Label applicator for medical devices

Abstract

To provide a label sticking device for a medical instrument capable of more surely determining a defect of a label with a simpler configuration.SOLUTION: The label inspection unit of the attachment device 1 includes the first reader 51 that reads the identification information of the label 6 before being attached to the medical instrument 7, and the second reader 52 that has a reading range larger than that of the first reader 51 and executes reading of the identification information with respect to the label 6 attached to the medical instrument 7, and has a determination function of determining that the label 6 whose identification information is not read by the second reader 52 although the identification information is read by the first reader 51 is a defective label. Further, the sticking device 1 is provided with a position grasping function for grasping the position of the medical instrument 7 to which the defective label is stuck and a rejection function for rejecting the medical instrument 7 to which the defective label is stuck on the basis of position information grasped by the position grasping function.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a label affixing device for medical devices, which affixes a label having an IC tag that stores and holds identification information to an object to be affixed. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, labels equipped with IC tags that store and hold identification information have been used to identify (manage) various products (objects to which they are attached). IC tags can identify products by reading the stored identification information through contactless communication using a specified reader. Furthermore, such labels (labels equipped with IC tags) have an adhesive backing, making them easy to attach (stick) to objects, and they are widely used because visual information (characters and barcodes) can be printed on the front. For example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2012-030891 A) discloses an ID tag label affixing device that includes a feed mechanism that sequentially feeds out ID tag labels having IC chips to a predetermined feed position, a label conveying drum that rotates and conveys the ID tag labels that are sequentially fed out to the feed position to a predetermined conveyance end position, a group of writing means that has multiple writing means that are constantly rotating integrally with the label conveying drum and that executes a writing process to write predetermined necessary information onto the ID tag labels via contactless communication, an affixing mechanism that sequentially affixes the ID tag labels that have reached the conveyance end position to predetermined affixing targets that are sequentially conveyed via a system separate from the ID tag labels, and an inspection means that inspects whether the necessary information has been correctly written onto the ID tag labels. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-030891 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the labeling device described above, when a label is affixed to an object, the label may be pinched or bent, which may damage the IC tag (causing the label to become defective). In response to this, the device in Patent Document 1 discloses that it is equipped with an inspection means that inspects the necessary information written to the IC chip by contactless communication, more specifically, an inspection means having (multiple) inspecting bodies that move while following the object to be affixed. However, the inspection means of Patent Document 1 has an inspection body that moves following the object to be labeled, which increases the cost of the inspection means and complicates the device itself. Furthermore, it is difficult to determine the orientation of the object to be labeled that is transported after labeling, in other words, the orientation of the label relative to the inspection body, making it difficult to ensure inspection accuracy using contactless communication. This can be particularly problematic for medical devices that require relatively strict identification (management). Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a label affixing device for medical devices for affixing labels having IC tags that store and retain identification information to medical devices, which has a simpler configuration and can more reliably determine whether a label is defective (such as a damaged IC tag). [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The above objectives are achieved by the following: (1) A label affixing device for medical devices for affixing a label having an IC tag storing and holding identification information to a medical device, a first transport unit for transporting the medical device, a label attachment unit for attaching the label to the medical device on the first transport unit, a second transport unit for transporting the medical device with the label attached, and a label inspection unit for inspecting the label, the label inspection unit includes a first reader that reads identification information from the label before it is affixed to the medical device, and a second reader that reads the identification information from the label affixed to the medical device after the identification information has been read by the first reader in the second transport unit; the first reader and the second reader are fixed in the medical device label attachment device and are capable of reading the identification information of the label through contactless communication; Furthermore, the second reader has a readable range that is larger than the readable range of the first reader, and the readable range does not include the label after the identification information has been read by the first reader but before the label has been attached to the medical device; the label inspection unit has a determination function of determining a label whose identification information has been read by the first reader but not by the second reader as a defective label, The medical device labeling device is equipped with a position determination function that determines the position on the second transport section of the medical device to which the defective label is affixed, and a removal function that removes the medical device to which the defective label is affixed from the second transport section based on the position information determined by the position determination function.

