Drug feeder, drug dispensing device, method for calibrating a drug feeder, and method for detecting a malfunction in a drug feeder

Abstract

To provide a drug delivery device capable of determining a state of weight measurement means requiring no robot or no need to use multiple gravimetric means.SOLUTION: A drug feeder includes: a drug container for containing powder medicine; a holding member holding the drug container; and weight measuring means that directly or indirectly measures the weight of a drug container. The drug feeder discharges the powder medicine from the drug container and is capable of detecting a discharge amount of the powder medicine by the weight measuring means. The drug feeder has a weight member 42 and lifting means that lifts up / down at least any of the weight member 42, the weight measuring means or the drug container. The drug feeder is configured to perform calibration and / or fault detection of the weight-measuring means by comparing a state with a load of the weight member 42 applied to the weight-measuring means with a state with no load of the weight member 42 applied to the weight measuring means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

Technical Field

[0003]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drug feeder for measuring and extracting a predetermined amount of a drug. The present invention also relates to a drug dispensing device provided with such a drug feeder. Further, the present invention relates to a calibration method for such a drug feeder and a failure detection method for such a drug feeder.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in large hospitals and large-scale pharmacies, drug dispensing devices equipped with powder dispensing devices or powder dispensing functions have been introduced. The conventional drug dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires an operation of taking out a medicine bottle containing powders prescribed from a medicine shelf by hand and measuring the total weight of the specific powders prescribed using a scale such as a balance, and it is hardly said to be a fully automatic device. In order to address this problem, the applicant of the present application has commercialized a drug dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 2.

[0003] The drug dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 2 incorporates a container storage device for storing a large number of drug containers, a robot for transporting the drug containers, a container placement device for vibrating the drug containers to discharge the drug from the drug containers, and a dispensing tray. The container placement device also has a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the drug container. Then, the necessary drug containers are automatically selected, placed on the container placement device by the robot, and the drug containers are vibrated to discharge the drug directly from the drug containers into the dispensing tray. During the discharge of the drug, the weight of the drug container is monitored by the weight measuring means to detect the discharge amount of the drug, and when the discharge amount reaches a predetermined amount, the vibration is stopped. Thereafter, the robot is driven to move the drug container onto another weight measuring means, and the weight of the drug container is detected again by the other weight detecting means. This re-weight detection operation is mainly carried out for the purpose of detecting a failure of the weight measuring means. In other words, the weight of the drug container after drug discharge, as detected by the weight measuring means of the container placement device, is compared with the weight of the same drug container detected by another weight detection means. If the two are the same, the weight measuring means is not malfunctioning; if there is a difference between the two, the weight measuring means may be malfunctioning. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-85703 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2015 / 076267 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] In the drug dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 2, a robot is used to transfer the drug container to another weight measuring device and to determine the quality of the weight measuring device, so it is essential to operate the robot. Furthermore, the drug dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 2 requires the use of multiple weight measuring devices.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a pharmaceutical feeder that does not necessarily require a robot or the use of multiple weight measuring means when determining the quality of the weight measuring means. It also aims to provide a pharmaceutical dispensing device equipped with such a pharmaceutical feeder. Furthermore, it aims to provide a method for calibrating a pharmaceutical feeder and a method for detecting a malfunction in a pharmaceutical feeder that do not necessarily require a robot or the use of multiple weight measuring means. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is a drug feeder having a drug container for containing powdered drug, a holding member for holding the drug container, and a weight measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the drug container, wherein the drug feeder is capable of discharging powdered drug from the drug container and detecting the amount of powdered drug discharged by the weight measuring means, and further having a weight member, a lifting means for raising and lowering at least one of the weight member, the weight measuring means, or the drug container, and calibrating the weight measuring means by comparing the state in which the load of the weight member is applied to the weight measuring means with the state in which the load of the weight member is not applied to the weight measuring means.

[0008] This type of drug feeder allows for calibration and fault detection of the weight measurement device without necessarily requiring external equipment such as robots or other weight measurement methods.

[0009] In the above-described configuration, the lifting means raises and lowers the weight member, and it is preferable that the calibration is performed by raising and lowering the weight member.

[0010] The above-described preferred configuration is further preferable in which a weight-receiving portion is provided, and the weight-receiving portion is capable of receiving the load of the weight member both when the holding member is holding the drug container and when the drug container is removed from the holding member.

[0011] In this configuration, the weight measuring device can be calibrated both when the drug container is held and when the drug container is removed.

[0012] The above-described preferred configuration includes a weight member, a lifting means, and a measuring means inspection unit formed by a weight receiving portion capable of receiving the load of the weight member, wherein the calibration is performed by the measuring means inspection unit, and it is even more preferable that the measuring means inspection unit is positioned laterally away from the holding member.

[0013] In this even more favorable configuration, even if the measuring means inspection unit that performs calibration of the weight measuring means malfunctions, it becomes easier to replace or maintain the measuring means inspection unit.

[0014] The above-described preferred configuration includes a weight receiving section, the lifting means comprising a motor which is a power source, a cam which rotates due to the operation of the motor, and a lifting member which is placed on the cam, the lifting member which moves up and down in conjunction with the rotation of the cam while maintaining its position on the cam, and it is even more preferable that the lifting member pushes the weight member upward from below, thereby transitioning the weight member from a state in which it is in contact with the weight receiving section to a state in which it is not in contact with the weight receiving section.

[0015] This even more preferable configuration allows for the calibration of the weight measuring device with a simple structure.

[0016] The above-described preferred configuration is further preferable in which the weight receiving portion is part of the holding member and is formed at a position below the held drug container, and by raising and lowering the weight member, the weight member is placed on the weight receiving portion and the load of the weight member is applied to the weight measuring means, and the state in which the weight member is separated upward from the weight receiving portion is switched, and in both the state in which the weight member is placed on the weight receiving portion and the state in which it is separated upward from the weight receiving portion, the weight member is positioned below the held drug container.

[0017] This even more preferable configuration is desirable because it allows for space savings in the area required for arranging the drug feeder.

[0018] In the above-described configuration, it is preferable that the drug container can be manually held in the holding member, and that the drug container held in the holding member can be manually removed.

[0019] Another aspect of the present invention is a drug dispensing device equipped with the drug feeder described above.

[0020] Even in such a situation, it is possible to calibrate the weight measuring means without necessarily requiring a robot or other weight measuring means.

[0021] The above aspect has a medicine packaging unit for packaging powder medicine, a hopper member into which the powder medicine supplied to the medicine packaging unit is put, and hopper-side weight measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the hopper member, and discharges the powder medicine with a target discharge amount based on the detection value of the weight measuring means, and puts the discharged powder medicine into the hopper member, and it is preferable to perform the failure detection based on the detection value of the hopper-side weight measuring means.

[0022] In such an aspect, since it is possible to determine whether the weight measuring means was normal during the powder medicine discharging operation, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems caused by the failure of the weight measuring means.

[0023] Another aspect of the present invention is a calibration method for a medicine feeder having a medicine container for storing powder medicine, a holding member for holding the medicine container, and weight measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the medicine container, and capable of detecting the discharge amount of the powder medicine by the weight measuring means, including a weight acquisition step of performing weight measurement by the weight measuring means with the load of a weight member added to the weight measuring means, and comparing the weight acquired in the weight acquisition step with a pre-stored weight to determine whether the weight measuring means is normal, which is a calibration method for a medicine feeder.

[0024] Another aspect of the present invention includes a drug container that houses powder drugs, a holding member that holds the drug container, and a weight measuring means that directly or indirectly measures the weight of the drug container, and is a method for detecting a failure of a drug feeder capable of detecting the discharge amount of powder drugs by the weight measuring means, including a weight acquisition step of performing weight measurement by the weight measuring means with the load of the weight member added to the weight measuring means, the weight acquisition step is performed prior to the discharge operation of the powder drug, the weight acquisition step is further performed after the discharge operation of the powder drug, and the weight acquired in the weight acquisition step performed prior to the discharge operation of the powder drug is compared with the weight acquired in the weight acquisition step performed after the discharge operation of the powder drug to determine whether the weight measuring means has failed during the discharge operation of the powder drug.

[0025] According to this aspect, calibration and failure detection of the weight measuring means can be performed without necessarily requiring an external device such as a robot or other weight measuring means.

[0026] In the above aspect, in the discharge operation of the powder drug, the powder drug is discharged with the powder drug discharge part of the drug container in an open state, and in the operation of detecting the discharge amount of the powder drug, an operation of acquiring the weight of the drug container before the discharge of the powder drug as the original weight is executed, and it is preferable to execute an operation of acquiring the weight of the drug container before the discharge of the powder drug as the original weight before the powder drug discharge part of the drug container is opened.

[0027] According to such an aspect, more accurate discharge of powder drugs becomes possible.

Advantages of the Invention

[0028] The present invention can provide a drug feeder that does not necessarily require a robot and does not necessarily require a plurality of weight measuring means when determining the quality of the weight measuring means. Further, a drug dispensing device including such a drug feeder can be provided. Furthermore, a calibration method and a failure detection method for a drug feeder that do not necessarily require a robot and do not necessarily require a plurality of weight measuring means can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a drug dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the top lid open. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the area around the dispensing tray of the drug dispensing device. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the drug feeder. [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the drug feeder with the information reading mechanism omitted. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the drug feeder observed from a different angle than Figure 4. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view showing the drug feeder (feeder body) detached from the drug container holding member. [Figure 7] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the drug feeder from a different angle. [Figure 8] Figure 6 is a side view showing the feeder unit. [Figure 9] This is a side view showing a model of the feeder body shown in Figure 8. [Figure 10] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the weight calibration section from a different direction. [Figure 11] Figure 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the weight calibration section. [Figure 12] Figure 10 shows the upper guide member, where (a) is a perspective view observed from below and (b) is a cross-sectional view. [Figure 13] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the weight calibration unit when transitioning from the first state to the second state, in the order of (a) to (c). [Figure 14] (a) is a perspective view showing a weight according to a different embodiment than that shown in Figure 11, and (b) is a perspective view showing a weight support member according to a different embodiment than that shown in Figure 11. [Figure 15](a) is a schematic diagram showing a drug feeder according to an embodiment different from the above embodiment, and (b) is a schematic diagram showing how the drug feeder in (a) transitions from a first state to a second state. [Figure 16] Figure 2 schematically shows a calibration instrument that can be attached to the scraping device, where (a) is a perspective view of the instrument attached to the scraping device, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the calibration instrument in (a) disassembled. [Figure 17] (a) is a schematic diagram showing how the weight member is supported by the calibration device shown in Figure 16, and (b) is a schematic diagram showing how the weight member is placed on the vibration-side horizontal section using the calibration device shown in Figure 16. [Figure 18] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a drug feeder according to an embodiment different from the one described above, where (a) shows the first state and (b) shows the second state. [Figure 19] (a) is a schematic diagram showing how a different weight calibration unit from the embodiment described above is used in the drug dispensing device. (b) is a schematic diagram showing the area around one weight member in the first state on the left, and a schematic diagram showing the area around one weight member in the second state on the right. [Figure 20] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the main part of a drug dispensing device according to an embodiment different from the one described above, showing how powdered drug is discharged from the drug feeder to the distribution tray and how a fault detection operation is performed. [Figure 21] This figure shows how a different fault detection operation is performed in the drug dispensing device shown in Figure 20. [Figure 22] This is a perspective view showing a drug container according to an embodiment different from the embodiment described above, where (a) shows the lid member in the closed state and (b) shows the lid member in the open state. [Figure 23] Figure 22(a) is a cross-sectional view of a drug container, showing how the lid and other parts are cut at different cross-sectional lines. [Figure 24]This is a schematic diagram illustrating the specific procedure for dispensing powdered medication from the drug feeder to the dispensing tray, with the dispensing operation performed in the order of (a) to (k). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0030] Hereinafter, a drug dispensing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the vertical positional relationship will be described based on the normal installation state (the state shown in Figure 1). Furthermore, to facilitate understanding, we will first explain the overview and general operation of the drug dispensing device 1, and then describe each component and device in detail.

[0031] As shown in Figure 1, the drug dispensing device 1 of this embodiment is enclosed by a housing 2, and its interior is divided into a tablet dispensing area 300, a powder dispensing area 301, and a drug packaging area 302. Furthermore, a pivotable top lid 4 is provided on the top of the housing 2, and when the top lid 4 is closed, the top lid 4 covers the top of each component belonging to the powder dispensing area 301.

[0032] A tablet dispensing device 303 is provided in the tablet dispensing area 300. Since the tablet dispensing device 303 is publicly known, a detailed explanation will be omitted. This tablet dispensing device 303 is located above the dispensing tray 3, drug feeder 5, etc., which will be described later.

[0033] The drug packaging area 302 contains a drug packaging device 305, as conceptually shown in Figure 2. The drug packaging device 305 is a machine that packages drugs into single doses and has a packaging paper supply device 306 (packaging paper supply unit) and a packaging device 308 (sealing unit). The drug packaging device 305 is also provided with a powder drug input hopper 310 for loading drugs above the packaging device 308. For illustrative purposes, the powder dispensing hopper 310 is shown in a position away from the distribution tray 3, but in reality, the upper end of the powder dispensing hopper 310 is located in the equipment storage opening 15 of the distribution tray 3.

