JP4566140B2 - Ink ribbon feeding mechanism for medicine bandage printing - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an ink ribbon feeding mechanism for printing a medicine bandage in a packaging apparatus that is incorporated in a medicine packaging machine or used alone for packaging various medicines such as tablets and powders. The present invention relates to a mechanism for feeding an ink ribbon to a print head incorporated in a packaging apparatus in order to perform printing while feeding a scale bandage.
The ink ribbon is unwound from the roll, sent to the print head, used for printing, and then wound.

  FIG. 3 shows the structure, usage, and the like of the medicine packaging machine 10 incorporating the packaging device 20 having the conventional ink ribbon feeding mechanism 40 for medicine packaging band printing. (B) is an external perspective view of the packaging device 20 part, (c) is a perspective view of an internal mechanism of the packaging device 20, (d) is a schematic view of a packaging state, and (e) is a partial perspective view. FIG. 7 is an external view of a package 27 in which the medicine 14 is packaged in the bandage 26, (f) is a perspective view of the ink ribbon roll 30, and (g) to (i) are plan views of the ink ribbon feed mechanism 40.

  A typical example of a medicine packaging machine is a tablet packaging machine (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and such a medicine packaging machine 10 (see FIG. 3 (a)) is a tablet in which various tablets such as balls and capsules are used. The medicine is accommodated in the feeder, the required medicine is sequentially discharged according to the prescription and the derived dispensing instruction, the medicine 14 is collected by the medicine collection mechanism 11, and the compartment / section of the bandage 26 is collected by the medicine loading hopper 12 It is designed to be enclosed in a storage room. Therefore, the packaging device 20 is incorporated in the lower part of the casing, and the packaging device 20 is mounted on the drawer base 13 for replenishment of the dividing band 26 and the ink ribbon 31 (see FIG. 3B).

  The packaging device 20 (see FIGS. 3 (c) and 3 (d)) normally prints while feeding a wrapping band 26 made of a long paper-like body folded in the longitudinal direction in the horizontal and horizontal directions. A sorting storage chamber is formed, and the medicine 14 is put into the compartment storage hopper 12 and further sealed by fusion sealing to form a package 27. Therefore, in order facing the feeding path of the banding band 26, the banding band supply mechanism 21 having a roll holding mechanism and a tension adjusting mechanism of the banding band 26, and the print head 22 facing the banding band 26 fed to the medicine charging position, A vertical sealing mechanism 23 placed in front of the medicine charging hopper 12, a horizontal sealing mechanism 24 placed behind the medicine charging hopper 12, and a bandage pulling mechanism 25 for pulling the packing band 26 and the packing body 27. Yes.

And (refer FIG.3 (e)), the printing to the dividing band 26 is performed for every compartment of the dividing body 27 by the print head 22. FIG. Typical print contents include patient name and usage.
A thermal printer (thermal printing machine) is often used as the print head 22, and an ink ribbon 31 suitable for thermal transfer is sent to the print head 22 together with the banding band 26, but the ink ribbon 31 is long. The flexible belt-like body is provided by the wound ink ribbon roll 30 (see FIG. 3F).
An ink ribbon feeding mechanism 40 for feeding the ink ribbon 31 to the print head 22 is also provided on the drawer base 13 together with the print head 22 and the packaging device 20.

  The ink ribbon feed mechanism 40 (see FIG. 3G) includes an ink ribbon supply mechanism 41 that holds the detachable ink ribbon roll 30 by being fitted around the rotation shaft, and the ink ribbon 31 that is unwound from the ink ribbon roll 30. Ink ribbon guide mechanisms 42 and 43 that guide the ink ribbon 31 toward the print head 22, a platen 44 that faces the print head 22 and sandwiches the ink ribbon 31 and the dividing band 26, and an ink ribbon guide that guides the ink ribbon 31 toward the print head 22 separation side A mechanism 46, 48, an ink ribbon take-up mechanism 49 for holding the ribbon take-up tube 32 for taking up the ink ribbon 31 by being fitted around the rotation shaft, and a print head for contacting and separating the print head 22 and the bandage 26 And a print head advancing / retreating mechanism 47 for advancing and retreating 22 toward the platen 44.

