KR20090092805A - Hopper device for medicine packing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] A tablet (a) adhered to the inner surface of a hopper (10) is smoothly removed and allowed to fall by a novel, simple, and inexpensive structure. [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] The hopper (10) into which tablets are placed is provided at a support frame (12) so as to be vertically shakable via shaft (11), and tablets (a) are allowed to fall into a piston (21) inside a feeding cylinder (20) located below the hopper. Magnets (15, 27) having the same polarity are respectively arranged on opposite faces of the hopper and piston, and the piston is moved to cause both magnets (15, 27) to be repelled and released from each other, causing the hopper to be shaken and vibrated by impacts. Because the shakable piston moves easily and shaking and impact vibration of the hopper are applied by repelling force of the magnets, the hopper is inexpensive and unlikely to be broken. Impact vibration to the shakable hopper is more smoothly transmitted to the hopper than a case where the hopper is fixed, so that an adhered tablet is smoothly removed (allowed to fall).

Description

Hopper device in drug dispenser {HOPPER DEVICE FOR MEDICINE PACKING MACHINE}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hopper device in a distributor of medicines such as powdered medicine and pills.

Medicines such as powdered medicines and pills are usually delivered to a patient after being dispensed and packaged with the necessary medicines for each prescription, and as the medicine dispensing machine, for example, as shown in FIG. ), A manual spray pill storage unit (B), a V-shaped storage unit (C) for dispensing powdered medicine, an operation terminal unit (D), and a medicine packaging unit (E (dispensing packaging process)) and the like (FIG. 2, etc.).

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-272011

Such a drug distributor is based on a prescription, and after a necessary pill is collected from the pill cassette storage unit A through a hopper H, the pill hopper (not shown, see reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1) is collected. 1, the tablets are sent to the medicine packaging unit E and packaged, or in the manual spray pill storage unit B, the pills are not present in the pill cassette storage unit A or not. The pill is sent to the pill hopper, and then sent to the drug packaging unit (E) for packaging, or the required amount of powdered medicine is put into the V-shaped storage unit (C) for dispensing the powdered medicine, and the powdered medicine is divided and sent to the assembly hopper, Then, it is sent to a pharmaceutical packaging part (E) and packaged (refer patent document 1, 2-4).

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H11-124116

[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-85702

[Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-45113

A pill hopper, in which the necessary pills are collected from the hopper, for example, the pill cassette storage unit A and the manual spray pill storage unit B, will be described with reference to FIG. 1 showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is provided below the funnel-shaped hopper H which collects the pills (a) from a cassette accommodating part A, The discharge cylinder 20 is provided below the hopper 10, and the said hopper 10 is carried out. After dropping the pill (a) in the cylinder 20, the pill (a) is sent out from the cylinder 20 by the delivery piston 21 for advancing and falling into the aggregate hopper 30, The required amount (number) of pills (a) are sent from the assembly hopper 30 to the medicine packaging portion E (distribution packaging process).

At this time, as described above, if the pills (a) are manually sprayed in the manual spray pill storage unit (B) regardless of the tablet cassette storage unit (A) or not, the pill 10 ), Likewise, sent to the medicine packaging unit (E) via the assembly hopper (30) and packaged, or the aggregate hopper while the required amount of powdered medicine is added to the powdered medicine distribution V-shaped storage unit (C), and the powdered medicine is divided. It is sent to (30), and then sent to the drug packaging (E) to be packaged.

1 is a perspective view of an essential part of one embodiment;

2 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the above embodiment.

3 is an exploded perspective view seen from the left side of FIG.

4A is a functional diagram of the above embodiment.

4B is a functional diagram of the above embodiment.

4C is a functional diagram of the above embodiment.

4D is a functional diagram of the above embodiment.

4E is a functional diagram of the above embodiment.

4F is a functional diagram of the above embodiment.

5A is a schematic diagram of an essential part of another embodiment.

5B is a schematic diagram of an essential part of another embodiment.

5C is a schematic diagram of the essential parts of another embodiment.

5D is a schematic diagram of the essential parts of another embodiment.

5E is a schematic diagram of the essential parts of another embodiment.

