Drug sorting device

Abstract

In a drug sorting device capable of separating large quantities of drugs into individual containers, the device allows for easy retrieval of containers containing designated drugs corresponding to identification information. [Solution] The drug sorting device comprises a storage unit for storing multiple drugs to be sorted, a sorting unit for sorting each of the multiple drugs stored in the storage unit into one of multiple containers, multiple support devices for supporting some of the containers among the multiple containers, a moving mechanism for moving the support devices along a fixed path in the vertical and horizontal directions, a container removal unit located along the path of the moving mechanism where a container can be removed by an operator, a reading unit on which a drug cassette with identification information is placed and which can read the identification information, and a control unit for storing the drugs sorted into containers. The control unit distinguishes the drug corresponding to the identification information on the drug cassette and the container in which the drug has been sorted, and moves the support device including the container to the container removal unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a medicine sorting device.

Background Art

[0002] Mainly in hospital pharmacies and the like, there may be cases where a large amount of medicine dispensed by a packaging machine or the like is returned without being used as a result of shortages, packaging mistakes, or other reasons. For the identification of medicines, it is generally done by using the identification code of the medicine written on the outer package of the medicine. However, especially for packaged medicines, it is difficult to confirm by matching with the outer package, and it has been a very heavy burden for pharmacists to manually identify the prescribed unknown medicine based on clues such as the size, shape, and color of the medicine. For the purpose of collecting and reusing such medicines, a medicine sorting device is used, for example, to identify the type of medicine based on an image of the medicine and return it to a predetermined storage location (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3, etc.). However, the problem with conventional medicine sorting devices is that there is only something that allows a person to distinguish the containers after sorting the medicines and take out a specific container, and it has also been difficult to cooperate with other tablet packaging machines and the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a novel drug sorting device that can sort a large quantity of drugs into individual containers, and that can easily retrieve containers containing designated drugs corresponding to identification information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention comprises: a storage unit for storing a plurality of drugs to be sorted; a sorting unit for sorting each of the plurality of drugs stored in the storage unit into one of a plurality of containers; a plurality of support devices for supporting some of the containers among the plurality of containers; a moving mechanism for moving the support devices along a fixed path in the vertical and horizontal directions; a container removal unit located along the path of the moving mechanism, where the containers can be removed by an operator; a reading unit on which a drug cassette containing identification information is placed, thereby enabling the reading of the identification information; and a control unit for storing the drugs sorted into the containers. The control unit distinguishes between a drug corresponding to the identification information on the drug cassette and the container in which the drug has been sorted, and moves the support device including the container to the container removal unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, in a drug sorting device capable of sorting individual drugs into containers from a mixture of large quantities of drugs, it is possible to easily retrieve containers containing designated drugs corresponding to identification information. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drug sorting device. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the front view of the drug sorting device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the internal configuration of the drug sorting device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 2 shows an example of a drug in the input section. [Figure 5]It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the upper structure part of the drug dispensing device. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the guide part of the drug dispensing device. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the transfer part. [Figure 8] It is an enlarged diagram showing an example of the configuration near the tip of the transfer part shown in Fig. 7. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the transfer part shown in Fig. 8. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the second imaging part. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the second imaging part. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the buffer chute. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the buffer chute. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the storage container. [Figure 15] It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the moving mechanism. [Figure 16] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of the moving mechanism shown in Fig. 15. [Figure 17] It is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the support device and the storage container in the container take-out part. [Figure 18] It is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the lock mechanism shown in Fig. 17. [Figure 19] It is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control part of the drug dispensing device. [Figure 20] It is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the shape determination part in the first imaging part. [Figure 21] It is a diagram showing an example of the operation when opening and closing the lid of the storage container in the buffer chute. [Figure 22] It is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the user interface of the drug dispensing device. [Figure 23] It is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration in the visual inspection function of the drug dispensing device. [Figure 24] It is a diagram showing an example of the dispensing operation of the drug dispensing device. [Figure 25] It is a diagram showing an example of an operation when there is a misidentification drug in the storage container to be taken out. [Figure 26] It is a diagram showing an example of an operation of attaching a storage container to a support device. [Figure 27] It is a diagram showing an example of a configuration when storage containers are attached to all of the support devices. [Figure 28] It is a diagram showing an example of another configuration of the container take-out part. [Figure 29] It is a diagram showing a modification example of another configuration of the container take-out part.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 3 show the basic configuration of a drug sorting device 100 used in the present invention.

[0009] The drug sorting device 100 includes a hopper-shaped input unit 10 into which a plurality of drugs M can be input in a mixed state, a first imaging unit 20 for determining from an image of the shape of the drug M, and a guide unit 30 disposed below the input unit 10 and forming a path connecting the input unit 10 and the first imaging unit 20. The drug sorting device 100 also includes a second imaging unit 40 for discriminating the type of the drug M from the captured image, a transfer unit 50 for holding and transporting the drugs M one by one, a buffer chute 60 for temporarily storing the transported drugs M, and a control unit 90 for controlling each operation part. The drug sorting device 100 also includes a support device 80 which is a plurality of container holding parts for respectively supporting a plurality of storage containers 71 as described later at its lower part, and a moving mechanism 70 for moving the support device 80 along a fixed path in the vertical and horizontal directions. A container take-out part 73 capable of taking out the storage container 71 is provided in a part of the path of the moving mechanism 70, and an openable and closable shutter 74 is provided on the front side of the drug sorting device 100 so that an operator can access the container take-out part 73. Furthermore, on the front side of the container removal section 73, there is an openable / closable work table 104 that opens forward from the housing of the drug sorting device 100, and a printer 105 capable of printing information on sorted or returned drugs.

[0010] The drug sorting device 100 also includes a front camera 103, which is a reading means provided on the front side of the device body for reading container-specific information such as a QR code (registered trademark) set on each of the storage containers 71, and a cassette base 120, which functions as a reading unit capable of reading the identification information of the tablet cassette 110 when the tablet cassette 110 containing the identification information is placed on it. A touch panel 102 is provided on the front of the drug sorting device 100, which functions as both a display unit showing the operation of the drug sorting device 100 and an operation unit for various operations. The tablet cassette 110 functions as a drug cassette that holds drugs according to their respective identification information, but in this embodiment, we will use the term tablet cassette 110 because we will be specifically describing tablets.

[0011] In this embodiment, drug M is described in particular as a tablet, but it is not limited to this configuration; any drug that can be identified by the captured image is acceptable. For example, drug M may be in various shapes such as disc-shaped, cylindrical, ellipsoidal, or capsule-shaped. Furthermore, unless there is a particular need to distinguish between them, the drugs in this embodiment will be uniformly referred to as drug M, but drug M may be the same type of drug or different types of drugs.

[0012] Furthermore, on the front side of the drug sorting device 100, as shown in Figure 2, there is an input port 11 for introducing multiple drugs M in a mixed state, located above the input section 10 in the vertical direction. The tablet cassette 110 and cassette base 120 are positioned above the container dispensing section 73 and below the input opening 11.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the input section 10 has an openable input port 11 for inputting the chemicals M in a mixed state, an outlet 12 located below the input port 11, i.e., in the -Z direction, and a hopper 13 located between the input port 11 and the outlet 12. Figure 3 is a YZ cross-section of the chemical sorting device 100, showing the positional relationship between the hopper 13 and the lower guide section 30.

[0014] When the input port 11 is open, it rotates to tilt towards the front of the drug sorting device 100 as shown in Figure 4, and is held in a position where it can stop while maintaining a certain incline so that the injected drug M slides out. Furthermore, since a hopper 13 is located behind the inlet 11, in order to prevent interference with the hopper 13, the rear end wall surface 11b of the inlet 11 in Figure 4 is a rounded wall surface with a predetermined radius of curvature. With this configuration, interference with the inlet 11 is less likely when removing the hopper 13, improving replaceability and maintainability. Furthermore, the opening 11 in the open state is equipped with an inclined portion 11a that is sloped to such an extent that the injected chemical M slides down, and the front surface of the chemical sorting device 100 of the hopper 13 also forms an inclined portion 13a that is similarly sloped to such an extent that the chemical M slides down. Thus, the input section 10 is designed so that the chemicals M, which are introduced into the input port 11 in a mixed state of various types, slide down towards the discharge port 12 and further towards the guide section 30 beyond it.

