Medicament feeder

Abstract

To provide a medicament feeder to be suitably adopted in a medicament delivery device without having a robot mechanism, and also to provide the medicament delivery device for adopting the medicament feeder.SOLUTION: A medicament feeder 5 includes: a medicament container 20 for storing a powdered medicine; a container holding part 16 for holding the medicament container 20; and weight measurement means 25 for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the medicament container 20. Then, the powdered medicine is discharged from the medicament container 20 by vibrating the medicament container 20, so as to detect the discharge amount of the powdered medicine by the weight measurement means 25. The medicament container 20 includes: an opening / closing member for opening / closing a powdered medicine discharge part; and an opening / closing mechanism part. The opening / closing mechanism part directly or indirectly applies force to the opening / closing member so as to open / close the powdered medicine discharge part by moving at least a part of the opening / closing member. The force is applied to the opening / closing member in respective cases to open and to close the powdered medicine discharge part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a drug feeder for measuring and taking out a predetermined amount of powder medicine. The drug feeder of the present invention is suitably used as a device for supplying powder medicine to a powder medicine dispensing device that distributes powder medicine. The present invention also relates to a drug dispensing device incorporating a drug feeder.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in large hospitals and large-scale pharmacies, powder medicine dispensing devices and drug dispensing devices equipped with a powder medicine dispensing function have been introduced. The conventional drug dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires an operation of taking out a medicine bottle containing powder medicine prescribed from a medicine shelf by hand and weighing the total weight of a specific powder medicine prescribed using a scale such as a balance, and it is hardly said to be a fully automatic device. In order to address this problem, the applicant of the present application has put into practical use the drug dispensing devices disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3.

[0003] The drug dispensing devices (conventional drug dispensing devices) disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 employ a drug feeder in which a drug container and a container mounting device are combined. The container mounting device has a vibrating member in a horizontal posture and a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the drug container. Then, the drug container is placed on the vibrating member, the vibrating member is vibrated to discharge the drug little by little from the powder medicine discharge portion, and the weight measuring means detects the discharge amount of the drug.

[0004] The drug containers disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 are substantially rectangular prism-shaped and are installed on the container mounting device in a horizontally placed posture. The drug feeder disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a substantially rectangular prism-shaped drug container placed horizontally on the container mounting device. In a state where it is combined as a drug feeder, the height of the drug container is lower than the length in the horizontal direction. In addition, in the devices for dispensing drugs disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, a drug container is transported to a predetermined position by a robot, and the lid of the drug container is opened and closed by the robot.

[0005] In addition, Patent Document 4 discloses a powder supply device used in a powder packaging machine. In the powder supply device of Patent Document 4, powder is stored in each of a plurality of cassettes, and after the cassette is moved to the supply position, the powder is discharged from the cassette. Specifically, the cassette has a screw, a shutter that closes the discharge port formed at the tip of the cylinder, and stirring blades that rotate together with the screw, and the shutter is configured to be forcibly maintained in a closed state by a spring. Then, by connecting the operating device at the supply position to the rear end of the rotation shaft of the screw, the screw moves while rotating. As a result, the screw presses the shutter, and the shutter moves against the biasing force of the spring, so that the discharge port is opened. On the other hand, as the screw and the stirring blades rotate, the powder flows toward the discharge port. From these, the powder is discharged from the cassette.

[0006] In the powder supply device of Patent Document 4, the movement to the supply position of the cassette and the movement from the supply position are automatically executed. Further, the powder feeder in this powder supply device discharges the powder by the rotation of the stirring blades and the screw as described above, and does not discharge the powder by vibration (vibrating the entire cassette). In addition, the powder feeder is formed by an operating device at the supply position and one cassette, and the operating device merely supplies power to the screw of the cassette. That is, the cassette has all the mechanisms for discharging the powder. Further, the movement of the shutter in the closing direction is performed by a spring. That is, the shutter opens by applying a force in the opening direction temporarily to the shutter that always tries to maintain the closed state, and when closing the shutter, the shutter is closed by releasing the force applied to the shutter. That is, the opening degree of the shutter is not adjusted.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007] Patent Document 1 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-85703 Patent Document 2 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-35001 Patent Document 3 WO2015 / 076267 / A1 Patent Document 4 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-132135 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] The chemical feeders disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 have a problem in that they require a large area when installed. In addition, the chemical dispensing devices disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 have a problem in that they have a large number of parts. Furthermore, Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose a chemical dispensing device that transports a chemical container by a robot and opens and closes the lid of the chemical container. However, such a chemical dispensing device often has a problem that the entire device becomes large and is difficult to introduce into a small-scale pharmacy or the like. Also, in order to solve such a problem, when considering a device that eliminates the robot mechanism and manually places the chemical container at a predetermined position, there has been a desire to make the mechanism for opening and closing the lid as compact as possible and incorporate it into other members to reduce the size of the entire device. In this case, since the chemical container is manually transported, it is preferable to consider the ease of handling by a person. In addition, the chemical dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 4 had room for improvement from the viewpoint of having a simple structure and finely adjusting the discharge amount of the chemical.

[0009] The present invention (related invention) focuses on the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a chemical feeder that can be suitably adopted in a chemical dispensing device having no robot mechanism. Another object thereof is to provide a chemical dispensing device employing such a chemical feeder. An object of the present invention is to provide a drug feeder that can bring the powder discharging part of a drug container closer to a dispensing tray compared to the prior art and can reduce the bouncing of the powder.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] One aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is a drug feeder having a drug container for storing powder and a vibration member for vibrating the drug container to discharge the powder, wherein the drug container has a powder discharging part, and the vibration member is on the back wall side of the drug container with respect to the posture in which the drug container is attached to the vibration member, and the vibration member vibrates the drug container to discharge the powder from the powder discharging part at one end on the side opposite to the back wall of the drug container. A preferred aspect further has a container support part and a vibration exciting means. The drug container further has a bottom wall. With respect to the posture in which the drug container is attached to the vibration member, the powder discharging part is provided at one end of the bottom wall on the side opposite to the back wall. The vibration member holds the drug container and vibrates the drug container. The vibration member has a vibration side vertical part that contacts the back wall of the drug container with respect to the posture in which the drug container is attached to the vibration member. The container support part holds the vibration member and has a support side vertical part facing the vibration side vertical part. The vibration exciting means is disposed between the vibration side vertical part and the support side vertical part. The vibration member is held by the container support part by the vibration exciting means, and the vibration member held by the vibration side vertical part by the vibration exciting means vibrates the drug container to discharge the powder from the powder discharging part. It is a drug feeder including the operation of discharging the powder of the drug container. A more preferred aspect is a drug feeder in which the vibration member further has a vibration side horizontal part perpendicular to the vibration side vertical part, and the vibration side horizontal part contacts the bottom wall of the drug container. A more preferred aspect is a drug feeder in which the drug container further has an engaging part, the vibration side vertical part further has an engaging part, and the engaging part of the drug container and the engaging part of the vibration side vertical part engage with each other, and the drug container is held by the vibration side vertical part. A more preferred aspect is a drug feeder in which the drug container is a rectangular parallelepiped, and the drug container further has a front wall, two side walls, and a top wall. A more preferred embodiment is a chemical feeder in which the container support portion further has a support-side horizontal portion perpendicular to the support-side vertical portion, the support-side horizontal portion and the vibration-side horizontal portion are non-contact, and a weight measuring means is disposed below the support-side horizontal portion. A more preferred embodiment is a chemical discharging device that takes out a predetermined amount of powder medicine from a medicine container, divides it into a predetermined number, further individually packages it, and discharges it, and has a distribution plate provided with a chemical input groove and rotated by power, and a plurality of the above chemical feeders are installed in the vicinity of the distribution plate, and the chemical discharging device discharges powder medicine from the medicine container and inputs it into the chemical input groove of the distribution plate. Another aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is a chemical feeder having a medicine container in which powder medicine is stored, a container holding portion that holds the medicine container, and a weight measuring means that directly or indirectly measures the weight of the medicine container, and is capable of vibrating the medicine container to discharge powder medicine from the medicine container and detecting the discharge amount of the powder medicine by the weight measuring means. In the chemical feeder, the medicine container discharges powder medicine to the outside from a powder medicine discharge portion, includes an opening / closing member that opens and closes the powder medicine discharge portion, further has an opening / closing mechanism portion, and the opening / closing mechanism portion directly or indirectly applies a force to the opening / closing member and moves at least a part of the opening / closing member to open and close the powder medicine discharge portion, and is a chemical feeder that applies a force to the opening / closing member when the powder medicine discharge portion is in an open state and when it is in a closed state.

[0011] In the chemical feeder of this aspect, since the opening / closing mechanism portion that opens and closes the opening / closing member applies a force to the opening / closing member to open and close it, fine control of the operation of opening and closing the opening / closing member is possible. Thereby, by adjusting the degree of opening of the powder medicine discharge portion (the degree of opening, the opening degree), fine adjustment of the discharge amount is possible. That is, compared with the case where the discharge amount is adjusted only by adjusting the vibration amount, further fine adjustment of the discharge amount is possible.

[0012] In the above-described aspect, the drug container can be manually held by the container holding portion and can be manually removed from the container holding portion. It is desirable that when the drug container is removed from the container holding portion, the drug container is separated from the container holding portion and the opening / closing mechanism portion.

[0013] By adopting the drug feeder of this aspect in a drug dispensing device, the size of the device can be reduced.

[0014] In the above-described aspect, when the powder drug discharge portion is in an open state, it is desirable that the opening degree of the powder drug discharge portion can be adjusted stepwise.

[0015] According to this aspect, precise adjustment of the discharge amount of the powder drug becomes possible.

[0016] In the above-described aspect, the powder drug discharge portion is a slit extending in an oblique direction, the opening / closing member includes a closing wall that moves below the powder drug discharge portion, the closing wall has a shape extending in the width direction of the drug container, and as the opening / closing member moves in the closing direction, the overlapping portion between the closing wall and the powder drug discharge portion increases, and it is desirable that the effective opening width for discharging the powder drug in the powder drug discharge portion decreases.

[0017] Also in this aspect, precise adjustment of the discharge amount of the powder drug becomes possible.

[0018] In each of the above-described aspects, it is desirable that the container holding portion has a vertical wall, the vertical wall is vibrated by a vibration means, and the drug container is fixed to the vertical wall and vibrated.

[0019] According to the drug feeder of this aspect, the drug feeder can be in a vertical posture, and the occupied area can be reduced. That is, it has the effect of being able to accommodate a considerable amount of powder drug and having a small occupied area when installed.

[0020] In each of the above-described aspects, the medicine container has a large-area side surface and a small-area side surface, is higher in height than in width, has the powder discharging portion at a side portion of the bottom surface and / or a side surface near the bottom surface, has a partition member having an opening near the bottom surface, the powder passes through the opening and enters between the partition member and the bottom surface, and when the medicine container is vibrated, it is desirable that the powder that has passed through the opening moves between the partition plate and the bottom and reaches the powder discharging portion.

[0021] The medicine container adopted in this aspect is narrow in width and high in height. Therefore, although it can accommodate the same amount of medicine as a conventional medicine container, it is narrow in width. The medicine feeder of this aspect is narrow in width, and more medicine feeders can be arranged in a small space.

[0022] In each of the above-described aspects, it is desirable that the powder discharging portion is in the shape of a slit extending in an oblique direction.

[0023] According to this aspect, the area for discharging the powder can be widened.

[0024] In each of the above-described aspects, the medicine container has a large-area side surface and a small-area side surface, is higher in height than in width, the large-area side surface can be opened, the medicine container is detachable from the container holding portion, and it is desirable that the large-area side surface is opened and the powder is filled in a state where the medicine container is removed from the container holding portion.

[0025] According to this aspect, it is easy to put the powder into the medicine container.

[0026] In each of the above-described aspects, it is desirable that a roof-shaped temporary receiving plate is provided at an intermediate portion in the height direction of the medicine container.

[0027] According to this aspect, the weight of the upper-layer powder can be supported by the temporary receiving plate, and the lower-layer powder is not pressed. Therefore, the movement of the powder when the medicine container is vibrated is less likely to be hindered.

[0028] In each of the above-described aspects, it is desirable to have a locking mechanism that locks the opening / closing member in a state where the powder discharging portion is closed, and for the locking mechanism to be released by holding the medicine container in the container holding portion.

[0029] According to this aspect, when the medicine container is removed from the container holding portion, the medicine is less likely to spill.

[0030] In each of the above-described aspects, the container holding portion has a vertical wall with an engaging portion on the holding portion side, and the medicine container is held in the container holding portion by the engaging portion on the holding portion side engaging with it. The medicine container has an engaging portion, and it is desirable for the container holding portion to have a detachment assisting member that engages with the engaging portion and presses the medicine container in a direction to detach it from the container holding portion.

[0031] According to this aspect, the medicine container can be easily removed from the container holding portion.

[0032] In each of the above-described aspects, there is a powder passage in the medicine container that leads to the powder discharging portion, and the powder moves through the powder passage and is discharged from the powder discharging portion. The powder passage has a ceiling wall, and the opening / closing member has a protruding portion that protrudes toward the powder passage side when the powder discharging portion is closed. There is a partitioning portion that protrudes downward in the powder passage on the ceiling wall, and it is desirable for the protruding portion to reach the vicinity of the partitioning portion when the opening / closing member closes the powder discharging portion.

[0033] According to this aspect, when the opening / closing member is in the open state, the medicine is less likely to spill from the powder discharging portion. Further, according to this aspect, it is possible to prevent the powder from blowing out, such as bouncing, from the powder passage while the medicine is being dispensed.

[0034] The invention related to a medicine dispensing device is a medicine dispensing device that takes out a predetermined amount of powder medicine from a medicine container, divides it into a predetermined number, and further individually packages and discharges it. It has a distribution plate provided with a medicine input groove and rotated by power, and a plurality of the medicine feeders described above are installed in the vicinity of the distribution plate, and the powder medicine is discharged from the medicine container and put into the medicine input groove of the distribution plate.

[0035] By the way, the above-described conventional medicine dispensing device had room for improvement not only in that it was difficult to miniaturize the entire device but also in that the operation of dispensing the powder medicine could be completed more quickly. That is, in the above-described medicine dispensing device, when the operation of dispensing the powder medicine is determined, after moving from the position where the medicine container is stored to the supply position, the powder medicine is dispensed. That is, time is required to transport the medicine container, and there was room for improvement in terms of speeding up the operation of dispensing the powder medicine.

[0036] Therefore, one aspect of the related invention of the present invention for solving such problems is a medicine dispensing device having a plurality of medicine feeders having a medicine container in which an amount of powder medicine more than the amount for one dose to be dispensed is assigned one-to-one, a placement table for holding the medicine container, and a vibration device for vibrating the medicine container, and a distribution plate having an input groove for holding the powder medicine and rotated by power. The plurality of medicine feeders are fixed around the distribution plate, a medicine feeder is selected from among the plurality of medicine feeders, and an amount of powder medicine for one dose is dispensed from the selected medicine feeder onto the distribution plate.

