JP7265973B2 - drug case - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a drug case that stores and discharges drugs such as tablets.

Conventionally, drug delivery devices are used that include one or more drug cases. In such a medicine supply device, medicines such as tablets and capsules are sorted by type and stored in a medicine case. In order to discharge a desired amount of medicine from the medicine case, that is, a desired number of medicines, it is necessary to discharge the medicines one by one. Also, the size and shape of the drug varies from drug to drug.

In Patent Document 1, the distance between the locking part and the partition plate is set to be substantially the same as the length of the medicine, and a roller body that holds the medicine in a state where a plurality of medicines are lined up rotates, thereby distinguishing only one medicine. Disclosed is a drug case in which the supplied drug is discharged from a drug supply port. In Patent Literature 1, in such a drug case, the locking portion is made detachable and the distance between the locking portion and the partition plate can be changed, so that various medicines can be handled.

JP-A-08-164904

In the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1, the locking portion that distinguishes the medicines one by one is fixed to the roller body by bolts. Therefore, when changing the distance between the locking part and the partition plate according to the size of the drug, loosen the bolt, remove the locking part, adjust the position, and then tighten the bolt to remove the locking part. Re-installation work is required, which takes time and effort. For this reason, it is desired to reduce the labor and time required for attaching and detaching separators for separating drugs.

An object of the present invention is to provide a drug case in which a separator for separating drugs can be easily attached and detached.

One aspect of the drug case according to the present invention is
a case body having a drug discharge port, a plurality of partition plate insertion ports, and magnets arranged near the partition plate insertion ports;
a rotating member that has a passage on its outer peripheral surface as a path for medicine discharged from the discharge port and that rotates around a vertical rotation axis within the case main body;
A separator having a ferromagnetic fixed plate and a partition plate connected to the fixed plate,
The partition plate is
With the fixed plate attached to the magnet from the outside of the case body, it is inserted into the case body through the partition plate insertion opening.
partitioning the passage vertically while facing the passage in the light direction of the rotating member;
elastically deformable upon contact with the drug;
The separator can move up and down based on contact with the medicine in a state where the fixed plate is attracted to the magnet from the outside of the case body.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is possible to provide a drug case in which a separator for separating drugs can be easily attached and detached.

The perspective view of a medicine case. Sectional drawing in the vertical direction of a case main body and a rotating member. FIG. 3 is a top view of the AA cross section in FIG. 2; Perspective view of the separator removed from the case body

Hereinafter, a drug case according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drug case 1 according to this embodiment. The medicine case 1 has an appearance composed of a case body 11, a lid 12, a lateral lid 13, a separator 14, and the like. The drug case 1 also includes a rotary member 20 (see FIG. 2) not shown in FIG. As will be described in detail later, the rotating member 20 is arranged inside the case body 11 .

The case main body 11 accommodates a plurality of (for example, several hundred) medicines. The upper portion of the case body 11 is provided with an upper opening (not shown) serving as an inlet for medicine. A lid 12 is attached to the upper portion of the case body 11 via a hinge or the like, and the lid 12 opens and closes the upper opening of the case body 11 .

A side opening (not shown) is provided in the side of the case main body 11, and a lateral lid 13 is attached so as to cover the side opening. The horizontal lid 13 is provided with a plurality of vertically elongated partition plate insertion openings 13a.

The upper portion of the case body 11 has a substantially square cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the case body 11 . On the other hand, the lower part of the case body 11 has a circular cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the case body 11 . In other words, the lower portion of case body 11 has a cylindrical shape. The rotating member 20 is arranged inside the lower portion of the case body 11 .

A separator 14 is detachably attached to the lateral lid 13 . The separator 14 is fixed by a magnet 16 (see FIG. 3) which will be described later. Separator 14 will be described later in detail.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, the internal structure of the case body 11 and the rotating member 20 arranged inside the case body 11 will be described. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the case body 11 and the rotating member 20. As shown in FIG.

The bottom portion 11a of the case main body 11 is provided with a discharge port 11b through which medicine is discharged and a drive shaft insertion port 11c. As described above, since the lower portion of the case main body 11 has a cylindrical shape, the bottom portion 11a has a circular shape in plan view, although illustration is omitted.

The discharge port 11b is an opening provided in a portion of the outer circumference of the circular bottom portion 11a (see FIG. 3). The drugs contained in the rotating member 20 are discharged one by one through the discharge port 11b.

