Tablet standby portion

Abstract

To discharge tablets at desired timing.SOLUTION: The tablet standby part (50) includes a hollow part (51) and a movable part (52b) that is located inside the hollow part and moves with respect to the second opening. The movable part includes a protruding part (56) protruding from the inside to the outside of the movable part at the bottom of the movable part or at a position close to the bottom.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a tablet standby unit provided in a medicine dispensing device. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a medicine dispensing device is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The medicine dispensing device in Patent Document 1 includes a cassette that stores tablets, a tablet waiting section that keeps tablets discharged from the cassette waiting, a medicine preparation section that includes multiple storage sections, and a packaging section that packages tablets for one packet into packaging paper. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-178171 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the drug dispensing device of Patent Document 1, there was a possibility that tablets ejected from the cassette would not be ejected at the desired timing during the process of being ejected to the packaging section via the tablet waiting section and the drug preparation section.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure aims to enable tablets to be discharged at a desired timing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A tablet waiting section according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a tablet waiting section in a drug dispensing device that waits for tablets ejected from a cassette containing tablets, and comprises a hollow section having a first opening for receiving tablets ejected from the cassette and a second opening located below the first opening, and a movable section located inside the hollow section and moving relative to the second opening, and the movable section has a protrusion that protrudes from the inside of the movable section toward the outside at the bottom of the movable section or a position close to the bottom. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to discharge tablets at a desired timing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the entire medicine dispensing device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a tablet standby section. [Figure 3] 3A and 3B are schematic cross-sectional views showing a state in which the movable portion is located at a first position and a state in which the movable portion is located at a second position. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a movable part. [Figure 5] 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a protrusion and a movable portion around the protrusion. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Medicine dispensing device] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire medicine dispensing device 1 according to this embodiment. In Fig. 1, in order to illustrate the medicine preparation section 10 and the tablet standby section 50, the medicine dispensing device 1 is shown in a state in which the tablet standby section 50 and the like are pulled forward from their original positions.

[0010] The medicine dispensing device 1 is a device that packages tablets into packaging paper, and in particular, a device that packages one packet's worth of tablets into packaging paper. As shown in Fig. 1, the medicine dispensing device 1 includes a medicine preparation section 10, a plurality of cassettes 20, a tablet passage 30, a packaging section 40, a tablet standby section 50, a manual distribution unit 60, a touch panel 70, a reading section 75, and a control section 80.

[0011] Each of the multiple cassettes 20 contains one or more tablets of the same type. Specifically, one cassette contains one type of tablet, and similarly, another cassette contains another type of tablet. The cassettes 20 are fixed cassettes in which the type of tablets they contain is fixed. However, the medicine dispensing device 1 may also be provided with a variable cassette as the cassette 20 in which the type of tablets they contain is changeable.

[0012] The tablet passing path 30 is a path along which the tablets stored in the cassette 20 pass when they are discharged to the medicine preparation section 10 via the tablet waiting section 50. The tablets discharged from the cassette 20 pass through the tablet passing path 30 due to their own weight. The tablet waiting section 50 is a member that keeps the tablets discharged from the cassette 20 waiting. Specifically, the tablet waiting section 50 keeps the tablets that have been discharged from the cassette 20 and passed through the tablet passing path 30 waiting until a packet of tablets is supplied.

[0013] Medicine preparation unit 10 is a member that includes a plurality of storage units (not shown), and stores tablets discharged through tablet passage 30 in each of the plurality of storage units, one packet at a time, and supplies the tablets to packaging unit 40. In other words, tablets stored in each of the plurality of cassettes 20 are discharged through tablet passage 30 into each of the plurality of storage units. The specific configuration of medicine preparation unit 10 is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0014] The packaging unit 40 is a component that packages tablets into packaging paper, and in particular packages one packet of tablets stored in the storage unit into packaging paper. The manual distribution unit 60 is a unit that allows the user to manually distribute the tablets.

[0015] The touch panel 70 is an input / output device that allows the control unit 80 to display information to the user and allows the user to input information to the medicine dispensing device 1. The reading unit 75 is a member that reads the GS1 code printed on a PTP (Press Through Package) sheet or outer box that contains tablets. The reading unit 75 may be, for example, a barcode reader. The control unit 80 is a control circuit that comprehensively controls the operation of each component of the medicine dispensing device 1.