  The rotation axis of the ink ribbon supply mechanism 41 is given an appropriate rotational resistance by, for example, pressing of a friction member, and the ink ribbon guide mechanisms 42, 43, 46, and 48 are composed of, for example, a thin roll that can freely rotate the shaft, and the platen 44 is For example, it is made of heat-resistant hard rubber and the print head 22 facing surface is smoothly finished. The print head advance / retreat mechanism 47 is made of, for example, a lever-like member suitable for manual operation, and the ink ribbon take-up mechanism 49 rotates. The shaft is rotationally driven by an electric motor (not shown) provided on the back surface of the drawer base 13, for example.

  When the ink ribbon 31 is replenished to such an ink ribbon feeding mechanism 40 (see FIG. 3H), first, the print head advancing / retracting mechanism 47 is operated to retract the print head 22 so that the platen 44 and the wrapping band 26 are used. Separate. In this state, the ink ribbon roll 30 is attached to the ink ribbon supply mechanism 41 and the ribbon take-up tube 32 is attached to the ink ribbon take-up mechanism 49 so that the tip of the ink ribbon 31 unwound from the ink ribbon roll 30 is guided to the ink ribbon. The mechanisms 42 and 43 and the ink ribbon guide mechanisms 46 and 48 are wound around the ribbon take-up tube 32 around the outside.

At that time, at the print head 22, the ink ribbon 31 is passed between the platen 44 and the bandage 26 and the print head 22.
Then (see FIG. 3 (i)), the print head advance / retreat mechanism 47 is operated to advance the print head 22 and return to the platen 44 side so as to come into contact with the packing band 26, and the ink ribbon take-up mechanism 49 is operated slightly. Thus, when the ink ribbon 31 is wound around the ribbon winding tube 32 and the slack of the ink ribbon 31 is eliminated, printing on the bandage 26 by the print head 22 with the ink ribbon 31 interposed therebetween becomes possible.
As described above, when the ink ribbon roll 30 is mounted on the ink ribbon feeding mechanism 40 of the packaging device 20 disposed on the horizontally placed drawer base 13, the operator gets on the drawer base 13. Further, the ink ribbon 31 relating to the ink ribbon feeding mechanism 40 is routed so as to bend toward the lower packaging device 20.

On the other hand, a medicine packaging device in which the main mechanism of the packaging device is arranged on the front surface of the vertically placed plate-like base has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
When the ink ribbon roll is mounted on the ink ribbon feeding mechanism of the packaging device, the operator can work forward, so the posture is easy, but the work content such as the drawing of the ink ribbon 31 related to the ink ribbon feeding mechanism 40 is as follows. This is performed in the same manner as described above.

JP 2000-175990 A JP 2005-053538 A

In such a conventional ink ribbon feeding mechanism for medicine bandage printing, when the ink ribbon is replenished, roll mounting, ribbon routing and leading edge winding must be performed manually in that order. In addition, all the work is performed directly by the ink ribbon feeding mechanism.
For this reason, during the period when the ink ribbon replenishment operation is being performed, not only printing but also the packaging operation cannot be performed, and the operation of the packaging device and even the medicine packaging machine has been forced to stop.

However, if the operation stop time of the entire apparatus is long, not only the operation rate does not increase, but also inconvenience is left to a patient who waits for the end of dispensing.
In particular, in the current situation where drug storage capacity and dispensing speed have improved dramatically due to many years of device improvement efforts, if the device stop time at the time of refilling the ink ribbon remains the same, the disadvantage becomes relatively large and can be ignored. Disappear.
For this reason, it is conceivable to drastically modify the ink ribbon feeding mechanism, the ink ribbon roll mounting mechanism, etc. so as to shorten the work time for refilling the ink ribbon, but it is not preferable to increase the cost. In particular, the cost of consumables such as ink ribbon rolls must be avoided.

  Therefore, on the premise that the conventional ink ribbon roll, which requires manual roll roll installation, ribbon routing and tip winding in that order when refilling the ink ribbon, will continue to be used, the manual work time required for refilling the ink ribbon will not be shortened. However, it is a technical problem to improve the structure of the ink ribbon feeding mechanism for medicine bandage printing so that the apparatus stop time accompanying ink ribbon replenishment is shortened.

  The ink ribbon feeding mechanism for medicine bandage printing according to the present invention (Solution 1) was created to solve such a problem, and the ink ribbon is applied to the print head facing the bandage sent to the medicine loading position. In the ink ribbon feeding mechanism for medicine bandage printing, the feeding mechanism is divided into a main body part on the print head side and a cover part that can be attached to and detached from the main body part. An inner fitting portion of the winding mechanism is provided, and an outer fitting portion of the ribbon supply mechanism, an outer fitting portion of the ribbon winding mechanism, and a ribbon guide mechanism are provided on the cover portion, and an ink ribbon is attached to the cover portion. The ink ribbon is fed to the print head by mounting it on the main body.

