JP5400757B2 - Tablet supply device, unpacking system and tablet unpacking method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tablet supply device used in hospitals, dispensing pharmacies, and the like, and in particular, a tablet supply device that takes out and supplies tablets from a tablet sheet in which a plurality of tablets are enclosed in a tablet container, a depacking system, and a tablet depackaging Regarding the method.

Conventionally, in hospitals and dispensing pharmacies, a tablet supply device that supplies a medicine prescribed by a doctor is used. As a tablet supply apparatus, there is one provided with a plurality of tablet cases for storing tablets (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In the said tablet supply apparatus, the tablet which is not individually packaged is moved and used for a tablet case. Tablets that are not individually packaged (so-called rose tablets) tend to increase in stock because of the large quantity contained in the sales unit. In particular, since generic drugs have been widely used in recent years, it is necessary to prepare many types of tablets, and the problem of increased inventory tends to occur. Moreover, in the said tablet supply apparatus, in order to avoid the quality change of a tablet, measures, such as moisture removal in a tablet case, were needed.
A tablet sheet (a so-called PTP sheet) in which tablets are packaged one by one has a small number of tablets included in the sales unit, and therefore can reduce the inventory. For this reason, use of a tablet sheet is being studied.
In the case of using a tablet packaged in a tablet sheet, it takes time to take out the tablet. Therefore, an apparatus for taking out the tablet from the tablet sheet has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 2). This tablet taking-out device is provided with a pressing roller, and the tablet can be taken out by pressing the tablet enclosure with this pressing roller. When taking out a tablet, the sealing sheet (metal foil etc.) provided in the back side of the tablet sheet is torn and the tablet is taken out.

JP 2003-237702 A JP 2004-131149 A

However, in the said tablet extraction apparatus, since there exists a possibility that the fragment of a sealing sheet (metal foil etc.) may isolate | separate and mix in a tablet at the time of extraction of a tablet, the measure which prevents fragment mixing was needed. In addition, it has been a problem to prevent the tablet from being damaged when the tablet is taken out.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is a tablet supply device, a depackaging system, and a tablet decapsulation method that are excellent in workability during tablet supply and that can prevent fragmentation of the sealing sheet and breakage of the tablets. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following configuration.
The tablet supply device of the present invention is a tablet supply device that takes out and supplies a tablet from a tablet sheet in which a plurality of tablets are enclosed in a tablet container, and is taken out by one or a plurality of tablet take-out units and the tablet take-out unit. A supply unit that supplies the tablets, and the tablet take-out unit is transported by the tablet sheet storage unit that can store one or a plurality of tablet sheets, a transport mechanism that transports the tablet sheets, and the transport mechanism A mounting table on which the tablet sheet is mounted; and an extrusion mechanism that takes out the tablet by pressing the tablet housing portion of the tablet sheet on the mounting table. The mounting table is removed by the extrusion mechanism. A discharge port through which the tablet is dropped into the supply unit, and the extrusion mechanism includes a tablet pressing unit that presses the tablet storage unit, and the tablet pressing unit. A driving mechanism that moves the tablet storage unit in a direction approaching the tablet storage unit, the tablet pressing unit includes an inner pressing body that presses a central portion of the tablet storage unit, and a tablet storage unit that is an outer portion of the central portion. The tablet supply device includes an outer pressing body to be pressed, and the inner pressing body and the outer pressing body can perform the pressing operation independently.
In the tablet supply device of the present invention, the outer pressing body has a pair of facing wall portions facing each other and one side wall portion provided between one edge portions of the facing wall portions. It is preferable that the lower edge part of the side wall part can press the tablet accommodating part, and the inner pressing body can be inserted into a space surrounded by the facing wall part and the one side wall part.
In the tablet supply device of the present invention, the drive mechanism includes a first lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the outer pressing body, and a second lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the inner pressing body, and the first lifting mechanism includes the outer lifting mechanism. A first elevating body to which the pressing body is attached; and a cam for elevating the first elevating body; wherein the second elevating mechanism is a second elevating body to which the inner pressing body is attached; A cam for raising and lowering the elevating body, and the cam of the first elevating mechanism and the cam of the second elevating mechanism are operable independently of each other with respect to the first elevating body and the second elevating body, respectively. It is preferable.
The tablet supply device of the present invention comprises a pair of main supports that can move in a direction in which the mounting table approaches and separates from each other, and a pair of end supports that can move in a direction in which they approach and separate from each other, The discharge port is an opening surrounded by the pair of main support members and the pair of end support members, and the end support members are inclined with respect to the approaching and separating directions. And at least a part of the inclined portion can be disposed between the pair of main supports, and the end support moves in a direction toward and away from each other, whereby the inclined portion It is preferable that the distance between the pair of main supports can be adjusted.
The unpacking system of the present invention is a unpacking system including the tablet supply device and a packaging device for packaging the tablets supplied from the tablet supply device.
The tablet unpacking method of the present invention is a method of taking out and supplying a tablet from a tablet sheet using the tablet supply device, and unloading the tablet sheet from the tablet sheet container and placing it on the mounting table. The tablet is partially pushed out of the tablet container by pressing the outer part from the center part of the tablet container by the outer pressing body, and then the inner container is pushed by the inner pressing body. It is a tablet unpacking method in which the tablet is completely pushed out of the tablet container by pressing the center portion.

According to the present invention, the tablet is partially pushed out of the tablet housing part by pressing the outer part of the tablet housing part with the outer pressing body, and then the tablet housing part is pushed by the inner pressing body. By pressing the central part of the tablet, it is possible to take a method of completely extruding the tablet from the tablet container.
The tablet is partially removed from the tablet container by the first stage pressing by the outer pressing body, and then completely removed from the tablet housing section by the second stage pressing by the inner pressing body. The applied pressing force is reduced. For this reason, compared with the case where big force is applied to a tablet accommodating part at once, the fragment separation of a sealing sheet does not occur easily. In addition, the tablet is not easily damaged.
Moreover, according to this invention, a tablet can be efficiently taken out from a tablet sheet by an extrusion mechanism, and can be supplied. Therefore, working efficiency can be improved.

