Drug imaging device and drug packaging device

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a drug imaging device and a drug packaging device that carry out both imaging of an imprint etc. of a drug and imaging for drug number determination in a drug pooling portion to enable acceleration and the like of a drug imaging process. [Solution] The drug packaging device is provided with: a drug accommodation / discharging unit 11 that supplies various types of drugs; a drug wrapping unit 45 that packages drugs supplied from the drug accommodation / discharging unit 11 using a packing paper S; a drug wrapping introduction member 7 that drops the drugs to be packaged into the packaging paper S in the drug packaging unit 45; a pooling portion 50 that pools the drugs upstream of the drug wrapping introduction member 7; and a drug imaging device 6 that captures an image of the drugs in the pooling portion 50. The drug imaging device 6 carries out an imaging process of capturing an image of the drugs in the pooling portion 50 in a non-backlit state and an imaging process of capturing an image of the drugs in the pooling portion 50 in a backlit state.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medicine photographing device that photographs medicines such as tablets and capsules before packaging, and a medicine packaging device that packages the photographed medicines. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a drug packaging device that includes a drug supply unit that supplies various types of drugs, a drug packaging unit that packages the drugs supplied from the drug supply unit in packaging paper, an introduction member that introduces the packaged drugs into the packaging paper in the drug packaging unit, and a drug check unit that determines whether the drugs are attached to the introduction member based on an image of the introduction member.

[0003] The drug checking section includes a drug identification section that rotates the drug in a drug rotation section having a pair of rotating rollers and photographs the markings and printing on the drug to make judgments, and a quantity determination section that photographs the drug packaged upstream of the introduction member to determine the number of drugs.

[0004] Patent Document 2 also discloses a drug information acquisition device. This drug information acquisition device has an imaging tray that temporarily holds a packet of drugs, and the bottom of the imaging tray is configured with a row of V-shaped grooves. By vibrating the imaging tray after the drugs are inserted, the overlapping of the packets of drugs is eliminated and the posture of the drugs is corrected by the first and second inclined surfaces of the V-shaped groove. Two cameras are disposed facing the first and second inclined surfaces of the V-shaped groove, respectively. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] WO2018 / 025852A1 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2015-2795 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the drug identification process of the above-mentioned conventional device, the location where the drug markings etc. are photographed is different from the location where the number of drugs is determined, which results in a complex structure and a long drug photographing process. Also, in the above-mentioned conventional device, the drug shape information is obtained by processing the image of the drug photographed in a non-backlit state, so it is difficult to accurately identify the shape information of drugs that are the same color as the background color.

[0007] This invention provides a drug photographing device and a drug packaging device that can photograph the markings on drugs and the number of drugs in the drug storage area, thereby speeding up the drug photographing process and improving the accuracy of drug number determination. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The drug photographing device of this invention is a drug photographing device equipped with a photographing unit that takes still photographs of drugs, and is characterized in that the photographing unit performs a photographing process that photographs drugs in a storage unit that temporarily stores drugs before packaging in a non-backlit state, and a photographing process that photographs drugs in the storage unit in a backlit state.

[0009] With the above configuration, the imaging process of taking pictures in the non-backlit condition can capture images of markings or the like affixed to the medicines, making it possible to identify the medicines in the storage section. Furthermore, the image of the medicine shadows obtained by the imaging process of taking pictures in the backlit condition can be used to easily count the number of medicines in the storage section. That is, since both the imaging of the medicine markings or the like and the imaging of the number of medicines are performed in the medicine storage section, the medicine imaging process can be speeded up and the accuracy of the number of medicines can be improved.

[0010] The photographing unit may perform a first photographing process in which the drug in the storage unit is photographed from one side in a non-backlit state, a second photographing process in which the drug is photographed in the backlit state, and a third photographing process in which the drug in the storage unit is photographed from the other side in a non-backlit state.

[0011] With the above configuration, the first photographing process can photograph the markings of a drug placed with the side bearing the markings facing upward, and the third photographing process can photograph the markings of a drug placed with the side bearing the markings facing downward. This makes it possible to identify drugs in the storage unit based on the images obtained by the first and third photographing processes, even for drugs with markings on only one side. Furthermore, the number of drugs in the storage unit can be easily counted using the shadow image of the drug obtained by the second photographing process.

[0012] The photographing unit may include a first camera that photographs the drug in the storage unit from above, an upper lighting unit that illuminates the drug in the storage unit from above, a second camera that photographs the drug in the storage unit from below, and a lower lighting unit that illuminates the drug in the storage unit from below.

[0013] In addition, the photographing unit may be provided with a surface emitting element on the underside of the bottom surface of the storage unit that can be switched between a surface emitting state and a transparent state, and the first photographing process and the third photographing process may be performed depending on the transparent state of the surface emitting element, and the second photographing process may be performed depending on the surface emitting state of the surface emitting element.

[0014] The photographing unit may be provided with a dimming element on the underside of the bottom surface of the storage unit that can be switched between a transparent state and a translucent state, and the first photographing process and the third photographing process may be performed depending on the transparent state of the dimming element, and the second photographing process may be performed depending on the translucent state of the dimming element and the lighting of the lower lighting unit.

[0015] The photographing unit may perform each photographing process multiple times for the same subject within a certain period of time. Here, if the photographing unit waits for the medicine, which is vibrating or rolling in the storage unit, to stop before photographing, the time required to photograph the medicine increases. As described above, when photographing the same subject multiple times within a certain period of time, multiple images are obtained, which makes it more likely that an image in which the engraved or printed surface of the medicine faces the camera can be obtained, thereby increasing the recognition rate of the marking, etc.

[0016] The drug packaging device of the present invention may also include a drug supply unit that supplies various types of drugs, a drug packaging unit that packages the drugs supplied from the drug supply unit in packaging paper, a drug photographing device having a plurality of storage units that temporarily store the drugs supplied from the drug supply unit upstream of the drug packaging unit, and an image output unit that outputs images photographed by the drug photographing device.

[0017] With the above configuration, an inspector can visually check the medicines in the storage section using the image taken by the medicine photographing device, and can therefore properly check the medicines in the medicine packets.

[0018] The drug packaging device of the present invention may also include a drug supply unit that supplies various types of drugs, a drug packaging unit that packages the drugs supplied from the drug supply unit in packaging paper, a drug photographing device having a plurality of storage units that temporarily store the drugs supplied from the drug supply unit upstream of the drug packaging unit, and a determination unit that determines the number of drugs in the storage units and drug information based on images photographed by the drug photographing device.

[0019] With the above configuration, the determining section can automatically determine the number of medicines and medicine information in the storage section when packaging the medicines.

[0020] The medicine packaging device may further include a third camera that photographs the inside of the storage unit at a position where the medicine stored in the storage unit is handed over to the medicine packaging unit. In this way, the photographing by the third camera makes it possible to detect medicine adhering to the storage unit, and if such medicine is found, it is possible to notify the user that the packaged medicine may not be as prescribed.

[0021] The drug packaging device is provided with a drug receiving disk section that is rotated around an axis, has multiple openings on the same circumference around the axis, and drugs are supplied to the openings from the drug supply section, and has a drug receiving bottom section that has a portion that functions as the bottom of the openings and a packaging opening provided at a specific location in the area where the openings move as the turntable section rotates, and the multiple storage sections are formed by the openings and the portion that functions as the bottom of the openings, and a cleaning member that cleans the drug receiving bottom section by rotating the turntable section may be provided on the bottom side of the turntable section that does not form the openings.

[0022] This allows the cleaning member to remove medicine powder from the bottom of the medicine container, eliminating the need for the user to clean the bottom of the medicine container. Cleaning with the cleaning member also solves problems such as improper lighting caused by medicine powder in the storage section and mistaking a clump of medicine powder for a single medicine. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] According to the present invention, photographing the markings on the medicine and photographing the number of medicines to be measured are both performed in the medicine storage section, which has the effect of speeding up the medicine photographing process and improving the accuracy of determining the number of medicines. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a medicine dispensing and packaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a packaging unit of the medicine dispensing and packaging device of FIG. [Figure 3] 1A is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the medicine dispensing and packaging device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example in which a light-adjusting member is used instead of a surface light-emitting member. [Figure 4] 2 is a perspective view showing a medicine storage unit and a medicine photographing device of the medicine dispensing and packaging device of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of FIG. 4, omitting the first camera and the like. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of FIG. 5 omitting the remaining detection camera and the like. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of FIG. 6, omitting the upper plate of the medicine receiving board portion. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the medicine receiving board portion of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 1A is a plan view of the medicine receiving board part without the upper plate, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA with the upper plate in place. [Figure 10] 10 is a perspective view showing the medicine receiving bottom portion located below the medicine receiving panel portion. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the bottom side of the medicine receiving panel portion. [Figure 12] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing FIG. 6 without the medicine receiving board portion. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a part of a control system of the medicine dispensing and packaging device of FIG. 1. [Figure 14] 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an inspection support image in the medicine packing device of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 15] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the central side of the medicine receiving panel portion. FIG. [Figure 16] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the bottom side of the medicine receiving panel and the cleaning device. FIG. [Figure 17] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a cleaning switching operation unit, a motor, a cleaning device, etc. FIG. [Figure 18] 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the scraper of the cleaning device is raised from the state shown in FIG. 17. FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of medicine powder recovery. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another modified example of medicine powder recovery. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of medicine powder recovery. [Figure 22] 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the location of a second light-emitting unit, etc. FIG. [Figure 23] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the location of a third light-emitting unit, etc. FIG. [Figure 24] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the unfolding guide and a third light-emitting unit disposed within the unfolding guide. FIG. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a configuration in which two residual detection cameras are used to detect residual medicines in a medicine packaging introduction member and in a packaging paper. [Figure 26] 26 is a flowchart showing an outline of the photographing operation and the packing operation in the configuration example shown in FIG. 25. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the medicine packaging device 1 of this embodiment includes a medicine storage / dispensing unit 11, which is a medicine supply unit that stores medicines by type and dispenses the medicines one packet at a time using packaging data created based on prescription information; a medicine guide unit 12 that receives the medicines; a medicine storage unit 5 that temporarily stores the medicines; a medicine photography device 6 of this embodiment that takes still images of the medicines supplied to the medicine storage unit 5; and a packaging unit 4 that is equipped with a packaging paper roll 400 and an ink ribbon cassette 401, prints on packaging paper S supplied from the packaging paper roll 400, and uses this packaging paper S to package the medicines that have passed through the medicine storage unit 5 one packet at a time. The printing mechanism including the ink ribbon cassette is not necessarily required. The medicine storage / dispensing unit 11 includes medicine cassettes that store various medicines and a universal cassette that can store medicines that are not suitable for storage in the cassettes. Specifically, the drug cassette is a dedicated cassette prepared for each drug, with the size of the drug dispensing path corresponding to the shape and size of each drug, while the universal cassette is a general-purpose cassette that can dispense drugs of various shapes and sizes by adjusting the size of the drug dispensing path and driving conditions as needed. Furthermore, prescription information typically includes, for example, the drug type and quantity. However, information regarding the drug markings (such as the presence or absence of a marking and information on the external shape of the marking), size, shape, and color can be obtained based on the drug type by referring to the drug master table described below.

[0026] The medicine dispensing and packaging device 1 also includes a manual distribution unit 13. This manual distribution unit 13 has boxes arranged in a grid pattern, and medicines can be placed in each box. For example, if a day's worth of medicines is prescribed for morning, afternoon, and evening, the medicines will be placed in three boxes.

