Tablet packaging system

Abstract

To provide a packaging system in which a large quantity of various medicines can be stored and any medicine can be selected and automatically packaged from the stored medicines.SOLUTION: A medicine packaging system 1 includes: a tablet cassette 16 for storing tablets and discharging a piece of tablet; a medicine packaging device 2 having a shelf part 9 to which a plurality of tablet cassettes 16 can be attached and a packaging device 10 for packaging the tablet discharged from the tablet cassette 16 into a packaging paper; a plurality of cabinets 3, 4, 5 to which a plurality of tablet cassettes 16 can be attached and positioned to surround the medicine packaging device 2; and a robot 7 which can store and take out the tablet cassette 16 to and from the shelf part 9, and can store and take out the tablet cassette 16 to and from each of the cabinets 3, 4, 5, and supplies and received the tablet cassettes 16 between the medicine packaging device 2 and each of the cabinets 3, 4, 5. The robot 7 is positioned in a work space surrounded by the medicine packaging device 2 and the plurality of cabinets 3, 4, 5, and the robot 7 supplies and receives the tablet cassette 16 to and from the medicine packaging device 2 from a back side of the shelf part 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medicine packaging system including a medicine packaging machine that packages medicines, a cabinet capable of storing a large amount of various kinds of medicines, and a robot that transfers medicines between the cabinet and the medicine packaging machine. [Background technology]

[0002] A fluid loading system is known that includes a columnar member that holds a large number of bulk containers (hereinafter referred to as containers) containing medicines, a robot arm, and a conveyor (see, for example, "Patent Document 1"). In this technology, a selected container is removed from the columnar member and placed on a counting and dispensing machine, a fluid container of a predetermined size is removed from a dispenser by the robot arm and a label is attached, and the counting and dispensing machine is operated to fill a chute with a predetermined number of tablets. Then, the labeled fluid container is moved to the chute by the robot arm, the tablets in the chute are transferred to the fluid container, and the fluid container filled with tablets is placed on the conveyor by the robot arm. The fluid containers on the conveyor are handled by a pharmacist. According to this technology, a method and an apparatus for automatically dispensing containers such as medicine containers can be provided.

[0003] In the above-mentioned technology, when tablets are replenished in a container, the container is transferred from the columnar member to the supply output shelf by the robot arm, and an operator retrieves the container from the supply output shelf and replenishes tablets in the container. After replenishment, the operator places the replenished container in a supply entrance, and when the container is placed in the supply entrance, a barcode provided on the container is read by a scanner, and the robot arm returns the container to the columnar member based on the read information.

[0004] Also, a medicine dispenser is known that has a medicine shelf area, a medicine division area, and a medicine packaging area inside, a container storage device in the medicine shelf area, a distribution tray, a scraping device, and a container placement device in the medicine division area, and a medicine packaging device in the medicine packaging area, and the medicine shelf area, medicine division area, and medicine packaging area are arranged in a vertical direction, with the order of the medicine shelf area, medicine division area, and medicine packaging area being arranged from the top (see, for example, "Patent Document 2"). In this device, a container moving means takes out a specific medicine container from the container storage device located in the medicine shelf area and above the distribution tray, moves the medicine container from the container storage device in the vertical direction to a container placement position in the medicine division area and places it there, discharges powdered medicine from the medicine container and places it in the distribution tray, scrapes out the powdered medicine placed in the distribution tray by the scraping device and drops it to the medicine packaging area side, and packages the medicine by the packaging device. Then, the medicine container after the powdered medicine has been discharged can be returned to the container storage device in the medicine shelf area by the container moving means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2002-514152 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6842632 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the technology disclosed in "Patent Document 1," a large number of containers (medicine containers) are arranged around a robot arm (robot), a predetermined number of tablets are filled into a fluid container from a selected container, the filled fluid container is placed on a conveyor by the robot, and the fluid container is handled by a pharmacist. Therefore, although it is possible to select a specific tablet from tablets stored in a large number of medicine containers, it is not possible to perform packaging operations using the tablets. Furthermore, while the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 makes it possible to remove specific drug containers from a container storage device and package them, because the container storage device is located inside the housing of the packaging device, the types and numbers of drug containers that can be stored in the container storage device are limited. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide a medicine packaging system that is capable of storing a large amount of a wide variety of medicines and is capable of selecting any medicine from the stored medicines and automatically packaging it. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention described in claim 1 comprises a pharmaceutical packaging machine including a tablet cassette which stores tablets and discharges them one by one, a shelf section capable of mounting multiple tablet cassettes, and a packaging device which packs the tablets discharged from the tablet cassette into packaging paper; a plurality of cabinets capable of mounting multiple tablet cassettes and which are arranged to surround the rear side of the pharmaceutical packaging machine; and a robot capable of storing and removing the tablet cassettes from the shelf section and from each of the cabinets, and which transfers the tablet cassettes between the pharmaceutical packaging machine and each of the cabinets, wherein the robot is positioned within a work space surrounded by the pharmaceutical packaging machine and the multiple cabinets, and transfers the tablet cassettes to and from the pharmaceutical packaging machine from the rear side of the shelf section. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, a medicine packaging system can be provided that can store a large variety of medicines in a medicine packaging machine and each cabinet, and can automatically select any medicine from the stored medicines and package it. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic front perspective view of a medicine packaging system according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic front perspective view showing a medicine packaging system according to one embodiment of the present invention with a ceiling portion removed. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic rear perspective view showing a medicine packaging system according to one embodiment of the present invention with the ceiling portion removed. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of a medicine packaging machine used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a medicine packaging machine used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a tablet cassette used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a lid portion of a tablet cassette used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view illustrating a packaging device used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic side view of a medicine packaging system according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic side view of a medicine packaging system according to one embodiment of the present invention, with the cabinet located at the front side removed. FIG. [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which one cabinet door of a medicine packaging system according to one embodiment of the present invention is open. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a cassette base used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a tablet cassette used in one embodiment of the present invention is manually attached to and detached from a cassette base. FIG. [Figure 14] 14 is a schematic view showing a state in which the tablet cassette has been inverted 180 degrees from the state shown in FIG. 13 by operating the inverting means. FIG. [Figure 15] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a cabinet arranged opposite a medicine packaging machine of a medicine packaging system according to one embodiment of the present invention is open. FIG. [Figure 16] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a robot used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a gripping portion of a robot used in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 18] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a gripping operation of a tablet cassette by a gripping unit of a robot used in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 19] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a gripping operation of a tablet cassette by a gripping unit of a robot used in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Fig. 1 is a schematic front perspective view of a medicine packaging system according to one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic front perspective view of a medicine packaging system according to one embodiment of the present invention with the ceiling removed, and Fig. 3 is a schematic rear perspective view of a medicine packaging system according to one embodiment of the present invention with the ceiling removed. As shown in each figure, the medicine packaging system 1 includes a medicine packaging machine 2, multiple cabinets 3, 4, 5, a ceiling 6, a robot 7, etc.

