Abstract:
An apparatus for manufacturing a capsule by using vegetable gelatin is provided. Heating units are installed in a gelatin feeding line, which feeds gelatin in the form of a sheet, and a molding line to feed the gelatin in a predetermined temperature. The molded capsule is conveyed through a conveyer so that the molded capsule is stably dried and cured and a temperature of the conveyer is adjusted to control a temperature of the capsule. A length of the drying line is maximally increased within a narrow space, so that a film of the capsule made of the vegetable gelatin is gradually cured and dried without abrupt temperature variation, thereby preventing crack from occurring in the capsule, and preventing bonding parts of the capsule from being torn to improve the commercial value of the capsule.

Description:
PRIORITY 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of a Korean patent application filed on May 18, 2011 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office and assigned Ser. No. 10-2011-0047038, and of a Korean patent application filed on May 8, 2012 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office and assigned Ser. No. 10-2012-0048463, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a capsule of vegetable gelatin. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a capsule of vegetable gelatin, in which the molded capsule is gradually cured through the curing process without abrupt temperature variation and the drying process is performed after the curing process has been performed for a predetermined period of time, thereby preventing the capsule from being torn or broken caused by the abrupt temperature variation during the curing and drying processes and allowing the capsule to have the desired hardness. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In general, gelatin is mainly used as a material to form a film of a capsule because the gelatin is readily dissolved in a human body and has the superior surface strength and the stable humidity adsorption/desorption property. In most cases, animal gelatin derived from the livestock is used. 
     However, since the animal gelatin mainly consists of animal protein, the capsule may not contain materials that react with the protein and may cause the allergy to the person who takes in the animal gelatin. In particular, the animal gelatin is not suitable for vegetarians. Further, the use of the animal gelatin is more reluctant due to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy and foot-and-mouth diseases, which are infected to humans from the livestock. 
     In this regard, recently, a vegetable capsule, which is prepared by mixing glycerin and purified water with vegetable materials, such as modified starch and carrageenan, has been suggested as a substitute for the animal capsule. However, as compared with the animal gelatin, the property of vegetable gelatin is easily changed, so the vegetable gelatin may not be easily prepared and the defect rate may increase in the process for preparing the vegetable gelatin. In addition, crack may be generated in the vegetable capsule after the vegetable capsule has been manufactured, so the stability and commercial value of the vegetable capsule may be degraded. 
     That is, if the apparatus for manufacturing the animal gelatin capsule is used for manufacturing the vegetable gelatin capsule, the vegetable gelatin capsule cannot be obtained due to the difference in the physical property between the animal gelatin capsule and the vegetable gelatin capsule. In detail, when feeding the animal gelatin, the animal gelatin is heated, so liquid-phase animal gelatin is fed while flowing due to the deadweight thereof However, since the vegetable gelatin has the high viscosity, the vegetable gelatin may not flow by the deadweight thereof, so the vegetable gelatin may not be fed in the form of a sheet having a uniform thickness. In addition, the animal gelatin can be stably dried even in the very-low temperature, but the physical property of the vegetable gelatin may be changed if the temperature is abruptly changed. Thus, the vegetable gelatin may not maintain the capsule shape. That is, the external appearance of the capsule may be deformed or the crack is generated in the capsule, so that the capsule is torn or broken. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Aspects of the present invention are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for manufacturing a capsule by using vegetable gelatin, in which a source material melted in a liquid phase and including modified starch and carrageenan is automatically fed, cooling and drying temperatures are optimized in a line for feeding the liquid-phase gelatin in the form of a sheet and a line for forming the capsule, and a drying line is maximally lengthened in such a manner that the molded capsule can be gradually cured, so that the capsule can be stably dried, crack can be prevented from occurring in the capsule, and bonding parts of the capsule can be prevented from being torn, thereby improving the commercial value of the capsule. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for manufacturing a capsule is provided. In the apparatus, liquid-phase gelatin prepared by mixing vegetable materials including modified starch and carrageenan can be kept in the predetermined temperature by using a service tank equipped therein with a heating unit, a metering station is connected to the service tank to automatically feed the liquid-phase gelatin to a capsule forming device by using a pump, a heating unit is accommodated in a feeding drum that feeds gelatin sheets so that the gelatin sheet having the high temperature can be transferred to a molding frame to keep the viscosity of gelatin, a dry conveyer is installed between the capsule forming device and a tumble dryer to additionally perform the curing process for the capsule, and the capsule molded in the capsule forming device is fed to the tumble dryer after being subject to the curing process by way of the dry conveyer so that the surface of the capsule can be dried after the capsule has been cured. 
     In addition, the dry conveyer has the multi-layer structure to lengthen the convey route of the dry conveyer and the temperature of each layer of the dry conveyer is variously set, so the capsule can be gradually cured corresponding to the temperature of each layer. 
     Further, in the capsule forming device, a blowing tube is formed at the molding frame where the capsule is molded, and cold wind generated from an air conditioner is injected through the blowing tube so that the gelatin is prevented from adhering to the surface of the molding frame by the cold wind when the capsule is formed in the molding frame. 