It is a perspective view showing a tablet supply device of one embodiment concerning the present invention. It is the structure figure which looked at the internal structure of the tablet extraction unit from the side. It is the structure figure which looked at the internal structure of the tablet extraction unit from the back. It is the perspective view which looked at the principal part of the tablet taking-out unit from the front side. It is the perspective view which looked at the principal part of the tablet taking-out unit from the back side. It is the rear view which expanded the principal part of the tablet extraction unit, and is a figure which shows a tablet sheet selection mechanism. It is a top view of the principal part of a tablet taking-out unit. It is a top view which shows operation | movement of a mounting base. It is a top view which shows operation | movement of a mounting base. It is the perspective view which expanded the principal part of the tablet extraction unit, and is a figure which shows a correction mechanism. It is a front view of the principal part of a tablet extraction unit. (A) It is a side view which shows a correction mechanism. (B) It is a side view which shows the principal part of a correction mechanism. It is a side view which shows operation | movement of the tablet sheet in a correction mechanism. It is a front view which shows the tablet sheet | seat which the curvature deformation | transformation has not arisen. It is a front view which shows the tablet sheet which the curvature deformation | transformation produced. It is a perspective view of the principal part of a tablet extraction unit. It is a perspective view which shows an extrusion mechanism. It is a perspective view which shows an extrusion mechanism. It is a top view which shows an extrusion mechanism. It is a front view which shows an extrusion mechanism. It is a side view which shows an extrusion mechanism. (A) It is a front view which shows operation | movement of an extrusion mechanism. (B) It is the figure which expanded the principal part of (a). (A) It is a front view which shows operation | movement of the extrusion mechanism following a previous figure. (B) It is the figure which expanded the principal part of (a). It is a front view which shows the principal part of a tablet supply apparatus. It is a principal part enlarged view of the tablet supply apparatus shown to a previous figure. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of a tablet supply apparatus. It is a side view which shows a discharge unit. It is a principal part enlarged view of the discharge unit shown to a previous figure. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a packaging apparatus.

Hereinafter, a depacking system using a tablet supply device 10 which is an embodiment of the tablet supply device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the unpacking system shown here includes a tablet supply device 10 and a packaging device 5 for packaging the tablets supplied from the tablet supply device 10.
The tablet supply apparatus 10 is an apparatus for taking out and supplying tablets 50 from a tablet sheet 51 (see FIG. 18), and a plurality of tablet take-out units 1 and a supply unit 2 for supplying tablets taken out by the tablet take-out unit 1. And a discharge unit 3 (see FIG. 26) for discharging the tablet sheet 51 from which the tablets 50 are taken out, and a support frame 4 for storing them.
In the following description, the X1 direction in FIG. 1 may be referred to as the front and the X2 direction as the rear. The Y1 and Y2 directions in FIG. 1 are directions orthogonal to the X1 and X2 directions in the horizontal plane, and may be referred to as the left side and the right side, respectively. Moreover, the left-right direction may be called the width direction. In addition, although the tablet supply apparatus 10 of the example of illustration is provided with the some tablet extraction unit 1, the number of the tablet extraction units 1 may be one.

  The support frame 4 includes a base 71, a bottom wall 72 provided on the base 71, side walls 73 and 73 provided upright on both side ends thereof, and a ceiling wall 74 provided on the upper ends of the side walls 73 and 73. A plurality of tablet taking-out units 1 are housed in an internal space surrounded by these. Six tablet take-out units 1 are arranged in the width direction (left-right direction), and a set of the six tablet take-out units 1 is arranged in three stages up and down. That is, the tablet taking-out units 1 are arranged in six rows on the left and right and three on the top and bottom.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, 10, and 16, the tablet take-out unit 1 includes a tablet sheet storage unit 11, a transport mechanism 12 that transports the tablet sheet 51, a tablet sheet sorting mechanism 13, and a tablet sheet 51. , The side wall 15, the correction mechanism 16 that corrects the warp deformation of the tablet sheet 51, the tablet position detection mechanism 17, the mounting table 18 on which the tablet sheet 51 is placed, and the tablet sheet 51 to the tablet. An extrusion mechanism 19 for taking out 50, a position adjusting mechanism 23 for adjusting the positions of the supports 21 and 22 of the mounting table 18, a lead-out chute 24 for guiding the taken out tablet 50, and a support 25 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, the support body 25 includes a top plate 31, side plates 32 and 32 depending from the side edge, and a front plate 33 depending from the front edge of the top plate 31.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the tablet sheet storage unit 11 has a partition plate 34 and a pair of movable side plates 35, 35 on the top plate 31, and 1 or A plurality of tablet sheets 51 can be accommodated. The tablet sheet storage unit 11 stores a tablet sheet 51 whose length direction is the front-rear direction. The partition plate 34 is provided perpendicular to the top plate 31 and along the width direction. The movable side plates 35, 35 are provided on the front side of the partition plate 34, perpendicular to the top plate 31 and along the front-rear direction. The movable side plates 35 are formed to face each other in parallel.

