JP2009089749A - Cutting method and cutting mechanism for dispensing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a PTP tablet sheet from being brought up together with a cutter blade after cutting the PTP tablet sheet by a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: A cutting unit 700 of the dispensing apparatus 1 pushes up the PTP tablet sheet 900, which is cut by a vertical upper blade 740 or horizontal upper blade 750 using a chucking unit, together with the vertical upper blade, etc. and restrains the PTP tablet sheet 900 from being further pushed up by a restraining member 785 disposed at a prescribed position above a lower blade attaching table 780 while permitting further push-up of the horizontal upper blade 750. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cutting method and a cutting mechanism of a dispensing device, and in particular, the tablet sheet in a dispensing device for automatically dispensing a package-type tablet called a PTP (press-through package) tablet sheet into a tablet cassette and having a predetermined shape. It is suitable for the method of cutting and its mechanism.

  Traditionally, pharmacists do dispensing work according to doctors' prescriptions at pharmacies such as hospitals, but in general hospitals where medical fields are wide, there are many types of tablets that can be taken out at all times, and storage locations In addition, the work of dispensing based on a prescription was very mentally and physically burdensome.

  Therefore, a dispensing device has been developed that automatically dispenses a predetermined number of predetermined tablets including a fraction of a PTP tablet sheet based on a preset program (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The PTP tablet sheet is a packaging form in which the tablet is taken out by breaking the bottom aluminum sheet part by pressing the tablet side. Generally, 10 or more tablets are made into one sheet. Supplied.

  Here, the tablet cassette on which the PTP tablet sheet is placed is accommodated in the cassette shelf, and the claw portion of the chucking device mounted on the head device chucks the PTP tablet sheet at the lowest position in the tablet cassette. The king is transferred to a cutting device, where it is cut into a predetermined shape.

  However, when cutting a fraction of a PTP tablet sheet with this cutting device, after cutting the PTP tablet sheet by lowering the blade, when trying to return to the original position after lifting the blade, Since the blade bites in, the PTP tablet sheet is lifted together with the blade, and there is a problem that trouble occurs when moving to the next operation.

  Therefore, in this cutting apparatus, when cutting a fraction of a PTP tablet sheet, when cutting the PTP tablet sheet by lowering the blade, the retainer driven separately from the blade is used to press the entire PTP tablet sheet. Even when the blade is lifted after the cutting, the retainer is used to press the entire PTP tablet sheet.

Therefore, even if the blade bites into the PTP tablet sheet, the retainer driven separately from the blade prevents the PTP tablet sheet from being lifted together with the blade, which may cause trouble when moving to the next operation. Disappear.
JP-A-4-269960 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-052233

  However, the above-described cutting devices of Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a problem that the retainer is driven separately from the blade, which complicates the device and increases costs. In addition, there is a problem that the installation space for the retainer is required and the apparatus is enlarged.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and prevents the PTP tablet sheet from being lifted together with the blade after the PTP tablet sheet is cut without using a retainer driven separately from the blade. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cutting method and a cutting mechanism of a dispensing device that can be used.

  By the way, the present inventors previously invented a sheet pressing member that moves up and down simultaneously with the cutter blade so as to elastically press the sheet portion of the PTP tablet sheet (Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-77921). Since this sheet pressing member has a shape that fits between the sheet pockets of the PTP tablet sheet, there is a possibility that the sheet pockets may be crushed when the position of the sheet pocket is shifted. all right. In view of this, the first invention has been made to solve such a problem, and a tablet sheet is inserted between the cutter blade and the base using a chucking mechanism, and the cutter blade is attached to the base. A method of cutting a dispensing device for cutting the tablet sheet by relatively moving, wherein the tablet sheet cut with the cutter blade is cut together with the cutter blade using the chucking mechanism. And a restricting member installed at a predetermined position in the movement route to restrict further movement of the tablet sheet while permitting further movement of the cutter blade. Is. The configuration as described above is that when the tablet member is not moved together with the cutter blade only by providing the regulating member, the tablet sheet is inclined to the cutter blade. This is because it becomes difficult to pull out the blade.

