Medicine audit support device

Abstract

To facilitate maintenance work.SOLUTION: A medicine audit support device 1 rotates an upper unit 6 relative to a lower unit 5 by an opening / closing part 7 of a packaging bag reading device 2 to allow it to transition to a closed state or an open state. When in the closed state, the packaging bag reading device 2 can convey the continuous packaging bag 100 by bringing a driven roller 63 into contact with a driving roller 62 in each conveyance roller pair 61 of a conveyance unit 51 and allows an upper imaging unit 54A to face a lower imaging unit 54B in an imaging unit 54 to excellently capture a packaging bag image. On the other hand, when in the closed state, the packaging bag reading device 2 forms a take-out space 80 in a sufficient size at a spot adjacent to the upper side of a conveyance space 50. Therefore, in a case where a jam occurs in the continuous packaging bag 100, the medicine audit support device 1 allows the user to shift the upper unit 6 to the open state and perform the extremely simple maintenance work of taking out the continuous packaging bag 100 upward or forward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drug inspection support device, which is suitably applied to the case where an inspection of a single package containing a plurality of drugs is supported, for example. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, for patients who take multiple types of medication on one occasion, the medications have been packaged in a single sachet in advance, reducing the burden on the patient of preparing the medications they need to take based on the type and quantity of medication written on the prescription when they take the medication.

[0003] When packaging drugs in individual packets, the pharmacist who provides the drug to the patient must prepare the drug according to the doctor's prescription and check that the drug is properly contained in each packet before handing the packet over to the patient. However, it requires a great deal of effort for the pharmacist to check the wide variety of drugs contained in each packet.

[0004] In view of this, a medicine inspection support device has been proposed that takes pictures of each sachet while conveying a continuous sachet of continuously connected sachet bags, generates images, and displays the images based on the analysis results of the images. In such medicine inspection support devices, analysis of the images becomes difficult when medicines overlap inside the sachet bags. In view of this, a medicine inspection support device has been proposed that includes a vibration means for vibrating the sachet bags (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-144101 A (Fig. 1, etc.) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the medicine inspection support device, the conveyor that conveys the continuous series of sachets has rollers arranged, for example, on the upper and lower sides of the conveyor path to clamp the continuous series of sachets and convey the continuous series of sachets by rotating the rollers. Also, in the medicine inspection support device, the imaging unit that photographs each sachet has, for example, a light-emitting element arranged on the upper side and an image sensor arranged on the lower side to generate an image in which shadows appear and the outer shape of each medicine can be identified based on this image.

[0007] However, because the continuous series of sachets described above has a long, thin shape like a string overall, it may become twisted or tangled. If this happens, the continuous series of sachets may become clogged on the transport path in the medicine inspection support device, preventing it from being transported properly and making it impossible to properly photograph each sachet.

[0008] Furthermore, when individual unconnected sachets are transported, there is a possibility that the sachets may be transported in a bent state, causing the sachets to clog the transport path in the medicine inspection support device, preventing proper transport and photographing of the sachets.

[0009] In such a case, the medicine inspection support device requires maintenance work to be performed by removing the continuous body of sachets or individual sachets from the conveying path, straightening out any twists or bends, and then having the conveying unit convey the continuous body of sachets or individual sachets again. However, with this medicine inspection support device, because the components that make up the conveying unit and the imaging unit are arranged to sandwich the conveying path, it is difficult to remove the continuous body of sachets or individual sachets from the conveying path during maintenance work, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a medicine inspection support device that can facilitate maintenance work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve this problem, the drug inspection support device of the present invention has a lower unit having a transport space formed on its upper surface through which a sachet containing drugs is transported in the transport direction or the opposite direction, an upper unit capable of closing the upper side of the transport space, a transition support section that supports the upper unit so that it can transition to a plurality of states relative to the lower unit, a lower transport section provided on the lower unit, and an upper transport section provided on the upper unit, the transport section transporting the sachet in the transport direction or the opposite direction while the upper transport section is in contact with or very close to the lower transport section, and a photographing section that photographs the sachet, and when the upper unit is transitioned to a closed state, the transition support section blocks the upper side of the transport space with the upper unit, and when the upper unit is transitioned to an open state different from the closed state, a removal space is formed above the transport space for removing the sachet from the transport space.

[0012] In the present invention, when in the closed state, the upper conveying part of the conveying unit is brought into contact with or extremely close to the lower conveying part to convey the sachets, and each sachet is photographed by the photographing unit. On the other hand, in the present invention, when in the open state, the upper conveying part of the conveying unit is separated from the lower conveying part to form a removal space in the upper part of the conveying space, allowing the user to easily remove the sachet from the conveying space. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, a medicine inspection support device that can facilitate maintenance work can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the external configuration of a medicine inspection support device in accordance with a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic front view showing the external configuration of a sachet reading device according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic right side view showing the external configuration of a sachet reading device according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic right side view showing the configuration of a lock mechanism. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a continuous body of sachets. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic front view showing an internal configuration of a sachet reading device according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic plan view showing an internal configuration of a sachet reading device according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic right side view showing the internal configuration of a sachet reading device according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of an imaging section. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a normal conveyance state (1) of a continuous body of sachets. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a normal conveyance state (2) of a continuous body of sachets. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a normal conveyance state (3) of a continuous body of sachets. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a normal conveyance state (4) of a continuous body of sachets. [Figure 14] 13 is a schematic diagram showing sachet images when a continuous body of sachets is normally conveyed. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a normal conveyance state (5) of a continuous body of sachets. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an abnormal conveyance state (1) of a continuous body of sachets. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an abnormal conveyance state (2) of a continuous body of sachets. [Figure 18] 13 is a schematic diagram showing sachet images when a continuous body of sachets is not being conveyed normally; FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a notification screen. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the medicine inspection support device in the first embodiment with the upper unit in an open state. [Figure 21] 13 is a schematic front view showing the internal configuration of a sachet reading device according to a second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 22]FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing the external configuration of a medicine inspection support device in accordance with a third embodiment. [Diagram 23] 13A to 13C are three schematic views showing the external configuration of a sachet reading device according to a third embodiment in a closed state. [Figure 24] 13A to 13C are three schematic views showing the external configuration of a sachet reading device according to a third embodiment in an open state. [Diagram 25] FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing the external configuration of a medicine inspection support device according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 26] 13A to 13C are three schematic views showing the external configuration of a sachet reading device according to a fourth embodiment in a closed state. [Figure 27] 13A and 13B are schematic front and right side views showing the external configuration of a sachet reading device in an open state according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 28] FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing the external configuration of a medicine inspection support device according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 29] 13A to 13C are three schematic views showing the external configuration of a sachet reading device according to a fifth embodiment in a closed state. [Diagram 30] 13A to 13C are three schematic views showing the external configuration of a sachet reading device according to a fifth embodiment in an open state. [Diagram 31] 13A and 13B are schematic front and right side views showing the external configuration of a sachet reading device according to a sixth embodiment. [Diagram 32] 13A and 13B are schematic front and right side views showing the external configuration of a sachet reading device in a closed state according to a seventh embodiment. [Diagram 33] 13A and 13B are schematic front and right side views showing the external configuration of a sachet reading device in an open state according to a seventh embodiment. [Diagram 34] FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing the external configuration of a medicine inspection support device according to another embodiment. [Diagram 35] 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an insertion detection unit according to another embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] 1. First embodiment [1-1. External configuration of the drug inspection support device] As shown in the schematic diagrams of Figures 1, 2, and 3A, medicine inspection support device 1 according to the first embodiment is broadly composed of a sachet reader 2 and an inspection result display device 3. Medicine inspection support device 1 is configured to perform an inspection support process (hereinafter referred to as an inspection process) when a user such as a pharmacist inspects sachets. The first embodiment will be described with reference to a continuous sachet body 100 (described in detail below) in which sachets 110 shown in Figures 5A and 5B are continuously connected.

[0017] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall appearance of medicine inspection support device 1. Fig. 2 and Fig. 3(A) show a front view and a right side view, respectively, of medicine inspection support device 1 without inspection result display device 3 and only sachet reading device 2. In the following, the side of medicine inspection support device 1 on which inspection result display device 3 is provided is referred to as the front side, and the opposite side is referred to as the rear side, and the right side and left side as seen by a user facing inspection result display device 3 are defined, and further the upper side and lower side are defined.

[0018] The sachet reader 2 is generally formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is provided with a control unit 4 inside for overall control of the entire device. The control unit 4 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. (not shown), as well as a storage unit, and performs various processes by using the CPU to execute various programs read from the ROM, storage unit, etc. while using the RAM as a work area.

[0019] The sachet reading device 2 is also composed of a lower unit 5 which corresponds to approximately 2 / 3 to 3 / 4 of the lower part, an upper unit 6 provided above it, and an opening / closing part 7 which rotatably connects the two.

[0020] The lower unit 5 is composed mainly of a lower frame 10 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and various parts are attached to the inside and outside of the lower frame 10. An insertion guide 11 that guides the continuous series of sachets 100 (FIG. 5, described in detail later) to be inserted is provided on the right side of the lower frame 10. Also, a discharge guide 12 that guides the continuous series of sachets to be discharged is provided on the left side of the lower frame 10.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3A, the insertion guide 11 is composed of a bottom insertion guide 11B, a front insertion guide 11F, and a rear insertion guide 11R. The bottom insertion guide 11B is shaped like the right half of a cylinder along the front-rear direction and has a cylindrical peripheral side surface. The front insertion guide 11F is adjacent to the front side of the bottom insertion guide 11B and is shaped like the right half of a cylinder with a diameter slightly larger than that of the bottom insertion guide 11B. The rear insertion guide 11R is adjacent to the rear side of the bottom insertion guide 11B and, like the front insertion guide 11F, is shaped like the right half of a cylinder with a diameter slightly larger than that of the bottom insertion guide 11B. That is, the insertion guide 11 is configured such that flange-shaped front insertion guide 11F and rear insertion guide 11R are provided for the bottom insertion guide 11B.

[0022] The ejection guide 12 is composed of a bottom ejection guide 12B, a front ejection guide 12F, and a rear ejection guide 12R. The ejection guide 12 is configured almost symmetrically with the insertion guide 11, and has an overall shape like the left half of a cylinder aligned in the front-rear direction.

[0023] A transport recess 13 is formed in a range that is near the center in the front-to-rear direction and occupies about 1 / 3 of the entire area on the lower frame 10's upper surface, the lower frame top surface 10T. This transport recess 13 is formed in a shape that is slightly lower and recessed than its front and rear parts on the lower frame top surface 10T. The inner surface of the transport recess 13 is formed by a lower transport bottom surface 13B, a front transport front side surface 13F, and a rear transport rear side surface 13R.

