JP2010207360A - Sheet extrusion mechanism for tablet dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet extrusion mechanism for tablet dispenser which carries out sheet dispensing operation efficiently even when a prescription directing a large number of sheets is prescribed. <P>SOLUTION: The extrusion mechanism includes an extrusion member 5515 within a tablet cassette. PTP tablet sheets 900 are arranged in pairs within the tablet cassette so that the front sides of PTP tablet sheets 900 and 900 face each other and that pockets 920 and 920 do not overlap with each other. The extrusion member simultaneously extrudes a pair of PTP tablet sheets 900 located at an odd numbered position counted from the bottom of the tablet cassette among the PTP tablet sheets 900 and 900 loaded in pairs. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet push-out mechanism of a dispensing device, and more particularly, a sheet push-out provided in the tablet cassette of a dispensing device that automatically dispenses a package-type tablet called a PTP (press-through package) tablet sheet into a tablet cassette. It relates to the mechanism.

  Traditionally, pharmacists perform dispensing work in pharmacies such as hospitals according to doctors' prescriptions, 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 are limited. Not only was it necessary, but the work of dispensing based on prescriptions was very mentally and physically burdensome.

  Accordingly, 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. To be supplied.

  In the conventional dispensing device, a plurality of PTP tablet sheets are stacked in the vertical direction and stored in the tablet cassette, and the lowest PTP tablet sheet is dispensed one by one.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a general configuration of the PTP tablet sheet 900, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a side view.

  As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the surface 910 of the PTP tablet sheet 900 is formed with pockets 920 each enclosing a tablet, and the pocket 920 faces upward in the tablet cassette. Thus, each PTP tablet sheet 900 is accommodated, and usually, one end side in the longitudinal direction is provided with an ear portion 930 for chucking with a chucking device. It was.

  The PTP tablet sheet 900 is stored in a box and sold by a manufacturer or the like, and is taken out from the box and filled into a tablet cassette. The box stores the PTP tablet sheet 900 with the pocket forming surfaces facing each other. For this reason, in the conventional dispensing device, when the PTP tablet sheet 900 is transferred from the box to the tablet cassette, the work of aligning the orientation of the PTP tablet sheet 900 is required, which is troublesome.

  Moreover, in the conventional dispensing device, since all the PTP tablet sheets 900 are aligned so that the pockets 920 face upward, the number of sheets stored in the tablet cassette is small. For this reason, it is necessary to frequently fill the tablet cassette with the PTP tablet sheet 900, and when a prescription with a large number of sheets is applied, the dispensing operation is performed for filling the tablet cassette with the PTP tablet sheet 900. There was a problem that could be interrupted.

  Furthermore, in the conventional dispensing device, since the PTP tablet sheets 900 are dispensed one by one from the tablet cassette, the dispensing speed of the PTP tablet sheets 900 is slow. For this reason, when a prescription with a large number of sheets is applied, there is a problem that it takes time to pay out.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has a good sheet filling workability, and even when a prescription with a large number of sheets is applied, the sheet discharging operation can be efficiently performed. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet push-out mechanism for a dispensing device.

  The present invention includes a tablet cassette capable of storing a tablet sheet in which pockets containing tablets are arranged on one side, and the tablet sheets stored in the tablet cassette are externally arranged in order from the closest to the reference surface of the tablet cassette. A sheet push-out mechanism of a dispensing device configured to be taken out, wherein two tablet sheets are disposed in the tablet cassette so that one surface side of the tablet sheets faces each other in a state where the pockets do not overlap each other. Extrusion member that pushes out the tablet sheets at the odd numbered setting positions counted from the one closest to the reference plane among the tablet sheets stored in sets of two. Is provided in the tablet cassette.

  According to the present invention, in the tablet cassette, the tablet sheets are stored as a set of two sheets by disposing one side of the tablet sheet facing each other with the pockets not overlapping each other. Therefore, when the tablet sheet is transferred from the box to the tablet cassette, the work of aligning the orientation of the tablet sheet is unnecessary, and the sheet filling workability is good.

  Moreover, since the gap between the tablet sheets constituting the set is reduced, the number of stored tablet sheets in the tablet cassette is increased accordingly. Therefore, it is not necessary to frequently fill the tablet cassette with the tablet sheet, and even when a prescription with a large number of sheets is given, the dispensing operation is interrupted for filling the tablet cassette with the tablet sheet. Less.

