JP2007330411A - Tablet container packing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tablet container packing machine free to be mounted compact even in following a fundamental structure of a tablet wrapping machine and expected to certainly work. <P>SOLUTION: This tablet container packing machine 50 stores dropping tablets in a small container 3 by moving the small container 3 within a horizontal surface as well as dropping the tablets 1 discharged from a large number of tablet feeders 13 by guiding them by conductors 14. The conductor 14 is provided on each of the tablet feeders 13, a spread-out-downward reservoir pipe 51 is arranged on each of the conductors 14 immediately under lower ends of the conductors 14, and an opening and closing member 52 is attached on a lower end of each of the reservoir pipes 51. Additionally, the conductor 14 is a vertical and straight pipe, and the upper and lower tablet feeders 13 are arranged by slipping in the horizontal direction due to relief of the conductors 14. Furthermore, content volume of the reservoir pipe 51 is larger than that of the small container 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a tablet container filling machine that holds various tablets and discharges a required number of tablets into a small container.
As the tablet, a spherical shape or a flattened ball is typical, but if it can be held together in a container such as a cassette and can be dropped and discharged one by one, a disk-shaped tablet or a cylindrical tablet Also applicable are capsules.
As the small container, a plastic bottle or a glass small bottle is typical, but it is applicable if it is a container in which a tablet can be put in from the upper surface and can be individually conveyed. The reason why the container is small is that it is assumed that a bottle or the like smaller than a container such as a tablet cassette is used.

  In automatic dispensing devices such as tablet packing machines and injection dispensing devices, various types of tablets are classified and stored in tablet cassettes such as tablet feeders, and only the desired number of tablets are stored according to prescriptions and dispensing instructions based thereon. It can be taken out (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In many models, the tablet cassette is detachable so that the tablet can be easily replenished. FIG. 3 shows the mechanical structure of such a tablet packaging machine 10 and a number of tablet feeders 13 incorporated therein, (a) is an external perspective view of the tablet packaging machine 10, and (b) is a tablet packaging machine. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of FIG. 10, (c) is a left side view of the tablet feeder 13, (d) is a front view, (e) is a longitudinal left side view, and (f) is a control block for the operating portion of the tablet feeder 13. FIG.

  This tablet packaging machine 10 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) collects a large number of tablet feeders 13 containing various types of tablets 1 and the tablets 1 discharged from these tablet feeders 13. Tablet collecting mechanisms 14 and 15, a packaging device 17 for packaging tablets 1 received from the tablet collecting mechanisms 14 and 15, and a controller 18 including a microprocessor system (tablet packaging machine main controller, main control of the packaging machine body) Device). Then, under the control of the controller 18, the required number of tablets 1 are discharged from the corresponding tablet feeder 13 in accordance with prescription data, derived dispensing instruction data, etc., and collected by the tablet collecting mechanisms 14 and 15, and the lower tablets. The product is fed into the input unit 16 and further packaged by the packaging device 17. The sachets are packaged by the wrapping band 2 (packaging paper) while being divided into dosage units and application units.

  More specifically, in the case of the tablet packaging machine 10, a medicine cabinet 11 (medical shelf, tablet storage unit) is provided at the upper side, and a packaging device 17 is provided at the lower side, Between these, a conduit 14 (duct, chute, guide path, upper tablet collecting path) and a collecting member 15 (hopper-like member, funnel-like member, lower tablet collecting path) as a tablet collecting mechanism communicate with each other. A plurality of tablet feeder storages 12 (tablet storages) that can be slid individually are arranged side by side in the storage 11, and each tablet feeder storage 12 has several to several tens of removable tablet feeders. 13 are stored side by side vertically and horizontally.

  Each tablet feeder 13 (see FIGS. 3C to 3E) includes a tablet cassette 20 that removably accommodates a large number of tablets 1, and a base that detachably supports the tablet cassette 20 and that discharges it. The tablet 30 is roughly divided into parts 30 and the tablets 1 are discharged by the designated number of tablets. Among them, the base unit 30 (see FIG. 3 (f)) incorporates a motor 31 as a drive source, a discharge sensor 32 as a drop detection means for a discharged tablet, an attachment / detachment sensor 33 as a cassette attachment / detachment detection means, and the like. Since these are connected to the shelf control circuit 35 by individual in-shelf wirings 34, they are fixedly attached to the shelf board of the tablet feeder storage 12 in a normal state. On the other hand, the tablet cassette 20 of the tablet feeder 13 is detachable for easy tablet replenishment work.

