JP2020103592A - Medical agent packing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a medical agent packing device that is capable of packing and auditing of a medical agent in the same enclosure, and capable of suppressing a labor required for the auditing at the minimum.SOLUTION: A medical agent packing device 10 is formed by storing a medical agent packing part 20 and a medical agent auditing part 100 in the same enclosure 12. The medical agent packing device 10 has a conveyance path switching mechanism 200. The conveyance path switching mechanism 200 switches the conveyance direction of the packing bag to a crossing direction to a discharge direction of the packing bag in the medical agent packing part 20, while reversing both sides of the packing bag, in a conveyance process of a packing bag from the medical agent packing part 20 to a transfer unit. The medical agent packing device 10 can perform the packing of the medical agent and the auditing of the medical agent stored in the packing bag in the enclosure 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a medicine packing apparatus for packing and inspecting medicines.

Conventionally, a tablet inspection system as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below has been provided. In the tablet inspection system disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a solid medicine in a granular or capsule shape is individually packaged into a packaging paper to form a packaging bag. Further, in the tablet inspection system according to Patent Document 1 below, the solid medicine is imaged in the state of being packaged in a packaging paper, and the quantity of the solid medicine is inspected based on the image obtained thereby.

JP-A-7-200770

Here, when a device such as the above-described tablet inspection system is used, it is possible to significantly reduce the labor of the pharmacist required for the inspection. On the other hand, in addition to the medicine packing apparatus for packing medicines, an inspection system must be separately arranged. Since the dispensing space in the pharmacy is limited in size, it may be a hindrance to the introduction of a new tablet inspection system. In addition, when the inspection is performed using the above-described tablet inspection system or the like, there is a problem that it takes time and effort to set the sachet bag dispensed from the medicine packaging device in the tablet inspection system or the like.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a medicine packaging device that can perform medicine packaging and inspection in the same housing, and can minimize the labor required for inspection.

The medicine packing apparatus of the present invention provided to solve the above-mentioned problems, a medicine packing part for packing and sending out a medicine in accordance with a prescription, and a packing bag formed in the medicine packing part. A drug inspection unit for inspecting whether or not the drug is packaged as prescribed, and is contained in the same housing, and the sachet for packaging the drug in the drug packaging unit, In the process of transferring the transfer bag through a path passing through the medicine inspection unit and the transfer bag from the medicine packing unit to the transfer unit, the packing bag is horizontal, diagonally upward, diagonally downward. While reversing the front and back of the sachet that has been conveyed in any one of the conveyance direction, the conveyance direction of the sachet, a transport path switching mechanism for switching to the vertical direction, having a drug in the housing And the medicine contained in the sachet are inspected and discharged to the outside of the casing.

In the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, the medicine packing unit and the medicine inspection unit are housed in the same housing. Therefore, according to the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, the medicine can be packed and inspected in the same housing. Moreover, in the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, the transfer section provided in the housing can transfer the sachet from the medicine packing section to the medicine inspection section. Therefore, according to the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the trouble of setting the packing bag in which the medicine is packed again for inspection. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a medicine packing apparatus which can carry out medicine packing and inspection in the same housing, and can minimize the labor required for inspection.

Further, the medicine packaging apparatus of the present invention is provided with a transport path switching mechanism, and the front and back of a packaging bag in which the packaging bag has been transported in any one of a horizontal direction, an upward diagonal direction, and a downward diagonal direction. It is possible to switch the conveying direction of the sachets to the vertical direction while reversing the. This makes it easier to introduce the sachet into the medicine inspection section.

Here, in the case of supplying a sachet in which the medicine is packaged in the medicine sacrifice section to the medicine inspection section, for example, it is considered to arrange the medicine inspection section on an extension line of the ejection direction of the sachet in the medicine sacrifice section. To be However, in the case of such an arrangement, it is necessary to arrange the medicine packaging unit and the medicine inspection unit side by side in the discharging direction of the packaging bag, which may increase the size of the housing of the medicine packaging device. Further, for example, if a force is applied in the twisting direction to change the direction of the sachet that is sent out from the medicine sachet, there is a concern that the sachet will be damaged. Therefore, in order to reduce the size of the medicine packing apparatus, the packing bag in which the medicine is packed is configured so that the transfer direction can be smoothly switched without exerting an excessive force on the bag. It is desirable to minimize restrictions on the arrangement of the medical department and the medicine inspection unit.

Based on such knowledge, in the above-mentioned medicine packing apparatus, the winding member around which the sachet bag sent out from the medicine packing unit is wound is provided in the transport path switching mechanism, The member has different winding diameters on one end side and the other end side in the axial direction, and the packaging bag sent from the medicine packaging section is arranged so as to be able to be wrapped around the winding member. Good to have

With such a configuration, the flow direction of the sachet wrapped around the winding member can be optimized according to the difference in the winding diameter of the winding member. Since the medicine packaging apparatus of the present invention has such a configuration, the transfer direction can be smoothly switched without applying an unreasonable force to the packaging bag in which the medicine is packaged. It is possible to minimize restrictions on the arrangement of the medical department and the medicine inspection unit. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a medicine packaging device having a compact configuration while housing the medicine packaging portion and the medicine inspection portion in the same housing.

In the medicine packaging device of the present invention described above, the angle θ1 formed by the flow direction of the packaging bag and the axis of the wrapping member is substantially right angle on the upstream side with respect to the wrapping member, whereas It is preferable that an angle θ2 formed by the flow direction of the sachet and the axis of the winding member on the downstream side of the winding member is larger than the angle θ1.

With such a configuration, the space required for switching the transport direction of the sachet can be minimized.

In the medicine packaging device of the present invention described above, it is desirable that the winding member is a conical roller having a conical outer shape.

According to such a configuration, by sending the sachets along the surface of the conical roller, the conveying direction of the sachets is reversed while the front and back of the sachets are reversed, and the discharging direction of the sachets in the medicine sachet portion is You can switch to the direction that intersects with.

Here, as described above, when the winding member is a conical roller having a conical outer shape,
It may be arranged such that the conveying direction of the packaging paper on the upstream side of the conical roller and the axial direction of the conical roller form an angle of substantially right angle. With such a configuration, the range (length) of the packaging paper contacting the wrapping member is smaller (shorter) in the axial direction of the wrapping member than when using a cylindrical roller. Therefore, if the winding member is a conical roller having a conical outer shape, the effect of reducing the space for twisting the packaging paper to convey it in the vertical direction can be expected. Further, if a motor provided for driving a conveyor on the upstream side with respect to the wrapping member for driving a conveyor paper is used for driving a conical roller, the manufacturing cost of the medicine packaging device can be reduced, and the cost can be saved. The effect of space saving can be expected. Further, when a conical roller having a conical outer shape is used as the winding member, for example, it is possible to convey the packaging paper toward the downstream side of the winding member so as to flow in a substantially vertical direction. This can be expected to have the effect of facilitating the conveyance of the packaging paper to the inspection unit arranged on the downstream side.

On the other hand, when the winding member is a cylindrical roller, in order to change the flow direction of the packaging paper, the transport direction of the packaging paper upstream of the cylindrical roller and the cylindrical packaging paper It is necessary to arrange so that the angle formed by the axial direction of the roller is not a right angle. In the case of such a configuration, the effect of reducing the space as in the case where the conical roller is used as the winding member cannot be expected, and there is a concern that the device configuration becomes large. Further, since the transport direction of the packaging paper on the upstream side with respect to the winding member and the axial direction of the columnar roller are not orthogonal, it is used as a conveyor drive for transporting the packaging paper on the upstream side of the winding member. The motor provided cannot be used to drive the cylindrical roller, and a separate motor is required. Therefore, when the winding member is a cylindrical roller, there is a concern that the manufacturing cost of the medicine packaging device will increase and the device will become larger than when a conical roller is used. Therefore, in the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, various effects can be expected by using the winding member as a conical roller having a conical outer shape.

When the winding member is provided as described above, it is desirable to provide the guide member that allows the sachet to be along the surface of the winding member. With such a configuration, the sachet may be sent along the surface of the winding member as intended, and the sachet may be transferred along the expected route.

In the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention described above, the medicine packing section conveys the packing section that packs the medicine while forming the packing bag with the packing paper and the packing bag in which the medicine is packed in the packing section. It is preferable that the transport path switching mechanism is provided at a terminal portion of the transport section.

According to this structure, the sachet in which the medicine is packaged in the medicine packaging section can be smoothly transferred from the transport section to the transport path switching mechanism.

The above-mentioned drug packing apparatus of the present invention is a drug packing part for packing and sending out a drug in accordance with a prescription, and a drug is packed as prescribed in a packing bag formed in the drug packing part. With a drug inspection unit for inspecting whether or not it is contained in the same housing, and the sachet bag in which the drug is packaged in the drug packaging unit is passed through the drug inspection unit. And a transfer unit for transferring, wherein the transfer unit passes the sachet from the front side through a forward path from the front side to the back side of the housing and a return path from the back side to the front side. The packaging bag is discharged to the outside of the housing.

The medicine packing apparatus of the present invention is configured such that the medicine packing unit and the medicine inspection unit are housed in the same housing. Therefore, in the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, the medicine can be packed and inspected in the same housing. Further, the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention is provided with a transfer section, and the packing bag in which the medicine is packed in the medicine packing section can be transferred by a route passing through the medicine inspection section. Therefore, according to the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, the packing bag in which the medicine is packed can be sent to the medicine inspection unit without bothering a person. Therefore, according to the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, the packing and inspection of medicines can be completed by the processing in the same housing.

Further, in the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, the transfer section can discharge the packing bag from the front side of the housing to the outside. Therefore, in the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, an operator such as a pharmacist can receive the packing bag in which the packing and inspection of the medicine have been completed in front of the housing, and the workability of the worker can be improved. Further, the medicine packaging apparatus of the present invention is for ejecting the packaging bag from the front side, not the side surface of the housing or the like. Therefore, according to the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, it is not necessary to provide an extra space on the side surface of the housing or the like.

In the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention described above, the medicine inspection unit may be provided on the outward path.

In the medicine packaging device of the present invention described above, it is preferable that the transfer section has a path extending in the up-down direction between the forward path and the return path.

According to this configuration, the outward path is arranged at a height suitable for drawing in the sachet that has been sent out from the medicine sachet, and the return path is located at a position suitable for discharging the sachet outside the housing. Can be placed. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the transfer unit can be arranged so as to form a path suitable for delivering the sachets inside the housing and discharging the sachets outside the housing.

In the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention described above, it is desirable that the packing bag be transferred so as to have a downward slope in a section from the medicine packing unit to the transfer unit.

Here, when a guide wall is erected on the side of the transfer conveyor provided in the transfer unit to guide the flow of the sachet, the sachet of the sachet is provided between the guide wall and the transport surface of the transfer conveyor. There is a concern that corners or cuts provided in the sachet may be caught and transport failure may occur.

In the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention provided to cope with such a problem, the transfer unit is provided with a transfer conveyor that carries the transfer bag and transfers the transfer bag, and the transfer conveyor is erected on a lateral side of the transfer conveyor. A guide wall is preferably provided, and a groove formed so as to extend below the transport surface is desirably provided between the transport surface of the transfer conveyor and the guide wall.

In the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, since the groove is provided between the transfer surface of the transfer conveyor and the guide wall, it is possible to prevent the packing bag from being fitted into the gap between the transfer surface and the guide wall.

In the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention described above, the transfer unit has a transfer conveyor that carries and transfers the packing bag, and the packing bag at a position higher by a predetermined height than a transfer surface of the transfer conveyor. With a sachet bag detecting device capable of detecting the presence or absence of, and having a control device for controlling the operation of the transfer conveyor, provided that the sachet bag is detected by the sachet bag detecting device. It is preferable that the control device stops the transfer conveyor.

In the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, by providing the packing bag detection device, it is possible to confirm whether or not there is a packing bag at a position higher than the transport surface of the transfer conveyor by a predetermined height. By doing so, even if a jam of the sachet occurs due to poor conveyance, this can be quickly detected. In the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, the control device stops the transfer conveyor on condition that the packing bag detection device detects the packing bag. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the jam of the sachet from being further deteriorated.

