WO2001076982A1

WO2001076982A1 - Tablet container transfer device

Info

Publication number: WO2001076982A1
Application number: PCT/JP2001/002722
Authority: WO
Inventors: Takafumi Imai
Original assignee: Yuyama Mfg. Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2000-04-11
Filing date: 2001-03-30
Publication date: 2001-10-18
Also published as: TW480242B; JP2001294305A

Abstract

A tablet container transfer device wherein an arm (15) comprising a pair of gripping pieces (25) for gripping a tablet container (11) and a driving motor (24) for opening/closing the gripping pieces (25) is turned and vertically moved, thereby transferring the tablet container (11) from a tablet filling section (4) to a storing shelf (1). A value obtained by adding a margin current to a current value found during the normal driving of the driving motor (24) is set as a threshold. The device further includes a control means whereby if the current value exceeds the threshold as the load on the driving motor (24) increases when the tablet container (11) is gripped by the gripping pieces, the operation of the driving motor (24) is stopped. This makes it possible to produce the device at low cost by the existing facilities without adding a sensor or the like.

Description

Description Tablet container transfer device

Technical field

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a tablet container transfer device used to transfer a tablet container from a tablet filling section to a storage shelf. Background art

Conventionally, a tablet container filled with tablets by a tablet filling device has been transferred to another place by a tablet container transfer device such as a belt conveyor (see US Pat. No. 5,348,061).

Meanwhile, in the tablet container transfer device, the tablet containers can be transported only linearly. For example, as a storage shelf, a mechanism for arranging the tablet containers in a matrix of up, down, left, and right is used. not appropriate. In addition, the mouth pot arm requires a large number of sensors for detecting the operation of the gripper, etc., and will increase costs in the future. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a comprehensive container transfer device that can be manufactured at low cost with existing equipment without adding a sensor or the like. '

According to the present invention, as a means for solving the above problems, a tablet container is formed by turning and vertically moving an arm including a pair of holding pieces for holding a tablet container and a drive motor for opening and closing the holding piece. In the tablet container transfer device for transferring from the tablet filling section to the storage shelf, a threshold value is set to a value obtained by adding a margin current to the current value of the normal driving of the drive motor, and the drive when the tablet container is gripped by the gripping piece When the current value exceeds the threshold value in accordance with an increase in the load on the motor, a control means for stopping the driving of the drive motor is provided.

The arm has a stop member that comes into contact when the gripping piece is opened to the whole building position, and the control device, when the current value of the drive motor exceeds the threshold value when the gripping piece is opened, V, it is preferable to stop driving the drive motor. With this configuration, the gripping state of the tablet container by the gripping pieces can be grasped only by detecting the value of the current supplied to the drive motor without adding a new sensor or the like. Therefore, the tablet container can be transported properly without causing any troubles such as damage by the gripping pieces, dropping during the turning of the arm and the vertical movement.

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, when the current value exceeds the threshold value in accordance with the increase in the load on the drive motor when the tablet container is gripped by the gripping piece, the drive of the drive motor is stopped. As a result, it is possible to control the driving of the gripping piece at low cost without adding a new sensor or the like. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire tablet filling device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a storage room of the storage shelf in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a partial perspective view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the arm member of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the tablet container of FIG.

FIG. 5A is an exploded perspective view showing the motor base and the feeder container of FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is a bottom view of the feeder container.

6A is a cross-sectional view showing the motor base and the feeder container of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6B is a partial plan view showing the partition fin.

FIG. 7 (a) is a front view of a rotor provided in the feeder container of FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 (b) is a bottom view thereof. .

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the stock container of FIG. '

W 9 is a sectional view of FIG. 8, _u

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the container removing section of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view showing the vicinity of the tablet filling device in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the container supporting portion and the label sticking device of FIG.

Figure 1 ³ is a partially enlarged perspective view of FIG 2.

FIG. 14 is a front view showing the container support and the filling hopper of FIG. FIGS. 15A and 15B are front views showing the operation of the tablet measuring section of FIG. FIGS. 16 (a), (b) and (c) are front views showing the operation of the tablet measuring section of FIG.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of the tablet filling device according to the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a main flowchart showing tablet filling control.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the empty container supply process.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the tablet transfer process.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart following FIG.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the container transfer process.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the return processing.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the tablet collection process.

FIGS. 25 (a) and 25 (b) are diagrams showing the main menu displayed on the touch panel.

FIGS. 26 (a) and 26 (b) are diagrams showing the display contents of the touch panel when the power is turned off.

FIG. 27 is a partially enlarged view of the tablet supply unit provided with the individual dispensing device.

FIG. 28 is a partially enlarged view of a tablet supply unit provided with an individual dispensing device according to another embodiment. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in Fig. 1, the tablet filling device generally includes a storage shelf 1 provided at one end, a tablet supply unit 2 provided at an upper side, a tablet container supply unit 3 provided at a lower side thereof, and a storage shelf. It comprises a tablet filling section 4 provided between 1 and a tablet supplying section 3, and a control section 5 (see FIG. 17).

