Cassette for accommodating tablets

Abstract

To provide a count cassette which has a simple structure, includes a vibration mechanism that can effectively apply the vibration to tablets stored in the count cassette and prevents moisture contents from being left when being washed, and a medicine dispensing device having the same.SOLUTION: A count cassette 40 which receives tablets counted and dispensed from a tablet container 11 of a tablet dispensing device 1 including the tablet container 11 which stores many tablets and an attachment part 12 which is attached with the tablet container, comprises a vibration mechanism 61 on the outer surface of the count cassette. The vibration mechanism 61 comprises: a rotary member 63 which is rotatably provided in a shaft part 62 provided on the outer surface of the count cassette; a movable member 64 which is movable in the shaft direction with respect to the shaft part and is provided rotatably around the shaft; a cam mechanism 65 which converts the rotation of the rotary member into the movement in the shaft direction of the movable member; and an elastic member 66 which biases the movable member in the shaft direction toward the outer surface of the count cassette and applies the impact force to the outer surface of the count cassette.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a counting cassette used to receive tablets counted and dispensed from a tablet cassette when taking an inventory of tablets, and a medicine dispensing device equipped with the counting cassette. [Background technology]

[0002] In pharmacies, inventory work is carried out, for example, once a month. For certain drugs that require careful handling, such as psychotropic drugs, inventory checks are carried out not once a month but at shorter intervals (for example, every day) to prevent theft. Inventory work involves counting the number of opened and unopened drugs on the dispensing shelves in the pharmacy and the number of drugs remaining in the drug dispensing device, checking the inventory value for each drug, and determining profits. Conventionally, drugs remaining in the drug dispensing device have been counted manually or using a dedicated counting device.

[0003] Manually counting tablets in a medicine dispensing device is time-consuming and prone to counting errors. In addition, the counting device is expensive to purchase and requires space to install. The number of tablets in stock can be determined by measuring the number of tablets in stock using a load cell and dividing the result by the weight of each tablet, but an accurate count was not possible because the weight of each tablet varies depending on the tablet lot.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a medicine dispensing device that includes a recovery unit that recovers tablets remaining in the unspecified cassette by providing a platform for placing a medicine container below the unspecified cassette and by providing a switchable second path branching from a first path of the unspecified cassette and recovering tablets in the unspecified cassette to the medicine container via the second path. However, the recovery unit in this cited document 1 needs to be provided with a second path.

[0005] The applicant of the present application has proposed in Patent Document 2 a medicine dispensing device that can count and inventory tablets in a tablet cassette using a tablet receiving container.

[0006] In the drug dispensing device of Patent Document 2, a vibration mechanism is provided in the tablet receiving container which counts the tablets in the tablet cassette to be inventoryed and receives the tablets dispensed, so that the tablets are filled tightly into the tablet receiving container, ensuring that the tablet receiving container can be fully filled to its capacity.

[0007] However, Patent Document 2 discloses a lever-type vibration mechanism that rotates a movable block to apply an impact to the outer surface of the tablet receiving container, and a rod-type vibration mechanism that raises and lowers a rod by linearly moving the movable block to apply an impact to the tablet guide inside the tablet receiving container.

[0008] The lever-type vibration mechanism has a complex structure because the driven gear and movable block are mounted on different shafts, and the movable member is rotated parallel to the bottom of the tablet receiving container to deliver a horizontal impact to the impact receiving part of the tablet receiving container, which has the problem that vibrations cannot be effectively transmitted to the tablets contained in the tablet receiving container.

[0009] The rod-type vibration mechanism transmits force from the outside to the inside, so it has a complex structure, and even if the tablet receiving container is washed with water and dried, moisture remains, especially around the rod, and the container becomes dirty with drug powder and other particles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. WO2017 / 159819 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. WO2021 / 210624 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional counting cassette, and its objective is to provide a counting cassette with a simple structure, equipped with a vibration mechanism that can effectively impart vibrations to tablets contained in the counting cassette, and which leaves no moisture when washed with water, and a drug dispensing device equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following measures.

[0013] (1) A tablet dispensing device including a tablet container for accommodating a large number of tablets and a mounting portion to which the tablet container is mounted, the tablet counting cassette receiving tablets counted and dispensed from the tablet container, a vibration mechanism is provided on an outer surface of the counting cassette; The vibration mechanism includes: A shaft portion provided on an outer surface of the counting cassette; a movable member provided so as to be movable in an axial direction relative to the shaft portion; an elastic member that urges the movable member, which is separated from the outer surface of the counting cassette, in the axial direction toward the outer surface and applies an impact force to the outer surface; Equipped with. This solution has a simple structure because it has only one shaft. Also, because the vibration mechanism is provided on the outer surface of the counting cassette, no water remains inside the counting cassette after it has been washed with water.

[0014] (2) In the counting cassette according to the above (1), The vibration mechanism is provided on the outer surface of the bottom of the counting cassette. By providing the vibration mechanism on the outer surface of the bottom of the counting cassette, the vibration of the vibration mechanism can be effectively applied to the tablets contained in the bottom of the counting cassette. (3) In the counting cassette according to the above (1) or (2), A rotating member rotatably provided on the shaft portion; a cam mechanism that converts the rotation of the rotating member into the axial movement of the movable member; It further comprises: The cam mechanism converts the rotation of the rotating member into the axial movement of the movable member, making the structure simple.

[0015] (4) The counting cassette according to the above (3), The rotating member is a driven gear rotatably provided on the outer surface of the bottom of the counting cassette so as to mesh with a drive gear of the mounting portion. As the rotating member, a driven gear that meshes with an existing driven gear of the mounting part is used, and the rotating member can be rotated by the driving means of the mounting part, so there is no need to provide a power source to the count cassette.

