Packaging control system, packaging control method and packaging control program

Abstract

To efficiently distribute divided packages of medicines to a plurality of packaging machines having different configurations in simple processing.SOLUTION: A packaging control system 2 comprises a packaging request acquisition unit 21 for acquiring a packaging request including medicine information for specifying medicines to be packaged, a configuration acquisition unit 22 for acquiring packaging machine configuration data including the number of cassettes available for automatically dispensing a specified amount of medicines in each of a plurality of packaging machines, a packaging machine determination unit 23 for determining a packaging machine for packaging the medicines to be packaged on the basis of the number of medicines to be packaged and the number of cassettes available in each packaging machine, and an instruction unit 24 for instructing the packaging machine determined by the packaging machine determination unit 23 to perform a packaging operation of the medicines to be packaged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a packaging control system that controls packaging of medicines by a packaging machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2020-69273 (Patent Document 1) discloses a drug packaging system having multiple drug dispensing devices. In this system, the drug dispensing device that processes a new case is determined using unprocessed information as one of the conditions. The unprocessed information includes, for example, the total number of unpackaged drug packages, the total number of prescription information items for the unprocessed cases, the time required to process the unprocessed cases, or the total number of drug packages for the unprocessed cases. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-69273 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As in the above-described conventional technology, a system having multiple packaging machines may be used. In such a system, a requested medicine is packaged by assigning it to one of the multiple packaging machines. Furthermore, the multiple packaging machines may not have the same functions and configurations. For example, a packaging machine may be configured to supply one package of medicine by including at least one of multiple compartments that accept manual preparation by a user or a cassette that automatically dispenses a specified amount of medicine. The presence or absence of a manual preparation acceptance function and the type and number of cassettes may vary depending on the packaging machine.

[0005] Therefore, the present application discloses a packaging control system, a packaging control method, and a packaging control program that can efficiently distribute medicine packets to a plurality of packaging machines with different configurations through simple processing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A packaging control system in an embodiment of the present invention includes a packaging request acquisition unit that acquires a packaging request including drug information that identifies the drug to be packaged; a configuration acquisition unit that acquires packaging machine configuration data including the number of cassettes available for automatically dispensing a specified amount of drug in each of a plurality of packaging machines; a packaging machine determination unit that determines the packaging machine that will package the drug to be packaged based on the number of drug to be packaged indicated in the drug information of the packaging request and the number of cassettes available for each packaging machine indicated in the packaging machine configuration data; and an instruction unit that instructs the packaging machine determined by the packaging machine determination unit to package the drug to be packaged. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a packaging system including a packaging control system in this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the system illustrated in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a modified example of the packing machine determination process. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of conditions for determining the destination packaging machine. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart and example screens illustrating an example of an operation for accepting the input of packaged medicines. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the packaging operation of the packaging machine. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for allocating medicines to be packaged to a registered medicine cassette, an optional medicine cassette, and a manual preparation unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing examples of the first to third conditions in the process shown in FIG. 7, and an example of allocation of medicines to be packaged to optional medicine cassettes and manual distribution units. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the sealing unit 63 of the packaging unit 60 of the packaging machine. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of a sachet wound by a winding machine. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the packaging machine 10-2 shown in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a packaging control system according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the packaging control system shown in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a packaging system according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The inventors have studied a system for efficiently packaging medicines using multiple packaging machines with different configurations. In their study, the inventors focused on the idea that packaging efficiency can be improved by maximizing the automatic dispensing function of the packaging machine and reducing manual dispensing work by the user. Various configurations can be used to supply medicines for one package to multiple packaging machines. For example, packaging machines may differ in the presence or absence of a manual dispensing reception unit, the number of cassettes that automatically dispense medicines for one package, the types of medicines that can be accommodated by the cassettes, and other components. The inventors have studied a process for efficiently allocating medicines to packaging machines with such various configurations. As a result of their study, the inventors have found that by acquiring the number of cassettes in each packaging machine and using the number of cassettes in each packaging machine and the number of medicines to be packaged, it is possible to efficiently allocate medicines to multiple packaging machines with a simple process. The following embodiments are based on this finding.

[0009] (Configuration 1) A packaging control system in an embodiment of the present invention includes a packaging request acquisition unit that acquires a packaging request including drug information that identifies the drug to be packaged; a configuration acquisition unit that acquires packaging machine configuration data including the number of cassettes available for automatically dispensing a specified amount of drug in each of a plurality of packaging machines; a packaging machine determination unit that determines the packaging machine that will package the drug to be packaged based on the number of drug to be packaged indicated in the drug information of the packaging request and the number of cassettes available for each packaging machine indicated in the packaging machine configuration data; and an instruction unit that instructs the packaging machine determined by the packaging machine determination unit to package the drug to be packaged.

[0010] According to the above-described configuration 1, a packaging machine that packages the medicines to be packaged is determined based on the number of medicines to be packaged and the number of cassettes available in each of the multiple packaging machines. The cassette automatically dispenses a specified amount of medicine (e.g., the amount for one package). The number of usable cassettes in each packaging machine simply indicates the number of medicines that can be dispensed from the cassettes without manual user intervention. By using the number of usable cassettes and the number of medicines to be packaged, a packaging machine that can efficiently use cassette dispensing can be determined as the packaging machine that packages the medicines to be packaged. In other words, the automatic dispensing function of the packaging machine can be efficiently used with less manual user intervention. Therefore, a packaging machine that can efficiently package medicines can be determined using simple data, such as the number of cassettes in each packaging machine and the number of medicines to be packaged. As a result, medicines can be efficiently packaged using multiple packaging machines with different configurations. Note that the multiple packaging machines may, for example, have different configurations of dispensing units that dispense the medicines to be packaged one by one. The configuration of the dispensing unit may include, for example, whether or not it has a powdered medicine dispensing unit that dispenses a specified amount of powdered medicine, the type and number of cassettes that automatically dispense a specified amount of medicine, and whether or not it has a manual dispensing unit that dispenses manually dispensed medicine.

[0011] For example, the packaging machine determination unit may determine the number of drugs that can be dispensed in the cassettes of each packaging machine among the drugs to be packaged, based on the number of drugs to be packaged and the number of usable cassettes of each packaging machine. A packaging machine that can dispense a larger number of drugs among the drugs to be packaged in the cassettes of each packaging machine can be prioritized and determined as the packaging machine that will package the drugs to be packaged. For example, the packaging machine that can dispense the largest number of drugs among the drugs to be packaged in the cassettes of each packaging machine can be determined as the packaging machine that will package the drugs to be packaged.

[0012] As one example, the packaging machine determination unit can determine a packaging machine having a number of usable cassettes equal to or greater than the number of medicines to be packaged as the packaging machine that will package the medicines to be packaged. As a specific example, if there is a packaging machine that can use more cassettes than the number of medicines to be packaged, this packaging machine can be determined as the packaging machine that will package the medicines to be packaged. If there is no packaging machine that has a number of usable cassettes equal to or greater than the number of medicines to be packaged, the packaging machine determination unit may determine as the packaging machine that will package the medicines to be packaged the medicines to be packaged the packaging machine that will minimize the number of medicines that cannot be dispensed by cassettes.

[0013] The configuration acquisition unit may acquire packaging machine configuration data including the number of usable cassettes of a predetermined type as the usable number of cassettes. The packaging machine determination unit may determine a packaging machine to package the medicines based on the number of medicines to be packaged that correspond to a predetermined type of cassette among the medicines to be packaged indicated in the medicine information of the packaging request and the number of usable cassettes of the predetermined type in each packaging machine indicated in the packaging configuration data. This makes it possible to determine a packaging machine to package the medicines taking into account the type of cassette in each packaging machine. Medicines that correspond to a predetermined type of cassette may be medicines that can be dispensed using a predetermined type of cassette, i.e., medicines that can be used with a predetermined type of cassette.

[0014] The predetermined type of cassette may be, for example, the type of drug form (dosage form) that the cassette can accommodate. For example, the drug form that the cassette can accommodate (for example, dosage form such as powder or tablet) may be the predetermined type of cassette. The type of drug form may be a rough type such as powder or tablet, or may further be a more detailed type such as the type of tablet shape that can be accommodated, or whether half tablets can be accommodated. As an example, the packaging machine determination unit determines the packaging machine for the drug to be packaged as the packaging machine that will package the drug to be packaged based on the number of usable cassettes that dispense tablet (or powder) drug and the number of tablet (or powder) drug among the drug to be packaged, thereby allowing the packets to be allocated to packaging machines that can efficiently package tablet (or powder) drug. Note that the predetermined type may be multiple types. In this case, the packaging machine determination unit may determine a packaging machine to package the medicines based on the number of medicines to be packaged corresponding to each of the multiple types of cassettes and the number of cassettes of each of the multiple types (e.g., tablets and powdered medicines) that can be used in each packaging machine. This allows the packaging machine to be determined to package the medicines while taking into consideration the configuration of multiple types of cassettes in each packaging machine. Note that the packaging machine determination unit may determine a packaging machine to package the medicines for some types of cassettes out of the multiple types of cassettes based on the number of cassettes that can be used and the corresponding number of medicines to be packaged.

[0015] The predetermined types may be types according to the user's usage patterns. For example, the predetermined types may include two types: an optional medicine cassette that can dispense any medicine, and a registered medicine cassette that dispenses pre-registered medicines.

[0016] The number of drugs is the number of drug items, i.e., the number of drug types (drug types). The drug information included in the packaging request may include, for example, information identifying the drug items. The drug items, i.e., drug types, are identified by, for example, the drug name, drug ID, or drug code. The drug information may also include dosage instructions for each drug. The dosage instructions may include, for example, the dosage per dose, the time of administration (after breakfast, after lunch, after dinner, before bed, etc.), the number of times to take (once a day, three times a day, etc.), and the number of days to take (three days' supply, one week's supply, etc.). The packaging request may include drug information for drugs prescribed in one prescription. For example, one packaging request may be a request to package the drugs for one prescription.

[0017] The packaging machine determination unit may determine a packaging machine to package the drugs to be packaged based on the number of drugs that can be dispensed in a cassette among the drugs to be packaged, which is indicated in the drug information of the packaging request, and the number of usable cassettes of each packaging machine, which is indicated in the packaging machine configuration data. Whether the drugs to be packaged can be dispensed in a cassette can be determined based on the drug information included in the packaging request. For example, the number of tablet drugs among the drugs to be packaged may be set as the number of drugs that can be dispensed in a cassette. The packaging machine determination unit may determine, for example, based on the drug information, whether each drug to be packaged can be dispensed in a cassette. Alternatively, the drug information may include information indicating whether each drug to be packaged can be dispensed in a cassette.

[0018] (Configuration 2) In the above configuration 1, the configuration acquisition unit may acquire packaging machine configuration data including, as the usable number of cassettes, the usable number of optional medicine cassettes from which optional medicines can be dispensed. The packaging machine determination unit may determine a packaging machine to package the drugs to be packaged based on the number of drugs to be packaged indicated in the drug information of the packaging request and the number of available drug cassettes of each packaging machine indicated in the packaging machine configuration data.

[0019] This allows packets to be allocated to multiple packaging machines so that the optional medicine cassettes can be used efficiently. Therefore, packaging of medicines is performed more efficiently. For example, the packaging machine determination unit may prioritize a packaging machine that can dispense a large number of medicines from the optional medicine cassettes of each packaging machine among the medicines to be packaged, and determine the packaging machine to package the medicines. For example, the packaging machine determination unit may determine the packaging machine that will package the medicines to be packaged as the packaging machine that will minimize the number of medicines that cannot be dispensed from the optional medicine cassettes among the medicines to be packaged. As a specific example, the packaging machine determination unit may determine the packaging machine that can use a number of optional medicine cassettes equal to or greater than the number of medicines to be packaged as the packaging machine to package the medicines.

[0020] The optional medicine cassette capable of dispensing optional medicines may be a cassette that allows a user to load medicines into the cassette and associate information identifying the loaded medicines with the cassette. The optional medicine cassette may be configured, for example, so that after the packaging request acquisition unit acquires a packaging request, the user can load the medicines to be packaged into the optional medicine cassette and associate information indicating the medicines with the optional medicine cassette. That is, the optional medicine cassette may be configured to allocate the medicines to be packaged indicated in the acquired packaging request (prescription information), so that the user can load the medicines into the optional medicine cassette and dispense a specified amount of medicine from the optional medicine cassette. The packaging machine may have, for example, an allocation unit that allocates the medicines to be packaged to one of multiple optional medicine cassettes when information on the medicines to be packaged indicated in the packaging request is input. The optional medicine cassette may be configured, for example, like the medicine cassette capable of dispensing any type of medicine described in Japanese Patent No. 6007989. The optional drug cassette may be, for example, a variable cassette in which the shape of the dispensing port (for example, the dimensions of the drug dispensing path) can be changed depending on the drug to be dispensed.