The storage shelf 1 has a substantially semi-cylindrical shape having a plurality of accommodation rooms 6. As shown in FIG. 2 (a), each storage chamber 6 has a frame shape, and at least the facing surface in the radial direction (indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2 (a)) is open. The radially inner opening is closed by a door 6a urged by a panel or the like (not shown). Door 6a turns only to the front By being movably provided, the hand can be prevented from entering the filled tablet container transfer section 13 described below. Further, the door 6 rotates within a range that does not interfere with the tablet container 11 held by the container holding unit 8. A display unit 7 is provided at an upper portion on the outer radial side of the accommodation room 6. In the present embodiment, the display unit 7 displays a feeder volume number and a tablet count. Further, the accommodation room 6 is provided with a container holding portion 8. The container holding portion 8 is configured by biasing a pair of holding plates 9 provided so as to be able to contact and separate in the horizontal direction in the opposite direction by a spring 9a. At the lower end of the holding plate 9, a holding claw 10 extending in the facing direction is formed. As shown in FIG. 2 (b), a substantially elliptical concave portion 10 a is formed on the opposite edge of each holding claw 10 so as to hold the tablet container 11, and A widened notch 10b is formed. The notch 10b is for facilitating insertion of the tablet container 11 into the recess 10a. The container sensor 8a can detect whether or not the tablet container 11 is held in the container holding section .8 of each storage room 6.

At the center of the outer periphery of the storage shelf 1, a touch panel 12 is provided in place of the accommodation room 6, as shown in FIG. The touch panel 12 is for enabling prescription instruction data to be directly input. ,

A packed tablet container transfer unit 13 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the storage shelf 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the filled tablet container transfer section 13 is configured such that an arm member 15 is rotatably provided on a vertically movable rectangular frame body 14.

Bearing recesses 16 are provided at the upper and lower ends of both outer side surfaces of the rectangular frame ^: 14, respectively. The bearing recess 16 slides on a guide shaft 17 erected at a predetermined interval behind the storage shelf 1. Then, by driving a motor (not shown), the filled tablet container transfer section 13 can be moved up and down via a belt (not shown). A first drive gear 18 is fixed to the width center of the lower horizontal plate 1a of the rectangular frame body 14. The bearing recess 16 may be formed by a roller or a bearing that slides on the guide shaft 17.

The arm member 15 includes an arm body 19 rotatably disposed on a center axis of the first drive gear 18. A first drive motor 20 is provided at one end of the arm body .19. The rotation axis of the first drive motor 20 projects from the lower surface of the arm body 19, A position detection plate 21 and a second drive gear (not shown) that is engaged with the first drive gear 18 are fixed thereto. The rotation-position of the second drive gear can be determined by detecting the position detection plate 21 with a sensor (not shown). As a result, the arm member 15 is driven by the first drive motor 20 so that the arm member 15 is driven by the first drive motor 20. Rotate forward and backward within the range. On the upper surface of the arm main body 19, a slide member 22 that reciprocates in the longitudinal direction by driving a built-in second drive motor (not shown) is provided. A grip member 23 is provided at one end of the slide member 22 (on the side opposite to the first drive motor 20). The gripping member 23 is composed of a pair of gripping pieces 25 that are opened and closed via a screw shaft (not shown) by the operation of a third drive motor 24 disposed on the slide member 22. The third drive motor 24 is driven or stopped based on a current value that fluctuates due to a difference in load acting on the gripping piece 25. Specifically, when the third drive motor 24 grips the tablet container 11 with the gripping pieces 25 or opens the gripping pieces 25, the current value is increased to a threshold value (normally It stops when the current value flowing during operation exceeds the margin current). The increase in load when the gripping piece 25 is released is obtained by bringing the gripping piece 25 into contact with the stopper member 25a at a predetermined opening position. Further, the gripping pieces 25 are urged in the axial release direction by a spring or the like (not shown), and the backlash of the screw shaft is absorbed.

The tablet supply section 2 includes a tablet storage section 26 and a tablet transport section 27, and the _u tablet storage section 26 is provided on both sides of the vertical wall section 28, as shown in FIG. Grooves 29 extending in the vertical direction are juxtaposed, and closed by shelves 30 rotatably provided around the support shaft 30a of each groove 29. Is formed. Each shelf member 3 0 is bored a plurality of tablet discharge port 3 0 b in the vertical direction, _u is an outer surface that motor base 3 2 their respective mounted in correspondence with the tablet discharge port 3 0 b

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the motor base 32 incorporates a drive motor 32a, and a drive gear 33 to which the power of the drive motor 32a is transmitted is exposed on the upper surface. You. Further, a drop guide passage 34 is formed at one end of the motor base 32. A tablet detection sensor 35 is provided on the inner wall of the fall guide passage 34 so as to detect (count) tablets discharged through the fall plan passage 34. W

, 6

A feeder container 36 is detachably attached to the motor base 32. The feeder container 36 is opened upward, has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that can be covered by a cover 37, and contains a tablet. At the bottom of the feeder container 36, a rotor 39 having a gear 38 at the lower end is provided.

As shown in FIG. 7, the rotor 39 has upper and lower conical surfaces, and when the feeder container 36 is mounted on the motor base 32, the gears 38 of the motor base 32 have the gears 33 of the motor base 32. It has come to work with. On the Byone conical surface of the rotor 39, a tablet guide groove 40 spiraling toward the center and a partition groove 41 divided into two at the center are formed. The spiral direction of the tablet guide groove 40 is opposite to the direction of rotation (indicated by the arrow in FIG. 7B) toward the rotation center of the rotor 39. A partition fin 42 is provided in the partition groove 4]. As shown in FIG. 6 (b), the tablets passing through the tablet guide groove 40 are sequentially sorted as the rotor 39 rotates.

