as to rotate the conveyor belt (210).

[0049] Two such cap transfer modules (200) can be provided in parallel with each other at a certain interval, and the caps (20) can be transferred simultaneously through the two cap transfer modules (200). In addition, the two cap transfer modules (200) can be supported through one support base (201) and connected to the base frame (100).

[0050] The conveyor belt (210) may be formed in the form of two ropes wound on both ends of a driving roller and a driven roller, and in this case, a separate support plate (211) for supporting the conveyor belt (210) may be arranged at the lower part of the upper section of the conveyor belt (210). The cap (20) continuously transported through the conveyor belt (210) is seated on a seating plate (220) located at the front, and is transported to a fastening standby position (CP) by the cap picking module (300) while seated on the seating plate (220).

[0051] The belt drive unit (240) is configured to rotate the drive roller of the conveyor belt (210), and can be configured to simultaneously rotate the conveyor belts (210) of each of the two cap transfer modules (200) through one belt drive unit (240). This belt drive unit (240) can be configured to include a drive motor (241) for rotating one rotational shaft, each end of which is coupled to the drive rollers for the two conveyor belts (210), and a power transmission means (242) for transmitting the rotational force of the drive motor (241) to the rotational shaft. The power transmission means (242) can be configured using various mechanical elements, such as multiple gears and belts, according to the needs of the user.

[0052] The guide bar (230) is configured to arrange the caps (20) located on the conveyor belt (210) and the mounting plate (220) in a row. Two guide bars are provided so as to be arranged on each of the upper sides of the conveyor belt (210) in the width direction in a direction parallel to the conveyor belt (210), and are formed to guide both sides of the caps (20). Through these guide bars (230), the positional alignment state and the transport accuracy of the caps (20) are improved during the transport process of the caps (20).

[0053] These two guide bars (230) can be mounted so that the distance between them and the height can be adjusted. This is to guide caps (20) of different sizes through simple position adjustment without having to replace the guide bars (230) when the size of the caps (20) varies depending on the type of process.

[0054] A guide position adjusting means (260) is provided to adjust the mutual spacing distance between two guide bars (230). The guide position adjusting means (260) may include a support bracket (261) coupled to the base frame (100), a position adjusting shaft (262) that is rotatably coupled to the support bracket (261) about a longitudinal axis and has screw threads formed in different directions at both ends, two moving blocks (264) that are respectively coupled to the screw threads in different directions of the position adjusting shaft (262) and move along the position adjusting shaft (262) in a direction approaching or moving away from each other when the position adjusting shaft (262) rotates, and a position adjusting driving unit (263) that rotates the position adjusting shaft (262). At this time, two guide bars (230) are coupled to the lower ends of the two moving blocks (264) and move together with the two moving blocks (264).

[0055] According to this structure, when the position adjustment drive unit (263) is operated through the motion control of the control unit, the position adjustment shaft (262) rotates, and the two moving blocks (264) move in a direction closer to or further away from each other according to the rotational direction of the position adjustment shaft (262), and at the same time, the two guide bars (230) move to adjust the mutual separation distance.

[0056] Although not shown, it is possible to adjust the height of the two guide bars (230) up and down by moving the support bracket (261) up and down through a separate vertical position adjustment drive unit (not shown).

[0057] Meanwhile, the cap transport module (200) may further include a cap blocking rod (250) positioned in front of the settling plate (220) and operating to protrude upward from the settling plate (220) so that the cap (20) transported from the conveyor belt (210) does not protrude forward.

[0058] The cap blocking rod (250) is operated by a separate actuator (251), and is operated to protrude and release from the upper portion of the settling plate (220) when the cap picking module (300) moves backward to pick up the cap (20) of the settling plate (220), and to protrude to the upper portion of the settling plate (220) when the cap picking module (300) moves forward to pick up the cap (20) of the settling plate (220) (see FIG. 7). This cap blocking rod (250) can be operated to rotate at an angle of 90° to each other as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 to form a protruding state and a protruding release state.

[0059] As the cap blocking load (250) operates in this manner, the cap (20) transferred from the conveyor belt (210) and seated on the seating plate (220) can be stably positioned, and the cap (20) can be stably picked without errors due to positional misalignment during the subsequent picking operation by the cap picking module (300).