The medicine packaging device of the present invention described above has a control device for controlling the operation of the transfer conveyor, and the medicine inspection unit, the packaging bag in a state in which the packaging bag for one prescription is continuous. It is supplied, and it is preferable that the transfer speed of the sachets by the transfer conveyor is improved on condition that the inspection of the sachets for one prescription in the medicine inspection section is completed. ..

With this configuration, after the inspection in the medicine inspection unit is completed, the sachet can be promptly discharged from the housing, and the medicine for the next prescription or the inspection can be started. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to further shorten the processing time required for the inspection from the packaging of the medicine.

In the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention described above, the medicine packing unit is for sending out the packing bag in a state in which the packing bags for one prescription are in series, and the packing bag is provided at the boundary portion of the packing bag. It is desirable to form a cut extending in the width direction of the sachet and form the end of the cut into an R shape.

With such a configuration, when the sachets are supplied in a state where the sachets for one prescription are connected, it is possible to prevent the sachets from being caught in the transfer conveyor or the like. Moreover, by making the end of the cut into the R shape, the boundary of the sachet is easy to find. This can improve the positioning accuracy of the sachet in the medicine inspection unit and contribute to the improvement of inspection accuracy and inspection speed.

In the medicine packaging apparatus of the present invention described above, the housing has a discharge port of the packaging bag, and a mark serving as a standard of the amount of the uncollected packaging bag discharged from the discharge port. It is preferably one.

According to such a configuration, the sachet after the sachet and the inspection are simply collected by a user such as a pharmacist at a glance for the amount of the sachet that remains without being collected in front of the housing. I can figure it out.

In the medicine packaging apparatus of the present invention described above, the casing has a discharge port for the sachet, the sachet that is uncollected and is discharged from the outlet reaches a predetermined reference height. It has a non-collected amount detection device for detecting that, and based on the detection result by the non-collected amount detection device, one or both of the warning and the stop of the discharge of the sachet desirable.

In the medicine packaging device of the present invention, if a warning is given based on the detection result by the uncollected amount detection device, the packaging bag after packaging and inspection is not collected in front of the housing. It is possible to inform the user such as a pharmacist that the number of remaining sachets has increased, and to prevent the sachets from being left forever. Further, in the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, if the discharging of the packaging bag is stopped based on the detection result of the uncollected amount detecting apparatus, the discharging port, the vicinity thereof, or the upstream side of the discharging port (case) It is possible to suppress the occurrence of jamming or clogging of the sachet in the body.

Further, the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention is a medicine packing section for packing a medicine according to a prescription and sending it out, and a medicine is packed according to a prescription in a packing bag formed in the medicine packing section. A drug inspection unit for inspecting whether or not the drug is contained in the same housing, and the sachet bag in which the drug is packaged in the drug packaging unit is routed through the drug inspection unit. In the process of transporting the packaging bag from the medicine packaging unit to the transport unit, a winding member around which the packaging bag is wound is provided, and the winding member is It is characterized in that the one end side and the other end side in the axial direction have different winding diameters, and the sachets sent out from the medicine packaging section are arranged so that they can be wrapped.

In the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, the medicine packing unit and the medicine inspection unit are housed in the same housing. Therefore, according to the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, the medicine can be packed and inspected in the same housing. Moreover, in the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, the transfer section provided in the housing can transfer the sachet from the medicine packing section to the medicine inspection section. Therefore, according to the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the trouble of setting the packing bag in which the medicine is packed again for inspection. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a medicine packing apparatus which can carry out medicine packing and inspection in the same housing, and can minimize the labor required for inspection.

In the medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, the above-described conveyance path switching mechanism is provided, and the conveyance direction of the sachets sent out from the medicine sachet is set with respect to the discharging direction of the sachets in the medicine sachet. It is possible to switch to the intersecting direction and flip the front and back of the sachet. Specifically, in the above-described medicine packing apparatus of the present invention, the transport path switching mechanism has a winding member having different winding diameters on the one end side and the other end side in the axial direction, and the medicine packing unit. The packaging bag sent out from is arranged so that it can be wound around the winding member. With such a configuration, the flow direction of the sachet wrapped around the winding member can be optimized according to the difference in the winding diameter of the winding member. Since the medicine packaging apparatus of the present invention has such a configuration, the transfer direction can be smoothly switched without applying an unreasonable force to the packaging bag in which the medicine is packaged. It is possible to minimize restrictions on the arrangement of the medical department and the medicine inspection unit. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a medicine packaging device having a compact configuration while housing the medicine packaging portion and the medicine inspection portion in the same housing.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a medicine packing apparatus that can carry out medicine packing and inspection in the same housing, and can minimize the labor required for inspection.

It is a perspective view showing the medicine packing device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed schematic structure of the medicine packaging apparatus of this invention. It is the perspective view which showed the principal part of the medicine packaging apparatus of this invention. It is the perspective view which showed the state which looked at the principal part of the structure shown in FIG. 3 from the back side to the front side. It is a front view of the principal part of the structure shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which expanded the principal part of the structure shown in FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows the cone roller vicinity of FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows the belt drive mechanism and conical roller which are contained in the structure shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the relationship between a conical roller and the flow direction of a packaging paper. It is explanatory drawing explaining the relationship with the flow direction of a cylindrical roller wrapping paper. It is a perspective view showing the composition of the receiving and sending mechanism neighborhood. (A)-(c) is a figure which showed operation|movement of the acceptance delivery mechanism, respectively. It is sectional drawing which showed the structure of the transfer part. (A), (b) is the side view and the top view which respectively showed the transfer part and the sachet-packaging detection device. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the example which provided the chamfer in the cut of the sachet, (b) is an explanation which shows the example of the detection apparatus for detecting the cut provided in the sachet of (a). Drawing (c) is an explanatory view showing an example of a device composition when a chamfered part is provided in a sachet. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the inspection method at the time of containing the tablet of 1/4 tablet. (A), (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example when each path switching mechanism is provided. It is a perspective view showing an example of a hopper for paying out a medicine from a medicine preparation section toward a packing section. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the leveling mechanism. It is a side view showing an example of a leveling mechanism and a moving mechanism. It is a side view showing an example of a leveling mechanism and a moving mechanism. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a leveling mechanism and a sachet holding mechanism. It is a perspective view which shows another example of a leveling mechanism and a sachet-bag holding mechanism.

Hereinafter, a medicine packaging device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the medicine packaging device 10 has a housing 12. The front surface 12a of the housing 12 has a discharge port 14 for discharging the sachet P after the medicine is packaged, and the amount of the sachet P that is stored below the discharge port 14 without being collected. A mark 16 or the like serving as a guide is provided.

As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the medicine packing apparatus 10 includes a medicine packing section 20, a medicine inspection section 100, a transfer path switching mechanism 200, a receiving/delivering mechanism 220, a transfer section 240, and a control device inside a housing 12. Built-in 300 etc. The medicine packing device 10 performs both packing and inspection of medicines inside the housing 12. That is, in the medicine packaging device 10, after the medicine is packaged in the medicine packaging unit 20, the medicine inspection unit 100 is packaged in the housing 12 by the transport path switching mechanism 200, the receiving/delivering mechanism 220, and the transport unit 240. Send P. In addition, the medicine packaging device 10 supplies the sachet P sent in this manner to the medicine inspection unit 100, inspects whether or not the medicine is packaged according to the prescription, and determines whether or not the medicine is packaged as prescribed. The packaging bag P can be discharged from the discharge port 14 of the housing 12.

Hereinafter, after the schematic configuration of the medicine packaging device 10 is described, the transport path switching mechanism 200, the receiving/delivering mechanism 220, and the transfer section 240 will be described in detail.

<<About the schematic configuration of the medicine packaging device 10>>
The medicine packing apparatus 10 includes a medicine packing section 20 having a medicine packing function and a medicine checking section 100 having a medicine checking function, a transport path switching mechanism 200, a receiving/delivering mechanism 220, and a transferring section 240. The control device 300 is provided.

The medicine packing unit 20 packs the medicine according to the input prescription data and discharges the medicine. The medicine packaging unit 20 includes a medicine supply unit 30, a medicine preparation unit 50, and a packaging unit 80.

The drug supply unit 30 stores the solid drug, appropriately discharges the solid drug according to the prescription, and supplies the solid drug to the packaging unit 80. The medicine supply unit 30 includes a supply unit 32. The supply unit 32 has a function of storing the solid medicine and discharging the solid medicine toward the medicine preparation unit 50 in accordance with the prescription. Further, the medicine preparation unit 50 has a function of storing the solid medicine supplied from the supply unit 32 one by one and sequentially discharging the solid medicine toward the packaging unit 80.

The supply unit 32 has a feeder-type supply unit 36 and a hand-delivered drug supply unit 38 as devices for supplying a solid drug. In addition to this, the supply unit 32 includes a standby hopper 40, a collection hopper 42, a manual hopper 44, and the like. The feeder-type supply unit 36 is provided with a large number of cassette-type drug feeders 46, and can discharge the solid drugs prepared in advance in each drug feeder 46 for each drug type in accordance with the prescription. A standby hopper 40 is arranged below the feeder type supply unit 36. The standby hopper 40 can collect one package of solid medicines dispensed from each medicine feeder 46 and then discharge the solid medicines at once. The solid medicine discharged from the standby hopper 40 is supplied to the medicine preparation unit 50 one by one via the collecting hopper 42 provided below the standby hopper 40.

Further, the hand-delivered medicine supply unit 38 is prepared separately from the feeder-type supply unit 36, and like the feeder-type supply unit 36, can supply the solid medicine toward the medicine preparation unit 50 side. The hand-delivered medicine supply unit 38 is provided with a plurality of box-shaped recesses for sprinkling the medicine one by one, and the medicine prepared in the recesses can be supplied for packaging.

The medicine preparation unit 50 is arranged below the supply unit 32 described above. The medicine preparation unit 50 stores the solid medicine received from the medicine supply unit 30 side via the collection hopper 42 and the hand-spreading hopper 44 one by one, and stores the solid medicine in a hopper 52 arranged below the medicine preparation unit 50. It can be supplied to the wrapping section 80 via.

The hopper 52 may be any one as long as it can supply the medicine dispensed from the medicine preparing section 50 to the packaging section 80, but it is more preferable to use, for example, the one shown in FIG. Specifically, the hopper 52 is for receiving the medicine dropped from the medicine preparation unit 50 and supplying the medicine to the packaging paper supplied to the packaging unit 80. As shown in FIG. 18, the hopper 52 has a shape in which the opening area at the upper side in the illustrated state is wider than the opening area at the lower side in the opening.

Here, if a large amount of a large-sized medicine is put into the hopper 52, the medicine may be clogged in the hopper 52, and there is a concern that a back shift of the packaging may occur. Therefore, the hopper 52 shown in FIG. 18 has a structure in which a partition member 52a is provided so as to cross the internal space of the hopper 52 at the substantially central portion of the cross-sectional area. By providing such a partition member 52a, even if a large amount of a large-sized drug is introduced from above, the timing at which the drug falls is controlled to make it non-uniform, and the clogging of the drug and the back shift of the packaging are suppressed. You can expect the effect of doing.

The partition member 52a described above may be arranged at any place, but when there is a portion where the opening area is narrowed (the cross-sectional area is small) in the hopper 52 as shown in FIG. 18, it is located above this portion ( It is desirable to arrange the partition member 52a on the inlet side). Further, the partition member 52a is not limited to the rod-shaped member as shown in FIG. 18, and may have another shape. Further, the number of partition members 52a installed is not limited to one, and a plurality of partition members 52a can be installed.

The packaging unit 80 forms each sachet by bending and welding a band-shaped packaging paper that has been prepared in advance, and packages the medicine supplied from the medicine preparation unit 50 side by dose. Can be packed in a bag. As a result, the sachet P is sent to the downstream process in the form of a strip-shaped sachet continuous body in which a large number of sachets are continuous.

