JP7410433B2 - Drug transport mechanism and drug extraction method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drug dispensing device that dispenses drug sheets such as PTP (Press Through Package) sheets and blister packaging sheets.

A drug dispensing device that dispenses drug sheets is equipped with a large number of drug storage cassettes that store drug sheets for each drug, and dispenses the required number of drug sheets from the selected drug storage cassette based on the input prescription data. It is supposed to be released. As such a medicine dispensing device, there is a medicine dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 1.

The drug dispensing device of Patent Document 1 accommodates a device main body and a plurality of drug sheets in which drugs are individually packaged in an overlapping state, and is attached to the device main body so that the overlapping direction of the drug sheets is horizontal. a drug storage cassette, a dispensing member that is movably provided in the main body of the device and that moves to the drug storage cassette and dispenses the stored drug sheet, and also cuts fractions as necessary before dispensing the drug sheet; and a gripping member that grips and conveys the drug sheet discharged by the member.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-41789

However, in the conventional drug dispensing device, since the moving unit in the cassette transport section is equipped with the dispensing member, the moving unit becomes heavy, and there are problems such as increased strength, accuracy, and cost in the cassette transport section. Ta. In addition, since the dispensing member is moved to the drug storage cassette and the dispensing member dispenses the drug sheets in the drug storage cassette, a plurality of drug sheets of different types specified by the prescription data can be dispensed. The disadvantage was that the total time required for the process was long.

In view of the above circumstances, this invention solves problems such as increased strength, accuracy, and cost in the cassette transport section, and also shortens the total time required to dispense multiple drug sheets of different types. To provide a drug dispensing device that provides advantages such as easy handling.

The drug dispensing device of the present invention includes a cassette shelf on which a plurality of drug storage cassettes containing drug sheets are arranged, an operation for taking out the drug storage cassette from the cassette shelf and conveying it to a delivery section, and a drug dispensing device on the delivery section. a cassette conveyance section that executes an operation of returning the storage cassette to the cassette shelf; a dispensing operation section that takes out the drug sheet from the drug storage cassette conveyed to the delivery section and takes out the taken out drug sheet; and the dispensing operation. The present invention is characterized by comprising a tray moving unit that moves the medicine tray so that the medicine tray receives the medicine sheet taken out from the medicine tray.

With the above configuration, there is no need for the cassette transport section to include the dispensing operation section, which tends to be heavy, so problems such as increased strength, precision, and cost in the cassette transport section can be solved. Furthermore, since the weight of the cassette conveyance unit can be reduced, the movement speed of the drug storage cassette can be increased, and the total time required to dispense multiple drug sheets of different types can be easily shortened. become.

There may be a plurality of the above-mentioned delivery sections. According to this, the cassette conveying section can immediately start the operation of taking out the second drug accommodating cassette to the cassette shelf after passing the first drug accommodating cassette taken out to the one delivery section. can. The dispensing operation section can take out the drug sheet from the first drug storage cassette in parallel with the moving operation of the cassette transport section. This makes it easy to shorten the total time required to dispense a plurality of different types of drug sheets.

A plurality of delivery parts are provided for one dispensing operation part, and each delivery part moves between the delivery position of the medicine storage cassette and the delivery position of the medicine sheet, or the delivery part moves between the delivery position of the medicine storage cassette and the delivery position of the medicine sheet, or It may be moved between a plurality of delivery sections. According to this, the medicine dispensing device can be of a type in which the number of the dispensing operation sections is smaller than the number of the delivery sections.

A plurality of the above-mentioned payout operation sections may be provided. When a plurality of the above-mentioned dispensing operation units are provided, the process of dispensing drug sheets from a plurality of drug storage cassettes can be performed in parallel, so the total time required to dispense multiple drug sheets of different types is reduced. It can be further shortened.

A plurality of the above dispensing operation sections may be provided, and one delivery section may be provided for each dispensing operation section. Even with such a configuration, it becomes easy to shorten the total time required to dispense a plurality of different types of drug sheets.

After the drug storage cassettes are sequentially conveyed to the delivery section, the drug storage cassettes from which the drug sheets have been completely dispensed may be returned from the delivery section to the cassette shelf.

When the drug storage cassette is sequentially transferred to the delivery section, the drug storage cassette may be transported to the delivery section of the dispensing operation section that has not yet received the drug storage cassette.

A dispensing section of the drug storage cassette from which the drug sheet is taken out faces the rear side of the drug dispensing device, and a dispensing operation section faces the front side of the drug dispensing device, and the drug sheet is transported to the delivery section. The dispensing section of the drug storage cassette and the dispensing operation section may face each other. According to this, there is no need for a half-rotation operation to face the dispensing section of the drug storage cassette transported to the delivery section and the dispensing operation section, and the total time required for dispensing the drug sheet is eliminated. It becomes easy to shorten the time.

The dispensing operation section may be provided directly below the cassette shelf, and the delivery section may be provided directly below the cassette transport section. According to this, the size of the drug dispensing device in the front and back direction is the sum of the size of the drug storage cassette in the front and back direction and the size of the cassette transport section in the front and back direction, so the size of the drug dispensing device It can be made more compact.

The dispensing operation section has a sheet stocker that temporarily stores the dispensed drug sheets, and when the drug tray arrives at a drug sheet outlet section provided in the sheet stocker, the drug sheet is The drug sheet may be released from the stocker. According to this, even if the drug tray has not arrived at the drug sheet exit portion of the sheet stocker, the process of dispensing a plurality of drug sheets can be performed, so that a plurality of drug sheets of different types can be dispensed. The total time required for dispensing can be shortened.

The cassette transport section may include a cassette loading/unloading section that performs a moving operation for taking out the medicine storage cassette from the cassette shelf and placing it in the cassette shelf.

The cassette loading/unloading section includes a back-and-forth moving section, and after moving the back-and-forth moving section in the front-back direction and pulling out the drug storage cassette from the cassette shelf by a first distance, grips the drug storage cassette and holds the drug storage cassette. The entire cassette may be pulled out from the cassette shelf by moving the medicine storage cassette size by a distance equal to the first distance in the gripped state. According to this, even if the drug storage cassettes are tightly loaded on the cassette shelf, the drug storage cassettes can be taken out. If the drug storage cassettes can be tightly loaded onto the cassette shelf, the drug dispensing device can be made more compact.

The tray moving section may receive the drug tray from the drug tray stocker and deliver the drug tray containing the drug sheet dispensed by the dispensing operation section to the drug tray stocker.

A medicine tray in which a plurality of storage recesses are formed in a plurality of rows or columns is used as the medicine tray, and the tray moving part moves the medicine tray in a first direction in a horizontal plane and in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The medicine tray may be moved to position each storage recess at the medicine sheet outlet of the dispensing operation section. According to this, the medicine dispensing device can be made more compact.

The tray moving section may include a fixed rail section that moves the drug tray only in the first direction, and a movable rail section that moves the drug tray in the first direction and the second direction.

The device may include a second tray moving unit that receives the drug tray from the tray moving unit and delivers the received drug tray to the tray moving unit. According to this, it becomes possible to operate a plurality of drug trays, such as keeping the next needed drug tray waiting in the second tray moving section.

The second tray moving section may include a movable rail section that moves the medicine tray in the first direction and the second direction.

The tray moving section includes a positioning section that regulates the position of the drug tray, and the positioning section stands up by rotation of the support shaft in the first rotation direction to allow the drug tray to pass; A plurality of stopper members are provided at different positions in the drug tray conveyance direction and are tilted when the support shaft rotates in a second rotation direction to prevent passage of the drug tray; The stopper member may be provided with an elastic member that allows the stopper member to not tilt so as to come into contact with a side surface of the medicine tray when the stopper member rotates in the direction. According to this, the medicine tray can be positioned with a simple structure.

The second tray moving section includes a positioning section that regulates the position of the drug tray, and the positioning section stands up when the support shaft is rotated in the first rotation direction to permit passage of the drug tray. On the other hand, a plurality of stopper members are provided at different positions in the drug tray conveying direction by being tilted by the rotation of the support shaft in the second rotation direction to prevent the drug tray from passing; The stopper member may include an elastic member that allows the stopper member not to be tilted so as to come into contact with a side surface of the medicine tray when it rotates in the rotational direction. According to this, the medicine tray can be positioned with a simple structure.

The medicine dispensing device includes a cassette shelf in which a plurality of medicine accommodating cassettes for accommodating medicine sheets are arranged, and a dispensing operation section that takes out the medicine sheet from the medicine accommodating cassette and dispenses the taken out medicine sheet. The two medicine sheets located in front and behind each other in the medicine storage cassette are set with their pocket forming sides facing each other, and the direction in which the two medicine sheets are lined up is caused by facing each other in this way. Information indicating the amount of orthogonal deviation may be recorded in the recording section. Further, the medicine sheet dispensing operation may be performed based on the amount of deviation.

The drug dispensing device includes a cassette shelf in which a plurality of drug storage cassettes for storing drug sheets are arranged, a dispensing operation unit that takes out the drug sheet from the drug storage cassette and outputs the taken out drug sheet, and the drug storage cassette. The sheet storage section stores a drug sheet for fractional drugs used to cut out fractional drugs, and the drug sheet for fractional drugs is rotated 180 degrees around the normal line of the sheet surface to store the drug. and a normal rotation rotation unit that changes the direction of the wide edge of the sheet to the opposite side, and when the dispensing operation unit rotates the medicine sheet taken out by 180 degrees, the medicine generated by the 180 degree rotation Processing may be performed to eliminate (absorb) fluctuations in the position of the lower edge of the sheet.

The process for eliminating the above-mentioned fluctuation may be a process of moving the drug sheet upward by a fixed distance or a non-fixed distance compared to a case where the drug sheet is not rotated by 180 degrees. The above-mentioned certain distance is preferably a distance that can be applied to as many types of drug sheets as possible. Further, the non-constant distance may be based on distance data indicating a deviation in the height direction of two drug sheets caused by facing each other.

The medicine dispensing device includes a cassette shelf in which a plurality of medicine accommodating cassettes for accommodating medicine sheets are arranged, and a dispensing operation section that takes out the medicine sheet from the medicine accommodating cassette and dispenses the taken out medicine sheet. If the dispensing operation section fails to take out the drug sheet, a portion of the dispensing operation section that is in contact with the drug sheet may be moved downward by a fixed distance or a non-fixed distance.

The above-mentioned certain distance is preferably a distance that can be applied to as many types of drug sheets as possible. Further, the non-constant distance may be based on distance data indicating a deviation in the height direction of two drug sheets caused by facing each other.

The medicine dispensing device includes a cassette shelf in which a plurality of medicine accommodating cassettes for accommodating medicine sheets are arranged, a dispensing operation section that takes out the medicine sheet from the medicine accommodating cassette and dispenses the taken out medicine sheet, and a dispenser for taking out the medicine sheet. a rotation part around the normal that rotates the drug sheet 180 degrees around the normal line of the sheet surface and changes the direction of the wide edge of the drug sheet to the opposite side; When the dispensing operation section moves from the reference position to approach the lateral edge of the medicine sheet taken out, and detects the lateral edge, the dispensing operation section records the distance d indicating the distance to and a sheet gripping part that grips the drug sheet, and the sheet gripping part moves the drug sheet to perform the dispensing operation based on the distance d and the distance D from the reference position to the axial position of the normal rotating part. The sheet gripping section may be moved so as to eliminate lateral positional deviation of the drug sheet when received from the medical department.

According to this, the sheet gripping section detects the lateral edge of the drug sheet, so even if the drug sheet taken out from the drug storage cassette is misaligned in the lateral direction, it can appropriately grip the drug sheet. . Then, when the sheet gripping section receives the drug sheet from the dispensing operation section and passes it to the dispensing operation section again, the lateral positional shift can be eliminated (absorbed). In other words, the normal rotation rotating section can rotate the drug sheet around the center of the drug sheet.

The drug dispensing device includes a cassette shelf in which a plurality of drug storage cassettes storing drug sheets are arranged, a dispensing operation section that takes out the drug sheet from the drug storage cassette and outputs the taken out drug sheet, and a dispensing operation section that takes out the drug sheet from the drug storage cassette. A recording unit (such as a master table) in which size information of the drug storage cassette related to size (sheet width, seat height, etc.) is recorded for each drug, and outputs the size information of the drug storage cassette for each drug. and an information output unit (display, etc.) for changing the storage size of the drug storage cassette by moving the size adjustment member, and indicating the adjustment position of the size adjustment member corresponding to the storage size. The storage size adjustment mechanism may be provided.

According to this, when adjusting the storage size of the drug storage cassette to match the size of the sheet of the drug to be stored, for example, "3" is displayed on the information output unit as size information about the drug. If so, the operator should just move the size adjustment member to the adjustment position where "3" is shown. Therefore, the operator can accurately adjust the storage size of the medicine storage cassette without having knowledge about the size of the medicine sheet.

