JP7378732B2 - pill cassette - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tablet cassette that constitutes a driven part in a tablet feeder for automating dispensing in hospitals, pharmacies, etc., and more specifically, the invention relates to a tablet cassette that is a driven part of a tablet feeder for automating dispensing in hospitals, pharmacies, etc. The present invention relates to a tablet cassette that sequentially drops tablets from a discharge port of a container portion while aligning the tablets around the alignment plate when the alignment plate is driven to rotate.

Tablet feeders that have been widely used in the past (see, for example, Fig. 1 of Patent Document 1, Fig. 1 of Patent Document 2, and Fig. 5 of Patent Document 3) are installed on the drawer shelf of a tablet packaging machine or for tablet division for power supply and control. It consists of a drive unit that is fixedly attached to the main body of the device, and a tablet cassette that is detachable from the drive unit to facilitate tablet replenishment, and a large number of tablets are randomly placed in the tablet cassette. The tablets are housed in the tablet cassette, and the drive unit is operated intermittently or continuously as necessary to feed the tablets one by one from the tablet cassette. Such a tablet feeder sequentially discharges tablets by squeezing the tablets while moving them from top to bottom.

In addition, the tablet cassette that is most often used to be incorporated into such a tablet feeder has a container part that stores a large number of tablets in an internal space when the lid is opened, and a container part that is rotatably mounted inside the container part. a sorting plate which receives the drive of the drive part by a rotation transmission shaft; and a discharge port formed through the bottom plate of the container part that defines the lower end of the annular gap between the container part and the sorting plate. and a partition unit that partitions a part of the upper end side of the annular gap.
Furthermore, in this tablet cassette, in order to divide the annular gap where the tablets are arranged into individual tablets, a large number of vane-shaped partition walls protruding into the annular gap are formed at equal pitches on the outer circumferential surface of the alignment plate. The space between the adjacent partition walls is a compartment in which the tablets that fall from the top of the sorting board are stored, one by one.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-192702 JP2013-039237A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-141330 Patent Application No. 2018-241162 (Application)

These tablet cassettes are removable and can be easily replaced with the fixed drive units that are already widely used, so they are used in the tablet feeders of many tablet packaging machines and tablet splitting devices. It has been adopted.
However, there is a need to not only make the drive part easy to replace, but also to improve it so that it can be used for a variety of drugs without having to replace the cassette. Tablet cassettes have also been developed that allow the compartments to accommodate individual tablets to be expanded or contracted.

Specifically (see Patent Document 4), the method includes a container section capable of accommodating a large number of tablets, and an alignment board that is housed in the container section in an axially rotatable state and defines a plurality of compartments; In the tablet cassette, a discharge port is formed at the bottom of the container part, and the tablets that have fallen into the compartment are successively dropped from the discharge port by rotation of the shaft of the sorting board, and the tablet cassette A circumferential expansion/contraction mechanism and a radial expansion/contraction mechanism are provided on an inner part of the rotary transmission shaft penetrating the bottom surface of the container part located in the internal space of the container part, and the circumferential expansion/contraction mechanism is equipped with a radial expansion/contraction mechanism. A tablet cassette has been developed that can expand and contract in the circumferential direction by interlocking a plurality of compartments, and the radial expansion and contraction mechanism can expand and contract in the radial direction by interlocking a plurality of compartments. .

However, in this tablet cassette, the mechanism responsible for expanding and contracting the compartments is not only the circumferential expansion and contraction mechanism, but also the radial expansion and contraction mechanism, which expands and contracts multiple compartments in conjunction with each other, so the function and performance are limited. Although it has improved greatly, the structure has become more complex.
This has resulted in an increased burden on manufacturing costs, such as an increase in the number of parts, more delicate parts, and an increase in assembly man-hours.
Therefore, a fundamental technical challenge is to realize a tablet cassette with variable compartments that requires less manufacturing cost. Furthermore, a further technical challenge is to keep the sacrifice in usability to a minimum even when manufacturing costs are reduced.

The tablet cassette of the present invention (solution means 1) was created to solve these problems,
The tablet comprises a container part capable of accommodating a large number of tablets, and an alignment plate that is rotatably housed in the container part and defines a plurality of compartments, and a discharge port is formed at the bottom of the container part. and a tablet cassette in which the tablets that have fallen into the compartment by rotating the axis of the alignment plate are successively dropped from the discharge port,
The alignment board includes a compartment array structure in which a plurality of individual defining members defining one of the compartments are connected in a row, and a plurality of holding parts on the circumferential surface to which the individual defining members can be attached and detached. and a rotary transmission shaft protruding downward from the rotary disc and penetrating the bottom surface of the container part, and by wrapping the compartment row structure around the rotary disc, the individual partitions can be rotated. It is characterized in that the component parts are attached to the holding part one by one.

