Drug dispensing device

Abstract

To provide a medicine put-out device capable of more quickly and correctly packing a medicine, in which whole device can be made compact without reducing the number of medicine containers capable of being stored.SOLUTION: A medicine put-out device comprises: medicine containers 30 for storing powders respectively; a medicine container storage part 3 for storing the plural medicine containers; container movement means 5; and a packing device 6. The container movement means 5 comprises: container holding means for holding the medicine containers 30; transport means for moving the container holding means; and a discharge mechanism for discharging the powders from the medicine containers. The container movement means 5 takes out the medicine container 30 stored in the medicine container storage part 3, then the medicine container is held by the holding means of the container movement means 5 and is moved to a prescribed position by the transport means, then, the powders are discharged from the medicine container by the discharge mechanism, in a state of holding the medicine container by the container holding means of the container movement means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a drug dispensing device, and more particularly to a drug dispensing device that individually packages and dispenses powders for one dose at a time.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in large hospitals and large-scale pharmacies, powder dispensing devices and drug dispensing devices equipped with powder dispensing functions have been introduced. Here, a powder dispensing device is a device that individually packages powders for one dose based on prescription information. By using a powder dispensing device, most of the work of packaging powders for one dose at a time can be automated. Conventional drug dispensing devices are composed of, for example, a powder dispensing unit that distributes powders for one dose at a time as disclosed in Patent Document 1, and a packaging device that individually packages the dispensed powders. The powder dispensing unit has a powder feeder, a dispensing tray, and a scraping device. In a conventional drug dispensing device, a pharmacist checks a doctor's prescription, takes out a medicine bottle containing the prescribed powder from the medicine shelf, and measures the total weight of the specific powder prescribed using a scale such as a balance. Then, the measured powder is put into the hopper of the powder feeder, and the trough of the powder feeder is vibrated to drop the powder onto the dispensing tray. At the same time, the dispensing tray is continuously rotated at a constant rotational speed and evenly dispersed in the grooves of the dispensing tray.

[0003] After that, the scraping plate of the scraping device is dropped into the groove of the dispensing tray, the dispensing tray is rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of dispensations, and the powders for one dose are collected on the front side of the scraping plate. Then, the scraping plate is rotated, and the powders are scraped out of the dispensing tray by the scraping plate and sent to the packaging device side, where they are packaged for one dose at a time by the packaging device.

[0004] In a conventional drug dispensing device, it was necessary for a pharmacist to take out a medicine bottle containing the desired powder from the medicine shelf and measure a predetermined amount of powder from the medicine bottle. However, the applicant of the present application has succeeded in developing a drug dispensing device that automates this operation (Patent Document 2).

[0005] The drug dispensing device developed by the applicant of the present application and disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a vibrating table arranged around a dispensing tray. In the drug dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 2, a load cell is provided as a weighing means on the vibrating table. Also, the drug dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a container shelf for accommodating a large number of drug containers and a robot for taking out the drug containers from the shelf and installing them on the vibrating table. In the drug dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 2, the robot takes out the drug container from the container shelf and moves it to the vibrating table, vibrates the drug container, and drops the powder medicine directly from the drug container onto the dispensing tray. Also, the weight of the drug container is monitored by a load cell attached to the vibrating table to detect the dropping amount of the powder medicine. The subsequent process is the same as the conventional one. The dispensing tray is continuously rotated at a constant rotational speed to evenly disperse (distribute) the powder medicine in the grooves of the dispensing tray. Then, the scraping plate of the scraping device is dropped into the groove of the dispensing tray, the dispensing tray is rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of dispensings, the powder medicine for one dose is collected on the front side of the scraping plate, and the powder medicine is scraped out of the dispensing tray by the scraping plate and sent to the packaging device side, where it is packaged one dose at a time by the packaging device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] According to the drug dispensing device disclosed by the applicant of the present application, the work of pharmacists is greatly reduced, and accurate drug packaging can be performed in a short time. However, in the market, further improvements are required. Specifically, there is a market demand to develop a drug dispensing device that can package drugs more quickly and accurately, and can reduce the size of the entire device without reducing the number of accommodatable drug containers.

[0008] In addition, the conventional drug dispensing device uses a dispensing tray. However, the drug dispensing device using a dispensing tray is not suitable for packaging small doses of pediatric prescription powders in small packages. That is, the size (diameter) of the dispensing tray corresponds to the maximum capacity packaged at one time. Specifically, the size (diameter) of the dispensing tray is designed to be able to handle a large amount of powder contained in one package and a large number of dosing times. Therefore, conversely, in the case of packaging pediatric prescriptions, where the amount of powder contained in one package is small and the number of dosing times is also small, when the powder is dispersed (distributed) in the grooves of the dispensing tray, the drug accumulates thinly at the bottom of the grooves, making it difficult to discharge the powder with a scraping device. Therefore, in the drug dispensing device using a dispensing tray, there is a lower limit to the amount of powder that can be packaged, and it is difficult to package a small amount of powder.

