Drug inspection support device

Abstract

To obtain more stable photographing results. [Solution] The device comprises a conveying section that sandwiches a sachet bag between a lower conveying section provided in a lower unit and an upper conveying section provided in an upper unit and conveys the sachet bag in a conveying direction along a conveying path, and a photographing section that photographs the sachet bag in a photographing area within the conveying path, the upper unit having a shielding section that shields the conveying path, and the shielding section retracts in a direction that opens the conveying path when the sachet bag is conveyed by the conveying section, thereby opening a portion of the conveying path, and the conveying section has a shielding conveying section provided in a position opposite the shielding section.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drug inspection support device that is suitable for use in supporting the inspection of, for example, a single package containing a plurality of drugs. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional drug inspection support device has been proposed that transports a continuous string of serially connected sachets, photographs each sachet, generates an image, and displays the results of analyzing the image (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] One such drug inspection support device includes a conveying path along which the continuous series of sachets travels, a conveying unit that clamps and conveys the continuous series of sachets using rollers arranged opposite each other in the vertical direction across the conveying path, and an imaging unit that photographs the continuous series of sachets being conveyed along the conveying path from below (or above) the conveying path.

[0004] In this drug inspection support device, a continuous series of sachets is inserted through an insertion port provided at the upstream end of the conveying path in the conveying direction, the continuous series of sachets is conveyed along the conveying path by a conveying unit, the continuous series of sachets is photographed by the photographing unit in a photographing area on the conveying path, and the continuous series of sachets is discharged from an ejection port provided at the downstream end of the conveying path in the conveying direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-144101 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, conventional medicine inspection support devices have a problem in that light can enter the transport path from the insertion or ejection port, causing ghost images or flare in the images captured by the imaging unit. This problem occurs not only when a continuous series of sachets is transported, but also when sachets are transported one by one.

[0007] As described above, with conventional medicine inspection support devices, when photographing a sachet with the photographing unit, ghost images and flare caused by light can appear in the photographed image, making it difficult to obtain stable photographic results.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a medicine inspection support device that can obtain more stable image capture results than conventional devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve this problem, the medicine inspection support device of the present invention has an upper unit that is provided above a transport path along which sachets containing medicines are transported and that forms a transport top surface facing the transport path, a lower unit that is provided below the transport path and that forms a transport bottom surface facing the transport path, a lower transport section that is provided on the transport bottom surface of the lower unit, and an upper transport section that is provided at a position opposite the lower transport section of the upper unit across the transport path, and the sachet is sandwiched between the lower transport section and the upper transport section and the sachet is transported along the transport path. and a photographing section that photographs the sachet in a photographing area within the conveying path, the upper unit having a shielding section that shields the conveying path, and when the sachet is conveyed by the conveying section, the shielding section retreats in a direction that opens the conveying path, thereby opening a portion of the conveying path, and the conveying section has a shielding conveying section that is provided at a position opposite the shielding section on the conveying bottom surface, and the sachet is sandwiched between the lower conveying section and the upper conveying section, and between the shielding section and the shielding conveying section, and conveys the sachet along the conveying path.

[0010] By doing this, the drug inspection support device of the present invention can prevent light from entering the transport path due to the shielding section, thereby preventing ghosts and flares caused by light from appearing in the photographing results taken by the photographing section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, a medicine inspection support device that can obtain more stable image capture results than conventional devices can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a medicine inspection support device in accordance with a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is a front view showing the external configuration of a sachet reading device according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a right side view showing the external configuration of a sachet reader according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a continuous body of sachets. [Figure 5] 1 is a front view showing the internal configuration of a sachet reader according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of a sachet reader according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of a sachet reader according to a first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a part (the area around the shielding lever) of FIG. 5. [Figure 9] 1 is a plan view showing a state (1) in which a continuous body of sachets is being conveyed according to a first embodiment.

[0022] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state (2) in which a continuous body of sachets is being conveyed according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a state (3) in which a continuous body of sachets is being conveyed according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a state (4) in which a continuous body of sachets is being conveyed according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 5 is a right side view showing a state (5) in which a continuous body of sachets is being conveyed according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a sachet image according to the first embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 6 is a right side view showing a state (6) in which a continuous body of sachets is being conveyed according to the first embodiment. [Figure 16] 1 is a right side view showing the internal configuration of a first packaged medicine reading device that is a comparison target for the packaged medicine reading device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a state (1) in which a continuous body of sachets is conveyed by a first packaged medicine reading device. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view showing a state (2) in which a continuous body of sachets is conveyed by the first packaged medicine reading device. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state (3) in which a continuous body of sachets is conveyed by the first packaged medicine reading device. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a right side view showing the internal configuration of a second packaged medicine reading device to be compared. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a right side view showing the internal configuration of a sachet reader according to a second embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of a sachet reader according to a second embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of a sachet reading device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] 1. First Embodiment [1-1. Appearance of the drug inspection support device] As shown in the schematic diagrams of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3A, medicine inspection support device 1 according to the first embodiment is broadly composed of sachet reader 2 and inspection result display device 3. Medicine inspection support device 1 is configured to perform an inspection support process (hereinafter referred to as an inspection process) when a user such as a pharmacist inspects sachets. In the first embodiment, the inspection target will be described as sachet string 100 (described in detail below) in which sachets 110 shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B are connected in succession.

[0015] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall appearance of medicine inspection support device 1. Figs. 2 and 3(A) show a front view and a right side view, respectively, of medicine inspection support device 1 without inspection result display device 3, showing only sachet reading device 2. Hereinafter, the side of medicine inspection support device 1 on which inspection result display device 3 is provided will be referred to as the front side, and the opposite side will be referred to as the rear side, and the right and left sides will be defined as seen from a user facing inspection result display device 3, as well as the top and bottom sides.

[0016] The sachet reading device 2 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped overall, and is provided with a control unit 4 inside that performs overall control. The control unit 4 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. (not shown), as well as a storage unit, and performs various processes by using the RAM as a work area and executing various programs read from the ROM, storage unit, etc. by the CPU.

[0017] The sachet reading device 2 is also composed of a lower unit 5, which corresponds to approximately 2 / 3 to 3 / 4 of the lower part, an upper unit 6 located above it, and an opening / closing part 7 that rotatably connects the two.

[0018] The lower unit 5 is composed mainly of a lower frame 10 formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, with various parts attached to the inside and outside of the lower frame 10. An insertion guide 11 is provided on the right side of the lower frame 10 to guide the continuous string of sachets 100 (FIG. 4, described in detail below) being inserted. In addition, a discharge guide 12 is provided on the left side of the lower frame 10 to guide the continuous string of sachets 100 being discharged.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3A, the insertion guide 11 is composed of a bottom insertion guide 11B, a front insertion guide 11F, and a rear insertion guide 11R. The bottom insertion guide 11B is shaped like the right half of a cylinder extending in the front-to-rear direction and has a cylindrical peripheral side surface. The front insertion guide 11F is adjacent to the front side of the bottom insertion guide 11B and is shaped like the right half of a cylinder with a diameter slightly larger than that of the bottom insertion guide 11B. The rear insertion guide 11R is adjacent to the rear side of the bottom insertion guide 11B and, like the front insertion guide 11F, is also shaped like the right half of a cylinder with a diameter slightly larger than that of the bottom insertion guide 11B. In other words, the insertion guide 11 is configured such that flange-shaped front insertion guides 11F and rear insertion guides 11R are provided on the bottom insertion guide 11B.

[0020] The ejection guide 12 is composed of a bottom ejection guide 12B, a front ejection guide 12F, and a rear ejection guide 12R. The ejection guide 12 is configured almost bilaterally symmetrical with the insertion guide 11, and has an overall shape like the left half of a cylinder aligned in the front-to-rear direction.

[0021] A conveying recess 13 is formed in a lower frame top surface 10T, which is the upper surface of the lower frame 10, near the center in the front-to-rear direction and occupying approximately one-third of the entire area. This conveying recess 13 is formed in a shape that is slightly lower and recessed than the front and rear portions of the lower frame top surface 10T. The inner surface of the conveying recess 13 is formed by a lower conveying bottom surface 13B, a front conveying front side surface 13F, and a rear conveying rear side surface 13R.

[0022] The upper unit 6 is composed mainly of an upper frame 20 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and various parts are attached to the inside and outside of the upper frame 20. The upper frame 20 is provided with a handle portion 21 on the front side and a locking portion 22 on the rear side.

[0023] The handle 21 is located near the center of the front side surface in the left-right direction and is recessed rearward from the surrounding area. As will be described later, the user inserts their fingertip or the like into the handle 21 and uses it to apply force upward or rearward to the upper unit 6. The locking portion 22 protrudes rearward from the rear side surface of the upper frame 20 and has a rectangular shape with sides of different lengths when viewed from the left and right direction.

[0024] On the underside of the upper frame 20, the upper frame lower surface 20B, near the center in the front-to-rear direction and occupying approximately one-third of the entire area, there is formed a conveying upper surface 23T and a conveying upper surface convex portion 23TR protruding from the rear of the conveying upper surface 23T. The conveying upper surface 23T and the conveying upper surface convex portion 23TR face each other at a predetermined distance from the conveying bottom surface 13B of the lower frame 10. Therefore, in the sachet reading device 2, the conveying bottom surface 13B, the conveying front side surface 13F, the conveying rear side surface 13R, the conveying upper surface 23T, and the conveying upper surface convex portion 23TR form a space penetrating the sachet reading device 2 in the left-to-right direction, which forms a conveying path 50 (shown by diagonal lines in FIG. 3(B)) along which the continuous sachet string 100 is conveyed. The conveying upper surface 23T and the conveying bottom surface 13B are also approximately parallel. Furthermore, the length in the front-to-rear direction of the conveying bottom surface 13B, i.e., the distance between the conveying front side surface 13F and the conveying rear side surface 13R, is slightly larger (wider) than the length L1 in the front-to-rear direction of the continuous body of sachets 100 (Figure 4(A)).