Further, the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution means 2) is the tablet cassette of the above-mentioned solution means 1, characterized in that the individual defining members are provided with connecting portions rotatable on both sides.

Furthermore, the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution means 3) is the tablet cassette of the above-mentioned solution means 1, in which the compartment array structure is provided with a flat string-like flexible connecting member, and the plurality of It is characterized in that the individual defining members are connected by the flexible connecting member.

Further, the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution means 4) is the tablet cassette of the above-mentioned solution means 1 to 3, and is a means for preventing misalignment between the holding portion and the individual defining member attached thereto. , a fittable unevenness formed on opposing parts of the holding part and the individual defining member when attached, and interference chambers formed in the holding part that interfere with the side and bottom surfaces of the individual defining member. and an inter-room interference part that is formed between the adjacent holding parts and interferes with the corresponding part of the compartment row structure. do.

Moreover, the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution means 5) is the tablet cassette of the above-mentioned solution means 1 to 4, in which a partition unit equipped with a partitioning part is externally packaged in the container part, and the tablet cassette is The individual defining member has a slit formed in a portion of its outer surface that becomes the outer circumferential surface when attached to the holding portion, and the partitioning portion has a slit formed in a portion of the outer surface that becomes the outer circumferential surface when attached to the container portion of the partitioning unit. The rotary disk enters the container portion and is positioned above the outlet at the same height as the slit of the individual defining member, and the rotary disk is configured such that one of the holding portions and the other of the holding portions are located on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary disk. An outer circumferential surface portion located between one of the slits is located closer to the inner circumference than the slit, and a projecting portion is formed above the outer circumferential surface portion. .

Further, the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution means 6) is the tablet cassette of the above-mentioned solution means 1 to 5, in which an identification mark is provided in a portion of the individual defining member that defines the inner side surface of the compartment. It is characterized by the notation .

Moreover, the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution means 7) is the tablet cassette of the above-mentioned solution means 1 to 5, in which the upper and lower portions of the individual defining members defining the inner side surface of the compartment are provided. It is characterized by the fact that it has a notation indicating it.

In such a tablet cassette of the present invention (Solution 1), the alignment disc, which is the key to realizing the variable compartment type, is composed of a rotary disc that can rotate on its axis within the container part, and a rotary disc that can rotate on its circumference. By combining a plurality of removable individual defining members, the size can be adjusted with the relatively simple task of replacing the multiple individual defining members attached to the circumference of the rotary disk. The rotary disk can be shared for handling different tablets. Furthermore, by simplifying the structure, the number of types of component parts, presence/absence and number of delicate interlocking parts, and assembly man-hours can be greatly reduced.

Moreover, even though the work and management burden increases, although it is relatively small, due to the number of individual defining members forming a set, it is possible to solve the problem by connecting the individual defining members of one set in a row to create a compartment. By organizing them into a row structure, even if there are a large number of individual partition members, they can be handled easily, and the increase in management burden can be suppressed or reduced in some cases. When wrapped around the rotary disk, the individual defining members are held one-on-one by the holding section, so even if there are a large number of individual defining members, it is easy to install and remove them. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a pill cassette with variable compartments that requires less manufacturing cost and less sacrifice in usability.

Furthermore, in the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution 2), by engaging the connecting portions of adjacent individual defining members, a compartment array structure that can be easily wrapped around a rotary disk is created. be able to.

Furthermore, in the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution means 3), a flat string-like flexible connecting member is used as a means for connecting a plurality of individual defining members in a row, so that the individual defining members can be connected to each other. Compared to the engagement method, the number of members is increased by one, but since there is no need to form connecting parts that can rotate on multiple axes, it is easier to create a compartment array structure that can be wrapped around a rotary disk. I can do it.

In addition, in the tablet cassette of the present invention (Solution 4), by providing a positional shift prevention means, when the compartment array structure is wound around the rotary disk, all the individual defining members are held together. Since the position is fixed and stable, the work load is further reduced.

In addition, in the tablet cassette of the present invention (Solution 5), when the partition unit is externally packaged in the container part, the partitioning part enters the container part and is located above the discharge port. Since extra tablets that have come higher up are prevented from falling, excessive multiple ejection of tablets is prevented. Furthermore, since the partitioning portion is located at the same height as the slit, undesired interference between the partitioning portion and the individual defining members is also avoided. Further, by arranging the outer peripheral surface portion of the rotary disk to be located closer to the inner circumference than the slit, interference between the partitioning portion and the rotary disk is also avoided. Furthermore, as a side effect of making the outer circumferential surface of the rotating disk closer to the inner circumference than the slit, there is an unused space between adjacent holding parts and between individual defining members. If this were to continue, an undesirable situation could occur, such as tablets falling into an unused space, but by placing the protruding part of the rotary disk above the unused space, the partition It is also possible to easily and accurately prevent undesired tablets from falling outside the room.

