JP2019058804A - Medicine feeder and medicine delivering apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To develop a medicine feeder capable of automatically performing work for measuring and taking out a predetermined amount of powdered medicine from a medicine bottle.SOLUTION: A medicine feeder 1 is constituted by a medicine container 2 and a body side device 3. At a container body 8's lower part is provided a semicircular cylindrical part 16 into which a spiral member 12 is inserted. A passive member 13 is engaged with the spiral member 12's engagement part 30 protruding from the container body 8. The passive member 13 is a cylindrical magnet. A drive member accommodation part 75 is provided inside a mounting stand 60; the drive member accommodation part 75 has a drive side member 63 built-in. The drive side member 63 is a cylindrical magnet. When a motor 65 is rotated, the passive member 13 receives influence of magnetic force of the drive side member 63 and rotates and the spiral member 12 coupled to the passive member 13 rotates inside the semicircular cylindrical part 16 in the container body 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a drug feeder that measures and takes out a predetermined amount of drug. The drug feeder of the present invention is suitably used as a device for supplying a powder to a powder dispensing device for dispensing a powder. Moreover, the medicine feeder of the present invention is suitable as an apparatus incorporated in a medicine delivery apparatus having a function of distributing the powder by the above-mentioned powder dispensing apparatus and further packaging the powder separately.
The present invention also relates to a drug delivery device incorporating a drug feeder.

In recent years, drug delivery devices having a powder package function have been introduced in large hospitals and large-scale and small- and medium-sized pharmacies. This kind of drug delivery device incorporates a powder delivery device and a drug packaging device, and is also referred to as a powder package device. Like the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the powder package device is a medicine delivery device having a function of individually packaging medicines and the like in portions. The present invention also relates to a drug delivery device incorporating a drug feeder.
By the way, all the powder packaging devices in practical use can be said to be semi-automatic devices, and require manual work.
That is, the powder packaging device in practical use is not automated until the operation of weighing out a predetermined amount of the powder from the medicine bottle and inserting it into the hopper or the like of the powder dispensing device.
Therefore, even when using the powder packaging device, the pharmacist confirms the doctor's prescription, takes out the medicine bottle containing the prescribed powder from the medicine cabinet, and is prescribed using a balance such as a balance. It takes time and effort to weigh out the total weight of a specific powder and load it into a hopper or the like.

Of course, it is also desirable to automatically perform the operation of weighing out the powder and charging it into the hopper or the like of the powder dispensing apparatus, and a powder packaging device equipped with this function has been proposed in the past (Patent Document 2).
However, the powder packager disclosed in Patent Document 2 has not been put into practical use as far as the present inventors know.

Hereinafter, the structure and function of the powder package device 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 18, the powder medicine dispensing and packing apparatus 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a powder medicine storing container 201 and a division and packaging device 202.

The powder medicine storage 201 is one in which a large number of medicine cassettes 205 are attached to an endless track 203 such as a chain.
The stock portion 206 of the drug cassette 205 is a vertically placed cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. In the stock unit 206, a stirring blade 207 is provided.
At the lower front of the stock portion 206, there is a laterally oriented cylindrical portion 208 which is a direction along the radial direction. The cylindrical portion 208 has a small diameter. The screw 210 is disposed in the cylindrical portion 208.
The rotation shaft 211 of the screw 210 protrudes rearward as shown in FIG.

The division and packaging device 202 has two distribution / division devices 221 as shown in FIG. The distributing / dividing device 221 includes a rotating body 226 provided with an annular recessed groove 225 whose section is recessed in an arc shape.

In the powder packager 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2, a specific position in the vicinity of the distribution / division device 221 is defined as the supply position 212a, b. And, as shown in FIG. 18, at each of the supply positions 212a and b, a weighing device 213 is provided. Further, the measuring device 213 is provided with a vibration feeder 215.
In the powder package device 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the weighing device 213 moves between the weighing position, the dispensing position, and the cleaning position.
A motor 217 is installed at the supply positions 212a and 212b, and a coupling 220 is provided on the output shaft of the motor 217.

In the powder dispensing and packaging apparatus 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the endless track 203 of the powder storage 201 is operated to move the drug cassette 205 along the endless track 203, and the drug cassette 205 in which a desired powder is incorporated. Are moved to the supply positions 212a, b.
Then, the coupling 220 of the motor 217 is engaged with the drug cassette 205 which is still connected to the endless track 203, and the screw 210 and the stirring blade 207 are rotated to discharge the drug in the drug cassette 205.

At this time, the measuring device 213 is moved to the measuring position, and the medicine discharged from the medicine cassette 205 is measured by the measuring device 213. When the predetermined amount of measurement is completed, the motor 217 is stopped. Then, the measuring device 213 is moved to the dispensing position, the vibrating feeder 215 is operated, and the medicine is introduced into the rotating body 226 of the distributing / dividing device 221.
That is, the rotary body 226 of the distribution / division device 221 is rotated at a constant speed, and the medicine is gradually introduced from the vibration feeder 215 into the concave groove 225 of the rotary body 226.

JP 2000-85703 A Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 7-80043

As described above, the powder package device 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2 has not been put to practical use as far as the present inventors know. Hereinafter, the problems of the powder package device 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2 will be described.

In the powder medicine dispensing apparatus 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the medicine is discharged by rotating the rotation shaft 211 of the screw 210 while the medicine cassette 205 is connected to the endless track 203. Therefore, the drug cassette 205 can not be brought close to the distribution / division device 221, and a separate device for transporting the drug is required.
Therefore, the powder dispensing and packaging apparatus 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a large number of parts and it is necessary to secure a space for installing a device to be transported, so the overall shape is large.

In the powder package device 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the drug cassette 205 is moved to the supply positions 212a and 212b to discharge the drug, but the discharge destination of the drug is the measuring device 213. Therefore, the powder dispensing and packaging apparatus 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2 needs a region exclusively used by the weighing apparatus 213 when the apparatus is viewed in plan, and the powder dispensing and packaging apparatus 200 itself must be large.

Moreover, in the powder medicine dispensing and packing apparatus 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the stock portion 206 of the medicine cassette 205 is a vertically-placed cylindrical shape. Therefore, the screw 210, which is a device for discharging the medicine, occupies only a part of the bottom of the stock portion 206 as shown in FIG.
According to the description of the specification, as shown in FIG. 20, the bottom of the stock portion 206 of the drug cassette 205 is circular, and the screw 210 is linear. Therefore, it is essential to scrape the drug accumulated on the bottom surface of the stock unit 206 into the screw 210. Therefore, the medicine cassette 205 incorporates a stirring blade 207 inside the stock unit 206. As described above, since the medicine cassette 205 includes the stirring blade 207 and the screw 210 inside, cleaning is difficult.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 19, the medicine cassette 205 disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a portion of the screw 210 shorter than the diameter of the bottom surface of the stock portion 206. Therefore, the amount of drug discharged from the drug cassette 205 varies.
On the other hand, the injection of the medicine into the concave groove 225 of the rotary body 226 of the distribution / division device 221 needs to be performed so that the injection amount per unit time becomes constant. That is, it is necessary to uniformly inject the medicine into the concave groove 225 of the rotating body 226.
Therefore, it is not possible to inject the drug into the recessed groove 225 of the rotary body 226 directly from the drug cassette 205 disclosed in Patent Document 2. Therefore, in the powder package device 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the vibration feeder 215 is interposed between the drug cassette 205 and the distribution / division device 221 so that the input amount per unit time becomes constant by the vibration feeder 215. It is configured.

Further, in the medicine cassette 205 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the rotation shaft 211 of the screw 210 protrudes at the rear end. Then, the coupling 220 provided on the output shaft of the motor 217 is advanced, and the coupling 220 is engaged with the rotation shaft 211 to rotate the screw 210. As described above, the drug cassette 205 disclosed in Patent Document 2 mechanically engages the coupling 220 to transmit power, and therefore wrinkles and dust are generated due to friction and wear. Further, the position where wrinkles and dust are generated is a position close to the rotating body 226 of the distribution / division device 221. On the other hand, the concave groove 225 of the rotating body 226 is a groove that is always open. Therefore, there is a concern that dirt and dust may be mixed in the recessed groove 225 due to friction and wear.
The powder dispensing and packaging apparatus 200 described in Patent Document 2 has many problems and has not been put into practical use.

An object of the present invention is to develop a new drug feeder capable of automatically performing an operation of weighing out a predetermined amount of powder from a medicine bottle, and proposes a more practical drug feeder. is there.
The present invention also proposes a more practical drug delivery device.

Invention of Claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned subject is a medicine feeder constituted by a medicine container and a main part side device, and the medicine container contains a medicine storage part which stores medicine, medicine The medicine transfer unit has a medicine discharge unit for discharging and a medicine transfer member, and a part or all of the medicine transfer unit is in the medicine storage unit or at a site communicating with the medicine storage unit, and the medicine container The device on the main body side has weight measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the drug container, and the drug container which has been detached from the device on the main body side is placed on the device on the main body side It is possible to operate the drug transfer member to move the drug in the drug storage unit to the drug discharge unit side, discharge the drug from the drug discharge unit, and detect the discharge amount of the drug by the weight measuring means. Drug feeder characterized by A.

In the medicine feeder according to the present invention, a part or all of the medicine moving member is in the medicine container or in a part communicating with the medicine container.
Therefore, by driving the drug transfer member, the drug in the drug container can be discharged from the drug discharger.
The drug feeder of the present invention also has a weighing means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the drug container. Then, the medicine container in a state of being detached from the main body side device is placed on the main body side device, the medicine can be discharged from the medicine discharge unit, and the discharge amount of the medicine can be detected by the weight measuring means.
That is, since the drug cassette 205 disclosed in Patent Document 2 mentioned above is for discharging the drug by rotating the screw 210 while being connected to the endless track 203, a considerable portion of the weight of the drug container is It was hung on endless track 203. Therefore, in the drug cassette 205 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the change in weight of the drug container does not match the discharge amount of the drug. Therefore, in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to measure the weight of the drug discharged from the drug cassette 205 with a separate device.
On the other hand, the invention according to claim 1 places the drug container in the state of being detached from the main body side device on the main body side device and detects the weight of the drug container, so that the weight is applied to other parts It is possible to accurately measure the total weight of the drug container and the drug remaining inside. Therefore, a separate weighing device 213 is not required, and a region occupied by the weighing device 213 is unnecessary. Therefore, when the medicine feeder according to claim 1 is adopted, the overall size of the external shape of the medicine delivery device can be reduced.

The invention according to claim 2 is that the main body side device has a drive source and has a power transmission member for transmitting power without contact, and the drug transfer member receives power transmission from the drive source via the power transmission member. The medicine feeder according to claim 1, wherein the medicine feeder operates in the medicine container.

The medicine feeder of the present invention is in non-contact power transmission from the drive source. As a result, no wrinkles or dusts are generated due to friction or wear, and there is little chance of foreign matter contamination to the medicine.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the main body side device has a drive source and a drive side member that moves by receiving power conduction from the drive source, and the drug container transmits power to the drug moving member to move the drug container And the passive member is in a position covered by the partition wall of the medicine container and is not in contact with the drive side member, and the motion of the drive side member is conducted to the passive side member by magnetic force It is a medicine feeder according to claim 1 or 2 characterized by things.

The drug feeder of the present invention is motive power transmitted by magnetic force. As a result, no wrinkles or dusts are generated due to friction or wear, and there is little chance of foreign matter contamination to the medicine.
Furthermore, in the drug feeder of the present invention, the passive member is in a position covered by the partition wall of the drug container. The soot generated from the bearing etc. of the passive side member does not scatter to the outside, and there is little chance of foreign matter contamination to the medicine.

The invention according to claim 4 is the medicine feeder according to claim 3, wherein the passive member is outside the medicine containing section, and the partition is attachable to and detachable from the medicine containing section. .

According to the present invention, the partition covering the passive member can be removed. Therefore, it is possible to clean a weir or the like generated from the bearing or the like of the passive side member. Also, it is possible to clean and remove the medicine that has entered the passive side member for some reason.

The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the drug transfer member has a helical structure, and the helical structure is rotated to move the drug in the drug storage unit. Drug feeder.

The drug feeder of the present invention has a helical structure in the drug transfer member. The medicine in the medicine container can be moved by rolling in or pushing the medicine by rotating the helical structure, and the medicine in the medicine container can be discharged from the medicine discharger.

In the invention according to claim 6, the drug container is cylindrical and has a drug inlet on its end face, the drug container is placed horizontally on the main body side device, and the drug transfer member is the main body side device 6. The medical device according to claim 5, wherein the helical structure has a length of 80% to 120% of the length of the bottom surface of the medicine container on the bottom side of the medicine container on the basis of the posture placed on the side. It is a drug feeder.

The drug cassette 205 disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2 is cylindrical and installed in the vertical posture. On the other hand, the medicine feeder of the present invention is placed on the main body side with the medicine container placed horizontally.
Therefore, the difference between the occupied area of the medicine transfer member and the bottom of the medicine container is small on the basis of the posture placed on the main body side device. As a result, the mechanism for collecting the medicine at the bottom of the medicine feeder of the present invention (the stirring blade 207 of Patent Document 2) is not necessarily required.
Further, in the present invention, since the length of the helical structure is long, the drug is frequently introduced into the spiral, and the drug is closely packed in the spiral and the gap is reduced. Therefore, the amount of medicine discharged during one rotation of the helical member is stabilized. That is, the discharge amount of the drug per unit time is equalized.

It is recommended that the drug transfer member has a blade or a groove spirally provided around the rotation axis (claim 7).

The invention according to claim 8 is the medicine feeder according to claim 7, characterized in that a plurality of blades or grooves are provided.

According to the experiments of the present inventors, the provision of a plurality of blades or grooves stabilizes the amount of drug which is discharged during one rotation of the spiral member. That is, the discharge amount of the drug per unit time is equalized.

The invention according to claim 9 is the medicine feeder according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that there is a missing portion on the wall surface of the blade or the groove.

The drug feeder of the present invention has a missing portion on the wall of the blade or groove. Therefore, in the process of extruding the drug, part of the drug enters the gap and is subjected to shear force. Therefore, the drug does not easily become lumpy.

The invention according to claim 10 has a moving member storage chamber in communication with the inside of the drug storage portion to store the drug moving member, and the moving member storage chamber is based on the posture in which the drug container is placed on the main body side device. Is located on the bottom side of the medicine container, and has an opening / closing portion at the end of the moving member storage chamber, and the opening / closing portion can be opened to extract the drug moving member from the movement member storage chamber. It is a medicine feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

In the medicine feeder of the present invention, it is possible to withdraw the medicine moving member from the moving member storage chamber. Therefore, cleaning of the medicine transfer member is easy.

In the invention according to claim 11, the medicine container has a main accommodating portion having a large cross-sectional area, the medicine discharging portion is on the tip end side of the medicine container, and the cross-sectional area in the vicinity of the medicine discharging portion is smaller The drug moving member has a helical structure, and the helical structure is provided at a position straddling the vicinity of the drug outlet from the main container, and the diameter of the helical structure on the drug discharge side is the helical structure on the main container side The medicine feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 10, which is smaller than the diameter of the part.

According to the drug feeder of the present invention, the drug in the drug container can be discharged from the drug discharger while being stirred.
That is, in the drug feeder of the present invention, the drug transfer member has a helical structure. Here, the diameter of the helical structure adopted in the present invention differs depending on the part, the diameter on the side of the drug containing portion is large, and the diameter of the helical structure on the side of drug discharge is small. Therefore, the drug in the drug container is agitated by the spiral structure on the side of the drug container, and lumping of the drug is prevented.

Preferably, the drug transfer member has a helical structure, and the diameter of the helical structure is gradually reduced from the drug container side toward the drug discharge side (claim 12).