[0009] The present invention has been developed to meet the above-mentioned market requirements, and an object thereof is to develop a drug dispensing device that can achieve any of the above-mentioned objects. Further, the present invention provides a drug dispensing device capable of ensuring the reliability of weighing values. Further, the present invention provides a drug dispensing device capable of detecting adjustment failures and malfunctions of weight measuring means.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] One aspect of the present invention developed to solve the above problems is a drug dispensing device comprising a drug container for containing powder drugs, a container mounting device on which the drug container is placed and having a discharge mechanism for discharging the powder drugs from the placed drug container, a drug container housing portion for housing the drug container, a holding palm portion for holding the drug container, a conveying means for moving the holding palm portion, and a first weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the drug container. The device further includes a container moving means for moving the drug container from the drug container housing portion to the container mounting device, and a weight measuring means provided on the container mounting device and different from the first weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the powder drugs discharged from the drug container by the container mounting device. Measure the total discharge amount The drug dispensing device is characterized in that: The container moving means moves the drug container from the drug container accommodating portion, and while transporting the drug container, The weight of the drug container at the first time is measured by the first weight measuring means, the drug container is placed on the container mounting device, and the powder drugs are discharged from the drug container by the discharge mechanism. the The weight measuring means detects the weight change of the drug container from which the powder drugs are being discharged, measures the total discharge amount of the powder drugs discharged from the drug container, measures the weight of the drug container at the second time by the first weight measuring means again, and compares the difference between the weight of the drug container at the first time and the weight of the drug container at the second time with the total discharge amount of the powder drugs measured by the weight measuring means. In a preferred aspect, the holding palm portion holds the entire drug container from below. In a more preferred aspect, the conveying means includes a lifting mechanism and an arm member that moves in the horizontal direction. The arm member has a main body portion and a holding palm portion below the main body portion. The first weight measuring means is disposed between the main body portion and the holding palm portion. In a further preferred aspect, the device further includes a distribution dish. The container mounting device is disposed around the distribution dish, and the discharge mechanism is a vibrating table for vibrating the drug container. By vibrating the vibrating table, the powder drugs are discharged from the drug container onto the distribution dish. Another aspect of the present invention developed to solve the above problems is a drug dispensing device having a drug container for containing powder drugs, a container mounting device on which the drug container is placed and having a discharge mechanism for discharging the powder drugs from the placed drug container, a drug container housing portion for housing the drug container, a holding palm portion for holding the drug container, a conveying means for moving the holding palm portion, and a first weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the drug container. The drug container is moved from the drug container housing portion to the container mounting device by a container moving means. Different from the first weight measuring means, it is provided on the container mounting device, and the Measure the total discharge amount weight measuring means for the powder drugs discharged from the drug container by the container mounting device, and is used in a method for discharging powder drugs in a drug dispensing device having The container moving means moves the drug container from the drug container accommodating portion, and while transporting the drug container, The weight of the drug container is measured for the first time by the first weight measuring means, the drug container is placed on the container mounting device from the drug container housing portion by the container moving means, and the powder drugs are discharged from the drug container by the container mounting device by the discharge mechanism. the The weight measuring means detects the change in the weight of the drug container from which the powder drugs are being discharged, measures the total discharge amount of the powder drugs discharged from the drug container, and again measures the weight of the drug container for the second time by the first weight measuring means. The discharge method is to compare the difference between the weight of the drug container for the first time and the weight of the drug container for the second time by the drug dispensing device with the total discharge amount of the powder drugs measured by the weight measuring means. A preferred aspect is that the holding palm portion is a drug dispensing device that holds the entire drug container from below. A more preferred aspect is that the conveying means has a lifting mechanism and an arm member that moves in the horizontal direction. The arm member has a main body portion and a holding palm portion below the main body portion. The first weight measuring means is arranged between the main body portion and the holding palm portion. This is a method for discharging powder drugs. A more preferred aspect is that the drug dispensing device further includes a distribution dish, the container mounting device further includes a vibrating table, and is arranged around the distribution dish. By vibrating the vibrating table, the powder drugs are discharged from the drug container to the distribution dish. This is a method for discharging powder drugs. Another aspect of the present invention developed to solve the above problems has a drug container for containing powder drugs, a drug container storage unit for storing a plurality of drug containers, container moving means, and a packaging device. In the drug dispensing device that moves the drug containers in the drug container storage unit by the container moving means, discharges the powder drugs from the drug containers, and packages the powder drugs one dose at a time by the packaging device, the container moving means has container holding means for holding the drug containers, conveying means for moving the container holding means, and a discharging mechanism for discharging the powder drugs from the drug containers. The drug container stored in the drug container storage unit is taken out by the container moving means, the drug container is held by the holding means of the container moving means, and the drug container is moved to a predetermined position by the conveying means, and the powder drugs are discharged from the drug container by the discharging mechanism while the drug container is held by the container holding means of the container moving means. This is a drug dispensing device characterized by the above.

[0011] In the drug dispensing device of this aspect, the container moving means has a discharging mechanism, and the powder drugs can be discharged from the drug container by the discharging mechanism while the drug container is held by the container holding means of the container moving means. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate a separate vibrating table, and the miniaturization of the device can be realized.

[0012] It is desirable that the container moving means has a measuring means, and the powder drugs can be quantitatively discharged from the drug container by the discharging mechanism in units of one dose.

[0013] According to this aspect, it is possible to eliminate the dispensing tray, and the miniaturization of the device can be realized.

[0014] It may have a temporary storage container for temporarily storing the powder drugs discharged from the drug container, a measuring means is provided in the temporary storage container, and when the powder drugs for one dose accumulate in the temporary storage container, the powder drugs in the temporary storage container can be transferred to the packaging device.