The movable side plates 35 and 35 are integrally formed with the driving bodies 61 and 61 attached to the extending portions 60 and 60 (see FIG. 11) of the position adjusting mechanism 23.
The extending portions 60, 60 are designed to move in the direction of approaching or separating from each other by rotating the screw shaft 58 by operating the adjustment dial 57, so that they can be moved by operating the adjustment dial 57. The side plates 35, 35 can be moved in a direction approaching or separating from each other, and the position in the width direction can be set in accordance with the width dimension of the tablet sheet 51.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the tablet sheet 51 in the illustrated example is sealed using a metal foil made of aluminum or the like on the lower surface of a sheet main body 54 having a tablet housing portion 52 for housing the tablet 50. By providing the sheet 55, the tablet 50 is sealed in the tablet housing portion 52. The tablet sheet 51 has a form in which convex tablet accommodating portions 52 are arranged in two rows on the sheet portion 53 at intervals in the width direction. The plurality of tablet accommodating portions 52 forming each row are arranged along the length direction of the tablet sheet 51. Note that the tablet sheet 51 is not limited to the form in which the tablet accommodating portions 52 are arranged in two rows on the sheet portion 53, but the form in which the tablet accommodating portions 52 are arranged in one row in the length direction of the tablet sheet 51 or Further, it is possible to adopt a form in which three or more rows are arranged at intervals in the width direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyance mechanism 12 conveys the tablet sheet 51 in the tablet sheet storage part 11 backward, and is provided with first to third lower portions provided at intervals in the front-rear direction. Rollers 38, 39, and 40 and first to third upper rollers 41, 42, and 43 that are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction are provided. The first to third lower rollers 38, 39, 40 can be rotationally driven by a driving source (not shown), and can contact the lower surface of the sheet portion 53 to apply a backward force to the tablet sheet 51. The first to third upper rollers 41, 42, 43 can be rotationally driven by a driving source (not shown), and can contact the upper surface of the sheet portion 53 to apply a backward force to the tablet sheet 51. Since the positions in the width direction of the upper rollers 41, 42, and 43 are positions corresponding to the positions between the two rows of tablet accommodating portions 52, the upper rollers 41, 42, and 43 do not come into contact with the tablet accommodating portions 52.

  The lower roller 39 and the upper roller 41 can convey the tablet sheet 51 backward by sandwiching the sheet portion 53 from above and below. The lower roller 40 and the upper roller 43 can sandwich the sheet portion 53 from above and below to convey the tablet sheet 51 backward. The second upper roller 42 is provided at a lower position than the first upper roller 41.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the tablet sheet sorting mechanism 13 sorts only a predetermined number (for example, 1) of tablet sheets 51 in an appropriate posture, and extends from the lower end of the partition plate 34. The movement prevention part 44 to have. The movement blocking portion 44 has a shape having a base portion 44a extending downward from the central lower end in the width direction of the partition plate 34 and a distal end extending portion 44b inclined backward from the distal end of the base portion 44a toward the extending end. can do.

  In the example shown in FIG. 6, the tablet sheet 51 has a posture (a normal posture) in which the tablet housing portion 52 is on the sheet portion 53. The length of the movement preventing portion 44 is a length that does not reach the sheet portion 53 of the lowermost tablet sheet 51A and the extension end reaches a position lower than the sheet portion 53 of the tablet sheet 51B at a higher position. is there. For this reason, the tablet sheet 51B is prevented from moving, and only the tablet sheet 51A can pass therethrough. Since the position in the width direction of the movement preventing part 44 is a position corresponding to between the two rows of tablet accommodating parts 52, the movement preventing part 44 does not come into contact with the tablet accommodating part 52.

  When the tablet sheet 51A is in the reverse posture (the posture in which the tablet accommodating portion 52 is below the sheet portion 53), the movement preventing portion 44 has a length that abuts against the sheet portion 53 and prevents the tablet sheet 51A from moving. . For this reason, even the lowest tablet sheet 51 is prevented from moving unless the posture is appropriate. In this way, the movement blocking unit 44 allows only one normal posture tablet sheet 51 to pass and blocks the other tablet sheets 51 from moving. The shape of the movement preventing unit 44 is not limited to the illustrated example as long as it allows only a predetermined number of tablet sheets 51 having proper postures to pass therethrough. For example, the movement preventing portion 44 may have a shape that does not have an inclined portion and extends downward over the entire length.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the side walls 15, 15 are erected on both sides of the conveyance path 14 through which the tablet sheet 51 is conveyed, and define the position in the width direction of the tablet sheet 51. The side wall parts 15 and 15 are integrally formed with the drive bodies 61 and 61 attached to the extension parts 60 and 60 (see FIG. 11) of the position adjusting mechanism 23. Since the extending portions 60, 60 can move in a direction approaching or separating from each other, the side wall portions 15, 15 are moved in a direction approaching or separating from each other by operating the adjustment dial 57, and the position in the width direction thereof is changed to the tablet. It can be set according to the width dimension of the sheet 51.

  As shown in FIGS. 5, 10, and 11, the tablet position detection mechanism 17 detects the position of the tablet accommodating portion 52 of the tablet sheet 51 by light, and includes a light emitting portion 17 a having a light emitting element, and light emission. The light-receiving part 17b which receives the light from the part 17a, and the detection part (illustration omitted) which detects the position of the tablet accommodating part 52 based on the signal which the light-receiving part 17b receives and emits light. Examples of the light emitting element used in the light emitting unit 17a include a light emitting diode (LED) and a laser diode (LD), and examples of the light receiving element used in the light receiving unit 17b include a photodiode (PD). The light emitting part 17 a is provided on one side wall part 15, and the light receiving part 17 b is provided on the other side wall part 15. The light emitting part 17a and the light receiving part 17b are provided at positions facing each other.

  When the tablet accommodating part 52 of the tablet sheet 51 blocks the light from the light emitting part 17a, the light does not reach the light receiving part 17b, and therefore the light receiving part 17b does not emit a light reception signal. On the other hand, since the light from the light emitting part 17a is not blocked in the part without the tablet accommodating part 52, the light reaches the light receiving part 17b, and the light receiving part 17b emits a light reception signal. For this reason, the position of the tablet accommodating part 52 is detectable based on the light reception signal from the light-receiving part 17b.

