Medicine transportation and discharge device

Abstract

To provide a medicine transportation and discharge device capable of stably supporting a shelf body while maintaining cleaning performance and maintainability.SOLUTION: A medicine transportation and discharge device has a transportation part capable of transporting cassettes storing medicine, a first storage shelf capable of discharging medicine from the cassettes, and a second storage shelf capable of storing a plurality of cassettes. At least the two first storage shelves are arranged back to back. The first storage shelf is rotatably supported so that it separates from the back-to-back state with a front side of the medicine transportation and discharge device as a central axis. On the back side of the first storage shelf, there are a positioning part which engages a gap part of a housing of the medicine transportation and discharge device and a lock mechanism which prevents the positioning part from separating from the gap part by rotating the positioning part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 18

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medicine delivery and dispensing device including a packaging device. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a widely known tablet packaging machine which includes a container body that holds tablets, a rotor that rotates on an axis inside the container, a rotor shaft, a cassette that rotates in conjunction with the rotor as the shaft is rotated, thereby sequentially discharging tablets from the container, and a packaging device that packages the tablets dispensed from the cassette one by one in accordance with prescription data (see, for example, Patent Document 1, etc.). In such tablet packaging machines, cassettes must be installed inside the device, and the types of medicines that can be stored in the device's housing are limited by the number of cassettes installed. Therefore, there are known devices that are provided with a separate manual dispensing mechanism so that tablets for which cassettes are not provided or medicines that are difficult to discharge one by one can be packaged in the packaging device in the same way (see, for example, Patent Document 2, etc.).

[0003] Nowadays, there is a demand for high-speed dispensing from such tablet packaging machines, as well as a demand for extending the operating time of the machine by expanding the number of cassettes that can be installed. For these purposes, there is a need for a drug delivery and dispensing device that has multiple dispensing mechanisms. However, simply providing multiple dispensing mechanisms would make the entire device complicated, making cleaning of the tablet drop path difficult and reducing maintainability. In order to solve such problems, a configuration is already known in which the portion in which the dispensing mechanism is provided can be opened and closed (see, for example, Patent Document 3, etc.). However, when applying such an opening and closing mechanism, it is inevitably one-sided support, which makes it difficult to increase the size beyond a certain level, and also creates the problem that it is difficult to achieve compatibility with an increase in the number of cassettes that can be mounted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-022428 A [Patent Document 2] WO2018 / 092771 publication [Patent Document 3] JP 2020-195852 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such technical problems, and has an object to provide a medicine delivering and dispensing device that can stably support a shelf body while maintaining ease of cleaning and maintenance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the medicine delivering and dispensing device of the present invention has a transport section capable of gripping and transporting a cassette in which medicines are stored, a first storage shelf capable of storing a plurality of the cassettes by attaching them to a cassette base and capable of dispensing the medicines from the stored cassettes, a second storage shelf capable of storing a plurality of the cassettes, a packaging device for packaging the medicines dispensed from the first storage shelf, and a medicine delivery path connecting the first storage shelf and the packaging device, wherein at least two of the first storage shelves are arranged back to back to each other, and the medicine delivery path includes an upper tablet collecting mechanism that guides the medicines downwardly of the first storage shelf and drops them, The device has two conveyors arranged parallel to each other below an upper tablet collecting mechanism, and a plurality of drug containers attached to each of the conveyors, and the packaging device has two or more hoppers for storing each of the drugs transported from the two conveyors into compartments formed in the packaging paper, and the first storage shelf is supported so as to be rotatable away from a back-to-back position with the front side of the drug transporting and dispensing device as a central axis, and the rear side of the first storage shelf has a positioning section that fits into a gap in the housing of the drug transporting and dispensing device, and a locking mechanism that prevents the positioning section from moving away from the gap by rotating the positioning section. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a rocking device that can unclog a cassette capable of sequentially dispensing tablets. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a medicine delivering and dispensing device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of the medicine transporting and dispensing device shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of the configuration of a medicine delivering and dispensing device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a cassette mounted on the medicine delivery and dispensing device. [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an incoming transport unit and an outgoing transport unit that perform incoming and outgoing transport of cassettes. FIG. [Figure 6] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a cassette receiving operation in the receiving transport section. [Figure 7] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating another example of the storing operation of the cassette in the storing transport section. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a failure in the storing operation shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a gap adjustment unit for adjusting the gap between cassettes to be stored; FIG. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the interval adjusting unit illustrated in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a transport unit for transporting a cassette. [Figure 12] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a configuration for gripping a cassette in a transport section. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a second storage shelf in the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a first storage shelf according to the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the first storage shelf. [Figure 16] 16 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a rotating portion of the first storage shelf shown in FIG. 15. FIG. [Figure 17] 16 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the first storage shelf shown in FIG. 15. FIG. [Figure 18] 16 is a diagram showing an example of a positioning configuration for the first storage shelf shown in FIG. 15. FIG. [Figure 19] 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a transport path for transporting medicines from a first storage shelf to a packaging device. FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a packaging device according to the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of individually packaged medicine. [Figure 22] 1 is a front view showing an example of a configuration of a packaging device of the present invention. [Diagram 23]10 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence relationship between the positions of medicines to be packaged and the position of the packaging paper at that time. FIG. [Figure 24] 24 is a view similar to FIG. 23, but viewed from the left conveyor unit of the medicine delivery and dispensing device. [Diagram 25] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a conveyor device according to the present invention. [Figure 26] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation of the conveyor device. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration shown in FIG. 26 as seen from above. [Figure 28] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a manual distribution unit of the present invention. [Figure 29] FIG. 29 is a front view of the configuration shown in FIG. 28. [Diagram 30] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the flow of tablets from a manual distribution section in the present invention. [Diagram 31] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing another embodiment of the medicine delivering and dispensing device of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, each direction will be described according to a three-axis orthogonal coordinate system of XYZ as shown in FIG. 1, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

[0010] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view from the upper right corner of a medicine delivery and dispensing device 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The medicine conveying and dispensing device 500 is a series of units that are connected and arranged in a line, in order from the +Z direction side, which is the front side where the operator stands, to the -Z direction side, including a front unit 100 having a packaging device 130 at the bottom, a collector shelf 200 that is a first storage shelf capable of storing a plurality of tablet cassettes 20 and dispensing tablets from the tablet cassettes 20, a storage shelf 300 that is a second storage shelf on which the tablet cassettes 20 can be placed, and a power unit 400 that powers the electrical system. The medicine conveying and dispensing device 500 also has a control unit 550 as a central computing unit for controlling each part. The control unit 550 may be located anywhere inside the medicine conveying and dispensing device 500, but in this embodiment, the control unit 550 is described as being located at the top of the main body of the medicine conveying and dispensing device 500. In this embodiment, as the most basic form of the drug delivery and dispensing device 500, a configuration is described in which a collector shelf 200 and a storage shelf 300 are provided in pairs on the left and right sides, but it is also possible to provide multiple collector shelves 200 and multiple storage shelves 300.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 2, the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500 stores therein a plurality of tablet cassettes 20 for dispensing medicines, and has a transport arm unit 110 which is a transport section capable of gripping and transporting the tablet cassette 20. The collector shelves 200 arranged on the left and right are arranged back to back with the shelf sides facing outward so that the tablet cassettes 20 can be removed by the transport arm unit 110. This is the same for the storage shelf 300. The transport arm units 110 are arranged in a pair, one on each side of the drug transporting and dispensing device 500, and each moves independently of the other in the ±Z and ±Y directions outside the collector shelf 200 and the storage shelf 300, thereby functioning as a transport means that allows tablet cassettes 20 to be transferred between the collector shelf 200, the storage shelf 300 and the front unit 100. The transport arm unit 110 has a catcher unit 112 that operates along a rail unit 111, which is an endless belt stretched in a pair above and below in the Z direction, and in the vertical Y direction, the catcher unit 112 moves a grip unit 113 up and down, allowing the transport arm unit 110 to move freely in the YZ plane. As shown in FIG. 2, an intermediate gear 114 is fixed to the housing in the middle of the rail unit 111, and by pressing the rail unit 111 in the X direction opposite the side where the catcher unit 112 abuts, tension is maintained so that the rail unit 111 extends linearly along the Z direction.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 3, the front unit 100 has a manual distribution section 120 provided for an operator to manually distribute medicine, a packaging device 130 located at the bottom, and a storage section 140 for storing large-capacity cassettes 40. The front unit 100 has an incoming transport section 150 for storing the tablet cassette 20 inside the front unit 100, and an outgoing transport section 160 for discharging the tablet cassette 20 from the front of the front unit 100. Here, the incoming and outgoing conveying sections 150 and 160 are each provided symmetrically in a pair at positions that are linearly symmetrical about the center line of the front unit 100, and a partition wall 101 is provided at the end of the incoming and outgoing conveying section 150 in the +Z direction to prevent the tablet cassettes 20 placed thereon from falling forward.