6 is a perspective view showing an example of a drug distributor.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10, H: Hopper 11: swing shaft

12: support arm (support frame) 13: bottom opening of the hopper (inlet)

15: Hopper side magnet 20: Dispensing cylinder

21: delivery piston

22: top opening (inlet) of the delivery cylinder

23: Lower surface opening of the cylinder for delivery (outlet)

24: Perforation of delivery piston 25: Rack

26: pinion 27: the piston side magnet for feeding

40, 45: protrusion of hopper 41: compressed air jet nozzle

42: plunger 43: electromagnet

44: magnetic body 46: linear movement cam

47: rotating cam a: pills

A: Pill cassette compartment B: Manual spray pill compartment

C: V-shaped storage part for dispensing powdered medicine D: Operation terminal part

E: Pharmaceutical Packaging Department (Distribution Packaging Process)

In the hopper 10 or the like in such a drug distribution machine, the inner surface of the hopper 10 is to be as active as possible, but due to the nature of the drug (pill (a)) or a humid environment, etc. The drug may be attached to the inner surface of the hopper 10. If attached, the drug may not be packaged and may be mixed into other packages. For this reason, conventionally, there is a technique for imparting vibration to a hopper as a means for preventing the adhesion of such a drug (see paragraph [0050] and the like of Patent Document 5).

[Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-263318

However, the conventional hopper is fixed to a support frame or the like, and the vibration imparting means such as the plunger does not transmit effective vibration to the hopper, which sometimes prevents the effective removal of the drug attached to the inner surface of the hopper. In addition, it is desired to be inexpensive and durable without using a plunger or the like as the vibration imparting means. In today's low price, such demands are increasing.

MEANS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM This invention makes it a 1st subject to remove the chemical | medical agent attached to the inner surface of a hopper smoothly, and makes it the 2nd subject to make the means cheap and durable.

MEANS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM In order to achieve the said 1st subject, this invention makes the hopper rockable up and down first. If the hopper is swingable, the hopper swings easily when a force in the swinging direction is applied to the hopper. Next, in the present invention, since only the rocking of the hopper cannot smoothly detach the medicine attached to the inner surface, the present invention is designed to vibrate the hopper in addition to the rocking. When shock vibration is applied to the hopper, oscillation is possible, so that the shock vibration is smoothly transmitted to the hopper as compared with the case where the hopper is fixed, thereby smoothly detaching (dropping) the attached medicine.

In the constitution of the present invention, a hopper into which the medicine is injected is provided on the support frame so as to be able to swing up and down by the shafts on both sides thereof, and a means for rocking the hopper to impart shock vibration is provided. The vibrating means may be configured to vibrate the hopper to peel off and drop the medicine attached to the inner surface thereof. Here, the term "axis" means not only a rod-shaped object but also an axis of various aspects that can be a support point for swinging, for example, an axis of machining, and when swinging by the axis, the swinging is Smooth.

The swinging / impacting vibration means may adopt various configurations described below and well-known in addition to the swinging impact caused by the stabbing of the plunger as in the related art. Here, as described above, if only the hopper is rocked, the hopper only shakes, and the attached medicine is difficult to be removed. Therefore, it is necessary to impart shock vibration to the hopper by any means. For example, in the case of a plunger, when the tip of the plunger is positioned in the swing range of the hopper and the hopper is applied to the tip, shock vibration is applied to the hopper. can do.

When the hopper is always in a state in which a part thereof is brought into contact with a fixed object such as an apparatus frame from above, and is stopped, and the oscillator moves upward and downward by pressing the hopper upward by rocking / impact vibration means such as a plunger, When is shaken and returned, the part comes into contact with the fixture (device frame) and can be subjected to shock vibration by the contact. In this case, the oscillation / impact vibration means may be one that imparts oscillation force to the hopper. As the oscillation / impact vibration means, intermittent blowing of air in the direction of swinging the hopper upward, intermittent suction or transfer by an electromagnet, rotation of the rotary cam, or movement of the linear cam The configuration to pressurize upwards can be adopted (see FIGS. 5A to 5E).

In a hopper where necessary pills are collected from the pill cassette storage portion A, a discharge cylinder is provided on the lower surface of the hopper, the medicine in the hopper is dropped into the cylinder, and the dropped medicine is advanced in the hopper. In the hopper device in the chemical | medical agent dispenser which is sent out from a cylinder by the delivery piston, and falls in a distribution packaging process, magnets having the same poles on the opposite surface side are respectively provided on opposite surfaces of the hopper and the piston. The structure which made the said oscillation and an impact vibrating means can be employ | adopted by repulsion and the release | release of both magnets with a piston movement.

According to the above arrangement, as the delivery piston moves forward and backward, both the hopper and the magnet of the piston repeat approach and separation, and because the opposite poles are the same, in the approach, they repel and swing the hopper upwards. The repulsive force weakens (disappears), and the hopper swings downward. At the time of the downward swing, the hopper is subjected to shock vibration when a part thereof comes in contact with the fixture, and by the shock vibration, the drug attached to the inner surface of the hopper peels off and falls.

