Abstract:
A method for accepting a first number m 1  of objects, more particularly pharmaceutical products, from a supplying device and for transferring a second number m 2  of objects to a receiving device, and also a device for carrying out such a method, where prior to the transferal of the second number m 2  of objects the objects are allowed to accumulate or are stored in a maximum amount equal to from one to ten times the second number m 2  and preferably in a maximum amount equal to from three to five times the second number m, and accepting, in-process monitoring, temporary storage, and transfer of objects are carried out within a specified radius about a pivot axis, which radius does not exceed from one to fifteen times the greatest width of the objects and preferably does not exceed from four to six times the greatest width of the objects.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2006/061313, filed Apr. 4, 2006, designating the United States of America, and published in German as WO 2006/106106 A1, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Priority is claimed based on German Patent Application No. 10 2005 016 168.5 filed Apr. 7, 2005. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a method for the acceptance of a first number m 1  of objects, more particularly pharmaceutical products, from a supplying device and for the transferal of a second number m 2  of objects to a receiving device. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In manufacturing processes it is generally necessary to accept individual products continuously or in groups, as manufactured by a first workstation, and then deliver them either continuously or in groups to a second workstation. These methods disclosed in the prior art frequently require expensive devices or elaborate measures to ensure that the flow of products from the first processing station to the second processing station functions smoothly. This depends particularly on the spatial arrangement of the different processing stations and also on the chronological sequence in the production line. This is important, particularly when different processing measures, for example the shaping of products, the treatment of products, the packaging of products, and the like are carried out on different machines, which vary in terms of their processing capacities, quality rates, rejection rates, and maintenance intervals. 
     The general goal is to achieve the smoothest possible flow of products throughout the production line spanning from the processing of the products in the preliminary stages of production to packaging or cartoning of the products to make them ready for dispatch, such that the entire production flow is carried out in the most space-saving and economical manner possible. This is because an oversized and thus unused processing capacity at a processing station, for example, is usually reflected by unnecessarily high investment costs, since ultimately the total production capacity is only as great as that of the weakest link in the overall production chain. 
     The disadvantage of methods disclosed in the prior art for accepting one number of products and transferring a different number of products is that such methods usually require a great deal of space, particularly when it is intended to store or temporarily hold objects or products and also perform quality monitoring in the form of, say, in-process monitoring. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One object of the invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the methods disclosed in the prior art and to provide the most economical procedure for accepting and transferring objects in a stable manner throughout the operation. 
     This object is achieved, according to the invention, by means of a method for the acceptance of a first number m 1  of objects, more particularly pharmaceutical products, from a supplying device, and for the transferal of a second number m 2  of objects to a receiving device, in-process monitoring being performed in the interval between the time of acceptance of the first number m 1  of objects and the time of transferal of the second number m 2  of objects, and prior to the time of transferal of the second number m 2  of objects, the latter are allowed to accumulate or are temporarily stored in a maximum amount equal to between one and ten times the second number m 2 , preferably in a maximum amount equal to between three and five times the second number m2, whilst the acceptance, the in-process monitoring, the temporary accumulation storage, and the transferal of objects are performed within a predefined radius about a pivot axis, which radius does not exceed from one to fifteen times the maximum width of the objects, and preferably does not exceed from four to six times the maximum width of said objects. It is thus possible, according to the invention, to accept and transfer objects from one processing station to another within the least possible space. 
     Preferably, the objects are displaced along the pivot axis through a certain path of linear movement and are pivoted about the pivot axis through a path of angular movement, and the first number m 1  preferably differs from the second number m 2 . It is thus possible to displace the objects not only spatially but also in a manner that is particularly adapted to suit the respective workstation, for example, by changing their orientation and position. This makes it possible, according to the invention, to set up the overall arrangement of a production facility when using the method of the invention in an optimal, i.e. space-saving, and economical, manner. 
     It is further preferred that the acceptance of the first number m 1  of objects and the transferal of the second number m 2  of objects occur substantially simultaneously. Another preference is that the first number m 1  of objects is transferred during an accepting clock pulse, and the second number m 2  of objects is transferred during a transferring clock pulse, and the receiving and transferring clock pulses at least partially overlap temporally. It is thus possible, according to the invention, to process or pass objects through the production facility clock pulse-wise, the numbers m 1  and m 2  being optimally adaptable to the respective requirements of the individual processing stations within relatively wide limits. 
