JP2018068743A - Medication management device and system thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable medication management device capable of easily and accurately acquiring a medication state of medicament stored in a package such as a PTP (press through pack) sheet and further, acquiring distribution of which medicament at any position in the package is taken, and a system thereof.SOLUTION: The medication management device includes: a perforated plate 4 having a plurality of holes 6 to be fitted with blisters 10 of a PTP sheet 8 having the convex blisters 10 for storing medicament 9; a base plate constituting a bottom surface for the perforated plate 4; an optical sensor including light emission parts installed in the plurality of holes 6 on the base plate for transmitting optical signals, and light receiving parts for receiving the optical signals; a determination part for determining "presence" or "absence" of the medicament by interruption/non-interruption of an optical signal to be transmitted/received by the optical sensor; and a clocking part for generating time information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable medication management apparatus and system capable of easily and accurately grasping the medication status of a medicine stored in a package such as a PTP (press through pack) sheet.

There are many drugs that a patient needs to take, especially those that need to be taken for a long time, that must be taken in a certain amount at a certain date and time.
In such cases, patients often record their medication status, such as taking notes, thereby preventing forgetting and repeated drinking.
However, information on the medication status is also important information for doctors and medical institutions in order to confirm the efficacy, and the medication information obtained from the patient may be inaccurate due to the patient's own handwritten notes, etc. May interfere with proper medical care.
Therefore, there is a high need for devices and systems that can accurately grasp the patient's medication status, and many inventions have been made so far.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a medicine is stored in one or more medicine storage units under the name “medicine container, medicine container management device, medicine container management system, and medicine container management method”. An invention is disclosed in which a patient's medication use status can be grasped by packaging each dose and recording the opening and closing of the lid of the medicine storage unit.
In this Patent Document 1, one or more medicine storage units are provided, and the opening / closing signal is generated by detecting opening / closing of the lid of the medicine storage unit, and the generation of the opening / closing signal is determined as the action of the medication using the date / time information at that time. A technique for managing the medication situation by recognizing the timing is disclosed.

Further, Patent Document 2 accurately names the storage case, storage case design device, article management system, storage case design method, and article management method, and accurately stores articles stored in the storage case at a low cost. An invention that can be implemented is disclosed.
In Patent Document 2, a storage case is mounted so as to cover a so-called smartphone, and an image is obtained by photographing the inside of a medicine storage space provided in the storage case using a camera and a light source mounted on the smartphone. A technique is disclosed for processing, obtaining a difference between images based on the presence or absence of a drug, and analyzing the presence or absence of the drug from the difference.

Further, Patent Document 3 discloses an invention that can provide better support for appropriate drug therapy for a patient under the name “Personal Blister Pack”.
In Patent Document 3, usage data such as the product itself, dose, and usage time related to a patient's drug can be individually stored for each patient, and a usage reminder signal is output to the patient and designated. A technique is disclosed that reminds people to take a new drug or other formulation at a specified time. In addition, although the specific technical contents are not disclosed, the reference to providing a confirmation button for confirming the drug use by the patient according to the prescription and the confirmation compartment in place of the confirmation button, There is a description that a sensor device can be provided which detects the breakage of the corresponding foil section and thereby estimates the drug use according to the prescription.

Patent Document 4 records the sound of taking out a dose of medicine provided in the blister under the name of “device attached to blister”, and using this pick-up sound, whether or not medicine is administered and correct medicine administration An invention relating to an apparatus capable of grasping the presence or absence of a device is disclosed.
In this patent document 4, the first sensor configured to record the sound of the administration of a dose of medication, the time of administration of the dose of medication, the recording device for recording the date, the time relating to the administration of the dose of medication, An invention having a memory for storing data such as a date is disclosed. Blisters are designed to emit a characteristic sound when a tablet, capsule, or pill dose is administered, so it is possible to check the presence or absence of administration by recording the extracted sound, It is also possible to determine the authenticity of the blister by providing the characteristic sound as authentication data and comparing it with the recorded characteristic sound.

JP 2004-283248 A JP 2014-117403 A Special table 2009-540989 Special table 2010-512944

However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the opening / closing signal is generated by detecting the opening / closing of the lid of the medicine storage unit, and the occurrence of the opening / closing signal is determined using the date / time information at that time. Although it is recognized that the phenomenon is the opening and closing of the lid, there is a problem that the presence or absence of the drug is not equivalent.
In other words, if the medicine is always taken out by opening and closing the lid, the presence or absence of the medicine is the same as the opening and closing of the lid, but the medicine is not necessarily taken out even if the lid is opened and closed. There is a problem that the accuracy of the determination of whether or not is not necessarily high.
Further, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 requires a processor and software related to image processing, and there is a problem that it is expensive and complicated. In addition, since it is necessary to secure the optical path for each storage space using a smartphone camera and light source, there are many cases where the increase in the number of storage spaces cannot be accommodated. There also existed the subject that it was influenced also by the size, arrangement | positioning, and performance of a smart phone.
In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 3, product data relating to a patient's drug itself, dosage, usage time, and other usage data are stored individually for each patient, and a usage reminder signal is output to the patient. Since it is for encouraging medication and providing support for the patient to act as a subject, there is a problem that the result cannot be detected when the patient does not actually take the medication.
Furthermore, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 4, in Patent Document 4, the blister is designed to emit a characteristic sound when administered from a blister, and the sound is the material of the blister cavity, It is said that it is determined by the material that can wrap the blister and the material of the foil to be broken, but the sound changes depending on the patient's strength when taking and the speed and place when taking the medicine by breaking the blister Since it is considered to be possible, there may be a problem in ensuring the accuracy.
In addition, there is a problem that a processor and software for authenticating which medicine is taken out by the characteristic sound is necessary and expensive and complicated.

