Patent Application
20180311109
This invention relates to a device for separating broken particle fragments from said particles and a method for implementing said device. Such devices are used in various industries for separating particles of a first shape, from broken fragments of said particles with which the former are mixed, such broken fragments in particular capable of resulting from the breakage of said particles during their manufacturing process. In particular, in the pharmaceutical industry, said particles are constituted from tablets or capsules, and it is important that only whole tablets or capsules are carried to the packing line thereof in containers grouping together a certain number of said tablets or capsules for the marketing thereof.
Such a device generally comprises a floor arranged such that it receives particles of a specific shape and broken fragments of such particles, connected to a first means arranged such that it makes said floor undergo a vibratory movement such that the particles and broken fragments in question move on the floor in a direction determined by the type of vibratory movement it is made to undergo, said floor being pierced with orifices of a shape predetermined as a function of the shape of the particles, in order to allow the broken fragments of such particles to pass through said orifices without allowing the particles themselves to pass therethrough.
For example, the two dimensions (length, width) of such an orifice can be slightly greater than two of the three dimensions (length, width, height) of a particle, however less than the third dimension thereof. Therefore, a broken particle fragment, the third dimension of which is reduced relative to that of a whole particle, can easily fall into the orifice in question, whereas a whole particle could only fall therethrough by being tilted along an axis of symmetry that is orthogonal to said third dimension. In such a case, the fraction of whole particles that has nonetheless passed through the floor of the device by way of some of the orifices thereof can be recovered upstream using appropriate means. Such a device generally further comprises a ceiling arranged substantially parallel to the floor of the device.
Document FR2841161, for example, discloses such a device.
One problem caused by such devices is that the broken fragments, the third dimension of which is greater than or equal to at least one of the two dimensions of the orifices of the floor of the device can become stuck in said orifices and thus block same. In such a situation, as the process for separating the broken fragments from the whole particles by the device progresses, an increasing number of orifices can become blocked in this manner, which reduces the separating efficiency of said device to an equal degree.
In such a situation, the operation of the device is usually stopped in order to manually, or by way of mechanical means, unblock the orifices in which the broken particle fragments have become stuck. This operation therefore results in a loss of time and therefore of productivity and an additional workforce is required to perform said operation.
The invention solves the aforementioned problem by proposing a device of the type described above, however which further comprises a second means arranged such that it can move the ceiling of the device between a first position and a second position in which it is in contact with the floor such that the broken particle fragments stuck in said orifices are expelled therefrom.
In document FR2841161, the ceiling, called a plate, is used to control the position of the particles, however remains at a set distance relative to the floor. The device disclosed therein therefore does not allow the orifices to be unblocked.
Preferably, the first means is a vibrating means. Preferably, the first means is mechanically connected to the floor. Preferably, the floor and the ceiling are mechanically coupled to each other. Preferably, the second means is mechanically coupled to the ceiling.
The invention further relates to a method for separating broken particle fragments of a first shape from said particles, comprising the steps of:
These steps are performed in the order stipulated hereinabove.
Thanks to the aforementioned second means, broken particle fragments stuck in the orifices of the floor of the device can be periodically expelled therefrom by the application of pressure on said broken fragments by the ceiling of said device when it is brought into the second position thereof in which it is substantially in contact with the surface of the floor facing the ceiling in question. This therefore solves the aforementioned problem as the orifices thus cleared return to full operation. Therefore the ceiling of the device must simply be moved from the first to the second position thereof when no particles or broken fragments are still in contact with said surface and only broken fragments are present, stuck in the orifices of the floor of the device, in order allow said device to retain its functional quality over time, unlike with devices according to the prior art.