[0037] Another aspect of the related invention is a drug dispensing device characterized by a dispensing dish provided with an annular drug input groove and rotated by power, and a plurality of drug feeders. Each drug feeder includes a drug container containing powder medicine, a placement member for holding the drug container, and powder medicine discharging means for discharging the powder medicine from the drug container. A drug container containing predetermined powder medicine is held on each placement member. One or more drug feeders are selected from the plurality of drug feeders, and a predetermined amount of powder medicine is dispensed from the selected drug feeder onto the dispensing dish.

[0038] According to these aspects, the entire device can be miniaturized, and the operation of dispensing powder medicine can be speeded up.

Advantages of the Invention

[0039] According to the present invention, a drug feeder that can be suitably employed in a drug dispensing device without a robot mechanism, and a drug dispensing device equipped with such a drug feeder can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0040]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0041] The following further describes the drug dispensing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. For ease of understanding, first, the outline and general operation of the drug dispensing device 1 will be described, and then each member and device will be described in detail. The drug dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment is surrounded by a housing 2, and its interior is divided into a tablet manual dispensing area 300, a powder dividing area 301, and a drug packaging area 302. The housing 2 has an upper lid 3 as shown in FIG. 1. The upper lid 3 is attached to the main body of the housing 2 by a hinge (not shown). A tablet manual dispensing device 303 is provided in the tablet manual dispensing area 300. Since the tablet manual dispensing device 303 is well-known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. As conceptually shown in FIG. 2, a drug packaging device 305 is incorporated in the drug packaging area 302. The drug packaging device 305 is a machine that packages drugs one dose at a time, and has a sub-packaging paper supply device 306 (sub-packaging paper supply unit) and a sub-packaging device 308 (sealing unit). In addition, a powder input hopper 310 for inputting drugs is provided above the sub-packaging device 308 in the drug packaging device 305. Due to the relationship of drawing, the powder input hopper 310 is shown at a position separated from the distribution tray 6, but actually, the upper end of the powder input hopper 310 is within the equipment storage opening 15 of the distribution tray 6.

[0042] The drug packaging device 305 is used by mounting a roll paper on the mounting part of the main body (not shown) of the sub-packaging paper supply device 306. The roll paper is formed by winding a strip-shaped sub-packaging paper (packaging paper) around a tubular core member into a roll shape. Although not particularly limited, the roll paper of the present embodiment is formed by winding the sub-packaging paper in a folded state into a strip shape into a roll shape. In addition, the drug packaging device 305 has a printing mechanism (printing unit) (not shown). In the drug packaging device 305, the wrapping paper fed out from the roll paper is introduced into the printing mechanism, and information such as the patient name, drug name, administration date and time (information related to the prescription and information related to the drug to be provided) is printed. Then, the wrapping paper with the predetermined information printed thereon is opened upward. And in that state, it receives the drug (powder drug) dropped (supplied) from the powder drug hopper 310. Furthermore, the wrapping paper that has received the drug is introduced into the sealing part (packaging device 308), and is sealed in the vertical and horizontal directions at the sealing part, and sequentially packages the received drugs. As a result, a drug package containing the drug for one dose is formed, and the drug package is conveyed to the outside of the device. At this time, the drug packages form a drug packaging tape in which a plurality of packages are continuous and are conveyed to the outside of the device. However, instead of the drug packaging tape, one or a plurality of individual drug packages may be formed and conveyed to the outside of the device. Note that the above-mentioned horizontal direction is the feeding direction (delivery direction) of the wrapping paper, and the vertical direction is the direction intersecting (orthogonal to) the feeding direction of the wrapping paper.

[0043] Also, an identifier may be attached to the core member of the above-mentioned roll paper. The identifier is a storage means storing information that can individually identify the roll paper (information related to the manufacturer, etc. (manufacturer name, etc.), information related to the manufacturing date, etc., the type of roll paper wound around the core, order number, shipping date, customer information of the delivery destination, the model name of the packaging machine to which the roll paper is attached, model code, other IDs, etc.), and may be, for example, a memory such as an IC tag. It may also be a code such as a one-dimensional code (barcode) or a two-dimensional code, and when a code is adopted, it may be attached to a label. When attaching the roll paper to the wrapping paper supply device 306, an operation of collating with the device to be attached, that is, determining whether a predetermined roll paper is being correctly attached to the device, may be performed. Further, information for identifying that the roll paper is unused may be stored in the identifier, and an operation of determining whether the roll paper is unused may be performed when attaching it. Furthermore, information regarding the remaining amount of the wrapping paper when the roll paper (wrapping paper roll) is attached to the main body of the wrapping paper supply device 306 may be stored. Also, when the wrapping operation for packaging the drug is performed, the remaining amount at an appropriate point during the wrapping operation may be stored. The information regarding this remaining amount may be stored, for example, during the wrapping operation. In addition, the remaining amount at the end of the wrapping operation may be stored after the wrapping operation. That is, when operating the drug dispensing device 1, information regarding the remaining amount may be stored at an appropriate timing.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 2, the bulk drug division area 301 is an area where the dispensing dish 6 is installed, and the drug feeder 5 and the cleaning device 7 are arranged around it. Also, a scraping device 8 is provided in the bulk drug division area 301. The dispensing dish 6 and the scraping device 8 are well-known and will be briefly described. The dispensing dish 6 is a disk-shaped member also referred to as a "concave groove" and provided with a drug input groove 13 (input groove). The drug input groove 13 annularly surrounds the outer edge of the dispensing dish 6. The dispensing dish 6 is provided with an equipment storage opening 15 at the center. In FIG. 2, most of it is covered with a lid. The above-mentioned bulk drug input hopper 310 is installed in the equipment storage opening 15. The dispensing dish 6 can be rotated at a constant speed. It can also be rotated by a predetermined angle.

[0045] The scraping device 8 has a rotating plate 12 at the tip of the scraping arm. Specifically, a mounting base (not shown) that can be rotationally driven by a motor is provided at the tip of the scraping arm, and the rotating plate 12 having a scraping plate or the like (not shown) is attached to this mounting base. That is, the rotating plate 12 rotates by the power of the motor. The base part of the scraping device 8 is installed within the equipment storage opening 15 of the dispensing tray 6. And from the center of the dispensing tray 6, the scraping arm of the scraping device 8 protrudes. Note that the scraping device 8 may not be provided with a turntable and may not rotate as a whole, and the scraping arm may be swingable. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, in the medicine dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, the upper opening that serves as the medicine input port of the powder medicine input hopper 310 is located inside the dispensing tray 6. That is, the dispensing tray 6 is continuously annular (circular ring shape) outside the powder medicine input hopper 310, and the powder medicine input hopper 310 is located in the area surrounded by the dispensing tray 6 in a plan view. And the scraping device 8 is also located inside the dispensing tray 6. And when the scraping device 8 scrapes the powder medicine on the dispensing tray 6 and inputs it into the powder medicine input hopper 310, the powder medicine is scraped toward the inside of the dispensing tray 6. That is, the rotating plate 12 is rotated to move the scraping plate so as to move the powder medicine on the dispensing tray 6 toward the inside of the dispensing tray 6 (the rotating plate 12 is rotated so that the scraping plate moves in a direction crossing from the outer edge side to the inner edge side of the dispensing tray 6). In the present embodiment, by providing the scraping device 8 inside the dispensing tray 6 and scraping the powder medicine toward the inside of the dispensing tray 6, the number of members outside the dispensing tray 6 is reduced. That is, a wide space is secured outside the dispensing tray 6 and around the medicine feeder 5, which facilitates the work when manually attaching and detaching the medicine container 20 to the feeder main body 10, and contributes to the miniaturization of the entire medicine dispensing device 1.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4, the medicine feeder 5 is provided with a weight calibration unit 21 in the feeder unit 22. Also, the medicine feeder 5 has an information reading and writing means 66 (see FIG. 3) that can read and write information with respect to an information storage means 65 (see FIG. 4) described later. The feeder unit 22 has, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 10, a medicine container 20 in which powder medicine is stored and a feeder main body 10 that holds the medicine container 20. As shown in FIG. 8, the feeder main body 10 is mechanically divided into a container support part 23, a weight measurement part 24, and a base part 26. As shown in FIG. 8, the container support portion 23 includes a support base 27, a vibration member 16 (container holding portion), and vibration means 30a and 30b. The vibration means 30a and 30b are piezoelectric elements and have a plate shape. The vibration member 16 and the vibration means 30a and 30b also constitute a vibration device for vibrating the drug container 20.

[0047] Both the support base 27 and the vibration member 16 are members with an "L" - shaped side surface, having a horizontal portion and a vertical wall portion. That is, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 11, the support base 27 has a support - side horizontal portion 30 and a support - side vertical wall portion 31. The vibration member 16 also functions as a container holding portion and has a vibration - side horizontal portion 32 and a vibration - side vertical wall portion 33 (vertical wall). On the vibration - side vertical wall portion 33, there are provided engaging portions (holding - portion - side engaging portions) that engage with the drug container 20, namely, a groove - shaped engaging portion 48 (trapezoidal engaging portion 47) and an engaging piece (holding - portion - side engaging portion) 50 (see FIG. 10).

[0048] The space between the support base 27 and the vibration member 16 is connected by two pieces of vibration means 30a and 30b. There is substantially no contact between the vibration - side horizontal portion 32 and the support - side horizontal portion 30. Therefore, when the vibration means 30a and 30b are energized, the vibration member 16 vibrates.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 8, a weight measurement portion 24 is arranged at the lower part of the container support portion 23. The weight measurement portion 24 includes a weight measurement means 25 and vibration - proof means 18. The weight measurement means 25 is a known load cell. The vibration - proof means 18 has a vibration - proof member 28. The container support portion 23 (support base 27, vibration member 16, vibration means 30a and 30b) is connected to the detection portion of the weight measurement means 25. Also, the base portion 26 supports the upper - part members (support base 27, vibration member 16, vibration means 30a and 30b) via the vibration - proof member 28 of the weight measurement portion 24. The weight of the container support portion 23 is detected by the weight measuring means 25. The weight of the anti-vibration means 18 is applied to the base portion 26 but not to the weight measuring means 25. Therefore, the weight of the container support portion 23 (support base 27, vibration member 16, vibration means 30a, 30b) is detected by the weight measuring means 25.

[0050] The medicine container 20 is a container filled with powder medicine, and its shape is a rectangular parallelepiped with a substantially square side shape. The medicine container 20 is surrounded by a front wall 35, a rear wall 36, left and right side walls 37, a top wall 38, and a bottom wall 40. There is a powder discharge portion 11 that can be opened and closed near the front wall 35 on the bottom wall 40 of the medicine container 20. Also, there are engaging portions (engaging grooves 130, engaging recesses 131, see FIG. 6) at the lower part of the vertical side of the rear wall 36.

[0051] The medicine container 20 is filled with powder medicine and is fixed to the feeder main body 10 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. That is, the rear wall 36 of the medicine container 20 is in contact with the vibration-side vertical wall portion 33 (vertical wall) of the vibration member 16 that is the container holding portion, the back wall 36 side of the bottom wall 40 of the medicine container 20 is in contact with the vibration-side horizontal portion 32, and most of the medicine container 20 is fixed to the feeder main body 10 in a state of protruding in a cantilevered manner. That is, the vibration-side horizontal portion 32 is also a mounting member (mounting table) on which at least a part of the medicine container 20 is mounted. Also, the engaging portions of the medicine container 20 are respectively engaged with two engaging portions of the vibration member 16 (the groove-shaped engaging portion 48 (trapezoidal engaging portion 47, holding portion side engaging portion) and the engaging piece (holding portion side engaging portion) 50 to be described later, see FIG. 10). Therefore, the medicine container 20 is integrated with the vibration member 16 and vibrates together with the vibration member 16.

[0052] Here, on one of the two left and right side walls 37, information storage means 65 is provided (see FIG. 4). Information regarding the drug container 20 (information regarding the powder medicine stored in the drug container 20) is stored in the information storage means 65. For example, identification information for identifying the stored drug (information such as drug name and various codes) and remaining amount information regarding the current remaining amount of the stored drug are stored. The information stored in the information storage means 65 is information that can be used in association with prescription data, etc. By acquiring the information stored in the information storage means 65, operations such as identifying the type of powder medicine stored in the drug container 20 become possible. This information storage means 65 may be a memory such as an IC tag. Also, it may be a code such as a one-dimensional code (barcode) or a two-dimensional code. When a code is adopted, it may be attached to a label.

[0053] Note that, as described above, the drug feeder 5 has information reading / writing means 66 (see FIG. 3) that can read and write information to and from the information storage means 65. In the present embodiment, an RFID reader / writer is adopted as this information reading / writing means 66, and information can be read from and written to the information storage means 65 by wireless communication. And operations of reading cassette information from the information storage means 65 and writing (rewriting) the remaining amount after dispensing the powder medicine from the drug container 20 are possible. Note that the cassette information is the information regarding the drug container 20 described above, and for example, includes the drug name and the remaining amount. This information reading / writing means 66 is located outside the information storage means 65 and is arranged at a position slightly separated from the information storage means 65 when the drug container 20 is attached to the feeder main body 10 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Note that instead of the information reading / writing means 66, it is also conceivable to provide information reading means, information writing means, etc. each capable of reading and writing information.

[0054] The weight calibration unit 21 detects whether the weight measurement means 25 is normal. The weight calibration unit 21 has a weight 42, a weight placement member 43 on which the weight 42 is placed, and a weight support member 45 that lifts the weight 42 in a hollow manner. The weight measuring member 43 is fixed to the container support portion 23 of the feeder body 10. Therefore, the weight of the weight measuring member 43 is added to the weight measuring means 25. On the other hand, the weight support member 45 is arranged so that a load is applied to the base portion 26 of the feeder body 10. Therefore, the weight of the weight support member 45 is not added to the weight measuring means 25.

[0055] In the present embodiment, six chemical feeders 5 are fixed around the distribution tray 6. The front wall 35 side of the chemical container 20 protrudes toward the distribution tray 6, and the powder discharging portion 11 is located directly above the chemical input groove 13.

[0056] In the chemical discharging device 1 of the present embodiment, different chemicals are filled in the chemical containers 20 of the respective chemical feeders 5 in advance. Then, based on the prescription, a specific chemical feeder 5 is driven, and the powder is put into the distribution tray 6. Specifically, an electric current of a constant frequency is passed through the vibration means 30a, 30b of a specific chemical feeder 5 by a signal from a control device (not shown) to generate vibration, and this vibration vibrates the vibration member 16 (container holding portion). Also, the distribution tray 6 is rotated before and after the start of vibration.

[0057] Also, before and after the start of vibration, the weight of the chemical container 20 is measured. The weight of the chemical container 20 is obtained by subtracting a certain value from the detected weight of the weight measuring means 25. More specifically, the weight of the chemical container 20 is obtained by subtracting the weight of the container support portion 23 from the detected weight of the weight measuring means 25. The weight of the chemical container 20 before discharging the powder is stored as the original weight G. Also, the weight of the chemical container 20 is constantly monitored. That is, the current weight of the chemical container 20 is monitored as the current weight g.

