JP6893666B2 - Tablet cassette - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tablet cassette forming a driven portion in a tablet feeder for automating dispensing performed in a hospital, a pharmacy, etc., and more specifically, a container portion for accommodating tablets and an alignment capable of axial rotation in the container portion. The present invention relates to a tablet cassette provided with a plate and in which tablets are sequentially dropped through a partition chamber at a peripheral portion of the alignment plate and a discharge path of a container portion when the alignment plate is driven by axial rotation.

The tablet feeder 10 that has been widely used conventionally (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 5 and FIG. 8 of a typical example) includes a drive unit 30 that is attached to a drawer shelf of a tablet packaging machine for power supply and control. It is composed of a tablet cassette 20 that is detachable from the drive unit 30 for facilitating the tablet replenishment work, and a large number of tablets 8 are randomly housed in the tablet cassette 20, and the drive unit 30 is required. The tablets 8 are sent out one by one from the tablet cassette 20 by intermittently or continuously operating the tablets.

Among such tablet feeders 10, the tablet cassette 20 (see FIG. 8B) has a container portion 21 for accommodating a large number of tablets 8 replenished by opening the upper lid in the internal space and an internal space of the container portion 21. An alignment plate 22 provided on the inner bottom portion of the tablet cassette so as to be rotatable about the axis, and a drive portion 30 projecting from the center of the lower end portion of the alignment plate 22 and described in detail later when the tablet cassette 20 is attached to the drive unit 30. The rotary shaft 23 (container portion side transmission mechanism) that meshes with the drive shaft 33 and transmits the axial rotational motion of the drive shaft 33 to the alignment plate 22 and the lower end portion of the annular gap between the container portion 21 and the alignment plate 22 are defined. It is provided with a partition member 25 which is provided so as to face the discharge path 24 which is formed through the bottom plate of the container portion 21 and which partitions a part of the upper end side of the annular gap.

Moreover, with respect to the alignment board 22, in order to divide the annular gap, which is the alignment point of the tablets 8, by one tablet, a blade-shaped partition wall 22a protruding into the annular gap is equal to the outer peripheral surface of the alignment board 22. A large number of tablets 8 are formed at a pitch, and the space between the adjacent partition walls 22a and 22a is a partition chamber 22b for storing the tablets 8 that have fallen from the top of the alignment board 22 one by one or in a vertical row. Further, the partition member 25 is made of any of various materials such as a plate material and a soft material, and all of them are located in a place where the lowermost tablet 8 in the partition chamber 22b can be separated from the upper tablet 8. The installation position is fixed after the position is adjusted such as high and low.

The drug handled by such a tablet cassette 20 is a tablet, and powdered powder in the form of powder is excluded. As a tablet that is often handled, a disk-shaped tablet (disk-shaped tablet 8 shown in FIG. 8A) is typical, but in addition, a regular polygonal plate-shaped tablet, a powder, etc. Cylindrical capsules containing the above are also often handled as tablet cassettes.
In addition, a rhombic plate-shaped deformed agent that is different from the so-called fixed shape agent such as circular, spherical, regular polygon, or regular polyhedron, and a spindle-shaped deformed agent with a bulge in the center, so that it can be taken in units of less than one tablet. Half-tablets made by cutting a tablet into two parts may also be handled in a tablet cassette.

On the other hand, the drive unit 30 includes a base 31 that is fixedly or replaceably attached to a shelf, a housing, or the like, and also rotates the alignment board 22 with respect to the attached tablet cassette 20. The base 31 is equipped with a motor 32 as a rotational drive source and a drive shaft 33 (drive unit side transmission mechanism) for transmitting the rotational drive force to the outside. Further, a discharge sensor 34 is attached in the middle of the discharge path or at the discharge destination in order to detect the presence or absence of tablet discharge and count the discharged tablets.
Then, when the tablet cassette 20 is mounted on the drive unit 30, the transmission mechanisms 23 and 33 of the two 20 and 30 are connected by fitting or the like to enable cooperation, and the motor 32 operates according to the control of a control device (not shown). Then, the transmission mechanisms 23 and 33 and the alignment board 22 rotate in axis accordingly, so that the tablets 8 are sent one by one to the discharge path 24 and dropped.

Further, the fitting state of the rotating shaft 23 and the driving shaft 33 must be a loose fitting state with play that allows smooth insertion and removal, and the transmission mechanisms 23 and 33 are simply fitted. In this case, since the coupling state is not rotatably transmitted, meshing is performed along with the fitting. Specifically (see FIG. 9A), an internal tooth gear is adopted for the rotating shaft 23, an external tooth gear that meshes with the internal tooth gear is adopted for the drive shaft 33, and both shafts 23 and 33 serve as axial centers. When the relative movement is made in the direction of the rotation axis and the relative distance is shortened in the matched state, the teeth are fitted and meshed at the same time.

However, by that alone, the tooth positions of the shafts 23 and 33 are often displaced after the tablet cassette 20 is attached / detached (see FIG. 9B), and the deviation angle θ is the maximum tooth pitch angle. It reaches half of φ. If there is such a deviation, the rotating shaft 23 may rotate when the shafts 23 and 33 are fitted, which may lead to an undesired discharge operation outside the control. Therefore, the rotating shaft 23 is unexpected. In order to positively suppress the rotation of the shaft, a mooring member or the like for mooring the rotating shaft 23 to the container portion 21 is added to the tablet cassette 20, and the tablet cassette 20 is moored according to attachment / detachment to / from the drive portion 30. Some have come to be executed / canceled (see, for example, Patent Document 5).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-272812 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-179127 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-12719 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-140724 JP-A-2017-127532 Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-028485 (Application)

In such a tablet cassette 20, undesired uncontrolled shaft rotation does not occur even when the rotary shaft 23 is fitted to the drive shaft 33 by mounting on the drive unit 30.
However, in embodying the so-called non-mounting rotation blocking means that independently blocks the rotation of the rotating shaft of the axial fitting method when not mounted (see Patent Document 5), an annular shape having a large number of teeth is realized. In addition to the mooring members, swing members, swing fulcrums, and urging members will be additionally installed in the cassette, so they are small and delicate members, so it is difficult to make and handle with care. Therefore, cost increase is unavoidable.

[First improved form, first prior invention]
Therefore, in order to suppress such an increase in cost, a simple tablet cassette as a means for preventing rotation when not attached has been devised (see Patent Document 6). That is, the container portion 21 capable of accommodating the tablet 8, the alignment plate 22 capable of rotating the shaft in the container portion 21, and the drive shaft fitting hole 23a for forming the internal tooth gear into which the drive shaft 33 for forming the external tooth gear can be inserted and removed. The lower end portion of the container portion 21 is provided with a rotating shaft 23 that penetrates the bottom portion of the container portion 21 and protrudes downward. The tablet cassette 40, which sequentially discharges the tablet 8 from the container portion 21, has been improved as follows.

Specifically (see FIGS. 10, 11, and 6), a mooring member 45 having a large number of mooring irregularities 46 formed in a ring shape is attached to the inner bottom surface of the container portion 21, and the mooring irregularities 46 rotate. The rotating shaft 23 goes around the rotating shaft 23 at a distance from the shaft 23 (see FIGS. 10 and 11 (c)), and a locking portion 71 corresponding to the mooring unevenness 46 is provided in a state of protruding from the shaft portion in the radial direction. The locking shaft 70 is inserted into the drive shaft insertion hole 23a so that it can move relative to the rotating shaft 23 in the axial direction but not in the radial direction (FIG. 10, FIG. (See FIG. 11B), the locking shaft 70 is lowered by its own weight or by the force of the urging member 72 in the bottomed hole 22f so that the locking portion 71 comes into contact with the mooring unevenness 46. (See FIG. 10A), when the drive shaft 33 is fitted into the drive shaft insertion hole 23a, the locking shaft body 70 moves in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 23, and the locking portion 71 is moored. It is designed to be separated from the member 45 (see FIG. 10B).

In the tablet cassette 40 (first prior invention product) of the first prior invention improved in this way, a locking shaft 70 is introduced in place of the swing member and the swing fulcrum, and the locking shaft body 70 is introduced. The stopping shaft body 70 moves in the axial direction and the hole direction in the drive shaft fitting hole 23a according to the pressing force between the downward thrust of the self-weight and the urging member 72 and the upward thrust of the drive shaft 33 approaching when the cassette is mounted. As a result, the conventional small and delicate swinging member, swinging support shaft, and slit for passing the swinging member are not required, and the members are larger and relatively simple (45, 70). Since the non-mounted rotation blocking means is embodied, the non-mounted rotation blocking means is simplified and the cost is suppressed.