In addition, in the tablet cassette of the present invention (Solution 6), an identification mark is attached to a portion that becomes the outer peripheral surface when the individual defining member is attached to the rotary disk, so that the individual defining member is The identification markings can be seen even after the parts are attached to the rotary disk, making it easy to confirm.

Moreover, in the tablet cassette of the present invention (solution means 7), by attaching a notation indicating up and down to a portion of the individual defining member that defines the side surface near the inner circumference of the compartment, the individual defining member is It is easy to check because you can see the upper and lower markings even after the parts are attached to the rotary disk.

In Example 1 of the present invention, the structure of the tablet cassette is shown, in which (a) is a longitudinal sectional view of the tablet cassette with the top lid removed, and (b) is an external perspective view of the alignment board. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the alignment board with two individual defining members removed. (a) is an external perspective view of the common area of the sorting board, (b) is an external perspective view of the installed side of the compartment row arrangement, and (c) is an external perspective view of the compartment side of the compartment row arrangement. be. Regarding Embodiment 2 of the present invention, it relates to another form of compartment row arrangement, and (a) is an external perspective view of the compartment side, and (b) is an external perspective view of the mounting side.

Specific embodiments for carrying out the tablet cassette of the present invention will be explained with reference to Examples 1 and 2 below.
Embodiment 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 embodies the above-mentioned solution means 1, 2, 4 to 7 (claims 1, 2, 4 to 7 as originally filed), and the embodiment 1 shown in FIG. Embodiment 2 embodies the above-mentioned solution means 3 (Claim 3 originally filed).

The specific structure of Example 1 of the tablet cassette of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1(a) shows the structure of the tablet cassette 10, and is a longitudinal sectional view of the tablet cassette 10 with the top cover (not shown) removed and the main parts of the drive unit 4 to which the tablet cassette 10 is attached.
1(b), FIG. 2, and FIG. 3(a) show the structure of the alignment board 40, FIG. 1(b) is an external perspective view of the alignment board 40, and FIG. 2 is a part of the individual defining members. FIG. 3(a) is an external perspective view of the alignment board common parts 41 to 43 of the alignment board 40.
Furthermore, FIGS. 3(b) and 3(c) show the structure of the compartment array structure 60, where FIG. 3(b) is an external perspective view of the side mounted on the rotary disk 42, and FIG. 3(c) is a compartment FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the appearance of the chamber 54 side.

The tablet cassette 10 (see FIG. 1) includes a container part 20 that is partially modified from a conventional product (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3), and a compartment 54 while maintaining compatibility with the container part 20 and the conventional product. In order to add a variable function, the arranging board 40 suppresses the increase in parts and manufacturing costs when changing from an arranging board for an integrated object or a combination of small parts to an arranging board for combining several parts. .

The container part 20 (see FIG. 1(a)) is mainly composed of a box-shaped container body 21 that is mass-produced by plastic injection molding, etc., and the internal space of the container body 21 randomly accommodates a large number of tablets. The tablet accommodating space 22 is made into a water-retaining tablet accommodating space 22, and the tablet accommodating space 22 can be opened and closed using an upper lid (not shown) when replenishing tablets. A handle 23 for carrying is provided on the outside of the container body 21, and the lower part of the container body 21 serves as an attachment/detachment portion 24 for the drive unit 4 (note that the drive unit 4 is shown as the drive unit 4 in FIG. 1(a)). (This is the upper end portion of the base to which the tablet cassette 10 is attached and detached, and is not included in the tablet cassette 10.)

In addition, the container part 20 has a discharge port 28 formed through the bottom 25 of the container body 21 (on the left side in FIG. When the tablet is conveyed onto the tablet 28, the tablet is caused to fall downward through the discharge port 28.
Furthermore, the container section 20 is also configured such that a partition unit 30 can be attached to and detached from the container body 21. Then, when the partition holding part 31 is attached to the container body 21 from the outside and the partition action part 32 is inserted into the tablet storage space 22 through the slit of the container main body 21, the partition action part 32 comes above the discharge port 28. By allowing the tablets below it to fall but preventing the tablets above it from falling, the tablets are caused to fall one after another.

In addition, in this container section 20, the belt holding section 33 can also be attached to or detached from the container body 21 from the outside.
The belt holding part 33 holds an elastic endless belt 34 made of rubber in the form of a round string in a stretched state, and the partition unit 30 is attached to the container body 21 and the endless belt 34 is attached to the container body. When inserted into the tablet storage space 22 through the slit 21, the endless belt 34 is positioned above the discharge port 28 and the partitioning section 32.

The alignment plate 40 (see FIGS. 1 to 3) is housed in the container part 20 in a rotatable state and has a plurality of tablets arranged at the bottom of the tablet storage space 22, similar to conventional products (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3). It defines compartments (five compartments 54 in this example), and the tablets falling into the compartments 54 are transferred together with the compartments 54 to the outlet 28 when the shaft rotates. It has become.
However, in order to be able to easily change the size of the plurality of compartments 54, the alignment board 40 is equipped with compartment row equipment 60, which was not available in the past (see FIGS. 3(b) and 3(c)). ).