The drive shaft insertion opening 11 c is an opening into which a drive shaft (not shown) for rotating the rotating member 20 is inserted while the rotating member 20 is arranged in the case body 11 . The rotation axis of the rotating member 20 and the rotation center of this drive shaft are aligned. The drive shaft is a member provided in the medicine supply device to which the medicine case 1 is attached, and is rotationally driven by a motor provided in the medicine supply device.

The rotating member 20 has a first side wall member 21 , a second side wall member 22 and a third side wall member 23 . The rotary member 20 also has an inclined plate 24 and an upper member 25 arranged above the first side wall member 21 , the second side wall member 22 and the third side wall member 23 .

The rotating member 20 has a vertically extending rotating shaft and has a shape rotationally symmetrical about the rotating shaft. Specifically, the rotating member 20 includes an upper member 25 formed in a gabled roof shape (inverted V shape) having two symmetrical slopes with respect to a vertical plane including the rotation axis. Two notches are provided in the upper member 25 at positions separated by 180 degrees around the rotation axis.

The inclined plate 24 is provided on the slope of the upper member 25 . The inclined plate 24 has a fan-shaped surface provided so that the circular arc faces the inner surface of the case body 11 . The medicine M present on the upper member 25 is guided by the fan-shaped surface of the inclined plate 24 to a passage P described later.

The distance between the fan-shaped surface of the inclined plate 24 and the inner surface of the case body 11 is a constant distance corresponding to the thickness of the medicine M when the medicine M faces a desired direction. The desired direction is, for example, a direction in which the thickness direction (minor axis direction) of the medicine M coincides with the radial direction of the rotating member 20 when the cross-sectional shape of the medicine M is flat (for example, elliptical). In other words, the distance between the fan-shaped surface of the inclined plate 24 and the inner surface of the case body 11 is shorter than the length of the medicine M in the width direction (major axis direction). This prevents the medicine M from being aligned with the radial direction of the rotating member 20 .

Although detailed description is omitted, the distance between the fan-shaped surface of the inclined plate 24 and the inner surface of the case body 11 (the width of the passage P1) can be changed according to the size or shape of the medicine M. good.

With such a configuration, the medicine M is guided from the upper side of the upper member 25 to the passage P through the space between the fan-shaped surface of the inclined plate 24 and the inner surface of the case main body 11 . The posture of the medicine M while being guided by the fan-shaped surface of the inclined plate 24 is such that the thickness direction (minor axis direction) coincides with the radial direction of the rotating member 20 . Therefore, the medicines M can be suitably rolled down the slope of the upper member 25 to the passage P one by one.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the AA cross section in FIG. The first side wall member 21 is formed in a mirror image shape of the second side wall member 22 . The first side wall member 21 and the second side wall member 22 are arranged symmetrically with respect to a plane including the rotation axis of the rotating member 20 . On the other hand, the third side wall member 23 is arranged between the first side wall member 21 and the second side wall member 22 .

The passage P described above is configured by the first side wall member 21 , the second side wall member 22 , the third side wall member 23 , and the inner surface of the case body 11 . In other words, the passage P is formed by the surfaces of the first side wall member 21 and the second side wall member 22 facing each other, and the surface of the second side wall member 23 facing the inner surface of the case body 11. space.

As shown in FIG. 3, the size of the passage P corresponds to the size of the medicine M in the direction guided by the fan-shaped surface of the inclined plate 24 (the direction in which the thickness direction (minor axis direction) coincides with the radial direction of the rotating member 20). configured accordingly. Although detailed description is omitted, the distance between the first side wall member 21 and the second side wall member 22 and the distance between the third side wall member 23 and the inner surface of the case main body 11 are determined by the size of the medicine M. It may be configured to be changeable according to thickness or shape.

As shown in FIG. 2, the passage P has a height from the bottom 11a of the case body 11 to the lower end of the upper member 25. As shown in FIG. Guided by the fan-shaped surface of the inclined plate 24, the medicine M rolls down the slope of the upper member 25 in the above-described direction. . As a result, the medicine M is guided to the bottom portion 11 a while keeping its thickness direction (minor axis direction) aligned with the radial direction of the rotating member 20 .

The rotary member 20 has members other than the upper member 25, for example, two first side wall members 21. As shown in FIG. These members are arranged at symmetrical positions across the rotation axis. Therefore, the same member is positioned at the same position each time the rotating member 20 rotates 180 degrees around its own rotation axis. As described above, since the discharge port 11b is an opening provided in a part of the outer periphery of the circular bottom, the passage P is positioned above the discharge port 11b every time the rotating member 20 rotates 180 degrees. becomes (see FIG. 3). With such a configuration, the medicine guided to the bottom portion 11a by the passage P is discharged from the discharge port 11b to the outside of the case main body 11 when the rotary member 20 rotates and the passage P comes above the discharge port 11b. be.

