JP2016129620A - Medication assist device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medication assist device which does not impart uneasiness or discomfort to a user when a discharged medicine case is taken out.SOLUTION: A medication assist device 100 includes a case discharge mechanism 120 in an upper end of a case accommodation part 103 accommodating plural medicine cases 90 in a stacked state. The case discharge mechanism 120 includes a push-out body 124 displaced in a direction pushing out a frontmost medicine case 90S positioned to be frontmost among the stacked medicine cases 90. The push-out body 124 includes an overhang body 124b pushing a back face of the frontmost medicine case 90S. The overhang body 124b is constituted by two plate-shaped bodies suspended from an upper face side of the case accommodation part 103 and is formed in a length slightly shorter than a thickness of the frontmost medicine case 90S. The overhang body 124b also suppresses a next-to-frontmost medicine case 90J positioned next to the frontmost medicine case 90S from being fed frontward to the frontmost position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a medication support apparatus for periodically providing medication to a user.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a medication support device has been proposed for regularly providing medication to a user. For example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a medication support device that discharges a medicine case positioned at the bottom to a state that can be taken out by a user every predetermined time while stacking and holding a plurality of medicine cases containing medicines. Has been. In this case, the medication support device discharges the drug case to the outside of the device by a tray discharge mechanism having a handle that hooks the drug case at the bottom of the stacked drug cases.

JP 2003-10288 A

  In this conventional medication support device, it is unclear how the user pulls out the medicine case that is discharged to the outside with the handle hooked, as described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, but the medicine case is safely removed. Even if it can be pulled out, the following problems arise. That is, in the medication support device described in Patent Document 1, the entire medicine case stacked at the moment when the user pulls out the lowest medicine case of the stacked medicine cases is placed on the handle of the tray discharge mechanism by its own weight. Since it falls, the medicine case that has fallen on the handle is inclined. For this reason, the conventional medication support apparatus has a problem in that it appears that an abnormal state such as clogging or catching has occurred in the medicine case through the tray discharge port, which gives the user anxiety or discomfort.

  The present invention has been made to cope with the above problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a medication support apparatus that does not give anxiety or discomfort to the user even if the discharged medicine case is taken out.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized in that a case accommodating portion that accommodates at least two drug cases in which a drug is contained and a drug that is formed and stacked in a plate shape that covers the case accommodating portion. A dosing surface cover having a take-out port for taking out the lead drug case located on one end side of the case, case discharge means for discharging the lead drug case to the take-out port, and lead drug case discharged to the take-out port And a next case movement prevention means for preventing the next medicine case located next to the first medicine case from moving to the first position where the first medicine case is located, and discharging the case when it is time to take the medicine The operation of the means is controlled and the leading medicine case is taken out to the outlet, and the operation of the next case movement preventing means is controlled so that the leading medicine case moves to the leading position. In that a control means for stopping.

  According to the feature of the present invention configured as described above, the medication support device is a next medicine case that is located immediately after the first medicine case by the next case movement prevention means provided behind the first medicine case sent out to the outlet. In order to prevent the first medicine case from being moved to the first position where the first medicine case is located, the next medicine case is not sent to the first position even if the user takes out the first medicine case discharged to the take-out port, and enters the case container. It is possible to prevent the user from feeling uneasy or uncomfortable due to the unnatural posture of the remaining medicine case. In addition, according to this medication support device, since the next head medicine case is prevented from being sent immediately after the first medicine case discharged to the outlet is taken out, the second medicine case is removed after the first medicine case is taken out. It is possible to prevent taking out by misunderstanding and taking the medicine in layers (so-called heavy clothes) and heavy clothes of users who are highly dependent on drugs. In addition, according to this medication support device, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of shock and impact sound due to the next head medicine case being sent immediately after taking out the head medicine case discharged to the takeout port. It is possible to prevent the user from being surprised or feeling uneasy or uncomfortable.

  Another feature of the present invention is that the medication support device further includes a pressure body that elastically presses the drug cases stacked in the case housing portion toward the outlet side.

  According to another feature of the present invention configured as described above, the medication support device is configured so that the medicine case accommodated in the case accommodation portion is sent to the outlet side by the pressure body, so that the plurality of medicine cases are arranged in various directions, For example, it can be held in such a direction that it is sent from below to above, from above to below, from right to left, or from left to right, and can be sent to the outlet side with high accuracy.

  Another feature of the present invention is that in the medication support device, a pressure body holding means for temporarily holding the pressure body on the side opposite to the outlet side in the case housing portion, and a pressure by the pressure body holding means And a release means for releasing the holding state of the body.

  According to another aspect of the present invention configured as described above, the medication support device is configured so that the pressure body that is taken out to the outlet side is held by the pressure body holding means on the side opposite to the outlet side. A plurality of drug cases in a state of being in a state can be easily inserted and set in the case housing portion.

  Another feature of the present invention is that in the medication support device, the case discharging means has an extruded body that pushes the back of the top medicine case, and the next case movement preventing means is formed at least in part of the extruded body. There is in being.

