Medicine packaging machine

Abstract

The present invention provides a medicine packaging machine capable of reducing a workload of a worker when filling a container part with a medicine. The medicine packaging machine 1 comprises: a housing 3 having an opening section 3A; one or more medicine feeder storage parts 5A-5C; a packaging device 11; and a control unit 13. The present invention further comprises: a plurality of special medicine feeders 7 configured such that a container part 7A can be attached to and detached from a sequential discharge mechanism part 7B; and a plurality of general medicine feeders 9 in which a container part 9A and a sequential discharge mechanism part 9B are integrated. The plurality of general medicine feeders 9, which are disposed in the medicine feeder storage part 5A so as to face the opening section 3A in the housing 3, are configured to be able to directly fill the container part 9A with a plurality of medicines through the opening section 3A, which is provided in the front surface of an upper region 3B of the housing 3.

Description

Medicine packaging machine

[0001] The present invention relates to a medicine dispensing and packaging machine equipped with a plurality of medicine feeders.

[0002] The drug packaging machines shown in Japanese Patent No. 6007989 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2022-118849 (Patent Document 2) employ a drug feeder equipped with a container that randomly stores multiple drugs and a sequential discharge mechanism that drops the multiple drugs one by one from the container and discharges them downward. The drug packaging machine shown in Patent Document 1 employs a drug feeder (specialized (fixed) drug feeder) in which a container filled with a specific type of drug is detachable from the sequential discharge mechanism. The drug packaging machine shown in Patent Document 1 also employs a drug feeder (general-purpose (variable) drug feeder) as some of the drug feeders located at the front of the housing, in which a container that can be filled with any type of drug is detachable from the sequential discharge mechanism. The multiple general-purpose drug feeders shown in Patent Document 1 are arranged horizontally in a row at the front of the housing.

[0003] In contrast, the medicine packaging machine disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2022-118849 (Patent Document 2) uses, in addition to specialized medicine feeders, a general-purpose medicine feeder in which the container is integrated with a sequential discharge mechanism as a medicine feeder that is not limited to the type of medicine filled in the container. The multiple general-purpose medicine feeders disclosed in Patent Document 2 are attached to a support that extends in the front-rear direction inside the housing and is arranged so that it can be pulled out from the housing.

[0004] General-purpose drug feeders are highly regarded for their convenience in handling various types of drugs, and their use is increasing as improvements are made. However, the general-purpose drug feeder shown in Patent Document 1 requires the container unit to be detached from the sequential discharge mechanism, filled with drugs, and then attached to the sequential discharge mechanism. Furthermore, the structure of the drug packaging machine shown in Patent Document 2 requires the multiple general-purpose drug feeders supported on a support extending in the front-to-rear direction of the housing to be pulled far out of the housing, filled with drugs, and then the support returned to the housing.

[0005] Japanese Patent No. 6007989 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-118849

[0006] The medicine packaging machine described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it requires a large number of steps to fill the container with medicines and then return them to their original positions, placing a heavy burden on the worker who repeats the same work every day. Similarly, the medicine packaging machine described in Patent Document 2 also requires the worker to pull out and push in a support body equipped with a general-purpose medicine feeder every time medicines are replenished.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a medicine dispensing and packaging machine that can reduce the workload of an operator when filling medicines into containers.

[0008] The drug packaging machine of the present invention includes a housing having an opening, one or more drug feeder storage units, a packaging device, and a control unit. The one or more drug feeder storage units are arranged in an upper region of the housing, and each of the drug feeders includes a container unit that randomly stores multiple drugs and a sequential discharge mechanism that drops the multiple drugs one by one from the container unit and discharges them downward. The packaging device is arranged in a lower region of the housing and receives the multiple drugs discharged from the multiple drug feeders and packages them. The control unit controls the operation of the multiple drug feeders and the packaging device. The multiple drug feeders include multiple specialized drug feeders whose container units are detachably connected to the sequential discharge mechanism and multiple general-purpose drug feeders whose container units and sequential discharge mechanism are integrated. In particular, the multiple general-purpose drug feeders are arranged in the housing so that multiple drugs can be directly filled into the container units through an opening provided in the front surface of the upper region of the housing when they are arranged in the housing. Therefore, according to the present invention, with a plurality of general-purpose medicine feeders inside the housing, a plurality of medicines can be filled into the container portion through the opening of the housing, thereby significantly reducing the burden on the operator.