[0011] The medicine packaging machine 2, which is arranged in a position that faces the operator when operating the medicine packaging system 1, mainly comprises a device main body 8, a tablet shelf 9 as a shelf section, and a packaging device 10, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and an upper medicine collection mechanism 11 and a lower medicine collection mechanism 12 are provided inside the device main body 8. The tablet shelf 9 is arranged at the top of the device main body 8, and the packaging device 10 is arranged at the bottom, and the upper medicine collection mechanism 11 is arranged at the top inside the device main body 8, and the lower medicine collection mechanism 12 is arranged at the bottom. A control means (not shown) for controlling the operation of the medicine packaging machine 2 is provided inside the device body 8, and a touch panel 13 is disposed on the upper front surface of the tablet shelf 9, through which input is made when operating the medicine packaging machine 2. The base end of the touch panel 13 is supported by an arm member 13a fixed to the device body 8 located above the tablet shelf 9, and the arm member 13a rotates and expands and contracts to allow the touch panel 13 to occupy any position.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 5, the tablet shelf 9 is composed of a front shelf 14 and a rear shelf 15. A large number of tablet cassettes 16 are stored in the front shelf 14 and the rear shelf 15 as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 5, and in the example shown in this embodiment, 18 tablet cassettes 16 are stored in each of the front shelf 14 and the rear shelf 15 in three stages and six rows. Here, the structure and operation of the tablet cassette 16 used in this embodiment will be described. As shown in Fig. 6, the tablet cassette 16 includes two rotors 17, 18, a container body 19 in which tablets are stored, a handle 20, a lid 21, and two tablet outlets 22, 23, and is formed larger than a normal tablet cassette and is configured to be able to store a larger number of tablets than a normal tablet cassette. When the base part 25 of the tablet cassette 16 engages with cassette bases 24, 18 of which are provided on each of the front shelf 14 and the rear shelf 15, the rotors 17, 18 are driven to rotate, and the tablets stored inside the container body 19 can be discharged one tablet at a time from the tablet outlets 22, 23. The operator of the medicine packaging system 1 grasps the handle 20 to transport the tablet cassette 16.

[0013] The cassette base 24 has a transmission drive unit 26 that engages with the rotation drive mechanism of each rotor 17, 18 provided in the tablet cassette 16 from below the base part 25 to transmit a rotation drive force to each rotor 17, 18, and when the transmission drive unit 26 is rotated by the operation of the pulse motor, each rotor 17, 18 is also rotated synchronously. A plurality of uneven parts formed at equal pitches are provided on the outer periphery of each rotor 17, 18, and as each rotor 17, 18 rotates, tablets enter one by one into the recess of each uneven part. Then, the recess having the tablet overlaps each tablet discharge port 22, 23, so that tablets are discharged one by one from each tablet discharge port 22, 23. Note that when the recess of the uneven part provided in the rotor 17 overlaps with the tablet discharge port 22, the convex part of the uneven part provided in the rotor 18 overlaps with the tablet discharge port 23. As a result, tablets are discharged from each tablet discharge port 22, 23 at different discharge times.

