Tablet discharging device and tablet packaging device

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a tablet cassette in which a gap does not occur between wall parts constituting a tablet guide groove. [Solution] The present invention comprises a tablet container 5 which accommodates a tablet, and a rotor 8 rotatably provided to the tablet container, wherein a tablet guide groove 8b for guiding the tablet accommodated in the tablet container to a tablet discharge hole 9 formed in the tablet container is formed in the rotor. The tablet guide groove 8b has a first wall part 72 and a second wall part 81. The first wall part and the second wall part can move relative to each other. Tablet entry prevention members 101a, 101b are provided between the first wall part 72 and the second wall part 82 to prevent the tablet from entering a gap formed by the relative movement of the first wall part 72 and the second wall part 81.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tablet discharging device and a tablet packaging device that can store a large number of tablets and continuously discharge the tablets one by one. [Background technology]

[0002] A tablet ejection device that ejects the required types and number of tablets according to a prescription includes a plurality of tablet cassettes that store different types of tablets by type, and a shelf-like motor base on which the tablet cassettes are mounted. The tablet cassette is composed of a cassette body having a tablet outlet, a rotor that is rotatably provided on the cassette body and has a tablet guide groove, and a partition member provided above the tablet outlet of the cassette body. The rotor is rotatable by power supplied from the motor base. When the tablet guide groove approaches the tablet outlet due to the rotation of the rotor, the tablets above the partition member and the tablets below the partition member are separated by the partition member, the tablets above the partition member are prevented from falling by the partition member, and the tablets below the partition member are ejected from the tablet outlet and ejected to a predetermined position through the tablet ejection path of the motor base.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a tablet cassette in which the width of the tablet guide groove can be adjusted by relatively moving the first and second wall parts that form both sides of the tablet guide groove. In this tablet cassette, when the first and second wall parts are separated to expand the width of the tablet guide groove, a gap is generated between the third wall part of the tablet guide groove and the first and second wall parts, and the tablet may be caught in this gap. In particular, in the case of a wide and thin tablet, the width of the tablet guide groove is widened, so that the gap becomes larger, and as a result, the tablet is likely to be caught in this gap. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6222414 specification Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tablet discharging device and a tablet packaging device in which no gaps are generated in the wall portions that form the tablet guide grooves. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] As a means for solving the above problems, the tablet discharging device according to the present invention comprises: (1) A tablet container for accommodating tablets and a rotor rotatably provided in the tablet container, A tablet guide groove is formed in the rotor to guide the tablets contained in the tablet container to a tablet discharge hole formed in the tablet container, The tablet guide groove has a first wall portion and 、 The second wall portion a third wall portion located between the first wall portion and the second wall portion; and having In a tablet discharging device in which the first wall portion and the second wall portion are relatively movable, The present invention is characterized in that a tablet entry prevention member is provided between the first wall portion and the second wall portion, which prevents tablets in the tablet guide groove from entering a gap formed by the relative movement of the first wall portion and the second wall portion. In the present invention, the "tablet entry prevention member" does not only completely block the gap, but also includes a member that narrows the gap to an extent that the tablet cannot enter, fills the gap, or even prevents the tablet from entering the gap by having at least a part of it come close to the gap.

[0007] (2 )before It is preferable that the tablet entrance prevention member comprises a first tablet entrance prevention member that closes the gap between the third wall portion and the first wall portion, and a second tablet entrance prevention member that closes the gap between the third wall portion and the second wall portion. (3) In this case, the first tablet entrance prevention member is biased toward the first wall portion or the third wall portion and moves in accordance with the movement of the first wall portion, It is preferable that the second tablet entrance prevention member is biased toward the second wall portion or the third wall portion and moves in accordance with the movement of the second wall portion. (4) Furthermore, it is preferable that the first tablet entrance prevention member and the second tablet entrance prevention member are connected by an elastic member, and that the first tablet entrance prevention member is biased toward the first wall portion or the third wall portion, and the second tablet entrance prevention member is biased toward the second wall portion or the third wall portion, by the elastic member. (5 )before The tablet entrance prevention member may close a gap between either the first wall portion or the second wall portion and the third wall portion. (6) In this case, it is preferable that the tablet entrance prevention member is biased toward the first wall portion or the third wall portion and moves in accordance with the movement of the first wall portion. (7) Moreover, it is preferable that the tablet entrance prevention member is biased toward the second wall portion or the third wall portion and moves in accordance with the movement of the second wall portion.

[0008] (8) The tablet entrance prevention member is a gap formed by the relative movement of the first wall portion and the second wall portion. To close the gap a dimension in a movement direction of the first wall portion and the second wall portion is variable in accordance with relative movement of the first wall portion and the second wall portion. (9) The tablet entrance prevention member is a gap formed by the relative movement of the first wall portion and the second wall portion. To close the gap a dimension of which varies from one side end to the other side end in the relative movement direction of the first wall portion and the second wall portion in accordance with the relative movement of the first wall portion and the second wall portion. (10) A tablet packaging device according to the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of the tablet discharging devices are arranged, and tablets discharged from the tablet discharging devices are packaged and dispensed. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, since the tablet entrance prevention member is provided between the first wall portion and the second wall portion, even if the gap formed by the relative movement of the first wall portion and the second wall portion becomes large, a tablet will not be caught in the gap and prevented from being discharged, the caught tablet and the next tablet will not be discharged simultaneously, and the rotation of the rotor will not be hindered. In particular, in the case of wide and thin tablets, this has the effect of allowing them to be discharged appropriately. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tablet packaging device equipped with a tablet guide groove adjustment device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tablet cassette and a base according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tablet cassette with the lid removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the tablet cassette. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tablet cassette with the rotor removed. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a rotor drive unit of the cassette body. [Figure 8A] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a partition adjustment mechanism of the cassette body. [Figure 8B] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the cassette body showing the insertion position of the partition member. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] 13 is a cross-sectional view of the cassette body illustrating the depth adjustment state by the depth adjustment mechanism. FIG. [Figure 15] 11 is a cross-sectional view of a cassette body illustrating a state of height adjustment by a height adjustment mechanism. FIG. [Figure 16]1A is a plan view and FIG. 1B is a bottom view of a movable member and a width adjustment member, illustrating the width adjustment state by the width adjustment mechanism. [Figure 17] 13 is an exploded perspective view of a rotor body having a tablet entry prevention member. FIG. [Figure 18] 1A is a front view and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the rotor showing the operation of the tablet entrance prevention member when the width is narrow. [Figure 19] 1A is a front view and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the rotor showing the operation of the tablet entrance prevention member when the width is large. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a tablet cassette according to a second embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the rear part of the cassette body with the partition member switching mechanism removed. [Figure 23] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rotor with the rotor cover removed. [Figure 24] FIG. [Figure 25A] FIG. [Figure 25B] 25B is a perspective view of the depth adjustment guide of FIG. 25A as viewed from below, and FIG. 25C is a perspective view of the movable member of FIG. [Figure 26] 11 is a cross-sectional view of the rotor illustrating a state of depth adjustment by a depth adjustment mechanism. FIG. [Figure 27] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the fourth base, the fifth base, and a width adjustment mechanism. [Figure 28A] FIG. [Figure 28B] 28B is an enlarged plan view of a width adjustment member shown in FIG. 28A . FIG. [Figure 29] 11 is a cross-sectional view of a rotor illustrating a state in which the width is adjusted by a width adjustment mechanism. FIG. [Diagram 30] 4A is an exploded perspective view of a partition member replacement mechanism, and FIG. 4B is a plan view of a partition member. [Diagram 31] 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views showing a partition member in a non-operating state and an operating state. [Diagram 32] 11 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the operation of the partition member. [Diagram 33]1A is a vertical sectional view showing the operation of a partition member, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged sectional view showing the partitioning position of the partition member. [Diagram 34] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a movable member having a tablet entrance prevention member. [Diagram 35] 1A is a front view and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the rotor showing the operation of the tablet entrance prevention member when the width is narrow. [Diagram 36] 1A is a front view and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the rotor showing the operation of the tablet entrance prevention member when the width is large. [Figure 37] 13 is a partially cutaway plan view showing the operation of a tablet entrance prevention member in a tablet cassette according to a third embodiment. FIG. [Figure 38] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the rotor showing the operation of the tablet entrance prevention member made of an elastic deformation member; [Figure 39] 39 is a cross-sectional view of a rotor showing a modified example of a tablet entrance prevention member made of an elastic deformation member of FIG. 38. [Diagram 40] 13 is a cross-sectional view of a rotor showing a modified example in which a tablet entrance prevention member is provided between a first wall portion and a third wall portion. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] 1. First embodiment FIG. 1 shows a tablet packaging device 1 capable of packaging and dispensing the type and number of tablets according to a prescription. In the tablet packaging device 1, a number of tablet cassettes 2 are detachably mounted on respective bases 3. The tablet cassettes 2 are one embodiment of the tablet discharging device of the present invention. A tablet guide groove adjustment device 100 that automatically adjusts the tablet guide grooves of the tablet cassette 2 is installed on a stand 4 provided next to the tablet packaging device 1. Note that the "tablets" referred to in the present invention include not only tablets in the narrow sense, but also medicines that can be discharged by the tablet cassette 2, such as capsules and sugar-coated tablets.

[0013] Fig. 2 shows a tablet cassette 2 and its base 3 according to the first embodiment of the present invention which is mounted on the tablet packaging device 1. The tablet cassette 2 comprises a cassette body 5, a lid 6 which opens and closes the upper opening of the cassette body 5 in an openable and detachable manner, a skirt part 7 provided on the lower part of the cassette body 5, and a rotor 8 housed in the cassette body 5 as shown in Fig. 3. The cassette body 5 is one embodiment of a tablet container of the present invention.

[0014] Pockets 6a, 7a for accommodating labels or cards capable of identifying the tablets accommodated in the tablet cassette 2 are formed on the upper surface of the lid 6 and the front surface of the skirt portion 7. As shown in Fig. 4, the inner surface of the skirt portion 7 is provided with a slide portion 7b that comes into sliding contact with the mounting guide 3a of the base 3 shown in Fig. 2, and an elastic engagement piece 7c that engages with the locking portion 3b of the mounting guide 3a.

[0015] <Structure of the cassette body> As shown in FIG. 5, the cassette body 5 is composed of a rectangular upper portion 5a that opens upward, an inverted cone-shaped inclined portion 5b, a cylindrical portion 5c, and a bottom portion 5d. A rotor 8 is accommodated in the internal space from the bottom portion 5d to the inclined portion 5b, and a large number of tablets T can be accommodated above the rotor 8. A tablet discharge hole 9 is formed from the lower portion of the inclined portion 5b to the bottom portion 5d. The tablet discharge hole 9 is connected to a tablet discharge path 3c formed in the base 3 shown in FIG. 2. A partition member 20 and a partition adjustment mechanism M1 (described later) that adjusts the position of the partition member 20 are attached to the outside of the cassette body 5. The tip of the partition member 20 is inserted from the outside of the inclined portion 5b to the inside through a slit 9a (see FIG. 6) formed above the tablet discharge hole 9. A rotor shaft hole 11 in which a rotor drive unit 10 (see FIG. 6) is accommodated is formed in the center of the bottom portion 5d.