[0009] The plurality of generic drug feeders are preferably supported by a support structure and disposed in the drug feeder storage unit. In this case, the support structure may be configured to position the generic drug feeders in a stationary position during operation so that the drugs discharged from the generic drug feeders are directed toward the packaging device, and to move the generic drug feeders from the stationary position to a non-stationary position closer to the opening when at least one of the generic drug feeders discharges the drugs to a predetermined discharge location other than the packaging device. In this case, the drug feeder storage unit including the support structure has a first passageway for guiding the drugs discharged from the sequential discharge mechanism to the packaging device when the generic drug feeders are positioned in the stationary position by the support structure, and a second passageway for guiding the drugs discharged from the sequential discharge mechanism to the predetermined discharge location when the generic drug feeders are positioned in the non-stationary position by the support structure.

[0010] In this way, by moving the support structure parts of multiple general-purpose drug feeders to non-stationary positions, it becomes possible to automatically discharge multiple drugs from the container parts of multiple general-purpose drug feeders, significantly reducing the burden on workers.

[0011] The one or more drug feeder storage units include a first drug feeder storage unit that is mounted with some of the multiple specialized drug feeders and multiple general-purpose drug feeders and is positioned to block the opening, a second drug feeder storage unit that is positioned behind the first drug feeder storage unit and is mounted with some of the multiple specialized drug feeders, and a third drug feeder storage unit that is positioned behind the second drug feeder storage unit and is mounted with the remainder of the multiple specialized drug feeders.Furthermore, there are provided a first upper drug collector that is provided between the first drug feeder storage unit and the second drug feeder storage unit and that guides and drops the multiple drugs discharged from the multiple drug feeders disposed in the first drug feeder storage unit and the second drug feeder storage unit, and a second upper drug collector that guides and drops the multiple drugs discharged from the multiple drug feeders disposed in the third drug feeder storage unit. The first drug feeder housing, the second drug feeder housing, and the first upper drug collecting section constitute a first unit combined together to enable cleaning of the first upper drug collecting section, and the third drug feeder housing and the second upper drug collecting section constitute a second unit combined together to enable cleaning of the second upper drug collecting section.

[0012] By configuring such first and second units in the first to third drug feeder storage sections, the positions of the units can be changed and then cleaned, thereby reducing the burden on the worker required for cleaning.

[0013] Preferably, a plurality of tables are attached to the front end of the support structure supporting the plurality of general-purpose drug feeders, one for each of the plurality of general-purpose drug feeders. By providing such tables, when filling the containers of the plurality of general-purpose drug feeders with a plurality of drugs, a box or bottle filled with a plurality of refill drugs can be placed on the table, making the filling operation easier for the worker.

[0014] The general-purpose drug feeders preferably have an opening at the top of the container for filling the container with the drugs, a lid for closing the opening, and a lid guide mechanism for guiding the lid. The provision of such a lid and lid guide mechanism allows the lid to be opened and closed reliably.

[0015] The lid member guide mechanism preferably includes a link mechanism that moves the lid member upward while maintaining the lid member horizontal between a closed position where the lid member closes the opening and an open position where the lid member opens the opening. By using such a link mechanism, the lid member can be reliably moved to the open position even in a narrow space.

[0016] If the link mechanism is a manually operable link mechanism, the operator can manually open and close the cover member, which is highly convenient for the operator.

[0017] The first unit is preferably supported rotatably about a first imaginary line extending vertically near the opening, normally in a closed position that blocks the opening of the housing, and preferably in an open position that opens the opening when cleaning the first upper drug collecting section. The second unit is preferably supported rotatably about a second imaginary center line diagonal to the first imaginary line and extending vertically within the housing, normally in a rear position behind the first unit, and preferably in a front position facing the opening when cleaning the second upper drug collecting section. This structure allows the first to third drug feeder storage sections to be stored within the housing and easily moved to positions where they can be cleaned.

[0018] In this case, it is preferable that the second unit is configured to allow replacement of the container portions of the specialized drug feeders when in the rear position, and to allow cleaning of the second upper drug collecting portion when in the forward position, which makes it easy to clean the second upper drug collecting portion.