  The ink ribbon feeding mechanism for medicine bandage printing according to the present invention is (Solution means 2), which is the ink ribbon feeding mechanism for medicine bandage printing of the above solution means 1, and advances and retracts the print head toward the bandage. The head advancing / retreating mechanism is provided with an operating part that directly acts on the print head and an operation part connected thereto, and the operating part is arranged on the side of the cover facing the print head, for example, on the inside or the lower side. In addition, the operation unit is arranged on the back side, for example, the outside or the upper side.

  Furthermore, the medicine ribbon feeding ink ribbon feeding mechanism of the present invention is (Solution means 3), which is the medicine ribbon feeding ink ribbon feeding mechanism of the above solving means 1, wherein the head advance and retreat detecting the advance / retreat state of the print head. A detection member is provided in the main body, and the ribbon winding mechanism performs a winding operation for loosening when the head advance / retreat detection member detects the advance of the print head. .

  The ink ribbon feeding mechanism for printing a medicine bandage according to the present invention (solving means 4) is an ink ribbon feeding mechanism for printing a medicine bandage according to the above-mentioned solving means 3, wherein an ink ribbon is attached to the cover portion. A ribbon presence / absence detection member for detecting the presence / absence of the ink ribbon in a state where the ribbon is installed is provided on the main body portion, and the ribbon presence / absence detection member performs winding operation for slack removal by the ribbon winding mechanism. This is characterized in that the detection is performed only when the presence of a ribbon is detected.

  In such an ink ribbon feeding mechanism for printing a medicine bandage according to the present invention (solution 1), the ink ribbon is attached to the cover portion after being divided into the main body portion and the cover portion, and this is attached to the main body portion. Since the ink ribbon is sent to the print head when it is attached to the printer, the ink ribbon replenishment operation is divided into two steps: a ribbon attachment operation to the cover portion and a cover attachment operation to the main body portion. Among them, the latter cover mounting operation cannot avoid stopping the packaging device, but the former ribbon mounting operation can avoid the device stop if there is a spare cover portion, for example.

  In addition, by providing the outer fitting portion of the ribbon supply mechanism, the outer fitting portion of the ribbon take-up mechanism, and the ribbon guide mechanism in the cover portion, when the ribbon is attached to the cover portion, the ink ribbon roll attachment or If the ribbon routing and the tip winding are performed manually in that order, the conventional ink ribbon roll can be used continuously. The working time is almost the same as before, but the working place and posture are completely free, so it is much easier than working on a horizontal drawer base, working on a vertical plate base It is easier than no.

Furthermore, the main body is provided with an inner fitting portion of the ribbon supply mechanism and an inner fitting portion of the ribbon take-up mechanism, so that both the ribbon supply mechanism and the ribbon take-up mechanism are attached when the cover portion is attached to the main body portion. Accordingly, the cover can be attached to the main body in a short time. Therefore, the inevitable stop time of the packaging device is shortened.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize an ink ribbon feeding mechanism for medicine bandage printing that can be used continuously with a conventional ink ribbon roll but requires only a short apparatus stop time for refilling the ink ribbon.
There is also an advantage that the ink ribbon and the feeding mechanism are not easily soiled by being covered with the cover.

  In the ink ribbon feeding mechanism for medicine bandage printing according to the present invention (solution 2), the head advancing / retreating mechanism is also moved from the main body to the cover, and the operating part and the operating part are separated. The part is arranged on the side facing the print head in the cover part, and the operation part is arranged on the back side of the cover part, so that the operating part can act on the print head along with the cover mounting on the main body part, The operation unit can be manually operated at an easy-to-handle position such as the outside or upper side of the cover. When the operation unit is operated, the operation unit connected to the operation unit operates, and the print head advances and retreats accordingly. Therefore, even when the cover is used, the operation of moving the print head back and forth can be easily performed, so that the work for attaching the cover to the main body is short. A simple head advance / retreat mechanism is sufficient.

  Further, in the ink ribbon feeding mechanism for medicine bandage printing according to the present invention (solution 3), the advance / retreat of the print head is detected by the head advance / retreat detection member, and the ink ribbon is taken up by the ribbon take-up mechanism when the print head moves forward. Since the ink ribbon tension is adjusted automatically when the head advance / retreat mechanism is operated, no additional operation of adjusting the ink ribbon tension is required when attaching the cover to the main unit. As a result, the cover can be attached to the main body in a short time.