In the invention according to claim 13, the drug container has a tubular shape, the drug discharge unit is at the tip of the drug container, and the drug container is inclined in a posture such that the drug discharge unit is on the bottom side. 13. A medicament feeder according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is placed.

In the medicine feeder of the present invention, the medicine container is placed on the main body side in such a posture that the medicine discharge section is inclined downward. Therefore, even when the remaining amount of the medicine in the medicine container decreases, the medicine can be discharged smoothly.

The invention according to claim 14 is characterized in that the weight original weight of the drug container before discharging the drug is measured by a weighing means, and the drug transfer member is operated to discharge the drug from the drug discharger. The weight of the drug container is monitored by the measuring means, and the operation of the drug transfer member is stopped when the current weight of the drug container matches or substantially matches the original weight minus the target discharge amount. The medicine feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that it has a weighing function.

In addition to the means for measuring the weight of the drug container, the measurement of the weight of the drug container may or may not be direct or indirect. That is, only the weight of the medicine container may be directly connected, or the weight including the weight of any member of the device on the main body side may be measured.
In the drug feeder according to the present invention, the current weight is the original weight minus the target discharge value by utilizing the original weight of the drug container before discharging the drug and the current weight of the drug container. When matched, the drug transfer member is stopped. Alternatively, in consideration of the weight of the drug in the process of discharging, the drug transfer member is stopped when the current weight is slightly larger than the value obtained by subtracting the target discharge amount from the original weight, and substantially matches. Therefore, after the target amount of drug is discharged, the drug transfer member is stopped and the discharge of drug is stopped.

The invention according to claim 15 is the medicine feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the medicine transfer member is capable of discharging the medicine one by one by repeating the operating state and the stopping state. It is.

The drug feeder according to the present invention dispenses medicines one by one, so the powder dispensing device can be omitted.
That is, in the prior art, the medicine is supplied from the medicine feeder to the powder dispensing apparatus, and the powder dispensing apparatus divides the powder into divided doses. The further divided powder is then supplied to the medicine packaging device and packaged individually.
On the other hand, since the drug feeder of the present invention can discharge the drug one by one, it is possible to supply the drug directly to the drug packaging device and individually pack it without passing through the powder dispensing device.

The invention according to claim 16 is a container storage unit for storing a plurality of drug containers, the drug feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 15, and a drug feeder for taking out a predetermined drug container from the container storage unit. It has container moving means to be placed on the main unit side device, and has input means for inputting the type and prescribed amount of medicine to be dispensed, and memory means for storing the kind and residual amount of medicine stored in the container storage unit. Select the medicine container containing the medicine input to the input means, place it on the main unit by the container moving means, rotate the spiral structure, and use the medicine of the prescribed amount input to the input means The dispensing operation to be discharged is executed, and when the remaining amount of the medicine to be prescribed stored in the container storage unit is insufficient with respect to the prescribed amount, a predetermined notification is given prior to the dispensing operation. Drug delivery device.

The medicine delivery device of the present invention includes container moving means for taking out a predetermined medicine container from the container storage unit and placing the medicine container on the main body side device of the medicine feeder. Therefore, the process of selecting a medicine container and placing it on a medicine feeder is also automated.
Moreover, the drug delivery device of the present invention has a function of managing the stock of drug. Furthermore, when the remaining amount of the medicine to be prescribed stored in the container storage unit is insufficient for the prescribed amount, a predetermined notification is given prior to the dispensing operation, and the user can be notified of the fact. .

The invention according to claim 17 has a powder delivery device for dispensing a powder, a vibrating table, and the drug feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 15, and between the drug feeder and the powder delivery device. The shaking table is provided, and the medicine feeder once supplies the medicine to the shaking table, and the shaking table supplies the medicine to the powder dispensing apparatus.

The drug delivery device of the present invention comprises, for example, a powder delivery device as described in the prior art. Therefore, the action of improving the working efficiency by the powder dispensing apparatus and the action of the drug feeder of the present invention can be used to achieve a high level of automation, and powder packaging can be performed with high efficiency.
Further, in the drug delivery device of the present invention, a vibrating table is provided between the drug feeder and the powder dispensing device, the drug is once supplied to the vibrating table from the drug feeder, and the drug is supplied from the vibrating table to the powder delivery device. As a result, the variation in the dose per unit time becomes smaller, and the drug can be uniformly loaded into the powder dispensing apparatus.

The invention according to claim 18 includes a drug packaging device for packaging a drug, and the drug feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the drug feeder repeats operation and stop to dispense one dose of the drug. It is possible to discharge one by one and to package medicines one by one by the medicine packaging apparatus.

According to the invention it is possible to dispense with the previously required powder dispensing device.

The medicine transfer member may have a rotating member, and may move the medicine in the medicine storage unit to the medicine discharge unit side by a rotational force.

The medicine transfer member may have a vibrating member, and may vibrate the medicine in the medicine storage unit and move it to the medicine discharge unit side.

The medicine transfer member may have a member that moves in the front-rear direction, and may move the medicine in the medicine storage unit to the medicine discharge unit side by applying a force.

The medicine transfer member may have a member that exercises movement, and may move the medicine in the medicine storage unit onto the wave and move it to the medicine discharge unit side.

The medicine transfer member may have a member for blowing air, and may move the medicine in the medicine storage unit to the medicine discharge unit side by air blowing.

The drug feeder according to the present invention is practical because there are few accessories required when it is adopted for a high drug delivery device or the like. Further, the drug feeder according to the present invention can suppress the overall shape of the device to a practical size when employed in a high drug delivery device or the like.

It is the perspective view which observed the drug feeder of embodiment of this invention from the drug discharge part side (front side). It is the see-through | perspective perspective view which carried out the fluoroscopic observation of the inside of the drug feeder of embodiment of this invention from the drug discharge part side (front side). It is an AA direction sectional view of the medicine feeder of FIG. 1, and its enlarged view in a circle. It is a BB direction sectional view of the medicine feeder of FIG. It is the perspective view which observed the drug feeder of FIG. 1 from the drug discharge part side (front side), and shows the state which removed the drug container from the main body side apparatus. It is the perspective view which observed the drug feeder of FIG. 1 from the drive part (back side), and shows the state which removed the drug container from the main body side apparatus. It is a disassembled perspective view of the drug container of the drug feeder of FIG. (A) is a perspective view of the screw inserted in the medicine container, and (b) is the one in which the first line of the screw is indicated by a solid line and the other two lines are indicated by a two-dot chain line In c), the second line of the screw is indicated by a solid line and the other two lines are indicated by a two-dot chain line, and (d) is indicated by a solid line of the third line of the screw and the other two lines are indicated It is described by a dotted line. It is a disassembled perspective view of the main body side apparatus of the drug feeder of FIG. It is the schematic of the drug delivery device of embodiment of this invention. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the drug delivery device of the drug delivery device of FIG. 10; It is a perspective view of the medicine feeder of other embodiments of the present invention. It is the see-through | perspective perspective view which carried out the fluoroscopic observation of the inside of the drug feeder of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the drug feeder of the drug delivery device in other embodiment of this invention, and its vicinity. It is a sectional view of the medicine feeder of the medicine delivery device in the other embodiment of the present invention, and its neighborhood. It is a sectional view of the medicine feeder of the medicine delivery device in the other embodiment of the present invention, and its neighborhood. It is an exploded perspective view of the medicine feeder of further another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the powder dispenser disclosed in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 2. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the drug feeder disclosed in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2. It is the reference perspective view which rewrote the medicine feeder of FIG. 19 to three-dimensional drawing based on description of patent document 2. FIG.

The medicine feeder 1 of the present embodiment, which will be described in further detail below, constitutes a part of the medicine dispensing apparatus 100 provided with a medicine packaging apparatus as shown in FIG. .
The medicine feeder 1 of the present embodiment is constituted by the medicine container 2 and the main body side device 3 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. The medicine container 2 and the apparatus 3 on the main body side are completely independent parts as shown in FIG. 6, and there is no member for mechanically fastening both.

The drug container 2 is further constituted by a container assembly 5 and a lower cover 6 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8. These will be sequentially described below.
The medicine container 2 has a long and thin shape, but is used sideways as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.
Therefore, with regard to the description of the medicine container 2, the explanation in the vertical direction will be made on the basis of the posture in which the medicine container 2 is laid sideways as shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 7, the container assembly 5 is configured by the container body 8, the lid member 10, the discharge port forming member 11, the spiral member 12, and the passive member 13.
The container main body 8 is a horizontally elongated case made of resin, and is a cylindrical body having two open surfaces 15a and 15b at one end side.
That is, the container main body 8 is a cylindrical container which is closed at the other surfaces except the open surfaces 15a and 15b and can receive the powder therein.
Of the two open surfaces 15a and 15b, the larger open surface 15a is a drug inlet.
The smaller open surface 15b is a drug outlet. One larger open surface 15a is referred to as a drug inlet 15a, and the smaller open surface 15b is referred to as a drug outlet 15b. The drug outlet 15b is cylindrical.

The cross-sectional shape of the middle portion of the container body 8 is generally pentagonal as shown in FIG. 4 and is inclined in a state in which the bottom side narrows with reference to the posture in use.
And the part which is the center of the container main body 8 and corresponds to the bottom is semi-cylindrical shape. That is, at the bottom of the container body 8 there is a longitudinally extending semi-cylindrical portion 16.
Therefore, the inside of the container main body 8 is divided into a large-volume main housing portion 7 and a lower semi-cylindrical portion 16. There is no partition between the main housing portion 7 and the semi-cylindrical portion 16, and both communicate with each other to constitute one medicine housing portion 52.
The semi-cylindrical portion 16 communicates with the above-described cylindrical drug discharge port 15b.

Turning to the appearance of the container body 8, as shown in FIG. 3, the back surface 14 is an inclined surface 18 and has a shape in which the lower side is largely lost in the diagonal direction. However, the portion of the back surface 14 connected to the above-described semi-cylindrical portion 16 is a vertical wall 17 as shown in FIG. The inclined surface 18 and the vertical wall 17 are connected by a horizontal wall 19. Therefore, there is a defect 21 surrounded by the inclined surface 18 and the horizontal wall 19 and the vertical wall 17 on the outside of the container body 8 and near the back surface 14.
The defect portion 21 is a portion constituting a passive member accommodation space 22 described later, and the vertical wall 17 is provided with a shaft insertion hole 23 as shown in FIG.

A magnetic plate 25 is provided at the bottom of the container body 8 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. The magnetic plate 25 is a plate mainly composed of a magnetic material such as iron or nickel, and in the present embodiment, is a steel plate containing ferrite.

The lid member 10 closes the medicine inlet 15 a of the container body 8. The lid member 10 has an engaging portion (not shown) and can be attached to and detached from the medicine inlet 15 a of the container body 8.

The outlet formation member (opening / closing unit) 11 is a member for closing the medicine outlet 15 b of the container body 8. The discharge port formation member 11 is provided with a plurality of slit-like drug discharge portions 24 for discharging the powder vertically. The discharge port forming member 11 has an engaging portion (not shown) and is attachable to and detachable from the container main body 8. The discharge port forming member 11 functions as an opening and closing unit, and can open the medicine discharge port 15b at the time of cleaning.

The spiral member 12 is a screw, and blades 27 a, 27 b, and 27 c are provided around the rotation shaft 26.
That is, the spiral member 12 is a screw having three strips of blades 27a, 27b, 27c.
As shown in FIG. 8, the three blades 27a, 27b and 27c are provided such that a blade (for example, blade 27a) belonging to one system is sandwiched between blades 27 (for example, blades 27b and 27c) belonging to the other two systems. ing.
Further, in the blades 27a, 27b, and 27c of the respective systems, the notches 28 are provided at regular intervals.
The length of the portion where the blade 27 is provided is the same as the length of the bottom surface of the container body 8.
When the distance between the blades 27 on the front end side and the rear end side is compared based on the direction in which the powder is extruded, the distance between the blades 27 on the rear end side is wider than that on the front side.
In the present embodiment, the outer diameter of the blade 27 is the same at any part.

The tip of the rotary shaft 26 projects from the tip of the spiral member 12. Further, an engaging portion 30 is provided at the rear end of the spiral member 12. As described later, the engaging portion 30 engages with the support shaft 31a of the passive member 13 and has a recessed hole (not shown) that matches the cross-sectional shape of the support shaft 31a.

The spiral member 12 is inserted into the semi-cylindrical portion 16 of the container body 8. An engaging portion 30 projects from the shaft insertion hole 23 provided in the vertical wall 17 on the back side of the container body 8 to the outside of the container body 8. Further, on the tip end side of the spiral member 12, the tip end portion of the rotary shaft 26 is supported by a recess (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the discharge port forming member 11.
Accordingly, in the spiral member 12, the tip end portion of the rotary shaft 26 on the front end side is supported by the inner surface of the discharge port forming member 11, and the rear end side of the spiral member 12 is supported by the through hole 23 provided in the back wall 14. , Semi-cylindrical portion 16 is rotatable.

The passive member 13 is a cylindrical magnet, and support shafts 31 a and 31 b project from both ends of the main body 40. The passive member 13 is combined with a drive side member 63 described later to constitute one power transmission member, and can receive power conduction from the drive side member 63 in a non-contact manner.
The passive member 13 is rotatably attached to the outside of the container body 8 of the container body 8 by the support member 32 and to the defect 21 surrounded by the inclined surface 18 and the horizontal wall 19 and the vertical wall 17 described above.
That is, the support member 32 is formed by bending a metal plate into a U-shape, and has a front wall 35, a top wall 36, and a rear wall 37. Further, through holes 38a and 38b are provided in the front wall 35 and the rear wall 37.

The main body 40 of the passive member 13 is inserted into a space surrounded by the front wall 35 and the rear wall 37 of the support member 32, and the support shafts 31a and 31b of the passive member 13 are inserted through the through holes 38a and 38b. In this state, the top wall 36 of the support member 32 is fixed to the container body 8 by a member not shown, and the passive member 13 is rotatably attached to the defect portion 21.
The support shaft 31 a of the passive member 13 is engaged with the engagement portion 30 of the spiral member 12 projecting from the back wall 14 of the semi-cylindrical portion 16 of the container body 8.
Accordingly, the passive member 13 rotates integrally with the spiral member 12, and when the passive member 13 rotates outside the container body 8, the spiral member 12 disposed in the container body 8 rotates.

The lower cover 6 is a member that covers the entire area of the lower surface 45 of the container body 8, a part of the side surface 46, and the defect portion 21 as shown in FIG. The lower cover 6 is a member having a bottom wall 47, inclined side walls 48a and 48b, and a back wall 50 as shown in FIG.
Here, the portion excluding the rear end of the inclined side walls 48 a and 48 b and the bottom wall 47 have a shape that substantially matches the outer wall of the container body 8. On the other hand, the back wall 50 of the lower cover 6 is in a substantially vertical posture and does not match the outer shape of the container body 8. Further, the rear end sides of the inclined side walls 48a and 48b have a height that extends over the entire height of the container body 8, and has a surface that surrounds the defect portion 21 of the container body 8.
Further, an opening 51 is provided in the bottom wall 47 of the lower cover 6.

The lower cover 6 is attached to the lower surface 45 of the container body 8 by a screw (not shown). When the lower cover 6 is mounted on the container body 8, a passive member accommodation space 22 is formed between the back wall 50 of the lower cover 6 and the outer wall of the container body 8. That is, the lower cover 6 has a surface that completely surrounds the defect portion 21 of the container body 8, and becomes the passive member accommodation space 22 in which the defect portion 21 of the container body 8 is shielded from the outside. As described above, since the passive member 13 is provided at the defect portion 21 of the container body 8, the lower cover 6 surrounds the passive member 13 and shields the passive member 13.
When the lower cover 6 is attached to the container body 8, the magnetic material plate 25 provided on the lower surface 45 of the container body 8 is exposed from the opening 51 of the lower cover 6 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7.

