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WO2003051714A1 - Procede et appareil de remplissage de cartouches par un liquide - Google Patents

Procede et appareil de remplissage de cartouches par un liquide Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2003051714A1
WO2003051714A1 PCT/DK2002/000846 DK0200846W WO03051714A1 WO 2003051714 A1 WO2003051714 A1 WO 2003051714A1 DK 0200846 W DK0200846 W DK 0200846W WO 03051714 A1 WO03051714 A1 WO 03051714A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
cartridge
liquid
filling
filling needle
needle
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/DK2002/000846
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Rene Ohms
Flemming S.J. Manique
Preben KOBBERØ
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Novo Nordisk AS
Original Assignee
Novo Nordisk AS
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Novo Nordisk AS filed Critical Novo Nordisk AS
Priority to EP02787446A priority Critical patent/EP1458612B1/fr
Priority to AU2002351729A priority patent/AU2002351729A1/en
Priority to DE60215697T priority patent/DE60215697T2/de
Publication of WO2003051714A1 publication Critical patent/WO2003051714A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B39/00—Nozzles, funnels or guides for introducing articles or materials into containers or wrappers
    • B65B39/12—Nozzles, funnels or guides for introducing articles or materials into containers or wrappers movable towards or away from container or wrapper during filling or depositing
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B3/00—Packaging plastic material, semiliquids, liquids or mixed solids and liquids, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
    • B65B3/003—Filling medical containers such as ampoules, vials, syringes or the like
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B3/00—Packaging plastic material, semiliquids, liquids or mixed solids and liquids, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
    • B65B3/04—Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles
    • B65B3/10—Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles by application of pressure to material
    • B65B3/12—Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles by application of pressure to material mechanically, e.g. by pistons or pumps
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B3/00—Packaging plastic material, semiliquids, liquids or mixed solids and liquids, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
    • B65B3/24—Topping-up containers or receptacles to ensure complete filling