  A second invention is a dispensing device for cutting a tablet sheet by inserting a tablet sheet between a cutter blade and a base using a chucking mechanism and moving the cutter blade relative to the base. A cutting mechanism, wherein the tablet sheet that has been cut with the cutter blade is moved in a direction opposite to that during the cutting using the chucking mechanism together with the cutter blade, and at a predetermined position in the movement route, While the tablet sheet is restricted from further movement, a restriction member is provided that permits further movement of the cutter blade.

  According to the first and second inventions, the tablet sheet that has been cut with the cutter blade using the chucking mechanism is moved together with the cutter blade in the direction opposite to that at the time of cutting using the chucking mechanism. The restriction member installed at a predetermined position in the movement route restricts further movement of the tablet sheet while allowing further movement of the cutter blade, so that the tablet sheet is lifted together with the cutter blade. Even in this case, the tablet sheet is pulled away from the cutter blade by the regulating member, and the next operation is not hindered. Accordingly, the cutting operation can be performed quickly, and as a result, the work efficiency is greatly improved.

  In addition, since the retainer driven separately from the cutter blade is not used here, there is no problem that the apparatus becomes complicated and causes an increase in cost, and there is also a problem that the installation space for the retainer is not required and the apparatus is enlarged. Absent. As a result, space can be saved with a simple configuration. Furthermore, as in the prior invention by the present inventors, since the shape that fits between the seat pocket of the PTP tablet sheet is not adopted, even if the position of the seat pocket is shifted, There is no risk of crushing the seat pocket.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the predetermined position is preferably a position that is not less than the maximum height of the tablet sheet and that the tip of the cutter blade is not more than a distance that is the farthest from the base.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, since the predetermined position is a position which is not less than the maximum height of the tablet sheet and the tip of the cutter blade is not more than the distance farthest from the base, the base and the cutter blade The tablet sheet can be inserted in between and the cutting can be performed well, and even if the tablet sheet is lifted together with the cutter blade when the cutting is finished, the tablet sheet It will be separated from the cutter blade by the restricting member, and the next operation will not be hindered.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the regulating member has a size that allows the cutter blade to pass through a member main body installed in parallel with the base and a movement route of the cutter blade of the member main body. It is preferable that it has a notch part.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the restricting member has a size that allows the cutter blade to pass through a member main body installed in parallel with the base and a movement route of the cutter blade of the member main body. Since it has a notch part, it becomes a simple and cheap structure with few number of parts.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the cutter blade includes a vertical blade for cutting in the direction perpendicular to the width direction of the tablet sheet and a horizontal blade for cutting in the width direction of the tablet sheet. It is preferable that the member main body of the restricting member has the notch at a portion corresponding to each of the vertical blade and the horizontal blade.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, the cutter blade includes a vertical blade for cutting in the direction perpendicular to the width direction of the tablet sheet and a horizontal blade for cutting in the width direction of the tablet sheet. Since the member main body of the restriction member has the notch in the part corresponding to the vertical blade and the horizontal blade, respectively, even when the vertical blade and the horizontal blade are provided as a cutter blade, Easy to apply.

  According to the first and second inventions, the tablet sheet that has been cut with the cutter blade using the chucking mechanism is relatively moved together with the cutter blade in the direction opposite to that at the time of cutting, The regulating member installed at a predetermined position regulates further relative movement of the tablet sheet while allowing further relative movement of the cutter blade, so even when the tablet sheet is lifted together with the cutter blade. However, the tablet sheet is pulled away from the cutter blade by the regulating member, so that the next operation is not hindered. Accordingly, the cutting operation can be performed quickly, and as a result, the work efficiency is greatly improved.

