Medicine conveying and dispensing device

Abstract

To provide a medicine conveying and dispensing device in which a plurality of dispensing devices are provided, and a packaging device is provided with hoppers corresponding to the respective dispensing devices. This medicine conveying and dispensing device has a conveyance unit capable of holding and conveying a cassette in which a medicine is contained, a plurality of first storage shelves capable of storing a plurality of the cassettes in a form of being attached to a cassette base and capable of dispensing the medicine from the stored cassettes, a second storage shelf capable of storing a plurality of the cassettes, a packaging device for packaging the medicine dispensed from the first storage shelf, and a medicine conveyance pathway connecting the first storage shelf and the packaging device, medicine conveying and dispensing device being characterized in that at least two first storage shelves are arranged back-to-back, and the medicine conveyance pathway has an upper tablet collection mechanism for guiding the medicine to a location below the first storage shelf and dropping the medicine, two conveyance conveyors arranged in parallel with each other at the lower part of the upper tablet collection mechanism, and a plurality of medicine containers attached to each of the conveyance conveyors, the packaging device being provided with two or more hoppers for depositing the respective medicines conveyed from the two conveyance conveyors onto a section formed on packaging paper.

Description

Medicine delivery and dispensing device

[0001] The present invention relates to a medicine delivery and dispensing device equipped with a packaging device.

[0002] Tablet packaging machines are widely known, including a cassette that stores tablets in a container body, a rotor that rotates on its axis within the container, a rotor shaft that rotates along with the rotor as the shaft rotates, thereby sequentially discharging tablets from the container, and a packaging device that packages the tablets dispensed from the cassette one by one according to prescription data (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such tablet packaging machines require cassettes to be installed within the device, and the number of cassettes that can be installed limits the types of drugs that can be accommodated within the device's housing. Therefore, some tablets are known that are provided with a separate manual dispensing mechanism so that tablets for which cassettes are not available or drugs that are difficult to discharge sequentially can also be packaged in the packaging device (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0003] Conventional configurations have the drawback of requiring the device itself to be stopped when replenishing tablets in cassettes or replacing cassettes, thereby limiting the operating time of the tablet packaging machine. While incorporating a large number of cassettes into the device has been considered to reduce the time required for replenishing tablets or replacing cassettes, there is also the concern that simply increasing the number of cassettes would complicate the path of tablet transport from the cassettes to the packaging machine. Therefore, there has been a demand for a drug delivery and dispensing device with multiple dispensing mechanisms that can accommodate an increased number of tablet cassettes without unnecessarily complicating the path of tablet transport. Furthermore, by providing multiple dispensing mechanisms, even if one dispensing mechanism stops for some reason, the device does not need to be stopped if a similar cassette is present in the other dispensing mechanism, thereby extending the operating time of the device.

[0004] Furthermore, simply providing multiple dispensing mechanisms increases the overall complexity of the device, making it difficult to clean the tablet drop path and reducing maintainability. To solve these problems, a configuration that allows the portion where the dispensing mechanism is provided to be opened and closed is already known (see, for example, Patent Document 3). However, when applying such an opening and closing mechanism, it is inevitably one-sidedly supported, making it difficult to increase the size beyond a certain level, and also creating the problem of difficulty in balancing with an increase in the number of cassettes installed. Therefore, development is also being conducted on structures that allow multiple dispensing mechanisms to be both easy to clean and easy to maintain with a simple configuration.

[0005] JP 2023-022428 A WO2018 / 092771 A JP 2020-195852 A

[0006] The present invention is intended to solve such technical problems, and aims to provide a medicine delivery and dispensing device that is equipped with multiple dispensing devices and a packaging device that is equipped with hoppers corresponding to each dispensing device.

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the drug transport and dispensing device of the present invention is a drug transport and dispensing device having a transport unit capable of grasping and transporting cassettes containing drugs, a first storage shelf in which multiple cassettes can be stored by attaching them to a cassette base and which can dispense the drugs from the stored cassettes, a second storage shelf in which multiple cassettes can be stored, a packaging device for packaging the drugs dispensed from the first storage shelf, and a drug transport path connecting the first storage shelf and the packaging device, wherein at least two of the first storage shelves are arranged back to back to each other, and the drug transport path has an upper tablet collection mechanism that guides the drugs below the first storage shelf and drops them, two transport conveyors arranged parallel to each other below the upper tablet collection mechanism, and a plurality of drug containers attached to each of the transport conveyors, and the packaging device is characterized in that it has two or more hoppers for storing each of the drugs transported from the two transport conveyors into compartments formed in packaging paper.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a medicine delivery and dispensing device that reduces the time required for refilling and cassette replacement, and has less downtime.

[0009] 15. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of a medicine delivering and dispensing device. A side view showing an example of the configuration of the medicine delivering and dispensing device shown in FIG. 1. A front view showing an example of the configuration of a medicine delivering and dispensing device. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of a cassette mounted on the medicine delivering and dispensing device. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of an incoming transport unit and an outgoing transport unit that store and retrieve cassettes. A diagram showing an example of the cassette receiving operation in the incoming transport unit. A diagram showing another example of the cassette receiving operation in the incoming transport unit. A diagram showing an example of a failure in the receiving operation shown in FIG. 6. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of an interval adjustment unit for adjusting the interval between cassettes to be received. A diagram showing an example of the operation of the interval adjustment unit shown in FIG. 9. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of a transport unit for transporting cassettes. A diagram showing an example of a configuration for gripping a cassette in the transport unit. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of a second storage shelf in the present invention. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of a first storage shelf in the present invention. A diagram showing an example of the operation of the first storage shelf. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of a rotating part of the first storage shelf shown in FIG. 15. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of the first storage shelf shown in FIG. 15. A diagram showing an example of the positioning configuration of the first storage shelf shown in FIG. 15. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a transport path for transporting medicines from a first storage shelf to a packaging device. FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a packaging device of the present invention. FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of packaged medicines. FIG. 32 is a front view showing an example of the configuration of a packaging device of the present invention. FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a hopper in a packaging device of the present invention. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing a schematic example of the correspondence between the position of medicines to be packaged and the position of the wrapper at that time. FIG. 35 is a diagram showing the configuration of a hopper in a packaging device, and the correspondence between the position of medicines shown in FIG. 24 and the wrapper. FIG. 36 is a diagram similar to FIG. 24, viewed from the conveyor device on the left side of the medicine delivering and dispensing device. FIG. 37 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a conveyor device in the present invention. FIG. 38 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the conveyor device. FIG. 39 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration shown in FIG. 27 as viewed from above. FIG. 39 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a manual distribution unit of the present invention. FIG. 30 is a front view of the configuration shown in FIG. 31. FIG. 32 is a diagram showing the positional relationship of tablets in the manual distribution unit of the present invention. FIG. 33 is a diagram showing the flow of tablets from the manual distribution unit of the present invention. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the medicine delivering and dispensing device of the present invention.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, each direction will be described along a three-axis Cartesian coordinate system of X, Y, and Z as shown in FIG. 1, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

[0011] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a drug delivery and dispensing device 500 as an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the upper right. The drug delivery and dispensing device 500 is a series of units connected and arranged in a row, in order from the +Z direction (the front side where the operator stands) to the -Z direction (the rear side). These units include a front unit 100 with a packaging device 130 at the bottom, a collector shelf 200 (a first storage shelf capable of storing multiple tablet cassettes 20 and dispensing tablets from the tablet cassettes 20), a storage shelf 300 (a second storage shelf capable of placing the tablet cassettes 20), and a power unit 400 (power source for the electrical system). The drug delivery and dispensing device 500 also includes a control unit 550 as a central computing unit for controlling each of its components. While the control unit 550 may be located anywhere within the drug delivery and dispensing device 500, the present embodiment will be described assuming that the control unit 550 is located at the top of the main body of the drug delivery and dispensing device 500. In this embodiment, the most basic form of the drug delivery and dispensing device 500 is described as having both a collector shelf 200 and a storage shelf 300, one pair on each side, but it is also possible to have multiple collector shelves 200 and multiple storage shelves 300.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 2, the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500 stores a plurality of tablet cassettes 20 for dispensing medicines therein, and has a transport arm unit 110, which is a transport section capable of grasping and transporting the tablet cassettes 20. The collector shelves 200, which are arranged on the left and right sides, are arranged back-to-back with their shelves facing outward so that the tablet cassettes 20 can be removed by the transport arm unit 110. This is also true for the storage shelf 300. The transport arm units 110 are arranged in pairs, one on each side of the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500, and each of them moves independently in the ±Z direction and ±Y direction outside the collector shelf 200 and the storage shelf 300, thereby functioning as transport means that allows the tablet cassettes 20 to be delivered between the collector shelf 200, the storage shelf 300, and the front unit 100. In the transport arm unit 110, the catcher unit 112 moves along the rail unit 111, which is an endless belt stretched in a pair above and below in the Z direction, and the catcher unit 112 moves the grip unit 113 up and down in the Y direction, thereby allowing the transport arm unit 110 to move freely in the YZ plane. As shown in Figure 2, an intermediate gear 114 is provided in the middle of the rail unit 111 and fixed to the housing, and by pressing the rail unit 111 in the X direction opposite to the side where the catcher unit 112 abuts, tension is maintained so that the rail unit 111 extends linearly along the Z direction.