Further, in the tablet cassette 40 (see FIGS. 10, 11, and 6), the chevron-shaped impact member 47 is placed on the container portion 21 at a position outside the ring-shaped chain of the mooring irregularities 46 of the mooring member 45. In addition to being mounted on the inner bottom surface (see FIGS. 10 and 11 (c)), the contact member 42 having the contact portion 43 protruding downward is mounted on the downward ceiling surface of the additional member accommodation space 22c of the alignment board 22. (See FIGS. 10 and 11 (a)), when the alignment board 22 is not mounted, the abutting member 47 and the abutting portion 43 of the abutting member 42 intermittently interfere with each other when the alignment plate 22 is rotated. By adding a small number of members that effectively utilize the rotation blocking means, further functions can be exhibited.

More specifically, by arranging the thrust member 47 outside the ring of the mooring member 45 (see FIG. 11C), the thrust member 47 and the contact portion 43 of the contact member 42 rotate when not mounted. Since it is located outside the members of the blocking means (see FIG. 10), both members 42, 47 are equipped without impairing the function of the rotation blocking means when not mounted.
Then, when the alignment board 22 is driven by axial rotation, the thrust member 47 protruding upward and the contact portion 43 protruding downward intermittently interfere with each other, so that the alignment board 22 occasionally interferes with the tablet discharge. Is thrust up.

Therefore, since the tablets on the alignment board 22 in the container portion 21 receive a light impact, when the tablets are overlapping and are about to solidify, the lumps of those tablets are quickly disassembled. It becomes easy to slide down the upper slope of the alignment board 22.
Further, when the tablet is placed on the partition wall 22a between the inner peripheral surface of the container portion 21 and the outer peripheral surface of the alignment board 22, the tablet is shaken off from the partition wall 22a in the partition chamber 22b. It will move up.

As described above, in the tablet cassette 40, the tablet cassette 40 is small and delicate as a member for preventing rotation when not mounted, which is installed in the surrounding space between the container portion 21 and the aligning board 22 and the additional member accommodating space 22c on the lower surface of the aligning board 22. Instead of known swinging members and swinging support shafts (see Patent Document 5), new mooring members 45 and locking shafts 70 (see FIGS. 10, 11, and 6) that are easier to handle than those are used. By adopting it, the practicality of the tablet cassette 40 has been improved.
However, when a tablet cassette 40 (see FIG. 10) was prototyped and tried for evaluation of practicality and the like, it was found that the upwardly projecting thrust member 47 and the tablet cassette 40 (see FIG. (See), it was found that there is room for further improvement with respect to the downwardly projecting contact member 42 (see FIG. 11A).

Regarding the abutting member 42 (see FIG. 11A), the annular portion supporting the abutting portion 43 protruding downward is the downward ceiling of the additional member accommodating space 22c of the alignment board 22 in a state of surrounding the rotating shaft 23. Although it was fixed to the surface by sticking or the like (see FIG. 10), in such a mounting mode, although the mounting location is expanded or simplified compared to the conventional case, it is still mounted in the narrow additional member storage space 22c. The work is not easy enough.
Further, it is difficult to replace the contact member 42 by fixing by sticking or the like, and if the contact member 42 is replaceably attached by screwing or the like, additional machining of female screw formation is required.

Further, it is also necessary to adapt the shape of the connecting portion between the contact member 42 and the alignment board 22 so as not to cause misalignment, etc., and the shape of the additional member accommodating space 22c of the alignment board 22 is restricted, so that the alignment board It is difficult to design to avoid an increase in wall thickness and non-uniformity in the central part of 22.
Therefore, it is possible to realize a contact member that is easy to install even if it is arranged in the additional member accommodating space of the alignment board and has few restrictions on the shape of the alignment board (technical problem related to the contact member = easy installation). Etc.), desired.

As for the thrust member 47 protruding upward (see FIG. 11 (c)), a semi-cylindrical one was prototyped and various tablets were tried, and many tablets planned to be applied were as expected. Although the lumpy tablet loosening performance was exhibited, it was found that the reaction force at the time of thrusting may be larger than initially expected depending on the dosage form, dosage form, capacity and storage condition. Furthermore, it was also found that there is a case where the falling speed of the alignment board 22, which is one of the main factors affecting the loosening performance of the lumpy tablet, may be desired to be higher than the initially assumed value for the falling after pushing up.
Therefore, it is also desired to realize a thrust member that is a companion to the abutting member and that can improve the loosening performance of the lump tablet (technical problem related to the thrust member = improvement of the lump tablet loosening performance).

[Second improved form, second prior invention]
Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems such as facilitation of attachment of the contact member and technical problems such as improvement of the bulk tablet loosening performance of the abutting member, the tablet cassette 40 of the first prior invention (first prior invention product). The tablet cassette 50 (second prior invention product) of the second prior invention was developed with the following improvements.
Although there are many items that overlap with the above description of the tablet cassette 40, the tablet cassette 50 is a premise of the subject and the configuration of the present invention, and therefore will be described in detail without hesitation.

First, to describe the main points of improvement, in the tablet cassette 50 (second prior invention product) of the second prior invention, the contact member is still contained in the additional member accommodating space of the alignment board, but it is added. It is not mounted on the downward ceiling surface of the member accommodating space, but is exteriorized on a rotating shaft, which solves technical problems related to contact members such as facilitation of mounting.
In addition, the thrust member is still chevron-shaped, but it is not a semi-cylindrical shape, but has a slow ascending surface and a steep descending surface on the upper surface, which improves the performance of loosening lump tablets. The technical issues related to the above have been solved.

A specific configuration example thereof will be described with reference to the drawings. 12A and 12B are both vertical sectional views of the tablet cassette 50, but FIG. 12A is a vertical sectional view of the tablet cassette 50 in the free state, and FIG. 12B ) Is a vertical cross-sectional view of the tablet cassette 50 in a mounted state in which the drive shaft 33 is fitted into the rotary shaft 23. Further, FIG. 13A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the tablet cassette 50 in a thrust state in which the contact portion 81 rides on the thrust member 62, and FIG. 13B is a main part of the container portion 21. It is a vertical sectional view. Further, in FIG. 14, (a) is a perspective view of the contact member 80, (b) is a perspective view of the locking shaft body 70, and (c) is a perspective view of the mooring member 60.

In a word, the tablet cassette 50 of the second prior invention is an improved means for preventing rotation when not attached to the tablet cassette 20 (see FIGS. 8 and 9 and Patent Documents 1 to 5) described in the background technology column. In addition, the lump tablet loosening means for preventing tablet residue is also strengthened, and the conventional container portion 21 and partition member 25, the alignment plate 22 and the rotating shaft 23 which are partially modified from the conventional product, and a new mooring It includes a member 60, a locking shaft body 70, a contact member 80, and an elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate. That is, after taking over the container portion 21, the alignment board 22, and the partition member 25 described above from the tablet cassette 20, the container section 21 is equipped with a mooring member 60 and is connected to the alignment board 22 and the center of the lower end portion thereof. The rotating shaft 23 is partially modified, and then a locking shaft body 70, an urging member 72, a contact member 80, and an elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment board are added.

Comparing the tablet cassette 40 of the first prior invention (see FIGS. 10, 11, and 6) mentioned earlier in the problem-solving column with the tablet cassette 50 of the second prior invention, which will be described in detail below. The main changes are that the mooring member 45 has been modified to become the mooring member 60, the contact member 42 has been modified to become the contact member 80, and the additional member accommodating space 22c of the alignment board 22 has been changed accordingly. The restrictions on the shape of the above have been reduced, and the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment board has been added.
Hereinafter, each member will be described.

The alignment board 22 (see FIGS. 12 and 13A) has a cylindrical lower portion, and a large number of partition walls 22a are projected on the outer peripheral surface thereof at equal pitches, and a large number of partition chambers 22b are formed around the circumference. It is defined, the upper part is conical and the upper surface is wavy for tablet stirring, and the central part is engraved from the lower surface to form an additional member accommodating space 22c. Basically, it follows the conventional product, but the additional member accommodating space 22c is relatively large, and the wall thickness is made thinner not only for the lower cylindrical part but also for the upper hollow conical part. At the same time, there is little change in thickness. In comparison with the tablet cassette 40, the upper surface portion of the additional member accommodating space 22c, which is a substantially horizontal disk shape in the tablet cassette 40, returns to an inclined conical shape in the tablet cassette 50.