[0016] [Issues with the tablet standby section in Patent Document 1] The tablet standby unit of Patent Document 1 includes a funnel-shaped standby hopper and a movable lid that moves up and down to open and close an opening located at the bottom of the standby hopper. Tablets discharged from a cassette are retained in the standby hopper when the movable lid closes the opening. When the movable lid moves upward to open the opening, the tablets retained in the standby hopper move on the surface of the standby hopper due to their own weight, and are supplied through the opening to one storage unit included in the medicine preparation unit located below the standby hopper.

[0017] However, in the tablet standby section of Patent Document 1, even when the movable lid is moved upward and the opening is open, tablets may remain stationary on the surface of the standby hopper. In this case, a situation occurs in which tablets that should be discharged from the tablet standby section to the medicine preparation section at the desired timing are not discharged. Therefore, one aspect of the present disclosure has an object to realize a tablet standby section that can discharge tablets to the medicine preparation section at the desired timing. In this embodiment, a tablet standby section 50 that achieves this object is described below.

[0018] [Tablet standby section] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the tablet standby section 50. Reference numeral 101 in Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the movable section 52b is located at the first position P1, and reference numeral 102 in Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the movable section 52b is located at the second position P2. As shown in Fig. 2, the tablet standby section 50 includes a hollow section 51, a movable lid 52, and a rib 53.

[0019] The hollow portion 51 includes a first opening 51a, a second opening 51b, and an inclined portion 51c. The first opening 51a is an opening that receives tablets TA discharged from the cassette 20. The second opening 51b is an opening located below the first opening 51a. The inclined portion 51c is a member that inclines from the outside to the inside from the first opening 51a to the second opening 51b (inclined so as to become lower toward the center). In this embodiment, the hollow portion 51 is a funnel-shaped member (a waiting hopper that can hold tablets TA on standby).

[0020] The tablets TA discharged from the cassette 20 pass through the tablet passage 30 and then fall onto the inclined portion 51c via the first opening 51a. The tablets TA that have fallen onto the inclined portion 51c move on the inclined portion 51c toward the second opening 51b due to their own weight, and are supplied to the medicine preparation section 10 through the second opening 51b.

[0021] The movable lid 52 is located inside the hollow portion 51 and is a lid that opens and closes the second opening 51b. The movable lid 52 includes a lid portion 52a and a movable portion 52b. The lid portion 52a is a member that covers the upper part of the second opening 51b via the movable portion 52b. In this embodiment, as indicated by reference numeral 102 in FIG. 3, the lid portion 52a has a space therein that accommodates the movable portion 52b. The movable portion 52b is a member that moves toward or away from the second opening 51b.

[0022] The movable part 52b moves up and down by an operating mechanism (not shown) to open and close the second opening 51b. Specifically, the movable part 52b moves between a first position P1 indicated by reference numeral 101 in Fig. 3 and a second position P2 indicated by reference numeral 102 in Fig. 3.

[0023] The first position P1 is a position where the movable part 52b contacts the inclined part 51c, and a tablet TA located on the inclined part 51c is retained on the inclined part 51c by the side surface 55 of the movable part 52b. When the movable part 52b is located at the first position P1 and the second opening 51b is closed by the movable part 52b, the tablet standby part 50 causes the tablet TA supplied from the cassette 20 to wait on the inclined part 51c.

[0024] 3, reference numeral 101 illustrates a case where the first position P1 is a position where the movable part 52b contacts the inclined part 51c. However, the first position P1 may be a position where the movable part 52b is not in contact with the inclined part 51c but is close to the inclined part 51c. The first position P1 may be a position where the side surface 55 of the movable part 52b can retain the tablet TA discharged from the cassette 20 on the inclined part 51c.

[0025] The second position P2 is a position higher than the first position P1, and is a position where the tablets TA placed on the inclined portion 51c can pass through the second opening 51b (the tablets TA move downward due to their own weight). When the movable portion 52b is located at the second position P2 and the second opening 51b is open, the tablet standby section 50 can supply the tablets TA that have been waiting on the inclined portion 51c to the medicine preparation section 10 from the second opening 51b.

[0026] 3, the second position P2 is illustrated as a position where the movable part 52b is housed inside the lid part 52a. However, the movable part 52b does not have to be housed inside the lid part 52a at the second position P2. The second position P2 may be a position where the movable part 52b is separated from the inclined part 51c so that the tablet TA located on the inclined part 51c can pass through the second opening 51b and move downward therefrom (so that the tablet TA is supplied to the medicine preparing part 10).

[0027] The rib 53 is a partition for preventing the tablet TA from rotating in the circumferential direction of the hollow portion 51 (on the inclined portion 51c) within the hollow portion 51 when the second opening 51b is closed.

