US 5,961,021 AGranted

Ampule separator

AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Yuyama Seisakusho

InventorsNaoki Koike, Hiroyuki Taniguchi, Yasuhiro Shigeyama

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Abstract

An ampule separator which can efficiently cut off ampules from a strip of series-connected plastic ampules. A strip of series-connected plastic ampule is put in a stocker having an outlet at its bottom, with the individual ampules arranged horizontally. A pair of horizontally arranged rotors are provided under the outlet of the stocker. Each rotor is formed, in its outer peripheral surface, with a groove in which the body of a plastic ampule can be partially received. As the rotors are rotated, the lowermost one of the plastic ampules is received in the grooves. As the rotors are rotated further, the ampule in the grooves is pushed down and cut off along a cutoff line formed between this and the immediately upper ampules by the rear edges of the grooves, with the upper ampules supported on cylindrical outer surfaces of the rotors.

Claims8

Dependent claims

An ampule separator for separating a strip of series-connected plastic ampules along cut off lines provided between adjacent ampules, said ampule separator comprising:

a stocker for storing the strip of series-connected ampules, said stocker having an outlet;
a first rotor disposed adjacent said outlet, said first rotor having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface and a first groove,
wherein said first groove has a first edge, which extends in a direction along a longitudinal axis of said first rotor, and a second edge, and said cylindrical outer peripheral surface extends outside of said first groove continuously between said first and second edges of said first groove;
a second rotor disposed adjacent said outlet such that a longitudinal axis of said second rotor is parallel to said longitudinal axis of said first rotor, said second rotor having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface and a second groove,
wherein said second groove has a first edge, which extends in a direction along a longitudinal axis of said second rotor, and a second edge, and said cylindrical outer peripheral surface extends outside of said second groove continuously between said first and second edges of said second groove;
and
a drive means for rotating said first and second rotors in opposite directions such that said first and second rotors are always in phase with each other.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.