  Further, the tablet cassette includes an extruding member that simultaneously extrudes the tablet sheets at odd numbered setting positions counted from the closest to the reference plane among the tablet sheets stored as a set of two sheets. Therefore, even the even-numbered tablet sheet, which is one more than the odd-numbered tablet sheet, is simultaneously extruded by the pushing member. Therefore, when a prescription with a large number of sheets is applied, the dispensing speed of the tablet sheets from the tablet cassette is faster than when the tablet sheets are dispensed one by one from the tablet cassette as in the prior art. In addition, the time required for the payout operation can be greatly reduced.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the pushing member can adjust a distance from the reference surface to the tip of the pushing member.

  According to invention of Claim 2, since the said extrusion member enabled adjustment of the distance from the said reference plane to the front-end | tip of this extrusion member, it can adjust to the distance according to the content of prescription, and a tablet sheet It is possible to obtain a suitable dispensing speed from the tablet cassette.

  The invention according to claim 3 is provided with a tablet cassette capable of stacking a tablet sheet in which pockets containing tablets are arranged on one side, and the tablet sheet loaded on the tablet cassette is placed at the lowest position in the tablet cassette. It is a sheet pushing mechanism of a dispensing device configured to push out to the outside in order from a certain one, in the tablet cassette, by placing one side of the tablet sheet facing each other in a state where the pockets do not overlap each other, The tablet sheets are stacked as a set of two sheets, and the tablet sheets stacked and loaded as a set of two sheets are located at an odd numbered setting position from the lowest position in the tablet cassette. The tablet cassette is provided with an extruding member for simultaneously extruding a tablet sheet.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the tablet sheets are set in pairs in the tablet cassette by opposingly arranging one side of the tablet sheet in a state where the pockets do not overlap each other. Since they are stacked, when the tablet sheet is transferred from the box to the tablet cassette, the work of aligning the orientation of the tablet sheet is unnecessary, and the sheet filling workability is good.

  Moreover, since the gap between the tablet sheets constituting the set is reduced, the number of stored tablet sheets in the tablet cassette is increased accordingly. Therefore, it is not necessary to frequently fill the tablet cassette with the tablet sheet, and even when a prescription with a large number of sheets is given, the dispensing operation is interrupted for filling the tablet cassette with the tablet sheet. Less.

  The tablet cassette further includes an extruding member that simultaneously pushes out the tablet sheets in the odd numbered setting position counted from the lowest position in the tablet cassette among the tablet sheets loaded in pairs. Therefore, even the even-numbered tablet sheet, which is one more than the odd-numbered tablet sheet, is simultaneously extruded by the pushing member. Accordingly, the dispensing speed of the tablet sheet from the tablet cassette is faster than when the tablet sheets are dispensed one by one from the tablet cassette as in the prior art. For this reason, even when a prescription with a large number of sheets is applied, the time required for the payout operation can be greatly reduced.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the height of the pushing member on the bottom plate of the tablet cassette can be adjusted.

  According to invention of Claim 4, since the said extrusion member can adjust the height on the baseplate of the said tablet cassette, it adjusts to the height according to the content of prescription, and it is from the tablet cassette of a tablet sheet. It is possible to obtain a suitable payout speed.

  According to the present invention, in the tablet cassette, the tablet sheets are stored as a set of two sheets by disposing one side of the tablet sheet facing each other with the pockets not overlapping each other. Therefore, when the tablet sheet is transferred from the box to the tablet cassette, the work of aligning the orientation of the tablet sheet is unnecessary, and the sheet filling workability is good.

  Moreover, since the gap between the tablet sheets constituting the set is reduced, the number of stored tablet sheets in the tablet cassette is increased accordingly. Therefore, it is not necessary to frequently fill the tablet cassette with the tablet sheet, and even when a prescription with a large number of sheets is given, the dispensing operation is interrupted for filling the tablet cassette with the tablet sheet. Less.

  Further, the tablet cassette includes an extruding member that simultaneously extrudes the tablet sheets at odd numbered setting positions counted from the closest to the reference plane among the tablet sheets stored as a set of two sheets. Therefore, even the even-numbered tablet sheet, which is one more than the odd-numbered tablet sheet, is simultaneously extruded by the pushing member. Accordingly, the dispensing speed of the tablet sheet from the tablet cassette is faster than when the tablet sheets are dispensed one by one from the tablet cassette as in the prior art. For this reason, even when a prescription with a large number of sheets is applied, the time required for the payout operation can be greatly reduced.

