Medicine subdividing machine

Abstract

To provide a medicine subdividing machine equipped with a cutting and cleaning device with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A medicine subdividing machine 1 includes: a rotatable distribution disc 6 having an annular recessed groove 6a on the top face; a cutting mechanism 43 having a dividing member 23 for dividing the medicine on the annular recessed groove 6a into predetermined amounts and a rotatable scraping member 24 for scraping the divided medicine; a cleaning mechanism 25 for cleaning the annular recessed groove 6a; a support member 44 for supporting the cutting mechanism 43 on one end side and supporting the cleaning mechanism 25 on the other end side; a support shaft 45 for swingably supporting the support member 44; and swinging means 48 and 49 for swinging the support member 44. By swinging the support member 44, the cutting mechanism 43 and the cleaning mechanism 25 can freely come in contact with / be separated from the annular recessed groove 6a. The cutting mechanism 43 and the cleaning mechanism 25 take a contact position in which any one of them comes in contact with the annular recessed groove 6a, and a separation position in which both of them are separated from the annular recessed groove 6a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medicine packing machine that divides medicines into individual packets and packs them. [Background technology]

[0002] A known packaging device encloses powder or solid packaged items in long wrapping paper divided into predetermined lengths and seals the wrapping paper with heat after the packaged items are enclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Also known is a configuration in which the above-mentioned packaging device is combined with a tablet discharger or powder medicine dispensing device that discharges predetermined amounts of medicine as packaged items, thereby operating as a medicine packaging machine (see, for example, Patent Documents 2, 3, and 4).

[0003] One known example of such a medicine packaging machine is one that includes a distribution disk and a cutting mechanism (scraper unit). The distribution disk has an annular groove on its upper surface and is rotatable around a central axis. The cutting mechanism includes a scraping member having a predetermined circumferential width and a disk-shaped partition member arranged next to the scraping member downstream in the direction of rotation of the distribution disk. The scraping member is rotatable around the central axis of curvature of the annular groove of the distribution disk. In a drug packaging machine equipped with the above-mentioned cutting mechanism, the powdered medicine is evenly sprinkled into the annular groove of the distribution disk, and the scraping member is rotated while the outer periphery of the partition member and the tip of the scraping member are brought into contact with the annular groove, and the powdered medicine is packaged by restricting it circumferentially with the partition member while the scraping member cuts it out radially outward from the distribution disk.

[0004] Also known is a powdered medicine packaging machine equipped with a cleaning mechanism (cleaner unit) for cleaning the annular groove. The cleaning mechanism is connected to an air suction device provided in the main body of the medicine packaging machine and has a tip that can contact the annular groove. The tip is provided with a contact portion curved to have the same curvature as the annular groove and an opening that connects the inside and outside of the tip. The cleaning mechanism rotates the distribution disk while keeping the contact portion in contact with the annular groove and operates the suction device, thereby scraping off any powdered medicine remaining in the annular groove with the tip and sucking it through the opening using the suction force of the suction device, thereby removing it.