[0013] The front unit 100 is provided with a touch panel type monitor 102, and the monitor 102 can be used to check and operate the operating state of the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500. In this way, the monitor 102 can be used as both an operating means and a display means of the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500.

[0014] Next, the basic structure and operation of the tablet cassette 20, which is a cassette for storing medicines in this embodiment, will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the tablet cassette 20 is a medicine containing container that includes a rotor 21, a container body 22 for containing tablets, a handle portion 29, a lid portion 23, and a tablet discharge port 24. The tablet cassette 20 has a base portion 25 that fits into a cassette base 30 provided in plurality on the collector shelf 200, thereby enabling the rotor 21 to rotate and the tablets contained therein to be discharged one by one from the tablet discharge port 24. The handle portion 29 is a curved, thin-plate-like handle, and an operator can easily carry the tablet cassette 20 by gripping the handle portion 29 .

[0015] The cassette base 30 has a transmission drive unit 31 that transmits driving force by engaging with the lower part of the rotor 21 of the tablet cassette 20 from below, and when the transmission drive unit 31 is rotated by a pulse motor, the rotor 21 also rotates in sync. At this time, a large number of wing-shaped partitions 26 are formed at equal pitch on the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 21, and the tablets line up and enter each compartment separated by these partitions 26, so that the tablets are discharged one by one from the tablet discharge port 24 as the rotor 21 rotates. In this way, in tablet cassette 20, the space separated by rotor 21 and partition 26 functions as an alignment plate, and when rotor 21 is rotated on its axis, partition 26 rotates on its axis in accompaniment, thereby enabling tablets to be discharged sequentially from main body 22 of tablet cassette 20.

[0016] An identification member 27 for identifying the type of tablets stored inside is attached to the base 25 of the tablet cassette 20. A commercially available thin flexible RFID tag (Radio Frequency Identifier) ​​is adopted as the identification member 27, and identification information assigned to each tablet cassette 20 is written in advance and stored as data. An identification member sensor 28 is provided on the cassette base 30 side for recognizing the identification member 27 on its upper surface 33, and this configuration makes it possible to identify the tablet cassette 20 fitted in the cassette base 30. The combination of the identification member 27 of the tablet cassette 20 and the medicine stored in the tablet cassette 20 is stored in the control unit 550, and the information can be confirmed via the monitor 102, for example.

[0017] Fig. 5 shows a part of the configuration of the incoming transport section 150 and the outgoing transport section 160 of the front unit 100 shown in Fig. 3. The incoming transport section 150 and the outgoing transport section 160 are provided symmetrically in the front unit 100, but since the structures are similar, the incoming transport section 150 and the outgoing transport section 160 arranged on the +X direction side will be described in particular.

[0018] The outgoing conveying section 160 is attached above the front unit 100 and functions as a belt-type conveying means composed of an outgoing conveying belt 161, which is two endless belts wound along the -Z direction, and a drive roller 162 for driving the outgoing conveying belt 161. The outgoing conveying section 160 is capable of moving the tablet cassette 20 placed on the outgoing conveying belt 161 in the +Z direction by rotating the outgoing conveying belt 161.

[0019] In this embodiment, the outgoing conveying section 160 has an outgoing storage section 164, which is a loading area provided at the end of the outgoing conveying belt 161 on the -Z direction side, which is the upstream side in the conveying direction, an outgoing management sensor 165, and an end position detection sensor 166 attached to the rear end of the outgoing conveying belt 161. When the tablet cassette 20 is placed on the outgoing storage section 164 from the catcher unit 112, the outgoing management sensor 165 detects the presence of the tablet cassette 20, and the outgoing conveying belt 161 is rotated in the +Z direction to convey the tablet cassette 20. In this manner, the delivery storage section 164 is provided within the movable range of the catcher unit 112.

[0020] The output management sensor 165 is a light detection sensor in which the optical axis of the irradiated light is adjusted so as to diagonally cross the output storage section 164. When no tablet cassette 20 is placed in the output storage section 164, the irradiated light is reflected by a reflector 167 provided opposite to the output storage section 164 and returns to the output management sensor 165. On the other hand, when the tablet cassette 20 is placed in the output storage section 164, the tablet cassette 20 blocks the irradiated light somewhere on the optical path, so that the irradiated light cannot be detected, and it can be detected that the tablet cassette 20 is located in the output storage section 164. In this embodiment, the delivery management sensor 165 uses an optical detection sensor that is paired with a reflector 167, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and other existing detection means may be used.

[0021] When the tablet cassette 20 is transported in the +Z direction by the outgoing conveyor belt 161 and approaches the terminal position, the terminal position detection sensor 166 detects the tablet cassette 20 directly above and stops the operation of the outgoing conveyor belt 161. 1 and 2, the terminal end portion of the outgoing conveying section 160 protrudes in the +Z direction forward of the front unit 100, so that the operator can remove the tablet cassette 20 placed at this terminal end position. In this manner, the terminal end position is the outgoing position when the tablet cassette 20 is discharged from the outgoing conveying section 160, and the terminal end position detection sensor 166 operates as an outgoing detection section that detects that the tablet cassette 20 has reached the outgoing position.

[0022] The incoming conveying section 150 functions as a belt-type conveying means composed of an incoming conveying belt 151, which is two endless belts wrapped around the rear side of the partition wall 101 along the -Z direction, and a drive roller 152 for driving the incoming conveying belt 151.

[0023] The tablet cassette 20 can be placed on the upstream end of the incoming conveyor belt 151 in the rotation direction, and an incoming detection sensor 157, which is an optical sensor, is provided as detection means for detecting whether the tablet cassette 20 is placed at the upstream end position. In this embodiment, the incoming detection sensor 157 is provided in such a manner that it directs irradiation light diagonally upward to reflect the light on a reflecting plate (not shown) located near the drive roller 162. With this configuration, when the irradiation light from the incoming detection sensor 157 is blocked by the tablet cassette 20 or the like, the incoming detection sensor 157 detects that the tablet cassette 20 is placed at the upstream end position.

[0024] When the incoming detection sensor 157 detects the tablet cassette 20, the incoming conveying section 150 rotates the incoming conveying belt 151 to move the tablet cassette 20 placed on the incoming conveying belt 151 in the -Z direction. The operator places the tablet cassette 20 to be stored on the incoming conveying belt 151 on the back side of the partition wall 101, and moves the tablet cassette 20 into the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500.

[0025] In this embodiment, three interval adjustment means 153 are provided on the downstream side in the movement direction of the incoming conveying section 150, i.e., on the -Z direction side, and when the tablet cassette 20 moving to the -Z direction side passes above the interval adjustment means 153, the movement is restricted by the interval adjustment means 153, thereby appropriately adjusting the interval between two adjacent tablet cassettes 20. The specific operation and configuration of the interval adjustment means 153 will be described later. Furthermore, the number of interval adjustment means 153 to be provided is arbitrary, but it is preferable that there be more than one.

