JP2018043781A - Tablet cassette and tablet discharge method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tablet cassette which can discharge an oval or capsule-shaped tablet in a position of falling sideways by reliably introducing it to a tablet introducing passage, and a tablet discharge method.SOLUTION: A tablet cassette 1 includes a cassette body 3 and a rotor 4 rotatably provided on the cassette body, and a plurality of tablet introducing passages 4b for introducing a tablet T housed in the cassette body to a tablet discharge hole 7 provided on the cassette body are formed on the rotor. A protrusion 3a making contact with a lower surface of a tip end part of the tablet which falls sideways between the adjacent tablet introducing passages or across the tablet introducing passage is formed above an outer peripheral side end part of an inlet part 4c on a downstream side in a rotational direction of the rotor 4 of the tablet introducing passage 4b on an inner peripheral surface of the cassette body 3. The protrusion is formed to be gradually higher from an upstream side in the rotational direction of the rotor to the downstream side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 24

Description

  The present invention relates to a tablet cassette provided in a tablet storage / dispensing device, which stores a large number of tablets and takes out a required number of tablets according to a prescription, in particular, a tablet guide mechanism to a tablet guide path of a rotor, and tablet discharge Regarding the method.

  The tablet cassette includes a cassette body and a rotor that is rotatably provided on the cassette body. When the rotor is rotationally driven by a motor, the tablets accommodated in the cassette body are guided by a plurality of tablet guide paths provided in the rotor and discharged from the tablet discharge holes (Patent Document 1).

  Tablets come in many shapes and sizes, such as round, oval, elliptical, spherical, capsule, sugar-coated, etc. Among them, oval and capsule tablets fall sideways on the outer periphery of the rotor. In some cases, the rotor rotates with the rotor and does not fall into the tablet guide path and is not discharged indefinitely. Further, when the tablet falls sideways and closes the entrance of the tablet guide path, there is a problem that the tablet is not discharged.

  In order to eliminate such clogging of tablets, conventionally, measures such as reversing the rotor have been taken (Patent Document 2). However, it was not easy to change the posture of a tablet that had fallen sideways in the vertical direction simply by reversing the rotor. For this reason, it has been said that oval and capsule tablets have poor dispensing performance compared to round and spherical tablets.

International Publication Number WO2012 / 096328 JP 2000-103404 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a tablet cassette and a tablet discharge method that can reliably guide and discharge the tablet into a tablet guide path even when an oval or capsule-shaped tablet falls sideways.

As means for solving the above problems, the tablet cassette of the present invention is:
(1) A plurality of tablets each including a cassette body and a rotor rotatably provided in the cassette body, and guiding the tablets accommodated in the cassette body to tablet discharge holes provided in the cassette body. In the tablet cassette in which the guide path is formed,
On the inner peripheral surface of the cut body, above the outer peripheral end of the inlet portion on the downstream side of the rotation direction of the rotor of the tablet guide path, between the adjacent tablet guide paths, or on the tablet guide path A protrusion is formed that contacts the lower surface of the tip of the tablet that has fallen sideways across the surface,
The protrusions are formed so that the height gradually increases from the upstream side to the downstream side in the rotational direction of the rotor.

  Tablets that have fallen sideways near the entrance of the tablet guide path move in a tilted position along with the rotation of the rotor, but when they meet the protrusions formed on the cassette body, they collapse into a direction in which the horizontal position is raised. It is guided to the guideway and discharged.

(2) It is preferable that the downstream inlet portion of the tablet guide path is lower than the upstream inlet portion.
(3) It is preferable that the inlet part of the downstream of the said tablet guide path inclines upward toward the downstream of the rotation direction of the said rotor.

(4) It is preferable that the protrusion is formed so that the height gradually increases from the upstream side to the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor.
(5) Moreover, it is preferable that the dimension of the said tablet guide path is provided so that a change is possible according to the magnitude | size and shape of a tablet.

(6) As a means for solving the above problems, the tablet discharge method of the present invention comprises:
A plurality of tablet guide paths, each of which includes a cassette body and a rotor rotatably provided in the cassette body, and guides the tablets stored in the cassette body to the tablet discharge holes provided in the cassette body; In the tablet discharge method of the formed tablet cassette,
By bringing the lower surface of the tip portion of the tablet that has fallen laterally between adjacent tablet guide paths or across the tablet guide path into contact with the protrusion formed on the cassette body, the tip portion of the tablet is It is a method of raising and changing the posture upward and guiding from the rear end of the tablet to the tablet guide path.

  According to the present invention, when a tablet that has fallen sideways near the entrance of the tablet guide path encounters a protrusion formed on the cassette body, the tablet is pushed up in the direction to be raised and the horizontal posture is collapsed, and the tablet guide path is collapsed. Since it is guided, it has an effect that it can be surely guided to the tablet guide path and discharged even when the oval or capsule-shaped tablet falls to the sideways position.