[0016] <Rotor drive unit> As shown in Fig. 7, the rotor drive unit 10 is composed of a drive shaft 12 that passes through a rotor shaft hole 11, an engagement shaft 13 that engages with the upper end of the drive shaft 12 and rotates integrally with the drive shaft 12, a drive gear 14 that engages with the lower end of the drive shaft 12 and rotates integrally with the drive shaft 12, and a central shaft 15 that passes through the engagement shaft 13, the drive shaft 12, and the drive gear 14 to integrate them. The engagement shaft 13 is composed of a circular base 13a that abuts on the upper end surface of the drive shaft 12, engagement pieces 13b that protrude downward from the outer periphery of the base 13a and are arranged at equally spaced positions around the circumference, and a connecting portion 13c that connects the lower ends of the adjacent engagement pieces 13b. The inner surfaces of the engagement pieces 13b and the connecting portion 13c are slidably provided on the outer periphery of an annular protrusion 11a provided on the edge of the rotor shaft hole 11 via a ring 16. When the rotor 8 is attached, the engagement piece 13b engages with the slit 44a between the engagement pieces 44 of the engagement recess 41a of the rotor 8 shown in FIG. 10, and transmits the rotational force of the rotor drive unit 10 to the rotor 8. A flange 15a and a hole 15b are formed at the upper end of the central shaft 15. Three ring-shaped magnets 15c are inserted in a stacked state into the hole 15b of the central shaft, and fixed with a screw 15d. The magnet 15c may be a single cylindrical magnet. The lower end of the central shaft 15 is secured against removal by a C-shaped retaining ring 15e, which penetrates a gear cover 17 attached to the bottom 5d of the cassette body 5 shown in FIG. 4. The drive gear 14 is engaged with the motor gear 3d of the base 3 shown in FIG. 2 via an intermediate gear 18 shown in FIG. 4, and is driven.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 4, a locking claw 19a at one end of a locking lever 19 provided on the bottom surface of the cassette body 5 is locked to the drive gear 14. An operating portion 19b at the other end of the locking lever 19 extends in the mounting direction of the tablet cassette 2. When the tablet cassette 2 is mounted on the base 3, the operating portion 19b of the locking lever 19 abuts against a predetermined abutment portion 3e of the base 3 shown in Fig. 2, causing the locking lever 19 to rotate against the biasing force of the spring 19c, and the locking claw 19a disengages from the drive gear 14, allowing the drive gear 14 to rotate. When the tablet cassette 2 is pulled out from the base 3, the operating portion 19b of the locking lever 19 disengages from the abutment portion 3e of the base 3, the locking lever 19 rotates due to the biasing force of the spring 19c, and the locking claw 19a engages with the drive gear 14, preventing the drive gear 14 from rotating. As a result, it is possible to prevent the tablets T from falling due to unexpected rotation of the rotor 8 of the pulled-out tablet cassette 2.

[0018] <Partition adjustment mechanism> 8A, the partition member 20 is formed in a comb shape that is curved convexly upward. The partition member 20 can be moved toward and away from the rotor 8 by a partition adjustment mechanism M1. The partition adjustment mechanism M1 is made up of a first fixed member 21, a second fixed member 22, a movable member 23, and an adjustment member 24.

[0019] An upper case portion 21a is formed in the center of the first fixed member 21, in which the slide portion 23c and the stopper 28 of the movable member 23 are housed. Mounting holes 21b are formed on both sides of the upper case portion 21a of the first fixed member 21. A pair of elastic pieces 21c that press and stabilize the movable member 23 are formed on the lower surface of the first fixed member 21. A protrusion 21d that engages with a groove 23d of the movable member 23 is formed at the tip of the elastic piece 21c.

[0020] A lower case portion 22b is formed in the center of the second fixed member 22, in which the slide portion 23c of the movable member 23 and the stopper 28 are housed. An inverted U-shaped notch 22b is formed on the lower edge of both sides of the lower case portion 22a of the second fixed member 22. When the upper case portion 21a of the first fixed member 21 and the lower case portion 22a of the second fixed member 22 are combined with each other, they form a movable member housing portion 25 that opens downward and houses the slide portion 23c of the movable member 23, and a stopper housing portion 26 that houses the stopper 28. A semicircular notch 27 that supports both ends of the adjustment member 24 in the axial direction so as not to move in the axial direction is formed on the lower edge of the upper case portion 21a and the upper edge of the lower case portion 22a of the movable member housing portion 25.

[0021] The movable member 23 has a holding portion 23a at its lower end for holding the partition member 20, and a slide portion 23c having a screw hole 23b at its upper end. Grooves 23d are formed in both ends of the upper surface of the movable member 23.

[0022] The adjustment member 24 has a threaded portion 24a that screws into a threaded hole 23b of the slide portion 23c of the movable member 23, and an engagement gear 24b. A stopper 28 is engaged with the engagement gear 24b so that the adjustment member 24 can be fixed at a required position. Since the groove 23d of the movable member 23 engages with the protrusion 21d of the first fixed member 21, the movable member 23 is fixed in the rotational direction of the adjustment member 24, so that when the adjustment member 24 rotates, the movable member 23 moves in the axial direction of the adjustment member 24.

[0023] To assemble the partition adjustment mechanism M1, first, the slide portion 23c of the movable member 23 is accommodated in the lower case portion 22a of the second fixed member 22 from below, and the adjustment member 24 is screwed into and penetrates the slide portion 23c, and then both ends of the adjustment member 24 are placed in the notches 27 of the lower case portion 22. In addition, a stopper 28 is accommodated in the lower case portion 22a of the second fixed member 22. In this state, when the first fixed member 21 is superimposed on the second fixed member 22 so that the adjustment member 24 penetrates the hole formed by the notches 27 of the first fixed member 21 and the second fixed member, the claw 22f of the elastic locking piece 22e provided on the upper case portion 21a is locked to the lower edge of the lower case portion 22a, and the two are assembled together. In addition, since the size of the notch 27 is smaller than that of the engagement gear 24b, the engagement gear 24b is fixed to the upper case portion 22a and the lower case portion 22b so as not to move in the axial direction. Subsequently, a fixing screw 29 is passed through the notch 22b of the second fixing member 22 and the mounting hole 21b of the first fixing member 21 and screwed into a screw hole 5e on the back surface of the cassette body 5, thereby being fixed to the cassette body 5.

[0024] When the adjustment member 24 of the partition adjustment mechanism M1 is rotated, the slide portion 23c moves within the movable member accommodating portion 25 of the upper case 21a of the first fixed member 21 and the lower case 22b of the second fixed member 22, so that the partition member 20 held by the movable member 23 advances or retreats toward the rotor 8 in the cassette body 5, as shown in Fig. 8B, and the tip position 20a of the partition member 20 can be adjusted. That is, as shown in Fig. 8B(a), when the tablet T is thick, the rotor body 31 of the rotor 8 is raised to increase the groove depth D of the tablet guide groove 8b between the lower inclined outer surface 35c and the inclined portion 5b of the cassette body 5, as described in detail later, and accordingly, the tip of the partition member 20 is also advanced toward the rotor 8. As shown in Figure 8B (b), when the thickness of the tablet T is thin, the rotor body 35 of the rotor 8 is lowered to reduce the groove depth D of the tablet guide groove 8b between the lower inclined outer surface 35c and the inclined portion 5b of the cassette body 5, and accordingly, the tip of the partition member 20 is also retracted from the rotor 8.

[0025] <Overall rotor structure> 9 and 10, rotor 8 has a generally conical top surface, an inverted conical side surface, and a flat bottom surface. A tablet pocket 8a is provided in the circumferential direction at the upper part of the side surface of rotor 8, and a plurality of tablet guide grooves 8b extending downward from tablet pocket 8a are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0026] The tablet pocket 8a is formed by the outer surface of the rotor body 35 described later, a first horizontal protrusion 73 of the first movable member 60 and a second horizontal protrusion 82 of the second movable member 61 described later, and is surrounded by the inclined portion 5b of the cassette body 5 to receive the tablets T contained in the cassette body 5 and align them in the circumferential direction.

[0027] The tablet guide groove 8b is formed in a groove shape by the lower inclined outer surface 35c of the rotor body 35 described later, the first vertical protrusion 72 of the first movable member 60 described later, the second vertical protrusion 81 of the second movable member 61 described later, and the tablet support base 55 of the annular lifting member 51 described later, and is covered by the inclined portion 5b of the cassette body 5, and receives the tablets T aligned in the tablet pocket 8a and guides them downward.

[0028] The tablet guide groove 8b needs to have its depth, height, and width adjusted according to the shape or size of the tablets accommodated in the tablet cassette so that the tablets can smoothly pass through the tablet guide groove 8b and be discharged from the tablet discharge hole 9 shown in FIG. 5. Here, the "depth" of the tablet guide groove 8b is the dimension in the thickness direction of the tablet passing through the tablet guide groove 8b, and is the dimension D between the inclined portion 5b of the cassette body 5 and the lower inclined outer surface 35c of the downward protrusion 35 of the rotor body 31. The "height" of the groove is the dimension in the height direction of the tablet passing through the tablet guide groove 8b, and is the dimension H between the partition member 20 and the tablet support base 55 of the annular lifting member 51 of the rotor 8. The "width" of the groove is the dimension in the width direction of the tablet passing through the tablet guide groove 8b, and is the dimension W between the first vertical protrusion 72 of the first movable member 60 and the second vertical protrusion 81 of the second movable member 61.

[0029] The rotor 8 has a depth adjustment mechanism M2, a height adjustment mechanism M3, and a width adjustment mechanism M4 in order to adjust the groove shape of the tablet guide groove 8b. These will be described in order below.

[0030] <Depth adjustment mechanism> 11 shows the members constituting the depth adjustment mechanism M2. The depth adjustment mechanism M2 is composed of a rotor cover 30, a rotor body 31, a rotor base 32, and a depth adjustment member 33.

[0031] The rotor cover 30 has an overall umbrella shape. The upper surface of the rotor cover 30 is formed in a cone shape.

[0032] The rotor body 31 has a circular base portion 34 , a downward protrusion 35 , an annular portion 36 , and a guide portion 37 .

[0033] A shaft 38 is provided in the center of the base 34, and a screw hole (not shown) is formed in the shaft 38. Two holes 34a and 34b are formed in the upper surface of the base 34, through which a height adjustment member 52 and a width adjustment member 64 (described later) are exposed.

[0034] The downward projections 35 extend downward from six equally spaced positions on the outer periphery of the base 34. The downward projections 35 are formed in a triangle shape when viewed from the side, and are made up of a vertical inner surface 35a, an upper inclined outer surface 35b that inclines downward from the outer periphery of the base 34, a lower inclined outer surface 35c that inclines downward from the lower end of the upper inclined outer surface 35b, and both side surfaces 35d. The lower inclined outer surface 35c forms the bottom surface of the tablet guide groove 8b. A slit 35e is formed at the lower end of the downward projection 35.

[0035] The annular portion 36 is formed concentrically on the outside of the base portion 34 and is connected to the base portion 34 via a downward protrusion 35 .

[0036] The guide parts 37 extend downward from six equally spaced positions on the outer periphery of the base part 34 between the downward protrusions 35. On both sides of the inner surface of the guide parts 37, guide edges 37a are formed with which guide pieces 40 of the rotor base 32, which will be described later, can slidably engage. The rotor body 31 and the rotor base 32 rotate integrally as a result of the guide pieces 40 engaging with the guide edges 37a. A protrusion 37b serving as a detection part for detecting the zero point is formed on the lower end of any one of the six guide parts 37.

[0037] The rotor base 32 has an annular base portion 39 , a guide piece 40 , and an engagement portion 41 .

[0038] An annular wall 42 is formed on the upper surface of the base 39. The annular wall 42 is formed with six equally spaced circumferential vertical slits 42a extending in the axial direction.

[0039] The guide pieces 40 protrude upward at six equally spaced positions on the outer circumferential edge of the base portion 39 and between adjacent vertical slits 42a. The guide pieces 40 are formed to slidably engage with the guide edge 37a of the guide portion 37 of the rotor body 31. A reinforcing rib 43 is provided between the guide pieces 40 and the annular wall 42.

[0040] The engaging portion 41 has engaging pieces 44 rising upward from the inner peripheral edge of the base portion 39 at circumferentially equally spaced positions, and circular protrusions 45 provided at the upper ends of the engaging pieces 44. When viewed from the back side, the engaging portion 41 has an engaging recess 41a with which the rotor drive unit 10 engages, as shown in FIG. 10. The engaging pieces 13b of the rotor drive unit 10 engage with the slits 44a between the adjacent engaging pieces 44. A magnetic plate 46 that is attracted to a magnet 15c provided on the central shaft 15 of the rotor drive unit 10 is embedded inside the circular protrusion 45. The depth adjustment member 33 is supported at the center of the upper surface of the circular protrusion 45. The circular protrusion 45 has a hole 45a that accommodates a stopper 48 that prevents the depth adjustment member 33 from freely rotating, and two screw holes 45b that screw in with screws (not shown) inserted through two screw insertion holes 93 of the second support member 63 described later.