[0026] An incoming storage section 154 for arranging and arranging the tablet cassettes 20 is provided on the -Z direction side of the interval adjustment means 153. Since the incoming storage section 154 is within the movable range of the transport arm unit 110, the tablet cassettes 20 that have reached the incoming storage section 154 are held by the transport arm unit 110 in a state in which they can be transported to the collector shelf 200, the storage shelf 300, or other locations of the medicine transporting and dispensing device 500. An identification member sensor 28 for recognizing the identification member 27 of the tablet cassette 20 is provided below the incoming storage section 154, and the identification information of the tablet cassette 20 moved to the incoming storage section 154 is stored in the control section 550. Note that the incoming storage section 154 may be provided with a plurality of identification member sensors 28, for example, four.

[0027] In the receiving storage section 154, a first direction detection sensor 155 is disposed along the receiving conveyor belt 151 in the Z direction. The first direction detection sensor 155 is a laser-type detection means that is passed in the +Z direction as shown in Figure 6, and the light emitted from the first direction detection sensor 155 passes through the gaps in the tablet cassettes 20, in this case the space between the handle portion 29 and the main body of the tablet cassette 20, making it possible to detect that each tablet cassette 20 placed on the input / output transport section 150 is placed in the correct orientation. Also disposed above the incoming conveyor section 150 are second direction detection sensors 156 for detecting whether or not both ends of the tablet cassette 20 are positioned directly above the incoming conveyor belt 151 . The second direction detection sensor 156 is a laser-type detection means that is arranged at both ends of the conveying path of the input conveying section 150 and passes directly downward, and when the tablet cassette 20 passes directly below it, if the passage is detected simultaneously (both are ON), it can detect that the tablet cassette 20 is moving perpendicular to the conveying direction as shown in Figure 6. Conversely, as shown in Figure 7, if the tablet is placed incorrectly, the light emitted by the first direction detection sensor 155 is blocked by the tablet cassette 20 and turns OFF, making it possible to detect the incorrect placement direction.

[0028] 8, the first direction detection sensor 155 is likely to be blocked by the tablet cassette 20 and turn OFF. On the other hand, even if the first direction detection sensor 155 happens to be tilted only to the extent that it can pass, by arranging a pair of second direction detection sensors 156 on both sides of the incoming conveyor belt 151, it is possible to determine whether or not the tablet cassette 20 is moving parallel to the conveyor direction based on whether or not each of the second direction detection sensors 156 turns ON within a predetermined time interval. Note that, although FIG. 8 is a schematic example of a case where the inclination with respect to the conveying direction is large, in reality, the difference in timing at which the two second direction detection sensors 156 are blocked may not be as large as the inclination shown in the figure.

[0029] As described above, if tablet cassette 20 is placed on incoming conveyor belt 151 with handle portion 29 not facing outward, either first direction detection sensor 155 or second direction detection sensor 156 will be turned OFF, detecting that tablet cassette 20 is not being conveyed in the correct posture. Conversely, when both the first direction detection sensor 155 and the second direction detection sensor 156 are ON, the control unit 550 determines that the tablet cassette 20 placed on the incoming conveyor belt 151 is placed in the correct position.

[0030] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the transport arm units 110 are arranged on both sides of the drug transporting and dispensing device 500 with their respective grip units 113 facing inward, so that when the tablet cassette 20 is transported to the input / output storage section 154 in the correct position with the handle portion 29 facing outward in the input / output transport section 150, the grip unit 113 can grasp and move the handle portion 29 of the tablet cassette 20.

[0031] At this time, in order for the grip unit 113 to accurately grip the handle portion 29, a gap is required that allows the grip unit 113 of the transport arm unit 110 to enter the tablet cassettes 20 placed side by side in the receiving and storing section 154. Therefore, in this embodiment, a gap adjusting means 153 is provided for adjusting such a gap while the input conveyor belt 151 conveys the tablet cassette 20.

[0032] As shown in Figure 9, the gap adjustment means 153 has an L-shaped plate-shaped member 1531 which is a regulating means for regulating movement of the tablet cassette 20 in the -Z direction by abutting against the base 25 of the tablet cassette 20, and a gap adjustment sensor 1532 which is a gap adjustment detection unit for detecting that the tablet cassette 20 has reached a predetermined position. Multiple spacing adjustment means 153, three in this embodiment, are arranged side by side in the Z direction between the two incoming conveying belts 151, and as the tablet cassettes 20 pass above each of them, each spacing adjustment means 153 operates to adjust the spacing of the tablet cassettes 20 before they reach the incoming storage section 154 downstream.

[0033] 9, the plate-like member 1531 is an L-shaped plate-like member supported so as to rotate about a rotation shaft 1533 aligned in the X direction. When the gap adjustment sensor 1532 detects the passage of the tablet cassette 20, the driving source 1534 rotates the plate-like member 1531 about the rotation shaft 1533, so that a tip end 1531a of the plate-like member 1531 comes into contact with the base portion 25, which is the bottom surface of the tablet cassette 20. At this time, since the incoming conveyor belt 151 continues to rotate, the tablet cassette 20 tries to be conveyed in the -Z direction, but the leading end 1531a abuts against the bottom surface and gets caught, thereby restricting the conveyance of the tablet cassette 20.

[0034] FIG. 10 shows a schematic diagram of the operation of such interval adjustment means 153. As shown in FIG. 10(a), a plurality of tablet cassettes that are transported side by side will be referred to as tablet cassettes 20a, 20b, and 20c. First, it is assumed that in an initial state, tablet cassettes 20a, 20b, and 20c are packed tightly together without any adjustment of the gaps on the incoming conveyor belt 151. When the gap adjustment sensor 1532 detects the passage of the first tablet cassette 20a, the plate-like member 1531 rotates a predetermined time after the tablet cassette 20a has passed and comes into contact with the bottom surface of tablet cassette 20b. Since the incoming conveying belt 151 continues to be driven, as shown in Figure 10(b), the tablet cassette 20a will move forward for the period of time that the tip end 1531a abuts and gets caught on the bottom surface of the tablet cassette 20b, and in this way the gap La between tablet cassette 20a and tablet cassette 20b can be adjusted by the contact time of the plate-shaped member 1531. In this embodiment, the plate-like member 1531 is L-shaped and is shaped to abut by fitting into a recess in the bottom surface of the tablet cassette 20, but this is not limited to a configuration, and any structure may be used as long as it abuts against the tablet cassette 20 to regulate and temporarily stop the transport by the input conveyor belt 151.

[0035] When the gap La between the tablet cassettes 20a and 20b is thus opened, the abutting state is released again by the rotation of the plate-like member 1531 as shown in FIG. 10(c), and the tablet cassette 20b moves with the gap La remaining opened. Next, when the gap adjustment sensor 1532 detects that the tablet cassette 20b has reached a predetermined position, the plate member 1531 similarly rotates a predetermined time after the tablet cassette 20c has passed and comes into contact with the bottom surface of the tablet cassette 20b.

[0036] At this time, for example, it is also possible to adjust the gap Lb between tablet cassette 20b and tablet cassette 20c by rotating the plate-shaped member 1531 located most upstream in the conveying direction as shown in Figure 10 (d) and adjusting the time at which it contacts tablet cassette 20c. However, in general, there is a concern that differences in the conveying speed of the entrance conveyor belt 151 and the time required for the plate member 1531 to rotate may result in differences in the intervals.

