Granted Patent B2

US 12,649,596 · App. 18/253,338 · Granted Jun 9, 2026

Inventors: Markus Ilgenfritz (Feuchtwangen, DE); Ulrich Krauß (Ilshofen, DE); Stefan Nagler (Unterschneidheim, DE)

Assignee: Syntegon Technology GmbH

B65B7/2821B65B57/02

Abstract

Claims (25)

1 . A device for closing pharmaceutical containers via closures, the device having:

a first holding device for receiving at least one pharmaceutical container,

a second holding device for receiving at least one closure for closing an opening of the at least one pharmaceutical container, wherein the first and second holding devices are mutually alignable, or are mutually aligned, in such a way that the at least one closure and the opening of the at least one pharmaceutical container are aligned with one another, wherein a plunger and a counter element are provided, wherein the plunger and/or the counter element can be driven and moved relative to one another by a drive device, wherein, when the plunger and the counter element are moved towards one another when the drive device is driven, the plunger acts on the at least one closure or on the at least one pharmaceutical container in such a way that the at least one closure comes into contact with the at least one pharmaceutical container and, in order to close the opening of the at least one pharmaceutical container, is pressed onto the at least one pharmaceutical container by cooperation of the plunger and the counter element,

wherein a force sensor is provided, by which force sensor a force applied by the cooperation of the plunger and the counter element when the at least one closure is pressed onto the at least one pharmaceutical container can be detected, wherein the plunger and the counter element are configured to be movable, relative to the first holding device, along a plane, and wherein the plane is oriented orthogonally relative to a central longitudinal axis of the counter element.

2 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the force sensor is arranged on the plunger or on the counter element.

3 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the counter element and/or the first holding device can be moved by a further drive device along the central longitudinal axis of the counter element, or along both the central longitudinal axis of the counter element- and along the plane oriented orthogonally relative to the central longitudinal axis.

4 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein a controller is provided for actuating the drive device, the controller being configured to control the drive device in such a way that the at least one closure is pressed onto the at least one pharmaceutical container by a force control or force/displacement control, or wherein a resilient element is provided, by which resilient element the force applied during the closing can be controlled.

5 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the first holding device and/or the second holding device are/is configured as a holding portion which is fastened to the plunger or to the counter element.

6 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the drive device is driven, the plunger can pass through a passage, formed in the second holding device, in order to come into contact with the at least one closure, and/or wherein the counter element can pass through a further passage, formed in the first holding device, in order to come into contact with the at least one pharmaceutical container on an end of the at least one pharmaceutical container facing away from the opening, of the at least one pharmaceutical container.

7 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the first holding device and the counter element configured as a further plunger are configured to be displaceable relative to one another along the central longitudinal axis of the counter element, so that a container arranged in the first holding device can be raised relative to the first holding device.

8 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the first holding device has several holding portions, in each of which a container can be received, and/or wherein the second holding device has several holding portions, in each of which a closure can be received.

9 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the counter element is configured as a plate or as a further plunger.

10 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device has several plungers and several counter elements.

11 . The device according to claim 10 , wherein the several counter elements are several further plungers with a force sensor.

12 . A method for closing pharmaceutical containers via closures using a device according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises the following steps:

providing at least one pharmaceutical container and at least one closure for closing an opening of the at least one pharmaceutical container,

aligning the at least one pharmaceutical container and the at least one closure relative to one another, so that the at least one closure and the opening of the at least one pharmaceutical container are aligned with one another,

pressing the at least one closure onto the at least one pharmaceutical container in order to close the opening of the at least one pharmaceutical container,

wherein, for a purpose of monitoring the closing of the opening, when the at least one closure is pressed on, a force applied to the at least one pharmaceutical container is detected.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one closure is pressed onto the at least one pharmaceutical container in a force-controlled or force/displacement-controlled manner, and/or wherein the at least one closure is pressed on by the plunger which is arranged on a first side of the at least one pharmaceutical container, wherein the force applied to the at least one pharmaceutical container is detected by the force sensor, which is arranged on the plunger or on the counter element which is arranged on a second side of the at least one pharmaceutical container facing away from the first side of the at least one pharmaceutical container.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one pharmaceutical container, shortly before, or when, the at least one closure is pressed on, is raised along the central longitudinal axis of the counter element.

15 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein, if, when the at least one closure is pressed onto the at least one pharmaceutical container, no force, or no sufficiently high force, is detected, then the providing, aligning, and/or pressing steps are/is repeated, or wherein the at least one pharmaceutical container and/or the at least one closure are/is sorted out.

16 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the force is detected in the form of a force curve or a force/displacement curve.

17 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the first side of the at least one pharmaceutical container is a side on which the opening of the at least one pharmaceutical container is arranged, and wherein the second side of the at least one pharmaceutical container is a side facing away from the opening of the at least one pharmaceutical container.

18 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one pharmaceutical container is raised by moving the counter element and the first holding device, which receives the at least one pharmaceutical container, relative to one another.

Assignments (2)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (24)