[0041] Between the circular protrusion 45 and the annular wall 42, an annular recess 47 is formed to accommodate a height adjustment mechanism M3, which will be described later.

[0042] The depth adjustment member 33 has a male threaded portion 33a and a gear portion 33b at the lower end. The male threaded portion 33a screws into a screw hole (not shown) in the shaft portion 38 of the rotor body 31, and the gear portion 33b at the lower end is supported by a circular protrusion 45 of the rotor base 32. An engagement portion 33c is formed at the upper end of the male threaded portion 33a, which protrudes and is exposed from the shaft portion 38 of the rotor body 31, allowing rotation adjustment from the outside. The tip of a stopper 48 made of an elastic piece is engaged between the teeth of the gear portion 33b.

[0043] The gear portion 33b of the depth adjustment member 33 is restricted from moving in the axial direction by the first support member 62 and the rotor base 32, and the guide edge 37a of the rotor body 31 engages with the guide piece 40 of the rotor base 32, so that the rotor body 31 is restricted from rotating relative to the rotor base 32. In this manner, when the depth adjustment member 33 is rotated while the rotor base 32 is not rotating, the rotor body 31 having a screw hole (not shown) that screws into the male screw portion 33a of the depth adjustment member 33 rises or falls in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotor 4. Accordingly, the lower inclined outer surface 35c of the downward protrusion 35 of the rotor body 31, which forms the bottom surface of the tablet guide groove 8b, also rises or falls.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 14, the lower inclined outer surface 35c of the downward protrusion 35 is inclined radially from the outside to the inside as it goes from top to bottom, and is parallel to the inverted cone-shaped inclined portion 5b of the cassette body 5. Therefore, when the lower inclined outer surface 35c of the downward protrusion 35 of the rotor body 31 descends, the distance between the lower inclined outer surface 35c of the downward protrusion 35 and the cone-shaped inclined portion 5b of the cassette body 5 decreases, and the depth of the tablet guide groove 8b can be made shallow (D1). Conversely, when the lower inclined outer surface 35c of the downward protrusion 35 of the rotor body 31 rises, the distance between the lower inclined outer surface 35c of the downward protrusion 35 and the inverted cone-shaped inclined portion 5b of the cassette body 5 increases, and the depth of the tablet guide groove 8b can be made deep (D2). In this way, by rotating the depth adjustment member 33 left or right, the depth of the tablet guide groove 8b can be adjusted according to the thickness of the tablet T passing through the tablet guide groove 8b. Furthermore, each time the gear portion 33b of the depth adjustment member 33 shown in Figure 11 rotates, the tip of the stopper 48 climbs over the teeth of the gear portion 33b and engages between the teeth, so that the depth adjustment member 33 can be stopped at an appropriate position and the rotor body 35 can be fixed at the desired height position.

[0045] <Height adjustment mechanism> 12 shows the members that constitute the height adjustment mechanism M3. The height adjustment mechanism M3 is composed of a cylindrical rotating member 50, an annular lifting member 51, and a height adjustment member 52.

[0046] A male screw portion 50a is formed on the lower outer periphery of the cylindrical rotating member 50, and a driven gear 50b is formed on the upper inner periphery of the cylindrical rotating member 50. A stopper 53 that prevents the cylindrical rotating member 50 from rotating freely engages with the driven gear 50b.

[0047] The annular lifting member 51 has arms 54 protruding radially from six equally spaced positions on the outer periphery, and a tablet support base 55 is formed at the tip of each arm 54. The tablet support base 55 is inclined perpendicular to the tablet guide groove 8b so as to support the lowest tablet T in the tablet guide groove 8b. A female thread portion 51a that screws into the male thread portion 50a of the cylindrical rotating member 50 is formed on the inner surface of the annular lifting member 51.

[0048] The height adjustment member 52 has a drive gear 52a at its lower end that meshes with a driven gear 50b of the cylindrical rotating member 50. An engagement portion 52b is formed at the upper end of the height adjustment member 52, which protrudes and is exposed from a hole 34a in the upper surface of the base portion 34 of the rotor body 31, allowing rotation adjustment from the outside. The height adjustment member 52 is held by the edge of a hole 90 of a second support member 63 (described later) so as not to be movable in the vertical direction.

[0049] The cylindrical rotating member 50 and the annular lifting member 51 are threadedly engaged with each other and housed in the annular recess 47 of the rotor base 32, the arm 54 of the annular lifting member 51 slidably fits into the slit 42a of the annular wall 42 of the rotor base 32, and the tablet support base 55 protrudes outside the annular wall 42 of the rotor base 32 to support the lowest tablet T in the tablet guide groove 8b.

[0050] 15, the height H of the tablet guide groove 8b, which corresponds to the height of the tablet T, is adjusted by rotating the height adjustment member 52 of the height adjustment mechanism M3 to the left or right. In the present invention, since the partition member 20 is fixed in the height direction relative to the cassette body 5, the partition member 20 itself is not moved to adjust the height H of the tablet guide groove 8b, but the tablet support base 55 below the partition member 20 is raised and lowered to adjust the distance between the partition member 20 and the tablet support base 55, thereby adjusting the height H of the partition member 20 from the tablet support base 55 of the tablet guide groove 8b.

[0051] When the height adjustment member 52 is rotated, the cylindrical rotating member 50 rotates. The cylindrical rotating member 50 is restricted from moving up and down by the second support member 63 and the rotor base 32. The annular lifting member 51, which has an internal thread portion 51a that screws into the external thread portion 50a of the cylindrical rotating member 50, has an arm 54 that penetrates a slit 42a in the annular wall 42 of the rotor base 32, and is restricted from rotating. Therefore, when the cylindrical rotating member 50 rotates, the annular lifting member 51 rises and falls, and the tablet support table 55 of the annular lifting member 51 rises and falls.

[0052] 15, when the cylindrical rotating member 50 rotates in one direction, the tablet support base 55 of the annular lifting member 51 rises, and the position of the partition member 20 relative to the tablet support base 55, i.e., the height, becomes lower (H1). Conversely, when the cylindrical rotating member 50 rotates in the other direction, the tablet support base 55 of the annular lifting member 51 descends, and the position of the partition member 20 relative to the tablet support base 55, i.e., the height, becomes higher (H2). Note that, each time the cylindrical rotating member 50 rotates due to the rotation of the height adjusting member 52, the tip of the stopper 53 rides over the teeth of the driven gear 50b of the cylindrical rotating member 50 and engages between the teeth, so that the height adjusting member 52 can be stopped at an appropriate position to fix the tablet support base 55 at a desired height position.

[0053] <Width adjustment mechanism> 13 shows the members that constitute the width adjustment mechanism M4. The width adjustment mechanism M4 is composed of a first movable member 60, a second movable member 61, a first support member 62, a second support member 63, and a width adjustment member 64.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 13, the first movable member 60 is made up of an upper member 60a and a lower member 60b, and an engaging protrusion 65 of the upper member 60a engages with an engaging protrusion 66 of the lower member 60b, so that the two can rotate together.

[0055] A substantially semicircular notch 68 and a long hole 69 are formed adjacent to each other on the inner circumference of an annular base 67 of the upper member 60a of the first movable member 60. An A protrusion 68a and a B protrusion 68b facing each other in the circumferential direction of the first movable member 60 are formed on the edge of the notch 68 facing the center of the notch 68 when the first movable member 60 is viewed from above. The A protrusion 68a and the B protrusion 68b become cam followers that come into sliding contact with an A cam 94a and a B cam 94b of a first adjustment shaft 94 described later.

[0056] The lower member 60b of the first movable member 60 has an annular base 70, six wall portions 71, a first vertical protrusion 72, and a first horizontal protrusion 73. The six wall portions 71 protrude downward from six equally spaced positions on the outer periphery of the base 70. The first vertical protrusion 72 protrudes outward from the left end of the wall portion 71 when viewed from the front, and forms the right side surface of the above-mentioned tablet guide groove 8b. The first vertical protrusion 72 is formed with a notch 72a into which the partition member 20 fits. The first horizontal protrusion 73 extends horizontally from the upper end of the first vertical protrusion 72 in the circumferential direction toward the right side when viewed from the front, and forms the bottom surface of the above-mentioned tablet pocket 8a.

[0057] The second movable member 61, like the first movable member 60, is made up of an upper member 61a and a lower member 61b, but an engaging protrusion 74 of the upper member 61a engages with an engaging recess 75 of the lower member 61b, allowing the two to rotate together.

[0058] A substantially semicircular notch 77 and a long hole 78 are formed adjacent to each other on the inner circumference of an annular base 76 of the upper member 61a of the second movable member 61. An A protrusion 77a and a B protrusion 77b that face each other in the circumferential direction of the second movable member 61 are formed on the edges of the notch 77 that face each other when the second movable member 61 is viewed from above. The A protrusion 77a and the B protrusion 77b become cam followers that come into sliding contact with an A cam 95a and a B cam 95b of a second adjustment shaft, which will be described later.

[0059] The lower member 61b of the second movable member 61 has an annular base 79, six wall portions 80, a second vertical protrusion 81, and a second horizontal protrusion 82. The six wall portions 80 protrude downward from six equally spaced positions on the outer periphery of the base 79. The second vertical protrusion 81 protrudes outward from the right end of the wall portion 80 when viewed from the front, and forms the left side surface of the tablet guide groove 8b described above. The second vertical protrusion 81 is formed with a notch 81a into which the partition member 20 fits. The second horizontal protrusion 82 extends horizontally from the upper end of the second vertical protrusion 81 in the circumferential direction toward the left side when viewed from the front, and forms the bottom surface of the tablet pocket 8a described above together with the first horizontal protrusion 73 of the first movable member 60. The tip of the second horizontal protrusion 82 of the second movable member 61 is formed so as to overlap under the tip of the first horizontal protrusion 73 of the first movable member 60.

[0060] The first support member 62 has a circular shape with an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the upper member 60a of the first movable member 60, and has a circular protrusion 83 on its underside. In the center of the first support member 62, holes 84, 84a through which a width adjustment member 64 described later passes, a hole 85 through which a depth adjustment member 33 of the depth adjustment mechanism M2 passes, a hole 86 through which a height adjustment member 52 of the height adjustment mechanism M3 passes, and two screw insertion holes 87 are formed.

[0061] The second support member 63 has a circular shape with an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the upper member 60a of the first movable member 60, and an annular protrusion 88 into which the circular protrusion 83 of the first support member 62 fits is formed on the upper surface. In the center of the second support member 63, there are formed a hole 89 through which the depth adjustment member 33 of the depth adjustment mechanism M2 passes, a hole 90 and a notch 90a through which the height adjustment member 52 of the height adjustment mechanism M3 passes, a hole 91a through which the first adjustment shaft 94 of the width adjustment member 64 described later passes, a hole 91b into which the second adjustment shaft 95 fits, two screw holes 92 into which screws (not shown) that are inserted into the two screw insertion holes 87 of the first support member 62 are screwed, and two screw insertion holes 93.

[0062] By inserting a screw (not shown) from the screw insertion hole 87 of the first support member 62 into the screw hole 92 of the second support member 63 and tightening it, the first support member 62 and the second support member 63 become integrated in a state in which the first movable member 60 and the second movable member 61 are sandwiched between them. In addition, by inserting a screw (not shown) from the screw insertion hole 93 of the second support member 63 into the screw hole 45b of the rotor base 32 and tightening it, the second support member 63 is fixed to the rotor base 32, and the cylindrical rotating member 50 of the height adjustment mechanism M3 is held between the second support member 63 and the rotor base 32, thereby restricting axial movement.