[0014] An identification member 27 that records the type of tablets contained inside container body 19 is provided on the bottom surface of base part 25 of tablet cassette 16. A commercially available thin, flexible RFID tag is used as identification member 27, and information about the tablets contained in each tablet cassette 16 is written in advance. The combination of the contained tablets and identification member 27 is stored by control means (not shown), and this information can be confirmed, for example, via touch panel 13. In addition, an identification member 28 having the same structure and function as identification member 27 is also provided on handle 20. The cassette base 24 is provided with an identification sensor 30 on its upper surface 29 which recognizes the identification member 27, and the identification sensor 30 is configured to be able to identify the tablet cassette 16 which is placed and engaged on the cassette base 24 by identifying the identification member 27 provided on any tablet cassette 16.

[0015] 7, the base end of the lid 21 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 31 provided at the end of the container body 19, and is configured to be able to open the upper opening of the container body 19 by rotating the free end 21a upward from the closing position shown in Fig. 7(a) which closes the upper opening of the container body 19. The free end 21a is provided with a claw portion 21b extending downward, and a hole portion 21c is formed in the claw portion 21b. The container body 19 located below the free end 21a is provided with an opening member 32 supported rotatably by a support shaft 32a. The opening member 32 has an engagement portion 32b at one end that can engage with the hole 21c, and a spring member 33 is provided at the other end that applies a biasing force to the opening member 32 in the clockwise direction in Fig. 7 around the support shaft 32a. The container body 19 located between the support shaft 32a and the engagement portion 32b is provided with a stopper 19a that restricts the opening member 32 from rotating in the clockwise direction.

[0016] Due to the above-mentioned configuration, the opening member 32 is normally biased by the spring member 33 and its rotation is restricted by the stopper 19a, and it is in the engaged position shown in FIG. 7(a). When the opening member 32 is in the engaged position, when the lid 21 closes the top opening of the container body 19, the engaging portion 32b engages with the hole 21b, and the lid 21 is held in a closed state in which the top opening of the container body 19 is closed. When the other end of the opening member 32 is pressed from this state, the opening member 32 rotates counterclockwise around the support shaft 32a against the biasing force of the spring member 33, and the engagement state between the hole 21b and the engaging portion 32b is released. As a result, the free end portion 21a is lifted upward, and the lid 21 can be rotated upward as shown in FIG. 7(b), and the top opening of the container body 19 can be opened. When the opening member 32 is in the engaged position, the opening of the lid body 21 is reliably restricted, so that the tablets are reliably prevented from spilling out of the container body 19 even if the tablet cassette 16 in this state is vibrated or turned upside down. In the above-described configuration, tablet cassette 16 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.

[0017] An operator can attach and detach tablet cassettes 16 to and from each cassette base 24 on front shelf 14 to which each cassette base 24 is fixed from the front side of the device, and tablets contained in tablet cassettes 16 attached to front shelf 14 are packaged by medicine packaging machine 2. Furthermore, robot 7 can attach and detach tablet cassettes 16 to and from each cassette base 24 on rear shelf 15 to which each cassette base 24 is fixed, and tablets contained in tablet cassettes 16 attached to rear shelf 9 are also packaged by medicine packaging machine 2. 1, 2 and 4, a freely openable door 34 for protecting the stored tablet cassettes 16 is provided on the surface of front shelf 14. Door 34 is provided only on front shelf 14, and not on rear shelf 15. In this way, the medicine packaging machine 2 is configured so that the tablet cassettes 16 can be attached and detached to and from the tablet shelves 9 from either the front or rear side, and the tablet cassettes 16 are attached and detached from the front side by an operator and from the rear side by a robot 7.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 5, an upper medicine collecting mechanism 11 having individual guide paths 35 and collective guide path 36 is disposed between tablet cassettes 16 housed in front shelf 14 and tablet cassettes 16 housed in rear shelf 15. Individual guide paths 35 formed from sheet metal members are provided corresponding to each cassette base 24, respectively, and guide downward the tablets discharged from each tablet discharge port 22, 23. Collective guide path 36 formed from sheet metal members is provided on the rear side of each shelf 14, 15, respectively, and guides downward all the tablets discharged from each individual guide path 35.

[0019] The lower medicine collecting mechanism 12 is located below the tablet shelf 9 as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and collects tablets that have fallen from a plurality of tablet cassettes 16 contained in the tablet shelf 9 via the upper medicine collecting mechanism 11, and drops the collected tablets toward the packaging device 10 provided further below. In the medicine packaging machine 2, the lower medicine collecting mechanism 12 is mainly composed of an upper chute section 37, a lower chute section 38, and an upper shutter section 39. The upper chute section 37 is located at the top of the lower drug collecting mechanism 12, and is a large, square cylindrical member that is inclined and narrows downward so as to transport the drugs falling from the upper drug collecting mechanism 11 from the rear side of the device to the front side of the device. The lower chute section 38 is located below the upper chute section 37, and is a small, rectangular tubular member that is inclined and narrows downward so as to transport the medicine dropping from the upper chute section 37 from the rear side of the device toward the front side of the device. The openable upper shutter section 39 is located between the upper chute section 37 and the lower chute section 38, and temporarily stores the medicine that has fallen from the upper chute section 37 in a closed state, and after a predetermined time has passed, it opens and allows the medicine to fall into the lower chute section 38.