  The present invention has been made in response to such a conventional situation, and it is possible to easily and accurately grasp the medication status of a medicine stored in a package such as a PTP sheet. It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable medication management apparatus and system capable of grasping the distribution of whether or not a drug at a location is being taken.

In order to achieve the above object, a medication management device according to the first invention comprises a perforated plate having a plurality of holes fitted into a plurality of blister portions of a PTP sheet having a convex blister portion for containing a medicine; A substrate that forms a bottom surface in close contact with the perforated plate, a light sensor that is installed in the plurality of holes on the substrate and that transmits a light signal, and a light sensor that receives the light signal. The light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged so that the optical signal is blocked or attenuated when the medicine is present between them, and the optical signal transmitted and received by the optical sensor is blocked or attenuated. A determination unit that determines whether the medicine is “present” or “absent” based on the presence or absence of the drug, a time measuring unit that generates time information, and a first storage unit, wherein the first storage unit is at least in the determination unit The drug is determined to be “none” It is characterized in storing the determination result generated time information when the.
In the medication management apparatus having the above-described configuration, the perforated plate fits the plurality of blister portions of the PTP sheet having the blister portions into the plurality of hole portions. Acts as follows.
The optical sensor is arranged so as to sandwich the medicine existing in the blister positioned by the light emitting section and the light receiving section, and the optical signal transmitted from the light emitting section is blocked or attenuated by the medicine and is not received by the light receiving section. It acts to generate a situation where an optical signal with a reduced amount of light is received and a situation where it is received by the light receiving unit without being blocked. In order to improve the accuracy of transmission / reception of optical signals by the optical sensor, the presence of the holes of the perforated plate fitted into the plurality of blister parts, the accuracy of the arrangement and dimensions are important.
Furthermore, since the substrate has an action of fixing and arranging the optical sensor composed of the light emitting part and the light receiving part, the accuracy of the arrangement dimension is also important.
The determination unit acts to determine “presence” or “non-existence” of the medicine based on whether or not the optical signal transmitted and received by the optical sensor is blocked or attenuated.
The timekeeping unit operates to generate time information and provide time information at the time of determination of “present” and “none” of the medicine determined by the determination unit, and the first storage unit is determined by the determination unit. The determination result “Yes” and “No” of the medicine to be stored and the time information generated by the timing unit at the time of the determination are stored. The time information includes information related to the date.
The storage in the first storage unit is executed by the determination unit when at least the drug is determined to be “none” in the determination unit. This is because a plurality of drugs are contained in a blister unit in a package such as a PTP sheet. If it is contained and taken at a prescribed dose, and the determination result is “None”, information indicating that the existing drug has been taken is obtained. It is information that the drug exists and is not being taken. It may not be essential for medication management to confirm that the drug has been taken, and it may be stored when it changes to "None" Because.
Therefore, even when the determination unit determines that the medicine is “present”, the determination unit may store the determination result and the time information generated by the time measuring unit at the time of the determination. .
Further, what is described as “part” in the claims and specification of the present application is intended to be a component or a device.

The medication management device according to the second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, at least one of the light emitting part and the light receiving part is installed on the inner surface of the hole instead of on the substrate. Is.
In the medication management device having the above configuration, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit constituting the optical sensor are arranged on the substrate, but in the second invention, they are installed on the inner surface of the hole instead of the substrate. . In such an optical sensor, the perforated plate acts so as to arrange the optical sensor in addition to the arrangement of the holes. Therefore, it is not necessary to consider the deviation between the substrate and the perforated plate.

In the medication management device according to the third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect or the second aspect, the perforated plate, the substrate, the optical sensor, and the determination unit are accommodated in a case having an openable / closable cover. The case includes an open / close sensor that detects when the cover is closed, and the determination unit determines whether the medicine is “present” or “not present” at a timing when the open / close sensor detects the cover being closed. It is characterized by.
In the medication management device having the above configuration, in addition to the operation of the first invention or the second invention, the open / close sensor operates to supply the determination timing of the determination unit because it detects when the cover is closed.

Furthermore, the medication management apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the medication management apparatus according to any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, wherein the perforated plate has an orientation position confirmation structure capable of detecting the orientation of the PTP sheet. It is characterized by this.
In the medication management device having the above-described configuration, in addition to the operations of the first to third inventions, the perforated plate has an orientation position confirmation structure, and acts to detect the orientation of the stored PTP sheet. If the orientation of the PTP sheet is not constant, information on which position of the medicine is being taken is not determined, so this orientation confirmation structure ensures the accuracy of the medication.