[0058] When the vibrating member 16 starts vibrating, the medicine containers 20 vibrate together. Here, in the present embodiment, the medicine containers 20 are firmly joined to the vibrating side vertical wall portion 33 (vertical wall) of the vibrating member 16 by two engaging portions provided at two locations (the groove-shaped engaging portion 48 (trapezoidal engaging portion 47, retaining portion side engaging portion) and the engaging piece 50 to be described later; see FIG. 10). Moreover, since the degree of adhesion with the vibrating member 16 is also high, the medicine containers 20 vibrate at the same frequency as the vibrating member 16. As a result, the powder medicine stored in the medicine containers 20 slowly moves toward the powder medicine discharge portion 11 side.

[0059] Then, the powder medicine falls from the powder medicine discharge portion 11 and enters the medicine input groove 13 of the lower distribution dish 6.

[0060] The fact that the powder medicine is falling is confirmed by the decrease in the weight of the medicine containers 20. That is, in the present embodiment, even when the powder medicine is falling from the medicine containers 20, the current weight of the medicine containers 20 continues to be monitored as the current weight g. Then, the original weight G of the medicine containers 20 immediately after being installed on the vibrating member 16 is compared with the current weight g, and the falling amount H (G minus g) of the powder medicine is constantly calculated. When the total falling amount H of the powder medicine reaches the desired weight, the vibration of the vibrating member 16 is stopped.

[0061] In the subsequent operation, the rotary plate 12 of the scraping device 8 is dropped into the medicine input groove 13 of the distribution dish 6. Further, thereafter, the distribution dish 6 is rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of distributions, and the powder medicine for one dose is collected on the front side of the rotary plate 12. Then, the rotary plate 12 is rotated, and the powder medicine is scraped out of the distribution dish 6 by a scraping plate (not shown) and is put into the powder medicine input hopper 310. The powder medicine that has fallen from the powder medicine input hopper 310 is packaged one dose at a time by the medicine packaging device 305.

[0062] The above-described series of medicine discharging operations are performed in a state where the weight 42 is lifted by the weight support member 45 of the weight calibration unit 21. Therefore, the weight of the weight 42 is not detected by the weight measuring means 25. When confirming whether the weight measuring means 25 is normal or not, the weight support member 45 is operated to place the weight 42 on the weight placing member 43. As a result, the weight of the weight 42 is applied to the weight measuring means 25, and the weight of the weight 42 is detected. Here, since the weight of the weight 42 is known, if the increase in the detected weight due to placing the weight 42 is equal to the weight of the weight 42, it can be said that the weight measuring means 25 is normal. Conversely, if the increase in the detected weight due to placing the weight 42 is different from the weight of the weight 42, it can be said that the weight measuring means 25 is malfunctioning.

[0063] Next, each member and device of the chemical agent dispensing device 1 will be described. (1) Feeder main body 10 As described above, the feeder main body 10 is divided into a container support portion 23, a weight measuring means 25, and a base portion 26. The container support portion 23 has a support base 27, a vibration member 16 (container holding portion), and vibration means 30a and 30b. The external shape of the vibration member 16 is as shown in FIGS. 4 to 12, and is substantially in an "L" shape. That is, the vibration member 16 has a vibration side horizontal portion 32 and a vibration side vertical wall portion 33 that is a vertical wall.

[0064] As shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, the vibration side vertical wall portion 33 is provided with an inner lining member 46 formed of resin on a main body portion 63 formed of metal. As shown in FIG. 10, the inner lining member 46 has an overall shape that is generally rectangular plate-shaped, and an engaging portion 47 is provided on the surface side. The engaging portion 47 is trapezoidal, which is close to a rectangle when viewed from the front. However, there is a bulging portion 58 at the lower part of one of the hypotenuses. And a groove-shaped engaging portion (holding portion side engaging portion) 48 is provided on the side corresponding to the hypotenuse of the trapezoidal shape.

[0065] On the back surface of the vibration side vertical wall portion 33, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, square recesses 132 are provided at two locations, upper and lower. Also, the lower side portion of each recess 132 is an inclined surface 133. The inclined surface 133 is inclined such that the lower side is on the back side compared to the upper side. The inclined surface 133 functions as a seating surface for attaching the vibration means 30a and 30b.

[0066] Also, on the front of the engaging portion 47, a substantially rectangular opening 51 is provided at the lower part thereof as shown in FIGS. 10 and 13. And an engaging piece 50 is accommodated in the opening 51. The engaging piece 50 is connected to the insertion / removal mechanism and protrudes in and out of the opening 51.

[0067] The vibrating side horizontal portion 32 is a plate-like member made of metal. On one side portion of the vibrating side horizontal portion 32, a shutter opening / closing mechanism 55 (opening / closing mechanism portion) is provided as shown in FIGS. 9, 10, and 13. The shutter opening / closing mechanism 55 is an opening / closing mechanism for quantitatively discharging the dispensed medicine from the medicine container 20. The shutter opening / closing mechanism 55 is composed of an engaging piece holding portion 56 and an arm 57 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 13. Also, it has a power portion for operating (linearly moving) the arm 57. This power portion is composed of a motor or the like. The engaging piece holding portion 56 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a concave portion serving as an engaging portion 60 is provided on the upper surface. One end side of the arm 57 is connected to the engaging piece holding portion 56, and the other end side is accommodated in the vibrating side vertical wall portion 33. And it is connected to the above-described insertion / removal mechanism.

[0068] In addition, in this embodiment, to explain in detail, the feeder main body 10 of this embodiment has an engaging member 210 (see the left figure in FIG. 14(a)), and the upper part of this constitutes the engaging piece 50. That is, the engaging member 210 has an upper engaging piece forming portion 210a for forming the engaging piece 50, a lower contact portion 210b, and an intermediate portion 210c connecting these. This engaging member 210 is constantly biased in the direction from the support side vertical wall portion 31 toward the vibrating side vertical wall portion 33 by a biasing member such as a coil spring. Also, the engaging piece holding portion 56 has a pressing protrusion 56a on the side surface (see the right figure in FIG. 14(a)). When the engaging piece holding portion 56 is located near the vibrating side vertical wall portion 33, as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 14(b), the pressing projection portion 56a presses the contact portion 210b in the direction toward the vibrating side vertical wall portion 33. As a result, the engaging member 210 is pressed against the biasing force, and the engaging piece 50 is in a state of being immersed in the opening 51. On the other hand, when the engaging piece holding portion 56 has moved to a position away from the vibrating side vertical wall portion 33, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 14(b), the engaging member 210 is pressed and moved by the biasing member, and the engaging piece 50 protrudes from the opening 51. In this way, the engaging member 210 moves within the groove (recess) formed in the vibrating side horizontal portion 32.

[0069] The external shape of the support base 27 is as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, and is substantially in an "L" shape. That is, the support base 27 has a support side horizontal portion 30 and a support side vertical wall portion 31. There is also an inclined surface (not shown) on the front side of the support side vertical wall portion 31, and the inclined surface functions as a seating surface for attaching the vibration exciting means 30a, 30b.

[0070] The vibrating member 16 is installed on the support base 27, and the vibrating side horizontal portion 32 is on the support side horizontal portion 30. Also, the convex surface side of the vibrating side vertical wall portion 33 faces the concave surface side of the support side vertical wall portion 31. And the space between the concave surface side of the support side vertical wall portion 31 and the convex surface side of the vibrating side vertical wall portion 33 is connected by two vibration exciting means 30a, 30b. Both of the vibration exciting means 30a, 30b are attached in an inclined manner such that the support side vertical wall portion 31 side is upward and the vibrating side vertical wall portion 33 side is downward. There is substantially no contact between the vibrating side horizontal portion 32 and the support side horizontal portion 30.

[0071] The weight measuring unit 24 includes a weight measuring means 25 and a vibration isolation means 18. The vibration isolation means 18 is composed of a vibration isolation frame 135 and a vibration isolation member 28. As shown in FIG. 12, the vibration isolation frame 135 has a high portion frame 136 and a support base portion 137. The upper frame 136 has vibration isolation member mounting plates 140 arranged in parallel. The support base portion 137 is provided between the vibration isolation member mounting plates 140 and at a position lower than the upper frame 136. At the four corners of the vibration isolation member mounting plate 140 on the lower side, vibration isolation members 28 are attached. Also, a weight measuring means 25 is fixed on the support base portion 137. Since the support base portion 137 is at a position lower than the upper frame 136, most of the weight measuring means 25 is at a position lower than the upper frame 136, but the upper surface of the weight measuring means 25 is at a position higher than the upper frame 136.

[0072] The base portion 26 is a plate-shaped member made of metal, and a concave portion is provided at the center. A container support portion 23 is fixed on the upper surface of the weight measuring means 25 of the weight measuring portion 24. Specifically, the support side horizontal portion 30 of the container support portion 23 is fixed on the upper surface of the weight measuring means 25 protruding from the upper frame 136. Also, the vibration isolation members 28 of the weight measuring portion 24 are installed on the base portion 26. In this embodiment, what is placed on the upper surface of the weight measuring means 25 is the container support portion 23 (support base 27, vibration member 16, excitation means 30a, 30b), and the weight measuring means 25 can accurately measure these weights.

[0073] The feeder main body 10 of this embodiment has a container holding portion for holding the drug container 20 and a standing support portion (support side vertical wall portion 31), the container holding portion has a vertical member (vibration side vertical wall portion 33), and excitation means 30a, 30b are provided between the support portion and the vertical member.

[0074] In the feeder main body 10 of this embodiment, excitation means 30a, 30b are on one side surface side of the drug container 20. That is, the drug container 20 and the excitation means 30a, 30b are juxtaposed. Therefore, compared with a layout where the excitation means 30a, 30b are under the drug container 20, the drug container 20 can be placed at a lower position, the powder discharging portion 11 of the drug container 20 can be brought closer to the distribution dish 6, and the splashing of the powder can be reduced.

[0075] (2) Drug container 20 Next, the drug container 20 will be described. In the following description, the vertical and horizontal directions are based on the posture in which the drug container 20 is installed in the feeder main body 10. The drug container 20 has a sealable container body 70. Also, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 15, the drug container 20 has a partition plate 68 (partition member), a flow rectifying member 72, and a shutter structure portion 73 inside.

[0076] When viewed from the front side (powder discharging portion 11 side) with reference to the posture in which the outer shape of the container body 70 is attached to the container support portion 23 of the feeder main body 10, it is an elongated box-shaped member. The container body 70 is a rectangular parallelepiped with a substantially square side surface shape. That is, the drug container 20 has a large-area side surface 61 and a small-area side surface 62, and the height H is higher than the width W. The container body 70 is surrounded by a front wall 35, a rear wall 36, left and right side walls 37, a top wall 38, and a bottom wall 40. The front wall 35 and the rear wall 36 are the small-area side surfaces 62, which are vertically long rectangles. The left and right side walls 37 are rectangles close to squares and are the large-area side surfaces 61. The top wall 38 and the bottom wall 40 are rectangles.

[0077] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, a pair of engaging grooves 130 and one engaging recess 131 are provided in the rear wall 36. The engaging groove 130 is a vertical groove that opens inward along the left and right vertical sides of the rear wall 36. The engaging recess 131 is a depression provided in the lower part of the rear wall 36.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 19, there is a missing portion 77 in the region from the lower part of the front wall 35 to the front wall 35 side of the bottom wall 40. The portion of the bottom wall 40 on the front wall 35 side is missing obliquely. Therefore, the end portion of the bottom wall 40 on the front wall 35 side is a hypotenuse as shown in FIG. 24. In the present embodiment, the inclination of the end portion of the missing portion 77 is a combination of a steep inclination portion 150 and a gentle inclination portion 151.

[0079] The container body 70 is composed of a box portion 71 with one side open and a lid member 75. The box portion 71 constitutes five surfaces out of the walls of the container body 70, excluding one side wall. A packing (not shown) is attached to the opening of the box portion 71. An engaging portion 81 is provided on the opening side of the front wall 35 of the box portion 71 as shown in FIG. 17. The lid member 75 constitutes one side wall (the large - area - side side wall 61) out of the walls of the container body 70. The lid member 75 is swingably attached to the rear wall 36 of the box portion 71 via a hinge 120 (see FIG. 15(a)). A fastening member 76 is provided on the free - end side of the lid member 75. The fastening member 76 employs a toggle - type fastening means and includes a fastening piece 78 that is swingable via a hinge 121 (see FIG. 15(a)). An engaging recess 80 is provided inside the fastening piece 78.

[0080] When closing the opening of the box portion 71 with the lid member 75, bring the free end of the lid member 75 close to the box portion 71 as shown in FIG. 17(a), bring the engaging recess 80 of the fastening piece 78 into contact with the engaging portion 81 of the box portion 71 as shown in FIG. 17(b), and tilt the fastening piece 78 until it contacts the front wall 35 as shown in FIG. 17(c). As a result, the free - end side of the lid member 75 is drawn toward the opening of the box portion 71, the inner - surface side of the lid member 75 contacts the packing of the box portion 71, and the inside of the container body 70 is sealed. Also, the fastening piece 78 assumes a posture substantially parallel to the front wall 35 of the box portion 71.

[0081] Here, when the drug container 20 of the present embodiment is changed from the state of closing the opening of the box portion 71 to the open state, it is assumed that an external device or jig (not shown) is used. That is, when releasing the fastening state (locking state) of the lid member 75, it is assumed that the posture of the fastening piece 78 is changed by an external device or the like without directly operating it by hand. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 18(a), the clamping piece 78 has a substantially triangular prism-shaped outer contour and is shaped such that its thickness decreases towards the free end side. And the clamping piece 78 has an inclined surface formed on the portion opposite to the front wall 35 side in the closed state, while substantially the whole except for a part of the portion on the front wall 35 side is in close contact with the front wall 35 without any gap. Specifically, a notch 78a is formed on the free end side of the clamping piece 78, and a fine gap (not shown) is formed between the front wall 35 and the portion adjacent to this notch 78a (the portion located on the proximal end side of the clamping piece 78). Then, a part of an external device or jig is inserted into this gap from the notch 78a, and the clamping state is released by changing the posture of the clamping piece 78. The notch 78a and the gap adjacent to the notch 78a are sized such that an ordinary adult's finger cannot enter.

[0082] However, instead of the above-described drug container 20, as shown in Fig. 18(b), a drug container assuming manual release of the clamping state (locking state) may be adopted. This drug container has a clamping piece 278 different from the above-described drug container 20. Therefore, when in the clamped state, as shown in Fig. 18(b), a gap 279 is formed between the clamping piece 278 and the front wall 35. This gap 279 is a relatively large gap and is sized such that an ordinary adult's finger can enter with ease. Specifically, when the clamped clamping piece 278 is viewed in plan view, more than half of the edge portion of the clamping piece 278 on the front wall 35 side is arranged at a position away from the front wall 35. Also, as shown in the right figure of Fig. 18(b), the gap 279 is widest at the free end side (the upper side in Fig. 18) of the clamping piece 278 and becomes narrower towards the proximal end side (the lower side in Fig. 18). From the above, by the user inserting a finger into the gap 279 and changing the posture of the clamping piece 278, it becomes possible to release the clamping state (locking state).