[0024] The upper unit 6 is composed mainly of an upper frame 20 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and various parts are attached to the inside and outside of the upper frame 20. The upper frame 20 is provided with a handle portion 21 on the front side and a locking portion 22 on the rear side.

[0025] The handle 21 is located near the center in the left-right direction on the front side surface, and is recessed rearward from the surrounding area. As described below, the handle 21 is used when a user inserts a fingertip or the like into the handle and applies force upward or rearward to the upper unit 6. The locking portion 22 protrudes rearward from the rear side surface of the upper frame 20, and is shaped like a rectangle with different sides when viewed from the left-right direction.

[0026] A conveying top surface 23T is formed on the upper frame bottom surface 20B, which is the underside of the upper frame 20, in an area near the center in the front-to-rear direction and occupying approximately 1 / 3 of the entire area. This conveying top surface 23T faces the conveying bottom surface 13B of the lower frame 10 with a predetermined gap therebetween. Therefore, in the sachet reading device 2, the conveying bottom surface 13B, the conveying front side surface 13F and the conveying rear side surface 13R, and the conveying top surface 23T form a conveying space 50 (shown by diagonal lines in FIG. 3(B)), which is a space penetrating the sachet reading device 2 in the left-to-right direction. In addition, the length of the conveying bottom surface 13B in the front-to-rear direction, i.e., the distance between the conveying front side surface 13F and the conveying rear side surface 13R, is slightly larger (wider) than the length L1 (FIG. 5(A)) in the front-to-rear direction of the sachet continuous body 100.

[0027] The opening / closing part 7 is disposed near the rear end of the boundary between the lower frame 10 and the upper frame 20. This opening / closing part 7 is composed of a lower bearing part 7B provided on the lower frame 10 side, an upper bearing part 7A provided on the upper frame 20 side, and a rotating shaft body 7S connecting the lower bearing part 7B and the upper bearing part 7A.

[0028] The lower bearing 7B is provided near the upper rear end of the lower frame 10, and has a round hole centered on an imaginary central axis X7 along the left-right direction. The upper bearing 7A is provided near the lower rear end of the upper frame 20, and has a round hole centered on the central axis X7. The rotating shaft 7S is formed in a cylindrical shape centered on the central axis X7, and is inserted through the round hole of the lower bearing 7B and the round hole of the upper bearing 7A.

[0029] With this configuration, the sachet reading device 2 can rotate the upper unit 6 relative to the lower unit 5, with the central axis X7 of the opening / closing part 7 as the rotation center. Specifically, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3(A), the sachet reading device 2 is configured to perform the inspection support process described below in a state in which the lower frame upper surface 10T of the lower unit 5 and the upper frame lower surface 20B of the upper unit 6 are in contact or very close proximity to each other (hereinafter referred to as the closed state).

[0030] Furthermore, when the user applies force in an upward and backward direction to the upper unit 6 of the sachet reading device 2 in this closed state, the upper unit 6 rotates approximately 120 degrees in the direction of arrow R1 in Fig. 3(A) (i.e., clockwise) around the opening and closing part 7. This causes the sachet reading device 2 to transition to a state in which the locking part 22 abuts against the rear side surface of the lower frame 10 (hereinafter referred to as the open state) as shown in Fig. 3(B) and come to a standstill.

[0031] In this open state, the sachet reading device 2 has almost the entire upper unit 6 positioned rearward away from directly above the lower frame top surface 10T, exposing the lower frame top surface 10T of the lower unit 5 largely. In other words, in this open state, the sachet reading device 2 has a sufficiently large space (hereinafter referred to as removal space 80) formed adjacent to the upper side of the transport space 50 in which no components of the upper unit 6 are present. For this reason, the sachet reading device 2 allows the user to easily perform various tasks on the transport recess 13 of the lower frame top surface 10T via this removal space 80 (shown by diagonal lines in FIG. 3(B)).

[0032] When a force is applied in a downward, forward direction to the upper unit 6 of the sachet reading device 2 in the open state (Figure 3(B)), the upper unit 6 rotates in the direction of arrow R2 in Figure 3(B) (i.e., counterclockwise) around the opening / closing portion 7 and returns to the closed state shown in Figure 3(A) etc.

[0033] From another perspective, it can be said that the opening / closing section 7 supports the upper unit 6 so as to be able to transition between a plurality of states relative to the lower unit 5. For this reason, hereinafter, the opening / closing section 7 will also be referred to as a transition support section.

[0034] In addition, the upper unit 6 is provided with a lock mechanism 24 on the rear or lower side of the handle 21. As shown in a schematic right side view in Fig. 4(A), the lock mechanism 24 is composed of a gripping rotating body 31, a gripping spring 32, a stopper 33, a locking lever 34, a locking spring 35, etc.

[0035] The gripping rotatable body 31 as a release lever is broadly composed of a gripping plate 31A, a support 31B, and an interlocking projection 31C. The gripping plate 31A is formed as a thin plate in the vertical direction as a whole, and is curved so that the front side hangs down. The gripping plate 31A is located near the upper end of the handle part 21. The support 31B is formed as a rod long in the front-rear direction, and a shaft hole 31BH is drilled in the rear end of the support 31B, which penetrates in the left-right direction. A thin cylindrical shaft 36 is inserted in the left-right direction into the shaft hole 31BH. The shaft 36 is fixed to the upper frame 20. Therefore, the gripping rotatable body 31 can rotate in the direction of the arrow R1 or the arrow R2 around the shaft 36. The interlocking projection 31C is located on the upper side of the support 31B, and protrudes upward from the upper surface of the support 31B.

[0036] The gripping spring 32 is, for example, a coil spring that is generally aligned in the vertical direction, and is located below the support 31B of the gripping rotation body 31. The upper end of this gripping spring 32 is attached to the lower side of the support 31B, and the lower end is attached to a predetermined position of the upper frame 20, and is further stretched from its natural state. Therefore, the gripping spring 32 pulls the gripping rotation body 31 downward by the action of its elastic force, biasing it to rotate in the direction of the arrow R2 in FIG. 4 (i.e. counterclockwise).

[0037] The stopper 33 is located below the support 31B of the gripping rotation body 31 at a position different from the gripping spring 32, and is fixed to the upper frame 20. The stopper 33 abuts against the lower surface of the support 31B, thereby restricting the rotation range of the gripping rotation body 31 in the direction of the arrow R2.

[0038] The lock lever 34 is roughly composed of a lever body 34A, a lock claw 34B, and an interlocking protrusion 34C. The lever body 34A is generally formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the vertical direction, and a shaft hole 34AH is drilled in the vicinity of its upper end, penetrating in the left-right direction. A cylindrical shaft 37 elongated in the left-right direction is inserted into the shaft hole 34AH. The shaft 37 is fixed to the upper frame 20. Therefore, the lock lever 34 can rotate in the direction of arrow R1 or arrow R2 around the shaft 37. The lock claw 34B is provided at the lower end of the lever body 34A, and is formed in a hook shape facing forward. The interlocking protrusion 34C is provided near the upper end on the rear surface of the lever body 34A, and protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the lever body 34A.

[0039] The lock spring 35 is, for example, a coil spring that is generally aligned in the front-rear direction, and is located behind the lever body 34A of the lock lever 34. The front end of this lock spring 35 is attached to the rear side of the lock lever 34, and the rear end is attached to a predetermined position on the upper frame 20, and is further compressed from its natural state. Therefore, the lock spring 35 pushes the lock lever 34 forward by the action of its elastic force, and urges it to rotate in the direction of the arrow R1 in Figure 4 (i.e., clockwise).

[0040] A lower engagement body 38 is erected upward from the lower frame upper surface 10T at a location on the lower frame 10 substantially directly below the locking mechanism 24. The lower engagement body 38 is an elongated rectangular parallelepiped extending along the up-down direction as a whole, and an engaged projection 38A is erected rearward near the upper end of the rear surface.

[0041] In this configuration, when the sachet reading device 2 is in the closed state (FIG. 3(A) etc.), and no external force is being applied, the locking mechanism 24 urges the lock lever 34 forward by the action of the lock spring 35, causing the lock claw 34B to engage with the engaged protrusion 38A of the lower engagement body 38. At this time, the gripping rotating body 31 is urged downward by the action of the gripping spring 32, and is stationary in contact with the stopper 33. This allows the sachet reading device 2 to reliably maintain the closed state even if an upward force is applied to the upper unit 6. Hereinafter, this state in which the upper unit 6 is prohibited from rotating and transitioning to the open state will be referred to as the prohibited state.

[0042] On the other hand, when the sachet reading device 2 is in the closed state (FIG. 3(A) etc.), if the user applies an external force in the upward direction to the grip plate 31A of the grip rotating body 31 with the fingertip or the like, the lock mechanism 24 rotates the grip rotating body 31 in the direction of arrow R1 to bring the interlocking protrusion 31C into contact with the interlocking protrusion 34C of the lock lever 34. Then, the lock lever 34 receives the force transmitted from the grip rotating body 31 via the interlocking protrusion 31C and rotates in the direction of arrow R2, releasing the engagement between the lock claw 34B and the engaged protrusion 38A of the lower engagement body 38. As a result, when an upward force is continuously applied to the upper unit 6 via the grip plate 31A of the grip rotating body 31, the sachet reading device 2 can rotate the upper unit 6 around the opening / closing part 7 and transition to the open state (FIG. 3(B)). Hereinafter, the state in which the upper unit 6 is permitted to rotate and transition to the open state is referred to as an permitted state.

[0043] Incidentally, the lock mechanism 24 is inclined as if the front lower portion of the lock claw 34B of the lock lever 34 is cut off at an angle. Therefore, when the upper unit 6 is rotated forward or downward from the open state (FIG. 3(B)) to the closed state (FIG. 3(A), etc.), the lock mechanism 24 temporarily rotates the lock lever 34 in the direction of arrow R2 by making the lock claw 34B come into contact with and ride up on the engaged projection 38A of the lower engagement body 38. Thereafter, when the upper unit 6 continues to be rotated downward, the lock mechanism 24 can engage the lock claw 34B of the lock lever 34 with the engaged projection 38A of the lower engagement body 38.

[0044] The inspection result display device 3 (FIG. 1) is formed in a thin plate shape as a whole, and is attached to one side of the lower unit 5 of the sachet reader 2 via an attachment member (not shown). The attachment member is adapted to adjust the angle of the inspection result display device 3 relative to the lower unit 5. The inspection result display device 3 also has a touch panel 8 and is electrically connected to the lower unit 5 via a connection cable (not shown), and can display various display screens based on the control of the control unit 4 and can accept inputs by touch operations by the user. The inspection result display device 3 also has a wired or wireless interface (not shown), and can transmit and receive various information, such as obtaining information on the drug M and transmitting information on the results of the inspection process, by connecting and communicating with a predetermined server device (not shown).