[0015] According to this aspect, it is possible to eliminate the dispensing tray, and the miniaturization of the device can be realized. In addition, by providing a measuring means in the container moving means and further providing a measuring means in the temporary storage container, the amount of the drug can be measured more accurately.

[0016] Another aspect is a medicine dispensing device that has a medicine container for containing powder medicine, a medicine container storage section for storing a plurality of medicine containers, and container moving means for moving the medicine containers in the medicine container storage section by the container moving means and discharging the powder medicine from the medicine containers. The container moving means has container holding means for holding the medicine containers, conveying means for moving the container holding means, and weighing means capable of weighing the medicine containers held by the container holding means. It is possible to take out the medicine containers stored in the medicine container storage section by the container moving means, hold the medicine containers by the holding means of the container moving means, and move the medicine containers to a predetermined position by the conveying means, and weigh the weight of the medicine containers by the weighing means at any stage. This is a medicine dispensing device characterized by this.

[0017] According to this aspect, it becomes possible to eliminate the dispensing tray, and the size reduction of the device can be realized. Also, the present invention can be applied to a medicine dispensing device having a dispensing tray. In that case, a separate weighing means can be omitted. Also, the amount of medicine can be detected twice by another separate weighing means and the weighing means provided in the container moving means, and the amount of medicine can be weighed more accurately.

[0018] It may have a container installation table, the container installation table is provided with a discharge mechanism for discharging the powder medicine from the medicine container, and the above-described respective configurations may be combined with a configuration in which the medicine container is moved to the container installation table by the container moving means and the powder medicine is discharged from the medicine container by the discharge mechanism.

[0019] It has a container mounting table, and the container mounting table is provided with a discharging mechanism for discharging powder from the medicine container. The medicine container is moved to the container mounting table by the container moving means, and the discharging mechanism discharges the powder from the medicine container. The container mounting table has a weighing means. Before installing the medicine container on the container mounting table, the weight of the medicine container is measured by the weighing means of the container moving means. While discharging the powder from the medicine container by the discharging mechanism, the discharging amount of the powder is monitored by the weighing means of the container mounting table. After discharging the powder for one dose or multiple doses, the medicine container is removed from the container mounting table by the container moving means, and the weight of the medicine container is measured again by the weighing means of the container moving means. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which this series of operations is repeated to quantitatively discharge the powder for multiple doses in units of one dose.

[0020] It has a container mounting table, and the container mounting table is provided with a discharging mechanism for discharging powder from the medicine container. The medicine container is moved to the container mounting table by the container moving means, and the discharging mechanism discharges the powder from the medicine container. The container mounting table has a weighing means. Before installing the medicine container on the container mounting table, the weight of the medicine container is measured by the weighing means of the container moving means. While discharging the powder from the medicine container by the discharging mechanism, the discharging amount of the powder is monitored by the weighing means of the container mounting table. After discharging the powder for one dose or multiple doses, the medicine container is removed from the container mounting table by the container moving means, and the weight of the medicine container is measured again by the weighing means of the container moving means. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which this series of operations is repeated.

[0021] The container moving means may be provided with a discharging mechanism for discharging powder from the medicine container, and it may be possible to discharge the powder from the medicine container by the discharging mechanism while holding the medicine container by the container holding means of the container moving means.

[0022] Another aspect is a pharmaceutical dispensing device having a pharmaceutical container for containing powder medicine, a discharging device for discharging the powder medicine from the pharmaceutical container, and a packaging device. The discharging device is provided with discharging-side metering means, has a temporary container for temporarily storing the powder medicine discharged from the pharmaceutical container, and the temporary container is provided with receiving-side metering means. The pharmaceutical is discharged from the pharmaceutical container by the discharging device and temporarily stored in the temporary container. When the powder medicine for one dose accumulates in the temporary container, the powder medicine in the temporary container is transferred to the packaging device. This is a pharmaceutical dispensing device characterized by this.

[0023] According to this aspect, it becomes possible to eliminate the dispensing tray, and the miniaturization of the device can be realized.

Effect of the Invention

[0024] The pharmaceutical dispensing device of the present invention has an effect that it can achieve at least one improvement in speed, accuracy, and miniaturization compared with the conventional one.

Brief Explanation of Drawings

[0025]

Figure 1

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Figure 14

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be further described. The medicine dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment is surrounded by a housing 2, and has a medicine container storage section 3 for storing a plurality of medicine containers 30 therein, container moving means 5, and a packaging device 6. Desired powder medicine is stored in each of the medicine containers 30 stored in the medicine container storage section 3. In the present embodiment, the housing 2 is roughly divided into upper and lower two stages. The medicine container storage section 3 and the container moving means 5 are on the upper stage side, and the packaging device 6 is on the lower stage side.

[0027] In the drug container housing portion 3, there is a vertical drum member 7 that rotates in a substantially horizontal direction, and a plurality of container installation portions 13 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the drum member 7. A desired drug container 30 is mounted on the container installation portion 13 of the drum member 7. Then, the robot 10 of the container moving means 5 described later is brought close to the drug container 30, and the drug container 30 is detached and attached by the robot 10.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the container moving means 5 is composed of a lifting mechanism 8 and a robot 10. In this embodiment, the lifting mechanism 8 and the robot 10 constitute a conveying means, and the hand portion 18 of the robot 10 constitutes a container holding means. The lifting mechanism 8 is a linear guide provided in the vertical direction, and is composed of a linear rail 11 and a lifting table 12. A rack (not shown) is formed on the linear rail 11, and a motor and a pinion gear (not shown) are provided on the lifting table 12. The lifting table 12 moves in the vertical direction by operating a motor (not shown).

