JP7358724B2 - Powder weighing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a powder medicine weighing device capable of weighing powder medicine.

In recent years, large-scale pharmacies have introduced powder medicine packaging machines that automatically package powder medicines. As such powder medicine packaging machines, a V-square type powder medicine packaging machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 and a distribution plate type powder medicine packaging machine disclosed in Patent Literature 2 are known.

When packaging with these powder medicine packaging machines, it is necessary to weigh the powder to be put into the powder medicine packaging machine in advance. As a device for simplifying such a weighing operation by a pharmacist, there is a powder medicine weighing device disclosed in Patent Document 3.

Patent Document 3 discloses a powder weighing device that has a medicine container installation stand that has a vibration table, and in which a medicine container can be installed on the medicine container installation stand. This powder medicine weighing device is a device that discharges powder medicine from a medicine container into a weighing pan by vibrating a medicine container placed thereon.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-258111 JP2010-247841A International Publication No. 2019/13836

However, the conventional powder medicine weighing device has room for improvement from the viewpoint of preventing or suppressing unintended discharge of powder medicine and discharging powder medicine more accurately.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a powder medicine weighing device that can discharge powder medicine more accurately.

One aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is to have a case member having a medicine container installation part and an openable/closeable lid part, and a medicine container is installed in the medicine container installation part, and the medicine container is weighed from the medicine container. The powder medicine is automatically discharged into a weighing container placed on a container placement section, the drug container placement section and the weighing container placement section are housed in the case member, and the powder medicine is automatically discharged into a weighing container placed on a container placement section, and the drug container placement section and the weighing container placement section are housed in the case member. The device further includes a second amount measuring means capable of measuring the weight of the drug discharged into the container, and a sensor member capable of automatically determining whether the lid is closed or open, and the drug container is placed in the drug container installation section. By closing the lid after placing the lid, the lid is automatically locked, and the measured value measured by the second amount measuring means after discharging a predetermined amount of powder into the weighing container is in a stable state. This is a powder medicine weighing device in which the locked state is released on the condition that
The aspect described above is the measured value measured by the second amount measuring means when the powder medicine discharge operation is completed and the weighing container with the powder loaded thereon is placed on the weighing container mounting section. It is preferable that the locked state is automatically released on condition that the locking state becomes stable.
In the aspect described above, the drug container discharges the powder from the powder discharge portion, and the main body includes a first weight measuring means capable of measuring the weight of the drug container and a discharge blocking member, and the drug container has the discharge blocking member. When discharging the powder, the member moves between a drop blocking position below the powder discharge section and a retracted position located away from the drop blocking position, and the member moves between a drop blocking position located below the powder discharging section and a retracted position remote from the drop blocking position, and when the powder discharging operation is completed. , and on the condition that the measured value measured by the first weight measuring means and the measured value measured by the second weight measuring means become stable, the discharge blocking member does not fall from the retracted position. It is preferable that the locking state is moved to the blocking position and that the locked state is automatically released.
In the aspect described above, when the lid is in the closed state, it is preferable that the lid covers the upper and lateral sides of the drug container and the weighing container.
The aspects described above include, when the lid is in an open state, a drug container is installed in the drug container placement section, a drug container is removed from the drug container placement section, and a weighing container is placed in the weighing container placement section. Preferably, it is possible to place the drug container and the weighing container, and to move the drug container and the weighing container to the outside and to the inside.
An aspect related to the present invention includes a drug container installation section and a discharge blocking member, and a drug container is installed in the drug container installation section, and the measurement container placed on the weighing container placement section is automatically transferred from the drug container to the weighing container placed on the weighing container placement section. The medicine container discharges powder medicine from a powder medicine discharge part, and by positioning at least a part of the discharge blocking member between the powder medicine discharge part and the weighing container, the medicine container discharges powder medicine from a powder medicine discharge part. The device has a blocking member moving mechanism for moving the discharge blocking member, and the discharge blocking member is located below the powder discharge portion when discharging the powder. The device moves between a drop blocking position and a retreat position that is a position away from the drop blocking position, and includes a first weight measuring means capable of measuring the weight of the drug container installed in the drug container installation section. , further comprising a second amount measuring means capable of measuring the weight of the drug on the weighing container, and after the operation of discharging the powder from the drug container into the weighing container is performed, the discharge blocking member is located at the fall blocking position. The drug container is removed from the drug container installation part in the state where the drug container is placed, and the measured value measured by the first weight measuring means becomes stable in a state where the drug container is not placed on the drug container placement part after that. , and the powder medicine weighing device, wherein the discharge blocking member moves from the drop blocking position to the retracted position on the condition that the measured value measured by the second amount measuring means becomes stable.

According to the powder weighing device of this aspect, by locating the discharge blocking member between the powder discharge portion and the weighing container, it is possible to block unintended discharge of the powder into the weighing container. As a result, it becomes possible to more accurately discharge the powder into the weighing container.

This aspect includes a blocking member moving mechanism that moves the discharge blocking member, and the discharge blocking member has a drop blocking position below the powder discharge part when discharging the powder, and a drop blocking position that is separated from the drop blocking position. move between the retracted positions.

This aspect is preferable because the discharge blocking member does not get in the way, for example, when moving the weighing container.

In the preferred aspect described above, after the medicine container is installed in the medicine container installation part and the operation of measuring the weight is performed by the first weight measurement means, the measured value measured by the first weight measurement means is stabilized. It is more preferable that the discharge blocking member moves from the drop blocking position to the retracted position on condition that the discharge blocking member is in this state.

According to this aspect, since the discharge blocking member automatically moves to an appropriate position, the burden on the user during operation can be reduced compared to a case where the discharge blocking member is moved manually.

In the preferred aspect described above, after the operation of discharging the powder from the medicine container into the weighing container is started, the measured value measured by the first weight measuring means becomes a stable state, and the value measured by the second weight measuring means is It is more preferable that the discharge blocking member moves from the retracted position to the fall blocking position on condition that the measured value becomes stable.

According to this aspect, it is possible to prevent powder from unintentionally spilling into the weighing container after the powder is discharged. Furthermore, since the discharge blocking member automatically moves to an appropriate position, the burden on the user during operation can be reduced compared to cases where the discharge blocking member is moved manually.

An aspect related to the aspect described above includes a drug container installation section and a discharge blocking member, and the drug container is installed in the drug container installation section, and the weighing container placed on the weighing container placement section is automatically transferred from the drug container to the weighing container placed on the weighing container placement section. The medicine container discharges the powder medicine from the powder medicine discharge part, and by positioning at least a part of the discharge blocking member between the powder medicine discharge part and the weighing container, the medicine container discharges the powder medicine from the powder medicine discharge part. The device blocks powder from falling from the container to the weighing container, and has a blocking member moving mechanism for moving the discharge blocking member, and the discharge blocking member is configured to move below the powder discharge part when discharging the powder. The weighing device moves between a drop blocking position, which is a drop blocking position, and a retracted position, which is a position away from the drop blocking position, and further includes a second amount measuring means capable of measuring the weight of the drug on the weighing container. After the operation of discharging the powder from the container into the weighing container is performed, one condition is that the measured value measured by the second quantity measuring means becomes a stable state, and then the discharge blocking member returns to the fall blocking position. The powder medicine weighing device moves from the medicine container to the retracted position, further comprising a second weight measuring means capable of measuring the weight of the medicine on the weighing container, and performs an operation of discharging the powder from the medicine container to the weighing container, One of the conditions is that after the drug container is removed from the drug container installation part while the discharge blocking member is located at the fall blocking position, the measured value measured by the second amount measuring means is in a stable state. In one aspect, the discharge blocking member moves from the fall blocking position to the retracted position.

This aspect is preferable because it facilitates the operation of moving the weighing container loaded with powdered medicine. Furthermore, since the discharge blocking member automatically moves to an appropriate position, the burden on the user during operation can be reduced compared to cases where the discharge blocking member is moved manually.

Preferably, the aspect described above includes a case member having a lid that can be opened and closed, and that the operation of discharging the powder from the medicine container is started when the lid is in a closed state. .

According to this preferred aspect, when performing the operation of discharging the powder medicine, the case member can prevent the discharging operation from being disturbed by disturbance factors such as air from an air conditioner. Further, it is possible to prevent problems caused by forgetting to close the lid of the case member.

Further, the aspect described above includes a case member having a lid portion that can be opened and closed, and when the lid portion is in the closed state, it is possible to enter a locked state that restricts transition to the open state, It is preferable that the locked state is released on condition that the measured value measured by the second amount measuring means becomes stable after discharging a predetermined amount of powder into the weighing container.

This preferred embodiment also includes a case member, which prevents the discharging operation of the powder from being disturbed by disturbance factors. Further, it is possible to prevent problems caused by unintentional opening of the lid of the case member.

