system

Abstract

This relates to drug transport equipment and drug sorting equipment. [Solution] In the drug sorting device (1), when the same type of drug is packaged into drug packets located at different positions in a group of drug packets that are consecutive, the packaging mechanism (6) either packages the same type of drug contained in the same or different compartments into the same drug packet in the group, or packages the same type of drug located close to each other in the group.

Description

Technical Field

[0004] , , ,

[0005] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a drug delivery device and a drug sorting device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a plurality of types of returned drugs have been sorted by a pharmacist or a doctor for each type. The returned drugs are drugs that have been prescribed to various patients or are drugs after being dispensed according to a prescription. Therefore, compared with the dispensing operation of collecting (sub-packaging) (one or more types of) drugs (tablets) from a group of drug types (drug cassettes) grouped in advance by drug type in a dispensing device or the like for each dosing time unit based on the prescription information per patient unit, the types of drugs that are returned together after being prescribed to a plurality of patients are very many. Therefore, it is highly useful to automatically sort and reuse the returned drugs. Note that the drugs dispensed for one dosing time are generally about 2 to 3 types, and at most about 10 types.

[0003] In addition, in order to avoid the risk of misadministration due to the time, labor, or sorting error (misreturn to the drug cassette) involved in the sorting operation, there are also pharmacies or hospitals (specifically, in-hospital pharmacy departments) that discard the returned drugs as they are.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a drug sorting device that automatically recognizes and stores returned ampoules or vials. This drug sorting device recognizes the orientation and posture of the ampoule or vial, and the properties of the ampoule or vial (e.g., shape, size, type, and expiration date). Then, in accordance with the recognized size of the ampoule or vial, the storage area set for each individual ampoule or vial at the time of storage is associated with the identification information of each individual ampoule or vial, and the ampoules or vials are individually arranged, whereby the individual ampoules or vials are stored so as to be retrievable.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2015 / 170761 (Published November 12, 2015) [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] The items subject to return in Patent Document 1 are ampoules or vials, not drugs that are not contained in a container, such as tablets or capsules, or drugs that are not packaged. Therefore, Patent Document 1 does not envision identifying and automatically sorting such drugs (e.g., tablets or capsules) themselves. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a drug sorting device and a data management device that is communicably connected to the drug sorting device and manages drug data relating to all drugs that can be handled by a plurality of the drug sorting devices, wherein the drug sorting device includes an imaging unit that images each of a plurality of drugs that are put into the drug sorting device, a discrimination unit that determines the type of drug based on the image of the drug captured by the imaging unit and drug data relating to the plurality of drugs, a sorting unit that sorts the drugs by type based on the discrimination result by the discrimination unit, and a control unit that associates model discrimination information for identifying the drug sorting device with the drug data, wherein the control unit transmits the drug data associated with the model discrimination information to the data management device, the data management device acquires the drug data associated with the model discrimination information from each of the plurality of the drug sorting devices, identifies the drug sorting device that created the drug data by referring to the model discrimination information, and infers that the reliability of drug data relating to another type of drug transmitted by the drug sorting device is low if the reliability of the drug data is low. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1]This is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a drug sorting device. [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drug sorting device. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the imaging unit, and a perspective view showing an example of a drug placement platform. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating the rotation of the imaging unit. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows an example of drug adsorption processing by a drug adsorption control unit. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of an adsorption mechanism. [Figure 7] This is a diagram illustrating an example of how the adsorption mechanism works. [Figure 8] This figure illustrates an example of the operation of the push detection unit, and also shows an example of the configuration of the drug transport mechanism for realizing the full state determination process of the standby tray by the sorting control unit. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows an example of the sorting control unit's process for determining if the standby tray is full. [Figure 10] This diagram illustrates an example of pre-discrimination image processing by the image processing unit. [Figure 11] This flowchart shows an example of the repackaging process performed by the control unit. [Figure 12] This is a schematic plan view of the second containment section. [Figure 13] This flowchart shows an example of packaging processing by the packaging control unit, and another flowchart shows an example of drug sorting processing by the sorting control unit. [Figure 14] This flowchart shows an example of the discrimination process performed by the discrimination unit. [Figure 15] This is a diagram illustrating an example of a drug delivery mechanism. [Figure 16] This flowchart shows examples of displays and processing when a drug sorting device terminates abnormally during drug packaging. [Figure 17] This diagram shows an example of the configuration of a drug delivery mechanism. [Figure 18] This diagram shows an example of the configuration of the storage compartment lifting mechanism. [Embodiment for Carrying out the Invention]

[0009] [Basic Form of Medicine Sorting Device 1] [Overview of Medicine Sorting Device 1] First, the overview of the medicine sorting device 1 will be described using FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the medicine sorting device 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the medicine sorting device 1. 2001 is a perspective view of the medicine sorting device 1, and 2002 is a perspective view showing the basic configuration of the medicine sorting area 2. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2001 and 2002 of FIG. 2, the medicine sorting device 1 includes a medicine sorting area 2, a touch panel 3, a print output unit 4, and a packaging mechanism 6.

[0010] The medicine sorting device 1 images each of a plurality of types of medicines, determines the type of medicine based on the image obtained as a result of the imaging, and sorts the medicines for each type. Specifically, this process is performed in the medicine sorting area 2. The medicine sorting area 2 (the internal configuration of the medicine sorting device 1) will be described later. Note that the medicines sorted for each type are subjected to visual inspection by the user and then either packaged or returned to the medicine shelf or the packaging machine.

[0011] In the present embodiment, the plurality of types of medicines are medicines not contained in a container or the like or not subjected to packaging or the like, and as an example thereof, tablets or capsules will be described. Also, the plurality of types of medicines will be described as returned medicines. The medicines are medicines for which adopted medicines in a pharmacy or a hospital are returned as "returned medicines" in the pharmacy or the hospital. However, the plurality of types of medicines may be "bring-your-own medicines" that may include, in addition to the adopted medicines in the pharmacy or the hospital, medicines issued by other pharmacies or hospitals. The medicine sorting device 1 can automatically perform the processes from imaging to sorting after the medicines are returned.

[0012] The touch panel 3 receives various user inputs at the operation unit 31 and displays various images (e.g., an image showing the progress of medicine sorting, an image for visual inspection) at the display unit 32.

[0013] The printing output unit 4 prints a journal representing drug data (e.g., data indicating a drug name, a manufacturer, or ingredients) regarding the drug after visual inspection according to the user input after visual inspection. The drug data may include image data indicating an image unique to the drug.

[0014] The subcontracting mechanism 6 subcontracts the sorted drugs. The subcontracting mechanism 6 is an optional mechanism. When the subcontracting mechanism 6 is provided in the drug sorting device 1, it becomes possible to perform the processes from the sorting of the returned drugs to the subcontracting after visual inspection in a batch by the drug sorting device 1. In particular, when drugs are input into the subcontracting mechanism 6 by the conveyance and sorting unit 12, the processes from the sorting to the subcontracting can be automatically performed except for visual inspection.

[0015] As the subcontracting mechanism 6, it is possible to adopt a subcontracting part of a conventionally used tablet subcontracting machine or powder subcontracting machine. In this case, for example, the drugs in the sorting cup 141 sorted for each drug type can be subcontracted into one or a plurality of packages.

[0016] Note that throughout this specification, "subcontracting" used at least in the description of the drug sorting device 1 includes both the meaning of "packaging drugs separately for each taking time based on prescription data" and the meaning of "simply packaging the drugs sorted into the second storage unit 14 regardless of prescription data".

[0017] Also, the drug sorting device 1 includes a first RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) reader / writer unit 5. As shown at 2002 in FIG. 2, the first RFID reader / writer unit 5 is provided on the pedestal 19 on the drug removal side.

[0018] The first RFID reader / writer unit 5 reads data related to the drugs stored in each sorting cup 141, which is stored in an RFID tag (not shown) located at the bottom of each sorting cup 141 in the second storage section 14. This data includes, for example, data indicating the number of drugs stored, drug identification data for identifying the drugs (e.g., GS1 code), data indicating the type of sorting cup 141, and sorting cup identification information (identification information attached to the RFID tag) for identifying the sorting cup 141. Drug data of the drugs stored in the sorting cup 141 (e.g., drug name), and image data acquired by the imaging unit 13 are stored in the drug database 81, linked to the sorting cup identification information.

[0019] Furthermore, the above data may include drug data determined by visual inspection (drug data after visual inspection). Alternatively, drug data after visual inspection may be written to the RFID tag. The drug data after visual inspection is used when (1) dispensing the drugs stored in the corresponding sorting cup 141 using a different packaging machine than the packaging mechanism 6 or drug sorting device 1, or (2) returning them to the drug shelf. This drug data may also be stored in the drug database linked to the sorting cup identification information.

[0020] Furthermore, as shown in 2001 of Figure 2, the drug sorting device 1 is equipped with an opening / closing shutter 51 and an opening / closing door 52 that allow the drug dispensing side to be opened and closed.

[0021] [Basic structure of drug sorting area 2] Next, using Figures 1 and 2 (2002), the basic configuration of the drug sorting area 2 (internal configuration of the drug sorting device 1) will be explained.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 and 2 (2002), the drug sorting area 2 mainly comprises, as hardware, a first storage unit 11, a transport / sorting unit 12 (sorting unit), an imaging unit 13, a second storage unit 14, a standby tray 15, a recovery tray 16, a drug input port 17, and a second RFID reader / writer unit 18. All components except the transport / sorting unit 12 are mounted on a base 19. The main functions of the transport / sorting unit 12, the imaging unit 13, and the second RFID reader / writer unit 18 will be described in detail in the descriptions of each process below.

[0023] The first storage unit 11 stores multiple types of drugs returned by users in a mixed state. In this embodiment, the first storage unit 11 is divided into multiple storage units. In this case, for example, when all the drugs stored in one storage unit are transported by the transport / sorting unit 12, the drugs stored in the storage unit adjacent to that unit become targets for transport. The first storage unit 11 may also be rotatable around the Z-axis (center of the cylindrical shape). In this case, the control unit 60a of the computer 60 may rotate the first storage unit 11, for example, when one storage unit becomes empty, to facilitate the transport / sorting unit 12 from acquiring the drugs.

[0024] The second storage unit 14 is equipped with multiple sorting cups 141 for storing drugs sorted by type. The control unit 60a determines the type of drug based on the image of the drug captured by the imaging unit 13, and determines which sorting cup 141 to store the drug based on the determination result. The drug is then transported and stored in the determined sorting cup 141 by the transport and sorting unit 12.

[0025] The standby tray 15 is a temporary storage area where drugs are temporarily placed. For example, if all of the sorting cups 141 are filled with drugs, drugs that the control unit 60a has determined to be of a different type are temporarily placed in the standby tray 15. In this case, after the drugs are removed from the sorting cups 141, they may be transported from the standby tray 15 to the sorting cups 141.

[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the standby tray 15 may temporarily contain the estimated drug (described later), which is presumed to be a drug. If the estimated drug is temporarily contained, for example, the estimated drug is transported from the standby tray 15 to a predetermined area of ​​the second storage unit 14 according to the determination result of the control unit 60a.

[0027] The collection tray 16 is a storage unit for items whose type could not be identified by the control unit 60a (e.g., foreign objects other than pharmaceuticals). Examples of foreign objects other than pharmaceuticals include fragments of PTP (Press Through Pack) sheets. Fragments of PTP sheets may be mixed into the first storage unit 11 when pharmaceuticals are returned. The control unit 60a also stores pharmaceuticals registered in the pharmaceutical database 81 as pharmaceuticals to be discarded, or pharmaceuticals that the user wishes to discard (e.g., pharmaceuticals with old manufacturing dates), in the collection tray 16.

[0028] The drug input port 17 is for transporting the drugs stored in the second storage section 14 to the packaging mechanism 6 via the transport and sorting unit 12, when the drug sorting device 1 is equipped with a packaging mechanism 6. Naturally, if the drug sorting device 1 is not equipped with a packaging mechanism 6, the drug input port 17 is unnecessary.

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the drug sorting device 1 is equipped with a computer 60 that comprehensively controls each of the above-mentioned components (hardware). The computer 60 comprises a control unit 60a and a storage unit 80. The control unit 60a includes a transport control unit 61, a sorting control unit 62, an imaging control unit 63, a discrimination unit 64, an operation input unit 66, a display control unit 67, an RFID control unit 68, a print output control unit 69, a registration unit 70, a packaging control unit 71, a drug adsorption control unit 72, an image processing unit 73, and a sorting position designation unit 74. Here, the basic processing of the operation input unit 66, the display control unit 67, the RFID control unit 68, the print output control unit 69, the registration unit 70, and the packaging control unit 71 will be described. The basic processing of the transport control unit 61, the sorting control unit 62, the imaging control unit 63, and the discrimination unit 64 will be described in detail in the [Basic Configuration of Drug Sorting Device 1] section below. Other processing will be described in each embodiment below.

[0030] The operation input unit 66 and the display control unit 67 control the operation unit 31 and the display unit 32 of the touch panel 3, respectively. The RFID control unit 68 controls the first RFID reader / writer unit 5 and the second RFID reader / writer unit 18. The print output control unit 69 controls the print output unit 4 according to the user input received by the operation input unit 66.

[0031] The registration unit 70 registers drug data for drugs for which the discrimination unit 64 has determined that no corresponding drug data exists in the drug database 81. Specifically, for drugs for which the discrimination unit 64 has determined that no corresponding drug data exists, the registration unit 70 links the captured image 82 of the drug with the drug data identified by the user and registers it in the drug database 81.

[0032] Furthermore, if the drug sorting device 1 is equipped with a packaging mechanism 6, the control unit 60a will be equipped with a packaging control unit 71 that controls the packaging mechanism 6. The packaging control unit 71 controls the operation of the packaging mechanism 6. The packaging control unit 71 also controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to transport the drugs stored in the sorting cups 141 to the drug input port 17.

[0033] Furthermore, the drug sorting device 1 may also be equipped with a barcode reader 7. The barcode reader 7 reads, for example, a barcode indicating the drug data of the drug that has been printed on the drug packets (packaging paper) into which the sorted drugs have been packaged by the packaging mechanism 6. This allows the control unit 60a to perform processing based on the read barcode (e.g., displaying the drug data indicated by the barcode). The packaging mechanism 6 may also be equipped with a barcode printing mechanism (not shown) that prints a barcode indicating the drug data of the drug packaged in the drug packet onto the drug packet.

[0034] The barcode reader 7 can be any reading device capable of reading information indicating drug data printed on drug packaging, etc. Furthermore, the drug sorting device 1 does not necessarily need to be equipped with a barcode reader 7. When the control unit 60a performs processing based on the above information, the control unit 60a can obtain the above information by communicating with an external device equipped with a barcode reader 7.

[0035] The computer 60 also includes a storage unit 80. The storage unit 80 pre-stores a drug database (drug master) 81 that manages drug data for multiple types of drugs, and also stores captured images 82, etc., as sorting is performed by the drug sorting device 1. The captured images 82 are images captured by the first camera 131. Alternatively, the captured images 82 may be images captured by the first camera 131 that have been processed by the image processing control unit 63. The image processing described above includes the process of generating an image to be analyzed by the discrimination unit 64 (an image that extracts the characteristics of a drug and enables comparison with the characteristics of drugs contained in the drug database 81). For example, this includes the process of extracting images of drugs from captured images.

[0036] Furthermore, the various data stored in the storage unit 80 do not necessarily have to be managed by the storage unit 80; for example, they may be managed by an external device. In this case, the control unit 60a may acquire the above-mentioned data from the external device via a communication line such as the Internet, as needed. Also, the drug database 81 may be updated when new drug data is added.

[0037] [Overview of processing in drug sorting device 1] In the drug sorting device 1, the transport / sorting unit 12 transports each drug returned to the first storage unit 11 to the imaging unit 13. The imaging unit 13 sequentially images each transported drug. The control unit 60a identifies the type of drug based on the captured images and determines the sorting position of each identified drug in the second storage unit 14. The transport / sorting unit 12 transports each drug to the determined sorting position. Information about the drugs stored in the second storage unit 14 is written to the RFID tag of the sorting cup 141, stored in the memory unit 80, or displayed on the touch panel 3. Furthermore, after the sorting of drugs is completed, or during the sorting process, the user can operate the touch panel 3 to perform processes such as visual inspection and packaging. The following describes each process in detail.

[0038] [Drug delivery process to imaging unit 13] First, the drug transport process from the first storage unit 11 to the imaging unit 13 will be explained using 2001 in Figures 1 and 2.

[0039] Specifically, the transport and sorting unit 12 transports the drug stored in the first storage section 11 to the receiving area Ar1 (see 3002 in Figure 3) where the imaging unit 13 accepts the drug. The transport control unit 61 controls this transport process by the transport and sorting unit 12.

[0040] The transport and sorting unit 12 includes a second camera 121, a suction and shutter mechanism 122, and a transport mechanism 123.

[0041] The second camera 121 sequentially images the first storage unit 11 in order to identify the drug to be transported. The imaging control unit 63 controls the imaging process of the second camera 121. The second camera 121 is provided at the end of the transport / sorting unit 12 (specifically, at least the housing including the suction / shutter mechanism 122) on the side facing the base 19. The second camera 121 may also be provided at the tip of the suction mechanism described later. The imaging control unit 63 analyzes the captured image to determine whether or not the image contains a drug. If the transport control unit 61 determines that a drug is contained, it brings the tip closer to the first storage unit 11, for example, and identifies the drug contained in the image captured at that time as the drug to be transported.

[0042] The adsorption / shutter mechanism 122 includes an adsorption mechanism for adsorbing a drug identified as the target for transport, and a shutter mechanism for preventing the drug adsorbed by the adsorption mechanism from falling. The adsorption mechanism is provided to be movable in the Z-axis direction. The shutter mechanism is provided in front of the above end and is provided to be movable substantially parallel to the XY plane.

[0043] The adsorption mechanism extends from the end when acquiring the drug, adsorbs the specified drug at its tip, and then returns to the position of the end. In this state, the transport control unit 61 moves the shutter mechanism to a position opposite the end and maintains the position of the shutter mechanism (closed) during drug transport. When the transport control unit 61 moves the adsorption / shutter mechanism 122 to a position opposite the drug placement platform 133a (see 3002 in Figure 3) of the drug holding mechanism 133 located in the receiving area Ar1, it moves the shutter mechanism to a position that does not face the end (opened). Then, after extending the adsorption mechanism from the end, the adsorption state is released and the drug is placed on the drug placement platform 133a.

[0044] The transport mechanism 123 moves the suction / shutter mechanism 122 in the X-axis and Y-axis directions under the control of the transport control unit 61. This transport mechanism 123 enables the movement of the suction / shutter mechanism 122 when searching for a drug to be transported on the first storage unit 11, or enables the transport of drugs from the first storage unit 11 to the drug placement table 133a. In addition, during the drug sorting process, it enables the transport of drugs from the drug placement table 133a to the second storage unit 14, the standby tray 15, or the recovery tray 16. During the drug sorting process, the sorting control unit 62 controls the transport / sorting unit 12 based on the discrimination result by the discrimination unit 64 to transport the drugs placed in the receiving area Ar1 to a predetermined sorting cup 141 in the second storage unit 14 or the standby tray 15.

[0045] [Drug imaging processing] Next, the drug imaging process by the imaging unit 13 will be explained using Figures 1, 2002 in Figure 2, 3, and 4. Figures 3001 and 3002 in Figure 3 are perspective views showing the overall configuration of the imaging unit 13, and Figure 3003 in Figure 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the drug placement stage 133a. Figures 4001 and 4002 in Figure 4 are diagrams for explaining the rotation of the imaging unit 13. The above drug imaging process is mainly performed by the imaging unit 13 and the imaging control unit 63.

[0046] Specifically, the imaging unit 13 is placed on the drug placement platform 133a and images the drug placed in the placement area Ar2 (imaging area) where the drug to be imaged is placed, as shown at 3002 in Figure 3. The imaging control unit 63 controls the imaging process by the imaging unit 13, the rotational movement of the first camera 131 and the illuminator 134, and the movement of the drug holding mechanism 133. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the imaging unit 13 includes a first camera 131 (imaging unit), a rotation mechanism 132 (rotating unit), a drug holding mechanism 133 (drug placement platform, moving mechanism), and an illuminator 134 (ultraviolet light irradiation unit, visible light irradiation unit).

[0047] The first camera 131 images the drug placed in the arrangement area Ar2 opposite to the first camera 131 in order to determine the type of drug in the discrimination unit 64 described later. The drug holding mechanism 133 is a mechanism for holding the drug, and as shown in 3001 and 3002 of Figure 3, it comprises a drug placement table (petri dish) 133a, a rotation mechanism 133b (movement mechanism), and a shaft portion 133c connecting the drug placement table 133a and the rotation mechanism 133b. The drug placement table 133a is on which the drug to be imaged is placed. The rotation mechanism 133b moves the drug placement table 133a, and specifically rotates the drug placement table 133a with respect to the XY plane and rotates the shaft portion 133c in the circumferential direction of the shaft portion 133c.

[0048] When the drug transported from the first storage unit 11 is placed on the drug placement platform 133a, the imaging control unit 63 drives the rotation mechanism 133b to move the drug placement platform 133a from the receiving area Ar1 to the placement area Ar2. Subsequently, it controls at least the first camera 131 and the illuminator 134 to image the drug placed in the placement area Ar2. The captured image is stored in the storage unit 80 as an image captured image 82. For example, after imaging is completed, the imaging control unit 63 drives the rotation mechanism 133b to move the drug placement platform 133a, on which the imaged drug is placed, from the placement area Ar2 to the receiving area Ar1.

