Drug package binding device and method

Abstract

To automatically and appropriately combine multiple cartridge chains. [Solution] The drug packet joining device is a drug packet joining device that joins multiple drug packet continuous bodies, and is equipped with a storage groove (2) that has an insertion opening (2a) at one end and an outlet (2b) at the other end, and that accommodates multiple drug packet continuous bodies (9) stacked with the sealing portions 9a oriented in the same direction, a transport mechanism (3) that transports the multiple drug packet continuous bodies inserted into the storage groove from the insertion opening toward the outlet side, and a crimping mechanism (4) that has a pair of finger portions (41) that clamp the sealed portions of the multiple drug packet continuous bodies in the storage groove, and that crimps the sealed portions of the multiple drug packet continuous bodies by opening and closing the pair of finger portions in conjunction with the transport operation of the transport mechanism.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drug packet joining device and method for joining a series of drug packets. [Background technology]

[0002] Medicines provided to patients at hospitals and pharmacies are packaged in a continuous, long medicine packet, with each dose divided into sections. When taking a medicine, a single dose of medicine is separated from the continuous, long medicine packet. When taking multiple medicines, multiple separate packets are separated.

[0003] When multiple medications are prescribed, in order to prevent accidental or forgotten administration, multiple consecutive medication packets are stapled together in advance for each dose using a stapler or tape. However, this type of work is time-consuming and places a burden on pharmacists and nurses. In addition, when using a stapler, there are problems such as injuries caused by needles and damage to the medication packets.

[0004] In order to solve such problems, a medicine package binding machine configured to bind multiple medicine packages using a rotatable first gear and a second gear has been proposed (Patent Publication No. 2020-195765 (Patent Document 1)). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-195765 A (Patent No. 7401772) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In a configuration in which a plurality of continuous medicine packets are continuously fed downstream by the meshing of a compression roller (gear) as in the medicine packet stitching machine of Patent Document 1, the continuous medicine packets are prone to twisting and misalignment unless the worker pulls them by hand. Therefore, there was a demand for a technology that can properly join a plurality of continuous medicine packets while reducing the amount of work required.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a drug packet joining device and method that can automatically and appropriately join multiple drug packet strings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A medicine packet joining device according to one aspect of the present invention is a medicine packet joining device for joining a plurality of continuous medicine packets, and is equipped with a storage groove having an insertion opening at one end and an ejection opening at the other end for accommodating a plurality of continuous medicine packets stacked with the sealing portions oriented in the same direction, a transport mechanism for transporting the plurality of continuous medicine packets inserted into the storage groove from the insertion opening toward the ejection opening, and a crimping mechanism having a pair of finger portions for clamping the sealed portions of the plurality of continuous medicine packets in the storage groove, and crimping the sealed portions of the plurality of continuous medicine packets by opening and closing the pair of finger portions in conjunction with the transport operation of the transport mechanism.

[0009] The conveying mechanism includes a pair of pressing members that hold a plurality of continuous medicine packs stacked in the thickness direction, and the crimping mechanism opens and closes the pair of finger portions while the sealing portion is held by the pair of pressing members.

[0010] The conveying mechanism includes an opening / closing drive means for opening and closing the pair of pressing members, and a movement drive means for moving the pair of pressing members back and forth along the storage groove, and the crimping mechanism maintains the pair of finger portions in a closed state for a period of time until the pair of pressing members, which have been opened, return to the insertion opening side after crimping the sealing portion with the pair of finger portions in a closed state.

[0011] One opposing surface of the pair of finger portions has at least one protrusion protruding toward the other opposing surface, and the other opposing surface of the pair of finger portions has a contact surface that receives the load of the protrusion.

[0012] The contact surface is constituted by the tip surface of the protrusion having a width dimension larger than that of the protrusion.

[0013] The crimping mechanism includes an arm portion rotatably connected to one of a pair of finger portions, a connecting portion rotatably connected to the other of the pair of finger portions, a fixed bracket having a long hole formed therein for receiving a shaft portion that passes through the arm portion and the connecting portion, and a lifting drive means for moving the base end of the arm portion up and down.