[0021] (Configuration 3) In the above configuration 1 or 2, the configuration acquisition unit may acquire packaging machine configuration data including the number of tablet cassettes available for dispensing tablets in each of the plurality of packaging machines, and whether or not each of the plurality of packaging machines has a powdered medicine packaging function. When the medicine to be packaged is only tablets, the packaging machine determination unit may prioritize a packaging machine that does not have a powder medicine packaging function and in which the number of usable tablet cassettes relative to the number of medicines to be packaged satisfies a predetermined condition as the packaging machine to package the medicine.

[0022] This allows a packaging machine without a powder medicine packaging function to take priority when only tablets are being packaged and powder medicine does not need to be packaged, preventing situations where a packaging machine with a powder medicine packaging function is used to package medicines other than powder medicines and powder medicines have to wait.

[0023] (Configuration 4) In any of configurations 1 to 3, the configuration acquisition unit may acquire registered medicine cassette information indicating registered medicine cassettes that dispense pre-registered medicines in each of the plurality of packaging machines, and packaging machine configuration data that includes the number of available optional medicine cassettes that can dispense any medicine in each of the plurality of packaging machines. The packaging machine determination unit may determine a packaging machine to package the drugs to be packaged based on the number of drugs among the drugs to be packaged that are not registered in the registered drug cassettes of each packaging machine, and the number of available optional drug cassettes of each packaging machine indicated in the packaging machine configuration data.

[0024] This allows the packaging machines to allocate the packages so that the registered medicine cassettes and optional medicine cassettes can be used efficiently in the multiple packaging machines, thereby more efficiently packaging medicines.

[0025] For example, the packaging machine determination unit may determine, as the packaging machine that will package the drugs to be packaged, a packaging machine that can automatically dispense all of the drugs to be packaged using registered drug cassettes and optional drug cassettes. As a specific example, the packaging machine determination unit may determine, as the packaging machine that will package the drugs to be packaged, a packaging machine that can use optional drug cassettes equal to or greater than the number of drugs that are not registered in the registered drug cassettes. If there is no packaging machine that can automatically dispense all of the drugs to be packaged using registered drug cassettes and optional drug cassettes, the packaging machine determination unit may determine, as the packaging machine that will package the drugs to be packaged, a packaging machine that will minimize the number of drugs to be packaged that cannot be dispensed using either registered drug cassettes or optional drug cassettes.

[0026] (Configuration 5) In any of the above configurations 1 to 4, the configuration acquisition unit may acquire packaging machine configuration data further including an upper limit of the number of waiting items for packaging for each of the plurality of packaging machines. The packaging machine determination unit may determine a packaging machine to package the medicine so that the number of waiting items for packaging at each packaging machine does not exceed the upper limit. This prevents packaging instructions from being instructed disproportionately to some of the plurality of packaging machines.

[0027] (Configuration 6) A packaging control method according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises the following steps executed by a computer: a packaging request acquisition step of acquiring a packaging request including drug information identifying drugs to be packaged, a configuration acquisition step of acquiring packaging machine configuration data including the number of cassettes available for automatically dispensing a specified amount of drug in each of a plurality of packaging machines, a packaging machine determination step of determining a packaging machine that will package the drugs to be packaged based on the number of drugs to be packaged indicated in the drug information of the packaging request and the number of cassettes available for each packaging machine indicated in the packaging machine configuration data, and an instruction step of instructing the packaging machine determined in the packaging machine determination step to package the drugs to be packaged.

[0028] (Configuration 7) The packaging control program in an embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to execute the following processes: a packaging request acquisition process that acquires a packaging request including drug information that identifies the drug to be packaged; a configuration acquisition process that acquires packaging machine configuration data including the number of cassettes available for automatically dispensing a specified amount of drug in each of a plurality of packaging machines; a packaging machine determination process that determines the packaging machine that will package the drug to be packaged based on the number of drug to be packaged indicated in the drug information of the packaging request and the number of cassettes available in each packaging machine indicated in the packaging machine configuration data; and an instruction process that instructs the packaging machine determined in the packaging machine determination process to package the drug to be packaged. Note that a storage medium storing the packaging control program is also included in the embodiments of the present invention. This storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium.

[0029] The packaging control system may further include a display control unit that controls display of information related to packaging control to the user.

[0030] The display control unit may display information indicating the packaging machine determined by the packaging machine determination unit. For example, the display control unit may display, on a single screen, a plurality of packaging requests acquired by a request acquisition unit, packaging machines determined to package the medicines to be packaged for each packaging request, and information indicating packaging statuses of the medicines to be packaged by the determined packaging machines.

[0031] The display control unit may receive from a user the designation of one of the plurality of packaging machines and display a screen showing the packaging status of the packaging machine designated by the user. The packaging status displayed on the screen may include, for example, information showing the medicine to be packaged and the cassette from which the medicine will be dispensed.

[0032] The display control unit may display the packaging machine determined by the packaging machine determination unit and information on the packaging request assigned to the packaging machine. In this case, the display control unit may display a screen for receiving, from a user, an instruction to change the packaging machine that will package the medicine to be packaged indicated by the packaging request. In this case, the packaging machine determination unit can change the packaging machine that will package the medicine to be packaged based on the change instruction from the user. That is, the packaging control system may receive, from a user, an instruction to change the packaging machine determined by the packaging machine determination unit. For example, the display control unit may display, on the screen, packaging machines that will package the medicine to be packaged determined by the packaging machine determination unit but that have not yet started packaging the medicine to be packaged, in a manner that allows the user to change the packaging machine.

[0033] A packaging system including the packaging control system of any one of the above configurations 1 to 5 and the plurality of packaging machines is also included in embodiments of the present invention.

[0034] The packaging machine includes a dispensing unit that dispenses the medicine to be packaged one packet at a time, and a packaging unit that sequentially performs an operation of sealing the medicine for one packet dispensed from the dispensing unit into one packaging bag for multiple packaging bags. The dispensing unit may include at least one of a manual distribution receiving unit (manual distribution unit) that receives medicine manually dispensed by a user one packet at a time, or a cassette that stores medicine and automatically dispenses a specified amount of medicine.

[0035] The cassette of the packaging machine may have a storage unit for storing medicines, a discharge path through which the medicines from the storage unit pass in unitary amounts, a drive mechanism for discharging the medicines from the discharge path, and a drive unit for supplying drive force to the drive mechanism. The drive unit may include, for example, a motor as a power source for the drive force. The packaging machine may have an allocation unit that allocates the medicines to one of multiple cassettes when information indicating the medicines to be packaged is input. The packaging machine may have a memory unit that stores the usage frequency of each of the drive units of the multiple cassettes. The allocation unit may use the usage frequency to determine the cassette to which the medicines to be packaged are to be allocated. This allows the medicines to be packaged to an appropriate cassette, taking into account the usage frequency of the drive unit of each cassette. The allocation unit may allocate the medicines to be packaged by giving priority to cassettes driven by drive units that are used less frequently. For example, the allocation unit may execute a process that prompts the user to use the drive units that are used least frequently as drive units for dispensing medicines.

[0036] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (System configuration example) FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a packaging system including a packaging control system in this embodiment. In the example of FIG. 1, packaging control system 2 is capable of communicating with multiple packaging machines 10-1 and 10-2. Packaging control system 2 accepts input of a packaging request (prescription data), determines the packaging machine that will package the medicine of the input packaging request, and instructs that packaging machine to package the medicine. In other words, packaging control system 2 allocates the requested packaging to one of the multiple packaging machines and has it carry out the packaging.

[0037] (Example of packaging control system configuration) The packaging control system 2 includes a packaging request acquisition unit 21, a configuration acquisition unit 22, a packaging machine determination unit 23, an instruction unit 24, and a display control unit 25. The packaging request acquisition unit 21 acquires a packaging request from, for example, the host system 1. The packaging request acquisition unit 21 acquires multiple packaging requests, with each packaging request being for the packaging of drugs for one prescription. The packaging request may be prescription data indicating a drug prescription. The packaging request is data including drug information. The drug information includes drugs to be packaged and dosage instructions for each drug. The packaging request requests that single-dose drug packets indicated in the drug information be packaged into one packet bag for each dose.

[0038] The packaging request acquired by the packaging request acquisition unit 21 is stored in the storage unit 3 accessible by the packaging control system 2. The packaging request acquisition unit 21 may receive the packaging request from a higher-level system, or may accept input of the packaging request from a user (e.g., a pharmacist) via the input device 5.

[0039] The configuration acquisition unit 22 acquires packaging machine configuration data indicating the configuration of each of the multiple packaging machines 10-1, 10-2. The packaging machine configuration data is stored, for example, in the memory unit 3. The packaging machine configuration data includes the number of cassettes that can be used in each of the multiple packaging machines 10-1, 10-2, which automatically dispense a specified amount of medicine. Here, the number of usable cassettes is the number of cassettes that can actually be used in the packaging machine. For example, the number of usable cassettes is the number of cassettes that can be attached to and driven in the packaging machine, such as the number of cassette motor bases (an example of a cassette drive unit) provided in the packaging machine. The packaging machine configuration data may include data regarding the configuration of the packaging machine in addition to the number of usable cassettes. The configuration acquisition unit 22 may acquire the packaging machine configuration data from each packaging machine, or the packaging machine configuration data may be stored in advance in the memory unit 3.

[0040] The packaging machine configuration data may include the number of cassettes of multiple types that can be used in each of packaging machines 10-1 and 10-2. For example, the packaging machine configuration data may include the number of registered medicine cassettes and the number of optional medicine cassettes in each packaging machine. The packaging machine configuration data may also include information indicating whether each packaging machine 10-1 and 10-2 has a powder medicine packaging function.

[0041] The packaging machine determination unit 23 determines a packaging machine (hereinafter referred to as a "destination packaging machine") that will package the medicines to be packaged, as indicated in the packaging request. The packaging machine determination unit 23 determines a destination packaging machine based on the number of medicines to be packaged, as indicated in the packaging request, and the number of cassettes available in each packaging machine, as indicated in the packaging machine configuration data. For example, the packaging machine determination unit 23 can determine a destination packaging machine so that the number of medicines dispensed in cassettes among the medicines to be packaged is maximized. As an example, the packaging machine determination unit 23 can determine, as the destination packaging machine, a packaging machine that accepts the fewest number of medicines to be packaged, which are manually dispensed one at a time. The packaging machine determination unit 23 may determine the number of medicines to be dispensed in cassettes of each packaging machine by comparing the number of medicines to be packaged with the number of cassettes available in each packaging machine.

[0042] In the example of FIG. 1, each of the multiple packaging machines 10-1 and 10-2 is equipped with a tablet cassette for dispensing tablets, but does not have a cassette for dispensing medicines other than tablets, such as powdered medicines. In this case, powdered medicines cannot be dispensed using a cassette, so the medicines that can be dispensed using a cassette are tablet medicines. In such a case, the packaging machine determination unit 23 may determine the destination packaging machine based on the number of tablet medicines among the medicines to be packaged and the number of cassettes available in each packaging machine. As a variant, if at least one of the multiple packaging machines has a powdered medicine cassette for dispensing powdered medicines, the destination packaging machine may be determined based on the number of tablet medicines and powdered medicines to be packaged, and the number of tablet cassettes and powder cassettes available in each packaging machine.

[0043] In the example of Figure 1, the multiple packaging machines 10-1, 10-2 include packaging machine 10-1 with a powder medicine packaging function and packaging machine 10-2 without this function. When the medicine to be packaged contains powder medicine, packaging machine determination unit 23 can determine packaging machine 10-1 with a powder medicine packaging function as the destination packaging machine. Furthermore, when the medicine to be packaged does not contain powder medicine but contains only tablets, packaging machine determination unit 23 may preferentially determine packaging machine 10-2 without a powder medicine packaging function as the destination packaging machine.

