JP7063183B2 - Drug dispensing device and drug dispensing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drug dispensing device.

Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a variable cassette in which any kind of drug (eg, tablets, capsules) can be dispensed in units of units (eg, 1 tablet each) by changing the driving conditions. The variable cassette of Patent Document 1 includes a first rotating body, a second rotating body, a height restricting body, and a width restricting body. In the variable cassette, the charged medicine is discharged from the first rotating body to the second rotating body by the rotation of the first rotating body, and then conveyed toward the payout port by the rotation of the second rotating body. The drug on the second rotating body is transported to the payout port in a state where one tablet is arranged in the circumferential direction on the second rotating body by the height regulating body and the width regulating body.

International Publication No. 2017/1598919

The upstream side of the payout port (the drug guide area that guides the drug to the payout port) is arranged at a position facing the width regulator and the width regulator so that the drugs are discharged one tablet at a time. The width is defined by the side wall member. In Patent Document 1, the side wall member is a fixing member. Therefore, depending on the shape of the drug, there is a possibility that the drug may be caught on the fixing member to hinder the transport of the drug, or the drug may be damaged by contact with the fixing member.

One aspect of the present invention is to realize a drug dispensing device capable of efficiently dispensing a drug.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the drug dispensing device according to one aspect of the present invention is a drug dispensing device that discharges the drug from the payout port by transporting the drug to the discharge port, and delivers the drug. The orientation or position of the drug is displaced by the contact between the drug transport mechanism to be transported and the drug transported by the drug transport mechanism, and by exerting a force acting on the drug in a direction for canceling the displacement. Is provided with a displacement member that assists in transporting the drug to the downstream side specified in a predetermined width.

According to the drug dispensing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the drug can be efficiently dispensed.

(A) is a perspective view showing a state in which a drug dispensing cassette is attached to a motor base, (b) is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a motor base, and (c) is an arrangement example of a count sensor. It is a figure which shows. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of the medicine payout cassette. (A) is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a drug payout cassette with the cover portion removed, and (b) is a plan view showing a part of the drug payout cassette in the state. (A) is a cross-sectional view of a first rotating body and a second rotating body, and (b) is a figure which shows an example of the peripheral part of the 1st rotating body. (A) is a perspective view showing a comparative example of a second rotating body, and (b) is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a second rotating body 13. (A) and (b) are diagrams showing a configuration example of a height regulator and a width regulator. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining prevention of overlapping of divided tablets in the vicinity of a payout port. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining an example of adjusting a transfer height and a transfer width. (A) is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a guide member, and (b) is a plan view showing a configuration example of a first displacement member and a second displacement member. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining an example of transporting a divided tablet when the cross-sectional shape of the first displacement member is a D shape. (A)-(c) is a figure for demonstrating the operation example of the 2nd rotating body. It is a perspective view which shows the comparative example of the guide member. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a drug payout cassette and a motor base. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining the operation example of the 2nd rotating body. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining the operation example of the 2nd rotating body. It is a flowchart which shows the processing example in the medicine payout cassette. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the drug payout cassette which concerns on the modification.

[Embodiment 1]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16. First, a state in which the drug dispensing cassette 1 (drug dispensing device) is attached to the motor base 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a state in which the drug dispensing cassette 1 is attached to the motor base 10, FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the motor base 10, and FIG. 1C is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the motor base 10. , Is a diagram showing an arrangement example of the count sensor 101.

As shown in FIG. 1A, by connecting the drug payout cassette 1 to the motor base 10, the payout process of the divided tablets by the drug payout cassette 1 is realized under the control of the motor base 10. The drug payout cassette 1 is a member that pays out the divided tablets from the payout outlet 17 by sequentially feeding the inserted divided tablets to the payout outlet 17 (see (c) of FIG. 1). The motor base 10 is a member that controls the operation of the drug payout cassette 1 by mounting and connecting the drug payout cassette 1.

The drug to be dispensed by the drug payout cassette 1 is not a drug contained in a drug container that cannot be taken (eg, an ampoule or a vial), but a drug that is not contained in a drug container that cannot be taken, or a package that cannot be taken, etc. Refers to the drug itself that has not been treated with. In the present specification, the drug to be dispensed will be described as being a divided tablet (eg, a tablet divided in substantially half (half tablet)) (hereinafter referred to as a divided tablet). The drug payout cassette 1 may target undivided tablets (tablets for one tablet) or capsules, but it functions effectively when handling a drug that is fragile or fragile. The same applies to the drug dispensing cassettes in the following embodiments.

In this specification, a drug payout cassette in which an arbitrary type of drug is dispensed in units of units by changing the driving conditions will be described as an example. That is, for example, a fixed cassette that dispenses a predetermined type of drug, and a drug dispensing cassette that is provided together with a hand-spreading unit or the like in which a drug is hand-spread, are described as an example in a drug-packing device that packages the drug. do. However, the function of the drug dispensing cassette described herein can also be applied, for example, to a drug dispensing device that sequentially feeds a plurality of charged drugs and counts and dispenses at least a part of the sequentially fed drugs.

[Motor base configuration]
As shown in FIG. 1B, the motor base 10 includes a count sensor 101, a connector 102, and drive members 103 to 106.

As shown in FIG. 1 (c), the count sensor 101 is a sensor that detects divided tablets that have been sent out from the second rotating body 13 of the drug payout cassette 1 and have passed (dropped) through the payout outlet 17. The count sensor 101 counts the number of divided tablets that have passed through the payout port 17. The count sensor 101 is arranged so that a detection range of the object is formed on the passage path of the divided tablet delivered from the second rotating body 13 (see “optical axis” in FIG. 1 (c)).

The count sensor 101 is a so-called light receiving type that identifies the presence or absence of an object within the detection range by receiving (or not receiving) the light emitted from the light emitting unit by the light receiving unit located at a position facing the light emitting unit. It is a sensor of. However, the count sensor 101 is a so-called reflection type in which the light emitted from the light emitting unit is reflected by the object and the reflected light is received by the light receiving unit to specify the presence or absence of the object within the detection range. It may be a sensor. In this case, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged side by side.

The connector 102 is connected to a connector (not shown) of the drug payout cassette 1 to supply electric power to the drug payout cassette 1. The drive members 103 and 104 are connected to a first rotating mechanism for rotating the first rotating body 12 of the drug dispensing cassette 1 shown in FIG. 2 and a second rotating mechanism for rotating the second rotating body 13, respectively. Powers the rotating mechanism and the second rotating mechanism. The drive members 105 and 106 are connected to a height regulator moving mechanism for moving the height regulator 14 of the drug payout cassette 1 and a width regulator moving mechanism for moving the width regulator 15, respectively, as shown in FIG. Powers the height-restricted body movement mechanism and the width-restricted body movement mechanism.

Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the motor base 10 includes a control unit 50 and a storage unit 60, and these members will be described later.

The motor base 10 will be described as including the control unit 50 and the storage unit 60, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 50 and the storage unit 60 may be realized by a control device that controls the operation of the drug delivery cassette 1 provided separately from the motor base 10 and the drug delivery cassette 1. In this case, the control device is connected to the motor base 10 and controls the operation of the motor base 10 to control the operation of the drug dispensing cassette 1.

Further, although the drug dispensing cassette 1 and the motor base 10 have separate mechanisms, they may be integrated. In this case, for example, the drug payout cassette 1 may include a count sensor 101, a control unit 50, and a storage unit 60.

[Structure of drug payout cassette]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the drug dispensing cassette 1. FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the drug payout cassette 1 with the cover portion 11 removed, and FIG. 3B is a plan view showing a part of the drug payout cassette 1 in the state. be.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the drug dispensing cassette 1 mainly includes a cover portion 11, a first rotating body 12, a second rotating body 13, a height regulating body 14, a width regulating body 15, and a guide member 16. Be prepared.

In the drug payout cassette 1, the divided tablets are charged into the first rotating body 12. After that, the divided tablet is transferred from the first rotating body 12 to the second rotating body 13 in the moving region Ar1 by the rotation of the first rotating body 12, and is paid from above the second rotating body 13 by the rotation of the second rotating body 13. It falls to the exit 17. Further, the divided tablets on the second rotating body 13 are aligned in a row by the height restricting body 14 and the width restricting body 15. Hereinafter, each member will be described in detail.

