Patent Description:
The present invention relates to a filling station for containers of the pharmaceutical field and method thereof.

A filling station for containers of the pharmaceutical field comprises a conveyor device that conveys the containers (for example vials or bottles) along a filling path, a filling head arranged along the path which comprises a plurality of dispensing nozzles arranged to dispense a filling material (for example liquid or powder) inside the containers. In this arrangement the head results in the respective filling configuration.

Filling stations of the pharmaceutical field often provide for a dedicated automatic washing and/or sterilization system of the filling circuits on site (namely, the so-called CIP/SIP systems), allowing the latter to be cleaned without having to completely disassemble the filling system. The washing/sterilization cycle is necessary periodically or, in any case, between two filling cycles which involve two different products.

For example, the washing/sterilization can take place by means of chemical agents and/or steam at high temperatures which are passed through the circuit and then collected for disposal. For this purpose, the filling station is brought into a washing configuration: in detail, the dispensing nozzles are removed from the filling head and inserted into corresponding washing collectors (also called "false bottles") arranged adjacent to the conveyor. The nozzles are connected by means of pipes to the washing circuit for dispensing the washing fluid to the collectors through the respective opening. These operations of setting up the filling head in the washing configuration are done manually by an operator. At the end of the cleaning cycle, the operator also takes care of returning the filling head to the filling configuration described above.

However, the known solutions described above require a long time to prepare the filling station from the respective filling configuration to the washing configuration, and vice versa, and this negatively affects the productivity of the filling station as it determines considerable downtime.

Patent application <CIT> describes a device for handling containers comprising: a support with at least a filling and/or closing element suitable for filling and/or closing a container, and at least an extension arm connected to the support,
Patent application <CIT> describes an evacuation and sealing device comprising a module which is provided with a plurality of evacuation and sealing units and is independently movable along three mutually perpendicular axes; the module cooperates with a first conveyor device for small containers and a second conveyor device for container caps.

The object of the present invention is to overcome said drawback. This object is achieved by means of a filling station and method according to the attached claims.

Advantageously, the proposed filling station and method allow to reduce the time required for the preparation of the filling station, from the filling configuration to the washing one, and vice versa, with respect to the known art. In other words, the proposed filling station and method reduce machine downtime related to the cleaning cycles of the filling station compared to the prior art.

This is ensured by the fact that the filling head is automatically movable from the respective filling configuration to a washing configuration (and vice versa), where the respective nozzle is arranged at the opening of the washing collector to fill the washing collector with the washing fluid through the opening of the collector. The manual intervention of the operator is therefore no longer necessary for carrying out the cleaning cycle.

These and other advantages will be made clearer in the following description with the help of the attached drawing tables:.

With reference to the Figures, with <NUM> has been indicated as a whole a filling station for pharmaceutical containers C (for example bottles or vials) according to the invention (represented in the figures by way of example).

The station <NUM> comprises: a conveyor <NUM> for conveying the containers C along a filling path P (the direction of which is indicated in <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>) and a filling head <NUM> comprising in turn at least a dispensing nozzle <NUM> (preferably more than one, as in the illustrated case).

The filling head <NUM> can assume the filling configuration F (see <FIG>) in which the dispensing nozzle <NUM> is ready for filling the containers C conveyed by the conveyor <NUM> with a product (for example liquid or powder, not shown).

The filling station <NUM> further comprises at least a washing collector <NUM> (preferably more than one, as in the illustrated case), arranged adjacent to the filling path P and comprising an opening <NUM> (indicated in <FIG>) for receiving a washing fluid. The dispensing nozzle <NUM> can be coupled with the opening <NUM> (preferably insertable in the opening <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>) of the washing collector <NUM> for dispensing a washing fluid in the washing collector <NUM> through the opening <NUM>. For example, the washing fluid can comprise chemical agents and/or steam at high temperatures (e.g., <NUM>). Preferably, the number of washing collectors <NUM> corresponds to the number of dispensing nozzles <NUM>. In particular, the filling head <NUM> is automatically movable from the filling configuration F (<FIG>) to a washing configuration S (<FIG> and <FIG>), where the respective dispensing nozzle <NUM> is at the opening <NUM> of the washing collector <NUM> (preferably in the washing collector <NUM>) to fill the washing collector <NUM> with the washing fluid through the opening <NUM>, and vice versa.