The compartment array structure 60 is made up of five individual defining members 50 connected in a row, and the connecting parts 61 and 62 that connect the adjacent individual defining members 50 and 50 are rotatable, so that they can be arranged in a straight line. It can be stretched straight (see FIGS. 3(b) and 3(c)), or it can be rolled into a pentagonal shape and wrapped around the circumferential surface of the rotary disk 42 (see FIG. 1(b)). Then, when the compartment array structure 60 is wound around the rotary disk 42, each individual defining member 50 corresponds one-to-one to the defining member holding portion 44, and the individual defining members 50 are attached to the defining member holding portion 44. (see FIGS. 1(b) and 2), and the compartment 54 of the individual defining member 50 accompanies the rotation of the rotation transmission shaft 41 of the leg of the alignment plate. It is designed to circulate (see Figure 1(a)).

The alignment board 40 (see FIGS. 1 to 3) has a leg part made up of the above-mentioned rotation transmission shaft 41, a body part made up of the rotary board 42 and the compartment row structure 60, and a head part made up of the umbrella part 43. The rotary transmission shaft 41, the rotary disk 42, and the umbrella portion 43 are integrated to form so-called alignment plate common parts 41 to 43, and the alignment plate common parts 41 to 43 The compartment array structure 60 can be attached to and detached from the outer periphery of the rotary disk 42. While the shared sorting board common parts 41 to 43 are used for tablets 2 of different sizes and shapes, the removable compartment array structure 60 is prepared with a plurality of compartments 54 of different sizes and shapes. and can be used depending on the size of the tablet 2. However, for a set (five in this example) of individual defining members 50 incorporated into one compartment array structure 60, compartments 54 of the same size and shape are defined.

Furthermore, in such an alignment plate 40 (see FIG. 1(a)), most of the rotary transmission shaft 41 excluding the protruding portion is an inserted portion located in the tablet storage space 22 inside the container body 21. It has become. Then, the sorting board 40 (see FIG. 1(b)), in which one compartment array structure 60 in which five individual defining members 50 are arranged in a row, is wound around the common parts 41 to 43 of the sorting boards 41 to 43, is assembled as described above. By attaching it to the inner bottom of the container part 20 (see FIG. 1(a)), the space between the inner circumferential surface 27 of the container body 21 (alignment plate insertion space) and the outer circumference of the alignment plate 40 In this example, five compartments 54 are defined (see FIGS. 1 to 3).
Each member 41 to 43, 50, and 60 of the alignment board 40 will be described in detail below.

As described above, the alignment plate common parts 41 to 43 (see FIG. 3(a)) are composed of the rotation transmission shaft 41 of the leg, the rotation disk 42 of the body, and the umbrella part 43 of the head. Reference numeral 41 (see FIG. 1(a)) is inserted into the through hole 26 of the bottom 25 of the container section 20 and penetrates the bottom 25 in a rotatable state, and the lower end thereof is inserted into the through hole 26 of the bottom 25 of the container section 20. It protrudes outward from the shaft and is adapted to fit and engage with the rotational drive shaft 6 of the drive unit 4, and is compatible with the rotational transmission shaft of an existing tablet cassette alignment plate (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4). reference).

The umbrella parts 43 of the alignment plate common parts 41 to 43 (see FIG. 3(a)) are high in the center and have an inclined surface that gently descends from there to the periphery. It is designed to slide down towards the surrounding area.
The rotary discs 42 of the alignment disc common parts 41 to 43 (see FIG. 3(a)) are thicker than the rotational transmission shaft 41, like the peripheral edge of the umbrella part 43, and have partitions all around the outer peripheral surface. In the illustrated example, five defining member holding portions 44 are formed by wide vertical groove-like engravings for attaching the individual defining members 50 one by one when the chamber row structure 60 is wound. , arranged equiangularly towards the surroundings.

Each of the defining member holding portions 44 (see FIGS. 2 and 3(a)) has a recess 46 formed approximately in the center of the opposing surface 45 corresponding to the bottom of the above-mentioned vertical groove, and the recess 46 is A permanent magnet 47 is fitted into the inner bottom portion. In addition, the side circumferential surface from the portion corresponding to the groove walls on both sides of the above-mentioned vertical groove-like carving to the adjacent defining member holding portion 44 is slightly higher in the outer radial direction than the opposing surface 45, that is, slightly thicker toward the inner circumference. It has an outer circumferential surface portion 48, and a projecting portion 49 is formed at the upper end portion thereof. The outer diameter of the outer circumferential portion of the projecting portion 49 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the inner circumferential surface 27 of the container portion 20 (see also FIG. 1(a)).