Further, in the alignment board 22, a tubular portion 22d in a downwardly projecting state is formed in the center of the additional member accommodating space 22c, and the central portion of the hollow upper end surface of the tubular portion 22d is further engraved to have a small diameter and a short length. The bottom hole 22f is formed.
Then, the upper portion of the urging member 72 fits in the bottomed hole 22f, and the upper end small diameter portion of the rotating shaft 23 (in the figure, a free insertion hole which is a slit-shaped notch) is hollowed out in the tubular portion 22d of the alignment board 22. Of the scattered spot pattern portions on which 23b is formed, the portion having a small outer diameter) is firmly fitted so that the alignment board 22 and the rotating shaft 23 are connected as if they were one piece.

Moreover, since the connection portion of the rotating shaft 23 with respect to the alignment plate 22 is limited to the upper end peripheral portion of the drive shaft fitting hole 23a, the long drive shaft fitting hole 23a, which is only a through hole when looking only at the rotating shaft 23, is formed. By connecting to the above-mentioned small-diameter and short bottomed hole 22f in the alignment board 22, a long bottomed hole is formed in the joint between the alignment board 22 and the rotating shaft 23, and is attached to the bottom portion (22f and the upper part of 23a). The force member 72 is housed.
In addition to the upper part of the rotating shaft 23 connected to the alignment board 22 in this way, as will be described in detail later, the contact member 80 attached to the upper part of the rotating shaft 23 and the locking shaft protruding from the rotating shaft 23. The locking portion 71 of the body 70 and the mooring unevenness 61 and the abutting member 62 of the mooring member 60 that interfere with the 71 and 80 are also reasonably fitted in the additional member accommodating space 22c of the alignment board 22.

The rotating shaft 23 (see FIGS. 12 and 13 (a)) accommodates the locking shaft body 70, which will be described in detail later, in the drive shaft fitting hole 23a that fits and meshes with the drive shaft 33, and engages in that state. In order to project the locking portion 71 of the stopping shaft body 70 from the drive shaft fitting hole 23a into the additional member accommodating space 22c, a free insertion hole 23b is formed to communicate the drive shaft fitting hole 23a and the additional member accommodating space 22c. ing. The free insertion hole 23b has a scattered dot pattern on the free insertion hole 23b for the sake of clarity in the drawing, but the rotating shaft 23 alone is formed by a slit-shaped notch, and it is a hole by itself. It can be said that it should be called a groove rather than a groove, but when the upper end small diameter portion of the rotating shaft 23 is fitted into the tubular portion 22d of the alignment board 22, the upper opening of the notch is closed by the tubular portion 22d and becomes a radial through hole. Become.

The mooring member 60 (see FIGS. 12, 13, and 14 (c)) is a substantially ring-shaped member, and a large number of mooring irregularities 61 are formed on the upper surface thereof. The mooring irregularities 61 are arranged at equal pitches in a circular ring shape.
Such a mooring member 60 is fixedly attached to a portion of the inner bottom surface of the container portion 21 that is in contact with the upper edge of the insertion hole of the rotation shaft 23 of the alignment plate 22 by adhesion, fusion, or the like. , A large number of mooring irregularities 61 go around the rotating shaft 23 at a place slightly away from the rotating shaft 23.

Moreover, the thrust member 62 is integrally formed on the mooring member 60, and in this example, the two thrust members 62 are mounted on the inner bottom surface of the container portion 21 together with the mooring member 60 as an integrally formed product.
The thrust member 62 is arranged at a position corresponding to the outside of the ring-shaped chain of the mooring irregularities 61 so as not to interfere with the locking portion 71, and each of the thrust members 62 has an ascending surface 62a, an apex and a descending surface on the upper surface. It has a chevron shape that connects the surfaces 62b, and the abutting portion 81 of the abutting member 80 abuts against the upper surface of the surface 62b as it travels, and ascends and descends. The portion corresponding to the descent surface 62b is long with a gentle inclination of, for example, 5 ° to 30 °, while the portion corresponding to the descending surface 62b is short with a steep inclination of, for example, 70 ° to 90 °.

The locking shaft 70 (see FIGS. 12, 13 (a), 14 (b)) is mainly composed of a shaft portion slightly thinner than the drive shaft fitting hole 23a penetrating the axis of the rotating shaft 23. The shaft portion is inserted into the drive shaft fitting hole 23a. By sliding the portion of the shaft portion from the middle portion to the lower portion with the inner wall surface of the drive shaft fitting hole 23a, the locking shaft body 70 moves relative to the rotating shaft 23 only in the axial direction. It has become. Further, the upper end portion of the shaft portion is slightly thinner than the intermediate portion, and one end / lower end of the urging member 72 comes into contact with the step there. The urging member 72 is made of, for example, a coil spring, and is loosely inserted into the bottomed hole 22f and the drive shaft fitting hole 23a in a compressed state in which the other ends and upper ends are in contact with the bottom of the bottomed hole 22f of the alignment board 22. The descending force of the stop shaft body 70 is strengthened.

Further, the shaft portion of the locking shaft body 70 is provided with about two arm portions having a locking portion 71 at the tip in this example, and the arm portions protrude in the radial direction from the upper portion of the shaft portion. ing. Then, in a state where the locking shaft body 70 is housed in the drive shaft fitting hole 23a of the rotating shaft 23, the arm portion penetrates the free insertion hole 23b and the locking portion 71 is placed in the additional member accommodating space 22c. Located (see FIGS. 12, 13 (a)). The free insertion hole 23b is wider with respect to the arm portion with a clear difference in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 23, but has a slight difference in the radial direction. Therefore, the locking shaft body 70 can move up and down in a limited range with respect to the rotating shaft 23, but hardly moves relative to the radial direction.

The locking portion 71 (see FIGS. 12 to 14) corresponds to the above-mentioned mooring unevenness 61, and has a shape in which the lower end is lightly fitted into the concave portion of the mooring unevenness 61. Then, when the locking shaft body 70 is urged downward by its own weight or the urging member 72, the locking portion 71 descends onto the mooring unevenness 61 of the ring-shaped row, and the mooring unevenness 61 at the corresponding portion. (See FIG. 12A). Moreover, when the drive shaft 33 of the drive unit 30 to which the cassette is mounted is fitted into the drive shaft fitting hole 23a from below (see FIGS. 12 (b) and 13 (a)), it is pushed up by the drive shaft 33 and engaged. The stopping shaft body 70 moves upward, which is one of the axial directions of the rotating shaft 23, whereby the locking portion 71 is separated from the mooring unevenness 61 of the mooring member 60.

The contact member 80 (see FIGS. 12, 13 (a) and 14 (a)) includes a contact portion 81 and a ring-shaped portion 82, of which the ring-shaped portion 82 has an inner diameter thereof. It is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the outer fitting destination.
Here, the outer fitting destination of the annular portion 82 (see FIGS. 12 and 13A) has a small diameter near the upper end of the free insertion hole 23b (split-shaped notch) forming portion at the upper end portion of the rotating shaft 23. It is a part. In addition to the annular portion 82 of the contact member 80, the tubular portion 22d of the alignment board 22 is also externally fitted to the small diameter portion.

In this example, about two abutting portions 81 are formed (see FIG. 14A) and are divided on both sides of the annular portion 82, but all of them protrude in the radial direction from the outer edge of the annular portion 82. It is the tip of a curved arm-shaped part that is bent downward afterwards. Then, when the alignment plate 22 rotates about the axis in the container portion 21 (see FIGS. 12 (b) and 13 (a)), the contact portion 81 intermittently interferes with the thrust member 62. .. The vertical interference amount B between the contact portion 81 and the thrust member 62 (see FIG. 13A) is a distance at which the alignment plate 22 rises from the inner bottom of the container portion 21 at the time of interference, but the partition member 25 It is slightly larger than the height difference A (see FIG. 12) between the partition wall 22a and the partition wall 22a.

The elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate (see FIGS. 12 and 13 (a)) is a coil spring having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rotating shaft 23, and is a rotation that is rotatably inserted into the container portion 21. Although the one loosely fitted to the outer peripheral portion near the lower end of the shaft 23 is shown in the figure, any other member may be used as long as it is an elastic body that can be exteriorized on the portion of the rotating shaft 23 that protrudes downward from the container portion 21. good. After the alignment plate pressing elastic body 90 is attached to the rotating shaft 23, the lower end of the alignment plate pressing elastic body 90 is pushed up by the retaining ring 91 to compress the alignment plate pressing elastic body 90, and then the retaining ring 91. By fixing the exterior to the lower end of the rotating shaft 23, the upper end of the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate comes into contact with the bottom of the container 21, and the lower end of the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate stops. The elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate acts in the direction of contacting the ring 91 and pulling the two 21 and 91 up and down, but the stop ring 91 is fixed to the rotation shaft 23 and the rotation shaft 23 is the alignment plate 22. Since it is fixed to the container portion 21, the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate 22 urges the alignment plate 22 downward with reference to the container portion 21.

The usage mode and operation of the tablet cassette 50 of the second prior invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 (a), 12 (b), 13 (a), 14 (c) and the like described above. ..

When the tablet cassette 50 is removed from the drive unit 30 (see FIG. 12A), the drive shaft 33 comes out of the rotation shaft 23, so that the locking shaft 70 released from the push-up is added to its own weight and upward. The locking portion 71 is lowered by being pushed downward by the urging member 72, and the locking portion 71 is lowered toward the mooring member 60 accordingly. 71 fits lightly. Since the mooring action prevents the rotation of the rotating shaft 23, the tablet cassette 50 is aligned with respect to the container portion 21 in normal handling such as transportation of the tablet cassette 50, attachment / detachment to / from the drive unit 30, and tablet replenishment to the tablet cassette 50. Since the rotation of the board 22 is suppressed, an undesired drop of the tablet is accurately prevented.

Further, when the tablet cassette 50 is attached to the drive unit 30 (see FIG. 12B), the drive shaft 33 is fitted into the rotary shaft 23 and meshes with each other, and the locking shaft 70 is moved by the drive shaft 33. Since it is pushed up and rises against its own weight and the urging force of the urging member 72, the locking portion 71 rises accordingly and separates from the mooring unevenness 61 of the mooring member 60. The rotation drive of the 23 and the rotation drive of the alignment board 22 are accurately performed. Therefore, every time the drive shaft 33 rotates, the alignment board 22 also rotates, whereby the partition wall 22a and thus the partition chamber 22b are sequentially fed, and the tablets carried under the partition member 25 in the partition chamber 22b are released. It falls down from the discharge path 24 one by one.

Further, when the alignment board 22 is rotated in this way, the contact member 80 mounted on the alignment board 22 is also rotated, and the contact portion 81 is circularly moved accordingly. In this example, the contact portion 81 is rotated every half rotation. Abuts on the thrust member 62. Then (see FIG. 13A), first, the contact portion 81 rides on the ascending surface 62a of the thrust member 62 and rises by the amount of vertical interference B, so that the mounting destination of the annular portion 82 of the contact member 80 The rotating shaft 23 and the alignment board 22 to which the rotating shaft 23 is mounted rises by the amount of vertical interference B. At that time, a reaction force against ascending is generated due to the weight of the rotating shaft 23, the locking shaft body 70 in the rotating shaft 23, the aligning plate 22 and the tablet on the rotating shaft 23, and the pushing force of the aligning plate pressing elastic body 90. However, since the ascending surface 62a is a gentle slope, a strong thrust exceeding the reaction force is generated, and the contact portion 81 and thus the alignment board 22 slowly rises, so that the contact portion 81 and the impact member 62 cannot be pressed. The ascent of the alignment board 22 is surely completed without forcing.

The contact portion 81 that has finished ascending then turns downward, and descends by the amount of vertical interference B along the descending surface 62b of the thrust member 62. Then, since the ascending surface 62a is a steep slope this time, the pressing force of the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment board is also applied to the own weights of the respective parts 22, 23, 70, 80, and the contact member 80 is strongly urged downward. Therefore, the contact portion 81 and thus the alignment board 22 quickly descends along the descending surface 62b.
Therefore, the tablets on the alignment board 22 are shaken up and down in the container portion 21, so that the tablets descend quickly, so that even if a large number of tablets are in a lump, they are quickly loosened.

Further, the partition wall 22a also moves up and down by the vertical interference amount B with the vertical movement of the alignment board 22 (see FIG. 13A), but the vertical interference amount B is the partition member 25 and the partition wall 22a. Because it is larger than the height difference A of (see FIG. 12B), the upper end of the partition wall 22a that came under the partition member 25 lightly collides with the lower surface of the partition member 25 (see FIG. 13A). Since the partition member 25 is rubbed, even the tablet on the partition member 25 is shaken and quickly falls from the partition member 25.

In the tablet cassette 50 of the second prior invention as described above, the contact member 80 is not fixed to the alignment board 22 by sticking or screwing, but is externally attached to the rotating shaft 23. As a result, the contact member 80 fits in the additional member accommodating space 22c of the alignment board 22 as the rotating shaft 23 is mounted on the alignment board 22, and the contact portion 81 is formed by the portion protruding from the rotation board 23 in the outer peripheral direction. Since it is held in the required position, it is easy to install even if it is arranged in the additional member accommodating space of the alignment board, and a contact member with less restrictions on the shape of the alignment board is realized. The relevant technical issues have been resolved.

[Problems of the Invention of the Present Application]
However, when the technical problem of facilitating the attachment of such a contact member is solved, a further technical problem related to the contact member has emerged.
In other words, for the bulk tablet loosening function by the cooperation of the abutting member and the thrust member, what kind of performance is required and whether the bulk tablet loosening function is necessary in the first place are a wide variety of tablets. Not all of them are clear.
Although we know some tablets that have a sufficient track record of using tablet cassettes, we do not know tablets that have a low track record of use or tablets that will be newly used.

Therefore, in order to grasp the necessary degree of the lumpy tablet loosening function, it is necessary to accumulate usage records and it takes time.
On the other hand, it is not necessary to keep the lump tablet loosening function on hand, because there is a concern that the life of the thrust member and the interlocking member will be shortened and that the tablet will be excessively stimulated, so it should be avoided if possible.
In order to achieve both of them, for tablets for which the need for the bulk tablet loosening function is unknown, the tablet cassette without the function should be used at first, and the tablet cassette with the function should be used when the necessity is found. It is also possible to switch tablet cassettes, but there is a high possibility that old tablet cassettes will be wasted, and it will take time and effort to manufacture and adjust new tablet cassettes.

Therefore, it is conceivable to use a tablet cassette that does not have the function at first for tablets for which the necessity of the bulk tablet loosening function is unknown, and to add or enhance the function to the tablet cassette in use when the necessity is found. Be done.
Then, in order to easily add or strengthen such a lumpy tablet loosening function, a thrust member that is easily integrated with the mooring member by molding or the like is provided in advance in the tablet cassette to cope with it. It is considered that the contact member should be easily attached / detached or replaced as needed.

However, when the above-mentioned tablet cassette 50 was reassembled by removing the contact member 80, the amount of the small diameter portion at the upper end of the rotating shaft 23 fitted into the tubular portion 22d of the alignment board 22 was not stable, and the small diameter portion was not stable. However, there were many cases in which the cylinder portion 22d was inserted over the entire length.
When the fitting amount of the small diameter portion increases in this way, the lower end surface of the free insertion hole 23b and the lowering position of the locking shaft body 70 rise, so that the locking portion 71 does not reach the mooring unevenness 61. It is necessary to take undesired measures such as digging deeper into the free insertion hole 23b in anticipation of weakening the rotating shaft 23.

Further, since the reaching position of the upper end of the small diameter portion of the rotating shaft 23 fitted into the tubular portion 22d of the aligning board 22 is extended, the rotating shaft 23 is newly added to the middle portion of the bottomed hole 22f of the aligning board 22. If the hole diameter is insufficient for the portion included in the fitting portion of the small diameter portion, a bending force is applied to the tip of the small diameter portion of the rotating shaft 23, resulting in undesired deformation such as narrowing of the free insertion hole 23b of the rotating shaft 23. Sometimes it happened.
Therefore, a tablet cassette that can easily add or strengthen the bulk tablet loosening function without causing the above-mentioned undesired measures or undesired deformation by attaching / detaching or replacing the contact member to the rotating shaft is provided. Realization is a technical issue.