[0016] (5) The counting cassette according to the above (3) or (4), The rotating member is coaxial with the movable member, and the rotating member is provided with an engagement portion that engages with the movable member, so that rotation of the rotating member rotates the movable member via the engagement portion. The rotating member and the movable member are coaxial, and the rotation of the rotating member can be efficiently transmitted to the movable member via the engagement portion.

[0017] (6) In the counting cassette according to any one of the above means (3) to (5), The cam mechanism includes: a claw portion formed on either an inner circumferential surface of the movable member or an outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion; The movable member has an inner peripheral surface and the shaft has an outer peripheral surface, and the shaft has an inclined surface with which the claw portion slides. Since the cam mechanism is formed between the inner circumferential surface of the movable member and the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion, there is no need to provide a separate member for providing the cam mechanism, and the configuration is simplified.

[0018] (7) The counting cassette according to the above (6), The claw portion is provided in plurality on the movable member, The inclined surfaces are provided on the shaft portion in a plurality of positions corresponding to the claw portions, and are formed so as to be inclined in a direction away from the count cassette with respect to the rotation direction of the rotating member. Since a plurality of claws and inclined surfaces are provided, the movable member can stably apply an impact force to the outer surface of the counting cassette.

[0019] (8) A tablet dispensing device comprising a tablet container for storing a large number of tablets and a mounting part to which the tablet container is mounted, and having a function of counting the tablets dispensed from the tablet container, The counting cassette according to any one of the means (1) to (7) is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the medicine dispensing device of the present invention, it is possible to effectively apply vibrations to tablets contained in a counting cassette with a simple structure, and it has the effect of leaving no moisture when the tablets are washed with water. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a medicine dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of a tablet supply unit disposed on the drum. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a tablet drop path in the tablet supply section. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a mounting portion of the counting cassette. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the mounting unit with the count cassette mounted thereon, seen obliquely from the rear. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] 1A is a perspective view of a counting cassette as viewed obliquely from above, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a counting cassette as viewed obliquely from below. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a container body and a buffer plate of the counting cassette. [Figure 9]1A is an exploded perspective view of the support and locking parts of the counting cassette as viewed from the outside, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the support part of the counting cassette as viewed from the inside. [Figure 10] 1A is an exploded perspective view of a tablet receiving guide member as viewed from above, and FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective view of a tablet receiving guide member as viewed from below. [Figure 11] 1A is a front view of the locking portion when locked, and FIG. 1B is a front view of the locking portion when the tablet receiving guide member has been removed. [Figure 12] 4A is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the tablet receiving portion before the counting cassette is attached, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the tablet receiving portion when the counting cassette is attached. [Figure 13] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a cover for preventing tablets from bouncing off the tablet receiving portion. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vibration mechanism looking toward the bottom side of the counting cassette. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the vibration mechanism as viewed from the bottom side of the counting cassette. [Figure 16] FIG. [Figure 17] 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views showing the operation of the vibration mechanism in sequence. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] 1 shows a medicine dispensing device 1 that uses a counting cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention. The medicine dispensing device 1 includes a tablet supply unit 5 consisting of a first tablet supply section 3 provided inside a main body 2 and a second tablet supply section 4 provided outside the device main body 2, a manual distribution unit 6, a packaging unit 7, a tablet filling table 8, a barcode reader 9, a control unit 10, etc.

[0024] The first tablet supply section 3 is composed of a tablet cassette 11 and a mounting section 12 to which the tablet cassette 11 can be attached and detached, and is arranged in multiple rows in the circumferential direction and multiple stages in the axial direction on the outer surface of a drum 20 which is rotatably mounted inside the device main body 2 as shown in Figure 2.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 3, each tablet cassette 11 is a known device including a cassette body 14 in which a tablet storage section 13 for storing a large number of predetermined tablets is formed, a rotor 16 rotatably provided at the bottom of the tablet storage section 13 and in which a plurality of tablet guide grooves 15 are formed, and a partition member 17 for partitioning the tablet guide grooves 15 of the rotor 16. The tablet cassette 11 is configured such that, as the rotor 16 rotates, the tablets in the tablet storage section 13 enter the tablet guide grooves 15, and each time the tablet guide grooves 15 come above a tablet outlet 18 formed in the cassette body 14, the tablets below the partition member 17 of the tablet guide grooves 15 are discharged one by one from the tablet outlet 18. An RFID tag 19 is attached to the tablet cassette 11 as an identification device. RFID (radio frequency identification) is an automatic recognition technology that uses short-range wireless communication to read and write information between an RFID tag and an RFID reader / writer. At least one of identification information of the tablet cassette 11 and drug type identification information of the tablets contained in the tablet cassette 11, or an address of information relating to the tablet cassette 11 recorded in the memory unit 102, etc. is written into the RFID tag 19. As the identification device, a barcode such as ITF (Interleaved Two of Five) can also be used other than the RFID tag.

[0026] Each mounting section 12 is provided in the shape of a shelf on the outer wall section 21 of the drum 20, and includes a drive motor 22 for driving the rotor 16 of the tablet cassette 11 and an RFID reader / writer 23 built therein as a reading device for reading the RFID tag 19 of the tablet cassette 11. The drive motor 22 of some mounting sections 12 (preferably the third from the bottom) is configured to operate at a normal speed when discharging tablets and to operate at a higher speed when counting tablets, and it is preferable that a mark such as "HS" be displayed on the front of the mounting section 12 as shown in FIG. 4 to indicate that high-speed operation is possible. A tablet discharge path 24 communicating with the tablet outlet 18 of the tablet cassette 11 is formed in the mounting section 12. A tablet detection sensor 25 for detecting tablets discharged from the tablet outlet 18 is provided in the tablet discharge path 24.