By the way, the conventional powder medicine weighing device has room for improvement from the viewpoint of facilitating the work of weighing a plurality of types of powder medicines in succession.

An aspect related to the present invention based on such knowledge is that in the aspect described above, the weighing container has a container body and a lid, and the container body is provided with a plurality of drug storage parts. , the lid part is provided with an opening, which opens the drug accommodating part overlapping with the opening and closes the other drug accommodating parts, and the relative position of the opening with respect to the container main body part By changing the above, the drug accommodating portion that overlaps with the opening is changed.

According to this aspect, it is possible to facilitate the operation of weighing a plurality of types of powder medicines in succession.

In the aspect described above, the container body is rotatable with respect to the lid when the lid is attached to the container body, and the rotation changes the drug accommodating portion that overlaps with the opening. It is more preferable that

In this aspect, it becomes possible to switch the drug storage section opened to the outside with a simple structure.

A relevant aspect of the present invention is that in the aspect described above, the operation of discharging the powder from the drug container into the weighing container is performed based on information regarding the angle of repose of the powder to be discharged.

According to this aspect, when discharging only a very small amount of a predetermined powder medicine, it is possible to further increase the precision (accuracy) of the powder discharge operation and improve the speed until the powder discharge is completed. Become.

An aspect related to the present invention is that in the aspect described above, the drug container has a drug container main body and one drug container lid selected from a plurality of types, and an operation for discharging the powder from the drug container into a weighing container. is an operation executed based on the result of a determination operation for determining a medicine container lid attached to the medicine container main body.

According to this aspect, it is possible to further increase the precision (accuracy) of the powder medicine discharge operation and to improve the speed until the powder discharge is completed.

By the way, there is room for improvement in conventional powder medicine weighing devices from the viewpoint of speeding up the work of weighing powder medicines.

An aspect related to the present invention based on such knowledge is that in the above aspect, in the operation of discharging the powder from the drug container to the weighing container, the scheduled amount of powder to be discharged and the capacity of the powder in the drug container used in the operation are determined. A comparison operation is performed, and the powder medicine is discharged at maximum output on the condition that the scheduled discharge amount exceeds the storage capacity in the comparison operation.

According to this aspect, when the finished amount of the drug container is insufficient for the amount required for the powder discharge operation and powder medicine is discharged from a plurality of drug containers to a weighing container, the accuracy of the discharge operation can be maintained. It becomes possible to speed up the weighing work.

The present invention enables more accurate discharge of powder.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing an automatic powder dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing an outline of the internal structure of the automatic powder dispensing device of FIG. 1, with the housing member omitted. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the automatic powder medicine dispensing device of FIG. 2 as seen from the rear side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a drug container placed on a container mounting table of the automatic powder medicine dispensing device of FIG. 2, with a part of the container mounting table omitted. FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the drug container of FIG. 4; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the container mounting table of FIG. 4, with some parts omitted. (a) is a perspective view schematically showing the fall cutoff device of FIG. 2, and (b) is a perspective view schematically showing the fall cutoff device according to an embodiment different from (a). FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing how a medicine container is placed on a container mounting table and powdered medicine is discharged; (a) shows how a medicine container is attached to a container mounting table; (b) The medicine receiving member moves after a), and (c) shows how the powder medicine is discharged. (a) is an explanatory diagram showing how the medicine receiving member moves after the operation of discharging the powder medicine is completed; (b) is an explanatory diagram showing how the medicine container is removed from the container mounting base; (c) is an explanatory view showing how the medicine receiving member moves after (b). FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the medicine container and medicine receiving member of FIG. 2, and shows the vicinity of a medicine discharge part. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a weighing container according to an embodiment different from FIG. 2, with a part thereof being shown transparently. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the weighing container shown in FIG. 11. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a drug container and a container mounting base according to an embodiment different from the embodiment described above. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a state in which the lid member of the medicine container shown in FIG. 13 is opened, in which (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a side view. It is a side view which models and shows the drug container and container mounting base part based on embodiment different from the above-described embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a drug container according to an embodiment different from the embodiment described above, in which (a) shows the lid member in a closed state, and (b) shows the lid member in an open state. show. 16A is a sectional view showing the drug container shown in FIG. 16(a), showing the lid member and other parts cut along different cutting planes. FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An automatic powder dispensing device 1 (powder weighing device) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the vertical positional relationship will be explained based on the normal installation state (the state shown in FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic powder dispensing device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a main body 10 and a part of a weighing member 12 (second weight measuring means) inside a housing member 2 (case member). It has been contained. The housing member 2 is provided with a lid part 3 that is formed to be swingable. When the lid part 3 is closed, the lid part 3 covers the top and sides of the drug container 13 and the weighing container 14. The state will be as follows. When the lid 3 is open, the drug container 13 can be attached and removed, the weighing container 14 can be placed on the balance table 25 (weighing container mounting section), and the drug container 13 and the weighing container 14 can be moved from inside to outside. It also becomes possible to move from the outside to the inside. Furthermore, the automatic powder dispensing device 1 includes a sensor member (not shown) that detects whether the lid 3 is in the closed state, and detects whether the lid 3 is in the closed or open state. Can be automatically determined. In addition, in the closed state, it is possible to set the lid part 3 in a locked state where it is restricted from being in the open state, and there are two states: a locked state and an unlocked state (the lid part 3 can be in the open state). state).
Furthermore, the housing member 2 has an opening 2a in a part of the side wall portion, which communicates the inside and outside. The weighing member 12 is placed inside the housing member 2, with the part where the display section 26 is formed being arranged outside the opening 2a, and the part where the balance table 25 is formed inside the opening 2a. will be arranged. A part of the housing member 2 is located around the balance stand 25, and also functions as a windshield.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, this automatic powder medicine dispensing device 1 includes a medicine container 13 placed on a container mounting table 20 (drug container installation part) of a main body 10, and a weighing container 14 placed on a weighing member 12. A discharge operation is performed to discharge the powder medicine from the medicine container 13 into the weighing container 14 while the medicine container 13 is placed on the weighing container 14 .

The weighing member 12 is an electronic balance having a balance stand 25 and a display section 26. That is, the weighing member 12 is a device that includes a balance circuit, a force coil, a current/voltage conversion circuit, an A/D conversion circuit, a control device, and the like. The control device has a calculation section, storage section, and communication section formed by the CPU, main storage device, auxiliary storage device, I/O port, etc., and can send and receive information to and from external equipment (components). It becomes.
Note that the display unit 26 is a touch panel and serves as both a display device and an input device. Further, information may be transmitted and received with an external device as long as it is possible to transmit and receive information by wired communication and/or by wireless communication such as a wireless LAN. That is, the communication unit may include a device for wireless communication.

This weighing member 12 is capable of weighing a drug placed on a balance table 25. In other words, it functions as a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the drug.
Specifically, when weighing the powder (drug), the powder is placed in the weighing container 14 and weighed with the weighing container 14 placed on the weighing stand 25. At this time, the value obtained by subtracting the preset weight of the weighing container 14 is set as the weighed value of the powder. Further, the measured weight value (value of the weight of the powder) is input to the control device of the weighing member 12 as digital data.
Note that the "weight of the weighing container 14" herein includes the weight of accessories (such as an RFID tag) of the weighing container 14.

By the way, when the weighing container 14 is provided with an information storage means such as an RFID tag, the ID of the weighing container 14 to which this information storage means is attached may be stored. The "ID of weighing container 14" here is information that can uniquely identify a predetermined one of the plurality of weighing containers 14. When the automatic powder dispensing device 1 is used as a dispensing work support system together with an external packaging machine (powder packaging machine), the following operations may be performed.
That is, after the weighing is completed by the weighing member 12 of the automatic powder dispensing device 1, the information regarding the ID stored in the information storage means is associated with the information regarding the weighed medicine and the information regarding the prescription, and these pieces of information are stored in the weighing member 12. is sent to the packaging machine. When the medicine is put into the packaging machine from the weighing container 14, check whether the medicine on the weighing container 14 (or the medicine put in from the weighing container 14) is the same as the medicine that the packaging machine wants to pack. A determination operation is performed to determine (verify) whether or not it is true. This determination operation is an operation of comparing the ID of the weighing container 14 stored in the information storage means of the weighing container 14 with the ID of the weighing container 14 transmitted to the packaging machine side. The operation may be performed by bringing the packaging machine closer to the information reading means on the side of the packaging machine.
Furthermore, the weighing container 14 may be provided with a display medium such as electronic paper in which display contents can be electrically rewritten. This display medium includes information that identifies the weighed drug (name of the drug, etc.), information about the prescription, information that specifies the packaging machine into which the weighed medicine is to be fed, and the location where the powder is to be fed into the packaging machine (the name of the medicine, etc.). Hopper information) etc. are displayed.