[0083] The partition plate 68 (partition member) is formed by bending a strip-shaped plate, and as shown in Fig. 15, it has a wall contact portion 141, 142, a large inclined portion 143, a small inclined portion 145, and a horizontal portion 146. The partition plate 68 (partition member) has a horizontal portion 146 at the center, large inclined portions 143 and small inclined portions 145 are formed on both sides thereof, and wall contact portions 141, 142 are further formed on both sides thereof.

[0084] The horizontal portion 146 assumes a horizontal posture when installed on the container body 70, and a large number of small holes (openings) 146 are provided. The small holes (openings) 146 adopted in this embodiment are in the form of slits extending in the width W direction of the container body 70. The large inclined portion 143 and the small inclined portion 145 are portions that assume a posture inclined toward the horizontal portion 146 when installed on the container body 70, and the large inclined portion 143 is longer than the small inclined portion 145. The inclination angles of the inclined portions 143, 145 are the same. The wall contact portions 141, 142 are portions that assume a vertical posture when installed on the container body 70.

[0085] The flow rectifying member 72 is a coil-shaped member.

[0086] As shown in Fig. 19, the shutter structure portion 73 is composed of a guide member 90, a shutter member 91 (opening / closing member), a transmission member 92, and a biasing member 93. The guide member 90 is a member with a concave side surface shape, and has an upper side horizontal wall 95, a lower side horizontal wall 96, and a back wall 97 connecting the two.

[0087] As shown in Figs. 19, 20, and 21, the shutter member 91 has a closing wall 110, a guide wall portion 111, a connecting wall 112, and a stopper wall 113. Also, a seal member (packing) is attached at a position above the closing wall 110. The closing wall 110 assumes a horizontal posture in the attached state. The closing wall 110 has a hypotenuse 138. The guide wall portion 111 is a wall surface parallel to the closing wall 110. The connecting wall 112 is a vertical wall connecting the guide wall portion 111 and the closing wall 110. A concave shape is formed by the closing wall 110, the connecting wall 112, and the guide wall portion 111. The stopper wall 113 is a small wall that rises vertically from the free end side of the guide wall portion 111.

[0088] The transmission member 92 is a stick-shaped member. In this embodiment, it is made of an elongated metal plate. A shutter-side attachment portion 118 is provided at one end of the transmission member 92. There is a notch portion 115 at the other end of the transmission member 92, and the portion beyond the notch portion 115 is an engaging portion 116. The transmission member 92 has the shutter-side attachment portion 118 attached to the shutter member 91 and is integrated with the shutter member 91.

[0089] The biasing member 93 is a spring.

[0090] The partition plate 68 (partition member) and the flow rectifying member 72 are housed inside the container body 70. Most of the shutter structure portion 73 is inside the container body 70, and only the transmission member 92 extends along the outer surface of the container body 70.

[0091] The partition plate 68 (partition member) is fixed to the container body 70 with the contact wall portion 142 fixed inside the front wall 35 of the container body 70 and the contact wall portion 141 fixed inside the rear wall 36 of the container body 70. The inclined portions 143, 145 and the horizontal portion 146 of the partition plate 68 (partition member) are in a state as if they are suspended from the front wall 35 and the rear wall 36 of the container body 70. The large inclined portion 143 of the partition plate 68 (partition member) is at a position reaching from the front wall 35 to the center of the container body 70. The horizontal portion 146 is near the bottom wall 40 of the container body 70 but does not contact the bottom wall 40, and a powder passage 117 through which the powder passes is formed between the two.

[0092] The shutter structure portion 73 is accommodated on the lower side of the large inclined portion 143. The guide member 90 of the shutter structure portion 73 is arranged with the back wall 97 facing the back wall 36 side. The shutter member 91 has a concave portion formed by the closing wall 110, the connecting wall 112, and the guide wall portion 111, which is engaged with the concave portion of the guide member 90. That is, the lower surface of the guide wall portion 111 of the shutter member 91 is in contact with the lower side horizontal wall 96 of the guide member 90. Also, the closing wall 110 of the shutter member 91 is in contact with the outside of the bottom wall 40 of the container body 70.

[0093] The biasing member 93 is between the inner surface of the front wall 35 of the container body 70 and the stopper wall 113 of the shutter member 91, and biases the shutter member 91 toward the back wall 97 of the guide member 90. As shown in FIG. 21, the transmission member 92 is outside the container body 70 as described above and extends along the side wall toward the back wall 36 side.

[0094] The transmission member 92 is integral with the shutter member 91. When the transmission member 92 is slid in the front-rear direction of the container body 70, the shutter member 91 also moves linearly. The shutter member 91 has a concave portion in contact with the guide member 90 and the container body 70, and is restricted by these to move linearly. When the transmission member 92 is at the most back wall 36 side, the closing wall 110 of the shutter member 91 covers the missing portion 77 at the lower part of the container body 70 and seals the missing portion 77 at the opening where the powder medicine is discharged. When the transmission member 92 is at the most front wall 35 side, the closing wall 110 of the shutter member 91 separates from the inclined side (the inclined side on the back wall 36 side) of the missing portion 77 at the lower part of the container body 70, and the lower part of the container body 70 opens. Here, the opening end of the missing portion 77 of the container body 70 (the portion on the front wall 35 side of the bottom wall 40 of the missing portion 77) is inclined, and the free end of the shutter member 91 is also the inclined side 138. Therefore, the opening that becomes the powder medicine discharge portion 11 is a slit 148 in an oblique posture as shown in FIGS. 24(a) and (b). The drug feeder 5 of this embodiment can adjust the opening degree of the width of the slit 148, and can change the opening degree (perform control to adjust the opening degree) based on a signal from a control device (not shown). This control is also the control of the moving distance of the transmission member 92. Note that the opening degree of the slit 148 may be changed according to (based on) the type of drug to be discharged from the drug container 20 (the type of powder drug, such as ease of flow and particle size) and the discharge amount of the drug. The shutter member 91 is pressed by the biasing member 93 in the direction to close the powder discharge portion 11, and the powder discharge portion 11 is opened by moving the transmission member 92 toward the front wall 35 side.

[0095] Next, the positional relationship between the drug feeder 5 and the distribution plate 6 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of drug feeders 5 are arranged side by side around the distribution plate 6. All the drug feeders 5 are oriented in the normal direction with respect to the distribution plate 6. Since the drug feeder 5 of this embodiment has a narrow width, a large number of them can be arranged in a narrow area. Therefore, a large number of them can be arranged side by side around the distribution plate 6. In this embodiment, six drug feeders 5 are arranged radially on the front half - circumference portion of the distribution plate 6. Since the drug feeder 5 of this embodiment supports the rear wall 36 of the drug container 20 in a cantilever manner by the vibration - side vertical wall portion 33 of the feeder main body 10, most of the drug container 20 projects from the feeder main body 10 in a cantilever manner. And as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the position of the powder discharge portion 11 provided on the front wall 35 side of the drug container 20 is directly above the drug input groove 13 of the distribution plate 6.

[0096] The drug feeder 5 of this embodiment has a slit - shaped powder discharge portion 11 and is inclined with respect to the drug container 20. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the powder discharge portion 11 has an extension in the width A direction of the drug input groove 13.

[0097] Next, the operation of the drug feeder 5 will be described. In the drug dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, different drugs are pre-filled in the drug containers 20 of the respective drug feeders 5. When filling powders, the drug container 20 is removed from the feeder main body 10, and the drug container 20 is placed flat as shown in FIG. 16. Then, the lid member 75 is opened, and the powders are filled from the side surface 61 on the large area side of the drug container 20. After that, the lid member 75 is closed to make the inside of the drug container 20 in a sealed state. Subsequently, the drug container 20 is attached to the feeder main body 10 as shown in FIG. 13.

[0098] At this time, the feeder main body 10 is in a standby state as shown in FIG. 13(a). Specifically, the insertion and removal mechanism of the feeder main body 10 is in a storage posture, and the engaging piece 50 of the vibration-side vertical wall portion 33 is immersed in the opening 51. Also, in the shutter opening and closing mechanism 55, the arm 57 is attracted to the vibration-side vertical wall portion 33 side, and the engaging piece holding portion 56 is in the vicinity of the vibration-side vertical wall portion 33. On the other hand, the drug container 20 pulls the transmission member 92 toward the back wall 36 side to block the opening at the lower part of the container main body 70.

[0099] In this state, as shown in FIG. 13(a), the back wall 36 of the drug container 20 is inserted from above along the vibration-side vertical wall portion 33 of the feeder main body 10. Here, on the vibration-side vertical wall portion 33, there is a trapezoidal engaging portion 47, and on the side corresponding to the hypotenuse of the trapezoidal shape, there is a groove-shaped engaging portion (engaging portion on the holding portion side) 48. On the other hand, on the back wall 36 of the container main body 70, there are a pair of engaging grooves 130. Therefore, by inserting the back wall 36 of the drug container 20 from above along the vibration-side vertical wall portion 33 of the feeder main body 10, the engaging groove 130 of the container main body 70 can be engaged with the engaging portion 48 of the vibration-side vertical wall portion 33. At this time, since the engaging piece 50 of the vibration-side vertical wall portion 33 is immersed in the opening 51, it does not become an obstacle when inserting the drug container 20.

[0100] ​Also at this time, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the engaging portion 116 of the transmission member 92 is engaged with the engaging piece holding portion 56 of the feeder main body 10. Here, in the present embodiment, when the drug container 20 is attached, as described above, the engaging groove 48 functions as a guide for restricting the moving direction of the drug container 20. Therefore, the drug container 20 can be attached simply by moving it along the engaging portion 48, and the engaging portion 116 of the transmission member 92 can be engaged with the engaging piece holding portion 56. That is, without performing fine alignment (without being conscious of the operation for engagement) to engage the engaging portion 116 of the transmission member 92 with the engaging piece holding portion 56, it is possible to naturally engage them simply by attaching the drug container 20. Then, as described above, based on the prescription, the specific drug feeder 5 is selected and driven. Here, in the present embodiment, in the selected drug feeder 5, the loading and unloading mechanism assumes a protruding posture, and as shown in FIG. 13(c), the engaging piece 50 of the vibrating side vertical wall portion 33 protrudes from the opening 51. As a result, the engaging piece 50 of the vibrating side vertical wall portion 33 engages with the engaging recess 131 of the rear wall 36 of the drug container 20, and the drug container 20 is firmly fixed to the vibrating member 16. Also, when the loading and unloading mechanism assumes a protruding posture, as shown in FIG. 13(c), the engaging piece holding portion 56 moves toward the front wall 35 side, the transmission member 92 slides forward, moves the shutter member 91, and opens the powder discharging portion 11 at the lower part of the container main body 70.

[0101] Subsequently, the vibration of the vibrating member 16 is started, and as described above, the drug container 20 vibrates together. Here, in the present embodiment, the drug container 20 is firmly joined to the vibrating member 16 by the engaging portions provided at two locations, and since the degree of adhesion to the vibrating member 16 is also high, the drug container 20 vibrates at the same frequency as the vibrating member 16. In the drug container 20 of the present embodiment, a partition plate 68 (partition member) is provided inside, and the inside of the container main body 70 is partitioned vertically. And a space (powder passage 117) through which the powder passes is secured below the partition plate 68. Therefore, it is difficult for the weight of the upper powder to act on the powder in the powder passage 117, and the powder can move easily.

[0102] Since the drug container 20 of the present embodiment is narrow in width, it is high in height in order to secure a volume for storing powder drugs. The pressure applied to the powder drugs is a function correlated with the height, and the lower powder drugs are pressed with a stronger force as the stacking height of the powder drugs is higher. Therefore, if there is no partition plate 68 (partition member), there is a concern that the powder drugs near the bottom wall 40 may be pressed by the upper powder drugs and solidify, resulting in poor movement. In the present embodiment, since the weight of the upper powder drugs is supported by the partition plate 68, the powder drugs near the bottom wall 40 are not pressed, and the flow due to vibration is smooth. Furthermore, by vibrating the drug container 20 during the discharging operation of the powder drugs, the powder drugs in the drug container 20 are agitated in the storage space which is the space above the partition plate 68 (horizontal portion 146). At this time, a part of the stored powder drugs moves in the direction of going over the large inclined portion 143 and moves upward from the horizontal portion 146 and toward the horizontal portion 146 side. For this reason, it is difficult for a pressing force from above to below by the powder drugs to be applied on the small holes (slits) of the horizontal portion 146, and the powder drugs flowing by agitation appropriately fall from the small holes (slits), so that smooth discharge of the powder drugs becomes possible. When the powder drugs in the powder drug passage 117 are insufficient, the powder drugs fall from the small holes 147 provided in the horizontal portion 146 into the powder drug passage 117, and the powder drug passage 117 is replenished with the powder drugs.

[0103] Also, in the present embodiment, the replenishment of the powder drugs to the powder drug passage 117 is performed only from the horizontal portion 146. The horizontal portion 146 is, in the horizontal direction, at a position closer to the rear wall 36 than the front wall 35 and is away from the discharge portion. Also, since there is a large inclined portion 143 between the horizontal portion 146 and the front wall 35, the space is wider on the front side in the advancing direction of the powder drugs. Specifically, the height of the space is higher. Therefore, a space is formed above the powder drugs flowing through the powder drug passage 117. Therefore, as the powder drugs advance through the powder drug passage 117, the flow of the powder drugs is rectified, the laminar flow progresses, and highly laminar flow is achieved.

[0104] Also, in the present embodiment, when the powder medicine in the powder medicine passage 117 moves toward the powder medicine discharge part 11, it passes through the rectifying member 72 and passes through the gaps between the coil wires. Therefore, the flow of the medicine is smoothed. The powder medicine falls from the powder medicine discharge part 11 of the shutter member 91 and enters the medicine input groove 13 of the lower distribution tray 6.

[0105] Also, in the present embodiment, by adopting a configuration having an inclined side 138 on the end face of the closing wall 110, the effective opening degree can be adjusted. That is, in the medicine feeder 5 of the present embodiment, the shape of the powder medicine discharge part 11 is slit-shaped and is inclined with respect to the container body 70. Therefore, as described above, the powder medicine discharge part 11 has an extension in the width A direction of the medicine input groove 13. Since the powder medicine falls with an extension in the width A direction of the medicine input groove 13, it falls evenly in the width A direction of the medicine input groove 13. Therefore, when scraping the powder medicine in a later process, the aggregation of the scraped powder medicine is not easily broken.

[0106] Also, the inclination of the end of the missing part 77 of the container body 70 is a combination of a steep inclination part 150 and a gentle inclination part 151. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 24(a), when the movement amount of the closing wall 110 is increased, the powder medicine can be dropped from the entire width of the bottom wall 40 (see Fig. 23(a)). On the contrary, as shown in Fig. 24(b), when the movement amount of the closing wall 110 is small, only the space between the steep inclination part 150 of the closing wall 110 and the inclined side of the bottom wall 40 opens, so the effective opening width becomes narrow (see Fig. 23(b)). When it is necessary to discharge a large amount of powder medicine, as shown in Figs. 23(a) and 24(a), the movement amount of the closing wall 110 is increased to drop the powder medicine from the entire width of the bottom wall 40. When the discharge amount of the powder medicine is small, as shown in Figs. 23(b) and 24(b), the movement amount of the closing wall 110 is decreased to drop the powder medicine from a narrow width.