A medication management apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the medication management apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the invention, wherein the surface of the cover that contacts the PTP sheet is made of a material that reflects the optical signal. It is characterized by being configured.
In the medication management device having the above-described configuration, in addition to the operations of the first to fourth inventions, the surface of the cover that contacts the PTP sheet is made of a material that reflects an optical signal. The reflected optical signal is reflected. Since the blister part is empty after the medicine is taken, there is nothing to block or attenuate until the light signal originally transmitted from the light emitting part is received by the light receiving part, but the blister part of the PTP sheet is sealed. There is a possibility that the aluminum foil attached in this way may enter the blister part side when the medicine is taken out.
In that case, there is a possibility that the optical signal is blocked by the aluminum foil, but when the aluminum foil enters the blister foil, the hole is exposed and is in contact with the hole portion. If the back surface of the cover is made of a material that reflects the optical signal, the optical signal is reflected more efficiently, and even if the optical signal is blocked or attenuated by the aluminum foil, It acts to receive more optical signals.

And the medication management apparatus which is 6th invention is the invention of any one of 1st invention thru | or 5th invention, It provided with the 1st display part, Time information stored in the said 1st memory | storage part, The determination result is displayed.
In the medication management device having the above-described configuration, in addition to the effects of the first to fifth inventions, the determination result obtained by the first display unit executed by the determination unit and the time generated by the timing unit during the determination The information is displayed.

A medication management system according to a seventh aspect of the invention includes a first communication unit that transmits time information generated when the determination unit determines that the drug is “none” and a determination result to a separate terminal. The medication management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a second communication unit for receiving information transmitted from the first communication unit, the time information, and a second for displaying the determination result. And a terminal having a display portion.
In the medication management system configured as described above, the first communication unit provided in the medication management system has an operation of transmitting a determination result and time information generated by the time measuring unit at the time of the determination to a separate terminal, The second communication unit operates to receive time information and determination result information from the first communication unit, and the second display unit operates to display the time information and determination result. The terminal is separate from the medication management apparatus, and corresponds to, for example, a personal digital assistant (PDA) such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal owned by a patient using the medication management apparatus. It may be a terminal owned by an administrator other than the patient. Such a terminal, for example, receives information from a plurality of medication management devices, and acts to manage them collectively.

A medication management system according to an eighth aspect of the present invention relates to a perforated plate having a plurality of holes fitted into a plurality of blister portions of a PTP sheet having a convex blister portion for containing a medicine, and the perforated plate. A substrate that constitutes a bottom surface; a light sensor that is installed in the plurality of holes on the substrate and that transmits a light signal; and a light sensor that receives a light signal. The light emitting unit and the light receiving unit include When the medicine is present between them, the optical signal is arranged to be blocked or attenuated, and the presence or absence of the optical signal transmitted / received by the optical sensor is determined to be “present” ”Or“ No ”, a time counting unit for generating time information, and the time information generated when at least the drug is determined to be“ No ”in the determination unit and the determination result are separated. First to send to the terminal A medication management device comprising: a communication unit; a second communication unit that receives information transmitted from the first communication unit; and a second storage unit that stores the time information and the determination result received by the second communication unit. And a second display unit that displays the time information and the determination result.
The medication management system having the above-described configuration minimizes the functions of the medication management device. Specifically, without including the first storage unit and the first display unit included in the medication management device according to the seventh invention, the first communication unit separates the determination result in the determination unit and the time information at that time. It acts to transmit to the second communication part of the terminal.
The determination result and the time information received by the second communication unit of the separate terminal operate so as to be stored in the second storage unit and to be displayed on the second display unit.
In the eighth invention, the medication management apparatus is specialized only for obtaining information, and the determination result and the time information are all confirmed on a separate terminal.

In the medication management apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily and accurately grasp the medication, and to accurately grasp the time.
Specifically, since the presence or absence of the drug is determined in a state in which the PTP sheet is fitted to the perforated plate having holes corresponding to the blister portions of the PTP sheet, the presence or absence of the drug is easy and easy to install. It is possible to get information about. Furthermore, since the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part of the optical sensor are arranged so as to block or attenuate the optical path between the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part with the medicine in between, it is easy to determine the presence or absence of the medicine, and its accuracy Can be increased. Then, it is possible to simultaneously determine the presence of the medicine for each blister section, that is, to grasp the distribution of the remaining medicine.

  In the medication management device according to the second invention of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first invention, the optical sensor is provided on the inner surface of the hole of the porous plate, so that the displacement between the porous plate and the substrate is eliminated. There is no need to consider, and it is possible to make a highly accurate determination as long as the blister portion of the PTP sheet is fitted into the hole portion of the perforated plate.

  In the medication management apparatus according to the third invention of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first invention or the second invention, the timing for determining whether the drug is “present” or “absent” by the determination unit is determined by an open / close sensor. It is possible. By providing an open / close sensor, it is possible to make a decision at the timing when the most complete medication can be confirmed, that is, the moment when the cover is closed after taking the medication. Therefore, energy saving effect can be expected.

  In the medication management device according to the fourth invention of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the third invention, the PTP sheet can be fitted into the perforated plate with the direction of the PTP being in a certain correct direction. It is always possible to make a correct determination as to whether the medicine contained in the medicine has been taken.