The weighing member 12 may include an RFID reader/writer or a barcode reader. That is, the weighing container 14 may have an information reading means or an information reading means capable of reading and writing information on an information storage medium (such as an RFID tag or an IC tag) provided in the weighing container 14 or the like. It may also include an information reading device that reads information from codes attached to medicine bottles, prescriptions, and the like. Furthermore, it may include a printer (printing device) that can print and output various information on paper media.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the drug container 13 is a closed container made of resin, and includes a container body 30 and a lid member 31.

The container body 30 is a bottomed cylindrical member with one longitudinal end open. That is, the container main body 30 has a peripheral wall 30a that continues in an annular manner between both ends in the longitudinal direction, and a side wall 30b that closes one end in the longitudinal direction. This peripheral wall portion 30a forms a top surface, a bottom surface, and both side surfaces in the lateral direction when the device is placed horizontally as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the container main body 30 has a storage space 32 (medicine storage section) in which powdered medicine (medication) can be stored.

The lid member 31 has a lid main body part 31a and a movable lid part 31b, and by inserting a part of the lid main body part 31a from the open part (one end side part in the longitudinal direction) of the container main body 30, the container main body It is a member attached to 30.
The movable lid portion 31b is provided so as to be swingable with respect to the lid main body portion 31a. By changing the posture of the movable lid portion 31b, the drug container 13 is switched between an open state and a closed state. That is, when the medicine container 13 is in the closed state, by pressing a part of the movable lid part 31b such as a knob, the movable lid part 31b changes from the closed state to the open state, and is further maintained in the open state. Ru.

Further, by attaching the lid member 31 to the container body 30, a medicine discharge part 33 (powder medicine discharge part) is formed. The medicine discharge part 33 is a part that serves as a discharge port when the powder medicine (medication) is discharged from the inside of the medicine container 13 (accommodation space 32). That is, the medicine discharge part 33 is a part that is closed by the movable lid part 31b when the medicine container 13 is in the closed state, and is opened and communicates the inside and outside of the medicine container 13 when the medicine container 13 is in the open state. do.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, an information recording member 40 capable of storing various information is attached to the medicine container 13. The information recording member 40 only needs to be able to read information using RFID or the like, and in this embodiment, an RFID tag is used. In other words, the information recording member 40 allows information to be read without contact, and allows information to be written (rewritten). Note that a plurality of information recording members 40 may be provided, and in the case of providing a plurality of information recording members 40, different formats such as an RFID tag and a barcode may be employed, for example.
The medicine container 13 contains (fills) a specific powder medicine, and the information recording member 40 records various information regarding the name, expiration date, amount stored, etc. of the contained powder medicine. Note that "powder medicine" includes medicines made by grinding solid medicines such as tablets into powder form.

The above expiration date information is based on the expiration date information (date, etc., information attached to barcodes, etc.) attached to the original bottle or box of the drug delivered by the pharmaceutical manufacturer. be. In addition, this information regarding the expiration date is used when comparing the current date to check whether the expiration date has expired when filling the medicine container 13 with medicine (powder) using an external device. . The verification performed when filling the medicine may be automatically performed by an external device, or may be verified by the pharmacist who is the user. In addition, the external device automatically determines whether the expiration date has expired (determining whether the drug can be filled or not), and as a result of the determination, it determines that the expiration date has expired (it should not be filled). ) If it is a drug, a notification operation may be performed to notify (warn) this fact. As a result of the determination, if the expiration date is within the expiration date, information regarding the expiration date of the expiration date is recorded in the information recording member 40.
The automatic powder medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment reads information regarding the expiration date stored in the information recording member 40 of the medicine container 13 placed on the container mounting table 20, and the medicine (powder medicine) to be discharged from now on has an expiration date. A determination operation is performed to determine whether or not it is within the range. This determination operation is an operation of comparing the information regarding the expiration date with the current date (the date of use of the automatic powder medicine dispensing device 1) and determining whether or not the expiration date is within the expiration date. If it is determined that the expiration date has expired, a notification operation may be performed to notify (notify) the user of this fact.
This notification operation may be an operation in which a display device such as a display or a sound output device such as a speaker is provided in the main body 10 described above to display a message or to generate an alarm sound or voice. Further, the operation may be such that a message is displayed on the display section 26 of the weighing member 12, or the operation may be such that the weighing member 12 generates a warning sound or voice. This also applies to other notification operations described below.

As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the main body section 10 is formed by attaching a container mounting table section 20 and a drop blocking device 21 to a fixing member 10a. It also includes a control device and information reading means (in this embodiment, an RFID reader/writer), which are not shown. The information reading means is capable of reading information from the information recording member 40 of the drug container 13 placed on the container mounting table 20.
Similarly to the control device for the weighing member 12 described above, the control device for the main body section 10 also has a calculation section, a storage section, and a communication section formed by a CPU, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, an I/O port, etc. It is possible to send and receive information to and from external devices (components) through wired and/or wireless communication. The control device of the main body section 10 and the control device of the weighing member 12 are capable of transmitting and receiving signals, and information can be exchanged between the main body section 10 and the weighing member 12.

The container mounting table section 20 has a vibration table 43, as shown in FIG. The vibrating table 43 is provided with a container holding means 44 that is used to temporarily fix the drug container 13. In this embodiment, an electromagnet is employed as the container holding means 44, and the drug container 13 is fixed by adsorbing an iron plate provided on one of the outer surfaces of the drug container 13. Note that the fixing structure for fixing the drug container 13 to the container mounting base 20 is not limited to this. A locking method may be used in which a part of the mounting table 20 is mechanically fixed by engaging with each other. That is, each of the drug container 13 and the container mounting table 20 may be provided with a pair of engaging portions that engage with each other.
Furthermore, vibration excitation means 45 are attached to both ends of the vibration table 43 in an inclined position. In this embodiment, a piezoelectric element is employed as the vibration excitation means 45.

Here, below the vibration table 43, a weight measuring means (first weight measuring means), not shown, is provided. Specifically, the weight measuring means is a load cell, and will also be referred to as platform side weight measuring means in the following description.
That is, the container mounting table section 20 is capable of discharging and taking out the powder medicine from the medicine container 13 by placing the medicine container 13 on the vibration table 43 and vibrating the vibration table 43. That is, the container mounting table section 20 has a drug container installation section and a drug ejection means, and the vibrating table 43 functions both as a drug container installation section and as a drug ejection means.

Further, in the container mounting table section 20, the weight of all the members located above the weight measuring means is measured by a weight measuring means (not shown). Therefore, in this embodiment, when the drug container 13 is placed on the vibration table 43, the weight of the drug container 13 is measured indirectly.
In this embodiment, when the powder medicine is discharged from the medicine container 13, the amount of the discharged powder medicine is obtained by measuring the weight of the medicine container 13, and it is confirmed that the amount of the discharged powder medicine has become the scheduled discharge amount. The condition is to complete the discharge operation of powdered medicine.

Specifically, when the drug container 13 is placed on the container mounting table 20, the weight of the drug container 13 is measured. The weight of the drug container 13 is obtained by subtracting a certain value from the weight measured by the table side weight measuring means, and more specifically, the weight of the member on the container mounting table 20 above the table side weight measuring means. is obtained by subtracting .

The weight of the drug container 13 immediately after installation is stored as the original weight G. Furthermore, the weight of the drug container 13 is constantly monitored. That is, the current weight of the drug container 13 is monitored as the current weight g.
Then, when the vibration table 43 starts to vibrate, the medicine container 13 vibrates at the same frequency as the vibration table 43, and the powder medicine stored in the storage space 32 is discharged from the medicine discharge part 33.
The fact that the powder is being discharged is confirmed by a decrease in the weight of the medicine container 13.
That is, in this embodiment, the current weight (current weight g) of the drug container 13 continues to be monitored by the stand-side weight measuring means even while the powder is being discharged. Then, the original weight G and the current weight g of the medicine container 13 are compared, and the discharge amount H (H=G-g) of the powder medicine is constantly calculated.
Then, when the total discharge amount H of the powder reaches a desired weight, the vibration of the vibration table 43 is stopped. That is, when the current weight g matches the value obtained by subtracting the scheduled discharge amount (target amount based on the prescription) from the original weight G, the discharge of the powder medicine is stopped.

Regarding the measurement of the weight of the drug container 13, it does not matter whether the weight of the drug container 13 is measured directly or indirectly. That is, only the weight of the drug container 13 may be directly measured, or the weight including the equipment such as the vibration table 43 may be measured. Therefore, in the above operation, the amount of the drug to be discharged may be specified based on the measured value before discharging the drug and the current measured value from the time the drug is being discharged until the discharge is stopped.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the drop blocking device 21 includes a drug receiving member 50 and a moving mechanism section 51 (blocking member moving mechanism) that moves the drug receiving member 50.