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 a front view which shows the structure of a tablet cassette. It is a side view which shows the structure of a tablet cassette. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the main body lower part of a tablet cassette. It is a figure which shows the structure of the main body lower part of a tablet cassette, Comprising: (a) is a sectional side view which shows the extrusion start state and standby state of an extrusion member, (b) is a sectional side view which shows the sheet | seat extrusion completion state of an extrusion member. It is. It is a top view which shows the structure of the taking-out unit. It is a figure which shows typically the PTP tablet sheet loaded in the tablet cassette, Comprising: (a) is a sectional side view which shows a state when filling a PTP tablet sheet, (b) is a PTP tablet sheet of (a). It is a sectional side view which shows a state when pushing out. It is a figure which shows the structure of a PTP tablet sheet, Comprising: (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view.

  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, two take-out units 400, 400 supported by these X carriages 300, 300, and two on the front left and right sides of the apparatus main body 100, and a plurality of tablet cassettes 500, 500,. Cassette shelves 600, 600 that can be mounted side by side in the left-right direction, and a single transfer conveyor unit 800 disposed between the left and right ends of both cassette shelves 600, 600 below the left and right cassette shelves 600, 600. I have.

  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 front view showing the structure of the tablet cassette 500, FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the structure of the lower body 540 of the tablet cassette 500, and FIG. 4A and 4B are detailed views showing a configuration, in which FIG. 4A is a side cross-sectional view showing a sheet extrusion start state and a standby state of the extrusion member 5515, and FIG. . In each figure, unless otherwise specified, the front side facing the take-out unit 400 of the tablet cassette 500 is referred to as the front side, the back side is referred to as the rear side, and the left side and the right side are viewed from the front side to the rear side. Shows things. In FIG. 2, the display of the attachment part to the shelf board 602 of the cassette shelf 600 in the tablet cassette 500 is omitted.

  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 FIGS. 2 and 3, the specific configuration thereof is 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. It is made up of.

  As shown in FIG. 3, L-shaped projections 512 and 512 are formed in the front and rear (and right and left) sides on the back side of the bottom plate 511 of the cassette base 510, and the rear end of the bottom plate 511 is bent upward. Thus, a tongue piece 513 having elasticity is formed. The protrusions 512 and 512 are respectively engaged with the front side and the rear side of the shelf 602 of the cassette shelf 600, and the tongue piece 513 is pressed by the clamp 604 provided at the rear end of the shelf 602. The tablet cassette 500 is detachably fixed on the shelf plate 602 of the cassette shelf 600. Thereby, even if it is the tablet cassette 500 from which a width dimension differs, it comes to be able to arrange | position in arbitrary positions in the width direction.

  The cassette main body 520 further includes a main body upper portion 530 capable of stacking a plurality of PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... In a horizontal direction, and a main body attached to the cassette base 510 at the lower portion of the main body upper portion 530. It consists of a lower part 540.

  The main body lower part 540 is disposed in the state where the cassette main body 520 is assembled to the cassette base 510 and is buried in the left and right lower side walls 516 and 517 of the cassette base 510. As shown in FIG. 3, the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900 stacked in a set on the bottom of the main body upper part 530 and immediately above the main body 530 are sequentially taken out in a long housing having a concave cross section. An extrusion mechanism (corresponding to a sheet extrusion mechanism) 550 is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5 (a) and 5 (b), the push-out mechanism 550 is a first slidably attached in the front-rear direction at the upper stage portion of the right wall 541 of the main body lower portion 540. A sliding member 5501, a fixing member 5502 fixed in the front-rear direction at the lower part of the left wall 542, and a second sliding member 5503 slidably provided in the front-rear direction between the left and right walls 541, 542 And a third slide member 5504 that is fixed to the right side of the second slide member 5503 and slides together with the second slide member 5503, and is engaged with a rack 5505 formed on the lower surface of the first slide member 5501. The pinion 5506 and the second pinion 550 engaged with the rack 5507 formed on the upper surface of the third slide member 5504 Bets are fixed coaxially. The third slide member 5504 is locked to the main body lower part 540 via the first spring 5504a.

