JP6226332B2 - Powder supply device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a so-called metered split type powder supply device that supplies only a necessary amount by measuring a delivery amount while feeding powder from a powder cassette little by little. Specifically, the divided supply amount of powder is measured by weight measurement and imaging measurement. More specifically, the present invention relates to a powder supply device that measures by a so-called so-called gravimetric imaging measurement combination method, and more particularly to a powder supply device that temporarily stores powder every time divided supply is performed.

  The typical use of powder supply devices is assembling into or attaching to a powder dispenser, and the powder dispenser divides more than the total amount of the medicine into one package (one dose, one dose). A powder supply device that sequentially supplies the powder, and a packaging device that encloses the powder in each compartment while dividing the wrapping paper (packaging band). A granular powder is sent and packaged one by one (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

In addition, as a general configuration example of such a powder supply device, there is a distribution division type, but the distribution division type is a relatively simple and manual distribution direction in which divided masses are arranged in a straight line in the powder distribution area. And a rotation distribution type for automatic distribution in which members arranged in an annular powder distribution area are circulated and rotated.
The latter rotation-distribution-type powder supply device (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2) receives powder powder supplied in a fixed amount or a variable amount little by little, and powder supplied from the powder feeder while rotating. A rotary annular receiving member that distributes and holds the powder evenly, and a dividing mechanism that divides the powder from the rotary annular receiving member one by one and feeds it to the packaging device.

  As the rotary annular receiving member, a powder divider having a large number of divided mass bodies arranged in an annular shape, a turntable having an annular flat mounting surface, and an annular receiving plate having an annular concave groove called an R groove A turntable (see Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example) is used. When a powder divider that has been partitioned into a number of divided mass bodies in advance is used for the rotary annular receiving member, the powder is divided in accordance with the distribution of the powder to the powder divider, and each divided mass body has a bottom surface. Since the discharge is delivered by opening, it is easy to improve the division accuracy. On the other hand, when an annular mounting surface or an annular tray that is not partitioned in advance is used as the rotary annular receiving member (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2), the powder distributed on the annular mounting surface and the annular tray. Is divided by an arbitrary angle from the annular mounting surface or annular receiving tray by the cutting device, so that the number of divisions can be easily changed.

As another configuration example of the powder supply device, there is a measurement division type that supplies only the necessary amount by measuring the delivery amount while sending the powder from the powder cassette in a fixed amount or in a variable amount little by little. Volume measurement method that calculates the delivery amount from the number of screw rotations, weight measurement method that measures the weight on the sending side or the receiving side (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2), and the delivery amount from the image of the powdered powder falling There is a so-called imaging measurement method for calculating (see, for example, Patent Document 3).
The volume measurement method and the weight measurement method alone have been used to divide the powder for each patient instead of dividing the powder for each package because it takes time and cost to accurately measure a small amount of powder. However, the imaging measurement method and the combination method of the imaging measurement method and the weight measurement method are suitable for practical use up to the division of a minute powder for each package (for example, Patent Document 3). reference).

The powder cassettes that can be attached to and detached from the powder supply device are roughly divided into two types, one of which is that the powder discharge unit for sequential powder delivery is fixedly and integrally assembled to the container that contains the powder. (For example, refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2 and Patent Document 3 in FIG. 1), and a movable member for sequential powder delivery, such as a screw or a drum, is built in the powder discharge part or the container part.
And the powder supply apparatus using such a powder cassette, when the powder cassette is mounted, sequentially discharges the powder from the powder cassette by rotating the movable member with the container part fixed, and stops the shaft rotation. By this, powdered medicine sequential discharge is stopped.

The other powder cassette is a simple powder cassette that does not have such a movable member (see, for example, Patent Document 3 FIG. 6B). This powder cassette is a container with a bottomed cylindrical container for containing powder, the bottom end face is closed among both ends of the cylindrical part, but the opposite end face is open, the opening A lid that opens and closes the door is detachable.
And the powder supply device using such a powder cassette is designed so that the powder cassette is mounted in the horizontal direction instead of the vertical direction, and when the powder cassette is mounted, the cylindrical powder cassette is turned sideways in the cylindrical axial direction. While holding in a state, the lid is slightly opened and the container is pivoted to allow the powder to fall and discharge little by little even when the movable member is not installed, and in that case, the powder to be discharged along the edge of the opening. It spreads thinly and falls.

Further, regarding the processing when dropping the discharged tablets, by providing a member for opening and closing the tablet dropping path such as a tablet dropping member and a tablet collecting mechanism, the tablets are temporarily stored every time the divided supply is performed. Such a medicine packaging machine is known (for example, see Patent Document 4).
In addition, the powder supply device using a simple powder cassette that does not have an interior movable member (see, for example, Patent Document 3 FIG. 6 (b)) adopts an imaging measurement method, and the powder discharged from the powder cassette is a cassette opening. By the way, in order to adapt the receiving member to fall when it is in a deployed state as if the heel is thin and widely stretched, a long hook-shaped member with a V-shaped cross section is adopted as the receiving member, and it is swung to powder. Is put into wrapping paper.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-080043 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-114021 JP 2013-48899 A JP 2001-087353 A

  As described above, the split-type powder supply device has the advantage that it does not require a rotary annular receiving member and is easy to miniaturize. However, a recently developed horizontal cylindrical cassette rotation-type powder supply device (for example, a patent) (Refer to Reference 3 Fig. 6 (b)). Since it is a measurement division type, it has inherited its advantages, and even a small amount of powdered medicine can be divided into variable amounts and can be clearly measured and repeated. It is possible to automate up to one prescription or one patient.

Further, in such a horizontally-placed cylindrical cassette rotating powder supply device, when adopting the weight measurement method, the weight of the machine part including the downstream receiving member that receives and temporarily stores the dropped powder is measured. Since this is more suitable for measuring a minute weight than measuring the weight of the upstream cassette or the like, the weight of the receiving member or the like on the downstream side is measured.
Furthermore, after adopting an imaging measurement method, I took a powder that falls after the powder discharged from the powder cassette is unfolded thinly and widened at the cassette mouth, and then took the powder from the image data. It is possible to obtain the discharged powder amount at a timing earlier than the weight measurement method by calculating the discharged powder amount from the powder cassette based on the density and the like thus obtained.

And the discharge and division | segmentation of the powder for one package are also performed combining the imaging measurement of the upstream side, and the weight measurement of the downstream.
Specifically, by estimating the amount of discharged powder by imaging measurement and quickly predicting the powder discharge completion time of the planned discharge amount (divided target amount), the powder discharge is stopped at an appropriate time and divided accordingly. It is also possible to grasp and confirm the exact amount of discharged powder (divided amount) by measuring the stored powder (temporary stored powder) after weight measurement.

However, in the method of combining the levels, the accuracy of the divided amount of the powder is still highly dependent on the imaging measurement. Therefore, in order to improve the powder division accuracy, the measurement accuracy of the imaging measurement method must be increased.
Therefore, it is a first technical problem to realize a powder supply device with high measurement accuracy of imaging measurement itself.
In addition, it is a second technical problem to realize a powder supply device in which the measurement accuracy of imaging measurement is improved by reflecting the result of weight measurement in imaging measurement.

The powder supply device of the present invention (Solution means 1) was created to solve the first technical problem described above,
A powder continuous delivery unit that drops and discharges powder from the powder cassette little by little, a storage hopper that receives and temporarily stores the powder, and a powdered powder that is discharged and dropped from the mouth of the powder cassette with an imaging device An imaging measuring means for calculating an estimated value of powder delivery from an image; and a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of a machine part including the storage hopper and calculating the powder storage amount from the change in weight. When the estimated powder delivery amount calculated by the measuring means reaches the division target amount, the powder discharge is performed by stopping the powder discharge from the powder continuous delivery unit and thereafter dropping the stored powder from the storage hopper. In the supply device,
A background member that absorbs light of a color that the imaging device is sensitive to and does not reflect is provided at a location that precedes the powder drop position in the imaging direction of the imaging device.