  According to another aspect of the present invention configured as described above, the medication support device is configured such that the extruded body pushes the back of the top medicine case to push it out of the medication surface cover and prevents entry of the next head medicine case to the top position. Therefore, the physical and controllable configuration of the medication support device can be simplified. In this case, the extruded body is formed in a plate-like shape or a rod-like shape that protrudes from the end facing the next head medicine case in the case housing portion, in other words, from the end on the outlet side toward the next head medicine case. Good. Thereby, a medication support apparatus can be comprised compactly. Moreover, as for the extruded body, the part which contacts a head medicine case is good to arrange | position at the head medicine case side rather than the center part of the thickness direction of a head medicine case. In this case, the portion of the extruded body that contacts the next-stage drug case is flush with the end face of the first medication case that faces the second-stage drug case, and protrudes from the same end face to the next-stage drug case side or is retracted from the same end face. Can be formed.

  Another feature of the present invention is that, in the medication support apparatus, the control means positions the next case movement preventing means at the center of the leading position.

  According to another feature of the present invention configured as described above, the medication support device is located at the center of the delivery direction at the head position in the delivery direction at the leading position, so that the secondary medicine case is not tilted and is well balanced. It can be received and prevented from moving to the head position.

  Another feature of the present invention resides in that the medication support device further comprises a withdrawal preventing means for preventing the leading medicine case from being pulled out in the process of being discharged to the outlet by the case discharging means.

  According to another feature of the present invention configured as described above, the medication support device is configured such that the leading medicine case is prevented from being pulled out by the withdrawal preventing means in the middle of being sent out to the outlet by the case discharging means. It is possible to prevent troubles caused by the user pulling out when the paper is discharged. That is, when the leading medicine case is discharged, the medication support device, for example, the case container by the physical contact of the leading medicine case in the case container by pulling the leading medicine case in a direction other than the delivery direction, the leading medicine case, Troubles such as damage or malfunction of the case discharging means or the next case movement preventing means can be prevented.

It is a front perspective view showing roughly the whole composition of the medication support device concerning one embodiment of the present invention from diagonally forward. It is a front perspective view which shows the state which opened the medication surface cover in the medication assistance apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram of the control system which controls the action | operation of the medication assistance apparatus shown in FIG. It is a front perspective view which shows roughly the internal structure in the medication assistance apparatus shown in FIG. (A)-(C) shows the operating state of the catcher shown in FIG. 4, (A) shows the state before the catcher holds the pressure body, and (B) shows the state where the catcher holds the pressure body. (C) shows a state where the catcher has released the holding of the pressure body. It is the back perspective view which showed a mode that a release plate and a control apparatus board | substrate were assembled | attached from the back surface of the inner side front panel shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the outline of the external appearance structure of the case discharge apparatus shown in FIG. 4 from the diagonally forward lower part. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the outline of the component of the case discharger shown in FIG. (A), (B) has shown the operating state of the case discharging apparatus shown in FIG. 7, (A) has shown the state before a case discharging apparatus discharge | releases a chemical | medical agent case, (B) is a case discharging apparatus. The state of the process of discharging the drug case is shown. (A), (B) shows the continuation of the operating state of the case discharging device shown in FIG. 7, and (A) shows that the case discharging device releases the locked state of the drug case and the drug case can be taken out. The state is shown, and (B) shows a state in which the medicine case is taken out from the case discharging apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the state which opened the cover part of the structure of the chemical | medical agent case accommodated in the medication support apparatus shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the front side of the chemical | medical agent case shown in FIG. 11 from back.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a medication support apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing an outline of an external configuration of a medication support apparatus 100 according to the present invention from an oblique front. FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing a state in which the medication surface cover 102 is opened in the medication support apparatus 100 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control system that controls the operation of the medication support apparatus 100 shown in FIG. The medication support apparatus 100 is a mechanical device that accommodates a plurality of medicine cases 90 containing medicines, discharges the medicine case 90 every time the medicine is taken, and prompts the user to take the medicine.

  Before describing the medication support apparatus 100, first, the drug case 90 used in the medication support apparatus 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the medicine case 90 is a container for storing a medicine that prompts the user to take, and is formed by forming a resin material into a rectangular parallelepiped box shape. More specifically, the medicine case 90 includes a case main body 91 having one surface of a rectangular parallelepiped opened and a lid 92 that opens and closes with respect to the opened surface. In this case, the lid 92 is formed to be connected to a part of the edge of the opening in the case main body 91. That is, in the medicine case 90, the case main body 91 and the lid 92 are integrally formed.

  Engagement holes 93 are formed at the four corners of the upper and lower surfaces of the medicine case 90, respectively. These engagement holes 93 are portions into which engagement protrusions in the medication support device 100 are fitted, and are constituted by elongated holes extending in the width direction of the medicine case 90. In this case, each engagement hole 93 is a bottomed so-called blind hole in this embodiment, but the engagement hole 93 formed on the upper surface and the engagement hole 93 formed on the lower surface are provided. It can also be constituted by through holes connected to each other. The drug case 90 is made of a translucent resin material in the present embodiment, but may be made of a transparent material or an opaque material that cannot be visually recognized inside the drug case 90.

(Configuration of the medication support device 100)
The medication support apparatus 100 includes a housing 101. The housing 101 is a resin part that houses a part or a mechanical device constituting the medication support device 100 and constitutes a part of the outer surface of the medication support device 100, and more specifically, one side of the rectangular parallelepiped, more specifically, The medication support device 100 is formed in a box shape with an open front surface. In this case, the casing 101 as a whole is formed so as to warp from the rear side of the medication support apparatus 100 from below to above.