  When the first slide member 5501 is pressed backward (A direction in FIG. 4), the first pinion 5506 engaged with the rack 5505 is rotated about the horizontal axis (B direction in FIG. 4). At the same time, the second pinion 5508 is rotated in the same direction, and the third slide member 5504 having a rack 5507 meshed with the second pinion 5508 faces forward against the elastic biasing force of the first spring 5504a (in FIG. (C direction). The sliding speed at this time is increased at a gear ratio between the first and second pinions 5506 and 5508.

  In addition, a front roller 5509 and a rear roller 5510 each having external teeth are attached to the front and rear of the second slide member 5503 so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis. Between both rollers 5509 and 5510, a rubber belt 5511 formed with internal teeth is wound in an endless track shape and meshed with both rollers 5509 and 5510, respectively. The lower end portion of the vertical intermediate member 5512 is brought into contact with the intermediate portion of the rubber belt 5511 so as to be moved in the front-rear direction together with the rubber belt 5511. A third pinion 5513 is attached coaxially with the rear roller 5510, and the third pinion 5513 is meshed with a rack 5514 formed on the side surface of the fixing member 5502.

  When the second slide member 5503 is slid in the C direction, the third pinion 5513 engaged with the rack 5514 of the fixing member 5502 is rotated around the vertical axis (D direction in FIG. 4), and the rear When the roller 5510 is rotated in the same direction and the front roller 5509 is further rotated in the same direction via the rubber belt 5511, the intermediate member 5512 fixed to the rubber belt 5511 is slid forward (E direction in FIG. 4). It is like that.

  Further, an extruding member 5515 for extruding the PTP tablet sheet 900 stacked at the bottom is elastically biased by a second spring 5516 and can be raised and lowered in the front-rear direction at the upper end portion of the intermediate member 5512. The intermediate member 5512 is slid in the E direction. The sliding speed at this time is further increased by the ratio of the number of teeth between the third pinion 5513 and the rear roller 5510.

  As a result, when the first slide member 5501 is pushed into the main body lower part 540 by the pusher 440 of the take-out unit 400, the PTP tablet sheet 900 is moved to the main body by the pushing member 5515 that moves at a speed two to three times the pushing speed. It is pushed out to the vicinity of the front end of the lower part 540.

  More specifically, the pushing member 5515 is pivotally supported around a horizontal axis 5512b in the vicinity of the front end of the fourth slide member 5512a formed on the upper end side of the intermediate member 5512, and the fourth slide member 5512a is supported. The second slide member 5503 is slidably fitted into a groove portion 5503a formed in the front-rear direction. A lower portion of the pushing member 5515 extends slightly below the horizontal shaft 5512b, and a second spring 5516 is locked in a tension state between the lower portion of the pushing member 5515 and the second slide member 5503. .

  Due to the elastic biasing force of the second spring 5516, the pushing member 5515 moves from the rearmost part (see FIG. 5A) to the foremost part (see FIG. 5B) while maintaining the standing state. Thus, the pushing member 5515 pushes the PTP tablet sheet 900, 900 forward from the main body upper part 530 of the tablet cassette 500.

  Then, the dispensing plates 430 and 430 of the take-out unit 400 receive the pushed-out PTP tablet sheets 900 and 900 together with the pushers 440 and 440 and return to the original positions. Accordingly, the second slide member 5503 is elastically restored by the presence of the first spring 5504a of the third slide member 5504, and the pushing member 5515 is also restored to the original rearmost part. At the time of the return, the pushing member 5515 is pulled back through the lower part of the next set of PTP tablet sheets 900 and 900 to be in a standby state. At this time, the pushing member 5515 is guided by the pressing member 5518 provided at the rear end of the main body lower part 540 and is in a lying state.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the main body upper part 530 is arranged so as to protrude above the left and right lower side walls 516 and 517 of the cassette base 510 from the middle part to the front part when the cassette main body 520 is assembled to the cassette base 510. The left and right side walls 5311 and 5312 that protrude from each other are bent inward at the front end so as to face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween, so that the front wall 531 is formed. Is forming. The upper ends of the left and right side walls 5311 and 5312 are connected to each other by a reinforcing plate 532.

  The front wall 531 is provided with a partition member 5313 capable of adjusting the position in the vertical direction, and loaded on a bottom plate (corresponding to a reference surface) 5301 of the upper body 530 by adjusting the position of the partition member 5313. The number of PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... Taken out to the outside can be regulated, for example, every two sets.