In addition, the powder supply device of the present invention (Solution means 2) was created to solve the second technical problem in addition to the first technical problem described above,
The powder supply device of the above solution 1,
After stopping the discharge of the powder from the powder continuous delivery section, waiting for the powder fall time to the storage hopper to complete the weight measurement and the powder storage amount calculation by the weight measuring means, and the storage related to the measurement at that time Individual error amount confirmation means for calculating the powder discharge error amount related to the measurement from the difference between the powder storage amount of the hopper and the divided target amount;
When the powder division is repeated, the powder delivery amount calculated at the subsequent powder division by the imaging measurement means so that the powder discharge error amount calculated at the subsequent powder division by the individual error amount confirmation means approaches zero. And individual error correction means for correcting the estimated value based on the powder discharge error amount already calculated by the individual error amount confirmation means.
Here, the individual error correction means may be provided in a form incorporated in the imaging measurement means, or may be provided in a form added to the imaging measurement means.

Furthermore, the powder supply device of the present invention (Solution means 3) was created to solve the second technical problem described above.
A powder continuous delivery unit that drops and discharges powder from the powder cassette little by little, a storage hopper that receives and temporarily stores the powder, and a powdered powder that is discharged and dropped from the mouth of the powder cassette with an imaging device An imaging measuring means for calculating an estimated value of powder delivery from an image; and a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of a machine part including the storage hopper and calculating the powder storage amount from the change in weight. When the estimated powder delivery amount calculated by the measuring means reaches the division target amount, the powder discharge is performed by stopping the powder discharge from the powder continuous delivery unit and thereafter dropping the stored powder from the storage hopper. In the supply device,
After stopping the discharge of the powder from the powder continuous delivery section, waiting for the powder fall time to the storage hopper to complete the weight measurement and the powder storage amount calculation by the weight measuring means, and the storage related to the measurement at that time Individual error amount confirmation means for calculating the powder discharge error amount related to the measurement from the difference between the powder storage amount of the hopper and the divided target amount;
When the powder division is repeated, the powder delivery amount calculated at the subsequent powder division by the imaging measurement means so that the powder discharge error amount calculated at the subsequent powder division by the individual error amount confirmation means approaches zero. And individual error correction means for correcting the estimated value based on the powder discharge error amount already calculated by the individual error amount confirmation means.
Here, the individual error correction means may be provided in a form incorporated in the imaging measurement means, or may be provided in a form added to the imaging measurement means.

In addition, the powder supply device of the present invention (Solution means 4) was created in order to solve the second technical problem described above to a higher degree,
The powder supply device of the above solution 2, 3
When the powder division is repeated, the cumulative error amount corresponding to or corresponding to the total value of the powder discharge error amount at the previous powder division is calculated based on the powder discharge error amount already calculated by the individual error amount confirmation means. A cumulative error amount calculating means for calculating at or by estimation;
Based on the accumulated error amount already calculated by the accumulated error amount calculating means so that the accumulated error amount calculated by the accumulated error amount calculating means at the time of the subsequent divided powders approaches zero when the divided powder amount is repeated. And cumulative error correcting means for correcting the division target amount.

Further, the powder supply device of the present invention (solution 5) was created to solve the above-mentioned second technical problem in terms of the total powder supply amount in addition to solving the above-mentioned first technical problem. Yes,
The powder supply device of the above solution 1,
After stopping the discharge of the powder from the powder continuous delivery section, waiting for the powder fall time to the storage hopper to complete the weight measurement and the powder storage amount calculation by the weight measuring means, and the storage related to the measurement at that time Individual error amount confirmation means for calculating the powder discharge error amount related to the measurement from the difference between the powder storage amount of the hopper and the divided target amount;
When the powder division is repeated, the cumulative error amount corresponding to or corresponding to the total value of the powder discharge error amount at the previous powder division is calculated based on the powder discharge error amount already calculated by the individual error amount confirmation means. A cumulative error amount calculating means for calculating at or by estimation;
Based on the accumulated error amount already calculated by the accumulated error amount calculating means so that the accumulated error amount calculated by the accumulated error amount calculating means at the time of the subsequent divided powders approaches zero when the divided powder amount is repeated. And cumulative error correcting means for correcting the division target amount.

The powder supply device of the present invention (solution 6) was created to solve the above-described second technical problem with respect to the total powder supply amount,
A powder continuous delivery unit that drops and discharges powder from the powder cassette little by little, a storage hopper that receives and temporarily stores the powder, and a powdered powder that is discharged and dropped from the mouth of the powder cassette with an imaging device An imaging measuring means for calculating an estimated value of powder delivery from an image; and a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of a machine part including the storage hopper and calculating the powder storage amount from the change in weight. When the estimated powder delivery amount calculated by the measuring means reaches the division target amount, the powder discharge is performed by stopping the powder discharge from the powder continuous delivery unit and thereafter dropping the stored powder from the storage hopper. In the supply device,
After stopping the discharge of the powder from the powder continuous delivery section, waiting for the powder fall time to the storage hopper to complete the weight measurement and the powder storage amount calculation by the weight measuring means, and the storage related to the measurement at that time Individual error amount confirmation means for calculating the powder discharge error amount related to the measurement from the difference between the powder storage amount of the hopper and the divided target amount;
When the powder division is repeated, the cumulative error amount corresponding to or corresponding to the total value of the powder discharge error amount at the previous powder division is calculated based on the powder discharge error amount already calculated by the individual error amount confirmation means. A cumulative error amount calculating means for calculating at or by estimation;
Based on the accumulated error amount already calculated by the accumulated error amount calculating means so that the accumulated error amount calculated by the accumulated error amount calculating means at the time of the subsequent divided powders approaches zero when the divided powder amount is repeated. And cumulative error correcting means for correcting the division target amount.

  Further, the powder supply device of the present invention (solution 7) is the powder supply device of the above solutions 2, 3, wherein the individual error amount confirmation unit and the individual error correction unit are selectively executed instead of always. It is characterized by being adapted.

  The powder supply device of the present invention (solution 8) is the powder supply device of the above solutions 4, 5 and 6, wherein the individual error amount confirmation means, the cumulative error amount calculation means, and the cumulative error correction means. Are selectively executed instead of always.

In such a powder supply device of the present invention (Solution means 1), by providing a predetermined background member behind the dropping powder to be imaged, the background is not reflected in the image taken by the imaging device. Therefore, since the captured image of the falling powder becomes clear, the measurement accuracy of the imaging measurement is improved.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a powder supply device with high measurement accuracy of imaging measurement itself, and as a result, the first technical problem described above is solved.

  Further, in the powder supply device of the present invention (solution means 2 and 3), when repeating the powder division, the individual error amount confirmation means is executed at the time of the previous powder division, whereby the powder After all of the falling powder from the continuous delivery section is temporarily stored in the storage hopper, the weight measurement of the stored powder and the calculation of the powder storage amount are completed. A powder discharge error amount related to the measurement is calculated. The individual error correction means is also executed, thereby correcting the estimated powder delivery amount calculated by the imaging measurement means at the time of the subsequent powder division based on the calculated powder discharge error amount.

In addition, since the content of the correction is to correct the powder discharge error amount calculated by the individual error amount confirmation means at the time of the subsequent powder division, the predictive imaging measurement is measured. This is equivalent to correction by weight measurement, and the measurement accuracy of imaging measurement is improved during powder division performed later.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a powder supply device in which the measurement accuracy of the imaging measurement is higher in the subsequent powder division than in the preceding powder division by reflecting the weight measurement result in the imaging measurement. As a result, the second technical problem described above is solved.

Further, in the powder supply device of the present invention (solution means 4, 5, 6), when repeating the powder division, the individual error amount confirmation means is executed at the time of the previous powder division, thereby After all the powder drops from the powder continuous delivery part are temporarily stored in the storage hopper, the weight measurement of the stored powder and the powder storage amount calculation are completed, and the difference between the powder storage amount and the divided target amount The powder discharge error amount related to the measurement at the time is calculated. Accumulated error amount calculation means is also executed, so that based on the calculated powder discharge error amount, the powder discharge error amount that occurred in the already performed powder division is aggregated or estimated to calculate the cumulative error amount. Is done.
Furthermore, the cumulative error correction means is also executed, whereby the division target amount is corrected based on the calculated cumulative error amount.