  In addition, since the retainer driven separately from the cutter blade is not used here, there is no problem that the apparatus becomes complicated and causes an increase in cost, and there is also a problem that the installation space for the retainer is not required and the apparatus is enlarged. Absent. As a result, space can be saved with a simple configuration. Furthermore, unlike the prior invention, a shape that fits between the seat pockets of the PTP tablet sheet is not adopted, so even if the seat pockets are misaligned, the seat pockets are crushed. There is no fear of it.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing main components of a dispensing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the dispensing device 1 includes two Y carriages 200 and 200 provided on the left and right sides of the box-shaped device main body 100, and X carriages supported by the Y carriages 200 and 200, respectively. 300, 300, chucking units (corresponding to a chucking mechanism) 400, 400 supported by these X carriages 300, 300, and two on the front left and right sides of the apparatus main body 100, respectively, Cassette shelves 600, 600 on which tablet cassettes 500, 500,... Can be mounted side by side, and cutting units (corresponding to a cutting mechanism) 700 respectively disposed below these cassette shelves 600, 600. 700 and the left and right ends of both cassette shelves 600, 600 below the left and right cassette shelves 600, 600. And a conveyor unit 800 one disposed over.

  Hereinafter, representative components of a plurality of components will be described.

  The Y carriage 200 includes a servo motor 210, a ball screw 220 in the vertical axis direction (Y direction in FIG. 1) driven by the servo motor 210, vertical guides 230 and 230 respectively disposed on the left and right of the ball screw 220, The X carriage 300 includes a carriage main body 310 that moves up and down together with the nut 240 by the rotation of the ball screw 220 while being guided by the vertical guides 230 and 230, and the carriage main body. On 310, a servo motor 410, a ball screw 415 in the horizontal axis direction (X direction in FIG. 1) driven by the servo motor 410, and a nut (not shown) are provided.

  2 is a perspective view of the tablet cassette 500 as viewed from the side facing the chucking unit 400, FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a state of the tablet cassette 500 before the sheet is cued, and FIG. It is a sectional side view which shows the state of time. In the following, the side of the tablet cassette 500 that faces the chucking unit 400 is referred to as the front, and the opposite side is referred to as the rear.

  The tablet cassette 500 in the present embodiment is formed to be slightly wider than various PTP tablet sheets (corresponding to tablet sheets) 900 to be stacked. Accordingly, a plurality of tablet cassettes 500 having different width dimensions are prepared according to the widths of various PTP tablet sheets 900. As shown in FIG. 2, the specific configuration thereof includes a long cassette base 510 having a concave cross section and a cassette body 520 that is detachably fitted from the longitudinal direction of the cassette base 510. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, projections 512 and 512 having L-shapes in a side view are formed in the front and rear (and left and right), respectively, on the back side of the bottom plate 511 of the cassette base 510, and the rear end of the bottom plate 511 is A tongue piece 513 that is bent upward and has elasticity is formed. A support member 514 having a reverse concave shape in cross section is formed on the surface side of the rear portion of the bottom plate 511, and two left and right tongue pieces 515 and 515 that are cantilevered by the support member 514 are respectively formed so as to descend toward the front portion. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the support member 514 and the tongue pieces 515 and 515 are both disposed in the left and right side walls 516 and 517 of the cassette base 510, and the tongue pieces 515 and 515 serve as PTP tablet sheets. A fraction of 900, 900,... Is chucked. However, the number of the strips 515 is not limited to two but may be one or three or more.

  The cassette main body 520 further includes a main body upper part 530 on which a plurality of PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... Can be stacked, and a main body lower part 540 attached integrally to the lower part of the main body upper part 530. .

  The main body lower part 540 is arranged in a state where the cassette main body 520 is assembled to the cassette base 510 and is buried in the left and right side walls 516 and 517 of the cassette base 510. A link mechanism (not shown) for sequentially taking out the PTP tablet sheets 900 stacked at the bottom of the main body upper portion 530 is provided on the bottom plate 541 having a long shape.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the main body upper part 530 is embedded in the left and right side walls 516 and 517 of the cassette base 510 from its rear part to the middle part in an assembled state with the cassette base 510 of the cassette main body 520. The side wall 516 and 517 of the cassette base 510 are projected from the middle part to the front part of the cassette base 510 so as to project in an L shape when viewed from the side. The projected front walls 531 are bent inward at the front end. Thus, they are arranged to face each other with a predetermined gap. The upper ends of the front wall 531 are connected to each other by a reinforcing plate 532.

