| 主权项 |
1. A device for transferring pharmaceutical articles from a counter to inside continuously advancing containers, the counter exhibiting a storage zone, into which the articles are directed once counted and validated as whole, which storage zone is provided with an outlet for the articles, openable for release of the articles in a downwards direction, and which outlet is arranged laterally and in a position at an elevated level with respect to the containers advancing continuously along an advancement direction, the device wherein it comprises: a first series of tubular elements having dimensions such as to be able to freely receive the pharmaceutical articles internally thereof, and a second series of tubular elements having dimensions such as to be able to freely receive the pharmaceutical articles internally thereof, the tubular elements of the first series and the tubular elements of the second series being predisposed in such a way as to be arranged vertically so that respective upper ends thereof are situated at a lower level than the outlet level of the counter and respective lower ends thereof are situated at a higher level than the mouths of the containers continuously advancing along the advancement direction, the first series of tubular elements and the second series of tubular elements being movable independently of one another in rotation about a common rotation axis with a same rotation direction according to respective pathways that each exhibit a development such that each of the tubular elements of the first series of tubular elements can transit below and at the outlet of the counter and can also transit above the mouth of a respective container advancing continuously along the advancement direction and follow the advancement of the container while remaining above the relative mouth for a straight tract along the direction, and such that each of the tubular elements of the second series of tubular elements can transit below and at the outlet of the counter and further can transit above the mouth of a respective container advancing continuously along the advancement direction and follow the advancement of the container while remaining above the relative mouth thereof for a straight tract along the direction, wherein the first series of tubular elements is movable in rotation about the rotation axis with a stepped rotation mode such that for each stepped motion a relative tubular element can be positioned time by time paused in a position below the outlet of the counter such as to be able to receive the pharmaceutical articles counted by the counter, and further is movable, once all the tubular elements have received the corresponding number of counted articles, in rotation about the rotation axis with a continuous mode with a rotation velocity such that each of the tubular elements with the counted articles internally thereof can reach and be positioned in a position above the mouth of a corresponding container advancing along the advancement direction and follow the container with a same advancement velocity along the straight tract such as to be able to release the articles internally thereof; wherein the second series of tubular elements is movable in rotation about the rotation axis with a stepped rotation mode such that for each stepped motion a relative tubular element can be positioned time by time paused in a position below the outlet of the counter such as to be able to receive the pharmaceutical articles counted by the counter, and further is movable, once all the tubular elements have received the corresponding number of counted articles, in rotation about the rotation axis with, a continuous mode with a rotation velocity such that each of the tubular elements with the counted articles internally thereof can reach and be positioned in a position above the mouth of a corresponding container advancing along the advancement direction and follow the container with a same advancement velocity along the straight tract such as to be able to release the articles internally thereof, and wherein when the first series of tubular elements is movable in rotation in the stepped mode, such that the relative tubular elements can receive time by time the articles counted by the counter, the second series of tubular elements is moved in rotation with the continuous mode such that the relative tubular elements can unload the articles into the containers, and vice versa, and wherein it comprises a support plate which exhibits a curved development and an extension corresponding to the pathway followed by the tubular elements from the outlet of the counter up to the start of the above-cited straight tract and which is arranged in such a way as to be positioned at such a level that the lower ends of the tubular elements, once the articles have been received from the outlet of the counter, when moved along the relative tracts of pathway from the outlet of the counter up to above the containers, can slide in contact with the plate such that the articles present therein are retained internally thereof up to when the tubular elements have reached and are positioned above the mouth of the containers at the start of the straight tract, further comprising a first support organ for the first series of tubular elements and a second support organ for the second series of tubular elements, the tubular elements of the first series being borne by respective support arms each of which is pivoted to the first support organ in such a way as to be able to rotate with respect thereto about a vertical axis and in such a way as to maintain the tubular elements in a vertical position, and the tubular elements of the second series being borne by respective support arms each of which is pivoted to the second support organ such as to be able to rotate with respect thereto about a vertical axis and such as to maintain the tubular elements in a vertical position, the first support organ and the second support organ being arranged reciprocally coaxially and being rotatable about the common rotation axis and activatable in rotation with respect to the rotation axis independently of one