[0045] [1-2. Structure of the continuous sachet bag] Next, the configuration of the continuous body of sachet bags 100 will be described with reference to Figures 5(A) and (B). Figure 5(A) is a schematic plan view of the continuous body of sachet bags 100 as viewed from above, and Figure 5(B) is a schematic plan view of the continuous body of sachet bags 100 as viewed from the front.

[0046] The continuous sachet bag body 100 is configured with a plurality of sachet bags 110 connected in the left-right direction. Each sachet bag 110 is made of a resin film that has sufficient flexibility and a relatively high visible light transmittance, i.e., high transparency. Furthermore, the sachet bag 110 has a flat shape in which the length in the up-down direction is sufficiently short compared to the lengths in the front-rear and left-right directions.

[0047] In this sachet 110, a sealed bag-shaped portion 113 is formed between an upper film 111 and a lower film 112, and the medicine M is stored in a storage space 113S, which is a space within the bag-shaped portion 113. In this single sachet 110, one or more types of medicine M, which are prescribed for one patient to take on one occasion (for example, after breakfast, etc.), are all stored. Storing a plurality of medicines M of one or more types in one sachet 110 in this manner is also called single packaging or individual packaging. Furthermore, depending on the prescription, storing one type of medicine M in one sachet 110 may be treated as a single packaged sachet 110. In the present embodiment, the following description will be directed to a continuous sachet 100 in which a plurality of sachet bags 110, each containing one or more medicines M of one or more types, are connected together.

[0048] When sachet 110 is manufactured, for example, an imaginary fold line is set in the center in the front-to-rear direction of a sheet of film material, and the medicines M to be stored are collected and placed behind the fold line, and the front portion is folded back from the top to the rear along the fold line, so that the medicines M are sandwiched between upper film 111 and lower film 112. Next, the left side, right side, and rear side of the medicines M of sachet 110 are fused together by a process such as thermocompression bonding, thereby forming left peripheral portion 114, right peripheral portion 115, and rear peripheral portion 116 (hereinafter collectively referred to as peripheral portions 117).

[0049] In addition, by using a film material that is sufficiently long in the left-right direction, the continuous body of sachets 100 is manufactured in a state in which the sachets 110 are connected in the left-right direction, and the boundaries of the sachets 110 are cut intermittently along the front-to-rear direction to form so-called perforations. As a result, the continuous body of sachets 100 is configured in an elongated shape along the left-right direction, and allows the patient or the like to easily separate the sachets 110 when taking the medicine.

[0050] Next, looking at the thickness of the sachet 110, i.e., the length in the vertical direction, the bag-shaped portion 113 is slightly thicker in accordance with the amount of drug M stored in the storage space 113S, while the peripheral portions 117 (i.e., the left peripheral portion 114, the right peripheral portion 115 and the rear peripheral portion 116) are all approximately the thickness of two sheets of film material, making them sufficiently thin.

[0051] Here, let us consider a case where the thickness of the continuous body of sachet bags 100 is viewed continuously in the left-right direction. In the continuous body of sachet bags 100, the rear peripheral edge portion 116 on the rear side always has a constant thickness. On the other hand, in the continuous body of sachet bags 100, the bag-shaped portion 113, the left peripheral edge portion 114, and the right peripheral edge portion 115 on the front side of the rear peripheral edge portion 116, the relatively thick bag-shaped portion 113 and the relatively thin left peripheral edge portion 114 and right peripheral edge portion 115 appear alternately.

[0052] Next, attention is paid to the light transmittance of sachet 110. In bag-shaped portion 113 of sachet 110, upper film 111 and lower film 112 have sufficiently high light transmittance, and the light transmittance is locally reduced only at the locations of each drug M. Meanwhile, at peripheral portion 117 of sachet 110, a difference in light transmittance occurs compared to upper film 111 and lower film 112 due to fusion.

[0053] Hereinafter, the front or center portion of the continuous body of sachet bags 100, i.e., the portion corresponding to the bag-shaped portion 113, left peripheral portion 114, and right peripheral portion 115 of each sachet bag 110, will be referred to as the front portion 101 of the continuous body of sachet bags. Also, the rear portion of the continuous body of sachet bags 100, i.e., the portion corresponding to the rear peripheral portion 116 of each sachet bag 110, will be referred to as the rear portion 102 of the continuous body of sachet bags.

[0054] [1-3. Internal structure of sachet reader] Next, the internal configuration of the sachet reading device 2 will be described with reference to Figures 6, 7, and 8. Figure 6 is a schematic front view with the front side surface of the lower frame 10 and the front side surface of the upper frame 20 both omitted. Figure 7 is a schematic plan view of the sachet reading device 2 with the upper unit 6 omitted, leaving only the lower unit 5. Figure 8 is a schematic right side view with the right side surface of the lower frame 10 and the right side surface of the upper frame 20 both omitted.

[0055] Inside the sachet reading device 2, a control unit 4 is located at the bottom, and a conveying unit 51, an insertion detection unit 52, a swinging unit 53, a photographing unit 54 and a discharge detection unit 55 are located near the conveying space 50, and an open / close detection unit 56 is located slightly away from the conveying space 50.

[0056] The conveying section 51 is composed of conveying roller pairs 61A, 61B, and 61C arranged at three positions separated in the left-right direction. The conveying roller pair 61A is composed of a lower driving roller 62A and an upper driven roller 63A. Similarly, the conveying roller pair 61B is composed of a lower driving roller 62B and an upper driven roller 63B, and the conveying roller pair 61C is composed of a lower driving roller 62C and an upper driven roller 63C.

[0057] The driving roller 62A is provided on the lower frame 10 side and is disposed near the right end of the conveying bottom surface 13B toward the rear. The driving roller 62A is formed in a flat cylindrical shape with a central axis aligned in the front-rear direction, and is supported rotatably at its center. The driving roller 62A is made of a suitable combination of metal materials such as stainless steel, various resin materials, or materials with a relatively high friction coefficient such as rubber, and the friction resistance on the peripheral side surface is relatively high. Furthermore, although the driving roller 62A is mostly located below the conveying bottom surface 13B, only a part near the upper end protrudes above the conveying bottom surface 13B, that is, into the conveying space 50, through a hole formed in the conveying bottom surface 13B. The driving force is transmitted to the driving roller 62A from a driving motor, an actuator, etc. (not shown) via a predetermined gear, belt, etc.

[0058] The drive roller 62B is disposed near the center in the left-right direction toward the rear of the transport bottom surface 13B. The drive roller 62C is disposed near the left end toward the rear of the transport bottom surface 13B. The drive rollers 62B and 62C are configured similarly to the drive roller 62A except for the location of their arrangement.

[0059] The driven roller 63A is provided on the upper frame 20 side, and is located in the vicinity of the right end of the rear side of the upper transport surface 23T, directly above the driving roller 62A. The driven roller 63A is formed in a flat cylindrical shape with a central axis aligned in the front-rear direction, like the driving roller 62A, and is rotatably supported at its center. The driven roller 63A is biased downward by a biasing member (not shown). Furthermore, although the majority of the driven roller 63A is positioned above the upper transport surface 23T, only a portion near the lower end protrudes below the upper transport surface 23T, i.e., into the transport space 50, through a hole formed in the upper transport surface 23T.

[0060] The driven roller 63B is disposed near the center in the left-right direction toward the rear of the upper transport surface 23T, and is located directly above the drive roller 62B in the closed state (FIGS. 1, 2, and 3(A)). The driven roller 63C is disposed near the left end toward the rear of the upper transport surface 23T. These driven rollers 63B and 63C are both configured similarly to the driven roller 63A, except for their locations.

[0061] With this configuration, in the closed state (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3(A)) in which the upper frame 20 is closed, the transport unit 51 brings each of the driven rollers 63 (63A, 63B and 63C) into contact with each of the drive rollers 62 (62A, 62B and 62C). When the upper frame 20 is rotated from this closed state to the open state (FIG. 3(B)), the transport unit 51 rotates each of the driven rollers 63 (63A, 63B and 63C) together with the upper frame 20 to separate them from the drive rollers 62 (62A, 62B and 62C).

[0062] In the closed state, the conveying unit 51 rotates a drive motor (not shown) based on the control of the control unit 4, thereby rotating each drive roller 62 counterclockwise (in the direction along arrow R2) in Figure 6, and thereby rotating each driven roller 63 clockwise (in the direction along arrow R1).

[0063] In this state, when the continuous body of sachets 100 (FIG. 5) is inserted from the right side of the conveying space 50, the conveying unit 51 first clamps the rear portion 102 of the continuous body of sachets 100 with the conveying roller pair 61A (i.e., the drive roller 62A and the driven roller 63A) and transmits the driving force to move the continuous body of sachets leftward. Next, the conveying unit 51 sequentially clamps the rear portion 102 of the continuous body of sachets with the conveying roller pair 61B and the conveying roller pair 61C, and moves the continuous body of sachets 100 leftward.

[0064] In this way, the conveying unit 51 can convey the continuous body of sachets 100 in the leftward direction. Hereinafter, the leftward direction will also be referred to as the conveying direction. Incidentally, the conveying unit 51 can also convey the continuous body of sachets 100 in the rightward direction (hereinafter, also referred to as the opposite direction) by rotating each driving roller 62 clockwise (the direction along the arrow R1). Hereinafter, the driving roller 62 will also be referred to as the lower conveying unit, and the driven roller 63 will also be referred to as the upper conveying unit.

[0065] The insertion detection unit 52 (FIG. 6) is, for example, an optical sensor, and is composed of an upper light-emitting unit 52A and a lower light-receiving unit 52B. The light-emitting unit 52A is provided on the upper frame 20 side, and is disposed toward the front near the right end of the upper transport surface 23T. This light-emitting unit 52A emits insertion detection light L52 based on the control of the control unit 4. Hereinafter, the position where the insertion detection light L52 crosses the transport space 50 is referred to as the insertion position P52 (FIG. 7).

[0066] The light receiving unit 52B is provided on the lower frame 10 side, and is disposed near the right end of the transport bottom surface 13B toward the front, and directly below the light emitting unit 52A in the closed state (FIGS. 1, 2, and 3(A)) (FIG. 7). The light receiving unit 52B receives at least a portion of the insertion detection light L52 emitted by the light emitting unit 52A, generates a detection signal according to the amount of light, and supplies the detection signal to the control unit 4.

[0067] In response, the control unit 4 determines, based on the supplied detection signal, whether the continuous series of sachets 100 has crossed insertion position P52, and whether it is the bag-shaped portion 113 or the peripheral portion 117 that is crossing insertion position P52. The control unit 4 also calculates the timing at which the bag-shaped portion 113 will arrive at the photographing unit 54 based on the determination result obtained at this time. Furthermore, the control unit 4 can obtain the conveying speed of the continuous series of sachets 100 from the rotational speed of the drive roller 62 in the conveying unit 51, and can also use this to calculate the timing at which the bag-shaped portion 113 will arrive at the photographing unit 54.