Specifically, the packaging unit 80 includes a packaging unit 82 that forms the sachets P by a method such as heat welding, and a transport unit 84 that transports the sachets P after the medicine is packaged. Have and. The transport unit 84 has a receiving portion 84a and a linear portion 84b. The transport unit 84 is installed such that the receiving portion 84a is located on the bottom surface side of the housing 12 and the linear portion 84b rises obliquely upward from the receiving portion 84a side.

The receiving portion 84a operates by receiving power from a power source (not shown). By operating the receiving portion 84a, the sachet P sent out from the packaging unit 82 can be received and delivered to the linear portion 84b.

Here, as shown in FIG. 5 and the like, in the transport unit 84, a linear portion 84b is provided obliquely upward from a receiving portion 84a provided below. This can prevent the sachet P from being damaged. Specifically, if the length of the transport path from when the sachet P is received in the receiving portion 84a and the transport direction changes until the next transport direction changes, the sachet P has a large load. May act and cause the packaging bag P to be torn. In order to avoid such a problem, it is desirable that the transport unit 84 has a long transport path on the downstream side of the receiving portion 84a. In the transport unit 84, the linear portion 84b following the receiving portion 84a can be provided in the horizontal direction to be long. However, in this case, the housing 12 has to be large and the installation space of the medicine packaging device 10 is enlarged. There is a possibility that it will occur. Based on such knowledge, in the medicine packaging device 10 of the present embodiment, by providing the transport unit 84 in an oblique direction, the housing 12 is minimized while ensuring a sufficiently long transport path on the downstream side of the receiving portion 84a. The size is limited to the limit.

The linear portion 84b has drive rollers 84f and 84g rotatably provided on the base end side of a frame 84c forming the straight portion 84b, and a conical roller 202 of a transport path switching mechanism 200 described later in detail rotatably provided on the tip end side. It is said that. The drive rollers 84f and 84g are rotatable by receiving power from a belt 84e suspended between a drive roller 84i that rotates by receiving an output of a motor 84h (see FIG. 8). Further, three belts 84e are suspended between the drive roller 84i and the conical roller 202. As a result, the conical roller 202 can be rotated in association with the drive roller 84i.

A plurality of sub rollers 84m are attached to the frame 84c. The sub-rollers 84m are provided between the drive roller 84i and the conical roller 202 at predetermined pitches in the longitudinal direction of the frame 84c. The sub rollers 84m are biased toward the belt 84e. By operating the drive roller 84i, the transport unit 84 can move the sachet P delivered from the receiving portion 84a at the base end of the linear portion 84b to the front end side together with the belt 84e. In this way, the sachet P sent out in the form of a wrapping bag continuous body in the wrapping unit 80 is delivered to the transfer unit 240 via the transport path switching mechanism 200 and the receiving/delivering mechanism 220, which will be described in detail later, It is sent to the drug inspection unit 100 by 240.

As shown in FIG. 4, the frame 84c has a main frame 84j arranged on the front side of the housing 12 and a sub-frame 84k arranged on the rear side. In the frame 84c, a sub frame 84k is openably and closably connected to a main frame 84j via a hinge (not shown) provided on the bottom surface side. The frame 84c can be held by a fixture (not shown) such as a hook provided on the top surface side with the sub frame 84k closed with respect to the main frame 84j. Further, a plurality of sub rollers 84m are attached to the sub frame 84k. When the sub-frame 84k is closed with respect to the main frame 84j, a transport path (first transport portion) for the sachet P is formed inside the frame 84c, and the sachet P is provided between the belt 84e and the sub-roller 84m. Can be passed. In addition, when the sachet P is clogged in the transport path in the frame 84c, the fasteners such as the hooks described above are removed, and the subframe 84k is opened with respect to the main frame 84j. It is possible to perform maintenance work by separating all the provided sub rollers 84m from the belt 84e.

The drug inspection unit 100 is a device that inspects whether or not the inspection target drug supplied in the state of being packaged in the sachet P is packaged as prescribed, one by one. Specifically, the medicine inspection unit 100 inspects whether or not the quantity and type of medicines packaged in each sachet are as prescribed.

As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the drug inspection unit 100 includes an inspection unit 130, an imaging device 140, a lighting device 150, and the like. The medicine inspection unit 100 causes the inspection unit 130 to arrive at each sachet by the transfer unit 240, which will be described in detail later, and obtains an image of each sachet with the imaging device 140 under the illumination of the illumination device 150, and the control device. An inspection can be performed by the process of 300. Hereinafter, the configuration of each unit will be further described.

The inspection unit 130 is a portion arranged in a state where the medicine to be inspected is contained in the sachet. As shown in FIG. 3, the inspection unit 130 has an imaging stage 132 on which a sachet is arranged. The imaging stage 132 is formed of a translucent plate and has a size capable of mounting a sachet for one packet.

The image capturing device 140 is for capturing an image of the sachet arranged in the inspection unit 130 and the medicine contained therein. As shown in FIG. 3, the imaging device 140 is arranged directly above the inspection unit 130.

The illumination device 150 is for illuminating the sachet arranged in the inspection unit 130. The lighting device 150 includes a front lighting device 152 and a back lighting device (not shown). The front illumination device 152 is for irradiating the sachet arranged in the inspection unit 130 from the imaging device 140 side, that is, from the upper side of the inspection unit 130. The front side illumination device 152 may be composed of any illumination device, but in the present embodiment, an illumination device capable of generating diffused light is used. The back side illumination device (not shown) is for irradiating the sachet arranged in the inspection unit 130 from the back side, that is, the side opposite to the imaging device 140 (below) via the inspection unit 130. .. The back side illumination device (not shown) uses substantially the entire shooting stage 132 as an illumination area, and can illuminate the entire packaging bag mounted on the shooting stage 132 from the back side.

Here, the sachet P has a printed surface (printed surface) and an opposite surface (non-printed surface). In the present embodiment, the packaging bag P is supplied to the drug inspection unit 100 with the non-printed surface facing the imaging device 140. More specifically, in the section in which the sachet P is formed diagonally downward after the sachet P is formed by a method such as heat sealing in the packaging unit 80, the sachet P has a printing surface on the casing. The sheet 12 is conveyed in a posture facing the front surface 12a side. On the other hand, in a diagonally upward section from the transport unit 84 to the transport path switching mechanism 200, the printing surface faces the back side of the housing 12 and extends downward from the transport path switching mechanism 200 to the transfer conveyor 242. In the transported section, the sachet P is transported with the printing surface facing the front surface 12a. After the sachet P is conveyed through such a path, when the photographing device 140 is photographed in the medicine inspection section 100 from the transfer conveyor 242, the printing surface is oriented such that the printing surface faces the bottom surface of the device (the non-printing surface is The posture becomes the direction toward the photographing device 140 side). After that, the sachet P is in a state in which the printing surface is on the front surface 12a side when it is discharged from the discharge port 14 and hung down. Therefore, the sachet P is supplied to the medicine inspection unit 100 in a state where the photographing device 140 can surely perform photographing, and the user can easily see the printed surface when discharged from the discharge port 14. Is discharged to.

The drug inspection unit 100 is an integrated unit of the inspection unit 130, the imaging device 140, the lighting device 150, and the like described above, and can be pulled out to the front side of the housing 12. The medicine inspection unit 100 is also integrated with a later-described acceptance/delivery mechanism 220 and a transfer unit 240. Therefore, the medicine inspection section 100 can be pulled out to the front surface 12a side of the housing 12 together with the acceptance/delivery mechanism 220 and the transfer section 240. Therefore, the medicine packaging device 10 is easy to clean and deal with paper jam. Further, the medicine inspection unit 100 can be used as a single medicine inspection device by setting the sachet in a state of being pulled out from the housing 12.

The control device 300 is realized on a computer by installing software in the computer. The control device 300 can execute a drug inspection process for inspecting whether the drug contained in each sachet is as prescribed.

Specifically, the control device 300 includes an inspection database in which drug images are stored as master images. The control device 300 executes a process (image matching process) of matching the master image registered in the inspection database with the image of the drug acquired by the imaging device 140, and the drug is stored in the sachet according to the prescription. A drug inspection process for inspecting whether or not it is packaged can be executed. There are various types of drug inspection processing, such as inspection of the types of drugs packaged in sachets (drug type verification) and inspection of the quantity of drugs packaged in sachets (quantity verification). Any one of the viewpoint inspections may be performed alone or a plurality of inspections may be performed in combination.

<<About the transport path switching mechanism 200>>
Next, the transport path switching mechanism 200 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, in the process of transporting the sachet P from the medicine packaging unit 20 to the transfer unit 240, the transport path switching mechanism 200 reverses the front and back of the sachet P while packaging the sachets. It is a mechanism for switching the conveying direction of the bag P to a direction intersecting the discharge direction of the sachet P in the medicine packaging unit 20.

The transport path switching mechanism 200 includes a conical roller 202 (a winding member) and a guide member 204. As shown in FIG. 7, the conical roller 202 is a roller formed in a conical shape or a truncated cone shape (in this embodiment, a truncated cone shape). The conical roller 202 is rotatably attached to the leading end of the transport unit 84 that forms the packaging unit 80 described above. The conical roller 202 rotates by receiving power from the driving roller 84i of the transport unit 84 via the belt 84e. That is, the conical roller 202 does not have a power source and rotates by receiving power from the drive roller 84i connected via the belt 84e as shown in FIG. The conical roller 202 is installed such that the cross-sectional diameter on the tip end side in the rotation axis direction is smaller than the cross-sectional diameter on the base end side. That is, the conical roller 202 is a member having different winding diameters on the one end side and the other end side in the axial direction of the rotation axis. The conical roller 202 is provided with a plurality of grooves 202a for mounting the belt 84e (three in the present embodiment), which are provided at intervals in the direction of the axis L forming the rotation axis. Further, the conical roller 202 is arranged in the middle of the conveying path of the sachet P sent out from the medicine sachet unit 20, and the sachet P can be wrapped around the conical roller 202.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the transport path switching mechanism 200, the angle formed by the flow direction of the sachet P and the axis of the conical roller 202 changes between the upstream side and the downstream side of the conical roller 202. The conical roller 202 is disposed in the. Specifically, the conical roller 202 is arranged such that an angle θ1 formed by the axis L and the flow direction of the sachet P on the upstream side of the conical roller 202 is substantially a right angle. Further, in the conical roller 202, the angle θ2 formed by the flow direction of the sachet P and the axis L on the downstream side of the conical roller 202 changes (becomes larger or smaller) with respect to the angle θ1. It is arranged. In this embodiment, the conical rollers 202 are arranged so that the angle θ2>the angle θ1. By adopting the conical roller 202 as the roller around which the sachet P is wound and by arranging in this manner, the sachet P can be arranged more than the case where a cylindrical roller as shown in FIG. 10 is employed. Can be easily transported, and a space required for switching the transportation direction can be suppressed. That is, when the cylindrical roller 502 is arranged as shown in FIG. 10, the angle θ3 formed by the axis 504 and the flow direction of the sachet P on the upstream side with respect to the axis 504 thereof, the sachet on the downstream side. Both the angle θ4 formed by the flow direction of P and the axis 504 is not orthogonal to the axis 504. With such a configuration, the space required for switching the transport direction is inevitably large.

The guide member 204 is a member for guiding the sachet P along the surface of the conical roller 202. The guide member 204 may have any shape as long as it is along the surface of the conical roller 202. In the present embodiment, a plurality of curved pieces (two in the present embodiment) curved with a predetermined curvature are used. 202 are arranged at intervals in the generatrix direction. The guide member 204 is arranged so as to allow at least the sachet P in the state where the medicine is packaged between the guide member 204 and the peripheral surface of the conical roller 202.