  The casing 101 is provided with a state confirmation switch 101a on the side surface, and an opening portion of the casing 101 is provided with a medication surface cover 102 so as to cover the opening portion. The state confirmation switch 101a provides the user with information about the state of the medication support device 100, more specifically, the medication status of the previous medication and the guidance of the next medication time, to the control device 130 described later. It is an operator for supporting.

  The medication surface cover 102 is a resin part that forms the front surface of the medication support apparatus 100, and is formed in a plate shape along the housing 101. More specifically, the dosing surface cover 102 is formed along the housing 101 from the lower side to the upper side while warping toward the rear side of the medication support apparatus 100, and upward in the figure with respect to the housing 101. It can be opened and closed freely. The dosing surface cover 102 is provided with four outlets 102a and four lamp covers 102b arranged in the horizontal direction on the upper side. The outlet 102a is a through-hole from which the medicine case 90 accommodated in the housing 101 is discharged, and corresponds to four times when the user takes the medicine (for example, morning, noon, evening, and bedtime). Is provided. The lamp cover 102b is a translucent part that covers the front surface of the display lamp that is turned on when the medicine case 90 is discharged.

  In addition, the dosing surface cover 102 is provided with a cover key 102c for preventing anyone from opening and closing the dosing surface cover 102 at the lower central portion, and two pressing portions 102d are formed respectively. . These two pushing portions 102d are portions for pressing a release portion 112b of a release plate 112 (to be described later) when the dosing surface cover 102 is closed, and are formed so as to protrude from the back surface of the dosing surface cover 102, respectively.

  A case housing portion 103 is provided inside the housing 101. The case accommodating portion 103 is a portion that accommodates a plurality of medicine cases 90 stacked in the vertical direction, and is vertically depressed in a state of being recessed from the resin inner front panel 104 constituting the front surface inside the housing 101. It extends in the direction. More specifically, the case housing portion 103 is formed with a width that is slightly wider than the width of the drug case 90 and a depth that is shallower than the depth of the drug case 90. Thereby, each case accommodating part 103 accommodates in the state which made the front-end | tip part of the longitudinal direction of the chemical | medical agent case 90 protruded from the inner side front panel 104. FIG.

  And this case accommodating part 103 is formed in four rows in the left-right direction corresponding to the said taking-out port 102a. A display lamp 105 is provided above each of the four rows of case accommodating portions 103. The display lamp 105 is a display device that is turned on when the medicine case 90 is discharged to prompt the user to take medication, and is configured by an LED lamp that is controlled by a control device 130 described later.

  Further, on the inner front panel 104 below the case housing portion 103, a release portion 112b is exposed and an operation panel 106 is provided. The operation panel 106 is a user interface provided with switches for inputting user instructions to the control device 130 and a liquid crystal display for displaying information from the control device 130.

  On the other hand, a pressure body 107 is provided in each case housing portion 103. The pressure body 107 is a component that pushes up the stacked medicine case 90 accommodated in the case accommodating portion 103 from the lower end portion toward the upper end portion in the case accommodating portion 103, and the U-plate in the plan view. Formed into a shape. The pressure body 107 is slidably supported on the side wall rail 107a while exerting a pressing force on the upper side in the figure by a coil spring (not shown) provided in the side wall rail 107a constituting each side wall of the case housing portion 103. ing. A catcher 110 is provided below each of the pressure bodies 107.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A to 5C, the catcher 110 temporarily holds the pressure body 107 located at the lowermost end in the case housing portion 103 to restrict upward displacement. The hook 110b, the receiving part 110c and the pin part 110d are respectively formed on a catcher body 110a having a rectangular plate shape in plan view. Among these, the hooking portion 110b is a portion that is hooked on a part of the pressure body 107, and is formed in a hook-like shape that stands up in the drawing. In FIG. 4, the dosing surface cover 102 and the inner front panel 106 are omitted.

  The receiving part 110c is a part pushed by the release plate 112, and is formed in a wall shape standing in front of the hooking part 110b. The pin portion 110d is a portion that supports the coil spring 111 that presses the entire catcher 110 forward (inner front panel 104 side). The catcher 110 can move forward and backward with respect to the inner front panel 104 by arranging the coil spring 111 in a contracted state between the end surface of the catcher body 110a and a part of the wall portion in the housing 101. Arranged in the housing 101.

  The release plate 112 is a component for releasing the holding state of the pressure body 107 by the catcher 110, and is formed by forming a resin material into a long plate shape. More specifically, the release plate 112 is formed with a length corresponding to the distance between the two catchers 110 at both ends of the four catchers 110 and faces the receiving portions 110c of the four catchers 110. The pushing portions 112a are formed so as to protrude at the positions where they are placed.

  These four pushing portions 112a are portions that push the receiving portions 110c in the four catchers 110. On the opposite side of the release plate 112 from the four pressing portions 112a, release portions 112b are formed at positions corresponding to the two pressing portions 102d formed on the back surface of the dosing surface cover 102, respectively. The release portion 112b is a portion that is pushed by the pushing portion 102d of the dosing surface cover 102, and is formed to protrude toward the dosing surface cover 102 side. In the release plate 112, as shown in FIG. 6, four push portions 112a are arranged to face the receiving portions 110c of the four catchers 110, and two release portions 112b are flush with the front surface of the inner front panel 104. In the exposed state, it is held on the back side portion of the inner front panel 104 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction.