[0107] When a predetermined amount of powder medicine is discharged, the vibration of the vibration member 16 is stopped. Subsequently, the loading and unloading mechanism of the feeder main body 10 is operated toward the drawing side. As a result, the engagement piece holding portion 56 moves toward the back wall 36 side, the transmission member 92 slides rearward to move the shutter member 91, and the opening at the lower part of the container main body 70 closes. At the same time, the loading and unloading mechanism of the feeder main body 10 assumes the storage posture, and the engagement piece 50 of the vibration side vertical wall portion 33 disengages from the engagement recess 131 of the medicine container 20.

[0108] Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present invention will be described.

[0109] The bottom portion (bottom surface) of the internal space of the medicine container 20 in the above-described embodiment, that is, the bottom portion (bottom surface) of the powder medicine passage 117 (see FIGS. 15, 16, etc.) connected to the powder medicine discharge portion 11 may be inclined. For example, the bottom surface may be an inclined surface inclined so that the height decreases toward one side in the width direction of the medicine container 20. That is, it is an inclined surface inclined so as to become lower from one side to the other side of the two left and right side walls 37. For example, in a state where the lid member 75 is closed, it may be formed so as to have a downward gradient toward the lid member 75 side. According to such a structure, when discharging the powder medicine, the powder medicine easily gathers on one side in the width direction of the medicine container 20, so that accurate and stable discharge is possible even when discharging a small amount of the powder medicine. It is also conceivable to form this bottom surface so as to have a downward gradient toward the powder medicine discharge portion 11. That is, it is also conceivable to form it so as to have a downward gradient from one end side to the other end side in a direction orthogonal to the width direction in plan view.

[0110] The shutter member 91 described above may be provided with a seal member 250 as shown in FIG. 25. The seal member 250 has a plate-shaped attachment piece portion 251 and a flat plate portion 280 protruding outward from one main surface of the attachment piece portion 251, and these are integrally formed. As shown in Fig. 25(c), the attachment piece portion 251 extends in an oblique direction. The oblique direction means a direction inclined with respect to the width direction of the above-described drug container 20 (the left-right direction in Fig. 25(c)) and the flow direction of the powdered drug at the time of discharge (the up-down direction in Fig. 25(c)) in a plan view.

[0111] The flat plate portion 280 is partitioned into a first protruding piece portion 260, a second protruding piece portion 261, and a third protruding piece portion 262 from one side toward the other side in the width direction of the drug container 20 (the left-right direction in Fig. 25(c)). In the following description of the seal member 250, the width direction of the drug container 20 (the left-right direction in Fig. 25(c)) is also referred to as the left-right direction, and the flow direction of the powdered drug (the up-down direction in Fig. 25(c)) is also referred to as the front-back direction. At this time, the lower side in Fig. 25(c) is taken as the front.

[0112] The first protruding piece portion 260, the second protruding piece portion 261, and the third protruding piece portion 262 are the protruding lengths from the attachment piece portion 251, and the protruding lengths in the direction orthogonal to the main surface of the attachment piece portion 251 (the direction indicated by the arrow X in Fig. 25(c)) are different. Specifically, the protruding lengths increase in the order of the first protruding piece portion 260, the second protruding piece portion 261, and the third protruding piece portion 262. Therefore, the protruding end surface of the first protruding piece portion 260 and the protruding end surface of the second protruding piece portion 261 are continuous via a step. And the protruding end surface of the second protruding piece portion 261 is located on the rear side of the protruding end surface of the first protruding piece portion 260 in the direction orthogonal to the main surface of the above-described attachment piece portion 251. And the protruding end surface of the third protruding piece portion 262 is located on the further rear side of the protruding end surface of the second protruding piece portion 261 in the same direction.

[0113] Although not particularly limited, the portion located most rearward within the protruding end of the first protruding piece portion 260 (the portion indicated by P1 in the figure) and the portion located most rearward within the protruding end of the third protruding piece portion 262 (the portion indicated by P2 in the figure) are in the same position in the front-back direction. That is, the flat plate portion 280 forms a notch-shaped missing portion with respect to a plate-like body having a substantially trapezoidal shape in a plan view, and has a shape in which a part is missing.

[0114] As shown in FIG. 26, this shutter member 91 moves back and forth (left and right in FIG. 26) with the seal member 250 inserted into the internal space of the drug container 20 (see the powder scattering passage 117, FIG. 15, etc.), and performs the opening and closing operation of the powder discharging portion 11. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 26(a) to 26(c), when the shutter member 91 is moved to switch between the closed state and the open state, at least a part of the third protruding piece portion 262 is always inserted into the drug container 20, and the shutter member 91 moves. For this reason, the seal member 250 also functions as a guide when moving the shutter member 91.

[0115] For example, as shown in FIG. 26(a), the moving amount of the shutter member 91 (closing wall 110) is increased, and the powder discharging portion 11 is fully opened. At this time, while the first protruding piece portion 260 and the second protruding piece portion 261 are arranged at positions separated from the outside of the powder discharging portion 11, a part of the third protruding piece portion 262 is inserted into the inside of the powder discharging portion 11 (inside the drug container 20). Therefore, the powder is discharged from both the portion of the powder discharging portion 11 facing away from the first protruding piece portion 260 and the portion facing away from the second protruding piece portion 261. Also, a part of the opening forming the powder discharging portion 11 is blocked by the third protruding piece portion 262. In other words, the powder will fall from the space between the powder discharging portion 11 and the first protruding piece portion 260 and the space between the powder discharging portion 11 and the second protruding piece portion 261.

[0116] On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 26(b), the moving amount of the shutter member 91 (closing wall 110) is decreased, and the powder discharging portion 11 is slightly opened. At this time, while the first protruding piece portion 260 is arranged at a position separated from the outside of the powder discharging portion 11, a part of the second protruding piece portion 261 and a part of the third protruding piece portion 262 are inserted into the inside of the powder discharging portion 11 (inside the drug container 20). Therefore, in the powder discharging part 11, the part facing the first protruding piece part 260 with a gap is in a state where the inside and outside communicate with each other, and the powder is discharged from this part. Also, a part of the opening forming the powder discharging part 11 is blocked by the second protruding piece part 261 and the third protruding piece part 262. In other words, the powder will fall from the space between the powder discharging part 11 and the first protruding piece part 260. Thus, when the moving amount of the shutter member 91 is small, the effective opening width for discharging the powder becomes small. In other words, the opening area of the part effective for discharging the powder in the powder discharging part 11 becomes small.

[0117] Also, as shown in FIG. 26(c), when the shutter member 91 is in the closed state, the first protruding piece part 260, the second protruding piece part 261, and the third protruding piece part 262 are inserted into the inside of the powder discharging part 11 (inside the medicine container 20). By this, after discharging the powder, by setting the shutter member 91 in the closed state, the powder can be pushed back from the vicinity of the powder discharging part 11 to the back side.

[0118] As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to open the powder discharging part 11 step by step. When it is necessary to discharge a large amount of powder, as shown in FIG. 26(a), the moving amount of the closing wall 110 is increased to let the powder fall from a relatively wide range. And when the discharge amount of the powder is small, as shown in FIG. 26(a), the moving amount of the closing wall 110 is decreased to let the powder fall from a relatively narrow range. In the above-described embodiment, the opening degree (opening width) of the powder discharging part 11 is structured to be adjustable in two steps, but it may be possible to adjust in a plurality of steps of three steps or more. That is to say, the number of protruding piece parts may be four or more.

[0119] Also, in addition to the above-described structure in which the opening degree of the powder discharging part 11 can be adjusted step by step, as shown in FIG. 27, the opening area (opening width) of the part effective for discharging the powder in the powder discharging part 11 may be structured to continuously increase or decrease according to the moving amount of the shutter member 231 (opening and closing member).

[0120] As shown in Fig. 27, the shutter member 231 of this embodiment has a substantially rectangular shape (substantially rectangular shape) in plan view (bottom view) of the closing wall 232, which is different from the above. That is, the closing wall 232 has a shape that is long in the width direction of the drug container in plan view, and the side 232a on the rearmost side (left side in Fig. 27) is a side that extends in the same direction as the width direction of the drug container. In other words, it has a linearly extending portion at the rearmost side portion. On the other hand, the powder discharge portion 11 extends in an oblique direction. And the front end portion of the bottom wall 40 also extends in an oblique direction in plan view. Note that this front end portion of the bottom wall 40 is also the boundary portion between the bottom wall 40 and the missing portion 77 (see Fig. 19 etc.) on the front wall 35 side.

[0121] And when the shutter member 231 is in the fully open state as shown in Fig. 27(a), it is arranged at a position that does not overlap with the bottom wall 40 in plan view. That is, the whole of the closing wall 232 is arranged in front of the powder discharge portion 11 and the front end (right end in Fig. 27) of the bottom wall 40. In this case, powder is discharged from the entire area of the powder discharge portion 11. That is, powder falls from the space located between the powder discharge portion 11 and the side 232a in plan view (bottom view). When the shutter member 231 moves in the closing direction from the state of Fig. 27(a), as shown in Fig. 27(b), a part of the closing wall 232 is located below the bottom wall 40 and overlaps with the bottom wall 40 in the vertical direction (depth direction in Fig. 27(a)). At this time, in plan view, a part of the powder discharge portion 11 (a part of the front end portion of the bottom wall 40) is located in front of the side 232a, and the other part is located behind the side 232a.

[0122] In this state, the portion of the powder discharge portion 11 that is located behind the side 232a becomes the effective portion for discharging the powder. That is, powder falls from the space located between the portion located behind the side 232a and the side 232a. Therefore, as the shutter member 231 moves in the closing direction and the overlap between the bottom wall 40 and the closing wall 232 increases, the opening width of the effective portion for discharging the powder medicine decreases. Conversely, as the shutter member 231 moves in the closing direction and the overlapping portion between the bottom wall 40 and the closing wall 232 decreases, the opening width of the effective portion for discharging the powder medicine increases. When in the fully closed state, as shown in FIG. 27(c), the entire front end (the right end in FIG. 27) of the powder medicine discharging portion 11 and the bottom wall 40 is arranged in front of the side 232a.

[0123] In the above-described embodiment, the closing wall 110 of the shutter member 91 is in contact with the outside of the bottom wall 40 of the container body 70. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the contour of the end face of the closing wall 110 is a simple inclined line. On the other hand, the closing wall 110 of the shutter member 91 may be configured to be in contact with the inside of the bottom wall 40 of the container body 70.

[0124] When the closing wall 110 of the shutter member 91 is configured to be in contact with the inside of the bottom wall 40 of the container body 70, when the closing wall 110 is closed, the end portion of the shutter member 91 pushes the powder medicine that has reached the vicinity of the opening of the bottom wall 40 of the medicine container 20 toward the back side. Therefore, when the closing wall 110 is opened next time, it is possible to prevent the powder medicine from spilling.

[0125] In the above-described embodiment, the partition plate 68 (partition member) is provided near the lower part of the container body 70. In addition to this, or instead of the partition plate 68 (partition member), as shown in FIG. 28, a roof-shaped temporary receiving plate 152 may be provided at the middle part in the height direction of the medicine container. By providing the temporary receiving plate 152, it is possible to prevent the weight of the powder medicine on the upper side from being applied to the powder medicine below. The temporary receiving plate 152 may be provided with an opening.

[0126] In addition to the partition plate 68 (partition member) provided near the lower part of the container body 70, as shown in Fig. 29(a), a second partition 160 for partitioning the inside of the container body 70 may be provided. Also, as shown in Fig. 29(b), it is recommended to provide a shutter 161 on the second partition 160. The shutter 161 is manually opened and closed. By providing the second partition 160, the first-in, first-out of the bulk powder can be promoted.

[0127] It is desirable to replenish the bulk powder in the drug container 20 with a new bulk powder after all the bulk powder in the drug container 20 has been used up, but there may be a case where there is some remaining bulk powder. In this case, the remaining bulk powder is dropped below the second partition 160, and then the shutter 161 is closed to partition the lower and upper parts of the drug container. Then, the upper part is filled with bulk powder. And then, the shutter 161 is opened. By doing so, the new bulk powder will be piled on top of the original bulk powder and the old one will be discharged.

[0128] The shutter 161 of the second partition 160 may be interlocked with the shutter member 91 of the bulk powder discharge part 11. For example, as shown in Fig. 30, the shutter member 91 and the shutter 161 of the second partition 160 are connected by a spring 170 to interlock the shutter member 91 and the shutter 161 of the second partition 160. The spring 170 for interlocking is preferably a spring weaker than the spring of the biasing member 93 that biases the shutter member 91 in the closing direction. The reason for this is that when there is a large amount of remaining bulk powder, the bulk powder may clog the shutter 161 of the second partition 160 and the shutter 161 of the second partition 160 may not close. The shutter 161 of the second partition 160 does not necessarily need to be fully closed. By weakening the spring 170, the shutter 161 of the second partition 160 can be in a semi-open state.

[0129] The drug container described above fills the bulk powder directly from the side, but the surface for filling the bulk powder is arbitrary. For example, the bulk powder may be introduced from the upper surface side of the drug container. Also, as shown in FIG. 31, a drug container 172 with an open upper surface may be used. For example, one or more drug containers 172 with open upper surfaces are attached to the feeder body 10. Then, when dispensing powders with low usage frequency, the powders are directly put into and dispensed from the upper opening.

[0130] In the embodiment described above, the powder input hopper 310 is installed within the equipment storage opening 15 of the distribution dish 6. Here, it is desirable that the height of the opening of the powder input hopper 310 is slightly lower than that of the distribution dish 6 as shown in FIG. 32. By making the height of the opening of the powder input hopper 310 lower than that of the powder input hopper 310 and rotating the rotating plate 12 relatively slowly, the powders can be put into the powder input hopper 310 without scattering.

[0131] Instead of the drug container 20 described above, the drug feeder 5 may employ a drug container 420 of a second embodiment as shown in FIG. 33. Similar to the drug container 20 described above, the drug container 420 of the second embodiment is detachable from the feeder body 10. That is, it constitutes a drug feeder together with the above-described feeder body 10.

[0132] This drug container 420 is also surrounded by a front wall 435 and a rear wall 436 that are the side surfaces of the small area side, two side walls 437 that are the side surfaces of the large area side, a top wall 438, and a bottom wall 440. That is, this drug container 420 is also a vertically elongated box-shaped member. Further, on the rear wall 436, an engagement groove 130 and an engagement recess (a recess that engages with the engagement piece 50 and not shown) are formed in the same manner as above. And the drug container 420 has an openable and closable powder discharge part 411 (see FIG. 35) at a position near the front wall 435 on the bottom wall 440. Also, the drug container 420 has a shutter structure part 473.

