Tablet put-out device

Abstract

To provide a tablet put-out device capable of dividing a tablet into halves cleanly, a tablet put-out device capable of easily adjusting the position of an inner blade, and to provide a tablet put-out device capable of preventing diagonal cutting of an elliptical tablet.SOLUTION: A tablet cassette 1 includes: a tablet storage part 15 for storing a large number of tablets, which is formed with a tablet exit 18a for discharging tablets; and a rotor 7 provided to the tablet storage part 15 rotatably around a rotation shaft, which is formed with a tablet guideway 33 for guiding the tablets stored in the tablet storage part 15 to the tablet exit 18a. The rotor 7 is provided with an inner blade 45 for cutting the tablet in the tablet guideway 33, which can rotate and move coaxially with the rotation shaft of the rotor 7, and can move in a radial direction of the rotor 7. A plurality of inner blades 45 are provided, and the movement of the respective inner blades 45 in the radial direction of the rotor 7 is made independently of each other. When the tablet guideway 33 approaches the tablet exit 18a by the rotation of the rotor 7, the inner blade 45 can move in the radial direction of the rotor 7 so as to cut the tablet quickly and end cutting slowly.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tablet dispensing device that accommodates a large number of tablets and can dispense the tablets by dividing them into half tablets.

Background Art

[0002] A tablet dispensing device that dispenses tablets of the required types and numbers according to a prescription includes a plurality of tablet cassettes that accommodate different types of tablets separately by type, and a motor base to which the tablet cassettes are attached. The tablet cassette is composed of a cassette body having a tablet outlet, a rotor rotatably provided on the cassette body and having a tablet guide path, and a partition member provided above the tablet outlet of the cassette body. The rotor is rotatable by the power supplied from the motor base. When the tablet guide path approaches the tablet outlet due to the rotation of the rotor, the tablets above the partition member and the tablets below the partition member are separated by the partition member. The tablets above the partition member are prevented from falling by the partition member, and the tablets below the partition member are discharged from the tablet outlet and dispensed to a predetermined position through the tablet discharge path of the motor base.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, a tablet cassette that can divide and dispense tablets into half tablets for elderly or child patients has been proposed. In this tablet cassette, an outer blade is provided below the partition member, and the tablets in the tablet guide path are divided by the outer blade on the way to move toward the tablet outlet as the rotor rotates, and are dispensed from the tablet outlet.

[0004] In Patent Document 2, a tablet cassette has been proposed in which an inner blade is attached to the rotor body and is rotatable about a second rotation axis provided at a position shifted with respect to the first rotation axis of the rotor body. In this tablet cassette, the inner blade protrudes into the tablet guide path on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor from the tablet outlet, and the tablets in the tablet guide path are divided and dispensed from the tablet outlet.

[0005] However, the outer blade in Patent Document 1 and the inner blade in Patent Document 2 gradually cut into the tablet from the upstream side of the rotor's rotation direction from the tablet exit, resulting in problems such as blade marks remaining or unevenness and chipping on the cut surface, making it impossible to cut cleanly. In addition, the inner blade in Patent Document 2 is disc-shaped, which means that the cutting position cannot be adjusted according to the shape and size of the tablet.

[0006] Furthermore, in the tablet cassettes of Patent Documents 1 and 2, when the tablet is oval-shaped, the lower end of the oval-shaped tablet located at the bottom of the tablet guide path comes into contact with the bottom plate of the cassette body. Due to the frictional force, it is pulled upstream in the direction of rotation of the rotor and tilts, resulting in the tablet being cut diagonally by the outer or inner blade, making it impossible to divide it into halves of the same shape. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4527810 specification [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-7628 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] This invention has been made in view of the aforementioned conventional problems, and aims to provide a tablet dispensing device that can neatly divide tablets into two halves, a tablet dispensing device that can easily adjust the position of the inner blade, and a tablet dispensing device that can prevent oval-shaped tablets from being cut at an angle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The means for solving the aforementioned problem is, (1) A tablet storage section that accommodates a large number of tablets and has a tablet outlet formed for discharging tablets, A rotor is provided in the tablet storage section so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis, and has a tablet guide path formed therein for guiding the tablets stored in the tablet storage section to the tablet outlet. Equipped with, The rotor is characterized by being provided with a blade that is rotatable coaxially with the rotor's axis of rotation and cuts the tablet in the tablet guide path. (2) Multiple blades are provided, and each of the blades moves independently of the others to cut the tablets in the tablet guide path. In this method, a blade that rotates coaxially with the rotor's axis of rotation cuts the tablet in the tablet guide path, resulting in a clean cut without blade marks, unevenness, or chipping on the tablet's cut surface.

[0010] (3) As the rotation of the rotor brings the tablet guide path closer to the tablet exit, the blade moves to cut the tablet in the tablet guide path by rapidly cutting into the tablet and then gradually finishing the cut. In this method, the blade cuts into the tablet quickly and finishes cutting gradually, so the cutting force is fully transmitted in the cutting direction, and no uncut pieces remain.

[0011] (4) The blade is an inner blade that cuts the tablet in the tablet guide path from the radially inner side of the rotor, A non-rotating cam member is provided around the rotation axis of the rotor. A cam is formed on the cam member that moves the inner blade in the radial direction of the rotor.

[0012] (5) The cam is The rotor has an arc-shaped first cam portion located a predetermined first radial distance away from the rotation axis, An arc-shaped second cam portion located at a predetermined second radial distance greater than the first radial distance from the rotation axis, Upstream of the rotor in the rotational direction, a first transition section is provided, which is continuous with the first cam section and the second cam section. The rotor has a second transition section that is continuous with the first cam section and the second cam section, located downstream of the first transition section in the rotational direction of the rotor.

[0013] (6) The inner blade is attached to a movable member provided rotatably about a support shaft on the rotor, and the movable member is provided with a roller serving as a cam follower that follows the cam.

[0014] (7) The blade is provided so that its position in the radial direction of the rotor can be adjusted. (8) The inner blade is provided so that its position in the axial direction of the rotor can be adjusted.