The individual defining members 50 (see FIGS. 1 to 3, especially FIG. 2) are attached to the opposing surface 45 of the defining member retaining portion 44 of the rotary disk 42 of the alignment plate 40 when attached to the defining member retaining portion 44. It consists of a facing surface 51 that fits perfectly in the defining member holding part 44 when facing each other, and both side parts rising toward the outer circumference from both sides of the facing surface 51, which define one compartment 54 by surrounding the space from three sides. It has become something to do. In the illustrated example, three slits 56 are carved into the outer circumferential surface 55 at the tips of both sides to avoid interference with the partitioning portion 32 described above. Further, a convex portion 52 that can be fitted into the concave portion 46 is formed in a portion of the opposing surface 51 of the individual defining member 50 that faces the above-described concave portion 46, and a permanent magnet 53 is fitted into the convex portion 52. It is. In addition, in this compartment array structure 60 (see FIG. 3(b)), the magnets 53 are attached only to the individual defining members 50 at both ends, from the viewpoint of assisting the connection of the pair of connecting parts 61 and 62 at both ends. There is.

Further, the individual defining member 50 (see FIG. 2) is provided with a pair of shaft-like connecting portions 61 and a gutter-like connecting portion 62 at a portion closer to the opposing surface 51 on both sides thereof.
The pair of connecting portions 61 and 62 are divided into left and right sides of the individual defining member 50, and when the center portion of the shaft-like connecting portion 61 is pushed into the inside of the trough-like connecting portion 62 through the cut in the trough-like connecting portion 62, The shaft-like connecting portion 61 and the gutter-like connecting portion 62 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable on an axis, and are not easily separated even if the individual defining members 50, 50 are pulled in the separating direction. There is.
Furthermore, in such a connected state, if the center portion of the shaft-like connecting portion 61 is pulled toward the cut in the trough-like connecting portion 62, the two portions 61 and 62 can be easily separated. There is.

The compartment array structure 60 (see FIGS. 3(b) and 3(c)) holds about five such individual defining members 50, the same number as the defining member holding parts 44 of the rotary disk 42, in different directions. It is a single piece of braided work that is lined up in a row and connected to form a chain. When the alignment plate 40 is removed from the rotary disk 42 during storage, etc., only one pair of connecting portions 61, 62 is separated, and the remaining pairs of connecting portions 61, 62 are all connected, with both ends open. (See Figures 3(a) and (b)).
On the other hand, when it is wrapped around the rotary disk 42 and assembled into the alignment disk 40 (see FIG. 1), all the connecting portion pairs 61 and 62 are connected to form a circular ring, and the individual defining members 50 are defined. The members are attached to the member holding portion 44 one by one.

Then, when the compartment row structure 60 (see FIGS. 3(b) and (c)) is wrapped around the rotary disks 42 of the alignment plate common parts 41 to 43 (see FIG. 3(a)), One individual defining member 50 is attached to each of the five defining member holding portions 44 (see FIGS. 2 and 1), and the convex portion 52 and the recess 46 are fitted at any attachment point (44, 50). At the same time, the magnet 53 and the permanent magnet 47 are attracted to each other by magnetic force at the mounting location, so that the individual defining member 50 is stably held in the defining member holding portion 44.
Further, when the individual defining member 50 is attached to the defining member holding portion 44 in this manner, the slit 56 of the individual defining member 50 is connected to the defining member holding portion 44 on the outer surface of the individual defining member 50. It is formed on the part (55) that becomes the outer circumferential surface when it is attached.

Further (see FIG. 1(a)), when the compartment array structure 60 is wrapped around the rotary disk 42 and the individual defining member 50 is attached to the defining member holding portion 44, the partition acting portion 32 It is also adapted to enter the interior of the container part 20 and be located above the outlet 28 and at the same height as the slit 56 of the individual defining member 50 when attached to the part 20 . In addition, in the attached state, the inner peripheral outer peripheral surface portion 48, which is the outer peripheral surface portion of the outer peripheral surface of the rotary disk 42 located between the adjacent defining member holding parts 44, 44 (see FIG. 2), It is positioned closer to the inner circumference than the slit 56 of the defining member 50. Moreover, a projecting portion 49 protrudes above the inner peripheral surface portion 48 in order to prevent the tablet 2 from falling to a place other than the compartment 54.

In addition, as for the individual defining members 50, different compartments 54 can be used depending on the shape classification of the tablet 2 to be handled as described above, such as a larger compartment 54 or a smaller compartment 54. Therefore, in order to make it easier to manage, and furthermore to make it easier to visually see when the tablet is being worn, there are markings such as "W12-D11" indicating the size classification of compatible tablets on the inner side surface 57 of the compartment 54 of the individual defining member 50. An identification notation 58 is attached.
Further, in the individual defining member 50, a vertical notation 59 such as "↑" indicating the vertical direction of a posture suitable for mounting is attached to a different part of the same inner peripheral side surface 57.