[0020] As shown in Figure 8, packaging device 10, which is arranged below tablet shelf 9, is equipped with, in order along the transport path of packing paper 40, a packing strip feeding section 41 which holds a roll of packing paper 40 and applies appropriate tension to send out packing paper 40 from the tip, a printer 42 which prints on packing paper 40, and a vertical sealing section 43 which has a heating element extending in the width direction of the packing paper, that is, in the direction of the paper surface in Figure 8, and heats and fuses packing paper 40. The packaging device 10 further includes a hopper 44 that moves up and down inside the folded packet paper 40 to insert and remove the tip portion, a horizontal seal section 45 that has a heating element extending in the left and right directions in Figure 8 and heats and fuses the packet paper 40, a roller section 46 that applies tension to the packet paper 40, and a cutter 47 that perforates and cuts the packet paper 40.

[0021] With the above-described configuration, the packaging paper 40 is divided into individual packages of a specified length, tablets are sealed inside the individual packages, and the upper part of each package is heat-sealed and transported downstream. Packaging paper 40 is drawn out from packaging wrapper feeder 41, which is wound into a roll in a valley fold so that the top is open. Packaging paper 40 drawn out from packaging wrapper feeder 41 is printed by printer 42, moves below hopper 44, and is formed into individual packages by vertical sealer 43, after which tablets are poured into the individual packages from hopper 44, the top of the packages is fused by horizontal sealer 45, and then processed by cutter 47 and conveyed further downstream.

[0022] A packet of tablets falls into hopper 44 from lower medicine collecting mechanism 12, and one packet of tablets is enclosed in each individual package formed in packing paper 40. When hopper 44 detects that tablets have been enclosed in packing paper 40, horizontal seal unit 45 fuses the upper part of packing paper 40, and roller unit 46 pulls in packing paper 40 by a predetermined amount, thereby transporting packing paper 40 by the length of one packet. By repeating this operation, a series of medicine bags, each containing a packet of tablets, are conveyed downstream. An exit conveyor 48 that conveys the packing paper 40 further downstream is disposed downstream of the cutter 47 in the packing paper conveying direction. The exit conveyor 48 has a conveyor that clamps and conveys the packing paper 40, a drive motor that rotates and drives this conveyor, a torque limiter, etc.

[0023] Fig. 9 is a schematic side view of the medicine packaging system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 10 is a schematic side view of the medicine packaging system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, excluding the cabinet 3 located at the front side. In the following description, the cabinet 3 and the cabinet 4 will be described as appropriate, but the cabinet 3 and the cabinet 4 are identical except that they are configured symmetrically to each other. Therefore, in the description of each cabinet 3, 4, similar components are given the same reference numerals. Cabinet 3, which is located at the rear left side of medicine packaging machine 2 in Fig. 1, mainly comprises cabinet body 49, cassette shelf 50, and storage section 51 as shown in Fig. 9, with cassette shelf 50 located at the top of cabinet body 49 and storage section 51 located at the bottom. Cabinet 3 is arranged such that one side of cabinet 3 is connected to one side of medicine packaging machine 2, and cabinet 4 is arranged such that one side of cabinet 3 is connected to the other side of medicine packaging machine 2.

[0024] Cassette shelf 50 stores a large number of tablet cassettes 16, and in the example shown in this embodiment, four shelves store a total of 22 tablet cassettes 16. A pair of doors 52 that can be opened and closed like a double door are provided on the surface of cassette shelf 50 to protect the stored tablet cassettes 16. Doors 52 are provided only on the surface side of cassette shelf 50, and are not provided on the back side as shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 11 shows the state in which door 52 provided on cabinet 4 is open. Storage section 51 has a cover member 53 on the front surface which can be opened downwards, and is configured so that by opening cover member 53, fixtures such as empty tablet cassettes 16 can be stored in the internal space.

[0025] The cassette shelf 50 is provided with cassette bases 54 as cassette attachment / detachment sections shown in Fig. 12. Fig. 12 shows the cassette bases 54 provided on the top shelf of the cassette shelf 50, with six cassette bases 54 arranged on the top shelf, six on the second shelf from the top, six on the third shelf from the top, and four on the bottom shelf of each of the cabinets 3, 4. The cassette base 54 has a mounting portion 54a on which the base portion 25 of the tablet cassette 16 is placed, and a holding portion 54b that holds the mounting portion. The mounting portion 54a is provided with two engaging protrusions 54c that fit into recesses provided in the base portion 25 of the tablet cassette 16 to position the tablet cassette 16 at a predetermined position. When the cassette base 54 is in the state shown in Fig. 12, the tablet cassette 16 is positioned relative to the cassette base 54 so that the handle 20 is located on the front side of the device located on the left side of the figure, as shown in Fig. 13. An operator can easily attach and detach the tablet cassette 16 to and from the cassette base 54 by gripping the handle 20.