The drug receiving member 50 is formed by integrally forming a connecting portion 50a and a receiving tray portion 50b (discharge blocking member).
The connecting portion 50a is a portion fixed to a part of the moving mechanism portion 51, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.
The saucer portion 50b is a plate-shaped portion provided so as to protrude to the outside from a portion of the connecting portion 50a. A protruding protrusion 52 extending along the edge portion is provided on the upper side of the saucer portion 50b. For this reason, in the upper portion of the saucer portion 50b, a recessed portion is formed at a position inside the raised portion 52, which is recessed relative to the surrounding area.
In this embodiment, the saucer portion 50b has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, with rounded corners on the protruding end side.

The moving mechanism section 51 includes a motor 55 that serves as a power source, and a conversion mechanism section 56 that converts the rotational motion of the motor 55 into linear motion. In the example shown in FIG. 7A, a rack and pinion having a pinion attached to the motor 55 and a rack fixed to the connecting part 50a of the drug receiving member 50 is used as the conversion mechanism part 56.
Note that the conversion mechanism section is not limited to such a rack and pinion, but may be a belt mechanism 57 driven by a motor 55, as shown in FIG. 7(b). It is sufficient if the rotational motion of the motor 55 can be converted into linear motion.
In addition, this belt mechanism 57 has two pulleys 57a and a belt member 57b suspended between the two pulleys 57a, and one pulley 57a rotates together with the output shaft of the motor 55. Further, the connecting portion 50a of the medicine receiving member 50 is fixed to a part of the belt member 57b, and the medicine receiving member 50 moves linearly in accordance with the running of the belt member 57b.

Next, the operation of the drop blocking device 21 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

First, the lid 3 (see FIG. 1) of the housing member 2 is opened, and the weighing container 14 is placed on the weighing member 12 as shown in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b). Then, the drug container 13 is placed on the container mounting table 20 with the saucer portion 50b placed in the drop blocking position. This makes it possible to prevent unintentional dropping of the powder into the weighing container 14 when the drug container 13 is attached.
Here, the "drop blocking position" is a position below the drug ejecting part 33 (see FIG. 5) when the drug container 13 is placed on the container mounting table 20, and is a position below the drug ejecting part 33 (see FIG. 5). This is the position where powder medicine can be received.

That is, when the saucer portion 50b is placed in the fall blocking position, the drug ejection portion 33 and a portion of the saucer portion 50b overlap in plan view, as shown in FIG. 10 and the like.
Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the protruding length of the saucer portion 50b is longer than the length of the drug container 13 in the short direction (width direction). When the saucer part 50b is placed in the fall blocking position, as shown in FIG. ) to a position remote from the other end (to the right of the right end in FIG. 10).
Further, the saucer portion 50b moves from a position outside (upper side in FIG. 10) than the drug ejection portion 33 in the longitudinal direction of the drug container 13, with the drug ejection portion 33 as a reference, to an inner side (in FIG. 10) of the drug ejection portion 33. (lower side).
That is, the saucer portion 50b is located at a position downwardly away from the drug ejection portion 33, and is disposed in an area extending in a plan view including a position directly below the drug ejection portion 33.

After placing the drug container 13 on the container mounting table 20, the lid 3 (see FIG. 1) of the housing member 2 is closed. Further, by closing the lid portion 3, the housing member 2 automatically enters the locked state. Then, as shown in FIG. 8(b), before and after placing the drug container 13 on the container mounting table 20, the weight of the drug container 13 is measured by the weight measuring means of the container mounting table 20. is started. At this time, the measured value obtained by the stand-side weight measuring means is not stable for a while immediately after the drug container 13 is placed. Then, as time passes, the measured value obtained by the stand-side weight measuring means becomes stable.
Note that "the measured value becomes unstable" as used herein refers to a state where the measured value fluctuates and becomes unstable. On the other hand, "the measured value is in a stable state" means that the measured value remains constant without fluctuation.

Further, in the automatic powder dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, when the drug container 13 is placed on the container mounting table 20, the measured value of the table-side weight measuring means transitions from an unstable state to a stable state. Under these conditions, the first movement operation of moving the saucer portion 50b to the retracted position is executed.
Specifically, the drug container 13 is placed on the container mounting table 20, and the drug container 13 is placed in an open state (lid is open). At this time, since the weight of the drug container 13 is measured by the weight measuring means (stand side weight measuring means) of the container mounting table 20 (the weight of the drug container 13 to be measured is no longer 0 g), the drug It is determined that the container 13 is in a placed state. After the drug container 13 is placed, the measured value of the stand-side weight measuring means becomes stable, and as shown in FIG. automatically move to. Then, as shown in FIG. 8(c), the operation of discharging the powder from the medicine container 13 to the weighing container 14 is performed. As described above, this powder medicine discharge operation is performed until the powder discharge amount reaches the scheduled discharge amount.

Here, from the time the drug container 13 is placed on the container mounting table 20 until the powder discharge operation is started, the measured value of the weighing member 12 (the measured value, the weighed value of the powder) is 0 g. It becomes stable. In other words, the automatic powder dispensing device 1 is capable of determining that no medicine is placed on the weighing container 14 on the condition that the weight of the powder measured by the weighing member 12 is 0 g. .
Therefore, the above-mentioned first movement operation is performed when the weighing container 14 is not loaded with powder and the drug container 13 is placed on the container mounting table 20, and the table-side weight measuring means is used to measure the weight of the weighing container 14. It may also be an operation that is executed on the condition that the value has transitioned to a stable state.

In addition, in the determination operation to determine that the measured value is stable, the operation of continuing to measure the weight is performed, and the condition is that the obtained measured value continues to maintain a constant value for a predetermined period of time. It may also be an operation that determines that the state has shifted. In addition, the condition may simply be that a certain period of time (predetermined time) has elapsed. This also applies to the measured value (weighed value of powdered medicine) of the weighing member 12, which will be described later.

In the present embodiment, the above-mentioned retreat position is a position horizontally away from the fall blocking position, as shown in FIG. It is in a position that does not obstruct discharge.
Here, in the present embodiment, when the drug container 13 is placed on the container mounting table 20, the drug container 13 is placed so that a part of the drug container 13 cantilevers out. When the saucer portion 50b is placed in the retracted position, the entire saucer portion 50b is located below the protruding portion of the drug container 13 and closer to the container mounting base portion 20 than the drug discharge portion 33. will be arranged.

As shown in FIG. 8(c), while the operation of discharging the powder from the drug container 13 to the weighing container 14 is performed, the measured value of the weighing member 12 (the weighed value of the powder) and the container mounting table are The measured value measured by the weight measuring means of the section 20 becomes unstable.

After this, as shown in FIG. 9(a), when the discharge operation of the powder is completed and time has elapsed immediately after the completion, the measured value of the weighing member 12 and the measured value of the weight measuring means of the container mounting table 20 are becomes a stable state. Then, the automatic powder dispensing device 1 executes a second movement operation to move the saucer portion 50b from the retracted position to the fall blocking position. Moreover, the housing member 2 automatically enters the unlocked state.
In other words, in the second movement operation, the measured value of the weighing member 12 becomes stable (the weighing value is stable at 0 g or more) with the powder being placed on the weighing container 14, and the medicine container 13 is placed on the container mounting table. This operation is performed on the condition that the measured value of the table-side weight measuring means becomes stable when placed on the table 20.
In addition, in this embodiment, the housing member 2 is automatically unlocked.

Then, the lid portion 3 of the housing member 2 is opened, and the drug container 13 is placed in the closed state (the lid is closed) with the saucer portion 50b placed in the fall blocking position, as shown in FIG. 9(b). the drug container 13 is removed from the container mounting table 20. This makes it possible to prevent unintentional dropping of the powder into the weighing container 14 when the drug container 13 is removed.

When the drug container 13 is removed from the container mounting table 20, while the measured value of the weighing member 12 remains stable, the measured value of the weight measuring means of the container mounting table 20 becomes unstable. Then, as time passes from this state, the measured value of the weight measuring means of the container mounting table section 20 becomes stable.
Then, on the condition that the measured value of the weight measuring means of the container mounting table 20 becomes stable while the drug container 13 is not placed on the container mounting table 20, the saucer part 50b is blocked from dropping. A third movement operation of moving from the position to the retracted position is performed. As a result, when the weighing container 14 loaded with powder medicine is moved from above the weighing member 12, the saucer portion 50b does not get in the way.
In addition, at this time, since a weight value lower than the specified value was measured by the weight measuring means of the container mounting table 20 (a value lower than the preset weight of the drug container 13 itself), the container It is determined that the drug container 13 is not placed on the placement table 20.

