JP2011037488A - Water agent dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water dispenser which can measure the amount of water without being affected by entering of air and regardless of the injected amount of water. <P>SOLUTION: The water dispenser includes medicinal solution selectively injecting mechanisms 21-26 for holding various medicinal solution bottles 30 and selectively injecting optional one of the medicinal solutions therefrom into a dispensing bottle 20, and a control device 40 serving as a measuring means for calculating the injection amount by imaging the dispensing bottle 30 by an imaging device 36 and detecting a liquid surface 30a based on the image data 41. The water dispenser also includes a dispensing bottle elevating mechanism 31 for elevating the dispensing bottle 30 and an imaging device elevating mechanism 35 for elevating the imaging device 36. The elevating position is reflected directly or indirectly to the calculation of the injection amount. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid medicine dispenser that holds various liquid medicine bottles (liquid medicine bottles), selects an arbitrary liquid medicine (liquid medicine) from among them, and injects it into a prescription bottle (application bottle, prescription bottle). Specifically, the present invention relates to a technique for measuring the injection amount of a liquid agent.

A liquid medicine packaging machine has been put into practical use, in which a pump and a nozzle are arranged in a liquid medicine (liquid medicine) flow path and the liquid medicine is packaged at a single dose (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this liquid medicine packaging machine, the injection amount of liquid medicine is measured based on the volume of the pump.
In the case of a liquid dispenser that holds various liquid bottles (liquid bottles) and selects an arbitrary liquid from them and injects them into the prescription bottles (application bottles, prescription bottles). Since a path is formed and a pump and a nozzle are arranged in each flow path, the amount of liquid injected can be measured by the pump volume.
When injecting (dispensing) into a prescription bottle, for example, it is possible to measure the height to the liquid level by sending ultrasonic waves from the bottom to the bottom of the bottle and calculate the injection amount of the liquid based on the liquid level position. is there.

JP-A-8-258812

However, when measuring with the pump volume, since the measurement value becomes inaccurate if air is mixed in, it is necessary to handle it carefully when replacing the liquid agent bottle or filling the liquid agent bottle.
In addition, when measuring the liquid level with the up and down reciprocation time of ultrasonic waves, if the liquid level is low, the echoes of the bottle bottom and the liquid level overlap and it is difficult to separate, so there are difficulties in measurement when injecting a small amount. It may be difficult to use in a mixed injection in which a small amount of liquid is injected and mixed in a medication bottle.
Therefore, it is a technical problem to realize a liquid medicine dispenser that can be metered without being bothered by air mixing or a large amount of injection.

  The liquid medicine dispenser of the present invention (Solution 1) was created in order to solve such a problem. Various liquid medicine bottles are held and an arbitrary liquid medicine is selected from them. The liquid medicine selective injection mechanism for injecting into the prescription bottle and the measuring means for taking the prescription bottle from the side with an imaging device and detecting the liquid level from the image data to calculate the injection amount are provided.

  The liquid medicine dispenser of the present invention is (solution means 2), which is the liquid medicine dispenser of the above-mentioned solution means 1, and includes a prescription bottle raising / lowering mechanism for raising and lowering the prescription bottle, and an image pickup for raising and lowering the imaging device. A device raising / lowering mechanism is provided, and the measuring means calculates the injection amount based on the raising / lowering position of the prescription bottle, the raising / lowering position of the imaging device, and the position in the image of the detection liquid surface. Features.

  Furthermore, the liquid medicine dispenser of the present invention is (solution means 3), the liquid medicine dispenser of the above-mentioned solution means 1, provided with an imaging device lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the imaging device, and the weighing means, The bottom surface of the prescription bottle is also detected from the image data, and the injection amount is calculated based on the height difference between the detection bottom surface and the detection liquid surface.

  Further, the liquid medicine dispenser of the present invention (solution means 4) is the liquid medicine dispenser of the above-mentioned solution means 1, provided with an imaging device lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the imaging device, and imaging the prescription bottle When the liquid level is detected based on the image data, the imaging apparatus is controlled to move up and down so that the position in the image of the detection liquid level comes to a position where the imaging direction of the imaging apparatus is horizontal in the image data. It is characterized by being.

