Automatic medicine packaging device

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, an automatic medicine packaging device is provided for automatically packaging medicines according to prescription information in a single dose. The automatic medicine packaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention may include: a medicine box installation part, on which a plurality of medicine boxes for supplying medicines are installed; a medicine collection part, for collecting medicines supplied according to prescription information; a medicine packaging part, for packaging medicines collected by the medicine collection part in a single dose; a medicine box storage part, for arranging and storing a plurality of medicine boxes; and a medicine box replacement system, for holding and replacing medicine boxes between the medicine box installation part and the medicine box storage part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic medicine packaging device that automatically discharges and packages medicines according to prescription information and a single dosage. More specifically, it relates to an automatic medicine packaging device that can package medicines faster and in larger quantities by automatically replacing the medicine box with a new one when the medicine box is empty or the medicine contained in the medicine box is insufficient.

[0002] This invention is derived from research conducted as part of the "Next Generation Leading Technology Development Project" of Daegu Technopark, Daegu Metropolitan City (Financial), Korea. (Project unique number: 7212101_2019_0002, research project name: Development of a robotic tablet packaging system for responding to mail-order pharmacies to increase dispensing efficiency by 30% and automate drug refills) Background Art

[0003] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows an automatic medicine packaging device 10 that automatically discharges and packages medicines according to the single dosage according to prescription information. Figure 1 As shown, the automatic medicine packaging device 10 generally includes: a main body 10; a plurality of medicine boxes 20, which are arranged on the upper part of the main body 10 and are used to accommodate medicines of various sizes and shapes (for example, tablets, capsules, etc.); a hopper 30, which is arranged on the lower part of the main body 10 and is used to collect medicines discharged and dropped from the medicine boxes 20; a printing device 40, which is used to print various information on the surface of the packaging paper for packaging the medicines; and a packaging device 50, which uses the packaging paper to package the medicines collected by the hopper 30.

[0004] However, as shown in the figure, since this automatic medicine packaging device 10 arranges the medicine box body 20 in a limited space set on the upper part of the main body 10, and supplies medicines through the above-mentioned medicine box body 20, since the storage space for installing the medicine box body 20 is limited, the amount of medicines that can be supplied to the automatic medicine packaging device 10 is limited, thereby possibly causing the problem of reduced work efficiency of the medicine packaging work.

[0005] Furthermore, in the existing automatic medicine packaging device 10, when all the medicines stored in the medicine box 20 are used up, after the driving of the automatic medicine packaging device 10 is stopped, a pharmacist or an administrator needs to separate the medicine box 20 from the automatic medicine packaging device 10 and directly add the medicines to the medicine box 20. Therefore, the medicine filling work is cumbersome, and in order to fill the medicines, there is the difficulty that the pharmacist or the administrator needs to grasp the inventory of the medicines to be filled in the medicine box 20 one by one.

[0006] In addition, the pharmacist or administrator needs to install the filled medicine boxes 20 one by one to the originally installed positions, so the medicine replenishment work becomes very cumbersome, and if the medicine box 20 is installed to a position different from the original position, the wrong medicine may be collected / packaged, which may become the cause of a drug accident. Summary of the invention

[0007] Technical issues

[0008] The present invention is used to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the existing automatic medicine packaging device. The present invention relates to an automatic medicine packaging device that can automatically replace the medicine box body with a new medicine box body when the medicine box body installed in the automatic medicine packaging device is empty, thereby being able to package medicines faster and in large quantities.