As described above, the lid member 10 is for closing a portion corresponding to the main housing portion 7 of the container main body 8 and is detachable with respect to the container main body 8.
In the present embodiment, the lid member 10 of the container body 8 is removed to open the medicine insertion port 15 a of the main housing portion 7, and the powder is accommodated inside the container body 8. Further, inside the container main body 8, the main housing portion 7 and the semi-cylindrical portion 16 are in communication, and both constitute one medicine housing portion 52.

Next, the main unit 3 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 9, the main body side device 3 is configured by the mounting table 60, the weight measurement means 61, and the base member 64 from the top.
These will be sequentially described below.
The mounting table 60 is a table on which the medicine container 2 is placed, and the surface thereof has a shape that matches the shape of the lower cover 6 of the medicine container 2. That is, the surface of the mounting table 60 has a mounting top surface 70 in contact with the bottom of the lower cover 6, and mounting inclined side surfaces 71a, 71b that coincide with the inclined side walls 48a, 48b of the lower cover 6. Further, it has an upright surface 72 which abuts on the back wall 50 of the lower cover 6.

An electromagnet 62 and a drive side member 63 are provided inside the mounting table 60. Further, a motor 65 is attached to the mounting table 60. The motor 65 functions as a drive source.
That is, a magnet mounting hole 66 is provided on the mounting top surface 70 of the mounting table 60, and the electromagnet 62 is incorporated in the magnet mounting hole 66.

Further, a drive member housing portion 75 is provided at a position aligned with the magnet mounting hole 66, and the drive side member 63 is built in the drive member housing portion 75. The driving member housing portion 75 is a hollow provided below the mounting top surface 70, and the driving side member 63 is not exposed to the mounting top surface 70 because it is built in the driving member housing portion 75. The reason why the drive side member 63 is not exposed is to prevent the powder existing in the atmosphere from adhering to or biting the drive side member 63, which is a recommended configuration, but to prevent adhesion of the powder. The drive side member 63 may be exposed from the mounting top surface 70 if an effective measure can be taken.
The drive side member 63 is a cylindrical magnet.
The motor 65 is a normal small-sized DC motor, and is mounted below the mounting table 60 with the output shaft 76 directly connected to the drive side member 63 as shown in FIG. It is exposed from the mounting table 60 as shown in FIGS.
When the motor 65 is rotated, the drive side member 63 is rotated in the drive member accommodating portion 75.

The weight measuring means 61 is a known load cell and has an upper mounting surface 78 and a lower mounting surface 80, both of which are offset from each other.

The base member 64 is a base having a U-shaped portion 81 and flange portions 82a and 82b. The base member 64 is merely a jig for attaching the main body side device 3 of the medicine feeder 1 to other members, and the shape of the embodiment has no special meaning.

In the main body side device 3 of the present embodiment, a weight measurement unit 61 is disposed at a lower portion of the mounting table 60, and a base member 64 is disposed at a lower portion thereof.
The upper installation surface 78 of the weight measurement means 61 is connected to the lower surface of the mounting table 60, and the lower installation surface 80 of the weight measurement means 61 is attached to the base member 64.
As described above, since the upper mounting surface 78 and the lower mounting surface 80 are at offset positions, the middle portion of the weight measuring means 61 is cantilevered relative to the base member 64, The free end side supports the mounting table 60.
In the present embodiment, there is no member connecting the mounting table 60 and the base member 64 other than the weight measurement means 61 described above. Therefore, the mounting table 60 is supported by the weight measurement means 61 from the base member 64 in a hollow manner.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the medicine container 2 is placed on the mounting table 60, the weight of the medicine container 2 is measured indirectly. That is, the weight of the mounting table 60 and the medicine container 2 is detected by the weight measuring means 61, and the weight of the medicine container 2 is measured by subtracting the weight of the known mounting table 60.

The drug feeder 1 according to the present embodiment is composed of the drug container 2 and the apparatus 3 on the main body side as described above, but in general, both are separate and when the powder is packaged, both are separated. Coupled to constitute the drug feeder 1.
That is, the main unit 3 of the medicine feeder 1 is fixed in the vicinity of the dispensing tray 112 of the medicine dispensing apparatus 100 as shown in FIGS.
On the other hand, the medicine container 2 is placed and stored on the medicine container storage rack 101 as shown in FIG. That is, the medicine container 2 is filled with a predetermined powder, and placed on the medicine container storage rack 101 in a horizontal position as shown in FIG. 11, for example.

Next, peripheral equipment of the medicine feeder 1 will be described.
The drug feeder 1 of the present embodiment constitutes a part of a drug delivery device 100 provided with a powder package portion.
The entire structure of the medicine delivery device 100 is, for example, as shown in FIG. The medicine delivery apparatus 100 is functionally divided into a medicine shelf area 103, a medicine division area 105, and a medicine packaging area 106 in the vertical direction.
In the uppermost medicine rack area 103, medicine container storage racks 101 are arranged around the circumference, and a medicine container transfer device 102 is provided inside thereof.

The drug container moving device 102 is a robot, and has a vertical lift shaft 107, a horizontal moving arm 108, and a hand unit 110 for holding the drug container 2.

In the medicine dividing area 105, a powder dispensing apparatus 111 is provided. In the present embodiment, the powder dispensing device 111 has two dispensing trays 112. A plurality of medicine feeders 1 of the present embodiment are installed in the powder dispensing apparatus 111. In the present embodiment, three medicine feeders 1 are installed on each distribution tray 112.
Furthermore, in the medicine packaging area 106, a medicine packaging apparatus 120 is incorporated.
The medicine delivery apparatus 100 further includes a prescription reading means 121 for reading a prescription, and a control device 122 for controlling the operation of each device.
The control device 122 stores data for managing the type and amount of medicine stored in the medicine delivery device 100. That is, the drug delivery device 100 has data indicating which drug container 2 contains what kind of drug and how much drug is contained in all the drug containers 2. And, the data is rewritten every moment, and always, what kind of medicine is stored and how much it is contained.
In addition, the drug delivery device 100 is provided with a display device 123.
A predetermined display is made on the display device 123 when the necessary medicine is insufficient or when an abnormality occurs in the device.

Next, the function of the medicine feeder 1 of the present embodiment will be described. In addition, since the drug feeder 1 constitutes a part of the drug delivery device 100, the operation of the drug feeder 1 will be described including the operation of the entire powder dispensing and packaging device.
In this embodiment, all the operations are started by reading the contents of the prescription by the prescription reading means 121 of the medicine delivery device 100.
That is, when the content of the prescription is input, the unloading operation of the medicine container 2 is started immediately. More specifically, the drug container moving device 102 is driven, and among the large number of drug containers 2 arranged in the drug shelf area 103, the drug container 2 containing the drug conforming to the prescription is selected and the drug is selected. It is installed in the main unit 3 of the feeder 1.
In the present embodiment, as described above, the medicine container 2 and the main body side device 3 are separate, and when the powder is packaged, both are combined to constitute the medicine feeder 1.
That is, in the present embodiment, the medicine container 2 is stored in the horizontal posture, and the powder is stored in the medicine container storage rack 101.
In the present embodiment, the medicine container 2 is gripped by the medicine container moving device 102, the medicine container 2 is moved, and the medicine container 2 is placed on the mounting table 60 of the main apparatus 3 as shown in FIGS.

Then, the electromagnet 62 built in the mounting table 60 is energized. As a result, a magnetic force is generated in the electromagnet 62, and the magnetic material plate 25 of the medicine container 2 is adsorbed on the adsorption surface on the mounting table 60 side.
Here, in the present embodiment, the opening 51 is provided in the lower cover 6 of the medicine container 2, and the magnetic plate 25 is exposed from the opening 51. Therefore, the electromagnet 62 can be magnetically attached in direct contact with the magnetic material plate 25, and the drug container 2 can be strongly fixed to the mounting table 60.
In this state, the passive member 13 of the medicine container 2 is at a position directly above the drive member accommodating portion 75 of the mounting table 60. However, between the drive side member 63 and the passive member 13, the bottom wall 47 of the lower cover 6 is a partition wall, and the drive side member 63 and the passive member 13 do not come in direct contact with each other.

Then, the motor 65 attached to the mounting table 60 is rotated. Here, since the output shaft 76 of the motor 65 is directly connected to the drive side member 63, the drive side member 63 in the drive member accommodating portion 75 is rotated by activating the motor 65.
Here, the drive side member 63 is a cylindrical magnet, and the passive member 13 of the medicine container 2 is in the vicinity of the drive side member 63. The passive member 13 is also a cylindrical magnet. Therefore, the passive member 13 attracts under the influence of the magnetic force of the drive side member 63 and rotates together with the drive side member 63.
That is, the passive member 13 is in the passive member housing space 22 surrounded by the lower cover 6 and is not in contact with the drive side member 63. Further, there is a bottom wall 47 of the lower cover 6 between the passive member 13 and the drive side member 63. Thus, although the passive member 13 is not in contact with the drive side member 63 and there is the bottom wall 47 between them, the magnetic force lines of the drive side member 63 penetrate the bottom wall 47 and the magnetic force is applied to the passive member 13. Act to rotate the passive member 13.

As a result, the spiral member 12 connected to the passive member 13 rotates in the semi-cylindrical portion 16 in the container body 8.
Here, the spiral member 12 is a screw, and the blades 27 a, 27 b and 27 c are provided around the rotation shaft 26.
Further, there is no partition between the main housing portion 7 and the semi-cylindrical portion 16, and both communicate with each other to constitute one medicine housing portion 52.

Therefore, the powder in the medicine container 52 enters the semicylindrical portion 16. Here, the inside of the semi-cylindrical portion 16 is at the bottom of the medicine containing portion 52, and the cross-sectional shape of the container body 8 is generally pentagonal as shown in FIG. Furthermore, the back surface 14 of the container body 8 is an inclined surface 18. Therefore, the inside of the container main body 8 is generally shaped to converge toward the semi-cylindrical portion 16, so that the powders in the medicine container 52 are easily collected and collected in the semi-cylindrical portion 16. There is.
Therefore, the powder of the medicine container 52 is collected in the semi-cylindrical portion 16 and pushed by the blades 27a, 27b and 27c by the rotation of the spiral member 12, and advances toward the medicine discharger 24 side. Then, the powder is finally discharged from the medicine discharge part 24 of the discharge port forming member 11 to the outside.

Further, in the present embodiment, the blade 27 of the spiral member 12 is provided along the entire length of the bottom of the medicine containing portion 52, and the region where the blade 27 is provided is longer than that disclosed in Patent Document 2.
Therefore, the distance that the medicine is pushed and moved is long. Therefore, while being pushed by the blade 27 and moving, new powder enters the gap of the blade 27 and as it moves toward the discharge port forming member 11, the powder is closely packed between the blades 27. Furthermore, since the distance between the leading end 27 is narrower than that at the rear end, the powder will be tightly clogged between the blades 27 as it proceeds to the outlet formation member 11 side.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the amount discharged from the discharge port forming member 11 is stable.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since three blades 27 are provided, a fixed amount of powder is discharged from the discharge port forming member 11 per unit time.
That is, although the powder is discharged when the drug reaches the end of the blade 27, the amount discharged from the end of the blade 27 varies depending on the rotational posture of the end of the blade 27. Here, in the present embodiment, a plurality of blades 27 are provided, and the end of each blade is at the tip of the spiral member 12. Therefore, the fluctuation of the amount of discharge due to the difference in the rotational position of the end is offset, and the amount of the drug discharged from the discharge port forming member 11 is stabilized.

Further, in the present embodiment, the notches 28 are provided at regular intervals in the blades 27a, 27b, 27c of the respective systems. Therefore, while the helical member 12 rotates, even if a lump is formed in the powder, the lump is broken at the missing portion 28. Therefore, the powder in a state of being smooth is discharged from the discharge port forming member 11.

Before and after the start of the motor 65, the dispenser plate 112 of the powder dispensing device 111 is rotated.
Before and after the start of the motor 65, the weight of the medicine container 2 is measured. The weight of the medicine container 2 is a value obtained by subtracting a constant value from the detection weight of the weight measuring means 61. More specifically, the weight of the medicine container 2 is obtained by subtracting the weight of the member above the weight measurement means 61 of the main body side device 3 from the detected weight of the weight measurement means 61.
That is, the weight measurement means 61 measures the weight of all members above the weight measurement means 61.
Therefore, in a state where the medicine container 2 is placed on the mounting table 60, the weight measurement means 61 detects a value obtained by adding the weight of the medicine container 2 to the weight of the mounting table 60 and the like.
Here, since the weight of the mounting table 60 or the like is known, the weight of the medicine container 2 can be indirectly detected by subtracting the weight of the mounting table 60 or the like from the weight detected by the weight measuring means 61.
The weight of the medicine container 2 immediately after being installed on the mounting table 60 is stored as the original weight G. Also, the weight of the drug container 2 is constantly monitored. That is, the current weight of the drug container 2 is monitored as the current weight g.

When the motor 65 starts to rotate, the spiral member 12 is rotated in the container body 8, and the powder in the medicine container 52 is pushed by the spiral member 12 and slowly moved toward the discharge port forming member 11 to form the discharge port It is discharged from the member 11 little by little. Then, when the dropped amount H of the powder has reached a desired weight, the rotation of the motor 65 is stopped.

After that, as in the prior art powder dispensing and packaging apparatus, the rotation of the dispensing tray 112 is stopped, and the dispensing tray 112 is rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of dispensed pieces, and the scraping device scrapes the powder out of the dispensing tray 112 It is sent to the post-stage drug packaging device and packaged individually.

Moreover, in the drug delivery device 100 of the present embodiment, at the stage when the content of the prescription is input, the stock of the drug stored in the drug delivery device 100 is confirmed, and it is confirmed whether there is enough stock for prescription. Is equipped. And when there is no stock which only prescribes, it indicates on the display device 123 to that effect.

When a series of discharging process and packaging process are completed, the energization of the electromagnet is stopped, and the medicine container moving device 102 is operated to return the medicine container 2 to the original position.

The medicine feeder 1 of this embodiment rotates the spiral member 12 when discharging the medicine, but most of the spiral member 12 is inside the container body 8. That is, the blades 27a, 27b and 27c of the spiral member 12 are all in the medicine container 52 and in a substantially sealed space. Therefore, the medicine does not come out of the site of the blades 27a, 27b, 27c.
Further, the rear end of the spiral member 12 protrudes from the container body 8. However, the rear end of the spiral member 12 is in the passive member housing space 22. Here, the passive member accommodation space 22 is a space covered by the lower cover 6 and is a substantially enclosed space. Therefore, even if the powder medicine leaks from the through hole 23 supporting the rotation shaft of the spiral member 12, it does not go out of the passive member accommodation space 22. That is, in the present embodiment, the spill preventing treatment of the powder is performed dually by the container body 8 and the lower cover 6, and the powder does not scatter to the outside.

Similarly, since the passive member 13 which is a rotating member is also in the passive member accommodation space 22, dust and dirt emitted by the passive member 13 are not scattered to the outside. Furthermore, since the passive member 13 is not in direct contact with the drive side member 63, the amount of dust and soot generated by the passive member 13 is small. Therefore, there is no contamination of the drug.

When cleaning the medicine feeder 1 of the embodiment described above, the discharge port forming member 11 attached to the medicine discharge port 15b is removed. That is, the discharge port forming member 11 is attached to the container main body 8 by an engaging portion (not shown), and is detachable from the container main body 8.
When the discharge port forming member 11 is removed, the support on the distal end side of the spiral member 12 is removed, and the distal end side of the spiral member 12 is exposed.

