JPH05132001A - Tablet detector for automatic tablet packing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To detect tablets precisely and infallibly. CONSTITUTION:A light dispersing plate 28 is provided on a light emitting surface 26a of a light emitting part 26 and on a light receiving surface 27a of a light receiving part 27, which are opposed to each other in the horizontal direction with a tablet dropping passage 24a interposed between them. A light reflecting plate 29 is provided on a side of the tablet dropping passage 24a which runs between the light emitting and receiving surfaces at right angles with a light injecting direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tablet detecting device in an automatic tablet packing machine, and more particularly, to a tablet storing and supplying body arranged in a tablet supplying mechanism for selectively and automatically supplying various tablets. This is to ensure that the tablets that are separated by tablets and dropped and supplied can be detected.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a tablet detecting device in an automatic tablet packing machine of this type, there is one having a structure as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-98822.

In such a conventional tablet detecting device, a space is provided between a light emitting portion composed of a light emitting element (LED) and a light receiving portion composed of a phototransistor, and light emission is blocked by dropping the tablet in this space. The tablet is detected by utilizing the fact that the collector-emitter voltage of the phototransistor increases due to the change in the amount of light from the light receiving portion to the light receiving portion.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional tablet detecting device, the tablet detecting area is set in the tablet detecting area due to the variation of the directivity characteristic of the light between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion and the radiation intensity or the light sensitivity. Areas of low sensitivity such as dead zones may occur.

If, for example, a small tablet with a low signal output of the phototransistor normally passes through such a dead zone, it becomes impossible to detect the tablet and there is a problem that reliability is greatly affected.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a tablet detecting device in an automatic tablet packaging machine, which can detect tablets accurately and surely.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a tablet in which a large number of tablet storage and supply units for storing various tablets are arranged in an upper part in a tablet packaging machine main body. A supply mechanism section is provided and an automatic packaging mechanism section is arranged below the supply mechanism section, and the tablets stored in the tablet storage supply body are separated one by one and dropped and supplied to the automatic packaging mechanism section. In the automatic tablet packaging machine provided with a tablet detecting device for detecting a falling tablet on the way of the dropping path of the tablet, the tablet detecting device faces the tablet in the horizontal direction with the dropping path in between. It has a light emitting part and a light receiving part, and a light diffusing plate is provided on the light emitting surface and the light receiving surface of each of the light emitting part and the light receiving part, and is in a direction perpendicular to the light projection direction between the light emitting part and the light receiving part. A light reflector is provided on the side of the drop passage. In which was made configuration.

[0008]

That is, according to the present invention, the light diffusing plate is provided on the light emitting surface of the light emitting portion and the light receiving surface of the light receiving portion which face each other in the horizontal direction with the tablet drop passage interposed therebetween. The projected light and the light incident on the light receiving unit are made uniform without deviation.

Further, since the light reflecting plate is provided on the side surface of the falling path which is perpendicular to the light projecting direction between the light emitting part and the light receiving part, the light emitting part projects the light through the light diffusing plate. The reflected light is reflected by the light reflecting plate and reaches the light receiving portion side, whereby the tablet can be reliably detected in an area with low sensitivity such as a dead zone.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an external view of an automatic tablet packaging machine equipped with a tablet detecting device according to the present invention. Is the main body of the tablet packing machine.

As shown in FIG. 3, inside the tablet packing machine main body 1, a tablet supply mechanism section 10 to be described later is provided in the upper part, and tablets which are selectively quantitatively supplied from the tablet supply mechanism section 10 are provided in the lower part. An automatic packaging mechanism unit 60, which will be described later and is automatically packaged and discharged, is arranged.

At the lower front side of the tablet packing machine body 1 which is the front side F, an opening 2 serving as a medicine package sheet exchange port and an inspection / maintenance work port is provided.
The door body 3 is provided in the opening 2 so as to be openable and closable.

The door main body 3 is slidable in the vertical direction by being guided and engaged with guide rails 4 and 4 provided on both left and right sides inside the main body 1 of the tablet packing machine, and a central portion of its upper end is The tablet packing machine main body 1 is suspended and supported by a pair of left and right constant load suspension support mechanisms 6 mounted on a fixed frame 5 inside the main body 1.