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method and an apparatus for topping up cartridges, which must be filled to their edge with a liquid and be closed by a sealing membrane leaving a minimum of air between the surface of the liquid and the sealing membrane.
  • a cartridge of this kind is a cylinder ampoule of the kind comprising a cylindrical tube which has a first and a second end, the first end being end closed by a piston and at the second end having a neck part terminated by a circumferential flange against which a rubber membrane is pressed sealingly by a cap having means gripping behind the flange.
  • Such ampoules are commonly filled with a liquid medicine preparation and are used in pen shaped injection devices by which set doses of the preparation may be injected until the ampoule is empty.
  • the filling of the ampoules is performed in a sterile zone in which a number of operating stations are disposed. To perform the filling quickly and precise the filling is often made in three steps. First about 40% of the content is by a maximal speed filled into the ampoule, thereafter the next 40% is added more slowly to prevent formation of foam, and finally the ampoule is topped up relatively slowly with the last 20% of the liquid.
  • topping up step must be carried out carefully to ensure that the ampoule is totally filled before it is closed with the sealing membrane.
  • This may be obtained by filling until an overflow is detected by using a filling head which presses a gasket against the upper edge of the ampoule, the gasket having two openings, a feeding opening through which the liquid is fed to the ampoule and an overflow opening through which excessive liquid leaves the cartridge when the cartridge is full.
  • the filling is stopped.
  • liquid is sprayed into the cartridge through a filling needle placed a short distance above the opening of the cartridge. A suction needle ends immediately over the opening of the ampoule and sucks away exceeding liquid when the cartridge is full and the liquid begins rise as a drop on the upper end of the cartridge.
  • a liquid level monitor is established by placing a light source at the a flange established at the upper opening of the cartridge, against which flange a closing membrane can be sealed, when the cartridge has been filled.
  • the light from the light source passes trough the flange and the space surrounded by the flange and into a sensor.
  • the transmission parameters for the light beam are changed and the sensor senses this change and sends a signal, which stops the filling of the cartridge.
  • the time from the sensor detects the change in the transmitted light until the filling is actually stopped the rest of the ampoule is filled and sufficient extra liquid is delivered to rise the level sufficiently to ensure that the ampoule is totally filled which is indicated by liquid being sucked away though the suction needle.
  • the detecting at the edge may be obtained by passing a light beam immediately over the upper end of the cartridge and into a sensor. This way disturbance of the light beam due to irregularities in the glass flange is avoided.
  • the liquid surface will inevitably rise over the edge of the cartridge as the stop signal to the pump is not sent until the detector detects such a rise.
  • the liquid will rise as a drop only held by surface tension, but when the filling needle is lifted out of the cartridge the space which has been occupied by the needle will adopt the excessive amount of liquid forming the drop and the liquid level will fall to flush with the edge of the cartridge. This can be ensured by adjusting the distance the needle is lowered into the cartridge and the delay between the signal stopping the pump and the actual stopping of the filling.
  • the filing needle is dips right into the liquid in the cartridge it is avoided that the jet of liquid from the filling needle entrains air into the liquid in the cartridge.
  • the invention further relates to an apparatus for performing the described method.
  • Such an apparatus is characterised in that it comprises:
  • a detector detecting when the liquid level reaches the upper edge of the cartridge to control the feeding device to stop feeding liquid to the cartridge when a set upper level is reached ,
  • Figure 1 shows schematically a filling station for ampoules
  • Figure 2 shows the ampoule and a sensor head in figure 1 seen from the reflector
  • Figure 3 shows the upper part of the ampoule with a submerged filling needle
  • Figure 4 the part shown in figure 3 with the filling needle drawn out of the liquid.
  • Figure 1 shows schematically a filling unit comprising a feeding pump 1 which through a suction tubing 2 is sucking liquid from an output manifold 3 on a liquid reservoir.
  • the pump gives of the liquid through a filling tube 4 ending in a filling needle 5, which is in the figure lowered into an ampoule 6.
  • the movement of the filling needle 5 relative to the ampoule may be obtained by lifting and lowering the ampoule relative to a stationary filing needle 5 but will in the following be described as a lowering and lifting of the filling needle 5.
  • Ampoules are one by one passed to the filling position where they are filled and thereafter passed away two a closing station where they are sealed.
  • the pump is driven by an electric motor 7 which is energised through a cable 8.
  • the energizing is controlled by a controller box 9 to make the pump 1 run through a filling sequence each time a new ampoule is placed in the filling position.
  • a sensor head 10 adjacent to the upper edge of the ampoule 6 surveys the filling of the ampoule when this ampoule is in its filling position with the filling needle 5 lowered into the ampoule.
  • the position of the sensor head 10 is so that a light beam emerging from said sensor head passes immediately over the upper edge of the ampoule and past the lowered needle and hits a reflector 11 placed on the side opposite the sensor head 10 relative to the ampoule 6. From said reflector the light beam is reflected back to pass immediately over the upper edge of the ampoule past the lowered needle 5 and mainly into the sensor head 10.
  • a light source producing the light for the light beam mentioned and a sensor detecting the reflected beam are placed in a sensor box 12 from which light is transmitted to the sensor head 10 and to which the reflected beam received by the sensor head 10 is transmitted through a light conducting cable 13.
  • a signal is sent through a cable 14 to the control box which with a settable delay stops the motor 7 driving the pump 1.
  • the settable delay makes it possible to control how far over the upper edge of the ampoule the liquid is allowed to rise.
  • the filling operation comprises the following steps:
  • the topping up flow of liquid is with a settable delay stopped by the control box when the sensor detects the occurrence of a liquid drop rising over the upper edge of the ampoule and sends a signal to the control box, 6.
  • the filling needle is lifted out of the ampoule and its insertion has been so adjusted that the amount of liquid displaced from the ampoule by the filling needle is the same as the amount of liquid in the drop rising over the upper edge of the ampoule. Consequently the lifting of the needle will make the liquid in the drop flow down into the ampoule so that the liquid surface is flush with the upper edge of the ampoule, 7.
  • the ampoule is transported along to a not shown station in which it is closed and sealed.
  • Figure 2 shows a detail of the ampoule 6 and the sensor head 10 seen from the reflector. This illustrates how the light opening of the sensor head 10 is divided into a sending half 15 from which a light beam is sent towards the reflector 11 and a receiving half 16 receiving light reflected by the reflector. As it is seen the emitted light beam have to pass immediately over the upper edge of the ampoule 6 so that a drop of liquid can be detected as soon as the liquid level rises over said upper edge.
  • the two halves 15 and 16 are each connected to a light transmission cable 13 which connects said halves with a sensor box 12 which contains a not shown light source from which light is transmitted to the sending half 15 of the sensor head 10, and a not shown sensor receiving light from the receiving half 16 of the sensor head 10.
  • the sensor can be adjusted to react on a set change in the light received by the receiving half 16 to send a signal to the control box 12 which will then with a settable delay stop the motor 8 driving the pump 1.
  • the filling station can be adjusted to fill the ampoules and supply such an excessive amount of liquid that the drop formed by this excessive liquid practically corresponds exactly to the amount of liquid displaced by the part of needle 5 which is projecting into the ampoule, and the drop of excessive liquid, as it is sketched in figure 3 and 4 which shows the upper part of the ampoule 6 with the filling needle 5 submerged in and drawn out of the liquid in the ampoule, respectively.
  • the liquid surface is in these figures 3 and 4 given the reference number 17.
  • the method and the function of the apparatus is described in connection with the filling and topping up of one single cartridge.
  • the apparatus has its place in a cartridge manufacturing line so that a cartridge after having been filled is passed further down the line and a new cartridge is placed in the filling station. Further more stations are placed parallel so that a number of cartridges are filled at the same time. The insertion and withdrawal of the filling needles are then made simultaneously but the filling itself is controlled individually for each cartridge.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Basic Packing Technique (AREA)
  • Filling Of Jars Or Cans And Processes For Cleaning And Sealing Jars (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un appareil de remplissage d'une cartouche par un liquide, comprenant une plate-forme sur laquelle la cartouche prend appui et qui peut être soulevée par rapport à une aiguille de remplissage (5) montée fixe, de façon que ladite aiguille se déplace dans la cartouche (6), une pompe (1) alimentant en liquide la cartouche (6), à travers l'aiguille de remplissage (5), une tête détectrice (10) à partir de laquelle un faisceau lumineux est émis d'un côté vers l'autre de la cartouche, le long d'un parcours immédiatement au-dessus de la cartouche (6), et un réflecteur (11) renvoyant le faisceau lumineux vers la tête détectrice (10), laquelle est connectée à une boîte de détection (12) générant un signal provoquant l'arrêt de la pompe (1) et retirant l'aiguille de la cartouche (6) lorsque cette dernière est remplie, le liquide formant alors une gouttelette sur l'ouverture de la cartouche, ladite gouttelette déviant le faisceau lumineux.
PCT/DK2002/000846 2001-12-19 2002-12-12 Procede et appareil de remplissage de cartouches par un liquide Ceased WO2003051714A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP02787446A EP1458612B1 (fr) 2001-12-19 2002-12-12 Procede et appareil de remplissage de cartouches par un liquide
AU2002351729A AU2002351729A1 (en) 2001-12-19 2002-12-12 Method and apparatus for filling cartridges with a liquid
DE60215697T DE60215697T2 (de) 2001-12-19 2002-12-12 Verfahren und vorrichtung zum füllen von patronen mit flüssigkeit