In addition, the content of the correction is to correct so that the cumulative error amount calculated by the cumulative error amount calculation means at the time of the subsequent powder division is close to zero, so that the cumulative error amount is eliminated or at least It is equivalent to predictive imaging measurement to be corrected by actual weight measurement so that it is suppressed, and the measurement accuracy of imaging measurement from the viewpoint of suppressing cumulative error is improved in the case of powder division performed later .
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize the powder supply device in which the measurement accuracy of the imaging measurement is increased and the accumulated error is suppressed by reflecting the result of the weight measurement in the imaging measurement. Two technical issues are solved with respect to the total powder supply.

Moreover, in the powder supply device of the present invention (solution means 7 and 8), the weight of the falling powder can be accurately measured in order to wait for the powder falling time to the storage hopper, but the individual error amount that increases the measurement time. As for the confirmation means and related means using the measurement results, these means are not executed at all of the repeated powder divisions, but are executed only at a part of the selected powder divisions. By doing so, the total time required for a series of divided powder supply is shortened.
On the other hand, the imaging measurement performed in all of the repeated powdered drug divisions is corrected at the time of execution of the individual error amount confirmation means and related means. However, there is a tendency to be greatly improved by a few corrections.
Therefore, according to the present invention, harmony between powder division accuracy and processing speed can be achieved.

The structure of a powder supply apparatus is shown about Example 1 of this invention, (a) is a right view of an internal mechanism principal part, (b) is a functional block diagram of a control apparatus. (A) is an external appearance perspective view of a powder supply apparatus, (b) is a right view of the internal mechanism etc. of the state holding the powder cassette. (A) is a perspective view of the powder cassette with the lid closed, (b) is a perspective view of the powder cassette with the lid removed, (c) is a bottom view of the bottomed cylindrical container, and (d) is a bottomed cylindrical container. FIG. (A) is a right side view of the place where powder is gradually dropped and discharged from the powder cassette, and (b) is a right side view of where the stored powder is quickly dropped and released from the storage hopper.

  Regarding such powder supply device of the present invention, several specific embodiments suitable for its implementation will be given. As described above, the recently developed horizontal cylindrical cassette rotating powder supply device automatically divides and dispenses a variable amount for each package and repeats it for one prescription or one patient. In addition to inheriting the advantages of the metering split type, which is automated up to each powder split and does not require a rotary annular receiving member, etc., it is easy to miniaturize, and it is necessary to incorporate a movable member such as a screw in the removable powder cassette Since the structure of the powder cassette is simplified, the inside of the cassette can be cleaned easily and quickly, and even if a large number of powder cassettes are arranged in a powder shelf, the cost can be kept relatively low. Can handle different types of powders. In addition, even if the powder cassette does not have a movable member, the contained powder is collapsing from the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical container as the cylindrical container rotates while discharging the powder. Since it is agitated without difficulty, it is possible not only to loosen the lump of powder, but also to send out pre-mixed premixed products without changing or separating the mixing ratio.

[First Embodiment]
However, the cylindrical cassette rotating type powder supply device developed in the early stage (see, for example, FIG. 6B of Patent Document 3) holds the mounted powder cassette in a substantially horizontal state. For this reason, when the powder stored in the powder cassette decreases, the discharge speed of the powder decreases and the efficiency of powder supply and powder packaging decreases.
Therefore, it is required to realize a cylindrical cassette rotating type powder supply device that does not decrease the discharge speed of the powder so much even if the amount of powder stored in the powder cassette decreases.

The powder supply device of the first embodiment was created to meet such a demand, and is a powder supply device of the above-described solution means, wherein the powder continuous delivery unit is a bottomed cylindrical container. A cassette holding mechanism for detachably holding a powder cassette with a lid on the mouth, a rotation drive mechanism for rotating the powder cassette held by the cassette holding mechanism, and a lid of the powder cassette acting on the lid of the powder cassette. Cassette opening and closing mechanism that opens and closes the mouth of
Furthermore, the upper opening of the storage hopper is wider than the mouth of the powder cassette, and the cassette holding mechanism holds the powder cassette in a lower inclined state on the mouth side than the bottom side. It is characterized by that.

In such a powder supply apparatus, the powder cassette is not held horizontally but inherited from the horizontal cylindrical cassette rotation method, and the powder cassette is held with the mouth side tilted lower than the bottom side. As a result, the gravitational force corresponding to the inclination acts as a propulsive force toward the mouth with respect to the stored powder, so even if the powder stored in the powder cassette decreases, the powder Therefore, if the slope is set and adjusted appropriately, the efficiency of powder supply and powder packaging can be maintained at the required level.
Therefore, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to realize a cylindrical cassette rotating type powder supply device in which the discharge speed of the powder does not decrease so much even if the amount of powder stored in the powder cassette decreases.

[Second Embodiment]
In addition, a cylindrical cassette rotation type powder supply apparatus developed in the early stage (see, for example, FIG. 6 (b) of Patent Document 3) is configured such that the cylindrical rear end portion of a substantially horizontal powder cassette is placed on the rotary wheel and the outer peripheral surface of the rotary wheel. It was designed to rotate by contact friction with the powder cassette outer peripheral surface. For this reason, the rotational drive state is influenced by the state of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical end portion of the powder cassette and the change in the amount of powder stored in the powder cassette, and the discharge speed of the powder sometimes changes undesirably.
Therefore, it is also required to realize a cylindrical cassette rotation type powder supply apparatus in which the rotation speed of the powder cassette is less likely to vary.

The powder supply device of the second embodiment has been devised to meet such a demand, and is the above-described solution, in which the powder continuous delivery section covers the mouth of the bottomed cylindrical container. A cassette holding mechanism for detachably holding the powder cassette, a rotational drive mechanism for rotating the powder cassette held by the cassette holding mechanism, and a lid of the powder cassette to act on the mouth of the powder cassette. It has a cassette opening and closing mechanism that opens and closes,
Further, the upper opening of the storage hopper is wider than the mouth of the powder cassette, and the rotational drive mechanism places the tip of the drive shaft in the hole formed in the bottom center of the powder cassette in the axial direction. The powder cassette is axially rotated by being fitted in a loosely fitted state and in a rotational direction locked state.
Or it is a powder supply apparatus of 1st Embodiment mentioned above, Comprising: The said rotation drive mechanism is axially loosely fitted in the hole formed in the center of the bottom face of the said powder cassette, and is locked in the rotation direction. It is made to fit in the state and the powder cassette is axially rotated.

In such a powder supply device, rotation transmission is performed by fitting the hole in the center of the bottom of the powder cassette and the tip of the drive shaft, so that the powder cassette and the drive shaft are rotated in the rotation direction. Since the powder cassette is rotated according to the drive shaft, the rotation state of the powder cassette is stabilized. In addition, since the rotation transmission means on the powder cassette side is a hole that does not protrude even if it is on the bottom of the cassette, it is possible to place the powder cassette removed from the apparatus vertically, which is convenient for arranging many powder cassettes on a powder shelf etc. It is. In particular, as a side effect of the first embodiment in which the powder cassette is held in a state where the bottom side is inclined higher than the mouth side, the frictional force between the cylindrical rear end portion on the bottom side of the powder cassette and the rotating wheel is This may weaken and spur undesired changes in the powder discharge rate due to the above-mentioned changes in the amount of stored powder, but such inconveniences can be avoided and the rotation state of the powder cassette is stable. To do.
Therefore, according to 2nd Embodiment, the powder supply apparatus of the cylindrical cassette rotation system which cannot change the rotational speed of a powder cassette easily is realizable.

[Third Embodiment]
The powder supply device of the third embodiment is the powder supply device of the first and second embodiments, wherein the cassette opening / closing mechanism abuts the top of the lid of the powder cassette against the mouth of the powder cassette. The mouth of the powder cassette is opened by separating the lower part of the lid of the powder cassette from the mouth of the powder cassette.

