JP2853890B2 - Carry stocker in automatic dispensing system - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a carrier stocker in an automatic dispensing system that automatically performs dispensing processes in relatively large pharmacies such as hospitals.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, relatively large-scale hospital pharmacies receive a large amount and various types of medication for patients, and as a means to reduce the cost of various operations from reception of prescriptions to medication by rationalization. Tend to automate these tasks.

However, it is difficult to automate everything in view of the contents of the work, and naturally, the work of preparing the required medicine according to the prescription must be performed manually. Therefore, when systemizing the dispensing work, there are many methods that are separately treated depending on the form of the handled medicine such as powdered medicine as a medicine and tablets and capsules, as well as liquid medicines, patches, etc. If necessary, each will be dispensed according to prescription in separate departments.
Therefore, if the medicine prepared by each department is sent directly to the transport line as it is, the collation with the prescription and the inspection work become very complicated, and the function of the system is impaired. In order to process this efficiently, medicines prepared in each dispensing department are temporarily stored in a stocker for each department and made to stand by.

Until all the dispensing is completed in each of these departments, we will have the carrier waiting to accept prescription medication,
When the dispensing according to the prescription is completed, the system sequentially moves to the stocker of each dispensing department by conveyor, receives the required prepared drug, transports it to the audit process, and after the audit, transports it to the medication / accounting counter. Conceivable. As a carrier for receiving and transporting the preparation, for example, a box with a bar code is convenient. Of course, the carriers need to have a preset number one by one and be identified at each work location.

Therefore, in order to prepare a large number of such carriers and operate them while taking them in and out sequentially, a device for conveniently storing the carriers is required.

Problem to be solved: From such a viewpoint, when constructing an automatic dispensing system, the storage of carriers is directly connected to the conveyor line, and operation is performed three-dimensionally, so that loading and unloading is not wasted, and the installation space can be reduced, which is effective. It is thought that it will be able to perform a simple operation.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vertical carry stocker which is installed at a key point of an automatic dispensing system, and which can easily carry in and out of a carry and can be stored by an instruction from an operation command unit.

Means for Solving the Problems: The carry stocker in the automatic dispensing system according to the present invention comprises: (a) a main body formed in a vertically elongated box shape; (b) provided in the main body, and arranged in multiple stages at required intervals. (C) a storage rack having a receiving / paying drive unit for receiving and paying out a carry on each of the shelves, and (c) ascending and descending the inside of the main body along a guide rail at one side of the storage shelf, and moving the carry with the storage shelf. (D) receiving and discharging of a carry to and from each conveyor line disposed on the front of the lift and disposed outside the main body in two vertical stages. And a transfer mechanism in the elevating device, wherein the transfer mechanism in the elevating device includes a driving body that is driven forward and reverse in a carry receiving and paying direction. The payment drive units are provided on both sides of the carry mounting portion of each shelf, are configured to be operated independently, and to move the carry in both directions from the both sides in the payment / reception direction, and drive the reception / payment drive unit and the transfer mechanism. The apparatus is characterized in that the body is driven in conjunction with the body to receive and pay out the carry to and from the storage shelf.

As storage shelves in the present invention, on both sides of the carrier mounting portion of each shelf, on one side, a belt driven forward and reverse in the direction of receiving and dispensing the carrier, the other is provided with rollers at a plurality of locations, facing each other, It is desirable to provide a drive unit which receives or discharges the carrier between the rollers and the belt with the carrier interposed therebetween. In addition, as the drive unit of the carrier, a system in which a belt is stretched on both sides to be driven or a system in which a plurality of drive rollers are provided on both sides can be adopted. of course,
It is desirable that the carrier receiving side from the lifting device is widened so that the carrier can be easily received, so that the carrier can be easily introduced. In addition, it is preferable to provide a sensor in order to determine the position at which the carrier is stopped on the shelf.

In addition, a transfer mechanism that is driven forward and reverse in the direction of receiving and paying the storage shelf is provided on the carrier of the elevating device, so that the carrier mounted or carried by the transfer mechanism can be moved forward and backward. desirable. As the transfer mechanism, an endless belt, an endless chain, a large number of drive rollers, or the like can be adopted.