[0034] The drug packaging device 305 is used by attaching roll paper to the mounting section of the main body (not shown) of the dispensing paper supply device 306. The roll paper is made by winding a strip of dispensing paper (packaging paper) around a tubular core member to form a roll. Although not particularly limited, the roll paper in this embodiment is made by rolling up dispensing paper that is folded in half into a strip. Furthermore, the drug packaging device 305 has a printing mechanism (printing section) which is not shown. In the drug packaging device 305, the dispensing paper dispensed from the roll paper is introduced into the printing mechanism, where information such as the patient's name, drug name, and date and time of administration (information related to the prescription and information related to the drug to be provided) is printed. After that, the dispensing paper with the predetermined information printed on it is opened upwards. In this state, it receives the drug (powder) dropped (supplied) from the powder drug input hopper 310. Furthermore, the dispensing paper containing the medication is introduced into the sealing section (dispensing device 308), where it is sealed vertically and horizontally, sequentially packaging the received medication. This forms a medication package containing one dose of medication, and the medication package is then transported outside the device. At this time, the drug packaging forms a continuous strip of multiple packages and is transported outside the device. However, instead of a drug packaging strip, one or more individual drug packages may be formed and transported outside the device. The horizontal direction mentioned above is the direction in which the paper packaging is dispensed (sent out), and the vertical direction is the direction that intersects (is perpendicular to) the direction in which the paper packaging is dispensed.

[0035] Furthermore, the core component of the roll paper described above may be fitted with an identifier. The identifier is a storage means that stores information that allows for the individual identification of the roll paper (information about the manufacturer (manufacturer name, etc.), information about the manufacturing date, the type of roll paper wound on the core, order number, shipping date, customer information of the delivery destination, the model name and model code of the packaging machine in which the roll paper is fitted, and other IDs, etc.), and may be a memory such as an IC tag. Alternatively, it may be a code such as a one-dimensional code (barcode) or a two-dimensional code, and if a code is used, it may be attached to a label. Furthermore, when loading the roll paper into the packaging paper supply device 306, an operation may be performed to verify with the device to be loaded, that is, to determine whether the specified roll paper is being loaded correctly into the device. Alternatively, information to identify whether the roll paper is unused may be stored in the identifier, and an operation to determine whether the roll paper is unused or not may be performed when loading. In addition, information regarding the remaining amount of packaging paper when the roll paper (packaging paper roll) is loaded into the main body of the packaging paper supply device 306 may be stored. Furthermore, when the packaging operation for packaging the drug is performed, the remaining amount at an appropriate point during the packaging operation may be stored. This information regarding the remaining amount may be stored, for example, during the packaging operation. Alternatively, the remaining amount at the end of the packaging operation may be stored after the packaging operation. In other words, when operating the drug dispensing device 1, information regarding the remaining amount may be stored at appropriate timings.

[0036] As shown in Figure 2, the powder dispensing area 301 is the area where the dispensing tray 3 is installed, with the drug feeder 5 and cleaning device 7 arranged around it. A scraping device 8 is also provided in the powder dispensing area 301. The dispensing dish 3 and the scraping device 8 are well known and will be briefly described. The dispensing tray 3, also referred to as the "groove," is a disc-shaped component with a drug input groove 13. The drug input groove 13 encircles the outer edge of the dispensing tray 3 in a ring shape. The dispensing tray 3 has an equipment storage opening 15 in the center. In Figure 2, most of it is covered by a lid. The aforementioned powder dispensing hopper 310 is installed in the equipment storage opening 15. The distribution plate 3 can be rotated at a constant speed. It can also be rotated by a predetermined angle.

[0037] The scraping device 8 has a rotating plate 12 (see Figure 2) at the tip of a scraping arm 11 (see Figure 16(b), etc.). Specifically, a mounting base 255 (see Figure 16(b), etc.) that can be rotated by a motor is provided at the tip of the scraping arm 11, and a rotating plate 12 having a scraping plate or the like (not shown) is attached to this mounting base 255. In other words, the rotating plate 12 rotates with the power of the motor. The base of the scraping device 8 is installed on a turntable (not shown) inside the equipment storage opening 15 of the distribution tray 3. The scraping arm 11 of the scraping device 8 protrudes from the center of the distribution tray 3. The entire scraping device 8 is rotatable by the rotation of the turntable. The scraping arm 11 is also oscillating vertically. However, the scraping device 8 may also be one that does not have a turntable and does not rotate as a whole, but in which case only the scraping arm 11 is oscillating.

[0038] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the upper opening of the drug inlet for the powder inlet hopper 310 is located inside the distribution tray 3. That is, the distribution tray 3 is continuous in an annular (circular) shape outside the powder inlet hopper 310, and in a plan view, the powder inlet hopper 310 is located in the area enclosed by the distribution tray 3. The scraping device 8 is also located inside the distribution tray 3. Then, when the scraping device 8 scrapes the powder from the distribution tray 3 and puts it into the powder input hopper 310, the powder is scraped toward the inside of the distribution tray 3. In other words, the rotating plate 12 is rotated to move the scraping plate so that the powder on the distribution tray 3 is moved toward the inside of the distribution tray 3 (the rotating plate 12 is rotated so that the scraping plate moves in a direction that crosses from the outer edge to the inner edge of the distribution tray 3). In this embodiment, a scraping device 8 is provided inside the dispensing tray 3, and the powder is scraped out toward the inside of the dispensing tray 3, thereby reducing the number of components on the outside of the dispensing tray 3. In other words, a large space is secured on the outside of the dispensing tray 3 and around the drug feeder 5, making it easier to attach and detach the drug container 20 to the feeder body 10 by hand, and contributing to the overall miniaturization of the drug dispensing device 1.

[0039] As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5, the drug feeder 5 has a weight calibration unit 21 (measuring means inspection unit) provided in the feeder unit 22. The drug feeder 5 also has an information reading means 66 (see Figure 3) that can read and write information to the information storage means 65 (see Figure 4), which will be described later. As shown in Figures 6 and 8, the feeder unit 22 has a drug container 20 in which powdered medicine is contained, and a feeder body 10 that holds the drug container 20. As shown in Figure 9, the feeder body 10 is mechanically divided into a container support section 23 (holding member), a weight measuring section 24, and a base section 26. The container support section 23 includes a support base 27, a vibrating member 16, and vibration means 30a and 30b. The vibration means 30a and 30b are piezoelectric elements and are plate-shaped.

[0040] Both the support base 27 and the vibrating member 16 are "L" shaped members with a horizontal section and a vertical wall section. Specifically, the support base 27 has a support-side horizontal section 30 and a support-side vertical wall section 31, as shown in Figures 8 and 9. The vibrating member 16 also functions as a container holder and has a vibrating-side horizontal section 32 and a vibrating-side vertical wall section 33. The vibrating-side vertical wall section 33 is provided with engaging sections (a groove-shaped engaging section 48 (trapezoidal engaging section 47) and two engaging pieces 50, see Figure 7) that engage with the drug container 20.

[0041] As shown in Figure 7, the engaging portion 47 has a trapezoidal shape that is close to a rectangle when viewed from the front, with a bulge 58 at the bottom of one of its hypotenuses. A groove-shaped engaging portion 48 is also formed on the side corresponding to the hypotenuse of this trapezoidal shape. Furthermore, a roughly rectangular opening 51 is provided at the lower part of the front surface of the engaging portion 47. The engaging piece 50 is housed within the opening 51. The engaging piece 50 is connected to an extension / retraction mechanism and extends and retracts through the opening 51. Furthermore, a shutter opening / closing mechanism 55 is provided on one side of the vibration-side horizontal section 32, as shown in Figure 7. The shutter opening / closing mechanism 55 is an opening / closing mechanism for quantitatively discharging powder from the drug container 20.

[0042] The support base 27 and the vibrating member 16 are connected by two excitation means 30a and 30b. The vibrating side horizontal section 32 and the support side horizontal section 30 are substantially non-contact. Therefore, when current is applied to the excitation means 30a and 30b, the vibrating member 16 vibrates.

[0043] A weight measuring unit 24 is located at the bottom of the container support unit 23. The weight measuring unit 24 includes a weight measuring means 25 and a vibration damping means 18. The weight measuring means 25 is a known load cell. The vibration damping means 18 has a vibration damping member 28. The container support section 23 (support base 27, vibrating member 16, and excitation means 30a, 30b) is connected to the detection section of the weight measuring means 25. The base section 26 supports the upper members (support base 27, vibrating member 16, and excitation means 30a, 30b) via the vibration-damping member 28 of the weight measuring means 24. The weight of the container support section 23 is detected by the weight measuring means 25. The weight of the vibration isolation means 18 is applied to the base section 26 but not to the weight measuring means 25. Therefore, the weight of the container support section 23 (support base 27, vibrating member 16, vibration excitation means 30a, 30b) is detected (measurable) by the weight measuring means 25.

[0044] The drug container 20 is a container into which powdered medicine is filled, and its shape is a rectangular prism with a roughly square side profile. As shown in Figures 6, 8, and 9, the drug container 20 is enclosed by a front wall 35, a rear wall 36, left and right side walls 37, a top wall 38, and a bottom wall 40. The bottom wall 40 of the drug container 20 has a powder dispensing section that can be opened and closed near the front wall 35. Furthermore, the rear wall 36 has engaging parts (engaging groove 130, engaging recess 131, see Figure 6) on its vertical side and at its bottom.

[0045] More specifically, the rear wall 36 is provided with a pair of engagement grooves 130 and a single engagement recess 131, as shown in Figure 6. The engagement grooves 130 are vertical grooves that open inward, provided along the left and right vertical edges of the rear wall 36. The engagement recess 131 is a recess provided at the bottom of the rear wall 36. The engagement groove 130 is the part that engages with the engagement portion 48 (see Figure 7). That is, by inserting the back wall 36 of the drug container 20 from above along the vibrating side vertical wall portion 33 of the feeder body 10, the engagement groove 130 and the engagement portion 48 engage. The engaging recess 131 is the part that engages with the engaging piece 50 (see Figure 7). Specifically, when the drug container 20 is attached to the feeder body 10 (inserted from above along the vibrating vertical wall portion 33 of the feeder body 10), the engaging piece 50 is retracted into the opening 51. Then, when the drug feeder 5 is driven, it protrudes outward from the opening 51, the engaging piece 50 is inserted into the engaging recess 131, and the engaging piece 50 and the engaging recess 131 engage.

[0046] Furthermore, an information storage means 65 (an information recording member, which in this embodiment is an RFID tag) is attached to one of the two left and right side walls 37 (see Figure 4). This information storage means 65 stores information related to the drug container 20 (information related to the powdered medicine contained in the drug container 20). For example, it stores identification information that identifies the contained medicine (information such as the medicine name and various codes) and remaining amount information regarding the current remaining amount of the contained medicine. The information stored in the information storage means 65 is information that can be used in association with prescription data, etc., and by retrieving the information stored in the information storage means 65, it becomes possible to perform operations such as identifying the type of powdered medicine contained in the drug container 20. This information storage means 65 may be a memory such as an IC tag. Alternatively, it may be a code such as a one-dimensional code (barcode) or a two-dimensional code, and if a code is used, it may be attached to a label.

[0047] As described above, the drug feeder 5 has an information reading means 66 (see Figure 3) that can read and write information to the information storage means 65. In this embodiment, an RFID reader / writer is used as the information reading means 66, and it is possible to read information to the information storage means 65 via wireless communication. It is possible to read cassette information from the information storage means 65 and to write (rewrite) the remaining amount after dispensing powdered medicine from the drug container 20. The cassette information is information related to the drug container 20 as described above, and examples include the drug name and the remaining amount. The information reading means 66 is located outside the information storage means 65 when the drug container 20 is attached to the feeder body 10, and is positioned slightly away from the information storage means 65 (see Figures 3 and 4). Alternatively, instead of the information reading means 66, it is conceivable to provide information reading means, information writing means, etc., capable of reading and writing information respectively.

[0048] Furthermore, the drug container 20 has a shutter structure 120, as shown in Figure 7. The shutter structure 120 has a shutter member 121 and a transmission member 122. By holding the drug container 20 in the feeder body 10, the transmission member 122 and the shutter opening / closing mechanism 55 engage. Then, when the transmission member 122 moves linearly by the shutter opening / closing mechanism 55, the shutter member 121 moves linearly, opening to communicate with the outside of the opening (powder discharge section) provided on the lower side of the drug container 20. Conversely, by moving the shutter member 121 to the opposite side from when transitioning to the open state, it closes to a closed state that does not communicate with the outside of the opening (powder discharge section). When discharging powder from the drug container 20, the drug container 20 is transitioned from the closed state to the open state.

[0049] The drug container 20 is filled with powdered medicine and fixed to the feeder body 10 as shown in Figure 5. Specifically, the back wall 36 of the drug container 20 (see Figure 6) is in contact with the vibrating side vertical wall 33 of the vibrating member 16, which is the container holding part, and the back wall 36 side of the bottom wall 40 of the drug container 20 (see Figure 6) is in contact with the vibrating side horizontal part 32, so that most of the drug container 20 is cantilevered and fixed to the feeder body 10. In addition, the engaging parts of the drug container 20 (engaging groove 130 and engaging recess 131, see Figure 6) engage with two engaging parts of the vibrating member 16 (a groove-shaped engaging part 48 (trapezoidal engaging part 47) and two engaging pieces 50, see Figure 7).Therefore, the drug container 20 is integrated with the vibrating member 16 and vibrates together with the vibrating member 16.