[0063] The width adjustment member 64 is made up of a first adjustment shaft 94 and a second adjustment shaft 95. The first adjustment shaft 94 is disposed in the notch 68. The second adjustment shaft 95 is disposed in the elongated hole 69. The second adjustment shaft 95 is provided with a stopper 96 that prevents the width adjustment member 64 from rotating freely.

[0064] The first adjustment shaft 94 is formed with an A cam 94a, a B cam 94b, and a gear 94c in this order from the top. As shown in FIG. 16, the A cam 94a is formed so that the radius of the cam surface increases over a range of 360° clockwise when the width adjustment member 64 is viewed from above, and is in sliding contact with the A protrusion 68a of the first movable plate 60. The B cam 94b is formed so that the radius of the cam surface increases over a range of 360° counterclockwise when the width adjustment member 64 is viewed from above, and is in sliding contact with the B protrusion 68b of the first movable plate 60. The maximum radius parts of the A cam 94a and the B cam 94b are located 180° apart. The upper end of the first adjustment shaft 94 is supported by the hole 84a of the first support member 62, and the lower end is supported by the hole 91a of the second support member 63.

[0065] Similarly, the second adjustment shaft 95 is formed with an A cam 95a, a B cam 95b, a gear 95c, and an engagement portion 95d in this order from the bottom end. The A cam 95a is formed so that the radius of the cam surface increases over a range of 360° clockwise when the width adjustment member 64 is viewed from below, and is in sliding contact with the A protrusion 77a of the second movable member 61. The B cam 95b is formed so that the radius of the cam surface increases over a range of 360° counterclockwise when the width adjustment member 64 is viewed from below, and is in sliding contact with the B protrusion 77b of the second movable plate 61. The maximum radius portion of the A cam 95a and the maximum radius portion of the B cam 95b are located 180° apart. The gear 95c of the second adjustment shaft 95 is configured to mesh with and interlock with the gear 94c. The upper end of the second adjustment shaft 95 penetrates the hole 69 of the first support member 62, protrudes from the rotor body 31, and is exposed from the hole 34a, so that it can be rotated and adjusted from the outside. The lower end of the second adjustment shaft 95 is supported in a hole 91b of the second support member 63. The upper end of the first adjustment shaft 94 may pass through the first support member 62 and protrude from the rotor body 35 to be exposed, allowing rotation adjustment from the outside.

[0066] When the second adjustment shaft 95 is rotated clockwise in Fig. 16(a), a rotational force is transmitted from the gear 95c of the second adjustment shaft 95 to the gear 94c of the first adjustment shaft 94, and the first adjustment shaft 94 rotates counterclockwise. Due to the rotation of the first adjustment shaft 94, the A cam 94a of the first adjustment shaft 94 slides against and presses the A protrusion 68a of the first movable member 60, so that the first movable member 60 rotates clockwise in Fig. 16(a). On the other hand, due to the rotation of the second adjustment shaft 95, as shown in Fig. 16(b), the A cam 95a of the second adjustment shaft 95 slides against and presses the A protrusion 77a of the second movable member 61, so that the second movable plate 61 rotates clockwise in Fig. 16(b) and counterclockwise in Fig. 16(a).

[0067] 16(a), a rotational force is transmitted from the gear 95c of the second adjustment shaft 95 to the gear 94c of the first adjustment shaft 94, and the first adjustment shaft 94 rotates clockwise. The rotation of the first adjustment shaft 94 causes the B cam 94b of the first adjustment shaft 94 to slide against and press the B protrusion 68b of the first movable member 60, so that the first movable member 60 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 16(a). On the other hand, the rotation of the second adjustment shaft 95 causes the B cam 95b of the second adjustment shaft 95 to slide against and press the B protrusion 77b of the second movable member 61, as shown in FIG. 16(b), so that the second movable member 61 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 16(b) and clockwise in FIG. 16(a).

[0068] In this way, the first movable member 60 and the second movable member 61 rotate in opposite directions to each other, and the distance between the first vertical protrusion 72 of the first movable member 60 and the second vertical protrusion 81 of the second movable member 61, i.e., the width of the tablet guide groove 8b, can be expanded or reduced.

[0069] Next, the operation of the rotor 8 in the tablet cassette 2 having the above configuration will be described.

[0070] As already mentioned, between the cassette body 5 and the rotor 8 shown in Figure 5 there are a tablet pocket 8a extending circumferentially on the upper part of the side of the rotor 8, and a plurality of tablet guide grooves 8b extending downward from the upper part of the side of the rotor 8.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 5, the tablets T accommodated in the cassette body 5 enter the tablet pocket 8a while being agitated by the rotation of the rotor 8, and enter the tablet guide groove 8b from the tablet pocket 8a. When the tablet guide groove 8b approaches the tablet discharge hole 9, the partition member 20 fixed to the cassette body 5 enters between the lowest tablet T in the tablet guide groove 8b and the tablets T above it. The partition member 20 prevents the tablets T above the partition member 20 from falling downward. The lowest tablet T below the partition member 20 is on the tablet support base 55, but since the tablet support base 55 is inclined, it falls toward the tablet discharge hole 9 on the tablet support base 55 and is discharged from the tablet discharge hole 9. The tablets T discharged from the tablet discharge hole 7 are distributed through the tablet discharge path 3c of the base 2 shown in FIG. 2. As a result, each time the tablet guide groove 8b turns to the tablet discharge hole 9, one tablet T is discharged. By adjusting the rotation angle of the rotor 8, the number of tablets T according to the prescription can be discharged.

[0072] The tablet guide groove 8b can adjust the entry position of the partition member 20 relative to the thickness of the tablet T, the depth D corresponding to the thickness of the tablet T, the height H corresponding to the height of the tablet, and the width W corresponding to the width of the tablet T, using the above-mentioned partition adjustment mechanism M1, depth adjustment mechanism M2, height adjustment mechanism M3, and width adjustment mechanism M4. Therefore, the tablet guide groove 8b can be made to an appropriate size depending on the shape or size of the tablet T to be stored in the cassette body 5. The tablet cassette 2 or rotor 8 can be used to adjust the tablet guide groove 8b to suit various tablets T for discharge, without replacing the entire tablet cassette 2 or rotor 8 for each different tablet T. Although detailed description will be omitted, such adjustment can be automatically performed by a tablet guide groove adjustment device.

[0073] <Tablet entry prevention material> Figure 17 shows a first tablet entrance prevention member 101a that closes the gap between the downward protrusion 35, which is the third wall portion of the tablet guide groove 8b described above, and the first vertical protrusion 72, which is the first wall portion of the tablet guide groove 8b, and a second tablet entrance prevention member 101b that closes the gap between the downward protrusion 35, which is the third wall portion of the tablet guide groove 8b, and the second vertical protrusion 81, which is the second wall portion of the tablet guide groove 8b.

[0074] A rectangular notch 35f is formed in the upper inclined outer surface 35b of the downward projection 35. A rectangular lid 102 is attached to the notch 35f. The lid 102 is formed with engagement protrusions 102a, 102b that engage with the radially outer outer edge and the radially inner inner edge of the notch 35f, and is also formed with an upper mounting hole 102c for mounting the first tablet entrance prevention member 101a and the second tablet entrance prevention member 102 near the engagement protrusion 102b.

[0075] A substantially triangular notch 35g is formed on each side surface 35d of the downward protrusion 35, and a partition wall 35h is formed in the middle of each side surface. A lower mounting hole 35i for mounting the first tablet entrance prevention member 101a and the second tablet entrance prevention member 101b is formed below the notch 35g.

[0076] Since the first tablet entrance prevention member 101a and the second tablet entrance prevention member 101b have mutually symmetrical shapes, only the first tablet entrance prevention member 101a will be described. The first tablet entrance prevention member 101a is composed of an upper oblique side 103a parallel to the upper inclined outer surface 35b of the downward protrusion 35, a lower oblique side 103b parallel to the lower inclined outer surface 35c, and a vertical side 103c, and has a substantially triangular plate shape that fits into substantially triangular notches 35g on both side surfaces 35d of the downward protrusion 35. An engagement protrusion 103d with which a coil spring 104 described later engages is formed on the surface of the first tablet entrance prevention member 101a facing the second tablet entrance prevention member 102b. In addition, a lower protrusion 103e that fits into the lower mounting hole 35i is formed at the lower end of the vertical side 103c of the first tablet entry prevention member 101a, and an upper protrusion 103f that fits into the upper mounting hole 102c of the lid 102 is formed at the upper end of the vertical side 103c.

[0077] The first tablet entrance preventing member 101a and the second tablet entrance preventing member 101b are attached to be rotatable about the lower protrusion 103e and the upper protrusion 103f by fitting the lower protrusion 103e into the lower mounting hole 35i of the side surface 35d of the downward protrusion 35, and then attaching the lid 102 to the notch 35f of the upper inclined outer surface 35b so that the upper protrusion 103f fits into the upper mounting hole 102c of the lid 102. By fitting a coil spring 104 between the engaging protrusions 103d of the first tablet entrance preventing member 101a and the second tablet entrance preventing member 101b, the first tablet entrance preventing member 101a and the second tablet entrance preventing member 101b are connected by the coil spring 104 and are biased in directions away from each other. That is, the first tablet entrance prevention member 101a is biased toward the first vertical protruding piece 72 which is the first wall portion, and the second tablet entrance prevention member 101b is biased toward the second vertical protruding piece 81 which is the second wall portion.

[0078] 18, in a rotor 8 equipped with a rotor body 31 having a first tablet entrance prevention member 101a and a second tablet entrance prevention member 101b, when the width of the tablet guide groove 8b is reduced, the first tablet entrance prevention member 101a is pressed by the first vertical protrusion 72 and is housed in the notch 35g of the downward protrusion 35 against the biasing force of the coil spring 104. Similarly, the second tablet entrance prevention member 101b is pressed by the second vertical protrusion 81 and is housed in the notch 35g of the downward protrusion 35 against the biasing force of the coil spring 104.

[0079] 19, when the width of the tablet guide groove 8b is increased, the first tablet entrance prevention member 101a follows the movement of the first vertical protrusion 72 by the biasing force of the coil spring 104, and closes the gap between the downward protrusion 35 and the first vertical protrusion 72. Similarly, the second tablet entrance prevention member 101b follows the movement of the second vertical protrusion 81 by the biasing force of the coil spring 104, and closes the gap between the downward protrusion 35 and the second vertical protrusion 81. As a result, there are no gaps between the third wall portion and the first and second wall portions of the tablet guide groove 8b when the width of the tablet guide groove 8b is increased, so that a tablet is not caught, preventing the tablet from being discharged, the caught tablet and the next tablet are not discharged simultaneously, and the rotor 8 is not prevented from rotating.

[0080] 2. Second embodiment Fig. 20 shows a tablet cassette 202 according to a second embodiment of the present invention which is attached to the tablet packaging device 1. The tablet cassette 202 is one embodiment of the tablet discharging device of the present invention.

[0081] The tablet cassette 202 is detachably mounted on a base similar to the base 3 of the tablet cassette 2 of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 2, and therefore a description of the structure of the base will be omitted. As with the tablet cassette 2 of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the tablet cassette 202 comprises a cassette body 205, a lid 206, a skirt portion 207, and a rotor 208. As the structures of the lid 206 and the skirt portion 207 are similar to those of the tablet cassette 2 of the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, of the structures of the cassette body 205 and the rotor 208, a description of the same parts as those of the cassette body 5 and rotor 8 of the tablet cassette 2 of the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the different parts will be described below.

[0082] <Structure of the cassette body> 21, the cassette body 205 is composed of a rectangular upper portion 205a that opens upward, an inverted cone-shaped inclined portion 205b, a cylindrical portion 205c, and a bottom portion 205d. A rotor 208 is housed in the internal space of the cylindrical portion 205c.

[0083] 22, a partition member switching mechanism M205 (described later) having a plurality of partition members 220 is attached to the outside of the rear part of the cylindrical portion 205c of the cassette body 205. The tips of the plurality of partition members 220 can be inserted from the outside of the cylindrical portion 205c to the inside through a plurality of slits 209a formed above the tablet discharge hole 209. On the left side of the slits 209a, a protrusion 285 is formed which faces a receiving portion 283b of a horizontal guide piece 283a of a partition member storage section 280 (described later).