[0014] A drug packet joining method according to one aspect of the present invention is a drug packet joining method for joining multiple drug packet strings, and includes the steps of inserting multiple drug packet strings stacked with their sealing portions oriented in the same direction into a storage groove having an insertion opening at one end and an outlet opening at the other end, transporting the multiple drug packet strings inserted into the storage groove toward the outlet opening, and clamping and crimping the sealing portions of the multiple drug packet strings in the storage groove by opening and closing a pair of finger portions. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, a plurality of continuous medicine packets can be automatically and appropriately joined together. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a schematic view of a main part of a medicine bag combining device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a top view showing a schematic view of a main part of a medicine bag combining device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 1 is a side view showing a schematic view of a main part of a medicine bag combining device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic view of a main part of a medicine bag combining device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5]FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view showing a main part of the crimping mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an enlarged top view showing a main part of the crimping mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 4 is a plan view showing a pair of finger portions mounted on the crimping mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention in an separated state. FIG. [Figure 8] 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views showing examples of shapes of claw portions (protrusions) formed on each of a pair of finger portions. [Figure 9] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic view of a state in which the sealed portions of a continuous body of medicine packets are crimped by a pair of finger portions. FIG. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart showing a continuous pressure bonding process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating changes in the operating state of a pair of pressing members and an operating state of a pair of finger portions during continuous pressure bonding processing according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a crimped portion of a continuous medicine pack body by a continuous crimping process according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 13] 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a comparative example of a claw portion (convex portion) in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and their description will not be repeated.

[0018] <Outline configuration> A schematic configuration of a medicine package joining device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a front view showing the main parts of the medicine package joining device 1, and Figure 2 is a top view showing the main parts of the medicine package joining device 1. In each figure, the width direction (left-right direction) of the medicine package joining device 1 as viewed from the front is represented as the x direction, the depth direction of the medicine package joining device 1 as viewed from the front is represented as the y direction, and the height direction is represented as the z direction. Note that in Figures 1 and 2, the crimping mechanism 4 is shown in a simplified form to avoid cluttering the drawings.

[0019] The continuous medicine packet 9 is a long medicine packet (packaging paper) in which a plurality of packets 90 are divided by vertical cut lines 9b, and is typically formed of a resin sheet such as polyethylene. A sealing portion 9a is provided on one of the long sides of the continuous medicine packet 9. In each figure, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the continuous medicine packet 9 or when a joined continuous medicine packet 9 is shown, the continuous medicine packet 9 is shown in thick lines. FIG. 2 shows an example in which two continuous medicine packet 9 are joined together.

[0020] The medicine packet combining device 1 mainly comprises a storage groove 2 for storing multiple medicine packet continuous bodies 9 stacked with the orientation of the sealing portions 9a aligned, a transport mechanism 3 for transporting the multiple medicine packet continuous bodies 9 along the longitudinal direction (x direction) of the storage groove 2, and a crimping mechanism 4 for crimping the sealing portions 9a of the multiple medicine packet continuous bodies 9 in the storage groove 2.

[0021] The storage groove 2 is composed of a bottom portion and a pair of side portions extending along the x direction, and has an insertion opening 2a at one longitudinal end and an ejection opening 2b at the other end. The storage groove 2 has a groove width that allows multiple continuous medicine packet bodies 9 to be stored upright. The height dimension of the storage groove 2 is smaller than the vertical dimension of the continuous medicine packet body 9, and the sealed portion 9a of the continuous medicine packet body 9 protrudes upward from the upper end opening of the storage groove 2. The longitudinal dimension (length in the x direction) of the storage groove 2 is a length that allows multiple individual packets 90 to be stored, for example, five or more individual packets 90 can be stored.

[0022] The transport mechanism 3 transports the continuous medicine packs 9 inserted into the storage groove 2 from the insertion port 2a toward the discharge port 2b. The transport mechanism 3 has a pair of pressing members 31 that hold the continuous medicine packs 9 in a stacked manner in the thickness direction, and transports the continuous medicine packs 9 held by the pressing members 31 downstream. In each figure, the transport direction (downstream side) of the continuous medicine packs 9 is indicated by arrow A. Also, the back side as viewed from the front is indicated by arrow B.

[0023] The crimping mechanism 4 has a pair of finger portions 41 that sandwich the sealed portions 9a of the continuous medicine packs 9 in the storage groove 2, and crimps the sealed portions 9a of the continuous medicine packs 9 by opening and closing the pair of finger portions 41 in conjunction with the conveying operation by the conveying mechanism 3. The pair of finger portions 41 constitute a clamping member 40, and are arranged adjacent to each other in the y direction in the space above the storage groove 2. In FIG. 1, the position of the pair of finger portions 41 in the x direction is shown as a crimping position P of the continuous medicine packs 9.

