JP7325791B2 - Medication management device and its system - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a portable medication management device and system capable of easily and accurately grasping the medication status of medication stored in a package such as a PTP (press through pack) sheet.

2. Description of the Related Art Among drugs that patients need to take, especially drugs that need to be taken over a long period of time, there are many drugs that must be taken on a fixed date and time and in a fixed amount.
In such a case, the patient often records the medication status by taking a memo to prevent forgetting to take the medication or taking multiple medications.
However, for doctors and medical institutions, information on medication status is also important information for confirming drug efficacy. It can also hinder proper medical care.
Therefore, there is a great need for devices and systems that can accurately ascertain the patient's medication compliance status, and many inventions have been made so far.

For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a medicine container, a medicine container management device, a medicine container management system, and a medicine container management method, in which medicines are stored in one or more medicine storage units. An invention has been disclosed in which a patient's medication intake status can be grasped by packaging each dosage and recording opening and closing of the lid of the medicine storage part.
In Patent Document 1, one or more medicine storage units are provided, opening and closing of the lid of the medicine storage unit is detected to generate an open/close signal, and the date and time information at that time is used to treat the generation of the open/close signal as a drug-taking action. A technique is disclosed for managing the medication status by recognizing the time of the timing.

In addition, Patent Document 2 describes a storage case, a storage case design device, an article management system, a storage case design method, and an article management method, which describes how to accurately store articles stored in a storage case at a low cost. An invention is disclosed that can be implemented in
In Patent Document 2, a storage case is attached so as to cover a so-called smartphone, and a camera and a light source mounted on the smartphone are used to capture an image of the medicine storage space provided inside the storage case. There is disclosed a technique for processing, obtaining a difference between images based on the presence or absence of a drug, and analyzing the presence or absence of the drug from the difference.

In addition, US Pat. No. 5,300,001 discloses an invention entitled "Personalized Blister Pack" which can provide better assistance for appropriate drug therapy to a patient.
In this patent document 3, usage data such as the product itself, dosage, usage time, etc. regarding the drug of the patient can be individually stored for each patient, and a usage reminder signal is output to the patient and specified. Techniques have been disclosed to remind people to take their medicines or other formulations at designated times. In addition, although the specific technical content is not disclosed, there is a reference to providing a confirmation button for the patient to confirm the drug use according to the prescription, and instead of this confirmation button, in each of the drug storage compartments, It is stated that a sensor device may be provided to detect tearing of the corresponding foil section and thereby infer prescription drug use.

In Patent Document 4, under the name of "a device attached to a blister," the sound of taking out a dose of medicine provided in a blister is recorded, and the sound of taking out the medicine is used to determine whether or not the medicine is administered and whether the correct medicine is administered. An invention relating to a device capable of ascertaining the presence or absence of is disclosed.
In this patent document 4, a first sensor configured to record the sound of administration of a dose of medicine, a recording device for recording the time and date of administration of the dose of medicine, the time related to the administration of the dose of medicine, An invention is disclosed having a memory for storing data such as dates. The blister is designed to emit a characteristic sound when a dose of a tablet, capsule, or pill is administered. It is also possible to prepare the characteristic sound of the blister as authentication data and compare it with the recorded characteristic sound to judge the authenticity of the blister.

JP-A-2004-283248 JP 2014-117403 A Japanese translation of PCT publication No. 2009-540989 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-512944

However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, an open/close signal is generated by detecting the opening/closing of the lid of the medicine storage unit, and the generation of the open/close signal is determined by using the date and time information at that time. However, what is detected is the phenomenon of opening and closing of the lid, and there is a problem that this is not equivalent to the presence or absence of medicine.
In other words, if the drug is always taken out by opening and closing the lid, the presence or absence of the drug and the opening and closing of the lid are the same, but opening and closing the lid does not necessarily take out the medicine. There was a problem that the accuracy of the determination of whether or not was not necessarily high.
Further, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 requires a processor and software related to image processing, and has the problem of being expensive and complicated. In addition, since it is necessary to secure the light path for each storage space using the camera and light source of the smartphone, it is often not possible to cope with an increase in the number of storage spaces. There was also the issue of being influenced by the size, placement and performance of the smartphone.
In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 3, usage data such as the product itself, dose, usage time, etc. related to the patient's drug is individually stored for each patient, and a usage reminder signal is output to the patient. Since it is intended to encourage the patient to take the medicine and to assist the patient to act on their own initiative, there was the problem that the results could not be detected when the patient actually did not take the medicine.
Furthermore, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 4, in Patent Document 4, the blister is designed to emit a characteristic sound when administering from the blister, and the sound is made of the material of the blister cavity, It is said that it is determined by the material that can wrap the blister and the material of the foil that is torn, but the sound changes depending on the patient's strength when taking it, the speed and location of breaking the blister and taking out the medicine. Therefore, there was a possibility that there was a problem in ensuring the accuracy.
In addition, there is a problem that a processor and software are required for authenticating which drug has been taken out by this characteristic sound, which is expensive and complicated.