[0015] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the input section 10 is positioned such that the discharge port 12 is located on the guide section 30, and the drug M, which is introduced in a mixed state, is gradually transported through the space between the discharge port 12 and the guide section 30, thereby functioning as a storage section. In other words, when the chemical agent M accumulates at the bottom of the input section 10, between the discharge port 12 and the guide section 30, it will not fall from the top to the bottom of the input section 10. However, when the chemical agent M that the guide section 30 is in contact with is moved in the lateral direction in Figure 4, that is, in the -X direction in Figure 2, different chemical agents M above will successively move between the discharge port 12 and the guide section 30 due to their own weight. In this way, the chemical agent M stored inside the hopper 13 moves downward along with the transport by the guide unit 30.

[0016] Furthermore, the amount of chemical agent M supplied to the guide section 30 at this time varies depending on the distance between the guide section 30 and the discharge port 12, and this distance h1 can be adjusted by the height of the hopper 13. However, it was found that simply adjusting the height of the hopper 13 to regulate the amount of chemical M that falls results in problems: for example, if the spacing is too narrow, the chemical M is not supplied to the guide section 30 properly, and conversely, if the spacing is too wide, a large amount of chemical M moves to the guide section 30.

[0017] Therefore, in this embodiment, a flexible resin cover 14 is attached around the discharge port 12. Because this cover 14 is located between the discharge port 12 and the guide portion 30, the drug M is restricted from falling to some extent, and when a certain amount of weight is applied, the cover 14 bends and deforms, making it easier for the drug M to fall. By surrounding the discharge port 12, which is the opening at the bottom of the hopper 13, with the soft cover 14 in this way, the chemical M can be discharged smoothly from the hopper 13 while restricting its falling.

[0018] As already mentioned, the height h1, which is the distance between the discharge port 12 of the input section 10 and the surface of the guide body 31 of the guide section 30, can be finely adjusted according to the size of the drug M. When viewed from above, the input section 10 has a tapered shape in which at least the wall surface on the -X direction side of the wall surface forming the discharge port 12 widens from the input port 11 relative to the discharge port 12. By using a tapered shape, the number of drug units that can be stored in the input section 10 can be increased, and the discharge port 12 is located on the upstream side in the transport direction of the guide section 30, so that the alignment due to vibration is more even due to the increased transport distance.

[0019] Furthermore, as already mentioned, the input opening 11 is located above the cassette base 120 on which the tablet cassette 110 is placed, and the tablet cassette 110 is positioned in such a way that it fits into the dead space created by the inclination of the inclined portion 13a of the hopper 13. With this configuration, the tablet cassette 110 can be placed near the container dispensing section 73, improving the work efficiency when refilling the tablet cassette 110 with the drug dispensed from the container dispensing section 73. Furthermore, since sufficient height can be secured from the input opening 11 to the guide section 30, the storage capacity can be increased, extending the operating time of the drug sorting device 100.

[0020] In this embodiment, the guide section 30 is a transport path that functions as a vibratory feeder. The guide section 30 includes a guide body section 31 on which the transport surface for transporting the drug M is formed on the +Z direction side, a vibration drive section 32 positioned below the guide body section 31, and chute guides 33 positioned on both sides of the guide body section 31 and mounted so as to cover at least both sides of the discharge port 12 in the ±Y direction, thereby forming a guide wall surface. The chute guide 33 is magnetically attached to the guide body 31 so as to be detachable, preventing it from coming off the guide 30 due to unintended bouncing or other reasons when the drug M falls from the input section 10 through the discharge port 12, and also preventing the drug M from falling out during transport. The vibration drive unit 32 is an electromagnetic vibrator that vibrates the guide body 31 by, for example, 7200 vibrations per minute, thereby transporting the drug M located on the upper surface of the guide body 31 in the -X direction.

[0021] In this embodiment, the guide section 30 also has a vibration drive unit 32 which acts as a vibration feeder to vibrate the guide body section 31. With this configuration, the guide body 31 vibrates, causing the drug M to move along the transport path enclosed by the guide body 31 and the chute guide 33.

[0022] In this embodiment, the guide portion 30 also has a detachable chute guide 33 that forms the side wall of the guide portion 30. By making the chute guide 33 removable, it is possible to prevent the drug M from coming off the guide part 30 due to unintended bouncing or other reasons when it falls through the discharge port 12, and to prevent the drug M from falling out during transport. Furthermore, since the guide body 31 is attached by magnets and is easy to attach and detach, the guide body 31 and chute guide 33, which form the transport path, can be easily cleaned.

[0023] As shown in Figure 5, a passage sensor 36 is provided as a detection unit between the first imaging unit 20 and the guide unit 30, that is, at the downstream end in the -X direction which is the transport direction of the guide unit 30. The passage sensor 36 is a detection unit for detecting when the drug M has moved from the guide unit 30 to the first imaging unit 20. When a predetermined quantity, for example, one or more drugs M have passed through, the vibration of the vibration drive unit 32 is stopped via the control unit 90. The passage sensor 36 allows for confirmation of whether the drug M is moving when it is transported from the guide unit 30 to the first imaging unit 20, and also prevents problems such as an excessively large amount of drug M being transported to the first imaging unit 20 at the same time.

[0024] Let me explain this point in a little more detail. As already mentioned, the guide unit 30 is a vibrating feeder, so the drug M that falls from the input unit 10 reaches the first imaging unit 20 at a predetermined speed determined by the vibration frequency of the vibration drive unit 32, etc. However, as will be described later, the transfer unit 50 is a transfer unit that adsorbs and transfers the drug M one by one, and its operation requires a certain amount of time. In other words, if the guide unit 30 carries a large amount of drug M at once, a large amount of drug M will be placed on the first imaging unit 20, and there are concerns that the overlapping and close contact of the drugs may affect the accuracy of image acquisition. Therefore, if the passage sensor 36 detects that more than a predetermined quantity of drug M has been transported, the vibration of the vibration drive unit 32 is temporarily restricted to temporarily suppress the movement of drug M moving from the guide unit 30 to the first imaging unit 20. Specifically, for example, the passage sensor 36 is an infrared sensor that outputs infrared light in the Y direction, and when the passage sensor 36 detects that one or more drug M have passed through, the vibration drive unit 32 is temporarily stopped, and resumes after waiting for the first imaging unit 20 to take an image. In this way, by limiting the amount of drug M flowing from the guide unit 30 to the first imaging unit 20 using the passage sensor 36, the imaging accuracy in the first imaging unit 20 can be improved.

[0025] The first imaging unit 20 has a black imaging stage 21, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. A first camera 23 is positioned above the shooting stage 21. In this embodiment, it is attached to the transport unit 50 as described later, but the configuration is not limited to this, and any imaging device that includes the shooting stage 21 within its field of view can be used. The shooting stage 21 has a bottom surface 22 and side wall portions 24 formed to surround three directions of the bottom surface 22, excluding the +X direction side to which the guide portion 30 is connected. The bottom surface 22 and side wall portions 24 that make up the shooting stage 21 are both molded from a resin material such as rubber. Furthermore, the shooting stage 21 is detachably attached to the lower shooting vibration unit 25, and it is desirable to make it easy to clean. Furthermore, the bottom plate 26 of the imaging vibration unit 25 that supports the imaging stage 21 has a circular hollow hole formed in the center, and with this configuration, the imaging stage 21 can be easily removed from the hollow hole.

[0026] The imaging vibration unit 25 is a vibration unit having a drive source 25a independent of the vibration drive unit 32 of the guide unit 30, and is located below the imaging stage 21. After the passage sensor 36 is activated and the first camera 23 acquires an image of the shooting stage 21, the control unit 90 performs a simplified determination of the shape of each drug M from the acquired image by image recognition. If, in this simplified determination, drug M1 and drug M2 are overlapped and recognized as a single tablet, and do not match an existing type of shape, the shooting vibration unit 25 vibrates to resolve the overlap between these drugs M, allowing an image to be acquired on the shooting stage 21 with them separated.

[0027] Furthermore, it is known that if the drug M gets too close to the side wall 24, image recognition may fail and the drug M and the side wall may be recognized as a single, integrated shape. Therefore, if the control unit 90 determines that the side wall portion 24 and the drug M are too close together when the first camera 23 takes a picture from above and cannot accurately recognize their shape, it may vibrate the imaging vibration unit 25 to allow the drug M to scatter appropriately, and then take another picture.

[0028] Furthermore, the image recognition performed using the images captured at this time is a simplified method capable of determining the position of the center of gravity of drug M and its general shape. Therefore, even if, for example, the drug M rolls before and after the vibration and moves to a position significantly different from the position initially captured, the number of tablets in the image, i.e., the number of center of gravity positions, will remain the same if there is no overlap, and the number of center of gravity positions will increase if there is overlap. In this way, if the number of center of gravity positions does not change before and after the imaging vibration unit 25 takes an image, the control unit 90 determines that there was no overlap, determines the center of gravity position of the drug M from the image taken by the imaging stage 21 after the vibration, and transmits this information to the transfer unit 50.