The gear 38 of the feeder container 36 can be disengaged with a gear stopper 43. As shown in FIG. 5 (b), the gear stopper 43 is urged toward the gear 38 by a stopper spring 44. As a result, even if the feeder container 36 is removed from the motor base 32, the gear stopper 43 is engaged with the gear 38, and the rotation of the mouth 39 is prevented, so that the tablets fall out. Never.

In the tablet supply section 2, when the drive motor 32 a in the motor base 32 is driven in a state where the feeder container 36 is attached to the motor base 32, the gear 33 and the drive gear 38 are provided. As a result, the rotor 39 rotates, and the tablets move toward the center of rotation in a line through the respective tablet guide grooves 40. As described above, the tablet guide groove 4 is formed so that the spiral direction is opposite to the rotation direction of the rotor 39, as described above. The tablet is forcibly moved toward the center of rotation regardless of the centrifugal force acting on the tablet. Before entering the tablet guide groove 40, the tablets are partitioned by the partition fins 42 and fall one by one into the common guide passage 31 via the fall guide passage 34.

At the lower end of the common guide passage 31, there is provided a shirt 43 for temporarily holding the dropped tablets. The shutter 43 consists of a single plate that slides horizontally in the falling direction of the drop guide passage 34. Opening at both ends of shutter 4 3 Parts 43a and 43b are formed respectively. When the shutter 43 slides to the left end, the drop guide passage 34 is opened by the right opening 43a, and when the shutter 43 slides to the right end, the drop plan passage 34 is opened by the left "opening 43b. When the shirt star 43 stops at the center of the slide stroke, the two-way passages 34 are closed.

A hopper 44 is slidably and detachably provided below the shutter 43. The hopper 44 slides to the position g capable of receiving the tablet in accordance with the sliding operation of the shutter 43. Then, the tablets received from the drop-guide paths 34 can be supplied to the transport containers 46 of the two tablet transport sections 27 provided below the hopper 44, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 11, the tablet transport section 27 hangs a transport belt 48 between a pair of rollers 47 so that the transport container 46 can be reciprocated by the transport belt 48. They are provided in rows. The transport container 46 is supported by a support frame 46a. A rectangular hole 46c is juxtaposed in the bottom plate 46b of the support frame 46 (see FIGS. 4, 14 and 15). The transport belt 48 has a continuous guide ridge 48a. The guide ridge portion 48 a engages with the rectangular hole 46 c to enable the transfer of the transfer container 46. The transfer container 46 is constituted by a shutter 49 whose lower surface can be opened and closed. The shirt 49 is urged by a spring 50 disposed on one end side to close the bottom of the transport container 46. A projection 49 a is formed on the lower surface of one end of the shutter 49.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the tablet container supply unit 3 includes a stock container 51 for accommodating an empty tablet container 11 and a container for taking out one tablet container 11 from the stock container 51. It comprises a take-out part 52 and an empty container transfer part 53 for transferring the tablet container 11 taken out of the stock container 51 by the container take-out part 52. The tablet container supply units 3 are arranged in a row, and each stock container 51 contains empty tablet containers 11 of different sizes (length or length).

The bottom wall 54 of the stock container 51 is inclined downward toward the container outlet 52, and a turntable 55 is provided near the container outlet 52. The rotation 55 slightly protrudes from the bottom wall 54 and rotates forward and backward periodically by driving the motor 56. The inclination direction of the tablet container 11 with respect to the container removal section 52 is changed. A hemispherical projection 55 a is provided on the upper surface of the rotating plate 55. The projections 55a help the tablet container 11 be placed sideways to facilitate smooth removal by the container removal 52. Above the inclined surface of the bottom wall 5, a transmission type optical sensor 54a is mounted. An indicator lamp (not shown) provided on the stock container 51 displays the remaining amount of the tablet container 11 based on a detection signal from the transmission optical sensor 54a. That is, the display lamp turns on the “F j lamp” when the light between the transmission type optical sensors 54 a is blocked, and turns on the “shi” lamp when the light is not blocked. Thereby, the operator can easily grasp the replenishment time of the tablet container 11. Further, the display lamp turns on the “E” lamp when a sensor (not shown) provided on the conveyor 61 or the conveyor 62 described later cannot detect the tablet container 11 for a certain period of time. Note that the remaining amount of the tablet container 11 may be displayed on the touch panel 12 shown in FIG. Further, the by providing a transmissive light sensor 5 4 a a plurality of locations may be possible to determine the housing remaining amount of tablet vessel 1 1 in a plurality of stages _u