[0068] The swinging portion 53 (FIGS. 6 and 7) is located on the left side of the insertion detection portion 52 (i.e., the light receiving portion 52B) on the transport bottom surface 13B, and the swinging levers 53A, 53B, and 53C are arranged in sequence at a predetermined interval from the right side to the left side. Of these, the swinging levers 53B and 53C are both configured similarly to the swinging lever 53A, and differ only in their positions. Therefore, the following description will focus on the swinging lever 53A.

[0069] The rocking lever 53A is formed as a rectangular parallelepiped elongated in the front-rear direction as a whole, and is made of a predetermined material such as resin or rubber. Although the rocking lever 53A is positioned so that most of it is embedded in the lower frame 10, a portion near its upper end protrudes above the transport bottom surface 13B through a hole formed in the transport bottom surface 13B.

[0070] Furthermore, the swing lever 53A is attached to the lower frame 10 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction, and vibrates in response to vertical vibration transmitted thereto from an actuator (not shown). Therefore, when the swing lever 53A is in contact with the lower surface of the bag-shaped portion 113 of the sachet 110 while the continuous body of sachets 100 is being transported within the transport space 50, it can apply vibrations to the drug M in the sachet 110.

[0071] The swinging section 53 vibrates under the control of the control section 4 when the sachet 110 of the continuous sachet body 100 reaches a position (hereinafter referred to as swing position P53) directly above the swinging levers 53A, 53B, and 53C in the conveying space 50. As a result, the swinging section 53 transmits the vibration to the sachet 110, swinging each drug M stored in the sachet 110, thereby appropriately displacing the posture and position of each drug M in the bag-shaped section 113. As a result, even if the drugs M are vertically overlapped in the bag-shaped section 113, it is expected that the sachet 110 will break up and disperse the overlapping.

[0072] As shown in a schematic front view of FIG. 9, the photographing section 54 is arranged such that the upper photographing section 54A on the upper side and the lower photographing section 54B on the lower side face each other. The upper photographing section 54A is attached to the upper frame 20 of the upper unit 6, and has a transmission light source 71, a transmission cover 72, and a lens (not shown). The transmission light source 71 has a plurality of transmission light emitters 73 arranged in the front-rear and left-right directions, and each transmission light emitter 73 is, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) element, and emits light mainly downward when a current is supplied. The transmission cover 72 is a thin plate in the vertical direction, and is made of a resin material or transparent glass having a high light transmittance. The lower surface of the transmission cover 72 forms a plane that is continuous with the transport upper surface 23T.

[0073] With this configuration, the upper photographing unit 54A causes each transmitted light emitter 73 of the transmitted light source 71 to emit light under the control of the control unit 4. The light emitted from each transmitted light emitter 73 is diffused by a lens (not shown) or the like below the transparent cover 72 so that the light has approximately uniform brightness in the front-rear and left-right directions, passes through the transparent cover 72, and reaches the inside of the transfer space 50.

[0074] The lower photographing section 54B is attached to the lower frame 10 of the lower unit 5, and has a reflective light source 75, a transparent cover 76, a condenser lens 77, an image sensor 78, etc. The reflective light source 75 is composed of an LED (Light Emitting Diode) element similar to the transmitted light emitter 73, a predetermined lens (not shown), etc., and emits light mainly in an obliquely upward direction when a current is supplied. The transparent cover 76, like the transparent cover 72 of the upper photographing section 54A, is a thin plate in the vertical direction and is composed of a resin material or transparent glass with high light transmittance.

[0075] The condenser lens 77 is a lens having a function of converging light, and converges the light passing through the transparent cover 76 and traveling downward to near the center of the upper surface of the image sensor 78. The image sensor 78 is, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and is configured with a plurality of elements having a light receiving function arranged in a lattice pattern. The image sensor 78 receives the light focused by the condenser lens 77, generates an image signal corresponding to the light, and supplies the image signal to the control unit 4.

[0076] When the sachet 110 of the continuous sachet string 100 reaches a position directly above the image sensor 78 in the transport space 50 (hereinafter referred to as the image sensor position P54 (FIG. 7)), the photographing unit 54 causes the transmitted light source 71 to emit light and supplies an image signal generated by the image sensor 78 to the control unit 4. In the image signal obtained at this time, the portion of the drug M in the sachet 110 appears dark and the other portions appear bright, so that the contour of the drug M is clearly visible. The control unit 4 performs predetermined conversion processing, image processing, etc. on the basis of this image signal to generate a contour image in which the contour of the drug M is clearly visible.

[0077] Furthermore, when the sachet 110 reaches the photographing position P54, the photographing unit 54 causes the reflective light source 75 to emit light, and a portion of the emitted light is reflected by the drugs M in the sachet 110 to reach the imaging element 78, and the image signal generated by the imaging element 78 is supplied to the control unit 4. The image signal obtained at this time shows the appearance of the sachet 110 as seen from below, so that the color, pattern, etc. of the surface (lower surface) of each drug M is clearly shown. The control unit 4 performs predetermined conversion processing, image processing, etc. based on this image signal to generate a surface image in which the surface of the drug M is clearly shown.

[0078] The discharge detection unit 55 (FIG. 6) is, for example, an optical sensor similar to the insertion detection unit 52, and is composed of an upper light-emitting unit 55A and a lower light-receiving unit 55B. The light-emitting unit 55A is provided on the upper frame 20 side, and is disposed toward the front near the left end of the upper transport surface 23T. This light-emitting unit 55A emits discharge detection light L55 based on the control of the control unit 4. Hereinafter, the position where the discharge detection light L55 crosses the transport space 50 is referred to as the discharge position P55 (FIG. 7).

[0079] The light receiving unit 55B is provided on the lower frame 10 side, and is disposed near the left end of the transport bottom surface 13B toward the front, and directly below the light emitting unit 55A in the closed state (FIGS. 1, 2, and 3(A)) (FIG. 7). The light receiving unit 55B receives at least a portion of the discharge detection light L55 emitted by the light emitting unit 55A, generates a detection signal according to the amount of light, and supplies the detection signal to the control unit 4.

[0080] In response, the control unit 4 determines, based on the detection signal supplied, whether the continuous series of sachets 100 has crossed the discharge position P55, and whether it is the bag-shaped portion 113 or the peripheral portion 117 that has crossed the discharge position P55.

[0081] The open / close detector 56 (FIG. 7) is, for example, a magnetic sensor, and is provided near the rear end of the lower frame upper surface 10T of the lower frame 10. A predetermined magnetic material (not shown) is embedded in the upper frame lower surface 20B of the upper frame 20 at a location facing the open / close detector 56. The open / close detector 56 generates a magnetic detection signal according to the detection level of magnetism and supplies it to the control unit 4. The control unit 4 can determine whether or not the upper unit 6 is in a closed state based on the comparison result obtained by comparing the magnetic detection signal with a predetermined threshold value.

[0082] [1-4. Audit support processing] Next, the inspection support process by medicine inspection support device 1 (FIG. 1 etc.) will be described for two cases: when continuous string of sachets 100 (FIG. 5) can be conveyed normally, and when it cannot be conveyed normally.

[0083] [1-4-1. When transportation can be performed normally] First, a case will be described in which medicine inspection support device 1 can normally transport continuous series of sachets 100. When medicine inspection support device 1 accepts a predetermined operation from a user, such as a pharmacist, via touch panel 8, it starts the inspection process under the control of controller 4. Specifically, controller 4 displays a predetermined guide screen (not shown) on touch panel 8, causing the user to insert the leading portion of continuous series of sachets 100 into transport space 50 along insertion guide 11 on the right side of sachet reading device 2. Controller 4 also controls insertion detector 52 to monitor whether insertion detection light L52 (FIG. 6) is blocked.

[0084] 10, like Fig. 7, shows a schematic diagram of the upper side of the lower unit 5 with the upper unit 6 of the sachet reader 2 omitted. Fig. 10 also shows a state in which the leading portion of the continuous body of sachets 100 has been placed on the insertion guide 11 by a user or the like. In this case, the continuous body of sachets 100 is not twisted, and each sachet 110 is always oriented with the upper film 111 (Fig. 5) facing upward.

[0085] 10, when the user inserts the continuous body of sachets 100 to the left, the vicinity of the leading edge of the continuous body of sachets 100 reaches insertion position P52 and blocks insertion detection light L52 (FIG. 6), as shown in FIG. 11, which corresponds to FIG. 10. Also, the vicinity of the left end of the rear portion 102 of the continuous body of sachets 100 reaches the pair of conveying rollers 61A of the conveying section 51.

[0086] At this time, when the control unit 4 of the drug inspection support device 1 recognizes that the insertion detection light L52 has been blocked at the insertion detection unit 52, it starts rotating the drive rollers 62 (62A, 62B and 62C) and starts transporting the continuous sachet bag string 100 to the left (i.e., the transport direction) by the transport unit 51.

[0087] Next, medicine inspection support device 1 causes the leading sachet 110 in continuous string of sachets 100 to reach swing position P53, as shown in Fig. 12 which corresponds to Fig. 10 etc. At this time, control unit 4 operates an actuator (not shown) of swing unit 53 to vibrate swing lever 53A (Fig. 7) etc., and transmits the vibrations to sachet 110.

[0088] Medicine inspection support device 1 continues to transport continuous body of sachets 100 leftward (i.e., in the transport direction) using conveying roller pair 61A, until the leading edge of continuous body of sachets 100 reaches conveying roller pair 61B, which then clamps rear portion 102 of the continuous body of sachets. As a result, medicine inspection support device 1 conveys continuous body of sachets 100 in the transport direction using conveying roller pair 61A as well as conveying roller pair 61B.

[0089] Eventually, medicine inspection support device 1 causes the leading sachet 110 in continuum of sachets 100 to reach photographing position P54, as shown in Fig. 13 which corresponds to Fig. 10 etc. At this time, controller 4 controls photographing unit 54 to photograph an image of sachet 110 and generate sachet image C1 as shown in Fig. 14(A).

[0090] Next, the control unit 4 causes the photographing unit 54 to intermittently photograph images of the photographing position P54. As a result, the photographing unit 54 sequentially generates images in which the position of each sachet 110 relative to the photographing range changes successively, as shown in Fig. 14(B) and Fig. 14(C).

[0091] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 15, which corresponds to FIG. 10 etc., the control unit 4 causes the leading sachet 110 in the continuous string of sachets 100 to reach the left side of the discharge position P55, and discharges the sachet 110 outside the conveying space 50.