Further, the rear end side of the spiral member 12 is supported by a through hole 23 provided in the back wall 14 of the container main body 8. An engagement portion 30 is provided at the rear end of the spiral member 12, and the engagement portion 30 is exposed from the container body 8 and engaged with the support shaft 31 a of the passive member 13.
Therefore, in the medicine feeder 1 according to the embodiment, when the discharge port forming member 11 is removed to expose the tip of the spiral member 12 and the tip of the spiral member 12 is pinched and pulled with a pliers etc. Separates from the support shaft 31 a of the passive member 13, and the spiral member 12 comes out of the semi-cylindrical portion 16 of the container body 8.
Therefore, in the medicine feeder 1 of the embodiment, the spiral member 12 can be taken out and cleaned.
Further, in the present embodiment, since the lower cover 6 can be removed by a screw (not shown), the inside of the passive member accommodation space 22 can also be cleaned.

In the embodiment described above, both the passive member 13 and the drive side member 63 are magnets, but one may be a coil. For example, even if the passive member 13 is a coil, the power of the drive side member 63 can be transmitted by the magnetic force.

In the above-described embodiment, the spiral member 12 has the blade 27, and the region where the blade 27 is provided extends over the entire length of the bottom of the medicine container 52. That is, in the embodiment described above, the spiral member 12 which is the medicine moving member is on the bottom side of the medicine container, and the length of the region provided with the blade 27 (helical structure) is the length of the bottom of the medicine containing portion 52 Against a length of 100%.
The length of the blade 27 is desirably 80% or more based on the total length of the bottom of the medicine container 52. Further, the blade 27 may be longer than the medicine container 52. The blade 27 preferably has a length of 80% to 120% of the length of the bottom surface of the medicine container 52.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The medicine feeder 130 of the second embodiment is also configured of the container body 131 and the body side member 128.
In the medicine feeder 1 of the above-described embodiment, the spiral member 12 is provided at the bottom of the container body 8, whereas in the medicine feeder 130 of this embodiment, the spiral member 132 is provided at the center of the container body 131 There is.
Further, in the medicine feeder 1 of the above-described embodiment, the medicine is discharged with the container main body 8 in the horizontal posture, while in the medicine feeder 130 of this embodiment, the medicine discharger side is inclined downward. Hold and expel the drug.

Hereinafter, the medicine feeder 130 of the present embodiment will be described.
As described above, the drug container 133 of the drug feeder 130 is provided with the spiral member 132 at the center of the container body 131. The container main body 131 employed in the present embodiment is shaped like a normal bottle, and is configured of a cylindrical main body portion 135 and a neck portion 136 provided at the tip of the main body portion 135. The main body portion 135 and the neck portion 136 are provided concentrically. Also, the neck portion 136 is obviously smaller in diameter than the main body portion 135.
In the medicine feeder 130, the inside of the container body 131 is hollow. The inside of the main body portion 135 is a main housing portion 160.

The base member 140 is attached to the neck portion 136.
The base member 140 is configured by an attachment portion 141, a rotation ring 142, and a tip support portion 145 as shown in the drawing.
The attachment portion 141 is a portion coupled to the tip of the drug container 133. Further, as a configuration unique to the present embodiment, an L-shaped mounting bracket 146 is provided on the mounting portion 141. The mounting bracket 146 is made of a magnetic material, and the horizontal bar 147 and the inclined bar 148 are integrated.

The rotating ring 142 is a ring that allows relative rotation with respect to other members. Gears 143a and 143b are engraved on the outer side of the rotating ring 142.
The tip support portion 145 is a portion where the outer diameter is made thin.
A through hole 150 is provided in the inside of the mouthpiece member 140, and the tip of the through hole 150 is opened at the front end of the mouthpiece member 140 to form a medicine discharge portion 150a.

As shown in FIG. 14, a spiral member 132 is provided inside the base member 140. The spiral member 132 is one in which the elongated member 137 constitutes a spiral. The elongated member 137 is ribbon-shaped, thin and elongated.
The outer diameter of the spiral member 132 becomes smaller as it goes to the tip side.
The rotary shaft 138 is present on the distal end side of the spiral member 132, but a spiral is configured by only the elongated member 137 from the middle to the rear end.

The spiral member 132 is held by the base member 140. More specifically, the rotation ring 142 described above is provided at the middle of the mouthpiece member 140, and the spiral member 132 is attached to the rotation ring 142. Further, the drug discharger 150a is opened at the tip of the mouthpiece member 140, and the tip of the spiral member 132 reaches the drug discharger 150a.
Further, the rear end of the spiral member 132 is inside the container body 131. That is, in the present embodiment, the spiral member 132 is provided at a position straddling the main containing portion 160 to the vicinity of the medicine discharging portion 150a, and the diameter of the spiral member 132 on the medicine discharging side is the spiral structure on the main containing portion 160 side. Smaller than the diameter of

Next, the main body side device 128 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the main unit 128 is configured by the mounting table 152, the weight measuring unit 151, and the base member 164 from the top. Further, there is a table case 165 integrally with the mounting table 152, and a motor 170 and a gear set 171 are attached to the mounting table 152.

The mounting table 152 is a table on which the medicine container 133 is mounted as in the previous embodiment, and the surface thereof has a shape that matches the shape of the horizontal bar 147 of the mounting bracket 146 of the medicine container 133.
The mounting table 152 is provided with an electromagnet 166 as in the previous embodiment, and the magnetic attachment surface (not shown) is exposed on the surface of the mounting table 152.

The pedestal case 165 holds the mounting pedestal 152. Also within the pedestal case 165 is the motor 170 and gear set 171. The motor 170 is in a slightly inclined vertical posture, and a bevel gear A is provided at its tip.
The gear set 171 transmits the rotational power of the bevel gear A to the gears 143a and 143b of the rotary ring 142, and is a spur gear Ca integrally rotating with the two bevel gears Ba and Bb and the respective bevel gears Ba and Bb. , Cb.
When the motor 170 rotates, the spur gears Ca and Cb are rotated by the rotational force.

The weight measuring means 151 is the same as that of the previous embodiment, and is a known load cell, and has an upper mounting surface 78 and a lower mounting surface 80, both in an offset position.
In the present embodiment, the mounting table 152, the motor 170 and the gear set 171 are all fixed to the table case 165, and the table case 165 is fixed to the upper installation surface 78 of the weight measuring means 151. Therefore, the weight of the mounting table 152, the motor 170, the gear set 171, and the table case 165 is applied to the weight measuring means 151.

Also in the present embodiment, the medicine container 133 and the main body side device 128 are separate, and when the powder is packaged, both are combined to constitute the medicine feeder 130.
Also in the medicine feeder 130 of the present embodiment, the medicine container 133 is fixed to the main apparatus 128 by the force of the electromagnet 166. Then, in this state, the spur gears Ca and Cb of the gear set 171 engage with the gears 143a and 143b of the rotating ring 142. Then, when the motor 170 is rotated, the spiral member 132 is rotated in the container body 131 to scrape out the internal powder.

In the embodiments described above, the drug transfer members all have a helical structure and have thin members such as blades and ribbons. Alternatively, a groove may be provided on the round bar and a spiral may be used as the drug transfer member. That is, in the previous embodiment, the spiral groove formed by the blade or the ribbon is wider than the width of the blade or the ribbon, but conversely, the groove width may be narrower.

Further, the drug transfer member is not limited to one having a helical structure, and may have another structure. For example, the drug moving member is provided with a rotating member in a direction such that the rotation axis crosses the moving direction of the drug, such as a water wheel, and the rotating force moves the drug in the drug container to the drug discharger side It is also good.

The medicine transfer member may have a vibrating member, and may vibrate the medicine in the medicine storage unit and move it to the medicine discharge unit side.

The medicine transfer member may have a member that moves in the front-rear direction, and may move the medicine in the medicine storage unit to the medicine discharge unit side by applying a force.

The medicine transfer member may have a member that exercises movement, and may move the medicine in the medicine storage unit onto the wave and move it to the medicine discharge unit side.

The medicine transfer member may have a member for blowing air, and may move the medicine in the medicine storage unit to the medicine discharge unit side by air blowing.

As shown in FIG. 14, when the vibration feeder 180 is provided downstream of the medicine feeder 1, the amount of medicine (the amount charged per unit time) finally input to the distribution tray 112 is stabilized. That is, the discharge amount of the drug per unit time is equalized.

In addition, as in the drug delivery device 182 shown in FIG. 15, the drug is dropped directly onto the drug packaging area 106 without passing through the distribution tray 112, and the dose is individually applied by the drug packaging apparatus 120 provided in the drug packaging area 106. It is also possible to package.
That is, the medicine delivery device 182 shown in FIG. 15 does not have a distribution tray, and the input hopper 183 of the medicine packaging device 120 is provided at a position directly below the medicine feeder 1. The medicine packaging apparatus 120 has the same structure as that of a known medicine, and is an apparatus for charging medicine into a dose hopper 183 and packaging the medicine individually.

In the medicine delivery device 182 shown in FIG. 15, the medicine feeder 1 is operated intermittently to discharge medicine one by one. Then, it is directly put into the input hopper 183 of the drug packaging apparatus 120 and packaged individually.
That is, in the medicine delivery device 182, the medicine feeder 1 is programmed to repeat start and stop and discharge medicine one by one from the medicine feeder 1. Then, in conjunction with the discharge of the medicine, the medicine packaging device 120 operates to discharge the medicine one by one.
The medicine feeder 1 repeatedly starts and stops a predetermined number of times according to the contents of the prescription, divides medicine into the prescribed number of times of taking, discharges the medicine, and is packaged by the medicine packaging device 120.

Moreover, the medicine delivery device 185 shown in FIG. 16 is a further development of this, and a vibration feeder 180 is disposed downstream of the medicine feeder 1. The medicine delivery device 185 shown in FIG. 16 also has no distribution tray, and the input hopper 183 of the medicine packaging device 120 is provided at a position directly below the vibrating feeder 180.
In the medicine delivery device 185 shown in FIG. 16, a weight measurement means 186 is also provided to the vibrating feeder 180.

In the medicine delivery device 185 shown in FIG. 16, the final discharge amount is calculated from both the detected weight of the weight measurement means 61 provided in the medicine feeder 1 and the weight measurement means 186 provided in the vibration feeder 180.
That is, the weight G of the medicine introduced from the medicine feeder 1 to the vibrating feeder 180 is detected by the weight measurement means 61 provided in the medicine feeder 1. The weight G is a decrease value of the detection value of the weight measurement means 61.

In the medicine delivery device 185, the vibratory feeder 180 receives the medicine supply from the medicine feeder 1 and supplies the medicine to the medicine packaging apparatus 120 on the downstream side. Therefore, the weight of the medicine inputted from the medicine feeder 1 to the vibratory feeder 180 A value obtained by subtracting the change amount ga (not only positive but sometimes negative) of the detection value of the weight measuring means 186 on the vibration feeder 180 side from the GA is the final discharge amount.

In each of the embodiments described above, only one spiral member 12 is provided in the container main body 8 or 131. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and a plurality of spiral members 12 may be provided.
In the medicine feeder 187 shown in FIG. 17, two spiral members 190 and 191 are provided in the container body 189 of the medicine container.
The two helical members 190 and 191 are individually driven by passive members (not shown) and separate drive side members (not shown).
In the present embodiment, a predetermined amount of medicine can be discharged each time the spiral member 190 makes one rotation. On the other hand, the other spiral member 191 is smaller in diameter than the spiral member 190, and the amount of medicine discharged per rotation is small.

In the medicine feeder 187 shown in FIG. 17, when the amount of medicine per dose is small, the thin spiral member 191 is rotated to discharge the medicine. On the other hand, when the amount of medicine per dose is large, the spiral member 190 on the thick side is rotated to discharge the medicine. When the amount of drug per dose is further increased, both spiral members 190 and 191 are rotated to discharge the drug.

1 drug feeder 2 drug container 3 main body side device 5 container assembly 6 lower cover 7 main housing portion 8 container main body 10 lid member 11 discharge port forming member 12 spiral member 13 passive member 15 a drug input port 15 b drug discharge port 16 semi-cylindrical shape Part 21 Missing part 22 Passive member storage space 24 Drug discharge part 25 Magnetic material plate 26 Rotary shaft 27a, 27b, 27c Blade 28 Missing part 52 Drug storage part 60 Mounting table 61 Weight measuring means 62 Electromagnet 63 Drive side member 64 Base member 65 Motor 100 drug delivery device 103 drug shelf area 105 drug division area 106 drug packaging area 111 powder dispensing device 128 body side member 130 drug feeder 131 container body 132 spiral member 140 mouth member 142 rotation ring 152 mounting table 150a drug discharge portion 151 weight Measuring means 160 main housing portion 170 motor 165 units case 171 gear set 182 medicine Dispenser 185 drug dispenser 186 weight measuring means

The present invention relates to a drug feeder that measures and takes out a predetermined amount of drug. The drug feeder of the present invention is suitably used as a device for supplying a powder to a powder dispensing device for dispensing a powder. Moreover, the medicine feeder of the present invention is suitable as an apparatus incorporated in a medicine delivery apparatus having a function of distributing the powder by the above-mentioned powder dispensing apparatus and further packaging the powder separately.
The present invention also relates to a drug delivery device incorporating a drug feeder.

In recent years, drug delivery devices having a powder package function have been introduced in large hospitals and large-scale and small- and medium-sized pharmacies. This kind of drug delivery device incorporates a powder delivery device and a drug packaging device, and is also referred to as a powder package device. Like the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the powder package device is a medicine delivery device having a function of individually packaging medicines and the like in portions. The present invention also relates to a drug delivery device incorporating a drug feeder.
By the way, all the powder packaging devices in practical use can be said to be semi-automatic devices, and require manual work.
That is, the powder packaging device in practical use is not automated until the operation of weighing out a predetermined amount of the powder from the medicine bottle and inserting it into the hopper or the like of the powder dispensing device.
Therefore, even when using the powder packaging device, the pharmacist confirms the doctor's prescription, takes out the medicine bottle containing the prescribed powder from the medicine cabinet, and is prescribed using a balance such as a balance. It takes time and effort to weigh out the total weight of a specific powder and load it into a hopper or the like.

Of course, it is also desirable to automatically perform the operation of weighing out the powder and charging it into the hopper or the like of the powder dispensing apparatus, and a powder packaging device equipped with this function has been proposed in the past (Patent Document 2).
However, the powder packager disclosed in Patent Document 2 has not been put into practical use as far as the present inventors know.

  Hereinafter, the structure and function of the powder package device 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 18, the powder medicine dispensing and packing apparatus 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a powder medicine storing container 201 and a division and packaging device 202.

The powder medicine storage 201 is one in which a large number of medicine cassettes 205 are attached to an endless track 203 such as a chain.
The stock portion 206 of the drug cassette 205 is a vertically placed cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. In the stock unit 206, a stirring blade 207 is provided.
At the lower front of the stock portion 206, there is a laterally oriented cylindrical portion 208 which is a direction along the radial direction. The cylindrical portion 208 has a small diameter. The screw 210 is disposed in the cylindrical portion 208.
The rotation shaft 211 of the screw 210 protrudes rearward as shown in FIG.

  The division and packaging device 202 has two distribution / division devices 221 as shown in FIG. The distributing / dividing device 221 includes a rotating body 226 provided with an annular recessed groove 225 whose section is recessed in an arc shape.

In the powder packager 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2, a specific position in the vicinity of the distribution / division device 221 is defined as the supply position 212a, b. And, as shown in FIG. 18, at each of the supply positions 212a and b, a weighing device 213 is provided. Further, the measuring device 213 is provided with a vibration feeder 215.
In the powder package device 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the weighing device 213 moves between the weighing position, the dispensing position, and the cleaning position.
A motor 217 is installed at the supply positions 212a and 212b, and a coupling 220 is provided on the output shaft of the motor 217.

In the powder dispensing and packaging apparatus 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the endless track 203 of the powder storage 201 is operated to move the drug cassette 205 along the endless track 203, and the drug cassette 205 in which a desired powder is incorporated. Are moved to the supply positions 212a, b.
Then, the coupling 220 of the motor 217 is engaged with the drug cassette 205 which is still connected to the endless track 203, and the screw 210 and the stirring blade 207 are rotated to discharge the drug in the drug cassette 205.