  Therefore, the release plate 112 has the four pressing portions 112a of each of the catchers 110 as the dosing surface cover 102 is closed and the two pressing portions 102 press the release portions 112b against the elastic force of the coil spring 111, respectively. The receiving part 110c is pushed in. Accordingly, the catcher 110 releases the holding state of the pressure body 107 by being displaced toward the coil spring 111 while resisting the elastic force of the coil spring 111.

  In addition, a case discharging device 120 is provided above each pressure body 107 in the four case housing portions 103. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the case discharging device 120 includes one end portion of the medicine cases 90 stacked in each case accommodating portion 103, specifically, the uppermost medicine case 90. This is a mechanical device for extruding only a certain leading medicine case 90S from the inside of the case accommodating portion 103 and exposing a part of the front side of the leading medicine case 90S from the outlet 102a. In this case, the exposure amount of the leading drug case 90S exposed from the take-out port 102a is preferably 1/3 to 3/4 from the distal end portion of the leading drug case 90S, but is 1/3 or more and 1/2 or less from the distal end portion. More preferred. In this embodiment, 1/3 is exposed from the front end of the leading medicine case 90S from the take-out port 102a. The case discharging device 120 mainly includes a discharging device base 121, an extruded body 122, a crankshaft 125, a lifter 126, a case lock 127, a lock spring 128, and an extruded body guide 129.

  The discharge device base 121 is a resin part that constitutes a part of the upper surface in each case housing portion 103 and holds the drive motor 122, and is mainly composed of an upper surface portion 121a and a support portion 121c. The upper surface portion 121 a is a portion that constitutes a part of the upper surface in the case housing portion 103, and is formed to extend in a rectangular shape along the front-rear direction of the medication support device 100. Two rows of slide holes 121b through which the extruded body 124 slides are formed in the upper surface portion 121a.

  In addition, a detection part of a case sensor 123 for detecting the presence or absence of the leading medicine case 90S is provided at the front end part of the upper surface part 121a so as to protrude in and out of the case housing part 103. The support part 121c is a plate-like part that supports the drive motor 122 for slidingly moving the extruded body 124, and is formed at a position lower than the upper surface part 121a.

  The extrudate 124 pushes the back surface of the top medicine case 90S to push out the top medicine case 90S from the inside of the case housing portion 103, and is positioned directly below the top medicine case 90S to become the next top medicine case 90S. It is a part for preventing the rise, and the resin material is composed of an L-shaped plate-like body in a side view. More specifically, the extruded body 124 includes a displacement portion 124a, an overhang portion 124b, and a support column 124d.

  The displacement part 124 a is a plate-like part that constitutes another part of the upper surface in the case housing part 103 and slides and displaces in the slide hole 121 b of the discharge device base 121. In this case, the length by which the displacement portion 124a slides and displaces in the slide hole 121b, in other words, the length of the slide hole 121b and the length of the displacement portion 124a is the depth direction of the case housing portion 103 by the overhanging portion 124b. The length is set so as to be displaced from the innermost part to the substantially intermediate part.

  The overhanging portion 124b is a portion that prevents the secondary medicine case 90J from rising while pushing the back surface of the leading medicine case 90S, and is configured by a plate-like body that hangs down from both ends of the rear end portion of the extruded body 124. . More specifically, the overhanging portion 124b is composed of two plate-like bodies that are in parallel with the back surface of the leading medicine case 90S and are in surface contact with both end portions of the back surface. In this case, the length of the overhang portion 124b is formed to be more than half of the thickness of the leading medicine case 90S. In the present embodiment, the overhanging portion 124b is formed to have a length where the lower end portion is located at a position slightly retracted from the lower surface of the leading medicine case 90S.

  In addition, a rib plate 124c for reinforcing the overhanging portion 124b is formed in a plate shape extending in a direction perpendicular to the overhanging portion 124b on the outer portion of the overhanging portion 124b. The support column 124d is a part that supports the crankshaft 125, the lifter 126, the case lock 127, and the lock spring 128, and is formed in a column-like standing state. The overhanging portion 124 b is formed so as to be located on the back side of the back surface of the leading medicine case 90 </ b> S when the extruded body 124 is located in the innermost portion of the case housing portion 103.

  The crankshaft 125 is a component for connecting the drive motor 122 and the extruded body 124 to convert the rotational driving force of the drive motor 122 into the linear reciprocating motion of the extruded body 124, and is configured by forming a resin material in a rod shape. Has been. A long hole 125a into which the support pillar 124d is fitted is formed at one end of the crankshaft 125, and lift portions 125b are formed along the longitudinal direction on both sides of the long hole 125a. The lift portion 125b is a portion that lifts the lifter 126 upward, and is configured with an upward inclined surface from one end (long hole 125a) of the crankshaft 125 toward the other end (drive motor 122). Yes.