[0024] As described later, claw portions 51, 52 facing each other are formed at the lower ends of the pair of finger portions 41. The medicine packet joining device 1 intermittently transfers the plurality of continuous medicine packet bodies 9 downstream using the conveying mechanism 3, while opening and closing the pair of finger portions 41 at the crimping position P, thereby intermittently crimping the sealed portions 9a of the plurality of continuous medicine packet bodies 9 and joining (integrating) the plurality of continuous medicine packet bodies 9.

[0025] Specific configuration examples of the transport mechanism 3 and the pressing mechanism 4 will be described below.

[0026] <Example of transport mechanism configuration> Further referring to Fig. 3, an example of the configuration of the transport mechanism 3 will be described. Fig. 3 is a side view of the main parts of the medicine package binding device 1, and shows the medicine package binding device 1 as viewed from the direction III in Fig. 1. In Fig. 3, fixed elements (non-moving elements) including the installation stand 81 are shown in grey for ease of understanding. The same applies to Figs. 4 to 6 described below.

[0027] The conveying mechanism 3 includes a pair of pressing members 31 that hold multiple medicine packs 9 stacked in the thickness direction, an actuator (hereinafter referred to as the ``clamp actuator'') 34 that opens and closes the pair of pressing members 31, and an actuator (hereinafter referred to as the ``slide actuator'') 33 that slides (reciprocates) the pair of pressing members 31 along the storage groove 2.

[0028] The pair of pressing members 31 are positioned slightly above the accommodating groove 2 and slightly below the pair of finger portions 41. As a result, the lower portion of the sealing portion 9a protruding upward from the accommodating groove 2 (which may be slightly below the sealing portion 9a) is held by the pair of pressing members 31. The opposing surfaces (surfaces facing each other) of the pair of pressing members 31 are typically configured as flat vertical surfaces. The pressing members 31 are typically made of metal. The pressing members 31 in this embodiment are configured as horizontally disposed plate-like members that are long in the x direction.

[0029] 1 and 2, it is preferable that the pair of pressing members 31 extend in the x direction overlapping the crimping position P (the position where the pair of finger portions 41 are arranged). Specifically, it is preferable that the length in the x direction of each pressing member 31 is a length that spans the plurality of packets 90. This makes it possible to prevent twisting of the plurality of continuous medicine packet bodies 9 stored upright in the storage groove 2, and to properly maintain the posture of the plurality of continuous medicine packet bodies 9.

[0030] A first member 321 is connected to both ends of one of the pair of pressing members 31 (the pressing member 31 on the rear side). A second member 322 is connected to both ends of the other of the pair of pressing members 31 (the pressing member 31 on the front side). The clamp actuator 34 functions as an opening / closing drive means, and opens and closes the pair of pressing members 31 via the first member 321 and the second member 322. The clamp actuator 34 may be configured, for example, by a fluid pressure cylinder such as an air cylinder, an electric actuator, or the like.

[0031] In this embodiment, the clamp actuators 34 are provided on both sides in the x direction, and a pair of support members 323 on which the clamp actuators 34 are mounted are connected by a connecting member 324.

[0032] The slide actuator 33 functions as a movement drive means, and moves the pair of pressing members 31 to both the downstream side (discharge port 2b side) and the upstream side (insertion port 2a side) by reciprocating the connecting member 324 along the x direction. The slide actuator 33 may also be configured by, for example, a fluid pressure cylinder such as an air cylinder, an electric actuator, or the like.

[0033] <Example of pressure bonding mechanism configuration> Further referring to Figs. 4 to 6, a configuration example of the crimping mechanism 4 will be described. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the main parts of the medicine package binding device 1, Fig. 4(A) shows finger parts 41 in an open state, and Fig. 4(B) shows finger parts 41 in a closed state. Fig. 5 is an enlarged front view of the main parts of the crimping mechanism 4. Fig. 6 is an enlarged top view of the main parts of the crimping mechanism 4. The cross section of Fig. 4 corresponds to the cross section along line IV-IV of Fig. 1.

[0034] 3 and 4, the crimping mechanism 4 of this embodiment includes an arm portion 42 rotatably connected to an upper end portion of one of the pair of finger portions 41 (the rear finger portion 41a), a connecting portion 43 rotatably connected to an upper end portion of the other of the pair of finger portions 41 (the front finger portion 41b), a fixed bracket 45 having an elongated hole 450 formed therein for receiving a shaft portion 44 penetrating the arm portion 42 and the connecting portion 43, and an actuator (hereinafter referred to as an "elevation actuator") 46 for vertically moving a base end portion 421 of the arm portion 42. The fixed bracket 45 is fixed to an upper end portion of a standing wall (a wall portion rising from an installation stand 81) located on the back side of the accommodation groove 2.