[0084] <Overall rotor structure> As shown in Fig. 23, the rotor 208 has a shape with a generally conical top surface, cylindrical sides, and a flat bottom surface. A removable rotor cover 230 is provided on the top surface of the rotor 208. The rotor 208 is provided with a plurality of (four in this embodiment) tablet guide grooves 208b extending in the vertical direction parallel to the axis of the rotor 208 from the conical top surface to the side surface at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0085] The tablet guide groove 208b is formed by a first base portion 245a of the movable member 234 described later, a first vertical protrusion 266b of the first movable member 260 described later, and a second vertical protrusion 268b of the second movable member 261 described later. The tablet guide groove 208b is covered by the cylindrical portion 205c of the cassette body 205, and receives the tablets T accommodated in the cassette body 205 and guides them downward.

[0086] The depth and width of tablet guide groove 208b must be adjusted according to the shape or size of the tablets accommodated in tablet cassette 202 so that the tablets can smoothly pass through tablet guide groove 208b and be discharged from tablet discharge hole 209 shown in Figures 21 and 22. Here, the "depth" of tablet guide groove 208b is the dimension in the thickness direction of the tablet passing through tablet guide groove 208b, and is the dimension D between cylindrical portion 205c of cassette body 205 and movable member 234. The "width" of the groove is the dimension in the width direction of the tablet passing through tablet guide groove 208b, and is the dimension W between first vertical protruding piece 266b of first movable member 260 and second vertical protruding piece 268b of second movable member 261.

[0087] The rotor 208 has a depth adjustment mechanism M202 and a width adjustment mechanism M204 in order to adjust the groove shape of the tablet guide groove 208b. These will be described in order below.

[0088] <Depth adjustment mechanism> 24 and 25 show members constituting the depth adjustment mechanism M202. The depth adjustment mechanism M202 is composed of a first base 231, a second base 232, a depth adjustment guide 233, four movable members 234, and a depth adjustment member 235.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 25A, the first base 231 has a base portion 236, four guide pieces 237, and an engagement portion 238.

[0090] The base 236 is annular, and has four cutouts 236a formed at equal intervals around its circumference. An engagement groove 236b is formed on the outer periphery of the base 236, with which the lower ends of a first movable member 260 and a second movable member 261 of a width adjustment mechanism M204, which will be described later, slidably engage.

[0091] The four guide pieces 237 are erected on the upper surface of the base 236 and arranged in a cylindrical shape when viewed from above. An engagement portion 237a is formed at the upper end of each guide piece 237, with which an engagement portion 241a at the lower end of a guide piece 241 of the second base 232 described later engages. A protrusion 237b protruding outward is formed at the center of each of the two opposing guide pieces 237, and an engagement portion 237c is formed at the upper end of the protrusion 237b, with which an engagement claw 241c of the second base 232 described later engages.

[0092] The engaging portion 238 has an outer peripheral portion 238a rising upward from the inner peripheral edge of the base portion 236, and a circular upper wall portion 238b at the upper end of the outer peripheral portion 238a. A notch 238c is formed in the engaging portion 238 from the outer edge of the upper wall portion 238b to the upper portion of the outer peripheral portion 238a. A guide 238d extending in the radial direction of the rotor 208 is formed on the edge of the notch 238c of the upper wall portion 238b. The rotor driving portion 10 shown in FIG. 7 engages with the inside of the engaging portion 238, and connects the rotor driving portion 10 and the first base 231 so that they cannot rotate relative to each other. A magnetic plate 239 that is attracted to a magnet 15c provided on the central shaft 15 of the rotor driving portion 10 is embedded in the central inner surface of the upper wall portion 238b of the engaging portion 238.

[0093] The second base 232 has a base portion 240 and four guide pieces 241 .

[0094] The base 240 is circular, with a through hole 240a in the center and four cutouts 240b at equal intervals around the circumference. A guide 240c extending in the radial direction of the rotor 208 is formed on the edge of the cutout 240b. On the upper surface of the base 240, four engagement walls 240d are arranged in a circle when viewed from above. At the center of the two opposing engagement walls 240d, a fitting protrusion 240e is formed into which a fitting hole 262i of a third base 262 described later fits. On the upper surface of the base 240, a shaft hole 240f that supports a drive shaft 248a of a depth adjustment member 235 described later and a triangular reference mark 240g that matches a positioning mark 249e of an intermediate gear 249a are provided.

[0095] The four guide pieces 241 are erected on the lower surface of the base 240 and arranged in a cylindrical shape when viewed from above. An engagement portion 241a that engages with the engagement portion 237a of the first base 231 is formed at the lower end of each guide piece 241. An engagement protrusion 241d having an engagement claw 241c at its tip that engages with the engagement portion 237c of the first base 231 is formed in the notches 241b at the lower ends of the two opposing guide pieces 241. An engagement portion 241e that engages with a claw 262b of the third base 262 described later is formed in the notches 241b of the other two opposing guide pieces.

[0096] The depth adjustment guide 233 has a central shaft 242, a fitting shaft 243, and a guide body 244. The central shaft 242 has a screw hole 242a into which a mounting screw 249c of an intermediate gear part 249 described later is screwed. The fitting shaft 243 is formed in a cylindrical shape around the central shaft 242. Three protrusions 243a that fit into positioning holes 249d of the intermediate gear 249a are formed on the upper end of the fitting shaft 243. The guide body 244 is disk-shaped with the central shaft 242 as its center. Four arc-shaped guide grooves 244a are formed on the upper surface of the guide body 244. The guide grooves 244a are formed in an arc shape from the outer circumferential surface of the guide body 244 toward the fitting shaft 243. On the lower surface of the guide body 244, as shown in FIG. 25B, a cylindrical support part 244b is formed around the central shaft 242. Four arc-shaped guide grooves 244c are formed in the lower surface of the guide body 244 at positions corresponding to the guide grooves 244a on the upper surface. The guide grooves 244c are formed in an arc shape extending from the outer circumferential surface of the guide body 244 toward the support portion 244b.

[0097] The depth adjustment guide 233 is housed in a space formed between an upper wall portion 238b of the engagement portion 238 of the first base 231 and a base portion 240 of the second base 232. The depth adjustment guide 233 has an outer circumferential surface of a guide body 244 that slidably fits into inner surfaces of four guide pieces 237 of the first base 231, and an outer circumferential surface of a fitting shaft 243 that fits into a through hole 240a of the second base 232, so that the depth adjustment guide 233 is rotatable around the central axis of the rotor 208.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 25B, each of the four movable members 234 has a first base 245a extending in the vertical direction parallel to the axis of the rotor 208, a second base 245b extending from the upper end of the first base 245a at an angle upward toward the axis of the rotor 208, and two arm portions, first and second, 246 and 247.

[0099] The width of the first base portion 245a is sized to be accommodated between adjacent guide pieces 237 of the first base 231 and between adjacent guide pieces 241 of the second base 232. The length of the first base portion 245a is the length from the lower end of a leg portion 266 of the first movable member 260 described below to an inclined upper wall 266a. The outer surface of the first base portion 245a forms the bottom surface of the tablet guide groove 208b.

[0100] The width of the second base 245b is the same as the width of the first base 245a. The length of the second base 245b is the length from the outer peripheral surface of the first movable member 260 to the base 265, which will be described later. The outer surface of the second base 245b is inclined at the same angle as the inclined upper wall 266a of the first movable member 260, and forms the bottom surface of the entrance of the tablet guide groove 208b. The second base 245b covers the gap on the radial inner side of the tablet guide groove 208 from above.

[0101] The first arm portion 246 extends toward the axis of the rotor 208, and first guides 246a are formed on both sides of the tip thereof, which are in slidable contact with guides 238d of the first base 231. A protrusion 246b is formed on the upper surface of the tip of the first arm portion 246, which fits into a guide groove 244c on the lower surface of the depth adjustment guide 233.

[0102] Similarly, second arm portion 247 extends toward the axis of rotor 208, and second guides 247a are formed on both sides of the tip thereof, which are in slidable contact with guides 240c of second base 232. A protrusion 247b is formed on the lower surface of the tip of second arm 247, which fits into guide groove 244a on the upper surface of depth adjustment guide 233.

[0103] The depth adjustment member 235 is composed of a drive gear portion 248 and an intermediate gear portion 249 .

[0104] The drive gear portion 248 has a drive shaft 248a and a drive gear 248b, and the lower end of the drive shaft 248a is rotatably inserted into a shaft hole 240f of the second base 232. A groove 248c that engages with a screwdriver is formed at the upper end of the drive shaft 248a.

[0105] The intermediate gear portion 249 has an intermediate gear 249a and a stopper 249b that prevents the intermediate gear 249a from freely rotating. The intermediate gear 249a meshes with the drive gear 248b of the drive gear portion 248, and is attached to the shaft hole 242a of the central shaft 242 of the depth adjustment guide 233 by a mounting screw 249c. The intermediate gear portion 249a is positioned by fitting three positioning holes 249d with the positioning protrusions 243a of the thickness adjustment guide 233. A positioning mark 249e is formed on the upper surface of the intermediate gear 249a at a position corresponding to the reference mark 240g of the second base 232. The stopper 249b is fixed to the upper surface of the base portion 240 of the second base 232.

[0106] In the depth adjustment mechanism M202 having the above-mentioned configuration, when the drive shaft 248a of the drive gear portion 248 of the depth adjustment member 235 is rotated from outside the rotor 208, the drive gear 248b rotates, and the thickness adjustment guide 233 rotates via the intermediate gear 249a of the intermediate gear portion 249 that meshes with the drive gear 248b.

[0107] 26(a), counterclockwise rotation of the drive gear 248a causes the intermediate gear 249a and the thickness adjustment guide 233 to rotate clockwise, whereby the first guide 246a and the second guide 247a of the four movable members 234 that engage with the guide grooves 244a, 244c of the thickness adjustment guide 233 are pushed radially outward of the rotor 208, and as a result, the four movable members 234 move radially outward of the rotor 208. This causes the depth D of the tablet guide groove 208b to become shallower.

[0108] Conversely, as shown in Figure 26(b), clockwise rotation of the drive gear 248a causes the intermediate gear 249a and the thickness adjustment guide 233 to rotate counterclockwise, so that the first guide 246a and the second guide 247a of the four movable members 234 that engage with the guide grooves 244a, 244c of the thickness adjustment guide are pulled inward in the radial direction of the rotor, and as a result, the four movable members 234 move inward in the radial direction of the rotor 208. This increases the depth D of the tablet guide groove 208b.

[0109] In this manner, by rotating the drive gear 248b of the depth adjustment member 235 clockwise or counterclockwise, the depth of the tablet guide groove 8b can be adjusted according to the thickness of the tablet T passing through the tablet guide groove 8b.

[0110] <Width adjustment mechanism> 27 shows the members constituting the width adjustment mechanism M204. The width adjustment mechanism M204 is composed of a first movable member 260, a second movable member 261, a third base 262, a fourth base 263, and a width adjustment member 264.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 28A, the first movable member 260 has a circular base portion 265 and four legs 266.

[0112] A circular step 265a that is one step lower is formed on the upper surface of the base 265. An A protrusion 265b and a B protrusion 265c are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the base 265. The A protrusion 265b and the B protrusion 265c become cam followers that come into sliding contact with an A cam 269a and a B cam 269b of a first adjustment shaft 269, which will be described later.

[0113] The four legs 266 protrude downward from four equally spaced positions on the outer periphery of the base 265. Each leg 266 has a generally fan-shaped inclined upper wall 266a that inclines downward from the outer periphery of the base 265 toward the outside in the radial direction of the rotor 208, a first vertical protrusion 266b that protrudes vertically downward from one circumferential end of the inclined upper wall 266a, a side wall 266c that protrudes vertically downward from the other circumferential end of the inclined upper wall 266a, and an outer periphery wall 266d that is continuous with the outer periphery of the inclined upper wall 266a, the outer edge of the first vertical protrusion 266b, and the outer edge of the side wall 266c. The first vertical protrusion 266b forms a first wall portion of the tablet guide groove 208b. A stopper 266e is formed at the lower end of the first vertical projection 266b, located below the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 266d and adapted to engage with the edge of the notch 236a of the first base 231. Four circumferential grooves 266f into which the partition member 220 enters are formed on the outer surface of the outer peripheral wall 266d. An arc-shaped engagement projection 266g is formed at the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 266d, adapted to slidably engage with the engagement groove 236b of the base 236 of the first base 231.