[0027] The medicines dispensed from the medicine accommodating and dispensing unit 11 and the medicines manually distributed by the manual distribution unit 13 reach the medicine storage unit 5 via the medicine guide unit 12, etc. The medicines remaining in the medicine storage unit 5 are photographed by the medicine photographing device 6 and then packaged in packaging paper by the packaging unit 4. That is, in this embodiment, one packet of medicines is discharged by the cooperative operation of the medicine accommodating and dispensing unit 11 and the manual distribution unit 13. The route taken by the medicines discharged from the medicine accommodating and dispensing unit 11 and the manual distribution unit 13 to the medicine storage unit 5 will be described later using Figure 4, etc.

[0028] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the packaging unit 4 with the packaging paper roll 400 and ink ribbon cassette 401 attached. Figure 2 also shows the medicine packaging section 45 of the packaging unit 4. This medicine packaging section 45 introduces medicine through an opening in the packaging paper S, which has been folded in half, and heat-seals the packaging paper S to seal in the introduced medicine.

[0029] The packaging paper S is passed, for example, around three guide shafts 4a, passes between backup roller 4b and print head 4e, and is then passed so as to be hung around guide shaft 4c. The ink ribbon R housed in the ink ribbon cassette 401 is guided by a tape guide in the packaging unit 4, passes between backup roller 4b and print head 4e, and after printing, is detached from the packaging paper S and returns to the ink ribbon cassette 401.

[0030] 2, for example, rotatable curved guide rollers 45b and 45c are disposed near guide shaft 4c that guides the packaging paper S (downstream in the conveying direction of the packaging paper S) to curve the conveying direction of the packaging paper S just before unfolding guide 45a of medicine packaging section 45. The folded packaging paper S is opened by passing over the guide surface (front surface) of unfolding guide 45a. Medicine packaging introduction member 7 (see FIG. 3(A), etc.) that introduces medicine into the packaging paper S is provided on the non-guide surface (back surface) of unfolding guide 45a, in other words, above the opened portion of the packaging paper S.

[0031] The medicine packaging introduction member 7 has a tapered shape at the bottom. As described above, the folded packing paper S passes over the guide surface of the unfolding guide 45a, causing the packing paper S to open. This forms an opening, which is the open portion of the packing paper S, at a position close to the lower end of the medicine packaging introduction member 7. The opening of the packing paper S serves as a location to receive medicines that fall from the medicine packaging introduction member 7.

[0032] The medicine packaging unit 45 also includes a heat sealing member (e.g., a pair of heater rollers 45d, 45e) downstream of the unfolding guide 45a in the conveying direction of the packing paper S. Furthermore, a feed roller (not shown) is provided downstream of the heater rollers 45d, 45e in the conveying direction of the packing paper S. These heater rollers 45d, 45e are driven to rotate by a drive mechanism (not shown) including a motor, a linear gear, an intermittent gear, etc. The heater rollers 45d, 45e allow the packing paper S to travel at a predetermined speed. The heater rollers 45d, 45e also close the opening of the packing paper S and seal the packing paper S in the direction of its short side, thereby individually packaging each packet of medicine placed in the opening.

[0033] 3(A) shows a schematic configuration of the entire medicine dispensing and packaging device 1. The medicine storing unit 5 and the medicine photographing device 6 are located between the medicine accommodating and dispensing unit 11 and the packaging unit 4.

[0034] The medicine storage unit 5 has an upper plate portion 51 and a lower plate portion 52. The medicine storage unit 5 also has a medicine receiving plate portion 501 in the space between the upper plate portion 51 and the lower plate portion 52. The medicine receiving plate portion 501 includes a disk-shaped turntable portion 5010, an upper plate 5011 fixed to the upper surface side of the turntable portion 5010, and a medicine receiving bottom portion 5012 located on the lower surface side of the turntable portion 5010 and not fixed to the turntable portion 5010.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 4, the drug delivery unit 2, the first camera 61, and the like are attached to the upper surface of the upper plate 51. As shown in FIG. 5, the turntable 5010 and the upper plate 5011 of the drug receiving plate 501 are rotatable in a horizontal plane around an axis 504 on the upper surface of the lower plate 52 (within the space). The drug receiving bottom 5012 is attached to the lower plate 52 so as not to rotate and so as to be detachable from the lower plate 52. For example, the lower plate 52 is provided with a convex portion protruding upward, and this convex portion can be engaged with a concave portion 5012d (see FIG. 10) on the outer periphery of the drug receiving bottom 5012 to prevent rotation. A motor 503 and the like are attached to the upper surface of the lower plate 52. Furthermore, the drug packaging introduction member 7, the second camera 62, and the like are attached to the lower surface of the lower plate 52.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 6, a gear portion 501a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the turntable portion 5010 in the medicine receiving plate portion 501, and a gear 503a is meshed with the gear portion 501a. The gear 503a is driven by the motor 503, thereby rotating the turntable portion 5010. Furthermore, by controlling the drive of the motor 503, the turntable portion 5010 can be intermittently rotated in the forward direction by a predetermined angle. Furthermore, by controlling the drive of the motor 503, the turntable portion 5010 is rotated forward and backward. Overlapping of medicines in the storage portion 50 can be eliminated by rotating the turntable portion 5010 forward and backward.

[0037] The medicine receiving disc 501, which includes the turntable 5010 and the medicine receiving bottom 5012, has, for example, eight storage sections 50. Each storage section 50 temporarily stores the medicine before the medicine is packaged. The eight storage sections 50 are positioned at regular intervals on the same circumference centered on the axis 504. The medicine supplied to each storage section 50 is supported by the medicine receiving bottom 5012. The turntable 5010 is detachable from the medicine receiving bottom 5012.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, each reservoir 50 is composed of a cylindrical portion (opening) 50a made of a transparent material (such as resin) that transmits light, and a medicine receiving bottom 5012 that functions as the bottom of the cylindrical portion 50a, and the medicine is stored inside the cylindrical portion 50a. The medicine receiving bottom 5012 is disposed horizontally, and the direction perpendicular to this is the vertical direction. The imaging optical axes of cameras 61, 62, and 66, which will be described later, are vertical toward the medicine receiving bottom 5012 that functions as the bottom of the cylindrical portion (opening) 50a. In addition, an inclined mirror 6a is disposed around the cylindrical portion 50a, forming a frustum-shaped mirror surface that is spaced apart upward from the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 50a.

[0039] The cylindrical portion 50a is located at the center of the inclined mirror portion 6a. The lower end of the inclined mirror portion 6a is in contact with the outer periphery of the lower end of the cylindrical portion 50a. The upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 50a is processed to be a frosted glass surface (finely textured surface) or a light-opaque surface. Furthermore, the upper plate 5011 has a rectangular opening formed at the location where the cylindrical portion 50a is located, which matches the shape of the cylindrical portion 50a in a plan view, and the medicine can reach the inside of the cylindrical portion 50a through the rectangular opening. Furthermore, the upper plate 5011 is entirely transparent, or at least the portion located above the inclined mirror portion 6a is transparent.

[0040] The inner shape of the cylindrical portion 50a is a polygonal cylinder made up of multiple planes, and is, for example, hexagonal in plan view. The outer shape of the cylindrical portion 50a is circular. Furthermore, the inclined mirror portion 6a reflects light from above toward the cylindrical portion 50a, so that the medicine inside the cylindrical portion 50a can be illuminated with side light (light in a direction intersecting the imaging optical axis of the camera 61). Obtaining a large amount of side light makes it possible to effectively photograph the markings on the medicine. Note that instead of the inclined mirror portion 6a, a light-emitting element that emits light toward the side of the cylindrical portion 50a may be provided on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 50a.

[0041] 9(A) and 9(B), the connection points R1 between the six adjacent faces of the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage portion 50 are formed in a curved shape (R: radius). Bottom end of 50a forms, for example, a hexagonal opening in plan view.

[0042] The medicine receiving bottom 5012 is made of a transparent material (such as resin) that transmits light. A packaging opening 5012a is formed at a predetermined position on the medicine receiving bottom 5012, as shown in FIG. 10 . The medicine packaging introduction member 7 is positioned below the packaging opening 5012a. When the tubular portion 50a of the storage unit 50 is positioned above the packaging opening 5012a, the medicine in the storage unit 50 falls into the medicine packaging introduction member 7 and reaches the packaging paper S. That is, the packaging opening 5012a is located at a specific location in the area where the tubular portion (opening) 50a moves as the turntable 5010 rotates. A similar opening is formed in the lower plate 52 at a position corresponding to the packaging opening 5012a.

[0043] When the turntable 5010 of the medicine receiving table 501 rotates on the medicine receiving bottom 5012, each storage section 50 moves sequentially to a first medicine receiving position P1, a second medicine receiving position P2, a third medicine receiving position P3, a non-processing position P4, a fourth medicine receiving position P5, a medicine photographing position P6, a medicine discharging position P7 (packaging position) where the package opening 5012a is formed, and a remaining medicine checking position P8, as shown in Figures 6 and 7. A plurality of wheels 56 (see Figure 11) are attached to the underside of the turntable 5010, and the load of the turntable 5010 can be received by the medicine receiving bottom 5012 while maintaining a certain gap between the top surface of the medicine receiving bottom 5012 and the bottom surface of the turntable 5010 to prevent sliding contact between them. This gap reduces the adverse effect on the rotation of turntable 5010 caused by drug powder (drug dust), etc., and reduces the frequency of cleaning. Drug receiver bottom 5012 is formed with drug powder recovery groove 5012c (see FIG. 10) at a position inside the outer circumferential edge thereof.

[0044] At the first medicine receiving position P1, the medicine transferred by the medicine transferring unit 2 falls into the storage unit 50 located at this position P1. The medicine transferring unit 2 has a hopper 21 located below the medicine guiding unit 12 and above the remaining medicine confirmation position P8. Furthermore, the medicine transferring unit 2 has a belt-driven transferring unit 22. This transferring unit 22 is located between the bottom of the hopper 21 and the first medicine receiving position P1, and transfers the medicine received from the hopper 21 into the storage unit 50 at the first medicine receiving position P1. Note that by providing an ionizer that emits ions toward the inside of the hopper 21, it is possible to prevent the medicine from adhering to the inside of the hopper 21 due to static electricity.

[0045] The second medicine receiving position P2 is supplied with medicines from another medicine supply unit.

[0046] At the third drug receiving position P3, drugs supplied from a universal cassette (not shown) are supplied into the storage unit 50 located at position P3 via the guide tube 201 and the supply opening 201a. The universal cassette can supply drugs regardless of their shape and automatically discharges drugs instead of manually dispensing them. As mentioned above, the drug containing and dispensing unit 11 is equipped with multiple cassettes, some of which are universal cassettes. By providing an ionizer that emits ions toward the inside of the guide tube 201, it is possible to prevent drugs from adhering to the inside of the guide tube 201 and the storage unit 50 due to static electricity.

[0047] At the fourth medicine receiving position P5, the medicines supplied from the manual distribution unit 13 are supplied into the storage unit 50 located at this position P5 via a hopper and a supply opening 202 (not shown).

[0048] At the medicine photographing position P6, medicines (for example, one packet's worth of medicines) are temporarily stored in the storage section 50 located at the position P6. The medicine photographing device 6 is located near the medicine photographing position P6.