  Further, the liquid medicine dispenser of the present invention (Solution means 5) is the liquid medicine dispenser of the above solution means 1 to 4, and the image data is recorded together with the data of the selected liquid agent and the data of the injection amount. It is designed to do this.

In such a liquid medicine dispenser of the present invention (Solution 1), when injecting a liquid into a prescription bottle, the prescription bottle is taken with an imaging device, and the liquid level is detected from the image data for injection. An amount is calculated. In this way, when the injection amount is calculated based on the detection of the liquid level of the prescription bottle, even if air is mixed into the liquid agent in the flow path or the like, the air is removed after the injection and the liquid level position is not affected. An accurate injection amount can be obtained regardless of the presence or absence of contamination. Moreover, the detection of the liquid level, and hence the height position of the liquid level, is performed based on imaging from the side of the bottle and image processing, but this detection is also based on experience when humans visually examined the liquid level position. As can be seen, it can be done with the same degree of ease and accuracy whether the liquid in the medication bottle is large or small.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a liquid medicine dispenser that can be metered without being bothered by air mixing or a large amount of injection.

  Further, in the liquid medicine dispenser of the present invention (Solution means 2), since the injection amount is calculated based on the elevation position of the prescription bottle, the elevation position of the imaging device, and the position in the image of the detection liquid level, Once the lift position is determined, the measurement can be continued quickly thereafter.

  Furthermore, in the liquid medicine dispenser of the present invention (solution 3), the liquid level and the bottom of the bottle are obtained from the image data, and the injection amount is calculated based on the height difference between the detection bottom and the detection liquid level. By doing so, there is no inconvenience as far as raising and lowering, even if the absolute position is not highly accurate, as long as the accuracy of the relative position is high, the burden of processing and adjustment of the lifting mechanism is reduced.

  In the liquid medicine dispenser of the present invention (solution 4), the imaging device moves up and down at the time of detecting the liquid level, and the liquid level is always taken from the horizontal direction, that is, from the side. Since distortion and disturbance occurring in the image of the portion can be minimized, the liquid level detection accuracy and thus the injection amount calculation accuracy can be improved.

  Further, in the liquid medicine dispenser of the present invention (Solution means 5), when recording the data of the selected liquid or the data of the injection amount as a dispensing record, the image data is also recorded together with them, The dispensing contents can be automatically totaled, and the dispensing operation of the apparatus can be verified easily and accurately using vision.

About Example 1 of this invention, the structure of a liquid medicine dispenser is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a front view of the place which removed the front panel, (c) is a front view of an imaging part, ( d) is an example of image data. It is a functional block diagram of a control device.

About the liquid medicine dispenser of such this invention, the specific form for implementing this is demonstrated by the following Example 1. FIG.
The embodiment 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 embodies all the above-described solving means 1 to 5 (claims 1 to 5 at the beginning of the application).
For illustration purposes, for the sake of simplicity, details such as fasteners such as bolts, couplings such as hinges, transmission members such as timing belts, electric circuits such as motor drivers, 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.

  About the Example 1 of the liquid medicine dispenser of this invention, the specific structure is demonstrated referring drawings. 1A is a front external view of the liquid medicine dispenser 10, FIG. 1B is a front view of the liquid medicine dispenser 10 with the front panel removed, and FIG. 1C is a front view of an imaging portion. ) Is an example of the image data 41. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the control device 40.

The liquid medicine dispenser 10 (see FIG. 1 (a)) is housed in a casing about the height of a person, and an operation panel 11 is externally mounted on the front surface so that it is easy to see and operate. A viewing window 12 for visually confirming the state and a bottle inlet / outlet 13 for taking in and out the prescription bottle 30 are also provided.
In the case (see FIG. 1B), the drug solution selective injection mechanisms 21 to 26, the prescription bottle lifting mechanism 31, the imaging device lifting mechanism 35, the imaging device 36, the control device 40, a power source and a nozzle cleaning mechanism (not shown) And are equipped. The printer 14 may be internal or external (see FIG. 2).
Although the liquid medicine bottle 20 and the prescription bottle 30 are also placed in the casing (see FIG. 1B), they are consumables used when the apparatus is operating, and are not a part of the apparatus.