[0009] Means of solving the problem

[0010] A typical structure of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object is as follows.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an automatic medicine packaging device for automatically packaging medicines according to prescription information in a single dose. The automatic medicine packaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention may include: a medicine box installation part, on which a plurality of medicine boxes for supplying medicines are installed; a medicine collection part, for collecting medicines supplied according to prescription information; a medicine packaging part, for packaging the medicines collected by the medicine collection part in a single dose; a medicine box storage part, for arranging and storing a plurality of medicine boxes; and a medicine box replacement system, for holding and replacing medicine boxes between the medicine box installation part and the medicine box storage part.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine box replacement system may include a transfer robot having a holding portion for holding the medicine box at an end thereof.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the transfer robot may be formed of a multi-joint robot.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine cartridge replacement system may include a temporary shelf on which the medicine cartridges may be placed at one side of the transfer robot.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine cassettes can be arranged in the medicine cassette mounting portion, the medicine cassette storage portion, and the temporary shelf in such a manner that the medicine cassettes have the same vertical orientation.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the transfer robot can transfer the medicine box while constantly maintaining the vertical orientation of the medicine box.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine box body may include: a first holding groove extending along a first direction; and a second holding groove extending along a second direction different from the first direction.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first holding groove may be formed by extending along the vertical direction of the medicine box body, and the second holding groove may be formed by extending along the lateral direction of one side of the medicine box body.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine box conveying system can enable the conveying robot to move relatively along the guide rail relative to the medicine box installation portion and the medicine box storage portion.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an identification information storage unit may be provided in the medicine box body, the identification information storage unit containing information on the type or quantity of medicines stored in the medicine box body; an identification information storage unit containing corresponding position information may be provided in the medicine box body installation unit, the medicine box body storage unit and the medicine box body installation unit of the temporary shelf; an interface unit for sending or receiving identification information stored in the identification information storage unit may be provided in the medicine box body, the medicine box body installation unit, the medicine box body storage unit and the temporary shelf.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine cassette storage unit may be formed of a multi-layered storage rack, wherein the storage rack is provided with a plurality of storage areas in which the medicine cassettes can be arranged along a plurality of columns and rows.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present invention, all or part of the medicine box storage section may be formed into a structure in which storage racks are arranged in multiple rows, and multiple storage racks may be arranged along one side in each row.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the plurality of rows of storage racks, storage racks other than at least the rearmost storage rack can be moved by the moving rails, and storage racks other than the rearmost storage rack can be arranged so that an empty space can be formed between adjacent storage racks.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of medicine collecting parts and a plurality of medicine packaging parts may be provided.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a factory-type automatic drug packaging system is provided, which is composed of a plurality of the above-mentioned automatic drug packaging devices. The automatic drug packaging system of one embodiment of the present invention may include: a track system, which is arranged on one side of the automatic drug packaging device; a filling box shelf, which is installed on the track system and can move along the track system; a first filling box conveying device, which is used to convey the drug box between the automatic drug packaging device and the filling box shelf; a filling station, which is used to fill drugs into the drug box; and a second filling box conveying device, which is used to convey the drug box between the filling box shelf and the filling station.

[0026] In addition, without departing from the technical concept of the present invention, the automatic medicine packaging device of the present invention may also include other additional structures.

[0027] Effects of the Invention

[0028] The automatic medicine packaging device of one embodiment of the present invention can automatically replace the empty box installed in the medicine box installation part with a new medicine box located in the medicine box storage part through a conveying robot, thereby packaging more medicines faster and more simply.

[0029] Furthermore, the automatic medicine packaging device of one embodiment of the present invention is provided with a temporary shelf capable of placing medicine boxes near the conveying robot, so that the medicine box replacement work can be performed by approaching the target medicine box to be replaced while the new medicine box to be replaced is placed on the temporary shelf, thereby making the medicine box replacement work simpler and faster, and the medicine box replacement work can be simply performed using only a single conveying robot.

[0030] Furthermore, the automatic medicine packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention can hold the medicine box in multiple directions by using a plurality of holding grooves formed in the medicine box, thereby being able to use a single transfer robot to replace the medicine box while maintaining the vertical orientation of the medicine box constantly, thereby being able to automatically replace the medicine box without damaging the medicine. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 The following is an example showing the brief structure of a conventional automatic medicine packaging device.

[0032] Figure 2 The overall structure of an automatic medicine packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention is exemplified.

[0033] Figure 3 Example showing the front view Figure 2 The status of the automatic medicine packaging device is shown.

[0034] Figure 4 Schematically showing a side view from one side Figure 2 The status of the automatic medicine packaging device is shown.

[0035] Figure 5 The cross-sectional structure of the medicine box installation part, the medicine collecting part, and the medicine packaging part in the automatic medicine packaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention is exemplified.

[0036] Figure 6 The lower structure of the medicine box mounting portion according to one embodiment of the present invention is exemplified.

[0037] Figure 7 The following is an exemplary illustration of a medicine box replacement system that can be used in an automatic medicine packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 8 The structure of a medicine box body that can be used in an automatic medicine packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention is exemplified.

[0039] Fig. 9 The state of holding the medicine box by using the medicine box replacement system in the automatic medicine packaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention is exemplified ( Fig. 9 Part (a) shows a state where the medicine box installed in the medicine box installation portion is held. Fig. 9 Part (b) shows a state of holding the medicine box arranged in the medicine box storage unit).