  The lifter 126 is a part for moving the case lock 127 up and down in cooperation with the lift part 125b of the crankshaft 125, and is formed in a cylindrical shape that can slide in the axial direction and the circumferential direction with respect to the support column 124d. Has been. The lower surface of the lifter 126 is formed by an inclined surface along the lift portion 125b of the crankshaft 125, and slides on the lift portion 125b.

  The case lock 127 is a resin that is hung on the engaging portion 93 of the top medicine case 90 to prevent the user from pulling out the head medicine case 90 and to pull the top medicine case 90S back into the case housing portion 103. It is a made part. The case lock 127 mainly includes a sliding portion 127a and an engaging protrusion 127b. The sliding portion 127a is formed in a cylindrical shape that fits in a slidable manner on the support column 124d of the extruded body 124.

  The engagement protrusions 127b are portions that protrude from the displacement portion 124a of the extruded body 124 into the case housing portion 103 and fit into the two engagement holes 93 on the back side of the drug case 90, respectively. After extending from the outer peripheral portion to both sides in the width direction of the case housing portion 103, it is formed at the tip of the arm bent toward the case housing portion 103 side. In this case, the engagement protrusion 127 b is formed in a shape that is slightly smaller than the engagement hole 93.

  A lock spring 128 is provided on the sliding portion 127 a of the case lock 127. The lock spring 128 is a coil spring for elastically pressing the case lock 127 toward the case housing portion 103, and is compressed between the sliding portion 127 a and the tip end portion of the support column 124 d of the extruded body 124. Is provided.

  The extruded body guide 129 is a component that slidably holds the extruded body 124 with both ends of the extruded body 124 sandwiched with the discharge device base 121, and is formed by forming a resin material in a U shape in plan view. Yes. In the extruded body guide 129, the display lamp 105 and the case sensor 123 are respectively attached to the upper surface on the front side of the medication support apparatus 100.

  The control device 130 is configured by a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and controls each operation of the display lamp 105, the operation panel 106, the drive motor 122, and the speaker 131. Specifically, the control device 140 executes a process of providing the top medicine case 90 to the user at every time designated in advance by the user by executing a medication support control program stored in advance in a storage device such as a ROM. At the same time, when the top medicine case 90 is not taken out, a recovery process for the top medicine case 90 is executed.

  In this case, the control device 130 informs the user of various kinds of information via the speaker 131. For example, the control device 130 displays information such as operation guidance at the time of initial setting of the operating conditions of the medication support device 100 and operation guidance at the time of execution of the medication support control program through display on the operation panel 106 and voice output from the speaker 131. Do. The speaker 131 is provided on the back surface of the housing 101.

  In addition, the control device 130 is electrically connected to the state confirmation switch 101a, and in response to the pressing operation of the state confirmation switch 101a, the operation status of the medication support control program, specifically the medication status of the previous time And provide audio information such as guidance on the next medication time to the user. An external interface 132 is connected to the control device 130. The external interface 132 is a connection terminal for connecting the control device 130 to an external device, for example, an Internet line, a LAN, a USB (Universal Serial Bus), a notification device (for example, nurse call), or a wireless communication device (for example, ZigBee). And provided on the back surface of the housing 101. The control device 130 is attached to the back surface of the inner front panel 104.

  The medication support device 100 includes a power cord for introducing power from a household power source and a power supply unit (not shown) for supplying the introduced power to the display lamp 105, the operation panel 106, the drive motor 122, and the control device 130, respectively. However, since these are not directly related to the present invention, the description thereof is omitted.

(Operation of the medication support device 100)
Next, the operation of the medication support apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described. First, a user who uses the medication support apparatus 100 prepares the medication support apparatus 100 and then performs initial setting. Specifically, after turning on the power of the medication support apparatus 100, the user sets the time for providing the medicine case 90 and the time for maintaining the provision state in the control apparatus 130 by operating the operation panel 106. For example, the user provides the medicine case 90 to the control device 130 in the morning (for example, 7:30 am), noon (for example, 1 pm), evening (for example, 6:30 pm), The time for going to bed (for example, 10:00 pm) is set, and 1 hour is set as the time for maintaining the provision state of the medicine case 90. In addition to the drug taker himself / herself who takes the drug, the user includes a drug supporter (a person who assists, cares for, or nursing) the drug taker.

  Next, the user prepares a plurality of drug cases 90 and drugs, and then sets them in the medication support apparatus 100. Specifically, the user stores the medicines at each timing of taking in the medicine case 90, and then stacks the medicine cases 90 at the same taking timing and stores them in the corresponding case storage portions 103. For example, after a user stores a single dose of medicine for each morning, noon, evening, and bedtime in a drug case, the user stacks the drug cases every morning, noon, evening, and bedtime. Each of the four case accommodating portions 103 is accommodated in a corresponding case accommodating portion 103.

  Next, after the user opens the dosing surface cover 102 in the medication support device 100, the user presses the pressure body 107 directly downward with a finger. In this case, the medication support device 100 is pushed forward by the elastic force of the coil spring 111 since the pressing state of the release portion 112b by the pushing portion 102d is released by opening the dosing surface cover 102 (see FIG. 5 (A)). Therefore, the user pushes down the pressure body 107 until the lower surface of the pressure body 107 comes into contact with the hooking portion 110b of the catcher 110, and further pushes down the pressure body 107 so that the catcher 110 resists the elastic force of the coil spring 111. Displace.