[0006] (2) A label application device for medical devices as described in (1) above, wherein the first reader is capable of reading the identification information of one label at a time, and the second reader is capable of reading the identification information of multiple labels present on the second transport section at a time. (3) The medical device label affixing device according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the IC tag is a UHF band IC tag. (4) The label application unit includes a cylindrical rotating label application drum, The labeling drum holds the label on its outer circumferential surface with the adhesive surface exposed outward, and affixes the label to the medical device by pressing the adhesive surface of the held label against the medical device on the first transport section, in the labeling device for medical devices described in any one of (1) to (3) above. (5) The first conveying unit includes a substantially cylindrical rotating first conveying drum, and the second conveying unit includes a substantially cylindrical rotating second conveying drum, the first conveying drum has a plurality of first holding slots provided at predetermined intervals on its outer circumferential surface for holding the medical instruments, and the labeling drum affixes the labels to the medical instruments held in the first holding slots of the first conveying drum; the second conveying drum has a plurality of second holding slots provided at predetermined intervals on its outer circumferential surface for holding the medical devices with the labels affixed thereto, and the second holding slots are capable of receiving the medical devices with the labels affixed thereto from the first holding slots; The medical device label application device according to (4) above, wherein the second reader reads the identification information of the label of the medical device held in the second holding slot of the second conveying drum. (6) A label application device for medical devices as described in (5) above, wherein the second transport unit is provided with a guide member for preventing the medical device held in the second holding slot from coming off, the second reader reads the identification information of the label by pinching the guide member, and the guide member is made of resin. (7) A label application device for medical devices as described in (5) or (6) above, wherein the position determination function determines in which of the first holding slots of the first transport drum the medical device to which the label, whose identification information has been read by the first reader, is held, and in which of the second holding slots of the second transport drum the medical device is held. (8) The medical device labeling device according to any one of (1) to (7) above, wherein the medical device is a pre-filled syringe. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The medical device labeling device of the present invention comprises a first transport section for transporting the medical devices, a labeling section for affixing labels to the medical devices on the first transport section, a second transport section for transporting the labeled medical devices, and a label inspection section for inspecting the labels, the label inspection section comprising a first reader for reading identification information on a label before it is affixed to the medical device, and a second reader in the second transport section for reading the identification information on the label of the label affixed to the medical device after the identification information has been read by the first reader, the first reader and the second reader being fixed within the medical device labeling device and capable of reading the identification information on the label by contactless communication, and further comprising: The second reader has a readable range larger than the readable range of the first reader and does not include within its readable range labels after their identification information has been read by the first reader but before they have been affixed to the medical device; the label inspection unit has a judgment function that judges labels whose identification information has been read by the first reader but not by the second reader to be defective labels; and the medical device label affixing device has a position determination function that determines the position on the second transport unit of medical devices with defective labels affixed thereto, and an exclusion function that excludes medical devices with defective labels affixed thereto from the second transport unit based on the position information determined by the position determination function. This makes it possible to determine whether a label is defective (such as a damaged IC tag) more reliably with a simpler configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an embodiment of a medical device labeling device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view showing an example of a medical device (pre-filled syringe) used in the medical device label attachment device shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic explanatory view of the cross section AA of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic explanatory view of the cross section BB in FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a schematic front view illustrating the readable ranges of the first reader and the second reader of the medical device label attachment device shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic front view illustrating various functions of the medical device labeling device shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic front view illustrating various functions of the medical device label attachment device shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic front view illustrating various functions of the medical device labeling device shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic front view illustrating various functions of the medical device labeling device shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The labeling device for medical devices of the present invention will be described with reference to the embodiment shown in the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1 and 3 to 5, the medical device label affixing device 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as the affixing device 1) of the present invention is a medical device label affixing device 1 for affixing a label 6 having an IC tag 60 storing and holding identification information to a medical device 7. The medical device label affixing device 1 includes a first transport section 10 for transporting the medical device 7, a label affixing section 20 for affixing the label 6 to the medical device 7 on the first transport section 10, a second transport section 30 for transporting the medical device 7 with the label 6 affixed, and a label inspection section for inspecting the label 6. The label inspection section includes a first reader 51 for reading the identification information of the label 6 (IC tag 60) before affixing to the medical device 7, and a second reader 52 for reading the identification information of the label 6 (IC tag 60) in the second transport section 30 for the label 6 affixed to the medical device 7 after the identification information has been read by the first reader 51. The first reader 51 and the second reader 52 are fixed within the medical device label affixing device 1 and can read the identification information of the label 6 (IC tag 60) by contactless communication. Furthermore, the readable range of the second reader 52 is larger than that of the first reader 51 and does not include the label 6 after the identification information has been read by the first reader 51 but before it has been affixed to the medical device 7. The label inspection unit has a determination function that determines, as a defective label, a label 6 whose identification information has been read by the first reader 51 but not by the second reader 52. The medical device label affixing device 1 has a position determination function that determines, on the second transport unit 30, the position of the medical device 7 to which a defective label has been affixed, and a rejection function (rejection means 53) that rejects the medical device 7 to which a defective label has been affixed from the second transport unit 30 based on the position information determined by the position determination function.

[0010] Here, the medical device 7 of this embodiment is a pre-filled syringe 7 as shown in Fig. 2. Specifically, the pre-filled syringe 7 includes a barrel 70 having a cylindrical body 71, a gasket 72 slidably housed in the barrel 70, and a plunger 73 for moving the gasket 72. In the pre-filled syringe 7, a drug (medicinal solution) 75 is housed (filled) in the barrel 70 (in the space formed between a seal cap 74 and the gasket 72, which will be described later).

[0011] In this embodiment, the cylindrical body 71 of the barrel 70 has circular (annular) outer and inner shapes in a cross section taken along a plane perpendicular to its axial direction. A pair of flanges 76, 76 protruding outward (in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the barrel 70) and facing each other is provided at the rear end of the barrel 70. A nozzle portion (tip opening) (not shown) for discharging the medicine is provided at the tip of the barrel 70. The nozzle portion is sealed with a seal cap 74, which prevents leakage of the medicine 75 contained in the barrel 70 and prevents the sterilely filled medicine 75 from coming into contact with the outside air.

[0012] Examples of materials that can be used to form barrel 70 include various rigid or semi-rigid resins, such as polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polystyrene, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, poly-(4-methylpentene-1), acrylic resin, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, cyclic polyolefin polymers, and cyclic olefin copolymers, and glass. Of these, resins such as polypropylene, cyclic polyolefin polymers, and cyclic olefin copolymers are preferred because of their ease of molding and heat resistance. Cyclic olefin polymers and cyclic olefin copolymers are particularly preferred as materials for forming barrel 70 because they are highly transparent so that the medicinal solution filled inside can be visually confirmed from the outside and have heat resistance that can withstand high-pressure steam sterilization.

[0013] The medication 75 contained in the prefilled syringe 7 (inside the barrel 70) is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include, but are not limited to, nutritional supplements such as vitamins, sugars, electrolytes, organic acids, minerals, and fat emulsions, as well as amino acids, proteins, and organ preparations. Furthermore, examples thereof include, but are not limited to, therapeutic agents such as central nervous system medications (e.g., general anesthetics, antipyretic analgesics, and anti-inflammatory drugs), peripheral nervous system medications (e.g., local anesthetics and muscle relaxants), sensory organ medications (e.g., ophthalmic agents), circulatory system medications, respiratory system medications, digestive system medications, urogenital and anal medications, hormones, antibiotics, and metabolic medications (e.g., diabetes medications), antitumor drugs, allergy medications, biological preparations (e.g., antibacterial agents and antiviral agents), and dispensing medications (e.g., distilled water and saline). Other examples include vaccines (e.g., primarily as preventatives) and contrast media (e.g., primarily as diagnostic agents). The exemplified drugs are mainly composed of synthetic low molecular weight compounds, synthetic medium molecular weight compounds, biopharmaceuticals such as polypeptide preparations and protein preparations, and biologically derived drugs such as blood preparations, but these substances can also be used as drugs regardless of the above-mentioned uses. Furthermore, substances that fall under molecular targeted drugs, such as antibodies, can also be used as drugs. From the standpoint of ease of use, it is preferable for these drugs to be in liquid form, even if they are available in solid dosage forms such as powders and granules in addition to liquids.

