Dosing station for a capsule filling machine

Abstract

A dosing station for a capsule filling machine comprises a dosing unit in which capsule lower parts are filled with a filling material via a filling apparatus and a drive unit with at least one drive that drives at least one component of the dosing unit. The drive unit is arranged beneath a supporting plate, and detachable fastening and coupling means detachably fastens the dosing unit on the supporting plate. Where the dosing unit is detachably fastened on the supporting plate, the at least one drive is coupled to the at least one component. In the detached state of the dosing unit from the supporting plate, the coupling of the at least one drive to the at least one component is canceled. In this way, the dosing unit can be removed as a module from the dosing station.

Claims

1. A dosing station for a capsule filling machine for filling and sealing capsules composed of a capsule upper part and a capsule lower part, the dosing station comprising: a dosing unit in which the capsule lower parts are filled with a filling material via a filling apparatus; a drive unit with a drive that drives a component of the dosing unit; and detachable fastening and coupling means, wherein: the drive unit is arranged beneath a supporting plate, the dosing unit has a coupled state wherein the detachable fastening and coupling means detachably fastens the dosing unit to the supporting plate and the drive is coupled to the component driven by the drive, and the dosing unit has a detached state in which the dosing unit is detached from the supporting plate such that coupling of the drive to the component driven by the drive is canceled, so that the dosing unit can be removed as a module from the dosing station.

2. The dosing station according to claim 1, wherein: the dosing unit is fastened on an installation plate, the dosing unit is arranged with the installation plate on the supporting plate in the coupled state, and the dosing unit is removed as a module from the dosing station together with the installation plate in the detached state.

3. The dosing station according to claim 2, wherein the detachable fastening and coupling means comprises at least one clamping pin with which the installation plate is clamped to the supporting plate in the coupled state of the dosing unit.

4. The dosing station according to claim 2, wherein the detachable fastening and coupling means comprises at least one clamping pin fastened on one of the installation plate or the supporting plate, wherein in the case of placement of the installation plate on the supporting plate, the at least one clamping pin locks in a respective clamping holder fastened on the other of the supporting plate or the installation plate.

5. The dosing station according to claim 4, wherein each clamping holder comprises a clamping slide mounted to be axially displaceable transverse to an insertion direction of a respective clamping pin into the clamping holder, wherein the clamping slide is pre-stressed in a locking position in which the clamping slide engages in locking manner a peripheral groove of the respective clamping pin inserted into the clamping holder.

6. The dosing station according to claim 5, wherein the clamping slide of the clamping holder is pneumatically movable against its preload from the locking position into an unlocking position releasing the respective clamping pin.

7. The dosing station according to claim 1, the drive of the drive unit is a rotary drive coupleable with a rotationally driven component of the dosing unit.

8. The dosing station according to claim 7, wherein the detachable fastening and coupling means comprises spring preloading means, and wherein, in the event of placement of the dosing station on the supporting plate, the spring preloading means presses a drive shaft of the rotary drive against the rotationally driven component of the dosing unit.

9. The dosing station according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the rotary drive or the drive shaft of the rotary drive is float mounted in an axial direction of the drive shaft.

10. The dosing station according to claim 8, further comprising: an intermediate element increasing a friction coefficient arranged on an interface between the drive shaft and the rotationally driven component.

11. The dosing station according to claim 7, wherein the rotationally driven component of the dosing unit rotationally driven by the rotary drive is a dosing disk with boreholes, and wherein the dosing unit further comprises: filling punches for pressing the filling material into the boreholes; and ejecting punches for ejection of pellets produced by the filling punches, wherein: the filling punches and the ejecting punches are held on a punch support vertically moveable by a lifting drive of the drive unit, and vertical movement of the punch support causes the filling punches and the ejecting punches to enter into the boreholes.

12. The dosing station according to claim 11, wherein the detachable fastening and coupling means comprises: first clamping means, with which the dosing unit is clamped to the supporting plate in the coupled state; and second clamping means, with which at least one of the lifting drive or a lifting element connected to the lifting drive is detachably clamped to a lifting sleeve on the punch support when the dosing unit is in the coupled state.