  Thus, when the lower surface of the pressure body 107 is disengaged from the hooking portion 110b of the catcher 110, the catcher 110 moves forward by the elastic force of the coil spring 111, and the hooking portion 110b hooks the lower surface of the pressure body 107 (FIG. 5B). )reference). That is, the medication support apparatus 100 is in a locked state in which the pressure body 107 is not displaced toward the case discharger 120 by the catcher 110. Therefore, the user can easily arrange the stacked drug cases 90 in the case housing portion 103 (see FIG. 2). This catcher 1110 corresponds to the pressure body holding means according to the present invention.

  Then, the user arranges the drug cases 90 stacked in each case housing portion 103, and then operates the operation panel 106 to execute the medication support control program, that is, for each medication time. The control device 130 is instructed to execute the output process, and the dosing surface cover 102 is closed. In this case, since the pressing portion 102d is provided on the back surface of the dosing surface cover 102 at a position corresponding to the two release portions 112b of the release plate 112, the release portion 112b of the release plate 112 is pushed by the pressing portion 102d. As a result, it is displaced toward the catcher 110 side.

  As a result, the medication support apparatus 100 is configured so that the catcher 110 moves backward while resisting the elastic force of the coil spring 111 when the four pushing portions 112a of the release plate 112 push the receiving portions 110c of the catcher 110, respectively. Are simultaneously released (see FIG. 5C). This release plate 112 corresponds to the release means according to the present invention.

  For this reason, the plurality of drug cases 90 stacked in each case housing portion 103 are pushed to the upper surface side in each case housing portion 103 as each pressure body 107 rises to the case discharging device 120 side. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9A, the top medicine case 90S located at the top of each case housing portion 103 is pressed against the upper surface portion 121a of the discharge device base 121 and the displacement portion 124a of the pusher 124, respectively. (See broken line arrow in FIG. 9A).

  Next, the medication support apparatus 100 causes the medicine case 90 to be discharged from the outlet 102a corresponding to the same time every time preset by the user. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B and FIGS. 10A and 10B, the control device 130 operates the drive motor 122 when the time preset by the user is reached. Then, the extruded body 124 is advanced toward the dosing surface cover 102 via the crankshaft 125. As a result, the leading medicine case 90 in the case housing part 103 is pushed by the overhanging part 123b of the extruded body 124 to advance toward the dosing surface cover 102 and starts to be exposed from the take-out port 102a (see FIG. 9B). ).

  In this case, since the extrudate 124 is located behind the leading medicine case 90 from which the two overhang portions 124b are pushed out, it prevents the next medicine case 90J from moving to the leading position where the leading medicine case 90 is located. can do. That is, the overhanging portion 124b corresponds to the case discharging means and the next case movement preventing means according to the present invention. The control device 130 corresponds to a control unit according to the present invention.

  Further, in this case, since the two engagement protrusions 127b of the case lock 127 are fitted into the two engagement holes 93 on the back side of the top surface of the top medicine case 90S, the user can push the top medicine case 90S when pushing it out. Pulling out can be prevented. That is, the engagement protrusion 127b corresponds to the pulling-out preventing means according to the present invention. When the distal end of the displacement portion 124a of the extruded body 124 hits the distal end of the slide hole 121b of the discharge device base 121 and a part of the front side of the leading medicine case 90 is exposed from the outlet 102a, the case discharge mechanism 120 is exposed to the crankshaft. Only 125 continues to advance with respect to the support column 124d, that is, the extruded body 124, through the long hole 125a (see FIG. 9B).

  For this reason, the case discharge mechanism 120 raises the case lock 127 against the elastic force of the lock spring 128 by the lifter 126 ascending on the lift portion 125b of the crankshaft 125. The medicine case 90S comes out of each engagement hole 93. Thereby, the medication support apparatus 100 is in a state where the leading medicine case 90S exposed from the take-out port 102a can be pulled out (see FIG. 10A). The control device 130 controls the operation of the display lamp 105 and the speaker 131 to notify the user of the arrival of the medication time.

  Therefore, the user can take out the medicine by opening the lid portion 92 of the medicine case 90 after grasping the leading medicine case 90S exposed from the take-out port 102a and pulling it out from the case housing portion 103. In this case, since the overhanging portion 124b is located at the center in the push-out direction of the leading position where the leading medicine case 90 is located even after the leading medicine case 90 has been taken out, The case 90J can be prevented from moving to the head position. Thereby, it is possible to prevent an impact or an impact sound when the next head medicine case 90J suddenly moves to the head position at the moment when the head medicine case 90 is taken out.

  Next, when the control device 130 detects the removal of the leading medicine case 90 via the case sensor 123, the control device 130 reversely rotates the drive motor 122. As a result, the case discharge mechanism 120 allows the elongated hole 125a of the crankshaft 125 to be hooked on the support column 124d of the extruded body 124 after the lifter 126 descends on the lift portion 125b of the crankshaft 125 by the retreat of the crankshaft 125. Thus, the entire extruded body 124 is retracted.