[0015] (9) The rotor is provided with an outer blade that cuts the tablets in the tablet guide path from the outside in the radial direction of the rotor. (10) The outer blade is provided facing the inner blade.

[0016] (11) The outer blade is located closer to the inner side in the radial direction of the rotor at a specific position in the circumferential direction of the rotor than when it is located at other positions. (12) The outer blade is pressed by a pressing roller provided non-rotatably around the rotation axis of the rotor and moves in the radial direction of the rotor.

[0017] (13) The side wall on the upstream side in the rotor rotation direction of the tablet guide path is formed with an inclined surface in a portion below the blade, which is inclined downward toward the downstream side in the rotor rotation direction. (14) The side wall on the downstream side in the rotor rotation direction of the tablet guide path is formed with an inclined surface in a portion below the blade, which is inclined downward toward the downstream side in the rotor rotation direction.

[0018] (15) Tablet guide holes communicating with the tablet guide path are formed in a portion above and a portion below the blade.

Advantages of the Invention

[0019] According to the inventions of claims 1 and 2, since the blade that can rotate and move coaxially with the rotation axis of the rotor cuts the tablets in the tablet guide path approaching the tablet outlet, no blade marks remain on the cut surface of the tablets, and no unevenness or chipping occurs, and the tablets are cleanly cut. Further, a tablet discharging device capable of dividing and discharging tablets can be provided without requiring a conventional outer blade as in Patent Document 1 and a conventional annular inner blade as in Patent Document 2. According to the inventions of claims 3 to 6, since the blade cuts into the tablet sharply and finishes cutting gently, the cutting force is sufficiently transmitted in the cutting direction and there is no remaining uncut portion. According to the inventions of claims 7 and 8, since the blade is provided so as to be adjustable in the radial position or the axial direction of the rotor, the position of the blade can be easily adjusted. According to the inventions of claims 9 to 12, since the tablets are cut radially from the inside and the outside of the tablet guide path by the inner blade and the outer blade, the tablets are cut in a stable state and accurately divided into half tablets. According to the inventions of claims 13 and 14, since the inclination of the elliptical tablets is prevented by the inclined surface, diagonal cutting of the tablets is prevented. According to the invention of claim 15, the tablets are supported by the tablet guide hole above the blade and the tablet guide path hole below the blade, and the tablets are cut by the blade. Also, since the tablets do not contact the cylindrical portion of the cassette body, they are not biased or inclined due to friction, are held in a stable state, and have the effect of being accurately cut by the blade.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] [Figure 1] Perspective view of the tablet cassette and the motor base according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above. [Figure 2] Perspective view of the tablet cassette of FIG. 1 as viewed from below. [Figure 3] Exploded perspective view of the tablet cassette of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] Perspective view showing the base and the drive shaft portion. [Figure 5] Exploded perspective view of the cassette body. [Figure 6] Perspective view of the partition / cutting block. [Figure 7] A cross-sectional view showing the position of the partition members. [Figure 8] A plan view showing the position of the outer blade. [Figure 9A] Perspective view of the rotor. [Figure 9B] Exploded perspective view of the rotor. [Figure 10] A perspective view of the rotor's first component and cam plate, seen from below. [Figure 11] Plan view and rear view showing the cam groove of the cam plate. [Figure 12] Enlarged perspective view (a) and exploded perspective view (b) of the movable member. [Figure 13] A plan view showing the arrangement of movable members. [Figure 14] A cross-sectional view of a tablet cassette. [Figure 15] A plan view showing the operation of the inner and outer blades. [Figure 16] A plan view showing the operation of the inner and outer blades, following Figure 14. [Figure 17] A plan view showing the operation of the inner and outer blades, following Figure 16. [Figure 18] An exploded perspective view of the base, drive shaft, and partition block of a tablet cassette according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] An exploded perspective view of the cassette body of a tablet cassette according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20A] A perspective view of the rotor of a tablet cassette according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20B] Figure 20A shows an exploded perspective view of the rotor. [Figure 21] A perspective view of the rotor member 1A, cam plate, and rotor member 1B, seen from below. [Figure 22] A cross-sectional view showing a tablet inside a tablet guide hole. [Figure 23] Plan and bottom views of the cam plate. [Figure 24] A plan view showing the shape and arrangement of the outer blades. [Figure 25] A plan view showing the arrangement of the inner and outer blades. [Figure 26] A cross-sectional view of a tablet cassette. [Figure 27]A plan view showing the operation of the inner and outer blades. [Figure 28] A plan view showing the operation of the inner and outer blades, following Figure 27. [Figure 29] A partial front view of the rotor showing the tilt state of an elliptical tablet in a conventional tablet guide path. [Figure 30] A front view showing the shape of the tablet guide path of the rotor of a tablet cassette according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0021] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] <First Embodiment> Figures 1 and 2 show a tablet cassette 1, which is a first embodiment of the tablet dispensing device according to the present invention. The tablet cassette 1 is mounted on a motor base 2, contains a large number of tablets, and is a device that divides the tablets into halves and dispenses them one by one. The tablet cassette 1, together with the motor base 2, is mounted in multiple units on a tablet packaging machine, each containing different tablets, and is used to dispense the necessary tablets according to the prescription.

[0023] The motor base 2 has a guide rail 2a for guiding the tablet cassette 1, a motor gear 2b that meshes with the rotor gear 14 of the tablet cassette 1, and a tablet discharge passage 2c that guides the tablets discharged from the tablet outlet 18a of the tablet cassette 1 to a tablet drop guide passage (not shown). An embossed conductive material bottom plate 2d is attached to the inclined bottom surface of the tablet discharge passage 2c. The bottom plate 2d is electrically connected to the ground connection part 2f via an electrostatic discharge plate 2e. Because the bottom plate 2d of the tablet discharge passage 2c has irregularities formed on its surface by embossing, the contact area with the tablets is reduced, the frictional resistance when the tablets slide down is reduced, and the time it takes for the tablets to pass through the tablet discharge passage 2c is shortened. In addition, the ground connection of the bottom plate 2d allows static electricity generated by the contact between the tablets and the bottom plate 2d to be discharged, so the problem of tablets sticking to the tablet discharge passage 2c due to static electricity and preventing them from falling can be solved.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the tablet cassette 1 comprises a base 3, a rotor drive unit 3a, a cassette body 4, a lid 5, a partition / cutting block 6, and a rotor 7.