[0013] 3, front unit 100 has a manual distribution section 120 provided for an operator to distribute medicines manually, a packaging device 130 arranged at the bottom, and a storage section 140 for storing large-capacity cassettes 40. Front unit 100 has an incoming transport section 150 for storing tablet cassettes 20 inside front unit 100, and an outgoing transport section 160 for discharging tablet cassettes 20 from the front of front unit 100. Here, incoming transport sections 150 and outgoing transport sections 160 are provided symmetrically, one pair each, at positions line-symmetrical with respect to the center line of front unit 100, and a partition wall 101 is provided at the end of incoming transport section 150 on the +Z direction side to prevent placed tablet cassettes 20 from falling forward.

[0014] The front unit 100 is provided with a touch panel monitor 102, which can be used to check the operating status of and operate the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500. In this way, the monitor 102 can be used as both an operating means and a display means for the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500.

[0015] Next, the basic structure and operation of tablet cassette 20, which is a cassette for storing medicines in this embodiment, will be described. As shown in Figure 4, tablet cassette 20 is a medicine storage container equipped with rotor 21, a container body 22 for storing tablets, handle portion 29, lid portion 23, and tablet discharge port 24. Tablet cassette 20 has a base portion 25 that fits into a plurality of cassette bases 30 provided on collector shelf 200, thereby enabling rotor 21 to rotate and tablets stored therein to be discharged one tablet at a time from tablet discharge port 24. Handle portion 29 is a curved, thin plate-like handle, and an operator can easily carry tablet cassette 20 by gripping handle portion 29.

[0016] The cassette base 30 has a transmission drive unit 31 that transmits driving force by engaging with the lower part of the rotor 21 of the tablet cassette 20 from below, and when this transmission drive unit 31 is rotated by a pulse motor, the rotor 21 also rotates in sync. At this time, a large number of blade-shaped partitions 26 are formed at equal intervals on the outer circumferential surface of the rotor 21, and the tablets enter each compartment separated by these partitions 26 in an aligned manner, so that the tablets are discharged one by one from the tablet discharge port 24 as the rotor 21 rotates. In this way, in the tablet cassette 20, the space separated by the rotor 21 and the partitions 26 functions as an alignment board, and when the rotor 21 is rotated about its axis, the partitions 26 rotate accordingly, allowing the tablets to be sequentially discharged from the main body 22 of the tablet cassette 20.

[0017] An identification member 27 is affixed to the base 25 of the tablet cassette 20 to identify the type of tablets stored therein. A commercially available, thin, flexible RFID tag (Radio Frequency Identifier) ​​is used as the identification member 27, and identification information assigned to each tablet cassette 20 is written in advance and stored as data. An identification member sensor 28 is provided on the cassette base 30 side to recognize the identification member 27 on its upper surface 33, and this configuration makes it possible to identify the tablet cassette 20 fitted in the cassette base 30. The combination of the identification member 27 of the tablet cassette 20 and the drugs stored in the tablet cassette 20 is stored in the control unit 550, and this information can be confirmed via the monitor 102, for example.

[0018] Fig. 5 shows a partial configuration of the incoming transport section 150 and the outgoing transport section 160 of the front unit 100 shown in Fig. 3. The incoming transport section 150 and the outgoing transport section 160 are provided symmetrically in the front unit 100, but since their structures are similar, the incoming transport section 150 and the outgoing transport section 160 arranged on the +X direction side will be described in particular.

[0019] Outgoing conveying section 160 is attached above front unit 100, and functions as a belt-type conveying means made up of outgoing conveying belts 161, which are two endless belts wound along the -Z direction, and drive rollers 162 for driving outgoing conveying belts 161. Outgoing conveying section 160 can move tablet cassettes 20 placed on outgoing conveying belts 161 in the +Z direction by rotating outgoing conveying belts 161.

[0020] In this embodiment, the outgoing conveying section 160 has an outgoing storage section 164, which is a placement location provided at the end of the outgoing conveying belt 161 on the -Z direction upstream side in the conveying direction, an outgoing management sensor 165, and an end position detection sensor 166 attached to the rear end of the outgoing conveying belt 161. When a tablet cassette 20 is placed on the outgoing storage section 164 from the catcher unit 112, the outgoing management sensor 165 detects the presence of the tablet cassette 20, and the outgoing conveying belt 161 is rotated in the +Z direction to convey the tablet cassette 20. In this way, the outgoing storage section 164 is provided within the movable range of the catcher unit 112.

[0021] The delivery management sensor 165 is an optical detection sensor in which the optical axis of the irradiated light is adjusted so as to diagonally cross the delivery storage section 164. When no tablet cassette 20 is placed in the delivery storage section 164, the irradiated light is reflected by a reflector 167 provided opposite the delivery management sensor 165 and returns to the delivery management sensor 165. On the other hand, when a tablet cassette 20 is placed in the delivery storage section 164, the tablet cassette 20 blocks the irradiated light somewhere on the optical path, making it impossible to detect the irradiated light, and it is therefore possible to detect that the tablet cassette 20 is located in the delivery storage section 164. In this embodiment, the delivery management sensor 165 uses an optical detection sensor that operates in pairs with the reflector 167, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration and other existing detection means may be used.

[0022] When the tablet cassette 20 is conveyed in the +Z direction by the outgoing conveyor belt 161 and approaches the terminal position, the terminal position detection sensor 166 detects the tablet cassette 20 directly above and stops the operation of the outgoing conveyor belt 161. Here, since the terminal portion of the outgoing conveyor section 160 protrudes in the +Z direction forward of the front unit 100 as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the operator can remove the tablet cassette 20 placed at this terminal position. In this way, the terminal position is the outgoing position when the tablet cassette 20 is discharged from the outgoing conveyor section 160, and the terminal position detection sensor 166 operates as an outgoing detector that detects that the tablet cassette 20 has reached the outgoing position.

[0023] The in-stock conveying section 150 functions as a belt-type conveying means consisting of two endless belts, in-stock conveying belts 151, wound around the back side of the partition wall 101 in the -Z direction, and a drive roller 152 for driving the in-stock conveying belts 151.

[0024] A tablet cassette 20 can be placed at the upstream end of the incoming conveyor belt 151 in the rotation direction, and an incoming detection sensor 157, which is an optical sensor, is provided as detection means for detecting whether or not a tablet cassette 20 is placed at this upstream end position. In this embodiment, the incoming detection sensor 157 is provided in a manner that directs emitted light diagonally upward, so that the light is reflected by a reflector (not shown) located near the drive roller 162. With this configuration, when the emitted light from the incoming detection sensor 157 is blocked by the tablet cassette 20 or the like, the incoming detection sensor 157 detects that a tablet cassette 20 has been placed at the upstream end position.

[0025] When the receiving detection sensor 157 detects the tablet cassette 20, the receiving conveying unit 150 rotates the receiving conveying belt 151, thereby moving the tablet cassette 20 placed on the receiving conveying belt 151 in the -Z direction. The operator places the tablet cassette 20 to be stored on the receiving conveying belt 151 on the back side of the partition wall 101, and moves the tablet cassette 20 into the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500.

[0026] In this embodiment, three interval adjustment means 153 are provided downstream in the movement direction of the incoming conveyance section 150, i.e., on the -Z direction side, and when a tablet cassette 20 moving in the -Z direction passes above the interval adjustment means 153, the movement is restricted by the interval adjustment means 153, thereby appropriately adjusting the interval between two adjacent tablet cassettes 20. The specific operation and configuration of such interval adjustment means 153 will be described later. Furthermore, the number of interval adjustment means 153 provided is arbitrary, but it is desirable to provide more than one.

[0027] An incoming storage section 154 for arranging and aligning the tablet cassettes 20 is provided on the -Z direction side of the interval adjustment means 153. Since the incoming storage section 154 is within the movable range of the transport arm unit 110, tablet cassettes 20 that reach the incoming storage section 154 are grasped by the transport arm unit 110 and held in a state in which they can be transported to the collector shelf 200, the storage shelf 300, or any other location in the medicine transporting and dispensing device 500. An identification member sensor 28 for recognizing the identification member 27 of the tablet cassette 20 is provided below the incoming storage section 154, and the identification information of the tablet cassette 20 that has been moved to the incoming storage section 154 is stored in the control unit 550. Note that the incoming storage section 154 may be provided with a plurality of identification member sensors 28, for example, four identification member sensors 28.