  In order to integrate and manage the automatic dispensing operation of the tablet packaging machine 10 as described above, it is arranged alongside or as close as possible to the tablet packaging machine 10 (see FIG. 3A), and the upper table 9 (dispensing control device). May be installed. Since the upper table 9 is one-to-one if the tablet packaging machine 10 is a single minimum system, it is often installed integrally with the tablet packaging machine 10, but there are a plurality of tablet packaging machines 10. In the case of a large-scale system, a single upper table 9 manages a plurality of and many tablet sachets 10, that is, a one-to-many or a few-to-many management system. Often done. Normally, prescription data in which the contents of the prescription are converted into electronic data and dispensing data derived from the prescription data are input via the upper desk 9.

  In such a conventional tablet packaging machine (see, for example, Patent Document 1), as described above, the tablet collection path is composed of the upper tablet collection path and the lower tablet collection path, and the lower tablet collection path is from the lower hopper 15. Thus, the upper tablet collecting path is composed of a vertical conduit 14 for dropping guidance, and the conduit 14 is shared by several tablet feeders 13. In addition, there are some which adopt a horizontal conveying device for the lower tablet collecting path and open and close the lower end of the upper tablet collecting path (see, for example, Patent Document 2), but the upper tablet collecting path is still some tablet feeders. It has come to be shared with. Further, in an apparatus for dispensing injection ampules instead of tablets (see, for example, Patent Document 3), a drop guide shooter is provided for each cassette, and a horizontal conveyance belt conveyor is provided at the lower end thereof. There is also a drive gear unit that drives to discharge chemicals from the cassette in an XY movement within a vertical plane (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

JP 2002-272812 A JP 2001-87353 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-28406 JP 2004-275550 A

By the way, the above-described tablet packaging machine mixes various types of tablets in small quantities in a dosage unit and wraps them in a wrapping band. More than that, for example, a week's worth of tablets are collected in a small container such as a bottle. There is also a request to provide it.
And in order to respond to this, it is based on the above-mentioned tablet packaging machine that has a proven record, and by extracting and combining convenient parts from the conventional automatic dispensing device, it is necessary to develop, produce, and further improve operational reliability. Is also advantageous.

  Specifically, a large number of tablet feeders 13 and upper tablet collection path conduits 14 are taken over from the tablet packaging machine in the upper part of the casing, and the required tablets 1 are dropped and discharged according to prescription data, dispensing instruction data, and the like. In addition, in the lower part of the casing, it is desired to store an empty container supply part, a container lid supply part, etc. in place of the packaging device. Instead, it is conceivable to use a horizontal plane moving mechanism that fits in a relatively low space. If the small container is moved XY in the horizontal plane in this way, in the case of a tablet container filling machine, a larger number of tablets 1 are discharged from the tablet packaging machine. If the discharged tablet is temporarily stored by opening and closing the lower end, it is possible to discharge the tablet and move the small container in parallel, so that there is no inconvenience in terms of efficiency and an improvement in space efficiency can be enjoyed.

However, in the case of a tablet container filling machine, the amount of stored tablet is often larger than that of a tablet packaging machine. For this reason, opening and closing the lower end of the conduit having a constant inner diameter or a lower recess as in the prior art cannot eliminate the possibility of an undesired situation in which a tablet is clogged into a conduit and does not fall when placed in a small container. .
Therefore, it is a technical problem to realize a tablet container filling machine that can be compactly mounted and can be expected to operate reliably while following the basic structure of the tablet packaging machine.