The drug dispensing device includes a cassette shelf on which a plurality of drug storage cassettes are arranged, which includes a sheet storage section for storing drug sheets and drug sheets for fraction cutting, and a cassette shelf for taking out the drug sheets from the drug storage cassettes. , a dispensing operation section for dispensing the taken-out drug sheet, and a recording section (such as a master table) in which size information of the sheet storage section related to the size of the drug sheet (sheet height, etc.) is recorded for each drug; an information output unit (display, etc.) that outputs size information of the sheet storage unit for each drug; A storage size adjustment mechanism may be provided in which the adjustment position of the size adjustment member corresponding to the size is indicated.

With this invention, problems such as increased strength, accuracy, and cost in the cassette transport section can be solved. Further, it is possible to obtain advantages such as being able to quickly dispense a plurality of different types of drug sheets.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a medicine dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a medicine tray used in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing another example of the medicine tray. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the medicine storage cassette used in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 with the lid removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the medicine storage cassette used in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 with the lid and main body removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the medicine storage cassette used in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 with the lid, main body, upper frame, etc. removed. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between a medicine sheet and a delivery section of a medicine storage cassette used in the medicine delivery device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the medicine storage cassette used in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 with the lid part, main body part, upper frame part, one guide side plate, etc. removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a lid of a medicine storage cassette used in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. The same figure (A) is a perspective view showing the drug storage cassette used in the drug dispensing device of FIG. 1 (one guide side plate etc. are removed), and the same figure (B) is a perspective view of the constant force spring. be. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cassette loading/unloading section provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a back-and-forth moving section of the cassette loading/unloading section of FIG. 12; FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a back-and-forth moving section of the cassette loading/unloading section of FIG. 12; 13 is a perspective view showing a rail unit of the cassette loading/unloading section of FIG. 12. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a rail unit of the cassette loading/unloading section of FIG. 12. FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a cassette gripping section of the cassette loading/unloading section of FIG. 12; 2 is a perspective view showing a dispensing operation section, a delivery section, and a delivery section moving section provided in the drug dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a dispensing operation section, a delivery section, and a delivery section moving section provided in the drug dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a delivery section and a delivery section moving section provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1; 2 is a plan view showing a delivery section provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a delivery section, a drug storage cassette, and a delivery section moving section provided in the drug dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a delivery section moving section and a sheet stocker provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a sheet stocker provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a delivery section, a delivery section moving section, and a sheet stocker provided in the drug dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the axis for rotating the drug sheet and the orientations of the pocket and wide edge of the drug sheet. It is a figure showing an embodiment of this invention, and is an explanatory view showing the axis which rotates a drug sheet. 2 is a perspective view showing a dispensing operation section provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a dispensing operation section provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a suction operation section provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 30. FIG. 30A is a perspective view showing the suction main body of the suction operation section in FIG. 30, and FIG. 30B is a perspective view showing the normal rotating section. FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views showing a second tray moving section provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 34 is a perspective view showing a stopper of a positioning section provided in the second tray moving section of FIG. 33. FIG. 34 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the positioning section and the medicine tray in the second tray moving section of FIG. 33. FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between a dispensing operation section and a delivery section of a medicine dispensing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between a dispensing operation section and a delivery section of a medicine dispensing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 37(A), 37(B), and 37(C) are explanatory views showing the suction operation of the drug sheet by the suction main body of FIG. 31(A). FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a message displayed on the display shown in FIG. 1; 2 is a flowchart showing an example of processing when a medicine sheet suction error occurs in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the sheet detection position of the sheet gripping section at the reference position, the sheet center position, and the sheet lateral edge position from the sheet center position in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 .

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the medicine dispensing device 101 of this embodiment includes a cassette shelf 1011 on which a plurality of medicine storage cassettes 1 for storing PTP sheets 100, which are medicine sheets, are arranged, and a medicine storage cassette 1. A cassette transport section 2 that performs an operation of taking out the cassette from the cassette shelf 1011 and transporting it to a plurality of delivery sections 3 and an operation of returning the drug storage cassette 1 on the delivery section 3 to the cassette shelf 1011, and transporting it to the delivery section 3. A dispensing operation section 110 that takes out the PTP sheet 100 from the drug storage cassette 1 that has been loaded and takes out the taken out PTP sheet 100 from a drug sheet outlet section 1120; a tray moving section 5 that moves the drug tray T so that the drug tray T receives the sheet 100; a second tray moving section 500 that transfers the drug tray T between the tray moving section 5; A tray stocker 1012 is provided for supplying the medicine trays T to the tray moving part 5 and for receiving the medicine trays T that have received medicines from the tray moving part 5. The drug sheet outlet section 1120 is provided in the sheet stocker 112 that temporarily stores the PTP sheet 100 taken out from the drug storage cassette 1.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the cassette shelf 1011 includes a plurality of loading spaces in the vertical and horizontal directions of the medicine dispensing device 101. The drug storage cassette 1 is set in the loading space so as to be removable in the front and rear directions of the drug dispensing device 101. The medicine dispensing device 101 can be installed with its rear side (dorsal side) in contact with a wall surface of a building. The cassette transport unit 2 also includes a cassette loading/unloading unit 21 for performing a moving operation for taking out the drug storage cassette 1 from the cassette shelf 1011 and placing it in the cassette shelf 10131; In the arrangement range of the drug storage cassette 1 and the arrangement range of the delivery section 3 located directly below the cassette transport section 2, a moving mechanism 22 is provided that moves the medicine storage cassette 1 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The moving mechanism 22 includes, for example, a motor, a pulley rotated by the motor, a drive belt moved by the pulley, and a support member supporting these. The cassette transport section 2 does not include the dispensing operation section 110. In this manner, the cassette transport section 2 does not include the dispensing operation section, which tends to be heavy, so problems such as increased strength, accuracy, and cost in the cassette transport section 2 can be solved. Furthermore, since the weight of the cassette conveyance unit 2 can be reduced, the moving speed of the medicine storage cassette 1 can be increased, and the total time required to dispense a plurality of medicine sheets of different types can be shortened. becomes easier.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of PTP sheets 100 are stored in the storage section 11 of the medicine storage cassette 1 in an upright state, stacked in the lateral direction (horizontal direction). That is, the plurality of PTP sheets 100 are arranged in the normal direction of the sheet surface. For example, the normal to the sheet surface is the normal to the center of the sheet surface of the PTP sheet 100. Here, the normal line at the center position of the sheet surface is parallel to the perpendicular line (orthogonal line) to the sheet surface when it is assumed that the PTP sheet 100 is not a curved surface but a flat surface. Further, for example, the direction of the normal line of the sheet surface is made equal to the front-rear direction of the medicine dispensing device and the moving direction of the medicine storage cassette 1.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, two dispensing operation units 110 are provided in the left-right direction directly below the cassette shelf 1011. For example, a weight scale is provided between the two dispensing operation units 110 to measure the weight of the drug storage cassette 1 in which the PTP sheet 100 is accommodated. The drug accommodating cassette 1 is set on the weight scale by the cassette transport section 2. The weight obtained by the weight measurement, the known weight of the empty drug storage cassette 1, the weight data of one PTP sheet 100 accommodated in the weight-measured drug storage cassette 1, and the PTP sheet. 100, the number of PTP sheets 100 accommodated in the weighed drug storage cassette 1 and the fractional number of packaged drugs can be calculated. The above data is stored in a master table. In addition, the above master table includes size data of the PTP sheet 100 (length from the center of the sheet to the side edge for each drug, length from the center of the sheet to the lower edge, etc.), and the height indicating the deviation height for each drug. H data and size information for each drug, which will be described later, are also recorded.

Two delivery units 3 are provided for each delivery operation unit 110, and each delivery unit 3 has a delivery position (also referred to as a standby position) for the drug storage cassette 1 and a delivery position for the PTP sheet 100. move between. This movement is performed by the delivery section moving section 4. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the two dispensing operation sections 110, the dispensing operation section 110 on the right side of the drug dispensing device 101 is the first dispensing operation section 110, and the dispensing operation section 110 on the left side of the drug dispensing device 101 is the second dispensing operation section 110. It is called a payout operation section 110. Further, the delivery section moving section 4 on the right side of the drug dispensing device 101 is referred to as a first delivery section moving section 4, and the delivery section moving section 4 on the left side of the drug dispensing device 101 is referred to as a second delivery section moving section 4. Further, when distinguishing the four delivery units 3, they are referred to as the first delivery unit 3, the second delivery unit 3, the third delivery unit 3, and the fourth delivery unit 3 in order from the right side of the drug dispensing device 101. In the state shown in FIG. 1, the first delivery section 3 is at the delivery position, and the second delivery section 3 is at the payout position.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 1005 of the drug dispensing device 101 processes information input from the input unit 1003 and displays the processed information on the display 1002. For example, the user uses the input unit 1003 to input information such as which PTP sheet 100 is stored in which drug storage cassette 1, and replenishment when replenishing the PTP sheet 100 in the drug storage cassette 1. It is possible to input the number of sheets, prescription data for dispensing, etc. Various information can be stored in the storage unit 1004 through the processing of the control unit 1005 described above. Further, the storage unit 1004 stores the master table. Furthermore, based on the prescription data, the control unit 1005 moves the cassette loading/unloading unit 21 of the cassette conveying unit 2 to the target drug storage cassette 1, executes the cassette retrieval process, and performs the following operations. As described in the operation overview, the delivery section 3, the delivery section moving section 4, the tray moving section 5, the dispensing operation section 110, etc. are controlled based on the outputs of various sensors, the drive amount of the motor, and the like.

[Overview of drug dispensing operation]
An overview of the PTP sheet 100 dispensing process by the drug dispensing device 101 will be described. The drug storage cassette 1 is set on the cassette shelf 1011 with its lid 140 facing the rear side of the drug dispensing device 101. The lid 140 opens and closes the dispensing section 120 in the medicine storage cassette 1.

The control unit 1005 controls the moving mechanism 22 based on the prescription data and the master data, and moves the cassette loading/unloading unit to the location of the drug storage cassette 1 in which the PTP sheet 100 specified by the prescription data is stored. Move 21. When the cassette loading/unloading section 21 is moved to the position of the medicine storage cassette 1 in which the designated PTP sheet 100 is stored, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 grips and takes out the medicine storage cassette 1.

When the removal of the medicine storage cassette 1 is completed, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 holding the medicine storage cassette 1 is moved by the moving mechanism 22 to the first delivery section 3 and the second receiving section waiting at the delivery position. It is moved to a position above any one of the transfer section 3, the third transfer section 3, and the fourth transfer section 3. Then, the cassette loading/unloading unit 21 releases the gripping state and passes the gripped drug storage cassette 1 to one of the delivery units 3.

The delivery unit 3 that has received the drug storage cassette 1 chucks the drug storage cassette 1. The delivery section 3 that has chucked the drug storage cassette 1 is moved to the delivery position by the delivery section moving section 4. At the dispensing position, the lid 140 side of the drug storage cassette 1 faces the dispensing operation section 110. After this facing, the lid 140 of the drug storage cassette 1 is opened by the dispensing operation section 110. Then, the dispensing operation section 110 takes out the PTP sheets 100 in the storage section 11 of the medicine storage cassette 1 in the number specified by the prescription data. In this embodiment, the suction body section 61 (see FIG. 30) of the suction operation section 6 provided in the dispensing operation section 110 approaches the dispensing section 120 of the drug storage cassette 1 and closes the leading PTP sheet 100. by suctioning and moving in a direction away from the drug storage cassette 1, the leading PTP sheet 100 is pulled out from the dispensing section 120, and by stopping the suction operation, the leading PTP sheet 100 is moved away from the dispensing operation section. 110 onto the sheet stocker 112 (see FIG. 24). A storage shutter is provided at the drug sheet outlet section 1120 of the sheet stocker 112, and the PTP sheet 100 is stored on this storage shutter.

The tray moving section 5 moves the drug tray T below the storage shutter of the sheet stocker 112 of the dispensing operation section 110. As shown in FIG. 4(A), the medicine tray T has four accommodation recesses T1, T2, T3, and T4 formed in two rows and two columns. The tray moving section 5 moves one of the plurality of storage recesses T1, T2, T3, and T4 to the first dispensing operation section 110 or the second dispensing operation section 110 by moving the drug tray T in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. It is located below the drug sheet outlet section 1120 of the sheet stocker 112 of the dispensing operation section 110.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, since four delivery sections 3 are provided, four drug storage cassettes 1 can be sequentially taken out from the cassette shelf 1011 and delivered to the delivery section 3. Furthermore, since two dispensing operation units 110 are provided, the process of dispensing PTP sheets 100 to two drug storage cassettes 1 can be performed in parallel. The drug tray T can accommodate up to four types of PTP sheets 100.

