Medicine packaging machine

Abstract

To provide a medicine packaging machine equipped with a cleaning mechanism that can improve cleanability and also easily accommodate a configuration with two sets of distribution discs.SOLUTION: A medicine packaging machine 1 includes a rotatable distribution disc 6 having a ring-shaped groove 6a on its upper surface for uniformly distributing medication, and a cleaning mechanism 46 for cleaning the ring-shaped groove 6a. The cleaning mechanism 46 includes a cleaning member 48 that contacts and cleans the ring-shaped groove 6a, and a holding member 49 that holds the cleaning member 48. The cleaning member 48 includes a cleaning member body 48a, a contact portion 48b that contacts the ring-shaped groove 6a to scrape off residue thereon, and a suction port 48c that sucks up the residue scraped off by the contact portion 48b. The suction port 48c is provided at both the upstream and downstream positions relative to the contact portion 48b in the rotational direction of the distribution disc 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

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 added with a tablet discharge device 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] Recently, medicine packaging machines that can handle a wide variety of medicines have been proposed, and there is a demand for medicine packaging machines that can handle a wide variety of medicines and are equipped with allocation disks to handle powder medicines. To meet this demand, a medicine packaging machine equipped with two sets of allocation disks is known (see, for example, Patent Document 5). This technology is configured to be able to dispense two types of powder medicine with different prescriptions because it has two sets of allocation disks. [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. 2001-087353 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] As disclosed in Patent Document 5, in a configuration having two distribution disks, typically, for the purpose of simplifying the device configuration, there is only one storage location for the powdered medicine dispensed from each distribution disk, and this storage location is located between the distribution disks. Therefore, in order to improve efficiency and simplify the device configuration, the device configuration around each distribution disk is often configured symmetrically, and the rotation directions of each distribution disk are also set to opposite directions. The above-mentioned cleaning mechanism removes powdered medicine remaining in the annular groove by scraping it with a contact portion and suctioning it through an opening. Therefore, remaining powdered medicine that comes into contact with the contact portion located downstream in the rotation direction of the distribution disk is suctioned through an opening located upstream. Therefore, in a configuration having two distribution disks with different rotation directions as described above, there is a problem in that two cleaning mechanisms with different shapes are required. Furthermore, because the cleaning mechanism needs to be cleaned after operation to prevent medicine mixing, improved cleanability is also required. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a medicine packaging machine equipped with a cleaning mechanism that can improve cleaning performance and can easily accommodate a configuration with two sets of distribution disks. [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 drug is uniformly dispersed, and a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the annular groove, wherein the cleaning mechanism comprises a cleaning member that contacts the annular groove to clean it, and a holding member that holds the cleaning member, and the cleaning member comprises a cleaning member body, a contact portion that contacts the annular groove to scrape off residue on the annular groove, and a suction port that sucks up the residue scraped off by the contact portion, and the suction port is located at upstream and downstream positions of the contact portion in the direction of rotation of the distribution disk. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, a single cleaning member can be used to clean two distribution disks that rotate in different directions, thereby reducing costs. [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 diagram illustrating an example of a powdered medicine processing unit of a medicine packaging machine, illustrating the problem of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 14] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing a cleaner head corresponding to a distribution disk that rotates counterclockwise and a cleaner head corresponding to a distribution disk that rotates clockwise, respectively, used in a conventional medicine packaging machine. [Figure 15]FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a cleaner unit used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cleaner head used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cleaner head used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cleaner head and a holding member used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating a head main body and a contact portion used in one embodiment of the present invention. 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 periphery abuts against the annular groove 6a, and a scraper 24 rotatably attached to the disk 23 and which scoops up and scrapes 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 as a cleaning mechanism which cleans the distribution disk 6 after packaging of one prescription has been completed.