[0092] In addition, the control unit 4 performs predetermined analysis processing and inspection processing, etc. based on the sachet image C1 obtained by photographing each sachet 110 using the photographing unit 54, to determine whether or not a predetermined type and number of drugs M are contained in each sachet 110, and displays the obtained inspection results on the touch panel 8.

[0093] [1-4-2. When transportation is not possible] Next, a case will be described where medicine inspection support device 1 is unable to normally transport continuous series of sachets 100. As in the case where the transport is normal, medicine inspection support device 1 starts the inspection support process under the control of controller 4 based on a user's operation via touch panel 8, etc.

[0094] Figure 16, which corresponds to Figure 11, shows a state in which the leading portion of the continuous body of sachets 100 has been placed on the insertion guide 11 by a user or the like. Here, it is assumed that a twisted portion 100TW is formed in the middle portion of the continuous body of sachets 100. For this reason, the apparent thickness (i.e., the vertical length) of the continuous body of sachets 100 near this twisted portion 100TW is significantly greater than other portions. Specifically, the apparent thickness of the continuous body of sachets 100 near twisted portion 100TW is greater than the vertical length in the conveying space 50 of the sachet reading device 2, i.e., the distance between the conveying bottom surface 13B and the conveying top surface 23T (Figure 6, etc.).

[0095] Thereafter, medicine inspection support device 1 uses conveying unit 51 to convey continuous series of sachets 100, and eventually, as shown in Fig. 17, twisted point 100TW reaches the vicinity of insertion guide 11. At this point, medicine inspection support device 1 is unable to advance twisted point 100TW into conveying space 50 because the apparent thickness at twisted point 100TW is greater than the vertical length of conveying space 50, causing a blockage.

[0096] In addition, in medicine inspection support device 1, since imaging unit 54 intermittently captures images at imaging position P54, for example, sachet images C11 and C12 shown in Figures 18(A) and (B) are generated in sequence, and then sachet image C13 shown in Figure 18(C) is generated. In response, control unit 4 determines that sachet continuum 100 has not been transported normally and that an appropriate sachet image cannot be obtained, because sachet image C13 (Figure 18(C)) has hardly changed from sachet image C12 (Figure 18(B)).

[0097] Therefore, the control unit 4 stops the operations of the transport unit 51, the swinging unit 53, the photographing unit 54, etc., and displays a notification image C21 shown in Fig. 19 on the touch panel 8 (Fig. 1). This notification image C21 displays a message M21 with the content, for example, "A transport failure has occurred. Please open the upper unit and remove the continuous sachet bag."

[0098] Upon viewing message M21, the user then rotates upper unit 6 from the closed state (3(A), etc.) to the open state ( FIG. 3(B)) in medicine inspection support device 1. At this time, as shown in the schematic perspective view of FIG. 20 in addition to FIG. 3(B), medicine inspection support device 1 has removal space 80 formed above transport space 50 in which continuous series of sachets 100 exists.

[0099] Specifically, the length in the up-down direction (i.e., height) of the removal space 80 (Fig. 3(B)) is at least equal to or greater than length L2 (Fig. 5(B)), which is the thickness of the continuous body of sachet bags 100, and is preferably equal to or greater than length L1 (Fig. 5(A)) in the front-to-rear direction of the continuous body of sachet bags 100. The length in the front-to-rear direction of the removal space 80 is also equal to or greater than length L1 in the front-to-rear direction of the continuous body of sachet bags 100. Furthermore, the front side of the removal space 80 is connected to a space in front of the front side surface of the lower unit 5, and the right side of the removal space 80 is connected to a space to the right of the right side surface of the lower unit 5, and the left side of the removal space 80 is connected to a space to the left of the left side surface of the lower unit 5.

[0100] Therefore, the user can easily remove the continuous body of sachets 100 from within the transport space 50 to the front side of the drug inspection support device 1, for example, by lifting the continuous body of sachets 100 upward or forward, without the continuous body of sachets 100 interfering with the upper unit 6, the driven roller 63 of the transport section 51 (Figure 6), etc.

[0101] In addition, the user can easily remove the continuous body of sachets 100 from within the transport space 50, for example, by pulling the continuous body of sachets 100 to the right or left of the medicine inspection support device 1, and after eliminating any twists in the continuous body of sachets 100, the user can smoothly perform the insertion operation along the insertion guide 11.

[0102] [1-5. Effects, etc.] In the above configuration, the medicine inspection support device 1 according to the first embodiment can be transitioned to a closed state (Figures 1, 2, and 3(A), etc.) or an open state (Figures 3(B) and 20) by rotating the upper unit 6 relative to the lower unit 5 using the opening / closing section 7 of the sachet reading device 2.

[0103] When the sachet reading device 2 is in the closed state, the drive roller 62 and the driven roller 63 are opposed to and in contact with each other in each conveyor roller pair 61 of the conveyor section 51 (FIG. 6), thereby enabling the conveyor to convey the continuous body of sachet bags 100. When the sachet reading device 2 is in the closed state, the upper photographing section 54A is opposed to the lower photographing section 54B in the photographing section 54 (FIGS. 6 and 9), thereby enabling the conveyor to photograph an image of the sachet bag using light emitted from the transmitted light source 71.

[0104] On the other hand, when the sachet reading device 2 is transitioned to the open state, in each conveying roller pair 61 of the conveying section 51, the driven roller 63 transitions together with the upper frame 20, thereby releasing the contact between the driven roller 63 and the drive roller 62, and forming a removal space 80 in a portion adjacent to the upper side of the conveying space 50. This enables the sachet reading device 2 to allow the user to easily remove the sachet string 100.

[0105] That is, when inspecting continuous body of sachets 100, medicine inspection support device 1 cannot eliminate the possibility that twisted point 100TW ( FIG. 16 , etc.) may be formed due to the structure of continuous body of sachets 100, which may cause a blockage during the inspection. However, when a blockage occurs due to twisted point 100TW or the like in continuous body of sachets 100, medicine inspection support device 1 can easily remove continuous body of sachets 100 by simply switching upper unit 6 to the open state. That is, medicine inspection support device 1 does not require the user to perform the troublesome task of completely pulling continuous body of sachets 100 to the right or left to the beginning or end of the continuous body of sachets 100, but only requires the user to perform an extremely easy maintenance task of rotating upper unit 6 and removing continuous body of sachets 100 in a forward upward direction, etc.

[0106] In particular, when upper unit 6 is transitioned to the open state (FIGS. 3(B) and 20), medicine inspection support device 1 displaces not only upper frame 20 from the top of transport space 50 but also driven rollers 63 of each transport roller pair 61 of transport section 51 (FIG. 6) and upper photographing section 54A of photographing section 54 together to form removal space 80. Therefore, medicine inspection support device 1 allows the user to remove continuous series of sachets 100 extremely easily, as compared to the states shown in, for example, FIGS. 2 and 3 of Patent Document 1.

[0107] In addition, in sachet reading device 2, opening / closing section 7 is disposed behind lower unit 5 and upper unit 6, and central axis X7 of opening / closing section 7 is parallel to the left-right direction, which is the conveying direction (FIGS. 2 and 3). Therefore, when upper unit 6 is in the open state (FIGS. 3(B) and 20), medicine inspection support device 1 can position upper unit 6 above and behind lower unit 5, forming sufficiently large removal space 80 adjacent to and directly above conveying space 50.

[0108] Furthermore, sachet reader 2 is provided with locking mechanism 24 (FIG. 4) on upper unit 6 so that in the closed state (FIGS. 1, 2, 3(A), etc.), locking claw 34B of lock lever 34 engages with lower engagement body 38. As a result, when medicine inspection support device 1 is in the closed state and conveys continuous sheet of sachets 100 by conveying unit 51, this closed state can be stably maintained, so that driven roller 63 in each conveying roller pair 61 of conveying unit 51 can be reliably pressed against drive roller 62 to reliably hold continuous sheet of sachets 100 and smoothly convey it.

[0109] On the other hand, when the user applies an upward external force using a fingertip or the like to the gripping plate 31A of the gripping rotation body 31 in the locking mechanism section 24, the drug inspection support device 1 links the gripping rotation body 31 with the locking lever 34, making it easy to release the engagement between the locking lever 34 and the lower engagement body 38.

[0110] Furthermore, in drug inspection support device 1, the direction in which the user should apply force to gripping plate 31A to release the engagement and the direction in which upper unit 6 is displaced when transitioning from the closed state to the open state are both upward. Therefore, in drug inspection support device 1, when the user transitions upper unit 6 from the closed state to the open state by having the user continue to apply force in the upward direction to gripping plate 31A, the engagement between locking claw 34B of locking mechanism 24 and lower engagement body 38 can be released and upper unit 6 can be rotated from the closed state to the open state.

[0111] From yet another perspective, in the sachet reading device 2, components that are relatively heavy or that can be placed either above or below the conveying space 50, such as the drive rollers 62 in each conveying roller pair 61 of the conveying section 51, the motors that drive them, the oscillating section 53, the condenser lens 77 and image sensor 78 of the photographing section 54, and the control section 4, are all placed on the lower unit 5 side. On the other hand, in the sachet reading device 2, only components that are relatively light in weight or that can be placed on the opposite side of the conveying space 50 to the lower unit 5, such as the driven rollers 63 of the conveying section 51 and the transmitted light source 71 of the photographing section 54, are placed on the upper unit 6 side.

[0112] As a result, medicine inspection support device 1 can keep the size and weight of upper unit 6 in sachet reader 2 relatively small, and allows a user to rotate upper unit 6 with a very simple operation. Furthermore, medicine inspection support device 1 can keep the space required to move upper unit 6 to the open state (FIGS. 3(B) and 20) small, and can also sufficiently prevent deterioration of weight balance in the open state.

[0113] According to the above configuration, in the medicine inspection support device 1 according to the first embodiment, the opening / closing unit 7 of the sachet reader 2 rotates the upper unit 6 relative to the lower unit 5 to transition to a closed state or an open state. When the sachet reader 2 is in the closed state, the driven roller 63 of each conveyor roller pair 61 of the conveyor 51 can be brought into contact with the drive roller 62 to convey the continuous sachet 100, and the upper photographing unit 54A can be opposed to the lower photographing unit 54B in the photographing unit 54 to photograph the sachet image satisfactorily. On the other hand, when the sachet reader 2 is in the open state, a sufficiently large removal space 80 is formed adjacent to the upper side of the conveying space 50. Therefore, when the continuous sachet 100 is clogged, the medicine inspection support device 1 requires only that the user perform an extremely easy maintenance operation of switching the upper unit 6 to the open state and removing the continuous sachet 100 upward or forward.