In the medication management apparatus according to the fifth invention of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the third invention or the fourth invention, the optical signal from the light emitting part leaking from the hole of the blister part after the medicine is taken out is received. Reflected and easily received by the light receiving unit.
There is a possibility that the aluminum foil stuck so as to seal the blister part of the PTP sheet when entering the medicine may enter the blister part side, but in that case, the optical signal may be blocked by the aluminum foil Therefore, it is particularly important to reflect the optical signal leaking from the hole and guide it to the inside of the blister part. Even in such a case, the light signal is reflected and the light reception by the light receiving portion is promoted.

  In the medication management device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the fifth invention, the determination result obtained by the determination unit for the patient taking the drug and the time measurement unit generated at the time of the determination It is possible to visually grasp the time information.

  The medication management system according to the seventh aspect of the present invention is the determination result and time at a separate terminal such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal owned by a patient using the medication management device. Information can be confirmed. Accordingly, since it is possible to select whether or not the user of the medication management apparatus is the same as the confirmation result of the determination result and time information, it can be used by an administrator other than the patient. In addition, for example, by receiving information from a plurality of medication management devices at a separate terminal, it is also possible to manage a plurality of medication management devices collectively.

  The medication management system according to the eighth invention of the present invention is capable of exerting the same effect as that of the seventh invention, and the medication management device is specialized only for obtaining information. Since all the information is stored in the second storage unit of the separate terminal and displayed and confirmed on the second display unit, the medication management device can be simplified and miniaturized.

It is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of the medication management apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the PTP type chemical | medical agent sheet | seat with which the medication management apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention is mounted | worn. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the perforated panel which is an internal structure of the medication management apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, a board | substrate, and a power supply. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state which made the chemical | medical agent sheet fit to the perforated plate of the medication management apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state which made the chemical | medical agent sheet fit to the perforated board accommodated in the fixed case in the medication management apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state which closed the movable cover of the stationary case of the medication management apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state which the blister of the chemical | medical agent sheet fitted into the hole of the perforated plate of the medication management apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the movable cover of a stationary case closed. It is a block diagram of the medication management device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of the medication management system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the medication management system which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. FIG.

The medication management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a medication management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a PTP type that is attached to the medication management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of a chemical | medical agent sheet | seat, FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the perforated board which is an internal structure of a medication management apparatus, a board | substrate, and a power supply.
As shown in FIG. 3, the medication management apparatus 1 includes an internal structure 15 composed of a perforated plate 4 and a power source 17 fixed in close contact with each other on a substrate 16, as shown in FIG. In a fixed case 2. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the substrate 16 is provided with an optical sensor including a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, which will be described later, and the determination unit and the timing unit are provided with control functions. As the microprocessor, a first storage unit is mounted as a memory, and these are connected to a circuit formed on the substrate 16.
The fixed case 2 includes a movable cover 3 and is pivotally supported by a base shaft 14 provided on the upper portion of the fixed case 2 so as to be opened and closed. Further, the movable cover 3 is provided with a magnet 13, and it is possible to detect the open / closed state of the movable cover 3 in combination with the magnetic sensor 5 provided on the perforated plate 4. That is, the medication management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment employs a combination of the magnet 13 and the magnetic sensor 5 as the open / close sensor.

Further, the inner surface of the movable cover 3 functions as a medicine sheet pressing surface 12, and the medicine sheet pressing surface 12 is made of a member capable of reflecting an optical signal emitted from a light emitter of an optical sensor (not shown). ing.
The power source 17 supplies power necessary for operation to the optical sensor, the determination unit, the time measuring unit, the first storage unit, and the magnetic sensor 5.
The perforated plate 4 has a hole 6 into which a plurality of blisters 10 formed in a convex shape on a PTP type drug sheet 8 can be fitted. In addition, the perforated plate 4 is provided with drug sheet handle portions 7 in a concave shape at both ends in the longitudinal direction so that the finger can be easily put on when removing the fitted drug sheet 8. Since the drug sheet handle 7 has only to be hooked and the drug sheet 8 needs to be taken out, if the shape is concave, even if it is arcuate as shown in FIG. It may be a notch, and its shape is not particularly limited.
In addition, the arrangement structure of the hole 6 drilled in the perforated plate 4 is close to the right side when viewed from the front as shown in FIG. This is because the drug sheet 8 generally has an end portion on which the drug name is written and the blister 10 is not formed, and the end portion is disposed on the porous plate 4 on the left side of the front view in the figure. This is because of doing so. Thus, by making the porous plate 4 an asymmetric structure with respect to the longitudinal direction of the drug sheet 8, the orientation position of the drug sheet 8 can be confirmed. With this configuration, after the patient has taken the medicine, the medicine sheet 8 can be accommodated in the fixed case 2 again in a fixed direction, and the placement and distribution of the medicine can be fixed. Therefore, it is possible to correctly determine the presence or absence of medication and improve its accuracy.
Further, as described above, the magnetic sensor 5 is embedded in the side surface of the porous plate 4. The magnetic sensor 5 can detect the magnetic force generated by the magnet 13 of the movable cover 3, and can detect the open / closed state of the movable cover 3 based on the presence or absence of this detection.