The partial cross section perspective view seen from the side slanting upper side of the tablet cassette provided with the rotor concerning the present invention. The partial cross section side view of the tablet cassette of FIG. The whole perspective view of a rotor. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the rotor of FIG. 3. The exploded perspective view of a rotor raising / lowering mechanism. The perspective view (a) seen from the diagonally upper side of the rotor cover, and the perspective view (b) seen from the diagonally lower side. The perspective view (a) seen from the diagonally upper side of the rotor main body, and the perspective view (b) seen from the diagonally lower side. The perspective view (a) seen from the diagonally upper side of the rotor base, and the perspective view (b) seen from the diagonally lower side. The partial cross section side view (a) of the tablet cassette which adjusted the rotor for small tablets, The partial cross section side view (b) of the tablet cassette which adjusted the rotor for large tablets. The disassembled perspective view of a tablet support stand raising / lowering mechanism. The partial cross section side view (a) of the tablet cassette which adjusted the rotor for small tablets, The partial cross section side view (b) of the tablet cassette which adjusted the rotor for large tablets. The disassembled perspective view of a movable member moving mechanism. The perspective view (a) seen from the diagonal upper side of the 1st movable member, and the perspective view (b) seen from diagonally lower. The perspective view (a) seen from the diagonal upper side of the 2nd movable member, and the perspective view (b) seen from diagonally lower. The top view of a 1st movable member (a) and a 2nd movable member (b). The perspective view (a) of a cam member, and a top view (b). The perspective view (a) seen from the diagonally upper side of the 1st supporting member, and the perspective view (b) seen from diagonally lower. The perspective view (a) seen from the diagonally upper side of the 2nd support member, and the perspective view (b) seen from diagonally lower. The top view (a) of the rotor adjusted for small tablets, the top view (b) of the rotor adjusted for large tablets. The perspective view (a) of the rotor adjusted for small tablets, and the perspective view (b) of the rotor adjusted for large tablets. Schematic of an automatic adjustment device. The top view of the cassette main body in which the protrusion of the tablet guide mechanism was formed. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along line aa, bb, and cc in FIG. 22. The front view of the rotor which shows the state which the tablet fell sideways. The expanded sectional view which shows the positional relationship of a processus | protrusion and a tablet. The perspective view seen from the upper direction of the tablet cassette which shows the state which the tablet fell sideways. Schematic which shows the guidance state to the tablet guide path of the tablet by protrusion.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a tablet cassette 1 mounted on a tablet storage / dispensing device. The tablet cassette 1 includes a cassette body 3 provided on a base 2 and a rotor 4 according to the present invention housed in the cassette body 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cassette body 3 includes a tablet storage portion 5 that can store a large number of tablets T, and a rotor storage portion 6 that is provided below the tablet storage portion 5 and stores the rotor 4. ing. The upper end of the tablet container 5 is open and can be opened and closed with a lid (not shown). The rotor accommodating portion 6 has an inverted conical upper inclined inner surface 6a, a cylindrical lower vertical inner surface 6b, and a bottom surface 6c. A tablet discharge hole 7 is formed from the lower portion of the upper inclined inner surface 6a to the bottom surface 6c. As shown in FIG. 1, the tablet discharge hole 7 communicates with a tablet discharge path 2 a formed in the base 2. A partition member 8 is attached to the outside of the cassette body 3, and the tip of the partition member 8 is inserted from the outside of the rotor accommodating portion 6 to the inside. A rotor shaft hole 9 is formed in the center of the bottom surface 6c.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the rotor 4 has a conical shape on the top surface, an inverted conical shape on the side surface, and a flat bottom surface. Tablet pockets 4a are provided in the circumferential direction on the upper side surface of the rotor, and a plurality of tablet guide paths 4b extending downward from the tablet pocket 4a are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

  The tablet pocket 4a is formed by an outer peripheral surface of the rotor body 20 described later, a first horizontal protruding piece 54 of the first movable member 50 described later, and a second horizontal protruding piece 64 of the second movable member 60. The tablet T in the tablet housing part 5 of the cassette body 3 is received and aligned in the circumferential direction.

  The tablet guide path 4b includes a lower inclined outer surface 22c of the downward projecting portion 22 of the rotor body 20 described later, a first vertical projecting piece 53 of the first movable member 50 described later, and a second vertical projection of the second movable member 60 described later. The tablet 63 is formed by a piece 63 and a tablet support 47 of an annular elevating member 45, which will be described later, and is covered with the upper inclined inner surface 6a of the cassette body 3 and is aligned with the tablet pocket 4a and guided downward. .

  FIG. 4 shows the rotor 4 in an exploded state. The rotor 4 mainly includes a rotor cover 10, a rotor body 20, a rotor base 30, a cylindrical rotating member 40, an annular lifting member 45, a first movable member 50, a second movable member 60, a cam member 70, and a first support member. 80, a second support member 90, a thickness adjusting screw 101, a height adjusting screw 102, and a width adjusting screw 103, and a rotor elevating mechanism, a tablet support elevating mechanism, and a movable member moving described below. The mechanism is configured.

<Rotor lifting mechanism>
FIG. 5 shows members constituting the rotor lifting mechanism. The rotor lifting mechanism includes a rotor cover 10, a rotor body 20, a rotor base 30, and a thickness adjustment screw 101.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the rotor cover 10 has an umbrella shape as a whole. The outer peripheral surface of the rotor cover 10 is formed in an inverted conical shape. As shown in FIG. 6A, the lower end of the outer peripheral surface of the rotor cover 10 is formed in a sawtooth shape, and an engagement step 14 is formed at six locations around the periphery. An annular rib 15 is formed on the inner surface of the rotor cover 10 as shown in FIG. Inside the annular rib 15, a magnetic metal plate 16 is attached to which a permanent magnet 27 of the rotor body 20 described later is attracted.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the rotor body 20 includes a circular base portion 21, a downward projecting portion 22, an annular portion 23, and a guide portion 24.

  The base portion 21 is provided with a shaft portion 25 projecting downward from the center of the lower surface thereof, and a screw hole 25a is formed in the shaft portion 25. On the upper surface of the base portion 21, there are formed an annular rib 26 that fits inside the annular rib 15 of the rotor cover 10, and two holes 21 a and 21 b that expose a height adjusting screw 102 and a width adjusting screw 103 described later. ing. Permanent magnets 27 that are attracted to the metal plate 16 of the rotor cover 10 are mounted at two locations on the upper surface of the base 21.