  In the ink ribbon feeding mechanism for medicine bandage printing according to the present invention (solution 4), when a cover portion is attached to the main body, whether or not an ink ribbon is attached is detected. Since the take-up operation for removing slack is performed only when the ink ribbon is present, useless take-up operation is suppressed, which is undesirable in the case where the ink ribbon is not properly routed. Behavior is avoided.

  An embodiment for implementing such an ink ribbon feeding mechanism for printing a medicine bandage according to the present invention will be described. First, a specific configuration will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the structure of an ink ribbon feeding mechanism 50 + 60 for printing a medicine bandage, (a) is an external perspective view of the medicine packaging machine 10, (b) is an external perspective view of the packaging device 20, and (c) is packaging. The perspective view of the internal mechanism of the apparatus 20, (d) is a plan view of the ink ribbon feeding mechanism main body 50, (e) is the perspective view of the ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover 60, and (f) and (g) are the ink ribbon feeding. It is a top view of mechanism 50 + 60. 2A is a side view, a plan view, and a front view of the ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover portion 60, and FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating the ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover portion 60 mounted on the ink ribbon feeding mechanism main body portion 50. FIG. 6 is a front view of the ink ribbon feeding mechanism 50 + 60.

In these drawings, for the sake of simplicity, fasteners such as bolts, coupling tools such as hinges, drive sources such as electric motors, transmission members such as timing belts, electric circuits such as motor drivers, controllers, etc. The electronic circuit and the like are not shown in the figure, and those necessary and related to the explanation of the invention are mainly shown. In addition, since the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the prior art, the repeated description will be omitted, and the following description will focus on differences from the prior art.
The basic configuration of the medicine packaging machine 10 and the packaging device 20 is the same as the conventional one (see FIGS. 1A to 1C), and the difference is that the ink ribbon feeding mechanism 40 is modified and the ink ribbon feeding mechanism is different. 50 + 60 (see FIGS. 1D to 1G).

  The ink ribbon feeding mechanism 50 + 60 is directly mounted with the ink ribbon feeding mechanism main body 50 (see FIG. 1D) installed on the drawer base 13 together with the print head 22, and the ink ribbon roll 30 and the ribbon take-up tube 32. The ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover portion 60 is divided (see FIG. 1 (e)), and the ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover portion 60 with the ink ribbon 31 mounted thereon is turned upside down and further lowered. The ink ribbon feed mechanism main body 50 is superposed on the ink ribbon feed mechanism main body 50 so that the ink ribbon feed mechanism cover 60 is attached to the ink ribbon feed mechanism main body 50 (see FIGS. 1F and 1G). Hereinafter, the structure of the main body 50 and the cover 60 of the ink ribbon feeding mechanism will be described in detail.

  The ink ribbon feeding mechanism main body 50 (see FIGS. 1D and 2B) takes over the platen 44 from the ink ribbon feeding mechanism 40 as it is. In other words, the platen 44 is disposed at a position facing the print head 22 and sandwiching the ink ribbon 31 and the bandage 26. In contrast, the ink ribbon supply mechanism 41, the ink ribbon guide mechanisms 42, 43, 46, 47, 48, and the ink ribbon take-up mechanism 49 are not succeeded. Instead, an ink ribbon supply mechanism fitting portion 51 is provided where the ink ribbon supply mechanism 41 is located, and an ink ribbon winding mechanism fitting portion 59 is provided where the ink ribbon winding mechanism 49 is located. ing.

  Both the ink ribbon supply mechanism internal fitting portion 51 and the ink ribbon take-up mechanism internal fitting portion 59 are mainly composed of a rotating shaft, like the ink ribbon supply mechanism 41 and the ink ribbon take-up mechanism 49, but the ink ribbon roll 30 and the ribbon take-up tube 32 are not directly attached, but can be inserted into the lumens of the external fitting portions 61 and 69 to which they are attached and the rotational shaft is transmitted so as to transmit the rotational motion as will be described later. For example, a thin spline shaft is used. The electric motor and the like for rotating the ink ribbon take-up mechanism are not shown in the figure, but the ink ribbon feed mechanism 40 to the ink ribbon feed mechanism in a mode that rotates the rotation shaft of the ink ribbon supply mechanism fitting portion 51. The main body 50 is taken over.