[0050] The weight calibration unit 21 detects whether the weight measuring means 25 is functioning correctly. As shown in Figure 4, the weight calibration unit 21 includes a weight 42 (weight member, calibration weight), a weight mounting member 43 (weight receiving part) on which the weight 42 is placed, and a weight support member 45 (see Figure 10) that lifts the weight 42 into the air. The weight-holding member 43 is fixed to the container support portion 23 of the feeder body 10 via a mounting member. Therefore, the weight of the weight-holding member 43 is added to the weight measuring means 25. On the other hand, the weight support member 45 is positioned so that a load is applied to the base portion 26 of the feeder body 10 (see Figures 10 and 11). Therefore, the weight of the weight support member 45 is not added to the weight measuring means 25.

[0051] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, six drug feeders 5 are fixed around the dispensing tray 3. The drug container 20 has its front wall 35 side (see Figure 6, etc.) protruding toward the dispensing tray 3, and the powder discharge section is located directly above the drug input groove 13.

[0052] In the drug dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, different drugs are pre-filled into the drug containers 20 of each drug feeder 5. Then, based on the prescription (prescription data, which is information about the prescription), a specific drug feeder 5 is driven and the powdered drug is dispensed into the dispensing tray 3. Specifically, a signal from a control device (not shown) is used to apply a current of a certain frequency to the excitation means 30a and 30b of the specific drug feeder 5, generating vibrations, which in turn vibrate the vibrating member 16. The distribution plate 3 is also rotated around the time the vibration starts.

[0053] Also, around the time the vibration starts, the weight of the drug container 20 is measured. The weight of the drug container 20 is the weight detected by the weight measuring means 25 minus a certain value. More specifically, the weight of the drug container 20 is the weight detected by the weight measuring means 25 minus the weight of the components including the container support part 23 and part of the weight calibration part 21 (components to which a load is applied to the weight measuring means 25). The weight of the drug container 20 before dispensing the powder is stored as the original weight G. The weight of the drug container 20 is also monitored at all times. That is, the current weight of the drug container 20 is monitored as the current weight g.

[0054] When the vibrating member 16 begins to vibrate, the drug container 20 vibrates along with it. In this embodiment, the drug container 20 is firmly attached to the vibrating member 16 by engaging parts (engaging grooves 130 and engaging recesses 131, see Figure 6) provided in two locations, and the degree of contact with the vibrating member 16 is also high, so the drug container 20 vibrates at the same frequency as the vibrating member 16. As a result, the powder stored in the drug container 20 slowly moves toward the powder discharge part side (the shutter structure 120 side, see Figure 7) provided on the bottom wall 40. The powder then falls out of the powder discharge section, which is an opening located on the lower side of the drug container 20, and enters the drug input groove 13 of the distribution tray 3 below.

[0055] The fact that the powder is falling is confirmed by the decrease in the weight of the drug container 20. In other words, in this embodiment, even while the powder is falling from the drug container 20, the current weight of the drug container 20 is continuously monitored as the current weight g. The original weight G of the drug container 20 immediately after being placed on the vibrating member 16 is compared with the current weight g, and the amount of powder that falls H (the amount of powder discharged, G minus g) is constantly calculated. When the total amount of powder that falls H (total amount discharged) reaches the desired weight, the vibration of the vibrating member 16 is stopped.

[0056] The next step is to drop the rotating plate 12 of the scraping device 8 into the drug input groove 13 of the dispensing tray 3. Then, the dispensing tray 3 is rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of doses to be distributed, collecting the powder for one dose on the front side of the rotating plate 12. The rotating plate 12 is then rotated, and a scraping plate (not shown) scrapes the powder out of the dispensing tray 3 and dispenses it into the powder input hopper 310, one dose at a time. The powder that falls from the powder input hopper 310 is introduced into the drug packaging device 305. Thus, the drug dispensing device 1 of this embodiment is capable of packaging the drug into single-dose portions, similar to known drug dispensing devices. Furthermore, the container support section 23 functions as a powder dispensing means for dispensing powdered medicine from the drug container 20.

[0057] The series of drug discharge operations described above are performed with the weight 42 lifted by the weight support member 45 of the weight calibration unit 21. Therefore, the weight of the weight 42 is not detected by the weight measuring means 25. To determine whether the weight measuring means 25 is functioning correctly, the weight support member 45 is operated to place the weight on the weight mounting member 43 (details will be described later). As a result, the weight of the weight 42 is applied to the weight measuring means 25, and the weight of the weight 42 is detected. Since the weight of weight 42 is known, if the increase in the detected weight due to placing weight 42 is equal to the pre-stored value of the weight of weight 42, then the weight measuring means 25 is functioning correctly. Conversely, if the increase in the detected weight due to placing weight 42 is different from the weight of weight 42, then the weight measuring means 25 is malfunctioning. In other words, the calibration of the weight measuring means 25 involves a weight acquisition process to obtain the increase in the detected weight due to placing weight 42 (the weight of weight 42).

[0058] Incidentally, when dispensing (supplying) powdered medicine from the medicine container 20 to the distribution tray 3, the drug dispensing device 1 performs a distribution check operation to determine whether the amount per packet (per dose) is correct by determining whether there is uneven dispensing and whether there is an abnormality in the amount dispensed. To explain in detail, when dispensing powdered medicine, the amount of powdered medicine that falls, H, is constantly calculated as described above. Based on this amount of powdered medicine that falls, H, the dispensing rate of the powdered medicine into the dispensing tray 3 (dispensing rate per unit time) is calculated. Here, when the dispensing rate per unit time deviates from the specified value, that is, when it is detected that the dispensing rate per unit time is extremely low or extremely high, it is determined that uneven dispensing has occurred. Furthermore, when dispensing the powder, the weight of the powder contained in the drug container 20 is measured both before dispensing begins and after dispensing is completed. If the difference between the weight of the powder before dispensing and the weight of the powder after dispensing is the same as the planned amount of dispensing (target dispensing amount based on the prescription), it is determined that there is no abnormality in the dispensing. Conversely, if they are not the same, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the dispensing. If it is determined that there is an uneven discharge or that there is an abnormality in the amount discharged, an alert operation will be performed to notify the user of this fact. The alert operation may also be an operation in which a sound generating means such as a speaker or a display device such as a display is installed in the drug dispensing device 1 to output a warning sound or voice, or to display a message. This is also true for the alert operation described below.

[0059] Next, we will describe the weight calibration unit 21, which is a distinctive feature of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, the weight calibration unit 21 of this embodiment includes the weights 42 and weight mounting member 43, a lifting device 60 (lifting means), an upper guide member 61, and a control device 62. The lifting device 60, the upper guide member 61, and the control device 62 are fixed to the base 26 (see Figure 4) via a mounting member 63. In other words, these loads are applied to the base 26.

[0060] The weight-holding member 43 and the mounting member 63 are attached to the container support portion 23 and the base portion 26, respectively, either directly or indirectly via other components (see Figure 4). In this case, the weight-holding member 43 and the mounting member 63 are attached via temporary fastening elements. The term "temporary fastening element" used here refers to a type of fastening element that, in principle, can be removed without destruction. This refers to fastening elements that can be fastened together, such as screws, bolt and nut combinations, and in this embodiment, screws. Therefore, the weight calibration unit 21 is removable from the drug feeder 5 (detachable from the feeder body 10).

[0061] Weight 42 is a metal weight with a roughly spherical shape, as shown in Figure 11. The weight-holding member 43 is a member formed integrally with a flat receiving plate portion 43a and a vertical mounting plate portion 43b. The mounting plate portion 43b is the part that comes into contact with the object to be attached (the container support portion 23 or the mounting member interposed between the container support portion 23) and has screw holes.

[0062] The receiving plate portion 43a is provided with an engagement hole portion 70. The engagement hole portion 70 is a circular through-hole that penetrates the receiving plate portion 43a in the thickness direction (vertical direction). The engagement hole portion 70 is sized so that the weight 42 cannot pass through, but the weight support member 45 can pass through.

[0063] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the lifting device 60 includes a motor 80 which serves as a power source (power unit), a cam 81, a weight support member 45 (lifting member), and a support-side guide member 82.

[0064] The cam 81 is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 80 and rotates in conjunction with the operation of the motor 80. In this embodiment, an eccentric cam is employed in which the distance from the center of rotation to the outer surface changes in the circumferential direction. As shown in Figure 11, the weight support member 45 is a vertically elongated, roughly rectangular parallelepiped-shaped member having a recess 45a on its upper surface. This recess 45a is the part on which the weight 42 is placed, or in other words, it is an engaging part that engages with a portion of the weight 42. That is, it is shaped so that a portion of the weight 42 (the lower portion) fits into it just about, and it has a curved surface that contacts a portion of the weight 42 when the weight 42 is placed on it. The depth of this curved surface decreases from the center towards the edge.

[0065] The support-side guide member 82 is a thick plate-like member formed such that its outer shape, when viewed from above, is approximately rectangular. The support-side guide member 82 is provided with a guide hole 90. The guide hole 90 is a through-hole that penetrates the support-side guide member 82 in the thickness direction (vertical direction) and is formed to be approximately just large enough to allow the weight support member 45 to be inserted through it.

[0066] The upper guide member 61 is a thick plate-like member having thickness in the vertical direction. As shown in Figure 12, a guide recess 93 is provided on the lower surface of the upper guide member 61. The guide recess 93 is a bottomed hole with a bottom portion on the upper side, and is a recessed portion that is roughly frustoconical (roughly mortar-shaped).

[0067] The control device 62 is a control board that controls the operation of the weight calibration unit 21 and is capable of sending and receiving information with the control device on the main body side of the drug dispensing device 1. In other words, the control device 62 has a calculation means such as a CPU, a storage means such as memory, and a communication means such as I / O ports. Communication with external devices such as the control device on the main body side may be by wired communication or by wireless communication.

[0068] As shown in Figure 11, the mounting member 63 has a main body portion 63a having a vertical plate-shaped mounting plate portion 95 and a control device mounting portion 63b, and is attached to the base portion 26 with the control device mounting portion 63b attached to the main body portion 63a.

[0069] Next, we will explain the assembly structure of the weight calibration unit 21. As shown in Figure 10, the motor 80 and cam 81 are arranged on both sides of the main body 63a of the mounting member 63. The motor 80 is located on one main surface side of the main body 63a, and the support-side guide member 82 and upper-side guide member 61 are located on the other main surface side. At this time, the support-side guide member 82 is located above the cam 81, and the upper-side guide member 61 is located further above the support-side guide member 82.

[0070] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the control device mounting portion 63b of the mounting member 63 extends in such a way that a part of it wraps around the cam 81. Therefore, as shown in Figure 10, the cam 81 is positioned between the motor 80 and the control device 62.

[0071] The weight support member 45 is placed on the cam 81 and inserted through the guide hole 90. The receiving plate portion 43a is positioned above the support-side guide member 82, and the weight 42 is placed above the receiving plate portion 43a. The upper guide member 61 is then placed above the weight 42.

[0072] As shown in Figure 13, the weight calibration unit 21 can switch between a first state in which the load of the weight 42 is not applied to the receiving plate 43a and a second state in which the load of the weight 42 is applied to the receiving plate 43a by operating the motor 80, as described above.

[0073] In the first state, as shown in Figure 13(a), the weight 42 is lifted by the weight support member 45 and positioned above the receiving plate portion 43a, without contacting the receiving plate portion 43a. That is, the weight 42 does not contact the upper opening of the engagement hole portion 70. In this embodiment, at this time, a portion of the lower side of the weight 42 is positioned inside the engagement hole portion 70. Furthermore, in the first state, the upper part of the weight 42 is inserted all the way into the guide recess 93 of the upper guide member 61.

[0074] When the motor 80 operates in the first state and the cam 81 rotates, as shown in Figures 13(b) and 13(c), the weight support member 45 moves downward, and the weight 42 moves downward while remaining resting on the weight support member 45. Then, a portion of the weight 42 comes into contact with the upper opening of the engagement hole 70, and the weight 42 is placed on the receiving plate 43a. This causes a transition from the first state (see Figure 13(a)) to the second state (see Figure 13(c)). In the second state, it is preferable that the weight support member 45 is positioned at a lower distance from the weight 42, that is, that the weight 42 and the weight support member 45 do not come into contact, and a gap is formed between the weight 42 and the upper surface of the weight support member 45. Conversely, if the weight 42 is to be supported by the receiving plate portion 43a, then in the second state, the weight 42 and the weight support member 45 may come into contact (adjacent arrangement).

[0075] In the second state as well, the upper part of the weight 42 is positioned inside the guide recess 93 of the upper guide member 61. In other words, when the weight 42 moves up and down within its movable range, a portion of the upper part of the weight 42 is positioned inside the guide recess 93, and a portion of the lower part is positioned inside the engagement hole 70. To put it another way, in the first state, the second state, and the states in between, the weight 42 is always positioned with a portion inside the guide recess 93 and a portion inside the engagement hole 70.

[0076] Based on the above, the upper guide member 61 and the receiving plate portion 43a function as movement restricting means to restrict the range of movement when the weight 42 moves, and also function as fall prevention means to prevent the weight 42 from falling off. Furthermore, when the weight support member 45 moves vertically within its range of motion, at least one part of it will be positioned inside the guide hole 90. In other words, the support-side guide member 82 functions as a movement restricting means that limits the range of motion of the weight support member 45, and also as a means that prevents the weight support member 45 from falling out.