[0027] Returning to Figure 1, the second tablet supply section 4 is arranged on the outside of the main body and is a conventionally known type consisting of a universal tablet cassette 26 and a mounting section 27 to which the universal tablet cassette 26 can be detached, and in the embodiment shown in Figure 1, a total of eight sets are provided, with eight rows and one column.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 3, a tablet discharge port 31 communicating with the tablet discharge path 24 of the mounting part 12 of the first tablet supply part 3 is formed in the wall part 21 of the drum 20 to which the mounting part 12 of the first tablet supply part 3 is attached. In addition, a tablet drop path 32 is provided on the back surface of the wall part 21 of the drum 20 for each row of the first tablet supply part 3. The lower end of the tablet drop path 32 is received in a guide hopper 33 (see Fig. 25) of the packaging unit 7 so that the tablets supplied from the first tablet supply part 3 can be packaged by the packaging unit 7. Each tablet drop path 32 communicates with each tablet discharge path 24 of the mounting part 12 of the first tablet supply part 3 via the tablet discharge port 31.

[0029] A count cassette insertion port 34 into which a tablet receiving portion 49 of a count cassette 40 described later is inserted is formed in the wall portion 21 of the drum 20 to which the lowest mounting portion 12 of the first tablet supply unit 3 is attached. The count cassette insertion port 34 communicates with the tablet drop path 32 and has the same width as the tablet drop path 32. As shown in FIG. 2, a similar count cassette insertion port 34 is also formed in the wall portion 21 of the drum 20 to which the highest mounting portion 12 of the first tablet supply unit 3 is attached, so that when the count cassette 40 is not used, the count cassette 40 can be attached to the highest mounting portion 12 and stored. The count cassette insertion port 34 of the highest mounting portion 12 may be left open, or may be covered from the inside by a movable plate 37 described later so as to be openable and closable. In this way, the count cassette 40 can be stored inside the drug dispensing device 1, so there is no need to secure a storage space outside.

[0030] A bounce prevention member 35 is provided above each tablet discharge port 31 to prevent tablets dropping from above along the tablet drop path 32 from entering the tablet discharge path 24 from the tablet discharge port 31 and bouncing off the slope of the tablet discharge path 24 to slow down the drop. The bounce prevention member 35a provided at the tablet discharge port 31 of the mounting part 12 at the lowest position of the first tablet supply unit 3 is attached by a hinge 36 so that its upper end can rotate in a direction away from the wall part 21, and has a movable plate 37 that opens and closes the count cassette insertion port 34 from the inside of the tablet drop path 32. The bounce prevention member 35a having the movable plate 37 is biased by a spring means (not shown) in a direction in which the movable plate 37 closes the count cassette insertion port 34.

[0031] 5, a count cassette detection sensor 38 that detects the installation of a count cassette 40 (described later) is provided on the wall 21 of the drum 20 on which the lowest mounting portion 12 of the first tablet supply unit 3 is mounted. The count cassette detection sensor 38 includes a detection rod 38a that moves downward when it comes into contact with the engagement portion 56 of the count cassette 40, and a sensor portion 38b that detects the movement of the detection rod 38a.

[0032] Returning to FIG. 1, the manual distribution unit 6 is a known type that stores tablets in a number of square-shaped manual distribution sections, opens the bottom of each section, supplies the tablets to the packaging unit 7, and packages them for the specified dosing times.

[0033] The packaging unit 7 is a known unit that packages tablets supplied from a tablet supply unit 5 consisting of a first tablet supply section 3 and a second tablet supply section 4, and a manual distribution unit 6, into medicine packaging sheets according to the time of administration.

[0034] The tablet filling table 8 is provided on the front side of the device main body 2, and can place the tablet cassette 11, the universal cassette 31, and the count cassette 40 thereon. As shown in Fig. 5, the tablet filling table 8 is equipped with an RFID reader / writer 39 as a reading device. The RFID reader / writer 39 can read or rewrite the identification information of the tablet cassette 11 and the universal tablet cassette 31 written in the RFID tag 19 of the tablet cassette 11 and the RFID tag (not shown) of the universal tablet cassette 31, or the drug type identification information of the tablets contained in the tablet cassette 11 and the universal tablet cassette 31, and can also write or rewrite the code number and the drug to be inventoryed in the RFID tag 47 of the count cassette 40.

[0035] The barcode reader 9 is provided on the front side of the device body 2 above the tablet filling table 8, and can read barcodes on the medicine cases and medicine bottles as well as the barcode 53 on the counting cassette 40.

[0036] The control unit 10 is a personal computer in the embodiment of Fig. 1, but is not limited thereto. As shown in Fig. 6, the control unit 10 includes a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, a display unit 103, and an input unit 104 such as a keyboard. The control unit 10 cooperates with the drive motor 22 provided in the mounting unit 12 of the tablet cassette 11, the drive motor (not shown) provided in the mounting unit 32 of the universal tablet cassette 31, the tablet detection sensor 25, the RFID reader / writer 23, the count cassette detection sensor 38, the barcode reader 9, and the RFID reader / writer 39 to perform a medicine supply process of controlling the tablet supply unit 5 and the manual distribution unit 6 to supply tablets and powdered medicine to the packaging unit 7, a medicine packaging process of packaging the supplied medicines by dosage time unit, and an inventory process of counting and inventorying the tablets remaining in the tablet supply unit 5.