[0028] [Movable part] Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the movable part 52b. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the protruding part 56 and the movable part 52b around it. In Fig. 5, reference numeral 111 is a diagram showing a state in which the tablet TA is held on the inclined part 51c by the movable part 52b. Reference numeral 112 is a diagram showing a state in which the movable part 52b has moved upward and the protruding part 56 has moved the tablet TA on the inclined part 51c. Reference numeral 113 is a diagram showing a state in which the movable part 52b has moved further from the state shown by reference numeral 112.

[0029] 4, the movable part 52b has a side surface 55 and a protruding part 56. In this embodiment, the movable part 52b is annular. However, the hollow part 51 and the movable lid 52 may have any shape as long as they can temporarily retain the tablets TA on the inclined part 51c by the movement of the movable part 52b and can supply the tablets TA retained on the inclined part 51c to the medicine preparing part 10.

[0030] The side surface 55 has a notch 55a below the side surface 55. The position of the movable portion 52b is determined with respect to the hollow portion 51 so that the positions of the notch 55a and the rib 53 coincide with each other. As shown by reference numeral 111 in Fig. 5, the side surface 55 is inclined from the outside to the inside from the upper end portion of the side surface 55 to the bottom portion (from the first opening 51a side to the second opening 51b side).

[0031] The protrusion 56 is a member that protrudes from the inside to the outside of the movable part 52b at the bottom of the movable part 52b (the bottom of the side surface 55). In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the protrusion 56 is provided over the entire side surface 55 in the circumferential direction of the side surface 55 except for the cutout portion 55a.

[0032] As shown by reference numeral 111 in FIG. 5, when the movable part 52b is located at the first position P1 and the second opening 51b is closed (in this example, in contact with the inclined part 51c), the tablet TA comes into contact with a position above the protrusion 56 on the side surface 55, thereby being retained on the inclined part 51c. As shown by reference numeral 112, as the movable part 52b moves upward from this state, a portion of the tablet TA that was in contact with the side surface 55 above the protrusion 56 comes into contact with the protrusion 56. The tablet TA then moves so as to slide along the surface of the inclined part 51c in a direction from the inside to the outside of the tablet standby part 50 (in a direction from the second opening 51b side to the first opening 51a side along the surface of the inclined part 51c). In this embodiment, as the movable part 52b moves upward, a portion of the tablet TA that has been in contact with the protrusion 56 moves along the surface of the protrusion 56, and the tablet TA moves along the surface of the inclined part 51c in a direction from the inside to the outside of the tablet standby part 50.

[0033] The direction from the inside to the outside of the tablet standby section 50 is the direction from the center of the tablet standby section 50 to the outside when the tablet standby section 50 is viewed from above. On the other hand, the direction from the outside to the inside of the tablet standby section 50 is the direction from the outside to the center of the tablet standby section 50 when the tablet standby section 50 is viewed from above. These directions are radial directions of the tablet standby section 50 in this embodiment.

[0034] When the movable part 52b is moved upward, the protruding part 56 moves higher than the tablet TA, as shown by the reference numeral 113. Due to the reaction of the protruding part 56 moving upward and separating from a part of the tablet TA (due to a force acting from the outside to the inside of the tablet waiting part 50, which was generated in that part of the tablet TA due to the movement of the protruding part 56), the tablet TA moves so as to slide along the surface of the inclined part 51c toward the second opening 51b. Due to this movement of the tablet TA accompanying the upward movement of the protruding part 56, the tablet TA on the inclined part 51c can be moved toward the second opening 51b.

[0035] As shown by the reference numeral 111, consider a case where the movable part 52b has a side surface 551 (imaginary side surface 551) extending perpendicularly to the bottom surface of the movable part 52b, and the side surface 551 is not provided with a protrusion 56. In this case, even if the movable part 52b moves upward, the tablet TA in contact with the side surface 551 remains in that position and does not move, or even if it moves upward, it moves only slightly and hardly at all. Therefore, even if the movable part 52b moves upward and the second opening 51b opens, there is a possibility that the tablet TA will continue to remain on the inclined part 51c.

[0036] The control unit 80 keeps the movable unit 52b in contact with or close to the inclined unit 51c until one packet of tablets is discharged from one or more cassettes 20, thereby keeping the tablets TA on the inclined unit 51c. After one packet of tablets TA is discharged from the cassette 20, the control unit 80 moves the movable unit 52b upward to supply the one packet of tablets TA to a certain storage unit in the medicine preparation unit 10. The control unit 80 operates the movable unit 52b so that another packet of tablets TA can also be supplied to the medicine preparation unit 10, and rotates the medicine preparation unit 10, thereby supplying the other packet of tablets TA to a storage unit different from the certain storage unit.