[0040] Fig.10 A state where a factory-type medicine packaging system is constructed using the medicine automatic packaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention is conceptually shown.

[0041] Description of Reference Numerals

[0042] 100: Automatic packaging device for medicines

[0043] 110: Medicine box

[0044] 120: First grip slot

[0045] 130: Second grip slot

[0046] 200: Medicine box installation part

[0047] 210: Mounting bracket

[0048] 220: Through hole

[0049] 230: First row of medicine box installation part

[0050] 240: Second row of medicine box installation part

[0051] 300: Medicine Collection Department

[0052] 310: Medicine collection tray

[0053] 320: Conveyor belt

[0054] 330: Containment Bag

[0055] 340: Drug collection hopper

[0056] 350: Dispersed Drug Supply Department

[0057] 360: Dispersed Drug Delivery Department

[0058] 400: Pharmaceutical Packaging Department

[0059] 500: Medicine box storage department

[0060] 510: Storage area

[0061] 520: Storage rack

[0062] 530: First row of medicine box storage department

[0063] 540: Second row medicine box storage department

[0064] 550: Moving Track

[0065] 560: Space between adjacent storage racks

[0066] 600: Medicine box replacement system

[0067] 610: Guide rail

[0068] 620: Teleporting Robot

[0069] 630: Joints (of a teleporting robot)

[0070] 640: (Transport robot) grip

[0071] 650: Mounting base

[0072] 660: Temporary Shelving

[0073] 700: Medicine box filling system

[0074] 710: Track system

[0075] 720: Filling box shelf

[0076] 730: First filling box conveying device

[0077] 740: Filling station

[0078] 750: Second filling box conveying device

[0079] 760: Buffer Station DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0080] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention.

[0081] In order to clearly describe the present invention, the description of the parts not related to the present invention will be omitted, and throughout the specification, the same structural elements are given the same figure marks for description. In addition, for ease of description, the shape and size of each structural element shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown, so the present invention is not limited to the shapes and sizes shown. That is, it should be understood that the specific shapes, structures and characteristics recorded in the specification can be changed from one embodiment to another without departing from the idea and scope of the present invention, and the position or configuration of a single structural element can also be changed without departing from the idea and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the detailed description described later is not restrictive, and the scope of the present invention should be deemed to include the claims of the invention and all scopes equivalent thereto.

[0082] First, refer to Figures 2 to 4 , Figures 2 to 4 The overall structure of an automatic medicine packaging device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is exemplified (in Figures 2 to 4 In the figure, the outer shell is omitted to more clearly show the internal structure of the medicine packaging device of one embodiment of the present invention).

[0083] Like conventional automatic medicine packaging devices, the automatic medicine packaging device 100 of one embodiment of the present invention can work in a manner of collecting and packaging medicines in single-dose amounts based on prescription information, as described below. The present invention is characterized in that when all the medicines in the medicine box are used up, the above-mentioned medicine box is automatically replaced with a new medicine box, thereby enabling faster and larger-scale medicine collection and packaging.

[0084] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic medicine packaging device 100 may include: a medicine box installation part 200, which is installed and configured with a medicine box 110 for supplying medicines; a medicine collection part 300, which collects medicines according to prescription information and transfers them to the packaging device; a medicine packaging part 400, which is used to package the medicines collected by the medicine collection part according to a single dosage and discharge them; a medicine box storage part 500, which is used to configure and store multiple medicine boxes; and a medicine box replacement system 600, which is used to replace the medicine box 110 between the medicine box installation part 200 and the medicine box storage part 500.

[0085] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine box 110 is installed on one side of the medicine box installation part 200, so that the function of delivering the medicines contained in the medicine box 110 to the medicine collection part 300 according to the prescription information can be performed.

[0086] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine box mounting portion 200 may be formed as a plate structure on the upper surface of which the medicine box 110 is mounted. The upper surface of the plate structure forming the medicine box mounting portion 200 may have a plurality of mounting brackets 210 to place the medicine box 110 .

[0087] For example, the medicine box mounting portion 200 may be provided with mounting brackets 210 for mounting the medicine box 110 in a matrix structure on the upper portion of the plate, and through holes 220 are formed on the bottom surface of the mounting brackets 210 so that the medicine is discharged from the medicine box 110 disposed on the mounting brackets 210 to the lower portion through the through holes 220 (see Figure 6 Specifically, the through hole 220 can be aligned with a through hole (not shown) formed at the lower portion of the medicine box 110 mounted on the medicine box mounting portion 200, and similarly to a conventional medicine box, according to the operation of the baffle member, the medicines contained in the medicine box 110 are discharged downward.

