Drug packaging device

Abstract

To provide a drug packaging device that carries out both imaging of an imprint, etc., of a drug and imaging for drug number determination in a drug pooling portion to enable acceleration and the like of a drug imaging process.SOLUTION: A drug packaging device is provided with: a drug accommodation / discharging unit 11 that supplies various types of drugs; a drug wrapping unit 45 that packages drugs supplied from the drug accommodation / discharging unit 11 using a packing paper S; a drug wrapping introduction member 7 that drops the drugs to be packaged into the packaging paper S in the drug packaging unit 45; a pooling portion 50 that pools the drugs upstream of the drug wrapping introduction member 7; and a drug imaging device 6 that captures an image of the drugs in the pooling portion 50. The drug imaging device 6 carries out an imaging process of capturing an image of the drugs in the pooling portion 50 in a non-backlit state and an imaging process of capturing an image of the drugs in the pooling portion 50 in a backlit state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a drug imaging device that images drugs such as tablets and capsules before packaging, and a drug packaging device that packages the imaged drugs described above.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a drug packaging device including a drug supply unit that supplies various drugs, a drug packaging unit that packages the drugs supplied from the drug supply unit with packaging paper, an introduction member that introduces the packaged drugs into the packaging paper in the drug packaging unit, and a drug check unit that determines whether or not the drug adheres to the introduction member based on an image obtained by photographing the introduction member.

[0003] The drug check unit includes a drug identification unit that rotates the drug in a drug turning unit where a pair of rotating rollers are arranged, photographs and determines the imprint and printing of the drug, and a number determination unit that photographs the drug to be packaged on the upstream side of the introduction member and determines the number of drugs.

[0004] In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a drug information acquisition device. The bottom of an imaging tray that temporarily holds a single package of drugs in this drug information acquisition device is configured by a groove array of V-shaped grooves. By vibrating the imaging tray after the drugs are put in, the overlap of the drugs in a single package is eliminated, and the posture of the drugs is corrected by the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface of the V-shaped grooves. Two cameras are respectively disposed facing the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface of the V-shaped grooves.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

[0006] A drug packaging device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a storage unit for temporarily storing drugs before packaging, an imaging unit for imaging the drugs in the storage unit, and a controller. When the controller determines that a shared storage condition stored in advance is satisfied, after storing a first drug group including at least one first drug among a plurality of drugs in the same package in a first storage unit, the imaging unit is caused to image the first drug group, and a second drug group including at least one second drug different from the first drug among the plurality of drugs is stored in the first storage unit after the first drug group is dispensed, or in a second storage unit different from the first storage unit, and then the imaging unit is caused to execute a process of imaging the second drug group.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21

Figure 22

Figure 23

Figure 24

Figure 25

Figure 26

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the drug packaging device 1 of this embodiment is a drug storage and dispensing unit 11 which is a drug supply unit capable of storing drugs by type and dispensing the drugs one by one according to the packaging data created based on the prescription information, a drug guide part 12 for receiving the drugs, a drug storage unit 5 for temporarily storing the drugs, a drug photographing device 6 of this embodiment for photographing the drugs supplied to the drug storage unit 5, a packaging unit 4 to which a packaging paper roll 400 and an ink ribbon cassette 401 are attached, for printing on the packaging paper S supplied from the packaging paper roll 400, and packaging the drugs passing through the drug storage unit 5 one by one using the packaging paper S. The printing mechanism including the ink ribbon cassette is not necessarily required. The drug storage and dispensing unit 11 includes a cassette for drugs in which various drugs are stored and a universal cassette capable of storing drugs not suitable for being stored in the cassette. Specifically, the cassette for drugs is a dedicated cassette prepared for each drug, with the size of the drug dispensing path corresponding to the shape and size of each drug, and the universal cassette is a general-purpose cassette capable of dispensing drugs of various shapes and sizes by adjusting the size of the drug dispensing path and the driving conditions as required. Also, the prescription information includes, for example, the normal drug type and quantity. However, information regarding the printing of drugs (information such as the presence or absence of printing and the external shape of the printing), size, shape, and color can be obtained by referring to the drug master table described later based on the drug type.

[0009] Also, the drug packaging device 1 is provided with a manual dispensing part 13. This manual dispensing part 13 has compartments arranged in a grid pattern, and drugs can be put into each compartment. For example, when the morning, noon, and evening prescriptions are for one day, drugs are put into three compartments.

[0010] The drug dispensed from the drug storage and dispensing unit 11 and the drug scattered by the scattering unit 13 reach the drug storage unit 5 through the inside 12 of the drug case and the like. The drug staying in the drug storage unit 5 is still-photographed by the drug photographing device 6 and then packaged by the packaging unit 4 with a sub-packaging paper. That is, in this embodiment, the drug for one dose is discharged by the combined operation of the drug storage and dispensing unit 11 and the scattering unit 13. The path through which the drug discharged from the drug storage and dispensing unit 11 and the scattering unit 13 reaches the drug storage unit 5 will be described later with reference to FIG. 4 and the like.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of the packaging unit 4 with the sub-packaging paper roll 400 and the ink ribbon cassette 401 mounted thereon. In this FIG. 2, the drug packaging portion 45 of the packaging unit 4 is also shown. This drug packaging portion 45 introduces the drug through the opening of the sub-packaging paper S folded in two and heat-seals the sub-packaging paper S so as to seal the introduced drug.

[0012] The sub-packaging paper S is, for example, hung on three guide shafts 4a, passed between the backup roller 4b and the printing head 4e, and further passed so as to be hung on the guide shaft 4c. Also, the ink ribbon R accommodated in the ink ribbon cassette 401 is guided by the tape guide of the packaging unit 4, passed between the backup roller 4b and the printing head 4e, separated from the sub-packaging paper S after printing, and returned into the ink ribbon cassette 401.

[0013] Also, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, in the vicinity of the guide shaft 4c that guides the sub-packaging paper S (downstream side in the conveyance direction of the sub-packaging paper S), rotatable bending guide rollers 45b and 45c that bend the conveyance direction of the sub-packaging paper S immediately before the unfolding guide 45a of the drug packaging unit 45 are arranged. The two-folded sub-packaging paper S is opened by passing over the guide surface (front surface) of the unfolding guide 45a. A drug packaging introduction member 7 (see FIG. 3(A), etc.) for introducing a drug into the sub-packaging paper S is provided on the non-guide surface (back surface) side of the unfolding guide 45a, in other words, above the opened portion of the sub-packaging paper S.

[0014] The drug packaging introduction member 7 has a shape that is narrow at the lower side. As described above, when the two-folded sub-packaging paper S passes over the guide surface of the unfolding guide 45a, the sub-packaging paper S is opened. As a result, an opening, which is the opened portion of the sub-packaging paper S, is formed at a position close to the lower end of the drug packaging introduction member 7. The opening of the sub-packaging paper S serves as a place to receive the drug that falls from the drug packaging introduction member 7.

[0015] Also, the drug packaging unit 45 includes a heat-sealing member (for example, a pair of heater rollers 45d and 45e) on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the sub-packaging paper S of the unfolding guide 45a. Further, a feed roller (not shown) is provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the sub-packaging paper S of the heater rollers 45d and 45e. These heater rollers 45d and 45e are rotationally driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) composed of a motor, a linear motion gear, an intermittent gear, etc. The sub-packaging paper S can be made to travel at a predetermined speed by the heater rollers 45d and 45e. Also, by the heater rollers 45d and 45e, the opening of the sub-packaging paper S is closed, and the sub-packaging paper S is sealed in the short side direction of the sub-packaging paper S, and one pack of the drug that has entered the opening is individually packaged.

[0016] FIG. 3(A) shows the overall schematic configuration of the drug sub-packaging apparatus 1. The drug storage unit 5 and the drug imaging device 6 are located between the drug storage and dispensing unit 11 and the packaging unit 4.

[0017] The above-mentioned drug storage unit 5 has an upper plate portion 51 and a lower plate portion 52. Further, the drug storage unit 5 has a drug receiving tray portion 501 in the space between the upper plate portion 51 and the lower plate portion 52. This drug receiving tray portion 501 includes a disk-shaped rotating disk portion 5010, an upper plate 5011 fixed to the upper surface side of the rotating disk portion 5010, and a drug receiving bottom portion 5012 located on the lower surface side of the rotating disk portion 5010 and not fixed to the rotating disk portion 5010.

[0018] On the upper surface portion of the upper plate portion 51, as shown in FIG. 4, a drug transfer portion 2, a first camera 61, etc. are attached. The rotating disk portion 5010 and the upper plate 5011 in the drug receiving tray portion 501 are rotatable in a horizontal plane about an axis 504 on the upper surface side (inside the above-mentioned space) of the lower plate portion 52, as shown in FIG. 5. Note that the drug receiving bottom portion 5012 is attached so as not to rotate on the lower plate portion 52 and is attached so as to be removable from the lower plate portion 52. For example, a convex portion protruding upward is provided on the lower plate portion 52, and by engaging the concave portion 5012d (see FIG. 10) on the outer periphery of the drug receiving bottom portion 5012 with this convex portion, rotation becomes impossible. A motor 503, etc. are attached to the upper surface portion of the lower plate portion 52. Further, a drug packaging introduction member 7, a second camera 62, etc. are attached to the lower surface side of the lower plate portion 52.

[0019] On the outer peripheral surface of the rotating disk portion 5010 in the drug receiving tray portion 501, as shown in FIG. 6, a gear portion 501a is formed, and a gear 503a is meshed with this gear portion 501a. By driving the gear 503a by the motor 503, the rotating disk portion 5010 is rotated. Also, by driving and controlling the motor 503, the rotating disk portion 5010 can be intermittently rotated by a predetermined angle in the forward direction. Further, by driving and controlling the motor 503, the rotating disk portion 5010 rotates forward and backward. The overlapping of drugs in the storage portion 50 can be eliminated by the forward and backward rotation of the rotating disk portion 5010.

[0020] The chemical receiving tray portion 501 including the rotating disk portion 5010 and the chemical receiving bottom portion 5012 has, for example, eight storage portions 50. Each storage portion 50 temporarily stores the chemical before the chemical is packaged. The eight storage portions 50 are located at regular intervals on the same circumference centered on the shaft 504. The chemical supplied to each storage portion 50 is supported by the chemical receiving bottom portion 5012. The rotating disk portion 5010 is detachable from the chemical receiving bottom portion 5012.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, each storage portion 50 is composed of a cylindrical portion (opening portion) 50a made of a transparent material (such as resin) that transmits light, and a portion of the chemical receiving bottom portion 5012 that functions as the bottom of the cylindrical portion 50a. The chemical is stored inside the cylindrical portion 50a. The chemical receiving bottom portion 5012 is arranged horizontally, and the direction perpendicular to this is the vertical direction. The imaging optical axes of the cameras 61, 62, 66 described later are in the vertical direction toward the portion of the chemical receiving bottom portion 5012 that functions as the bottom of the cylindrical portion (opening portion) 50a. Further, on the peripheral side of the cylindrical portion 50a, an inclined mirror portion 6a having a frustum-shaped mirror surface that is spaced further away from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 50a as it goes upward is arranged.

[0022] The cylindrical portion 50a is located at the center of the inclined mirror portion 6a. The lower end of the inclined mirror portion 6a is in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the lower end of the cylindrical portion 50a. The upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 50a is processed into a ground glass surface (microscopically uneven surface) or a light-impermeable surface. Further, on the upper plate 5011, at the location where the cylindrical portion 50a is located, a rectangular opening that matches the planar shape of the cylindrical portion 50a is formed, and the chemical can reach inside the cylindrical portion 50a through the rectangular opening. Further, the upper plate 5011 is entirely transparent or at least the portion located above the inclined mirror portion 6a is transparent.