The present invention has been made in response to such conventional circumstances, and it is possible to easily and accurately grasp the taking status of a drug stored in a package such as a PTP sheet. It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable medication management device and its system capable of grasping the distribution as to whether or not the medication at the location is being taken.

In order to achieve the above object, the first aspect of the medication administration management device is a perforated plate having a plurality of holes that fit into a plurality of blister portions of a PTP sheet having convex blister portions for accommodating drugs. , a substrate that forms a bottom surface in close contact with the perforated plate, and an optical sensor having a light emitting unit that is installed in the plurality of holes on the substrate and transmits an optical signal and a light receiving unit that receives the optical signal, The light-emitting part and the light-receiving part are arranged so that the optical signal is blocked or attenuated when the drug exists between them, and further, the optical signal transmitted and received by the optical sensor is blocked or attenuated. A determination unit that determines whether the drug is "present" or "absent" based on the presence or absence of the drug, a timer that generates time information, and a first storage unit. It is characterized by storing the time information generated when the drug is judged to be "absent" and the judgment result.
In the medication management device having the above configuration, the perforated plate fits the plurality of blister portions of the PTP sheet having the blister portions into the plurality of holes, so positioning of each blister portion, that is, positioning of the medicine in the blister portion. acts like
The optical sensor is arranged so as to sandwich the drug present in the positioned blister with the light emitting part and the light receiving part, and the light signal transmitted from the light emitting part is blocked or attenuated by the drug and is not received by the light receiving part, or It acts to generate a situation in which an optical signal with a reduced amount of light is received and a situation in which it is received by the light-receiving part without being blocked. In order to improve the accuracy of transmission and reception of optical signals by the optical sensor, the presence of holes in the perforated plate that fit into the plurality of blister parts, and the accuracy of their arrangement and dimensions are important.
Furthermore, since the substrate has the function of fixing and arranging the photosensor consisting of the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion, the accuracy of the arrangement dimensions is also important.
The judging unit acts to judge "presence" or "absence" of the drug based on whether or not the optical signal transmitted and received by the optical sensor is blocked or attenuated.
The timer generates time information and acts to provide time information at the time of determination of "presence" and "absence" of the drug determined by the determination unit, and the first storage unit is determined by the determination unit. and the time information generated by the timing section at the time of the determination. The time information also includes information about the date.
Note that the storage in the first storage unit is executed by the determination unit when at least the determination unit determines that there is no medicine. If the judgment result is "absence", the information that the existing medicine was taken has been obtained. It is information that the medicine is present but not taken, and it is not essential for medication management where you want to confirm that the medicine has been taken. It's for.
Therefore, even when the determination unit determines that the drug is “presence”, the first storage unit may store the determination result and the time information generated by the clock unit at the time of the determination. .
In addition, what is described as "part" in the claims and specification of the present application intends parts and devices.

A second aspect of the invention is a medication management device according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein at least one of the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part is installed on the inner surface of the hole instead of on the substrate. It is.
In the medication management device having the above configuration, the light emitting part and the light receiving part constituting the optical sensor are arranged on the substrate, but in the second invention, instead of the substrate, they are installed on the inner surface of the hole. . With such a photosensor, the perforated plate acts to locate the photosensor in addition to locating its holes. Therefore, there is no need to consider the displacement between the substrate and the perforated plate.

A third aspect of the invention is a medication management device according to the first aspect or the second aspect, wherein the perforated plate, the substrate, the optical sensor, and the determination unit are housed in a case having an openable/closable cover. The case includes an open/close sensor that detects when the cover is closed, and the determining unit determines whether the medicine is present or absent at the timing when the open/close sensor detects when the cover is closed. It is characterized by
In the medication management device having the above configuration, in addition to the effects of the first and second inventions, the open/close sensor detects when the cover is closed, so it acts to supply the determination timing of the determination unit.

Further, a fourth invention is a medication management device according to any one of the first invention to the third invention, wherein the perforated plate has an orientation position confirmation structure capable of detecting the orientation of the PTP sheet. It is characterized by
In the medication management device having the above configuration, in addition to the effects of the first to third inventions, the perforated plate has an orientation position confirmation structure and acts to detect the orientation of the stored PTP sheet. If the orientation of the PTP sheet is not constant, information about which position the medicine is being taken cannot be determined, so this orientation position confirmation structure ensures the accuracy of taking medicine.