  The tablet container filling machine of the present invention (Solution means 1) was devised in order to solve such a problem. The tablets discharged from a number of tablet feeders are guided by conduits and dropped, and a small container. A tablet container filling machine for storing a falling tablet in each tablet feeder, wherein the conduit is provided for each of the tablet feeders, and a downwardly extending storage pipe is provided for each of the conduits immediately below the lower end of the conduit. Each of the storage pipes is provided with an opening / closing member that opens and closes the lower end thereof.

  Further, the tablet container filling machine of the present invention is (the solution means 2), the tablet container filling machine of the solution means 1, wherein the conduit is a vertical straight pipe, and the tablet feeder is located above and below. It is characterized by being displaced in the horizontal direction so as to escape the upper feeder of the conduits.

  Furthermore, the tablet container filling machine of the present invention is (the solution means 3), which is the tablet container filling machine of the above solution means 1 and 2, wherein the internal volume of the storage pipe is small for the reliable storage of a large number of tablets. It is larger than that of the container.

  In such a tablet container filling machine of the present invention (Solution 1), the tablet packaging machine method of guiding and dropping tablets discharged from a large number of tablet feeders by a conduit is followed and moved. Then, a method of discharging chemicals is applied, and a small container moves in a horizontal plane so that a falling tablet is accommodated in the small container. Therefore, as described above, it can be mounted in a compact manner, and a reliable operation can be expected for each member and mechanism.

Not only that, but a conduit is provided for each tablet feeder, and the lower end of the conduit is not opened and closed. By opening and closing the lower end, it is possible to store a large number of tablets even when the amount of stored tablets is larger than that of conventional devices, and to smoothly put tablets into a small container without clogging. it can. Therefore, the cooperation operation of each part related to the tablet collection path is also ensured.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a tablet container filling machine that can follow a basic structure of a tablet packaging machine and that can implement a tablet collecting mechanism and the like in a compact manner, and can expect reliable operations such as tablet discharge and tablet collection. Can do.

In the tablet container filling machine according to the present invention (solution means 2), since the storage pipes are individually arranged below the conduit, the conduit can serve if the tablets can be dropped one by one. And since a conduit | pipe is a vertical straight pipe, even if a conduit | pipe is quite thin, a conduit | pipe can drop a tablet one by one. Therefore, since the conduit can be made thin, even if the upper and lower tablet feeders are displaced in the horizontal direction so as to escape from the conduit, it is not necessary to greatly shift them, so the decrease in the number of mounted tablet feeders can be suppressed to a small level. Can be realized.
Therefore, according to the present invention, a tablet container filling machine that can be compactly mounted not only to the tablet collection mechanism but also to the tablet feeder while following the basic structure of the tablet packaging machine and that can be expected to perform reliable operations such as tablet discharge and tablet collection is realized. can do.

About the tablet container filling machine of such this invention, the specific form for implementing this is demonstrated by the following Examples 1-2.
The embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1 embodies the above-described solving means 1 to 3 (claims 1 to 3 as originally filed), and the embodiment 2 shown in FIG. 2 is a modification thereof. .
In the illustration, for the sake of simplicity, fasteners such as bolts, coupling tools such as hinges, transmission members such as timing belts, electric circuits such as motor drivers, detailed electronic circuits such as controllers, etc. The illustration is omitted, and what is necessary for the explanation of the invention and related ones are mainly shown. In addition, since the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the prior art in the illustration, the repeated description will be omitted, and the following description will focus on differences from the prior art.

  A specific configuration of Example 1 of the tablet container filling machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1A is a schematic longitudinal sectional view corresponding to the front view of the entire apparatus, FIG. 1B is a schematic vertical sectional view corresponding to the right side view of the entire apparatus, and FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional schematic diagram equivalent to the right side view which concerns.

In the tablet container filling machine 50, the upper part follows the medicine container of the tablet packaging machine 10, and the tablet feeder storages 12 that can be pulled forward are arranged in the left and right directions. A tablet feeder 13 is provided (see FIG. 1A).
The tablet feeder 13 may be the same as described above, and a plurality of tablet feeders are arranged in a line on the shelf in the front and rear rows (nine in FIG. 1B), and are provided in multiple stages above and below the number of shelves. (4 stages in FIG. 1A).