[0037] Next, the counting cassette 40 used when taking an inventory of the medicine dispensing device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 7, the counting cassette 40 has a container body 41, a buffer plate 42, and a tablet receiving guide member 43.

[0039] 8, the container body 41 is a substantially rectangular container having an opening 41a at the top, and has a shape that allows it to be mounted in the mounting section 12 in the same manner as the tablet cassette 11. In other words, the container body is formed so that it can be mounted in the mounting section 12 in exchange for the tablet cassette 11. The container body has a bottom portion 41b, a front portion 41c located on the front side when mounted in the mounting section 12, a left side portion 41d and a right side portion 41e located on the left and right sides, and a back portion 41f located on the back side, which together form a storage section that can store tablets.

[0040] As shown in Figure 7(b), the bottom 41b of the container body 41 is provided with a guide 44 for positioning it in the mounting portion 12 of the tablet cassette 11. As shown in Figure 12(b), a groove 41g is formed on the inner surface of the bottom 41b of the container body 41 between the front portion 41c and the bottom 41b, into which the lower end of a buffer plate 42 (described later) engages.

[0041] 8, the front part 41c of the container body 41 has a shape that bulges outward, and a gap is formed between the front part 41c and the buffer plate 42 attached inside. The material of the impact plate 42 that can be used includes polycarbonate, acrylic, rigid polyvinyl chloride, chlorinated polyvinyl chloride, etc. The left side surface portion 41d and the right side surface portion 41e of the container body 41 are formed with engagement holes 41h in positions adjacent to the front surface portion 41c, for attaching the buffer plate .

[0042] The container body 41 has a rear surface portion 41f formed with an engagement portion 41i with which the detection rod 38a of the counting cassette detection sensor 38 engages when the counting cassette 40 is attached to the attachment portion 12.

[0043] The rear surface 41f of the container body 41 has a notch 41j cut downward from the opening 41a. A support portion 45 for supporting a tablet receiving guide member 43 (described later) is provided on the bottom edge of the notch 41j.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 9, the support part 45 has a shape that protrudes horizontally from the inside to the outside of the back part 41f. On the upper surface of the support part 45, an engagement protrusion 45a having a substantially plus (+) shape is formed with which the engaged recessed part 52a of the tablet receiver guide member 43 engages. On the inside of the support part 45, a fitting hole 45b into which a pair of protrusions 52f of the tablet receiver guide member 43 fits is formed downward from the upper surface. On the outside of the support part 45, a through hole 45c into which the spring 57 is inserted is formed horizontally from both side surfaces. On the outer protruding end surface of the support part 45, an axial hole 45d into which the axial part 54 of the lock part 51 is inserted is formed in a direction perpendicular to the through hole 45c.

[0045] The count cassette 40 has a barcode 46 shown in Fig. 6 on the front portion 41c, and an RFID tag 47 shown in Fig. 7(b) attached to the bottom portion 41a. A code number is recorded on the barcode 46 as identification information of the count cassette 40. The identification information of the count cassette 40 is written on the RFID tag 47.

[0046] 8, the buffer plate 42 is a rectangular plate attached to the inside of the front part 41c of the container body 41. On both side edges of the buffer plate 42, protrusions 42a that engage with engagement holes 41h of the container body 41 are formed.

[0047] 10, the tablet receiver guide member 43 is composed of a tablet guide portion 48, a tablet receiver portion 49, a leaf spring 50, and a lock portion 51 (see FIG. 9(a)). The tablet guide portion 48 has a base portion 52 and a guide plate 53.

[0048] The bottom surface of the base 52 of the tablet guide section 48 is formed with an engaged recess 52a that engages with the engaging protrusion 45a of the support section 45 of the container body 41. As shown in FIG. 11(a), the engaged recess 52a is wider than the support section 45 of the container body 41, and a space 52b in which the elastic piece 55 of the lock section 51 is accommodated is formed between both side surfaces of the support section 45 and the inner surface of the engaged recess 52a. The engaging holes 52c in which the claws 55a of the elastic piece 55 of the lock section 51 engage are engaged with both side walls of the engaged recess 52a. The both side ends of the base 52 have a pair of bearings 52d, a standing piece 52e that rises along both side edges of the notch 41j, and a protrusion 52f that protrudes from the standing piece 52e on both sides. The outer end surface of the base 52 is formed with a groove 52g in which one end of a leaf spring 50 described later is inserted and supported. The bearing portion 52d has a shaft hole 52h formed therein.

[0049] The guide plate 53 of the tablet guide section 48 is formed integrally with the base 52, and is inclined downward from the upper surface of the base 52 toward the inside of the counting cassette 40 at an angle of 14.0 to 18.0 degrees, preferably 16.0 degrees, and extends to the front part 41c of the container body 41. As shown in Fig. 8, the guide plate 53 is formed to be wide from the base 52 toward the tip, and is inclined downward toward both sides. As shown in Fig. 10(b), two reinforcing ribs 53a extending from the base 52 to the tip are provided on the back surface of the guide plate 53, and a pair of protrusions 53b that fit into fitting holes 45b of the support part 45 of the container body 41 are provided near the base 52.

[0050] The tablet receiving part 49 is composed of an upper part 49a, a lower part 49b, a tip part 49c, both side parts 49d, 49e, and a plurality of ribs 49f extending from the inner surface of the upper part 49a to the tip part 49c, and has a rectangular shape when viewed from above. At one end of both side parts 49d, 49e, a shaft part 49g is formed protruding outward. Between the upper part 49a and the lower part 49b, a gap 49h is formed into which a leaf spring 50 described later is inserted. The tablet receiving part 49 is rotatable around the shaft part 49g by fitting the shaft part 49g into the shaft hole 52h of the base part 52.