  In such a powder supply device of the third embodiment, the side effect of the first embodiment in which the powder cassette is held in a state where the mouth side is inclined to be lower than the bottom side, and the bottom surface of the powder cassette As a side effect of the second embodiment in which the tip of the drive shaft is inserted loosely from the rear, the powder cassette may be easily displaced forward, but the uppermost portion of the lid of the powder cassette is the mouth of the powder cassette In addition to providing a dedicated complicated cassette displacement prevention mechanism in front of the powder cassette, the cassette opening / closing mechanism provided in front of the powder cassette is convenient and accurate. In addition, the forward displacement of the powder cassette is prevented.

  In addition, when opening the mouth of the powder cassette, the top of the lid of the powder cassette remains in contact with the mouth of the powder cassette, so that the lower part of the lid of the powder cassette is separated from the mouth of the powder cassette. It became possible to enjoy even the benefits. That is, when the lid is released uniformly from the mouth all the way when opened, the powder discharged from the mouth of the powder cassette goes not only downward but also to the left and right laterally. The more the powder cassette is steeper and the concentrated powder is concentrated on the mouth side, the greater the tendency to spread in the lateral direction, and its amount and range tend to change undesirably, but the lower side can be opened with the upper side closed. As a result, undesired fluctuations are suppressed and the powder drop and discharge state is stabilized, so that the imaging measurement and weight measurement are accurate, and the powder division state during the closing operation is stable and the division accuracy is also improved. To do.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The powder supply apparatus according to the fourth embodiment is the powder supply apparatus according to the third embodiment, wherein the cassette holding mechanism lowers the powder cassette while allowing the axis rotation of the powder cassette to be held. The support member is supported by an annular engagement portion (such as an annular groove or a bowl-like overhang) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the powder cassette. The powder cassette is capable of being engaged (by fitting or the like), and prevents the powder cassette from dropping and moving forward when engaged.

  In such a powder supply device of the fourth embodiment, the upper end is engaged with the annular engaging portion of the outer peripheral surface of the powder cassette as a support member that supports the powder cassette so that the cassette can be pivoted from below in the cassette holding mechanism. By adopting what can be used, it is possible to prevent not only the powder cassette from dropping but also the advancement by the support member at the time of engagement, until a dedicated complex cassette displacement prevention mechanism etc. is provided in front of the powder cassette Therefore, the forward position shift of the powder cassette is prevented easily and accurately. Further, the forward movement force of the powder cassette is exerted by the function of preventing the forward movement of the powder cassette by the cassette holding mechanism and the function of preventing the forward movement of the powder cassette by the cassette opening / closing mechanism of the third embodiment at the same time. Even if the lid of the powder cassette is used in a state where the lid of the powder cassette comes into contact with the mouth of the powder cassette when it is open, it is limited to the uppermost part of the lid. Damage can be avoided.

About the powder supply apparatus of such this invention, the specific form for implementing this is demonstrated by the following Example 1. FIG.
The first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 embodies all the above-described solving means 1 to 8 (claims 1 to 8 at the beginning of the application).
In these drawings, for the sake of simplification and the like, details such as fasteners such as bolts, couplings such as hinges, electric circuits such as motor drivers, and electronic circuits such as controllers are omitted from the illustration. The figure mainly shows what is necessary for the explanation and related items.

  In the first embodiment, prior to the description of the powder supply device 10, a powder cassette 90 used for the powder supply device 10 will be described. 3A is a perspective view of the powder cassette 90 with the lid 95 closed, FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the powder cassette 90 with the lid 95 removed, and FIG. 3C is a bottom view of the bottomed cylindrical container 91. FIG. 6D is an elevation view of the bottomed cylindrical container 91.

  The powder cassette 90 (see FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b)), for example, a metal bottom plate is bonded to a glass cylinder at the lower end when placed vertically and at the rear end when placed horizontally. The bottomed cylindrical container 91 that is fixedly fitted by fitting or the like is mainly used, and the base (92 + 93) is also bonded or fitted to the upper end / front end that is the open end of the bottomed cylindrical container 91. It is fixedly attached. The base (92 + 93) is made of, for example, a metal ring-shaped member, and a mouth 92 (lip portion) that expands the opening of the bottomed cylindrical container 91 in a tapered shape is formed on the inner peripheral side of the tip portion thereof. On the outer peripheral surface, an annular groove 93 (annular engagement portion) is engraved and formed on the outer peripheral surface, and the edge portion thereof protrudes in a convex shape to form a hook-like protrusion 93a that extends around the entire circumference.

In addition, the lid 95 is a thin disc 97 made of metal, for example, with latching portions 96, 96 attached thereto, and the edge of the disc 97 is brought into close contact with the mouth 92 over the entire circumference so that the powder cassette 90 The mouth is closed, the ends of the latching portions 96, 96 are inserted into the annular groove 93 and hooked on the hook-shaped protrusion 93a to maintain the closed state, and the latching portions 96, 96 are removed from the annular groove 93 to be disc 97. The mouth (opening) of the powder cassette 90 is opened by pulling away from the mouth 92 (lip portion).
Further, a hole 94 is formed at the center of the bottom surface of the powder cassette 90 (see FIGS. 3C and 3D). The illustrated hole 94 has a hexagonal cross section, but if a drive shaft 32 (to be described later) can be inserted and removed in an axially loosely fitted state and can be transmitted in a rotationally locked state during insertion, Other shapes such as a cross shape or an internal tooth shape may be used.

About the Example 1 of the powder supply apparatus of this invention, the specific structure is demonstrated referring drawings. 1A is a right side view of the main part of the internal mechanism of the powder supply device 10, and FIG. 1B is a functional block diagram of a controller 80 (control device / arithmetic unit).
2A is an external perspective view of the powder supply device 10, FIG. 2B is an internal mechanism (20-40, 50-70, 80) of the powder supply device 10 holding the powder cassette 90, and the like. FIG.

  The powder supply device 10 (see FIGS. 1 (a), (b), and FIG. 2) includes a powder continuous delivery unit 20 to 40 that gradually drops and discharges powder from the above-mentioned powder cassette 90, and the dropped powder. It comprises powder storage / dividing units 50 to 70 that divide by temporarily storing while measuring, and a controller 80 (control device / arithmetic unit) that performs operation control and calculation thereof. In addition, an appropriate member for supporting them is also provided (see FIG. 2). In the illustrated example, the base plate 11, the front support portion 12, and the rear support portion 13 are provided. The front support portion 12 and the rear support portion 13 are mounted, and the inclined plate 21 on which the cassette holding mechanism 20 and the rotation drive mechanism 30 are mounted is supported by the short front support portion 12 and the tall rear support portion. By supporting with the part 13, the powder cassette 90 can be supported in the state where the inclination angle θ is lowered downward.

  The powder continuous delivery parts 20-40 (refer FIG. 1 (a), FIG. 2) are the cassette holding mechanism 20 for hold | maintaining the above-mentioned powder cassette 90 so that attachment or detachment is possible, and the rotational drive for rotating the powder cassette 90 axially. A mechanism 30 and a cassette opening / closing mechanism 40 for opening and closing the mouth of the powder cassette 90 are provided. The cassette holding mechanism 20 holds and holds the powder cassette 90 in a state where the inclination angle θ is lowered downward. By rotating the bottomed cylindrical container 91 of the powdered cassette 90 with the rotation drive mechanism 30, the powdered powder is gradually dropped and discharged from the powdered cassette 90.

The powder storage division units 50 to 70 are an imaging device 50 (imaging measurement means) for taking the powder discharged from the mouth of the powder cassette 90 and falling, and the imaging direction of the imaging device 50 precedes the powder drop position. It acts on the background member 51 provided at the position, the storage hopper 60 that receives and temporarily stores the falling powder discharged from the powder continuous delivery units 20 to 40, and the on-off valve 61 provided in the storage hopper 60. A hopper opening / closing drive mechanism 62 that opens and closes the storage hopper 60, and a hopper holding portion 70 (weight measurement means) that supports the storage hopper 60 with a hopper holding member 71 and measures its weight.
Hereinafter, the structure of each part 20-80 is explained in full detail in order.