When a plurality of medicines M are guided into the passage P, the medicines M are vertically stacked within the passage P as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. In this state, when the rotary member 20 rotates and the passage P is positioned above the discharge port 11b, there is a gap between the lowest medicine M and the medicine M above it so that a plurality of medicines M are not discharged at once. Also, as the rotary member 20 rotates, a part of the separator 14 enters.

4 is a perspective view of the separator 14 removed from the case body 11. FIG. The separator 14 has a fixed plate 14a and a partition plate 14b.

The fixing plate 14 a is a plate member to which the separator 14 is attached to the horizontal lid 13 . The fixing plate 14a is made of a ferromagnetic material, and is attracted to the outer surface of the lateral cover 13 by a magnet 16 (see FIG. 3) arranged inside the case body 11 so as to be in close contact therewith. The fixed plate 14a is made of a material having relatively high rigidity so as not to deform due to the attraction force of the magnet 16. As shown in FIG.

The partition plate 14b is a plate member having an L-shaped cross section, and has an outer plate 14b1 and an inner plate 14b2. The partition plate 14b is made of a material with relatively high elasticity, such as a leaf spring. Therefore, the partition plate 14b is made of a material having lower rigidity than the fixed plate 14a.

The outer plate 14b1 is a plate member that is connected to the fixed plate 14a by welding or the like, and is arranged outside the lateral lid 13 with the separator 14 attached to the lateral lid 13 . On the other hand, the inner plate 14b2 is a plate member formed to extend orthogonally to the outer plate 14b1. With the separator 14 attached to the lateral lid 13, the inner plate 14b2 is inserted into the case body 11 through the partition plate insertion port 13a and the side opening as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the inner plate 14b2 has a rectangular portion 14b21, a connection portion 14b22, and a partition portion 14b23. The rectangular portion 14b21 is a portion bent at right angles from the outer plate 14b1. The partition part 14b23 has an arc shape in plan view, more specifically, a shape like a part of a region surrounded by two large and small arcs. The connection portion 14b22 is a portion that connects the center of the rectangular portion 14b21 in the longitudinal direction and the center of a larger arc among the arcs forming the planar shape of the inner plate 14b2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the magnets 16 are arranged on both sides of the partition plate insertion opening 13a in the case body 11, respectively.

With such a configuration, when the separator 14 is attached to the case main body 11, the fixed plate 14a is attracted by the magnet 16 and adheres to the outer surface of the lateral lid 13, and the partition plate 14b is moved out of the plurality of partition plate insertion openings 13a. is inserted into the case body 11 via one of the

Therefore, when attaching the separator 14 to the case main body 11, the tip of the partition plate 14b is inserted into the partition plate insertion opening 13a that is aligned with the height of the drug, and the fixing plate 14a is simply moved to the vicinity of the outer surface of the case main body 11. Then, the fixing plate 14a is attracted by the attraction force of the magnet 16 and fixed. Therefore, there is no need to screw the separator 14, for example, and the separator 14 can be firmly attached to the case main body 11 with little labor and in a short time. Also, when removing the separator 14, it is only necessary to pull the separator 14 with a force slightly larger than the attracting force of the magnet 16, and there is no need to remove the screws, etc., so removal can be performed with little effort and in a short time. Become.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the separator 14 is attached to the case body 11, the partition portion 14b23 of the inner plate 14b2 is arranged at a position overlapping the passage P in plan view. The first side wall member 21, the second side wall member 22, and the third side wall member 23 of the rotating member 20 are provided with lateral lids so as not to interfere with the inner plate 14b2 of the separator 14 when the rotating member 20 rotates. A slot corresponding to the height of the partition plate insertion port 13a of 13 is provided. FIG. 2 shows slots S provided in the third side wall member 23 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the thickness of the partition plate 14b, particularly the inner plate 14b2, is smaller than the vertical interval between the partition plate insertion openings 13a into which it is inserted. As a result, the inner plate 14b2 can move up and down while being inserted into the case body 11 through the partition plate insertion opening 13a. The vertical movement of the inner plate 14b2, which is inserted into the case main body 11 through the partition plate insertion port 13a, can occur when the partition portion 14b23 of the inner plate 14b2 comes into contact with the medicine M, for example.

The drug case 1 configured as described above is used as follows.

When the width and depth of the passage P are changeable, the width and depth of the passage P are set according to the size and shape of the medicine M accommodated inside the case body 11 .

Next, the separator 14 is attached to the case main body 11 through the partition plate insertion opening 13a.