[0026] The holding part 54b has the placement part 54a placed on its upper surface, and has an operation part 54d on its front side. The operation part 54d is supported by the holding part 54b so as to be displaceable, and is configured to be manually movable by an operator from the position shown in Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 to the left to the position shown in Fig. 14. A rotation drive mechanism for rotating the placement part 54a is provided inside the holding part 54b, and this rotation drive mechanism is driven with the displacement of the operation part 54d. When the operation part 54d is moved from the first position, which is the initial position shown in Fig. 13, to the second position shown in Fig. 14, the placement part 54a is rotated 180 degrees from the position shown in Fig. 12. As a result, the tablet cassette 16 is rotated 180 degrees from the state in which the handle 20 is located on the front side of the device as shown in Fig. 13, and is inverted so that the handle 20 is located on the rear side of the device as shown in Fig. 14. With this configuration, the operation part 54d functions as an inversion means.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 3, cabinet 5 is disposed in medicine packaging system 1 at a position facing medicine packaging machine 2. Cabinet 5 is similar to cabinets 3 and 4 described above, except that the central portion in the width direction is divided vertically and is composed of two cabinets 5A and 5B. Cabinet 5A is disposed in such a manner that one side portion thereof is connected to one side portion of cabinet 4, and cabinet 5B is disposed in such a manner that one side portion thereof is connected to one side portion of cabinet 3. In this manner, each of cabinets 3, 4, and 5 is disposed so as to surround the rear side of medicine packaging machine 2. One end of each of the cabinets 5A, 5B is rotatably supported by the cabinet body 49, and each is configured to be able to be opened and closed in a double door state as shown in Fig. 15. Each of the cabinets 5A, 5B is fixed by a fixing means (not shown) in the closed state shown in Fig. 3 and the open state shown in Fig. 15. When each of the cabinets 5A, 5B is in the open state, the working space formed inside the medicine packaging system 1 by the connection of the medicine packaging machine 2 and each of the cabinets 3, 4, 5 is connected to the outside, so that the operator can enter the working space.

[0028] Above the medicine packaging machine 2 and each of the cabinets 3, 4, and 5, there is provided a ceiling section 6 that is connected to the medicine packaging machine 2 and each of the cabinets 3, 4, and 5 to form a closed space. The ceiling section 6, which is made of sheet metal, is provided to prevent any access from above into the sealed working space of the medicine packaging system 1, and is particularly provided to prevent the robot 7 provided inside from being affected by unexpected external forces. Depending on the environment in which the medicine packaging system 1 is installed, the ceiling section 6 may be configured to be provided with an air purifier, a dehumidifier, an air conditioner, or the like.

[0029] In the drug packaging system 1, as shown in Figures 2, 3, 10, etc., a robot 7 is arranged in the space located on the rear side of the drug packaging machine 2 surrounded by the drug packaging machine 2 and each cabinet 3, 4, 5, i.e., in the work space surrounded by the rear shelf 15 and three cassette shelves 50. The robot 7 is provided on bases 55, 56 provided on the bottom plate of the medicine packaging system 1, and a base portion 7a is fixed on the base portion 56. A first arm 7b is attached to the base portion 7a so as to be freely rotatable with respect to a horizontal plane, and one end of a second arm 7c is rotatably attached to the first arm 7b. One end of a third arm 7d is rotatably attached to the other end of the second arm 7c, and a gripper portion 7e (described later) is attached to the tip of the other end of the third arm 7d. With this configuration, the robot 7 is configured so that the gripper 7e attached to the tip of the third arm 7d can access any position within the space surrounded by the drug packaging machine 2 and each of the cabinets 3, 4, and 5 in the drug packaging system 1, i.e., any of the tablet cassettes 16 stored in the rear shelf 15 and the three cassette shelves 50.

[0030] The gripping portion 7e has a pair of left and right claws 7e1, 7e1 as shown in Fig. 17, and each claw 7e1 is supported on the main body 7e3 so as to be rotatable about a connecting portion 7e2. When the gripping portion 7e, whose base end portion of the main body 7e3 is attached to the third arm 7d, is positioned as shown in Fig. 18 where each claw 7e1 is displaced in accordance with the operation of the robot 7 and can grip the handle 20 of the tablet cassette 16, as shown in Fig. 19, each claw 7e1 rotates about the connecting portion 7e2, thereby pulling the handle 20 towards the main body 7e3 as shown in Fig. 19. A pressing member 7e4 made of a plate-like member is provided integrally with the main body 7e3 on the front side of the main body 7e3. With this configuration, when the claws 7e1 act to surround and retract the handle 20 as shown in Fig. 19, the container body 19 of the tablet cassette 16 comes into contact with the pressing member 7e4, the position of the tablet cassette 16 is fixed, and the tablet cassette 16 is gripped by the gripper 7e. In this gripped state, as shown in Fig. 19, a pulling force is applied to the container body 19 by the claws 7e1 via the handle 20, and a pushing force is applied from the pressing member 7e4, so that the position of the tablet cassette 16 gripped by the gripper 7e is stabilized. The gripping portion 7e is also provided with an identification sensor 7e5 that recognizes the identification member 28 provided on the tablet cassette 16, and the identification sensor 7e5 is configured to identify the identification member 28 provided on any tablet cassette 16, thereby making it possible to identify each tablet cassette 16 that is placed and engaged on each cassette base 54.