[0029] The robot 10 has two arm members 15, 16 and a hand portion 18. That is, the first arm member 15 is attached to the lifting table 12 via a vertical axis (not shown), and rotates horizontally around the lifting table 12 by driving a motor attached to the lifting table 12. The second arm member 16 is attached to the tip of the first arm member 15 via a vertical axis (not shown), and rotates horizontally around the tip of the first arm member 15 by driving a motor attached to the tip of the first arm member 15.

[0030] In this embodiment, the hand portion 18 has a function of holding the drug container 30 and changing its posture, a vibration function (discharge mechanism) of holding and vibrating the drug container, and a weight measurement function (weighing means) of measuring the weight of the drug container. As shown in Fig. 4, the hand portion 18 has a container holding palm portion 21. An electromagnet 24 is attached to the container holding palm portion 21. The hand portion 18 is attached to the tip of the second arm member 16 via a vertical axis (not shown), and by driving a motor, it rotates horizontally about the tip of the second arm member 16. Therefore, the container holding palm portion 21 can take a parallel posture or a vertical posture. Also, the medicine container 30 can be held by the electromagnet 22.

[0031] In the present embodiment, vibration means 22a, 22b and first weight measuring means (weighing means) 25 are arranged between the container holding palm portion 21 and the main body portion 23 of the hand portion 18. The vibration means 22a, 22b are piezoelectric elements. The weight measuring means 25 is weighing means, specifically a load cell. A vibration isolation member 38 is arranged between the vibration means 22a, 22b and the weight measuring means 25, and the vibration of the vibration means 22a, 22b is not directly transmitted to the weight measuring means 25. In the present embodiment, the medicine in the medicine container 30 is discharged by vibrating the medicine container 30 with the vibration means 22a, 22b. In the present embodiment, the discharge mechanism is constituted by the vibration means 22a, 22b, and the container moving means 5 has a discharge function. Also in the present embodiment, the weighing means is constituted by the first weight measuring means 25, and the container moving means 5 has weighing means.

[0032] The packaging device 6 is a machine that packages medicine in single-dose portions in the same manner as a known one, and as is known, it is constituted by a sub-packaging paper supply device 32 and a bag-making device 33. Also, a bulk medicine input hopper 31 for inputting medicine into the packaging device 6 is provided. The bulk medicine input hopper 31 is constituted by a main hopper 26 and an auxiliary hopper 27. The sub-packaging paper supply device 32 is a part that supplies the sheet-shaped sub-packaging paper 28 to the sub-packaging portion. The bag-making device 33 is a part that bends the sheet-shaped wrapping paper 28, introduces bulk medicine into it, and then fuses the edges of the sheet to form a bag shape. The wrapping paper supply device 32 and the bag-making device 33 adopted in this embodiment are both well-known, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0033] The main hopper 26 of the bulk medicine input hopper 31 is a device that receives the bulk medicine dropped from the medicine container 30. The main hopper 26 functions as a temporary storage container. On the other hand, the auxiliary hopper 27 connects the main hopper 26 and the packaging device 6, and introduces bulk medicine to the packaging device 6 side. The main hopper 26 is funnel-shaped. That is, the main hopper 26 has an introduction-side opening with a large opening area and a discharge-side opening with a small opening area. The discharge-side opening is at the lower end of the main hopper 26, and an opening / closing plate 35 is provided. The opening / closing plate 35 can be opened and closed by power and can open and close the discharge-side opening. In this embodiment, a second weighing means 36 is provided in the main hopper 26. The second weighing means 36 is a weighing means, specifically a load cell.

[0034] The auxiliary hopper 27 is simply a funnel-shaped member. Its upper part is near the discharge-side opening of the main hopper 26, and its lower part reaches the packaging device 6, and it introduces bulk medicine into the bent sheet-shaped wrapping paper 28.

[0035] Next, the medicine container 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The medicine container 30 is a sealed container, which is composed of a container body 40 and a lid member 43. The container body 40 is a vertically long container made of resin. In addition, a transport iron plate portion 41 is provided on the container body 40. In this embodiment, the transport iron plate portion 41 is divided into two small transport iron plate portions 41a and 41b. The transport iron plate portion 41 is made of a steel plate containing a magnetic component such as ferrite.

[0036] The lid member 43 has a lid main body portion 45 and a movable lid portion 48. The movable lid portion 48 has a knob portion 50, and by pressing the knob portion 50, the movable lid portion 48 opens. And the movable lid portion 48 is maintained in the opened state. The lid member 43 is attached to the container main body 40 as shown in FIG. 3 and constitutes the drug discharge portion 47.

[0037] Next, the functions of the drug dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment will be described. The drug dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment discharges the drug from the drug container 30 one dose at a time and sends it to the downstream packaging device 6 for packaging one dose at a time. In the drug dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, a desired powder drug is stored in advance in the drug container 30 stored in the drug container storage portion 3. The drug dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment can automatically perform an operation of selecting a drug according to a prescription, an operation of taking out the drug from the drug container 30 one dose at a time, and an operation of packaging the drug by the packaging device 6.