[0114] 2. Second embodiment As shown in Fig. 21, which corresponds to Fig. 6, in the second embodiment, a sachet reader 202 is provided in place of the sachet reader 2. This sachet reader 202 differs from the sachet reader 2 of the first embodiment in that it has a lower unit 205 and a conveying unit 251 in place of the lower unit 5 and the conveying unit 51, but is otherwise configured in the same way.

[0115] The conveying section 251 is configured with a conveying roller pair 261 (261A, 261B, and 261C) instead of the conveying roller pair 61. This conveying roller pair 261 is different from the conveying roller pair 61 according to the first embodiment in that it has a torque limiter 264 (264A, 264B, and 264C) on the lower unit 205 side, but is configured similarly in other respects such as the drive roller 62 and the driven roller 63.

[0116] The torque limiter 264A is adjusted so as to rotate idly with an idling torque that is slightly greater than the conveying torque applied to the drive roller 62A when the continuous series of sachets 100 is conveyed by the conveying unit 251. The torque limiters 264B and 264C are configured in the same manner as the torque limiter 264A.

[0117] In this sachet reading device 202, when the conveying section 251 is conveying the continuous body of sachets 100 without clogging, a conveying torque acts on the drive roller 62, so that the torque limiter 264 transmits the driving force without spinning freely, and the continuous body of sachets 100 can continue to be conveyed normally.

[0118] On the other hand, in the sachet reading device 202, if a jam occurs while the conveying unit 251 is conveying the continuous string of sachet bags 100, an idling torque greater than the conveying torque acts on the drive roller 62. This causes the torque limiter 264 to immediately rotate idly. Thereafter, in the sachet reading device 202, as in the first embodiment, the control unit 4 detects the occurrence of a jam based on the sachet bag image captured by the imaging unit 54, and stops the motor of the conveying unit 251, etc.

[0119] That is, in the sachet reading device 202, if a jam occurs in the continuous string of sachets 100 being conveyed by the conveying unit 251, the torque limiter 264 can be immediately rotated to stop the drive roller 62. This makes it possible for the sachet reading device 202 to prevent damage to the continuous string of sachets 100 due to the application of excessive force from the drive roller 62.

[0120] In other respects, the sachet reading device 202 can also achieve the same effects as the sachet reading device 2 according to the first embodiment.

[0121] 3. Third Embodiment 22(A) corresponding to FIG 1, medicine inspection support device 301 according to the third embodiment differs from medicine inspection support device 1 according to the first embodiment in that it has sachet reading device 302 instead of sachet reading device 2. Sachet reading device 302 has lower unit 305, upper unit 306, and opening / closing unit 307 instead of lower unit 5, upper unit 6, and opening / closing unit 7 in sachet reading device 2 according to the first embodiment.

[0122] 23, the lower unit 305 has an insertion guide 311, an ejection guide 312, a transport recess 313, etc., disposed closer to the front than the insertion guide 11, the ejection guide 12, the transport recess 13, etc., of the lower unit 5 according to the first embodiment. In addition, in the lower unit 305, the transport section 51, the imaging section 54 (FIG. 6), etc. are disposed closer to the front than in the first embodiment, in accordance with the positions of the transport recess 313, etc.

[0123] The upper unit 306 is roughly the same size as the upper unit 6 according to the first embodiment (Figure 1, etc.) overall, but is divided near the center in the fore-and-aft direction into a front upper unit 306F that occupies the front half and a rear upper unit 306R that occupies the rear half.

[0124] The rear upper unit 306R is fixed to the rear half of the upper surface of the lower unit 305. The front upper unit 306F is supported rotatably with respect to the rear upper unit 306R by an opening / closing part 307 corresponding to the opening / closing part 7 in the first embodiment, near the rear upper end. This front upper unit 306F is provided with a conveying top surface 323T at a position corresponding to the conveying bottom surface 313B in the conveying recess 313 of the lower unit 305, similar to the upper unit 6 in the first embodiment (FIGS. 2, 4, 6, etc.), and further includes a driven roller 63 of the conveying part 51 and an upper photographing part 54A of the photographing part 54. In addition, a conveying space 350 for conveying the continuous body of sachets 100 is formed between the conveying bottom surface 313B and the conveying top surface 323T, as shown by hatched lines in FIG. 23(C).

[0125] In Figures 22(A) and 23, this sachet reading device 302 is in a closed state with the conveying top surface 323T close to and facing the conveying bottom surface 313B, and as in the first embodiment, the sachet string 100 can be conveyed by the conveying section 51, and images of the sachet 110 can be captured by the photographing section 54.

[0126] Furthermore, when the user applies an upward or rearward force to the front upper unit 306F in the closed state, the sachet reading device 302 rotates the front upper unit 306F around an opening / closing part 307 provided at the rear end of the top surface of the front upper unit 306F as the center of rotation, resulting in the open state shown in Figures 22(B) and 24. In this open state, the sachet reading device 302 has the conveying top surface 323T significantly separated from the conveying bottom surface 313B, and forms a sufficiently large removal space 380 in a portion adjacent to the upper side of the conveying space 350, as shown by the diagonal lines in Figure 24(C).

[0127] Therefore, for example, if a jam occurs in the continuous string of sachets 100 during an inspection process, the sachet reading device 302 allows the user to easily remove the continuous string of sachets 100 from the transport space 350 via the removal space 380 by transitioning the front upper unit 306F to an open state.

[0128] In other respects, medicine inspection support device 301 according to the third embodiment can also achieve the same effects as medicine inspection support device 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0129] 4. Fourth Embodiment 25(A) corresponding to FIG 1, medicine inspection support device 401 according to the fourth embodiment differs from medicine inspection support device 1 according to the first embodiment in that it has sachet reading device 402 instead of sachet reading device 2. Sachet reading device 402 has lower unit 405, upper unit 406, and opening / closing unit 407 instead of lower unit 5, upper unit 6, and opening / closing unit 7 in sachet reading device 2 according to the first embodiment.

[0130] 26, the lower unit 405 is generally similar to the lower unit 5 in the first embodiment, and has a conveying recess 13 on its upper surface, but differs in that opening / closing sections 407 are provided on both the left and right ends near the rear end of the upper surface. The upper unit 406 is generally similar to the upper unit 6 in the first embodiment, and has a conveying upper surface 23T on its lower surface, but differs in that recesses 406D of a shape corresponding to the opening / closing sections 407 are formed on both the left and right ends near the rear end.

[0131] The opening / closing section 407 is formed in the shape of an elongated rectangular parallelepiped extending in the up-down direction, and is erected at the right rear end and the left rear end, respectively, of the upper surface of the lower unit 405. The opening / closing section 407 engages with a recess 406D of the upper unit 406, and is configured to be able to slide the upper unit 406 along the up-down direction, that is, along a direction intersecting the left-right direction, which is the conveying direction of the continuous series of sachet bags 100 (hereinafter this will also be referred to as the displacement direction).

[0132] In Figures 25(A) and 26, this sachet reading device 402 is in a closed state with the conveying top surface 23T facing closely toward the conveying recess 13, and as in the first embodiment, the sachet string 100 can be conveyed by the conveying section 51, and images of the sachet 110 can be captured by the photographing section 54.

[0133] Furthermore, when the user applies an upward force to upper unit 406 in the closed state, sachet reading device 402 displaces upper unit 406 upward while sliding recess 406D along opening / closing portion 407, resulting in the open state shown in Figures 25(B) and 27. In this open state, sachet reading device 402 separates conveying top surface 23T significantly from conveying bottom surface 13B, and forms a sufficiently large removal space 480 in a portion adjacent to the upper side of conveying space 50, as shown by the diagonal lines in Figure 27(B).

[0134] Therefore, for example, if a jam occurs in the continuous string of sachets 100 during an inspection process, the sachet reading device 402 allows the user to easily remove the continuous string of sachets 100 from the transport space 50 via the removal space 480 by transitioning the upper unit 406 to an open state.

[0135] In other respects, medicine inspection support device 401 according to the fourth embodiment can achieve the same effects as medicine inspection support device 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0136] [5. Fifth Embodiment] 28(A) corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 22(A), medicine inspection support device 501 according to the fifth embodiment differs from medicine inspection support device 1 according to the first embodiment in that it has a sachet reader 502 instead of sachet reader 2. Sachet reader 502 has a lower unit 505, an upper unit 506, and an opening / closing unit 507 instead of lower unit 5, upper unit 6, and opening / closing unit 7 in sachet reader 2 according to the first embodiment.

[0137] The lower unit 505 has a similar configuration to the lower unit 305 according to the third embodiment (FIGS. 22, 23, and 24) overall. That is, as shown in the three-sided view (plan view, front view, and right side view) in FIG. 29, the lower unit 505 has an insertion guide 511, an ejection guide 512, a transport recess 513, etc., disposed closer to the front than the insertion guide 11, the ejection guide 12, the transport recess 13, etc., in the lower unit 5 according to the first embodiment. In addition, in the lower unit 505, the transport section 51, the imaging section 54 (FIG. 6), etc. are disposed closer to the front compared to the first embodiment, in accordance with the positions of the transport recess 513, etc.

[0138] The upper unit 506 has a configuration similar to that of the upper unit 306 according to the third embodiment (FIGS. 22, 23, and 24) as a whole. That is, the upper unit 506 is divided near the center in the front-to-rear direction into a front upper unit 506F occupying the front half and a rear upper unit 506R occupying the rear half.

[0139] The rear upper unit 506R is fixed to the rear half of the upper surface of the lower unit 505. The rear upper unit 506R has linear recesses 506D formed along the vertical direction at the left and right positions on the front surface. On the other hand, the front upper unit 506F has opening / closing parts 507 attached to the left and right positions on the rear surface. The opening / closing parts 507 are formed in an elongated linear shape along the vertical direction, similar to the opening / closing part 407 (FIGS. 25, 26, and 27) in the fourth embodiment. The opening / closing parts 507 are engaged with the recesses 506D of the rear upper unit 506R, and are configured to allow the front upper unit 506F to slide vertically relative to the rear upper unit 506R.

[0140] Similarly to the front upper unit 306F according to the third embodiment, the front upper unit 506F is provided with a conveying top surface 523T at a position corresponding to the conveying bottom surface 513B in the conveying recess 513 of the lower unit 505, and is further provided with the driven roller 63 of the conveying section 51 and the upper photographing section 54A of the photographing section 54. A conveying space 550 for conveying the continuous series of sachets 100 is formed between the conveying bottom surface 513B and the conveying top surface 523T.

[0141] In Figures 28(A) and 29, this sachet reading device 502 is in a closed state with the conveying top surface 523T close to and facing the conveying bottom surface 513B, and as in the first embodiment, the sachet string 100 can be conveyed by the conveying section 51, and images of the sachet 110 can be captured by the photographing section 54.