[0031] Based on the above-mentioned configuration, the operation of the medicine packaging system 1 of the present invention will be described below. Prior to the packaging operation, prescription information of the medicine to be packaged is sent from a higher-level device connected to the medicine packaging system 1 to the medicine packaging system 1, and the sent prescription information is displayed on the touch panel 13. The operator of the medicine packaging system 1 performs the packaging operation based on the sent prescription information, and when all of the medicines listed in the sent prescription information are contained in any of the tablet cassettes 16 stored in the tablet shelf 9 of the medicine packaging machine 2, the packaging operation is performed when the packaging start key displayed on the touch panel 13 is pressed, and the packaged packaging paper is discharged from the packaging device 10. The tablets are identified based on information from the identification sensor 30 that reads the identification member 27.

[0032] As a prerequisite for the packaging operation to be performed normally, the tablet cassettes 16 must be stored in a specified manner on the front shelf 14 and rear shelf 15 of the medicine packaging machine 2 and on each cassette shelf 50 of each cabinet 3, 4, 5. The specified manner is a manner in which the tablet cassettes 16 are placed on each cassette base 24, 54 so that the handle 20 faces the front side on the front shelf 14, the handle 20 faces the rear side on the rear shelf 15, and the handle 20 faces the rear side on each cassette shelf 50. Here, the front side refers to the outer side of the system, and the rear side refers to the inner side of the system.

[0033] When storing tablet cassette 16 on front shelf 14, the operator opens door 34, then grasps handle 20 and places tablet cassette 16 on cassette base 24 from the front side of medicine packaging machine 2 so that handle 20 is positioned on the front side. When storing tablet cassettes 16 on each cassette shelf 50, the operator opens each door 52 as shown in Fig. 11, and then grasps the handle 20 and places the tablet cassette 16 on the cassette base 54 from the front side of each cabinet 3, 4, 5 so that the handle 20 is located on the front side. Then, the operator displaces the operating part 54d from the first position shown in Fig. 13 to the second position shown in Fig. 14. This causes the tablet cassette 16 to be inverted from the state in which the handle 20 faces the front side as shown in Fig. 13 to the state in which the handle 20 faces the rear side as shown in Fig. 14. When storing tablet cassettes 16 on rear shelf 15, the operator stores tablet cassettes 16 in cassette shelf 50 of any one of cabinets 3, 4, 5 in the same manner as described above, and then operates robot 7 as described below to transfer tablet cassette 16 stored in cassette shelf 50 to rear shelf 15. After safety has been confirmed, the operator may open cabinets 5A, 5B as shown in Fig. 15, enter the work space inside medicine packaging system 1, and grasp handle 20 to place tablet cassette 16 on cassette base 24 from the rear side of medicine packaging machine 2 so that handle 20 is located on the rear side. In this way, since tablet cassettes 16 can be attached and detached from the front side of each shelf portion of medicine packaging machine 2 and each of cabinets 3, 4, 5, operability is good and workability can be improved.

[0034] During the packaging operation, if the drug specified in the prescription information is not contained in any of the tablet cassettes 16 stored in the tablet shelf 9, the robot 7 is activated to obtain the required tablet cassette 16 from each cassette shelf 50 in each cabinet 3, 4, 5, and the tablet cassette 16 is placed on the rear shelf 15 of the drug packaging machine 2 before the packaging operation is performed. When retrieving a tablet cassette 16 containing desired tablets from each cassette shelf 50, the robot 7 checks the identification sensor 7e5 provided on the gripper 7e against the identification member 28 provided on the tablet cassette 16 stored on each cassette shelf 50 to search for the desired tablet cassette 16. This search is performed sequentially for each of the tablet cassettes 16 stored on each cassette shelf 50, and when the desired tablet cassette 16 is found, the gripper 7e grips the handle 20 of that tablet cassette 16. In this configuration, since no identification sensor for identifying the identification member 28 is provided on the cassette base 54, costs can be reduced. When storing the tablet cassettes 16 in each cassette shelf 50 of the cabinets 3, 4, and 5, it is possible to reduce the time it takes for the robot 7 to search for the desired tablet cassette 16 by determining in advance which shelf of which cabinet each drug will be stored in. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which the cassette base 54 is provided with an identification sensor 30 similar to that of the cassette base 24, and the identification member 27 is read by the identification sensor 30. This makes it possible to confirm which cassette base 54 contains which tablet cassette 16, improving operability.

[0035] The robot 7, which has gripped the handle 20 of the desired tablet cassette 16 with the gripper 7e, places the tablet cassette 16 on an empty cassette base 24 on the rear shelf 15, releases each claw 7e1 of the gripper 7e to release the grip of the handle 20, and then returns to the initial position shown in FIG. 2. If the prescription information further includes medicines that are not contained in the tablet cassettes 16 stored in the tablet shelf 9, the robot 7 supplies the desired tablet cassette 16 from each cabinet 3, 4, 5 to the rear shelf 15 in the same manner as described above. Then, when all the tablet cassettes 16 containing the medicines described in the prescription information are stored in the tablet shelf 9, a packaging start key is displayed on the touch panel 13, and when the operator presses the packaging start key, a packaging operation is performed in the same manner as described above. It is also possible to configure the packaging operation to start automatically when all the tablet cassettes 16 containing the medicines described in the prescription information are stored in the tablet shelf 9 without displaying the packaging start key.