Further, on the conveyor connected to the discharging mechanism of the stocker of the present invention, a vertically movable transfer mechanism that is transferred from the elevator to the conveyor without contacting the traveling drive of the conveyor when the carrier is sent out is provided. It is desirable to provide.

Action: Since the stocker of the present invention has such a configuration, it is mainly arranged that the stocker is arranged at a required position of the automatic dispensing system, and the dispensing based on the prescription is completed at each dispensing section, and these are collected and transferred to an audit. When given from the operation unit, the carrier of the elevating device that has been waiting rises to the shelf position where the required number of carriers is stored. When the upper surface of the shelf at that position and the upper surface of the transfer mechanism on the carrier are at the same level, the drive unit and the transfer mechanism of the shelf are driven in the same direction, and the carrier is transferred from the storage shelf to the carrier. When the completion of acceptance of the carrier is confirmed by the sensor on the transporter, the drive of the transfer mechanism is stopped and the transporter is lowered to the discharge section. During this time, the drive unit of the shelf to which the carrier has been sent is stopped. The carrier on the transporter that has reached the discharge position is moved in reverse to the transfer mechanism, is transferred to the transfer mechanism on the conveyor waiting to receive the carrier, and is transported on the conveyor to the auditing department.

When the carrier is received in the stocker, it is sent from a conveyor located above the discharge conveyor onto a carrier waiting in the main body. The receiving part in the main body of the carrier is also provided with a vertically movable type transfer mechanism incorporated on the conveyor line in the above-mentioned discharge part, whereby the drive force of the conveyor line is once insulated and transferred onto the carrier. The carrier can be transferred and operated automatically.

When the carrier is stored on the storage shelf, it is sent to the empty address shelf according to the instruction from the control unit.The carrier is laterally fed with the bottom supported by the transfer mechanism on the carrier, and the side of the carrier is When it comes into contact with the drive belt or the like on the shelf side, the both sides are sandwiched and drawn into the shelf to be transferred and stored.

According to the stocker of the present invention, according to the present invention, a carrier which is kept waiting until a medicine to be dispensed is received is one in which the receiving and paying between the storage shelf and the transport line is performed by a single transporter between the receiving side and the paying out side. So that it is separated into two stages,
Both the conveyor and the lifting device's transporter and storage shelves are individually operated in cooperation with the independent lateral movement mechanism, and are configured to move the carriers sequentially, in a narrow space without the need for complicated mechanisms. It can be processed effectively.

Embodiments The following description will explain one embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view schematically showing the stocker 10 of the present invention, and shows only a part of storage shelves 20 provided in multiple stages. In this figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a vertically long box-shaped main body formed at a required height, and a front lower portion thereof (this surface is described as a front surface, but the present invention is not limited thereto) is bulged to form a bulge portion 12. A carrier receiving section 13 and a discharging section 14 are provided in two stages in the upper and lower sections, and are respectively connected to a conveyor line connecting a dispensing system. Also, inside the main body 11, a storage shelf 20
Are provided in multiple stages, and a lifting device 30 is provided on the near side.

FIG. 2 shows one shelf 21 constituting the storage shelf 20, and this shelf 21 is provided with drive units 25 on both sides of a shelf plate 22.
Are held in the main body 11 at a required interval in the vertical direction in multiple stages by the two frames 23, 23 '. The drive unit 25 provided on the side of the shelf 21 has a belt 26 driven forward and reverse by a drive motor 26 ′ in one frame 23 so that the carrier 60 receiving side is parallel to the shelf 21 center line. It is wound and stretched by pulleys arranged at a plurality of locations.
A plurality of shafts 27 ′ vertically attached at appropriate intervals are provided in the other frame 23 ′ facing the drive belt 26.
In addition, there are provided rollers 27 that move freely. The rollers 27 and the drive surface side (the side facing the rollers 27) of the drive belt 26 prevent the carrier 60 received on the shelf 21 from being pinched and moved. Note that the front end side of the shelf plate 22 surface of the shelf 21 is inclined so that the carrier 60 can be easily received, and the front end side portions of the drive belt 26 and the floating roller 27 are also widened. In the figure, reference numeral 28 denotes a belt for transmitting power from the pulley 26 "on the shaft of the drive motor 26 'to the pulley 26b on the belt drive shaft 26a. 29 is a sensor for confirming the acceptance of the carrier 60, and 29' is dispensing of the carrier 60. Is a sensor to check.