[0023] The inner shape of the cylindrical portion 50a is a polygonal cylinder composed of a plurality of planes, and in a plan view of the cylindrical portion 50a, for example, it is hexagonal. The outer shape of the cylindrical portion 50a is circular. Further, since the inclined mirror portion 6a reflects the light from above toward the cylindrical portion 50a, the drug in the cylindrical portion 50a can be illuminated with side light (light in a direction intersecting the imaging optical axis of the camera 61). When a large amount of the side light is obtained, imaging of the drug's imprint can be preferably performed. Instead of the inclined mirror portion 6a, a light-emitting element that emits light toward the side surface of the cylindrical portion 50a may be provided on the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical portion 50a.

[0024] Also, as shown in FIGS. 9(A) and 9(B), the connection portion R1 between adjacent surfaces on the six surfaces of the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage portion 50 is formed in a curved surface shape (R: radius). The lower end of the cylindrical portion 50a forms, for example, a hexagonal opening in a plan view.

[0025] The drug receiving bottom portion 5012 is made of a transparent material (such as resin) that transmits light. Also, as shown in FIG. 10, a packaging opening 5012a is formed at a predetermined position of the drug receiving bottom portion 5012. The drug packaging introduction member 7 is located below the packaging opening 5012a. When the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage portion 50 is located above the packaging opening 5012a, the drug in the storage portion 50 falls into the drug packaging introduction member 7 and reaches inside the packaging paper S. That is, the packaging opening 5012a is located at a specific position in the region where the cylindrical portion (opening portion) 50a moves due to the rotation of the turntable portion 5010. Similarly, an opening is also formed in the lower side plate portion 52 at a position corresponding to the packaging opening 5012a.

[0026] When the rotating disk portion 5010 of the medicine receiving tray portion 501 rotates on the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012, each storage portion 50 sequentially moves to the first medicine receiving position P1, the second medicine receiving position P2, the third medicine receiving position P3, the untreated position P4, the fourth medicine receiving position P5, the medicine photographing position P6, the medicine discharging position P7 (packaging position) where the packaging opening 5012a is formed, and the remaining medicine confirmation position P8, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. A plurality of wheels 56 (see FIG. 11) are attached to the lower surface of the rotating disk portion 5010, and while the load of the rotating disk portion 5010 is received by the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012, a gap with a certain interval can be maintained between them so that the upper surface of the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012 and the bottom surface of the rotating disk portion 5010 do not come into sliding contact. Due to this gap, the adverse effect on the rotation of the rotating disk portion 5010 caused by medicine powder (medicine scraps) of the medicine can be reduced, and the number of cleaning times can be decreased. A medicine powder recovery groove 5012c (see FIG. 10) is formed in the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012 at a position inside its outer peripheral end.

[0027] At the first medicine receiving position P1, the medicine transferred by the medicine transfer portion 2 drops into the storage portion 50 located at the position P1. The medicine transfer portion 2 has a hopper 21 located below the medicine guiding portion 12 and above the remaining medicine confirmation position P8. Further, the medicine transfer portion 2 has a belt-driven transfer portion 22. This transfer portion 22 is located between the lower portion of the hopper 21 and the first medicine receiving position P1, and transfers the medicine received from the hopper 21 into the storage portion 50 at the first medicine receiving position P1. By providing an ionizer that emits ions toward the hopper 21, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of the medicine to the inside of the hopper 21 due to static electricity.

[0028] At the second medicine receiving position P2, medicine is supplied from another medicine supply portion.

[0029] At the third drug receiving position P3 described above, a drug supplied from a universal cassette (not shown) is supplied into a storage unit 50 located at the position P3 through a guide tube 201 and a supply opening 201a. The universal cassette can supply drugs without particularly selecting the shape of the drug, and automatically executes drug discharge instead of manually scattering the drug. As described above, the drug storage and dispensing unit 11 includes a plurality of cassettes, some of which are universal cassettes. By providing an ionizer that emits ions toward the inside of the guide tube 201, it is possible to suppress the drug from adhering to the inside of the guide tube 201 and the storage unit 50 due to static electricity.

[0030] At the fourth drug receiving position P5 described above, the drug supplied from the manual scattering unit 13 is supplied into a storage unit 50 located at the position P5 through a hopper (not shown) and a supply opening 202.

[0031] At the drug photographing position P6 described above, drugs (for example, a plurality of drugs for one package) are temporarily stored in a storage unit 50 located at the position P6. The drug photographing device 6 is located near the drug photographing position P6.

[0032] The drug photographing device 6 has a photographing unit 60 that performs still photography of a subject. In this embodiment, the photographing unit 60 includes a first camera 61 that performs color photography of the drug in the storage unit 50 located at the drug photographing position P6 from above, a second camera 62 that performs color photography of the drug in the storage unit 50 from below, an upper illumination unit 63 that illuminates the drug in the storage unit 50 from above, an inclined mirror unit 6a (a light emitting element may be used instead of the inclined mirror unit 6a) that illuminates the drug in the storage unit 50 from the side, and a lower illumination unit 64 that illuminates the drug in the storage unit 50 from below.

[0033] The peripheral portion around the light entrance of the first camera 61 is in contact with the outer surface of the housing 6001 of the upper illumination unit 63. Further, a seal member (such as an O-ring) is arranged at this contact portion. This seal member prevents dust and the like from entering the housing 6001 from the side of the first camera 61.

[0034] In addition, the imaging unit 60 of the drug imaging device 6 includes a surface light emitting member 65 below the lower illumination unit 64. Note that the portion of the lower plate portion 52 corresponding to the drug imaging position P6 is transparent or open. The surface light emitting member 65 has, for example, a rectangular shape and can switch between a surface light emitting state and a transparent state. In the surface light emitting state, for the first camera 61, imaging of the drug is backlit imaging. This surface light emitting member 65 is composed of, for example, a rectangular transparent light guide plate and a light emitting element (such as an LED) that emits light toward the edge of the transparent light guide plate. The surface light emitting member 65 becomes transparent when the light emitting element is not lit. Note that the surface light emitting member 65 may be located above the lower illumination unit 64.

[0035] The lower illumination unit 64 and the surface light emitting member 65 are arranged inside the housing 6002. And the periphery of the light incident port of the second camera 62 is in contact with the outer surface of the housing 6002. Further, a seal member (such as an O-ring) is arranged at this contact portion. This seal member prevents dust and the like from entering the housing 6002 from the side of the second camera 62.

[0036] Then, under the control of the controller 8 shown in FIG. 13, the imaging unit 60 performs a first imaging process of turning on the upper illumination unit 63 and imaging the drug in the storage unit 50 from above using the first camera 61 in a non-backlit state (either front light, side light, or a mixture of front light and side light), a second imaging process of turning on the surface light emitting member 65 and imaging the drug in the storage unit 50 from above using the first camera 61 in a backlit state, and a third imaging process of turning on the lower illumination unit 64 and imaging the drug in the storage unit 50 from below using the second camera 62 in a non-backlit state (either front light, side light, or a mixture of front light and side light).

[0037] The combinations of the above imaging processes and lighting processes are shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1

[0038] By performing the second photographing process, the drug in the storage unit 50 is photographed in a backlight state, and an image is obtained in which the bottom side of the storage unit 50 is bright and the image of the drug is dark. That is, the number of drugs can be determined by counting the number of drug shadows (dark regions) in the photographed image.

[0039] The upper first camera 61 is located above the drug photographing position P6. The upper first camera 61 includes a mirror 61a that reflects the image in the storage unit 50 in the horizontal direction, an image sensor (CCD, CMOS, etc.) 61b that receives the image reflected by the mirror 61a, and various lenses that form an image on the image sensor 61b.

[0040] The lower second camera 62 is located below the drug photographing position P6. The lower second camera 62 includes a mirror 62a that reflects the image in the storage unit 50 in the horizontal direction, an image sensor (CCD, CMOS, etc.) 62b that receives the image reflected by the mirror 62a, and various lenses that form an image on the image sensor 62b.

[0041] The upper illumination unit 63 is composed of a large number of light-emitting elements (such as LEDs) arranged in a ring shape and has a transparent or hollow structure through which light can pass on the central side. The annular light-emitting elements are located outside the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage unit 50 and above the inclined mirror portion 6a. The light emitted from the upper illumination unit 63 is reflected horizontally by the inclined mirror portion 6a and guided into the storage unit 50 (cylindrical portion 50a) in a side light state. Also, a part of the light emitted from the upper illumination unit 63 reaches the inside of the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage unit 50 as front light for the first camera 61.

[0042] When light enters the cylindrical portion 50a from the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 50a, the light is emitted from the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 50a, and a bright pattern is formed at the bottom of the cylindrical portion 50a (the portion of the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012). When the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 50a is processed into a ground glass surface (a micro uneven surface) or a light-impermeable surface, the generation of the bright pattern can be suppressed. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the bright pattern from being reflected in the captured image and having an adverse effect on medicine identification. Note that, by similarly processing the lower end surface of the cylindrical portion 50a, the transmission of illumination light from below through the cylindrical portion 50a is suppressed.

[0043] A gap of 0.5 mm or more and 1.5 mm or less may be formed between the lower end surface of the cylindrical portion 50a and the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012. When such a gap is formed, the formation of a shadow in the captured image of the medicine close to the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 50a is reduced.

[0044] Each connection portion R1 of the hexagonal faces of the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage portion 50 has a curved surface (R) shape as described above. Here, in a structure where each connection portion R1 of the faces does not have the curved surface shape, light from the outside is refracted at each connection portion R1 of the faces, and illumination unevenness occurs on the bottom surface of the storage portion 50. When the cylindrical portion 50a has a curved surface shape at the connection portion R1, the light is diffused toward the cylindrical portion 50a by the curved surface shape, so that the illumination unevenness is less likely to occur. The wall thickness of the curved surface shape portion and other portions is preferably the same. Note that when the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 50a is square, the overlapping of the medicines in the storage portion 50 is easily eliminated.

[0045] The lower illumination unit 64 is composed of a large number of light emitting elements (such as LEDs) annularly arranged at a position outside the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 50a with respect to the inside of the cylindrical portion 50a located at the medicine photographing position P6 so as not to interfere during backlight photography, and has a transparent or hollow structure through which light passes on the central side. The emission optical axis of the light emitting element is not limited to the directly upward direction. The emission optical axis of the light emitting element may be directed, for example, toward the center of the bottom of the storage portion 50.

[0046] Also, the above-described first, second, and third photographing processes may be executed a plurality of times (for example, five times) within a certain period of time. In particular, it is preferable that the time interval between the first photographing process and the third photographing process be within a certain period of time. Further, by increasing the shutter speed at the time of the first and third photographings, blurring of the photographed image of the drug can be suppressed. Here, immediately after the rotating disk portion 5010 of the drug receiving tray portion 501 rotates intermittently and the storage portion 50 stops on the drug photographing position P6, the drug in the storage portion 50 is in a vibrating state or a rolling state. If waiting for this vibrating state or rolling state to settle, the time required for photographing the drug becomes long.

[0047] As described above, when photographing is performed a plurality of times on the same subject within a certain period of time, a plurality of images can be obtained. Therefore, an image in which the printed surface or printed letter surface of the drug faces the camera direction is likely to be obtained probabilistically, and the recognition rate of the printing or the like can be increased. Further, when the time interval between the first photographing process and the third photographing process is a certain period of time, displacement of the position of the drug due to the first photographing process and the position of the same drug due to the third photographing process is unlikely to occur. Therefore, whether or not the same drug is in both photographed images can be estimated from the correspondence relationship of the drug positions in the upper-side photographing image by the first imaging process and the lower-side photographing image by the third imaging process within the certain period of time.