[0036] During the above-mentioned operation, if there is no vacant space on the rear shelf 15 when storing the tablet cassettes 16 obtained from each cassette shelf 50 on the rear shelf 15, the robot 7 will remove from the rear shelf 15 the tablet cassettes 16 not required for packaging and store them in a vacant space on each cassette shelf 50 before obtaining the desired tablet cassette 16 from each cassette shelf 50. This provides a space on the rear shelf 15 for storing the required tablet cassettes 16, and the robot 7 can transfer the desired tablet cassette 16 from each cassette shelf 50. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which at least one location is always left vacant on rear shelf 15, and a configuration in which a separate location is provided for temporarily storing tablet cassettes 16 removed from rear shelf 15. With this configuration, each cassette shelf 50 can be fully loaded with tablet cassettes 16. In the above-mentioned configuration, the robot 7 is placed in a working space surrounded by the medicine packaging machine 2 and each of the cabinets 3, 4, 5, and the robot 7 delivers and receives tablet cassettes 16 to and from the medicine packaging machine 2 from the rear side of the tablet shelf 9, i.e., the rear shelf 15. This allows the robot 7 to easily and continuously attach and detach tablet cassettes 16 to and from the medicine packaging machine 2, and provides a medicine packaging system 1 that can store a large variety of medicines in the tablet shelf 9 and each cassette shelf 50, as well as automatically select any medicine from the stored medicines and package it.

[0037] When tablet cassette 16 containing the medicine listed in the prescription information is not stored in either medicine packaging machine 2 or cabinets 3, 4, 5, a message to that effect is displayed on touch panel 13. The operator who receives this message either brings in tablet cassette 16 containing the desired medicine from outside and stores it on front shelf 14, or places the desired medicine in an empty tablet cassette 16 and stores it on front shelf 14. After that, a packaging start key is displayed on touch panel 13, and packaging operation becomes possible. Note that, when there is no space to store tablet cassette 16 brought into front shelf 14, tablet cassette 16 brought into front shelf 14 is stored in an empty space among cassette shelves 50 of cabinets 3, 4, 5. In this configuration, three cabinets are provided, so that when there are multiple operators, they can simultaneously install and remove tablet cassettes 16 in each of the cabinets 3, 4, and 5. This can greatly improve work efficiency.

[0038] In the above-mentioned configuration, during the packaging operation, prescription information to be used for the next packaging is displayed on touch panel 13. Then, if there is any drug in the displayed prescription information for the next packaging that is not stored in the tablet cassettes 16 stored in tablet shelf 9 and each cassette shelf 50, the operator stores the tablet cassette 16 containing the drug to be used for the next packaging in front shelf 14 or each cassette shelf 50 during the current packaging operation. At this time, if there is an empty space in front shelf 14, storage in front shelf 14 is given priority. With this configuration, tablet cassette 16 containing drugs to be used for the next packaging can be stored in drug packaging system 1 without stopping the packaging operation, allowing the packaging operation to be performed smoothly and improving work efficiency.

[0039] In this configuration, as described above, gripper 7e of robot 7 can reliably hold tablet cassette 16 in a stable position, and tablet cassette 16 has lid 21 that will not open unless opening member 32 is pressed. Therefore, even if tablet cassette 16 gripped by gripper 7e is tilted or turned upside down, the tablets contained therein will not spill out. With this configuration, at a predetermined time, the robot 7 may take out the tablet cassette 16 from the tablet shelf 9 or each cassette shelf 50, and while the tablet cassette 16 is held by the gripper 7e, the third arm 7d may be swung at a predetermined period relative to the second arm 7c to perform a vibration imparting operation that imparts vibration for a desired period of time to the tablet cassette 16. Examples of the predetermined time include when the tablet cassette 16 has been installed for a long period of time, when the cassette base 24 becomes clogged with tablets, at the start of work for one day, etc. This configuration can improve the discharge of tablets from tablet cassette 16, and can prevent various problems caused by tablets clogging tablet cassette 16.

[0040] In this configuration, the medicine packaging system 1 is provided with the medicine packaging machine 2, the cabinets 3, 4, 5, and the robot 7, but a configuration in which a plurality of medicine packaging systems 1 are arranged side by side is also possible. In this case, the number of cabinets increases, so the number of tablet cassettes 16 that can be stored increases dramatically, and an operator can use tablet cassettes 16 by exchanging them between the cabinets, making it possible to perform packaging operations that correspond to an even greater variety and quantity of medicines. In addition, in the medicine packaging system 1 of this configuration, one medicine packaging machine 2 and three cabinets 3, 4, 5 are combined, but the number of cabinets is not limited to three and may be any number equal to or greater than two. Increasing the number of cabinets increases the installation space, but it is possible to further expand the types and quantities of medicines that can be stored, thereby improving work efficiency. Furthermore, the medicine packaging system may be configured to include a plurality of medicine packaging machines 2. This allows the packaging operations to be performed in parallel, significantly shortening the operation time.