[0029] As shown in Figure 7, the transfer unit 50 is a pickup unit that can move along the three axes of X, Y, and Z. The transfer unit 50 is equipped with a belt 52 wrapped around multiple pulleys 53 in an H shape, and motors 54a and 54b whose rotation direction can be controlled independently. By controlling the rotation direction and amount of rotation of motors 54a and 54b, the operating unit 51 is provided to move freely in the X and Y directions. The operating unit 51 is equipped with a nozzle 55 that is movable up and down and capable of adsorbing the drug M, and a fall prevention shutter 58 that opens and closes in accordance with the vertical movement of the transfer unit 50. The operating unit 51, nozzle 55, and fall prevention shutter 58 operate together as the transfer unit 50. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a first camera 23 is attached to the operating unit 51, and by obtaining the center of gravity position from the image captured by the first camera 23 through image recognition, the optimal lowering position of the nozzle 55 can be determined.

[0030] The nozzle 55 is a nozzle for adsorbing the drug M by air pressure, and adsorbs the drug M by drawing air with a pump and using a solenoid valve. The tip of the nozzle 55 is equipped with a suction pad 55a, and as the transfer unit 50 descends, the suction pad 55a comes into contact with the drug M and the drug M is adsorbed.

[0031] The transfer unit 50 moves the operating unit 51 to a predetermined position and lowers the nozzle 55 to adsorb the drug M on the imaging stage 21 and transfer the drug M to the second imaging unit 40 while holding it. Similarly, since the movable range of the transfer unit 50 also includes the position of the buffer chute 60 shown in Figure 5, the movement from the second imaging unit 40 to the buffer chute 60 is also performed by the transfer unit 50.

[0032] Figure 8 is a magnified view of a portion of the operating unit 51 near the nozzle 55. The nozzle 55 is provided within the operating section 51 so as to be able to move up and down by a nozzle driving means 56. Furthermore, the operating unit 51 includes a fall prevention cover 57 positioned to surround the suction pad 55a when the nozzle 55 moves to its highest position, and a fall prevention shutter 58. The fall prevention shutter 58 is a plate-shaped member supported so as to be rotatable horizontally with respect to the XY plane. As shown in Figure 8, when the nozzle 55 is descending, it retracts to a position that does not obstruct the vertical movement of the nozzle 55. Also, as shown in Figure 9, when the nozzle 55 has risen all the way up, the fall prevention shutter 58 rotates and comes into contact with the lower end of the fall prevention cover 57, so that the fall prevention cover 57 and the fall prevention shutter 58 surround the drug M at least from below and to the side, thereby preventing the drug M from falling. Since the fall prevention shutter 58 is set to close whenever the nozzle 55 moves upward, this fall prevention function can keep the drug M in place even when the power supply to the transfer unit 50 is cut off. With this configuration, even if the power supply is unexpectedly interrupted due to a momentary power outage during transport, the drug M can be held regardless of the position of the transport unit 50, thus preventing the drug M from falling unintentionally.

[0033] The second imaging unit 40 shown in Figure 10 is the part that photographs the drug M in order to identify the type of drug M. The second imaging unit 40 includes an imaging table 41 on which the drug M is placed for imaging (see also Figure 5), an actuator 42 such as a motor that rotates the imaging table 41, a second camera 43 that photographs the drug M placed on the imaging table 41, an illumination device 44 that illuminates the drug M, and a camera movement mechanism 45 that moves the second camera 43 and the illumination device 44.

[0034] As shown in Figure 5, the imaging table 41 is equipped with four placement platforms 41A to 41D on which the drug M is placed. Furthermore, although the imaging table 41 is disc-shaped as shown in Figure 5 in this embodiment, it may also be configured with a partition at the top to make each mounting table 41A to 41D easier to see, or it may be cross-shaped with mounting tables 41A to 41D supported at each end of the cross and rotated by an actuator 42.

[0035] Mounting tables 41A and 41B are positioned opposite each other across the rotational axis O1 of the imaging table 41, and mounting tables 41C and 41D are also positioned opposite each other across the rotational axis O1 in a direction perpendicular to the opposing direction of mounting tables 41A and 41B. The mounting tables 41A and 41B are formed in a dish shape and are transparent. The mounting tables 41C and 41D have two opposing rollers R1 and R2, and the drug M in the capsule is placed between the rollers R1 and R2. The drug M in the capsule placed on the mounting table 41C or 41D rotates around a central axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the drug M by the rotation of the rollers R1 and R2. The rotation of the rollers R1 and R2 is performed by actuators 42 connected to the mounting tables 41C and 41D, respectively. The number of mounting tables provided in the imaging table 41 is arbitrary and may be other than four.

[0036] In this embodiment, the imaging table 41 is positioned on a base plate 101 which is on the same plane as the first imaging unit 20 and the like inside the drug sorting device 100. The actuator 42 rotates the imaging table 41 around a rotational axis O1 that extends in the vertical direction, causing the mounting tables 41A to 41D to also rotate. Any of the rotating mounting tables 41A to 41D is placed on the through hole 101A provided in the base plate 101. The mounting table located on the through hole 101A will also be referred to as mounting table 41X below. Mounting table 41X is the mounting table placed at the shooting position, as described later.

[0037] A second camera 43 and an illumination device 44 are positioned above the through-hole 101A. The illumination device 44 is formed in a ring shape surrounding the optical axis of the second camera 43, and the second camera 43 photographs the drug M placed on the mounting table 41X through the hollow space surrounded by the illumination device 44. When the drug M is placed on any of the mounting tables 41A to 41D by the transfer unit 50, the imaging table 41 rotates, and the mounting table on which the drug M is placed moves to the position above the through-hole 101A (i.e., the imaging position) and becomes mounting table 41X. This movement allows the drug M to be placed on any of the mounting tables 41A to 41D at a location other than the imaging location where the second camera 43 is positioned, thus preventing interference between the transfer unit 50 (especially the nozzle 55) and the second camera 43.

[0038] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the camera movement mechanism 45 rotates the unit of the second camera 43 and the lighting device 44 around the rotation axis O2 and around the mounting base 41X. The camera movement mechanism 45 comprises an actuator 45A such as a motor, and a camera arm 45B connected to the drive shaft 45C of the actuator 45A, extending in a direction perpendicular to the drive shaft 45C, to which the second camera 43 and the lighting device 44 are fixed.

[0039] The camera movement mechanism 45 rotates the second camera 43 and lighting device 44 as a unit, allowing the second camera 43 and lighting device 44 to move between a first shooting position, shown by a solid line in Figure 11, which photographs the mounting platform 41X from above, and a second shooting position, shown by a dashed line, which photographs the mounting platform 41X from below. This allows the second camera 43 to photograph the drug M in tablet form placed on the transparent mounting platform 41X from both above and below, when the mounting platform 41X is either mounting platform 41A or 41B. This configuration enables shooting from multiple directions, both above and below, with a single camera.

[0040] Once the captured drug M has its drug identification information determined from the image data, as described later, it is further transferred from the second imaging unit 40 to the buffer chute 60 by the transfer unit 50.

[0041] Here, the buffer chute 60 is transferred from the second imaging unit 40 by the transfer unit 50 and holds the drug M to be contained in one of the multiple storage containers 71 until the storage container 71 containing the drug M is moved to the desired position by the moving mechanism 70. When the storage container 71 to be transported is moved to the range of the uppermost buffer chute 60, the buffer chute 60 moves in the Y direction to the position of the storage container 71 into which the drug M should be placed, and dispenses the drug M into the storage container 71.

[0042] As shown in Figure 5, the buffer chute 60 has an opening 61 that is open on the base plate 101. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, the buffer chute 60 includes a temporary storage section 62 located below the base plate 101 and movable in the Y-axis direction on the XY plane, a push bar 63 that pushes down the lid of the storage container 71 to open and close the lid of the storage container 71, an opening / closing section 64 that forms one of the walls of the temporary storage section 62 and rotates to drop the drug M from the temporary storage section 62 downward, and an empty detection camera 65 (not shown) positioned to photograph the inside of the storage container 71 when the push bar 63 has opened or closed. The temporary storage section 62 and the opening / closing section 64 are in contact when the opening / closing section 64 is in the closed position. When the opening / closing section 64 rotates around the rotation axis O3, the wall of the temporary storage section 62 opens, and the drug M placed in the temporary storage section 62 is held in a manner that allows it to slide out.