[0019] Preferably, a lighting device is disposed in the housing to illuminate the interior of the housing when the first unit is in the open position, so that cleaning of the second upper drug collecting section of the second unit, which is opened at the back of the housing, can be performed in a bright environment.

[0020] The bottom of the upper region of the housing may be provided with a first chute that communicates with the first upper drug collection section and with a first passage provided in each of the multiple general-purpose drug feeders when the first unit is in the closed position, and a second chute that communicates with the second upper drug collection section when the second unit is positioned behind the first unit. By providing such a first chute and second chute, multiple drugs can be dropped toward the packaging device without any special connection work. Furthermore, the first chute and second chute can be cleaned when the first unit is in the open position and the second unit is in the rear position.

[0021] 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of a medicine dispensing and packaging machine of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a state in which the first unit is rotated forward of the housing; FIG. 5 is a view of a state in which the first unit is in the open position and the second unit is in the forward position; FIG. 6 is a view used to explain a state in which the first unit is in the open position, the second unit is in the forward position, and the second unit is during cleaning; FIG. 7 is a view of a state in which the second unit is in the forward position; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a third medicine feeder storage section; FIG. 9 is a view with the back cover of the second unit opened; FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which five general-purpose medicine feeders are mounted on a support structure and arranged in the first medicine feeder storage section; FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an arrangement of the first and second units when they are in their normal positions; FIG. 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view of one general-purpose medicine feeder when it is in the normal position; FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which the support structure, on which five general-purpose feeders are mounted, is pulled out to a non-normal position; FIG. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view of one general-purpose medicine feeder when it is in a non-normal position; FIG. 15 is a view used to explain a lid member guide mechanism of a general-purpose medicine feeder. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 3, used to explain the first chute unit and the second chute unit. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 3, used to explain the third chute unit. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in FIG. 3, used to explain the reservoir chute with shutter. A diagram showing the state in which the reservoir chute with shutter is pulled out. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG. 3. FIG. 8 is a front view of a medicine packaging machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the second embodiment.

[0022] A preferred embodiment of the medicine packaging machine of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a front view of one embodiment of the medicine packaging machine of the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of this embodiment, and Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Figure 1.

[0023] [Overall Configuration of First Embodiment] The medicine packaging machine 1 of this embodiment includes a housing 3 having an opening 3A, a medicine feeder housing 5, a packaging device 11, and a control unit 13. A support mechanism for a display 15 is mounted on the top of the housing 3. The housing 3 includes an upper area 3B in which the medicine feeder housing 5 is housed and a lower area 3C in which the packaging device 11 and the control unit 13 are housed. The multiple medicine feeders in the medicine feeder housing 5 include multiple specialized medicine feeders 7 and five general-purpose medicine feeders 9. Note that in each figure, only one specialized medicine feeder 7 is shown as an example.

[0024] Each of the multiple specialized drug feeders 7 has a structure in which a container section 7A, which randomly stores multiple drugs, is detachably attached to a sequential discharge mechanism section 7B, which drops the drugs one by one and discharges them downward. The specialized drug feeders 7 are described in detail in JP 2022-164085 A, etc., so detailed explanations of the internal mechanism will be omitted. The five general-purpose drug feeders 9 have a container section 9A and a sequential discharge mechanism section 9B integrated into one unit, and have a structure that cannot be detached. The general-purpose drug feeders 9 used in this embodiment will be described in detail later. The basic structure of a conventional general-purpose drug feeder is described in JP 2022-106557 A (WO-A1-2022 / 124369), so detailed explanations of the internal mechanism will be omitted.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, a packaging device 11 and a manual medicine dispensing device 17 are disposed in a lower area 3C inside the housing 3. The packaging device 11 receives medicines discharged from the plurality of medicine feeders (7, 9) and packages them. A control unit 13 controls the operation of the plurality of medicine feeders (7, 9) and the packaging device 11.