[0041] According to the present invention, the robot 7 is placed in a working space surrounded by the medicine packaging machine 2 and each of the cabinets 3, 4, and 5, and the robot 7 delivers and receives tablet cassettes 16 to the medicine packaging machine 2 from the rear side, thereby providing a medicine packaging system 1 that is capable of storing a large variety of medicines in large quantities and is capable of selecting any medicine from the stored medicines and automatically packaging it. Furthermore, according to the present invention, since tablet cassette 16 can be attached and detached to medicine packing machine 2 from the front side of medicine shelf 9, operability is good and workability can be improved. Furthermore, according to the present invention, since it has a ceiling portion covering the working space, it is possible to prevent any access from above into the sealed space of the drug packaging system 1, and in particular to prevent the robot 7 installed inside from being affected by unexpected external forces.

[0042] According to the present invention, at least one of the cabinets 3, 4, and 5, that is, cabinet 5, can be opened and closed, and when cabinet 5 is opened, the working space is connected to the outside, so that it is possible to open cabinet 5 and enter the working space of the medicine packaging system 1, thereby improving workability. According to the present invention, cassette base 54 has operation unit 54d that turns over the orientation of mounted tablet cassette 16 by 180 degrees, so that tablet cassette 16 manually mounted on cassette shelf 50 can be easily turned over with handle 20 facing the front side. As a result, by turning tablet cassette 16 so that handle 20 faces the rear side, it becomes possible for robot 7 to grasp it, and operation in medicine packaging system 1 becomes possible. According to the present invention, since robot 7 performs vibration applying operation at a predetermined time, it is possible to improve the discharge of tablets from tablet cassette 16 and prevent various problems caused by tablet cassette 16 becoming clogged with tablets.

[0043] For example, aspects of the present invention are as follows. [1] A drug packaging system comprising: a drug packaging machine including a tablet cassette which stores tablets and discharges them one by one, a shelf section capable of mounting multiple tablet cassettes, and a packaging device which packs the tablets discharged from the tablet cassette into packaging paper; a plurality of cabinets capable of mounting multiple tablet cassettes and which are arranged to surround the rear side of the drug packaging machine; and a robot which can store and remove the tablet cassettes from the shelf section and can store and remove the tablet cassettes from each of the cabinets and which transfers the tablet cassettes between the drug packaging machine and each of the cabinets, wherein the robot is positioned in a work space surrounded by the drug packaging machine and the multiple cabinets, and the robot transfers the tablet cassettes to and from the drug packaging machine from the rear side of the shelf section. [2] The drug packaging system described in [1], wherein the drug packaging machine is capable of attaching and detaching the tablet cassette from the front side of the shelf portion. [3] A medicine packaging system as described in [1] or [2], characterized in that it has a ceiling portion covering the work space. [4] A pharmaceutical packaging system described in any one of [1] to [3], wherein at least one of the cabinets is openable and closable, and when open, the working space is connected to the outside. [5] A drug packaging system as described in any one of [1] to [4], characterized in that each cabinet has a cassette attachment / detachment section that allows the tablet cassette to be attached and detached from the front side, and the cassette attachment / detachment section has an inversion means that inverts the orientation of the attached tablet cassette by 180 degrees. [6] The drug packaging system described in any one of [1] to [5] is characterized in that the robot performs a vibration imparting operation to remove the tablet cassette from the shelf or each of the cabinets at a predetermined time and impart vibration to the tablet cassette for a desired period of time.

[0044] 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]

[0045] 1. Drug packaging system 2. Drug packaging machine 3,4,5 Cabinet 6 Ceiling 7. Robot 9 Shelf section (tablet shelf) 10 Packaging equipment 16 Tablet Cassette 54 Cassette attachment / detachment part (cassette base) 54d Reversing means (operating part)

Claims

1. A tablet cassette that stores tablets and discharges them one by one; a medicine packaging machine including a shelf unit capable of mounting a plurality of the tablet cassettes, and a packaging device that packages the tablets discharged from the tablet cassettes into packaging paper; a plurality of cabinets capable of mounting a plurality of the tablet cassettes and arranged to surround a rear side of the medicine packaging machine; a robot capable of storing and removing the tablet cassette from the shelf portion and storing and removing the tablet cassette from each of the cabinets, and transferring the tablet cassette between the medicine packaging machine and each of the cabinets, A drug packaging system in which the robot is placed within a work space surrounded by the drug packaging machine and the multiple cabinets, and the robot delivers the tablet cassettes to and from the drug packaging machine from the rear side of the shelf section.

2. The medicine packaging system according to claim 1, A medicine packaging system, wherein the medicine packaging machine is capable of attaching and detaching the tablet cassette from the front side of the shelf portion.

3. The medicine packaging system according to claim 1, A medicine packaging system comprising: a ceiling portion covering the working space.

4. The medicine packaging system according to claim 1, A medicine packaging system, wherein at least one of the cabinets is openable and closable, and when open, the working space communicates with the outside.

5. The medicine packaging system according to claim 1, A pharmaceutical packaging system characterized in that each cabinet has a cassette attachment / detachment section that can attach and detach the tablet cassette from the front side, and the cassette attachment / detachment section has an inversion means that inverts the orientation of the attached tablet cassette by 180 degrees.

6. The medicine packaging system according to claim 1, The medicine packaging system is characterized in that the robot performs a vibration imparting operation of taking out the tablet cassette from the shelf or each of the cabinets at a predetermined time and imparting vibration to the tablet cassette for a desired period of time.

Images