<Cover / Payout>
The cover portion 11 is a part of a housing provided on the upper part (the side for charging the divided tablet) of the drug payout cassette 1, and protects the inside of the drug payout cassette 1. The payout port 17 is an opening into which the divided tablet conveyed by the second rotating body 13 falls.

<1st rotating body / 2nd rotating body>
The first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing an example of a peripheral portion of the first rotating body 12. FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing a comparative example of the second rotating body 13, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the second rotating body 13.

The first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13 function as a drug transport mechanism for transporting the charged divided tablets to the payout port 17. Specifically, in the case of progressive feeding, the first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13 convey the charged divided tablets toward the payout port 17. In the case of reverse feeding, the second rotating body 13 conveys the divided tablets placed on the second rotating body 13 in the direction opposite to the forward feeding direction. That is, the second rotating body 13 can switch between a progressive operation of sequentially feeding the divided tablets and a reverse feeding operation of reversely feeding the divided tablets. However, as with the second rotating body 13, the first rotating body 12 may be able to switch between the forward feed operation and the reverse feed operation. Note that forward feed may be referred to as forward rotation and reverse feed may be referred to as reverse rotation.

The first rotating body 12 is a rotating member (inner disk, inner ring) that moves the charged divided tablet toward the outer peripheral side (outer in the radial direction) by rotating. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first rotating body 12 is a disk-shaped rotating member that rotates about the first shaft portion 12A.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A and 4A, the partition wall 18 is erected along the outer peripheral portion of the first rotating body 12. As a result, the charged divided tablet is placed on the first rotating body 12. Specifically, the charged divided tablets are stored in a storage space partitioned by the first rotating body 12 and the partition wall 18.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the first rotating body 12 is arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the XY plane (eg, the mounting surface of the drug dispensing cassette 1). That is, the first shaft portion 12A of the first rotating body 12 is arranged so as to be inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the Z-axis direction (vertical direction).

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, on the upper surface of the first rotating body 12, a plurality of ridges 12B for suppressing the rolling of the inserted divided tablet on the upper surface are radially provided. ing. The divided tablet charged into the first rotating body 12 moves to the outer peripheral portion by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the first rotating body 12.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the side surface 12C of the peripheral end portion of each convex portion 12B is substantially parallel to the surface on which the divided tablet of the second rotating body 13 is placed. It has a slope. This makes it possible to prevent the divided tablet from being damaged when the divided tablet is moved between the first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13. In particular, when the divided tablet is returned from the second rotating body 13 to the first rotating body 12 at the time of reverse feeding, it is possible to prevent the divided tablet from being damaged.

Generally, tablets are coated with a protective film around them so that they are not easily damaged. However, in the case of divided tablets, the divided surface is not coated with a protective film. Therefore, the divided tablet is more vulnerable to an external impact than the undivided tablet and is easily damaged. That is, in the divided tablet, powder or fragments are likely to be generated from the divided surface. Therefore, it is useful that the side surface 12C has the above-mentioned inclination in the drug payout cassette 1 that handles the divided tablets.

Further, the size and positional relationship of the first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13 are defined so that a gap is generated at least in the moving region Ar1 and the facing region Ar2. The moving region Ar1 is a region where the divided tablet transfers from the first rotating body 12 to the second rotating body 13. The facing region Ar2 is a region facing the moving region Ar1 and adjacent to the lower part of the partition wall 18.

Generally, a gap is provided between the first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13 so that the first rotating body 12 does not come into contact with the second rotating body 13. However, the first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13 are not designed so as to positively provide a gap in consideration of the transfer of the drug in the moving region Ar1. When handling divided tablets as in the drug payout cassette 1, powders or fragments are likely to be generated as described above. Therefore, by positively providing a gap (at least larger than the conventional one), the powder or fragment can be dropped and collected under the first rotating body 12.

Here, for example, consider a case where a divided tablet (first divided tablet) is dispensed and then a divided tablet (second divided tablet) having a type different from that of the first divided tablet is dispensed. When there is no gap, the remaining amount of powder or fragment of the first divided tablet on the first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13 is larger than when there is a gap. Therefore, when there is no gap, there is a higher possibility that the powder or fragment of the first divided tablet will be discharged together with the second divided tablet as compared with the case where there is a gap. It is not preferable from the viewpoint of safety that the drug to be dispensed is dispensed together with powders or fragments of other drugs. Therefore, it is useful that a gap is provided in the drug payout cassette 1 that handles the divided tablets. However, the gap is limited to a size that does not allow the divided tablets to fall.

Further, in the lower part of the moving region Ar1, an accumulation portion 19 (reservoir portion) for accumulating powder or fragments dropped from the gap is provided. By providing the accumulating portion 19, for example, when disassembling and cleaning the drug dispensing cassette 1, the accumulated powder or fragments can be easily collected. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the labor of cleaning the drug dispensing cassette 1. The collecting portion 19 may be provided at the lower part of the moving region Ar1 so as to be removable. Further, an integrated portion may be provided at the lower part of the facing region Ar2. Further, an integrated portion may be provided along at least one lower portion of the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion of the second rotating body 13.

Further, the drug payout cassette 1 has a built-in first rotation mechanism for rotating the first rotating body 12. The first rotation mechanism is realized by, for example, a first shaft portion 12A and a drive member (not shown) that rotates the first shaft portion 12A around the first rotation shaft of the first shaft portion 12A. By connecting the drive member 103 of the motor base 10 to the drive member of the first rotation mechanism, the first rotating body 12 rotates by receiving the power from the motor base 10. The drive of the first rotation mechanism is controlled by the rotating body control unit 51 (see FIG. 13).

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the second rotating body 13 is an annular rotating member, and is arranged so as to be located on the upper side (+ Z axis direction) of the first rotating body 12. The second rotating body 13 is horizontally arranged so that the second rotating axis of the second rotating body 13 extends in the ± Z axis direction and the upper surface thereof is substantially parallel to the XY plane. That is, the second rotating shaft of the second rotating body 13 extends in a direction different from that of the first rotating shaft of the first rotating body 12.

Further, the second rotating body 13 is arranged along the outer periphery of the first rotating body 12 when viewed from the axial direction (+ Z axis direction) of the second rotating axis, and by rotating, the second rotating body 13 is arranged. It is a rotating member (outer disk, outer ring) that conveys the divided tablet placed on the top to, for example, the payout port 17.

At the time of progressive feeding, the first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13 rotate in the same direction so that the charged divided tablets are conveyed toward the discharge port 17. At least a part of the divided tablets transferred from the first rotating body 12 to the second rotating body 13 in the moving region Ar1 is sequentially fed to the discharge port 17, and the remaining divided tablets are the height restricting body 14 and the width restricting body. It is dropped toward the first rotating body 12 by the 15 and the guide member 16 (first displacement member 16A and second displacement member 16B).

The drug payout cassette 1 has a built-in second rotation mechanism for rotating the second rotating body 13. The second rotation mechanism is realized, for example, by a gear member 13A (see (b) in FIG. 5) provided along the side surface of the second rotating body 13. When the drive member 104 of the motor base 10 is fitted to the gear member 13A, the second rotating body 13 rotates by receiving the power from the motor base 10. The drive of the second rotation mechanism is also controlled by the rotating body control unit 51.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the drug dispensing cassette 1 is not provided with ribs over the entire circumference of the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion of the second rotating body 13. As mentioned above, split tablets are fragile. As shown in FIG. 5A, when the rib 130A is provided on the inner peripheral portion of the second rotating body 13, the divided tablet is returned from the second rotating body 13 to the first rotating body 12. May come into contact with the rib 130A and be damaged. Further, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the rib 130B is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the second rotating body 13, the divided tablet is divided when the divided tablet is conveyed from the second rotating body 13 to the payout port 17. The tablet may come into contact with the rib 130B and be damaged. Further, when the transfer of the divided tablet is hindered by the ribs 130A or 130B, the subsequent divided tablet may run on the divided tablet. This is because the divided tablets are not rounded like undivided tablets and have a special shape that is partially planar.

In the drug dispensing cassette 1, by not providing ribs on the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion of the second rotating body 13, damage to the divided tablet is suppressed, and it is easy to transport the divided tablet to the first rotating body 12 or the payout outlet 17. can do. Further, by not providing ribs on the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion of the second rotating body 13, the powder or fragment of the divided tablet on the second rotating body 13 can be obtained from the inner peripheral edge or the outer peripheral edge of the second rotating body 13. It becomes easy to drop it to the lower part (for example, the storage part).

