Drug dispenser and drug cleaning method

Abstract

To provide a medicine dispenser facilitating cleaning work of adhering powdered medicine.SOLUTION: Power is imparted to a distribution tray 201 having an annular medicine charging groove 208 into which powder medicine is charged, and the distribution tray 201 is rotationally driven. A portion or all of the distribution dish 201 is disposed within the distribution dish receiving opening 206 of the table member 205. The table member 205 has a table surface, and at least the lowest part of the medicine loading groove 208 is arranged at a position lower than the table surface of the table member 205. Therefore, there is little shadow between the table surface and the distribution tray 201, powdered medicine and dust are less likely to enter, and cleaning work is easy.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 18

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medicine dispensing device, and more particularly to a medicine dispensing device including a powder medicine dispensing device for dispensing powder medicine. [Background technology]

[0002] In this specification, powdered medicine refers to medicine in powder or granular form, and "medicine" includes powdered medicine. In principle, the device of the present invention is a device for handling powdered medicine, but when there is no need to distinguish between powdered medicine and medicine in other forms, powdered medicine may be referred to as medicine. In recent years, large hospitals and pharmacies have introduced powder medicine packaging machines and medicine dispensing machines equipped with powder medicine packaging functions. Powder medicine packaging machines are machines that individually package powder medicines, etc., into individual doses. By using powder medicine packaging machines, most of the work of packaging powder medicines, etc., into individual doses can be automated. The powder medicine packaging device 900 disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a device that packages powder medicine individually in single doses, and as shown in Figure 74, it has inside it a medicine supply device 901, a powder medicine dispensing device 902, and a medicine packaging device 903. The powder feeder 906 has a piezoelectric element (not shown) provided below the trough 910 to vibrate the trough 910 .

[0003] As shown in Figure 74, powdered medicine dispensing device 902 is composed of a dispensing tray 912 and a scraping device 915. Dispensing tray 912 has a large opening in the center. Dispensing tray 912 has a groove 916 that has an arc-shaped cross section and is annular in plan view surrounding the opening. Dispensing tray 912 is rotated at a constant speed by motor 919. The scraping device 915 is composed of a lifting arm whose tip moves up and down when rotated, and a scraping mechanism. The scraping mechanism has a disk 917 that is rotated by a motor, and a scraper plate 918 is provided on the disk 917.

[0004] In the prior art, as shown in Figure 74, there is a table 908, and a distribution dish 912 is placed on the table. That is, as shown in Figure 74, almost the entire distribution dish 912 protrudes above the table 908. The motor and gears for raising and lowering the scraping mechanism are located on the table 908 and protrude from the opening in the center of the distribution tray 912.

[0005] The medicine packaging device 903 is composed of a packaging hopper 920 and a packaging device 921 as shown in FIG.

[0006] The appearance of a powdered medicine dispensing device 902 in the prior art is disclosed in Patent Document 2. In the conventional powdered medicine dispensing device 902, the dispensing tray 912 is placed on a table, and the motor and gearbox protrude from the center of the dispensing tray 912. This causes many irregularities on the table. Also, because the dispensing tray 912 is placed on the table, there are many areas that are shaded.

[0007] Next, a procedure for packaging powdered medicine using powdered medicine packaging device 900 will be described. The work of packaging powder medicine is performed by a pharmacist operating powder medicine packaging device 900 according to a doctor's prescription. That is, the pharmacist checks the doctor's prescription, takes out a medicine bottle containing the prescribed powder medicine from a medicine shelf (not shown), and then uses a scale such as a balance to measure the total weight of the specific prescribed powder medicine. The measured powdered medicine is then fed into the feeding hopper 905 of the medicine feeder 901 . At the same time, the piezoelectric element (not shown) of the powder feeder 906 is energized to vibrate the trough 910 and further rotate the distribution plate 912. The powdered medicine put into the feeding hopper 905 falls from the opening at the bottom of the feeding hopper 905 into the trough 910 of the powder feeder 906. Then, as the trough 910 vibrates, the powdered medicine slowly moves toward the tip and falls into the distribution tray 912.

[0008] Meanwhile, since the distribution plate 912 rotates at a predetermined speed, the powdered medicine dropping from the trough 910 is evenly distributed in the grooves 916 of the distribution plate 912 .

[0009] Once the powdered medicine has finished falling onto distribution tray 912, the rotation of distribution tray 912 is temporarily stopped. After that, disk 917 of scraping device 915 is dropped into groove 916 of distribution tray 912. After that, distribution tray 912 is further rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of powdered medicines to be distributed, and one dose of powdered medicine is collected on the front side of disk 917. Then, disk 917 is rotated, and scraper plate 918 scrapes the powdered medicine out of distribution tray 912 and deposits it into packaging hopper 920. The powdered medicine that has fallen from packaging hopper 920 is packaged by packaging device 921.

[0010] After the series of operations is completed, the inside of the distribution tray 912 and the scraping mechanism (disk 917, scraper 918) are cleaned with a vacuum cleaner (not shown). The inside of the distribution tray 912 and the scraping mechanism are manually cleaned by a pharmacist. The inside of the distribution tray 912 and the scraping mechanism are cleaned every time a type of powdered medicine is packaged. In other words, if a drug called A is packaged and then a drug called B is packaged, cleaning should be carried out immediately after drug A is packaged, and then drug B should be packaged. After the day's work is finished or immediately before the day's work is started, each part of powdered medicine dispensing and packaging device 900 is cleaned. That is, the groove 916 of the distribution tray 912, the motor protruding from the center of the distribution tray 912, the lifting arm, the disk 917, the scraper 918, the table, etc. are wiped with a clean cloth and then cleaned with a vacuum cleaner. In a medicine dispensing device, contamination of powdered medicine must be strictly prevented, and the cleaning work described above is extremely important and indispensable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-70204 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-305721 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] As mentioned above, cleaning is an important and essential task. However, cleaning is a tedious task, and therefore, the present invention aims to improve upon conventional medicine dispensing devices and provide a medicine dispensing device that is easy to clean and can be cleaned more thoroughly than conventional medicine dispensing devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] One aspect of the present invention developed to solve the above problems is a drug dispensing device comprising a drug container filled with a drug, a drug container filled with a cleaning agent, a container mounting device, a distribution tray, a powdered medicine feeding hopper, and a control device, wherein when the powdered medicine feeding hopper needs cleaning, the control device mounts the drug container filled with the cleaning agent on the container mounting device, discharges the cleaning agent from the drug container mounted on the container mounting device into the distribution tray, pours the cleaning agent from the distribution tray into the powdered medicine feeding hopper, performs a hopper cleaning operation to clean the powdered medicine feeding hopper, then selects a drug container filled with a drug, and discharges the selected drug into the distribution tray. One aspect of the present invention, developed to solve the above problems, is a method for cleaning drugs in a drug dispensing device that includes a drug container filled with drugs, a drug container filled with a cleaning agent, a container mounting device, a distribution tray, and a powder drug feeding hopper.When the powder drug feeding hopper needs cleaning, the drug container filled with cleaning agent is mounted on the container mounting device, the cleaning agent is discharged from the drug container mounted on the container mounting device into the distribution tray, the cleaning agent from the distribution tray is poured into the powder drug feeding hopper, and a hopper cleaning operation is performed to clean the powder drug feeding hopper.The drug cleaning method then selects a drug container filled with drugs and discharges the selected drug into the distribution tray. One aspect of the present invention, developed to solve the above problems, is a drug dispensing device comprising a drug container filled with cleaning agent, a distribution tray, a powder medicine feeding hopper, and a control device, wherein the powder medicine feeding hopper has a discharge side opening at the bottom, an opening / closing plate for opening and closing the discharge side opening, and an introduction side opening at the top, and has a hopper closing member for closing the introduction side opening and a suction member on the side of the powder medicine feeding hopper, and when cleaning of the powder medicine feeding hopper is necessary, the control device discharges the cleaning agent from the drug container filled with cleaning agent into the distribution tray, closes the discharge side opening of the powder medicine feeding hopper with the opening / closing plate, feeds the discharged cleaning agent from the distribution tray into the powder medicine feeding hopper, closes the introduction side opening of the powder medicine feeding hopper with the hopper closing member, and with the discharge side opening and the introduction side opening closed, operates the suction member and then opens the opening / closing plate, causing the cleaning agent in the powder medicine feeding hopper to collide with the inner surface of the powder medicine feeding hopper.

[0014] With this configuration, there is little shadow between the table surface and the dispensing tray, making it difficult for powdered medicine or dust to get in and making cleaning easy.

[0015] It is preferable that 90 percent or more of the diameter of the distribution plate is located below the table surface, which makes it easier to wipe the drug injection groove with a cloth.

[0016] The scraping device preferably includes a scraping arm whose tip side moves up and down and a scraping mechanism attached to the tip of the scraping arm, the distribution tray has an equipment storage opening, a motor that drives the scraping arm and / or the scraping mechanism, part or all of the motor is located within the equipment storage opening, the base end of the scraping arm is located within the equipment storage opening or directly above it, the tip side extends cantilevered from the equipment storage opening, and a lid that covers the motor. This configuration reduces unevenness in the center of the distribution tray, making it easy to clean.

[0017] It is preferable that a turntable is provided under the table member and the scraping device is mounted on the turntable, so that the scraping device can be rotated as a whole.

[0018] The lid has an opening through which the scraping arm protrudes, and the opening is preferably provided with a door member that moves in response to the raising and lowering of the scraping arm to increase or decrease the opening area of ​​the opening. In this way, dust and powdered medicine residue are less likely to get inside the lid, making it clean.

[0019] It is preferable that the top surface of the lid is partly or entirely smooth, so that the lid is easy to wipe with a cloth or the like and to clean.

[0020] The scraping device preferably includes a scraping arm, a motor for rotating the scraping mechanism, a scraping plate and scraping mechanism attached to the tip of the scraping arm, a planar rotation means for rotating the entire scraping arm in a plane around a vertical rotation axis, and a cleaning device. The cleaning device includes a cleaning arm that protrudes cantilevered from the table member and whose tip is raised and lowered by power, a cleaning brush attached to the tip of the cleaning arm and rotated by power, a rotation device for rotating the cleaning brush, and a suction means. The cleaning device preferably performs a groove cleaning operation in which the tip of the cleaning arm is lowered to insert the cleaning brush into the drug insertion groove, rotate the cleaning brush to clean the drug insertion groove, and suck up any remaining drug with the suction means. In this way, the inside of the distribution tray and the scraping mechanism can be cleaned automatically.

[0021] The scraping mechanism has a scraping plate inserted into the medicine input groove of the distribution plate and moving relative to the distribution plate to scrape the powdered medicine in the medicine input groove, a scraping plate located near the scraping plate and rotating to scrape the scraped powdered medicine out of the medicine input groove, and a partition plate that is in contact with the scraping plate and is arranged facing the scraping plate approximately parallel to the scraping plate at a fixed interval, and a cleaning brush for cleaning the scraping mechanism, the cleaning brush having a hub member with bristle rows provided on the outer periphery of the hub member, the bristle rows being provided in at least three rows, the bristle rows on both ends including a group of centrally inclined bristles with the bristles inclined at the tip end toward the center of the hub member, and the central bristle row The cleaning brush preferably includes a group of bristles inclined toward one end of the hub member, with the bristles' tips inclined toward one end of the hub member, and a group of bristles inclined toward the other end of the hub member, with the bristles' tips inclined toward the other end of the hub member. When cleaning the scraping mechanism, the cleaning brush is rotated, and the group of bristles inclined toward the center of the bristles in ...

[0022] The hub member preferably has two or more rows of grooves on its outer circumferential surface, and the scraping plate and the partition plate preferably fit into the grooves during the scraping section cleaning operation, making it possible to clean the inner sides of the scraping plate and the partition plate.

[0023] The cleaning brush preferably includes a brush cover having an exposure opening that surrounds the cleaning brush and exposes a portion of the circumferential surface of the cleaning brush, and a suction means that creates a negative pressure inside the brush cover, the suction means being connected to the brush cover. In this way, powdered medicine residue is removed from the surface of the scraping mechanism by pressing the rotating brush against it. The removed residue then enters the brush cover and is sucked in by the suction means. The connection portion of the suction means is preferably located on the opposite side of the exposure opening.

[0024] The medicine packaging device is provided below the table member, and includes a powder medicine input hopper that receives powder medicine scraped from the medicine input groove and drops the powder medicine toward the medicine packaging device, and a suction means for creating a negative pressure inside the powder medicine input hopper. The table member has a medicine input opening for receiving the powder medicine scraped from the medicine input groove, and a hopper closing member is provided at a position away from the medicine input opening. The powder medicine input hopper can be moved to a position directly below the medicine input opening, and the powder medicine can be input into the medicine input opening to drop the medicine toward the medicine packaging device. The powder medicine input hopper can then be moved to the position of the hopper closing member and the suction means can be operated to suck up any remaining powder medicine in the powder medicine input hopper. This configuration also allows the powder medicine input hopper to be automatically cleaned.

[0025] The hopper closing member preferably has a power-operated opening / closing mechanism, and closes the powder medicine hopper by pressing a part of the hopper closing member against the hopper. This creates a negative pressure inside the powder medicine hopper, preventing residue from scattering toward the medicine packaging device or the distribution tray.

[0026] The powder medicine dispenser is composed of a medicine container and a container mounting device on which the medicine container is placed and which acts on the medicine container to discharge the medicine from the medicine container, and it is preferable that the container mounting device is fixed to the table member side and the medicine container is detachable from the container mounting device. In this way, the powder medicine dispenser has fewer irregularities and is easier to clean.

[0027] The medicine container has a medicine discharge section for discharging the medicine, and the container mounting device includes a vibration table, a vibration means for vibrating the vibration table, a container holding means for securing the medicine container to the vibration table, and a weight measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the medicine container. Preferably, the medicine container is mounted on the vibration table, the container holding means is used to secure the medicine container to the vibration table, the vibration table is vibrated to discharge small amounts of powder medicine from the medicine discharge section and deposit the powder medicine into a distribution tray, and the weight measuring means is used to detect the amount of medicine discharged from the medicine container. In this manner, the medicine container is fixed to the vibration table and placed in direct contact with the vibration table. By vibrating the vibration table in this state, the entire medicine container or a portion thereof can be vibrated. As a result, the medicine in the medicine container slowly moves toward the medicine discharge section, and the flow is rectified to form a laminar flow and is discharged from the medicine discharge section. Furthermore, the container mounting device is equipped with a weight measuring means, which allows the amount of medicine discharged to be detected, thereby automating the process of measuring out powder medicine, etc.

[0028] It is preferable that the drug container is partly or entirely made of a magnetic material and the container holding means has a magnet, so that the drug container is held by magnetic force, making it easy to attach and detach the drug container.

[0029] Preferably, the drug container is partially or entirely magnetic, the container holding means includes a permanent magnet and an electromagnet, and the drug container is fixed to the vibration table by at least the magnetic force of the permanent magnet. The electromagnet is energized to generate a magnetic force that cancels out the magnetic force of the permanent magnet, thereby releasing the drug container from the vibration table. In this configuration, the container holding means includes a permanent magnet and an electromagnet, and the drug container is fixed to the vibration table by at least the magnetic force of the permanent magnet. Therefore, when the drug container is attached to the main device, the amount of current passing through the electromagnet is small. If a configuration were adopted in which the drug container is fixed to the vibration table by only the magnetic force of the permanent magnet, there is no need to pass current through the electromagnet while the drug container is fixed to the vibration table. Therefore, the electromagnet does not generate heat, and the drug in the drug container is not heated. Furthermore, since there is no need to energize the electromagnet while the drug container is fixed to the vibration table, power consumption is low. Therefore, the drug dispensing device as a whole consumes little power, and the low heat generation makes it less likely to affect the drug.

[0030] It is preferable to have a weighing function in which a weight measuring means measures the original weight of the medicine container before the medicine is discharged, and the weight measuring means monitors the weight of the medicine container when powdered medicine is discharged from the medicine container in small amounts, and stops the discharge of powdered medicine from the medicine container when the current weight of the medicine container matches or approximately matches the value obtained by subtracting the target discharge amount from the original weight. Regarding the means for measuring the weight of the drug container, the weight of the drug container may be measured directly or indirectly. That is, the weight of the drug container alone may be measured directly, or the weight including the weight of a device such as a vibrating table may be measured. In this way, the original weight, which is the weight of the drug container before the drug is discharged, and the current weight, which is the current weight of the drug container, are utilized, and the vibration of the vibration table is stopped when the current weight matches the value obtained by subtracting the target discharge amount from the original weight. Alternatively, taking into account the weight of the drug as it falls, the vibration of the vibration table is stopped when the current weight is slightly less than the value obtained by subtracting the target discharge amount from the original weight, but approximately matches that value. Therefore, after the target amount of drug is discharged, the vibration of the vibration table is stopped, and the discharge of the drug is stopped. When the medicine container is mounted on the container mounting device, it is desirable that the axis of the medicine container is oriented in a tangential direction of the distribution tray. It is desirable that a remaining medicine detection sensor be provided in at least one of the distribution tray, hopper, and scraping mechanism, or in the vicinity thereof. The remaining medicine detection sensor is an optical sensor, and has a main device and a fiber, and it is desirable that the tip of the fiber is located in at least one of the distribution tray, hopper, and scraping mechanism, or in the vicinity thereof.

[0031] The device is covered entirely or partially by a housing, which has a door that allows the drug container to be inserted and removed from the interior, and which has a temporary drug container storage section located on or near the door. The temporary drug container storage section preferably has an engagement lever that engages with a portion of the drug container and a holding member that operates in conjunction with the engagement lever. When the drug container is placed on the temporary drug container storage section, the engagement lever is pressed down by the weight of the drug container, causing the holding member to move or change position to become capable of holding the drug container. In this way, when the drug container is placed on the temporary drug container storage section, the holding member is in a position that does not get in the way. Therefore, the drug container can be easily placed on the temporary drug container storage section. Then, simply by placing the drug container on the temporary drug container storage section, the holding member appears in a position that allows the drug container to be held, preventing it from falling.

[0032] It is preferable that a container moving means is provided, the container moving means moves the medicine container to a predetermined position, and a cleaning unit is provided, and the container moving means moves the medicine container to the cleaning unit to clean the outer surface of the medicine container. In this way, medicine residue adhering to the outer surface of the medicine container is removed. In particular, the area around the medicine discharge portion of the medicine container is prone to adhesion of medicine residue. Therefore, it is desirable to clean the area around the medicine discharge portion by the cleaning unit.