  The medicinal liquid selective injection mechanisms 21 to 26 hold various liquid medicine bottles 20, select an arbitrary liquid medicine (liquid medicine) from them, and inject them into the prescription bottle 30. A rotating shaft 21 that is positioned in the center and is supported so as to be rotatable in a vertical posture, a motor 22 that drives the rotation of the rotating shaft 21, and a tray for the liquid medicine bottle 20 are arranged in a row on the upper peripheral edge. The rotating shaft 21 is mounted on the rotating shaft 21 in a state where the shaft center is overlapped with the mounted horizontal rotating table 23 and the plurality of nozzles 24 arranged on the lower peripheral edge of the horizontal rotating plate 25 mounted on the rotating shaft 21. And a plurality of pumps 26 arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the mounted rotary cylinder.

  The nozzle 24, the pump 26, and the liquid medicine bottle 20 correspond to each other in a pair, one by one, and the same pair is connected by a flexible tube. A flow path leading to the nozzle 24 via the nozzle 26 is formed for each agent type. Therefore, when the pump 26 is operated, the liquid agent is sucked out from the same set of liquid agent bottles 20 and the liquid agent is again poured from the same set of nozzles 24, but the liquid agent must not flow down, Since only the nozzle 24 that comes directly above the chemical injection position 24a to which the injection destination prescription bottle 30 is to be injected at the time of injection can perform the chemical injection operation, the rotating shaft 21 is rotated and the nozzle 24 is used together. Both the pump 26 and the liquid agent bottle 20 are circulated and moved to select a desired liquid agent, and the injection operation is performed only for that group.

  The prescription bottle raising / lowering mechanism 31 (see FIGS. 1B and 1C) lowers the prescription bottle 30 to the inside of the bottle inlet / outlet 13 when the prescription bottle 30 is taken in and out, while the prescription bottle 30 is placed at the chemical injection position at the time of liquid injection. For this purpose, for example, a ball screw mechanism vertically supported at a corner in a casing having a vacant space, and a medicine bottle extending from the vertically moving part to a position below the medicinal solution injection position 24a For example, an arm-shaped prescription bottle mounting portion 32 that holds 30 in a mounted state, and a motor (not shown) that moves up and down according to the control of the control device 40 are provided.

  The imaging device lifting mechanism 35 (see FIGS. 1 (b) and 1 (c)) can be used even when the tallest prescription bottle 30 rises directly below the liquid injection position 24a and assumes an injection liquid receiving state. The imaging device 36 is moved up and down so that the prescription bottle 30 can be imaged horizontally from top to bottom. For this purpose, for example, a ball screw mechanism vertically supported at a corner in a housing with an empty space, and its vertical movement For example, an arm-shaped imaging device support unit that extends from the unit to the imaging position and supports the imaging device 36, and a motor (not shown) that drives up and down according to the control of the control device 40 are provided.

The imaging device 36 is easy to use a CCD camera, and when the prescription bottle 30 is taken from the side (see FIG. 1C), the image data 41 includes the entire width of the prescription bottle 30 and the entire liquid surface 30a. Can be taken (see FIG. 1D).
The control device 40 (see FIG. 2) is composed of a programmable microprocessor system, a sequencer, and the like, and controls the operation of each mechanism described above according to the control program. The liquid surface 30a is detected from the image data 41 and injected. A calculation program for calculating the quantity E is also installed, and constitutes a measuring means together with the imaging device 36.

  More specifically, the data memory of the control device 40 has a storage area for holding the image data 41 and a work area necessary for the image processing. The image data 41 is taken in from the imaging device 36 as needed. , Updated to the latest images. In the program memory of the control device 40, the liquid level detection means 42, the deviation amount detection means 43, the imaging device elevation control means 44, the injection amount calculation means 45, the injection control means 46, and the operation which are all embodied by the program are operated. Recording means 47 and bottle label printing means 48 are installed.