[0133] As shown in FIG. 34(a), the shutter structure portion 473 includes a shutter member 491 (opening / closing member) and a transmission member 492. That is, it is different from the above-described embodiment in that it does not have a guide member 90 and a biasing member 93 (see FIG. 19 etc.). And, similar to the above-described embodiment, when the transmission member 492 moves linearly, the shutter member 491 moves, and the powder discharge portion 411 opens and closes. That is, similar to the above-described embodiment, a part of the back wall 436 side of the transmission member 492 is in a state of being exposed to the outside, and by holding the drug container 420 in the feeder main body 10, the transmission member 492 engages with the shutter opening / closing mechanism 55.

[0134] Note that the drug container 420 of the present embodiment has a holding protrusion portion 525 that holds a middle portion of the transmission member 492 and a locking protrusion portion 526. This locking protrusion portion 526 is a portion that forms a locking mechanism for maintaining a closed state so that the powder discharge portion 411 (the shutter) does not accidentally open when the drug container 420 is removed from the feeder main body 10 and carried. The holding protrusion portion 525 is a pair of protrusion portions that extend in a direction approaching each other from above and below. A part of the transmission member 492 is inserted into a groove-like portion formed inside the holding protrusion portion 525. The locking protrusion portion 526 is a protrusion formed integrally with a flat plate-like portion of a leaf spring member 520 positioned front and rear, and is a plate-like portion that extends in a substantially V shape in a side view between the two flat plate-like portions. This locking protrusion portion 526 projects in a cantilever manner to the outside in the width direction of the drug container 420 together with the front and rear flat plate-like portions, and elastically deforms together with the flat plate-like portions. This locking protrusion portion 526 restricts an unintended movement of the transmission member 492 by engaging with a notch portion (locking portion) formed above the transmission member 492 (above the engaging portion 116).

[0135] Then, by attaching the drug container 420 to the feeder main body 10, the engagement (locked state) between the locking projection 526 and the transmission member 492 is released, and the transmission member 492 becomes movable. Specifically, when the drug container 420 is attached to the feeder main body 10, in the same manner as described above, the engaging portion 60 of the engaging piece holding portion 56 (see FIGS. 13, 14, etc.) and the engaging portion 116 of the transmission member 492 are engaged (a portion behind the engaging portion 116 which is a part of the transmission member 492 is inserted into the engaging portion 60 of the engaging piece holding portion 56 from above). That is, in the present embodiment, at this time, the flat plate-like portion on the rear side (the side of the back wall 436) of the locking projection 526 is lifted from below by the upper surface of the engaging piece holding portion 56 where the engaging portion 60 is formed. As a result, the locking projection 526 and the flat plate-like portion are elastically deformed so as not to come into contact with each other, and the engagement between the locking projection 526 and the transmission member 492 is released.

[0136] As shown in FIG. 33, in the drug container 420 of the present embodiment, the lid member 475 constitutes the top wall 438 among the respective walls. The lid member 475 is attached to the box portion 471 having an open upper surface, and the lid member 475 can swing by the hinge 421. By opening the lid member 475, it is possible to fill the powder medicine from above, and by closing it, it is possible to seal the drug container 420. Note that the drug container 420 of the present embodiment can be filled with powder medicine while being held by the feeder main body 10.

[0137] As shown in FIG. 35, the lid member 475 of the present embodiment has a lid main body portion 475a and a small lid portion 475b. The small lid portion 475b is attached to the lower side (the lower side when in the closed state) of the lid main body portion 475a and can swing by the hinge 421. Here, the lid member 475 has a lid inner accommodating portion 527 which is a space capable of accommodating a desiccant or the like. A humidity control agent is stored in the lid inner accommodating portion 527 of the present embodiment. By swinging the small lid portion 475b, the lid inner accommodating portion 527 can be opened and closed. That is, the lid inner accommodating portion 527 is a space formed between the lid main body portion 475a and the small lid portion 475b. Specifically, when the lid member 475 is in the closed state and the small lid portion 475b is in the closed state, it is a space located above most of the small lid portion 475b.

[0138] Also, as shown in FIGS. 34(a) and 35, the lid member 475 has a lid side locking piece portion 476 on the side opposite to the connecting portion with the box portion 471. The lid side locking piece portion 476 is connected to the front end portion of the lid main body portion 475a in a state swingable by the hinge 421. As shown in FIG. 35, the lid side locking piece portion 476 has a locking protrusion 476a on the surface which becomes the inner side in the standing posture. This locking protrusion 476a is a protrusion extending from the front side toward the back side when the lid member 475 is in the closed state, and is a protrusion engageable with the protrusion portion 600 formed on the box portion 471. That is, the locking protrusion 476a and the protrusion portion 600 are a pair of engaging portions and engage with each other. When these engage, the lid member 475 is in a locked state (a state of firmly maintaining the closed state). Note that an operation cutout portion 601 (see FIG. 34(a)) for operating the lid member 475 is formed on the box portion 471. This operation cutout portion 601 is located on the side (one side in the width direction) of the lid member 475 when the lid member 475 is in the locked state.

[0139] As shown in FIG. 36, the box portion 471 is formed by inserting a partition member 606 from the front opening portion into the box portion main body 605, attaching a pressing plate member 607, and further attaching a shutter structure portion 473. The partition member 606 has a flat plate-shaped main body portion 606a, a pressed plate portion 606b protruding upward from the upper surface of the main body portion 606a, and a rectifying portion 472 (see FIG. 37) formed on the lower surface side of the main body portion 606a. Below the partition member 606 is the powder dispensing passage 517. The powder dispensing passage 517 is a passage leading to the powder dispensing outlet 411 and is surrounded by the bottom of the box portion 471, the lower part of the side wall, and the partition member 606.

[0140] The main body portion 606a has a communication hole forming portion 546 on the side of the rear wall 436. The communication hole forming portion 546 is a portion where a large number of small holes (openings) 547 are provided. In this embodiment, a row of long holes is formed. Note that this row of long holes is formed by arranging a plurality of long holes in the front-rear direction. Each long hole penetrates the main body portion 606a in the thickness direction and extends in the width direction of the drug container 20. The small hole (opening) 547 adopted in this embodiment is in the shape of a slit extending in the width W direction of the container body 70.

[0141] As shown in Fig. 37(a), the flow rectifying portion 472 of this embodiment is a group of protrusions composed of a plurality of protrusions. Each protrusion belonging to the flow rectifying portion 472 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape and protrudes downward from the lower surface of the main body portion 606a (upward from the upper surface in Fig. 37(a)). Also, each protrusion has a thickness in the width direction of the drug container 420 and extends in the front-rear direction. Here, the plurality of protrusions belonging to the flow rectifying portion 472 are arranged in a staggered pattern. That is, the flow rectifying portion 472 is composed of a first protrusion row 472a on the front side and a second protrusion row 472b on the rear side (the side of the communication hole forming portion 546). In each protrusion row, a plurality (4 in this embodiment) of protrusions are arranged in parallel with a gap in the width direction of the drug container 420. And the rear side portion of the protrusion belonging to the first protrusion row 472a is located laterally of the front side portion of the protrusion belonging to the second protrusion row 472b. Therefore, a part of the protrusion belonging to the first protrusion row 472a has its rear side portion arranged between two protrusions belonging to the second protrusion row 472b. And a gap is formed between the side surfaces of the protrusions belonging to the first protrusion row 472a and the side surfaces of the protrusions belonging to the second protrusion row 472b, which are arranged opposite to each other in the width direction of the drug container 20. Note that, as shown in FIG. 37(b), the heights of the lower end surfaces of the plurality of protrusions belonging to the rectifying unit 472 are different from each other. That is, as the arrangement position of the protrusions approaches one end in the width direction (the right side in FIG. 10(b)), the position of the lower end surface becomes lower.

[0142] As shown in FIGS. 35 and 36, the pressing plate member 607 has two mounting operation portions 610 and a pressing protrusion 611 (see FIG. 35). The mounting operation portion 610 is a knob portion that elastically deforms when the user operates it. The two mounting operation portions 610 are respectively formed at positions separated in the width direction, and both have protrusion portions protruding outward in the width direction. Here, as shown in FIG. 36, box-side engaging portions 612 are formed on the left and right side walls of the box portion main body 605, respectively. The box-side engaging portion 612 is a hole penetrating the side wall and engages with the protrusion portion of the mounting operation portion 610. That is, by engaging the two mounting operation portions 610 and the two box-side engaging portions 612, the pressing plate member 607 is attached to the box portion main body 605.

[0143] As shown in FIG. 35, the pressing protrusion 611 is a protrusion portion extending from the front side to the rear side (from the right side to the left side in FIG. 35), and is a portion that abuts on the pressed plate portion 606b of the partition member 606 from the front. Specifically, the surface of the protruding end is in surface contact with the front surface of the pressed plate portion 606b. This can prevent the unintentional displacement of the partition member 606.

[0144] As shown in FIG. 36, the shutter member 491 has a closing wall 510 (see FIG. 34(b) etc.), a guide wall portion 511, and a connecting wall 512. On the other hand, the stopper wall 113 (see FIG. 19 etc.) described above is not formed. Further, a seal member 550 is attached at a position above the closing wall 110.

[0145] In the drug container 420 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 34(b), in a state where the powder discharge part 411 is closed, the closing wall 510 is positioned in front of the bottom wall 440. That is, a part of the closing wall 510 does not overlap with the bottom wall 440 in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the bottom wall 440 is brought close to the powder discharge part 411, and the sealing member 550 is pressed against the powder discharge part 411, thereby closing the powder discharge part 411. Further, by separating the sealing member 550 forward from the powder discharge part 411, the powder discharge part 411 is opened. When in the closed state, a part of the sealing member 550 enters the powder passage 517 from the powder discharge part 411 (see FIG. 35).

[0146] Inside the drug container 420 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 35, the communication hole forming part 546, which is a flat plate-like part, serves as a partition plate part (partition member). That is, a partition plate part (partition member) is arranged at the boundary between the storage space 613 for storing powder and the powder passage 517. The powder passage 517 is a part through which the powder passes when discharging the powder, and is a space located below the communication hole forming part 546 and including the space between the communication hole forming part 546 and the bottom wall 440.

[0147] In the present embodiment, the bottom part of the powder passage 517 (the upper surface of the bottom wall 440) is inclined. Specifically, in the width direction of the drug container 420, it is inclined so as to have a downward gradient toward one side end (the inner end in the depth direction in the front-back direction in FIG. 35). Further, in the front-back direction of the drug container 420 (the left-right direction in FIG. 35), it is inclined so as to have a downward gradient toward the powder discharge part 411. That is, as a whole, it is inclined toward one side end in the width direction of the drug container 420 in the powder discharge part 411. Moreover, the lower end parts of all the plurality of protrusion parts belonging to the rectifying part 472 are in close contact with the bottom part of the powder passage 517. For this reason, when the powder passes through the rectifying part 472, it passes between two protrusion parts or between one protrusion part and the side wall 437 of the drug container 420. That is, when the powder passes through the rectifying part 472, it passes through a small gap (a narrow flow path), and the flow of the drug is smoothed.

[0148] The communication hole forming portion 546 is a portion that assumes a horizontal posture when the drug container 420 is held by the feeder main body 10. In addition, a large inclined portion 543 and a small inclined portion 545 are provided in a portion adjacent to the communication hole forming portion 546 that serves as a partition plate.

[0149] The large inclined portion 543 and the small inclined portion 545 both form inclined surfaces that incline toward the communication hole forming portion 546 when the drug container 420 is held by the feeder main body 10. The large inclined portion 543 is longer than the small inclined portion 545, and their respective inclination angles are the same. That is, the space between the large inclined portion 543 and the small inclined portion 545 (the lower portion of the storage space 613) converges toward the communication hole forming portion 546.

[0150] When discharging the drug from the drug container 420, the powder discharging portion 411 is opened while the drug container 420 is held by the feeder main body 10, and the drug container 420 is vibrated. At this time, when the powder in the drug container 420 decreases due to the discharge of the powder in the powder passage 517, the powder moves from the storage space 613, which is the space above the communication hole forming portion 546, to the powder passage 517 and proceeds toward the powder discharging portion 411. Then, it is discharged from the powder discharging portion 411. Also in this embodiment, by vibrating the drug container 420, the powder is agitated in the storage space 613. At this time, a part of the stored powder moves in a direction going over the large inclined portion 543 and moves upward from the communication hole forming portion 546 toward the communication hole forming portion 546 side. That is, similarly to the above, it is difficult for a pressing force by the powder to be applied to the communication hole forming portion 546, and smooth discharge of the powder becomes possible.

[0151] Next, the drug feeder 700 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 39 to 42. The drug feeder 700 includes the drug container 701 of the third embodiment and the feeder main body 702 of the second embodiment that holds the drug container 701. Since the basic configurations and functions of the drug container 701 and the feeder main body 702 are the same as those of the drug containers 20, 172, 420 and the feeder main body 10 described above, only the improvements will be described. The feeder main body 702 of this embodiment is provided with a detachment assisting member 705 used when removing the drug container 701. Further, the feeder main body 702 has a function of locking the shutter 707 added to the shutter opening / closing mechanism 706. On the other hand, the drug container 701 of the third embodiment is provided with an engaging portion 710 with which the above-described detachment assisting member 705 engages. Also, the drug container 701 is provided with a locking mechanism for maintaining a closed state so that the powder discharging portion 711 (shutter) does not accidentally open, but its structure is different from that of the above-described drug container 420. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 42, the drug container 701 has a structure of the powder discharging portion 711 and the shutter structure portion 713 that is different from that of the above-described drug containers 20, 172, and 420. This will be described below.

[0152] In the feeder main body 702 of this embodiment, a detachment assisting member 705 used when removing the drug container 701 is provided on the vibration-side vertical wall portion 33 (vertical wall) of the vibration member 16 (container holding portion). The detachment assisting member 705 is a lever that rotates about a horizontally provided shaft 720 as shown in FIGS. 39, 40, and 41, and has an operation portion 721 and an acting portion 722. The operation portion 721 is an upwardly arcuate shape and has an engaging pressing portion 723 and a releasing pressing portion 725. The acting portion 722 is a claw.

[0153] The operation portion 721 and the acting portion 722 are connected by a substantially "L"-shaped connecting portion 726. The connecting portion 726 has a vertical side portion 727 that becomes a vertical posture and a horizontal side portion 728 that becomes a horizontal posture with reference to the state in which the drug container 701 is mounted on the vibration member 16 (container holding portion). And the shaft 720 passes through the connecting portion of the vertical side portion 727 and the horizontal side portion 728. The outer portion of the connecting portion of the vertical side portion 727 and the horizontal side portion 728 is a portion that functions as a seating portion 731 and is a plane.

[0154] An urging member 732 such as a spring is provided on the vibrating side vertical wall portion 33 (vertical wall), and constantly urges the detachment assisting member 705. Specifically, the urging member 732 presses the horizontal side portion 728 upward, and urges the detachment assisting member 705 in the rotational direction.

[0155] Also, the shutter opening / closing mechanism 706 of the feeder body 702 is constituted by an engagement piece holding portion 735 and an arm 57, similar to the above-described embodiment. Similar to the above-described embodiment, a concave portion serving as an engaging portion 60 is provided on the upper surface of the engagement piece holding portion 735. In addition to this, in the present embodiment, a protrusion 737 is provided on the upper surface of the engagement piece holding portion 735. The protrusion 737 has an inclined surface 738. The inclination direction of the inclined surface 738 is such that the front side is lower and the rear side is higher with reference to the protruding direction side of the arm 57.