[0049] The drug photographing device 6 has a photographing section 60 that photographs a subject in still images. In this embodiment, the photographing section 60 includes a first camera 61 that photographs the drug in the storage section 50 located at the drug photographing position P6 in color from above, a second camera 62 that photographs the drug in the storage section 50 in color from below, an upper illumination section 63 that illuminates the drug in the storage section 50 from above, the inclined mirror section 6a (a light-emitting element may be substituted for the inclined mirror section 6a) that illuminates the drug in the storage section 50 from the side, and a lower illumination section 64 that illuminates the drug in the storage section 50 from below.

[0050] The area around the light entrance of first camera 61 is in contact with the outer surface of housing 6001 of upper illumination unit 63. Furthermore, a sealing member (O-ring or the like) is arranged at this contact point. This sealing member prevents dust and the like from entering housing 6001 from the first camera 61 side.

[0051] The photographing unit 60 of the medicine photographing device 6 is provided with a surface light-emitting member 65 below the lower illumination unit 64. The portion of the lower plate 52 corresponding to the medicine photographing position P6 is transparent or has an opening. The surface light-emitting member 65 has, for example, a rectangular shape and can be switched between a surface light-emitting state and a transparent state. In the surface light-emitting state, the medicine is photographed in backlight by the first camera 61. The surface light-emitting member 65 is made up of, for example, a rectangular transparent light guide plate and a light-emitting element (such as an LED) that emits light toward the edge of the transparent light guide plate. The surface light-emitting member 65 is in a transparent state when the light-emitting element is not lit. The surface light-emitting member 65 may be located above the lower illumination unit 64.

[0052] The lower illumination unit 64 and the surface light-emitting member 65 are disposed in the housing 6002. The area around the light entrance of the second camera 62 is in contact with the outer surface of the housing 6002. Furthermore, a sealing member (such as an O-ring) is disposed at this contact point. This sealing member prevents dust and the like from entering the housing 6002 from the second camera 62 side.

[0053] Then, under the control of the controller 8 shown in Figure 13, the photographing unit 60 performs a first photographing process in which the upper lighting unit 63 is turned on and the drug in the storage unit 50 is photographed from above using the first camera 61 in a non-backlit state (either front light, side light, or a mixture of front light and side light), a second photographing process in which the surface light-emitting member 65 is turned on and the drug in the storage unit 50 is photographed from above using the first camera 61 in a backlit state, and a third photographing process in which the lower lighting unit 64 is turned on and the drug in the storage unit 50 is photographed from below using the second camera 62 in a non-backlit state (either front light, side light, or a mixture of front light and side light).

[0054] The combinations of the above-mentioned shooting processes and lighting processes are shown in Table 1 below. [Table 1]

[0055] By performing the second photographing process, the medicines in the storage section 50 are photographed in a backlit state, and an image of the medicines is obtained in which the bottom side of the storage section 50 is bright and the medicines are dark. That is, the number of medicines can be determined by counting the number of medicine shadows (dark areas) in the photographed image.

[0056] The upper first camera 61 is located above the medicine photographing position P6. The upper first camera 61 includes a mirror 61a that reflects the image inside the storage section 50 in the horizontal direction, an image pickup element (CCD, CMOS, etc.) 61b that receives the image reflected by the mirror 61a, and various lenses that form the image on the image pickup element 61b.

[0057] The lower second camera 62 is located below the medicine photographing position P6. The lower second camera 62 includes a mirror 62a that reflects the image inside the storage section 50 in the horizontal direction, an image pickup element (CCD, CMOS, etc.) 62b that receives the image reflected by the mirror 62a, and various lenses that form the image on the image pickup element 62b.

[0058] The upper illumination unit 63 is composed of a number of light-emitting elements (such as LEDs) arranged in a ring shape, and has a transparent or hollow structure in the center that allows light to pass through. The ring-shaped light-emitting elements are located outside the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage unit 50 and above the inclined mirror portion 6a. The light emitted from the upper illumination unit 63 is reflected laterally by the inclined mirror portion 6a and guided into the storage unit 50 (cylindrical portion 50a) in a side light state, and a portion of the light emitted from the upper illumination unit 63 reaches the inside of the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage unit 50 as direct light for the first camera 61.

[0059] When light enters the cylindrical portion 50a from the upper end surface, the light exits from the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 50a, creating a bright pattern on the bottom of the cylindrical portion 50a (the area of ​​the drug receiving bottom portion 5012). If the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 50a is processed to a frosted glass surface (a finely textured surface) or a light-opaque surface, the occurrence of the bright pattern can be suppressed. This prevents the bright pattern from appearing in a captured image and adversely affecting drug identification. Furthermore, if the lower end surface of the cylindrical portion 50a is similarly processed, the transmission of illumination light from below through the cylindrical portion 50a is suppressed.

[0060] A gap of 0.5 mm or more and 1.5 mm or less may be formed between the lower end surface of the cylindrical portion 50a and the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012. When such a gap is formed, shadows on the captured image of the medicine close to the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 50a are reduced.

[0061] As described above, the connection points R1 of the hexagonal surface portions of the cylindrical portion 50a of the storage portion 50 have a curved (R) shape. Here, if the connection points R1 of the surface portions do not have the curved shape, light from the outside is refracted at the connection points R1 of the surface portions, causing uneven illumination at the bottom surface of the storage portion 50. When the cylindrical portion 50a has a curved shape at the connection points R1, the curved shape diffuses light toward the cylindrical portion 50a, making it less likely that uneven illumination will occur. It is preferable that the thickness of the curved surface portion and other portions be the same. Furthermore, if the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 50a is rectangular, overlapping of drugs within the storage portion 50 is easily eliminated.

[0062] The lower illumination unit 64 is composed of a number of light-emitting elements (such as LEDs) arranged in a ring shape at a position outside the inner circumference of the tube portion 50a located at the medicine photographing position P6 so as not to interfere with backlight photography, and has a transparent or hollow structure at the center that allows light to pass through. The emission optical axis of the light-emitting elements is not limited to being directly upward. The emission optical axis of the light-emitting elements may be oriented, for example, toward the center of the bottom of the storage unit 50.

[0063] Furthermore, the first, second, and third photographing processes may be performed multiple times (e.g., five times) within a certain period of time. In particular, it is preferable to set the time interval between the first photographing process and the third photographing process to, for example, within a certain period of time. Furthermore, by increasing the shutter speed during the first and third photographing processes, blurring of the photographed images of the medicine can be suppressed. Here, immediately after the turntable 5010 of the medicine receiving table 501 rotates intermittently and the storage unit 50 stops at the medicine photographing position P6, the medicine in the storage unit 50 is in a vibrating or rolling state. If it is necessary to wait for this vibrating or rolling state to subside, the time required to photograph the medicine will be longer.

[0064] As described above, when multiple images of the same subject are taken within a certain period of time, multiple images are obtained, which makes it more likely that an image in which the engraved or printed surface of the medicine faces the camera, thereby increasing the recognition rate of the marking, etc. Furthermore, when the time interval between the first and third photographing processes is a certain period of time, it is unlikely that the position of the medicine taken in the first photographing process will be misaligned with the position of the same medicine taken in the third photographing process, and therefore it is possible to estimate whether the medicine in both photographed images is the same or not from the correspondence between the positions of the medicine in the image taken from above by the first photographing process and the image taken from below by the third photographing process within the certain period of time.

[0065] The drug check unit (determination unit) 82 may, for example, adopt the image with the largest number of drug shadows (dark areas) among the multiple images obtained in the second photographing process, determine the number of drugs based on the adopted image, and determine whether the required number of drugs is present in the storage unit 50 by comparing this determined number with the number of drugs indicated in the prescription information (packaging data). Alternatively, the image with the largest total area of ​​drug shadows (dark areas) may be adopted. The drug check unit 82 may also select the images obtained in the first and third photographing processes at the time closest to the time of photographing the adopted image as images for determining the type of drug. The second photographing process is preferably performed after the turntable 5010 of the drug receiving table 501 intermittently rotates and before the storage unit 50 stops at the drug photographing position P6. Since drugs may overlap after the stoppage, it is preferable to perform the process as described above.

[0066] If the medicine check unit 82 determines that the number of medicines and medicine information (described later) for the medicines in the storage unit 50 located on the medicine photographing position P6 are not correct by referring to the packaging data (characteristic data (described later)), the controller 8 may rotate the turntable unit 5010 of the medicine receiving board unit 501 forward and backward to roll the medicines in the storage unit 50, and may perform the first, second, and third photographing processes again. Alternatively, an alert may be output as an error process.

[0067] On the other hand, if the medicine check unit 82 determines that the number of medicines in the storage unit 50 located at the medicine photographing position P6 and the medicine information described later are correct by referring to the packaging data (characteristic data described later), the controller 8 rotates the turntable 5010 of the medicine receiving board 501 forward by 45 degrees to move the storage unit 50 at the medicine photographing position P6 to the medicine discharge position P7 (packaging position) where the packaging opening 5012a is formed. As a result, the medicines in the storage unit 50 reach the packaging paper S from the packaging opening 5012a through the medicine packaging introduction member 7.

[0068] Above the medicine discharge position P7 (packaging position), a first residual detection camera 601, a second residual detection camera 602, and a third residual detection camera 603 are located. A lighting unit, such as an LED, is provided to illuminate the imaging range of each residual detection camera. Sensors may be used instead of the residual detection cameras 601, 602, and 603.

[0069] The first residue detection camera 601 photographs the inside of the opening of the packaging paper S through the packaging opening 5012a. Therefore, the sachet paper S It is possible to check whether there are any medicines (medicines that should have been packaged in advance) or foreign objects inside the opening, either automatically or by an inspector visually checking the image.

[0070] In addition, the second residue detection camera 602 photographs the relay portion 71 of the medicine packaging introduction member 7. Based on the photographed result, it can be confirmed automatically or visually by an inspector whether medicine is attached to the relay portion 71 of the medicine packaging introduction member 7.

[0071] Additionally, the third residue detection camera 603 photographs the final portion of the medicine packaging introduction member 7 (the lower portion of the shooter portion 72 located below the relay portion 71). Based on the photographed image, it is possible to automatically or visually check by an inspector whether medicines are attached to the final portion of the medicine packaging introduction member 7.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 2, the illumination unit includes a first light-emitting unit 451, a second light-emitting unit 452, and a third light-emitting unit 453.

[0073] First light-emitting unit 451 illuminates the inside of medicine packaging introduction member 7 from a position above medicine discharge position P7. Part of the light emitted from first light-emitting unit 451 is not blocked by medicine packaging introduction member 7, but exits from an opening at the bottom of medicine packaging introduction member 7 and reaches the vicinity of the position between heater roller 45d and heater roller 45e.

[0074] 22, second light-emitting unit 452 illuminates the vicinity of the position between heater roller 45d and heater roller 45e from a position on the side of medicine packaging introduction member 7. The light emitted from second light-emitting unit 452 passes through packaging paper S and reaches the opening of packaging paper S that has been opened by the guide surface (surface) of unfolding guide 45a.

