Slat Filler and the Method of Using Thereof

None.

In a production line, the process of filling a container with articles, such as tablets or capsules, is normally done by an automated process with an automated slat filler system. The slat filler system's main purpose is to fill bottles with tablets or capsules. It accomplishes this by utilizing a hopper filled with tablets in the back of the machine. A set of slats is then conveyed around underneath the hopper, where the tablets would fill in the slats. As the slats move around to the front of the machine, a vision system is used to inspect the tablets in the slats for presence and quality. The result of the slats is then tracked, and the good and bad slats are allowed to be dispensed into the bottles. The good bottles are allowed to exit the machine and processed downstream to the next machine. However, the bad bottles are tracked and rejected for rework. The issue of the current slat filler system is that the containers are filled, regardless of whether the quality or quantity of the tablets in each of the containers meets the required quality or quantity, and then is to be rejected after the tables on the slats are filled to the containers. Therefore, time and cost are wasted in the filling of containers that would be rejected later. Also, there would be a need for additional devices to expunge the containers with inferior tablets, which adds costs and complexity to the filling process.

This brief summary is included so as to introduce, in an abbreviated form, various topics to be elaborated upon below in the Detailed Description. This Brief Summary is not intended to identify key or essential aspects of the claimed invention. This brief summary is similarly not intended to aid in determining the scope of the claims. The subject matters of this application overcome the aforementioned problems and are directed to an automated slat filling system for dispensing a plurality of articles, comprising a plurality of slats, a conveyance device, wherein the conveyance device is configured to move the plurality of slats; an intelligent control device, a vision inspection device, a rejection repository; and a diverting device; and the method of using the automated slat filling system.

Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular embodiments described, and as such may, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting, since the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the appended claims.

Referring to,,A, and, one embodiment of an automated slat filling systemfor dispensing of a plurality of articlesto a plurality of containerswithout rejecting one or more of the plurality of containers, comprises (a) a plurality of slats, (b) a plurality of cavitiesformed on the plurality of the slats, wherein each of the plurality of articlesfrom a hoppercan be disposed in each of the plurality of cavities. (c) a conveyance device; wherein the conveyance deviceis configured to move the plurality of slats; (d) an intelligent control device, wherein the intelligent control deviceis configured to control the conveyance device, and wherein the intelligent control device is configured to index the plurality of slats; (e) a vision inspection device; wherein the vision inspection deviceis configured to take an imageof the plurality of slatsby a camera, wherein the vision inspection deviceis configured to take the imageof more than one of the plurality of slats, to inspect the imageof the plurality of slatsto identify a bad slatfrom the imageof one of the plurality of slats, wherein the bad slatis one of the plurality of slatsreceives the plurality of articlesnot meeting a predetermined criterion, wherein the vision inspection deviceis configured to communicate with the intelligent control device; wherein the vision inspection device further comprises a graphic user interface, wherein the graphic user interfaceis configured to set up a plurality of areasof a field of viewof the camera, wherein the imagewithin the plurality of areasare to be excluded from an inspection by the vision inspection device, (f) a rejection repository; and (g) a diverting device, wherein the diverting deviceis configured to communicated with the intelligent control device, wherein the diverting deviceis configured to divert the plurality of articleson the bad slataway from the plurality of containersto the rejection repositorywhen the bad slatis identified by the vision inspection device, wherein the diverting device directs the plurality of articleswhen the bad slatis not identified by the vision inspection device. The vision inspection deviceis configured to process the images from 1 up to 7 of the imageof the one of the plurality of slats in about 130 milliseconds. However, this maximum number could be higher with the advance of computer processors in the future. The vision inspection deviceis configured to take the imageof one slat or more than one slat of the plurality of slatsat a time. During setup of the vision inspection device, a user has access to tools via the graphic user interface that allows the user to basically draw a plurality of areas (or “masks”) on the field of view of the camera. The plurality of areas where the masks are drawn are processed much quicker than the rest of the inspection areas; therefore, the total amount of time spent processing the image is reduced dramatically. There are other benefits, like dealing with dust. Some products are very dusty, and the dust would accumulate on top of the slat and interfere with the vision inspection, causing false rejects. The mask helps reduce the false reject by ignoring the area where dust would normally accumulate, but the product would not.

Referring to,, andA, one embodiment of an automated slat filling systemfurther comprises a plurality of gatescontrolled by a position control device, wherein the position control device is configured to communicate with the intelligent control device, and wherein the plurality of gatescan be controlled by the position control deviceto direct the plurality of articlesto the rejection repositoryor to the plurality of containers. The plurality of articleswill go down the plurality of the funnels and then be directed by the plurality of gatesto the plurality of containerswhen no bad slat is identified or directed to the rejection repositorywhen the bad slat is identified.

