Medicine packaging device

Abstract

To provide a medicine packaging device which can improve a cleaning property.SOLUTION: A medicine packaging device 1 includes: a device body 2; a tablet cassette 10; a tablet shelf 3 to which a plurality of tablet cassettes 10 are attached; an upper tablet collecting mechanism 5 for downwardly dropping the tablet discharged from the tablet cassette 10; a lower tablet collecting mechanism 6 for collecting and downwardly dropping the tablet dropped from the upper tablet collecting mechanism 5; and a packaging device 4 for packaging the tablet dropped from the lower tablet collecting mechanism 6 into a packaging paper 38. The tablet shelf 3 includes: a front shelf 8 positioned on a front side of the device body 2; and a back shelf 9 positioned on a back side of the device body 2. The tablet cassette 10 can be attached to and detached from the front shelf 8 from a front side of the device body 2 and the back shelf 9 from the back side of the device body 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medicine packaging machine equipped with a tablet cassette capable of dispensing tablets one by one. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a medicine packaging machine which includes a cassette that holds tablets in a container, a rotor that rotates around an axis inside the container, and ejects tablets one by one from the container as the rotor rotates in response to the rotation of the axis, and a packaging device that packages the tablets dispensed from the cassette in accordance with prescription data (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Also known is a medicine packaging machine in which the medicine shelf that stores the medicines is divided into two in the front-to-back direction of the device so that they can be opened and closed relative to each other, and the path along which the medicines fall can be opened, improving cleanability (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3).

[0003] Also, a medicine packaging machine is known that includes multiple upper and lower tablet collecting mechanisms that drop medicines discharged from multiple feeders downward, a packaging device, and a manual medicine dispensing device, and the lower tablet collecting mechanism includes an accumulation chute and a collection chute (see, for example, "Patent Document 4"). In this device, the accumulation chute is pulled out forward from the housing when the manual medicine dispensing device is pulled out from the housing, improving cleanability. Further, a medicine packaging machine is known in which a base part for holding a manual medicine dispensing device holds a lower medicine collecting mechanism that guides medicines dropped from a medicine storehouse to a packaging device, and the base part is provided with a first drawer member for supporting the base part so that it can be moved forward and backward from the housing, and a second drawer member for supporting the lower medicine collecting mechanism so that it can be moved backward and forward from the base part (see, for example, "Patent Document 5"). In this device, by retracting the lower medicine collecting mechanism while the manual medicine dispensing device is pulled out of the housing, the gap between the opposing parts of the operating part of the manual medicine dispensing device and the lower medicine collecting mechanism can be easily widened, improving cleanability.

[0004] On the other hand, when the cassettes used in such medicine packaging machines contain medicines that are dispensed in large quantities at dispensing locations such as hospitals and pharmacies, they need to be replaced frequently to replenish the missing tablets, and medicine packaging machines equipped with cassettes that dispense large quantities of medicine have long downtimes for cassette replacement. Therefore, there is a trend toward medicine packaging machines equipped with larger capacity cassettes in order to reduce the frequency of cassette replacement. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-022428 A [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6466648 [Patent Document 3] Utility Model No. 2020020026793 [Patent Document 4] JP 2023-068551 A [Patent Document 5] International Publication No. WO2019 / 244825A1 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Conventional drug packaging machines are placed in limited spaces such as pharmacies, so the front side of the machine is open and the back side is shielded by a wall or other shielding object, and in the above-mentioned technologies, the tablet cassette is only attached and detached from the front side of the machine. Recently, drug packaging machines are also placed in factories for supplements, etc., and in the case of drug packaging machines placed in large spaces such as factories, the back side may not be covered by a wall and may be accessible. In such cases, in the configuration in which the tablet cassette can be attached and detached only from the front side of the machine as in the above-mentioned technologies, the tablet cassette must be attached and detached from the front side of the machine even on the shelf on the back side of the machine, which is difficult to operate.

[0007] In addition, in the medicine packaging machine disclosed in "Patent Document 2," in which the front and rear shelves are openable to open the medicine drop path in order to improve cleaning, the front and rear shelves are each opened toward the front of the device (first stage), and from this state the front and rear shelves are further opened (second stage). In this configuration, the shelves are opened about 90 degrees from the front of the device in the first stage, and then the front and rear shelves are opened in the second stage, so the opening angle between the front and rear shelves is less than 90 degrees, making it difficult to easily clean the medicine drop path, especially the medicine drop path where the shelves are connected.