<Height regulated body / Width regulated body>
The height restricting body 14 and the width restricting body 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. 6 (a) and 6 (b) are diagrams showing a configuration example of the height restricting body 14 and the width restricting body 15. FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining the prevention of overlapping of the divided tablets in the vicinity of the payout port 17. 8 (a) and 8 (b) are diagrams for explaining an example of adjusting the transfer height W1 and the transfer width W22.

The height restricting body 14 and the width restricting body 15 regulate the passage of the divided tablets sequentially fed by the first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13 according to the size of the divided tablets. It is a regulator that can move to specify the width and change the width of the passage route. The height restricting body 14 and the width restricting body 15 define a passage path Ro for the divided tablets on the second rotating body 13 so that the divided tablets can be transported in a row to the payout port 17.

The height restricting body (height guide) 14 regulates the transfer height W1 shown in FIG. 6A as the passage path width. The width restricting body 15 regulates the transfer widths W21 and W22 shown in FIG. 3B as the passage path width. The transfer height W1 is the distance between the lower surface of the first height regulating portion 14A of the height regulating body 14 and the upper surface of the second rotating body 13. In other words, the transfer height W1 is the distance from the surface of the passage path Ro of the height regulator 14. The transfer width W21 is the distance from the inner peripheral portion of the second rotating body 13 to the first wall surface 15S1 of the width restricting body 15, and the transfer width W22 is from the guide member 16 to the second wall surface 15S2 of the width restricting body 15. Is the interval to.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the height restricting body 14 includes a first height regulating portion 14A and a second height regulating portion 14B. The first height regulating unit 14A is a member for preventing the divided tablets placed on the second rotating body 13 from being conveyed to the payout port 17 in a state of being overlapped in the height direction (+ Z axis direction) at the time of progressive feeding. Is. The first height regulating portion 14A is arranged so as to be located on the downstream side in the drug transfer direction at the time of progressive feed and above the second rotating body 13 with respect to the moving region Ar1. As shown in FIG. 6A, the first height regulating portion 14A extends from the outer peripheral portion to the inner peripheral portion of the second rotating body 13 and along the drug transfer direction.

The height restricting body 14 moves in the ± Z axis direction in order to define the transfer height W1 on the upper surface of the second rotating body 13. The drug dispensing cassette 1 has a built-in height-regulating body moving mechanism that controls the movement of the first height-regulating unit 14A. The height restricting body moving mechanism includes, for example, a screw member 14C. As shown in FIG. 6A, the screw member 14C is provided in engagement with the screw receiving portion formed on the height restricting body 14. In the present embodiment, by connecting the screw member 14C to the drive member 105 of the motor base 10, the screw member 14C rotates by receiving the power from the motor base 10, and the height restricting body 14 moves in the ± Z axis direction. Moving. Thereby, the transfer height W1 is adjusted according to the size of the charged divided tablet. The drive of the height restricting body moving mechanism is controlled by, for example, the restricting body control unit 52 (see FIG. 13).

Similar to the first height regulating section 14A, the second height regulating section 14B is conveyed to the payout port 17 in a state where the divided tablets placed on the second rotating body 13 are overlapped in the height direction at the time of progressive feeding. It is a member that prevents this from happening. The second height regulating portion 14B is arranged so as to be located on the upstream side in the drug transfer direction at the time of progressive feed and above the second rotating body 13 with respect to the payout port 17. That is, the second height regulating portion 14B is provided at the tip end portion of the height regulating body 14. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, a step 14B1 is formed in the second height regulating portion 14B so that the height is slightly lowered in the drug transfer direction at the time of progressive feeding.

As shown in FIG. 7A, consider a state in which the guide member 16 hinders the transport of the divided tablet MD1 during progressive feeding. In FIG. 7, the shapes of the divided tablets MD1, MD2 and MD3 are substantially the same, but the orientations of the divided tablets MD1, MD2 and MD3 are different from each other. Therefore, in FIG. 7, the shapes of the divided tablets MD1, MD2 and MD3 are shown to be different from each other.

If the progressive feeding is continued in a state where the transport of the divided tablet MD1 is hindered, the divided tablet MD2 may be pushed by the divided tablet MD3 and ride on the divided tablet MD1 stopped at the guide member 16.

When the divided tablet MD2 is carried on the divided tablet MD1 to the payout outlet 17, two divided tablets are discharged from the payout outlet 17 at a time. If two divided tablets are dispensed at one time, the count sensor 101 may erroneously count the two divided tablets as one divided tablet. By providing the second height regulating portion 14B, as shown in FIG. 7B, the divided tablet MD2 on the divided tablet MD1 can be brought into contact with the step 14B1 and dropped. Therefore, since it is possible to prevent the divided tablets from being dispensed in a stacked state, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of the above-mentioned erroneous counting.

As shown in (b) of FIG. 3 and (a) of FIG. 6, the width restricting body (width guide) 15, together with the height restricting body 14, is on the downstream side in the drug transfer direction at the time of progressive feed with respect to the moving region Ar1. And so as to be located above the second rotating body 13. As shown in FIG. 3B, the width restricting body 15 sequentially feeds the first wall surface 15S1 (curved surface) having a diameter larger than the diameter of the inner peripheral portion of the second rotating body 13 and the first wall surface 15S1. It has a second wall surface 15S2 located on the downstream side in the drug transfer direction at the time. The transfer widths W21 and W22 can be adjusted by moving the width restricting body 15 in the substantially ± Y-axis direction. The positional relationship between the width restricting body 15 and the second rotating body 13 is defined so that the minimum transfer width W21 can be formed in a part of the first wall surface 15S1 in the circumferential direction.

The width restricting body 15 moves in the substantially ± Y-axis direction in order to define the transfer widths W21 and W22 on the upper surface of the second rotating body 13. As shown in FIG. 3A, the drug payout cassette 1 has a built-in width-regulating body moving mechanism that controls the movement of the width-regulating body 15. As shown in FIG. 3A, the width restricting body moving mechanism includes, for example, a screw member 15A1 and a piston portion 15A2.

The piston portion 15A2 moves the width restricting body 15 along the piston portion 15A2. In the present embodiment, the screw member 15A1 is connected to the drive member 106 of the motor base 10, so that the screw member 15A1 rotates under the power from the motor base 10. The power generated by the rotation of the screw member 15A1 is transmitted to the piston portion 15A2, and the width restricting body 15 connected to the piston portion 15A2 moves by the power. As a result, the transfer widths W21 and W22 are adjusted according to the size of the divided tablets charged. The drive of the width restricting body moving mechanism is controlled by, for example, the restricting body control unit 52.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the width restricting body 15 accommodates a part of the second height regulating portion 14B so that the second height regulating portion 14B can move in the ± Z axis direction. The opening 15B is provided. By providing the opening 15B, the second height regulating portion 14B can be arranged on the passage path Ro regardless of the fluctuation of the transfer width W22. Therefore, even when the two divided tablets are transported in an overlapping manner, the upper divided tablet can be reliably dropped by the second height regulating portion 14B.

(Adjustment of transfer height and transfer width)
As a pretreatment for dispensing the divided tablets, a treatment for adjusting the transfer height W1, the transfer widths W21 and W22 is performed. The transfer height W1 and transfer width W22 are calculated based on the type of divided tablet to be charged. Specifically, the transfer height W1 and the transfer width W22 are calculated based on the diameter and thickness of the tablet (substantially circular shape) before being divided as the divided tablet, which is included in the drug data regarding the divided tablet to be charged. To. This calculation may be executed by the host system of the drug payout cassette 1 or may be executed by the control unit 50 of the drug payout cassette 1.

An example of calculating the transfer height W1 and the transfer width W22 will be described. The transfer width W22 may be set to a value such that a plurality of divided tablets are transported to the payout port 17 in a row regardless of the thickness (B) of the divided tablets.

From this point of view, the transfer width W22 is set, for example, to be greater than 1 times and less than 2 times the radius (A) of the divided tablet. As the radius of the divided tablet, a value obtained by dividing the diameter of the tablet before being divided as the divided tablet by 2 included in the drug data regarding the divided tablet to be added is used.

By setting the radius to be larger than 1 times the radius of the divided tablet, the divided tablet in a lying state can be transported to the payout port 17. The lying state refers to a state in which the divided surface does not face the surface of the second rotating body 13 (a state in which the divided tablet does not stand up). Further, by setting the radius to less than twice the radius of the divided tablets, it is possible to prevent the divided tablets in a lying state from being transported side by side in two rows.