Referring to,, and, in one of the embodiments of an automated slat filling system, the plurality of gatecan be controlled by the position control deviceto form a slope toward the rejection repositoryand direct the plurality of articlesto the rejection repository. The plurality of gatecan be controlled by the position control deviceto close the plurality of funnelsand form the slope toward the rejection repositorywhen the bad slat is detected by the vision inspection device. The plurality of containers are conveyed by a conveyance belt systemto a subsequence location for further process. In one embodiment of an automated slat filling system, no container from the plurality of containers is to be rejected. This is an innovative difference from the current filling system that fills containers with tablets or other articles first and then rejects the container that has tablets or articles less than the desired quantity or quality, which will cause a waste of the filled container that needs to be emptied and recycled back to the filling system. The automated slat filling system rejects the slat that has the plurality of articles less than the desired quantity or quality before the inferior articles being disposed into the containers. Every container of the plurality of containers from the automated slat filling system will be good and ready for the next process. Therefore, there is no need to reject the inferior containers. In one embodiment of an automated slat filling system, the position control device is a servo motor, servomotor, or servo drive. In another embodiment, the position control device can be other types of motors, such as stepper motors, direct current motors, linear motors, actuators, or a pneumatic air cylinder. In one embodiment, the position control device is selected from the group consisting of stepper motors, direct current motors, linear motors, actuators, a pneumatic air cylinder, or other type of control device known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

A servo motor is a rotary actuator that allows for precise control of angular position. A servo motor, or a servo drive, consists of a motor coupled to a sensor for position feedback. A stepper motor, also known as a step motor or stepping motor, is an electrical motor that rotates in a series of small angular steps instead of continuously. An actuator takes a signal from a control system and moves a valve to an open or closed position. In one embodiment, the position control device is selected from the group consisting of stepper motors, direct current motors, linear motors, or actuators.

Referring to, in one embodiment of the automated slat filling system, the automated slat filling systemmay further comprises an air blowing system, wherein the air blowing systemis configured to communicate with the intelligent control device, and wherein the air blowing systemis configured to blow the plurality of articlesto the rejection repository or to the plurality of containers.

Referring to, in one embodiment of the automated slat filling system, the automated slat filling systemmay further comprises a vacuum system, wherein the vacuum systemis configured to communicated with the intelligent control device, wherein the vacuum systemis configured to evacuate the plurality of articlesfrom the plurality of slats to the rejection repository.

Referring to, and, a method of filling a plurality of containerswith a plurality of articles, comprising the steps of: disposing of the plurality of articlesto a plurality of cavitiesformed on a plurality of slats(step); indexing one of the plurality of slats(step); inspecting an imageof the plurality of slatstaken by a vision inspection device(step); determining whether a bad slatis in the plurality of slats, wherein the bad slatis one of the plurality of slatswith the plurality of articlesnot meeting a predetermined criterion (step); directing the plurality of articleson the bad slatto a rejection repositorywhen the bad slatis identified (step); directing the plurality of articlesto the plurality of containerswhen the bad slatis not identified (step); determining whether the numbers of the plurality of slatsthat passes the inspection of bad slats for fulfilling the plurality of containersmeet a predetermined number (step); indexing one of the plurality of slats(step) to make up the bad slatwhen the plurality of slatsfor fulfilling the plurality of containersfails to meet a predetermined number; and completing the plurality of containerswith a predetermined criterion of the plurality of articles without a need to reject one or more of the plurality of containerswhen the plurality of slatsfor fulfilling the plurality of containersmeets a predetermined number (step). The plurality of containersare conveyed by a conveyance belt systemfor a subsequence process.

Referring to, one embodiment of the method of filling a plurality of containers with a plurality of articles using an automated slat filling systemmay further comprise stepof setting up a plurality of areason a graphic user interfaceto mask a field of viewof the camera, wherein the imagewithin the plurality of areasare to be excluded from an inspection by the vision inspection device.

Referring to,,, and, in one embodiment of the automated slat filling system, a method of filling a plurality of containerswith a plurality of articles, further comprising controlling a plurality of gates by a position control device (step); and directing the plurality of articles to the rejection repository or to the plurality of containers by adjusting the plurality of gates (step).

In one of the embodiments, the predetermined criterion for the plurality of articles to be filled into the plurality bottle can be the desired quality, such as the integrity of a tablet, the presence of the articles in a desired quantity, or both. In one of the embodiments, the plurality of gates can be in many forms, such as sliding type, pivotable type, retractable type, or any type to form or release a barrier to a funnel or a, channel or a passage. In one of the embodiments, the imagecan be in a format of visible light or invisible light such as infrared rays, ultraviolet light, ultrasonic wave, or electromagnetic image. Also, the imagecan be the image of one single slat or more than one of the plurality of slats. In one embodiment, the position control device is selected from the group consisting of stepper motors, direct current motors, linear motors, or actuators.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the preferred embodiments and constructions. The present disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements. In addition, the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.