The transport path switching mechanism 200 is configured such that the conical roller 202 and the guide member 204 described above are provided at the end of the transport unit 84. Therefore, the transport path switching mechanism 200 can receive the packaging bag P sent out from the transport unit 84 as it is between the conical roller 202 and the guide member 204 after packaging the medicine. Further, by receiving the sachet P in the transport path switching mechanism 200, the sachet P can be moved along the peripheral surface of the conical roller 202. Specifically, the flow direction of the sachet P sent out obliquely upward along the transport unit 84 can be changed substantially vertically downward in the transport path switching mechanism 200. Further, when viewed from the front side of the housing 12, the sachet P sent out from the transport unit 84 flows from the back side to the front side along the peripheral surface of the conical roller 202. Therefore, according to the transport path switching mechanism 200, it is possible to reverse the front and back of the sachet P while transferring it while changing the flow direction downward.

<<About the receiving and sending mechanism 220>>
The acceptance/delivery mechanism 220 receives the sachet P sent from the medicine sachet 20 through the transport path switching mechanism, and sends the sachet P to the transfer section 240 at the inspection timing of the medicine inspection unit 100. It is a mechanism for. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the receiving/delivering mechanism 220 is provided below the transport path switching mechanism 200 and at the end of the transfer conveyor 242 of the transfer unit 240, which will be described in detail later.

As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the receiving/delivering mechanism 220 has an oscillating body 222. The oscillating body 222 is configured such that the receiving rollers 226, 228 and the oscillating roller 230 are rotatably attached to the oscillating frame 224. The swing frame 224 is a substantially L-shaped member in which a portion extending in the vertical direction and a portion extending in a direction intersecting with the lower end side thereof (direction substantially orthogonal in the present embodiment) are continuous. The swing frame 224 is swingably supported on its upper end side around a support shaft 232 attached to the side wall of the receiving/delivering mechanism 220. Further, the swing frame 224 is arranged such that a substantially horizontally extending portion faces a direction in which a transfer conveyor 242 described later (a depth direction of the housing 12) extends.

The receiving roller 226 is rotatably attached to the support shaft 232. The receiving roller 226 receives power from a motor provided on the side of the receiving/delivering mechanism 220, and is rotatable about a support shaft 232.

The receiving roller 228 is rotatably attached to the receiving roller 226 on the lower side (the lower end side of the vertically extending portion of the swing frame 224). The receiving roller 228 is rotatable by receiving power from the receiving roller 226 via a belt suspended between the receiving roller 228 and the receiving roller 226. A guide roller 234 and a guide plate 236 are provided for the frame 231 at a position adjacent to the receiving roller 228 on the front side of the housing 12. The guide roller 234 is arranged so that the receiving roller 228 and the peripheral surfaces thereof face each other. Further, the guide plate 236 is curved in a shape along the peripheral surface of the receiving roller 228.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 12, the frame 231 is arranged on the front side of the receiving/delivering mechanism 220. Like the sub-frame 84k of the transport unit 84 described above, the frame 231 is openably and closably connected via a hinge (not shown) and can be closed by a fixture such as a hook (not shown). There is. As described above, the guide roller 234 and the guide plate 236 are attached to the frame 231. When the frame 231 is closed, a transport path (second transport unit) for the sachet P is formed inside the frame 231. When the packaging bag P is clogged in the transport path (second transport section) in the frame 231, the fixing tool such as the hook described above is removed and the frame 231 is opened to guide the guide roller 234 or the guide plate. 236 can be collectively separated from the receiving roller 228 to perform maintenance work or the like.

The surface of each of the receiving rollers 226 and 228 is capable of exerting a frictional force above a certain level with respect to the sachet P. Specifically, the receiving rollers 226 and 228 have softness like so-called sponge, and have a stronger frictional force to the sachet bag P than the swing roller 230 described later so that the sachet bag P can be transported. It is said that it can be demonstrated.

The swing roller 230 is provided at a position apart from the receiving roller 228 in the direction in which the transfer conveyor 242 described later extends (the depth direction of the housing 12). The swing roller 230 has a smaller diameter than the receiving roller 226 and the receiving roller 228. The rocking roller 230 is capable of suppressing the lifting of the packaging paper, and is made of a material having softness such as so-called sponge. Unlike the receiving rollers 226 and 228, the oscillating roller 230 does not need to apply a conveying force to the sachet P, so that the frictional force acting on the sachet P is smaller than that of the receiving rollers 226 and 228. It is made of a small material.

The receiving/delivering mechanism 220 stands by in a state where the sachet P is not conveyed and the swing roller 230 descends downward as shown in FIG. 12A. In this state, a slight gap is formed between the swing roller 230 and the transfer conveyor 242. The receiving/delivering mechanism 220 is provided with a lower sensor 231 (see FIG. 12C) that detects that the swing roller 230 is located in the lower portion. In the state shown in FIG. 12A, by operating the transport unit 84 and the transfer conveyor 242, the sachet P can be sent toward the medicine inspection section 100. Here, when the lower sensor 231 detects the swing roller 230, the sachet P is in a bent state, which may cause a paper jam. Therefore, when the lower sensor 231 detects the swing roller 230 at the time when it is detected that the sachet P has reached the medicine inspection unit 100, the control device 300 causes the transport unit 84 to detect the sachet P. With the transportation stopped, the sachet P is transported by the transfer conveyor 242.

Further, in the state of FIG. 12A, when the transport unit 84 is stopped and the transport of the sachet P by the transfer conveyor 242 is advanced, the sachet P is pulled and received and delivered as shown in FIG. 12B. The mechanism 220 is in a lifted state. In this state, the lower sensor 231 cannot detect the swing roller 230. In this state, the control device 300 operates both the transport unit 84 and the transfer conveyor 242 to control the transport of the sachet P.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12(c), when the sachet P is pulled more than in the state of FIG. 12(b) and the receiving/delivering mechanism 220 is in a state of being greatly lifted, the swing roller 230 is moved. The arrival at the upper side is detected by the upper sensor 233. In this state, the control device 300 carries the sachet P by the carrying unit 84 and controls the operation of each part so that the carrying of the sachet P by the transfer conveyor 242 is stopped. This prevents the sachet P from being damaged due to excessive pulling force.

<<About the transport unit 240>>
The transfer unit 240 is for transferring the sachet P in which the medicine is packed in the medicine packing unit 20 through a route passing through the medicine inspection unit 100. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 13, the transfer unit 240 includes the transfer conveyor 242 and the guide wall 244.

The transfer conveyor 242 is a conveyor that carries and transfers the sachet P. The transfer conveyor 242 can be formed by a conventionally known belt conveyor, roller conveyor, or the like. In this embodiment, a belt conveyor is used as the transfer conveyor 242.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transfer conveyor 242 is roughly for discharging the sachet P from the front side of the housing 12 to the outside through a forward path 250, a rising path 252, and a returning path 254. The outward path 250 is a path for transferring the sachet P from the front side of the housing 12 toward the back side. The receiving and sending mechanism 220 described above is provided on the starting end side of the outward path 250. The drug inspection unit 100 described above is provided in the middle of the outward path 250.

The transfer conveyor 242 is connected to the ascending path 252 on the downstream side of the medicine inspection unit 100 (on the back side of the housing 12). The ascending path 252 is a path for moving the sachet P upward from the outgoing path 250 toward the returning path 254. The return path 254 is connected to the ascending path 252 on the back side of the housing 12. The return path 254 is a path for moving the sachet P from the back side of the housing 12 toward the front side.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ascending path 252 has an upright frame 251 in which a conveyor mechanism is incorporated. Similar to the sub-frame 84k of the transport unit 84 described above, the frame 251 is openably and closably connected via a hinge (not shown), and can be closed by a fixture 251a such as a hook. A plurality of guide rollers (not shown) and the like are vertically attached to the frame 251. When the frame 251 is closed, a plurality of guide rollers (not shown) provided on the frame 251 side are in contact with a belt (not shown) forming a conveyor mechanism, and the sachet P A transport path (third transport section) capable of transporting is formed. Further, when the packaging bag P is clogged in the transport path (third transport section) in the frame 251, the fixing tools such as the hooks described above are removed and the frame 251 is opened, so that the plurality of guide rollers can be removed. Collectively, the belt can be separated from the belt of the conveyor mechanism to perform maintenance work and the like.

Further, the transfer conveyor 242 is also provided with a transfer path (fourth transfer section) having a built-in conveyor mechanism at the boundary between the ascending path 252 and the return path 254 described above. Similarly to the sub-frame 84k of the transport unit 84 described above and the like, the fourth transport section also has a frame 253 that is openably and closably connected via a hinge (not shown). A guide roller 253a and the like are attached to the frame 253. When the frame 253 is closed, a guide roller 253a provided on the frame 253 side comes into contact with a belt (not shown) arranged inside the frame 253 in the fourth transport section, A transport path (fourth transport section) capable of transporting the sachet P is formed. Further, when the packaging bag P is clogged in the transport path (fourth transport unit) in the frame 253, the frame 253 is opened to separate the guide roller 253 and the like from the belt, and maintenance work is performed. It can be carried out.

As shown in FIG. 13, the guide walls 244 are erected on both sides of the transfer conveyor 242 in the width direction. The frame forming the transfer conveyor 242 is bent so that a groove 244b is formed between the portion (conveying surface forming portion 244a) where the conveying surface is formed and the guide wall 244. The groove 244b extends in the longitudinal direction of the transfer conveyor 242 and is formed so as to extend below the transport surface.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the transfer unit 240 has a sachet bag detection device 256 capable of detecting the presence or absence of the sachet P at a position higher than the transport surface of the transfer conveyor 242 by a predetermined height. Whether the sachet bag P is at a height which is assumed to be unattainable only by placing the sachet bag P in which the medicine is sachet-packaged on the transport surface of the transfer conveyor 242. You can check whether or not. Therefore, if the sachet P is detected by the sachet detector 256, there is a concern that an abnormality such as a jam or a jam of the sachet P may occur. Further, the detection signal of the sachet bag detecting device 256 can be received by the control device 300. Therefore, the control device 300 takes measures to cope with the occurrence of the abnormality on the condition that the sachet P is detected by the sachet detecting device 256. Specifically, the control device 300 stops the transfer conveyor 242 and gives an alarm of an abnormality occurrence by a warning light or a warning sound to notify the abnormality occurrence or an operation for suppressing further deterioration of the situation. I do.

The sachet bag detection device 256 may be configured by any sensor and may be arranged in any layout. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, as the sachet detecting device 256, a transmitting device 256a that emits the detection light and a receiving device 256b that receives the detection light are provided, and the detection light transmitted from the transmitting device 256a is received. A device that detects the presence or absence of the sachet P depending on whether it is received by the device 256b can be adopted. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the transmitters 256a are dispersedly arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction of the transfer unit 240 with respect to the receivers 256b (in the illustrated example, the receivers 256b are downstream from the transmitters 256a). However, the detection light emitted so as to diagonally cross the transport path may be received.

<<Operation of the medicine packaging device 10>>
Then, operation|movement of the medicine packaging apparatus 10 is demonstrated. In the medicine packaging device 10, first, in the medicine packaging unit 20, the medicines dispensed from the medicine supply unit 30 based on the prescription information are collected in the medicine preparation unit 50 one by one, and are dispensed toward the packaging unit 80. , Package one by one. The packaging bag P in which the medicine is packaged in this manner is sent out to the transport path switching mechanism 200 by the transport unit 84 of the packaging unit 80. The sachet P is conveyed with the conveying direction facing downward while reversing the front and back sides in the conveying path switching mechanism 200.

The sachet P sent out from the transport path switching mechanism 200 eventually reaches the receiving and sending mechanism 220. In the receiving/delivering mechanism 220, the receiving roller 228 is lifted from the back side of the housing 12 to the front side, and the respective parts are on standby in a state where the swing roller 230 is in contact with the transport surface of the transfer conveyor 242. In this state, the sachet P sent out from the transport path switching mechanism 200 located above contacts the receiving rollers 226 and 228, and is taken into the receiving and sending mechanism 220 by the rotational force of these.