  A bar-like member 533 is erected on the rear part of the upper part 530 of the main body, and is laid down when the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... Are filled, so that the PTP tablet sheet 900, The PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... Are aligned by raising the rod-like member 533 while sandwiching 900,.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the chucking unit 400 includes a Z carriage 411 extending forward (Z direction in FIG. 1) from the carriage body 310, a rotary solenoid 420 disposed on the Z carriage 411, and the rotary solenoid 420. Chuck 430 driven by the horizontal axis, horizontal guides 440 and 440 respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the chuck 430, a primary bucket 450 provided at a lower portion between the horizontal guides 440 and 440, and a front portion of the primary bucket 450 A line sensor 460 provided and a secondary bucket 480 with a shutter 470 provided below the primary bucket 450 are provided. The Z carriage 411 is composed of a servo motor (not shown), a ball screw, and a nut.

  If it is not necessary to punch the fraction of the PTP tablet sheet 900, the chuck 430 of the chucking unit 400 moves forward in response to an operation command from a controller (not shown), and the chuck 430 directly uses the tablet cassette. By pressing the pressing member 543 of 500, the pushing member (not shown) is moved forward by the function of the link mechanism.

  By pressing the rear end of the PTP tablet sheet 900 loaded on the lowermost side of the tablet cassette 500 with the moved extruding member, the front end of the PTP tablet sheet 900 slightly protrudes from the tablet cassette 500. From the state shown in FIG. 3 to the state shown in FIG. 4, so-called cueing is performed. The chucked PTP tablet sheet 900 is chucked by the chuck 430 and pulled forward, and the chucking by the chuck 430 is released to drop the pulled PTP tablet sheet 900 into the primary bucket 450. The primary bucket 450 is moved onto the secondary bucket 480 using the X carriage 300 and the Y carriage 200. Then, a bottom shutter (not shown) of the primary bucket 450 is opened, and the PTP tablet sheet 900 is dropped into the secondary bucket 480. Next, the bottom shutter 470 of the secondary bucket 480 is opened, and the PTP tablet sheet 900 is dropped onto the transport conveyor unit 800.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where both the vertical upper blade 740 and the horizontal upper blade 750 of the cutting unit 700 are at the home position, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state where the PTP tablet sheet 900 is being cut, and FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which has pulled out the horizontal upper blade 750 from the PTP tablet sheet 900. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the cutting unit 700 has a unit body 710 having a square shape in front view, a slide shaft 715 erected on the front left and right of the unit body 710, and a predetermined rigidity. A servo motor 725 incorporated in the upper structure 720 having the upper structure 720 and the left and right slide shafts 715 and 715 are installed so as to slide in the vertical direction by the servo motor 725 respectively. 740 and a horizontal upper blade 750 (corresponding to a horizontal blade and a cutter blade), and a vertical upper blade 740 and a horizontal upper blade 750 of the upper blade mounting member 735. A lower blade mounting table (corresponding to a base) 780 to which a vertical lower blade 760 and a horizontal lower blade 770 are attached, which are arranged to face each other, and this lower blade mounting A regulating member 785 disposed above the table 780, a tray 790 disposed below the notch portion of the lower blade mounting table 780, and a payout for dropping a cut piece of an unillustrated PTP tablet sheet into the tray 790 And a mechanism 730.

  More specifically, the unit main body 710 includes a bottom plate, side plates erected on both left and right sides of the bottom plate, and a top plate supported by the side plate. 780 is configured.

  The upper blade attaching member 735 has a vertical upper blade 740 suspended from the lower portion thereof, and a horizontal upper blade 750 suspended from the lower portion. The upper blade attaching member 735 is driven in the vertical direction by the rotation of the servo motor 725 via a rack and pinion mechanism (not shown).

  A vertical lower blade 760 is horizontally attached to the upper portion of the lower blade attachment table 780, and a horizontal lower blade 770 is horizontally attached to the upper portion. The vertical lower blade 760 has a vertical groove in which the vertical upper blade 740 can be inserted and removed, and the horizontal lower blade 770 has a horizontal groove in which the horizontal upper blade 750 can be inserted and removed.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing how the PTP tablet sheet is chucked by the chuck of the chucking unit, where FIG. 8A is a plan view and FIG. 8B is a side view. The cut length of the vertical upper blade 740 is set based on the pitch p of the minimum perforation 940 in the adopted chemical PTP tablet sheet 900 as shown in FIG. The length is set slightly longer than the maximum width in the PTP tablet sheet 900 of the employed medicine.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the PTP tablet sheet 900 is a matrix in which a plurality of tablet pieces (minimum units cut by the cutting unit 700) 901, 901,. Arranged in a shape. Normally, when the cutting operation of the PTP tablet sheet 900 is performed by the vertical upper blade 740 and the horizontal upper blade 750, the order of the cutting operation of the PTP tablet sheet 900 is devised, and a plurality of cut pieces 970 are formed to form a tablet piece 901. , 901,... Do not fall apart.