As described above, when a plurality of delivery sections 3 are provided, the cassette transport section 2 passes the first medicine storage cassette 1 taken out to one delivery section 3, and then immediately transfers the second medicine storage cassette 1. The operation of taking out the cassettes from the cassette shelf 1011 can be started. Then, the dispensing operation unit 110 that has received the first medicine storage cassette 1 can take out the PTP sheet 100 from the medicine storage cassette 1 in parallel with the operation of the cassette transport unit 2. Thereby, the time required for dispensing different types of drug sheets based on prescription data can be shortened.

In a configuration in which, for example, two (a plurality of) delivery units 3 are provided for one payout operation unit 110, the following advantages can be obtained. That is, while dispensing is being performed for the drug accommodating cassette 1 previously delivered to one dispensing operation section 110, another drug accommodating cassette 1 taken out from the cassette shelf 1011 is placed on standby in another delivery section 3. Immediately after the dispensing for the previously delivered medicine accommodating cassette 1 is completed, the dispensing process can be executed for another medicine accommodating cassette 1 that has been kept on standby. Thereby, the time required for dispensing a plurality of drug sheets can be further shortened.

When two (plurality) of the dispensing operation units 110 are provided, for example, the process of taking out the PTP sheets 100 from the plurality of drug storage cassettes 1 can be performed in parallel, so the dispensing process of the plurality of drug sheets can be performed in parallel. The time required for this can be further reduced.

Here, an example of the operation timing of the cassette transport section 2, the first to fourth delivery sections 3, the first dispensing operation section 110, the second dispensing operation section 110, and the tray moving section 5 will be explained. Shown in Figure 3. In this FIG. 3, the horizontal axis shows time, and the vertical axis shows the operation details of each part. Since there is only one cassette transport section 2, the series of operations for supplying the drug storage cassette 1 to the four delivery sections 3 is repeated four times in order to dispense the four types of PTP sheets 100. Further, a series of operations for receiving the drug storage cassettes 1 from the four delivery sections 3 and returning them to the cassette shelf 1011 is repeated four times.

Here, in this embodiment, the first delivery unit 3 receives the first medicine storage cassette 1 that stores the first medicine to be taken out first, and stores the second medicine to be taken out second. The third delivery unit 3 receives the first medicine storage cassette 1, and the second delivery unit 3 receives the third medicine storage cassette 1 that stores the third medicine to be taken out, and the fourth medicine is taken out. The fourth delivery section 3 receives the fourth drug storage cassette 1 containing the fourth drug.

Note that, based on the prescription data, the four types of medicines to be dispensed may be defined as the first medicine, the second medicine, the third medicine, and the fourth medicine in descending order of the number of medicines dispensed. Alternatively, based on the above prescription data, the four types of drugs to be dispensed may be defined as the first drug, the second drug, the third drug, and the fourth drug in descending order of the number of fractional packaged drugs. good. Alternatively, based on the above prescription data, the four types of drugs to be dispensed are defined as the first drug, the second drug, the third drug, and the fourth drug in the order of the estimated time required for dispensing. You can do it like this. It can be estimated that the longer the number of PTP sheets 100 to be dispensed or the number of fractional packaging drugs, the longer the time required for dispensing. Alternatively, each storage section of the cassette shelf 1011 may be numbered, and the storage section numbers may be defined in descending order as the first drug, the second drug, the third drug, and the fourth drug. It's okay. Alternatively, the four drugs described in the prescription data may be defined as the first drug, the second drug, the third drug, and the fourth drug in the order of description.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, first, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 is moved by the moving mechanism 22 to the location of the first medicine storage cassette 1 that stores the first medicine. After this movement, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 grips and pulls out the first drug storage cassette 1. The cassette loading/unloading section 21 that grips the first medicine storage cassette 1 is moved to the standby position of the first delivery section 3 by the moving mechanism 22 . The first delivery section 3 receives the first drug storage cassette 1 from the cassette loading/unloading section 21 and chucks it. The first delivery section moving section 4 moves the first delivery section 3 and sets the first drug storage cassette 1 at the dispensing position. Then, the first dispensing operation unit 110 starts an operation to take out the PTP sheet 100, which is the first medicine, from the first medicine storage cassette 1. Further, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 that has delivered the first drug storage cassette 1 to the first delivery section 3 separates from the first delivery section 3 .

The cassette loading/unloading section 21 is moved by the upper/BR>L moving mechanism 22 to the location of the second medicine storage cassette 1 that stores the second medicine. After this movement, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 grips and pulls out the second medicine storage cassette 1. The cassette loading/unloading section 21 that grips the second drug storage cassette 1 is moved to the standby position of the third delivery section 3 by the moving mechanism 22 . The third delivery section 3 receives the second drug storage cassette 1 from the cassette loading/unloading section 21 and chucks it. The second delivery section moving section 4 moves the third delivery section 3 and sets the second drug storage cassette 1 at the dispensing position. Then, the second dispensing operation section 110 starts the operation of dispensing the PTP sheet 100, which is the second drug, from the second drug storage cassette 1. Furthermore, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 that has delivered the second drug storage cassette 1 to the third delivery section 3 separates from the third delivery section 3 .

The cassette loading/unloading section 21 is moved by the moving mechanism 22 to the location of the third medicine storage cassette 1 that stores the third medicine. After this movement, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 grips and pulls out the third medicine storage cassette 1. The cassette loading/unloading section 21 that grips the third medicine storage cassette 1 is moved to the standby position of the second delivery section 3 by the moving mechanism 22 . The second delivery section 3 receives the third drug storage cassette 1 from the cassette loading/unloading section 21 and chucks it. The first delivery section moving section 4 moves the second delivery section 3 and sets the third drug storage cassette 1 at the dispensing position. Then, the first dispensing operation unit 110 starts an operation of dispensing the PTP sheet 100, which is the third drug, from the third drug storage cassette 1. Further, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 that has delivered the third drug storage cassette 1 to the second delivery section 3 separates from the second delivery section 3 .

The cassette loading/unloading section 21 is moved by the moving mechanism 22 to the location of the fourth medicine storage cassette 1 that stores the fourth medicine. After this movement, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 grips and pulls out the fourth drug storage cassette 1. The cassette loading/unloading section 21 that grips the fourth medicine storage cassette 1 is moved to the standby position of the fourth delivery section 3 by the moving mechanism 22 . The fourth delivery section 3 receives the fourth drug storage cassette 1 from the cassette loading/unloading section 21 and chucks it. The second delivery section moving section 4 moves the fourth delivery section 3 and sets the fourth drug storage cassette 1 at the dispensing position. Then, the second dispensing operation section 110 starts the operation of dispensing the PTP sheet 100, which is the fourth drug, from the fourth drug storage cassette 1. Furthermore, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 that has delivered the fourth drug storage cassette 1 to the fourth delivery section 3 separates from the fourth delivery section 3 .

The dispensing operation section 110 cannot receive the next drug unless the PTP sheet 100 stored in the sheet stocker 112 is released from the drug sheet outlet section 1120. For this reason, the control section 1005 controls the tray moving section 5 to position the accommodation recess T1 of the drug tray T below the drug sheet outlet section of the first dispensing operation section 110. Further, the control unit 1005 controls the operation of the first dispensing operation unit 110 to complete dispensing the specified number of sheets of the first medicine, and also to complete the operation of positioning the accommodation recess T1 below the medicine sheet outlet part 1120. Under such conditions, the sheet stocker 112 in the first dispensing operation section 110 is opened, and the PTP sheet 100, which is the first medicine, is discharged, for example, into the accommodation recess T1. Note that after dispensing the first medicine and moving the first delivery section 3 to the standby position, the second delivery section 3 is moved from the standby position to the dispensing position.

Further, the control section 1005 controls the tray moving section 5 to position the accommodation recess T2 of the drug tray T below the drug sheet outlet section of the second dispensing operation section 110. Then, the control unit 1005 determines that the second dispensing operation unit 110 has completed the operation of dispensing the specified number of sheets of the second medicine, and has completed the operation of positioning the accommodation recess T2 below the medicine sheet outlet section 1120. Under these conditions, the sheet stocker 112 in the second dispensing operation section 110 is opened, and the PTP sheet 100 serving as the second medicine is discharged into the accommodation recess T2.

When the first dispensing operation section 110 completes discharging the PTP sheet 100 serving as the first medicine, the control section 1005 controls the first dispensing operation section 110 to dispense a specified number of sheets of the third medicine. Then, the control unit 1005 determines that the first dispensing operation unit 110 has completed the operation of dispensing the specified number of sheets of the third medicine, and has completed the operation of positioning the accommodation recess T3 below the medicine sheet outlet part. Under these conditions, the sheet stocker 112 in the first dispensing operation section 110 is opened, and the PTP sheet 100, which is the third drug, is discharged into the storage recess T3.

Further, when the second dispensing operation unit 110 completes discharging the PTP sheet 100 serving as the second medicine, the control unit 1005 controls the second dispensing operation unit 110 to dispense a specified number of sheets of the fourth medicine. Then, the control unit 1005 determines that the second dispensing operation unit 110 has completed the operation of dispensing the specified number of sheets of the No. 4 medicine, and has completed the operation of positioning the accommodation recess T4 below the medicine sheet outlet. Under these conditions, the sheet stocker 112 in the second dispensing operation section 110 is opened, and the PTP sheet 100, which is the fourth drug, is discharged into the storage recess T4.

The control section 1005 controls the tray moving section 5 to transfer the drug tray T that has received the four types of drugs to the stacking section of the tray stocker 1012.

Further, the control unit 1005 controls the cassette conveyance unit 2 to execute a process of returning the drug storage cassette 1, which has been waiting at the delivery position after the dispensing of the PTP sheet 100 is completed, to the cassette shelf 1011. This return process can be performed, for example, in the order of the first medicine storage cassette 1, the second medicine storage cassette 1, the third medicine storage cassette 1, and the fourth medicine storage cassette 1. Alternatively, the drug storage cassette 1 waiting at the delivery position closest to the location of the drug storage cassette 1 returned to the cassette shelf 1011 can be returned to the cassette shelf 1011 with priority.

Here, for example, when the first medicine storage cassette 1, the second medicine storage cassette 1, and the third medicine storage cassette 1 are sequentially transported to the delivery section 3, the first medicine When the medicine dispensing of the storage cassette 1 has been completed, the first medicine storage cassette 1 is placed on the cassette shelf before the fourth medicine storage cassette 1 is transported to the fourth delivery section 3. It is conceivable to execute processing to return to 1011. However, in such processing, even though it is possible to start dispensing medicine from the fourth medicine accommodating cassette 1 after dispensing the medicine from the second medicine accommodating cassette 1, the fourth medicine cassette 1 It may happen that medicine dispensing cannot be started in the storage cassette 1. This increases the time required to process the dispensing of a plurality of drug sheets.

In the operation example shown in FIG. 3, the drug storage cassette 1 is sequentially conveyed to the four delivery sections 3, and then the drug storage cassette 1 from which the PTP sheet 100 has been completely dispensed is transferred from the delivery section 3. The transport of the cassettes back to the cassette shelf is repeated in sequence. According to this, when the drug dispensing in the second drug accommodating cassette 1 is completed and the drug dispensing in the fourth drug accommodating cassette 1 can be started, the drug dispensing in the fourth drug accommodating cassette 1 can be started immediately. Now you can start. Therefore, the time required for dispensing a plurality of drug sheets can be shortened.

Next, regarding the medicine storage cassette 1, the cassette loading/unloading section 21, the moving mechanism 22, the delivery section 3, the dispensing operation section 110, the delivery section moving section 4, and the tray moving section 5. , we will explain each structure example.

[Drug storage cassette]
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the dispensing section 120 of the drug storage cassette 1 is provided with first restricting sections 121 at two locations, upper and lower.

The first restricting portion 121 includes a contact member 121a that contacts the upper edge or the lower edge of the first PTP sheet 100, and a contact member that contacts the upper edge or the lower edge of the PTP sheet 100 so that the contact member 121a can get over the upper edge or the lower edge of the PTP sheet 100. 121a, and a spring 121c that biases the contact member 121a in a direction in which the PTP sheet 100 is stopped.

The support portion 121b is a horizontal axis, and the contact member 121a is rotatably supported around this horizontal axis. The spring 121c is wound around the support portion 121b, and both ends thereof are fixed. A central portion of the spring 121c engages with the contact member 121a.

The upper first restricting section 121 is provided on an upper frame section 123 that constitutes an upper frame section of the dispensing section 120 and is movable up and down. A dial 123a is rotatably engaged with both ends of the upper frame portion 123. The dial 123a is screwed into a screw portion 123b, and when the dial 123a is rotated, the dial 123a moves up and down. The screw portion 123b is provided in the cassette main body. As the dial 123a moves up and down, the upper frame portion 123 moves up and down. That is, when the dial 123a is turned, the upper frame section 123 moves in the vertical direction, and the height of the dispensing section 120 (the height of the upper contact member 121a) can be adjusted. Therefore, a plurality of types of PTP sheets 100 having different heights can be stored using the drug storage cassette 1 having a common structure.

