JP2023052649A - Medicine packaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medicine packaging apparatus which directly puts a powder medicine dropped from a medicine container housing the powder medicine in a packaging material.

SOLUTION: A medicine packaging apparatus 1 includes: a plurality of medicine containers 21 which can supply a powder medicine through a supply port; a moving part which selectively moves the medicine container 21 to a supply position P1 where the powder medicine is supplied; a supply operation mechanism which operates the medicine container 21 that has moved to the supply position P1 and supplies the powder medicine from the medicine container 21; and a packaging part 3 which packages the powder medicine with a packaging material S. In the supply position P1, the supply port is positioned above an opening part of the packaging material S or inside the packaging material S so that the powder medicine supplied from the medicine container 21 is directly put in the packaging material S.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a drug packaging device used for packaging powdered drugs.

A device described in Patent Document 1 is an example of a drug supply device in a drug packaging device. This device is configured to be able to supply one dose of medicine by scraping out the medicine discharged onto the disk from the vibrating feeder in the radial direction while rotating the disk. In addition, although not described in Patent Document 1, by transferring the drug from a charging chamber having a substantially V-shaped side cross section to a distribution chamber arranged below the charging chamber and subdividing it, one dose can be obtained. There is also a drug supply device configured to be able to supply a drug of

JP 2007-97667 A

It is an object of the present invention to provide a drug packaging apparatus in which powder dropped from a drug container containing the powder is directly charged into a packaging material.

The present invention provides a plurality of drug containers capable of supplying powdered medicine through a supply port, a moving part that selectively moves the drug containers to a supply position for supplying the powdered medicine, and the medicine that has been moved to the supply position. a supply operation mechanism for operating a container to supply the powder from the drug container; and a packaging unit for packaging the powder with a packaging material, wherein at the supply position, the powder supplied from the drug container is supplied to the packaging material. In the drug packaging device, the supply port is positioned above the opening of the packaging material or inside the packaging material so that the medicine can be directly injected.

Further, a weight detection unit is provided, and the weight detection unit detects the weight of the medicine supplied from the medicine container by detecting the weight of the medicine container moved to the supply position by the moving unit. can be done.

Also, the plurality of medicine containers can be horizontally arranged and waited above the packaging unit.

Also, after supplying the powder from the drug container, the powder can be supplied from another drug container that has moved to the supply position, and different types of powder can be packaged in the same packaging material.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a drug supply device that directly feeds powdered drugs dropped from a drug container containing powdered drugs into a packaging material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a partial configuration necessary for explanation of a drug packaging device including a drug supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a side of a drug container used in the drug supply device, which is provided with a packaging opening (partition). FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a front and a plane side showing a drug container (excluding a packaging material opening portion (partition portion)) used in the drug supply device; It is a perspective view of the back and bottom sides showing the drug container (excluding the packaging material opening portion (partition portion)). 3 is an exploded perspective view of the drug container; FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a state in which the drug container is positioned at the supply position in the drug supply device according to the same embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the relationship between the first supply port, the second supply port, and the lower transfer body in the medicine supply device according to the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view (shown in an upright state) of the bottom surface side, showing the relationship between the partitioning body and the lower transporting body of the medicine supply device according to the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic bottom view showing the relationship between the first supply port, the second supply port, and the opening/closing member in the drug supply device according to the same embodiment, where (a) is the first supply port and the second supply port; shows a first open state in which both are open, (b) shows a second open state in which only the second supply port is open, and (c) shows both the first and second supply ports closed Indicates the fully closed state. It is a block diagram showing a configuration related to control of the medicine supply device according to the same embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows an example of control concerning medicine supply of a medicine supply device concerning the embodiment.

A medicine supply device 1A and a medicine packaging device 1 having the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The indication of directions in the following description corresponds to the directions shown in FIG.

The drug, which is the object to be supplied by the drug supply device 1A according to the present invention, is a powdery drug. This drug is an amorphous drug in an aggregated state, and is, for example, a powdery or granular drug, that is, a powder M.

[overview]
A drug packaging device 1 of the present embodiment is a device used when wrapping a drug with a packaging material. Specifically, the drug packaging apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is installed at a site (dispensing pharmacy, etc.) where a drug is prepared according to a prescription, and the powdered drug M, which is a drug in the form of powder or grain, is divided by a packaging sheet S as a packaging material. Used for wrapping.

As shown in FIG. 1, the medicine packaging apparatus 1 of the present embodiment mainly includes a medicine supply unit 2a for supplying powders M from a plurality of medicine containers 21 containing powders M by type to packaging sheets S; A packaging unit 3 for wrapping the powder M in S, a moving unit 4 for moving the drug container 21 containing the powder M, a weight detection unit 5 for detecting the weight of the powder M supplied from the drug container 21, and a drug package. and a control unit 6 that controls each unit of the device 1 . The medicine supply device 1A refers to a portion obtained by excluding a part of the packaging section 3 from the above configuration. Also, the main configuration of each unit will be described below.

[Drug container]
The drug container 21 stores the powder M. A plurality of drug containers 21 are provided horizontally, for example, as shown in FIG. The standby position P0 of the plurality of drug containers 21...21 can be, for example, above the packaging unit 3 as shown in the drawing, but is not limited to this. The drug container 21 is moved to the supply position P<b>1 for supplying the powder M to the packaging sheet S by the moving mechanism 41 provided in the moving section 4 . The powder supplied by the medicine supply unit 2a drops from the medicine container 21 and is accommodated in the packaging sheet S, as shown in FIG. In each drug container 21 of the present embodiment, powders M are usually stored according to type. That is, one type of powder M is contained in one drug container 21 . However, for powders M that are used in large amounts, for example, one type of powders M can be divided and stored in two or more drug containers 21 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the drug container 21 includes a cylindrical body portion 211, a bottom member 212 provided at the bottom which is one end (lower end) of the body portion 211, and the other end of the body portion 211. It has a lid portion 213 provided at (upper end). The bottom member 212 is composed of an upper bottom member 212a and a lower bottom member 212b. The medicine container 21 defines a space for containing the powdered medicine M by the body part 211 and the bottom member 212 , and stores the contained powdered medicine M in the medicine container 21 by closing the other end of the body part 211 with the lid part 213 . do. A certain amount of the powder M is taken out onto the packaging sheet S based on the weight value detected by the weight detection unit 5, which will be described later. Hereinafter, the axial direction of the trunk portion 211 is defined as the vertical direction. The drug container 21 of the present embodiment is arranged so that the axial direction substantially coincides with the vertical direction and the drug container 21 stands upright on a horizontal plane.

The trunk portion 211 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. The trunk portion 211 of the present embodiment is made of, for example, a transparent material. Therefore, the powder M contained in the barrel portion 211 can be visually recognized from the outside of the barrel portion 211 . Thereby, the amount of the powder M in the drug container 21 can be grasped from the outside. The transparent material may occupy the entire body portion 211, or may occupy only a portion thereof serving as a viewing window. Further, an RFID tag 214 is provided on the rear side of the body portion 211 while being accommodated in the case. The RFID tag 214 is written with information necessary for taking out the powder M, such as unique information, which will be described later.