[0037] Therefore, in this embodiment, each of the multiple lined up plate-like members 1531 may be rotated and inserted into the bottom surfaces of the tablet cassettes 20a, 20b, and 20c as shown in FIG. 10(e). With the plate-shaped member 1531 inserted into each of the tablet cassettes 20a, 20b, 20c in this manner, when the input conveying belt 151 rotates, the conveying of the tablet cassette 20 is restricted as shown in Figure 10(f) when the side wall upstream in the conveying direction at the bottom of each of the tablet cassettes 20a, 20b, 20c abuts against the tip portion 1531a of the plate-shaped member 1531. Therefore, when the input conveying belt 151 continues to rotate, the spacing La, Lb between the tablet cassettes 20a, 20b, 20c is automatically adjusted to a predetermined spacing L1 based on the spacing L2 between the tip ends 1531a when the plate-shaped members 1531 rotate and the width of the tablet cassette 20. In this way, by using multiple spacing adjustment means 153 to regulate the movement of multiple lined up tablet cassettes 20 in the conveying direction, it is possible to automatically adjust the spacing between each tablet cassette 20 without being affected by the drive timing or control of the plate-shaped member 1531.

[0038] As described above, the aligned tablet cassettes 20 are transported to the warehousing storage section 154 located downstream of the interval adjusting means 153 in the transport direction while maintaining the interval L1 at a constant value by the interval adjusting means 153. In the input / output storage section 154, the tablet cassette 20 is placed with the handle portion 29 facing outward and at a distance L1 between them, so that the grip unit 113 of the transport arm unit 110 can enter into this distance L1 to securely grasp the tablet cassette 20.

[0039] The configuration of the transfer arm unit 110 will be described. As already mentioned, the transport arm unit 110 has a catcher unit 112 that operates along the rail unit 111, which is an endless belt stretched in the Z direction, and in the vertical direction, the catcher unit 112 moves the grip unit 113 up and down via a support rod stretched between the upper and lower rail units 111, thereby allowing the transport arm unit 110 to move freely in the YZ plane. FIG. 11 shows the operation of the catcher unit 112 and the grip unit 113.

[0040] As shown in Figure 12, the grip unit 113 has a mounting table 1131 wide enough to hold six tablet cassettes 20, three on the top and three on the bottom, an advancing / retreating mechanism 1133 that moves back and forth in the ±X directions, and an engaging claw 1132 attached to the front of the advancing / retreating mechanism 1133. The mounting table 1131 has a shelf position detection sensor 1134 which emits light in the forward and backward directions shown by dashed lines in Figure 12 to confirm and fine-tune the position of the collector shelf 200 or the storage shelf 300 in addition to the position coordinates of the catcher unit 112 and the grip unit 113, and a cassette detection sensor 1135 which emits light diagonally upward from the mounting table 1131 to detect the presence or absence of a tablet cassette 20 in front of the advancing / retracting mechanism 1133.

[0041] The fitting claws 1132 are arranged in a pair on the left and right sides and are held by the advance / retract mechanism 1133 so as to be rotatable about a connection portion 1136 . The engaging claws 1132 advance and retreat together with the advancing and retreating mechanism 1133, and rotate about a connection part 1136 with the advancing and retreating mechanism 1133 at a position where they can grip the handle portion 29 of the tablet cassette 20, and perform an operation to retract the handle portion 29. The space required for the engaging claws 1132 to fit between the tablet cassettes 20 is the distance L1 described in FIG.

[0042] When the engaging claws 1132 grip the tablet cassette 20 in this manner, a plate-shaped member, the cassette holder 1137, is present in front of the advancing / retreating mechanism 1133. When the engaging claws 1132 act to clamp and surround the handle portion 29 and pull it in, the main body 22 of the tablet cassette 20 abuts against the cassette holder 1137, thereby fixing the position. In such a gripping state, a force that pulls in the fitting claws 1132 acts on the main body 22 via the handle portion 29, and a reaction force that pushes out acts from the cassette holder 1137, so that the posture is stable. Such a cassette holder 1137 may be provided in two places, for example, vertically around the handle portion 29, or may be provided only on one side, for example, only on the upper side.

[0043] In this state, the advancing / retracting mechanism 1133 draws in the tablet cassette 20 together with the engaging claws 1132 , and places the tablet cassette 20 on the placement table 1131 . As mentioned above, the mounting table 1131 can hold up to six tablet cassettes 20 in the same manner, so by moving the catcher unit 112 with the tablet cassette 20 placed on the mounting table 1131, the catcher unit 112 can transport the tablet cassette 20 from the front unit 100 to the collector shelf 200 or the storage shelf 300. At this time, an identification member sensor 28 for reading the identification member 27 of the tablet cassette 20 is placed on the mounting table 1131, and can read the identification member 27 of the tablet cassette 20 transported to the storage shelf 300. Therefore, the control unit 550 stores the YZ coordinates in the storage shelf 300 on which the tablet cassette 20 is mounted by the transport arm unit 110 in association with the identification information of the medicine stored in the identification member 27. In this way, by linking and storing the identification information of the medicine by the identification member 27 with the YZ coordinates, the control unit 550 can instruct the transport arm unit 110 of the necessary YZ coordinates when retrieving the necessary medicine according to the prescription data.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 13, the storage shelf 300 is a shelf having a shelf main body 302 and a base plate 301. In this embodiment, in order to uniquely determine the position at which the tablet cassette 20 is arranged on the storage shelf 300, 12 flat base plates 301 that fit with the base portion 25 are arranged in one row and 10 vertical rows, but for simplicity, only a part of them is shown in the figure. The tablet cassette 20 placed on the storage shelf 300 is held in a state where it is fitted with the base plate 301, but this configuration is not limited to this. In addition, the base plate 301 is a simple plate-like member and does not need to have a mechanism that is particularly linked to the operation of the tablet cassette 20.

[0045] As already shown and described in FIG. 4, a cassette base 30 for fitting the tablet cassette 20 is arranged on the collector shelf 200, and the tablet cassette 20 arranged on the collector shelf 200 can eject the medicine stored inside the tablet cassette 20 one tablet at a time via the cassette base 30.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 14, the collector shelf 200 has a shelf body 202 in which the cassette bases 30 are arranged side by side, and a tablet drop path 201 which is a space formed between the shelf body 202 and an opening / closing plate 203 on the back side of the shelf body 202. Note that the cross-sectional view of the part indicated by the line A-A' in Fig. 14(a) corresponds to Fig. 14(b). Here, as shown in FIG. 14(b), the collector shelf 200 is formed so that the tablet drop path 201 and the tablet discharge port 24 communicate with each other by fitting the tablet cassette 20 and the cassette base 30 together. In this embodiment, the collector shelf 200 is configured such that eight cassette bases 30 are provided in each row in the horizontal direction and two shelves are provided in the vertical direction, but the number of shelves and the like can be changed as appropriate.

[0047] The tablet drop path 201 is formed between a shelf main body 202 and an opening / closing plate 203, and a shutter mechanism 204 is provided at the lower end portion. The shutter mechanism 204 is normally kept in a closed state and functions as a shutter that blocks the falling path of the tablets discharged from the tablet cassette 20 so that they fall at the correct timing. In this manner, the tablet drop path 201 , the shelf main body 202 , the opening / closing plate 203 , and the shutter mechanism 204 constitute an upper tablet collecting mechanism that temporarily retains the tablets dispensed by the collector shelf 200 .

[0048] When the tablet drop path 201 needs to be cleaned, the collector shelf 200 is attached to the body of the medicine conveying and dispensing device 500 via a hinge 206 so that the shelf body 202 itself can rotate left and right as shown in Fig. 15. Furthermore, the opening and closing plate 203 is supported so as to be rotatable relative to the shelf body 202, so that it can be opened and closed. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 16, the hinge 206 has a locking receiving portion 2061 attached to the hinge 206 side, and an open / close detection sensor 2062.