Further, the drug storage cassette 1 is equipped with a storage size adjustment mechanism in which the storage size is changed by moving the size adjustment member, and the adjustment position of the size adjustment member corresponding to the storage size is indicated. Good too. For example, numbers 1 to 3 for accommodation sizes are printed or engraved in the vertical direction on the side that supports the dial 123a, and an arrow mark is placed on the upper frame portion 123 as the size adjustment member that moves with the rotation of the dial 123a. A mark is printed or engraved to indicate the number of the accommodation size. The above arrow mark indicates the number of the currently set storage size. When the operator turns the dial 123a and the arrow mark points to the accommodation size "3", the upper frame portion 123 has been set to the third accommodation size.

The master table stores size information for each drug. For example, if medicine A is stored in the medicine storage cassette 1 No. 25 and the size information regarding the height of the PTP sheet 100 for the medicine A is "2", the control unit 1005 displays the above on the display 1002. It is displayed that the size information regarding the height of the PTP sheet 100 of drug A is "2". When "2" is displayed on the display 1002 as size information regarding the height of the PTP sheet 100 for the drug A, the operator should check that the arrow mark on the drug storage cassette 1 No. 25 indicates the number "2". Turn the dial 123a as indicated. Thereby, even if the operator is not an expert, the upper frame portion 123 can be set at a position suitable for the height of the PTP sheet 100 for the drug A.

Furthermore, two sheet restraining parts 124 are provided on both sides of the first restricting part 121 in the upper frame part 123. As shown in FIG. 7, the sheet suppressing portion 124 is formed by integrally forming a sheet contacting portion 124a and a spring portion 124b. The spring portion 124b is supported by the upper frame portion 123, and the sheet contact portion 124a presses the PTP sheet 100 downward with an appropriate force.

Separately from the first restricting portion 121, second restricting portions 122 are provided at two locations on the left and right so as to contact the left and right edges of the first PTP sheet 100. The second restricting section 122 is made of an elastic piece that can be deformed in the left-right direction of the dispensing section 120. The left and right edges of the first PTP sheet 100 come into contact with the second restricting portion 122 . A locking part 122a formed in a V-groove shape that can pinch the left and right edges of the PTP sheet 100 in the storage part 11 is formed at the tip of the second restricting part 122, and a locking part 122a is formed at the tip of the second restricting part 122. 100 is restricted in movement by its left and right edges being locked by the locking portions 122a. The rear end portion of the second restricting portion 122 is engaged with guide side plates 125 disposed on the left and right sides of the accommodating portion 11 . A notch is formed at the portion of the guide side plate 125 where the second restricting portion 122 is provided, and the locking portion 122a is located within this notch. The PTP sheet 100 is guided by the guide side plates 125, but at this time, the left and right edges of the PTP sheet 100 are prevented from entering too deeply into the V-groove.

As also shown in FIG. 8, the PTP sheet 100 is stored in the storage section 11 of the drug storage cassette 1 so that the long sides are oriented horizontally and the short sides are oriented vertically. Therefore, the first restricting portion 121 is in contact with the long edge of the PTP sheet 100, and the second restricting portion 122 is in contact with the short edge of the PTP sheet 100.

As shown in FIG. 9, biasing portions 126 are provided on the left and right guide side plates 125, respectively. The urging portion 126 urges the left and right guide side plates 125 so that the distal ends of the left and right guide side plates 125 (the side closer to the dispensing portion 120) are closer to each other. The rear end side of the guide side plate 125 is engaged with the left and right rising side plates of the cassette main body, and the biasing portion 126 is located between the rising side plate and the guide side plate 125. Further, the angle between the biasing portion 126 and the guide side plate 125 is regulated by the position of the angle regulating member 126b that is fitted into the sawtooth uneven portion 126a in the moving direction of the PTP sheet 100. The angle regulating member 126b is movable in the moving direction of the PTP sheet 100 with respect to the sawtooth uneven portion 126a. The farther the angle regulating member 126b is moved from the dispensing part 120, the larger the maximum angle formed by the urging part 126 and the guide side plates 125 becomes, and the tips of the left and right guide side plates 125 approach each other. Therefore, even if the size of the PTP sheet 100 is small and its left and right edges do not touch the guide side plates 125 at the rear end sides of the left and right guide side plates 125, the tips of the left and right guide side plates 125 The leading PTP sheet 100 is guided in contact with the guide side plate 125 to the center of the dispensing section 120 . That is, a plurality of types of PTP sheets 100 having different widths can be accommodated using the drug storage cassette 1 having a common structure.

Further, for example, numbers 1 to 3 of the accommodated sizes are printed or engraved in the vicinity of the serrated uneven portion 126a, and the current setting is determined by the location where the angle regulating member 126b serving as the size adjusting member is located. The number of the accommodated size may be displayed to the operator. When the operator sets the angle regulating member 126b to the "3" position, the guide side plate 125 is set to the third accommodation size. The master table stores size information for each drug. For example, if medicine A is stored in medicine storage cassette 1 No. 25 and the size information about the width of the PTP sheet 100 for medicine A is "2", the control unit 1005 causes the display 1002 to display the medicine It is displayed that the size information regarding the height of the PTP sheet 100 of A is "2". When the size information regarding the width of the PTP sheet 100 of the drug A is "2" is displayed on the display 1002, the operator adjusts the angle regulating member 126b of the drug storage cassette 1 No. 25 to "2". 2”. As a result, even if the operator is not an expert, the guide side plate 125 can be set at a position suitable for the width of the PTP sheet 100 of the drug A.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11(A), the lid 140 of the medicine storage cassette 1 is provided with a sheet storage section 141 for storing the PTP sheet 100 for cutting out fractions.

In the storage section 11 of the drug storage cassette 1, as also shown in FIG. 11(B), a moving operation section 130 for moving the PTP sheet 100 toward the dispensing section 120 is provided. The moving operation unit 130 includes, for example, a pressing member 131 that contacts the PTP sheet 100 and a constant force spring 132 (for example, a product name: Conston Spring). The pressing force of the constant force spring 132 is set so that the PTP sheet 100 does not overcome the first and second restricting parts 121 and 122 only by this pressing force. The constant force spring 132 is provided with a lock portion 132a, and the PTP sheet 100 can be set while the moving operation portion 130 is moved to the rear position and locked. Then, when the lock is released after setting the PTP sheet 100, the pressing operation against the PTP sheet 100 is started. Further, the constant force spring 132 has a wound spring, and the tip of this wound spring is fixed near the payout section 120. The lock portion 132a is provided with a gear portion 132b. This gear portion 132b meshes with a toothed portion 11a formed on the bottom surface of the housing portion 11, and the movement operation portion 130 is locked by restricting rotation of the gear portion 132b. becomes. Furthermore, if a damper (for example, an oil damper) 132c is provided on the gear section 132b, the operating speed of the moving operation section 130 can be adjusted. In this case, the damper 132c serves as an adjusting means for adjusting the speed at which the moving unit 130 moves the PTP sheet 100.

The sheet storage section 141 is located above the dispensing section 120 in the open state shown in FIG. The dispensing section 120 faces a suction main body section 61 (see FIG. 30), which will be described later, when dispensing the PTP sheet 100. Then, the back wall section 1411 of the sheet storage section 141 faces the suction main body section 61 when it is moved upward compared to when it is dispensed. A plurality of height adjustment holes 1411a are formed at intervals in the height direction on the upper side of the back wall portion 1411. A height restriction plate 142 serving as a size adjustment member is removably attached to the rear wall portion 1411 through the height adjustment hole 1411a. Since the mounting height of the height direction limiting plate 142 can be changed in accordance with the height of the PTP sheet 100 stored in the sheet storage section 141, when the lid 140 is rotated, the height of the height direction limiting plate 142 can be changed. It is possible to prevent the PTP sheet 100 for fractional medicines from falling from the sheet storage section 141.

For example, accommodation size numbers 1 to 3 corresponding to the formation heights may be printed or engraved near the plurality of height adjustment holes 1411a. If the operator sets the attachment point of the height direction limiting plate 142 to "2", the height direction limiting plate 142 will be set at the second height. The master table stores the number of the storage size of the sheet storage section 141 for each drug. For example, if medicine A is stored in the medicine storage cassette 1 numbered 25, and the storage size number of the sheet storage section 141 regarding the PTP sheet 100 of the medicine A is "2", the control unit 1005 The display 1002 displays that the storage size number of the sheet storage section 141 for the drug A is "2". If the display 1002 displays that the storage size number of the sheet storage section 141 for the medicine A is "2", the operator can: Adjust the mounting location of the height direction restriction plate 142 to "2". Thereby, even if the operator is not an expert, the height direction limiting plate 142 can be set at a position suitable for the height of the PTP sheet 100 for the drug A.

Further, the side of the drug storage cassette 1 opposite to the side where the lid 140 is provided is located on the front side of the drug dispensing device 101, and a notch 11c is formed in the upper part of the rising wall 11b on the front side. There is. The cassette loading/unloading section 21 of the cassette transport section 2 engages with the rising wall 11b.

[Cassette loading/unloading section 21]
As shown in FIG. 12, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 includes a back-and-forth moving section 23, a cassette gripping section 24, and a rail unit 25. The back and forth moving section 23 is connected to the cassette gripping section 24 via the rail unit 25. The back-and-forth moving section 23 is connected to a connecting plate 25a of the rail unit 25. The base portion 241 of the cassette gripping portion 24 is connected to the sliding portion 251 of the rail unit 25.

In FIGS. 13 and 14, only the fore-and-aft moving section 23 is shown. Note that in FIGS. 12, 13, and 14, two claw operating portions 231 in the back-and-forth moving portion 23 are depicted, but this does not indicate that there are two claw operating portions 231; 2 shows an advanced state and a retracted state of each claw operating section 231. Further, the chain type cable guide 23a is also shown in an advanced state and a retracted state. The section distance between the advanced state and the retreated state is the first distance.

The pawl operating section 231 includes a bifurcated pawl 231a arranged such that the portion between the forks is located parallel to the rising wall 11b, and a portion between the bifurcated portions that moves within a plane parallel to the rising wall 11b. A rotation drive unit (for example, a rotary solenoid) 231b that rotates the bifurcated claw 231a, a bracket 231c that supports the rotation drive unit 231b, a moving nut 231d that supports the bracket 231c, and It includes a feed screw 231e into which the moving nut 231d is screwed, and a guide portion 231f that guides the moving nut 231d. The feed screw 231e is provided in the front-rear direction of the drug dispensing device 101, and the guide portion 231f guides the movable nut 231d in the front-rear direction. The driving force of the motor 231g is transmitted to the pulley 231i via the belt 231h, and as this pulley rotates, the feed screw 231e is rotated.

When the claw operating portion 231 is located on the notch portion 11c with the claw operating portion 231 closest to the rising wall 11b, and the bifurcated claw 231a is rotated by the rotation drive portion 231b. , the rising wall 11b is sandwiched between the two forks. Here, if the notch portion 11c is formed, the height of the bifurcated claw 231a can be lowered when the claw operating portion 231 is engaged with the rising wall 11b, so that the height of the forked claw 231a can be reduced. In 1011, the interval between the medicine storage cassettes 1 arranged above and below can be narrowed, the number of medicine storage cassettes 1 that can be loaded can be increased, and the medicine dispensing device 101 can be downsized. In this embodiment, only the leading end portion of the bifurcated claw 231a exceeds the rising wall 11b.

A medicine covering part 232 is provided at the lower part of the back-and-forth moving part 23. The drug cover section 232 includes a drug cover plate 232a. This drug cover plate 232a is positioned so as to cover the upper side of the drug storage cassette 1 pulled out when the bifurcated claw 231a moves to the retracted position (moves the first distance). Note that when the bifurcated claw 231a moves to the retracted position, the bifurcated claw 231a rotates and returns to its original state (non-engaged state), so the drug cover plate 232a is A notch 232b is formed in. The drug cover plate 232a is rotatably provided by a hinge 232c, and the drug cover plate 232a is moved in a direction in which the PTP sheet 100 in the drug storage cassette 1 is pressed by a coiled spring 232d, which is a biasing member. Forced. By providing the medicine covering part 232, when the medicine storage cassette 1 is transported by the cassette transporting part 2 (especially when moving downward at high speed), the PTP sheet is inserted from above the medicine storage cassette 1. 100 can be prevented from popping out. In other words, since the medicine storage cassette 1 can be transported at high speed, the time required for medicine dispensing can be shortened. Also. By providing the coiled spring 232d, the PTP sheet 100 can be held down even when the PTP sheets 100 have different heights.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, rail portions 251a extending in the front-rear direction of the medicine dispensing device 101 are provided on both sides of the slide portion 251 of the rail unit 25, and each rail portion 251a allows the slider 251b to Guided in the front and back direction. A belt 253 is driven by the motor 252 of the rail unit 25, and a pulley 254 is rotated by the belt 253. A feed screw 255 is fixed to the pulley 254. This feed screw 255 is rotated by the pulley 254.