[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] Here, the problem to be solved by the present invention will be explained. The medicine packaging machine 1 has only one distribution disk 6, but an example of a configuration having two sets of distribution disks as disclosed in the above-mentioned "Patent Document 5" is shown in Figure 13. Note that components similar to those in the medicine packaging machine 1 are given the same reference numerals, and individual explanations will be omitted. The powdered medicine processing section 43 shown in Figure 13 has two distribution disks 6, 6A, with distribution disk 6 rotating counterclockwise and distribution disk 6A rotating clockwise. In the direction of rotation of distribution disk 6, scraper 24 and disk 23 are located downstream of trough 11, and cleaner unit 25 is located further downstream of these. Scraper 24 scrapes out the powdered medicine blocked by disk 23 toward tablet confluence 14, and cleaner unit 25 cleans annular groove 6a (not shown) after the powdered medicine has been scraped out. In the rotation direction of the distribution disk 6A, a scraper 24 and a disk 23 are arranged downstream of the trough 11, and a cleaner unit 25A is arranged downstream thereof.

[0029] 13, cleaner unit 25 includes a cleaner head 44 as a cleaning member that contacts annular groove 6a to perform cleaning, and a holding member 45 that detachably holds cleaner head 44. Similarly, cleaner unit 25A includes a cleaner head 44A as a cleaning member and a holding member 45A. A suction device 42 is connected to holding members 45 and 45A. 14(a), the cleaner head 44 has a head body 44a and a contact portion 44b, and a suction port 44c is formed in the head body 44a. During cleaning, the cleaner head 44 brings the contact portion 44b into contact with the annular groove 6a, and as the distribution disk 6 rotates in this state, residue on the annular groove 6a that has come into contact with the contact portion 44b and been scraped off is sucked through the suction port 44c by the suction force of the suction device 42, and the residue is removed from the annular groove 6a.

[0030] 14(a), the cleaner head 44 has a contact portion 44b fixed to a head body 44a, and a suction port 44c formed adjacent to the contact portion. Here, in order to suck up residue that comes into contact with the contact portion 44b and is scraped off as the distribution disk 6 rotates, the suction port 44c is formed upstream of the contact portion 44b in the rotation direction of the distribution disk 6 (counterclockwise direction shown in FIG. 13), i.e., on the left side of the contact portion 44b.

[0031] Like the cleaner head 44, the cleaner head 44A also has a head body 44Aa, a contact portion 44Ab, and a suction port 44Ac, with the contact portion 44Ab fixed to the head body 44Aa and the suction port 44Ac formed adjacent to the contact portion. However, because the distribution disk 6A rotates clockwise in Figure 13, the suction port 44Ac is formed to the right of the contact portion 44Ab when the cleaner head 44A is viewed from the front. As such, in the conventional configuration, the cleaner head 44 used with the distribution disc 6 and the cleaner head 44A used with the distribution disc 6A are symmetrical in shape, which means that parts cannot be shared and costs increase. The configuration of the present invention that solves this problem will be described below.

[0032] 15 shows a cleaner unit 46 as a cleaning mechanism used in one embodiment of the present invention. The cleaner unit 46 is provided on one end side of a cutting and cleaning device 47, and a disk 23 and a scraper 24 are provided on the other end side of the cutting and cleaning device 47. The cleaner unit 46 includes a cleaner head 48 as a cleaning member that comes into contact with the annular groove 6a to perform cleaning, and a holding member 49 that detachably holds the cleaner head 48.

[0033] 16, the cleaner head 48 has a head body 48a as a cleaning member body, a contact portion 48b, and a suction port 48c. The lower end of the head body 48a has a shape similar to the annular groove 6a, and the contact portion 48b protrudes downward from the lower end. The contact portion 48b is held by the head body 48a in such a manner that its lower end protrudes downward from the lower end of the head body 48a, and the lower end is formed to have the same curvature as the annular groove 6a so as to make uniform contact with the annular groove 6a. 16(b), when the cleaner head 48 is viewed from the front, the contact portion 48b is disposed so as to be located at the center in the width direction of the head body 48a, and suction ports 48c are opened on both sides of the contact portion 48b in the width direction of the head body 48a. The contact portion 48b will be described later.