[0005] A technique including the above-mentioned cutting mechanism and cleaning mechanism is known (see, for example, Patent Document 5). In this technique, a cleaning mechanism is provided on the side opposite the cutting mechanism, and the cutting mechanism and the cleaning mechanism are moved toward and away from the annular groove by a single cam. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-051305 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-188101 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-168427 [Patent Document 4] Patent No. 3524680 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-262942 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Recent drug packaging machines have been made smaller and simpler in order to reduce installation space, costs, etc. However, the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 5 has the problem that the cutting mechanism and cleaning mechanism are supported by separate rotatable support members, making the configuration complex. In addition, in the above-described configuration, the pivot points of the support members supporting each component are the same, and the outer diameter of the distribution disk is configured to be approximately four times or less the diameter of the circular partition member based on the curvature of the annular groove. Therefore, even when the cutting mechanism and cleaning mechanism are spaced apart from the annular groove, they are not located very far above the annular groove. However, if the pivot points of the support members are the same and the outer diameter of the distribution disk is more than four times the diameter of the partition member, each mechanism will be located far above the annular groove when spaced apart from the annular groove, resulting in a problem that the device configuration becomes too large to fit within the compact device body. The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a medicine packaging machine equipped with a simple cutting mechanism and cleaning mechanism, and a medicine packaging machine that can prevent the device configuration from becoming too large even if the distribution disk has a large diameter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The invention described in claim 1 is a drug packaging machine comprising a rotatable distribution disk having an annular groove on its upper surface through which the drug is evenly dispersed, a cutting mechanism having a partition member that divides the drug on the annular groove into predetermined amounts and a rotatable scraping member that scrapes off the divided drug, and a cleaning mechanism that cleans the annular groove, and is characterized in that it comprises a support member that supports the cutting mechanism at one end and the cleaning mechanism at the other end, a spindle that supports the support member so that it can swing freely, and a swinging means that swings the support member, and the cutting mechanism and the cleaning mechanism can each move toward and away from the annular groove by swinging the support member, and the cutting mechanism and the cleaning mechanism occupy a contact position where either one contacts the annular groove and a separated position where both are separated from the annular groove. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, since the cutting mechanism and cleaning mechanism are supported by a single support member, the operation of cutting powdered medicine from the distribution disk and the operation of cleaning the annular groove can be performed with a simple configuration, making it possible to reduce the size and cost of the device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic front view of the internal configuration of a medicine packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a medicine packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a powdered medicine processing unit of a medicine packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a hopper and its surroundings used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of a hopper and a vibrating feeder used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a trough used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the positional relationship between a distribution disk and a trough used in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic side view of the internal configuration of a medicine packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a packaging device used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic side view illustrating a packaging device used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the periphery of a sealing unit in a packaging device used in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 12] 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the periphery of a sealing unit in a packaging device used in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 13]1 is a schematic view showing a state in which a cutting and cleaning device used in a first embodiment of the present invention is in a first position which is a separated position. FIG. [Figure 14] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a main part of a cutting and cleaning device used in a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a main part of a cutting and cleaning device used in a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] 1 is a schematic view illustrating a main part of a cutting and cleaning device used in a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 4 is a schematic view showing a state in which the cutting and cleaning device used in the first embodiment of the present invention is in a second position which is a contact position. FIG. [Figure 18] 4 is a schematic view showing a state in which the cutting and cleaning device used in the first embodiment of the present invention is in a third position, which is a contact position. FIG. [Figure 19] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the size of the small-diameter distribution disk used in one embodiment of the present invention and the configuration of the cutting and cleaning device. FIG. [Figure 20] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the size of a large-diameter distribution disk used in one embodiment of the present invention and the configuration of a cutting and cleaning device. FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a schematic view illustrating a powdered medicine processing unit of a medicine packaging machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a state in which the cutting and cleaning device used in the second embodiment of the present invention is in a first position, which is a separated position. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a main part of a cutting and cleaning device used in a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a state in which the cutting and cleaning device used in the second embodiment of the present invention is in a second position which is a contact position. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a state in which the cutting and cleaning device used in the second embodiment of the present invention is in a third position, which is a contact position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Figure 1 shows a schematic front view of the internal structure of a medicine packaging machine according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the same. In each figure, when the medicine packaging machine is viewed from the front where an operator stands, the direction from left to right is the X direction, the direction from the front to the back is the Y direction, and the direction from bottom to top is the Z direction.

[0012] The medicine packaging machine 1 is provided with a tablet processing unit 5 at the top of the device main body 2, which includes a manual distribution unit 3 located on the top surface of the device main body 2 and through which an operator manually adds medicines such as tablets, and a transport unit 4 that transports the medicines added to the manual distribution unit 3 to a packaging device 8 located below, which will be described later.The medicine packaging machine 1 also has a powder medicine processing unit 7 below the tablet processing unit 5, which includes a distribution disk 6, which is a small-diameter distribution disk through which an operator adds a weighed amount of medicine such as powder medicine and distributes it to the specified amount specified in the prescription.The medicine packaging machine 1 also has a packaging device 8 below the device main body 2, which individually packages medicines, including tablets and powder medicines, sent from the tablet processing unit 5 and the powder medicine processing unit 7 in packaging paper. The medicine packaging machine 1 functions as a medicine packaging machine that packages a mixture of tablets and powdered medicine, a powdered medicine packaging machine that packages powdered medicine, and a tablet packaging machine that packages tablets.

[0013] In this embodiment, the drug packaging machine 1 is shown as being configured to integrally include a tablet processing unit 5, a powdered medicine processing unit 7, and a packaging device 8, but it may also be configured to have a tablet cassette that stores tablets and sends them one by one to the tablet drop path, or a powdered medicine cassette and storage shelf for storing powdered medicine. The medicine dispensing and packaging machine 1 shown in this embodiment is provided with a control unit 9 on top of the device main body 2, in which applications and the like for controlling the operation of each component of the device are installed.

[0014] As shown in Figure 2, the tablet processing unit 5 is located at the top of the device main body 2 and has a manual distribution unit 3 covered by an openable and closable lid, and a conveying unit 4 located below the manual distribution unit 3 and conveying tablets fed into the manual distribution unit 3 downward. The manual distribution unit 3 has multiple divided compartments 3a, and tablets are manually distributed into each compartment 3a. The conveying unit 4 is movable left and right in FIG. 1 and has multiple compartments 4a corresponding to each compartment 3a. When the conveying unit 4 assumes its initial position where each compartment 4a is located below the corresponding compartment 3a, the bottom of each compartment 3a is released and the tablets are transported to each compartment 4a. Thereafter, as the conveying unit 4 moves from its initial position in the +X direction, the tablets transported into each compartment 4a are released from the bottom of the compartment 4a each time the conveying unit 4 moves one square of the compartment 4a and the compartment 4a reaches the tablet hopper 10 located below. The tablet hopper 10 is located at the rear of the device, in the +Y direction of the powdered medicine processing unit 7.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 3, the powdered medicine processing unit 7 has a circular distribution disk 6, two troughs 11 arranged facing each other on the front side of the distribution disk 6 below an input hopper 15 (described later) for transporting the powdered medicine input into the input hopper 15 toward the distribution disk 6, and a feeder drive unit 12 arranged adjacent to the input hopper 15 and the trough 11 for vibrating the input hopper 15 and the trough 11. As shown in Fig. 1, an annular groove 6a is formed on the upper surface of the distribution disk 6 to uniformly distribute the powdered medicine.