The separator 14 has a plurality of partition plate insertion openings provided in the lateral lid 13 so that the distance from the upper surface of the bottom portion 11a to the lower surface of the inner plate 14b2 is slightly larger than the height of the medicine M passing through the passage P. 13a.

After the separator 14 is attached, a large number of medicines M are accommodated in the case body 11 . Subsequently, the drug case 1 is attached to the drug supply device so that the drive shaft is connected to the rotating member 20 .

When the motor provided in the drug feeder rotates, the rotary member 20 rotates via the drive shaft, and the drug M is guided into the passage P by the inclined plate 24 and the upper member 25 .

When the rotating member 20 rotates in this state and the passage P comes close to the discharge port 11b, when a plurality of medicines M are vertically arranged in a line inside the passage P, as the rotating member 20 rotates, The inner plate 14b2 of the separator 14 enters between the drug M at the bottom and the drug M above it (see FIG. 2). Therefore, when the passage P is positioned above the discharge port 11b, only the lowest medicine M drops from the discharge port 11b, and the medicines M above it are supported by the inner plate 14b2 and do not fall. That is, by attaching the separator 14 at an appropriate position corresponding to the height of the medicines M, the medicines M are reliably discharged one by one from the discharge port 11b.

The partition plate 14b of the separator 14 is made of a material having relatively high elasticity, such as a plate spring, as described above. Therefore, if the mounting height of the separator 14 does not slightly match the height of the medicine M, when the inner plate 14b2 comes into contact with the medicine M as the rotating member 20 rotates, the force received from the medicine M causes the inner plate 14b2 to bend slightly. By squeezing, it is possible to suitably enter between the medicine M at the bottom and the medicine M above it. Moreover, at that time, the load applied to the medicine M is reduced by the elasticity of the partition plate 14b, so that the medicine M can be prevented from being damaged or destroyed by the partition plate 14b.

In addition, the thickness of the partition plate 14b of the separator 14 is formed to be smaller than the vertical interval of the partition plate insertion port 13a, and the partition plate 14b is inserted into the partition plate insertion port 13a and vertically It is movable. Therefore, if the mounting height of the separator 14 does not slightly match the height of the medicine M, when the partition plate 14b comes into contact with the medicine M as the rotating member 20 rotates, the force received from the medicine M causes the separation of the partition plate. 14b, and thus the entire separator 14, is slightly displaced in the vertical direction, so that it can suitably enter between the drug M at the bottom and the drug M above it.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the partition portion 14b23, which is a portion of the separator 14 that enters between the medicines M, has a symmetrical shape in plan view. As a result, regardless of the direction of rotation of the rotating member 20, it is possible to suitably enter between the drug M at the bottom and the drug M above it.

Furthermore, since the partition part 14b23 has a symmetrical shape, even when the separator 14 is attached to the case main body 11 in an upside down state, the partition part 14b23 separates the medicine M at the bottom from the medicine M above it. can be suitably inserted between Note that the separator 14 can be turned upside down, for example, in the following cases.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which the partition plate 14b is inserted into the lowermost partition plate insertion port 13a among the plurality of partition plate insertion ports 13a arranged in the vertical direction. However, for example, when the partition plate 14b is inserted into the uppermost partition plate insertion opening 13a, if the separator 14 remains in the same orientation as in FIG. It can be difficult. In order to cope with this, when the partition plate 14b is inserted into, for example, the upper half of the partition plate insertion port 13a among the plurality of partition plate insertion ports 13a, the direction of the separator 14 must be turned upside down from that in FIG. Then, the fixed plate 14a should be located at a position where the magnet 16 can be attracted.

As described above, the medicine supply device can supply the medicines M one by one to a desired position, for example, a medicine packaging section, by rotating the rotating member 20 provided in the medicine case 1 .

<Action, effect>
A drug case 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention stores a drug, has a drug discharge port 11b provided in a bottom portion 11a, a plurality of partition plate insertion ports 13a provided in a side portion, and a plurality of partition plate insertion ports 13a. A case body 11 having a magnet 16 arranged near an opening 13a, a rotating member 20 arranged inside the case body 11 so as to rotate around a vertical rotation axis, and a fixed plate 14a made of a ferromagnetic material. , and a partition plate 14b connected to the fixed plate 14a, and when the fixed plate 14a is attracted to the magnet 16 and adheres to the outer surface of the side portion, the partition plate 14b is inserted into the plurality of partition plate insertion openings 13a. is inserted into the case body 11 via one of the

With this configuration, when attaching the separator 14 to the case main body 11 , it is sufficient to insert the tip of the partition plate 14 b into the partition plate insertion opening 13 a and move the fixing plate 14 a closer to the outer surface of the case main body 11 . Due to such an operation, the fixing plate 14a is attracted by the attraction force of the magnet 16 and fixed. Therefore, there is no need to screw the separator 14, for example, and the separator 14 can be firmly attached to the case main body 11 with little labor and in a short time. Also, when removing the separator 14, it is only necessary to pull the separator 14 with a force slightly larger than the attracting force of the magnet 16, and there is no need to remove the screws, etc., so removal can be performed with little effort and in a short time. Become.