[0025] In the sachet reading device 2, the continuous string of sachets 100 is inserted into the conveying path 50 through an insertion port 50E provided at the right end of the conveying path 50, conveyed in a direction from the right end to the left end of the conveying path 50, and discharged from a discharge port 50X provided at the left end of the conveying path 50. For this reason, the direction from the right end to the left end of the conveying path 50 is referred to as the conveying direction of the conveying path 50. The length of the conveying path 50 in the front-to-rear direction is referred to as the length in the width direction of the conveying path 50 (i.e., the width), and the length of the conveying path 50 in the up-down direction is referred to as the length in the height direction of the conveying path 50 (i.e., the height).

[0026] The opening / closing unit 7 is disposed near the rear end of the boundary between the lower frame 10 and the upper frame 20. The opening / closing unit 7 is composed of a lower bearing 7B provided on the lower frame 10 side, an upper bearing 7A provided on the upper frame 20 side, and a rotating shaft 7S connecting the lower bearing 7B and the upper bearing 7A.

[0027] The lower bearing 7B is provided near the upper rear end of the lower frame 10, and has a round hole formed therein, the round hole being centered on an imaginary central axis X7 that extends in the left-right direction. The upper bearing 7A is provided near the lower rear end of the upper frame 20, and has a round hole formed therein, the round hole being centered on the central axis X7. The rotating shaft 7S is formed in a cylindrical shape centered on the central axis X7, and is inserted through the round holes of the lower bearing 7B and the upper bearing 7A.

[0028] With this configuration, the sachet reading device 2 can rotate the upper unit 6 relative to the lower unit 5, with the central axis X7 of the opening / closing part 7 as the rotation center. Specifically, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3(A), the sachet reading device 2 is configured to perform the inspection support process described below in a state in which the lower frame upper surface 10T of the lower unit 5 and the upper frame lower surface 20B of the upper unit 6 are in contact or very close proximity to each other (hereinafter referred to as the closed state).

[0029] Furthermore, when the user applies force upward and backward to the upper unit 6 of the sachet reading device 2 in this closed state, the upper unit 6 rotates approximately 120 degrees in the direction of arrow R1 in Figure 3(A) (i.e., clockwise) around the opening / closing part 7. This causes the sachet reading device 2 to transition to a state in which the locking part 22 abuts against the rear side of the lower frame 10 (hereinafter referred to as the open state) as shown in Figure 3(B), and come to a standstill.

[0030] In this open state, the sachet reading device 2 has almost all of the upper unit 6 positioned rearward and away from directly above the lower frame top surface 10T, largely exposing the lower frame top surface 10T of the lower unit 5. In other words, in this open state, the sachet reading device 2 has a sufficiently large space (hereinafter referred to as removal space 80) formed adjacent to the upper side of the conveying path 50 where no components of the upper unit 6 are present. Therefore, the sachet reading device 2 allows the user to easily perform various tasks using the conveying recess 13 on the lower frame top surface 10T via this removal space 80 (shown with diagonal lines in Figure 3(B)).

[0031] When a force is applied downward and forward to the upper unit 6 of the sachet reading device 2 in the open state (Figure 3(B)), the upper unit 6 rotates in the direction of arrow R2 in Figure 3(B) (i.e., counterclockwise) around the opening / closing section 7, and returns to the closed state shown in Figure 3(A) etc.

[0032] From another perspective, it can be said that the opening / closing section 7 supports the upper unit 6 relative to the lower unit 5 so that the upper unit 6 can transition between a plurality of states. For this reason, hereinafter the opening / closing section 7 will also be referred to as a transition support section.

[0033] In addition, the upper unit 6 is provided with a locking mechanism (not shown) behind or below the handle 21. When the upper unit 6 is in the closed state, this locking mechanism locks the upper unit 6 to maintain the closed state. When the upper unit 6 is in the closed state and someone tries to open it by grabbing the handle 21 with their fingers and lifting it, an upward force is applied to a release lever (not shown) provided inside the handle 21, which releases the lock provided by the locking mechanism.

[0034] The inspection result display device 3 (FIG. 1) is formed in a thin plate shape overall and is attached to one side of the lower unit 5 of the sachet reading device 2 via an attachment member (not shown). The attachment member is designed to allow the angle of the inspection result display device 3 relative to the lower unit 5 to be adjusted. The inspection result display device 3 also has a touch panel 8 and is electrically connected to the lower unit 5 via a connection cable (not shown). This allows it to display various display screens under the control of the control unit 4 and accept input via touch operation by the user. The inspection result display device 3 also has a wired or wireless interface (not shown) and can communicate with a predetermined server device (not shown) to transmit and receive various information, such as obtaining information about the drug M and transmitting information about the results of the inspection process.

[0035] [1-2. Composition of the continuous sachet bag] Next, the configuration of the continuous body of sachets 100 will be described with reference to Figures 4(A) and (B). Figure 4(A) is a schematic plan view of the continuous body of sachets 100 as seen from above, and Figure 4(B) is a schematic plan view of the continuous body of sachets 100 as seen from the front.

[0036] The continuous sachet bag series 100 is configured with a plurality of sachet bags 110 connected in the left-right direction. Each sachet bag 110 is made of a resin film that has sufficient flexibility and a relatively high transmittance for visible light, i.e., high transparency. Furthermore, the sachet bags 110 have a flat shape, with the vertical length being sufficiently short compared to the lengths in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions.

[0037] This sachet 110 has a sealed bag-shaped portion 113 formed between an upper film 111 and a lower film 112, and the drug M is stored in a storage space 113S, which is the space within the bag-shaped portion 113. This single sachet 110 stores all of one or more types of drug M prescribed for one patient to take on a single dosing occasion (e.g., after breakfast). Storing multiple types of drug M together in one sachet 110 in this manner is also called single packaging or individual packaging. Furthermore, depending on the prescription, storing one type of drug M in one sachet 110 may be treated as a single packaged sachet 110. In the present embodiment, the following description will be directed to a continuous sachet 100 in which multiple sachets 110 are connected together, each containing one or more drugs M of one or more types.

[0038] When sachet 110 is manufactured, for example, an imaginary fold line is set in the center in the front-to-back direction of a sheet of film material, and the drugs M to be stored are placed in a collected state behind the fold line, and the front portion is folded from the top to the back along the fold line, so that the drugs M are sandwiched between upper film 111 and lower film 112. Next, the left side, right side, and back side of the drugs M in sachet 110 are fused together by a process such as thermocompression bonding, thereby forming left peripheral edge 114, right peripheral edge 115, and back peripheral edge 116 (hereinafter collectively referred to as peripheral edge 117), respectively.

[0039] Furthermore, by using a film material that is sufficiently long in the left-right direction, the continuous body of sachets 100 is manufactured with the sachets 110 connected in the left-right direction, and the boundaries of the sachets 110 are cut intermittently along the front-to-back direction to form so-called perforations. As a result, the continuous body of sachets 100 is configured in an elongated shape along the left-to-right direction, and allows the patient or other person to easily separate the sachets 110 when taking the medicine.

[0040] Next, when we look at the thickness of the sachet 110, i.e., the length in the vertical direction, the bag-shaped portion 113 is slightly thicker in accordance with the amount of medicine M stored in the storage space 113S, while the peripheral portions 117 (i.e., the left peripheral portion 114, the right peripheral portion 115 and the rear peripheral portion 116) are all about the thickness of two sheets of film material, making them sufficiently thin.

[0041] Here, let us consider the case where the thickness of the continuous body of sachets 100 is viewed continuously in the left-right direction. The rear peripheral edge 116 on the rear side of the continuous body of sachets 100 always has a constant thickness. In other words, the rear end of the continuous body of sachets 100 is the part where the fused portions of the sachets 110 are continuous in the left-right direction, and therefore always has a constant thickness.

[0042] Meanwhile, in the continuous body of sachets 100, in the bag-shaped portion 113, left peripheral portion 114, and right peripheral portion 115 forward of the rear peripheral portion 116, the relatively thick bag-shaped portion 113 and the relatively thin left peripheral portion 114 and right peripheral portion 115 appear alternately. In other words, the front end portion of the continuous body of sachets 100 is a portion where the bag-shaped portions 113 and fused portions of the sachets 110 appear alternately in the left-right direction, and therefore the thickness varies.

[0043] Next, attention will be focused on the light transmittance of sachet 110. In bag-shaped portion 113 of sachet 110, upper film 111 and lower film 112 have sufficiently high transmittance, and the transmittance is locally reduced only at the locations of each drug M. On the other hand, at peripheral portion 117 of sachet 110, due to being fused, a difference in light transmittance occurs compared to upper film 111 and lower film 112.

[0044] Hereinafter, the front or central portion of the continuous string of sachets 100, i.e., the portion corresponding to the bag-shaped portion 113, left peripheral portion 114, and right peripheral portion 115 of each sachet 110, will be referred to as the front portion 101 of the continuous string of sachets. Additionally, the rear portion of the continuous string of sachets 100, i.e., the portion corresponding to the rear peripheral portion 116 of each sachet 110, will be referred to as the rear portion 102 of the continuous string of sachets. As will be described in more detail below, the continuous string of sachets 100 is inserted into the conveying path 50 with the leading portion at the left end first, and is conveyed leftward along the conveying path 50.

[0045] [1-3. Internal structure of the sachet reader] Next, the internal configuration of the sachet reading device 2 will be described with reference to Figures 5, 6, and 7. Figure 5 is a schematic front view in which the front side of the lower frame 10 and the front side of the upper frame 20 are omitted. Figure 6 is a schematic plan view in which the upper unit 6 is omitted from the sachet reading device 2, leaving only the lower unit 5. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the sachet reading device 2 shown in Figure 5, taken along the AA cutting line shown in Figure 5, as viewed from the right side.

[0046] Inside the sachet reading device 2, a control unit 4 is located at the bottom, and a conveying unit 51, an insertion detection unit 52, a swinging unit 53, shielding levers 91, 92, a photographing unit 54 and a discharge detection unit 55 are located near the conveying path 50, and an opening / closing detection unit 56 is located slightly away from the conveying path 50.