[0016] The powdered medicine processing section 7 has a cutting and cleaning device 13 downstream of the trough 11 in the rotation direction of the distribution disk 6. In this embodiment, the rotation direction of the distribution disk 6 is described as counterclockwise, but the rotation direction of the distribution disk 6 may also be clockwise. In this embodiment, the input hopper 15 and the trough 11 form a pair and are arranged so that the two pairs face each other, and the cutting and cleaning device 13 is arranged on the most downstream side of the pair of input hopper 15 and trough 11. The cutting and cleaning device 13 scrapes out the powdered medicine scattered on the distribution disk 6 toward the tablet confluence section 14 and cleans the annular groove 6a after the powdered medicine has been scraped out. In Figure 2, the upper part of the device main body 2, including the manual distribution section 3, is configured to be openable upward using the +Y direction end as a fulcrum, and each part of the powdered medicine processing section 7 can be cleaned with the upper part of the device main body 2 open.

[0017] As shown in Figure 4, the feeding hopper 15 is detachably supported by a hopper holding frame 16 provided on the feeder drive unit 12. The feeding hopper 15 has a funnel shape that narrows downward, and the powdered medicine inside falls into the trough 11 from an opening 20 (see Figure 5) provided at the lowest part. The outer surface of the feeding hopper 15 is provided with triangular protrusions 15a that protrude outward, at two locations on each side, for a total of four locations. These protrusions 15a engage with the hopper holding frame 16, thereby supporting the feeding hopper 15 on the hopper holding frame 16.

[0018] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, trough 11 is supported by vibrating unit 17 extending from feeder drive unit 12 and is arranged to slope gently downward from the rear end to the front end. As shown in Figures 4 and 6, trough 11 has powdered medicine dispensing unit 18 at its front end, which is formed to move the powdered medicine toward the center so that the powdered medicine falls into the center of annular groove 6a, and sloped unit 19, which is formed to taper toward powdered medicine dispensing unit 18 and have an increasing slope. The vibrating unit 17 is a vibrating plate that is vibrated by the feeder driving unit 12, and vibrates finely based on a signal from the feeder driving unit 12, causing the trough 11 placed above to vibrate finely. By applying vibrations from the vibrating unit 17, the powdered medicine placed on the trough 11 is transported in the X direction.

[0019] Hopper holding frame 16, which is made of a pipe-shaped member, is a rectangular frame body that is open at the tip end on the X-direction side of input hopper 15, and supports each of protrusions 15a from below. As shown in Fig. 5, hopper holding frame 16 is rotatably supported at its rear end by a support shaft 21, and input hopper 15 can be moved up and down around support shaft 21 as hopper holding frame 16 rotates. As shown in Figure 5, by rotating the feeding hopper 15 upward, the gap between the opening 20 and the trough 11 increases, and the amount of powdered medicine that falls from the feeding hopper 15 increases. The powdered medicine that falls from the feeding hopper 15 onto the trough 11 is transported along the bottom surface of the trough 11, which is vibrated by the vibrating section 17, and falls into the annular groove 6a of the distribution disk 6 via the inclined section 19 and the powdered medicine cutting section 18.

[0020] The powdered medicine dispensing section 18 is a recess formed in the widthwise center of the trough 11. As shown in FIG. 6, both sides of the dispensing section 18 narrow in the direction of transport so that the powdered medicine gathers toward the end of the dispensing section. The powdered medicine dispensing section 18 is positioned in a recessed portion in the annular center of the distribution disk 6, most preferably directly above the center of the annular groove 6a. The powdered medicine transported through the trough 11 falls into the center of the annular groove 6a of the distribution disk 6. The amount of powdered medicine falling from the powdered medicine dispensing section 18 can be adjusted by controlling the vibration of the vibration section 17. Typically, as shown in FIG. 7, the amount of powdered medicine falling from the powdered medicine dispensing section 18 is adjusted so that a predetermined amount falls at a time. With this configuration, by rotating the distribution disk 6 at a predetermined rotational speed for one or more revolutions, a pile of powdered medicine is uniformly distributed on the annular groove 6a.

[0021] Once the powdered medicine has been evenly dispersed on the annular groove 6a, the control unit 9 rotates the distribution disk 6 at a predetermined angular velocity. Specifically, if one rotation is 360 degrees, which is one prescription, and the disk is to be divided into ten packets, the appropriate amount for one packet is collected near the cutting and cleaning device 13, and then the cutting and cleaning device 13 deposits the powdered medicine into the hopper 22 shown in FIG. 1 by rotating the distribution disk 6 at 36 degrees. 3, the cutting and cleaning device 13 has, at one end, a circular disk 23 whose peripheral edge abuts against the annular groove 6a, and a scraper 24 rotatably attached to the disk 23 for scooping up and scraping out the powdered medicine on the annular groove 6a blocked by the disk 23. At the other end of the cutting and cleaning device 13 is provided a cleaner unit 25 for cleaning the distribution disk 6 after packaging of one prescription has been completed. The cutting and cleaning device 13 will be described later.