  The left and right side walls 5311 and 5312 are partially cut away from the rear ends toward the front, and the left side wall 5311 is cut out larger than the right side wall 5312. For this reason, the main body upper portion 530 is slid in the front-rear direction of the tablet cassette 500 and pulled out rearward, and the PTP tablet sheet 900 is carried in from the notched portion of the left side wall 5311 of the main body upper portion 530 so that the left side wall 5311 By guiding, the PTP tablet sheet 900 can be easily filled into the upper part 530 of the main body of the tablet cassette 500.

  Further, when the main body upper portion 530 of the tablet cassette 500 is slid and returned to the front position, the left and right lower side walls 516 of the cassette base 510 are covered so as to cover the notched portions of the left and right side walls 5311 and 5312. The left and right upper side walls 516a and 517a are formed by extending 517 upward. Thus, after the PTP tablet sheet 900 is filled in the main body upper portion 530 of the tablet cassette 500 and then the main body upper portion 530 is slid and returned to the front, the posture of the PTP tablet sheet 900 is aligned with the left and right upper side walls 516a and 517a. It is like that. The fact that the main body upper portion 530 is slid and returned to the front position means that a spring piece 5517 having a U-shape in a side view is inserted into an engagement hole 5302 provided at a predetermined position on the bottom plate 5301 of the main body upper portion 530. It can be confirmed by fitting.

  A rod-like member 533 is erected on the rear part of the upper body 530 so as to be able to rise and fall. When the PTP tablet sheets 900 are filled, the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900 are placed between the front walls 531. In this state, the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... Are aligned by raising the rod-like member 533. The state at this time is as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the configuration of the take-out unit 400.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the take-out unit 400 has Z carriages 411 and 411 extending forward (Z direction in FIG. 1) from the carriage body 310 (the front side is not shown in FIG. 1). And dispensing plates 430, 430 arranged to be movable back and forth between the Z carriages 411, 411, and pushers 440, 440 arranged on the side of the dispensing plates 430, 430 facing the tablet cassette 500. ing.

  The advancing and retreating operations of the payout plates 430 and 430 are performed by rotationally driving a ball screw (not shown) by the servo motor 420, and the opening and closing operation is performed by the stepping motor 434 via the gear train 435 and the rotation shafts 437 and 437. It is configured to perform by rotating inwardly with respect to each other. A primary bucket 450 is provided below the payout plates 430 and 430, and a secondary bucket 480 with a shutter 470 is further provided below the primary bucket 450.

  Hereinafter, the dispensing operation of the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... From the tablet cassette 500 by the dispensing device 1 will be schematically described. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... Loaded in the tablet cassette 500, where (a) is a view when the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,. A side sectional view showing a state, (b) is a side sectional view showing a state when extruding PTP tablet sheets 900, 900, ... of (a).

  Now, as shown in FIG. 7A, two PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... Are set in the tablet cassette 500 so that the pockets 920, 920,. (It is in a state where it is taken out from a commercially available box, and between the upper and lower PTP tablet sheets 900, 900, the ears 930, 930 are reversed in the front-rear direction and in the opposite directions). In addition, it is assumed that the pushing member 5515 stands and comes into contact with the rear end of the PTP tablet sheet 900 at the lowest position.

  At this time, it is assumed that the take-out unit 400 is in a position facing the front side of the tablet cassette 500, and the payout plates 430 and 430 are in a horizontal posture together with the pushers 440 and 440.

  First, by driving the servo motor 420 of the take-out unit 400, the dispensing plates 430 and 430 are moved toward the front side of the tablet cassette 500. Eventually, one of the pushers 440 and 440 of the dispensing plates 430 and 430 directly presses the first slide member 5501 of the tablet cassette 500. Then, with the action of the pushing mechanism 550, the pushing member 5515 in FIG. 7A moves forward, and the pushing member 5515 in FIG.

  That is, when the first slide member 5501 is pressed backward, the first pinion 5506 meshed with the rack 5505 is rotated around the horizontal axis, and the second pinion 5508 is rotated in the same direction. A third slide member 5504 having a rack 5507 engaged with the pinion 5508 is slid forward against the elastic biasing force of the first spring 5504a.

  Then, the second slide member 5503 fixed to the third slide member 5504 is also slid forward. The third pinion 5513 engaged with the rack 5514 of the fixing member 5502 is rotated about the vertical axis, the rear roller 5510 is rotated in the same direction, and the front roller 5509 is further rotated in the same direction via the rubber belt 5511. . Then, the intermediate member 5512 fixed to the rubber belt 5511 is slid forward.