  However, unlike the tablet packaging machine 10, the arrangement state of the tablet feeder 13 and the conduit 14 is provided with a conduit 14 as an upper tablet collection path for each tablet feeder 13. Each of the conduits 14 is formed of a narrow straight pipe and extends vertically from the tablet discharge port of the tablet feeder 13 to the lower end of the tablet feeder storage 12. Further, in each tablet feeder storage 12, the tablet feeders 13 arranged in multiple stages are shifted in the horizontal direction at a pitch slightly wider than the width of the conduit 14 (in FIG. 1A, the lower one is closer to the left side). ), The conduit 14 descending from the upper tablet feeder 13 and the lower tablet feeder 13 do not interfere with each other.

  In the lower part of the housing of the tablet container filling machine 50, electrical components such as a main controller (not shown) for controlling tablet discharge based on prescription data, dispensing instruction data, and the like are installed. Instead, an empty container supply unit 56 that stocks a large number of empty small containers 3 and supplies them one by one for tablet insertion, and whether or not tablets are inserted into the small containers 3 by appropriate means such as weight measurement and image processing. An inspection unit 57 for confirming a label, a label issuing machine 58 for issuing a label to be attached to the small container 3, and a large number of lids (caps) suitable for the small container 3 are stocked. A container lid supply unit 59 that supplies the containers one by one is installed.

  Further, there is no hopper at the lower tablet collection path in the lower part of the casing of the tablet container filling machine 50. Instead, the moving body 55 is moved in the horizontal plane to move the body 55 in the horizontal plane by XY movement or two-dimensional movement. A mechanism 54 is provided. This is realized by a ball screw mechanism or the like like an XY table, and when receiving an empty small container 3, the moving body 55 is moved to the empty container supply section 56, and the tablet 1 is placed in the small container 3 on the moving body 55. The mobile body 55 is moved back and forth and right and left when the medicine is stored, and the mobile body 55 is moved to the inspection section 57 after the medicine is put into the small container 3.

  Furthermore, a storage pipe 51 is provided between the lower tablet collection path and the above-described upper tablet collection path to form an intermediate tablet collection path. The storage pipe 51 (see FIG. 1C) is formed of a tapered tubular body that extends downward, and is disposed immediately below the conduit 14 for each conduit 14. Even if the upper end inner diameter of the storage tube 51 is small, it is equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the conduit 14, and the lower end inner diameter of the storage tube 51 is larger than the upper end inner diameter. It is smaller than that. Each of the storage pipes 51 has an internal volume larger than the internal volume of the small container 3, an opening / closing member 52 such as a shutter is attached to the lower end, and a motor 53 for driving the opening / closing member 52 is provided on the lower side. Thus, the lower end surface of the storage pipe 51 is opened and closed according to control of a main controller (not shown).

The horizontal plane moving mechanism 54, the moving body 55, the empty container supply unit 56, the inspection unit 57, the label issuing machine 58, the container lid supply unit 59, the container lid mounting mechanism, etc. are also operated according to the control of the main controller. .
In addition, although illustration and detailed description are omitted, in addition to an outlet and a discharge mechanism for the small container 3 already filled with tablets, those corresponding to the dispensing operation panel 19 and the upper table 9 are appropriately provided.

  About the tablet container filling machine 50 of this Example 1, the use aspect and operation | movement are demonstrated.

  Although the necessary number of tablets 1 are discharged from the corresponding tablet feeder 13 in accordance with the prescription data and the dispensing instruction data under the control of the main controller, it is the same as the tablet packaging machine 10, but in the tablet container filling machine 50, it is stored. Since the tube 51 is provided for each tablet feeder 13 and can be temporarily stored separately for each drug type, the dispensing without overlapping drug types can be processed in parallel, and therefore, the tablet feeder 13 discharges one tablet. It may be performed only from a plurality of tablet feeders 13. In the preparation in which the tablets 1 are packed in the small container 3, the same drug type is often processed in batches such as 14 tablets or 42 tablets for several days, so that it takes time until the discharged tablets are stored in the storage pipe 51. It often takes.