[0022] 8 shows a schematic side view of the internal configuration of a medicine packaging machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, tablet confluence section 14 guides tablets dropped from tablet processing section 5 via conveying section 4 and powdered medicine dispensed into individual packets in powdered medicine processing section 7 to hopper 22 via separate paths. The tablet confluence section 14 has a push-pull member 26 that is provided at the bottom of the tablet hopper 10 and collects tablets that have fallen through the tablet hopper 10, and a moving member 27 that moves the push-pull member 26 from the position shown in Figure 8 toward the front of the device in the -Y direction.

[0023] In its initial standby state, which is its initial state, the tablet junction 14 is in the state shown in FIG. 8, in which the push-pull member 26 is located below the tablet hopper 10, and when tablets are discharged from the tablet processing unit 5, the push-pull member 26 receives the discharged tablets. When the tablet junction 14 discharges the tablets in the push-pull member 26, it operates the moving member 27 to move the push-pull member 26 to the left in FIG. 8, causing the tablets in the push-pull member 26 to drop into a receiving hopper 28 provided above the hopper 22. The receiving hopper 28 has a bottom plate that can be opened and closed freely, and when this bottom plate is opened, the medicine inside drops into the hopper 22.

[0024] The medicines such as tablets and / or powder medicine that have fallen into the hopper 22 are packaged in packaging paper 29 by the packaging device 8 shown in Figures 1, 9 and 10. The arrows in Figures 9 and 10 indicate the front of the device. Packaging device 8 is equipped with, in order along the conveyance path of packing paper 29, packing paper feed unit 30 that holds packing paper roll 29A and applies appropriate tension to packing paper 29 in order to feed it out from the leading edge, marker unit 31 that draws lines on packing paper 29, printer 32 that prints on the packing paper, sealing unit 33 that has heater 38 that heats packing paper 29 and seals packing paper 29, hopper 22 that moves up and down to insert and remove the leading edge into packing paper 29 that has been folded in half, conveyor roller 34 that conveys the packing paper, and cutter 35 that cuts packing paper 29. Note that hopper 22 is not shown in Figure 9.

[0025] After tablets, powdered medicines, etc. are sealed in compartments of a specified length, one end of the packaging paper 29 is heat-fused and the paper is discharged from the downstream outlet 36 to the outside of the packaging device at the length set in the prescription information. Packaging paper 29 is folded in half with one side open, and is then drawn out from packaging paper feeder 30. Packaging paper 29 drawn out from packaging paper feeder 30 is lined by marker unit 31 if necessary, printed by printer 32, and then moves below hopper 22, whereupon the front end in the conveying direction is sealed by sealing unit 33, medicines are poured into the paper by hopper 22, the top end is sealed, and the paper is cut or perforated by cutter 35 before being discharged.

[0026] Figure 11 shows sealing unit 33 with pressing member 37 removed, and Figure 12 shows sealing unit 33 with pressing member 37 attached. Sealing unit 33 is provided with pressing member 37, which is attached so as to be able to move toward and away from the packaging device main body, a heater 38 that heats packaging paper 29 and simultaneously performs conventional vertical and horizontal sealing on packaging paper 29, and a perforation blade receiver 40 that receives perforation blade 39, and pressing member 37 is also provided with perforation blade 39. With this configuration, when heater 38 generates heat, pressing member 37 comes into contact with the packaging device main body via packaging paper 29, thereby sealing packaging paper 29 with heater 38 and forming perforations in packaging paper 29. A conveyance roller 34 and a cutter 35 are provided downstream of sealing unit 33 in the direction in which packaging paper is conveyed. Packaging paper 29 discharged from discharge port 36 is stored in packaging paper container 41 which is detachably provided on device main body 2, as shown in FIG.

[0027] 8, a suction device 42 for suctioning air is disposed in the middle of the device body 2. The suction device 42 is provided with a plurality of suction ports 42a that open to the outside and fins disposed inside the device, and air is sucked in from various parts of the device on the front side and exhausted from the rear side of the device. A cleaning device for cleaning the outside and inside of the device, a cutting cleaning device 13 described below, is connected to the suction device 42.

[0028] Next, the cutting and cleaning device 13, which is used in the first embodiment of the present invention and is a characteristic feature of the present invention, will be described. As shown in Figures 13, 14, 15, and 16, the cutting and cleaning device 13 has a disk 23 and a scraper 24 at one end and a cleaner unit 25 at the other end. The disk 23 as a partition member and the scraper 24 as a scraping member form a cutting mechanism 43 that scoops up a predetermined amount of powdered medicine that has been evenly dispersed in the annular groove 6a and scrapes it toward the tablet junction 14. The cleaner unit 25 functions as a cleaning mechanism that cleans the annular groove 6a, and is connected to a suction machine 42 via a connecting member such as a hose (not shown), and the suction force of the suction machine 42 removes residue from the annular groove 6a.