[0049] In this embodiment, two drug placement tables 133a are provided at the tip (end) of the shaft portion 133c. The swivel mechanism 133b rotates the shaft portion 133c so that when one drug placement table 133a is placed in the placement area Ar2, the other drug placement table 133a is placed in the receiving area Ar1. When drug imaging is performed in the placement area Ar2, the transport and sorting unit 12 transports the drug from the first storage unit 11 to the drug placement table 133a located in the receiving area Ar1, thereby enabling continuous drug imaging processing. It is assumed that the drug placement table 133a is in a state where no drug is placed on it, such as after drug sorting processing to the second storage unit 14.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the drug placement platform 133a is transparent. Therefore, the first camera 131 can image the drug placed on the drug placement platform 133a from multiple angles through the drug placement platform 133a.

[0051] Furthermore, as shown at 3003 in Figure 3, the drug placement platform 133a may have a roughly V-shaped cross-section with a concave bottom. Also, as shown at 3003 in Figure 3 and in Figure 4, when the drug placement platform 133a is positioned in the receiving area Ar1 and the placement area Ar2, the groove direction of the roughly V-shaped cross-section (the extension direction of the shaft portion 133c) is roughly parallel to the rotation axis Ay of the imaging mechanism (described later) by the rotation mechanism 132. Furthermore, the bottom of the drug placement platform 133a does not have to be a sharp V-shape. As shown at 3003 in Figure 3, the bottom may comprise a bottom surface portion 133aa and inclined surfaces 133ab that are inclined from two opposing points on the bottom surface portion 133aa. The shape of the bottom should be such that the information indicated by the markings or prints on the drug can be recognized (marked information or printed information) even when viewed (imaged) from the underside of the drug placement platform 133a, and that the drug is secured in place.

[0052] If the drug is in the form of a capsule or a deformed tablet (e.g., rugby ball shaped), and the bottom of the drug mounting platform 133a is flat, the orientation of the drug may not be aligned on the XY plane, making it difficult to obtain a clear image of the drug (engraving or printed information). If the cross-section is roughly V-shaped, the capsule or deformed tablet can be fitted into the lowest end, and the drug can be fixed in place. This makes it easier to obtain a clear image of the drug. In the case of a tablet, for example, the shaft portion 133c can be rotated in the circumferential direction of the shaft portion 133c so that the flat portion (inclined surface portion 133ab) of the drug mounting platform 133a faces the first camera 131, thereby ensuring that the drug does not move.

[0053] In addition, the rotation mechanism 133b can also vibrate (move, shake) the drug placement platform 133a. In this case, for example, by vibrating and rolling a capsule placed on the drug placement platform 133a, the printed portion of the capsule can be made to face a predetermined direction (e.g., this portion can be made to face the first camera 131, which is positioned in the initial position described later). Furthermore, the above vibration can cause, for example, a cylindrical tablet (with a circular base) to be placed upright on the flat surface, to be tilted sideways (positioned so that the base of the tablet faces the flat surface).

[0054] The illuminator 134 emits light to irradiate the drug when imaging the drug, under the control of the imaging control unit 63. As shown in 3001 of Figure 3, the illuminator 134 includes a visible light irradiation unit (first irradiation unit 134a and second irradiation unit 134b) that irradiates the drug with visible light, and an ultraviolet light irradiation unit 134c that irradiates the drug with ultraviolet light.

[0055] The first irradiation unit 134a and the second irradiation unit 134b irradiate the drug with white light as visible light. The first irradiation unit 134a is a bar-shaped visible light source (bar illumination), and the second irradiation unit 134b is a ring-shaped visible light source (ring illumination). The first camera 131 receives the visible light emitted from the first irradiation unit 134a or the second irradiation unit 134b and reflected by the drug, thereby acquiring an image based on visible light (visible light image). The imaging control unit 63 stores the image data showing the visible light image acquired by the first camera 131 as an image captured image 82 in the storage unit 80.

[0056] The ultraviolet light irradiation unit 134c irradiates the drug with ultraviolet light (e.g., light with a peak wavelength between 365 nm and 410 nm) to excite components contained in the drug. This extracts fluorescence (e.g., light with a peak wavelength between 410 nm and 800 nm) from the drug. The first camera 131 receives the fluorescence emitted from the drug and acquires an image based on ultraviolet light (ultraviolet light image). The imaging control unit 63 stores the image data showing the ultraviolet light image acquired by the first camera 131 as an image captured image 82 in the storage unit 80.

[0057] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the rotation mechanism 132 rotates the first camera 131 so that it revolves around the placement area Ar2 (the drug placement platform 133a located at that position) where the drug to be imaged is placed. The first camera 131 images the drug placed in the placement area Ar2 from multiple positions rotated by the rotation mechanism 132. Specifically, the imaging mechanism, including the first camera 131 and the illuminator 134, is rotated so that it revolves around the placement area Ar2. Therefore, the first camera 131 can image the drug from multiple directions while maintaining the positional relationship between the first camera 131 and the illuminator 134 with respect to the placement area Ar2.

[0058] The rotation mechanism 132 includes an imaging mechanism drive unit 132a and a power transmission mechanism 132b, as shown at 3001 in Figure 3. The imaging mechanism drive unit 132a generates power to rotate the imaging mechanism around the placement area Ar2. The power transmission mechanism 132b transmits the power generated by the imaging mechanism drive unit 132a to the imaging mechanism. The imaging mechanism drive unit 132a is driven by the control of the imaging control unit 63 to change the position of the imaging mechanism around the placement area Ar2.

[0059] The rotation mechanism 132 rotates the imaging mechanism between the initial position and the position opposite the initial position. The initial position is a position approximately perpendicular to the placement area Ar2 and above the placement area Ar2. The position opposite the initial position is a position approximately perpendicular to the placement area Ar2 and below the placement area Ar2. This position can also be described as the position where the first camera 131 faces the bottom of the drug placement platform 133a located in the placement area Ar2.

[0060] As shown in Figure 4, axis Ax0 is defined as the axis passing through the center of the arrangement area Ar2 and parallel to the Z-axis, and axis Ax1 is defined as the axis passing through the center of the arrangement area Ar2 and the center of the imaging mechanism. The angle between axis Ax0 and axis Ax1 is defined as θ. In this embodiment, the rotation mechanism 132 positions the imaging mechanism at one of the following positions: θ = 0° (initial position), 45°, 135°, and 180°. Note that 4001 in Figure 4 shows the case where the imaging mechanism is at the θ = 0° position, and 4002 in Figure 4 shows the case where the imaging mechanism has rotated from the initial position to the θ = 45° position.

[0061] In this way, by rotating the imaging mechanism around the placement area Ar2, the drug can be imaged from multiple directions while remaining fixed in the placement area Ar2. Furthermore, even if the drug (tablet) remains upright when the drug placement platform 133a is shaken, information indicated by markings on the drug can be obtained by imaging from an oblique direction (θ=45° or 135°).

[0062] Alternatively, the imaging mechanism may be fixed and the drug rotated to image the drug from multiple directions.

[0063] (Image position control) Next, an example of position control of the imaging mechanism will be described. The imaging control unit 63 first sets the imaging mechanism to an initial position and causes the first camera 131 to image the drug placed in the placement area Ar2 at that initial position. At this time, the first camera 131 acquires a visible light image (two visible light images) based on visible light from the first irradiation unit 134a and the second irradiation unit 134b, as well as an ultraviolet light image based on ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 134c.

[0064] Next, the imaging control unit 63 sets the imaging mechanism to a position opposite to the initial position and causes the first camera 131 to image the drug placed in the placement area Ar2 at that position, acquiring two visible light images and an ultraviolet light image. The discrimination unit 64 analyzes these six images to determine the type of drug. If the type of drug cannot be identified as a single type, the imaging control unit 63 emits visible light from the first irradiation unit 134a and the second irradiation unit 134b at positions θ=45° and 135°, causing the first camera 131 to image the drug. The discrimination unit 64 analyzes the visible light image at this time to determine the type of drug.

[0065] The above are not limited to various methods for controlling the position of the imaging mechanism. For example, imaging may be performed from a position opposite the initial position, and then from the initial position. Alternatively, drug identification processing may be performed based on the visible light image acquired from the position θ=45°, and only if the type of drug cannot be identified as a single entity, a visible light image acquired from the position θ=135° may be obtained. Alternatively, only ultraviolet light images may be acquired at the initial position and the position opposite the initial position, drug identification processing may be performed based on the ultraviolet light image, and then a visible light image at that position may be acquired. Alternatively, visible light and ultraviolet light images may be acquired at all positions.

[0066] [Image processing / discrimination processing] Next, the image processing performed on the image captured by the imaging unit 13 and the drug discrimination process based on the results of the image processing will be explained using Figure 1. The image processing is mainly performed by the imaging control unit 63, and the discrimination process is mainly performed by the discrimination unit 64.

[0067] The discrimination unit 64 determines the type of drug based on the drug image captured by the first camera 131. Specifically, the discrimination unit 64 determines the type of drug based on the imaging result (visible light image) of the drug when it is irradiated with visible light from the first irradiation unit 134a or the second irradiation unit 134b. In addition, the discrimination unit 64 determines the type of drug based on the imaging result (ultraviolet light image) of the drug when it is irradiated with ultraviolet light.

[0068] The discrimination unit 64 extracts the characteristics of the drug contained in the image by performing image analysis on the visible light image and / or ultraviolet light image, respectively. Examples of drug characteristics include size, shape, markings, prints, cleavage lines, and representative color (color of the area where the marking or print is applied). If OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is performed, the drug characteristics extracted may include the drug name (e.g., identification code) or manufacturer identification information (identification information that identifies the drug), and other information such as the expiration date, as indicated by the marking or print. In the case of an ultraviolet light image, the drug characteristics may include the representative color of the drug in the image. The discrimination unit 64 stores the information indicating the characteristics of each extracted drug in the storage unit 80, linked to the captured image 82 of the drug. Note that drug characteristic extraction may be performed by known techniques.

[0069] The characteristics of the extracted drug include the representative color of the drug in the image, as described above. Below, the data indicating this representative color will be referred to as color data (data indicating the color of the drug). Color data includes data generated from visible light images and data generated from ultraviolet light images. In the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, when simply referred to as "color data," it refers to both color data generated from visible light images and color data generated from ultraviolet light images. Color data is data indicating the color of a predetermined area in the image in which the drug is captured (at least a part of the area in which the drug is visible, typically the area with an imprint or print). For example, the average value of the RGB values ​​of each pixel in that area may be used as color data.

[0070] The discrimination unit 64 identifies the type of drug by comparing the characteristics of each drug with the drug database 81. For example, based on the color data, the discrimination unit 64 ranks candidate drug data related to the imaged drug from the drug database 81. Then, according to the above ranking, the discrimination unit 64 performs type identification based on other characteristics.

[0071] Furthermore, the discrimination unit 64 may narrow down candidate drug data related to the imaged drug from the drug database 81 using pattern matching or the like, based on the characteristics of the extracted drug. In this case, for example, candidate drug data is narrowed down using at least one of the above-mentioned characteristics: size, shape, markings, print, cleavage lines, and representative color. Subsequently, the discrimination unit 64 performs OCR or the like to read the identification information, etc., expressed on the markings or prints, and further narrows down the type of drug from the above candidates using pattern matching or the like. The discrimination unit 64 may also rank the above candidates based on the degree of agreement between the characteristics of the extracted drug and the characteristics of drugs included in the drug database 81.

[0072] Furthermore, even if the drug characteristics (target characteristics) extracted using pattern matching or the like are not found in the drug database 81, the discrimination unit 64 will identify the drug as a suspected drug if it is estimated to be a drug (tablet or capsule) based on at least a part of the target characteristics. In this case, the suspected drug can also be sorted into the second storage unit 14 or the standby tray 15. In this embodiment, the suspected drug may be temporarily placed in the standby tray 15 first.

[0073] In this way, the discrimination unit 64 determines whether or not drug data corresponding to the captured image 82 captured by the first camera 131 exists in the drug data (drug database 81) for multiple types of drugs that have been registered in advance.

[0074] The discrimination unit 64 outputs the drug type discrimination result to the sorting control unit 62. For example, if the drug type can be identified as one, or if the number of candidates is narrowed down to a predetermined number, drug data related to that drug is output as the discrimination result. In this case, the discrimination unit 64 stores the drug data related to that drug in the storage unit 80, linked to the captured image 82 of that drug.

[0075] If the discrimination unit 64 determines that the drug is a suspected drug, it outputs the characteristics of the drug (characteristics of the item suspected to be a suspected drug) as the discrimination result. On the other hand, if the discrimination unit 64 determines that the drug is registered in the drug database 81 as a drug to be discarded, or if it determines that the item stored in the first storage unit 11 is a foreign object other than a drug, it outputs as the discrimination result that the drug is not subject to sorting.

[0076] [Medicinal sorting and processing] Next, the drug sorting process based on the results of the above discrimination process will be explained using Figure 1. The above drug sorting process is mainly performed by the transport and sorting unit 12 and the sorting control unit 62.

[0077] The transport and sorting unit 12 sorts the drugs by type based on the discrimination results from the discrimination unit 64 and stores them in the second storage unit 14 or standby tray 15. The sorting control unit 62 controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to transport the drugs placed in the receiving area Ar1 after imaging and discrimination processing to the designated sorting cups 141 in the second storage unit 14 or the standby tray 15, based on the discrimination results.

[0078] When the sorting control unit 62 receives the drug identification result, it determines the sorting location where the drug will be stored, and stores the identification result and the determined sorting location in the storage unit 80, linking them together. Specifically, the sorting control unit 62 determines whether or not the same identification result as the above identification result is stored in the storage unit 80.

[0079] If the same discrimination result as described above is stored, the sorting cup 141 associated with the stored discrimination result is determined as the sorting position. Also, if the sorting position associated with the stored discrimination result (e.g., estimated drug) is the standby tray 15, the standby tray 15 is determined as the sorting position. On the other hand, if the same discrimination result as described above is not stored, the sorting cup 141 that does not contain drug (the sorting cup 141 whose sorting position has not yet been determined) is determined as the sorting position. If all of the sorting cups 141 contain drug, the standby tray 15 is determined as the sorting position. Note that, for estimated drug, the sorting control unit 62 may determine any of the sorting cups 141 contained in a predetermined area of ​​the second storage unit 14 as the sorting position instead of the standby tray 15.

[0080] Once the sorting position is determined, the sorting control unit 62 controls the transport mechanism 123, similar to the transport control unit 61, to move the transport / sorting unit 12 above the receiving area Ar1. The sorting control unit 62, similar to the transport control unit 61, controls the second camera 121 and the suction / shutter mechanism 122 to pick up the drugs placed in the receiving area Ar1. Subsequently, the transport mechanism 123 transports the drugs to the determined sorting cup 141 or standby tray 15. As described above, since the shutter mechanism is closed during drug transport, it is possible to prevent the drugs from falling into areas other than the determined sorting position (e.g., sorting cups 141 other than the determined sorting cup 141). After transport, the suction is released to store the drugs in the sorting cup 141 or standby tray 15. The sorting control unit 62 also counts the number of drugs stored in the sorting cup 141 and stores it in the storage unit 80, linked to the sorting position.

[0081] After the sorting control unit 62 transports the drugs (drugs after identification) from the drug placement table 133a located in the receiving area Ar1 to the sorting position, the transport control unit 61 controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to transport and place the drugs stored in the first storage unit 11 onto the now empty drug placement table 133a. This allows the drug sorting device 1 to continuously identify the types of drugs.

[0082] Furthermore, if the sorting control unit 62 receives a determination result indicating that it could not determine the type of drug, it determines that the object placed in the receiving area Ar1 after determination is a foreign object and transports the foreign object to the collection tray 16.

[0083] In this way, the sorting control unit 62 stores all items contained in the first storage unit 11 into either the second storage unit 14, the standby tray 15, or the recovery tray 16, regardless of the identification result of the type of drug. Therefore, even if the type of drug cannot be identified as a single type, or if foreign matter is mixed in the first storage unit 11, the sorting process can be continued without being stopped for that reason.

[0084] Furthermore, the sorting control unit 62 uses the second camera 121 to image the drug placement platform 133a located in the receiving area Ar1 in order to retrieve the drug for which the discrimination process has been completed, thereby narrowing down the location of the drug. In addition, when transporting the drugs stored in the sorting cup 141 to the packaging mechanism 6, the sorting control unit 62 uses the second camera 121 to image the sorting cup 141 in order to retrieve the drug from the sorting cup 141, thereby narrowing down the drugs to be transported.

[0085] Furthermore, if the sorting control unit 62 stores drugs up to the upper limit of the number of drugs that can be stored in the sorting cup 141, it will store the drugs to be sorted in an empty sorting cup 141 different from the sorting cup 141, even if the type of drug to be sorted is the same as the type of drug already sorted in the sorting cup 141.

[0086] Furthermore, the sorting control unit 62 stores data related to the drugs stored in the sorting cup 141 in an RFID tag provided on the sorting cup 141, which is then stored by the second RFID reader / writer unit 18.

[0087] The second RFID reader / writer unit 18, like the first RFID reader / writer unit 5, writes various data to RFID tags or reads various data stored in RFID tags. The sorting control unit 62 instructs the RFID control unit 68 to write data related to the drug each time a drug is placed in a sorting cup 141. The second RFID reader / writer unit 18 is located on the underside of the second storage section 14. Specifically, it is positioned to face the bottom of each sorting cup 141 when reading or writing data related to the drug stored in the RFID tag of each sorting cup 141.

[0088] [Embodiment 1] In this embodiment, the configuration for improving the efficiency of drug extraction will be explained primarily using Figures 1 and 5.

[0089] As shown in Figure 1, the control unit 60a of this embodiment includes a drug adsorption control unit 72. The drug adsorption control unit 72 controls the operation of the adsorption mechanism 122a (drug adsorption section, drug adsorption device) (see Figure 6) provided in the adsorption / shutter mechanism 122 of the transport / sorting unit 12. The drug adsorption control unit 72 lowers the adsorption mechanism 122a in a direction in which the adsorption pad 122c (contact surface with the drug) approaches the drug to be adsorbed, which is stored in the first storage section 11. In other words, the drug adsorption control unit 72 lowers the adsorption mechanism 122a when approaching and approaching the drug, as will be described later.

[0090] As described above, the transport and sorting unit 12 functions as a drug transport unit that transports the drug taken out of the first storage unit 11 to the first camera 131 (specifically, the receiving area Ar1), or transports and stores the drug in the second storage unit 14 based on the discrimination result by the discrimination unit 64. The adsorption mechanism 122a moves to the first storage unit 11 or the second storage unit 14 to adsorb the drug stored in the first storage unit 11 or the second storage unit 14.

[0091] Note that the first storage section 11 and the second storage section 14 (sorting cup 141) are examples of storage sections for storing pharmaceuticals. The storage section may also be a standby tray 15 or a pharmaceutical placement stand 133a. In other words, the storage section can be any member that stores (including temporary storage (placement)) the pharmaceutical to be adsorbed by the adsorption mechanism 122a. In the following description of this embodiment, the storage section will be described as the first storage section 11 (or pharmaceutical placement stand 133a).

[0092] Furthermore, the drug adsorption control unit 72 may be implemented as a function of the transport control unit 61, the sorting control unit 62, or the packaging control unit 71. At least the adsorption mechanism 122a and the drug adsorption control unit 72 realize the basic configuration of the drug dispensing device that dispenses drugs from the storage unit.

[0093] The drug adsorption control unit 72 controls the approach of the adsorption mechanism 122a to the drug when adsorbing the drug contained in the first containment unit 11, and also controls the re-approach of the adsorption mechanism 122a to the drug when adsorption of the drug fails. In other words, if the adsorption of the drug by the adsorption mechanism 122a (drug picking) fails, the drug adsorption control unit 72 performs a retry process to attempt drug adsorption again by bringing the adsorption mechanism 122a closer to the drug. For example, if the adsorption fails for a preset upper limit of times in a row, the drug adsorption control unit 72 stops the drug adsorption process.

[0094] Here, the drug adsorption control unit 72 lowers the adsorption mechanism 122a at an initial speed (described later) toward the drug identified as the adsorption target based on the image captured by the second camera 121, while drawing in outside air from the adsorption pad 122c (see Figure 6) of the adsorption mechanism 122a. Then, when the adsorption pad 122c reaches a first predetermined position (described later), the speed is changed to a first speed (described later) which is smaller than the initial speed, and the adsorption mechanism 122a is lowered toward the drug. When the adsorption pad 122c comes into contact with the drug, the drug adsorption control unit 72 determines whether the drug can be adsorbed onto the adsorption pad 122c based on the change in flow rate detected by a flow rate sensor (not shown). The flow rate sensor detects the flow rate of air flowing through the air pipe 122b (see Figure 6) of the adsorption mechanism 122a. The drug adsorption control unit 72 determines that the drug has been adsorbed onto the adsorption pad 122c when the detected flow rate falls below a predetermined amount. Furthermore, if a pressure sensor is provided to detect the pressure inside the air tube 122b, the drug adsorption control unit 72 may determine whether or not the drug can be adsorbed based on the detected change in pressure. If the drug adsorption control unit 72 determines that the drug has been adsorbed onto the adsorption pad 122c, it stops the descent of the adsorption mechanism 122a.