The manner of use and operation of the tablet cassette 10 of Example 1 will be explained with reference to the above-mentioned drawings and the like.

These newly developed tablets have not yet been used as widely as conventional tablets manufactured and handled using special cassettes (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3 mentioned above), but they require manual dissemination work. Tablets are often relatively large in size, and are not used in such small numbers that it is enough to handle them. Furthermore, since it is rare for such large tablets to be used in a single dose, it is rare for a large number of tablets to be sequentially discharged from the cassette in a short period of time. Therefore, even if there is some variation in the size of the compartments of the sorting board, or even if the number of compartments is small, the necessary alignment and discharge functions can be achieved, so although the number of compartments 54 is small, The tablet cassette 10, in which the size of the compartments 54 can be easily changed by replacing the compartment array structure 60 that connects a plurality of individual defining members 50, is similar to the tablet cassette described in Patent Document 4, and can accommodate larger tablets. Suitable for automatic discharge.

The tablet cassette 10 requires that the size of its compartments 54 be adapted to the size of the tablet prior to its use, requiring manual selection of the appropriate individual defining member 50 and thus the compartment row arrangement 60. I will do it. The selection process involves measuring the length, width, and height of the tablet 2 to be handled with a caliper, etc., and out of these measured values, the corresponding value slightly larger than the length and width values (discrimination in Figure 3(c)). Since it is sufficient to select the individual defining members 50 and furthermore the compartment array arrangement bodies 60 having the following notation 58, it is possible to carry out the process simply and quickly. Note that among the above measured values, the height value is used when adjusting the partition unit 30, and is adjusted so that the partition action portion 32 is located at the slit 56 at a position higher than the height measurement value.

Then, the selected compartment array structure 60 is wrapped around the side circumferential surface of the rotary disk 42 of the alignment plate common parts 41 to 43. At this time, the upper and lower Check and adapt the orientation. Furthermore, positioning is also performed so that the individual defining members 50 contact the defining member holding portions 44 one by one. Specifically, by abutting the facing surface 51 of the individual defining member 50 against the facing surface 45 of the defining member holding portion 44 of the rotary disk 42 and then lightly moving the individual defining member 50 up and down, the individual defining member 50 is moved vertically. The convex portion 52 of the member 50 and the concave portion 46 of the rotary disk 42 are fitted together, and the magnets 53 of the individual defining members 50 at both ends of the compartment array structure 60 are attracted to the magnets 47 of the rotary disk 42 at the corresponding locations. It is temporarily fixed. Then, when the pair of connecting parts 61 and 62 at both ends of the compartment row structure 60 are connected, all the individual defining members 50 of the compartment row structure 60 and the compartments 54 are connected to the defining member holding portion 44. is positioned at an appropriate location and held fixedly.

By simply performing such a simple operation, the sizes of all the compartments 54 are adapted to the tablets 2, and the adjustment work of the alignment board 40 is completed, so the alignment board 40 is returned to the container section 20 and attached. Then (see FIG. 1(a)), the tablet cassette 10 can be used for random storage and sequential ejection of desired tablets 2.
Therefore, in addition to replenishing the tablet cassette 10 with an appropriate amount of tablets 2, select a tablet cassette installed in a tablet packaging machine or the like that will not be used for the time being, remove the tablet cassette from the drive unit, and remove the tablet cassette from the drive unit. Attach the tablet cassette 10 to the.

Since the subsequent usage and operation are the same as those of the previously described products, a detailed explanation will be omitted. The tablets 2 in the section easily enter the compartment 54 and are carried to the discharge port 28 as the alignment plate 40 rotates, and only those below the partitioning section 32 fall and are discharged. In addition, other tablets 2 ride on the overhanging part 49 and are carried above the discharge port 28 as the alignment plate 40 rotates, but not all of them fall immediately. Only those that are displaced on the overhanging portion 49 due to interference with the spacer and shifted onto the empty compartment 54 fall into the compartment 54.
In this way, the tablets 2 are sequentially ejected from the tablet cassette 10 as well by the rotation of the axis of the alignment plate 40.

The specific structure of Example 2 of the tablet cassette of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 shows a compartment array structure 70 in a different form from the compartment array structure 60 described above, in which (a) is an external perspective view of the compartment 54 side, and (b) is a perspective view of the compartment array structure 70. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the mounting side (opposing surface 51) of FIG.

This tablet cassette differs from the tablet cassette 10 of Example 1 described above in that a compartment row structure 70 is introduced in place of the compartment row structure 60.
In the compartment array structure 70 (see FIG. 4), a flat string-like flexible connecting member 71 is used as a connecting means for connecting the five individual defining members 50 in a row, instead of the plurality of connecting portion pairs 61 and 62. Only one has been adopted.