13. The dosing station according to claim 12, further comprising: an anti-turn device that prevents a turning of the at least one of the lifting drive or the lifting element when the dosing unit is in the detached state.

14. The dosing station according to claim 12, wherein at least one of: the lifting sleeve on the punch support is axially guided in a guide column firmly arranged on the dosing unit; or the lifting element connected to the lifting drive is axially guided in a guide column firmly arranged on the drive unit.

15. The dosing station according to claim 12, further comprising: at least one spacer on the punch support or the lifting sleeve, the at least one spacer preventing an uncontrolled lowering of the punch support after a detachment of at least one of the lifting drive or the lifting element from the lifting sleeve.

16. A capsule filling machine for filling and sealing capsules composed of a capsule upper part and a capsule lower part, the capsule filling machine comprising one or more dosing stations according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a dosing station according to the teachings herein in a first operating state.

(2) FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the dosing station from FIG. 1 in a second operating state.

(3) FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the dosing station from FIG. 1 in a third operating state.

(4) FIG. 4 is a partially transparent view of a part of the detachable fastening and coupling means of the dosing station shown in FIG. 1.

(5) Unless otherwise specified, in the figures identical reference numbers refer to identical objects.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) The dosing station shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is provided for use in a capsule filling machine for filling and sealing capsules composed of a capsule upper part and a capsule lower part. The dosing station comprises a dosing unit shown generally in the figures with reference number 10, in which capsule lower parts supplied to the dosing station are filled with filling material via a filling apparatus not shown in greater detail. In addition the dosing station comprises a drive unit shown generally in FIGS. 1 to 3 with reference number 12. The dosing unit 10 is arranged and fastened on an installation plate 14, for example screwed or otherwise fastened. The drive unit 12 is arranged beneath a supporting plate 16 and fastened on the supporting plate 16, likewise for example being screwed or otherwise fastened.

(7) The dosing unit 10 comprises a punch support 18, which bears at least one group of filling punches 20 and at least one group of ejecting punches 22. The dosing unit 10 further has a dosing disk 24 with one or more groups of boreholes. The dosing disk 24 is annular in design and is held by a support shaft 26. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the dosing unit 10 is clamped with its installation plate 14 in a manner to be explained in greater detail below by first clamping means 28 of detachable fastening and coupling means with the supporting plate 16 and thus with the drive unit 12.

(8) The drive unit 12 comprises a rotary drive 30, for example an electric motor, which is coupled to a drive shaft 32. In the clamped state via the first clamping means 28 in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dosing disk 24 is pressed with its support shaft 26 against the drive shaft 32 of the rotary drive 30. To increase the friction coefficient, a diamond disk 34 is arranged between the support shaft 26 and the drive shaft 32. Reference number 36 shows an anti-turn device for the rotary drive 30. A spring assembly 40 provided with springs 38 presses the rotary drive 30 with the drive shaft 32 float mounted in axial direction of the drive shaft 32 upward against the support shaft 26 in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, frictional engagement exists between the drive shaft 32 and the support shaft 26, so that the dosing disk 24 can be rotationally driven by the rotary drive 30.

(9) The drive unit 12 comprises, in addition, two lifting drives shown generally in the represented example with reference number 42, which for example likewise comprise electric motors. In the represented example, the electric motors of the lifting drives 42 drive an axially fixed, but pivoted spindle nut not represented in greater detail, in which a spindle 44 is guided in axially movable fashion. In the case of rotation of the spindle nut driven by the respective electric motor, the spindle 44 is hence moved up or down in vertical direction.

