Apparatus and method for monitoring and controlling the removal of a cover from a sealed tub in an aseptic environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10710758-B2
Application number	US-201715647633-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 12, 2017
Priority date	Jul 12, 2017
Publication date	Jul 14, 2020
Grant date	Jul 14, 2020

Abstract

A system is presented for monitoring and controlling in a sterilizable environment the peeling of a cover from a tub sealed by the cover. The system employs a platform having a fiducial source locating structure for holding the tub, a cover removal station disposed to engage with the cover and to peel the cover from the tub, a light source disposed to illuminate a portion of the platform proximate the cover removal station, a light sensor sensitive to light from the light source and disposed to preferentially collect and measure light diffusely reflected from the illuminated portion of the platform, and a controller with software to operate the system. An associated method for monitoring and controlling the peeling of the cover involves moving a peeled portion of the cover into a predetermined peeling monitor zone within the illuminated portion of the platform, and measuring an intensity of light from the light source diffusely reflected specifically from the peeling monitor zone. The positioning of the elements of the system and the peeling monitor zone allow measured light intensity to be employed as a control measure for the peeling process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for removing within a sterilizable environment a cover from a tub sealed with the cover, the method comprising:
providing a sterilizable chamber for maintaining an aseptic condition;
holding in the chamber a tub sealed with a peelable cover, the tub and cover having corresponding pluralities of corners;
illuminating one or more peeling monitor zones with light from at least one light source;
peeling the cover from one of the plurality of corners of the tub;
measuring a first intensity of light from the illuminating at one of the peeling monitor zones proximate to and substantially non-overlapping with the tub and after at least a portion of the peeling;
assessing a current status of the peeling of the cover from the tub based on the first intensity of light; and
providing an indication for the assessed current status.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising deciding a next step in the removing process based on the current status of the peeling.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assessing a current status of the peeling of the cover from the one of the plurality of corners of the tub comprises comparing the first light intensity with a first predetermined light intensity value.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assessing a current status of the peeling of the cover from the one of the plurality of corners of the tub comprises detecting the cover blocking light from the illuminating in the one of the peeling monitor zones.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising if the one of the plurality of corners of the tub is the last of the plurality of corners being peeled:
detaching the cover completely from the tub;
measuring a last intensity of light from the illuminating at the one of the peeling monitor zones; and
assessing the detaching of the cover from the tub based on the last intensity of light and the first intensity of light.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the assessing the detaching of the cover from the tub comprises comparing the last intensity of light with a last predetermined light intensity value.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the measuring the last intensity of light comprises measuring light from the light source diffusely reflected from the one of the peeling monitor zones.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the peeling monitor zones are on a movable platform and the peeling the cover from the one of the plurality of corners of the tub comprises moving the platform.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the providing the sterilizable chamber comprises providing a sterilizable chamber comprising a planar rotary stage having a source locating structure to perform the holding of the tub, and the peeling the cover from the one of the plurality of corners of the tub comprises rotating the planar rotary stage.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing the sterilizable chamber comprises providing a movable platform having a source locating structure to perform the holding of the tub, and the peeling the cover from the one of the plurality of corners of the tub comprises moving the platform.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing the chamber comprises providing a cover removal station comprising an engagement tool and the peeling comprises:
attaching a cover removal fixture to the tub cover before placing the tub in a locating structure;
engaging the cover removal fixture with the engagement tool; and
moving the engagement tool.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing the sterilizable chamber comprises providing a sterilizable chamber comprising a planar rotary stage having a source locating structure to perform the holding of the tub, and the peeling the cover from the one of the plurality of comers of the tub comprises rotating the planar rotary stage.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measuring a first intensity of light comprises measuring a first intensity of light from the light source diffusely reflected from the one of the peeling monitor zones.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of illuminating one or more peeling monitor zones involves an infrared light source and the step of measuring a first intensity of light involves an infrared sensor.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the steps of illuminating, peeling, measuring, assessing, and providing involve a controller, the controller comprises a memory and software instructions which when loaded in the memory and executed by the controller cause the controller to operate a cover removal station, a platform, a light source and a light sensor.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein at least one of the cover removal station and the platform is operable to peel the cover from one of the plurality of corners of the tub and to move a peeled portion of the cover into a peeling monitor zone, the peeling monitor zone being within the illuminated portion of the platform, proximate the tub and substantially non-overlapping with the tub; the sensor is for measuring a first intensity of light from the light source diffusely reflected from the peeling monitor zone; and the software instructions when loaded in the memory and executed by the controller further enable the controller to:
operate at least one of the light sources and at least one of the sensors to measure the first intensity of light immediately after the peeled portion of the cover has been moved into the peeling monitor zone;
assess a current status of the peeling of the cover from the tub based on the first intensity of light; and
determine a next step in the removing based on the current status of the peeling.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein a first predetermined light intensity value is stored in the memory and the software instructions when loaded in the memory and executed by the controller further enable the controller to assess a current status of the peeling of the cover from the tub by comparing the first light intensity with the first predetermined light intensity value.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein if the first of the plurality of corners of the tub is the last of the plurality of corners being peeled the software instructions when loaded in the memory and executed by the controller further enable the controller to:
operate at least one of the cover removal station and the platform to detach the cover completely from the tub;
operate at least one of the light sources and at least one of the sensors to measure a last intensity of light from the light source diffusely reflected from the peeling monitor zone; and
assess the detaching of the cover from the tub based on the last intensity of light and the first intensity of light.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the assessing step is performed by a controller having software that stores the last predetermined light intensity value in a memory; and the controller software instructions when loaded in the memory and executed by the controller further enable the controller to assess the detaching of the cover from the tub by comparing the last light intensity with the last predetermined light intensity value.

Assignees

• Vanrx Pharmasystems Inc

Inventors

• Diaz-Geurrero Carlos Alberto

Classifications

• B65B7/161

  Sealing filled ampoules · CPC title

• B65B7/2821

  applying plugs or threadless stoppers (for bottles or jars B67B1/04) · CPC title

• B65B57/145

  for fluent material · CPC title

• B65B57/02

  responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of binding or wrapping material, containers, or packages · CPC title

• B65B43/60

  rotatable · CPC title