Divided tablets are evenly divided so that the tablets are approximately halved, but in some cases they may not be evenly divided (eg: 1 tablet divided 4: 6). In this case, it is necessary to set the transfer width W22 to be larger than 1 times the radius of the divided tablet so that the divided tablet which is largely divided can also be transported in a lying state. Therefore, the transfer width W22 is set to be larger than 1 times the radius of the divided tablet.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the thickness of the divided tablets is relatively thick (when the thickness is equal to or larger than a predetermined thickness), a plurality of divided tablets are arranged in an upright state in the direction of the transfer width W22, and the number one is increased. There is a possibility that it will be transported on the two-rotating body 13. Considering this point, when the thickness of the divided tablet is equal to or larger than a predetermined thickness, the transfer width W22 may be further set to less than twice the thickness of the divided tablet. By setting the transfer width W22 to less than twice the thickness of the divided tablets, it is possible to prevent the divided tablets in an upright state from being transferred side by side in the direction of the transfer width W22. The predetermined thickness may be set through experiments or the like. In the example of FIG. 8, when twice the thickness of the divided tablet is 1.3 times or more the radius of the divided tablet, the thickness of the divided tablet is assumed to be the predetermined thickness or more.

Further, the transfer width W21 may be set to such a size that a relatively thick divided tablet can be transferred in an upright state. Even when a relatively thick divided tablet stands up, the setting of the transfer width W22 described above prevents a plurality of divided tablets from being lined up in the direction of the transfer width W22 on the passage path Ro of the transfer width W22. Because.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the thickness of the divided tablets is relatively thin (less than a predetermined thickness), a plurality of divided tablets are arranged side by side in the direction of the transfer width W22 in an upright state. , The possibility of being transported on the second rotating body 13 is low. Therefore, it is not necessary to set the transfer width W22 in consideration of the standing of the divided tablet (that is, the thickness of the divided tablet).

In the examples of FIGS. 8A and 8B, the transfer width W22 is set to be, for example, 1.3 times (1.3A) the radius of the divided tablet.

Further, when the thickness of the divided tablet is less than a predetermined value, the transfer height W1 is set to a value larger than 1 times the thickness of the divided tablet and less than 2 times the thickness. That is, in this case, the transfer height W1 is set according to the dimension in the thickness direction of the divided tablet. Further, when the thickness of the divided tablet is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the transfer height W1 is set to a value larger than 1 times the radius of the divided tablet and less than 2 times the thickness of the divided tablet. That is, in this case, the transfer height W1 is set in consideration of the dimensions in the direction other than the thickness direction of the divided tablet (radius in the case of a tablet having a circular cross section).

As described above, when the divided tablet is relatively thin, it is unlikely that the divided tablet is transported in an upright state. Therefore, the transfer height W1 is conveyed on the second rotating body 13 in a state where the two divided tablets are overlapped without considering that the divided tablets are conveyed on the second rotating body 13 in an upright state. It may be set to a value that can prevent this from occurring (to the extent that one divided tablet is reliably transported).

For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, when twice the thickness of the divided tablet is less than the transfer width W22 (in the example of FIG. 8, less than 1.3 times the radius of the divided tablet), the transfer height. W1 is set to a value (1.1B) obtained by multiplying the thickness of the divided tablet by 1.1 times.

However, if the relatively thin divided tablets stand upright, the divided tablets are transported side by side in the direction of the transfer width W22 and are discharged from the payout port 17. Therefore, it is preferable that the relatively thin divided tablets are transported to the payout port 17 in a lying state. If the transfer width W22 is set in consideration of the fact that the relatively thin divided tablets are discharged in an upright state, the transfer width W22 becomes too small and the divided tablets in a lying state cannot be transferred to the payout port 17. .. Therefore, the transfer width W22 is set as described above, assuming that the relatively thin divided tablet is unlikely to stand (that is, allowing it to stand). When the thickness of the divided tablet is less than a predetermined value, the transfer height W1 is further set to be less than the radius of the divided tablet in order to surely prevent the relatively thin divided tablet from being dispensed in an upright position. It doesn't matter if it is done.

On the other hand, when the divided tablet is relatively thick, the divided tablet may be transported in an upright state. Therefore, the transfer height W1 is set to a value larger than the radius of the divided tablet so that the divided tablet is conveyed on the second rotating body 13 even when the divided tablet is upright. On the other hand, since it is necessary to prevent the two divided tablets from being transported on the second rotating body 13 in a state of being overlapped in the vertical direction, the transfer height W1 is set to a value less than twice the thickness of the divided tablets. Set.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the transfer width W22 or more (in the example of FIG. 8, 1.3 times or more the radius of the divided tablet) is twice the thickness of the divided tablet, the transfer height. W1 is set to a value (1.1A) obtained by multiplying the radius of the divided tablet by 1.1 times.

In a general drug dispensing cassette, assuming that the drug is dispensed in a lying state, the transfer height W1 is set to be larger than 1 times and less than 2 times the thickness of the drug, and the transfer width W22 is set. , It is set to be larger than 1 times and less than 2 times the diameter of the drug. This is because if it is not a divided tablet, the drug tends to fall asleep.

On the other hand, the drug payout cassette 1 handles divided tablets. Therefore, it is necessary to set the transfer height W1 and the transfer width W22 in consideration of the possibility that the divided tablets are dispensed in an upright state. By setting the transfer height W1 and the transfer width W22 as described above, the passage path from at least the guide member 16 to the payout port 17 regardless of the state in which the divided tablet is transported on the second rotating body 13. Divided tablets can be arranged in a row on Ro.

Therefore, the drug payout cassette 1 can be dispensed not only in the sleeping divided tablets but also in the standing divided tablets one by one. Since the divided tablets in an upright state can be dispensed, the dispensing efficiency of the divided tablets can be improved. In addition, it is possible to prevent the two divided tablets from being dispensed in an overlapping state.

In the above, the calculation example of the transfer height W1 and the transfer width W22 using the thickness and radius of the divided tablet has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. As the thickness of the divided tablet used for the calculation, the first portion having the minimum dimension (also referred to as a short side) among the vertical (diameter), horizontal (radius) and height (thickness) dimensions of the divided tablet may be used. .. Further, as the radius of the divided tablet used for the calculation, the second portion (also referred to as the middle side) having the second smallest dimension among the vertical, horizontal and height dimensions of the divided tablet may be used.

That is, the transfer width W22 may be set to be larger than 1 times the second portion of the divided tablet and less than twice the second portion. When the first portion of the divided tablet has a predetermined length or more (eg, the thickness of the divided tablet is equal to or larger than the predetermined thickness), the transfer width W22 is further set to be less than twice the first portion of the divided tablet. It doesn't matter.

Further, the transfer height W1 is the first portion when the first portion of the divided tablet is less than a predetermined value (eg, first portion × 2 <transfer width W22, that is, the first portion <transfer width W22 / 2). It suffices if it is set to a value larger than 1 times and less than 2 times the value of the first part. Further, the transfer height W1 is the first portion of the divided tablet when the first portion of the divided tablet is equal to or more than a predetermined value (eg, first portion × 2 ≧ transfer width W22, that is, the first portion ≧ transfer width W22 / 2). It suffices if it is set to a value larger than 1 times of 2 parts and less than 2 times of 1 part.

Further, in the above example, when twice the thickness of the divided tablet is the same as the transfer width W22 (1.3 times the radius of the divided tablet), the transfer height W1 is set by the setting method of FIG. 8 (b). Although it is set, the transfer height W1 may be set by the setting method shown in FIG. 8A.

<Guide member>
The guide member 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12. 9A is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the guide member 16, and FIG. 9B is a plan view showing a configuration example of the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B. 10 (a) and 10 (b) are views for explaining an example of transporting a divided tablet when the cross-sectional shape of the first displacement member 16A is a D shape. 11 (a) to 11 (c) are diagrams for explaining an operation example of the second rotating body 13. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the guide member 160 as a comparative example.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the drug payout cassette 1 is a part of the passage path Ro of the divided tablet formed by the second rotating body 13 connected to the payout port 17 in the vicinity of the payout port 17. And is provided with a guide member 16 that guides the divided tablet to the payout port 17. As shown in FIG. 3B, the guide member 16 is erected at a position facing the second wall surface 15S2 of the width restricting body 15, and together with the second wall surface 15S2, defines a part of the passage path Ro. The passage path Ro defined by the guide member 16 can also be said to be an end region (drug guide region) on the second rotating body 13 in which the divided tablet that has passed through the first wall surface 15S1 is guided to the discharge outlet 17.