The tablet cassette of the present invention (Solution 1) was devised to solve such a problem.
A container portion capable of accommodating tablets, an alignment plate capable of axial rotation in the container portion, and a rotating shaft in which a lower end portion having a drive shaft fitting hole penetrates the bottom portion of the container portion and protrudes downward. In a tablet cassette that sequentially discharges tablets from the container portion by rotating the alignment plate by the axis when the rotation shaft is rotated.
A mooring member formed with a large number of mooring irregularities connected in a ring shape is mounted on the inner bottom surface of the container portion, and the mooring irregularities go around the rotating shaft at a position away from the rotating shaft, and the mooring is used. A locking shaft body having a locking portion corresponding to unevenness at the upper part is inserted into the drive shaft fitting hole at the lower part and can move relative to the rotating shaft in the axial direction, but moves relative to the radial direction. The locking shaft body is lowered so that the locking portion comes into contact with the mooring unevenness, and when the drive shaft is fitted into the drive shaft fitting hole, the engaging portion is engaged. The stopping shaft body moves in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and the locking portion is released from the mooring member.
A chevron thrust member is mounted on the inner bottom surface of the container portion at a location outside the ring-shaped chain of mooring irregularities of the mooring member.
An additional member accommodating space having a downward opening is formed in the aligning board, and a tubular portion protruding downward from the upper center of the space in the additional member accommodating space is formed in the aligning board, and the rotating shaft is formed. The upper end portion is a small diameter portion thinner than the large diameter portion on the lower side thereof, and when the small diameter portion is fitted into the cylinder portion and the rotating shaft moves up and down with respect to the container portion, the above-mentioned The alignment plate moves up and down with respect to the container portion, and is between the lower end ring-shaped surface of the cylinder portion and the upper end ring-shaped surface of the large diameter portion in the fitted state between the cylinder portion and the small diameter portion. It is characterized in that an overfitting preventing means is provided so as to secure a distance and avoid the entire contact between the tubular portion and the large diameter portion.

Further, the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution 2) is the tablet cassette of the solution 1, and the length of the fittable portion of the tubular portion into which the small diameter portion can be fitted is the axial direction of the small diameter portion. The length is shorter than the length, and the downward surface portion of the hollow inner surface of the tubular portion located at the upper end of the fittable portion faces the upper end surface of the small diameter portion. ..

Further, the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution 3) is the tablet cassette of the solution 1, wherein the plate-shaped member having a hole formed so as to allow the exterior of the rotating shaft to the small diameter portion is described. It is characterized in that it is exteriorized by a small-diameter portion and is housed in an additional member accommodating space of the alignment board in a state of being separated from the thrust member.

Further, the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution 4) is the tablet cassette of the solution 1, and is one or both of the lower end ring-shaped surface of the tubular portion and the upper end ring-shaped surface of the large diameter portion. A convex portion is partially formed, and when the tubular portion and the small diameter portion are fitted to each other, the convex portion and the facing portion thereof come into contact with each other, so that the lower end ring-shaped surface of the tubular portion and the large diameter portion are formed. It is characterized in that a distance is secured between both sides for the majority of the upper end ring-shaped surface.

Further, the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution 5) is the tablet cassette of the solutions 1 to 4, characterized in that the mooring member and the thrust member are integrally formed.

In such a tablet cassette of the present invention (solution 1), by providing the overfitting prevention means, the lower end of the cylinder portion is fitted when the small diameter portion of the rotating shaft is fitted into the cylinder portion of the alignment plate. Since a distance is secured between the ring-shaped surface and the upper end ring-shaped surface of the large-diameter portion, it is possible to prevent the cylinder portion of the alignment plate and the large-diameter portion of the rotating shaft from fully contacting each other. If the contact member is attached to the rotating shaft in such a manner that a part of the contact member is sandwiched between the facing gaps between the contact portions, the fitting state between the cylinder portion of the alignment plate and the small diameter portion of the rotating shaft can be almost changed. Instead, the abutting member can be additionally mounted, the added abutting member can be replaced, and the added abutting member can be removed.

Then, when the abutting member is adopted, the abutting portion with respect to the upper surface of the abutting member is projected downward, and is exteriorized by the rotating shaft to fit in the additional member accommodating space of the aligning plate and to rotate the axis of the aligning plate. If a member that sometimes intermittently interferes with the thrusting member to move the rotating shaft and the alignment plate up and down is adopted, the tablet cassette of the present invention is remodeled into the above-mentioned second prior invention product and becomes lumpy. The tablet loosening function is added or enhanced.
Therefore, according to the present invention, undesired measures such as further digging the free insertion hole of the rotating shaft by simply attaching / detaching or replacing the contact member to / from the rotating shaft, or weakening the tip of the small diameter portion of the rotating shaft It is possible to realize a tablet cassette capable of adding or enhancing the bulk tablet loosening function without causing undesired deformation such as conversion.

Further, in the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution 2), it is relatively easy to appropriately finish the shape of the hollow inner surface of the cylinder portion and the shape of the tip surface (upper end surface) of the small diameter portion of the rotating shaft. The desired overfitting prevention means is embodied.

Further, in the tablet cassette of the present invention (Solution 3), when the abutting member is not provided, a plate-shaped member instead of the abutting member is provided on the rotating shaft so that the thickness is equal. A desired overfitting prevention means can be realized by a simple measure such as adopting a member which is almost the same as the contact member but does not interfere with the thrust member for the plate-shaped member.

Further, in the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution 4), a convex portion is formed on the lower end ring-shaped surface of the tubular portion and / or the upper end ring-shaped surface of the large-diameter portion, and the contact of the convex portion forms the other majority portion. By avoiding contact, a simple measure such as forming a relief corresponding to the convex portion in a hole or the like formed for the exterior of the rotating shaft in the contact member is a desired excess. It is possible to embody the fitting prevention means.

Further, in the tablet cassette of the present invention (Solution 5), since the mooring member and the thrust member are integrated into one, the number of parts is reduced and the container portion is attached to the inner bottom surface. Work load is reduced.

Regarding Example 1 of the present invention, the structure of the tablet cassette is shown, (a) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the tablet cassette in a free state, and (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the alignment plate and the rotating shaft in a separated state, and one of them. It is an enlarged view of a part. Regarding Example 2 of the present invention, the structure of the tablet cassette is shown, (a) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the tablet cassette in a free state, (b) is a perspective view of a plate-shaped member, and (c) is a contact member in a perspective state. It is a perspective view of the plate-shaped member overlapped with. Regarding Example 3 of the present invention, the structure of the tablet cassette is shown, (a) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the entire tablet cassette, and (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the container portion. (A) is a perspective view of a portion of the container portion equipped with a mooring member and an abutting member, (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of an alignment board with a shaft body related to a locking portion, and (c) is engaged. The vertical cross-sectional view of the alignment board with a shaft body relating to the cross section deviated from the stop portion, and (d) and (e) are the vertical cross-sectional views of the elastic body for pressing the alignment board. It is a developed perspective view of the alignment board with a shaft body. A state in which a contact member is added to the tablet cassette is shown, (a) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the entire tablet cassette, (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of an aligning board with a shaft body related to a locking portion, and (c) is a contact. It is a vertical cross-sectional view of the alignment board with a shaft body which concerns on a part. It is a developed perspective view of the alignment board with a shaft body which added the contact member. A conventional tablet feeder is shown, (a) is an external perspective view from the rear right, (b) is a vertical sectional left side view, (c) is a front view, and (d) is a left side view. The fitted state of the rotating shaft and the drive shaft is shown, (a) is a cross section of both shafts in a fitted state, and (b) is a cross section of both shafts in a detached state. The structure of the tablet cassette of the prior invention 1 is shown, (a) is a vertical sectional view in a free state, and (b) is a vertical sectional view in a mounted state. Regarding the tablet cassette of the prior invention 1, (a) is a perspective view of an abutting member, (b) is a perspective view of a locking shaft body, and (c) is a perspective view of a mooring member. The structure of the tablet cassette of the prior invention 2 is shown, (a) is a vertical sectional view in a free state, and (b) is a vertical sectional view in a mounted state. Regarding the tablet cassette of the prior invention 2, (a) is a vertical cross-sectional view in a raised state, and (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part of the container portion. Regarding the tablet cassette of the prior invention 2, (a) is a perspective view of the contact member, (b) is a perspective view of the locking shaft body, and (c) is a perspective view of the mooring member.

Specific embodiments for carrying out such a tablet cassette of the present invention will be described with reference to Examples 1 to 3 below.
The first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 embodies the above-mentioned solutions 1, 2, 5 (claims 1, 2, 5 at the time of filing), and the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is described above. The above-mentioned solutions 1, 3, 5 (claims 1, 3, 5 at the time of filing) are embodied, and the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 7 is the above-mentioned solutions 1, 4, 5 (claims 1, 3, 5). It embodies claims 1, 4, 5) at the time of filing.