The shelves 21 having the above-described drive units 25 constituting the storage shelves 20 are preferably provided in multiple stages at intervals slightly higher than the height at which the carrier 60 can be received within an allowable range.

FIG. 3 shows the main part of the lifting device 30.
The transporter 31 is guided by a guide rail 32 with a rack gear 33 provided in the main body 11, and is wound around a sprocket 34 '(or pulley) provided at an upper portion in the main body 11, and has a counterweight 34 "on the other. Suspended chain 34
(Or hanging rope) Connect the ends to drive motor 33
A pinion (not shown) meshing with the rack gear 33 is driven by m (see FIG. 1) to move up and down. Further, on the transporter 31, a plurality of endless belts 36 (transverse ridges on the surface,
Alternatively, it is preferable that the contact friction with the bottom of the carrier provided with a large number of projections is high), and is wound around the pulleys 36a, 36a on the shafts 36 ', 36 "in the direction of moving forward and backward with respect to the storage shelf 20. The endless belt 36
The power is transmitted to a drive shaft 36 'by a motor 36m mounted on a carrier and is driven forward and reverse. It should be noted that sensors 37 'and 37' for detecting the receiving and discharging of the carrier 60 are provided on the frame 37. A position sensor 38 is disposed at the front end or the rear end of the transporter 31, and a sensor panel 39 for detecting the position of each shelf 21 of the storage shelf 20 is disposed in the main body 11 facing the position sensor 38.

With respect to each of the shelves 21 of the storage shelf 20, the transporter 31 of the elevating device 30 is associated so as to be able to ascend and descend at a position close to the shelves 21 with a gap that does not make contact during elevating.

Next, FIG. 4 shows the structure of the carrier receiving mechanism 40 and the discharging mechanism 50 connected to the carrier receiving part 13 and the discharging part 14 provided in the bulging part 12 of the main body 11. FIG. The two mechanisms 40 and 50 have substantially the same configuration, and the lower side has a receiving mechanism 40 in the stocker 10.
The upper part is a discharge mechanism 50 connected to a conveyor 70 connected to the inspection department.

The carrier receiving mechanism 40 includes a plurality of roller conveyors 41 connected to a conveyor 70 (see FIG. 5) on a feed side in the dispensing system, and a roller conveyor 41 in which the conveyor rollers 42 are arranged at required intervals. A pair of frames 43 supporting the roller conveyor 41, and two transfer belts 45 and a supporting frame 46, which are disposed at an intermediate position of the roller conveyor 41 so as to be orthogonal to the flow direction of the roller conveyor 41, and support It comprises lifting means 47 for vertically moving the transfer belt 45 via a frame 46.

Power is transmitted to a single roller shaft 42 ′ by a motor 44 attached to a frame 43 of the conveyor roller 42.
Power is sequentially transmitted from 2 'to each of the other roller shafts by a known means such as a belt and the like, so that they rotate simultaneously. The transfer belt 45 receives power from a motor 45m attached to the support frame 46 and is driven forward and backward. The support frame 46 of the transfer belt 45 is supported by a plurality of columns 46 ′ so as to be movable up and down.
The vertical motion cam 48 (not limited to this, for example, a pantograph jack can be adopted) is driven by the deceleration motor 47m on the base 47 'constituting the When in the position, the upper surface of the transfer belt 45 is kept at a position lower than the transport surface of the conveyor roller 42, and when the support frame 46 is at the upper limit position, the upper surface of the transfer belt 45 is located above the transport surface of the conveyor roller 42. It has been like that. 49 is a stopper for the carrier 60 attached to the support frame 46.