  The cassette holding mechanism 20 (see FIG. 2) has a bottom plate formed by the rear support portion 13 and the front support portion 12 in order to hold the powder cassette 90 so that the powder cassette 90 can be rotated in a forwardly lowered posture with an inclination angle θ. 11, an inclined plate 21 held in a forwardly lowered posture with an inclination angle θ, a front support member 22 erected on the front portion of the upper surface of the inclined plate 21, and a rear portion of the upper surface of the inclined plate 21. And a rear support member 23 erected. Both the front support member 22 and the rear support member 23 support the powder cassette 90 from below while allowing the shaft rotation of the powder cassette 90 by allowing the smooth upper end surface to contact the outer peripheral surface of the powder cassette 90 from below. It is like that. Among them, the front support member 22 has an upper end portion whose thickness is thinner than the width of the annular groove 93 (annular engagement portion) on the outer peripheral surface of the powder cassette 90, so that the upper end portion can be loosely inserted (engaged) into the annular groove 93. In the state where the upper end portion is inserted (engaged) into the annular groove 93, the upper end surface is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the groove to prevent the powder cassette 90 from dropping without disturbing the shaft rotation of the powder cassette 90. The upper side of the powder cassette 90 is prevented from advancing by applying the upper end side surface to the groove wall surface.

  Since the powder cassette 90 mounted on the cassette holding mechanism 20 takes an inclined posture with the mouth 92 slightly lowered, if the mouth of the powder cassette 90 is open, the powder in the bottomed cylindrical container 91 spills from the mouth. Therefore, the rotary drive mechanism 30 and the cassette opening / closing are arranged separately at the front and rear of the cassette holding mechanism 20 so that the powder cassette 90 with the mouth 92 of the bottomed cylindrical container 91 closed with a lid 95 can be attached and detached. A sufficient space is secured between the mechanism 40 and a member that may cause interference, such as a drive shaft 32 or an arm 43 described later, can be easily moved manually. Further, in the illustrated example, the inclination angle θ is fixed to a little over 5 °. However, the powder cassette 90 is lowered in the forwardly lowered posture, that is, in the horizontally inclined state lower on the mouth side than the bottom side, so that the discharge speed of the powder is stabilized. Since the inclination angle θ may be variably adjusted within a range of 3 ° to 20 °, for example, the inclination angle may be adjusted by controlling the controller 80 or the like. It may be automatically executed according to the above.

  The rotation drive mechanism 30 includes a motor 31 provided at the rear of the cassette holding mechanism 20 and a front cassette from the motor 31 in order to rotate the powder cassette 90 held by the cassette holding mechanism 20 in accordance with the control of the controller 80. A drive shaft 32 protruding toward the holding mechanism 20 and a speed reduction mechanism (not shown) interposed between the motor 31 and the drive shaft 32 are provided. The drive shaft 32 has at least a tip corresponding to the hole 94 of the powder cassette 90 and has a hexagonal column shape that is slightly thinner than the hole 94 in this example, so that the tip is loosely fitted into the hole 94 by axial relative movement. In addition, the long diameter portion of the tip and the short diameter portion of the hole 94 interfere with each other in the circumferential direction so that the rotation direction is locked. Thus, the powder cassette 90 can be rotated about its axis.

  The cassette opening / closing mechanism 40 swings fixed on the front support portion 12 in front of the cassette holding mechanism 20 so as to act on the lid 95 of the powder cassette 90 to open and close the mouth (opening) of the powder cassette 90. The drive part 41, the lid | cover holder 42 equipped in the upper part, and the arm 43 equipped in the upper part are provided. The swing drive unit 41 includes drive members such as a motor and a reduction gear. The swing drive unit 41 linearly moves the lid holder 42 in the front-rear direction as necessary for attaching and detaching the lid according to the control of the controller 80 and only necessary for opening and closing the lid. It swings back and forth. When the lid holder 42 moves backward and comes into contact with the lid 95, the lid 95 is held by a not-shown locking portion or the like, and the latching portions 96, 96 of the lid 95 are pushed open to be removed from the annular groove 93. Yes. When the mouth of the powder cassette 90 is closed, the reverse operation is performed. The arm 43 is swingably supported by the lid holder 42 to assist the lid holder 42, and the claw portion at the tip is picked by hand and inserted into the annular groove 93 of the powder cassette 90 from above. Can be done.

  The cassette opening / closing mechanism 40 is configured such that the powder cassette 90 with the mouth 92 closed is placed on the rear support member 23 on the rear side in the state where the front support member 22 is inserted into the lower portion of the annular groove 93 and in the hole 94. When the drive shaft 32 is inserted and the claw portion at the tip of the arm 43 is further inserted into the upper portion of the annular groove 93 of the powder cassette 90, the latch portion 96 does not interfere with powder discharge under the control of the controller 80. After the powder cassette 90 is pivoted temporarily until it is in position, the lid holder 42 moves backward to hold the lid 95, and then the lid holder 42 is swung simply or slightly forward, Powder is applied in such a manner that the lower part of the disc 97 of the lid 95 of the powder cassette 90 is separated from the mouth 92 of the powder cassette 90 while the uppermost portion of the disk 97 of the lid 95 is brought into contact with the mouth 92 of the powder cassette 90. Mouth open (opening) of the set 90, and performs the reverse when closing the mouth (opening) of the powdered medicine cassette 90

The imaging device 50 may be, for example, a small CCD camera provided with LED illumination. The imaging device 50 is installed in a rearward position on the front upper side in the front support 12 and falls from the mouth 92 of the powder cassette 90. A wide range of powdered medicines can be taken from the front (imaging measuring means).
Moreover, while sending the image data image | photographed with this imaging device 50 to the controller 80 from the imaging device 50, when the controller 80 performs the imaging measurement program 82 mentioned later, it is from the powder cassette 90 in the powder continuous delivery part 20-40. An estimated value (powder delivery amount estimated value) of the discharged powder delivery amount is calculated (imaging measurement means).

  The background member 51 is made of a plate or the like having a size that can cover most of the background in order to clarify the powder image, that is, to capture the powder as a clear image in the image taken by the imaging device 50. At least the surface that appears as the background in the image is in a state of absorbing and not reflecting the light of the color that the imaging device 50 is sensitive to. For example, if the imaging device 50 is sensitive to visible light, the background surface of the background member 51 is black, and if the imaging device 50 is sensitive to infrared light, the background surface of the background member 51 absorbs infrared light. It has become. Note that the same surface treatment as that of the background member 51 is applied to the background portion that cannot be covered by the background member 51, for example, the front surface (left surface in FIG. 2) of the inclined plate 21 and the front support member 22.

  The storage hopper 60 is made of, for example, a funnel-like member having an opening in the vertical direction, is held by the hopper holding unit 70, and is located in the powder dropping path downstream from the imaging position. The on-off valve 61 is incorporated in the lower end opening of the storage hopper 60 or in the hollow / inner cavity, and opens and closes the storage hopper 60 by, for example, swinging. The hopper opening / closing drive mechanism 62 includes a motor, a reduction gear, and the like, and acts on the opening / closing valve 61 to perform an opening / closing operation when necessary under the control of the controller 80. The storage hopper 60 receives the powder falling from the mouth of the powder cassette 90 from the upper opening with the on-off valve closed according to the control of the controller 80, and the powder pill 60 is collected until a single divided amount such as one package is collected. Is temporarily stored and, according to the control of the controller 80 that confirms that the predetermined divided amount has gathered, the on-off valve 61 is opened to release the stored powder (temporary stored powder) from the lower opening and drop it. Yes.

  The hopper holding part 70 is provided below the hopper holding member 71, and a hopper holding member 71 for holding the storage hopper 60 in a worshiping state where the lower part of the storage hopper 60 is dropped into the through hole from above. A weight measuring instrument such as a load cell (not shown) is provided, and the weight of the machine part including the storage hopper 60 is measured. Moreover, while sending the measurement data from the hopper holding | maintenance part 70 to the controller 80, the controller 80 performs the weight measurement program 83 mentioned later, By this, the stored powder amount from the change of the weight value measured with the load cell of the hopper holding | maintenance part 70 etc. Is calculated (weight measuring means).