[0051] One end of the leaf spring 50 is supported in the groove 52g of the base 52, and the other end is inserted and supported in the gap 49h of the tablet receiving portion 49, thereby holding the tablet receiving portion 49 in a substantially horizontal state. In the horizontal state, the stopper 49i of the tablet receiving portion 49 abuts against the bearing portion 52d. Furthermore, the leaf spring 50 biases the tablet receiving portion 49 downward when the tablet receiving portion 49 rotates upward. Note that a coil spring may be used instead of the leaf spring 50.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 9(a), the locking portion 51 has an axis portion 54 and an elastic piece 55. The axis portion 54 is inserted into an axis hole 45d of the support portion 45 of the container body 41, and is prevented from coming off by a screw 56. The elastic piece 55 extends in a U-shape on both sides from the lower surface of the axis portion 54, and enters a space 52b between the support portion 45 of the container body 41 and the engaged recess 52a of the base portion 52. An engagement claw 55a that engages with an engagement hole 52c of the base portion 52 is formed at the tip of the outer surface of the elastic piece 55. A spring locking portion 55b that supports both ends of the spring 57 is formed on the inner surface of the elastic piece 55. A knob portion 55c that protrudes in the axial direction of the axis portion 54 is formed on the side edge of the elastic piece 55.

[0053] The tablet receiver guide member 43 can be prevented from coming off from the container body 41 because the engagement claw 55a of the locking portion 51 is engaged with the engagement hole 52c. In addition, the tablet receiver guide member 43 can be removed from the container body 41 because the engagement claw 55a is released from the engagement hole 52c when the knob portion 55c of the locking portion 51 is pressed. By removing the tablet receiver guide member 43, the inside of the container body 41 and the tablet receiver guide member 43 itself can be easily cleaned. As shown in FIG. 11(b), the container body 41 from which the tablet receiver guide member 43 has been removed is expanded by the spring 57 of the locking portion 51 and has a width wider than the count cassette insertion opening 34. Therefore, the count cassette 40 cannot be attached to the mounting portion 12 without the tablet receiver guide member 43 attached. This prevents the tablet receiver guide member 43 from being forgotten to be attached.

[0054] When the count cassette 40 is installed in the mounting section 12, the tablet receiving section 49 of the tablet receiving guide member 43 is inserted into the tablet drop path 32 via the count cassette insertion port 34 of the drum 20. The width of the tablet receiving section 49 has a dimension that allows it to be inserted into the count cassette insertion port 34 of the wall section 21 of the drum 20, but is a dimension that prevents tablets from entering the gap between the tablet receiving section 49 and the inner surface of the tablet drop path 32 when inserted into the count cassette insertion port 34. The protruding length of the tablet receiving section 49 is greater than the depth dimension of the tablet drop path 32, and when inserted into the count cassette insertion port 34, it comes into contact with the inner surface of the tablet drop path 32 and bends upward.

[0055] When the tablet cassettes 11 are mounted in the mounting section 12, a tablet packaging path 60A is formed from the tablet outlet 18 of each tablet cassette 11 to the tablet discharge path 24 of the mounting table 12, the tablet discharge outlet 31, the tablet drop path 32, and the packaging unit 7. When the count cassette 40 is installed in the mounting section 12 and the tablet receiving section 49 is inserted into the tablet drop path 32 through the count cassette insertion port 34 of the drum 20, as shown in Fig. 3, a tablet receiving path 60B is formed from the tablet outlet 18 of each tablet cassette 11 to the tablet discharge path 24 of the mounting table 12, the tablet discharge outlet 31, the tablet drop path 32, the tablet receiving section 49 of the count cassette 40, the tablet guide section 48, and the inside of the count cassette 40. The counting cassette 40 is mounted in the mounting section 12 in place of the tablet cassette 11, so there is no need to provide a special installation space, and when the counting cassette 40 is mounted in the mounting section 12, the tablet receiving section 49 is inserted into the tablet drop path 32 to form a tablet receiving path 60B, so there is no need to provide a special discharge path.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 12(a), before the count cassette 40 is mounted in a predetermined mounting section 12, the tablet receiving section 49 of the count cassette 40 is in a gently inclined state and is located lower than the count cassette insertion port 34. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12(b), when the count cassette 40 is placed on the mounting section 12 and pushed forward, the anti-bounce member 35a is pushed and the tablet receiving section 49 is inserted into the count cassette insertion port 34. When the count cassette 40 is further pushed in, the tip of the tablet receiving section 49 hits the tablet drop path 32, and the reaction force pushes it upward against the biasing force of the leaf spring 50, making the inclination angle steeper. The tablet receiving section 49 remains in contact with the tablet drop path 32 by the leaf spring 50, so no gap is created. In addition, because the inclination of tablet receiving portion 49 is steep, tablets dispensed from the upper tablet cassette 11 hit tablet receiving portion 49 and enter counting cassette 40 with force, so tablets do not get stuck at the entrance of counting cassette 40. When counting cassette 40 is removed from mounting portion 12, tablet receiving portion 49 returns to its original state with a gentle inclination due to the biasing force of leaf spring 50.

[0057] Tablets forcefully entering the counting cassette 40 collide with a buffer plate 42 provided on the inside of the front part 41c of the counting cassette 40, but since a gap is formed between the wall of the front part 41c and the buffer plate 42, the impact noise is reduced.

[0058] As shown in Figure 13, a tablet that hits the tablet receiving portion 49 does not enter the counting cassette 40, but bounces upward and enters the upper tablet discharge outlet 31, and if the tablet cassette 11 is not present, there is a possibility that the tablet will fly out through the tablet discharge path 24.