  The ink ribbon feed mechanism main body 50 (see FIG. 1D) is provided with a head advance / retreat detection member 53 for detecting the advance / retreat state of the print head 22. The head advance / retreat detection member 53 may be a non-contact type sensor or a contact type sensor. For example, the head advance / retreat detection member 53 is embodied by an inexpensive microswitch arranged in the movement range of the print head 22, and the print head 22 advances toward the platen 44. It is detected whether it is in a retreated state or in a retracted state away from the platen 44, and the detection result is sent to a controller (control device) not shown.

  Further, the ink ribbon feeding mechanism main body 50 (see FIG. 1D) is provided with ribbon presence / absence detection members 54 and 55 for detecting the presence / absence of an ink ribbon. The ribbon presence / absence detection member 54 detects the presence / absence of an ink ribbon on the ink ribbon supply mechanism fitting portion 51 side, and the ribbon presence / absence detection member 55 detects the presence / absence of an ink ribbon on the ink ribbon take-up mechanism fitting portion 59 side. There is only one or more. Since the ribbon presence / absence detection members 54 and 55 are preferably non-contact type, they are embodied by, for example, a photodetector, and a logical product of the detection results is sent to the controller. In other words, the ribbon presence / absence detecting members 54 and 55 serve as a route for drawing the ink ribbon 31 when the ink ribbon 31 is attached to the ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover portion 60 and this is attached to the ink ribbon feeding mechanism main body portion 50. The controller is in a distributed arrangement, and only when the ink ribbon 31 is in an appropriate state at any detection location, it notifies the controller that there is an ink ribbon, and otherwise it notifies the controller that there is no ink ribbon.

  Although not shown, the controller may be embodied by a dedicated electronic circuit attached to the main body 50 of the ink ribbon feeding mechanism 50, or by a program of a main controller of the medicine packaging machine 10 or a local controller of the packaging device 20. In short, the head advance / retreat detection member 53 and the detection results of the ribbon presence / absence detection members 54, 55 are input, and the head advance / retreat is detected when the ribbon presence / absence detection members 54, 55 detect the presence of the ribbon. When the advancement of the print head 22 is detected by the detection member 53, the ink ribbon take-up mechanism internal fitting portion 59 is caused to perform a take-up operation for loosening. The winding amount may be defined by a time such as several milliseconds, or may be defined by the rotation angle of the ink ribbon winding mechanism internal fitting portion 59, and is set as a fixed value in a circuit or a program. The set value may be variably adjusted.

  The ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover section 60 (see FIGS. 1E and 2A) includes an ink ribbon supply mechanism outer fitting section 61 and ink that are planted inside the box-shaped ink ribbon cover 64. Ribbon guide mechanisms 62, 63, 66, and 68 and an ink ribbon take-up mechanism outer fitting portion 69 are provided. Since the ink ribbon cover 64 is overlapped with and covers the ink ribbon feed mechanism main body 50, the surface on the drawing base 13 side is released over almost the entire area when the ink ribbon cover 64 is attached to the ink ribbon feed mechanism main body 50. . The print ribbon 22 is moved forward toward the platen 44 and then the bandage 26 so that the ink ribbon 31 is also sandwiched so that printing is possible. A platen side opening 65 is formed by a notch or the like.

  The ink ribbon guide mechanisms 62, 63, 66, and 68 are composed of, for example, a thin roll that can freely rotate around the shaft, similar to the ink ribbon guide mechanisms 42, 43, 46, and 48, and the ink ribbon feed mechanism cover 60 is used as the ink ribbon feed mechanism. 62, 63, 66, and 68 are arranged so that the ink ribbon guide mechanisms 42, 43, 46, and 48 are present when the main body 50 is mounted. Similarly, when the ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover portion 60 is mounted on the ink ribbon feeding mechanism main body 50, the ink ribbon feeding mechanism outer fitting portion 61 is located where the ink ribbon feeding mechanism 41 is present, that is, the ink ribbon feeding mechanism inner fitting portion 51. The ink ribbon take-up mechanism outer fitting portion 69 is arranged so as to come to the ink ribbon take-up mechanism 49, that is, the ink ribbon take-up mechanism internal fitting portion 59.