  The controller 80 (control device / arithmetic unit) may be a stand-alone computer or sequencer, a distributed electronic control circuit, a dedicated product, or a controller for the medicine packaging machine at the installation destination, as long as it can exert its control function and arithmetic function. But it ’s okay. Here, a programmable computer is adopted, and a control program 81 (control means), an imaging measurement program 82 (imaging measurement means), a weight measurement program 83 (weight measurement means), and an individual error amount confirmation program 84 (individual). Error amount checking means), individual error correction program 85 (individual error correction means), cumulative error amount calculation program 86 (cumulative error amount calculation means), cumulative error correction program 87 (cumulative error correction means), and selection program 88 (selecting means) is preinstalled.

The controller 80 executes an instruction input program (not shown) to obtain dispensing instruction data such as the amount of packaging and the number of packages from an attached operation display unit (not shown) or a higher-level dispensing management device, etc. While determining, by executing each said program 81-88, the packaging apparatus is further connected so that the powder continuous delivery part 20-40 mentioned above and the powder storage division | segmentation part 50-70 cooperate correctly. In some cases, these operations are controlled so that an accurate packaging operation is performed.
Hereinafter, functions of the controller 80 that has executed the programs 81 to 88 will be described.

  The control program 81 controls the motor 31 of the rotation drive mechanism 30, the swing drive unit 41 and the lid holder 42 of the cassette opening / closing mechanism 40, and the hopper opening / closing drive mechanism 62 of the powder storage division units 50 to 70. In addition, by controlling these operations based on dispensing instructions, etc., the powder continuous delivery units 20 to 40 and the powder storage division units 50 to 70 cooperate so that a series of operations described in the usage mode described later is performed. By doing so, the continuous discharge by the powder continuous delivery units 20-40 and the division by the powder storage division units 50-70 are alternately performed, and the powder supply device 10 needs to perform powder division (that is, continuous discharge and division of powder). It is supposed to repeat as much as possible.

  Specifically, the control program 81 causes the powder continuous delivery units 20 to 40 to start discharging the powder continuously. After that, when the powder delivery amount estimated value reaches the divided target amount, the powder continuous delivery units 20 to 40 In addition, the continuous discharge of the powder is stopped and the storage hopper 60 is dropped from the storage hopper 60 by controlling the hopper opening / closing drive mechanism 62 so that the storage hopper 60 is opened from the closed state. It should be noted that the timing for opening the storage hopper 60 for the fall discharge of the stored powder is the stop of continuous discharge of the powder by the continuous powder delivery units 20 to 40 when the selection program 88 is not selected to execute the individual error amount confirmation program 84. When the execution of the individual error amount confirmation program 84 is selected by the selection program 88 at the same time or immediately after, the powders discharged so far from the continuous discharge of the powders by the continuous powder delivery units 20 to 40 are all After the fall in the air has finished, the powder fall time that is expected to be required to fit in the storage hopper 60 has elapsed.

  The imaging measurement program 82 calculates a powder delivery amount estimated value by performing an operation such as converting the black-and-white ratio in the image into a powder dose every moment from an image taken by the imaging device 50. At that time, at each powder division, the estimated amount of powder delivery may be determined by accumulating the amount of powder every time since the start of continuous discharge of powder, but it is still accepted by the storage hopper 60. It is better to determine the estimated amount of powder delivery by dropping the air before being obtained, and determining the amount of powder from the image and adding the powder storage amount (weight measurement value of the powder during storage) to it. Improvement can be expected. In any case, the powder delivery amount estimated value obtained from the image is corrected using a correction value described later, and a final powder delivery amount estimated value referred to by another program is determined. .

  The weight measurement program 83 inputs the weight value measured by the load cell or the like from the hopper holding unit 70 as needed, and from the change in the weight value, that is, from the weight value obtained every moment after the start of continuous discharge of the powder, The powder storage amount is calculated by subtracting the weight value before or at the start of discharge. The calculation of the powder storage amount is repeated over a period of time including the time period from the start of continuous discharge of powder by the powder continuous delivery units 20 to 40 to the start of powder division by the powder storage division units 50 to 70. Yes.

  The individual error amount confirmation program 84 is executed only during the powder division selected by the selection program 88. At the time of execution, as described above, after the continuous discharge of the powder is stopped, the individual error amount confirmation program 84 waits for the powder fall time to elapse from the powder cassette. Based on the fact that the powder storage amount is accurately calculated by measuring the weight after all the falling powders are received by the storage hopper 60, the final powder storage amount and the division target in the powder division at that time The powder discharge error amount is calculated from the difference from the amount. This powder discharge error amount can take a positive value or a negative value in addition to zero according to the state of the error.

  The individual error correction program 85 is executed only at the time of the powder division selected by the selection program 88 in the same manner as the individual error amount confirmation program 84. The individual error correction program 85 changes the powder discharge error amount as it is or changes the positive and negative values at any time. However, when a plurality of powder discharge error amounts are already calculated by the individual error amount confirmation program 84 by a plurality of executions, they are stored and stored, and linear or nonlinear It is more preferable to calculate a predicted value using an appropriate known approximate expression or the like and use it as a corrected value. In any case, there is a difference in the number of convergences, but each time the powder division is repeated, the powder delivery amount estimation that the powder delivery amount estimated value is calculated with the correction value calculated by the individual error correction program 85 each time. Since the value is corrected so as to be eliminated, the powder discharge error amount calculated in the subsequent powder division is close to zero.

  The cumulative error amount calculation program 86 repeats the powder division, and when the individual error amount confirmation program 84 is continuously executed at that time, the powder calculated by the individual error amount confirmation program 84 each time it is executed. By adding up and summing up the discharge error amount, the cumulative error amount corresponding to the total value of the powder discharge error amount at the time of the previous powder division is calculated. Further, when the individual error amount confirmation program 84 is intermittently executed when the powder division is repeatedly performed, the powder discharge error amount at the time of non-execution is estimated using an appropriate interpolation formula, and then those powders are used. By adding the discharge error amount, a cumulative error amount corresponding to the total value of the powder discharge error amount at the previous powder division is calculated.

  This accumulated error amount can also take positive and negative values in addition to zero. An example of an interpolation formula that can be used by the cumulative error amount calculation program 86 for estimating the powder discharge error amount when the individual error amount confirmation program 84 is not executed is as follows. In order to estimate the powder discharge error amount at the middle non-execution based on the discharge error amount, a linear expression that connects the measured values of the previous and next two times with a straight line can be used. The following equation can be used, and a cubic equation connecting them with a curve can be used for the four actual measurement values. Further, an approximate expression selected by the least square method or the like can be used for the actually measured value three times or more.

  The cumulative error correction program 87 corrects the division target amount based on the calculated cumulative error amount every time the cumulative error amount is calculated by the cumulative error amount calculation program 86. At that time, the cumulative error correction program 87 is still executed. If there is only one remaining number of powder divisions, the calculated target error amount is corrected using the calculated cumulative error amount as it is. In order to reduce the cumulative error amount calculated during the subsequent powder division while suppressing fluctuations to approach zero, for example, the division target amount is corrected using a value obtained by dividing the calculated cumulative error amount by the remaining number of powder divisions. It is like that.

  The selection program 88 switches execution / non-execution of the individual error amount confirmation program 84, the individual error correction program 85, the cumulative error amount calculation program 86, and the cumulative error correction program 87 described above. In order to execute ~ 87, it is necessary to wait for the powder falling time to fall to the storage hopper 60 as described above, and if the execution of the error correcting means 84 to 87 is selected, the divided powder (continuous powder) (Draining and splitting) takes time, so instead of selecting execution of error correction means 84-87 at all powder splits, for example, select execution only at first powder split and last few powder splits Or, you can choose to run only during the first few powder splits and during the latter half 1/3 or 1/4 of the powder split, or in the middle, intermittently every few to tens of times. Toka selecting news Toka increase or decrease the execution frequency in accordance with the magnitude of the powdered medicine delivery estimated value and accumulated error amount, it is possible to set a selection condition.