[0059] Therefore, before counting the tablets, the RFID reader / writer 23 determines whether or not the tablet cassette 11 is present in the mounting section 12 above the mounting section 12 to which the count cassette 40 is attached, and if the tablet cassette 12 is not present, the user is prompted to attach the tablet cassette 12 or the jump-out prevention cover 58. The jump-out prevention cover 58 may be provided with an RFID tag, and the RFID reader / writer 23 may detect the RFID tag to determine that the jump-out prevention cover 58 has been attached, and the tablet counting mode described below may be entered. The jump-out prevention cover 58 has a base portion 58a that can be attached to the mounting section 12 in the same manner as the tablet cassette 11, and a blocking portion 58b that is a means for blocking the tablet discharge path 24. By attaching the tablet cassette 11 or the jump-out prevention cover 64 to the mounting section 12 above the mounting section 12 to which the count cassette 40 is attached, it is possible to prevent the tablets that have bounced off the tablet receiving portion 49 from jumping out to the outside through the upper tablet discharge port 31.

[0060] Next, the vibration mechanism 61 that vibrates the bottom 41b of the container body 41 of the counting cassette 40 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0061] The vibration mechanism 61 is composed of a shaft portion 62 provided on the outer surface of the bottom portion 41 b of the container body 41 of the counting cassette 40 , a driven gear 63 , a movable member 64 , a cam mechanism 65 , and an elastic member 66 .

[0062] The shaft portion 62 is provided on the outer surface of the bottom portion 41b of the counting cassette 40, and has a cylindrical shape including a small diameter portion 62a and a large diameter portion 62b. A screw hole 62c is formed at the tip of the shaft portion 62.

[0063] The driven gear 63 is a disk having a center hole 63a on which a gear 63b is formed on the outer circumferential surface, and is rotatably provided by threading a fixing screw 67 through the center hole 63a and screwing it into a screw hole 62c of the shaft portion 62 of the count cassette 40. The driven gear 63 is configured to mesh with a drive gear 22a (see FIG. 4) provided on the mounting portion 12 when the count cassette 40 is mounted on the mounting portion 12. Four cylindrical engagement pins 63c are provided at four equally spaced positions around the circumference on the end face of the driven gear 63 facing the outer surface of the bottom portion 41b of the count cassette 40, and annular grooves 63d (see FIGS. 15 and 17) are formed around each engagement pin 63c to support one end of an elastic member 66, which will be described later.

[0064] The movable member 64 is made of an annular plate having an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface, and is disposed coaxially with the driven gear 63 between the driven gear 63 and the bottom 41b of the count cassette 40. The outer peripheral surface of the movable member 64 is approximately the same as or smaller than the outer diameter of the driven gear 63. The inner peripheral surface of the movable member 64 is formed to be larger than the outer diameter of the large diameter portion 62b of the shaft portion 62 of the count cassette 40. The inner peripheral surface of the movable member 64 is provided with two claw portions 68 constituting a cam mechanism 65 described later. The movable member 64 is formed with four engagement holes 64a into which the engagement pins 63c of the driven gear 63 are fitted, at four equally spaced positions on the circumference so as to penetrate parallel to the axis. The engagement pins 63c of the driven gear 63 are inserted into the engagement holes 64a of the movable member 64, so that the movable member 64 can move in the axial direction of the driven gear 63, and can rotate by the rotation of the driven gear 63.

[0065] The cam mechanism 65 is composed of a claw portion 68 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the movable member 64 and an inclined surface 69 provided on the shaft portion 62 of the count cassette 40. The claw portion 68 is provided at two points on the inner peripheral surface of the movable member 64, and a sliding surface 68a that slides against the inclined surface 69 is provided on the surface facing the bottom portion 41b of the count cassette 40. The inclined surface 69 is provided at two points on a step portion between the small diameter portion 62a and the large diameter portion 62b of the shaft portion 62 of the count cassette 40, and the sliding surface 68a of the claw portion 68 slides against the step. When looking at the bottom portion 41b of the count cassette 40, the inclined surface 69 extends in a spiral shape, inclined upward clockwise from a first end portion 69a at a low position to a second end portion 69b at a high position. As shown in FIG. 16, the angle from the first end 69a to the second end 69b is approximately 140 degrees, and a space 69c into which the claw portion 68 falls is formed between the first end 69a and the second end 69b of two adjacent inclined surfaces, and the angle of this space is approximately 40 degrees.

[0066] The elastic members 66 are made up of four coil springs, which are respectively fitted onto the four engagement pins 63c of the driven gear 63. One end of each elastic member 66 is received in the annular groove 63d of the driven gear 63, and the other end abuts against the end face of the movable member 64. The elastic members 66 bias the movable member 64 toward the outer surface of the bottom 41b of the counting cassette 40.

[0067] Next, the operation of the vibration mechanism 61 will be described.

[0068] The count cassette 40 is mounted on the mounting section 12, and while the tablets are discharged and counted from the tablet cassette 11 above the mounting section 12, the drive motor 22 of the mounting section 12 to which the count cassette 40 is mounted is driven. As shown in FIG. 17(a), the driven gear 63 meshing with the drive gear 22a rotates by the drive of the drive motor 22, and the four engagement pins 63c of the driven gear 63 rotate the movable member 64. The two claws 68 of the movable member 64 slide on the two inclined surfaces 69 of the shaft section 62 of the count cassette 40 from the first end 69a to the second end 69b, respectively. As a result, as shown in FIG. 17(b), the movable member 64 moves in the axial direction against the biasing force of the elastic member 66 while rotating, and moves away from the outer surface of the bottom part 41b of the count cassette 40. When the two claw portions 68 of the movable member 64 pass over the second ends 69b of the two inclined surfaces 69, as shown in Figure 17 (c), the movable member 64 moves axially toward the bottom 41b of the counting cassette 40 due to the biasing force of the elastic member 66, and the end face of the movable member 64 collides with the outer surface of the bottom 41b of the counting cassette 40, delivering an impact to the bottom 41b of the counting cassette 40.