  The ink ribbon supply mechanism outer fitting portion 61 has a rotation shaft similar to the ink ribbon supply mechanism 41 and holds the detachable ink ribbon roll 30 on the outer periphery thereof. Unlike 41, the rotation shaft of the ink ribbon supply mechanism outer fitting portion 61 can be fitted with the rotation shaft of the ink ribbon supply mechanism inner fitting portion 51 to form a lumen / hollow for transmitting rotational motion in the fitted state. Has been. Further, the rotation shaft of the ink ribbon supply mechanism outer fitting portion 61 is supported so as to be freely rotatable. The ink ribbon take-up mechanism outer fitting portion 69 also has a rotation shaft having the same structure, but here, the rotation shaft of the ink ribbon take-up mechanism inner fitting portion 59 is fitted and the ribbon take-up tube 32 is fitted. It is supposed to let you. It should be noted that a device for preventing the ink ribbon roll 30 and the ink ribbon 31 from falling off is also provided at appropriate places (for example, a movable roller adjacent to the ink ribbon guide mechanism 68 in the plan view of FIG. 2A).

Further, the ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover section 60 (see FIGS. 1E and 2A) includes a cover handle 71 attached to the outer surface of the ink ribbon cover 64, and a print head advance / retreat mechanism extending inside and outside the ink ribbon cover 64. 67 + 72 is also provided.
The cover handle 71 is disposed at the center of the outer surface of the ink ribbon cover 64 facing the release surface so that the handle can be easily carried by the hand. The ink ribbon 31 can be tilted so that the ink ribbon 31 does not stick out when it is attached to the ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover 60.

  The print head advance / retreat mechanism 67 + 72 includes a print head advance / retreat mechanism operating part 67, a print head advance / retreat mechanism operation part 72, and an intermediate connecting rod that connects them, and the connecting rod penetrates the ink ribbon cover 64 and is also capable of axial rotation. The ink ribbon cover 64 is mounted on the opposite surface of the release surface. A print head advancing / retreating mechanism operating portion 67 is fixed to one end located inside the ink ribbon cover 64 of both ends of the connecting rod, and the print head is connected to the other end of the connecting rod located outside the ink ribbon cover 64, that is, on the back side. The advance / retreat mechanism operation unit 72 is fixed.

  The connection and fixation are made such that the print head advance / retreat mechanism operating portion 67 faces the print head 22 when the ink ribbon feed mechanism cover portion 60 is attached to the ink ribbon feed mechanism main body portion 50. After the cover 60 is attached to the main body 50, the print head advance / retreat mechanism operating part 67 acts directly on the print head 22 in the same manner as the conventional print head advance / retreat mechanism 47, and operates the print head advance / retreat mechanism operation part 72. Accordingly, the print head advancing / retracting mechanism operating portion 67 swings and the print head 22 is moved back and forth toward the packing band 26 at the platen 44 accordingly.

  The use mode and operation of the ink ribbon feeding mechanism for printing a medicine bandage according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. 1A is an external perspective view of the medicine packaging machine 10, FIG. 1B is an external perspective view of the packaging device 20, FIG. 1D is a plan view of the ink ribbon feeding mechanism main body 50, and FIG. FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views of the feeding mechanism cover 60, and FIGS. 5F and 5G are plan views of the ink ribbon feeding mechanism 50 + 60. FIG. 2B is a front view of the ink ribbon feeding mechanism 50 + 60.

Since the usage and operation of the medicine packaging machine 10 and the packaging device 20 are the same as the conventional one, here, the ink ribbon replenishment, which is a difference from the conventional one, will be described in detail.
When the ink ribbon 31 is replenished to the packaging device 20 equipped with the ink ribbon feeding mechanism 50 + 60, it is preferable to use the spare ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover unit 60 to perform the ink ribbon roll 30 mounting operation in advance. The spare ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover 60 can be reused by several ink ribbon feeding mechanisms 50 + 60 that maintain compatibility.

  When the ink ribbon 31 is attached to the ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover 60 (see FIG. 1E), the ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover 60 is turned upside down, that is, the release surface of the ink ribbon cover 64 is faced up. In addition, the ribbon take-up tube 32 is fitted on the ink ribbon take-up mechanism outer fitting portion 69, and the ink ribbon roll 30 is fitted on the ink ribbon supply mechanism outer fitting portion 61. The ink ribbon is drawn out from the ink ribbon roll 30 and wound around the ribbon take-up tube 32 in order around the outside of the ink ribbon guide mechanisms 62, 63, 66, 68. The operation of attaching the ink ribbon roll 30 and the drawing operation of the ink ribbon 31 are the same as the conventional procedure, but can be performed calmly and easily on a desk or the like without being rushed.