[0038] The drug dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment automatically selects the drug container 30 according to the prescription. Specifically, the drum member 7 of the drug container storage portion 3 is rotated to bring the desired drug container 30 closer to the container moving means 5. Then, with the hand portion 18 of the container moving means 5, the drug container 30 is held, and the arm or the like is operated to move the drug container 30 directly above the powder drug charging hopper 31. Also, the posture of the drug container 30 is kept horizontal. Also, the knob portion 50 of the movable lid portion 48 is pressed by a device (not shown) to open the movable lid portion 48.

[0039] Then, while holding the drug container 30 with the hand portion 18 of the container moving means 5, the vibration means 22a, 22b are activated to vibrate the container holding palm portion 21. As a result, the powder drug in the drug container 30 slowly moves, is discharged from the drug container 30, and falls into the main hopper 26 of the powder drug charging hopper 31. At this time, the opening / closing plate 35 of the main hopper 26 is closed, and the dropped drug accumulates in the main hopper 26. Before and after the start of vibration, the weight of the medicine container 30 is measured by the first weight measuring means 25 of the container moving means 5. During that time, the weight of the medicine container 30 is monitored, and when the total amount of the scattered medicine has reached the desired weight, the vibration of the container holding palm part 21 is stopped. That is, the first weight measuring means 25 measures the original weight G, which is the weight of the medicine container 30 before discharging the medicine, and monitors the weight of the medicine container 30 by the first weight measuring means 25 when discharging the scattered medicine from the medicine container 30 little by little. Then, when the current weight g, which is the current weight of the medicine container 30, coincides with or substantially coincides with the value obtained by subtracting the target discharge amount from the original weight G, the discharge of the scattered medicine from the medicine container 30 is stopped. In the present embodiment, when the total amount of the scattered medicine has reached one dose, the vibration of the container holding palm part 21 is stopped.

[0040] Also, in the present embodiment, a weight measuring means (second weight measuring means 36) is provided in the main hopper 26 as well. In the present embodiment, the discharge amount of the medicine is monitored by the second weight measuring means 36. In the present embodiment, when the discharge of the scattered medicine from the medicine container 30 is stopped, the discharge amount of the medicine is confirmed by the second weight measuring means 36, and on the condition that it is confirmed that the discharge amount of the medicine corresponds to one dose for the patient, the opening / closing plate 35 of the main hopper 26 is opened, and the medicine is introduced to the packaging device 6 side via the auxiliary hopper 27. Then, the medicine is packaged by the packaging device 6.

[0041] After that, the vibration of the vibration means 22a and 22b is restarted to vibrate the container holding palm part 21 again, and the above series of steps are repeated to put one dose of the scattered medicine from the medicine container 30 into the main hopper 26, open the opening / closing plate 35 and introduce it to the packaging device 6 side, and the packaging device 6 packages one dose of the medicine. In the drug dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, the discharging mechanism provided in the container moving means 5 quantitatively discharges the powder medicine from the medicine container 30 for each single-dose unit, and the packaging device 6 packages the medicine for each single dose. When the drug packaging for the desired number of doses is completed, a device (not shown) returns the gripping portion 50 of the movable lid portion 48, and the movable lid portion 48 is closed. Then, the container moving means 5 is operated to return the medicine container 30 to the drum member 7 of the medicine container housing portion 3.

[0042] In the drug dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, the discharging device of the container moving means 5 has a first weight measuring means 25 as a discharging side measuring means, and further has a main hopper 26 as a temporary storage container for temporarily storing the powder medicine discharged from the medicine container 30. The main hopper 26 functioning as a temporary storage container also has a second weight measuring means 36 as a receiving side measuring means. Then, the medicine is discharged from the medicine container 30 by the discharging device and temporarily stored in the temporary storage container. When the powder medicine for a single dose accumulates in the main hopper 26 serving as the temporary storage container, the powder medicine in the main hopper 26 is transferred to the packaging device 6. In the drug dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, since the medicine is weighed twice, the amount of the powder medicine incorporated in the package is accurate.

[0043] Furthermore, in the drug dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, when one of the first weight measuring means 25 or the second weight measuring means 26 fails for some reason, it is possible to detect that fact. That is, since the detected weights of the first weight measuring means 25 and the second weight measuring means 26 should be the same, when the detected weights of both are different, it is considered that one of the first weight measuring means 25 or the second weight measuring means 26 has failed. Also, since the drug dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment does not require a dispensing tray, the size of the device can be reduced.

[0044] In the embodiment described above, the powder medicine charging hopper 31 was divided into the main hopper 26 and the auxiliary hopper 27. However, as in the drug dispensing device 51 shown in FIG. 5, a temporary storage container 52 for temporarily storing the medicine discharged from the medicine container 30 is provided, and a weight measuring means (the second weight measuring means 37 may be provided in the temporary storage container 52. The temporary storage container 52 employed in the drug dispensing device 51 shown in Fig. 5 is cup-shaped and has a bottom. In the drug dispensing device 51, with the opening of the temporary storage container 52 facing upward, it receives the drug discharged from the drug container 30. Then, the temporary storage container 52 is tilted or inverted to change its posture upside down, and the powder drug is put into the powder drug input hopper 55. Other configurations are the same as those in the previous embodiment.

[0045] Also in the drug dispensing device 51 of this embodiment, since the drug is weighed twice, the weighing is accurate. Also, in the drug dispensing device 51 of this embodiment, no dispensing tray is required, so the device can be miniaturized.