  The downward projecting portions 22 extend downward from the six equidistant positions on the outer peripheral edge of the base portion 21. The downward projection 22 includes a vertical inner surface 22a, an upper inclined outer surface 22b inclined downward from the outer peripheral edge of the base 21, and a lower inclined outer surface 22c inclined downward inward from the lower end of the upper inclined outer surface 22b. It has a triangular shape when viewed from the side. The lower inclined outer surface 22c forms the bottom surface of the tablet guide path 4b. A slit 22 d is formed at the lower end of the downward projection 22.

  The annular portion 23 is concentrically formed on the outer side of the base portion 21 and is connected to the base portion 21 via the downward projecting portion 22. The outer surface of the annular portion 23 is formed in an inverted conical shape that is continuous with the outer peripheral surface of the rotor cover 10. An upper end of the annular portion 23 is formed in a sawtooth shape, and a step portion 28 that engages with the engagement step 14 of the rotor cover 10 and positions the rotor cover 10 in the circumferential direction is formed.

  The guide portion 24 extends downward between the downward projecting portions 22 and from the circumferentially equidistant position of the inner periphery of the annular portion 23. A guide groove 24 a is formed on the inner surface of the guide portion 24 so that a guide piece 32 of the rotor base 30 described later is slidably engaged. When the guide piece 32 and the guide groove 24a are engaged, the rotor base 30 and the rotor body 20 rotate integrally.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the rotor base 30 has a circular base 31, a guide piece 32, and a drive shaft 33.

  On the upper surface of the base 31, a circular protrusion 34 is formed at the center, and an annular wall 35 is formed on the outside thereof. A recess 34 a that supports a thickness adjusting screw 101 described later is formed at the center of the circular protrusion 34. Next to the recess 34a, there are a hole 34b for accommodating the stopper 36 for preventing the thickness adjusting screw 101 from freely rotating, and a screw (not shown) inserted through two screw insertion holes 100 of the second support member 90 described later. Two screw holes 34c to be screwed are formed. An annular recess 37 is formed between the circular protrusion 34 and the annular wall 35 to accommodate a tablet support base lifting mechanism described later. In the annular wall 35, vertical slits 35a extending in the axial direction are formed at six equal circumferential positions, and the vertical slits 35a are continuous with the horizontal slits 31a formed radially from the annular recess 37 to the outer peripheral edge of the base 31. . On the outer peripheral surface of the annular wall 35, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 35b are provided at important points. As shown in FIG. 9B, a recess 31b is formed at the center of the lower surface of the base 31.

  The guide pieces 32 are located at the same circumferential position on the outer periphery of the base 31 and project upward between the adjacent horizontal slits 31a. The guide piece 32 is formed so as to be slidably engaged with the guide groove 24 a of the guide portion 24 of the rotor body 20.

  The drive shaft 33 extends in the axial direction from the bottom center of the recess 31 b on the lower surface of the base 31. A drive gear 33 a shown in FIG. 1 is attached to the drive shaft 33 and is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown) provided on the base 2.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the thickness adjusting screw 101 has a male screw portion 101a and a gear portion 101b at the lower end. The male screw portion 101 a is screwed into the screw hole 25 a of the rotor body 20, the lower gear portion 101 b is received and supported in the recess 34 a of the base portion 31 of the rotor base 30, and the upper end of the male screw portion 101 a extends from the screw hole 25 a of the rotor body 20. It protrudes and is exposed, and can be rotated from the outside. A tip of a stopper 36 made of an elastic piece is locked between the teeth of the gear portion 101b. A gear portion 101b at the lower end of the thickness adjusting screw 101 is formed larger than a hole 96 of a second support member 90 of a movable member moving mechanism described later, and the thickness adjusting screw 101 does not come out upward from the second support member 90. It is like that.

<Tablet support lifting mechanism>
FIG. 10 shows members constituting the tablet support base lifting mechanism. The tablet support raising / lowering mechanism includes a cylindrical rotating member 40, an annular raising / lowering member 45, and a height adjusting screw 102.

  The cylindrical rotating member 40 has a male screw portion 41 formed at the lower outer periphery and a driven gear 42 formed at the upper inner periphery. A stopper 43 that prevents the cylindrical rotating member 40 from freely rotating is engaged with the driven gear 42.

  In the annular elevating member 45, arms 46 project radially from six outer peripheral positions, and a tablet support 47 is formed at the tip of each arm 46. The tablet support 47 has an inclined surface 47a orthogonal to the tablet guide path 4b so that the lowest tablet T in the tablet guide path 4b can be supported. On the inner surface of the annular elevating member 45, a female screw portion 48 that is screwed with the male screw portion 41 of the cylindrical rotating member 40 is formed.

  The height adjusting screw 102 has a drive gear 102 a that meshes with the driven gear 42 of the cylindrical rotating member 40 at the lower end. The upper end of the height adjusting screw 102 protrudes from the hole 21a on the upper surface of the base portion 21 of the rotor main body 20, and can be adjusted for rotation from the outside.

  The cylindrical rotating member 40 and the annular elevating member 45 are screwed together and are accommodated in the annular recess 37 of the rotor base 30, and the arm 46 of the annular elevating member 45 is slidably fitted into the vertical slit 35 a of the rotor base 30. The tablet support 47 protrudes outside the annular wall 35 of the rotor base 30, and supports the lowest tablet T in the tablet guide path 4b.