After the sachet P is taken into the receiving and sending mechanism 220, it is confirmed that the sachet P can be supplied to the medicine inspection unit 100 (for example, the medicine inspection unit 100 can be inspected). Then, the transfer conveyor 242 operates and the transport surface of the outward path 250 starts moving from the front side of the housing 12 toward the back side. Further, the swinging body 222 of the receiving/delivering mechanism 220 swings from the front side of the housing 12 toward the back side. As a result, the sachet P held by the rocking roller 230 at the upstream side thereof is sent out in the depth direction of the housing 12.

When the transfer of the sachets P by the transfer conveyor 242 is started as described above, the transfer of the sachets P is temporarily stopped each time the sachets reach the inspection unit 130 of the medicine inspection unit 100. Every time the transfer of the sachet P (sachet) is stopped, the photographing of the sachet P (sachet) by the photographing device 140 is performed while adjusting the illumination condition of the illumination device 150. The photographed image is input to the control device 300 and an inspection process is performed. In this way, the medicine inspection unit 100 sequentially advances the sachets P while taking images of the sachets. Eventually, when the photographing of all of the sachets P (continuous sachets) formed in series as one prescription is completed, the transport speed of the transfer conveyor 242 is increased under the control of the control device 300. It As a result, the transfer conveyor 242 is driven at high speed, and the sachet P is discharged from the discharge port 14 on the front side of the housing 12 through the outward path 250, the ascending path 252, and the returning path 254. As a result, the packing and inspection of the medicine by the medicine packing device 10 is completed.

As described above, the medicine packaging device 10 of the present embodiment is configured such that the medicine packaging unit 20 and the medicine inspection unit 100 are housed in the same housing 12. Therefore, according to the medicine packaging device 10, a series of operations from the packaging of medicines to the inspection can be performed in the housing 12. Therefore, in the medicine packing apparatus 10, there is no need to perform an operation such as setting the packing bag P in which the medicine is packed in the medicine packing unit 20 in the medicine inspection unit 100 again. Therefore, according to the medicine packaging device 10, the dispensing work by the pharmacist can be significantly reduced.

In addition, the medicine packaging device 10 of the present embodiment switches the conveyance direction of the sachet P sent out from the medicine packaging unit 20 by providing the above-described transport path switching mechanism 200 and the transfer unit 240, The housing 12 can be reciprocated in the depth direction. With such a configuration, the medicine packaging device 10 suppresses restrictions on the arrangement of the medicine packaging unit 20 and the medicine inspection unit 100, and has a compact configuration in which both are housed in the housing 12. Therefore, the medicine packaging device 10 of the present invention is easy to install even in a limited space such as a pharmacy.

As described above, the medicine packaging device 10 is configured such that the transport path switching mechanism 200 is provided with the conical rollers 202 having different winding diameters on the one end side and the other end side in the axial direction, and is fed from the medicine packaging part 20. The divided sachet P is wound around the conical roller 202 and moved. By doing so, the front and back of the sachet P and the transfer direction can be smoothly switched. In the present embodiment, the conical roller 202 is provided in the transport path switching mechanism 200 to switch the transport path of the sachet P. However, the present invention is not limited to this. .. Specifically, the conical roller 202 has a so-called trapezoidal shape, but instead of this, a conical shape, a polygonal cone shape, or the like is adopted. May be. Further, the transport path switching mechanism 200 may be configured to have the same effect by adopting an appropriate configuration such as adopting one in which the conical roller 202 is divided into a plurality of parts in the generatrix direction. good.

As described above, the transport path switching mechanism 200 includes the guide member 204 along the surface of the conical roller 202. Therefore, even if a sachet P having different properties is used due to, for example, a difference in thickness or flexibility, the sachet P is sent along the surface of the conical roller 202 as intended, and the sachet P is packaged in the expected route. The bag P can be transferred. Note that, in the present embodiment, an example in which a plurality of curved pieces curved with a predetermined curvature are arranged as the guide member 204 at intervals in the generatrix direction of the conical roller 202 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. is not. For example, as the guide member 204, a member in which at least the inner peripheral surface is curved along the surface of the conical roller 202 may be provided.

As described above, the transport path switching mechanism 200 is provided at the terminal end of the transport unit 84. Therefore, in the medicine packing apparatus 10, the packing bag P in which the medicine is packed in the packing unit 80 of the medicine packing unit 20 can be smoothly transferred from the transport unit 84 to the transport path switching mechanism 200. In the present embodiment, an example in which the transport path switching mechanism 200 is provided at the terminal end of the transport unit 84 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the drug packaging unit 20 and the drug inspection unit 100 are not limited thereto. It is also possible to change the arrangement as appropriate in consideration of the positional relationship with the.

As described above, the medicine packaging device 10 is configured to discharge the packaging bag P from the front side of the housing 12. Therefore, in the medicine packing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, an operator such as a pharmacist can receive the packing bag P in which the packing and inspection of the medicine are completed on the front surface of the housing 12, which is excellent in convenience. ing. Further, in the medicine packaging device 10, it is not necessary to provide an extra space for dispensing the sachet P on the side surface of the housing 12 or the like. Note that, in the present embodiment, an example in which the sachet P can be discharged from the front surface of the housing 12 has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be discharged from the side surface or the like. .. In this case, the advantages such as the convenience and the effective use of space as described above are impaired as compared with the case where the device can be discharged from the front of the housing 12, but various devices arranged in the housing 12 can be used. The degree of freedom regarding layout and design can be improved.

As described above, the medicine packaging device 10 is configured to be capable of reciprocating the packaging bag P in the depth direction of the housing 12 by the transfer unit 240 and discharging the packaging bag P from the front side. That is, the transfer section 240 is configured to discharge the sachet P from the front side to the outside of the housing 12 via the outward path 250 from the front side to the back side and the return path 254 from the back side to the front side. There is. Therefore, if the structure is the same as the medicine packaging device 10, the space in the depth direction in the housing 12 can be effectively used, and the device structure can be made compact. Specifically, in the medicine packaging device 10, the medicine inspection unit 100 is provided on the outward path 250. With such a configuration, the medicine packaging device 10 can be made compact in the width direction compared to the case where the medicine inspection unit 100 is arranged in the width direction of the housing 12 with respect to the medicine packaging unit 20. .. Note that, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the sachet P can be moved in the depth direction of the housing 12 by the transfer unit 240, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the transfer unit 240 can be used. The equivalent may not be provided.

As described above, in the medicine packaging device 10, the transfer section 240 has the ascending path 252 extending in the up-down direction between the outward path 250 and the returning path 254. Therefore, the medicine packaging device 10 discharges the packaging bag P to the outside of the housing 12 while arranging the outward path 250 at a height suitable for drawing in the packaging bag P sent out from the medicine packaging unit 20. The return path 254 can be arranged at a position suitable for the operation. Although the present embodiment has shown the example in which the outward path 250 and the return path 254 are continuous via the ascending path 252, the present invention is not limited to this. Specifically, in the case where the vertical relationship between the forward path 250 and the return path 254 should be reversed, a descending path for lowering the sachet P may be provided instead of the ascending path 252. Further, in addition to the ascending path 252, a descending path or the like may be provided and the outgoing path 250 and the returning path 254 may be continuous. Further, when it is not necessary to provide a height difference between the outward path 250 and the return path 254, the ascending path 252 and the descending path may not be provided.

As described above, the medicine packaging device 10 includes the receiving and delivering mechanism 220. The receiving and delivering mechanism 220 can once receive the sachet P sent out from the medicine sachet 20, and send out the sachet P at the timing of supplying the sachet P to the medicine inspecting unit 100. Therefore, the medicine packing apparatus 10 can proceed with the processing from the medicine packing to the inspection without delay even if the packing speed of the medicine packing unit 20 is different from the checking speed of the drug checking unit 100. You can

As described above, the receiving/delivering mechanism 220 includes the rocking body 222. The oscillating body 222 is supported so as to stand by while being in contact with the transport surface of the transfer conveyor 242. Therefore, while the transfer conveyor 242 is stopped, an area on the upstream side of the contact direction between the transfer conveyor 242 and the oscillating body 222 in the flow direction of the sachets P functions as a space for storing the sachets P. To do. Further, the oscillating body 222 can oscillate in conjunction with the operation of the transport surface. Therefore, the acceptance/delivery mechanism 220 can transfer the sachet P to the medicine inspection unit 100 by the transfer unit 240 by the amount to be supplied to the medicine inspection unit 100. Therefore, by providing the receiving and delivering mechanism 220 described above, even if the packaging speed in the medicine packaging unit 20 is faster than the inspection speed in the drug inspection unit 100, the sachet P for the drug inspection unit 100 is provided. The supply of the sachets P can be adjusted so that is supplied at an optimum supply speed.

The oscillating body 222 described above is supported so as to stand by while the oscillating roller 230 is in contact with the transport surface of the transfer conveyor 242. Therefore, the sachet P sent out from the medicine sachet 20 can be smoothly and surely received by the swing roller 230 and delivered to the transfer conveyor 242 of the transfer unit 240, and the sachet P can be prevented from being damaged. it can.

In the present embodiment, an example in which the difference between the packaging speed and the inspection speed is mechanically adjusted by providing the receiving/delivering mechanism 220 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Specifically, in the medicine packing apparatus 10, when the packing speed in the medicine packing unit 20 and the inspection speed in the medicine inspection unit 100 are different, the packing speed is controlled by the operation control by the control device 300. Alternatively, the control may be performed such that the faster processing is adjusted according to the slower speed of the inspection speed. Further, the receiving/delivering mechanism 220 described above is an example of the present invention, and may have a configuration other than that described above. Specifically, the receiving/delivering mechanism 220 may be an appropriate one such as one that does not include the swinging roller 230, or one in which the arrangement and number of the receiving rollers 226 and 228 are different.

As described above, in the medicine packing apparatus 10, the transfer section 240 has the transfer conveyor 242 for loading and transferring the packing bag P, and the guide erected on the widthwise side of the transfer conveyor 242. It is desirable that the transfer conveyor 242 has a groove 244b formed between the conveying surface and the guide so as to extend below the conveying surface.

In the medicine packaging device 10 of the present embodiment, the groove 244b is provided between the transport surface of the transfer conveyor 242 and the guide wall 244. As a result, it is possible to prevent the sachets P transferred by the transfer conveyor 242 from being caught or caught in the gap between the transport surface and the guide wall 244. In the present embodiment, the groove 244b is provided to suppress the fitting of the sachet P. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Specifically, the medicine packaging device 10 may not have the groove 244b, or may have a configuration capable of suppressing the fitting of the sachet P and the like instead of or in addition to the groove 244b.

As described above, the medicine packaging device 10 is provided with the packaging bag detection device 256 in the transfer unit 240, and the packaging device P is detected by the packaging bag detection device 256, on the condition that the control device is controlled. 300 is to take measures such as stopping the transfer conveyor 242. Thus, even if a jam of the sachet P occurs due to poor conveyance, it can be detected and dealt with quickly. In addition, in the present embodiment, an example in which the return bag 254 of the transfer unit 240 is provided with the packaging bag detection device 256 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the transfer unit 240 may be provided in other places. A device corresponding to the sachet bag detecting device 256 may be provided. Further, although the medicine packaging device 10 has shown an example in which the packaging bag detection device 256 is arranged in order to quickly and accurately respond to a jam of the packaging bag P or the like, the present invention is not limited to this. However, the packaging bag detection device 256 may not be provided.

In addition, the medicine packaging device 10 described above is transferred on the condition that the inspection of a continuous product of a single prescription bag supplied to the drug inspection unit 100 (continuous packet bag) is completed. It is supposed to improve the transfer speed of the sachet P by the conveyor 242. Therefore, according to the medicine packaging apparatus 10, after the inspection of the continuous body of sachets for one prescription is completed, the time required to package or inspect the medicine related to the next prescription can be minimized. Therefore, according to the medicine packing apparatus 10, even when carrying out operations from packing of medicines to inspection for a large number of prescriptions, the processing time required for this can be minimized. In addition, in the present embodiment, an example in which the transfer rate of the sachets P is improved to improve the efficiency on the condition that the inspection of the continuous sachet of one prescription is completed has been described. The speed control is not limited to this, and the speed control may not be performed.