At this time, even if it is not a cylindrical shape over the whole length, the said delivery cylinder may be what kind of aspect as long as it has a shape which a piston can advance and retreat. For example, the lower surface member of the hopper constitutes the upper surface member of the cylinder, or the cylinder circumferential surface is spaced as long as there is no problem.

In the above configuration, one magnet of the hopper and the piston is used as one, the other magnet is plural, and the plurality of magnets are arranged in the moving direction of the delivery piston and face the magnet opposite to the one magnet. If the configuration is alternately made, since the approach and separation by the magnet are performed several times in one stroke of the piston, the impact vibration is more effectively applied to the hopper, and the attached chemical is more smoothly peeled off and falls. At this time, one magnet of the hopper and the piston may be plural, and the magnet may be alternately provided with the poles of the opposing surfaces facing the piston in the advancing direction. Although the number of magnets is arbitrary, the arrangement | positioning of a pole may be made to be the same like "-", "+", "-" etc., for example toward the advancing direction of a piston.

In the configuration of the delivery cylinder and the piston, an inlet is formed on the upper surface of the cylinder and an outlet is formed on the lower surface of the cylinder, and the inlet of the hopper is faced to the inlet and penetrated through the upper and lower surfaces of the piston. Face the inlet of the cylinder to drop the pill in the hopper through the two inlets into the perforation; and further, the perforated drop of the pill faces the outlet of the cylinder, and dispenses the pill in the perforation from the outlet. A configuration such as dropping in a packaging step can be adopted.

(Effects of the Invention)

In the present invention, the hopper is allowed to swing in the vertical direction as well as to vibrate the hopper by shock, so that the shock vibration is smoothly transmitted to the hopper, and the attached drug is peeled off smoothly. Let's do it. In addition, the structure is also unprecedented and inexpensive and durable.

1 to 4F, one embodiment is shown, and in this embodiment, the funnel-shaped hopper collecting the pills a from the pill cassette storage unit A in the drug distributor shown in FIG. 6 is shown. It relates to a hopper device provided below (H). In the hopper device, the pills a from the funnel-shaped hopper H are sent to the hopper 10 through an extrusion unit (see structures of the cylinder 20 and the piston 21 and the like described later). The hopper 10 has a rocking shaft 11 on both sides of the upper portion of the intermediate degree. The swing shaft 11 is fitted upward from a support arm 12 (frame) fixed to an apparatus frame (not shown), and the hopper 10 swings on the support arm 12 through the swing shaft 11. Possibly supported. It is preferable to install a skid on the swing shaft 11 to smooth the swing of the hopper 10.

In the hopper 10, a necessary amount (number) of pills (a) are sent from the pill cassette storage portion (A) through the funnel-shaped hopper (H), which falls downwardly from the opening (inlet) (13). . At this time, the pill (a) collides with the impact buffer piece 14 in the hopper 10, and the impact buffer piece 14 oscillates by the collision and buffers the falling force (the impact buffer piece of FIG. 4A ( 14) and the pills a fall smoothly and reliably through the openings 13 without popping up. In addition, the rear surface of the hopper 10 is provided with permanent magnets 15 in a row. The number of the magnets 15 in the column direction is one, two, three... And so on.

A delivery cylinder 20 is provided below the hopper 10, and an opening 22 (inlet) corresponding to the bottom opening 13 of the hopper 10 is formed on an upper surface of the cylinder 20, Through the opening 22, the pills a from the hopper 10 are sent. An opening 23 (outlet port) is also formed in the lower surface of the front part of the cylinder 20 (left side of FIG. 4A). In addition, the guide 16 is provided in the front-rear edge of the upper surface opening 22 of the cylinder 20, and the peripheral part of the lower surface opening 13 of the hopper 10 is sandwiched between the guides 16 both. The hopper 10 is positioned relative to the cylinder 20. By the positioning, the hopper 10 usually comes into contact with the upper surface of the delivery cylinder 20 (guide 16) fixed to a device frame in part (see Fig. 4A).

The delivery piston 21 is provided in the delivery cylinder 20 so that the delivery piston 21 can move forward and backward in the axial direction (left and right directions in FIG. 4A). The piston 21 has a through-hole 24 penetrating up and down corresponding to the opening 22 of the cylinder 20, the tablet (a) from the opening 22 is sent into the through-hole 24 Lose (fall). In addition, when the rack 25 is provided on the lower surface of the delivery piston 21 and the pinion 26 which engages with the said rack 25 is reversed by suitable means, such as a motor, the rack 25 ) Moves from side to side (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1), and the piston 21 also moves side to side with the rack 25. At this time, the rollers 29 on both sides of the piston 21 move on the rails (not shown) of the apparatus frame to smoothly and linearly move the piston 21.