     As described above, according to the present invention, when the vegetable gelatin is prepared and fed, the manufacturing line can be constantly kept in the predetermined temperature without the abrupt temperature variation, so the vegetable gelatin can be stably fed in the form of the sheet having the uniform thickness, so the capsule can be readily manufactured by using the existing apparatus for manufacturing the capsule. In addition, the capsule may have the desired shape and hardness, so the defect rate can be minimized and the stability can be improved, thereby improving the commercial value of the capsule. 
     Further, since the film of the capsule is formed by using the vegetable gelatin, the side-effect and the limitations in use of the capsule can be minimized and the unpleasant feeling of the person who takes in the capsule can be reduced. 
     Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view showing a structure of an apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a partially enlarged view showing the detailed structure of a conveyer illustrated in  FIG. 1  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view showing a structure of an apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a partially enlarged view showing the detailed structure of a conveyer illustrated in  FIG. 3  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view showing a structure of a stirrer and a tilting structure of a service tank used for manufacturing vegetable gelatin according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic side view showing a feeding route of liquid-phase gelatin according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic plan view showing a feeding route of liquid-phase gelatin according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 8  is a front view showing a structure of a capsule forming device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplary embodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness. 
     The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces. 
     A capsule forming device  200  forms a film of a capsule by using gelatin. In general, the gelatin contained in a service tank  100  is fed to the capsule forming device  200  through a convey line and coated on feeding drums  210 , which are provided at both sides of the capsule forming device  200  in correspondence with each other, in the form of a sheet. Then, the gelatin in the form of the sheet is fed into a central portion of the capsule forming device  200  to mold the gelatin in the form of a capsule, thereby providing the gelatin capsule. The gelatin capsule is fed to a tumble dryer  400  where the film of the gelatin capsule is dried. 
     According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the capsule is formed by using vegetable gelatin other than animal gelatin, which is formed and dried in the low temperature, while allowing the capsule to have the desired shape and proper hardness. The vegetable gelatin is fed in the form of a sheet and molded in the high temperature and the capsule, which has been molded in the capsule forming device  200 , is fed to a dry conveyer  300  before the capsule is dried in the tumble dryer  400 , so that the cooling process, that is, the curing process for the capsule is gradually and stably performed while the capsule is moving along the dry conveyer  300 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the dry conveyer  300  is installed between the capsule forming device  200  and the tumble dryer  400  to convey and cure the capsule. In addition, the temperature of a conveyer belt  330 , which conveys the capsule in the dry conveyer  300 , can be adjusted by a heating blower  310  and a cooling blower  320 , so that the temperature of the capsule can be set while the capsule is being conveyed. 
     That is, if the capsule is formed by using the vegetable gelatin, the capsule may be torn or broken when the liquid-phase gelatin heated with the high temperature is rapidly cooled, so the capsule must be gradually cooled and cured under the constant temperature condition in all processes. As described above, since the dry conveyer  300  is installed between the capsule forming device  200  and the tumble dryer  400 , the cooling process for the capsule can be carried out while the capsule is being conveyed. In addition, the temperature of the capsule can be stably lowered without the abrupt temperature variation by adjusting the temperature of the conveyer belt  330 . 
     At this time, if the conveyer belt  330  is configured to have the two-layer structure, the three-layer structure or the multi-layer structure, the dry conveyer  300  may lengthen the convey route of the capsule, which has been molded, so that the capsule can be more gradually cooled and cured. In addition, the temperature of each conveyer layer  330   a ,  330   b , . . . or  330   n  is variously set in such a manner that the cooling temperature of the capsule can be gradually lowered. 
     That is, when the capsule is manufactured by using the vegetable gelatin, the feeding drums  210  are maintained at the temperature of about 45° C. Thus, if the conveyer belt  330  has the three-layer structure, the third layer is maintained at the temperature of about 30° C. to 40° C., and the first and second layers are maintained at the temperature of about 20° C. to 25° C. in such a manner that the capsule can be gradually cooled and cured while the capsule is being conveyed through the dry conveyer  300 . 
     At this time, if at least two conveyer belts  330  having the multi-layer structure are repeatedly provided in the dry conveyer  300 , the convey route for the capsule can be more lengthened and the capsule can be more gradually cooled and cured by reducing the temperature difference among the conveyer layers. 
     In addition, if a plurality of dry conveyers  300  are provided, a middle conveyer  340  is provided at a connection part of the dry conveyers  300  to connect the convey route for the capsule. In addition, an end conveyer  350  is installed between the dry conveyer  300  and the tumble dryer  400  to feed the capsule from the dry conveyer  300  to the tumble dryer  400 . 
     Further, if the dry conveyer  300  is configured to have the multi-layer structure, the middle conveyer  340  and the end conveyer  350  are provided between the lower layer and the upper layer of the dry conveyer  300  to connect the conveyer belts  330  with each other or to connect the conveyer belts  330  with the tumble dryer  400  such that the capsule can be readily conveyed through the free fall. 