[0095] However, when the adsorption mechanism 122a is lowered, the adsorption position where the adsorption mechanism 122a adsorbs the drug (approximately the center position of the adsorption pad 122c facing the drug) may shift from the center of the drug. This shift in the adsorption position can occur, for example, due to the stopping accuracy when the adsorption mechanism 122a is lowered into the first containment section 11, or the accuracy of the image analysis of the captured image acquired by the second camera 121 (the accuracy of extracting the drug image). Furthermore, the above-mentioned shift in position can also occur when the drug that the adsorption mechanism 122a is intended to adsorb comes into contact with another drug different from the intended drug during the lowering of the adsorption mechanism 122a.

[0096] If the above-mentioned misalignment occurs, the drug may not be adsorbed, resulting in a failure of drug adsorption. In particular, when adsorbing relatively small uncoated or sugar-coated tablets, the above-mentioned misalignment makes drug adsorption more likely to fail, and even after retrying, the drug may not be adsorbed.

[0097] Here, the air tube 122b extends in the direction in which the adsorption mechanism 122a descends. In addition, a filter (not shown) is provided at the points where outside air passes through (e.g., inside the adsorption pad 122c and the air tube 122b) to prevent the inhalation of dust. Therefore, due to the configuration of the air tube 122b or the influence of the filter, it takes time from the time the chemical is adsorbed onto the adsorption pad 122c until the flow rate or pressure inside the air tube 122b reaches a threshold that indicates the chemical has been adsorbed.

[0098] When the descent speed of the adsorption mechanism 122a is relatively fast when approaching the drug (the first speed described later), if the adsorption position approximately coincides with the center position of the drug, the flow rate or pressure reaches the threshold within a predetermined time. Therefore, the drug adsorption control unit 72 can determine that the drug has been adsorbed and stop the descent of the adsorption mechanism 122a. During the time from drug contact to drug adsorption determination, the adsorption mechanism 122a continues to press against the drug due to its descent, but since the adsorption position approximately coincides with the center position of the drug, there is little possibility that the position of the drug will shift due to this pressure.

[0099] On the other hand, if the adsorption position is offset from the center of the drug, the flow rate or pressure will not reach the threshold within the predetermined time. As a result, even though the adsorption mechanism 122a is in contact with the drug, the adsorption mechanism 122a continues to descend and push the drug, causing the position of the drug to shift further from the adsorption position. In some cases, the drug may be repelled by the adsorption mechanism 122a. Therefore, even if the retry process is performed, it may not be possible to adsorb the drug.

[0100] Therefore, in this embodiment, with respect to the speed immediately before the adsorption mechanism 122a comes into contact with the drug to be adsorbed, the drug adsorption control unit 72 can change to a second speed that is smaller than the first speed (first speed at approach) when the adsorption of the drug failed and the adsorption mechanism 122a was brought closer to the drug to attempt adsorption of the drug again (at the time of re-approach).

[0101] In this embodiment, specifically, the drug adsorption control unit 72 controls the movement of the drug in the adsorption mechanism 122a from the bottom of the first storage unit 11 within a predetermined range. From the first predetermined position to the second predetermined position within the above predetermined range, the adsorption mechanism 122a is moved at a first velocity smaller than the initial velocity at which it was moved from the initial position to the first predetermined position, From the second predetermined position to the drug, the adsorption mechanism 122a is moved by changing the first speed to the second speed.

[0102] In other words, in this embodiment, the drug adsorption control unit 72 sets the speed of the adsorption mechanism 122a at the time of closest approach in two stages: the speed immediately preceding the movement from the second predetermined position to the drug (second speed), and the preceding speed during the movement from the first predetermined position to the second predetermined position (first speed). In this embodiment, the speed is set in three stages: from the initial speed to the first speed, and then from the first speed to the second speed. This setting may also include four or more stages. However, care should be taken to ensure that the overall processing (sorting or packaging) in the drug sorting device 1 is not delayed by (1) setting the number of stages, or (2) limiting the number of times the descent speed is changed in three or more stages.

[0103] Here, the initial position is the position when the drug adsorption control unit 72 is above the first housing unit 11 (the position when adsorption of the drug to be adsorbed begins; the uppermost position). The first predetermined position is a position closer to the drug to be adsorbed than the initial position, for example, the position just before the adsorption pad 122c is inserted into the first housing unit 11. The second predetermined position is an even closer position to the drug to be adsorbed than the first predetermined position, for example, a position a few millimeters before the drug to be adsorbed. In other words, the immediate-immediate speed refers to the speed at which the adsorption mechanism 122a moves from the second predetermined position until just before contact with the drug. The distance between the adsorption pad 122c and the drug to be adsorbed can be measured, for example, by a distance measuring sensor (not shown).

[0104] Furthermore, the above-mentioned predetermined range refers to the area below the first predetermined position (up to the bottom of the first storage section 11). The above-mentioned predetermined distance refers to the distance from the first predetermined position to the second predetermined position.

[0105] The drug adsorption control unit 72 changes the speed immediately preceding the second predetermined position, after the adsorption mechanism 122a has descended a predetermined distance within a predetermined range, from the first speed to the second speed (second speed < first speed), thereby bringing the adsorption mechanism 122a closer to the drug. Therefore, compared to the case where the adsorption mechanism 122a is moved at the first speed within a predetermined range (i.e., from the first predetermined position) to the drug, the travel time of the adsorption pad 122c from before contact with the drug (near the drug) to contact with the drug (i.e., the travel time from the second predetermined position) can be made longer. Consequently, the suction force on the drug can be exerted for a longer period of time than in the case of the first speed.

[0106] Therefore, even if the adsorption position is offset to some extent from the center of the drug (e.g., by about half the diameter of the drug), the suction force applied to the drug over a long period of time makes it easier to draw the drug closer to the adsorption position compared to the first velocity case. When the drug is drawn closer to the adsorption position, the adsorption mechanism 122a can adsorb the drug, and as a result, the descent of the adsorption mechanism 122a can be stopped. In addition, since the descent of the adsorption mechanism 122a in the vicinity of the drug can be slowed, the pushing of the drug by the adsorption mechanism 122a can be suppressed, while ensuring that the drug adsorption control unit 72 has time to determine that the drug has been adsorbed.

[0107] In particular, relatively small (relatively lightweight) drugs are easily attracted. Therefore, even relatively small uncoated or sugar-coated tablets can have their adsorption success rate (drug extraction efficiency) improved.

[0108] The initial speed should be set to a speed that allows for efficient drug sorting. The first speed should be set to a speed lower than the initial speed (e.g., about half the initial speed; low speed) that allows the adsorption pad 122c to adsorb the drug when it approaches it. The second speed should be set to a speed lower than the first speed (e.g., about a quarter of the first speed; very low speed) that allows even relatively small uncoated or sugar-coated tablets to adsorb. The initial speed, first speed, and second speed are determined by experimentation, etc.

[0109] Furthermore, the descent of the adsorption mechanism 122a may be stopped by the detection of contact between the adsorption pad 122c and the drug by the indentation detection unit 126 (see Figure 8). Even if the indentation detection unit 126 detects contact between the adsorption pad 122c and the drug and the adsorption mechanism 122a stops, if the above-mentioned misalignment occurs, the drug may not be adsorbed within the predetermined time, resulting in failure to adsorb the drug. Even in this case, by changing from the first speed to the second speed as described above and lowering the adsorption mechanism 122a, the drug is drawn to the vicinity of the adsorption position before contact with the drug, so that the adsorption mechanism 122a can push the area near the center of the drug. Therefore, when the drug is adsorbed, the indentation detection unit 126 can detect contact between the adsorption pad 122c and the drug, and as a result, the drug adsorption control unit 72 can stop the descent of the adsorption mechanism 122a.

[0110] Thus, when performing a retry, the extraction efficiency can be improved simply by changing the previous speed from the first speed to the second speed. Therefore, the extraction efficiency can be improved without relying too heavily on the image recognition (analysis) process or the performance of the hardware.

[0111] However, if the movement speed within the predetermined range is set to the second speed, the efficiency of drug extraction can be improved, but the drug extraction speed will decrease. Therefore, if the adsorption mechanism 122a is lowered at the second speed within the predetermined range when extracting all drugs in order to improve the extraction efficiency of all drugs, the overall processing speed of the drug sorting device 1 will decrease too much. In other words, if the movement speed within the predetermined range is set to the second speed, the extraction time (picking time) will increase, and the overall processing time of the drug sorting device 1 may increase.

[0112] Therefore, in this embodiment, the drug adsorption control unit 72 changes the immediate speed from the first speed to the second speed when the number of times the adsorption mechanism 122a has failed to adsorb the drug from the first containment unit 11 (the number of times drug adsorption has failed) reaches a predetermined number. In this case, since the movement speed is reduced when adsorption failures continue for a predetermined number of times, for drugs other than the relatively small drugs mentioned above, drug adsorption can be performed while the movement speed within the predetermined range remains the first speed. Furthermore, regardless of the size of the drug, if the number of adsorption failures is less than the predetermined number, drug adsorption can be performed while the movement speed within the predetermined range remains the first speed.

[0113] In this way, the second speed is changed at the second predetermined position only when the drug is difficult to extract from the adsorption mechanism 122a (a drug for which adsorption has failed a predetermined number of times). This makes it possible to increase the success rate of adsorption while suppressing an increase in the overall processing time of the drug sorting device 1.

[0114] The above predetermined number of times can be determined by experimentation or other means, taking this point into consideration. For example, the above predetermined number of times when adsorbing a drug on the drug placement platform 133a is set to 3 times. In other words, if the drug adsorption control unit 72 fails to adsorb the drug 3 times, it changes the speed immediately before the second predetermined position to the second speed. Subsequently, when the number of times the drug could not be adsorbed (number of times the drug was not adsorbed) reaches the upper limit (e.g., 9 times), the drug adsorption control unit 72 stops the adsorption process for the drug to be adsorbed.

[0115] On the other hand, for example, in the case of the first storage unit 11, the second storage unit 14 (sorting cup 141), and the standby tray 15, the predetermined number of times is set to 5. In this case, when the number of times the drug has not been adsorbed reaches 5, the drug adsorption control unit 72 changes the previous speed to the second speed. If the drug cannot be adsorbed at the second speed, the drug adsorption control unit 72 changes the previous speed back to the first speed. In other words, the adsorption mechanism 122a moves from the first predetermined position to the drug at the first speed. After that, if the drug cannot be adsorbed 5 more times, the previous speed is changed to the second speed. In other words, in this case, if the drug cannot be adsorbed, the drug adsorption control unit 72 performs the adsorption process at the second speed once every 5 times.

[0116] [Example of processing] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of drug adsorption processing by the drug adsorption control unit 72. As shown in Figure 5, when the drug adsorption control unit 72 lowers the adsorption mechanism 122a to the drug placement stage 133a, it determines whether the number of times the drug is not adsorbed (number of adsorption failures) is less than or equal to the upper limit (e.g., 9 times) (S1). If the number of times the drug is not adsorbed exceeds the upper limit (NO in S1), the drug adsorption control unit 72 stops the adsorption processing of the drug currently being adsorbed.

[0117] The drug adsorption control unit 72 determines whether the number of times the drug does not adsorb is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (e.g., 3 times) if the number of times the drug does not adsorb is less than or equal to the upper limit (YES in S1). If the number of times the drug does not adsorb has reached the predetermined number (YES in S2), the drug adsorption control unit 72 lowers the adsorption mechanism 122a from the initial position to the first predetermined position at the initial speed (S3). Thereafter, at the first predetermined position, the drug adsorption control unit 72 changes the initial speed to the first speed (<initial speed) and lowers the adsorption mechanism 122a from the first predetermined position to the second predetermined position at the first speed while performing the suction process (S4). Thereafter, at the second predetermined position, the drug adsorption control unit 72 changes the speed immediately preceding the first speed to the second speed (<second speed) and lowers the adsorption mechanism 122a from the second predetermined position to the drug to be adsorbed at the second speed while performing the suction process (S5).

[0118] On the other hand, if the number of times the drug is not adsorbed has not reached a predetermined number (NO in S2), the adsorption mechanism 122a is lowered from the initial position to the first predetermined position at the initial speed (S6). Subsequently, at the first predetermined position, the drug adsorption control unit 72 changes the initial speed to the first speed and lowers the adsorption mechanism 122a at the first speed from the first predetermined position to the drug to be adsorbed while performing the suction process (S7). In other words, in this case, the speed immediately preceding the above is the first speed.

[0119] In the case of the first containment unit 11, etc., as described above, the processing of S3 to S5 is performed only when the number of times the drug has not been adsorbed reaches a predetermined number (e.g., 5 times). In other words, in this case, the processing of S1 is not performed, and if the drug adsorption control unit 72 determines in S2 that the number of times the drug has not been adsorbed has reached a predetermined number (e.g., 5 times) (YES in S2), it proceeds to the processing of S3 and resets the number of times the drug has not been adsorbed. On the other hand, if it determines that the number of times the drug has not been adsorbed has not reached a predetermined number (NO in S2) (e.g., when the number of times the drug has not been adsorbed is 1 to 4 times), it proceeds to the processing of S4.

[0120] After processing in S5 or S7, the drug adsorption control unit 72 determines whether or not the drug has been adsorbed (S8). If the drug adsorption control unit 72 determines that the drug has been adsorbed (YES in S8), the transport control unit 61 transports the drug to the next processing position (S9). On the other hand, if the drug adsorption control unit 72 determines that the drug has not been adsorbed (NO in S6), the process returns to S1 (or S2).

[0121] [Variation 1] In this embodiment, the drug adsorption control unit 72 changes the movement speed of the adsorption mechanism 122a at the time of closest approach from the initial speed to the first speed, and then further changes it from the first speed to the second speed. However, the drug adsorption control unit 72 may change the movement speed of the adsorption mechanism 122a at the time of closest approach from the initial speed to the second speed within a predetermined range, for example. In other words, the speed immediately before approach may be the second speed, and the preceding speed may be the initial speed.

[0122] [Variation 2] The conditions for changing the above-mentioned immediate speed from the first speed to the second speed are not limited to the number of times the drug does not adsorb, but may be the following conditions:

[0123] For example, if the image recognition results for the image captured by the second camera 121 determine that the image of the drug is smaller than a predetermined size, the speed may be changed to the second speed within the predetermined range. Alternatively, images of drugs that are likely to fail to adsorb can be identified (for example, by performing machine learning using images of drugs previously captured by the second camera 121 and the results of whether or not the drugs can be adsorbed as input), and if the second camera 121 acquires an image with a high degree of agreement with that image, the speed may be changed to the second speed within the predetermined range.

[0124] In this case, for relatively small amounts of medication, a change to a second speed can be made, assuming that a retry process may occur.

[0125] [Embodiment 2] In this embodiment, the configuration for improving the efficiency of drug extraction will be explained primarily using Figures 6 and 7.

[0126] Figure 6 shows an example of the adsorption mechanism 122a of this embodiment. As with Embodiment 1, the description assumes that the containment section for the drug is the first containment section 11.

[0127] The suction mechanism 122a of this embodiment includes an air tube 122b, a suction pad 122c, a base portion 122d, a base support portion 122e, a spacer 122f, a spring 122g, a screw 122h, and a sliding portion 122i, as shown in 6001 to 6003 of Figure 6.

[0128] As shown in Figure 6, 6001, the air tube 122b is a hollow section through which air (outside air) drawn in from the adsorption pad 122c (adsorption part) for adsorbing the drug passes by a vacuum pump (adsorption pump) (not shown). This allows the adsorption pad 122c to adsorb the drug that it comes into contact with. The air tube 122b extends in the direction of movement (downward direction) of the adsorption mechanism 122a and is connected to the adsorption pad 122c at its tip.

[0129] The base portion 122d is connected to the air pipe 122b and is supported by the slide portion 122i. In other words, the base portion 122d is a component for supporting the air pipe 122b on the slide portion 122i.

[0130] The sliding portion 122i is a moving mechanism that moves the adsorption pad 122c so that it approaches the drug. Specifically, the sliding portion 122i is a member (a member that moves along the z-axis) that moves the adsorption mechanism 122a (at least the air tube 122b) between the housing capable of housing the adsorption mechanism 122a and the first housing portion 11. As shown at 6003 in Figure 6, the sliding portion 122i is connected to the base portion 122d by a screw 122h. The sliding portion 122i is slidably fitted to a rail (not shown) that extends in the z-axis direction (e.g., the direction of movement that moves the air tube 122b toward the first housing portion 11).

[0131] As shown in Figures 6002 and 6003, the base support portion 122e supports the base portion 122d and is provided between the base portion 122d and the slide portion 122i. The base portion 122d and the base support portion 122e are provided with through holes at opposing positions through which a screw 122h can pass. By passing the screw 122h through the through hole and tightening it into the screw receiving portion 122ia provided on the slide portion 122i, the screw 122h is fixed to the screw receiving portion 122ia, thereby supporting the air pipe 122b on the slide portion 122i via the base portion 122d. In other words, the screw 122h is a component for supporting the air pipe 122b on the slide portion 122i via the base member 122h.

[0132] A spacer 122f is provided inside the base portion 122d. The spacer 122f allows the base portion 122d to move along the axial direction of the spacer 122f (its own component). The spacer 122f is a hollow component and also functions as the through hole into which the screw 122h is inserted.

[0133] As shown in 6003 of Figure 6, a movable range (gap) MAr is formed between the base portion 122d and the base support portion 122e, allowing the base portion 122d to move. The movable range MAr is formed by the spacer 122f extending from the inside of the base portion 122d to the base support portion 122e (the spacer 122f extending from the inside of the base portion 122d comes into contact with the base support portion 122e).

[0134] As a result, the base portion 122d (i.e., the air pipe 122b) becomes movable in the y direction relative to the base support portion 122e (i.e., the sliding portion 122i).

[0135] Furthermore, a gap is formed between the spacer 122f and the screw 122h, such that the screw 122h can move within the spacer 122f in the radial direction of the spacer 122f. In other words, the inner diameter of the spacer 122f is larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion of the screw 122h that is inserted into the spacer 122f. Due to the formation of the above gap, the base portion 122d (i.e.) the air tube 122b can move not only in the y direction but also in the x direction. In other words, the air tube 122b can move in the x direction relative to the slide portion 122i.

[0136] When an object (e.g., a drug) comes into contact with the suction pad 122c provided at the tip of the air tube 122b, an external force is applied to the suction pad 122c. Because a range of motion MAr and the above-mentioned gap are formed, the air tube 122b can move in a direction different from the aforementioned direction of movement (z-axis direction) when an external force is applied to the suction pad 122c.

[0137] The movable range MAr is provided with a spring 122g (elastic member) connected to the base portion 122d and the base support portion 122e. This allows the air tube 122b (i.e., the base portion 122d) to be moved by the external force, and then returned to its original position (position 6003 in Figure 6) when the external force is no longer applied. In other words, by providing the spring 122g in the movable range MAr, the air tube 122b can be moved according to the magnitude of the external force.

[0138] In this embodiment, four springs 122g are provided near the four corners of the opposing surfaces of the base portion 122d and the base support portion 122e. This makes it easier to move the air tube 122b in accordance with the magnitude of the external force. However, the springs 122g only need to be provided in such a way that the air tube 122b can be moved according to the magnitude of the external force, and their placement and number can be set arbitrarily. Any elastic member that allows the air tube 122b to be moved according to the magnitude of the external force is acceptable, and is not limited to springs 122g.

[0139] Thus, in this embodiment, the adsorption mechanism 122a, comprising the base portion 122d, the spacer 122f, and the spring 122g, forms a retraction mechanism that allows the adsorption pad 122c to retract in a direction different from the direction of movement at the time of contact with the drug due to the reaction force received by the adsorption pad 122c when the adsorption pad 122c moves and comes into contact with the drug. The direction of movement refers to the downward direction in which the adsorption pad 122c approaches the drug.

[0140] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the base portion 122d is supported by the slide portion 122i via the base support portion 122e, but it is not limited to this, and may be directly supported by the slide portion 122i. In this case, the spacer 122f extends from inside the base portion 122d to the slide portion 122i (the spacer 122f comes into contact with the slide portion 122i), thereby forming a range of motion MAr between the base portion 122d and the slide portion 122i. Also, the spring 122g is connected to the base portion 122d and the slide portion 122i.

[0141] In this embodiment, the drug to be adsorbed by the adsorption mechanism 122a may be mainly a tablet. The size of the suction port of the adsorption pad 122c may be, for example, 1 mm or more and 2.5 mm or less in diameter, and preferably 1.5 mm. Generally, the minimum thickness of a tablet is about 1.5 mm. Therefore, by designing the size of the suction port to fall within the above numerical range, it is possible to suppress a decrease in suction force even when the tablet is standing upright on its side, thereby enabling the adsorption of tablets standing upright on their side. Standing upright on its side means that the side of the tablet is facing the mounting surface (the wide surface of the tablet does not face the mounting surface, but is standing upright approximately horizontal to the mounting surface).

[0142] [Example of operation] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the suction mechanism 122a of this embodiment. Figure 7, 7001 shows an example of the operation of the suction mechanism 122a without a movable range MAr (referred to as suction mechanism 122a1 in the explanation of Figure 7). In suction mechanism 122a1, the base portion 122d and the base support portion 122e (i.e., the sliding portion 122i) are directly fixed by a screw 122h. In other words, even if an object comes into contact with the suction pad 122c, the suction mechanism 122a1 will not move in a direction different from the aforementioned direction of movement (z-axis direction). On the other hand, Figure 7, 7002 shows an example of the operation of the suction mechanism 122a of this embodiment (suction mechanism 122a with a movable range MAr formed; referred to as suction mechanism 122a2 in the explanation of Figure 7).