[0028] In the receiving storage section 154, a first direction detection sensor 155 is disposed along the Z direction along the receiving conveyor belt 151. This first direction detection sensor 155 is a laser-type detection means that is passed in the +Z direction as shown in Fig. 6, and the light emitted from this first direction detection sensor 155 passes through the gaps between the tablet cassettes 20, in this case the space between the handle portion 29 and the main body of the tablet cassette 20, making it possible to detect that each tablet cassette 20 placed in the receiving conveyor section 150 is placed in the correct orientation. Also disposed above the receiving conveyor section 150 is a second direction detection sensor 156 for detecting whether both ends of the tablet cassette 20 are positioned directly above the receiving conveyor belt 151. These second direction detection sensors 156 are laser-type detection means that are disposed at both ends of the conveyance path of incoming conveyance section 150 and directed directly downward, and when tablet cassette 20 passes directly below them, if they simultaneously detect its passage (both ON), it can detect that tablet cassette 20 is moving perpendicular to the conveyance direction as shown in Fig. 6. Conversely, as shown in Fig. 7, if tablet cassette 20 is placed incorrectly, the light beam emitted by first direction detection sensor 155 is blocked by tablet cassette 20 and turns OFF, making it possible to detect an incorrect placement direction.

[0029] Alternatively, if the tablet cassette 20 is tilted with respect to the conveying direction for some reason as shown in Figure 8, the first direction detection sensor 155 is likely to be blocked by the tablet cassette 20 and turn OFF. On the other hand, even if the first direction detection sensor 155 happens to be tilted only enough to allow tablets to pass, by arranging a pair of second direction detection sensors 156 on both sides of the receiving conveyor belt 151, it is possible to determine whether the belt is moving parallel to the conveying direction by checking whether each second direction detection sensor 156 turns ON within a predetermined time interval. Note that Figure 8 is a schematic example of a case where the tilt with respect to the conveying direction is large, but in reality, the difference in the timing at which the two second direction detection sensors 156 are blocked may not be large enough to be illustrated.

[0030] As described above, if tablet cassette 20 is placed on incoming conveyor belt 151 in a manner that handle portion 29 is not facing outward, either first direction detection sensor 155 or second direction detection sensor 156 will be OFF, and it will be detected that tablet cassette 20 is not being conveyed in the correct orientation. Conversely, if both first direction detection sensor 155 and second direction detection sensor 156 are ON, control unit 550 will determine that tablet cassette 20 placed on incoming conveyor belt 151 is placed in the correct position.

[0031] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the transport arm units 110 are arranged on both sides of the medicine transport and dispensing device 500 with their respective grip units 113 facing inward, so that when the tablet cassette 20 is transported to the receiving and storage section 154 in the correct position with the handle portion 29 facing outward in the receiving and transport section 150, the grip unit 113 can grasp the handle portion 29 of the tablet cassette 20 and move it.

[0032] At this time, in order for grip unit 113 to accurately grip handle portion 29, a gap is required that allows grip unit 113 of transport arm unit 110 to enter tablet cassettes 20 placed side by side in receiving / storing section 154. For this reason, this embodiment has gap adjustment means 153 for adjusting this gap while receiving / transporting belt 151 transports tablet cassettes 20.

[0033] 9, the gap adjustment means 153 has an L-shaped plate-like member 1531 which is a restricting means for restricting movement of the tablet cassette 20 in the -Z direction by abutting against the base portion 25 of the tablet cassette 20, and a gap adjustment sensor 1532 which is a gap adjustment detection unit for detecting that the tablet cassette 20 has reached a predetermined position. A plurality of gap adjustment means 153 (three in this embodiment) are arranged side by side in the Z direction between the two incoming conveyor belts 151, and when the tablet cassette 20 passes above each of them, each gap adjustment means 153 operates to adjust the gap between the tablet cassettes 20 before they reach the incoming storage unit 154 located downstream.

[0034] 9, the plate-like member 1531 is an L-shaped plate-like member supported so as to rotate about a rotation axis 1533 that extends in the X direction. When the gap adjustment sensor 1532 detects the passage of a tablet cassette 20, the drive source 1534 rotates the plate-like member 1531 about the rotation axis 1533, and the tip end 1531a of the plate-like member 1531 enters so as to abut against the base portion 25, which is the bottom surface of the tablet cassette 20. At this time, since the input conveyor belt 151 continues to rotate, the tablet cassette 20 attempts to be conveyed in the -Z direction, but the tip end 1531a abuts against and gets caught on the bottom surface, restricting the conveyance of the tablet cassette 20.

[0035] Figure 10 schematically shows the operation of such gap adjustment means 153. As shown in Figure 10(a), the multiple tablet cassettes being transported side by side are respectively referred to as tablet cassettes 20a, 20b, and 20c. First, it is assumed that in the initial state, tablet cassettes 20a, 20b, and 20c are closely packed together on input conveyor belt 151 without any gap adjustment. When gap adjustment sensor 1532 detects the passage of tablet cassette 20a, which is passing first, plate-like member 1531 rotates a predetermined time after tablet cassette 20a has passed and abuts against the bottom surface of tablet cassette 20b. 10(b), tablet cassette 20a moves forward for the time that tip 1531a abuts against and is caught on the bottom surface of tablet cassette 20b, and thus, the distance La between tablet cassette 20a and tablet cassette 20b can be adjusted by the contact time of plate-like member 1531. Note that, in this embodiment, plate-like member 1531 is L-shaped and has a shape that abuts by fitting into a recess in the bottom surface of tablet cassette 20, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration and may have any structure as long as it abuts against tablet cassette 20 to restrict and temporarily stop conveyance by input conveyor belt 151.

[0036] When the gap La between tablet cassettes 20a and 20b is thus opened, the plate-like member 1531 is again rotated to release the contact state, as shown in Figure 10(c), and tablet cassette 20b moves with gap La maintained. Next, when the gap adjustment sensor 1532 detects that tablet cassette 20b has reached a predetermined position, the plate-like member 1531 similarly rotates a predetermined time after tablet cassette 20c has passed and comes into contact with the bottom surface of tablet cassette 20b.

[0037] 10(d), it is possible to adjust the distance Lb between tablet cassettes 20b and 20c by rotating the plate-like member 1531 located most upstream in the conveying direction and adjusting the time for which it contacts tablet cassette 20c. However, there is a concern that differences in the distance may occur due to differences in the conveying speed of receiving conveyor belt 151 and the time required for plate-like member 1531 to rotate.

[0038] Therefore, in this embodiment, the multiple lined-up plate-like members 1531 may be rotated and inserted into the bottom surfaces of the tablet cassettes 20a, 20b, and 20c, as shown in Fig. 10(e). When the receiving conveyor belt 151 rotates with the plate-like members 1531 inserted into each of the tablet cassettes 20a, 20b, and 20c in this manner, the conveyance of the tablet cassettes 20 is restricted as shown in Fig. 10(f) when the leading ends 1531a of the plate-like members 1531 abut against the side walls of the bottom surfaces of the tablet cassettes 20a, 20b, and 20c on the upstream side in the conveying direction. Therefore, as the receiving conveyor belt 151 continues to rotate, the intervals La and Lb between the tablet cassettes 20a, 20b, and 20c are automatically adjusted to a predetermined interval L1 based on the interval L2 between the leading ends 1531a when the plate-like members 1531 rotate and the width of the tablet cassettes 20. In this way, by using multiple spacing adjustment means 153 to regulate the movement of multiple lined-up tablet cassettes 20 in the conveying direction, it is possible to automatically adjust the spacing between each tablet cassette 20 without being affected by the drive timing or control of the plate-shaped member 1531.

[0039] As described above, the aligned tablet cassettes 20 are transported to the receiving / storage section 154 located downstream in the transport direction from the spacing adjustment section 153 while maintaining the spacing L1 at a constant value by the spacing adjustment section 153. In the receiving / storage section 154, the tablet cassettes 20 are placed with the handle portions 29 facing outward and spaced apart by the spacing L1, so that the grip unit 113 of the transport arm unit 110 can securely grip the tablet cassettes 20 by entering into the spacing L1.