[0034] With the above-described configuration, the cleaner head 48 is provided with two suction ports 48c on the head body 48a, and each suction port 48c is provided on either side of the contact portion 48b in the rotation direction of the distribution disc 6, i.e., on the upstream and downstream sides. As a result, when the distribution disc 6 rotates counterclockwise, the residue on the annular groove 6a is sucked in through the suction port 48c provided on the left side of the contact portion 48b in Figure 16(b), and when the distribution disc 6 rotates clockwise, the residue on the annular groove 6a is sucked in through the suction port 48c provided on the right side of the contact portion 48b in Figure 16(b). This allows two distribution discs 6 with different rotation directions to be cleaned with a single cleaner head 48, thereby reducing costs. Also, after suction is performed from suction port 48c located upstream of contact portion 48b in the rotation direction of distribution disc 6, residue that has passed contact portion 48b can be sucked from suction port 48c located downstream of contact portion 48b, improving the reliability of residue suction.

[0035] The cleaner head 48 has protrusions 48d formed on the rear side thereof as shown in FIG. 16(d), which protrude outward in both width directions. As shown in FIG. 17, an exhaust port 48e is formed on the rear surface of the head main body 48a where the protrusions 48d are formed, through which air drawn in through the suction port 48c is discharged. An engagement protrusion 48f formed so as to be retractable relative to the rear surface of the head main body 48a is provided on the rear surface of the head main body 48a above the exhaust port 48e. The engagement protrusion 48f retracts when a detachable portion 48g, which is movably provided relative to the head main body 48a, is manually moved in the direction indicated by the double arrow in FIG. 17.

[0036] 18 shows the configuration of the cleaner head 48 and the holding member 49 that holds the cleaner head 48. The holding member 49 has a fitting portion 49a into which the protrusion 48d can fit, and the cleaner head 48 is held by the holding member 49 as the protrusion 48d fits snugly into the fitting portion 49a. Furthermore, a hole (not shown) into which the engaging protrusion 48f can engage is provided in the fitting portion 49a at a location facing the back surface of the cleaner head 48. When the cleaner head 48 is fitted into the fitting portion 49a, the engaging protrusion 48f comes into contact with the fitting portion 49a as the cleaner head 48 descends, and elastically deforms in a direction to sink into the back surface of the cleaner head 48. When the cleaner head 48 is fitted to a predetermined position, the engaging protrusion 48f returns to its original shape and protrudes from the hole (not shown) in the fitting portion 49a, thereby holding the cleaner head 48 by the holding member 49. To remove the cleaner head 48 from the holding member 49, the detachable portion 48g is grasped and the engaging protrusion 48f is moved in a direction to disengage from the hole (not shown), and the cleaner head 48 is then pulled upward in this state, thereby removing the cleaner head 48 from the holding member 49.

[0037] In this way, the cleaner head 48 is detachably supported by the holding member 49, so that the cleaner head 48 can be removed from the medicine packaging machine 1 with a simple operation, and the cleaner head 48 that has become soiled by residue on the distribution disk 6 can be easily cleaned. In Figure 18, the symbol 50 indicates an intake port connected to the suction device 42 via a connecting member such as a hose, and the material sucked from the suction port 48c passes through the inside of the cleaner head 48, passes through the inside of the holding member 49 from the exhaust port 48e, and is sucked out of the device from the suction port 50.

[0038] Next, the contact portion 48b will be described. As shown in Fig. 19, the contact portion 48b is composed of a buffer member 48h made of a single plate-like member that contacts the annular groove 6a, and an attachment member 48i made of two plate-like members that sandwich the buffer member 48h from both sides. The buffer member 48h, made of a resin material with a low friction coefficient such as silicone rubber, has a lower end formed with the same curvature as the annular groove 6a so as to make uniform contact with the annular groove 6a. Each mounting member 48i, made of a weather-resistant metal material such as stainless steel, has a lower end formed with a shape similar to that of the annular groove 6a. Furthermore, a restricting portion 48j is provided at the upper end of one mounting member 48i to restrict upward movement of the buffer member 48h due to contact pressure when the buffer member 48h sandwiched between the mounting members 48i comes into contact with the annular groove 6a. The buffer member 48h and each mounting member 48i are each provided with three holes through which screws 51 (described later) can be passed.