[0048] Note that the drug check unit (judgment unit) 82 adopts, in the plurality of images obtained by the second imaging process, for example, the image with the largest number of drug shadows (dark regions), determines the number of drugs based on the adopted image, and determines whether the required number of drugs are present in the storage unit 50 by comparing the determined number with the number of drugs indicated by the prescription information (sub-packaging data). Alternatively, an image with the largest total area of drug shadows (dark regions) may be adopted. Further, the drug check unit 82 may select, as an image for determining the type of drug, the image obtained by the first and third imaging processes at the time closest to the imaging time of the adopted image. Note that it is desirable to perform the second imaging process after the rotating disk unit 5010 of the drug receiving tray unit 501 rotates intermittently until the storage unit 50 stops at the drug imaging position P6. After stopping, the drugs may overlap each other, so it is desirable to perform as described above.

[0049] When the drug check unit 82 determines that the number of drugs in the storage unit 50 located at the drug imaging position P6 and the drug information described later are not correct with reference to the sub-packaging data (feature data described later), the controller 8 may rotate the rotating disk unit 5010 of the drug receiving tray unit 501 forward and backward to roll the drugs in the storage unit 50, and perform the above-described first, second, and third imaging processes again. Alternatively, as an error process, an alert may be output.

[0050] On the other hand, when the drug check unit 82 determines that the number of drugs in the storage unit 50 located at the drug imaging position P6 and the drug information described later are correct with reference to the sub-packaging data (feature data described later), the controller 8 rotates the rotating disk unit 5010 of the drug receiving tray unit 501 forward by 45 degrees to move the storage unit 50 at the drug imaging position P6 to the drug discharge position P7 (packaging position) where the packaging opening 5012a is formed. As a result, the drugs in the storage unit 50 reach the sub-packaging paper S from the packaging opening 5012a through the drug packaging introduction member 7.

[0051] Above the above-mentioned drug discharge position P7 (packaging position), a first residual detection camera 601, a second residual detection camera 602, and a third residual detection camera 603 are located. In addition, an illumination unit composed of LEDs or the like for illuminating the imaging range of each residual detection camera is provided. Note that a sensor may be used instead of the residual detection cameras 601, 602, and 603.

[0052] The first residual detection camera 601 photographs the inside of the opening of the sub-packaging paper S from the above-mentioned packaging opening 5012a. Based on the result of this photographing, it is possible to confirm whether there is no drug (the drug that should have been pre-packaged) or foreign matter in the opening of the sub-packaging paper S automatically or by visual inspection by an inspector.

[0053] In addition, the second residual detection camera 602 photographs the relay portion 71 in the drug packaging introduction member 7. Based on the result of this photographing, it is possible to confirm whether or not a drug is attached to the relay portion 71 in the drug packaging introduction member 7 automatically or by visual inspection by an inspector.

[0054] In addition, the third residual detection camera 603 photographs the final part of the drug packaging introduction member 7 (the lower part of the shooter part 72 located below the relay part 71). Based on the result of this photographing, it is possible to confirm whether or not a drug is attached to the final part in the drug packaging introduction member 7 automatically or by visual inspection by an inspector.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 2, the above-mentioned illumination unit includes a first light emitting part 451, a second light emitting part 452, and a third light emitting part 453.

[0056] The first light emitting part 451 illuminates the inside of the drug packaging introduction member 7 from a position above the drug discharge position P7. Note that a part of the emitted light of the first light emitting part 451 is not blocked by the drug packaging introduction member 7 and exits from the opening at the lower part of the drug packaging introduction member 7 and reaches the vicinity of the position between the heater roller 45d and the heater roller 45e.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 22, the second light emitting unit 452 illuminates the vicinity of the position between the heater roller 45d and the heater roller 45e from a position on the lateral side of the drug packaging introduction member 7. The light emitted from the second light emitting unit 452 reaches inside the opening of the wrapping paper S opened by the guide surface (front surface) of the deployment guide 45a through the wrapping paper S.

[0058] As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the third light emitting unit 453 is attached inside the recess on the non-guide surface (back surface) of the deployment guide 45a. Similar to the second light emitting unit 452, it illuminates the vicinity of the position between the heater roller 45d and the heater roller 45e. The emitted light of the third light emitting unit 453 reaches inside the opening of the wrapping paper S without passing through the wrapping paper S. A transparent cover 45aa that covers the third light emitting unit 453 is attached to the opening side of the recess of the deployment guide 45a so that powders and the like do not fall on the third light emitting unit 453. Since the third light emitting unit 453 can be positioned near the opening of the two-folded wrapping paper S, it can brightly illuminate the inside of the opening of the wrapping paper S. Note that the electric wire connected to the third light emitting unit 453 is led out of the recess through, for example, between the deployment guide 45a and the cover 45aa.

[0059] The brightness (light amount) of the first light emitting unit 451, the second light emitting unit 452, and the third light emitting unit 453 may be adjustable by a dimmer. Further, the third light emitting unit 453 is not limited to being positioned inside the recess on the non-guide surface (back surface) of the deployment guide 45a. The third light emitting unit 453 itself may enter from the opening of the wrapping paper S and be positioned inside the opening to illuminate the inside of the opening. Such a third light emitting unit 453 is supported by, for example, a thin rod-shaped or wire-shaped support member, enters from the opening of the wrapping paper S, and is positioned inside the opening. The support source can be the non-guide surface (back surface) of the deployment guide 45a or the tip of the shooter unit 72.

[0060] In the above example, three residual detection cameras 601, 602, and 603 are arranged above the drug discharge position P7 (packaging position), but the configuration is not limited to this. All or part of the drug packaging introduction member 7 may be provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction or the like, and the inside of the drug packaging introduction member 7 after the movement may be photographed by a residual detection camera arranged at the moved position. According to this, the number of residual detection cameras arranged on the storage unit 50 can be reduced, and the complication of the structure due to the dense arrangement of the cameras on the storage unit 50 can be avoided.

[0061] Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which two residual detection cameras (A) and (B) are arranged above the drug discharge position P7 (packaging position). In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 25, the residual detection camera (A) has a deep depth of field and photographs a region (hereinafter referred to as the upper region) from the relay portion 71 to approximately the middle position of the shooter portion 72 in the drug packaging introduction member 7. The residual detection camera (B) also has a deep depth of field and photographs a region (hereinafter referred to as the lower region) from approximately the middle position of the shooter portion 72 of the drug packaging introduction member 7 to the inside of the opening in the wrapping paper S. Note that the photographing ranges of the two residual detection cameras (A) and (B) overlap at approximately the middle position of the shooter portion 72.

[0062] Also in the configuration in which the two residual detection cameras (A) and (B) are arranged, it is desirable that the lighting unit includes three light emitting units (a), (b), and (c). For example, the light emitting unit (a) is arranged near the installation position of the residual detection camera, the light emitting unit (b) is arranged in the packaging unit 4 (preferably the drug packaging unit 45), and the light emitting unit (c) is arranged on the non-guide surface (rear surface) side of the deployment guide 45a.

[0063] In an example of the control in the configuration having the two residual detection cameras (A) and (B), with only the light emitting unit (a) lit, the upper region is photographed by the residual detection camera (A) (first photographing operation). That is, in the first photographing operation, the upper region of the inner wall surface of the drug packaging introduction member 7 is used as the photographing range, and this first photographing operation is used to determine whether or not a drug is attached to the inner wall surface.

[0064] On the other hand, with all of the light emitting parts (a), (b), and (c) lit, the upper region and the lower region are photographed by the residual detection cameras (A) and (B) (second photographing operation). That is, in the second photographing operation, the entire inner wall surface of the drug packaging introduction member 7 and the inside of the opening of the wrapping paper S are set as the photographing range. When the dropping of the drug to be wrapped into the opening of the wrapping paper S has not started yet, if it is determined that there is even one drug on the entire inner wall surface of the drug packaging introduction member 7 and inside the opening of the wrapping paper S, it is determined that there is drug residue. In the second photographing operation, by making not only the light emitting part (a) but also the light emitting parts (b) and (c) emit light, the total amount of illumination light is increased and the inside of the opening of the wrapping paper S can be illuminated from multiple directions. Therefore, if there is even one drug inside the opening of the wrapping paper S, the detection can be accurately performed. Note that it is also possible to adopt a mode in which the light emitting part (a) does not emit light in the second photographing operation.

[0065] As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 26, the second photographing operation is performed (S1) with the drug of the K-th package (K is a natural number and the maximum value is the subpackage setting number N) located at the drug photographing position P6. When K = 1, it is possible to obtain information on whether or not the residual drug in the drug subpackaging based on other prescriptions preceding at the drug discharge position P7 remains in the opening of the wrapping paper S for the current prescription. When K ≥ 2, it is possible to obtain information on whether or not the drug that should be subpackaged earlier within the current prescription remains in the opening of the wrapping paper S in subsequent subpackagings. Note that when generating several empty packages between different prescriptions, the second photographing operation when K = 1 may be omitted.

[0066] After the second photographing operation, when the turntable part 5010 rotates 45 degrees, the drug of the K-th package according to the current prescription is dropped from the drug discharge position P7, through the drug packaging introduction member 7, into the opening of the wrapping paper S (S2). The situation of this dropping is photographed by the first photographing operation described above (S3). That is, with only the light emitting part (a) lit, the upper region described above is photographed by the residual detection camera (A).

[0067] Note that the residual detection imaging for the drug in the K-th pack of the current prescription will start from the above-described first imaging operation (S3). Also, if it is determined as a result of the first imaging operation that no drug adheres to the inner wall of the drug packaging introduction member 7, and the K-th pack is packaged in a state where a part of the drug to be packaged has moved to the position of the subsequent (K + 1)-th pack during the packaging of the pack corresponding to the drug in the K-th pack, then in the next second imaging operation, the drug residue present in the opening of the sub-packaging paper S will be detected.

[0068] After the above-described first imaging operation, a packaging operation for one pack is executed (S4). Next, K is incremented (S5), it is determined whether K exceeds N (S6), if K does not exceed N, the process proceeds to the second imaging operation in the subsequent sub-packaging of the drug (S1), if K exceeds N, K is reset (S7), and imaging processing for the sub-packaging of the next prescription is performed.

[0069] Below the remaining drug confirmation position P8, as shown in FIG. 12, a third camera 66 is located. This third camera 66 images the inside of the storage unit 50 that has moved to the remaining drug confirmation position P8 after the drug stored in the storage unit 50 has been delivered to the drug packaging unit 45. For example, the third camera 66 includes a mirror 66a that laterally reflects an image of the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage unit 50 located at the remaining drug confirmation position P8, an image pickup element (such as a CCD or CMOS) 66b that receives the image reflected by this mirror 66a, and various lenses that form the image on the image pickup element 66b. Also, a lower illumination unit 67 is provided at an upper position of the mirror 66a. Based on the imaging result of the third camera 66, it is possible to confirm whether or not drug remains on the inner wall surface and in the inner space of the cylindrical portion 50a automatically or by visual inspection of the image by an inspector.