[0008] In addition, in the drug packaging machine disclosed in Patent Document 3, in which the front shelf opens and closes in a double-door manner relative to the rear shelf, and the front shelf also opens and closes back and forth, when in the double-door position, each front shelf only opens to about 90 degrees in relation to the rear shelf, and when the front door is opened further back and forth, the opening angle of each shelf is less than 90 degrees, making it difficult to easily clean the drug drop path, as with the technology described in Patent Document 2. Furthermore, if the technology described in Patent Document 3 is adapted to use the above-mentioned large-capacity cassette, there is a problem in that the thickness of each shelf becomes large, making it difficult to open the shelves like a double door.

[0009] Furthermore, while the technologies disclosed in "Patent Document 4" and "Patent Document 5" each include a manual medicine dispensing device, recently, medicine packaging machines that do not have a manual medicine dispensing device to accommodate the packaging of a small variety of large quantities of medicine have become known. Some of these medicine packaging machines do not have a manual medicine dispensing device and therefore use a large chute section as a lower medicine collection mechanism to receive the falling medicine, but in medicine packaging machines that use such a large chute section, the chute section is large and therefore difficult to remove, which causes problems with cleaning. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a medicine packaging machine that can solve the above-mentioned problems and improve operability and cleanability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The invention described in claim 1 comprises a device main body, a tablet cassette which stores tablets and discharges them one by one, a tablet shelf on which a plurality of the tablet cassettes are mounted, an upper tablet collecting mechanism provided on the tablet shelf and which causes the tablets discharged from the tablet cassette to fall downward, a lower tablet collecting mechanism which collects the tablets that have fallen from the upper tablet collecting mechanism and causes them to fall downward, and a packaging device which packages the tablets that have fallen from the lower tablet collecting mechanism into packaging paper, wherein the tablet shelf has a front shelf located on the front side of the device main body and a rear shelf located on the rear side of the device main body, and the tablet cassettes can be attached and detached to the front shelf from the front side of the device main body and to the rear shelf from the rear side of the device main body. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, the tablet cassettes can be attached and detached to the front shelf from the front side of the device body, and to the rear shelf from the rear side of the device body, thereby greatly improving operability. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic front view of a medicine packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic side view of a medicine packaging machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a partial cross-sectional front view illustrating a lower medicine collecting mechanism of a medicine packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a lower medicine collecting mechanism of a medicine packaging machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic rear view of a medicine packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a tablet cassette and a cassette base used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view illustrating a door of a tablet shelf used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which an upper shutter part used in one embodiment of the present invention is pulled out from an apparatus main body. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a lower chute section that is pulled out from the device body together with an upper shutter section used in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the front shelf and the rear shelf of the medicine packaging machine according to one embodiment of the present invention are opened 180 degrees relative to the device body. FIG. [Figure 11] 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a support structure between the device body and the front shelf used in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 12] 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a fixing structure between the device body and the front shelf used in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 13] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a front shelf is opened 90 degrees relative to a device body of a medicine packaging machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 14] 1 is a schematic front view showing a state in which the front shelf and the rear shelf of the medicine packaging machine according to one embodiment of the present invention are opened 180 degrees relative to the device body. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a packaging device used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a packaging device used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 1 is a schematic plan view showing a packaging device used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exit conveyor used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exit conveyor used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exit conveyor used in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a medicine packaging machine according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the same, FIG. 3 is a partially cross-sectional front view of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the same, and FIG. 5 is a schematic rear view of the same. The medicine packaging machine 1 mainly comprises a device main body 2, a tablet shelf 3, and a packaging device 4, and an upper medicine collection mechanism 5 and a lower medicine collection mechanism 6 are provided inside the device main body 2. The tablet shelf 3 is disposed at the top of the device main body 2, and the packaging device 4 is disposed at the bottom, and the upper medicine collection mechanism 5 is disposed at the top inside the device main body 2, and the lower medicine collection mechanism 6 is disposed at the bottom.

[0014] Between the upper part of the device main body 2 where the tablet shelf 3 is provided and the lower part where the packaging device 4 is provided, there is a flat stepped portion 2a as shown in Figure 2, which is configured so that the operator can carry out dispensing work on the stepped portion 2a. A control means (not shown) that controls the operation of the medicine packaging machine 1 is provided inside the device body 2, and a touch panel 7 is disposed on the upper front surface of the tablet shelf 3, through which input is made when operating the medicine packaging machine 1. The base end of the touch panel 7 is supported by an arm member 7a that is fixed to the device body 2 located above the tablet shelf 3, and the arm member 7a rotates and expands and contracts to allow the touch panel 7 to occupy any position.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 4, the tablet shelf 3 is composed of a front shelf 8 and a rear shelf 9. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 5, the front shelf 8 and the rear shelf 9 store a large number of tablet cassettes 10, and in the example shown in this embodiment, each store 18 tablet cassettes 10 in three rows and six columns. Here, the structure and operation of the tablet cassette 10 used in this embodiment will be described. As shown in Fig. 6, the tablet cassette 10 includes two rotors 11, 12, a container body 13 in which tablets are stored, a handle 14, a lid 15, and two tablet discharge ports 16, 17, and is formed larger than a normal tablet cassette and configured to be able to store a larger number of tablets than a normal tablet cassette. When the base part 19 of the tablet cassette 10 engages with cassette bases 18, 18 of which are provided on each of the front shelf 8 and the rear shelf 9, the rotors 11, 12 are rotated and the tablets stored inside the container body 13 can be discharged one tablet at a time from each of the tablet discharge ports 16, 17. The operator of the medicine packaging machine 1 grasps the handle 14 to transport the tablet cassette 10.