The liquid level detection means 42 specifies the liquid level 30a from the image data 41 by line segment detection and obtains the liquid level position B in the image. The line segment detection may be an application of a known image processing method such as pattern matching or feature extraction, or may be an originally improved one. The bottom surface position of the prescription bottle 30 which is still empty before the liquid injection is obtained in the same manner.
The deviation amount detection means 43 is based on the height position at which the image taken from the imaging device 36 in the horizontal direction, that is, in the horizontal direction, appears in the image of the image data 41, and the reference position and the liquid level position B in the image. The difference is calculated as a liquid level deviation amount C. The liquid level deviation amount C is a numerical value indicating how much the liquid level position B in the image is deviated with respect to the height direction from the reference position.

The image pickup apparatus elevation control means 44 indicates, for example, the height of the lens center position of the image pickup apparatus 36 or the height of the lower end of the image taken by the image pickup apparatus 36 by a numerical image pickup position D, and depending on the selected and set operation mode. During liquid injection or liquid level detection, the image pickup device lifting mechanism 35 is controlled to raise and lower the image pickup device 36 so that the liquid level deviation amount C becomes zero at any time.
The operation mode includes a fixed position imaging mode in which the imaging device 36 is stopped without being raised and lowered during the liquid level detection, and a liquid level tracking imaging in which the imaging device 36 is raised and lowered so as to eliminate the liquid level deviation amount C at any time during the liquid level detection. There is an automatic selection imaging mode that uses both modes depending on the mode and the dispensing content, and a typical example of the automatic selection imaging mode is a fixed position imaging mode with simple liquid injection, otherwise, for example, In the case of a simple or small amount or mixed injection, the liquid level tracking imaging mode is set.

  The injection amount calculation means 45 receives the prescription bottle position A from the injection control means 46 that controls the prescription bottle lifting mechanism 31, for example, immediately before the start of injection, and the liquid level detection means 42 also detects from the image data 41 before the start of injection. The bottom position of the prescription bottle 30 that has been received is received, and the liquid level position B in the image, the liquid level deviation C, and the imaging position D described above are obtained from each means 42 to 44 at any time during liquid injection or liquid level detection. Then, the difference in height from the bottom surface of the prescription bottle 30 to the liquid level 30a is calculated, and the injection amount E at each time point is calculated by multiplying it by the cross-sectional area of the prescription bottle 30. Note that the cross-sectional area of the prescription bottle 30 can be set from the operation panel 11, may be set by dispensing instruction data, or may be automatically set by detecting the inner diameter of the prescription bottle 30 from the image of the image data 41.

Furthermore, the injection amount calculation means 45 incorporates two injection amount calculation formulas for calculating the injection amount E, and which one is used can be selected in advance on the operation panel 11 or the like.
The first injection amount calculation formula is as follows: a prescription bottle position A that is the raising / lowering position of the prescription bottle 30; an imaging position D that is the raising / lowering position of the imaging device 36; and an in-image liquid level position that is an in-image position of the detection liquid level. The injection amount E is calculated on the basis of B, and is specifically determined by the mechanical dimensions of each mechanism.
The second injection amount calculation formula calculates the injection amount E based on the height difference between the detected bottom surface position of the prescription bottle 30 obtained from the image data 41 and the liquid level position B in the image.
In any case, every time the injection amount E is calculated in the fixed position imaging mode, it is sent to the injection control means 46. However, in the liquid level tracking imaging mode, only when the liquid level deviation amount C is zero, that is, the imaging device 36 is in the liquid level. The injection amount E is delivered only when 30a is taken from the side.

  When dispensing instruction data is given from the operation panel 11 or a communication unit (not shown), the injection control means 46 selects a liquid according to it and controls the prescription bottle lifting mechanism 31 to place the prescription bottle 30 in the liquid injection position 24a. The selective liquid agent is injected into the prescription bottle 30 by controlling the motor 22 and the pump 26 to cause the selective liquid injection mechanism 21 to 26 to switch the nozzle 24 immediately above the chemical injection position 24a and inject the liquid agent. Let If there is only one type of liquid selected in accordance with the dispensing instruction data, the injection is finished immediately after the injection amount E reaches the specified value, and the nozzle 24 at the chemical liquid injection position 24a is cleaned. If so, the series of processes described above, that is, nozzle switching, liquid injection, and nozzle cleaning are repeated for each agent type.