As shown in FIG. 2, the medicine sheet 8 contains the medicine 9 individually in the blister 10, and an aluminum foil 11 is attached to the back surface to enclose the medicine 9. The hole 6 of the perforated plate 4 is arranged according to the position of the blister 10.
Note that the PTP type drug sheet 8 having the blister 10 has an effect of preventing deterioration due to moisture absorption, ultraviolet rays, etc. when the drug 9 to be sealed is exposed to the atmosphere, and also has an effect of preventing the drug 9 from being damaged. It is something that demonstrates.
In addition, in the medication management apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the asymmetric structure of the porous plate 4 is adopted as the orientation position confirmation structure of the drug sheet 8. However, the drug sheet 8 and the porous plate 4 have concave and convex portions, respectively. It is good also as a direction position confirmation structure as a structure which forms and fits them, and also attaches the marker corresponding to each of the chemical | medical agent sheet 8 and the perforated panel 4, and the position which matches them is attached. It may be possible to specify the orientation position confirmation structure.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a drug sheet is fitted to the perforated plate of the medication management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and a state in which this is accommodated in a fixed case is FIG. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the movable cover of the fixed case is closed.
As shown in FIG. 4, the drug sheet 8 is covered so as to fit into the hole 6 of the perforated plate 4 while the blister 10 is placed downward. Therefore, the aluminum foil 11 of the medicine sheet 8 is visible on the upper surface.
As shown in FIG. 5, the internal structure 15 is accommodated as it is in the fixed case 2, and the drug sheet pressing surface 12 on the inner side surface of the movable cover 3 closes the aluminum cover of the drug sheet 8 by closing the movable cover 3. 11 is configured to be in contact with 11.
In the medication management device 1 according to the present embodiment, the presence or absence of the drug 9 is determined in a state where the drug sheet 8 is in close contact with the porous plate 4 and the drug 9 is completely contained in the hole 6 of the porous plate 4. This is very important. This is because it is necessary to suppress leakage of the optical signal from each hole 6 in order to determine the presence or absence of the medicine 9 based on the presence or absence of blocking of the optical signal. Therefore, it is important that the fixed case 2 and the movable cover 3 have high dimensional accuracy and high rigidity so that the drug sheet 8 is in close contact with the porous plate 4 when closed.
In the state shown in FIG. 5, the magnetic sensor 5 is detected as an open state, and is detected as a closed state when the movable cover 3 is in a closed state as shown in FIG. In addition, the magnet 13 provided in the movable cover 3 and the magnetic sensor 5 provided in the perforated plate 4 are provided in the position where it corresponds naturally.
In the present embodiment, the magnetic sensor is used as the open / close sensor for grasping the open / closed state of the movable cover 3, but a sensor of another system such as contact of an electrical contact may be used.

Next, a mechanism for detecting the presence / absence of the medicine 9 enclosed in the blister 10 by the optical sensor of the medication management apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a blister of a medicine sheet is fitted in a hole of a perforated plate of the medication management apparatus, and a movable cover of the fixed case is closed, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the medication management apparatus. .
In FIG. 7, a light sensor of the medication management apparatus 1 is composed of a light emitter 21 and a light receiver 22 installed on a substrate 16. The light emitter 21 and the light receiver 22 are respectively disposed in the holes 6 formed in the perforated plate 4, and blisters 10 formed in the drug sheet 8 are fitted into the holes 6, The drug 9 is sealed inside. Therefore, the medicine 9, the light emitter 21 and the light receiver 22 in the blister 10 can be accurately determined at the same position by the plurality of holes 6 formed in the perforated plate 4. Further, by providing the hole 6, it is possible to prevent leakage of the optical signal from the light emitter 21 between the adjacent holes 6. Furthermore, since the light emitter 21 and the light receiver 22 are arranged in each of the holes 6, information on the arrangement of the blister 10 and the distribution of the medicine 9 can also be obtained.
Moreover, the movable cover 3 is closed, and the medicine sheet pressing surface 12 constituting the inner surface of the movable cover 3 is in contact with the aluminum foil 11 of the medicine sheet 8.