[0033] The cleaning unit is preferably provided with a suction device.

[0034] The cleaning unit preferably has a container contact portion, and the container is cleaned by pressing the chemical container against the container contact portion using the container moving means. Here, the container moving means is used to press the chemical container against the container contact portion, and the chemical container is cleaned. For example, the container moving means is used to press the chemical container against the container contact portion, and in that state the chemical container is moved to wipe the outer surface of the chemical container. This configuration, when combined with a configuration in which a suction device is provided in the cleaning section, provides a synergistic effect. By providing a suction device in the cleaning section, the medicine that is wiped off by the container contact section is sucked up by the suction device. This prevents the medicine that is peeled off from falling or floating in the device.

[0035] A medicine packaging device is provided below the table member, and has a powder medicine feeding hopper into which powder medicine scraped out from the medicine feeding groove is fed and which drops the powder medicine toward the medicine packaging device, suction means for creating a negative pressure inside the powder medicine feeding hopper, and cleaning agent feeding means for adding a cleaning agent into the powder medicine feeding hopper, and it is preferable that the device is provided with a hopper cleaning function for feeding powder into the powder medicine feeding hopper and using the suction means to create a negative pressure inside the powder medicine feeding hopper. Here, a cleaning agent dispensing means is provided to dispense a cleaning agent into the powder dispensing hopper. Here, the "cleaning agent" is a prescribed cleaning agent, a powder used to clean the inside of the hopper. The "cleaning agent" is selected to be harmless even if ingested by a human, regardless of whether it has medicinal properties. The "cleaning agent" functions as a stripping agent. In this way, the cleaning agent is poured into the powder medicine feeding hopper, and the suction means creates a negative pressure inside the powder medicine feeding hopper, causing the cleaning agent to float around inside the powder medicine feeding hopper and collide with the inner wall of the powder medicine feeding hopper, removing any remaining powder medicine.

[0036] The powder medicine feeding hopper has an inlet opening for introducing the powder medicine, a medicine discharge port located below the inlet opening for discharging the powder medicine, and a suction opening connected to the suction means, the suction opening being located below the inlet opening and at a height closer to the inlet opening than the medicine discharge port, and it is preferable that the suction path between the suction opening and the suction means has a curved path located immediately adjacent to the suction opening. In this way, a swirling flow is generated within the powder medicine feeding hopper, which peels off the medicine adhering to the inner wall of the powder medicine feeding hopper and discharges it to the outside together with the cleaning agent.

[0037] The medicine packaging device is provided below the table member, and a powder medicine input hopper with a medicine outlet is provided, and the powder medicine scraped out from the medicine input groove is input into the powder medicine input hopper and dropped into the medicine packaging device from the medicine outlet, and it is preferable that an air blowing nozzle is provided near the medicine outlet of the powder medicine input hopper. In this way, the area around the medicine outlet can be cleaned. That is, according to the experience of the inventors, the medicine discharge port portion of the powder medicine feeding hopper is difficult to clean, and in particular, the outer portion of the medicine discharge port of the powder medicine feeding hopper is difficult to clean. Therefore, an air blowing nozzle was installed near the medicine discharge outlet of the powder medicine feeding hopper, and air was blown into the medicine discharge outlet area to clean it.

[0038] It is preferable that a plurality of distribution plates are provided, and partition walls are provided between the distribution plates. Some powdered medicines have extremely small particles that easily float in the air. Other powdered medicines have relatively large, light particles that can fly away when dispensed from the dispenser tray. Therefore, in a drug dispenser with multiple dispenser trays, there is a concern that floating or flying powdered medicines may fall into neighboring dispenser trays. Therefore, a partition is provided between the dispenser trays to prevent floating powdered medicines from reaching the adjacent dispenser trays.

[0039] It is preferable to have a partition cleaning means for cleaning the partition. In this way, the partition cleaning means removes powdered medicine adhering to the partition. This prevents the next packaging operation from being performed with medicine used in the previous packaging operation still adhering to the partition, thereby preventing contamination.

[0040] It is preferable that a cover member be provided on the top of the distribution tray to cover part or all of the distribution tray. As mentioned above, some powdered medicines have extremely small particles that tend to float in the air. Therefore, in the present invention, a cover member is provided on the top of the distribution tray to prevent the floating powdered medicine from spreading. The cover member also prevents the floating powdered medicine from falling into the distribution tray.

[0041] It is preferable to have a monitoring camera for monitoring the discharge of the medicine from the medicine container, so that the state of the medicine being discharged can be grasped.

[0042] The scraper plate, scraper plate, and partition plate are integrated, and when cleaning the scraper mechanism, it is preferable to rotate the scraper plate and change the distance between the scraper plate and the hub member during cleaning. This allows for more thorough cleaning of the scraper mechanism. Furthermore, not only the outer periphery of the scraper plate but also areas closer to the center can be cleaned. Furthermore, even if the scraper plate has a complex shape, the entire surface can be cleaned. [Effects of the Invention]

[0043] The medicine dispensing device of the present invention has few irregularities overall and is easy to clean. Furthermore, the medicine dispensing device of the present invention is highly safe as it is less likely to cause contamination of powdered medicine. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0044] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view of a medicine dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the medicine dispensing device in FIG. 1. [Figure 3]1 is a perspective view of a drug feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the drug container of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the behavior of the medicine inside the medicine container of FIG. 4 when it is discharged. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container mounting device employed in the medicine feeder. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the container mounting device of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 8 is a vertical perspective view of the container mounting device of FIG. 7. [Figure 10] FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the container mounting device of FIG. 7. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is a cross-sectional view of the container storage section of FIG. 12. [Figure 14] 10A to 10C are side views showing a procedure for attaching a medicine container to a container storage unit. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the state immediately before the drug container is returned to the drum member. [Figure 16] 15A and 15B are enlarged views of a portion of FIG. 15 showing the procedure for returning the drug container to the drum member. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a medicine dividing area of ​​the medicine dispensing device. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a part of the medicine dividing area of ​​the medicine dispensing device. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the medicine dividing area of ​​the medicine dispensing device. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a medicine dividing area of ​​the medicine dispensing device. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a scraping device disposed on a turntable. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the scraping arm of FIG. 21 as seen from a different angle. [Figure 23] FIG. 22 is a skeleton diagram showing the power transmission system of the scraping device of FIG. 21. [Figure 24] 22 is a perspective view of an arm-side power transmission system and a positioning mechanism of the scraping device of FIG. 21. [Figure 25] FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of the receiving member of the scraping device of FIG. 21. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the receiving member of FIG. 25. [Figure 27] 22A and 22B are side views of the positioning pin and scraping arm in FIG. 21, where (a) shows the positioning pin retracted into the turntable and the scraping arm raised, and (b) shows the positioning pin protruding from the turntable and the scraping arm lowered. [Figure 28] FIG. [Figure 29] 29 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state in which the scraping arm in a lowered position is protruding from the arm protruding opening of the lid in FIG. 28. [Figure 30] FIG. 30 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the scraping arm in a raised position in FIG. 29; [Figure 31] FIG. [Figure 32] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drug packaging area of ​​a drug dispensing device. [Figure 33] FIG. [Figure 34] FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of the cleaning brush of FIG. 33; [Figure 35] FIG. [Figure 36] FIG. 36 is a perspective view of the cleaning device as seen from an angle different from that of FIG. 35. [Figure 37] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cleaning device with the cleaning arm bent. [Figure 38] FIG. [Figure 39] FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a brush cleaning the scraping mechanism of the scraping arm. [Figure 40] A conceptual diagram showing powdered medicine being poured into a medicine hopper. [Figure 41] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a hopper closing member is placed on a medicine feeding hopper. [Figure 42] A conceptual diagram showing the state in which powdered medicine residue in the medicine hopper is being sucked up. [Figure 43]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robot used in a medicine dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 44] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the container-holding palm of the robot's hand approaches a medicine container. [Figure 45] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the container-holding palm is fixed to the medicine container and lifting the medicine container. [Figure 46] FIG. 46 is a perspective view showing a state in which the angle of the robot arm is changed from the state shown in FIG. 45. [Figure 47] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a medicine shelf with a medicine container close to it. [Figure 48] FIG. 48 is a perspective view showing a state in which medicine containers are placed on the medicine shelf of FIG. 47. [Figure 49] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the medicine container as seen from the medicine shelf side. [Figure 50] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the inside of another medicine dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 51] 2 is a perspective view of a temporary medicine container placing section provided in a door section of the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 and a perspective view of a cleaning section provided in the housing. FIG. [Figure 52] FIG. [Figure 53] FIG. [Figure 54] 52 is a perspective view showing an intermediate process of attaching a medicine container to the medicine container temporary placing part shown in FIG. 51. FIG. [Figure 55] 52 is a perspective view showing a state in which a medicine container is attached to the medicine container temporary placing part shown in FIG. 51. FIG. [Figure 56] 52 is a perspective view of a lever member and a holding member of the temporary medicine container placing part shown in FIG. 51. FIG. [Figure 57] FIG. 10 is a side view of a hand unit and a medicine container, showing a state in which a medicine container is held by a hand unit of a robot employed in another embodiment of the present invention, with a portion of the hand unit broken away. [Figure 58] 10 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the drug container held by the hand unit of the robot and the drug container immediately before being placed on the container mounting device. FIG. [Figure 59] 10 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the drug container held by the hand portion of the robot and the drug container immediately after being placed on the container mounting device. FIG. [Figure 60] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a medicine feeding hopper and its surrounding components employed in another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 61] A conceptual diagram showing the state in which cleaning material has been added to the chemical feeding hopper in Figure 60. [Figure 62] A conceptual diagram showing the state in which the cleaning material in the chemical feeding hopper is being sucked in with the lower opening / closing member closed. [Figure 63] A conceptual diagram showing the state in which the cleaning material in the chemical feeding hopper is being sucked in with the lower opening / closing member open. [Figure 64] A conceptual diagram showing air being sprayed from an air nozzle onto the opening and closing member at the bottom of a drug feeding hopper. [Figure 65] FIG. [Figure 66] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a medicine dividing area of ​​a medicine dispensing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 67] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a medicine dividing area of ​​a medicine dispensing device according to still another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 68] An oblique view showing the hopper closing member of the medicine dispensing device shown in Figure 67, where (a) shows the state in which the partition member protrudes from the hopper closing member, (b) shows the state in which the partition member is rotating, and (c) shows the state in which the partition member is stored within the hopper closing member. [Figure 69] FIG. 68 is an exploded perspective view of the hopper closing member shown in FIG. 67. [Figure 70] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a cleaning brush according to another embodiment. [Figure 71] FIG. 71 is an exploded perspective view of the cleaning brush of FIG. 70; [Figure 72] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views showing the state in which the scraping mechanism of the scraping arm is being cleaned, in which (a) shows the state in which the brush is located in a position other than the partition plate and is close to the scraping mechanism, (b) shows the state in which the brush is located in the partition plate position and is close to the scraping mechanism, and (c) shows the state in which the brush is located in the partition plate position and is away from the scraping mechanism. [Figure 73] FIG. 52 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the temporary medicine container placing section shown in FIG. 51. [Figure 74] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional powder medicine packaging device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0045] The medicine dispensing device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be further described below. To facilitate understanding, the outline and general operation of the medicine dispensing device 1 will be described first, followed by a detailed description of each component and device. The medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment is surrounded by a housing 7, and the interior thereof is divided into a medicine shelf area 100, a medicine dividing area 200, and a medicine packaging area 300. In the medicine shelf area 100, a container storage device 101 for storing medicine containers 2 is provided. The container storage device 101 has a vertical drum member 102 that rotates in a substantially horizontal direction, and a plurality of container installation sections 103 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the drum member 102. In this embodiment, the container installation sections 103 are provided in three stages. Furthermore, 12 container installation sections 103 are provided per stage, and a total of 36 drug containers 2 can be attached.

[0046] Drum member 102 is rotated by a motor, and a desired drug container 2 is brought close to robot 702 of container moving means 700 (described later), and is attached or detached by robot 702.

[0047] Container moving means 700 is provided in the area extending from medicine shelf area 100 to medicine dividing area 200. As shown in Figure 43, container moving means 700 has a robot 702 attached to a vertically disposed lifting mechanism 701. Robot 702 has two arm members 705, 706 and a hand unit 707. Hand unit 707 is provided with an electromagnet, which can magnetically attract and hold the iron plate of medicine container 2.

[0048] The medicine dividing area 200 is an area in which two distribution plates 201 are installed in an embedded state, and a container mounting device 3 and a cleaning device 500 are arranged around them. A scraping device 930 is also provided in the medicine dividing area 200, and a scraping arm 931 of the scraping device 930 protrudes from each distribution plate 201 in the medicine dividing area 200. That is, the medicine divided area 200 has a flat table member 205. The table member 205 is flat and can be used to place an object thereon. That is, the table member 205 has a table surface 205a on which an object can be placed. 17, the table member 205 is provided with two distribution tray accommodating openings 206. That is, the distribution tray accommodating openings 206 are open at two locations on the table surface 205a. A distribution tray 201 is provided in the distribution tray receiving opening 206 . The distribution plate 201 is a plate-shaped member with an equipment storage opening 210 provided in the center. The distribution plate 201 has a medicine insertion groove 208 provided on its upper surface. The medicine insertion groove 208 is also called an "R groove" and has an arc-shaped cross section. The medicine insertion groove 208 is located near the outer edge of the distribution plate 201 and surrounds the equipment storage opening 210 in an annular shape.

[0049] The distribution dish 201 is completely housed in the distribution dish accommodating opening 206, and all parts of the distribution dish 201 are located below the surface of the table member 205 (table surface 205a). The distribution dish 201 can be rotated at a constant speed by a dish rotation mechanism 211, which will be described later, or can be rotated by a predetermined angle. As will be described later, the dish rotation mechanisms 211 are all provided below the table member 205.

[0050] 23, the scraping device 930 has a scraping-side power transmission system 932 and an arm-side power transmission system 933. The scraping-side power transmission system 932 has a motor 950, and by operating the motor 950, it is possible to drive the scraping mechanism 606 provided on the scraping arm 931. The arm-side power transmission system 933 has a motor 960, and by operating the motor 960, it is possible to raise and lower the scraping arm 931.

[0051] In this embodiment, a turntable 604 is provided below the table member 205, and a scraping arm 931 is fixed to the turntable 604. Therefore, by rotating the turntable 604, the entire scraping device 930 can be rotated.

[0052] Furthermore, the height above ground of most of the motors 950 and 960 is below the surface of the table member 205 (table surface 205a). The base end of the scraping arm 931 is fixed to the turntable 604 side, and the tip thereof protrudes outward from the equipment storage opening 210 of the distribution tray 201 . Therefore, the base end side of the scraping arm 931 is located inside the equipment storage opening 210 or directly above it, and the tip side protrudes from the equipment storage opening 210 side in a cantilevered manner.

[0053] A lid 207 (covering member) is provided within the equipment storage opening 210 of the distribution tray 201, and covers the motors 950, 960 (FIG. 21). The lid 207 is fixed to the turntable 604 side and rotates integrally with the turntable 604. The outer diameter of the lid 207 is approximately equal to the equipment storage opening 210 provided in the center of the distribution tray 201, and it fits into the equipment storage opening 210. However, the lid 207 does not abut or engage with the distribution tray 201, and the lid 207 and the distribution tray 201 are capable of relative rotation. The top surface of the lid 207 is generally flat except for some protruding portions. More specifically, when the lid 207 is viewed from above, three-quarters or more of its area is smooth. The lid 207 also has an opening for allowing the scraping arm 931 to protrude. A door element is provided in this opening. The door element is always closed due to gravity. When the scraping arm 931 rotates in a direction approaching the vertical position, the door element is pushed open by the scraping arm 931. On the other hand, when the scraping arm 931 rotates in a direction approaching the horizontal position, the force of the biasing element moves the door element in the closing direction.

[0054] The cleaning device 500 has a cleaning arm 501 that protrudes in a cantilevered manner from the table member 205 side and whose tip side moves up and down by power, and a cleaning brush 502 is provided at the tip of the cleaning arm 501. The cleaning brush 502 is rotatably mounted in the brush cover 503. As shown in Fig. 36, the brush cover 503 has an opening 503a (exposure opening) on ​​the tip side, and a part of the cleaning brush 502 is exposed from the opening 503a.

[0055] The cleaning brush 502 has bristles planted around the periphery of a hub member. In this embodiment, four rows of hair are planted around the hub member. Of the four rows of hair, the outer rows are all arranged so that the tips of the hairs face inward. In contrast, in the center row, one row is planted to the right and the other to the left, so that the tips of the hairs are distributed left and right overall. Therefore, the bristle rows of the cleaning brush 502 are arranged in three or more rows, and the bristle rows at both ends include a group of bristles inclined toward the center of the hub member, with the bristles' tips inclined toward the center of the hub member, and the bristle row at the center includes a group of bristles inclined toward one end of the hub member, with the bristles' tips inclined toward one end of the hub member, and a group of bristles inclined toward the other end of the hub member, with the bristles' tips inclined toward the other end of the hub member. The hub member also has grooves between the rows of bristles.

[0056] The table member 205 is provided with the container placing devices 3. In this embodiment, three sets of the container placing devices 3 are provided around the distribution tray 201. The container mounting device 3 has a vibration table 20 and a weight measuring means 25 that measures the weight of the drug container 2 directly or indirectly. The main parts of the container mounting device 3 are all buried below the table member 205 , and only a part of the device 3 including the surface of the vibration table 20 is exposed from the table member 205 . The vibration table 20 is provided with a container holding means for temporarily fixing the drug container 2 to the vibration table 20. The container holding means is specifically a magnet. More specifically, it is an electromagnet with a structure called a self-holding solenoid 30. The self-holding solenoid 30 combines a permanent magnet and an electromagnet, and normally exerts an attractive force mainly by the permanent magnet. When an object magnetically attracted to the self-holding solenoid 30 is to be released, the electromagnet is energized, generating a magnetic force in the opposite direction to that of the permanent magnet, thereby canceling out the magnetic force of the permanent magnet. Alternatively, when attracting, current is passed through the electromagnet to generate a magnetic force in the same direction as the permanent magnet, and when releasing, current is passed in the opposite direction to generate a magnetic force in the opposite direction to the permanent magnet. In this embodiment, the medicine container 2 is placed on the container mounting device 3, and the vibration table 20 is vibrated to discharge the medicine from the medicine container 2. The change in weight of the medicine container 2 at that time is detected by the weight measuring means 25.