The guide member 16 includes a first displacement member 16A, a second displacement member 16B, a fixing member 16C, and a support member 16D.

(Fixing member)
The fixing member 16C is a non-displacement member installed on the second rotating body 13, and is a side wall member (first side wall member) that defines the side wall of the passage path Ro. The width restricting body 15 can also be said to be a side wall member (second side wall member) that defines the side wall.

(Support member)
The support member 16D extends upstream from the fixing member 16C, and supports the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B so as to be suspended below the support member 16D.

(Displacement member)
Since the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B are suspended from the support member 16D, the divided tablets transported by the second rotating body 13 are displaced by contact with the divided tablets, and the divided tablets are displaced with respect to the divided tablets. It exerts a force acting in a direction that cancels the displacement. As a result, the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B adjust the orientation or position of the divided tablet to transport the divided tablet to the downstream side (drug guide region) defined by the predetermined width (transfer width W22). To assist.

The impact given to the divided tablet can be absorbed by the displacement (swing) of the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B. Therefore, damage to the divided tablets can be prevented. Further, by applying the above force to the divided tablet, the orientation (posture) of the divided tablet can be corrected. Further, the position of the divided tablet can be corrected so that the fixing member 16C does not hinder the transportation of the divided tablet. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of clogging of the divided tablets in the fixing member 16C.

Specifically, the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B are arranged on the upstream side of the fixing member 16C. As a result, the divided tablets that have been sequentially fed can be brought into contact with the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B before being brought into contact with the fixing member 16C. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the divided tablet from being damaged due to contact with the fixing member 16C.

Further, the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B change the orientation or position of the divided tablet so as to prevent the divided tablet from coming into contact with one end (one end on the upstream side) of the fixing member 16C. By changing the orientation or position in this way, it is possible to prevent the divided tablet from being damaged due to contact with one end of the fixing member 16C and to suppress the occurrence of clogging of the divided tablet at the one end.

Further, by providing two displacement members, a first displacement member 16A and a second displacement member 16B, the orientation or position of the divided tablet can be changed step by step. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently suppress the occurrence of clogging of the divided tablets.

As mentioned above, the divided tablets are easily broken. Therefore, in the drug dispensing cassette 1 that handles the divided tablets, the guide member 16 is provided with the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B so that the divided tablets can be conveyed to the payout outlet 17 while preventing the divided tablets from being damaged. It is beneficial to do.

Further, the divided tablet has a special shape (a shape including the divided surface) unlike the rounded tablet. Therefore, when the corners of the divided surface come into contact with the width restricting body 15 and the fixing member 16C, the transportation of the divided tablets is hindered and the divided tablets are easily clogged. Therefore, from this viewpoint as well, it is beneficial to provide the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9A, the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B are the fixing member 16C, the first displacement member 16A, and the second displacement member 16B when viewed from the discharge outlet 17 side. It is connected to the fixing member 16C so as to be arranged in the order of. That is, the drug payout cassette 1 includes, as a displacement member, a first displacement member 16A and a second displacement member 16B arranged on the upstream side (at a position far from the payout port 17) of the first displacement member 16A. ..

As shown in FIG. 9B, the contact surface 16AS1 (upstream contact surface) of the first displacement member 16A to which the divided tablets come into contact during progressive feeding has a shape that does not hinder the movement of the divided tablets. In this case, it is possible to prevent the divided tablet from being damaged when the divided tablet comes into contact with the first displacement member 16A during progressive feeding. Further, the contact surface 16AS2 (contact surface on the downstream side) of the first displacement member 16A to which the divided tablet comes into contact during reverse feeding also has a shape that does not hinder the movement of the divided tablet. In this case, it is possible to prevent the divided tablet from being damaged when the divided tablet comes into contact with the first displacement member 16A during reverse feeding.

In the present embodiment, both the contact surfaces 16AS1 and 16AS2 have a curved surface shape, and the cross-sectional shape of the first displacement member 16A is a circular shape. However, the first displacement member 16A may have any shape (eg, polygonal shape) as long as the contact surfaces 16AS1 and 16AS2 do not hinder the movement of the divided tablet. However, when the cross-sectional shape of the first displacement member 16A is circular, the first displacement member 16A that prevents the divided tablet from being damaged can be easily manufactured.

Here, consider a case where any of the contact surfaces 16AS1 and 16AS2 does not have the above-mentioned shape (that is, a surface shape (eg, a planar shape) that hinders the movement of the divided tablet). In this case, the corners of the divided surface are likely to be caught on the contact surface 16AS1 or 16AS2, so that the transportation of the divided tablets is likely to be hindered.

When the contact surface 16AS2 has a planar shape as shown in FIG. 10A, as shown in FIG. 10B, a split tablet MD is formed between the fixing member 16C and the contact surface 16AS2 at the time of reverse feeding. Is easy to fit. In this case, it is difficult to eliminate the fitting of the divided tablet only by the forward feed operation and the reverse feed operation of the second rotating body 13.

From this point of view, the shape of the first displacement member 16A is preferably such that at least the contact surfaces 16AS1 and 16AS2 do not hinder the movement of the divided tablet. For example, it is preferable that the contact surfaces 16AS1 and 16AS2 have an arc shape or a shape having a relatively large internal angle even if it has a polygonal shape (eg, a shape having an internal angle larger than at least 90 °).

Further, the positional relationship between the first displacement member 16A and the fixing member 16C is defined so that the distance W3 between the first displacement member 16A and the fixing member 16C is large enough to prevent the divided tablet from being fitted. In the case of a positional relationship in which the divided tablets are fitted, for example, at the time of progressive feeding, the corners of the divided surface are likely to come into contact with the fixing member 16C, and the movement of the divided tablets is likely to be hindered. Further, the divided tablet may rotate around the first displacement member 16A as a rotation axis and fall toward the first rotating body 12. In order not to cause these problems, the positional relationship is defined as described above.

Further, the contact surface 16BS1 (upstream contact surface) of the second displacement member 16B with which the divided tablets come into contact when the divided tablets are sequentially fed has a shape that does not hinder the movement of the divided tablets. In this case, it is possible to prevent the divided tablet from being damaged when the divided tablet comes into contact with the second displacement member 16B during progressive feeding.

On the other hand, the second displacement member 16B is a restraining surface 16BS2 (contact on the downstream side) that suppresses the movement of the divided tablet due to contact with the divided tablet when the divided tablet in contact with the first displacement member 16A is reversely fed. Surface) is provided.

As shown in FIG. 11A, even when the divided tablet is transported in a state where it is caught by the guide member 16, the orientation of the divided tablet MD when the divided tablet MD comes into contact with the first displacement member 16A. Or the position is corrected. As a result, the occurrence of catching on the guide member 16 can be suppressed, so that the drug dispensing cassette 1 can efficiently dispense the divided tablet MD. The second displacement member 16B also has the same effect. That is, by providing the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B, the orientation or position of the divided tablet MD can be corrected in two steps.

However, depending on the orientation or position of the divided tablet MD11, as shown in FIG. 11B, the orientation or position of the divided tablet MD11 cannot be completely corrected by the first displacement member 16A at the time of progressive feed, and the divided tablet MD11 is a fixing member. It may get caught in 16C. In this case, the movement of the divided tablet MD12 is hindered by the divided tablet MD11.

In this state, when the second rotating body 13 performs the reverse feed operation, as shown in FIG. 11 (c), the divided tablet MD11 is hooked on the restraining surface 16BS2 of the second displacement member 16B with respect to the divided tablet MD12. Can be moved in the direction of the first height regulating portion 14A. That is, the interval between the divided tablets MD11 and MD12 can be widened.

In this state, when the second rotating body 13 performs the progressive operation again, as shown in FIG. 11A, the divided tablet MD11 is attached to the first displacement member 16A in a state where the divided tablet MD12 is not in contact with the first displacement member 16A. Since they can be brought into contact with each other, the orientation or position of the divided tablet MD11 can be corrected.