[0035] The lifting actuator 46 functions as a lifting drive means, and moves the base end 421 of the arm unit 42 up and down between the standby height H1 and the operating height H2. The arm unit 42 is a horizontal arm extending in the y direction. In this embodiment, the lifting actuator 46 is configured by an air cylinder including a lifting rod 461 connected to the base end 421 of the arm unit 42 and a cylinder 462.

[0036] An arc-shaped long hole 422 is formed in the base end 421 of the arm unit 42 to receive a pin 464 passing through an upper end 463 of the lifting rod 461. This makes it possible to fix the y-direction position of the tip of the arm unit 42 regardless of the vertical position of the base end 421. Note that the lifting actuator 46 may be a fluid pressure cylinder using a fluid other than air, or may be configured by an electric actuator, etc.

[0037] Each finger portion 41 is formed of a plate-like member having a predetermined thickness, and is arranged so that the plate thickness direction coincides with the x-direction. As shown in Figs. 4(A) and (B), claw portions 51 and 52 are formed at the lower end of the inner surfaces (opposing surfaces) of a pair of finger portions 41, which are separated from each other in an open state and come into contact with each other in a closed state. When the base end portion 421 of the arm portion 42 is located at the standby height H1, the claw portions 51 and 52 are in an open state in which they are separated from each other, and when the base end portion 421 of the arm portion 42 is located at the operating height H2, the claw portions 51 and 52 are in contact with each other in a closed state. In this embodiment, the operating height H2 is higher than the standby height H1.

[0038] In the following description, when it is necessary to distinguish between the pair of finger portions 41, the finger portion 41 on the rear side will be referred to as the first finger portion 41a and the finger portion 41 on the front side will be referred to as the second finger portion 42b. Details of the claw portions 51 and 52 will be described later.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, both ends of shaft portion 44 extending in the x-direction are supported by a pair of fixed brackets 45 so as to be vertically movable. The tip of arm portion 42 is bifurcated, and bifurcated portion 423 and an upper end of first finger portion 41a are connected by a pin 61 extending in the x-direction. An upper end of second finger portion 41b and a pair of connecting portions 43 located on both sides of second finger portion 41b are connected by a pin 62 extending in the x-direction. In addition, the vertical center of first finger portion 41a and the vertical center of second finger portion 41b are each connected to fixed brackets 45 on both sides by a pin 63 extending in the x-direction.

[0040] By moving the lifting rod 461 of the lifting actuator 46 back and forth in the up-down direction (vertical direction), the lower ends of the pair of finger portions 41 can be opened and closed in the y direction via a link mechanism (slider crank mechanism) including the arm portion 42 and the connecting portion 43. The finger portion 41, the arm portion 42, the connecting portion 43, and the fixed bracket 45 are formed of a rigid material such as metal.