A fifth aspect of the invention is a medication management device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the surface of the cover that contacts the PTP sheet is made of a material that reflects the optical signal. It is characterized by comprising:
In the medication management device configured as described above, in addition to the effects of the first to fourth inventions, since the surface of the cover on the side in contact with the PTP sheet is made of a material that reflects optical signals, It has the effect of reflecting the reflected optical signal. After the medicine is taken, the blister part becomes empty, so there is nothing to block or attenuate the light signal originally transmitted from the light emitting part until it is received by the light receiving part, but the blister part of the PTP sheet is sealed. There is also a possibility that the aluminum foil stuck on the drug may enter the blister part side when the drug is taken out.
In that case, the optical signal may be blocked by the aluminum foil. Since the back surface of the cover is made of a material that reflects the optical signal, the optical signal is reflected more efficiently, and even if the optical signal is blocked or attenuated by the aluminum foil, it will still be reflected at the light receiving part. It acts so that more optical signals are received.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medication management apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the invention, comprising a first display unit and displaying the time information stored in the first storage unit. It is characterized by displaying the judgment result.
In the medication management device having the above configuration, in addition to the effects of the first to fifth inventions, the first display unit displays the result of the determination performed by the determination unit and the time generated by the timer unit at the time of the determination. It has the effect of displaying information.

A medication management system according to a seventh aspect of the present invention comprises a first communication unit that transmits time information generated when at least the drug is determined to be "absent" by the determination unit and a determination result to a separate terminal. A medication management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a second communication unit that receives information transmitted from the first communication unit, and a second communication unit that displays the time information and the determination result. and a terminal having a display unit.
In the medication management system configured as described above, the first communication unit provided in the medication management system has the function of transmitting the judgment result and the time information generated by the timing unit at the time of judgment to the separate terminal. The second communication section acts to receive information such as time information and determination results from the first communication section, and the second display section acts to display the time information and determination results. The terminal is separate from the medication management device, and corresponds to, for example, a personal digital assistant (PDA) such as a smart phone or tablet owned by a patient using the medication management device. A terminal owned by an administrator other than the patient may be used. By receiving information from, for example, a plurality of medication management devices, such a terminal also acts to collectively manage them.

A medication management system according to an eighth aspect of the present invention comprises a perforated plate having a plurality of holes that fit into the plurality of blister portions of a PTP sheet having a convex blister portion for accommodating a drug, and a substrate forming a bottom surface; and an optical sensor having a light-emitting portion installed in the plurality of holes on the substrate and transmitting an optical signal and a light-receiving portion receiving the light-signal, wherein the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion , the optical signal is blocked or attenuated when the drug is present between them, and further, the optical signal transmitted and received by the optical sensor is blocked or attenuated depending on whether or not the drug is present. or "absent"; a timing part for generating time information; a first communication unit that transmits to a terminal; a second communication unit that receives information transmitted from the first communication unit; the time information received by the second communication unit; The terminal is characterized by comprising a second storage section for storing determination results, and a second display section for displaying the time information and the determination results.
The medication administration system configured as described above minimizes the functions of the medication administration device. Specifically, without providing the first storage unit and the first display unit provided in the medication management device in the seventh invention, the first communication unit separates the determination result of the determination unit and the time information at that time. It acts to transmit to the second communication part of the terminal.
The determination result and time information received by the second communication unit of the separate terminal act to be stored in the second storage unit and displayed on the second display unit.
In the eighth invention, the medication management device is specialized only for obtaining information, and operates so that all determination results and time information thereof are confirmed at the separate terminal.

According to the medication management device of the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily and accurately comprehend the administration of the medication, and also to accurately comprehend the time.
Specifically, the presence or absence of the drug is determined in a state in which the PTP sheet is fitted into a perforated plate having holes corresponding to the respective blister portions of the PTP sheet. It is possible to obtain information about Furthermore, since the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part of the optical sensor are arranged so as to block or attenuate the optical path between the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part with the drug interposed therebetween, it is easy to determine the presence or absence of the drug, and its accuracy is high. can be increased. Then, it is possible to simultaneously determine the presence of the drug in each blister portion, that is, to grasp the distribution of the remaining drug.

In addition to the effect of the first aspect, the medication management device of the second aspect of the present invention has the optical sensor provided on the inner surface of the hole of the perforated plate. There is no need to take this into consideration, and highly accurate determination is possible as long as the blister portion of the PTP sheet fits into the hole of the perforated plate.

In the medication management device, which is the third invention of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first invention or the second invention, the opening/closing sensor determines the timing of determination of "presence" or "absence" of the drug by the determination unit. Is possible. By providing an open/close sensor, it is possible to determine the timing of taking the drug at the moment when the cover is closed after taking the drug, which is the most straightforward confirmation of the drug intake. Energy saving effect can be expected because it is enough.