[0088] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine box mounting portion 200 may be formed as a single plate structure or may be composed of a plurality of plate structures.

[0089] For example, in the embodiment shown in the figure, with the guide rail 610 of the medicine box replacement system 600 described below as the center, medicine box installation parts (first row of medicine box installation parts 230 and second row of medicine box installation parts 240) are formed in two rows on both sides, and each row of medicine box installation parts is formed into a plurality of plate structures (in Figures 2 to 4 In the case of the embodiment shown, three plate structures are provided per column).

[0090] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine collecting portion 300 is disposed at the lower portion of the medicine box mounting portion 200 , and may include a medicine collecting tray 310 for accommodating medicines discharged from the medicine box 110 .

[0091] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the medicine collection tray 310 is moved relative to the medicine box mounting portion 200 at the lower part of the medicine box mounting portion 200 by a conveyor belt 320, and receives and conveys the medicines discharged from the medicine box 110 installed on the medicine box mounting portion 200, and the conveyor belt 320 is rotated by an electric motor (not shown).

[0092] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the medicine collection tray 310 can arrange multiple medicine receiving bags 330 along the length direction of the conveyor belt 320 to receive medicines dropped from the medicine box 110. To this end, the medicine receiving bags 330 can be formed into a structure with one side (e.g., the upper surface) open.

[0093] In this case, as in the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, when a plurality of medicine boxes 110 are arranged on the medicine box mounting portion 200 along the width direction of the conveyor belt 320, the receiving bag 330 can be formed into a structure extending long along the width direction of the conveyor belt 320 so as to be able to receive all medicines delivered from these medicine boxes 110.

[0094] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a medicine collecting hopper 340 may be disposed on one side of the medicine collecting tray 310. Figure 5 As shown, the medicine collecting hopper 340 may be disposed below the medicine collecting tray 310 at one end portion of the medicine collecting tray 310 , for receiving the medicines collected and moved by the receiving bag 320 of the medicine collecting tray 310 .

[0095] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine collecting unit 300 may further include a dispersed medicine supply unit 350 for supplying medicines other than tablets or capsules (e.g., powdered dispersed medicines, etc.). For example, as in a conventional automatic medicine packaging device, the dispersed medicine supply unit 350 may be in the form of a tray with a partition, and supplies medicines to the medicine collecting hopper 340 through the dispersed medicine transfer unit 360.

[0096] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the medicine packaging unit 400 can receive medicines from the medicine collecting hopper 340, and automatically package the medicines according to the single dosage according to the prescription information for discharge. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the medicine packaging unit 400 can be constructed in the same or similar manner as the medicine packaging unit of a conventional medicine automatic packaging device, and the medicine packaging unit can have a printing unit to print information related to the patient and / or the medicine on the surface of the medicine package.

[0097] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of medicine collecting parts 300 and / or medicine packaging parts 400 may be provided in the medicine automatic packaging device 100. For example, in the embodiment shown in the drawings, the guide rail 610 of the medicine box replacement system 600 is centered, the medicine box installation parts 200 are arranged on both sides, and the medicine collecting parts 300 and the medicine packaging parts 400 are arranged according to each medicine box installation part 200, so that the medicines can be collected and packaged faster by the plurality of medicine collecting parts 300 and the medicine packaging parts 400.

[0098] On the other hand, according to one embodiment of the present invention, an inspection system 450 may be further provided on one side of the drug collection section 300 and / or the drug packaging section 400. The inspection system 450 confirms whether the drugs are accurately collected / packaged in a single dosage according to the prescription information by photographing the collected or packaged drugs.

[0099] This inspection system 450 may be composed of a vision system that photographs collected or packaged medicines with a camera, and may be constructed the same as or similar to a medicine inspection system used in a conventional medicine automatic packaging device.

[0100] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a medicine box storage unit 500 for arranging and storing a plurality of medicine boxes 110 may be provided on one side of the medicine box installation unit 200 where the medicine boxes 110 are installed.

[0101] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine box storage part 500 may be disposed on the upper portion of the medicine box mounting part 200 and may be formed into a shelf-shaped structure having a plurality of storage areas 510 in which the medicine boxes 110 may be arranged and stored.

[0102] For example, according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in the attached drawings, the medicine box storage unit 500 can have medicine box storage areas 510 densely formed in multiple rows and columns, so that a plurality of medicine boxes 110 can be arranged and stored.