another according to the stepped and continuous activating modes, further comprising first correcting means of the position of the support arms of the tubular elements of the first series of tubular elements with respect to the first support organ, which are configured and predisposed with respect to the first support organ in such a way that consequently to the activation in rotation of the first support organ about the rotation axis, each of the tubular elements of the first series of tubular elements, during advancement along the rotation pathway thereof about the rotation axis, can be positioned in the position below and at the outlet of the counter and further can be positioned in the position above the mouth of a respective container advancing continuously along the advancement direction and follow the advancement of the container while remaining above the relative mouth for the straight tract along the direction, and wherein it comprises second correcting means of the position of the support arms of the tubular elements of the second series of tubular elements with respect to the second support organ, which are configured and predisposed with respect to the second support organ such that consequently to the activating in rotation of the second support organ about the rotation axis, each of the tubular elements of the second series of tubular elements, during the advancement along the rotation pathway about the rotation axis, can be positioned in the position below and at the outlet of the counter and further can be positioned in the position above the mouth of a respective container in continuous advancement along the advancement direction and follow the advancement of the container remaining above the relative mouth for the straight tract along the direction, further comprising a fixed element which is mounted such as to be positioned interposed between the first support organ and the second support organ, and wherein the first correcting means of the position of the support arms of the tubular elements of the first series of tubular elements comprise a groove present in the part of the fixed element facing towards the first support organ, the groove extending in a closed loop and defining a first cam pathway, and comprising, for each of the support arms, a wheel situated internally of the groove and having such a shape as to be able to run therein and follow the route of the first cam pathway, and a rocker arm mounted at an end thereof on the wheel and fixed at the other end rigidly to the support arm, and wherein the second correcting means of the position of the support arms of the tubular elements of the second series of tubular elements comprise a groove present in the part of the fixed element facing towards the second support organ, the groove extending in a closed loop and defining a second cam pathway, and comprising, for each of the support arms, a wheel situated internally of the groove and having such a shape as to be able to run therein and follow the route of the second cam pathway, and a rocker arm mounted at an end thereof on the wheel and fixed at the other end rigidly to the support arm, and wherein the progress of the first cam pathway is such that each of the tubular elements of the first series, during the advancement along the rotation pathway about the rotation axis, can be positioned in the position below and at the outlet of the counter and can be positioned in the position above the mouth of a container advancing along the advancement direction and follow it remaining aligned to the mouth for the straight tract of advancement along the advancement direction, and wherein the progress of the second cam pathway is such that each of the tubular elements of the second series, during the advancement along the rotation pathway about the rotation axis, can be positioned in the position below and at the outlet of the counter and can be positioned in the position above the mouth of a container advancing along the advancement direction and follow it while remaining aligned to the mouth for the straight tract of advancement along the advancement direction, wherein each tubular element of the first series of tubular elements and each tubular element of the second series of tubular elements has such a shape as to exhibit a transversal section having larger dimensions than the diameter of the mouth of the containers, and wherein it comprises, for each tubular element of the first series of tubular elements, and for each tubular element of the second series of tubular elements, a respective article transfer element which is borne by the support arm of the tubular element in a lower position and coaxial to the relative tubular element such as to be one superposed on the other and in such a way that between them a space is afforded having dimensions at least equal to the thickness of the rest plate, wherein the rest plate is predisposed and mounted such as to be positioned at a height such that it is interposed to occupy the space between the tubular element and the relative underlying article transfer element when the tubular element completes the movement pathway thereof from the position below the outlet of the counting machine up to a position above the start of the straight tract, such that the articles received from the tubular element are retained therein resting on the plate during the movement thereof up to the start of the straight tract, and wherein each article transfer element is internally hollow and provided with an inlet opening, in the relative upper end, having a transversal section at least equal to the transversal section of the transversal section of the relative overlying tubular element and an opening outlet in the relative lower end, having a circular transversal section and having a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the mouth of the containers, and wherein each article transfer element is conformed such that the relative internal walls are of a shape and an extension that converge towards the outlet opening such that the relative internal volume decreases from the upper end to the lower end in a funnel fashion. |