[0044] In the example of FIG. 1 , the multiple packaging machines 10-1 and 10-2 include a packaging machine 10-1 having registered medicine cassettes that dispense pre-registered medicines and optional medicine cassettes that dispense optional medicines. In this case, the packaging machine configuration data may include the number of optional medicine cassettes available for each packaging machine and registered medicine cassette information indicating the medicines registered in the registered medicine cassettes. Based on the packaging request and the packaging machine configuration data, the packaging machine determination unit 23 can identify medicines that can be dispensed in the registered medicine cassettes in each packaging machine among the medicines to be packaged. The packaging machine determination unit 23 may determine the destination packaging machine based on the number of medicines to be packaged, excluding medicines that can be dispensed in the registered medicine cassettes, and the number of optional medicine cassettes available in each packaging machine. For example, the packaging machine determination unit 23 may determine the destination packaging machine to be the one that minimizes the number of medicines that cannot be dispensed in either the registered medicine cassettes or the optional medicine cassettes among the packaged medicines.

[0045] The conditions used to determine the destination packaging machine are not limited to the number of drugs to be packaged and the number of cassettes available in each packaging machine. Other conditions may also be used in the determination. For example, among packaging machines that satisfy other conditions, a packaging machine that satisfies a cassette condition related to the number of cassettes available for the number of drugs to be packaged may be selected as the packaging machine to package the drugs. Alternatively, among packaging machines that satisfy the cassette condition, a packaging machine that satisfies the other conditions may be selected as the packaging machine to package the drugs. The above-mentioned predetermined condition may be, for example, that the number of drugs that cannot be dispensed by a cassette is minimized among the number of drugs to be packaged. Another condition may be, for example, that if the drugs to be packaged include powdered drugs, a packaging machine with a powdered drug packaging function may be selected as the destination packaging machine. Another condition may be, for example, that the number of drugs waiting to be packaged at each packaging machine does not exceed an upper limit. In this case, the upper limit of the number of drugs waiting to be packaged at each packaging machine may be included in the packaging machine configuration data.

[0046] The instruction unit 24 instructs the destination packaging machine determined by the packaging machine determination unit 23 to package the medicine indicated in the packaging request. The instruction unit 24 can supply the destination packaging machine with medicine information (e.g., prescription data) of the packaging request and instruct it to package.

[0047] The display control unit 25 displays information related to packaging control on the display 4. The display control unit 25 may display a list of packaging requests (e.g., prescription data) acquired by the packaging request acquisition unit 21. The list of packaging requests may display the packaging status of each packaging request (e.g., each prescription). The displayed packaging status may include information indicating the destination packaging machine. The display control unit 25 may also display a screen that accepts an instruction from the user to change the destination packaging machine of the packaging request. That is, the packaging control system 2 can accept an instruction to change the destination packaging machine from the user. In this case, the packaging machine determination unit 23 changes the destination packaging machine of the packaging request based on the user's instruction, and the instruction unit 24 can instruct the changed destination packaging machine to package the packaging request.

[0048] The display control unit 25 may also display information about the operating status of each of the multiple packing machines 10-1, 10-2. Furthermore, a screen for accepting user input for each packing machine may be displayed. That is, the packing control system 2 may have a user interface that enables user input and output regarding the packing operation of each of the multiple packing machines. For example, the display control unit 25 may display information about the packing of each packing machine and accept input of information about the medicine to be packed in each packing machine or operation input for the packing machine from the user.

[0049] The packaging control system 2 can be implemented by one or more computers. The computer has a processor and memory. The functional units of the packaging control system 2, namely the packaging request acquisition unit 21, configuration acquisition unit 22, packaging machine determination unit 23, and instruction unit 24, are realized by the computer executing a predetermined program. The computer that constitutes the packaging control system 2 may be a computer built into at least one of the multiple packaging machines, or a computer connected to the packaging machine.

[0050] (Example of packaging machine configuration) In the example shown in FIG. 1 , each of the multiple packaging machines 10-1 and 10-2 includes a dispensing unit 50, a packaging unit 60, and a control unit 80. The dispensing unit 50 dispenses one package of medicine to be packaged at a time. The packaging unit 60 sequentially seals the dispensed medicine into one packaging bag for each of the multiple packaging bags. The control unit 80 controls the packaging machine. The dispensing unit 50 and the packaging unit 60 are controlled by the control unit 80. The multiple packaging machines 10-1 and 10-2 have different configurations of the dispensing units 50. The dispensing unit 50 of the packaging machine 10-1 includes a tablet supply unit 51 including a registered medicine cassette 511 and an optional medicine cassette 512, a manual distribution unit 53, and a powdered medicine supply unit 52. The packaging machine 10-2 includes a tablet supply unit 51 including an optional medicine cassette 512 but not a registered medicine cassette, and a manual distribution unit 53. The packaging machine 10-2 does not have a function of packaging powdered medicine.

[0051] The dispensing section 50 of the packaging machine 10-1 has hoppers 54a to 54c, 56 and a medicine preparation section 55. The hoppers 54a, 54b, 54c guide the medicines dispensed from the manual dispensing unit 53, the powder medicine supply unit, and the tablet supply unit 51, respectively, to the medicine preparation section 55. The medicine preparation section 55 stores the medicines in packets. The medicines in packets held in the medicine preparation section 55 are supplied to the packaging section 60, one packet at a time, via the hopper 56. The medicine preparation section 55 may be provided with multiple compartments. For example, by rotating the medicine preparation section 55 with a mechanism (not shown), the medicines supplied from the tablet supply unit 51 and the manual dispensing unit 53 can be stored in the same compartment of the medicine preparation section 55.

[0052] The manual distribution unit 53 may have a manual distribution tray provided with a plurality of square-shaped recesses (masses (sometimes called cells)) for dispensing medicines corresponding to one packet. A mass shutter that opens and closes for each mass is provided on the bottom of each mass. The opening and closing of the mass shutter is controlled by the control unit 80. For example, a user manually distributes medicines into each mass one by one, and after inspection is completed, the mass shutters of each mass open one by one, and the medicines in the mass are dispensed one by one.

[0053] Powdered medicine supply unit 52 has a powdered medicine input section into which powdered medicine is input, and a powdered medicine dispensing section that dispenses the powdered medicine input into the powdered medicine input section one packet at a time. The powdered medicine dispensing section may be configured, for example, to spread the powdered medicine input into the powdered medicine input section evenly on a disk and scrape it out at a predetermined angle corresponding to a package unit (one package). Multiple sets of powdered medicine input sections and powdered medicine dispensing sections may be provided.

[0054] A registered medicine cassette and an optional medicine cassette (hereinafter, referred to as a "cassette" unless otherwise specified) are devices that store medicines and dispense a specified amount of medicine. The dispensing of medicines by the cassette is controlled, for example, by a control unit 80. The cassette may have a storage unit that stores medicines, a discharge path through which the medicines from the storage unit pass in unit amounts (one tablet at a time), a drive mechanism that moves at least a portion of the storage unit to move the medicines to the discharge path and discharge a specified amount (e.g., one packet's worth) of medicine from the discharge path, and a drive unit that supplies drive force to the drive mechanism. The drive unit may be, for example, a motor base including a motor that is a power source for the drive force and a transmission unit that transmits the drive force. The cassette is configured to be detachable from the packaging machine. The cassette's storage unit may be detachable, or the cassette's storage unit and drive unit may be detachable. If the cassette's storage unit is detachable and the drive unit is fixed to the packaging machine, the number of storage units may be greater than the number of drive units provided in the packaging machine. In this case, the number of drive units provided in the packaging machine corresponds to the number of usable cassettes.

[0055] The packaging unit 60 forms each sachet pouch by folding a strip of packaging paper and sealing a portion of the overlapping portion, and packages each packet of medicine supplied from the medicine preparation unit 55 into the sachet pouch. The packaging unit 60 includes a roll setting unit 61 that sets a roll of packaging paper, and a sealing unit 63 that seals the folded packaging paper. The packaging unit 60 may also include a printing unit (not shown) that prints on the packaging paper. The packaging unit 60 places one packet of medicine supplied from the hopper 56 of the medicine preparation unit 55 in the valley-shaped portion of the packaging paper that has been pulled out from the roll setting unit 61 and folded in half. The sealing unit 63 seals the portion of the packaging paper with the medicine placed in it, thereby forming a sachet pouch containing the medicine. The sealing unit 63 heats and welds a portion of the folded packaging paper. Sealing unit 63 can be, for example, a heater roller type in which the packaging paper is passed between a pair of heater rollers to seal it, or a pack type in which a heat mold is pressed against the packaging paper to seal it. A band-like group P of many consecutive packaging bags containing medicines is sent out of packaging machine 10-1.

[0056] The control unit 80 controls the operation of each part of the packaging machine. The control unit 80 is composed of one or more computers each having a processor and memory. The computer constituting the control unit 80 may be built into the packaging machine or may be a general-purpose computer connected to the packaging machine. The computer constituting the control unit 80 may constitute at least a part of the packaging control system 2. The control unit 80 may also be an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or DSP.

[0057] The optional medicine cassette 512, manual dispensing unit 53, medicine preparation section 55, packaging section 60, and control section 80 of the packaging machine 10-2 can be configured in the same manner as those of the packaging machine 10-1.

[0058] The configuration of the packaging machine is not limited to the above example. For example, the powder medicine supply unit may have a powder medicine cassette that automatically dispenses a specified amount of powder medicine. In this case, the packaging machine configuration data may include, for example, the availability of powder medicine cassettes in each packaging machine. The packaging machine determination unit 23 may determine the destination packaging machine based on the number of powder medicines among the medicines to be packaged and the number of available powder medicine cassettes in each packaging machine.

[0059] (Example of operation) Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the system shown in Fig. 1. In the example of Fig. 2, the packaging request acquisition unit 21 acquires, as an example, two packaging requests Rp1 and Rp2 (S1). The packaging requests Rp1 and Rp may be, for example, prescription data for medicines issued by a prescription computer system, which is a higher-level system. The two packaging requests Rp1 and Rp2 each include prescribed medicines and dosage instructions for each medicine.

[0060] The configuration acquisition unit 22 acquires packaging machine configuration data indicating the configuration of each of the packaging machines 10-1 and 10-2 (S2). The packaging machine configuration data is data indicating the configuration of each of multiple packaging machines to which packaging requests can be allocated. The packaging machine configuration data is stored in advance in the storage unit 3, for example. The packaging machine configuration data includes the number of cassettes that can be used in each of the packaging machines 10-1 and 10-2. Here, as an example, a case will be described in which the number of optional medicine cassettes that can be used in each of the packaging machines 10-1 and 10-2 is acquired as the packaging machine configuration data.

[0061] The packaging machine determination unit 23 determines the packaging machine to which packaging requests Rp1 and Rp2 are to be allocated based on the number of medicines to be packaged indicated in the packaging requests Rp1 and Rp2 (for example, 8 and 4) and the number of optional medicine cassettes available for use by packaging machines 10-1 and 10-2 indicated in the packaging machine configuration data (for example, 7 and 8) (S3). The packaging machine determination unit 23 compares the number of medicines to be packaged in each packaging request with the number of cassettes available for each packaging machine, and determines the packaging machine to which each packaging request is to be allocated so that the number of medicines that can be dispensed in optional medicine cassettes is the greatest among the medicines to be packaged. In this example, the number of medicines to be packaged in Rp1 is 8, and therefore packaging machine 10-2, which can use optional medicine cassettes in a number greater than or equal to 8 (8 units), is determined to be the packaging machine to which Rp1 is to be allocated. The number of medicines to be packaged for Rp2 is 7, and of the packaging machines 10-1 and 10-2 that can use 7 or more optional medicine cassettes, the packaging machine 10-1 with the fewest waiting medicines is selected as the destination packaging machine.

[0062] The instruction unit 24 instructs the packing machine 10-2, which was determined as the destination packing machine in S3, to pack the packing request Rp1, and instructs the packing machine 10-1 to pack the packing request Rp2 (S4). For example, the instruction unit 24 supplies the prescription data of the packing request Rp1 to the control unit 80 of the packing machine 10-2, and supplies the prescription data of the packing request Rp2 to the control unit 80 of the packing machine 10-1.

[0063] Under the control of the control unit 80, the packing machine 10-2 executes an operation (Op2-1) of placing the medicine to be packaged in the packing request Rp1 into an optional medicine cassette, and then starts packaging (Op2-2). The operation of placing the optional medicine in the cassette may include, for example, accepting input of medicine data to be loaded into the cassette, unlocking the cassette into which the input medicine data is loaded, accepting an operation to end the loading of the medicine into the cassette, and locking the cassette after accepting the operation to end the loading. In the packaging operation, under the control of the control unit 80 based on the packing request Rp1, the optional medicine cassette 512 dispenses the medicine one packet at a time (i.e., one dose at a time), and the packing unit 60 seals the dispensed medicine into a packing bag one packet at a time. By performing this operation for all doses indicated in the packing request Rp1 (prescription data), the packaging indicated in the packing request Rp1 is completed (Op2-3).

