Horizontal Tablet Feeding Device for Sealing Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tablet feeding systems for packaging, particularly those using vertical and horizontal feeds, face challenges in achieving precise and secure positioning of tablets within sealing zones, leading to inferior packaging, contamination issues, and potential damage to mechanical components.
Innovation Solution
A feeding device with a horizontally arranged guideway and three conveyor devices - a first to push tablets in a jam, a second to separate and advance them, and a third to insert them precisely into sealing tools - ensures continuous, precise positioning and alignment of tablets within the sealing zones, eliminating sticking effects and reducing mechanical risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If vertical feeding of tablets is used, then the structure is simple, but positioning precision and reliability of tablet placement in sealing zones deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The feeding device is divided into three separate conveyor devices (first, second, and third conveyors) that perform distinct functions: the first conveyor pushes tablets in a jam, the second conveyor separates tablets from the jam, and the third conveyor inserts separated tablets into sealing zones. This segmentation of functions resolves the contradiction by achieving precise positioning through specialized subsystems rather than a single complex mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from vertical feeding to horizontal feeding, changing the spatial dimension of tablet conveyance. The guideway and all conveyor devices are arranged horizontally, allowing tablets to be fed, separated, and positioned in a horizontal plane before being inserted into sealing zones. This dimensional change eliminates the uncontrolled free-fall behavior and enables precise positioning.
2Manufacturing precision
If horizontal feeding with finger rollers and polygon rollers is used, then tablet positioning is improved, but the sealing zone size cannot be minimized
Solution Approach 1:
The third conveyor device is designed to insert tablets directly into the sealing zones of the sealing tools, with the insertion finger placing tablets precisely where needed. This self-service approach eliminates the need for large sealing zones, as tablets are already positioned correctly by the conveyor system itself, allowing minimization of sealing zone area.
3Productivity
If vertical feeding is used, then conveying speed can be high, but reliability and safety of mechanical components deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By changing from vertical to horizontal feeding, the invention eliminates the risk of mechanical components falling loose and damaging sealing rollers, as well as preventing tablet fragments from falling between sealing rollers. The horizontal arrangement with enclosed guideways maintains high conveying speeds while significantly improving reliability and safety.
4Device complexity
If vertical feeding with free fall is used, then device complexity is low, but contamination and sticking effects increase
Solution Approach 1:
The horizontal feeding system with enclosed guideways eliminates uncontrolled free-fall and the associated contamination and sticking effects. Tablets are conveyed horizontally through controlled paths with proper guidance, preventing contact with contaminating surfaces and eliminating the sticking issues that occur during vertical free-fall feeding.
Data Source
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AI summary
The device for the feeding of flat, disc-form objects (1) such as pharmaceutical tablets to sealing tools (50,60) for packing the objects in foil has a guide track (3) in which engages a first feed device (10) which pushes the objects onto one another in an accumulation, a second feed device (20) which singles out the objects from the accumulation, and a third feed device (30) which slides the separated objects from the guide track horizontally positionally correct into the sealing tools. An independent claim is included for a use for the feed device which is for the feeding of round tablets with a diameter of 16 to 30 mm, preferably 25 mm, and a thickness of 3 to 8 mm, and which are fed lying flat.