Abstract:
The present invention relates to a capsule support arrangement for a filling and closing machine for two-part capsules with a capsule upper part and a capsule lower part. The capsule support arrangement includes an upper part segment for receiving capsule upper parts and a lower part segment for receiving capsule lower parts. The upper part segment and the lower part segment respectively have at least one first receiving opening with a first diameter and a second receiving opening with a second diameter, the first diameter differing from the second diameter.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a 35 USC 371 application of PCT/EP2009/050753 filed on Jan. 23, 2009. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a capsule support arrangement for a filling and closing machine, in particular for medical applications. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Filling and closing machines are known, for instance from pharmaceutical applications, in which capsules in which an upper capsule part is slipped onto a lower capsule part are filled, for instance with a medication. The capsules are delivered empty and are then filled and closed incrementally at a plurality of stations on a conveyor wheel. At the various stations, quality and intactness tests can then for instance be performed. The known machines have fundamentally proven themselves over time. In laboratory areas, however, there are applications in which the known machines cannot be used in a targeted way, since the known machines are designed for the highest possible throughput. In the laboratory field, however, it is often necessary to fill only a small batch of capsules of a certain size. Although it is fundamentally possible to retrofit known machines, so that instead of one capsule size a different capsule size can be filled, nevertheless such retrofitting is very complicated and expensive. For the conveyor wheel in particular, many different capsule support arrangements have to be replaced in order to make conveying possible. 
     ADVANTAGES AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The capsule support arrangement according to the invention has the advantage over the prior art of furnishing a simple, economical embodiment, particularly for filling and closing machines of capsules in laboratory areas. According to the invention, in particular a fast change of capsule sizes can be achieved without problems and in a simple way. Moreover, by means of the capsule support arrangement of the invention, simple retrofitting of already existing filling machines can also be done. This is attained according to the invention by providing that the capsule support arrangement has an upper part segment and a lower part segment. The upper part segment and the lower part segment each have at least one first receiving opening with a first diameter and one second receiving opening with a second diameter. The diameters of the two receiving openings are different. As a result, it is possible, once a filling operation has been completed, for a further filling operation to be performed immediately for capsules of a different diameter. 
     Also preferably, the capsule support arrangement has a delivery magazine, again with at least one first receiving opening with a first diameter and one second receiving opening with a second diameter. The first diameter of the delivery magazine corresponds to the first diameter of the upper part segment, and the second diameter corresponds to the second diameter of the upper part segment. The lower part segments each have somewhat smaller diameters than the upper part segments. 
     Also preferably, the upper part segment, the lower part segment, and the delivery magazine have at least five receiving openings with different diameters. As a result, a filling machine can be designed for filling five different capsule sizes. 
     Preferably, the capsule support arrangement further includes a sorter with curved contact faces, which are adapted to various capsule lengths. 
     Also preferably, the capsule support arrangement has a sorting block with recesses for different capsule sizes. 
     Also preferably, the capsule support arrangement includes an insertion unit with a plurality of insertion punches, which each have a curved contact face. By means of the insertion punch, a capsule can be transferred or inserted into an upper part segment. The insertion punches with the curved contact faces each have radii which correspond to the radii of the associated receiving openings. As a result, a secure transfer of the capsules to the upper part segments or lower part segments is achieved. Further conveyance of a lower part of the capsules is achieved preferably by means of underpressure or a vacuum, in order to transfer a lower capsule part into the lower part segment. 
     Preferably, for each of the receiving openings one closure element is provided, for closing the individual receiving openings. As a result it is ensured that a capsule to be filled will not mistakenly be delivered to a receiving opening with the wrong diameter. 
     The invention furthermore relates to a filling and closing machine for capsules having a capsule support arrangement of the invention. The filling and closing machine is preferably used in laboratory areas for pharmaceutical applications. In particular, it is possible for small batches of capsules to be filled with a medication, as is necessary for instance in pharmaceutical development laboratories or in research facilities. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       One preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention will be described below in detail, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic top view on a filling and closing machine in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic sectional view of a capsule support arrangement in an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic top view on a delivery magazine of the capsule support arrangement shown in  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic side view of the capsule support arrangement of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Below, in conjunction with  FIGS. 1 through 4 , a capsule support arrangement  20  and a machine M for filling and closing capsules  30  will be described. 
       FIG. 1  shows the schematic layout of the filling and closing machine M; the machine includes a rotatable conveyor wheel F, on which stations  1  through  12  are disposed along the path of revolution of the conveyor wheel. At  1 , the empty capsules that are to be filled are taken from a reservoir and aligned and delivered to the machine In the process the capsules are separated, so that an upper part and a lower part of the capsules are disposed separately. At station  3 , station  5 , and station  7 , filling stations are provided in which the lower parts of the capsules can be filled. Station  8  is a station for detecting flaws; defective capsules are rejected. Closure of the capsules is done in station  10 , and ejection is done in station  11 . Station  12  is a cleaning station. It should be noted that the machine may provide still other stations, particularly for checking the fill level of the capsules, closure security, and so forth. 