<Moving member moving mechanism>
FIG. 12 shows members constituting the movable member moving mechanism. The movable member moving mechanism includes a first movable member 50, a second movable member 60, a cam member 70, a first support member 80, a second support member 90, and a width adjustment screw 103.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the first movable member 50 includes an annular base 51, six wall portions 52, a first vertical protrusion 53, and a first horizontal protrusion 54. Two first adjustment holes 55 are formed in the base 51 at positions separated by 180 degrees. As shown in FIG. 15A, the first adjustment hole 55 is a long hole, and its center line is inclined by 60 degrees with respect to a radial line passing through the center of the first movable member 50. Returning to FIG. 13, notches 51 a with which the downward projecting portions 22 of the rotor body 20 engage are formed at six circumferentially spaced positions on the outer peripheral edge of the base 51. On the lower surface of the base portion 51, an arcuate guide portion 56 is annularly arranged. The six wall portions 52 protrude downward from a position that is equidistant around the outer periphery of the base portion 51 and that is biased toward the left notch 51a when viewed from the front. The first vertical protrusion 53 protrudes outward from the left end when viewed from the front of the wall portion 52, and forms the right side surface of the tablet guide path 4b described above. The first vertical protrusion 53 is formed with a notch 53a into which the partition member 8 is fitted. The first horizontal protrusion 54 extends from the upper end of the first vertical protrusion 53 horizontally in the circumferential direction toward the right side when viewed from the front, and forms the bottom surface of the tablet pocket 4a described above. The first horizontal protruding piece 54 is inclined so that the outer peripheral side end is lower than the inner peripheral side end. The upper surface of the tip of the first horizontal protrusion 54 is formed with a taper 54a that faces downward toward the tip.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the second movable member 60 has an annular base 61, six wall parts 62, a second vertical protrusion 63, and a second horizontal protrusion 64. Two second adjustment holes 65 are formed in the base 61 at positions separated by 180 degrees. As shown in FIG. 15B, the second adjustment hole 65 is a long hole, and the center line of the second adjustment hole 65 is in the direction intersecting the first adjustment hole 55 of the first movable member 150 and the center of the second movable member 60. Tilted 60 degrees with respect to the radial line through Referring back to FIG. 14, notches 61 a with which the downward projecting portions of the rotor body 20 are engaged are formed at six circumferentially spaced positions on the outer peripheral edge of the base 61. On the upper surface of the base portion 61, an arcuate guide portion 66 is annularly arranged. The six wall portions 62 protrude downward from a position that is equidistant around the outer periphery of the base portion 61 and that is biased toward the notch 61a on the right side when viewed from the front. The second vertical protrusion 63 protrudes outward from the right end when viewed from the front of the wall portion, and forms the left side surface of the tablet guide path 4b described above. The second vertical protrusion 63 is formed with a notch 63a into which the partition member 8 is fitted. The second horizontal protrusion 64 extends from the upper end of the second vertical protrusion 63 in the circumferential direction horizontally toward the left side when viewed from the front, and together with the first horizontal protrusion 54 of the first movable member 50, the tablet described above. The bottom surface of the pocket 4a is formed. The 2nd horizontal protrusion 64 inclines so that an outer peripheral side edge part may become lower than an inner peripheral side edge part. The tip of the second horizontal protrusion 64 of the second movable member 60 is formed so as to overlap the tip of the first horizontal protrusion 54 of the first movable member 50.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the cam member 70 has an annular shape and is disposed between the first movable member 50 and the second movable member 60, and the guide portion 56 on the lower surface of the first movable member 50 and the first movable member 50. 2 It is guided by a guide part 66 on the upper surface of the movable part 60 and can rotate. A driven gear 71 is formed on the inner periphery of the cam member 70, and two arc-shaped cam grooves 72 are formed between the inner periphery and the outer periphery. A stopper 73 that prevents free rotation of the cam member 70 is engaged with the driven gear 71. The angle from one end to the other end of the cam groove 72 is about 140 °, but is not limited thereto. As shown in FIG. 16B, the cam groove 72 is formed so as to approach the outer peripheral edge as it proceeds in the clockwise direction when viewed from the plane. A drive pin 74 is inserted into each cam groove 72.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the first support member 80 has a circular protrusion 82 on the lower surface of a circular base 81. Two first guide holes 83 are formed in the base portion 81 at positions separated by 180 °. The first guide hole 83 is a long hole and extends in the radial direction passing through the center of the first support member 80. The upper end of the drive pin 74 is fitted in the first guide hole 83. A notch 81 a with which the downward projecting portion 22 of the rotor main body 20 engages is formed at a circumferentially equidistant position on the outer peripheral edge of the base portion 81. In the center of the base 81, a hole 84 through which the thickness adjusting screw 101 of the rotor lifting mechanism passes, a hole 85 through which the height adjusting screw 102 of the tablet support lifting mechanism passes, and a width adjusting screw 103 to be described later pass. A hole 86 and two screw insertion holes 87 are formed.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the second support member 90 is formed with an annular protrusion 92 on the upper surface of a circular base 91 to which the circular protrusion 82 of the first support member 80 is fitted. A circular large protrusion 93 and a small protrusion 94 are provided on the lower surface of the base 91. The large protrusion 93 and the small protrusion 94 have a size that fits into the cylindrical rotating member 40 of the above-described tablet support base lifting mechanism. A second guide hole 95 is formed at a position corresponding to the first guide hole 83 of the first support member 80 at a position 180 degrees away from the outer side of the annular protrusion 92 on the upper surface. The second guide hole 95 is a long hole and extends in the radial direction passing through the center of the first support member 80. The lower end of the drive pin 74 is fitted in the second guide hole 95. In the center of the base 91, a hole 96 through which the thickness adjusting screw 101 of the rotor lifting mechanism passes, a hole 97 and a notch 97a through which the height adjusting screw 102 of the tablet support lifting mechanism passes, and a width adjusting screw described later. 103, a hole 98 through which the support shaft 103b passes, two screw holes 99 into which screws (not shown) inserted into the two screw insertion holes 87 of the first support member 80 are screwed, and two screw insertion holes 100 are formed. Has been. Further, the base portion 91 is formed with a through hole 91a into which the stopper 43 of the tablet platform lifting mechanism is fitted.