The bottom member 212 is formed with a supply port for taking out the powder M by dropping it. The supply port is open to the outside, and the dropped powder M can be supplied to the packaging sheet S from the supply port. This supply port is formed in the bottom upper member 212a as shown in FIG. Since each of the supply ports 2121 and 2122 exists at two locations, the powder M is dispersed and dropped onto the packaging sheet S. As shown in FIG. Further below the first supply port 2121 and the second supply port 2122 in the bottom lower member 212b, a bottom passage 2123, which is one passage, is formed. Therefore, the powder M is less likely to scatter outside the packaging sheet S, and the powder M can be stably supplied. As shown in FIG. 4, this bottom passage 2123 opens at the bottom of the drug container 21 . The supply port for supplying the powder M to the packaging sheet S in the medicine container 21 also includes this bottom passage 2123 . In the drug container 21 at the supply position P1, the bottom passage 2123 is positioned above the opening Sa of the packaging sheet S so that the powder M that has fallen falls inside the folded packaging sheet as shown in FIG. do. By doing so, the powder M stored in each drug container 21 can be directly put into the packaging sheet S, which is advantageous. Further, the bottom passageway 2123 may be, for example, tubular (not shown) extending downwards from that shown in FIG. 4 and positioned to be inserted inside the folded packaging sheet. By doing so, the powder M can be put into the packaging sheet S more reliably. When the bottom passage 2123 is cylindrical, it may be straight or tapered, for example, widening upward or downward.

The first supply port 2121 communicates with an outer peripheral hole 2181 of the partition body 218, which will be described later, and is open so that the powder M can drop from the outer peripheral hole 2181. As shown in FIG. The first supply port 2121 is positioned below the outer peripheral hole 2181 . The first supply port 2121 of this embodiment is positioned directly below the outer peripheral hole 2181 . Therefore, the powder M stored in the drug container 21 drops directly.

The second supply port 2122 is provided at a position displaced in the circumferential direction from an inner peripheral hole 2182 of the partition 218, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the deviation is about 180°. In addition, the second supply port 2122 is provided at a position that is displaced from the first supply port 2121 in the circumferential direction and overlaps with the first supply port 2121 in the radial direction. The opening area of the second supply port 2122 can be increased by the amount of overlap in the radial direction by setting the second supply port 2122 at a circumferentially displaced position (a position that does not overlap) with the first supply port 2121 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the radial outer edge of the second supply port 2122 can be radially outwardly separated from a transfer area 219a between the transfer pieces 2191 of the lower transfer body 219, which will be described later. . Further, the outer peripheral partition portion 2183 (see FIG. 8) of the partition body 218 is placed at the same position in the circumferential direction as the second supply port 2122, and radially with respect to the transfer area 219a between the transfer pieces 2191 of the lower transfer body 219. Can be released outwards. Therefore, the second supply port 2122 can be opened with a sufficient margin in the radial direction. Therefore, the powder M transported by the lower transport body 219 can be dropped from the second supply port 2122 and supplied to the packaging sheet S reliably. The second supply port 2122 drops from the inner peripheral hole 2182 of the partition 218, and drops the powder M transferred thereon by the lower transfer member 219 (transferred by approximately 180° in this embodiment). . By dropping the powder M from both the first supply port 2121 and the second supply port 2122, or only the second supply port 2122 (at this time, the first supply port 2121 is closed), A powder M is supplied.

The first supply port 2121 and the second supply port 2122 are provided at positions close to each other on the bottom of the drug container 21 . Specifically, the first supply port 2121 and the second supply port 2122 are provided adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. Due to this positional relationship, the flows of the powder M falling from the supply ports 2121 and 2122 can partially overlap or at least be adjacent to each other. Therefore, the positions at which the powder M drops from the supply ports 2121 and 2122 can be made closer.

The bottom lower member 212b has a rotating shaft 21B for rotating the rotating members (stirring body 215, upper transporting body 217, lower transporting body 219) inside the drug container 21, and a driving force supply operation mechanism 24. A driving input shaft 21C for receiving from, a mechanism for moving the opening/closing body 21A, and the like are provided.

The lid portion 213 is a portion that closes one end of the body portion 211 . The lid portion 213 is rotatably attached to the body portion 211 about an axis parallel to the radial direction of the body portion 211 . The structure for supplying one dose of the powder M in the drug container 21 will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, a packaging material opening portion 7 is provided on the outside of each medicine container 21 . In other words, the drug container 21 and the packaging material opening portion 7 are in one-to-one correspondence, and each drug container 21 has its own packaging material opening portion 7 . The packaging material opening portion 7 includes a container corresponding portion 71 provided outside the diameter of the body portion 211 of the drug container 21 and an opening operation portion 72 extending downward from the end portion of the container corresponding portion 71 . The container corresponding portion 71 of the present embodiment is a plate-like body extending in the horizontal direction, and includes a through hole 711 through which the body portion 211 penetrates. The diameter dimension of the through hole 711 is larger than the outer diameter dimension of the trunk portion 211 . As a result, the packaging material opening portion 7 can be moved up and down with respect to the body portion 211 . The vertical movement of the packaging material opening portion 7 is performed by a moving mechanism (not shown). Various configurations can be adopted for the configuration for moving the packaging material opening portion 7 up and down with respect to the body portion 211. For example, a configuration using a driving gear, a belt, an arm, a hook, or the like can be employed. The opening operation portion 72 is a plate-like portion extending in the vertical direction. The tip portion 721 has a substantially triangular shape, similar to what is generally called a “triangular plate”. When each medicine container 21 is at the supply position P1, the opening operation part 72 is located upstream of the supply port of each medicine container 21 in the conveying direction of the packaging sheet S and is folded in two in the width direction. A leading end portion 721 is positioned inside a certain packaging sheet S. As shown in FIG.

When each drug container 21 is at the supply position P1 of the drug container 21, the packaging material opening portion 7 provided in the drug container 21 opens the upper edge side of the packaging sheet S. As shown in FIG. Specifically, when the drug container 21 is at the supply position P1, the packaging material opening portion 7 (more specifically, the tip portion 721 of the opening operation portion 72) provided in the drug container 21 is transported in the longitudinal direction. The packaging sheet S is inserted into the packaging sheet S on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the packaging sheet S from the position where the powdered medicine M is supplied to the packaging sheet S, and the edge of the packaging material opening portion 7 is folded in two. abuts on the inner surface of For this reason, the packaging sheet S transported in the longitudinal direction is opened downstream in the transport direction by separating one side and the other side in the width direction bordering on the folding line for folding in half by the packaging material opening portion 7 . An opening Sa is formed (see FIGS. 1 and 6). When the drug container 21 is moved to the supply position P1, the outer surface of the folded packaging sheet S is sucked downstream of the packaging material opening portion 7 in the conveying direction so that the opening Sa remains open. preferably.