[0029] As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the cutting and cleaning device 13 has a support member 44 that supports a cutting mechanism 43 at one end and a cleaner unit 25 at the other end, and the support member 44 is swingably supported on the device body 2 by a support shaft 45. Attached to the support member 44 are a rotatable cam follower 46 that comes into contact with a cam 48 (described later), and a motor 47 that serves as a rotation drive means for rotating the scraper 24, as shown in Figures 3 and 13. By providing the motor 47 on the support member 44, the drive mechanism for the swingable scraper 24 can be simplified. A cam 48 that can come into contact with the cam follower 46 is rotatably held by a holding member 50 shown in FIG. 16 in the device main body 2. The cam 48, which has a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion, is driven to rotate by a stepping motor 49 attached to the device main body 2. The stepping motor 49 is not shown in FIG. 14, and a portion of the support member 44 that supports the cam follower 46 is cut away in FIG. 15. The cam 48 and the stepping motor 49 form a swinging means that swings the support member 44.

[0030] With the above-described configuration, when the stepping motor 49 is actuated to rotate the cam 48, the cam follower 46 comes into contact with or separates from the small diameter portion and large diameter portion of the cam 48, causing the support member 44 to swing. This swing causes the cutting and cleaning device 13 to selectively occupy one of the following positions: a first position shown in Fig. 13, which is a spaced position where both the cutting mechanism 43 and the cleaner unit 25 are spaced from the annular groove 6a; a second position shown in Fig. 17, which is a contact position where the cutting mechanism 43 is in contact with the annular groove 6a; or a third position shown in Fig. 18, which is a contact position where the cleaner unit 25 is in contact with the annular groove 6a. Here, the rotation center of the support shaft 45 is located on the rotation center of the distribution disk 6, and the distance from the rotation center of the support shaft 45 to the contact position of the cutting mechanism 43 that contacts the annular groove 6a and the distance to the contact position of the cleaner unit 25 are equal. This simplifies the configuration of the cutting and cleaning device 13.

[0031] When the cutting and cleaning device 13 is in the first position shown in FIG. 13, the cam 48 contacts the cam follower 46 at an intermediate portion between the large diameter portion and the small diameter portion. As described above, according to the cutting and cleaning device 13 of this embodiment, both the cutting mechanism 43 and the cleaning mechanism, the cleaner unit 25, can be displaced to a separated position away from the annular groove 6a, so that the free rotation of the distribution disk 6 and the accompanying cleaning operation can be easily performed.

[0032] 17, the cam 48 is in a position where the small diameter portion is separated from the cam follower 46. The cutting mechanism 43 is configured to be sufficiently heavy relative to the cleaner unit 25, and the cutting mechanism 43 descends under its own weight, causing the circumferential surface of the disk 23 to contact the annular groove 6a. The small diameter portion of the cam 48 is shaped to be sufficiently separated from the cam follower 46 when the circumferential surface of the disk 23 contacts the annular groove 6a. As described above, according to the cutting and cleaning device 13 of this embodiment, the cutting mechanism 43 comes into contact with the annular groove 6a by its own weight, and therefore the configuration can be simplified.

[0033] 18, the cam 48 is in a position where the large diameter portion thereof contacts the cam follower 46. The large diameter portion of the cam 48 is shaped so that when the largest diameter portion thereof contacts the cam follower 46, the circumferential surface of the cleaner unit 25 comes into snug contact with the annular groove 6a. As described above, according to the cutting and cleaning device 13 of this embodiment, the cutting mechanism 43 and the cleaning mechanism, i.e., the cleaner unit 25, are supported by a single support member 44, so that the operation of cutting powdered medicine from the distribution disc 6 and the operation of cleaning the annular groove 6a can be performed with a simple configuration, thereby enabling the device to be made smaller and less expensive.

[0034] Here, the relationship between the size (diameter) of the distribution disk 6 and the configuration of the cutting and cleaning device 13 will be considered. 19 is a simplified schematic diagram of the distribution disc 6 and the cutting and cleaning device 13. In the configuration shown in FIG. 19, when the size (height) of the cutting mechanism 43 and the cleaner unit 25 is 2r, the diameter L of the distribution disc 6 is 8r. This assumes a configuration in which a distribution disc 6 with a small diameter is provided relative to the device main body 2, as shown in FIG. 3, and in this specification, the diameter of the distribution disc 6 will be described as being small when it is four times or less the size of the cutting mechanism 43 and the cleaner unit 25, and as being large when it is more than four times the size.