[0014] The affixing device 1 of this embodiment is for affixing a label 6 equipped with an IC tag 60 that stores and holds identification information to a medical device (pre-filled syringe) 7. The label 6 equipped with the IC tag 60 is, for example, an inlet equipped with an IC chip and an antenna connected thereto, covered with a protective sheet, and one surface (adhesive surface) is made adhesive.

[0015] The "IC tag" in the present invention constitutes an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system together with a predetermined reader (reading device), and is a general term for anything that can send and receive electromagnetic waves (radio waves) to and from a reader and read and write predetermined identification information without contact (including things that have similar functions and are called "RF tags" or "RFID tags"). The "IC tag" of the present invention is not limited in any way to other classifications (for example, classifications such as "passive tags," "active tags," and "semi-active tags" depending on whether or not they have a battery). The IC tag 60 of this embodiment is preferably a passive tag that does not have a battery.

[0016] The IC tag 60 is preferably a UHF band IC tag (UHF tag). Specifically, the UHF band IC tag 60 uses radio waves in the UHF band (860 to 960 MHz band) for contactless communication with a reader, and the communication distance can be changed over a relatively wide range (a range of several centimeters to approximately 10 meters) by adjusting the reader output (radio wave output). Furthermore, the UHF band IC tag 60 also makes it easy to adjust the communication distance (reader output).

[0017] The label 6 equipped with the IC tag 60 has an adhesive surface (sticky surface) and can be attached to the outer surface of a medical device (prefilled syringe) 7 (cylindrical body 71 of barrel 70 of prefilled syringe 7) as shown in Fig. 2. The manner in which the IC tag 60 is held in the label 6 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the IC tag 60 is embedded in the label 6 so that it is not exposed to the outside.

[0018] Furthermore, the label 6 equipped with the IC tag 60 may have visual information (text (product name, precautions, control number, etc.) or a barcode, etc.) printed on the surface 61 shown in Figure 2 (the surface that is not the adhesive surface (back surface) to the medical device 7 and is exposed to the outside after being attached to the medical device 7).

[0019] The identification information stored and held in the IC tag 60 is written in a memory area (EPC memory) of the IC tag 60 (an IC chip (not shown) in the IC tag 60). In this embodiment, as will be described later, the identification information is written (encoded) into the IC tag 60 before the label 6 is introduced into the affixing device 1, but the identification information may also be written (encoded) into the IC tag 60 within the affixing device 1. In other words, the affixing device 1 may be provided with a writing unit for storing and holding (writing) the identification information into the IC tag 60 of the label 6.

[0020] The application device 1 of this embodiment will be described using Figure 1 and Figures 3 to 5. It should be understood that Figure 1 and Figures 3 to 5 and the following description mainly illustrate and explain the parts related to the application device of the present invention, and that illustrations and detailed explanations of some of the configuration of the application device 1 will be omitted. It should also be understood that for convenience of explanation, some of the configuration (for example, the thickness of the label 6 and sheet 62 in Figures 3 and 4) is exaggerated in Figure 1 and Figures 3 to 5. It should be noted that the front side along the movement direction (transport direction) of the medical device 7 within the application device 1 may be referred to as the downstream side, and the rear side as the upstream side.

[0021] The application device 1 includes a first transport section 10 for transporting the medical device 7 . In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the first transport section 10 has a first transport drum 11 that is approximately cylindrical and rotates, and the first transport drum 11 has a plurality (here, 20) of first holding slots 12 on its outer surface (virtual outer surface) that are arranged at predetermined intervals (here, equal intervals) to hold the medical instruments 7.

[0022] Here, the first conveying drum 11 is defined as "approximately cylindrical" because the first conveying drum 11 only needs to rotate around a predetermined axis and convey the medical device 7 held on its outer circumferential surface (virtual outer circumferential surface) in a rotating manner as the first conveying drum 11 rotates, and its shape is not limited to being strictly cylindrical (for example, as will be described later, the first conveying drum 11 may have a first holding slot 12 on its outer circumferential surface, or the first conveying drum 11 may have multiple disk-shaped members 13, 13 that rotate coaxially, and may hold the medical device (prefilled syringe) 7 at multiple points along its axial direction).

[0023] More specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, the first conveying drum 11 of this embodiment includes a plurality of (here, two) coaxially rotating disk-shaped members 13, 13, and holds the medical device (pre-filled syringe) 7 at a plurality of locations along its axial direction. In other words, the first conveying drum 11 of this embodiment is configured not to come into contact with the axial center portion of the barrel 70 of the medical device (pre-filled syringe) 7 (preferably the portion to which the label 6 is affixed or the portion where the IC tag 60 is present). This prevents damage to the IC tag 60 when the first conveying drum 11 holds the medical device 7.

[0024] The first conveying drum 11 has a plurality of first holding slots 12 arranged at regular intervals (equally spaced) on its outer circumferential surface (virtual outer circumferential surface) for holding the medical instruments 7. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 , the outer circumferential surface of the first conveying drum 11 has a plurality (20 in this example) of first holding slots 12 (shown simply as recesses in the figure) arranged at regular intervals (equally spaced) on its outer circumferential surface, each capable of holding (accommodating) one medical instrument 7. The medical instruments 7 are delivered to the first conveying drum 11 from a structure (not shown) arranged upstream of the first conveying drum 11 and are sequentially held in the first holding slots 12 one by one. The medical instruments 7 held in the first holding slots 12 are rotated and conveyed downstream (towards the label application unit 20 and second conveying unit 30, which will be described later) as the first conveying drum 11 rotates.