[0046] As a simpler configuration, a drug dispensing device 56 with the structure shown in Fig. 6 can be considered. The drug dispensing device 56 shown in Fig. 6 does not have a second weighing means. And the powder drug is directly put from the drug container 30 into the powder drug input hopper 55. That is, with the drug container 30 held by the hand part 18 of the container moving means 5, the vibration means 22a, 22b are activated, and the container holding palm part 21 is vibrated to directly drop the powder drug into the powder drug input hopper 55. And the weight of the drug container 30 is monitored by the first weighing means 25, and when the total dropped amount of the powder drug reaches the desired weight, the vibration of the container holding palm part 21 is stopped. Other configurations are the same as those in the previous embodiment.

[0047] Also, as in the drug dispensing device 60 shown in Fig. 7, the powder drug may be put from the drug container 30 into the dispensing tray 61 by the discharging function of the container moving means 5. The drug dispensing device 60 has a dispensing tray 61 and a scraping device 62 in the same manner as in the prior art. The dispensing tray 61 is the same as the known one and is a dish-shaped member. The dispensing tray 61 is provided with a drug input groove 63 on the upper surface side. The drug input groove 63 is also called an "R groove" and has an arc-shaped cross-sectional shape.

[0048] The scraping device 62 has a scraping arm 65 and a scraping mechanism 66. The scraping arm 65 can be moved up and down to move the scraping mechanism 66 up and down. In the drug dispensing device 60 of the present embodiment, the hand portion 18 of the container moving means 5 holds the drug container 30, and operates an arm or the like to move the drug container 30 directly above the drug input groove 63 of the dispensing tray 61.

[0049] Then, while the drug container 30 is held by the hand portion 18 of the container moving means 5, the vibration means 22a, 22b of the container moving means 5 are activated to vibrate the container holding palm portion 21, and the drug falls into the drug input groove 63 of the dispensing tray 61. Also, the dispensing tray 61 is rotated before and after the start of vibration. And before and after the start of vibration, the weight of the drug container 30 is measured. During that time, the weight of the drug container 30 is monitored by the first weight measuring means 25, and when the total falling amount of the powder medicine reaches the desired weight, the vibration of the container holding palm portion 21 is stopped. Here, in the present embodiment, the total falling amount is the total amount for a plurality of doses. When the current weight g, which is the current weight of the drug container 30, coincides with or substantially coincides with the value obtained by subtracting the total amount for a plurality of doses from the original weight G, the discharge of the powder medicine from the drug container 30 is stopped.

[0050] After that, the rotation of the dispensing tray 61 is stopped. Then, the scraping arm 65 is swung, the tip side is lowered to lower the scraping mechanism 66, and the scraping mechanism 66 is inserted into the drug input groove 63 of the dispensing tray 61. Then, the dispensing tray 61 is rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of dispensed items and scraped onto the scraping plate 67. Then, the scraping plate 67 is rotated, the drug is scooped up by the scraping plate 68, the drug is discharged from the dispensing tray 61, and is put into the bulk drug input hopper 77. The drug falls through the bulk drug input hopper 77 and is conveyed to the packaging device 6, where it is packaged by the packaging device 6. This operation is sequentially repeated to discharge all the drugs in the dispensing tray 61, and the drugs are respectively packaged by the packaging device 6.

[0051] In the embodiments described above, the weight measuring means (the first weight measuring means 25) is provided in the container moving means 5 in all cases, but the vibration means 22a, 22b may be operated based on the detection values of the weight measuring means at other positions.

[0052] The medicine dispensing device 70 shown in Fig. 8 is a modification of the medicine dispensing device 1 shown in Fig. 4, and the weight measuring means (first weight measuring means 25) is not provided in the container moving means 5. Other configurations are the same as those of the medicine dispensing device 1 shown in Fig. 4. Also in the medicine dispensing device 70, the medicine container 30 is held by the hand portion 18 of the container moving means 5, and the arm or the like is operated to move the medicine container 30 directly above the powder dispensing hopper 31. Then, with the medicine container 30 held by the hand portion 18 of the container moving means 5, the vibration means 22a and 22b are activated to vibrate the container holding palm portion 21, and the medicine falls from the medicine container 30 into the main hopper 26 of the powder dispensing hopper 31. Also, before and after the start of vibration, the weight of the medicine container 30 is measured by the second weight measuring means 36 on the main hopper 26 side. That is, the weight of the medicine accumulated in the main hopper 26 is measured by the second weight measuring means 36 on the main hopper 26 side. Then, when the weight of the medicine accumulated in the main hopper 26 coincides with or substantially coincides with the value obtained by subtracting the target discharge amount from the original weight G, the discharge of the powder medicine from the medicine container 30 is stopped. More specifically, when the amount for one dose of the patient is reached, the vibration means 22a and 22b are stopped, and the discharge of the powder medicine from the medicine container 30 is stopped.

[0053] The medicine dispensing device 71 shown in Fig. 9 is a modification of the medicine dispensing device 51 shown in Fig. 5, and the weight measuring means (first weight measuring means 25) is not provided in the container moving means 5. Other configurations are the same as those of the medicine dispensing device 51.