In addition, when the opening of the mouth of the powder cassette 90 is changed in the middle of a series of powder division, the cumulative error amount calculation program 86 is both during the powder division immediately before the opening change and during the powder division when the opening is changed. Thus, execution of the error correction means 84 to 87 is selected.
This is because the error correction means 84 to 87 are executed at the time of dividing the powder just before the opening degree change, so that the estimation accuracy of the accumulated error amount executed before that can be prevented from being lowered and kept high. Further, the error correction means 84 to 87 are executed at the time of dividing the powder at the time of opening change, so that the estimated accuracy of the powder delivery amount estimated value and the accumulated error amount executed thereafter is prevented from being lowered and increased. This is because it can be maintained.

  About the powder supply apparatus 10 of this Example 1, the use aspect and operation | movement are demonstrated referring drawings. 4 (a) is a right side view of the powder 99 that gradually drops and discharges the powder 99 from the powder cassette 90, and FIG. 4 (b) shows that the stored powder 99 is quickly dropped and released from the storage hopper 60. It is a right view.

  Prior to operating the powder supply device 10, the powder holding cassette 90 containing the powder 99 to be dispensed is manually held in the cassette holding mechanism 20 with the mouth 92 closed with the lid 95. At this time, the powder cassette 90 is placed sideways, the rear portion is placed on the rear support member 23, and then the powder cassette 90 is pushed and moved rearward, so that the drive shaft of the rotary drive mechanism 30 is inserted into the hole 94 on the bottom surface of the powder cassette 90. 32 is inserted, and the front side of the powder cassette 90 is further lowered to insert the upper end of the front support member 22 of the cassette holding mechanism 20 into the lower portion of the annular groove 93 of the powder cassette 90, and then it is allowed to escape in advance. The placed arm 43 is swung and the claw portion at the tip is inserted into the upper portion of the annular groove 93 of the powder cassette 90.

Then, after the powder cassette 90 is mounted, dispensing instruction data such as the amount of sachet (powder delivery amount, split amount) and the number of sachets (delivery count, split count) is given to the controller 80 by operation input, download, etc. After that, the above-mentioned packing amount is set as an initial value to the division target amount automatically under the control of the controller 80 that executes the control program 81, and the lower end of the storage hopper 60 is positioned with the on-off valve 61 positioned on the closed side. The side is closed, and the storage hopper 60 is ready to receive the powder while weighing it (see FIG. 2B).
Then, the lid 95 is moved forward only by the opening / closing mechanism 40 to open the mouth of the powder cassette 90, and the powder cassette 90 is axially rotated by the rotation drive mechanism 30, so that the powder 99 is gradually fed from the mouth of the powder cassette 90. It is discharged (see FIG. 4 (a)).

  At that time, the powder 99 falls between the imaging device 50 and the background member 51 while spreading laterally (in the figure, in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface) in a thin state (in the left-right direction in the figure). And enters the storage hopper 60. The falling powder 99 is taken by the imaging device 50. The powder 99 is brightened by illumination, whereas the background member 51 and the like are dark because they do not reflect the illumination light. In FIG. 1, the contrast between the image and the background is emphasized, and the image of the powder 99 is clear and easily and accurately extracted from the background. Then, based on the image, the powder delivery amount estimated value that is the estimated value of the amount of powder 99 falling is calculated by the image processing and counting processing of the controller 80 that executes the imaging measurement program 82. If the initial value is other than “0”, the powder delivery amount estimated value using the value is also corrected.

Furthermore, the powder 99 that has fallen enters the storage hopper 60 and is temporarily stored therein, and the powder 99 that has been stored, which is the powder 99 that is being stored, is stored together with the storage hopper 60 and the like. The weight is measured by the load cell of the hopper holding unit 70. Based on the weight change, the controller 80 that executes the weight measurement program 83 calculates the powder storage amount that is the amount of the powder 99 that has been loaded into the hopper.
This powder storage amount is referred to every time the powder delivery amount estimated value is calculated by the imaging measurement program 82, and at the time of powder division where execution of the error correction means 84 to 87 is selected by the selection program 88, individual error is determined. It is also referred to by the amount confirmation program 84.

  In addition, the execution of the control program 81 compares the estimated powder delivery amount with the divided target amount as needed. When the estimated powder delivery amount reaches the divided target amount, the lid 95 is retracted downward by the opening / closing mechanism 40. Then, the mouth of the powder cassette 90 is closed, and the storage hopper 60 is opened, and a single package amount (divided amount) of the powder 99 is sent to a downstream packaging device or the like (see FIG. 4B). At that time, the time from the closing of the powder cassette 90 to the opening of the storage hopper 60 is instantaneous when the selection of the selection program 88 is a non-execution of the error correction means 84 to 87, but the selection is instantaneous. When the selection of the program 88 is the powder division in which the error correction means 84 to 87 are executed, it is expected that it takes until all the powder 99 discharged so far finishes falling in the air and fits in the storage hopper 60. Slightly longer than the default powder fall time.

  Therefore, when the selection of the selection program 88 is performed by the powder correction division in which the error correction means 84 to 87 are executed, the total amount of the powder 99 discharged from the powder cassette 90 in a continuous manner, the load cell of the hopper holding unit 70, etc. (weight) Since the weight is measured by the measuring means), an accurate powder storage amount can be obtained. At that time, a correction process is performed that is not performed when the selection of the selection program 88 is a powdered drug division in which the error correction means 84 to 87 are not executed. That is, the individual error amount confirmation program 84, the individual error correction program 85, the cumulative error amount calculation program 86, and the cumulative error correction program 87 are executed by the controller 80.

  Specifically, by executing the individual error amount confirmation program 84, the powder discharge error amount is calculated from the difference between the powder storage amount and the divided target amount, and the individual error is calculated from the powder discharge error amount or the calculated powder discharge error amount including the powder discharge error amount. Since the correction value is calculated by executing the correction program 85, the accuracy of the estimated powder delivery amount calculated thereafter by executing the imaging measurement program 82 is improved. Further, the accumulated error amount is calculated from the calculated powder discharge error amount including the powder discharge error amount by the totalization by the execution of the cumulative error amount calculation program 86 or by estimation, and further, by the execution of the cumulative error correction program 87, The division target amount is corrected based on the cumulative error amount so that the accumulated error up to that time is distributed to the subsequent powder divisions and disappears. The difference from the amount (= amount of packaging x number of packages) becomes small.

Such an operation is repeated for each package amount (divided amount), and when the designated number of packages (number of times of delivery) is performed, the required powder supply operation is completed, so the mouth of the powder cassette 90 is closed. In this state, the powder supply device 10 stops operating.
Therefore, when removing the used powder cassette 90 from the powder supply device 10, the reverse operation is performed in the above-described manner, but if the same powder 99 is to be dispensed again, the cassette demounting operation is omitted and setting of the dispensing instruction data is performed. To do.

Thus, the powder supply is performed by the horizontal cylindrical cassette rotation method, but the powder supply apparatus 10 has been improved in several respects, so that both accuracy and efficiency are improved.
In other words, the powder division for which the execution of the error correction means 84 to 87 is selected by the selection program 88 is particularly effective in eliminating the accumulated error at the time of the first or several powder divisions particularly effective for improving the accuracy of imaging measurement. Since it is limited to the time when the powder is divided within a fraction of the last effective period and the time between the middle several to several tens of times, the powder is divided quickly with high accuracy. It can be carried out.

  In addition, since the powder cassette 90 is inclined by the inclination angle θ with the mouth 92 side lowered, even if the stored powder 99 decreases, the discharge speed of the powder does not decrease much. Furthermore, since the rotational transmission between the powder cassette 90 and the rotary drive mechanism 30 is performed by mechanical engagement between the hole 94 and the drive shaft 32, the rotational state of the powder cassette 90 is stabilized. Further, since the mouth of the powder cassette 90 is opened by separating the lower portion of the lid 95 from the mouth 92 while the uppermost portion of the lid 95 is brought into contact with the mouth 92, the forward position shift of the powder cassette 90 is easily prevented. In addition, the fall discharge state of the powder 99 is stabilized. In addition, since the front support member 22 is inserted into the annular groove 93 to support the powder cassette 90, the function of preventing the powder cassette from being forwardly displaced is not impaired, and the lid 95 is not undesirably deformed or damaged. The disc 97 of the lid 95 can be made thin.