[0025] As shown in Figure 4, the base 3 comprises an outer frame 8 and an inner frame 9 provided inside the outer frame 8. The inner frame 9 is provided with a base plate 10 to which the rotor drive unit 3a is attached.

[0026] The rotor drive unit 3a comprises a drive shaft fixing plate 11 attached to the base plate 10, a drive shaft 12 that penetrates the drive shaft fixing plate 11 and has an engaging projection 12a at its upper end, a bearing 13 that rotatably supports the drive shaft 12 on the drive shaft fixing plate 11, and a rotor gear 14 attached to the lower end of the drive shaft 12. A cam plate 31, which will be described later, is attached to the drive shaft fixing plate 11. The drive shaft fixing plate 11 also has a pressure contact cam 11a formed thereon, which has an outer surface having the same shape as the inner surface of the cam groove 43 of the cam plate 31, which will be described later. The engaging projection 12a of the drive shaft 12 engages with an engaging recess 38 (see Figure 10) of the rotor 7, which will be described later. The rotor gear 14 meshes with the motor gear 2b of the motor base 2 and transmits the rotational force of the motor gear 2b to the drive shaft 12.

[0027] As shown in Figure 5, the cassette body 4 is formed of a rectangular tablet storage section 15 with an open top that houses a large number of tablets, a cylindrical section 16 that is continuous with the lower end of the tablet storage section 15, and a bottom section 17 that is continuous with the lower end of the cylindrical section 16. A notch 16a is provided in a part of the cylindrical section 16, and a partition / cutting block 6, which will be described later, engages with this notch 16a. The bottom section 17 is also provided with a notch 17a that is continuous with the notch 16a, and a discharge plate 18 with a tablet outlet 18a is engaged with this notch 17a. Furthermore, engagement holes 19a and 19b are formed to span between the bottom section 17 and the discharge plate 18, and the drive shaft fixing plate 11 shown in Figure 4 engages with one of the engagement holes 19 formed by the engagement holes 19a and 19b. A layer 16b made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is fitted to the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 16 to prevent any traces from being left by the sliding of the tablets in the tablet pocket 34, which will be described later.

[0028] Returning to Figure 3, the lid 5 is detachably attached to the upper end of the cassette body 4 by a hinge 5a, allowing the opening of the cassette body 4 to be opened and closed.

[0029] As shown in Figure 6, the partition / cutting block 6 comprises an upper block piece 20, an intermediate block piece 21, a lower block piece 22, a plurality of first spacers 23 and partition members 24 provided between the upper block piece 20 and the intermediate block piece 21, and a second spacer 25 and outer blade 26 provided between the intermediate block piece 21 and the lower block piece 22, which are stacked on top of each other. The inner surface 6a of the upper block piece 20 of the partition / cutting block 6 coincides with the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 16 of the cassette body 4. One of the first spacers 23 has a retaining spring 23a above and below the outer blade 26 that presses the tablet to be cut by the outer blade 26 inward in the rotor radial direction. The retaining spring 23a may be provided on any of the second spacers 25.

[0030] As shown in Figure 7, the partition member 24 has a base portion 24a and an arc-shaped comb portion 24b, and the comb portion 24b is provided to protrude from the inner surface 6a of the upper block piece 20.

[0031] As shown in Figure 8, the outer blade 26 has a base portion 26a and an arc-shaped blade portion 26b, and the blade portion 26b is provided to protrude from the inner surface 6a of the upper block piece 20. The blade portion 26b has an edge A1 on the upstream side in the rotor rotation direction and an edge A2 on the downstream side in the rotor rotation direction. The cutting edge of the blade portion 26b has a starting end B1 downstream of the upstream edge A1 and a terminal end B2 upstream of the downstream edge A2. On the downstream side of the blade portion 26 in the rotor rotation direction, the inner edge 26c extends to the edge A2.

[0032] The partition / cutting block 6 is fixed to the base plate 10 such that its inner surface 6a faces the inside of the cylindrical portion 16 of the cassette body 4 through a notch 16a, and as shown in Figure 14, the comb portion 24b of the partition member 24 enters the upper circumferential groove 32 of the rotor 7, and the blade portion 26b of the outer blade 26 gradually enters the lower circumferential groove 39 of the rotor 7 along the direction of rotor rotation.

[0033] Here, as shown in Figure 8, the front center of the cassette body 4 is defined as the front position P1, the side center of the cassette body 4 is defined as the side position P2, the upstream edge of the tablet outlet 18a in the rotor rotation direction is defined as the upstream outlet position P3, the rear center of the cassette body 4 is defined as the rear position P4, and the downstream edge of the tablet outlet 18a in the rotor rotation direction is defined as the downstream outlet position P5. In this embodiment, when the rotor 7 is viewed from above, the front position P1 is set to 0 degrees, the side position P2 to 90 degrees, the upstream outlet position P3 to 160 degrees, the rear position P4 to 180 degrees, and the downstream outlet position P5 to 200 degrees, with respect to the axis of the drive shaft 12 in the rotor rotation direction, but these are just examples and are not limiting.

[0034] In the partition member 24, the comb portion 24b is provided from the lateral position P2 to a position slightly downstream in the rotor rotation direction of the downstream outlet position P5. Furthermore, in the outer blade 26, the edge A1 on the upstream side in the rotor rotation direction is at the side position P2, the starting end B1 of the blade portion 26b on the upstream side in the rotor rotation direction is downstream of the side position P2 in the rotor rotation direction, the ending end B2 of the blade portion 26b on the downstream side in the rotor rotation direction is upstream of the upstream exit position P3 in the rotor rotation direction, and the edge A2 on the downstream side in the rotor rotation direction is between the upstream exit position P3 and the downstream exit position P5.