The flexible connecting member 71 partially bites into the facing surface 51 of the individual defining member 50 (see FIG. 4(b)), and is strongly coupled to each individual defining member 50.
In addition, connecting portions are formed at both ends of the flexible connecting member 71 (see FIG. 4), so that when the two end portions are stacked together, the connecting portions fit into the punched portions of the other party and connect to each other. The connecting member 71 can be easily attached by wrapping it around the rotary disk 42 of the alignment plate common parts 41 to 43 and then connecting both ends. It can also be easily removed in reverse order.

Furthermore (see FIG. 4(a)), the individual defining members 50 of the compartment array structure 70 also have a side surface closer to the inner periphery of the compartment chamber 54, similar to the individual defining member 50 of the compartment array array structure 60 described above. 57, an identification notation 58 such as "W12.5-D11.5" indicating the size classification of the compatible tablet, and an up/down notation 59 such as "↑" indicating the vertical direction of the posture suitable for wearing are attached.
Since the flexible connecting member 71 (see FIG. 4(b)) has a long flat surface, it is also possible to attach an identification information carrier 72 in which management data or the like is written in the form of a bar code or the like.

Note that (see FIG. 4), in the illustrated flexible connecting member 71, since the connecting portions at both ends are larger than the gap between the adjacent individual defining members 50, 50, the corresponding defining member holding portion 44 on the alignment board 40 is Although the arrangement is disturbed only in one place, it is not essential for the arrangement of the defining member holding portion 44 and the compartment chambers 54 to be arranged at equal angles or at equal pitches for sequential ejection of tablets. It is also possible to make the flexible connecting member 71 conformal by reinforcing only both ends of the member or adding reinforcing members to make the member smaller.
Further (see FIG. 4), in the compartment array structure 70 of this example, since the flexible connecting member 71 does not have a hole through which the convex part 52 is penetrated, the individual defining member 50 to be incorporated is inserted into the convex part. 52, but the flexible connecting member 71 may be formed with a hole for penetrating the convex portion 52, and the individual defining member 50 having the convex portion 52 may be combined with the flexible connecting member 71. It is possible.

[others]
As described above, the plurality of individual defining members 50 of the compartment array structure 60 are mounted without relative movement to the rotary disks 42 of the integrated alignment plate common parts 41 to 43, so that the alignment plate 40 is By assembling the components, gaps and voids between the members are smaller than when the compartment-defining member is movable (see, for example, Patent Document 4). (Refer to References 1 to 3), the tablet cassette can be used commonly for a variety of tablets with fewer unnecessary gaps and voids.

In the embodiment described above, the recess 46 of the rotating disk 42 and the convex portion 50 of the individual defining member 50 are used as means for preventing misalignment between the defining member holding portion 44 and the individual defining member 50 attached thereto. Although we have explained the combination with , the following are simple means that can be substituted for or added to it.
First, the so-called interfering parts for each chamber formed in the defining member holding portion 44 of the rotary disk 42 are the current defining members that interfere with both side surfaces of the individual defining members 50 to suppress displacement in the circumferential direction. A small radial protrusion is formed on the lower end 45a of the holding portion 44 (see FIG. 3(a)) to interfere with the bottom surface of the individual defining member 50, thereby suppressing misalignment in the axial direction. This can be mentioned.

Next, the so-called inter-room interference portion formed between the adjacent defining member holding portions 44, 44 on the rotary disk 42 is the connecting portion of the compartment array structure 60 wound around the rotary disk 42. Regarding the small radial protrusion 48a at the lower end of the outer circumferential surface portion 48 near the inner circumference of the rotary disk 42 where the flexible connecting members 71 of the compartment array structure 70 and the flexible connecting members 71 of the compartment array structure 70 are located (see FIG. 3(a)). ), the position of the upper end surface corresponds to the lower end position of the corresponding part of the connecting part pair 61, 62 and the flexible connecting member 71, and by interfering with both members, the positional shift in the axial direction is suppressed. can be mentioned.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the number of defining member holding parts 44 on the rotary disk 42 of the common alignment plate parts 41 to 43 and the number of individual defining members 50 in the compartment row structures 60, 70, and thus the number of individual defining members 50 on the alignment plate 40, Although the number of compartments 54 is five, the number is not limited to that, and may be more than five as long as the numbers of each section 44, 50, 54 are the same. It may be less than five.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the pair of permanent magnets 47 and 53 were used as a specific example of the means for removably temporarily fixing the individual defining member 50 to the defining member holding portion 44; It does not have to be a magnet, and one may be a ferromagnetic material. If it is a ferromagnetic material, it is possible to use an inexpensive general-purpose item, such as an iron screw with anti-rust plating, and it is easy to use because it does not repel depending on the orientation of the other magnet, and it is easy to use. When magnetized by magnetic force, the force of attraction increases. Furthermore, the embodiment of such temporary fixing means is not limited to the use of magnetic force, and may be, for example, a hook-and-loop fastener.