[0040] The configuration of the transport arm unit 110 will be described. As already mentioned, in the transport arm unit 110, the catcher unit 112 moves along the rail unit 111, which is an endless belt stretched in the Z direction, and in the Y direction, which is the up-and-down direction, the catcher unit 112 moves the grip unit 113 up and down via a support rod stretched between the upper and lower rail units 111, thereby allowing the transport arm unit 110 to move freely in the YZ plane. Figure 11 shows the operation of the catcher unit 112 and the grip unit 113.

[0041] 12, the grip unit 113 has a mounting table 1131 wide enough to hold six tablet cassettes 20, three on each side, a forward and backward movement mechanism 1133 that moves back and forth in the ±X directions, and a fitting claw 1132 attached to the front of the forward and backward movement mechanism 1133. The mounting table 1131 has a shelf position detection sensor 1134 that emits light in the forward and backward directions shown by the dashed lines in Fig. 12 to confirm and fine-tune the position of the shelf of the collector shelf 200 or the storage shelf 300 in addition to the position coordinates of the catcher unit 112 and the grip unit 113, and a cassette detection sensor 1135 that emits light obliquely upward from the mounting table 1131 to detect the presence or absence of tablet cassettes 20 in front of the forward and backward movement mechanism 1133.

[0042] The engaging claws 1132 are arranged in a pair on the left and right, and are held by the advancing / retreating mechanism 1133 so that they can rotate around a connecting portion 1136. The engaging claws 1132 move forward and backward together with the advancing / retreating mechanism 1133, and rotate around the connecting portion 1136 with the advancing / retreating mechanism 1133 at a position where they can grip the handle portion 29 of the tablet cassette 20, and operate to retract the handle portion 29. The space required for the engaging claws 1132 to fit between the tablet cassettes 20 is the distance L1 described in Figure 10 .

[0043] When the engaging claws 1132 grip the tablet cassette 20 in this manner, a plate-like member, the cassette presser 1137, is present in front of the advancing / retracting mechanism 1133, and when the engaging claws 1132 act to surround and retract the handle portion 29, the main body 22 of the tablet cassette 20 comes into contact with the cassette presser 1137, thereby fixing the position. In this gripping state, a force that retracts the engaging claws 1132 acts on the main body 22 via the handle portion 29, and a counterforce that pushes out acts from the cassette presser 1137, thereby stabilizing the posture. Such cassette pressers 1137 may be located, for example, in two positions, vertically centered around the handle portion 29, or may be located on only one side, for example, the upper side.

[0044] In this state, the advancing / retracting mechanism 1133 retracts the tablet cassette 20 together with the fitting claws 1132, and places the tablet cassette 20 on the placing table 1131. As described above, the placing table 1131 can similarly hold up to six tablet cassettes 20, so by moving the catcher unit 112 with the tablet cassette 20 placed on the placing table 1131, the catcher unit 112 can transport the tablet cassette 20 from the front unit 100 to the collector shelf 200 or the storage shelf 300. At this time, an identification member sensor 28 for reading the identification member 27 of the tablet cassette 20 is placed on the placing table 1131, and can read the identification member 27 of the tablet cassette 20 transported to the storage shelf 300. Therefore, the control unit 550 associates and stores the YZ coordinates of the tablet cassette 20 in the storage shelf 300 placed by the transport arm unit 110 with the identification information of the medicine stored in the identification member 27. In this way, by linking and storing the identification information of the medicine by the identification member 27 with the YZ coordinates, the control unit 550 can instruct the transport arm unit 110 on the necessary YZ coordinates when extracting the necessary medicine according to the prescription data.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 13, the storage shelf 300 is a shelf having a shelf main body 302 and a base plate 301. In this embodiment, in order to uniquely determine the position at which the tablet cassettes 20 are arranged, the storage shelf 300 is provided with 12 flat base plates 301 that fit into the base portions 25, arranged in 10 vertical rows, although only a portion of the base plates 301 is shown in the figure for simplicity. The tablet cassettes 20 placed on the storage shelf 300 are held in a state where they fit into the base plates 301, but this configuration is not limited to this. Furthermore, the base plate 301 is simply a plate-like member and need not have any particular mechanism that operates in conjunction with the operation of the tablet cassettes 20.

[0046] As already shown and described in Figure 4, a cassette base 30 for fitting the tablet cassette 20 is arranged on the collector shelf 200, and the tablet cassette 20 arranged on the collector shelf 200 can eject the medicine stored inside the tablet cassette 20 one tablet at a time via the cassette base 30.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 14 , the collector shelf 200 has a shelf main body 202 on which cassette bases 30 are arranged side by side, and a tablet drop path 201, which is a space formed between the shelf main body 202 and an opening / closing plate 203 on the back side of the shelf main body 202. Note that Fig. 14(b) is a cross-sectional view of the portion indicated by line A-A' in Fig. 14(a). Here, as shown in Fig. 14(b), the collector shelf 200 is formed so that the tablet drop path 201 and the tablet discharge port 24 communicate with each other when the tablet cassettes 20 and the cassette bases 30 are fitted together. In this embodiment, the collector shelf 200 is configured so that eight cassette bases 30 are provided in each row in the horizontal direction and two shelves in the vertical direction, but the number of cassette bases 30 and the like can be changed as appropriate.

[0048] Tablet drop path 201 is formed between shelf main body 202 and opening / closing plate 203, and is provided at its lower end with a shutter mechanism 204. Shutter mechanism 204 is normally closed and functions as a shutter that blocks the drop path so that tablets discharged from tablet cassette 20 fall at the correct timing. In this way, tablet drop path 201, shelf main body 202, opening / closing plate 203, and shutter mechanism 204 constitute an upper tablet collection mechanism that temporarily retains tablets dispensed by collector shelf 200.

[0049] When cleaning of the tablet drop path 201 is required, the collector shelf 200 is attached to the main body of the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500 via hinges 206 so that the shelf main body 202 itself can rotate left and right, as shown in Fig. 15. Furthermore, the opening and closing plate 203 is supported so as to be rotatable relative to the shelf main body 202, so that it can be opened and closed. As shown in an enlarged view in Fig. 16, the hinge 206 has a locking receiver 2061 attached to the hinge 206 side, and an opening and closing detection sensor 2062.

[0050] When the shelf body 202 is in the open position, the locking receiver 2061 maintains the open position by engaging a concave / convex portion with a locking protrusion 2021 attached to the side panel of the shelf body 202 when the shelf body 202 is rotated 85° or more. The tip of the locking protrusion 2021 is curved, and once the locking receiver 2061 and the locking protrusion 2021 engage, the shelf body 202 is locked so that it cannot be closed unless a predetermined force is applied. This prevents the collector shelf 200 from rotating unintentionally during cleaning work. While the numerical value of 85° or more is not particularly limited, it is desirable for the shelf body 202 to rotate approximately 90° to ensure sufficient work space. Therefore, a numerical value that can maintain the open position when the shelf body 202 is opened to an angle of approximately 85°±5° is preferable. 16, for the sake of explanation, an example is shown in which the collector shelf 200 on the +X side (the right side as viewed from the front unit 100 of the medicine delivery and dispensing device 500) is in the open state, and the collector shelf 200 on the -X side (the left side) is in the closed state, as shown in FIG. 15. The open / close detection sensor 2062 may be, for example, a photointerrupter that turns on when a dog attached to the shelf main body 202 enters between the sensor and the detector, but is not limited to this configuration. The control unit 550 recognizes that the locking receiver 2061 is open 85 degrees when it locks the collector shelf 200. 17, a separate sensor that can detect whether the shelf body 202 is open or not can be provided, which allows the control unit 550 to distinguish between three states of the shelf body 202: a closed state (the detection sensor 2023 is ON), a half-open state (the detection sensor 2023 is OFF and the open / closed detection sensor 2062 is also OFF), and a fully open state (the detection sensor 2023 is OFF and the open / closed detection sensor 2062 is ON). By providing the detection sensor 2023 separately in this way, particularly on the gap 501 side that separates the shelf body 202 when it is opened or closed, it is possible to easily detect whether the shelf body 202 is open or closed, which is preferable because it makes it easier to determine the state of the shelf body 202 when cleaning.In addition, for each of the above-mentioned sensors, the ON / OFF states have been described based on a photointerrupter type sensor that turns ON when a dog enters between the sensor and the photointerrupter type sensor, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 17, the opening / closing plate 203 is an openable / closable cover member rotatably attached to the shelf body 202, and forms a part of the wall surface of the tablet drop path 201. The shelf body 202 is provided with an opening / closing detection means such that when the opening / closing plate 203 is in a closed state, a protrusion 2031 extending from the opening / closing plate 203 enters the rear cover detection sensor 2022, turning the sensor ON, and is supported so as to be able to detect the closed state of the opening / closing plate 203. In this way, the rear cover detection sensor 2022 functions as a detection sensor for detecting that the cover member is in a closed state. When necessary, such as during cleaning, the operator rotates the shelf body 202 and further rotates the opening / closing plate 203 to open the tablet drop path 201, allowing cleaning to be performed. The opening and closing of such collector shelf 200 may be performed by rotating it around the front side or the rear side of the drug delivery and dispensing device 500. However, when cleaning the collector shelves 200 arranged back-to-back as in this embodiment, both shelf bodies 202 must be rotated, which may cause the center of gravity to shift and the balance to change. Therefore, it is preferable that when the shelf body 202 is rotated, the position of the shelf body 202 is near the center of the collector shelf 200 in the Z direction, because this stabilizes the center of gravity and eliminates the need for rigidity in the outer frame of the collector shelf 200. For these reasons, in this embodiment, the collector shelf 200 rotates around the front side of the drug delivery and dispensing device 500 as an axis, so that the rear side opens.