[0016] The cassette base 18 has a transmission drive unit 20 that engages with the rotation drive mechanism of each rotor 11, 12 provided in the tablet cassette 10 from below the base part 19 to transmit a rotation drive force to each rotor 11, 12, and when the transmission drive unit 20 is rotated by the operation of the pulse motor, each rotor 11, 12 is also rotated synchronously. A plurality of uneven parts formed at equal pitches are provided on the outer periphery of each rotor 11, 12, and as each rotor 11, 12 rotates, tablets enter one by one into the recess of each uneven part. Then, the recess having the tablet overlaps each tablet discharge port 16, 17, and the tablet is discharged one by one from each tablet discharge port 16, 17. Note that when the recess of the uneven part provided in the rotor 11 overlaps the tablet discharge port 16, the convex part of the uneven part provided in the rotor 12 overlaps the tablet discharge port 17. As a result, tablets are discharged from each tablet discharge port 16, 17 at different discharge times.

[0017] An identification member 21 that records the types of tablets contained inside the container body 13 is provided on the bottom surface of the base part 19 of the tablet cassette 10. A commercially available thin, flexible RFID tag is used as the identification member 21, and information about the tablets contained in each tablet cassette 10 is written in advance. The combination of the contained tablets and the identification member 21 is stored by control means (not shown), and the information can be confirmed via the touch panel 7, for example. The cassette base 18 is provided with an identification sensor 23 on its upper surface 22 which recognizes the identification member 21, and the identification sensor 23 is configured to be able to identify the tablet cassette 10 which is placed and engaged on the cassette base 18 by identifying the identification member 21 provided on any tablet cassette 10. In the above-described configuration, tablet cassette 10 is shown as a tablet cassette that is larger than a normal tablet cassette and can store a larger number of tablets, but the tablet cassettes that can be used with the medicine packaging machine 1 of this embodiment are not limited to this, and any tablet cassette can be used as long as it is capable of storing a large number of tablets and capable of discharging the stored tablets one by one in accordance with the instructions of the control means.

[0018] An operator can attach and detach tablet cassettes 10 to each cassette base 18 on front shelf 8 from the front side of the device, and tablets contained in tablet cassettes 10 attached to front shelf 8 are packaged by packaging device 4. An operator can attach and detach tablet cassettes 10 to each cassette base 18 on rear shelf 9 to which cassette bases 18 are fixed from the rear side of the device, and tablets contained in tablet cassettes 10 attached to rear shelf 9 are also packaged by packaging device 4. As shown in FIG. 7, the surfaces of the front shelf 8 and the rear shelf 9 are provided with openable and closable doors 24, 25, respectively, for protecting the tablet cassettes 10 stored therein. In this way, the medicine packaging machine 1 of the present invention can attach and detach tablet cassettes 10 to and from tablet shelf 3 from either the front or back side, greatly improving operability compared to conventional medicine packaging machines in which tablet cassettes can only be attached and detached from the front side. Also, it becomes possible for the machine to be operated by two or more operators, improving work efficiency.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 4, an upper medicine collecting mechanism 5 having individual guide paths 26 and collective guide path 27 is disposed between tablet cassettes 10 housed in front shelf 8 and tablet cassettes 10 housed in rear shelf 9. Individual guide paths 26 formed from sheet metal members are provided corresponding to each cassette base 18, and guide downward the tablets discharged from each tablet discharge port 16, 17. Collective guide path 27 formed by opposing plate members 36, which are sheet metal members, is provided on the rear side of each of shelves 8, 9, and guides downward all of the tablets discharged from each individual guide path 26.