In the medicine administration management device, which is the fourth invention of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the third invention, the PTP sheet can be oriented in a fixed and correct direction and fitted to the perforated plate, so that the blister part at any position can be fitted. It is possible to always make a correct determination as to whether or not the drug contained in the device has been taken.

According to the medication management device of the fifth invention, in addition to the effects of the third invention or the fourth invention, the optical signal from the light emitting part leaking from the hole of the blister part after the medicine is taken out is detected. The light can be easily received by the light-receiving part by being reflected.
When the drug is taken out, the aluminum foil pasted to seal the blister part of the PTP sheet may enter the blister part side, and in that case, the aluminum foil may block the optical signal. Therefore, it is particularly important to reflect the optical signal leaking from the hole and guide it to the inside of the blister portion. Even in such a case, it has the effect of reflecting the optical signal and promoting the light reception by the light receiving section.

In the medication administration management device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the fifth aspect, the result of the determination performed by the determination unit such as the patient taking medication and the result generated by the timing unit at the time of the determination It is possible to visually grasp the time information.

A medication management system, which is the seventh invention of the present invention, is a separate terminal such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) such as a smart phone or a tablet terminal owned by a patient who uses the medication management device. You can check the information. Therefore, since it is possible to select whether or not the user of the medication administration device and the person who confirms the judgment result and the time information are the same, administrators other than the patient can use the device. Further, for example, by receiving information from a plurality of medication management devices at a separate terminal, it is possible to collectively manage a plurality of medication management devices.

The medication management system, which is the eighth invention of the present invention, can exhibit the same effects as the seventh invention. All of the information is stored in the second storage section of the separate terminal and displayed on the second display section for confirmation, so the medication administration device can be simplified and made smaller.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a conceptual diagram showing a structure of the medication management apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a PTP type drug sheet attached to a medication management device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing configurations of a perforated plate, a substrate, and a power supply, which are internal structures of the medication management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a drug sheet is fitted to the perforated plate of the medication management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a drug sheet is fitted to a perforated plate accommodated in a fixed case in the medication management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the movable cover of the fixed case of the medication management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is closed; FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the blister of the drug sheet is fitted into the hole of the perforated plate of the medication management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and the movable cover of the fixed case is closed. 1 is a block diagram of a medication management device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a block diagram of a medication management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of a medication management system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. It is a conceptual diagram showing

A medication management device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a medication administration device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a medicine sheet, and FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a perforated plate, a substrate, and a power supply, which are internal structures of the medication management device.
The medication management device 1 has an internal structure 15 composed of a perforated plate 4 and a power supply 17, which are fixed in close contact on a substrate 16 as shown in FIG. is housed in a fixed case 2. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the substrate 16 is provided with an optical sensor having a light-emitting portion and a light-receiving portion, which will be described later. As a microprocessor, a first storage unit is mounted as a memory, and these are connected to circuits formed on the substrate 16 .
The fixed case 2 has a movable cover 3 and is pivotally supported by a base shaft 14 provided on the upper portion of the fixed case 2 so as to be openable and closable. In addition, the movable cover 3 is provided with a magnet 13 , and together with the magnetic sensor 5 provided on the perforated plate 4 , it is possible to detect the open/closed state of the movable cover 3 . In other words, the medication management device 1 according to the first embodiment employs a combination of the magnet 13 and the magnetic sensor 5 as the open/close sensor.