[0070] Incidentally, the above printing mechanism having the ink ribbon cassette 401 prints characters such as patient names and morning / noon / evening at the stage before the drug is sub-packaged. Even if an error is determined through drug identification processing or automatic inspection, the error information cannot be printed on the sub-packaging paper portion of the corresponding packaged drug. Therefore, a post-printing unit may be installed to print error information such as a mark indicating a defect or a number indicating the insufficient number of drugs on the sub-packaging paper portion where the drug has been packaged through the heater rollers 45d and 45e.

[0071] Incidentally, when presenting the printing layout on the sub-packaging paper to the user, methods such as checking the printing layout via the monitor of the drug sub-packaging device 1 or checking the printing layout based on the actually printed sub-packaging paper can be considered. Regarding the latter checking method, it is desirable that the drug supply operation is not involved.

[0072] FIG. 13 shows a schematic block diagram of the control system of the above drug sub-packaging device 1. In the storage unit 80 connected to the controller 8 of the drug sub-packaging device 1, a so-called master table (database of drugs, etc.), prescription information of each patient, and image data captured by the first, second, and third cameras 61, 62, 66 and the first, second, and third residual detection cameras 601, 602, 603 are stored. Further, the first, second, and third cameras 61, 62, 66 and the first, second, and third residual detection cameras 601, 602, 603 have their lighting and shooting operation timings, etc. controlled by the above controller 8.

[0073] The image output unit 81 of the above controller 8 performs a process of storing the images captured by the first to third cameras 61, 62, 66, etc. in the above storage unit 80. Further, the image output unit 81 can read out the captured images, etc. from the above storage unit 80 and display them on the above monitor as inspection support images. The inspector can inspect the drugs in the storage unit 50 by looking at the inspection support images displayed on the above monitor.

[0074] The above inspection support image may be displayed on the monitor by associating, for example, the upper image of the drug taken by the first camera 61 and the lower image of the drug taken by the second camera 62 as front and back images for each drug estimated to be the same drug through the processing of the controller 8. The association of the front and back images is performed by arranging the images side by side horizontally or vertically. Whether drugs are the same or not can be estimated from the correspondence relationship of the positions of the drugs in the upper-side captured image and the lower-side captured image obtained by the first and third photographing processes within the above-mentioned fixed time. Furthermore, the association of the front and back images may be performed for all of the plurality of images, or may be performed for specific captured images among the plurality of images. The specific captured image may be an image in which a stamp or the like can be recognized by the drug check unit 82. Fig. 14 shows an example of the inspection support image. In this image, patient information, information on the drugs administered to the patient (drug name and drug image), and the front and back images of each drug obtained by cutting out the individual drug image portions from the entire image within the storage unit captured for each package are displayed.

[0075] In addition to the captured image of the drug in the storage unit 50, the above inspection support image may include an image in which reference images of the drugs to be packaged among the reference images of the drugs stored in the storage unit 80 in advance are arranged. The above reference image may be an image captured in the imaging environment of the drug packaging device 1, an image captured in the drug room where the drug packaging device 1 is installed, or an image provided by the drug manufacturer.

[0076] The drug check unit 82 of the controller 8 determines the number of drugs existing in the storage unit 50 located at the drug imaging position P6 based on the image captured by the first camera 61. Since the first camera 61 captures the shadow of the drug due to backlighting, the drug check unit 82, for example, counts the number of dark regions of a predetermined size (area) or more in the captured image and outputs this number of regions as the number of drugs. The above dark regions include not only circular regions but also annular regions. Note that the above-mentioned predetermined size can be made different for each drug based on the size data of each drug stored in the storage unit 80.

[0077] In addition, as a determination unit, the drug check unit 82 can recognize marks such as imprints, which are drug information of the drugs in the captured images taken in the first imaging process and the third imaging process, and determine the drugs. Further, the drug check unit 82 can automatically determine whether or not the drug specified by the prescription information (sub-packaging data) exists in the storage unit 50 by determining the match between the identified drug and the mark of the drug indicated by the prescription information (sub-packaging data) in the storage unit 80 (drug master table).

[0078] In addition, as a determination unit, the drug check unit 82 determines other drug information (the area (size) of the drug in plan view, the shape of the drug in plan view, and all or part of the surface color of the drug), which are the characteristics of each drug obtained by the imaging. Also, the drug check unit 82 can automatically determine whether or not the drug specified by the prescription information (sub-packaging data) exists in the storage unit 50 by determining the degree of match between the drug information and the characteristic data (the area (size) of the drug in plan view, the shape of the drug in plan view, and all or part of the surface color of the drug) of each drug indicated by the prescription information (sub-packaging data) in the storage unit 80 (drug master table).

[0079] In addition, the drug check unit 82 can also automatically determine whether or not the drug specified by the prescription information (sub-packaging data) exists in the storage unit 50 by image matching that compares the image (drug information) of the captured drug with the images of the reference images (characteristic data of each drug) of each drug stored in the storage unit 80 in advance and determines the degree of match. The reference image (for image matching) used by the drug check unit 82 does not have to be the same as the reference image (for visual recognition) in the above-mentioned scrutiny support image.

[0080] The adhesion determination unit 83 of the controller 8 determines the adhesion of the drug to the inner wall of the drug packaging introduction member 7 and the adhesion of the drug to the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage portion 50 based on the images captured by the first, second, and third residual detection cameras 601, 602, 603 and the image captured by the third camera 66. For example, the adhesion determination unit 83 compares the image captured by the third camera 66 with respect to the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage portion 50 located at the residual drug confirmation position P8 with the basic image captured in a state where no drug is adhered to the inner wall surface, thereby determining the adhesion of the drug to the inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion 50a.

[0081] The basic image is, for example, an image captured immediately before performing the first sub-packaging process of the day, and this image is stored in the storage unit 80. Also, as an example of the determination of drug adhesion, for example, when the number of pixels whose luminance values match each other or are within a predetermined range for each pixel of the imaging element is less than a predetermined ratio with respect to the total number of pixels, it is determined that the drug is adhered to the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage portion 50. When the controller 8 determines that the drug is adhered to the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage portion 50, it can output an alert. At that time, the drug packaging process may be continued or interrupted. Further, the controller 8 may store the captured image when it determines that the drug is adhered to the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage portion 50 in the storage unit 80.

[0082] The timing control unit 84 of the controller 8 controls the imaging timing of the first, second, and third cameras 61, 62, 66, the first, second, and third residual detection cameras 601, 602, 603, the lighting-on timing of the upper lighting unit 63, the lower lighting unit 64, and the surface light-emitting member 65 in response to the rotation operation of the rotating disk unit 5010 of the medicine receiving tray unit 501. In this embodiment, every time the rotating disk unit 5010 of the medicine receiving tray unit 501 rotates intermittently by 45 degrees, still imaging is simultaneously executed at the medicine imaging position P6 (the first and second cameras 61, 62), the medicine discharge position P7 (the first, second, and third residual detection cameras 601, 602, 603), and the remaining medicine confirmation position P8 (the third camera 66). Further, the timing control unit 84 executes imaging in the order of, for example, the first imaging process, the second imaging process, and the third imaging process. Of course, other imaging orders can be adopted. Also, the timing control unit 84 can control the lighting-on timing and the light amount switching timing of the upper lighting unit 63 and the lower lighting unit 64 during the imaging.

[0083] The timing for the third camera 66 to image the remaining medicine confirmation position P8 is exemplified below. 1. Image the remaining medicine confirmation position P8 at the timing when the storage unit 50 moves to the medicine discharge position P7. 2. Image the remaining medicine confirmation position P8 at the timing after the storage unit 50 moves to the medicine discharge position P7 (after a predetermined time (1 second) has elapsed since the movement, etc.).

[0084] It is also possible to arrange the third camera 66 at the medicine discharge position P7 to check for remaining medicine. In this case, imaging is performed at the timing after the storage unit 50 moves to the medicine discharge position P7 (after a predetermined time (1 second) has elapsed since the movement, etc.).

[0085] The drive control unit 85 of the controller 8 controls the motor 503. This control includes not only the intermittent 45-degree rotation operation of the rotating disk unit 5010 of the medicine receiving tray unit 501, but also control to eliminate the overlapping of the medicine in the storage unit 50 by rotating the rotating disk unit 5010 forward and backward at a speed higher than the speed of this 45-degree rotation operation.

[0086] With the above configuration, by the first photographing process, it is possible to photograph the marking or the like of the drug positioned with the surface with the marking or the like facing upward, and by the third photographing process, it is possible to photograph the marking or the like of the drug positioned with the surface with the marking or the like facing downward. Thereby, even for a drug with a marking or the like only on one side, it becomes possible to identify the drug in the storage unit based on the images obtained by the first and third photographing processes. Also, it becomes possible to determine the number of drugs from the shadow image of the drug obtained by the second photographing process. That is, it is possible to make the photographing location for photographing the marking or the like of the drug the same as the photographing location for determining the number of drugs, and the drug photographing process can be performed quickly. Note that an embodiment may be adopted in which only one of the first photographing process and the third photographing process is performed.

[0087] Also, in this embodiment, the timing control unit 84 executes each photographing process a plurality of times for the drugs (same subject) in a specific storage unit 50. This photographing process does not mean executing the first photographing process and the third photographing process once each (a total of 2 times), but executing the first photographing process and the third photographing process a plurality of times each. Here, when waiting for the drug in the vibrating state or rolling state to stop before photographing, the time required for photographing the drug becomes long. As described above, when photographing the same subject a plurality of times within a certain time, a plurality of images are obtained, so an image in which the printed surface or the printed character surface of the drug faces the camera direction is likely to be obtained probabilistically, and the recognition rate of the marking or the like can be increased.

[0088] Also, in this embodiment, by performing the first, second, and third photographing processes at one location (drug photographing position P6), the storage unit 50 does not move every time of photographing, and the drug does not vibrate or roll either, so there is an advantage that blurring of the photographed drug image can be reduced. Also, when the first, second, and third photographing processes are performed at one location in this way, it is only necessary to wait once for the vibration and rolling of the drug to subside, so even in the case of photographing after waiting for the vibration and rolling of the drug to subside, it is possible to shorten the time of the photographing process.

[0089] By providing the third camera 66, it becomes possible to detect the drug adhering to the inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion 50a, and it becomes possible to notify the user of the possibility that the packaged drug does not conform to the prescription information (sub-packaging data).

[0090] As shown in FIG. 11, a cleaning member 55 for cleaning the upper part of the drug receiving bottom portion 5012 is provided at a position on the bottom surface side of the rotating disk portion 5010 that does not form the storage portion 50. By this cleaning member 55, it is possible to suppress the powder (drug debris) on the drug receiving bottom portion 5012 from being packaged together with the drug. The cleaning member 55 includes, for example, a scraper 55a and a support portion 55b that supports the scraper 55a. The support portion 55b may be movably supported by the rotating disk portion 5010 so that the scraper 55a can contact and separate from the drug receiving bottom portion 5012. When the rotating disk portion 5010 rotates about the shaft 504 with the scraper 55a in contact with the drug receiving bottom portion 5012, the powder on the drug receiving bottom portion 5012 is scraped by the scraper 55a and collected into the accommodation recess 5012b and the powder recovery groove 5012c described later.

[0091] The shaft 504 has a flange portion at its lower part, and this flange portion is fixed to the lower side plate portion 52. Also, a bearing is fitted on the outer peripheral portion of the shaft 504, and a square convex portion 504a is rotatably supported on the outer peripheral side of this bearing (see FIG. 5). And, as shown in FIG. 7, a substantially cylindrical central square opening portion 501b having a square opening into which the square convex portion 504a fits is formed at the center of the drug receiving disk portion 501, and the drug receiving disk portion 501 can be detachably attached to the square convex portion 504a.