[0047] The conveying unit 51 has conveying roller pairs 61A, 61B, and 61C arranged at three locations spaced apart in the left-right direction (i.e., the conveying direction of the conveying path 50). Conveying roller pair 61A is composed of a lower driving roller 62A and an upper driven roller 63A. The continuous body of sachets 100 is sandwiched between the driving roller 62A and the driven roller 63A, and the continuous body of sachets 100 is conveyed by rotation of the driving roller 62A. Similarly, conveying roller pair 61B is composed of a lower driving roller 62B and an upper driven roller 63B. The continuous body of sachets 100 is sandwiched between the driving roller 62B and the driven roller 63B and conveyed. Conveying roller pair 61C is configured to convey the continuous body of sachets 100 by sandwiching it between the driving roller 62C and the driven roller 63C. The conveying unit 51 rotates each of the drive rollers 62 by rotating a drive motor (not shown) under the control of the control unit 4.

[0048] The lower drive rollers 62A, 62B, and 62C are provided on the lower frame 10 side, and the upper driven rollers 63A, 63B, and 63C are provided on the upper frame 20 side.

[0049] Specifically, the drive roller 62A is disposed near the rear right end of the conveying bottom surface 13B (i.e., near one end of the conveying bottom surface 13B in the width direction and upstream of the center in the conveying direction). The drive roller 62A is formed in a flat cylindrical shape with a central axis aligned in the front-to-rear direction and is rotatably supported at its center. The drive roller 62A is made of an appropriate combination of metal materials such as stainless steel, various resin materials, or materials with a relatively high friction coefficient such as rubber, thereby providing a relatively high friction resistance on the peripheral surface. Although the majority of the drive roller 62A is located below the conveying bottom surface 13B, only a portion near the upper end protrudes above the conveying bottom surface 13B, i.e., into the conveying path 50, via a hole formed in the conveying bottom surface 13B. The drive roller 62A receives driving force from a drive motor, actuator, or the like (not shown) via a predetermined gear, belt, or the like.

[0050] The drive roller 62B is disposed near the center of the transport bottom surface 13B in the left-right direction (that is, near the center of the transport bottom surface 13B in the transport direction).

[0051] Furthermore, the conveying section 51 has adjacent drive rollers 62BD and 62BE spaced apart in the axial direction of the shaft part (front-to-back direction and width direction of the conveying bottom surface 13B) on the same axis of an unillustrated shaft part that rotatably supports the drive roller 62B.

[0052] Of the three coaxial drive rollers 62B, 62BD, 62BE, drive roller 62B is arranged toward the rear of conveying bottom surface 13B (downstream in the conveying direction from drive roller 62A and toward one end in the width direction of conveying bottom surface 13B), drive roller 62BD is arranged near the center in the front-to-rear direction (near the center in the width direction), and drive roller 62BE is arranged toward the front (near the other end in the width direction). As will be described in detail later, a blocking lever 91 is provided above drive rollers 62BD and 62BE, and drive rollers 62BD and 62BE are configured to convey the continuous string of sachets 100 by sandwiching it between themselves and the blocking lever 91.

[0053] The drive roller 62C is disposed near the left end of the conveying bottom surface 13B (downstream of the center of the conveying bottom surface 13B in the conveying direction).

[0054] Furthermore, the conveying section 51 has drive rollers 62CD and 62CE that are arranged coaxially with an unillustrated shaft part that rotatably supports the drive roller 62C, and are spaced apart (i.e., adjacent to each other) in the axial direction of the shaft part (front-to-back direction and width direction of the conveying bottom surface 13B) of the shaft part.

[0055] Of the three coaxial drive rollers 62C, 62CD, 62CE, drive roller 62C is arranged toward the rear of conveying bottom surface 13B (downstream in the conveying direction from drive roller 62B and toward one end in the width direction of conveying bottom surface 13B), drive roller 62CD is arranged near the center in the front-to-rear direction (near the center in the width direction), and drive roller 62CE is arranged toward the front (near the other end in the width direction). As will be described in more detail below, a blocking lever 92 is provided above drive rollers 62CD and 62CE, and drive rollers 62CD, 62CE are configured to convey the continuous string of sachets 100 sandwiched between them and the blocking lever 92.

[0056] These drive rollers 62B, 62BD, 62BE, 62C, 62CD, and 62CE are configured similarly to the drive roller 62A except for their locations.

[0057] The driven roller 63A is located near the rear right end of the upper transport surface 23T (i.e., near one end of the width direction of the upper transport surface 23T and upstream of the center in the transport direction), directly above the drive roller 62A in the closed state. The driven roller 63A is located on a conveying surface protrusion 23TR (FIGS. 3 and 7) that protrudes from the upper transport surface 23T. Like the drive roller 62A, the driven roller 63A is formed in a flat cylindrical shape with its central axis aligned in the front-to-rear direction and is rotatably supported at its center. The driven roller 63A is biased downward by a biasing member (not shown). Although the majority of the driven roller 63A is located above the lower surface of the upper transport surface protrusion 23TR, only a portion near the lower end protrudes below the lower surface of the upper transport surface protrusion 23TR, i.e., into the transport path 50, via a hole formed in the lower surface of the upper transport surface protrusion 23TR.

[0058] The driven roller 63B is located near the center in the left-right direction toward the rear of the upper transport surface 23T (i.e., near one end of the width direction of the upper transport surface 23T and near the center in the transport direction), and is located directly above the drive roller 62B in the closed state (convex portion 23TR of the upper transport surface). The driven roller 63C is located near the left end of the upper transport surface 23T toward the rear (i.e., near one end of the width direction of the upper transport surface 23T and downstream of the center in the transport direction), and is located directly above the drive roller 62C in the closed state (convex portion 23TR of the upper transport surface). The driven rollers 63B and 63C are configured similarly to the driven roller 63A except for their locations.

[0059] The driven rollers 63A, 63B, and 63C are configured to contact the drive rollers 62A, 62B, and 62C, respectively, when the upper frame 20 is in the closed state. When the upper frame 20 transitions from the closed state to the open state (FIG. 3(B)), the driven rollers 63A, 63B, and 63C, together with the upper frame 20, are separated from the drive rollers 62A, 62B, and 62C.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, which is a partially enlarged version of FIG. 5, the shielding levers 91 and 92 are provided on the upper frame 20 side.

[0061] Specifically, the shielding lever 91 is provided near the center in the left-right direction on the upper transport surface 23T, and is disposed in front of the transport roller pair 61B so as to be close to the transport roller pair 61B (i.e., so as to be close to the transport roller pair 61B in the width direction of the transport path 50), and is also disposed above the drive rollers 62BD, 62BE so as to face the drive rollers 62BD, 62BE. The shielding lever 91 is composed of a shielding lever fulcrum 91A, a shielding lever main body 91B, a biasing member 91C, and a locking portion 91D.

[0062] The shielding lever main body 91B is formed of, for example, a black resin material or a metal material that is opaque to light. As shown in FIG. 7, the shielding lever main body 91B is disposed in front of the driven roller 63B with a predetermined distance therebetween in the width direction of the conveying path 50. The distance between the shielding lever main body 91B and the driven roller 63B in the width direction of the conveying path 50 is shorter than the distance between the drive roller 62B and the drive roller 62BD in the width direction of the conveying path 50. The shielding lever main body 91B has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the upstream side (right side) in the conveying direction, and shields the portion of the conveying path 50 in front of the conveying roller pair 61B. In other words, the conveying path 50 is shielded by the conveying roller pair 61B and the shielding lever main body 91B when viewed from the upstream side (right side) in the conveying direction. A small gap is provided between the driving roller 62B and the driven roller 63B that constitute the conveying roller pair 61B and the shielding lever main body 91B so as not to hinder their rotation.

[0063] 8, the shielding lever main body 91B is formed of a first portion 91B1 that is substantially trapezoidal in shape, with the bottom base shorter than the top base, when viewed from the front-rear direction (width direction of the conveying path 50), and a second portion 91B2 that protrudes upward from the right end of the top surface of the first portion 91B1. The second portion 91B2 is rotatably supported by a shielding lever fulcrum 91A that serves as a rotation axis extending in the front-rear direction, so that the shielding lever main body 91B as a whole can rotate around the shielding lever fulcrum 91A.

[0064] The shielding lever main body 91B is biased by a biasing member 91C, such as a spring, in a direction that rotates counterclockwise as a whole in FIG. 8 (the direction along arrow R2). In other words, the shielding lever main body 91B is biased toward the conveying bottom surface 13B. Furthermore, the counterclockwise rotation of the shielding lever main body 91B is restricted by the locking portion 91D to an angle at which the lever main body bottom surface 91BB, which is the bottom surface of the first portion 91B1, is approximately parallel to the conveying top surface 23T. In other words, the shielding lever main body 91B is held by the biasing member 91C and the locking portion 91D at an angle at which the lever main body bottom surface 91BB is approximately parallel to the conveying top surface 23T. Hereinafter, this angle will be referred to as the holding angle.

[0065] When the shielding lever main body 91B is at the holding angle, most of it, excluding the upper end, protrudes below the conveying upper surface 23T, i.e., into the conveying path 50, through a hole formed in the conveying upper surface 23T. The surface of the portion of the shielding lever main body 91B protruding into the conveying path 50 is smooth and has a low coefficient of friction, so that the frictional load when it comes into contact with the continuous string of sachets 100 being conveyed along the conveying path 50 is small.

[0066] The shielding lever main body 91B also has a lever main body inclined surface 91BF located on the right side of the above-mentioned lever main body bottom surface 91BB (i.e., the upstream side of the conveying direction on the conveying path 50), and a lever main body inclined surface 91BG located on the left side of the lever main body bottom surface 91BB (i.e., the downstream side of the conveying direction on the conveying path 50).