[0026] [Configuration of the Upper Region of the Housing] As shown in Fig. 3, the medicine feeder storage 5 includes a first medicine feeder storage section 5A, a second medicine feeder storage section 5B, and a third medicine feeder storage section 5C. The first medicine feeder storage section 5A includes four shelves 51, the second medicine feeder storage section 5B includes six shelves 51, and the third medicine feeder storage section 5C includes six shelves 51. A plurality of specialized medicine feeders 7 are removably mounted on each shelf 51. In this embodiment, only one specialized medicine feeder 7 is shown in Figs. 1 to 4 and 8 for illustrative purposes.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1 , the first medicine feeder storage unit 5A has four shelves 51 each containing some of the specialized medicine feeders 7. Five general-purpose medicine feeders 9 are mounted at the bottom (on the two lower shelves 51) and positioned to partially cover the opening 3A of the housing 3. In this embodiment, although not shown in FIG. 1 , a blind ( FIG. 4 ) is mounted in front of the four shelves 51 of the first medicine feeder storage unit 5A to cover the opening and be able to open and close vertically. As shown in FIG. 3 , the second medicine feeder storage unit 5B is positioned behind the first medicine feeder storage unit 5A in combination with the first medicine feeder storage unit 5A so that the shelves 51 are exposed on the rear side. Some of the specialized medicine feeders 7 are also mounted on the shelves of the second medicine feeder storage unit 5B. 3, 7, and 8, the third medicine feeder storage unit 5C is arranged behind the second medicine feeder storage unit 5B with storage shelves 51 aligned toward the opening 3A of the housing 3. The third medicine feeder storage unit 5C stores the remaining portions of the multiple specialized medicine feeders 7.

[0028] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, a first upper medicine collection section 6A is formed between a first medicine feeder storage section 5A and a second medicine feeder storage section 5B. The first upper medicine collection section 6A guides downward and drops the medicines discharged from the specialized medicine feeders 7 arranged in the first medicine feeder storage section 5A and the second medicine feeder storage section 5B. In this embodiment, a second upper medicine collection section 6B is formed on the back side of the third medicine feeder storage section 5C, guiding downward and dropping the medicines discharged from the specialized medicine feeders 7 arranged in the third medicine feeder storage section 5C.

[0029] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the first drug feeder storage section 5A and the second drug feeder storage section 5B are combined with their backs facing each other to form a first upper drug collection section 6A (Figure 3) between them, thereby constituting the first unit U1. As shown in Figure 4, a door 4 is provided to cover the opening 3A. Because the main part of this door 4 is transparent, the transparent part of the door 4 is shown in color in Figure 13 to indicate the presence of the door 4. The door 4 is rotatably provided to the opening 3A by two hinges and is opened by pulling a knob provided on the side opposite to the side where the hinges are provided.

[0030] 4 and 5, the first medicine feeder storage section 5A and the second medicine feeder storage section 5B are connected by two fasteners F and a hinge fitting H. By opening the second medicine feeder storage section 5B around the hinge fitting H, the first upper medicine collecting section 6A can be cleaned.

[0031] 9, the third medicine feeder storage section 5C, the second upper medicine collection section 6B, and the back cover 5Ca constitute a second unit U2, and the second upper medicine collection section 6B can be cleaned by opening the back cover 5Ca. When the first to third medicine feeder storage sections 5A to 5C constitute such a first unit U1 and second unit U2, cleaning can be performed by simply changing the position of each unit, thereby reducing the burden on the worker required for cleaning.

[0032] As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6, the first unit U1 is supported rotatably about a first imaginary line L1 extending vertically near the opening 3A of the housing 3. The first unit U1 is normally in a closed position that blocks the opening 3A of the housing 3, and when cleaning the first upper drug collection section 6A (Figure 3), it is placed in an open position in which a portion of the first unit U1 protrudes from the opening 3A, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. In this position, by releasing the engagement of the fastener F shown in Figure 4 and separating the first drug feeder storage section 5A and the second drug feeder storage section 5B about the hinge hardware H (Figure 5), the first upper drug collection section 6A becomes separated into two halves and can be cleaned.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the second unit U2 is supported within the housing 3 so as to be rotatable about an axis S2, which is diagonal to the axis S1 along which the first imaginary line L1 passes and through which a second imaginary center line L2 extending vertically passes. The second unit U2 is normally located behind the first unit U1, as shown in FIG. 3 . When cleaning the second upper medicine collection section 6B, the second unit U2 is rotated forward through the opening 3A, as shown in FIG. 7 . As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9 , the back cover 5Ca located on the rear side of the second unit U2 is opened, allowing cleaning of the second upper medicine collection section 6B. This structure allows the first to third medicine feeder storage sections 5A to 5C to be stored within the housing and easily moved to positions where they can be cleaned.