On the other hand, in the medication management apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 8, components necessary for medicine management for determining the presence or absence of the medicine 9 enclosed in the blister 10 of the medicine sheet 8 are shown as a block diagram. Specifically, the optical sensor 23 including the light emitter 21 and the light receiver 22 shown in FIG. 7, and the first such as a microprocessor having a control function while having a timer unit 25 and a determination unit 26. A first storage unit 27 that stores the determination result regarding the presence or absence of the drug 9 by the control unit 24 and the determination unit 26 and the time information generated by the time measuring unit 25 at the time of determination, and further displays the determination result and time information at the time of determination A medication management device 1 having a first display unit 28 is shown.
Further, the first control unit 24 may have functions related to medication instructions and warnings in advance according to the drug 9. Information on the medicine 9 such as the number, frequency and timing (medication time) that the patient should take the medicine is stored in the first storage unit 27, and the information from the first storage unit 27 and the time information from the time measuring unit 25. In response to the input, the first control unit 24 displays a medication instruction on the first display unit 28, or when it is determined that the determination result by the determination unit 26 is out of timing of the medication. Can display an alarm. The first control unit 24 is an information processing apparatus such as a microcomputer that can write a program, and writes the program according to the type of the medicine 9. In that case, it is conceivable to provide a separate input unit (not shown) for inputting a program from the outside. Also in the 1st memory | storage part 27, it is good also as storing beforehand using the input part other than storing previously regarding the chemical | medical agent 9. FIG.
These components are operated by a power source 17 not shown in the figure.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the state where the medicine 9 is present in the blister 10, the light signal transmitted from the light emitter 21 is blocked by the medicine 9, and is not received by the light receiver 22, or is received as a weak light signal. Therefore, the determination unit 26 in FIG. 8 determines the drug 9 as “present”.
When the medicine 9 is taken by the patient, the medicine 9 goes out of the blister 10, so that the transparent blister 10 is empty and the light signal transmitted from the light emitter 21 is received by the light receiver 22. The determination unit 26 determines that the medicine 9 is “none”. As the light receiver 22, for example, a phototransistor or the like that changes the current generated depending on the intensity of received light, and the determination unit 26 can determine the presence or absence of the drug by measuring the current.
The determination result is stored in the first storage unit 27 by the determination unit 26. At that time, the determination unit 26 receives the time information generated by the time measuring unit 25 at the time of determination, and stores the time information together with the determination result in the first storage unit 27. As already described, since the medication is determined when the patient takes the medication, the determination unit 26 may store the determination result in the first storage unit 27 only when it is determined as “none”. .
Furthermore, in FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 6, although the 1st display part 28 was not shown in the medication management apparatus 1, the determination result by the determination part 26 and its time information are displayed by providing the 1st display part 28. Thus, the user of the medication management apparatus 1 such as a patient can confirm whether or not the medication is present. Examples of the first display unit 28 include a display screen such as a liquid crystal screen or an organic EL screen.

When the drug 9 is removed from the blister 10 by the patient, the aluminum foil 11 is broken, but the broken piece of the aluminum foil 11 generally spreads in the direction in which the drug 9 exits the blister 10. It is thought that it does not enter inside.
However, for example, when the movable cover 3 is closed, it may be pushed back by the medicine sheet pressing surface 12 or by the patient himself. In that case, even if there is no medicine 9, the optical signal is reflected by the aluminum foil 11, and the light amount of the optical signal reaching the light receiver 22 may be reduced. Therefore, in order to more efficiently reflect an optical signal leaking from the inside of the blister 10 to the outside, a drug sheet made of a material that reflects the optical signal on the back side and inner side surface of the movable cover 3, preferably a material having a high reflection efficiency. A pressing surface 12 is provided. The medicine sheet pressing surface 12 reflects an optical signal into the blister 10 to increase the amount of light reaching the light receiver 22.
Further, the determination unit 26 provides a settable threshold for the light amount of the optical signal that reaches the light receiver 22, and grasps the degree of blocking or attenuation of the optical signal by the medicine 9, or fragments of the aluminum foil 11. The accuracy can be improved by changing the threshold value after grasping the state of. Instead of the determination unit 26, the sensitivity of the light receiver 22 may be adjusted.

As shown in FIG. 7, a pair of optical sensors each including a light emitter 21 and a light receiver 22 is provided for each hole 6 of the perforated plate 4. Therefore, each of these light emitters 21 and light receivers 22 is provided with an identification code, and the determination unit 26 can identify the light receiver 22 and associates the identification code to store the determination result in the first storage unit 27. . Therefore, it is possible to grasp the distribution of the drug 9 that has been taken or the remaining drug 9 that remains.
In the medication management apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the light emitter 21 and the light receiver 22 are each installed on the upper surface of the substrate 16, but may be provided on the inner surface of the hole 6 of the porous plate 4. In that case, you may provide so that an inner surface may be touched, and you may provide so that a part or all may be embedded in the perforated panel 4. FIG. As described above, by providing the porous plate 4 on the hole 6 side, it is necessary to take into account a decrease in the placement accuracy of the light emitter 21 and the light receiver 22 with respect to the blister 10 position of the drug sheet 8 due to the fixed displacement between the substrate 16 and the porous plate 4. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the presence or absence of the drug 9 by the optical sensor can be further increased.
In that case, the porous plate 4 may function as the substrate 16. That is, the above-described determination unit, timing unit, and first storage unit are mounted in the porous plate 4, and a circuit for connecting them is also formed on the lower surface or inside of the porous plate 4.
In FIG. 7, the gaps between the drug sheet pressing surface 12 and the aluminum foil 11 and between the drug sheet 8 and the perforated plate 4 are provided for convenience in the configuration of the drawing. 1 is configured so as to be in contact with and in close contact with each other as described above.