     According to the invention, the objects are preferably allowed to accumulate or are stored following in-process monitoring. This makes it possible to avoid the storage or temporary accumulation of objects that do not meet the quality criteria, since such objects can be separated prior to the accumulation or storage stage. Furthermore, it is thus possible, according to the invention, to stabilize the production flow of objects, since a sudden higher rejection rate will not disrupt the production line with detrimental consequences. Such negative consequences are only likely to occur after a (comparatively improbable) permanent deterioration of the production quality. 
     Furthermore, in-process monitoring is preferably performed simultaneously on each object in a group of objects equal to the first number m 1  of objects. It is thus advantageously possible to perform the in-process monitoring in the same clock pulse raster as the acceptance of the first number of objects, thereby simplifying and economizing the overall process flow. 
     It is further preferred that the first number m 1  of objects is preferably from five to fifty, particularly sixteen, and the second number m 2  of objects is from one to fifteen, particularly five, the first number m 1  of objects being preferably greater than the second number m 2 . It is thus possible, according to the invention, to achieve standard capacity ratios of production plants, or of individual workstations of such production plants, particularly for pharmaceutical products, when using the method of the invention. 
     Another object of the present invention is a device for the acceptance of a first number m 1  of objects, more particularly pharmaceutical products, from a supplying device and the transferal of a second number m 2  of objects to a receiving device for carrying out the method of the invention, the device comprising a transferring device, a monitoring device, and a temporary storage device. It is thus possible to carry out the method of the invention in a particularly simple and efficient way using such a device of the invention. 
     The transferring device preferably comprises a post coincident with the pivot axis and a first transferring receptacle radially spaced from the pivot axis and a second transferring receptacle radially spaced from the pivot axis. It is thus possible to achieve a change in the location or position of the objects within a very small space in an easy and simple manner and with a particularly high level of positional accuracy. 
     It is further preferred that the transferring receptacle be axially spaced along the post by approximately half the length of the path of linear movement to be covered by the objects from the first location to the third location. It is thus possible to displace the objects in half clock pulses in such a way that the objects are accepted and displaced for checking by the monitoring device in a first half clock pulse, and the objects are transferred from in-process monitoring to the temporary storage device in a second half clock pulse, which takes place at the same time (for other objects) as the first half clock pulse. 
     Furthermore, the pivot axis of the device of the invention preferably extends substantially vertically, i.e. in the method of the invention the pivot axis extends substantially vertically. The objects can then be rotated easily and also, if appropriate, about their own axis (vertical axis) and thus supplied to the subsequent workstations or removed from the preceding workstations in optimal manner. 
     The temporary storage device preferably comprises a funnel as a storage unit or accumulation unit. It is thus possible to store and temporarily hold the objects in a reliable and stable manner incurring very little elaboration. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of the device of the invention, and demonstrates the method of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of a diagrammatic representation of a device of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a detailed view of the device of the invention with, in particular, a detailed representation of the transferring device. 
         FIGS. 4 to 7  are different views of the transferring device. 
         FIGS. 8 to 11  are different views of the temporary storage device. 
         FIG. 12  is an exploded view of the temporary storage device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  is a side view of a diagrammatic representation of the device of the invention. At a first location marked with the reference numeral  26 , a supplying device  10  (not pertaining to the device of the invention) delivers objects (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) for acceptance by the device of the invention. A transferring device  20  forming part of the device of the invention accepts the objects, particularly by means of a first transferring receptacle  22 , and transports them to a second location  27 , where the objects are checked by a monitoring device  30 . At the same time as the transportation of the objects from the first location  26  to the second location  27 , other objects, more particularly another group of objects, are transported from the second location  27  to a third location  28  by means of a second transferring receptacle  23  provided on the transferring device  20 . 