[0020] The lower drug collection mechanism 6 is located below the tablet shelf 3 as shown in Figures 3 and 4, and collects tablets that have fallen from multiple tablet cassettes 10 contained in the tablet shelf 3 via the upper drug collection mechanism 5, and drops the collected tablets further below toward the packaging device 4. In the medicine packaging machine 1, the lower medicine collecting mechanism 6 is mainly composed of an upper chute section 28, a lower chute section 29, and an upper shutter section 30. The upper chute section 28 is located at the top of the lower drug collecting mechanism 6, and is a large, square cylindrical member that is inclined and narrows downward so as to transport the drug falling from the upper drug collecting mechanism 5 from the rear side of the device to the front side of the device. The lower chute section 29 is located below the upper chute section 28, and is a small, rectangular tubular member that is inclined and narrowed downward so as to transport the medicine dropping from the upper chute section 28 from the rear side of the device toward the front side of the device. The openable upper shutter section 30 is located between the upper chute section 28 and the lower chute section 29, and temporarily stores the medicine dropped from the upper chute section 28 in a closed state, and after a predetermined time has passed, it opens and drops the medicine into the lower chute section 29.

[0021] In the lower medicine collecting mechanism 6, the lower chute section 29 and the upper shutter section 30 are configured to be retractable from the device main body 2. As shown in Fig. 1, a front cover 31 that can be opened and closed downwardly with its lower end as an opening and closing pivot is provided on the front portion of the device main body 2 in which the packaging device 4 is housed, and a front plate 32 that can be pulled out to the front side of the device when the front cover 31 is opened is provided above the front cover 31. As shown in Fig. 8, a shelf section 33 that is supported by a rail member (not shown) so as to be retractable to the front side of the device is connected to the front plate 32, and the upper shutter section 30 is attached to the inside of the shelf section 33 so as to be detachable from the shelf section 33.

[0022] 9 is a view of the shelf section 33 drawn out from the device main body 2 as seen from below. The lower chute section 29 is disposed below the bottom plate 33a of the shelf section 33. The lower chute section 29 is supported by a rail member (not shown) and is configured to be freely attached to and detached from the shelf section 33 which is drawn out to the front side of the device and forms part of the device main body 2. At the rear end of the lower chute section 29, a ball catch mechanism 34 for holding the lower chute section 29 when it is attached to the shelf section 33 and a chute section detection sensor 35 for detecting when the lower chute section 34 is attached to a predetermined position on the shelf section 33 are disposed. In addition, the bottom plate 33a to which the lower chute section 29 is attached is provided with a hole (not shown) which communicates between the upper shutter section 30 and the lower chute section 29.

[0023] With the above-mentioned configuration, the lower chute section 29 and the upper shutter section 30 can be pulled out integrally from the device body 2, and the upper shutter section 30 is exposed when pulled out from the device body 2, so that the upper shutter section 30 can be easily cleaned, improving cleanability. Note that by removing the upper shutter section 30 from the shelf section 33, the cleanability can be further improved. In addition, because the lower chute section 29 is detachable from the shelf section 33, the lower chute section 29 can be removed from the device body 2 for cleaning, improving cleanability. Furthermore, a ball catch mechanism 34 for fixing the lower chute section 29 to the shelf section 33 and a chute section detection sensor 35 for detecting when the lower chute section 34 is attached to a predetermined position on the shelf section 33 are provided, so that the lower chute section 34 can be reliably set to a predetermined position. Even if the lower chute section 29 is forgotten to be set on the shelf section 33 and the shelf section 33 is stored in the device body 2, the chute section detection sensor 35 detects that the lower chute section 29 is not attached to the shelf section 33, so that it is possible to prevent the device from being soiled or broken due to the device operating without the lower chute section 29 attached.

[0024] As described above, the tablet shelf 3 is composed of the front shelf 8 and the rear shelf 9, which are each rotatably supported by the device main body 2 as shown in Fig. 10. Specifically, the front shelf 8 has one side rotatably supported on one side of the device main body 2 so as to be openable toward the front side of the device, and the rear shelf 9 has one side rotatably supported on one side of the device main body 2 so as to be openable toward the rear side of the device. The following describes the support structure of the rear shelf 9 with respect to the device body 2. Note that the front shelf 8 is configured in the same way, so only the rear shelf 9 will be described here.