The discharge mechanism 50 of the carrier 60 has the same configuration as the receiving mechanism 40 described above, and a plurality of conveyor rollers 52 that are connected to a return conveyor 70 (see FIG. 5) in the dispensing system are arranged at required intervals. Roller conveyor arranged
51, a pair of frames 53 supporting the roller conveyor 51 disposed on the receiving plate 52, and two transfer belts 55 arranged at an intermediate position between the roller conveyors 51 and orthogonal to the flow direction of the conveyor. And a supporting frame 56 thereof, and elevating means 57 for vertically moving the transfer belt 55 via the supporting frame 56.
It is composed of Note that the drive section of the transfer belt 55 and the lifting / lowering means 57 for vertically moving the transfer belt 55 are the same as those of the receiving mechanism 40, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The stocker 10 of the present invention configured as described above is, for example, provided at a position away from the dispensing section of the dispensing system as shown in FIG. Is used, for example, in the medicine bag printing department, where the carrier 60 who has received the medicine bag filled out with the requirements is held on standby until the medicine is received. The conveyor 70 line is arranged in upper and lower two stages, the lower stage is for the carrier 60 feeding process, and the upper stage is for the carrier.
60 are used in the process of receiving preparations in each dispensing department and returning to the audit department.

In order for the stocker 10 to receive and store the carrier 60, the carrier 60 is transported by the lower conveyor 70 to the stocker.
When the roller is conveyed to the position 10 and enters the roller conveyor 41 of the receiving mechanism 40 connected to the conveyor 70, the stopper 49 attached to the support frame 46 of the transfer belt 45 is transported in advance by an instruction from the control unit. The carrier 60 is received on the roller conveyor 41 by the stopper 49 because it projects upward. So the transfer belt
45 is raised by the operation of the lifting / lowering means 47 and is transferred from the roller conveyor 41 onto the transfer belt 45 and lifted. Next, when the transfer belt 45 is driven to rotate forward, the transfer belt 45
The upper carrier 60 is transferred from the receiving portion 13 of the main body 11 onto the carrier 31 of the elevating device 30 which has been waiting in advance. At this time
The transfer mechanism 35 on the base 31 also rotates in the forward direction, and the endless belt 36
Receive Carry 60 on top. The sensors 37 ', 37'
When it is confirmed that the carrier 60 has been correctly received on the transporter 31 by the operation of, the transfer mechanism 35 stops operating, and then the transporter 31 moves the required shelf 21 of the storage shelf 20 according to an instruction from the control unit. The carrier 31 of the elevating device 30 is moved up and down by the lifting drive motor 33m mounted on the carrier 31 as described above, and is operated by the engagement between the rack gear 33 attached to the guide rail 32 and the pinion. At a position facing the guide rail 32, the lifting and lowering is carried out with a balance by the suspension chain 34 connected to the counterweight 34 ". In this way, the carrier 60 can be raised and lowered with a small power by effectively using a narrow space. Alternatively, two parallel guide rails may be used as a lift guide for the transporter 31.

When the transporter 31 reaches the required shelf 21 position, the level of the shelf 21 and the upper surface of the transfer mechanism 35 of the transporter 31 are adjusted by the position sensor 38, and the lift of the transporter 31 stops. Then transporter
The transfer mechanism 35 on the front 31 is driven to rotate forward, and the drive unit 25 attached to the shelf 21 is operated accordingly. Accordingly, the carrier 60 mounted on the carrier 31 advances to the shelf 21 side by driving the endless belt 36 as shown in FIG. 6, and is driven by the drive belt 26 and the roller 27 of the drive unit 25 on the shelf 21 side. The carrier 60 is sandwiched on both sides, and the carrier 60 is guided to a predetermined position on the shelf 22 by the travel of the drive belt 26.
At this time, the carrier 60 is given a moving force by the drive belt 26, and the roller 27 is
It functions to maintain the contact force with and facilitate movement. Whether or not the carrier 60 is securely received on the shelf 21 is confirmed by the sensors 29, 29 ', and when the transfer of the carrier 60 is completed, the operation of the drive belt 26 and the operation of the endless belt 36 on the carrier 31 are stopped, The transporter 31 descends and returns to the standby position. In addition, at the same time as the start of raising of the transporter 31, the transfer belt 45 raising / lowering means 47 of the receiving mechanism 40 is operated to descend, and returns to the state of receiving the next carrier 60.