In addition, the third movement operation is performed when the measured value of the weighing member 12 is stabilized with the medicine placed on the weighing member 12 (the weighing value is stable at 0 g or more), and when the medicine container 13 is placed on the container mounting table 20. The operation may be performed on the condition that the value measured by the weight measuring means of the container mounting table 20 becomes stable when the container is not placed.

Then, when the weighing container 14 carrying the drug is moved from above the weighing member 12, the measured value of the weighing member 12 becomes unstable. Then, as time passes, the measured value of this weighing member 12 becomes stable. At this time, the automatic powder dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment performs a fourth movement operation of moving the saucer portion 50b from the retracted position to the fall blocking position on the condition that the measured value of the weighing member 12 becomes stable. Execute. This fourth movement operation is an operation to prepare for the subsequent powder medicine discharge operation.

More specifically, the fourth moving operation is performed when the measured value of the table-side weight measuring means is stable when no drug container 13 is placed on the container mounting table 20, and when there is nothing on the weighing member 12. This is executed on the condition that the measured value of the weighing member 12 becomes stable in a state where it is not placed (or a state where an empty weighing container 14 is placed).
In other words, after the weighing container 14 loaded with powder medicine is moved from above the weighing member 12, if time elapses without placing anything on the weighing member 12, the measured value of the weighing member 12 will change from an unstable state to a stable state. transition to state. Also, if a period of time has elapsed since the empty weighing container 14 was placed on the weighing member 12 after the weighing container 14 loaded with powder was moved from above the weighing member 12, the measurement of the weighing member 12 The value moves from an unstable state to a stable state. Then, on condition that the measured value of the weighing member 12 is stabilized in this way, the fourth movement operation is executed.

The above-described powder discharge operation is performed on one condition that the lid 3 of the housing member 2 is in a closed state. Specifically, this operation is performed on the condition that the lid portion 3 of the housing member 2 is in a closed state and the first moving operation is completed. That is, the operation of discharging the powder medicine is an operation that is not performed when the lid portion 3 of the housing member 2 is in the open state.
Further, in the above example, an example was described in which the housing member 2 automatically enters the unlocked state on condition that the discharge operation of the powder medicine is completed and the measured value of the weighing member 12 becomes stable. However, the housing member 2 may be configured to automatically enter the unlocked state on the condition that the discharge operation of the powder is completed, regardless of the measured value of the weighing member 12.
In addition, although the above-described powder medicine discharging operation is performed under the condition that the lid portion 3 of the housing member 2 is in a closed state, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, when a high working speed is required, such as when weighing is performed by sequentially placing different drug containers 13, it is possible to set the discharge operation to be performed even when the lid 3 is closed. good. In other words, the user can switch between a first mode in which the ejection operation is performed when the lid 3 is in the closed state and a second mode in which the ejection operation can be performed regardless of the state of the lid 3. In the second mode, the above condition may be canceled.

The above-mentioned transportation of the drug container 13, attachment of the drug container 13 to the container mounting table 20, removal of the drug container 13 from the container mounting table 20, and opening and closing of the lid of the drug container 13 may be performed automatically. good.
That is, the automatic powder dispensing device 1 may be configured to swing the movable lid portion 31b using a drive member (not shown) to open and close the lid of the drug container 13. The opening/closing operation of the lid of the drug container 13 may be performed while the drug container 13 is placed on the container mounting table 20. Further, the operation of opening the lid of the drug container 13 may be performed immediately before placing the drug container 13 on the container mounting table 20.

The weighing container that can be used in the automatic powder medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned weighing container 14, but may be a weighing container 60 that can accommodate a plurality of types of medicines, as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, this weighing container 60 will be explained in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the weighing container 60 includes a weighing container lid portion 61 (lid portion), a weighing container body portion 62 (container body portion), and a weighing container base portion 63. The weighing container lid 61 is formed to be detachable from the weighing container main body 62, and the weighing container main body 62 is also detachable from the weighing container base 63.

As shown in FIG. 12, the weighing container lid 61 has a main body plate 61a and a vertical hanging wall 61b extending downward from the edge of the main body plate 61a. and an opening 65 formed by cutting out a part of the hanging wall 61b. Further, a shaft hole portion 66 is provided in the main body plate portion 61a.

The main body plate portion 61a is a substantially disk-shaped portion with a portion removed by the opening portion 65 and the shaft hole portion 66.
The hanging wall portion 61b extends along the outer edge of the main body plate portion 61a, and is a portion that extends in an annular shape with interruptions at the portion where the opening portion 65 is formed.

The opening 65 is formed to communicate the upper space and the lower space of the main body plate 61a. The shape of the opening 65 in plan view is substantially the same as the opening shape of a small storage section 71 (medicine storage section), which will be described later.
The shaft hole portion 66 is formed at the center of the main body plate portion 61a, has a substantially circular opening shape, and is a through hole that penetrates the main body plate portion 61a in the thickness direction.

The weighing container main body part 62 has four small storage parts 71 separated by a partition plate part 70. That is, a space surrounded by the bottom plate part 72 and the peripheral wall part 73 and accommodating the medicine is partitioned (divided) into a plurality of parts by the partition plate part 70. Each of the small accommodating portions 71 is closed at the bottom and surrounded on all sides, has an opening at the upper end, and forms a space with an open upper side.
In addition, in this embodiment, four small storage parts 71 are provided, but the weighing container main body part 62 only needs to have a plurality of small storage parts 71, for example, two small storage parts 71 are provided. It may be provided, or five may be provided.

A plurality of (four in this embodiment) partition plate parts 70 of the weighing container main body part 62 extend radially from a pillar part 74 extending in the vertical direction at the center of the weighing container main body part 62. A projection 75 extending upward is formed at the upper end of the column 74. That is, the partition plate portion 70 extends toward the peripheral wall portion 73 from the portion where the projection portion 75 is formed.

The weighing container base portion 63 is a plate-shaped member, and is provided with an engagement hole portion 63a.

When the weighing container 60 is assembled, the projection 75 of the weighing container main body 62 is inserted into the shaft hole 66 of the weighing container lid 61, as shown in FIG. Further, a protrusion (not shown) formed at the lower part of the weighing container main body 62 is inserted into the engagement hole 63a (see FIG. 12) of the weighing container base 63.
Further, the inner surface of the hanging wall portion 61b is the outer portion of the small storage portion 71, and comes into contact with the outermost portion in the radial direction of rotation. Specifically, when the opening 65 is overlapped with one small accommodating part 71 (the state shown in FIG. 11), the inner surface of the hanging wall part 61b comes into contact with the outer part of the other plurality of small accommodating parts 71. The state will be as follows.

From this, it becomes possible to rotate the weighing container main body part 62 with respect to the weighing container lid part 61 and the weighing container base part 63. By rotating the weighing container main body 62, the small storage section 71 located below the opening 65 can be changed. That is, after putting the powder into one small storage section 71, it is possible to rotate the weighing container main body 62 and put the powder into the other small storage section 71. At this time, since the opening of the small storage section 71 different from the small storage section 71 into which the powder medicine is put is closed by the weighing container lid 61, the powder medicine will not be thrown in by mistake.

This weighing container 60 can be automatically loaded with medicine by the above-mentioned automatic powder dispensing device 1 or the like, or can also be manually loaded with medicine.
Moreover, according to the weighing container 60 that can accommodate a plurality of types of medicines, it is possible to facilitate the operation of continuously weighing medicines. To explain in detail, when weighing a plurality of types of drugs using the weighing container 14 described above, the weighing container 14 is placed on an electronic balance, tared, and then the drugs are put into the weighing container 14. Then, after the weighing container 14 in which the powder medicine is placed is moved from the electronic balance, a new weighing container 14 is placed on the electronic balance, taring is performed again, and the medicine is put into the weighing container 14. Repeat the work. In other words, it is necessary to tare each time the weighing container 14 is placed.

On the other hand, in this weighing container 60, after taring is performed by placing the weighing container on an electronic balance, the powder is put into the first small storage section 71, and then the weighing container main body section 62 is rotated. It becomes possible to carry out work such as putting powdered medicine into the second small storage section 71. That is, there is no need to repeatedly perform tare subtraction, and the work can be facilitated.

In the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which the weighing container lid 61 and the weighing container base 63 are not rotated, but the weighing container main body 62 is rotated to switch the small storage section 71 into which the drug is introduced. However, instead of rotating the weighing container main body section 62, the weighing container lid section 61 may be rotated to switch between the small storage sections 71. That is, the weighing container lid 61 and the weighing container main body 62 may rotate relative to each other, and the small accommodating portion 71 that overlaps the opening 65 may be changed.