[0043] The operation of the buffer shoot 60 will be explained using Figure 13. When a predetermined storage container 71 moves to the uppermost row, which is the furthest back row of the drug sorting device 100, by a gondola-shaped moving mechanism 70 described later, the buffer chute 60 moves in the Y direction toward the storage container 71. At this time, the control unit 90 stores the position of each storage container 71 in the moving mechanism 70, as will be described later, so the destination is controlled based on the instructions of the control unit 90.

[0044] The buffer chute 60 moves over a predetermined storage container 71 while holding the drug M dropped from the transfer unit 50 into the opening 61 in the temporary storage unit 62. As shown in Figure 13, the temporary storage section 62 is equipped with a push bar 63 that can move up and down. When the temporary storage section 62 stops over a predetermined storage container 71X, the push bar 63 moves up and down, pressing down on a part of the hinge 713 at the base of the lid 712 of the storage container 71, thereby opening the lid 712. The configuration of the storage container 71 is shown in an enlarged view in Figure 14. The storage container 71 is a plastic container in which the lid portion 712 rotates when a part of the hinge 713 is pressed, and multiple drug Ms can be placed inside. Furthermore, a recognition member 714 that holds container-specific information is attached to the upper surface of the lid portion 712.

[0045] With the storage container 71 open, when the opening / closing part 64 rotates around the rotation axis O3, the drug M that was placed in the temporary storage part 62 slides down and is poured into the storage container 71. Furthermore, at this time, the control unit 90 knows the individual positions of the storage containers 71 into which the drug M should be dispensed, so it may also photograph the inside of the opened storage container 71 using the empty detection camera 65. When the storage container 71 is used for the first time, the inside of the opened storage container 71 is expected to be empty, and even if it is not, displaying the image obtained by the empty detection camera 65 on the touch panel 102 is useful because it allows for quick detection of any contamination such as foreign matter.

[0046] As shown in Figures 15 and 16, the moving mechanism 70 is a moving device provided at the bottom of the drug sorting device 100 for circulating and moving a plurality of support devices 80. As shown in Figure 17, the moving mechanism 70 has a pair of annular members 72 facing each other in the left-right direction with a plurality of support devices 80 in between, and a plurality of rotating members 721 to 727 around which the annular members 72 are wrapped, supporting and rotating the annular members 72. The rotating members 721 to 727 are all basically rotating bodies that perform the same movement, so they are collectively referred to as the rotating member 721. The annular member 72 is, for example, an endless member made of a chain or a belt. If a chain is used, the rotating members 721 to 727 are gears. If a belt is used, the rotating members 721 to 727 are pulleys. The enlarged view of the area around the storage container 71 enclosed by the dotted line in Figure 16 illustrates the case where a chain is used.

[0047] The rotating members 721 to 727 are arranged in pairs on both sides of the lower part of the drug sorting device 100, facing each other in the left-right direction. Each of the rotating members 721 to 727 is rotatable around a central axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the support device 80, and an annular member 72 is wrapped around it. The moving mechanism 70 further includes a drive device 75 as a drive source to rotate the lowest rotating member 726 on the left and right sides. Note that if the left and right rotating members 726 are to be rotated independently, multiple drive devices 75 may be provided. The drive device 75 may be a drive mechanism that includes an actuator such as a motor and a plurality of gears that transmit the rotation of the actuator to the rotating member 726.

[0048] The annular member 72 is provided with cylindrical pins 729 that protrude toward the center of the drug sorting device 100 at regular intervals, and both ends of the support device 80 are attached to the annular member 72 in such a manner that they are attached to these pins 729. Therefore, as the annular member 72 moves, the support device 80 also moves along the path of the annular member 72, within the range of motion of the moving mechanism 70. Figure 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating such a travel path.

[0049] As shown in Figures 15 and 16, the container removal section 73 and the shutter 74 are located along the movement path. Furthermore, guide rails 77 are provided along the movement path, running parallel to the annular member 72, to restrict the movement of the support device 80. The guide rail 77 is supported away from the side wall of the housing so as to be located on the central side (inside) of the drug sorting device 100 than the annular member 72, and by contacting the rotating rollers 82 provided at both ends of the support device 80 as described later, it is possible to prevent the support device 80 from swinging when the annular member 72 moves.

[0050] In particular, at the top of the moving mechanism 70, the buffer chute 60 will dispense the drug M, and the operator may also remove the storage container 71 from the container removal section 73. In such a situation, if the support device 80 is subjected to force from above or below, causing it to swing around the pin 729, there is a risk that it may become difficult to remove the storage container 71 or to put the drug M into the storage container 71. Therefore, although it is not essential that the guide rail 77 is formed to run parallel to the annular member 72 over the entire length of the movement path as in this embodiment, it is preferable that the guide rail 77 be provided at least at the uppermost stage of the movement mechanism 70, particularly near the container removal section 73, and near the drug injection position Q where the drug M is injected from the buffer chute 60, as shown in Figure 16. Furthermore, such guide rail 77 may be a movement restricting member that prevents the swinging of the support device 80 or the storage container 71 caused by the movement of the annular member 72, and is not limited to being rail-shaped.

[0051] The support device 80 will be explained using Figure 17. Figure 17 shows the support device 80 when it has moved to the container removal section 73, and as will be described later, in addition to the support device 80, the annular member 72, the pin 729, and the position detection sensor 76 are also shown. As previously described, the support device 80 is supported so as to be movable by the moving mechanism 70 by being attached to a pin 729 that extends inward from the annular member 72 toward the drug sorting device 100, and supports the eight storage containers 71. The support device 80 comprises a support device body 81 with eight frames formed to accommodate the storage containers 71, a right end 83 and a left end 84 which are receiving parts connected to the pin 729 of the annular member 72, and a rotating roller 82 mounted below the right end 83 and the left end 84. In this embodiment, eight storage containers 71 are attached, but the support device 80 may support one or more storage containers 71. Also, the number of storage containers 71 supported may differ among multiple support devices 80. Furthermore, the names "right end" and "left end" are merely convenient designations based on Figure 17, and here the end on the -Y direction side of the support device 80 is referred to as the left end 84, and the end on the +Y direction side is referred to as the right end 83. The frame-shaped opening portions 85 formed on the support device body 81 are all the same shape and are formed so that the storage container 71 can fit in any position. Furthermore, since the shape of the storage container 71 is basically uniform, the storage container 71 can be freely fitted into any position in the opening frame portion 85 of the support device 80.

[0052] Furthermore, openings 83A and 84A are provided at the right end 83 and left end 84, respectively, which engage with the pin 729, and both are located near the center in the longitudinal direction of the support device body 81. The rotating roller 82 is positioned off-center from these openings 83A and 84A, in the -X direction, that is, towards the back of the drug sorting device 100. By arranging the components in this way, the support device body 81 is supported on a virtual straight line passing through the center of gravity when supported by the pin 729, and the supported storage container 71 does not tilt downwards when the annular member 72 moves, especially when it moves downwards along a curve according to the curvature of the rotating members 721 to 727. Now, since the right end 83 and the left end 84 are supported by the annular member 72, the support device body 81 and the supported storage container 71 will not rotate in the so-called roll direction or yaw direction, but they may rotate in the pitch direction. In particular, at the drug dispensing position Q shown in Figure 13, the push bar 63 comes into contact with the storage container 71, and the position to be pushed down at this time is the pressing portion 713a on the +X direction side of the hinge 713. Therefore, a rotational force acts in the pitch direction at this time, but since the rotating roller 82 is positioned off-center in the -X direction of the storage container 71, even if rotation in the pitch direction occurs on the virtual axis of rotation connecting the left and right pins 729, for example, the rotating roller 82 will come into contact with the guide rail 77, thereby suppressing such oscillation. Thus, in this embodiment, the rotating roller 82 is positioned vertically offset from the pin 729 which serves as the support shaft, and functions as a rotation suppression member that suppresses the oscillation of the storage container 71 around the support shaft as the center of rotation by contacting the guide rail 77 of the moving mechanism 70.

[0053] Furthermore, at the drug injection position Q, the storage container 71 is positioned so that it can be seen from the transparent plate 67 shown in Figure 5. With this configuration, when the push bar 63 pushes down the pressing portion 713a of the storage container 71 and rotates the lid portion 712, the opened storage container 71 comes within the field of view of the first camera 23. Therefore, it becomes possible to further check whether the storage container 71 is empty using the first camera 23, which performs a simple shape determination. At this time, the first camera 23 in Figure 13 operates as an empty detection camera 65. In other words, by providing a transparent plate 67 above the drug input position Q, the first camera 23 can check whether the storage container 71X located at the drug input position Q is empty from the position of the transfer unit 50 when the drug M is put into the opening 61, thus contributing to cost reduction.