[0025] Although not shown in the drawings or described in detail, the first holding slot 12 preferably includes a holding mechanism for preventing the medical device 7 from unintentionally detaching. In this embodiment, the first holding slot 12 holds the medical device 7 in a state that allows rotation during label attachment. Various known mechanisms can be used as the holding mechanism for preventing the medical device from unintentionally detaching, which the first holding slot includes. For example, the first holding slot may hold the medical device by elastic force, or may include a chuck mechanism for clamping the medical device, or may hold the medical device by suction using negative pressure.

[0026] The first conveying section 10 (first conveying drum 11) may convey the medical instruments 7 continuously (for example, at a constant rotational speed) or intermittently (for example, by rotating so that a first holding slot 12 moves to the position of the adjacent first holding slot 12 forward in the rotational direction, and then moving on to the next rotational operation after a predetermined interval).

[0027] In addition to the first transport drum 11, the first transport section 10 may also include a guide member or the like for guiding the transport of the medical instruments 7 in the first transport section 10. Furthermore, the first transport section is not limited to one including the above-mentioned first transport drum, in other words, one that rotates and transports the medical instruments, but may also be, for example, one that linearly transports the medical instruments (such as a conveyor).

[0028] The labeling device 1 includes a labeling section 20 that applies a label 6 to a medical device 7 on a first transport section 10.

[0029] Here, a mechanism for supplying (sending out) the labels 6 to the label application unit 20 in the application device 1 will be briefly described. In this embodiment, a plurality of labels 6 each having an IC tag 60 are peelably attached to a strip-shaped sheet 62 at predetermined intervals (here, equal intervals), and the sheet 62 to which the labels 6 each having an IC tag 60 are attached is wound up and disposed in the attachment device 1 as a label roll (not shown). The labels 6 are attached to the sheet 62 with the adhesive surface for the medical device 7 exposed outward (the side opposite to the surface attached to the sheet 62). In the attachment device 1 of this embodiment, the sheet 62 to which the labels 6 are attached is supplied (sent) from such a label roll toward the label attachment section 20 (a label attachment drum 21 described later) (see the sheet 62 extending from the label roll shown in FIG. 1).

[0030] The labeling unit 20 of this embodiment includes a cylindrical, rotating labeling drum 21. The labeling drum 21 holds labels 6 on its outer circumferential surface with their adhesive surfaces exposed outward, and applies the labels 6 to the medical devices 7 by pressing the adhesive surfaces of the held labels 6 against the medical devices 7 on the first transport unit 10. More specifically, the labeling drum 21 of this embodiment holds the labels 6 by suction and holding the sheet 62 on its outer circumferential surface using negative pressure generated through multiple suction holes (not shown) provided on its outer circumferential surface. As a result, the labels 6 are held at predetermined intervals (equidistant intervals) on the outer circumferential surface of the labeling drum 21, and are rotated and transported as the labeling drum 21 rotates.

[0031] The labeling drum 21 of this embodiment includes an elastic portion 22 provided at least on its outer periphery. The elastic portion 22 is preferably made of a rubber material or a soft resin material, and is preferably made of a material softer than the medical device 7 (here, the cylindrical body 71 of the barrel 70 of the prefilled syringe 7) to which the label 6 is to be affixed. As a result, as will be described later, when the adhesive surface of the label 6 held on the outer periphery of the labeling drum 21 is pressed against the medical device 7, the elastic portion 22 provided on the outer periphery of the labeling drum 21 deforms (elastically deforms) to fit the outer shape of the medical device 7.

[0032] Furthermore, the elastic portion 22 of the label application drum 21 is preferably made of a material that does not reflect electromagnetic waves (radio waves), and is preferably formed to a predetermined thickness from the outer circumferential surface of the label application drum 21 toward the inside. This suppresses reflection of the electromagnetic waves (radio waves) emitted from the first reader 51 when the identification information on the label 6 is read by the first reader 51, which will be described later, thereby improving the accuracy of reading the identification information. As shown in Fig. 5, it is more preferable that the label application drum 21 has, at its outer circumferential portion, an elastic portion 22 made of a material that does not reflect electromagnetic waves (radio waves) and has a thickness greater than a preset reading range (radio wave irradiation distance) of the first reader 51 (shown by the crosshatched portion R2 in Fig. 5).

[0033] In this embodiment, the labeling drum 21 affixes a label 6 to a medical instrument 7 held in the first holding slot 12 of the first conveying drum 11. Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the labeling drum 21 is disposed above and facing the first conveying drum 11. As the first conveying drum 11 rotates, the medical instrument 7 held in the first holding slot 12 of the first conveying drum 11 is rotated and conveyed to a position facing the labeling drum 21 (here, the top portion of the first conveying drum 11). Then, the adhesive surface of the label 6 held on the outer peripheral surface of the labeling drum 21 is pressed against the medical instrument 7 that has been rotated and conveyed to a position facing the labeling drum 21, whereby the label 6 is affixed to the medical instrument 7 and peeled off from the sheet 62. At this time, the elastic portion 22 provided on the outer periphery of the labeling drum 21 deforms (elastically deforms) to fit the outer shape of the medical device 7, thereby enabling the label 6 to be reliably affixed to the medical device 7. Furthermore, the deformation (elastic deformation) of the elastic portion 22 prevents the label 6 from being pressed against the medical device 7 with more force than necessary, thereby suppressing damage to the label 6 when affixing it.