[0041] <Example of finger configuration> A configuration example of the first finger portion 41a and the second finger portion 41b will be described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8. Fig. 7 is a plan view (viewed in the x direction) showing the first finger portion 41a and the second finger portion 41b constituting the clamping member 40 in a separated state. In Fig. 7, the posture of the first finger portion 41a and the second finger portion 41b in the closed state (hereinafter referred to as the "operation posture") is shown by a solid line, and the posture of the first finger portion 41a and the second finger portion 41b in the open state (hereinafter referred to as the "standby posture") is shown by an imaginary line. For convenience, the distance between the two is shown in an enlarged manner in Fig. 7. Fig. 8(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a shape example of the claw portion 51 of the first finger portion 41a, showing a cross-section along line VIIIA-VIIIA in Fig. 7. FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the shape of the claw portion 52 of the second finger portion 41b, taken along line VIIIB-VIIIB in FIG.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 7, the first finger portion 41a and the second finger portion 41b have round holes 411 at their upper ends, which penetrate in the thickness direction. The round holes 411 are holes through which the above-mentioned pins 61 and 62 pass. The first finger portion 41a and the second finger portion 41b also have round holes 412 at their central portions, which penetrate in the thickness direction. The round holes 412 are holes through which the above-mentioned pin 63 passes. The first finger portion 41a and the second finger portion 41b are formed substantially symmetrically when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the receiving groove 2 (viewed in the thickness direction) in the installed state. The first finger portion 41a and the second finger portion 41b rotate symmetrically with the position of the round hole 412 at the central portion as the center of rotation. The first finger portion 41a and the second finger portion 41b function as opening and closing arms. The inner side surface of first finger portion 41a and the inner side surface of second finger portion 41b form an opposing surface 413.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 8(A), a claw portion (convex portion) 51 protruding toward the other side (opposing surface 413 of second finger portion 41b) is provided at the lower end of opposing surface 413 of first finger portion 41a. As shown in Fig. 8(B), a claw portion (convex portion) 52 protruding toward the other side (opposing surface 413 of first finger portion 41a) is also provided at the lower end of opposing surface 413 of second finger portion 41b. In this embodiment, two claw portions 51 are provided vertically within the thickness range of first finger portion 41a. Two claw portions 52 are also provided vertically within the thickness range of second finger portion 41b.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 7, the claw portion 51 protrudes horizontally at a constant height and width from a reference plane 53 at the lower end of the opposing surface 413. The two claw portions 51 are spaced apart in the left-right direction (x direction). The claw portion 52 protrudes horizontally at a constant height and width from a reference plane 54 at the lower end of the opposing surface 413. The two claw portions 52 are spaced apart in the left-right direction (x direction). The heights L1 of the claw portions 51 and 52 are the same, and are, for example, 4 mm.

[0045] The protruding dimensions of the claw portions 51 and 52 from the reference planes 53 and 54 may be the same, for example, 1.5 mm or more. In this embodiment, the protruding dimensions of the claw portions 51 and 52 are set to 2 mm. The width dimension W11 of the claw portion 51 is larger than the width dimension W12 of the claw portion 52. The width dimension W12 of the narrower claw portion 52 is less than 2 mm, preferably less than 1.5 mm, and more preferably less than 1.2 mm. The width dimension W11 of the thicker claw portion 51 is preferably 1.5 times or more the width dimension W12 of the claw portion 52. In this embodiment, the width dimension W12 of the claw portion 52 is set to 1 mm, and the width dimension W11 of the claw portion 51 is set to 2 mm.

[0046] The cross-sectional shape of the claws 51, 52 is not limited to the rectangular shape shown in the drawing, and may be, for example, a trapezoidal shape tapered toward the tip side. In this case, each of the width dimensions W11, W12 represents the width dimension of the tip surface (contact surface).

[0047] The thickness dimension T of the main body of the finger portions 41a, 41b is preferably 5 mm or more, and is set to 6 mm in this embodiment. In this case, the interval W12 (width dimension of the reference surface 53) between the two claw portions 51 of the first finger portion 41a is, for example, 2 mm, and the interval W22 (width dimension of the reference surface 54) between the two claw portions 52 of the second finger portion 41b is, for example, 3 mm. Note that the intervals W12, W22 may be determined so that the width center of the claw portion 51 and the width center of the claw portion 52 coincide with each other. Each of the reference surfaces 53, 54 may be flush with the inner surface (opposing surface 413) of each of the finger portions 41a, 41b.

[0048] The reference surfaces 53, 54 and the tip surfaces (contact surfaces) 510, 520 of the claws 51, 52 are approximately vertical in the operating position. As a result, when the pair of finger portions 41 is changed from the open state to the closed state, the pressing force of the thin claw portion 52 is received by the tip surface 510 of the thick claw portion 51, and as shown in FIG. 9, the thin claw portion 52 is embedded (bites) into the overlapped sealing portions 9a. In this way, the embedded portion of the sealing portion 9a is partially damaged, and the sealing portions 9a are bonded to each other. The tip surface 510 of the thick claw portion 51 serves as a base and functions as a pressure-receiving surface that receives the pressure of the thin claw portion 52. In addition, the recess between the claw portions 51 on the pressure-receiving side functions as a relief portion when the claw portion 52 is embedded into the sealing portion 9a, so that the crimping finish can be improved.

[0049] <Functional configuration> The functional configuration of the medicine package combining device 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0050] The medicine package binding device 1 includes a control unit 10 electrically connected to the lifting actuator 46, the sliding actuator 33, and the clamping actuator 34. The control unit 10 is configured by a computer including a processor and a memory. The control unit 10 is housed in a control box (not shown) together with an air compressor and the like.