[0054] Furthermore, if the brightness at the drug injection position Q is insufficient, an LED light 66 or the like may be installed near the push bar 63 of the buffer chute 60, and the light may be turned on when the push bar 63 is lowered. In this way, by providing an LED light 66 that can be illuminated when the lid 712 of the storage container 71 is opened, brightness can be ensured and clear imaging by the first camera 23 is possible even at the drug input position Q, which is located inside the housing of the drug sorting device 100 and where it is difficult to secure sufficient light. In this embodiment, the first camera 23 attached to the transfer unit 50 is configured to also check for empty storage containers 71, but it is also possible to provide a separate empty detection camera 65.

[0055] In the container removal section 73, below the shutter 74, as shown in Figures 17 and 18, eight position detection sensors 76 are provided to detect the position of each storage container 71. In other words, the position detection sensors 76 are container position detection means attached to each of the positions where the storage container 71 can be supported. Each of these position detection sensors 76 is positioned in front of the eight frames of the opening frame section 85 when the support device body 81 reaches the container removal section 73. As will be described later, when a storage container 71 is attached to the opening frame section 85, the control unit 90 stores which of the position detection sensors 76 detected the storage container 71, thereby storing where the storage container 71 is placed within the eight frames of the opening frame section 85.

[0056] The container removal section 73 is provided with a locking mechanism 87 that drives a portion of the guide rail 77 to contact the rotating roller 82 of the support device 80. While the moving mechanism 70 is moving the support device 80, the locking mechanism 87 maintains a position where the projection 87A is in a downward position, as shown by the solid line, separated from the rotating roller 82, and forms part of the guide rail 77. On the other hand, when the support device 80, including the designated storage container 71X, reaches the container removal section 73, the locking mechanism 87 rotates the projection 87A upward, as shown by the dashed line, to bring the projection 87A into contact with the rotating roller 82. In this case, the projection 87A has an inclined portion that curves toward the +Z direction and also contacts the rotating roller 82 from the -Z direction. As a result, the storage container 71X can be inserted and removed without any problems in the +Z direction, but its movement is restricted in the -Z direction and it is also locked in the +X direction. Thus, the locking mechanism 87 is a movement-restricting means that indirectly restricts the movement of the storage container 71X by contacting the rotating roller 82 of the support device 80 and restricting its movement when the desired storage container 71X reaches the container removal section 73. With this configuration, when removing the storage container 71 from the container removal section 73, the storage container 71 can be easily inserted and removed, and its movement in the X and -Z directions is restricted, making it easy for the operator to remove.

[0057] The control unit 90 is a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), main memory (MEM-P), HD (Hard Disk), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), PCI bus, network interface, etc. However, it is not limited to this configuration; any computer that is mounted on a so-called control board and capable of controlling programmed operations is acceptable. In this embodiment, the control unit 90 is described as an information processing unit located inside the drug sorting device 100, but it may also be a separate information processing terminal, as long as it is capable of running the drug sorting software. In the case where the control unit 90 is provided as a separate unit, it is preferable to connect the control unit 90, which is an information processing terminal, and the drug sorting device 100 via a network. Alternatively, the control unit 90 may be implemented as part of a higher-level device that manages information on in-hospital-adopted drugs and inventory. As shown in Figure 19, the control unit 90 includes a shape determination unit 91 that determines the shape of the drug M from images captured by the first imaging unit 20, and an image recognition unit 92 that identifies the drug M from images captured by the second imaging unit 40. The control unit 90 also includes a position determination unit 93 for determining the placement position of the storage container 71 detected by the position detection sensor 76, a sorting result storage unit 94 for storing the type and quantity of drug M put into each storage container 71 at the drug putting position Q, and a storage rate calculation unit 95 for calculating the storage rate from the volume of drug M in each storage container 71 and the volume of the storage container 71, based on the quantity of drug M stored in the sorting result storage unit 94.

[0058] The touch panel 102 displays operating means with a user interface for operating each part of the control unit 90, and display means for displaying information from each part to the operator. The operator can use the touch panel 102 to access various information stored in the control unit 90, or to control the operation of the drug sorting device 100 using the control unit 90. Although the drug sorting device 100 is shown with a touch panel 102 integrated into the main unit, the configuration is not limited to this. Furthermore, instead of a touch panel, a display means such as a standard LCD monitor or OLED monitor may be combined with an operating means such as a mouse or keyboard.

[0059] The shape determination unit 91 is a determination unit for determining the size and shape of the drug M based on the image captured by the first imaging unit 20 or the second imaging unit 40. The shape determination unit 91 has the function of determining the shape of the drug M by roughly determining the shape and center of gravity position of the drug M from the image captured by the first camera 23. The image recognition unit 92 determines the type of drug M based on the image captured by the second imaging unit 40. Specifically, it performs pattern matching using the markings and text information on the surface of the drug M, the size of the drug M, etc., from the image captured by the imaging table 41 to identify the type of drug M. The position determination unit 93 determines the position of the storage container 71 to which the drug M should be transported, based on the type of drug M identified by the image recognition unit 92. The sorting result storage unit 94 stores the type and quantity of drug M that was put into each storage container 71 using the buffer chute 60 at the drug input position Q. The storage rate calculation unit 95 calculates the storage rate for each storage container 71 using the known volume of the storage container 71, the volume of the drug M registered in a database such as a drug master, and the number of drug M stored in the sorting result storage unit 94.

[0060] Now, in conventional drug sorting devices, such as those described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2024-091950, there are known devices that sort drugs into their respective containers according to their specific type using image recognition or the like. On the other hand, regarding the containers after sorting, the main method of operation involved, for example, displaying the location of each container and identification information such as the name of the drug on a display device, allowing the operator to refer to this information for reuse or transfer to a desired drug storage container.

[0061] In this invention, in order to facilitate the organization of the drugs M after sorting, the storage containers 71 are held vertically below the drug sorting device 100 during sorting, and when removing the storage containers 71, they are moved to the container removal section 73, thereby eliminating mix-ups and making it possible to easily remove the containers containing the designated drugs corresponding to the identification information.

[0062] In other words, in the embodiment of the present invention, the drug sorting device 100 has a container removal section 73 located along the path of the moving mechanism 70, which is a part from which an operator can remove the storage container 71; a reading section on which a tablet cassette 110 with identification information is placed and which can read the identification information; and a control unit 90 that stores the drugs M sorted into the storage container 71. The control unit 90 is configured to distinguish between the drug M corresponding to the identification information of the tablet cassette 110 and the storage container 71 in which the drug has been sorted, and to move the support device 80 including the storage container 71 to the container removal section 73.

[0063] The operation of this chemical sorting device 100 will be explained in detail. First, when the drugs are returned, multiple types of drugs M are introduced into the input section 10 of the drug sorting device 100 in a mixed state. All of the drug M introduced into the input section 10 passes through the guide section 30 and is transported to the first imaging section 20. At this time, when the passage sensor 36 detects the passage of drug M1, the vibration drive unit 32 stops, and drug M1 and a small number of drugs M2, M3, etc. that fell at the same time as drug M1 are placed on the imaging stage 21 of the first imaging section 20. Furthermore, if, for example, the total number of drug Ms passing through the guide section 30 is not large, it is possible that only drug M1 may be on the imaging stage 21.

[0064] As already mentioned in Figure 5, the first imaging unit 20 captures images of the imaging stage 21 using the first camera 23. The shape determination unit 91 uses these images to determine the center of gravity and general shape of drugs M1, M2, and M3. Furthermore, the shape determination performed by the shape determination unit 91 is a simple determination that allows for the identification of the position of the center of gravity of the drugs M1 to M3 and their approximate shape.

[0065] In this case, the general shape of drug M is mostly one that is easy to pattern, such as a round tablet, oval, lens-shaped, or capsule. Conversely, in cases where the drug does not fit into these shapes, it may be because the drugs are close together and appear as one, or it may be a foreign object. Therefore, the shape determination unit 91 may refer to the drug master to determine which of the above-mentioned patterned schematic shapes it corresponds to, and for those for which shape determination is possible, it may determine the position of its center of gravity. Furthermore, if, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 20(a), the shape determination unit 91 fails to properly recognize the boundary between drug M1 and drug M2 and is unable to determine their shapes, the shape determination unit 91 may mistakenly recognize drug M1 and drug M2 as a single object and set the center of gravity P1 to an incorrect position as shown in the figure. If such a situation is a concern, after the first camera 23 has taken an image, the imaging vibration unit 25, as already described in the explanation of Figure 5, may vibrate the imaging stage 21, and the shape determination unit 91 may check whether the shape of the drugs M1 to M3 captured by the first camera 23 has changed before and after the vibration. For example, if drugs M1 and M2 separate before and after vibration from the state shown in Figure 20(a), the number of center of gravity positions recognized by the shape determination unit 91 will increase from two to three, as shown in Figure 20(b). Conversely, the number of center of gravity positions will not decrease, so when the number no longer increases due to vibration, each center of gravity position P1 to P3 and the approximate shape of the object can be matched to the approximate shape of drug M.