[0049] When the shelf main body portion 202 is in the open state and rotates by 85° or more, the locking receiving portion 2061 maintains the open state by engaging with the locking protrusion 2021 attached to the side panel of the shelf main body portion 202 in its concave / convex shape. The tip of the locking protrusion 2021 is formed into a curved surface, and once the locking receiving portion 2061 and the locking protrusion 2021 are engaged, the shelf main body 202 is locked so that it will not be in the closed state unless it is closed with a specified force or more. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the collector shelf 200 from rotating accidentally during cleaning work. Although there is no particular limitation to the value of 85° or more, it is desirable for the shelf main body 202 to rotate by about 90° in order to secure working space, and therefore it is preferable that the value be such that when it is in the open state, this angle can be maintained at an angle of about 85°±5°. For the sake of explanation, Figure 16 shows an example in which the collector shelf 200 on the +X side, that is, the right side as viewed from the front unit 100 of the drug transport and dispensing device 500, is in an open state, as shown in Figure 15, and the collector shelf 200 on the -X side, that is, the left side, is in a closed state. The open / close detection sensor 2062 may be, for example, a photointerrupter in which the sensor is turned on when a dog attached to the shelf main body 202 enters between the sensor and the photointerrupter, but is not limited to this configuration. The control unit 550 recognizes that the lock receiving portion 2061 is open by 85° when the collector shelf 200 is locked. In addition, by separately providing a sensor capable of detecting whether the shelf body portion 202 is open, such as the detection sensor 2023 shown in FIG. 17, the control unit 550 can distinguish and grasp three states of the shelf body portion 202: a closed state (detection sensor 2023 is ON), a half-open state (= detection sensor 2023 is OFF and the open / close detection sensor 2062 is also OFF), and a fully open state (= detection sensor 2023 is OFF and the open / close detection sensor 2062 is ON). By separately providing the detection sensor 2023 in this way, particularly on the gap portion 501 side that is the side that separates by opening and closing, it is possible to easily detect whether the shelf body portion 202 is open or closed, which is preferable because it is easy to determine what state the shelf body portion 202 is in when cleaning. In the above-mentioned sensors, the ON / OFF states are described based on a photointerrupter type sensor in which the sensor is turned ON when the dog is inserted between the sensor and the photointerrupter type sensor. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

[0050] 17, the opening / closing plate 203 is an openable / closable cover member rotatably attached to the shelf body 202, and forms a part of the wall surface of the tablet drop path 201. The shelf body 202 is provided with an opening / closing detection means such that when the opening / closing plate 203 is in a closed state, a protrusion 2031 extending from the opening / closing plate 203 enters the rear cover detection sensor 2022, causing the sensor to be in an ON state, and is supported so as to be able to detect the closed state of the opening / closing plate 203. In this way, the rear cover detection sensor 2022 functions as a detection sensor for detecting that the cover member is in a closed state. When cleaning or the like is required, the operator can rotate the shelf main body 202 and further rotate the opening / closing plate 203 to open the tablet drop path 201 for cleaning. Such collector shelf 200 may be opened and closed by rotating around the front side of the drug transport and dispensing device 500 as an axis, or around the rear side as an axis. However, when performing cleaning work on collector shelves 200 arranged back-to-back as in this embodiment, both shelf main bodies 202 are rotated, which may cause the center of gravity to shift and the balance to change. Therefore, it is preferable that when the shelf main body 202 is rotated, the position of the shelf main body 202 be near the center of the collector shelf 200 in the Z direction, since this stabilizes the center of gravity and eliminates the need for rigidity in the outer frame portion of the collector shelf 200. For this reason, in this embodiment, the collector shelf 200 rotates around the front side of the medicine transporting and dispensing device 500 as an axis so that the rear side opens.

[0051] Moreover, collector shelf 200 is provided with a fixing insertion portion 208 on the side that rotates to open, that is, on the rear side, as a positioning portion, for fitting into a gap portion 501 opened in the housing of medicine delivering and dispensing device 500. Fixing insertion portion 208 has a shape in which a rod-shaped protrusion protrudes from a cylindrical insertion portion, and is rotated by knob 209 which rotates fixing insertion portion 208 while inserted into gap 501, and operates as a locking mechanism for preventing fixing insertion portion 208 from separating from gap 501 by fitting gap 501 into fixing insertion portion 208. Note that the shape is not limited to this, and any shape that matches gap 501 and can be locked by rotating knob 209 may be used. If the collector shelf 200 is made cantilevered so as to be rotatable, the side that is not supported, in this case the rear side where the fixing insertion portion 208 is provided, may drop and become misaligned. Such a positional deviation will cause the shelf main body 202 to tilt, and will result in a slight positional deviation, for example, when the transport arm unit 110 places the tablet cassette 20 on the collector shelf 200. This problem is particularly important in this embodiment because the transport arm unit 110 grasps the position of the tablet cassette 20 using position coordinates. Therefore, in this embodiment, by using such fixing insertion portion 208 and gap portion 501, the collector shelf 200 is supported rotatably while being prevented from being simply cantilevered, and positioning can be performed even on the side of the collector shelf 200 that rotates to open, making it less likely that such positional deviation will occur.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 19, below the shutter mechanism 204, there are provided a funnel-shaped hopper portion 205 and a conveyor device 210 which rotates in the direction of the arrow A in the figure. Conveyor device 210 is known as a drug transport section having a structure including a tablet container 211, which is a drug container capable of transporting multiple tablets inside, and a conveyor 212 composed of rollers and belts that move tablet container 211. The tablets that have fallen from the tablet drop path 201 through the hopper section 205 into the tablet container 211 are carried in the +Z direction by the conveyor device 210, and are finally transported from the hopper 70 arranged at the bottom of the front unit 100 to the packaging device 130. In this way, the collector shelf 200 is composed of the tablet drop path 201, the shutter mechanism 204, the hopper section 205, and the conveyor device 210, and is provided with a drug transport path connecting the collector shelf 200 and the packaging device 130.

[0053] In this embodiment, a manual distribution section 120 is provided in front of the hopper 70. The manual distribution section 120 has a manual distribution tray 121, a slide tray 122 arranged below the manual distribution tray 121, a six-row first conveyor 123 that moves tablets toward the +X direction in Fig. 19, and a second conveyor 124 that moves tablets that have dropped from the +X direction end of the first conveyor 123 in the -Z direction and guides them to the hopper 70. In this manner, the first conveyor 123 and the second conveyor 124 function as a front double row conveyor for transporting tablets toward one of the hoppers 70 as a unit. With this configuration and the operation described below, the manual distribution unit 120 can sequentially feed tablets manually distributed onto the manual distribution tray 121 into the hopper 70 in a predetermined order.

[0054] The tablets that have fallen into the hopper 70 are packaged in packaging paper 131 by a packaging device 130 as shown in FIG. The packaging device 130 is provided with, in order along a feed path for the packing paper 131, a packing strip feed section 132 which holds a roll of packing paper 131 and applies appropriate tension to send it out in sequence starting from the tip, a printer 133 which prints on the packing paper 131, a vertical seal section 134 which has a heating element extending in the width direction of the packing paper 131, i.e., in the front-to-depth direction in Figure 20 in this embodiment, and heats and fuses the seal section 131a of the packing paper 131, two hoppers 70 on the left and right which move up and down to insert and remove the tip of the packing paper 131 which has been folded in half, a horizontal seal section 135 which has a heating element extending laterally and heats and fuses the packing paper 131, a roller section 136 which pulls the packing paper 131, and a cutter 137 which perforates and cuts the packing paper 131.