  The pushing member 5515 is slid forwardly together with the intermediate member 5512 in a state in which the pushing member 5515 is elastically biased by the second spring 5516 and can be raised and lowered in the front-rear direction, and the rearmost part (FIG. 5) is maintained while maintaining this standing state. (See (a)) to the forefront (see FIG. 5 (b)). At this time, the pushing member 5515 pushes the PTP tablet sheets 900 and 900 forward from the main body upper part 530 of the tablet cassette 500.

  Then, the discharge plates 430 and 430 of the take-out unit 400 receive the pushed PTP tablet sheets 900 and 900 together with the pushers 440 and 440 and return to the original positions. Due to the presence of the spring 5504a, the second slide member 5503 is elastically restored, and the pushing member 5515 is also restored to the last part. At the time of the return, the pushing member 5515 is pulled back through the lower set of the next PTP tablet sheets 900 and 900 to be in the standby state.

  Each PTP tablet sheet 900, 900,... Has a plurality of pockets 920, 920,... Arranged in the sheet width direction, and between the upper and lower PTP tablet sheets 900, 900 that are set as described above. The pockets 920 and 920 are in contact with each other. Therefore, when the lowermost PTP tablet sheet 900 is pushed out by the extruding member 5515, the uppermost PTP tablet sheet 900 that is a set with the lowermost PTP tablet sheet 900 is also pushed out at the same time.

  However, since the upper PTP tablet sheet 900 comes into contact with the partition member 5313 of the front wall 531 of the tablet cassette 500 and stays in the upper portion 530 of the main body of the tablet cassette 500, the extrusion member 5515 pushes it out. From the lowest position, there are only two PTP tablet sheets 900, 900.

  Then, the two PTP tablet sheets 900 and 900 pushed out by the extruding member 5515 drop by gravity on the dispensing plates 430 and 430 of the take-out unit 400. In this manner, the PTP tablet sheets 900 and 900 can be dispensed by the take-out unit 400 and taken out from the tablet cassette 500.

  Next, when the stepping motor 434 is driven to rotate the payout plates 430 and 430 in opposite directions around the rotation shafts 437 and 437 and open downward, the PTP tablet sheets 900 and 900 taken out from the tablet cassette 500 are opened. Can be dropped 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 sheets 900 and 900 are dropped into the secondary bucket 480. Next, the bottom shutter 470 of the secondary bucket 480 is opened, and the PTP tablet sheets 900 and 900 are dropped onto the transport conveyor unit 800.

  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 sheets 900 and 900 dropped from the secondary bucket 480 via the shutter 470 are moved in the front / rear and left / right directions by a roller group 801 and so on, and dropped into one of the tablet takeout buckets 802 and 802. It has become.

  The PTP tablet sheets 900 and 900 that have fallen into one of the tablet take-out buckets 802 and 802 are further moved to a predetermined position while being stored in the tablet take-out buckets 802 and 802, and are discharged from there. It has become.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the PTP tablet sheets 900 and 900 face each other on the bottom plate 5301 of the main body upper portion 530 of the tablet cassette 500 in a state where the pockets 920 and 920 do not overlap each other. Since the PTP tablet sheets 900 and 900 are stacked and stacked as a set, the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... Are transferred to the tablet cassette 500 from the box. The operation | work which aligns the direction of 900,900, ... is unnecessary, and the filling workability | operativity of a sheet | seat is good.

  Further, since the gap between the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900 constituting the set is reduced, the number of stored tablet sheets in the tablet cassette 500 is increased accordingly. Therefore, it is not necessary to frequently fill the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... Into the tablet cassette 500, and the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,. .. Is less interrupted for filling the tablet cassette 500.

  Further, of the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900 loaded in sets of two, the odd number setting position (here, 1) counted from the lowest position on the bottom plate 5301 of the upper body 530 of the tablet cassette 500. Since the tablet cassette 500 is provided with the pushing member 5515 for simultaneously extruding the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... Up to the first sheet)), the even number which is one more than the odd-numbered PTP tablet sheet 900 Up to the third tablet sheet 900 is simultaneously extruded by the extruding member 5515. Therefore, the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... Are removed from the tablet cassette 500 as compared to the case where the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,. The payout speed increases. For this reason, even when a prescription with a large number of sheets is applied, the time required for the payout operation can be greatly reduced.