By inserting and tightening a screw (not shown) from the screw insertion hole 87 of the first support member 80 into the screw hole 99 of the second support member, the first support member 80 and the second support member 90 are the first movable member 50 and the second support member 90. 2 The movable member 60 and the cam member 70 are integrated with each other.
Further, by inserting and tightening a screw (not shown) from the screw insertion hole 100 of the second support member 90 into the screw hole 34c of the rotor base 30, the second support member 90 is fixed to the rotor base 30, and the second support The cylindrical rotating member 40 of the tablet support raising / lowering mechanism is held between the member 90 and the rotor base 30, and the movement in the axial direction is restrained.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the width adjusting screw 103 has a drive gear 103a that meshes with the driven gear 71 of the cam member 70 in the middle, and a support shaft 103b protruding from the lower end. The upper end of the width adjusting screw 103 protrudes from the hole 21b on the upper surface of the base portion 21 of the rotor main body 20, and can be adjusted for rotation from the outside.

  Next, operation | movement of the rotor 4 in the tablet cassette 1 which consists of the above structure is demonstrated.

  As already described with reference to FIG. 3, between the cassette body 3 and the rotor 4, there are a tablet pocket 4 a extending in the circumferential direction on the upper side of the rotor 4 and a plurality of tablets extending downward from the upper side of the rotor 4. It has a guideway 4b.

  The tablet pocket 4 a is a circumferential direction formed by the outer peripheral side surface formed by the outer peripheral surface of the rotor body 20, the first horizontal protruding piece 54 of the first movable member 50, and the second horizontal protruding piece 64 of the second movable member 60. And a bottom surface arranged at equal intervals.

  The tablet guide path 4b includes a bottom surface formed by the lower inclined outer surface 22c of the downward projecting portion 22 of the rotor body 20, a right side surface formed by the first vertical projecting piece 53 of the first movable member 50, and a second movable member. It is composed of a left side surface formed by 60 second vertical protrusions 63 and a lower end surface formed by the tablet support base 47. The tablet guide path 4 b extends from the adjacent tablet pocket 4 a toward the bottom surface of the rotor 4.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the tablet T accommodated in the tablet accommodating portion 5 of the cassette body 3 enters the tablet pocket 4 a while being agitated by the step 13 of the rotor cover 10 by the rotation of the rotor 4, and from the tablet pocket 4 a When the tablet guide path 4b approaches the tablet discharge hole 7 after entering the guide path 4b, the partition member fixed to the cassette body 3 between the lowest tablet T and the tablet T above the tablet guide path 4b 8 enters. The tablet T above the partition member 8 is prevented from falling downward by the partition member 8. The lowest tablet T below the partitioning member 8 is on the tablet support 47, but since the tablet support 47 has an inclined surface 47a, the tablet T falls on the inclined surface 47a toward the tablet discharge port 7, It is discharged from the tablet discharge hole 7. The tablet T discharged from the tablet discharge hole 7 is discharged through the tablet discharge path 2a of the base 2. Thereby, each time the tablet guide path 4a turns to the tablet discharge hole 7, the tablets T are discharged one by one. By adjusting the rotation angle of the rotor 4, the number of tablets T according to the prescription can be dispensed.

  The tablet guide path 4b uses the above-described rotor lifting mechanism, tablet support lifting mechanism, and movable member moving mechanism, the depth D corresponding to the thickness of the tablet T, the partition position H corresponding to the height of the tablet, the tablet The width W corresponding to the width of T can be adjusted. For this reason, according to the shape and magnitude | size of the tablet T accommodated in the cassette main body 3, it can be set as the tablet guide path 4b of an appropriate magnitude | size. Each time the tablet T is different, the whole tablet cassette 1 or the rotor 4 is not replaced, and the same tablet cassette 1 or rotor 4 is used to adjust the tablet guide path 4b according to various tablets T to be discharged. be able to.

<Adjusting the depth (thickness) of the tablet guide path>
As shown in FIG. 9, in order to adjust the depth D of the tablet guide path 4 b corresponding to the thickness of the tablet T, the rotor cover 10 that is attracted to the rotor 4 by magnetic force is removed, and the top surface of the rotor body 20 is removed. The exposed thickness adjusting screw 101 of the rotor lifting mechanism is rotated left or right.

  Referring to FIG. 5, in the thickness adjusting screw 101, the gear portion 101 b is restrained from moving in the axial direction by the second support member 90 and the rotor base 30, and the guide groove 24 a of the rotor body 20 is a guide piece of the rotor base 30. Since the rotor body 20 is restricted from rotating with respect to the rotor base 30 by engaging with the screw 32, when the thickness adjusting screw 101 is rotated, the male screw portion 101 a of the thickness adjusting screw 101 is screwed. The rotor body 20 having the screw holes 25a is raised or lowered in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotor 4. Along with this, the lower inclined outer surface 22c of the downward projecting portion 22 of the rotor body 20 forming the bottom surface of the tablet guide path 4b is also raised or lowered.

  Referring to FIG. 9, the lower inclined outer surface 22 c of the downward projecting portion 22 is inclined from the outside to the inside in the radial direction from the top to the bottom, and the inverted conical shape of the rotor accommodating portion 6 of the cassette body 3 is formed. It is parallel to the upper inclined inner surface 6a. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 9A, when the lower inclined outer surface 22 c of the downward projecting portion 22 of the rotor body 3 is lowered, the lower inclined outer surface 22 c of the downward projecting portion 22 and the conical upper inclined inner surface of the cassette body 3. The distance to 6a is reduced, and the depth of the tablet guide path 4b can be reduced (D1). Conversely, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the lower inclined outer surface 22 c of the downward projection 22 of the rotor body 3 rises, the lower inclined outer surface 22 c of the downward projection 22 and the inverted conical upper inclination of the cassette body 3. The distance between the inner surface 6a is increased, and the depth of the tablet guide path 4b can be increased (D2). Thus, by rotating the thickness adjusting screw 101 to the left or right, the depth of the tablet guide path 4b can be adjusted according to the thickness of the tablet T passing through the tablet guide path 4b. Each time the gear portion 101b of the thickness adjusting screw 101 shown in FIG. 5 rotates, the tip of the stopper 36 gets over the teeth of the gear portion 101b and engages between the teeth. The rotor body 20 can be fixed at a desired height position by stopping at the position.