Since each drug container 21 is provided with a dedicated packaging material opening portion 7, the packaging material opening portion 7 is also provided corresponding to the type of the powder M. As shown in FIG. Therefore, when the type of powder M to be supplied is changed, the packaging material opening portion 7 of the medicine container 21 at the supply position P1 is changed to another one corresponding to the powder M after the change. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the powder M adhering to the packaging material opening portion 7 from causing cross contamination.

In addition, each drug container 21 is provided with a partition portion for partitioning the packaging sheet S in its longitudinal direction. The opening operation part 72 in the packaging material opening part 7 also serves as the partition part of this embodiment. That is, in this embodiment, the partition portion is the same as the opening operation portion 72 . When the medicine container 21 is at the supply position P1, the partition provided in the medicine container 21 (more specifically, the tip 721 of the opening operation part 72 that is also used as the partition) pushes the powder M against the packaging sheet S. It is inserted into the packaging sheet S through the opening Sa on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the packaging sheet S from the supply position. As a result, it is possible to prevent the powder M in each drug container 21 from exceeding the correct supply position and being supplied to the upstream side of the partition.

Since each drug container 21 has a dedicated partitioning portion like the opening operation portion 72 (also used in this embodiment), the partitioning portion is also provided corresponding to the type of the powder M. FIG. Therefore, when the type of powder M to be supplied is changed, the partition part of the medicine container 21 at the supply position P1 is changed to another one corresponding to the powder M after the change. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the powder M adhering to the partition from causing cross contamination.

[Packaging Department]
The packaging unit 3 conveys a long packaging sheet S as a packaging material used in the present embodiment in the longitudinal direction, holds the packaging sheet S at a supply position P1, and packages in a state where the powder M is supplied. This is a portion for sealing and packaging the sheet S. The packaging unit 3 of this embodiment mainly includes a packaging material conveying unit 31 and a sealing unit 32 .

(packaging material conveying section)
The packaging material conveying unit 31 is a portion that conveys the long packaging sheet S in its longitudinal direction, and includes a packaging material supplying unit 311, a guide bar 312, and a conveying roller (not shown). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a roll around which the packaging sheet S is folded in half at the center in the width direction is set in the packaging material supply section 311 in advance. Then, the packaging sheet S pulled out from this roll is conveyed to the supply position P1 by the packaging material conveying section 31 such as a rotating conveying roller. The packaging material conveying unit 31 conveys the packaging sheet S in a state of being folded in half at the center in the width direction. Moreover, the packaging material conveying unit 31 is in a state in which the opening Sa faces upward at least at the supply position P1. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the opening Sa faces obliquely upward. Note that the packaging material conveying unit 31 of the present embodiment includes the function of a packaging material holding unit that holds the packaging sheet S at a predetermined position at the supply position P1.

(Seal part)
The sealing portion 32 is a portion for sealing the packaging sheet S in order to package the powder M supplied to the packaging sheet S. As shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the packaging sheet S is heat-sealed at the supply position P1 so that each dose is divided and packaged.

(others)
In addition to these, the packaging unit 3 includes, for example, a cutter for cutting the packaging sheet S, a perforation forming mechanism for forming perforations on the packaging sheet S, and a printer for printing prescription information and information on packaging results on the surface of the packaging sheet S. etc. can be provided.

[moving part]
The moving unit 4 selectively moves a plurality of medicine containers 21 to a supply position P1 where the powder medicine M is supplied from the medicine container 21 to the packaging sheet S. That is, one of the plurality of drug containers 21 containing the powdered drug M to be supplied is selected and moved by the moving unit 4 to the supply position P1. The moving unit 4 includes a moving mechanism 41 (see FIG. 10) that actually moves the drug container 21 . Although the specific configuration of the moving mechanism 41 is not shown, for example, an arm, a conveying belt, a movable table, etc. can be used. The moving unit 4 positions the supply port (the bottom passage 2123 in this embodiment) of the drug container 21 above the opening Sa of the packaging sheet S when the drug container 21 is at the supply position P1. As a result, the powder M dropped from the medicine container 21 can be put directly into the packaging sheet S. It should be noted that the supply port can be positioned inside the packaging sheet S as well. In this case also, the powder M stored in each drug container 21 can be directly put into the packaging sheet S. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the spraying up of the medicine to be supplied.

[Weight detector]
The weight detection unit 5 detects the weight of the powder M contained in the drug container 21 at the supply position P1 as well as the weight of the drug container 21 . The weight detection unit 5 detects the weight of each drug container 21 during supply of the powder (specifically, the decrease in weight). Thereby, the weight of the powder M supplied from the medicine container 21 can be detected. While detecting the weight of the supplied powder M using the weight detection unit 5 , the medicine supply unit 2 a supplies the powder M from the medicine container 21 to the packaging sheet S.

Here, in detecting the weight of the powder M, when the drug container 21 is at the supply position P1, the packaging material opening (or partition) 7 provided in the drug container 21 is aligned with the body of the drug container 21. By moving upward relative to 211 and the like, the drug container 21 is separated from it. In this state, the weight of the packaging material opening portion (partition portion) 7 that has moved is not applied to the drug container 21, but is applied to the device side outside the drug container 21. As shown in FIG. In this state, while the weight detection unit 5 detects the weight of the powder M, the powder M is supplied from the medicine container 21 to the packaging sheet S by the medicine supply unit 2a. That is, the packaging material opening portion (partition portion) 7 is located at the supply position P1 and the weight detection portion 5 detects the weight of the body portion 211 of the drug container 21 more than when it is at the standby position P0. and the like. In this manner, the packaging material opening portion (partition portion) 7 is separated from the drug container 21 . With the above configuration, weight detection using the weight detection unit 5 can be performed without the weight of the packaging opening portion (partition portion) 7 being applied to the weight detection unit 5 . Therefore, correct detection of the weight of the powder M is possible.

[Drug supply unit (internal structure of drug container)]
Hereinafter, returning to the description of the drug container 21, the internal structure of the drug container 21 for supplying one dose of powder M will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, inside the medicine container 21, in the lower part, from top to bottom, a stirring body 215, a shielding body 216, a transporting body (upper transporting body) 217, a partitioning body 218, a transporting body (lower transporting body) ) 219 and an opening/closing body 21A are arranged. The medicine supply part 2a is configured to have at least the upper transfer body 217 and the lower transfer body 219 among these. The drug supply unit 2a functions to supply the powdered drug M from the drug container 21 to the packaging sheet S. As shown in FIG. The drug supply unit 2a is driven by a supply operation mechanism 24. As shown in FIG. By transmitting the driving force of the supply operation mechanism 24 to the rotating shaft 21B, the stirring body 215, the upper transfer body 217, and the lower transfer body 219 are coaxially rotated together. This rotation is rotation around a central axis (a vertical axis in this embodiment) that intersects the bottom of the drug container 21 . Further, in order to intermittently transfer the powder by the lower transfer body 219, the rotation may be intermittent.

A driving force for rotation is transmitted to the rotating shaft 21B from the driving input shaft 21C. As shown in FIG. 4, the drive input shaft 21C has an input fitting portion 21C1 at the rear end. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the input fitting portion 21C1 has a shape that can be fitted to the driving output shaft 241 provided at the supply position P1.