In the embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the protrusion 75 of the weighing container main body 62 is inserted into the shaft hole 66 of the weighing container lid 61 and these are rotatably engaged. However, it is also possible to provide a protruding portion on the lower side of the main body plate portion 61a of the weighing container lid portion 61, and provide a hole portion or a recessed portion in the weighing container main body portion 62 that can engage with this protruding portion to engage these parts. good.
That is, the weighing container main body 62 and the weighing container lid 61 may each be provided with an engaging portion and an engaged portion that engage with each other, and may be configured to engage so as to be relatively rotatable. Similarly, the weighing container main body portion 62 and the weighing container base portion 63 may each have an engaging portion and an engaged portion that engage with each other, and may have a structure in which they engage in relative rotation.

In the embodiment described above, an example of the weighing container 60 including the weighing container lid portion 61, the weighing container main body portion 62, and the weighing container base portion 63 was shown. However, in the weighing container 60, the weighing container base portion 63 is not necessarily required, and may be configured by a lid portion and a main body portion that are capable of relative rotation. However, when rotating the main body, it is preferable to include a weighing container base 63 from the viewpoint of smooth rotation.

By the way, in the automatic powder dispensing device 1 described above, it is assumed that a plurality of types of powder medicines are stored in separate drug containers 13, and one drug container 13 selected from the plurality of drug containers 13 is placed and used. are doing. For example, when discharging A drug into the weighing container 14, the drug container 13 containing A drug is placed on the container mounting table 20, and when discharging B drug into the weighing container 14, B drug is accommodated. The drug container 13 thus prepared is placed on the container mounting table 20.

Here, the powders stored in the drug container 13 have different characteristics (hereinafter also referred to as powder characteristics) for each type. The properties here include angle of repose, viscosity, particle shape, particle size, compressibility, spatula angle, degree of condensation, and the like.
Powder medicines include those with low fluidity and hard to set, and those with high fluidity and easy to set. For this reason, for example, when discharging only a very small amount of a powder that tends to harden, if the powder hardens and falls off, there is a risk that a larger amount of the powder will be discharged than the planned amount to be discharged.

Therefore, the automatic powder dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment changes the powder discharging operation according to the powder properties, accurately discharging an appropriate amount of powder, and shortening the time required to complete discharging. It makes it possible.
Specifically, the information recording member 40 of the medicine container 13 described above stores information regarding the powder characteristics of the powder contained therein. In this embodiment, the angle of repose of each powder medicine is obtained in advance by measurement or the like, and information regarding this angle of repose is stored.
Note that the "angle of repose" is the angle of repose when each powder is deposited in the same deposition shape.

Then, when the drug container 13 is placed on the container mounting table section 20, the information reading means of the main body section 10 acquires information regarding the angle of repose from the information recording member 40 of the drug container 13 placed.
Subsequently, a determination operation is performed to determine whether the obtained angle of repose is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle θ1. Then, as a result of the determination operation, if the angle of repose is greater than or equal to the predetermined angle θ1, a first ejecting operation is performed, and if the angle of repose is less than the predetermined angle θ1, a second ejecting operation is performed.
The first discharge operation is an operation in which the medicine container 13 is vibrated with the vibration of the vibration table 43 being made larger than in the second discharge operation.

For example, the vibration level is divided into multiple levels according to the frequency and amplitude of vibration, and these are called "vibration level 1, vibration level 2", and from vibration level 1 (minimum vibration) to vibration level 10. (maximum vibration).
The first ejecting operation is an operation in which the vibration table 43 is vibrated at a higher vibration level than the second ejecting operation. For example, the second ejecting operation is an operation of vibrating the vibrating table 43 at a vibration level of 5, and the first ejecting operation is an operation of vibrating the vibrating table 43 at a vibration level of 8. The vibration levels of the first ejecting operation and the second ejecting operation can be changed as appropriate depending on the magnitude of the predetermined angle θ1.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, two different types of operations are performed depending on whether the angle of repose is greater than or equal to the predetermined angle θ1 and when the angle of repose is less than the predetermined angle θ1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and three or more types of evacuation operations may be performed depending on the angle of repose.
For example, the angle of repose of powdered medicines is categorized into multiple levels, such as less than 10 degrees, more than 10 degrees and less than 30 degrees, more than 30 degrees and less than 40 degrees, and more than 50 degrees. put. At this time, the angles belonging to each division are set in descending order of angle, for example, division 1, division 2, and so on. Then, a determination operation is performed to determine which category the angle of repose of the powder medicine to be discharged falls into. As a result of this discrimination operation, if the classification is 1, the vibration table 43 is vibrated at vibration level 2, and if it is classification 2, the vibration table 43 is vibrated at vibration level 4. Different powder discharge operations (different vibrations) are performed depending on the classification. At this time, it is assumed that as the angle belonging to each category increases, the amount of vibration of the corresponding ejection operation increases. That is, classification 2 has a larger amount of vibration than classification 1, and classification 3 has a larger amount of vibration than classification 2.

In the above example, the first ejecting operation is an operation in which the vibration of the vibration table 43 is made larger than the second ejecting operation, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first discharge operation may be an operation in which the amount of vibration temporarily increases, and the second discharge operation may be an operation in which the powder is discharged with a constant amount of vibration.
Specifically, for example, the first discharge operation may be an operation in which the vibration table 43 is vibrated at a vibration level of 8 for a predetermined period of time from the start of discharge, and then the vibration table 43 is vibrated at a vibration level of 5. At this time, the second discharge operation may be an operation in which the vibration table 43 is vibrated at vibration level 5 from the start of discharge to the time of completion.

In the above example, the powder medicine discharge operation is changed according to the angle of repose. However, the powder medicine discharge operation is not limited to this, and the powder medicine discharge operation may be changed according to other powder properties. For example, "viscosity The discharge operation of the powder may be changed depending on the value of ``, and powders with higher viscosity may be discharged with a larger amount of vibration.

In the automatic powder dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, the drug containers to be placed on the container mounting table 20 are not limited to the above-described drug containers 13, but various types of drug containers can be placed on the container placing table 20. It is possible to discharge the powder medicine.

From this, the automatic powder medicine dispensing device 1 can select one drug container from a plurality of drug containers each having a different lid shape, and place it on the container mounting table 20, for example. Here, depending on the shape of the lid of the drug container, there are those that are suitable for discharging a small amount of medicine, and those that are suitable for discharging a large amount of powdered medicine quickly.
Therefore, the automatic powder dispensing device 1 of this embodiment enables accurate discharge of powders by changing the discharge operation of powders according to the shape of the lid of the medicine container.
This will be explained in detail below. In addition, in the following example, a drug container with a lid suitable for discharging a small amount of powder (hereinafter also referred to as A type lid) and a lid suitable for discharging a large amount of powder medicine quickly (hereinafter referred to as B type lid) are used. An example in which a medicine container having a lid (also referred to as a lid) is placed and used will be described.

Specifically, in this case, the drug container is capable of storing information regarding its own lid type in its own information recording member 40.
At this time, the drug container may be capable of storing information regarding its own empty weight (weight without the drug container inside) in its own information recording member 40. The registration operation of storing this information in the information recording member 40 may be performed using an external device used when filling powder medicine, and the information regarding the type of lid may be stored together with the information regarding the empty weight. good.
Further, when storing information regarding the type of lid, the information regarding the lid is stored in the information recording member 40 by displaying the item of the type of lid on a display device such as a display, and selecting one item from a plurality of items. It is also possible to do so.

When the drug container 13 is placed on the container mounting table 20, the information reading means of the main body 10 acquires information regarding the type of lid from the information recording member 40 of the drug container 13 placed. Furthermore, a determination operation is performed to determine the type of lid from the acquired information. That is, it is determined whether the lid of the drug container 13 placed on the container mounting table 20 is an A type lid or a B type lid.

As a result of the discrimination operation, if it is determined that the lid is of type A, the vibrating table 43 is vibrated as usual to vibrate the medicine container 13. On the other hand, if it is determined that the lid is of type B, the vibration of the vibration table 43 is made smaller than usual, and the medicine container 13 is vibrated.
That is, in the case of a B-type lid, if the vibrating table 43 is vibrated as usual, there is a possibility that powder medicine will be discharged excessively. Therefore, the vibration of the vibration table 43 is made smaller than when discharging powdered medicine from a medicine container having an A-type lid, thereby preventing excessive discharge of powdered medicine.

In the above example, two types of drug containers each having a different lid shape are placed on the container mounting table 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. Two drug containers may be placed on the container mounting table 20.
In this case, a different powder discharge operation may be performed for each of three or more types of medicine containers (shapes of lids). For example, the magnitude of the vibration of the vibration table 43 during the discharge operation may be different for each type of drug container.