[0064] Similarly, the packing machine 10-1 executes an operation (Op1-1) of placing the medicine to be packed according to the packing request Rp2 into an optional medicine cassette, then starts packing (Op1-2), and then completes packing (Op1-3). Here, the packing operations of the packing machine 10-1 (Op1-1 to 3) and the packing operations of the packing machine 10-2 (Op2-1 to 3) can be executed in parallel.

[0065] In the example of Figure 2, for both packaging requests Rp1 and Rp2, all of the medicines to be packaged are automatically dispensed in optional medicine cassettes. This eliminates the need for the user to manually dispense medicines. This allows for efficient packaging of medicines.

[0066] (Screen display example) In the operation of FIG. 2 , the display control unit 25 of the packaging control system 2 may display information about the packaging request Rp1, the drug(s) in Rp1, and the packaging status on the display 4. For example, the display control unit 25 may display the destination packaging machine for each of the acquired packaging requests. For example, the destination packaging machine for each of the multiple packaging requests and the packaging status at the destination packaging machine may be displayed on a single screen. Alternatively, an input reception screen may be displayed that displays information about the packaging request assigned to one of the multiple packaging machines (e.g., prescribed drug(s), packaging status, etc.) and accepts user input related to packaging at this single packaging machine. The input reception screen of one packaging machine may display the packaging status of other packaging machines (e.g., assigned packaging requests (prescriptions), the number of packaging requests (prescriptions), or the number of remaining packages to be packaged). In this case, an operation to switch to the input reception screen of another packaging machine may be performed on the input reception screen of one packaging machine.

[0067] The display control unit 25 can display a screen that accepts a user's instruction to change the destination packaging machine for a packaging request for which a destination packaging machine has already been determined. For example, an input acceptance screen that accepts a user's operation input related to packaging by one packaging machine may accept an instruction input to allocate a packaging request assigned to this packaging machine to another packaging machine.

[0068] (Variations of packing machine determination) FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the packaging machine determination process in S3. In the process of FIG. 3, as an example, packaging machine 10-1 shown in FIG. 1 is set as the first packaging machine, and packaging machine 10-2 is set as the second packaging machine. In the example of FIG. 3, packaging machine determination unit 23 determines whether the medicine to be packaged indicated by the packaging request includes a powdered medicine (S11). The type of form of the medicine (e.g., powdered medicine, tablet, or liquid medicine) can be determined based on, for example, the medicine information in the packaging request or medicine data pre-stored in memory unit 3. The medicine information in the packaging request may include information indicating the type of form of the medicine to be packaged. Furthermore, medicine data indicating the type of form of the medicine may be pre-stored in memory unit 3. If the medicine to be packaged includes a powdered medicine (YES in S11), packaging machine determination unit 23 determines first packaging machine 10 having a powdered medicine packaging function as the destination packaging machine (S16). When there are multiple packaging machines with a powder medicine packaging function, the destination packaging machine may be determined from the multiple packaging machines with the powder medicine packaging function based on the number of waiting items for packaging at each packaging machine. For example, the destination packaging machine can be determined so that the number of waiting items for packaging at all packaging machines is approximately equal and so that the number of waiting items at each packaging machine does not exceed the upper limit set for each packaging machine.

[0069] If the medicines to be packaged do not include powdered medicines (NO in S11), the packaging machine determination unit 23 determines whether the medicines to be packaged include medicines to be manually dispensed (S12). The presence or absence of medicines to be manually dispensed may be determined, for example, by comparing the packaging configuration data with the medicines to be packaged. In other words, among the medicines to be packaged, medicines that are not registered in the registered medicine cassette of the packaging machine can be determined to be medicines to be manually dispensed.

[0070] In S12, as an example, the packaging machine determination unit 23 identifies, from among the medicines to be packaged, medicines registered in the registered medicine cassettes of each packaging machine. The packaging machine configuration data may include information indicating the medicines registered in the registered medicine cassettes of each packaging machine. Using the packaging configuration data, it can be determined whether the medicines to be packaged are medicines registered in the registered medicine cassette of the first packaging machine. The packaging machine determination unit 23 determines the number nY of medicines to be packaged excluding medicines registered in the registered medicine cassette of the first packaging machine. If nY>0, it is determined in S12 that manual distribution has occurred. Note that if nY=0 and it is determined that no manual distribution has occurred, the first packaging machine is determined to be the destination packaging machine (S16).

[0071] The packaging machine determination unit 23 determines whether or not the first packaging machine has optional medicine cassettes (S13). For example, if the number of available optional medicine cassettes for the first packaging machine in the packaging machine configuration data is greater than 0, it is determined that the first packaging machine has optional medicine cassettes. If the number of available optional medicine cassettes for the first packaging machine in the packaging machine configuration data is 0, it is determined that the first packaging machine does not have optional medicine cassettes.

[0072] If the answer to S13 is NO, meaning that the first packaging machine does not have any optional medicine cassettes, the packaging machine determination unit 23 determines the second packaging machine as the destination packaging machine (S17).If the answer to S13 is YES, the packaging machine determination unit 23 compares the number of optional medicine cassettes nUC of each packaging machine in the packaging machine configuration data with the number of medicines nY (S14).

[0073] If the second packaging machine is the only packaging machine that can use a number of optional medicine cassettes equal to or greater than the number nY of medicines (nY≦the number of optional medicine cassettes that can be used nUC), the packaging machine determination unit 23 determines the second packaging machine as the destination packaging machine (S17). If there are multiple packaging machines that satisfy nY≦nUC, that is, if both the first packaging machine and the second packaging machine satisfy nY≦nUC, the destination packaging machine is determined from among the multiple packaging machines based on the number of packages waiting to be packaged at each packaging machine (S15). As an example, if the number of packages waiting to be packaged at the first packaging machine is less than the number of packages waiting to be packaged at the second packaging machine (YES in S15), the first packaging machine is determined as the destination packaging machine. If the result in S15 is NO, the second packaging machine is determined as the destination packaging machine.

[0074] If it is determined in S14 that there is no packaging machine that can use more than the number nY of optional medicine cassettes (nY≦nUC), the packaging machine determination unit 23 may determine the packaging machine that can use the largest number of optional medicine cassettes as the destination packaging machine.If there are multiple packaging machines that can use the largest number of optional medicine cassettes, the destination packaging machine may be determined from among the multiple packaging machines based on the number of packaging queues at each packaging machine.

[0075] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of conditions for determining a destination packaging machine in the packaging machine determination process. The flowchart shown in Fig. 3 shows an example of determining a destination packaging machine using the conditions of Fig. 4. In the example shown in Fig. 4, when the medicines to be packaged are only tablets, the packaging machine determination unit 23 preferentially determines a packaging machine that does not have a powder medicine packaging function as the destination packaging machine. For example, when there are multiple packaging machines for which it is determined in S14 of Fig. 3 that the number of medicines nY is less than or equal to the usable number nUC of optional medicine cassettes, a packaging machine that does not have a powder medicine packaging function may be determined as the destination packaging machine.

[0076] The packing machine determination process and the conditions used in the packing machine determination process are not limited to the examples shown in Figures 3 and 4. For example, other conditions may be added in addition to the conditions shown in Figure 4. Also, some of the conditions shown in Figure 4 may be omitted. The priority order of the conditions shown in Figure 4 may be changed.

[0077] (Example of packaging machine operation) (Example of drug preparation operation) Fig. 5 shows a flowchart and example screens illustrating an example of an operation for accepting input of medicines (medicine preparation operation) by a user for packaging of one packaging request by a packaging machine. In the example of Fig. 5, the packaging machine displays a list of medicines included in one packaging request (e.g., one prescription), i.e., medicines to be packaged (S21). Screen G1 is an example screen of the displayed medicine list.

[0078] On screen G1, each line (each record) of the displayed list of medicines includes the name of the medicine, the amount of medicine dispensed (for example, the manual dispensing unit amount or the total amount of medicine dispensed from the cassette: "number of tablets"), the medicine dispensing destination (information indicating whether it is a cassette or a manual dispensing unit: "UC"), and the dispensing status (information indicating whether it has been dispensed: "completed"). In the example of FIG. 5, a line of the list is displayed for each amount or destination of each medicine. In other words, if there are multiple amounts (unit amounts) or destinations for the same medicine, multiple lines (records) for the same medicine are displayed. For example, the display unit of the medicine list may be each unit amount of medicine dispensed.

[0079] In screen G1 of FIG. 5, the first line of Tablet A indicates that the destination is UC with a "○" in the UC column, and the column for the number of tablets indicating the amount to be dispensed displays either a hyphen or "6," the total number of tablets to be dispensed from the cassette. The second line of Tablet A indicates that the destination is the manual dispensing unit with a hyphen in the UC column, and the dispensing unit amount (e.g., the amount of medicine to be dispensed per square) of "0.5" is displayed in the column for the number of tablets. This indicates that half a tablet should be dispensed into each square of the manual dispensing unit. Screen G1 shows, as an example, a prescription for three tablets of Tablet A in the morning, 1.5 tablets in the afternoon, and two tablets in the evening. In this case, three tablets of Tablet A in the morning, 1.5 tablets in the afternoon, and two tablets in the evening are packaged separately. The user dispenses six or more tablets of Tablet A into the cassette and dispenses 0.5 tablets of Tablet A into each square of the manual dispensing unit. Three tablets in the morning, one tablet in the afternoon, and one tablet in the evening are automatically dispensed from the cassette, and 0.5 tablets in the afternoon are dispensed from the manual dispensing unit. In this way, the medicine list can display the same medicine in multiple rows according to the dispensing destination or dispensing unit amount. This allows the user to accurately instruct the operation of dispensing medicine into the cassette or manual dispensing unit.

[0080] Screen G1-2 is a modified example of screen G1, and is a display example when 0.5 tablets of tablet A are dispensed into a cassette. In the example of Figure G1-2, the second row of tablet A indicates that the destination is a cassette (UC) by an "H" in the UC column. Furthermore, "H" indicates that the unit amount of tablet A to be dispensed into the cassette is not an integer tablet but a fractional tablet (in this example, a half tablet). In this example, the type of cassette to be dispensed is distinguished by "◯" and "H". Here, cassettes that dispense integer tablets and cassettes that dispense fractional tablets (half tablets) are distinguished. Furthermore, as the type of cassette that dispenses half tablets, old-type cassettes and new-type cassettes may be further distinguished and displayed, for example, old-type = "H1" and new-type = "H2". Examples of new-type cassettes and old-type cassettes will be described later. "0.5" in the "Tablet" column indicates that the unit amount of tablet A dispensed from the cassette is half a tablet. That is, the second line of tablet A indicates that half a tablet of tablet A should be placed in the cassette.

[0081] As a modified example, when the unit amounts of the same tablet to be dispensed into one square of the manual dispensing unit are different, separate lines can be displayed for each unit amount. For example, when 1.5 tablets of tablet A are to be packaged in one packet for lunch, a line indicating that one tablet of tablet A is to be dispensed and a line indicating that 0.5 tablets (half a tablet) of tablet A are to be dispensed may be displayed. As another example, when one tablet of tablet A is to be packaged in the morning and two tablets of tablet A in the afternoon, a line indicating that one tablet of tablet A is to be dispensed manually and a line indicating that two tablets of tablet A are to be dispensed manually may be displayed.

[0082] Whether the input destination is a cassette or a manual distribution unit may be determined based on whether size information is present in the master information of the medicine. For example, if size information is present in the master information of the medicine, a cassette that can dispense that size can be determined as the input destination. For example, if size information is not present in the master information of the medicine, the input destination of the medicine can be determined as the manual distribution unit.

[0083] The packaging machine displays the operation screen for the Nth row (N is an integer such as 1, 2, ...) of the drug list (S22). Screen G2 is the operation screen when the insertion destination is a cassette (when UC = 0 in the display list). Screen G2 includes an image showing the position of the insertion destination cassette, a button ("Done") for accepting input of the patient, drug name, single dose, total dose, and insertion completion, a "Start" button to receive instructions to start packaging, and a form for accepting input of drug information. Screen G2 shows that Drug A is to be inserted into cassette "8" in 2.5 tablet increments, for a total of 20 tablets.