<Adjustment of partitioning position (height) of tablet guide path>
As shown in FIG. 11, in order to adjust the partition position H of the tablet guide path 4b corresponding to the height of the tablet T, the height of the tablet support base lifting mechanism exposed on the upper surface of the rotor body 20 in FIG. The height adjusting screw 102 is rotated left or right. In the present invention, since the partition member 8 is fixed to the cassette body 3, the partition member 8 is not moved, but adjusted below the partition member 8 to adjust the partition position H of the tablet guide path 4 b. The partition position H of the tablet T is relatively adjusted by moving the tablet support base 47 up and down and adjusting the distance between the partition member 8 and the tablet support base 47.

  Referring to FIG. 10, since the drive gear 102a of the height adjusting screw 102 is engaged with the driven gear 42 of the cylindrical rotating member 40, when the height adjusting screw 102 is rotated, the cylindrical rotating member 40 rotates. The cylindrical rotating member 40 is restrained from moving up and down by the second support member 90 and the rotor base 30. The annular elevating member 45 having the female threaded portion 48 that is screwed into the male threaded portion 41 of the cylindrical rotating member 40 has its arm 46 penetrating the vertical slit 35 a of the annular wall 35 of the rotor base 30, and is restricted from rotating. For this reason, the annular elevating member 45 is moved up and down by the rotation of the cylindrical rotating member 40, and the tablet support 47 of the annular elevating member 45 is moved up and down.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 11A, when the cylindrical rotating member 40 rotates in one direction, the tablet support base 47 of the annular lifting member 45 rises, and the position of the partition member 8 relative to the tablet support base 47, that is, the partition The position is lowered (H1). Conversely, as shown in FIG. 11 (b), when the cylindrical rotating member 40 rotates to the other side, the tablet support 47 of the annular lifting member 45 descends, and the position of the partition member 8 relative to the tablet support 47, that is, A partition position becomes high (H2). Each time the cylindrical rotating member 40 is rotated by the rotation of the height adjusting screw 102 shown in FIG. 10, the tip of the stopper 43 gets over the teeth of the driven gear 42 of the cylindrical rotating member 40 and engages between the teeth. Therefore, the height adjusting screw 102 can be stopped at an appropriate position, and the tablet support 47 can be fixed at a desired height position.

<Width adjustment of tablet guide path>
19 and 20, in order to adjust the width W of the tablet guide path 4b corresponding to the width of the tablet T, the width adjusting screw 103 of the movable member moving mechanism exposed on the upper surface of the rotor body 20 is moved to the left. Or rotate right.

  Referring to FIG. 12, since the drive gear 103a of the width adjusting screw 103 is engaged with the driven gear 71 of the cam member 70, when the width adjusting screw 103 is rotated, the cam member 70 is rotated. Since the cam groove 72 of the cam member 70 is moved by the rotation of the cam member 70, the edge of the cam groove 72 presses the drive pin 74. The drive pin 74 moves along the first guide hole 83 of the first support member 80 and the second guide hole 95 of the second support member 90, and the first adjustment hole 55 and the second movable member of the first movable member 50. The edge of the 60 second adjustment hole 65 is pressed. As a result, the first movable member 50 and the second movable member 60 rotate in opposite directions.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 19A and 20A, when the cam member 70 rotates counterclockwise due to the counterclockwise rotation of the width adjusting screw 103, the drive pin 74 moves outward, The first movable member 50 rotates to the left, the second movable member 60 rotates to the right, and the distance between the first vertical protrusion 53 of the first movable member 50 and the second vertical protrusion 63 of the second movable member 60. Is narrowed and the width of the tablet guide path 4b is reduced (W1). On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 19B and 20B, when the cam member 70 rotates clockwise by the clockwise rotation of the width adjusting screw 103, the drive pin 74 moves inward, and When the first movable member 50 rotates to the right and the second movable member 60 rotates to the left, the distance between the first vertical protrusion 53 of the first movable member 50 and the second vertical protrusion 63 of the second movable member 60 is increased. The tablet guide path 4b expands (W2). In FIG. 12, every time the cam member 70 is rotated by the rotation of the width adjusting screw 103, the tip of the stopper 73 gets over the teeth of the driven gear 71 of the cam member 70 and engages between the teeth. 103 is stopped at an appropriate position, and the tablet guide path 4b between the first vertical protrusion 53 of the first movable member 50 and the second vertical protrusion 63 of the second movable member 60 is fixed to a desired width. it can.