As shown in FIG. 17, a bracket 242 is fixed to the upper surface of the base portion 241 of the cassette gripping portion 24. As shown in FIG. Standing parts 242a are formed on the left and right edges of this bracket 242, and each rising part 242a is fixed to the slider 251b of the rail unit 25. Furthermore, a movable nut 243 is fixed to the center of the bracket 242. This moving nut 243 is screwed into the feed screw 255 of the rail unit 25. Therefore, the rotation of the feed screw 255 causes the cassette gripping section 24 to move in the front-rear direction of the drug dispensing device 101.

A feed screw 241a is provided on the base portion 241 in the left-right direction of the medicine dispensing device 101. Both ends of the feed screw 241a are rotatably supported by two left and right brackets 241b. Furthermore, threaded portions in which the threading directions are reversed are formed at both ends of the feed screw 241a, and a moving nut 244a is screwed into each threaded portion. Two slide shafts 241c are supported by the base portion 241 in parallel with the feed screw 241a. Both ends of the slide shaft 241c are fixed by the two brackets 241b.

A chuck plate 244 is provided between each of the left and right brackets 241b and the base portion 241. The moving nut 244a is provided at the upper center of each chuck plate 244. Moreover, a linear bush 244b is provided on the upper part of each chuck plate 244 so as to sandwich the moving nut 244a. The slide shaft 241c is inserted into each linear bush 244b. A gear 245a of the drive section 245 is fixed to the feed screw 241a. A gear 245b is meshed with the gear 245a. The gear 245b is rotated by a motor 245c. The rotation of the motor 245c causes the feed screw 241a to rotate, and this rotation causes the chuck plates 244 to approach and separate from each other. Thereby, the side plate portion of the drug storage cassette 1 can be gripped from the side.

The chuck plate 244 is provided with a receiving portion 244c made of a flexible material, and this receiving portion 244c comes into contact with the side plate portion of the drug storage cassette 1. Furthermore, a positioning member 244d is provided at the front end of the chuck plate 244. This positioning member 244d is provided rotatably around a vertical axis.

Positioning recesses 1a are formed on the outside of the left and right side plates near the front end of the drug storage cassette 1 (see FIG. 11(A)). When the drug storage cassette 1 is pulled out from the cassette shelf 1011 and the side plate portion is gripped by the chuck plate 244, the positioning member 244d engages with the positioning recess 1a. When such engagement is performed, the chuck plate 244 has gripped the drug storage cassette 1 at an appropriate position. Note that even if there is some positional deviation between the positioning member 244d and the positioning recess 1a when the side plate is gripped by the chuck plate 244, the side plate portion is not gripped by the chuck plate 244. The force allows the positioning member 244d to engage the positioning recess 1a. When the receiving portion 244c made of the flexible material is provided, the above-mentioned engagement is easily performed.

Note that even when the cassette gripping portion 24 comes closest to the cassette shelf 1011 due to the rotation of the feed screw 255, the cassette gripping portion 24 is located in front of the cassette shelf 1011. When the claw operating portion 231 comes closest to the upright wall 11b, the claw operating portion 231 is positioned above the notch 11c. When the bifurcated pawl 231a is rotated by the rotary drive section 231b, the rising wall 11b is sandwiched between the fork. In this state, when the claw operating section 231 moves to the retracted position, the drug storage cassette 1 can be gripped by the chuck plate 244 of the cassette gripping section 24. When the drug storage cassette 1 is gripped by the chuck plate 244, the bifurcated claw 231a of the back and forth moving section 23 returns to its original state (non-engaged state), as described above. As a result, the cassette gripping section 24 can additionally move in the front direction of the medicine dispensing device 101 while gripping the medicine storage cassette 1, and this additional movement allows the medicine storage cassette 1 to be completely pulled out from the cassette shelf 1011. . That is, in the above-mentioned grasped state, the medicine-accommodating cassette is moved a distance equal to the medicine-accommodating cassette size minus the above-mentioned first distance (the above-mentioned additional movement), and the entire medicine-accommodating cassette 1 is pulled out from the cassette shelf.

When returning the drug storage cassette 1 to the cassette shelf 1011, after performing the reverse operation of the additional movement, the bifurcated claw 231a is engaged with the upright wall 11b, and the forked claw 231a is moved by the back and forth moving section 23. By moving the drug storage cassette 1, the drug storage cassette 1 is completely returned to the cassette shelf 1011.

[Delivery section 3]
As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, two delivery sections 3, two delivery section moving sections 4, and one payout operation section 110 are provided on one base section 113. There is. The base portion 113 is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction of the drug dispensing device 101 by a rail mechanism 113a. The user can put his/her hand into the handle of the front plate 113b to take in and out the base part 113. Here, the dispensing operation section 110 is oriented toward the front side of the drug dispensing device 101 (the direction in which the base section 113 is pulled out), and the dispensing section 120 of the drug storage cassette 1 conveyed to the delivery section 3 and the above The payout operation section 110 faces each other. When the base portion 113 is pulled out, the drug storage cassette 1 is positioned close to the user. As a result, when the user manually takes out the drug storage cassette 1 in which a sheet dispensing problem has occurred, the dispensing operation section 110 does not get in the way, making it easier to remove the drug storage cassette 1 in which the problem has occurred.

As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, a feed screw 31a is provided on the rectilinear base plate 31 of each delivery section 3 in the left-right direction of the medicine dispensing device 101. Both ends of the feed screw 31a are rotatably supported by two left and right brackets 31b. Furthermore, threaded portions in which the threading directions are reversed are formed at both ends of the feed screw 31a, and a movable nut 34a is screwed into each threaded portion. Two slide shafts 31c are supported by the rectilinear base plate 31 in parallel with the feed screw 31a. Both ends of the slide shaft 31c are fixed by the two brackets 31b.

A chuck plate 34 is provided between each of the left and right brackets 31b and the rectilinear base plate 31. The moving nut 34a is fixed to each chuck plate 34. Further, each chuck plate 34 is provided with a linear bush 34b. The slide shaft 31c is inserted into each linear bush 34b. An umbrella gear 35a of the drive section 35 is fixed to the feed screw 31a. An umbrella gear 35b is meshed with the umbrella gear 35a. The umbrella gear 35b is rotated by a motor 35c. The rotation of the motor 35c causes the feed screw 31a to rotate, and this rotation causes the chuck plates 34 to approach and separate from each other. Note that each delivery section 3 is provided with a cover 38 that covers the drive section 35 and the like.

As shown in FIG. 22, each delivery section 3 includes a pivot base plate 36. As shown in FIG. The linear base plate 31 and the pivot base plate 36 are provided so as to be movable relative to each other in the front-rear direction of the drug dispensing device 101 by means of rails and sliders (not shown). Furthermore, a first pin 36a and a second pin 36b are fixed to the back surface of the pivot base plate 36. Further, an intermediate arm 36c is fixed to the tip of the second pin 36b. Further, a long hole is formed in this intermediate arm 36c, and a third pin 31d protruding from the back surface of the rectilinear base plate 31 is engaged with this long hole.

[Delivery section moving section 4]
The two delivery section moving sections 4 are provided on a common base section 41. Each delivery section moving section 4 includes a motor 42, and the motor 42 causes the swing arm 42a to swing in a horizontal plane around the rotation axis of the motor 42. The second pin 36b is engaged with the distal end side of the swing arm 42a, and the second pin 36b moves on the second arcuate guide 41b as the swing arm 42a swings. Furthermore, the first pin 36a moves on the first arcuate guide 41a due to the pivoting of the pivot arm 42a. The first circular arc guide 41a and the second circular arc guide 41b are formed on the base portion 41.

Further, a third guide 41c for each delivery section moving section 4 is formed in the base section 41, and the third pin 31d is guided by each third guide 41c. The two third guides 41c have left-right linear guide portions extending in the left-right direction of the medicine dispensing device 101. The two left and right linear guide sections are connected to the common guide section via the relay guide section. The common guide section is located between the two delivery section moving sections 4.

When the swing arm 42a swings by the motor 42, the swing base plate 36 in the delivery section 3 moves in an arc along the first arc guide 41a and the second arc guide 41b. On the other hand, the rectilinear base plate 31 in the delivery section 3 attempts to move in an arc in response to the moving force of the swivel base plate 36, but since the third pin 31d is guided by the third guide 41c, it moves to the left. Or move straight to the right. Then, the rectilinear base plate 31 is moved to the rear side of the drug dispensing device 101 by the common guide section, and causes the drug storage cassette 1 chucked in the delivery section 3 to face the dispensing operation section 110. Changes in relative position between the straight base plate 31 and the swing base plate 36 are absorbed by the rails and sliders.

Note that after the drug storage cassette 1 chucked in the delivery section 3 faces the dispensing operation section 110, the lid 140 of the drug storage cassette 1 is opened by the lid opening/closing section 160 of the dispensing operation section 110.

As shown in FIGS. 23, 24, and 25, the sheet stocker 112 is provided in the dispensing operation section 110. The sheet stocker 112 is provided below the lid 140 of the drug storage cassette 1 at a position where the drug storage cassette 1 chucked in the delivery section 3 faces the dispensing operation section 110. . The hopper section 112a of the sheet stocker 112 temporarily stores the PTP sheet 100 and the fractional number of packaged drugs dispensed from the dispensing section 120 of the drug storage cassette 1.

The bottom of the hopper section 112a is constituted by the first shutter 112b, which is the storage shutter. Further, a dropping cylinder part is formed at the lower part of the first shutter 112b, and a second shutter 112c, which is the storage shutter, is provided at the bottom of this dropping cylinder part (drug sheet outlet part 1120). There is. The first shutter 112b and the second shutter 112c are opened and closed simultaneously by a drive motor 112d. An umbrella gear is fixed to the rotating shaft of the drive motor 112d, and the swing arm 112e is rotated by this umbrella gear. Note that in FIG. 24, only the drive system of the first shutter 112b is shown, and the drive system of the second shutter 112c is the same as the drive system of the first shutter 112b. A link member 112f is connected to the swing arm 112e, and the link member 112f is connected to the first shutter 112b. When the drive motor 112d rotates, the swing arm 112e rotates, the link member 112f moves, and the first shutter 112b opens and closes. The first shutter 112b and the second shutter 112c are guided by a slide shaft 112g.

As shown in FIG. 26, a drug sheet such as the PTP sheet 100 has flat edges (sheet portions) at both ends, but one edge is wider than the other edge. This wide edge 100a is generally called an ear. In the drug dispensing device having the function of cutting out a fraction of packaged drugs from the drug sheet, if the direction of the bracket or the direction of the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 taken out from the drug storage cassette 1 is uncertain, Fractional packaged drugs may not be cut out appropriately. For PTP sheets 100 that are not to be cut into fractions, there is no need to detect the orientation of the pocket and the orientation of the wide edge 100a.

Further, FIG. 26 shows three axes for rotating the PTP sheet 100. The three axes include the normal to the sheet surface of the PTP sheet 100, the short axis, and the long axis. The short axis and the long axis are orthogonal to each other within the plane of the PTP sheet 100. An example of the position of the rotation center around the long axis is an axis passing through the center of the PTP sheet 100 in the short side direction. Further, as an example of the position of the center of rotation around the short axis, there is an axis passing through the center of the PTP sheet 100 in the longitudinal direction. An example of the center of rotation about the normal line is the intersection of the center of rotation about the long axis and the center of rotation about the short axis. Here, the PTP sheet 100 is symmetrical about the second axis (long axis). Additionally, if the center of rotation around the normal line is set near the intersection of the center of rotation around the long axis and the center of rotation around the short axis, the space required for rotation around the normal line can be reduced. . In this embodiment, rotation around the normal line is employed.

FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram showing changes in the state of the PTP sheet 100. The states of the PTP sheet 100 include a first state where the pocket is facing up and the wide edge 100a is on the left, a second state where the pocket is facing up and the wide edge 100a is on the right (the state shown in FIG. 26), and a state where the pocket is facing up and the wide edge 100a is on the right. There is a third state in which the pocket is facing down and the wide edge 100a is in the left position, and a fourth state in which the pocket is face down and the wide edge 100a is in the right position. No matter what state the first PTP sheet 100 is in when it is delivered, there are changes in state due to rotation around the long axis, changes in status due to rotation around the short axis, and changes in status due to rotation around the normal line. By causing two state changes among the changes, it is possible to align to any one state. That is, the pocket orientation and the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 can be oriented in the same direction. Note that a configuration may be adopted in which only the wide edge 100a is oriented in one direction.