[0092] Also, as shown in FIG. 15, the central square opening 501b is connected and fixed to a cylindrical upright portion 501c located at a distance from the outer peripheral side of the central square opening 501b by a plurality of connecting rib portions 501f. The cylindrical upright portion 501c is a member located on the central side of the turntable portion 5010 and fixed to the turntable portion 5010. And, in the annular gap formed between the outer peripheral side of the central square opening 501b and the cylindrical upright portion 501c in the turntable portion 5010, a plurality of guide columns 501g protruding in the axial direction of the shaft 504 are formed.

[0093] A cleaning switching operation portion 501d (see FIG. 17) is inserted into the annular gap. The cleaning switching operation portion 501d has a plurality of holes into which the guide columns 501g are inserted. By these holes, it is linearly movable in the axial direction of the shaft 504 and can rotate around the shaft 504 integrally with the turntable portion 5010. Note that a notch portion 501k (see FIG. 17) through which the connecting rib portion 501f passes is formed in the cleaning switching operation portion 501d. Also, below the cleaning switching operation portion 501d, a support plate portion 501h of the turntable portion 5010 is located. The support plate portion 501h is a member located on the central side of the turntable portion 5010 and fixed to the turntable portion 5010. The support plate portion 501h is shown by a virtual line in FIGS. 17 and 18.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 17, a coil spring 501j is disposed between the cleaning switching operation portion 501d and the support plate portion 501h, and the cleaning switching operation portion 501d is biased upward by this coil spring 501j. During the cleaning of the medicinal powder, the cleaning switching operation portion 501d is moved downward. The downward movement of the cleaning switching operation portion 501d is performed by a motor 5060. The motor 5060 and a support mechanism 5061 that supports it are attached to the upper side plate portion 51.

[0095] The support mechanism 5061 has a plurality of guide columns 5061a standing upright in the axial direction of the shaft 504, and a pressing member 5061b guided vertically by the guide column 5061a is engaged with the guide column 5061a. A feed screw 5061c is screwed into a screw hole formed in the central portion of the pressing member 5061b. When the feed screw 5061c is driven by the motor 5060, the pressing member 5061b is moved up and down. A plurality of wheel portions 5061d that contact the upper surface of the cleaning switching operation portion 501d are attached to the lower surface side of the pressing member 5061b. That is, even when the cleaning switching operation portion 501d is pressed by the pressing member 5061b, the cleaning switching operation portion 501d (rotary disk portion 5010) can rotate smoothly around the axis of the shaft 504 because it contacts the pressing member 5061b via the wheel portions 5061d. Note that the motor 5060 may be installed at a position other than the central position of the support mechanism 5061.

[0096] A rack portion 551 having teeth formed in the axial direction of the shaft 504 is fixed to the side surface of the cleaning switching operation portion 501d. As shown in FIG. 16, a notch for exposing the rack portion 551 is formed in the cylindrical upright portion 501c.

[0097] The cleaning member 55 has a shaft portion 553. The shaft portion 553 is rotatably supported by a bearing portion 554 provided in the support portion 55b. Further, a gear portion 552 meshed with the rack portion 551 is fixed to one end side of the shaft portion 553. When the cleaning switching operation portion 501d is lowered by the drive of the motor 5060 during cleaning, as shown in FIG. 18, the rack portion 551 descends, the gear portion 552 rotates, and the shaft portion 553 rotates. The scraper 55a fixed to the shaft portion 553 rises as the shaft portion 553 rotates, and the edge portion of the scraper 55a contacts the chemical receiving bottom portion 5012. After the cleaning is completed, an operation reverse to the above operation is executed by the reverse rotation of the motor 5060.

[0098] That is, in this embodiment, the medicine packaging device 1 includes a medicine supply unit (medicine storage and dispensing unit 11) that supplies various medicines, a medicine packaging unit 45 that packages the medicines supplied from the medicine supply unit with packaging paper S, a storage unit 50 that temporarily stores the medicines supplied from the medicine supply unit upstream of the medicine packaging unit 45, and a cleaning member 55 as a cleaning device provided on the medicine receiving tray unit 501 for cleaning the medicine powder on the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012. The medicine packaging device 1 may be configured to include the cleaning device without including the photographing unit 60.

[0099] Furthermore, in the cleaning device, the state where the edge of the cleaning member 55 (scraper 55a) rises and the state where it contacts the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012 may be switchable.

[0100] As an example of the above switching, the medicine packaging device 1 rotates together with the rotating disk unit 5010 and is linearly movable in the axial direction of the shaft 504 that rotatably supports the rotating disk unit 5010. The cleaning switching operation unit 501d switches between the state of contacting and not contacting the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012 in the cleaning member 55 by the linear movement in the axial direction of the shaft 504, and a driving unit (such as a motor 5060 and a support mechanism 5061) that moves the cleaning switching operation unit 501d in the axial direction of the shaft 504.

[0101] Furthermore, in the cleaning device, the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012 may be rotatable as will be described later.

[0102] When the cleaning member 55 (scraper 55a) is integrated with the rotating disk unit 5010, when removing the rotating disk unit 5010 from the medicine packaging device 1, the cleaning member 55 (scraper 55a) also comes off, so that the cleaning work of the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012 and the lower side plate portion 52 becomes easy.

[0103] Also, in this embodiment, a cleaning switching operation unit 501d that switches the cleaning operation of the cleaning member 55 is attached to the turntable unit 5010 side, and a motor 5060 and a support mechanism 5061 that operate the cleaning switching operation unit 501d are attached to the upper plate portion 51. That is, since the chemical receiving tray portion 501 of the chemical storage unit 5 itself has no drive system, it becomes easy to remove the chemical receiving tray portion 501 from the chemical packaging apparatus 1. Note that the removal of the chemical receiving tray portion 501 may be performed on the whole including the chemical receiving bottom portion 5012, or may be performed on a component portion not including the chemical receiving bottom portion 5012.

[0104] Further, due to the provision of the chemical receiving bottom portion 5012, it becomes difficult for chemical powder to adhere to the lower plate portion 52. Also, the chemical receiving bottom portion 5012 can be removed from the lower plate portion 52 and washed. In the structural portion shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the user can grasp the handle 505 and raise the upper plate portion 51 (including the motor 5060, the support mechanism 5061, etc.) to expose the upper surface side of the chemical receiving tray portion 501, and in this state, the chemical receiving tray portion 501 can be detached from the shaft 504 (quadrilateral convex portion 504a).

[0105] Note that the scraper 55a (shaft portion 553) extends from the outer peripheral side to the center side of the turntable unit 5010. The end side of the scraper 55a located on the center side is eccentric from the center of the turntable unit 5010 to the side that lags behind the outer peripheral side end portion in the normal rotation direction of the turntable unit 5010. Thereby, the chemical powder scraped off on the chemical receiving bottom portion 5012 can be moved to the center side of the chemical receiving bottom portion 5012 by the rotation of the turntable unit 5010.

[0106] In the configuration including the cleaning member 55, when the rotary disk unit 5010 rotates, the drug powder is removed from above the drug receiving bottom portion 5012. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of the user cleaning the upper surface of the drug receiving bottom portion 5012. And, without such trouble, it is possible to solve problems such as inappropriate illumination due to the drug powder in the storage portion 50 located at the drug imaging position P6, and the problem of misidentifying a lump of drug powder as a single drug.

[0107] Note that the drug powder cleaning by the cleaning member 55 may be automatically executed each time the prescription target person of the drug changes. Not limited to this, for example, the drug powder cleaning may be automatically performed each time the packaging process for a set number of packages (for example, 10 packages) is completed. Also, when the dirt on the bottom of the storage portion 50 located at the drug imaging position P6 is detected by an image captured by a sensor or a camera, or when the user presses a cleaning switch, the drug powder cleaning may be performed. Note that when it is determined that cleaning is necessary, the supply of the drug to the storage portion 50 may be stopped, and all the drugs present in the storage portion 50 at that time may be packaged. However, when the prescription drugs in the morning, at noon, and in the evening are only of a single type (which can be determined from the prescription information), there is no problem even if the drug and its drug powder are packaged together, so it may be decided not to make a determination on the necessity of cleaning.

[0108] Also, the powder scraped up by the cleaning member 55 may be stored in the storage recess 5012b (see FIG. 10) of the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012. Alternatively, the cleaning member 55 may be provided so as to drop the powder from the packaging opening 5012a. The powder dropped from the packaging opening 5012a may be packaged with the sub-packaging paper S located below the packaging opening 5012a. That is, the powder at the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012 may be scraped up by the cleaning member 55 and packaged with the sub-packaging paper S. For example, after the sub-packaging paper from which the medicine has been dropped from the packaging opening 5012a is sealed and the medicine sub-packaging is completed, the non-packaged portion of the sub-packaging paper is moved below the packaging opening 5012a. Then, the cleaning member 55 is moved in the direction of the packaging opening 5012a, and the powder collected by the cleaning member 55 is dropped from the packaging opening 5012a. Thereby, it is possible to avoid the medicine and the powder being sub-packaged together. When the sub-packaging paper portion packaging the powder collected by the cleaning member 55 is present in the continuous packaging tape, a sub-packaging paper cutter (not shown) may be operated to perform a process of separating the sub-packaging paper portion of the powder from the continuous packaging tape. At this time, it is preferable to print information capable of specifying the prescription on the sub-packaging paper portion at the head of the subsequent continuous packaging tape.

[0109] Note that the timing of starting the cleaning by the cleaning member 55 may be other than the same as the timing of dropping the medicine from the packaging opening 5012a and the timing of dropping the powder by the cleaning member 55. For example, the timing of starting the cleaning by the cleaning member 55 may be after discharging the medicine from all the storage portions 50 storing the medicine, in other words, after moving all the storage portions 50 storing the medicine to the medicine discharge position P7.

[0110] Also, instead of the surface light emitting member 65, as shown in FIG. 3(B), a dimming member 68 may be provided above the lower side illumination unit 64 and below the bottom surface of the storage portion 50. This dimming member 68 can switch between a transparent state and a translucent state. The first photographing process and the third photographing process are executed in the transparent state of the dimming member 68, and the second photographing process is executed by the translucent state of the dimming member 68 and the lighting of the lower side illumination unit 64. Note that, as the dimming member 68, a liquid crystal film that becomes a transparent film by energizing a milky white film can be used.

[0111] The combination of the above-described photographing process and lighting process is shown in Table 2 below.

Table 2

[0112] In the first photographing process, the light control member may be made translucent.

[0113] Also, it is desirable that the upper illumination unit 63 and the lower illumination unit 64 can adjust the light quantity. And when it is possible to know whether the current stored medicine indicated by the prescription information (sub-packaging data) is engraved, the light quantity at the time of photographing the engraved medicine may be made less than the light quantity for the non-engraved medicine. By reducing the light quantity at the time of photographing the engraved medicine, it is possible to suppress the event that the shadow of the engraving disappears due to too much light quantity and becomes unrecognizable. Here, the light quantity refers to the total amount of light flux passing through a certain surface within a certain time. The above light quantity adjustment is an increase or decrease in the light flux from the illumination units 63, 64 to the storage unit 50, and can be performed by, for example, pulse width modulation processing of the applied voltage to the LEDs constituting the illumination units 63, 64 to increase or decrease the light flux of each LED, or by increasing or decreasing the total amount of light flux to the storage unit 50 by increasing or decreasing the number of lit LEDs.