[0084] If the destination of the medicine in the Nth row is a cassette (if cassette is selected in S23), the packaging machine turns on the lamp of the cassette. This allows the user to accurately identify the destination cassette. The lamp may be, for example, an LED provided on the cassette or a lamp displayed on a display provided on the cassette. The packaging machine may also turn on the lamp on the cassette in a predetermined blinking pattern. The packaging machine may display an object (e.g., an object with the same shape as the lamp, or the letters of the medicine name) in the same color or with the same blinking pattern as the lamp on the cassette on an operation screen (e.g., screen G2) that instructs the user to insert medicines into the cassette. In this way, by matching the appearance of the lamp on the operation screen and the cassette, the user can easily recognize which medicine is assigned to which cassette. As a result, filling errors are reduced. Furthermore, when the user removes a cassette from the packaging machine, the medicine assigned to that cassette may be highlighted on the operation screen.

[0085] If the drug destination for the Nth line is a cassette (if cassette is selected in S23), the packaging machine may turn on a lamp for the cassette that is determined based on the frequency of use of the drive unit. For example, when the drug destination is a cassette, the packaging machine may have an allocation unit that allocates the drug to one of multiple cassettes that can be used by the packaging machine. The allocation unit may be, for example, a part of the control unit 80. The allocation unit can determine the cassette to which the drug is to be placed by allocating the drug to the cassette. For example, the allocation unit can allocate the drug to the cassette based on the frequency of use of the drive unit of each cassette stored in the memory unit of the packaging machine. For example, the allocation unit can allocate the drug to the cassette so that the drive unit is used in order of least frequent use.

[0086] If the medicine is to be inserted into a cassette, the packaging machine executes the steps of accepting input of medicine information (S25) and accepting completion of medicine insertion (S26) on the operation screen. The user can input the medicine information, for example, by having a code reader provided in the packaging machine read the code on the medicine packaging. Alternatively, the input of the medicine information may be accepted in a form on the operation screen. Furthermore, on the condition that the medicine information has been input, the lock of the cassette into which the medicine is to be inserted may be released, allowing the user to remove the cassette. After the user inserts the medicine into the cassette and installs the cassette in the packaging machine, the user presses the "Done" button on the operation screen. This accepts input from the user on the operation screen indicating that the medicine insertion has been completed.

[0087] If the destination of the drug on the Nth row is a manual dispensing unit (manual dispensing in S23), the packaging machine turns on the lamp of the square in the manual dispensing tray where the drug should be dispensed (S27). Screen G3 is an operation screen when the destination is a manual dispensing unit (UC = blank in the display list). Screen G3 includes an image showing the destination squares and the number of tablets to be dispensed into each square, the patient, drug name, single dose, total dose, a button ("Done") for accepting input when dispensing is complete, and a "Start" button for accepting instructions to start dispensing. Screen G3 shows that Drug A is to be dispensed one tablet at a time into the squares indicated by red, blue, and green. After dispensing the drug into the squares of the manual dispensing unit, the user presses the "Done" button on the operation screen. This allows the operation screen to accept input from the user indicating that drug dispensing is complete (S28).

[0088] The packaging machine sequentially displays an operation screen for each row (each record) of the medicine list displayed in S21 (S22). If the input destination is a manual distribution unit, a lamp in the input destination box corresponding to the operation screen for each row lights up. If the input unit amounts of the same medicine are different, the medicine list displays a row (record, item) for each input unit amount. Therefore, an operation screen is displayed for each input unit amount, and a lamp in the box for each input unit amount lights up. For example, in the case of a prescription to take two tablets of tablet A in the morning and one tablet in the afternoon, rows in the medicine list are displayed for the input unit amounts of two tablets and one tablet of tablet A. If the user selects the row for tablet A, 2 tablets, an operation screen for inputting tablet A, 2 tablets is displayed, and a lamp in the input destination box for tablet A, 2 tablets lights up. Next, if the user selects the row for tablet A, 1 tablet, an operation screen for inputting tablet A, 1 tablet is displayed, and a lamp in the input destination box for tablet A, 1 tablet is displayed. In this way, when the single dose (unit amount of dispensing) of the same medicine is different, the medicine list will display each unit amount of dispensing, and a lamp indicating the square where the medicine should be dispensed manually can be lit for each unit amount of dispensing. This allows for more precise instructions on manual dispensing by lighting up the square lamp. As a result, dispensing errors are less likely to occur.

[0089] The packaging machine repeatedly executes the process of accepting the drug addition for each row from S22 to S28 until the drug addition for all rows in the drug list has been completed. When the drug addition for all rows has been completed, the "Start" button on the operation screen becomes pressable. When the user presses the "Start" button, the packaging machine begins packaging (S30).

[0090] In the example of Figure 5, a list of drugs for one prescription assigned to the packaging machine is displayed, and a screen is displayed instructing the user to load each drug in one prescription into a cassette or manual tray. The user selects a drug displayed on the screen, has the code reader read the code of the drug to be loaded, and loads the drug into a cassette. The packaging machine verifies whether the drug indicated by the read code, i.e., the drug loaded by the user, matches the drug assigned to the cassette.

[0091] The packaging machine can receive multiple prescriptions (packaging requests) and allocate drugs for multiple prescriptions to cassettes. That is, drugs for the second and subsequent prescriptions may be allocated to cassettes in advance. When drugs for multiple prescriptions are allocated to cassettes, the user may want to perform a check on drugs for prescriptions other than the one displayed on the screen.

[0092] Therefore, a button (e.g., a "pre-cassette matching button") for matching drugs with other prescriptions can be placed on a screen displaying drugs for one prescription. When this button is pressed, drugs for other prescriptions assigned to cassettes are displayed in a selectable manner. When a drug is selected, a screen (e.g., screen G2 in FIG. 5) is displayed that displays the cassette to which the drug is assigned and accepts input of drug information. This allows the user to insert the drug and input drug information. Drug information is input, for example, by the user having a code reader read the drug code or by inputting information in an input field. The input drug information (e.g., lot information, expiration date, etc.) is recorded in the packaging machine. The recorded drug information is used, for example, to print on the drug package when packaging.

[0093] In this way, by providing a user interface that enables checking and loading of drugs already assigned to cassettes other than those displayed on the screen, the user can prepare the drugs assigned to the cassettes in advance, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0094] (Example of packaging operation) Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the packaging machine from the start of packaging to the end of packaging. In the example of Fig. 6, the control unit 80 of the packaging machine acquires medicine information for the nth package (S31). Based on the packaging request (prescription data), the medicine in each package can be identified, with one dose of medicine being one package. The control unit 80 determines the dispensing unit (e.g., cassette or manual distribution unit) assigned to each of the nth packages of medicine.

[0095] If the nth package of medicine has medicine to be dispensed from the cassette (YES in S32), the control unit 80 instructs the cassette of the corresponding medicine to dispense one package of medicine. This causes the medicine to be dispensed from the cassette (S33). If there is no shortage of medicine in the cassette and the specified amount of medicine has been dispensed from the cassette (NO in S34), the control unit 80 executes a process to dispense medicine from the manual distribution unit. An example of the process when the cassette is out of medicine (YES in S34) will be described later.

[0096] If the nth package contains a manually dispensed medicine (YES in S35), the control unit 80 instructs the manual distribution unit to open the bottom of the box corresponding to the nth package on the manual distribution tray, thereby dispensing one package of medicine placed in the box (S36).

[0097] The medicine dispensed from the cassette in S33 and the medicine dispensed from the compartment of the manual distribution tray in S36 are stored in one chamber of the medicine preparation unit 55. The control unit 80 instructs the medicine preparation unit 55 to open the discharge port of this one chamber. As a result, the nth packet of medicine stored in one chamber is supplied to the packaging unit 60 through the hopper 56 (S37). The packaging unit 60 seals the packaging paper containing the supplied nth packet of medicine, thereby enclosing the nth packet of medicine in one packaging bag (S58). The above-mentioned operation of dispensing the nth packet of medicine and enclosing it in a packaging bag is repeated for all doses specified in the packaging request (prescription data) (until YES is returned in S39).

[0098] If the answer is YES in S34, that is, if the cassette is out of stock of medicine, the control unit 80 displays an error screen indicating the out-of-stock condition on the display 4. The control unit 80 receives an instruction from the user to resume medicine dispensing, cancel medicine dispensing (packaging), or skip the missing medicine and continue dispensing (S41). For example, buttons for accepting resume, cancel, and skip are displayed on the error screen. When the user replenishes the missing medicine in the cassette and presses the resume button (if resume in S41), dispensing resumes. In this case, the medicine that could not be dispensed in S33 due to the out-of-stock condition is dispensed. If the user instructs cancel (if cancel in S41), the control unit 80 interrupts the dispensing process and terminates the packaging operation related to the packaging request.

[0099] When the user instructs skipping (Skip in S41), the control unit 80 accepts the designation of the medicine to be skipped (S43) and stores the designated medicine in the memory unit 3 as the medicine to be skipped. In subsequent processing, the control unit 80 skips dispensing of the medicine stored as the medicine to be skipped from the cassette. This makes it possible to skip dispensing of the medicine when the cassette runs out of medicine and continue dispensing and packaging of other medicines. Therefore, for example, even if there is no stock of medicine to replenish the cassette, it is possible to package other medicines in place of the medicine that is out of stock without canceling the packaging operation related to the packaging request.

[0100] In the example of Fig. 5, if a shortage of a medicine to be dispensed from a cassette is detected during the packaging operation of the packaging machine, the user can instruct the packaging machine to skip the missing medicine and continue the packaging operation. As a variation, the packaging machine may receive from the user, before starting the packaging operation, a designation of the missing medicine and an instruction to skip the missing medicine and perform packaging. In this case, the packaging machine performs the packaging operation while skipping the missing medicine designated by the user.

[0101] For example, the packaging machine displays a list of medicines to be packaged before packaging in a manner that allows the user to select out-of-stock medicines. If the out-of-stock medicine selected by the user is assigned to a cassette, the packaging machine accepts an input as to whether or not to skip packaging containing the out-of-stock medicine before starting packaging. For example, a skip out-of-stock button is displayed on the function buttons. The user can instruct the machine to skip out-of-stock medicines before starting packaging by pressing the skip out-of-stock button.

[0102] (Example of allocation of medicines to be packaged to cassettes and manual dispensing units) FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for allocating medicines to be packaged to registered medicine cassettes, optional medicine cassettes, and manual preparation units. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing examples of first to third conditions in the process shown in FIG. 7, and an example of allocation of medicines to be packaged to optional medicine cassettes and manual preparation units. The process in FIG. 7 is a process for determining whether each of multiple medicines to be packaged indicated in a packaging request will be dispensed from a registered medicine cassette or optional medicine cassette. Hereinafter, determining that a certain medicine will be dispensed from a certain cassette or manual preparation unit will be referred to as allocating the medicine to that cassette or manual preparation unit. The process in FIG. 7 can be executed by a packaging control system or a computer in a packaging machine. Here, it will be described as processing by a control unit 80 as an example.

[0103] The control unit 80 acquires information about the medicine to be packaged and packaging machine configuration data (S51). For example, medicine information included in the packaging request is acquired. The packaging machine configuration data is data indicating the configuration of the packaging machine that is scheduled to package the medicine for the packaging request. As an example, the packaging machine configuration data includes registered medicine cassette information indicating registered medicine cassettes that can dispense pre-registered medicines, and the number of available optional medicine cassettes that can dispense any medicine.

[0104] Using the registered drug cassette information, the control unit 80 identifies drugs among the drugs to be sub-packed that can be dispensed from the registered drug cassette. For drugs among the drugs to be sub-packed that can be dispensed from the registered drug cassette, the control unit 80 assigns them to the registered drug cassette (S52).

[0105] The control unit 80 determines the number nY of drugs other than the drugs registered in the registered drug cassette (drugs assigned to the registered drug cassette) among the drugs to be sub-packed (S53). Also, the control unit 80 acquires the available number nUC of the optional drug cassette included in the sub-packaging configuration data (S54).

[0106] If the available number nUC of the optional drug cassette is less than the number nY of drugs other than the drugs assigned to the registered drug cassette among the drugs to be sub-packed (nUC < nY, YES in S55), in the subsequent processes S57 to S62, it is determined which of the nY drugs will be assigned to the optional drug cassette. If nUC ≥ nY, all nY drugs will be assigned to the optional drug cassette (S56).

[0107] In S57, the control unit 80 determines whether each of the nY drugs satisfies the first condition. The first condition may be, for example, a condition regarding the size of the drug and the number per pack. As an example, the first condition can be that the size (length × width × height) of the drug (tablet) is not less than the threshold Th1 and the number of tablets per pack is not less than the threshold Th2 (see FIG. 8). By setting the first condition in this way, drugs with a large size and a large number of tablets can be preferentially assigned to the optional drug cassette. Note that the value of the size of the drug may be a value based on at least one of the length, width, and height of the drug, or a value based on the mass of the drug or the occupancy rate with respect to the drug package, etc. Let the number of drugs determined to satisfy the first condition among the nY drugs be nC1.