Further, the inner surface of the movable cover 3 functions as a medicine sheet pressing surface 12, and the medicine sheet pressing surface 12 is composed of a member capable of reflecting an optical signal emitted from a light emitter of an optical sensor (not shown). ing.
The power supply 17 supplies electric power necessary for operation to the optical sensor, the determination section, the timer section, the first storage section, and the magnetic sensor 5 .
The perforated plate 4 is formed with holes 6 into which a plurality of blisters 10 formed in a convex shape on a PTP type drug sheet 8 can be fitted. The perforated plate 4 is provided with drug sheet gripping portions 7 in a concave shape at both ends in the longitudinal direction so that the drug sheet 8 fitted therein can be easily put on with a finger. Since the drug sheet 8 can be taken out by putting a finger on the drug sheet handle portion 7, if the drug sheet 8 is concave, even if it is an arc as shown in FIG. It may be a notch, and its shape is not particularly limited.
As can be seen in FIG. 3, the arrangement structure of the holes 6 drilled in the perforated plate 4 is located on the right side of the drawing when viewed from the front. This is because the drug sheet 8 generally has an edge on which the name of the drug is written and on which the blister 10 is not formed, and the edge is placed on the perforated plate 4 on the left side in the front view in the figure. This is because By making the perforated plate 4 asymmetrical with respect to the longitudinal direction of the drug sheet 8 in this way, it is possible to confirm the orientation position of the drug sheet 8 . With such a configuration, after the patient has taken the medicine, the medicine sheet 8 can be accommodated again in the fixed case 2 in a fixed direction at all times, and the arrangement and distribution of the medicine can be fixed. Therefore, it is possible to correctly determine whether or not the patient is taking medicine, and to improve the accuracy.
Furthermore, the magnetic sensor 5 is embedded in the side surface of the perforated plate 4 as described above. The magnetic sensor 5 can detect the magnetic force of the magnet 13 of the movable cover 3, and the open/close state of the movable cover 3 can be detected based on the presence or absence of this detection.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drug sheet 8 has a blister 10 in which a drug 9 is individually contained, and an aluminum foil 11 is pasted on the back side to enclose the drug 9 therein. The holes 6 of the perforated plate 4 are aligned with the positions of the blisters 10 .
In addition, the PTP type drug sheet 8 having the blister 10 has the effect of preventing the sealed drug 9 from being degraded by moisture absorption and ultraviolet rays due to contact with the atmosphere, and also has the effect of preventing the drug 9 from being damaged. It demonstrates.
In the medication management device 1 according to the present embodiment, the asymmetrical structure of the perforated plate 4 is adopted as the structure for confirming the direction and position of the drug sheet 8. Alternatively, a marker may be attached to each of the drug sheet 8 and the perforated plate 4 so that the positions to match them can be determined. It may be made identifiable and may be used as an orientation position confirmation structure.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a drug sheet is fitted to the perforated plate of the medication management device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the movable cover of the fixed case is closed.
The drug sheet 8 is placed over the perforated plate 4 with the blister 10 downward as shown in FIG. Therefore, the aluminum foil 11 of the drug sheet 8 is visible on the upper surface.
As shown in FIG. 5, the internal structure 15 is housed in the fixed case 2 as it is, and the drug sheet pressing surface 12 on the inner side surface of the movable cover 3 is pressed against the aluminum foil of the drug sheet 8 by closing the movable cover 3 . 11 is configured to abut.
In the medication management device 1 according to the present embodiment, the presence or absence of the drug 9 is determined in a state where the drug sheet 8 is in close contact with the perforated plate 4 and the drug 9 is completely accommodated in the hole 6 of the perforated plate 4. This is very important. This is because the presence or absence of the chemical agent 9 is determined by the presence or absence of blockage of the optical signal, so it is necessary to suppress the leakage of the optical signal from each hole 6 . Therefore, it is important that the fixed case 2 and the movable cover 3 have high dimensional accuracy and high rigidity so that the drug sheet 8 is in close contact with the perforated plate 4 when closed.
The magnetic sensor 5 detects the open state in the state shown in FIG. 5, and detects the closed state when the movable cover 3 is closed as shown in FIG. The magnet 13 provided on the movable cover 3 and the magnetic sensor 5 provided on the perforated plate 4 are, of course, provided at matching positions.
In this embodiment, a magnetic sensor is used as an open/close sensor for detecting the open/closed state of the movable cover 3, but a sensor based on other methods such as electrical contact may be used.

Next, a mechanism for detecting the presence or absence of medicine 9 enclosed in blister 10 by the optical sensor of the medication management device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the blister of the drug sheet is fitted into the hole of the perforated plate of the medication management device and the movable cover of the fixed case is closed. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the medication management device. .
In FIG. 7, an optical sensor of the medication management device 1 is composed of a light emitter 21 and a light receiver 22 installed on the substrate 16 . The light emitter 21 and the light receiver 22 are arranged in holes 6 formed in the perforated plate 4, respectively. A drug 9 is sealed inside. Therefore, it is possible to set the drug 9 in the blister 10 and the light emitter 21 and the light receiver 22 at exactly the same positions by means of the plurality of holes 6 drilled in the perforated plate 4 . Further, by providing the holes 6, it is possible to prevent leakage of optical signals from the light emitters 21 between the adjacent holes 6. FIG. Furthermore, since the light emitter 21 and the light receiver 22 are arranged in each of the holes 6, information regarding the arrangement of the blister 10 and the distribution of the drug 9 can also be obtained.
The movable cover 3 is closed, and the aluminum foil 11 of the drug sheet 8 is in contact with the drug sheet pressing surface 12 forming the inner surface of the movable cover 3 .