The pair of left and right constant load suspension support mechanisms 6, 6 are
The door main body 3 is composed of a band-wound spring having the same load as that of the door main body 3, and the balance thereof allows the door main body 3 to be freely stopped at an arbitrary door opening position.

Reference numerals 7 and 7 in the drawing denote a pair of left and right magnets mounted on the fixed frame 5 with the constant load suspension support mechanisms 6 and 6 interposed therebetween. The magnet catch plates 8 and 8 provided at the upper end of the door body 3 correspond to these magnet catch plates 8 and 8, respectively.
As shown in FIG. 4, the magnets 7 and 7 are attracted to the magnets 7 and 7 at the uppermost door open position of the door body 3 so that the door body 3 can be stably and reliably held and fixed.

That is, the tablet supply mechanism section 10 has a cylindrical casing 11 having a large number of accommodating portions which are in the shape of a plane rectangle and are partitioned in a plane lattice shape, and the casing 11.
The tablet storage supply bodies 20 that are inserted into the respective storage sections inside and arranged in a horizontal plane, and the tablet storage supply bodies 20 that are disposed under the casing 11 and are selectively supplied from each of the tablet storage supply bodies 20 at a fixed rate. It is composed of a hopper unit 40 for receiving tablets, and a pair of left and right belt conveyors 50, 50 as first tablet conveying means for receiving tablets falling from the hopper unit 40.

On the other hand, the automatic wrapping mechanism section 60 has a shutter conveyor 7 as a second tablet conveying means arranged at the lower center of the space between the pair of left and right belt conveyors 50.
0 and the tablets dropped on the shutter conveyor 70 from the belt conveyors 50, 50 into the medicine package sheet 101 continuously fed from the medicine package sheet feeding section 200 in which the medicine package sheet roll 100 is loaded. A heat-sealing mechanism 300 for loading and heat-sealing, a cutting mechanism 400 for cutting the medicine package sheet 101 heat-sealed as a package by the heat-sealing mechanism 300, and the cutting mechanism 4
Package transport mechanism 5 for transporting the package cut at 00 to the discharge port 9 opened on the upper side surface of the tablet packing machine body 1.
00 and 00.

Casing 11 of the tablet supply mechanism 10
Tablet storage supply body 20 inserted and arranged in each storage section in the
As shown in FIG. 5, various tablets have upper end portions 21a.
A cylindrical tablet case 21 made of a transparent synthetic resin body is housed from the side, and a lower end portion 21b of the tablet case 21 is connected to a driving portion 23 via a joint member 22.

Inside the tablet case 21, there is provided an aligning board 24 connected to a swing arm 23a that swings by a motor (not shown) of the drive section 23. By the swinging motion of the swinging arm 23a, the tablets stored in the tablet case 21 are aligned, and the tablets are separated and dropped one by one toward the passage 24a therebelow.

Reference numeral 25 in the drawing denotes the joint member 22.
In the tablet detecting device installed on the driving unit 23 to which the tablet case 21 and the aligning board 24 are connected, as shown in FIG.
It is composed of a light-emitting portion 26 formed of a light-emitting element that faces a in the horizontal direction with a interposed therebetween, and a light-receiving portion 27 formed of a phototransistor that receives light from the light-emitting portion 26.

That is, the tablet detection device 25 counts tablets by passing the tablets separated one by one on the alignment board 24 between the light emitting section 26 and the light receiving section 27. The light emitting surface 26a of the light emitting portion 26 and the light receiving surface 27a of the light receiving portion 27 are
The light diffusing plates 28 each having a corrugated inner surface are provided so that the light projected from the light emitting unit 26 and the light incident on the light receiving unit 27 are made uniform without deviation.

Reference numeral 29 in the drawing denotes a light reflecting plate provided on the outer surface between the light emitting portion 26 and the light receiving portion 27 in the direction perpendicular to the light projecting direction, and the light reflecting plate 29 is a mirror-polished metal. The light receiving portion 27 is formed of a plate or a white plate and diffuses the light emitted from the light emitting portion 26 through the light diffusing plate 28 and is projected.
The dead zone d formed on the outer surface side surrounded by the joint member 22 when the tablet detection device 25 is installed on the drive unit 23 of the tablet storage and supply body 20. It is possible to reliably detect tablets in a region with low sensitivity such as.

