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US 5,626,171 AGranted
Apparatus for measuring and dispensing predetermined amounts of powdered material
AssigneeI.M.A. Industria Macchine Automatiche S.P.A.
InventorNerio Mirri
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The mechanism (27, 28) which regulates the volume of the distributors (16, 116) is connected to a shaft (41) coaxial to the shaft of the distributor carrousel. When the motor (63) is at standstill, the two coaxial shafts (2,41) rotate in the same direction and at the same speed. Whenever the motor (63) is activated in one direction or the other with the carrousel at the standstill or rotating, the inner shaft (41) rotates relative to the outer shaft (2), in the direction and to the extent necessary for the required regulation of volume of the distributors. The volume of the distributors is controlled remotely by a programmable processor (77).
Claims12
An apparatus for measuring and dispensing doses of powdered material comprising:
- a store having hard gelatine capsules;
- a plurality of tube-type distributors, each having a distribution chamber with a changeable volume;
- a distributor carousel having a vertical axis, said distributors being mounted onto said distributor carousel about said vertical axis of said distributor carousel;
- means for remote regulation of the changeable volume of said distributors;
- a centralized drive unit for inserting doses of the powdered material into said hard gelatine capsules, wherein said capsules are collected from said store;
- a second carousel for handling said capsules, said second carousel co-operating with said distributor carousel and being activated in phase therewith by said centralized drive unit;
- a projection provided externally on said distributors, said projection being connected to a movement piece;
- a plate which supports supporting stops, wherein said movement piece cooperates with said stops, said plate being fitted to the distributor carousel and having said remote regulation means and including means for micrometric axial movement;
- wherein said axial movement means permits variations of the changeable volume of the distributors, are connected operatively to an upper end of an inner shaft which passes axially through a hollow shaft of the distributor carousel, and project from a lower end of said distributor carousel;
- a regulation shaft having a reduction/differential gear unit;
- means for interconnecting lower ends of each of said inner and hollow shaft outside a working environment of the distributors, wherein said interconnecting means includes two sets of gears, and said reduction/differential gear unit located on said regulation shaft, said regulation shaft being fitted to a regulation shaft motor which is a two-way electric motor;
- and
- a kinematic chain designed such that when the regulation shaft is at a standstill, the inner and hollow shafts of the distributor carrousel rotate at a same speed and in a same direction, whereas when the regulation shaft is rotated in either direction by the regulation shaft motor, the inner shaft rotates slowly in one direction or the other relative to the outer shaft by an extent necessary to provide the required regulation of volume of the distributors resulting from use of the reduction/differential gear unit, independent of whether the hollow shaft of the carrousel is rotating or at a standstill.
10 more elements
An apparatus for measuring and dispensing doses of powdered material into hard gelatine capsules having tops and bottoms comprising:
- a plurality of tubular distributors, each having a changeable volume;
- means for remote regulation of the volume of said tubular distributors;
- a first carousel, said distributors being mounted in at least two groups diametrically opposed on said first carousel, having a vertical axis which is cyclically rotated by 180 degrees and lifted and lowered in order to plunge a first group of said distributors in a reservoir with the powdered material in order to fill said first group of distributors with said powdered material while the distributors of a previously filled group abut said bottom pieces of said capsules;
- two rotating filling and emptying stations;
- a second carousel, said capsule being carried by said second carousel which is rotated stepwise and always in a same direction as said two filling and emptying stations;
- a fixed guide having a lower portion;
- a vertical bar, said vertical bar carrying a support structure, wherein said structure has registers secured thereon and vertical guides, and wherein said vertical bar slides in said fixed guide;
- respective thrust devices mounted on said structure with interposition of said registers;
- a means for lifting and lowering said lower portion in phase with the distributors with a fixed stroke such that said thrust devices perform respectively compression of said dose charged by the distributors and discharge of said dose,
- wherein at least a first one of said registers is a discharge register assigned to the discharge of doses from the distributors, and at least a second one of said registers is a compression register mounted with the ability of sliding vertically within said vertical guides of said support structure, said support structure rotatably supporting at least one vertical screw, wherein said compression registers are secured to a register support, said register support having a nut screw secured thereto, wherein said vertical screw is connected by means for motion transmission which enables the lifting and lowering of said lifting and lowering means, concurrently with said distributors, to a first motor having an electronic phase and speed control and means for braking;
- an interface and a processor, wherein said first motor is connected to said interface and to said processor;
- a control motor for controlling said distributors, said control motor also being connected to said processor;
- a plate, a first transducer and a second transducer, each of said transducers being connected to said processor, wherein said first transducer measures a distance between said carousel and said plate, wherein said second transducer measures linear movements which indicate a distance between said register support and said support structure in such a manner that upon variation of the volume of said distributors, the processor is able to control simultaneously said first motor for automatic variation of a height of said registers under control of said second transducer so as to maintain constant, or within prefixed values, a compression degree of said powder material.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.