[0143] As shown in 7001 of Figure 7, the adsorption mechanism 122a1 is moved (descended) to the first housing section 11, and the adsorption pad 122c comes into contact with the drug M. When the adsorption pad 122c comes into contact with the drug M near the center, the control unit 60a can stop the descent of the adsorption mechanism 122a1.

[0144] The control unit 60a lowers the adsorption mechanism 122a1 while monitoring, for example, the airflow rate through the air pipe 122b. As described in Embodiment 1, the control unit 60a determines that the drug has been adsorbed when the adsorption pad 122c contacts the center of the drug M and the airflow rate falls below a predetermined amount. Furthermore, when the adsorption pad 122c contacts the drug M and the indentation detection unit 126 (see Figure 8), described later, detects that the adsorption mechanism 122a1 is being pushed toward the transport / sorting unit 12 (the housing side), the control unit 60a stops the lowering of the adsorption mechanism 122a1. The same applies to the adsorption mechanism 122a2.

[0145] As shown in Figure 7, 7001, when the suction pad 122c comes into contact with the end of the drug M, the suction port of the suction pad 122c is not blocked by the drug M, and therefore the suction mechanism 122a1 cannot adsorb the drug M. Furthermore, as the suction mechanism 122a1 descends while pressing down on the end of the drug M, a diagonal force is applied to the suction pad 122c. As a result, even when it comes into contact with the drug M, the suction mechanism 122a1 is not sufficiently pushed back by the horizontal force component generated on the suction pad 122c, and the indentation detection unit 126 cannot detect the indentation. Consequently, as the suction mechanism 122a1 descends, it continues to press down on the end of the drug M, potentially causing the drug M to be ejected.

[0146] In the adsorption mechanism 122a2 of this embodiment, when the above-mentioned external force is applied to the adsorption pad 122c, the air tube 122b moves in a direction different from the direction in which the adsorption mechanism 122a2 moves toward the first housing 11 (e.g., horizontally). Therefore, even if the adsorption mechanism 122a2 comes into contact with the vicinity of the end of the drug M and fails to adsorb the drug M, and the adsorption mechanism 122a2 continues to descend without the push detection unit 126 detecting the push, the adsorption pad 122c moves toward the opposite direction from the drug M, using the base unit 122d as a pivot point. In other words, the force applied to the drug M by the descent of the adsorption mechanism 122a2 escapes toward the opposite direction from the drug M.

[0147] Therefore, by being continuously pressed down by the adsorption mechanism 122a2, it is possible to prevent the drug M from being ejected. In other words, the efficiency of drug M extraction can be improved. However, if the ejection of drug M is not a concern, the adsorption mechanism 122a1 may be used instead of the adsorption mechanism 122a.

[0148] Furthermore, the suction pad 122c only needs to be able to move horizontally to the extent that the drug M is not flung away when the suction mechanism 122a2 presses against the edge of the drug M (e.g., a few millimeters). Therefore, the width of the movable range MAr (the gap between the base portion 122d and the base support portion 122e), and the gap formed between the spacer 122f and the screw 122h, only need to be large enough to enable this horizontal movement.

[0149] As mentioned above, the control unit 60a may stop the descent of the adsorption mechanism 122a when it determines that the drug has been adsorbed. Even in this case, as shown in 7001 of Figure 7, if the adsorption pad 122c of the adsorption mechanism 122a1 comes into contact with the vicinity of the end of the drug M, it will not be able to adsorb the drug M and will continue to descend, potentially causing the drug M to be thrown away. On the other hand, in the adsorption mechanism 122a2 of this embodiment, when the adsorption pad 122c comes into contact with the vicinity of the end of the drug M, it moves in the direction opposite to the drug M, using the base portion 122d as a pivot point. Therefore, even in this case, even if the drug cannot be adsorbed, it is possible to prevent the drug M from being thrown away.

[0150] [Embodiment 3] In this embodiment, the configuration for suppressing the cessation of the drug sorting process will be explained primarily using Figures 1, 8, and 9.

[0151] As described above, the drug sorting device 1 is equipped with a standby tray 15 for temporarily storing drugs that cannot be stored in the second storage section 14. The transport and sorting unit 12 stores drugs in the second storage section 14 (sorting cup 141) or the standby tray 15 based on the determination result by the determination unit 64 or the drug storage status in the second storage section 14. For example, if the type of drug is determined, the drug is stored in the sorting cup 141. On the other hand, if it is determined to be an estimated drug, or if the type of drug is determined but the sorting cup 141 for that type of drug is already filled with a preset upper limit of drugs and there is no space left in the sorting cup 141, the drug is stored in the standby tray 15. Estimated drugs may also be stored in the sorting cup 141.

[0152] As described above, the standby tray 15 also contains the drug, but if an attempt is made to add more drug when the standby tray 15 is full, the drug release by stopping suction in the adsorption mechanism 122a will fail. If this "drug release failure error" occurs, the control unit 60a will stop processing by the drug sorting device 1.

[0153] The drug sorting device 1 is often operated unattended at night. Therefore, it is required that the drug sorting device 1 be able to avoid stopping due to the standby tray 15 becoming full, and that all drugs stored in the first storage section 11 be sorted.

[0154] Here, if the control unit 60a determines that there are drugs in the standby tray 15 after the sorting of the drugs stored in the first storage unit 11 is complete, it can automatically dispense the drugs from the sorting cup 141 and then proceed to sort the drugs in the standby tray 15. If this specification is set, and the control unit 60a detects that the standby tray 15 is full, it can automatically dispense the drugs from the sorting cup 141 and then resume sorting the drugs in the standby tray 15.

[0155] In this embodiment, the dispensing mechanism 6 dispenses the drugs sorted into the second storage section 14 when the standby tray 15 is full of drugs. In other words, the dispensing process can be performed according to the drug storage status in the standby tray 15. Therefore, all the drugs stored in the first storage section 11 can be sorted without stopping the drug sorting device 1.

[0156] Methods for realizing such packaging processes include, for example, (1) a process for determining if the standby tray 15 is full using the indentation detection unit 126, and (2) a process for determining if the standby tray 15 is full by drug counting.

[0157] [Determination process for determining if the standby tray is full using the push detection unit] This section describes the details of the process for determining the full state of the standby tray 15 using the indentation detection unit 126. First, as a prerequisite for explaining this process, an example of the operation of the indentation detection unit 126 will be described. Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the indentation detection unit 126.

[0158] <Indentation detection unit> As shown in 8001 of Figure 8, the drug transport mechanism 120 (see 8003 of Figure 8 and Figure 15), which is mounted on the housing and includes at least a second camera 121 and a suction / shutter mechanism 122, is equipped with a push-in detection unit 126. The push-in detection unit 126 detects when the suction mechanism 122a is pushed in the opposite direction to the extension direction when the suction mechanism 122a is extended from the drug transport mechanism 120 toward the base 19. In other words, the push-in detection unit 126 detects when the tip of the transport / sorting unit 12 (specifically the suction mechanism 122a) is pushed toward the transport / sorting unit 12. In this embodiment, the push-in detection unit 126 is substantially C-shaped, and a light source 126a and a sensor 126b are provided inside it so as to face each other. The push-in detection unit 126 is provided above the suction mechanism 122a, and so as to be able to pass inside it.

[0159] As shown at 8001 in Figure 8, the indentation detection unit 126 moves in conjunction with the extension movement of the suction mechanism 122a. As shown at 8002 in Figure 8, when the suction pad 122c comes into contact with an object, the suction mechanism 122a is pushed up by the force of a spring (not shown) provided in the drug transport mechanism 120. As a result, the sensor 126b is no longer able to receive light emitted from the light source 126a. The control unit 60a (e.g., sorting control unit 62) determines that the tip of the suction mechanism 122a has come into contact with an object when the sensor 126b is no longer able to receive light.

[0160] When the sorting control unit 62 places a drug into the standby tray 15, it lowers the adsorption mechanism 122a a predetermined distance at a position opposite the standby tray 15, and then stops the descent of the adsorption mechanism 122a. After that, it releases the adsorption by releasing the adsorption, thereby releasing the drug adsorbed on the adsorption pad 122c. As a result, the drug is placed into the standby tray 15. The predetermined distance is set through experiments, etc., to a distance that ensures the drug is placed into the standby tray 15 without colliding with it.

[0161] If the standby tray 15 is full, the adsorption pad 122c may come into contact with the drug located at the top of the standby tray 15 while the adsorption mechanism 122a is being lowered to a predetermined distance. In this case, the drug will obstruct the descent of the adsorption mechanism 122a, resulting in the state shown at 8002 in Figure 8, and the indentation detection unit 126 will detect that the adsorption mechanism 122a has been indented.

[0162] <Example of processing> Figure 9, line 9001 is a flowchart showing an example of the process by the sorting control unit 62 for determining if the standby tray 15 is full. As shown in line 9001 of Figure 9, the sorting control unit 62 controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to transport the drug from the receiving area Ar1 to the standby tray 15 (S11), and then lowers the adsorption mechanism 122a by a predetermined distance (S12).

[0163] The sorting control unit 62 determines whether the indentation detection unit 126 has detected an indentation of the adsorption mechanism 122a while the adsorption mechanism 122a is in a downward position (S13). If the indentation detection unit 126 has detected an indentation of the adsorption mechanism 122a (YES in S13), the sorting control unit 62 determines that the standby tray 15 is full (S14). Based on this determination, the packaging control unit 71 executes the packaging process of the drugs contained in the sorting cups 141 (S15). In other words, the packaging control unit 71 controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to put the drugs contained in the sorting cups 141 into the drug input port 17, and controls the packaging mechanism 6 to package the put-in drugs in predetermined quantities. The packaging control unit 71 repeats this process until packaging of all drugs contained in the sorting cups 141 is completed.

[0164] On the other hand, if the push detection unit 126 does not detect that the adsorption mechanism 122a has been pushed in (NO in S13), the sorting control unit 62 lowers the adsorption mechanism 122a a predetermined distance and then stops the suction in the adsorption mechanism 122a, thereby placing the drug into the standby tray 15 (S16).

[0165] Thus, the sorting control unit 62 functions as a state determination unit that determines that the standby tray 15 is full of drugs when the indentation detection unit 126 detects an indentation when the suction pad 122c is moved to the standby tray 15 while holding the drugs in order to store the drugs in the standby tray 15. Then, when the dispensing control unit 71 determines that the standby tray 15 is full, it controls the dispensing mechanism 6 to dispensing the drugs stored in the second storage unit 14. This makes it possible to sort the drugs in the standby tray 15 into the second storage unit 14, thus avoiding the drug sorting device 1 stopping due to a failure to release the drugs. Therefore, all the drugs stored in the first storage unit 11 can be sorted without stopping the drug sorting device 1.

[0166] Furthermore, by using the indentation detection unit 126, the full state of the standby tray 15 can be physically determined. Also, the number of items required to fill the standby tray 15 will vary depending on the size or stacking of the drugs contained in the standby tray 15. For this reason, as will be described later, when determining the full state of the standby tray 15 by drug counting or accumulating drug volume, an upper limit is set taking this point into consideration, but in this process, setting such an upper limit is not necessary.

[0167] [Processing to determine if the standby tray is full based on drug counting] Next, we will explain in detail the process for determining if the standby tray 15 is full based on drug counting. Figure 9, section 9002, is a flowchart showing another example of the process for determining if the standby tray 15 is full by the sorting control unit 62.

[0168] As shown in 9002 of Figure 9, the sorting control unit 62 controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to place the drugs into the standby tray 15 (S21). Each time the drugs are placed into the standby tray 15, the sorting control unit 62 counts the amount of drugs placed in the standby tray 15 (S22). The sorting control unit 62 counts the amount of drugs placed in the standby tray 15 by, for example, counting the number of times the drugs held by the suction pad 122c are released (the number of times the suction is released) in the standby tray 15.

[0169] Next, the sorting control unit 62 determines whether the number of drugs to be stored in the standby tray 15 has reached the upper limit (maximum storage capacity, predetermined number) (S23). If the sorting control unit 62 determines that the number of drugs stored in the standby tray 15 has reached the maximum storage capacity (YES in S23), it determines that the standby tray 15 is full (S24). Based on this determination, the packaging control unit 71 performs the packaging process of the drugs stored in the sorting cup 141 (S25). On the other hand, if the sorting control unit 62 determines that the number of drugs stored in the standby tray 15 has not reached the maximum storage capacity (NO in S23), it terminates the drug storage process in the standby tray 15.

[0170] Thus, the sorting control unit 62 counts the amount of medication that the transport and sorting unit 12 places into the standby tray 15, and functions as a state determination unit that determines that the standby tray 15 is full of medication when the counted amount of medication reaches the upper limit of the capacity. In this case as well, the packaging control unit 71 controls the packaging mechanism 6 to package the medication stored in the second storage unit 14 when it is determined that the standby tray 15 is full. Therefore, all of the medication stored in the first storage unit 11 can be sorted without stopping the medication sorting device 1.

[0171] Furthermore, the system can determine if the standby tray 15 is full without requiring hardware such as a push-in detection unit 126. In addition, the possibility of the suction pad 122c being buried in the medication contained in the standby tray 15, preventing the push-in detection unit 126 from detecting the push-in of the suction mechanism 122a, and thus preventing the medication from overflowing from the standby tray 15 can be suppressed.

[0172] The above-mentioned maximum capacity should be set to a number that does not cause the "drug release failure error" as determined through experiments, etc. However, as mentioned above, the number of drugs that fill the standby tray 15 will vary depending on the size of the drugs stored in the standby tray 15. It is preferable to set the above-mentioned maximum capacity to a value with some margin so that the "drug release failure error" does not occur when large drugs are stored.

[0173] For example, if a user handles a large number of relatively large medications, and the storage capacity limit is set relatively high, the storage unit may actually be full before reaching the limit. On the other hand, if a user handles a large number of relatively small medications, and the storage capacity limit is set relatively low, the unit may be incorrectly determined to have reached the limit even though it is not actually full. Therefore, it is preferable to set the storage capacity limit considering the medications handled by the user. The storage capacity limit can be changed as needed.

[0174] [Processing to determine if the standby tray is full based on the cumulative volume of medication] Next, the details of the process for determining the full state of the standby tray 15 by accumulating the volume of the drug will be explained. Similar to the process for determining the full state of the standby tray by drug counting described above, the sorting control unit 62 controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to store the drugs in the standby tray 15. Each time a drug is stored in the standby tray 15, the sorting control unit 62 calculates the cumulative volume of the drugs stored in the standby tray 15 by adding the volume calculated from the size of the drugs stored in the standby tray 15. Here, the volume of the drug is calculated as an approximate value by multiplying the length and width of the drug recorded in the drug database 81 by the thickness, which is uniformly set for each drug and recorded in the storage unit 80.

[0175] Next, the sorting control unit 62 determines whether the cumulative volume of the drugs contained in the standby tray 15 has reached an upper limit (cumulative upper limit, predetermined value) determined based on the volume of the standby tray. If the sorting control unit 62 determines that the cumulative volume of the drugs contained in the standby tray 15 has reached the cumulative upper limit, it determines that the standby tray 15 is full. Based on this determination, the packaging control unit 71 performs the packaging process of the drugs contained in the sorting cup 141. On the other hand, if the sorting control unit 62 determines that the cumulative volume of the drugs contained in the standby tray 15 has not reached the cumulative upper limit, it terminates the drug storage process in the standby tray 15.

[0176] Thus, the sorting control unit 62 functions as a state determination unit that calculates the cumulative volume of the drugs contained in the standby tray 15 each time the transport and sorting unit 12 places drugs into the standby tray 15, and determines that the standby tray 15 is full of drugs when this cumulative volume reaches the cumulative upper limit. In this case as well, the packaging control unit 71 controls the packaging mechanism 6 to package the drugs contained in the second storage unit 14 when it is determined that the standby tray 15 is full. Therefore, all the drugs contained in the first storage unit 11 can be sorted without stopping the drug sorting device 1.

[0177] Furthermore, the system can determine if the standby tray 15 is full without requiring hardware such as a push-in detection unit 126. In addition, the possibility of the suction pad 122c being buried in the medication contained in the standby tray 15, preventing the push-in detection unit 126 from detecting the push-in of the suction mechanism 122a, and thus preventing the medication from overflowing from the standby tray 15 can be suppressed.

[0178] The above cumulative upper limit should be set to a volume (e.g., the volume of the standby tray 15) that does not cause the "drug release failure error" described above through experiments, etc. However, as mentioned above, the thickness of the drug is not an exact value for each drug, so the calculated volume of the drug is an approximate value. Therefore, depending on how the drugs are stacked in the standby tray 15, the cumulative value of the actual volume of the drugs contained in the standby tray 15 may not match the calculated cumulative value of the drug volume (approximate value). Considering this situation, it is preferable to set the cumulative upper limit to a value with a margin of safety. The above cumulative upper limit can be changed as appropriate.

[0179] [Processing when multiple full-capacity checks are used in combination] The sorting control unit 62 may perform the following processes in parallel: fullness determination using the push detection unit 126 described above, fullness determination by drug counting, and fullness determination by accumulating drug volume. In this case, if the sorting control unit 62 determines that the cup is full through any of these processes, it will perform the drug packaging process for the drugs contained in the sorting cup 141 at that time.

[0180] [Embodiment 4] The process for determining whether the standby tray 15 is full may be performed by a method other than that described in Embodiment 3. Figure 8003 shows an example of the configuration of the drug transport mechanism 120 for realizing this process.

[0181] As shown in 8003 of Figure 8, the drug transport mechanism 120 of this embodiment includes a second camera 121, an adsorption mechanism 122a, and a distance measuring sensor 127. The second camera 121 and the distance measuring sensor 127 may be located inside the drug transport mechanism 120. The distance measuring sensor 127 measures the distance H1 to the target object (e.g., drugs stacked in the standby tray 15).

[0182] In this embodiment, the sorting control unit 62 determines whether the standby tray 15 is full of medication based on the distance H1 to the medication in the standby tray 15 as measured by the distance measuring sensor 127.

[0183] Specifically, the sorting control unit 62 controls the distance measuring sensor 127 to measure the distance H1 each time a tablet of medication is placed in the standby tray 15. The sorting control unit 62 also calculates the average distance (moving average) over a predetermined number of placements.

[0184] The predetermined number of storage cycles should be set to a value that, through experiments or other means, does not result in the "drug release failure error" described above, and that allows for the calculation of an average distance that can be considered to be the actual distance to the drug located at the top of the standby tray 15. In other words, the predetermined number of storage cycles is determined considering the performance of the distance measuring sensor 127. In this embodiment, the predetermined number of storage cycles is set to, for example, 30 times.

[0185] The sorting control unit 62 stores the drug in the standby tray 15 until the number of storage cycles reaches 30. When the number of storage cycles reaches 30, the sorting control unit 62 calculates the average value (distance average) of the distance H1 measured during the first 30 storage cycles. When the number of storage cycles reaches 31, the sorting control unit 62 calculates the average value of the distance H1 measured during the second 31 storage cycles. When the number of storage cycles reaches 32, the sorting control unit 62 calculates the average value of the distance H1 measured during the third 32 storage cycles.

[0186] In other words, the sorting control unit 62 determines whether the average value obtained using the distance H1 measured at the most recent storage and the distance H1 calculated at the storage immediately preceding the most recent storage from a predetermined number of past storages has reached a predetermined distance. Note that the predetermined distance only needs to be set to a distance that does not cause the "drug release failure error" described above. The predetermined distance is set to, for example, 11.5 cm.

[0187] The sorting control unit 62 compares the calculated average value with a predetermined distance, and determines that the standby tray 15 is full when it determines that the average value has reached the predetermined distance. Then, as described in Embodiment 3, when it is determined that the standby tray 15 is full, the packaging mechanism 6 performs the packaging process, allowing all the drugs stored in the first storage unit 11 to be sorted without stopping the drug sorting device 1.

[0188] Furthermore, by determining whether or not a predetermined distance has been reached using the average value of the distance H1 over a predetermined number of storage cycles, this determination can be made accurately even if the measurement accuracy of the distance measuring sensor 127 is relatively low. By improving the measurement accuracy of the distance measuring sensor 127, it is also possible to set the predetermined number of storage cycles to a smaller value, and instead of the average value of the distance H1, the distance H1 for each drug storage cycle in the standby tray 15 can be used for the above determination.

[0189] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the possibility of malfunctions occurring when determining the full state of the standby tray 15 using the push detection unit 126, or when determining the full state of the standby tray 15 by drug counting, can be eliminated.

[0190] [Embodiment 5] In this embodiment, a configuration for improving the accuracy of drug type discrimination will be described, primarily using Figures 1 and 10. Specifically, in this embodiment, an image processing unit 73 that performs pre-discrimination image processing, described later, on the captured image 82 (captured image 82 from which drug images have been extracted) captured by the first camera 131 will be described before the discrimination unit 64 analyzes the captured image 82. As shown in Figure 1, the control unit 60a of this embodiment includes an image processing unit 73. Note that the function of the image processing unit 73 may also be provided by the imaging control unit 63 or the discrimination unit 64.

[0191] The image processing unit 73 performs a pixel value smoothing process as the pre-discrimination image processing to equalize the pixel values ​​of multiple pixels included in the captured image 82. This improves the contrast of the captured image 82, making it easier to recognize symbols (e.g., characters) or patterns (e.g., split lines) indicated by the engraved or printed information included in the captured image 82.