[0025] The rear shelf 9 is rotatably supported at the upper part of one side of the device body 2 by a hinge mechanism 50 shown in FIG. 11(a) and at the lower part of one side of the device body 2 by a hinge mechanism 54 shown in FIG. 11(b). The device body 2 and the rear shelf 9 are provided with an open state holding mechanism (not shown) that holds the rear shelf 9 in an open state when the rear shelf 9 is opened at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the device body 2 as shown in FIG. 10. The device body 2 and the rear shelf 9 are also provided with a detection mechanism that detects when the rear shelf 9 is located at a dispensing position where tablets can be dispensed, which is a predetermined position where the rear shelf 9 is closed relative to the device body 2. The detection mechanism is composed of a dog 55a provided on the rear shelf 9 and a sensor 55b provided on the device body 2, and detects that the rear shelf 9 is located at the dispensing position when the dog 55a is detected by the sensor 55b. The front shelf 8 is also rotatably supported on one side of the device body 2 by a hinge mechanism similar to that of the rear shelf 9, and when opened at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the device body 2, it is held in the open state by a similar open state holding mechanism. With this configuration, the front shelf 8 and the rear shelf 9 are configured to be able to be held in an open state with the front shelf 8 at an angle of 90 degrees toward the front side of the device and the rear shelf 9 at an angle of 90 degrees toward the rear side of the device, respectively, as shown in Figure 10, in other words, with the tablet shelf 3 open at an angle of 180 degrees relative to the device body 2.

[0026] On the other side, which is the side opposite to the pivot point of the front shelf 8 and the device body 2, a fixing member 56 is provided to fix the front shelf 8 to the device body 2 when the front shelf 8 is closed to the device body 2 and occupies the dispensing position. As shown in FIG. 12, the fixing member 56 is composed of an engaging member 57 provided on the device body 2 side and an engaged member 58 provided on the front shelf 8 side, and the engaged member 58 engages with the engaging member 57 when the front shelf 8 occupies the dispensing position. The engaging member 57 has a ball catch mechanism, and the engaged member 58 has an engaging piece that engages with the engaging member 57. This allows the front shelf 8 to be fixed to the device body 2 in the dispensing position by the fixing member 56. The rear shelf 9 is also configured to be fixed to the device body 2 in the dispensing position by a similar fixing member.

[0027] As described above, upper medicine collecting mechanism 5 is provided in the area between front shelf 8 and rear shelf 9, and tablets stored in each tablet cassette 10 pass through individual guide path 26 and collective guide path 27 of upper medicine collecting mechanism 5 and fall into lower medicine collecting mechanism 6. Therefore, as medicine supply from tablet shelf 3 progresses, upper medicine collecting mechanism 5 becomes soiled by the falling tablets, and therefore upper medicine collecting mechanism 5 needs to be cleaned. In the medicine packaging machine 1 of the present invention, the front shelf 8 and the rear shelf 9 can each be opened 90 degrees relative to the device body 2. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 13, the front shelf 8 is held in a 90 degree forward open state by an open state holding mechanism with the rear shelf 9 closed. In this state, the plate members 36 constituting the collecting guide path 27 of the upper medicine collecting mechanism 5 provided on the front side of each shelf 8, 9 are exposed, so that the upper medicine collecting mechanism 5 provided on each shelf 8, 9 can be easily cleaned.

[0028] In the lower medicine collecting mechanism 6, the upper chute section 28 is disposed at the top position above the lower chute section 29. As described above, the upper chute section 28 is a large rectangular tubular member that is inclined and narrows downward so as to send medicines dropping from the upper medicine collecting mechanism 5 from the rear side of the device to the front side of the device. When the medicine packaging machine 1 is in operation, the tablet shelf 3 equipped with the upper medicine collecting mechanism 5 is located above the upper chute section 28. Therefore, as medicines are supplied from the tablet shelf 3, the upper chute section 28 as well as the upper medicine collecting mechanism 5 must be cleaned. However, conventionally configured tablet packaging machines, such as those in which the front and rear shelves are openable so that the drug drop path can be opened, and those in which the front shelf opens and closes like a double door relative to the rear shelf, and the front shelf further opens and closes back and forth, have the following problems: Part of the open shelf is located above the large upper chute section 28, and the upper chute section 28 is not completely exposed, making it difficult to clean. In addition, there is also a problem that when the upper chute section 28 is removed upward from the device body, the upper chute section 28 comes into contact with part of the shelf, preventing it from being removed upward.

[0029] In the medicine packaging machine 1 of the present invention, the front shelf 8 and the rear shelf 9 are each configured to be openable at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the device body 2. With this configuration, in an open state where each shelf 8, 9 is opened at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the device body 2, the open shelves 8, 9 are not positioned above the upper chute section 28 as shown in Figs. 10 and 11(b), so that the upper chute section 28 is completely exposed and can be easily cleaned. In addition, as shown in Fig. 14, the upper chute section 28 can be easily removed upward, which makes it possible to easily clean the upper chute section 28 and greatly improves the cleanability of the lower medicine collecting mechanism 6. The cleaning and attachment / detachment of the upper chute section 28 can improve work efficiency and safety by maintaining the shelves 8, 9 in an open state using an open state maintaining mechanism.