[0075] As shown in Figures 23 and 24, third light-emitting unit 453 is attached to a recess in the non-guide surface (back surface) of unfolding guide 45a and, like second light-emitting unit 452, illuminates the area between heater roller 45d and heater roller 45e. Light emitted from third light-emitting unit 453 reaches the opening of packaging paper S without passing through packaging paper S. A transparent cover 45aa is attached to the opening side of the recess in unfolding guide 45a to cover third light-emitting unit 453 and prevent medicine powder and the like from falling onto third light-emitting unit 453. Because third light-emitting unit 453 can be positioned near the opening of folded packaging paper S, it can brightly illuminate the opening of packaging paper S. Electrical wires connected to third light-emitting unit 453 are routed, for example, between unfolding guide 45a and cover 45aa and exit the recess.

[0076] The brightness (light intensity) of first light-emitting element 451, second light-emitting element 452, and third light-emitting element 453 may be adjustable using a dimmer. Furthermore, third light-emitting element 453 is not limited to being positioned within the recess on the non-guide surface (back surface) of unfolding guide 45a. Third light-emitting element 453 itself may be inserted through the opening of packaging paper S and positioned within the opening to illuminate the interior of the opening. Such third light-emitting element 453 is supported by, for example, a thin rod-shaped or wire-shaped support member and inserted through the opening of packaging paper S and positioned within the opening. The support source may be the non-guide surface (back surface) of unfolding guide 45a or the tip of chute portion 72.

[0077] In the above example, three residue detection cameras 601, 602, and 603 are arranged above the drug discharge position P7 (packaging position), but this configuration is not limited to this. All or part of the drug packaging introduction member 7 may be arranged to be movable laterally, etc., and residue detection cameras arranged at the moved locations may capture images of the inside of the drug packaging introduction member 7 after the movement. This reduces the number of residue detection cameras arranged on the storage section 50, and avoids a complex structure due to densely packed cameras on the storage section 50.

[0078] Alternatively, two residue detection cameras (A) and (B) may be positioned above the medicine discharge position P7 (packaging position). In this configuration, as shown in Figure 25, residue detection camera (A) has a deep depth of field and captures an area from relay section 71 of medicine packaging introduction member 7 to approximately the middle of chute section 72 (hereinafter referred to as the upper area). Residue detection camera (B) also has a deep depth of field and captures an area from approximately the middle of chute section 72 of medicine packaging introduction member 7 to the opening in packaging paper S (hereinafter referred to as the lower area). The imaging ranges of the two residue detection cameras (A) and (B) overlap at approximately the middle of chute section 72.

[0079] Even in the configuration in which the two residue detection cameras (A) and (B) are arranged, it is desirable that the illumination unit be provided with three light-emitting units (a), (b), and (c). For example, the light-emitting unit (a) is arranged near the installation position of the residue detection camera, the light-emitting unit (b) is arranged in the packaging unit 4 (preferably the drug packaging unit 45), and the light-emitting unit (c) is arranged on the non-guide surface (back surface) side of the unfolding guide 45a.

[0080] In one example of control in a configuration having the two residue detection cameras (A) and (B), the residue detection camera (A) photographs the upper region with only the light-emitting unit (a) turned on (first photographing operation). That is, in the first photographing operation, the upper region of the inner wall surface of the medicine packaging introduction member 7 is set as the photographing range, and this first photographing operation is used to determine whether medicine is attached to the inner wall surface.

[0081] Meanwhile, with all of the light-emitting elements (a), (b), and (c) illuminated, the upper and lower regions are photographed by the residual detection cameras (A) and (B) (second photographing operation). That is, in the second photographing operation, the entire inner wall surface of the pharmaceutical packaging introduction member 7 and the opening of the packaging paper S are the photographing range. If it is determined that even a single tablet of pharmaceutical remains within the opening of the packaging paper S before the pharmaceuticals to be packaged have begun to be dropped into the opening of the packaging paper S, it is determined that pharmaceuticals remain. By illuminating not only the light-emitting element (a) but also the light-emitting elements (b) and (c) in the second photographing operation, the overall amount of illumination is increased and the opening of the packaging paper S can be illuminated from multiple directions, allowing accurate detection of even a single tablet of pharmaceutical within the opening of the packaging paper S. It is also possible to configure the second photographing operation so that the light-emitting element (a) is not illuminated.

[0082] As shown in the flowchart of Figure 26, the second photographing operation is performed with the Kth package of medicine (K is a natural number with a maximum value of the set number of packages N) located at medicine photographing position P6 (S1). When K = 1, information can be obtained as to whether or not any remaining medicine in a medicine package based on a previous prescription remains in the opening of the packaging paper S of the current prescription at medicine discharge position P7. When K = 2 or later, information can be obtained as to whether or not any medicine that should be packaged earlier in the current prescription remains in the opening of the packaging paper S of a subsequent package. Note that if several blank packages are to be generated between different prescriptions, the second photographing operation when K = 1 may be omitted.

[0083] After the second photographing operation, when the turntable 5010 rotates 45 degrees, the Kth packet of medicines according to the current prescription is dropped from the medicine discharge position P7 through the medicine packaging introduction member 7 into the opening of the packaging paper S (S2). The dropping situation is photographed in the first photographing operation (S3). That is, with only the light-emitting unit (a) turned on, the upper region is photographed by the residue detection camera (A).

[0084] Note that the photographing to detect residual medicine for the Kth package of the current prescription begins with the first photographing operation (S3). If the first photographing operation determines that no medicine is adhering to the inner wall of the medicine packaging introduction member 7, and if the Kth package is packaged in a state in which some of the medicine to be packaged has moved to the position of the subsequent (K+1)th package while the package corresponding to the Kth medicine is being packaged, the next second photographing operation will detect residual medicine within the opening of the packaging paper S.

[0085] After the first photographing operation, a packaging operation for one package is executed (S4). Next, K is incremented (S5), and it is determined whether K has exceeded N (S6). If K has not exceeded N, the process proceeds to the second photographing operation for the subsequent medicine package (S1). If K has exceeded N, K is reset (S7), and photographing processing is performed for the package of the next prescription.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 12, a third camera 66 is positioned below the remaining medicine confirmation position P8. After the medicines stored in the storage unit 50 are delivered to the medicine packaging unit 45, the third camera 66 photographs the interior of the storage unit 50, which has moved to the remaining medicine confirmation position P8. For example, the third camera 66 includes a mirror 66a that laterally reflects an image of the inner circumferential surface of the tubular portion 50a of the storage unit 50 positioned at the remaining medicine confirmation position P8, an imaging element (CCD, CMOS, etc.) 66b that receives the image reflected by the mirror 66a, and various lenses that focus the image on the imaging element 66b. In addition, a lower illumination unit 67 is provided above the mirror 66a. Based on the photographing results of the third camera 66, it can be confirmed automatically or by an inspector visually inspecting the image whether any medicine remains on the inner wall surface and in the internal space of the tubular portion 50a.

[0087] The printing mechanism with ink ribbon cassette 401 prints the patient's name, morning, afternoon, evening, etc. before the medications are packaged, and even if an error is detected during the medication identification process or automatic inspection, the error information cannot be printed on the corresponding portion of the packaging paper that has already packaged the medications. Therefore, a post-printing unit may be provided that prints error information, such as a mark indicating a defect or a number indicating the number of missing medications, on the portion of the packaging paper that has been packaged with medications after passing through heater rollers 45d and 45e.

[0088] When presenting the print layout on the packaging paper to the user, the print layout can be confirmed via a monitor on the medicine packaging device 1, or by checking the print layout based on the actual printed packaging paper. The latter confirmation method preferably does not involve the medicine supply operation.

[0089] 13 is a schematic block diagram showing the control system of the medicine packing device 1. A storage unit 80 connected to controller 8 of the medicine packing device 1 stores a so-called master table (database of medicines, etc.), prescription information for each patient, and image data captured by the first, second, and third cameras 61, 62, and 66 and the first, second, and third residual detection cameras 601, 602, and 603. The controller 8 controls the lighting, imaging operation timing, and the like of the first, second, and third cameras 61, 62, and 66 and the first, second, and third residual detection cameras 601, 602, and 603.

[0090] The image output unit 81 of the controller 8 performs processing to store the images captured by the first to third cameras 61, 62, 66, etc. in the storage unit 80. The image output unit 81 can also read out the captured images, etc. from the storage unit 80 and display them on the monitor as an inspection support image. The inspector can inspect the medicines in the storage unit 50 by looking at the inspection support image displayed on the monitor.

[0091] The inspection support image may be displayed on the monitor by processing the controller 8, for example, by associating the upper image of the medicine taken by the first camera 61 and the lower image of the medicine taken by the second camera 62 as front and back images for each medicine that is presumed to be the same medicine. The front and back images are associated by arranging the images side by side or vertically. Whether the medicines are the same or not is determined by the first, third, and third images taken within the certain period of time. Shooting processing This can be estimated from the correspondence between the drug positions in the images taken from above and below by the camera. Furthermore, the association of the front and back images may be performed for all of the multiple images, or for specific images among the multiple images. The specific captured image may be an image in which markings or the like are recognized by the drug check unit 82. Figure 14 shows an example of an inspection support image. This image displays patient information, information on the drug to be administered to the patient (drug name and drug image), and front and back images of each drug, each of which is an individual drug image portion cut out from an overall image of the storage unit taken for each package.

[0092] Furthermore, the inspection support image may include, in addition to the photographed image of the medicine in storage unit 50, an image in which reference images of medicines to be packaged are arranged among reference images of medicines stored in advance in storage unit 80. The reference images may be images photographed in the photographing environment of medicine packaging device 1, images photographed in the medicine room in which medicine packaging device 1 is installed, or images provided by a medicine manufacturer.

[0093] The drug check unit 82 of the controller 8 determines the number of drugs present in the storage unit 50 located at the drug photographing position P6 based on the image captured by the first camera 61. Since the first camera 61 photographs the shadows of the drugs against backlight, the drug check unit 82 counts, for example, the number of dark areas of a predetermined size (area) or more in the photographed image and outputs this number of areas as the number of drugs. The dark areas include not only circular areas but also annular areas. The predetermined size can be varied for each drug based on the size data for each drug stored in the memory unit 80.

[0094] Furthermore, the drug check unit 82, as a determination unit, can determine the drug by recognizing marks such as stamps that are drug information of the drug in the photographed images photographed in the first photographing process and the third photographing process. Furthermore, the drug check unit 82 can automatically determine whether or not the drug specified in the prescription information (packaging data) is present in the storage unit 50 by determining whether the identified drug matches the drug mark indicated in the prescription information (packaging data) in the memory unit 80 (drug master table).

[0095] Furthermore, the drug check unit 82, as a determination unit, determines other drug information characteristic of each drug obtained by the photography (the area (size) of the drug in a planar view, the shape of the drug in a planar view, and all or part of the surface color of the drug). The drug check unit 82 can also automatically determine whether or not the drug specified in the prescription information (packaging data) is present in storage unit 50 by determining the degree of agreement between the drug information and the characteristic data of each drug (the area (size) of the drug in a planar view, the shape of the drug in a planar view, and all or part of the surface color of the drug) indicated in the prescription information (packaging data) in memory unit 80 (drug master table).

[0096] Furthermore, the drug check unit 82 can also automatically determine whether or not the drug specified in the prescription information (packaging data) is present in the storage unit 50 by image-to-image matching, which compares the photographed drug image (drug information) with reference images of each drug (characteristic data of each drug) previously stored in the storage unit 80 to determine the degree of match. The reference image (for image-to-image matching) used by the drug check unit 82 does not have to be the same as the reference image (for visual confirmation) in the inspection support image described above.