  Further, the upper structure 720 is mounted on the left and right sides of the lower blade mounting table 780, and the left and right horizontal members 721 and 722 protrude from the left and right walls of the upper structure 720 so as to face each other. Yes.

  FIG. 9 is a view showing a detailed structure of the restricting member 785.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the regulating member 785 has a long member main body 7851 installed in parallel with the lower blade mounting table 780, and the horizontal upper blade 750 of the member main body 7851 during the movement route thereof. A notch 7853 having a size that allows the upper blade 750 to pass therethrough, and a notch 7854 having a size that allows the vertical upper blade 740 to pass through the movement route of the vertical upper blade 740 of the member main body 7851. It is what you have.

  The member main body 7851 is folded upward on the back side in the drawing to constitute a reinforcing portion 7852. A left attachment portion 7855 is formed by folding upward on the front side of the left end of the member main body 7851, and an attachment hole 7856 is provided near the left end of the left attachment portion 7855. The mounting hole 7856 is fixed to the left horizontal member 721 of the lower blade mounting table 780 via a screw or the like (not shown).

  Further, a right attachment portion 7857 is formed by folding upward at the right end of the member main body 7851, and an attachment hole 7858 is provided near the center of the right attachment portion 7857. The mounting hole 7858 is fixed to the right horizontal member 722 of the lower blade mounting table 780 via a screw or the like (not shown).

  Hereinafter, the linking operation between the cutting unit 700 and the chucking unit 400 will be described. 10 is a side view showing a state in which the PTP tablet sheet 900 is being cut by the cutting unit 700, and FIG. 11 is a state in which the PTP tablet sheet 900 is being lifted together with the horizontal upper blade 750 of the cutting unit 700 by the chucking unit 400. FIG. 12 is a side view showing a state in which the horizontal upper blade of the cutting unit 700 is further raised while the PTP tablet sheet 900 is in contact with the regulating member 785. In the initial state, as shown in FIG. 5, the vertical upper blade 740 and the horizontal upper blade 750 are both in the home position, and the PTP tablet sheet 900 is inserted as shown in FIG. And

  Then, a fraction of the PTP tablet sheet 900 to be cut is calculated according to the prescription data by a control device (not shown), and the servo motor 725 rotates in response to an operation command signal from a controller (not shown) corresponding to the calculated value. Thereby, cutting with the vertical upper blade 740 and the vertical lower blade 760 shall be performed. In this case, when the servo motor 725 rotates, the upper blade attaching member 735 is lowered while maintaining the horizontal state via the rack and pinion mechanism, and the horizontal upper blade 750 and the vertical upper blade 740 are simultaneously pushed down.

  Here, since it is necessary to cut the PTP tablet sheet 900 in the width direction, the chuck 430 moves the PTP tablet sheet 900 between the horizontal upper blade 750 and the horizontal lower blade 770. In this state, as shown in FIG. 10, the horizontal upper blade 750 is pushed down and inserted into a horizontal groove (not shown) of the horizontal lower blade 770 to make a cut 950 along the perforation 940 of the PTP tablet sheet 900. (See FIG. 8A).

  In FIG. 10, h1 indicates the maximum height of the PTP tablet sheet 900, and h2 indicates the distance from the upper surface of the lower blade mounting table 780 to the lower surface of the regulating member 785. Therefore, here, the upward movement amount h of the chuck 430 is h = h2−h1.