[0055] With this configuration, the packet paper 131 is filled with medicines such as tablets or powdered medicine in sections of a specified length as shown in Figure 21, and is discharged in a continuous manner to the downstream discharge outlet 139 with the seal portions 131a shown in shaded areas fused by heat. Packaging paper 131 is folded in half with its upper end open and is pulled out from packaging strip feeder 132. Here, packaging strip feeder 132 is a packaging strip holder that feeds out packaging paper 131 wound up in a roll, for example, in a reel shape. The packet paper 131 sent out from the packaging belt supply section 132 is printed by the printer 133, moves to the bottom of the hopper 70, and is sealed at the front and rear in the conveying direction by the vertical seal section 134. After that, the medicine is poured into the packet by the hopper 70, the top is sealed, and the packet is cut or perforated by the cutter 137 before being discharged.

[0056] Since the amount of tablets that falls into hopper 70 is equivalent to one packet, one packet of medicines is enclosed inside each of packaging papers 131.

[0057] When hopper 70 detects that tablets have been placed into packaging paper 131, horizontal seal section 135 seals the top of packaging paper 131, and roller section 136 pulls in packaging paper 131 a predetermined amount, so that packaging paper 131 is transported the length of one packet. By repeating this operation, the packaging paper 131 is conveyed to the discharge port 139 as a series of medicine bags, each of which contains one packet of medicine.

[0058] Packaging device 130 is a packaging device capable of packaging various medicines including tablets into individual packets in packaging paper 131 by using the configuration of each part as described above. In this embodiment, the configuration of the packaging device 130 is described only in terms of a type in which the packaging paper 131 is transported horizontally, but any other configuration may be used as long as the packaging machine is capable of dividing the packaging paper into sections of a predetermined width and sealing medicine in the divided chambers, and is not limited to this configuration.

[0059] Now, the drug transport path in this embodiment will be described in detail. In this embodiment, as described in Figures 15 and 16, at least two collector shelves 200 are arranged back to back, and two conveyor devices 210 serving as drug transport paths are arranged parallel to each other below each collector shelf 200. When it is necessary to distinguish between them, the one arranged on the left side facing the front unit 100 is referred to as conveyor device 210a, and the one arranged on the right side is referred to as conveyor device 210b. In addition, the conveyor device 210 is equipped with a plurality of tablet containers 211 . The packaging device 130 is provided with two hoppers 70 for storing each of the medicines conveyed from the two conveyor devices 210 into the compartments formed in the packaging paper 131.

[0060] Here, when it is necessary to distinguish between the two hoppers 70, the hopper 70 on the upstream side, i.e., the hopper 70 on the left side in Figures 20 and 22, will be described as the first hopper 70a, and the hopper 70 on the right side will be described as the second hopper 70b.

[0061] In the drug transport and dispensing device 500, the collector shelves 200 are arranged back-to-back with one another across the center, and due to the configuration in which each has an independent transport arm unit 110 transporting the tablet cassettes 20, it is difficult to exchange tablet cassettes 20 between the collector shelves 200 arranged on the left and right or between the storage shelves 300. However, if tablet cassettes 20 containing the same drug are placed on each of the left and right sides, the number of drug types that can be loaded into the device as a whole will be reduced, which is undesirable. Therefore, by providing the first hopper 70a and the second hopper 70b in this manner, tablets can be independently fed into the same packing paper 131 from each of the left and right collector shelves 200, thereby ensuring the number of drugs that can be handled by the entire device, while allowing each to supplement any missing drugs and package them in the packaging device 130.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 22, the first hopper 70a and the second hopper 70b are disposed at a distance d that is the distance of one packet of the packaging paper 131, which is 80 mm in this embodiment. Packing paper 131 is pulled in by roller portion 136 a predetermined distance, which is the distance for one packet, and is set to 80 mm in this embodiment. With this configuration, if the position where the first hopper 70a is inserted is the first input position 71 and the position where the second hopper 70b is inserted is the second input position 72, a section of the packaging paper 131 moves to the first input position 71, tablets are input from the first hopper 70a, then the paper is pulled by the next roller unit 136 to move into the space of gap d between the first hopper 70a and the second hopper 70b, and then the paper is pulled by the next roller unit 136 to input tablets into the second hopper 70b, and so on, moving a predetermined distance at a time.

[0063] In addition, the first hopper 70a and the second hopper 70b can each be moved up and down independently by independent drive sources 73a, 73b, and when the tablets are added, they are inserted between the partitioned packaging paper 131, allowing the tablets to be safely placed within the partition. At this time, it is possible that after a tablet is fed at the first feeding position 71 on the upstream side, a different tablet is fed again at the second feeding position 72. That is, when the second hopper 70b is inserted while tablets are already inside, it is preferable that the tip of the second hopper 70b moves up and down so as not to collide with the tablets. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second hopper 70b, which is downstream in the direction of movement of the packaging paper 131, is controlled by the drive source 73b so that the amount of descent during vertical movement is smaller than the amount of descent of the first hopper 70a. With this configuration, the second hopper 70b can be safely inserted into a compartment in which tablets have already been placed.

[0064] Now, by keeping the amount of retraction of the roller portion 136 constant and matching the timing of this retraction with the timing of the movement of the tablet container 211 of the conveyor device 210, it is possible to make the tablets in the tablet container 211 of the conveyor device 210 correspond to the tablets entering a section of the packaging paper 131 as shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 23. In Fig. 23, the positions of tablet containers 211 or shutter mechanisms 204 corresponding to sections B, C, D, E, F, and G into which packing paper 131 is divided at a certain moment are indicated by respective symbols. Also, Fig. 23(a) is a schematic side view of front unit 100 of medicine transporting and dispensing device 500, and Fig. 23(b) is a schematic diagram showing the sections divided into sections by the distance of one packet of packing paper 131 in packaging device 130 and their approximate positions.

[0065] Furthermore, since the correspondence between these components differs, for example, between conveyor device 210a arranged on the left side and conveyor device 210b arranged on the right side, Figure 23 shows the relationship with tablet container 211 in conveyor device 210b arranged on the right side, and Figure 24 shows the relationship with tablet container 211 in conveyor device 210a arranged on the left side.

[0066] Thus, the packaging apparatus 130 has a pair of conveyor devices 210a, 210b, each of which has a corresponding first hopper 70a and second hopper 70b.

[0067] By having two hoppers corresponding to the two drug transport paths in this manner, a single packaging device 130 in the drug transport and dispensing device 500 can quickly process tablets flowing from the two drug transport paths. In addition, since the conveyor device 210a and the conveyor device 210b are provided, and the first hopper 70a and the second hopper 70b are provided, each of them functions as a buffer for the other, resulting in high redundancy. This has the effect of minimizing the downtime of the medicine transport and dispensing device 500 itself by allowing the other to continue operating even in a situation where one of the two transport arm units 110 stops, or when the tablet cassette 20 mounted on the collector shelf 200 becomes unable to dispense tablets due to a "jam" or shortage.

[0068] Now, the structure of such conveyor devices 210a and 210b will be described. Both conveyor devices 210a, 210b have belt conveyor sections 212a, 212b, which are transport conveyors that are rotatable around central axes Oa, Ob on the front side of the shelf main body section 202, and tablet containers 211 that are attached to the belt conveyor sections 212a, 212b and rotate endlessly to transport the tablets inside in the +Z direction. In addition, a central portion 213 is disposed between the belt conveyor portions 212a and 212b, which is a central member fixed to the housing of the medicine transporting and dispensing device 500. The central portion 213 is provided with detection sensors 214a and 214b on both sides thereof for determining whether the belt conveyor portions 212a and 212b are in a rotating state or a closed state. The central portion 213 is located in the center of the belt conveyor portions 212a and 212b and is composed of a wall surface extending along the Z direction and a eave-shaped wall surface protruding from the wall surface, and is also a cover member formed to cover the upper and sides of each of the belt conveyor portions 212a and 212b.