[0066] In this case, as an example, Figures 20(a) and (b) show a hypothetical dashed line illustrating how the shape determination unit 91 recognizes the drugs M1 to M3. However, any configuration that can recognize an object on the shooting stage 21 and identify its center of gravity positions P1 to P3 is acceptable. At this time, the shape determination unit 91 only determines the general shape and center of gravity of the drug objects M1 to M3 on the imaging stage 21. It does not need to specifically recognize these as drug objects M1 to M3, and as long as the center of gravity is determined from the geometric shape of each object, the transfer unit 50 can attract the objects by moving the position of the nozzle 55 to the center of gravity.

[0067] The shape determination unit 91 determines the shape and, once it grasps the center of gravity of the drug M1, the transfer unit 50 moves to the center of gravity of the drug M1, uses the nozzle 55 to pick it up, and transfers it to the second imaging unit 40. If the shape of the drug M1 determined by the shape determination unit 91 is a capsule, the transfer unit 50 moves it to a capsule-specific mounting platform such as mounting platform 41B or mounting platform 41D. If the shape is a tablet such as a lens-shaped, spherical, or circular tablet, the transfer unit 50 moves it to a tablet-specific mounting platform such as mounting platform 41A or mounting platform 41C. In the second imaging unit 40, the transport unit 50 places the drug M on one of the mounting tables 41A to 41D, the imaging table 41 rotates, and the mounting table on which the drug M is placed moves to a position above the through hole 101A (i.e., the imaging position) and becomes mounting table 41X. Alternatively, the transfer unit 50 may remain in the same position, and the imaging table 41 may rotate so that the mounting tables 41A, 41B, 41C, and 41D are always in the appropriate positions. In such a case, for example, the transfer unit 50 will move so that the mounting table 41A, 41B, 41C, and 41D of the appropriate shape are always in the position where mounting table 41B is located in Figure 5, place the drug M1, and then the imaging table 41 will rotate 90 degrees so that the mounting table that was in the position (for example, mounting table 41B) is moved to the imaging position S of the second camera 43, and this operation will be repeated.

[0068] When drug M1 is photographed on the mounting platform 41X, the image recognition unit 92 checks the drug name and other information against the drug master to identify drug information such as the type and size of drug M1.

[0069] The position determination unit 93 determines the storage container 71 into which the drug M1 should be placed, based on the identified drug information and the storage in the sorting result storage unit 94. For example, if there is a storage container 71X that already contains drug M1, that storage container 71X is designated, and if it is a new drug, an empty storage container 71 is designated.

[0070] Once drug M1 is identified, the storage container 71X designated by the position determination unit 93 moves to the uppermost drug input position Q of the moving mechanism 70. Simultaneously, the drug M1 is moved by the rotation of the imaging table 41 to the extraction position U shown in Figure 5, for example, and the transfer unit 50 adsorbs the drug M1 and moves it to the opening 61 of the buffer chute 60. The drug M1 introduced into the opening 61 is held in the temporary storage unit 62 until the storage container 71X designated by the position determination unit 93 rises. At this time, the opening / closing unit 64 is in the closed state. When the storage container 71X moves upward by the operation of the moving mechanism 70 and reaches the drug dispensing position Q, the rotating roller 82 of the support device 80 comes into contact with the guide rail 77, restricting the support device 80 from rotating around the pin 729 in the XZ plane.

[0071] In this way, the guide rail 77 and the rotating roller 82 come into contact with each other so that the storage container 71 does not swing in the front-to-back direction at the drug dispensing position Q, so that the drug M1 can be accurately dispensed from the buffer chute 60 into the storage container 71 at the drug dispensing position Q. Furthermore, since the temporary storage unit 62 is mounted to be movable in the Y direction, the temporary storage unit 62 moves together with the push bar 63 to the position specified by the position determination unit 93, and the push bar 63 moves in the -Z direction, pushing down the pressing portion 713a and opening the lid 712. As a result of this operation, for example, if the storage container 71X designated by the position determination unit 93 is in the fourth position from the left in Figure 21, the temporary storage unit 62 slides in the Y direction to the position of the storage container 71X, and then the opening / closing unit 64 rotates and the drug M1 falls into the storage container 71X. Note that in Figure 21, the view is from the back side of the storage container 71 for the purpose of explaining the operation of the push bar 63, so the part of the temporary storage unit 62 that holds the tablet M1 is omitted. At this time, the push bar 63 may open the lid 712, and at the same time, the LED light 66 may illuminate the inside of the storage container 71X, and the first camera 23 may photograph the storage container 71X. By photographing the inside of the storage container 71X at the same time as opening the lid 712 in this way, there is an advantage in being able to confirm, for example, that a drug other than drug M1 is inside, or that no foreign matter has been mixed in.

[0072] When the drug M1 safely falls into the storage container 71X, the sorting result storage unit 94 stores that the drug M1 has been sorted into the storage container 71X. At this time, the control unit 90 can calculate the current fullness of the storage container 71X, since the volume of drug M1 is known from the drug master, and the volume of the storage container 71X and the amount of drug M1 currently inside are also known. Therefore, when the drug M1 is dispensed from the drug dispensing position Q, the control unit 90 may calculate this full load rate as the filling rate of the storage container 71 and display it on the touch panel 102 as shown in Figure 22. The drug sorting device 100 repeats this operation for all drugs that are put into the input section 10, including drugs M2 and M3, thereby storing the put-in drugs in storage containers 71 sorted according to their type.

[0073] In such sorting operations, it is possible that, due to a failure in identifying drug M1, a different drug M4 may be put into the storage container 71X, which is intended to contain only drug M1. Therefore, when the drug M1 is sorted into the storage container 71X, the sorting result storage unit 94 stores the image captured by the second imaging unit 40 in association with the storage container 71X. After the automatic sorting operation is completed, or even during the sorting operation, the operator can visually inspect the images captured by the second imaging unit 40 that have been sorted using the touch panel 102. If a false detection occurs, the operator can register in the sorting result storage unit 94 that there is a misidentified drug in the image. Such a visual inspection function may take the form of, for example, the touch panel 102 screen when a storage container 71X is selected, as illustrated in Figure 23, where when a storage container 71X is selected, a master image 941 and drug name 942 of the stored drug M1 are displayed, and below that, an image 943 of the drug M1 taken by the second imaging unit 40 and a selection button 944 for selecting the audit result are displayed. Furthermore, this is not limited to these UIs.

[0074] With this configuration, the operator can visually audit whether each drug is correctly drug M1 by pressing the selection button 944 while referring to the captured image 943. For example, as shown in the third row from the top of Figure 23, if a different drug M4 is detected, you can press the "x" button on the selection button 944 to indicate that it is a misidentified drug. In such a visual inspection function, if a drug is stored as a misidentified drug, it is desirable that the sorting result storage unit 94 stores the result of the misidentification and displays a message indicating that there is a misidentified drug during the dispensing operation described later.

[0075] Next, we will describe the dispensing process for the drugs that have been sorted in this manner. Figure 24 shows the sequence of operations for this dispensing process. First, the operator places the tablet cassette 110 containing the specific drug M1 onto the cassette base 120 as shown in Figure 2 (step S101). The tablet cassette 110 has an identification code 111 attached to it, and the cassette base 120 reads this IF code 111 (step S102). Here, the IF code 111 is linked to drug information, etc., of the drug M1 that should be placed in the tablet cassette 110. Therefore, when the control unit 90 reads the drug information of drug M1 from the IF code 111 of the tablet cassette 110 placed on the cassette base 120, it reads the storage container 71X corresponding to the read drug M1 from the sorting result storage unit 94. At this time, the control unit 90 treats the storage container 71X as the container to be removed.

[0076] When the storage container 71X is designated as the container to be removed, the support device 80 including the container to be removed is moved to the container removal section 73 (step S103). When the support device 80 reaches the container removal section 73, the shutter 74 opens, and as shown in Figure 17, the operator is able to remove the storage container 71X from the container removal section 73 (step S104).