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DKPA200101907 2001-12-19
DKPA200101907 2001-12-19

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2003051714A1 true WO2003051714A1 (fr) 2003-06-26

Family

ID=8160908

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/DK2002/000846 Ceased WO2003051714A1 (fr) 2001-12-19 2002-12-12 Procede et appareil de remplissage de cartouches par un liquide

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1458612B1 (fr)
AT (1) ATE343519T1 (fr)
AU (1) AU2002351729A1 (fr)
DE (1) DE60215697T2 (fr)
WO (1) WO2003051714A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2004092016A1 (fr) * 2003-04-16 2004-10-28 Gotec Sa Dispositif de remplissage d’un liquide dans un contenant
WO2015109025A1 (fr) 2014-01-14 2015-07-23 Trw Automotive U.S. Llc Rejet de perturbations actif et système de direction assistée électrique

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4187890A (en) * 1978-12-04 1980-02-12 Mono-Med, Inc. Filling apparatus for pharmaceuticals
WO1997029954A1 (fr) * 1996-02-16 1997-08-21 Novo Nordisk A/S Appareil de remplissage d'ampoules cylindriques
EP1236644A1 (fr) * 2001-02-28 2002-09-04 Probitas Pharma, S.A. Dispositif de remplissage de récipients à utilisation pharmaceutique et similaire

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4187890A (en) * 1978-12-04 1980-02-12 Mono-Med, Inc. Filling apparatus for pharmaceuticals
WO1997029954A1 (fr) * 1996-02-16 1997-08-21 Novo Nordisk A/S Appareil de remplissage d'ampoules cylindriques
EP1236644A1 (fr) * 2001-02-28 2002-09-04 Probitas Pharma, S.A. Dispositif de remplissage de récipients à utilisation pharmaceutique et similaire

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2004092016A1 (fr) * 2003-04-16 2004-10-28 Gotec Sa Dispositif de remplissage d’un liquide dans un contenant
WO2015109025A1 (fr) 2014-01-14 2015-07-23 Trw Automotive U.S. Llc Rejet de perturbations actif et système de direction assistée électrique

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU2002351729A1 (en) 2003-06-30
DE60215697D1 (de) 2006-12-07
EP1458612B1 (fr) 2006-10-25
DE60215697T2 (de) 2007-08-30
ATE343519T1 (de) 2006-11-15
EP1458612A1 (fr) 2004-09-22

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