[0103] In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the medicine box storage unit 500 is implemented as being formed on the side surface of the body of the medicine automatic packaging device 100 at the upper part of the box mounting unit 200. However, the medicine box storage unit 500 is not limited to this structure, and may be formed only in a part of the side surface or be separately provided on a wall surface or the like.

[0104] According to an embodiment of the present invention, in order to store more medicine boxes 110 , the medicine box storage unit 500 may be formed into a structure in which storage racks 520 having a plurality of storage areas 510 formed in a plurality of rows and columns are arranged in a plurality of columns.

[0105] Reference Figures 2 to 4 , Figures 2 to 4 The embodiment in which the medicine box storage parts located on both sides are formed by a multi-row shelf structure is exemplified. For example, in the medicine box storage part 500, one or more storage racks 520 are arranged along one side to form a first row of medicine box storage parts 530, and behind it, one or more storage racks 520 are arranged along one side to form a second row of medicine box storage parts 540.

[0106] According to an embodiment of the present invention, as described above, when the medicine box storage part 500 is formed in a multi-row structure, a plurality of storage racks except at least the rearmost storage rack can move along the moving rail 550, and a predetermined empty space 560 is formed between the plurality of storage racks.

[0107] For example, Figures 2 to 4The medicine box storage section 500 can be formed into a structure with multiple storage racks arranged along one side direction. Compared with the storage rack arranged at the rear, the storage rack arranged in front of it can make it easier for the conveying robot 620 of the following medicine box replacement system 600 to approach the medicine box arranged on the rear storage rack to grasp the medicine box by using more than one small amount of empty space 560 formed between the multiple storage racks.

[0108] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a medicine box replacement system 600 is provided between the medicine box installation portion 200 and the medicine box storage portion 500 , so that the medicine box 110 can be automatically replaced between the medicine box installation portion 200 and the medicine box storage portion 500 .

[0109] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine cartridge replacement system 600 may perform a function of holding and moving the medicine cartridge 110 between the medicine cartridge mounting portion 200 and the medicine cartridge storage portion 500 .

[0110] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine box replacement system 600 can approach and hold various medicine boxes 110 disposed in the medicine box installation part 200 and the medicine box storage part 500 through the transfer robot 620 .

[0111] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the transfer robot 620 of the medicine box replacement system 600 can be formed by a multi-joint robot to be able to approach more positions. For example, the middle of the transfer robot 620 can be provided with more than one joint 630 to be able to be oriented in various positions and directions, and a gripping portion 640 is provided at the end for gripping the medicine box 110.

[0112] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the transfer robot 620 of the medicine box replacement system 600 can move in the medicine automatic packaging device 100 via the guide rail 610, so that the transfer robot 620 can approach more positions. Figures 2 to 6 As shown, the medicine box replacement system 600 has a transfer robot 620 installed on a mounting base 650 disposed on a guide rail 610 arranged on one side of the medicine box mounting portion 200. The position of the transfer robot 620 is moved by the guide rail 610, so that the transfer robot 620 can approach more positions of the medicine box mounting portion 200 and the medicine box storage portion 500.

[0113] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine box replacement system 600 may be provided with a temporary shelf 660 near the transfer robot 620 on which the medicine box 110 may be temporarily placed.

[0114] As described above, when a temporary shelf 660 is provided on one side of the conveying robot 620 constituting the medicine box replacement system 600, for example, after the newly replaced and installed medicine box 110 is placed on the temporary shelf 660, the conveying robot 610 is moved to the vicinity of the medicine box 110 of the medicine box installation part 200 to be replaced, and the medicine box replacement work can be operated between the medicine box on the temporary shelf 600 and the replacement target medicine box configured on the medicine box installation part 200, so that the medicine box can be replaced with only one multi-joint conveying robot 620, and the replacement of the medicine box can be performed more quickly and easily. For reference, in the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, the medicine box installation part 200 is formed in two rows, and the medicine collection part 300 and the medicine packaging part 400 are formed in two rows at its lower part, so that the conveying robot 620 is formed on both sides, so that the packaging work can be performed more quickly, but due to the above structure, the automatic medicine packaging device 100 of one embodiment of the present invention can perform the medicine box replacement work by one conveying robot 620.

[0115] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the medicine box 110 can be placed on the medicine box installation part 200, the medicine box storage part 500, and the temporary shelf 660 of the medicine box replacement system in the same vertical orientation state, and the conveying robot 620 of the medicine box replacement system 600 can convey the medicine box 110 without changing the vertical orientation of the medicine box 110.