  When the push-out body 124 moves backward, the upper body of the next head medicine case 90J pushed toward the head position side by the pressure body 107 is received and displaced, so that the movement of the head medicine case 90J to the head position can be prevented. (See FIG. 10B). Further, when the pushing body 124 is retracted, the pushing body 124 starts to be displaced after the case lock 127 is lowered by the elastic force of the lock spring 128, so that the pushing body 124 has the engaging protrusion 127b protruding from the displacement portion 124a. It will be displaced in the state.

  Therefore, when the overhanging portion 124b of the extruded body 124 is retracted to a position where it is disengaged from the upper surface of the secondary head medicine case 90J, the secondary head medicine case 90J rises to the head position by the pressing force of the pressure body 107 and Become. Then, this new first medicine case 90 is discharged to the outlet 102a in the same manner as described above when the next medication time is reached. In addition, when all the medicine cases 90 are discharged to the outlet 102a, the control device 130 indicates that the provision of all the medicine cases 90 has been completed, the lighting state of the display lamp 105 (flashing or change in lighting color), and the speaker. This is notified by the sound output of 131.

  On the other hand, when the predetermined supply maintenance time (1 hour in the present embodiment) has passed without the top medicine case 90S discharged from the outlet 102a being pulled out by the user, the control device 130 is output from the outlet 102a. The top medicine case 90S is pulled back. Specifically, the control device 130 uses the case sensor 123 after the dispensing maintenance time (1 hour in the present embodiment) preset by the user has elapsed after being discharged from the outlet 102a of the leading medicine case 90S. When removal of the top medicine case 90S is not detected, it is determined that the user has not taken the medicine, and the drive motor 122 is reversed.

  As a result, the case discharge mechanism 120 allows the elongated hole 125a of the crankshaft 125 to be hooked on the support column 124d of the extruded body 124 after the lifter 126 descends on the lift portion 125b of the crankshaft 125 by the retreat of the crankshaft 125. Thus, the entire extruded body 124 is retracted. In this case, in the case discharge mechanism 120, since the extruded body 124 starts to be displaced after the case lock 127 is lowered by the elastic force of the lock spring 128, the engagement protrusion 127b protruding from the displacement portion 124a of the extruded body 124 has the leading drug. The extruded body 124 retreats in a state of being fitted in the engagement hole 93 of the case 90S.

  As a result, the leading medicine case 90 </ b> S is pulled back into the case housing portion 103 by the displacement of the engaging protrusion 127 b hooked in the engaging hole 93. In this case, since the engaging protrusion 127b is hung on the leading medicine case 90S engaging hole 93, it is not pulled forward by the user. Further, in this case, the case discharging mechanism 120 smoothly moves the leading medicine case 90S into the case accommodating portion 103 because the overhanging portion 124b of the extruded body 124 is prevented from moving the leading medicine case 90J to the leading position. It can be pulled back (see FIG. 9A).

  Then, when the extruded body 124 is retracted to the innermost part, the control device 130 indicates that the leading medicine case 90S has not been taken out during the preset dose time (for example, the lighting state of the display lamp 105 (for example, Flashing or change in lighting color) and a sound output from the speaker 131 to notify the user. Thereby, the user can know that the medication was not performed during the preset dose time.

  In addition, in response to the pressing operation of the state confirmation switch 101a by the user, the control device 130 provides the user with audio information such as the previous medication status (the status of taking out the first medication case 90S) and the guidance of the next medication time. provide. Thereby, the user can know the anxiety of forgetting to take medicine, the next taking time, etc., and can eliminate the anxiety about taking medicine. In addition, the control device 130 can output information on the user's medication status and medication schedule to a hospital, a pharmacy, a family, or a caregiver by providing information to an external device via the external interface 132.

  As can be understood from the above description of the operation, according to the above embodiment, the medication support device 100 has the overhanging portion 124b as the next case movement prevention means provided behind the leading medicine case 90S delivered to the take-out port 102a. In order to prevent the next medicine case 90J located immediately after the first medicine case 90S from moving to the beginning position where the first medicine case 90S is located, the user takes out the first medicine case 90S discharged to the outlet 102a. In addition, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling uneasy or uncomfortable due to the unnatural posture of the medicine case 90 remaining in the case housing portion 103 without the secondary medicine case 90J being sent to the head position. Also, according to this medication support apparatus 100, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of impact and impact sound due to the next medicine case 90J being sent immediately after taking out the leading medicine case 90S discharged to the outlet 102a. The movement of the medicine case 90J can also prevent the user from being surprised or given anxiety or discomfort.

  Furthermore, in carrying out the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the object of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case housing portions 103 are provided in four rows extending in the vertical direction. However, the formation direction and the number of formation of the case housing portion 103 are appropriately determined according to the dosage specifications. Accordingly, the case housing portion 103 may be formed to extend in the left-right direction, for example, or may be provided in three rows or less or five rows or more. The medication support apparatus 100 can also be provided with a take-out port 102a on the lower side of the dosing surface cover 102.