[0057] Table member 205 is further provided with a medicine insertion opening 241. A hopper closing member 400 is also provided at a position slightly away from medicine insertion opening 241 on table member 205 toward the front side. Hopper closing member 400 has a main body portion 401 and an inner lid portion 402, and inner lid portion 402 moves in a direction away from main body portion 401 by power.

[0058] The medicine packaging area 300 (Fig. 2) has a built-in medicine packaging device 410 shown in Fig. 32. Like known devices, the medicine packaging device 410 is a machine that packages medicines into individual doses, and as known, is composed of a packaging paper supply device and a packaging device. Also provided is a powder medicine input hopper 413 (medicine input hopper) that inputs medicines into the packaging section. The medicine packaging device of this embodiment has a unique configuration in which the entire device moves in the front-to-rear direction. That is, in this embodiment, the entire medicine packaging device 410 moves. That is, when the medicine is being packaged, the opening of the powder medicine supply hopper 413 is located at the position of the medicine supply opening 241, and when the packaging operation is completed, the entire medicine packaging device 410 moves to the front side, and the opening of the powder medicine supply hopper 413 reaches the position of the hopper closing member 400. Then, cleaning of the powder medicine supply hopper 413 and the like is performed.

[0059] As another configuration, the distribution tray 201, the powdered medicine input hopper 413, and the scraping mechanism 606 are all provided with a remaining medicine detection sensor. The remaining medicine detection sensor is an optical sensor, and has a main body and a fiber, the tip of which is provided on the distribution tray 201 or in its vicinity. Furthermore, a partition (not shown) may be provided between the two distribution trays 201. Providing a partition will prevent powdered medicine in one distribution tray 201 from scattering onto the other distribution tray 201. It is also preferable to provide a partition cleaning means for cleaning the partition. In other words, it is possible to prevent powdered medicine adhering to the partition from scattering and becoming mixed with different types of medicine.

[0060] Next, an overview and general operation of the medicine dispensing device 1 will be described. The medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment can automatically perform the operations of selecting medicine according to a prescription, pouring a predetermined amount of medicine into a distribution tray 201, and dividing the medicine and pouring it into a medicine packaging device 410. After that, the distribution tray 201 is automatically cleaned, and further the scraping mechanism 606 is also automatically cleaned. After that, the inside of the powder medicine feeding hopper 413 is also automatically cleaned.

[0061] That is, the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment automatically selects a medicine container 2 according to a prescription. Specifically, the drum member 102 of the container storage device 101 is rotated to bring the desired medicine container 2 close to the container moving means 700. Then, the hand unit 707 of the container moving means 700 holds the medicine container 2, and the arm or the like is operated to place the medicine container 2 on the vibration table 20 of the container mounting device 3. When a plurality of medicines are mixed and enclosed in one package, a plurality of medicine containers 2 are placed on the container mounting device 3.

[0062] Then, vibration table 20 is vibrated. As a result, the powdered medicine in medicine container 2 moves slowly, is discharged from medicine container 2 and falls onto distribution tray 201. Also, around the time vibration starts, distribution tray 201 of powdered medicine distribution device 202 is rotated. Around the time vibration starts, the weight of medicine container 2 is measured. During this time, the weight of medicine container 2 is monitored, and when the total amount of powdered medicine that has fallen reaches a desired weight, the vibration of vibration table 20 is stopped. That is, weight measuring means 25 measures the original weight G, which is the weight of medicine container 2 before the medicine is discharged, and the weight measuring means 25 monitors the weight of medicine container 2 when powdered medicine is discharged little by little from medicine container 2. Then, when current weight g, which is the current weight of medicine container 2, matches or nearly matches the value obtained by subtracting the target discharge amount from the original weight G, the discharge of powdered medicine from medicine container 2 is stopped.

[0063] Thereafter, the rotation of distribution plate 201 is stopped. Then, motor 950 (FIG. 21) is rotated forward to swing scraping arm 931, and the tip side is lowered to lower scraping mechanism 606, and scraping mechanism 606 is placed into medicine input groove 208 of distribution plate 201. Then, the distribution plate 201 is rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of medicines to be distributed, and the medicines are collected by the collecting plate 609. Thereafter, the motor 950 is rotated in the reverse direction, the collecting plate 609 is rotated, and the medicines are scooped up by the collecting plate 607, discharged from the distribution plate 201, and introduced into the medicine introduction opening 241. The medicines put into the medicine putting opening 241 drop down through the powder medicine putting hopper 413 and are carried to the medicine packaging device 410, where they are packaged. This operation is repeated in sequence until all the medicines in the distribution tray 201 are discharged, and each medicine is packaged by the medicine packaging device 410.

[0064] When all medicines in the distribution tray 201 have been discharged, the groove cleaning operation is executed. That is, the motor 960 rotates forward to swing the scraping arm 931, and the tip side is raised to remove the scraping mechanism 606 from the medicine input groove 208 of the distribution tray 201. Next, the cleaning arm 501 of the cleaning device 500 is rotated to lower the cleaning brush 502 attached to the tip thereof, and the cleaning brush 502 is placed into the chemical supply groove 208 of the distribution tray 201 . Then, the cleaning brush 502 is rotated while the distribution tray 201 is rotated. As a result, medicine residue remaining in medicine insertion groove 208 of distribution tray 201 is scraped off by cleaning brush 502, and the floating residue is sucked up by suction means. As a result, the inside of medicine insertion groove 208 is cleaned. When the groove cleaning operation is completed, the cleaning arm 501 is rotated to raise the cleaning brush 502 attached to the tip thereof, and the cleaning brush 502 is removed from the medicine supply groove 208 of the distribution tray 201 .

[0065] It is desirable that the suction by the suction means continues while the cleaning brush 502 is being raised, so that the chemicals adhering to the cleaning brush 502 can be prevented from dropping onto the distribution tray 201 when the cleaning brush 502 is raised. Furthermore, after cleaning the distribution tray 201, the cleaning status of the distribution tray 201 is confirmed by the remaining medicine detection sensor 372, so the distribution tray 201 continues to rotate even after the cleaning brush 502 is raised. Therefore, while the distribution tray 201 remains rotating, the cleaning brush 502 continues to rotate while suction is being performed by the suction means, and after the cleaning brush 502 is raised, the rotation of the cleaning brush 502 and suction by the suction means are stopped.

[0066] Then, the scraping section cleaning operation is performed. That is, the turntable 604 built in under the table is rotated, and the entire scraping device 930 is turned to move the scraping mechanism 606 of the scraping device 930 to the vicinity of the cleaning device 500. Note that the lid 207 and the distribution tray 201 are rotatable relative to each other, and therefore rotate together with the turntable 604. Then, the cleaning arm 501 of the cleaning device 500 is slightly tilted, and the scraping plate 609 and the partition plate 603 of the scraping mechanism 606 are inserted into the grooves C and D of the cleaning brush 502, as shown in FIG. 39. In this state, the cleaning brush 502 is rotated. As a result, the chemical residue adhering to the scraping mechanism 606 is scraped off by the cleaning brush 502 and enters the brush cover 503. The residue inside the brush cover 503 is then sucked by the vacuum device 515 (suction means). As a result, the scraping mechanism 606 is cleaned.

[0067] In addition, in the medicine dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, a hopper cleaning operation is performed in parallel with the groove cleaning operation and the scraping portion cleaning operation. That is, when all the medicines in distribution tray 201 have been discharged and the medicines have been packaged, medicine packaging device 410 is moved as a whole until the opening of powder medicine feeding hopper 413 reaches the position of hopper closing member 400. Hopper closing member 400 is then operated to protrude inner lid portion 402 and close the opening of powder medicine feeding hopper 413. In this state, the suction member is operated to clean the inside of powder medicine feeding hopper 413. If there is an opening / closing device at the end of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, the opening / closing device is opened or closed.

[0068] In the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, the above operations are repeated to carry out weighing, dividing, packaging and cleaning of medicines. Furthermore, when work for the day ends or when work starts early in the morning, the entire medicine dispensing device 1 is manually cleaned. That is, wipe each component on the table with a clean cloth to remove dust and powder residue. Here, the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment has few irregularities on the table, so that manual cleaning is easy.

[0069] That is, in the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, the distribution tray 201 is located at a position lower than the upper surface (table surface 205a) of the table member 205, and the height of the medicine insertion groove 208 is the same as (actually slightly lower than) the table member 205. Therefore, manual wiping work is easy. Furthermore, the distribution tray 201 is embedded in the table member 205, and no shady areas are created between the bottom surface of the distribution tray 201 and the top surface (table surface 205a) of the table member 205. Therefore, dust and powdered medicine do not get into the gaps, and the device is kept clean.

[0070] Furthermore, when the lid 207 is placed in the center of the distribution tray 201, the top surface of the lid 207 is generally flat, making it easy to wipe the lid. In addition, the lid is kept clean because no dust or the like gets caught in the gaps.

[0071] The medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment is equipped with cleaning mechanisms suited to the operation, shape and use of each mechanism, which significantly improves cleaning performance, reduces contamination of powdered medicine and ensures high safety.

[0072] Next, each member and device of the medicine dispensing device 1 will be described. (1) Drug containers The drug container 2 is a sealed container, and is composed of a container body 5, a transporting iron plate part 157, a fixing iron plate part 6, a cover member 120, and an information recording member 15. The container body 5 is a vertically long container made of resin, and one end in the longitudinal direction is open to form a medicine discharge portion 8. The container body 5 is also provided with a transportation iron plate portion 157. In this embodiment, the transportation iron plate portion 157 is divided into two small transportation iron plate portions 157a and 157b. The transportation iron plate portion 157 is made of a steel plate containing a magnetic component such as ferrite.

[0073] The lid member 120 is composed of a lid main body 125, a movable lid portion 134, a rectifying coil 126, and a comb-shaped rectifying member 130. The lid member 120 also has a desiccant 182 disposed therein, as shown in FIG. Movable cover 134 has knob 147, and movable cover 134 opens when knob 147 is pressed, and movable cover 134 remains open. The lid member 120 is attached to the container body 5 as shown in FIG. An engagement protrusion 370 is provided on the surface of the cover member 120. Also, a recess 371 is provided at the rear end of the drug container 2.

[0074] The fixing iron plate part 6 is a steel plate containing a magnetic component such as ferrite. The fixing iron plate part 6 is attached to the outer periphery of the container body 5, on the lower surface 12 of the peripheral wall. The surface to which the fixing iron plate part 6 is attached faces the surface to which the above-mentioned transporting iron plate part 157 is attached. Alternatively, the container body 5 itself may be made of a magnetic material, and the entire drug container may be made of a magnetic material. The drug container 2 is placed in a vertical position during storage, and is placed in a horizontal position during use. Furthermore, an information recording member 15 such as a barcode, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), or other barcode is provided on the medicine container 2. In this embodiment, an RFID chip is attached as the information recording member 15. The type of medicine filled in the medicine container 2 is recorded on the information recording member 15.

[0075] (2) Container placement device As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the container mounting device 3 is composed of, from the top, a vibration table 20, vibration means 21a and 21b, an intermediate table 22, a vibration-isolating table 23, a weight measuring means 25, and a base member 26.

[0076] The vibration table 20 is a block-shaped mounting table. The external shape of the vibration table 20 is as shown in Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, and is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped.

[0077] The mounting surface 61 has built-in self-holding solenoids 30a and 30b. The vibration table 20 has short side surfaces 63a and 63b each having an inclined surface 67a and an inclined surface 67b formed in the center thereof.

[0078] The vibration means 21a and 21b are piezoelectric elements. As shown in FIG. 8, the intermediate stand 22 has a generally "H" shape in plan view. The intermediate table 22 has an inclined surface 78a. The inclined surface 67a of the vibration table 20 is an extension of the inclined surface 78a of the intermediate table 22.

[0079] The intermediate stand 22 has a large cavity 75 inside, and the back surface of the main body 76 is widely open. As shown in FIG. 8, the vibration isolation table 23 is a plate body with a protruding central portion to provide a space inside.

[0080] Next, a description will be given of the positional relationship of each component of the container mounting device 3 of this embodiment. In the container mounting device 3, vibration means 21a and 21b are provided between the vibration table 20 and the intermediate table 22, as shown in FIGS.

[0081] In this embodiment, the vibration means 21a and 21b are present between the vibration table 20 and the intermediate table 22, and the vibration table 20 is not supported at any location other than the vibration means 21a and 21b. Therefore, the vibration table 20 is supported in midair from the intermediate table 22 by the vibration means 21a and 21b.

[0082] In addition, a vibration-isolating table 23 is disposed below the intermediate table 22. In this embodiment, the only member connecting the intermediate table 22 and the vibration-isolating table 23 is the vibration-isolating member 40. Therefore, the intermediate table 22 is supported in midair from the vibration-isolating table 23 by the vibration-isolating member 40.

[0083] 8, 9 and 10, a weight measuring means 25 is disposed below the vibration isolation table 23, and a base member 26 is disposed below that. As shown in Figures 8, 9, and 10, the majority of the weight measuring means 25 is located within a ridge 80 provided in the center of the vibration-isolating table 23, and the upper installation surface 36 of the weight measuring means 25 is connected to the inner surface of the top surface 81 of the ridge 80 of the vibration-isolating table 23. On the other hand, a lower installation surface 37 of the weight measuring means 25 is attached to the base member 26 . The base member 26 is attached near the dispensing tray 201 of the powdered medicine dispensing device 202 via a vibration-isolating member 41, as in the previous embodiment.

[0084] (3) Drug feeder (powdered drug feeding device) In the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, the medicine container 2 and the container mounting device 3 constitute a set of medicine feeder 50 (powdered medicine feeding device). That is, the medicine container 2 and the container mounting device 3 are separate entities, and when powdered medicine is packaged, the two are joined together to form the medicine feeder 50. The medicine feeder 50 has the function of stopping the supply of electricity to the self-holding solenoid 30 built into the vibration table 20 to fix the medicine container 2 to the vibration table 20, and vibrating the medicine container 2 to discharge the powdered medicine. That is, in this embodiment, medicine container 2 is stored in a vertical position, and powdered medicine is stored in powdered medicine storage section 17. In this embodiment, medicine container 2 is held by hand section 707 of robot 702, and medicine container 2 is moved and placed on container placing device 3 as shown in FIG. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, drug container 2 is moved and its position is changed. That is, drug container 2 is moved to the vicinity of container mounting device 3, and then drug container 2 is laid down in a horizontal position and placed on vibration table 20.

[0085] Then, the power supply to the self-holding solenoid 30 built into the vibration table 20 is stopped. As a result, the magnetic force of the permanent magnet is restored, a magnetic force is generated in the vibration table 20, and the fixing iron plate part 6 of the drug container 2 is attracted to the vibration table 20. Then, a current of a constant frequency is passed through the vibration means 21a and 21b to generate vibration, which causes the vibration table 20 to vibrate. Also, around the time when the vibration starts, the distribution plate 201 of the powdered medicine distribution device 202 is rotated.

[0086] Also, around the time when vibration starts, the weight of the drug container 2 is measured. The weight of the drug container 2 is obtained by subtracting a fixed value from the weight detected by the weight measuring means 25. More specifically, the weight of the drug container 2 is obtained by subtracting the weight of the members of the container mounting device 3 above the weight measuring means 25 from the weight detected by the weight measuring means 25. The weight of the chemical container 2 immediately after it is placed on the vibration table 20 is stored as the original weight G. The weight of the chemical container 2 is also constantly monitored. That is, the current weight of the chemical container 2 is monitored as the current weight g.

[0087] When vibration table 20 starts vibrating, drug container 2 vibrates. In this embodiment, drug container 2 is firmly joined to vibration table 20 by the permanent magnets of self-holding solenoids 30a and 30b, and is closely attached to vibration table 20, so drug container 2 vibrates at the same frequency as vibration table 20. As a result, the powdered medicine stored in powdered medicine storage section 17 of drug container 2 moves slowly toward drug discharge section 8.

[0088] The powdered medicine then reaches the narrowed opening 13 formed by the comb-shaped straightening member 130. The powdered medicine that passes through the narrowed opening 13 is discharged into the outlet path 18. The powdered medicine then flows through the outlet path 18 like a river, finally reaching the medicine discharge portion 8 of the medicine container 2, where it falls like a waterfall and enters the medicine input groove 208 of the distribution tray 201 below.

[0089] The fact that the powdered medicine is falling is confirmed by a decrease in the weight of medicine container 2. That is, in this embodiment, even while the powdered medicine is falling from medicine discharge portion 8 of medicine container 2, the current weight of medicine container 2 continues to be monitored as current weight g. Then, the original weight G of medicine container 2 immediately after installation on vibration table 20 is compared with the current weight g, and the falling amount H (G minus g) of the powdered medicine is constantly calculated. When the total amount H of powdered medicine that has fallen reaches a desired weight, the vibration of the vibration table 20 is stopped.

[0090] (4) Container storage device As shown in Fig. 11, the container storage device 101 has a drum member 102. The drum member 102 is a cylindrical member and is hollow inside. The drum member 102 is rotatably disposed in a vertical position, and is provided with a large gear 304 at its lower end.

[0091] Container installation sections 103 are provided on the peripheral surface of the drum member 102. In this embodiment, as described above, the container installation sections 103 are provided in three stages. Furthermore, 12 container installation sections 103 are provided in each stage, for a total of 36 container installation sections 103.

[0092] 12, the container installation section 103 is configured by a vertical wall 320 and a mounting table (bottom support section) 323. The vertical wall 320 is provided with side support members 321, an attachment detection member 322, and an upper engagement section 325. The mounting base (bottom surface support portion) 323 supports the bottom surface of the medicine container 2 based on the posture of the medicine container 2 placed upright, and functions as a bottom surface support portion. 12 and 13, the side support member 321 is made by bending a metal plate, and has a front wall and left and right side walls. The left and right side walls are slightly inclined relative to the front wall, and have an opening angle equivalent to that of the fixing iron plate portion 6 of the container body 5. The side support member 321 supports three of the side surfaces of the drug container 2.