[0035] Figure 9A shows the external appearance of the rotor 7. As shown in Figure 9B, the rotor 7 comprises a first rotor member 27, a second rotor member 28, and a substantially conical cap 29. Inside the rotor 7, there is a movable member 30 that rotates together with the rotor 7, and as shown in Figure 10, a non-rotating cam plate 31 is housed with the rotor 7.

[0036] The rotor first member 27 comprises an upper body portion 27a, a lower body portion 27b with a larger diameter than the upper body portion 27a, and a support portion 27c formed inside the upper body portion 27a. Between the upper body portion 27a and the lower body portion 27b, an inclined surface 27d is formed that slopes downward from the inner circumference to the outer circumference. The lower body portion 27b has an upper circumferential groove 32 formed around its entire circumference. The lower body portion 27b has groove-shaped tablet guide passages 33 extending vertically, formed by cutting out four equally spaced positions around the circumference from the upper end to the lower end.

[0037] As shown in Figure 14, the outer surface of the upper body portion 27a is separated from the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 16 of the cassette body 4 by a distance greater than the thickness of the tablet T. The space enclosed by the outer surface of the upper body portion 27a, the inner surface of the cassette body 4, and the inclined surface 27d forms an annular tablet pocket 34 in the tablet storage portion 15 that receives the tablet T. The upper end of the upper body portion 27a is an inclined surface 35 that slopes upward toward the inside.

[0038] As shown in Figure 10, on the inner circumference of the lower surface of the lower body portion 27b, there are movable member housing portions 36 in which the base portion 44 of the movable member 30 is housed at four equally spaced positions around the circumference, and in the central portion, there is a cam plate housing portion 37 in which the cam plate 31 is housed.

[0039] An engagement recess 38 is formed on the lower surface of the support portion 27c, into which the engagement projection 12a of the drive shaft 12 engages.

[0040] The rotor second member 28 is an annular shape attached to the lower surface of the rotor first member 27, and its upper surface has a stepped portion 28a and a recess 28b that accommodates the base portion 44 of the movable member 30. When the rotor second member 28 is attached to the lower surface of the rotor first member 27, the stepped portion 28a of the rotor second member 28 abuts against the lower surface of the rotor first member 27, and a lower circumferential groove 39 is formed between the lower surface of the rotor first member 27 and the upper surface of the rotor second member 28, as shown in Figure 9A. On the outer surface of the rotor second member 28, a groove-shaped tablet guide path 40 extending vertically is formed at the same position as the tablet guide path 33 of the rotor first member 27.

[0041] The cap 29 is inserted inside the upper body portion 27a of the rotor 7. The upper surface of the cap 29 is an inclined surface 41 that is continuous with the inclined surface 35 at the upper end of the upper body portion 27a. The inclined surface 41 of the cap 28 and the inclined surface 35 at the upper end of the upper body portion 27a of the rotor 7 have radial stepped portions 42 that stir the tablets contained in the tablet storage portion 15 as the rotor 7 rotates.

[0042] The cam plate 31 is an annular plate, and an annular cam groove 43 is formed on its lower surface, as shown in Figure 10. The cam plate 31 is located inside the lower body portion 27b, but as shown in Figure 4, it is mounted and fixed on the drive shaft fixing plate 11. For this reason, the cam plate 31 does not rotate together with the rotor 7.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 11, the cam groove 43 of the cam plate 31 is located in the rotor rotation direction between a radius (the radius from the rotation center of the rotor 7 to the groove center of the cam groove 43) R1 from the upstream side outlet position P3 to a position slightly separated upstream in the rotor rotation direction from the back position P4, the front position P1, and the side position P2. It includes a first cam groove 43a, a second cam groove 43b with a radius R2 between the side position P2 and the upstream side outlet position P3, a first transition groove 43c extending substantially in a tangential direction from the first cam groove 43a, a second transition groove 43d extending in an arc shape from the first transition groove 43c to the second cam groove 43b, and a third transition groove 43e extending in an S shape from the second cam groove 43b to the first cam groove 43a. The second cam groove 43b has a smaller angular range than the first cam groove 43a. The first cam groove 43a is about 270 degrees, while the second cam groove 43b is about 3 degrees. The radius R1 of the first cam groove 43a and the radius R2 of the second cam groove 43b have a relationship of R1 < R2.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 12, the movable member 30 has a base 44, an inner blade 45, a plurality of spacers 46, and an inner blade retainer 47.

[0045] The base 44 of the movable member 30 has a substantially rectangular plate shape and has a columnar support shaft 48 extending parallel to the axis of the rotor 7 at one end. Inside the other end of the base 44, there are two upper and lower rollers 49 attached to the upper and lower ends of a columnar roller shaft 49a extending parallel to the support shaft 48. The two upper and lower rollers 49 are located above and below the inner blade 45. Therefore, the roller shaft 49a is configured to receive the load acting on the inner blade 45 during tablet cutting in a both-end supported state by the two upper and lower rollers 49. A recess 50 for accommodating the inner blade 45 and the spacer 46 is formed on the outer side of the other end of the base 44.

[0046] The inner blade 45 has a rectangular shape, with a blade portion 45a formed at one end and a long hole 45b and a notch 45c formed at the other end. The plurality of spacers 46 have different thicknesses and have round holes 46a and notches 46b formed therein. The inner blade retainer 47 fixes the inner blade 45 to the recess 50 of the base 44 via the spacer 46 by two fixing screws 47a.

[0047] Figure 12 shows the inner blade 45 adjusted to its highest position to accommodate the largest diameter tablet. By replacing one or more of the spacers 46 above the inner blade 45, the height of the inner blade 45 can be adjusted to match the size of the tablet being used. Furthermore, by changing the amount of protrusion from the base 44 using the elongated hole 45b and notch 45c of the inner blade 45, the position of the cutting edge of the inner blade 45 can be changed to match the thickness of the tablet being used.