As shown in FIG. 10, the container take-out section 52 has a belt 58 stretched between rollers 57 arranged vertically. The belt 58 is provided with a lateral holding portion 59 at predetermined intervals along the moving direction. Further, between the horizontal container holding portions 59, two vertical container excluding portions 60 are provided. The horizontal container holding portion 59 is constituted by a plurality of holding claws 59a projecting at a predetermined interval, and the vertical container removing portion 60 is constituted by a plurality of projecting portions 60a projecting at a predetermined interval. The distance between the horizontal container holding portions 59 is smaller than the height of the tablet container 11 and larger than the height of the tablet container 11. The interval between the holding claws 59 a is larger than the outer diameter of the tablet container 11. As a result, the tablet container 11 can be securely held in the horizontal direction without the opening of the tablet container 11 being caught by the holding claws 59a. Also, as shown in FIG. 8, the container unloading unit 52 further includes a conveyor 61 and a transfer table 62, and the tablet container 11 removed by the container unloading unit 52 is used to empty the tablet container 11 5 Transport to 3. The conveyor 61 has a pair of rollers 68, and four conveyer ropes 59 for convenience. The roller 68 can be rotated forward and backward by driving a motor (not shown). The distance between the transfer ropes 69 should be at least The value is smaller than that of the 11 pill container. The transfer table 62 has a substantially L-shaped cross section, and rotates between the positions indicated by the solid line and the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9 by the driving of a solenoid (not shown), and the tablet container 11 transferred by the conveyor 61 Is transferred to the empty container transport section 53. The container unloading section 52 is driven when the tablet container 11 is not detected on the conveyor 61 or the carrier 62 by a sensor (not shown) for a fixed time. In addition, the empty container transport section 53, when the initial power is turned on or when power is turned on after an emergency stop, the transport direction is reversed for a certain period of time, and if the empty tablet container 11 is stopped halfway, This is collected in an unillustrated collection box disposed at one end of the empty container transport section 53, that is, at the end opposite to the tablet filling section 4.

The empty container transfer section 53 is disposed below the transfer table 62 along the stock containers 51 arranged side by side. The empty container transporting section 53, like the transporting section 66, includes a pair of rollers 71 and a pair of transporting ropes 72 respectively wound around both ends thereof. .

As shown in FIG. 11, the tablet filling section 4 includes a fork-shaped container support section 76 and a tablet measuring section 77.

The container support portion 76 has a plurality of support pieces 78, and supports the tablet container 11 between them. The interval between the support pieces 78 corresponds to the size of the tablet container 11. In the present embodiment, the container support portion 76 can hold S, M, and L size tablet containers 11. The container support section 76 is reciprocated between a container support position and a tablet input position by a driving device (not shown). If the corresponding tablet container 11 is out of stock, a tablet container 11 having a size larger than the size may be supplied. In this case, if there is no large-sized tablet container 11, supply of the tablet container 11 is stopped.

Guide plates 79, 80 and 81 are provided near the container supporting tree. The first guide plate 79 has a substantially V shape, and guides the tablet container 11 conveyed from the empty container conveying unit 53 to the second guide plate 80. The second guide plate 80 is inclined so that the revolving agent container 11 can be supplied to the container supporting portion 76. The third guide plate 81 advances and retreats with respect to the second guide plate 80 to allow or disable the supply of the tablet container 11 to the container support portion 76. The third guide plate 81 is provided with a delivery guide plate on the rear side in the delivery direction so that the tablet container 11 can be surely rolled. May be.

Below the container support portion 76, a container alignment plate 82 is provided. When the container support portions 76 are moved horizontally, the container alignment plates 8 and 2 abut on the tablet containers 11 supported by the support pieces 78 and align them in a line. This makes it possible to perform an efficient operation by suppressing the amount of extrusion (time required for extrusion) by the extrusion roller 92 described later. A label sticking device 83 and a lifter 84 are provided near the tablet charging position.

The label sticking device 83 is for printing a drug name or the like on a label and sticking it to the tablet container 11. The label 85 is attached to a sheet 87 supplied from one roller 86a, and peels off when the direction of the sheet 87 is changed by the guide chip 88. The sheet 87 from which the label 85 has been peeled off is wound up on the other roller 86b. Printing on the label 85 is performed by thermal transfer of the ripon 90 with the mark ilj head 89 while being supported by the backing roller 86 c before being peeled off from the sheet 87. The ribbon 90 is supplied from one roller 91a, and is wound up on the other roller 91b.

Below the container support part 76, a pair of extrusion rollers 92 and guide rollers 93 are provided. Between the extrusion rollers 92, a size detection sensor (not shown) for detecting the size of the tablet container 11 is provided. The extruding roller 92 pushes the tablet containers 11 aligned with the container aligning plate 82 in the direction in which the support pieces 78 project, and holds the tablet containers 11 with guide rollers 93 positioned on the opposite side. I do. Below the tablet container 11 held by the extrusion roller 92 and the guide roller 93, a rotation receiving table 100 is provided. This rotating cradle ;! 10 rises to a height corresponding to the size detected by the size detection sensor. The guide roller 93 is urged toward the pushing roller 92, and rotates the tablet container 11 by driving a motor 93a. The libter 84 raises the drug container 11 to a rotation position where the flange is located slightly above the support piece 78 and a tablet filling position where the tablet container 11 is lifted to a filling hopper 97 described later.

The tablet measuring section 77 includes a charging hopper 94, a measuring section 95, a measuring hopper 96, a filling hopper 97 and a discharging hopper 98. In the charging hopper 94, as shown in FIG. 15, when the transfer container 46 moves, the projecting portion 49a of the shutter 49 abuts against the edge, thereby urging the spring 50. Release shutter 49. As a result, the tablets stored in the transport container 46 fall sequentially into the charging hopper 94.