[0156] Similar to the drug container 420 of the second embodiment described above, in the drug container 701 of the third embodiment, a lid member 475 is attached to a box portion 471 having an open upper surface, and the lid member 475 can swing by a hinge 421. As described above, an engaging portion 710 with which the detachment assisting member 705 described above engages is provided on the drug container 701. The engaging portion 710 is a convex portion provided on the back wall 436. The position of the engaging portion 710 is arbitrary and may be on the side wall 437 or the bottom wall 440.

[0157] As shown in FIG. 39, the shutter structure portion 713 has a shutter 707, a shutter member 740 (opening / closing member), and a transmission member 741, similar to the second embodiment described above. Then, when the transmission member 741 moves linearly, the shutter member 740 moves, and the powder discharge portion 711 opens and closes. A notch 742 is provided on the upper side of the transmission member 741, similar to the drug container 420 of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 39. The front side inclination 743 of the notch 742 is a gentle inclination, and the rear side inclination 745 is a steep inclination. Also, the drug container 701 of the present embodiment also has a leaf spring member 748 and a locking protrusion portion 747. The leaf spring member 748 is attached in a cantilever manner to the outside in the width direction of the drug container 701. The locking projection 747 is a substantially triangular member and is integrally fixed to the leaf spring member 748. On the lower surface of the locking projection 747, there are a front-side inclination 750 and a rear-side inclination 751 as shown in FIG. 39. The front-side inclination 750 of the locking projection 747 is a gentle inclination, and the rear-side inclination 751 is a steep inclination.

[0158] The shutter member 740 (opening / closing member) has a protruding portion 760 that protrudes toward the drug container 701 side when the powder discharging portion 711 is closed, as shown in FIG. 42. The cross-sectional shape of the protruding portion 760 is a substantially triangle as shown in FIG. 42, the upper surface 761 is substantially horizontal, and the lower surface 762 is an inclined surface. The protruding end portion 763 is a substantially vertical surface. The inclination angle of the lower surface 762 is 30 degrees or less. It is desirable that the inclination angle of the lower surface 762 is smaller than the angle of repose of the powder accommodated in the drug container 701.

[0159] Inside the drug container 701, there is a powder passage 517 that leads to the powder discharging portion 711, and the powder moves through the powder passage 517 and is discharged from the powder discharging portion 711. In the present embodiment, on the partition member 620 corresponding to the ceiling wall of the powder passage 517, there is a partition portion 766 that protrudes toward the powder passage 517 side (lower side) (FIGS. 42, 45, 46). The height (hanging amount) of the partition portion 766 is 1.2 mm to 3.0 mm, or 1 / 5 to 3 / 5 of the passage height. When the shutter member 740 (opening / closing member) closes the powder discharging portion 711, the protruding end portion 763 of the protruding portion 760 comes extremely close to the partition portion 766. Also, the upper surface 761 of the protruding portion 760 comes extremely close to the partition member 620 corresponding to the ceiling wall of the powder passage 517. The angle D between the lower surface 762 of the protruding portion 760 and the bottom surface of the powder passage 517 forms an angle equal to or less than the angle of repose of the powder.

[0160] Therefore, immediately after the shutter member 740 (opening / closing member) is opened, the angle E of the slope at the tip in the advancing direction of the powder P is an angle less than the angle of repose as shown in FIG. 42(b), and it is difficult for the powder to spill. Also, since the space for the powder to enter between the upper surface 761 of the protruding portion 760 of the shutter member 740 and the ceiling wall of the powder passage 517 is small, it is difficult for the powder to ride on the upper surface 761 of the protruding portion 760, and when the shutter member 740 is opened, it is difficult for the powder to spill from the upper surface 761 of the protruding portion 760. Since the space for the powder to enter between the tip portion 763 of the protruding portion 760 of the shutter member 740 and the partition portion 766 is small, it is difficult for the powder to adhere to the tip portion 763 of the protruding portion 760, and when the shutter member 740 is opened, it is difficult for the powder to spill from the tip portion 763 of the protruding portion 760.

[0161] Next, the operation when the drug container 701 is attached to the feeder main body 702 will be described. In a state where the drug container 701 is not attached, the feeder main body 702 is in a standby state as shown in FIG. 40(a). Specifically, the horizontal side portion 728 of the detachment assisting member 705 is pressed by the urging member 732, and the detachment assisting member 705 is in an overall inclined posture. The engaging piece 50 of the vibration side vertical wall portion 33 is immersed in the opening 51.

[0162] In this state, as shown in FIG. 40(b), the rear wall 436 of the drug container 701 is inserted from above along the vibration side vertical wall portion 33 of the feeder main body 702. At this time, it is desirable to first tilt the powder discharge portion 711 of the drug container 701 upward and then insert it into the vibration side vertical wall portion 33. By doing so, the powder in the powder passage 517 of the drug container 701 moves away from the powder discharge portion 711, and when the shutter member 740 is opened, it is difficult for the powder to spill.

[0163] By inserting the rear wall 36 of the drug container 701 from above along the vibration side vertical wall portion 33 of the feeder main body 702, the engaging groove 130 of the drug container 701 can be engaged with the engaging portion (holding portion side engaging portion) 48 of the vibration side vertical wall portion 33. The engaging piece (holding part side engaging part) 50 of the vibration side vertical wall part 33 is immersed in the opening 51.

[0164] When the medicine container 701 is inserted, the acting part 722 of the detachment assisting member 705 comes into contact with the engaging part 710 of the medicine container 701. When the medicine container 701 is further inserted, the acting part 722 of the detachment assisting member 705 is pushed by the medicine container 701 and rotates. The vertical side part 727 becomes vertical, the horizontal side part 728 becomes horizontal, and the detachment assisting member 705 becomes a stable posture. As described above, by inserting the medicine container 701, the detachment assisting member 705 can be rotated. However, the detachment assisting member 705 may be rotated by additionally pressing the engaging pressing part 723 of the operation part 721. In any case, when the medicine container 701 is correctly mounted on the feeder main body 702, the horizontal side part 728 of the detachment assisting member 705 becomes horizontal as shown in Fig. 40(c). Therefore, by visually confirming that the operation part 721 is horizontal when viewed from above, it is possible to surely recognize that the medicine container 701 is mounted on the feeder main body 702.

[0165] When removing the medicine container 701 from the feeder main body 702, press the release pressing part 725 of the operation part 721 as shown by the arrow in Fig. 41. As a result, the detachment assisting member 705 rotates in the reverse direction, and the acting part 722 of the detachment assisting member 705 rises. Therefore, the acting part 722 engages with the engaging part 710 of the medicine container 701 to push up the medicine container 701, and the medicine container 701 moves upward and detaches from the feeder main body 702.

[0166] According to this embodiment, the medicine container 701 can be easily removed from the feeder main body 702. That is, in the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, since the medicine feeders 5 and 700 are densely arranged, there are few gaps between the medicine containers 701 and it is difficult to insert a finger. According to the medicine feeder 700 of this embodiment, since there is no need to insert a finger between the medicine containers 701, the removal of the medicine container 701 is easy.

[0167] Next, a mechanism for locking the shutter 707 of the medicine container 701 will be described. In the medicine container 701, when the shutter member 740 is in the closed state, the transmission member 741 has retreated, and the locking projection 747 attached to the leaf spring member 748 is engaged with the notch 742 of the transmission member 741. Here, both the rearward inclined surface 745 of the notch 742 and the rearward inclined surface 751 of the locking projection 747 are steep inclines. Therefore, even when the transmission member 741 attempts to move in the direction of opening the shutter 707, the steep inclined surfaces of the notch 742 and the locking projection 747 engage with each other, preventing the transmission member 741 from moving in the direction of opening the shutter 707. Therefore, the shutter 707 of the medicine container 701 is in a locked state and the shutter 707 does not open.

[0168] On the other hand, when the engagement piece holding portion 735 is moved toward the front wall 35 side in order to discharge the powder medicine from the medicine container 701, the engagement piece holding portion 735 moves and the protrusion 737 comes into contact with the locking projection 747 of the medicine container 701. The contact surface on the side of the protrusion 737 at this time is the inclined surface 738, and as the protrusion 737 advances, the locking projection 747 of the medicine container 701 is pushed upward against the leaf spring member 748. As a result, the locking projection 747 attached to the leaf spring member 748 disengages from the notch 742 of the transmission member 741, and the engagement between the locking projection 747 attached to the leaf spring member 748 and the notch 742 of the transmission member 741 is released. The engagement piece holding portion 735 moves toward the front wall 35 side, the transmission member 741 slides forward, moves the shutter 707, and opens the powder discharge portion 711 of the medicine container 701.

[0169] As a measure to further facilitate the removal of the medicine container 20 (hereinafter, a medicine container with another structure may also be used), as shown in FIG. 43, it is conceivable to provide a biasing member 770 such as a spring on the feeder body 10 and constantly bias the medicine container 20 upward with the biasing member 770. In the present embodiment, when the engagement piece 50 of the vibration side vertical wall portion 33 is pulled in, the regulation for fixing the medicine container 20 is released, and the medicine container 20 is lifted upward by the biasing member 770.

[0170] In the embodiment described above, the engaging piece 50 that engages with the medicine container 20 is connected to the insertion / removal mechanism and has a structure that interlocks with the shutter opening / closing mechanism 55. However, the engaging piece 50 may be configured to protrude and retract independently. For example, as shown in FIG. 44, the engaging piece 50 is biased in the protruding direction by a spring 780, and by operating a lever 781, the engaging piece 50 can be retracted to release the engagement with the medicine container 20. According to this embodiment, the engaging piece 50 can be retracted without relying on the actuator of the shutter opening / closing mechanism 55, and the medicine container 20 can be removed from the feeder body.

[0171] The small holes (openings) 146 provided in the container body 70 of the first embodiment and the small holes (openings) 547 provided in the container body 70 of the second embodiment are both slit-shaped extending in the width W direction of the container body 70. However, the shape of the opening is not limited to this configuration. For example, the small holes (openings) 782 shown in FIGS. 45 and 46 are slit-shaped extending from the back wall 36 side to the front wall 35 of the container body 70. In a plan view, the small hole (opening) 782 is an elongated triangle, and the opening width becomes wider toward the front wall 35 side. According to experiments, by making the shape of the small hole (opening) 782 the shape shown in FIGS. 45 and 46, the flow of the powder medicine has become smoother. The shape of the opening is not limited to the shape shown in FIGS. 45 and 46.

[0172] As described above, the partition member 620 shown in FIG. 46 has a partition portion 766 on the lower surface. Also, in the partition member 620 shown in FIG. 46, the shape of the flow rectifying portion 621 is columnar.

[0173] Also, like the partition member 622 shown in FIG. 47, unevenness 625 may be provided on the upper surface side. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the powder medicine from being compacted in the medicine container 20. The unevenness 625 adopted in the present embodiment is in the shape of a saw blade or a wave, and has an inclination. Therefore, in the vicinity of the partition member 622, the weight of the powder medicine on the upper side itself can be released, and it is possible to suppress the powder medicine in the vicinity of the partition member 622 from being compacted. The shape of the unevenness is not limited to a saw blade shape or a wave shape, and may be a conical shape such as a conical shape or a triangular pyramid.

[0174] In the embodiments described above, in each case, the medicine container 20 is attached to the feeder body 10 and used. Here, it is desirable to provide a sensor for checking whether the medicine container 20 is correctly attached to the feeder body 10. The structure of the sensor is arbitrary, but it is desirable that it can detect an object, such as a photoelectric sensor or a proximity sensor. The mounting position of the sensor is arbitrary, but the vibration side vertical wall portion 33 and the vibration side horizontal portion 32 of the feeder body 10 can be cited as candidates for the mounting position.

[0175] In the embodiments described above, an RFID tag is attached to the medicine container 20 as the information storage means 65. Instead of or in addition to the RFID tag, an AR marker may be provided. The AR marker is a photograph, illustration, or other graphic registered in advance. A label printed with the AR marker is attached to a visible position of the medicine container 20. The AR marker can be recognized by a camera. Here, in recent years, there has been a tendency to install a plurality of cameras in the device so that the medicine dispensing process can be monitored and confirmed later. For example, a camera for dispensing monitoring may be installed near the medicine feeder 5. For example, the AR marker is photographed using the camera to identify the medicine container 20. Thereby, it is possible to check whether the medicine container is correctly set by collating with the medicine information based on the prescription information. While an RFID tag needs to ensure a detection distance, an AR marker has fewer such constraints. Also, since a surveillance camera can be used concurrently for photographing the AR marker, adopting an AR marker instead of an RFID tag can reduce the components for reading RFID tags.

[0176] In the above-described medicine dispensing device 1, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, etc., a plurality of medicine feeders 5 are fixed around a distribution tray 6. Further, these plurality of medicine feeders 5 are arranged radially. That is, as shown in FIG. 38(a), each medicine feeder 5 is arranged such that, in a plan view, a virtual line that overlaps the center in the width direction of itself and extends in the same direction as its longitudinal direction overlaps the rotation center of the distribution tray 6 (the point indicated by P3 in the figure). Also, in the above-described medicine dispensing device 1, one type of powder medicine is stored in the medicine container 20 of one medicine feeder 5. That is, one medicine container 20 of one medicine feeder 5 and a predetermined powder medicine are assigned one-to-one. At this time, the medicine container 20 may store an amount of more than one dose. And when performing the operation of discharging the above-described powder medicine, the medicine feeder 5 to which the powder medicine to be discharged is assigned is selected from among the plurality of medicine feeders 5, and it is possible to discharge an amount of powder medicine for one dose from the selected medicine feeder. Also, when discharging one or more types of powder medicine from one or a plurality of medicine feeders 5, a predetermined amount of powder medicine may be discharged (dispensed) from the selected one or a plurality of medicine feeders 5 to the distribution tray 6.

[0177] If the medicine dispensing device 1 of the above-described embodiment is continuously used, there may be a case where the powder medicine in the medicine container 20 runs out in any of the medicine feeders 5. That is, there may be a case where the consumable powder medicine runs out. In the drug dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, in such a case, the user (pharmacist or the like) removes the drug container 20 from the feeder main body 10, fills the drug container 20 with bulk drugs, and then attaches the drug container 20 to the feeder main body 10 again. That is, when the bulk drugs in any of the drug feeders 5 run out (or are predicted to run out), the user who receives the notification by the notification operation or the like performs the above operation. Here, in the drug dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, when the drug container 20 is attached again, in addition to the feeder main body 10 to which the drug container 20 was originally attached, it can also be attached to other feeder main bodies 10. That is, if there is a feeder main body 10 to which the drug container 20 is not attached in addition to the original feeder main body 10, it can also be attached to that feeder main body 10. That is, when attaching again, it is possible to attach the drug container 20 to any one selected from all the feeder main bodies 10 that do not hold the drug container 20 at that time. From this, the user does not need to consider where to attach the drug container 20, and the above operation becomes easy.