[0077] When transitioning from the second state to the first state, the cam 81 may be rotated in the same direction as when transitioning from the first state to the second state, or it may be rotated in the opposite direction. By rotating the cam 81 in this way, the weight support member 45 (the contact point between the weight support member 45 and the cam 81) moves upward, and the weight 42 is lifted and moves upward.

[0078] According to the weight calibration unit 21 of this embodiment, it is possible to determine whether the weight measuring means 25 is functioning correctly in both the state where the drug container 20 is not attached to the feeder unit 22 and the state where the drug container 20 is attached to the feeder unit 22. Hereinafter, this determination operation will also be referred to as the calibration of the weight measuring means 25. In other words, the calibration of the weight measuring means 25 is an operation to determine whether the weight measuring means 25 is in a state where it can correctly detect weight, or whether it is in a state where it cannot correctly detect weight for some reason.

[0079] In this embodiment, as described above, the weight measuring means 25 determines that it is in a state where it can correctly detect weight, provided that the weight of the weight 42 is correctly detected by the weight measuring means 25. That is, when the weight calibration unit 21 is moved from the first state to the second state, the load of the weight 42 is applied to the receiving plate 43a, as described above. At this time, since the weight mounting member 43 is attached to the container support 23, the receiving plate 43a receives the load of the weight 42, making it possible for the weight measuring means 25 to detect the weight of the weight 42.

[0080] Therefore, in the first state, the weight is measured by the weight measuring means 25, and then the system transitions to the second state and measures the weight again using the weight measuring means 25. Then, if the value obtained by subtracting the detected value of the first weight measurement performed in the first state from the detected value (measured value) of the second weight measurement performed in the second state is the same as the weight of the weight 42, it is determined that the weight of the weight 42 has been correctly detected.

[0081] In addition, when calibrating without the drug container 20 attached, the following operation may be performed, for example: the device is put into the second state, weight is measured using the weight measuring means 25, and the value obtained by subtracting the base weight from the detected value is calculated. Here, "basic weight" refers to the sum of the weights of the components of the feeder section 22 that are subjected to the load on the weight measuring means 25, and the weight of the weight-holding member 43. Furthermore, "weight of the weight-holding member 43" includes the weight of any other components that are attached to the container support section 23 via other components. Then, if the value obtained by subtracting the base weight from the detected value is the same as the weight of weight 42, it is determined that the weight of weight 42 has been correctly detected. Alternatively, it may be determined that the weight of weight 42 has been correctly detected if the detected value is the same as the sum of the weight of weight 42 and the base weight. The weights of the components that make up the feeder section 22, such as the components that are subjected to the load on the weight measuring means 25, the weight of the weight-holding component 43, and the weight of the weight 42, may be measured in advance using another electronic balance or the like and stored in the control device.

[0082] In addition, during calibration with the drug container 20 attached, for example, weight measurement is performed using the weight measuring means 25 in the second state, and a value is calculated by subtracting the sum of the base weight and the weight of the drug container 20 from the detected value. Then, it is determined that the weight of the weight 42 has been correctly detected, provided that the calculated value is the same as the weight of the weight 42. At this time, it may also be determined that the weight of the weight 42 has been correctly detected, provided that the detected value is the same as the sum of the weight of the weight 42, the base weight, and the weight of the drug container 20. The weight of the drug container 20 may be measured in advance and stored in the control device. Furthermore, if the drug container 20 contains a drug (powder), the weight of the drug container 20 may be the sum of the weight of the drug container 20 itself and the weight of the drug contained within.

[0083] In the drug dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, the weight measuring means 25 of each drug feeder 5 is automatically calibrated before the power is turned on and the day's work begins. In addition, once it is decided to perform a dispensing operation, the weight measuring means 25 of each drug feeder 5 is automatically calibrated before the dispensing operation is performed. Note that the calibration performed before the dispensing operation may be performed on all drug feeders 5, or it may be performed only on the drug feeder 5 to be used in the next scheduled dispensing operation.

[0084] Furthermore, during the calibration of the weight measuring means 25 performed before the start of work each day, an operation may be performed to compare the value obtained or calculated in the previous day's calibration with the value obtained or calculated at the time of calibration. For example, the weight value of the weight 42 calculated in the previous day's calibration may be compared with the weight value of the weight 42 calculated after power-on, and if these are the same, it may be determined that there is no abnormality in the weight measuring means 25 of the drug feeder 5. Conversely, if these are not the same, it may be determined that there is an abnormality in the weight measuring means 25 of the drug feeder 5.

[0085] In this embodiment, the drug dispensing device 1 may perform a notification operation if calibration determines that the weight measuring means 25 is unable to correctly measure weight (i.e., there is an abnormality in the weight measuring means 25). Furthermore, until the abnormality (malfunction) of the weight measuring means 25 is resolved (until it is input that the abnormality has been resolved by a certain operation, etc.), the device may perform a notification operation to inform the user that the drug cannot be dispensed by the feeder body 10 even if the user mistakenly places (holds) the drug container 20 on the feeder body 10. This notification operation is performed each time the drug container 20 is placed on the feeder body 10. Alternatively, in addition to or instead of this operation, the feeder body 10 may be controlled so that it does not perform vibration operation (it may be set not to perform vibration operation).

[0086] In the drug dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, a fault detection operation can be performed to determine whether or not the weight measuring means 25 was malfunctioning when dispensing powdered medicine from the drug container 20 to the dispensing tray 3 during the packaging operation. The fault detection operation may be performed in addition to the distribution check operation described above. Specifically, when dispensing powdered medicine from the drug container 20 of the drug feeder 5 to the dispensing tray 3, the following operations may be performed. First, in the drug feeder 5 holding the drug container 20, the weight calibration unit 21 is set to the first state (Step 1). Then, the weight of the drug container 20 (and / or the weight of the powder contained within) is obtained (Step 2). Next, the weight calibration unit 21 is moved from the first state to the second state and the operation to detect the weight of the weight 42 is performed (hereinafter also referred to as the pre-weight measurement operation) (Step 3). Furthermore, the weight calibration unit 21 is moved from the second state to the first state and the operation to discharge the powder described above into the dispensing tray 3 is performed (Step 4). After the powder discharge operation is performed, the weight of the drug container 20 (and / or the weight of the powder contained within) is obtained (Step 5). Furthermore, the weight calibration unit 21 is moved from the first state to the second state and the operation to detect the weight of the weight 42 is performed (hereinafter also referred to as the post-weight measurement operation) (Step 6).

[0087] Then, after a series of operations, if the weight values ​​of the weights 42 obtained in the pre-weight measurement operation (weight acquisition process) and the post-weight measurement operation (weight acquisition process) are the same, it is determined that the weight measuring means 25 was not malfunctioning. This makes it possible to detect abnormalities in the balance (weight measuring means 25) even in environments where powdered medicine is scattered during the dispensing operation, and consequently, it is possible to detect whether or not there was any abnormality in the dispensing operation (drug dispensing). Furthermore, this operation enables highly reliable dispensing operations even if the weights 42 have changed over time. Furthermore, the fault detection operation is not limited to the operation performed by the weight calibration unit 21 described above, but may also be an operation performed by the weight calibration units 200, 421, 521, etc., which will be described later. Also, the pre-weight measurement operation and the post-weight measurement operation may be an operation in which the weight is placed on the drug container and the weight of the weight is detected. Moreover, the configuration is not limited to an automatic switching between a state in which the weight load of the weight is applied to the weight measuring means 25 and a state in which it is not applied, but it is also conceivable that an operator may manually place the weight on the drug container 20 or on any part of the feeder body 10 and perform an operation to detect the weight of the weight. As described above, in the fault detection operation, the increase in the detected weight due to the placement of the weight 42 is obtained in both the pre-weight measurement operation and the post-weight measurement operation, and the weights obtained in each operation (the increase in weight) are compared. In the pre-weight measurement operation and the post-weight measurement operation, as in the calibration case described above, the increase in weight may be obtained by subtracting the detected weight measurement value performed in the first state from the detected weight measurement value performed in the second state. Alternatively, the increase in weight may be obtained by subtracting the base weight and the weight of the drug container 20 from the detected weight measurement value performed in the second state. Furthermore, the weight of the weight 42 and the sum of the base weight and the drug container 20 (total weight) may be obtained and compared in each operation.

[0088] In the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which a substantially spherical weight 42 and a substantially rectangular parallelepiped weight support member 45 were used, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it may be the weight 142 (weight member) shown in Figure 14(a). This weight 142 has an upper part 142a and a lower part 142b, both of which are roughly frustoconical, and a roughly disc-shaped central part 142c located between them. That is, the upper and lower parts of the weight 142 are tapered, and have a narrowing shape where the cross-sectional area decreases as it goes upward or downward. Furthermore, if this weight 142 is used, the weight support member 145 (lifting member) shown in Figure 14(a) may also be used. This weight support member 145 is a vertically elongated member having an upwardly convex curved surface on its upper end and a downwardly convex curved surface on its lower end, and its vertical cross-sectional shape is approximately oval.

[0089] In the embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the weight calibration unit 21 is located on one side of the feeder unit 22, but the present invention is not limited to this. The weight calibration unit 21 may be located on the other side, or at the rear (at a position opposite the distribution tray 3 with the feeder unit 22 in between, and at the rear when the distribution tray 3 is considered the front). In other words, it may be located on one side of the perimeter of the feeder unit 22 (including the four sides surrounding it). In this case, it may be located adjacent to the feeder unit 22, or it may be located slightly away horizontally from the feeder unit 22. Furthermore, in the drug dispensing device 1 described above, the user can manually hold the drug container 20 in the feeder body 10. The user can also manually remove the drug container 20 held in the feeder body 10. In other words, it is possible to manually replace (change) the drug container 20 held in the feeder body 10.

[0090] The drug feeder used in the drug dispensing device 1 is not limited to the one described above, but may also be a drug feeder 201 equipped with a weight calibration unit 200 (measuring means inspection unit) as shown in Figure 15. The weight calibration unit 200 includes a lifting device 202 (lifting means), a weight member 203 (calibration weight), and a weight receiving member 204 (weight receiving unit).

[0091] The lifting device 202 includes a motor (not shown), a gear 210 that rotates in conjunction with the motor's operation, a container lifting section 211, and a weight lifting section 212. The gear 210 is a pinion gear, and the container lifting section 211 and the weight lifting section 212 each have a rack section, which is a geared portion. The gear 210 and each rack section are engaged. Therefore, when the container lifting section 211 rises, the weight lifting section 212 descends, and when the container lifting section 211 descends, the weight lifting section 212 rises.

[0092] The container lifting section 211 has a flat pressing piece 211a. This pressing piece 211a is the part that contacts the drug container 20, which is supported by the container support section 23, from below. The weight lifting section 212 has a flat weight support section 212a. As shown in Figure 15(b), the weight support section 212a is provided with a support hole 230 that penetrates the weight support section 212a in the thickness direction (vertical direction).

[0093] The weight member 203 has, from top to bottom, a flange portion 203a, a constricted portion 203b, and a main body portion 203c. The flange portion 203a is too large to pass through the support hole 230, while the constricted portion 203b and the main body portion 203c are large enough to pass through the support hole 230.

[0094] As shown in Figure 15(a), the weight-receiving member 204 has a flat receiving plate portion 204a and a vertical mounting plate portion 204b, and is a member that is fixed to the support base 27.

[0095] Here, the weight lifting section 212 is a member capable of supporting the weight member 203 in a suspended state, as shown in Figure 15(b). That is, when the weight member 203 is inserted into the support hole 230 from above with the weight support section 212a positioned at a high position, the flange section 203a catches, and the lower surface of the flange section 203a and the upper surface of the weight support section 212a come into contact. At this time, at least a part of the constricted section 203b is located inside the support hole 230, most of the weight member 203 is positioned below the weight support section 212a, and the lower surface of the weight member 203 is positioned above the receiving plate section 204a.

[0096] In the weight calibration unit 200 of this embodiment, it is possible to switch between a first state in which the load of the weight member 203 is not applied to the receiving plate 204a and a second state in which the load of the weight member 203 is applied to the receiving plate 204a.

[0097] In the first state, the weight member 203 is supported in a suspended state as described above and is positioned above the receiving plate portion 204a. The drug container 20 is placed on the vibrating side horizontal portion 32 of the vibrating member 16, and the pressing piece portion 211a is positioned below the drug container 20.

[0098] Then, in the first state, the motor operates, the gear 210 rotates, and the container lifting unit 211 rises, causing the pressing piece 211a to contact the drug container 20 from below. As the container lifting unit 211 continues to rise, the drug container 20 is moved upward, and the pressing piece 211a ends up in a state where the drug container 20 is lifted. At this time, as the container lifting section 211 rises and the weight lifting section 212 descends, the weight member 203 is placed on the receiving plate section 204a. If the weight lifting section 212 descends further from this state, the upper surface of the weight support section 212a is positioned below the lower surface of the flange section 203a. This causes a transition from the first state to the second state. In the second state, the load of the weight lifting section 212 (lifting device 202) is not applied to the receiving plate section 204a (weight measuring means 25).

[0099] In other words, in the first state, the load of the weight member 203 is not applied to the weight measuring means 25, and the load of the drug container 20 is applied to the weight measuring means 25. In the second state, the load of the weight member 203 is applied to the weight measuring means 25, and the load of the drug container 20 is not applied to the weight measuring means 25. Therefore, by switching to the second state, the weight measuring means 25 can be calibrated. Switching between the first and second states can be done automatically. Also, the gear 210 rotates in opposite directions when transitioning from the first state to the second state and when transitioning from the second state to the first state. In the embodiment described above, the drug container 20 was lifted in the second state, but it is not necessary to lift the drug container 20. In other words, the calibration of the weight measuring means 25 may be performed while holding the drug container 20, and the container lifting unit 211 is not necessarily required.