[0069] The belt conveyor sections 212a, 212b each rotate around a central axis Oa, Ob, similar to the rotation axis of the shelf main body section 202, and regulating plates 215a, 215b are each provided at linearly symmetrical positions on either side of the central section 213 so that the rotation does not exceed 45 degrees. As shown in Figures 26 and 27, these regulating plates 215a, 215b are regulating plates that regulate the belt conveyor parts 212a, 212b to prevent them from rotating excessively beyond a certain angle, and when the belt conveyor parts 212a, 212b rotate beyond a predetermined angle, they abut against the belt conveyor parts 212a, 212b to regulate their movement. In the conveyor devices 210a, 210b of this embodiment, the belt conveyor sections 212a, 212b move from the rear to the front, and are configured so that tablets from the storage section 140 also join them at the front portion. In other words, it is expected that the tablet container 211 on the front side in the Z direction will require a greater amount of cleaning than the rear side, since a larger amount of medicine is put into it and tablet fragments tend to adhere to the inside of the tablet container 211 when the two containers join together. Therefore, in this embodiment, the conveyor belt sections 212a and 212b are configured to rotate around the central axes Oa and Ob on the rear side, so that when the conveyor belt sections 212a and 212b are opened, the front side opens with the rear side as the fulcrum. According to this configuration, the front side, which is in relatively high need of cleaning, rotates in a direction away from the central part 213, which serves as a cover, so that cleaning of the conveyor parts 212a, 212b can be performed without being hindered by the internal structure of the collector shelf 200 or the front unit 100, which is preferable.

[0070] The detection sensors 214a, 214b are both photointerrupter type sensors, and when the belt conveyor sections 212a, 212b are in a closed state parallel to the wall surface of the central section 213, a protrusion 216 provided on the belt conveyor sections 212a, 212b is inserted into the detection sensors 214a, 214b, thereby functioning as a closed detection sensor that can detect the closed state. With this configuration, after the operator has performed cleaning, the belt conveyor sections 212a, 212b can be closed and parallel to the wall surface of the central section 213 as shown in FIG. 25, thereby ensuring the cleanability of the belt conveyor sections 212a, 212b and allowing them to be returned to the correct designated position after cleaning is completed.

[0071] The manual distribution unit 120 of this embodiment will also be described. In this embodiment, the manual distribution section 120 is disposed in the middle section of the front unit 100 so that the operator can easily operate it, as already shown in FIG. The manual distribution section 120 has a manual distribution tray 121 that can be pulled out towards the front by the operator, a slide tray 122 arranged below the manual distribution tray 121, a six-row first conveyor 123 that moves tablets in the -X direction, and a second conveyor 124 that moves tablets that drop from the -X direction end of the first conveyor 123 in the -Z direction and guides them to the hopper 70. In the manual distribution section 120, there are a manual distribution tray 121a on the left side as seen by the operator, and a manual distribution tray 121b on the right side, and below them there is provided only one slide tray 122 that is movable in the left-right direction. A manual distribution operation using such a manual distribution unit 120 will be described.

[0072] The operator first performs manual distribution work in a separate location on the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b that have been prepared in advance. For example, multiple spare manual distribution trays 121 may be prepared in advance, or the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b placed inside the manual distribution section 120 of the front unit 100 may be pulled out and detached as shown in FIG. In such manual distribution work, the operator manually places the necessary tablets in each position of the 6 × 11 squares of the manual distribution tray 121. Such an operation in which the operator distributes tablets in the prescribed combinations according to the prescription data with the assistance of a machine or the like is generally called a manual distribution operation. In addition, in conventional tablet packaging machines, a mechanism is known in which data on the tablets to be prescribed is displayed on a display unit such as a display when performing a manual dispensing operation, and such assistance may also be provided in this embodiment of the drug transport and dispensing device 500. The operator sets the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b after the manual distribution work has been completed in the manual distribution unit 120. At this time, the operation of pulling out the manual distribution unit 120 is automatically performed by pressing the "open / close" button on the control panel of the monitor 102, for example.

[0073] 28 shows a case where the slide tray 122 is located below the manual distribution tray 121a on the left when the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b are pulled out. As shown in the figure, when the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b are pulled out in the +Z direction, the slide tray 122 does not follow and is held so as to be able to slide in the ±X directions. When the operator has finished setting the manual distribution tray 121a and the manual distribution tray 121b in the manual distribution section 120, the operator operates the monitor 102 again to open and close it, and the manual distribution section 120 is retracted inside, returning the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b to their original positions. When it is detected that the manual distribution tray 121a has returned to its original position, the slide tray 122 moves to below the returned manual distribution tray 121a, the bottom surface of the manual distribution tray 121a is opened, and the manually distributed tablets move onto the slide tray 122.

[0074] Further below the slide tray 122, there are arranged a first conveyor 123 that moves tablets in the +X direction when viewed from above, and a row of second conveyors 124 that move tablets in the -Z direction. Here, as shown in Figures 29 and 30, the first conveyor 123 is also an endless rotating conveyor with six tablets lined up in one row, so that the tablets that fall from the bottom of the slide tray 122 onto the first conveyor 123 in a vertical row of six tablets each will fall in a row toward the second conveyor 124 at the end of the first conveyor 123 on the +X direction side. On the other hand, since the second conveyor 124 is a single-row conveyor, if the tablets placed in the squares of the manual distribution tray 121a are aligned vertically from the upper left as HIJK... as shown in Figure 30(a), then the tablets will also flow in the same order as HIJK... on the second conveyor 124, with each square corresponding to one square on the manual distribution tray 121a, as shown in Figure 30.

[0075] Next, when it is confirmed that the tablets manually distributed onto the manual distribution tray 121a have been dispensed as described above, the control unit 550 moves the slide tray 122 to the manual distribution tray 121b side. At this time, as already described, it is assumed that the manual distribution tray 121b has also been subjected to manual distribution work and is placed inside the manual distribution unit 120, but this timing differs depending on the timing at which the operator operates the monitor 102. For example, at the timing at which tablets are being dispensed from the manual distribution tray 121a to the slide tray 122, the next manual distribution tray 121b may be prepared and placed inside the manual distribution unit 120.

[0076] When the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500 detects that the manual distribution tray 121b has returned inside the manual distribution section 120, the slide tray 122 slides to below the manual distribution tray 121b if there are no tablets on it. On the condition that the slide tray 122 is placed below the manual distribution tray 121b, the control unit 550 opens the bottom surface of the manual distribution tray 121b in the same manner as before, and the manually distributed tablets move onto the slide tray 122. After the slide tray 122 has moved, the manual distribution tray 121a becomes an empty tray. Therefore, the operator may remove the manual distribution tray 121a by operating the monitor 102. In this way, by making the manual distribution unit 120 removable and operating independently of the slide tray 122, the slide tray 122 functions as a buffer tray for the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b. Furthermore, if the manual distribution unit 120 is pulled out through the operation of the monitor 102, while the slide tray 122 is functioning as a buffer tray, the control unit 550 can restrict the pulling out of the manual distribution unit 120 at an inappropriate time for removing the manual distribution trays 121a, 121b, such as when the slide tray 122 is still transferring tablets to or from the manual distribution tray 121a or the manual distribution tray 121b. As described above, the slide tray 122 functions as a buffer tray for the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b, and by providing two trays, one on the left and one on the right of the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b, it is possible to prepare up to two manual distributions in advance. Therefore, even if the operator is somewhat late in distributing medicine to the other manual distribution tray 121c (not shown) and is late in replacing the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b, the operation of the medicine transport and dispensing device 500 is not stopped, which contributes to extending the operating time.

[0077] When it is confirmed that the tablets have been moved onto the slide tray 122 by this operation, the slide tray 122 then moves again in the -X direction up to above the first conveyor 123. The subsequent operation of moving the container 70 to the first hopper 70a using the first conveyor 123 and the second conveyor 124 is the same as that already described, and therefore will not be described.