In order to remove the carrier 60 stored in the storage shelf 20 from the stocker 10 for receiving the dispensed medicine, the empty transporter 31 is operated in the reverse operation to the above according to an instruction from the control unit.
Is moved to the position of the shelf 21 required to be taken out. Thereafter, the drive unit 25 of the shelf 21 operates in reverse, and the carrier 60 on the shelf 21 is sent out to the carrier 31 side by the reverse rotation drive of the drive belt 26. This shelf
When the carrier 60 is discharged from 21, the discharge is confirmed by the sensors 29 and 29 '. When the carrier 60 is completely transferred, the transporter 31 descends to the discharge portion 14 of the main body 11. In the discharge section 14, the discharge mechanism 50 at the opposing position raises the transfer belt 55 above the conveying surface of the roller conveyor 51 by a command and stands by, and the level matches the upper surface of the transfer belt 55. By operating the endless belt 36 of the transporter 31 in the discharge direction, the removed carrier 60 is transported by the transporter 31.
It is transferred onto the transfer belt 55 of the discharge mechanism 50 from above. In addition,
During this time, a stopper (not shown) interlocking with the support frame 56 of the transfer belt 55 protrudes from the transport surface on the roller conveyor 51, and the carrier 60 is moved by the roller conveyor 51 to the conveyor 70 unless the transfer belt 55 is lowered to the lowermost limit. Is not sent to the upper stage.

After the carrier 60 is transferred onto the roller conveyor 51 and the movement inhibiting force of the stopper is removed, the carrier 60 is transferred to the conveyor 70 in the return process and sent to the dispensing receiving position of each dispensing section.

When the carrier 31 sends out the carrier 60, the new carrier 60 is stored or taken out according to the following instructions.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway overall perspective view showing the outline of the carry stocker of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one shelf part constituting a storage shelf, and FIG. 3 is a main part of an elevating device. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a perspective view of a carrier receiving / discharging portion of the stocker, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the arrangement of the stocker, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a transfer mode of a carrier between the two. 10 ... Stocker, 11 ... Main body 12 ... Swelling part, 13 ... Receiving part 14 ... Discharge part, 20 ... Storage shelf 21 ... Shelves, 22 ... Shelves 23,23 '... Frame, 25 Drive unit 26 Belt 26 'Drive motor 27 Roller 29, 29' Sensor 30 Lifting device 31, Carrier 32 Guide rail, 33 Rack gear 33m … Lifting drive motor 34… chain, 34 ′… sprocket 34 ″… counter weight 35… transfer mechanism, 36… endless belt 36m …… motor for driving the belt of the transfer mechanism 37… frame 37 ′… Sensor 38… Position sensor that knows the position of the storage shelf 39… Sensor panel 40… Carry receiving mechanism 41,51… Roller conveyor 42,52… Conveyor rollers 43,53 …… Frame, 45 , 55 ... Transfer belt 46,56 ... Support frame 47,57 ... Elevating means, 44,45m, 47m ... Mo TA 46 ': Support, 47': Base 48: Up / down operation cam, 49: Stopper 50: Discharge mechanism, 60: Carry 70: Conveyor

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] (A) a main body formed in a vertically elongated box shape; (b) a receiving / paying drive for receiving / paying a carry to each shelf provided in the main body and arranged in multiple stages at required intervals. A storage rack having a unit; and (c) a lifting / lowering device including a transporter having a transfer mechanism for raising and lowering the inside of the main body along a guide rail at one side of the storage rack and transferring a carry to and from the storage rack. And (d) a receiving mechanism and a discharging mechanism for receiving and discharging a carry to and from each of the conveyor lines disposed on the front side of the elevating device and arranged in two stages above and below the main body, respectively. The transfer mechanism in the apparatus includes a drive unit that is driven forward and reverse in the carry-receipt / pay-out direction. It is configured to be actuated and to move the carry in the pick-and-place direction while sandwiching the carry from both sides, and the receiving / paying drive unit and the driving body of the transfer mechanism are driven in conjunction with each other to carry / receive the carry to / from the storage shelf. A carry stocker in an automatic dispensing system, characterized in that it is configured to be operated. 2. A drive unit for carrying and receiving a carry in the storage shelf, comprising: a belt that is driven to rotate forward / reverse in the carry / receive direction of one of the carriers; The carry stocker in the automatic dispensing system according to claim 1, wherein the carry is moved while sandwiching the carry with the belt. 3. A drive unit for carrying and receiving a carry in the storage shelf, wherein a belt moving in a carry receiving and paying direction is provided on both sides, and one or both belts are positive and negative.
The carry stocker in the automatic dispensing system according to claim 1, wherein the carry stocker is driven in reverse.