[0192] Furthermore, the image processing unit 73 performs filtering to reduce noise while suppressing blurring of the outlines of the symbols or patterns mentioned above. This makes it possible to recognize the symbols or patterns more accurately.

[0193] Specifically, the image processing unit 73 performs adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) processing on the captured image 82 acquired by the first camera 131 as an example of the pixel value smoothing processing, and creates a processed first image 84. Subsequently, the image processing unit 73 applies a bilateral filter as an example of the filtering processing, and creates a processed second image 85. The discrimination unit 64 uses the processed second image 85 to determine the type of drug.

[0194] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of pre-discrimination image processing by the image processing unit 73. In Figure 10, 1001b shows the pre-discrimination image processing and processed image by the image processing unit 73 when the captured image 82 has a relatively large brightness difference (when it includes areas with relatively low pixel values ​​(e.g., areas corresponding to shadows)). 1002b shows the pre-discrimination image processing and processed image by the image processing unit 73 when imaging a drug with a faint imprint. Note that 1001a and 1002a show processing examples when no pre-discrimination image processing is performed by the image processing unit 73. Furthermore, the captured image 82 to be processed in 1001a and 1001b is the same, and the captured image 82 to be processed in 1002a and 1002b is also the same.

[0195] As shown in Figure 10, 1001b, the image processing unit 73 first performs adaptive histogram equalization processing on the captured image 82, which has a relatively large difference in brightness. This process involves cutting out a predetermined number of adjacent pixels as rectangles (tiles) and performing histogram smoothing processing on each tile. Then, the image processing unit 73 generates a processed first image 84 by performing bilinear interpolation between neighboring tiles. This enhances the contrast of local areas in the captured image 82, thereby improving the visibility of fine details. Furthermore, the image processing unit 73 generates a processed second image 85 with reduced noise by applying a bilateral filter to the processed first image 84.

[0196] When the image processing unit 73 performed pre-discrimination image processing on the captured image 82 to obtain a second processed image 85, the discrimination unit 64 performed image analysis processing on the second image 85 and was able to accurately identify the drug 5 out of 7 times (sorting accuracy 5 / 7). On the other hand, in the case of 1001a in Figure 10, where the image processing unit 73 did not perform pre-discrimination image processing, the discrimination unit 64 was able to accurately identify the drug only 1 out of 7 times (sorting accuracy 1 / 7).

[0197] Furthermore, in Figure 10, 1002b, adaptive histogram equalization processing and bilateral filtering are applied to the captured image 82, which is an image of a drug with a faint imprint, and the discrimination unit 64 performs image analysis processing on the processed second image 85. As a result, the discrimination unit 64 was able to accurately identify the drug 9 out of 22 times (sorting accuracy 9 / 22). On the other hand, in Figure 10, 1002a, where no pre-discrimination image processing is performed by the image processing unit 73, the discrimination unit 64 was able to accurately identify the drug only 2 out of 22 times (sorting accuracy 2 / 22).

[0198] For example, if there is a difference in brightness in the captured image 82 itself, and there is a difference in brightness between the image of the drug (master image) included in the drug database 81 and the captured image 82, using the captured image 82 as is for identification may result in the inability to identify the type of drug. The same applies when imaging drugs with faint markings.

[0199] The pre-discrimination image processing by the image processing unit 73 reduces the influence of differences in the imaging environment (e.g., brightness difference between the master image and the captured image 82, or brightness difference on the captured image 82) or variations in the density of the markings. Furthermore, by applying a bilateral filter to the captured image 82 (specifically, the first processed image 84), the accuracy of distinguishing each character of the markings on the drug can also be improved. As a result, even drugs with manufacturer marks across their surface can be uniformly distinguished.

[0200] In this way, the pre-discrimination image processing by the image processing unit 73 can improve the accuracy of drug type discrimination. Furthermore, when the registration unit 70 registers a master image in the drug database 81, by registering the processed second image 85 that has undergone the pre-discrimination image processing by the image processing unit 73, the discrimination unit 64 can adopt an image that is easy to analyze as the master image. Therefore, in this case as well, the accuracy of drug type discrimination can be improved.

[0201] [Embodiment 6] In this embodiment, an example of drug data (master data) included in the drug database 81 will be described. In this embodiment, the drug data for each drug included in the drug database 81 (drug data transmitted to the data management device described later) includes model identification information for identifying (specifying) the drug sorting device 1 used when imaging the drug. The model identification information is linked to the drug data, for example, when the registration unit 70 registers it in the drug database 81 or transmits it to the data management device. The model identification information includes, for example, at least one of the following pieces of information. The serial number of the first camera 131 used to image the drug for registration in the drug database 81 or for transmission to the data management device. • The serial number of the drug sorting device 1 equipped with the first camera 131 described above. • The username of the above-mentioned drug sorting device 1 (or the username of the user who imaged the drug). • Date and time of creation of drug data based on captured image 82.

[0202] After the drug sorting device 1 is put into use at the user's site, phenomena such as misalignment or focus shift of the first camera 131 in the imaging unit 13, or deterioration of the drug placement stage 133a to be imaged may occur. Due to such phenomena, even when imaging a drug in the same imaging environment, subtle differences in brightness may occur between the acquired images 82, or differences may occur in the extraction of various areas (e.g., drug outline, markings). In this case, the acquired images 82 will have low reliability as master data for the drug.

[0203] Generally, drug data registered in the drug database 81 by the registration unit 70 is transmitted to a data management device (not shown) that can communicate with the drug sorting device 1 and centrally manages multiple types of drugs. The data management device registers the drug data in a comprehensive drug database that manages drug data for multiple types of drugs. The comprehensive drug database includes drug data for all drugs that can be handled by the drug sorting device 1 used in various locations (hospitals, wards, pharmacies, etc.) and by devices other than the drug sorting device 1 (e.g., dispensing machines).

[0204] The data management device collects drug data from multiple drug sorting devices 1. Therefore, even if a drug sorting device 1 has a difference in brightness or extraction, and provides drug data containing unreliable imaging images 82 from that drug sorting device 1, the data management device cannot identify which drug sorting device 1 created the drug data and when.

[0205] In this embodiment, as described above, machine identification information is linked to the drug data. Therefore, the data management device can identify the drug sorting device 1 that created the drug data by referring to the machine identification information. For example, it becomes easy to infer that drug sorting device 1 that transmitted drug data for a certain drug that was judged to have low reliability (defective) will also transmit drug data for a different type of drug that is likely to have low reliability.

[0206] Furthermore, if the above creation date and time are included in the model identification information, the data management device can identify when the drug data was created in the drug sorting device 1, which is the source of the low-reliability drug data. Therefore, it becomes easy to infer that other types of drug data created around the time the low-reliability drug data was created are likely to be low-reliability. As long as the above creation date and time can be roughly identified, the model identification information may include, for example, the acquisition date and time of the captured image 82, or the transmission date and time of the drug data to the data management device, instead of the above creation date and time.

[0207] [Embodiment 7] In this embodiment, the drugs contained in the first storage section 11 are sorted into the second storage section 14, etc., and then packaged by the packaging mechanism 6. The configuration and process for repackaging the drugs packaged in this way will be explained mainly with reference to Figures 1 and 11.

[0208] As shown in Figure 1, the drug sorting device 1 of this embodiment includes at least a touch panel 3, a packaging mechanism 6, and a barcode reader 7. In addition to the functional blocks described in the basic configuration, the control unit 60a includes at least an operation input unit 66, a display control unit 67, a packaging control unit 71, and a sorting position designation unit 74. The sorting position designation unit 74 is used to designate the sorting position of the drug when repackaging is performed.

[0209] As described above, the packaging mechanism 6 divides the drugs in the sorting cups 141, which have been sorted by drug type, into one or more packets. Each packet is placed in a continuous band (as a continuous group of packets) in the order in which they were created into a paper receiving box (not shown). If the packaging process by the packaging mechanism 6 is carried out over several days, for example, multiple packets containing small amounts of the same drug will be located at different positions within the continuous group of packets in the paper receiving box.

[0210] Therefore, the control unit 60a of this embodiment reads the drug data attached to each drug package and determines the sorting location so that drugs of the same type are sorted in the same location, and presents the sorting location to the user. When the control unit 60a receives user input indicating that the drug has been placed in the determined sorting location, it starts the dispensing process. This makes it possible to combine drugs of the same type that have been packaged separately in small quantities at different times and repackage them into the same or adjacent drug packages. As a result, drug package management becomes easier.

[0211] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the repackaging process performed by the control unit 60a. The operation input unit 66 receives user input to instruct repackaging via the operation unit 31. The sorting position designation unit 74 receives this user input and enables reading of the barcode reader 7.

[0212] In this state, the sorting position designation unit 74 determines whether the barcode reader 7 has read the barcode (drug data) attached to the drug package containing the drug to be repackaged (drug to be repackaged) (S31). If the sorting position designation unit 74 determines that the barcode reader 7 has read the barcode (YES in S31), it determines whether the drug to be repackaged is a drug for which a sorting position has already been designated (S32). On the other hand, if the barcode reader 7 has not read the barcode for a certain period of time (NO in S31), the sorting position designation unit 74 terminates this process.

[0213] If the sorting position designation unit 74 determines that the drug to be repackaged is a drug for which a sorting position has already been designated (YES in S32), it designates that sorting position as the sorting position for the drug to be repackaged (S33). On the other hand, if the sorting position designation unit 74 determines that the drug to be repackaged is not a drug for which a sorting position has already been designated (NO in S32), it designates a new sorting position (an unspecified sorting position) as the sorting position for the drug to be repackaged (S34). The display control unit 67 displays the sorting position designated by the sorting position designation unit 74 in the processing of S33 or S34 as the sorting position for the drug to be repackaged on the display unit 32. The user puts the drug to be repackaged into the sorting cup 141 corresponding to the sorting position displayed on the display unit 32.

[0214] Furthermore, the operation input unit 66 determines, via the operation unit 31, whether or not it has received user input to start dispensing (S35). The operation input unit 66 repeats the processes in S31 to S34 until it receives the user input (if NO in S35).

[0215] Once all the drugs to be repackaged have been placed into the sorting cup 141, the user inputs the start of packaging via the operation unit 31. When the operation input unit 66 determines that it has received the user input to start packaging (YES in S35), the packaging control unit 71 controls the transport / sorting unit 12 and the packaging mechanism 6 to perform the repackaging of the drugs to be repackaged (S36).

[0216] Furthermore, the number of medications that can be packaged in one package when repackaging can be set arbitrarily. The above number of medications may be set to a number that makes it easy to perform the next task after packaging (e.g., returning the medications to the medication shelf or packaging machine). In this case, the next task can be performed efficiently. Taking this into consideration, the above number of medications may be set to a multiple of 7 or a multiple of 10, for example.

[0217] [Embodiment 8] In this embodiment, the configuration for efficiently performing the packaging process will be explained mainly using Figures 1, 12, and 13.

[0218] As described above, the sorting control unit 62 determines the sorting position (which sorting cup 141 to put the drug in) in the second storage unit 14 for each drug identified by the discrimination unit 64. The sorting control unit 62 determines the sorting positions so that drugs of the same type are put in the same sorting cup 141, and drugs of different types are put in different sorting cups 141. Furthermore, if the sorting cup 141 reaches the maximum number of drugs it can hold, the sorting control unit 62 determines the sorting positions so that even drugs of the same type are put in different sorting cups 141. However, for drugs of the same type, the sorting positions are determined to be as close as possible. The sorting control unit 62 then links the determined sorting positions with the drug data to be put in the sorting cup 141 placed at those sorting positions and stores them in the storage unit 80.

[0219] The control unit 60a can also perform the packaging process on the drugs stored in the second storage unit 14 after all the drugs stored in the first storage unit 11 have been sorted to the second storage unit 14, etc. In this case, the packaging control unit 71 selects sorting cups 141 in a predetermined selection order and controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to remove the drugs from the selected sorting cups 141 and transport them to the drug input port 17. After all the drugs have been transported from the selected sorting cups 141 to the drug input port 17, the packaging control unit 71 selects the next sorting cup 141 and performs the same process.

[0220] Figure 12 is a schematic plan view of the second storage section 14. As shown in Figure 12, each position where the sorting cups 141 are placed (sorting position) is assigned a code indicating that sorting position. In the example in Figure 12, each sorting position is assigned the codes A-1, A-2, ..., A-5, B-1, ..., B-7, C-1, ..., C-7, D-1, ..., D-7, E-1, ..., E-7, F-1, ..., F-7. The order in which the packaging control unit 71 selects the sorting cups 141 when performing the packaging process is predetermined, for example, F-7 → F-6 → F-5 → ... E-7 → E-6 → E-5 → ... A-3 → A-2 → A-1. In this case, the packaging control unit 71 removes all the medicine from sorting cup 141 at F-7, and then removes the medicine from sorting cup 141 at F-6. This process is carried out in the order described above. However, if a sorting cup 141 does not contain any medication, the dispensing control unit 71 skips that sorting cup 141 and takes the medication from the next sorting cup 141.

[0221] Furthermore, as described above, the dispensing mechanism 6 continuously places the packaged medications into the paper receiving box. Therefore, because the medications taken from each of the sorting cups 141 located at different positions on the second storage section 14 are packaged at different times, they will be placed in medications at different distances within the continuous group of medications in the paper receiving box. In other words, multiple medications containing the same type of medication will be scattered throughout the paper receiving box. The further apart the sorting cups 141 are located on the second storage section 14, the further apart the medications taken from these sorting cups 141 will be placed in medications within the continuous group of medications.

[0222] Now, consider the case where, during the packaging process, the same type of drug is placed in different sorting cups 141, and these sorting cups 141 are located far apart. If the sorting cups 141 are selected in a predetermined order, the drug in one sorting cup 141 will be packaged, and then some time will pass before the drug in the other sorting cup 141 is packaged. As a result, as described above, the location of the drug packets from one sorting cup 141 and the location of the drug packets from the other sorting cup 141 will be far apart within a continuous group of drug packets.

[0223] Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the same type of drug is contained in different sorting cups 141, the drug taken out from these sorting cups 141 is packaged in a drug package that is close to it in a continuous group of drug packages. Specifically, examples include (1) a method of changing the selection order of the sorting cups 141, and (2) a method of re-sorting.

[0224] [How to change the selection order of sorting cups] In the case of (1) above, the packaging control unit 71 determines the selection order of the sorting cups 141 according to the sorting result of the sorting of drugs by the sorting control unit 62. Specifically, the packaging control unit 71 refers to the memory unit 80 and determines the selection order of the sorting cups 141 so that if the same type of drug is contained in different sorting cups 141 (sorting positions), the same type of drug is dispensed consecutively.

[0225] For example, in the second storage section 14 shown in Figure 12, let's assume that the sorting cup 141 at position F-7 and the sorting cup 141 at position F-1 contain drug of type K1. Also, let's assume that the sorting cup 141 at position F-5 and the sorting cup 141 at position E-5 contain drug of type K2. Furthermore, let's assume that the sorting cups 141 at the other sorting positions contain different types of drugs.

[0226] In this case, the packaging control unit 71 determines the selection order of the sorting cups 141 as, for example, F-7 → F-1 → F-5 → E-5. For E-5 and beyond, the selection order of the sorting cups 141 is determined in a predetermined order (F-7 → ... → A-1) and in a way that skips already determined sorting positions (in this example, F-7, F-1, F-5, and E-5). That is, the selection order of the sorting cups 141 from E-5 onwards is determined as (E-5 →) F-6 → F-4 → F-3 → F-2 → E-7 → E-6 → E-4 → E-3 → ... → A-1.

[0227] In other words, the selection order of the sorting cups 141 is determined so that groups of sorting cups 141 containing the same type of drug are selected consecutively. As a result, even if the same type of drug is contained in different sorting cups 141, each of the drugs contained in these sorting cups 141 can be packaged consecutively in the packaging mechanism 6. Therefore, it is possible to prevent multiple drug packages containing the same type of drug from becoming separated in the paper receiving box.

[0228] Furthermore, when there are multiple sorting cups 141 containing the same type of drug, continuous packaging of the same drug can be achieved simply by determining the selection order of the sorting cups 141. The process of determining the selection order can be performed in a relatively short time. Therefore, even if this process is performed, it has almost no impact on the overall processing time of the drug sorting and packaging process.

[0229] [Example of processing] Figure 13, section 1301 is a flowchart illustrating an example of packaging processing by the packaging control unit 71. As shown in section 1301 of Figure 13, once the sorting processing by the sorting control unit 62 is complete, the packaging control unit 71 determines whether the same type of drug is contained in different sorting cups 141 (S41). If the same type of drug is contained in different sorting cups 141 (YES in S41), the packaging control unit 71 determines the selection order of the sorting cups 141 so that the same type of drug is dispensed consecutively, as described above (S42). The packaging control unit 71 selects the sorting cups 141 in the determined selection order (S43). On the other hand, if the same type of drug is not contained in different sorting cups 141 (NO in S41), the packaging control unit 71 selects the sorting cups 141 in a predetermined selection order (S44).

[0230] Subsequently, the packaging control unit 71 controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to remove the drug from the selected sorting cup 141 and controls the packaging mechanism 6 to package the drug (S45). Once the packaging process is completed for all the drugs contained in the sorting cup 141, the next sorting cup 141 is selected according to the selection order, and the packaging process is performed for all the drugs contained in that sorting cup 141. The packaging control unit 71 continues to perform the packaging process until the last sorting cup 141 is reached, according to the selection order.

[0231] [How to perform re-sorting] Figure 13, section 1302 is a flowchart illustrating an example of drug sorting processing by the sorting control unit 62. As shown in section 1302 of Figure 13, in the case of (2) above, when the type of drug is determined by the discrimination unit 64 (S51), the sorting control unit 62 places the drug in the standby tray 15 or the first storage unit 11 without sorting it into the second storage unit 14 (S52). However, when placing the drug in the first storage unit 11, it is placed in a different area of ​​the first storage unit 11 from the drug whose type has not been determined. Processing S51 and S52 is performed on all drugs placed in the first storage unit 11.

[0232] The sorting control unit 62 identifies the type of all drugs stored in the first storage unit 11, stores the drugs in the standby tray 15 or the first storage unit 11, and then determines the sorting position based on the identification result by the identification unit 64 so that drugs of the same type are sorted in close proximity (S53).

[0233] When the discrimination unit 64 identifies the type of drug, it associates that type with the drug data and stores it in the storage unit 80. Therefore, the sorting control unit 62 can determine whether or not the same type of drug exists among the drugs stored in the standby tray 15 or the first storage unit 11 by referring to the storage unit 80. If the sorting control unit 62 determines that the same type of drug exists, it identifies the sorting cup 141 (sorting position) that will contain the same type of drug.

[0234] Furthermore, the discrimination unit 64 also stores the number of each type of drug in the storage unit 80. Therefore, if the sorting control unit 62 determines, based on the above number, that it is not possible to fit the same type of drug into the same sorting cup 141 (e.g., there are more drugs of the same type than the maximum quantity that can be fit into a sorting cup 141), it determines which sorting cup 141 to put the drug into so that the drugs of the same type are placed in adjacent sorting cups 141 in the predetermined selection order described above. In other words, the sorting control unit 62 assigns the drugs that have undergone discrimination processing again to the sorting cups 141 so that the packaging process can be carried out efficiently.

[0235] The sorting control unit 62 determines the sorting position of the drugs and then places all the drugs into the sorting cups 141 located at the determined sorting position (S54). Specifically, the transport control unit 61 controls the transport / sorting unit 12 to remove the drugs from the standby tray 15 or the first storage unit 11 and transport them to the imaging unit 13. The imaging control unit 63 controls the imaging unit 13 to capture an image of the drugs, and then the discrimination unit 64 determines the type of drug. The sorting control unit 62 controls the transport / sorting unit 12 to place the drugs into the sorting cups 141 located at the sorting position determined in the S53 process, corresponding to the type of drug determined by the discrimination unit 64.

[0236] Once the sorting process by the sorting control unit 62 is complete, the packaging control unit 71 packages the drugs contained in the second storage unit 14 (S55). Specifically, the packaging control unit 71 selects sorting cups 141 in a predetermined selection order and packages the drugs contained in those sorting cups 141. Once the packaging process for all drugs contained in a sorting cup 141 is complete, the packaging process for the drugs contained in the next sorting cup 141 in the selection order is performed. This process is carried out for all sorting cups 141.

[0237] In this way, the sorting control unit 62 determines the sorting position of each drug based on the drug type identification result, so that drugs of the same type are picked up consecutively from the sorting cup 141. Therefore, even in this process, drugs of the same type can be packaged consecutively, which prevents multiple drug packages containing the same type of drug from becoming separated in the paper receiving box.

[0238] In this process, the type of drug is identified once again for all drugs stored in the first storage unit 11 before the drug sorting process. Therefore, it takes longer to complete the drug sorting and packaging process compared to when this process is not performed. However, the processing in the drug sorting device 1 is performed without requiring user input, for example, at night. Therefore, it is acceptable that it takes a certain amount of time. On the other hand, after the packaging process is completed, multiple drug packets containing the same type of drug are grouped together in the paper receiving box, which significantly reduces the effort required from the user when returning the drug packets to the drug shelf or packaging machine.

[0239] Furthermore, in the case of the method of changing the selection order of the sorting cups 141 as described above, under certain circumstances, multiple packets of the same type of medication may become separated within the paper receiving box. These certain circumstances include, for example, a situation where the number of the same type of medication exceeds the maximum quantity for a single sorting cup 141, and there are no empty sorting cups 141 available.