Further, the orientation or position of the divided tablet MD11 is likely to be changed to a different orientation or position when it is caught on the second displacement member 16B during reverse feeding than when it is caught on the fixing member 16C. Therefore, by bringing the divided tablet MD11 into contact with the first displacement member 16A again, there is an increased possibility that the orientation or position of the divided tablet MD11 can be corrected to the extent that the divided tablet MD11 can pass through the passage path Ro.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9B, the cross-sectional shape of the second displacement member 16B is a D shape in which the restraining surface 16BS2 is a planar shape and the contact surface 16BS1 is a curved surface shape. .. The shape of the second displacement member 16B is not limited to this, and at least the contact surface 16BS1 and the restraining surface 16BS2 may have any shape as long as they have the above-mentioned shapes. When the cross-sectional shape of the second displacement member 16B is substantially D, it is possible to easily manufacture the second displacement member 16B that prevents the divided tablet from being damaged during forward feeding and temporarily suppresses the movement of the split tablet during reverse feeding. ..

However, the restraining surface 16BS2 may have a curved surface shape (that is, the cross-sectional shape of the second displacement member 16B may have a circular shape). In this case, the restraining force for the movement of the divided tablet at the time of reverse feeding is lower than that in the case where the restraining surface 16BS2 has a planar shape, but the movement can be suppressed.

Here, consider a case where the guide member 16 does not include the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B. For example, consider a case where the guide member 160 is provided instead of the guide member 16 as shown in FIG. In the guide member 160, the contact portion 160A with which the divided tablets come into contact during progressive feeding has an inclination in order to prevent the divided tablets from being caught by the guide member 160.

Since the guide member 160 is fixed, it is difficult to change the orientation of the divided tablet. As described above, since the divided tablet has a special shape, it is easy to get caught in the contact portion 160A and easily get on. When the divided tablet rides on the contact portion 160A, it may fall on the subsequent divided tablet and be discharged from the payout port 17 in a state where the two divided tablets are overlapped. Further, the divided tablet is easily damaged by the contact with the contact portion 160A.

When the guide member 16 includes the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B, the orientation or position of the divided tablet can be easily corrected, so that the divided tablet can be suppressed from being caught. Further, since the above-mentioned riding on the fixing member 16C does not occur, it is possible to prevent the two divided tablets from overlapping due to the riding. Further, the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B can prevent the divided tablet from being damaged.

Therefore, by providing the guide member 16, it is possible to suppress the clogging of the divided tablets while suppressing the load on the divided tablets. Therefore, the divided tablets can be efficiently dispensed. Further, the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B are provided, and these effects can be achieved by a simple configuration such as switching between the forward feed operation and the reverse feed operation of the second rotating body 13.

(Modification example)
In the present embodiment, the guide member 16 is described as including the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B as the displacement member, but the number of the displacement members is not limited to two. For example, there may be only one displacement member. Even in this case, it is possible to suppress the clogging of the divided tablets while suppressing the breakage of the divided tablets. However, when only one displacement member is provided, it is preferable to provide the first displacement member 16A from the viewpoint of correcting the orientation or position of the divided tablet and efficiently transporting the divided tablet.

[Structure of motor base (control unit / storage unit)]
The control unit 50 and the storage unit 60 of the motor base 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the drug payout cassette 1 and the motor base 10. 14 (a) and 14 (b), and 15 (a) and 15 (b) are diagrams for explaining an operation example of the second rotating body 13.

As shown in FIG. 13, the motor base 10 includes a control unit 50 and a storage unit 60 in addition to the above-described configuration. The control unit 50 comprehensively controls each unit of the motor base 10 and the drug dispensing cassette 1. The function of the control unit 50 may be realized by the CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing the program stored in the storage unit 60. The storage unit 60 stores various programs executed by the control unit 50 and data used by the programs.

The control unit 50 mainly includes a rotating body control unit 51, a regulated body control unit 52, and a timekeeping unit 53.

The rotating body control unit 51 drives the first rotating mechanism by controlling the driving of the driving member 103. This controls the rotation of the first rotating body 12. Further, the rotating body control unit 51 drives the second rotating mechanism by controlling the driving of the driving member 104. This controls the rotation of the second rotating body 13. The rotating body control unit 51 controls, for example, the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13.

The rotating body control unit 51 independently controls the first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13. The rotating body control unit 51 always rotates the first rotating body 12 in the forward feed direction and at a constant speed during the dispensing process of the divided tablets, for example. On the other hand, for the second rotating body 13, the forward feed operation and the reverse feed operation are switched. Further, the rotation speed of the second rotating body 13 at the time of forward feed and the rotation speed at the time of reverse feed are individually set. For example, the rotation speed at the time of forward feed and the rotation speed at the time of reverse feed can be set to a plurality of stages (example: 7 stages). Further, the rotation speed at the time of progressive feeding is set according to the size of the divided tablet (diameter of the divided tablet). For example, the rotation speed at the time of progressive feeding is set so as to increase as the size of the divided tablet increases.

When the count sensor 101 does not detect the divided tablet for a predetermined time (first predetermined time), the rotating body control unit 51 temporarily switches the forward feed operation to the reverse feed operation. In this case, the second rotating body 13 is reverse-fed by the first distance. That is, the second rotating body 13 reverses the divided tablet on the passage path Ro by the first distance. The switching operation at this time is referred to as a first switching operation (reverse operation 1).

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11B, when the movement of the divided tablet MD11 is hindered in the fixing member 16C, the dispensing of the divided tablet MD11 from the payout port 17 is stopped. When this stopped state continues for the first predetermined time, the rotating body control unit 51 determines that the movement of the divided tablet MD11 is hindered by the fixing member 16C, temporarily switches the forward feed operation to the reverse feed operation, and the second operation is performed. The two rotating bodies 13 are reversely fed by the first distance.

The first distance is a distance corresponding to the distance from the first displacement member 16A to the second displacement member 16B. In the present embodiment, the rotating body control unit 51 realizes the reverse feed operation for the first distance by, for example, rotating the second rotating body 13 by about 15 ° around the second rotating axis. Further, as the first predetermined time, when the rotation speed of the second rotating body 13 at the time of progressive feeding is the slowest, it is sufficient for the divided tablets existing in the vicinity of the first displacement member 16A to be discharged from the payout outlet 17. Time is set.

As shown in FIG. 11B, when the first predetermined time elapses after the movement of the divided tablet MD11 is hindered in the fixing member 16C, the first switching operation is executed, and the divided tablets MD11 and D12 are fed back. Will be done. Since the first distance is defined as described above, when the first switching operation is executed, the movement of the divided tablet MD11 is hindered by the second displacement member 16B as shown in FIG. 14 (a). Will be. On the other hand, the divided tablet MD12 moves beyond the second displacement member 16B toward the first height regulating portion 14A. That is, the interval between the divided tablets MD11 and MD12 can be widened.

The rotation speed at the time of reverse feed is set to be relatively high. Therefore, even if the divided tablet MD12 comes into contact with the second displacement member 16B, the divided tablet MD12 can move toward the first height regulating portion 14A. Since the first distance is defined for the divided tablet MD11 as described above, the rotation speed in the reverse feed direction becomes small when the divided tablet MD11 moves to the vicinity of the second displacement member 16B. Therefore, the divided tablet MD11 is prevented from moving in the reverse feed direction by the second displacement member 16B.

After that, when the second rotating body 13 is sequentially fed again, the divided tablet MD11 can be brought into contact with the first displacement member 16A in a state where the divided tablet MD12 is not in contact with the divided tablet MD11. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11A, the orientation or position of the divided tablet MD11 is corrected, and the divided tablet MD11 can be discharged from the payout port 17.

Further, when the count sensor 101 does not further detect the divided tablet for a predetermined time (second predetermined time), the rotating body control unit 51 temporarily switches the forward feed operation to the reverse feed operation. In this case, the second rotating body 13 is back-fed by a second distance longer than the first distance. That is, the second rotating body 13 reverses the divided tablet on the passage path Ro by the second distance. The switching operation at this time is referred to as a second switching operation (reverse operation 2).

Specifically, even if the divided tablet MD11 is brought into contact with the first displacement member 16A again after the first switching operation, the divided tablet MD11 may be caught on the fixing member 16C again. When such a state occurs, the dispensing of the divided tablet MD11 is stopped for the second predetermined time in addition to the first predetermined time. When this stopped state continues for the first predetermined time and the second predetermined time, the rotating body control unit 51 determines that the movement of the divided tablet MD11 is continuously hindered by the fixing member 16C, and temporarily reverses the progressive operation. The operation is switched to the feed operation, and the second rotating body 13 is reversely fed by the second distance.