  Now, when the servo motor 725 is rotated in the opposite direction, the upper blade attaching member 735 is raised while maintaining the horizontal state via the rack and pinion mechanism, and the horizontal upper blade 750 and the vertical upper blade 740 are moved. Pushed up. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 11, the PTP tablet sheet 900 is lifted by the moving amount h while being chucked by the chuck 430. Then, the upper end of the sheet pocket of the PTP tablet sheet 900 comes into contact with the lower surface of the regulating member 785.

  If the servo motor 725 is continuously rotated in the opposite direction, the upper blade attaching member 735 is further raised while maintaining the horizontal state via the rack and pinion mechanism, and the horizontal upper blade 750 and the vertical upper blade 740 are moved. Further pushed up. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, since the upper end of the sheet pocket of the PTP tablet sheet 900 remains in contact with the lower surface of the regulating member 785, the horizontal upper blade 750 is pulled away from the PTP tablet sheet 900. The state at this time is as shown in FIG.

  Next, when cutting in the direction perpendicular to the width direction of the PTP tablet sheet 900 is required, cutting with the vertical upper blade 740 is performed. In this case, since the chuck 430 of the chucking unit 400 moves the PTP tablet sheet 900 between the vertical upper blade 740 and the vertical lower blade 760, the perforation 940 as shown in FIG. Cuts 960 are made in an amount corresponding to the pitch p in the perpendicular direction. When the cuts 950, 950, and 960 are inserted into the PTP tablet sheet 900 in this way, only the PTP tablet sheet 900 sandwiched by the chuck 430 becomes a fraction sheet (remaining part) 980.

  If it is necessary to punch out the PTP tablet sheet 900, as described above, the pressing member 543 of the tablet cassette 500 is pressed by the chuck 430 of the chucking unit 400, and the link mechanism (not shown) is used. The pushing member is moved forward.

  By pressing the rear end of the PTP tablet sheet 900 loaded on the lowermost side of the tablet cassette 500 with the moved extruding member, the PTP tablet sheet 900 is cued. The chucked PTP tablet sheet 900 is chucked by the chuck 430 and pulled forward, and this time, the pulled PTP tablet sheet 900 is transported to the cutting unit 700 while being chucked.

  Here, the PTP tablet sheet 900 is blanked. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the PTP tablet sheet 900 has a tablet 920 on the sheet main body back surface 915 made of aluminum foil. A transparent synthetic resin sheet main body surface 910 is covered and integrated with a predetermined number of sheets. Perforations 940, 940,... Are attached to the sheet main body surface 910 side at a predetermined pitch p, and ears 930 for chucking by the chuck 430 of the chucking unit 400 are provided at the end portions. It is usually done.

  In this case, the ear portion 930 of the PTP tablet sheet 900 is sandwiched between the upper blade 431 and the lower blade 432 of the chuck 430, and the PTP tablet sheet 900 is moved to the first predetermined position. Then, in order to obtain the fraction of the tablet according to the prescription data, the vertical upper blade 740 is pushed down in the direction perpendicular to the perforation 940 of the PTP tablet sheet 900 to be inserted into the vertical lower blade 760 and the width of the PTP tablet sheet 900 Cutting in the direction perpendicular to the direction. The notch at this time is indicated by 960 in FIG.

  Further, the PTP tablet sheet 900 is moved to the second and third predetermined positions, and then the horizontal upper blade 750 is pushed down along the perforations 940 and 970 where the PTP tablet sheet 900 is provided. 770 is inserted in the width direction of the PTP tablet sheet 900. The notches at this time are indicated by 950 and 950 in FIG.

  In this way, the punched fractional PTP tablet sheet (cut piece) 970 includes three tablet pieces 901, 901,..., And these tablet pieces 901, 901,. It is connected.

  The cut piece 970 is dropped onto the transport conveyor unit 800 via the tray 790 by the action of the dispensing mechanism 730 of the cutting unit 700.

  The remaining portion 980 obtained by punching the PTP tablet sheet 900 is returned to the original tablet cassette 500 while being chucked by the chuck 430. The remaining portion 980 is inserted into and stored in the remaining portion storage portion 515a below the tongue pieces 515 and 515 of the cassette base 510.