[0114] Also, in the first photographing process, the second photographing process, and the third photographing process, for photographing that can be executed simultaneously, simultaneous photographing in the combination may be executed. Also, the light quantity adjustment of the above illumination is in two steps of a first light quantity and a second light quantity less than the first light quantity, and the medicine photographing may be sequentially executed, for example, in the first photographing process at the first light quantity → in the first photographing process at the second light quantity → in the second photographing process → in the third photographing process at the first light quantity → in the third photographing process at the second light quantity. Note that the shutter speeds of the first and second cameras at the time of photographing the engraved medicine may be made faster than the shutter speed for the non-engraved medicine. By adjusting the shutter speed in this way as well, an effect of suppressing the event that the shadow of the engraving disappears due to too much light quantity and becomes unrecognizable can be obtained, similar to the above light quantity adjustment.

[0115] In the above embodiment, the first imaging process, the second imaging process, and the third imaging process were performed at one drug imaging position P6. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first imaging process, the second imaging process, and the third imaging process may be performed at a plurality of drug imaging positions.

[0116] Also, in the above embodiment, all of the plurality of drugs in one package (the same package) were stored together in one storage unit 50 and the above imaging was performed by the processing of the controller 8. However, the present invention is not limited to this. By the processing of the controller 8, all of the plurality of drugs in one package are not stored together in one storage unit 50, but the plurality of drugs in one package are stored separately in different storage units 50 spatially or temporally, and a shared storage imaging in which the above imaging is performed on the drugs (fewer drugs) stored in this way is shared. The shared storage condition indicating whether or not the plurality of drugs in the same package should be stored separately is stored in the sorting information unit 88 of the controller 8. When the controller 8 determines that the plurality of drugs in the same package are drugs that should be stored separately based on the shared storage condition stored in the sorting information unit 88 (when the controller 8 operates as a sorting determination unit), the plurality of drugs in the same package are stored separately in a plurality of storage units 50, and drug imaging processing, drug dispensing processing, etc. are performed.

[0117] For example, as a mode of sharing a plurality of drugs in one package in storage units 50 at different positions spatially, the controller 8 stores the plurality of drugs in one package separately in a plurality (for example, two) of storage units 50 and performs the above imaging at one or a plurality of drug imaging positions. After the plurality of storage units 50 pass through the drug discharge position P7 (packaging position), the drugs are packaged with packaging paper, so that finally the plurality of drugs in the same package are packaged together.

[0118] As an example, when a plurality of drugs in the same package consists of A, B, C, and D, the controller 8 operates the cassette a containing the drug A and the cassette b containing the drug B to store the drugs A and B in one storage unit 50, and then operates the cassette c containing the drug C and the cassette d containing the drug D to store the drugs C and D in the next one storage unit 50. Then, at the drug photographing position P6, the controller 8 sequentially performs photographing on the one storage unit 50 and photographing on the next one storage unit 50.

[0119] As a mode of sharing a plurality of drugs for one dose among storage units 50 at different times, the controller 8 stores a plurality of drugs for one dose in one storage unit 50 at different times, and performs the above photographing at the drug photographing position P6 at different times. In this case, by passing the one storage unit 50 through the drug discharge position P7 (packaging position) a plurality of times by rotating the turntable unit 5010 a plurality of times, all of the plurality of drugs for one dose are dropped into the packaging paper while the movement is stopped.

[0120] In this way, when a plurality of drugs for one dose are shared and stored in spatially or temporally separate storage units 50 and photographing of the drugs in the storage units 50 is performed, suitable photographing of the drugs becomes possible. That is, when a large number of drugs are present in one storage unit 50, stacking of the drugs on each other, crowding of the drugs on each other, etc. are likely to occur, and the photographed image often becomes defective. On the other hand, when the above-described shared storage photographing of the drugs is performed, the probability of stacking of the drugs on each other, crowding of the drugs on each other, etc. becomes low, and suitable photographing of the drugs becomes possible. Also, when the examiner visually inspects based on the drug photographed image, since the number of drugs in the image decreases, the inspection becomes easier.

[0121] In addition, in a method in which a plurality of drugs for one dosing time are divided into two or more and packaged and dispensed, even when a plurality of drugs are present in one package, the plurality of drugs for each package may be subjected to the above-described shared storage photographing. That is, regardless of whether one package is a package for one dosing time, the plurality of drugs packaged together are subjected to the above-described shared storage photographing.

[0122] Here, the drug imaging device 6 can also be defined as a device including a drug imaging unit and a drug sorting unit for the above-described shared storage. The drug imaging unit is, for example, an imaging unit 60 that images the drug in the storage unit 50. Further, the drug sorting unit includes, for example, a drug storage unit 5 that stores a plurality of drugs packaged together in the storage unit 50 in a shared manner and a controller 8.

[0123] The shared storage of drugs in the above-mentioned shared storage photography can also be executed as follows. (1) Perform the shared storage of drugs so that the number of drugs stored in the same storage unit 50 does not exceed the set number (for example, 2). (2) Perform the shared storage of drugs so that drugs registered as being similar to each other in the drug master table are not stored in the same storage unit 50 (similar drugs are photographed separately). For example, one storage unit 50 stores one drug A, and another storage unit 50 stores one similar drug A' (A≒A'). When drug B (B≠A, B≠A') is included, this drug B may be stored together with drug A or drug A' (drug A and drug A' are photographed separately). Note that the information registered as being similar to each other in the drug master table is not necessarily essential. Using the reference image or feature data (any one or a combination of size, shape, and color) stored in the drug master table as a reference, it is also possible to determine whether there are similar drugs among the drugs corresponding to the prescription information for each prescription information and perform the shared storage of drugs. (3) Perform the shared storage of drugs so that the same type of drug is stored in the same storage unit 50 separately from drugs of other drug types. For example, one storage unit 50 stores two drugs A, and another storage unit 50 stores drug B (A≠B). (4) Perform the shared storage of drugs so as to divide the storage unit 50 according to the difference in the suppliers of the drugs. For example, drugs supplied by hand sprinkling and drugs supplied by cassette are stored separately in different storage units 50. Also, for example, drugs supplied by cassette and drugs supplied by universal cassette may also be stored separately in different storage units 50. (5) Perform the shared storage of drugs so that the number of drugs exceeding the number of drugs that can be inspected in one inspection is not stored in the same storage unit 50. This number increases as the bottom area of the storage unit 50 is larger and decreases as it is smaller. Note that instead of the number of drugs, when the ratio of the integrated value of the planar view area (projection area) of each drug to the bottom area of the storage unit 50 is larger than the threshold value, shared storage may be performed. (6) When subcontracting drugs including drugs for which no feature data (including reference images) is registered in the storage unit 80 (drug master table), perform the shared storage of the unregistered drugs in a storage unit 50 different from the storage unit 50 for storing other drugs.In addition, the stored unregistered drug may be photographed, and the image thereof may be registered in the drug master table as a reference image. Further, after registering the drug in the drug master table, the drug may be treated as a registered drug, and shared storage for unregistered drugs may not be performed. (7) When subcontracting drugs including drugs whose attributes are registered as drugs requiring shared storage such as high-risk drugs in the storage unit 80 (drug master table), the high-risk drugs are stored separately in a storage unit 50 different from the storage unit 50 for storing other drugs.

[0124] The above shared storage conditions from (2) to (7) indicating whether or not to execute shared storage of drugs based on the above set number and the presence or absence of similar drugs, and the set number in (1) above are stored in the sorting information unit 88 of the controller 8. Further, information on the presence or absence of the above similar drugs and information on the drug types of the similar drugs used as execution conditions are stored in advance in the storage unit 80 (drug master table). In the drug master table, for each drug, information on the mark and either or both of the reference image and feature data (size, shape, color) are registered. Further, as described above, information on the presence or absence of similar drugs and the type information of the similar drugs are registered. Note that, as criteria for registering similar drugs in the drug master table, the area (size) of the drug in plan view, the shape of the drug in plan view, the surface color of the drug, etc. can be used. Similar drugs include drugs determined by human judgment as similar drugs, as well as drugs mechanically selected by a similarity determination algorithm based on predetermined similarity criteria. Further, whether or not the same type of drug exists in one package is determined based on prescription information (subcontracting data). Further, the controller 8 can also grasp the identification of drugs supplied by hand and drugs supplied by cassette based on the drug accommodation information for each cassette and the use setting information of the hand dispensing unit 13.

[0125] An example of the shared storage process based on the above shared storage conditions is shown. The controller 8 functions as a sorting determination unit using the information in the sorting information unit 88. The controller 8 (drug packaging device) performs subcontracting processing based on a prescription, When there is a relationship where characteristic points are similar in at least two of the drugs sub-packaged in the same pack (see (2) above), When different types of drugs are included in the drugs sub-packaged in the same pack (see (3) above), When the drugs sub-packaged in the same pack include a drug supplied to the storage unit 50 through manual drug input operation by a person and a drug supplied through a drug cassette (see (4) above), When the drugs sub-packaged in the same pack include a drug for which characteristic data (including a reference image) is not registered in the storage unit 80 (see (6) above) If it is determined that it corresponds to at least any one case or a combination of multiple cases among them, shared storage is executed.

[0126] Furthermore, for example, the controller 8 (drug packaging device) photographs an unregistered drug stored in the storage unit 50 and registers the image as a reference image in the drug master table (see (6) above). Also, after registering the drug in the drug master table, the drug is treated as a registered drug, and shared storage for unregistered drugs is not performed (see (6) above).

[0127] Also, for example, the drug sub-packaging device 1 includes a drug supply unit (drug storage and dispensing unit 11) that supplies various drugs, a drug packaging unit 45 that sub-packages the drugs supplied from the drug supply unit with packaging paper S, a storage unit 50 that temporarily stores the drugs supplied from the drug supply unit upstream of the drug packaging unit 45, a photographing unit 60 (the number of cameras is not limited) that photographs inside the storage unit 50, and when the characteristic data (including a reference image) of the drug specified by the prescription information is not stored in the storage unit 80, for the drug supplied in the first pack, creates the characteristic data of the drug based on the captured image by the photographing unit 60, and counts the number of the drugs from the second pack and later with reference to this characteristic data, and a controller 8.

[0128] In this embodiment, the drugs are dispensed as follows. If the drug to be dispensed according to the prescription is contained in the cassette, dispense it from the cassette. (β) If the drug to be dispensed according to the prescription is not contained in the cassette and can be dispensed from the universal cassette, dispense it from the universal cassette. The case where the drug can be dispensed from the universal cassette means that the drug is a universal cassette compatible product and the universal cassette is not set to the mode of dispensing other drugs. (γ) If the drug cannot be dispensed from the universal cassette, dispense the drug from the manual dispensing part 13.

[0129] Here, regarding the five drugs A, B, C, D, and E indicated by the sub-packaging data, assuming that they are shared and stored as (A, B, C) and (D, E), it is conceivable to perform the automatic drug identification process by the photographed images of the three drugs A, B, and C in one storage part 50 as follows. That is, for any one of the three drug image parts in the image photographed for one storage part 50, three comparison processes of comparing with the characteristics (drug size, drug image for matching, etc.) of each of the drugs A, B, and C, for any one of the following drug image parts, two comparison processes of comparing with the characteristics of the remaining drugs, and for the last drug image part, one comparison process of comparing with the characteristics of the last drug (a total of six comparisons) are performed. Similarly, even when the three drugs A, B, and C among the five drugs A, B, C, D, and E indicated by the sub-packaging data are stored one by one in three storage parts 50, as described above, it is conceivable to perform a total of six comparison processes without narrowing down the matching targets. These can be said to be comparison processes (automatic drug identification processes) performed without narrowing down the matching targets for the drugs in the shared and stored storage part 50. In addition, in the above cases, the drugs A, B, and C indicated by the sub-packaging data are not necessarily stored, and there is also a possibility that drug CC is stored instead of drug C due to malfunction.