[0060] FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a form in which a cap picking module is coupled to a cap transfer module according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating an operating state of a cap picking module according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating an operating structure of a picking arm of a cap picking module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] A cap picking module (300) according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to horizontally transport a cap (20) transported by the cap transport module (200) to a fastening standby position (CP), and is configured to include a picking movement body (310) positioned on the upper portion of a conveyor belt (210) and arranged to be linearly movable in the forward-backward direction, a picking movement body drive unit (320) that linearly reciprocates the picking movement body (310) in the forward-backward direction, a pair of picking arms (330) coupled to the picking movement body (310) and horizontally moving toward or away from each other in a direction perpendicular to the forward-backward direction, and a picking arm drive unit (340) that linearly reciprocates the pair of picking arms (330) toward or away from each other.

[0062] This cap picking module (300) picks the cap (20) by having a pair of picking arms (330) move close to each other to pressurize both sides of the cap (20), and unpicks the cap (20) by having a pair of picking arms (330) move farther away from each other to separate from both sides of the cap (20).

[0063] At this time, a pair of picking arms (330) are moved backward together with the picking moving body (310) to move close to each other to pick up a cap (20) from the cap transfer module (200), and while the cap (20) is picked, they move forward together with the picking moving body (310) to transfer the cap (20) to a fastening standby position (CP), and while the cap (20) is gripped by the cap fastening module (400), they move away from each other to release the pick of the cap (20).

[0064] The picking moving body (310) is horizontally movably coupled to the base frame (100), and its movement path is guided by a separate guide rail (324). The picking moving body drive unit (320) includes a picking moving body drive motor (321) and a lead screw (322) that is rotationally driven by the picking moving body drive motor (321) and has screw threads formed on its outer surface. A coupling block (323) that is penetrably coupled to the lead screw (322) is coupled to the picking moving body (310). When the lead screw (322) is rotated by the picking moving body drive motor (321), the coupling block (323) moves along the lead screw (322), and along with this, the picking moving body (310) moves horizontally in the front-back direction.

[0065] A pair of picking arms (330) have a pressing projection (331) formed protrudingly at the lower portions facing each other to pressurize the cap (20), and the pressing projection (331) is formed to pressurize and contact the lower portions of both sides of the cap (20) as the pair of picking arms (330) move closer to each other.

[0066] By means of these pressure protrusions (331), a pair of picking arms (330) pick up the cap (20) by making pressure contact with the lower portions of both sides of the cap (20), and the cap fastening module (400) is formed to grip the cap (20) by making pressure contact with the upper portion of the outer surface of the cap (20) while the cap (20) is picked by the pair of picking arms (330). In this way, by making pressure contact with the lower portion of the cap (20) and the cap fastening module (400) making pressure contact with the upper portion of the cap (20), the cap fastening module (400) can replace and grip the cap (20) without mutual interference from the cap picking module (300).

[0067] The picking arm drive unit (340) includes a picking arm drive shaft (343) that is arranged longitudinally in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and is rotatably mounted around a longitudinal axis, and has screw threads of different directions formed on both ends of the outer circumference, and a picking arm drive motor (341) that rotates the picking arm drive shaft (343). The rotational power of the picking arm drive motor (341) is transmitted to the picking arm drive shaft (343) through a power transmission means (342) such as a gear. A pair of picking arms (330) are respectively coupled to different screw thread portions of the picking arm drive shaft (343) through separate moving blocks (332) on which screw threads are formed. Accordingly, when the picking arm drive shaft (343) is rotated by the picking arm drive motor (341), a pair of picking arms (330) move in a direction toward or away from each other together with the moving block (332) to pick or unpick the cap (20).

[0068] The cap picking module (300) configured as described above picks a cap (20) by moving a pair of picking arms (330) close to each other while the picking moving body (310) moves backward, as shown in (a) of FIG. 7, and, as shown in (b) of FIG. 7, moves forward together with the picking moving body (310) while the cap (20) is picked, thereby transporting the cap (20) to a fastening standby position (CP). Thereafter, when the cap (20) is gripped by the cap fastening module (400), the pair of picking arms (330) move away from each other to unpick the cap (20). At this time, the cap (20) is gripped by replacing it with the cap fastening module (400) from the cap picking module (300).