On the other hand, in the medication management device 1 of FIG. 8, the components necessary for medication management for determining the presence or absence of the medication 9 enclosed in the blister 10 of the medication sheet 8 are shown as a block diagram. Specifically, the optical sensor 23 composed of the light emitter 21 and the light receiver 22 shown in FIG. A control unit 24, a first storage unit 27 that stores the determination result regarding the presence or absence of the drug 9 by the determination unit 26 and the time information generated by the clock unit 25 at the time of determination, and further displays the determination result and the time information at the time of determination. A medication management device 1 with a first display 28 is shown.
Further, the first control unit 24 may be provided with functions related to medication instructions and warnings according to the medicine 9 in advance. Information related to the drug 9 such as the number, frequency, and timing (medication time) of the drug to be taken by the patient is stored in the first storage section 27, and the information from the first storage section 27 and the time information from the timer section 25 are stored. , the first control unit 24 displays a medication instruction on the first display unit 28, or when the determination result by the determination unit 26 indicates that the timing of taking the medication is missed. can cause an alert to be displayed. The first control unit 24 is an information processing device such as a microcomputer in which a program can be written, and the program is written according to the type of medicine 9 . In that case, it is conceivable to provide a separate input unit (not shown) for inputting a program from the outside. In the first storage unit 27 as well, the information on the medicine 9 may be stored in advance, or may be stored using the input unit.
These components are operated by a power supply 17 not shown in this figure.

With the drug 9 present in the blister 10 as shown in FIG. 7, the light signal emitted from the light emitter 21 is blocked by the drug 9 and is either not received at the light receiver 22 or received as a weak light signal. Therefore, the determination unit 26 in FIG. 8 determines that the drug 9 is "presence".
When the drug 9 is taken by the patient, the drug 9 leaves the blister 10 so that the transparent blister 10 is empty and the light signal emitted by the light emitter 21 is received by the light receiver 22. , the determination unit 26 determines that the drug 9 is "absent". As the light receiver 22, for example, a phototransistor or the like that generates a current that changes depending on the intensity of the received light is used, and the determination unit 26 can determine the presence or absence of the drug by measuring the current.
The determination result is stored in the first storage unit 27 by the determination unit 26 . At that time, the determination unit 26 receives the time information generated by the clock unit 25 at the time of determination, and stores the time information in the first storage unit 27 together with the determination result. As already described, since it is determined that the patient has taken the drug, the determining unit 26 may store the determination result in the first storage unit 27 only when it is determined to be "absence". .
Furthermore, in FIGS. 1 to 6, the first display unit 28 was not shown in the medication management apparatus 1, but by providing the first display unit 28, the determination result by the determination unit 26 and its time information are displayed. Then, a user of the medication management device 1 such as a patient can confirm whether or not the medication is taken. Examples of the first display unit 28 include a display screen such as a liquid crystal screen and an organic EL screen.

When the drug 9 is removed from the blister 10 by the patient, the aluminum foil 11 is torn, and the broken pieces of the aluminum foil 11 generally spread in the direction in which the drug 9 exits the blister 10. I don't think you can go inside.
However, for example, when the movable cover 3 is closed, it may be pushed back by the medicine sheet pressing surface 12 or by the patient himself/herself. In that case, the light signal may be reflected by the aluminum foil 11 even without the chemical agent 9, and the light amount of the light signal reaching the light receiver 22 may be reduced. Therefore, in order to more efficiently reflect the optical signal leaking from the inside of the blister 10 to the outside, the back side and the inner surface of the movable cover 3 are made of a material that reflects the optical signal, preferably a material with high reflection efficiency. A pressing surface 12 is provided. The medicine sheet pressing surface 12 reflects the optical signal into the blister 10 to increase the amount of light reaching the light receiver 22 .
Further, in the determination unit 26, a settable threshold value is provided for the amount of light of the optical signal that reaches the light receiver 22, and the degree of blocking or attenuation of the optical signal by the chemical 9 is grasped. Accuracy can be improved by changing the threshold value after grasping the state of Instead of the determination section 26, the sensitivity of the light receiver 22 may be adjusted.

As shown in FIG. 7, a pair of photosensors comprising a light emitter 21 and a light receiver 22 are provided for each hole 6 of the perforated plate 4 . Therefore, each of the light emitter 21 and the light receiver 22 has an identification code, and the determination unit 26 can identify the light receiver 22, and stores the determination result in the first storage unit 27 by linking the identification code. . Therefore, it is possible to grasp the distribution of which drug 9 has been taken and which drug 9 remains.
In the medication management device 1 according to this embodiment, the light emitter 21 and the light receiver 22 are respectively installed on the upper surface of the substrate 16 , but they may be installed on the inner surface of the hole 6 of the perforated plate 4 . In that case, it may be provided so as to be in contact with the inner surface, or may be provided so as to be partially or wholly buried in the perforated plate 4 . By providing them on the hole 6 side of the perforated plate 4 in this way, it is necessary to take into account the decrease in the placement accuracy of the light emitter 21 and the light receiver 22 with respect to the position of the blister 10 of the drug sheet 8 due to the misalignment between the substrate 16 and the perforated plate 4 . Therefore, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the presence or absence of the medicine 9 by the optical sensor.
In that case, the perforated plate 4 may also function as the substrate 16 . That is, the determination section, the timer section, and the first storage section are mounted in the perforated plate 4 , and a circuit connecting them is also formed on the lower surface of the perforated plate 4 or inside the perforated plate 4 .
In FIG. 7, the gaps between the drug sheet holding surface 12 and the aluminum foil 11 and between the drug sheet 8 and the perforated plate 4 are provided for convenience in the construction of the drawing, and are not the actual drug administration device. 1, as already described, they are configured to abut and adhere to each other.