For the sake of simplicity, the illustrations of fasteners such as bolts, connector such as hinges, electric circuits such as motor drivers, and electronic circuits such as controllers are omitted in the illustrations of the invention. The illustrations focus on what is needed and what is related.
Further, in demonstrating them, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as the conventional ones, the same components as the first prior invention of the first improved form, and the same components as the second prior invention of the second improved form. Since they are shown in the appendix, what was said about them in the background technology column and the solution problem column is also common to the following examples, so duplicate explanations are omitted below, and the differences from them are omitted below. The explanation will focus on the points.

The specific configuration of Example 1 of the tablet cassette of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the tablet cassette 110 in a free state, FIG. 1B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the alignment board 22 and the rotating shaft 23 in a separated state, and an enlarged view of a part thereof. ..

The tablet cassette 110 is a further improved version of the tablet cassette 50 (second prior invention product) of the second improved form described above so that the contact member 80 can be easily attached to and detached from and replaced with the rotating shaft 23. Therefore, the differences from the tablet cassette 50 will be mainly described below.
The main points that the tablet cassette 110 is different from the tablet cassette 50 are that the contact member 80 is not equipped and is assembled in a chipped state, and that the contact member 80 is added to the rotating shaft 23 later. The point is that the shape of the fitting portion between the alignment plate 22 and the rotation shaft 23 is defined so that the mounting state of the rotation shaft 23 with respect to the alignment plate 22 is almost unchanged.

That is (see FIG. 1A), the contact member 80 is removed, but other things such as the container portion 21, the alignment plate 22, the rotating shaft 23, the mooring member 60, etc. are taken over by the tablet cassette 110 as they are. Further, as an overfitting preventing means for preventing the alignment plate 22 and the rotating shaft 23 from being excessively fitted due to the exclusion of the contact member 80, the thickness is equivalent to the thickness of the contact member 80 even without the contact member 80. The shape of the fitting portion between the alignment plate 22 and the rotation shaft 23 is defined so that the distance C between the facing surfaces is secured between the tubular portion of the alignment plate 22 and the large diameter portion 23bb of the rotation shaft 23. It is a point.

More specifically (see FIG. 1B), it is the distance from the lower end ring-shaped surface 22da of the tubular portion 22d to the downward surface portion 22db of the stepped portion in the hollow of the tubular portion 22d in the additional member accommodating space 22c of the alignment board 22. From the length of the small diameter portion 23ba, that is, the length E in the small diameter portion axial direction, which is also the distance from the upper end ring-shaped surface 23bc of the large diameter portion 23bb to the upper end surface 23baa of the small diameter portion 23ba at the upper end portion of the rotating shaft 23. However, the distance between the facing surfaces C is shortened by the above-mentioned distance C.

Further (see the right side portion of FIG. 1B), the chamfer amount R at the corner portion on the outer peripheral side of the upper end surface 23baa of the rotating shaft 23 is the outer peripheral side of the downward surface portion 22db of the tubular portion 22d of the alignment board 22. It is larger than the roundness r of the processing residue at the corner.
Although the enlarged view is omitted, similarly, the chamfering amount of the corner portion on the inner peripheral side of the lower end ring-shaped surface 22da of the tubular portion 22d of the alignment board 22 is larger than the roundness on the inner peripheral side of the upper end ring-shaped surface 23bc on the rotating shaft 23. , Is getting bigger.

Moreover, the lower end ring-shaped surface 22da, the downward surface portion 22db, the upper end surface 23baa, and the upper end ring-shaped surface 23bc are all orthogonal to the axis of the alignment board 22 and the rotation shaft 23.
Therefore (see FIG. 1A), the tablet cassette 110 assembled by fitting the small diameter portion 23ba of the rotating shaft 23 into the tubular portion 22d of the alignment board 22 has the downward surface portion 22db and the upper end surface 23ba facing each other in close contact with each other. At the same time, the lower end ring-shaped surface 22da and the upper end ring-shaped surface 23bc face each other with a distance C between the facing surfaces.

The usage mode and operation of the tablet cassette 110 of Example 1 will be described.

The usage of using the tablet cassette 110 as it is for random storage and sequential discharge of tablets is the same as that of the conventional tablet cassette 20 described above and the tablet cassettes 40 and 50 of the first and second improved forms described above (first and second prior invention products). Further, the non-mounting rotation blocking means provided with the mooring unevenness 61 and the locking portion 71 exerts the non-mounting rotation blocking function when the tablet cassette 110 is attached / detached. Since it is the same as the tablet cassettes 40 and 50 (first and second prior invention products), detailed explanations to be repeated are omitted. Hereinafter, when the contact member 80 is added to the tablet cassette 110 to remodel it into the tablet cassette 50. The explanation will focus on how to use it.

It is desirable to have a rotation blocking means when not attached, except for the cost burden, but as for the bulk tablet loosening function, it is preferable to add the function after identifying the necessity as described above in the solution problem column, so that the bulk tablet loosening function is preferable. For tablets whose function is unknown, first, a tablet cassette 110 having a rotation blocking function when not attached but not a lump tablet loosening function is adopted.
Then, if the tablet cassette 110 is used for random storage and sequential discharge of tablets and the lump tablet loosening function is required, or if it is not so much, it would be better to have the lump tablet loosening function. Instead of stopping the use of the tablet cassette 110 that was being used and adopting a separate tablet cassette 50 to replace it, the tablet cassette 110 that was being used is remade into the tablet cassette 50 by adding the contact member 80 and continues to be used. ..

Specifically, the elastic body 90 for pressing the aligning board is removed from the rotating shaft 23, the aligning board 22 is pulled out from the container portion 21 together with the rotating shaft 23, and the small diameter portion 23ba of the rotating shaft 23 is removed from the tubular portion 22d of the aligning board 22. The alignment board 22 and the rotating shaft 23 are separated by pulling out from the.
Then, the small diameter portion 23ba of the rotating shaft 23 is inserted into the hole of the annular portion 82 of the abutting member 80 described above, the contact member 80 is exteriorized on the rotating shaft 23, and the small diameter portion 23ba of the rotating shaft 23 is aligned as it is. It is fitted into the tubular portion 22d of 22 to return the alignment board 22 and the rotating shaft 23 to the connected state.

Further, when the rotating shaft 23 is inserted back into the container portion 21 together with the aligning plate 22 and the elastic body 90 for pressing the aligning plate is attached back to the rotating shaft 23, the tablet cassette 110 is modified to complete the tablet cassette 50. During that time, the locking shaft body 70 may remain inside the rotating shaft 23.
In this way, it is possible to use the tablet cassette 50 that exhibits a lumpy tablet loosening function in addition to the rotation prevention function when not attached. Moreover, it can be realized easily by attaching the contact member 80 to the contact member 80 without wasting the tablet cassette 110 in use.

Moreover, since the distance C between the facing surfaces in the tablet cassette 110 and the thickness of the annular portion 82 of the contact member 80 added to the gap are substantially the same, the contact member 80 is added to the rotating shaft 23 later. Despite the exterior, the mounting state of the rotating shaft 23 with respect to the alignment plate 22, and thus the mutual position between the rotating shaft 23, the container portion 21, and the locking shaft body 70 is almost the same.
When it is desired to gradually strengthen the lump tablet loosening function, it is preferable to replace and use several contact members 80 having different downward protrusion amounts of the contact portion 81 protruding downward from the annular portion 82.

The specific configuration and the like of Example 2 of the tablet cassette of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 2A and 2B are a vertical cross-sectional view of a tablet cassette 120 in a free state, FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a plate-shaped member 122, and FIG. It is a perspective view of the member 12.

This tablet cassette 120 is also a tablet cassette 50 (second prior invention product) of the second improved form described above, which is further improved so that the contact member 80 can be easily attached to and detached from and replaced with the rotating shaft 23. Therefore, the differences from the tablet cassette 50 will be mainly described.
The tablet cassette 120 differs from the tablet cassette 50 in that a plate-shaped member 122 as a means for preventing overfitting is mounted on the rotating shaft 23 instead of the contact member 80.
In comparison with the tablet cassette 110 of the first embodiment described above, in the tablet cassette 120, the plate-shaped member 122 is arranged between the lower end ring-shaped surface 22da of the tubular portion 22d and the upper end surface 23ba of the small diameter portion 23ba of the rotating shaft 23. It is provided so that the processing conditions such as the corner r and the like are relaxed.