At this time, the measuring device 213 is moved to the measuring position, and the medicine discharged from the medicine cassette 205 is measured by the measuring device 213. When the predetermined amount of measurement is completed, the motor 217 is stopped. Then, the measuring device 213 is moved to the dispensing position, the vibrating feeder 215 is operated, and the medicine is introduced into the rotating body 226 of the distributing / dividing device 221.
That is, the rotary body 226 of the distribution / division device 221 is rotated at a constant speed, and the medicine is gradually introduced from the vibration feeder 215 into the concave groove 225 of the rotary body 226.

JP 2000-85703 A Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 7-80043

  As described above, the powder package device 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2 has not been put to practical use as far as the present inventors know. Hereinafter, the problems of the powder package device 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2 will be described.

In the powder medicine dispensing apparatus 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the medicine is discharged by rotating the rotation shaft 211 of the screw 210 while the medicine cassette 205 is connected to the endless track 203. Therefore, the drug cassette 205 can not be brought close to the distribution / division device 221, and a separate device for transporting the drug is required.
Therefore, the powder dispensing and packaging apparatus 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a large number of parts and it is necessary to secure a space for installing a device to be transported, so the overall shape is large.

  In the powder package device 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the drug cassette 205 is moved to the supply positions 212a and 212b to discharge the drug, but the discharge destination of the drug is the measuring device 213. Therefore, the powder dispensing and packaging apparatus 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2 needs a region exclusively used by the weighing apparatus 213 when the apparatus is viewed in plan, and the powder dispensing and packaging apparatus 200 itself must be large.

Moreover, in the powder medicine dispensing and packing apparatus 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the stock portion 206 of the medicine cassette 205 is a vertically-placed cylindrical shape. Therefore, the screw 210, which is a device for discharging the medicine, occupies only a part of the bottom of the stock portion 206 as shown in FIG.
According to the description of the specification, as shown in FIG. 20, the bottom of the stock portion 206 of the drug cassette 205 is circular, and the screw 210 is linear. Therefore, it is essential to scrape the drug accumulated on the bottom surface of the stock unit 206 into the screw 210. Therefore, the medicine cassette 205 incorporates a stirring blade 207 inside the stock unit 206. As described above, since the medicine cassette 205 includes the stirring blade 207 and the screw 210 inside, cleaning is difficult.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 19, the medicine cassette 205 disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a portion of the screw 210 shorter than the diameter of the bottom surface of the stock portion 206. Therefore, the amount of drug discharged from the drug cassette 205 varies.
On the other hand, the injection of the medicine into the concave groove 225 of the rotary body 226 of the distribution / division device 221 needs to be performed so that the injection amount per unit time becomes constant. That is, it is necessary to uniformly inject the medicine into the concave groove 225 of the rotating body 226.
Therefore, it is not possible to inject the drug into the recessed groove 225 of the rotary body 226 directly from the drug cassette 205 disclosed in Patent Document 2. Therefore, in the powder package device 200 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the vibration feeder 215 is interposed between the drug cassette 205 and the distribution / division device 221 so that the input amount per unit time becomes constant by the vibration feeder 215. It is configured.

Further, in the medicine cassette 205 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the rotation shaft 211 of the screw 210 protrudes at the rear end. Then, the coupling 220 provided on the output shaft of the motor 217 is advanced, and the coupling 220 is engaged with the rotation shaft 211 to rotate the screw 210. As described above, the drug cassette 205 disclosed in Patent Document 2 mechanically engages the coupling 220 to transmit power, and therefore wrinkles and dust are generated due to friction and wear. Further, the position where wrinkles and dust are generated is a position close to the rotating body 226 of the distribution / division device 221. On the other hand, the concave groove 225 of the rotating body 226 is a groove that is always open. Therefore, there is a concern that dirt and dust may be mixed in the recessed groove 225 due to friction and wear.
The powder dispensing and packaging apparatus 200 described in Patent Document 2 has many problems and has not been put into practical use.

An object of the present invention is to develop a new drug feeder capable of automatically performing an operation of weighing out a predetermined amount of powder from a medicine bottle, and proposes a more practical drug feeder. is there.
The present invention also proposes a more practical drug delivery device.

The invention according to claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned problems is a drug feeder configured by a drug container stored in a state of containing a powder, and a main unit, wherein the drug container is a powder. The medicine container includes a medicine storage unit for containing the medicine and a medicine discharge unit for discharging the powder, wherein the medicine container is detachable with respect to the body side device, and the body side device directly or indirectly sets the weight of the medicine container. It is possible to place on the main body side the medicine container which has been in a state of being separated from the main body side device, discharge the powder from the medicine discharge section, and detect the weight measuring means. A drug feeder characterized in that it is possible to detect the discharge amount of the powder based on the decrease value of the value.
The invention according to claim 2 is a container storage unit for storing a plurality of medicine containers, the medicine feeder according to claim 1, and a predetermined medicine container taken out from the container storage unit and placed on the main body side device of the medicine feeder. The apparatus further comprises an input means for inputting the type and prescribed amount of the powder to be dispensed, a storage means for storing the type and remaining amount of the powder stored in the container storage section, and the input means The medicine container containing the input powder is selected, placed on the main unit by the container moving means, and the operation of discharging the prescribed amount of powder input to the input means is executed, and the container storage unit The medicine dispensing device is characterized in that, when the remaining amount of the prescription drug stored is insufficient with respect to the prescription amount, a predetermined notification is made prior to the discharging operation.
The invention according to claim 3 has a powder delivery device for dispensing a powder, a vibrating table, and the drug feeder according to claim 1, and a vibrating table is provided between the drug feeder and the powder delivery device. The medicine dispenser according to the present invention is characterized in that the medicine feeder once supplies the powder to the shaking table and the shaking table supplies the medicine to the powder dispensing apparatus.
The invention according to claim 4 has a medicine packaging device for packing the powder and the medicine feeder according to claim 1, and the medicine feeder repeats operation and stop to discharge the powder one dose at a time, and A medicine dispensing device characterized in that the medicine packaging device can pack a single dose of powder medicine.
The invention according to claim 5 is the medicine delivery device according to claim 4, wherein the medicine feeder repeats the operation of discharging the powder medicine one dose at a time a predetermined number of times.
Further, a related invention related to the present invention is a drug container, and a drug feeder including the main unit, wherein the drug container includes a drug storage unit for storing a drug, a drug discharge unit for discharging a drug, and A drug transfer member, the drug transfer member is partially or entirely in the drug storage unit or at a site communicating with the drug storage unit, the drug container is placed on the main body side device, and the main body side device Has a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the medicine container directly or indirectly, operates the medicine transfer member to move the medicine in the medicine storage unit to the medicine discharge unit side, and the medicine from the medicine discharge unit A drug feeder characterized by being capable of discharging and detecting the discharge amount of the drug based on the decrease value of the detection value of the weight measuring means.
A more preferable aspect is a drug feeder including a drug container and a main unit, wherein the drug container includes a drug storage unit for storing a drug, a drug discharge unit for discharging a drug, and a drug transfer member. The drug transfer member is at a site where part or all of the drug transfer member communicates with the drug storage unit or the drug storage unit; the drug container is detachable from the main body side device; It has weight measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the container, and the medicine container which has been detached from the apparatus on the main body is placed on the apparatus on the main body, and the medicine transfer member is operated to contain the medicine A medicine feeder characterized in that the medicine in the unit is moved to the medicine discharger side, the medicine is discharged from the medicine discharger, and the amount of medicine discharged can be detected by the weight measuring means.

In the medicine feeder of this aspect , a part or all of the medicine transfer member is in the medicine container or in a portion in communication with the medicine container.
Therefore, by driving the drug transfer member, the drug in the drug container can be discharged from the drug discharger.
The drug feeder according to the related invention also has a weighing means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the drug container. Then, the medicine container in a state of being detached from the main body side device is placed on the main body side device, the medicine can be discharged from the medicine discharge unit, and the discharge amount of the medicine can be detected by the weight measuring means.
That is, since the drug cassette 205 disclosed in Patent Document 2 mentioned above is for discharging the drug by rotating the screw 210 while being connected to the endless track 203, a considerable portion of the weight of the drug container is It was hung on endless track 203. Therefore, in the drug cassette 205 disclosed in Patent Document 2, the change in weight of the drug container does not match the discharge amount of the drug. Therefore, in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to measure the weight of the drug discharged from the drug cassette 205 with a separate device.
On the other hand, in the related invention , since the drug container which has been in the state of being detached from the main body side device is mounted on the main body side device and the weight of the drug container is detected, the weight is not applied to other parts It is possible to accurately measure the total weight of the drug remaining in the container and the inside. Therefore, a separate weighing device 213 is not required, and a region occupied by the weighing device 213 is unnecessary. Therefore, when the drug feeder according to the related invention is adopted, the overall shape of the drug delivery device can be miniaturized.

The related invention described above has a drive source in the main body side device and has a power transmission member for transmitting power without contact, and the drug transfer member receives power transmission from the drive source through the power transmission member and contains the drug. It is preferable to operate in a department .

The drug feeder of this preferred embodiment is in non-contact power transmission from the drive source. As a result, no wrinkles or dusts are generated due to friction or wear, and there is little chance of foreign matter contamination to the medicine.

The related invention described above has a drive source and a drive side member which moves in response to power conduction from the drive source in the main body side device, and the drug container transmits power to the drug transfer member to operate the drug container side There is a passive member, the receiving member may be in covered position by the partition wall of the medicament container and the driving-side member is a non-contact, it is preferable that movement of the drive-side member is conducted to the driven side member by a magnetic force .

The drug feeder of this preferred embodiment is motive power transmitted by magnetic force. As a result, no wrinkles or dusts are generated due to friction or wear, and there is little chance of foreign matter contamination to the medicine.
Furthermore , in the drug feeder of this preferred embodiment , the passive member is in a position covered by the partition wall of the drug container. The soot generated from the bearing etc. of the passive side member does not scatter to the outside, and there is little chance of foreign matter contamination to the medicine.

In the drug feeder according to the preferred embodiment described above , it is more preferable that the passive member is outside the drug storage unit, and the partition is removable from the drug storage unit .

According to this more preferred aspect , the partition covering the passive member can be removed. Therefore, it is possible to clean a weir or the like generated from the bearing or the like of the passive side member. Also, it is possible to clean and remove the medicine that has entered the passive side member for some reason.

In the related invention described above, it is preferable that the drug transfer member has a helical structure, and the helical structure is rotated to move the drug in the drug storage unit .

The drug feeder of this preferred embodiment has a helical structure in the drug transfer member. The medicine in the medicine container can be moved by rolling in or pushing the medicine by rotating the helical structure, and the medicine in the medicine container can be discharged from the medicine discharger.

In this preferred embodiment , the drug container is cylindrical and has a drug inlet on its end face, the drug container is mounted horizontally on the main unit side device, and the drug transfer member is mounted on the main unit side drug container More preferably , the helical structure has a length of 80% to 120% of the length of the bottom surface of the medicine container on the bottom side of the medicine container based on the posture .

The drug cassette 205 disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2 is cylindrical and installed in the vertical posture. On the other hand, the medicine feeder of the present embodiment is placed on the main apparatus with the medicine container placed horizontally.
Therefore, the difference between the occupied area of the medicine transfer member and the bottom of the medicine container is small on the basis of the posture placed on the main body side device. As a result, the mechanism (the stirring blade 207 of Patent Document 2) for scraping the medicine on the bottom of the medicine feeder of this embodiment is not necessarily required.
Further, in the present embodiment , since the length of the helical structure is long, the drug is frequently introduced into the spiral, and the drug is closely packed in the spiral and the gap is reduced. Therefore, the amount of medicine discharged during one rotation of the helical member is stabilized. That is, the discharge amount of the drug per unit time is equalized.

It is recommended that the drug transfer member be provided with a spiral of blades or grooves around the rotation axis .

More preferably , a plurality of blades or grooves are provided .

  According to the experiments of the present inventors, the provision of a plurality of blades or grooves stabilizes the amount of drug which is discharged during one rotation of the spiral member. That is, the discharge amount of the drug per unit time is equalized.

More preferably, it is that there is a missing portion on the wall surface of the blade or the groove.

In this further preferred embodiment , the wall of the blade or groove has a notch. Therefore, in the process of extruding the drug, part of the drug enters the gap and is subjected to shear force. Therefore, the drug does not easily become lumpy.

The related invention described above has a moving member storage chamber that communicates with the inside of the drug storage portion and stores the drug moving member, and the moving member storage chamber is a medicine container based on the posture in which the medicine container is placed on the main body side device. Preferably , there is an opening / closing portion at an end of the moving member storage chamber, and the opening / closing portion can be opened to extract the drug moving member from the moving member storage chamber .

In this preferred embodiment , it is possible to withdraw the drug transfer member from the transfer member storage chamber. Therefore, cleaning of the medicine transfer member is easy.

In the related invention described above , the drug container has a main storage portion having a large cross-sectional area, the drug discharge portion is on the tip end side of the drug container, the cross-sectional area in the vicinity of the drug discharge portion is smaller than the main storage portion Has a helical structure portion, and the helical structure portion is provided at a position straddling the vicinity of the drug discharge portion from the main accommodation portion, and the diameter of the helical structure portion on the medicine discharge side is the diameter of the helical structure portion on the main accommodation portion side It is preferable that it is smaller than that .

According to this preferred embodiment , the drug in the drug container can be discharged from the drug discharger while being stirred.
That is , in the drug feeder of this preferred embodiment , the drug transfer member has a helical structure. Here, the diameter of the helical structure adopted in the present embodiment differs depending on the part, the diameter on the side of the drug containing portion is large, and the diameter of the helical structure on the side of drug discharge is small. Therefore, the drug in the drug container is agitated by the spiral structure on the side of the drug container, and lumping of the drug is prevented.

Agent moving member has a helical structure, the diameter of the spiral structure, it is desirable that smaller soon take the medicine accommodating portion side toward its drug efflux side.

In the related invention described above , the drug container is cylindrical, the drug discharger is at the tip of the drug container, and the drug container is placed on the main unit with the drug discharger facing downward. Is preferred.

In this preferred embodiment , the medicine container is placed on the main unit with the medicine outlet inclined downward. Therefore, even when the remaining amount of the medicine in the medicine container decreases, the medicine can be discharged smoothly.

In the related invention described above , the weight measurement means measures the original weight of the medicine container before discharging the medicine, and the medicine transfer member is operated to discharge the medicine from the medicine discharge part by the weight measurement means. Monitor the weight of the drug container, and stop the operation of the drug transfer member when the current weight of the drug container matches or approximately matches the original weight minus the target discharge amount. It is preferable to be characterized .

In addition to the means for measuring the weight of the drug container, the measurement of the weight of the drug container may or may not be direct or indirect. That is, only the weight of the medicine container may be directly connected, or the weight including the weight of any member of the device on the main body side may be measured.
In this preferred embodiment , the original weight of the drug container prior to discharging the drug and the current weight of the drug container were used, and the current weight was equal to the original weight minus the target discharge amount. At the same time, the drug transfer member is stopped. Alternatively, in consideration of the weight of the drug in the process of discharging, the drug transfer member is stopped when the current weight is slightly larger than the value obtained by subtracting the target discharge amount from the original weight, and substantially matches. Therefore, after the target amount of drug is discharged, the drug transfer member is stopped and the discharge of drug is stopped.

In the related invention described above , it is preferable that the drug transfer member is capable of discharging the drug one by one by repeating the operating state and the stopping state .

In this preferred embodiment , the medicine dispensing device can be omitted since the medicine is discharged one by one.
That is, in the prior art, the medicine is supplied from the medicine feeder to the powder dispensing apparatus, and the powder dispensing apparatus divides the powder into divided doses. The further divided powder is then supplied to the medicine packaging device and packaged individually.
On the other hand, since the drug feeder according to this preferred embodiment can discharge the drug one by one, the drug can be directly supplied to the drug packaging device and packaged separately without passing through the powder dispensing device.