[0116] If the medicine box 110 held and moved by the conveying robot 620 is conveyed while being oriented at an angle or shaken violently, there is a risk of damage to medicines such as tablets stored in the medicine box 110. On the contrary, in the automatic medicine packaging device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, when the medicine box 110 held and moved by the conveying robot 620 is conveyed while maintaining a vertical orientation, the medicine box 110 held and moved by the conveying robot 620 will not be shaken greatly, thereby preventing damage to medicines such as tablets stored inside the medicine box 110.

[0117] For such operation, the medicine box body 110 used in the medicine automatic packaging device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may have one or more holding grooves for inserting and engaging the holding portion 640 of the transfer robot 620 .

[0118] For example, Figure 8 As shown, the medicine box body 110 that can be used for the automatic medicine packaging device 100 of one embodiment of the present invention includes: a first holding groove 120, extending along a first direction (for example, the up and down direction); and a second holding groove 130, extending along a second direction different from the first direction (for example, the lateral direction).

[0119] According to this structure, the transfer robot 620 of the medicine box replacement system 600 can be configured to hold and move the medicine box 110 installed in the medicine box installation part 200, such as Fig. 9 As shown in part (a) of FIG. 1 , the medicine box 110 is held by inserting the holding portion 640 of the transfer robot 620 into the first holding groove 120 along the vertical direction of the medicine box 110 (i.e., the direction in which the first holding groove 120 is formed). When the medicine box 110 disposed in the medicine box storage portion 500 is held and moved, as shown in FIG. Fig. 9 As shown in part (b) of FIG. 1 , the medicine box 110 is held by inserting the holding portion 640 of the transfer robot 620 into the second holding groove 130 along the lateral direction of the medicine box 110 (ie, the formation direction of the second holding groove 130 ).

[0120] More specifically, the medicine box replacement system 600 of the automatic medicine packaging device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be configured to move the medicine box 110 in a state of holding the medicine box 110 at the top by inserting the holding portion 640 of the conveying robot 620 into the first holding groove 120 of the medicine box 110 when moving the medicine box 110 between the medicine box mounting portion 200 and the temporary shelf 660, and to move the medicine box 110 in a state of holding the medicine box 110 at the side by inserting the holding portion 640 of the conveying robot 620 into the second holding groove 130 of the medicine box 110 when moving the medicine box 110 between the medicine box storage portion 500 and the temporary shelf 660.

[0121] On the other hand, although not shown in the drawings for simplicity of illustration, the medicine box 110 may have a cover on one side and open the inside through the cover to perform medicine supply.

[0122] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an interfacing unit that can identify the type / quantity of medicines stored in the medicine box or the installation position information of the medicine box can be provided in the medicine box 110, the medicine box installation part 200, the medicine box storage part 500, the temporary shelf 660 of the medicine box replacement system 600, etc.

[0123] For example, the medicine box 110 may have an identification information storage unit containing information such as the type or quantity of medicines stored in the medicine box, and the medicine box installation unit 200, the medicine box storage unit 500, the temporary shelf 660, etc. may have an identification information storage unit containing position information related to the corresponding position. These identification information are sent or received through the interface unit, so that information such as the type / quantity of medicines stored in the medicine box 110 and the position information on the medicine box installation unit 200, the medicine box storage unit 500, and the temporary shelf 660 on which the medicine box 110 is installed are mutually transmitted.

[0124] According to this structure, the automatic medicine packaging device 100 of one embodiment of the present invention can identify where the medicine box 110 containing a specific medicine is located on the medicine box installation part 200, the medicine box storage part 500, or the temporary shelf 660, so that the automatic medicine packaging device 100 can be automatically operated while automatically replacing the medicine box 110 according to the operating instructions of the control part (not shown).

[0125] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the interface parts provided on the medicine box body 110, the medicine box body installation part 200, the medicine box body storage part 500, the temporary shelf 660, etc. can be realized through conventional communication methods such as near field communication (NFC), radio frequency identification (RFID), and electrical connectors.

[0126] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic medicine packaging device 100 can be controlled so that medicine boxes that are frequently used and need to be frequently replaced or medicine boxes installed in the medicine box mounting part 200 and are close to being replaced are pre-placed on the temporary shelf 660 of the medicine box replacement system 600, so that the medicine boxes can be replaced more quickly, thereby further improving the efficiency of the automatic medicine packaging device 100.