[0142] Furthermore, when the user applies an upward force to front upper unit 506F in the closed state, sachet reading device 502 displaces front upper unit 506F upward while sliding opening / closing portion 507 relative to recess 506D, resulting in the open state shown in Figures 28(B) and 30. In this open state, sachet reading device 502 separates conveying top surface 523T significantly from conveying bottom surface 513B, and forms a sufficiently large removal space 580 in a portion adjacent to the upper side of conveying space 550, as shown by the diagonal lines in Figure 30(C).

[0143] Therefore, for example, if a jam occurs in the continuous string of sachets 100 during an inspection process, the sachet reading device 502 allows the user to easily remove the continuous string of sachets 100 from the transport space 550 via the removal space 580 by transitioning the front upper unit 506F to an open state.

[0144] In other respects, medicine inspection support device 501 according to the fifth embodiment can achieve the same effects as medicine inspection support device 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0145] 6. Sixth Embodiment As shown in Figures 31(A) and (B) corresponding to Figures 2 and 3(A), in the sixth embodiment, a sachet reader 602 is provided in place of the sachet reader 2. This sachet reader 602 differs from the sachet reader 2 of the first embodiment in that it has a lower unit 605 and an upper unit 606 in place of the lower unit 5 and upper unit 6, but is otherwise configured in the same way.

[0146] The lower unit 605 differs from the lower unit 5 of the first embodiment in that it has an insertion guide 611, an ejection guide 612 and a transport recess 613 instead of the insertion guide 11, the ejection guide 12 and the transport recess 13, but is otherwise configured in the same way.

[0147] The insertion guide 611, the discharge guide 612 and the transport recess 613 are provided slightly above the insertion guide 11, the discharge guide 12 and the transport recess 13, and a transport bottom surface 613B of the transport recess 613 is at the same height as a lower frame upper surface 610T, which is the upper surface of the lower frame 610. Incidentally, in the lower unit 605, the drive roller 62 and the swinging portion 53 of the transport section 51, and the lower photographing section 54B of the photographing section 54, etc. are all provided at positions slightly higher than those of the first embodiment in accordance with the height of the transport bottom surface 613B.

[0148] The upper unit 606 is different from the upper unit 6 according to the first embodiment in that a transport upper surface 623T is provided in place of the transport upper surface 23T, but otherwise is configured similarly. The transport upper surface 623T is disposed slightly above the transport upper surface 23T, and is provided at a position slightly higher than the upper frame lower surface 620B, which is the lower surface of the upper frame 620.

[0149] With this configuration, in the sachet reading device 602, compared to the sachet reading device 2 according to the first embodiment, the transport space 650 is formed at a position slightly higher than the transport space 50. Furthermore, in other respects, the sachet reading device 602 can achieve the same effects as the sachet reading device 2 according to the first embodiment.

[0150] [7. Seventh embodiment] As shown in Figures 32(A) and (B) corresponding to Figures 2 and 3(A), in the seventh embodiment, a sachet reader 702 is provided in place of the sachet reader 2. This sachet reader 702 differs from the sachet reader 2 of the first embodiment in that it has a lower unit 705, an upper unit 706, and an opening / closing unit 707 in place of the lower unit 5, upper unit 6, and opening / closing unit 7, but is otherwise configured in the same way.

[0151] The lower unit 705 is generally similar in configuration to the lower unit 5 according to the first embodiment, but differs from the lower unit 5 in the lower bearing portion 707B that constitutes part of the opening / closing portion 707. The lower bearing portion 707B stands upward from the vicinity of the rear end on the upper surface of the lower unit 705, and does not protrude rearward beyond the rear surface of the lower unit 705. A round hole penetrating in the left-right direction about an imaginary central axis X707 along the left-right direction is drilled in the lower bearing portion 707B. The central axis X707 is located slightly forward of the rear surface of the lower unit 705 in the front-rear direction.

[0152] The upper unit 706 has an inclined portion 706S obtained by obliquely cutting off the vicinity of the upper rear portion of the upper unit 6 according to the first embodiment, and an upper bearing portion 707A is formed near the lower rear end of the inclined portion 706S. Similar to the lower bearing portion 707B, the upper bearing portion 707A is provided with a round hole penetrating in the left-right direction about the central axis X707. Similar to the lower bearing portion 707B, the rotating shaft body 707S is formed in a cylindrical shape centered on the central axis X707, and is inserted into the round hole of the lower bearing portion 707B and the round hole of the upper bearing portion 707A.

[0153] With this configuration, the sachet reading device 702 can rotate the upper unit 706 relative to the lower unit 705, with the central axis X707 of the opening / closing part 707 as the rotation center. That is, the sachet reading device 702 can transition from the closed state shown in Figures 32(A) and (B) to the open state shown in Figures 33(A) and (B) by rotating the upper unit 706 so as to lift it upward or backward.

[0154] In this open state, sachet reader 702 separates top conveying surface 23T significantly from bottom conveying surface 13B, and as shown by diagonal lines in Fig. 33(B), forms a sufficiently large removal space 780 in a portion adjacent to the upper side of conveying space 50. In addition, in the open state, sachet reader 702 only rotates inclined portion 706S of upper unit 706 to an angle approximately parallel to the rear side surface of lower unit 705, and upper unit 706 is positioned forward of the rear side surface of lower unit 705.

[0155] Therefore, in sachet reading device 702, upper unit 706 can be transitioned to the open state without the need to secure space behind the rear side of lower unit 705, and the required floor area can be reduced compared to the first embodiment, etc., resulting in space saving. In other respects, sachet reading device 702 can also achieve the same effects as sachet reading device 2 according to the first embodiment.

[0156] 8. Other embodiments In the first embodiment described above, the upper unit 6 is rotated relative to the lower unit 5 by the rotational movement of the opening / closing unit 7, thereby transitioning the sachet reader 2 to a closed state or an open state. In the fourth embodiment described above, the upper unit 406 is displaced in the vertical direction relative to the lower unit 405 by the sliding movement of the opening / closing unit 407, thereby transitioning the sachet reader 402 to a closed state or an open state. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, instead of the opening / closing unit 7, a well-known link mechanism or other various mechanisms or mechanisms that appropriately combine these may be provided. In short, it is sufficient to be able to transition between a closed state in which the conveying unit 51 can convey the sachet continuous body 100 and the photographing unit 54 can photograph sachet images, and an open state in which a sufficiently large removal space 80 is formed above the conveying space 50.

[0157] In the above-described first embodiment, removal space 80 formed when sachet reading device 2 is in the open state (FIGS. 3(B) and 20) is connected at its front side to a space further forward than the front side surface of lower unit 5. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the open state, depending on the components constituting medicine inspection support device 1, removal space 80 may not be connected at its front side to a space further forward than the front side surface of lower unit 5, but may be connected to an upper space. What is important is that the user can smoothly remove sachet series 100 from inside transport space 50 via removal space 80 to the outside (i.e., move it to an external space).

[0158] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, the photographing section 54 (FIG. 9) of the sachet reading device 2 is configured by the upper photographing section 54A on the upper unit 6 side and the lower photographing section 54B on the lower unit 5 side. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the upper photographing section 54A may be omitted and the photographing section 54 may be configured by only the lower photographing section 54B. The same applies to the second to seventh embodiments.

[0159] Further, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, the position of the upper unit 6 relative to the lower unit 5 in the front-rear and left-right directions is determined by the opening / closing part 7 when the sachet reader 2 is in the closed state. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as in the sachet reader 802 of the medicine inspection support device 801 shown in FIG. 34 corresponding to FIG. 1 and FIG. 20, a positioning protrusion 815 may be provided on the upper surface of the lower unit 805 and a positioning hole 825 may be provided on the lower surface of the upper unit 806. Among these, the positioning protrusion 815 is formed in a minute cylindrical shape along the up-down direction outside and near the conveying bottom surface 13B. The positioning hole 825 is also disposed outside and near the conveying top surface 23T, and is a circular hole with a diameter slightly larger than that of the positioning protrusion 815. In this configuration, when the sachet reader 802 transitions to the closed state, the positioning protrusion 815 is inserted into the positioning hole 825, so that the position of the upper unit 806 relative to the lower unit 805 can be accurately adjusted in the front-rear and left-right directions. As a result, in the sachet reading device 802, the position of the driven roller 63 relative to the drive roller 62 in the conveying section 51 (FIG. 6) can be accurately adjusted, and the continuous string of sachets 100 can be securely clamped and conveyed well.

[0160] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, the insertion detection unit 52 (FIG. 6) of the sachet reading device 2 is an optical sensor. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various sensors that detect the presence and transport state of the continuous body of sachets 100 by various methods may be used. As an example, a configuration in which a travel detection unit 965 and a medicine passage detection unit 966 are combined, as in the insertion detection unit 952 shown in FIG.

[0161] The travel detection unit 965 includes a travel detection roller 965C configured to be rotatable around a central axis 965X along the front-to-rear direction, a detection piece 965D that is provided on the central axis 965X and rotates integrally with the travel detection roller 965C, and a rotation detection unit 965S that detects the passage of the detection piece 965D using light, magnetism, etc.

[0162] The medicine passage detection unit 966 has an arm shaft 966AX supported by the upper unit 6 so as to be rotatable about a central axis along the front-rear direction, an arm portion 966A formed in a rod shape along the roughly left-right direction and having its left end attached to the arm shaft 966AX, and a spring 966B that urges the arm portion 966A downward. In addition, the medicine passage detection unit 966 also has a central shaft 966X provided at the right end of the arm portion 966A along the front-rear direction, a passage detection roller 966C rotatable about the central shaft 966X, and a displacement detection unit 966S which is an ultrasonic sensor, a magnetic sensor, or the like and detects the vertical displacement of the passage detection roller 966C.

[0163] When the continuous series of sachet bags 100 is being transported, the insertion detection unit 952 rotates the travel detection roller 965C and the passage detection roller 966C. At this time, the insertion detection unit 952 can detect the rotation of the travel detection roller 965C by the rotation detection unit 965S. Furthermore, when viewed along the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the continuous series of sachet bags 100, the apparent thickness differs between the bag-shaped portion 113 and the peripheral portion 117, so that the medicine passage detection unit 966 can detect the vertical displacement of the passage detection roller 966C by the displacement detection unit 966S.

[0164] Based on the detection results obtained from the rotation detection unit 965S and the displacement detection unit 966S, the control unit 4 can determine and recognize whether or not the continuous body of sachets 100 is being conveyed, the conveying speed of the continuous body of sachets 100, and the position of the bag-shaped portion 113 in each sachet 110, etc. The discharge detection unit 55 may also be configured in the same way as the insertion detection unit 952. The same applies to the second to seventh embodiments.

