JP3322408B2 - Automatic tablet packaging machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic tablet packaging machine, and more particularly to a tablet storage and supply unit arranged in a tablet supply mechanism for selectively and automatically supplying various tablets. Thus, it is possible to reliably detect a tablet which is separated and supplied one by one from a tablet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a tablet detecting device in this kind of automatic tablet packaging machine, there is one having a configuration as disclosed in, for example, JP-A-3-98822.

[0003] In such a conventional tablet detecting device, a space is provided between a light-emitting portion composed of a light-emitting element (LED) and a light-receiving portion composed of a phototransistor, and light emission blocked by dropping a tablet into this space is provided. Tablet detection is performed by utilizing the fact that the voltage between the collector and the emitter of the phototransistor is increased by the change in the amount of light from the section to the light receiving section.

[0004]

However, in the above-described conventional tablet detecting device, the tablet directivity and the radiation intensity or the light sensitivity between the light emitting part and the light receiving part cause variation in the tablet detecting area. An area with low sensitivity such as a dead zone may occur.

[0005] When a small tablet having a low signal output of a phototransistor, for example, usually passes through such a dead zone, the tablet cannot be detected, and there is a problem that reliability is greatly affected.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic tablet packaging machine capable of detecting a tablet accurately and reliably.
Is to provide.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention relates to a tablet comprising a plurality of tablet storage supplies in which various tablets are stored in an upper part in a tablet packaging machine main body. A supply mechanism is provided, and an automatic packaging mechanism is disposed below the supply mechanism, and the tablets are separated one by one via the tablets stored in the tablet storage and supply unit and dropped and supplied to the automatic packaging mechanism. In an automatic tablet packaging machine provided with a tablet detecting device for detecting a tablet falling on the way of the tablet falling path, the tablet detecting device has a planar shape.
An empty portion of the center and falling passage of the tablet in the substantially U-shape, and a and a light receiving portion illuminating portion is facing in the horizontal direction and exist between the drop <br/> under passage, these light-emitting portion and a light diffusing plate provided on the light emitting surface and the light-receiving surface of each light receiving portion, and the hollow portion of the tablet detecting device
The light emitting portion and to the light projection direction perpendicular between the light receiving portion definitive
The light reflecting plate is provided at a position facing the front side.

[0008]

That is, according to the present invention, since a light diffusing plate is provided on the light emitting surface of the light emitting portion and the light receiving surface of the light receiving portion which are opposed to each other in the horizontal direction with the tablet drop passage interposed therebetween, The projected light and the light incident on the light receiving unit are made uniform without unevenness.

Further, since a light reflecting plate is provided on the side surface of the falling passage perpendicular to the light projection direction between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit, the light is diffused from the light emitting unit via the light diffusing plate and projected. The light thus reflected is reflected by the light reflection plate and reaches the light receiving portion side, whereby the tablet can be reliably detected in a low-sensitivity region such as a dead zone.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an external view of an automatic tablet packaging machine equipped with a tablet detecting device according to the present invention. Denotes a tablet packaging machine body.

As shown in FIG. 3, a tablet supply mechanism 10 to be described later is provided in an upper portion of the tablet packaging machine main body 1, and a tablet selectively supplied from the tablet supply mechanism 10 is provided in a lower portion thereof. Automatic packaging mechanism units 60 (described later), which are automatically packaged and discharged, are arranged.

In the lower part of the front side F of the main body 1 of the tablet packaging machine, an opening 2 serving as an exchange port for medicine package sheets and an inspection / maintenance operation port is provided with the automatic packaging mechanism 60.
The opening 2 is provided with a door body 3 which can be opened and closed freely.

The door body 3 is guided and engaged with guide rails 4 provided on both right and left sides of the tablet packaging machine body 1 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. It is suspended by a pair of left and right constant load suspension mechanisms 6 attached to a fixed frame 5 in the upper part of the tablet packaging machine main body 1.

The pair of left and right constant load suspension mechanisms 6, 6
The door body 3 is constituted by a band spring having the same load as that of the door body 3, and the door body 3 can be freely stopped at an arbitrary opening position by the balance.