[0069] FIG. 9 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the configuration of a cap fastening module according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a drawing schematically illustrating the internal structure of a cap fastening module according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a drawing schematically illustrating the operating process of a cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a drawing conceptually illustrating the cap fastening process of a cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] A cap fastening module (400) according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to grip a cap (20) transferred to a fastening standby position (CP) by a cap picking module (300) and fasten it to a pharmaceutical container (10), and includes a vertically movable body (410) arranged on an upper portion of a base frame (100) so as to be vertically movable up and down, a vertically movable body drive unit (420) that vertically moves the vertically movable body (410), a rotational shaft (430) that is coupled to be arranged in a vertical direction to the vertically movable body (410) so as to move up and down together with the vertically movable body (410) and is rotatably coupled around a vertical axis, a rotational drive unit (450) that rotates the rotational shaft (430) around a vertical axis, and a chucking member (440) that operates to grip a cap (20) and is coupled to a lower portion of the rotational shaft (430) so as to move up and down and rotate together with the rotational shaft (430).

[0071] The vertical movement body (410) is configured so that the vertical movement path is guided by a separate guide body (411), and the vertical movement body driving unit (420) is configured to include a lead screw (422) that is arranged long in the vertical direction and has threads formed on the outer surface, and a driving motor (421) that rotates the lead screw (422). The vertical movement body (410) is coupled to the lead screw (422) through a moving block (412) that has threads formed thereon, and when the lead screw (422) rotates, the body moves up and down along the lead screw (422) together with the moving block (412).

[0072] The rotary shaft (430) is coupled to the vertically moving body (410) and moves up and down together with the vertically moving body (410), and is rotatably coupled to the vertically moving body (410) about a vertical axis. The rotary drive unit (450) includes a drive motor (451) and a power transmission means such as a gear (452) and a belt (453) that transmit the rotational force of the drive motor (451) to the rotary shaft (430).

[0073] The chucking member (440) is mounted on the lower end of the rotating shaft (430) to grip the cap (20), and includes a main body (411) coupled to the lower end of the rotating shaft (430), and a plurality of chucking bodies (442) coupled to the lower end of the main body (411). The chucking bodies (442) may be arranged in a plurality, for example, three, at equal intervals along the circumferential direction, and are mounted to move radially on the main body (411) by supplying and blocking air pressure. As air pressure is supplied, the chucking bodies (442) move toward the center of the main body (411) and grip the cap (20) by making pressure contact with the outer circumferential surface of the cap (20).

[0074] Looking at the operation process of this cap fastening module (400), first, as shown in (a) of FIG. 11 and (a) of FIG. 12, when the cap (20) is positioned at the fastening standby position (CP) by the cap picking module (300), the vertically moving body (410) moves downwards one step as shown in (b) of FIG. 11 and (b) of FIG. 12. Before the cap fastening module (400) grips the cap (20), the chucking body (442) is moved in the outward direction of the main body (441) as shown in (a) of FIG. 12, and during the process of the cap fastening module (400) gripping the cap (20), the chucking body (442) moves toward the center of the main body (441) and grips the cap (20) as shown in (b) of FIG. When the chucking member (440) of the cap fastening module (400) grips the cap (20) in this way, a pair of picking arms (330) of the cap picking module (300) moves away from each other as shown in (c) of FIG. 12 to release the picking state of the cap (20). Thereafter, as shown in (c) of FIG. 11 and (c) of FIG. 12, the vertical moving body (410) moves downward in two stages while the rotating shaft (430) rotates to fasten the cap (20) to the pharmaceutical container (10). At the same time, the pair of picking arms (330) moves backward together with the picking moving body (310) to pick a new cap (20) mounted on the mounting plate (220) of the cap transfer module (200).

[0075] Meanwhile, the chucking member (440) is coupled to the rotating shaft (430) by a separate elastic spring (460) so as to be elastically pressed downward as shown in FIG. 12, thereby alleviating the impact caused by contact with the pharmaceutical container (10) during the process of the chucking member (440) gripping the cap (20) and fastening it to the pharmaceutical container (10), thereby enabling a more stable fastening operation.

[0076] The above description is merely an illustrative illustration of the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the rights of the present invention.