When it is necessary to replenish the packaging device 20 of the medicine packaging machine 10 with the ink ribbon 31, the drawer base 13 is pulled forward to expose the packaging device 20 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B). ), The ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover 60 is removed from the ink ribbon feeding mechanism 50 + 60 that comes out together with the ink ribbon feeding mechanism 50 + 60. Instead, the spare ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover 60 with the ink ribbon attached in advance is used as the ink ribbon feeding mechanism. Attached to the main body 50.
At this time, the ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover 60 can be easily and quickly removed in the reverse order of the mounting method described below. However, the ink ribbon feeding mechanism main body 50 remains on the drawer base 13 from which the cover 60 has been removed. In the main body 50, the print head 22 is retracted in the separation direction of the platen 44 (see FIG. 1D).

  In this state, the cover portion 60 with the ink ribbon attached is brought onto the ink ribbon feed mechanism main body portion 50 for attachment. When the ink ribbon feed mechanism cover unit 60 is held with the cover handle 71 facing upward, the release surface is naturally lowered. Therefore, when the ink ribbon feeding mechanism body 50 is lowered, the ink ribbon feeding mechanism body 50 overlaps the ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover 60 (see FIG. 1 (f) and FIG. 2), and at the same time, the ink ribbon feeding mechanism. The inner fitting portion 51 and the ink ribbon supply mechanism outer fitting portion 61 are fitted, and the ink ribbon winding mechanism inner fitting portion 59 and the ink ribbon winding mechanism outer fitting portion 69 are also fitted. The ink ribbon 31 enters between the platen 44 and the bandage 26 and the print head 22. Then, the detection result with the ink ribbon is notified to the controller from the ribbon presence / absence detection members 54 and 55, but the head advance / retreat detection member 53 notifies that the print head 22 is in the retracted state.

  Then (see FIG. 1G), when the print head advance / retreat mechanism operation section 72 is operated and turned, the print head advance / retreat mechanism operation section 67 swings, and the print head 22 moves forward toward the platen 44. The ink ribbon 31 and the bandage 26 overlap in the narrow gap. In addition, since the head advance / retreat detection member 53 notifies the controller that the print head 22 is in the retracted state as the print head 22 moves forward, coupled with the detection that the ink ribbon is present first, As a result of this control, the ink ribbon take-up mechanism internal fitting portion 59 and the ink ribbon take-up mechanism external fit portion 69 are slightly pivoted, whereby the leading portion of the ink ribbon 31 is taken up by the ribbon take-up tube 32. The slack of the ink ribbon 31 is eliminated. Then, printing on the bandage 26 can be performed by the print head 22 with the ink ribbon 31 interposed. When the ink ribbon take-up mechanism internal fitting portion 59 is driven to rotate along with the printing, new portions of the ink ribbon 31 are successively formed. Is sent to the print head 22.

  Thus, since the ink ribbon 31 is replenished to the packaging device 20, the drawer base 13 is pushed back to place the packaging device 20 in the housing of the medicine packaging machine 10 and the medicine packaging operation is performed in the medicine packaging machine 10. If the operation is resumed, the printing on the bandage 26 is performed in parallel with the dispensing of the medicine. In this case, the packaging operation of the medicine packaging machine 10 is stopped only when the packaging device 20 is taken in and out and the ink ribbon feeding mechanism main body part 50 is replaced with the ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover part 60. Since it is not necessary to stop the medicine packaging machine 10 when the ink ribbon roll 30 is attached to the main body 50 or the ink ribbon 31 is routed, the stop time of the entire apparatus accompanying the ink ribbon replenishment is short. Further, since most of the feeding paths of the ink ribbon feeding mechanism 50 + 60 and the ink ribbon 31 are covered with the ink ribbon cover 64, the ink ribbon 31 or the like becomes dust even when dust is spilled in the medicine packaging machine 10. There is almost no risk of being covered.

[Others]
In the above embodiment, a cover is added only to the ink ribbon feeding mechanism, but a cover may be attached to the platen 44 side. For example, the cover may be attached to the drawer base 13 so as to be tiltable so that the ink ribbon cover 64 can be easily contacted and separated.
Further, an ink ribbon detection sensor may be provided in the ink ribbon feeding mechanism main body 50, and automatic stop of the packaging operation or alarm generation may be performed based on the detection.