[0178] As described above, it is preferable that the bulk drug discharge part of the drug container can change the effective opening width (the outlet width of the bulk drug) for discharging the bulk drug. For example, as described above, among the opening parts of the bulk drug discharge part, the closed part may be changed stepwise or continuously. With such a configuration, it is possible to combine with control for changing the flow rate of the bulk drug by varying the vibration amount, and a more accurate bulk drug discharge operation becomes possible.

[0179] By the way, the above-described drug dispensing device 1 is assumed to be miniaturized. Here, when the entire device is miniaturized, even if the impact received is small, the housing 2 (the entire device) may tilt. Then, when the drug dispensing device 1 is moved or the housing 2 receives an impact during installation, the housing 2 tilts, and if the drug dispensing device 1 is operated with the housing 2 tilted, there is a risk that problems will occur in various operations (for example, the operation of measuring the weight of the bulk drug). Therefore, the above-described medicine dispensing device 1 may be provided with a gyro sensor (which is an inclination detecting means and a level). Further, based on the information detected by the gyro sensor (the signal transmitted from the gyro sensor), an inclination notification operation for notifying the inclination of the housing 2 may be executed. This inclination notification operation is an operation for notifying that the inclination of the entire device detected by the gyro sensor has exceeded a specified value. This operation may be an operation executed on the condition that the power supply of the medicine dispensing device 1 is turned on. Further, for example, the medicine dispensing device 1 may be provided with a sound generating means such as a speaker, and may output a warning sound (alert) or a message.

[0180] It is also recommended to adopt a three-axis acceleration sensor as the inclination detecting means. For example, a substrate on which a three-axis acceleration sensor is mounted is attached to a partition or a plate horizontally supported in the housing 2. The three-axis acceleration sensor is one of the inertial sensors for the purpose of measuring acceleration, and can detect three-dimensional inertial motion (translational motion in three straight-axis directions). The three-axis acceleration sensor can measure gravity, movement, vibration, and impact. For example, the medicine dispensing device 1 is installed at a predetermined position, and the output values regarding each axis of the three-axis acceleration sensor after the horizontal adjustment of the housing 2 are stored. The three-axis acceleration sensor can detect the gravitational acceleration, and since the gravitational acceleration is always applied in the vertical direction, when the housing 2 tilts, the detection values of each of the three axes change. Based on the change in the detection value, the degree of inclination of the housing 2 is calculated, and the inclination of the housing 2 is detected. It may be displayed how to correct the posture to return to the horizontal posture. Conversely, when the change in the detection values of each of the three axes is less than a certain value, it can be determined that the medicine dispensing device 1 is not tilted and the posture is stable.

[0181] Incidentally, the discharging operation of the powder in the above-described chemical feeder 5 may be an operation in which the chemical container 20 is vibrated with the powder discharging portion 11 in a closed state (with the shutter closed), and then the powder discharging portion 11 is opened and the chemical container 20 is vibrated to discharge the chemical. That is, prior to the operation of vibrating the chemical container 20 with the powder discharging portion 11 in an open state (hereinafter also referred to as the open-state vibration operation), an operation of vibrating the chemical container 20 with the powder discharging portion 11 in a closed state (hereinafter also referred to as the closed-state vibration operation) may be executed. Here, the closed-state vibration operation may be an operation of vibrating the chemical container 20 more strongly than the open-state vibration operation. That is, the chemical feeder 5 may be configured to be able to change the vibration frequency (frequency) and the amplitude. And the closed-state vibration operation may be an operation with a larger vibration amount (magnitude of vibration) than the open-state vibration operation, and may also be an operation with a larger number of vibrations per unit time. Further, the closed-state vibration operation may be an operation of vibrating the chemical container 20 with the strongest vibration, that is, the maximum vibration, or an operation of maximizing the number of vibrations per unit time. Specifically, immediately after filling the chemical container 20 with the chemical, etc., there may be a state where there is no powder near the powder discharging portion 11. If the normal powder discharging operation is executed in such a state, it may take a long time to discharge a small amount of powder. That is, when the powder discharging portion 11 is opened and the chemical container 20 is vibrated with strong vibration, a large amount of powder may drop at once when the powder actually starts to be discharged. For this reason, it is difficult to vibrate the chemical container 20 with strong vibration when discharging a small amount. Also, if the vibration is weakened, a long time is required until the powder actually starts to be discharged. Therefore, by executing the above-described closed-state vibration operation and open-state vibration operation to discharge the powder, even when discharging the above-described small amount of powder, the time required for discharging the powder can be shortened.

[0182] Here, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 38(b), the above-described tablet dispensing device 303 is a member having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped overall shape and is attached in a swingable state. That is, the posture can be changed between a normal posture in which the opening of the raised portion on the upper surface faces upward (see FIG. 1) and an inclined posture in which the opening faces the upper rear side (see FIG. 38(b)). Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the above-described cleaning device 7 is disposed below the tablet dispensing device 303 (see FIG. 1). Here, the cleaning device 7 has a suction port 7a connected to a suction device (not shown), and is a device that generates a negative pressure and sucks in dirt (remaining scattered medicine, dust, etc.) together with air. Specifically, the cleaning device 7 has an extended portion 7b extending from the outside to the inside of the dispensing tray 6, and the suction port 7a is formed in the extended portion 7b. Further, the cleaning device 7 cleans the dispensing tray 6, and usually, the suction port 7a faces downward.

[0183] Here, in the medicine dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, the tablet dispensing device 303 and the cleaning device 7 are interlocked. That is, when the posture of the tablet dispensing device 303 is changed from the normal posture, which is the posture during use, to the inclined posture, as shown in FIG. 38(b), the cleaning device 7 automatically executes a rotational operation accordingly. Specifically, this rotational operation is an operation in which the extended portion 7b makes one rotation, and the rotation axis at this time is in the same direction as the extending direction of the extended portion 7b. As a result, the suction port 7a returns to the downward-facing state after passing through the side-facing state (side with respect to the normal time) and the upward-facing state from the downward-facing state. With such a configuration, it becomes easier for the user to check whether the periphery of the suction port 7a of the cleaning device 7 is dirty. That is, when the user changes the posture of the tablet dispenser 303, this posture change is detected by a sensor (not shown) or the like, and the cleaning device 7 automatically starts rotating. By moving the cleaning device 7 in this way, the user can easily direct their eyes to the cleaning device 7 (it can easily attract the user's attention). Also, parts that are prone to getting dirty around the suction port 7a and are difficult to see in the normal posture become easier to see. That is, if the periphery of the suction port 7a is dirty, the user can be made aware of the dirt. Subsequently, it is possible to prompt the user to determine whether cleaning of the cleaning device 7 (maintenance of the cleaning device 7) is necessary.

[0184] Water, cleaning liquid, or the like is put inside the chemical agent container 20, and in this state, the chemical agent container is attached to the feeder main body 10 and the chemical agent container 20 is vibrated, whereby the inside of the chemical agent container 20 can be cleaned.

[0185] Next, the upper lid 3 will be described. The upper lid 3 is provided with an electric display 800 as shown in FIG. 48. The electric display 800 has a plurality of light emitting groups 801a to 801f in which a plurality of light emitting parts 802 are arranged in a row. Each of the light emitting groups 801a to 801f corresponds to the chemical agent feeder 5 in the powder dispensing area 301. That is, six chemical agent feeders 5 are installed in the powder dispensing area 301. The light emitting group 801a corresponds to the chemical agent feeder 5a, the light emitting group 801b corresponds to the chemical agent feeder 5b, the light emitting group 801c corresponds to the chemical agent feeder 5c, the light emitting group 801d corresponds to the chemical agent feeder 5d, the light emitting group 801e corresponds to the chemical agent feeder 5e, and the light emitting group 801f corresponds to the chemical agent feeder 5f. In the present embodiment, the light emitting groups 801a - 801f are arranged in a fan shape. The light emitting parts 802 belonging to the light emitting group 801 are a mixture of those having different colors and / or brightness levels, and are arranged stepwise so that the color etc. changes gently from the center side towards the outside. In the present embodiment, the center side is a light color and emits light in a darker color towards the outside.

[0186] The light-emitting group 801 provides an electro-optical notification so that the user can easily grasp the operating status of the medicine dispensing device 1. When the medicine dispensing device 1 is started and in the preparation stage, the light-emitting parts of the light-emitting group sequentially emit light according to the preparation status. The brightness and color may change. For example, they sequentially emit light according to the temperature rise of the heater for heat sealing. Similarly, when the tablet scattering device 303 is in the preparation stage, the light-emitting state changes according to the preparation status. When the medicine dispensing device 1 stops, a fan for cooling the heater is driven, and according to the cooling status, the light-emitting parts of the light-emitting group are turned off one by one. When there are multiple light-emitting groups, each light-emitting group may be turned off.

[0187] Also, the light-emitting status changes according to the mounting status of the medicine container 20 in each medicine feeder 5. Furthermore, a warning for forgetting to remove the medicine container 20 is given. After the work of a day is completed, the medicine container 20 is removed from the feeder main body 10. If there is a case of forgetting to remove it, the light-emitting part 802 of the corresponding light-emitting group 801 emits light to give a warning. It is desirable to gradually reduce the number of light-emitting parts 802 and light-emitting groups 801 to be lit over time. The light-emitting color and brightness may be changed.

[0188] When loose medicine is being dispensed from the medicine container 20, the light-emitting parts 802 of the corresponding light-emitting group 801 emit light in a predetermined order. For example, it is conceivable to emit light from the back to the front, or to emit light from a light color to a dark color. When the amount of medicine held in the medicine container 20 is insufficient for the required dispensing amount, the light-emitting part 802 of the corresponding light-emitting group 801 gives a display different from normal. For example, it emits light from the front to the back, contrary to the normal case, or emits light from the dark side to the light side. When all the medicine in the medicine container 20 has been dispensed and the medicine container 20 has become empty, the corresponding light-emitting group 801 assumes a specific light-emitting state.

[0189] When there is any error, a clearly different display is given. For example, all the light-emitting parts 802 emit red light. The types of errors are not limited, and abnormalities in the drug container 20, abnormalities in the feeder body 10, and other abnormalities can be considered. Other abnormalities also include abnormalities in the tablet scattering device 303.

[0190] It is desirable to cause the light-emitting group 801 to emit light according to the attachment status of the drug container 20. The light-emitting states shown below are merely examples and are not limited thereto. For example, when the drug container 20 is not attached, the corresponding light-emitting group 801 assumes a predetermined light-emitting state, and when the drug container 20 is attached, it assumes a different light-emitting state. For example, when the drug container 20 is not attached, the corresponding light-emitting group 801 is turned off, and when the drug container 20 is attached, it emits light in a light color or a state with low luminance. When the drug is being dispensed from the drug container 20, the corresponding light-emitting group 801 assumes a predetermined light-emitting state, and when the dispensing from the drug container 20 is temporarily stopped, it assumes a different light-emitting state. For example, when the drug is being dispensed from the drug container 20, the light-emitting portion 802 of the corresponding light-emitting group 801 lights continuously, and when the dispensing from the drug container 20 is temporarily stopped, the light-emitting portion 802 of the corresponding light-emitting group 801 blinks. When the dispensing of the drug container 20 is completed, the lit light-emitting portion 802 is turned off. When the drug container 20 should be installed on a specific feeder body 10, the corresponding light-emitting group 801 assumes a predetermined light-emitting state.

[0191] Also, the light-emitting group 801 may be caused to emit light in order according to the rotation of the distribution plate 6. For example, the light-emitting portion 802a of the arc closest to the yuyama logo is finely divided and lights and blinks in the same direction as the rotation direction. It may be such that by performing a predetermined operation, a maintenance person causes a predetermined light-emitting state according to the status of the drug dispensing device 1.

[0192] The opening and closing structure of the upper lid 3 is not limited to a hinge. For example, as shown in FIGS. 49 and 50, covers 616 and 617 may be provided on the upper lid 615. The cover 616 shown in FIG. 49 can be slid to the back side as shown in FIG. 49(b), and by moving the cover 616 to the back side, a part of the upper lid 615 can be opened.

[0193] The cover 617 shown in FIG. 50 can be slid to the front side and further woven downward as shown in FIG. 50(b). Also for the cover 617 shown in FIG. 50, by changing the posture of the cover 617, a part of the upper lid 615 can be opened.

Industrial Applicability

[0194] The present invention is a device for dispensing drugs, and can achieve the third goal of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of "ensuring the healthy life of all people of all ages and promoting well-being". The drug dispensing device of the present invention is a device that can be implemented by non-pharmacists such as technicians by eliminating the drug inspection operations such as powder weighing that should be performed by qualified persons such as pharmacists. Specifically, the operator can take out the drug container designated based on the prescription information, or the drug container designated by a lamp or the like when placed on a shelf or the like, without being aware that it is a drug, and simply place it on the drug dispensing device, and can surely execute and complete the sub-packaging work required for the prescription. As a result, a pharmacist, who is a qualified person, can shift from the counter business of dispensing work to the face-to-face business with patients, and since the necessary dispensing work can be performed by non-pharmacists or the like, it can achieve the third goal of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of "ensuring the healthy life of all people of all ages and promoting well-being". In addition, the present invention can reduce labor costs and improve economic productivity. This can also contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0195] 1; Medicine dispensing device, 5; Medicine feeder, 6; Distribution dish, 8; Scraping device, 10; Feeder body, 11, 411; Powder medicine discharge part, 13; Medicine input groove, 16; Vibration member (container holding part), 18; Vibration isolation means, 20, 172, 420, 701; Medicine container, 22; Feeder part, 23; Container support part, 24; Weight measurement part, 25; Weight measurement means, 26; Base part, 27; Support base, 28; Vibration isolation member, 30; Support side horizontal part, 30a; Vibration adding means, 30b; Vibration adding means, 31; Support side vertical wall part, 32; Vibration side horizontal part, 33; Vibration side vertical wall part (vertical wall), 55; Shutter opening and closing mechanism (opening and closing mechanism part), 56; Engagement piece holding part, 61; Large area side surface, 62; Small area side surface, 68; Partition plate, 70; Container body, 71, 471; Box part, 72; Flow rectifying member, 73, 473; Shutter structure part, 75, 475; Cover member, 76; Clamping member, 91, 231, 491, 740; Shutter member (opening and closing member), 110, 232, 510; Closing wall, 117, 517; Powder medicine passage, 130; Engagement groove, 131; Engagement recess, 132; Recess, 152; Temporary receiving plate, 301; Powder medicine division area, 302; Medicine packaging area, 310; Powder medicine input hopper 705; Disengagement assisting member, 710; Engagement part, 760: Protrusion part, 766; Partition part

Claims

[Claim 1] A medicine feeder having a medicine container in which powdered medicine is stored and a vibration member that vibrates the medicine container to discharge the powdered medicine, The medicine container has a powder medicine discharge portion, the vibration member is located on the rear wall side of the medicine container based on the posture of the medicine container attached to the vibration member; This medicine feeder vibrates the medicine container with a vibration member to discharge the powdered medicine in the medicine container from a powdered medicine discharge section located at one end opposite to the rear wall of the medicine container.

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