Advantageously, the proposed filling station <NUM> allows to reduce the machine downtime which, in the known art, was necessary to allow the operator to manually disconnect the dispensing nozzle from the filling head and place it in the washing collector, to which it was necessarily connected by piping and fixed for dispensing the washing fluid into the collector. Therefore, the productivity of the filling station <NUM> is significantly increased compared to the known art.

According to the preferred embodiment illustrated, the movement of the filling head <NUM> from the filling configuration F to the washing configuration S (and vice versa) takes place along a first direction D1, transversal to the filling path P. This specification is particularly effective and simple to implement. Preferably, the filling head <NUM> is further movable along a second direction D2, transversal to the filling path P, between a lowered position in which the dispensing nozzle <NUM> is inserted in the washing collector <NUM> and a raised position in which the dispensing nozzle <NUM> is not inserted in the washing collector <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>). This movement of the filling head <NUM> along the second direction D2 (vertical with respect to the conveyor <NUM>) also allows the dispensing nozzle <NUM> to enter the container C to be filled (lowered position), and to exit therefrom (raised position, see the <FIG> and <FIG>). Advantageously, therefore, the insertion and removal of the dispensing nozzle <NUM> in the washing collector <NUM> exploits a movement already possible for the filling head <NUM>, without creating structural and functional complications.

With reference to the attached figures, the station <NUM> comprises a support arm <NUM>, and the filling head <NUM> further comprises: a dispensing portion <NUM> (substantially parallel to the conveyor <NUM>), which carries the dispensing nozzle <NUM>, and an advancing portion <NUM> (substantially transversal and preferably perpendicular to the conveyor <NUM>) which is connected to the dispensing portion <NUM> and bound to the support arm <NUM>. The advancing portion <NUM> is movable with respect to the support arm <NUM> to bring the filling head <NUM> from the filling configuration F to the washing configuration S, and vice versa.

The advancing portion <NUM> has a substantially cylindrical shape. According to an example, the advancing portion <NUM> is slidable with respect to the support arm <NUM>.

Preferably, the advancing portion <NUM> is telescopic, namely, it comprises a plurality of tubular portions sliding relative to one another to determine the movement of the filling head <NUM> from the filling configuration F to the washing configuration S, and vice versa. Advantageously, this specification guarantees a high structural simplicity of the filling head <NUM>.

For example, the movement of the advancing portion <NUM> with respect to the support arm <NUM> is motorized.

According to the attached figures, the support arm <NUM> is movable at least along a rotation direction O which is transversal to the first direction D1 of movement of the filling head <NUM> (namely, it is at least partially parallel to the filling path P of the containers C and to the conveyor <NUM> in the case illustrated).

Preferably, the support arm <NUM> is movable along said rotation direction O to move the filling head <NUM> along said second direction D2 (namely, from the respective lowered to the raised position, and vice versa).

Again, with reference to the attached figures, the station <NUM> comprises a base <NUM> arranged adjacent to the conveyor <NUM> and with respect to which the support arm <NUM> is bound (preferably hinged). The support arm <NUM> is movable with respect to the base <NUM> along said rotation direction O.

With reference to the figures, the conveyor <NUM> has a linear development direction V (namely, it is a linear conveyor <NUM>, for example with a closed loop comprising pockets <NUM>), preferably parallel to the filling path P, and the filling head <NUM> comprises a plurality of dispensing nozzles <NUM> arranged in a row. Still with reference to the figures, the filling station <NUM> comprises a plurality of washing collectors <NUM> arranged in a row (with the number of dispensing nozzles <NUM> preferably coinciding with the number of washing collectors <NUM>). According to this embodiment, the row of dispensing nozzles <NUM>, the row of washing collectors <NUM> and the development direction V of the conveyor <NUM> are parallel to one another. This embodiment guarantees the system an optimal effectiveness and at the same time a high compactness (namely, it results in contained overall dimensions of the filling station <NUM>).