[0093] The upper engagement part 325 has a shaft with a hook-shaped tip. The upper engagement part 325 is located near the upper end of each container installation part 103 and protrudes from the vertical wall 320. The upper engagement part 325 swings up and down around the base end side. The shaft of the upper engagement part 325 is normally kept in a horizontal position. The upper engagement part 325 is also urged by a urging means (not shown) so that the shaft maintains a horizontal position. On the other hand, when a strong external force is applied, the upper engaging portion 325 rotates, and the free end side of the upper engaging portion 325 moves upward against the biasing force of the biasing means.

[0094] The attachment detection member 322 has a protruding member. The attachment detection member 322 is located below the upper engagement portion 325, and the protruding member protrudes outward from the vertical wall 320. The protruding member is also maintained in an outward protruding state by a biasing member (not shown). The biasing member that biases the protruding member has a weak biasing force, and when it hits something and is pushed, the protruding member easily retracts into the interior of the drum member 102. In other words, the protruding member normally protrudes outward from the drum member 102, but when the drug container 2 is attached to the container installation portion 103, it is pushed by the drug container 2 and retracts into the interior of the drum member 102, protruding toward the interior of the drum member 102.

[0095] The mounting table 323 is also provided with a lower engaging portion 326. The lower engaging portion 326 is also maintained in a protruding state by a biasing member (not shown). As described above, the drug container 2 has the engaging projection 370 on the cover member 120. The drug container 2 also has a recess 371 at the rear end. The upper engaging part 325 rotates upward as shown by the arrow in Figure 14 by pressing against the lid member 120 of the medicine container 2. The lower engaging part 326 sinks into the mounting base 323 by pressing against the fixing iron plate part 6 of the medicine container 2. When drug container 2 is pressed against container installation section 103, upper engagement section 325 and lower engagement section 326 move away against the force of the biasing member. Then, when drug container 2 reaches a predetermined position, upper engagement section 325 is returned to its original position by the biasing member (not shown) and engages with engagement protrusion 370 of lid member 120. Lower engagement section 326 is also returned to its original position by the biasing member (not shown) and engages with recess 371 at the rear end of drug container 2. When removing drug container 2, robot 702 or the like holds drug container 2 and pulls it away from container installation section 103. At that time, upper engaging section 325 and lower engaging section 326 move away against the force of the biasing member, and the engagement is released.

[0096] A geared motor 302 is provided near the drum member 102 , and a small gear 303 attached to the geared motor 302 is engaged with a large gear 304 attached to the drum member 102 . Therefore, when the geared motor 302 is rotated, the drum member 102 is rotated.

[0097] 11, a pop-out detection sensor 330 is provided near the drum member 102. The pop-out detection sensor 330 is an optical sensor made up of a light emitter 331 and a light receiver 332, and for example, the light emitter 331 is provided on the upper side near the drum member 102. On the other hand, the light receiver 332 is provided in a position vertically below the light emitter 331. The straight line of light connecting light emitter 331 and light receiver 332 of pop-out detection sensor 330 is parallel to drum member 102. In addition, when drug container 2 is accurately attached to container installation part 103, the straight line of light does not intersect with the rotation trajectory of drum member 102 when it is rotated. On the other hand, if the medicine container 2 is not pushed sufficiently into the container setting portion 103 and the medicine container 2 is not attached accurately to the container setting portion 103, it will intersect with the rotation trajectory when the drum member 102 is rotated.

[0098] Therefore, if any drug container 2 is not correctly attached to container installation section 103, when drum member 102 is rotated, drug container 2 will block the light emitted from light emitter 331, and the light will stop entering light receiver 332. Therefore, in this embodiment, geared motor 302 is driven to rotate drum member 102, and it is possible to detect whether drug container 2 already attached to container installation section 103 is attached in the correct orientation.

[0099] A protruding member detection sensor 333 (FIG. 15) that detects the position of the protruding member of the attachment detection member 322 is provided inside the drum member 102. The protruding member detection sensor 333 is an optical sensor or a proximity sensor. The protruding member detection sensor 333 is attached to a vertical axis that is separate and independent from the drum member 102, and the protruding member detection sensor 333 does not rotate even when the drum member 102 rotates. In this embodiment, the container installation section 103 is provided over three stages, so a total of three protruding member detection sensors 333 are provided, one for each stage. In this embodiment, the protruding member detection sensor 333 is provided in the vicinity of a mounting stage for the medicine container 2, which will be described later. Therefore, when the medicine container 2 is attached to the container installation part 103, it is possible to detect whether the medicine container 2 is placed in the correct position. Moreover, geared motor 302 is driven to rotate drum member 102, and it is possible to detect whether drug container 2 already attached to container installation section 103 is attached in the correct orientation.

[0100] Further, an information reading and writing device 335 such as an RFID reader is provided near the drum member 102 . In this embodiment, the container installation section 103 is provided over three stages, and therefore a total of three information reading and writing devices 335 are provided, one for each stage. In this embodiment, when geared motor 302 is driven to rotate drum member 102, drug containers 2 attached around drum member 102 rotate together with drum member 102. Therefore, drug containers 2 attached around drum member 102 approach information reading / writing device 335 one by one in order. In this embodiment, information reading / writing device 335 is operated at an appropriate timing to read the type of drug contained in each drug container 2 from the RFID tag attached to each drug container 2, and store this in a control device (not shown). In other words, the position where drug container 2 is attached and the drug contained therein are associated and stored in the control device. It can also be used to rewrite information already stored in the control device or to check the contents.

[0101] Furthermore, the drum member 102 is rotated as appropriate, and the protruding member detection sensor 333 and the protruding detection sensor 330 detect whether the medicine container 2 is properly attached or not.

[0102] (5) Distribution plate The medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment has two sets of distribution trays 201. The two distribution plates 201 have the same size and structure. That is, the distribution plate 201 is disk-shaped and has an equipment storage opening 210 in its center. As described above, the distribution plate 201 has a drug insertion groove 208 on its upper surface. The drug insertion groove 208 is a shallow groove with an arc-shaped cross section. The drug insertion groove 208 is located near the outer edge of the distribution plate 201 and surrounds the equipment storage opening 210 in an annular shape.

[0103] The distribution plate 201 is supported on its underside by a guide and is rotatable. The inner surface of the equipment storage opening 210 protrudes downward, and gear teeth are engraved on the outer periphery. A motor 209 is provided below the distribution plate 201, and a gear provided on the motor 209 engages with the teeth of a gear provided on the distribution plate 201. Therefore, when the motor 209 is rotated, the distribution plate 201 rotates.

[0104] There is a lid 207 in the area of ​​the equipment storage opening 210. The lid 207 is fixed to the turntable 604 side and rotates integrally with the turntable 604. The outer diameter of the lid 207 is approximately the same as the equipment storage opening 210 provided in the center of the distribution tray 201, and as it fits into the equipment storage opening 210, it essentially closes the equipment storage opening 210 and covers the internal equipment. However, the lid 207 does not abut or engage with the distribution tray 201, and the lid 207 and distribution tray 201 are capable of rotating relative to each other. The lid 207 has an opening through which the scraping arm 931 protrudes, and a door member is provided in the opening, and the door member operates in response to the elevation of the scraping arm 931. Therefore, the opening area increases or decreases in response to the elevation of the scraping arm 931, and the opening area is kept to a necessary minimum.

[0105] The specific shape and structure of the lid 207 is as shown in Figure 28, and is composed of a lid main body 212 and a door member 213. The lid main body 212 is thin and disk-shaped, like a beret, and has a circular lower top surface 230 with a low side wall portion surrounding the lower top surface 230. A raised portion 231 is formed on part of the peripheral edge of the top surface of lid 207. Raised portion 231 is located in a slightly eccentric position. That is, raised portion 231 has three raised side surfaces that connect to the upper top surface and the upper top surface on three sides. Of the three raised side surfaces, two opposing surfaces have large areas, and the remaining surface connects the two surfaces. The distance from one side surface of a raised portion to the periphery of the top surface on the lower side is different from the distance from the opposite side surface of a raised portion to the periphery of the top surface on the lower side.

[0106] In this embodiment, a large opening 232 is provided from the top surface of the raised portion 231 to the side wall portion of the lid main body 212. A guide portion (not shown) is provided on the inner edge of the opening 232. A pair of ribs are provided on the rear surface side of the lid 207 near the opening 232. The ribs are provided with a shaft insertion hole (not shown).

[0107] Door element 213 covers opening 232 in an openable and closable manner, and has a main body and a swinging shaft piece 233. The side surface of the main body of door element 213 engages with a guide (not shown) provided on the edge of opening 232, and furthermore, swinging shaft piece 233 engages with a shaft insertion hole (not shown). The door member 213 closes under its own weight, closing the opening 232 of the lid main body 212. On the other hand, when it is lifted by an external force, it opens easily. Therefore, the opening 232 is opened only to the minimum extent necessary by the lid 207, thereby preventing the entry of dust and the like.

[0108] (6) Turntable The turntable 604 is a circular plate with gear teeth engraved on its outer periphery. The turntable 604 is rotatably supported by three guides provided on the outer periphery. As shown in FIG. 18 , a motor 650 is provided near the turntable 604, and a gear 651 provided on the motor 650 engages with gear teeth 605 provided on the outer periphery of the turntable 604. Therefore, when the motor 650 is rotated, the turntable 604 rotates.

[0109] (7) Scraping device Next, the scraping device 930 will be described. Fig. 21 is a perspective view of the scraping device 930, and Fig. 22 is a perspective view of the scraping mechanism 606 attached to the tip of the scraping arm 931 of the scraping device 930. Also, Fig. 23 is a skeleton diagram showing the power transmission system of the scraping device 930. As shown in FIG. 21, the scraping device 930 has a scraping arm 931 and a scraping mechanism 606 provided at the tip of the scraping arm 931. As shown in FIG. 23, the scraping device 930 has a scraping-side power transmission system 932 surrounded by a dashed line D and an arm-side power transmission system 933 surrounded by a dashed line E. The scraping mechanism 606 of the scraping device 930 is driven by a scraping-side power transmission system 932 .

[0110] 22, the scraping mechanism 606 is a member having a scraping plate 609, a scraping plate 607, and a partition plate 603. The scraping plate 609 is a disk made of a thin plate. The partition plate 603 is a thin plate arranged parallel to the scraping plate 609 and has a shape similar to a fan. That is, the partition plate 603 is a roughly triangular plate formed by an arc with a central angle of about 30 degrees and two straight sides. The partition plate 603 is disposed parallel to the gathering plate 609. One straight side of the partition plate 603 that forms a central angle with the gathering plate 609 is connected to the gathering plate 609 by the scraping plate 607. The scraping plate 607 is perpendicular to both the gathering plate 609 and the partition plate 603. The scraping mechanism 606 is located at the tip of a scraping arm 931, and the scraping plate 609 is rotated by a scraping-side power transmission system 932 (FIG. 23) to be described later.

[0111] The scraping arm 931 is a rotating arm having a base end inside the turntable 604 and is swung up and down by an arm-side power transmission system 933 .

[0112] The scraping arm 931 has a housing with an elongated, approximately rectangular prism-like outer shape, with a cavity formed inside. That is, the housing of the scraping arm 931 has a structure surrounded on all four sides by a pair of opposing side plates 934a, 934b, a top plate 934d, and a bottom plate 934c. In addition, a base end side plate 935 is provided on the base end side of the scraping arm 931.

[0113] A shaft member 614 is provided on the base end side of the scraping arm 931. The shaft member 614 passes through the side plates 934a and 934b. A shaft member 615 is provided on the tip side of the scraping arm 931. The shaft members 614 and 615 are parallel to each other and extend in directions perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the scraping arm 931. 21, there is a slight bend in the middle portion of the scraping arm 931. That is, there is a slight bend in the portion of the scraping arm 931 between one end (base end) where the shaft member 614 (FIG. 23) is provided and the other end (tip end) where the shaft member 615 (FIG. 23) is provided.

[0114] A protrusion 936 (FIG. 26) is provided near the base end of the scraping arm 931. A bottom plate 934c of the housing of the scraping arm 931 is curved along the outer shape of the protrusion 936. The protrusion 936 forms a pressing surface 936a on a part of the bottom plate 934c. The pressing surface 936a is inclined with respect to the top plate 934d. Further, holes 937a, 937b (only the hole 937b of the side plate 934b is shown in FIG. 21) for inserting the shaft member 614 are provided near the base ends of the side plates 934a, 934b. Furthermore, the base end side plate 935 is provided with a receiving member 938 .

[0115] As shown in FIG. 21, the receiving member 938 has a fixing portion 939 and a pressing portion 940 . The fixed portion 939 has a fixed plate 939a fixed to the base end side plate 935 by screws or the like, and an extension plate 939b that is continuous and perpendicular to the fixed plate 939a. A hole 941 is formed in the extension plate 939b. That is, when the fixed plate 939a is fixed to the base end side plate 935 of the scraping arm 931, the extension plate 939b extends in the longitudinal direction of the scraping arm 931. The hole 941 in the extension plate 939b opens in a direction perpendicular to the shaft member 614 that passes through the holes 937a and 937b in the side plates 934a and 934b.

[0116] The pressing portion 940 is composed of a coil spring 942 and a spring fixing member 943 . The spring fixing member 943 is made up of a bolt portion 943a and a nut portion 943b. The bolt portion 943a passes through the hole 941 of the extension plate 939b from below, and the bolt portion 943a is screwed into the nut portion 943b.

[0117] The bolt portion 943a is provided with a spring mounting portion 944. The spring mounting portion 944 is composed of a flange portion 944a and a protrusion 944b that protrudes downward from the flange portion 944a. When the bolt portion 943a and the nut portion 943b are screwed in, the flange portion 944a of the bolt portion 943a approaches the protruding plate 939b of the fixing portion 939. Then, the flange portion 944a can be brought into contact with the protruding plate 939b and integrated with it.

[0118] The coil spring 942 is a compression spring. One end (upper end) of the coil spring 942 engages with a protrusion 944b of the spring mounting portion 944, and the coil spring 942 is mounted to the spring mounting portion 944. The other end (lower end) of the coil spring 942 engages with a protrusion 946 of the mounting member 945, which will be described later, and is mounted to the mounting member 945.

[0119] 23, in the scraping-side power transmission system 932, a gear 628 is attached to a drive shaft 950a of a motor 950. In this embodiment, power is transmitted from the motor 950 to a gear train formed by gears 628, 641, and 633, and the power is further transmitted from the gear 633 to the drive-side pulley 623 via the shaft member 614. The power is then transmitted from the drive-side pulley 623 to the driven-side pulley 682 via a toothed belt 634. That is, in this embodiment, the scraping-side power transmission system 932 is made up of a gear train made up of gears 628, 641, and 633, a shaft member 614, a drive-side pulley 623, a toothed belt 634, a driven-side pulley 682, and a shaft member 615. A one-way clutch may be provided on the gear 641 to prevent the scraping mechanism 606 from rotating in the reverse direction.

[0120] As shown in FIG. 23, the arm-side power transmission system 933 includes a motor 960, a positioning mechanism 961, and a swinging mechanism 962.

[0121] The motor 960 is a motor separate from the motor 950. That is, the motor 960 is a motor that drives only the arm-side power transmission system 933, and can be rotated in both the forward and reverse directions. A gear 951 (pinion) is attached to the drive shaft 960a of the motor 960.

[0122] The positioning mechanism 961 includes a positioning pin 952 , guide members 953 a and 953 b , a connecting member 954 , and a fixed-side engaging member 670 .

[0123] The positioning pin 952 is a round bar-shaped member, and a rack portion 955 is formed on the cylindrical side surface. The tip side of the positioning pin 952 is tapered like a pencil. The tapered tip portion of the positioning pin 952 can engage with a groove 672 of a fixed-side engagement member 670 installed on the outside of the turntable 604. Positioning pin 952 is disposed on turntable 604. Positioning pin 952 is perpendicular to the axis of drive shaft 960a of motor 960. Furthermore, gear 951 (pinion) attached to drive shaft 960a is engaged with rack portion 955 of positioning pin 952. In other words, when motor 960 is driven in the forward and reverse directions, power is transmitted from gear 951 to rack portion 955, causing positioning pin 952 to move back and forth in a straight line.

[0124] Guide members 953a and 953b are installed on the turntable 604 and guide the positioning pin 952 as it moves back and forth.

[0125] The connecting member 954 is a member that connects the rear end portion of the positioning pin 952 with a swing mechanism 962, which will be described later. The connecting member 954 is connected to the rear end portion of the positioning pin 952 by a pin 949. In other words, the connecting member 954 and the positioning pin 952 are connected via the pin 949 so as to be able to rotate relative to each other. Furthermore, the connecting member 954 can move back and forth along a linear guide (not shown) provided in the scraping device 930. This linear guide extends in the longitudinal direction of the positioning pin 952. In other words, the connecting member 954 can move back and forth together with the positioning pin 952 in the longitudinal direction of the positioning pin 952. Furthermore, the connecting member 954 is prevented from rotating around an axis in the longitudinal direction by the linear guide (not shown) described above. Therefore, the positioning pin 952, which is integral with the connecting member 954, is also unable to rotate. Therefore, the rack portion 955 of the positioning pin 952 is always engaged with the gear 951.

[0126] The fixed-side engaging member 670 has a groove 672 that can engage with the positioning pin 952. The fixed-side engaging member 670 is disposed on a fixed member 699 that is adjacent to the outer periphery of the turntable 604.

[0127] The positioning mechanism 961 reciprocates the positioning pin 952 in conjunction with the elevation of the scraping arm 931. When the positioning pin 952 protrudes from the turntable 604, the positioning pin 952 engages with the groove 672 of the fixed-side engaging member 670, and the turntable 604 is fixed so that it cannot rotate. When the positioning pin 952 retracts into the turntable 604, the engagement between the positioning pin 952 and the groove 672 is released, and the turntable 604 becomes rotatable.

[0128] The swing mechanism 962 has a mounting member 945 and a swing member 947. The mounting member 945 and the swing member 947 are fixed together with screws 948a and 948b. That is, the mounting member 945 and the swing member 947 cannot move relative to each other.

[0129] As shown in Fig. 24, the swinging member 947 is a substantially L-shaped plate-like member. Two holes (not shown) are provided in the swinging member 947, through which screws 948a and 948b are inserted. One end of the swinging member 947 is connected to a connecting member 954 by a pin 956 so as to be relatively rotatable. The other end of the swinging member 947 is passed through the shaft member 614. That is, the swinging member 947 can swing around the shaft member 614. Both ends of the shaft member 614 are supported by support members 963 and 964 (Figs. 21 and 23) fixed on the turntable 604.