  The remaining portion 980 of the PTP tablet sheet 900 stored in the remaining portion storage portion 515a is then chucked by the chuck 430 with the remaining portion 980 of the PTP tablet sheet 900, and pulled forward, so that the line sensor 460 Check the shape with. Then, when it is not necessary to further punch the remaining portion 980 of the PTP tablet sheet 900, the chucking by the chuck 430 is released in order to drop the remaining portion 980 of the PTP tablet sheet 900 into the primary bucket 450. The primary bucket 450 is moved onto the secondary bucket 480 using the X carriage 300 and the Y carriage 200. Then, a bottom shutter (not shown) of the primary bucket 450 is opened, and the PTP tablet sheet 900 is dropped into the secondary bucket 480. Next, the bottom shutter 470 of the secondary bucket 480 is opened, and the PTP tablet sheet 900 is dropped onto the transport conveyor unit 800.

  On the other hand, when the remaining part 980 of the remaining part 980 of the PTP tablet sheet 900 needs to be punched, as described above, the chuck 430 uses the remaining part storage part 515a below the tongue pieces 515 and 515 of the cassette base 510 to find its head. The remaining part 980 of the PTP tablet sheet 900 is chucked and pulled forward. The remaining portion 980 of the pulled out PTP tablet sheet 900 is conveyed to the cutting unit 700 while being chucked. Then, using the vertical upper blade 740 and the horizontal upper blade 750, the remaining part 980 of the PTP tablet sheet 900 is punched, and the further cut piece 970 punched is placed on the transport conveyor unit 800 as described above. Drop it.

  On the other hand, the remaining portion 980 obtained by further punching the PTP tablet sheet 900 is returned to the original tablet cassette 500 while being chucked by the chuck 430. The remaining portion 980 is inserted into and stored in the remaining portion storage portion 515a below the tongue pieces 515 and 515 of the cassette base 510.

  In this way, the PTP tablet sheet 900 loaded on the tablet cassette 500 is dispensed to its fraction without waste.

  The conveyor unit 800 includes a group of rollers 801 and tablet takeout buckets 802 and 802 that are moved in the front-rear and left-right directions by the group of rollers 801. Then, the PTP tablet sheet 900 dropped from the secondary bucket 480 via the shutter 470 or its remaining part 980 is moved in the front / rear / left / right direction by a roller group 801 and dropped into one of the tablet take-out buckets 802 and 802. It has become so.

  On the other hand, the remaining portion 980 or further remaining portion 980 of the PTP tablet sheet 900 dropped from the cutting unit 700 is similarly moved in the front / rear / left / right directions by the roller group 801 and dropped into one of the tablet takeout buckets 802 and 802. The

  In this manner, the dispensed buckets 802 and 802 accommodate the dispensed PTP tablet sheet 900 or the remainder 980 thereof.

  According to this embodiment, the PTP tablet sheet 900 cut with the vertical upper blade 740 and the horizontal upper blade 750 using the chucking unit 400 is pushed up together with the vertical upper blade 740 and the horizontal upper blade 750, and the lower blade mounting table Since the regulating member 785 installed at a predetermined position above 780 regulates further pushing-up of the PTP tablet sheet 900, further pushing-up of the longitudinal upper blade 740 and the lateral upper blade 750 is permitted. Even when the PTP tablet sheet is lifted together with 740 or the horizontal upper blade 750, the PTP tablet sheet 900 is pulled away from the vertical upper blade 740 or the horizontal upper blade 750 by the regulating member 785, and the following The operation will not be hindered. Accordingly, the cutting operation can be performed quickly, and as a result, the work efficiency is greatly improved.

  In addition, since the retainer driven separately from the vertical upper blade 740 and the horizontal upper blade 750 is not used here, the apparatus is complicated and there is no problem of increasing the cost, and the installation space for the retainer is not required. There is no problem of increasing the size. As a result, space can be saved with a simple configuration. Furthermore, as in the prior invention by the present inventors, since the shape that fits between the seat pocket of the PTP tablet sheet is not adopted, even if the position of the seat pocket is shifted, There is no risk of crushing the seat pocket.

  In the above embodiment, the two cassette shelves 600 and 600 are arranged on the left and right. However, the cassette shelves 600 and 600 may be arranged on the front and back, or one or three or more cassette shelves may be arranged. Good. In that case, it is preferable from the viewpoint of work efficiency that the number of carriages, chucking units, cutting units, and the like correspond to this.