[0034] As shown in Figure 5, when the first unit U1 is rotated to a forward position and the second unit U2 is in a rear position facing the opening 3A as shown in Figure 3, the container sections 7A of multiple specialized drug feeders 7 in the third drug feeder storage section 5C can be replaced.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 3, a lighting device 19 is attached to the underside of the top plate of the housing 3. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, this lighting device 19 automatically turns on when the first unit U1 rotates forward. The lighting device 19 illuminates the front of the third drug feeder storage section 5C, facilitating replacement of the container section 7A of the specialized drug feeder 7. As shown in Fig. 7, when the back cover 5Ca of the second unit U2 is opened to clean the second upper drug collection section 6B, the lighting device 19 provides a bright environment for cleaning.

[0036] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, a first chute 21 that communicates with the first upper medicine collection section 6A when the first unit U1 is in the closed position and a second chute 23 that communicates with the second upper medicine collection section 6B when the second unit U2 is located behind the first unit U1 are provided on the bottom side of the upper region 3B within the housing 3. By providing such first chute 21 and second chute 23, medicines can be dropped toward the packaging device 11 without any special connection work. Note that, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the first chute 21 and the second chute 23 can be cleaned when the first unit U1 is in the open position and the second unit U2 is in the forward position.

[0037] [General-Purpose Drug Feeder] As shown in Figures 1 to 3 and 10 to 14, five general-purpose drug feeders 9 are aligned in the width direction of first drug feeder storage section 5A (the direction in which storage shelves 51 extend) and are supported by support structure 25 and positioned at the bottom of first drug feeder storage section 5A. Support structure 25 positions five general-purpose drug feeders 9 in stationary positions (Figures 10 to 12, 15) so that multiple drugs discharged from five general-purpose drug feeders 9 are directed toward packaging device 11 during operation. Support structure 25 is configured to move (pull out) five general-purpose drug feeders 9 collectively from the stationary positions (Figures 10 to 12) to non-stationary positions (Figures 13 and 14) closer to opening 3A when drugs are discharged from at least one of five general-purpose drug feeders 9 to a predetermined discharge location (external) other than packaging device 11. As shown in FIG. 13, the support structure 25 is supported via a slide mechanism 25A so as to be movable back and forth.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 12, support structure 25 is provided with a first passage 27 for guiding a plurality of medicines discharged from sequential discharge mechanism 9B through discharge path 26 to first chute 21 when support structure 25 places five general-purpose medicine feeders 9 in the stationary position (Figs. 10 to 12). Support structure 25 is also provided with a second passage 29 for guiding medicines discharged from sequential discharge mechanism 9B through discharge path 26 to a predetermined discharge location (outside) when support structure 25 places five general-purpose medicine feeders 9 in the non-stationary position shown in Figs. 13 and 14.

[0039] By adopting this structure, by moving the support structure 25 of the five general-purpose drug feeders 9 to the non-steady position shown in Figures 13 and 14, it becomes possible to automatically discharge drugs from the container 9A of the five general-purpose drug feeders 9 to the outside, thereby significantly reducing the burden on the worker in the discharging operation. In addition, the worker can collect the discharged drugs by placing a collection container below the outlet of the second passage 29.

[0040] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, five general-purpose drug feeders 9 each have an opening 9C at the top of a container 9A for filling the container 9A with multiple drugs, and a lid member 9D for closing the opening 9C. The configuration of the sequential discharge mechanism 9B is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2022-10657 (WO-A1-2022 / 124369), and therefore will not be described here. In Figures 10 and 11, the lid member 9D of the rightmost general-purpose drug feeder 9 is in the open position, allowing the opening 9C to be seen from the outside. The lid members 9D of the other four general-purpose drug feeders 9 are in the closed position.