[0037] Therefore, if the tablet TA on the inclined portion 51c does not move toward the second opening 51b when the movable portion 52b moves upward, there is a possibility that the tablet TA will be stored in a storage portion other than the storage portion where it should originally be stored. Since the movable portion 52b of this embodiment is provided with the protrusion 56, the tablet TA on the inclined portion 51c can be moved to the medicine preparation portion 10 when the movable portion 52b moves upward. Therefore, the tablet standby portion 50 of this embodiment has the effect of reducing the possibility of a situation occurring in which the tablet TA that should be discharged from the tablet standby portion 50 to the medicine preparation portion 10 is not discharged at the desired timing. Therefore, the tablet standby portion 50 of this embodiment can store the tablet TA on the inclined portion 51c in the storage portion where it should be stored.

[0038] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the side surface 55 is inclined from the outside to the inside from the upper end of the side surface 55 toward a position close to the bottom of the side surface 55, and then inclined from the inside to the outside from that position toward the bottom, thereby providing a protrusion 56 at the bottom of the side surface 55. Since the side surface 55 is inclined from the outside to the inside above the protrusion 56 (inclined in the opposite direction to the protrusion 56), as shown by reference numeral 111, the tablet TA on the inclined portion 51c can be positioned more inward than the virtual side surface 551. Therefore, when the protrusion 56 moves upward, the protrusion 56 can be easily brought into contact with a part of the tablet TA. Furthermore, the contact area between the protrusion 56 and the tablet TA can be increased. Therefore, the tablet TA can be easily slid in the direction from the inside to the outside of the tablet waiting section 50.

[0039] <Modification> Side surface 55 does not have to be inclined from the outside to the inside from the upper end portion of side surface 55 to the bottom portion. For example, side surface 55 may extend perpendicular to the bottom surface of movable portion 52b, similar to imaginary side surface 551, at a position other than protrusion 56.

[0040] Furthermore, the protruding portion 56 may be provided at a position close to the bottom of the side surface 55, rather than at the bottom. The protruding portion 56 may be provided at a position on the side surface 55 below the position where the tablet TA on the inclined portion 51c comes into contact when the movable portion 52b is located at the first position P1. Alternatively, the protruding portion 56 may be provided so that the tablet TA on the inclined portion 51c comes into contact with the upper surface of the protruding portion 56 (the surface visible from above) when the movable portion 52b is located at the first position P1.

[0041] Therefore, the position where the protrusion 56 is provided on the side surface 55 may be a position where the protrusion 56 can slide the tablet TA on the inclined portion 51c as described above when the movable portion 52b moves upward. Similarly, the shape of the protrusion 56 may be a shape where the protrusion 56 can slide the tablet TA on the inclined portion 51c as described above when the movable portion 52b moves upward.

[0042] In this way, the tablet waiting section 50 can discharge tablets from the tablet waiting section 50 to the medicine preparation section 10 at the desired timing by providing the movable section 52b with a protrusion 56 at its bottom or a position close to the bottom.

[0043] Furthermore, in the circumferential direction of the side surface 55, one continuous protruding portion 56 does not have to be provided over the entire side surface 55 except for the cutout portion 55a, and multiple protruding portions 56 may be provided along the circumferential direction of the side surface 55. In this case, two adjacent protruding portions 56 may be in contact with each other, or there may be a gap between the two protruding portions 56 that is large enough to prevent tablets TA, which may be targets for dispensing by the medicine dispensing device 1, from passing through.

[0044] [Additional Notes] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1. Drug dispensing device 20 cassettes 50 Tablet waiting area 51 Hollow part 51a 1st opening 51b 2nd opening 51c Slope 52b Moving part 55 Side 56 Protrusion P1 1st position P2 2nd position TA tablets

Claims

[Claim 1] In the medicine dispensing device, a tablet standby unit that allows tablets discharged from a cassette that stores tablets to wait, a hollow portion having a first opening for receiving tablets discharged from the cassette and a second opening located below the first opening; a movable portion located inside the hollow portion and movable relative to the second opening, The tablet waiting section, wherein the movable section has a protrusion that protrudes from the inside of the movable section toward the outside at the bottom of the movable section or at a position close to the bottom.

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