[0240] Drugs that cannot be sorted into sorting cups 141 are transported to a waiting tray 15. These drugs are then placed into sorting cups 141 and packaged only after the packaging process for all drugs contained in sorting cups 141 has been completed. Therefore, the above possibility arises.

[0241] In this process, the sorting location of the medication can be prioritized so that similar medications are packaged consecutively. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent multiple packets of the same medication from becoming separated within the paper receiving box.

[0242] [Embodiment 9] In this embodiment, a configuration for efficiently performing drug type discrimination processing will be described, primarily using Figures 1 and 14.

[0243] As described above, the discrimination unit 64 analyzes the captured image 82 and performs discrimination processing, but for example, if the image of the drug included in the captured image 82 is not registered in the drug database 81, If the image of the drug included in the captured image 82 is an image of a drug that is not to be identified, • If the image of an object included in the captured image 82 is an image of an object other than a drug (e.g., a fragment of a PTP sheet), or • If the image is difficult to interpret even after image analysis (e.g., the image of the drug is blurry), It is either impossible or difficult to identify the type of medication.

[0244] Even in such cases, the discrimination unit 64 attempts to determine the type of drug by performing image analysis on the captured image 82 again until a predetermined upper limit (e.g., 3 times) is reached or until a timeout occurs (discrimination retry process). However, each discrimination process takes several tens of seconds (e.g., about 25 seconds).

[0245] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the discrimination unit 64 performs discrimination retry processing, if the predetermined conditions are not met, it will not perform the next discrimination retry processing even if the above upper limit has not been reached. In this case, the drug that was to be discriminated against will be transported to the collection tray 16. As a result, if the predetermined conditions are not met, the next discrimination retry processing will not be performed even if the above upper limit has not been reached, so that even if the drugs stored in the first storage unit 11 contain the aforementioned objects (e.g., drugs not registered in the drug database 81 (e.g., new drugs), drugs not to be discriminated against), no unnecessary image analysis will be performed on those drugs. Therefore, it becomes possible to sort drugs efficiently.

[0246] The above-mentioned conditions not being met include, for example, at least one of the following cases:

[0247] (Condition 1) If the result of comparing the color and shape of the drug image in the captured image 82 with the color and shape of each drug registered in the drug database 81 (result of filtering based on color and shape) is 0.

[0248] (Condition 2) If, as a result of matching the entire captured image 82 (image of the extracted drug) with the entire image of each drug registered in the drug database 81, there are 0 cases where the degree of match exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0249] [Example of processing] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of discrimination processing by the discrimination unit 64. As shown in Figure 14, the discrimination unit 64 determines whether the number of times discrimination processing has been performed on a single drug (number of discriminations) is less than or equal to the upper limit (S61).

[0250] If the discrimination unit 64 determines that the number of times is less than or equal to the upper limit (YES in S61), it determines whether or not the above condition 1 is met (S62). If the discrimination unit 64 determines that the above condition 1 is met (YES in S62), it determines whether or not the above condition 2 is met (S63).

[0251] If the discrimination unit 64 determines that conditions 1 and 2 above are met (YES in S63), it stops the discrimination retry process (S64). Also, if the discrimination unit 64 determines that the number of discrimination retries has reached the upper limit (NO in S61), it stops the discrimination retry process (S64). In this case, the transport control unit 61 controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to transport the drug that was the target of discrimination from the imaging unit 13 to the recovery tray 16.

[0252] On the other hand, if the discrimination unit 64 determines that the above condition 1 is not met (NO in S62), or if it determines that the above condition 2 is not met (NO in S63), it performs discrimination processing (S65). If the discrimination unit 64 determines the type of drug (YES in S65), it terminates this process. However, if it does not determine the type of drug (NO in S65), it returns to the process in S61 and attempts to execute the discrimination retry process.

[0253] Note that the determination of whether conditions 1 and 2 are met may be made in the reverse order or in parallel. Also, in this process, the determination retry process is stopped when conditions 1 and 2 are met, but it is not limited to this; the determination retry process may be stopped when either condition 1 or 2 is met.

[0254] Furthermore, the content and number of the above-mentioned predetermined conditions can be changed as appropriate. The predetermined conditions can be set to any conditions that can identify drugs that are highly likely to be unidentifiable even after performing the identification process multiple times (e.g., drugs not registered in the drug database 81, drugs not subject to identification).

[0255] [Embodiment 10] In this embodiment, a configuration for efficiently performing drug type discrimination processing will be described.

[0256] A polarizing filter (PL filter) (not shown) is provided in front of the lens of the first camera 131. This polarizing filter removes, for example, light that is unnecessary for imaging from the light directed toward the first camera 131 (e.g., reflected light from the drug placement stage 133a, orthogonal components of visible light emitted from the first illumination unit 134a (bar illumination)). However, the above polarizing filter has difficulty removing the circular component of visible light emitted from the second illumination unit 134b (ring illumination).

[0257] Therefore, when the first camera 131 images the drug, there is a possibility that an image of visible light emitted from the second irradiation unit 134b (e.g., an arc-shaped image) may be reflected in the captured image 82. In this case, the discrimination unit 64 may misidentify the visible light image as a symbol (e.g., the letters "C", "O", "Q", or "0 (zero)"). This reflection of the visible light image from the second irradiation unit 134b is particularly likely to occur with transparent drugs.

[0258] Therefore, in this embodiment, the threshold used when performing matching using the marking information is set to a different value depending on whether the marking information registered in the drug database 81 indicates one character or two or more characters. Specifically, the threshold used when performing matching using marking information indicating one character is set higher than the threshold used when performing matching using marking information indicating two or more characters. This makes it possible to suppress the possibility of misidentification of drugs with marking information indicating one character based on the visible light image from the second irradiation unit 134b. Note that marking information indicating two or more characters will not be misidentified by the visible light image.

[0259] The threshold value mentioned above is used by the discrimination unit 64 to compare the degree of agreement between the marking information extracted from the captured image 82 and the marking information registered in the drug database 81. It should be set to a value that allows for accurate identification of the marking information through experiments or other means. If the discrimination unit 64 determines that the threshold value has been exceeded, it selects a drug with marking information registered in the drug database 81 as one of the candidates for the discrimination result.

[0260] [Embodiment 11] In this embodiment, the configuration for efficiently performing drug adsorption processing will be described mainly using Figures 1 and 15. Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the drug transport mechanism 120 of this embodiment. Figure 1501 shows a schematic structural example and operation example of drug transport mechanism 120a, which is an example of drug transport mechanism 120. On the other hand, Figure 1502 shows a schematic structural example and operation example of drug transport mechanism 120b, which is an example of drug transport mechanism 120 of this embodiment.

[0261] As shown in 1501 of Figure 15, the drug transport mechanism 120a includes a second camera 121 and an adsorption mechanism 122a. In 1501 of Figure 15, the second camera 121 is located on the outside of the housing of the drug transport mechanism 120a, but it may also be mounted inside.

[0262] When the adsorption mechanism 122a adsorbs the drug M, the control unit 60a (specifically, the transport control unit 61, the sorting control unit 62, or the packaging control unit 71) controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to move the drug transport mechanism 120a so that the second camera 121 is positioned above the area containing the drug M. The imaging control unit 63 images the area. The imaging control unit 63 identifies the drug M as the adsorption target by analyzing the captured image including the area.

[0263] Subsequently, the control unit 60a moves the drug transport mechanism 120a so that the adsorption mechanism 122a is positioned above the drug M, and then adsorbs the drug M onto the adsorption mechanism 122a. In Figure 15, 1501, the distance traveled by the drug transport mechanism 120a from the time of drug M imaging to the time of adsorption is shown by d1.

[0264] On the other hand, as shown in 1502 of Figure 15, the drug transport mechanism 120b includes a second camera 121, an adsorption mechanism 122a, and a mirror 128. In 1502 of Figure 15, the second camera 121 and the mirror 128 are located on the outside of the housing of the drug transport mechanism 120a, but they may also be mounted inside it.

[0265] The second camera 121 is arranged such that the imaging direction of the second camera 121 is substantially horizontal with respect to the moving direction of the drug conveyance mechanism 120b (a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the suction mechanism 122a moves (descends) when sucking the drug M). To achieve this arrangement, the second camera 121 is connected to the drug conveyance mechanism 120b and supported by a support 121a extending in the above-mentioned moving direction.

[0266] The mirror 128 reflects the image of the drug M located below the drug conveyance mechanism 120b toward the second camera 121. In other words, it changes the imaging direction of the second camera 121 from the above-mentioned moving direction to below the drug conveyance mechanism 120b. Thereby, the second camera 121 can image the drug M located below the drug conveyance mechanism 120b via the mirror 128.

[0267] The mirror 128 is operably connected to the drug conveyance mechanism 120b. Specifically, one end of the mirror 128 is connected to the drug conveyance mechanism 120b, and it performs an opening and closing operation with that one end as a fulcrum. Further, the control unit 60a operates the mirror 128 so as to be interlocked with the extension operation of the suction mechanism 122a or the movement operation of the drug conveyance mechanism 120b.

[0268] The mirror 128 is arranged, for example, with its initial position being the position when the imaging direction of the second camera 121 faces below the drug conveyance mechanism 120b. On the other hand, after identifying the drug to be sucked (drug M), the mirror 128 moves to a position that does not obstruct the extension operation of the suction mechanism 122a when the drug conveyance mechanism 120b moves or when the suction mechanism 122a extends toward the drug M. In the present embodiment, the mirror 128 moves toward the second camera 121 with the above-mentioned one end as a fulcrum.

[0269] Note that the operation of the mirror 128 does not necessarily need to be controlled by the control unit 60a. For example, the mirror 128 may be moved toward the second camera 121 as it is pressed by the tip of the suction mechanism 122a (the suction pad 122c) during the extension operation of the suction mechanism 122a. Further, the mirror 128 may be returned to the initial position as the suction mechanism 122a returns to the side of the drug conveyance mechanism 120b.

[0270] When the suction mechanism 122a sucks the drug M, the control unit 60a moves the drug conveyance mechanism 120b so that the mirror 128 is positioned above the area containing the drug M by controlling the conveyance and sorting unit 12. The imaging control unit 63 images the area through the mirror 128. The imaging control unit 63 specifies the drug M as the suction target by analyzing the captured image including the area.

[0271] Thereafter, the control unit 60a moves the drug conveyance mechanism 120b so that the suction mechanism 122a is positioned above the drug M, and then causes the suction mechanism 122a to suck the drug M. When moving the drug conveyance mechanism 120b or when the suction mechanism 122a extends toward the drug M, the control unit 60a moves the mirror 128 to a position that does not obstruct the extension operation of the suction mechanism 122a. In 1502 of FIG. 15, the moving distance of the drug conveyance mechanism 120b from the imaging of the drug M to the suction is indicated by d2.

[0272] As shown in FIG. 15, the drug conveyance mechanism 120b provided with the mirror 128 can shorten the moving distance from the imaging of the drug to the suction compared to the drug conveyance mechanism 120a (d1>d2). Therefore, the time from the imaging of the drug to the suction can be shortened, and the processing time of the entire drug sorting process can also be shortened.

[0273] 〔Embodiment 12〕 In this embodiment, the process for when an abnormality occurs in the various operating mechanisms (e.g., transport / sorting unit 12) or the computer 60 of the drug sorting device 1 during drug packaging, causing the drug sorting device 1 to terminate abnormally, will be explained, primarily using Figures 1 and 16. Figure 1601 shows a portion of the container list image displayed on the display unit 32. Figure 1602 is a flowchart showing an example of the process when the drug sorting device 1 terminates abnormally during drug packaging.

[0274] During the drug packaging process, for some reason, an abnormality may occur in the transport / sorting unit 12, the packaging mechanism 6, or the computer 60, causing the drug sorting device 1 to terminate abnormally. In this case, some of the partially packaged drug may remain as leftover medication inside the sorting cup 141, the packaging mechanism 6, or the packaging paper. If the drug sorting device 1 is restarted with this leftover medication still in place, various problems may occur. For example, during the initialization operation of the packaging mechanism 6, multiple types of drugs may become mixed in one package, or an excessive amount of drug may be supplied to one package of packaging paper. If an excessive amount of drug is supplied to one package of packaging paper, the drug that cannot be packaged may overflow into the packaging mechanism 6.

[0275] In this embodiment, if the drug sorting device 1 terminates abnormally during drug packaging, the packaging control unit 71 causes the packaging mechanism 6 to perform a recovery and packaging operation when the drug sorting device 1 is restarted, in order to recover any remaining drug in the packaging mechanism 6. As a result, even if there is remaining drug in the packaging mechanism 6 after the abnormal termination of the drug sorting device 1, the drug sorting device 1 can automatically package the remaining drug and discharge it from the packaging mechanism 6. Therefore, the possibility of the above-mentioned problems occurring when the drug sorting device 1 is restarted can be reduced.

[0276] Specifically, when the drug sorting device 1 restarts after an abnormal termination, the packaging control unit 71 controls the packaging mechanism 6 to feed several packets (e.g., 3 packets) of packaging paper in order to prevent remaining medication from entering the printed packaging paper. The packaging control unit 71 then packages the remaining medication into the next packet of packaging paper after the paper feeding operation. As a result, even if there is remaining medication in the packaging mechanism 6, a package containing only that remaining medication is created and discharged from the packaging mechanism 6.

[0277] Furthermore, normally, when the packaging control unit 71 completes the packaging process for drugs contained in any sorting cup 141, it rewrites the information stored in the RFID tag of that sorting cup 141. For example, the packaging control unit 71 rewrites the number of drugs contained in the sorting cup 141 to 0. However, if the drug sorting device 1 terminates abnormally during the drug packaging process, the packaging process for the drugs that were to be packaged at that time is not completed. Therefore, the above rewriting is not performed on the RFID tag of the sorting cup 141 containing those drugs. Consequently, when the drug sorting device 1 restarts after an abnormal termination, the number of drugs contained in the sorting cup 141 may not be reflected in the RFID tag information, and a different number than the actual number may be displayed on the display unit 32.

[0278] Therefore, in this embodiment, if an abnormality occurs in the drug sorting device 1, the display control unit 67 (notification control unit) notifies the user of the sorting cup 141 (storage position in the second storage unit) containing the drug that was to be packaged at the time the abnormality occurred. This prevents the drug sorting device 1 from incorrectly notifying the user of the number of drugs contained in the sorting cup 141 when the drug sorting device 1 is restarted, even if the above rewriting is not yet complete. In addition, the user can recognize the sorting cup 141 that was to be packaged at the time the drug sorting device 1 terminated abnormally. This sorting cup 141 is also referred to as the abnormality target cup.

[0279] Specifically, when the drug sorting device 1 is restarted, the display control unit 67 does not display the specific number of contents in the container list image displayed on the display unit 32, but instead displays, for example, "Remaining medication" (see 1601 in Figure 16). The container list image is a schematic representation of the multiple sorting cups 141 arranged in the second storage unit 14, and reflects the medication storage status in each sorting cup 141. Note that the notification method is not limited to the above display; other notification methods such as sound output via a speaker are also acceptable as long as the presence of the sorting cups 141 can be notified to the user.

[0280] In this embodiment, the RFID control unit 68 rewrites the information stored in the RFID tag of the sorting cup 141 to information indicating that the sorting cup 141 was a target for packaging when the drug sorting device 1 abnormally terminated (information indicating that it is a target cup in case of abnormality). The information stored in the RFID tag of the sorting cup 141 is rewritten, for example, to information indicating that the sorting cup 141 is an "invalid cup" during the packaging process after the drug sorting device 1 is restarted. As a result, when the user reads the information on the RFID tag, they can recognize that the sorting cup 141 is a sorting cup 141 in which the packaging process was not completed due to the abnormal termination of the drug sorting device 1, and which may still contain remaining medication. In addition, when the drug sorting device 1 is restarted, the display control unit 67 can be prevented from incorrectly notifying the number of medications contained in the sorting cup 141 based on the information on the RFID tag.

[0281] The "remaining medication" message may be displayed until the user confirms that there is no remaining medication in the sorting cup 141 and the RFID tag information is initialized. This initialization of information can be performed, for example, as follows:

[0282] After the user confirms that there is no remaining medication in the sorting cup 141, they place the sorting cup 141 on the first RFID reader / writer unit 5 to read the information on the RFID tag of the sorting cup 141. Subsequently, the control unit 60a initializes the RFID tag information based on user input via the operation unit 31. Alternatively, the user may have the control unit 60a execute the remaining medication confirmation function via the operation unit 31. In this case, the control unit 60a has the second camera 121 capture an image of all sorting cups 141 and displays the image on the display unit 32. Based on the image, the user confirms that there is no medication in the sorting cup 141, and then has the control unit 60a initialize the RFID tag information of all sorting cups 141 via the operation unit 31.

[0283] <Example of processing> During the packaging process, the packaging control unit 71 stores sorting cup identification information of the sorting cup (sorting cup to be packaged) 141 containing the drug being packaged in the first area of ​​the storage unit 80.

[0284] If an abnormality occurs in the packaging mechanism 6 or other components during the packaging process for any reason, the packaging control unit 71 stores abnormality information indicating that an abnormality occurred in the drug sorting device 1 during the packaging process in the second area of ​​the storage unit 80, as shown in 1602 of Figure 16 (S71). Subsequently, the control unit 60a terminates the operation of the drug sorting device 1 (S72: termination process). After the termination process, the control unit 60a executes a startup process for the drug sorting device 1 to resume the packaging process, either automatically or upon receiving user input (S73).

[0285] After the drug sorting device 1 is started, the packaging control unit 71 determines whether or not abnormality information is stored in the second area. In this example, abnormality information is stored in the second area. Therefore, the packaging control unit 71 determines that the previous termination process of the drug sorting device 1 was performed due to an abnormality in the drug sorting device 1 (S74). The packaging control unit 71 also identifies the sorting cup 141 containing the drug that was to be packaged at the time of the termination process as the cup to be treated in case of abnormality by referring to the sorting cup identification information stored in the first area (S75).

[0286] The display control unit 67 displays in the container list image that the sorting cup 141 identified in S75 is an abnormal cup (e.g., displays "[Remaining medication]") (S76). The RFID control unit 68 controls the second RFID reader / writer unit 18 and rewrites the information on the RFID tag of the sorting cup 141 identified in S75 with information indicating that it is an abnormal cup (S77). The packaging control unit 71 also controls the packaging mechanism 6 to perform the recovery and packaging operation (S78). After the recovery and packaging operation is completed, the packaging control unit 71 resumes the packaging process (S79). The processes from S76 to S78 may be executed in any order and may be executed in parallel.

[0287] [Embodiment 13] In this embodiment, the process for when the drug falls from the adsorption pad 122c for some reason while the adsorption mechanism 122a is adsorbing and transporting the drug by the adsorption pad 122c will be explained, mainly using Figures 1 and 17. Specifically, in this embodiment, the configuration for preventing the drug from falling on the shutter mechanism 122j and the process according to the timing of the drug falling from the adsorption pad 122c will be explained. Figure 17 is a diagram showing an example of the drug transport mechanism 120 of this embodiment. 1701 in Figure 17 shows the open state of the shutter mechanism 122j, and 1702 in Figure 17 shows the closed state of the shutter mechanism 122j.

[0288] <Configuration related to preventing the drug from falling from the shutter mechanism 122j> As shown in FIG. 17, in the present embodiment, the drug delivery mechanism 120 includes a suction mechanism 122a, a shutter mechanism 122j, and a flow sensor (not shown). The suction mechanism 122a includes an air tube 122b, a suction pad 122c, and a cylindrical cover 122k.

[0289] The control unit 60a determines the adsorption state of the drug on the suction pad 122c based on the change in the flow rate of the air flowing through the air tube 122b detected by the flow sensor. Specifically, when the flow rate detected by the flow sensor becomes larger than a predetermined value in the state where the suction mechanism 122a has adsorbed the drug, the control unit 60a determines that the drug has fallen from the suction pad 122c. That is, in this case, the control unit 60a detects the fall from the suction pad 122c.

[0290] The cylindrical cover 122k, together with the shutter mechanism 122j, prevents the drug that has fallen from the suction pad 122c from falling from above the shutter mechanism 122j. The cylindrical cover 122k is provided so as to cover the lower region of the suction pad 122c during drug conveyance. The shape of the cylindrical cover 122k is not limited to a cylinder, and may be various shapes as long as the inside is hollow. As shown in 1702 of FIG. 17, the shutter mechanism 122j functions as a bottom cover of the opening of the cylindrical cover 122k during drug conveyance. Therefore, when the drug falls from the suction pad 122c onto the shutter mechanism 122j during drug conveyance, the shutter mechanism 122j and the cylindrical cover 122k can prevent the drug from further falling from above the shutter mechanism 122j downward.

[0291] As shown in Figure 17, 1701, the drug that has fallen onto the shutter mechanism 122j can be dropped to the drug destination by opening the shutter mechanism 122j. However, if the drug receiving opening at the destination is relatively small, the drug dropped from the shutter mechanism 122j may not enter the opening. For example, if the destination is a sorting cup 141, the dropped drug may not enter the intended sorting cup 141 but instead enter another sorting cup 141. If the destination is a drug input opening 17, and the dropped drug falls outside the drug input opening 17, the drug will not be able to be put into the packaging mechanism 6, and the drug will not be able to be packaged.