When the medicine packaging unit 20 sends out the sachets P in a state in which the sachets for one prescription are connected like the medicine sachet apparatus 10 described above, the sachets are divided at the boundary of the sachets. Not only the cut extending in the width direction of the packaging bag P may be formed, but the end of the cut may be chamfered into an R shape or the like. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15( a ), when a cut C is provided in the sachet P, the sachet P is formed in an R shape or the like at both ends or one end (both ends in the illustrated example) in the width direction. A chamfered portion R may be provided. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the sachets P from being caught in the transfer conveyor 242 or the like when the sachets P are supplied in a state where the sachets for one prescription are connected. Further, with the above-described configuration, the boundary portion of the sachet is easy to find.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15( b ), the sachet bag P includes a detection device 270 (a transmission device 270 a and a reception device 270 b) capable of receiving and transmitting detection light from the front surface side to the back surface side. When installed at a position where the end of P passes, if there is a portion other than the cut C at the position where the detection device 270 is provided, the detection light emitted from the transmission device 270a is blocked by the sachet P, and the reception device 270b. Not received in. However, when the cut C exists at the position where the detection device 270 is provided, the detection light emitted from the transmission device 270a passes and is received by the reception device 270b. Therefore, by providing the chamfered portion R at the cut C, the cut C can be easily detected with such a simple configuration. As a result, the positioning accuracy of the sachet in the drug inspection unit 100 can be improved, and the inspection accuracy and the inspection speed can be improved.

When the chamfered portion R is provided on the sachet P as described above, as shown in FIG. 15C, the sachet P on the downstream side in the flow direction of the sachet P as shown in FIG. It is desirable to provide a device (chamfering device 86) for forming the chamfered portion R at a position indicated by the arrow). In addition, it is desirable to provide a recovery unit 88 including a tray or the like for recovering dust generated due to the formation of the chamfer R.

As described above, the medicine packaging device 10 is provided with the mark 16 on the front surface of the housing 12, and the amount of the unpacked sachet P that has been discharged from the discharge port 14 using the mark 16 as an index. It is supposed to be able to grasp. Therefore, the medicine packaging device 10 can prevent the pharmacist or the like from forgetting to take the divided packaging bag P after packaging. As a result, it is possible to prevent the post-treatment process of the medicine packaging device 10 from being delayed due to forgetting to collect the packaging bag P or the like.

In the present embodiment, the example in which the mark 16 is provided has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the mark 16 may be omitted. Instead of providing the mark 16 or instead of the mark 16, the uncollected amount detection device 258 (FIG. 1) that detects that the unpacked sachet P has reached a predetermined reference height. May be provided). In this case, it is desirable that either one or both of the warning and the stop of the discharge of the sachet P are performed based on the detection result of the uncollected amount detection device 258. The unrecovered amount detection device 258 may be any device as long as it can grasp the amount of the unrecovered sachet P. For example, the uncollected amount detection device 258 may be an appropriate device such as a sensor or a camera capable of detecting the sachet P at a predetermined position such as a side of the discharge port 14. Further, the uncollected amount detection device 258 can directly or indirectly detect the discharged amount of the sachets P in a basket for collecting sachets P arranged below the discharge port 14 and can be connected wirelessly or the like. It is also possible to provide a sensor or the like capable of communicating with the side of the medicine packaging device 10 by the above method and detect the discharged amount of the sachet P by the output of this sensor or the like.

The medicine packaging device 10 can inspect whether the medicine is packaged according to the prescription in the medicine inspection unit 100, but any inspection method may be used. For example, when a tablet-type drug is packaged in a state of being divided into a plurality of pieces, the inspection may be performed by an inspection method different from the usual method in order to improve the accuracy of the inspection. Specifically, when a tablet (medicine) divided into quarters is packaged, an inspection error may occur if the tablet is cut at an incorrect position. In order to deal with such a problem, the medicine packaging device 10 may be inspected by an inspection method as described in detail below.

Specifically, with respect to a drug divided into 1/4 tablets (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “1/4 tablet”), the inspection standard for inspection by shape is lowered, and the allowable range of detection due to variation in shape is widened. In this case, a pattern such as a marking or a dividing line attached to the surface of the medicine is erroneously recognized, and a possibility that an inspection error occurs may increase. Therefore, in the case of inspecting a plurality of medicines in one medicine package, the inspection processing for 1/4 tablet is performed after the inspection for other medicines. By sequentially erasing the previously detected drug areas, processing for detecting the ¼ tablet area is performed with all the drug areas other than the ¼ tablet erased.

Specifically, as shown by hatching in FIG. 16(a-1), first, a drug other than 1/4 tablet is inspected, and the region is erased as already inspected. After that, as shown by hatching in FIG. 16(a-2), the inspection of the medicine of 1/4 tablet is performed and the area is erased. In the cases of FIGS. 16(a-1) and 16(a-2), since 1/4 tablets of the medicine are packaged as prescribed, all areas derived as areas where the medicine exists are erased. It becomes a crowded state.

On the other hand, in the cases of FIGS. 16(b-1) and 16(b-2), 1/4 tablets of the medicine are supposed to be packaged in the prescription, but they are not divided into 1/4 by mistake. This is an example of packaging. Also in this case, first, an inspection is performed on a drug other than 1/4 tablet, and the area is erased as an inspected one. As a result, as shown by hatching in FIG. 16(b-1), the areas for the medicines other than the quarter tablet are erased. After that, as shown by hatching in FIG. 16(b-2), the area for the medicine of 1/4 tablet is erased. Then, as shown in black in FIG. 16(b-2), a region corresponding to 3/4 of the tablet remains. On condition that such a state is detected, an NG determination can be issued by issuing an error display or a warning sound indicating that packaging is not performed as prescribed.

As described above, by adopting the method of performing conventional matching for drugs other than 1/4 tablet and finally performing the inspection for 1/4 tablet based on the above-mentioned criteria, Even when four tablets of medicine are included, the inspection accuracy can be improved. That is, while maintaining the inspection accuracy of chemicals other than 1/4 tablet at a high level, the inspection accuracy of 1/4 tablets which could not be inspected until now or which was difficult to obtain high inspection accuracy can be improved.

Moreover, as a modification of the inspection in the medicine inspection unit 100, for example, the following can be adopted. Specifically, for example, there may be drugs that are difficult to ensure high inspection accuracy compared to other drugs, such as drugs that are dark in color such as black or brown, because the shape of the tablet is difficult to recognize. There is. When such a drug exists, for example, by setting a flag (hereinafter, this flag is also referred to as a “special flag”) individually, it takes more time than a normal inspection, or an inspection process is added. It is advisable to conduct a high-precision inspection by doing such a thing. The medicine packaging device 10 may be provided not only with a function that allows the user to manually set the above-described special flag, but also with a function that allows automatic setting. Specifically, when only the manual setting of the special flag is possible, for example, the drug for which the special flag is set is searched from the master data installed in the medicine packaging device 10, and the special flag is set in the master data. It is necessary to perform operations such as registration, which may be time-consuming. Therefore, the medicine packaging device 10 may be provided with a function of automatically setting a special flag.

The automatic setting function of the special flag can be provided by various methods. For example, the following function can be used. Specifically, the medicine packaging device 10 accumulates the inspection result data by the medicine inspection unit 100 in a storage area (not shown) or the like provided in the medicine packaging device 10 to detect an error in shape recognition failure. It is preferable that the special flag can be automatically set by a method of deriving data such as the occurrence probability and setting the special flag based on the data. For example, a special flag is automatically set on the condition that the probability of occurrence of an error in shape recognition failure exceeds a predetermined probability (for example, 30%) among the results of inspection of 100 tablets of a certain drug. It is advisable to ask the user for permission to set or set. By doing so, even a user who is unfamiliar with the machine can easily and accurately set the special flag.

As described above, the drug inspection unit 100 is an integrated unit of the inspection unit 130, the imaging device 140, the lighting device 150, and the like, and can be pulled out to the front side of the housing 12. The medicine inspection unit 100 is also integrated with the acceptance/delivery mechanism 220 and the transfer unit 240. With such a configuration, the medicine packaging device 10 can easily clean the medicine inspection unit 100 and the vicinity thereof and deal with paper jams. Note that the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and for example, a part or all of the inspection unit 130, the imaging device 140, the illumination device 150, and the like that configure the drug inspection unit 100 are not integrated, Either one or both of the receiving/delivering mechanism 220 and the transfer unit 240 may not be integrated with the medicine inspection unit 100. Further, an example is shown in which the medicine inspection unit 100 can be used as a single medicine inspection device by setting the sachet in a state of being pulled out from the housing 12, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, the medicine inspection unit 100 may not be used as a medicine inspection device only by pulling out the medicine inspection unit 100.

The medicine packaging device 10 described above packages and dispenses medicines even when the medicine inspection unit 100 is in a state where inspection cannot be performed due to a failure or when inspection by the medicine inspection unit 100 is not necessary. It is preferable that the operation to be performed can be realized. Further, from the viewpoint of improving the discharging speed of the sachet P and suppressing the clogging of the sachet P in the device, the medicine packaging device 10 may have a malfunction of the medicine inspection unit 100 or a medicine inspection device. When it is unnecessary to inspect the drug, it is desirable that the drug can be discharged from the discharge port 14 without passing through the drug inspection unit 100.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, a transport path switching mechanism 200 for switching the transport path of the sachets P is provided in the path through which the sachets P pass through the medicine packaging device 10 after packaging. The packaging bag P may be switchable so as to reach the discharge port 14 without passing through the medicine inspection unit 100. In the transport path switching mechanism 200 of FIG. 17, a guide piece 282 operated by a drive source such as a motor is provided at a position downstream of the transport path switching mechanism 200 and upstream of the drug inspection unit 100. Has been done. According to such a configuration, by switching the direction of the guide piece 282, the conveying path of the sachet P is directed to the medicine inspection section 100 (see FIG. 17A) and the path to the discharge port 14 ( 17B)). As described above, the guide piece 282 may be switched in any direction. For example, a user can manually switch the guide piece 282 such as a lever operation or a touch panel operation, or the sachet P It is advisable to be able to switch automatically on the condition that a clogging is detected and a drug or prescription that does not require inspection is provided.

Further, in the medicine packaging device 10, when the medicine inspection unit 100 built in the device is capable of performing a process of detecting the cut C provided in the packaging bag P (cut detection process), the packaging bag Depending on whether or not the length of P is shorter than the default value, it is possible to perform processing (wrapping paper shrinkage detection processing) for grasping whether shrinkage of the packaging paper has occurred due to the influence of moisture or the like. .. When the medicine packing device 10 is configured to be capable of executing the packing paper shrinkage detection process, the medicine packing device 10 performs control (shrinkage control) for performing an appropriate treatment for shrinkage of the packing paper. Can be executable. Specifically, the medicine packaging device 10 controls the feeding speed of the packaging paper in the packaging unit 80, controls the resistance when pulling the packaging paper (paper tube resistance), and the like. One or more controls for coping with the shrinkage may be performed as shrinkage control.

Here, the medicine packaging device 10 can inspect whether the medicine is packaged according to the prescription in the medicine inspection unit 100, but in order to improve the inspection accuracy, the medicine is placed in the sachet P. It is thought that it is better to be in a fallen state rather than in an overlapping state. Therefore, the medicine packaging device 10 is arranged to drop the medicine packaged in the sachet P at a position, for example, upstream of the medicine inspection unit 100 and upstream of the receiving and delivering mechanism 220. 19 and the like, and a mechanism such as the leveling mechanism 260 shown in FIG. 19 may be provided. Specifically, in the medicine packaging device 10, the medicine supplied from the medicine supply unit 30 is packaged in the packaging unit 82 of the packaging unit 80 based on the prescription to form the sachet P. The sachet P is transported through a transport path as shown in FIG. 21 and discharged to the outside. Specifically, the sachet P is transported by the transport unit 84 of the packaging unit 80, passes through the transport path switching mechanism 200 and the receiving/delivering mechanism 220, and then is supplied to the inspection unit 130 of the drug inspection unit 100 by the transfer unit 240. To be done. The sachet P is imaged by the inspection unit 130 for inspection, and then discharged through the ascending path 252 and the returning path 254. While the sachet P is transported through such a route, the leveling mechanism 260 is preferably disposed between the receiving/delivering mechanism 220 and the inspection unit 130 in the middle of the transport route.