FIG. 1 shows the structure and usage of an ink ribbon feeding mechanism for medicine bandage printing according to an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is an external perspective view of a medicine packaging machine, (b) is an external perspective view of a packaging device, c) is a perspective view of the internal mechanism of the packaging device, (d) is a plan view of the main body of the ink ribbon feed mechanism, (e) is a perspective view of the cover portion of the ink ribbon feed mechanism, and (f) and (g) are ink ribbons. It is a top view of a feed mechanism. (A) is a side view, a plan view, and a front view of the ink ribbon feed mechanism cover, and (b) is a front view of the ink ribbon feed mechanism. The structure and usage of a conventional ink ribbon feeding mechanism for medicine bandage printing are shown. (A) is an external perspective view of the medicine packaging machine, (b) is an external perspective view of the packaging device, and (c) is the packaging device. (D) is a schematic view of a packaging state, (e) is an external view of the packaging body, (f) is a perspective view of an ink ribbon roll, and (g) to (i) are ink ribbon feeds. It is a top view of a mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Drug packaging machine,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Drug collection mechanism, 12 ... Drug injection hopper, 13 ... Drawer base, 14 ... Drug,
20 ... packaging equipment,
21 ... Bandage supply mechanism, 22 ... Print head, 23 ... Vertical seal mechanism,
24 ... Lateral seal mechanism, 25 ... Bandage pulling mechanism, 26 ... Bandage, 27 ... Bandage,
30 ... Ink ribbon roll, 31 ... Ink ribbon, 32 ... Ribbon take-up tube,
40. Ink ribbon feeding mechanism,
41 ... Ink ribbon supply mechanism, 42 ... Ink ribbon guide mechanism,
43 ... Ink ribbon guide mechanism, 44 ... Platen,
46 ... Ink ribbon guide mechanism, 47 ... Print head advance / retreat mechanism,
48 ... Ink ribbon guide mechanism, 49 ... Ink ribbon winding mechanism,
50. Ink ribbon feeding mechanism main body,
51 ... Ink ribbon supply mechanism internal fitting part, 53 ... Head advance / retreat detection member,
54, 55... Ribbon presence / absence detection member, 59...
60: Ink ribbon feeding mechanism cover,
61 ... Ink ribbon supply mechanism outer fitting part, 62 ... Ink ribbon guide mechanism,
63 ... Ink ribbon guide mechanism, 64 ... Ink ribbon cover,
65 ... Platen side opening, 66 ... Ink ribbon guide mechanism,
67: Print head advance / retreat mechanism operation unit, 68 ... Ink ribbon guide mechanism,
69 ... Ink ribbon take-up mechanism outer fitting part, 71 ... Cover handle,
72. Print head advance / retreat mechanism operation section

Claims (3)

In the ink ribbon feeding mechanism for medicine bandage printing that sends the ink ribbon to the print head facing the bandage sent to the medicine loading position,
The feeding mechanism is divided into a main body portion on the print head side and a cover portion that can be attached to and detached from the main body portion. The main body portion is provided with an inner fitting portion of a ribbon supply mechanism and an inner fitting portion of a ribbon take-up mechanism. The portion is provided with an outer fitting portion of the ribbon supply mechanism, an outer fitting portion of the ribbon take-up mechanism, and a ribbon guide mechanism, and an ink ribbon is attached to the cover portion and attached to the main body portion. The ink ribbon is sent to the print head,
Further, a head advance / retreat mechanism for advancing and retreating the print head toward the bandage is provided in the cover portion, and the head advance / retreat mechanism is located inside the cover portion and operates directly on the print head, and the cover portion An ink ribbon feeding mechanism for printing a medicine bandage, comprising: an operating portion located outside the operating portion and connected to the operating portion .   A head advance / retreat detection member for detecting the advance / retreat state of the print head is provided in the main body, and when the head advance / retreat detection member detects the advance of the print head, the ribbon take-up mechanism takes up a winding operation. The ink ribbon feed mechanism for printing a medicine bandage according to claim 1, wherein:   A ribbon presence / absence detecting member for detecting the presence / absence of the ink ribbon in a state where the ink ribbon is attached to the cover portion and attached to the main body portion is provided on the main body portion, and for loosening by the ribbon winding mechanism. 3. An ink ribbon feeding mechanism for printing a medicine bandage according to claim 2, wherein the winding operation is performed only when the ribbon presence / absence detecting member detects that a ribbon is present.

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