[0097] The adhesion determination unit 83 of the controller 8 determines whether or not a drug is adhering to the inner wall of the drug packaging introduction member 7 and the inner wall of the tubular portion 50a of the storage unit 50 based on images taken by the first, second, and third residual detection cameras 601, 602, and 603, and an image taken by the third camera 66. For example, the adhesion determination unit 83 determines whether or not a drug is adhering to the inner wall surface of the tubular portion 50a by comparing an image taken by the third camera 66 of the tubular portion 50a of the storage unit 50 located at the remaining drug confirmation position P8 with a basic image taken when no drug is adhering to the inner wall surface.

[0098] The basic image is, for example, an image taken immediately before the first packaging process of the day, and this image is stored in the memory unit 80. As an example of the determination of drug adhesion, for example, if the number of pixels of the image sensor whose brightness values ​​match or fall within a predetermined range is less than a predetermined percentage of the total number of pixels, it is determined that a drug is adhered to the inner wall of the tubular portion 50a of the storage unit 50. The controller 8 can output an alert when it determines that a drug is adhered to the inner wall of the tubular portion 50a of the storage unit 50. At this time, the drug packaging process may be continued or interrupted. The controller 8 may also store the captured image in the memory unit 80 when it determines that a drug is adhered to the inner wall of the tubular portion 50a of the storage unit 50.

[0099] The timing control unit 84 of the controller 8 controls the photographing timing of the first, second and third cameras 61, 62, 66, the first, second and third residual detection cameras 601, 602, 603, the lighting timing of the upper illumination unit 63, the lower illumination unit 64 and the surface light-emitting member 65, etc., in response to the rotational movement of the turntable unit 5010 of the medicine receiving board unit 501. In this embodiment, still photography is simultaneously performed at the medicine photographing position P6 (first and second cameras 61, 62), the medicine discharge position P7 (first, second and third residual detection cameras 601, 602, 603), and the remaining medicine confirmation position P8 (third camera 66) every time the turntable unit 5010 of the medicine receiving board unit 501 rotates intermittently by 45 degrees. In addition, the timing control unit 84 performs photography in the order of, for example, the first photographing process, the second photographing process, and the third photographing process. Of course, other shooting orders may be used. Furthermore, the timing control section 84 can also control the timing of lighting the upper lighting section 63 and the lower lighting section 64 and the timing of switching the light intensity during shooting.

[0100] The timing at which the third camera 66 photographs the remaining medicine confirmation position P8 is exemplified below. 1. The remaining medicine confirmation position P8 is photographed when the storage section 50 moves to the medicine discharge position P7. 2. The remaining medicine confirmation position P8 is photographed after the storage section 50 moves to the medicine discharge position P7 (e.g., a predetermined time (1 second) after the movement).

[0101] It is also possible to check for remaining medicine by placing the third camera 66 at the medicine discharge position P7. In this case, the image is captured after the storage section 50 has moved to the medicine discharge position P7 (e.g., after a predetermined time (1 second) has passed since the movement).

[0102] The drive control unit 85 of the controller 8 controls the motor 503. This control includes not only the intermittent 45-degree rotation of the turntable unit 5010 of the medicine receiving table unit 501, but also the control of rotating the turntable unit 5010 forward and backward at a speed faster than the speed of the 45-degree rotation, thereby eliminating overlapping of the medicines in the storage unit 50.

[0103] With the above configuration, the first photographing process can photograph the markings, etc., of a medicine placed with its markings facing up, and the third photographing process can photograph the markings, etc., of a medicine placed with its markings facing down. This makes it possible to identify the medicine in the storage unit based on the images obtained by the first and third photographing processes, even for medicines with markings, etc., only on one side. Furthermore, the number of medicines can be determined based on the shadow image of the medicine obtained by the second photographing process. In other words, the photographing location for photographing the markings, etc., of the medicine and the photographing location for determining the number of medicines can be the same, allowing the medicine photographing process to be performed quickly. Note that an embodiment in which only one of the first photographing process and the third photographing process is performed can also be used.

[0104] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the timing control unit 84 executes each photographing process multiple times for the medicine (the same subject) in a specific storage unit 50. This photographing process does not mean executing the first photographing process and the third photographing process once each (twice in total), but rather executing the first photographing process and the third photographing process multiple times. Here, if the medicine in a vibrating or rolling state is waited to stop before photographing it, the time required to photograph the medicine will be longer. As described above, when the same subject is photographed multiple times within a certain period of time, multiple images are obtained, which makes it more likely that an image will be obtained in which the imprinted or printed surface of the medicine is facing the camera, thereby improving the recognition rate of the imprint, etc.

[0105] In addition, in this embodiment, by performing the first, second, and third photographing processes at one location (medicine photographing position P6), the storage section 50 does not move each time photographing is performed, and the medicine does not vibrate or roll, so there is an advantage that blurring of the photographed medicine image can be reduced. Also, by performing the first, second, and third photographing processes at one location in this way, it is only necessary to wait once for the vibration and rolling of the medicine to stop, so the image of the medicine can be Vibration, rolling Even if you wait for the light to settle before taking a photo, it is possible to shorten the time required for the photo-taking process.

[0106] By providing the third camera 66, it becomes possible to detect medication adhering to the inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion 50a, and to notify the user that there is a risk that the packaged medication does not conform to the prescription information (packaging data).

[0107] As shown in FIG. 11, a cleaning member 55 for cleaning the medicine receiver bottom 5012 is provided on the bottom side of the turntable 5010, at a location that does not form the reservoir 50. This cleaning member 55 can prevent medicine powder (drug dust) on the medicine receiver bottom 5012 from being packaged together with the medicine. The cleaning member 55 includes, for example, a scraper 55a and a support portion 55b that supports the scraper 55a. The support portion 55b may be movably supported on the turntable 5010 so that the scraper 55a can be brought into contact with and separated from the medicine receiver bottom 5012. Then, when the scraper 55a is in contact with the medicine receiver bottom 5012, the cleaning member 55 for cleaning the medicine receiver bottom 5012 is moved. Rotating plate part 5010 When the scraper 55a rotates around the axis 504, the medicine powder on the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012 is scraped by the scraper 55a into a storage recess 5012b and a medicine powder recovery groove 5012c, which will be described later.

[0108] Shaft 504 has a flange at its bottom, which is fixed to lower plate 52. A bearing is fitted to the outer periphery of shaft 504, and rectangular protrusion 504a is rotatably supported on the outer periphery of this bearing (see FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 7, central square opening 501b, which is substantially cylindrical and has a square opening into which rectangular protrusion 504a fits, is formed in the center of medicine receiving board 501, allowing medicine receiving board 501 to be detachably attached to square protrusion 504a.

[0109] 15, the central square opening 501b is connected and fixed to a cylindrical rising portion 501c located away from the outer periphery of the central square opening 501b by a plurality of connecting ribs 501f. The cylindrical rising portion 501c is a member located at the center of the turntable 5010 and fixed to the turntable 5010. The turntable 5010 has a plurality of guide pillars 501g formed in an annular gap formed between the outer periphery of the central square opening 501b and the cylindrical rising portion 501c, protruding in the axial direction of the shaft 504.

[0110] A cleaning switching operating part 501d (see FIG. 17) is inserted into the annular gap. The cleaning switching operating part 501d has a plurality of holes into which the guide columns 501g are inserted. These holes allow the cleaning switching operating part 501d to move linearly in the axial direction of the shaft 504 and to rotate integrally with the turntable 5010 around the shaft 504. The cleaning switching operating part 501d is formed with a notch 501k (see FIG. 17) through which the connecting rib 501f passes. A support plate 501h of the turntable 5010 is located below the cleaning switching operating part 501d. The support plate 501h is a member located toward the center of the turntable 5010 and fixed to the turntable 5010. The support plate 501h is shown by virtual lines in FIGS. 17 and 18.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 17, a coil spring 501j is disposed between the cleaning switching operating part 501d and the support plate part 501h, and the cleaning switching operating part 501d is urged upward by this coil spring 501j. When cleaning medicine powder, the cleaning switching operating part 501d is moved downward. The downward movement of the cleaning switching operating part 501d is performed by a motor 5060. The motor 5060 and a support mechanism 5061 that supports it are attached to the upper plate part 51.

[0112] The support mechanism 5061 has a plurality of guide pillars 5061a erected in the axial direction of the shaft 504. A pressing member 5061b is engaged with the guide pillars 5061a and guided up and down by the guide pillars 5061a. A feed screw 5061c is threaded into a screw hole formed in the center of the pressing member 5061b. When the feed screw 5061c is driven by the motor 5060, the pressing member 5061b moves up and down. A plurality of wheels 5061d are attached to the underside of the pressing member 5061b and come into contact with the upper surface of the cleaning switching operating unit 501d. That is, even when the cleaning switching operating unit 501d is pressed down by the pressing member 5061b, the cleaning switching operating unit 501d (turntable unit 5010) comes into contact with the pressing member 5061b via the wheels 5061d, allowing it to rotate smoothly around the shaft 504. The motor 5060 may be installed at a position other than the center of the support mechanism 5061 .

[0113] A rack portion 551 having teeth formed in the axial direction of the shaft 504 is fixed to the side surface of the cleaning switching operating portion 501d. As shown in Fig. 16, a notch is formed in the cylindrical rising portion 501c to expose the rack portion 551.

[0114] Cleaning member 55 has a shaft portion 553. Shaft portion 553 is rotatably supported by bearing portion 554 provided on support portion 55b. A gear portion 552 meshing with rack portion 551 is fixed to one end of shaft portion 553. When cleaning switching operation portion 501d is lowered by driving motor 5060 during cleaning, rack portion 551 is lowered, gear portion 552 rotates, and shaft portion 553 rotates, as shown in FIG. 18. Scraper 55a fixed to shaft portion 553 rises as shaft portion 553 rotates, and the edge of scraper 55a contacts drug receiver bottom portion 5012. After cleaning is completed, motor 5060 rotates in the reverse direction, thereby performing the reverse operation of the above operation.

[0115] That is, in this embodiment, medicine packaging device 1 comprises a medicine supplying section (medicine accommodating and dispensing unit 11) that supplies various medicines, medicine packaging section 45 that packages the medicines supplied from the medicine supplying section in packaging paper S, storage section 50 that temporarily stores the medicines supplied from the medicine supplying section upstream of medicine packaging section 45, and cleaning member 55 that is provided on medicine receiving panel section 501 and serves as a cleaning device that cleans medicine powder on medicine receiving bottom section 5012. Medicine packaging device 1 may be configured to include the cleaning device without including imaging section 60.

[0116] Furthermore, in the cleaning device, the edge of the cleaning member 55 (scraper 55a) is raised, and the bottom of the medicine receiving portion 5012 The state of contact with the touch panel may be switchable.

[0117] As an example of the above switching, the drug packaging device 1 is equipped with a cleaning switching operation unit 501d that rotates together with the turntable unit 5010 and is capable of moving linearly in the axial direction of the shaft 504 that supports the rotation of the turntable unit 5010, and that switches between a state in which it contacts the drug receiving bottom 5012 of the cleaning member 55 and a state in which it does not contact the bottom 5012 by linear movement in the axial direction of the shaft 504, and a drive unit (motor 5060, support mechanism 5061, etc.) that moves the cleaning switching operation unit 501d in the axial direction of the shaft 504.