[0035] The size of the dispensing mechanism 43 and the cleaner unit 25 is set to 2r, the diameter of the distribution disc 6 is set to L (8r), and the height (distance from the top surface of the distribution disc 6) of the support shaft 45, which is the pivot point of the support member 44, is set to 1.5r (assuming that the dispensing mechanism 43 and the cleaner unit 25 are each separated from the distribution disc 6 by approximately 0.5r when they are in the separated position). In this case, when the dispensing and cleaning device 13 is in the contact position and either the dispensing mechanism 43 or the cleaner unit 25 contacts the distribution disc 6, the distance H by which either one is separated upward from the distribution disc 6 is approximately 3r. If H is large, the Z-direction size of the powdered medicine processing unit 7 in the device main body 2 increases, and the device main body 2 becomes larger.

[0036] The configuration shown in Figure 20 shows the case where a large-diameter distribution disk 6A is used instead of the small-diameter distribution disk 6, and when the size of the cutting mechanism 43 and the cleaner unit 25 is 2r, the diameter of the distribution disk 6A is 16r (2L). This assumes a configuration in which a large-diameter distribution disk 6A is provided for the device main body 2, as shown in Figure 21. The size of the feed mechanism 43 and the cleaner unit 25 is set to 2r, the diameter of the distribution disc 6A is set to 2L (16r), and the height (distance from the top surface of the distribution disc 6A) of the support shaft 45, which is the pivot point of the support member 44, is set to 2r (assuming that the feed mechanism 43 and the cleaner unit 25 are each spaced approximately 1r from the distribution disc 6A when in the separated position). In this case, when the feed mechanism and cleaning device 13 is in the contact position and either the feed mechanism 43 or the cleaner unit 25 contacts the distribution disc 6A, the distance H by which either one moves upward from the distribution disc 6A is approximately 4r. Note that, in theory, even if the diameter of the distribution disc 6A is 2L, if the height of the support shaft 45 can be maintained at 1.5r as in Figure 19, H can be kept to 3r. However, in reality, the position of the support shaft 45 is higher than 1.5r due to the arrangement and structure of the cam 48, resulting in H being approximately 4r or more. In this way, when the diameter of the distribution disk 6A increases, the size of the powdered medicine processing unit 7 in the device main body 2 in the Z direction increases in proportion to the size of the distribution disk 6A, and the device main body 2 becomes larger.

[0037] A configuration that solves the above-mentioned problems and can prevent the device main body 2 from becoming large even when a large-diameter distribution disk 6A is used will be described below as a second embodiment of the present invention. Note that in the above description, a small diameter distribution disk 6 is defined as a diameter that is four times or less the size of the extrusion mechanism 43 and the cleaner unit 25, and a large diameter distribution disk 6 that is more than four times the size of the extrusion mechanism 43 and the cleaner unit 25, but the boundary between the small-diameter distribution disk 6 and the large-diameter distribution disk 6A is not limited to this. 22 and 23, a cutting and cleaning device 51 used in the second embodiment of the present invention has a cutting mechanism 43 consisting of a disk 23 and a scraper 24 at one end and a cleaner unit 25 at the other end, similar to the cutting and cleaning device 13. The cutting mechanism 43 and the cleaner unit 25 are configured so as to be able to move toward and away from the annular groove (not shown) of the distribution disk 6A.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the cutting and cleaning device 51 has a first support member 52, a second support member 53, and a third support member . The first support member 52 supports the extrusion mechanism 43 at one end, and rotatably supports a roller member 55 at the other end. The first support member 52 is supported by a first support shaft 56 so as to be able to swing freely on the device main body 2, and is equipped with a rotatable cam follower 57 and a motor 47 that come into contact with a cam 58 (described later). Cam 58, which can come into contact with cam follower 57, is rotatably held by holding member 59 in device main body 2. Cam 58, which has a large diameter portion, a medium diameter portion, and a small diameter portion, is driven to rotate by stepping motor 60 attached to device main body 2.

[0039] The second support member 53 has a connection portion 53a at one end that can be connected to the third support member 54, and supports the cleaner unit 25 at the other end. The second support member 53 is supported by the apparatus main body 2 by a second support shaft 61 so as to be able to swing freely, and the other end of the third support member 54 is connected to the connection portion 53a. The third support member 54 has a contact portion 54a at one end that can come into contact with the roller member 55, and a connection pin 54b at the other end that is connected to the connection portion 53a. The third support member 54 is supported on the device body 2 so as to be able to swing freely by a third support portion 62 that serves as a third support shaft. In this embodiment, the third support portion 62 is configured using a screw and a nut, but it may also be configured using a support shaft similar to the first support shaft 56 and the second support shaft 61. Further, a compression spring 64 supported on the device body 2 by a support member 63 applies a downward biasing force to the other end of the third support member 54.

[0040] With the above-described configuration, when the stepping motor 60 is operated to rotate the cam 58, the cam follower 57 comes into contact with or separates from the small diameter portion, medium diameter portion, and large diameter portion of the cam 58, causing the first support member 52, the second support member 53, and the third support member 54 to swing. This swinging causes the cutting and cleaning device 51 to selectively occupy a first position shown in Fig. 22, which is a spaced position where the cutting mechanism 43 and the cleaner unit 25 are both spaced from the annular groove of the distribution disk 6A (not shown), a second position shown in Fig. 24, which is a contact position where the cutting mechanism 43 is in contact with the annular groove, or a third position shown in Fig. 25, which is a contact position where the cleaner unit 25 is in contact with the annular groove.

