Patent ID: 12195222

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A packaging machine2for producing blister packs4and a detail view of a blister pack4are shown schematically inFIG.1. Each blister pack4comprises at least one blister cup4aformed in a forming film6, which blister cup4ais optionally closed by a covering film8. Due to the production process, an upper side4bof the blister pack4is then usually formed by the covering film8and a lower side4cof the blister pack4is usually formed by the forming film6having the blister cups4a. In each blister cup4aof the blister pack4, a product10, in particular a medical or pharmaceutical product, such as a tablet, a capsule, a sugar-coated pill, or the like, is received. However, blister packs4are also conceivable which have no covering film8. For these embodiments, the features described herein in relation to the covering film8, or the connection thereof to the forming film6, are to be regarded as optional or moot.

In the embodiment shown inFIG.1, the packaging machine2is designed as a blister machine having a plurality of processing stations or devices, as described below. It is clear, however, that the packaging machine2is not limited to a blister machine of this kind.

The forming film6may be a thermoplastic film in which the blister cups4aare formed by thermoforming. The forming film6may preferably be provided on a storage roll14in the form of a forming film web12. The packaging machine2may comprise a heating device16for heating the forming film web12and a forming device18for forming the blister cups4ainto the forming film web12. In a filling device20of the packaging machine2, the blister cups4acan be filled with the products10. The blister cups4acan then be closed, preferably by sealing a covering film web22to the forming film web12in a sealing device24of the packaging machine2. The covering film8is therefore supplied in the form of a covering film web22, preferably likewise provided on a storage roll (not shown), which is fed to the forming film web12from above.

The packaging machine2furthermore comprises a separating device26for separating individual blister packs4from the forming foil web12and more preferably from a composite film web comprising the forming film web12and the covering film web22. The separating device26is preferably designed as a stamping device. After the separating device26, individual blister packs4exist which are then fed to further processing steps by means of a conveying device (not shown), such as pickers, for example. The orientation of the blister packs4, in particular of the upper side and the lower side4b,4c, preferably remains unchanged. It is evident that the blister packs4can however be produced in any manner.

The packaging machine2further comprises an inspection device28for checking the blister packs4, in particular the individual blister packs4after the separating device26, and also a transport device30for moving the blister packs4in a transport direction T through the inspection device28.

The inspection device28and the transport device30are described in greater detail below with reference toFIG.2andFIG.3. The inspection device28comprises at least one detection device32which is designed to optically detect individual blister packs4both from an upper side4band from a lower side4cin a checking area34of the packaging machine2. For this purpose, the inspection device28may comprise reflection means, by means of which the detection device32can not only detect the upper side4bfacing it, but also the lower side4cof the blister packs4. In the preferred embodiment shown, however, the inspection device28comprises a plurality of detection devices, more precisely the detection device32, which is also referred to as the first detection device, and a second detection device36. Each of the plurality of detection devices32,36may comprise a camera, for example, or any other optical sensor.

Here, the first detection device32optically detects the upper side4bof the blister packs4and the second detection device36optically detects the lower side4cof the blister packs4. It is preferable that the detection devices32,36directly detect the upper side4aand the lower side4cof the blister packs4, which is why the first and the second detection devices32,36are oriented to the upper side4aand the lower side4c, respectively. The first detection device32may be arranged above the transport device30or the checking area34for this purpose, and the second detection device36may be arranged below the transport device30or the checking area34. It is preferable for the first and the second detection devices32,36to simultaneously detect the blister pack4, for which purpose the detection devices32,36can be arranged above one another and the transport device30passes through between the first and the second detection devices32,36. The checking area34is therefore arranged between the first and the second detection devices32,36. Other assignments or arrangements and further detection devices are generally conceivable.