[0067] The lever body inclined surface 91BF on the upstream side in the conveying direction is an inclined surface that slopes upward toward the upstream side (right side) in the conveying direction, and the lever body inclined surface 91BG on the downstream side in the conveying direction is an inclined surface that slopes upward toward the downstream side (left side) in the conveying direction. The corner between the lever body inclined surface 91BF on the upstream side in the conveying direction and the lever body bottom surface 91BB is, for example, rounded. The angle between the lever body inclined surface 91BF on the upstream side in the conveying direction and the conveying bottom surface 13B is preferably, for example, 45 degrees or less, and in this embodiment, is, for example, about 30 degrees.

[0068] 8, the shielding lever main body 91B is arranged so that the lever main body inclined surface 91BF on the upstream side in the conveying direction is located slightly downstream (to the left) in the conveying direction from the outer circumferential surface of the driven roller 63B. Therefore, the shielding lever main body 91B comes into contact with the lever main body inclined surface 91BF on the upstream side in the conveying direction simultaneously with or slightly after the timing at which the continuous series of sachets 100 conveyed along the conveying path 50 is clamped between the pair of conveying rollers 61B made up of the drive roller 62B and the driven roller 63B.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 7, the shielding lever main body 91B is configured so that the lever main body bottom surface 91BB is close to the transport bottom surface 13B when the upper frame 20 is in the closed state.

[0070] Furthermore, an upward recess 91BD is provided on the bottom surface 91BB of the lever main body at a position opposite the upper end of the drive roller 62BD that protrudes from the conveying bottom surface 13B into the conveying path 50, and an upward recess 91BE is provided on the bottom surface 91BB of the lever main body at a position opposite the upper end of the drive roller 62BE that protrudes from the conveying bottom surface 13B into the conveying path 50.

[0071] When the upper frame 20 is in the closed state, the upper end of the drive roller 62BD fits into a recess 91BD provided in the bottom surface 91BB of the shielding lever main body 91B, and the upper end of the drive roller 62BE fits into a recess 91BE. In other words, the lower end of the shielding lever main body 91B and the upper ends of the drive rollers 62BD and 62BE form a nest. Note that a small gap is left between the drive rollers 62BD and 62BE and the recesses 91BD and 91BE of the shielding lever main body 91B so as not to interfere with their rotation.

[0072] The shielding lever 91 is configured as described above, and will be described in detail later. When the continuous body of sachets 100 conveyed along the conveying path 50 abuts against the lever main body inclined surface 91BF on the upstream side in the conveying direction, the shielding lever main body 91B is pushed by the continuous body of sachets 100 and rotates in the clockwise direction (direction along arrow R1) in FIG. 8. This creates a gap between the shielding lever main body 91B and the drive rollers 62BD, 62BE that allows the continuous body of sachets 100 to pass through, and the continuous body of sachets 100 is conveyed through this gap. Furthermore, while the continuous body of sachets 100 is being conveyed, the shielding lever is in contact with the top surface of the continuous body of sachets 100 and presses the continuous body of sachets 100 down to the conveying bottom surface 13B.

[0073] In other words, while the shielding lever 91 is shielding the conveying path 50 and the continuous series of sachets 100 conveyed along the conveying path 50 is in contact with the lever main body inclined surface 91BF on the upstream side in the conveying direction, the shielding lever main body 91B is pushed by the continuous series of sachets 100 and retracts in a direction that opens the conveying path 50 (i.e., a direction away from the conveying bottom surface 13B), thereby opening a portion of the conveying path 50, and the shielding lever main body 91B presses the continuous series of sachets 100 down to the conveying bottom surface 13B. At this time, the continuous series of sachets 100 is conveyed through the portion of the conveying path 50 that has been opened (i.e., between the shielding lever main body 91B and the drive rollers 62BD, 62BE). In addition, when the continuous body of sachets 100 passes by and the shielding lever 91 is released from contact with the continuous body of sachets 100, the shielding lever 91 rotates in a direction approaching the conveying bottom surface 13B to shield a portion of the conveying path 50 that was open.

[0074] Furthermore, if the combined load of the weight of the shielding lever main body 91B and the biasing force of the biasing member 91C is too large compared to the conveying force of the pair of conveying rollers 61A, 61B that convey the continuous body of sachets 100, the continuous body of sachets 100 may not be able to rotate the shielding lever main body 91B, resulting in poor conveyance.

[0075] For this reason, the shielding lever 91 is set so that the combined load of the weight of the shielding lever main body 91B and the biasing force of the biasing member 91C is equal to or smaller than the conveying force of the conveying roller pair 61A, 61B.

[0076] The other shielding lever 92 is provided near the left end of the upper transport surface 23T, and is arranged in front of the driven roller 63C and above the drive rollers 62CD and 62CE. This shielding lever 92 is configured similarly to the shielding lever 91 except for its location. Note that the shapes and sizes of the shielding levers 91 and 92 in this embodiment are merely examples, and the shapes and sizes may differ from those of this embodiment as long as they function equivalently.

[0077] 6 and 7, when the shielding lever main bodies 91B and 92B are disposed near the driven rollers 63B and 63C, the driven rollers 63B and 63C and the shielding lever main bodies 91B and 92B are driven components, and therefore need to be disposed with a certain amount of space between them to prevent interference with each other. On the other hand, if the space between the driven rollers 63B and 63C and the shielding lever main bodies 91B and 92B is too wide, the continuous sachet string 100 may be pinched between them, causing a jam or stoppage. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the sachet reading device 2 of this embodiment has a conveying upper surface convex portion 23TR that protrudes from the conveying upper surface 23T, and the driven rollers 63B and 63C are disposed on the conveying upper surface convex portion 23TR. The conveying upper surface convex portion 23TR and the shielding lever main bodies 91B, 92B are provided at a predetermined interval in the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying path 50, and the interval between the conveying upper surface convex portion 23TR and the shielding lever main bodies 91B, 92B is shorter than the interval between the driven rollers 63B, 63C and the shielding lever main bodies 91B, 92B. In this way, by providing the conveying upper surface convex portion 23TR, the sachet reading device 2 can prevent interference between the driven rollers 63B, 63C and the shielding lever main bodies 91B, 92B while reducing jams of the continuous string of sachets 100. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7 , the conveying path 50 is narrowed by providing the conveying upper surface convex portion 23TR, which can reduce external light from entering the conveying path 50.

[0078] The insertion detection unit 52 (FIG. 5) is, for example, an optical sensor, and is composed of an upper light-emitting unit 52A and a lower light-receiving unit 52B. The light-emitting unit 52A is provided on the upper frame 20 side, and is arranged near the right end of the upper transport surface 23T (near the insertion opening 50E of the transport path 50) toward the front. The light-emitting unit 52A emits insertion detection light L52 under the control of the control unit 4. Hereinafter, the position where the insertion detection light L52 crosses the transport path 50 will be referred to as the insertion position P52 (FIG. 6).

[0079] The light receiving unit 52B is provided on the lower frame 10 side, and is disposed near the front right end of the transport bottom surface 13B, directly below the light emitting unit 52A in the closed state (FIG. 6). The light receiving unit 52B receives at least a portion of the insertion detection light L52 emitted by the light emitting unit 52A, generates a detection signal according to the amount of light, and supplies the signal to the control unit 4.

[0080] In response, the control unit 4 determines, based on the supplied detection signal, whether the continuous string of sachets 100 has crossed insertion position P52, and whether it is the bag-shaped portion 113 or the peripheral portion 117 that is crossing insertion position P52. The control unit 4 also calculates the timing at which the bag-shaped portion 113 will arrive at the photographing unit 54 based on the determination result obtained at this time. Furthermore, the control unit 4 can obtain the conveying speed of the continuous string of sachets 100 from the rotation speed of the drive roller 62 in the conveying unit 51, and can also use this to calculate the timing at which the bag-shaped portion 113 will arrive at the photographing unit 54.

[0081] The swinging portion 53 (FIGS. 5 and 6) is located on the left side (downstream in the conveying direction) of the insertion detection portion 52 (i.e., the light receiving portion 52B) on the conveying bottom surface 13B, and two swinging levers 53A and 53B are arranged with a gap in the conveying direction (left-right direction). The swinging lever 53B has the same configuration as the swinging lever 53A, and differs only in its position. Therefore, the following description will focus on the swinging lever 53A.

[0082] The rocking lever 53A is formed as a rectangular parallelepiped that is elongated in the front-to-rear direction (the width direction of the conveying bottom surface 13B) as a whole, and is made of a predetermined material such as resin or rubber. Although the rocking lever 53A is positioned so that most of it is embedded in the lower frame 10, a portion near its upper end protrudes above the conveying bottom surface 13B through a hole formed in the conveying bottom surface 13B.

[0083] Furthermore, swing lever 53A is attached to lower frame 10 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction, and vibrates in response to vertical vibrations transmitted from an actuator (not shown). Therefore, when swing lever 53A is in contact with the underside of bag-shaped portion 113 of sachet 110 while sachet serial 100 is being transported within transport path 50, it can apply vibrations to drug M inside sachet 110.

[0084] Swinging unit 53 vibrates under the control of control unit 4 when sachets 110 of continuous sachet string 100 reach a position (hereinafter referred to as swing position P53 (FIG. 6)) that is the downstream end (left end) of swing lever 53B, which is located downstream in the conveying direction, of swing levers 53A, 53B. As a result, swinging unit 53 transmits this vibration to sachets 110, causing each drug M stored in sachet 110 to swing, thereby appropriately displacing the posture and position of each drug M within bag-shaped portion 113. As a result, even if drugs M are overlapping vertically within bag-shaped portion 113, sachet 110 is expected to break up and disperse this overlap.

[0085] 5, the photographing unit 54 is provided between the shielding levers 91 and 92 on the transport path 50, and has an upper photographing unit 54A arranged on the upper side and a lower photographing unit 54B arranged on the lower side across the transport path 50. The upper photographing unit 54A is attached to the upper frame 20, and has a transmissive light source, an upper transmissive cover, etc., which are not shown.

[0086] The light source emits light downward. The light emitted from the light source passes through the upper transparent cover that forms the lower surface of the upper imaging unit 54A (i.e., a part of the upper transport surface 23T) and reaches the inside of the transport path 50.