[0130] As shown in FIG. 26, the mounting member 945 has a main body 957 and mounting portions 958 and 959 . Main body 957 is a plate disposed in a vertical position. Holes 965a and 965b are formed in main body 957, through which screws 948a and 948b are inserted. Two points on the upper side of main body 957 are bent vertically to form mounting portions 958 and 959. Mounting portions 958 and 959 are both perpendicular to main body 957, but are not in the same plane and are inclined relative to each other. A protrusion 946 is provided on the mounting portion 958. The protrusion 946 engages with the coil spring 942 and functions to fix the coil spring 942 to the mounting portion 958. As shown in FIG. 24, the swinging member 947 and the mounting member 945 are integrally fixed together by two screws 948a and 948b.

[0131] 26, a lower end of a coil spring 942 is fixed to a mounting portion 958 of a mounting member 945. An upper end of the coil spring 942 is fixed to a spring fixing member 943 of a fixed portion 939. A flange portion 944a of the spring mounting portion 944 abuts against an overhanging plate 939b of the fixed portion 939. That is, the overhanging plate 939b is sandwiched between the flange portion 944a and the nut portion 943b. The coil spring 942 is disposed between the flange portion 944a on the fixed portion 939 side and the mounting portion 958 of the mounting member 945 of the swing mechanism 962. The coil spring 942 is compressed.

[0132] As shown in FIG. 26, the pressing surface 936 a of the scraping arm 931 is placed on the placing portion 959 of the placing member 945 .

[0133] The base end of the scraping arm 931 is penetrated by a shaft member 614. The shaft member 614 penetrates side plates 934a and 934b of the scraping arm 931, and a drive pulley 623 is attached inside the scraping arm 931, as shown in FIG. The shaft member 614 is supported by the support members 963 and 964 , and therefore the base end side of the scraping arm 931 is supported by the shaft member 614 . A pressing surface 936a of the scraping arm 931 is placed on a placing portion 959 of the placing member 945. The pressing surface 936a is formed on the tip side of the scraping arm 931 relative to the insertion portion of the shaft member 614. Therefore, the placing portion 959 presses the pressing surface 936a formed on the bottom plate 934c from below, or the pressing surface 936a is placed on the placing portion 959, so that the scraping arm 931 can be supported by the placing member 945. That is, the placement member 945 prevents the scraping arm 931 from rotating around the shaft member 614 due to its own weight.

[0134] Next, the operation of the scraping device 930 will be described.

[0135] When the positioning pin 952 is retracted into the turntable 604, the turntable 604 can rotate. At this time, the scraping arm 931 is raised as shown in Fig. 27(a). That is, the swinging member 947 of the swinging mechanism 962 shown in Figs. 23 and 76 has rotated counterclockwise around the shaft member 614 and stopped, and the mounting portion 959 of the mounting member 945 has risen, so that the pushing surface 936a of the scraping arm 931 is pressed by the mounting portion 959 and is in the raised position shown in Fig. 27(a).

[0136] From this state, the motor 960 is driven to cause the positioning pin 952 to protrude from the turntable 604 and engage with the groove 672 of the fixed-side engagement member 670, thereby fixing the turntable 604 so that it cannot rotate. Furthermore, the connecting member 954 integral with the positioning pin 952 pulls the swinging member 947 of the swinging mechanism 962 via the pin 956. As a result, the swinging member 947 rotates clockwise around the shaft member 614. The mounting member 945 integral with the swinging member 947 also rotates clockwise together with the swinging member 947. As a result, the position of the mounting portion 959 is lowered and the position of the mounting portion 958 is raised, so that the tip side of the scraping arm 931 is lowered, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 27(b).

[0137] 27(b), when the swinging member 947 rotates around the shaft member 614, the pin 956 fixed to the swinging member 947 passes through the lowest point (directly below the shaft member 614) and rises slightly above the turntable 604. That is, the distance between the pin 956 and the shaft member 614 is always constant, but in the state shown in FIG. 27(b), the pin 956 is at a higher position than in the state shown in FIG. 27(a).

[0138] In this way, the height position of pin 956 changes as swinging member 947 rotates, but because connecting member 954 and positioning pin 952 are connected by pin 949, connecting member 954 can swing around pin 952, and connecting member 954 swings around pin 949 while following the protruding movement of positioning pin 952, thereby raising the end of connecting member 954 to which pin 956 is connected.

[0139] When the scraping arm 931 assumes the lowered position shown in Fig. 27(b), it drives the motor 950 shown in Fig. 23. The driving force of the motor 950 is transmitted to the scraper plate 609 via the drive shaft 950a, gears 628, 641, 633, shaft member 614, drive-side pulley 623, toothed belt 634, driven-side pulley 682, and shaft member 615.

[0140] Furthermore, when the drug scraping operation is completed, motor 950 is stopped and the tip side of scraping arm 931 is raised. That is, motor 960 is rotated in the reverse direction, positioning pin 952 is retracted onto turntable 604, and mounting member 945 of swing mechanism 962 is rotated counterclockwise around shaft member 614. As a result, mounting portion 959 of mounting member 945 is raised, and the tip side of scraping arm 931 is raised.

[0141] When the scraping arm 931 changes from the raised position to the lowered position, the scraping plate 609 of the scraping mechanism 606 may collide with the distribution tray 201. However, the impact that occurs at that time is mitigated by the coil spring 942 of the fixing part 939.

[0142] 23, it is preferable to provide a one-way clutch to the gear 641. This one-way clutch prevents the scraper plate 609 from rotating in the reverse direction due to its own weight.

[0143] (8) Hopper blocking member The hopper closing member 400 has a main body 401 and an inner lid 402. The main body 401 has a substantially rectangular planar shape and is a plate-like member with a thickness of about 1 cm. The area of ​​inner lid portion 402 is smaller than the area of ​​main body portion 401. The shape of inner lid portion 402 is substantially rectangular, and is similar in shape to the main body portion. The outer surface of inner lid portion 402 is made of resin. Inner lid portion 402 is arranged parallel to main body portion 401 and is guided so as to move toward and away from main body portion 401 while maintaining this parallel state. A motor (opening / closing mechanism) and a cam are built in between inner lid part 402 and main body part 401, and by rotating the motor, inner lid part 402 moves parallel to main body part 401, moving closer to or farther away from it. That is, during one rotation of the motor, main body part 401 and inner lid part 402 can assume the close state shown in Fig. 41 and the farther state shown in Fig. 42. Therefore, by stopping the motor at an appropriate rotation position, inner lid part 402 can be stopped at the close position shown in Fig. 41 or the farther position shown in Fig. 42.

[0144] (9) Medicine packaging equipment Medicine packaging device 410 is basically configured with a packaging paper supply device and a packaging device. It also includes a powder medicine feeding hopper 413 for feeding powder medicine and a suction device 415 (suction means) as auxiliary devices. The packaging paper supply device is a part that supplies sheet-shaped packaging paper to the packaging unit. The packaging device folds the packaging paper, inserts the powdered medicine into it, and then seals the edges of the sheet to form a bag. The packaging paper supply device and packaging device used in this embodiment are both well-known, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0145] Powdered medicine input hopper 413 is funnel-shaped and introduces powdered medicine into medicine packaging device 410. That is, powdered medicine input hopper 413 has an input-side opening with a large opening area and a discharge-side opening (medicine discharge port) with a small opening area. The discharge-side opening is located at the bottom end of powdered medicine input hopper 413 and is provided with an opening / closing plate 416. Opening / closing plate 416 can be opened and closed by power, and can open and close the discharge-side opening. The discharge side opening of powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 leads to the packaging device of medicine packaging device 410, and introduces powdered medicine into the folded sheet.

[0146] In this embodiment, suction device 415 is connected to the middle of powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. Suction device 415 is a known vacuum suction machine, and is composed of a negative pressure generating device such as a blower and a vacuum hose. In this embodiment, a vacuum hose is connected to the middle of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 .

[0147] The packaging paper supply section, packaging section and powder medicine input hopper 413 are unitized, and the three are integrated. In this embodiment, rails 417 are provided on both side surfaces of the drug packaging device 410 in the drug packaging area 300. A rack 418 is also provided near the rails 417. On the other hand, on the side of the unit such as the packaging paper supply unit, a rail engagement unit (not shown) that engages with rail 417, and a travel motor are provided. The travel motor is provided with a pinion that engages with rack 418 described above. Therefore, the medicine packaging device 410 can move in the front-rear direction as a whole.

[0148] That is, the medicine packaging device 410 can move back and forth between a position below the scraping mechanism 606 shown in Fig. 40 and a position below the hopper closing member 400 shown in Fig. 41. When the medicine packaging device 410 is in the position shown in Fig. 41, the inner lid portion 402 of the hopper closing member 400 can close the introduction side opening of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, as shown in Fig. 42.

[0149] 42, when the discharge side opening is closed by the opening / closing plate 416 and the introduction side opening is closed by the inner lid portion 402 of the blocking member 400, the inside of the powder medicine feeding hopper 413 is isolated from the outside. Then, when the suction device 415 is operated, the powder medicine residue in the powder medicine feeding hopper 413 is sucked and removed.

[0150] (10) Table components As shown in FIG. 19, table member 205 is made of a smooth, glossy plate made of stainless steel or the like. Table member 205 has table surface 205a. Table surface 205a forms the upper surface of table member 205. Table member 205 is provided with distribution tray accommodating openings 206 in two locations. That is, two distribution tray accommodating openings 206 are opened in table surface 205a. In addition, three container mounting device openings 240 are provided around each distribution tray accommodating opening 206. A medicine injection opening 241 and a blocking member installation opening 242 are provided between the distribution tray accommodating openings 206. The distribution dish accommodating opening 206 is a circular opening with a large outer diameter. The outer diameter of the distribution dish accommodating opening 206 is larger than the outer diameter of the distribution dish 201, and the distribution dish 201 fits completely within the distribution dish accommodating opening 206. The two distribution tray receiving openings 206 are provided side by side and partially communicate with each other.

[0151] The container mounting device opening 240 is a rectangular opening and is provided so as to surround the distribution tray accommodating opening 206. The center line of the container mounting device opening 240 is parallel to the tangent to the distribution tray accommodating opening 206. Therefore, when the medicine container 2 is attached to the container mounting device 3, the axis of the medicine container 2 is oriented in the tangent direction of the distribution tray 201.

[0152] Between the distribution tray accommodating openings 206, at a position on the front side of the drawing, there are a medicine injection opening 241 and a blocking member installation opening 242. In this embodiment, the medicine injection opening 241 and the blocking member installation opening 242 are connected and integrated. The inside of the closure member installation opening 242 has a step.

[0153] The two distribution trays 201 are both accommodated in the distribution tray accommodating opening 206, and all portions of the distribution trays 201 are located below the upper surface (table surface 205a) of the table member 205.

[0154] Furthermore, since the outer diameter of the distribution dish 201 is smaller than the inner diameter of the distribution dish accommodating opening 206 as described above, there is a slight gap between the outer edge of the distribution dish 201 and the inner edge of the distribution dish accommodating opening 206 . A gutter-shaped receiving member 243 is provided around the outer edge of the distribution tray 201 (FIG. 18). The receiving member 243 is disposed below the gap between the outer edge of the distribution tray 201 and the inner edge of the distribution tray storage opening 206, and any powdered medicine that falls into the gap falls into the receiving member 243.

[0155] A hopper closing member 400 is provided in the closing member installation opening 242. The lower surface of the main body of the hopper closing member 400 is supported by a step portion, and an inner lid portion 402 protrudes below the table member 205.

[0156] The medicine packaging device 410 is also located below the table member 205. Normally, it is located at the back of the device, and the opening of the powder medicine feeding hopper 413 is located below the medicine feeding opening 241 of the table member 205. As mentioned above, the drug packaging device 410 is movable as a whole, and when the packaging operation is completed, the drug packaging device 410 moves as a whole to the front side, and the opening of the powder drug feeding hopper 413 reaches the position of the hopper closing member 400.

[0157] (11)Cleaning device Cleaning device 500 has a cleaning arm 501 whose tip side moves up and down by power, and a cleaning brush 502 is attached to the tip of the arm. Cleaning brush 502 is rotatably mounted inside a brush cover 503. A suction device is connected to brush cover 503.

[0158] As shown in FIG. 33, when the cleaning brush 502 is viewed macroscopically, it has a hub member 505 having two grooves C and D formed therein, and bristles are planted on the circumferential surface of the hub member 505. 34, when the cleaning brush 502 is disassembled, it is found that four disc-shaped brushes 506a, 506b, 506c, and 506d are connected by the same rotation shaft 508. In other words, the cleaning brush 502 has two central disc-shaped brushes 506a and 506b and two side disc-shaped brushes 506c and 506d, whose centers are connected by the rotation shaft 508. However, the two central disc-shaped brushes 506a and 506b are in close contact with each other and appear to form a single central brush 507.

[0159] The side disc brushes 506c and 506d have a thin disc portion. The disc portion is a disc with a shaft insertion hole in the center, and has an outer circumferential surface and side surfaces. Small holes are provided at equal intervals on the circumferential surface of the disc portion. Here, the small holes are inclined in the axial direction of the cleaning brush 502. In other words, the extension line of the small holes points toward the central axis of the cleaning brush 502, but does not pass through the center of the disc portion.

[0160] The side disc-shaped brushes 506c and 506d are implanted using these small holes. The implanted bristles are made of rigid, self-standing bristles, which are bundled together into a bundle of several dozen bristles, one end of which is inserted into the small hole and glued. Therefore, the free end of the bristle bundle protrudes from the peripheral surface of the disk part. However, as mentioned above, the small holes into which the bristle bundle is embedded are formed in the inclined direction, so the bristle bundle as a whole is inclined toward the side.

[0161] The two central disc-shaped brushes 506a and 506b also have thin disc portions. The structure of the two central disc-shaped brushes 506a and 506b is similar to that of the side disc-shaped brushes 506c and 506d, with bristles planted using small holes formed in the inclined direction. The bristles of the two central disc-shaped brushes 506a and 506b are also tilted overall toward the side.

[0162] The two central disc-shaped brushes 506a, 506b are joined in close contact. When the two mated central disc-shaped brushes 506a, 506b are combined into one central brush 507, it has the shape of a thick rotating brush. In other words, the mated disc portion is a disc with a shaft insertion hole in the center. The mated disc portion also has small holes at equal intervals on its circumferential surface. However, in this embodiment, the small holes are provided in two separate rows. The small holes are inclined in the axial direction of the cleaning brush 502. That is, the extension line of the small holes points toward the central axis of the cleaning brush 502, but does not pass through the center of the disk portion. Here, if one side of the disk part of central brush 507 is side A and the other side is side B, the bristle bundles embedded in one row of holes have their bristle tips inclined toward side A, and the bristle bundles embedded in the other row of holes have their bristle tips inclined toward side B. That is, the central brush 507 has a mixture of bristle bundles that are inclined in one direction and bristle bundles that are inclined in the other direction. In addition, the holes in both rows are equally spaced, but the angles at which the holes are distributed are offset, resulting in central brush 507 having alternating bristle bundles that are inclined in one direction and those that are inclined in the other direction.

[0163] Cleaning brush 502 has central brush 507 in the center and side disk-shaped brushes 506c and 506d on either side of it, all integrated together by inserting rotating shaft 508. Each disk brush is integrally fixed to rotating shaft 508 and does not allow relative rotation. A gear is provided at the end of the rotating shaft 508.

[0164] 38, there are gaps between the central brush 507 and the side disc-shaped brushes 506c and 506d on both sides, and these gaps form annular grooves. That is, annular groove C is formed between one side disc-shaped brush 506c and the central brush 507, and annular groove D is formed between the other side disc-shaped brush 506d and the central brush 507.

[0165] The two side disc-shaped brushes 506c and 506d disposed on both sides of the central brush 507 are attached with their bristles inclined toward the central brush 507 side. As a result, the cleaning brush 502 has a hub member 505 with rows of bristles provided on the outer periphery of the hub member 505 . The bristle rows are provided in four rows, and the bristle rows on both ends are center-direction inclined bristles, with the bristle tips inclined toward the center of the hub member 505. The center bristle row includes a one-end-direction inclined bristles group, with the bristle tips inclined toward one end of the hub member 505, and an other-end-direction inclined bristles group, with the bristle tips inclined toward the other end of the hub member 505.

[0166] The brush cover 503 is a housing that can cover most of the cleaning brush 502. In this embodiment, the brush cover 503 has a snail-shaped main body. That is, the side shape of the main body has an arc-shaped surface of just under 180 degrees, and both ends of the arc-shaped surface are extended. The two extensions extend in directions that widen the angle from each other, giving the overall shape a snail-like shape. The ends of the two extensions are open. A connecting portion is provided in a part of the main body, and the connecting portion is hollow and communicates with the space inside the main body.

[0167] More specifically, the brush cover 503 has two side walls 510 and a peripheral wall 509 connecting the ends of the two side walls except for the opening 513 . Each of the two side walls 510 is formed by integrating an arc-shaped surface portion 511 of just under 180 degrees with an extended wall portion 512 extending from both ends of the arc-shaped surface portion 511. The left and right sides of the extended wall portion 512 are straight, and the leading edge is arc-shaped. Therefore, one side of the side wall 510 is an arc-shaped side portion. An opening 513 is formed between the arcuate sides of the two side walls 510 .

[0168] In this embodiment, the two side walls 510 are parallel to each other and face each other, but the shapes of the two side walls 510 are different. That is, as described above, the two side walls 510 are formed by integrating the arc-shaped surface portions 511 and the extension wall portions 512. Here, the arc-shaped surface portions 511 of the two side walls 510 have the same shape and the same area, but the sizes of the extension wall portions 512 are different between the two. That is, one of the extension walls 512 is large and the other is small. The larger extension wall portion 512a has straight portions on the left and right sides that are longer than the other extension wall portion 512b. The curvature of the arcuate side of the larger extension wall portion 512a is equal to the curvature of the medicine insertion groove 208 of the distribution plate 201 described above. Furthermore, the total length of the arc-shaped side portion is longer than the medicine insertion groove 208 of the distribution plate 201. Therefore, when the arc-shaped portion is aligned with the medicine insertion groove 208 of the distribution plate 201, the two fit together without any gaps, and both ends of the arc-shaped side portion extend slightly outside the medicine insertion groove 208.