[0041] 22, the stepping motor 60 is actuated to cause the cam 58 to bring the medium diameter portion into contact with the cam follower 57. The first support member 52 is rotated counterclockwise around the first support shaft 56 as the medium diameter portion of the cam 58 presses the cam follower 57 upward against the force of the weight of the cutting mechanism 43 that tries to contact the annular groove, and the circumferential surface of the cutting mechanism 43 moves away from the annular groove. When the first support member 52 rotates counterclockwise, the roller member 55 presses the contact portion 54a, and the third support member 54 rotates slightly clockwise around the third support shaft 62 against the biasing force of the compression spring 64. The second support member 53, which is connected to the connection pin 54b at the connection portion 53a, receives a force in the counterclockwise direction around the second support shaft 61 due to the biasing force of the compression spring 64 acting on the connection pin 54b. Therefore, even if the third support member 54 rotates slightly clockwise, the circumferential surface of the cleaner unit 25 remains spaced apart from the annular groove, and the cut-out cleaning device 51 is positioned at the first position. In the cutting and cleaning device 51 shown in the second embodiment, both the cutting mechanism 43 and the cleaner unit 25 can be displaced to a separated position away from the annular groove, so that the distribution disk 6A can be easily rotated and cleaned.

[0042] When the stepping motor 60 is operated to cause the cam 58 to move its small diameter portion toward the cam follower 57, the cam 58 is released from contact with the cam follower 57 as shown by symbol A in Figure 24, and the first support member 52, which is no longer subjected to force from the cam 58, comes into contact with the annular groove due to the weight of the cutting mechanism 43. At this time, the first support member 52 rotates clockwise around the first support shaft 56, but because the other end of the third support member 54 is urged downward by the urging force of the compression spring 64, the contact state between the contact portion 54a and the roller member 55 is released, as shown by the symbol B in FIG. 24. The cleaner unit 25 moves away from the annular groove as the connection portion 53a, to which the connection pin 54b, urged downward by the urging force of the compression spring 64, is connected, is urged downward, and the cut-out cleaning device 51 is positioned at the second position. In this embodiment, the cleaner unit 25 occupies a position slightly higher in the second position than in the first position.

[0043] When the stepping motor 60 is operated to cause the cam 58 to bring the large diameter portion into contact with the cam follower 57, the cutting and cleaning device 51 assumes the third position shown in Fig. 25. The first support member 52 is rotated counterclockwise around the first support shaft 56 as the large diameter portion of the cam 58 presses the cam follower 57 upward against the force of the cutting mechanism 43's own weight that tries to contact the annular groove, and the circumferential surface of the cutting mechanism 43 is spaced farther upward from the annular groove than in the first position. 25, the roller member 55 presses the contact portion 54a downward more than when the roller member 55 is in the first position, and the third support member 54 is rotated clockwise around the third support shaft 62 against the biasing force of the compression spring 64. The second support member 53, which is connected to the connection pin 54b at the connection portion 53a, is rotated counterclockwise around the second support shaft 61 against the biasing force of the compression spring 64 acting on the connection pin 54b, and assumes a position where the peripheral surface of the cleaner unit 25 contacts the annular groove.

[0044] According to the above-described cutting and cleaning device 51, even if a large-diameter distribution disk 6A is used, the height of the device configuration, i.e., the height H shown in Fig. 25, can be reduced, and the ratio of the height H to the diameter of the cutting mechanism 43 can be reduced more than that of the cutting and cleaning device 13 shown in the first embodiment. This makes it possible to prevent the device configuration from becoming large and to achieve a more compact device.

[0045] As shown in Figure 25, the cutting and cleaning device 51 shown in the second embodiment is configured so that the center position O of the cutting mechanism 43 in the third position is located upwardly within a range of the diameter 2r of the cutting mechanism 43 from the center position O1 of the cutting mechanism 43 in the second position shown by the dotted line in Figure 25. With this configuration, even if the diameter of the feed mechanism 43 increases in accordance with an increase in the diameter of the distribution disk 6A, it is possible to prevent the device configuration from becoming large.