[0039] The contact portion 48b is held relative to the head body 48a by joining the two halves of the head body 48a together with the buffer member 48h sandwiched between the mounting members 48i and fastening the joined head body 48a with three screws 51. At this time, the buffer member 48h is fixed in place while being sandwiched between the mounting members 48i by the fastening force of the screws 51. As described above, the buffer member 48h is formed of a low-friction material, which prevents the annular groove 6a from being scratched when the buffer member 48h comes into contact with the annular groove 6a. Furthermore, the buffer member 48h is detachably held by the mounting members 48i, allowing for easy replacement due to wear and tear. Furthermore, when adjusting the contact portion 48b with respect to the annular groove 6a, the amount of protrusion of the buffer member 48h from the head body 48a can be easily adjusted by loosening the screws 51. This ensures that the contact portion 48b can reliably scrape off residue from the annular groove 6a without affecting the rotation of the distribution disk 6.

[0040] Furthermore, the contact portion 48b is formed so that the path of the intake air sucked in from each suction port 48c and exhausted from the exhaust port 48e, as shown by the arrows in Figure 19, is divided into two parts within the head body 48a corresponding to each suction port 48c. With this configuration, an independent intake path is formed for the air sucked from each suction port 48c, which reliably prevents residue sucked from one suction port 48c from leaking out from the other suction port 48c, improving the reliability of the suction operation and residue suction.

[0041] 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 uniformly dispersed, and a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the annular groove, wherein the cleaning mechanism comprises a cleaning member that contacts the annular groove to clean it, and a holding member that holds the cleaning member, and the cleaning member comprises a cleaning member body, a contact portion that contacts the annular groove to scrape off residue on the annular groove, and a suction port that sucks up the residue scraped off by the contact portion, and the suction port is provided at an upstream position and a downstream position of the contact portion in the direction of rotation of the distribution disk. [2] The medicine packaging machine according to [1], wherein the cleaning member is detachably held by the holding member. [3] The drug packaging machine described in [1] or [2] is characterized in that the contact portion has a cushioning member that contacts the annular groove and an attachment member that attaches the cushioning member to the cleaning member main body. [4] The medicine packaging machine described in [3] is characterized in that the mounting member holds the buffer member in a clamped state in a detachable manner. [5] The cleaning member body has an exhaust port for exhausting the intake air sucked from each of the suction ports, and the contact portion is a drug packaging machine described in any one of [1] to [4], characterized in that it divides the intake path from each of the suction ports to the exhaust port in two corresponding to each of the suction ports.

[0042] 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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1. Medicine packaging machine 6 Allocation Disc 6a Circular groove 46 Cleaning mechanism (cleaner unit) 48 Cleaning parts (cleaner head) 48a Cleaning member body (head body) 48b Contact part 48c suction port 48e exhaust port 48h cushioning material 48i mounting parts 49 Retaining member

Claims

1. a rotatable distribution disk having an annular groove on its upper surface through which the medicine is uniformly dispersed; a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the annular groove; In a medicine packaging machine equipped with The cleaning mechanism includes: a cleaning member that comes into contact with the annular groove to clean it; a holding member for holding the cleaning member, The cleaning member includes a cleaning member body, a contact portion that contacts the annular groove to scrape off residue on the annular groove, and a suction port that sucks up the residue scraped off by the contact portion, A medicine packaging machine, wherein the suction ports are provided at upstream and downstream positions of the contact portion in the rotation direction of the distribution disk.

2. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 1, The medicine packaging machine, wherein the cleaning member is detachably held by the holding member.

3. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 1, The contact portion includes a buffer member that contacts the annular groove, and an attachment member that attaches the buffer member to the cleaning member body.

4. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 3, The medicine packaging machine is characterized in that the mounting member detachably holds the buffer member while clamping it.

5. The medicine packaging machine according to claim 3, the cleaning member body has an exhaust port for exhausting the intake air sucked from each of the suction ports, The medicine packaging machine, wherein the contact portion divides the intake path from each of the suction ports to the exhaust port into two parts corresponding to each of the suction ports.

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