The leveling mechanism 260 has a substantially horizontal transport surface 262 for transporting the sachet P. Further, a pin unit 265 having a plurality of pins 264 arranged so as to be in contact with the surface of the sachet P passing on the transport surface 262 is provided above the transport surface 262. ing. A plurality of pins 264 are arranged side by side in the conveying direction of the sachet P on the conveying surface 262 and in a direction intersecting with the sachet P (in the present embodiment, the width direction of the conveying surface 262). The pin 264 is urged downward (toward the conveying surface 262 side) by an elastic member 266 such as a spring (not shown in FIG. 19, not shown; see FIG. 20) so that it can move up and down. When the sachet P passes through the transport surface 262, the pins 264 are brought into contact with the surface of the sachet P. When there is a drug standing in the sachet P, the pin 264 hits this drug and the drug is knocked down. Such a process (leveling process) may be performed, for example, in a state where the sachet P is fixed to the conveying surface 262, and the pin 264 contacts the surface of the sachet P while the pin unit 265 is conveyed or conveyed. This can be done by moving in a direction intersecting the direction. The leveling process can also be performed by moving the sachet P in the transport direction while keeping the pin unit 265 and the transport surface 262 in a fixed state. In this embodiment, the leveling process is performed by the former method.

Here, the pins 264 are arranged so as to be lined up in the conveying direction of the sachet P in FIG. 19 (the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure) and the direction intersecting with the conveying direction. When the arrangement of the plurality of pins 264 arranged in the depth direction (direction intersecting the arrow in the drawing) in FIG. 19 is defined as one pin group, in the example of FIG. ) Is provided with a plurality of pin groups. The interval between the pins 264 arranged in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the sachet P so as to form the pin group is set to be smaller than the interval between the pins 264 forming the adjacent pin group in the transport direction. Has been done. Further, as shown in FIG. 20, the pin 264 has a shaft portion 264a and a tip portion 264b at the tip (lower end in the illustrated example). The tip portion 264b has a curved shape by, for example, having a hemispherical shape as shown in FIG.

The pin 264 may have any shape, but for example, to reduce damage to the sachet P, to reduce an impact given to the medicine contained in the sachet, and to contact with the pin 264. Considering various effects comprehensively, such as controlling so that the tip 264b smoothly falls toward the top, it is desirable to have a curved shape such as a substantially hemispherical shape. In the example of FIG. 19, the shaft portion 264a and the tip portion 264b have a substantially mushroom-shaped appearance.

The pin 264 is arranged so that the distance between the tip 264b and the tip 264b of another adjacent pin 264 is as small as possible. With such a structure, consideration is given so that the medicine leveling mechanism 260 does not overturn the medicine. The pin 264 is adjacent to the tip 264b of another pin 264 whose tip 264b is adjacent, but the pin 264 is between the shaft 264a of another pin 264 that is adjacent to the shaft 264a. A gap larger than the gap between the tip portions 264b and 264b is formed. This suppresses the phenomenon that the shaft portion 264a of the other adjacent pin 264 interferes with the medicine which is about to be collapsed by the tip portion 264b, and the medicine cannot be properly collapsed or the falling medicine is caused again. it can. In order to obtain such an effect, at least the distance between the shaft portions 264a, 264a of the adjacent pins 264 and the distance between the tip portions 264b, 264b may be different. Further, depending on the shape and size of the medicine to be packaged, the distance between the pins 264, the size of the shaft portion 264a and the distance between the adjacent shaft portion 264a, the size of the distal end portion 264b and the adjacent other distal end portion 264b. It is advisable to appropriately change the interval between and.

Further, in the leveling mechanism 260 shown in FIG. 19, a plurality of convex portions 268 are arranged side by side on the transport surface 262. The convex portions 268 extend obliquely with respect to the conveying direction of the sachet P and are arranged in a state in which they are spaced apart from each other by a certain distance. With such a configuration, even if there is a drug standing in the sachet P, the drug is caught by the convex portion 268 at the lower side and the pin 264 contacts at the upper side. In addition to this, the destabilization of the feet of the medicine in the standing state and the action of passing the pin 264 are overlapped, and the medicine is more likely to fall. Therefore, even if the medicine is stored in the upright state in the sachet P, it will be surely collapsed by the above-described action. Further, since the convex portion 268 is obliquely arranged, the direction of the medicine changes along the angle of the convex portion 268, and the medicine easily falls in the sachet P.

The above-mentioned convex portion 268 may have any shape, but in consideration of reducing damage to the sachet P, for example, a sectional shape such as an arc shape and a curved shape. Good to do. The convex portion 268 can be formed, for example, by using a rod-shaped one having a cross-sectional shape of a substantially semicircular shape, a circular shape, an elliptical shape, or the like. The convex portion 268 is directed toward the top of the tip end portion 264b along with contact with the pin 264, for example, to reduce damage to the sachet, reduce impact on the medicine contained in the sachet, and the like. In consideration of various effects such as control so as to smoothly fall down, it is preferable that the cross-sectional shape be curved in a substantially arc shape, like the above-described tip portion 264b of the pin 264. When the convex portion 268 is curved in an arc shape, the top of the arc constitutes the transport surface 102. Further, the size of the convex portion 268 and the interval between the adjacent convex portions 268 can be set as appropriate, but for example, the size (width) of the convex portion 268 may be set within the range of 3 to 7 mm. It is even better if it is about 5 mm. Further, the interval (width) between the adjacent protrusions 268 may be smaller than the size (width) of the protrusions 268, for example, may be within a range of 2 to 3 mm, and may be about 2.5 mm. good.

The convex portion 268 may be arranged in any manner, but it is advisable to devise the arrangement so as to prevent the convex portion 268 from being caught too much while being caught by the medicine. For example, as in the example of FIG. 19, the convex portion 268 may be arranged so as to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the transport direction of the sachet P. The inclination of the convex portion 268 can be appropriately set, but for example, it may be inclined within a range of 30 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less with respect to the traveling direction, and within a range of 40 or more and 50 degrees or less with respect to the traveling direction. It is even better to tilt it. In this embodiment, the conveyance direction of the sachet P and the convex portion 268 are arranged so as to form an angle of approximately 50 degrees. Due to the synergistic effect of the arrangement and shape of the convex portion 268 and the shape and configuration of the pin 264 described above, it is possible to surely drop the medicine and prevent an excessive load from acting on the sachet P. be able to.

Here, it is assumed that a plurality of medicines are supplied to the position where the leveling mechanism 260 is provided in the sachet P in a standing state or in an overlapping state. In such a case, if the leveling mechanism 260 cannot completely fall down the medicines in the standing or overlapping state in the sachet P or cannot eliminate the overlap, the entire leveling mechanism 260 is lifted. Therefore, there is a concern that the leveling effect of the leveling mechanism 260 may be significantly reduced or the leveling effect may be impaired. In order to cope with such a possibility, the leveling mechanism 260 shown in FIG. 19 is configured such that the entire leveling mechanism 260 is biased by an elastic member 266 such as a spring. Accordingly, even if a force to lift the entire leveling mechanism 260 acts, it is possible to prevent the leveling mechanism 260 from being lifted up by the biasing force of the elastic member 266 against the force.

Further, in order to deal with the same problem, in the leveling mechanism 260 of the present embodiment, each pin 264 is individually biased by the elastic member 266 such as a spring as described above. Therefore, even if there is a medicine that cannot be collapsed by the leveling mechanism 260, only the pin 264 that is in contact with the medicine is lifted against the biasing force of the elastic member 266. It is possible to suppress lifting of the entire pin unit 265.

By providing the leveling mechanism 260 as described above, the medicine packaging device 10 can considerably reduce the possibility that the medicine is supplied to the medicine inspection unit 100 while standing in the sachet P. Thereby, the inspection accuracy in the medicine inspection unit 100 can be further improved. The leveling mechanism 260 described above is merely an example of a mechanism for tilting the medicine in the sachet P, and a part of the configuration may be omitted or changed, or different from the above. It may be configured. Specifically, the leveling mechanism 260 may be configured such that the convex portion 268 is not provided, or the arrangement angle of the convex portion 268 may be changed. Further, the leveling mechanism 260 may be, for example, one provided with another member for forming unevenness on the surface of the transport surface 262 instead of the convex portion 268.

Further, when the leveling mechanism 260 as described above is provided, the medicine packaging device 10 performs processing (leveling processing) by the leveling mechanism 260 on all the number of sachets P supplied to the medicine inspection unit 100. Alternatively, the smoothing process may be performed by a different operation. For example, the medicine packaging device 10 returns the sachet bag P to the leveling mechanism 260 when the inspection result by the medicine inspection unit 100 is poor or when the result that the re-inspection is necessary appears, and the leveling process is performed. For example, the averaging process may be performed on only some of the sachets P. As described above, the leveling mechanism 260 is configured whether the leveling process is performed on all of the sachets P or when only part of the sachets P is leveled. It is preferable that the pin unit 265 is moved (moved up and down in the illustrated example) in a direction in which the pin unit 265 moves toward and away from the transport surface 262.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 20, the medicine packaging device 10 may be provided with a moving mechanism 280 for moving up and down the pin unit 265. For example, the moving mechanism 280 waits in a state in which the pin unit 265 is temporarily lifted in order to send the sachet P, which is an optimal first position (height) for leveling with the pin unit 265. The pin unit 265 can be appropriately arranged at the second position (height). Further, in the medicine packaging device 10 of the present embodiment, although not necessarily required, for example, the pin unit 265 is widely separated from the transport surface 262 and is a third for facilitating setting in the insertion portion of the packaging bag P. The pin unit 265 can be arranged at an appropriate position such as the position (height) of the.

Specifically, the moving mechanism 280 shown in FIG. 20 includes a first cam 284 and a second cam 286 that are provided so as to come into contact with an extending member 282 extending from the pin unit 265 in a substantially horizontal direction from below. .. The first cam 284 and the second cam 286 are independently rotatable by receiving power from a motor (not shown) or the like. The first cam 284 is smaller than the second cam 286. When the extension member 282 is not lifted by the first cam 284 and the second cam 286, the pin unit 265 arrives at the optimum first position for leveling. When the extension member 282 is lifted by the first cam 284, the pin unit 265 reaches the second position. Further, when the extension member 282 is lifted by the second cam 286, the pin unit 265 arrives at the third position. As described above, in the medicine packaging device 10 of the present embodiment, the pin unit 265 does not necessarily have to be arranged at the third position (height). Therefore, in the medicine packaging device 10 of the present embodiment, the second cam 286 can be omitted. In this way, if the pin unit 265 can be moved in the direction in which the pin unit 265 moves toward and away from the transport surface 262, the pin unit 265 can be easily and accurately arranged at an appropriate position according to the usage mode of the leveling mechanism 260. be able to.

Further, when the moving mechanism 280 is configured to move the pin unit 265 by the cam as described above, it is not necessary to connect the moving mechanism 280 to the pin unit 265. Therefore, even if a problem such as a paper jam of the sachet P occurs, the problem can be resolved by merely lifting the pin unit 265 by hand. The moving mechanism 280 is not limited to the above-mentioned one, and may be any mechanism as long as the pin unit 265 can be moved appropriately.