     In  FIG. 1 , twelve upper part segments  21  are schematically shown, which each have five recesses  21   a . The five recesses  21  a each have different diameters, so that each can receive only one predetermined capsule size.  FIG. 2  schematically shows the capsule support arrangement  20 . As can be seen from  FIG. 2 , the capsule support arrangement  20  includes an upper part segment  21 , a lower part segment  22 , a sorting block  23 , a sorting rake  24 , and a delivery magazine  25 . An insertion unit with a plurality of insertion punches  26  disposed parallel to and next to one another is also provided. 
       FIG. 3  schematically shows a top view on the delivery magazine  25 . As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the delivery magazine  25  has five recesses  25   a ,  25   b ,  25   c ,  25   d  and  25   e,  which each have different diameters. The diameters are selected such that each recess can receive precisely one capsule diameter. The capsules  30  are delivered from a reservoir, not shown, in which they are disposed in random order. The capsules  30  are closed and include an upper part  30   a  and a lower part  30   b . Each of the insertion punches  26  includes a curved contact face  27 , for inserting a capsule into an upper part segment  21 . 
     The function of the capsule support arrangement  20  of the invention is as follows. In the first step, the random capsules are delivered from the reservoir to the delivery magazine  25 , which is indicated in  FIG. 2  by the arrow A. The delivery magazine  25  includes five recesses 25a-25e, which are each closable by means of a closing element, not shown. If the capsule having the largest diameter is to be filled, however, it is possible to dispense with the closing elements, since because of their large diameter the capsules do not fit into the other recesses  25   b - 25   e.    
     The delivery magazine  25  is disposed movably in the vertical direction, so that it can always be moved into the reservoir at certain time intervals in order to separate capsules  30 . 
     As can be seen from  FIG. 2 , the capsules  30  from the delivery magazine  25  reach a sorting block  23 . In the sorting block  23 , the delivered capsules are aligned, being rotated by 90° by means of the sorting rake  24 , so that they are arranged lying horizontally. This is indicated in  FIG. 2  by the arrow C. As indicated by the double arrow B, the sorting rake  24  can be moved back and forth in the horizontal direction and by means of a protruding tip  24   a , it can rotate the capsules by 90° in the appropriate direction. The sorting rake  24  has curved contact faces and is adapted to the particular capsule length. Once the capsule  30  has been rotated, the sorting rake  24  thrusts the capsules in  FIG. 2  to the right beneath one of the insertion punches  26 . Each insertion punch  26  is movable in the vertical direction, as indicated by the double arrow D. The insertion punch  26  has a protruding region  26   a , which comes into contact first with the capsule  30 . As a result, the capsule  30  is rotated once again by 90°, in such a way that the upper part  30   a  of the capsule  30  comes into contact with the curved contact face  27 . The insertion punch  26  is then moved farther downward, until the capsule  30  is positioned entirely inside the upper part segment  21 . The upper part segment  21  has five recesses  21   a , which are embodied as stepped bores in such a way that the upper part  30   a  rests on the shoulder  21   b  of the stepped bore and thus cannot be pushed any farther downward in the vertical direction. Once the capsule  30  is disposed in the upper part segment  21  in this way, the lower part  30   b  of the capsule  30  is aspirated by means of underpressure, so that the lower part  30   b  is disposed in a stepped bore  22   a  of the lower part segment  22 . A smaller diameter of the stepped bore  22   a  is selected, such that the lower part  30   b  is not aspirated through it. As a result, the capsule  30  is opened, so that in the following stations checking for damage and filling of the capsules can be done. 
     If a different batch of capsules is now to be filled, then according to the invention there is no need to replace the upper part segment, lower part segment, delivery magazine, sorting rake  24 , or sorting block  23 . Care must merely be taken at the delivery magazine  25  to ensure that those recesses  25   a - 25   e  that do not correspond to the diameter of the capsules to be filled are closed. For instance, if now only very small capsules are to be filled, then the recesses  25   a - 25   d  are closed, and only the recess  25   e  in the delivery magazine  25  stays open. It is thus prevented that the small capsules  30  will be introduced into the wrong recess and capsules will be delivered to the sorting block  23  only via the recess  25   e . It should be noted that a separate insertion punch  26  is provided at the sorting block  23  for every diameter of the capsules, the insertion punch being adapted especially to those capsules. This can be seen in  FIG. 4 , in which the insertion punches  26  are arranged next to one another in a row corresponding to the opening diameters of the delivery magazine  25  and the upper part segment  21 . In addition, the sorting block  23  also has recesses for various capsule sizes. 
     Thus the machine according to the invention is especially well suited to use in a laboratory, in which only small batches, for instance for sampling purposes, have to be filled and in which many capsules of different sizes have to be manipulated. Then a complicated conversion of the machine is unnecessary, and furthermore there is no need to keep an inventory on hand for various format sets relating to the delivery magazine, the sorting rake, the sorting block, the upper part segments, and the lower part segments. Of the multiple capsule passages through the machine present in the exemplary embodiment, only one at a time is used, depending on the capsule size, and the others are prevented from being used, for instance by means of coverings. 
     The foregoing relates to the preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, it being understood that other variants and embodiments thereof are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention, the latter being defined by the appended claims.