The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to one of the embodiments thereof, which is not intended to limit the scope of this invention, and illustrated by the accompanying figures, in which:
With reference to the accompanying figures, a device I is shown for separating broken particle fragments p of a first shape, from said particles, comprising a floor 1 arranged such that it receives said particles and said broken fragments, connected to a first means 2 arranged such that it makes said floor undergo a vibratory movement, said floor being pierced with orifices 3 of a second shape predetermined as a function of said first shape, in order to allow said broken fragments to pass through said orifices, without allowing said particles to pass therethrough, a ceiling 7 arranged substantially parallel to said floor; the device further comprising a second means 8 arranged so as to be able to move said ceiling between a first position in which it is located at a distance d from the floor predetermined as a function of the smallest of the three dimensions of said particles (see
In other words, according to one embodiment of the invention, the distance d is chosen such that the particles are lying down on the floor 1, the maximum extension thereof being parallel to the floor 1. The size of the orifices 3 is chosen so that any particle having such a maximum extension parallel to the orifices 3 cannot pass through said orifices. Moreover, the particles are also unable to tip into the orifices as the tipping movement is blocked by the ceiling 7.
Preferably, as shown in the figures, the second means 8 comprises a cylinder 4 connected to said ceiling and a motor 5 arranged such that it moves the cylinder between the first and the second position of the ceiling.
In one embodiment of the invention, the second means 8 comprises an electronic control unit for controlling the motor 5. Upon instruction from said electronic unit, the motor 5 brings the ceiling 7 into contact with the floor 1. For example, the electronic control unit can instruct the motor 5 to perform such a movement once per periodic cycle. Such a periodic cycle can have a period that preferably lies in the range one minute to one hour, more preferably in the range two minutes to thirty minutes, even more preferably in the range five minutes to fifteen minutes.
The control of the motor 5 can be automated thanks to the electronic control unit. The periodic and automated movement of the ceiling 7 allows the broken fragments stuck in the orifices 3 to be periodically and automatically ejected therefrom. This makes the device according to the invention particularly advantageous in an industrial process.
The motor 5 can be a servomotor.
The floor is preferably arranged in a removable manner in the device, i.e. such that it can be removed from the device. Therefore, a plurality of floors, each of which has orifices of a different predetermined second dimension, suited to a first different particle shape can be alternatively included in the device as a function of the first specific shape of the particles to be separated from the broken fragments thereof by said device, which makes the use thereof highly versatile.
The device as shown further comprises a bin 9 for collecting the broken particle fragments arranged beneath the floor of the device, said bin itself being provided with an opening 10 arranged in said bin to allow the broken fragments collected therein to be removed from the device.
Within the scope of this invention, the aforementioned particles can be pharmaceutical tablets or capsules.
The particles preferably have a cylindrical symmetry, with an axial extension that exceeds a radial extension. The particles can have an axial and/or radial extension that lies in the range 2.5 to 25 mm, preferably in the range 5 to 10 mm, and more preferably in the range 7 to 8 mm.
Alternatively, the particles can have a spherical symmetry. The particles can have a radius that lies in the range 2.5 to 25 mm, preferably in the range 5 to 10 mm, and more preferably in the range 7 to 8 mm.
In one embodiment of the invention, the orifices are circular. Preferably, they have a diameter that lies in the range 2.5 to 25 mm, more preferably in the range 5 to 10 mm, and even more preferably in the range 7 to 8 mm.
The distance d (
According to one embodiment of the invention, the device I according to the invention is a device for separating broken particle fragments p of a first shape, from said particles, comprising a floor 1 arranged such that it receives said particles and said broken fragments, connected to a first means 2 arranged such that it makes said floor undergo a vibratory movement, said floor being pierced with orifices 3 of a second shape predetermined as a function of said first shape, in order to allow said broken fragments to pass through said orifices, without allowing said particles to pass therethrough, a ceiling 7 arranged substantially parallel to said floor; and comprising a second means 8 arranged so as to be able to move said ceiling between a first position in which it is located at a distance d from the floor predetermined as a function of the smallest of the three dimensions of said particles and a second position in which it is substantially in contact with the floor such that the broken particle fragments stuck inside said orifices are expelled therefrom.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the method according to the invention is a method for separating broken particle fragments (p) of a first shape from said particles, comprising the steps of:
(iv) Stopping said addition at a predetermined time;
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015/0228 | Sep 2015 | BE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2016/071060 | 9/7/2016 | WO | 00 |