The agitating body 215 has a rising blade 2151 that extends radially and then rises upward, and a horizontal blade 2152 that extends radially. As the agitating body 215 rotates, the rising blade 2151 touches the powder M adhering to the inner surface of the body portion 211 to cause the powder M to drop. A horizontal blade 2152 can move the powder M present above the shield 216 . Therefore, when the rising blade 2151 rotates, the powder M contained in the drug container 21 is discharged in a funnel flow (the powder M near the inner surface of the barrel 211 remains and remains on the barrel). The state in which only the powder M in the portion away from the inner surface of the portion 211 falls can be suppressed, and the powder M inside the body portion 211 can be taken out in a mass flow state (the state in which the powder M inside the barrel portion 211 uniformly falls). Further, by rotating the horizontal blade 2152 , it is possible to prevent the powder M from remaining above the shield 216 .

The shield 216 is fixed inside the drug container 21 and integrally includes an outer peripheral hole shield 2161 , an inner peripheral hole shield 2162 and a connecting ring 2163 . The peripheral hole shield 2161 is positioned above the peripheral hole 2181 of the partition 218 and shields the peripheral hole 2181 from above. In this embodiment, the term “shielding” means covering the outer peripheral hole 2181 above the upper transfer body 217 to such an extent that it does not hinder the falling of the powder M from the outer peripheral hole 2181 due to the rotation of the upper transfer body 217 . there is The peripheral hole shield 2161 prevents the pressure of the powder M stored in the drug container 21 from being applied to the powder M transferred to the peripheral hole 2181 by the upper transfer body 217 . Similarly, the inner peripheral hole shield 2162 is positioned above the inner peripheral hole 2182 of the partition 218 and shields the inner peripheral hole 2182 from above. The inner peripheral hole shield 2162 prevents the pressure of the powder M stored in the drug container 21 from being applied to the powder M transferred to the lower transfer body 219 . A connecting ring 2163 connects the outer peripheral hole shielding body 2161 and the inner peripheral hole shielding body 2162 .

A plurality of radially outwardly extending transfer pieces 2171 are arranged on the upper transfer body 217 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The transfer piece 2171 of the present embodiment has a shape extending so as to deviate in the circumferential direction from the radial direction, but the shape of the transfer piece 2171 is not particularly limited. The upper transfer body 217 rotates to transfer the powder M positioned in the transfer area 217a between the transfer pieces 2171 in the rotational direction. Thereby, the upper transfer body 217 can transfer the powder M placed on the partition body 218 . The outer edge of the upper transfer body 217 (the radial edge of the transfer piece 2171 ) rotates radially outward from the outer peripheral hole 2181 and the inner peripheral hole 2182 of the partition body 218 . Therefore, the powder M to be transferred falls from the outer peripheral hole 2181 and the inner peripheral hole 2182 . In addition, since the plurality of transfer pieces 2171 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, the amount of the powder M positioned in the transfer region 217a between the transfer pieces 2171 is approximately the same, and the upper transfer member 217 rotates per unit rotation. The transfer amount of the powder M per amount becomes uniform. This stabilizes the flow rate of the powder M flowing out from the first supply port 2121 through the outer peripheral hole 2181 . Further, the flow rate of the powder M dropping from the inner peripheral hole 2182 is also stabilized.

The partition 218 divides the inside of the medicine container 21 into upper and lower parts. The partition body 218 has an outer peripheral hole 2181 and an inner peripheral hole 2182 penetrating vertically, and an outer peripheral partition portion 2183 . The outer peripheral hole 2181 and the inner peripheral hole 2182 are located substantially facing each other across the center of the partition 218 . The outer peripheral hole 2181 is positioned on the radially outer side, and the inner peripheral hole 2182 is positioned on the radially inner side. As shown in FIG. 8, the outer peripheral partition 2183 is arranged so as to surround the outer edge of the lower transfer body 219 (the radial edge of the transfer piece 2191) in the radially outer direction, and defines a region in which the lower transfer body 219 rotates. is partitioned from the outer diameter region of the region. The outer peripheral partition 2183 can guide the powder M transferred by the lower transfer body 219 so that it does not escape radially outward. In addition, the outer peripheral partition part 2183 is positioned radially outside of the supply ports 2121 and 2122 at the same position in the circumferential direction as the first supply port 2121 and the same position in the circumferential direction as the second supply port 2122 . The outer peripheral partition 2183 of the present embodiment is provided integrally with the partition 218 and extends downward from the lower surface of the partition 218 .

The lower transfer body 219 is formed with a smaller diameter than the upper transfer body 217 . The transfer area 219 a of the lower transfer body 219 is located on the inner diameter side of the transfer area 217 a of the upper transfer body 217 . A plurality of radially outwardly extending transfer pieces 2191 are arranged on the lower transfer body 219 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Between each transfer piece 2191, for example, a semi-circular transfer area 219a is formed. The transfer area 219a is preferably formed by a plurality of transfer pieces 2191 and is open radially outward. The lower transfer body 219 rotates to transfer the powder M positioned in the transfer area 219a between the transfer pieces 2191 in the rotational direction. As a result, the lower transfer body 219 can transfer the powder M dropped from the inner peripheral hole 2182 of the partition body 218 by the upper transfer body 217 . As shown in FIG. 5 , the transfer area 219 a of the lower transfer body 219 is configured such that the volume of the powder M that can be transferred is smaller than that of the transfer area 217 a of the upper transfer body 217 . Therefore, a relatively small amount of powder M can be supplied from the lower transport body 219 as compared with the upper transport body 217 . In addition, since the plurality of transfer pieces 2191 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, the amount of the powder M positioned in the transfer region 219a between the transfer pieces 2191 is approximately the same, and the upper transfer member 217 rotates per unit rotation. The transfer amount of the powder M per amount becomes uniform. Thereby, the flow rate of the powder M flowing out from the second supply port 2122 is stabilized.

The opening/closing body 21A has an opening 21A1 opened in the circumferential direction and a closing portion 21A2 adjacent to the opening 21A1 in the circumferential direction. By rotating the opening/closing body 21A, both the first supply port 2121 and the second supply port 2122 in the bottom portion of the drug container 21 are opened to a first open state (see FIG. 9(a)). Also, the opening/closing body 21A can be in a second open state in which the first supply port 2121 is closed and only the second supply port 2122 is opened (see FIG. 9B). Also, the opening/closing body 21A can be in a fully closed state in which both the first supply port 2121 and the second supply port 2122 are closed (see FIG. 9(c)).

(Supply operation mechanism)
The supply operation mechanism 24 is a mechanism for driving the medicine supply section 2a that supplies the powder M from the medicine container 21 moved to the supply position P1. By driving the supply operation mechanism 24, a predetermined amount of the powder M can be supplied to the supply port (the first supply port 2121 and/or the second supply port 2122).

