Counter-filler Apparatus with Movable Separating Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing counter-filler apparatuses for pharmaceutical articles are inefficient in filling bottles with low quantities (20-30 articles) and require significant space when multiple units are used to increase productivity.
Innovation Solution
A counter-filler apparatus with a dual accumulation chamber system and a movable separating wall that dynamically adjusts the inlet sections of the accumulation chambers to balance the filling of pharmaceutical articles into two bottles simultaneously, allowing for real-time compensation of imbalances and efficient filling of two bottles with a single unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the activating velocity of the vibrating conveyor is increased to increase productivity, then more pharmaceutical articles can fall into the descent channels, but this mode is not effective when the number of articles to be inserted is low (20-30 articles)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the inlet sections of the accumulation chambers adjustable through a movable separating wall. This allows the system to dynamically adapt the number of descent channels feeding each chamber based on the required article quantity, making the system effective for both low (20-30 articles) and high quantity filling scenarios while maintaining high productivity
2Productivity
If multiple counter-filler apparatuses are used to increase productivity, then more bottles can be filled simultaneously, but this requires significant space for positioning the apparatuses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple accumulation functions into a single apparatus by providing a plurality of accumulation chambers (first and second chambers) within one counter-filler apparatus. The movable separating wall allows dynamic allocation of descent channels to different chambers, enabling simultaneous filling of multiple bottles from a single compact unit, thereby increasing productivity without requiring proportional additional space
3Quantity of substance
If descent channels remain open to receive articles, then articles can accumulate in the accumulation chamber, but this causes accumulation greater than necessary during the pause time of the bottle
Solution Approach 1:
The movable separating wall dynamically adjusts the inlet sections of the accumulation chambers to precisely control the number of articles entering each chamber. This dynamic adjustment ensures that the exact required number of articles accumulates in each chamber during the bottle pause time, preventing both over-accumulation and under-accumulation, thereby maintaining manufacturing precision
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables high productivity by allowing simultaneous filling of two bottles while optimizing space usage, maintaining balanced filling and preventing delays, even with varying article counts from the conveyor.
Implementation Method 1
a vibrating conveyor is used, which is provided with a series of transport channels having a "V" shape, into which the pharmaceutical articles exiting from the storage hopper are deposited. The vibrating conveyor, with its vibrating motion, advances the pharmaceutical articles, deposited into the various transport channels, distancing them one from the others.
Implementation Method 2
The descent channels are positioned in such a way that the entry openings are located immediately downstream of the transport channels of the vibrating conveyor so that the pharmaceutical articles, having passed beyond the end of the transport channels, can fall by force of gravity into the entry openings of the descent channels
Data Source
AI summary
Filler apparatus includes plural descent channels receiving pharmaceutical articles falling from transport channels of a vibrating conveyor. Sensors detect the articles inside the descent channels. A container has a mouth receiving the articles from the descent channels, a first chamber with a first discharge, a second chamber with a second discharge, and a separating wall dividing the mouth into a first entry section, for the first chamber, and a second entry section, for the second chamber. The wall is disposable either in a first position, wherein the entry sections can receive articles from an identical number of descent channels, and at least in a second position, wherein the entry sections can receive pharmaceutical articles from different numbers of descent channels.