Above related invention, the medicament container state, and are detachably attached to the main device, that a drug container that was in a state of being detached from the main body unit can be mounted on the main device preferable.
Another aspect of the related invention relates to a container storage unit for storing a plurality of drug containers, a drug feeder as described above, and a container moving means for taking out a predetermined drug container from the container storage unit and placing it on the main device of the drug feeder. In addition, there are input means for inputting the type and prescribed amount of medicine to be dispensed, storage means for storing the type and residual amount of medicine stored in the container storage unit, and the medicine input to the input means is A dispensing operation is performed in which the contained medicine container is selected and placed on the main device by the container moving means, and the helical structure portion is rotated to discharge the medicine of the prescribed amount input to the input means. When the remaining amount of the medicine to be prescribed stored in the department is insufficient relative to the prescribed amount, a predetermined notification is given prior to the dispensing operation.

The drug delivery device of the present embodiment includes container moving means for taking out a predetermined drug container from the container storage unit and placing the drug container on the main body side device of the drug feeder. Therefore, the process of selecting a medicine container and placing it on a medicine feeder is also automated.
Moreover, the drug delivery device of the present embodiment has a function of managing the stock of drug. Furthermore, when the remaining amount of the medicine to be prescribed stored in the container storage unit is insufficient for the prescribed amount, a predetermined notification is given prior to the dispensing operation, and the user can be notified of the fact. .

Another aspect of the related invention has a powder delivery device for dispensing a powder, an oscillating table, and the above-described drug feeder, wherein the oscillating table is provided between the drug feeder and the powder dispensing device, and from the drug feeder It is a medicine delivery device characterized in that the medicine is supplied to the shaking table and the medicine is supplied from the shaking table to the powder dispensing apparatus.

The drug delivery device of the present embodiment includes, for example, a powder delivery device as described in the prior art. Therefore, the action of improving the working efficiency by the powder dispensing device and the action of the above-described drug feeder can be combined to achieve a high level of automation, and powder packaging can be performed with high efficiency.
Further, in the drug delivery device of this aspect , a vibrating table is provided between the drug feeder and the powder dispensing device, the drug is once supplied to the vibrating table from the drug feeder, and the drug is supplied from the vibrating table to the powder dispensing device. As a result, the variation in the dose per unit time becomes smaller, and the drug can be uniformly loaded into the powder dispensing apparatus.

Another aspect of the related invention comprises a drug packaging device for packaging a drug and the drug feeder described above , wherein the drug feeder repeats operation and stop to discharge the dose by dose, and the drug packaging device dispenses the drug It is possible to package one dose at a time.

According to this aspect , it is possible to dispense with the conventionally required powder dispensing device.
In the medicine delivery device of this aspect, it is more preferable that the medicine feeder repeats the operation of discharging medicine one by one for a predetermined number of times.

  The medicine transfer member may have a rotating member, and may move the medicine in the medicine storage unit to the medicine discharge unit side by a rotational force.

  The medicine transfer member may have a vibrating member, and may vibrate the medicine in the medicine storage unit and move it to the medicine discharge unit side.

  The medicine transfer member may have a member that moves in the front-rear direction, and may move the medicine in the medicine storage unit to the medicine discharge unit side by applying a force.

  The medicine transfer member may have a member that exercises movement, and may move the medicine in the medicine storage unit onto the wave and move it to the medicine discharge unit side.

  The medicine transfer member may have a member for blowing air, and may move the medicine in the medicine storage unit to the medicine discharge unit side by air blowing.

  The drug feeder according to the present invention is practical because there are few accessories required when it is adopted for a high drug delivery device or the like. Further, the drug feeder according to the present invention can suppress the overall shape of the device to a practical size when employed in a high drug delivery device or the like.

It is the perspective view which observed the drug feeder of embodiment of this invention from the drug discharge part side (front side). It is the see-through | perspective perspective view which carried out the fluoroscopic observation of the inside of the drug feeder of embodiment of this invention from the drug discharge part side (front side). It is an AA direction sectional view of the medicine feeder of FIG. 1, and its enlarged view in a circle. It is a BB direction sectional view of the medicine feeder of FIG. It is the perspective view which observed the drug feeder of FIG. 1 from the drug discharge part side (front side), and shows the state which removed the drug container from the main body side apparatus. It is the perspective view which observed the drug feeder of FIG. 1 from the drive part (back side), and shows the state which removed the drug container from the main body side apparatus. It is a disassembled perspective view of the drug container of the drug feeder of FIG. (A) is a perspective view of the screw inserted in the medicine container, and (b) is the one in which the first line of the screw is indicated by a solid line and the other two lines are indicated by a two-dot chain line In c), the second line of the screw is indicated by a solid line and the other two lines are indicated by a two-dot chain line, and (d) is indicated by a solid line of the third line of the screw and the other two lines are indicated It is described by a dotted line. It is a disassembled perspective view of the main body side apparatus of the drug feeder of FIG. It is the schematic of the drug delivery device of embodiment of this invention. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the drug delivery device of the drug delivery device of FIG. 10; It is a perspective view of the medicine feeder of other embodiments of the present invention. It is the see-through | perspective perspective view which carried out the fluoroscopic observation of the inside of the drug feeder of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the drug feeder of the drug delivery device in other embodiment of this invention, and its vicinity. It is a sectional view of the medicine feeder of the medicine delivery device in the other embodiment of the present invention, and its neighborhood. It is a sectional view of the medicine feeder of the medicine delivery device in the other embodiment of the present invention, and its neighborhood. It is an exploded perspective view of the medicine feeder of further another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the powder dispenser disclosed in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 2. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the drug feeder disclosed in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2. It is the reference perspective view which rewrote the medicine feeder of FIG. 19 to three-dimensional drawing based on description of patent document 2. FIG.

The medicine feeder 1 of the present embodiment, which will be described in further detail below, constitutes a part of the medicine dispensing apparatus 100 provided with a medicine packaging apparatus as shown in FIG. .
The medicine feeder 1 of the present embodiment is constituted by the medicine container 2 and the main body side device 3 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. The medicine container 2 and the apparatus 3 on the main body side are completely independent parts as shown in FIG. 6, and there is no member for mechanically fastening both.

The drug container 2 is further constituted by a container assembly 5 and a lower cover 6 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8. These will be sequentially described below.
The medicine container 2 has a long and thin shape, but is used sideways as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.
Therefore, with regard to the description of the medicine container 2, the explanation in the vertical direction will be made on the basis of the posture in which the medicine container 2 is laid sideways as shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 7, the container assembly 5 is configured by the container body 8, the lid member 10, the discharge port forming member 11, the spiral member 12, and the passive member 13.
The container main body 8 is a horizontally elongated case made of resin, and is a cylindrical body having two open surfaces 15a and 15b at one end side.
That is, the container main body 8 is a cylindrical container which is closed at the other surfaces except the open surfaces 15a and 15b and can receive the powder therein.
Of the two open surfaces 15a and 15b, the larger open surface 15a is a drug inlet.
The smaller open surface 15b is a drug outlet. One larger open surface 15a is referred to as a drug inlet 15a, and the smaller open surface 15b is referred to as a drug outlet 15b. The drug outlet 15b is cylindrical.

The cross-sectional shape of the middle portion of the container body 8 is generally pentagonal as shown in FIG. 4 and is inclined in a state in which the bottom side narrows with reference to the posture in use.
And the part which is the center of the container main body 8 and corresponds to the bottom is semi-cylindrical shape. That is, at the bottom of the container body 8 there is a longitudinally extending semi-cylindrical portion 16.
Therefore, the inside of the container main body 8 is divided into a large-volume main housing portion 7 and a lower semi-cylindrical portion 16. There is no partition between the main housing portion 7 and the semi-cylindrical portion 16, and both communicate with each other to constitute one medicine housing portion 52.
The semi-cylindrical portion 16 communicates with the above-described cylindrical drug discharge port 15b.

Turning to the appearance of the container body 8, as shown in FIG. 3, the back surface 14 is an inclined surface 18 and has a shape in which the lower side is largely lost in the diagonal direction. However, the portion of the back surface 14 connected to the above-described semi-cylindrical portion 16 is a vertical wall 17 as shown in FIG. The inclined surface 18 and the vertical wall 17 are connected by a horizontal wall 19. Therefore, there is a defect 21 surrounded by the inclined surface 18 and the horizontal wall 19 and the vertical wall 17 on the outside of the container body 8 and near the back surface 14.
The defect portion 21 is a portion constituting a passive member accommodation space 22 described later, and the vertical wall 17 is provided with a shaft insertion hole 23 as shown in FIG.

  A magnetic plate 25 is provided at the bottom of the container body 8 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. The magnetic plate 25 is a plate mainly composed of a magnetic material such as iron or nickel, and in the present embodiment, is a steel plate containing ferrite.

  The lid member 10 closes the medicine inlet 15 a of the container body 8. The lid member 10 has an engaging portion (not shown) and can be attached to and detached from the medicine inlet 15 a of the container body 8.

  The outlet formation member (opening / closing unit) 11 is a member for closing the medicine outlet 15 b of the container body 8. The discharge port formation member 11 is provided with a plurality of slit-like drug discharge portions 24 for discharging the powder vertically. The discharge port forming member 11 has an engaging portion (not shown) and is attachable to and detachable from the container main body 8. The discharge port forming member 11 functions as an opening and closing unit, and can open the medicine discharge port 15b at the time of cleaning.

The spiral member 12 is a screw, and blades 27 a, 27 b, and 27 c are provided around the rotation shaft 26.
That is, the spiral member 12 is a screw having three strips of blades 27a, 27b, 27c.
As shown in FIG. 8, the three blades 27a, 27b and 27c are provided such that a blade (for example, blade 27a) belonging to one system is sandwiched between blades 27 (for example, blades 27b and 27c) belonging to the other two systems. ing.
Further, in the blades 27a, 27b, and 27c of the respective systems, the notches 28 are provided at regular intervals.
The length of the portion where the blade 27 is provided is the same as the length of the bottom surface of the container body 8.
When the distance between the blades 27 on the front end side and the rear end side is compared based on the direction in which the powder is extruded, the distance between the blades 27 on the rear end side is wider than that on the front side.
In the present embodiment, the outer diameter of the blade 27 is the same at any part.

  The tip of the rotary shaft 26 projects from the tip of the spiral member 12. Further, an engaging portion 30 is provided at the rear end of the spiral member 12. As described later, the engaging portion 30 engages with the support shaft 31a of the passive member 13 and has a recessed hole (not shown) that matches the cross-sectional shape of the support shaft 31a.

The spiral member 12 is inserted into the semi-cylindrical portion 16 of the container body 8. An engaging portion 30 projects from the shaft insertion hole 23 provided in the vertical wall 17 on the back side of the container body 8 to the outside of the container body 8. Further, on the tip end side of the spiral member 12, the tip end portion of the rotary shaft 26 is supported by a recess (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the discharge port forming member 11.
Accordingly, in the spiral member 12, the tip end portion of the rotary shaft 26 on the front end side is supported by the inner surface of the discharge port forming member 11, and the rear end side of the spiral member 12 is supported by the through hole 23 provided in the back wall 14. , Semi-cylindrical portion 16 is rotatable.

The passive member 13 is a cylindrical magnet, and support shafts 31 a and 31 b project from both ends of the main body 40. The passive member 13 is combined with a drive side member 63 described later to constitute one power transmission member, and can receive power conduction from the drive side member 63 in a non-contact manner.
The passive member 13 is rotatably attached to the outside of the container body 8 of the container body 8 by the support member 32 and to the defect 21 surrounded by the inclined surface 18 and the horizontal wall 19 and the vertical wall 17 described above.
That is, the support member 32 is formed by bending a metal plate into a U-shape, and has a front wall 35, a top wall 36, and a rear wall 37. Further, through holes 38a and 38b are provided in the front wall 35 and the rear wall 37.

The main body 40 of the passive member 13 is inserted into a space surrounded by the front wall 35 and the rear wall 37 of the support member 32, and the support shafts 31a and 31b of the passive member 13 are inserted through the through holes 38a and 38b. In this state, the top wall 36 of the support member 32 is fixed to the container body 8 by a member not shown, and the passive member 13 is rotatably attached to the defect portion 21.
The support shaft 31 a of the passive member 13 is engaged with the engagement portion 30 of the spiral member 12 projecting from the back wall 14 of the semi-cylindrical portion 16 of the container body 8.
Accordingly, the passive member 13 rotates integrally with the spiral member 12, and when the passive member 13 rotates outside the container body 8, the spiral member 12 disposed in the container body 8 rotates.

The lower cover 6 is a member that covers the entire area of the lower surface 45 of the container body 8, a part of the side surface 46, and the defect portion 21 as shown in FIG. The lower cover 6 is a member having a bottom wall 47, inclined side walls 48a and 48b, and a back wall 50 as shown in FIG.
Here, the portion excluding the rear end of the inclined side walls 48 a and 48 b and the bottom wall 47 have a shape that substantially matches the outer wall of the container body 8. On the other hand, the back wall 50 of the lower cover 6 is in a substantially vertical posture and does not match the outer shape of the container body 8. Further, the rear end sides of the inclined side walls 48a and 48b have a height that extends over the entire height of the container body 8, and has a surface that surrounds the defect portion 21 of the container body 8.
Further, an opening 51 is provided in the bottom wall 47 of the lower cover 6.

The lower cover 6 is attached to the lower surface 45 of the container body 8 by a screw (not shown). When the lower cover 6 is mounted on the container body 8, a passive member accommodation space 22 is formed between the back wall 50 of the lower cover 6 and the outer wall of the container body 8. That is, the lower cover 6 has a surface that completely surrounds the defect portion 21 of the container body 8, and becomes the passive member accommodation space 22 in which the defect portion 21 of the container body 8 is shielded from the outside. As described above, since the passive member 13 is provided at the defect portion 21 of the container body 8, the lower cover 6 surrounds the passive member 13 and shields the passive member 13.
When the lower cover 6 is attached to the container body 8, the magnetic material plate 25 provided on the lower surface 45 of the container body 8 is exposed from the opening 51 of the lower cover 6 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7.

As described above, the lid member 10 is for closing a portion corresponding to the main housing portion 7 of the container main body 8 and is detachable with respect to the container main body 8.
In the present embodiment, the lid member 10 of the container body 8 is removed to open the medicine insertion port 15 a of the main housing portion 7, and the powder is accommodated inside the container body 8. Further, inside the container main body 8, the main housing portion 7 and the semi-cylindrical portion 16 are in communication, and both constitute one medicine housing portion 52.

Next, the main unit 3 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 9, the main body side device 3 is configured by the mounting table 60, the weight measurement means 61, and the base member 64 from the top.
These will be sequentially described below.
The mounting table 60 is a table on which the medicine container 2 is placed, and the surface thereof has a shape that matches the shape of the lower cover 6 of the medicine container 2. That is, the surface of the mounting table 60 has a mounting top surface 70 in contact with the bottom of the lower cover 6, and mounting inclined side surfaces 71a, 71b that coincide with the inclined side walls 48a, 48b of the lower cover 6. Further, it has an upright surface 72 which abuts on the back wall 50 of the lower cover 6.

An electromagnet 62 and a drive side member 63 are provided inside the mounting table 60. Further, a motor 65 is attached to the mounting table 60. The motor 65 functions as a drive source.
That is, a magnet mounting hole 66 is provided on the mounting top surface 70 of the mounting table 60, and the electromagnet 62 is incorporated in the magnet mounting hole 66.