[0078] Now, since the first conveyor 123 and the second conveyor 124 have a complicated rotation mechanism and are a combination of two large conveyors, mounting two of them on the front unit 100 makes it difficult to prevent the cost and size of the device from increasing. On the other hand, as already mentioned, by preparing two manual distribution trays, one on the left and one on the right, convenience is greatly improved, such as being able to use one for the current use and one for the next use, so a system that can make effective use of the two manual distribution trays 121a, 121b was required.

[0079] Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 30, the first conveyor 123 and the second conveyor 124 are provided only on the left side facing the front unit 100, on the side that drops to the first hopper 70a, and two manual distribution trays 121a, 121b are provided. Further, below the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b, there is provided a slide tray 122 which has the same size as the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b and is capable of sliding left and right. With this configuration, the operator can extend the operating time of the drug transport and dispensing device 500 while preventing the device from becoming too complicated or large by operating the two manual distribution trays 121a, 121b and the slide tray 122 which functions as a buffer tray for the manual distribution trays 121.

[0080] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a configuration in which the front unit 100 is provided on only one side has been described, but the drug delivery and dispensing device 500 may also be configured in such a way that the front unit 100 is provided at the end in the +Z direction and also at the end in the opposite direction, in the -Z direction, as shown as a modified example in Figure 31. In this configuration, the collector shelves 200 and storage shelves 300 are arranged in two for each front unit 100, aligned flush with each other. However, the configuration may also be such that the storage shelf 300 is shared between the front unit 100 on the +Z direction side and the front unit 100 on the -Z direction side. However, since the collector shelf 200 is integrated with the conveyor devices 210a, 210b, for example, a configuration in which the collector shelf 200 is shared between two front units 100 is not preferable since it leads to a complication of the structure of the conveyor devices 210a, 210b. The components and reference numerals in FIG. 31 have the same configuration as in the case where there is only one front unit 100, and therefore the description will be omitted.

[0081] <1> The present invention relates to a medicine conveying and dispensing device 500 having at least two collector shelves 200 arranged back to back, a packaging device 130, and a medicine conveying path, the medicine conveying path having a tablet drop path 201 for guiding medicines to the lower part of the collector shelf 200 and dropping them, two belt conveyer units 212a and 212b arranged parallel to each other below the tablet drop path 201, and a plurality of tablet containers 211 attached to each of the belt conveyer units 212a and 212b, and the packaging device 130 is provided with a packaging device 130 that is provided with a packaging device 130 and a medicine conveying path. 12b into the compartments formed in the packaging paper 131, and the collector shelf 200 is supported rotatably around the front side of the medicine transporting and dispensing device 500 as a central axis so as to move away from a back-to-back position, and the rear side of the collector shelf 200 is provided with a positioning portion 208 that fits into a gap 501 in the housing of the medicine transporting and dispensing device 500, and a knob 209 that rotates the positioning portion 208 to prevent the positioning portion 208 from moving away from the gap 501. With this configuration, since the shelf body 202 is less likely to become misaligned due to the fixing of the collector shelf 200, it becomes easier to grasp the coordinate position of the tablet cassette 20, and therefore the stability of transportation by the transport arm unit 110 is improved.

[0082] <2> In addition, in the medicine delivery and dispensing device of the present invention, <1> In addition to the configuration described above, the collector shelf 200 has an opening / closing plate 203 which is an openable / closable cover member that forms part of the wall of the tablet drop path 201, and when the collector shelf 200 rotates, the opening / closing plate 203 can rotate further from the collector shelf 200 to open the tablet drop path 201. With this configuration, the tablet drop path 201, which is normally back-to-back, can be easily cleaned by rotating the collector shelf 200.

[0083] <3> In addition, in the drug delivery and dispensing device 500 of the present invention, <1> or <2> In addition to the configuration described above, a detection sensor is provided for detecting that the opening / closing plate 203 is in the closed state. With this configuration, ease of maintenance during cleaning and the like can be ensured, while at the same time making it possible to confirm that the door is reliably closed after cleaning is completed.

[0084] <4> In addition, in the drug delivery and dispensing device 500 of the present invention, <1> ~ <3> In addition to the configuration described above, the shelf main body 202 has a hinge portion 206 which is provided on the front side of the drug transporting and dispensing device 500, i.e., on the opposite side from the positioning portion 208, and serves as the central axis when the shelf main body 202 rotates, a locking receiving portion 2061 which is provided on the drug transporting and dispensing device side of the hinge portion 206, and a locking protrusion 2021 which is provided on the side of the shelf main body 202, and when the shelf main body 202 rotates by a predetermined angle or more, the locking protrusion 2021 and the locking receiving portion 2061 engage with each other, thereby maintaining the shelf main body 202 in an open state. According to this configuration, the shelf main body 202 is maintained in an open state while the locking protrusion 2021 and the locking receiving portion 2061 are engaged, thereby preventing the collector shelf 200 from rotating unintentionally during maintenance work such as cleaning, thereby improving safety.

[0085] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 20...Tablet cassette (cassette) 30…Cassette-based 70a, 70b…Hopper 73a, 73b...Drive source 110...Transport arm unit (transport unit) 121...Tray mechanism 122…Slide tray 123...First conveyor (front double row conveyor) 124...Second conveyor (front double row conveyor) 130...Packaging equipment 131…Wrapping paper (wrapping paper) 200…Collector shelf (first storage shelf) 201...Tablet drop path (drug transport path) 204...Shutter mechanism (upper tablet collection mechanism) (part of the drug transport path) 211...Tablet containers (medicine containers) 212...Transport conveyor 213...Central member (center) 214...Closed detection sensor 215…Regulation board 300…Storage shelf (second storage shelf) 500...Medicine delivery and dispensing device

Claims

1. a transport unit capable of gripping and transporting a cassette in which medicines are contained; a first storage shelf capable of storing a plurality of the cassettes by attaching the cassettes to a cassette base and capable of dispensing the medicines from the stored cassettes; a second storage shelf capable of storing a plurality of the cassettes; a packaging device for packaging the medicine dispensed from the first storage shelf; A medicine delivery and dispensing device having a medicine delivery path connecting the first storage shelf and the packaging device, At least two of the first storage shelves are arranged back to back with each other, the medicine transport path includes an upper tablet collecting mechanism that guides the medicine to a position below the first storage shelf and drops the medicine therefrom, two transport conveyors that are arranged parallel to each other below the upper tablet collecting mechanism, and a plurality of medicine containers attached to each of the transport conveyors; the packaging device includes two or more hoppers for storing the drugs conveyed from the two conveyors into compartments formed in a packaging paper; The first storage shelf is supported so as to be rotatable away from a back-to-back position with the front side of the drug transporting and dispensing device as a central axis, and the rear side of the first storage shelf has a positioning portion that fits into a gap in the housing of the drug transporting and dispensing device, and a locking mechanism that prevents the positioning portion from moving away from the gap by rotating the positioning portion.

2. The drug delivery and dispensing device according to claim 1, The first storage shelf has an openable and closable cover member that forms a wall surface of a portion of an upper tablet collecting mechanism, and when the first storage shelf rotates, the cover member can rotate further from the first storage shelf to open the upper tablet collecting mechanism, thereby forming a drug transport and dispensing device.

3. The drug delivery and dispensing device according to claim 2, A medicine delivery and dispensing device comprising a detection sensor for detecting whether the cover member is in a closed state.

4. The drug delivery and dispensing device according to claim 1, The first storage shelf includes a hinge portion that is provided on the front side of the medicine delivery and dispensing device, i.e., on the opposite side to the positioning portion, and that serves as the central axis when the first storage shelf rotates; A receiving portion provided on the medicine delivery and dispensing device side of the hinge portion; a protrusion provided on a side surface of the first storage shelf, A drug delivery and dispensing device characterized in that when the first storage shelf is rotated more than a predetermined angle, the protrusion and the receiving portion engage with each other, thereby maintaining the first storage shelf in an open state.

Images