[0034] Furthermore, the configuration is not limited to the above, and one or both of the medical device 7 and the labeling drum 21 held in the first conveying drum 11 (first holding slot 12) may be configured to be relatively movable by contact (pressure) between the medical device 7 and the labeling drum 21 (label 6). Furthermore, they may be configured to return to their original positions by a biasing means after the relative movement (labeling). In other words, the labeling device 1 preferably includes a mechanism that prevents the label 6 from being pinched more tightly than necessary between the medical device 7 and the labeling drum 21.

[0035] Various known mechanisms can be used to affix the label 6 to the medical device 7. Specifically, for example, the first transport drum 11 rotatably holds the medical device 7 in the first holding slot 12, and after one end of the label 6 (the end on the front side in the transport direction) is affixed to the medical device 7, the medical device 7 also rotates within the first holding slot 12 as the label affixing drum 21 rotates, and when the other end of the label 6 (the end on the rear side in the transport direction) is affixed to the medical device 7, the label 6 is completely peeled off from the label affixing drum 21, and the rotation of the medical device 7 caused by the rotation of the label affixing drum 21 also ends.

[0036] The labeling drum 21 of the labeling unit 20 may rotate continuously (for example, at a constant rotational speed) or may rotate intermittently (for example, relative to the medical device 7 that is rotated and transported to a position opposite the labeling drum 21 (here, the top portion of the first transport drum 11) in accordance with the movement of the above-mentioned first transport unit 10 (first transport drum 11) and stopped at that position) to affix the label 6 to the medical device 7.

[0037] Furthermore, the label application unit of the application device is not limited to one equipped with a label application drum. For example, the label application unit may be equipped with a robot arm or the like for peeling labels from a sheet and applying them to medical devices. Furthermore, the mechanism for supplying labels to the label application unit is not limited to a supply mechanism using a sheet (label roll) with labels attached as in this embodiment, but may be a mechanism for supplying labels one by one to the label application unit.

[0038] The label application device 1 includes a second transport section 30 for transporting the medical device 7 to which the label 6 is attached. 1, the second transport unit 30 includes a substantially cylindrical rotating second transport drum 31, and the second transport drum 31 includes a plurality (here, 16) of second holding slots 32 on its outer circumferential surface (virtual outer circumferential surface) arranged at predetermined intervals (here, equidistant intervals) for holding the medical instruments 7 to which the labels 6 are affixed. The second holding slots 32 can receive the medical instruments 7 to which the labels 6 are affixed from the first holding slots 12.

[0039] Here, the second conveying drum 31 is defined as "approximately cylindrical" because the second conveying drum 31 only needs to rotate around a predetermined axis and rotate and convey the medical device 7 held on its outer circumferential surface (virtual outer circumferential surface) as the second conveying drum 31 rotates, and its shape is not limited to being strictly cylindrical (for example, as will be described later, a second holding slot 32 may be provided on the outer circumferential surface of the second conveying drum 31, or the second conveying drum 31 may be provided with multiple disc-shaped members 33, 33 that rotate coaxially, and hold the medical device (prefilled syringe) 7 at multiple points along its axial direction, etc.).

[0040] 1 and 4, the second conveying drum 31 of this embodiment includes a plurality of (here, two) coaxially rotating disk-shaped members 33, 33, and holds the medical device (prefilled syringe) 7 at a plurality of positions along its axial direction. In other words, the second conveying drum 31 of this embodiment is configured not to come into contact with the axial center portion of the medical device (prefilled syringe) 7 (preferably the portion where the label 6 is affixed or the portion where the IC tag 60 is present). This prevents the IC tag 60 from being damaged when the second conveying drum 31 holds the medical device 7.

[0041] The second conveying drum 31 has a plurality of second holding slots 32 arranged at predetermined intervals (equally spaced) on its outer circumferential surface (virtual outer circumferential surface) for holding the medical instruments 7. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 , the outer circumferential surface of the second conveying drum 31 is provided with a plurality (16 in this case) of second holding slots 32 (shown simply as recesses in the figure), each capable of holding (accommodating) one medical instrument 7, arranged at predetermined intervals (equally spaced here). The medical instruments 7 are transferred from the first conveying drum 11 (first holding slots 12) to the second conveying drum 31 and sequentially held one by one in the second holding slots 32. The medical instruments 7 held in the second holding slots 32 are rotationally conveyed downstream as the second conveying drum 31 rotates.

[0042] Although not shown in the drawings or described in detail, the second holding slot 32 preferably includes a holding mechanism for preventing the medical device 7 from unintentionally detaching. Various known mechanisms can be used as such a holding mechanism. For example, the second holding slot may hold the medical device by elastic force, or may include a chuck mechanism for clamping the medical device, or may hold the medical device by suction using negative pressure.

[0043] The second conveying section 30 (second conveying drum 31) may convey the medical device 7 continuously (for example, at a constant rotational speed) or intermittently (for example, by rotating so that a second holding slot 32 moves to the position of the adjacent second holding slot 32 forward in the rotational direction, and then moving on to the next rotational operation after a predetermined interval).

[0044] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the second transport section 30 is provided with a guide member (second transport drum guide member) 34 for preventing the medical instruments 7 held in the second holding slots 32 from falling off (or for guiding the transport). Here, as shown in Fig. 1, the guide member 34 is provided below the second transport drum 31, along the rotational transport path of the medical instruments 7 by the second transport drum 31. The guide member 34 is preferably made of resin. Furthermore, the guide member 34 is preferably made of a material that is permeable to electromagnetic waves (radio waves).

[0045] In this embodiment, the second transport section 30 of the application device 1 includes a third transport drum 35 and a fourth transport drum (drum for transporting non-defective products) 36, which are arranged downstream of the second transport drum 31. The third transport drum 35 and the fourth transport drum 36 transport the medical devices 7, to which the labels 6 are affixed, downstream of the second transport drum 31 within the application device 1, and have a configuration equivalent to that of the second transport drum 31 described above, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0046] The second transport unit is not limited to one equipped with the second transport drum (as well as the third and fourth transport drums) as described above, but may be one equipped with fewer or more transport drums. The second transport unit is not limited to one that transports medical instruments in a rotational manner, but may be one that transports medical instruments in a linear manner (such as a conveyor) in part or in whole.