[0108] When the number nC1 of drugs satisfying the first condition is greater than the available number nUC of an arbitrary drug cassette (NO in S58, nC1 > nUC), among the drugs satisfying the first condition, nUC drugs satisfying the second condition are assigned to the arbitrary drug cassette. The second condition may be, for example, in descending order of the number of tablets per pack (see Fig. 8). In this case, the top nUC drugs in descending order of the number of tablets per pack are assigned to the arbitrary drug cassette. Thereby, drugs with a larger number of tablets per pack are preferentially assigned to the arbitrary drug cassette.

[0109] When the number nC1 of drugs satisfying the first condition is less than or equal to the available number nUC of an arbitrary drug cassette (YES in S58, nC1 ≤ nUC), nC1 drugs satisfying the first condition are assigned to the arbitrary drug cassette (S60). Further, when nC1 < nUC (YES in S61), (nUC - nC1) drugs satisfying the third condition among the drugs not satisfying the first condition are assigned to the arbitrary drug cassette (S62). The third condition may be, for example, in descending order of the total number of tablets (see Fig. 8). In this case, the top (nUC - nC1) drugs in descending order of the total number of tablets are assigned to the arbitrary drug cassette. Thereby, drugs with a larger total number of tablets are preferentially assigned to the arbitrary drug cassette.

[0110] In S57 to S62, the remaining (nY - UC) drugs not assigned to the arbitrary drug cassette are assigned to the manual dispensing unit (S63). By the process shown in Fig. 7, when the drugs to be subpackaged, excluding the drugs that can be dispensed from the registered drug cassette, exceed the available number of the arbitrary drug cassette, appropriate drugs can be preferentially assigned to the arbitrary drug cassette from the viewpoint of subpackaging efficiency.

[0111] For example, as shown in the example conditions in FIG. 8, by including at least one of the size of the medicine, the number of tablets per packet, and the total number of tablets in the conditions for determining the medicine to be assigned to the optional medicine cassette, it is possible to prioritize medicines that are not suitable for manual distribution and assign them to the optional medicine cassette. For example, if the size of the medicine is large, it may not be possible to fit one packet of medicine into the manual distribution tray in one manual distribution. In this case, for example, it may be necessary to open and close the mass shutter multiple times. By dispensing such medicines that are not suitable for manual distribution using the optional medicine cassette, time-consuming manual distribution work is reduced, allowing for efficient packaging. Note that the conditions for determining the medicine to be assigned to the cassette are not limited to the above example.

[0112] The conditions for determining which drugs to allocate to a cassette may include the relationship between the total amount of drugs to be added and the capacity of the cassette. For example, when the same drug (one type of drug) contained in multiple prescriptions (multiple packaging requests) is added to a cassette in a single operation, the total amount of drugs to be added may exceed the capacity of the cassette. Therefore, the above conditions may include that the total amount of drugs to be added does not exceed the capacity of the cassette. As a specific example, whether or not to allocate the drug to a cassette may be determined based on the results of comparing the total amount of the same drug present across multiple prescriptions with the cassette capacity.

[0113] As an example, when the total amount of medicines to be added exceeds the capacity of the cassette, the control unit 80 of the packaging machine may allow the user to select at least two of the following: (1) allocate all of the medicines to the manual distribution tray, (2) allocate the amount exceeding the capacity to the manual distribution tray, or (3) output an error indicating that the amount exceeding the capacity is out of stock during packaging and have the user add additional medicines (additional replenishment). Alternatively, when the total amount of medicines to be added exceeds the capacity of the cassette, the control unit 80 may execute any of the processes (1) to (3) above.

[0114] The control unit 80 can determine whether the total amount of medicine exceeds the capacity of the cassette by comparing the total amount of medicine to be inserted indicated in the packaging request (prescription information) with the predetermined capacity of the cassette. The total amount of medicine may be, for example, the total volume obtained by multiplying the total number of medicine tablets indicated in the prescription by the volume per medicine tablet. The volume per medicine tablet is included, for example, in the medicine master. The capacity of the cassette may be set for each medicine. For example, the cassette capacity may be set in the medicine master for each medicine.

[0115] The conditions for determining which medicines to assign to cassettes may include the color of the medicines to be dispensed. For example, the medicines to be assigned to the optional medicine cassette may be determined so that the combination of medicines of different types but the same color is minimized among the medicines assigned to the manual dispensing unit. For example, when multiple medicines are assigned to both the optional medicine cassette and the manual dispensing unit, the control unit 80 can determine which medicines to assign to the optional medicine cassette and the manual dispensing unit so that the number of medicines of different types but the same color is minimized among the medicines assigned to the manual dispensing unit. As an example, if four types of medicines (red, red, white, white) are placed in one packet (or one square), one red and one white medicine can be assigned to the optional medicine cassette, and one red and one white medicine can be assigned to the manual dispensing unit. This makes it easier for the user to check the medicines dispensed into the same square of the manual dispensing unit. For example, when the user visually distinguishes medicines when dispensing or after dispensing, the difference in color makes it easier to distinguish between medicines. This improves the ease of dispensing multiple medicines manually.

[0116] Furthermore, for example, the conditions for determining the priority of drugs to be assigned to a cassette may include at least two of the drug's color, shape, size, and text information engraved or printed on the drug. In this case, drugs to be assigned to a given drug cassette may be determined so as to reduce the number of drugs in the manual dispensing unit that have different drug types but the same shape, size, color, and text information. This allows the user to easily distinguish drugs during manual dispensing based on at least two of differences in color, shape, size, and text information engraved or printed on the drug. The drug's color, shape, size, and text information engraved or printed on the drug can be obtained, for example, from drug master information. By comparing the color, shape, size, or text information contained in the master information for each of two or more drugs, it is possible to determine whether the color, shape, size, or text information of two or more drugs are the same. The control unit 80, for example, calculates a score (e.g., Levenshtein distance, likelihood, etc.) indicating the similarity of the color, shape, size, or text information of two or more drugs, and performs the above-mentioned determination based on the score. When at least two or more of the color, shape, size, and text information of a drug are used as allocation conditions, a priority (e.g., weighting) may be preset for each of the two or more conditions. Alternatively, allocation may be determined so as to minimize the total number of drug combinations in which the two or more conditions are the same.

[0117] The control unit 80 may execute a process to assign the medicine stored in the cassette to a cassette and / or a manual preparation unit based on the expiration date of the medicine and the time (e.g., the date of administration) of the medicine. This allows the user to dispense the medicine according to the expiration date without waste. For example, if the time to administer the medicine to be packaged includes a time after the expiration date of the medicine stored in the registered medicine cassette in which the medicine is registered, the control unit 80 can assign the medicine with a time before the expiration date to the registered medicine cassette, and assign the medicine with a time after the expiration date to the manual preparation unit or optional medicine cassette instead of the registered medicine cassette. This allows the manual preparation unit or optional medicine cassette to be assigned a medicine with a new expiration date, i.e., a medicine with an expiration date that includes the prescribed time. Alternatively, in this case, the control unit 80 may receive a user's selection of whether to fill the registered medicine cassette with a new medicine or to assign the medicine with a time after the expiration date to the manual preparation unit or optional medicine cassette.

[0118] To accurately manage expiration dates, it is necessary to refill a cassette after it runs out of medicine. If additional medicine is refilled into a cassette when there is still medicine remaining in the cassette, medicines with different expiration dates may be mixed together. If a cassette contains medicine that is close to expiring, discarding the medicine in the cassette and refilling it with new medicine results in medicine waste. If a user waits for the medicine in the cassette to run out, refilling work may occur during busy hours. Therefore, as described above, by determining the allocation of medicine to cassettes and / or manual distribution units based on the expiration date and dosage period of the medicine in the cassette, medicine can be used efficiently and without waste. The expiration date of the medicine in the cassette may be input by, for example, having a code reader read the information of the medicine to be refilled by the user. The dosage period of the medicine may be obtained from prescription data.

[0119] (Example of heater roller control) FIG. 9 shows an example of the configuration of the sealing unit 63 of the packaging unit 60 of the packaging machine. FIG. 9(a) is a perspective view of the rollers of the sealing unit 63, and FIGS. 9(b) and 9(c) are views from the direction of the rotation axis x. In the example of FIG. 9(a), the sealing unit 63 includes a pair of vertical rollers 631 and a pair of horizontal rollers 632. The vertical rollers include a heater 631h at a portion around the rotation axis x. The horizontal rollers 632 include a heater around the entire circumference around the rotation axis x. The vertical rollers 631 and the horizontal rollers 632 rotate around the same axis. The pairs of rollers in each of the vertical rollers 631 and the horizontal rollers 632 rotate in opposite directions. The packaging paper P1 passes between the pair of rollers. The pair of rollers sandwich the packaging paper P1 and thermally seal it. The horizontal rollers 632 feed the packaging paper P1 in a fixed direction while forming a horizontal seal that extends parallel to the feeding direction of the packaging paper P1. The vertical roller 631 forms a vertical seal that extends in a direction intersecting the feeding direction F1 of the packaging paper P1.

[0120] As shown in FIG. 9(b), vertical rollers 631 are provided with heaters 631h on the outer periphery of a cross section perpendicular to rotation axis x. When vertical rollers 631 are in the reference position (home position) shown in FIG. 9(b), heaters 631h of the pair of vertical rollers 631 are spaced apart from each other. As shown in FIG. 9(c), when the pair of vertical rollers 631 rotate a predetermined angle (e.g., 90 degrees) in opposite directions from the reference position, heaters 631h of the pair of vertical rollers 631 contact and heat-seal the packaging paper P1. For example, during the period when horizontal rollers 632 are rotated to feed the packaging paper and form horizontal seals, vertical rollers 631 can contact the packaging paper every time they rotate a predetermined angle (e.g., 180 degrees) to form vertical seals at predetermined intervals. The rotational speeds of horizontal rollers 362 and vertical rollers 361 may be controlled independently.

[0121] The packaging machine may be configured so that a user can input an instruction to set vertical roller 631 to a reference position (fixed position). That is, when a user performs a predetermined operation to set vertical roller 631 in the fixed position, vertical roller 631 may be controlled to be set to the reference position (fixed position). For example, the packaging machine may have an operator such as a button that a user uses to instruct rotation of vertical roller 631. When a user performs a predetermined operation to set vertical roller 631 using the operator to instruct rotation of vertical roller 631, vertical roller 631 may be controlled to rotate to the fixed position. The fixed position operation may be, for example, pressing the rotation button twice. This allows the user to arbitrarily set vertical roller 631 in the fixed position. Therefore, for example, it is less likely that the roller will be left in an indefinite position due to the user's operation to set the fixed position, causing packaging paper to burn.

[0122] (Example of rolling up a sachet) The packaging machine may include a winding machine that winds up the sachets containing the medicine. The winding machine may include, for example, a rotating shaft on which the end of the sachet can be hooked, and a drive unit that rotates the rotating shaft. The drive unit rotates the rotating shaft on which the leading end of the sachet is hooked, thereby winding the sachet onto the rotating shaft. An adhesive tape is attached to the end of the wound sachet. The adhesive tape secures the end of the sachet in the wound state, i.e., the rolled sachet. This allows the sachet to maintain its rolled shape.

[0123] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of a sachet wound by a winder. In the example shown in FIG. 10(a), the adhesive tape at the end of the sachet is attached near the center of the width of the sachet. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10(b), when the adhesive tape is peeled off, the characters (printing) printed near the center of the width of the sachet to which the adhesive tape is attached may be peeled off or rubbed off along with the adhesive tape. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10(c), the adhesive tape can be attached to a position closer to one end of the width of the sachet at the end of the sachet. This allows the adhesive tape to be attached to a position that avoids the printed area at the center of the sachet. As a result, when the adhesive tape is peeled off, the printing does not peel off or rub off along with the adhesive tape, as shown in FIG. 10(d). In other words, peeling or rubbing of the printing caused by the adhesive tape is suppressed.

[0124] Figure 11 is a perspective view showing an example configuration of the packaging machine 10-2 shown in Figure 1. In Figure 11, a portion of the packaging machine is shown exploded. In the example of Figure 11, a plurality of optional medicine cassettes 512 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, and multiple tiers 512A, 512B are arranged in the vertical direction. A display unit 512a is provided on the front of each optional medicine cassette 512.