As described above, the medicine supply unit 2a supplies the powder medicine M to the packaging sheet S from each medicine container 21 . That is, in the present embodiment, the powder medicine M is supplied from the medicine container 21 at the supply position P1 to the packaging sheet S without passing through a passage common to each of the plurality of medicine containers 21 . . . 21 . By supplying the powder M in the drug container 21 moved to the supply position P1 by the moving unit 4 to the packaging sheet S by the drug supply unit 2a, a part of the drug passage such as a dividing mechanism shared by a plurality of powders M is provided. Or it is not necessary to provide all of them. Therefore, the occurrence of cross contamination can be prevented.

[Control section]
The control unit 6 is a part that controls the overall operation of the medicine packaging device 1 . Principal parts connected to the control unit 6 are shown in FIG. The control unit 6 controls the weight detection unit 5 according to the target value of the powder amount (specifically, the amount for one dose for the patient) related to the supply instruction input via the connected instruction input unit 6a. The powder M is supplied by the medicine supply unit 2a while detecting the weight of the medicine. The supply instruction includes, for example, the type of powder M to be supplied by the medicine supply unit 2a, the supply amount of each powder, the target value for supply, and the like. Examples of the instruction input unit 6a include an input unit that receives prescription information from a host system installed in a dispensing pharmacy or the like, a barcode reader, an RFID reader, a keyboard, and a touch panel, and can take various forms.

The storage unit 6b is a part that stores information necessary for control by the control unit 6. FIG. The storage unit 6b of the present embodiment is physically provided separately from the control unit 6 and connected to the control unit 6, as shown in FIG. However, for example, the storage unit 6b can be physically configured as a part of the control unit 6, and the arrangement within the drug packaging device 1 is not particularly limited.

The controller 6 moves the drug container 21 from the standby position P0 (see FIG. 1) to the supply position P1. Then, the control unit 6 drives the supply operation mechanism 24 to supply powder from the drug container 21 . The control unit 6 controls the driving of the supply operation mechanism 24 according to the detected weight value input from the weight detection unit 5, and supplies the powder amount according to the supply instruction.

[Description of usage]
An outline of how to use the drug packaging device 1 and the drug supply device 1A according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. In addition, the following usage method is only an example, and is not limited to this. Prior to use, an operator (pharmacist, etc.) stores the powder M in each of the plurality of drug containers 21 . At this time, each drug container 21 can contain powders M of different types, or two or more drug containers 21 can contain powders M of the same type. Next, the operator places the drug container 21 containing the powder M at the standby position P0.

Next, prescription information is input to the medicine packaging device 1 via the instruction input unit 6a. Then, the controller 6 operates the moving mechanism 41 to move the drug container 21 . When the medicine container 21 containing the powder M to be supplied comes to the supply position P1, the controller 6 stops the moving mechanism 41 .

Next, the control unit 6 operates the supply operation mechanism 24 to start supplying the powder. The control unit 6 controls the supply operation mechanism 24 based on the detected weight value sent from the weight detection unit 5, and the amount of the powder M corresponding to the prescription information (specifically, the amount for one patient's dose) is supplied. When the packaging sheet S is supplied, the driving of the supply operation mechanism 24 is stopped.

Next, the control unit 6 controls the packaging unit 3 to transport the packaging sheet S supplied with the powder M in the longitudinal direction for heat sealing. When the powder M of the same kind is continuously supplied to the packaging sheet, the operation of supplying the powder M from the medicine container 21 to the packaging sheet S, conveying the packaging sheet S in the longitudinal direction, and performing heat sealing is repeated. The control unit 6 performs these operations as many times as required according to the prescription information. As a result, packaging of the powder M is completed. The drug container 21 after use moves from the supply position P1 to the standby position P0. Note that, for example, the powder M adhering to the opening operation portion (partition portion) 72 can be removed by a cleaning portion (not shown) during the movement from the supply position P1 to the standby position P0. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of cross contamination due to the powder M unexpectedly falling from the opening operation portion (partition portion) 72 of the medicine container 21 at the standby position P0. The removal of the powder M by the cleaning unit can be performed by suction or brushing.

Further, when supplying different kinds of powders M to the same packaging sheet S and heat-sealing them, after the powders M are supplied from the medicine container 21 to the packaging sheet S, the packaging sheet S is not transported in the longitudinal direction and is on standby. Keep Then, the moving mechanism 41 moves the drug container 21 after supply from the supply position P1 to the standby position P0, and moves the drug container 21 containing powder M, which is another supply target, to the supply position. Then, after supplying the powder M to the packaging sheet S from the medicine container 21 moved to the supply position, the packaging sheet S is conveyed in the longitudinal direction and heat-sealed.

[Details of supply control]
Next, the control related to the supply of the powder will be described below by dividing the point of view into three and exemplifying control A to control C. FIG. These controls A to C can be performed separately or simultaneously.

(Control A)
The control A aims to supply the powder M in a short time with a small error, and is a control that decreases the supply amount of the powder M on the way. The control unit 6 performs a supply operation. In the supply operation, the transfer bodies (the upper transfer body 217 and the lower transfer body 219) are rotated while the supply ports (specifically, the first supply port 2121 and the second supply port 2122) are open. The supply operation of this embodiment includes a pre-supply operation as a first supply operation and a post-supply operation as a second supply operation. After performing the pre-supply operation as the first supply operation, the control unit 6 performs the post-supply operation as the second supply operation.

The pre-supply operation is an operation of rotating the upper transfer body 217 and the lower transfer body 219 while the first supply port 2121 and the second supply port 2122 are open. By this operation, the powder M is transferred by the upper transfer body 217, and the powder M is dropped from the outer peripheral hole 2181 to be supplied from the first supply port 2121, and the powder M is dropped from the inner peripheral hole 2182. The powder M is conveyed by the lower transfer body 219 and supplied from the second supply port 2122 . Since the powder M can be supplied from both supply ports 2121 and 2122 at the same time, the amount of supply per unit rotation of each transfer body 217 and 219 can be increased.

In the post-supplying operation, after the pre-supplying operation, the first supply port 2121 is closed, the powder M is transferred by the upper transfer body 217 , the powder M is dropped from the inner peripheral hole 2182 , and the powder M is dropped by the lower transfer body 219 . It is an operation of conveying M and performing a supply operation after supplying the powder M from the second supply port 2122 . Since the first supply port 2121 is closed and the powder M is supplied from the second supply port 2122, the supply amount per unit rotation amount of each transfer body 217, 219 can be reduced compared to the previous supply operation. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the number of rotations per unit time of each transfer body 217, 219 is made smaller than that in the pre-supply operation. For this reason, the supply amount is smaller than in the case of rotating for the same time as the previous supply operation. The combination of the pre-delivery action and the post-delivery action can deliver a single dose of medication.

In this control A, the control unit 6 controls the target weight value (preset value) related to the weight of the powder M to be supplied, and the detected weight value (value that changes every moment) obtained from the weight detection unit 5. Based on this, the medicine supply unit 2a is controlled. In this control, the control unit 6 intermittently rotates the transfer body (specifically, the lower transfer body 219) until the detected weight value obtained from the weight detection unit 5 reaches the target weight value. is. That is, when the intermediate weight value set smaller than the target weight value is reached during the pre-supply operation, the control unit 6 shifts to the post-supply operation. In the post-supply operation, the control section 6 intermittently rotates the lower transfer body 219 until the detected weight value obtained from the weight detection section 5 reaches the target weight value. The intermittent rotation of the lower transfer body 219 is performed by an angle corresponding to the transfer area 219 a between the transfer pieces 2191 of the lower transfer body 219 .

