Filling machine for filling capsules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12048673-B2
Application number	US-202117925219-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2021
Priority date	May 13, 2020
Publication date	Jul 30, 2024
Grant date	Jul 30, 2024

Abstract

A filling machine for filling capsules with at least one product includes operating stations for operating on the capsules, and a moving system for transferring the capsules through the operating stations that include first and second dosing stations that are configured to fill the capsules with respective products. The moving system includes a linear electric motor, a guide rail, which includes a stator of the motor, and transfer carriages associated with the guide rail and provided with respective seats to house bodies and caps of the capsules. The transfer carriages have respective rotors of the motor interacting independently with respective magnetic fields generated by the stator to move the respective transfer carriages along the guide rail with an intermittent motion at the first dosing station when the first dosing station is activated and/or with a continuous motion at the second dosing station when the second dosing station is activate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A filling machine for filling capsules with at least one product in liquid or powder form, in granules, tablets, micro-tablets, or delayed-action drugs, comprising:
a plurality of operating stations for operating on said capsules;
a moving system for transferring said capsules in sequence through said plurality of operating stations that include at least a first dosing station and a second dosing station that are selectively activable and configured to fill said capsules with respective products;

wherein said moving system includes a linear electric motor, a guide rail which extends along a closed-loop motion path and comprises a stator of said linear electric motor and a plurality of transfer carriages associated with said guide rail and provided with respective seats configured for housing bodies and caps of said capsules, said transfer carriages comprising respective rotors of said linear electric motor interacting separately and independently with respective magnetic fields generated by said stator so as to move the respective transfer carriages along said guide rail with at least one of an intermittent motion at least at said first dosing station when said first dosing station is activated and a continuous motion at least at said second dosing station when said second dosing station is activate.

2. The filling machine according to claim 1 , wherein said first dosing station comprises a first dosing device configured to dispense a first product into the bodies of said capsules during stop steps of said intermittent motion of said transfer carriages.

3. The filling machine according to claim 1 , wherein said second dosing station comprises a second dosing device configured to dispense a second product into said bodies of said capsules during a continuous motion of said transfer carriages.

4. The filling machine according to claim 1 , wherein said rotors of said transfer carriages comprise at least one of respective permanent magnets and elements made of electrical/magnetic conductive material.

5. The filling machine according to claim 1 , wherein said stator extends for the entire length of said guide rail along said motion path and comprises a plurality of electric windings configured to create a plurality of magnetic fields acting on said rotors.

6. The filling machine according to claim 1 , wherein said stator comprises a plurality of modular elements.

7. The filling machine according to claim 6 , wherein said plurality of modular elements comprise rectilinear modular elements and curvilinear modular elements.

8. The filling machine according to claim 1 , wherein each transfer carriage comprises a plurality of wheels arranged for slidably engaging respective guide portions of said guide rail.

9. The filling machine according to claim 1 , comprising a third dosing station provided with third dosing device configured to dispense a third product into said bodies of said capsules during stop steps of said intermittent motion of said transfer carriages.

10. The filling machine according to claim 1 , wherein each transfer carriage comprises a main body, a first supporting element fixed to said main body and provided with a plurality of first seats configured for housing caps of said capsules and a second supporting element slidably connected to said main body and provided with a plurality of second seats configured for housing the bodies of said capsules.

11. The filling machine according to claim 10 , wherein said second supporting element is movable with respect to said main body between a first operating position, wherein said second supporting element is arranged under the first supporting element so that the second seats are aligned with the first seats to allow said caps and said bodies to be decoupled or coupled, and a second operating position, wherein said second supporting element is spaced from the first supporting element to allow at least one product to be dispensed into said bodies.

12. The filling machine according to claim 1 , comprising a control unit adapted to control said operating stations and said moving system.

13. The filling machine according to claim 12 , wherein said control unit is adapted to control a linear electric motor of said moving system so as to drive separately and independently said rotors associated with the respective transfer carriages and move the transfer carriages with intermittent motion in a first portion of said motion path at least at said first dosing station when said first dosing station is activated and with continuous motion in a second portion of said motion path at least at said second dosing station when said second dosing station is activated.

Assignees

• Ima Spa

Inventors

• Ribani Massimo
• Bedetti Maurizio
• Masotti Alessandro

Classifications

• H01F7/02

  Permanent magnets {[PM]} · CPC title

• B65B57/00

  Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices (registering wrapping or container-forming material fed from rolls B65B41/18) · CPC title

• B65B29/022

  packaging infusion material into capsules · CPC title

• A61J3/074 Primary

  Filling capsules; Related operations · CPC title