[0125] The packaging machine 10-2 includes a medicine passage member 57 that forms part of a passageway from each of the multiple optional medicine cassettes 512 arranged in multiple stages to the packaging unit 60. The medicine passage member 57 is provided below the optional medicine cassettes 512. The medicine passage member 57 forms a passageway, for example, between the cassette and the hopper 54c. The medicine passage member 57 has a medicine inlet at its upper portion and a medicine outlet at its lower portion. The medicine passage member 57 has a shape that narrows in width from its upper portion to its lower portion. The upper portion of the medicine passage member 57 extends horizontally to cover all of the multiple optional medicine cassettes 512 arranged horizontally. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the medicine passage member 57 is detachable from the packaging machine 10-2. The medicine passage member 57 can be disassembled into multiple components 57a and 57b. For example, the medicine passage member 57 can be separated into a rear-side component 57a and a front-side component 57b. These components 57a and 57b are held by a holder 57c while contacting each other to form a passage. The holder is preferably configured so that the user can release the holding without using a tool, such as a magnet, a hook, a button-like snap, or a clip. In the example of FIG. 11, the flanges of components 57a and 57b are held by holder 57c while contacting each other. At least one of the multiple components 57a and 57b is detachably attached to the packaging machine 10-2. Since the medicine passage member 57 is disassembled and at least one of the multiple components 57a and 57b is detachable, cleaning is facilitated. For example, one of the multiple components 57a and 57b (e.g., the rear-side component 57a) may be fixed to the packaging machine 10-2 with a fastening member, while the other component (e.g., the front-side component 57b) is not fixed to the packaging machine 10-2 but is held by a holder.

[0126] The packaging machine 10-2 is provided with a cover 59 that covers the front of the medicine passage member 57. The cover 59 is detachable from the packaging machine 10-2. The cover 59 has a handle 59a. The handle 59a is provided across the entire lateral width of the cover. This makes it easy to remove and attach the cover. In the example of FIG. 11, the cover 59 is made up of a single plate having a surface area that covers the entire medicine passage member 57 from the front.

[0127] The packaging machine 10-2 is equipped with a medicine passage member 58 that forms part of the passage from the manual distribution tray 53a of the manual distribution unit 53 to the packaging section 60. The medicine passage member 58 is provided below the manual distribution tray 53a. The medicine passage member 58 forms a passage between the manual distribution tray 53a and the hopper 54a, for example. The medicine passage member 58 is detachable from the packaging machine 10-2. The medicine passage member 58 is connected to a drawer 58A. The drawer 58A can be pulled out from the back to the front. Because the medicine passage member 58 is detachable, cleaning is easy.

[0128] When allocating medicines to optional medicine cassettes 512, the control unit 80 of the packaging machine 10-2 can allocate the medicines sequentially, one row at a time. That is, medicines can be allocated row by row. In this case, medicines for multiple prescriptions may be allocated to one optional medicine cassette 512. For example, if the number of medicines that can be accommodated by the optional medicine cassettes in one prescription is smaller than the number of all optional medicine cassettes 512 in one row, the medicines for multiple prescriptions can be allocated to one optional medicine cassette 512 in one row, and the medicines can be allocated to all optional medicine cassettes 512 in one row.

[0129] The packing machine 10-2 displays information indicating the prescription on the display unit 512a of the cassette or on a display in addition to information indicating the drug assigned to each optional drug cassette 512. For example, the patient name, prescription number, and drug name of the drug assigned to each cassette are displayed on the display unit 512a or on a display connected to the packing machine 10-2.

[0130] The control unit 80 can allocate multiple prescriptions (multiple packaging requests) as a group to all optional medicine cassettes 512 or to each stage of optional medicine cassettes 512 provided in the packaging machine 10-2. For example, multiple prescriptions (packaging requests) including medicines that can be allocated to each stage or all optional medicine cassettes 512 can be grouped together and allocated to each stage or all optional medicine cassettes 512. The prescriptions in each group are determined, for example, by a user specification or based on the number of cassettes available in the packaging machine and the number of medicines that can be handled by the cassettes included in the prescription.

[0131] The control unit 80 can reserve drug allocation for each row or all of the optional drug cassettes 512. For example, if another drug has already been allocated to at least some of the row or all of the optional drug cassettes 512, the control unit 80 can reserve a drug to be allocated to each row or all of the optional drug cassettes 512 after the allocation of the other drug is released. For example, multiple prescriptions may be grouped together for each row or all of the optional drug cassettes 512, and allocation and allocation reservation may be made for each group. For example, the control unit 80 assigns multiple prescriptions containing an allocatable number of drugs to each row or all of the optional drug cassettes 512 as one group. When multiple groups are assigned to each row or all of the optional drug cassettes 512, once the dispensing of the first group is complete, drug information for the next group is displayed on the display unit 512a or the display of the cassette.

[0132] As a specific example, a case will be described in which the packing machine 10-2 acquires prescription information for prescription 1 (number of drugs: 4), prescription 2 (number of drugs: 3), prescription 3 (number of drugs: 2), and prescription 4 (number of drugs: 5) as a packing request. The numbers of drugs in parentheses above are all the numbers of drugs that can be handled by the optional drug cassettes. The number of optional drug cassettes 512 available for use in the packing machine 10-2 is assumed to be eight. In this case, the control unit 80 sets prescriptions 1 and 2 to a first group, and prescriptions 3 and 4 to a second group. The control unit 80 assigns the seven drugs included in the prescriptions in the first group to seven of the eight optional drug cassettes 512, respectively. The control unit 80 reserves the assignment of the five drugs in the second group to five of the eight optional drug cassettes 512.

[0133] FIG. 12 shows an example configuration of a packaging control system 2A according to another embodiment of the present invention. The packaging control system 2A includes a medicine information receiving unit 26, an allocation unit 27, and a number-of-tablets-per-packet determination unit 28. The medicine information receiving unit 26 receives input of medicine information to be packaged from the user (S71). The allocation unit 27 allocates the medicine to be packaged to one of a plurality of cassettes provided in the packaging machine that automatically dispense a specified amount of medicine, based on the input medicine information. The number-of-tablets-per-packet determination unit 28 receives input from the user of the total number of medicine tablets and the number of medicine packages, and determines the number of medicine tablets per medicine package based on the total number of medicine tablets and the number of medicine packages.

[0134] According to the packaging control system 2A, data that enables packaging using cassettes can be generated through simple user input. This makes it possible to issue a prescription and have the packaging machine package the medicine. For example, a user can issue a simple packaging prescription that evenly packages medicines into multiple medicine packets through simple input. In this way, the packaging control system 2A can issue a prescription and have the packaging machine package the medicines based on the medicine information, total medicine amount, and number of medicine packets input by the user. For example, it is possible to issue a prescription for simple packaging without printing and have the medicine packaged.

[0135] The packaging control system 2A is configured by a computer built into the packaging machine 10-2 or a computer capable of communicating with the packaging machine 10-2. For example, the packaging control system 2A may be part of the control unit 80 of the packaging machine 10-2, or may be a host system of the packaging machine 10-2.

[0136] Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of packaging control system 2A shown in Fig. 12. Medicine information receiving unit 26 receives input of medicine information from a user (S71). For example, the received input may be a medicine code read by a code reader. In this case, the user can input medicine information by having the code reader read the medicine code.

[0137] The allocation unit 27 automatically allocates the medicine to an allocatable optional medicine cassette (S72). Information indicating the allocated cassette is notified to the operator by, for example, being displayed on a screen. The allocation unit 27 can determine the allocatable optional medicine cassette based on the status of the optional medicine cassette in the packing machine 10-2. Information indicating the status of the optional medicine cassette in the packing machine 10-2 may also be displayed on the screen. The status of the cassette may be, for example, in use in another package, not installed in the packing machine, available for allocation, or allocated to another medicine.

[0138] The number of tablets per package determination unit 28 accepts input of the total amount of medicine (S73). If there is more medicine to be packaged, i.e., the next medicine (YES in S74), the processes of S71 to S73 are repeated. If there is no more medicine (NO in S74), the number of tablets per package determination unit 28 accepts input of the total number of medicine packages (S75). The total number of medicine packages is, for example, input as the number of times taken per day (number of dosages) x the number of days for taking the medicine. The number of tablets per package determination unit 28 determines the number of tablets per medicine package for each medicine (S76). For example, the number of tablets of each medicine per medicine package is calculated by dividing the total number of tablets of each medicine by the total number of packages.

[0139] In S77, a prescription is issued and packaging is performed. For example, the packaging control system 2A supplies a packaging request (prescription information) to the packaging machine 10-2, causing the packaging machine 10-2 to perform packaging. The packaging request (prescription information) includes, for example, information indicating the drugs in the packaging information, the number of tablets per drug packet for each drug, the total number of tablets for each drug, and the total number of drug packets.

[0140] (Control of changing dimensions of drug delivery path of variable cassette) An unspecified cassette, which is an example of the optional medicine cassette 512, comprises a substantially cylindrical frame, a disk-shaped first rotor, an annular second rotor, a height regulator that regulates the height of the medicine on the second rotor, and a width regulator that regulates the width of the medicine transport path on the second rotor. The positions of the height regulator and the width regulator can each be changed. This allows the aforementioned "shape of the dispensing port (for example, the dimensions of the path through which the medicine is dispensed) to be changed depending on the medicine to be dispensed" to be achieved.

[0141] The height regulating body is disposed above the second rotating body, and the distance H between the height regulating body and the upper surface of the second rotating body is adjusted by driving a height adjusting motor, which serves as a height adjusting means, so that the height regulating body is positioned at approximately the same distance as the drug height.

[0142] In addition, in the drug transport path (the path for dispensing the above-mentioned drug), a first drug detection sensor is arranged downstream of the position where the drug is supplied onto the second rotating body from the space formed by the frame body and the first rotating body and upstream of the position of the height regulating body to detect the drug being transported toward the bottom of the height regulating body, and a second drug detection sensor is arranged at the dispensing outlet located downstream of the drug dispensing path to detect the drug passing through the discharge outlet.

[0143] The control unit 80 calls up programs and data stored in memory to execute various processes, controls the driving of various motors, and dispenses a specified amount of medicine. The positions of the height and width regulating bodies are changed by the control unit 80 according to the medicine (data related to the dimensions of the called medicine), and may be changed before or during the start of the drug discharge operation. Furthermore, the control unit 80 may control the driving of various motors (for example, height adjustment motors) based on detection signals from the first and second medicine detection sensors.

[0144] The discharge operation of medicines from an unspecified cassette will now be described. In an unspecified cassette, when the first rotating body rotates, the medicines contained in the space are supplied to the second rotating body. When the second rotating body rotates in the same direction as the first rotating body, the medicines on the second rotating body are transported through the medicine transport path toward an outlet located downstream of the path. At this time, a height restricting body and a width restricting body act on the medicines in the path. More specifically, medicines stacked in the height direction among the medicines transported by the second rotating body come into contact with the height restricting body and are returned to the space. Medicines lined up in the width direction among the medicines transported by the second rotating body come into contact with the width restricting body and are returned to the space.

[0145] As an example, when the positions of the height and width restrictors are changed to positions corresponding to the drug to be discharged before the discharge operation and then the discharge operation is performed, the drug may not be discharged from the discharge port despite the path being adjusted according to the drug. To solve this problem, when the detection interval of the drug by the second drug detection sensor reaches a detection interval of a set value larger than the normal detection interval, the control unit 80 may move the height restrictor and increase the interval H. At this time, when the first drug detection sensor detects the drug and the detection interval of the second drug detection sensor reaches a detection interval of a set value larger than the normal detection interval, it is more preferable to increase the interval H (to 1.1 times the interval H at the time the condition is satisfied).

[0146] Furthermore, the control unit 80 may increase the interval H in stages. That is, if the condition is satisfied multiple times, the interval H may be increased each time it is satisfied. The initial setting or change of parameters such as the number of stages, the increase amount for each stage, and the detection interval for each stage may be specified.

[0147] An example was given in which the positions of the height regulating body and width regulating body are changed to positions corresponding to the drug to be discharged before the discharge operation and then the discharge operation is performed, but control to increase the gap H may also be applied when the positions of the height regulating body and width regulating body are changed to positions corresponding to the drug to be discharged after the discharge operation has begun.