In performing the post-supplying operation, the storage unit 6b stores the weight value of the powder M corresponding to the transfer area 219a between the transfer pieces 2191 of the transfer body, specifically, the lower transfer body 219. FIG. Then, the control unit 6 controls the angle corresponding to the transfer region 219a between the transfer pieces 2191 corresponding to the insufficient weight value with respect to the target weight value of the detected weight value obtained from the weight detection unit 5 (that is, one transfer region 219a is transferred). The lower transfer body 219 is intermittently rotated by an angle obtained by dividing the insufficient weight value by the weight value of the powder M and multiplying the angle between the transfer pieces 2191 . Thereby, the powder M can be supplied so as to reach the target weight value.

(Control B)
The control B is a control aimed at performing appropriate supply according to the properties of the powder M (for example, the powder M having the property of being easily scattered (easy to scatter)).

In performing the control B, the drug container 21 is provided with specific information associated with the driving conditions of the drug supply unit 2a for each type of the powdered drug M stored. Specifically, the unique information is written in the RFID tag 214 .

An information reading unit (for example, an RFID reader/writer (not shown)) acquires the unique information from the RFID tag 214 of the drug container 21 . The control unit 6 sets driving conditions for the medicine supply unit 2a based on the unique information acquired by the information reading unit, controls the medicine supply unit 2a so as to correspond to the driving conditions, and supplies the powder M.

The specific information includes information on the surplus supply weight value related to the amount of the powder M actually supplied after the supply stop instruction is given. The surplus supply occurs due to the time lag from when the instruction to stop the supply is issued until the powder M actually finishes falling (completely falling). Specifically, it takes time for the opening/closing body 21A to close the supply ports 2121 and 2122, and the falling powder M is present below the opening/closing body 21A. The control unit 6 supplies the powder M by controlling the drug supply unit 2a based on the target weight value of the weight of the powder M to be supplied and the surplus supply weight value.

The unique information can include information on the rotational speed of each transport 217,219. Using this information, the controller 6 can control the rotation speed of each of the transfer bodies 217 and 219 to slow down, for example, regarding the powder M that is likely to scatter (easy to scatter). As a result, scattering (scattering) of the powder M during supply can be suppressed, and the packaging sheet S can be reliably supplied. The rotational speed may be either peripheral speed or angular speed.

Further, the specific information can include information on the supply amount of the powder M corresponding to the amount of rotation of each of the transfer bodies 217 and 219 . Using this information, the transfer bodies 217 and 219 can be controlled according to the relationship between the amount of rotation of the transfer bodies 217 and 219 and the amount of powder M supplied. Here, since the transfer area 219a of the lower transfer body 219 is configured so that the volume of the powder M that can be transferred is smaller than that of the transfer area 217a of the upper transfer body 217, the powder M can be frequently supplied. be. Therefore, by including information on the supply amount of the powder M corresponding to the amount of rotation of the lower transfer body 219 in the specific information, the target weight value and surplus supply weight for the weight of the powder M to be supplied can be obtained. It is possible to improve the accuracy of supplying the powder M for filling the difference from the value.

In addition, the specific information includes information on the maximum amount of powder M that can be supplied to the packaging material (in this embodiment, the range of one section that can be packaged on the packaging sheet S). Using this information, it is possible to control the packaging sheet S so that the powder M does not overflow.

(Control C)
Control C aims to quickly complete the supply of the powder M, and is control that sequentially switches between a plurality of supply operations in which the supply amount per unit time and the supply accuracy are set to be different.

As for the plurality of supply operations, in this embodiment, a large supply operation as a first supply operation, a medium supply operation as a second supply operation, and a small supply operation as a third supply operation are set. The control unit 6 executes the control of the supply operation by the drug supply unit 2a in the order of large supply operation, medium supply operation, and small supply operation. The medium supply operation is an operation in which the amount of powder M supplied per unit time is smaller and the supply accuracy is higher than in the large supply operation. The small supply operation is an operation in which the amount of powder M supplied per unit time is smaller and the supply accuracy is higher than in the medium supply operation. In this embodiment, the large supply operation is an operation in which the upper transfer body 217 and the lower transfer body 219 continuously rotate with the first supply port 2121 and the second supply port 2122 open. The intermediate supply operation is an operation in which the lower transfer body 219 continuously rotates while only the second supply port 2122 is open. The amount of rotation per unit time in the medium supply operation is set smaller than the amount of rotation per unit time in the large supply operation. The small supply operation is an operation in which the lower transfer body 219 intermittently rotates while only the second supply port 2122 is open. Although the upper transfer body 217 is also rotating during the medium supply operation and the small supply operation, the first supply port 2121 is closed. The lower conveying body 219 functions to feed the powder M downward and directly functions to supply the powder M (that is, the upper conveying body 217 functions indirectly to feed the powder M). functionally).

The "supply accuracy" is, in other words, the degree of approach when the actual supply amount (cumulative amount) approaches the target value of the powder M supply amount. In the present embodiment, the medium supply operation is such that the powder M transported by the upper transfer body 217 is not supplied from the first supply port 2121 and the lower portion narrower than the region 217a between the transfer pieces 2171 of the upper transfer body 217 is provided. Since the powder M transferred by the area 219a between the transfer pieces 2191 of the side transfer body 219 is supplied, compared to the large supply operation in which the powder M transferred by the upper transfer body 217 is supplied from the first supply port 2121. to improve supply accuracy. In addition, in the small supply operation, the lower transfer body 219 is intermittently rotated to feed in the individual transfer areas 219a of the lower transfer body 219, thereby improving the supply accuracy compared to the continuous rotation (medium supply operation). increasing. That is, in the small supply operation, by changing the rotation mode of the lower transfer body 219, the supply accuracy is enhanced.

Further, the control unit 6 controls the supply amount of the powder M based on the target value specified by the user of the medicine packaging device 1 or the like through the instruction input unit 6a. Set the weight value. The first intermediate weight value is a value less than the target value. The first intermediate weight value is set to a value that does not exceed the second intermediate weight value even if excess powder M is supplied by the large supply operation. The second intermediate weight value is less than the target value and greater than the first intermediate weight value. The second intermediate weight value is set to a value such that the detection value by the weight detection unit 5 does not exceed the target value even if excess powder M is supplied by the medium supply operation. The "surplus powder M" is the powder M that is actually supplied after an instruction to stop the supply is issued. The amount of excess powder M varies depending on the specific gravity and fluidity of the powder, so it is determined for each powder M. According to the above setting, the intermediate feeding operation is always performed without omission until the second intermediate weight value is reached. Since the medium supply operation is always performed, it is possible to start the small supply operation in a state where the target value is approached, compared with, for example, suddenly shifting from a large supply operation to a small supply operation with a small supply amount. It is possible to reach the target value.