[0048] As shown in Figure 13, the movable member 30 is supported so as to be rotatable around the support shaft 48 by housing its base 44 in the space enclosed by the movable member recess 28b of the rotor second member 28 and the movable member housing recess 36 of the rotor first member 27, with the lower end of the support shaft 48 supported by the rotor second member 28 and the upper end supported by the rotor first member 27. The upper roller 49 is housed in the cam groove 43 of the cam plate 31, and the lower roller 49 abuts against the pressure contact cam 11a of the drive shaft fixing plate 11 shown in Figure 4, thus each becoming a cam follower. The inner blade 45 is positioned between the rotor first member 27 and the rotor second member 28, and facing the bottom of the tablet guide passages 33 and 40, and is movable radially from the bottom of the tablet guide passages 33 and 40 to the rotor 7 as the base 44 rotates.

[0049] Next, we will explain the operation of tablet cassette 1.

[0050] When the motor gear 2b of the motor base 2 rotates in response to the tablet dispensing command, the drive shaft 12 rotates via the rotor gear 14, causing the rotor 7 to rotate clockwise when viewed from above (counterclockwise when viewed from below). The numerous tablets T contained in the tablet storage section 15 are agitated as the rotor 7 rotates, and as shown in Figure 14, they enter and align in the annular tablet pocket 34 between the upper body 27a of the rotor 7 and the cylindrical part 16 of the cassette body 4.

[0051] Due to friction between the tablet T in the tablet pocket 34 and the cassette body 4, the speed at which the tablet T moves in the direction of rotation of the rotor 7 becomes slower than the rotational speed of the rotor 7. As a result, from the perspective of the rotor 7, the tablet T in the tablet pocket 34 moves upstream in the direction of rotation of the rotor 7. Consequently, the tablet T in the tablet pocket 34 enters the space between the tablet guide paths 33 and 40 of the rotor 7 and the cylindrical portion 16 of the cassette body 4.

[0052] The first tablet T1 to enter the tablet guide path 33, 40 falls to the bottom 17 of the cassette body 4. Next, the tablet T2 that enters the tablet guide path 33, 40 stacks on top of tablet T1. In this way, multiple tablets are accommodated in the tablet guide path 33, 40.

[0053] Multiple tablets in the tablet guide paths 33 and 40 are separated vertically by the partition member 24, and the lower tablet T1 is cut into two pieces vertically by the inner blade 45 and outer blade 26 of the movable member 30 and discharged from the tablet outlet 18a.

[0054] The following details the process of splitting tablets.

[0055] As the rotor 7 rotates, the movable member 30, supported by the pivot shaft 48 on the rotor 7, also rotates coaxially with the rotor 7's axis of rotation. As shown in Figure 15(a), while the tablet guide path 40 moves from near the upstream outlet position P3, through the front position P1, to near the side position P2 due to the clockwise rotation of the rotor 7, the upper roller 49 of the movable member 30 engages with the first cam groove 43a and moves, so the movable member 30 does not rotate around the pivot shaft 48. Therefore, the inner blade 45 retracts radially inward from the tablet guide paths 33 and 40 on the rotor. In the following description, we will focus on the movable member 30 and outer blade 26 corresponding to the tablet guide paths 33 and 40 of the rotor that have moved to near the side position P2 (the pivot shaft 48 of the movable member 30 is shown hatched in the figure).

[0056] As the rotor 7 rotates, the upper roller 49 of the movable member 30 moves to the first transition groove 43c. The movable member 30 rotates clockwise around the pivot shaft 48, causing the cutting edge of the inner blade 45 to enter the tablet guide paths 33 and 40, and cutting the tablet from the inside. Since the first transition groove 43c extends almost tangentially from the first cam groove 43a, the movable member 30 rotates rapidly while the upper roller 49 of the movable member 30 is moving through the first transition groove 43c. Also, since the second transition groove 43d extends in an arc shape from the first transition groove 43c, as the upper roller 49 of the movable member 30 moves from the first transition groove 3c to the second transition groove 43d, the movable member 30 moves more slowly. As a result, the inner blade 45 of the movable member 30 cuts the tablet sharply and finishes cutting slowly. Here, the movable member 30 has its upper roller 49 pressed against the inner side surface of the cam groove 43, and its lower roller 49 pressed against the pressure cam 11a, so the inner blade 45 of the movable member 30 has high rigidity and can cut the tablet in a stable state. On the other hand, as the rotor 7 rotates, when the tablet guide paths 33 and 40 pass the starting end B1 of the outer blade 26, the cutting edge of the outer blade 26 enters the tablet guide paths 33 and 40 and gently cuts the tablet from the outside.

[0057] As shown in Figure 15(b), when the rotor 7 rotates, the upper roller 49 of the movable member 30 moves to the second cam groove 43b, bringing the inner blade 45 and the outer blade 26 closer together, cutting the tablet in two and dividing it into upper and lower halves. The inner blade 45 moves radially with the rotor 7 to cut the tablet in the tablet guide paths 33 and 40, so there are no blade marks, unevenness, or chipping on the cut surface of the tablet, resulting in a clean cut. In addition, the inner blade 45 cuts the tablet sharply and finishes cutting gently, so the cutting force is sufficiently transmitted in the cutting direction, and there are no uncut pieces. Furthermore, since the tablet is cut radially from the inside and outside of the tablet guide paths 33 and 40 by the inner blade 45 and the outer blade 26, it is cut in a stable manner and divided accurately into halves.

[0058] From the state shown in Figure 15(b), as the rotor 7 rotates, the upper roller 49 of the movable member 30 moves to the third transition groove 43e. The movable member 30 then rapidly retracts inward from the tablet guide paths 33 and 40, moving away from the divided tablet. Here, the upper roller 49 of the movable member 30 is pressed against the outer surface of the cam groove 43, and the lower roller 49 has no pressure. However, since the movable member 30 moves away from the cut tablet, it can retract smoothly even if only the upper roller 49 is pressed. The reason why the lower roller 49 does not engage with the cam groove like the upper roller 49 is that if a cam groove were provided for the lower roller 49 to engage with, the cam groove would face upward, accumulating dirt and foreign matter, making it difficult for the roller shaft 49a to move. Meanwhile, the outer blade 26 remains in the tablet guide paths 33 and 40, and its inner edge 26c, located beyond the end B2 of the blade tip, penetrates further into the tablet guide paths 33 and 40, completely separating the upper and lower halves of the tablet. Therefore, even if the tablet is partially cut by the cutting edges of the inner blade 45 and the outer blade 26, it is pushed through by the edge of the outer blade 26.