  In the above embodiment, the PTP tablet cassettes 500, 500,... Are arranged on the shelf plate 602 of the cassette shelf 600 in the width direction of the PTP tablet cassettes 500, 500,. However, the shelf plate is not limited to a stationary flat plate shape, and may be, for example, a cylindrical shape rotating around a predetermined axis. In that case, it is sufficient to move the chucking unit 400 relative to each PTP tablet cassette 500, 500,... Mounted on the rotating shelf.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the main components of the dispensing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the side which faces the chucking unit of a tablet cassette. It is a sectional side view which shows the state before the sheet | seat cueing of a tablet cassette. It is a sectional side view which shows the state at the time of the sheet | seat search of a tablet cassette. It is a perspective view which shows the state which both the vertical upper blade horizontal upper blade of a cutting unit exists in a home position. It is a perspective view which shows the state which is cutting the PTP tablet sheet. It is a perspective view which shows the state which has pulled out the horizontal upper blade from the PTP tablet sheet. It is a figure which shows a mode that a PTP tablet sheet is chucked with the chuck | zipper of a chucking unit, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view. 7 is a perspective view showing a detailed structure of a regulating member 785. FIG. It is a side view which shows the state which is cutting the PTP tablet sheet | seat with a cutting unit. It is a side view which shows the state which is raising the PTP tablet sheet with the horizontal upper blade 750 of a cutting unit with a chucking unit. It is a side view which shows the state which has further raised the horizontal upper blade of the cutting unit, with the PTP tablet sheet contacting the regulating member.

Explanation of symbols

1 Dispensing device 100 Device body 200 Y carriage 300 X carriage 400 Chucking unit (corresponding to a chucking mechanism)
500 Tablet cassette 600 Cassette shelf 700 Cutting unit (corresponding to cutting mechanism)
710 Unit body 715 Slide shaft 720 Upper structure 735 Upper blade attachment member 740 Vertical upper blade (corresponding to vertical blade and cutter blade)
750 Horizontal upper blade (corresponds to horizontal blade and cutter blade)
760 Vertical lower blade 770 Horizontal lower blade 780 Lower blade mounting table (corresponding to the base)
785 Regulating member 7851 Member main bodies 7853, 7854 Notch 800 Conveyor unit 900 PTP tablet sheet (corresponds to tablet sheet)

Claims (5)

This is a method for cutting a dispensing device that inserts a tablet sheet between a cutter blade and a base using a chucking mechanism and moves the cutter blade relative to the base to cut the tablet sheet. And
The tablet sheet cut with the cutter blade is moved relative to the cutting direction using the chucking mechanism together with the cutter blade,
A dispensing device cutting method, wherein a restriction member installed at a predetermined position in the movement route restricts further movement of the tablet sheet while permitting further movement of the cutter blade. This is a cutting mechanism of a dispensing device that inserts a tablet sheet between a cutter blade and a base using a chucking mechanism and moves the cutter blade relative to the base to cut the tablet sheet. And
The tablet sheet that has been cut with the cutter blade is moved together with the cutter blade in the direction opposite to that at the time of cutting using the chucking mechanism, and
A cutting mechanism for a dispensing device, comprising a regulating member that regulates further movement of the tablet sheet at a predetermined position in the movement route and permits further movement of the cutter blade.   3. The cutting mechanism for a dispensing device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined position is a position that is not less than the maximum height of the tablet sheet and that the tip of the cutter blade is not more than a distance farthest from the base.   The restricting member has a member main body installed in parallel with the base, and a cutout portion having a size through which the cutter blade can pass in a movement route of the cutter blade of the member main body. A cutting mechanism for a dispensing device according to claim 2 or 3.   The cutter blade separately includes a vertical blade for cutting in the direction perpendicular to the width direction of the tablet sheet and a horizontal blade for cutting in the width direction of the tablet sheet, and the member of the regulating member The cutting mechanism of the dispensing device according to claim 4, wherein the main body has the cutout portions at portions corresponding to the vertical blades and the horizontal blades, respectively.

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