Needle shield positioning system and method
AssigneeWest Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.
InventorJustin Miller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for mounting a needle shield to a syringe. The system includes a syringe nest and a gripper having a gripping position and a release position. The gripper is movable between an aligned position and a spaced position. A shaker has a shaker axis that is generally coaxial with the syringe axis. The shaker is movable along the shaker axis. An inspection camera is positioned proximate the syringe axis and defines a line of sight. The syringe nest, gripper, shaker and cap plunger are generally aligned along the syringe axis in a placing configuration wherein the gripper is in the gripping position holding the needle shield. The gripper is in the spaced position and the distal end of the cap plunger is in engagement with the needle shield in a final cap mounting configuration.
Claims20
A system for mounting a needle shield to a syringe defining a syringe axis and having a needle with a tip, a collar and a barrel, the system comprising:
- a syringe nest including a nest cavity for movably supporting a plunger end of the syringe, the syringe nest defining a syringe nest axis that is substantially aligned with the syringe axis;
- a gripper including a first arm pivotable relative to a second arm, the first arm having a first concave surface and the second arm having a second concave surface, the gripper having a gripping position and a release position, the gripper defining a gripper axis, the gripper movable from an aligned position wherein the gripper axis and syringe axis are generally coaxial and a spaced position;
- a shaker having a shaker axis that is generally coaxial with the syringe axis, the shaker having a drive end and being movable along the shaker axis such that the drive end is selectively in contact with the syringe nest;
- a cap plunger having a plunger axis that is generally coaxial with the syringe axis and being substantially aligned with the syringe nest axis, the cap plunger movable along the plunger axis, the cap plunger including a distal end;
- and
- an inspection camera positioned proximate the syringe axis and defining a line of sight that extends generally through the needle shield, the inspection camera configured for inspecting a position of the needle shield proximate the syringe axis, the syringe nest, gripper, shaker and cap plunger being generally aligned along the syringe axis in a placing configuration wherein the gripper is in the gripping position holding the needle shield between the first and second concave surfaces, the gripper being in the spaced position and the distal end of the cap plunger being in engagement with the needle shield in a final cap mounting configuration.
A method of mounting a needle shield to a syringe having a needle with a tip, a collar and a barrel using a system including an inspection camera, a cap plunger, the needle shield, a syringe nest having a nest cavity, a gripper having a first arm pivotable relative to a second arm and a shaker having a drive end, the syringe having a proximal end and a tip end, the method comprising:
- (a) positioning the proximal end of the syringe in the nest cavity of the syringe nest;
- (b) engaging the needle shield with the gripper in a gripping position by pivoting a first terminal end of the first arm toward a second terminal end of the second arm, such that the first terminal end and the second terminal end engage the needle shield;
- (c) moving the gripper and needle shield from a spaced position to an aligned position wherein the a gripper axis of the gripper is aligned generally parallel with a syringe axis of the syringe;
- (d) moving the gripper from the gripping position to a release position by moving the first terminal end away from the second terminal end, causing the needle shield to fall under the force of gravity toward the tip such that the needle shield is positioned on the tip end of the syringe;
- (e) moving the gripper to a spaced position;
- (f) moving the drive end of the shaker into engagement with the syringe nest and causing the shaker to vibrate the syringe nest to orient a syringe axis generally coaxially with a shield axis of the needle shield;
- (g) inspecting the position of the needle shield relative to the syringe with the inspection camera;
- and
- (h) moving the cap plunger into engagement with the needle shield, which includes a plug mounted inside a shell, to urge the needle shield toward the syringe and the tip into the plug.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.