(10) In the represented example two lifting sleeves 46 are fastened on the punch support 18, each of which are connected to the spindles 44 by a tie rod 48 each in the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 such that an axial movement of the spindles 44 via the lifting sleeves 46 leads to a corresponding axial movement of the punch support 18 with the punches 20, 22. In FIG. 1 a retracted state of the punches 20, 22 from the boreholes of the dosing disk 24 is shown, while in FIG. 2 the punches 20, 22 are inserted downward into the boreholes of the dosing disk 24 by means of a vertical movement of the punch support 18. Each of the spindles 44 are mounted in guide columns 50 firmly connected to the drive unit 12 and axially guided. The lifting sleeves 46 are correspondingly each guided and mounted in guide columns 52 firmly connected to the dosing unit 10. In each case an anti-turn device 54 prevents a turning of the lifting drives 42 in a detached state from the lifting sleeves 46 of the punch support 18.

(11) To remove the dosing unit 10 on the one hand the tie rods 48 are detached, so that the lifting sleeves 46 are no longer connected to the spindles 44 of the lifting drives 42. To prevent an uncontrolled lowering of the punch support 18, in FIG. 3 spacers represented by reference number 56, in this case clamps, are mounted on the lifting sleeves 46 between the punch support 18 and the guide columns 52. Moreover, the first clamping means 28 are detached. By means of a mechanical auxiliary device the dosing unit 10 with its installation plate 14 can be detached from the supporting plate 16 in this detached state and from the drive unit 12 by lifting and, for example swiveling out, and can be placed on an equipment change truck 58 shown in FIG. 3. In the left part of the image of FIG. 3 it can be recognized that in the detached state of the dosing unit 10 the drive shaft 32 of the rotary drive 30 is pressed upward in the axial direction by the spring assembly 40 with its springs 38, so that the drive shaft 32 protrudes beyond the upper side of the supporting plate 16. For a new installation of the dosing unit 10 it is for example placed with the installation plate 14 again by means of the mechanical auxiliary device on the supporting plate 16 and clamped on the supporting plate 16 by means of the first clamping means 28. In the installation process the drive shaft 32 and with it the rotary drive 30 are again pressed downward against the preloading of the springs 38 of the spring assembly 40. Subsequently, the tie rods 48 are fastened through the lifting sleeves 46 in the spindles 44, for example by means of screwing. Then the capsule filling machine can be put back into operation.

(12) With the aid of FIG. 4 the first clamping means 28 is to be explained in greater detail. The first clamping means 28 each has a first clamping pin, which is shown in FIG. 4 with reference number 60. The other first clamping pin 60 of the first clamping means 28 is identical in design, so that in the following the first clamping pin 60 shown in FIG. 4 will be explained as an example. The first clamping pin 60 tapers on its free end 62. Reference number 64 is a peripheral groove of the first clamping pin 60. The reference number 66 denotes a clamping holder, which for example is also schematically represented in the left graphic component of FIG. 3. One clamping holder is provided for each first clamping pin 60. In the course of placing the dosing unit 10 with the installation plate 14 on the supporting plate 16, the first clamping pins 60 are inserted into the clamping holders 66, wherein the tapered free end 62 leads to an automatic centering. Subsequently the identically designed clamping holders will be explained by way of example with the aid of the clamping holder 66 shown in FIG. 4.

(13) In the course of insertion into the clamping holders 66, a clamping slide 68 axially displaceable along the arrow 70 represented in FIG. 4 locks into position with its tip 72 into the peripheral groove 64 of the respective clamping pin 60. To this end the clamping slide 68 is preloaded for example by spring preload into a locking position protruding into the insertion path of the clamping pin 60. In this way in an especially simple manner a self-locking of the clamping pin 60 in the clamping holder 66 takes place and thus a clamping of the dosing unit 10 with the installation plate 14 on the drive unit 12 with the supporting plate 16. For detachment, for example an unlocking piston 74 along the arrow 76 can be pneumatically actuated by compressed air. As a result a locking bolt 78 can be triggered, which presses the clamping slide 68 out against its spring preload out of the peripheral groove 64 of the clamping pin 60, so that the clamping pin 60 and thus the dosing unit 10 can be detached with its installation plate 14 from the supporting plate 16.