Permanent magnets 27 are embedded in three rows on the upper surface of the piston 21. The number of the magnets 27 in the column direction is arbitrary, but the same number (two in Fig. 1) as the magnets 15 of the hopper 10 is set at the same interval. The row may be three rows, or may be one row, two rows, or four rows or more. As for the magnet 15 of the hopper 10 and the magnet 27 of the piston 21, the piston 21 advances from a standby state (a state in which a pill a is received from the hopper 10 shown in Fig. 4A) (Fig. At the left side of 4a, the opposing surfaces of the first and second opposing magnets 15 and 27 (the lower surface of the magnet 15 and the upper surface of the magnet 27) have the same polarity, for example, both magnets 15, 27. All opposing surfaces of 27 become "+", and each magnet 27 on the piston 21 side has different polarities on its upper surface in order toward the traveling direction of the piston 21. Even when a plurality of rows of magnets 15 are provided on the hopper 10 side, the polarities of the magnets 15 are similarly sequentially changed.

This embodiment is comprised as mentioned above, and the pill a required from the pill cassette accommodating part A is sent to the hopper 10 through the hopper H based on a prescription similarly to the conventional method, and the piston 21 In the through hole 24 (FIG. 4A). In addition, similarly to the conventional one, the tablet etc. which are not in the pill cassette accommodating part A are sent to the hopper 10 from the manual spray pill accommodating part B suitably. At this time, as shown to FIG. 4A, the tablet (a) may adhere to the inside surface of the hopper 10 by the property of a tablet (a), a humid environment, etc.

For this reason, as shown to FIG. 4A-FIG. 4E, the piston 21 moves to left and right. That is, when the piston 21 shifts to the left side shown in FIGS. 4A to 4B, and the first magnet 27 of the piston 21 opposes the magnet 15 of the hopper 10, both magnets 15 , 27) reacts because the opposite surfaces have the same polarity, and the repulsive force causes the hopper 10 to rotate to the left as shown in FIG. 4B. Subsequently, when the piston 21 moves further to the left, the magnets 15 and 27 are attracted to each other due to different polarities of the opposing surfaces, and by this suction, the hopper 10 swings to rotate to the right and the cylinder (20) (The guide 16) is subjected to impact vibration by colliding with the upper surface (Fig. 4C). In addition, when the piston 21 moves to the left side, both magnets 15 and 27 have the same polarity of the opposing surfaces and react with each other, and the repulsion causes the hopper 10 to rotate to the left (Fig. 4D). ). Thereafter, the piston 21 moves to the right and returns to the state of FIG. 4A (FIG. 4E) through the adsorption and repulsion of the magnet 15 and the magnet 27. Shock shock.

The above action is performed by the left and right movement of the piston 21, the impact vibration is repeatedly applied to the hopper 10, the pill (a) attached to the hopper 10 is reliably peeled off by the impact vibration. Falls. The number of times of horizontal movement of the piston 21 is appropriately determined so that the attached tablet a can be reliably dropped by experiment or actual operation in consideration of workability (time). In addition, the horizontal movement of the piston 21 can be performed in the range which the upper surface of the perforation 24 does not deviate from the opening 13 of the hopper 10.

After the piston 21 has moved the required number of left and right movements, as shown in FIG. 4F, the piston 21 further moves (goes forward) to the left side so that the perforation 24 faces the opening 23 of the cylinder 20. The tablet a in the perforation 24 is sent from the opening 23 to the lower assembly hopper 30. At this time, there is no pill (a) attached in the hopper 10, all the necessary pills (a) from the pill cassette housing (A) is sent to the aggregate hopper (30).

The powdered medicine of a required amount is divided into the said aggregate hopper 30 from the V-shaped accommodating part C for powdered medicine distribution, and is thrown in. For this reason, from the said aggregate hopper 30, the pill (a) from the manual spray pill storage part (B), the pill (a) from the pill cassette storage part (A), and the V-shaped accommodating part (C) for powdered medicine distribution Powdered medicine from) is appropriately added on the basis of a prescription, and the aggregate (including a single body) of the medicine is sent to the medicine packaging part E for packaging, or these medicines (pill (a), powdered medicine) are individually packaged, or do.

In this embodiment, it can be set as the structure which provided the some magnet 15 in the left-right direction at the hopper 10 side, and provided the magnet 27 in the line at the piston 21 side. In addition, in this embodiment, the perforation 28 is formed in the upper surface of the cylinder 20, and the magnet 15 of the hopper 10 side avoids contacting the upper surface of the cylinder 20, and both magnets 15 , 27) to facilitate the access to the magnetic force, but unless there is a problem such as access, it is not necessary to form the perforation 28.