[0052] Furthermore, collector shelf 200 is provided with a fixing insertion section 208 on the side that pivots open, i.e., the rear side, which serves as a positioning section and fits into gap 501 opened in the housing of medicine delivery and dispensing device 500. Fixing insertion section 208 has a shape in which a rod-shaped protrusion protrudes from a cylindrical insertion section. Fixing insertion section 208 is rotated by knob 209, which rotates fixing insertion section 208 while it is inserted into gap 501, and gap 501 and fixing insertion section 208 fit together, thereby functioning as a locking mechanism to prevent fixing insertion section 208 and gap 501 from separating. Note that the shape is not limited to this, and any shape that matches gap 501 and can be locked by rotating knob 209 may be used. If collector shelf 200 were cantilevered so as to be rotatable, the unsupported side, in this case the rear side where fixation insertion section 208 is provided, may drop and become misaligned. Such a positional deviation will cause the shelf main body 202 to tilt, and will result in a slight positional deviation, for example, when the transport arm unit 110 places the tablet cassette 20 on the collector shelf 200. This problem is particularly important in this embodiment because the transport arm unit 110 grasps the position of the tablet cassette 20 using position coordinates. Therefore, in this embodiment, by using such fixing insertion portions 208 and gap portions 501, the collector shelf 200 is rotatably supported while not simply being cantilevered, and positioning can be performed even on the side of the collector shelf 200 that rotates to open, making it less likely that such a positional deviation will occur.

[0053] 19, below the shutter mechanism 204 are provided a funnel-shaped hopper section 205 and a conveyor device 210 that rotates in the direction of arrow A in the figure. The conveyor device 210 is known as a drug transport section having a structure including a tablet container 211, which is a drug container capable of transporting multiple tablets inside, and a conveyor 212 composed of rollers and a belt that moves the tablet container 211. Tablets that fall from the tablet drop path 201 into the tablet container 211 via the hopper section 205 are transported in the +Z direction by the conveyor device 210 and are ultimately transported from the hopper 70 located at the bottom of the front unit 100 to the packaging device 130. In this way, the collector shelf 200 is composed of the tablet drop path 201, the shutter mechanism 204, the hopper section 205, and the conveyor device 210, and has a drug transport path connecting the collector shelf 200 and the packaging device 130.

[0054] In this embodiment, a manual distribution unit 120 is provided in front of the hopper 70. The manual distribution unit 120 includes a manual distribution tray 121, a slide tray 122 arranged below the manual distribution tray 121, a six-row first conveyor 123 that moves tablets toward the +X direction in FIG. 19 , and a second conveyor 124 that moves tablets that have fallen from the +X direction end of the first conveyor 123 in the -Z direction and guides them to the hopper 70. In this way, the first conveyor 123 and the second conveyor 124 function as a front double-row conveyor for transporting tablets toward one of the hoppers 70. With this configuration and the operation described below, the manual distribution unit 120 can sequentially feed tablets manually distributed onto the manual distribution tray 121 into the hopper 70 in a predetermined order.

[0055] The tablets that have fallen into the hopper 70 are packaged in packaging paper 131 by a packaging device 130 as shown in FIG. The packaging device 130 is provided with a wrapping strip feeding section 132 that holds a roll of packaging paper 131 and applies appropriate tension to it to feed it out sequentially from the tip along the feed path of the packaging paper 131; a printer 133 that prints on the packaging paper 131; a vertical sealing section 134 that has a heating element that extends in the width direction of the packaging paper 131, i.e., in the front and depth directions in this embodiment as shown in Figure 20, and heats and fuses the seal section 131a of the packaging paper 131; two hoppers 70 on the left and right that move up and down to insert and remove the tip of the packaging paper 131 that has been folded in half; a horizontal sealing section 135 that has a heating element that extends horizontally and heats and fuses the packaging paper 131; a roller section 136 that pulls the packaging paper 131; and a cutter 137 that perforates and cuts the packaging paper 131.

[0056] With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 21 , the packing paper 131 is filled with medicines such as tablets or powder medicine in compartments of a predetermined length, and is discharged downstream to a discharge port 139 in a continuous length with the shaded seals 131a heat-sealed. The packing paper 131 is drawn out from the packing strip feeder 132 folded in half with the top end open. The packing strip feeder 132 is a packing strip holding unit that feeds the packing paper 131 wound up in a roll in a reel-like manner. The packing paper 131 fed from the packing strip feeder 132 is printed by the printer 133, moves to the bottom of the hopper 70, and is sealed at the front and rear in the conveying direction by the vertical sealer 134. After the medicines are inserted into the packing paper by the hopper 70, the top is sealed and cut or perforated by the cutter 137 before being discharged.

[0057] Since the amount of tablets that falls into the hopper 70 is equivalent to one packet, each of the packaging papers 131 contains one packet of medicine.

[0058] When hopper 70 detects that tablets have been placed in packing paper 131, horizontal seal unit 135 seals the top of packing paper 131, and roller unit 136 pulls packing paper 131 in by a predetermined amount, thereby transporting packing paper 131 the length of one packet. By repeating this operation, packing paper 131 forms a series of medicine bags, each compartment of which contains one packet of medicine, and is transported to discharge port 139.

[0059] Packaging device 130 is a packaging device that, with the configuration of each part as described above, can individually package various medications, including tablets, into single packets in packaging paper 131. Note that, although the configuration of packaging device 130 in this embodiment describes only a type in which packaging paper 131 is conveyed laterally, any other configuration may be used as long as the packaging machine can divide the packaging paper into sections of a predetermined width and seal medications in the divided chambers, and is not limited to this configuration.

[0060] The drug transport path in this embodiment will now be described in detail. In this embodiment, as described with reference to Figures 15 and 16, at least two collector shelves 200 are arranged back-to-back, and two conveyor devices 210 serving as drug transport paths are arranged parallel to each other below each collector shelf 200. When it is necessary to distinguish between them, the one located on the left side of the front unit 100 will be referred to as conveyor device 210a, and the one located on the right side will be referred to as conveyor device 210b. Furthermore, each conveyor device 210 is equipped with a plurality of tablet containers 211. The packaging device 130 is equipped with two hoppers 70 for placing each drug transported from the two conveyor devices 210 into compartments formed in the packaging paper 131.

[0061] Here, when it is necessary to distinguish between the two hoppers 70, the hopper 70 on the upstream side, i.e., the hopper 70 on the left side in Figures 20 and 22, will be described as the first hopper 70a, and the hopper 70 on the right side will be described as the second hopper 70b.

[0062] In the medicine transport and dispensing device 500, the collector shelves 200 are arranged back-to-back across the center, and each has an independent transport arm unit 110 that transports the tablet cassettes 20. Due to this configuration, it is difficult to transfer tablet cassettes 20 between the left and right collector shelves 200 or between the storage shelves 300. However, if tablet cassettes 20 of the same drug were arranged on both the left and right sides, the number of drug types that can be loaded into the device as a whole would be reduced, which is undesirable. Therefore, by providing the first hopper 70a and the second hopper 70b, tablets can be independently fed from the left and right collector shelves 200 into the same packaging paper 131. This ensures the number of drugs that can be handled by the entire device, while allowing each to supplement any missing drugs and package them in the packaging device 130.

[0063] 22 , the first hopper 70a and the second hopper 70b are spaced apart by a distance d that is the distance of one packet of the packaging paper 131, which is 80 mm in this embodiment. The packaging paper 131 is pulled a predetermined distance by the roller unit 136, which is the distance of one packet and is set to 80 mm in this embodiment. With this configuration, if the position where the first hopper 70a is inserted is defined as the first insertion position 71 and the position where the second hopper 70b is inserted is defined as the second insertion position 72, the packaging paper 131 moves in sections to the first insertion position 71, tablets are inserted from the first hopper 70a, and then the packaging paper 131 is moved by the next roller unit 136 into the space of the distance d between the first hopper 70a and the second hopper 70b, and then the next roller unit 136 is further pulled to insert tablets into the second hopper 70b, and so on, moving the predetermined distance at a time.