[0069] Every time driven gear 63 makes a half turn, movable member 64 impacts bottom 41b of count cassette 40, causing periodic vibrations to be applied to bottom 41b of count cassette 40. This closes the gaps between the tablets discharged to count cassette 40, causing the tablets to be densely stacked, and allowing count cassette 40 to fully accommodate up to its capacity. In addition, the vibrations of bottom 41b are transmitted to tablet guide portion 48, causing the tablets on tablet guide portion 48 to drop to the bottom, preventing tablets from accumulating in tablet guide portion 48 and clogging the receiving port of count cassette 40.

[0070] The vibration mechanism 61 of this embodiment has a simple configuration with one shaft 62 and components including a driven gear 63, a movable member 64, and an elastic member 66, and is provided on the outer surface of the bottom 41b of the container body 41, so that no water remains inside the counting cassette 40 after it is washed with water. In addition, since the vibration mechanism 61 is provided on the outer surface of the bottom 41b of the counting cassette 40, the vibration of the vibration mechanism 61 can be effectively applied to the tablets contained in the bottom 41b of the counting cassette 40.

[0071] The vibration mechanism 61 of this embodiment uses a driven gear 63 that meshes with the existing drive gear 22a of the mounting portion 12 as a rotating member, and the driven gear 63 can be rotated by the drive motor 22 of the mounting portion 12, so there is no need to provide power to the counting cassette 40.

[0072] Furthermore, the driven gear 63 and the movable member 64 are coaxial, so that the rotation of the driven gear 63 can be efficiently transmitted to the movable member 64 via the engagement pin 63c.

[0073] Furthermore, since the cam mechanism 65 is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the movable member 64 and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 62, there is no need to provide a separate member for the cam mechanism 65, and the configuration is simplified.

[0074] Furthermore, since the cam mechanism 65 is provided with a plurality of inclined surfaces 69 and claw portions 68, the movable member 64 can stably apply an impact force to the outer surface of the counting cassette 40.

[0075] It is preferable that the vibration mechanism 61 is provided in a small-capacity counting cassette 40 which receives tablets discharged in counting mode from an SS-size tablet cassette 11, and that the vibration mechanism 61 is operated in counting mode for the third tablet cassette 11 from the bottom, causing eight vibrations every 20 seconds.

[0076] In the vibration mechanism 61 of the above embodiment, the inclined surface 69 of the cam mechanism 65 is provided on the shaft portion 62 of the bottom 41b of the counting cassette 40, and the claw portion 68 of the cam mechanism 65 is provided on the movable member 64, but conversely, the claw portion of the cam mechanism 65 may be provided on the shaft portion 62 of the bottom 41b of the counting cassette 40, and the inclined surface of the cam mechanism 65 may be provided on the movable member 64.

[0077] Further, in the vibration mechanism 61 of the above embodiment, two sets of combinations of the claw portions 68 and the inclined surfaces 69 of the cam mechanism 65 are provided, but three or more sets may be provided.

[0078] The vibration mechanism 61 in the above embodiment is provided on the outer surface of the bottom 41b of the counting cassette 40, but may be provided on the back surface of the side portions 41d, 41e of the counting cassette 40, not limited to the bottom 41b. Also, the driven gear of the vibration mechanism 61 in the above embodiment may be rotated by a battery-driven motor provided in the counting cassette 40, which is adapted to rotate in mesh with the drive gear 22a of the mounting portion 12.

[0079] Next, the inventory process and operation of the medicine dispensing device 1 will be described.

[0080] In the medicine dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, the counting cassette 40 can be used to take an inventory by utilizing the tablet counting function of the medicine dispensing device 1, without transferring the tablets in the tablet cassette 11 to a tablet counter.

[0081] First, the operator opens the front door of the medicine dispensing device 1 and removes the count cassette 40 that is attached and stored in the uppermost mounting part 12 of the drum. Next, the operator manually moves the drum 20 to move the shelf of the row in which the tablet cassette 11 containing the tablets to be inventoryed is located forward, removes the tablet cassette 11 attached to the lowermost mounting part 12 of that row, and inserts the count cassette 40 into the lowermost mounting part 12 in exchange for the tablet cassette 11. At this time, the tablet receiving part 49 of the count cassette 40 presses the movable plate 37 from the count cassette insertion port 34 of the drum 20 and enters the tablet drop path 32. As a result, a tablet receiving path 60B is formed that runs from the tablet outlet 18 of each tablet cassette 11 through the tablet discharge path 24 of the mounting table 12, the tablet discharge outlet 31, the tablet drop path 32, the tablet receiving portion 49 of the counting cassette 40, the tablet guide portion 48, and to the inside of the counting cassette 40, making it possible for the tablets in each tablet cassette 11 to be received by the counting cassette 40. Note that the tablet cassette 11 mounted in the mounting portion 12 one level above the mounting portion 12 in which the counting cassette 40 is mounted is removed, and a tablet ejection prevention cover 58 is mounted instead.

[0082] When the control section 101 of the control unit 10 determines that the count cassette 40 has been inserted based on a signal from the count cassette detection sensor 38 of the drum 20, it displays the tablets that can be counted on the display section 103. When the count cassette 40 is attached to the uppermost attachment section 12, the count cassette 40 is in a storage state and is therefore not subject to detection by the count cassette attachment sensor 38. The operator selects the tablets that he or she wishes to count for inventory from among the tablets displayed on the display section 103, and presses the "Start" button on the display section 103.