     The objects are therefore displaced from the first location  26  to the third location  28  in two half steps, the transferring device  20  performing the first and second half steps, preferably simultaneously, with an identical movement in such a way that the first transferring receptacle  22  always performs the first half step, and the second transferring receptacle  23  always performs the second half step. The first and second half steps are each indicated in  FIG. 1  by the arrow pointing from bottom left to top right between the first location  26  and the second location  27  and between the second location  27  and the third location  28 . On arriving at the third location  28 , the objects pass through a temporary storage device  40 , according to the invention. This passage of the objects is illustrated by the arrow pointing vertically downwardly. The temporary storage device  40  transfers the objects for supplying a receiving device  50  (not pertaining to the device of the invention). According to the invention, the objects  2  pass through a path of linear movement  25  along the pivot axis  29  between the first location  26  and the third location  28 , and at the same time pass through a path of angular movement about the pivot axis  29 . For this purpose, according to the invention, the transferring device  20  preferably comprises a post  21 , which coincides, in particular, with the pivot axis  29  and on which the first and the second transferring receptacles  22 ,  23  are radially spaced from said post.  FIG. 1  further shows a radius  5  about the pivot axis  29 , indicated by a dashed arrow, which radius indicates the radius of movement in the method or device of the invention. According to the invention, the method is contrived such that it can be performed in a particularly space-saving manner and the device of the invention is designed such that it requires very little space. 
       FIG. 2  is a top view of a diagrammatic representation of the device of the invention for demonstrating the method of the invention.  FIG. 2  again shows the radius  5  extending from the pivot axis  29 . Furthermore, a dotted circle is shown at the head of the arrow indicating the radius  5 , which circle indicates the operating range of the device of the invention or the maximum space required for performing the method of the invention. The first location  26 , the second location  27 , and the third location  28  are again indicated, by dotted lines, and the supplying device  10  (not pertaining to the device of the invention) that moves the objects (likewise not shown in  FIG. 2 ) to the first location  26  for acceptance by the transferring device  20 . The supplying device  10  therefore serves as a transfer interface between the device of the invention and any workstation disposed upstream of the latter in the production line. Furthermore,  FIG. 2  shows the third location  28  and the receiving device  50  (not pertaining to the device of the invention) for receiving the objects (not shown in  FIG. 2 ) from the device of the invention. The transferring device  20  further comprises a post  21  coinciding with the pivot axis  29 , on which post the first transferring receptacle  22  and the second transferring receptacle  23  are disposed radially spaced from the pivot axis  29 . As can be seen from  FIG. 1 , the transferring receptacles  22 ,  23  are disposed on the post  21  axially spaced from each other by approximately half the length of the path of linear movement  25  to be covered between the first location  26  and the third location  28  along the pivot axis  29 . As regards the angular movement of the transferring device  20  about the pivot axis  29 , the first transferring receptacle  22  in the example shown in  FIG. 2  moves only within the angular region between the first location  26  and the second location  27 , while the second transferring receptacle  23  in the example shown in  FIG. 2  moves only between the second location  27  and the third location  28 . The total angular movement of the objects from the first location  26  to the third location  28  (during two consecutive clock pulses of the transferring device  20 ), is performed through an (overall) path of angular movement indicated by the reference numeral  24 . The intermediate storage of the objects at the second location  27  makes it possible to perform in-process monitoring, according to the invention, by means of the monitoring device  30 , particularly at the second location  27 . In-process monitoring using the monitoring device  30  is indicated in  FIG. 1  by the arrow on the monitoring device  30 , pointing obliquely from top left to bottom right. The movement between the first location  26  and the second location  27  (first partial movement of the objects or the first half step) is shown in  FIG. 2  by means of a dotted  900  arrow between the first location  26  and the second location  27 , and the second partial movement of the objects between the second location  27  and the third location  28  is shown in  FIG. 2  by another dotted  900  arrow. In the region of the third location  28 , the objects are transferred, according to the invention, to the receiving device  50 , the objects being moved from the third location  28  through the temporary storage device  40 , mainly due to the action of the force of gravity, i.e. substantially downwardly. 