[0047] The label application device 1 includes a label inspection unit that inspects the labels 6.

[0048] The label inspection unit includes a first reader 51 that reads the identification information on the label 6 before it is affixed to the medical device 7. The first reader 51 is fixed inside the label application device 1 and is capable of reading the identification information on the label 6 through contactless communication. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the first reader 51 is disposed so as to face the label application drum 21 (the label 6 held on the label application drum 21). Such a first reader can also be installed (fixed) later in an empty space inside an existing application device (an application device that does not initially include a first reader).

[0049] The first reader 51 may read the identification information continuously or at predetermined intervals. When the first reader 51 reads the identification information at predetermined intervals, the reading may be performed in accordance with the movement of the first conveying drum 11 or the label application drum 21, which operate (rotate) intermittently as described above, for example.

[0050] It is preferable that the first reader 51 be capable of reading the identification information of one label 6 at a time. In other words, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the reading range (radio wave output) of the first reader 51 is adjusted so that the identification information of two adjacent labels 6 on the outer peripheral surface of the label application drum 21 is not read simultaneously. In other words, it is also preferable that the distance between two adjacent labels 6, 6 on the label application drum 21 is longer than the reading range of the first reader 51 on the label application drum 21. This makes it possible to more reliably read the identification information of each label 6 (IC tag 60).

[0051] The label inspection unit includes a second reader 52 that reads the identification information of the label 6 attached to the medical device 7 in the second transport unit 30 (on the second transport drum 31) after the identification information has been read by the first reader 51. The second reader 52 is fixed inside the label attachment device 1 and is capable of reading the identification information of the label 6 attached to the medical device 7 by contactless communication. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the second reader 52 is disposed so as to face the second transport drum 31. Furthermore, such a second reader can also be installed (fixed) as an add-on in a space inside an existing attachment device (an attachment device that does not initially include a second reader).

[0052] The second reader 52 may read the identification information continuously or at predetermined intervals. When the second reader 52 reads the identification information at predetermined intervals, the reading may be performed in accordance with the movement of the first conveying drum 11 and the second conveying drum 31, which operate (rotate) intermittently as described above, for example.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 5, the readable range of the second reader 52 (indicated by the crosshatched portion R2 extending from the second reader 52 in Fig. 5) is larger than the readable range of the first reader 51 (indicated by the crosshatched portion R1 extending from the first reader 51 in Fig. 5). This prevents the identification information on the label 6 from being unable to be read due to the orientation of the label 6 affixed to the medical device 7, the position of the label 6 relative to the medical device 7, or the circumstances surrounding the label 6 (the medical device 7 to which the label 6 is affixed), and allows the second reader 52 to more reliably read the identification information on the label 6 affixed to the medical device 7.

[0054] Furthermore, it is preferable that the second reader 52 be able to simultaneously read the identification information of multiple labels 6 present on the second transport section 30. In other words, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the reading range (radio wave output) of the second reader 52 be adjusted so that it can simultaneously read the identification information of the labels 6 affixed to multiple medical implements 7 held on the outer circumferential surface of the second transport drum 31 (second holding slot 32) (so that multiple medical implements 7 are included within its reading range). In this embodiment, the second reader 52 can include in its readable range the area immediately after the label 6 is attached (the area forward (downstream) of the top portion of the first conveying drum 11 (the area where the label 6 is attached) in the conveying direction) to just before the exclusion means 53 described later (the area behind (upstream) of the exclusion means 53 in the conveying direction).

[0055] In this embodiment, the second reader 52 reads the identification information of the label 6 by sandwiching the guide member 34 therebetween. As described above, the guide member 34 is preferably made of resin and / or a material that is permeable to electromagnetic waves (radio waves). This is because, particularly when a UHF band IC tag is used as the IC tag 60, communication with the reader (reading accuracy of the identification information) is easily affected by metal. By making the guide member 34 out of resin and / or a material that is permeable to electromagnetic waves (radio waves), it is possible to improve reading accuracy and avoid communication obstruction by the guide member 34. In particular, in the application device 1 of the present invention, the second reader 52 has a wider reading range (higher radio wave output) than the first reader 51, and therefore the effect of the guide member 34 being made of a material that is permeable to (hard to reflect) electromagnetic waves (radio waves) is greater.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the first reader 51 is capable of reading the identification information in the IC tag 60 of one label 6 located opposite the first reader 51 held on the label application drum 21. For this reason, the first reader 51 is configured to be unable to simultaneously read the IC tags 60 on the label 6 having the opposite readable IC tag 60 and the IC tags 60 on the adjacent labels 6 in the front and rear. The first reader 51 is also unable to read IC tags 60 located in a position that can be read by the second reader 52. In other words, it is preferable that the readable range of the first reader 51 and the readable range of the second reader 52 do not overlap.

[0057] Furthermore, although the readable range of the second reader 52 is larger than that of the first reader 51, it cannot read the IC tag 60 of the label 6 after it has been read by the first reader 51 but before it has been affixed to the medical device 7. This prevents the erroneous determination of a non-defective label by the determination function of the affixing device 1, which will be described later, and makes it possible to determine whether the IC tag 60 has been damaged when the label 6 is affixed. Depending on the layout of each component of the application device 1, the second reader 52 may include in its readable range the label 6 before it is read by the first reader 51 (for example, in this embodiment, the label 6 before it is supplied to the label application unit 20) (as will be described later, the judgment function of the application device 1 judges whether a label is defective based on the result of reading the identification information by the second reader 52 after the identification information has been read by the first reader 51 for each label 6).