[0059] As shown in Figure 16(a), as the rotor 7 rotates further and the tablet guide paths 33 and 40 pass the upstream outlet position P3, the lower half of the tablet located below the outer blade 26 is discharged from the tablet outlet 18a.

[0060] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 16(b), even when the rotor 7 rotates further and the tablet guide paths 33 and 40 reach the rear position P4, the upper half of the tablet, located above the outer blade 26, remains supported by the inner edge 26c of the outer blade 26.

[0061] As shown in Figure 17, as the rotor 7 rotates further and the tablet guide paths 33 and 40 approach the downstream outlet position P5, and the upstream side surfaces of the tablet guide paths 33 and 40 pass the downstream edge A2 of the outer blade 26, the upper half of the tablet located above the outer blade 26 is discharged from the tablet outlet 18a.

[0062] As the above operations are repeated in conjunction with the rotation of the rotor 7, one tablet T at a time is cut from the tablet guide paths 33 and 40 and discharged as half tablets T1 and T2.

[0063] <Second Embodiment> Figures 18 and subsequent drawings show a tablet cassette 1A, which is a second embodiment of the tablet dispensing device according to the present invention. The tablet cassette 1A of the second embodiment differs significantly from the tablet cassette 1 of the first embodiment, in that the outer blade 53 is provided on the rotor 7, as shown in Figure 20A. Therefore, only the configuration related to the outer blade 53 will be described below, and the same configuration will be omitted from the description.

[0064] As shown in Figure 18, the inner frame 9 of the base 3 is provided with a pressing roller 51 on the right arm portion when viewed from the back of the base 3, which presses the outer blade 53 of the rotor 7 (described later) toward the inner blade 45. The pressing roller 51 is attached to a roller shaft 51a that protrudes from the inner frame 9. The cam plate 31 attached to the drive shaft fixing plate 11 will be described later.

[0065] The partition block 6a is provided with a partition member 24, but unlike the partition / cutting block 6 of the first embodiment, it is not provided with an outer blade 26. The partition member 24 is sandwiched between the upper block piece 20 and the lower block piece 22. The lower block piece 22 has a projection 22a that supports the upper end of the roller shaft 51a of the pressing roller 51.

[0066] As shown in Figure 19, the cylindrical portion 16 of the cassette body 4 does not have a bottom portion 17 like the cylindrical portion 16 of the first embodiment, and its lower end is open. For this reason, the cassette body 4 of the second embodiment cannot be fixed to the inner frame 9 of the base portion 3 via the bottom portion. Therefore, the cassette body 4 is attached to the inner frame 9 of the base portion 3 by a front connecting block 52a and a rear connecting block 52b that are received on the bottom outer surface of the tablet storage portion 15. The discharge plate 18, on which the tablet outlet 18a is formed, is annular in shape having the same outer diameter as the cylindrical portion 16 of the cassette body 4 and is attached to the base plate 10 of the inner frame 9. A gap is provided between the lower end of the cylindrical portion 16 and the upper surface of the discharge plate 18 so that the outer blade 53 can pass through in the circumferential direction.

[0067] Figure 20A shows the external appearance of the rotor 7. As shown in Figure 20B, the rotor 7 comprises a rotor first A member 27A, a rotor first B member 27B, a rotor second member 28, and a substantially conical cap 29. Inside the rotor 7, a cam plate 31 is housed, which does not rotate with the rotor, and the rotor 7 also comprises a movable member 30 that rotates with the rotor, an outer blade 53, and a magnet 54.

[0068] The rotor first A member 27A is the same as the rotor first member 27 of the first embodiment, but the upper circumferential groove 32 that is present in the first embodiment is not formed therein. Also, as shown in Figure 21, engagement holes 55 are formed on the lower surface of the lower body portion 27b at circumferentially 4 equal positions.

[0069] The rotor 1B member 27B has an annular plate shape with a larger outer diameter than the rotor 1A member 27A. A rectangular tablet guide hole 56 is formed through the outer circumference of the rotor 1B member 27B, which is continuous with the tablet guide path 33 of the rotor 1A member 27A, and an engaging projection 57 is formed on the inner circumference of the upper surface that engages with the engaging hole 55 of the rotor 1A member 27A. As shown in Figure 21, movable member housing portions 36 are formed on the lower surface of the rotor 1B member 27B at equidistant positions on the inner circumference, and a magnet housing recess 58 for housing a magnet 54 is formed between adjacent movable member housing portions 36.

[0070] The rotor first A member 27A and the rotor first B member 27B are assembled together by the engagement of the engagement hole 55 of the rotor first A member 27A and the engagement projection 57 of the rotor first B member 27B, thereby forming the rotor first member 27, similar to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 20A, an upper circumferential groove 32 into which the partition member 24 enters is formed between the lower surface of the rotor first A member 27A and the upper surface of the rotor first B member 27B (see Figure 26). By assembling the rotor first A member 27A and the rotor first B member 27B, which are separate members, the upper circumferential groove 32 is easier to manufacture than by forming a groove, and also has the advantage that the tablets do not come into contact with the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 16 of the cassette body 4.

[0071] Furthermore, when the rotor first A member 27A and the rotor first B member 27B are assembled, the tablet guide path 33 of the rotor first A member 27A and the tablet guide hole 56 of the rotor first B member 27B coincide in the axial direction of the rotor 7.

[0072] The rotor second member 28 is similar to the rotor second member 28 of the first embodiment, but instead of a tablet guide path 40 like the rotor second member 28 of the first embodiment, it has a rectangular tablet guide hole 59. The tablet guide hole 59 is the same shape as the rectangular guide hole 56 of the rotor second B member 27B and is formed in the same position so as to coincide with the axial direction of the rotor 7. On the upper surface of the rotor second member 28, a magnet housing portion 60 for housing a magnet 54 is formed at a position corresponding to the magnet housing recess 58 of the rotor first B member 27B.