[0030] The packaging device 4 arranged at the bottom of the device body 2 can be seen from the front when the front cover 31 is open as shown in Fig. 15, and is configured so that it can be pulled out towards the front of the device from this state as shown in Fig. 16. The packaging device 4 is placed as a unit on the upper surface of a plate-shaped base member 37 that is supported so as to be freely pulled out by a rail member (not shown), and is pulled out towards the front of the device by pulling the base member 37 out of the device body 2. When the packaging device 4 is pulled out from the device body 2 as shown in Fig. 16, it can be cleaned by airflow from an air compressor or the like.

[0031] As shown in Figure 17, packaging device 4 is equipped with, in order along the transport path of packing paper 38, a packing strip feeding section 39 that holds a roll of packing paper 38 and applies appropriate tension to send out packing paper 38 from the tip, a printer 40 that prints on packing paper 38, and a vertical sealing section 41 that has a heating element extending in the width direction of packing paper 38, i.e., in the direction of the paper surface in Figure 17, and heats and fuses packing paper 38. The packaging device 4 further includes a hopper 42 that moves up and down inside the folded packet paper 38 to insert and remove the tip portion, a horizontal seal section 43 that has a heating element extending in the left and right directions in Figure 17 and heats and fuses the packet paper 38, a roller section 44 that applies tension to the packet paper 38, and a cutter 45 that perforates and cuts the packet paper 38.

[0032] With the above-mentioned configuration, the packaging paper 38 is divided into individual packages of a specified length, tablets are sealed inside the packages, and the top of each package is heat-sealed and transported downstream. Packaging paper 38 is drawn out from packaging wrapper feeder 39, which is wound in a roll in a valley fold so that the top is open. Packaging paper 38 drawn out from packaging wrapper feeder 39 is printed by printer 40, moves below hopper 42, and is formed into individual packages by vertical sealer 41 sealing the front and rear in the conveying direction. Tablets are then poured into the individual packages from hopper 42, and the top of the individual packages is sealed by horizontal sealer 43, after which the packages are processed by cutter 45 and conveyed downstream.

[0033] A packet of tablets falls into hopper 42 from lower medicine collecting mechanism 6, and one packet of tablets is enclosed in each individual package formed in packing paper 38. When hopper 42 detects that tablets have been enclosed in packing paper 38, horizontal seal unit 43 fuses the upper part of packing paper 38, and roller unit 44 pulls in packing paper 38 by a predetermined amount, thereby transporting packing paper 38 by the length of one packet. By repeating this operation, a series of medicine bags, each containing a packet of tablets, are conveyed downstream.

[0034] An exit conveyor 46 is disposed downstream of cutter 45 in the packing paper conveying direction as a conveying member that conveys packing paper 38 further downstream. As shown in Figure 18, the exit conveyor 46 has a conveyor section 47 consisting of a pair of belt conveyors equipped with multiple rollers and an endless belt that clamps and conveys packing paper 38, a drive motor 48 that rotates and drives conveyor section 47, a torque limiter 49, etc. Operation of the drive motor 48 rotates the conveyor unit 47 via the torque limiter 49, and the packing paper 38 is transported downstream. If the packing paper 38 becomes caught somewhere in the device and a load is applied, the torque limiter 49 cuts off the driving force of the motor 48, and the conveyor unit 47 stops. With this configuration, the driving force of the drive motor 48 is cut off without detailed drive control of the drive motor 48, thereby preventing breakdowns in the exit conveyor 46.

[0035] A gripping portion (not shown) is provided on the front side of the device of the exit conveyor 46, and by gripping this gripping portion and lifting the exit conveyor 46 upward toward the rear of the device, the exit conveyor 46 can be displaced from a conveying position where it conveys the packing paper 38 to a retracted position where it is retracted upward, as shown in Figures 19 and 20. When the exit conveyor 46 occupies the retracted position, the exit conveyor 46 can be maintained in that state by a holding member (not shown). Also, provided below the front side of the device are a holding mechanism 51 that holds the exit conveyor 46 in the conveying position, and a position detection sensor 52 that detects that the exit conveyor 46 is in the conveying position. The packaging paper 38 transported by the exit conveyor 46 is transported toward outlet 53, which is a packaging paper outlet provided on the side of the device main body 2 as shown in Figures 2 and 20, and is discharged laterally from the front side of the medicine packaging machine 1.