[0041] As shown in Figures 12, 14, and 15, this embodiment includes a lid member guide mechanism 9E for manually moving the lid member 9D. The lid member guide mechanism 9E includes a link mechanism 9F that moves the lid member 9D upward while maintaining a horizontal position between a closed position in which the lid member 9D blocks the opening 9C and an open position in which the lid member 9D opens the opening 9C. Figure 15 illustrates the link mechanism 9F in both the closed and open positions. The link mechanism 9F includes a pair of fixed revolving pairs RC1 and RC2, a pair of movable revolving pairs RC3 and RC4, one fixed link LK1, and three displaceable links LK2 to LK4. These four-link rotary chains are arranged at intervals in the width direction. The pair of four-link rotary chains are located on both sides of link LK3, to which the lid member 9D is fixed. By using this type of link mechanism 9F, the cover member 9D can be moved to the open position even in a narrow space. The link mechanism 9F can be manually moved by moving the link LK3 with a finger.

[0042] In this embodiment, five table units 31 are rotatably attached to the front end of support structure 25, which supports five general-purpose drug feeders 9, corresponding to the five general-purpose drug feeders 9. By providing such table units 31, when filling the container units 9A of the five general-purpose drug feeders 9 with multiple drugs, the boxes or bottles containing the refill drugs can be handled on table unit 31, making the filling operation easier for the operator. In addition, a handle 25C is provided at the front end of support structure 25, which the operator can grasp when pulling support structure 25 forward.

[0043] In this embodiment, with half of five general-purpose drug feeders 9 disposed within the housing 3, multiple drugs can be directly loaded into the opening 9 of the container 9A through the openings 3A and 9C provided on the front surface of the upper region 3B of the housing 3. Therefore, according to this embodiment, with five general-purpose drug feeders 9 disposed within the housing 3, drugs can be loaded into the container 9A through the opening 3A of the housing 3, significantly reducing the burden on the operator.

[0044] 3, below the first chute 21 and the second chute 23 is provided a third chute 33 that is supported by a support mechanism and collects the plurality of medicines that have passed through the first chute 21 and the second chute 23. Below the third chute 33 is provided a shuttered reservoir chute 35 that has a shutter 36 that collects the plurality of medicines that have passed through the third chute 33. Below the shuttered reservoir chute 35 are provided three chutes 37, 39, and 41 that form a drop path for dropping the plurality of medicines in the shuttered reservoir chute 35 into the packaging device 11. The movement of the shutter 36 of the shuttered reservoir chute 35 is controlled by the control unit 13 (FIG. 1).

[0045] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the first to third drug feeder storage units 5A to 5C are configured to be movable so that the first chute 21 and the second chute 23 are exposed in the upper region 3B to a state where they can be cleaned or removed from the outside of the housing 3 through the opening 3A of the housing 3. This allows the first chute 21 and the second chute 23 to be cleaned without requiring a large working space. Specifically, the first chute 21 is provided for the first upper drug collection unit 6A associated with the first drug feeder storage unit 5A and the second drug feeder storage unit 5B, and for the first passages 27 ( FIGS. 3 and 12 ) provided in each of the five general-purpose drug feeders 9. The second chute 23 is provided for the third drug feeder storage unit 5C. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3 , a third chute 33 is provided to guide the drugs discharged from the first chute 21 and the second chute 23 to a shuttered reservoir chute 35.

[0046] As shown in Figure 16, the first chute unit 24A equipped with the first chute 21 has a handle 24B. In addition, the second chute unit 24C equipped with the second chute 23 is disposed below the first chute unit 24A. When an operator grasps the handle 24B and pulls out the first chute unit 24A, the entire second chute unit 24C becomes exposed. The operator can then pull out the exposed second chute unit 24C.

[0047] 5, when cleaning, with the first unit U1 moved to the open position and the second unit U2 in the rear position, first grasp the handle 24B of the first chute unit 24A and remove the first chute unit 24A to the outside through the opening 3A of the housing 3. Next, remove the second chute unit 24C located below the second unit U2 to the outside through the opening 3A of the housing 3. By removing the first chute unit 24A and the second chute unit 24C to the outside of the housing 3, the first chute 21 and the second chute 23 can be cleaned.

[0048] When the first chute unit 24A and the second chute unit 24C are removed, the third chute unit 34 equipped with the third chute 33 appears, as shown in Figure 17. The third chute unit 34 also has a handle 34A attached. The third chute unit 34 can be lifted using this handle 34A and removed to the outside through the opening 3A of the housing 3. By removing the third chute unit 34 to the outside of the housing 3, the third chute 33 can be cleaned.