Further, although not mentioned in the above explanation to avoid complication, the tablet cassette 10 is also provided with a small number, for example, two downward abutting members attached to the rotary power transmission shaft 41 etc. (not shown in the figure). 1) A small number of thrusting members, for example, about two thrusting members (not shown) are attached to the upper surface of the bottom 25 of the container section 20, so that the abutment members are intermittently struck as the alignment plate 40 rotates. The alignment board 40 may be pushed up a little each time it passes over the upper member (for example, see Patent Document 3). By doing so, even if the tablets are agglomerated, the agglomeration will quickly break up and the individual tablets will easily fall into the compartment 54.

The tablet cassette of the present invention can be used in devices that incorporate multiple drive parts in the storage section, such as the drug packaging machine mentioned above, as well as in devices that are equipped with only one device, such as a tablet splitting device. It is possible to do so. Furthermore, it is also possible to use one tablet cassette by replacing it with several drive units, or by replacing several tablet cassettes with one drive unit.
A typical example of a tablet that can be handled by the tablet cassette of the present invention is a large, vertically elongated cylindrical capsule, but the tablets that can be handled are not limited to this; other dosage forms such as spindle-shaped or disc-shaped, and other sizes can also be used. Many tablets are also available.

2...Tablet, 4...Drive part (base), 6...Rotation drive shaft,
10...Tablet cassette,
20... Container part, 21... Container body,
22...Tablet storage space, 23...Handle, 24...Detachable part, 25...Bottom part,
26... Through hole, 27... Inner peripheral surface (alignment board insertion space), 28... Outlet,
30... Partition unit, 31... Partition holding part,
32... Partition action part, 33... Belt holding part, 34... Endless belt,
40... alignment board,
41...Rotation transmission shaft (alignment plate leg), 42...Rotary disk (alignment plate body),
43... Umbrella part (alignment board head), 44... Defining member holding part,
45... Opposing surface (opposing part when installed), 46... Recessed part (fitting part),
47...Magnet (attraction member), 48...Outer peripheral surface portion closer to the inner periphery, 49...Protrusion portion,
50...Individual defining member,
51...Opposing surface (opposing part when attached), 52... Convex part (fitting part),
53... Magnet (attraction member), 54... Compartment, 55... Outer peripheral surface,
56...Slit, 57...Side surface near inner circumference, 58...Identification notation, 59...Top and bottom notation,
60... compartmental room arrangement,
61... Shaft-like connection part, 62... Gutter-like connection part,
70... compartmental room arrangement,
71...Flexible connection member, 72...Identification information carrier

Claims (7)

The tablet comprises a container part capable of accommodating a large number of tablets, and an alignment plate that is rotatably housed in the container part and defines a plurality of compartments, and a discharge port is formed at the bottom of the container part. and a tablet cassette in which the tablets that have fallen into the compartment by rotating the axis of the alignment plate are successively dropped from the discharge port,
The alignment board includes a compartment array structure in which a plurality of individual defining members defining one of the compartments are connected in a row, and a plurality of holding parts on the circumferential surface to which the individual defining members can be attached and detached. and a rotary transmission shaft protruding downward from the rotary disc and penetrating the bottom surface of the container part, and by wrapping the compartment row structure around the rotary disc, the individual partitions can be rotated. The tablet cassette is characterized in that the component parts are attached to the holding part one by one. 2. A tablet cassette according to claim 1, characterized in that said individual defining members are provided with pivotable connections on both sides. Claim characterized in that the compartment array structure includes a flat string-like flexible connecting member, and the plurality of individual defining members are connected by the flexible connecting member. 1. The tablet cassette described in 1. As a means for preventing misalignment between the holding part and the individual defining member mounted thereon, a fittable unevenness is formed at a portion where the holding part and the individual defining member face each other when the holding part is mounted; Each chamber interference portion is formed in the holding portion and interferes with the side surface and bottom surface of the individual defining member, and the interfering portion is formed between adjacent holding portions and interferes with the corresponding portion of the compartment array structure. The tablet cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising one or more of the inter-chamber interference portions. A partition unit equipped with a partitioning portion is externally mounted on the container portion, and the individual defining member has a slit formed in a portion of its outer surface that becomes an outer circumferential surface when attached to the holding portion. The partitioning portion enters the container portion when the partition unit is attached to the container portion and is located above the outlet at the same height as the slit of the individual defining member. The rotary disk is configured such that a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the rotary disk located between one of the holding portions and the other one is located closer to the inner circumference than the slit, and The tablet cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a projecting portion is formed above the outer circumferential surface portion. The tablet according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an identification mark is attached to a portion of the individual defining member that defines the inner side surface of the compartment. cassette. The tablet according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a portion of the individual defining member that defines a side surface near the inner circumference of the compartment is labeled with a notation indicating up and down. cassette.

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