As the swinging means of the hopper 10, as shown in Fig. 5A, for example, by using a known means other than the above-described embodiment, the protrusion piece 40 of the hopper 10 by the air blowing nozzle 41 Compressed air is intermittently blown into the hopper 10, or as shown in FIG. 5B, the plunger 42 moves the protruding piece 40 up and down to swing the hopper 10. As shown in FIG. 5C, the electromagnet 43 generates magnetic force lines of the same polarity as the permanent magnet 44 of the hopper 10 and intermittently separates the hopper 10, or as shown in FIG. 5D. Similarly, the linear movement cam 46 in contact with the projection 45 of the hopper 10 is moved by the plunger 42 to swing the hopper 10, or as shown in FIG. 5E, the protrusion of the hopper 10. The hopper 10 is swung by the rotation of the disc cam 47 in contact with the piece 40, and the hopper 10 is rocked and shocked and vibrated. It can be granted. In FIG. 5C, the electromagnet 43 is provided on the side opposite to the hopper 10 (the left side in FIG. 1), and the magnetic material of the hopper 10 is intermittently sucked by the electromagnet 43. You may rock (10).

In these embodiments, in each drawing, the hopper 10 oscillates and collides with the cylinder 20 to impart a collision vibration to the hopper 10. By positioning and pushing the hopper to its tip by advancing and retreating the plunger, the hopper 10 may be subjected to oscillation and impact vibration. That is, it is not necessary to make it the structure which makes the hopper 10 collide with a fixture. Moreover, although this embodiment was related with the hopper apparatus provided below the funnel-shaped hopper H which collects the pills a from the pill cassette storage part A, it is possible to apply to the chemical | medical agent distribution apparatuses, such as aggregation hopper 30, for example. It goes without saying that the present invention can also be employed in other hoppers.

Claims (6)

The hopper 10 into which the medicine (a) is injected is installed to the support frame 12 by the shafts 11 on both sides so as to be able to swing in the vertical direction, and the hopper 10 is attached to the hopper 10. A hopper device in a drug dispenser for oscillating and shock-vibrating means, wherein the oscillating / impact-vibrating means vibrates the hopper 10 to peel off and drop the drug (a) attached to the inner surface thereof. The method of claim 1, The hopper 10 is in a state in which a part thereof is brought into contact with the apparatus frame from above and is stopped. The hopper 10 is oscillated in the vertical direction by being pressed upward by the oscillation / impact vibration means, and the portion is moved to the apparatus frame. A hopper device in a drug dispenser, characterized in that impact vibration is given by touching. The method of claim 2, Intermittent jet of air in the direction of rocking the swing / shock vibrating means upward in the hopper 10, intermittent suction or separation by the electromagnet 42, rotation of the rotary cam 47, or a straight line The hopper apparatus in the chemical | medical agent dispenser comprised by pressurization to the said upward direction according to the movement of the movement cam 46. The method of claim 2, A delivery cylinder 20 is provided on the lower surface of the hopper 10 to drop the medicine a in the hopper 10 into the cylinder 20, and the dropped medicine a is dropped into the hopper 10. ) Is discharged from the cylinder 20 by the delivery piston 21 advancing and retreating into the distribution packing step E, On each of the opposing surfaces of the hopper 10 and the piston 21, magnets 15 and 27 having the same poles on the opposing surface side are respectively provided, and both magnets 15 and 27 due to the movement of the piston 21 are provided. And the oscillation / impact vibration means are constituted by the repulsion and the release thereof. The method of claim 4, wherein One magnet 15 of the hopper 10 and the piston 21 is made into one, the other magnet 27 is made into a plurality, and the plurality of magnets 27 are moved in the direction of movement of the piston 21. A hopper device in a drug dispensing machine, characterized in that the poles of the surface opposite to the one magnet (15) are alternately arranged. The method according to claim 4 or 5, The inlet port 22 is formed in the upper surface of the cylinder 20, and the outlet port 23 is formed in the lower surface, the inlet port 13 of the hopper 10 is faced to the inlet port 22, and the piston 21 Perforations 24 penetrating the upper and lower surfaces of the cylinder 20 face the inlet 22 of the cylinder 20 so that the pills a in the hopper 10 are passed through both inlets 13 and 22. 24, and the perforation 24 in which the pill (a) has fallen is faced to the outlet 23 of the cylinder 20, and the tablet in the perforation 24 from the outlet 23 ( The hopper apparatus in the chemical | medical agent dispenser characterized by falling a) in distribution packaging process (E).