[0130] By using the drug sorting information indicating the correspondence between each storage unit 50 and the supplier of the drug dispensed to each storage unit 50 (i.e., the drug name) in the above-described shared storage imaging, it is possible to narrow down the matching targets for the drugs in the storage unit 50 and improve the efficiency of the automatic drug identification process. For example, assume that the content of the sorting information for 4 drugs is as follows: "One drug from the 15th drug cassette and one drug from the 18th drug cassette are stored in the storage unit at the first drug receiving position P1. After the turntable unit 5010 rotates forward 45 degrees, one drug from the 19th drug cassette and one drug from the 20th drug cassette are stored in the storage unit at the first drug receiving position P1." In this case, since the position of the above storage unit 50 can be specified by the rotation amount of the turntable unit 5010, it is possible to associate the specified storage unit 50 with the drug names in the 15th drug cassette and the 18th drug cassette. Then, when the above storage unit 50 reaches the drug imaging position P6 and the drug image (drug information) taken there is associated with the characteristic data (including the reference image) of the drug derived from the drug names in the 15th drug cassette and the 18th drug cassette, it means that the matching targets have been narrowed down.

[0131] Here, for example, even when 6 drugs are stored 3 by 3 in 2 storage units 50, if the above drug sorting information is not stored, it is impossible to narrow down the matching targets for the drugs in the storage unit 50. As described above, in automatic drug identification, 6 comparison processes → 5 times → 4 times → 3 times → 2 times → 1 time of comparison processes are performed, so 21 comparison processes are required. On the other hand, when 6 drugs are stored 3 by 3 in 2 storage units 50 and the above drug sorting information is stored, the matching targets for the drugs in the storage unit 50 can be narrowed down, and 6 comparison processes are performed for the 3 drugs in each storage unit 50, so a total of 12 comparison processes are sufficient.

[0132] That is, in a configuration where automatic drug identification processing of a drug is performed based on a drug image obtained by photographing the drug in the storage unit 50, the shared storage is performed based on the above drug sorting information to execute photographing of the drug. In the above automatic drug identification processing, if candidates for characteristic data (reference image) of the drug to be compared with the photographed drug image (drug information) are selected based on the above drug sorting information, it is possible to narrow down the matching target of the drug in the storage unit 50 and improve the efficiency of the automatic drug identification processing. With such a configuration, advantages such as reduction of drug overlap due to a decrease in the number of drugs in the storage unit 50 and improvement of the efficiency of the automatic drug identification processing can be obtained.

[0133] Further, when the above six drugs are stored one by one using six storage units 50 and the above drug sorting information is stored and used, for one drug image portion in the photographed image in each storage unit 50, based on the above drug sorting information, it is also possible to complete with six comparison processes of comparing the characteristics of the drug one-to-one.

[0134] In addition, even in the embodiment where the above six drugs are stored in a shared manner one by one, by performing confirmation of the number of drugs in the storage unit 50 by photographing processing under backlight, it is possible to detect a mistake of supplying a plurality of drugs into the storage unit 50.

[0135] On the other hand, when storing the drugs in a shared manner one by one, the number of times of photographing the storage unit 50 increases, and the processing time required for packaging becomes longer. For example, in the case of the above (1), if the number of drugs stored at the same time is, for example, two, the number of times of photographing the three drugs A, B, and C can be reduced to two. Even when the number of drugs in the same package is four, the number of times of photographing the drug is two. When the number of drugs in the same package is five, the number of times of photographing the drug is three. Although the number of times of photographing the drug increases in this way, by using the above drug sorting information, it is possible to reduce the number of times of the above comparison processing in the automatic identification processing of the drug.

[0136] Also, in the cases of the above (2) to (4), the above drug sorting information is associated with the photographed images of the drugs stored in a shared manner.

[0137] Note that the controller 8 distributes and dispenses the drugs corresponding to one administration time to a plurality of storage units 50 as follows according to specific criteria. The specific criteria are (α) When two of the drugs corresponding to one administration time are in a relationship of similar drugs (β) When different types of drugs are included (discharged to the same storage unit for each type of the same drug) (γ) When the source for discharging the drug includes the hand dispensing part 13 and the drug cassette These are the three points. In addition, the controller 8 specifies candidates for reference images to be used for comparison with the drugs included in the photographed image based on the above sorting information (narrow down the matching targets of the drugs).

[0138] In the case of (2) above, the drugs present in the storage unit 50 are specific drugs supplied from a specific cassette such as the drug storage and dispensing unit 11, etc. Therefore, the information of the drugs in the photographed image may be compared with the information of the above specific drugs, so that the drug information to be compared is narrowed down. In particular, in the case of similar drugs that are difficult to discriminate only from the photographed image, the matching target to be compared can be narrowed down to one, so that the advantages that the drugs can be identified quickly and misrecognition is unlikely to occur can be obtained. That is, with such a configuration, the advantages of reducing the overlap of drugs due to the reduction in the number of drugs in the storage unit 50, improving the efficiency of the automatic identification process, and suppressing misrecognition of similar drugs can be obtained.

[0139] Also in the cases of (3) and (4) above, for the drugs supplied to the storage unit 50, the matching targets of the drugs can be narrowed down from the viewpoints of whether the drug types are the same and the source of the drugs. Since the information of the drugs in the photographed image may be compared with the information of the drugs narrowed down as described above, the advantages that the drugs can be identified quickly and misrecognition is unlikely to occur can be obtained. That is, such a configuration also has the same advantages as in the case of (2) above.

[0140] Furthermore, in the case of (4) above, when the manually dispensed drug and the cassette-supplied drug are stored separately in different storage units 50, it is also possible to make the automatic inspection criteria for the manually dispensed drug and the automatic inspection criteria for the cassette-supplied drug different from each other. For example, the threshold value of the degree of coincidence for a positive determination for the manually dispensed drug is set higher than the above threshold value for the cassette-supplied drug. Also, the inspection method may be switched between manual supply and cassette supply. For example, for the manually dispensed drug, visual inspection by an inspector on the photographed image is performed, and for the cassette-supplied drug, automatic inspection by discrimination processing using the photographed image is performed based on the experience that there are fewer errors. Furthermore, the information used for the automatic inspection of the drug may be made different between manual supply and cassette supply. For example, for the cassette-supplied drug, the information used for the automatic inspection of the drug is the color and shape of the drug, and for the manually dispensed drug, the information used for the automatic inspection of the drug is not only the color and shape but also the imprint (printing).

[0141] In the above embodiment, the drug powder dropped from the packaging opening 5012a is packaged by the sub-packaging paper S located below the packaging opening 5012a, but it is not limited to such a cleaning method. With the cleaning method shown below, the consumption amount of the sub-packaging paper S due to drug powder cleaning can be reduced. Also, when drug powder cleaning is performed during the sub-packaging of a long-term prescription, it is possible to avoid the situation where a sub-pack containing drug powder can be formed in the middle of a continuous sub-packaging band. For example, in the sub-packaging of a long-term prescription where only the morning, noon, and evening prescription drugs are of the same type, it is considered that there is no particular problem even if the drug powder generated in this sub-packaging process enters together with the drug. Therefore, in such a case, it may be possible not to perform drug powder cleaning. The determination of whether only the morning, noon, and evening prescription drugs are of the same type can be made based on the prescription information.

[0142] As an example of powder cleaning without using the sub-packaging paper S, as shown in FIG. 19, the relay portion 71 of the drug packaging introduction member 7 is moved laterally with respect to the shooter portion 72, which is a portion located below the relay portion 71, and a configuration in which the powder collection box 74 is positioned at a location where the relay portion 71 is absent is conceivable. For example, after the drug packaging process has been completed once, when cleaning the powder with the cleaning member 55, the relay portion 71 is moved laterally, and the powder collection box 74 is positioned in place of the relay portion 71, and the powder dropped from the packaging opening 5012a is collected by the powder collection box 74. After the powder has been collected, the powder collection box 74 is retracted laterally, and the relay portion 71 is positioned on the shooter portion 72.

[0143] The relay portion 71 and the powder collection box 74 may be moved manually or by an actuator such as a motor. Also, as an example, a mechanism may be adopted in which a support member that supports the relay portion 71 and the powder collection box 74 is rotatably supported in a horizontal plane by a vertical axis, and the positions of the relay portion 71 and the powder collection box 74 are interchanged by this rotation. Further, for example, a gear portion (rack portion) may be provided on the support member, and the support member may be rotated by driving with a driving gear meshed with this gear portion. Also, the powder collection box 74 is detachable from the support member, and the accumulated powder can be discarded at a predetermined location.

[0144] In addition, when the relay unit 71 is configured to be manually removable, in reattaching the relay unit 71 to the shooter unit 72, in order to prevent an error in the orientation of placement, for example, the N pole of a magnet is positioned at a predetermined position of the relay unit 71, and an S pole is arranged at a position shifted, for example, 180 degrees from this N pole. On the other hand, an S pole of a magnet may be positioned at the proper attachment position of the attachment portion of the relay unit 71 of the drug packaging introduction member 7, and an S pole may be arranged at a position similarly shifted 180 degrees from this N pole. According to this, when the relay unit 71 is attached in the proper orientation, the magnet on the attachment portion side and the magnet on the relay unit 71 side are attracted and positioned. On the other hand, when the relay unit 71 is attached in an improper orientation, the magnet on the attachment portion side and the magnet on the relay unit 71 side repel each other, so it can be understood that the attachment orientation of the relay unit 71 is improper.

[0145] For example, a slit portion may be formed in a part of the side surface of the relay unit 71, and ions emitted by the ionizer are introduced into the relay unit 71 from the slit portion, so that the drug does not adhere to the relay unit 71 or the like due to static electricity. In such a configuration, it is necessary to prevent the position of the slit portion from being opposite to the normal position, and the magnet arrangement structure for determining whether the attachment orientation of the relay unit 71 is proper is useful. Note that, not limited to magnets, a concave portion or a convex portion may be provided on the outer peripheral portion of the relay unit 71, while a convex portion or a concave portion may be provided at the attachment location of the relay unit 71, and a structure may be adopted in which uneven fitting cannot be achieved when the attachment orientation of the relay unit 71 is improper, and uneven fitting can be achieved only when the attachment orientation of the relay unit 71 is proper.

[0146] As another example of the powder cleaning without using the sub-packaging paper S, as shown in FIG. 20, the relay unit 71 of the drug packaging introduction member 7 is moved laterally with respect to the shooter unit 72 below the relay unit 71, and a bottom portion 71a that can be opened and closed is provided in the relay unit 71. The bottom portion 71a is composed of, for example, a disk-shaped member having a diameter equal to or larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical shape in the relay unit 71, and can be opened and closed by rotating around the vertical axis portion 71b. This opening and closing may be manual or may be performed by an actuator such as a motor.

[0147] For example, when the drug packaging process is once completed and the cleaning member 55 cleans the drug powder, the bottom 71a is closed at the relay portion 71. After cleaning, the relay portion 71 is moved in the lateral direction. A drug powder collection box 74 is disposed below the relay portion 71 that has been moved in the lateral direction. By opening the bottom 71a of the relay portion 71 that has been moved in the lateral direction, the collected drug powder can be dropped into the drug powder collection box 74. After discarding the drug powder, the relay portion 71 is returned to the position on the shooter portion 72.