[0169] The straight line portions of the left and right sides of the smaller extension wall 512b are shorter than those of the other extension wall 512a. The curvature of the arc-shaped side of the smaller extension wall 512b is equal to that of the medicine insertion groove 208 of the distribution plate 201, but its total length is shorter than that of the arc-shaped side of the larger extension wall 512a. Therefore, when the arc-shaped portion of the opening 513 of the brush cover 503 is aligned with the medicine insertion groove 208 of the distribution tray 201 , a gap is created between the opening end of the small side wall 510 and the medicine insertion groove 208 .

[0170] The cleaning brush 502 is rotatably disposed in the brush cover 503. Most of the cleaning brush 502 is accommodated within the space inside the brush cover 503, and only a portion of the cleaning brush 502 is exposed through the opening 513. The gear 504 provided on the cleaning brush 502 is exposed to the outside of the brush cover 503 . The brush cover 503 is attached to the tip of the cleaning arm 501 with the cleaning brush 502 enclosed therein.

[0171] The connecting portion of the brush cover 503 is connected to the cleaning arm 501. The cleaning arm 501 also functions as a vacuum passage and is hollow inside. The base end of the cleaning arm 501 is connected to a vacuum device 515 (suction means).

[0172] Cleaning arm 501 is an arm that swings around table member 205 as its base end, and pin 555, which serves as the swing center, is fixed to table member 205 (to be precise, the frame). Pin 555, which serves as the swing center, is provided horizontally. A fixed gear 516 is provided on the side of the cleaning arm 501. The central axis of the fixed gear 516 coincides with the pin 555. The fixed gear 516 is integral with the cleaning arm 501, and the two do not rotate relative to each other. A swing motor 517 is provided on the table member 205 side near the cleaning arm 501. A gear 518 is provided on the swing motor 517, and the gear 518 is engaged with the fixed gear 516 described above. Therefore, when the swing motor 517 is rotated, the fixed gear 516 rotates. The fixed gear 516 is provided integrally with the cleaning arm 501, and the cleaning arm 501 swings around a rotation axis 556 of the fixed gear 516. As a result, the tip end of the cleaning arm 501 moves up and down.

[0173] A gear train is formed on the other side of the cleaning arm 501. The gear train is made up of idle gears 514a to 514e, and is freely rotatable relative to the cleaning arm 501. The gear at the end of the gear train engages with gear 504 provided on the brush cover 503. A brush motor 519 (rotating device) is provided on the table member 205 side near the cleaning arm 501. A gear 520 is provided on the brush motor 519, and the gear 520 engages with one of the gear trains provided on the other side of the cleaning arm 501. Therefore, in this embodiment, a series of gear trains is formed from the gear 520 provided on the brush motor 519 to the gear 504 provided on the cleaning brush 502, and a series of power transmission paths exists. Therefore, when the brush motor 519 is rotated, the cleaning brush 502 attached to the tip side of the cleaning arm 501 rotates.

[0174] (12) Means of transporting containers The container moving means 700 is composed of an elevator mechanism 701 and a robot 702. The elevator mechanism 701 is a linear guide installed in the vertical direction, and is composed of a linear rail 703 and an elevator platform 704. A rack (not shown) is formed on the linear rail 703, and an elevator platform 704 is provided with a motor and a pinion gear (not shown). The lifting platform 704 moves up and down by operating a motor (not shown).

[0175] The robot 702 has two arm members 705 and 706 and a hand unit 707 . That is, first arm member 705 is attached to lifting platform 704 via a vertical shaft (not shown), and rotates horizontally around lifting platform 704 by driving a motor attached to lifting platform 704. The motor attached to lifting platform 704 protrudes upward. Second arm member 706 is attached to the tip of first arm member 705 via a vertical shaft (not shown), and rotates horizontally around the tip of first arm member 705 by driving a motor attached to the tip of first arm member 705. The motor attached to first arm member 705 protrudes upward. The first arm member 705 and the second arm member 706 described above both have a small thickness relative to their width, and their cross-sectional shapes are flat.

[0176] The hand unit 707 has a wrist unit 708 and a container-holding palm unit 709. The wrist unit 708 is an arm that is shorter than the arm members 705 and 706. The wrist unit 708 is attached to the tip of the second arm member 706 via a vertical shaft (not shown), and rotates horizontally around the tip of the second arm member 706 by driving a motor. The wrist 708 is taller than the arm members 705 and 706, and has a motor built into the arm member.

[0177] The container-holding palm portion 709 is a rectangular plate, and is attached to the tip of the wrist portion 708 via a mounting bracket 710 . Mounting bracket 710 is a metal fitting bent perpendicular to the plane of container-holding palm 709, and one end of it is pivoted to the wrist. The shaft to which mounting bracket 710 is attached is arranged horizontally, and container-holding palm 709 rotates around the horizontal axis by a motor provided in the wrist. Therefore, the container-holding palm 709 can take a parallel position as shown in FIGS. 44 and 45, or a vertical position as shown in FIG. The wrist 708 can also be rotated horizontally. An electromagnet is attached to the container holding palm 709.

[0178] Container moving means 700 can perform the operation of removing chemical container 2 from container installation section 103 of drum member 102, moving this chemical container 2 to container mounting device 3, and handing it over to container mounting device 3. It can also retrieve chemical container 2 from container mounting device 3, move it to drum member 102, and hand over chemical container 2 to container installation section 103.

[0179] When removing the chemical container 2 from the container installation section 103 of the drum member 102, the container-holding palm 709 is brought into a vertical position as shown in Figure 46 and brought close to the chemical container 2. Then, the container-holding palm 709 is pressed against the transporting iron plate 157 attached to the chemical container 2. Thereafter, the electromagnet attached to the container-holding palm 709 is energized to attract the transporting iron plate 157 attached to the chemical container 2. Then, the arm members 705 and 706 are retracted to remove the chemical container 2. Then, the arm member or the like is operated to move the medicine container 2 to the vicinity of the lower distribution tray 201. The position of the container holding palm 709 is changed to a parallel position as shown in FIG. Then, the container holding palm 709 of the container moving means 700 is lowered to place the medicine container 2 on the container placing device 3 . Then, the power supply to the electromagnet on the hand unit 707 side is stopped, and instead the magnetic force of the container mounting device 3 is restored. In this way, the drug container 2 is handed over from the hand unit 707 side to the container placing device 3 side.

[0180] When the dispensing operation is completed, the medicine container 2 is returned to the drum member 102 in the reverse direction. Here, when returning the drug container 2 to the drum member 102, as shown in Figure 2, the wrist portion 708 of the hand portion 707 is rotated horizontally while the drum member 102 is rotated, so that the drug container 2 faces a specific container installation portion 103. That is, as described above, the container installation section 103 of the drum member 102 of this embodiment has the side support member 321, which has an opening angle equivalent to that of the fixing iron plate section 6 of the container body 5. Therefore, the surface of the drum member 102 is not flat, and parts of the side support member 321 protrude radially. Therefore, if the container moving means 700 is moved too easily to bring the chemical container 2 close to the drum member 102, the chemical container 2 will hit the side support member 321.

[0181] Therefore, in this embodiment, the wrist portion 708 of the hand portion 707 is rotated horizontally as shown in FIG. 15, and the drum member 102 is also rotated so that the peripheral speed is equal to that of the wrist portion 708. Then, like two gears meshing, hand unit 707 and drum member 102 are rotated in opposite directions, and drug container 2 is brought to face a specific container installation part 103. Thereafter, the arm unit is operated to push drug container 2 into container installation part 103 of drum member 102, and drug container 2 is engaged with container installation part 103. When drug container 2 is installed in the correct position, the protruding member is retracted into drum member 102. Whether drug container 2 is installed in the correct position is detected by an optical sensor provided in drum member 102. Thereafter, the magnetic force of the hand part 707 is removed, and the hand part 707 is detached from the medicine container 2. In this embodiment, the container moving means 700 is also used when moving the drug container 2 placed in the drug container temporary placement section 11 (described later) to the drum member 102.

[0182] (13) Frame and casing The medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment has a structure in which a frame is made of steel material and various members and devices are attached to the frame. The frame is entirely covered with a housing 7, shielding it from the inside and outside. A dehumidifier and a temperature regulator are installed inside the housing 7 to maintain the internal temperature and humidity within a certain range. Two fans are also installed on the top surface of the housing 7 to allow ventilation inside the housing 7. The housing 7 is roughly divided into a shelf area housing 100a covering the medicine shelf area 100, a divided area housing 200a covering the medicine divided area 200, and a packaging area housing 300a covering the medicine packaging area 300. The shelf area housing 100a and the divided area housing 200a are made of transparent resin, allowing the interior to be observed, whereas the packaging area housing 300a is made of steel plate, preventing the interior from being seen.

[0183] The shelf area housing 100a occupies a smaller planar area than the other two. Therefore, the shelf area housing 100a is designed to appear as if it is placed on top of the medicine dividing area 200. In this embodiment, the shelf area housing 100a is located to the left when viewed from the front. Therefore, only a portion of the upper part of the medicine dividing area 200 is connected to the shelf area housing 100a, and the remaining portion is not connected and forms the ceiling surface.

[0184] The shelf area housing 100a is provided with a door section 9. The door section 9 is a wing-type door that opens and closes with a hinge. In this embodiment, the door section 9 opens to the left and in the pulling direction. That is, when the door section 9 is opened, the door section 9 protrudes outward from the space within the shelf area housing 100a. The door section 9 is an entrance / exit for inserting and removing the medicine containers 2 into and from the medicine dispensing device 1. In the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, the medicine containers 2 are inserted and removed only through the door section 9 in principle. That is, in the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, the medicine containers 2 are inserted and removed only through the door section 9 except when dealing with an abnormality such as a malfunction.

[0185] In this embodiment, temporary drug container placement section 11 is provided inside door section 9. Temporary drug container placement section 11 functions as an introduction section when introducing drug container 2 into housing 7. It also functions as an ejection section when removing drug container 2 from housing 7.

[0186] The structure of the temporary medicine container placement section 11 is the same as that of the container installation section 103. The container installation section 103 has the same structure as that attached to the drum member 102 described above, and is composed of a vertical wall 320 and a placement base 323. The vertical wall 320 is provided with a side support member 321, an attachment detection member 322, and an upper engagement section 325. Furthermore, an information reading and writing device (FIG. 47) such as an RFID reader / writer is provided in temporary medicine container placing section 11. Furthermore, temporary medicine container placing section 11 is provided with weight measuring means for measuring the weight of medicine container 2.

[0187] In this embodiment, the function of measuring the amount of medicine contained in the medicine container 2 is performed when the medicine container 2 is introduced into or removed from the housing 7, and when the medicine container 2 is returned to the container storage device 101 after packaging is completed. That is, when the medicine in the medicine container 2 runs low, the medicine container 2 is removed from the medicine dispensing device 1 and refilled with medicine, but when the medicine container 2 is returned to the medicine dispensing device 1, the weight of the medicine container 2 is measured and stored in a control device (not shown). The weight is also recorded in an information recording member 15 attached to the medicine container 2. Specifically, a switch (not shown) is operated to open door 9, and drug container 2 is placed in drug container temporary storage section 11. After that, a switch (not shown) is operated, which causes door 9 to automatically close, and the weight of drug container 2 is then measured.

[0188] Furthermore, when the packaging is completed and the medicine container 2 is returned to the container storage device 101, the hand unit 707 of the robot 702 holds the medicine container 2, moves the medicine container 2, and places it in the medicine container temporary storage unit 11. The weight of the medicine container 2 is then measured. Furthermore, the information on the information recording member 15 attached to the medicine container 2 is rewritten. If the weight of the medicine container 2 exceeds the range expected for the amount of medicine discharged, a notification means (not shown) will notify the user.

[0189] The divided area housing 200a is provided with a large sliding door 105. That is, the front wall of the medicine divided area 200 is provided with guide rails on both ends, and approximately the lower half of the front wall of the divided area housing 200a is fitted into the guide rails, and the door portion opens and closes up and down by a motor (not shown).

[0190] (14) Modification (Container Installation Section) The following configurations are possible as modified examples of the container installation section. As shown in Figure 49, container installation section 340 of the modified example has vertical wall 341 and mounting base 343. Vertical wall 320 has opening 346, and protrusion (storage section side upper engaging portion, container engaging portion) 347 protrudes upward into opening 346. The mounting table 343 is also provided with a storage unit side lower engaging portion 348. The storage unit side lower engaging portion 348 is a protrusion. The drug container 2 employed in this embodiment has a recess 371 at the rear end. A container-side engaging portion 352 is provided on the lower surface 12 of the peripheral wall of the container body 5. The container-side engaging portion 352 is located on the lower surface 12 of the peripheral wall, slightly closer to the lid member 120 than the center, so that when the drug container 2 is placed on the vibration table 20, it will not come into contact with the vibration table 20. The container-side engaging portion 352 is ring-shaped, and has a square hole 351 that penetrates the drug container 2 in the longitudinal direction.

[0191] In this embodiment, the container side engagement portion 352 of the drug container 2 is inserted into the opening 346, the drug container 2 is pushed down, and the protrusion (storage section side upper engagement portion, container engagement portion) 347 of the container installation portion 340 is inserted into the hole 351 of the container side engagement portion 352, thereby hanging the drug container 2 on the container installation portion 340. At this time, the protrusion (storage section side lower engaging section) 348 provided on the placing table 343 engages with the recess 371 of the medicine container 2. The container installation section 340 of this embodiment has a protrusion (storage section side upper engaging section, container engaging section) 347 that engages with a part of the drug container 2, and the protrusion engages with the drug container 2 by sliding the drug container 2 from top to bottom. In addition, the engagement between the drug container 2 and the protrusion (storage section side upper engaging section, container engaging section) 347 is released by sliding the drug container 2 from bottom to top.

[0192] (15) Modification (Container Storage Device) In the above-described embodiment, the drum member 102 is provided, and the container installation section 103 is arranged circumferentially. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the container installation section 340 may be arranged in a plane, as shown in Figure 49. The overall structure of a medicine dispensing device 800 in the modified example is, for example, as shown in Figure 50. Medicine dispensing device 800 is functionally divided into a medicine shelf area 803, a medicine dividing area 805, and a medicine packaging area 806 in the vertical direction. Medicine container storage shelves 801 are arranged around the medicine shelf area 803 at the top, and medicine container moving devices 802 are provided inside the shelves. Medicine shelf area 803 is dehumidified by a dehumidifier (not shown). A dust collector (not shown) is provided inside medicine shelf area 803 to remove dust from within medicine shelf area 803. For example, a blower fan is provided in medicine shelf area 803, and the air within medicine shelf area 803 is circulated by the fan. A filter is provided in a certain ventilation path, such as the intake side of the fan, to remove dust and the like floating in medicine shelf area 803.

[0193] The medicine container moving device 802 has a vertical lifting shaft 810, a horizontal moving arm 808, and a hand unit 812 that holds the medicine container 2. The horizontal moving arm 808 has joints 813 and 814 at two locations as shown in Figure 50. The hand unit 812 can change the position of the medicine container 2. The medicine container moving device 802 employs an electromagnet 807 as the hand unit 812.

[0194] In medicine dispensing device 800 of the present embodiment, medicine shelf area 803 has shelf member 815, which is placed on rails 816. A rack (not shown) is provided near rail 816. Meanwhile, shelf member 815 is provided with a travel motor, which is provided with a pinion that engages with the rack. In the medicine dispensing device 800 of this embodiment, the shelf member 815 moves in the front-rear direction as a whole, and moves forward to approach the distribution tray 201 when the medicine container 2 is removed. Next, supplementary details and other variations will be described.

[0195] (16) Opening and closing the lid of the container body Although any opening and closing means may be used for the movable lid portion (opening and closing lid) 134 of the container body 5, it is recommended that the opening and closing means be provided on the hand portion 707 of the robot 702. Figure 57 shows an example in which an opening / closing means is provided on container holding palm part 709 of hand part 707. Hand part 707 shown in Figure 57 has opening 426 provided on the surface of container holding palm part 709 that is pressed against drug container 2. Opening / closing member 419 is provided inside opening 426. Opening / closing member 419 is an "L" shaped member and has contact members 420, 421 on two sides. The opening / closing member 419 swings around the base of the two sides of the abutting members 420 and 421. The opening / closing member 419 is swung by the power of a solenoid, a motor, or the like (not shown).

[0196] When the container body 5 is held by the hand part 707, the knob part (operation part) 147 provided on the movable lid part 134 of the container body 5 enters the opening 426 of the hand part 707 as shown in Fig. 57. At this time, the knob part 147 enters between the abutment members 420, 421 on two sides of the opening / closing member 419. In this state, the opening / closing member 419 is swung left and right as shown by the arrow by a solenoid or the like (not shown). As a result, the opening / closing member 419 engages with the knob 147, causing the knob 147 to swing, and the movable lid 134 is opened and closed.

[0197] The opening and closing means for the movable lid portion 134 of the container body 5 may be provided in the container mounting device 3. Alternatively, an independent opening and closing means for the movable lid portion 134 may be provided.

[0198] (17) Posture when moving the container body As described above, drug container 2 is placed in container placement section 103 of drum member 102, and is moved while being held by hand section 707 of robot 702, and placed on container placement device 3 as shown in Figure 3. If drug container 2 is moved in a horizontal position, it is desirable to tilt drug container 2 so that drug discharge section 8 is facing up, as shown in Figure 58, just before placing drug container 2 on container placement device 3. By tilting drug container 2 so that drug discharge section 8 is facing up, the powdered medicine in powdered medicine storage section 17 is directed away from drug discharge section 8. This attitude change operation prevents the powdered medicine from spilling out when the movable lid portion 134 is opened.

[0199] (18) Procedure for removing the container body from the container mounting device When removing the drug container 2 from the container installation section 103, the movable lid section 134 of the container body 5 is closed while the drug container 2 is placed on the container placement device 3, and then the drug container 2 is held and moved by the hand section 707 of the robot 702. The most recommended operation is to bring the hand unit 707 close to the container body 5, align the container-holding palm 709 of the hand unit 707 with the drug container 2 placed on the container mounting device 3 as shown in FIG. 59, and insert the knob 147 shown in FIG. 57 into the opening 426. Then, operate the opening / closing member 419 to close the movable lid 134. At this time, the magnet on the hand unit 707 side is turned off, and the container body 5 is fixed to the container mounting device 3 side by the magnetic force generated by the container mounting device 3 side. After that, the magnetic force on the container mounting device 3 side is stopped, and the magnet on the hand unit 707 side is turned on to hold the container body 5 on the hand unit 707 side. This operation can prevent the medicine from spilling out of the medicine discharge portion 8 of the medicine container 2 due to vibrations that occur when the medicine container 2 is sucked by the hand portion 707. That is, if the magnetic force on the hand part 707 side is generated after the predetermined amount has been dispensed and before the movable lid part 134 is closed, the vibrations generated when the medicine container 2 is attracted to the hand part 707 will cause the medicine that has been staying near the movable lid part 134 to spill. In contrast, if the magnetic force on the hand part 707 side is generated after the movable lid part 134 is closed and the medicine container 2 is attracted to the hand part 707 side, the medicine will not spill.