[0058] Next, the determination function, position recognition function, and exclusion function of the affixing device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 9. In the following description using Figures 6 to 9, for convenience, only the configurations of three medical devices (prefilled syringes) 7A, 7B, and 7C, which are designated by the reference symbols A, B, and C, respectively, will be shown, and the same reference symbols will be added to each configuration for description.

[0059] The label inspection unit has a judgment function that judges a label 6 as defective if the identification information has been read by the first reader 51 but not by the second reader 52. In other words, the judgment function of the label inspection unit judges a label 6 as non-defective if the identification information has been read by the first reader 51 and also by the second reader 52.

[0060] Preferably, the label inspection unit's judgment function determines a label 6 whose identification information has been read by the second reader 52 at least once as a good label, and does not determine the label as defective even if the identification information cannot be read by the second reader 52 subsequently. This is because, even if the label 6 remains within the readable range of the second reader 52 after its identification information has been read once, the identification information of the label 6 may not be read depending on the orientation of the label 6, the position of the label 6 on the medical device 7, and the surrounding conditions of the label 6 (the medical device 7 to which the label 6 is affixed). In this embodiment, as described above, the second conveying drum 31 does not come into contact with the axial center portion of the medical device (prefilled syringe) 7 (preferably, the portion to which the label 6 is affixed or the portion where the IC tag 60 is present). This significantly reduces the possibility of the IC tag 60 being damaged during conveyance by the second conveying drum 31.

[0061] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, in the label application section 20, the labels (hereinafter, the labels affixed to the medical instruments 7A, 7B, 7C will be referred to as labels 6A, 6B, 6C, respectively, although not shown) whose identification information has been read by the first reader 51 are affixed to the medical instruments 7A, 7B, 7C, respectively. Then, as shown in Fig. 7, the medical instruments 7A, 7B, 7C with the labels 6A, 6B, 6C affixed thereto are transferred from the first transport drum 11 to the second transport drum 31, and on the second transport drum 31, they sequentially enter the reading range (R2) of the second reader 52.

[0062] The second reader 52 reads the identification information continuously or at least multiple times for the labels 6A, 6B, and 6C of the medical instruments 7A, 7B, and 7C on the second transport drum 31. The judgment function of the label inspection unit then determines a label whose identification information has not been read by the second reader 52 despite such continuous or multiple readings as a defective label. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the label 6B affixed to the medical instrument 7B was determined to be a defective label 6B because, although its identification information was read by the first reader 51, its identification information was not read by the second reader 52 (it was never read).

[0063] In this embodiment, the medical device 7 to which the label 6 is to be affixed is a prefilled syringe 7, and the label 6 is affixed to the medical device 7 by pressing the label affixing drum 21 (elastic portion 22) against the prefilled syringe 7 (relatively hard cylindrical main body 71). Therefore, within the affixing device 1, the IC tag 60 is most likely to be damaged when the label 6 is affixed. The determination function described above can more reliably determine whether the IC tag 60 has been damaged when the label 6 is affixed by comparing the identification information before and after the label affixing (specifically, the identification information read by the first reader 51 and the identification information read by the second reader 52).

[0064] The medical device labeling device 1 has a position determining function that determines the position on the second transport section 30 of a medical device to which a defective label is attached (in this embodiment, medical device 7B to which a defective label 6B is attached). The position determining function of the labeling device may also determine the position on the second transport section of medical devices to which non-defective labels (in this embodiment, labels 6A and 6C) are attached (medical devices 7A and 7C in this embodiment).

[0065] In this embodiment, the position determination function determines in which first holding slot 12 of the first conveying drum 11 the medical instrument 7, to which the label 6, whose identification information has been read by the first reader 51, is held, and in which second holding slot 32 of the second conveying drum 31 the medical instrument 7 is held. Note that in this embodiment, the position determination function also determines in which third holding slot 37 of the third conveying drum 35 the medical instrument 7, to which the label 6, to which the identification information has been read by the first reader 51, is held.

[0066] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, the position recognition function recognizes that the medical instruments 7A, 7B, and 7C, each having a label 6A, 6B, or 6C attached thereto, are held in the first holding slots 12A, 12B, and 12C of the first conveyor drum 11, respectively. In other words, the first holding slots holding the medical instruments 7A, 7B, and 7C, each having a label 6A, 6B, or 6C attached thereto, are recognized as the first holding slots 12A, 12B, and 12C, respectively. In this embodiment, the medical instruments 7A, 7B, and 7C are held in the first holding slots 12A, 12B, and 12C of the first conveyor 10 (first conveyor drum 11), and their positions (the first holding slots in which they are held) do not change during conveyance by the first conveyor 10 (rotational conveyance by the first conveyor drum 11).

[0067] The medical instruments 7A, 7B, and 7C held in the first holding slots 12A, 12B, and 12C are rotated and conveyed by the first conveyance drum 11, and are transferred to the second conveyance drum 31 at predetermined positions. The position detection function of the application device 1 recognizes the second holding slots that receive the medical instruments 7A, 7B, and 7C from the first holding slots 12A, 12B, and 12C of the first conveyance drum 11 as the second holding slots 32A, 32B, and 32C that hold the medical instruments 7A, 7B, and 7C with the labels 6A, 6B, and 6C affixed thereto, as shown in FIG. 7 . In this embodiment, the medical instruments 7A, 7B, and 7C are held in the second holding slots 32A, 32B, and 32C of the second conveyance drum 31, respectively, and their positions (the second holding slots in which they are held) do not change as the second conveyance drum 31 rotates and conveys them.

[0068] In this embodiment, the medical instruments 7A, 7B, and 7C held in the second holding slots 32A, 32B, and 32C in the second transport section 30 are rotationally transported by the second transport drum 31 and are each delivered to the third transport drum 35 at a predetermined position. Here, as shown in Fig. 8, the position detection function of the application device 1 recognizes the third holding slots that have received the medical instruments 7A, 7B, and 7C from the second holding slots 32A, 32B, and 32C of the second transport drum 31 as third holding slots 37A, 37B, and 37C that hold the medical instruments 7A, 7B, and 7C to which the labels 6A, 6B, and 6C are respectively attached. In this embodiment, the medical instruments 7A, 7B, and 7C are held in the third holding slots 37A, 37B, and 37C, respectively, on the third conveying drum 35, and their positions (the third holding slots in which they are held) do not change as the third conveying drum 35 rotates and conveys them.