  In the above embodiment, the overhang portion 124b prevents the leading medicine case 90S from being pushed out and the leading medicine case 90J from being raised. That is, in the above embodiment, the next case movement preventing means is formed in a part of the extruded body 124 constituting the case discharging means. However, the next case movement preventing means is not necessarily formed in a part of the case discharging means, and may be configured separately from the case discharging means.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the medication assistance apparatus 100 was comprised so that a user might not draw out manually, when pushing out the top chemical | medical agent case 90 to the taking-out port 102a with the engagement protrusion 127b which is a drawer | draw-out prevention means. However, the medication support apparatus 100 may be configured such that the user can manually pull out the lead medicine case 90 by pushing out the withdrawal prevention means and pushing the lead medicine case 90 to the take-out port 102a. That is, the withdrawal preventing means can be employed when it is desired that the user cannot manually pull out the leading medicine case 90 when pushing out the leading medicine case 90 to the take-out port 102a, and is necessarily employed integrally with the next case movement preventing means according to the present invention. do not have to. In the present embodiment, the engagement protrusion 127b also functions as a case collection unit that pulls back the top medicine case 90S that has not been pulled out by the user into the case housing portion 103 and collects it. It can also be used as a case collection means.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the overhang | projection part 124b was comprised so that the both ends part side of the width direction in the front chemical | medical agent case 90S might be pushed. However, the overhanging portion 124b is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, as long as it can press the leading medicine case 90S. Therefore, the overhanging portion 124b can be formed in a plate shape or a rod shape that pushes only the entire back surface or the center portion of the back surface of the leading medicine case 90S, for example.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the medication support apparatus 100 was provided with the pressure body holding | maintenance means and the release means. However, the medication support apparatus 100 can be configured by omitting the pressure body holding means and the release means when it is not necessary to temporarily hold the pressure body 107 on the lower end side. That is, the pressure body holding means and the release means can be employed when the pressure body 107 is to be temporarily fixed, and need not be integrally employed with the next case movement preventing means according to the present invention.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the medication assistance apparatus 100 was equipped with the state confirmation switch 101a in the upper part side of the right side surface of the housing | casing 101. FIG. However, the medication support apparatus 100 can also be configured by omitting the state confirmation switch 101a when it is not necessary for the user to provide information regarding the operating state of the medication support apparatus 100 or medication. Note that the positions where the status confirmation switch 101a, the cover key 102c, the operation panel 106, the control device 130, the speaker 131, and the external interface 132 are provided are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and are according to the specifications of the medication support device 100. Of course, it is determined as appropriate (for example, the front surface (medicine surface cover 102), the side surface, top surface, back surface, bottom surface, etc. of the housing 101).

90 ... drug case, 90S ... first drug case, 90J ... secondary drug case, 91 ... case body, 92 ... lid, 93 ... engagement hole,
100 ... medication support device,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Case, 101a ... Status confirmation switch, 102 ... Dosing surface cover, 102a ... Removal port, 102b ... Lamp cover, 102c ... Cover key, 102d ... Pushing part, 103 ... Case accommodating part, 104 ... Inside front panel, 105 ... Indicator lamp 106 ... Operation panel 107 ... Pressure body 107a ... Side rail
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 110 ... Catcher, 110a ... Catcher main body, 110b ... Hook part, 110c ... Receiving part, 110d ... Pin part, 111 ... Coil spring, 112 ... Release plate, 112a ... Push part, 112b ... Release part,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 120 ... Case discharge device, 121 ... Discharge device base, 121a ... Upper surface part, 121b ... Slide hole, 121c ... Support part, 122 ... Drive motor, 123 ... Case sensor, 124 ... Extrusion body, 124a ... Displacement part, 124b ... Tension Protruding part, 124c ... rib plate, 124d ... support pillar, 125 ... crankshaft, 125a ... long hole, 125b ... lift part, 126 ... lifter, 127 ... case lock, 127a ... sliding part, 127b ... engaging protrusion, 128 ... lock spring, 129 ... extruded body guide,
130: Control device, 131: Speaker, 132: External interface.

Claims (6)

A case housing portion that houses at least two medicine cases in which medicines are stacked,
A dosing surface cover that is formed in a plate shape covering the case housing portion and has an outlet for taking out a leading drug case located on one end side of the stacked drug cases;
A case discharging means for discharging the top medicine case to the outlet;
Next case movement that is provided behind the leading medicine case discharged to the outlet and prevents the next medicine case located next to the leading medicine case from moving to the leading position where the leading medicine case is located. Blocking means,
When the time for taking the medicine is reached, the operation of the case discharging means is controlled to discharge the leading medicine case to the outlet, and the operation of the next case movement preventing means is controlled to control the leading medicine case to be the leading medicine case. A medication support device comprising: control means for preventing movement to a position. The medication support device according to claim 1, further comprising:
A medication support apparatus comprising a pressure body that elastically presses the stacked drug cases toward the take-out port in the case housing portion. The medication support device according to claim 2, further comprising:
Pressure body holding means for temporarily holding the pressure body on the side opposite to the outlet port side in the case housing portion;
A medication support apparatus, comprising: release means for releasing the pressure body held by the pressure body holding means. In the medication support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The case discharging means is
Having an extruded body that pushes the back of the top drug case,
The next case movement blocking means is:
A medication support device, which is formed on at least a part of the extruded body. In the medication support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The control means includes
The medication support device, wherein the next case movement preventing means is located at a central portion of the head position. In the medication support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A medication support apparatus, comprising: a withdrawal preventing means for preventing the leading medicine case from being pulled out in the process of being discharged to the take-out port by the case discharging means.

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