Further, a drive member housing portion 75 is provided at a position aligned with the magnet mounting hole 66, and the drive side member 63 is built in the drive member housing portion 75. The driving member housing portion 75 is a hollow provided below the mounting top surface 70, and the driving side member 63 is not exposed to the mounting top surface 70 because it is built in the driving member housing portion 75. The reason why the drive side member 63 is not exposed is to prevent the powder existing in the atmosphere from adhering to or biting the drive side member 63, which is a recommended configuration, but to prevent adhesion of the powder. The drive side member 63 may be exposed from the mounting top surface 70 if an effective measure can be taken.
The drive side member 63 is a cylindrical magnet.
The motor 65 is a normal small-sized DC motor, and is mounted below the mounting table 60 with the output shaft 76 directly connected to the drive side member 63 as shown in FIG. It is exposed from the mounting table 60 as shown in FIGS.
When the motor 65 is rotated, the drive side member 63 is rotated in the drive member accommodating portion 75.

  The weight measuring means 61 is a known load cell and has an upper mounting surface 78 and a lower mounting surface 80, both of which are offset from each other.

  The base member 64 is a base having a U-shaped portion 81 and flange portions 82a and 82b. The base member 64 is merely a jig for attaching the main body side device 3 of the medicine feeder 1 to other members, and the shape of the embodiment has no special meaning.

In the main body side device 3 of the present embodiment, a weight measurement unit 61 is disposed at a lower portion of the mounting table 60, and a base member 64 is disposed at a lower portion thereof.
The upper installation surface 78 of the weight measurement means 61 is connected to the lower surface of the mounting table 60, and the lower installation surface 80 of the weight measurement means 61 is attached to the base member 64.
As described above, since the upper mounting surface 78 and the lower mounting surface 80 are at offset positions, the middle portion of the weight measuring means 61 is cantilevered relative to the base member 64, The free end side supports the mounting table 60.
In the present embodiment, there is no member connecting the mounting table 60 and the base member 64 other than the weight measurement means 61 described above. Therefore, the mounting table 60 is supported by the weight measurement means 61 from the base member 64 in a hollow manner.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the medicine container 2 is placed on the mounting table 60, the weight of the medicine container 2 is measured indirectly. That is, the weight of the mounting table 60 and the medicine container 2 is detected by the weight measuring means 61, and the weight of the medicine container 2 is measured by subtracting the weight of the known mounting table 60.

The drug feeder 1 according to the present embodiment is composed of the drug container 2 and the apparatus 3 on the main body side as described above, but in general, both are separate and when the powder is packaged, both are separated. Coupled to constitute the drug feeder 1.
That is, the main unit 3 of the medicine feeder 1 is fixed in the vicinity of the dispensing tray 112 of the medicine dispensing apparatus 100 as shown in FIGS.
On the other hand, the medicine container 2 is placed and stored on the medicine container storage rack 101 as shown in FIG. That is, the medicine container 2 is filled with a predetermined powder, and placed on the medicine container storage rack 101 in a horizontal position as shown in FIG. 11, for example.

Next, peripheral equipment of the medicine feeder 1 will be described.
The drug feeder 1 of the present embodiment constitutes a part of a drug delivery device 100 provided with a powder package portion.
The entire structure of the medicine delivery device 100 is, for example, as shown in FIG. The medicine delivery apparatus 100 is functionally divided into a medicine shelf area 103, a medicine division area 105, and a medicine packaging area 106 in the vertical direction.
In the uppermost medicine rack area 103, medicine container storage racks 101 are arranged around the circumference, and a medicine container transfer device 102 is provided inside thereof.

  The drug container moving device 102 is a robot, and has a vertical lift shaft 107, a horizontal moving arm 108, and a hand unit 110 for holding the drug container 2.

In the medicine dividing area 105, a powder dispensing apparatus 111 is provided. In the present embodiment, the powder dispensing device 111 has two dispensing trays 112. A plurality of medicine feeders 1 of the present embodiment are installed in the powder dispensing apparatus 111. In the present embodiment, three medicine feeders 1 are installed on each distribution tray 112.
Furthermore, in the medicine packaging area 106, a medicine packaging apparatus 120 is incorporated.
The medicine delivery apparatus 100 further includes a prescription reading means 121 for reading a prescription, and a control device 122 for controlling the operation of each device.
The control device 122 stores data for managing the type and amount of medicine stored in the medicine delivery device 100. That is, the drug delivery device 100 has data indicating which drug container 2 contains what kind of drug and how much drug is contained in all the drug containers 2. And, the data is rewritten every moment, and always, what kind of medicine is stored and how much it is contained.
In addition, the drug delivery device 100 is provided with a display device 123.
A predetermined display is made on the display device 123 when the necessary medicine is insufficient or when an abnormality occurs in the device.

Next, the function of the medicine feeder 1 of the present embodiment will be described. In addition, since the drug feeder 1 constitutes a part of the drug delivery device 100, the operation of the drug feeder 1 will be described including the operation of the entire powder dispensing and packaging device.
In this embodiment, all the operations are started by reading the contents of the prescription by the prescription reading means 121 of the medicine delivery device 100.
That is, when the content of the prescription is input, the unloading operation of the medicine container 2 is started immediately. More specifically, the drug container moving device 102 is driven, and among the large number of drug containers 2 arranged in the drug shelf area 103, the drug container 2 containing the drug conforming to the prescription is selected and the drug is selected. It is installed in the main unit 3 of the feeder 1.
In the present embodiment, as described above, the medicine container 2 and the main body side device 3 are separate, and when the powder is packaged, both are combined to constitute the medicine feeder 1.
That is, in the present embodiment, the medicine container 2 is stored in the horizontal posture, and the powder is stored in the medicine container storage rack 101.
In the present embodiment, the medicine container 2 is gripped by the medicine container moving device 102, the medicine container 2 is moved, and the medicine container 2 is placed on the mounting table 60 of the main apparatus 3 as shown in FIGS.

Then, the electromagnet 62 built in the mounting table 60 is energized. As a result, a magnetic force is generated in the electromagnet 62, and the magnetic material plate 25 of the medicine container 2 is adsorbed on the adsorption surface on the mounting table 60 side.
Here, in the present embodiment, the opening 51 is provided in the lower cover 6 of the medicine container 2, and the magnetic plate 25 is exposed from the opening 51. Therefore, the electromagnet 62 can be magnetically attached in direct contact with the magnetic material plate 25, and the drug container 2 can be strongly fixed to the mounting table 60.
In this state, the passive member 13 of the medicine container 2 is at a position directly above the drive member accommodating portion 75 of the mounting table 60. However, between the drive side member 63 and the passive member 13, the bottom wall 47 of the lower cover 6 is a partition wall, and the drive side member 63 and the passive member 13 do not come in direct contact with each other.

Then, the motor 65 attached to the mounting table 60 is rotated. Here, since the output shaft 76 of the motor 65 is directly connected to the drive side member 63, the drive side member 63 in the drive member accommodating portion 75 is rotated by activating the motor 65.
Here, the drive side member 63 is a cylindrical magnet, and the passive member 13 of the medicine container 2 is in the vicinity of the drive side member 63. The passive member 13 is also a cylindrical magnet. Therefore, the passive member 13 attracts under the influence of the magnetic force of the drive side member 63 and rotates together with the drive side member 63.
That is, the passive member 13 is in the passive member housing space 22 surrounded by the lower cover 6 and is not in contact with the drive side member 63. Further, there is a bottom wall 47 of the lower cover 6 between the passive member 13 and the drive side member 63. Thus, although the passive member 13 is not in contact with the drive side member 63 and there is the bottom wall 47 between them, the magnetic force lines of the drive side member 63 penetrate the bottom wall 47 and the magnetic force is applied to the passive member 13. Act to rotate the passive member 13.

As a result, the spiral member 12 connected to the passive member 13 rotates in the semi-cylindrical portion 16 in the container body 8.
Here, the spiral member 12 is a screw, and the blades 27 a, 27 b and 27 c are provided around the rotation shaft 26.
Further, there is no partition between the main housing portion 7 and the semi-cylindrical portion 16, and both communicate with each other to constitute one medicine housing portion 52.

Therefore, the powder in the medicine container 52 enters the semicylindrical portion 16. Here, the inside of the semi-cylindrical portion 16 is at the bottom of the medicine containing portion 52, and the cross-sectional shape of the container body 8 is generally pentagonal as shown in FIG. Furthermore, the back surface 14 of the container body 8 is an inclined surface 18. Therefore, the inside of the container main body 8 is generally shaped to converge toward the semi-cylindrical portion 16, so that the powders in the medicine container 52 are easily collected and collected in the semi-cylindrical portion 16. There is.
Therefore, the powder of the medicine container 52 is collected in the semi-cylindrical portion 16 and pushed by the blades 27a, 27b and 27c by the rotation of the spiral member 12, and advances toward the medicine discharger 24 side. Then, the powder is finally discharged from the medicine discharge part 24 of the discharge port forming member 11 to the outside.

Further, in the present embodiment, the blade 27 of the spiral member 12 is provided along the entire length of the bottom of the medicine containing portion 52, and the region where the blade 27 is provided is longer than that disclosed in Patent Document 2.
Therefore, the distance that the medicine is pushed and moved is long. Therefore, while being pushed by the blade 27 and moving, new powder enters the gap of the blade 27 and as it moves toward the discharge port forming member 11, the powder is closely packed between the blades 27. Furthermore, since the distance between the leading end 27 is narrower than that at the rear end, the powder will be tightly clogged between the blades 27 as it proceeds to the outlet formation member 11 side.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the amount discharged from the discharge port forming member 11 is stable.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since three blades 27 are provided, a fixed amount of powder is discharged from the discharge port forming member 11 per unit time.
That is, although the powder is discharged when the drug reaches the end of the blade 27, the amount discharged from the end of the blade 27 varies depending on the rotational posture of the end of the blade 27. Here, in the present embodiment, a plurality of blades 27 are provided, and the end of each blade is at the tip of the spiral member 12. Therefore, the fluctuation of the amount of discharge due to the difference in the rotational position of the end is offset, and the amount of the drug discharged from the discharge port forming member 11 is stabilized.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the notches 28 are provided at regular intervals in the blades 27a, 27b, 27c of the respective systems. Therefore, while the helical member 12 rotates, even if a lump is formed in the powder, the lump is broken at the missing portion 28. Therefore, the powder in a state of being smooth is discharged from the discharge port forming member 11.

Before and after the start of the motor 65, the dispenser plate 112 of the powder dispensing device 111 is rotated.
Before and after the start of the motor 65, the weight of the medicine container 2 is measured. The weight of the medicine container 2 is a value obtained by subtracting a constant value from the detection weight of the weight measuring means 61. More specifically, the weight of the medicine container 2 is obtained by subtracting the weight of the member above the weight measurement means 61 of the main body side device 3 from the detected weight of the weight measurement means 61.
That is, the weight measurement means 61 measures the weight of all members above the weight measurement means 61.
Therefore, in a state where the medicine container 2 is placed on the mounting table 60, the weight measurement means 61 detects a value obtained by adding the weight of the medicine container 2 to the weight of the mounting table 60 and the like.
Here, since the weight of the mounting table 60 or the like is known, the weight of the medicine container 2 can be indirectly detected by subtracting the weight of the mounting table 60 or the like from the weight detected by the weight measuring means 61.
The weight of the medicine container 2 immediately after being installed on the mounting table 60 is stored as the original weight G. Also, the weight of the drug container 2 is constantly monitored. That is, the current weight of the drug container 2 is monitored as the current weight g.

  When the motor 65 starts to rotate, the spiral member 12 is rotated in the container body 8, and the powder in the medicine container 52 is pushed by the spiral member 12 and slowly moved toward the discharge port forming member 11 to form the discharge port It is discharged from the member 11 little by little. Then, when the dropped amount H of the powder has reached a desired weight, the rotation of the motor 65 is stopped.

  After that, as in the prior art powder dispensing and packaging apparatus, the rotation of the dispensing tray 112 is stopped, and the dispensing tray 112 is rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of dispensed pieces, and the scraping device scrapes the powder out of the dispensing tray 112 It is sent to the post-stage drug packaging device and packaged individually.

  Moreover, in the drug delivery device 100 of the present embodiment, at the stage when the content of the prescription is input, the stock of the drug stored in the drug delivery device 100 is confirmed, and it is confirmed whether there is enough stock for prescription. Is equipped. And when there is no stock which only prescribes, it indicates on the display device 123 to that effect.

  When a series of discharging process and packaging process are completed, the energization of the electromagnet is stopped, and the medicine container moving device 102 is operated to return the medicine container 2 to the original position.

The medicine feeder 1 of this embodiment rotates the spiral member 12 when discharging the medicine, but most of the spiral member 12 is inside the container body 8. That is, the blades 27a, 27b and 27c of the spiral member 12 are all in the medicine container 52 and in a substantially sealed space. Therefore, the medicine does not come out of the site of the blades 27a, 27b, 27c.
Further, the rear end of the spiral member 12 protrudes from the container body 8. However, the rear end of the spiral member 12 is in the passive member housing space 22. Here, the passive member accommodation space 22 is a space covered by the lower cover 6 and is a substantially enclosed space. Therefore, even if the powder medicine leaks from the through hole 23 supporting the rotation shaft of the spiral member 12, it does not go out of the passive member accommodation space 22. That is, in the present embodiment, the spill preventing treatment of the powder is performed dually by the container body 8 and the lower cover 6, and the powder does not scatter to the outside.

  Similarly, since the passive member 13 which is a rotating member is also in the passive member accommodation space 22, dust and dirt emitted by the passive member 13 are not scattered to the outside. Furthermore, since the passive member 13 is not in direct contact with the drive side member 63, the amount of dust and soot generated by the passive member 13 is small. Therefore, there is no contamination of the drug.

When cleaning the medicine feeder 1 of the embodiment described above, the discharge port forming member 11 attached to the medicine discharge port 15b is removed. That is, the discharge port forming member 11 is attached to the container main body 8 by an engaging portion (not shown), and is detachable from the container main body 8.
When the discharge port forming member 11 is removed, the support on the distal end side of the spiral member 12 is removed, and the distal end side of the spiral member 12 is exposed.

Further, the rear end side of the spiral member 12 is supported by a through hole 23 provided in the back wall 14 of the container main body 8. An engagement portion 30 is provided at the rear end of the spiral member 12, and the engagement portion 30 is exposed from the container body 8 and engaged with the support shaft 31 a of the passive member 13.
Therefore, in the medicine feeder 1 according to the embodiment, when the discharge port forming member 11 is removed to expose the tip of the spiral member 12 and the tip of the spiral member 12 is pinched and pulled with a pliers etc. Separates from the support shaft 31 a of the passive member 13, and the spiral member 12 comes out of the semi-cylindrical portion 16 of the container body 8.
Therefore, in the medicine feeder 1 of the embodiment, the spiral member 12 can be taken out and cleaned.
Further, in the present embodiment, since the lower cover 6 can be removed by a screw (not shown), the inside of the passive member accommodation space 22 can also be cleaned.

  In the embodiment described above, both the passive member 13 and the drive side member 63 are magnets, but one may be a coil. For example, even if the passive member 13 is a coil, the power of the drive side member 63 can be transmitted by the magnetic force.

In the above-described embodiment, the spiral member 12 has the blade 27, and the region where the blade 27 is provided extends over the entire length of the bottom of the medicine container 52. That is, in the embodiment described above, the spiral member 12 which is the medicine moving member is on the bottom side of the medicine container, and the length of the region provided with the blade 27 (helical structure) is the length of the bottom of the medicine containing portion 52 Against a length of 100%.
The length of the blade 27 is desirably 80% or more based on the total length of the bottom of the medicine container 52. Further, the blade 27 may be longer than the medicine container 52. The blade 27 preferably has a length of 80% to 120% of the length of the bottom surface of the medicine container 52.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The medicine feeder 130 of the second embodiment is also configured of the container body 131 and the body side member 128.
In the medicine feeder 1 of the above-described embodiment, the spiral member 12 is provided at the bottom of the container body 8, whereas in the medicine feeder 130 of this embodiment, the spiral member 132 is provided at the center of the container body 131 There is.
Further, in the medicine feeder 1 of the above-described embodiment, the medicine is discharged with the container main body 8 in the horizontal posture, while in the medicine feeder 130 of this embodiment, the medicine discharger side is inclined downward. Hold and expel the drug.