Next, the function of the magnetic sensor 5 according to the first embodiment will be explained. Magnetic sensor 5 is a sensor that detects the magnetic force of magnet 13 shown in FIGS.
Therefore, when the movable cover 3 of the medication management device 1 is once opened from the closed state and then closed again, the magnetic sensor 5 detects the magnetic force of the magnet 13 and determines the timing to determine whether or not the patient has taken the medication. can be extracted. Therefore, the magnetic sensor 5 generates an actuation signal, which is transmitted to the optical sensor 23, the clock unit 25, the determination unit 26, and the first storage unit 27 via the first control unit 24 to operate. The sensor 5 can provide the timing of determination, and at the same time, can prompt the power supply 17 to supply power only at that timing to reduce its load.
The timing of the first display unit 28 may be synchronized with the timing of the magnetic sensor 5, but a separate switch may be provided so that the patient can check the medication status at any time. In addition, in the medication management device 1, the magnetic sensor 5 and the magnet 13 are used as the opening/closing sensors. It may function as an opening/closing sensor by detecting the conduction and interruption of the .

Next, a medication management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a medication management system according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 9, the medication management system 40 includes a portable terminal 31 separate from the medication management device 1 according to the first embodiment. With the addition of the unit 29 , it is configured to be connectable to the portable terminal 31 via the first communication unit 29 and the communication network 30 .
In the separate mobile terminal 31, a second communication unit 33 for communicating with the medication management apparatus 1 via the communication network 30, determination results, time information, or input to the mobile terminal 31 and the medication management apparatus 1 A second display unit 32 for displaying necessary items and information such as medication instructions and warnings, which will be described later, and a second control unit 34 for controlling communication, display, or input/output in the mobile terminal 31 are provided. .
In the medication management system 40, the medication management apparatus 1 is provided with the first communication unit 29, so that the determination result regarding the presence or absence of the medicine 9 by the determination unit 26 and the time information generated by the clock unit 25 at the time of determination are transmitted to the first control unit. 24 can be transmitted to the second communication unit 33 of the mobile terminal 31 via the first communication unit 29 and the communication network 30 . Therefore, it is possible to display the determination result and the time information on the second display section 32 by the second control section 34 of the portable terminal 31 and check them.
In other words, if the portable terminal 31 is separately carried by the patient using the medication management apparatus 1, as well as by the patient's family and medical personnel, it is possible to remotely confirm whether or not medication is being taken. In addition, when medical personnel, medical institutions, research institutions, etc., remotely confirm whether or not medication is being taken, information may be received from a plurality of patients. It is preferable to associate the identification code with the determination result and time information. The patient can be identified by the identification code of the medication management device 1 . The identification code is stored in the first storage unit 27 or the first control unit 24, is transmitted to the timer unit 25 and the determination unit 26, respectively, and is associated with the determination result and/or the time information. do it. The transmission timing is set by the first control unit 24, but can be the timing determined by the determination unit 26, or the timing when the determination result is "no".
Furthermore, information on the medicine 9 (drug name, number of medicines taken, frequency of taking medicine, timing of taking medicine (time of taking medicine)), and a medicine sheet are sent from the mobile terminal 31 via the second communication unit 33, the communication network 30, and the first communication unit 29. The first control unit 24 may be capable of inputting the information regarding the arrangement of the blisters 10 of No. 8 to the first storage unit 27 in a readable manner.
Then, when the determination result is generated by the determination unit 26, the information is linked to the determination result and stored in the first storage unit 27, or the linked information is included in the first display unit 28 or the first storage unit 27. By displaying on the second display unit 32, it is possible to more easily and accurately grasp the patient's drug taking status, including which drug 9 in the blister 10 was taken and when, and the distribution of the remaining drug 9. be.
The functions of the medication management apparatus 1 have already been described with reference to FIG. In addition, it is possible to display on the second display unit 32 via the first communication unit 29, the communication network 30, the second communication unit 33 and the second control unit 34, and the patient who has the portable terminal 31 Other family members and medical personnel may also be notified.