     Meanwhile, the tumble dryer  400  where the drying process is performed for the capsule that has passed through the dry conveyer  300  may have the multi-stage structure such that the capsule may be dried while passing through each stage. Wind is injected into each stage of the tumble dryer  400  as an inner tub is rotated. At this time, since the vegetable gelatin has the low stability, the drying structure of each stage of the tumble dryer  400  is variously set to stably dry the molded capsule. 
     In other words, at each stage of the tumble dryer  400 , the capsule can be dried through the rotation of the inner tub or by blowing wind while the inner tub is rotating. Preferably, at the stages provided in the front portion of the tumble dryer  400  where the capsule has the low stability, the capsule is dried only through the rotation of the inner tub. In addition, at the stages provided in the rear portion of the tumble dryer  400 , the capsule is dried by blowing wind while the inner tub is rotating. 
     For instance, if the tumble dryer  400  has the six-stage structure, the wind is not injected into the first and second stages and the wind is injected into the third to sixth stages because the stability of the capsule can be improved in the rear portion of the tumble dryer  400 , thereby improving the drying efficiency for the capsule. 
     Meanwhile, the vegetable gelatin is prepared by mixing glycerin and purified water with modified starch and carrageenan in a predetermined composition ratio. At this time, the vegetable materials are mixed and melted by a stirrer  500  to prepare the liquid-phase gelatin. 
     If the service tank  100  has the tilting structure, it is not necessary to transfer the liquid-phase gelatin to other storage vessels, so the service tank  100  is moved and connected to the capsule forming line when the liquid-phase gelatin has been prepared. In addition, if a heating device  101  is installed in the service tank  100 , the gelatin can be melted by heating the service tank  100  during the melting process for the gelatin. Further, the temperature of the gelatin can be constantly maintained while the service tank  100  is being moved and the gelatin is being fed from the service tank  100  connected to the capsule forming line, so that gelatin can be maintained in the liquid phase without being solidified. 
     At this time, an upper end of the service tank  100  is covered with a lid  102  to seal an interior of the service tank  100 . In addition, an inlet  103  is formed in the lid  102  to inject air through the inlet  103 . As the air is injected through the inlet  103 , the internal pressure of the service tank  100  is increased so that the liquid-phase gelatin can be transferred to a metering station  110 . 
     In order to allow the liquid-phase vegetable gelatin, which is transferred to the metering station  110 , to be coated on the feeding drums  210  in the form of a sheet, it is necessary to push the liquid-phase vegetable gelatin through a slot die  220 . To this end, a pump  111  is installed in the metering station  110  and a feeding line  112 , which is connected to the slot diode  220 , is connected to the pump  111 . Thus, the liquid-phase vegetable gelatin, which is forcibly transferred from the metering station  110 , is forcibly discharged in the form of the sheet through the slot die  220 , so that the sheet-shape gelatin can be coated on the feeding drums  210  with a uniform thickness. 
     In addition, an opening/closing valve  105  is installed in a hose  104  connecting the service tank  100  with the metering station  110  to convey the gelatin. Further, a sensor  115  is accommodated in the metering station  110  to detect the storage capacity of the gelatin. The opening/closing valve  105  is operated by the sensor  115 . In detail, the opening/closing valve  105  is automatically open or closed according to the storage capacity of the gelatin in the metering station  110  to continuously feed the gelatin. 
     Therefore, the gelatin can be maintained in the predetermined temperature while the liquid-phase gelatin serving as the source material for the capsule is being fed or discharged. In addition, although the vegetable gelatin is used to form the film of the capsule, since the vegetable gelatin is discharged in the form of the sheet and coated with the uniform pressure and thickness, the film of the capsule made of the vegetable gelatin can be prepared in a state that the vegetable gelatin is coated on the surface of the feeding drums in a thin thickness. 
     In addition, the gelatin fed to the capsule forming device  200  is heated in the service tank  100  and then fed from the service tank  100  under the high temperature condition. In detail, a heating unit (not shown) is accommodated in the feeding drums  210  so that the gelatin sheet can be subject to the manufacturing process under the high temperature condition. 
     That is, when the gelatin is in a sheet state, the feeding drums  210  maintain the high temperature condition by using the heating unit. In addition, when the capsule has been formed in the capsule forming device, the temperature is gradually lowered to dry the capsule such that the capsule can be slowly cured, thereby preventing the bonding part from being torn and minimizing the defect rate. Thus, the capsule can be stably manufactured. 
     In addition, when the capsule is manufactured by using the gelatin having the high temperature, the surface of the capsule may adhere to an inner surface of a molding frame  230 . In this regard, cold wind is blown to the molding frame  230  to instantly cure the surface of the capsule, so that the gelatin is prevented from adhering to the surface of the molding frame  230 . In order to blow the cold wind, an air conditioner  240  is independently provided and the molding frame  230  is connected to the air conditioner  240  through a feeding tube  250  such that the cold wind generated from the air conditioner  240  can be blown to the molding frame  230  through the feeding tube  250 , thereby preventing the surface of the capsule from adhering to the molding frame  230  when the capsule is formed. In addition, tension can be applied by strengthening a net. That is, residues, which may remain after the capsule has been formed, may be cured and compressed, so the residues can be readily separated from the capsule. 
     While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.