<Automatic adjustment>
As described above, when changing the type of the tablet accommodated in the tablet cassette of the above embodiment, the shape and size of the tablet are rotated by rotating the thickness adjusting screw, the height adjusting screw, and the width adjusting screw. The tablet T can be discharged smoothly by adjusting the tablet guide path depth, height (partition position) and width suitable for the tablet. Since the rotation amount of the thickness adjustment screw, height adjustment screw, and width adjustment screw is proportional to the depth, height (partition position), and width of the tablet guide path, these adjustment operations can be performed automatically.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 21, for each tablet, appropriate values for the depth, height (partition position) and width of the tablet guide path 4b of the rotor 4, and a thickness adjusting screw 101 corresponding to the appropriate value, A storage device 201 that stores the amount of rotation of the height adjustment screw 102 and the width adjustment screw 103, an input device 202 that inputs the type of tablet, a thickness adjustment screw 101, a height adjustment screw 102, and a width adjustment screw 103. An automatic adjustment device 200 including a driving device 203 that rotates is provided. When the rotor 4 with the rotor cover removed is set in the automatic adjustment device 200 and the tablet type is input, the thickness adjustment screw 101 and the height from the storage device 201 are input according to the tablet type input to the input device 202. The rotation amounts of the adjustment screw 102 and the width adjustment screw 103 are read, and the thickness adjustment screw 101, the height adjustment screw 102, and the width adjustment screw 103 of the rotor 4 are rotated by the rotation amount by the drive device 203, so that the tablet It can be adjusted to a rotor 4 with a suitable tablet guide path 4b. This automatic adjustment device 200 is suitable not only for changing the type of tablet, but also for the rotor 4 in which the depth, height (partition position) and width of the tablet guide path 4b are shifted during use of the rotor 4 to an appropriate value. Can also be used to return to

<Tablet guidance mechanism>
The tablet cassette 1 of the above embodiment employs a tablet guiding mechanism that reliably guides the tablet T to the tablet guide path 4b. Hereinafter, this tablet guiding mechanism will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 22, protrusions 3 a are integrally formed at three circumferentially equidistant positions on the inner peripheral surface of the cassette body 3. The number of the protrusions 3a is not limited to three, and may be one, two, or four. When the protrusions 3a are provided at two or four places, it is preferable to form the protrusions 3a at uneven circumferential positions so as not to leave 180 °. This is because when the tablet T is sandwiched between one protrusion 3a and the rotor 4, the rotor 4 moves in a direction away from the protrusion 3a, so that the pinching is eliminated, but between the two protrusions 3a and the rotor. This is because when the tablets T are sandwiched at the same time, the rotor 4 does not move and the sandwiching is not released if the protrusion 3a is at a position 180 ° apart.

  The protrusion 3a is chevron-shaped, and both skirt portions extending in the circumferential direction (FIGS. 23A and 23C) are low, and the central top portion (FIG. 23B) is high. That is, the rotor 4 is formed such that the height gradually increases from the upstream side to the downstream side in the rotational direction and gradually decreases from the top. The maximum height of the protrusion 3a is about 1 mm, but is not limited thereto. As shown in FIG. 24, the protrusion 3a is located above the outer peripheral side end 4c 'of the inlet 4c on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor 4 of the tablet guide path 4b. Further, as shown in FIG. 25, the protrusion 3a is formed at the tip of the large tablet T1 or the small tablet T2 (rotation direction of the rotor) that falls between the adjacent tablet guide paths 4b or across the tablet guide path 4b. The lower surface of the downstream tip), in other words, below the center of the tablet T1, T2, that is, the lower half of the tip of the tablet T1, T2 is located at a position where it can contact.

  As shown in FIG. 24, the inlet portion 4c on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor 4 of the tablet guide path 4b means the base portion of the second horizontal protrusion 64 of the second movable member 60 of the movable member moving mechanism. The downstream inlet 4c is inclined upward toward the downstream side in the rotational direction of the rotor 4 so that the tablet T can easily enter the tablet guide path 4b. Further, the inlet portion 4d on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor 4 of the tablet guide path 4b is a base portion of the first horizontal protruding piece 54 of the first movable member 50 of the movable member moving mechanism. The upstream inlet 4d is formed at approximately 90 °. The inlet part 4c on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor 4 of the tablet guide path 4b is formed lower than the inlet part 4d on the upstream side. For this reason, when the rotor 4 rotates, the inlet 4d on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor 4 is in a state of pushing the tablet T.

  The first horizontal projecting piece 54 of the first movable member 50 is formed to be thinner stepwise toward the tip. For this reason, when the 1st horizontal protrusion 54 of the 1st movable member 50 overlaps with the 2nd horizontal protrusion 64 of the 2nd movable member 60, and forms the tablet pocket 4a, the upper surface of the 1st horizontal protrusion 54 and the 1st The surface formed by the upper surface of the two horizontal protrusions 64 is inclined upward toward the downstream side in the rotational direction of the rotor 4 as a whole. As a result, as shown in FIG. 24, the tablet T that has entered the tablet pocket 4a lies down toward the tablet guide path 4b.

  In conventional tablet cassettes, oval or capsule-shaped tablets rotate with the rotor in a tablet pocket on the outer periphery of the rotor and rotate with the rotor, and do not fall into the tablet guide path and are discharged indefinitely. It may not be done. In addition, there is a problem that the tablet is not discharged when the entrance of the tablet guide path is closed while the tablet is tilted sideways.

  However, in the embodiment of the present invention, since the protrusions 3a are formed at three circumferentially spaced positions on the inner peripheral surface of the cassette body 3, as shown in FIG. 26, the tablet pockets between the adjacent tablet guide paths 4b are formed. When the tablet T is rotated sideways at 4a and rotated in the direction of the arrow (leftward), the tablet T eventually meets one of the three protrusions 3a of the cassette body 3. As shown in FIG. 26, since the tip of the tablet T that has fallen sideways is directed outward with respect to the rotor 4, when the tablet T moves as the rotor 4 rotates, the lower surface of the tip of the tablet T becomes the cassette body. 3 projection 3a. The tablet T in contact with the protrusion 3a is changed in posture and is guided from the rear end portion to the tablet guide path 4b. The first horizontal projecting piece 54 and the second horizontal projecting piece 64 in which the tablet T is tilted sideways are inclined so that the outer peripheral side end is lower than the inner peripheral side end. It is possible to prevent the medicine T on the two horizontal projecting pieces 64 from moving outward in the radial direction of the rotor 4 and easily coming into contact with the protrusion 3a, and coming into contact with the protrusion 3a to move inward and remain fallen.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 27 (a), as the tablet T approaches the protrusion 3a, the lower surface of the tip of the tablet T comes into contact with the skirt of the protrusion 3a, as shown in FIG. 27 (b). Thus, the tablet T is pushed up so as to ride on the top, the tablet T changes its posture upward, is guided from the rear end to the tablet guide path 4b, and passes through the top of the protrusion 3a. As shown in c), the tablet T enters the tablet guide path 4 b and falls and is discharged from the tablet discharge hole 7. As described above, even when the oval or capsule-shaped tablet T is in the posture of falling sideways, it can be reliably guided to the tablet guide path 4b and discharged.