Next, the function of the magnetic sensor 5 according to the first embodiment will be described. The magnetic sensor 5 is a sensor that detects the magnetic force of the magnet 13 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and functions as a sensor that detects the opening and closing of the movable cover 3 of the medication management device 1 by detecting the presence or absence of the magnetic force.
Therefore, once the movable cover 3 of the medication management apparatus 1 is opened from the closed state and then closed again, the magnetic sensor 5 detects the magnetic force of the magnet 13 to determine the timing at which the patient has taken the medication. Can be extracted. Therefore, the magnetic sensor 5 generates an operation signal, which is transmitted to the optical sensor 23, the time measuring unit 25, the determination unit 26, and the first storage unit 27 via the first control unit 24 to be operated. The sensor 5 can provide the determination timing, and at the same time, it can urge the power supply 17 to supply power only at that timing to reduce the load.
The first display unit 28 may be synchronized with the timing of the magnetic sensor 5, but a separate switch may be provided so that the patient or the like can check the medication status at any time. In the medication management apparatus 1, the magnetic sensor 5 and the magnet 13 are used as the opening / closing sensors. However, an electrical contact is provided on both the fixed case 2 main body side and the movable cover 3, and an electric circuit accompanying opening / closing of the movable cover 3 is provided. It may be made to function as an open / close sensor by detecting continuity and interruption.

Next, a medication management system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a medication management system according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 9, the medication management system 40 includes a portable terminal 31 that is separate from the medication management device 1 according to the first embodiment, and the medication management device 1 includes the first communication shown in FIG. The mobile phone 31 is configured to be connectable to the mobile terminal 31 via the first communication unit 29 and the communication network 30.
In the separate portable terminal 31, the second communication unit 33 for communicating with the medication management apparatus 1 via the communication network 30, the determination result and time information, or the portable terminal 31 and the medication management apparatus 1 are input. A second display unit 32 for displaying necessary items and information such as medication instructions and alarms, which will be described later, and a second control unit 34 for controlling communication and display or input / output in the portable terminal 31 are provided. .
In this medication management system 40, the medication management device 1 includes the first communication unit 29, so that the determination result about the presence or absence of the drug 9 by the determination unit 26 and the time information generated by the time measuring unit 25 at the time of determination are displayed on the first control unit. 24 can be transmitted to the second communication unit 33 of the portable terminal 31 via the first communication unit 29 and the communication network 30. Therefore, the determination result and time information can be displayed on the second display unit 32 and confirmed by the second control unit 34 of the portable terminal 31.
That is, in addition to the patient using the medication management apparatus 1 with the mobile terminal 31 as a separate body, the family or medical personnel can carry it, so that the presence or absence of medication can be confirmed remotely. In addition, when confirming the presence / absence of medication remotely by medical personnel, medical institutions, research institutions, etc., it is possible to receive information from a plurality of patients, so an identification code is also assigned to the medication management device 1 It is preferable that an identification code can be associated with the determination result and time information. The patient can be identified by the identification code of the medication management apparatus 1. The identification code is stored in the first storage unit 27 or the first control unit 24, and is transmitted to the time measuring unit 25 or the determination unit 26 to be associated with the determination result and time information, or one of them. Good. The transmission timing is set by the first control unit 24, but may be the timing determined by the determination unit 26 or the timing when the determination result becomes “none”.
Furthermore, information (medicine name, number of medications, medication frequency, medication timing (medication time)) about the medicine 9 from the portable terminal 31 via the second communication unit 33, the communication network 30 and the first communication unit 29, and further a medicine sheet The first control unit 24 may be able to input information relating to the arrangement of the eight blisters 10 to the first storage unit 27 so as to be readable.
Then, when the determination result is generated by the determination unit 26, these pieces of information are associated with the determination result and stored in the first storage unit 27, and the first display unit 28 and the second information including the associated information are also stored. 2 By displaying on the display unit 32, it is possible to more easily and accurately grasp the medication status of a patient and the like, including when the medicine 9 arranged in the blister 10 is taken and the distribution of the remaining medicine 9. is there.
Moreover, although the function of the medication management apparatus 1 has already been described with reference to FIG. 8, since the mobile terminal 31 is provided, medication instructions and warnings are also displayed on the first display unit 28 by the first control unit 24. In addition, it is possible to display on the second display unit 32 via the first communication unit 29, the communication network 30, the second communication unit 33, and the second control unit 34, and for the patient carrying the portable terminal 31. It is also possible to inform the family and medical personnel.

As the portable terminal 31, a portable information terminal (PDA) such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal or a small dedicated terminal can be considered. The portable terminal 31 in the present embodiment is not provided with a storage unit, and the determination result and time information are stored directly in the first storage unit 27 directly or once from the timing unit 25 and the determination unit 26 of the medication management apparatus 1. Things are received by the second communication unit 33. In the case of using a portable information terminal, the information processing device of the terminal can be used as the second control unit 34 as it is.
In addition to the wide-area information communication network such as the Internet, the communication network 30 includes a short-distance communication network such as Bluetooth (registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.). For example, a wide-area information communication network may be used, and a short-distance communication network may be used when the patient himself uses it. Further, the communication network 30 is a short-distance communication network, and the mobile terminal 31 receives the determination result and time information, and then, for example, via the second communication unit 33 of the mobile terminal 31 and the wide-area information communication network, for example, medical It is also possible to connect to an institutional server to make it a system that grasps the medication situation of all patients in a medical institution.
The first communication unit 29 is also supplied with power from the power supply 17.