As shown in FIG. 11, the weighing unit 95 includes a weighing container 99 for storing tablets falling from the charging hopper 94 and a weighing device 100 for weighing the weighing container 99 together with the stored tablets. And a pair of arms 101 supporting the measuring container 99. Two projections 99a and 99b are formed on both outer surfaces of the measuring container 99, respectively. At the tip of the arm 101, a locking recess 101a is formed to lock the protrusion 99a on one end. When the arm 101 is rotated to supply the tablets in the measuring container 99 to the filling hopper 97, the locking recess 101a prevents the protrusions 99a of the measuring container 99 from falling off. It is shaped like a key to prevent it. When the tablets are put into the measuring container 99 from the input hopper 94, the arm 101 operates from the measuring device 100 to prevent the impact force from directly acting on the measuring device 100. 9 is supported in a buoyant state, and then rotated so that the measuring container 99 is placed on the measuring device 100. As a result, the weighing time by the weighing device 100 is reduced.

The bottom surface of the weighing hopper 96 is composed of a shutter 96a, and a filling amount detection sensor 102 is provided on the opposite side surface so that the amount of tablets stored in the weighing hopper 96 can be determined. .

The upper openings of the filling hopper 97 and the discharge hopper 98 are opened and closed by a rotatable opening / closing door 103. As shown in FIG. 14, the filling hopper 97 has a stepped shape in which the lower cylindrical portion 110 gradually reduces the inner diameter, and the inner cylinder 1 11 is vertically movable there. It is arranged. An umbrella portion 112 is formed at the upper part of the inner cylinder, and opens and closes an inner opening 110a of the lower cylindrical portion 110. Thus, when the tablet container 11 is moved up by the lifter 84 and the inner cylinder is pushed up, the tablets held by the umbrella portion 112 are supplied into the tablet container 11.

As shown in FIG. 17, the control unit 5 receives the input of the prescription information from the host computer 105 (only the input signal from the touch panel 12 may be used), and stores it in the storage shelf 1 (container sensor 8a, Touch panel 12, motor 14a, first drive motor 20, third drive Motor 24, etc.) Tablet supply unit 2 (drive motor 32 a, tablet detection sensor 35, etc.), tablet dispensing unit 3, tablet filling unit 4 (weighing device 100, filling amount detection sensor 102, etc.) ), And receives a signal from the emergency stop switch 106, etc., and controls the drive.

Next, the operation of the tablet filling device having the above configuration will be described.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 18, first, prescription instruction data based on the prescription data is received from the host computer 105 (step S 1). Then, empty container supply processing (step S2) and tablet transfer processing (step S3) are performed by parallel simultaneous processing based on the prescription instruction data. Subsequently, after f7 of the tablet filling process (step S4), a container transfer process of transferring the tablet container 11 to the storage room 6 of the storage shelf 1 is performed (step S5). Note that a plurality of prescription instruction data may be received according to the processing capacity.

In the empty container supply process, as shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 19 and 20, first, a stock container 51 containing the corresponding tablet container based on the prescription instruction data]. Drive 2 (step S11). In the container unloading section 52, the tablet container 11 is conveyed upward in a state where the tablet container 11 is held horizontally by the horizontal container holding section 60. At this time, the vertical container excluding portion 61 prevents the tablet containers 11 from being stacked vertically or two on the horizontal container holding portion 60. Further, the supply of the next tablet container 11 is performed when the use of the tablet container 11 held in the container support portion 76 is determined, that is, when the next prescription instruction data is input, the stock container is supplied. The operation is performed by driving the container unloading section 51 of 51.

When the tablet container 11 is carried upward by the container unloading section 52, the drive of the conveyor 61 is started and the tablet 61 is moved to the carrier 62 (step S12). The tablet container 11 is transferred to the empty container transfer section 53 by driving a solenoid (not shown) to rotate the transfer table 62 (step S13).

In the empty container transport section 53, the motor is driven after the delivery of the tablet container 11 from the stock container 51, and the tablet container 11 is transported to the tablet filling section 4 by the transport rope 72 (Step S). 14 ) .

In the tablet filling section 4, the tablet container 11 is guided to the second guide plate 80 by the first guide plate 79, where it is guided by the third guide plate 81 (step S15). Ma Further, the container support section 76 is moved horizontally, and the pair of support pieces 78 corresponding to the size of the tablet container 11 to be conveyed are positioned at the lower edge of the second guide plate 80 (step S16). Then, the third guide plate 82 is moved, and the tablet container 11 is supported by the support pieces 78 of the container support 76 (step S17). As a result, the tablet container 11 is supported by the flange and always opens upward.

In this case, the support position on the support piece 78 greatly differs depending on the size and the supply direction of the tablet container 11. Therefore, the container support portion 76 is moved horizontally, the tablet containers 11 are aligned by the container alignment plate 82 (step S18), and when the tablet container 11 reaches the tablet filling position (step S19), the movement is stopped (step S19). Step S 20). Then, the lifter 84 is driven to slightly move the tablet container 11 upward from the container support 76 (step S

21), by advancing the extrusion roller 92 in this state (step S 22), and _π is held by the extrusion roller 92 and the guide rollers 93 to Kozai container 1 1 ', a guide roller rotating by the motor 92 The label is printed on the outer peripheral surface of the tablet container 11 (step S23).

On the other hand, in the tablet transfer process, as shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 20 and 21, the corresponding tablet storage section 26 is drive-controlled based on the prescription instruction data. That is, by driving the built-in motor of the corresponding motor base 32 and rotating the rotor 39, a predetermined number of tablets contained in the feeder container 36 are discharged (step S41). The number of discharges is counted by the tablet detection sensor 35 provided in the fall guide passage 34 (step S42). When a predetermined number of tablets are discharged from the feeder container 36 to the common channel 3 via the drop-down guide passage 34 (step S43), the rotation of the rotor 39 is stopped and the discharge of tablets is stopped (step S44). ). .