[0165] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a description has been given of a configuration in which it is determined whether the continuous body of sachets 100 is being conveyed normally, i.e., whether a jam has occurred in the continuous body of sachets 100, based on the sachet image C11 etc. (FIG. 18) photographed by the photographing unit 54. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the conveyance state of the continuous body of sachets 100 may be determined, for example, based on the detection signals obtained from the insertion detection unit 52 and the discharge detection unit 55, respectively, or a combination of the detection signals and the sachet image C11 etc. The same applies to the second to seventh embodiments.

[0166] Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, the driving rollers 62, etc. of the conveying unit 51 are stopped at the start of the inspection process, and the driving rollers 62, etc. are rotated after the insertion detection unit 52 detects the continuous string of sachets 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the driving rollers 62, etc. of the conveying unit 51 may be caused to start rotating at the start of the inspection process. The same applies to the second to seventh embodiments.

[0167] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, the lock mechanism 24 (FIG. 4) is provided on the upper unit 6, and when an upward force is applied to the gripping plate 31A arranged in the handle 21, the lock claw 34B and the engaged projection 38A are released from engagement. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a lever, button, or the like may be provided on the outside of the handle 21, and the engagement may be released in response to the operation of the lever, button, or the like. In addition, for example, the lock mechanism 24 may be provided on the lower unit 5 side. Alternatively, for example, when the closed state can be well maintained by the weight of the upper unit 6, the lock mechanism 24 may be omitted. The same applies to the second to seventh embodiments.

[0168] Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, the conveying section 51 (FIG. 6) is provided with three pairs of conveying rollers 61. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the conveying section 51 may be provided with two or four or more pairs of conveying rollers 61. The same applies to the second to seventh embodiments.

[0169] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, the swinging part 53 is provided on the lower unit 5 side of the sachet reading device 2 (FIG. 6), and three swing levers 53A and the like are provided on the swinging part 53. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, two or less or four or more swing levers 53A and the like may be provided on the swinging part 53, and the swinging part 53 may be provided on the upper unit 6 side. The same applies to the second to seventh embodiments.

[0170] In the first embodiment, inspection result display device 3 is provided in drug inspection support device 1 (FIG. 1), and various screens are displayed on touch panel 8. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, inspection result display device 3 may be omitted from drug inspection support device 1, and drug inspection support device 1 may be provided with a communication unit having a communication function using a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or the like, and information on various screens may be transmitted to a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a personal computer, or the like (not shown) to display the various screens. Furthermore, drug inspection support device 1 and inspection result display device 3 may each be provided with a communication unit having a communication function using a wireless LAN or the like, and various information may be transmitted and received between them to display various screens on touch panel 8. The same applies to the second to seventh embodiments.

[0171] Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, control unit 4 is provided on the side of lower unit 5 of sachet reader 2, and analysis and inspection processes, etc. are performed in control unit 4 based on sachet image C1, etc. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, medicine inspection support device 1 may have a communication function, and the sachet image may be transmitted to a tablet terminal, smartphone, or personal computer (not shown) to perform at least a part of the analysis and inspection processes, etc. The same applies to the second to seventh embodiments.

[0172] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, a configuration has been described in which a light-emitting unit is provided on the upper side and a light-receiving unit is provided on the lower side in the insertion detection unit 52. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a light-emitting unit may be provided on the lower side and a light-receiving unit may be provided on the upper side. Furthermore, the insertion detection unit 52 is not limited to a method that uses light such as the insertion detection light L52, and may detect the continuous series of sachets 100 by a method that uses, for example, ultrasound or a physical switch. The same applies to the discharge detection unit 55, and to the second to seventh embodiments.

[0173] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the upper photographing section 54A arranged on the upper unit 6 side of the photographing section 54 (FIGS. 6 and 9) is provided with the transmissive light source 71 and the transmissive cover 72, etc., and the lower photographing section 54B arranged on the lower unit 5 side is provided with the reflective light source 75, etc. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and each component may be appropriately arranged on the upper photographing section 54A side or the lower photographing section 54B side, such as providing the image sensor 78 on the upper photographing section 54A side. Alternatively, for example, all the components constituting the photographing section 54 may be provided on the lower unit 5 side. The same applies to the second to seventh embodiments.

[0174] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, the continuous body of sachets 100 in which a plurality of sachets 110 are continuously connected is the subject of analysis processing, inspection processing, etc., and the continuous body of sachets 100 is transported by the transport unit 51 (FIG. 6). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, when a plurality of sachets 110 are not connected and are separated from one another, these plurality of sachets 110 may be regarded as a group and be the subject of inspection processing, etc., and each sachets 110 may be inserted sequentially from the insertion guide 11 side into the transport space 50 and transported sequentially by the transport unit 51. The same applies to the second to seventh embodiments.

[0175] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and other embodiments. That is, the scope of application of the present invention extends to embodiments in which the above-mentioned embodiments and the other embodiments are combined in part or in whole in any manner. The scope of application of the present invention also extends to embodiments in which a part of the configuration described in any of the above-mentioned embodiments and other embodiments is extracted and replaced or diverted with a part of the configuration of any of the above-mentioned embodiments and other embodiments, or an embodiment in which a part of the extracted configuration is added to any of the embodiments.

[0176] Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, the description has been given of an embodiment in which medicine inspection support device 1 is constituted by lower unit 5 as the lower unit, upper unit 6 as the upper unit, opening / closing unit 7 as the transition support unit, transport unit 51 as the transport unit, and photographing unit 54 as the photographing unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the medicine inspection support device may be constituted by a lower unit, upper unit, transition support unit, transport unit, and photographing unit having various other configurations. [Industrial Applicability]

[0177] The present invention can be used, for example, in a medicine inspection support device that supports a pharmacist in inspecting sachets. [Explanation of symbols]

[0178] 1, 301, 401, 501...medication inspection support device, 2, 202, 302, 402, 502, 602, 702...sachet reader, 5, 205, 305, 405, 505, 605, 705...lower unit, 6, 306, 406, 506, 606, 706...upper unit, 7, 307, 407, 507, 707...opening / closing section, 8...touch panel, 10, 610...lower frame, 10T, 610T...upper surface of lower frame , 11, 311, 511, 611 ... insertion guide, 12, 312, 512, 612 ... ejection guide, 13, 313, 513, 613 ... conveying recess, 13B, 131B, 513B, 613B ... conveying bottom surface, 20, 620 ... upper frame, 20B, 620B ... upper frame bottom surface, 21 ... handle portion, 24 ... lock mechanism portion, 23T, 323T, 523T, 623T ... conveying top surface, 31 ... gripping rotating body, 31A ... gripping plate, 3 4... lock lever, 34B... lock claw, 38... lower engagement body, 38A... engaged protrusion, 50, 350, 550, 650... conveying space, 51, 251... conveying section, 52... insertion detection section, 53... swinging section, 54... photographing section, 54A... upper photographing section, 54B... lower photographing section, 55... discharge detection section, 56... opening / closing detection section, 61, 261... conveying roller pair, 62... driving roller, 63... driven roller, 80, 380, 480, 5 80, 780...removal space, 100...sachet continuum, 100TW...twisted point, 110...sachet, 113...bag-shaped portion, 117...periphery, 264...torque limiter, 306F, 506F...front upper unit, 306R, 506R...rear upper unit, 406D, 506D...recess, M...drug, P52...insertion position, P53...swing position, P54...shooting position, P55...ejection position, X7, X707...central axis.

Claims

1. a lower unit having a conveying space formed on an upper surface thereof through which a sachet containing a medicine is conveyed in a conveying direction or in the opposite direction; an upper unit capable of closing an upper side of the transfer space; a transition support portion that supports the upper unit relative to the lower unit so as to be transitionable to a plurality of states; a conveying section including a lower conveying section provided in the lower unit and an upper conveying section provided in the upper unit, the conveying section conveying the sachets in the conveying direction or the opposite direction with the upper conveying section in contact with or very close to the lower conveying section; An imaging unit that images the sachet; Equipped with The transition support includes: When the upper unit is transitioned to a closed state, the upper side of the transfer space is closed by the upper unit, When the upper unit is transitioned to an open state different from the closed state, a removal space for removing the sachet from the conveying space is formed above the conveying space. A drug inspection support device comprising:

2. The transition support includes: When the upper unit is transitioned to the closed state, the upper conveying section faces the lower conveying section at a position where the sachet can be sandwiched between the upper conveying section and the lower conveying section, When the upper unit is transitioned to the open state, the upper conveying section is separated from the lower conveying section to a position where the sachet cannot be sandwiched between the upper conveying section and the lower conveying section.

2. The drug inspection support device according to claim 1.

3. The imaging unit includes: The device has a lower photographing section provided in the lower unit and an upper photographing section provided in the upper unit, and photographs the sachet bag in a state where the upper photographing section faces and is close to the lower photographing section.

2. The drug inspection support device according to claim 1.

4. The transition support includes: When the upper unit is transitioned to the closed state, the upper photographing unit is opposed to the lower photographing unit at a position where the photograph of the sachet can be taken, When the upper unit is transitioned to the open state, the upper photographing unit is moved away from a position where the photographing of the sachet can be performed.

4. The drug inspection support device according to claim 3.

5. The upper photographing unit and the lower photographing unit each include a light emitting unit that irradiates light onto the sachet, The photographing unit photographs an image of the sachet when light is irradiated from the upper photographing unit and an image of the sachet when light is irradiated from the lower photographing unit.

5. The drug inspection support device according to claim 4.

6. The transition support includes: The upper unit is rotated relative to the lower unit about a central axis parallel to the conveying direction.

2. The drug inspection support device according to claim 1.

7. The central axis is provided above the transfer space.

7. The drug inspection support device according to claim 6.

8. The transition support includes: The upper unit is displaced relative to the lower unit along a displacement direction intersecting the conveying direction.

2. The drug inspection support device according to claim 1.

9. an insertion detection unit that detects that the sachet is inserted into the conveying space; A control unit that controls the conveying unit; Further comprising: When starting the conveyance of the sachet, the control unit detects, with the conveyance unit stopped, that the sachet has been inserted, and then starts the conveyance by the conveyance unit.

2. The drug inspection support device according to claim 1.

10. A lock mechanism that permits or prohibits the upper unit from transitioning from the closed state to the open state 2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

11. the lock mechanism is provided in the upper unit and has a release lever for switching from a prohibited state in which the transition of the upper unit to the open state is prohibited to an permitted state in which the transition is permitted, The release lever switches from the inhibited state to the permitted state when the release lever is displaced in a direction that pulls the upper unit away from the lower unit. The drug inspection support device according to claim 10 .

12. The conveying unit conveys a continuous sachet in which a plurality of the sachets are continuously connected in the conveying direction or the opposite direction.

12. The drug inspection support device according to claim 1, wherein the drug inspection support device is a device for detecting a drug.

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