[0118] Furthermore, in the cleaning device, the chemical receiver bottom portion 5012 may be rotatable, as will be described later.

[0119] If the cleaning member 55 (scraper 55a) is integrated with the turntable portion 5010, when the turntable portion 5010 is removed from the medicine packaging device 1, the cleaning member 55 (scraper 55a) also comes off, making it easier to clean the medicine receiving bottom portion 5012 and the lower plate portion 52.

[0120] Furthermore, in this embodiment, cleaning switching operation unit 501d, which switches the cleaning operation of cleaning member 55, is attached to the turntable 5010, and a motor 5060 and a support mechanism 5061, which operate cleaning switching operation unit 501d, are attached to upper plate 51. That is, since medicine receiving plate 501 itself of medicine storage unit 5 does not have a drive system, medicine receiving plate 501 can be easily removed from medicine dispensing device 1. Medicine receiving plate 501 may be removed as a whole, including medicine receiving bottom 5012, or a component not including medicine receiving bottom 5012.

[0121] Furthermore, the provision of medicine receiving bottom 5012 makes it difficult for medicine powder to adhere to lower plate 52. Furthermore, medicine receiving bottom 5012 can be removed from lower plate 52 for washing. In the structure shown in FIG. 4 etc., the user can grasp handle 505 and lift upper plate 51 (including motor 5060, support mechanism 5061, etc.) to expose the top side of medicine receiving board 501, and in this state can detach medicine receiving board 501 from shaft 504 (square protrusion 504a).

[0122] The scraper 55a (shaft 553) extends from the outer periphery of the turntable 5010 to the center of the turntable 5010. The end of the scraper 55a located on the center side is In the forward direction, from the outer edge to the lagging side As a result, the medicine powder scraped off on the medicine receiver bottom portion 5012 can be moved toward the center of the medicine receiver bottom portion 5012 by the rotation of the turntable portion 5010.

[0123] With the configuration including the cleaning member 55, medicine powder is removed from the medicine receiver bottom 5012 as the turntable 5010 rotates. This eliminates the need for the user to clean the medicine receiver bottom 5012. This eliminates the need for such effort, and solves the problems of inadequate illumination due to medicine powder in the storage unit 50 located at the medicine photography position P6, and of mistaking a lump of medicine powder for a single medicine.

[0124] The cleaning of medicine powder by the cleaning member 55 may be performed automatically each time the prescribed person of the medicine changes. Without being limited to this, for example, the medicine powder cleaning may be performed automatically each time a set number of packets (e.g., 10 packets) have been packaged. Furthermore, the medicine powder cleaning may be performed when dirt on the bottom of the storage unit 50 located at the medicine photography position P6 is detected by an image captured by a sensor or camera, or when the user presses the cleaning switch. If a determination is made that cleaning is necessary, the supply of medicine to the storage unit 50 may be stopped, and all medicines currently present in the storage unit 50 may be packaged. However, if the prescribed medicines for the morning, afternoon, and evening are of the same type (which can be determined from the prescription information), there is no problem even if the medicine and its medicine powder are packaged together, and therefore the determination of whether cleaning is necessary may not be made.

[0125] Furthermore, the medicine powder collected by cleaning member 55 may be stored in storage recess 5012b (see FIG. 10) of medicine receiver bottom 5012. Alternatively, cleaning member 55 may be provided so as to drop the medicine powder from packaging opening 5012a. The medicine powder that has dropped from packaging opening 5012a may be packaged in packaging paper S located below packaging opening 5012a. That is, the medicine powder at medicine receiver bottom 5012 may be collected by cleaning member 55 and packaged in packaging paper S. For example, after the packaging paper into which the medicine has dropped through packaging opening 5012a is sealed to complete the medicine packaging, the unpackaged portion of the packaging paper is moved below packaging opening 5012a. Then, cleaning member 55 is moved toward packaging opening 5012a, and the medicine powder collected by cleaning member 55 drops from packaging opening 5012a. This prevents the medicine and the medicine powder from being packaged together. If the continuous wrapping strip contains packing paper containing the powder medicine collected by cleaning member 55, a packing paper cutter (not shown) may be operated to separate the packing paper containing the powder medicine from the continuous wrapping strip. In this case, it is preferable to print information that identifies the prescription on the leading packing paper of the succeeding continuous wrapping strip.

[0126] The timing at which cleaning member 55 starts cleaning may be any timing other than the simultaneous timing at which the medicine is dropped from package opening 5012a and the timing at which medicine powder is dropped by cleaning member 55. For example, cleaning member 55 starts cleaning after all medicines have been discharged from all storage sections 50 that have stored medicines, in other words, after all storage sections 50 that have stored medicines have been moved to medicine discharge position P7.

[0127] 3(B), a light-adjusting member 68 may be provided below the bottom surface of the storage section 50 and above the lower illumination section 64. The light-adjusting member 68 can be switched between a transparent state and a semi-transparent state. The first and third photographing processes are executed depending on the transparent state of the light-adjusting member 68, and the second photographing process is executed depending on the semi-transparent state of the light-adjusting member 68 and the lighting of the lower illumination section 64. The light-adjusting member 68 may be a liquid crystal film that becomes transparent when a milky white film is energized.

[0128] The combinations of the above-mentioned shooting processes and lighting processes are shown in Table 2 below. [Table 2]

[0129] In the first photographing process, the light adjusting member may be made semitransparent.

[0130] Furthermore, it is desirable that the upper illumination unit 63 and the lower illumination unit 64 have adjustable light intensity. If it is possible to determine whether the currently stored medication indicated by the prescription information (packaging data) is marked, the light intensity when photographing the marked medication may be reduced compared to the light intensity for non-marked medication. By reducing the light intensity when photographing the marked medication, it is possible to prevent the shadows of the markings from disappearing and becoming unrecognizable due to excessive light intensity. Here, the term "light intensity" refers to the total amount of light passing through a certain surface within a certain period of time. The light intensity adjustment refers to the increase or decrease of the light flux from the illumination units 63, 64 to the storage unit 50, and can be achieved by, for example, increasing or decreasing the light flux of each LED constituting the illumination units 63, 64 by pulse-width modulation of the applied voltage to the LEDs, or by increasing or decreasing the total light flux to the storage unit 50 by increasing or decreasing the number of lit LEDs.

[0131] Furthermore, for the first, second, and third photographing processes, if the combination of photographing can be performed simultaneously, simultaneous photographing may be performed using that combination. Furthermore, the light intensity of the illumination may be adjusted in two stages: a first light intensity and a second light intensity that is less than the first light intensity, and photographing of the medication may be performed sequentially, for example, as follows: first photographing process at the first light intensity → first photographing process at the second light intensity → second photographing process → third photographing process at the first light intensity → third photographing process at the second light intensity. The shutter speed of the first and second cameras when photographing the marked medication may be faster than the shutter speed for non-marked medication. Adjusting the shutter speed in this manner can also achieve the effect of preventing the shadow of the mark from disappearing and becoming unrecognizable, similar to the light intensity adjustment described above.

[0132] In the above embodiment, the first photographing process, the second photographing process, and the third photographing process were performed at one location, the drug photographing position P6, but this is not limited to this, and the first photographing process, the second photographing process, and the third photographing process may be performed at multiple drug photographing positions.

[0133] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, all of the multiple medicines in one package (the same package) are stored together in one storage unit 50 by the processing of the controller 8, and the above-mentioned imaging is performed, but this is not limited thereto. Instead of storing all of the multiple medicines in one package together in one storage unit 50 by the processing of the controller 8, the multiple medicines in one package may be shared and stored in different storage units 50 in terms of space or time, and shared storage imaging may be performed to capture the above-mentioned imaging of the shared and stored medicines (the medicines with fewer contents). Shared storage conditions indicating whether multiple medicines in the same package should be shared and stored are stored in the sorting information unit 88 of the controller 8. When the controller 8 determines, based on the shared storage conditions stored in the sorting information unit 88, that the multiple medicines in the same package are medicines that should be shared and stored (the controller 8 operates as a sorting determination unit), the controller 8 shares and stores the multiple medicines in the same package in multiple storage units 50, and performs medicine imaging processing, medicine dispensing processing, etc.

[0134] For example, in a mode in which one packet's worth of drugs is distributed to storage sections 50 at spatially separate positions, controller 8 distributes and stores one packet's worth of drugs in multiple (e.g., two) storage sections 50, and performs the above-mentioned photography at one or multiple drug photography positions. After the multiple storage sections 50 pass the drug discharge position P7 (packaging position), the drugs are packaged in packaging paper, and finally, the multiple drugs in the same package are packaged together.

[0135] As an example, when the multiple drugs in the same package are A, B, C, and D, the controller 8 operates cassette a containing drug A and cassette b containing drug B to store drugs A and B in one storage section 50, and then operates cassette c containing drug C and cassette d containing drug D to store drugs C and D in the next storage section 50. Then, the controller 8 sequentially photographs the one storage section 50 and the next storage section 50 at drug photographing position P6.

[0136] In a mode in which one packet's worth of medicines is distributed to different storage units 50 over time, controller 8 stores one packet's worth of medicines at different times in one storage unit 50, and performs the above-mentioned photography at medicine photography position P6 at different times. In this case, the above-mentioned one storage unit 50 passes medicine discharge position P7 (packaging position) multiple times as turntable unit 5010 rotates multiple times, and all of the above-mentioned one packet's worth of medicines are dropped into the packaging paper that is stopped moving.

[0137] In this way, when a single packet's worth of drugs is divided and stored in spatially or temporally separate storage sections 50 and the drugs in the storage sections 50 are photographed, it becomes possible to photograph the drugs appropriately. That is, when a large number of drugs are present in one storage section 50, drugs are likely to pile up or overlap with each other, and the photographed image is often poor. In contrast, when the above-described divided storage photographing of drugs is performed, the probability of drugs piling up or overlapping with each other decreases, and it becomes possible to photograph the drugs appropriately. Furthermore, when an inspector visually inspects based on the photographed drug image, the inspection becomes easier because the number of drugs in the image is reduced.

[0138] In a system in which multiple medicines for one dosing period are divided into two or more packages and dispensed, even if multiple medicines are present in one package, the multiple medicines in each package may be photographed separately as described above. In other words, regardless of whether one package is for one dosing period or not, multiple medicines in the same package are photographed separately as described above.

[0139] Here, the medicine photographing device 6 can also be defined as a device including a medicine photographing section and a medicine sorting section for the shared storage. The medicine photographing section is, for example, a photographing section 60 that photographs the medicines in the storage section 50. The medicine sorting section is, for example, made up of a medicine storage unit 5 that shares and stores multiple medicines packaged together in the storage section 50, and a controller 8.