The second distance is a distance longer than the distance from the first displacement member 16A to the second displacement member 16B. Further, as described above, the rotation speed at the time of reverse feed is set to be relatively high. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14B, even if not only the divided tablet MD12 but also the divided tablet MD11 comes into contact with the second displacement member 16B, the first height restricting portion exceeds the second displacement member 16B. You can move up to 14A. In the present embodiment, the rotating body control unit 51 realizes a reverse feed operation for a second distance by, for example, rotating the second rotating body 13 by about 30 ° to 50 ° around the second rotating axis. .. This rotation angle is set based on the rotation speed of the second rotating body 13 at the time of reverse feed. That is, this rotation angle is set to such an extent that the second rotating body 13 is reversely fed by the second distance, which is also a long first distance.

When the second predetermined time elapses after the movement of the divided tablet MD11 is hindered in the fixing member 16C, the second switching operation is executed and the divided tablets MD11 and D12 are reversely fed. Since the second distance is defined as described above, when the second switching operation is executed, as shown in FIG. 14 (b), the divided tablets MD11 and MD12 exceed the second displacement member 16B. , Move to the first height regulation part 14A. That is, when the forward feed operation is switched again, the orientation or position of the divided tablets MD11 and MD12 can be corrected by bringing them into contact with the second displacement member 16B and the first displacement member 16A. Therefore, when the second switching operation is performed, there is a higher possibility that the orientation or position of the divided tablet MD11 can be corrected so that the fixing member 16C does not hinder the movement as compared with the case of the first switching operation.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the second switching operation is performed when the count sensor 101 cannot detect the divided tablet after the first switching operation, but the present invention is not limited to this. The second switching operation may be executed after the first switching operation is executed several times.

Further, the rotating body control unit 51 temporarily switches the forward feed operation to the reverse feed operation even when the count sensor 101 detects the divided tablet within the first predetermined time. In this case, the second rotating body 13 is reversely fed by the third distance. That is, the second rotating body 13 reverses the divided tablet on the passage path Ro by the third distance. The switching operation at this time is referred to as a third switching operation (reverse operation 3).

As shown in FIG. 15A, consider a case where the divided tablets MD11 and MD12 are continuously dispensed from the payout port 17. In this case, if the progressive operation is continued as it is even after the divided tablet MD11 is discharged from the payout outlet 17, the divided tablet MD12 may be discharged from the payout outlet 17 following the divided tablet MD11. In this case, the count sensor 101 may erroneously count the divided tablets MD11 and MD12 as one divided tablet.

When the rotating body control unit 51 acquires the detection result that the divided tablet MD11 is counted from the count sensor 101, the rotating body control unit 51 executes the third switching operation. As a result, the second rotating body 13 is temporarily fed back, so that the drop interval between the divided tablet MD11 and the divided tablet MD12 can be widened as shown in FIG. 15B. Therefore, the above-mentioned erroneous count can be prevented.

The third distance may be set to such a distance that the above-mentioned erroneous count does not occur after an experiment or the like. In the present embodiment, the rotating body control unit 51 realizes a reverse feed operation for a third distance by, for example, rotating the second rotating body 13 by about 5 ° around the second rotating axis.

The restrictor control unit 52 drives the height restrictor movement mechanism by controlling the drive of the drive member 105. As a result, the movement of the height restricting body 14 in the ± Z axis direction is controlled. Further, the restricting body control unit 52 drives the width restricting body moving mechanism by controlling the driving of the driving member 106. This controls the movement of the width restricting body 15 in the direction in which the piston portion 15A2 is stretched. As described above, the restrictor control unit 52 moves the height regulator 14 and the width regulator 15 when adjusting the transfer height W1, the transfer widths W21 and W22 as a pretreatment for the dispensing process of the divided tablets. To control. Further, the regulator control unit 52 independently controls the movement of the height regulator 14 and the width regulator 15.

The timekeeping unit 53 measures the first predetermined time or the second predetermined time. The timekeeping unit 53 measures, for example, the time after the count sensor 101 detects the divided tablet. Further, when the first predetermined time or the second predetermined time is measured, the timekeeping unit 53 notifies the rotating body control unit 51 that these times have elapsed.

[Processing in drug payout cassette]
Next, a processing example in the drug payout cassette 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a processing example in the drug payout cassette 1. In the present embodiment, the rotation speed of the second rotating body 13 can be set to seven stages from stage 1 (minimum speed) to stage 7 (maximum speed).

After the divided tablet is charged into the first rotating body 12 (inner ring), when the dispensing process of the divided tablet is started, the restrictor control unit 52 controls the height regulator 14 and the width regulator 15. , The transfer height W1 and the transfer widths W21 and W22 are adjusted. After that, the rotating body control unit 51 starts a scooping operation of the divided tablet, which transfers the divided tablet from the first rotating body 12 to the second rotating body 13 (outer ring) by rotating the first rotating body 12. (S1).

After that, the rotating body control unit 51 sequentially feeds the second rotating body 13 (S2). The rotation speed is set to, for example, one of steps 1 to 3 based on the size of the divided tablets charged. At this time, the time measuring unit 53 starts measuring the first predetermined time (example: 2 seconds).

The rotating body control unit 51 detects a divided tablet within the first predetermined time after the time measuring unit 53 starts timing, and when the detection result is acquired, the rotating body control unit 51 performs a third switching operation (reverse operation 3). ) Is executed. That is, the rotating body control unit 51 reversely feeds the second rotating body 13 by a third distance (eg, 5 °) (S3). Further, the time measuring unit 53 resets the time counting of the first predetermined time, and then restarts the time counting of the first predetermined time. In this embodiment, the rotation speed at the time of reverse feed is uniformly set to step 7.

That is, the rotating body control unit 51 repeats the processes of S2 and S3 while the detection result is acquired from the count sensor 101 within the first predetermined time. The processing of S2 and S3 is also referred to as a normal payout operation, which is a payout operation when the fixing member 16C is not clogged.

On the other hand, when the rotating body control unit 51 does not acquire the detection result from the count sensor 101 within the first predetermined time after the time measuring unit 53 starts the time counting (notification of the lapse of the first predetermined time from the time measuring unit 53). Is acquired), the first switching operation (reverse operation 1) is executed. That is, the rotating body control unit 51 reversely feeds the second rotating body 13 by the first distance (example: 15 °) (S4). After the processing of S4, the rotating body control unit 51 re-forwards the second rotating body 13 (S5). Further, the timekeeping unit 53 resets the timekeeping of the first predetermined time and starts the timekeeping of the second predetermined time (example: 4 seconds) at the start of the progressive feed.

After that, when the rotating body control unit 51 acquires the detection result from the count sensor 101 within the second predetermined time, the rotating body control unit 51 shifts to the processing of S3 assuming that the clogging in the fixing member 16C has been cleared. That is, it returns to the normal payout operation.

On the other hand, if the rotating body control unit 51 does not acquire the detection result from the count sensor 101 within the second predetermined time (when the notification of the lapse of the second predetermined time is acquired from the time measuring unit 53), the second switching operation is performed. (Reverse operation 2) is executed. That is, the rotating body control unit 51 reversely feeds the second rotating body 13 by a second distance (eg, 30 ° to 50 °) (S6). After that, the process returns to S5. At this time, the timekeeping unit 53 resets the timekeeping of the second predetermined time and starts the timekeeping of the second predetermined time.

That is, the rotating body control unit 51 repeats the processes of S5 and S6 while the detection result is not acquired from the count sensor 101 within the second predetermined time. The processing of S5 and S6 is also referred to as a return operation in which the divided tablet packed with the fixing member 16C is returned to the front side of the second displacement member 16B, and then the divided tablet is discharged again.

If the restrictor control unit 52 executes the processing of S6 a predetermined number of times (example: 5 times) and does not acquire the detection result from the count sensor 101 within the second predetermined time after the processing of S5, the height is high. The restrictor 14 and the width regulator 15 are returned to the initial positions. The initial position refers to a position where the transfer height W1 and the transfer widths W21 and W22 take maximum values, and the height restricting body 14 and the width restricting body 15 are fully opened. After that, the rotating body control unit 51 performs a reverse feed operation for a predetermined time, and returns the divided tablet on the second rotating body 13 to the first rotating body 12 (S7). The predetermined time here may be set to a time sufficient for the divided tablet on the second rotating body 13 to be returned to the first rotating body 12. At this time, the timekeeping unit 53 resets the timekeeping of the second predetermined time.