As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the washing configuration S each dispensing nozzle <NUM> of the filling head <NUM> is arranged inside the corresponding washing collector <NUM> passing through the opening <NUM>; namely, in the washing configuration S each dispensing nozzle <NUM> of the filling head <NUM> is inserted into the corresponding washing collector <NUM> engaging the opening <NUM>. Furthermore, in the washing configuration S each dispensing nozzle <NUM> of the filling head <NUM> seals the opening <NUM> of the washing collector <NUM> to prevent the overflow of the washing fluid from the opening <NUM>; in this regard, each dispensing nozzle <NUM> of the filling head <NUM> or each washing collector <NUM> has an elastically deformable annular seal <NUM> which ensures the hydraulic seal between the dispensing nozzle <NUM> and the opening <NUM> of the washing collector <NUM>.

Each washing collector <NUM> has a cup-like shape which is delimited at the bottom by a bottom wall <NUM> (completely devoid of holes) opposite the opening <NUM> and is laterally delimited by a side wall <NUM> which is configured to contain, with a given clearance, the dispensing nozzle <NUM> of the filling head <NUM> arranged in the washing configuration S (namely, between the dispensing nozzle <NUM> of the filling head <NUM> and the side wall <NUM> of the washing collector <NUM> free space is provided). The side wall <NUM> of the washing collector <NUM> has at least a drain hole <NUM> (in effect a plurality of uniformly distributed drain holes) which is arranged on the opposite side of the bottom wall <NUM> near the opening <NUM> and is designed to allow the outflow of the washing fluid once the washing fluid has filled the washing collector <NUM>.

In use, each dispensing nozzle <NUM> of the filling head <NUM> enters, through the opening <NUM>, into the corresponding washing collector <NUM>, sealing the opening <NUM> in a hermetic manner. Once the opening <NUM> has been sealed, through the dispensing nozzle <NUM> the washing fluid is dispensed which, passing through the dispensing nozzle <NUM>, cleans the inside of the said dispensing nozzle <NUM>; when the washing fluid comes out of the dispensing nozzle <NUM> "hits" against the bottom wall <NUM> of the washing collector <NUM> and therefore, filling the washing collector <NUM>, is forced to rise upwards until it reaches the drain hole <NUM> from which the washing fluid flows towards a drain. When the washing fluid rises from bottom to top to reach the drain hole <NUM>, it externally cleans the dispensing nozzle <NUM> as it flows over the outer surface of the dispensing nozzle <NUM>.

In this way, the fact that each washing collector <NUM> is "filled" by the washing fluid allows the corresponding dispensing nozzle <NUM> to be cleaned not only internally but also externally.

The present invention further relates to a method for filling containers C of the pharmaceutical field (for example bottles or vials), which can be implemented by means of a filling station <NUM> of the type described above.

In particular, following said steps, the method comprises the step of: automatically bringing the filling head <NUM> into the corresponding washing configuration S and filling the washing collector <NUM> with the washing fluid by means of the dispensing nozzle <NUM>.

Subsequently, the method comprises the step of automatically returning the filling head <NUM> to the corresponding filling configuration F.

The method described above essentially comprises a filling and subsequent cleaning cycle that can be performed for example by means of the filling station <NUM>, which is also the subject of the invention and described above.

Claim 1:
A filling station (<NUM>) for containers (C) of the pharmaceutical field, comprising:
- a conveyor (<NUM>) for conveying containers (C) along a filling path (P);
- a filling head (<NUM>) comprising at least a dispensing nozzle (<NUM>); the filling head (<NUM>) can assume a filling configuration (F) in which the dispensing nozzle (<NUM>) is ready for filling the containers (C) conveyed by the conveyor (<NUM>) with a product; and
- a washing collector (<NUM>), arranged adjacent to the filling path (P) and comprising an opening (<NUM>) for receiving a washing fluid; wherein the dispensing nozzle (<NUM>) can be coupled with the opening (<NUM>) of the collector for dispensing a washing fluid in the washing collector (<NUM>) through the opening (<NUM>);
characterized in that the filling head (<NUM>) is automatically movable from the filling configuration (F) to a washing configuration (S), in which the respective dispensing nozzle (<NUM>) is at the opening (<NUM>) of the washing collector (<NUM>) for filling the washing collector (<NUM>) with the washing fluid through the opening (<NUM>), and vice versa.