[0148] A packaging machine may be equipped with multiple types of optional drug cassettes with different compatible drug ranges. For example, the multiple optional drug cassettes equipped in a single packaging machine may include both old-type cassettes and new-type cassettes. The new-type cassette is an improved cassette that can accommodate drugs that the old-type cassette cannot accommodate, in addition to the drugs that the old-type cassette can accommodate. The new-type cassette has a wider range of compatible drugs than the old-type cassette. In such a case, the control unit of the packaging machine may allocate the drug to be packaged by prioritizing, among optional drug cassettes that can accommodate the drug to be packaged, a cassette with a narrower range of compatible drugs. As a specific example, if the drug to be packaged is compatible with both the new-type cassette and the old-type cassette, the control unit may allocate the drug by prioritizing the old-type cassette with a narrower range of compatible drugs. This makes it less likely that drugs will be allocated to all of the new-type cassettes. For example, when a packaging request (prescription information) includes a drug that cannot be handled by an old-type cassette but can be handled by a new-type cassette, it is less likely that a situation will occur in which the old-type cassettes are empty, but all of the new-type cassettes are in use (allocated), causing a wait for allocation. An example of a new-type cassette and an old-type cassette is a new-type cassette that can handle half-tablets of other tablet types in addition to the half-tablet type that the old-type cassette can handle. Here, the tablet type refers to, for example, the type of tablet shape. By replacing some of the optional drug cassettes in the packaging machine with new-type cassettes, the new-type cassettes can be introduced at a lower cost than replacing all optional drug cassettes with new-type cassettes.

[0149] FIG. 14 shows an example of the configuration of a packaging system according to another embodiment of the present invention. The packaging system shown in FIG. 14 includes a packaging machine 10-2 having a random medicine cassette 512, a control unit 80 that controls the packaging machine 10-2, and a cassette shelf 520 on which the random medicine cassette 512 can be mounted. The random medicine cassette 512 includes, for example, a storage unit for storing medicines and a storage medium for storing data. The packaging machine 10-2 may have a configuration similar to that of the packaging machine 10-1 or 10-2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 11. The cassette shelf 520 is configured to allow data to be written to the storage medium of the cassette 512 mounted thereon. The cassette shelf 520 may also include a drive unit (e.g., a motor base) that drives the random medicine cassette 512 mounted thereon. Alternatively, the random medicine cassette 512 may include a drive unit. In this case, the random medicine cassette 512 equipped with the drive unit is detachable from the cassette shelf 520. Alternatively, the cassette shelf 520 may have a drive unit, and with the optional medicine cassette 512 attached to the drive unit, the optional medicine cassette 512 and the drive unit may be removable from the cassette shelf 520. In this case, with the optional medicine cassette 512 and the drive unit removed, the optional medicine cassette 512 may be removable from the drive unit. The cassette shelf 520 is configured to be able to communicate data with the control unit 80. For example, the cassette shelf 520 is connected to the control unit 80 by wired connection using a LAN cable or the like, or wirelessly. The control unit 80 is configured as a computer built into or connected to the packing machine 10-2.

[0150] The control unit 80 can allocate medicines to be packaged by the packing machine 10-2 to the optional medicine cassettes 512 mounted on the cassette shelf 520. In this case, the control unit 80 stores information relating to the allocated medicines (e.g., medicine dispensing information) as well as information for uniquely linking the optional medicine cassette 512 to prescription data (corresponding prescription data, for example, a prescription ID, etc.) in the storage medium of the optional medicine cassette 512 mounted on the cassette shelf 520. As a result, when the optional medicine cassette 512 mounted on the cassette shelf 520 and to which medicines have been allocated is mounted on the packing machine 10-2, the control unit 80 can execute dispensing and packaging processes for the medicines using the corresponding prescription data and medicine-related information stored in the cassette 512.

[0151] With this configuration, for example, even if all of the optional medicine cassettes 512 in the packing machine 10-2 are in use, it is possible to allocate medicines to optional medicine cassettes for future packaging processing on the cassette shelf 520. For example, when allocating medicines for multiple prescriptions to cassettes in advance, it is possible to allocate medicines to a number of cassettes that exceeds the number of optional medicine cassettes 512 available in the packing machine 10-2. The user can input and verify medicines to the optional medicine cassettes 512 in the packing machine 10-2 and the optional medicine cassettes 512 attached to the cassette shelf 520. Therefore, for example, in cases where the urgency of dispensing work is low but multiple prescriptions are issued at once, such as prescriptions for a facility or a hospital ward, it is possible to efficiently allocate medicines to optional medicine cassettes 512.

[0152] For example, when the control unit 80 receives a packaging request for multiple prescriptions, it associates information on at least some of the drugs in the multiple prescriptions with corresponding prescription data that uniquely links the prescriptions and supplies the information to the cassette shelf 520. The cassette shelf 520 stores the information on each drug and the corresponding prescription data supplied from the control unit 80 in a storage medium of the optional drug cassette 512 installed on the cassette shelf 520. The control unit 80 can also display a screen for the user to input and verify drugs into the optional drug cassette 512 on the cassette shelf 520. When the optional drug cassette 512 to which drugs are assigned in the cassette shelf 510 is installed in the packing machine 10-2, the control unit 80 can read the drug information and corresponding prescription data from the storage medium of the installed optional drug cassette 512 and automatically execute packaging processing for the corresponding prescription. This allows packaging to begin without any user intervention. Therefore, the user can use the cassette shelf to prepare drugs in the optional drug cassette in advance. Furthermore, by setting optional medicine cassette 512, in which medicines have been prepared in advance, into the packaging machine at a timing of the user's choosing, packaging can begin automatically. As a result, the user can use the optional medicine cassette efficiently.

[0153] When cassette shelf 520 has a drive unit, removable portion 512c of cassette 512 attached to cassette shelf 520 can be driven to change the shape of the dispensing port (for example, the dimensions of the path for dispensing the drug) depending on the drug to be dispensed. In this case, for example, the drive unit includes the above-mentioned adjustment motor, and the adjustment motor can adjust at least one of the width and height of the drug transport path of removable portion 512c.

[0154] Cassette shelf 520 may be configured to be able to collectively detachably mount a plurality of cassettes 512. For example, cassette shelf 520 may be configured to be able to integrally mount at least one stage of any medicine cassettes in packaging machine 10-2.

[0155] The optional drug cassette described above can be used as a registered drug cassette for dispensing pre-registered drugs. Typically, when a drug assigned to an optional drug cassette is completely packaged for a prescription for that drug, the allocation is released, and the data indicating the correspondence between the optional drug cassette and the drug is cleared. In contrast, in the optional drug cassette, the data indicating the correspondence between the cassette and the drug is saved even after the drug is packaged. Thereafter, the correspondence between the cassette and the drug can be fixed, and the optional drug cassette can be used as a cassette for dispensing the drug in a subsequent packaging process for another prescription. In this way, the allocation of drugs to optional drug cassettes may be fixed across multiple prescriptions. That is, by fixing the assigned drugs of an optional drug cassette, the optional drug cassette can be used as a registered drug cassette for drugs with a fixed allocation.

[0156] For example, the control unit of the packaging machine may accept an instruction on a screen that guides the user to load or verify a drug into a random drug cassette to fix the allocation of the drug to that cassette, i.e., to use the cassette as a registered drug cassette for that drug. As an example, a tool (e.g., a "Create Fixed Cassette" button) that accepts an instruction to fix the drug allocation may be displayed as a selectable response on the cassette drug loading operation screen G2 of FIG. 5. In this case, the control unit of the packaging machine maintains the drug allocation to the cassette without canceling it even after the packaging operation for the prescription is completed. This allows the cassette to be treated in the same way as a registered drug cassette.

[0157] This allows users to store frequently used medicines for multiple prescriptions in a cassette, for example, for packaging multiple prescriptions. In this case, the user does not need to insert the specified number of tablets into the cassette each time a prescription is used. This reduces the number of times the user inserts and verifies the medicine, allowing for more efficient use of the cassette. Furthermore, with simple operations, the optional medicine cassette can be used in the same way as a registered medicine cassette.

[0158] Furthermore, the control unit of the packaging machine may receive an instruction from the user to release the fixed relationship between the drug and the cassette in the case of an optional drug cassette. For example, an instruction to release the fixed relationship between the drug and the cassette can be received on a screen displayed to the user when packaging a fixed drug. This allows the release of the fixation with a simple operation. As an example, on a screen (e.g., screen G2 in FIG. 5) that guides the user on where to insert the drug for the prescription to be packaged, a tool for specifying the fixation of the drug and the cassette (a Create Fixed Cassette button) and a tool for releasing the fixation (a Release Fixed Cassette button) can be displayed alternately or simultaneously.

[0159] The configuration of the packaging machine is not limited to the above example. For example, instead of packaging medicines in packaging paper, the packaging unit of the packaging machine may be configured to place a single dose of medicine in each recess of a container having multiple recesses and seal the container with a backing paper.

[0160] The above-described embodiment is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this example. Furthermore, the configurations and processing functions described in the above-described embodiment can be selected and combined as desired. [Explanation of symbols]

[0161] 2: Packaging control system, 21: Packaging request acquisition unit, 22: Configuration acquisition unit, 23: Packaging machine determination unit, 24: Instruction unit, 25: Display control unit

Claims

1. a packaging request acquisition unit that acquires a packaging request including medicine information that identifies a medicine to be packaged; a configuration acquisition unit that acquires packaging machine configuration data including the number of cassettes available for automatically dispensing a specified amount of medicine in each of the plurality of packaging machines; a packaging machine determination unit that determines a packaging machine that will package the drugs to be packaged based on the number of drugs to be packaged that are indicated in the drug information of the packaging request and the number of usable cassettes of each packaging machine that are indicated in the packaging machine configuration data; an instruction unit that instructs the packaging machine determined by the packaging machine determination unit to perform a packaging operation for the medicine to be packaged.

2. The packaging control system according to claim 1, the configuration acquisition unit acquires, as the usable number of cassettes, packaging machine configuration data including the usable number of optional medicine cassettes from which optional medicines can be dispensed; A packaging control system in which the packaging machine determination unit determines a packaging machine to package the medicines to be packaged based on the number of medicines to be packaged indicated in the medicine information of the packaging request and the number of available medicine cassettes of each packaging machine indicated in the packaging machine configuration data.

3. The packaging control system according to claim 1 or 2, the configuration acquisition unit acquires packaging machine configuration data including the number of tablet cassettes that can be used to dispense tablets in each of the plurality of packaging machines and whether or not each of the plurality of packaging machines has a powder medicine packaging function; In a packaging control system, when the medicine to be packaged is only tablets, the packaging machine determination unit prioritizes a packaging machine that does not have a powder medicine packaging function and in which the number of usable tablet cassettes relative to the number of medicines to be packaged meets a predetermined condition as the packaging machine to package the medicine.

4. The packaging control system according to claim 1 or 2, the configuration acquisition unit acquires registered medicine cassette information indicating registered medicine cassettes that dispense pre-registered medicines in each of the plurality of packaging machines, and packaging machine configuration data including the number of usable optional medicine cassettes that can dispense optional medicines in each of the plurality of packaging machines; The packaging machine determination unit determines a packaging machine to package the drugs to be packaged based on the number of drugs among the drugs to be packaged that are not registered in the registered drug cassettes of each packaging machine, and the number of usable optional drug cassettes of each packaging machine indicated in the packaging machine configuration data.

5. The packaging control system according to claim 1 or 2, the configuration acquisition unit acquires packaging machine configuration data that further includes an upper limit on the number of waiting packages for packaging for each of the plurality of packaging machines, The packaging control system, wherein the packaging machine determination unit determines a packaging machine to package the medicine so that the number of cases waiting for packaging at each packaging machine does not exceed the upper limit.

6. A packaging control method executed by a computer, comprising: a packaging request acquisition step of acquiring a packaging request including medicine information that identifies a medicine to be packaged; a configuration acquisition step of acquiring packaging machine configuration data including the number of cassettes available for automatically dispensing a specified amount of medicine in each of the plurality of packaging machines; a packaging machine determination step of determining a packaging machine that will package the drugs to be packaged based on the number of drugs to be packaged that are indicated in the drug information of the packaging request and the number of usable cassettes of each packaging machine that are indicated in the packaging machine configuration data; and an instruction step of instructing the packaging machine determined in the packaging machine determination step to package the medicine to be packaged.

7. a packaging request acquisition process for acquiring a packaging request including medicine information that identifies medicines to be packaged; a configuration acquisition process for acquiring packaging machine configuration data including the number of cassettes available for automatically dispensing a specified amount of medicine in each of the plurality of packaging machines; a packaging machine determination process for determining a packaging machine that will package the drugs to be packaged based on the number of drugs to be packaged indicated in the drug information of the packaging request and the number of usable cassettes of each packaging machine indicated in the packaging machine configuration data; and an instruction process of instructing the packaging machine determined in the packaging machine determination process to package the medicine to be packaged.

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