APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING DOSED QUANTITIES OF SOLID DRUG PORTIONS COMPRISING MOVING COLLECTING CONTAINERS AND AN ANCILLARY DOSING STATION

摘要

An apparatus for packaging dosed quantities of solid drug portions includes multiple storage containers and dosing elements for storing and dispensing first dosed quantities of drug portions, multiple moving collecting containers for collecting and outputting drug portions to a packaging station, and fall tubes for guiding the drug portions dispensed by the dosing elements to the collecting containers. An ancillary dosing station has multiple buffer receptacles for storing and delivering second dosed quantities of drug portions to the collecting containers. A conveyor moves the collecting containers between multiple locations along a predetermined path. A controller controls closure members of the buffer receptacles depending on the positions of the moving collecting containers so that drug portions temporarily held in the buffer receptacles are output to selected collecting containers.

主权项

1. An apparatus for packaging dosed quantities of solid drug portions, comprising:
a plurality of storage containers each storing a plurality of solid drug portions and having a dosing element configured to dispense first dosed quantities of the stored solid drug portions; a plurality of moveable collecting containers configured to collect solid drug portions and output the collected solid drug portions to a packaging stations; at least one fall tube configured to guide the solid drug portions dispensed by the dosing element to one of the plurality of collecting containers; an ancillary dosing station configured to deliver second dosed quantities of solid drug portions to the collecting containers, the ancillary dosing station comprising a plurality of buffer receptacles, each buffer receptacle comprising a closure member, wherein each buffer receptacle is configured to temporarily hold one or more second dosed quantities of solid drug portions and to output the temporarily held one or more solid drug portions to one of the collecting containers at one of the at least one second location during movement of the collecting container along a predetermined path; a conveyor configured to move the collecting containers between at least one first location at which the collecting containers receive the solid drug portions from the at least one fall tube, at least one second location at which the collecting containers receive the solid drug portions from the ancillary dosing station, and at least one third location at which the collecting containers output the collected solid drug portions to the packaging station, the collecting containers configured to be moveable along the predetermined path; and a control unit coupled to the conveyor and the closure members of the buffer receptacles, the control unit configured to control the closure members based on the positions of the moving collecting containers so that the solid drug portions temporarily held in the buffer receptacles are output to selected collecting containers.