  As shown in FIG. 14, when the warp deformation in the width direction has not occurred in the sheet portion 53 of the tablet sheet 51, the light L1 traveling from the light emitting portion 17a to the light receiving portion 17b is not blocked by the sheet portion 53. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15, when the warp deformation in the width direction occurs in the sheet portion 53 of the tablet sheet 51, the light L1 directed from the light emitting portion 17a toward the light receiving portion 17b is side edges of the sheet portion 53. There is a risk that the detection accuracy may be reduced by being blocked by the part.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the correction mechanism 16 corrects the warp deformation in the width direction of the tablet sheet 51 reaching the tablet position detection mechanism 17, and the guide convex portion 45 formed on the side wall portion 15. And a receiving portion 48. The guide convex portion 45 is a protrusion formed so as to protrude inward from the inner surfaces of the side wall portions 15, 15, and an inclined portion 46 that gradually descends toward the rear (left side in FIGS. 12 and 13), and an inclined portion A horizontal portion 47 extending at a constant height from the rear end of the portion 46 toward the rear. As shown in FIG. 12B, the receiving portion 48 is formed at a position facing the lower surface of the guide convex portion 45. The receiving portion 48 includes a receiving inclined surface 48 a that faces the pressing inclined surface 46 a of the inclined portion 46, and a receiving horizontal surface 48 b that faces the lower surface of the horizontal portion 47. The receiving horizontal surface 48b is formed at the same height as the rear end of the receiving inclined surface 48a.

  The inclined portion 46 is a protrusion having a rectangular cross section with a fixed width, and the protruding height is such that the pressing inclined surface 46a (thickness direction pressing portion) contacts the side edge of the sheet portion 53 of the tablet sheet 51 from the upper surface side. It is set to be possible. The pressing inclined surface 46a of the inclined portion 46 is formed to be inclined at a constant angle so as to descend rearward, and the height position of the rear end 46b (see FIG. 12B) of the pressing inclined surface 46a is The sheet portion 53 sandwiched between the lower roller 39 and the upper roller 41 (see FIG. 2) is substantially the same as the height position H1 or lower than the height position H1.

  As shown in FIG. 13, when the tablet sheet 51 in which the warp deformation in the width direction occurs is conveyed in a horizontal state by the lower roller 39 and the upper roller 41 (see FIG. 2), the side edge portion 53 a of the sheet portion 53. Is in contact with the pressing inclined surface 46a of the inclined portion 46 and pressed downward (in the thickness direction of the sheet portion 53). Due to the pressing by the pressing inclined surface 46a, the sheet portion 53 is bent downward in the conveying direction (left-right direction in FIG. 13). The sheet portion 53 bent downward is pressed from above by the upper roller 42 and abuts against the receiving horizontal surface 48b of the receiving portion 48, so that bending in the direction returning to the horizontal state is applied. As described above, the sheet portion 53 is bent and deformed in the conveying direction (the length direction of the tablet sheet 51) by the pressing inclined surface 46a and the receiving horizontal surface 48b.

  The tablet sheet 51 is unlikely to bend in two different directions due to the rigidity of the sheet portion 53, and therefore, the bending in the width direction is reduced by bending in the transport direction (the length direction of the tablet sheet 51). In the illustrated example, since the bending in the transport direction is applied by the pressing inclined surface 46a and the like at a position in front of the tablet position detection mechanism 17, the warp deformation of the sheet portion 53 in the width direction is reached when the tablet position detection mechanism 17 is reached. It has been resolved. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a decrease in detection accuracy due to the light L1 being blocked due to the warp deformation of the sheet portion 53.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the mounting table 18 includes a pair of main support bodies 21 that can move in directions toward and away from each other, and a pair of end support bodies 22 that can move in directions toward and away from each other. A pair of base bodies 26, a shaft 27 supported at both ends by the base bodies 26, an urging member 28, and a receiving portion 29 provided on the main support 21. Hereinafter, the direction in which the end supports 22 and 22 approach and separate from each other is referred to as a main contact / separation direction A1.

  The main support 21 is a long plate-like member arranged in parallel, and the inner edges 21a facing each other include a main edge 21b along the main contact / separation direction A1, and inclined edges 21c formed on both ends thereof, 21c. The inclined edge portion 21c is inclined inward (a direction in which the supports 21 and 21 approach each other) toward both ends of the main support 21 with respect to the main contact / separation direction A1. The inclined edge portion 21c is preferably inclined at a constant angle.

  One and the other outer edges 22a of the end support 22 have inclined edge portions 22b (inclined portions) that are inclined inward with respect to the main contact / separation direction A1 in the direction away from each other. The inclined edge 22b is preferably inclined at a constant angle. The inclination angle of the inclined edge portion 22b can be the same as the inclination angle of the inclined edge portion 21c. At least a part of the inclined edge 22b is between the main supports 21 and 21 and can contact the inclined edge 21c. The opening surrounded by the main supports 21 and 21 and the end supports 22 and 22 is a discharge port 30 into which the tablet 50 from the tablet sheet 51 is dropped.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the end supports 22 and 22 support the side edges of the sheet portion 53 of the tablet sheet 51, and the main supports 21 and 21 accommodate a pair of tablets arranged in the width direction. The seat part 53 is supported by the front part and the rear part of the parts 52 and 52. Reference numeral 20 denotes an auxiliary support portion that is spanned between the main supports 21 and 21 at the central portion of the discharge port 30 in the width direction. The auxiliary support part 20 supports the sheet part 53 at a position between the pair of tablet accommodating parts 52 and 52.