[0077] When the shutter 74 opens, the touch panel 102 displays a message prompting the user to remove the storage container 71X, and the notification means 86, such as an LED lamp on the corresponding storage container 71X attached to the support device 80, lights up. In this case, the notification means 86 only needs to illuminate the area around the support device 80, so it may be provided on the container removal section 73 or on the support device 80, and is not limited to this configuration. For example, the notification means 86 flashes green on the front part of the storage container 71X so that the operator can easily remove the correct storage container 71X when looking at the container removal section 73 from above (step S105).

[0078] When the shutter 74 is open, the control unit 90 constantly monitors whether the storage container 71 is present using the position detection sensor 76. At this point, when the operator removes the correct storage container 71X, the position detection sensor 76, as previously mentioned, detects that the storage container 71X has been removed (step S106). The sorting result storage unit 94 determines the results of the visual inspection from the sorting results of the retrieved storage containers 71X and checks whether there are any misidentified drugs (step S107). If the retrieved storage container 71X is correct and there are no misidentified drugs, the touch panel 102 displays a message indicating that the correct storage container 71X has been retrieved (step S109). If the sorting result storage unit 94 has stored information about the misidentified drugs, it displays a warning about the misidentified drugs in the storage container 71X, as shown in Figure 25 (step S108).

[0079] In this embodiment, the tablet cassette 110 is placed on the cassette base 120, so the replenishment of the tablet cassette 110 is completed by taking out the storage container 71X and putting the drug M1 into the tablet cassette 110 in front of you (step S110). By attaching the tablet cassette 110 to the cassette base 120 in this way, the corresponding storage container 71X moves to the container removal section 73, making it easier to refill the tablet cassette 110.

[0080] After replenishment is complete, when the operator returns the removed storage container 71X to the support device 80, they hold the lid 712 of the storage container 71X up to the front camera 103 to allow the recognition member 714, such as a QR code (registered trademark), provided on the lid 712 to read the container-specific information (step S111). After the front camera 103 reads the container-specific information of the storage container 71X from the lid portion 712, the control unit 90 reads the position where the storage container 71X was installed using the position detection sensor 76 and determines whether it has been returned to the correct position (step S112).

[0081] Now, if a storage container 71 other than the storage container 71X is taken out, or if the taken-out storage container 71X is returned to the support device 80 without being held up to the front camera 103, the notification means 86 will light up, for example, in red, to display such an error (step S113). Thus, when attaching the storage container 71 to the support device 80, the front camera 103 first reads the container's unique information from the lid 712, and immediately afterward, the position detection sensor 76 detects the position on the support device 80 where the storage container 71 is installed. With this configuration, the control unit 90 stores the position on the support device 80 where the storage container 71, which has container-specific information read by the front camera 103, is placed. With this configuration, the control unit 90 can determine where the storage container 71 is fitted into the support device 80. Compared to a configuration where the fitting position into the support device 80 is determined by the shape of the storage container 71, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the storage container 71.

[0082] In this example, we have described a storage container 71X that was already stored inside the support device 80. However, when attaching a new, empty storage container 71 to the support device 80, the user selects to store the new storage container 71 using the touch panel 102. Then, as schematically shown in Figure 26, the new storage container 71X is placed immediately after the lid 712 is held up to the front camera 103, similar to steps S111 and S112. Since one position detection sensor 76 is attached to the front of each opening frame 85, a reaction from the position detection sensor 76 is equivalent to the storage container 71X being placed on the opening frame 85 in front of it. With this configuration, when a new storage container 71 is brought in, the control unit 90 can similarly determine the location of empty storage containers 71 using the position detection sensor 76.

[0083] When the control unit 90 determines that replenishment using the storage container 71X has been completed and the removed storage container 71X has been returned to its correct position, the notification means 86 lights up blue and displays a confirmation screen on the touch panel 102 to show whether the storage container 71X that was returned to the support device 80 immediately before is empty. In this step, the operator may use the touch panel 102 to input the remaining number of tablets M1 in the storage container 71X if there are any remaining tablets M1, or, in the standard case, to input that the remaining number is 0 and the storage container 71X is empty.

[0084] Furthermore, when attaching a new storage container 71Y to the support device body 81, by positioning it immediately after holding the lid 712 over the front camera 103, the position detection sensor 76 can similarly determine the location of the storage container 71Y. By repeating these steps and placing the storage containers 71 at each position, the moving mechanism 70 will be fully loaded with the support devices 80 and storage containers 71, as shown in Figure 27.

[0085] When the input is finished, the touch panel 102 outputs a shutter closing request signal to the shutter 74, and the shutter 74 is closed.

[0086] As described above, in this embodiment, immediately before attaching the storage container 71 to the support device 80, a process is performed in which the front camera 103 reads container-specific information from the recognition member 714 attached to the lid portion 712. With this configuration, when the position detection sensor 76 reacts after the front camera 103 has read the container-specific information, it is possible to determine whether the storage container 71 has been placed in the correct position.

[0087] Furthermore, if, for example, the front camera 103 reads the container-specific information and then multiple storage containers 71 are attached to the support device 80, even if, for example, one of the multiple storage containers 71 is the storage container 71X placed in the correct position, the position of the other storage container 71Y that is placed incorrectly can be determined. In this case, for example, the notification means 86 indicating the position of storage container 71Y in Figure 26 can be lit red, making it easy to handle errors in operation.

[0088] Conversely, even if the container is attached to the support device 80 without the container-specific information being read by the front camera 103, the notification means 86 can display an error message to show the location of the incorrectly placed storage container 71Y. Thus, the control unit 90 has a determination means for determining whether the placement position of the storage container 71X, whose container-specific information has been read by the front camera 103, is correct. Furthermore, it is desirable that the control unit 90 displays an error using the notification means 86 for any storage containers 71 that are attached to the support device 80 without reading the container-specific information. With this configuration, even if the position of the frame on which the storage container 71 is attached to the support device 80 is set to a free-address position, the position detection sensor 76 can manage the position of the storage container 71 on the support device 80 by linking it with the container-specific information of the storage container 71.

[0089] Another variation, shown in Figure 28, is a restrictive movable frame 88 attached to the top of the support device 80 to restrict anything other than the removal of the designated storage container 71X. The regulating movable frame 88 includes a movable frame body 881 of sufficient size to remove the storage container 71, bellows-shaped link mechanisms 882 and 883, one end of which is attached to the side of the housing of the container removal section 73 and the other end of which is attached to the movable frame body 881, and a link drive source 886 for driving the link mechanisms 882 and 883. In other words, the movable frame 881 is held in the container removal section 73 in such a manner that link mechanisms 882 and 883 are attached to its left and right ends, respectively. Link mechanisms 882 and 883 are drive mechanisms that combine multiple arms 884 and arm connection parts 885 that connect the arms 884 together, and by rotating the arm connection parts 885, the angle between the arms 884 is changed, allowing the movable frame 881 to be moved to any position in the Y direction.

[0090] With this configuration, the rotation of the arm connection part 885 causes the arm 884 to change its angle, and the movable frame 881 moves to a position where only the designated storage container 71X can be removed. As a result, as shown in Figure 28, the removal of storage containers 71 other than storage container 71X is restricted because the arm 884 or the arm connection part 885 is located in the removal path. Thus, by using the regulating movable frame 88, it becomes impossible to remove any storage container 71 other than the required storage container 71X. Therefore, when removing storage container 71X, it is possible to determine which storage container 71 to remove, thus preventing removal errors.

[0091] It should be noted that the form shown in this modified example is merely one example, and any drive mechanism can be used as long as the movable frame 881 moves in the ±Y direction and the retrieval is moved onto any designated storage container 71X.

[0092] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 29, the cassette base 120 may be placed on the top surface of the shutter 74. In that case, the operator first places the tablet cassette 110 on the cassette base 120 when the shutter 74 is closed, as shown in Figure 29. When the cassette base 120 reads the IF code 111 of the tablet cassette 110, the control unit 90 moves the storage container 71 inside the drug sorting device 100 that corresponds to the IF code 111, as previously described. At the same time, or after the storage container 71 has moved to the lower part of the container removal section 73, the shutter 74 moves to the open position (see Figure 29(b)), allowing the required storage container 71X to be removed.