[0073] As shown in Figure 22, the tablet guide holes 56 of the first rotor 1B member 27B and the tablet guide holes 59 of the second rotor member 28 hold the tablets away from the inner circumferential surface of the cassette body 4 while the rotor 7 is rotating. As a result, the tablets do not come into contact with the cylindrical portion 16 of the cassette body 4, and are held in a stable state without becoming uneven or tilted due to friction, so that they can be accurately cut by the inner blade 45 and the outer blade 53.

[0074] Since cap 29 is the same as the cap of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for corresponding parts and their description is omitted.

[0075] The cam plate 31 is substantially identical to the cam plate 31 of the first embodiment, except for the shape of the cam groove 43. As shown in Figure 23, the cam groove 43 of the cam plate 31 has a first cam groove 43a with radius R1, a second cam groove 43b with radius R2, a first transition groove 43c, a second transition groove 43d, and a third transition groove 43e, similar to the cam groove 43 of the cam plate 31 of the first embodiment, but their respective positions or ranges are different. Specifically, the first cam groove 43a extends from the rear position P4 through the front position P1 to a position slightly upstream in the rotor rotation direction of the side position P2. The second cam groove 43b is located between the side position P2 and the upstream outlet position P3, and has a wider range than the second cam groove 43b of the first embodiment, at approximately 40 degrees.

[0076] The movable member 30 is identical to the movable member of the first embodiment except for the orientation of the roller 49 and the inner blade 45 relative to its support shaft 48; therefore, corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description is omitted.

[0077] As shown in Figure 24, the outer blade 53 has a base portion 61, a blade portion 62 extending from the base portion 61 to one end, and a lever portion 63 extending from the base portion 61 to the other end.

[0078] The base portion 61 has a support shaft 64 passing through it. The upper end of the support shaft 64 is supported on the lower surface of the rotor first B member 27B, and the lower end of the support shaft 64 is supported on the upper surface of the rotor second member 28. As a result, the blade portion 62 is located downstream of the support shaft 64 in the direction of rotor rotation, and the lever portion 63 is located upstream of the support shaft 64 in the direction of rotor rotation. The cutting edge of the blade portion 62 faces the inner blade 45 of the movable member 30, with a tablet guide hole 59 in between. The lever portion 63 has a suction end 63a formed at its tip that attracts to the magnet 54. The outer edges of the blade portion 62 and the lever portion 63 are cam edges 65.

[0079] The shape of the cam edge 65 will be described as shown in Figure 24(a), with the suction end 63a of the lever portion 63 attached to the magnet 54. Here, let Rc be the radius of a virtual circle C that is tangent to the outer surface of the pressing roller 51 and is centered on the axis of the rotor 7. The cam edge 65 has a first cam edge 65a that extends almost linearly in an oblique direction from the tip of the blade portion 62 toward the outside of the virtual circle C toward the outside of the virtual circle C, a second cam edge 65b that is arc-shaped and located outside the virtual circle C and has a radius that matches the radius Rc of the virtual circle C, a third cam edge 65c that is arc-shaped and centered on the axis of the rotor 7 and has a radius that matches the radius R of the virtual circle C, a first transition edge 65d that connects the first cam edge 65a and the second cam edge 65b, and a second transition edge 65e that connects the second cam edge 65b and the third cam edge 65c. As shown in Figure 24(b), when the suction end 63a of the lever portion 63 is separated from the magnet 54 and the cutting edge of the blade portion 62 is positioned at the center of the tablet guide hole 59, the center of curvature of the second cam edge 65b coincides with the axis of the rotor 7.

[0080] The magnet 54 is housed between the magnet housing recess 58 of the rotor first B member 27B and the magnet housing recess 60 of the rotor second member 28. The magnet 54 attracts the suction end 63a of the lever portion 63 of the outer blade 53, thereby separating the blade portion 62 of the outer blade 53 from the inner blade 45.

[0081] Referring to Figure 25 in conjunction with Figure 13, the movable member 30 of the second embodiment and the movable member 30 of the first embodiment have shapes that are symmetrical with respect to the line connecting the center of the roller 49 and the center of the inner blade 45. That is, in the movable member 30 of the first embodiment, the support shaft 48 is located downstream in the rotor rotation direction with respect to the line connecting the center of the roller 49 and the center of the inner blade 45, whereas in the movable member 30 of the second embodiment, the support shaft 48 is located upstream in the rotor rotation direction with respect to the line connecting the center of the roller 49 and the center of the inner blade 45. In other words, in the movable member 30 of the first embodiment, the roller 49 and the inner blade 45 are located upstream in the rotor rotation direction with respect to the support shaft 48, whereas in the movable member 30 of the second embodiment, the roller 49 and the inner blade 45 are located downstream in the rotor rotation direction with respect to the support shaft 48.

[0082] The tablet splitting operation in the second embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0083] As shown in Figure 27(a), while the tablet guide hole 59 moves from near the rear position P4 to the front position P1 and then to near the side position P2 due to the clockwise rotation of the rotor 7, the roller 49 of the movable member 30 is engaged with the first cam groove 43a and moves, so the movable member 30 does not rotate around the pivot shaft 48. Therefore, the inner blade 45 retracts radially inward from the tablet guide hole 59 of the rotor 7. Also, since the cam edge 65 of the outer blade 53 does not come into contact with the pressing roller 51, the outer blade 53 remains attracted to the magnet 54, so the blade portion 62 of the outer blade 53 retracts radially outward from the tablet guide hole 59 of the rotor 7. In the following description, we will focus on the tablet guide hole 59 of the rotor that has passed the front position P1 in Figure 27(a), and the movable member 30 and outer blade 53 corresponding to this tablet guide hole 59.