[Payout operation section 110]
The dispensing operation section 110 includes the lid opening/closing section 160, as also shown in FIGS. 28 and 29. This lid opening/closing part 160 includes a shaft part 161 that engages with an engaging part formed on the lid 140, and when the shaft part 161 is engaged with the engaging part, the shaft part 161 is engaged with the engaging part. The lid 140 is opened and closed by moving it along an arcuate trajectory. Further, the lid opening/closing part 160 includes a shaft part 162 that engages with an engaging part formed in the sheet storage part 141, and when the shaft part 162 is engaged with the engaging part. By rotating the shaft portion 162, the sheet storage section 141 is rotated.

Further, the dispensing operation section 110 includes a suction operation section 6 for suctioning and pulling out the first PTP sheet 100 in the drug storage cassette 1, and a suction operation section 6 for sucking and pulling out the first PTP sheet 100 in the drug storage cassette 1, and a suction operation section 6 for sucking and pulling out the first PTP sheet 100 in the drug storage cassette 1. A sheet gripping section 8 grips and receives the pulled out PTP sheet 100, and when a fraction of the packaged drug is required, the PTP sheet 100 pulled out by the suction operation section 6 is held around the normal line of the sheet surface. It is provided with a normal rotation rotation part 13 that rotates. The normal line to the sheet surface is the normal line at the center position of the sheet surface of the PTP sheet 100. Here, the normal line at the center position of the sheet surface is parallel to the perpendicular line (orthogonal line) to the sheet surface when it is assumed that the PTP sheet 100 is not a curved surface but a flat surface. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the direction of the normal to the sheet surface is equal to the front-rear direction, the direction in which the PTP sheets 100 are lined up in the medicine storage cassette 1, and the movement direction of the medicine storage cassette 1. Further, when dispensing the PTP sheet 100, the normal rotating section 13 is positioned at the center position of the dispensing section 120 of the drug storage cassette 1 (the center position of the PTP sheet 100).

The sheet gripping section 8 includes a gripping main body section 81 that is rotatably provided around a horizontal axis, a rotating section 82 that rotates the gripping main body section 81, and a left-right moving device 83 that moves this rotating section 82 in the left-right direction. Equipped with. Further, the sheet gripping section 8 also functions as a detection section for the wide edge 100a.

As shown in FIG. 30, the base portion 611 of the suction main body portion 61 can be moved in the vertical direction by the lifting device 64. As shown in FIG. The lifting device 64 includes a moving nut 64a fixed to the side of the base portion 611, a feed screw 64b screwed onto the moving nut 64a, a motor 64c for rotating the feed screw 64b, and a motor 64c that rotates the feed screw 64b. It is provided with a belt transmission mechanism 64d that transmits the driving force of the drive screw 64c to the feed screw 64b, and a guide 64e that stabilizes the upward and downward movement of the base section 611. The vertical position of the suction main body 61 can be adjusted by the lifting device 64.

The suction main body section 61 is connected to the base section 611 via a guide rail 65e of the back and forth moving device 65. The suction main body part 61 is moved in the front-rear direction (in the direction of approaching and away from the dispensing part 120 of the drug storage cassette 1) by the back-and-forth moving device 65. The back-and-forth moving device 65 includes a moving nut 65a fixed to the back surface of the suction main body 61, a feed screw 65b screwed to the moving nut 65a, a motor 65c for rotating the feed screw 65b, and a motor 65c for rotating the feed screw 65b. It includes a belt transmission mechanism 65d that transmits the driving force of the motor 65c to the feed screw 65b.

The forward and backward moving device 65 moves the first PTP sheet 100 in the direction in which the moving operation section 130 moves the PTP sheet 100 faster than the moving operation section 130 of the drug storage cassette 1 moves the PTP sheet 100. The suction body 61 can be moved by suctioning the sheet 100.

Further, when the suction main body section 61 is moved in a direction approaching the drug storage cassette 1 by the forward/backward moving device 65, the suction main body section 61 contacts and adsorbs the sheet portion of the leading PTP sheet 100. When the pocket part of the first PTP sheet 100 faces the dispensing operation part 110, the movable plate 62a of the pocket detection part 62 is displaced according to the height of the convexity of the pocket part. Positional displacement can be detected, for example, by the resistance value (voltage value) of a potentiometer.

As shown in FIGS. 31(A) and 31(B), the suction main body 61 includes, for example, four suction cups 61a arranged horizontally. As shown in FIG. 37(A), FIG. 37(B), and FIG. 37(C), the four suction cups 61a arranged in a row are divided into a first group consisting of two suction cups on the side closer to the sheet gripping part 8, and They are divided into a second group consisting of two pieces on the far side from the sheet gripping part 8. Suction for each group can be performed by operating electromagnetic valves provided on the intake paths of each group. When all four suction cups 61a are in the suction-off state and a suction operation is performed only for the first group, a strong suction force is generated in the two suction cups 61a of the first group, and the PTP sheet 100 is The two suction cups 61a of one group can be suctioned with high reliability. If the suction operation is also executed for the four suction cups 61a of the second group after the suction operation of the first group is executed, the PTP sheet 100 can be accurately suction-held by the four suction cups 61a. . In this way, by pre-driving a portion of the plurality of suction cups (the portion on the side closer to the sheet gripping section 8), it becomes possible to accurately suction and hold the PTP sheet 100.

The normal rotation portion 13 includes a suction rotation pipe portion 13a located at the center of the four suction cups 61a arranged in a row. A suction cup portion 13b is provided at the tip of the suction rotary pipe portion 13a. Further, the rear side of the suction rotary pipe section 13a is supported by a bearing section 13c. Further, a rotary joint 13d is connected to the rear end of the suction rotary pipe portion 13a, and a suction pump is connected to this rotary joint 13d via a tube. Further, a belt 13e is wound around the rear part of the suction rotary pipe section 13a and the drive pulley of the motor 13f. When the motor 13f operates, the suction rotating pipe section 13a rotates around its central axis. The suction rotary pipe portion 13a is fixed in the front-rear direction.

When the delivery section 3 is moved to the dispensing position by the delivery section moving section 4, the drug storage cassette 1 chucked by the delivery section 3 comes to face the suction main body section 61. Then, the operation of opening the lid 140 is performed by the lid opening/closing section 160. Next, by moving the suction main body 61 in a direction approaching the medicine storage cassette 1, the suction cup 61a contacts the PTP sheet 100 in the medicine storage cassette 1 and sucks the PTP sheet 100. Also, at this time, the orientation of the pocket portion of the PTP sheet 100 is detected by the movable plate 62a of the pocket detection portion 62 (see FIGS. 26 and 30). By moving the suction main body section 61 in the direction away from the dispensing section 120, the leading PTP sheet 100 is pulled out from the drug storage cassette 1.

Note that when suction by the suction main body section 61 is performed after all the PTP sheets 100 are pulled out from the drug storage cassette 1, the suction cup 61a suctions the pressing member 131 of the moving operation section 130. Become. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of grooves 131a are formed on the pressing surface of the pressing member 131 that contacts the PTP sheet 100, so that when the PTP sheet 100 is empty, the suction cup 61a moves into the pressing member 131. It comes into contact with the pressing surface of 131. In this case, air leaks from the groove 131a, so even if the suction operation section 6 performs the suction operation, a predetermined negative pressure state cannot be obtained in the suction circuit of the suction cup 61a. In other words, the suction by the suction main body 61 cannot be completed even after a certain period of time has elapsed. The control unit 1005 can determine that there is a possibility that the PTP sheet 100 is out of stock when the suction by the suction main unit 61 cannot be completed even after a certain period of time has passed. In addition, when the suction main body part 61 is provided with four suction cups 61a, the number of the groove parts 131a is four. That is, the groove portions 131a may be provided at least as many grooves as there are suction cups 61a at positions corresponding to the suction cups 61a.

In the case where a fractional number of packaged medicines are required, if it is determined that the pocket portion of the PTP sheet 100 is facing the suction cup 61a side based on the detection result by the movable plate 62a, then the suction main body portion 61 is The sheet 100 is passed to the sheet gripping section 8. The sheet gripping section 8 has a pocket section facing the medicine storage cassette 1 side. Thereafter, the suction main body section 61 receives the PTP sheet 100 from the sheet gripping section 8 .

When the sheet gripping section 8 grips the PTP sheet 100, it determines whether the gripped side is the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100. If the sheet gripping section 8 grips the wide edge 100a, the normal rotation rotation section 13 does not rotate around the normal, and the suction main body 61 approaches the drug storage cassette 1. direction and drop the PTP sheet 100 onto the sheet storage section 141 of the lid 140. The wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 dropped onto the sheet storage section 141 faces the sheet gripping section 14, which will be described later, and the side opposite to the wide edge 100a has a cutter section provided in the dispensing operation section 110. It will face 15. Note that even when the pocket portion of the PTP sheet 100 faces the drug storage cassette 1 side, the suction main body portion 61 passes the PTP sheet 100 to the sheet gripping portion 8 in order to detect the wide edge 100a. However, in this case, the PTP sheet 100 is not rotated by the sheet gripping section 8.

On the other hand, if the sheet gripping section 8 grips the opposite side of the wide edge 100a, the suction main body section 61 passes the PTP sheet 100 to the normal rotation rotation section 13. The normal rotation unit 13 rotates the PTP sheet 100 about the normal so that the wide edge 100a faces 180 degrees to the opposite side.

Here, as shown in FIG. 8, when two adjacent PTP sheets 100 in the drug storage cassette 1 face each other with their pocket forming sides facing each other, the lower end of these two PTP sheets 100 The upper end position of the PTP sheet 100 that is in contact with the storage bottom in the medicine storage cassette 1 is at its original position, while the upper end position of the other PTP sheet 100 is higher in height H than the original position. The height H differs for each drug, and information on the height H is recorded in the master table for each drug. Furthermore, when the PTP sheet 100 has three rows of pockets, as shown in FIG. When there are an even number of pockets such as two or four rows, the suction height is approximately 1/2 of the height of the PTP sheet 100. The suction height differs for each drug and is recorded in the master table. The information on the height H and the suction height can be used when the suction main body section 61 dispenses the PTP sheet 100.

If the pocket part of the PTP sheet 100 is not facing the suction main body part 61, the first suction try The suction is almost certainly successful, and the PTP sheet 100 can be taken out from the drug storage cassette 1. However, if the PTP sheet 100 is not in contact with the bottom of the drug storage cassette 1, the suction position of the suction cup 61a will be below the original suction height of the PTP sheet 100. . In this case, after the normal rotation unit 13 rotates the PTP sheet 100 around the normal so that the wide edge 100a faces 180 degrees in the opposite direction, the PTP sheet 100 is When it is passed to the suction body section 61, the distance from the suction position of the suction cup 61a to the lower end of the PTP sheet 100 becomes longer than when suction can be performed at the suction height, which is the original position.

In this way, when the suction position is not the original position, when the suction main body section 61 performs a movement operation to drop the PTP sheet 100 onto the sheet storage section 141, the lower end of the PTP sheet 100 is , there is a risk of contacting the upper end 143 of the entrance wall of the sheet storage section 141 shown in FIG. Therefore, in a series of processes for dropping the PTP sheet 100 onto the sheet storage section 141, when an operation of reversing the direction of the wide edge 100a by 180 degrees is performed, the drug sheet caused by the 180 degree rotation is Perform processing to eliminate (absorb) fluctuations in the lower edge position.

The process for eliminating the fluctuation may be an operation of moving the suction main body 61 upward by a fixed distance or a non-fixed distance compared to a case where the operation of reversing the direction of the wide edge 100a by 180 degrees is not performed. . This movement prevents the lower end of the PTP sheet 100 from coming into contact with the upper end 143 of the entrance wall of the sheet storage section 141.

When the above-mentioned fixed distance is adopted, the PTP sheet 100 of any drug is moved upward by the above-mentioned fixed distance. On the other hand, the non-constant distance is, for example, the height H or a distance obtained by adding a margin to the height H, and in this case, the PTP sheet 100 is moved upward by a different distance for each drug. Both the fixed distance movement and the non-fixed distance movement are movement operations of the suction main body 61 that absorb displacement of the PTP sheet 100 within the drug storage cassette 1. The positional shift of the PTP sheet 100 in the drug storage cassette 1 is caused when, as described above, the two adjacent PTP sheets 100 in the drug storage cassette 1 have their pocket portion formation sides facing each other. occurs in

If the PTP sheet 100 that is not in contact with the storage bottom in the drug storage cassette 1 is located at the top and its pocket portion is directed toward the suction main body 61, the first suction attempt may fail. For example, if the suction cup 61a hits the pocket and a gap is created, suction cannot be completed. If suction cannot be completed even after a certain period of time has elapsed, it is determined that the suction has failed. In this case, for example, after the movable plate 62a of the pocket detection section 62 is moved forward, it is moved downward by a fixed distance or a non-fixed distance. This movement allows the movable plate 62a to bring the other PTP sheet 100 into contact with the bottom of the drug storage cassette 1, so that the PTP sheet 100 can be suctioned almost without failure in the next suction attempt. can be taken out from the drug storage cassette 1. Note that a second attempt may be made after the first attempt fails, and when it is determined that this attempt has also failed, the movable plate 62a etc. may be moved downward by a fixed distance or a non-fixed distance.