  For this reason, tablets are usually discharged in parallel in a medicine cabinet. Meanwhile, below the medicine cabinet, the empty small container 3 is delivered from the empty container supply unit 56 to the moving body 55 under the control of the main controller. Then, the small container 3 is moved together with the moving body 55 by the in-horizontal moving mechanism 54 immediately below the storage pipe 51 where the temporary storage of the tablet 1 is predicted to be completed at the fastest speed. Therefore, when the tablet 1 is temporarily stored in the storage pipe 51, the lower end of the storage pipe 51 is opened and closed by the operation of the opening / closing member 52 driven by the motor 53, so that the tablets 1 can be quickly and reliably stored together. To the small container 3. The small container 3 containing the tablet 1 is transferred to the inspection unit 57 to confirm the storage state of the tablet 1, and further, the label issued from the label issuing machine 58 is attached or attached, and the container lid supply unit The upper end opening is closed by the lid supplied from 59.

This completes tablet packing into one small container 3, but after the small container 3 is handed over to the inspection unit 57, the moving body 55 becomes empty. Since the small container 3 is delivered from the empty container supply unit 56 and the tablet packing process for the tablet predicted to be completed next is started, the next tablet packing process is performed in parallel with the audit of the previous tablet, etc. Done.
In this way, since the tablet discharge in the medicine cabinet and the small container operation under the medicine cabinet are performed in parallel, small containers filled with prescription tablets and covered are formed one after another. The tablet-packed small container 3 is taken out from the outlet, carried out by an appropriate transporter, transferred to a medicine bag package, or subjected to appropriate post-processing.

  The tablet container filling machine of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 (a), which is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view corresponding to the right side view of the essential part of the tablet collection path, differs from that of the first embodiment described above in that it is a moving body 55. The raising / lowering means 61 which moves up and down is added to the horizontal plane moving mechanism 54. Since the moving distance of the moving body 55 is only a few millimeters, the lifting and lowering means 61 is realized in a compact and inexpensive manner by a simple method such as electromagnetic driving.

  In this case, when moving the moving body 55 horizontally, the gap between the small container 3 and the storage pipe 51 can be widened by lowering the moving body 55, so Even if there is some irregularity in the height (for example, protrusion of the rotating shaft of the motor 53), the moving body 55 can be moved without any inconvenience. Further, when the tablet 1 is put into the small container 3 from the storage tube 51, the small container 3 is raised together with the moving body 55, and the upper end opening of the small container 3 is brought close to the lower end of the storage tube 51, so It can prevent spilling.

  The tablet container filling machine of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 (b), which is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view corresponding to the right side view of the essential part of the tablet collection path, differs from that shown in FIG. The point that the buffer means 62 made of a spring is attached to the inner bottom of the moving body 55 and the point that the upper end of the small container 3 comes into contact with the lower end of the storage pipe 51 when the elevating means 61 raises the moving body 55. It is.

In this case, if the moving body 55 is lowered, the gap between the small container 3 and the storage pipe 51 is widened as in the above example, whereas if the moving body 55 is raised, the upper end of the small container 3 approaches the opening / closing member 52. It touches lightly. When the opening / closing member 52 is driven by the motor 53, the opening / closing member 52 comes out, and the upper end opening of the small container 3 and the lower end opening of the storage tube 51 communicate with each other, so that the tablet 1 is entirely spilled. Without being put into the small container 3.
Since the ascending position of the small container 3 is adjusted to a certain extent by the buffer means 62, even if the height positions of the lower ends of the storage pipes 51 are somewhat uneven, reliable tablet insertion is performed.

[Others]
In the above embodiment, the motor 53 is provided for each opening / closing member 52. However, the motor 53 may be shared, and a transmission member, an operation switching member, or the like may be interposed.
In the above embodiment, the small container 3 is placed and held on the moving body 55, but it may be held by suction or gripping.
In the said Example, the tablet feeder 13 and the conduit | pipe 14 are comprised integrally in each tablet feeder storage 12, and when the tablet feeder storage 12 is pulled out, the tablet feeder 13 and the conduit 14 stored in it will be pulled out together. However, the tablet feeder 13 and the conduit 14 may be configured separately and separable, or may be individually drawn out.