Further, reference numeral 30 in the drawing denotes a cap made of a transparent synthetic resin body which is detachably capped on the upper end portion 21a of the tablet case 21.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a lid 32 made of a transparent synthetic resin body hinged by a pin 31 is provided on the upper surface of the cap 30 so as to be openable and closable. Is formed so as to be inclined in a vertical cross section “F” shape, and the upper surface portion 33 thereof has storage portions 34 and 35 for storing the sample medicine A for tablets and the desiccant B and a drug name card C. A display section 36 is provided on which the number card D of the doublet case 21 and the like can be arranged.

On the other hand, the lid 32 having the V-shaped vertical cross section.
Inside the rising end surface 37 of, the insertion groove 38 in which, for example, the agent name card C, the number card D of the doublet case 21 and the like can be arranged is formed, and the agent name card C inserted into the insertion groove 38 and The number card D or the like of the doublet case 21 can be seen through from the outside of the rising end face 37. The rising end face 37 is formed into an arcuate concave surface so that a finger or the like can be easily caught, and serves as an opening / closing handle. There is.

The cap 30 capped on the upper end 21a of each of the doublet cases 21 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the tablet packing machine main body 1 is arranged in a saw-tooth shape along the front-rear direction, so that each tablet case 21 from the front side F and the rear side R of the tablet packing machine main body 1 is front and rear sides. It is possible to easily visually confirm the drug name of the tablets stored inside.

In the above embodiment, the light reflecting plate 29 provided on the tablet detecting device 25 is provided on the outer side surface in the direction perpendicular to the light projection direction. In this case, the tablet detecting device 25 is used.
The inner surface of the tablet detector 25 is polished so that it can be used as a light reflecting plate so that it has a mirror surface. When the inner surface of the tablet detecting device 25 cannot be used as a mirror surface, light reflecting plates 29 are provided on both inner and outer surfaces. Be done.

[0028]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the light diffusing plate is provided on the light emitting surface of the light emitting portion and the light receiving surface of the light receiving portion which face each other in the horizontal direction with the dropping passage of the tablet interposed therebetween. Since it is provided, the light projected from the light emitting unit and the light incident on the light receiving unit can be made uniform without deviation.

Further, since the light reflecting plate is provided on the side surface of the falling passage which is perpendicular to the light projecting direction between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion, the light emitting portion diffuses the light through the light diffusing plate and projects it. The light thus reflected is reflected by the light reflecting plate and reaches the light receiving portion side, whereby the tablets can be reliably detected in a region having low sensitivity such as a dead zone.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a tablet detecting device installed in an automatic tablet packaging machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of an automatic tablet packaging machine.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an internal configuration of an automatic tablet packaging machine.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing a state in which the door body is held at the uppermost opened position.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a tablet case that is a tablet storage supply body inserted into the tablet supply mechanism.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part showing a cap-crowned state and an open / closed state of the lid body at the upper end portion of the tablet case.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement state of cap lids capped on the upper end of the tablet case.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Tablet packing machine main body, 10 ... Tablet supply mechanism part, 20 ... Tablet storage supply body, 21 ... Tablet case, 21a ... Upper end part, 24 ... Aligning board, 24a. ..Passage, 25 ... tablet detection device, 26 ... light emitting portion, 26a ... light emitting surface, 27 ... light receiving portion, 27a ... light receiving surface, 28 ... light diffusing plate, 29. ..Light reflecting plate, 60 ... Automatic packaging mechanism section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A tablet supply mechanism section, in which a large number of tablet storage and supply bodies for storing various tablets are arranged, is provided in an upper portion of a tablet packaging machine main body, and an automatic packaging mechanism section is disposed below the tablet supply mechanism section. In addition, the tablets which are separated one by one through the tablets stored in the tablet storage supply body and are dropped and supplied to the automatic packaging mechanism unit, and the tablets which are detecting falling tablets on the way of the dropping path of the tablets In an automatic tablet packaging machine provided with a detection device, the tablet detection device has a light emitting part and a light receiving part which face each other in the horizontal direction with a tablet drop passage interposed therebetween, and the light emitting part and the light receiving part A light diffusing plate is provided on each of the light emitting surface and the light receiving surface, and a light reflecting plate is provided on a side surface of the drop passage that is perpendicular to a light projection direction between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion. Tablet detection device in automatic tablet packaging machine.