As the portable terminal 31, a personal digital assistant (PDA) such as a smart phone or a tablet terminal, or a small dedicated terminal can be considered. The mobile terminal 31 in this embodiment is not provided with a storage unit, and the determination result and time information are stored directly from the timer unit 25 and the determination unit 26 of the medication management device 1 or temporarily stored in the first storage unit 27. A thing is received by the 2nd communication part 33. FIG. When using a portable information terminal, the information processing device of the terminal can be used as the second control unit 34 as it is.
In addition, as the communication network 30, in addition to a wide area information communication network such as the Internet, there is a short distance communication network such as Bluetooth (registered trademark of Bluetooth SI G, Inc.). For example, a wide-area information communication network may be used, while a short-distance communication network may be considered for use by the patient himself/herself. Furthermore, the communication network 30 is a short-distance communication network, and after receiving the determination result and time information at the mobile terminal 31, the second communication unit 33 of the mobile terminal 31 and the wide area information communication network, for example, medical It is also conceivable to establish a system that connects to an institution's server and comprehends the medication-taking status of all patients in the medical institution.
Power is also supplied from the power supply 17 to the first communication unit 29 .

Finally, a medication management system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a medication management system according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 10, the medication administration system 40a comprises a medication administration device 1a and a separate portable terminal 31a. 28 is deleted and a first communication unit 29 is added, and is configured to be connectable to a portable terminal 31 a via the first communication unit 29 and the communication network 30 .
In this medication management system 40a, although the medication management device 1a is provided with the first communication unit 29, by deleting the first storage unit 27 and the first display unit 28, the medication management system 40a can obtain the minimum information. Determination results transmitted from the first control unit 24 via the first communication unit 29 and the communication network 30 and received by the second communication unit 33 of the separate portable terminal 31a while being configured to be specialized in functions and simplified and its time information is stored in the second storage section 35 by the second control section 34 . In addition, the information can be confirmed on the second display section 32 directly from the second communication section 33 by the second control section 34 or via the second storage section 35 .
Other technical contents of the medication management device 1a, other technical contents of the mobile terminal 31a, and technical contents of the communication network 30 are the same as those of the medication management system according to the second embodiment. Further, the second storage unit 35 stores information related to the medicine 9 , and the second display unit 32 displays information including linked information.

As described above, according to the inventions described in claims 1 to 8 of the present invention, the patient himself/herself or his/her family or medical personnel can check the medication status of the patient who needs medication management in real time. Therefore, in addition to managing patient medication, it can also be used for medical examinations at a wide range of medical institutions, from private hospitals to core regional hospitals. It can also be used in research.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1a... Medication management apparatus 2... Fixed case 3... Movable cover 4... Perforated plate 5... Magnetic sensor 6... Hole 7... Medicine sheet handle part 8... Medicine sheet 9... Medicine 10... Blister 11... Aluminum foil 12... Medicine sheet holding surface 13 Magnet 14 Base shaft 15 Internal structure 16 Substrate 17 Power supply 21 Light emitter 22 Light receiver 23 Optical sensor 24 First control unit 25 Clock unit 26 Judgment unit 27 Third 1 storage unit 28 first display unit 29 first communication unit 30 communication network 31, 31a portable terminal 32 second display unit 33 second communication unit 34 second control unit 35 second storage unit 40 , 40a... Medication management system

Claims (2)

a fixed case containing a PTP (pressthroughpack) sheet having a convex blister portion containing a drug;
a substrate forming the bottom surface of the fixed case ;
a light emitting unit installed on the substrate;
a light-receiving unit installed at a position different from the light-emitting unit on the substrate and configured to receive light emitted from the light-emitting unit;
an openable cover,
with
the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion are spaced apart such that the light is blocked or attenuated when the agent is present between them;
The medication administration device, wherein the surface of the cover that contacts the PTP sheet is made of a reflective material for reflecting the light from the light emitting section toward the light receiving section. A medication administration system comprising a medication administration device and a terminal,
The medication management device
a fixed case containing a PTP (pressthroughpack) sheet having a convex blister portion containing a drug;
a substrate forming the bottom surface of the fixed case ;
a light emitting unit installed on the substrate;
a light-receiving unit installed at a position different from the light-emitting unit on the substrate and configured to receive light emitted from the light-emitting unit;
an openable cover,
with
the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion are spaced apart such that the light is blocked or attenuated when the agent is present between them;
The surface of the cover on the side contacting the PTP sheet is made of a reflective material for reflecting the light from the light emitting unit toward the light receiving unit,
The terminal is
A communication unit that receives information transmitted from the medication management device, a storage unit that stores the information received by the communication unit, and a display unit that displays the result of determining whether the medicine is “presence” or “absence”. and a medication administration system.

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