[0051] The control unit 10 operates the lifting actuator 46 of the crimping mechanism 4 and the slide actuator 33 and the clamp actuator 34 of the transport mechanism 3 at a predetermined timing, thereby repeatedly performing the crimping process by the claws 51, 52 while transporting the continuous medicine pack web 9 downstream. In other words, the control unit 10 performs a "continuous crimping process" in which the sealed portions 9a of the continuous medicine pack web 9 are continuously (intermittently) crimped along the longitudinal direction.

[0052] Control unit 10 is also electrically connected to infrared sensors 71, 72 shown in Fig. 1. Infrared sensors 71, 72 are provided on the side surface of storage groove 2, and detect the presence or absence of continuous medicine packs 9. The upstream infrared sensor 71 is located upstream of pressing member 31 (on the insertion opening 2a side), and the downstream infrared sensor 72 is located in a position overlapping pressing member 31 and in the vicinity of crimping position P.

[0053] <Continuous crimping process> The continuous crimping process executed by the control unit 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 10 and Fig. 11. Fig. 10 is a flow chart showing the continuous crimping process. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the change in the operating state of a pair of pressing members 31 and the operating state of a pair of finger portions 41 during the continuous crimping process. Note that Fig. 11 shows only both ends of each pressing member 31. Also, a plurality of continuous medicine packs 9 are indicated by a single thick line.

[0054] First, an operator (such as a pharmacist) turns on the power, and then inserts a plurality of stacked continuous medicine packs 9 with their sealed portions 9a facing upward, between the pair of pressing members 31 from the insertion opening 2a side of the storage groove 2. At the start of the continuous crimping process, the pair of pressing members 31 and the pair of finger portions 41 are both in an open state, and the pair of pressing members 31 are located at the origin position in the x direction.

[0055] When the control unit 10 detects the insertion of the continuous medicine pack 9 by a signal from the infrared sensor 71 on the upstream side (YES in step S1), it operates the transport mechanism 3 to transport the continuous medicine pack 9 downstream (step S2). Specifically, the clamp actuator 34 is driven to close the pair of pressing members 31, and the slide actuator 33 is driven to slide the pair of pressing members 31 downstream. At this time, the continuous medicine pack 9 may be transported downstream while the pair of pressing members 31 are reciprocated, as described below.

[0056] Assuming that the first package of the continuous medicine pack series 9 has reached the crimping position P, the control unit 10 drives the lifting actuator 46 of the crimping mechanism 4 to close the pair of finger sections 41, thereby crimping the sealed portion 9a of the first package with the pair of claw sections 51, 52 (step S3). At this time, under the control of the control unit 10, the crimping mechanism 4 performs the opening and closing operation of the pair of finger sections 41 while the sealed portion 9a (or the area below it) is held by the pair of pressing members 31 as shown in Fig. 11(A). This makes it possible to crimp the multiple sealed portions 9a while maintaining the posture of the multiple continuous medicine pack series appropriately.

[0057] The magnitude of the load received by tip surface 520 of claw portion 52 when pair of finger portions 41 are closed may be determined according to the material and number of continuous medicine packs to be joined. In this embodiment, the air pressure of lift actuator 46 is set to 0.2 to 0.3 kg and the thrust is set to 600 kg, so that the load received by tip surface 520 is adjusted to approximately 1 ton. This allows sealing portion 9a to be well crimped regardless of the number of sheets.

[0058] When the first crimping process is completed, the control unit 10 opens the pair of finger portions 41 as shown in Fig. 11(B) and shifts the continuous medicine pack body 9 a predetermined distance downstream as shown in Fig. 11(C). The transfer of the continuous medicine pack body 9 and the crimping by the claw portions 51, 52 are repeatedly performed until the continuous medicine pack body 9 is no longer detected by the downstream infrared sensor 72 (NO in step S4).

[0059] According to this embodiment, multiple continuous drug packs 9 can be automatically transported downstream without any positional misalignment, so that multiple continuous drug packs 9 can be joined in a neat state without the operator having to pull the continuous drug packs 9 by hand.

[0060] If the number of claws 51, 52 is small and the overall contact width is relatively small, each packet 90 may be crimped multiple times. That is, as shown in FIG. 12(A), the sealing portion 9a of each packet 90 may have multiple crimped points C. Each crimped point C leaves vertical line marks 92, the number of which is the number of claws 51 (two). Also, as shown in FIG. 12(B), the crimped points C may be partially overlapped to increase the degree of bonding. If the number of claws 51, 52 is large and the overall contact width is relatively large, each packet 90 may have only one crimped point C on the sealing portion 9a, as shown in FIG. 12(C).