[0054] The present invention can also be applied to the medicine dispensing device developed by the present applicant and disclosed in Patent Document 2. That is, a container placing device (container installation table) 80 may be arranged around the distribution plate 61 as in the medicine dispensing device 75 shown in Fig. 10. The container placing device 80 includes a vibration table 72. The container placement device 80 functions as a container placement table for installing the drug container 30. The container placement device 80 has a vibration table 72 and is equipped with a discharge mechanism for discharging the powder from the drug container 30. As shown in FIGS. 11, 12, and 13, the container placement device 80 has a vibration table 72 and a weight measurement means 76 for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the drug container 30. A drop confirmation sensor (not shown) is also provided.

[0055] The vibration table 72 is provided with container holding means for temporarily fixing the drug container 30 to the vibration table 72. Specifically, the container holding means are magnets 76a and 76b. At both ends of the vibration table 72, vibration means 78 are attached in an inclined posture. Specifically, the vibration means 78 are piezoelectric elements. The drop confirmation sensor is, for example, a photoelectric sensor and is a sensor for confirming whether or not the drug is being discharged from the drug container 30. In this embodiment, the drug container 30 is placed on the container placement device 80, and the vibration table 72 can be vibrated to discharge the drug from the drug container 30. Also, the change in the weight of the drug container 30 at that time is detected by the weight measurement means 76.

[0056] The container moving means 83 employed in the drug dispensing device 71 has a first weight measurement means 25 as shown in FIG. 10. Note that the container moving means 83 employed in the drug dispensing device 71 has no vibration means as shown in FIG. 10, and has a container holding palm part 21 and a first weight measurement means 25. Regarding the drug dispensing device 71 of this embodiment as well, the drug container 30 is automatically selected according to the prescription. Then, the hand part 18 of the container moving means 83 holds the drug container 30, and the arm or the like is operated to place the drug container 30 on the container placement device 80. Also, while the drug container 30 is being transported by the container moving means 83, the first weight measurement means 25 of the container moving means 83 measures the weight of the drug container 30. After the dispensing operation is completed, the difference from the weight of the drug container 30 held again by the hand part is compared with the total discharge amount measured by the weight measurement means 76 to perform a double check, thereby ensuring the reliability of the weighing value. Furthermore, it is possible to detect adjustment failures and malfunctions of each weight measurement means.

[0057] In the drug dispensing device 71 of the present embodiment, with the drug container 30 placed on the container placement device 80, the vibration table 72 built in the container placement device 80 is vibrated. As a result, the powder medicine in the drug container 30 moves slowly, is discharged from the drug container 30, and falls onto the dispensing tray 61. Also, the dispensing tray 61 is rotated before and after the start of vibration. Also, before and after the start of vibration, the weight of the drug container 30 is measured by the weight measuring means 76 of the container placement device 80. During that time, the weight of the drug container 30 is monitored, and when the total discharge amount of the powder medicine reaches the desired weight, the vibration of the vibration table 72 is stopped. The subsequent steps are the same as those in the prior art. The rotation of the dispensing tray 61 is stopped, the scraping mechanism 66 is inserted into the drug input groove 63, the dispensing tray 61 is rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of dispensings, and the medicine is scraped toward the scraping plate 67. Then, the scraping plate 67 is rotated, the medicine is scooped up by the scraping plate 68, the medicine is discharged from the dispensing tray 61, and the medicine is put into the powder medicine input hopper 77. The medicine falls through the powder medicine input hopper 77 and is conveyed to the packaging device 6, where it is packaged by the packaging device 6. This operation is sequentially repeated to discharge all the medicine in the dispensing tray 61, and each is packaged by the packaging device 6.

[0058] Also, a configuration such as the drug dispensing device 81 shown in FIG. 14 is also conceivable. The drug dispensing device 81 has no dispensing tray and directly inputs the medicine from the drug container 30 placed on the container placement device (container installation table) 80 into the packaging device 6. The container placement device 80 is the same as the one described above and includes a vibration table 72. The container placement device 80 has weight measuring means 76 for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the drug container 30.

[0059] The container moving means 83 employed in the drug dispensing device 81 has the first weight measuring means 25 as shown in FIG. 14. That is, the container moving means 83 employed in the drug dispensing device 81 has the container holding palm part 21 and the first weight measuring means (weighing means) 25. The container moving means 83 has no vibration means. For the drug dispensing device 81 of this embodiment as well, as shown in Fig. 14(a), the drug container 30 is automatically selected according to the prescription. Then, the hand portion 18 of the container moving means 83 holds the drug container 30, and operates an arm or the like to place the drug container 30 on the container placing device 80.

[0060] Also, while the drug container 30 is being transported by the container moving means 83, the first weight measuring means 25 of the container moving means 83 measures the weight of the drug container 30. In the drug dispensing device 81 of this embodiment, with the drug container 30 placed on the container placing device 80, the vibration table 72 built into the container placing device 80 is vibrated. As a result, the powder medicine in the drug container 30 moves slowly, is discharged from the drug container 30, and falls into the powder medicine input hopper 77 of the packaging device 6 (Fig. 14b).