So that each blister pack4can be detected and checked comprehensively, the upper side4b, the lower side4c, and a circumferential edge4bof each blister pack4should be exposed as far as possible in the checking area34, in other words, not concealed. The inspection device28therefore preferably comprises a transparent support device38in the checking area34, on which the blister pack4to be detected is arranged in the checking area34. The second detection device36may detect the lower side4cof the blister pack4through the transparent support device38. In addition, the blister pack4to be detected in each case may rest on the support device38in the checking area34, so that it does not need be held there by the transport device30, but can be released by the transport device30so that the circumferential edge4dof the blister pack4is released.

The transport device30basically moves the blister packs4in the transport direction T on a transport plane, wherein the upper side4bof each blister pack4is preferably oriented upwards in relation to the transport plane and the lower side4cof each blister pack4is oriented downwards in relation to the transport plane. The transport device30may receive the blister packs4in a receiving area40of the transport device30, for example by transferring the blister packs4from the separating device26to the transport device30by means of a suitable transfer device. The transport device30can then move the blister packs4from the receiving area40into the checking area34and from the checking area34into a delivery area42, from which it can be delivered to further transport or processing devices. The transport device30extends over the support device34. The support device34is provided in a conveyor table44, for example, on which the blister packs4are moved by the transport device30. The transport device30may, in principle, comprise gripping or suction means, in order to hold and move the blister packs4. Mechanisms of this kind would, however, also conceal the upper side4bor the lower side4cof the blister packs4, at least in part.

The transport device30therefore preferably comprises at least one endless first traction means46, for example in the form of a belt, to which a plurality of receiving elements48is attached, which are arranged behind one another in the transport direction T. The receiving elements48may have a strip-shaped design. The plurality of receiving elements48are provided in pairs, each pair comprising a leading receiving element48aand a trailing receiving element48b. Each pair of receiving elements48a,48bmay then form a receptacle for at least one blister pack4. The plurality of receiving elements48may be designed in such a manner that they do not conceal, or do not substantially conceal, the upper side4band the lower side4cof the blister packs4. Instead, the receiving elements48may only rest against a front edge and a rear edge of the respective blister pack4, which abut the leading or trailing receiving element48a, b. In addition, the receiving elements48may form the receptacles50in such a manner that the blister packs4are also not concealed by the at least one traction means46.

Preferably, exactly one blister pack4is received in a receptacle50in a direction parallel to the transport direction T. In a direction Q perpendicular to the transport direction T and parallel to the transport plane, a plurality of blister packs4, in this case two blister packs4, may be received in each receptacle50, as can be seen inFIG.2. In this case, the first and the second detection device32,36can each be configured to optically detect the blister packs4arranged alongside one another, or at least one further detection device can be provided above and/or below the checking area34.

The at least one first traction means46, preferably all traction means, have an upper strand47aand a lower strand47b, which are arranged spaced apart from one another in a direction perpendicular to the transport plane and run parallel to the transport plane. For this purpose, the at least one traction means46is guided at least about a first and a second roller49a,49b, the axes of which lie in a plane parallel to the transport plane. In the embodiment shown, the at least one traction means46is furthermore guided over a third and a fourth roller51a,51b, the axes of which lie parallel to the transport plane in a further plane. The upper strand47aruns between the first and the second rollers49a,49band the lower strand47bruns between the third and the fourth rollers. In this way, the at least one traction means46is spanned in a substantially trapezoidal shape. The upper and the lower strand47a, bmay be arranged spaced so far from one another that the second detection device36can be arranged at a level between the upper and the lower strand47a,47bof the at least one traction means46, as shown.

The receiving elements48preferably rest against a front and a rear edge of the blister packs4during transportation of the blister packs4and do not cover, or do not substantially cover, the upper side4band the lower side4cof the blister packs4. An unimpeded receiving and releasing of the blister packs4can be achieved in that the leading receiving element48aand the trailing receiving element48bof each pair of receiving elements48can be moved relative to one another in a direction parallel to the transport direction T. In this way, the receptacles50can be opened and closed and the at least one blister pack4can easily be released by the transport device30in the checking area34, so that its circumferential edge can also be detected by the at least one detection device32,36.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the leading receiving elements48aare connected to the first traction means46and the trailing receiving elements48bare connected to a second traction means52of the transport device30. In order to improve stability, multiple first and multiple second traction means can also be provided, as shown. The first and the second traction means46,52run parallel to one another. The first traction means46is driven by a first drive54and the second traction means52is driven by a second drive56. A relative speed between the first and the second traction means46,52, and therefore between the leading and the trailing receiving elements48a,48b, can be generated by the first and the second drive54,56, in order to open and close the receptacles50.