[0100] Incidentally, the calibration of the weight measuring device 25, which is performed before the start of work each day, may be carried out using the calibration device 250 shown in Figure 16(a). The calibration device 250 is an instrument used by attaching it to the scraping device 8, and as shown in Figure 16(b), it has a mounting member 251, a bearing member 252, a base member 253, and a locking member 254. The bearing member 252 is a bearing such as a ball bearing, and the locking member 254 is a C-ring.

[0101] The mounting member 251 has a main body portion 251a and a connecting rod portion 251b. The main body portion 251a has a disc-shaped portion 260 and a circularly continuous peripheral wall portion 261. The peripheral wall portion 261 is formed to protrude from the edge of the disc-shaped portion 260 to one side in the thickness direction. A recess (not shown) is formed in the portion surrounded by the peripheral wall portion 261, which is capable of accommodating the mounting base 255 of the scraping device 8. This mounting member 251 is a member that is attached to the mounting base 255 described above. That is, with the rotating plate 12 removed from the mounting base 255, the mounting member 251 is attached to the mounting base 255. In this embodiment, the recessed portion of the mounting member 251 is capable of fitting the mounting base 255 almost perfectly inside. In addition, one side portion (recessed portion) of the mounting member 251 is provided with an engaging portion (not shown) that engages with a projection provided on the mounting base 255. That is, it is an engaging portion that is paired with (engages with) the projection, which is the engaging portion on the mounting base 255 side. When these engage, the mounting member 251 is integrally attached and fixed to the mounting base 255. The connecting rod portion 251b is a round rod-shaped part and is formed on the opposite side of the recessed portion and the disc-shaped portion 260 described above.

[0102] The base member 253 is a member in which a weight support portion 270, a rotation prevention portion 271, and a vertical plate-shaped connecting plate portion 272 are integrally formed. The weight support portion 270 is a flat plate-shaped part and is provided with a support hole portion 270a. The support hole portion 270a penetrates the weight support portion 270 in the thickness direction (vertical direction). The anti-rotation section 271 has two plate-like members consisting of an upper plate portion 271a and a lower plate portion 271b. Both the upper plate portion 271a and the lower plate portion 271b are flat plate-like parts and are arranged to be spaced apart and facing each other in the vertical direction. The connecting plate portion 272 is continuous with the weight support portion 270 at one end in the longitudinal direction and with the rotation prevention portion 271 at the other end. The connecting plate portion 272 is provided with a connecting hole portion 272a. The connecting hole portion 272a is a through hole that penetrates the connecting plate portion 272 in the thickness direction.

[0103] When the calibration device 250 is assembled, a bearing member 252 is attached to a part of the connecting plate portion 272, and a connecting rod portion 251b is inserted through the connecting hole portion 272a and the inner hole of the bearing member 252. A locking member 254 is attached to a part of the connecting rod portion 251b that protrudes from the connecting hole portion 272a and is the tip end in the insertion direction. From the above, when the calibration instrument 250 is not attached to the scraping device 8, the base member 253 and the mounting member 251 are connected in a manner that allows them to rotate relative to each other. That is, the connecting rod portion 251b is rotatable around the axis of rotation.

[0104] When mounted on the scraping device 8, as shown in Figure 16(a), the weight support portion 270 is located on the tip side of the mounting base 255 in the extension direction of the scraping arm 11, and the anti-rotation portion 271 is located on the base side of the mounting base 255. At this time, the scraping arm 11 is located between the upper plate portion 271a and the lower plate portion 271b of the anti-rotation portion 271, and the scraping arm 11 is sandwiched between the upper plate portion 271a and the lower plate portion 271b. In addition, the mounting member 251 and the connecting plate portion 272 are located on one side in the thickness direction of the mounting base 255.

[0105] With the calibration instrument 250 attached to the scraping device 8, the weight member 203 can be supported in a suspended state by the weight support part 270, as described above (see Figure 17(a)). In other words, when calibrating the weight measuring means 25 using the calibration device 250, the drug container 20 is removed in advance from the drug feeder 5 equipped with the weight measuring means 25 to be calibrated. Then, the turntable is rotated to swivel the entire scraping device 8 (scraping arm 11 and mounting base 255). As a result, the weight member 203 is positioned above the vibrating horizontal section 32, as shown in Figure 17(b). Next, the scraping arm 11 is swung, and the tip of the scraping arm 11 is moved downward to place the weight member 203 on the vibrating horizontal section 32. By continuing to move the tip of the scraping arm 11 downward, the load of the weight member 203 is applied to the weight measuring means 25, and the calibration of the weight measuring means 25 is performed.

[0106] Furthermore, after calibration is complete, the scraping arm 11 is swung to move its tip upward, thereby supporting the weight member 203 in a suspended state, so that the weight member 203 is not applied to the weight measuring means 25. If calibration of other weight measuring means 25 is to be performed next, the entire scraping device 8 is rotated to perform the above operation.

[0107] Furthermore, the drug feeder used in the drug dispensing device 1 is not limited to the one described above, but may also be a drug feeder 405 equipped with a weight calibration unit 421 (measuring means inspection unit), as shown in Figure 18. The drug feeder 405 of this embodiment has a container support portion 423 (holding member) that has a different structure from the drug feeder 5 described above. Specifically, the vibration-side horizontal portion 432 of the vibrating member 416 has a weight placement portion 443 which is a recess with an open top. Below the weight placement portion 443, a member placement hole 446 is formed that connects the weight placement portion 443 with the space below the vibrating member 416. Furthermore, the support-side horizontal portion 430 of the support base 427 also has a member placement hole 447 that penetrates the support-side horizontal portion 430 in the vertical direction.

[0108] The member placement holes 446 of the vibrating member 416 and the member placement holes 447 of the support base 427 are formed so that at least a portion of them overlap in a plan view. As a result, a member placement space 448 is formed below the weight placement section 443. The member placement space 448 is the space in which the lifting member 445, which is part of the lifting device 460, is placed.

[0109] The lifting device 460 includes a lifting member 445 and a lifting mechanism (not shown) for raising and lowering the lifting member 445. The lifting mechanism includes a motor that serves as a power source and a conversion mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the motor into linear motion. The conversion mechanism may be a cam located below the lifting member 445, or it may be a rack and pinion mechanism using a combination of a geared portion and a pinion gear provided on the lifting member 445. In other words, when the motor operates, the lifting member 445 moves in the vertical direction.

[0110] In the drug feeder 405 of this embodiment, a lifting mechanism is located below the vibrating member 416 and the support base 427. The weight measuring means (not shown) of the drug feeder 405 is configured to include the weight of components such as the container support 423, while the load of the lifting device 460 is not included.

[0111] A roughly rectangular parallelepiped-shaped weight member 442 (calibration weight) is placed in the weight placement section 443. The weight placement section 443 is located below the lower surface of the drug container 20 when the container support section 423 is holding the drug container 20. At this time, the entire upper area of ​​the weight placement section 443 is covered by the drug container 20.

[0112] The drug feeder 405 of this embodiment can be switched between a first state (see Figure 18(a)) in which the weight member 442 is positioned above the bottom of the weight placement section 443, and a second state (see Figure 18(b)) in which the weight member 442 is in contact with the bottom of the weight placement section 443. By switching the drug feeder 405 from the first state to the second state, the weight measuring means can be calibrated. In both the first and second states, the weight member 442 is positioned inside the weight placement section 443.

[0113] In other words, in the first state, the weight member 442 is lifted by the lifting member 445. At this time, the lower part of the weight member 442 comes into contact with the upper part of the lifting member 445, and the weight member 442 is placed on the lifting member 445. As a result, the load of the weight member 442 is applied to the lifting member 445, but not to the vibrating member 416. In other words, the load of the weight member 442 is not applied to the weight measuring means of the drug feeder 405, and the load of the weight member 442 is not measured by the weight measuring means. As the lifting member 445 moves downward from this first state, the weight member 442 moves downward along with the movement of the lifting member 445. Then, the lower part of the weight member 442 comes into contact with the bottom part of the weight placement section 443 from above.

[0114] Here, the weight member 442 is sized (and / or shaped) in a way that makes it impossible to insert it from above into the member placement hole 446 of the vibrating member 416. Therefore, as the lifting member 445 continues to move downward, the lifting member 445 is positioned at a location below the weight member 442. Meanwhile, the weight member 442 is placed on the bottom portion of the weight placement section 443. This completes the transition from the first state to the second state. That is, the load of the weight member 442 is applied to the weight measuring means of the drug feeder 405, and the load of the weight member 442 is measured by the weight measuring means. As described above, since it is possible to transition from the first state to the second state, it becomes possible to perform operations to determine whether the weight measuring means is in a state where it can correctly detect weight (calibration of the weight measuring means, fault detection), similar to the above. For example, in the calibration of the weight measuring means, in the first state, the weight of the drug feeder 405 is measured by the weight measuring means. Then, the system transitions to the second state, and the weight of the drug feeder 405 is measured again by the weight measuring means. Then, it is determined that the weight of the weight member 442 is correctly detected, provided that the value obtained by subtracting the detected value of the weight measurement performed in the first state from the detected value (measured value) of the weight measurement performed in the second state is the same as the weight of the weight member 442. In other words, it is determined that the weight measuring means is in a state where it can correctly detect weight.

[0115] When transitioning from the second state to the first state, the opposite is done, and the lifting member 445 is moved upward. As a result, the upper part of the lifting member 445 comes into contact with the lower part of the weight member 442 from below, and by pushing the lifting member 445 upward, the lifting member 445 is lifted.

[0116] Alternatively, instead of the weight calibration unit 21 described above, a weight calibration unit (not shown) may be provided that includes a motor as a power source, a torque limiter, and a wire which is a linear member, and is capable of a tensile operation that pulls a part of the container support unit 23 upward using the wire. In other words, one end of the wire in the longitudinal direction is fixed to a component of the feeder section 22 that is subjected to a load on the weight measuring means 25 (such as the container support section 23, and hereinafter also referred to as the fixed target component). Meanwhile, the motor and torque limiter are fixed to the lower part of the top cover 4 and the upper unit (tablet dispensing device 303). In the pulling operation, the motor is moved to wind up the wire, pulling the fixed member to which one end of the wire is attached, and applying a vertical upward force to the fixed member. At this time, a torque limiter is interposed between the motor and the end of the wire to apply a force of a specified magnitude to the fixed member.

[0117] Calibration of the weight measuring means 25 involves obtaining the detected value of the weight measuring means 25 when no tensile motion is being performed and the detected value of the weight measuring means 25 when tensile motion is being performed. Then, the detected value during tensile motion is subtracted from the detected value when no tensile motion is being performed, and if the resulting value is a specified value, it is determined that the weight measuring means 25 is in a state where it can correctly detect weight.

[0118] Furthermore, when performing calibration of the weight measuring means 25 while holding the drug container 20, the wire may be fixed to the drug container 20. In this case, the drug container 20 held will be the same weight for measurements taken when the tensile action is not being performed and for measurements taken while the tensile action is being performed. "Drug containers 20 with the same weight" here means that, if the drug is contained inside, the weight of the drug container 20 including the weight of the contained drug is the same.

[0119] The drug dispensing device 1 of the above embodiment is provided with a plurality (six) of drug feeders 5, and each drug feeder 5 has an individual weight calibration unit 21. That is, one weight calibration unit 21 is capable of applying the load of a weight (weight 42) to one weight measuring means 25. However, a weight calibration unit 521 (measuring means inspection unit) as shown in Figure 19 may also be used, which allows for the application of weights to multiple weight measuring means 25.

[0120] In this embodiment, a single weight calibration unit 521 is associated with multiple feeder units 22 to constitute a drug feeder. The weight calibration unit 521 of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 19, includes a motor (not shown), a winding pulley 501, a wire 502, a plurality of pulley members 503, and a plurality of weight members 504 (calibration weights). The winding pulley 501 and the pulley members 503 are fixed to the lower part of the top cover 4 or the upper unit (tablet dispensing device 303). Furthermore, by operating the motor, the winding pulley 501 can wind up the wire 502. In Figure 19(a), for the sake of drawing convenience, only a portion of the pulley member 503 and the weight member 504 are labeled with reference numerals, while the reference numerals for the others are omitted.

[0121] Furthermore, separate pulley members 503 and weight members 504 are positioned above each feeder section 22. By switching between a state in which the wire 502 is tightly wound onto the winding pulley 501 and a state in which the winding of the wire 502 is loosened, it is possible to switch between a first state in which the weight member 504 is positioned away from the upper surface of the drug container 20 and a second state in which the weight member 504 is placed on the drug container 20.

[0122] Here, as shown in Figure 19(b), the weight member 504 has an internal space 510. The internal space 510 is an open space at the bottom, surrounded by a continuous annular peripheral wall. In addition, a wire insertion hole 511 is provided at the top of the weight member 504, connecting the outside to the internal space 510. The wire insertion hole 511 is formed to be narrower than the internal space 510.