[0064] Furthermore, the first hopper 70a and the second hopper 70b can be independently moved up and down by independent drive sources 73a and 73b, respectively. When tablets are added, they are inserted between the compartments of the packaging paper 131, allowing the tablets to be safely placed within the compartments. It is possible that after a tablet is added at the upstream first insertion position 71, a different tablet may be added again at the second insertion position 72. That is, when the second hopper 70b is inserted while tablets are already inside, it is preferable for the tip of the second hopper 70b to move up and down so as not to collide with the tablets. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second hopper 70b, which is downstream in the direction of movement of the packaging paper 131, is controlled by the drive source 73b so that the amount of descent during up and down movement is smaller than the amount of descent of the first hopper 70a. This configuration allows the second hopper 70b to be safely inserted into a compartment where tablets have already been added. Furthermore, in this configuration, since the amount of descent of the second hopper 70b is reduced, it is preferable to make the length of the claw tips 74b extending left and right below the second hopper 70b shorter than the length of the claw tips 74a of the first hopper 70a in order to reliably place the tablets into the packaging paper 131. The length of the claw tips 74b here refers to the length Lb from the U-shaped curved portion between the claw tips 74b to the tip portion inserted into the packaging paper 131, as shown in FIG. 23 . Similarly, the length La of the claw tips 74a refers to the length La from the U-shaped curved portion between the claw tips 74a to the tip portion inserted into the packaging paper 131. With this configuration, the downstream second hopper 70b, which has a small amount of descent and a short length of the claw tip 74b, does not reach the bottom end of the packaging paper 131 at the second loading position 72 where tablets are already inside, so the second hopper 70b can be inserted safely without coming into contact with or damaging the tablets.Furthermore, to prevent the tablets inserted from the second hopper 70b from falling outside the packaging paper 131 and to prevent the short claw tip 74b of the second hopper 70b from coming loose between the packaging paper 131, it is preferable that the heights of the first hopper 70a and the second hopper 70b before insertion differ by the difference in length between the claw tip 74b and the claw tip 74a.

[0065] By keeping the retraction amount of roller unit 136 constant and synchronizing the timing of this retraction with the timing of the movement of tablet containers 211 of conveyor device 210, it is possible to make the tablets in tablet containers 211 of conveyor device 210 correspond to the tablets entering a certain section of packaging paper 131 as shown in the schematic diagram of Fig. 24. Note that Fig. 24 shows the positions of tablet containers 211 or shutter mechanisms 204 corresponding to sections B, C, D, E, F, and G into which packaging paper 131 is divided at a certain moment, respectively, with respective symbols. Fig. 24 also shows a schematic side view of front unit 100 of medicine transport and dispensing device 500, and Fig. 25 is a schematic diagram showing the sections divided by the distance of one packet of packaging paper 131 in packaging device 130 and their approximate positions.

[0066] Furthermore, since these correspondences differ, for example, between the conveyor device 210a arranged on the left side and the conveyor device 210b arranged on the right side, Fig. 24 shows the relationship with the tablet container 211 in the conveyor device 210b arranged on the right side, and Fig. 26 shows the relationship with the tablet container 211 in the conveyor device 210a arranged on the left side. Note that the symbols B to G in Fig. 25 correspond to the same symbols in Figs. 24 and 26.

[0067] In this manner, the packaging device 130 has a pair of conveyor devices 210a, 210b, each of which has a corresponding first hopper 70a and second hopper 70b.

[0068] By providing two hoppers corresponding to the two drug transport paths in this way, the single packaging device 130 in the drug transport and dispensing device 500 can process tablets flowing from the two drug transport paths at high speed. Furthermore, since the conveyor devices 210a and 210b, as well as the first and second hoppers 70a and 70b, function as buffers for each other, redundancy is high. This has the effect of minimizing downtime of the drug transport and dispensing device 500 itself by allowing the other transport arm unit 110 to continue operating even if, for example, one of the two transport arm units 110 stops, or if the tablet cassette 20 mounted on the collector shelf 200 becomes unable to dispense tablets due to a jam or shortage.

[0069] The structure of such conveyor devices 210a and 210b will now be described. Each of conveyor devices 210a and 210b includes belt conveyor units 212a and 212b, which are transport conveyors rotatable about central axes Oa and Ob on the front side of shelf body 202, and tablet containers 211 that are attached to belt conveyor units 212a and 212b and rotate endlessly to transport tablets therein in the +Z direction. Furthermore, a central unit 213, which is a central member fixed to the housing of medicine delivery and dispensing device 500, is located between belt conveyor units 212a and 212b. Detection sensors 214a and 214b are provided on both sides of central unit 213 to determine whether belt conveyor units 212a and 212b are in a rotated or closed state. The central portion 213 is located in the center of the belt conveyor portions 212a and 212b and is composed of a wall surface extending along the Z direction and a eave-shaped wall surface protruding from the wall surface, and is also a cover member formed to cover the top and sides of each of the belt conveyor portions 212a and 212b.

[0070] The belt conveyors 212a and 212b rotate about central axes Oa and Ob, respectively, similar to the rotation axis of the shelf main body 202. Restriction plates 215a and 215b are provided at line-symmetric positions across the center 213 so that the rotation does not exceed 45 degrees. As shown in Figures 27 and 28, the restriction plates 215a and 215b restrict the belt conveyors 212a and 212b from rotating excessively beyond a certain angle. When the belt conveyors 212a and 212b rotate beyond a predetermined angle, the restriction plates 215a and 215b contact the belt conveyors 212a and 212b to restrict their movement. In the conveyor devices 210a and 210b of this embodiment, the belt conveyors 212a and 212b move from rear to front, and tablets from the storage unit 140 also merge at the front. That is, it is expected that tablet containers 211 on the front side (the Z direction side) will require more cleaning than those on the rear side because a larger amount of medicine is poured into them and tablet fragments tend to adhere to tablet containers 211 when the tablets merge. Therefore, in this embodiment, by configuring the conveyor belts 212a and 212b to rotate around central axes Oa and Ob on the rear side, the front side opens with the rear as a fulcrum when the conveyor belts 212a and 212b open. This configuration allows the front side, which requires relatively more cleaning, to rotate away from central portion 213, which serves as a cover, which is preferable because it allows conveyor belts 212a and 212b to be cleaned without being obstructed by the internal structure of collector shelf 200 or front unit 100.

[0071] The detection sensors 214a, 214b are both photointerrupter type sensors, and function as closure detection sensors that can detect the closed state when the belt conveyor units 212a, 212b are in a closed state parallel to the wall surface of the central portion 213, as a result of protrusions 216 provided on the belt conveyor units 212a, 212b being inserted into the detection sensors 214a, 214b. With this configuration, after the operator has performed cleaning, the belt conveyor units 212a, 212b are closed and parallel to the wall surface of the central portion 213 as shown in Figure 27, thereby ensuring the cleanability of the belt conveyor units 212a, 212b and allowing them to be returned to their correct positions after cleaning is completed.

[0072] The manual distribution unit 120 of this embodiment will also be described. In this embodiment, the manual distribution unit 120 is disposed in the middle of the front unit 100 so that the operator can easily operate it, as already shown in FIG. 19 and the like. The manual distribution unit 120 includes a manual distribution tray 121 that the operator can pull out toward the front, a slide tray 122 disposed below the manual distribution tray 121, a six-row first conveyor 123 that moves tablets toward the -X direction, and a second conveyor 124 that moves tablets that have fallen from the -X direction end of the first conveyor 123 in the -Z direction and guides them to the hopper 70. The manual distribution unit 120 includes a manual distribution tray 121a on the left and a manual distribution tray 121b on the right as viewed from the operator, and below them is a single slide tray 122 that can move left and right. A manual distribution operation using such a manual distribution unit 120 will be described.

[0073] The operator first performs manual dispensing work in a separate location on pre-prepared manual dispensing trays 121a and 121b. For example, multiple spare manual dispensing trays 121 may be prepared in advance, or manual dispensing trays 121a and 121b placed inside the manual dispensing section 120 of the front unit 100 may be pulled out and detached as shown in FIG. 30 . In this manual dispensing work, the operator manually places the necessary tablets in each of the 6 x 11 squares on the manual dispensing tray 121. This operation of the operator dispensing tablets in a predetermined combination according to prescription data with assistance from a machine or the like is generally referred to as a manual dispensing operation. Furthermore, in conventional tablet packaging machines, for example, a mechanism is known in which data on the tablets to be prescribed is displayed on a display or other display unit during manual dispensing work. This type of assistance may also be provided in this embodiment of the medicine transport and dispensing device 500. After the manual distribution work is completed, the operator sets the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b in the manual distribution unit 120. At this time, the operation of pulling out the manual distribution unit 120 is performed automatically by pressing the "open / close" button on the control panel of the monitor 102, for example.