When the above-mentioned fixed distance is adopted, every PTP sheet 100 is moved downward by the above-mentioned fixed distance. On the other hand, the non-constant distance is, for example, the height H or a distance obtained by adding a margin to the height H, and in this case, the PTP sheet 100 is moved downward by a different distance for each drug.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, when the two PTP sheets 100 in front and behind each other in the drug storage cassette 1 face each other with their pocket forming sides facing each other, the lateral edges of these two PTP sheets 100 Mismatches occur.

Here, as described above, when the sheet gripping section 8 grips the PTP sheet 100, it determines whether the gripped side is the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100. The sheet gripping section 8 is movable in the lateral direction, and includes, for example, an optical sensor 801, as shown in FIG. 40, in order to detect the lateral edges of the PTP sheet 100. When the optical sensor 801 detects the lateral edge, the sheet gripping section 8 stops moving in the lateral direction toward the PTP sheet 100 and starts gripping the PTP sheet 100. As a result, even if the taken out PTP sheet 100 is shifted in the lateral direction due to the lateral edges of the two PTP sheets 100 not matching, the sheet gripping section 8 can The PTP sheet 100 can be appropriately gripped.

On the other hand, when the suction main body section 61 executes a movement operation to drop the PTP sheet 100 onto the sheet storage section 141 in a state where the above-mentioned lateral deviation exists, the PTP sheet 100 is moved as shown in FIG. There is a possibility that the sheet storage section 141 shown in FIG. Therefore, when the sheet gripping section 8 receives the PTP sheet 100 from the suction main body section 61 and then transfers the PTP sheet 100 to the suction main body section 61 again, the sheet gripping section 8 must be able to handle the horizontal deviation. Move laterally to eliminate the problem.

Specifically, the master table contains information such as the distance d from the sheet center to the sheet side edge of the PTP sheet 100 (for example, the number of motor pulses required for the sheet gripping section 8 to move) for each drug. ) is recorded. Further, for example, a stepping motor is used for the lateral movement, and it is possible to determine how far the sheet gripping section 8 has moved from the reference position. Moreover, the distance D from the reference position to the center of the dispensing part 120 of the medicine storage cassette 1 (the axial position of the normal rotation part 13) is known. Therefore, if the optical sensor 801 cannot detect the lateral edge of the sheet at a position where the sheet gripping section 8 has moved by a distance obtained by subtracting the distance d from the distance D, a positional shift occurs in the lateral direction. It can be determined that there is. Therefore, when the sheet gripping section 8 receives the PTP sheet 100 from the suction main body section 61 and then transfers the PTP sheet 100 to the suction main body section 61 again, the sheet gripping section 8 must be able to handle the horizontal deviation. Adjust horizontally by the amount of time. This eliminates the above-mentioned lateral deviation. Note that, after the sheet gripping section 8 receives the PTP sheet 100 from the suction main body section 61, it may temporarily return to the reference position and move laterally by a distance obtained by subtracting the distance d from the distance D. .

The sheet gripping section 14 is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction of the drug dispensing device 101. The sheet gripping section 14 grips the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 dropped onto the sheet storage section 141, and moves the PTP sheet 100 toward the cutter section 15. The cutter section 15 includes a fixed blade 15a and a movable blade 15b, and can cut the PTP sheet 100 in an L-shape. After this cutting, the sheet gripping section 14 moves the PTP sheet 100 to the sheet storage section 141 and places the PTP sheet 100 on the sheet storage section 141. Moreover, the fractional packaged medicine obtained by the above-mentioned cutting falls onto the belt conveyor 15c. The fractional number of packaged drugs is conveyed by the belt conveyor 15c, passes through a notch 1121 (see FIG. 24) formed in the hopper section 112a of the sheet stocker 112, and falls into the hopper section 112a.

In addition, when it is necessary to take out a plurality of PTP sheets 100 based on prescription data, the suction main body section 61 removes the PTP sheets from the drug storage cassette 1 in parallel with the operation of cutting out the fractional number of packaged drugs. The operation of taking out the PTP sheets 100 is repeated, and the taken out PTP sheets 100 are sequentially dropped into the sheet stocker 112. In this way, by performing the operation of taking out the PTP sheet 100 from the medicine storage cassette 1 in parallel with the process of cutting out the fractional number of packaged medicines, it becomes possible to shorten the time required for dispensing.

For example, the operation of setting the PTP sheet 100 for fraction cutting into the sheet storage section 141 is performed on the PTP sheet 100 first taken out from the drug storage cassette 1. Then, a first process in which a fraction of the packaged medicine is cut out from the PTP sheet 100 set in the sheet storage section 141, and a second process in which the suction main body part 61 takes out the required number of PTP sheets 100 from the medicine storage cassette 1. are performed in parallel. Note that even when setting the PTP sheet 100 taken out not first but after the second one into the sheet storage section 141, the first process and the second process can be performed in parallel. In addition, if there are already 100 PTP sheets for fraction cutting or some fractions of packaging medicine left in the sheet storage section 141 and this is used to perform fraction cutting, the second process may be executed during that time. is completed, and if the inside of the sheet storage section 141 becomes empty during this second processing, the second processing is temporarily stopped and the PTP sheet 100 for fraction cutting is set in the sheet storage section 141. You may also do this.

Furthermore, when prescription data requires a process of dispensing a plurality of PTP sheets 100 and also requires a PTP sheet 100 for cutting out fractions, the following process may be performed. For example, the orientation of the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 first taken out from the drug storage cassette 1 is detected by the sheet gripping section 8. If the wide edge 100a is not oriented in a predetermined direction, the first PTP sheet 100 is dropped and dispensed. Similar processing is performed on subsequent PTP sheets 100.

Here, for example, when it is necessary to dispense three PTP sheets 100 and a fraction of the packaged medicine, if the wide edge 100a of the third PTP sheet 100 taken out is in the predetermined direction, then The third PTP sheet 100 taken out is set in the sheet storage section 141. That is, the third PTP sheet 100 taken out is used as the PTP sheet 100 for cutting out fractions. Since the number of PTP sheets 100 to be dispensed is three, the PTP sheets 100 are subsequently taken out from the drug storage cassette 1 and dispensed.

On the other hand, if the wide edge 100a of the third PTP sheet 100 taken out is not facing the predetermined direction, the third PTP sheet 100 taken out is dropped and dispensed. Then, the fourth PTP sheet 100 is taken out from the drug storage cassette 1. If the wide edge 100a of the fourth PTP sheet 100 is not oriented in the predetermined direction, the PTP sheet 100 is rotated by the normal rotation unit 13 and set in the sheet storage section 141.

That is, when it is necessary to store the PTP sheet 100 in a predetermined orientation in the sheet storage section 141 for cutting out fractions provided in the medicine storage cassette 1, a plurality of PTP sheets taken out from the medicine storage cassette 1 are Among the sheets 100, the PTP sheet 100 facing a predetermined direction is stored in the sheet storage section 141. Then, if all the PTP sheets 100 taken out are not facing the predetermined direction, the last PTP sheet 100 is rotated by the normal rotation rotation unit 13, which is a rotation operation unit.

With the above method, since the rotational movement of the PTP sheet 100 by the rotational movement section can be minimized, the time required for the medicine dispensing process can be shortened. In this case, there is a risk that the mechanical detection operation by the sheet gripping section 8 that detects the orientation of the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 will increase. Here, if the configuration is such that an image sensor detects the orientation of the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 taken out from the drug storage cassette 1, the mechanical detection operation described above is not necessary, and the dispensing can be performed by improving the image processing speed. It can save time.

In the above method, among the plurality of PTP sheets 100 taken out from the drug storage cassette 1, the PTP sheets 100 whose wide edges 100a and pockets are both in a predetermined direction are stored in the sheet storage section 141. It may be accommodated in If either or both of the wide edges 100a and the pocket portions of all the taken out PTP sheets 100 are not oriented in the predetermined direction, the normal rotation portion 13, which is a rotation operation portion, and /Or the last PTP sheet 100 is rotated by the sheet gripping section 8. Note that the pocket portion of the PTP sheet 100 taken out from the drug storage cassette 1 can also be detected by the image sensor.

In the above embodiment, the pockets and wide edges of the drug sheet taken out from the drug storage cassette are oriented in the same direction, but the user sets the drug sheet in the drug storage cassette with the pockets aligned. In some cases, the configuration may be such that the means for detecting pockets and the means for reversing the orientation of pockets are omitted.

Further, if at least the wide edges of the drug sheets taken out from the drug storage cassette can be oriented in the same direction, it is possible to cut the drug sheets into fractions even if the pocket orientations are not the same.

Here, an example of an operation for dispensing PTP sheets 100 one by one will be shown. In this operation example, the suction main body section 61 sucks the first PTP sheet 100 in the storage section 11 and pushes the PTP sheet 100 in the opposite direction to the direction in which the PTP sheet 100 is moved by the moving operation section 130 . Then, the PTP sheet 100 is pulled in the same direction as the moving direction at a speed faster than the moving speed of the PTP sheet 100 by the moving operation section 130. As a result, the contact member 121a of the first restriction section 121 is positioned between the first PTP sheet 100 and the second PTP sheet 100, and only the first PTP sheet 100 is dispensed.

Note that the forward and backward moving device 65 moves the suction operation section (removal section) 6 in the opposite direction to the direction in which the movement operation section 130 moves the PTP sheet 100 (by pushing the PTP sheet 100 in the opposite direction). , the moving operation section 130 moves in the opposite direction.), in the direction in which the moving operation section 130 moves the PTP sheet 100 faster than the speed at which the movement operation section 130 moves the PTP sheet 100; It is desirable to move the suction operation unit 6 holding the PTP sheet 100 at the top. In this way, by moving the suction main body section 61 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the moving operation section 130 moves the PTP sheet 100, when dispensing the PTP sheet 100, the first PTP sheet 100 and the first PTP sheet 100 are moved. 1 limiter 121 can be increased. As a result, the time from when the suction main body section 61 starts moving the leading PTP sheet 100 until the leading PTP sheet 100 overcomes the first restricting section 121 increases. Therefore, even if the difference between the speed at which the suction main body section 61 moves the PTP sheet 100 and the speed at which the movement operation section 130 moves the PTP sheet 100 is small, the first PTP sheet 100 passes through the first restriction section 121. In this case, the distance between the first PTP sheet 100 and the second PTP sheet 100 can be increased, and the first restricting section 121 can easily fit between the first PTP sheet 100 and the second PTP sheet 100. Become.

Note that by suctioning the leading PTP sheet 100 in the storage section 11 by the suction main body section 61 and pushing the PTP sheet 100 in the opposite direction to the moving direction of the PTP sheet 100 by the moving operation section 130, the above-mentioned The suction of the PTP sheet 100 by the suction main body 61 is reliably performed.

[Tray moving unit 500]
The tray moving unit 500 may not be present in a type in which a single medicine dispensing device 101 constitutes a medicine dispensing device. When the tray moving unit 500 is provided, another medicine dispensing device 101 can be placed on this tray moving unit 500, and the medicine tray T can be moved between a plurality of medicine dispensing devices. The tray moving section 500 has a conveyor section 51 that moves the drug tray T in the left-right direction of the drug dispensing device 101, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 32(A) and 32(B), this conveyor section 51 includes two moving belts 51b on both sides of the monorail section 51a extending in the left-right direction. The drug tray T is placed on the moving belt 51b such that the recess C formed at the bottom of the drug tray T engages with the monorail portion 51a. The moving belt 51b is driven by a motor 51c. Since the drug tray T is guided by the monorail section 51a, the structure can be simplified. In addition, although the said recessed part C was formed using the said accommodation recessed part T1, T2, T3, and T4 formed, it is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 4(B), a medicine tray T in which one accommodation recess T11 is formed can also be used. This medicine tray T has two legs T10 on the lower surface of the tray body, and a recess C into which the monorail part 51a is inserted is formed between these legs T10. Even in the case where a plurality of storage recesses are not provided, by moving the drug tray T back and forth and left and right on the conveyor section 51, it is possible to place the drug at an appropriate position in the front, back, left and right of the drug tray T. .

Furthermore, the conveyor section 51 is moved in the front-rear direction of the medicine dispensing device 101 by a front-rear drive section 52 . The longitudinal drive section 52 is provided with a feed screw 52a in the longitudinal direction. A movable nut is provided at the base portion of the conveyor section 51, and the feed screw 52a is screwed into this movable nut. When the feed screw 52a is rotated by the motor 52b, the conveyor section 51 is moved in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the conveyor section 51 is guided in the front-rear direction by a guide shaft 52c.