[0087] The lower photographing unit 54B is attached to the lower frame 10 and includes a reflective light source, a lower transparent cover, an image sensor, and the like (not shown). The reflective light source emits light upward. The light emitted from the reflective light source passes through the lower transparent cover that forms the upper surface of the lower photographing unit 54B (i.e., part of the conveying bottom surface 13B) and reaches the inside of the conveying path 50. The image sensor is provided below and near the center of the lower transparent cover in the conveying direction (left-right direction). It receives the light that passes through the lower transparent cover and heads downward, generates an image signal corresponding to this, and supplies it to the control unit 4.

[0088] When sachets 110 of the continuous series of sachets 100 reach an area above the imaging element on the conveying path 50 (hereinafter referred to as imaging area P54 (FIG. 6)), the imaging unit 54 causes the transmitted light source to emit light and supplies an image signal generated by the imaging element to the control unit 4. In the image signal obtained at this time, the portion of the sachet 110 containing the drug M appears dark and the other portions appear bright, so that the contour of the drug M is clearly visible. The control unit 4 performs predetermined conversion processing, image processing, etc. on this image signal to generate a contour image in which the contour of the drug M is clearly visible. Note that the imaging area P54 shown in FIG. 6 is an example, and may be located at another position between the upper imaging unit 54A and the lower imaging unit 54B.

[0089] Furthermore, when the sachet 110 reaches the photographing area P54, the photographing unit 54 causes the reflected light source to emit light, and a portion of the emitted light is reflected by the drugs M inside the sachet 110 to reach the imaging element, and the image signal generated by the imaging element is supplied to the control unit 4. The image signal obtained at this time shows the appearance of the sachet 110 as seen from below, so the color, pattern, etc. of the surface (underside) of each drug M is clearly displayed. The control unit 4 performs predetermined conversion processing, image processing, etc. based on this image signal to generate a surface image that clearly shows the surface of the drug M.

[0090] The photographing section 54 is adjusted so that the focus is on, for example, the vicinity of the upper surface (transport bottom surface 13B) of the lower photographing section 54B.

[0091] The discharge detection unit 55 (FIG. 5) is, for example, an optical sensor similar to the insertion detection unit 52, and is composed of an upper light-emitting unit 55A and a lower light-receiving unit 55B. The light-emitting unit 55A is provided on the upper frame 20 side and is arranged near the left end of the upper transport surface 23T (near the discharge opening 50X of the transport path 50) toward the front. The light-emitting unit 55A emits discharge detection light L55 under the control of the control unit 4. Hereinafter, the position where the discharge detection light L55 crosses the transport path 50 will be referred to as the discharge position P55 (FIG. 6).

[0092] The light receiving unit 55B is provided on the lower frame 10 side, and is disposed near the left end of the transport bottom surface 13B toward the front, directly below the light emitting unit 55A in the closed state (FIG. 5). The light receiving unit 55B receives at least a portion of the discharge detection light L55 emitted by the light emitting unit 55A, and generates a detection signal corresponding to the amount of light and supplies it to the control unit 4.

[0093] In response to this, the control unit 4 determines, based on the supplied detection signal, whether the continuous series of sachets 100 has crossed the discharge position P55, and whether it is the bag-shaped portion 113 or the peripheral portion 117 that is crossing the discharge position P55.

[0094] The open / close detector 56 (FIG. 6) is, for example, a magnetic sensor, and is provided near the rear end of the lower frame upper surface 10T of the lower frame 10. A predetermined magnetic material (not shown) is embedded in the upper frame lower surface 20B of the upper frame 20 at a location facing the open / close detector 56. The open / close detector 56 generates a magnetic detection signal according to the magnetic detection level and supplies it to the control unit 4. The control unit 4 can determine whether the upper unit 6 is in the closed state based on the comparison result obtained by comparing the magnetic detection signal with a predetermined threshold value.

[0095] [1-4. Operation of the drug inspection support device] Next, the operation of medicine inspection support device 1 will be described. When medicine inspection support device 1 receives a predetermined operation from a user, such as a pharmacist, via touch panel 8, it starts the inspection process under the control of controller 4. Specifically, controller 4 displays a predetermined guide screen (not shown) on touch panel 8, prompting the user to insert the leading portion of continuum of sachets 100 into transport path 50 through insertion slot 50E along insertion guide 11 on the right side of sachet reading device 2. The user inserts continuum of sachets 100 with rear portion 102, which has a constant thickness, facing rearward and front portion 101, which has a variable thickness, facing forward. Controller 4 also controls insertion detector 52 to monitor whether insertion detection light L52 ( FIG. 5 ) is blocked.

[0096] 9, like FIG. 6, shows the upper side of the lower unit 5 of the sachet reading device 2, with the upper unit 6 omitted. FIG. 9 also shows a state in which the leading portion of the continuous string of sachets 100 has been placed on the insertion guide 11 by a user or other operation. In this case, the continuous string of sachets 100 is not twisted, and each sachet 110 is always oriented with the upper film 111 (FIG. 4) facing upward.

[0097] 9, when the user inserts the continuous body of sachets 100 leftward, the leading portion of the continuous body of sachets 100 reaches insertion position P52 and blocks insertion detection light L52 (FIG. 5). In addition, the trailing portion 102 of the continuous body of sachets 100 reaches the pair of conveying rollers 61A.

[0098] At this time, when the control unit 4 of the sachet reading device 2 recognizes that the insertion detection light L52 has been blocked in the insertion detection unit 52, it starts rotating the drive rollers 62 (62A, 62B and 62C) and starts transporting the sachet continuous body 100 to the left (i.e., the transport direction) by the conveying unit 51.

[0099] Next, the sachet reading device 2 causes the leading portion of the continuous string of sachets 100 to reach swing position P53. At this time, the control unit 4 operates an actuator (not shown) of the swinging unit 53 to vibrate the swing lever 53A and the like, and transmits this vibration to the sachet 110.

[0100] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, which corresponds to Figure 9, the sachet reading device 2 continues to transport the sachet continuous body 100 to the left (i.e., in the conveying direction) using the conveying roller pair 61A, thereby causing the leading portion of the sachet continuous body 100 to reach the vicinity of the conveying roller pair 61B, i.e., the proximity position P91 close to the shielding lever 91.

[0101] Then, as shown in Figure 11, which corresponds to Figure 8, when the leading edge of the continuous body of sachets 100 reaches the pair of conveying rollers 61B, the rear part 102 (Figure 10) of the continuous body of sachets 100 is clamped by the pair of conveying rollers 61B, and at almost the same time, the front part 101 (Figure 10) of the continuous body of sachets comes into contact with the inclined surface 91BF of the lever main body of the shielding lever 91.

[0102] 12, which corresponds to FIG. 11 etc., a driving force is transmitted from the pair of conveying rollers 61A (FIG. 6) and the pair of conveying rollers 61B to the rear part 102 (FIG. 10) of the continuous body of sachets in ...

[0103] At this time, the continuous web of sachets 100 is in a state in which rear portion 102 (FIG. 10) of the rear continuous web of sachets is sandwiched between the pair of conveying rollers 61A, 61B, and front portion 101 (FIG. 10) of the front continuous web of sachets is sandwiched between the shielding lever main body 91B and the drive rollers 62BD, 62BE. At this time, the following forces are generated at the leading end of the continuous web of sachets 100: a downward load P1 from the shielding lever main body 91B, which is the sum of the weight of the shielding lever main body 91B and the biasing force of the biasing member 91C; a frictional force T1 in the right direction (opposite the conveying direction) generated by the load P1 between the surface of the shielding lever main body 91B and the surface of the continuous web of sachets 100; and a drive force F1 in the left direction (the conveying direction) generated by the load P1 between the surface of the continuous web of sachets 100 and the peripheral side surfaces of the drive rollers 62BD, 62BE.

[0104] Here, the frictional resistance of the peripheral surfaces of the drive rollers 62BD and 62BE is relatively high, while the surface of the shielding lever main body 91B is smooth and has relatively low frictional resistance, so the drive force F1 in the conveying direction is greater than the frictional force T1 in the direction opposite to the conveying direction.

[0105] Therefore, when the rear part 102 of the continuous sachet bag series 100 is clamped by the pair of conveying rollers 61A, 61B and the front part 101 of the continuous sachet bag series is clamped between the shielding lever main body 91B and the drive rollers 62BD, 62BE, the continuous sachet bag series 100 is conveyed in the conveying direction (leftward) by the driving force from the pair of conveying rollers 61A, 61B acting on the rear part 102 of the continuous sachet bag series and the difference between the driving force F1 acting on the front part 101 of the continuous sachet bag series and the friction force T1.

[0106] Thereafter, the sachet reading device 2 causes the leading sachet 110 in the continuous string of sachets 100 to reach the photographing area P54, as shown in Figure 13, which corresponds to Figure 5. At this time, the continuous string of sachets 100 has front part 101 (Figure 10) having bag-shaped portion 113 pressed downward (i.e., toward conveying bottom surface 13B) by shielding lever 91, so that the underside of bag-shaped portion 113 is close to (or in contact with) the upper surface of lower photographing unit 54B (i.e., conveying bottom surface 13B).

[0107] At this time, the peripheral portion of the photographing area P54 on the conveying path 50 (i.e., the portion located between the upper photographing unit 54A and the lower photographing unit 54B) is shielded when viewed from the insertion opening 50E side and when viewed from the discharge opening 50X side by a shielding lever 91 located upstream of the photographing area P54 in the conveying direction and a shielding lever 92 located downstream of the photographing area P54 in the conveying direction. In other words, the sachet reading device 2 is configured to reduce the light that enters the peripheral portion of the photographing area P54 on the conveying path 50 from the insertion opening 50E using the shielding lever 91, and to reduce the light that enters the peripheral portion of the photographing area P54 on the conveying path 50 from the discharge opening 50X using the shielding lever 92.