[0123] A fastening member 512 is attached to the tip of the portion of the wire 502 that hangs down from the pulley member 503. The fastening member 512 can be inserted into the internal space 510 from below the weight member 504, and is sized (and / or shaped) so that it cannot pass through the wire insertion hole 511. As shown in Figure 19(b), the fastening member 512 is positioned inside the internal space 510, and the wire 502 hanging down from the pulley member 503 extends into the internal space 510 through the wire insertion hole 511, becoming continuous with the fastening member 512.

[0124] Therefore, when the winding of the wire 502 is loosened while the first state is in place, the latching member 512 moves downward, and consequently the weight member 504 moves downward. The lower end of the weight member 504 then contacts the drug container 20 from above. In this state, the latching member 512 moves further downward, so that the latching member 512 is separated from the upper part of the weight member 504 in the internal space 510 and does not come into contact with the ceiling wall portion of the internal space 510. As a result, the weight member 504 is placed on the drug container 20, and the system transitions to the second state. In the second state, the load of the weight member 504 is applied to the weight measuring means 25, while the load of the latching member 512 and the wire 502 is not applied to the weight measuring means 25.

[0125] Conversely, when the wire 502 is wound up in the second state, the latching member 512 moves upward and makes contact with the upper part of the weight member 504 from below within the internal space 510. Then, as the latching member 512 continues to move upward, the weight member 504 moves upward, and the lower end of the weight member 504 moves upward away from the drug container 20, transitioning to the first state. As described above, since it is possible to transition from the first state to the second state, it is possible to perform operations to determine whether the weight measuring means of the feeder unit 22 is in a state where it can correctly detect weight (calibration of the weight measuring means, fault detection), similar to the above. For example, in the calibration of the weight measuring means, in the first state, the weight is measured by the weight measuring means of the feeder unit 22. After that, the system transitions to the second state and the weight is measured again by the weight measuring means of the feeder unit 22. Then, it is determined that the weight of the weight member 504 is correctly detected if the value obtained by subtracting the detected value of the weight measurement performed in the first state from the detected value (measured value) of the weight measurement performed in the second state is the same as the weight of the weight member 504. In other words, it is determined that the weight measuring means is in a state where it can correctly detect weight.

[0126] In the weight calibration unit 521 of this embodiment, it is possible to raise and lower multiple weight members 504 simultaneously. That is, it is possible to switch between a state in which the load of a different weight member 504 is applied to each of the weight measuring means 25 of the multiple feeder units 22, and a state in which the load of the weight members 504 is not applied to the multiple weight measuring means 25. Alternatively, instead of the latching member 512 described above, a weight-holding means such as an electromagnet may be provided at the tip of the wire 502 (the tip of the part hanging down from the pulley member 503). That is, the first state may be achieved by energizing the electromagnet to attract the weight and lift it up. Alternatively, the second state may be achieved by stopping the energization of the electromagnet with the weight placed on the drug container 20, thereby not holding the weight, and then moving the tip of the wire 502 slightly upward. Furthermore, in the example described above, the weight member 504 was placed on the drug container 20 of the feeder unit 22. That is, the drug container 20 was made to function as a weight-bearing part that receives the load of the weight member 504. However, when performing calibration, the drug container 20 may be removed in advance from each feeder unit 22 and the weight member 504 may be placed on the container support unit 23.

[0127] Furthermore, the above-described drug feeder may be configured such that the container support section 23 moves up and down by a lifting device. In this case, the container support section 23 may be raised and lowered while supporting the drug container 20. When the drug container 20 and the container support section 23 are in an upper position, their loads are not applied to the weight measuring means 25, and a large gap may be formed between the lower surface of the upper support-side horizontal section 30 and the weight measuring means 25. In this case, the weight measuring means 25 can be calibrated by a person manually placing a weight member onto it.

[0128] In the embodiment described above, a weight calibration unit 21 is positioned on one side of the feeder unit 22, and a weight 42 is placed on the weight mounting member 43 to perform calibration of the weight measuring means 25. However, the drug feeder 5 that can be used in the drug dispensing device 1 is not limited to this. For example, a lifting device with cams positioned on both sides of the feeder section 22 may be provided to move a weight member, such as a weight, up and down, switching between a state in which the weight member is placed on the vibrating horizontal section 32 and a state in which the weight member is positioned above the vibrating horizontal section 32. In this case, the drug container 20 is removed from the feeder body 10 and the weight measuring means 25 is calibrated. A weight support member, which is a member that extends from one side to the other side of the feeder section 22 and supports the weight member, is formed to be detachable from the main body of the lifting device. That is, when the drug container 20 is supported by the feeder body 10, the weight support member is removed. The weight support member may be capable of supporting the weight member in a suspended state as described above.

[0129] In the drug dispensing device 1 of the above embodiment, a lower weight measuring means may be provided below a plurality (for example, three) of drug feeders 5, to which the load of these plurality of drug feeders 5 is applied. With this configuration, it becomes possible to determine whether the weight of the drug container 20 is being correctly detected by all of the drug feeders 5. Specifically, the weight of each drug container 20 is measured by each drug feeder 5, and the total weight of the multiple (three) drug containers 20 is calculated. Furthermore, the total weight of the multiple (three) drug containers 20 is calculated by subtracting the weights of components other than the drug containers 20 (such as the weights of each feeder body 10 and the weight calibration unit 21) from the value detected by the lower weight measuring means. Furthermore, the total weight of the multiple (three) drug containers 20 calculated based on the detection values ​​of the multiple weight measuring means 25 is compared with the total weight of the multiple (three) drug containers 20 calculated based on the detection value of the lower weight measuring means. If there is no discrepancy in the total weight as a result of the comparison, it is determined that the weight of the drug container 20 has been correctly detected by all of the multiple (three) drug feeders 5. Conversely, if there is a discrepancy, it is determined that the weight of the drug container 20 has not been correctly measured by one of the multiple (three) drug feeders 5. As described above, the above configuration makes it possible to double-check the weight of the drug container 20 without moving the drug container 20. Alternatively, the weight of each of the weights 42 may be measured using multiple weight measuring means 25 and their sum calculated, and the sum of the weights of the multiple weights 42 may be calculated using the lower weight measuring means, and these values ​​may be compared to perform calibration of the weight measuring means 25.

[0130] The drug dispensing device 1 described above may be operated in conjunction with an external higher-level control device to form a drug dispensing system. In this case, the drug dispensing device 1 and the higher-level control device are configured to transmit and receive signals. The higher-level control device is configured to have a display device such as a display. Furthermore, when the power to the drug dispensing device 1 is turned on before the start of the day's work (hereinafter also referred to as the start of work), a determination may be made as to whether or not calibration of the drug feeder 5 is required.

[0131] To explain in more detail, at the start of the operation, each chemical feeder 5 is kept holding a measuring container (measuring component). The weight of each measuring container is acquired beforehand through measurements or other means and stored in the control device. Then, in each drug feeder 5, a comparison operation is performed to compare the zero point of the weight measuring means 25 with the detected weight of the measuring container. For example, in each drug feeder 5, a value is calculated by subtracting the weight of the measuring container held, which has been stored in advance, from the detected weight of the measuring container held. Next, the values ​​calculated by the comparison operation performed by each drug feeder 5 are compared. If the values ​​calculated by each drug feeder 5 are not all the same, the drug dispensing device 1 sends a signal to the higher-level control device to that effect. Upon receiving this signal, the higher-level control device performs a notification operation prompting the user to perform calibration of the weight measuring means 25. In other words, if the values ​​calculated by each drug feeder 5 are not all the same, the system determines that calibration of the drug feeder 5 is necessary and executes a notification action to prompt calibration of the drug feeder 5.

[0132] The series of operations described above may be performed based on a signal sent from the higher-level control device to the drug dispensing device 1 at the start of the operation. In other words, they may be performed automatically when the power to the drug dispensing device 1 is turned on. Alternatively, they may be performed by sending a signal periodically from the higher-level control device, such as after each dispensing operation, after a predetermined number of dispensing operations, or after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed. The measuring container may be an empty drug container 20 or a drug container 20 containing powdered medicine. In other words, it may be a drug container 20 used in the dispensing operation. Furthermore, the measuring containers held by each drug feeder 5 may have different weights.

[0133] The drug dispensing device 1 described above may be operated with the power constantly on. Alternatively, even if the power to the main unit of the drug dispensing device 1 is turned off, the power to the drug feeder 5 may be kept constantly on. In these cases, the detection value of the weight measuring means 25 of each drug feeder 5 may be continuously monitored to detect whether or not there is an abnormality in the weight measuring means 25. That is, if the change in the weight value per unit time is not a predictable change (e.g., the specified value is not maintained), it may be determined that there is an abnormality in the weight measuring means 25. In other words, in a waveform graph with time on the horizontal axis and the detected value (weight value) on the vertical axis, if the waveform deviates significantly from a predetermined range, it may be determined that there is an abnormality in the weight measuring means 25. Similarly, by continuously monitoring the detected value of the weight measuring means 25, it may be possible to detect whether the drug container 20 has been removed, whether external vibrations are occurring, etc. Furthermore, if an abnormality is detected, a notification operation may be performed to inform the user of the abnormality. In addition, at that time, information showing the change in the detected value over time, such as the graph described above, may be displayed on a display device or the like provided on the drug dispensing device 1.

[0134] In the drug dispensing device 1 described above, a hopper-side weight measuring means 600 capable of detecting the weight of the powder dispensing hopper 310 may be provided, as shown in Figure 20. This hopper-side weight measuring means 600 is part of the packaging device 308 and may be provided on the base member that fixes the powder dispensing hopper 310. When detecting the weight of the powder dispensing hopper 310, the weight value may be obtained by subtracting the weight of a member other than the powder dispensing hopper 310, among the members on which the load is applied to the hopper-side weight measuring means 600, from the detected value of the hopper-side weight measuring means 600. Furthermore, an upper lid member that closes the upper opening of the powder dispensing hopper 310 and a lower lid member that closes the lower opening may be provided. In this case, the upper lid member and the lower lid member are members that can switch between the open state and the closed state of their respective openings. Moreover, the lower lid member may be provided integrally with the powder dispensing hopper 310. Furthermore, by closing the lower lid member and dispensing the powder into the powder dispensing hopper 310, the powder can be temporarily retained inside the powder dispensing hopper 310. At this time, the weight of the powder dispensed into the powder dispensing hopper 310 can be detected by the hopper-side weight measuring means 600.

[0135] If a hopper-side weight measuring means 600 is provided, the following fault detection operation may be performed. To explain in more detail, as described above, the powdered medication is dispensed from the medication container 20 of the medication feeder 5 into the dispensing tray 3. Around the same time, the weight of one packet of powdered medication is obtained based on the prescription data. For example, if 63g of powdered medication is dispensed into the dispensing tray 3 for 21 packets, the weight of one packet of powdered medication will be 3g (63 / 21). Then, one packet of powder is dispensed into the powder dispensing hopper 310, which has its lower opening closed by the lower lid member, in the same way as a normal dispensing operation. Subsequently, the weight of the powder dispensed into the powder dispensing hopper 310 is obtained based on the value detected by the hopper-side weight measuring means 600.

[0136] Next, the weight of one packet of powdered medicine, which was obtained in advance, is compared with the weight of the powdered medicine put into the powdered medicine input hopper 310, which was obtained based on the hopper-side weight measuring means 600. If the results of the comparison are the same, it is determined that the weight measuring means 25 was not malfunctioning. Conversely, if the compared weights are not the same, it is determined that the weight measuring means 25 was malfunctioning. Here, as shown in Figure 20, if powder is discharged from one drug feeder 5, it is determined whether or not the weight measuring means 25 of this drug feeder 5 was malfunctioning. Conversely, if powder is discharged from multiple drug feeders 5, it is determined whether or not the weight measuring means 25 was malfunctioning in all of the multiple drug feeders 5. That is, if the compared weights are the same, it is determined that the weight measuring means 25 was not malfunctioning in all of the multiple drug feeders 5. Conversely, if the compared weights are not the same, it is determined that the weight measuring means 25 belonging to one or more of the drug feeders 5 was malfunctioning. The weight of one packet mentioned above may be calculated based on the value detected by the weight measuring means 25. In other words, the total amount discharged may be calculated based on the value detected by the weight measuring means 25, and the weight of one packet may be calculated from the total amount discharged.

[0137] Furthermore, if the fault detection operation determines that the weight measuring means 25 is faulty, a notification operation may be performed to notify the system of this fact. The notification operation may also include an operation to prompt calibration of the weight measuring means 25. For example, an operation to prompt calibration of the drug feeder 5 that has been determined to be faulty (or is suspected to be faulty) by the fault detection operation may be performed, or an operation to prompt calibration of all drug feeders 5 belonging to the drug dispensing device 1 (corresponding to the distribution tray 3) may be performed.

[0138] Furthermore, the fault detection operation may also be performed by piling up the powdered drug discharged from the drug feeder 5 to the distribution tray 3 in a single point or a very narrow area, as shown in Figure 21. In other words, when this fault detection operation is initiated, a single dose of powdered medicine is discharged from the drug feeder 5 to the dispensing tray 3. During this time, the rotation of the dispensing tray 3 is stopped, or the dispensing tray 3 is rotated at a very small speed. As a result, the discharged powdered medicine is piled up at one point or in a very narrow area of ​​the dispensing tray 3, forming a powdered medicine aggregate 610. That is, the powdered medicine aggregate 610 is a collection of powdered medicine piled up like a mountain in a narrow area that is part of the dispensing tray 3.