Further, in the medicine case 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the partition plate 14b is such that the thickness of the partition plate 14b in the vertical direction is It is a dimension that can be moved to

With such a configuration, when the mounting height of the separator 14 does not slightly match the height of the medicine M, when the inner plate 14b2 of the partition plate 14b comes into contact with the medicine M as the rotating member 20 rotates, the medicine When the inner plate 14b2 is slightly displaced in the vertical direction by the force received from M, it can suitably enter between the drug M at the bottom and the drug M above it.

Further, in the medicine case 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the rigidity of the partition plate 14b is smaller than that of the fixed plate 14a.

With such a configuration, the fixing plate 14 a withstands the attraction force of the magnet 16 and is not deformed, and the separator 14 is firmly fixed to the case body 11 . Also, the partition plate 14b is made of a material having relatively high elasticity, such as a leaf spring. Therefore, if the mounting height of the separator 14 does not slightly match the height of the medicine M, when the inner plate 14b2 comes into contact with the medicine M as the rotating member 20 rotates, the force received from the medicine M causes the inner plate 14b2 to bend slightly. By squeezing, it is possible to suitably enter between the medicine M at the bottom and the medicine M above it. Moreover, at that time, the load applied to the medicine M is reduced by the elasticity of the partition plate 14b, so that the medicine M can be prevented from being damaged or destroyed by the partition plate 14b.

In the medicine case 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the partition plate 14b connects the arc-shaped partition portion 14b23, the rectangular portion 14b21 of the inner plate 14b2 connected to the fixing plate 14a, and the center of the partition portion 14b23. and a connecting portion 14b22.

In this way, the arc-shaped partition part 14b23 has a symmetrical shape in a plan view, so regardless of the rotation direction of the rotating member 20, it is suitable for separating the medicine M at the bottom and the medicine M above it. can get into. Moreover, even when the separator 14 is turned upside down, the partition part 14b23 can be suitably inserted between the drug M at the bottom and the drug M above it.

Although the medicine case 1 according to one embodiment and the medicine supply device including the same have been described above, it goes without saying that the medicine case 1 according to the present invention is not limited to those described above.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be suitably applied to a medicine case that discharges medicines such as tablets and capsules one by one, and a medicine supply device provided with such a medicine case.

1 drug case 11 case main body 11a bottom 11b discharge port 11c drive shaft insertion port 12 lid 13 side lid 13a partition plate insertion port 14 separator 14a fixed plate 14b partition plate 14b1 outer plate 14b2 inner plate 14b21 rectangular portion 14b22 connection portion 14b23 partition portion 16 Magnet 20 Rotating member 21 First side wall member 22 Second side wall member 23 Third side wall member 24 Inclined plate 25 Upper member P Passage S Slot M Medicine

Claims (4)

a case body having a drug discharge port , a plurality of partition plate insertion ports , and a magnet arranged near the partition plate insertion port;
a rotary member that has a passage on its outer peripheral surface as a path for the medicine discharged from the discharge port and rotates around a vertical rotation axis within the case main body;
A separator having a ferromagnetic fixed plate and a partition plate connected to the fixed plate,
The partition plate
The fixed plate is inserted into the case main body through the partition plate insertion port in a state where the fixed plate is attracted to the magnet from the outside of the case main body,
partitioning the passage in the vertical direction while facing the passage in the radial direction of the rotating member;
elastically deformable based on contact with the drug;
The separator is movable in the vertical direction based on contact between the partition plate and the drug in a state in which the fixed plate is attracted to the magnet from the outside of the case body.
drug case. The thickness of the partition plate is a dimension that allows the partition plate to move vertically while being inserted into the case body through one of the plurality of partition plate insertion openings.
The drug case according to claim 1. the rigidity of the partition plate is less than the rigidity of the fixed plate;
The medicine case according to claim 1 or 2. The partition plate has an arc-shaped partition portion and a connection portion that connects the center of the partition portion and the fixed plate,
The medicine case according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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