[0084] As the rotor 7 rotates, the roller 49 of the movable member 30 moves to the first transition groove 43c. The movable member 30 rotates counterclockwise around the pivot shaft 48, causing the cutting edge of the inner blade 45 to enter the tablet guide hole 59 and cut the tablet from the inside. Since the first transition groove 43c extends almost tangentially from the first cam groove 43a, the movable member 30 rotates rapidly while the roller 49 of the movable member 30 is moving through the first transition groove 43c. Furthermore, since the second transition groove 43d extends in an arc shape from the first transition groove 43c, as the roller 49 of the movable member 30 moves from the first transition groove 43c to the second transition groove 43d, the movable member 30 moves more slowly. As a result, the inner blade 45 of the movable member 30 cuts the tablet sharply and finishes cutting slowly.

[0085] Meanwhile, as the rotor 7 rotates, the cutting edge 62 of the outer blade 53 approaches the pressure roller 51. As shown in Figure 27(b), when the first cam edge 65a comes into contact with the pressure roller 51, the rotation of the rotor 7 causes the first cam edge 65a to be pressed against the pressure roller 51, causing the outer blade 53 to rotate clockwise around the pivot shaft 64. The cutting edge of the cutting edge 62 enters the tablet guide holes 56 and 59, gently cutting into the tablet from the outside.

[0086] As shown in Figure 28(a), when the rotor 7 rotates, the roller 49 of the movable member 30 moves to the second cam groove 43b, causing the cutting edge of the inner blade 45 to enter the center of the tablet guide hole 59 from the inside. Meanwhile, the second cam edge 65b of the outer blade 53 is pressed against the pressure roller 51, causing the blade portion 62 of the outer blade 53 to enter the center of the tablet guide hole 59 from the outside. As a result, the inner blade 45 and the outer blade 53 come closer together, cutting the tablet in two and dividing it into upper and lower halves. The blade portions 62 of the inner blade 45 and the outer blade 53 cut the tablet sharply and finish cutting smoothly, so there are no blade marks, unevenness, or chips left on the cut surface of the tablet, resulting in a clean cut. In addition, since the tablet is cut radially from the inside and outside of the tablet guide hole 59 by the blade portions 62 of the inner blade 45 and the outer blade 53, it is cut in a stable manner, resulting in an accurate division into halves.

[0087] As the rotor 7 rotates, the roller 49 of the movable member 30 moves to the third transition groove 43e. As shown in Figure 28(b), the movable member 30 rapidly retracts inward from the tablet guide hole 59 and moves away from the divided tablet. Meanwhile, the outer blade 53 rotates counterclockwise around the pivot shaft 64 as the third cam edge 65c is pressed against the pressure roller 51. The blade portion 62 rapidly retracts outward from the tablet guide hole 59 and moves away from the divided tablet, while the suction end 63a of the lever portion 63 is attracted to the magnet 54.

[0088] As the outer blade 53 and inner blade 45 separate from the tablet guide hole 59, the divided upper and lower halves of the tablet are ejected from the tablet exit 18a.

[0089] As the above operations are repeated in conjunction with the rotation of the rotor 7, the tablets T are cut one by one through the tablet guide hole 59 and discharged as half tablets T1 and T2.

[0090] <Third Embodiment> Figure 29 shows the state of an oval-shaped tablet when it is divided using the tablet cassette 1 of the first embodiment. The oval-shaped tablet located at the bottom of the tablet guide path 33 has its lower end in contact with the bottom 17 of the cassette body 4, and due to the frictional force, it is pulled upstream in the rotational direction of the rotor 7 and tilts, resulting in the tablet being cut diagonally by the outer blade 26 or inner blade 45, and it cannot be divided into two halves of the same shape.

[0091] Therefore, in order to prevent such diagonal cuts, as shown in Figure 30, the side wall 33a of the tablet guide path 33 on the upstream side in the rotor rotation direction and below the inner blade 26 or outer blade 45 is formed as an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the downstream side in the rotor rotation direction. As a result, even if the lower end of the tablet tries to be pulled toward the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor 7 due to friction with the bottom 17 of the cassette body 4, it is prevented by the inclined side wall 33a, so that the tablet is cut and divided by the outer blade 26 or inner blade 45 without tilting.

[0092] The side wall 33b of the tablet guide path 33 on the downstream side in the rotor rotation direction, and below the inner or outer blade, is formed as an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the downstream side in the rotor rotation direction. This prevents the width of the tablet guide path 33 from decreasing, thus preventing tablet jamming. It is preferable that this inclined side wall 33b on the downstream side in the rotor rotation direction be parallel to the inclined side wall 33a on the upstream side in the rotor rotation direction, but it may also be inclined in a direction that widens the tablet guide path 33. Alternatively, the side wall 33b may be formed from a vertical portion and an inclined portion provided below the vertical portion. In this case, when cutting a tablet with the inner or outer blade, even if the tablet hits the side wall on the downstream side in the rotation direction, the tablet is supported by the vertical portion and will not tilt.

[0093] Furthermore, the side wall of the tablet guide path 33 on the upstream side in the rotor rotation direction, and above the outer blade, extends in the axial direction of the rotor 7 without being inclined.

[0094] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified or altered without changing the gist of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0095] 1.1A Tablet Cassette 4 Cassette Units 7 rotors 15 Tablet storage section 18a Tablet exit 26 Outer blade 30 Movable member 31 Cam plate (cam component) 33,40 Tablet Guide 33a side wall 33b side wall 43 Cam groove 43a First cam groove 43b Second cam groove 43c Third cam groove 43d 1st transition groove 43e 2nd transition groove 45 inner blade 48 Spindle 49 Laura 51 Pressing roller 53 Outer blade 56, 59 Tablet guide holes 65 Cam Edge

Claims

1. a tablet storage section that stores a large number of tablets and has a tablet outlet formed therein for discharging the tablets; a rotor provided in the tablet storage section so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis, the rotor having a tablet guide path formed therein for guiding the tablets stored in the tablet storage section to the tablet outlet; Equipped with A tablet dispensing device characterized in that the rotor is provided with a blade for cutting tablets in the tablet guide path.

2. 2. The medicine dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the blades are provided, and each of the blades moves independently of the others to cut the tablets in the tablet guide path.

Images