In addition, it controls the drive of the tablet transport section 27. That is, by rotating the rollers 47, the transport container 46 is positioned below the common guide passage 31 via the transport belt 48 (step S45). Then, the hopper 44 is rotated to orient the opening of the hopper 44 toward the transfer container 46 (step S46), and the tablets are stored in the transfer container 46 by opening the shutter 49 (step S47) _α

When a predetermined number of tablets are accommodated in the transport container 46 in this manner, the transport container 46 is moved to the input hopper 94 by controlling the drive of the tablet transport section 27. (Step S48). At this time, the projecting portion 49 a of the shutter 49 comes into contact with the 緣 portion of the input hopper 94, so that the shutter is moved with the movement of the transport container 46.

4 9 is gradually opened, and the stored tablets are stored in the measuring container 99 via the input hopper 9 4. At this time, the arm 101 is rotated to make the measuring container 99 slightly buoyant from the measuring device 100 so that the impact force accompanying tablet injection does not directly act on the measuring device 100. I do. After that, the arm 101 is rotated, the measuring container 99 is placed on the measuring device 100, and the weight is measured (step S49).

Therefore, it is determined whether the weight is the predetermined weight (step S50). Further, the arm 101 is rotated (step S51), and the tablets are stored in the weighing hopper 96. Then, based on the detection signal from the filling amount detection sensor 102 of the weighing hopper 96, it is determined whether or not the tablet has a capacity that can be accommodated in the tablet container 11 (step S52).

If the weight is a predetermined value and the volume is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, it is determined that the corresponding tablet can be filled by a predetermined amount. Then, the tablet container 11 is further raised by the lifter 184 to push up the inner cylinder 111 of the filling hopper 97 (step S53). As a result, the inner opening 11.0a of the umbrella section 112 is opened, and the tablet container 11 is filled with tablets.

If the weight is not the specified value or exceeds the specified capacity, it is determined that the tablet is not the corresponding tablet or the capacity of the tablet container 11 cannot be filled, and the opening of the filling hopper 97 is closed. (Step S54), open shutter 96a (Step S54)

5 5). Thereby, the tablets are discharged through the discharge hopper 98. In this case, the process returns to step S41 to perform the tablet transfer process again.

When the tablets are filled in the tablet container 11, transfer processing to the storage shelf 1 is performed. At this time, the usage status of the accommodation room 6 is checked in the storage shelf data table, and the empty accommodation room 6 is identified. The storage shelf data table is formed based on a detection signal from the container sensor 8a provided in each storage room 6 of the storage shelf 1. Then, the position for transferring the tablet container 11 in the empty accommodation room 6 is determined. Here, the operator takes out the tablet container 11 and determines the transfer position in order.

When the accommodation room 6 for transferring the tablet containers 11 is determined, the first drive motor 20 is driven. To rotate the arm member 15 (step S61), and the second drive motor

(Not shown), the slide member 22 is advanced with respect to the arm body 19 (step S62), and the third drive motor 24 is driven to hold the tablet container 1 with the gripping piece 25. Grasp 1 (step S63). The gripping piece 25 may be provided with a separate sensor to determine the stop position, but here, as described above, acts on the third drive motor 24 when the tablet container 11 is gripped. Use the characteristic that the current value increases with the load. That is, a value obtained by adding a margin current to a current value required for driving the third drive motor 24 is set as a threshold value, and the drive is stopped when the current directly exceeds the threshold value due to the load. When the gripping piece 25 is to be opened, a stopper member 25a that comes into contact with the gripping piece 25 at the fully open position is provided, and the driving is stopped based on the increasing current value, as described above. This makes it possible to provide a simple configuration at low cost without adding an extra sensor. Then, the slide 22 is retracted (step S64), and the arm member 15 is rotated and raised (step S65). The turning position and the ascending position of the arm member 15 are determined in the above-described manner in the storage chamber 6 where the operator can easily take out the tablet container 11.

When the movement to the rotation position and the ascending position determined by the arm member 15 is completed (step S66), the detection is again performed based on the detection signal from the container sensor 8a provided in the corresponding accommodation room 6. Check the storage state of the storage room 6 _{u If the} tablet container 1 1 is not stored, the door 6 a is opened by moving the slide member 22 forward and the gripped tablet container 1 1 is stored in the storage shelf 1 (Step S67). The tablet container 11 is located in the CII portion 10a while pushing the holding plate 9 in the storage chamber 6 to both sides by the cutouts 10b formed in the holding claws 10, and the urging force of the spring 9a Is held by the Therefore, by opening the gripping piece 2 5 (Step S 6 8), After retreat the rear sliding member ^{2 2} (Step S 6 9), the arm member 1 5 is moved downward (the step S 7 0), the following Preparing for transfer of tablet container 11 However, if it is detected immediately before storage in the storage room 6 in which the tablet container 11 is to be stored, another storage room 6 that can be stored is searched again and transferred to that storage room 6 again.