[0127] Furthermore, if Fig.10 As shown, the automatic medicine packaging device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can configure a plurality of automatic medicine packaging devices 100 in a factory-type manner, thereby performing automatic medicine packaging work more efficiently.

[0128] In this case, the automatic medicine packaging apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention can automatically replace the empty medicine box 110 in the medicine box storage unit 500 with the filled medicine box 110 through the medicine box filling system 700 for use.

[0129] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the medicine box filling system 700 may include: a track system 710, which is arranged on one side of the automatic medicine packaging device 100; a filling box shelf 720, which is installed on the track system 710 and can move along the track system 710; a filling box conveying device (a first filling box conveying device 730), which is located between the track system 710 and the automatic medicine packaging device 100, and is used to convey the medicine box 110 between the automatic medicine packaging device 100 and the filling box shelf 720; a filling station 740, which is arranged on one side of the track system 710, and is used to replenish medicines into empty boxes; a filling box conveying device (a second filling box conveying device 750), which is used to convey the medicine box 110 between the filling box shelf 720 and the filling station 740.

[0130] For example, such a drug cartridge filling system 700 can operate as follows.

[0131] First, the empty medicine box 110 stored in the medicine box storage unit 500 in the medicine automatic packaging device 100 can be transferred to the filling box storage unit 720 of the track system 710 through the first filling box conveyor 730. To this end, the medicine automatic packaging device 100 can be provided with a buffer station 760 on one side to move the empty medicine box 110 of the crop filling target to the buffer station 760 for configuration, and the first filling box conveyor 730 can transfer the medicine box 110 configured on the buffer station 760 to the filling box storage unit 720 by holding it. In this case, the work of moving the empty medicine box 110 stored in the medicine box storage unit 500 to the buffer station 760 can be performed by the conveying robot 620 provided in the medicine automatic packaging device 100, the filling box conveyor (for example, the first filling box conveyor 730) provided in the medicine box filling system 600, or a conveyor provided separately therefrom.

[0132] As described above, when the medicine cartridge 110 requiring filling is transferred to the filling cartridge stand 720 , the filling cartridge stand 720 moves toward the filling station 740 side along the rail system 710 .

[0133] Then, when the filling box shelf 720 moves to the filling station 740 side, the second filling box conveying device 750 passes the empty medicine box 110 placed on the filling box shelf 720 to the filling station 740, and the empty medicine box 110 passed to the filling station 740 is filled by the pharmacist or administrator located at the filling station.

[0134] Furthermore, when the filling of medicines in the empty medicine box 110 is completed in the manner described above and the filled medicine box 110 is configured at the filling station 740, the filled medicine box 110 can be supplied to each automatic medicine packaging device 100 through the reverse process and stored in the medicine box storage section 500 provided in the automatic medicine packaging device 100.

[0135] In order to realize this automated system, a mounting bracket for mounting the medicine box may be provided in the filling box shelf 720, the filling station 740, the buffer station 760, etc. Similar to the above-mentioned medicine box mounting portion 200, the medicine box storage portion 500, the temporary shelf 660, etc., this mounting bracket may be provided with an identification information storage portion for identifying position information and / or an interface portion for exchanging identification information with the medicine box, etc.

[0136] According to this structure, since the empty medicine box 110 located in the medicine box storage part 500 of the above-mentioned automatic medicine packaging device 100 can also automatically replace the filled medicine box 110, the medicine collection and packaging work through the automatic medicine packaging device 110 can be carried out faster and more stably.

[0137] The present invention has been described above through specific items such as specific structural elements and limited embodiments and drawings, but this is only to help a more comprehensive understanding of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and a person skilled in the art of the technical field to which the present invention belongs can make various modifications and variations based on these records.