  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 this case, it is preferable from the viewpoint of work efficiency that the number of carriages, take-out units, etc. correspond to this.

  Further, when two or more cassette shelves are arranged, a part of the PTP tablet sheets may be taken out from the tablet cassette one by one like a conventional dispensing device. In that case, you may make it perform what is called a fraction process which cuts a PTP tablet sheet | seat into the predetermined number of tablets with a cutting unit, and dispenses it.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the one taking-out unit 400 is moved to the several tablet cassette 500, and PTP tablet sheet is paid out from the said tablet cassette 500, each tablet cassette and taking-out unit are made into. A one-to-one correspondence may be provided. In that case, the configuration of the take-out unit can be simplified.

  In the above embodiment, each PTP tablet sheet 900, 900,... Is dispensed from the tablet cassette 500 in units of two sets, but may be dispensed in units of multiples of this set. For this purpose, it is preferable that the height of the pushing member 5515 on the bottom plate 5301 can be adjusted. Specifically, several extruding members with different heights are prepared, and one according to the content of the prescription is appropriately selected from them, or the extruding member is configured to be stretchable in the height direction. It is enough to keep it. This makes it possible to dispense the optimal number of PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... From the tablet cassette 500 according to the content of the prescription.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the rubber belt & roller system is used for the extrusion mechanism 550 in addition to the rack & pinion system, it is good also as having the same function only using a rack & pinion system. In that case, a simpler and cheaper configuration can be obtained.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the PTP tablet sheet | seat 900,900, ... of a horizontal orientation is made into a set of 2 sheets each, and the thing stacked and stored in the up-down direction is illustrated in the tablet cassette 500, The scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this, and the tablet cassette may be one in which PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... .

  In the above embodiment, the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... Are so-called ear sheets each having an ear 930, but a part or all of them are so-called ears without the ear 930. There may be no sheet. Even in that case, since the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... Can be packed in the tablet cassette 500 almost without gaps, as in the case of the sheet with ears, the tablet cassette 500 can be downsized. In addition, since the take-out time for each set of PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,... In the take-out unit 400 is substantially constant, the take-out operation is facilitated, and the PTP tablet sheets 900, 900,. Increases speed.

  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 take-out unit 400 relative to the PTP tablet cassettes 500, 500,... Mounted on the rotating shelf.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dispensing apparatus 100 Apparatus main body 400 Taking-out unit 430 Discharge board 440 Pusher 500 Tablet cassette 530 Main body upper part 5301 Bottom plate (equivalent to a reference surface)
540 Main body lower part 550 Extrusion mechanism (corresponding to a sheet extrusion mechanism)
5501 First slide member 5515 Extrusion member 800 Conveying conveyor unit 900 PTP tablet sheet (corresponding to a tablet sheet)
920 pocket 930 ear

JP-A-4-269960 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-052233

Claims (4)

A tablet cassette capable of storing a tablet sheet in which pockets containing tablets are arranged on one side is provided, and the tablet sheet stored in the tablet cassette is pushed out to the outside in order from the one closest to the reference surface of the tablet cassette. A sheet pushing mechanism of the dispensing device,
In the tablet cassette, by placing the one side of the tablet sheet facing each other in a state where the pockets do not overlap each other, the tablet sheets are stored in sets of two,
The tablet cassette is provided with an extruding member that simultaneously pushes out the tablet sheets located at odd numbered positions counted from the one closest to the reference surface among the tablet sheets stored as a set of two sheets. A sheet extrusion mechanism for a dispensing device.   The sheet pushing mechanism of the dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the pushing member is adjustable in distance from the reference surface to the tip of the pushing member. A tablet cassette capable of stacking tablet sheets in which pockets containing tablets are arranged on one side is provided, and the tablet sheets stacked in the tablet cassette are pushed out to the outside in order from the lowest position in the tablet cassette. A sheet pushing mechanism of a dispensing device configured as described above,
In the tablet cassette, by placing one side of the tablet sheet facing each other in a state where the pockets do not overlap each other, the tablet sheets are loaded in sets of two,
The tablet cassette is provided with an extrusion member that simultaneously pushes out the tablet sheets in the odd numbered setting position counted from the lowest position in the tablet cassette among the tablet sheets loaded in sets of two. A sheet extrusion mechanism for a dispensing device.   The sheet push-out mechanism of the dispensing device according to claim 3, wherein the pushing member is adjustable in height on a bottom plate of the tablet cassette.

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