[0046] The aspects of the present invention are as follows, for example. [1] A drug packaging machine comprising a rotatable distribution disk having an annular groove on its upper surface through which the drug is evenly dispersed, a cutting mechanism having a partition member that divides the drug on the annular groove into predetermined amounts and a rotatable scraping member that scrapes off the divided drug, and a cleaning mechanism that cleans the annular groove, the drug packaging machine further comprising a support member that supports the cutting mechanism at one end and the cleaning mechanism at the other end, a spindle that supports the support member so that it can swing freely, and a swinging means that swings the support member, and the cutting mechanism and the cleaning mechanism can each be moved toward and away from the annular groove by swinging the support member, and the cutting mechanism and the cleaning mechanism occupy a contact position where either one is in contact with the annular groove, and a separated position where both are spaced apart from the annular groove. [2] The medicine packaging machine according to [1], further comprising a rotary drive means for rotating the scraping member, the rotary drive means being provided on the support member. [3] The medicine packaging machine according to [1] or [2], characterized in that the support shaft is positioned on the center of rotation of the distribution disk. [4] A medicine packaging machine according to any one of [1] to [3], characterized in that at the contact position, the cutting mechanism contacts the annular groove due to its own weight. [5] A medicine packaging machine according to any one of [1] to [4], characterized in that the distribution disc is a small diameter distribution disc. [6] The distribution disk is a large diameter distribution disk, the support member has a first support member at one end that supports the cutting mechanism, a second support member at the other end that supports the cleaning mechanism, and a third support member having one end that can contact the other end of the first support member and the other end connected to one end of the second support member, and the support shaft has a first support shaft that supports the first support member so as to be freely swingable, a second support shaft that supports the second support member so as to be freely swingable, and a third support shaft that supports the third support member so as to be freely swingable, which is a drug packaging machine described in any one of [1], [2] or [4]. [7] The drug packaging machine described in [6] is characterized in that the cutting mechanism and the cleaning mechanism selectively occupy a first position where they are both spaced apart from the annular groove, a second position where the cutting mechanism contacts the annular groove, and a third position where the cleaning mechanism contacts the annular groove, and the center position of the cutting mechanism in the third position occupies a position spaced upward from the center position of the cutting mechanism in the second position within a range within the diameter of the cutting mechanism.

[0047] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and unless otherwise specifically limited in the above description, various modifications and changes are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims. The effects described in the embodiments of the present invention are merely examples of the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. In the above embodiments, when the diameter of the distribution disc 6 is four times or less the size of the extrusion mechanism 43 and the cleaner unit 25, it is described as a small diameter, and when it is more than four times the size, it is described as a large diameter, but the boundary between the small diameter distribution disc 6 and the large diameter distribution disc 6A is not limited to this. The boundary between the small diameter distribution disc 6 and the large diameter distribution disc 6A is preferably the boundary point at which, when an extrusion and cleaning device composed of a single support member and a support shaft is arranged corresponding to the diameter of the distribution disc, the Z direction size of the powdered medicine processing unit 7 is within its original size when the extrusion and cleaning device is displaced. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1. Medicine packaging machine 6,6A Distribution Disc 6a Circular groove 13,51 Cutting and cleaning device 23 Partition member (disc) 24 scraping member (scraper) 25 Cleaning mechanism (cleaner unit) 43 Cutting mechanism 44 Support member 45 Spindle 47 Rotation drive means (motor) 48 Oscillating means (cam) 49 Oscillating means (stepping motor) 52 first support member 53 Second support member 54 Third support member 56 1st spindle 61 2nd support shaft 62 3rd support shaft

Claims

1. a rotatable distribution disk having an annular groove on its upper surface through which the medicine is uniformly dispersed; a cutting mechanism including a partition member for partitioning the medicine on the annular groove into predetermined amounts and a rotatable scraping member for scraping off the partitioned medicine; and a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the annular groove. In a medicine packaging machine equipped with a support member that supports the cutting mechanism at one end and the cleaning mechanism at the other end; a support shaft that supports the support member so that it can swing freely; and a swinging means for swinging the support member, The support member swings to allow the cutting mechanism and the cleaning mechanism to move toward and away from the annular groove, The medicine packaging machine, wherein either the cutting mechanism or the cleaning mechanism is in a contact position where it contacts the annular groove, and both are in a spaced position where they are spaced from the annular groove.

2. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 1, A medicine packaging machine comprising a rotation drive means for rotationally driving the scraping member, the rotation drive means being provided on the support member.

3. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 1, A medicine packaging machine characterized in that the support shaft is arranged on the rotation center of the distribution disk.

4. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 1, The medicine packaging machine, wherein the cutting mechanism contacts the annular groove by its own weight at the contact position.

5. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 1, A medicine packaging machine, wherein the distribution disc is a small diameter distribution disc.

6. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 1, The distribution disk is a large diameter distribution disk, the support member includes a first support member that supports the extruding mechanism at one end, a second support member that supports the cleaning mechanism at the other end, and a third support member having one end that is capable of contacting the other end of the first support member and the other end that is connected to one end of the second support member, A medicine packaging machine characterized in that the support shaft has a first support shaft that supports the first support member so that it can swing freely, a second support shaft that supports the second support member so that it can swing freely, and a third support shaft that supports the third support member so that it can swing freely.

7. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 6, A medicine packaging machine characterized in that the cutting mechanism and the cleaning mechanism selectively occupy a first position in which they are both spaced apart from the annular groove, a second position in which the cutting mechanism contacts the annular groove, and a third position in which the cleaning mechanism contacts the annular groove, and the center position of the cutting mechanism in the third position occupies a position spaced upward from the center position of the cutting mechanism in the second position within a range within the diameter of the cutting mechanism.

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