[0114] The second movable member 261 has a circular base portion 267 and four legs 268.

[0115] A circular step 267a that is one step lower is formed on the upper surface of the base 267, and a circular protrusion 267b that engages with the step 265a of the first movable member 261 is formed on the lower surface of the base 267 as shown in Fig. 28B. Four engagement protrusions 267c are protrudingly provided at four equally spaced positions around the upper surface of the base 267. An A protrusion 267d and a B protrusion 267e are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the base 267 as shown in Fig. 25B. The A protrusion 267d and the B protrusion 267e become cam followers that come into sliding contact with an A cam 270a and a B cam 270b of the second adjustment shaft 270, which will be described later.

[0116] The four legs 268 protrude downward from four equally spaced positions on the outer periphery of the base 267. Each leg 268 has a substantially fan-shaped inclined upper wall 268a that inclines downward from the outer periphery of the base 267 toward the radially outward direction of the rotor 208, a second vertical protrusion 268b that protrudes vertically downward from one circumferential end of the inclined upper wall 268a, and an outer periphery wall 268c that is continuous with approximately half of the outer periphery of the inclined upper wall 269a and the outer edge of the second vertical protrusion 268b. The second vertical protrusion 268b faces the first vertical protrusion 266b of the first movable member 261 and forms the second wall of the tablet guide groove 208b. A stopper 268d that is located below the lower end of the outer periphery wall 268c and engages with the edge of the notch 236b of the first base 231 is formed at the lower end of the second vertical protrusion 268b. Four circumferential grooves 268e into which the partition member 220 enters are formed on the outer surface of the outer circumferential wall 268c. The circumferential grooves 268e are continuous in the circumferential direction with the circumferential groove 266f of the first movable member 260. An arc-shaped engagement protrusion 268f that slidably engages with the engagement groove 236b of the base portion 236 of the first base 231 is formed on the lower end of the outer circumferential wall 268c.

[0117] The convex portion 267b of the base portion 267 of the second movable member 261 fits into the step portion 265a of the base portion 265 of the first movable member 260, and the engagement protrusion 268f of the outer peripheral wall 268c of the second movable member 261 and the engagement protrusion 266g of the outer peripheral wall 266d of the first movable member 260 engage with the engagement groove 236b of the first base 231, so that the first movable member 260 and the second rotating member 261 are rotatable relative to each other around the central axis of the rotor 208. The inclined upper wall 268a of the second movable member 261 overlaps the inclined upper wall 266a of the first movable member 260, and the first vertical protrusion 268b of the second movable member 261 and the first vertical protrusion 266b of the first movable member 260 face each other to form the first wall portion and the second wall portion of the tablet guide groove 208b.

[0118] The dimensions of the gap between the outer peripheral wall 266d of the leg 266 of the first movable member 260 and the outer peripheral wall 268c of the leg 268 of the second movable member 261 and the cylindrical portion 205c of the cassette body 205 are equal to or less than the depth D of the tablet guide groove 208b when the movable member 234 moves most radially outward. In this case, it is sufficient that the gap between at least the outer peripheral wall 266d and the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 268c and the cylindrical portion 205c is equal to or less than the depth D. By setting the gap between the rotor 208 and the cassette body 205 in this manner, a tablet does not enter between the outer peripheral surface of the leg 266 of the first movable member 260 or the leg 268 of the second movable member 261 and the cylindrical portion 205c. If this gap were about 1.5 times the depth of tablet guide groove 208b, i.e. the thickness of the tablets, gravity would cause two tablets to try to enter this gap at the same time, and these tablets would be pushed between the outer circumferential surfaces of legs 266, 268 and cylindrical portion 205c, causing problems such as rotor 208 not turning or tablets not entering tablet drop guide groove 208b. If the gap between rotor 208 and cassette body 205 is made smaller than the dimensions of a tablet that can be discharged from this tablet cassette as described above, then tablets to be discharged from now on will not enter the gap, regardless of their dimensions, and the above problem will not occur.

[0119] The third base 262 has four notches 262a formed at four equally spaced positions around the circumference to correspond to the notches 240b of the base 240 of the second base 232 shown in FIG. 25A. At positions 180 degrees apart on the outer periphery of the third base 262, engagement protrusions 262c having claws 262b that engage with the engagement parts 241e of the second base 232 are protruding downward. Two shaft parts 262d are protruding from the upper surface of the third base 262, and support a first adjustment shaft 269 and a second adjustment shaft 270 of the width adjustment member 264 described later. A screw hole 262e is formed in the shaft part 262d. Four arc-shaped engagement protrusions 262f that engage with the engagement wall 240d of the second base 232 are formed on the lower surface of the third base 262. The third base 262 is formed with a shaft hole 262g that supports the drive shaft 271 of the width adjustment member 264, and a shaft hole 262h through which the drive shaft 248a of the depth adjustment member 235 passes.

[0120] Returning to FIG. 27, the fourth base 263 has a circular shape that is accommodated inside the base 267 of the second movable member 261. The fourth base 263 is formed with two screw insertion holes 263a, a notch 263b through which the drive shaft 248a of the depth adjustment member 235 shown in FIG. 25A passes, and a through hole 263c through which the drive shaft 271 of the width adjustment member 264 passes. The fourth base 263 is placed on the shaft portion 262d of the third base 262, and is attached by passing the fixing screw 263d through the screw insertion hole 263a and screwing it into the screw hole 262e of the shaft portion 262d of the third base 262.

[0121] 28A, width adjustment member 264 is made up of first adjustment shaft 269, second adjustment shaft 270, and drive shaft 271. Second adjustment shaft 270 is provided with stopper 272 that prevents width adjustment member 264 from freely rotating. Stopper 272 is fixed to the upper surface of third base 262.

[0122] As shown in FIG. 28B, the first adjustment shaft 269 is cylindrical, and is formed with an A cam 269a, a B cam 269b, and a gear 269c in this order from the top. The A cam 269a is formed so that the radius of the cam surface increases over a range of 360° clockwise when the width adjustment member 264 is viewed from above, and is in sliding contact with the A protrusion 265a of the first movable plate 260. The B cam 269b is formed so that the radius of the cam surface increases over a range of 360° counterclockwise when the width adjustment member 264 is viewed from above, and is in sliding contact with the B protrusion 265b of the first movable member 260. The first adjustment shaft 269 is rotatably fitted to the first shaft portion 262d of the third base 262.

[0123] Similarly, the second adjustment shaft 270 is cylindrical, and is formed with an A cam 270a, a B cam 270b, and a gear 270c in this order from the top. The A cam 270a is formed so that the radius of the cam surface increases over a range of 360° clockwise when the width adjustment member 264 is viewed from above, and is in sliding contact with the A protrusion 267d of the second movable member 261. The B cam 270b is formed so that the radius of the cam surface increases over a range of 360° counterclockwise when the width adjustment member 274 is viewed from above, and is in sliding contact with the B protrusion 267e of the second movable plate 261. The gear 270c of the second adjustment shaft 270 is configured to mesh with and interlock with the gear 269c. The second adjustment shaft 270 is rotatably fitted to the second shaft portion 262d of the third base 262.

[0124] The drive shaft 271 has a drive gear 271a that meshes with a gear 269c of the first adjustment shaft 269. The lower end of the drive shaft 271 is supported in a shaft hole 262h of the third base 262, and the upper end of the drive shaft 271 protrudes from a shaft hole 263c of the fourth base 263, and is capable of adjusting its rotation from the outside.

[0125] 29(a), when the drive shaft 271 is rotated clockwise, a rotational force is transmitted from the drive gear 271a of the drive shaft 271 to the gear 269c of the first adjustment shaft 269, and the rotational force is transmitted from the gear 269c of the first adjustment shaft 269 to the gear 270c of the second adjustment shaft 270. As a result, the first adjustment shaft 269 rotates counterclockwise, and the second adjustment shaft 270 rotates clockwise.

[0126] As the first adjusting shaft 269 rotates counterclockwise, the A cam 269a of the first adjusting shaft 269 slides against and presses the A protrusion 265b of the first movable member 260, causing the first movable member 260 to rotate counterclockwise in Fig. 29(a). On the other hand, as the second adjusting shaft 270 rotates clockwise, the B cam 270b of the second adjusting shaft 270 slides against and presses the B protrusion 267d of the second movable member 261, causing the second movable member 261 to rotate clockwise in Fig. 29(b). As a result, the width of the tablet guide 208b groove increases as shown in Fig. 29(b).

[0127] Next, in FIG. 29(b), when the drive shaft 271 is rotated counterclockwise, a rotational force is transmitted from the drive gear 271a of the drive shaft 271 to the gear 269c of the first adjustment shaft 269, and the rotational force is transmitted from the gear 269c of the first adjustment shaft 269 to the gear 269c of the second adjustment shaft 270. As a result, the first adjustment shaft 269 rotates clockwise and the second adjustment shaft 270 rotates counterclockwise.

[0128] As the first adjusting shaft 269 rotates clockwise, the B cam 269b of the first adjusting shaft 269 slides against and presses the B protrusion 265c of the first movable member 260, causing the first movable member 260 to rotate clockwise in Fig. 29(b). On the other hand, as the second adjusting shaft 269 rotates counterclockwise, the A cam 270a of the second adjusting shaft 270 slides against and presses the A protrusion 267d of the second movable member 61, causing the second movable member 261 to rotate counterclockwise in Fig. 29(b). As a result, the width of the tablet guide groove 208b narrows as shown in Fig. 29(a).

[0129] In this way, the first movable member 260 and the second movable member 261 rotate in opposite directions to each other, and the distance between the first vertical protrusion 266b of the first movable member 260 and the second vertical protrusion 268b of the second movable member 261, i.e., the width of the tablet guide groove 208b, can be expanded or reduced.

[0130] Returning to FIG. 27, a fifth base 273 is attached to the step portion 267a of the second movable member 261. The fifth base 273 is annular, and has locking portions 273a formed at four evenly spaced positions on the inner periphery to lock with the locking protrusions 267c of the second movable member 261. At opposing positions on the inner periphery of the fifth base 273, locking protrusions 273c having claws 273b that engage with locking portions (not shown) of the rotor cover 230 are formed. As shown in FIG. 23, the rotor cover 230 has a rotor cap 230a in the center so as to be detachable. The rotor cover 230 can be removed by inserting a tool through a hole 230b formed in the rotor cap 230a and pressing the locking protrusions 273c of the fifth base 273.

[0131] <Partition material switching mechanism> As shown in FIG. 30, the partition member switching mechanism M205 includes a partition member storage section 280, a plurality of partition members 220, a pin 281, and a leaf spring 282. The partition member storage section 280 has a partition member housing section 280 and a plurality of partition members 220. The partition member housing section 280 has a partition member 220 and a pin 281 and a leaf spring 282.

[0132] As shown in FIG. 30(a), the partition member storage section 280 has a box shape with an open front surface facing the cassette body 205. As shown in FIG. 22, a plurality of slits 280a are formed on the rear surface of the partition member storage section 280, through which the knobs 220e of the four partition members 220 are exposed. On the upper surface of the partition member storage section 280, a cylindrical engagement section 280b with which the engagement section 220f of one of the partition members 220-4' engages, and a first protrusion 280c and a second protrusion 280d arranged in an L-shape with which the locking section 220g of the partition member 220 is locked are formed. On the lower surface of the partition member storage section 280, a notch 28e is formed opposite the tablet discharge hole 209 of the cassette body 205. On the left and right surfaces of the partition member storage section 280, a protrusion piece 280g having a hole 280f through which the mounting screw 286 is inserted is formed.