[0108] Furthermore, when the shielding lever 91 clamps the front part 101 of the continuous sachet bag string between the shielding lever main body 91B and the drive rollers 62BD, 62BE, it opens up part of the conveying path 50 (between the shielding lever main body 91B and the drive rollers 62BD, 62BE), but this only opens up an amount equal to the thickness of the front part 101 of the continuous sachet bag string (i.e., an amount through which the front part 101 of the continuous sachet bag string can pass), thereby sufficiently shielding the conveying path 50. Furthermore, the sachet bag reading device 2 is provided with an insertion opening 50E and an ejection opening 50X at both ends of the conveying direction (left and right direction) of the conveying path 50, so that external light can easily enter the conveying path 50 through these insertion opening 50E and ejection opening 50X. For this reason, the drug inspection support device 1 is provided with shielding levers 91 and 92 on the upstream and downstream sides of the transport path 50 in the transport direction, which reduce the amount of light entering the transport path 50 (specifically, between the upper photographing section 54A and the lower photographing section 54B).

[0109] 7 and other figures, sachet reading device 2 is configured to form conveyance path 50 between upper frame 20 and lower frame 10, so that gaps connecting to the outside may be formed at both ends of conveyance path 50 in the width direction (front-to-back direction), but these gaps are sufficiently smaller than insertion opening 50E and discharge opening 50X to make it difficult for light to enter. For this reason, medicine inspection support device 1 is designed to sufficiently reduce the amount of light entering conveyance path 50 from the outside by using shielding levers 91, 92 provided on the upstream and downstream sides of conveyance path 50 in the conveyance direction.

[0110] When the first sachet 110 in the sachet continuum 100 reaches the photographing area P54, the control unit 4 controls the photographing unit 54 to photograph an image of the sachet 110 and generate a sachet image C1 as shown in Figure 14(A).

[0111] Sachet reading device 2 continues to transport sachet continuum 100 in the transport direction (leftward) using transport roller pair 61A, 61B and drive rollers 62BD, 62BE, until the leading portion of sachet continuum 100 reaches the vicinity of transport roller pair 61C, i.e., proximity position P92 ( FIG. 10 ) close to shielding lever 92. Subsequent operations are the same as when the leading portion of sachet continuum 100 reaches proximity position P91 close to shielding lever 91.

[0112] Next, the control unit 4 causes the photographing unit 54 to intermittently photograph images of the photographing area P54. As a result, the photographing unit 54 sequentially generates images in which the position of each sachet 110 relative to the photographing range changes successively, as shown in Figures 14(B) and 14(C). At this time, the continuous string of sachets 100 has the front part 101 of the continuous string of sachets having the bag-shaped portion 113 pressed downward (i.e., toward the conveying bottom surface 13B) by the shielding levers 91, 92, so that the bottom surface of the bag-shaped portion 113 is close to (or abuts against) the top surface of the lower photographing unit 54B (i.e., the conveying bottom surface 13B).

[0113] Thereafter, as shown in Figure 15, which corresponds to Figure 6, the control unit 4 causes the leading sachet 110 in the continuous string of sachets 100 to reach the left side of the discharge position P55, and discharges the sachet 110 out of the conveying path 50 through the discharge outlet 50X.

[0114] In addition, the control unit 4 performs predetermined analysis processing and inspection processing, etc. based on the sachet bag image C1 obtained by photographing each sachet bag 110 using the photographing unit 54, to determine whether each sachet bag 110 contains a predetermined type and number of drugs M, and displays the obtained inspection results on the touch panel 8.

[0115] [1-5. Summary and Effects] As described above, in the first embodiment, medicine inspection support device 1 includes upper unit 6 that is provided above conveyance path 50 along which continuous string of sachets 100, which is made up of successively connected sachets 110 containing medicine M, is conveyed and that forms conveyance top surface 23T facing conveyance path 50; lower unit 5 that is provided below conveyance path 50 and that forms conveyance bottom surface 13B facing conveyance path 50; and drive roller 62B ( The conveying section 51 has a driving roller 62B (62C) and a driven roller 63B (63C) which is an example of an upper conveying section and is arranged in a position opposite the drive roller 62B (62C) in the upper unit 6 across the conveying path 50, and is configured to sandwich the continuous body of sachets 100 between the driving roller 62B (62C) and the driven roller 63B (63C) and convey the continuous body of sachets 100 in the conveying direction along the conveying path 50, and is also configured with an imaging section 54 which images the continuous body of sachets 100 in an imaging area P54 arranged on the conveying path 50.

[0116] Furthermore, the upper unit 6 has a shielding lever main body 91B (92B) which is an example of a shielding part that shields the conveying path 50. This shielding lever main body 91B (92B) is provided at a position close to the driven roller 63B (63C) in the width direction of the conveying path 50, and when the continuous body of sachets 100 is conveyed by the conveying unit 51, it comes into contact with the continuous body of sachets 100 and retracts in a direction that opens the conveying path 50, thereby opening a portion of the conveying path 50.

[0117] Furthermore, the conveying section 51 has drive rollers 62BD, 62BE (62CD, 62CE), which are an example of a shielding conveying section, arranged at a position opposite the shielding lever main body 91B (92B) on the conveying bottom surface 13B and adjacent to the drive roller 62B (62C) in the width direction of the conveying path 50, and the continuous body of sachets 100 is sandwiched between the shielding lever main body 91B (92B) and the drive rollers 62BD, 62BE (62CD, 62CE) and conveyed along the conveying path 50.

[0118] In this manner, medicine inspection support device 1 of this embodiment can clamp one widthwise end (fused portion) of continuous sachet bag string 100 between drive roller 62B (62C) and driven roller 63B (63C), and can clamp the other widthwise end (bag-shaped portion 113) of continuous sachet bag string 100 between shielding lever main body 91B (92B) and drive roller 62BD, 62BE (62CD, 62CE), thereby preventing fluctuations in the vertical position of bag-shaped portion 113 of continuous sachet bag string 100. As a result, medicine inspection support device 1 of this embodiment can maintain the position of the underside of bag-shaped portion 113 of continuous sachet bag string 100 at a position where photographing unit 54 is focused (near the upper surface of lower photographing unit 54B and near conveying bottom surface 13B), preventing fluctuations (out-of-focus) in the photographing results obtained by photographing unit 54.

[0119] Furthermore, the drug inspection support device 1 of this embodiment can prevent light from entering the transport path 50 by using the shielding lever main body 91B (92B), thereby preventing ghosts and flares caused by light from appearing in the photographing results taken by the photographing unit 54.

[0120] Thus, medicine inspection support device 1 according to the present embodiment can obtain more stable image capture results than conventional methods.

[0121] In addition, the drug inspection support device 1 of this embodiment has a shielding lever main body 91B located upstream of the photographing unit 54 in the transport direction, and a shielding lever main body 92B located downstream of the photographing unit 54 in the transport direction, thereby preventing light emitted from the light source of the photographing unit 54 into the transport path 50 from leaking out to the outside through the insertion port 50E and discharge port 50X of the transport path 50.

[0122] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the drug inspection support device 1 positions the shielding lever main body 91B (92B) near the drive rollers 62B (62C), 62BD, 62BE (62CD, 62CE), thereby reducing the load on the continuous sachet bag body 100 when the continuous sachet bag body 100 abuts against the shielding lever main body 91B (92B), thereby preventing transport delays, jams, and other transport problems.

[0123] To clarify the effects of medicine inspection support device 1 of this embodiment, FIGS. 16 to 19 show the configuration of sachet reader 202 as a first sachet reader to be compared with medicine inspection support device 1 (specifically, sachet reader 2), and FIG. 20 shows the configuration of sachet reader 203 as a second sachet reader to be compared.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 16, sachet reader 202 is configured by omitting drive rollers 62BD, 62BE, 62CD, and 62CE from sachet reader 2 of medicine inspection support device 1, and providing shielding levers 291 and 292 instead of shielding levers 91 and 92.

[0125] The shielding lever 291 is provided on the upper frame 20 side. The shielding lever 291 is composed of a shielding lever fulcrum 291A, a shielding lever main body 291B, a biasing member 291C, and a locking portion (not shown).

[0126] The shielding lever main body 291B is a plate-shaped member that shields the conveying path 50, and is provided with its thickness oriented in the conveying direction (left-right direction), with its bottom surface located close to the conveying bottom surface 13B. The upper end of this shielding lever main body 291B is rotatably supported by a shielding lever fulcrum 291A that serves as the rotation axis, so that the entire body can rotate around the shielding lever fulcrum 291A.

[0127] 16 (the direction along arrow R2). Furthermore, a locking portion (not shown) restricts the counterclockwise rotation of the shielding lever main body 291B to an angle at which the shielding lever main body 291B is substantially perpendicular to the upper conveying surface 23T when viewed from the width direction of the conveying path 50. The shielding lever 292 has the same configuration as the shielding lever 291.

[0128] Figure 17 shows a state in which the leading edge of the continuous string of sachets 100 has reached a position where it abuts against the closing lever 291. When the continuous string of sachets 100 is further conveyed leftward (in the conveying direction) from this state, as shown in Figure 18, the leading edge of the front part 101 of the front continuous string of sachets (Figure 17) on the front side of the continuous string of sachets 100 receives a load T3 from the closing lever 291 in the rightward direction (in the opposite direction to the conveying direction).

[0129] 19, when a load T3 is applied to the front part 101 of the continuous body of sachets in the right direction (opposite the conveying direction) from the shielding lever 291 and a driving force F3 is applied to the rear part 102 of the continuous body of sachets in the left direction (conveying direction) from the pair of conveying rollers 61A, 61B, the tip part of the front part 101 of the continuous body of sachets that has received the load T3 will deform. If an attempt is made to convey the continuous body of sachets 100 further in the left direction (conveying direction) in this state, the front part 101 of the continuous body of sachets will be conveyed to the photographing unit 54 in this deformed state, or problems such as conveyance delays or jams will occur.

[0130] In contrast to this, in the sachet bag reading device 2 of this embodiment, as described above, the load on the sachet bag continuous body 100 can be reduced when the sachet bag continuous body 100 abuts against the shielding lever main body portion 91B (92B), thereby preventing deformation of the sachet bag continuous body 100 and the occurrence of transportation problems such as transportation delays and jams.