[0036] According to this configuration, the packaging paper 38 packaged by the packaging device 4 is discharged to the side of the device main body 2, eliminating the need to place a container for collecting the packaging paper at the front of the device as in conventional packaging machines in which the packaging paper is discharged at the front of the device. This allows the packaging operation to be performed without placing equipment in front of the device, ensuring the movement of workers and improving workability and safety for the workers. Also, because it has the exit conveyor 46 that selectively occupies a transport position and a retracted position, if a transport jam occurs with the packaging paper 38, the exit conveyor 46 can be retracted to the retracted position to easily and reliably clear the jammed packaging paper 38. Furthermore, because the exit conveyor 46 has the drive motor 48 and torque limiter 49, breakdowns in the exit conveyor 46 can be prevented without detailed drive control of the drive motor 48.

[0037] According to the above-mentioned configuration, a large chute can be used as upper chute section 28, so that the height of upper chute section 28 in the vertical direction of the device can be made relatively large. This allows the inclination angle of upper chute section 28 in the front-rear direction of the device to be large, so that tablets that have fallen from tablet shelf 3 on the rear side of the device can be transferred to the front side of the device. Therefore, hopper 42 to which tablets are finally supplied can be positioned on the front side of the device, and discharge port 53 of packet paper 38 in packaging device 4 can be positioned on the front side of the device on the side of device main body 2, so that packet paper 38 can be easily collected.

[0038] According to the present invention, tablet cassettes 10 can be attached and detached from front shelf 8 and from the front side of device body 2 and from rear shelf 9, respectively, so operability can be greatly improved compared to conventional medicine packaging machines in which tablet cassettes can be attached and detached only from the front side. Also, operation by two or more operators is possible, improving work efficiency. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the front shelf 8 can be opened at an angle of 90 degrees towards the front of the apparatus, and the rear shelf 9 can be opened at an angle of 90 degrees towards the rear of the apparatus, relative to the apparatus body 2. Therefore, when the shelves 8, 9 are opened at an angle of 90 degrees, they are not located above upper chute portion 28, so that upper chute portion 28 is exposed, making it easy to clean. Furthermore, according to the present invention, when each shelf 8, 9 is opened at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the device body 2, the open state can be maintained by the open state maintaining mechanism, thereby improving work efficiency and safety when cleaning and attaching / detaching the upper chute section 28.

[0039] According to the present invention, the upper chute portion 28 can be removed from the device main body 2 when the front shelf 8 and the rear shelf 9 are each opened at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the device main body 2, making it possible to easily clean the upper chute portion 28 and significantly improving the cleanability of the lower medicine collection mechanism 6. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the upper shutter portion 30 and the lower chute portion 29 can be pulled out integrally from the device body 2, so that the upper shutter portion 30 and the lower chute portion 29 can be cleaned while pulled out from the device body 2, improving cleaning performance.

[0040] According to the present invention, lower chute section 29 is detachable from shelf section 33 which constitutes the device main body. Therefore, lower chute section 29 can be cleaned while removed from shelf section 33, improving ease of cleaning. Furthermore, according to the present invention, outlet 53 as a packet paper outlet from which packet paper 38 is discharged is located on the side of device main body 2, so there is no need to place a container for collecting packet paper at the front of the device as in conventional packaging machines in which packet paper is discharged at the front of the device, and this ensures the movement of workers and improves workability and safety for the workers.

[0041] According to the present invention, the exit conveyor 46, which serves as a transport member for transporting the packing paper 38 to the discharge outlet 53, can be displaced between a transport position and a retracted position. Therefore, when the packing paper 38 jams during transport, the exit conveyor 46 can be retracted to the retracted position, allowing the jammed packing paper 38 to be easily and reliably cleared. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the packaging device 4 has a drive motor 48 and a torque limiter 49 as a driving means for driving the exit conveyor 46, so that even without detailed control of the drive of the drive motor 48, when a load is applied to the packaging paper 38, the driving force of the drive motor 48 is cut off, thereby preventing breakdown of the exit conveyor 46.