In the figure, reference numerals 7 and 7 denote a pair of right and left magnets mounted on the fixed frame 5 with the constant load suspending mechanisms 6 and 6 interposed therebetween. The magnet catch plates 8, 8 provided at the upper end of the door body 3 correspond to the magnet catch plates 8, 8, respectively.
As shown in FIG. 4, the magnets 7 are attracted to the door body 3 at the uppermost open position of the door body 3 so that the door body 3 can be stably and reliably held and fixed.

That is, the tablet supply mechanism section 10 includes a cylindrical casing 11 having a large number of storage sections formed in a plane rectangular shape and divided into a plane lattice,
And a tablet storage and supply unit 20 inserted into each storage unit and arranged in a horizontal plane, and disposed at the lower part of the casing 11 and selectively supplied by a fixed amount from the tablet storage and supply unit 20 at a constant rate. And a pair of left and right belt conveyors 50 and 50 as first tablet conveying means for receiving tablets falling from the hopper 40.

On the other hand, the automatic packaging mechanism 60 is provided with a shutter conveyor 7 as a second tablet conveying means disposed at the lower center of the pair of left and right belt conveyors 50, 50.
0, and the tablets from the belt conveyors 50, 50 dropped onto the shutter conveyor 70 are placed in the medicine package sheet 101 continuously fed from the medicine package sheet feeding section 200 in which the medicine package sheet roll 100 is loaded. A heat sealing mechanism 300 for feeding and heat sealing; a cutting mechanism 400 for cutting the medicine package sheet 101 heat sealed as a package by the heat sealing mechanism 300;
The package transport mechanism 5 for transporting the package cut at 00 to an outlet 9 opened on the upper side surface of the tablet packaging machine body 1.
00.

The casing 11 of the tablet supply mechanism 10
Tablet storage and supply body 20 inserted and arranged in each storage section in the
As shown in FIG. 5, various tablets are placed at the upper end 21a.
The tablet case 21 includes a cylindrical tablet case 21 made of a transparent synthetic resin body accommodated from the side, and a driving unit 23 to which a lower end portion 21 b of the tablet case 21 is connected via a joint member 22.

In the tablet case 21, there is provided an alignment plate 24 connected to a swing arm 23a which is rocked by a motor (not shown) of the drive portion 23. The tablets housed in the tablet case 21 are aligned by the swinging motion of the swing arm 23a, and the tablets are separated and dropped one by one toward the passage 24a below the tablet case 21.

In the drawing, reference numeral 25 denotes the joint member 22.
Tablet detection device installed on a drive unit 23 to which a tablet case 21 and an alignment board 24 are connected by means of FIGS .
As shown in FIG. 5 , the plane shape is substantially U-shaped, and the central empty portion is formed.
And a fall path 24a for tablets falling from the alignment plate 24.
The light emitting section 26 is composed of a light emitting element having a passage 24a interposed therebetween in the horizontal direction, and a light receiving section 27 composed of a phototransistor receiving light from the light emitting section 26.

That is, the tablet detection device 25 counts tablets by passing the tablets separated one by one by the alignment board 24 between the light emitting section 26 and the light receiving section 27. The light emitting surface 26a of the light emitting unit 26 and the light receiving surface 27a of the light receiving unit 27
Light diffusing plates 28 each having a waveform on one inner side are provided, and thereby, the light projected from the light emitting unit 26 and the light incident on the light receiving unit 27 are made uniform without being offset.

In the drawing, reference numeral 29 denotes a surface perpendicular to the light projection direction between the light emitting section 26 and the light receiving section 27,
The light reflecting plate 29 is formed of a metal plate or a white plate polished to a mirror surface, and is provided from the light emitting unit 26 to the light diffusing plate 2.
8 is reflected so as to reach the light receiving unit 27 side, so that when the tablet detecting device 25 is installed on the driving unit 23 of the tablet storage / supply unit 20, a joint is formed. The tablet can be reliably detected in a low-sensitivity region such as a dead zone d formed on the outer surface side surrounded by the member 22.

Further, in the figure, reference numeral 30 denotes a cap made of a transparent synthetic resin body removably covered on the upper end 21a of the tablet case 21.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a lid 32 made of a transparent synthetic resin body hinged by a pin 31 is provided on the upper surface of the cap 30 so as to be openable and closable. Are formed so as to be inclined in the shape of a vertical cross section “F”, and on the upper surface 33 thereof, storage portions 34 and 35 for storing a tablet sample drug A and a desiccant B and a drug name card C And display portions 36 on which the number card D of the doublet case 21 can be arranged.