[0069] Based on the position information obtained by the above-described position determination function, the labeling device 1 has an exclusion function that excludes medical devices with defective labels attached from the second transport section 30. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, an exclusion means 53 that constitutes the exclusion function is provided between the third transport drum 35 and the fourth transport drum (non-defective product transport drum) 36.

[0070] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, for a good product (here, a medical device 7A with a good product label 6A affixed), the exclusion means 53 (exclusion function) allows the medical device 7A to be transferred (transported downstream within the application device 1) from the third conveying drum 35 to the fourth conveying drum (good product conveying drum) 36 when the medical device 7A reaches the transfer position to the fourth conveying drum 36 (the defective product removal position by the exclusion means 53 (exclusion function)) based on the position information grasped by the position grasping function (here, the position information of the third holding slot 37A in which the medical device 7A is held). 9, for a defective product (here, a medical device 7B with a defective label 6B affixed), when the medical device 7B reaches the transfer position to the fourth conveying drum 36 (defective product removal position by the excluding means 53 (removal function)), the excluding means 53 (removal function) prevents the medical device 7B from being transferred from the third conveying drum 35 to the fourth conveying drum (good product conveying drum) 36 (transportation downstream within the application device 1) based on the position information obtained by the position determination function (here, the position information of the third holding slot 37B in which the medical device 7B is held), and removes the medical device 7B from the application device 1 via another transport route (for example, into a disposal box), not shown. This prevents a defective product (a medical device with a defective label affixed) from being mistakenly discharged from the application device as a good product.

[0071] The medical device labeling device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0072] For example, the application device may have an initial defective label rejection function that rejects labels whose identification information has not been read by the first reader before the label is applied to the medical device. The initial defective label rejection function may, for example, when the identification information of a label has not been read by the first reader, temporarily stop the movement of each unit (label application unit, first conveyance unit, second conveyance unit), peel off the defective label from the sheet, reject it, and then restart (rotate) the label application unit (label application drum) and read the identification information of the next label using the first reader. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1. Medical device labeling device 10 First conveying section 11 First conveying drum 12 First Retaining Slot 20 Label attachment section 21 Labeling drum 22 Elastic part 30 Second conveying section 31 Second conveying drum 32 Secondary Retaining Slot 34 Guide member 35 Third conveying drum 36 Fourth conveying drum 51 First Leader 52 Second Leader 53 Elimination means (exclusion function) 6 Labels 60 IC tags 7 Medical devices (prefilled syringes)

Claims

1. A label affixing device for medical devices for affixing a label having an IC tag storing and holding identification information to a medical device, comprising: a first transport unit for transporting the medical device, a label attachment unit for attaching the label to the medical device on the first transport unit, a second transport unit for transporting the medical device with the label attached, and a label inspection unit for inspecting the label, the label inspection unit includes a first reader that reads identification information from the label before it is affixed to the medical device, and a second reader that reads the identification information from the label affixed to the medical device after the identification information has been read by the first reader in the second transport unit; the first reader and the second reader are fixed in the medical device label attachment device and are capable of reading the identification information of the label through contactless communication; Furthermore, the second reader has a readable range that is larger than the readable range of the first reader, and the readable range does not include the label after the identification information has been read by the first reader but before the label has been affixed to the medical device; the label inspection unit has a determination function of determining a label whose identification information has been read by the first reader but whose identification information has not been read by the second reader as a defective label; The medical device labeling device is characterized by having a position determination function that determines the position on the second transport section of the medical device to which the defective label is affixed, and a removal function that removes the medical device to which the defective label is affixed from the second transport section based on the position information determined by the position determination function.

2. 2. The medical device labeling device according to claim 1, wherein the first reader is capable of reading the identification information of one label at a time, and the second reader is capable of reading the identification information of multiple labels present on the second transport unit at a time.

3. 3. The medical device label affixing device according to claim 1, wherein the IC tag is a UHF band IC tag.

4. the label application unit includes a cylindrical rotating label application drum; 3. The labeling device for medical devices according to claim 1, wherein the labeling drum holds the label on its outer circumferential surface with the adhesive surface exposed outward, and affixes the label to the medical device by pressing the adhesive surface of the held label against the medical device on the first transport section.

5. the first transport unit includes a substantially cylindrical rotating first transport drum, and the second transport unit includes a substantially cylindrical rotating second transport drum; the first conveying drum has a plurality of first holding slots provided at predetermined intervals on its outer circumferential surface for holding the medical instruments, and the labeling drum affixes the labels to the medical instruments held in the first holding slots of the first conveying drum; the second conveying drum has a plurality of second holding slots provided at predetermined intervals on its outer circumferential surface for holding the medical devices with the labels affixed thereto, the second holding slots being capable of receiving the medical devices with the labels affixed thereto from the first holding slots; 5. The medical device label application device according to claim 4, wherein the second reader reads the identification information of the label of the medical device held in the second holding slot of the second conveying drum.

6. 6. The medical device labeling device according to claim 5, wherein the second transport unit is provided with a guide member for preventing the medical device held in the second holding slot from coming off, the second reader reads the identification information of the label by sandwiching the guide member, and the guide member is made of resin.

7. 7. The medical device labeling device according to claim 5, wherein the position determination function determines in which of the first holding slots of the first transport drum the medical device to which the label, whose identification information has been read by the first reader, is held, and in which of the second holding slots of the second transport drum the medical device is held.

8. 3. The medical device labeling device according to claim 1, wherein the medical device is a pre-filled syringe.

Images