[0133] A partition member support section 283 and a leaf spring support section 284 are formed inside the partition member storage section 280. The partition member support section 283 has a plurality of horizontal guide pieces 283a that support each partition member 220 from above and below. The horizontal guide pieces 283a are located above and below the slit 280a and extend in the left-right direction. A U-shaped receiving section 283b that receives half of the circumference of the pin 281 is formed at one end of the horizontal guide piece 283a located on the left wall side of the partition member storage section 280. The leaf spring support section 284 is composed of a vertical piece 284a extending in the up-down direction on the opposite side to the receiving section 283b of the horizontal guide piece 283a, a plurality of ribs 284b protruding from the vertical piece 284a toward the right wall of the cutting portion member storage section 280, and a locking protrusion 284c formed on the right wall of the partition member storage section 280.

[0134] As shown in FIG. 30(b), the partition member 220 has a long and slender horizontal base 220a. A bow-shaped partition spring 220b is integrally formed on the front surface of the base 220a via S-shaped portions 220c at both ends. The partition spring 220b is curved along the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 208. A thick portion 220d that is thicker than both ends is formed in the center of the partition spring 220. The length of the thick portion 220d is the same as the width of the tablet discharge hole 209. As shown in FIG. 33(b), the cross-sectional shape of the thick portion 220d has an inclined shape such that the lower portion protrudes toward the rotor 208 more than the upper portion. A knob portion 220e is formed on the back surface of the base 220a. A C-shaped engagement portion 220f is formed on the left end of the base 220a, and an L-shaped locking portion 220g is formed on the right end of the base 220a. A total of four partition members 220 are provided, and when stored in the partition member storage section 280, the positions of the tabs 220e of adjacent partition members 220 are formed to be different so that the tabs 220e do not overlap.

[0135] The pin 281 is cylindrical and supported vertically between the receiving portion 283b of the partition member storage portion 280 and the protruding piece 285 of the cassette body 205 shown in FIG. 22, and has a diameter that allows the engaging portion 220f of the partition member 220 to engage with it.

[0136] The leaf spring 282 has a long and slender vertical base 282a. A plurality of spring pieces 282b are formed on the front edge of the base 282a, which protrude forward and then curve approximately 180 degrees to protrude rearward. Two recesses 282c that engage with the locking portion 220g of the partition member 220 are provided side by side in the front-rear direction on the ends of the spring pieces 282b.

[0137] The method of mounting and switching the partition member switching mechanism M205 will be described.

[0138] First, the leaf spring 282 is attached to the leaf spring support portion 284 of the partition member storage portion 280. The base portion 282a is inserted between the rib 284b of the leaf spring support portion 284 and the right wall of the partition member storage portion 280 so that the spring piece 282b sandwiches the vertical piece 284a of the leaf spring support portion 284, and the recessed portion 282c is positioned closer to the partition member 220 than the vertical piece 284a. The base portion 282a of the leaf spring 282 is prevented from coming off by the locking protrusion 284c. Next, the pin 281 is received in the receiving portion 283b of the partition member support portion 283 of the partition member storage portion 280.

[0139] Next, the first to fourth partition members 220 are stored in the partition member storage section 280. With the partition spring 220b facing forward and the knob 220e facing backward, each partition member 220 is inserted between the upper and lower horizontal guide pieces 283a while rotating around the pin 281 so that the knob 220e is exposed from the slit 280a in the rear wall of the partition member storage section 280. As shown in FIG. 31(a), the locking portion 220g of the partition member 220 is engaged with the rear recess 282c of the two recesses 282c of the leaf spring 282. When not in use, the fourth partition member 220 at the bottom is preferably fixed to the upper surface of the partition member storage section 280. In this case, the fourth partition member 220 has an engaging portion 220f at one end engaged with an engaging portion 280b on the upper wall of the partition member storage portion 280, and an engaging portion 220g at the other end engaged with a first engaging portion 280c and a second engaging portion 280d on the upper wall of the partition member storage portion 280.

[0140] The partition member storage section 280 storing the partition members 220 in this manner is attached to the cassette body 205 as shown in FIG. 22. To this end, with the front opening of the partition member storage section 280 facing the cassette body 205, mounting screws 286 are inserted into the screw holes of the left and right protrusions 280g of the partition member storage section 280 and screwed into the mounting seats 287 of the cassette body 205. As a result, each partition member 200 faces the slit 209a of the cassette body 205. Also, the receiving portion 283b of the horizontal guide piece 283a of the partition member storage section 280 abuts against the protrusion 285 of the cassette body 205 to hold the pin 281. The knob portion 220e of each partition member 220 is exposed on the rear wall of the partition member storage section 280.

[0141] The first to fourth partition members 220 of the partition member switching mechanism M205 are activated by engaging the locking portion 220g of any one of the partition members 220 with the front recess 282c of the two recesses 282c of the leaf spring 282. The partition member 220 in the activated state presses the second tablet from the bottom of the tablet guide groove 208b toward the bottom of the tablet guide groove 208b, thereby discharging the tablet below the partition member 220 from the tablet discharge hole 209 and preventing the tablet above the partition member 220 from falling. The position where the second tablet T2 from the bottom of the tablet guide groove 208b is pressed is a portion below the center C of the tablet T2, as shown in FIG. 33(b).

[0142] The first to fourth partition members 220 of the partition member switching mechanism M205 can be switched according to the shape and size of the tablets stored in the tablet cassette 202. That is, the first to fourth partition members 220 are selected according to the shape and size of the tablets stored in the tablet cassette 202. For example, as shown in FIG. 33, when the top first partition member 220 is selected, the knob portion 220e of the partition member 220 protruding from the slit 280a on the rear surface of the partition member storage section 280 is pressed, so that the locking portion 220g of the partition member 220 is engaged with the front recess 282c of the leaf spring 282, as shown in FIG. 31. As a result, the partition spring 220b of the partition member 220 protrudes toward the circumferential grooves 266f, 268e of the rotor 208, and the tablets in the tablet guide groove 208b can be pressed.

[0143] 32, when the tablet guide groove 208b approaches the tablet discharge hole 209 and the second tablet T from the bottom of the tablet guide groove 208b comes into contact with the partition spring 220b of the partition member 220, the S-shaped portion 220c of the partition spring 220b located upstream in the rotation direction of the rotor 208 is deflected, and the tablet T is pressed against the movable member 234 at the bottom of the tablet guide groove 208b by the reaction force. When the tablet guide groove 208b reaches the tablet discharge hole 209 and the tablet T pressed against the partition spring 220b comes into contact with the thick portion 220d of the partition spring 208b, the thick portion 220d is deflected, and the tablet is pressed against the bottom of the tablet guide groove 208b by the reaction force. 33, the bottom tablet T1 in the tablet guide groove 208b located below the partition member 220 falls and is discharged from the tablet discharge hole 209, and the tablet T2 above the partition member 220 is pressed against the thick portion 220d and prevented from falling. When the tablet guide groove 208b moves away from the tablet discharge hole 209 and the tablet pressed against the partition spring 220b comes into contact with the S-shaped portion 220c of the partition spring 220b, the S-shaped portion 220c bends and the tablet is pressed against the bottom of the tablet guide groove 208b by the reaction force.

[0144] In this way, while the tablet guide groove 208b passes through the tablet discharge hole 209, the second tablet T2 from the bottom of the tablet guide groove 208b is pressed with a uniform force from the S-shaped portion 220c at the first end of the partition spring 220b through the thick portion 220d to the S-shaped portion 220c at the second end of the partition spring 220b, and is stably held. In addition, the second tablet T2 from the bottom of the tablet guide groove 208b is pressed by the partition spring 220b at a portion below the center C, so that it is reliably held without slipping off. In addition, the partition member 220 of this embodiment has a partition spring 220b that is bow-shaped and extends along the outer periphery of the rotor 208, so that the range for pressing the tablet is wide and the tablet is unlikely to fall. Furthermore, since the rotor 208 has circumferential grooves 266f and 268e, the partition spring 220b of the partition member 220 does not come into contact with the rotor 208. If the tablet can be pressed by the thick portion 220d of the partition member 220, the rotor 208 does not necessarily need to have the circumferential grooves 266f and 268e.

[0145] In the past, it has been proposed to use an endless belt as described in JP 2015-12893 A or a circular plate as described in JP 2018-15225 A instead of a brush-like comb-shaped partition member, but this embodiment solves the problem of providing a tablet cassette having a partition member that has a wide range for pressing tablets, is less likely to fall out, and can securely hold tablets.

[0146] <Tablet entry prevention material> Figure 34 shows a first tablet entrance prevention member 301a that closes the gap between the movable member 234, which is the third wall portion of the tablet guide groove 208b, and the first vertical protrusion 266b of the first movable member 260, which is the first wall portion of the tablet guide groove 208b, and a second tablet entrance prevention member 301b that closes the gap between the movable member 234, which is the third wall portion of the tablet guide groove 208b, and the second vertical protrusion 268b of the second movable member 261, which is the second wall portion of the tablet guide groove 208b.

[0147] A recess 302 is formed on both sides of the first base 245a and the second base 245b of the movable member 234 to accommodate the ribs 307d of the tablet entry prevention members 301a and 301b. A first support shaft 303a supporting the tablet entry prevention members 301a and 301b is protruding from the lower surface of the middle part of the first arm 246. A rib 306 having a hole 305 into which the first coil spring 304a of the tablet entry prevention members 301a and 301b is inserted is formed at the lower part of the base of the first arm 246. A second support shaft 303b supporting the tablet entry prevention members 301a and 301b is protruding from the upper surface of the middle part of the second arm 247. A rib 306 having a hole 305 into which the second coil spring 304b of the tablet entry prevention members 301a and 301b is inserted is formed at the upper part of the base of the second arm 247.

[0148] The first tablet entrance prevention member 301a and the second tablet entrance prevention member 301b have mutually symmetrical shapes, so only the first tablet entrance prevention member 301a will be described. The first tablet entrance prevention member 301a has a base 307a having the same shape as the side surface of the movable member 234, and two arm portions 307b and 307c. A plurality of ribs 307d that can enter and exit the recess 302 of the movable member 234 are provided on the side surface of the base 307a that faces the side surface of the movable member 234. At the tips of the two arm portions 307b and 307c, a C-shaped engagement portion 307e that engages with the support shafts 303a and 303b provided on the first arm 246 and the second arm 247 of the movable member 234 is formed.

[0149] The first tablet entrance prevention member 301a and the second tablet entrance prevention member 301b are attached to the movable member 234 so as to be rotatable about the shafts 303a and 303b by engaging the engagement portion 307e with the shafts 303a and 303b of the arm portions 246 and 247 of the movable member 234. A coil spring 304 is inserted into a hole 305 of the movable member 237. One end of the coil spring 304 abuts against the base portion 307a of the first tablet entrance prevention member 301a, and the other end of the coil spring 304 abuts against the base portion 307a of the second closing spring 301b, so that the first tablet entrance prevention member 301a and the second tablet entrance prevention member 301b are biased in directions away from each other. That is, the first tablet entrance prevention member 301a is biased toward the first vertical protrusion 266b of the first movable member 260, which is the first wall portion, and the second tablet entrance prevention member 301b is biased toward the second vertical protrusion 268b of the second movable member, which is the second wall portion.

[0150] 35, in a rotor 208 to which a movable member 234 having a first tablet entrance prevention member 301a and a second tablet entrance prevention member 301b is attached, when the width of the tablet guide groove 208b is reduced, the first tablet entrance prevention member 301a is pressed by the first vertical protrusion 266b of the first movable member 260 and abuts against the side surface of the movable member 234 against the biasing force of the coil spring 304. Similarly, the second tablet entrance prevention member 301b is pressed by the second vertical protrusion 268b of the second movable member 261 and abuts against the side surface of the movable member 234 against the biasing force of the coil spring 304.