[0061] As shown in FIG. 11(D), when changing the holding position of the pair of pressing members 31 (when returning the pressing members 31 to the upstream side) after the crimping process by the claws 51 and 52 is completed, it is desirable that the crimping mechanism 4 maintains the pair of finger portions 41 in the closed state until the pair of pressing members 31 in the open state return to the insertion port 2a side, as shown in FIG. 11(E) and (F). As a result, the continuous body of multiple medicine packets 9 is always sandwiched between at least one of the pair of pressing members 31 and the pair of finger portions 41, so that it can always maintain a straight posture without (or with little) distortion. As a result, the sealing portion 9a of the continuous body of multiple medicine packets 9 can be bound in a state where the position of the cut line 91 of the continuous body of multiple medicine packets 9 is prevented from shifting, so that one dose (one set of individual packets 90) can be easily separated from the continuous body of multiple medicine packets 9 when taking the medicine.

[0062] According to the medicine packet joining device 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately join about two to six continuous medicine packet sheets 9. Furthermore, since joining is performed by crimping, after one set of packets 90 is cut off, it is possible to easily separate the continuous medicine packet sheets 9 into a plurality of packets by hand. When performing a crimping process by butting claw portions 51, 52 together, it is difficult to appropriately join a small number of continuous medicine packet sheets 9, such as two or three sheets, but by forming claw portions 51, 52 in the above-described shape, it is possible to appropriately join even a small number of continuous medicine packet sheets 9.

[0063] <Comparative example of claw part> Referring to FIG. 13, a comparative example of the claw portions (protrusions) 51, 52 formed on each of the pair of finger portions 41 in this embodiment will be described.

[0064] 13(A), the convex portions (teeth) 51A, 52A were configured to mesh with each other (the convex portions 51A, 52A were not in contact with each other), and continuous pressure bonding was performed. In this comparative example, even when pressed by a pair of pressing members 31, wrinkles and twists occurred in the sealing portion 91a, and bonding could not be achieved regardless of the number of sheets.

[0065] As in finger portion 41B in Fig. 13(B), the thickness of finger portion 41B body was made thinner (body thickness: about 3 to 4 mm) than tip portion 41t having multiple (for example, three) claw portions 51B, 52B, and continuous crimping processing was performed. In the test, claw width of claw portion 51B was 1.5 mm, and claw width of claw portion 52B was 1 mm. In the case of this comparative example, since the load was not evenly applied to multiple claw portions 52B (51B), a small number of continuous medicine packs 9 (2 to 3 sheets) could not be properly joined (they came off easily), and the desired joining accuracy was not obtained.

[0066] As in finger portion 41C in Fig. 13(C), one of claw portions 52C was formed into a sharp shape and a continuous crimping process was performed. The conditions other than claw portion 52C were the same as those of finger portion 41B in Fig. 13(B). In this comparative example, a small number of continuous medicine packs 9 (2 to 3 sheets) could not be properly joined, and the desired joining accuracy was not obtained.

[0067] As shown in Fig. 13(D), the contact surfaces of a pair of finger portions 41D are not uneven, and tip surfaces 41s of finger portions 41D having a thickness of 6 mm are vertically flat surfaces. In this comparative example, since a plurality of sealing portions 9a are crimped only by the pressing force between tip surfaces 41s, the result is that the sealing portions 9a are easily peeled off, especially when a small number of continuous medicine packs 9 (2 to 3 sheets) are tested.

[0068] As shown in Fig. 13(E), within the thickness range of finger portion 41E, one each of protrusions 51E, 52E wider (2 to 3 mm width) than in the embodiment was provided, and continuous pressure bonding was performed. Even in this comparative example, when a small number of continuous medicine packs 9 (2 to 3 sheets) was tested, the result was that they were peeled off immediately.

[0069] Furthermore, although not shown, if the width of the protrusion is too small (0.5 to 0.8 mm), a hole is simply created in the sealing portion 9a, and bonding cannot be achieved.

[0070] From the above test results, it can be deduced that in order to obtain the desired bonding accuracy, it is desirable to satisfy the following conditions. (1) Providing a protrusion within the plate thickness range of the finger part, (2) The width of one of the protrusions is 1 mm or more and less than 2 mm (preferably less than 1.5 mm), and the width of the other protrusion is greater than that of the other protrusion. (3) The convex portions make surface contact with each other.