Further, in the liquid level tracking imaging mode, since the calculated injection amount E can be received only when the liquid level deviation amount C is zero, when the reception time interval of the injection amount E becomes wide or the injection amount E approaches the indicated value, In order to avoid excessive injection, the pump 26 is controlled to decrease the injection speed. In the fixed position imaging mode, this may or may not be performed. In this embodiment, the quick processing is given priority and is not performed.
Instead of or in addition to such injection rate adjustment, the injection control means 46 may directly monitor the liquid level deviation amount C and adjust the injection rate based on the liquid level deviation amount C. For example, the injection speed may be decreased when the liquid level deviation amount C is large, and the injection speed may be increased when the liquid level deviation amount C is small. However, the injection speed is decreased when the injection amount E approaches the indicated value. Is good.

  Further, since the injection control means 46 sends the operation data of the pump 26 and the liquid agent data to the operation recording means 47 every time such a liquid agent injection operation is performed, the operation recording means 47 records the image data 41 together with those data. It has become. In addition, since the injection control means 46 sends data such as a patient name and a medicine name list to the bottle label printing means 48 after completion of liquid injection, the bottle label printing means 48 sends these data to the printer 14 to the prescription bottle 30. It is designed to be printed on a sticker label.

As the prescription bottle 30, a transparent plastic bottle is easy to use, but if only translucent or opaque can be used due to liquid resistance, etc., illumination other than visible light and an imaging device therefor are optional. It can be equipped.
In addition, when identification information such as a barcode is attached to the prescription bottle 30 and the dispensing instruction sheet and read with a reader, dispensing instruction data is automatically set and whether dispensing is possible is checked. It can be equipped as an option.

  About the liquid medicine dispenser 10 of this Example 1, the use aspect and operation | movement are demonstrated.

When the prescription bottle 30 is put into the liquid medicine dispenser 10 from the bottle inlet / outlet 13 and placed on the prescription bottle mounting portion 32, and dispensing instruction data is given to the control device 40 by operating the operation panel 11 or the like, After that, dispensing is performed automatically.
That is, first, an empty prescription bottle 30 is sent to a position just below the chemical liquid injection position 24a by the prescription bottle raising / lowering mechanism 31 to prepare for receiving the liquid injection, and the prescription bottle position A calculates the injection amount from the injection control means 46. The means 45 is notified. Further, the imaging device 36 is sent to the imaging position beside the prescription bottle 30 by the imaging device lifting mechanism 35 to take an empty prescription bottle 30 from the side, and based on the image data 41, the bottom surface of the prescription bottle 30 is removed by the control device 40. Detected.

  Furthermore, in parallel with them, in the chemical liquid selective injection mechanisms 21 to 26, the rotary shaft 21 rotates, and the nozzle 24 of the group of liquid medicine bottles 20 containing the first selective liquid agent is directly above the chemical liquid injection position 24a. I come to. Then, the pumps 26 of the set are operated, the liquid agent is sucked up from the corresponding liquid agent bottle 20, and the liquid agent flows down from the nozzle 24. In this way, liquid agent injection into the prescription bottle 30 is performed. In addition, during the liquid injection, the prescription bottle 30 is taken by the imaging device 36 at any time, and the liquid level is detected and the injection amount is calculated by the control device 40 based on the image data 41.

  More specifically, if the operation mode at that time is the fixed position imaging mode, the liquid level is detected at a relatively high speed while the imaging device 36 is stopped. If the operation mode at that time is the liquid level tracking imaging mode, the liquid level is detected. The liquid level is detected with relatively high accuracy while raising and lowering the imaging device 36 so as to eliminate the surface deviation amount C. Specifically, every time the image data 41 is updated, the liquid level position B in the image is obtained by the liquid level detecting means 42, the liquid level deviation amount C is obtained by the deviation amount detecting means 43, and the imaging apparatus elevation control means. The imaging position D is obtained by 44. Then, based on the prescription bottle position A, the liquid level position B in the image, the liquid level deviation amount C, and the imaging position D, the injection amount calculating means 45 uses any one of the first and second injection amount calculation formulas described above. An injection amount E into the prescription bottle 30 is calculated.