After that, as in S1, the restricting body control unit 52 adjusts the transfer height W1 and the transfer widths W21 and W22 by controlling the height restricting body 14 and the width restricting body 15. Further, the rotating body control unit 51 starts the operation of scooping up the divided tablets by rotating the first rotating body 12 (S8). The processing of S7 and S8 is also referred to as a reset operation for resetting the dispensing processing of the divided tablets.

After that, the return operation is executed as in S5 and S6 (S9 and S10). When the rotating body control unit 51 acquires the detection result from the count sensor 101 within the second predetermined time after the start of the progressive feed of S9, the rotating body control unit 51 shifts to the processing of S3. That is, it returns to the normal payout operation. On the other hand, after the processes of S9 and S10 are executed a predetermined number of times (eg, twice), the process of S7 is performed, and then this process is terminated. This is because there is a high possibility that the divided tablets cannot be efficiently dispensed even if the return operation is further performed.

By the above processing, the drug dispensing cassette 1 can efficiently dispense the divided tablets.

[Embodiment 2]
Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals are given to the members having the same functions as the members described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated. The same applies to the subsequent embodiments.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the drug payout cassette 1A, which is a modification of the drug payout cassette 1. As shown in FIG. 17, the drug payout cassette 1A includes a first rotating body 12, a second rotating body 13, a height restricting body 14, and a width restricting body 15, similarly to the drug payout cassette 1. However, the drug payout cassette 1A includes a transport member 31 that transports the divided tablet MD dropped from the payout port 17 to the payout port 17A. Further, in the drug payout cassette 1A, unlike the drug payout cassette 1, the guide member 16 (at least the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B) is not provided on the second rotating body 13.

The transport member 31 is a strip-shaped member extending to the payout port 17A for counting the payout quantity of the divided tablets at the lower part of the payout port 17. That is, a count sensor (not shown) is provided in the vicinity of the payout port 17A. In the present embodiment, the transport member 31 is extended in the ± X-axis direction. The transport member 31 may be realized by, for example, a belt conveyor.

On the second rotating body 13, the divided tablet MDs are arranged in a row by the height restricting body 14 and the width restricting body 15. In that state, the divided tablet MDs fall from the payout port 17 one by one onto the transport member 31. The divided tablet MD that has fallen on the transport member 31 is transported to the payout port 17A by the transport member 31.

Further, the transport member 31 is provided with a side wall portion 31A for preventing the divided tablet MD that has fallen from the payout port 17 from falling at a place other than the payout port 17A. The side wall portion 31A is provided on the side of the transport member 31 opposite to the side on which the first displacement member 16A and the second displacement member 16B are provided. The relative position between the second rotating body 13 and the transport member 31 is defined so that the divided tablet MD dropped from the payout port 17 is transported on the transport member 31 along the side wall portion 31A side.

Further, in the present embodiment, the control unit 50 controls the forward feed operation and the reverse feed operation of the transport member 31. The control unit 50 controls the operation of the transport member 31 in the same manner as the control of the second rotating body 13 by the rotating body control unit 51 of the first embodiment. That is, the transport member 31 functions as a drug transport mechanism for sequentially or reversely feeding the divided tablet MD.

Regarding the second rotating body 13, the progressive feed operation is executed at a rotation speed according to the size of the divided tablet. For example, the forward feed operation is temporarily performed at the timing when the reverse feed operation is performed on the transport member 31. May be stopped or the third switching operation may be executed.

Further, the drug payout cassette is not limited to the drug payout cassettes 1 and 1A. As long as the displacement member (first displacement member 16A and / or second displacement member 16B) is provided in the vicinity of the payout port 17 or 17A, the other members may be realized by any member. For example, in the drug payout cassette, the first rotating body 12 may not have a predetermined inclination, and the heights of the first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13 may be substantially the same. Further, the first rotating body 12 and the second rotating body 13 may be integrated. Further, the drug dispensing cassette may not be provided with a rotating body and may be realized by a band-shaped transport member from the loading portion into which the divided tablet is loaded to the dispensing port.

[Embodiment 3]
As described in the first embodiment, the transfer height W1 and the transfer width W22 are calculated based on the diameter of the divided tablet included in the drug data regarding the divided tablet to be charged, and the height is regulated based on the calculation result. The positions of the body 14 and the width restricting body 15 are adjusted. Therefore, the drug payout cassette 1 can pay out a plurality of types of divided tablets. That is, the drug payout cassette 1 functions not as a drug payout cassette dedicated to paying out any divided tablet, but as a drug payout cassette capable of paying out a plurality of types of divided tablets.

The main configurations of such a drug payout cassette are as follows. That is, the drug payout cassette of the present embodiment is
It is a drug payout cassette that discharges the drug from the payout port by sequentially feeding the charged drug to the payout port.
The drug is a divided tablet obtained by dividing a tablet.
It is provided with a regulator that defines the passage path width of the divided tablets in order to regulate the passage of the divided tablets to be sequentially fed according to their size, and is movable to change the passage path width.
The restrictor is configured to move so that the passage path width becomes a value calculated based on the size of the divided tablet included in the drug data regarding the divided tablet to be charged.

[Example of implementation by software]
The control block (particularly, the control unit 50) of the motor base 10 may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

In the latter case, the motor base 10 comprises a computer that executes the instructions of a program that is software that realizes each function. The computer includes, for example, one or more processors and a computer-readable recording medium that stores the program. Then, in the computer, the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes the program, thereby achieving the object of the present invention. As the processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used. As the recording medium, a "non-temporary tangible medium", for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or the like, a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. Further, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the above program may be further provided. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. It should be noted that one aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the above program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Additional notes]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1,1A drug payout cassette (drug payout device)
12 First rotating body (drug transfer mechanism)
13 Second rotating body (drug transfer mechanism)
14 Height regulator 16A First displacement member (displacement member)
16B Second displacement member (displacement member)
16C fixing member (side wall member)
16AS1, 16AS2 Contact surface 16BS2 Suppression surface 16BS1 Contact surface 17, 17A Payout outlet 101 Count sensor (sensor)
A Radius of divided tablets (radius of drug)
B Thickness of divided tablets (thickness of drug)
MD, MD1-3, MD11, MD12 divided tablets (drugs)
Ro Passage path W1 Transfer height (passage path width)

Claims (8)

A drug payout device that discharges the drug from the payout port by transporting the drug to the payout port.
A rotating member that conveys the drug to the payout port by rotating, and a rotating member.
The rotating member is displaced by contact with the drug transported by the rotating member , and the direction or position of the drug is adjusted by exerting a force acting on the drug in a direction for canceling the displacement. A drug dispensing device including a displacement member that assists in transporting the drug to the downstream side defined above by a predetermined width. A side wall member that defines a side wall of the path through which the drug is formed on the rotating member is provided.
The drug dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the displacement member is arranged on the upstream side of the side wall member. The displacement member is
The first displacement member and
The drug dispensing device according to claim 1 or 2 , which includes a second displacement member arranged on the upstream side of the first displacement member. The drug dispensing device according to claim 3 , wherein the cross-sectional shape of the second displacement member is a D shape. The drug dispensing device according to claim 3 , wherein the first displacement member has a circular cross-sectional shape. The rotating member is
It is possible to switch between a progressive operation in which the drug is sequentially fed and a reverse feed operation in which the drug is forwarded in the direction opposite to the direction in which the drug is forwarded.
When the sensor that detects the drug that has passed through the payout port does not detect the drug for a predetermined time, the forward feed operation is temporarily switched to the reverse feed operation, so that the drug is formed on the rotating member . The drug dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , which executes a first switching operation of reversely feeding a drug on a passage route by a first distance. The drug dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , further comprising a support member that supports the displacement member so as to suspend it. It is a drug payout method in which the drug is discharged from the payout port by transporting the drug to the payout port.
The direction or position of the drug is adjusted by exerting a force acting on the drug in a direction of canceling the displacement while being displaced by contact with the drug conveyed by the rotation of the rotating member. A step of bringing the displacement member on the rotating member into contact with the displacement member that assists in transporting the drug to the downstream side defined by a predetermined width.
A method for dispensing a drug, which comprises a step of transporting the drug in contact with the displacement member to the payout port by rotation of the rotating member.

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