[0139] When performing a fault detection operation on the weight measuring means 25 of multiple drug feeders 5, one packet of powdered medicine is discharged from each, forming powdered medicine sets 610 at multiple locations on the distribution tray 3. Around the same time, based on prescription data, the weight of one packet of powdered medicine discharged from each drug feeder 5, that is, the target discharge weight when creating each powdered medicine set 610, is obtained. Next, the distribution tray 3 is rotated at a low speed to move one powder assembly 610a to a position close to the powder input hopper 310, and then this powder assembly 610a is put into the powder input hopper 310. At this time, the lower opening of the powder input hopper 310 is kept closed, and the weight of the powder put into the powder input hopper 310 is obtained based on the detected value of the hopper-side weight measuring means 600.

[0140] Then, the weight of the powder (powder assembly 610a) put into the powder input hopper 310 is compared with the weight of one packet, which was the target discharge amount of the powder (target discharge amount when forming the powder assembly 610a). If the comparison results show that these are the same, it is determined that the weight measuring means 25 of the drug feeder 5 that discharged the powder was not malfunctioning. Conversely, if these are not the same, it is determined that the weight measuring means 25 of the drug feeder 5 that discharged the powder was malfunctioning. For example, if a powder is dispensed from one drug feeder 5 with a target discharge amount of 3g to create a powder collection 610a, the system determines whether the weight of the powder put into the powder input hopper 310 is 3g or not. If it is 3g, the system determines that the weight measuring means 25 belonging to the drug feeder 5 was not malfunctioning.

[0141] Next, the lower opening of the powder dispensing hopper 310 is opened, and the powder (powder assembly 610a) is discharged from the powder dispensing hopper 310. Then, by rotating the distribution tray 3 at a low speed, the other powder assembly 610b is moved to a position close to the powder dispensing hopper 310, and this powder assembly 610b is put into the powder dispensing hopper 310. Prior to this putting operation, the lower opening of the powder dispensing hopper 310 is closed. Then, as described above, the weight of the powder (powder assembly 610b) put into the powder dispensing hopper 310 is obtained based on the detected value of the hopper-side weight measuring means 600.

[0142] Then, similarly to the above, the weight of the powder (powder assembly 610b) put into the powder input hopper 310 is compared with the weight of one packet, which was the target discharge amount of the powder (the target discharge amount when forming powder assembly 610a). This determines whether the weight measuring means 25 of the drug feeder 5 that discharged this powder was not malfunctioning. Similarly, the determination of whether the weight measuring means 25 was malfunctioning is made for each of the multiple drug feeders 5. This fault detection operation is not limited to operations targeting the weight measuring means 25 of multiple drug feeders 5, but may also target the weight measuring means 25 of a single drug feeder 5. In addition, the fault detection operation described above may also perform an operation to compare the value calculated based on the detected value of the weight measuring means 25 (discharge amount) with the value calculated based on the detected value of the hopper-side weight measuring means 600 (input amount). Furthermore, in the above example, the fault detection operation was performed using powdered medicine discharged from the drug feeder 5 to the distribution tray 3. However, the fault detection operation may use cleaning chemicals (cleaning agents), food, excipients, etc. instead of powdered medicine. In other words, powders other than pharmaceuticals may be used. Excipients are additives added to increase the volume before formulation, and are so-called bulking agents. Also, "food" as used here includes starch, baking soda, etc., which are safe for human oral ingestion, and the same applies below. When using these instead of powdered medicine, a detection operation container containing these in the drug container 20 described above is used.

[0143] As described above, if the hopper side weight measuring means 600 is provided, the following hopper installation determination operation may be performed. This hopper mounting determination operation determines whether or not the powder dispensing hopper 310 is mounted on the base member. Specifically, the weight change when attaching or detaching the powder dispensing hopper 310 is detected by the hopper-side weight measuring means 600. That is, based on the value detected by the hopper-side weight measuring means 600, it is determined whether or not the load of the powder dispensing hopper 310 is being applied to the hopper-side weight measuring means 600. If it is determined that the load of the powder dispensing hopper 310 is being applied, the powder dispensing hopper 310 is considered to be mounted. Conversely, if it is determined that the load of the powder dispensing hopper 310 is not being applied, the powder dispensing hopper 310 is considered to be detached. According to the hopper installation detection operation described above, it is possible to detect whether or not the pesticide dispensing hopper 310 is installed without providing a sensor for detecting the pesticide dispensing hopper 310 or any detection wiring on the pesticide dispensing hopper 310.

[0144] As described above, if the hopper side weight measuring means 600 is provided, the following hopper cleaning operation may be performed. First, let's explain the basic cleaning procedure for the hopper. In the drug dispensing device 1 described above, the cleaning procedure for the powder input hopper 310 is performed after the dispensing operation is completed and before the subsequent dispensing operation is completed. As a cleaning operation for the powder dispensing hopper 310, there is a suction cleaning operation in which a cleaning chemical or food (hereinafter simply referred to as cleaning agent) is put into the powder dispensing hopper 310 with the lower opening closed, and then the upper opening is closed and suction is performed inside the powder dispensing hopper 310. In the suction cleaning operation, the lower lid member may be opened and closed in the latter half of the suction, and at this time, air may be blown from the air nozzle to the outside of the lower lid member. In addition, as a cleaning operation, there is a dust collection operation in which chemicals etc. adhering to the powder dispensing hopper 310 are removed by a dust collector (not shown). The dust collector generates negative pressure to suck up dust along with air, and is not particularly limited, but may be equipped with a vacuum pump or dust collection bag. Furthermore, as a cleaning operation, there is a vibration cleaning operation in which the powder dispensing hopper 310 is struck or vibrated by a vibrator or knocker. In the cleaning operation of the chemical dispensing device 1, one or more selected from the suction cleaning operation, dust collection operation, and vibration cleaning operation are performed.

[0145] Here, some types of powdered pesticides that adhere to the powdered pesticide input hopper 310 are difficult to remove by cleaning. In addition, the humidity of the location where the pesticide dispensing device 1 is installed may make it difficult to remove the powdered pesticides by cleaning. Therefore, in the drug dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, when a cleaning operation is performed after a packaging operation, the weight of the powder dispensing hopper 310 is measured before the packaging operation, after the packaging operation (before the cleaning operation), and after the cleaning operation. That is, when powder adheres to the powder dispensing hopper 310, the weight value of the powder dispensing hopper 310 measured by the hopper-side weight measuring means 600 increases. Therefore, by obtaining the weight difference before and after the packaging operation (comparing the detected values), it is possible to determine how much powder adhered to the powder dispensing hopper 310 due to the packaging operation. In addition, by comparing the weight value before the packaging operation with the weight value after the cleaning operation, it is possible to determine whether the cleaning operation was performed properly, that is, whether all the powder was removed. Thus, it is possible to evaluate the cleaning operation by comparing the detected values ​​before the packaging operation and after the cleaning operation.

[0146] Then, the drug dispensing device 1 performs a cleaning operation based on the detected value of the hopper-side weight measuring means 600 described above. For example, by comparing the detected value before and after the dispensing operation, if a large amount of powder is attached, the cleaning operation is performed by increasing the amount of cleaning agent, increasing the strength of the tapping, increasing the number of taps, increasing the suction strength of the dust collector, or increasing the suction time. Conversely, if not much powder is attached, the cleaning operation is performed by decreasing the amount of cleaning agent, decreasing the strength of the tapping, etc. In other words, the content of the cleaning operation to be performed (amount of cleaning agent, duration of various operations such as suction, number of taps, interval, strength, strength of dust collection operation, etc.) is changed based on the detected value of the hopper-side weight measuring means 600. In addition, based on the detected value of the hopper-side weight measuring means 600 described above, it is decided whether or not to perform another cleaning operation after the first cleaning operation. If a second cleaning operation is performed, the content of the subsequent cleaning operation is also determined based on the detected value of the hopper-side weight measuring means 600. In other words, the number of cleaning operations to be performed is determined based on the detected value of the hopper-side weight measuring means 600, and the content of each cleaning operation to be performed, one or more times, is determined. The number of cleaning operations to be performed can be determined by deciding whether to perform a cleaning operation immediately after each cleaning operation, or by deciding how many times to perform the operation before the first cleaning operation, or by deciding how many more times to perform the operation before the second or subsequent cleaning operations. Similarly, the content of the cleaning operations can be determined by deciding what cleaning operations to perform immediately after each cleaning operation, or by deciding what to perform at appropriate times.

[0147] Furthermore, after performing a cleaning operation, information regarding the evaluation of the cleaning operation already performed (hereinafter also referred to as cleaning evaluation information) may be stored in a storage means such as a control device. The cleaning evaluation information may be stored in association with information such as the type of powdered medicine to be cleaned, the humidity at the time of execution, and the content of the cleaning operation performed. Each time a cleaning operation is performed, the content may be modified based on the cleaning evaluation information and related information to achieve a better evaluation, and the cleaning operation may be executed again. With such a configuration, the accuracy of the cleaning operation improves the longer the drug dispensing device 1 is operated.

[0148] As described above, the scraping device 8 is used by attaching the rotating plate 12 to the mounting base 255. If a hopper-side weight measuring means 600 is provided, the following mounting determination operation may be performed. The attachment determination operation determines whether the component (rotating plate 12 in this embodiment) that is retrofitted to the scraping device 8 is correctly attached. Specifically, the lower opening of the powder input hopper 310 is closed, and one packet of powder is poured from the distribution tray 3 into the powder input hopper 310. Then, if the weight of the powder poured into the powder input hopper 310 is correctly detected by the hopper-side weight measuring means 600, it is determined that the rotating plate 12 is correctly attached to the scraping device 8. Conversely, if the weight of the powder poured into the powder input hopper 310 is not correctly detected, it is determined that the rotating plate 12 is not correctly attached to the scraping device 8. The mounting detection operation may be performed in parallel with the execution of the packaging operation. That is, when powder is dispensed from the dispensing tray 3 to the powder dispensing hopper 310 during the packaging operation, it may be determined whether or not the rotating plate 12 is properly mounted. In this case, if it is determined that the rotating plate 12 is not properly mounted, the ongoing packaging operation may be stopped. Alternatively, a notification operation may be performed to indicate that the rotating plate 12 is not properly mounted. The mounting detection operation may be performed separately from the packaging operation. For example, it may be performed by discharging the powder from the drug feeder 5 to the distribution tray 3 before the packaging operation. The mounting detection operation may also be performed in parallel with the fault detection operation described above. That is, if the weight of the powder placed in the powder input hopper 310 is correctly detected, it is determined that the rotating plate 12 is correctly mounted and that the weight measuring means 25 of the drug feeder 5 that discharged the powder was not faulty. Conversely, if the weight of the powder is not correctly detected, it is determined that either the rotating plate 12 is not correctly mounted or the weight measuring means 25 of the drug feeder 5 that discharged the powder was faulty.

[0149] In addition, the drug feeder of the present invention may use the drug container 680 shown in Figure 22 instead of the drug container 20 described above. This drug container 680 has a structure that allows it to be attached to and detached from the feeder body 10, similar to the drug container 20 described above. In other words, together with the feeder body 10 described above, it constitutes the drug feeder.

[0150] This drug container 680 is also surrounded by a front wall 691, a rear wall 692, two side walls 693, a top wall 694, and a bottom wall 695. Here, the two side walls 693 are large-area sides, larger in area than the front wall 691 and the rear wall 692. In contrast, the front wall 691 and the rear wall 692 are small-area sides. In other words, when viewed from the front wall 691 side, the drug container 680 is a long, narrow box-shaped component. That is, the drug container 680 is a vertically elongated container with a height that is greater than its width (narrow width and tall height). Also, the side shape is a roughly square rectangular prism. Furthermore, the drug container 680 has an openable and closable drug discharge section 697 (powder discharge section, see Figure 23) located near the front wall 691 on the bottom wall 695. The drug container 680 also has a shutter structure 712.

[0151] The shutter structure 712 includes a shutter member 712a having a closing wall and a transmission member (not shown). Similar to the embodiment described above, the linear movement of the transmission member causes the shutter member 712a to move, opening and closing the drug discharge section 697. That is, similar to the embodiment described above, a portion of the back wall 692 side of the transmission member is exposed to the outside (detailed illustration omitted), and the drug container 680 is held by the feeder body 10, engaging with the shutter opening and closing mechanism 55.

[0152] The drug container 680 of this embodiment differs from the drug container 20 described above in that, as shown in Figure 23, the lid member 701 constitutes the top wall 694 among the walls. In other words, in the drug container 20 described above, the lid member constitutes the left and right side walls 37, and powder can be filled by opening the large area of ​​the side walls. In contrast, in the drug container 680, the lid member 701 is attached to a box body with an open top, and the lid member 701 is pivotable by a hinge. When the lid member 701 is in the open state, powder can be filled from above, and when it is in the closed state, the drug container 680 can be sealed. Furthermore, the drug container 680 of this embodiment can be filled with powder while it is held in the feeder body 10.

[0153] In this embodiment, the lid member 701 has a lid body portion 702 and a small lid portion 703, as shown in Figure 23. The small lid portion 703 is attached to the lower side of the lid body portion 702 (the lower side when it is in the closed state) and is pivotable by a hinge. Here, the lid member 701 has an internal storage section 704 capable of accommodating a desiccant or the like. The internal storage section 704 in this embodiment is a space for placing a humidity control agent. The internal storage section 704 can be opened and closed by swinging the small lid section 703. In other words, the internal storage section 704 is a space formed between the lid body section 702 and the small lid section 703. More specifically, when the lid member 701 is in the closed state and the small lid section 703 is in the closed state, it is a space located above most of the small lid section 703.