[0151] 36, when the width of the tablet guide groove 208b is increased, the first tablet entrance prevention member 301a follows the movement of the first vertical protruding piece 266b of the first movable member 260 by the biasing force of the coil spring 304, and closes the gap between the movable member 234 and the first movable member 260, and the rib 307d of the first tablet entrance prevention member 301a closes the gap between the movable member 234 and the base 307a of the first tablet entrance prevention member 301a. Similarly, the second tablet entrance prevention member 301b follows the movement of the second movable member 261 by the biasing force of the coil spring 304, and closes the gap between the movable member 234 and the second movable member 261, and the rib 307d of the second tablet entrance prevention member 301b closes the gap between the movable member 234 and the base 307a of the second tablet entrance prevention member 301b. As a result, there is no gap between the third wall portion and the first and second walls when the width of the tablet guide groove 208b is increased, so that a tablet does not get caught and prevent the tablet from being discharged, the caught tablet and the next tablet are discharged simultaneously, and the rotor does not rotate. Similarly, the bent upper portions of the bases 307a of the first tablet entrance prevention member 301a and the second tablet entrance prevention member 301b close the gap between the second base 245b of the movable member 234 and the first movable member 260 and the second movable member 261 on both sides thereof, preventing a tablet from entering from above into the gap radially inward from the tablet guide groove 208b.

[0152] Next, the operation of the rotor 208 in the tablet cassette 202 having the above configuration will be described.

[0153] As already described, between the cassette body 205 and the rotor 208 shown in FIG. 33, there are a plurality of tablet guide grooves 208b extending downward from the upper part of the side surface of the rotor 208.

[0154] Referring to FIG. 33, the tablets T accommodated in the cassette body 205 enter the tablet guide groove 8b while being agitated by the rotation of the rotor 208, and when the tablet guide groove 208b approaches the tablet discharge hole 209, the tablet T2 above the lowest tablet T1 in the tablet guide groove 208b is pressed against the partition member 220 fixed to the cassette body 5. The tablet T2 pressed against the partition member 220 is prevented from falling downward. The lowest tablet T1 below the tablet T2 pressed against the partition member 220 falls downward and is discharged from the tablet discharge hole 209. The tablet T1 discharged from the tablet discharge hole 209 is discharged through the tablet discharge path 3c of the base 2 shown in FIG. 2. When the tablet guide groove 208b moves away from the tablet discharge hole 209, the tablet T2 pressed against the partition member 220 is no longer pressed by the partition member 220, so that the tablet T2 falls below the tablet guide groove 208. As a result, each time the tablet guide groove 208b reaches the tablet discharge hole 209, one tablet T is discharged. By adjusting the rotation angle of the rotor 208, the number of tablets T according to the prescription can be discharged.

[0155] The tablet guide groove 208b can adjust the depth D corresponding to the thickness of the tablet T and the width W corresponding to the width of the tablet T using the depth adjustment mechanism M202 and the width adjustment mechanism M204 described above, and the partition member 220 of the partition member replacement mechanism M205 can be selected according to the height of the tablet T. Therefore, the tablet guide groove 208b can be made to an appropriate size according to the shape or size of the tablet T to be stored in the cassette body 205, and can be replaced with an appropriate partition member 220. The tablet cassette 202 or rotor 208 can be used to adjust the tablet guide groove 208b to suit various tablets T for discharge, without replacing the entire tablet cassette 202 or the rotor 208 for each different tablet T. The depth and width of the tablet guide groove 208b can be adjusted automatically by the tablet guide groove adjustment device 100, although detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0156] 3. Third embodiment In the first and second embodiments described above, the width of the tablet guide groove is adjusted by rotating the first movable member and the second movable member and moving the first vertical protrusion of the first movable member and the second vertical protrusion of the second movable member relatively, but the tablet entry prevention member of the present invention can also be applied to a tablet cassette in which the first wall portion and the second wall portion which determine the width of the tablet guide groove move linearly while maintaining their parallel state.

[0157] For example, in tablet cassette 400 shown in Figure 37, first wall portion 403 and second wall portion 404, which determine the width of tablet guide groove 402 of rotor 401, have a mechanism that allows their respective tips to move in parallel along the outer peripheral surface of rotor 401, and third wall portion 405, which determines the depth of tablet guide groove 402, has a mechanism that moves in the radial direction of rotor 401.

[0158] In this tablet cassette 400, when the distance between the first wall portion 403 and the second wall portion 404 increases, the gap between the first wall portion 403 and the third wall portion 405 also increases. Therefore, similarly to the first and second embodiments, the third wall portion 405 is provided with a first tablet entrance prevention member 406a that closes the gap between the first wall portion 403 and the third wall portion 405, and a second tablet entrance prevention member 406b that closes the gap between the second wall portion 404 and the third wall portion 405. The first tablet entrance prevention member 406a and the second tablet entrance prevention member 406b are biased by a coil spring 407 toward the first wall portion 403 and the second wall portion 404, respectively. As a result, when the width of the tablet guide groove 402 is widened, there is no gap between the third wall portion 405 and the first wall portion 403 and the second wall portion 404, so that a tablet does not get caught and prevent it from being discharged, the caught tablet and the next tablet are no longer discharged simultaneously, and the rotation of the rotor 401 is no longer hindered.

[0159] The above embodiment can be modified in various ways within the scope of the invention defined in the claims. For example, in the above embodiment, the tablet entrance preventing member is provided on the third wall portion, but it may be provided on the first wall portion and the second wall portion.

[0160] In the above embodiment, the tablet entrance prevention member is a plate-shaped solid biased by a spring, but may be composed of an elastically deformable member. For example, as shown in FIG. 38, tablet entrance prevention members 500a and 500b made of an elastically deformable member such as a spring, rubber, or sponge, or an expandable member such as a bellows, are disposed in a gap formed by the relative movement of the first wall portion 501 and the second wall portion 502. The tablet entrance prevention members 500a and 500b have a variable dimension in the movement direction of the first wall portion 501 and the second wall portion 502 in accordance with the relative movement of the first wall portion 501 and the second wall portion 502. The tablet entrance prevention members 500a and 500b have one side end attached to the third wall portion 503, and the other side end abuts against the first wall portion 501 or the second wall portion 502. The relative movement of the first wall portion 501 and the second wall portion 502 widens the gap between the third wall portion 503 and the first wall portion 501, and the gap between the third wall portion 503 and the second wall portion 502, but the tablet entrance prevention members 500a, 500b follow the movement of the first wall portion 501 or the second wall portion 502 due to their elasticity and extend in the movement direction of the first wall portion 501 or the second wall portion 503. This prevents the tablet T in the tablet guide groove 504 from entering the gap between the third wall portion 503 and the first wall portion 501, and the gap between the third wall portion 503 and the second wall portion 502.

[0161] In addition, in Figure 38, the tablet penetration prevention members 500a and 500b may be one piece. For example, as shown in Figure 39, a through hole 503a that penetrates in the circumferential direction of the rotor can be provided in the third wall portion 503, and the one-piece tablet penetration prevention member 500 can be inserted into this through hole 503a so that both ends abut against the first wall portion 501 and the second wall portion 502, respectively.

[0162] In the above embodiment, the tablet entrance prevention member is provided between the first wall portion and the third wall portion and between the second wall portion and the third wall portion, but may be provided between either the first wall portion 601 or the second wall portion 602 and the third wall portion 603 as in the tablet entrance prevention member 600 shown in Fig. 40. During the rotation of the rotor, the tablets T in the tablet guide groove 604 are moved toward the upstream side in the rotation direction, so that the tablet entrance prevention member 600 is preferably provided between the first wall portion 601 and the third wall portion 603 on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotor, and is biased toward the first wall portion 601 by the coil spring 605 to move following the movement of the first wall portion 601.

[0163] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the tablet guide groove 8b, 208b, 402, 504 has a U-shaped or sector-shaped cross section having the first wall, the second wall, and the third wall, but may have an L-shaped cross section in which the first wall, the second wall, or both of them are integrated with the third wall. Also, the tablet guide groove may be V-shaped having the first wall and the second wall. [Explanation of symbols]

[0164] 2...Tablet cassette (tablet ejection device) 5…Cassette body (tablet container) 8…Rotor 8b...Tablet guide groove 9…Tablet ejection hole 31...Rotor body 35...Downward protrusion (third wall portion) 60...First movable member 61...Second movable member 72...First vertical protrusion (first wall) 81…Second vertical projecting piece (second wall part) 101a...first tablet intrusion prevention member 101b... second tablet intrusion prevention member 104... Coil spring (elastic member) 202...Tablet cassette 205…Cassette body 208…Rotor 208b...Tablet guide groove 209...Tablet guide hole 234... Movable member (third wall portion) 260...First movable member 261...Second movable member 266b...First vertical protrusion (first wall) 268b…Second vertical projecting piece (second wall part) 301a…first tablet intrusion prevention member 301b...Second tablet intrusion prevention member 304... Coil spring (elastic member) 400…Tablet cassette 401...Rotor 402...Tablet guide groove 403…First wall part 404…Second wall part 405...Third wall section 406a...first tablet intrusion prevention member 406b...Second tablet intrusion prevention member 407... Coil spring (elastic member) 500a…first tablet intrusion prevention member 500b: second tablet intrusion prevention member 501...First wall part 502…Second wall part 503...Third wall section 504...Tablet guide groove 600: First tablet intrusion prevention member 601…First wall part 602…Second wall part 603...Third wall section 604...Tablet guide groove 605... Coil spring (elastic member)

Claims

1. The tablet container includes a tablet holder for holding tablets, and a rotor rotatably provided in the tablet holder. A tablet guide groove is formed in the rotor to guide the tablets contained in the tablet container to a tablet discharge hole formed in the tablet container, The tablet guide groove has a first wall portion, a second wall portion, and a third wall portion located between the first wall portion and the second wall portion, In the tablet discharging device, the first wall portion and the second wall portion are relatively movable, A tablet discharging device characterized in that a tablet entry prevention member is provided between the first wall portion and the second wall portion to prevent tablets in the tablet guide groove from entering the gap formed by the relative movement of the first wall portion and the second wall portion.

2. The tablet discharge device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the tablet entry prevention member comprises a first tablet entry prevention member that seals the gap between the third wall portion and the first wall portion, and a second tablet entry prevention member that seals the gap between the third wall portion and the second wall portion.

3. The first tablet entrance prevention member is biased toward the first wall portion or the third wall portion and moves in accordance with the movement of the first wall portion, The tablet discharging device according to claim 2 , wherein the second tablet entrance prevention member is biased toward the second wall portion or the third wall portion and moves in accordance with the movement of the second wall portion.

4. The tablet discharging device described in claim 3, characterized in that the first tablet penetration prevention member and the second tablet penetration prevention member are connected by an elastic member, and the first tablet penetration prevention member is urged toward the first wall portion and the second tablet penetration prevention member is urged toward the second wall portion by the elastic member.

5. A tablet discharge device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the tablet entry prevention member blocks the gap between either the first wall portion or the second wall portion and the third wall portion.

6. The tablet discharging device according to claim 5 , wherein the tablet entrance prevention member is biased toward the first wall portion or the third wall portion and moves in accordance with the movement of the first wall portion.

7. The tablet discharging device according to claim 5 , wherein the tablet entrance prevention member is biased toward the second wall portion or the third wall portion and moves in accordance with the movement of the second wall portion.

8. The tablet discharging device described in claim 1, characterized in that the tablet entry prevention member is arranged to block the gap formed by the relative movement of the first wall portion and the second wall portion, and the dimension of the first wall portion and the second wall portion in the movement direction is variable in accordance with the relative movement of the first wall portion and the second wall portion.

9. The tablet dispensing device described in claim 1, characterized in that the tablet entry prevention member is arranged to block the gap formed by the relative movement of the first wall portion and the second wall portion, and its dimensions are variable from one side end to the other side end in the relative movement direction of the first wall portion and the second wall portion in accordance with the relative movement of the first wall portion and the second wall portion.

10. A tablet packaging device comprising a plurality of tablet discharging devices according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and packaging and dispensing tablets discharged from the tablet discharging devices.

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