[0200] (19) Distribution tray cover It is desirable to provide a cover 220 on the upper surface of the distribution tray 201 as shown in Figure 67. Furthermore, when there are multiple distribution trays 201 as in the above embodiment, it is desirable to separate the areas where the distribution trays 201 are provided with partition walls 221. The particle size of powdered medicine varies depending on the medicine, and some powdered medicines are extremely fine. Even the slightest air movement can cause the particles to become suspended in the air. Therefore, in a medicine dispensing device having multiple dispensing trays 201, it is conceivable that powdered medicine placed in one dispensing tray 201 may float and fall onto the other dispensing tray 201. In reality, even if the floating powdered medicine were to fall onto the other dispensing tray 201, the amount would be extremely small and it is unlikely to have any effect on the patient. However, it is a possibility, and it is desirable to take measures to prevent this.

[0201] In order to meet this demand, Figure 67 shows an example in which a cover 220 is provided on the upper surface of the distribution tray 201. The cover 220 covers 30 to 100 percent of the area of ​​the distribution tray 201. In this embodiment, the cover 220 covers approximately 30 percent of the area of ​​the distribution dish 201. The cover 220 is fixed to the table member 205 and projects in a cantilevered manner above the distribution dish 201, with the table member 205 side as its base end.

[0202] The height of the cover 220 is set so that the scraping plate 609 does not interfere with the scraping mechanism 606 when the scraping mechanism 606 is moved toward the cleaning device 500 . That is, the scraping arm 931 of the scraping device 930 is raised to the upper side, the scraping mechanism 606 is moved to the upper side, and the turntable 604 is further rotated to move the scraping mechanism 606 to the cleaning device 500 side, and at this time, the scraping plate 609 etc. passes over the cover 220.

[0203] In this embodiment, the cover 220 is missing near the cleaning device 500. In this embodiment, the cover 220 is composed of one central cover member 222 and two end cover members 223 . The central covering member 222 is installed across the two distribution trays 201 and covers the area from the vicinity of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 to the vicinity of the cleaning device 500. A partition wall 221 hangs down from the lower part of the central covering member 222. The lower end of the partition wall 221 is fixed to the table member 205. Therefore, the partition wall 221 also functions as a support member for supporting the central covering member 222. The end covering members 223 are located on both sides of the central covering member 222, with a gap provided between the end covering members 223 and the central covering member 222 to allow the cleaning brush 502 of the cleaning device 500 to be inserted.

[0204] 67, the hopper closing member 400 is also provided with a partition wall 430. The partition wall 430 provided on the hopper closing member 400 is movable, and appears and disappears from the hopper closing member 400. FIG. 69 is an exploded perspective view of the members related to the partition wall 430 in the hopper closing member 400. As shown in FIG.

[0205] The hopper closing member 400 has a main body 431, a cleaning member 432, and a partition wall 430. The main body 431 has a slit 433 formed from the top surface to the side surface. A recess 424 for attaching the cleaning member 432 is provided on the top surface of the main body 431. Engagement grooves 425 are provided on both sides of the recess 424. Partition wall 430 is plate-shaped and is inserted into slit 433 in the top surface of main body 431. Partition wall 430 also has a rotating shaft 435. A motor (not shown) for rotating rotating shaft 435 is built into main body 431, and partition wall 430, located inside slit 433, rotates around rotating shaft 435.

[0206] Therefore, the partition wall 430 can take a position in which it protrudes to the side of the main body 431 as shown in Figure 68(a), rotates as shown in Figure 68(b), and finally takes a position in which it is accommodated within the slit 433 of the main body 431 as shown in Figure 68(c). In this embodiment, a cleaning member 432 is provided on the top surface of the main body 431. The cleaning member 432 is a thin member, and includes a metal frame member 436 and a central member 437. The frame member 436 is U-shaped in plan view and has three sides.

[0207] The central member 437 is a thin plate made of soft but somewhat stiff rubber or resin. A slit 438 is provided in the central member 437. The slit 438 is a notch with one end open. The width of the slit 438 is narrower than the width of the slit 433 provided in the main body 431. The width of the slit 438 is also narrower than the thickness of the partition wall 430. Cleaning member 432 is attached to recess 424 on the top surface of main body 431. Both side edges of cleaning member 432 engage with engagement grooves 425 provided in recess 424, and cleaning member 432 can be attached to and detached from main body 431 by sliding cleaning member 432 forward or backward along engagement grooves 425. As described above, the partition wall 430 rotates from a position protruding laterally from the main body 431 as shown in Figure 68(a) to a position accommodated in the slit 433 of the main body 431, and at that time, the partition wall 430 passes through the slit 438 of the central member 437. The central member 437 is made of a soft but somewhat stiff rubber or resin, and the width of the slit 438 is narrower than the thickness of the partition wall 430. Therefore, when the partition wall 430 passes through the slit 438, the slit 438 of the central member 437 wipes both side surfaces of the partition wall 430. Therefore, when the partition wall 430 is accommodated in the main body 431, the partition wall 430 is cleaned. Furthermore, as described above, in this embodiment, the cleaning member 432 can be detached from the main body 431 by sliding it relative to the main body 431, and therefore the cleaning member 432 can be removed and cleaned by washing with water or the like.

[0208] (20) Temporary drug container storage area Next, a modified example of the temporary medicine container placement section 11 provided in the door section 9 will be described. 51 shows another embodiment of the temporary medicine container placing section 250. As in the previous embodiment, the temporary medicine container placing section 250 is attached to the door section 9 and moves together with the door section 9. The temporary medicine container placing section 250 is composed of a placing table 251, an engaging lever 252, and a holding member 253. The holding member 253 is fence-shaped and holds the medicine container 2. The table 251 is composed of a backrest 255 that is placed in an upright or slightly inclined position, and a base 256 that is placed in a substantially horizontal position. The backrest 255 has a rectangular, large-area installation portion 257 in the center, and rectangular side portions 258a and 258b on both sides of the installation portion 257. The side portions 258a and 258b are inclined toward the front side relative to the installation portion 257. The base 256 has a large cutout 260 in the center.

[0209] The engagement lever 252 is disposed in a notch 260 of the base 256. The engagement lever 252 and the holding member 253 are engaged with each other, and when the engagement lever 252 descends, the holding member 253 ascends. The engagement lever 252 is made by bending a metal plate. The engagement lever 252 is a type of lever, and as shown in Figure 56, has a fulcrum area 261 in the center, a container contact part 262 as a force point on one end, and an action part 263 on the other end. The fulcrum area 261 is an area where the plate material is bent into an "L" shape, and a swing axis 265 is located at the corner of the area.

[0210] One end of fulcrum region 261 is bent to provide container contact portion 262. The other end of fulcrum region 261 is bent to provide action portion 263. Action portion 263 is provided with hole 264.

[0211] The holding member 253 is made by bending a wire rod symmetrically. Holding member 253 has a rotating shaft portion 269 in the center, both ends of which are bent to form connecting portions 266a and 266b. Furthermore, the tip sides of connecting portions 266a and 266b are bent in a direction away from rotating shaft portion 269 to form side holding portions 267a and 267b. The tip sides of side holding portions 267a and 267b are bent in directions approaching each other to form front holding portions 268a and 268b.

[0212] The engaging lever 252 has a swing shaft 265 which engages with a frame (not shown) and swings around the swing shaft 265 . The holding member 253 is located near the engaging lever 252 , and the rotation shaft portion 269 is arranged parallel to the swing shaft 265 of the engaging lever 252 . The holding member 253 has a rotation shaft portion 269 held by a bearing 273 and swings around the rotation shaft portion 269 .

[0213] The engagement lever 252 and the holding member 253 are engaged with each other via a spring 270 and a connecting metal fitting 271 . The connecting fitting 271 is attached integrally to the rotation shaft portion 269 of the holding member 253. The connecting fitting 271 has a hole 275 formed therein. The spring 270 is a torsion coil spring, with a coil portion 274 in the center and engagement portions at both ends. The coil portion 274 of the spring 270 is attached to the holding member 253 with the rotation shaft portion 269 at the center. One engaging portion of the spring 270 engages with a hole 264 of the action portion 263 of the engagement lever 252. The other engaging portion of the spring 270 engages with a hole 275 of a connecting fitting 271 attached to the holding member 253. Therefore, when the container contact portion 262 of the engaging lever 252 is pushed down, the engaging lever 252 rotates clockwise with reference to Figure 56, causing the spring 270 to rotate counterclockwise. Then, the holding member 253 engaged with the spring 270 rotates counterclockwise, causing the side holding portions 267a, 267b and the front holding portions 268a, 268b to rise. Note that the container contact portion 262 of the engaging lever 252 always protrudes upward from the notch 260 of the base portion 256 of the mounting table 251 .

[0214] When attaching the medicine container 2 to the medicine container temporary placement section 250 , the medicine container 2 is placed on the placement table 251 using a human hand or the hand section 707 of the robot 702 . As described above, the container contact portion 262 of the engagement lever 252 protrudes upward from the notch portion 260 of the mounting base 251. Therefore, when the medicine container 2 is placed on the mounting base 251, the container contact portion 262 swings and sinks, and instead the side holding portions 267a, 267b and the front holding portions 268a, 268b rise. The side holding portions 267a, 267b hold the sides of the medicine container 2, and the front holding portions 268a, 268b hold the transport iron plate portion 157 side of the medicine container 2. The fixing iron plate portion 6 side of the medicine container 2 is held by the backrest portion 255 of the mounting base 251. Therefore, the medicine container 2 is held on five sides by the base portion 256 and backrest portion 255 of the table 251, and the side holding portions 267a, 267b and front holding portions 268a, 268b of the holding member 253, and will not fall off.

[0215] (21) Cleaning of chemical containers (scraping parts) 51, the door part 9 is assumed to be closed, and a scraping member 280 (cleaning unit) is provided directly above the medicine container temporary placing part 250. The scraping member 280 is provided on the main body side of the medicine dispensing device 1, not on the door part 9. The scraping member 280 has a recess 281 (container contact portion) whose cross-sectional shape conforms to the shape of the container body 5. A suction port 282 is opened inside the recess 281 (container contact portion), and the suction port 282 is connected to a suction device (not shown).

[0216] FIG. 52 is an exploded perspective view of the scraping member 280, and FIG. 53 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the scraping member 280. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 52, the scraping member 280 is made up of a main body 283 and a wiping member 234. The main body 283 is made of hard resin and is provided with the recess 281a as described above.

[0217] The wiping member 234 is made of soft resin or rubber such as silicone rubber, and is provided with a recess 281b similar to the main body 283. The wiping member 234 is attached to the lower part of the main body part 283 with a small gap therebetween. In addition, the tip of the recess 281b of the wiping member 234 is located in a position that protrudes slightly forward from the tip of the recess 281a of the main body part 283, as shown in FIG. As described above, there is a small gap between the wiping member 234 and the main body 283 , and this gap serves as the suction port 282 .

[0218] The scraping member 280 is a member provided to clean the side surface of the medicine container 2. In the above-described embodiment, the medicine is supplied directly from the medicine container 2 to the distribution tray 201. Therefore, after the medicine is supplied, the medicine may adhere to the side surface of the medicine container 2 due to the influence of static electricity, etc. In particular, the medicine may stick near the medicine discharge portion 8 of the medicine container 2. Then, the side surface of the drug container 2 is pressed against the recess 281 (container contact portion) of the scraping member 280, and the drug container 2 is slid downward or upward. At the same time, a suction device (not shown) is started. In this embodiment, there is a hard, highly rigid main body portion 283, and underneath that is a somewhat soft wiping member 234. Furthermore, wiping member 234 protrudes further than main body portion 283. Therefore, when drug container 2 is slid upward or downward, the side of drug container 2 near drug discharge portion 8 is wiped by wiping member 234, and the adhering drug is thus removed. In this way, the drug adhering to the side of drug container 2 is wiped off and sucked into the suction device through suction port 282. Therefore, even if drug residue remains on the side of drug container 2, it is cleaned off by scraping member 280.

[0219] As described above, the medicine container 2 is attached to the temporary medicine container placing part 250 by a human hand or by using the hand part 707 of the robot 702, but when attaching the medicine container 2 to the temporary medicine container placing part 250 by using the hand part 707 of the robot 702, it is desirable to wipe the side of the medicine container 2 with the scraping member 280 before attaching the medicine container 2 to the temporary medicine container placing part 250. That is, the medicine container 2 held by the hand part 707 is pressed against the container contact part 281, and the medicine adhering to the side of the medicine container 2 is scraped off. Furthermore, when the used medicine container 2 is returned to the container placement section 103 of the drum member 102 by the robot 702, it is desirable to wipe the side of the medicine container 2 with the scraping member 280 before attaching it to the medicine container temporary placement section 250.

[0220] (22) Hopper cleaning In the hopper cleaning operation described above, it is recommended to put a cleaning agent into the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. The cleaning agent is a release agent, a powder other than the prescribed medicine, and is used to clean the inside of the hopper. The cleaning agent is selected to be harmless even if ingested, regardless of whether it has medicinal properties or not. The cleaning agent is a powder or particle that is harmless to the human body, such as baking soda powder, lactose, starch, etc. FIG. 60 is a conceptual diagram of an embodiment having a function of putting cleaning agent into powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 during cleaning operation. 60, a cleaning agent injection device 423 is provided near the inlet opening of powdered medicine injection hopper 413. Also, an opening / closing plate 416 is provided at the outlet opening (medicine outlet) at the end of powdered medicine injection hopper 413, and an air nozzle 422 is provided near the outside of opening / closing plate 416.

[0221] Powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 has a shape, for example, as shown in Figure 65, with a discharge side opening (medicine discharge port) 1000 at the bottom and an introduction side opening 1001 at the top. In addition, an opening / closing plate 416 is provided at discharge side opening 1000. A suction opening 1002 is opened on the side of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. The suction opening 1002 is located at least above the discharge side opening 1000, and is located at a height closer to the introduction side opening 1001 than the discharge side opening 1000. An extension line of the central axis XX of the suction opening 1002 in the planar direction passes near the central axis ZZ of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. That is, the suction opening 1002 is provided in the center of the side of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 in a plan view. The suction opening 1002 has a flat shape, and is wider than it is long. A tubular member 1010 such as a pipe or hose is connected to the suction opening 1002, and the end of the tubular member 1010 is connected to the suction device 415. In other words, the tubular member 1010 forms a part of a suction path from the suction opening 1002 to the suction device 415.

[0222] In this embodiment, the tubular member 1010 has a curved portion 1012. That is, in this embodiment, the suction path is greatly curved at a position immediately adjacent to the suction opening 1002. That is, when the tubular member 1010 is viewed from above, the curved portion 1012 can be seen. In addition, the suction opening 1002 is flat, so the air flow velocity in the vicinity of the suction opening 1002 differs between the side closer to the outside of the curve and the side closer to the inside.

[0223] The hopper cleaning operation, which involves adding a cleaning agent, is carried out in the following procedure. In the first step, cleaning agent is put into powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. At this time, opening / closing plate 416 at the end of powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 is kept closed. Then, the opening of powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 is closed by hopper closing member 400. In this state, the suction member is operated. As a result, a strong air current is generated inside powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, causing the cleaning agent to swirl violently and collide with the inner wall of powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. Here, because the opening / closing plate 416 at the end of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 is closed, the amount of air supplied to the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 is limited. Therefore, although the cleaning agent swirls within the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, the amount of air sucked in by the suction member is small. Therefore, the cleaning agent is simply stirred within the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, and the amount sucked out by the suction member is small. Therefore, the cleaning agent remains inside the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 and collides for a long time with the inner wall of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. Also, like a cyclone vacuum cleaner, the centrifugal force of the cleaning agent acts to collide with the inner surface of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, so the impact of the collision is large. As a result, the medicine adhering to the inner wall of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 is peeled off.

[0224] Thereafter, the opening and closing plate 416 at the end of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 is opened. More preferably, the opening and closing of the opening and closing plate 416 is repeated. As a result, outside air is introduced into the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 from the end of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, which is currently under negative pressure, creating an even more intense air flow inside the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, causing the cleaning agent to swirl violently and collide with the inner wall of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, thereby peeling off the medicine adhering to the inner wall of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413.

[0225] In particular, in this embodiment, the suction opening 1002 is flat and is a suction path, and the position immediately adjacent to the suction opening 1002 is greatly curved, so the air flow speed near the suction opening 1002 differs between the side closer to the outside of the curve and the side closer to the inside. In this embodiment, the air flow velocity is faster near the inner wall 1003 and slower near the opposing inner wall 1006 . This generates a strong swirling flow inside powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. Air is also introduced through discharge-side opening 1000 provided at the bottom of powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. This causes the airflow to swirl along the inner wall of powdered medicine feeding hopper 41 and move from the bottom to the top. This causes the added cleaning agent to scrape the inner wall of powdered medicine feeding hopper 41, stripping off the medicine, which is then lifted up together with the cleaning agent and discharged by the suction member. In this embodiment, suction opening 1002 is provided near the upper end of powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, so that substantially the entire inner wall of powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 is cleaned.

[0226] The peeled medicine is sucked out together with the cleaning agent by the suction member and discharged outside the powder medicine feeding hopper 413. When the opening and closing plate 416 is repeatedly opened and closed, the cleaning agent is agitated while remaining in the powdered drug hopper 413, and then agitated while introducing air to discharge part of the cleaning agent.

[0227] Additionally, the chemical adhering to the outer surface of the opening / closing plate 416 itself is removed by blowing air from an air nozzle 422 provided near the opening / closing plate 416 . That is, according to the experience of the present inventors, medicine may adhere to opening / closing plate 416 provided at discharge-side opening 1000 of powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. Here, the inside of opening / closing plate 416 (the inner surface side of powdered medicine feeding hopper 413) can be cleaned by utilizing the impact of stirring with the cleaning agent described above, but the outer surface of opening / closing plate 416 itself cannot be hit by the cleaning agent. Therefore, in this embodiment, air is blown directly toward the outside of the opening / closing plate 416 from an air nozzle 422 provided near the opening / closing plate 416 to remove the chemicals adhering to the outside of the opening / closing plate 416.