The conveyor section 51 is provided with a positioning section 53. This positioning part 53 rotates the shaft (support shaft) 53b provided in the left-right direction of the medicine dispensing device 101 using the driving force of one motor 53a, so that the medicine tray can be positioned at a plurality of positions. T can be positioned. The positioning section 53 includes six stopper members 531 operated by the shaft 53b. Two fixed stopper sections 532 that do not move together with the conveyor section 51 are provided at both left and right ends of the tray moving section 500.

As shown in FIG. 33, the main body portion 531a of each stopper member 531 is rotatably provided with a rotating portion 531b. The rotating portion 531b can rotate when it comes into contact with the side surface of the drug tray T that moves in the left-right direction of the drug dispensing device 101. Further, a shaft insertion hole 531c is formed in the main body portion 531a, and the shaft 53b is inserted through this shaft insertion hole 531c. Each stopper member 531 is rotatably provided with respect to the shaft 53b.

A fixing portion 531e provided separately from the main body portion 531a is fixed to the shaft 53b. One end of the coiled spring 531d wound around the shaft 53b is engaged with the fixing part 531e, and the other end is engaged with the main body part 531a, so that the stopper member 531 rotates integrally with the shaft 53b. move. When the stopper member 531 is tilted in the traveling direction of the medicine tray T by this integral rotation, the medicine tray T is prevented from moving and positioned. On the other hand, if the rotating portion 531b hits the side surface of the drug tray T when the stopper member 531 is tilted, the state in which the main body portion 531a hits the side surface of the drug tray T against the coiled spring 531d is maintained. Therefore, the rotating part 531b rotates and does not prevent the medicine tray T from moving.

That is, the positioning section 53 stands up when the shaft 53b rotates in the first rotation direction to allow the passage of the drug tray T, and tilts when the shaft 53b rotates in the second rotation direction. a plurality of stopper members 531 that prevent the drug tray T from passing; and a non-tilting of the stopper member 531 that comes into contact with a side surface of the drug tray T when the shaft 53b rotates in the second rotation direction. A coiled spring 531d (elastic member) that allows this.

For example, when the drug tray T is detected by a sensor (not shown) in front of a target positioning location, the motor 53a is operated to rotate the shaft 53b, thereby moving the drug tray T to the target positioning location. You can stop it with . In this way, while the plurality of stopper members 531 move together to position the drug tray T, some of the plurality of stopper members 531 do not move together and do not function as a stopper. This structure is realized by one motor 53a and one shaft 53b, thereby simplifying the structure.

The tray moving section 5 includes the conveyor section 51 and a fixed conveyor section 55. That is, the tray moving section 5 corresponds to a structure in which the tray moving section 500 is provided with a fixed conveyor section 55 on the front side of the conveyor section 51 (on the front side of the medicine dispensing device 101) (see FIG. 1). ). This conveyor section 55 is not provided with the positioning section 53. The conveyor section 55 can execute a process of receiving an empty medicine tray T from the tray stocker 1012 and delivering the empty medicine tray T to the conveyor section 51 of the tray moving section 500. The tray moving section 500 that has received the empty medicine tray T moves the conveyor section 51 backward and delivers the empty medicine tray T to the conveyor section 51 of the tray moving section 5 . By providing the tray moving section 500, it is possible to operate a plurality of drug trays T, such as keeping a drug tray to be used for the next dispensing on standby on the tray moving section 500.

The tray moving section 5 is provided below the dispensing operation section 110 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction of the medicine dispensing device 101, and can be pulled out from a position below the dispensing operation section 110 toward the front of the device. It has become.

FIG. 34 shows the position of the stopper member 531 in the conveyor section 51 of the tray moving section 5, the positions of the sheet stockers 112 of the first and second dispensing operation sections 110 and 110, and the positions of the two sheet stockers 112. All the stop positions from the right and left sides when the four storage recesses T1, T2, T3, and T4 of the drug tray T are aligned are shown. This stop position example is based on a case where the interval between the positions at which the medicine tray T is desired to be stopped (the arrangement interval of the stopper members 531) is shorter than the tray size of the medicine tray T in the transport direction in order to make the medicine dispensing device more compact. Illustrated. In order to realize this exemplary configuration, the positioning section 53 ensures rotation of the shaft 53b even when the stopper member 531 located on the side surface of the drug tray T hits the side surface of the tray. The stopper member 531 functions as a stopper.

As can be seen from FIG. 34, the positioning section 53 requires eight stopper members. In this embodiment, as described above, six stopper members 531 operated by the shaft 53b are provided, and two fixed stopper portions 532 are provided. If the conveyor section 51 is moved to the rear side of the medicine dispensing device, the medicine tray can be moved between the tray moving section 500 and the tray moving section 5 without the fixed stopper section 532 becoming an obstacle. T can move.

There are two cases in which the PTP sheet 100 cannot be pulled out by the suction unit 6: the medicine storage cassette 1 is empty (out of stock), and the suction operation is defective. In this embodiment, a weight scale for measuring the weight of the drug storage cassette 1 is provided in each dispensing operation section 110, for example, and when the drug storage cassette 1 is gripped, the number of stored PTP sheets 100 ( inventory) can be determined. Therefore, when a case occurs in which the PTP sheet 100 cannot be pulled out by the suction operation unit 6 when dispensing the PTP sheet 100 from the drug storage cassette 1 that is determined to be in stock, the following process can be performed. In other words, if it is determined that the product is in stock and suction cannot be performed, it is determined that a suction failure has occurred and error processing is executed, and if it is determined that the product is empty (out of stock) and suction cannot be performed, it indicates that the product is out of stock. Perform error handling. This allows the user to be informed of the exact status of the device 101. In addition, in the case where the setting is such that the dispensing process is continued without an error in the case of an out-of-stock item, processing such as stopping the device by error processing can be appropriately performed when the out-of-stock item is not out of stock.

For a specific drug, it may be prohibited to set two adjacent PTP sheets 100 in the drug storage cassette 1 with their pocket forming sides facing each other. For example, drugs that cause poor suction due to the two PTP sheets 100 being strongly bonded to each other are prohibited. Such prohibition information can be registered in the master table for each drug. When the drug storage cassette 1 containing a drug for which prohibition information is set is selected as a drug replenishment target, as shown in FIG. A message can be displayed to alert you. For example, "It is prohibited to set this drug sheet in the cassette with the pocket sides facing each other. When setting the drug sheet in the cassette, be sure to orient the drug sheet in a certain direction." Display message. The selection of the drug storage cassette is performed by reading the drug storage cassette ID from a barcode printed on the drug storage cassette or an information recording section (for example, an RFID tag: radio frequency identifier tag, etc.) held in the drug storage cassette. . Note that not only when the drug storage cassette 1 is selected as a drug replenishment target but also when a specific drug is selected, for example, a bar code printed on the PTP sheet 100 or a plurality of PTP sheets 100 are packaged. When a barcode printed on a box or the like is read, a message as shown in FIG. 38 may be displayed.

Furthermore, when executing error processing due to the occurrence of poor suction, if this error occurs in the medicine storage cassette 1 of the particular medicine, the control unit 1005 displays an error message on the display 1002 as well as a PTP sheet A message can be displayed to call attention to the 100 sets. For example, a message such as "It is prohibited to set this medication sheet in a cassette with the pocket sides facing each other. Please make sure that the orientation of the medication sheet is the same."

For example, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 39, when a suction failure occurs in a certain drug storage cassette 1, the control unit 1005 uses the weighing scale to determine whether the item is out of stock (step S1 ), when it is determined that the PTP sheet 100 is out of stock, a message prompting the replenishment of the PTP sheet 100 is displayed (step S2). When it is determined that there is no shortage, it is determined whether the medicine set in the medicine storage cassette 1 is a specific product (step S3). If the item is not a specific item, a message indicating a normal error is displayed (step S4). On the other hand, if it is a specific item, a message indicating an error and indicating that setting freely is prohibited is displayed (step S5). The message portion indicating the above-mentioned prohibition can be the same as the message content shown in FIG. 38. In step S1, a message is also displayed when a specific drug storage cassette 1 is out of stock, but this message display can also be the same as the message content shown in FIG. 38.

In the above embodiment, the suction operation unit 6 is shown as a take-out unit that holds the PTP sheet 100, but the suction operation unit 6 is not limited to such suction. It may also be possible to pay it out.

In the medicine dispensing device 101 of the embodiment described above, the delivery section 3 is moved by the delivery section moving section 4, but as shown in FIG. may be provided movably within the arrangement range of the plurality of delivery sections 3 in charge. That is, the payout operation section 110 may move between the plurality of delivery sections 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 36, a plurality of the delivery sections 3 and the dispensing operation sections 110 may be fixedly arranged in one-to-one correspondence.

Furthermore, in the medicine dispensing device 101 of the embodiment described above, it is detected whether the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 is facing left or right, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to set the PTP sheet 100 in the drug storage cassette 1 so that its long axis is vertical, and in this case, it is possible to detect whether the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 is facing upward or downward You can also do this.

Further, in the medicine dispensing device 101 of the above embodiment, the medicine storage cassette 1 is moved horizontally within the cassette shelf, but the medicine storage cassette 1 may be moved vertically and stored in the cassette shelf. is also possible. The drug storage cassette 1 may contain PTP sheets 100 stacked in the vertical direction. In this case, the suction pad of the suction body section 61 in the dispensing operation section 110 is provided facing downward, and the uppermost PTP sheet 100 is taken out from the drug storage cassette 1.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments. Various modifications and variations can be made to the illustrated embodiment within the same scope or equivalent scope of the present invention.

1 Drug storage cassette 11 Storage section 13 Normal rotation section 13b Suction cup section 14 Sheet gripping section 15 Cutter section 120 Dispensing section 140 Lid 140a notch section 141 Sheet storage section 2 Cassette transport section 21 Cassette loading/unloading section 22 Moving mechanism 23 Front and rear Moving part 3 Delivery part 4 Delivery part moving part 5 Tray moving part 51 Conveyor part 52 Back and forth drive part 53 Positioning part 53b Shaft (support shaft)
531 Stopper member 531d Wound spring (elastic member 500 Tray moving section (second tray moving section)
6 Suction operation section 61 Suction main body section 61a Suction cup 62 Pocket detection section 64 Lifting device 65 Back and forth movement device 8 Sheet gripping section 101 Medicine dispensing device 110 Dispensing operation section 1011 Cassette shelf 1012 Tray stocker 1120 Medicine sheet outlet section

Claims (3)

a cassette shelf in which a plurality of drug storage cassettes for storing drug sheets are arranged side by side in the vertical and horizontal directions ;
An operation of taking out the drug storage cassette from the cassette shelf in a forward direction relative to the cassette shelf and transporting it to the delivery section, and transporting the drug storage cassette on the delivery section from the delivery section to the cassette shelf, and transporting the drug storage cassette on the delivery section from the delivery section to the cassette shelf, and a cassette transport unit that returns the cassette to the shelf by moving backwards with respect to the shelf ;
a medicine cover part provided in the cassette transport part and positioned so as to cover the upper side of the medicine storage cassette taken out from the cassette shelf;
It is equipped with
The delivery part is disposed on a base part that can be pulled out in the front direction and moved back in the rear direction, and when the base part is pulled out in the front direction, the drug storage cassette on the delivery part is moved. A drug delivery mechanism characterized in that a drug can be taken out by a user . a cassette shelf in which a plurality of drug storage cassettes for storing drug sheets are arranged side by side in the vertical and horizontal directions ;
An operation of taking out the drug storage cassette from the cassette shelf in a forward direction with respect to the cassette shelf, moving it downward and conveying it to the delivery section, and removing the drug storage cassette from the delivery section and moving it upward. a cassette transport unit that performs an operation of returning the cassette to the cassette shelf by moving backward relative to the cassette shelf after transporting the cassette;
a medicine cover part provided in the cassette transport part and positioned so as to cover the upper side of the medicine storage cassette taken out from the cassette shelf;
It is equipped with
The delivery part is disposed on a base part that can be pulled out in the front direction and moved back in the rear direction, and when the base part is pulled out in the front direction, the drug storage cassette on the delivery part is moved. A drug delivery mechanism characterized in that a drug can be taken out by a user . taking out the drug storage cassette from a cassette shelf on which a plurality of drug storage cassettes containing drug sheets are arranged;
transporting the medicine storage cassette by the cassette transport unit while covering the upper side of the medicine storage cassette with a medicine cover provided in the cassette transport unit;
A step of taking out the drug sheet from the drug storage cassette received by the delivery section disposed on the base section by the conveyance;
removing the drug storage cassette from which the drug sheet has been taken out from the delivery section disposed on the base section and returning it to the cassette shelf by the cassette transport section;
while taking out the drug sheet with
A method for taking out medicine, characterized in that a user pulls out the base part and takes out the medicine storage cassette on the delivery part .

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