Next, the flow of control C will be described with reference to FIG. 11, which is a flow chart. First, the operation of the supply operation mechanism 24 when connecting the drive output shaft 241 and the drive input shaft 21C will be described. The drive output shaft 241 moves forward (S1 in FIG. 11) in order to connect to the drug container 21 that has moved to the supply position P1. If the concave-convex fitting of 241 is successful, the connection between the driving output shaft 241 and the driving input shaft 21C is completed (S9, S10 in FIG. 11).

However, for example, when the convex portion of the input fitting portion 21C1 of the drive input shaft 21C and the convex portion of the drive output shaft 241 come into contact with each other, the concave-convex fitting may not be possible. In this case, the forward movement of the drive output shaft 241 stops halfway and, for example, a behavior such as being pushed backward occurs. You can take action to As an operation for reconnection, first, the driving output shaft 241 stops the forward movement (S3 in FIG. 11) and then retreats (S4 in FIG. 11). As a result, the drive output shaft 241 is separated from the drive input shaft 21C, so that the contact between the convex portions is released. This retraction is carried out until the detection of the limit sensor or the like becomes non-detected (S5, S6 in FIG. 11), after which the drive output shaft 241 is rotated by a predetermined angle (S7, S8 in FIG. 11). Specifically, the drive output shaft 241 is rotated by an angle that changes the positional relationship of the protrusions and recesses in the fitting portion. After that, the drive output shaft 241 advances (S1 in FIG. 11). This completes the connection between the drive output shaft 241 and the drive input shaft 21C. Completion of the connection is detected by another sensor (not shown) that detects the position of the correct connection state (S9 in FIG. 11), and the forward movement of the drive output shaft 241 is stopped (S10 in FIG. 11). If the connection fails again, the above operation is performed again (return to S1 in FIG. 11).

As shown in FIG. 11, in this control C, the control section 6 first continuously drives the supply operation mechanism 24 to perform a large supply operation (S11 in FIG. 11). Along with this, the control unit 6 rotates the opening/closing body 21A in the opening direction (S12 in FIG. 11). When the sensor (not shown) detects that the first supply port 2121 and the second supply port 2122 are open (first open state) (S13 in FIG. 11), the opening/closing body 21A stops rotating ( S14 in FIG. 11).

When the value detected by the weight detection unit 5 exceeds the first intermediate weight value, the control unit 6 terminates the large supply operation and instructs the supply operation mechanism 24 to perform the medium supply operation (S15 in FIG. 11). In the medium supply operation, similarly to the large supply operation, the supply operation mechanism 24 is continuously driven (S16 in FIG. 11). Along with this, the control unit 6 rotates the opening/closing body 21A (S17 in FIG. 11). When the sensor (not shown) detects a state in which the first supply port 2121 is closed and the second supply port 2122 is opened (second open state) (S18 in FIG. 11), the opening/closing body 21A stops rotating. (S19 in FIG. 11).

Next, when the value detected by the weight detection unit 5 exceeds the second intermediate weight value, the control unit 6 terminates the medium supply operation and instructs the supply operation mechanism 24 to perform the small supply operation (S20 in FIG. 11). In the small supply operation, continuous driving of the supply operation mechanism 24 is stopped (S21 in FIG. 11), and it is driven intermittently (S22 in FIG. 11). This intermittent drive is repeated until the value detected by the weight detector 5 reaches the target value (S23 in FIG. 11). When the detected value by the weight detector 5 reaches the target value, the controller 6 rotates the opening/closing member 21A (S24 in FIG. 11). When the sensor (not shown) detects that the first supply port 2121 and the second supply port 2122 are closed (fully closed state) (S25 in FIG. 11), the opening/closing member 21A stops rotating (see FIG. 11). 11 S26). Control C ends here.

After control C, the drive output shaft 241 of the supply operation mechanism 24 moves away from the drive input shaft 21C of the drug container 21 (for example, retreats) so that the used drug container 21 can be removed from the supply position P1. ) (S27 in FIG. 11). When a sensor (not shown) detects that the drive output shaft 241 of the supply operation mechanism 24 is separated from the drive input shaft 21C of the drug container 21 (S28 in FIG. 11), the supply operation mechanism 24 stops moving ( S29 in FIG. 11)

During the small supply operation, the control unit 6 of the present embodiment temporarily stops the supply operation of the powder M by the medicine supply unit 2a. can be detected (S21 to S23 in FIG. 11). Since the weight detection can be performed while the supply operation is temporarily stopped, the current supply status of the powder M can be accurately grasped. At this time, if the value detected by the weight detection unit 5 is less than the target value, the control unit 6 restarts the supply operation (S22 in FIG. 11), and the value detected by the weight detection unit 5 reaches the target value. If so (S23 in FIG. 11), the supply operation is terminated (moving to S24 in FIG. 11).

[Possibility of changing the embodiment]
The drug packaging device 1 (including the drug supply device 1A) of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. . In other words, even with respect to configurations not explicitly stated in the above embodiment, it is possible to make changes within the scope of the present invention with respect to configurations that have the same effect as the configurations explicitly described, and it is intentional that the configurations are not explicitly described. It is not excluded from

For example, the drug to be supplied in the drug packaging device 1 or the drug supply device 1A of the present invention is not limited to powder, and may be tablets or capsules.

Moreover, the packaging material is not limited to the packaging sheet S as in the above-described embodiment, and may be, for example, a bottle with a lid such as a vial. The bottle in this case may be made of glass or resin. When the packaging material is a bottle, the bottle is held by the packaging material holding part. Also, the wrapper opening can be configured to remove the lid from the body of the bottle (eg, for a screw lid, the lid is rotated relative to the body of the bottle).

In addition, when the packaging material is a sheet-like body such as the packaging sheet S, it is not limited to being folded in two in advance and wound into a roll as in the above embodiment, and is rolled in a flat state, After being drawn from the roll, it may be configured to be folded in half during transportation.

Further, the sealing of the packaging material is not limited to heat sealing as in the above embodiment, and various types of sealing may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, one dose of the drug is supplied from the drug container 21 to the packaging material at one time. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Also, one dose of the drug may be supplied in multiple doses.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the drug supply unit 2a is provided inside the drug container 21 (integrally with the drug container 21). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the drug supply unit 2a may be provided outside the drug container 21, and it is not essential to be provided integrally with the drug container 21.

By the way, when using the conventional drug supply device, the operator puts the total dose of the drug into the vibrating feeder (or the charging basin). Different types of drugs are put into the drug supply device according to prescriptions. Said drug delivery device was configured to transfer the drug to a disk (or dispensing trough), dispense the drug, and deliver a single dose of the drug to the packaging device. In other words, the conventional drug delivery device involves a process of dispensing prior to delivery. The total dose of drug is delivered in single doses divided by a dispensing mechanism. Therefore, it was necessary to clean the drug passage including the distribution mechanism each time one prescription of the drug was supplied so as to prevent cross-contamination caused by the drug adhering to the distribution mechanism. Therefore, there has been a demand for a configuration in which one dose of medicine is supplied from each medicine container.