[0138] For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the medicine box replacement system of one embodiment of the present invention is described using a medicine box for accommodating tablets. In addition to the medicine box for accommodating tablets, a medicine box containing essence liquid can also be used as a medicine box to similarly implement the medicine box replacement system of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0139] Therefore, the concept of the present invention should not be limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and the scope of protection of the invention described below and all concepts equivalent to or equivalently modified thereto should fall within the scope of the concept of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic medicine packaging device, which is an automatic medicine packaging device (100) that automatically packages medicines according to prescription information and a single dosage, characterized in that: include: A medicine box installation portion (200) is installed with a plurality of medicine boxes for supplying medicines; A medicine collection unit (300), used to collect medicines supplied according to prescription information; A medicine packaging unit (400) is used to package the medicines collected by the medicine collecting unit according to a single dosage; A medicine box storage unit (500) is used to arrange and store a plurality of medicine boxes; as well as The medicine box replacement system (600) is used to hold and replace the medicine box (110) between the medicine box installation part (200) and the medicine box storage part (500). The medicine box replacement system (600) comprises a transfer robot (620), wherein the transfer robot (620) has a holding portion (640) at its end for holding the medicine box (110). The medicine box replacement system (600) can enable the transfer robot (620) to move along the guide rail (610) relative to the medicine box installation part (200) and the medicine box storage part (500). The medicine collecting portion (300) is disposed at the lower portion of the medicine box mounting portion (200), and includes a medicine collecting tray (310) for accommodating medicines discharged from the medicine box (110). The medicine collecting tray (310) includes a medicine receiving bag (330), and the medicine receiving bag (330) is moved relative to the medicine box mounting portion (200) at the bottom of the medicine box mounting portion (200) by a conveyor belt (320) to receive medicines discharged from the medicine box (110) mounted on the medicine box mounting portion (200). The conveyor belt (320) is rotated by an electric motor. The medicine storage bag (330) is moved by the rotation of the conveyor belt (320), receives medicine according to the prescription information from the medicine box (110) installed on the medicine box installation part (200), and then moves by the rotation of the conveyor belt (320) and transfers the medicine equivalent to a single dose to the medicine collection hopper (340) arranged below one end of the medicine collection plate (310). The above-mentioned transfer robot (620) is formed by a multi-joint robot. It includes a first holding groove (120) extending from the upper side to the lower side of the above-mentioned medicine box body (110) in the up-down direction, so that the holding part (640) of the conveying robot (620) is inserted into the first holding groove (120) to move the medicine box body (110) in a state of holding the medicine box body (110).

2. The automatic medicine packaging device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The medicine box replacement system (600) includes a temporary shelf (660) capable of placing medicine boxes on one side of the transfer robot (620).

3. The automatic medicine packaging device according to claim 2 is characterized in that: In the medicine box installation portion (200), the medicine box storage portion (500) and the temporary shelf (660), the medicine boxes (110) are arranged in a manner such that their vertical orientations are the same.

4. The automatic medicine packaging device according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The transfer robot (620) transfers the medicine box (110) in a state where the vertical orientation of the medicine box (110) is constantly maintained.

5. The automatic medicine packaging device according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The medicine box (110) further includes: The second holding groove (130) is formed by extending along the side direction.

6. The automatic medicine packaging device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The medicine box (110) is provided with an identification information storage unit, wherein the identification information storage unit contains information such as the type or quantity of the medicine stored in the medicine box. The medicine box installation part (200), the medicine box storage part (500) and the medicine box installation part of the temporary shelf (660) are provided with an identification information storage part containing corresponding position information. The medicine box (110), the medicine box installation part (200), the medicine box storage part (500) and the temporary shelf (660) are provided with an interface part for sending or receiving identification information stored in the identification information storage part.

7. The automatic medicine packaging device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The medicine box storage section (500) is formed of a storage rack (520) having a multi-layer structure, and a plurality of storage areas (510) are formed in the storage rack (520) in which the medicine boxes (110) can be arranged along a plurality of columns and rows.

8. The automatic medicine packaging device according to claim 7, characterized in that: All or part of the medicine box storage section (500) is formed into a structure in which the storage racks (520) are arranged in multiple rows. A plurality of storage racks (520) are arranged along one side of each row.

9. The automatic medicine packaging device according to claim 8, characterized in that: Among the plurality of storage racks (520), the storage racks (520) except for at least the storage rack (520) located at the rearmost part can be moved via the moving track (550). The storage racks (520) other than the storage rack (520) located at the rearmost part are arranged in such a manner that an empty space (560) can be formed between adjacent storage racks (520).

10. The automatic medicine packaging device according to claim 6, characterized in that: A plurality of medicine collecting sections (300) and medicine packaging sections (400) are provided.

11. An automatic medicine packaging system, which is a factory-type automatic medicine packaging system composed of a plurality of automatic medicine packaging devices (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: include: A track system (710) is arranged on one side of the automatic medicine packaging device (100); A filling box shelf (720) is mounted on the track system (710) and is movable along the track system (710); A first filling box conveying device (730) is used to convey medicine boxes between the automatic medicine packaging device (100) and the filling box shelf (720); A filling station (740) for filling medicine into the medicine box; as well as The second filling box conveying device (750) is used to convey medicine boxes between the filling box shelf (720) and the filling station (740).

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