[0042] For example, aspects of the present invention are as follows. [1] A pharmaceutical packaging machine comprising: a device main body; a tablet cassette which stores tablets and discharges them one by one; a tablet shelf on which a plurality of the tablet cassettes are mounted; an upper tablet collecting mechanism provided on the tablet shelf and which causes the tablets discharged from the tablet cassette to fall downward; a lower tablet collecting mechanism which collects the tablets that have fallen from the upper tablet collecting mechanism and causes them to fall downward; and a packaging device which packages the tablets that have fallen from the lower tablet collecting mechanism into packaging paper, wherein the tablet shelf has a front shelf located on the front side of the device main body and a rear shelf located on the rear side of the device main body, and the tablet cassettes can be attached and detached from the front side of the device main body to the front shelf and from the rear side of the device main body to the rear shelf. [2] The drug packaging machine described in [1] is characterized in that one side of the front shelf is supported on one side of the device body so as to be freely rotatable and openable toward the front of the device, one side of the rear shelf is supported on one side of the device body so as to be freely rotatable and openable toward the rear of the device, and the front shelf can be opened at a 90 degree angle toward the front of the device, and the rear shelf can be opened at a 90 degree angle toward the rear of the device, respectively, relative to the device body. [3] The medicine packaging machine described in [2] is characterized in that the front shelf and the rear shelf can be maintained in an open state when opened at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the device body. [4] The lower tablet collecting mechanism has an upper chute section that receives tablets falling from the upper tablet collecting mechanism, a lower chute section that drops the tablets into the packaging device, and an upper shutter section that connects the upper chute section and the lower chute section, and is characterized in that the upper chute is removable from the device body when the front shelf and the rear shelf are each opened at an angle of 90 degrees to the device body. This is a drug packaging machine as described in [2] or [3]. [5] The drug packaging machine described in [4], wherein the upper shutter portion and the lower chute portion can be pulled out integrally from the device body. [6] The drug packaging machine described in [5], wherein the lower chute portion is detachable from the device body. [7] A pharmaceutical packaging machine as described in any one of [1] to [6], characterized in that it has a packaging paper outlet on the side of the device body, through which packaging paper containing tablets is discharged. [8] The packaging device is a drug packaging machine described in any one of [1] to [7], characterized in that it has a transport member that transports the packaging paper toward the packaging paper discharge outlet, and the transport member is displaceable between a transport position for transporting the packaging paper and a retracted position for retracting from the transport position. [9] The packaging device is a drug packaging machine as described in [8], characterized in that it has a driving means for driving the conveying member, and the driving means has a driving motor and a torque limiter.

[0043] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the spirit of the present invention described in the claims unless otherwise specifically limited in the above description. The effects described in the embodiments of the present invention are merely examples of the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1. Drug packaging machine 2. Device body 3. Pill shelf 4 Packaging equipment 5. Upper drug collection mechanism 6 Lower drug collection mechanism 8 Front shelf 9 Rear shelf 10 Tablet Cassette 28 Upper chute section 29 Lower chute section 30 Upper shutter part 38 Wrapping paper 46 Transporting member (exit conveyor) 48 Drive motor 49 Torque limiter 53 Packaging paper outlet (discharge outlet)

Claims

1. A device body, A tablet cassette that stores tablets and discharges them one by one; a tablet shelf on which a plurality of the tablet cassettes are mounted; an upper tablet collecting mechanism provided on the tablet shelf for dropping downward the tablets discharged from the tablet cassette; a lower tablet collecting mechanism that collects the tablets that have fallen from the upper tablet collecting mechanism and drops them downward; a packaging device that packages the tablets dropped from the lower tablet collecting mechanism into packaging paper, The tablet shelf has a front shelf located on the front side of the device body and a rear shelf located on the rear side of the device body, The tablet cassette can be attached and detached to the front shelf from the front side of the device body, and to the rear shelf from the rear side of the device body.

2. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 1, A drug packaging machine characterized in that one side of the front shelf is supported on one side of the device body so as to be freely rotatable and openable toward the front side of the device, one side of the rear shelf is supported on one side of the device body so as to be freely rotatable and openable toward the rear side of the device, and the front shelf can be opened at a 90 degree angle toward the front side of the device, and the rear shelf can be opened at a 90 degree angle toward the rear side of the device, each relative to the device body.

3. The drug packaging device according to claim 2, The medicine packaging device, wherein the front shelf and the rear shelf can be maintained in an open state when opened at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the device body.

4. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 2, The lower tablet collecting mechanism has an upper chute section that receives tablets that have fallen from the upper tablet collecting mechanism, a lower chute section that drops the tablets into the packaging device, and an upper shutter section that connects the upper chute section and the lower chute section, and is characterized in that the upper chute is removable from the device main body when the front shelf and the rear shelf are each opened at an angle of 90 degrees to the device main body.

5. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 4, A medicine packaging machine, wherein the upper shutter portion and the lower chute portion can be pulled out integrally from the device body.

6. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 5, The medicine packaging machine, wherein the lower chute portion is detachable from the device body.

7. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 1, A medicine packaging machine characterized in that it has a packaging paper outlet on a side surface of the device body, through which packaging paper containing tablets is discharged.

8. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 7, A pharmaceutical packaging machine characterized in that the packaging device has a transport member that transports the packet paper toward the packet paper discharge outlet, and the transport member is displaceable between a transport position where the packet paper is transported and a retracted position where the transport member retracts from the transport position.

9. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 8, The packaging device has a drive means for driving the conveying member, the drive means having a drive motor and a torque limiter.

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