[0049] When the third chute unit 34 shown in FIG. 17 is removed from the housing 3, the shuttered reservoir chute 35 equipped with the shutter 36 is exposed, as shown in FIG. 18. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the shuttered reservoir chute 35 is attached to a support mechanism 18 shared with the manual chemical dispenser 17, located in front of the shuttered reservoir chute 35. This support mechanism 18 is configured with a slide mechanism that slides the shuttered reservoir chute 35 from a fixed position to a cleaning position. This slide mechanism therefore enables the shuttered reservoir chute 35 to be moved away from its fixed position to a cleaning position where cleaning can be performed outside the housing 3. Therefore, in this embodiment, the shuttered reservoir chute 35 can be pulled forward of the housing 3 for cleaning, as shown in FIG. 19. The slide mechanism for pulling the manual chemical dispenser 17 forward is also disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-68551.

[0050] After pulling out the shuttered reservoir chute 35 forward and cleaning it, open the door 3D located in front of the lower region 3C of the housing 3 shown in FIG. 1 and remove the chute 37 below the shuttered reservoir chute 35 shown in FIG. 3. Removing the chute 37 exposes the collecting guide chute 39, which collects the multiple medicines dropping from the shuttered reservoir chute 35 and the multiple medicines dropping from the manual medicine distribution device 17, allowing for combined use of the manual medicine distribution device 17, as shown in FIG. 20. In this state, the collecting guide chute 39 can be cleaned. Removing the collecting guide chute 39 also allows for cleaning of the inlet chute 41 of the packaging device 11 below the collecting guide chute 39 shown in FIG. 3.

[0051] 21 and 22 are front and perspective views of a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a cleaner body (not shown) is provided inside the lower region 3C of the housing 3, and a dust collection hose 43 with a nozzle 42 at its tip and a cyclone cleaner 45 with a dust box 44 are provided outside the lower region 3C. By providing the cyclone cleaner 45 in this manner, even if cleaning frequency increases, the burden on the worker required to carry the cleaner does not increase. Furthermore, since the dust box 44 is provided outside the housing 3, chemicals collected during cleaning can be easily disposed of.

[0052] [Others] In the above embodiment, five general-purpose drug feeders are used, but the number of general-purpose feeders is not limited to five.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the general-purpose medicine feeder is provided with a lid member, but the lid member is not necessarily required.

[0054] According to the present invention, with multiple general-purpose drug feeders disposed within the housing, multiple drugs can be directly loaded into the container through an opening provided on the front surface of the upper region of the housing. As a result, with multiple general-purpose drug feeders within the housing, multiple drugs can be loaded into the container through the opening of the housing, significantly reducing the burden on the operator.

[0055] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Medicine packaging machine 3 Housing 4 Door 5 Medicine feeder storage 5A First medicine feeder storage section 5B Second medicine feeder storage section 5C Third medicine feeder storage section 6A First upper medicine collection section 6B Second upper medicine collection section 7 Specialized medicine feeder 9 General-purpose medicine feeder 11 Packaging device 13 Control section 17 Manual medicine dispensing device 18 Support mechanism 19 Lighting device 21 First chute 23 Second chute 24A First chute unit 24C Second chute unit 25 Support structure section 27 First passage 26 Discharge path 29 Second passage 31 Table section 33 Third chute 34 Third chute unit 35 Reservoir chute with shutter 36 Shutter 37, 39, 41 Chute 45 Cyclone vacuum cleaner

Claims

1. A drug packaging machine comprising: a housing having an opening; one or more drug feeder storage sections arranging a plurality of drug feeders in an upper area inside the housing, the plurality of drug feeders including a container section for randomly storing a plurality of drug substances and a sequential discharge mechanism section for dropping the plurality of drug substances one by one from the container section and discharging them downward; a packaging device arranging in a lower area inside the housing for receiving and packaging a plurality of drug substances discharged from the plurality of drug feeders; and a control section for controlling the operation of the plurality of drug feeders and the packaging device, wherein the plurality of drug feeders include a plurality of specialized drug feeders whose container sections are configured to be detachably attached to the sequential discharge mechanism section, and a plurality of general-purpose drug feeders whose container sections and the sequential discharge mechanism section are integrated, and the plurality of general-purpose drug feeders arranged in the drug feeder storage section so as to face the opening are configured so that the plurality of drug substances can be directly filled into the container sections through the opening of the housing.