As shown in FIG. 4, the position adjustment mechanism 23 includes an adjustment dial 57 provided on the front surface side of the front plate 33, a screw shaft 58 that is rotatably supported around the axis between the side plates 32 and 32, Attached to the driving force transmission mechanism 59 for transmitting the driving force of the adjustment dial 57 to the screw shaft 58, a pair of extending portions 60, 60 having screw holes 60a into which the screw shaft 58 is fitted, and the extending portions 60, 60, respectively. A pair of drive bodies 61, 61 are provided.
As shown in FIG. 2, the driving force transmission mechanism 59 can convert the rotational driving force of the adjustment dial 57 into a force around the axis of the screw shaft 58 and transmit it to the screw shaft 58. As the driving force transmission mechanism 59, a known mechanism can be adopted, for example, a transmission shaft 62 that rotates according to the rotation of the adjustment dial 57, and a conversion mechanism that rotates the screw shaft 58 according to the rotation of the transmission shaft 62. 63 can be adopted.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 11, screw portions 58 a and 58 b are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the screw shaft 58. One screw portion 58a inserted into the screw hole 60a of one extending portion 60 and the other screw portion 58b inserted into the screw hole 60a of the other extending portion 60 are in the direction of screw formation ( Spiral direction) is different. For this reason, when the adjustment dial 57 is rotated in one direction and the screw shaft 58 is rotated in one direction, the extending portions 60 and 60 are moved toward the one end and the other end of the screw shaft 58, respectively. When 57 is rotated in the other direction and the screw shaft 58 is rotated in the other direction, the extending portions 60 and 60 move in the central direction of the screw shaft 58.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the drive bodies 61 and 61 are formed in a long plate shape, extend in the front-rear direction on the top plate 31, and are arranged in parallel. The driving bodies 61, 61 are fixed to the upper ends of the extending portions 60, 60, and are movable in a direction approaching and separating from each other in conjunction with the extending portions 60, 60. As shown in FIG. 7, the rear end portions of the drive bodies 61 and 61 are attached to the end support bodies 22 and 22, respectively. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when the end supporters 22 and 22 are close to each other, the width of the end support 22 (inclined edge 22 b) at the portion in contact with the main support 21 is narrow. The main supports 21 and 21 are close to each other.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the driving bodies 61 and 61 are moved in a direction away from each other and the end supports 22 and 22 are separated from each other, the end support 22 (inclined) of the portion that contacts the main support 21 Since the width of the edge portion 22b) is increased, the main supports 21, 21 are moved away from each other by being pushed by the inclined edge portion 22b.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the driving bodies 61, 61 are moved in a direction approaching each other and the end support bodies 22, 22 are brought close to each other, the end support bodies at the portions that contact the main support body 21. The width of 22 (inclined edge 22b) becomes narrower. The urging member 28 (coil spring or the like) that has obtained a reaction force on the base body 26 presses the receiving portion 29 inward, so that the main supports 21 and 21 move in a direction approaching each other.
Thus, the drive bodies 61 and 61 can adjust the space | interval of the main support body 21 and the edge part support body 22, and can set the magnitude | size of the discharge port 30 arbitrarily according to the tablet sheet 51. FIG. If the discharge port 30 is too large, the sheet portion 53 may be bent and it may be difficult to take out the tablet 50. If the discharge port 30 is too small, the tablet 50 may hit the support bodies 21 and 22 and may cause a trouble in taking out. By adjusting the outlet 30 to an appropriate size, the tablet 50 can be taken out smoothly.

As shown in FIGS. 16 to 21, the extrusion mechanism 19 includes a tablet pressing portion 81 and a drive mechanism 82 that moves the tablet pressing portion 81 in a direction approaching the tablet housing portion 52.
The tablet pressing portion 81 includes an inner pressing body 83 that presses the central portion of the tablet housing portion 52 and an outer pressing body 84 that presses a portion outside the central portion of the tablet housing portion 52. The outer pressing body 84 includes a front wall portion 86, a rear wall portion 87 provided in parallel with the front wall portion 86 at a rearward distance from the front wall portion 86, and inner edges of the front wall portion 86 and the rear wall portion 87. And an inner wall portion 88 provided on the inner wall. That is, the outer pressing body 84 has front and rear wall portions 86 and 87 which are a pair of facing wall portions facing each other, and an inner wall portion 88 (one side wall portion) provided between one edge portion of these.
The lower edge portion 84a of the outer pressing body 84 has a shape in which the lower edge portions of the front wall portion 86 and the rear wall portion 87 extend in the width direction from the front and rear ends of the lower edge portion of the inner wall portion 88, respectively. In the body 84, the lower edge portions of the front and rear wall portions 86 and 87 and the inner wall portion 88 can press the tablet housing portion 52.
The inner pressing body 83 is a plate-like body having an extended end portion 83a whose width decreases toward the lower end, and is inserted into a space surrounded by the front wall portion 86, the rear wall portion 87, and the inner wall portion 88. Can move up and down in space.

The drive mechanism 82 includes a first lifting mechanism 91 that lifts and lowers the outer pressing body 84 and a second lifting mechanism 92 that lifts and lowers the inner pressing body 83.
The first elevating mechanism 91 includes a first elevating body 93 to which the outer pressing body 84 is attached, a cam 94 that is rotationally driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) to elevate and lower the first elevating body 93, and the first elevating body 93. And an urging member 97 urging in the upward direction.

The 1st raising / lowering body 93 is a columnar body extended over the front-back direction, and the outer side press body 84 is attached to the front-end part 93a.
The cam 94 is a plate-like body designed in consideration of the lifting operation of the outer pressing body 84, and is fixed to a shaft portion 95 that is rotationally driven by a drive mechanism (not shown). The cam 94 is provided on the upper surface side of the first elevating body 93, is rotationally driven as the shaft portion 95 rotates, and adjusts the height position by pressing the first elevating body 93, thereby the outer pressing body. The height position of 84 can be adjusted. The first elevating mechanism 91 can arbitrarily set the elevating operation timing and the displacement amount of the outer pressing body 84 by setting the timing of the rotating operation of the cam 94, the shape of the cam 94, and the fixed position of the cam 94 with respect to the shaft portion 95. .

  The second elevating mechanism 92 includes a second elevating body 98 to which the inner pressing body 83 is attached, a cam 99 that rotates and drives the second elevating body 98 by a drive mechanism (not shown), and the first elevating body 93. And an urging member 100 for urging in the upward direction.