The plate-shaped member 122 is a ring-shaped or annular member obtained by cutting out the central portion of the annular portion 82 of the abutting member 80, and the exterior hole 123 penetrating the center and the plate thickness are the circles of the abutting member 80. It is the same as that of the ring-shaped portion 82. Therefore, it is possible to exterior the small diameter portion 23ba of the rotating shaft 23 in the same manner as the contact member 80, and after passing the small diameter portion 23ba through the exterior hole 123 to exterior the plate-shaped member 122 on the rotating shaft 23. If the small diameter portion 23ba of the rotating shaft 23 is fitted into the tubular portion 22d of the alignment board 22, a plate-shaped member is formed between the lower end ring-shaped surface 22da of the tubular portion 22d and the upper end ring-shaped surface 23bb of the large-diameter portion 23bb of the rotating shaft 23. Since the distance corresponding to the thickness of the plate is secured with the 122 interposed therebetween, the contact between the tubular portion 22d and the large diameter portion 23bb is avoided.

Since the usage and operation of the tablet cassette 120 of the second embodiment are the same as those of the tablet cassette 110 described above except for the plate-shaped member 122, the complicated explanation that overlaps is omitted below, and the present invention relates to the plate-shaped member 122. Explain the matter.

The plate-shaped member 122 is interposed between the tubular portion 22d of the alignment plate 22 and the large-diameter portion 23bb of the rotation shaft 23 instead of the contact member 80, so that the alignment plate 22 and the rotation shaft are connected by fitting. The positional relationship with the 23 is the same as when the contact member 80 is interposed.
Further, the plate-shaped member 122 is the same as the abutting member 80 in that it is externally attached to the rotating shaft 23 and fits in the additional member accommodating space 22c of the aligning board 22, but unlike the abutting member 80, the thrust member Always away from 62.

Therefore, as described in Example 1, when a tablet cassette is used for a tablet whose necessity of the lump tablet unraveling function is unknown, first, a tablet having a rotation blocking function when not attached but not a lump tablet unraveling function is provided. If the cassette 120 is used, and if the tablet cassette 120 is used for random storage and sequential discharge of tablets and the lumpy tablet loosening function is needed or desired, the tablet cassette 120 used is put into the contact member 80. With the addition of, the tablet cassette 50 is remade and continued to be used, but the remodeling work is to attach / detach the rotating shaft 23 to the aligning board 22 and to replace the plate-shaped member 122 and the contact member 80 with respect to the rotating shaft 23. This can be done easily and quickly.

The specific configuration and the like of Example 3 of the tablet cassette of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

3A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the entire tablet cassette 130, and FIG. 3B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the container portion 21. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container portion 21 equipped with the mooring member 60 and the abutting member 62, and FIG. 4B is a locking portion 71 for the alignment board 22 with the shaft body 23. (C) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the alignment board 22 with a rotating shaft 23, which is not related to the locking portion 71, and (d) and (e) are vertical cross-sectional views of the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment board. ..
FIG. 5 is a developed perspective view of the alignment board 22 with the shaft body 23.

Further, FIG. 6 shows a state in which the contact member 80 is added to the tablet cassette 130, (a) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the entire “130 + 80”, and (b) is locked with respect to the alignment board 22 with the shaft body 23. A vertical cross-sectional view of the portion 71, (c) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the alignment board 22 with the rotating shaft 23 not the locking portion 71 but the contact portion 81.
FIG. 7 is a developed perspective view of the alignment board 22 with the shaft body 23 to which the contact member 80 is added.

This tablet cassette 130 is also a further improvement of the tablet cassette 50 (second prior invention product) of the second improved form described above, and is overfitted so that the contact member 80 can be easily attached to and detached from and replaced with the rotating shaft 23. Although it is provided with a combination preventing means, the specific configuration of the overfitting preventing means is different from that of the tablet cassettes 110 and 120 described above. In addition, since there are some modifications of the deformation level for practical use in consideration of reduction of material cost and ease of manufacturing, the difference from the above-mentioned tablet cassette 120 while using the same code within a range where there is no risk of confusion. Will be mainly explained.

First, regarding the overfitting prevention means, the tablet cassette 130 differs from the tablet cassette 120 in that the removable plate-shaped member 122 is not provided, and instead, the upper end of the large-diameter portion 23bb of the rotating shaft 23 is provided. It is a point where a convex portion 23bd protruding upward along the small diameter portion 23ba is formed on the ring-shaped surface 23bc (see the lower portion in FIG. 5).
The formation of the convex portion 23bd is limited to a part of the upper end ring-shaped surface 23bc, not the entire area, and may be only one, but it is desirable to dispose a plurality of the convex portions 23bd at axially symmetric positions.

Further, the amount of protrusion of the convex portion 23bd is the distance C between the facing surfaces between the lower end ring-shaped surface 22da of the tubular portion 22d of the alignment board 22 and the upper end ring-shaped surface 23bc of the large-diameter portion 23bb of the rotating shaft 23 (FIG. 3 (a). ), Fig. 4 (b), (c)) is to be the same as the thickness of the annular portion 82 of the contact member 80 (see FIG. 7). The amount of protrusion of 23bd should be the same as the thickness of the annular portion 82. However, when the lower end ring-shaped surface 22da has a dent and the tip portion of the convex portion 23bd enters there, it is desirable to increase the amount of protrusion of the convex portion 23bd by the amount of the dent.

Regarding the tablet cassette 130 provided with such an overfitting preventing means, as in the case of the tablet cassette 110 of the first embodiment, when the tablet cassette is used for a tablet whose necessity of the lump tablet loosening function is unknown, as described in the case of the tablet cassette 110 of the first embodiment. First, use a tablet cassette 130 that has a rotation blocking function when not attached but does not have a lump tablet loosening function, and then gives the lump tablet loosening function while continuing to use the tablet cassette 130 for random storage and sequential discharge of tablets. When the time comes, the tablet cassette 130 used is remade into a tablet cassette "130 + 80" equivalent to the tablet cassette 50 by adding the contact member 80, and continues to be used (see FIG. 6).

This remodeling work can also be performed easily and quickly by attaching / detaching the rotating shaft 23 to the aligning board 22 and adding the contact member 80 to the rotating shaft 23 (see FIG. 7).
As described above, the hole 83 penetrating the center of the annular portion 82 of the contact member 80 (see FIG. 7) is no longer a simple perfect circle in response to the addition of the convex portion 23bd to the rotating shaft 23. An enlarged notch for passing the convex portion 23bd is formed at the edge portion of the hole 83. Moreover, at the edge portion of the illustrated hole 83, a reduced diameter remaining portion that is fitted in the upper part of the free insertion hole 23b and closes the opening of the notch to reinforce the large diameter portion 23bb and the small diameter portion 23ba is also formed. There is.

Further, in the tablet cassette 130 (see FIGS. 3 and 6), the container portion 21 is thinned to the bottom and an opening / closing lid is attached to the upper end opening.
In addition (see FIGS. 3 (a), 4 (d), (e), and 6 (a)), the peripheral edge of the insertion hole of the rotating shaft 23 of the bottom of the container 21 is slightly engraved from below. The elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment board and the upper end portion of the stop ring 91 are housed therein.
Further (see FIG. 4A), the mooring member 60 is formed with an annular portion such as a fence on the outer peripheral side of the mooring unevenness 61 and the thrust member 62, and the rigidity and strength of the thrust member 62. It is also designed to prevent the spread of dust and dirt from the inside.

Further (see FIGS. 4 (b) and 4 (c), FIGS. 5, 6 and 7), a plurality of, for example, six ribs 22e are formed in a radial arrangement in the additional member accommodating space 22c of the alignment board 22. .. Each of the ribs 22e has a vertical plate shape, extends downward from the upper surface of the additional member accommodating space 22c while extending from the tubular portion 22d to the outer peripheral side, and extends downward from the upper surface of the additional member accommodating space 22c, and the small diameter portion 23ba of the rotating shaft 23 extends to the inner peripheral side. The tubular portion 22d into which the is fitted is assisted / reinforced from the outer peripheral side. Further, the direction in which the locking portion 71 of the locking shaft 70 protrudes (see FIGS. 6B and 7) and the direction in which the contact portion 81 of the contact member 80 protrudes (FIG. 6 (c)). ), See Fig. 7), they are not in the same direction but are offset.