[0071] As a modification of condition (2), the contact surface (pressure-receiving surface) that receives the load of a protrusion of less than 2 mm may be configured with a tip surface 41s (see FIG. 13(D)) having the same width as the finger body. In other words, as long as one opposing surface of a pair of finger portions has at least one protrusion (claw portion 52) that protrudes toward the other opposing surface, and the other opposing surface of the pair of finger portions has a contact surface that receives the load of the mating protrusion, the other opposing surface of the pair of finger portions does not need to have a protrusion (claw portion 51).

[0072] 13(F), a configuration may be used in which tip surface 520 of claw portion 52 having a width of, for example, 1 mm is in surface contact with tip surface 41s of finger portion 41F body. Also, a configuration may be used in which the load of multiple claw portions 52 is received by one contact surface (which may be the tip surface of a convex portion).

[0073] As a modification of condition (3), minute projections and recesses may be formed on the tip faces of the projections (claws 51, 52) by electrical discharge machining or the like to provide anti-slip functionality.

[0074] In this embodiment, a plurality of pairs of fingers that open and close when driven by lift actuator 46 may be provided so that a wide range of sealing portion 9a can be crimped at once.

[0075] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1 medicine bag combining device, 2 storage groove, 3 conveying mechanism, 4 crimping mechanism, 9 medicine bag continuous body, 9a sealing portion, 10 control portion, 31 pressing member, 33 slide actuator, 34 clamp actuator, 40 clamping member, 41, 41a, 41b finger portion, 42 arm portion, 43 connecting portion, 44 shaft portion, 45 fixing bracket, 46 lifting actuator, 51, 52 claw portion (convex portion), 71, 72 infrared sensor.

Claims

1. A drug bag connecting device for connecting a plurality of drug bag chains, a receiving groove having an insertion opening at one end and an ejection opening at the other end, and configured to receive a plurality of continuous medicine packets stacked together with the sealing portions oriented in the same direction; a conveying mechanism that conveys the plurality of continuous medicine packs inserted into the storage groove from the insertion port toward the discharge port; a crimping mechanism having a pair of finger portions that sandwich the sealed portions of the plurality of continuous medicine packs in the storage groove, and crimping the sealed portions of the plurality of continuous medicine packs by opening and closing the pair of finger portions in conjunction with a conveying operation by the conveying mechanism, The conveying mechanism includes a pair of pressing members that hold the plurality of medicine pack continuous bodies in a stacked manner in a thickness direction, The crimping mechanism opens and closes the pair of finger portions while the sealing portion is held by the pair of pressing members.

2. the transport mechanism includes an opening / closing drive means for opening and closing the pair of pressing members, and a movement drive means for reciprocating the pair of pressing members along the storage groove, The medicine bag binding device of claim 1, wherein the crimping mechanism maintains the pair of finger portions in a closed state to crimp the sealing portion, and then maintains the pair of finger portions in a closed state for a period of time until the pair of pressing members, which have been opened, return to the insertion port side.

3. one of the pair of finger portions has at least one protruding portion protruding toward the other of the pair of finger portions; The medicine bag fastening device according to claim 1 , wherein the other opposing surface of the pair of finger portions has a contact surface that receives the load of the protrusion.

4. The medicine pouch connecting device according to claim 3 , wherein the contact surface is constituted by a tip surface of a protrusion having a width dimension larger than that of the protrusion.

5. The crimping mechanism includes: an arm portion rotatably connected to one of the pair of finger portions; a connecting portion rotatably connected to the other of the pair of finger portions; a fixed bracket having a long hole formed therein for receiving a shaft portion passing through the arm portion and the connecting portion; 2. The medicine pouch fastening device according to claim 1, further comprising an elevation drive means for vertically moving a base end of said arm portion.

6. A method for joining a plurality of continuous medicine packets, comprising the steps of: a step of inserting a plurality of stacked continuous medicine packets into a receiving groove having an insertion opening at one end and an ejection opening at the other end, with the sealing portions oriented in the same direction; conveying the plurality of continuous medicine packs inserted into the storage groove toward the discharge port while being held in a stacked manner in a thickness direction by a pair of pressing members; A medicine packet joining method comprising the step of clamping and crimping the sealing portions of the plurality of medicine packet continuous bodies in the storage groove by opening and closing a pair of finger portions while the sealing portions are held by the pair of pressing members.

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