In the case of the above-described configuration, in the case where the inspection is performed by the operation of performing the leveling process on all of the sachets P supplied to the medicine inspection unit 100, for example, the following operation may be performed. .. Specifically, first, the pin unit 265 is made to stand by at the third position, and a line of continuous sachets P (seal sachet continuous body) is received. When it is confirmed that the continuous body of sachets reaches the pin unit 265 by, for example, detection by a sensor (not shown), the pin unit 265 is moved (lowered) to the first position, and the sachet P is conveyed to the transport surface. With the pin 264 in contact with the surface of the sachet P while being fixed to 262, the pin unit 265 is moved in the transport direction or in a direction intersecting the transport direction to perform the leveling process. By performing such an operation, even if the medicine is stored in the sachet P in a standing state or an overlapping state, the medicine is flattened by falling due to contact with the pin 264 or the convex portion 268. It can be in a state. Further, in the pin unit 265, a group (pin group) configured by a plurality of pins 264 arranged in a direction intersecting the transport direction (in this embodiment, a substantially orthogonal direction) is arranged with a slight interval in the transport direction. Has been done. In the case where the pins 264 are arranged without spacing the pin groups from each other in the transport direction, the medicine that is about to fall down on the pin 264 of a certain group during the smoothing process by the pin unit 265 is the pin of the adjacent group. However, when the pin unit 265 is conveyed in the opposite direction, the adjacent pin group causes the collapsed drug to be raised. However, as described above, by spacing the pin groups from each other, the drug leans against the pins forming the adjacent pin group as described above, or the drug is caused again by the pins 264 forming the adjacent pin group. It will not be lost.

When the above operation is performed and the leveling process for one sachet P is completed, the pin unit 265 is moved (raised) to the second position. After that, when it is confirmed that the next sachet P has reached below the pin unit 265 by, for example, detection by a sensor not shown, the pin unit 265 is moved (lowered) to the first position. After that, similarly to the case of the sachet P, the treatment for degrading the medicine by the interaction with the pin 264 and the convex portion 268 (leveling treatment) is performed while rocking the sachet continuum. .. By performing such an operation, it is possible to perform the leveling process on all the sachets P. In addition, after performing the leveling process on the previous sachet P, the pin unit 265 is moved to the third position (separated position) until the next sachet P approaches the lower side of the pin unit 265. When inspecting continuous packaging paper by returning to the second position (intermediate position) which is intermediate between the first position (leveling position) and the third position, instead of returning to Moreover, the moving distance for changing the position of the pin unit 265 is shortened, and the time required for the leveling process can be shortened accordingly. In the above example, the pin unit 265 is moved to the second position and is on standby, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the pin unit 265 is not moved to the second position or on standby. May be In addition, as described above, in the present embodiment, the pin unit 265 is largely separated from the transport surface 262 and is located at the third position (height) to facilitate setting in the insertion portion of the sachet P. However, the pin unit 265 need not necessarily be movable to the third position in the medicine packing apparatus 10.

In addition, as in the case where the leveling mechanism 260 is provided as described above, when a force for rocking or vibrating the sachet P acts, a structure capable of holding the sachet P may be provided. desirable. Specifically, the medicine packaging device 10 may include, for example, the packaging bag holding mechanism 310 shown in FIG. 22, the packaging bag holding mechanism 320 shown in FIG. 23, and the like.

The sachet-bag holding mechanism 310 shown in FIG. 22 is disposed at a position adjacent to the leveling mechanism 260 in a direction (a direction substantially orthogonal to) intersecting the sachet-bag transport direction. The sachet holding mechanism 310 includes a holding member 312. The holding member 312 is normally urged upward by an urging member (not shown), and is located above the conveying surface of the sachet P. The holding member 312 receives power from a power source (not shown) including, for example, a solenoid and a motor, and descends against the above-described urging force, and sandwiches the sachet P with the transport surface. The power source of the sachet holding mechanism 310 is provided separately from the power source for moving the leveling mechanism 260 up and down. The holding member 312 is arranged directly above the pressure-bonding portion formed on the side of the sachet P that passes over the transport surface. Therefore, the sachet-bag holding mechanism 310 can hold the sachet P without applying a pressing force to the portion of the sachet P in which the medicine is stored.

In the sachet bag holding mechanism 310, the holding member 312 operates so as to hold down the sachet bag P at the same timing as when the pin unit 265 of the leveling mechanism 260 descends. The sachet bag holding mechanism 310 continues to hold the sachet bag P by the holding member 312 for the period during which the leveling operation is performed. Further, at the same timing that the leveling process by the leveling mechanism 260 is completed and the pin unit 265 moves up, the holding member 312 operates (raises) so that the holding force on the sachet P is released.

By providing the sachet-bag holding mechanism 310 as described above, the sachet P can be held so as not to move during the leveling process, and the leveling process can be performed.

In the medicine packing apparatus 10, instead of the above-mentioned sachet bag holding mechanism 310, a sachet bag holding mechanism 320 may be provided at a position adjacent to the leveling mechanism 260 as shown in FIG. The sachet holding mechanism 320 is connected to the moving mechanism 280, and like the pin unit 265, an operating mechanism including a cam or the like that operates by receiving power from a power source 324 such as a motor is provided. It is preferable that the sachet P can be held by the holding member 322 that moves up and down by such movements. The holding member 322 can be, for example, a rod-shaped member as illustrated. The holding member 322 has a roller at a portion (a tip portion in the illustrated example) that comes into contact with the sachet.

The sachet-holding mechanism 320 maintains the power source 324 in a driven state, thereby disposing the holding member 322 at the first position (fixed position) and clamping the sachet (first holding state). Can be The sachet holding mechanism 320 operates in conjunction with the leveling mechanism 260 described above. Specifically, the distribution bag holding mechanism 320 is arranged at the first position (fixed position) at the timing when the pin unit 105 is arranged at the first position (uniform position) in the smoothing mechanism 260. Therefore, in the state where the sachets are arranged on the conveying surface 102 of the leveling mechanism 260 and the leveling process is performed, the sachets (continuous sachets) are set to the first position (fixed position). It is clamped by the holding member 322. Thereby, the leveling process can be performed in a state where the sachet (continuous sachet) is firmly held.

The holding member 322 can be switched to the second position (holding position) retracted above the first position by stopping the power source 324. That is, the holding member 322 eliminates the driving force that drives the holding member 322 downward by stopping the power source 324. When the power source 324 is stopped, the holding member 322 is retracted (upward in this embodiment) by the action of an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring provided in the sachet holding mechanism 320. Power acts. At the second position, the sachet is in a state (second holding state) in which a biasing force (holding force) that does not hinder the movement of the sachet is applied. Therefore, when the holding member 322 is in the second position, the holding member 322 plays a role of guiding the sachet for smooth movement.

The sachet holding mechanism 320 changes the position from the first position to the second position in cooperation with the leveling mechanism 260 described above. Specifically, at the timing when the pin unit 105 is arranged at the second position (intermediate position) in the leveling mechanism 260, the sachet bag holding mechanism 320 is also arranged at the second position (holding position). Further, as described above, the holding member 322 has a roller at the portion (the tip portion in the illustrated example) in contact with the sachet. Therefore, in a state in which the sachet that has been leveled on the transport surface 102 of the leveling mechanism 260 is sent to the drug inspection unit 100, the sachet (continuous sachet) is at the second position ( While being guided by the holding member 322 in the holding position), it smoothly moves toward the medicine inspection section 100 side.

When the holding member 322 is arranged in the third position, the sachet holding mechanism 320 is in a state in which the holding member 322 is separated from the sachet. As a result, the holding force of the holding member 322 with respect to the sachet is released, and the next sachet (continuous sachet) is ready to be received.

By providing the sachet-bag holding mechanism 320 as described above, an appropriate holding force can be applied to the sachet as necessary. Further, by interlocking the sachet-holding mechanism 320 with the leveling mechanism 260, an appropriate holding force can be applied to the sachet (continuous sachet) according to the progressing state of the leveling process.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that there may be other embodiments from the teaching and spirit thereof without departing from the scope of the claims. You can understand.

10: drug packing device 12: housing 12a: front surface 14: discharge port 16: mark 20: drug packing part 30: drug supply part 100: drug inspection part 200: conveyance path switching mechanism 202: conical roller 204: guide member 220: Receiving and sending mechanism 222: Oscillating body 230: Oscillating roller 240: Transfer section 242: Transfer conveyor 244: Guide wall 244a: Conveying surface forming section 244b: Groove 250: Outgoing path 252: Ascending path 254: Return path 256: Packing bag Detecting device 258: Uncollected amount detecting device 300: Control device C: Cut P: Packaging bag R: Chamfer

Claims (12)

A medicine packing section that packs and sends medicine according to the prescription,
The drug inspecting unit for inspecting whether or not the drug is packaged as prescribed in the sachet formed in the drug sachet, and is housed in the same housing,
A transfer unit that transfers the sachet bag in which the medicine is divided in the medicine dividing unit, in a route that passes through the medicine inspection unit,
In the process of transporting the sachets from the medicine dispensing section to the transfer section, the sachets have been conveyed in any one of a horizontal direction, an upward oblique direction, and a downward oblique direction. While reversing the front and back, the transport direction of the sachet, a transport path switching mechanism for switching to the vertical direction, and,
A medicine packing apparatus, wherein the medicine is packaged in the housing, the medicine contained in the packaging bag is inspected, and the medicine is discharged to the outside of the housing. A wrapping member around which the packaging bag sent from the medicine packaging unit is wrapped is provided in the transport path switching mechanism,
The winding member,
The winding diameter is different on the one end side and the other end side in the axial direction,
The medicine packing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the packing bag sent out from the medicine packing unit is arranged so as to be wound around the winding member. On the upstream side of the winding member, the angle θ1 formed by the flow direction of the sachet and the axis of the winding member is substantially a right angle, while on the downstream side of the winding member, the angle θ1. The medicine packaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an angle θ2 formed by the flow direction of the packaging bag and the axis of the winding member is larger than the angle θ1. The medicine packaging device according to claim 3, wherein the winding member is a conical roller having a conical outer shape. The drug packaging part,
A packaging unit for packaging the medicine while forming the sachet with the sachet,
A transporting unit for transporting the divided sachet in which the medicine is packaged in the packaging unit,
The medicine packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the transportation path switching mechanism is provided at a terminal end portion of the transportation unit. A medicine packing section that packs and sends medicine according to the prescription,
A drug inspection unit for inspecting whether or not the drug is packaged as prescribed in the sachet formed in the drug sachet,
Are housed in the same housing,
A transfer unit that transfers the sachet bag in which the medicine is divided in the medicine dividing unit, in a route that passes through the medicine inspection unit,
Have
The transfer unit transfers the packaging bag from the front side to the outside of the housing through a forward path from the front side to the back side of the housing and a return path from the back side to the front side. A medicine packing apparatus characterized by discharging a bag. The medicine packing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the medicine inspection unit is provided on the outward path. The medicine packaging device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the transfer section has a path extending in the vertical direction between the forward path and the return path. The transfer unit is
A transfer conveyor for loading and transferring the sachet,
With a guide wall erected on the lateral side of the transfer conveyor,
The medicine packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: a groove formed between the transportation surface of the transfer conveyor and the guide wall so as to extend below the transportation surface. apparatus. The transfer unit is
A transfer conveyor for loading and transferring the sachet,
With a sachet bag detection device capable of detecting the presence or absence of the sachet at a position higher by a predetermined height than the transport surface of the transfer conveyor,
And a control device for controlling the operation of the transfer conveyor,
The medicine packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the control device stops the transfer conveyor on condition that the packaging bag is detected by the packaging bag detection device. apparatus. It has a control device for controlling the operation of the transfer conveyor,
To the drug inspection unit, the sachets are supplied in a state where the sachets for one prescription are connected,
The transfer speed of the sachet according to the transfer conveyor is improved on condition that the inspection of the sachet for one prescription is completed in the medicine inspection section. Drug packaging device. A medicine packing section that packs and sends medicine according to the prescription,
The drug inspecting unit for inspecting whether or not the drug is packaged as prescribed in the sachet formed in the drug sachet, and is housed in the same housing,
A transfer unit that transfers the sachet bag in which the medicine is divided in the medicine dividing unit, in a route that passes through the medicine inspection unit,
In the process of transporting the sachet from the medicine sachet to the transfer unit, a winding member around which the sachet is wound is provided.
The winding member,
A medicine packaging device, wherein the one end side and the other end side in the axial direction have different winding diameters, and the packaging bags sent out from the medicine packaging portion are arranged so that they can be wrapped. ..

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