[0083] When the "start" button is pressed, the control unit 101 drives the drive motor 22 of the mounting unit 12 in which the tablet cassette 11 to be counted is mounted, and discharges tablets from the tablet outlet 18 of the tablet cassette 11 to be counted, and also detects the tablets being discharged from the tablet outlet 18 based on a signal from the tablet detection sensor 25, and stores the number of tablets in the memory unit 102. Next, when it determines that tablet discharge is complete based on the signal from the tablet detection sensor 25, it stops the drive motor 22 of the mounting unit 12 in which the tablet cassette 11 to be counted is mounted.

[0084] When the tablet dispensing process is completed, the operator removes counting cassette 40 and places it on tablet filling table 8 in order to return the tablets dispensed into counting cassette 40 to tablet cassette 11. The operator also removes tablet cassette 11 that has been subjected to the dispensing process from mounting section 12 and places it on tablet filling table 8.

[0085] Next, the control unit 101 reads the drug type identification information of the tablet cassette 11 to be inventoryed and the drug type identification information linked to the code number of the counting cassette 40 using the RFID reader / writer 39 of the tablet filling stand 8, and if the two match, displays "verification OK" on the display unit 104. When verification is OK, the operator transfers the tablets from the counting cassette 40 to the tablet cassette 11 and ends the return process.

[0086] When counting of the medicines in one tablet cassette 11 is completed in the above manner, the medicines in the tablet cassette 11 on another shelf can be selected on the display unit 103 and counted in the same manner.

[0087] Note that the mounting unit 12 having the drive motor 22 capable of high speed operation (the mounting unit 12 having "HS" displayed on the front as shown in FIG. 4) may be preferentially used during inventory. In this case, the control device 101 displays on the display unit 103 a message stating "mount the tablet cassette 12 in the mounting unit 12 with HS displayed" and causes an LED to light or flash on the front of the mounting unit 12. The user can remove all tablet cassettes 11 to be counted and sequentially mount them in the "HS" mounting units 12 to count the tablets. This speeds up the counting operation, so that the inventory work can be completed in a short time, and since the inventory location is specified, the work efficiency of attaching and detaching the tablet cassette 12 is improved.

[0088] Furthermore, when the count cassette 40 is mounted on the mounting section 12, before the counting operation starts, tablets may be accidentally discharged from one of the tablet cassettes 11 in the row to which the count cassette 40 is mounted, and may erroneously fall into the count cassette 40. In this case, there is a risk that the erroneously dropped tablets and tablets to be inventoryed may be mixed into the count cassette 40 and returned to another tablet cassette 12. Therefore, after the count cassette 40 is mounted and before the counting operation starts, when the tablet detection sensor 25 in the same row as the count cassette 40 detects tablets, the control device 101 notifies the user by displaying on the display section 103 that there is a risk of drug contamination, and makes the "START" button inactive so that counting cannot be started, or, preferably, when the count cassette 40 is removed and placed on the tablet filling table 8, collation is disabled so that the drug in the count cassette 40 cannot be returned to the tablet cassette 11.

[0089] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and variations and modifications can be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 1. Drug dispensing device 2. Device body 3. First tablet supply unit 4. Second tablet supply unit 5 Tablet Supply Unit 8 Tablet filling station 9. Barcode Reader 10. Control Unit 11 Tablet cassette (tablet container) 12 Mounting part 19 RFID Tags 31 Tablet outlet 32 Tablet drop path 34 Count cassette insertion port 40 count cassette 43 Tablet holder guide member 49 Tablet holder 61 Vibration mechanism 62 Shaft 63 Driven gear (rotating member) 63c Engagement pin (engagement part) 64 Movable parts 65 Cam mechanism 66 Elastic Members 68 Claw 69 Slope

Claims

1. In a cassette for accommodating tablets, a vibration mechanism is provided on the outer surface of the cassette, the vibration mechanism includes a shaft portion provided on the outer surface of the cassette, a movable member provided so as to be axially movable relative to the shaft portion, and an elastic member that biases the movable member in a state away from the outer surface of the cassette axially toward the outer surface and applies an impact force to the outer surface. A cassette for accommodating tablets, characterized by comprising the above.

2. The cassette for accommodating tablets according to claim 1, wherein the vibration mechanism is provided on the outer surface of the bottom of the cassette.

3. A cassette for accommodating tablets according to claim 1, further comprising a rotating member rotatably provided on the shaft portion, and a cam mechanism that converts the rotation of the rotating member into axial movement of the movable member.

4. The cassette for accommodating tablets according to claim 3, wherein the rotating member is a driven gear rotatably provided on the outer surface of the bottom of the cassette so as to mesh with the drive gear of the mounting portion.

5. The cassette for accommodating tablets according to claim 3, wherein the rotating member is coaxial with the movable member, and an engaging portion that engages with the movable member is provided on the rotating member, and the movable member is configured to be rotated via the engaging portion by the rotation of the rotating member.

6. The cam mechanism includes a claw portion formed on either the inner peripheral surface of the movable member or the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion, and an inclined surface formed on the other of the inner peripheral surface of the movable member and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion, with which the claw portion slidably contacts.

7. A plurality of the claw portions are provided on the movable member, and a plurality of the inclined surfaces corresponding to the claw portions are provided on the shaft portion and are formed to be inclined in a direction away from the cassette with respect to the rotation direction of the rotating member.

8. A drug dispensing device, characterized by comprising the cassette for accommodating tablets according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images