  The liquid level detection in the liquid level tracking imaging mode will be described in more detail. Since the imaging device 36 moves up and down so that the liquid level deviation amount C becomes zero, the imaging direction of the imaging device 36 in the image of the image data 41 is horizontal. The liquid level position B in the image of the detection liquid level comes to a position where the liquid level 30a is taken, and therefore the liquid level 30a is always taken from the horizontal direction. Thus, since the imaging of the liquid level 30a is performed from the side, the distortion generated in the partial image of the liquid level 30a is minimized. Further, since the liquid level 30a to be detected is always taken from the same direction in the same way, the image of the liquid level 30a is stabilized, so that the disturbance generated in the partial image of the liquid level 30a is minimized.

Then, when the injection amount E of the liquid selected first based on the dispensing instruction data reaches the instruction amount of the dispensing instruction data, the injection of the liquid into the prescription bottle 30 is finished, and each time by the operation recording means 47 Image data 41 is recorded together with operation data and liquid agent data, and the amount of log data accumulated increases. Then, if an unprocessed liquid injection instruction remains in the dispensing instruction data, the liquid injection process described above is repeated for each agent type.
Thus, when all of the liquid injection instruction in the dispensation instruction data is processed, the prescription bottle 30 in which the liquid injection has been completed is returned to the bottle inlet / outlet 13, and the printer 14 is attached to the label to be attached to the prescription bottle 30. The patient name and drug name list are printed.

[Others]
In the above embodiment, the nozzle cleaning is performed every time the injection of one liquid agent is completed, but the nozzle cleaning may be performed immediately before the injection of the one liquid agent, or the liquid agent injection into one prescription bottle 30 may be performed. This may be performed for a large number of nozzles 24 only before or after, or may be performed either before or after.

10 ... Liquid dispenser,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Operation panel, 12 ... Viewing window, 13 ... Bottle entrance / exit, 14 ... Printer,
20 ... Liquid bottle (chemical solution supply bottle), 21 ... Rotary shaft, 22 ... Motor, 23 ... Rotary table,
24 ... Nozzle, 24a ... Chemical solution injection position, 25 ... Rotary plate, 26 ... Pump,
30 ... Prescription bottle (application bottle), 30a ... Liquid level, 31 ... Prescription bottle lifting mechanism,
32 ... Prescription bottle mounting part, 35 ... Imaging device lifting mechanism, 36 ... Imaging device (camera),
40 ... control device, 41 ... image data, 42 ... liquid level detecting means,
43 ... Deviation amount detection means, 44 ... Imaging device elevation control means, 45 ... Injection amount calculation means,
46 ... injection control means, 47 ... action recording means, 48 ... bottle label printing means,
A: Prescription bottle position, B: Liquid level position in image, C: Liquid level deviation amount, D: Imaging position, E: Injection amount

Claims (5)

  A liquid medicine selective injection mechanism that holds various liquid medicine bottles, selects an arbitrary liquid medicine from the liquid medicine bottles, and injects it into the prescription bottle, and detects the liquid level from the image data by taking the prescription bottle from the side with an imaging device. A liquid medicine dispenser equipped with a weighing means for calculating the injection amount.   A prescription bottle lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the prescription bottle and an imaging device lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the imaging device are provided, and the weighing means is provided for the lifting position of the prescription bottle, the lifting position of the imaging device, and the detection liquid level. The liquid medicine dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the injection amount is calculated based on the position in the image.   An imaging device raising / lowering mechanism for raising and lowering the imaging device is provided, and the weighing means also detects the bottom surface of the prescription bottle from the image data, and calculates the injection amount based on the height difference between the detection bottom surface and the detection liquid surface The liquid medicine dispenser according to claim 1, wherein:   An imaging device raising / lowering mechanism for raising and lowering the imaging device is provided, and when the liquid level is detected based on the imaging of the prescription bottle, the detection liquid level is positioned at a position where the imaging direction of the imaging device is horizontal in the image of the image data. 2. The liquid medicine dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is controlled to move up and down so that the position in the image comes.   The liquid medicine dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the image data is recorded together with the data of the selected liquid agent and the data of the injection amount.

Images