[0077] [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 100: Base Frame

[0079] 200: Cap transfer module

[0080] 210: Conveyor belt

[0081] 220: Settling plate

[0082] 230: Guide bar

[0083] 240: Belt drive

[0084] 250: Cap blocking load

[0085] 300: Cap Picking Module

[0086] 310: Picking Move Body

[0087] 320: Picking moving body drive unit

[0088] 330: Picking arm

[0089] 340: Picking arm drive unit

[0090] 400: Cap fastening module

[0091] 410: Up and down movement body

[0092] 420: Up and down movement body drive unit

[0093] 430: Rotating shaft

[0094] 440: Chucking absence

[0095] 450: Rotating drive unit

[0096] 460: Elastic spring

Claims

1. In a pharmaceutical packaging process in which a pharmaceutical is placed in a pharmaceutical container and packaged, a cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container that fastens a cap to the pharmaceutical container, A base frame having a container fixing portion formed on one front side to fix a medicine container to the upper surface; A cap transfer module positioned on the upper part of the base frame and horizontally transferring caps supplied from a separate cap supply device in a row toward the front; A cap picking module that picks the frontmost cap among the caps transported by the above cap transport module and transports it horizontally forward to a position waiting for fastening; A cap fastening module that moves downward in one step toward the above-mentioned fastening waiting position to grip the cap conveyed by the cap picking module, rotates around a vertical axis while gripping the cap, and moves downward in two steps to fasten the cap to the pharmaceutical container in a screw manner; and A control unit that controls the operation of the cap transfer module, cap picking module, and cap fastening module. A cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container, characterized in that it includes:

2. In paragraph 1, The above cap transfer module A conveyor belt that receives caps from the cap supply device and transports them horizontally in a single line toward the front; A mounting plate disposed in front of the conveyor belt so that a cap transported from the conveyor belt is mounted; A guide bar that guides the position of the caps so that the caps located on the conveyor belt and the settling plate are arranged in a row; and A belt drive unit controlled by the control unit to rotate the conveyor belt. A cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container, comprising: a cap picking module; wherein the cap picking module picks a cap mounted on the mounting plate.

3. In paragraph 2, The above cap transfer module It further includes a cap blocking rod positioned in front of the above-mentioned settling plate and operating to protrude upward from the above-mentioned settling plate so that the cap conveyed from the conveyor belt does not protrude forward. A cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container, characterized in that the cap blocking rod is operated by a separate actuator so that the cap picking module is released from the state in which the cap picking module moves backward to pick the cap of the settling plate and is protruded from the state in which the cap picking module moves forward to pick the cap of the settling plate.

4. In paragraph 2, The above guide bars are provided in two numbers, each positioned on the upper side of both sides of the width direction of the conveyor belt in a direction parallel to the conveyor belt, A cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container, characterized in that the two above guide bars are mounted so as to be able to adjust the mutual spacing distance and the vertical height.

5. In paragraph 2, The above cap picking module A picking moving body positioned on the upper part of the conveyor belt and arranged to be able to move in a straight line in the forward and backward direction; A picking moving body driving unit that moves the picking moving body in a straight line back and forth direction; A pair of picking arms coupled to the above picking moving body and horizontally moving closer or further away from each other in a direction perpendicular to the forward and backward direction; and A picking arm drive unit that moves the pair of picking arms in a straight line back and forth so that they approach or move away from each other. A cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container, characterized in that the pair of picking arms are controlled to move in proximity to each other while moving backward together with the picking moving body to pick a cap, move forward together with the picking moving body while the cap is picked to transfer the cap to the fastening standby position, and move away from each other while the cap is gripped by the cap fastening module to unpick the cap.

6. In paragraph 5, The above pair of picking arms pick the cap by making pressure contact with the lower part of both sides of the cap, A cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container, characterized in that the cap fastening module grips the cap by pressing against the upper part of the outer surface of the cap while the cap is picked by the pair of picking arms.

7. In paragraph 5, The above cap fastening module A vertically movable body positioned vertically and vertically on the upper part of the base frame; A vertical movement body driving unit that vertically moves the above vertical movement body up and down; A rotary shaft coupled to the vertically movable body so as to be arranged in a vertical direction, and coupled so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis while moving up and down together with the vertically movable body; A rotary drive unit that rotates the rotary shaft around the vertical axis; and A chucking member that operates to grip a cap and is coupled to the lower end of the above-mentioned rotating shaft and moves up and down and rotates together with the above-mentioned rotating shaft. A cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container, characterized in that the chucking member moves downwards and the vertically movable body moves downwards in one step so as to grip the cap at the fastening standby position, and the chucking member moves downwards in a second step while gripping the cap, and the rotation shaft rotates to fasten the cap to the pharmaceutical container.

8. In paragraph 7, A cap fastening device for a pharmaceutical container, characterized in that the chucking member is coupled to the rotating shaft by a separate elastic spring so as to be elastically pressed downward.

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