  The 2nd raising / lowering body 98 is a columnar body extended over the front-back direction, and the inner side press body 83 is attached to the front-end part 98a. The cam 99 is provided on the upper surface side of the second elevating body 98 and is rotationally driven as the shaft portion 95 rotates, and presses the second elevating body 98 to adjust the height position, thereby the inner pressing body 83. The height position of can be adjusted. The second elevating mechanism 92 arbitrarily sets the timing and displacement amount of the inner pressing body 83 by setting the rotational timing of the cam 99, the shape of the cam 99, the fixed position of the cam 99 with respect to the shaft portion 95, and the like. it can. For this reason, the cam 94 and the cam 99 can operate independently of each other with respect to the first lifting body 93 and the second lifting body 98, respectively, and the inner pressing body 83 and the outer pressing body 84 are moved up and down independently of each other. be able to.

  The timing of the rotation operation of the cams 94 and 99 in the drive mechanism 82 can be determined based on a signal from a detection unit (not shown) of the tablet position detection mechanism 17. Specifically, the inner pressing body 83 and the outer pressing body 84 can be operated in accordance with the detected position of the tablet accommodating portion 52.

  As shown in FIGS. 16, 24, and 25, the lead-out chute 24 guides the tablet 50 dropped into the discharge port 30 and has an upper opening having a size that includes the discharge port 30. It is provided on the lower surface side of the plate 31. Since the leading end of the outlet chute 24 reaches the outer surface side of the side plate 32 through a recess 32 a formed in the side plate 32 of the support body 25, the outlet chute 24 outlet 24 a (lower opening) is located on the side surface of the support body 25. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 24, and 25, the supply unit 2 includes a common lead-out path 101 that guides the tablets 50 from two or more tablet take-out units 1 and a common chute 102 that collects the tablets 50 from the common lead-out path 101. And a supply unit 103 for supplying the tablet 50 from the common chute 102.

  As shown in FIG. 24 and FIG. 25, the common lead-out path 101 collects and supplies the tablets 50 from the plurality of tablet take-out units 1 arranged in multiple upper and lower stages to the common chute 102. The outlets 24a of the lead-out chutes 24 of the plurality of tablet taking-out units 1 provided are connected. In the example shown in FIG. 24, the outlet 24a of the outlet chute 24 of the tablet extracting unit 1 (1A) in two adjacent left and right rows and the upper and lower stages of the tablet extracting unit 1 is connected to one common outlet path 101 (101A). ing. Since the outlet 24 a of the lead-out chute 24 is on the side surface of the support 25 of the tablet take-out unit 1, the height at which the outlet 24 a of the lead-out chute 24 of the upper, middle and lower tablet take-out units 1 is connected to the common lead-out path 101. The positions are different from each other. Note that the lead-out chutes 24 of two or four or more tablet take-out units 1 may be connected to the common lead-out path 101 at different heights.

  The common lead-out path 101 includes a main lead-out path 105 formed in a cylindrical shape through which the tablet 50 can pass, and a cylindrical enlarged portion 106 having a larger cross-sectional area in the internal space than the main lead-out path 105. The main lead-out path 105 is formed at an intermediate height position between the outlets 24a and 24a of the lead-out chutes 24 and 24 of the tablet take-out units 1 and 1 adjacent in the height direction. In the example shown in FIG. 24, the main lead-out path 105 has a height position corresponding to the outlet 24a of the upper tablet take-out unit 1 and the outlet 24a of the middle tablet take-out unit 1, and the outlet of the middle tablet take-out unit 1. 24a and the outlet 24a of the lower tablet take-out unit 1 are formed at corresponding height positions.

  The enlarged portion 106 is formed wider than the main lead-out path 105, for example, and includes a lower outlet 24a among the outlets 24a and 24a of the lead-out chutes 24 and 24 of the tablet take-out units 1 and 1 adjacent in the height direction. It is formed in the position. In the example shown in FIG. 24, the enlarged portion 106 is formed at a height position including the outlet 24 a of the middle and lower tablet take-out units 1. For this reason, when the tablet 50 from the upper tablet take-out unit 1 falls in the common lead-out path 101, it can be prevented from entering the take-out chute 24 from the outlet 24a of the middle and lower tablet take-out units 1. Further, it is possible to prevent the tablets 50 from the middle tablet taking-out unit 1 from entering the lower tablet taking-out unit 1 delivery chute 24. The reason why the tablet 50 can be prevented from entering the outlet chute 24 is that the common outlet path 101 (enlarged portion 106) at the position where the outlet 24a is located is widely formed. This is because it becomes difficult to enter the derivation chute 24 even if it bounces back. In addition, you may form the expansion part 106 in the height position containing the exit 24a of the tablet extraction unit 1 of the upper stage.

  As shown in FIGS. 26 to 28, the discharge unit 3 includes a discharge chute 111 having a guide groove 110 for sliding the empty tablet sheet 51 from which the tablet 50 has been taken out. At least a part of the inner surface 110a of the guide groove 110 has an arc shape in cross section. The inner surface 110a may have a flat central portion in the width direction of the bottom surface and both sides may have a circular arc shape, or the entire surface may have a circular arc shape.

  As shown in FIG. 29, the packaging device 5 (see FIG. 1) conveys the hopper 121 that receives the tablet 50 supplied from the tablet supply device 10, the sheet supply unit 123 that supplies the packaging sheet 122, and the packaging sheet 122. And a stamp portion 127 that seals the packaging sheet 122 enclosing the tablets 50 and forms the perforation 125 for cutting to form the tablet package 126. The sheet conveying unit 124 includes a support shaft 133 that supports the packaging sheet 122, a driving roller 134 that conveys the packaging sheet 122, and the like. The stamp part 127 includes a pressing body 128 and a receiving part 129. The pressing body 128 includes a pressing portion 130 including an L-shaped first pressing portion 130a and a second pressing portion 130b. The pressing portion 130 can heat-weld the outer edge of the packaging sheet 122 on the opening side and the boundary portion between the adjacent packaging regions 131 and 131. A cutter 132 is provided between the first pressing portion 130 a and the second pressing portion 130 b of the stamp portion 127.