[0093] When the shutter 74 is open, as shown in Figure 29(b), the cassette base 120 is held in such a manner that it is pulled towards the depth side of the drug sorting device 100, along with the tablet cassette 110 placed on top of it. Since the shutter 74 is open at this time, the operator can easily remove the desired storage container 71X. Then, by showing the removed storage container 71 to the front camera 103, the container-specific information on the top of the lid 712 is read, and the sorting result storage unit 94 determines that the appropriate storage container 71X has indeed been removed. In this modified example, the shutter 74 returns to the closed state as shown in Figure 29(a), provided that the front camera 103 has read the container-specific information from the state shown in Figure 29(b). Therefore, with the storage container 71X removed, the top of the tablet cassette 110 can be opened, making it very easy to put the storage container 71X into the tablet cassette 110.

[0094] Furthermore, with this configuration, since the shutter 74 remains closed when refilling the tablet cassette 110, even if, for example, the operator accidentally drops tablets or other items from the storage container 71, they can be recovered without falling inside the shutter 74. Furthermore, in order to refill the tablet cassette 110 with the storage container 71X removed, the shutter 74 must always be closed. In other words, if the storage container 71X is removed without holding it up to the front camera 103, the shutter 74 will not close. Therefore, when the storage container 71 is removed from the drug sorting device 100, the storage container 71 is always held up to the front camera 103, preventing operator errors.

[0095] After refilling the tablet cassette 110 with the drug M1 from the storage container 71X, holding the storage container 71X up to the front camera 103 again will open the shutter 74, allowing the now empty storage container 71X to be reattached to the designated support device 80. The operation of the position detection sensor 76 and other components at this time is the same as that of the previously described embodiment, so we will omit the explanation.

[0096] <1> The present invention includes a storage section 13 for storing multiple drugs M to be sorted, sorting sections 50 and 60 for sorting each of the multiple drugs M stored in the storage section 13 into one of the multiple storage containers 71, multiple support devices 80 for supporting some of the containers 71 among the multiple storage containers 71, and a moving mechanism 70 for moving the support devices 80 along a fixed path in the vertical and horizontal directions. Furthermore, the drug sorting device 100 includes a container removal section 73 located along the path of the moving mechanism 70, which is a part from which the operator can remove the storage container 71; a cassette base 120 on which the identification information can be read by placing a tablet cassette 110 containing identification information; and a control unit 90 that stores the drugs M sorted into the storage container 71. The control unit 90 identifies the drug M1 corresponding to the identification information of the tablet cassette 110 and the storage container 71X in which the drug M1 has been sorted, and moves the support device 80 including the storage container 71X to the container removal unit 73. With this configuration, in a drug sorting device capable of sorting individual drugs into containers from a large mixture of drugs, it is possible to easily retrieve containers containing designated drugs corresponding to identification information.

[0097] <2> Furthermore, in the drug sorting device 100 of the present invention, <1> In addition to the configuration described above, each storage container 71 has a recognition member 714 for individually recognizing the storage container 71. With this configuration, the recognition member 714 makes it easy to determine the position of each storage container 71, and the necessary support device 80 can be moved quickly by reading the recognition member 714.

[0098] <3> Furthermore, in the drug sorting device 100 of the present invention, <2> In addition to the configuration described above, the support device 80 has a position detection sensor 76, which is a container position detection means, attached to each of the positions where the storage container 71 can be supported. Furthermore, the control unit 90 stores the position of the storage container 71 on the support device 80 and associates it with the recognition member 714. With this configuration, the recognition member 714 makes it easy to determine the position of each storage container 71, and the necessary support device 80 can be moved quickly by reading the recognition member 714.

[0099] <4> Furthermore, in the drug sorting device 100 of the present invention, <1> ~ <3> In addition to the configuration described above, the moving mechanism 70 includes an annular member 72 having chains or belts that support both sides of the plurality of support devices 80, a plurality of rotating members 721 to 727 that are rotatable around a central axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the support devices 80 and around which the annular member 72 is wrapped, and a drive device 75 that rotates at least one of the plurality of rotating members. With this configuration, the support device 80, which is equipped with multiple storage containers 71, can move freely along the path of the annular member 72 in the vertical and horizontal directions, so that any storage container 71 can be moved and removed.

[0100] <5> Furthermore, in the drug sorting device 100 of the present invention, <1> ~ <4> In addition to the configuration described above, the support device 80 includes a pin 729 supported by the annular member 72 at both ends in the longitudinal direction Y, and a rotating roller 82 located vertically offset from the pin 729 and in contact with the guide rail 77 to suppress the oscillation of the storage container 71 around the support shaft as the center of rotation. With this configuration, the rotation of the storage container 71 can be suppressed, preventing the storage container 71 from wobbling at the container removal section 73 and the drug insertion position Q, thus allowing the container to be removed stably.

[0101] <6> Furthermore, in the drug sorting device 100 of the present invention, <1> ~ <5> In addition to the configuration described above, the rotating roller 82 contacts the guide rail 77 to suppress oscillating at least while the storage container 71 is located in the container removal section 73 and the storage container 71 is removable. With this configuration, the storage container 71 is prevented from wobbling in the container removal section 73, so the container can be removed stably.

[0102] <7> Furthermore, in the drug sorting device 100 of the present invention, <1> ~ <6> In addition to the configuration described above, the input port 11 into which multiple drugs M are introduced in a mixed state is located above the storage hopper 13 in the vertical direction and on the front side of the drug sorting device 100, the input port 11 has an inclined portion 11a that is sloped to such an extent that the introduced drugs M slide down, and the cassette base 120 is positioned above the container removal portion 73 and below the input port 11. With this configuration, the work efficiency when refilling the tablet cassette with the drug removed from the container removal section 73 is improved, and sufficient height can be secured from the input opening 11 to the guide section 30, allowing for a larger storage capacity and extending the operating time of the drug sorting device 100.

[0103] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and modifications can be made to the contents described in the claims as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0104] 11...Inlet 11a, 13a...Slope part 13. Hopper (storage section) 20.. 1st Photography Department 23... Camera 1 30... Guide section 40.. Second Photography Department 50...transfer section 60... Buffer Shot 61...Opening 63...Pressure bar 65... Sky detection camera 70...Movement mechanism 72... Chain (ring-shaped component) 73...Container removal section 75... Drive unit 76. Position detection sensor (container position detection means) 80...Support device 82. Rotating roller (rotation suppression member) 90... Control Unit 100... Chemical sorting device 103...Front camera 110... Tablet Cassette (Medication Cassette) 120... Cassette base (reading unit) 111···IF code (identification information) 714... Recognition component 721-727... Rotating parts 729... Pin (support shaft) X direction, Y direction...Horizontal direction Z direction...vertical direction Y direction... Longitudinal direction

Claims

1. A storage section for storing multiple drugs to be sorted, A sorting unit that sorts each of the multiple drugs stored in the storage unit into one of the multiple containers, A plurality of support devices each supporting some of the containers among the plurality of containers, A moving mechanism for moving the support device along a fixed path in the vertical and horizontal directions, A container removal section is located along the path of the aforementioned moving mechanism, and the container can be removed by an operator. A reading unit is provided on which a drug cassette containing identification information is placed, and the reading unit is capable of reading the said identification information. A control unit that stores the drugs sorted into the containers, It has, The drug sorting device is characterized in that the control unit distinguishes between a drug corresponding to the identification information of the drug cassette and the container into which the drug has been sorted, and moves the support device including the container to the container removal unit.

2. A drug sorting device according to claim 1, The drug sorting device is characterized in that each of the containers has a recognition member for individually recognizing the container.

3. A drug sorting device according to claim 2, The support device has container position detection means attached to each of the positions where the container can be supported, The drug sorting device is characterized in that the control unit stores the position of the container in the support device and the recognition member in association.

4. A drug sorting device according to claim 1, The moving mechanism includes an annular member having a chain or belt that supports both sides of the plurality of support devices, The support device is rotatable around a central axis parallel to its longitudinal direction, and comprises a plurality of rotating members around which the annular member is wrapped, A drug sorting device characterized by having a drive device for rotating at least one of the plurality of rotating members.

5. A drug sorting device according to claim 1, The drug sorting device is characterized by having a support shaft supported by the annular member at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and a rotation suppression member located at a position offset vertically from the support shaft and in contact with the moving mechanism to suppress the oscillating motion of the container with the support shaft as the center of rotation.

6. A drug sorting device according to claim 5, The drug sorting device is characterized in that the rotation suppressing member contacts the moving mechanism to suppress the oscillation at least while the container is located in the container removal section and the container is removable.

7. A drug sorting device according to claim 1, The input port for introducing multiple drugs in a mixed state is located above the storage section in the vertical direction and on the front side of the drug sorting device. The aforementioned opening is provided with an inclined portion that is sloped to such an extent that the injected chemical slides down. The drug sorting device is characterized in that the reading unit is located above the container removal unit and below the input opening.

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