[0131] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 20, sachet reader 203 has a configuration similar to sachet reader 2 of medicine inspection support device 1 except that drive rollers 62BD, 62BE, 62CD, and 62CE and shielding levers 91 and 92 are omitted.

[0132] In the case of this sachet reading device 203, when the continuous string of sachets 100 is transported, the front part 101 of the front continuous string of sachets (FIG. 4(A)) is free, so the vertical position of the bag-shaped part 113 is likely to fluctuate. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 20, the position of the bottom surface of the bag-shaped part 113 of the continuous string of sachets 100 may become significantly separated from the top surface of the lower photographing unit 54B (i.e., the transport bottom surface 13B), causing the problem that the photographing results by the photographing unit 54 are likely to fluctuate (the focus may be easily shifted).

[0133] In contrast to this, in the drug inspection support device 1 of this embodiment, as described above, fluctuations in the vertical position of the bag-shaped portion 113 can be suppressed, so that the position of the lower surface of the bag-shaped portion 113 of the continuous sachet bag series 100 can be maintained near the upper surface of the lower photographing unit 54B, and fluctuations in the photographing results by the photographing unit 54 (shifts in focus) can be suppressed.

[0134] 2. Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. As shown in Figures 21 and 22, in this second embodiment, the shielding lever 91 provided in the sachet reading device 2 of the first embodiment is replaced with a shielding lever 491, and the shielding lever 92 is replaced with a shielding lever 492.

[0135] [2-1. Configuration of the shielding lever] The shielding lever 491 has a configuration in which driven rollers 491D and 491E are added to the shielding lever 91, and like the shielding lever 91, is rotatably provided and is biased by a biasing member 491C in a counterclockwise rotation direction in Figure 21 (the direction along arrow R2).

[0136] The driven rollers 491D and 491E are provided in positions facing the upper sides of the drive rollers 62BD and 62BE, and are rotatably supported on the shielding lever main body 491B by shaft parts (not shown) so that their lower ends are exposed from the shielding lever main body 491B. When the upper frame 20 is in the closed state, the lower ends of the driven rollers 491D and 491E abut against the upper ends of the drive rollers 62BD and 62BE. The shielding lever 492 has the same configuration as the shielding lever 491.

[0137] [2-2. Summary and Effects] As described above, the sachet reading device 2 of the second embodiment is provided with driven rollers 491D, 491E (492D, 492E) that face the upper side of the drive rollers 62BD, 62BE (62CD, 62CE) and abut against the drive rollers 62BD, 62BE (62CD, 62CE) on the shielding lever main body 491B (492B), which is an example of a shielding part that shields the conveying path 50.

[0138] In the sachet reading device 2 of the second embodiment, the front part 101 of the continuous body of sachets 100 is sandwiched and conveyed between the drive rollers 62BD, 62BE (62CD, 62CE) and the driven rollers 491D, 491E (492D, 492E). In this case, in the sachet reading device 2, the driven rollers 491D, 491E (492D, 492E) rotate as the continuous body of sachets 100 is conveyed, so that the frictional force T1 (see FIG. 12) acting in the right direction (the opposite direction to the conveying direction) when the continuous body of sachets 100 is conveyed is smaller than in the first embodiment.

[0139] As a result, the sachet reading device 2 of the second embodiment can transport the sachet string 100 more stably than the first embodiment, and is less likely to experience transport problems such as transport delays and jams than the first embodiment.

[0140] 3. Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described. As shown in Figure 23, in this third embodiment, the shielding lever 491 provided in the sachet reading device 2 of the second embodiment is replaced with a shielding lever 591, and the shielding lever 492 is replaced with a shielding lever 592.

[0141] [3-1. Configuration of the shielding lever] The shielding lever 591 is obtained by dividing the shielding lever main body 491B of the shielding lever 491 in the front-to-rear direction (width direction of the conveying path 50), and has a rear shielding lever main body 591BA and a front shielding lever main body 591BB.

[0142] The two shielding lever main bodies 591BA, 591BB are each supported by a shielding lever fulcrum 591A so as to be able to rotate independently, and are disposed close to each other in the axial direction of the shielding lever fulcrum 591A. The shielding lever main body 591BA is biased by a biasing member 591CA, and the shielding lever main body 591BB is biased by a biasing member 591CB. The shielding lever main body 591BA is provided with a driven roller 591D that faces the drive roller 62BD, and the shielding lever main body 591BB is provided with a driven roller 591E that faces the drive roller 62BE.

[0143] In this way, the shielding lever 591 has two shielding lever main bodies 591BA and 591BB that are provided close to each other in the width direction (front-rear direction) of the conveying path 50, and each of them operates independently. The shielding lever 592 has the same configuration as the shielding lever 591.

[0144] [3-2. Summary and Effects] As explained above, in the sachet reading device 2 of the third embodiment, the shielding lever main body portions 591BA, 591BB (592BA, 592BB), which are an example of a shielding portion that shields the conveying path 50, are arranged close to each other in the width direction of the conveying path 50.

[0145] When the continuous series of sachets 100 conveyed by the conveying unit 51 comes into contact with the shielding lever main bodies 591BA, 591BB (592BA, 592BB), the shielding lever main bodies 591BA, 591BB (592BA, 592BB) retract in the direction that opens the conveying path 50 (rotate in the direction along the arrow R1 shown in FIG. 13, etc.). At this time, the shielding lever 591 (592) follows the difference in thickness in the front-to-rear direction (width direction) of the continuous series of sachets 100 as the shielding lever main body 591BA (592BA) and the shielding lever main body 591BB (592BB) operate independently.

[0146] By doing this, the sachet reading device 2 of the third embodiment can further prevent light from entering the conveying path 50 compared to the second embodiment, and can convey the sachet string 100 more stably.

[0147] In this embodiment, the blocking lever 591 (592) has two blocking lever main bodies 591BA, 591BB (592BA, 592BB), but is not limited to this and may have three or more blocking lever main bodies.

[0148] 4. Other Embodiments [4-1. Other embodiment 1] In the first embodiment described above, the sachet reading device 2 is transitioned between a closed state and an open state by pivoting the upper unit 6 relative to the lower unit 5 through the pivoting action of the opening / closing unit 7. This is not a limitation, but for example, a sliding opening / closing unit (not shown) may be provided instead of the opening / closing unit 7, and the sliding action of the opening / closing unit may be used to displace the upper unit 6 vertically relative to the lower unit 5, thereby transitioning the sachet reading device 2 between a closed state and an open state. Furthermore, this is not a limitation, and various other mechanisms, such as a well-known link mechanism, or a mechanism that combines these mechanisms appropriately, may be provided instead of the opening / closing unit 7. In essence, any mechanism may be used as long as it is capable of transitioning between a closed state in which the conveying unit 51 can convey the continuous sachet string 100 and the photographing unit 54 can photograph sachet images, and an open state in which a sufficiently large removal space 80 or the like is formed above the conveying path 50.

[0149] Furthermore, when the sachet reading device 2 is transitioned to a closed state or an open state by displacing the upper unit 6 vertically relative to the lower unit 5, the bottom surface 91BB of the lever main body portion 91B of the shielding lever main body portion 91B may be configured to abut against the conveying bottom surface 13B when in the closed state.

[0150] [4-2. Other embodiment 2] In the first embodiment described above, two drive rollers 62BD and 62BE are provided facing the shielding lever main body 91B, and two drive rollers 62CD and 62CE are provided facing the shielding lever main body 92B. However, at least one drive roller may be provided facing the shielding lever main body 91B and 92B. In other words, one or three or more drive rollers may be provided facing the shielding lever main body 91B and 92B. When one drive roller is provided, it may be wider than the drive rollers 62BD and 62BE, for example. When multiple drive rollers are provided, they may be provided adjacent to each other in the width direction of the conveying path 50, as in the first embodiment. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0151] [4-3. Other embodiment 3] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the shielding lever main body 91B generates a downward load P1 due to the weight of the shielding lever main body 91B and the biasing force of the biasing member 91C, and presses downward against the front part 101 of the continuous body of sachets 100. However, this is not limiting, and by eliminating the biasing member 91C and increasing the weight of the shielding lever main body 91B, the downward load P1 may be generated only by the weight of the shielding lever main body 91B, and the front part 101 of the continuous body of sachets 100 may be pressed downward.