Hereinafter, a method of using the tablet supply device 10 (tablet unpacking method) will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, one or more tablet sheets 51 are accommodated in the tablet sheet accommodating portion 11. If necessary, the positions of the drive bodies 61 and 61 are adjusted by operating the adjustment dial 57, and the positions of the movable side plates 35 and 35 in the width direction are adjusted to the width dimension of the tablet sheet 51. The lower rollers 38 and 39 and the upper roller 41 are rotationally driven by a driving source (not shown) to convey the tablet sheet 51 backward. Since the partition plate 34 is formed with the movement prevention unit 44, only one normal posture tablet sheet 51 is carried out of the tablet sheet storage unit 11.
As described above, by adjusting the positions of the driving bodies 61 and 61 according to the width dimension of the tablet sheet 51, the position in the width direction of the side walls 15 and 15 becomes a position according to the width dimension of the tablet sheet 51. Therefore, the tablet sheet 51 is conveyed while the position in the width direction is regulated by the side walls 15, 15.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the tablet sheet 51 is detected by the tablet position detection mechanism 17 in the position of the tablet container 52. When the warp deformation of the sheet portion 53 occurs, the warp deformation is eliminated by the sheet portion 53 being pressed against the pressing inclined surface 46a of the inclined portion 46 and causing downward bending deformation, so that the tablet position detection is performed. It is possible to prevent a decrease in detection accuracy due to the light from the light emitting unit 17a of the mechanism 17 being blocked.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the position in the width direction of the end supports 22, 22 of the mounting table 18 is set according to the width dimension of the tablet sheet 51 by adjusting the position of the driving bodies 61, 61 described above. Accordingly, the discharge port 30 has a size suitable for the tablet sheet 51. The main supports 21, 21, the end support 22, and the auxiliary support unit 20 support the sheet portions 53 at the front and rear and left and right positions of each tablet storage unit 52, and each tablet storage unit 52 is disposed on the discharge port 30. The

  As shown in FIG. 16 to FIG. 21, when the tablet sheet 51 reaches the mounting table 18 and the tablet accommodating portion 52 from which the tablet 50 is to be taken reaches a position corresponding to the discharge port 30, as shown in FIG. In addition, the cam 94 of the first elevating mechanism 91 is rotated by the rotational drive of the shaft portion 95, the outer pressing body 84 is lowered by lowering the first elevating body 93, and the lower edge portion 84 a is the tablet accommodating portion 52. The part outside the central part of the is pressed downward.

  As shown in FIG. 22 (b), the outer pressing body 84 presses a portion outside the central portion of the tablet accommodating portion 52, so that the direct force is not applied to the tablet 50 compared to the case where the central portion is pressed. Cannot be added. For this reason, the tablet 50 is not completely taken out, but a part of the tablet 50 breaks the sealing sheet 55 and comes out of the tablet container 52. In this state, since the sealing sheet 55 is hardly broken, the tablet 50 is supported by the sealing sheet 55, and a part of the tablet 50 remains in the tablet accommodating portion 52. Further, the sealing sheet 55 is not greatly broken and no debris is generated.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 23A, the cam 99 of the second elevating mechanism 92 is rotated by the rotational drive of the shaft portion 95 (see FIG. 16), and the second elevating body 98 is lowered to move the inner pressing body. 83 descends, and the extended end portion 83a presses the central portion of the tablet accommodating portion 52 downward. As shown in FIG. 23B, since the inner pressing body 83 presses the central portion of the tablet accommodating portion 52, a direct force is applied to the tablet 50, and the tablet 50 is completely taken out. As a result, the tearing of the sealing sheet 55 is enlarged. However, since this tearing is caused by the breakage of the minority of the initial stage caused by the outer pressing body 84 being widened by the inner pressing body 83, there are few breakage points. , Separation of fragments of the sealing sheet 55 hardly occurs. On the other hand, when a large force is applied to the tablet housing portion 52 at one time and the sealing sheet 55 is torn, a large number of locations on the sealing sheet 55 are likely to be broken at the same time, so that fragment separation is likely to occur.

  Further, the tablet 50 is partially taken out from the tablet housing portion 52 by the first stage pressing by the outer pressing body 84, and then the tablet 50 is completely removed from the tablet housing section 52 by the second stage pressing by the inner pressing body 83. Since it is taken out, the pressing force applied to the tablet 50 at each stage becomes small. For this reason, compared with the case where big force is applied to the tablet accommodating part 52 at once, the damage of the tablet 50 does not occur easily.

  As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the tablet 50 taken out from the tablet sheet 51 is dropped into the discharge port 30, enters the outlet chute 24, is introduced into the common outlet path 101 from the outlet 24 a, and is in the common outlet path 101. To fall. Since the common lead-out path 101 has an enlarged portion 106 having a large cross-sectional area of the internal space at a height position including the outlet 24a of the middle and lower tablet take-out units 1, the tablet 50 from the upper tablet take-out unit 1 is common. When falling in the lead-out path 101, it is possible to prevent the lead-out chute 24 from entering from the outlet 24a of the middle and lower tablet take-out units 1. Further, it is possible to prevent the tablets 50 from the tablet extraction unit 1 in the middle stage from entering the lead-out chute 24 of the tablet extraction unit 1 in the lower stage. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the supply of the tablets 50 from stagnation, and to maintain the efficiency of the depackaging work high. As shown in FIG. 1, the tablets 50 that have passed through the common outlet path 101 are supplied from the supply unit 103 through the common chute 102.