Hereinafter, the medicine feeder 130 of the present embodiment will be described.
As described above, the drug container 133 of the drug feeder 130 is provided with the spiral member 132 at the center of the container body 131. The container main body 131 employed in the present embodiment is shaped like a normal bottle, and is configured of a cylindrical main body portion 135 and a neck portion 136 provided at the tip of the main body portion 135. The main body portion 135 and the neck portion 136 are provided concentrically. Also, the neck portion 136 is obviously smaller in diameter than the main body portion 135.
In the medicine feeder 130, the inside of the container body 131 is hollow. The inside of the main body portion 135 is a main housing portion 160.

The base member 140 is attached to the neck portion 136.
The base member 140 is configured by an attachment portion 141, a rotation ring 142, and a tip support portion 145 as shown in the drawing.
The attachment portion 141 is a portion coupled to the tip of the drug container 133. Further, as a configuration unique to the present embodiment, an L-shaped mounting bracket 146 is provided on the mounting portion 141. The mounting bracket 146 is made of a magnetic material, and the horizontal bar 147 and the inclined bar 148 are integrated.

The rotating ring 142 is a ring that allows relative rotation with respect to other members. Gears 143a and 143b are engraved on the outer side of the rotating ring 142.
The tip support portion 145 is a portion where the outer diameter is made thin.
A through hole 150 is provided in the inside of the mouthpiece member 140, and the tip of the through hole 150 is opened at the front end of the mouthpiece member 140 to form a medicine discharge portion 150a.

As shown in FIG. 14, a spiral member 132 is provided inside the base member 140. The spiral member 132 is one in which the elongated member 137 constitutes a spiral. The elongated member 137 is ribbon-shaped, thin and elongated.
The outer diameter of the spiral member 132 becomes smaller as it goes to the tip side.
The rotary shaft 138 is present on the distal end side of the spiral member 132, but a spiral is configured by only the elongated member 137 from the middle to the rear end.

The spiral member 132 is held by the base member 140. More specifically, the rotation ring 142 described above is provided at the middle of the mouthpiece member 140, and the spiral member 132 is attached to the rotation ring 142. Further, the drug discharger 150a is opened at the tip of the mouthpiece member 140, and the tip of the spiral member 132 reaches the drug discharger 150a.
Further, the rear end of the spiral member 132 is inside the container body 131. That is, in the present embodiment, the spiral member 132 is provided at a position straddling the main containing portion 160 to the vicinity of the medicine discharging portion 150a, and the diameter of the spiral member 132 on the medicine discharging side is the spiral structure on the main containing portion 160 side. Smaller than the diameter of

Next, the main body side device 128 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the main unit 128 is configured by the mounting table 152, the weight measuring unit 151, and the base member 164 from the top. Further, there is a table case 165 integrally with the mounting table 152, and a motor 170 and a gear set 171 are attached to the mounting table 152.

The mounting table 152 is a table on which the medicine container 133 is mounted as in the previous embodiment, and the surface thereof has a shape that matches the shape of the horizontal bar 147 of the mounting bracket 146 of the medicine container 133.
The mounting table 152 is provided with an electromagnet 166 as in the previous embodiment, and the magnetic attachment surface (not shown) is exposed on the surface of the mounting table 152.

The pedestal case 165 holds the mounting pedestal 152. Also within the pedestal case 165 is the motor 170 and gear set 171. The motor 170 is in a slightly inclined vertical posture, and a bevel gear A is provided at its tip.
The gear set 171 transmits the rotational power of the bevel gear A to the gears 143a and 143b of the rotary ring 142, and is a spur gear Ca integrally rotating with the two bevel gears Ba and Bb and the respective bevel gears Ba and Bb. , Cb.
When the motor 170 rotates, the spur gears Ca and Cb are rotated by the rotational force.

The weight measuring means 151 is the same as that of the previous embodiment, and is a known load cell, and has an upper mounting surface 78 and a lower mounting surface 80, both in an offset position.
In the present embodiment, the mounting table 152, the motor 170 and the gear set 171 are all fixed to the table case 165, and the table case 165 is fixed to the upper installation surface 78 of the weight measuring means 151. Therefore, the weight of the mounting table 152, the motor 170, the gear set 171, and the table case 165 is applied to the weight measuring means 151.

Also in the present embodiment, the medicine container 133 and the main body side device 128 are separate, and when the powder is packaged, both are combined to constitute the medicine feeder 130.
Also in the medicine feeder 130 of the present embodiment, the medicine container 133 is fixed to the main apparatus 128 by the force of the electromagnet 166. Then, in this state, the spur gears Ca and Cb of the gear set 171 engage with the gears 143a and 143b of the rotating ring 142. Then, when the motor 170 is rotated, the spiral member 132 is rotated in the container body 131 to scrape out the internal powder.

  In the embodiments described above, the drug transfer members all have a helical structure and have thin members such as blades and ribbons. Alternatively, a groove may be provided on the round bar and a spiral may be used as the drug transfer member. That is, in the previous embodiment, the spiral groove formed by the blade or the ribbon is wider than the width of the blade or the ribbon, but conversely, the groove width may be narrower.

  Further, the drug transfer member is not limited to one having a helical structure, and may have another structure. For example, the drug moving member is provided with a rotating member in a direction such that the rotation axis crosses the moving direction of the drug, such as a water wheel, and the rotating force moves the drug in the drug container to the drug discharger side It is also good.

  The medicine transfer member may have a vibrating member, and may vibrate the medicine in the medicine storage unit and move it to the medicine discharge unit side.

  The medicine transfer member may have a member that moves in the front-rear direction, and may move the medicine in the medicine storage unit to the medicine discharge unit side by applying a force.

  The medicine transfer member may have a member that exercises movement, and may move the medicine in the medicine storage unit onto the wave and move it to the medicine discharge unit side.

  The medicine transfer member may have a member for blowing air, and may move the medicine in the medicine storage unit to the medicine discharge unit side by air blowing.

  As shown in FIG. 14, when the vibration feeder 180 is provided downstream of the medicine feeder 1, the amount of medicine (the amount charged per unit time) finally input to the distribution tray 112 is stabilized. That is, the discharge amount of the drug per unit time is equalized.

In addition, as in the drug delivery device 182 shown in FIG. 15, the drug is dropped directly onto the drug packaging area 106 without passing through the distribution tray 112, and the dose is individually applied by the drug packaging apparatus 120 provided in the drug packaging area 106. It is also possible to package.
That is, the medicine delivery device 182 shown in FIG. 15 does not have a distribution tray, and the input hopper 183 of the medicine packaging device 120 is provided at a position directly below the medicine feeder 1. The medicine packaging apparatus 120 has the same structure as that of a known medicine, and is an apparatus for charging medicine into a dose hopper 183 and packaging the medicine individually.

In the medicine delivery device 182 shown in FIG. 15, the medicine feeder 1 is operated intermittently to discharge medicine one by one. Then, it is directly put into the input hopper 183 of the drug packaging apparatus 120 and packaged individually.
That is, in the medicine delivery device 182, the medicine feeder 1 is programmed to repeat start and stop and discharge medicine one by one from the medicine feeder 1. Then, in conjunction with the discharge of the medicine, the medicine packaging device 120 operates to discharge the medicine one by one.
The medicine feeder 1 repeatedly starts and stops a predetermined number of times according to the contents of the prescription, divides medicine into the prescribed number of times of taking, discharges the medicine, and is packaged by the medicine packaging device 120.

Moreover, the medicine delivery device 185 shown in FIG. 16 is a further development of this, and a vibration feeder 180 is disposed downstream of the medicine feeder 1. The medicine delivery device 185 shown in FIG. 16 also has no distribution tray, and the input hopper 183 of the medicine packaging device 120 is provided at a position directly below the vibrating feeder 180.
In the medicine delivery device 185 shown in FIG. 16, a weight measurement means 186 is also provided to the vibrating feeder 180.

In the medicine delivery device 185 shown in FIG. 16, the final discharge amount is calculated from both the detected weight of the weight measurement means 61 provided in the medicine feeder 1 and the weight measurement means 186 provided in the vibration feeder 180.
That is, the weight G of the medicine introduced from the medicine feeder 1 to the vibrating feeder 180 is detected by the weight measurement means 61 provided in the medicine feeder 1. The weight G is a decrease value of the detection value of the weight measurement means 61.

  In the medicine delivery device 185, the vibratory feeder 180 receives the medicine supply from the medicine feeder 1 and supplies the medicine to the medicine packaging apparatus 120 on the downstream side. Therefore, the weight of the medicine inputted from the medicine feeder 1 to the vibratory feeder 180 A value obtained by subtracting the change amount ga (not only positive but sometimes negative) of the detection value of the weight measuring means 186 on the vibration feeder 180 side from the GA is the final discharge amount.

In each of the embodiments described above, only one spiral member 12 is provided in the container main body 8 or 131. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and a plurality of spiral members 12 may be provided.
In the medicine feeder 187 shown in FIG. 17, two spiral members 190 and 191 are provided in the container body 189 of the medicine container.
The two helical members 190 and 191 are individually driven by passive members (not shown) and separate drive side members (not shown).
In the present embodiment, a predetermined amount of medicine can be discharged each time the spiral member 190 makes one rotation. On the other hand, the other spiral member 191 is smaller in diameter than the spiral member 190, and the amount of medicine discharged per rotation is small.

  In the medicine feeder 187 shown in FIG. 17, when the amount of medicine per dose is small, the thin spiral member 191 is rotated to discharge the medicine. On the other hand, when the amount of medicine per dose is large, the spiral member 190 on the thick side is rotated to discharge the medicine. When the amount of drug per dose is further increased, both spiral members 190 and 191 are rotated to discharge the drug.

1 drug feeder 2 drug container 3 main body side device 5 container assembly 6 lower cover 7 main housing portion 8 container main body 10 lid member 11 discharge port forming member 12 spiral member 13 passive member 15 a drug input port 15 b drug discharge port 16 semi-cylindrical shape Part 21 Missing part 22 Passive member storage space 24 Drug discharge part 25 Magnetic material plate 26 Rotary shaft 27a, 27b, 27c Blade 28 Missing part 52 Drug storage part 60 Mounting table 61 Weight measuring means 62 Electromagnet 63 Drive side member 64 Base member 65 Motor 100 drug delivery device 103 drug shelf area 105 drug division area 106 drug packaging area 111 powder dispensing device 128 body side member 130 drug feeder 131 container body 132 spiral member 140 mouth member 142 rotation ring 152 mounting table 150a drug discharge portion 151 weight Measuring means 160 main housing portion 170 motor 165 units case 171 gear set 182 medicine Dispenser 185 drug dispenser 186 weight measuring means

Claims (19)

A drug feeder comprising a drug container and a main unit,
The drug container has a drug storage unit for storing a drug, a drug discharge unit for discharging a drug, and a drug transfer member, and a part or all of the drug transfer member is in a drug storage unit or a drug storage unit In the area to communicate with,
The drug container is detachable from the main body side device,
The main device includes weighing means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the drug container,
The drug container in the state of being detached from the main body side device is placed on the main body side device, the drug transfer member is operated to move the drug in the drug storage unit to the drug discharge unit side, and the drug is discharged from the drug discharge unit And a drug feeder characterized in that it is possible to detect the discharge of the drug by weight measurement means. There is a drive source in the main body side device and a power transmission member for transmitting power without contact, and the medicine transfer member receives power transmission from the drive source through the power transmission member and operates in the medicine container. The drug feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that The main body side device has a drive source and a drive side member which moves by receiving power conduction from the drive source, and the medicine container has a passive member for transmitting the power to the medicine moving member to operate the medicine container side The passive member is in a position covered by the partition wall of the medicine container and is not in contact with the drive side member, and the movement of the drive side member is conducted to the passive side member by magnetic force. The drug feeder according to 2. The medicine feeder according to claim 3, wherein the passive member is outside the medicine storage unit, and the partition is attachable to and detachable from the medicine storage unit. The medicine feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the medicine moving member has a helical structure, and the spiral structure is rotated to move the medicine in the medicine container. The drug container is cylindrical and has a drug inlet on its end face, and the drug container is placed horizontally on the apparatus on the main body side, and the drug transfer member is drug based on the posture where the drug container is placed on the apparatus on the main body The drug feeder according to claim 5, which is on the bottom side of the container, and the spiral structure has a length of 80% to 120% of the length of the bottom surface of the drug storage portion. The medicine feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the medicine moving member has a blade or a groove spirally provided around the rotation axis. The medicine feeder according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of blades or grooves are provided. The medicine feeder according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the wall of the blade or the groove is missing. It has a moving member storage chamber that communicates with the inside of the drug storage unit and stores the drug moving member, and the position where the moving member storage chamber is on the bottom side of the drug container, based on the posture where the drug container is placed on the main unit 10. An opening / closing portion is provided at an end of the moving member storage chamber, and it is possible to open the opening / closing portion to extract the drug moving member from the moving member storage chamber. The drug feeder described in. The drug container has a main storage portion with a large cross-sectional area, the drug discharge portion is on the tip end side of the drug container, the cross-sectional area near the drug discharge portion is smaller than the main storage portion, and the drug transfer member has a helical structure. And the helical structure portion is provided at a position straddling the vicinity of the medicine discharge portion from the main accommodation portion, and the diameter of the spiral structure portion on the medicine discharge side is smaller than the diameter of the spiral structure portion on the main accommodation portion side The medicine feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 10. 12. The drug transfer member has a helical structure, and the diameter of the helical structure decreases as it goes from the drug container side to the drug discharge side. Description drug feeder. The medicine container is cylindrical, and the medicine discharge unit is located at the tip of the medicine container, and the medicine container is placed on the main body side in such a posture that the medicine discharge unit is inclined downward. The drug feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 12. The weight measurement means measures the original weight of the drug container before discharging the drug, and operates the drug transfer member to monitor the weight of the drug container by the weight measurement means when discharging the drug from the drug discharge unit. The present invention is characterized in that it has a weighing function to stop the operation of the drug transfer member when or at the time when the present weight of the drug container is equal to the value obtained by subtracting the target discharge amount from the original weight. The medicine feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that: The medicine feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the medicine transfer member is capable of repeating the operation state and the stop state and discharging the medicine one by one. A container storage unit for storing a plurality of drug containers, the drug feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 15, and container movement for taking out a predetermined drug container from the container storage unit and placing it on the main device of the drug feeder Equipped with
Furthermore, it has an input unit for inputting the type and amount of medicine to be dispensed, and a storage unit for storing the type and remaining amount of medicine stored in the container storage unit,
The medicine container containing the medicine input to the input means is selected and placed on the main unit by the container moving means, and the spiral structure is rotated to discharge the medicine of the prescribed amount inputted to the input means Execute the dispensing operation,
When the remaining amount of the medicine to be prescribed stored in the container storage unit is insufficient with respect to the prescribed amount, a predetermined notification is made prior to the dispensing operation. A powder dispensing apparatus for dispensing a powder, a vibrating table, and the drug feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein a vibrating table is provided between the drug feeder and the powder dispensing apparatus, from the drug feeder A medicine dispensing apparatus characterized in that the medicine is once supplied to the shaking table and the medicine is supplied from the shaking table to the powder dispensing apparatus. A medicine packaging apparatus for packaging medicine and a medicine feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the medicine feeder repeats operation and stop to discharge medicine one dose at a time, and the medicine packaging apparatus A medicine dispensing apparatus characterized in that medicines can be packaged one by one. 19. The medicine dispensing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the medicine feeder repeats the operation of discharging the medicine one by one for a predetermined number of times.

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