[0074] 31 illustrates a case in which, when the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b are pulled out, the slide tray 122 is positioned below the manual distribution tray 121a on the left as viewed from the front. As illustrated, when the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b are pulled out in the +Z direction, the slide tray 122 does not follow, but is held so as to be able to slide in the ±X directions. When the operator has finished setting the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b in the manual distribution unit 120, the operator again operates the monitor 102 to open and close it, and the manual distribution unit 120 is pulled in, returning the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b to their original positions. When it is detected that the manual distribution tray 121a has returned to its original position, the slide tray 122 moves below the returned manual distribution tray 121a, the bottom of the manual distribution tray 121a is opened, and the manually distributed tablets move onto the slide tray 122.

[0075] Further below the slide tray 122 are arranged a first conveyor 123 that moves tablets in the +X direction when viewed from above, and a single row of a second conveyor 124 that moves tablets in the -Z direction. As shown in Figures 31 to 33, the first conveyor 123 is also an endless rotary conveyor with six tablets arranged in a single row. Therefore, tablets that fall from the bottom of the slide tray 122 onto the first conveyor 123 in a vertical row of six tablets fall row by row onto the second conveyor 124 at the end of the +X direction of the first conveyor 123. On the other hand, since the second conveyor 124 is a single row of a conveyor, if the tablets placed in the squares of the manual distribution tray 121a are aligned vertically as H, I, J, K, ... from the upper left as shown in Figure 32, they will also flow in the same order as H, I, J, K, ... on the second conveyor 124, with each square corresponding to a square on the manual distribution tray 121a, as shown in Figure 33.

[0076] Next, upon confirming that the tablets manually distributed onto the manual distribution tray 121a have been dispensed as described above, the control unit 550 moves the slide tray 122 to the manual distribution tray 121b side. At this time, as already mentioned, it is assumed that the manual distribution tray 121b has also been manually distributed and is placed inside the manual distribution unit 120, but this timing differs depending on the timing of the operator's operation of the monitor 102. For example, the next manual distribution tray 121b may be prepared and placed inside the manual distribution unit 120 at the timing when tablets are being dispensed from the manual distribution tray 121a to the slide tray 122.

[0077] When the medicine delivery and dispensing device 500 detects that the manual distribution tray 121b has returned to the manual distribution unit 120, the slide tray 122 slides below the manual distribution tray 121b if there are no tablets on it. Assuming that the slide tray 122 is positioned below the manual distribution tray 121b, the control unit 550 opens the bottom of the manual distribution tray 121b as before, and the manually distributed tablets move onto the slide tray 122. After the slide tray 122 has moved, the manual distribution tray 121a becomes an empty tray. Therefore, the operator may operate the monitor 102 to remove the manual distribution tray 121a. In this way, by making the manual distribution unit 120 retractable and operating independently of the slide tray 122, the slide tray 122 functions as a buffer tray for the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b. Furthermore, if the manual distribution unit 120 is drawn out via operation of the monitor 102, the control unit 550 can restrict the drawing out of the manual distribution unit 120 at an inappropriate timing for removing the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b, such as when the slide tray 122 is still transferring tablets to or from the manual distribution tray 121a or 121b, while the slide tray 122 is functioning as a buffer tray. As described above, by having the slide tray 122 function as a buffer tray for the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b and providing two trays on the left and right of the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b, it is possible to prepare up to two manual distributions in advance. Therefore, even if the operator is somewhat late in manually dispensing medicine onto another manual distribution tray 121c (not shown), causing a delay in the exchange with manual distribution trays 121a and 121b, the operation of the medicine transport and dispensing device 500 will not be stopped, which contributes to extending the operating time.

[0078] After confirming that the tablets have been moved onto the slide tray 122 by this operation, the slide tray 122 then moves again in the −X direction onto the first conveyor 123. Note that the subsequent operation of moving the tablets to the first hopper 70a using the first conveyor 123 and the second conveyor 124 is the same as the operation already described, and therefore will not be described here.

[0079] Now, since the first conveyor 123 and the second conveyor 124 have a complicated rotation mechanism and are a combination of two large conveyors, it is difficult to prevent the cost and the size of the device from increasing when two of them are mounted on the front unit 100. On the other hand, as already mentioned, by preparing two manual distribution trays, one on the left and one on the right, convenience is greatly improved, such as being able to use one for the current batch and one for the next batch, and therefore a system that can make effective use of the two manual distribution trays 121a, 121b has been desired.

[0080] Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 31 and 33, the first conveyor 123 and the second conveyor 124 are provided only on the left side of the front unit 100, on the side that drops toward the first hopper 70a, and two manual distribution trays 121a and 121b are provided. Furthermore, below the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b, a slide tray 122 is provided that is the same size as the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b and is capable of sliding left and right. With this configuration, the operator can extend the operating time of the medicine delivery and dispensing device 500 by operating the two manual distribution trays 121a and 121b and the slide tray 122 that functions as a buffer tray for the manual distribution trays 121a and 121b, while preventing the device from becoming too complex or large.

[0081] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which the front unit 100 is provided on only one side has been described. However, the medicine delivery and dispensing device 500 may be configured such that a front unit 100 is provided at both the +Z end and the opposite, -Z end, as shown as a modified example in FIG. 34 . In this configuration, two collector shelves 200 and two storage shelves 300 are provided for each front unit 100, and are arranged flush with each other. However, for example, the storage shelf 300 may be shared between the front unit 100 on the +Z side and the front unit 100 on the -Z side. However, since the collector shelf 200 is integrated with the conveyor devices 210a and 210b, a configuration in which the collector shelf 200 is shared between two front units 100, for example, would complicate the structure of the conveyor devices 210a and 210b, and is therefore not desirable. The components and symbols in FIG. 34 have the same configuration as when there is only one front unit 100, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0082] <1> The present invention is a drug transport and dispensing device 500 having at least two collector shelves 200 arranged back to back, a packaging device 130, and a drug transport path, the drug transport path having a tablet drop path 201 that guides drugs downwardly on the collector shelves 200 and drops them therethrough, two belt conveyor units 212a, 212b arranged parallel to each other below the tablet drop path 201, and a plurality of tablet containers 211 attached to each of the belt conveyor units 212a, 212b, and the packaging device 130 is characterized in that it has two or more hoppers 70 for storing each of the drugs transported from the two belt conveyor units 212a, 212b into compartments formed in a packaging paper 131. With this configuration, even though the packaging device is equipped with multiple dispensing devices, it is equipped with hoppers corresponding to each dispensing device. Therefore, a wide variety of tablet cassettes can be stored inside the first storage shelf and the second storage shelf, and each tablet dispensed by the two belt conveyor units is placed into the corresponding hopper, thereby shortening the time the drug transport and dispensing device is stopped.

[0083] <2> Furthermore, in the medicine delivering and dispensing device of the present invention, in addition to the configuration described in <1>, two manual distribution tray mechanisms 121a, 121b are arranged side by side on the front side of the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500 so that the operator can manually distribute the medicines. Below the manual distribution tray mechanisms 121a, 121b, there is a single slide tray 122 that moves back and forth below the two manual distribution tray mechanisms 121a, 121b, and a first conveyor 123 for transporting the medicines toward one of the two hoppers 70a, 70b. After receiving the medicines from manual distribution tray mechanism 121b in one of the two manual distribution tray mechanisms 121a, 121b, slide tray 122 transfers the medicines in slide tray 122 to first conveyor 123 while it is positioned on first conveyor 123. With this configuration, the slide tray 122 acts as a buffer and properly transports tablets from the left and right manual distribution trays 121a and 121b to the first conveyor 123, which prevents the device from becoming too complicated or large, while allowing tablets on the manual distribution tray to be transferred to the slide tray without stopping the packaging operation of the drug transport and dispensing device 500, thereby contributing to extending the operating time of the drug transport and dispensing device 500.

[0084] <3> Furthermore, in the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500 of the present invention, in addition to the configuration described in <1> or <2>, the belt conveyor units 212a, 212b located below each collector shelf 200 are both supported rotatably so as to move away from a back-to-back position around the rear side of the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500, and a restricting plate is provided on the rear side to prevent excessive rotation of the transport conveyor. With this configuration, the belt conveyor units 212a, 212b, which travel long distances, can be rotated safely without excessive rotation while ensuring ease of maintenance in the event of cleaning or a malfunction.