[Others]
The program configuration of the controller 80 described in the above embodiment is merely an example and is not limited thereto. As long as the controller 80 can perform a required function, the module division and the data structure may be different.
In the said Example, the upper end part of the front side support member 22 is inserted into the annular groove 93 among the annular groove 93 formed in the outer peripheral surface of the powder cassette 90, and the hook-shaped protrusion 93a, and is made to contact | abut to a groove bottom. Although the annular groove 93 is used as the annular engaging portion, the hook-shaped protrusion 93a can also be used as the annular engaging portion. For example, a concave portion is engraved and formed on the upper end portion of the front support member 22, and the hook-like protrusion 93 a of the powder cassette 90 is inserted into the concave portion and brought into contact with the bottom surface of the concave portion. It can be used as an annular engagement part.

In the above embodiment, the cassette holding mechanism 20 and the like are exposed, but the cassette holding mechanism 20 and other mechanisms 30 to 80 may be collectively housed in a box-shaped housing. It is easy to use if the top part is made of a transparent opening / closing lid.
In the above embodiment, the cassette holding mechanism 20 and the like are installed on the inclined plate 21, whereas the opening / closing mechanism 40 is installed on the front support portion 12. May be installed. The inclined plate 21 may be a frame.
In the above embodiment, when holding the powder cassette 90 in the cassette holding mechanism 20, the drive shaft 32 and the hole 94 are first fitted and then inserted into the annular groove 93 of the front support member 22. First, the drive shaft 32 may be retracted backward, and the above procedure may be performed in the reverse order.

  The powder supply device of the present invention may be used alone, but is often incorporated in a powder packaging machine. At that time, the powder distribution device is provided directly above the packaging device in such a manner that the distribution division mechanism is replaced. The powder may be fed into the packaging device one by one, or it may be incorporated into the rotation distribution type powder supply device by replacing the powder feeder, or attached to the rotation distribution type powder supply device by supplying powder to the powder feeder. Alternatively, it may be provided in parallel with the rotation distribution type powder supply device, or they may be switched.

10 ... powder supply device (measuring division type),
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Bottom plate, 12 ... Front side support part, 13 ... Rear side support part,
20-40 ... Powdered powder continuous delivery part,
20 ... cassette holding mechanism, 21 ... inclined plate, θ ... inclination angle,
22 ... front bearing member, 23 ... rear bearing member,
30 ... Rotation drive mechanism, 31 ... Motor, 32 ... Drive shaft,
40 ... cassette opening / closing mechanism, 41 ... swing drive unit, 42 ... lid holder, 43 ... arm,
50-70 ... powder storage division part,
50 ... Imaging device (imaging measuring means), 51 ... Background member,
60 ... Storage hopper, 61 ... Open / close valve, 62 ... Hopper open / close drive mechanism,
70 ... Hopper holding part (weight measuring means), 71 ... Hopper holding member,
80 ... Controller (control device / arithmetic unit),
81 ... control program (control means),
82 ... Imaging measurement program (imaging measurement means),
83 ... Weight measurement program (weight measurement means),
84: Individual error amount confirmation program (individual error amount confirmation means),
85. Individual error correction program (individual error correction means),
86... Cumulative error amount calculation program (cumulative error amount calculation means)
87 ... Cumulative error correction program (cumulative error correction means),
88 ... Selection program (selection means),
90 ... powdered cassette, 91 ... bottomed cylindrical container, 92 ... mouth,
93 ... annular groove (annular engagement portion), 93a ... hook-like protrusion (annular engagement portion),
94 ... hole, 95 ... lid, 96 ... hanging part, 97 ... disc, 99 ... powder

Claims (5)

A powder continuous delivery unit that drops and discharges powder from the powder cassette little by little, a storage hopper that receives and temporarily stores the powder, and a powdered powder that is discharged and dropped from the mouth of the powder cassette with an imaging device An imaging measuring means for calculating an estimated value of powder delivery from an image; and a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of a machine part including the storage hopper and calculating the powder storage amount from the change in weight. When the estimated powder delivery amount calculated by the measuring means reaches the divided target amount based on the dispensing instruction, the powder discharge of the continuous powder delivery part is stopped and the stored powder is dropped and released from the storage hopper thereafter. In the powder supply device that performs the division,
A background member that is provided in a position that is located prior to the powder drop position in the imaging direction of the imaging device, and that absorbs and reflects no light in the entire wavelength range to which the imaging device is sensitive ;
After stopping the discharge of the powder from the powder continuous delivery section, waiting for the powder fall time to the storage hopper to complete the weight measurement and the powder storage amount calculation by the weight measuring means, and the storage related to the measurement at that time Individual error amount confirmation means for calculating the powder discharge error amount related to the measurement from the difference between the powder storage amount of the hopper and the divided target amount;
When the powder division is repeated, the powder delivery amount calculated at the subsequent powder division by the imaging measurement means so that the powder discharge error amount calculated at the subsequent powder division by the individual error amount confirmation means approaches zero. estimates, the individual error amount confirmation unit variance drug delivery device you characterized by comprising a separate error correction means for correcting, based on the previously powdered medicine discharge error amount calculated by. A powder continuous delivery unit that drops and discharges powder from the powder cassette little by little, a storage hopper that receives and temporarily stores the powder, and a powdered powder that is discharged and dropped from the mouth of the powder cassette with an imaging device An imaging measuring means for calculating an estimated value of powder delivery from an image; and a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of a machine part including the storage hopper and calculating the powder storage amount from the change in weight. When the estimated powder delivery amount calculated by the measuring means reaches the divided target amount based on the dispensing instruction, the powder discharge of the continuous powder delivery part is stopped and the stored powder is dropped and released from the storage hopper thereafter. In the powder supply device that performs the division,
A background member that is provided in a position that is located prior to the powder drop position in the imaging direction of the imaging device, and that absorbs and reflects no light in the entire wavelength range to which the imaging device is sensitive ;
After stopping the discharge of the powder from the powder continuous delivery section, waiting for the powder fall time to the storage hopper to complete the weight measurement and the powder storage amount calculation by the weight measuring means, and the storage related to the measurement at that time Individual error amount confirmation means for calculating the powder discharge error amount related to the measurement from the difference between the powder storage amount of the hopper and the divided target amount;
When the powder division is repeated, the cumulative error amount corresponding to or corresponding to the total value of the powder discharge error amount at the previous powder division is calculated based on the powder discharge error amount already calculated by the individual error amount confirmation means. A cumulative error amount calculating means for calculating at or by estimation;
Based on the accumulated error amount already calculated by the accumulated error amount calculating means so that the accumulated error amount calculated by the accumulated error amount calculating means at the time of the subsequent divided powders approaches zero when the divided powder amount is repeated. the diffuser drug delivery device you characterized by comprising the accumulated error correction means for correcting the divided target amount. When the powder division is repeated, the cumulative error amount corresponding to or corresponding to the total value of the powder discharge error amount at the previous powder division is calculated based on the powder discharge error amount already calculated by the individual error amount confirmation means. A cumulative error amount calculating means for calculating at or by estimation;
Based on the accumulated error amount already calculated by the accumulated error amount calculating means so that the accumulated error amount calculated by the accumulated error amount calculating means at the time of the subsequent divided powders approaches zero when the divided powder amount is repeated. The powder supply device according to claim 1 , further comprising cumulative error correcting means for correcting the divided target amount. 2. The powder supply device according to claim 1, wherein the individual error amount confirmation unit and the individual error correction unit are selectively executed instead of always. As claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the individual error amount confirmation means and said cumulative error amount calculating means and said accumulated error correction means is adapted to be selectively executed not always Powder supply device.

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