[0061] During that time, the weight of the drug container 30 is monitored by the weight measuring means 76 of the container placing device 80, and when the discharged amount of the powder medicine reaches one dose, the vibration of the vibration table 72 is stopped. The powder medicine for one dose that has already been put into the powder medicine input hopper 77 of the packaging device 6 is packaged by the packaging device 6. In parallel with this, the container moving means 83 holds the drug container 30, drives the container moving means 83, and removes the drug container 30 from the container placing device (container installation table) 80 once as shown in Fig. 14(c). Then, the first weight measuring means 25 of the container moving means 83 measures the weight of the drug container 30 again. The weight of the drug container 30 at the time of re - measurement should be less than the previous measured value by the amount of one dose of powder medicine. However, if the difference between the two is more different than the weight of one dose of powder medicine by a certain amount or more, a predetermined error display is performed. The weight of the drug container 30 at the time of re - measurement may be compared with the detected weight of the weight measuring means 76 of the container placing device 80. In this case, the two weights should be the same, but if the difference between the two is a certain amount or more, a predetermined error display is performed.

[0062] When there is no abnormality, the container moving means 83 is driven to place the medicine container 30 on the container placing device 80 again. Then, the above-described series of operations are repeated to discharge a predetermined number of medicine packages in which a single dose of powder medicine is packaged.

[0063] In the embodiment described above, the medicine is discharged from the medicine container 30 by vibration, but a configuration in which the medicine is discharged from the medicine container by a screw, blades, or the like can also be adopted. In this case, a screw or the like is built into the medicine container, and power is transmitted from the container moving means 5, 83 side to the screw or the like inside the medicine container.

[0064] In each of the above-described embodiments, the container moving means 5 is a robot, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and an X-Y table, an X-Y-Z table, or the like that moves an article in a plane or three-dimensionally may be used. Also, the container moving means may be an application of a conveyor or the like.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0065] 1, 51, 56, 60, 70, 71, 81 Medicine dispensing device 3 Medicine container housing part 5, 83 Container moving means 6 Packaging device 10 Robot 18 Hand part 22a, 22b, 78 Vibration means 25 Weight measuring means 26 Main hopper 27 Auxiliary hopper 30 Medicine container 31 Powder medicine input hopper 36, 37 Second weight measuring means 52 Temporary placement container 55 Powder medicine input hopper 61 Distribution plate 72 Vibration table 76 Weight measuring means 80 Container placing device

Claims

1. A drug container for containing powder drugs, a container mounting device on which the drug container is mounted and having a discharge mechanism for discharging the powder drugs from the mounted drug container, a drug container housing portion for housing the drug container, a holding palm portion for holding the drug container, a transporting means for moving the holding palm portion, and a first weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the drug container, and a container moving means for moving the drug container from the drug container housing portion to the container mounting device, a drug dispensing device provided with a weight measuring means that is different from the first weight measuring means, is provided on the container mounting device, and measures the total discharge amount of the powder drugs discharged from the drug container by the container mounting device, The container moving means moves the drug container from the drug container housing portion, measures the weight of the drug container for the first time by the first weight measuring means while transporting the drug container, mounts the drug container on the container mounting device, discharges the powder drugs from the drug container by the discharge mechanism, the weight measuring means detects a change in the weight of the drug container from which the powder drugs are being discharged, measures the total discharge amount of the powder drugs discharged from the drug container, again measures the weight of the drug container for the second time by the first weight measuring means, and a drug dispensing device characterized by comparing the difference between the weight of the drug container for the first time and the weight of the drug container for the second time with the total discharge amount of the powder drugs measured by the weight measuring means.

2. The drug dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the holding palm portion holds the entire drug container from below.

3. The transporting means has a lifting mechanism and an arm member that moves in the horizontal direction, the arm member has a main body portion and a holding palm portion below the main body portion, The drug dispensing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first weight measuring means is disposed between the main body portion and the holding palm portion.

4. further comprising a distribution dish, the container mounting device is disposed around the distribution dish, the discharge mechanism is a vibrating table for vibrating the drug container, The drug dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the vibrating table is vibrated to discharge the powder drugs from the drug container onto the distribution dish.

5. A drug container for containing powder drugs, a container mounting device on which the drug container is mounted and having a discharge mechanism for discharging the powder drugs from the mounted drug container, a drug container housing portion for housing the drug container, a holding palm portion for holding the drug container, a transporting means for moving the holding palm portion, and a first weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the drug container, and a container moving means for moving the drug container from the drug container housing portion to the container mounting device, Unlike the first weighing means, there is a weighing means provided in the container placement device for measuring the total discharge amount of the powder discharged from the drug container by the container placement device. In the method for discharging powder used in a drug dispensing device having such a weighing means, The container moving means moves the drug container from the drug container storage section, and while transporting the drug container, the first weighing means measures the weight of the drug container for the first time. The container moving means places the drug container from the drug container storage section onto the container placement device. The discharging mechanism discharges the powder from the drug container by the container placement device. The weighing means detects the weight change of the drug container from which the powder is being discharged and measures the total discharge amount of the powder discharged from the drug container. Again, the first weighing means measures the weight of the drug container for the second time. The method for discharging powder is characterized in that the drug dispensing device compares the difference between the weight of the drug container for the first time and the weight of the drug container for the second time with the total discharge amount of the powder measured by the weighing means.

6. The holding palm part holds the entire drug container from below. The method for discharging powder according to claim 5, characterized in that.

7. The transporting means includes a lifting mechanism and an arm member that moves in the horizontal direction. The arm member has a main body part and a holding palm part below the main body part. The first weighing means is arranged between the main body part and the holding palm part. The method for discharging powder according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that.

8. The drug dispensing device further includes a distribution dish. The container placement device further includes a vibration table, which is arranged around the distribution dish. By vibrating the vibration table, the powder is discharged from the drug container onto the distribution dish. The method for discharging powder according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that.

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