[0140] The shared storage of drugs in the shared storage photography can also be performed as follows. (1) Shared storage of drugs is performed so that the number of drugs stored in the same storage section 50 does not exceed a set number (for example, two). (2) Shared storage of drugs is performed so that drugs registered as similar to each other in the drug master table are not stored in the same storage section 50 (similar drugs are photographed separately). For example, one drug A is stored in one storage section 50, and one similar drug A' (A ≒ A') is stored in another storage section 50. Note that if drug B (B ≠ A, B ≠ A') is included, this drug B may be stored together with drug A or drug A' (drug A and drug A' are photographed separately). Note that information registered as similar to each other in the drug master table is not necessarily required. Reference images or feature data (size, shape, color, or a combination thereof) stored in the drug master table may be used as a criterion to determine whether there are similar drugs among the drugs corresponding to each prescription information, and then the drugs may be divided and stored accordingly. (3) Drugs may be divided and stored in the same storage unit 50, separating drugs of the same type from drugs of other drug types. For example, two drugs A may be stored in one storage unit 50, and two drugs B (A≠B) may be stored in another storage unit 50. (4) Drugs may be divided and stored in different storage units 50 depending on the drug supply source. For example, drugs supplied manually and drugs supplied by cassette may be stored separately in different storage units 50. Also, drugs supplied by cassette and drugs supplied by universal cassette may be stored separately in different storage units 50. (5) Drugs may be divided and stored in the same storage unit 50, so that the number of drugs that can be inspected in one inspection is not exceeded. The number increases as the area of ​​the bottom of the storage section 50 increases, and decreases as the area of ​​the bottom of the storage section 50 decreases. Note that, instead of the number of drugs, if the ratio of the area (projected area) of each drug in a plan view to the area of ​​the bottom of the storage section 50 is greater than a threshold value, the drugs may be stored in a shared manner. (6) The storage section 80 (drug master table) stores characteristic data (including reference images). butWhen packaging medicines containing unregistered medicines, the unregistered medicines are stored in a storage unit 50 separate from the storage unit 50 containing other medicines. The stored unregistered medicines may be photographed and the image may be registered in the medicine master table as a reference image. After the medicines are registered in the medicine master table, the medicines may be treated as registered medicines, and unregistered medicines may not be stored in a storage unit 50 separate from the storage unit 50 containing other medicines. (7) When packaging medicines containing medicines whose attributes are registered in the memory unit 80 (medicine master table) as high-risk products or other items requiring storage, the high-risk medicines are stored in a storage unit 50 separate from the storage unit 50 containing other medicines.

[0141] The shared storage conditions (2) to (7) above, which indicate whether or not to execute shared storage of drugs based on the set number and the presence or absence of similar drugs, and the set number of drugs (1) above, are Controller 8 The information is stored in the sorting information section 88. Information on the presence or absence of the similar drugs and the drug types of the similar drugs, which are used as execution conditions, is stored in advance in the storage section 80 (drug master table). The drug master table registers, for each drug, information on the mark, and either or both of a reference image and characteristic data (size, shape, color), and further, as described above, the presence or absence of similar drugs and the type information of the similar drugs. Note that the planar area (size) of the drug, the planar shape of the drug, the surface color of the drug, etc. can be used as criteria for registering similar drugs in the drug master table. Similar drugs include drugs determined by human judgment as similar drugs, as well as drugs mechanically selected by a similarity determination algorithm based on predetermined similarity criteria. Whether the same type of drug exists in one package is determined based on prescription information (packaging data). Furthermore, the difference between manually dispensed drugs and cassette-dispensed drugs is identification The controller 8 can also grasp the drug storage information for each cassette and the usage setting information of the manual distribution unit 13.

[0142] An example of the shared storage process based on the shared storage conditions is shown below. The controller 8 functions as a sorting determination unit using information in the sorting information unit 88. The controller 8 (medicine packaging device) determines whether the packaging process based on the prescription is When at least two types of drugs are packaged in the same package and have similar characteristics (see (2) above), When different types of drugs are contained in the same package (see (3) above), When the medicines to be packaged in the same package include medicines supplied to the storage unit 50 through manual medicine input by a person and medicines supplied via a medicine cassette (see (4) above). 、 When the medicines to be packaged in the same package include medicines for which feature data (including reference images) are not registered in the memory unit 80 (see (6) above) If it is determined that at least one of the above cases or a combination of multiple cases applies, shared storage is performed.

[0143] Furthermore, for example, the controller 8 (medicine packaging device) photographs the unregistered medicine stored in the storage section 50 and registers the image in the medicine master table as a reference image (see (6) above). After the medicine is registered in the medicine master table, the medicine is treated as a registered medicine and no allocation storage is made for the unregistered medicine (see (6) above).

[0144] Furthermore, for example, the medicine packaging device 1 includes a medicine supplying section (medicine containing and dispensing unit 11) that supplies various medicines, a medicine packaging section 45 that packages the medicines supplied from the medicine supplying section in packaging paper S, a storage section 50 that temporarily stores the medicines supplied from the medicine supplying section upstream of the medicine packaging section 45, an imaging section 60 (the number of cameras is not limited) that takes pictures of the inside of the storage section 50, and a storage section 80 that, when characteristic data (including a reference image) of the medicine specified by the prescription information is not stored in the storage section 80, takes pictures of the medicines to be supplied in the first package. Photography DepartmentThe image capturing device may further include a controller 8 that creates characteristic data of the medicine based on the image captured by the image capturing device 60, and counts the number of the medicines from the second packet onwards by referring to the characteristic data.

[0145] In this embodiment, the medicine is dispensed as follows. (α) If the medicine to be dispensed according to the prescription is contained in a cassette, it is dispensed from that cassette. (β) If the drug to be dispensed according to the prescription is not contained in a cassette and the drug can be dispensed from the universal cassette, the drug is dispensed from the universal cassette. The drug can be dispensed from the universal cassette if the drug is compatible with the universal cassette and the universal cassette is not set in a mode to dispense other drugs. (γ) If the medicine cannot be dispensed from the universal cassette, the medicine is dispensed from the manual dispensing unit 13.

[0146] Here, assuming that five drugs A, B, C, D, and E indicated in the packaging data are divided and stored as (A, B, C) and (D, E), automatic drug identification processing using captured images of three drugs A, B, and C in one storage unit 50 can be performed as follows: Three comparison processes are performed on any one of the three drug image portions in an image captured for one storage unit 50, comparing it with the characteristics of each of drugs A, B, and C (drug size, drug image for matching, etc.), two comparison processes are performed on the next any one drug image portion, comparing it with the characteristics of the remaining drugs, and one comparison process is performed on the last drug image portion, comparing it with the characteristics of the last drug (a total of six comparisons). Similarly, even when three drugs A, B, and C are allocated and stored, one each, in three storage sections 50 among five drugs A, B, C, D, and E indicated in the packaging data, it is conceivable to perform a total of six comparison processes as described above without narrowing down the matching targets. These can be considered comparison processes (automatic drug identification processes) performed without narrowing down the matching targets for drugs in the allocated and stored storage sections 50. Note that in the above case, drugs A, B, and C indicated in the packaging data are not necessarily stored, and there is a risk of drug CC being stored instead of drug C due to a malfunction.

[0147] In the above-described shared storage imaging, by using drug sorting information indicating the correspondence between each storage unit 50 and the source of the drug dispensed to each storage unit 50 (i.e., drug name), it is possible to narrow down the matching targets for the drugs in the storage unit 50 and improve the efficiency of the automatic drug identification process. For example, suppose the content of the sorting information for four drugs is "one drug from the No. 15 drug cassette and one drug from the No. 18 drug cassette are stored in the storage unit at the first drug receiving position P1, and after rotating the turntable unit 5010 forward 45 degrees, one drug from the No. 19 drug cassette and one drug from the No. 20 drug cassette are stored in the storage unit at the first drug receiving position P1." In this case, the position of the storage unit 50 can be identified by the amount of rotation of the turntable unit 5010, and the identified storage unit 50 can be linked to the drug name of the No. 15 drug cassette and the drug name of the No. 18 drug cassette. Then, the storage section 50 reaches the drug photographing position P6, and the drug image (drug information) photographed there is linked to the drug characteristic data (including reference images) derived from the drug name of drug cassette No. 15 and the drug name of drug cassette No. 18, thereby narrowing down the matching targets.

[0148] For example, even if six drugs are stored in three units each in two storage units 50, if the drug sorting information is not stored, it is not possible to narrow down the matching targets for the drugs in the storage units 50, and as described above, in automatic drug identification, 6 comparison processes → 5 → 4 → 3 → 2 → 1 comparison process are performed, requiring 21 comparison processes. In contrast, if six drugs are stored in three units each in two storage units 50 and the drug sorting information is stored, the matching targets for the drugs in the storage units 50 are narrowed down, and six comparison processes are performed for the three drugs in each storage unit 50, resulting in a total of 12 comparison processes.

[0149] That is, in a configuration in which automatic drug identification processing of drugs is performed based on drug images obtained by photographing drugs in storage unit 50, the shared storage is performed based on the drug sorting information, and drug images are taken, and in the automatic drug identification processing, candidate drug feature data (reference images) to be compared with the photographed drug image (drug information) are selected based on the drug sorting information, it is possible to narrow down the matching targets for drugs in storage unit 50 and improve the efficiency of the automatic drug identification processing. Such a configuration has the advantages of reducing drug overlap by reducing the number of drugs in storage unit 50 and improving the efficiency of the automatic drug identification processing.

[0150] Furthermore, if the six drugs are stored one by one in six storage sections 50 and the drug sorting information is stored and used, it is possible to perform six comparison processes, one-to-one comparing one drug image portion in the captured image in each storage section 50 with the drug characteristics based on the drug sorting information.

[0151] In addition, even in the embodiment in which the six drugs are stored one by one, the number of drugs in the storage section 50 is confirmed by photographing in backlight, making it possible to detect mistakes such as multiple drugs being supplied to the storage section 50.

[0152] On the other hand, if the drugs are stored individually, the number of times the storage section 50 is photographed increases, and the processing time required for packaging becomes longer. For example, in the case of (1) above, if the number of drugs stored at the same time is, for example, two, the number of times the three drugs A, B, and C are photographed can be reduced to two. If the number of drugs in the same package is four, the number of times the drugs are photographed will also be two. If the number of drugs in the same package is five, the number of times the drugs are photographed will be three. Although the number of times the drugs are photographed increases in this way, by using the drug sorting information, it is possible to reduce the number of comparison processes in the automatic drug identification process.

[0153] In the above cases (2) to (4), the medicine sorting information is also associated with the photographed images of the medicines that are allocated and stored.

[0154] The controller 8 distributes the medicines corresponding to one dosing period among a plurality of storage sections 50 in accordance with a specific standard as follows. The specific criteria are: (α) When two of the drugs corresponding to one period of administration are similar drugs (β) When different drugs are contained (each drug of the same type is discharged into the same reservoir) (γ) When the medicine supply source includes the manual supply unit 13 and the medicine cassette These are the three points: Furthermore, the controller 8 specifies candidates for reference images to be used for comparison with the medicine contained in the photographed image based on the sorting information (narrows down the medicine matching targets).

[0155] In the case of (2) above, the drugs present in the storage unit 50 are specific drugs supplied from a specific cassette such as the drug storage and dispensing unit 11, and the drug information in the captured image can be compared with the specific drug information, narrowing down the drug information to be compared. In particular, for similar drugs that are difficult to distinguish from the captured image alone, the number of matching targets can be narrowed down to one, which has the advantage of enabling rapid drug identification and reducing the likelihood of misidentification. In other words, this configuration has the advantages of reducing the number of drugs in the storage unit 50, thereby reducing drug overlap, improving the efficiency of the automatic identification process, and preventing misidentification of similar drugs.

[0156] In the above cases (3) and (4), it is also possible to narrow down the matching targets for drugs supplied to the storage unit 50 from the viewpoint of whether the drug type is the same or not and from the viewpoint of the drug supplier. Since it is sufficient to compare the drug information in the captured image with the drug information narrowed down as described above, there are advantages in that the drug can be identified quickly and misidentification is unlikely to occur. In other words, this configuration also has the same advantages as the above case (2).