The following embodiments provide a drug delivery apparatus that delivers a single dose of drug from each drug container without the need to use a dispensing mechanism such as a vibratory feeder or disk (or input or dispensing basin). The challenge is to

The drug supply device of this embodiment is a drug supply device used for packaging powdered drugs, and includes a drug container that stores the drug and has a supply port at the bottom for dropping the drug. , a medicine supply unit for supplying medicine from the medicine container, and a control unit for controlling the medicine supply unit, wherein the medicine supply unit rotates around a central axis that intersects the bottom of the medicine container, A plurality of outwardly extending transfer pieces are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and have a transfer body that rotates to transfer a drug located in a region between the transfer pieces, and the control unit is configured to: One dose of the drug is supplied by rotating the transfer body, transferring the drug by the transfer body, and supplying the drug from the supply port.

According to the above configuration, a plurality of transfer pieces extending in the radially outer direction are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the transfer body. The amount of drug supplied is stabilized by transferring the Therefore, the amount of medicine to be supplied can be adjusted according to the amount of rotation, and one dose of medicine can be supplied with high accuracy.

A weight detection unit for detecting the weight of the drug supplied from the drug container is further provided, and the control unit detects a target weight value related to the weight of the drug to be supplied and the detected weight value obtained from the weight detection unit. and the control unit intermittently moves the transfer body until the detected weight value obtained from the weight detection unit reaches the target weight value. You can rotate it.

According to the above configuration, the supply amount of the medicine can be adjusted by intermittently rotating the transfer body until the detected weight value obtained from the weight detection unit reaches the target weight value for one dose of medicine. . Therefore, one dose of medicine can be supplied with high precision.

Further, the intermittent rotation may be performed by an angle corresponding to the area between the transfer pieces in the transfer body.

According to the above configuration, by intermittently rotating the transfer body, the drug can be supplied while gradually approaching the target weight value for one dose of the drug. In addition, since the supply amount for each intermittent rotation matches the amount of medicine positioned between the transfer pieces of the transfer body, it is easy to perform control to approach the target weight value.

Further, the storage unit stores the weight value of the drug corresponding to the area between the transfer pieces of the transfer body, and the control unit detects the shortage of the detected weight value obtained from the weight detection unit with respect to the target weight value. The transfer body may be rotated by an angle corresponding to the area between the transfer pieces corresponding to the weight value.

According to the above configuration, it is easy to determine the amount of rotation of the transfer body with respect to the insufficient weight value.

Further, the drug supply unit has an opening/closing body for opening and closing the supply port, and a partitioning body that vertically partitions the inside of the drug container and has an outer peripheral hole and an inner peripheral hole vertically penetrating therethrough. is an upper transfer body arranged above the partition to transfer the drug placed on the partition, the upper transfer body dropping the drug to be transferred from the outer peripheral hole and the inner peripheral hole; and a lower transporting body disposed below the partition, rotating coaxially with the upper transporting body, and transporting the drug dropped from the inner peripheral hole, wherein each transporting piece is positioned above the upper transporting body. a lower transfer body having a narrow space between them, the supply port having a first supply port and a second supply port, the first supply port communicating with the outer peripheral hole; The medicine is dropped from the outer peripheral hole, and the second supply port is provided at a position displaced from the inner peripheral hole in the circumferential direction, and is dropped from the inner peripheral hole and transferred by the lower transfer body. and the opening/closing body opens both the first supply port and the second supply port, or closes the first supply port and opens only the second supply port. The control unit rotates the upper transfer body and the lower transfer body in a state in which the first supply port and the second supply port are opened, and the drug is transferred by the upper transfer body. Then, the medicine is dropped from the outer peripheral hole to be supplied from the first supply port, and the medicine is dropped from the inner peripheral hole to be conveyed by the lower transport body, and the second supply A first supply operation is performed to supply the drug from the mouth, and then the first supply port is closed, the drug is transferred by the upper transfer body, the drug is dropped from the inner peripheral hole, and the lower transfer body The second supply operation may be performed by conveying the medicine through the second supply port and supplying the medicine from the second supply port.

According to the above configuration, the supply amount per unit rotation amount can be increased by the first supply operation when the medicine starts to be supplied, and the supply amount per unit rotation amount can be decreased by the second supply operation when the target amount is approached. For this reason, it is possible to supply the medicine to reach the target amount for one dose with high accuracy in a short time.

According to the above-described embodiments, it is possible to provide a drug supply device that supplies one dose of drug without using a distribution mechanism such as a vibrating feeder or a disk (insertion container or distribution container).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Medicine packaging apparatus 1A... Medicine supply apparatus 2a... Medicine supply part 21... Medicine container 21A... Opening/closing body 21A1... Opening part 21A2... Closing part 21B... Rotation shaft 21C... Drive input shaft 21C1 ... Input fitting portion 211 ... Body portion 212 ... Bottom member 212a ... Upper bottom member 212b ... Lower bottom member 2121 ... Supply port (first supply port) 2122 ... Supply port (second supply port), 2123...Bottom passage 213...Lid portion 214...Tag 215...Agitating body 2151...Rising blade 2152...Horizontal blade 216...Shielding body 2161...Outer peripheral hole shielding body 2162...Inner peripheral hole shielding body 2163... Connecting ring 217... Upper transfer body 217a... Transfer area 2171... Transfer piece 218... Partition body 2181... Peripheral hole 2182... Inner peripheral hole 2183... Peripheral partition part 219... Lower transfer body, 219a... transfer region 2191... transfer piece 24... supply operation mechanism 241... drive output shaft 3... packaging unit 31... packaging material conveying unit 311... packaging material supply unit 312... guide bar 32... sealing unit 4 Moving unit 41 Moving mechanism 5 Weight detecting unit 6 Control unit 6a Instruction input unit 6b Storage unit 7 Packaging material opening unit (partition unit) 71 Container corresponding unit 711 through-hole, 72 opening operation portion, 721 tip, P0 standby position, P1 supply position, M medicine (powder), S packaging material (packaging sheet), Sa opening (packaging sheet) Department

Claims (4)

a plurality of drug containers capable of supplying powder via supply ports;
a moving unit that selectively moves the drug container to a supply position for supplying powdered medicine;
a supply operation mechanism for operating the drug container moved to the supply position to supply powder from the drug container;
A packaging unit that packages the powder with a packaging material,
The medicine packaging device, wherein the supply port is positioned above an opening of the packaging material or inside the packaging material so that the powder medicine supplied from the medicine container is directly put into the packaging material at the supply position. Equipped with a weight detector,
The drug packaging according to claim 1, wherein the weight detection unit detects the weight of the drug supplied from the drug container by detecting the weight of the drug container moved to the supply position by the moving unit. Device. 3. The medicine packaging device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of medicine containers are arranged horizontally above the packaging unit and wait. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein after supplying the powder from the drug container, the powder is supplied from another drug container that has moved to the supply position, and different types of powder are packaged in the same packaging material. Pharmaceutical packaging device as described.

Images