  Even if the thickness, width, and height of the tablet guide path 4b of the rotor 4 are adjusted and changed by the already described rotor lifting mechanism, tablet support lifting mechanism, and movable member moving mechanism, the tablet formed by the protrusion 3a of the cassette body 3 The operation of the guidance mechanism is not affected. That is, in FIG. 24, when the thickness (depth) of the tablet guide path 4b is changed, only the rotor body 20 and the rotor cover 10 of the rotor 4 are raised, and the inlet portions 4c and 4d of the tablet guide path 4b The positional relationship of the protrusion 3a is unchanged. When the height of the tablet guide path 4b is changed, the tablet support 47 of the rotor 4 moves up and down, but the positional relationship between the inlet portions 4c and 4d of the tablet guide path 4b and the protrusion 3a is unchanged. Furthermore, when the width of the tablet guide path 4b is changed, the interval between the first vertical protrusion 53 of the first movable member 50 and the second vertical protrusion 63 of the second movable member 60 changes. The positional relationship between the inlet portions 4c and 4d of 4b and the protrusion 3a is unchanged. For this reason, no matter how the size of the tablet guide path 4b is changed according to the shape of the tablet T accommodated in the cassette body 3, the posture of the tablet body 3 tilted sideways by the tablet guiding mechanism by the protrusion 3a. Even the tablet T can be reliably guided to the tablet guide path 4b and discharged. As shown in FIG. 25, the positional relationship between the inlet portions 4c and 4d of the tablet guide path 4b and the protrusion 3a does not change between the large tablet T1 and the small tablet T2, regardless of the size of the tablet. It is possible to reliably guide and discharge to the tablet guide path 4b.

  The embodiment can be variously modified within the scope of the invention described in the claims. For example, the tablet guiding mechanism by the protrusion 3a of the tablet cassette 1 of the above embodiment is applied to a universal-type rotor in which the thickness, width and height of the tablet guide path 4b can be adjusted. It can be applied to a rotor with a fixed height.

T Tablet 1 Tablet cassette 2 Base 3 Cassette body 3a Protrusion 4 Rotor 4a Tablet pocket 4b Tablet guide path 4c Downstream inlet 4c 'Outer edge 4d Upstream inlet 5 Tablet holder 6 Rotor holder 6b Upper inclined inner surface 7 Tablet discharge hole 8 Partition member 10 Rotor cover 13 Step 14 Engagement step 20 Rotor body 22 Downward projecting portion 22c Lower inclined outer surface 25a Screw hole 28 Step portion 30 Rotor base 40 Cylindrical rotating member 41 Male screw portion 42 Driven gear 45 Annular lift Member 47 Tablet support base 50 First movable member 53 First vertical protrusion 54 First horizontal protrusion 55 First adjustment hole 59 First segment worm gear 60 Second movable member 63 Second vertical protrusion 64 Second horizontal protrusion 65 Second adjustment hole 69 Second segment worm gear 70 Cam member 72 Cam groove 74 Drive pin 80 First support member 83 First guide hole 90 Second support member 95 Second guide hole 101 Thickness adjusting screw (thickness adjusting member)
102 Height adjustment screw (height adjustment member)
103 Width adjustment screw (width adjustment member)

Claims (6)

A plurality of tablet guide paths, each of which includes a cassette body and a rotor rotatably provided in the cassette body, and guides the tablets stored in the cassette body to the tablet discharge holes provided in the cassette body; In the formed tablet cassette,
On the inner peripheral surface of the cut body, above the outer peripheral end of the inlet portion on the downstream side of the rotation direction of the rotor of the tablet guide path, between the adjacent tablet guide paths, or on the tablet guide path A protrusion is formed that contacts the lower surface of the tip of the tablet that has fallen sideways across the surface,
The tablet cassette, wherein the protrusion is formed so as to gradually increase in height from the upstream side to the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor.   The tablet cassette according to claim 1, wherein an inlet portion on the downstream side of the tablet guide path is lower than an inlet portion on the upstream side.   The tablet cassette according to claim 1, wherein an inlet portion on the downstream side of the tablet guide path is inclined upward toward the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor.   The tablet cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protrusion is formed so as to gradually increase in height from the upstream side to the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor.   The tablet cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a dimension of the tablet guide path is provided to be changeable according to the size and shape of the tablet. A plurality of tablet guide paths, each of which includes a cassette body and a rotor rotatably provided in the cassette body, and guides the tablets stored in the cassette body to the tablet discharge holes provided in the cassette body; In the tablet discharge method of the formed tablet cassette,
By bringing the lower surface of the tip portion of the tablet that has fallen laterally between adjacent tablet guide paths or across the tablet guide path into contact with the protrusion formed on the cassette body, the tip portion of the tablet is A tablet discharge method characterized by raising and changing the posture upward and guiding the tablet from the rear end of the tablet to the tablet guide path.