[0157] Furthermore, in the case of (4) above, when manually supplied drugs and cassette supplied drugs are stored separately in separate storage units 50, it is possible to set different standards for automatic inspection of manually supplied drugs and cassette supplied drugs. For example, the threshold for the degree of match when making a positive determination for manually supplied drugs is set higher than the threshold for cassette supplied drugs. Furthermore, the inspection method may be switched between manual supply and cassette supply. For example, for manually supplied drugs, an inspector visually inspects the captured images, while for cassette supplied drugs, automated inspection is performed using a recognition process that uses the captured images, based on experience that errors are rare. Furthermore, the information used for automatic inspection of manually supplied drugs may be different from that used for cassette supplied drugs. For example, for cassette supplied drugs, the information used for automatic inspection of the drugs is the color and shape of the drug, while for manually supplied drugs, the information used for automatic inspection of the drugs is not only the color and shape but also imprinted (printed) information.

[0158] In the above embodiment, the medicine powder dropped through the packaging opening 5012a is packaged in the packaging paper S located below the packaging opening 5012a, but this cleaning method is not limited to this. The cleaning method described below can reduce the amount of packaging paper S consumed during medicine powder cleaning. Furthermore, when medicine powder cleaning is performed during the packaging of a long-term prescription, it is possible to prevent medicine powder from being produced in the middle of consecutive packaging wrappers. For example, in the case of long-term packaging in which the prescribed medications for morning, afternoon, and evening are the same type, it is considered that there is no particular problem if medicine powder generated during this packaging process is mixed in with the medication. Therefore, in such cases, medicine powder cleaning may not be performed. Whether the prescribed medications for morning, afternoon, and evening are the same type can be determined based on prescription information.

[0159] As an example of medicine powder cleaning without using packaging paper S, as shown in Figure 19, a possible configuration is to move relay section 71 of medicine packaging introduction member 7 laterally relative to chute section 72, which is located below relay section 71, and position medicine powder collection box 74 in the location where relay section 71 is no longer present. For example, after the medicine packaging process is once completed, when cleaning member 55 is to clean up medicine powder, relay section 71 is moved laterally, and medicine powder collection box 74 is positioned in place of relay section 71, and medicine powder dropped from packaging opening 5012a is collected by medicine powder collection box 74. After collecting the medicine powder, medicine powder collection box 74 is retracted laterally, and relay section 71 is positioned above chute section 72.

[0160] The relay unit 71 and the medicine powder collection box 74 may be moved manually or by an actuator such as a motor. As an example, a mechanism may be employed in which a support member supporting the relay unit 71 and the medicine powder collection box 74 is supported by a vertical shaft so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane, and this rotation switches the positions of the relay unit 71 and the medicine powder collection box 74. For example, a gear unit (rack unit) may be provided on the support member, and the support member may be rotated by a drive gear meshed with the gear unit. Furthermore, the medicine powder collection box 74 is removable from the support member, allowing accumulated medicine powder to be disposed of in a predetermined location.

[0161] If relay unit 71 is configured to be manually removable, to prevent incorrect orientation when relay unit 71 is reattached to chute unit 72, for example, the north pole of a magnet may be positioned at a predetermined position on relay unit 71 and the south pole may be positioned, for example, 180 degrees from the north pole, while the south pole may be positioned at a proper mounting position of the mounting unit of relay unit 71 of pharmaceutical packaging introduction member 7 and the south pole may be positioned similarly 180 degrees from the north pole. In this way, when relay unit 71 is mounted in the proper orientation, the magnet on the mounting unit side and the magnet on relay unit 71 attract each other and are positioned accordingly, whereas when relay unit 71 is mounted in an incorrect orientation, the magnet on the mounting unit side and the magnet on relay unit 71 repel each other, indicating that the mounting orientation of relay unit 71 is incorrect.

[0162] For example, a slit may be formed in a portion of the side surface of the relay unit 71, and ions emitted by an ionizer may be introduced into the relay unit 71 through the slit, thereby preventing the drug from adhering to the relay unit 71 due to static electricity. In such a configuration, it is necessary to ensure that the position of the slit is not reversed relative to the normal position, and the magnet arrangement structure described above, which allows determination of whether the installation orientation of the relay unit 71 is appropriate, is useful. Note that, instead of using magnets, a structure may be adopted in which recesses or protrusions are provided on the outer periphery of the relay unit 71, while protrusions or recesses are provided at the installation location of the relay unit 71, so that the recesses and protrusions cannot fit together if the installation orientation of the relay unit 71 is incorrect, but can fit together only if the installation orientation of the relay unit 71 is appropriate.

[0163] Another example of medicine powder removal that does not use packaging paper S is a configuration in which relay section 71 of medicine packaging introduction member 7 is moved laterally relative to chute section 72 below relay section 71, and relay section 71 is provided with an openable and closable bottom section 71a, as shown in Figure 20. Bottom section 71a is made of, for example, a disk-shaped member having a diameter equal to or greater than the outer diameter of the cylindrical shape of relay section 71, and is openable and closable by rotating vertical shaft section 71b. This opening and closing may be performed manually or by an actuator such as a motor.

[0164] For example, once the medicine packaging process is completed and the medicine powder is to be cleaned using cleaning member 55, bottom portion 71a of relay portion 71 is closed. After cleaning, relay portion 71 is moved laterally. A medicine powder collection box 74 is positioned below relay portion 71 that has been moved laterally. By opening bottom portion 71a of relay portion 71 that has been moved laterally, the collected medicine powder can be dropped into medicine powder collection box 74. After the medicine powder has been discarded, relay portion 71 is returned to its position above shooter portion 72.

[0165] In the above embodiment, medicine receiving bottom 5012 is fixed, but for example, a gear portion may be formed partially on the side of medicine receiving bottom 5012, and a drive gear driven by a motor or the like may be meshed with this gear portion, thereby making medicine receiving bottom 5012 rotatable by a predetermined angle. Making medicine receiving bottom 5012 rotatable in this way also reduces the amount of packaging paper S consumed for cleaning medicine powder.

[0166] For example, instead of using the remaining medicine check position P8 for checking the remaining medicine, as shown in FIG. 21 , it is also possible to use it as a medicine powder collection position P8A for collecting medicine powder, with the medicine powder collection box 74 positioned below this medicine powder collection position P8A. When cleaning medicine powder with the cleaning member 55, the medicine receiver bottom 5012 is rotated 45 degrees to position the packaging opening 5012a at the medicine powder collection position P8A. By rotating the turntable 5010 in this state, the medicine powder collected by the cleaning member 55 can be dropped from the packaging opening 5012a into the medicine powder collection box 74. The medicine powder collection position may be located at a position other than the medicine powder collection position P8A. Furthermore, the medicine powder collection box 74 is detachably provided on the bottom side of the lower plate 52.

[0167] Furthermore, as described above, a configuration in which the drug receiving bottom 5012 is rotatable is advantageous for eliminating overlapping of drugs within the storage unit 50. In the example of eliminating overlapping of drugs shown above, overlapping of drugs within the storage unit 50 is eliminated by rotating the turntable 5010 forward and backward within a predetermined range driven by the motor 503. However, if the rotation range of the turntable 5010 is small, drugs located in the center of the storage unit 50 may not hit the wall surface of the cylindrical portion 50a, and overlapping of drugs may not be eliminated. Therefore, even when the rotation range of the turntable 5010 for eliminating overlapping of drugs is small, the drug receiving bottom 5012 may be rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the turntable 5010. This increases the relative displacement between the turntable 5010 and the cylindrical portion 50a, so that the drug located in the center of the storage unit 50 can be hit by the wall surface of the cylindrical portion 50a, thereby eliminating overlapping of drugs.

[0168] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments. Various modifications and variations can be made to the illustrated embodiments within the same scope as the present invention or within an equivalent scope.

Claims

1. A medicine photographing device including a photographing unit that photographs medicines, The photographing unit performs a first photographing process of photographing the medicine in a storage unit that temporarily stores the medicine before packaging from one side in a non-backlit state, a second photographing process of photographing the medicine in the storage unit in a backlit state, and a third photographing process of photographing the medicine in the storage unit from the other side in a non-backlit state, The photographing unit is equipped with a first camera that photographs the medicine in the storage unit from above, an upper lighting unit that illuminates the medicine in the storage unit from above, a second camera that photographs the medicine in the storage unit from below, a lower lighting unit that illuminates the medicine in the storage unit from below, and a surface emitting element on the underside of the bottom surface of the storage unit that can be switched between a surface emitting state and a transparent state, and the first photographing process and the third photographing process are performed depending on the transparent state of the surface emitting element, and the second photographing process is performed depending on the surface emitting state of the surface emitting element.

2. A drug photographing device having a photographing unit that photographs a drug, The photographing unit performs a first photographing process of photographing the medicine in a storage unit that temporarily stores the medicine before packaging from one side in a non-backlit state, a second photographing process of photographing the medicine in the storage unit in a backlit state, and a third photographing process of photographing the medicine in the storage unit from the other side in a non-backlit state, The photographing unit includes a first camera that photographs the medicine in the storage unit from above, an upper lighting unit that illuminates the medicine in the storage unit from above, a second camera that photographs the medicine in the storage unit from below, a lower lighting unit that illuminates the medicine in the storage unit from below, and a dimming element on the underside of the bottom surface of the storage unit that can be switched between a transparent state and a translucent state, and the first photographing process and the third photographing process are performed depending on the transparent state of the dimming element, and the second photographing process is performed depending on the translucent state of the dimming element and the lighting of the lower lighting unit.

3. A drug photographing device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the photographing unit performs each photographing process multiple times for the same subject within a certain period of time.

4. A drug packaging device characterized by comprising: a drug photographing device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, which has a drug supplying unit that supplies various types of drugs, a drug packaging unit that packages the drugs supplied from the drug supplying unit using packaging paper, and a plurality of storage units that temporarily store the drugs supplied from the drug supplying unit upstream of the drug packaging unit; and an image output unit that outputs images photographed by the drug photographing device.

5. A drug packaging device comprising: a drug photographing device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, which has a drug supplying unit that supplies various types of drugs, a drug packaging unit that packages the drugs supplied from the drug supplying unit using packaging paper, and a plurality of storage units that temporarily store the drugs supplied from the drug supplying unit upstream of the drug packaging unit; and a judgment unit that judges the number of drugs in the storage units and drug information based on images captured by the drug photographing device.

6. A drug packaging device as described in claim 4 or claim 5, further comprising a third camera that photographs the inside of the storage section at a position where the drug stored in the storage section is handed over to the drug packaging section.

7. A drug packaging device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, a rotary disk portion that is driven to rotate around an axis and has a plurality of openings on the same circumference around the axis; a medicine receiving bottom portion having a portion that functions as the bottom of the opening and a packaging opening provided at a specific location in an area where the opening moves due to rotation of the turntable portion; The medicine receiving plate portion has The plurality of storage sections are configured by the openings and the portions that function as bottoms of the openings, A medicine dispensing and packaging device characterized in that a cleaning member is provided on the bottom side of the turntable portion, in a portion not forming the opening, which cleans the bottom of the medicine receiver by rotating the turntable portion.

Images