On the other hand, the lid 32 having a vertical cross section of "F" is used.
On the inner side of the rising end face 37, there is formed an insertion groove 38 in which, for example, a medicine name card C or a number card D of the doublet case 21 can be arranged, and the medicine name card C inserted and arranged in this insertion groove 38 is formed. The number card D and the like of the doublet case 21 can be seen through from the outside of the rising end face 37. The rising end face 37 is formed in an arc-shaped concave surface so that a finger or the like can easily be caught, and is used as a handle for opening and closing. I have.

Further, the cap 30 covered on the upper end 21a of each of the doublet cases 21 is provided with a cap 30 as shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the tablet case 21 is arranged in a saw-tooth shape along the front-rear direction of the tablet packaging machine main body 1, whereby each tablet case 21 is arranged from both front and rear sides of the front side F and the rear side R of the tablet packaging machine main body 1. The names of the tablets stored in the tablets can be easily checked visually.

In the above embodiment, the light reflecting plate 29 provided on the tablet detecting device 25 is provided on the outer surface in the direction perpendicular to the light projection direction.
The inner surface of the tablet detecting device 25 is polished so as to have a mirror surface so that it can be used as a light reflecting plate. If the inner surface of the tablet detecting device 25 cannot be used as a mirror surface, light reflecting plates 29 are provided on both inner and outer side surfaces. Can be

[0028]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, a light diffusing plate is provided on the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving surface of the light-receiving portion which are horizontally opposed to each other with a tablet drop passage therebetween. Since it is provided, the light projected from the light emitting unit and the light incident on the light receiving unit can be made uniform without unevenness.

Further, a position facing a direction perpendicular to the light projection direction between the light emitting section and the light receiving section in the empty space of the tablet detecting device.
Since the light reflecting plate is provided, the light diffused and projected from the light emitting unit through the light diffusing plate is reflected by the light reflecting plate and reaches the light receiving unit side, thereby, such as a dead zone. It is possible to reliably detect a tablet in a low sensitivity region.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of a tablet detection device installed in an automatic tablet packaging machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of an automatic tablet packaging machine.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an internal configuration of the automatic tablet packaging machine.

FIG. 4 is an essential part cross-sectional view showing a holding state of the door body at an uppermost open position.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a tablet case which is a tablet storage and supply body inserted into the tablet supply mechanism.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part showing a cap-covered state and an open / closed state of a lid at the upper end of the tablet case.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement state of a lid of a cap covered on an upper end portion of the tablet case.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Tablet packaging machine main body, 10 ... Tablet supply mechanism part, 20 ... Tablet storage supply body, 21 ... Tablet case, 21a ... Upper end part, 24 ... Alignment board, 24a. ..Passage, 25 ... tablet detecting device, 26 ... light emitting portion, 26a ... light emitting surface, 27 ... light receiving portion, 27a ... light receiving surface, 28 ... light diffusion plate, 29 ... ..Light reflection plate, 60 ... automatic packaging mechanism.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-64-35342 (JP, A) JP-A-51-1172 (JP, A) JP-A-2-48502 (JP, U) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65B 1/00-3/36

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A tablet supply mechanism is provided at an upper portion of a main body of a tablet packaging machine, in which a number of tablet storage supplies for storing various types of tablets are arranged, and an automatic packaging mechanism is provided at a lower portion thereof. A tablet that separates tablets one by one via the tablets stored in the tablet storage and supply unit and drops and supplies them to the automatic packaging mechanism unit, and detects tablets that are falling on the way of the tablet falling path. In an automatic tablet packaging machine equipped with a detection device, the tablet detection device has a substantially U-shaped planar shape and a central empty portion as a tablet drop passage, and the tablet pass device is horizontally opposed with the drop passage interposed therebetween. A light diffusing plate on the light emitting surface and light receiving surface of each of the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit, and between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit in the empty space of the tablet detection device. Attach the light reflector at a position facing at right angles to the light projection direction. An automatic tablet packaging machine provided .