[0148] In the above embodiment, the drug receiving bottom 5012 was fixed. However, for example, a gear portion may be partially formed on the side surface portion of the drug receiving bottom 5012, and a driving gear driven by a motor or the like may be meshed with this gear portion so that the drug receiving bottom 5012 can be rotated by a predetermined angle. By making the drug receiving bottom 5012 rotatable in this way, the consumption amount of the wrapping paper S due to drug powder cleaning can also be reduced.

[0149] For example, the remaining drug confirmation position P8 may be used as a drug powder collection position P8A for collecting drug powder as shown in FIG. 21 instead of being used for remaining drug confirmation, and the drug powder collection box 74 may be positioned below this drug powder collection position P8A. When the cleaning member 55 cleans the drug powder, the drug receiving bottom 5012 is rotated by 45 degrees to position the packaging opening 5012a at the drug powder collection position P8A. By rotating the turntable portion 5010 in this state, the drug powder scraped together by the cleaning member 55 can be dropped from the packaging opening 5012a into the drug powder collection box 74. Note that the drug powder collection position may be provided at a position other than the drug powder collection position P8A. Further, the drug powder collection box 74 is detachably provided on the bottom surface side of the lower side plate portion 52.

[0150] Also, if the configuration is such that the bottom portion 5012 of the medicine receiver is rotatable as described above, it is advantageous for eliminating the overlap of the medicines in the storage portion 50. In the example of eliminating the overlap of the medicines shown above, the overlap of the medicines in the storage portion 50 is eliminated by the forward and reverse rotation within a predetermined range of the rotary disk portion 5010 driven by the motor 503. However, if the rotation range of the rotary disk portion 5010 is small, the medicine located at the center in the storage portion 50 may not hit the wall surface of the cylindrical portion 50a, and the overlap of the medicines may not be eliminated. Therefore, even during the process of eliminating the overlap of the medicines, the bottom portion 5012 of the medicine receiver may be rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the rotary disk portion 5010. Thereby, even when the rotation range itself for eliminating the overlap of the rotary disk portion 5010 is small, the relative displacement amount between the rotary disk portion 5010 and the cylindrical portion 50a increases, so that the wall surface of the cylindrical portion 50a can be made to hit the medicine located at the center in the storage portion 50 to eliminate the overlap of the medicines.

[0151] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments. Various modifications and variations can be made within the same scope or an equivalent scope as the present invention with respect to the illustrated embodiments.

[0152] (Regarding one aspect of the present disclosure) In the medicine identification process in the above conventional device, since the photographing location for photographing the markings etc. of the medicine and the photographing location for determining the number of medicines are different, the structure becomes complicated and there is a drawback that the medicine photographing process takes time. Further, in the above conventional device, since the outer shape information of the medicine is obtained by processing the image of the medicine photographed in a non-backlit state, it has been difficult to accurately identify the outer shape information of a medicine having the same color as the background color.

[0153] The present invention may provide a medicine photographing device and a medicine packaging device that can perform both the photographing of markings etc. of the medicine and the photographing for determining the number of medicines in the storage portion of the medicine, and can achieve speeding up of the medicine photographing process, improvement in the accuracy of determining the number of medicines, etc.

[0154] The drug imaging device of the present invention is a drug imaging device including an imaging unit for still imaging of drugs, wherein the imaging unit performs an imaging process of imaging a drug in a non-backlight state in a storage unit that temporarily stores the drug before packaging, and an imaging process of imaging the drug in the storage unit in a backlight state.

[0155] With the above configuration, by the imaging process of imaging in the non-backlight state, it becomes possible to image a mark or the like attached to the drug and identify the drug in the storage unit. Further, it becomes easy to count the number of drugs in the storage unit based on the shadow image of the drug obtained by the imaging process of imaging in the backlight state. That is, since both the imaging of the mark or the like of the drug and the imaging for determining the number of drugs are performed in the storage unit of the drug, the speed of the drug imaging process can be increased, and the accuracy of determining the number of drugs can be improved.

[0156] The imaging unit may perform a first imaging process of imaging the drug in the storage unit from one side in a non-backlight state, a second imaging process which is imaging in the backlight, and a third imaging process of imaging the drug in the storage unit from the other side in a non-backlight state.

[0157] With the above configuration, by the first imaging process, it is possible to image the mark or the like of the drug whose surface with the mark or the like is, for example, facing upward, and by the third imaging process, it is possible to image the mark or the like of the drug whose surface with the mark or the like is facing downward. Thereby, even for a drug with a mark or the like attached only on one side, it becomes possible to identify the drug in the storage unit based on the images obtained by the first and third imaging processes. Further, it becomes easy to count the number of drugs in the storage unit based on the shadow image of the drug obtained by the second imaging process.

[0158] The imaging unit may include a first camera for imaging the drug in the storage unit from above, an upper illumination unit for illuminating the drug in the storage unit from above, a second camera for imaging the drug in the storage unit from below, and a lower illumination unit for illuminating the drug in the storage unit from below.

[0159] Further, the imaging unit may include a surface light-emitting member capable of switching between a surface light-emitting state and a transparent state below the bottom surface of the storage unit, and execute the first imaging process and the third imaging process in the transparent state of the surface light-emitting member, and execute the second imaging process in the surface light-emitting state of the surface light-emitting member.

[0160] The imaging unit may include a light control member capable of switching between a transparent state and a translucent state below the bottom surface of the storage unit, and execute the first imaging process and the third imaging process in the transparent state of the light control member, and execute the second imaging process by the translucent state of the light control member and the lighting of the lower illumination unit.

[0161] The imaging unit may execute each imaging process a plurality of times for the same subject within a certain time. Here, if imaging is performed after waiting for the drug in a vibrating state or a rolling state in the storage unit to come to rest, the time required for imaging the drug becomes long. As described above, when imaging is performed a plurality of times for the same subject within a certain time, a plurality of images can be obtained, so that an image in which the printed surface or the printed letter surface of the drug faces the camera direction is likely to be obtained probabilistically, and the recognition rate of the printing or the like can be increased.

[0162] Further, the drug packaging apparatus of the present invention may include a drug supply unit that supplies various drugs, a drug packaging unit that packages the drugs supplied from the drug supply unit with packaging paper, the drug imaging apparatus having a plurality of storage units that temporarily store the drugs supplied from the drug supply unit upstream of the drug packaging unit, and an image output unit that outputs an image captured by the drug imaging apparatus.

[0163] With the above configuration, the inspector can visually recognize the drug in the storage unit from the image captured by the drug imaging apparatus, so that the drug check in drug packaging can be appropriately performed.

[0164] In addition, the drug packaging device of the present invention may include a drug supply unit that supplies various drugs, a drug packaging unit that packages the drugs supplied from the drug supply unit with packaging paper, a plurality of storage units that temporarily store the drugs supplied from the drug supply unit upstream of the drug packaging unit, and a determination unit that determines the number of drugs and drug information in the storage unit based on the captured image by the drug imaging device.

[0165] With the above configuration, the determination unit can automatically determine the number of drugs and drug information in the storage unit when packaging the drugs.

[0166] The drug packaging device may further include a third camera that captures the inside of the storage unit at a position where the drug stored in the storage unit is passed to the drug packaging unit. According to this, it becomes possible to detect drugs adhering to the storage unit by the imaging by the third camera, and when such drugs are detected, it is possible to notify the user of the possibility that the packaged drug does not conform to the prescription.

[0167] In the drug packaging device, a rotating disk unit that is rotationally driven about an axis, has a plurality of openings on the same circumference about the axis, and to which drugs are supplied from the drug supply unit through the openings, a part that functions as the bottom of the opening, and a packaging opening provided at a specific location in a region where the opening moves due to the rotation of the rotating disk unit, and a drug receiving bottom having the same. The plurality of storage units are constituted by the openings and the part that functions as the bottom of the opening, and a cleaning member that cleans the drug receiving bottom by the rotation of the rotating disk unit may be provided at a portion of the bottom surface side of the rotating disk unit where the opening is not formed.

[0168] According to this, the cleaning member removes the drug powder on the drug receiving bottom, so that the user can save the trouble of cleaning the drug receiving bottom. And by performing cleaning with the cleaning member, problems such as inappropriate lighting caused by drug powder in the storage unit and misidentifying a lump of drug powder as one drug are solved.

[0169] In the present invention, by performing both the photographing of the imprinting of the drug and the photographing for determining the number of drugs in the storage section of the drug, effects such as speeding up the drug photographing process and improving the accuracy of determining the number of drugs can be achieved.

Claims

1. a storage section for temporarily storing the medicine before packaging; An imaging unit that images the medicine in the storage unit; A controller, When the controller determines that a pre-stored shared storage condition is satisfied, A first drug group including at least one first drug among a plurality of drugs in the same package is stored in a first storage section, and then the first drug group is photographed by the photographing section; A drug packaging device that stores a second drug group including at least one second drug different from the first drug among the plurality of drugs in the first storage section after dispensing the first drug group, or in a second storage section different from the first storage section, and then executes a process of having the imaging section photograph the second drug group.

2. The medicine packaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller determines that the shared storage condition is satisfied and executes the process when the first medicine and the second medicine are similar to each other.

3. The controller: When a medicine that has not been registered in advance is included in the plurality of medicines, it is determined that the shared storage condition is satisfied; The drug packaging device of claim 1 , wherein the processing is executed by regarding either the first drug group or the second drug group as including drugs that have been pre-registered, and the other as including drugs that have not been pre-registered.

4. The controller: When a medicine that is registered as a shared storage item in advance among the plurality of medicines is present, it is determined that the shared storage condition is satisfied; The drug packaging device of claim 1, wherein the processing is executed by regarding either the first drug group or the second drug group as containing drugs for which information regarding the required storage items is registered, and the other as containing drugs for which such information is not registered in advance.

5. The controller: When there is a difference in the supply sources to the storage section for the plurality of drugs, it is determined that the shared storage condition is satisfied; 2. The drug packaging device according to claim 1, wherein the process is executed assuming that one of the first drug group and the second drug group includes drugs that are manually dispensed and the other includes drugs that are cassette-supplied.

6. The drug packaging device of claim 1, wherein the controller stores the first group of drugs in the first storage section and the second group of drugs in the second storage section so that the number of drugs stored in each of the first storage section and the second storage section does not exceed a set number.

7. The medicine packaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller determines that the shared storage condition is satisfied and executes the process when the first medicine and the second medicine are different in type from each other.

8. The drug packaging device of claim 1, wherein the controller stores the first group of drugs in the first storage section and the second group of drugs in the second storage section so that the number of drugs stored in each of the first storage section and the second storage section does not exceed the number of drugs that can be inspected in one inspection.

9. There are a plurality of the shared storage conditions, The medicine packaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller executes the process when at least one of a plurality of the shared storage conditions is satisfied.

10. a drug supply unit that supplies the first drug and the second drug; a medicine packaging unit that packages the first medicine and the second medicine; an image output unit that outputs the image captured by the image capture unit, The drug packaging device of claim 1, wherein the storage section constitutes a plurality of storage sections including the first storage section and the second storage section, and temporarily stores the first drug and the second drug supplied from the drug supply section upstream of the drug packaging section.

11. a medicine supply unit that supplies a plurality of types of medicine; a medicine packaging unit that packages the medicine supplied from the medicine supply unit; a storage section for temporarily storing the medicine supplied from the medicine supply section upstream of the medicine packaging section; An imaging unit that images the inside of the storage unit; A drug packaging device comprising: a controller that, when characteristic data of a drug specified by prescription information is not stored in a memory unit, creates characteristic data of a drug to be supplied to a first drug packet based on an image captured by the photographing unit, and counts the number of drugs in a second drug packet and subsequent packets by referring to the characteristic data.

Images