[0085] <4> Furthermore, in addition to the configuration described in any one of <1> to <3>, the medicine delivery and dispensing device 500 of the present invention has a central portion 213 disposed between the two belt conveyor units 212a and 212b and formed to cover the upper and inner sides of each of the belt conveyor units 212a and 212b. The central portion 213 is disposed along the center line of the medicine delivery and dispensing device 500 and has detection sensors 214a and 214b for detecting whether the belt conveyor units 212a and 212b are closed or rotated open. With this configuration, after cleaning, the operator closes the belt conveyor units 212a and 212b and sets them parallel to the wall surface of the central portion 213, thereby ensuring the ease of cleaning the belt conveyor units 212a and 212b and allowing them to be returned to their correct positions after cleaning is completed.

[0086] <5> Furthermore, in medicine delivery and dispensing device 500 of the present invention, in addition to the configuration described in any one of <1> to <4>, the two hoppers are arranged spaced apart from each other by a distance equal to the amount by which the packaging device draws in the wrapper paper per operation. With this configuration, by keeping the amount of drawing in by roller unit 136 constant and matching the timing of this drawing in with the timing of tablet container 211 of conveyor device 210 moving, the timing can be adjusted so that the tablets entering tablet container 211 of conveyor device 210 and the tablets entering a section of packaging paper 131 coincide with each other. Therefore, even when two hoppers 70 are provided, the timing of tablet discharge can be easily adjusted.

[0087] <6> Furthermore, in the medicine delivery and dispensing device 500 of the present invention, in addition to the configuration described in any one of <1> to <5>, each of the two hoppers has a drive source that can move up and down toward the wrapping paper, and the amount of descent during the up and down movement differs between the hopper located downstream in the direction of wrapping paper flow and the hopper located upstream in that direction. With this configuration, by shallowly inserting the hopper 70b side that is inserted into the packaging paper 131 that already contains tablets, other tablets can be added without damaging the tablets inside the packaging paper 131.

[0088] <7> Furthermore, in the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500 of the present invention, the collector shelf 200 is supported rotatably around the front side of the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500 as a central axis so as to move away from a back-to-back state, and the rear side of the collector shelf 200 is provided with a positioning portion 208 that fits into a gap 501 in the housing of the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500, and a knob 209 that rotates the positioning portion 208 to prevent the positioning portion 208 from moving away from the gap 501. With this configuration, the fixation of the collector shelf 200 makes it difficult for the shelf main body 202 to become misaligned, making it easier to grasp the coordinate position of the tablet cassette 20, thereby improving the stability of transport by the transport arm unit 110.

[0089] <8> Furthermore, in the medicine delivering and dispensing device of the present invention, in addition to the configuration described in <7>, the collector shelf 200 has an opening / closing plate 203 which is an openable / closable cover member that forms part of the wall surface of the tablet drop path 201, and when the collector shelf 200 rotates, the opening / closing plate 203 can further rotate from the collector shelf 200 to open the tablet drop path 201. With this configuration, by rotating the collector shelf 200, the tablet drop path 201, which is normally back-to-back, can be easily cleaned.

[0090] <9> Furthermore, in addition to the configuration described in <7> or <8>, the medicine delivery and dispensing device 500 of the present invention has a detection sensor for detecting that the opening and closing plate 203 is in the closed state. With this configuration, it is possible to ensure ease of maintenance during cleaning, etc., while also making it possible to confirm that the plate is reliably in the closed state after cleaning is completed.

[0091] <10> Furthermore, in addition to the configuration described in <7> to <9>, the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500 of the present invention has a hinge portion 206 provided on the front side of the medicine delivering and dispensing device 500, i.e., on the opposite side from the positioning portion 208, which serves as a central axis when the shelf main body 202 rotates, a locking receiver 2061 provided on the medicine delivering and dispensing device side of the hinge portion 206, and a locking protrusion 2021 provided on the side of the shelf main body 202. When the shelf main body 202 rotates by a predetermined angle or more, the locking protrusion 2021 and the locking receiver 2061 engage with each other, thereby maintaining the open state of the shelf main body 202. With this configuration, the open state of the shelf main body 202 is maintained while the locking protrusion 2021 and the locking receiver 2061 are engaged, thereby preventing the collector shelf 200 from rotating unintentionally during maintenance work such as cleaning, thereby improving safety.

[0092] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

[0093] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20...Tablet cassette (cassette) 30...Cassette base 70a, 70b...Hopper 73a, 73b...Drive source 110...Transport arm unit (transport section) 121...Tray mechanism 122...Slide tray 123...First conveyor (front double-row conveyor) 124...Second conveyor (front double-row conveyor) 130...Packaging device 131...Packet paper (wrapping paper) 200...Collector shelf (first storage shelf) 201...Tablet drop path (drug transport path) 204...Shutter mechanism (upper tablet collection mechanism) (part of the drug transport path) 211...Tablet container (drug container) 212...Transport conveyor 213...Central member (center section) 214...Closing detection sensor 215...Regulating plate 300...Storage shelf (second storage shelf) 500...Drug transport and dispensing device

Claims

1. A drug transport and dispensing device having a transport section capable of grasping and transporting a cassette in which drugs are stored, a first storage shelf in which a plurality of the cassettes can be stored by attaching them to a cassette base and capable of dispensing the drugs from the stored cassettes, a second storage shelf in which a plurality of the cassettes can be stored, a packaging device for packaging the drugs dispensed from the first storage shelf, and a drug transport path connecting the first storage shelf and the packaging device, wherein at least two of the first storage shelves are arranged back-to-back to back, and the drug transport path has an upper tablet collection mechanism which guides the drugs to fall below the first storage shelf, two transport conveyors arranged parallel to each other below the upper tablet collection mechanism, and a plurality of drug containers attached to each of the transport conveyors, and the packaging device has two or more hoppers for storing each of the drugs carried from the two transport conveyors into compartments formed in packaging paper.

2. A drug transport and dispensing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that at the front side of the drug transport and dispensing device, there are two manual distribution tray mechanisms arranged side by side for an operator to manually distribute drugs, and below the manual distribution tray mechanisms there is a single slide tray which reciprocates below the two manual distribution tray mechanisms, and a front double row conveyor for transporting drugs toward one of the two hoppers, and after the slide tray receives drugs from the manual distribution tray mechanism in one of the two manual distribution tray mechanisms, the slide tray transfers the drugs in the slide tray to the front double row conveyor while it is positioned on the front double row conveyor.

3. A drug transport and dispensing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the transport conveyors located at the bottom of each of the first storage shelves are each supported so as to be rotatable away from a back-to-back position centered on the rear side of the drug transport and dispensing device, and the rear side has a regulating plate for preventing excessive rotation of the transport conveyors.

4. A drug delivery and dispensing device as described in claim 3, comprising a central member disposed between the two conveyors and formed to cover the upper and inner sides of each of the conveyors, the central member being disposed along the center line of the drug delivery and dispensing device and having a closure detection sensor for detecting whether the conveyors are closed or have rotated open.

5. A drug delivery and dispensing device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the two hoppers are spaced apart from each other by a distance equal to the amount of wrapping paper drawn in by the packaging device per operation.

6. A drug delivery and dispensing device as described in claim 1, wherein the two hoppers each have a drive source capable of moving up and down toward the wrapping paper, and of the two hoppers, the hopper located downstream in the flow direction of the wrapping paper and the hopper located upstream in said direction have different amounts of descent during the up and down movement.

7. A drug delivering and dispensing device as described in claim 1, wherein the first storage shelf is supported rotatably so as to move away from a back-to-back position with the front side of the drug delivering and dispensing device as a central axis, and the rear side of the first storage shelf has a positioning section that fits into a gap in the housing of the drug delivering and dispensing device, and a locking mechanism that prevents the positioning section from moving away from the gap by rotating the positioning section.

8. A drug transport and dispensing device as described in claim 7, wherein the first storage shelf has an openable and closable cover member which forms a part of the wall surface of an upper tablet collecting mechanism, and when the first storage shelf rotates, the cover member can further rotate from the first storage shelf to open the upper tablet collecting mechanism.

9. A drug delivery and dispensing device as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a detection sensor for detecting that the cover member is in a closed state.

10. A drug delivering and dispensing device as described in claim 7, wherein the first storage shelf has a hinge portion provided on the front side of the drug delivering and dispensing device, i.e., the opposite side to the positioning portion, which serves as the central axis when the first storage shelf rotates, a receiving portion provided on the drug delivering and dispensing device side of the hinge portion, and a protrusion provided on a side of the first storage shelf, wherein when the first storage shelf rotates by a predetermined angle or more, the protrusion and the receiving portion engage with each other, thereby maintaining the first storage shelf in an open state.

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