When using different containers with different top openings as the small container 3, it is preferable to attach a heel to the lower end of the storage tube 51 so that there is no gap enough to allow the tablet 1 to be dispensed.
The conduit 14 only needs to have a tubular shape that can guide the dropping of the discharged tablet when the apparatus is in operation, that is, when the apparatus is in operation, and is not tubular when it is not in operation, that is, when the apparatus is not in operation. Therefore, it may be composed of a semi-cylindrical body in which the tubular body is vertically divided and detachable. For example, it can be assembled in the same way as cables, ducts and molding covers for indoor wiring. The main body and the cover portion may be separated from each other during cleaning.
The material of the conduit 14 and the storage tube 51 is made of a buffer material such as a soft resin so that the dropped tablet is not damaged, and the conduit 14 and the storage tube 51 are made of a non-ferrous metal extruded material such as aluminum, and these tubes are used. A buffer member created separately from the body may be stretched on the inner wall of the conduit 14 or the storage tube 51, and a buffer screen or the like created separately from the conduit 14 or the storage tube 51 may be used. It is also possible to prevent the tablets from directly colliding with each other.

Example 1 of the present invention shows the structure of a tablet container filling machine, wherein (a) is a schematic longitudinal sectional view corresponding to a front view, (b) is a schematic vertical sectional view corresponding to a right side view, and (c) is a tablet collection. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional schematic diagram equivalent to the right view concerning the principal part of a path | route. About Example 2 of this invention, the principal part structure of a tablet container filling machine is shown, (a), (b) is a longitudinal cross-sectional schematic diagram equivalent to the right view which concerns on the principal part of a tablet collection path | route. A conventional automatic dispensing device is shown, (a) is an external perspective view of a tablet packaging machine, (b) is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the tablet packaging machine, (c) is a left side view of the tablet feeder, and (d) is a front view. FIG. 5E is a longitudinal left side view, and FIG. 5F is a control block diagram for the operation part of the tablet feeder.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... tablets, 2 ... wrapping bands, 3 ... small containers (bottles, small bottles), 9 ... upper table,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Tablet packaging machine, 11 ... Drug storage, 12 ... Tablet feeder storage, 13 ... Tablet feeder,
14 ... Conduit (duct, chute, drop guide path, upper tablet collection path),
15 ... Collection mechanism (hopper-like / funnel-like member, lower tablet collection path),
16 ... Tablet input part, 17 ... Packaging device, 18 ... Main controller, 19 ... Operation panel,
20 ... Tablet cassette, 30 ... Base part, 31 ... Motor, 32 ... Discharge sensor,
33 ... Detachable sensor, 34 ... In-shelf wiring, 35 ... Shelf control circuit,
50. Tablet container filling machine (tablet bottle filling machine)
51 ... Reservoir tube (taper tube, buffer, middle tablet collection path),
52 ... Opening / closing member (shutter), 53 ... Motor (drive source),
54 ... Horizontal plane moving mechanism (XY table, lower tablet collection path), 55 ... Moving body,
56 ... Empty container supply part, 57 ... Auditing part, 58 ... Label issuing machine, 59 ... Container lid supply part,
61 ... Lifting means (reciprocating mechanism, lifter), 62 ... Buffering means (elastic member, spring)

Claims (3)

  A tablet container filling machine that guides and drops tablets discharged from a large number of tablet feeders by a conduit and moves a small container in a horizontal plane to accommodate the dropped tablets. The conduit is provided for each tablet feeder. A tablet container characterized in that a downwardly spreading storage pipe is disposed immediately below the lower end of the conduit for each conduit, and each of the storage pipes is provided with an opening / closing member for opening and closing the lower end. Filling machine.   The said conduit | pipe is a perpendicular | vertical straight pipe | tube, and the said tablet feeder is shifted | deviated to the horizontal direction so that what may be located up and down may escape the thing of an upper feeder among the said conduit | pipe, It is arrange | positioned. Tablet container filling machine.   The tablet container filling machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an inner volume of the storage pipe is larger than that of the small container.

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