[0292] In this embodiment, if a drug falls from the suction pad 122c and the drug storage opening at the destination is relatively small, the control unit 60a temporarily collects the drug into a container with a relatively large storage opening. This reduces the possibility of errors or mis-entry of the drug into the storage opening. The following describes the specific procedures that occur when a drug falls from the suction pad 122c for each drug transport route associated with drug sorting or packaging.

[0293] <Processing according to the timing of drug fall from the adsorption pad 122c> First, when sorting the drugs stored in the first storage unit 11, the transport control unit 61 or the sorting control unit 62 transports the drugs (i) from the first storage unit 11 to the drug placement table 133a. Then, for drugs whose type has been identified, (ii) they are transported from the drug placement table 133a to the second storage unit 14 (sorting cup 141). On the other hand, for drugs identified as suspected drugs, etc., (iii) they are transported from the drug placement table 133a to the standby tray 15 or the collection tray 16.

[0294] In the cases of (i) and (ii) above, the destination of the drug is the drug placement table 133a or the sorting cup 141. The drug placement table 133a and the sorting cup 141 are containers with relatively small openings (e.g., containers with openings equal to or smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical cover 122k). Therefore, if the control unit 60a detects that the drug has fallen from the suction pad 122c during drug transport in the cases of (i) and (ii) above, the transport control unit 61 or the sorting control unit 62 changes the destination of the drug to the first storage unit 11 (i.e., the source of transport), which has an opening sufficiently larger than the inner diameter of the cylindrical cover 122k. This reduces the possibility of errors or incorrect drug input.

[0295] On the other hand, since the openings of the standby tray 15 and the collection tray 16 are sufficiently large relative to the inner diameter of the cylindrical cover 122k, the possibility of errors in loading the drug into the standby tray 15 and the collection tray 16 is low. Therefore, if a drop of drug from the suction pad 122c is detected during drug transport as described in (iii) above, the sorting control unit 62 transports the drug to the standby tray 15 or the collection tray 16 without changing the destination.

[0296] Next, when sorting the drugs contained in the standby tray 15, the transport control unit 61 or the sorting control unit 62 transports the drugs from (iv) the standby tray 15 to the drug placement table 133a. Then, as in (ii) or (iii) above, drugs whose type has been identified are transported from (v) the drug placement table 133a to the second storage unit 14 (sorting cup 141). On the other hand, drugs identified as suspected drugs, etc., are transported from (vi) the drug placement table 133a to the standby tray 15 or the recovery tray 16.

[0297] Similar to (i) to (iii) above, if a drug is detected to have fallen from the suction pad 122c during drug transport as described in (iv) and (v) above, the transport control unit 61 or sorting control unit 62 changes the destination of the drug to the standby tray 15 (i.e., the source of transport). On the other hand, if a drug is detected to have fallen from the suction pad 122c during drug transport as described in (vi) above, the sorting control unit 62 transports the drug to the standby tray 15 or the recovery tray 16 without changing the destination.

[0298] Furthermore, if the drug sorting device 1 is equipped with a packaging mechanism 6, the drugs sorted into each sorting cup 141 are (vii) transported from the second storage section 14 (sorting cup 141) to the drug input port 17. The opening of the drug input port 17 is equal to or smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical cover 122k. Therefore, if a drug is detected to have fallen from the suction pad 122c during the drug transport in (vii) above, the packaging control unit 71 changes the destination of the drug transport to the first storage section 11. This reduces the possibility of errors in drug input to the drug input port 17. In addition, the control unit 60a can recover the drug that has fallen from the suction pad 122c in the first storage section 11, thereby enabling the drug to be packaged again.

[0299] If any medication that has fallen from the suction pad 122c during transport as described in (vii) above is recovered in the first storage unit 11, the print output control unit 69 may print the total number of medications to be packaged and the number of medications recovered in the first storage unit 11 in the journal. In this case, the user can be aware of the number of packaged medications (i.e., the existence and number of unpackaged medications). In other words, the control unit 60a can notify the user that a predetermined quantity of medications to be packaged (the number of medications contained in the sorting cup 141) have not been packaged.

[0300] [Embodiment 14] In this embodiment, a configuration that reduces the possibility of the drug spilling out of sorting cup 141 and falling into another sorting cup 141 for some reason during the adsorption operation of the adsorption mechanism 122a is described, mainly using Figures 1 and 18.

[0301] As shown in Figure 18, the drug sorting device 1 may be equipped with a storage compartment lifting mechanism 142. Figure 18 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the storage compartment lifting mechanism 142 of this embodiment. Figure 1801 in Figure 18 shows an example configuration of the storage compartment lifting mechanism 142 of this embodiment, and Figures 1802 and 1803 in Figure 18 are diagrams for explaining the operation of the storage compartment lifting mechanism 142.

[0302] As shown in 1801 of Figure 18, the second storage section 14 includes a tray 143 for setting sorting cups 141. The tray 143 comprises an upper plate 143a, a bottom plate 143b, and support columns 143c. The upper plate 143a has holes formed in it to define the holding position of the sorting cups 141. The bottom plate 143b is a member that holds the bottom of the sorting cups 141. The upper plate 143a and the bottom plate 143b are connected to each other via a plurality of support columns 143c so that they are arranged parallel to each other with a predetermined distance between them. Note that the shape of the tray 143 is not limited to the shape described above, and any shape that can hold the sorting cups 141 is acceptable.

[0303] The storage compartment lifting mechanism 142 is, for example, a solenoid and includes a plunger 142a. The storage compartment lifting mechanism 142 is positioned to support the bottom plate 143b (bottom surface) of the tray 143. Multiple storage compartment lifting mechanisms 142 may be arranged at intervals to maintain the horizontal position of the tray 143. Figure 18 shows an example in which four storage compartment lifting mechanisms 142 are arranged near the four corners of the tray 143, but the number and location of the storage compartment lifting mechanisms 142 are not limited to the configuration in Figure 18.

[0304] As described above, the sorting control unit 62 controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to transport the drug transport mechanism 120 to a predetermined sorting cup 141. At this point, as shown in 1802 of Figure 18, a gap D exists between the drug transport mechanism 120 and the sorting cup 141 (specifically, between the shutter mechanism 122j and the upper end of the sorting cup 141). Subsequently, the drug adsorption control unit 72 lowers the adsorption mechanism 122a toward the drug in order to adsorb the drug contained in the sorting cup 141. With the gap D in place, if the adsorption mechanism 122a fails to adsorb the drug, the drug may spill out of the sorting cup 141 and end up in another sorting cup 141.

[0305] In this embodiment, the drug adsorption control unit 72 controls the storage unit lifting mechanism 142 before or simultaneously with lowering the adsorption mechanism 122a toward the drug, causing the plunger 142a to advance toward the tray 143, thereby raising the tray 143. This narrows the gap D, as shown at 1803 in Figure 18. Therefore, if the adsorption mechanism 122a fails to adsorb the drug during the adsorption operation, the possibility of the drug spilling out of the sorting cup 141 can be reduced.

[0306] Once the drug adsorption process is complete, the drug adsorption control unit 72 controls the storage unit lifting mechanism 142 to move the plunger 142a away from the tray 143 (reverse direction), thereby lowering the tray 143.

[0307] [Embodiment 15] In this embodiment, we describe a configuration that reduces the possibility that a drug that has been accidentally dropped out of a sorting cup 141 due to a failed picking attempt will end up in another sorting cup 141 and be packaged together with other drugs.

[0308] When dispensing medication, the medications sorted into each sorting cup 141 are removed from the sorting cups 141 by adsorption by the adsorption mechanism 122a of the transport and sorting unit 12. The medications removed from the sorting cups 141 are transported to the medication input port 17 and packaged in the dispensing mechanism 6 (see Figure 2). Due to the adsorption action of the medication by the adsorption mechanism 122a, the medication to be adsorbed may be repelled, flying out of the sorting cup 141 containing the medication and entering another sorting cup 141. Also, due to the above adsorption action, the medication to be adsorbed may be repelled from the medication in the sorting cup 141, and that medication may enter another sorting cup 141.

[0309] In this case, the user can, for example, recognize that the packaging was not done properly by checking that the journal printed after packaging contains information indicating an abnormality in packaging. However, since this information may be overlooked, it is important to reduce the possibility that different types of drugs may end up in the sorting cup 141, resulting in multiple types of drugs being packaged together.

[0310] The drug sorting device 1 of this embodiment, like the embodiment described above, includes a first storage section 11 for storing multiple types of drugs, and a second storage section 14 for storing the drugs by type in multiple sorting cups 141 (compartments). The drug sorting device 1 of this embodiment also includes a packaging mechanism 6 for packaging the drugs stored in the second storage section 14, and a transport / sorting unit 12 (first transport section).

[0311] In this embodiment, when at least one first agent and at least one second agent are contained in the second storage section 14, the transport and sorting unit 12 transports all of the second agent to the agent input port 17 (input section), and then transports the first agent to the agent input port 17. Here, the first agent is an agent that has been identified as having a high probability of splashing out of the sorting cup 141 when the agent is removed from the sorting cup 141 (when the agent is adsorbed by the adsorption mechanism 122a). The second agent is an agent that has been identified as having a low probability of splashing out of the sorting cup 141 when the agent is removed from the sorting cup 141.

[0312] Whether or not a drug is classified as a first drug depends, for example, on the shape, size, and type of surface coating of the drug. Therefore, it is possible to determine in advance whether each drug is classified as a first drug or a second drug. In this embodiment, each drug data included in the drug database 81 includes information indicating whether each drug is classified as a first drug or a second drug.

[0313] Before the packaging process is performed, the user uses the touch panel 3 to visually inspect the drugs stored in each sorting cup 141 based on the captured image 82. Once the visual inspection is performed, the type of drug stored in each sorting cup 141 is uniquely identified. Information indicating the type of drug in each sorting cup 141 (drug data) is stored in the storage unit 80, linked to the sorting cup identification information. Therefore, the packaging control unit 71 can determine whether or not a sorting cup 141 containing the first drug exists by referring to the storage unit 80. If the sorting cup 141 exists, the packaging control unit 71 controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to transport all of the second drug to the drug input port 17, prioritizing it over the first drug.

[0314] More specifically, the packaging control unit 71 first controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to load the second drug into the drug input port 17, and then controls the packaging mechanism 6 to package the loaded second drug into predetermined quantities. The packaging control unit 71 repeats this process until all of the second drug contained in one or more sorting cups 141 has been packaged. Once the packaging of the second drug is complete, the packaging control unit 71 controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to load the first drug into the drug input port 17 and processes the first drug for packaging in the same way as the second drug. The packaging control unit 71 determines the order in which the sorting cups 141 that the adsorption mechanism 122a accesses to retrieve the drug will be processed in order to achieve the transport.

[0315] As described above, by packaging the second drug first, even if spillage occurs when adsorbing the first drug, the spilled first drug will fall into the empty sorting cup 141, which has already been packaged. In other words, the possibility of the second drug being packaged together with the first drug that spilled out of the sorting cup 141 can be reduced.

[0316] Furthermore, the base 19 on which the first storage section 11 and the second storage section 14 are arranged is provided with a drug input port 17 (input section) into which the drug to be transported to the packaging mechanism 6 is put. When the drug to be transported from the first storage section 11 to the second storage section 14 is the first drug, the transport and sorting unit 12 (second transport section) transports the first drug to a sorting cup 141 located away from the drug input port 17 in the second storage section 14.

[0317] Specifically, for example, if the type of drug identified by the discrimination unit 64 is the first drug, the sorting control unit 62 controls the transport and sorting unit 12 to transport the first drug so that it is placed in a sorting cup 141 located away from the drug input port 17. The sorting cup 141 located away from the drug input port 17 may be, for example, a sorting cup 141 located in any column other than column A in the plan view of Figure 12. Alternatively, the order from column F to column A may be used as the priority order, and the first drug may be preferentially transported to the sorting cup 141 on the column F side.

[0318] With the above configuration, the first drug is contained in the sorting cup 141 located away from the drug inlet 17. Therefore, even if the first drug is ejected during adsorption, the possibility of the first drug entering the drug inlet 17 can be reduced.

[0319] Furthermore, even when multiple types of first drugs are stored in the first storage section 11 to be transported to the second storage section 14, the transport and sorting unit 12 only needs to transport the first drugs in priority to the sorting cups 141 on the F column side. In this case, different types of first drugs will be transported to different sorting cups 141 in the second storage section 14. However, if they are transported to adjacent sorting cups 141, there is a possibility that if the first drug is ejected during adsorption, the ejected first drug may end up in the adjacent sorting cup 141.

[0320] Therefore, the transport and sorting unit 12 (third transport section) may transport the drugs in the second storage section 14 such that different types of first drugs are stored in sorting cups 141 located at separate positions in the second storage section 14.

[0321] Specifically, for example, the sorting control unit 62 controls the transport of the first pharmaceuticals by the transport and sorting unit 12 so that multiple types of first pharmaceuticals in the first storage unit 11 are stored in sorting cups 141 located at intervals from each other in the second storage unit 14. For example, if the first storage unit 11 contains three types of first pharmaceuticals, the sorting control unit 62 may determine the sorting positions so that they are stored in sorting cups 141 located at positions F1, F4, and F7, respectively, in the plan view of Figure 12.

[0322] With the above configuration, even if the first drug is ejected during adsorption when multiple types of first drugs are stored in the second storage section 14, the possibility of the ejected first drug mixing with the sorting cup 141 storing different types of first drugs can be reduced.

[0323] Although the transport and sorting unit 12 has been described as having the functions of a first transport section, a second transport section, and a third transport section, it is not limited to this. The functions of the first transport section, the second transport section, and the third transport section may each be implemented in separate units.

[0324] In this embodiment, the control unit 60a may also include a determination unit 75. When transporting the drug from the second storage unit 14 to the dispensing mechanism 6, the determination unit 75 determines whether or not there is any drug remaining in the second storage unit 14 after the transport operation to all compartments of the second storage unit 14 has been completed.

[0325] If the first drug spills out during transport from the second storage unit 14 to the packaging mechanism 6, the spilled first drug remains in the second storage unit 14. Therefore, in this embodiment, the imaging control unit 63 controls the second camera 121 (see reference numeral 8003 in Figure 8) to sequentially image all sorting cups 141 in the second storage unit 14 in order to determine the presence or absence of drug in the second storage unit 14. The memory unit 80 stores the number of drugs stored in each sorting cup 141 (number of stored drugs) linked to the sorting position. The packaging control unit 71 counts the number of drugs put into the drug input port 17 from each sorting cup 141 (number of drugs put in) and stores it in the memory unit 80 linked to the sorting position. If the number of stored drugs stored in the memory unit 80 differs from the number of drugs put in, the imaging control unit 63 may control the second camera 121 to sequentially image all sorting cups 141. The determination unit 75 determines whether or not a drug is present in each sorting cup 141 based on the image captured by the second camera 121.

[0326] The sorting cup 141 (cup with remaining medication) that the determination unit 75 determines to contain medication is linked to sorting cup identification information and stored in the storage unit 80. Based on this sorting cup identification information, the sorting control unit 62 transports the medication to sorting cups 141 other than the cup with remaining medication in subsequent medication sorting processes.

[0327] Furthermore, the display control unit 67 (notification control unit) notifies the user of the sorting cup 141 in which the drug remains if it determines that there is remaining drug in any of the sorting cups 141 in the second storage unit 14. Specifically, when the drug sorting device 1 is restarted, the display unit 32 displays a list of containers image, and the determination unit 75 displays a message such as "Remaining drug" at the position corresponding to the sorting cup 141 in which it has determined there is remaining drug (see 1601 in Figure 16).

[0328] The display control unit 67 may notify the user of a sorting cup 141 in which the number of stored drugs stored in the storage unit 80 differs from the number of drugs to be put in.

[0329] As an alternative configuration to prevent the use of cups containing remaining medication in subsequent medication sorting processes, the following configuration may be adopted. That is, the RFID control unit 68 may rewrite the information stored in the RFID tag of the sorting cup 141 that the determination unit 75 has determined to contain medication to information indicating that it is an "invalid cup" as described above (see Embodiment 12). As a result, the sorting cup 141 will not be used in the medication sorting process until the user confirms that there is no remaining medication in the sorting cup 141 and the information on the RFID tag is initialized.

[0330] Any of the above configurations, in which the cup containing residual medication is not used in subsequent medication sorting processes, can further reduce the possibility of the first medication being mixed with another medication and packaged together. Specifically, even if the user overlooks the information indicating a packaging anomaly recorded in the journal, the sorting cup 141 containing the spilled first medication will not be used in subsequent packaging processes.

[0331] [Embodiment 16] In this embodiment, when the drug packets containing the drug are dispensed in a continuous band (series of sheets) in the dispensing mechanism 6, a configuration is described to increase the number of drug packets included in the series of sheets.

[0332] The packaging control unit 71 controls the packaging mechanism 6 to package the drugs introduced from the drug input port 17 in predetermined quantities, cut them into predetermined numbers (e.g., 2 packets), and place them in a paper receiving box (not shown). By cutting them into 2-packet portions, the possibility of packaging abnormalities occurring due to drug packets coming into contact with the components of the drug sorting device 1 or the bottom surface of the drug sorting device 1, which would prevent normal discharge of the drug packets, is reduced. However, if there are many drugs of the same type, the sheets may separate, which may reduce the efficiency of subsequent work by the user.

[0333] In this embodiment, by changing the shape of a part of the dispensing mechanism 6, a configuration is provided that allows for dispensing a larger number of drug packets (e.g., 4 packets) than the predetermined number mentioned above as a series of sheets.

[0334] The dispensing mechanism 6 includes a variable roller and a drug packet guide (neither of which are shown). Drug packets discharged via the variable roller are guided by the drug packet guide and placed in a paper receiving box.

[0335] In a configuration that cuts two packets at a time, the packet guide comprises a support portion, a guide portion, and an opposing guide portion. The support portion is a plate-shaped member that has a rectangular shape extending in the direction of travel (extension direction) of the packet discharged from the variable roller and supports the packet. The guide portion is a plate-shaped member that stands substantially perpendicular to one side of the support portion which is substantially parallel to the extension direction, and supports the packet discharged from the variable roller while defining the direction of travel of the packet.

[0336] The opposing guide portion is a plate-shaped member that stands substantially vertically from the support portion and is provided in the support portion at a position opposite to the guide portion, thereby suppressing the dropping of drug packets from the side of the support portion on which the opposing guide portion is provided. Furthermore, one side of the support portion (the side on which the guide portion is provided) which is substantially parallel to the extension direction described above constitutes the bottom of the drug packet guide, and the relative position of the drug packet guide with respect to the variable roller is defined so that the drug packets discharged from the variable roller move along this bottom.

[0337] In this embodiment, the length of the support portion in the extension direction is defined to be shorter than the length of the guide portion in the extension direction. Furthermore, a notch is formed on one side of the support portion distal to the variable roller, near the opposing guide portion. Moreover, the side of the support portion on which the opposing guide portion is provided constitutes the bottom of the drug packet guide, and the relative position of the drug packet guide with respect to the variable roller is defined so that the drug packets discharged from the variable roller move along this bottom. In other words, the notch is formed at the position of the bottom that is furthest from the variable roller. Therefore, by defining the relative position, the drug packets discharged from the variable roller can be efficiently guided to the notch.

[0338] With the above configuration, even if the medication is dispensed as a series of sheets containing four packets, the possibility of the packets coming into contact with the components or bottom surface of the drug sorting device 1 and causing dispensing errors can be reduced. Furthermore, by being able to dispense a series of sheets containing four packets, the subsequent work efficiency for the user can be improved.

[0339] [Embodiment 17] In this embodiment, an example of operation control for the conveying and sorting unit 12 will be described.

[0340] As shown by reference numeral 2002 in Figure 2, the transport control unit 61 moves the transport / sorting unit 12 on the XY plane by controlling its movement in the XY direction. Due to the positional relationship between the transport / sorting unit 12 and the imaging unit 13, there is an area in the XY plane on which the transport / sorting unit 12 moves where the transport / sorting unit 12 and the imaging unit 13 interfere with each other. Therefore, the transport / sorting unit 12 is controlled to move along a path that passes through a predetermined position (relay position) on the XY plane in order to avoid passing through this area. When passing through a relay position, the transport / sorting unit 12 stops at the relay position and then restarts to continue moving. Therefore, this takes more time than when the transport / sorting unit 12 moves directly to the target position. In addition, the stopping and restarting operations cause vibrations in the transport / sorting unit 12 and the drug sorting device 1, which may cause problems such as drugs falling during transport or blurring of the captured image 82 when the imaging unit 13 takes an image.

[0341] When a brushless motor is used to move the transport / sorting unit 12, the position tracking performance with respect to the output pulses controlling the transport / sorting unit 12 is not good. Therefore, the transport / sorting unit 12 is moved via an intermediate position where interference can be reliably avoided. On the other hand, in this embodiment, a stepping motor is used to move the transport / sorting unit 12. This improves the position tracking performance of the transport / sorting unit 12 compared to when a brushless motor is used, allowing for the adoption of the operation control described below.

[0342] In one example of the operation control of this embodiment, the transport / sorting unit 12 can be moved while avoiding interference with the imaging unit 13, even without passing through an intermediate position, depending on the positional relationship between the starting position of the transport / sorting unit 12 and the target position.

[0343] First, an arbitrary point on the XY plane is designated as a reference point. This reference point is determined considering the size and movement range of the transport / sorting unit 12 and the imaging unit 13, and is used as a criterion for determining the possibility of interference between the transport / sorting unit 12 and the imaging unit 13.