Finally, a medication management system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a medication management system according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 10, the medication management system 40a includes a portable terminal 31a separate from the medication management device 1a. The medication management device 1a includes the first storage unit 27 and the first display unit from those shown in FIG. 28 is deleted and a first communication unit 29 is added, and is configured to be connectable to the mobile terminal 31a via the first communication unit 29 and the communication network 30.
In this medication management system 40a, although the medication management device 1a includes the first communication unit 29, the medication management device 1a obtains information by deleting the first storage unit 27 and the first display unit 28. The determination result transmitted from the first control unit 24 via the first communication unit 29 and the communication network 30 and received by the second communication unit 33 of the separate portable terminal 31a while simplifying the configuration by specializing the function. The time information is stored in the second storage unit 35 by the second control unit 34. Further, the information can be confirmed on the second display unit 32 by the second control unit 34 directly from the second communication unit 33 or via the second storage unit 35.
Other technical contents relating to the medication management apparatus 1a, other technical contents relating to the portable terminal 31a, and technical contents relating to the communication network 30 are the same as those in the medication management system according to the second embodiment. Further, the storage relating to the information related to the medicine 9 is performed in the second storage unit 35, and the display including the associated information is performed by the second display unit 32.

  As described above, in the inventions described in claims 1 to 8 of the present invention, the patient himself / her family or medical staff can confirm the patient's medication status requiring medication management in real time. Therefore, in addition to medication management for patients, etc., it can also be used for medical examinations widely from private hospitals to regional core hospitals. Also, examinations at medical examination institutions, drug efficacy tests by drug manufacturers and treatment methods at medical research institutions It can also be used in research.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1a ... Medication management apparatus 2 ... Fixed case 3 ... Movable cover 4 ... Perforated plate 5 ... Magnetic sensor 6 ... Hole part 7 ... Drug sheet handle part 8 ... Drug sheet 9 ... Drug 10 ... Blister 11 ... Aluminum foil 12 ... Medicinal sheet pressing surface 13 ... Magnet 14 ... Base shaft 15 ... Internal structure 16 ... Substrate 17 ... Power source 21 ... Light emitter 22 ... Light receiver 23 ... Optical sensor 24 ... First control unit 25 ... Time measuring unit 26 ... Determination unit 27 ... First DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Memory | storage part 28 ... 1st display part 29 ... 1st communication part 30 ... Communication network 31, 31a ... Portable terminal 32 ... 2nd display part 33 ... 2nd communication part 34 ... 2nd control part 35 ... 2nd memory | storage part 40 , 40a ... Medication management system

Claims (8)

  A perforated plate having a plurality of holes fitted in a plurality of blister portions of a PTP (press through pack) sheet having a convex blister portion for containing a drug, and a substrate constituting a bottom surface in close contact with the perforated plate And a light sensor that is installed in the plurality of holes on the substrate and transmits a light signal and a light sensor that receives the light signal, and the light emitter and the light receiver are between them. When the drug is present, the optical signal is arranged to be blocked or attenuated. Furthermore, the drug is “present” or “absent” depending on whether the optical signal transmitted / received by the optical sensor is blocked or attenuated. A determination unit that determines time, a time measuring unit that generates time information, and a first storage unit, and the first storage unit is generated when at least the drug is determined to be “none” in the determination unit Stored time information and judgment result Medication management apparatus, characterized by.   The medication management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit is installed on an inner surface of the hole instead of on the substrate.   The perforated plate, the substrate, the optical sensor, and the determination unit are housed in a case having an openable / closable cover, the case includes an open / close sensor that detects when the cover is closed, and the determination unit includes the open / close The medication management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor determines whether the medicine is “present” or “absent” at a timing when the sensor detects when the cover is closed.   The medication management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the perforated plate has an orientation position confirmation structure capable of detecting the orientation of the PTP sheet.   The medication management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a surface of the cover that is in contact with the PTP sheet is made of a material that reflects the optical signal.   The medication management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a first display unit that displays time information and a determination result stored in the first storage unit. Any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6 provided with the 1st communication part which transmits the time information and determination result which were produced | generated when the said chemical | medical agent determined that the said chemical | medical agent was "none" at least to the separate terminal. A medication management device according to the section;
A medication management system comprising: a second communication unit that receives information transmitted from the first communication unit; and a terminal that includes a second display unit that displays the time information and the determination result. A perforated plate having a plurality of holes fitted into a plurality of blister portions of a PTP (press through pack) sheet having a convex blister portion containing a medicine, and a substrate constituting a bottom surface with respect to the perforated plate; ,
A light sensor that is installed in the plurality of holes on the substrate and transmits a light signal and a light sensor having a light receiver that receives the light signal, and the light emitter and the light receiver are disposed between them. The optical signal is arranged so as to be blocked or attenuated, and the presence / absence of the drug is determined based on whether the optical signal transmitted / received by the optical sensor is blocked or attenuated. A first communication unit that transmits time information and a determination result generated when at least the medicine is determined to be “none” in the determination unit to a separate terminal. A medication management device comprising:
A second communication unit that receives information transmitted from the first communication unit; a second storage unit that stores the time information and the determination result received by the second communication unit; and the time information and the determination A medication management system comprising: a terminal including a second display unit that displays a result.

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