In addition, the number of the accommodation room 6 to be moved is selected in the order of the shortest transfer time of the tablet container 11 by the arm member 15 in order from the shortest. You can choose the one with the smaller number \

In this way, if the tablet container 11 filled with the predetermined amount of the predetermined tablet is transferred to the storage room 6 of the storage shelf 1, the corresponding storage room 6 is determined based on the detection signal from the container sensor 8a. The display unit 7 displays the feeder container number and the tablet count (step S71). By the way, in the tablet filling device, as described above, the tablet container 11 is conveyed, filled with a predetermined tablet, and then transferred to the storage room 6 of the storage shelf 1. During a series of operations, if the emergency stop button (provided at the center of the lower end of the storage shelf 1 and the center of the tablet container supply unit 3) is pressed, or if the power supply stops due to a power outage, etc. , 'The tablet filling device stops. In this case, the power supply to the motor base 32 that drives the tablet storage section 26 is stopped to prevent the tablets from being erroneously dropped. However, it does not stop the power supply to the control unit 5 and informs that it is in the emergency stop state. In a normal power supply stop, the power supply to the motor base 32 and the control unit 5 are not stopped at the same time, but the power supply to the motor base 32 is stopped first, and then the power supply to the control unit 5 is stopped. Stop. Further, when the power supply is stopped due to an emergency stop button being pressed or a power failure, the control unit 5 can receive power from a secondary power supply (not shown), so that the driving state is maintained. However, it may not be possible to completely understand the information on the tablet containers 11 and tablets being transported. For this reason, it is necessary to perform a return process of recovering and resetting the tablet containers 11 and tablets that have been transported once.

In the return processing shown below, the tablets and tablet containers 11 stopped during transportation are collected in the storage room 6 of the storage shelf 1, so the storage room 6 of the storage shelf 1 is full or empty. If the number is small, the tablet container 11 is removed from the accommodation room 6 so that the return process can be performed. In the transport path of the tablet container 11 (empty container transport section 53, container support section 7.6, etc.), the empty container transport section 53 is reversed for a certain period of time, and the tablet containers on the empty container transport section 53 are turned over. Remove 1 1 In the container support portion 76, the size data of the tablet container 11 is recorded again by a size detection sensor that is provided between the extrusion rollers 92 and detects the size of the tablet container 11.

It is preferable that the touch panel 12 displays a message indicating that the tablet is to be removed. If the tablet in the feeder container 36 or the tablet container 11 in the stock container 51 is empty, an error does not indicate an abnormality, and the return process is not performed. I don't know. '

Here, the return process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the power of the control unit 5 is temporarily turned off (step S81). This is to erase the data being processed temporarily stored in the memory of the control unit 5. ¾¾¾ As shown in FIG. 25 (a), by pressing the portion where “CLOSE” is displayed on the touch panel 12 to display “DO YOU WAN T TO POWER OFF?” Shown in FIG. 26 (a). By selecting “YES” from “YE Sj” and “NOj” displayed below it, the message “It is safe to turn off the power” shown in Fig. 26 (b) is displayed, and then turned off. It is supposed to. Next, if an emergency stop button (not shown) is pressed (step S82), it is reset (step S83), and then the power of the control unit 5 is turned on again (step S84). As a result, the display is displayed on the touch panel 12 as shown in FIG.

When "RE CALL" is pressed (step S85) among the items displayed on the touch panel 12 as shown in FIG. 25 (a), the input signal is received and the process of collecting the tablets being supplied is started. Yes (step S86). At this time, “RECAL L UNDER PROCE S S --- J” shown in FIG. 26 (b) is displayed on the touch panel panel 12 to notify that restoration processing is being performed (step S87).

In the tablet collection process, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 24, the tablets remaining in the transport container 46 and the respective hoppers 44 are collected. First, the container support 76 is moved to position the tablet container 11 having the largest capacity below the filling hopper 97.

(Step S91). Usually, the container support portion 76 is provided with the tablet container 11 having the maximum capacity.The tablet container 11 is used. Refill container Ί .1. On the other hand, the agent is collected from any one of the common guide passages 31 by the transfer container 46 (step S92), and is collected in the tablet container 11 from the charging hopper 94 or the like via the filling hopper 97 (step S93). . Then, the tablet container 11 filled with tablets is transferred to the storage room 6 of the storage shelf 1 by the arm member 15 (step S94), and the same size as the transferred tablet container 11 is transferred to the container support section. Captured at 76 (step S95). Also, し 0 0 0 _ | is displayed on the display unit 7 (step S 966), and it is possible to determine at a glance that the collected tablets are filled in the tablet containers 11 transferred to the storage room 6. It shall be.

Hereinafter, in the same manner as described above, the largest used tablet containers 11 are supplied to the container supporting portions 76 from the stock containers 51 and the tablets remaining from the common guide passage 31 are collected. In this case, the common guide passages 31 include the force S that does not contain any tablets, and the tablets S from all the common guide passages 31 to completely understand which tablets are in the process of being conveyed. Perform collection work.

In this way, if the remaining tablets are recovered from all the common guide passages 31 (step S97), then the other size tablet containers 11 held in the container support portion 76 can be recovered. The collection is performed (step S98). In this case, the tablet containers 11 of the size collected from the container support part 76 and stored in the storage room 6 of the storage shelf 1 are replenished from the corresponding stock container 51 to the container support part 76 each time. (Step S99). After that, when the tablet collection operation is completed (step S100), the display on the touch panel 12 is set to the main menu, and "Pressing AUTOj causes the normal empty container supply processing ( Step S 2), tablet transfer processing (step S 3) and tablet filling processing (step S 4) can be returned.