2. The drug packaging machine of claim 1, wherein the plurality of general-purpose drug feeders are supported by a support structure and arranged in the drug feeder storage section, and the support structure is configured to place the plurality of general-purpose drug feeders in stationary positions during operation so that the plurality of drugs discharged from the plurality of general-purpose drug feeders are directed toward the packaging device, and to move the plurality of general-purpose drug feeders from the stationary positions to a non-stationary position closer to the opening when the plurality of drugs are discharged from at least one of the plurality of general-purpose drug feeders to a predetermined discharge location other than the packaging device, and the drug feeder storage section equipped with the support structure is provided with a first passage for guiding the plurality of drugs discharged from the sequential discharge mechanism to the packaging device when the plurality of general-purpose drug feeders are placed in the stationary positions by the support structure, and a second passage for guiding the plurality of drugs discharged from the sequential discharge mechanism to the predetermined discharge location when the plurality of general-purpose drug feeders are placed in the non-stationary positions by the support structure.

3. The one or more drug feeder storage units include a first drug feeder storage unit having some of the specialized drug feeders and the general-purpose drug feeders mounted thereon and positioned to block the opening, a second drug feeder storage unit disposed behind the first drug feeder storage unit and having some of the specialized drug feeders mounted thereon, and a third drug feeder storage unit disposed behind the second drug feeder storage unit and having the remainder of the specialized drug feeders mounted thereon; and further include a first upper drug collection unit provided between the first drug feeder storage unit and the second drug feeder storage unit for guiding downwardly the drugs discharged from the drug feeders disposed in the first drug feeder storage unit and the second drug feeder storage unit so as to drop them, and a second upper drug collection unit for guiding downwardly the drugs discharged from the drug feeders disposed in the third drug feeder storage unit so as to drop them, The drug packaging machine of claim 2, wherein the first drug feeder storage section, the second drug feeder storage section, and the first upper drug collection section form a first unit combined to enable cleaning of the first upper drug collection section, and the third drug feeder storage section and the second upper drug collection section form a second unit combined to enable cleaning of the second upper drug collection section.

4. A medicine packaging machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein a plurality of table sections corresponding to each of the plurality of general-purpose medicine feeders are mounted on a front end of the support structure.

5. A drug packaging machine as described in claim 1, wherein the plurality of general-purpose drug feeders are provided with an opening at the top of the container portion for filling the plurality of drugs into the container portion, a lid member for covering the opening, and a lid member guide mechanism for guiding the opening and closing of the lid member.

6. A drug packaging machine as described in claim 5, wherein the lid member guide mechanism has a link mechanism that moves the lid member while maintaining it horizontal between a closed position in which the lid member blocks the opening and an open position in which the lid member opens the opening.

7. The drug packaging machine according to claim 6, wherein the link mechanism is manually driven.

8. A drug packaging machine as described in claim 3, wherein the first unit is supported rotatably about a first imaginary line extending in a vertical direction near the opening, is normally placed in a closed position that blocks the opening of the housing, and is normally placed in an open position that opens the opening when the first upper drug collection section is cleaned, and the second unit is supported rotatably about a second imaginary center line located diagonally to the first imaginary line within the housing and extending in a vertical direction, is normally placed in a rear position behind the first unit, and is normally placed in a forward position toward the opening when the second upper drug collection section is cleaned.

9. A drug packaging machine as described in claim 8, wherein the second unit is configured to enable replacement of the container portions of the multiple specialized drug feeders when in the rear position and to enable cleaning of the second upper drug collection portion when in the forward position.

10. The drug packaging machine according to claim 8, further comprising an illumination device disposed within said housing for illuminating the interior of said housing when said first unit is placed in said open position.

11. A drug packaging machine as described in claim 8, wherein a first chute is provided at the bottom of the upper area within the housing, the first chute communicating with the first upper drug collection section when the first unit is in the closed position and communicating with the first passage provided in each of the multiple general-purpose drug feeders, and a second chute communicating with the second upper drug collection section when the second unit is positioned rearward of the first unit, and the first chute and the second chute are cleanable when the first unit is in the open position and the second unit is in the forward position.

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