Using thermal imaging for control of a manufacturing process
AssigneeGlaxoSmithKline LLC
InventorZane A. Arp
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermal imaging camera monitors the temperature different zones in a pharmaceutical process such as ribbon compaction, coating, spray drying, fluid bed drying, high shear wet granulation, crystallization, lyophilization, precipitation, fermentation, and low dosage dispensing of a pharmaceutically active liquid. The thermal imaging camera can be used to produce a visual display of a temperature profile, or a spray pattern. In addition, feedback from the thermal imaging camera is used to control one or more processing parameters.
Claims29
A manufacturing process comprising
- subjecting a material to processing in which the temperatures of plural different regions of said material are caused to differ from one another;
- scanning said regions using a thermal imaging camera, thereby generating a set of data representing the temperatures at multiple locations within each of said regions;
- and
- controlling said processing in response to said data, and in said controlling step adjusting at least one processing parameter in response to variations in said data.
A compactor for pharmaceutical compositions comprising:
- a feeder adapted to receive and transport a powder composition;
- a pair of counterrotating rollers having opposed peripheral surfaces, the rollers being disposed in relation to the feeder for receiving powder composition transported by the feeder between their opposed peripheral surfaces, applying pressure to said composition, and delivering, at a delivery location adjacent said rollers, a product consisting of a compressed version of said composition;
- and
- a thermal imaging camera, aimed at said delivery location, for detecting the temperature of said product, and providing an output signal representing the temperature of said product.
A compactor for pharmaceutical compositions comprising:
- feeding means for receiving and transporting a powder composition;
- a pair of counterrotating rollers having opposed peripheral surfaces, the rollers being disposed in relation to the feeding means for receiving powder composition transported by the feeding means between their opposed peripheral surfaces, applying pressure to said composition, and delivering, at a delivery location adjacent said rollers, a product consisting of a compressed version of said composition;
- thermal imaging means, for detecting the temperature of said product at said delivery location, and providing an output signal representing the temperature of said product;
- and
- control means responsive to said output signal, for regulating at least one operating parameter of the compactor, said operating parameter being a parameter from the group consisting of the rate at which said powder composition is transported by said feeding means, the rate of rotation of said counterrotating rollers, the spacing of said counterrotating rollers, and the temperature of said counterrotating rollers.
A method for compacting pharmaceutical compositions comprising:
- feeding a powder composition to a nip between a pair of counterrotating rollers having opposed peripheral surfaces, and applying pressure to said composition in said nip;
- causing said rollers to deliver, at a delivery location adjacent said rollers, a product consisting of a compressed version of said composition;
- providing a signal representing the temperature of said product by thermal imaging of the product at said delivery location;
- and
- regulating at least one operating parameter of the compactor by a control responsive to said signal, said operating parameter being a parameter from the group consisting of the rate at which said powder composition is fed to aid nip, the rate of rotation of said counterrotating rollers, the spacing of said counterrotating rollers, and the temperature of said counterrotating rollers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.