  As shown in FIG. 29, the tablet 50 coming out from the supply unit 103 enters the hopper 121 of the packaging device 5 and is introduced into the packaging region 131 of the packaging sheet 122. The packaging sheet 122 is introduced between the pressing body 128 and the receiving portion 129 of the stamp portion 127, and the tablet 50 is sealed in the packaging region 131 by forming a seal portion 135 by heat welding by the pressing portion 130. The A cutting perforation 125 is formed by a cutter 132 at a boundary portion between the adjacent packaging regions 131 and 131.

  As shown in FIGS. 26 to 28, the empty tablet sheet 51 from which the tablets 50 have been taken out by the tablet taking-out unit 1 is fed backward by the lower roller 40 and the upper roller 43 (see FIG. 2). And is introduced into the discharge chute 111 of the discharge unit 3, slides down the guide groove 110, and is discharged. As shown in FIG. 28, at least a part of the inner surface 110a has an arc shape in cross section. Therefore, when the empty tablet sheet 51 slides in the guide groove 110, the inner surface of the guide groove is rectangular compared to the case where the inner surface is rectangular. The contact area between the tablet sheet 51 and the inner surface 110a is reduced. For this reason, the friction between the tablet sheet 51 and the inner surface 110a is reduced, and the tablet sheet 51 slides smoothly without being caught by the inner surface 110a.

  According to the tablet supply device 10, the tablet sheet storage unit 11, the transport mechanism 12 that transports the tablet sheet 51, the mounting table 18 on which the tablet sheet 51 is mounted, and the tablet storage of the tablet sheet 51 on the mounting table 18. And the extruding mechanism 19 that takes out the tablet 50 by pressing the portion 52, and the mounting table 18 has a discharge port 30 for dropping the taken-out tablet 50 into the supply unit 2, so that the tablet 50 can be efficiently removed from the tablet sheet 51. Can be taken out and supplied. Therefore, working efficiency can be improved. Further, since the tablet sheet 51 in which the tablets 50 are sealed is used, the problem of deterioration of the tablets 50 hardly occurs. Since the tablet sheet 51 includes a small number of tablets 50 included in the sales unit, it is possible to reduce inventory in a pharmacy or a hospital. Furthermore, by using the mounting table 18 in which the size of the discharge port 30 can be adjusted, a plurality of types of tablet sheets 51 can be handled. Therefore, it is not necessary to replace the components of the tablet supply device 10 for each tablet sheet 51, which is advantageous in terms of cost.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Tablet extraction unit, 2 ... Supply unit, 3 ... Discharge unit, 5 ... Packaging device, 10 ... Tablet supply device, 11 ... Tablet sheet accommodating part, 12 ... Transport mechanism, 16 ... correction mechanism, 17 ... tablet position detection mechanism, 18 ... mounting table, 19 ... extrusion mechanism, 21 ... main support, 22 ... end support, 22b: inclined edge part, 30 ... discharge port, 50 ... tablet, 51 ... tablet sheet, 52 ... tablet housing part, 81 ... tablet pressing part, 82 ... drive mechanism 83 ... inner pressing body, 84 ... outer pressing body.

Claims (6)

A tablet supply device for taking out and supplying a tablet from a tablet sheet in which a plurality of tablets are enclosed in a tablet container,
One or a plurality of tablet take-out units, and a supply unit for supplying tablets taken out by the tablet take-out unit,
The tablet take-out unit can store one or a plurality of tablet sheets; a transport mechanism for transporting the tablet sheets; a mounting table on which the tablet sheets transported by the transport mechanism are placed; An extrusion mechanism that takes out the tablet by pressing the tablet accommodating portion of the tablet sheet on the mounting table,
The mounting table has a discharge port for dropping the tablet taken out by the extrusion mechanism into the supply unit,
The extrusion mechanism includes a tablet pressing portion that presses the tablet accommodating portion, and a drive mechanism that moves the tablet pressing portion in a direction approaching the tablet accommodating portion,
The tablet pressing part has an inner pressing body that presses the central part of the tablet housing part, and an outer pressing body that presses the tablet housing part of the part outside the central part,
The tablet supply device, wherein the inner pressing body and the outer pressing body can perform the pressing operation independently. The outer pressing body has a pair of facing wall portions facing each other and one side wall portion provided between one edge portion of the facing wall portions, and the lower edge portion of the facing wall portion and the one side wall portion is the above-described one. The tablet housing part can be pressed,
The tablet supply device according to claim 1, wherein the inner pressing body can be inserted into a space surrounded by the facing wall portion and the one side wall portion. The drive mechanism includes a first lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the outer pressing body, and a second lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the inner pressing body,
The first elevating mechanism includes a first elevating body to which the outer pressing body is attached, and a cam for elevating the first elevating body,
The second elevating mechanism has a second elevating body to which the inner pressing body is attached, and a cam for elevating the second elevating body,
The cam of the first elevating mechanism and the cam of the second elevating mechanism can operate independently of each other with respect to the first elevating body and the second elevating body, respectively. Tablet feeder. The mounting table includes a pair of main supports that are movable toward and away from each other, and a pair of end supports that are movable toward and away from each other,
The discharge port is an opening surrounded by the pair of main supports and the pair of end supports;
The end support has an inclined part that is inclined with respect to the approaching and separating directions, and at least a part of the inclined part can be disposed between the pair of main supports;
The tablet supply according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the end support is movable in a direction toward and away from each other to adjust an interval between the pair of main supports by the inclined portion. apparatus.   An unpacking system comprising: the tablet supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4; and a packaging device for packaging the tablets supplied from the tablet supply device. A method for taking out and supplying tablets from a tablet sheet using the tablet supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The tablet sheet is unloaded from the tablet sheet storage unit and placed on the mounting table, and the tablet is partially pressed by pressing a portion outside the central portion of the tablet storage unit with the outer pressing body. A tablet unpacking method, wherein the tablet is completely pushed out of the tablet container by pushing out from the tablet container and then pressing the central part of the tablet container with the inner pressing body.

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