[0228] Since the opening / closing plate 416 is usually provided at a recessed position in the device, it is difficult to hit the air jet when the opening / closing plate 416 closes the discharge-side opening 1000. Therefore, in this embodiment, the air nozzle 422 is provided at a position where the air jet hits when the opening / closing plate 416 is in the open position. In addition, since there is a packaging paper near the opening and closing plate 416, the medicine peeled off by the air is collected in the packaging paper. To summarize the series of operations, cleaning agent is put into powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 to start suction, and in the latter half of the suction, opening and closing plate 416 begins to open and close, and at that time, air is blown directly from air nozzle 422 toward the outside of opening and closing plate 416. After 5 to 10 seconds, the suction and air are stopped.

[0229] 60, cleaning agent feeding device 423 is provided near the inlet opening of powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, but chemical container 2 may be used to feed cleaning agent into powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. That is, in the previous embodiment, cleaning agent feeding device 423 is provided as cleaning agent feeding means for feeding cleaning agent, but chemical container 2 may also be used as cleaning agent feeding means. For example, a specific chemical container 2 is filled with a cleaning agent such as baking soda, and is stored in the container storage device 101 in the same manner as other chemical containers 2. Then, by an operation similar to that of removing powdered medicine from medicine container 2 and dispensing it into powdered medicine dispensing hopper 413, the cleaning agent in medicine container 2 is dispensed into powdered medicine dispensing hopper 413.

[0230] Specifically, when medicines that require cleaning are packaged, or when a remaining medicine sensor or the like detects that the powder medicine hopper 413 is dirty, a medicine container 2 filled with cleaning agent is selected automatically or manually. Then, the robot 702 holds the chemical container 2 with the hand part 707 , moves the chemical container 2 , and places the chemical container 2 filled with the cleaning agent on the container placing device 3 . Thereafter, the vibration isolation table 23 of the container mounting device 3 is operated to feed the powdered medicine from the medicine container 2 into the distribution tray 201 of the powdered medicine dispensing device 202. Then, the cleaning agent is discharged from the distribution tray 201 by the scraping device 930 and fed into the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. This series of operations is performed at a speed faster than the speed of normal medicine packaging.

[0231] Furthermore, when carrying out normal drug packaging, the opening / closing plate 416 is closed when drugs are dispensed from the drug container 2 into the powder drug dispensing hopper 413, but when cleaning agent is dispensed into the powder drug dispensing hopper 413, the opening / closing plate 416 is kept closed.

[0232] (23) Remaining medicine detection sensor Next, we will provide additional explanation about the remaining medicine detection sensor 372 for the distribution tray 201. The remaining medicine detection sensor 372 for the distribution tray 201 (hereinafter simply referred to as the remaining medicine detection sensor 372) is an optical sensor in which a light-emitting section and a light-receiving section are integrated. As shown in Figure 66, the light-emitting unit of the remaining medicine detection sensor 372 emits a beam with a width corresponding to the width of the medicine insertion groove 208 of the distribution tray 201. The light-emitting unit of the remaining medicine detection sensor 372 is fixed, and the area irradiated by the beam is limited to a certain area. If there is no dirt or residual medicine at the irradiation position of the beam, the light emitted from the light projecting part is specularly reflected by the surface of the medicine injection groove 208 and does not return to the light receiving part. On the other hand, if there is dirt or remaining medicine at the irradiation position of the beam, the light emitted from the light projecting unit will hit the remaining medicine etc. and be diffused, and some of the light will enter the light receiving unit of the remaining medicine detection sensor 372. Therefore, it is possible to detect whether there is dirt or residual medicine in the irradiation area.

[0233] The remaining medicine detection operation is performed by rotating the distribution tray 201 and irradiating light from a light projecting part of the remaining medicine detection sensor 372 (hereinafter simply referred to as the remaining medicine detection sensor 372). Specifically, the surface of the distribution tray 201 is cleaned by the cleaning device 500, and then the remaining medicine detection operation is carried out. As described above, cleaning of the distribution tray 201 is performed by rotating the distribution tray 201 one or more times (for example, two times) while rotating the cleaning brush 502. Thereafter, the rotation of the cleaning brush 502 is stopped, and the distribution tray 201 is rotated one or more more times. At this time, light is emitted from the light-emitting part of the remaining medicine detection sensor 372 to check for dirt or remaining medicine. When the light receiving unit detects the light and it is determined that there is remaining medicine or the like on the distribution tray 201, the cleaning brush 502 is rotated again to redo the cleaning of the distribution tray 201. If there is no remaining medicine or the like on the distribution tray 201, the cleaning arm 501 is rotated to raise the cleaning brush 502 attached to the tip, and the cleaning brush 502 is removed from the medicine insertion groove 208 of the distribution tray 201.

[0234] A configuration may be adopted in which the user is notified by sound or video if the remaining medicine detection sensor 372 detects dirt or remaining medicine even after the surface of the distribution tray 201 has been cleaned. The user can use this notification as an opportunity to visually check the condition of the distribution tray 201 and determine whether the cause of the alert is dirt, foreign matter, or remaining medicine.

[0235] If any medicine remains, cleaning is performed again using cleaning brush 502, and then remaining medicine detection sensor 372 detects any remaining medicine. If any residue is still found on distribution tray 201 after performing this operation multiple times (for example, three times), an audible and visual alarm is issued. The alarm has a cancel mode and a skip mode. Cancel mode is a mode in which the alarm that has been issued is stopped and cleaning is performed again using cleaning brush 502. Skip mode is a mode in which an alarm is issued but cleaning is not performed using cleaning brush 502, allowing the user to check for any remaining medicine and clean manually if necessary.

[0236] (24) Cleaning the scraping section In the above-described cleaning operation of the scraping portion, it is desirable to change the relative positions of the cleaning brush 502 and the scraping mechanism 606 during the operation. A cleaning brush 521, which is a modification of the cleaning brush 502, will be described below. The cleaning brush 521 employed in this embodiment is used in place of the cleaning brush 502 in the cleaning device 500 shown in Figures 35 and 36. The cleaning brush 521 has a hub member 522 provided with two grooves 525, 526 (Figure 72) similar to the cleaning brush 502 described above, and bristles are planted on the circumferential surface of the hub member 522. The cleaning brush 521 of this embodiment has a structure in which three disc-shaped brushes 526a, 526b, and 526c are connected together.

[0237] The side disc-shaped brushes 526a and 526c are implanted with bristles. The bristle bundles 523a and 523b (groups of bristles inclined toward the center) implanted in the disc-shaped brushes 526a and 526c are both inclined toward the center. The bristle bundles 523 (hair rows) implanted in the disc-shaped brushes 526a and 526c include bristle bundles 523a with long bristles and bristle bundles 523b with short bristles, as shown in Figure 71.

[0238] The central disc-shaped brush 526b has bristles planted in two rows. The bristles 524 planted in each row include bristles 524a with long bristles slanted toward the side (a group of bristles inclined toward one end), bristles 524b with short bristles slanted toward the side (a group of bristles inclined toward the other end), and bristles 524c with long bristles planted straight.

[0239] 22, scraping mechanism 606 is a member having scraper plate 609, scraper plate 607, and partition plate 603. Scraper plate 609, scraper plate 607, and partition plate 603 are integrally configured. A rubber or resin circumferential sealant 683 is provided around scraper plate 609 so as to come into close contact with medicine input groove 208 of distribution tray 201. In addition, a rubber or resin scraping sealant 685 is provided on the edge of scraper plate 607 so as to come into close contact with medicine input groove 208.

[0240] The scraping section cleaning operation is performed by pressing the cleaning brush 521 against the sides of the scraping plate 609, scraping plate 607, and partition plate 603, the circumferential seal material 683, and the scraping seal material 685. Therefore, in principle, the scraping plate 609 and the partition plate 603 of the scraping mechanism 606 are inserted deep into the grooves 525, 526 of the cleaning brush 521, as shown in Figures 72(a) and (b). However, when the scraping plate 607 rotates and the scraping plate 607 and the partition plate 603 are cleaned by the cleaning brush 521, there is a concern that the cleaning brush 521 may hit the scraping plate 607 and the scraping seal material 685 too hard, damaging the scraping seal material 685. Therefore, when the scraping plate 607 rotates and the scraping plate 607 and the partition plate 603 are cleaned by the cleaning brush 521, it is desirable to swing the cleaning arm 501 and move the cleaning brush 521 (hub member 522) in a direction away from the scraping mechanism 606, as shown in FIG. 72(c).

[0241] In an ideal operation, first, the scraping plate 609 of the scraping mechanism 606 and the partition plate 603 are inserted deep into the grooves 525, 526 of the cleaning brush 521, and while rotating the cleaning brush 521, the scraping plate 609 is rotated, and when the scraping plate 607 approaches the cleaning brush 521 (hub member 522), the cleaning brush 521 is slightly released. Then, when the cleaning brush 521 passes the scraping plate 607, the cleaning brush 521 is again moved toward the scraping mechanism 606, and the cleaning brush 521 is inserted deep into the scraping mechanism 606. After the scraping plate 609 has rotated once or multiple times, the cleaning brush 521 is slightly released. In this state, the scraping plate 609 is rotated while the cleaning brush 521 is rotated, so as to intensively clean the circumferential seal material 683 and the scraping seal material 685.

[0242] (25) Surveillance cameras Next, we will explain the monitoring camera 540 that monitors whether the powdered medicine is being discharged from the medicine container 2. The monitoring cameras 540 are installed one next to each of the remaining medicine detection sensors 372. The monitoring cameras 540 are equipped with a rotating device (not shown) so that the location of the camera can be changed. The monitoring camera 540 is set to particularly capture images of the vicinity of each container mounting device 3. More specifically, when the medicine container 2 is placed on each container mounting device 3, the monitoring camera 540 captures images of the vicinity of the medicine discharge portion 8 of the medicine container 2 and the distribution tray 201. The images captured by the surveillance camera 540 can be viewed in real time on an external computer, etc. The images captured by the surveillance camera 540 are also recorded on a recording medium (not shown) and can be viewed later. As described above, the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment is entirely covered by the housing 7, and medicines are dispensed in an enclosed space, but in this embodiment, a monitoring camera 540 is provided to take pictures inside the housing 7. Therefore, the user can check the state of the powdered medicine falling and the state of dispensing onto the dispensing tray 201 by looking at an external computer or the like. Furthermore, the user can adjust the vibration strength of the vibration-proof stand 23 and the rotation speed of the distribution tray 201 by observing the state of the powdered medicine falling. As mentioned above, the images captured by the monitoring camera 540 are recorded on a recording medium (not shown), which can be used to identify the cause of any malfunctions that may occur.

[0243] (26) Information recording material As described above, an RFID chip is attached to the medicine container 2 as the information recording member 15 . In the information recording member 15, the remaining amount of the medicine in the medicine container 2 is recorded in addition to the name of the medicine. In this embodiment, when the medicine dispensing device 1 is started, the container storage device 101 reads the types and remaining amounts of medicines contained in all medicine containers 2 mounted on the drum member 102 from the information recording member 15 and records them in the control device. That is, the drum member 102 is rotated, and the information reading and writing device 335 reads the information from the information recording member 15. In addition, the position on the drum member 102 in which each medicine container 2 is contained is confirmed and recorded.

[0244] In this embodiment, an information reading / writing device 27 is provided near the container mounting device 3. When the drug container 2 is removed from the container storage device 101 to package the drug, and the drug container 2 is placed on the container mounting device 3, it is confirmed whether the drug is the target drug.

[0245] When the dispensing operation is completed, the remaining amount of medicine in the medicine container 2 recorded on the information recording member 15 is rewritten by the information reading and writing device 27 located near the container mounting device 3.

[0246] After packaging is completed and before the drug container 2 is returned to the container storage device 101, the drug container 2 is placed in the drug container temporary storage section 11 and the weight of the drug container 2 is measured again. In this way, the drug dispensing device 1 of this embodiment double-checks the weight of the drug.

[0247] After the drug container 2 is returned from the drug container temporary storage section 11 to the container storage device 101, the drum member 102 is rotated to bring the returned drug container 2 close to the information reading and writing device 335, and it is confirmed that the drug container 2 returned to the container storage device 101 is the original drug container 2.

[0248] When storing a medicine container 2 in medicine dispensing device 1 from the outside, information about the medicine stored in medicine container 2 is input to an input device (not shown). Then, medicine container 2 is placed in temporary medicine container storage section 11, and the weight of medicine container 2 is measured by operating a predetermined switch, and the weight is written to information recording member 15. Furthermore, medicine information is read from information recording member 15, and it is confirmed that the medicine is the one entered by the user into the input device.

[0249] The same applies to the case where the medicine in the medicine container 2 is insufficient, the medicine container 2 is replenished with medicine, and the medicine container 2 is then stored in the medicine dispensing device 1. If there is a shortage of medicine in medicine container 2, medicine container 2 is moved from container mounting device 3 or container storage device 101 to medicine container temporary placement section 11 of door section 9. Door section 9 then automatically opens, allowing the user to remove medicine container 2.

[0250] When packaging medicines (emergency medicines) that are not normally stored in the container storage device 101, the medicine container 2 containing the medicine is placed into the medicine dispensing device 1 using the procedure described above.In this case, too, the information about the medicine (emergency medicine) is read from the information recording member 15, and it is confirmed that the medicine is the one entered by the user into the input device. When emergency medicines are used, the medicine container 2 is directly carried to the container mounting device 3 and dispensing begins. Once the dispenser has finished dispensing, the medicine container 2 filled with the emergency medicine is immediately moved to the medicine container temporary storage section 11. The door section 9 then automatically opens, allowing the user to remove the medicine container 2.

[0251] The large sliding door 105 of the divided area housing 200a does not need to be opened during normal operation, but when door 105 is opened in the event of a problem, the drug containers 2 in the container storage device 101 can be freely inserted and removed. Therefore, to ensure that the drug containers 2 have not been replaced and to reconfirm the positions of the drug containers 2, when door 105 is closed, the types and remaining amounts of drugs contained in all drug containers mounted on the drum member 102 are read from the information recording member 15 and recorded in the control device, just as when the drug dispensing device 1 is started. That is, the drum member 102 is rotated, and the information on the information recording member 15 is read by the information reading and writing device 335. The position of the drug container 2 contained in the drum member 102 is also confirmed and recorded.

[0252] Instead of the temporary medicine container placement units 11 and 250 shown in Figures 47, 48, and 51, a box-shaped temporary medicine container placement unit 111 shown in Figure 73 may be used. The temporary medicine container placement unit 111 only places the medicine container 2 on it, and does not have any moving parts like the container abutment unit 262 and side holding units 267a and 267b of the temporary medicine container placement unit 250 shown in Figure 51. That is, the temporary medicine container placement unit 111 places the medicine container 2 on a placement table 113, and holds the lower side of the medicine container 2 with the guide units 112. This stably holds the medicine container 2. Furthermore, although the temporary medicine container placement unit 111 shown in Figure 73 does not hold the front of the medicine container 2, a separate mechanism may be provided to connect the left and right guide units 112 together or to completely close the front and prevent the medicine container 2 from tipping forward. [Explanation of symbols]

[0253] 1 Medicine dispensing device 2 Medicine container 3 Container mounting device 7 Housing 8 Medicine discharge section 9 Door section 11 Temporary container placement section 15 Information recording member 16 Information reading means 19 Weight measuring means 20 Vibration table 21 Vibration means 25 Weight measuring means 30 Self-holding solenoid 50 Medicine feeder (powdered medicine injection device) 100 Medicine shelf section area 101 Container storage device 102 Drum member 103 Container installation section 200 Medicine division area 201 Distribution tray 202 Medicine distribution device 208 Medicine injection groove 300 Medicine packaging area 321 Side support member 322 Mounting detection member 325 Upper engagement portion 326 Lower engagement portion 330 Protrusion detection sensor 333 Protruding member detection sensor 335 Information reading device 410 Medicine packaging device 930 Scraping device

Claims

1. A medicine dispensing device including a medicine container filled with a medicine, a medicine container filled with a cleaning agent, a container mounting device, a distribution tray, a powder medicine input hopper, and a control device, When the powdered medicine feeding hopper needs cleaning, the control device places a medicine container filled with cleaning agent on a container loading device, discharges the cleaning agent from the medicine container placed on the container loading device into a distribution tray, pours the cleaning agent from the distribution tray into the powdered medicine feeding hopper, performs a hopper cleaning operation to clean the powdered medicine feeding hopper, and then selects a medicine container filled with medicine and discharges the selected medicine into the distribution tray.

2. A method for cleaning medicines in a medicine dispensing device including a medicine container filled with medicines, a medicine container filled with a cleaning agent, a container mounting device, a distribution tray, and a powder medicine feeding hopper, When cleaning of a powdered medicine feeding hopper is required, a medicine container filled with a cleaning agent is placed on a container loading device, the cleaning agent is discharged from the medicine container placed on the container loading device onto a distribution tray, the cleaning agent from the distribution tray is poured into the powdered medicine feeding hopper, and a hopper cleaning operation is performed to clean the powdered medicine feeding hopper, after which a medicine container filled with a medicine is selected and the selected medicine is discharged onto the distribution tray.

3. A medicine dispensing device comprising a medicine container filled with a cleaning agent, a distribution tray, a powder medicine input hopper, and a control device, The powdered medicine feeding hopper has a discharge side opening at the bottom, an opening / closing plate for opening and closing the discharge side opening, and an introduction side opening at the top, A hopper closing member that closes the introduction side opening and a suction member on the side of the powder medicine charging hopper are provided, When cleaning of the powder medicine feeding hopper is required, the control device discharges the cleaning agent from a medicine container filled with the cleaning agent into a distribution tray, closes the discharge side opening of the powder medicine feeding hopper with an opening / closing plate, pours the discharged cleaning agent from the distribution tray into the powder medicine feeding hopper, closes the inlet side opening of the powder medicine feeding hopper with a hopper closing member, and with the discharge side opening and the inlet side opening closed, operates the suction member and then opens the opening / closing plate, causing the cleaning agent in the powder medicine feeding hopper to collide with the inner surface of the powder medicine feeding hopper.

Images