Further, (see FIGS. 4 (d) and 4 (e)), the diameter of the stop ring 91 changes in three steps from the large diameter at the upper part to the small diameter at the lower part, and the support portion of the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate 90. And the attachment portion to the rotating shaft 23 are separated from each other in the vertical direction.
Further (see FIGS. 5 and 7), a small engaging recess 23c is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the upper portion of the rotating shaft 23, and the engaging recess 23c is also formed on the inner circumference of the annular portion 82 in addition to the free insertion hole 23b. By interfering with the portion, it is possible to easily and accurately prevent the contact member 80 from idling and impairing the progress of the contact portion 81.

[Other]
In Examples 1 to 3, all of the tablet cassettes 110, 120, and 130 inherit the mooring member 60 of the integrally formed product from the tablet cassette 50, and the mooring member 60 has a large number of mooring irregularities 61 and their outer circumferences. The thrust member 62 on the side was included, and the mooring unevenness 61 and the thrust member 62 were integrally formed, but in addition to these 61 and 62, the container portion 21 of the equipment destination was also integrally formed. May be done. Press and injection molding are suitable for mass production as a manufacturing method for integral formation, but it is also good to integrate them by fusion or welding when manufacturing a small amount or assembling different members.

In the third embodiment, the convex portion formed on the upper end ring-shaped surface 23bc as a convex portion for securing a distance between both sides of the majority of the lower end ring-shaped surface 22da of the tubular portion 22d and the upper end ring-shaped surface 23bc of the large diameter portion 23bb. Although only the portion 23bd is mentioned, the present invention is not limited to this, and the convex portion may be formed on the lower end ring-shaped surface 22da instead of the upper end ring-shaped surface 23bc, and the upper end ring-shaped surface 23bc and the lower end ring-shaped surface 22da. It may be formed on both sides.
In the second embodiment, the exterior hole 123 of the plate-shaped member 122 has a simple round shape, but it is deformed by providing a reduced diameter remaining portion similar to the hole 83 of the contact member 80 of the third embodiment. Is also good.

In the first and second embodiments, the means for preventing the circumferential slip (relative rotation around the axis) between the alignment plate 22 and the rotating shaft 23 is not mentioned, but the rib 22e mentioned in the third embodiment is used. Engagement with the engaging recess 23c or the like may be used, or engagement with the convex portion 23bd or another convex portion corresponding to the concave portion may be used. Alternatively, for example, a large number of shallow grooves extending in the axial direction are formed like a striped pattern on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion 22d of the alignment board 22 and the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 23ba of the rotating shaft 23 in the axial direction. The circumferential friction may be made larger than the friction to prevent the alignment plate 22 and the rotating shaft 23 from slipping in the circumferential direction.

FIG. 4A of the third embodiment shows a plurality of thrusting members 62 provided at opposite positions, and by arranging the thrusting members 62 in this way, the contact member 80 and thus the alignment board 22 can be formed. The damage to each member was reduced or delayed by smoothly moving it up and down so that the force to tilt the rotating shaft 23 and the like was not generated, but if there is no problem with the smooth operation or damage of each member, the thrust The upper member 62 may be provided at any position, not limited to the facing position.

The tablet cassette of the present invention is not limited to a dispensing machine equipped with a large number of tablet cassettes / tablet feeders such as a tablet packing machine as long as it is a device provided with a drive unit of a tablet feeder that can be mounted, but also a tablet dividing device or bottling. It can also be applied to dispensing machines equipped with a single or a small number of tablet cassettes / tablet feeders, such as machines. Further, it can be used not only for a fully automatic dispensing machine but also for a semi-automatic dispensing machine that processes one tablet at a time for each manual operation, for example.

8 ... tablets, 10 ... tablet feeders,
20 ... Tablet cassette,
21 ... container part, 22 ... alignment board, 22a ... partition wall,
22b ... compartment, 22c ... additional member storage space, 22d ... cylinder,
22da ... lower end ring-shaped surface, 22db ... downward surface portion, 22e ... rib, 22f ... bottomed hole,
23 ... Rotating shaft (container side transmission mechanism),
23a ... Drive shaft fitting hole, 23b ... Free insertion hole (slipped notch),
23ba ... Small diameter part, 23baa ... Upper end surface, 23bb ... Large diameter part,
23bc ... upper end ring-shaped surface, 23bd ... convex portion, 23c ... engaging concave portion,
24 ... Discharge channel, 25 ... Partition member,
30 ... Drive unit (base), 31 ... Base, 32 ... Motor,
33 ... Drive shaft (drive unit side transmission mechanism), 34 ... Discharge sensor,
40 ... Tablet cassette,
42 ... contact member, 43 ... contact part,
45 ... mooring member, 46 ... mooring unevenness, 47 ... thrust member,
50 ... Tablet cassette,
60 ... Mooring member, 61 ... Unevenness for mooring,
62 ... Thrust member, 62a ... Up surface, 62b ... Down surface,
70 ... locking shaft body, 71 ... locking portion, 72 ... urging member,
80 ... contact member, 81 ... contact part, 82 ... ring-shaped part, 83 ... hole,
90 ... Elastic body for pressing the alignment board, 91 ... Stop ring,
110 ... Tablet cassette,
120 ... Tablet cassette, 122 ... Plate-shaped member, 123 ... Exterior hole,
130 ... Tablet cassette,
A ... Height difference, B ... Vertical interference amount, C ... Distance between facing surfaces,
D ... Fitable part length, E ... Small diameter part Axial length

Claims (5)

A container portion capable of accommodating tablets, an alignment plate capable of axial rotation in the container portion, and a rotating shaft in which a lower end portion having a drive shaft fitting hole penetrates the bottom portion of the container portion and protrudes downward. In a tablet cassette that sequentially discharges tablets from the container portion by rotating the alignment plate by the axis when the rotation shaft is rotated.
A mooring member formed with a large number of mooring irregularities connected in a ring shape is mounted on the inner bottom surface of the container portion, and the mooring irregularities go around the rotating shaft at a position away from the rotating shaft, and the mooring is used. A locking shaft body having a locking portion corresponding to unevenness at the upper part is inserted into the drive shaft fitting hole at the lower part and can move relative to the rotating shaft in the axial direction, but moves relative to the radial direction. The locking shaft body is lowered so that the locking portion comes into contact with the mooring unevenness, and when the drive shaft is fitted into the drive shaft fitting hole, the engaging portion is engaged. The stopping shaft body moves in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and the locking portion is released from the mooring member.
A chevron thrust member is mounted on the inner bottom surface of the container portion at a location outside the ring-shaped chain of mooring irregularities of the mooring member.
An additional member accommodating space having a downward opening is formed in the aligning board, and a tubular portion protruding downward from the upper center of the space in the additional member accommodating space is formed in the aligning board, and the rotating shaft is formed. The upper end portion of the above is a small diameter portion thinner than the large diameter portion on the lower side thereof, and when the small diameter portion is fitted into the cylinder portion and the rotating shaft moves up and down with respect to the container portion, the above-mentioned The alignment plate moves up and down with respect to the container portion, and is between the lower end ring-shaped surface of the cylinder portion and the upper end ring-shaped surface of the large diameter portion in the fitted state between the cylinder portion and the small diameter portion. A tablet cassette characterized in that an overfitting preventing means is provided so as to secure a distance between the cylinder portion and the large diameter portion to avoid full contact with the cylinder portion. The length of the fittable portion of the tubular portion into which the small diameter portion can be fitted is shorter than the axial length of the small diameter portion, and the hollow inner surface of the tubular portion is located at the upper end of the fitable portion and faces downward. The tablet cassette according to claim 1, wherein the surface portion faces the upper end surface of the small diameter portion. A plate-shaped member having a hole formed in the small-diameter portion of the rotating shaft is exteriorized in the small-diameter portion and is separated from the thrust member in the additional member accommodating space of the alignment plate. The tablet cassette according to claim 1, wherein the tablet cassette is contained. A convex portion is formed on one or both of the lower end ring-shaped surface of the tubular portion and the upper end ring-shaped surface of the large-diameter portion, and the tubular portion and the small-diameter portion are fitted with each other. A feature is that a distance is secured between both sides of the majority of the lower end ring-shaped surface of the tubular portion and the upper end ring-shaped surface of the large-diameter portion by abutting the convex portion and the facing portion thereof. The tablet cassette according to claim 1. The tablet cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the mooring member and the thrust member are integrally formed.

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