[0154] This drug container 680 has a partition plate portion 710 (partition member) inside. The partition plate portion 710 is a flat plate-shaped portion located at the boundary between the storage space 739 for storing powdered medicine and the powder passage 740. The powder passage 740 is the portion through which the powdered medicine passes when it is discharged, and is a space located below the partition plate portion 710, including the space between the partition plate portion 710 and the bottom wall 695.

[0155] The partition plate portion 710 is the part that is in a horizontal position when the drug container 680 is held in the feeder body 10. The partition plate portion 710 is provided with a plurality of small holes, and these small holes penetrate the partition plate portion 710 in the vertical direction (thickness direction). In addition, there is a large inclined portion 715 and a small inclined portion 716 adjacent to the partition plate portion 710.

[0156] The large inclined section 715 and the small inclined section 716 both form inclined surfaces that slope toward the partition plate section 710 when the drug container 680 is held in the feeder body 10. The large inclined section 715 is longer than the small inclined section 716, and their respective inclination angles are equivalent. In other words, the space between the large inclined section 715 and the small inclined section 716 (the lower part of the storage space 739) converges toward the partition plate section 710.

[0157] When discharging the drug from the drug container 680, the drug discharge section 697 is opened while the drug container 680 is held in the feeder body 10, and the drug container 680 is vibrated. At this time, as the amount of powder in the powder passage 740 decreases due to the discharge, the powder inside the drug container 680 moves from the storage space 739, which is the space above the partition plate section 710, into the powder passage 740 and proceeds towards the drug discharge section 697. Then it is discharged from the drug discharge section 697. When the drug container 680 is vibrated, the powder inside the drug container 680 is agitated in the storage space 739, which is the space above the partition plate 710. At this time, some of the stored powder moves upward along the large inclined section 715 and moves towards the partition plate 710, above the partition plate 710. As a result, the downward force from above by the powder is less likely to be applied to the small holes (slits) of the partition plate 710, and the powder that flows due to agitation falls appropriately through the small holes (slits), enabling smooth discharge of the powder.

[0158] In the drug dispensing device 1 described above (see Figure 1, etc.), when dispensing powdered medicine from the drug container 20 of the drug feeder 5 to the dispensing tray 3, a pre-weight measurement operation is performed prior to dispensing, as described above. Then, the weight calibration unit 21 is moved from the second state to the first state, and the operation of dispensing the powdered medicine to the dispensing tray 3 is performed. After the dispensing operation of the powdered medicine is performed, the weight of the drug container 20 (and / or the weight of the powdered medicine contained inside) is obtained. Furthermore, a post-weight measurement operation is performed.

[0159] Furthermore, during the dispensing of the powdered medicine, as described above, an operation is performed to measure the weight of the medicine container 20. That is, around the time the vibration member 16 in the feeder unit 22 starts vibrating, the weight of the medicine container 20 is measured, and the current weight of the medicine container 20 is continuously monitored as the current weight g even while the powdered medicine is falling. The amount of powdered medicine to fall H is constantly calculated by comparing the original weight G of the medicine container 20 immediately after it is placed on the vibration member 16 with the current weight g, and the vibration of the vibration member 16 is stopped when the total amount of powdered medicine to fall H reaches the desired weight.

[0160] In the above-described dispensing operation of the powder, the weight of the drug container 20 before opening the opening on the lower side of the drug container 20 may be obtained as the original weight G of the drug container 20 (this may also be set as the zero point). When the amount of powder dropped H exceeds a certain level and approaches (or reaches) the desired weight, the vibration of the vibrating member 16 may be stopped, and a waiting operation may be performed in which the opening of the drug container 20 remains open for a predetermined time. At this time, the amount of powder dropped H calculated by comparing the original weight G with the current weight g obtained after the waiting operation may be used as the final amount of powder discharged into the dispensing tray 3 (the amount of powder discharged). The following describes in detail the specific procedure for discharging powdered medicine into the distribution tray 3 using this discharge operation, using the example of attaching and holding the medicine container 20 to the feeder body 10, performing the discharging operation of the powdered medicine, and then removing the medicine container 20 from the feeder body 10.

[0161] First, as shown in Figure 24, the drug container 20 is attached to and held in the feeder body 10 (Step 1, see Figure 24(a)). Next, the weight calibration unit 21 is moved from the first state to the second state and the operation to detect the weight of the weight 42 is performed (pre-weight measurement operation) (Step 2, see Figure 24(b)). Next, the weight calibration unit 21 is moved from the second state to the first state (Step 3, see Figure 24(c)). Next, the weight of the drug container 20 before it is opened is obtained as the original weight G of the drug container 20 and zero point is set (Step 4, see Figure 24(d)). Next, the drug container 20 is opened (Step 5, see Figure 24(e)). The vibrating member 16 is vibrated to discharge (dispense) the powder (Step 6, see Figure 24(f)). A standby operation is performed and the original weight G and the current weight g obtained after the standby operation are compared to obtain the final amount of powder discharged (Step 7, see Figure 24(g)). The opening of the drug container 20 is closed (step 8, see Figure 24(h)). The weight calibration unit 21 is moved from the first state to the second state and the operation to detect the weight of the weight 42 (post-weight measurement operation) is performed (step 9, see Figure 24(i)). At this time, as above, if the weight values ​​of the weight 42 obtained in the pre-weight measurement operation and the post-weight measurement operation are the same, it is determined that the weight measuring means 25 was not malfunctioning. Next, the weight calibration unit 21 is moved from the second state to the first state (step 10, see Figure 24(j)). The drug container 20 is removed from the feeder body 10 (step 11, see Figure 24(k)).

[0162] As described above, by performing the dispensing operation of the powder, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of measurement errors (dispensing errors) in the amount of powder dispensed due to unintended dropping of the powder. To explain in detail, when the drug container 20 is opened, there is a possibility that the drug adhering to the shutter member 121, etc., may fall off as the operation to open it occurs. In addition, it is possible that the drug may fall off from near the powder discharge section (opening) inside the drug container 20. Therefore, by performing zero-point setting before opening the drug container 20, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of errors due to such unintended powder fallout. In other words, if zeroing is performed after opening the shutter member 121 to the open state, and if the aforementioned drug (powder) falls when transitioning to the open state, the weight of the discharged drug may differ from the amount dispensed (the amount that should have been discharged). That is, the amount of discharged drug may be increased by the amount of powder that fell before zeroing. In contrast, by performing the dispensing operation of the powdered drug using the procedure described above, more accurate dispensing of the powdered drug becomes possible. In other words, according to the embodiment described above, it is possible to prevent (suppress) problems caused by the failure of the weight measuring means due to the fault detection operation, and it is possible to prevent (suppress) the occurrence of measurement errors in the amount of dispensing, thus enabling highly accurate dispensing of the powdered drug. [Industrial applicability]

[0163] The present invention relates to a drug dispensing apparatus, a calibration method for a drug dispensing apparatus, and a fault detection method for a drug dispensing apparatus, and is capable of achieving the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of "ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages." The drug dispensing device of the present invention eliminates the powder weighing and other powder auditing tasks that should be performed by qualified personnel such as pharmacists, making it possible for non-pharmacists, such as technicians, to perform the task. Specifically, without the operator being aware that the contents are drugs, the operator simply retrieves the drug container specified by its number based on the prescription information, or, if located on a shelf, by a lamp, and places it on the drug dispensing device, thereby reliably completing the necessary packaging work for the prescription. This allows qualified pharmacists to shift from object-oriented tasks such as dispensing to person-oriented tasks such as interacting with patients, and since necessary dispensing tasks can be performed by non-pharmacists, it is possible to achieve the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of "ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages." This is also true for drug dispensing devices that employ the drug feeder of the present invention, as well as drug dispensing devices that implement the drug feeder calibration method and drug feeder fault detection method of the present invention. Furthermore, this invention can reduce labor costs and improve economic productivity. This, too, can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). [Explanation of symbols]

[0164] 1; Drug dispensing device, 5,201,405; Drug feeder, 20,680; Drug container, 21,200,421,521; Weight calibration unit (measuring means inspection unit), 23,423; Container support unit (holding member), 25; Weight measuring means, 42,142; Weight (weight member), 43; Weight placement member (weight receiving part), 45,145; Weight support member (lifting member), 60,202; Lifting device (lifting means), 80; Motor, 81; Cam, 203,442,504; Weight member, 204; Weight receiving member (weight receiving part), 310; Powder dispensing hopper (hopper member), 600; Hopper side weight measuring means

Claims

1. A drug feeder comprising a drug container for containing powdered drug, a holding member for holding the drug container, and a weight measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the drug container, wherein the drug feeder is capable of discharging powdered drug from the drug container and detecting the amount of powdered drug discharged by the weight measuring means, The device has a weight member and a lifting means for raising and lowering the weight member, and it is possible to calibrate the weight measuring means and / or detect a malfunction by comparing the state in which the load of the weight member is applied to the weight measuring means with the state in which the load of the weight member is not applied to the weight measuring means. Having a weight-receiving section, The weight-receiving portion of the drug feeder is capable of receiving the load of the weight member both when the holding member is holding the drug container and when the drug container is removed from the holding member.

2. The drug feeder according to claim 1, wherein the lifting means lifts or lowers at least one of the weight measuring means or the drug container, in addition to the weight member.

3. The measurement means and inspection section are formed including the weight member, the lifting means, and the weight receiving portion. The drug feeder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the calibration and / or fault detection are performed by the measurement means inspection unit, and the measurement means inspection unit is arranged around the holding member.

4. A drug feeder comprising a drug container for containing powdered drug, a holding member for holding the drug container, and a weight measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the drug container, wherein the drug feeder is capable of discharging powdered drug from the drug container and detecting the amount of powdered drug discharged by the weight measuring means, The device has a weight member and a lifting means for raising and lowering the weight member, and it is possible to calibrate the weight measuring means and / or detect a malfunction by comparing the state in which the load of the weight member is applied to the weight measuring means with the state in which the load of the weight member is not applied to the weight measuring means. Having a weight-receiving section, The lifting mechanism comprises a motor which is a power source, a cam which rotates due to the operation of the motor, and a lifting member which is placed on the cam. The lifting member moves up and down in conjunction with the rotation of the cam while maintaining its position on the cam. A drug feeder in which the lifting member pushes the weight member upward from below, causing the weight member to transition from a state in which it is in contact with the weight receiving portion to a state in which it is not in contact with the weight receiving portion.

5. A drug feeder comprising a drug container for containing powdered drug, a holding member for holding the drug container, and a weight measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the drug container, wherein the drug feeder is capable of discharging powdered drug from the drug container and detecting the amount of powdered drug discharged by the weight measuring means, The device has a weight member and a lifting means for raising and lowering the weight member, and it is possible to calibrate the weight measuring means and / or detect a malfunction by comparing the state in which the load of the weight member is applied to the weight measuring means with the state in which the load of the weight member is not applied to the weight measuring means. Having a weight-receiving section, The weight-receiving portion is part of the holding member and is formed at a position below the held drug container. By raising and lowering the weight member, the state in which the weight member is placed on the weight receiving portion and the load of the weight member is applied to the weight measuring means is switched between a state in which the weight member is separated upward from the weight receiving portion. The weight member is positioned below the held drug container in both the state in which it is placed on the weight receiving portion and the state in which it is separated above the weight receiving portion, in a drug feeder.

6. A drug feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the drug container can be manually held in the holding member, and the drug container held in the holding member can be manually removed.

7. A drug dispensing device comprising a drug feeder, The aforementioned drug feeder comprises a drug container in which powder is contained, a holding member for holding the drug container, and a weight measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the drug container, and is capable of discharging powder from the drug container and detecting the amount of powder discharged by the weight measuring means. The device comprises a drug packaging section for packaging powdered medicine, a hopper member into which the powdered medicine supplied to the drug packaging section is fed, and a hopper-side weight measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the hopper member. A drug dispensing device that dispenses a target amount of powdered drug based on the detection value of the weight measuring means, puts the dispensed powdered drug into a hopper member, and performs fault detection based on the detection value of the weight measuring means on the hopper side.

8. A method for detecting a malfunction in a drug feeder, comprising a drug container for containing powdered drug, a holding member for holding the drug container, and a weight measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the drug container, wherein the weight measuring means is capable of detecting the amount of powdered drug discharged, The process includes a weight acquisition step in which the weight is measured by the weight measuring means while the load of the weight member is applied to the weight measuring means, Prior to the dispensing of the powdered drug, the weight acquisition process is performed. After the dispensing operation of the powder, the weight acquisition process is performed again. A method for detecting a malfunction in a drug feeder, comprising comparing the weight obtained in the weight acquisition step performed prior to the dispensing of the powdered drug with the weight obtained in the weight acquisition step performed after the dispensing of the powdered drug, to determine whether or not the weight measuring means was malfunctioning during the dispensing of the powdered drug.

9. The drug feeder failure detection method according to claim 8, wherein in the drug dispensing operation, the drug dispensing section of the drug container is opened to dispense the drug, and in the operation to detect the amount of drug dispensed, an operation is performed to obtain the weight of the drug container before dispensing the drug as the original weight, and before opening the drug dispensing section of the drug container, an operation is performed to obtain the weight of the drug container before dispensing the drug as the original weight.

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