In addition, for example, any of three or more types of drug containers each having a different shape of lid may be placed on the container mounting table 20, and depending on the shape of the lid, the amount of powdered medicine in the case of the type A lid described above may be determined. Either the discharge operation or the powder discharge operation in the case of a B-type lid may be performed.
In this case, please provide information in advance about the shape of each lid and whether it is suitable for dispensing small amounts of powder or for discharging large amounts of powder quickly. Associate it and remember it. Then, in the same manner as above, by reading information from the information recording member 40 and specifying the shape of the lid, it is determined which of the two powder medicine discharge operations is to be performed.

In the above example, the content of the ejection operation is changed depending on the shape of the lid of the drug container, but the content of the ejection action may be changed depending on the characteristics of the drug container that are different from the shape of the lid. . The characteristics of the drug container here include, for example, the shape of the container itself (the overall shape of the container), the presence or absence of a lid, the shape of the lid, the presence or absence of a flow regulating member, the shape of the flow regulating member, and the drug outlet (powder discharge port). One or more are selected from the size of the medicine discharge part (powder medicine discharge port), the shape of the medicine discharge part (powder medicine discharge port), etc. For example, the content of the ejecting operation may be changed depending on the presence or absence of a lid.

The above-described automatic powder dispensing device 1 also calculates the amount of powder contained in the drug container 13 placed on the container mounting table 20 before performing the discharge operation of the powder. good. Then, a comparison operation is performed to compare the calculated storage amount of powder medicine with the scheduled discharge amount, and as a result of this comparison operation, on the condition that the scheduled discharge amount exceeds the powder storage amount, the powder medicine discharge operation is performed. May be performed at maximum vibration.

That is, if the scheduled discharge amount exceeds the capacity of the powder medicine, after all the powder medicine inside is discharged, the empty medicine container 13 is moved from the top of the container mounting table 20 and placed in another medicine container containing the same powder medicine. 13 on the container mounting table 20, and it is necessary to discharge the remaining powder.
Here, when the powder medicine discharge operation is performed, the discharge operation is usually performed with a vibration amount smaller than the maximum vibration in order to prevent excessive discharge of the powder medicine. On the other hand, if the scheduled discharge amount exceeds the capacity of the powder medicine, all the powder medicine inside the medicine container 13 is discharged, so even if the powder discharge operation is performed with maximum vibration, the powder medicine will not be discharged excessively. . In this way, by performing the powder medicine discharge operation with maximum vibration, the time required to complete the discharge operation can be shortened.

Specifically, the operation of calculating the capacity of the powdered medicine described above may be the following operation.
That is, the empty weight of the drug container 13 itself is stored in the information recording member 40 of the drug container 13 in advance. Then, when the drug container 13 is placed on the container mounting table 20, the total weight of the placed drug container 13, that is, the weight including the weight of the powder inside is obtained. Thereafter, the stored empty weight is subtracted from the obtained total weight to calculate the amount of powder medicine stored.

Moreover, after all the powder medicine inside the medicine container 13 is discharged by the above-described operation, a notification operation may be performed to notify that the medicine container 13 is empty.
That is, by shortening the time until all the internal powder medicine is discharged, the time from the start of powder discharge to the execution of the notification operation can be shortened.

The drug container that can be employed in the powder medicine weighing device of the present invention is not limited to the drug container 13 described above, but may be the drug container 80 shown in FIG. 13. Furthermore, when this drug container 80 is employed, a container mounting table 81 (drug container installation section) as shown in FIG. 13 may be employed instead of the above-mentioned container mounting table 20.

The drug container 80 is surrounded by a front wall 91, a back wall 92, two side walls 93, a top wall 94, and a bottom wall 95. Further, there is a medicine discharge part 97 (powder medicine discharge part, see FIG. 14) which can be opened and closed at a position of the bottom wall 95 near the front wall 91. This medicine discharge part 97 is formed on the side of the bottom surface of the medicine container 80 and/or the side surface near the bottom surface.

The front wall 91 and the back wall 92, together with the two side walls 93, form a side wall portion that surrounds on all sides between the top wall 94 and the bottom wall 95. Here, the two side walls 93 are large-area side surfaces that are larger in area than the front wall 91 and the back wall 92. On the other hand, the front wall 91 and the back wall 92 are small-area side surfaces. That is, the medicine container 80 is an elongated box-shaped member when viewed from the front wall 91 side (the medicine discharge section 97 side). That is, the medicine container 80 is a vertically long container whose height is higher than the width W (the width is narrower and the height is higher). Further, it is a rectangular parallelepiped with a substantially square side surface shape.

As shown in FIG. 14, the drug container 80 is a container capable of storing a drug (powder) therein, and is composed of a box portion 100 with one side open and a lid member 101. By closing the lid member 101, it is possible to seal the lid, and by opening the lid member 101, it is possible to fill with powder. The lid member 101 constitutes one side wall 93 (large area side surface) among the walls, and is swingable by a hinge. That is, the drug container 80 can be filled with powder by opening the large area side surface while being removed from the container mounting table 81.

Moreover, this drug container 80 has inside thereof a partition plate 110 (partition member) and a rectifying member 111 which is a coil-shaped member. Furthermore, it has a shutter structure section 112.
As shown in FIG. 14(b), the partition plate 110 is formed by bending a belt-shaped plate, and has two contact wall parts 110a, 110b, a large slope part 110c, a small slope part 110d, and a horizontal It has a section 110e. A large slope portion 110c and a small slope portion 110d are formed on both sides of the horizontal portion 110e located at the center, and contact wall portions 110a and 110b are further formed on both sides thereof. That is, when the drug container 80 is held (placed) on the container mounting table 81, the horizontal portion 110e is a portion that is in a horizontal position, and the contact wall portions 110a and 110b are portions that are in a vertical position. be. A large number of small holes (openings) are provided in the horizontal portion 110e, and each small hole penetrates the horizontal portion 110e in the thickness direction (vertical direction).

The large slope portion 110c and the small slope portion 110d are both inclined toward the horizontal portion 110e when the drug container 80 is held on the container mounting table portion 81. The large slope portion 110c is longer than the small slope portion 110d, and their slope angles are the same. In other words, the space between the large slope portion 110c and the small slope portion 110d converges toward the horizontal portion 110e.

The shutter structure 112 includes a shutter member 112a having a closing wall and a transmission member (not shown). The transmission member is a member having a length in the direction from the front wall 91 to the rear wall 92, and in this embodiment, an elongated metal plate is used. A portion of the transmission member on the front wall 91 side is integrally attached to the shutter member 112a. That is, when the transmission member moves linearly in its longitudinal direction, the shutter member 112a moves linearly in the same direction in conjunction with the transmission member.

Further, a portion of the transmission member on the back wall 92 side is exposed to the outside, and by placing the drug container 80 on the container mounting base 81, the shutter opening/closing mechanism (not shown) of the container mounting base 81 can be opened and closed. not engage). Then, the transmission member moves linearly by the shutter opening/closing mechanism, and the shutter member 112a moves linearly, so that the drug ejection part 97 is switched between the open state and the closed state. That is, the container mounting table part 81 has a shutter opening/closing mechanism that automatically opens and closes the medicine discharge part 97 of the medicine container 80.

As shown in FIG. 13, the container mounting table section 81 includes a weight measuring means (first weight measuring means), not shown, and a container support section 130. Specifically, the weight measuring means is a load cell. The container support section 130 includes a support base 131 and a vibrating member 132 that serves as a container holding section, and these are connected by a piezoelectric element (not shown) that is a vibration means.
The support stand 131 and the vibrating member 132 are both members with an "L"-shaped side surface, and have a horizontal portion and a vertical wall portion. There is substantially no contact between the horizontal portion of the support base 131 and the horizontal portion of the vibrating member 132, and the vibrating member 16 vibrates by energizing the vibrating means. It has a side horizontal part 132a and a vibration side vertical wall part 132b which is a vertical wall part (vertical wall). The vibration-side vertical wall portion 132b is provided with engaging portions at an upper portion and a lower portion. This engaging portion is a pair of engaging portion provided on the back wall 92 of the medicine container 80. That is, it is a portion that engages with the engaging portion of the drug container 80.

That is, the container support part 130 has a vibration side vertical wall part 132b, and the medicine container 80 is fixed to the vibration side vertical wall part 132b. As a result, most of the medicine container 80 is fixed to the container support part 130 in a cantilevered state. At this time, the medicine container 80 is firmly joined to the vibration side vertical wall part 132b by the engaging parts provided at two places, and the degree of close contact with the vibration member 16 is high, so that the medicine container 80 is firmly connected to the vibration side vertical wall part 132b. vibrates at the same frequency as That is, the vibration-side vertical wall portion 132b is vibrated by the vibration excitation means, so that the drug container 80 is vibrated in the vertical orientation.