       FIG. 3  is a detailed representation of the device of the invention for demonstrating the method of the invention. The supplying device  10 , in the form of, say, an (endless) conveyor belt, transports objects  2  to the first location  26 , which is not marked as such in  FIG. 3 . Here, a group of objects  2  equal in number to a first number m 1  is accepted by the transferring device  20 , more particularly by means of the first transferring receptacle  22 , and is transferred to the second location  27 , the transferring device  20  pivoting about the pivot axis  29 . As the transferring device  20  pivots, the first transferring receptacle  22  moves (longitudinally), according to the invention, along the pivot axis  29 , as do the objects  2  transported by means of the transferring receptacle  22 . The transferring device  20 , more particularly its first transferring receptacle  22 , then deposits the objects  2  at the second location  27 , and moves back in such a way that the first transferring receptacle  22  arrives at the first location. When the first transferring receptacle  22  has returned to the first location, the second transferring receptacle  23  is at the second location  27  and ready to receive the objects  2 . The second transferring receptacle  23  moves the objects  2  it has received at the second location  27  to the third location  28  by performing the same movement (as that performed during the aforementioned first clock pulse of the device), with which the first transferring receptacle  22  moves the group of m 1  objects from the first location  26  to the second location  27 . At the third location  28 , the temporary storage device  40  is disposed below the target position of the second transferring receptacle  23 , so that the objects  2  can be transferred by the transferring device  20 , or more particularly the second transferring receptacle  23 , to the temporary storage device  40 . Finally, the temporary storage device  40  delivers a second number m 2  of objects to the receiving device  50  during a transferring clock pulse. As shown in  FIG. 3 , in the present example, the first number m 1  is equal to a group of sixteen objects  2  and the second number m 2  is equal to a group of five objects to be delivered by the temporary storage device  40  to the receiving device  50 . Naturally, the first number m 1  and the second number m 2  can be selected so as to differ from those mentioned above. The direction of transport of the supplying device  10  is indicated by an arrow  11  in  FIG. 3 , and the direction of transport of the receiving device  50  is indicated by an arrow  51  in  FIG. 3 . Both arrows  11 ,  51  point from left to right and are substantially parallel to each other. This means that the device of the invention or the method of the invention enables objects  2  to be transferred clock pulse-wise from the workstation (not shown) which delivers the objects via the supplying device  10  to the workstation (not shown) which receives the objects via the receiving device  50 , during which process the objects undergo a change in orientation (the objects  2  are accepted lying transversely to the direction of transport  11  and are delivered longitudinally aligned in the direction of removal  51 , also in a lying position). As a result, the method of the invention and the device of the invention can be contrived in a particularly economical and space-saving manner. The objects  2  are shown individually in  FIG. 3 . They have an oblong shape and are, particularly as pharmaceutical products, for example, in the form of drinking straws for administering single doses. The objects  2  are provided with a light and a dark end in  FIG. 3  in order to clearly show their orientation in the course of the procedure proposed by the invention. The angular movement about the pivot axis  29  during said procedure is indicated by the arrows marked with reference numerals  12  and  13 . 
     The arrows marked with the reference numeral  12  in  FIG. 3  indicate that the objects  2  are either not rotated about the pivot axis  29  between the first location  26  and the second location  27  or are rotated first toward the left by the angular movement of the transferring receptacle  22  about the pivot axis  29  by 90°, and then by approximately 90° toward the right at the second location  27 , for example, on a turntable, so that the orientation of the objects  2  remains constant. Alternatively to such twofold rotation of the objects in different directions, it is possible, according to the invention, to adapt the transferring receptacles  22 ,  23  such that they can rotate about a different axis parallel to the pivot axis  29  on their respective arms disposed on the post  21 . The arrow  13  indicates that the objects  2  are pivoted through approximately 90° to the left between the second location  27  and the third location  28  so that, in all, the objects  2  are pivoted about the pivot axis  29  through approximately 90° to the left between the first location  26  and the third location  28 . 
     Furthermore, the upper part of  FIG. 3  clearly shows that the transferring device passes through a path of linear movement  25  between the first location  26  and the third location  28 , the second location  27  being disposed on the pivot axis  29  at a point approximately half-way along said path  25  (see the side view of the detailed view of the device of the invention shown in the upper part of  FIG. 3 ). 
       FIGS. 4 to 7  show different views of the transferring device  20  with the post  21 , and of the first and second transferring receptacles  22 ,  23 . 
       FIGS. 8 to 11  show different views of the storage device  40  with the funnel  41 , and  FIG. 12  is an exploded view of the storage device  40 . A dotted line in  FIG. 10  indicates the spatial relationship of the storage device  40  and the third location  28 . The objects  2  (not shown in  FIG. 10 ) fall from the third location  28  into the funnel  41  of the storage device  40  and are then delivered in groups to the receiving device  50 , likewise indicated by dashed lines, the number of objects  2  in such a delivery group being equal to the second number m 2 . A particular advantage of the invention is that the storage device  40  comprises shutter openings, which can be opened and closed by sliding the shutters and can simultaneously deliver a number of objects  2  equal to the second number m 2 . The shutter openings are shown in the exploded view of  FIG. 12  at the point marked with reference numeral  42 . 
     The foregoing description and examples have been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and are not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the described embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed broadly to include all variations within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.