In direction Q perpendicular to the transport direction T, the receiving elements48preferably extend beyond the traction means46,52and form receptacles for the blister packs4laterally alongside the traction means46,52. This means that the lower side4cof the blister packs4is not concealed by the traction means46,52.

In the receiving area40, the transport device30receives at least one blister pack4, for which purpose the receptacles50are initially adjusted from a first state into an opened second state for insertion of the at least one blister pack4. Relative movement between the leading receiving element48aand the trailing receiving element48bresults in the receptacles50being adjusted from the second state back into the closed first state, in which the transport device30moves the at least one blister pack4into the checking area34. In the checking area34, the at least one blister pack4is preferably released by the transport device30, so that the circumferential edge4dof the blister pack4is exposed and the blister pack4can be optically detected from the upper side4band the lower side4c. The at least one blister pack4is released by opening the receptacles50into the second state in the checking area34. After optically detecting the blister pack4in the checking area34, the receptacles50are closed again and the at least one blister pack4is conveyed from the checking area to the delivery area42.

From the delivery area42, the at least one blister pack4can be fed on for further processing, such as packing in folding boxes, for example. However, this should only be the case when a desired quality of the blister pack4is established during checking the at least one blister pack4by the inspection device28. If the quality of the at least one blister pack4is inadequate, the blister pack4can be ejected and thereby excluded from further processing. An ejection device58is depicted symbolically inFIG.3. For example, defective blister packs4are not engaged by a transfer device which feeds the blister packs4from the delivery region42for further processing, and they fall into a collection bin. Alternative ejection devices58are conceivable.

In order to check the blister packs4based on the data generated by the at least one detection device32,36, the inspection device28preferably comprises a data-processing device60which is particularly configured for image processing of the image data detected by the detection devices32,36and is connected in a communicating manner to the at least one detection device32,36. The data-processing device60processes the image data and evaluates it, in order to obtain the desired information on the quality, in particular the stamping quality, of the blister packs4. For this purpose, based on the image processing, the data-processing device60may derive at least one quality feature of each blister pack and check whether the quality feature satisfies a predetermined criterion, for example falls within a predefined tolerance range. For example, based on images of the upper side and the lower side of the blister packs, by suitable data-processing one or several of the following quality features can be determined: a length of the blister pack4, a width of the blister pack4, an edge length of longitudinal and/or transverse edges of the blister pack4, a radius between the longitudinal and transverse edges of the blister pack4, a position of at least one blister cup4aof the blister pack4relative to a longitudinal and/or transverse edge, a contour of the blister pack4, a position of a perforation of the blister pack4, a embossment, an imprint, a filling of the blister cups4a, or a combination thereof.

The inspection device28may furthermore comprise a control device62which is connected in a communicating manner to the data-processing device60or is integrally formed therewith. In addition, the control device62may be connected to the ejection device58in a communicating manner, in order to actuate it in response to a signal from the data-processing device60. If a blister pack4does not satisfy the predefined quality criteria, it is immediately ejected based on the check performed by the inspection device28.

Following stamping, the blister packs4can thus be checked comprehensively by means of the packaging machine2and the method described herein, in that they are optically detected both from the upper side and from the lower side, wherein the circumferential edge of the blister packs is preferably also exposed. For this purpose, the blister packs can be released in the checking area, at least for a short period. Defective blister packs can be immediately excluded from further processing. Alternative embodiments will be evident to the person skilled in the art, based on the exemplary embodiments described herein.