[0152] Alternatively, the shielding lever main body 91B may be formed from a flexibly deforming elastic member such as a stainless steel leaf spring, a thin resin material, or a brush, so that when the continuous body of sachets 100 contacts the shielding lever main body 91B, the shielding lever main body 91B is pushed by the continuous body of sachets 100 and deforms in a direction that opens the conveyance path 50. In this case, an elastic force acts on the shielding lever main body 91B to return to its original shape, and this elastic force can press the front part 101 of the continuous body of sachets 100 downward. Similarly, the shielding lever main body 92B may be configured to generate a downward load P1 by its own weight alone, or may be formed from an elastic member. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0153] Furthermore, without being limited to this, for example, instead of the shielding lever main bodies 91B, 92B, rollers that can rotate around an axis extending in the width direction of the conveying path 50 may be provided. In this case, the rotation axis of the roller can be made slidable in the vertical direction, and a downward load can be generated by the weight of the roller and the biasing force of a biasing member (not shown) (or just the weight of the roller), thereby pressing downward the front part 101 of the continuous body of sachets 100. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0154] [4-4. Other embodiment 4] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the shielding lever main body 91B is provided on the conveying path 50 upstream of the photographing area P54 in the conveying direction (i.e., upstream of the photographing unit 54 provided at a predetermined location on the conveying path 50 in the conveying direction), and the shielding lever main body 92B is provided downstream of the photographing area P54 in the conveying direction (i.e., downstream of the photographing unit 54 in the conveying direction), so that these shielding lever main bodies 91B, 92B reduce light entering the photographing area P54 on the conveying path 50 from the insertion opening 50E and the discharge opening 50X. However, without being limited to this, the shielding lever main body may be provided only on either the upstream side or downstream side of the photographing unit 54 in the conveying direction. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0155] The position of the shielding lever main body 91B may be on the upstream side of the photographing area P54 in the transport direction, while the position of the shielding lever main body 92B may be on the downstream side of the photographing area P54 in the transport direction. Therefore, for example, the shielding lever main body 91B may be provided on the upstream side of the swinging part 53 in the transport direction. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0156] [4-5. Other embodiment 5] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, three pairs of conveying rollers 61 are provided in the conveying section 51, but this is not a limitation, and it is sufficient that at least one pair of conveying rollers 61 is provided in the conveying section 51. Also, this is not a limitation, and instead of the pairs of conveying rollers 61, a pair of conveying belts (one of which may be a conveying belt and the other a roller) configured of conveying belts arranged opposite each other with the conveying path 50 in between may be provided. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0157] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the drive rollers 62BD and 62BE are arranged coaxially with the drive roller 62B of the conveying roller pair 61B. However, this is not limiting. The shaft components of the drive roller 62B and the shaft components of the drive rollers 62BD and 62BE may be separate components. For example, the shafts of the drive rollers 62BD and 62BE may be positioned downstream of the shaft of the drive roller 62B in the conveying direction, so that the drive rollers 62B and the drive rollers 62BD and 62BE are offset in the conveying direction. In this case, the shielding lever main body 91B is also offset in the conveying direction from the conveying roller pair 61B. Furthermore, a conveying unit such as a drive belt may be provided instead of the drive rollers 62BD and 62BE. The same applies to the drive rollers 62CD and CE and the shielding lever main body 92B. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0158] [4-6. Other Embodiment 6] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, control unit 4 is provided on lower unit 5 of sachet reader 2, and control unit 4 performs analysis and inspection processes based on sachet image C1, etc. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, medicine inspection support device 1 may have a communication function so that sachet images can be transmitted to a tablet terminal, smartphone, or personal computer (not shown) to perform at least some of the analysis and inspection processes. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0159] [4-7. Other Embodiments 7] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the imaging element is provided in the lower imaging section 54B arranged on the lower unit 5 side of the imaging section 54, but this is not limiting, and the imaging element may be provided in the upper imaging section 54A. Also, all of the components constituting the imaging section 54 may be provided on the lower unit 5 side, and the upper imaging section 54A may be omitted. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0160] [4-8. Other Embodiment 8] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the inspection target is a continuous string of sachets 100 in which a plurality of sachets 110 are connected in series, and the continuous string of sachets 100 is transported by the transport unit 51. However, this is not limiting, and for example, when a plurality of sachets 110 are not connected and are separated from one another, these plurality of sachets 110 may be regarded as a group and inspected, and each sachet 110 may be inserted sequentially from the insertion guide 11 side into the transport path 50 and transported sequentially by the transport unit 51. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0161] [4-9. Other Embodiments 9] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the shielding lever main bodies 91B, 92B are retracted in the direction that opens the conveyance path 50 when the continuous string of sachets 100 conveyed by the conveyance unit 51 comes into contact with them, thereby opening a portion of the conveyance path 50. However, this is not limiting, and the shielding lever main bodies 91B, 92B may be retracted in the direction that opens the conveyance path 50 by other methods. For example, a drive unit such as a motor may be provided for retracting the shielding lever main bodies 91B, 92B in the direction that opens the conveyance path 50, and when a sensor or the like arranged on the conveyance path 50 detects the arrival of the continuous string of sachets 100, the drive force of the drive unit may be used to retract the shielding lever main bodies 91B, 92B in the direction that opens the conveyance path 50.

[0162] Furthermore, without being limited to this, a mechanism may be provided in which the continuous body of sachets 100 abuts against another part connected to the shielding lever main bodies 91B, 92B, and when the continuous body of sachets 100 abuts against this mechanism, the shielding lever main bodies 91B, 92B retract in a direction that opens the conveying path 50. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0163] [4-10. Other Embodiments 10] Furthermore, in the third embodiment described above, there is provided a rear shielding lever main body 591BA and a front shielding lever main body 591BB, the rear shielding lever main body 591BA is provided with a driven roller 591D that faces the drive roller 62BD, and the front shielding lever main body 591BB is provided with a driven roller 591E that faces the drive roller 62BE. However, without being limited to this, a configuration in which the driven roller 591D and the driven roller 591E are omitted may also be used.

[0164] [4-11. Other Embodiments 11] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the inspection result display device 3 is attached to one side of the lower unit 5 of the sachet reading device 2 via an attachment member (not shown), but this is not limiting, and the inspection result display device 3 may be a separate unit that is not attached to the sachet reading device 2 and may be connected to the sachet reading device 2 by wire or wirelessly for communication. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0165] [4-12. Other Embodiments 12] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, sachet 110 contains medicine, but this is not limiting, and sachet 110 may contain nutritional supplements or the like.

[0166] [4-13. Other Embodiments 13] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the present invention is applied to medicine inspection support device 1, which is one example of a medicine inspection support device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to devices that transport medicine-containing sachets along a transport path and photograph the sachets at photographing locations along the transport path, with configurations different from medicine inspection support device 1. For example, the present invention can be applied to devices that transport sachets along a transport path using a conveyor belt, or devices that photograph sachets and send the resulting images to an external device or store them on a memory card.

[0167] [4-14. Other Embodiments 14] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and other embodiments, and the scope of application of the present invention extends to embodiments in which the above-described embodiments and other embodiments are combined in part or in whole, or in which only a part of the above-described embodiments is extracted. [Industrial Applicability]

[0168] The present invention can be used, for example, in a medicine inspection support device that supports pharmacists in inspecting sachets. [Explanation of symbols]

[0169] 1...Medicine inspection support device, 2...Sachet reader, 4...Control unit, 5...Lower unit, 6...Upper unit, 7...Opening / closing unit, 10...Lower frame, 13...Conveyor recess, 13B...Conveyor bottom surface, 20...Upper frame, 23T...Conveyor top surface, 23TR...Conveyor top surface convex portion, 50...Conveyor path, 50E...Insertion port, 50X...Ejection port, 51...Conveyor unit, 54...Photographing unit, 54A...Upper photographing unit, 54B...Lower photographing unit, 61A, 61B, 61C...Conveyor roller pair, 62A, 62B, 62C, 62BD, 62BE, 62CD, 62CE...Drive roller, 63A, 63B, 63C, 491D, 491E, 492D, 492E, 591D, 5 91E...follower roller, 80...removal space, 91, 92, 491, 492, 591, 592...shielding lever, 91A, 92A, 491A, 591A...shielding lever fulcrum, 91B, 92B, 491B, 591BA, 591BB...shielding lever main body, 91BB...bottom of lever main body, 91BD, 91BE...recess, 91BF...inclined surface of lever main body, 91BG...inclined surface of lever main body, 91C, 491C, 591CA, 591CB...urge member, 91D...locking portion, 100...sachet bag continuum, 101...front part of sachet bag continuum, 102...rear part of sachet bag continuum, 110...sachet bag, 113...bag-shaped portion, M...drug, P54...photography area.

Claims

1. an upper unit provided above a conveying path along which sachets containing medicines are conveyed, the upper unit having a conveying upper surface facing the conveying path; a lower unit provided below the transport path and having a transport bottom surface facing the transport path; a conveying section having a lower conveying section provided on the conveying bottom surface of the lower unit and an upper conveying section provided in a position facing the lower conveying section in the upper unit across the conveying path, the conveying section sandwiching the sachet between the lower conveying section and the upper conveying section and conveying the sachet in a conveying direction along the conveying path; an imaging unit that images the sachet in an imaging area within the conveyance path; Equipped with The upper unit is a shielding portion that shields the transport path; The shielding portion is When the sachet is conveyed by the conveying unit, the conveying unit retracts in a direction to open the conveying path, thereby opening a portion of the conveying path; The conveying unit is a shielded conveying section provided at a position facing the shielding section on the conveying bottom surface, and the sachet is sandwiched between the lower conveying section and the upper conveying section, and between the shielding section and the shielded conveying section, and the sachet is conveyed along the conveying path. A drug inspection support device characterized by:

2. The shielding portion is When the sachet conveyed by the conveying unit comes into contact with the conveying unit, the conveying unit retracts in a direction that opens the conveying path, thereby opening a portion of the conveying path. The drug inspection support device according to claim 1 .

3. The shielding unit and the shielded conveying unit are The photographing area is provided on the transport path at least one of the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction relative to the photographing area. The drug inspection support device according to claim 1 .

4. The shielding portion is The conveying mechanism is biased toward the conveying bottom surface, and while the sachet is in contact with the conveying bottom surface, it retreats in a direction away from the conveying bottom surface, opening a portion of the conveying path, while pushing the sachet down to the conveying bottom surface, and when contact with the sachet is released, it moves in a direction approaching the conveying bottom surface, blocking the portion of the conveying path that was open. The drug inspection support device according to claim 2 .

5. The shielding unit and the upper transport unit are are provided at predetermined intervals in a width direction of the conveying path perpendicular to the conveying direction, The shielded conveying unit and the lower conveying unit are are provided at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the conveying path, The distance between the shielding portion and the upper conveying portion is shorter than the distance between the shielding conveying portion and the lower conveying portion. The drug inspection support device according to claim 1 .

6. The shielded conveying unit includes: a part of the conveying member protrudes from the conveying bottom surface into the conveying path; The shielding portion is A recess into which a part of the shielded conveying section fits is provided at a position facing the shielded conveying section.

6. The drug inspection support device according to claim 1.

7. The shielded conveying unit includes: A drive roller that rotates to transport the sachet in the transport direction.

7. The drug inspection support device according to claim 6.

8. The shielding portion is a rotatable driven roller located opposite the drive roller; The conveying unit is The sachet is sandwiched between the driven roller and the drive roller and conveyed along the conveying path.

8. The drug inspection support device according to claim 7.

9. The shielding portion is The shielding portions are divided in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying path, and each divided shielding portion operates independently.

6. The drug inspection support device according to claim 1.

10. The conveying unit is A continuous sachet bag body in which a plurality of the sachets are connected in series is conveyed.

6. The drug inspection support device according to claim 1.

Images