Here, as shown in FIG. 14, a powder passage passage 140 is provided inside the medicine container 80 near the bottom wall 95. The powder medicine passageway 140 is a part through which powder medicines pass when discharging the medicines, and is a space located below the horizontal part 110e, which includes a part between the horizontal part 110e and the bottom wall 95. .
When discharging the drug from the drug container 80, the drug container 80 is fixed to the vibration-side vertical wall portion 132b, and the drug discharge portion 97 is opened. Then, the medicine container 80 is vibrated. At this time, when the powder in the powder medicine passage 140 in the medicine container 80 decreases due to discharge, the powder moves from the storage space, which is the space above the horizontal portion 110e, to the powder medicine passage. Then, the powder in the powder passageway advances toward the drug discharge section 97, passes through the gap between the coil wires of the rectifying member 111, and is discharged from the drug discharge section 97.

According to this embodiment, the flow of the powder (medicine) can be smoothed by the flow regulating member 111. Further, the internal space of the medicine container 80 is partitioned into an upper and lower part by a partition plate 110, and the partition plate 110 secures a space (powder medicine passageway 140) through which the powder medicine passes. Therefore, since the weight of the powder on the upper side is supported by the partition plate 110, the weight of the powder on the upper side is less likely to be applied to the powder in the powder passageway 140, and the powder is easily moved by vibration. Furthermore, by vibrating the drug container 80 during the powder discharge operation, the powder in the drug container 80 is stirred in the storage space that is the space above the partition plate 110 (horizontal portion 110e). At this time, a part of the stored powder moves in the upward direction on the large slope part 110c, and moves toward the horizontal part 110e above the horizontal part 110e. Therefore, on the small holes (slits) of the horizontal part 110e, the force of pushing the powder from above to the bottom is hardly applied, and the powder flowing due to stirring falls appropriately from the small holes (slits), so that the powder can be smoothly discharged. It becomes possible.

In the embodiment described above, the partition plate 110 is provided near the bottom of the drug container 80, but in addition to or in place of this, as shown in FIG. A temporary receiving plate 210 may be provided. By providing the temporary receiving plate 210, it is possible to prevent the weight of the powder on the upper side from being applied to the powder on the lower side. The temporary receiving plate 210 may be provided with an opening. According to such a configuration, the weight of the powder in the upper layer can be supported by the temporary receiving plate 210, and the powder in the lower layer is not pressed. Therefore, movement of the powdered medicine is less likely to be hindered when the medicine container is vibrated.

The powder medicine weighing device of the present invention is not limited to the automatic powder distribution device 1 described above, but may be a device having a plurality of container mounting bases 20 and one weighing member 12. In this case, a weighing container mounting section on which the weighing container 14 is mounted is provided near each container mounting table section 20. That is, it is assumed that each of the plurality of container mounting bases 20 and each of the plurality of weighing container mounting sections are in one-to-one correspondence. By placing the medicine container 13 on the container mounting table 20 and discharging the powder, the weighing container 14 placed on the weighing container placing section associated with the container placing table 20 is , discharge the powder. At this time, as described above, each container mounting table 20 has a table-side weight measuring means (not shown), and by measuring the discharge amount of the powder, it is possible to discharge the target amount. That is, the target amount of powder is discharged into the weighing container 14.

Then, the weighing container 14 loaded with the target amount of powder is transported to the weighing member 12, and the powder loaded on the weighing container 14 is weighed. This confirms whether the target amount of powder has been correctly discharged into the weighing container 14. Note that the weighing container 14 may be transported automatically by providing a drive member (container transport means, not shown), or may be transported manually.
According to such an automatic powder dispensing device, powder medicine can be discharged from multiple locations, and when discharging multiple types of medicines or large amounts of medicines, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the entire dispensing operation (reducing work time). .

Further, in the powder medicine weighing device, a medicine container 380 shown in FIG. 16 may be used instead of the medicine container 80 described above. This medicine container 380 is removable from the container mounting base 81 similarly to the medicine container 80 described above. In other words, it can be used together with the container mounting table 81 described above.

The drug container 380 is also surrounded by a front wall 391, a back wall 392, two side walls 393, a top wall 394, and a bottom wall 395. Further, in the bottom wall 395, at a position near the front wall 391, there is a medicine discharge part 397 (powder medicine discharge part, see FIG. 17) which can be opened and closed. The drug container 380 has a shutter structure 412.

The shutter structure 412 includes a shutter member 412a having a closing wall and a transmission member (not shown). Similar to the embodiment described above, linear movement of the transmission member moves the shutter member 412a to open and close the drug ejection section 397.

The medicine container 380 of this embodiment differs from the medicine container 80 described above in that, as shown in FIG. 16, the lid member 401 constitutes a top wall 394 among the walls. That is, in the drug container 380, a lid member 401 is attached to a box with an open top surface, and the lid member 401 is swingable by a hinge. By opening the lid member 401, powder can be filled from above, and by closing the lid member 401, the medicine container 380 can be hermetically sealed. Note that the medicine container 380 of this embodiment can be filled with powder while being held on the container mounting table 81.

Note that the lid member 401 of this embodiment includes a lid main body portion 402 and a small lid portion 403, as shown in FIG. The small lid portion 403 is attached to the lower side of the lid main body portion 402 (lower side when the lid is in the closed state), and is swingable by a hinge.
Here, the lid member 401 has an in-lid accommodating portion 404 that can accommodate a desiccant and the like. The in-lid storage section 404 of this embodiment is a space in which a humidity control agent is placed. Then, by swinging the small lid portion 403, the in-lid storage portion 404 can be opened and closed. That is, the internal lid storage section 404 is a space formed between the lid main body section 402 and the small lid section 403. Specifically, when the lid member 401 is in a closed state and the small lid part 403 is in a closed state, it is a space located above most of the small lid part 403.

This drug container 380 has a partition plate portion 410 (partition member) inside. The partition plate part 410 is a flat plate-shaped part disposed at the boundary between the storage space 439 and the powder passageway 440, and is provided with a plurality of small holes, similar to the above-described horizontal part 110e. These small holes penetrate the partition plate portion 410 in the vertical direction (thickness direction).

Note that the medicine container 380 of this embodiment also has a large slope portion 415 and a small slope portion 416 in a portion adjacent to the partition plate portion 410. That is, the lower portion of the storage space 439 converges toward the partition plate portion 410.

1; Automatic powder dispensing device (powder weighing device), 2; Housing member (case member), 3; Lid, 12; Weighing member (second amount measuring means), 13, 80, 380; Medicine container, 14, 60; Weighing container, 20, 81; Container mounting table part (drug container setting part), 25; Balance stand (weighing container mounting part), 33, 97, 397; Drug discharge part (powder medicine discharge part), 50b; Receiver Part (discharge blocking member), 51; Moving mechanism part (blocking member moving mechanism), 61; Weighing container lid part (lid part), 62; Weighing container body part (container main body part), 65; Opening part, 71; Small Storage section (drug storage section)

Claims (5)

It has a case member having a drug container installation part and a lid part that can be opened and closed,
A drug container is installed in the drug container installation section, and powder medicine is automatically discharged from the drug container into a weighing container placed on a weighing container placement section, and the drug container placement section and the weighing container are attached to the case member. A placing section is housed,
further comprising a second weight measuring means capable of measuring the weight of the drug discharged from the drug container into the weighing container, and a sensor member capable of automatically determining the closed state and open state of the lid part,
By closing the lid after placing the drug container on the drug container installation section, the lid is automatically locked, and after discharging a predetermined amount of powder into the weighing container, the second amount measuring means A powder medicine weighing device in which the locked state is released on the condition that the measured value becomes stable. When the discharge operation of the powder medicine is completed and the weighing container loaded with the powder medicine is placed on the weighing container mounting section, the measured value measured by the second amount measuring means becomes stable. The powder medicine weighing device according to claim 1, wherein the locked state is automatically released on the condition that the powder is weighed. The drug container discharges the powder from the powder discharge part,
The main body includes a first weight measuring means capable of measuring the weight of the drug container and a discharge blocking member,
The discharge blocking member moves between a drop blocking position below the powder discharge section and a retracted position away from the drop blocking position when discharging the powder,
On condition that the discharge operation of the powder medicine is completed and the measured value measured by the first weight measuring means and the measured value measured by the second weight measuring means are in a stable state, the discharge blocking member The powder medicine weighing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the powder is moved from the retracted position to the fall blocking position, and further, the locked state is automatically released. The powder medicine weighing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the lid is in a closed state, the lid covers the upper and lateral sides of the medicine container and the weighing container. When the lid is in an open state, a drug container is installed on the drug container placement section, a drug container is removed from the drug container placement section, a weighing container is placed on the weighing container placement section, and The powder weighing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the medicine container and the weighing container can be moved to the outside and inside.

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