In the return processing, when the tablet filling device stops abnormally, the power of the control unit 5 is always turned off so that the data being processed stored in the memory is tallied. The operator may be allowed to select whether or not to do so. That is, without turning off the power of the control unit 5, for example, by pressing the “RECALL” displayed on the touch panel 12, the processing is continued using the data being processed before the abnormal stop. Is also good. In this case, it is not necessary to collect the tablet containers 11 left in the empty container transporting section 53, the container supporting section 76, and the like, and the tablets collected in the common guide passage 31 and the like.

In addition, in the return process, the display unit 7 of the storage room 6 used for collection uniformly displays a display indicating the collection of “P0000”, but in addition to the display indicating the collection, It is preferable to be able to display which of the feeder containers 36 the tablets are discharged from. That is, in the transport container 46, the tablets can be Whether or not the tablets have been collected is stored, and based on the stored contents, which of the feeder containers 36 the tablets have been discharged from is specified. In this case, it is not possible to judge which feeder container 36 among the feeder containers 36 arranged vertically, but if the data being processed last time is used, any feeder container 3 6 It is also possible to specify whether the tablet was discharged from 6.

The tablets stored in the tablet supply unit 2 also include specially controlled tablets (for example, pilins, histamines that cause an allergic reaction, etc.) that must not be mixed with other patients. Therefore, if the filling operation is performed through a common route, there is a risk that the specially controlled tablets may be mixed into other tablets due to equipment failure or the like. For this reason, it is preferable to provide an individual dispensing device in each of the tablet supply units 2 containing the specially controlled tablets.

As shown in FIG. 27, this individual dispensing device includes a tablet storage unit 200 for temporarily storing tablets supplied from the motor base 32. The LED 201 is provided on the front of the motor base 32. The LED 201 is turned on when tablets are stored in the tablet storage unit 200 from the motor base 32. The lower end opening of the tablet storage section 200 is opened and closed by a shutter 203 rotatably supported by an open / close support section 202 around a support shaft 203a. The shutter 203 has an arc-shaped notch 204 formed on the front side, and a detection piece 205 protruding from an edge thereof. The notch 204 is for locking the flange of the tablet container 11 on the inner edge thereof to position the tablet container 11 so that it can be pushed. The detection piece 205 is detected by a sensor 206 provided in the opening / closing support part 202 when the shutter 203 closes the lower end opening of the tablet storage part 200. The shutter 203 is urged by an urging means such as a spring (not shown) so as to close the lower end opening of the tablet storage section 200.

In the tablet supply unit 2 provided with the individual dispensing device having the above-described configuration, the motor pace 32 is driven based on the prescription instruction data, and when the specially controlled tablet is stored in the tablet storage unit 200, the LED 2 0 1 is illuminated, which allows the operator to identify at a glance which tablet supply unit 2 has discharged the specially controlled tablet to be filled. The tablet container 11 is set in the individual dispensing device of the tablet supply unit 2 in which is lit, that is, the tablet container 1 1 is notched 2 0 4 with the shutter 203. Push it in while positioning to. The shutter 203 rotates around the support shaft 2.03a against the urging force of the urging means. The upper opening of the tablet container 11 communicates with the lower end opening of the tablet storage unit 200 so that the specially controlled tablets in the tablet storage unit 200 are filled in the tablet container 11. At this time, when the sensor 206 detects the detection piece 205 of the shutter 203 in a non-detection state, the LED 201 turns off. Further, instead of the tablet storage unit 200, a tablet storage unit having a shutter 300 and sensors 301 and 301b having a structure shown in FIG. 28 may be employed.

That is, the shutter 300 has a fan shape, and a guide portion 302 is formed at the front edge thereof by an arc-shaped notch, and the rear edge portion is detected by the sensors 301a and 301b. The projections 303 to be formed are formed. In addition, the shutter 300 is urged in a counterclockwise direction about the axis 301a in FIG. 28 by a spring 304 wound around a spindle 300a. Therefore, when no external force is applied, the shutter 300 closes the lower end opening 350 of the tablet storage section, and the inner side 302 projects forward, so that the tablet container 1 is closed. The upper opening of (1) can be easily positioned. Further, by detecting the closed state of the projection 303, that is, the shutter 30 # by the sensor 301a, the tablet can be supplied from the motor base 3.2. However, after the tablets are supplied into the tablet storage section, the tablets cannot be supplied unless the sensor 301b detects the open state of the shirt 300>. As described above, since the supply of tablets is controlled based on the signals from the sensors 301a and 301b and the motor base 32, it is possible to always perform appropriate supply.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. A tablet container for transferring a tablet container from a tablet filling unit to a storage shelf by turning and vertically moving an arm including a pair of holding pieces for holding the tablet container and a drive motor for opening and closing the holding piece. In the transfer device,

A value obtained by adding a margin current to the current value of the drive motor during normal drive is set as a threshold value, and the current value is set to the threshold value according to an increase in load on the drive motor when the tablet container is gripped by the gripping piece. A tablet container transfer device characterized by comprising control means for stopping the drive of the drive motor when the pressure exceeds the limit.

2.The arm has a stopper member that abuts when the gripping piece is opened to the fully open position, and the control device is configured such that, when the current value of the drive motor exceeds the threshold value when the gripping piece is opened. The driving of the driving motor is stopped.

2. The coagulant container transfer device according to 1.