[0344] For example, the transport control unit 61 determines, based on the positional relationship between the starting position, the target position, and the Y-coordinate of the reference point, whether the transport / sorting unit 12 can move while avoiding interference without passing through the intermediate position. If the transport control unit 61 determines that interference can be avoided without passing through the intermediate position, it moves the transport / sorting unit 12 directly to the destination position without passing through the intermediate position. In this case, the travel time of the transport / sorting unit 12 can be shortened. In addition, in a route that omits the intermediate position, the number of times the transport / sorting unit 12 stops and restarts is reduced, thereby suppressing vibrations of the transport / sorting unit 12 and the entire drug sorting device 1. Therefore, the possibility of drug dropping and a decrease in identification accuracy due to blurring in imaging can be reduced.

[0345] Furthermore, if the transport control unit 61 determines that the above interference cannot be avoided without passing through an intermediate position, it may control the movement of the transport / sorting unit 12 in the X and Y directions based on the positional relationship between the starting position, the target position, and the X coordinate of the reference point. More specifically, in controlling the movement of the transport / sorting unit 12, the transport control unit 61 may first move it only in the X direction, and then add a movement in the Y direction to the movement in the X direction from an arbitrary position. In addition, based on the positional relationship between the starting position, the target position, and the X coordinate of the reference point, the transport control unit 61 may control the movement of the transport / sorting unit 12 in the Y direction to precede the movement. In this case as well, the transport control unit 61 can move the transport / sorting unit 12 to the target position without passing through an intermediate position (without stopping). This shortens the travel path and reduces travel time.

[0346] [Embodiment 18] In this embodiment, we will describe the configuration when the drugs sorted by the drug sorting device 1 include heat-sensitive drugs.

[0347] Among the drugs sorted by the drug sorting device 1, there are some that are sensitive to heat and may change color when exposed to heat. These heat-sensitive drugs may change color due to the heat they receive from the drug sorting device 1 or the packaging mechanism 6 during the sorting and packaging processes. For simplicity, these heat-sensitive drugs will be referred to as "drugs requiring heating" below.

[0348] Whether or not a drug is a drug that requires heating depends, for example, on the type of coating on the surface of the drug. Therefore, it is possible to determine in advance whether or not each type of drug is a drug that requires heating. In this embodiment, each drug data included in the drug database 81 includes information indicating whether or not it is a drug that requires heating.

[0349] The packaging control unit 71 determines whether or not to transport the drugs sorted into the sorting cup 141 of the second storage unit 14 to the drug input port 17, based on information indicating whether or not the drugs sorted into the sorting cup 141 are drugs that require heating. If the packaging control unit 71 determines that the drugs sorted into the sorting cup 141 are not drugs that require heating, it transports the drugs in the sorting cup 141 to the drug input port 17. If the packaging control unit 71 determines that the drugs sorted into the sorting cup 141 are drugs that require heating, it does not transport the drugs in the sorting cup 141 to the drug input port 17.

[0350] The print output control unit 69 may print information in the journal about sorting cups 141 that the packaging control unit 71 has determined not to transport to the drug input port 17. This information may include, for example, sorting cup identification information (e.g., sorting cup number), the name of the drug stored in the sorting cup 141, the number of drugs stored, and the reason why it was not packaged (e.g., contains a drug that requires heating). The display control unit 67 may also notify the user that a drug requiring heating remains in the sorting cup 141 by displaying information about the sorting cup 141 on the touch panel 3. Furthermore, the content printed in the journal and the content displayed on the screen by the display control unit 67 may include printing or display prompting the user to move the drug requiring heating remaining in the sorting cup 141 to the tablet cassette or drug shelf of the packaging machine.

[0351] With the above configuration, by not transporting the heat-sensitive drug to the packaging mechanism 6, the possibility of the heat-sensitive drug being affected by the heat from the heater roller during the packaging process and discoloring can be reduced.

[0352] [Embodiment 19] In this embodiment, a configuration for correcting the maximum descent distance of the adsorption mechanism 122a will be described.

[0353] The drug transport mechanism 120 controls the approach of the adsorption mechanism 122a to the drug. The maximum distance that the adsorption mechanism 122a can descend to approach the drug is set, for example, according to the distance between the XY plane (a predetermined reference plane) on which the drug transport mechanism 120 moves and the plane of the bottom plate 143b (see Figure 18) of the tray 143 that contains the sorting cups 141. The above descending distance is also referred to as the maximum descending distance.

[0354] If there is a tilt between the reference surface and the flat surface of the bottom plate 143b due to manufacturing variations, an error may occur in the adsorption of the agent by the adsorption mechanism 122a when there is a small amount of agent in the sorting cup 141. For example, consider the case where the position of the sorting cup 141 is higher than the position of the sorting cup 141 when there is no tilt, due to the tilt between the reference surface and the flat surface of the bottom plate 143b. In this case, the adsorption mechanism 122a may get too close to the bottom surface of the sorting cup 141 and suck up the bottom surface of the sorting cup 141. Also, if the position of the sorting cup 141 is lower than the position of the sorting cup 141 when there is no tilt, if the agent to be adsorbed is small, it may not be possible to adsorb the agent.

[0355] In this embodiment, the adsorption mechanism 122a (extraction unit) extracts the drug contained in the sorting cup 141 by moving up and down relative to the sorting cup 141, similar to the embodiment described above. In this embodiment, the control unit 60a includes a measuring unit 76 and a distance determination unit 77, as shown in Figure 1.

[0356] The measuring unit 76 measures the distance between the initial position of the suction mechanism 122a before it descends and the bottom surface of the sorting cup 141 in at least two sorting cups 141 located in the second storage unit 14. The initial position may be a position on the reference plane directly above the sorting cup 141.

[0357] The distance determination unit 77 determines the distance measured by the measurement unit 76 as the maximum descent distance of the adsorption mechanism 122a for each of the at least two sorting cups 141. For sorting cups 141 other than the at least two mentioned above, the distance determination unit 77 calculates the maximum descent distance of the adsorption mechanism 122a based on the measurement results of the measurement unit 76.

[0358] The adsorption mechanism 122a descends with respect to each of the at least two sorting cups 141, using the distance measured by the measuring unit 76 as the maximum descent distance. For sorting cups 141 other than the at least two sorting cups 141, the adsorption mechanism 122a descends with respect to the distance calculated from the measurement results of the measuring unit 76 as the maximum descent distance.

[0359] As a specific example, the control by which the measuring unit 76 controls the push detection unit 126 of the drug transport mechanism 120 to measure the distance between the initial position before descent and the bottom surface of the sorting cup 141 will be explained with reference to Figures 8 and 12.

[0360] The drug adsorption control unit 72 lowers the adsorption mechanism 122a toward the bottom surface of the sorting cups 141 located at positions A-1, F-1, and F-7 in Figure 12, among the sorting cups 141 of the second storage unit 14. When the adsorption mechanism 122a contacts the bottom surface of each of the sorting cups 141 A-1, F-1, and F-7, the indentation detection unit 126 detects the indentation. The measurement unit 76 measures the distance the adsorption mechanism 122a has been lowered before the indentation detection unit 126 detects the indentation.

[0361] The distance determination unit 77 determines the distance measured as described above as the maximum descent distance of the adsorption mechanism 122a for each of the sorting cups 141 A-1, F-1, and F-7. For sorting cups 141 other than A-1, F-1, and F-7, the distance determination unit 77 calculates the maximum descent distance of the adsorption mechanism 122a based on the measurement results of the measurement unit 76.

[0362] Here, A-1, F-1, and F-7 are three points near the corners of the second storage section 14 when viewed from above. By measuring the distance between the initial position and the bottom surface of the sorting cup 141 at these three points, the distance determination unit 77 can calculate the inclination of the second storage section 14 (e.g., bottom plate 143b) with respect to a horizontal plane with reference to a reference point (e.g., A-1). By calculating this inclination, the distance between the initial position and the bottom surface of the sorting cup 141 at positions other than A-1, F-1, and F-7 can be calculated as the maximum descent distance.

[0363] With the above configuration, even if there is a tilt between the reference surface and the flat surface of the bottom plate 143b due to manufacturing machine differences, the height of the bottom surface of each sorting cup 141 caused by the tilt can be corrected. This allows the adsorption of the drug by the adsorption mechanism 122a to be performed more stably.

[0364] In addition, although the above description concerns measuring the distance to each sorting cup 141 using the push detection unit 126, the measuring unit 76 may also measure the distance between the suction mechanism 122a and the bottom surface of the sorting cup 141 using the distance measuring sensor 127 (see 8003 in Figure 8).

[0365] Furthermore, the process for determining the maximum descent, as described above, is performed immediately after the start of the drug sorting device 1, but it is not limited to this; for example, it may be performed before the drug is removed from the first storage unit 11 or after the packaging process.

[0366] [Examples of implementation using software] The control block of the drug sorting device 1 (in particular, each part of the control unit 60a) may be implemented by logic circuits (hardware) formed on an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or by software.

[0367] In the latter case, the drug sorting device 1 is equipped with a computer that executes instructions for a program, which is software that realizes each function. This computer is equipped with, for example, one or more processors and a computer-readable recording medium that stores the program. The object of the present invention is achieved when the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes it in the computer. For example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used as the processor. As the recording medium, a "tangible medium that is not temporary," such as ROM (Read Only Memory), can be used, as well as tape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, programmable logic circuit, etc. It may also be further equipped with RAM (Random Access Memory) for deploying the program. Furthermore, the program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium capable of transmitting the program (such as a communication network or broadcast wave). In one aspect of the present invention, the program can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, which is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0368] [Issues and alternative expressions relating to one aspect of this disclosure] Patent Document 1 does not disclose a process that takes into account the efficiency of removing drugs such as tablets or capsules, or a configuration for realizing such a process. Furthermore, it does not disclose a process for monitoring the storage status of a temporary storage unit where drugs such as tablets or capsules are temporarily placed without sorting, or a configuration for realizing such a process.

[0369] One aspect of the present invention aims to realize a drug dispensing device or drug adsorption device, etc., capable of improving the efficiency of drug dispensing. Another aspect of the present invention aims to realize a drug sorting device that enables dispensing processing according to the storage status of the temporary storage section. Another aspect of the present invention aims to realize a drug sorting device that, when an abnormality occurs in the drug sorting device during dispensing processing, can allow the user to recognize the storage position in the second storage section containing the drug that was to be packaged.

[0370] A drug dispensing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a drug adsorption unit that moves to a storage unit containing a drug and adsorbs the drug stored in the storage unit, and a drug adsorption control unit that controls the approach of the drug adsorption unit to the drug when adsorbing the drug, and controls the re-approach of the drug adsorption unit to the drug when adsorption of the drug fails, wherein the drug adsorption control unit can change the speed immediately before the drug adsorption unit contacts the drug to a first speed when approaching, and to a second speed smaller than the first speed when re-approaching.

[0371] Furthermore, a drug sorting device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a first storage section for storing multiple types of drugs; a second storage section for storing the drugs sorted by type; a temporary storage section for temporarily storing drugs that cannot be stored in the second storage section; an imaging section for imaging drugs taken out of the first storage section; a discrimination section for determining the type of drug based on the image captured by the imaging section; a sorting section for storing the drugs in the second storage section or the temporary storage section based on the discrimination result by the discrimination section or the storage status of the drugs in the second storage section; and a packaging mechanism for packaging the drugs sorted into the second storage section when the temporary storage section is full of drugs.

[0372] Furthermore, a drug adsorption device according to one aspect of the present invention is a drug adsorption device that adsorbs a drug contained in a containment section by moving to the containment section containing the drug, and comprises: an adsorption section for adsorbing the drug; a moving mechanism for moving the adsorption section so that it approaches the drug; and a retraction mechanism that allows the adsorption section to retract in a direction different from the direction of movement at the time of contact with the drug due to the reaction force received by the adsorption section when it moves and comes into contact with the drug.

[0373] Furthermore, a drug sorting device according to one aspect of the present invention is a drug sorting device for sorting several types of drugs, comprising: a first storage section for storing multiple types of drugs; a second storage section for storing the drugs sorted by type; a packaging mechanism for packaging the drugs sorted in the second storage section; and a notification control unit that, if an abnormality occurs in the drug sorting device during packaging of the drugs by the packaging mechanism, notifies the user of the storage position in the second storage section where the drugs that were to be packaged at the time the abnormality occurred are stored.

[0374] Furthermore, a drug sorting device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a first storage section for storing multiple types of drugs; a second storage section for storing the drugs by type in each of a plurality of compartments; a packaging mechanism for packaging the drugs stored in the second storage section; an input section provided on a base on which the first and second storage sections are arranged, into which drugs to be transported to the packaging mechanism are fed; and a first transport section that, if the second storage section contains at least one first drug which is identified as having a high probability of flying out of a compartment when the drugs are removed from the compartment, and at least one second drug which is identified as having a low probability of flying out of the compartment, transports all of the second drugs to the input section, and then transports the first drugs to the input section.

[0375] Furthermore, a drug sorting device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a first storage section for storing multiple types of drugs; a second storage section for storing the drugs by type in each of multiple compartments; a retrieval section for retrieving drugs stored in the compartments by moving up and down relative to the compartments; and a measuring section for measuring the distance between the initial position of the retrieval section before it descends and the bottom surface of the compartment in at least two of the compartments. For each of the at least two compartments, the retrieval section descends with the distance measured by the measuring section as the maximum descent distance. For compartments other than the two compartments, the retrieval section descends with the distance calculated from the measurement result of the measuring section as the maximum descent distance.

[0376] According to one aspect of the present invention, a drug extraction device or drug adsorption device can improve the drug extraction efficiency.

[0377] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a drug sorting device can perform packaging processing according to the contents of the temporary storage section.

[0378] Furthermore, in one aspect of the present invention, when an abnormality occurs in the drug sorting device during the packaging process, the device can allow the user to recognize the storage position in the second storage section that contains the drug to be packaged.

[0379] Furthermore, a drug sorting device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an adsorption mechanism for adsorbing drugs identified as targets for transport, a cover having an opening that covers the area around the drugs adsorbed by the adsorption mechanism during transport, and a shutter mechanism that functions as a bottom cover for the opening of the cover during drug transport.

[0380] Furthermore, a drug sorting device according to one aspect of the present invention is a drug sorting device for sorting multiple types of drugs, comprising: a first storage unit for storing the multiple types of drugs; a discrimination unit for determining the types of drugs stored in the first storage unit; a second storage unit for storing the drugs sorted by type based on the discrimination result of the discrimination unit; and a storage unit for storing drugs that could not be determined by the discrimination unit, wherein the drugs that could not be determined include drugs registered in the drug database as drugs to be discarded, or drugs that the user wishes to discard.

[0381] Furthermore, a drug sorting device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a first storage section for storing multiple types of drugs; a transport section for transporting drugs taken out of the first storage section; a second storage section equipped with multiple sorting cups for storing the drugs sorted by type; and a third storage section for storing items that could not be sorted in the second storage section and having an opening larger than the opening of the sorting cups, wherein the transport section transports items being transported to the third storage section if the items being transported fall from the transport section.

[0382] Furthermore, a control method for a drug sorting device according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method for a drug sorting device comprising: a first storage unit for storing a plurality of types of drugs; a transport unit for transporting drugs taken out from the first storage unit; a second storage unit equipped with a plurality of sorting cups for storing the drugs sorted by type; a third storage unit for storing items that could not be sorted in the second storage unit and having an opening larger than the opening of the sorting cups; and a control unit, wherein the control unit includes a determination step of determining whether an item being transported has fallen from the transport unit; and a transport step of transporting the item being transported to the third storage unit if the determination step determines that an item being transported has fallen from the transport unit.

[0383] Furthermore, a drug sorting device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a first storage section for storing multiple types of drugs, a second storage section having multiple compartments for storing the drugs sorted by type, and a packaging mechanism for packaging the drugs sorted by type in the second storage section into at least one drug packet, wherein in a situation where the same type of drug is packaged in drug packets located at different positions in a group of drug packets, the packaging mechanism either packages the same type of drug stored in the same or different compartments into the same drug packet in the group of drug packets, or packages the same type of drug into drug packets located close to each other in the group of drug packets.

[0384] Furthermore, a drug sorting device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a first storage section for storing multiple types of drugs, a second storage section having multiple compartments for storing the drugs sorted by type, and a packaging mechanism for packaging the drugs sorted by type in the second storage section into at least one drug packet, wherein the packaging mechanism packages drugs of the same type sorted in the compartments over different time periods, resulting in drugs of the same type being packaged in drug packets located at different positions within a continuous group of drug packets, the packaging mechanism either packages drugs of the same type stored in the same or different compartments into the same drug packet in the drug packet group, or packages drugs of the same type located close to each other in the drug packet group. The dispensing mechanism dispenses the same type of drug into dispensing packets located in the same area, and the dispensing mechanism dispenses the drug contained in the second storage section and prints information indicating the type of drug on the dispensing packets containing the drug. The dispensing mechanism includes a control unit that (i) acquires the information printed on the dispensing packets and (ii) specifies the sorting position of the drug contained in the dispensing packets from which the information was acquired, based on the acquired information, so that the same type of drug is contained in the same section. When the same type of drug contained in the dispensing packets is contained in the section corresponding to the sorting position of the drug specified by the control unit, the same type of drug contained in the section is dispensing into the same dispensing packets or dispensing packets located close to each other.

[0385] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the drug sorting device may, after displaying the sorting position of the designated drug on the display unit, and the packaging mechanism may, upon receiving user input to start packaging after the display unit has been updated, package the same type of drug contained in the compartment into the same package or into packages located close to each other.

[0386] Furthermore, a drug sorting device according to one aspect of the present invention is a drug sorting device that is communicably connected to a data management device that manages drug data relating to all drugs that can be handled by a plurality of drug sorting devices, and comprises: an imaging unit that images each of a plurality of types of drugs that are put into the drug sorting device; a discrimination unit that determines the type of drug based on the image of the drug captured by the imaging unit and drug data relating to the plurality of types of drugs; a sorting unit that sorts the drugs by type based on the discrimination result by the discrimination unit; and a control unit that associates model discrimination information for identifying the drug sorting device with the drug data.

[0387] Furthermore, a drug sorting device according to one aspect of the present invention is a drug sorting device that is communicably connected to a data management device that manages drug data relating to all drugs that can be handled by a plurality of drug sorting devices, and comprises: an imaging unit that images each of a plurality of types of drugs that are put into the drug sorting device; a discrimination unit that determines the type of drug based on the image of the drug captured by the imaging unit and drug data relating to the plurality of types of drugs; a sorting unit that sorts the drugs by type based on the discrimination result by the discrimination unit; and a control unit that associates model discrimination information for identifying the drug sorting device with the drug data, wherein the model discrimination information includes at least one of the serial number of the imaging unit used when imaging the drug, the equipment manufacturing number of the drug sorting device, and the user name of the drug sorting device or the user name that imaged the drug, and the control unit transmits the drug data associated with the model discrimination information to the data management device.

[0388] In a drug sorting device according to one aspect of the present invention, if drug data corresponding to the image of the drug does not exist, the control unit may link the image of the drug with the drug data of the drug identified by the user, and link the model identification information to the drug data.

[0389] In a drug sorting device according to one aspect of the present invention, the model identification information may further include the date and time of creation of drug data based on an image of the drug.

[0390] A data management device according to one aspect of the present invention is a data management device that is communicably connected to the drug sorting device described above, and may acquire drug data linked to the model identification information from each of the plurality of drug sorting devices.

[0391] [Additional Notes] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0392] 1. Chemical sorting device 6 Packaging mechanism 11. First Detention Unit (Detention Unit) 12. Transport and sorting units (pharmaceutical transport section, sorting section, 1st transport section, 2nd transport section, 3rd transport section) 13. Imaging Unit (Imaging Section) 14. Second Detention Unit (Detention Unit) 15. Standby tray (temporary storage section, storage section) 17. Drug input port (input section) 62 Sorting Control Unit (State Determination Unit) 64 Discrimination part 67 Display Control Unit (Notification Control Unit) 72 Drug adsorption control unit (drug extraction device) 122a Adsorption mechanism (drug adsorption section, drug adsorption device, drug extraction device, extraction section) 122b Air tube (hollow section) 122c Suction pad (tip, suction part) 122d Base section (retraction mechanism) 122f Spacer (retraction mechanism) 122g spring (elastic component, retraction mechanism) 122i Sliding section (moving mechanism) 126 Push detection unit 133a Drug storage tray (storage section) 141 Sorting cup (storage area, compartment) M Pharmacy MAr range of motion

Claims

1. A system including a drug sorting device and a data management device that is communicatively connected to the drug sorting device and manages drug data relating to all drugs that can be handled by a plurality of the drug sorting devices, The aforementioned chemical sorting device is An imaging unit that images each of the multiple types of drugs that are put into the aforementioned drug sorting device, A discrimination unit that determines the type of drug based on the image of the drug captured by the imaging unit and drug data relating to the multiple types of drugs, A sorting unit sorts the drugs by type based on the discrimination results from the discrimination unit, The system includes a control unit that associates the drug data with model identification information for identifying the drug sorting device, The control unit transmits the drug data linked to the model identification information to the data management device. The aforementioned data management device is From each of the multiple drug sorting devices, drug data linked to the model identification information is obtained. By referring to the aforementioned model identification information, the drug sorting device that is the source of the drug data is identified, A system that, if the reliability of the drug data obtained from the drug sorting device is low, infers that the reliability of drug data for other types of drugs transmitted by the drug sorting device is also low.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the model identification information includes the date and time of creation of drug data based on the image of the drug.

Images