Tablet dispensing device and tablet unit-dose packaging device

Abstract

A tablet dispensing device 1 comprises: a tablet cassette 2 that accommodates tablets; and a motor base 3 on which the tablet cassette 2 is disposed. The motor base 3 has a first base part 21 on which the tablet cassette 2 is attached, and a second base part 22 in which a tablet discharge passage 26 connected to a tablet outlet 15 of the tablet cassette 2 is formed. The second base part 22 is formed so as to be higher than the first base part 21. A motor 31 that rotationally drives a rotor 6 provided inside the tablet cassette 2 is housed in the second base part 22. A power transmission mechanism 25 that transmits motive power of the motor 31 to the rotor 6 is housed in the first base part 21.

Description

Tablet dispensing device and tablet packaging device

[0001] The present invention relates to a tablet dispensing device, and more particularly to a tablet dispensing device and a tablet packaging device in which a motor base on which a tablet cassette is mounted is made thinner.

[0002] A tablet packaging device that dispenses and packages the required amount of tablets according to a prescription is provided with a plurality of tablet dispensing devices that store different tablets. As shown in Figure 10, tablet dispensing device 101 includes tablet cassette 102 that stores tablets, and motor base 103 on which tablet cassette 102 is placed. Motor base 103 is provided with motor 104 that rotates a rotor (not shown) of tablet cassette 102, and transmission mechanism 105 that transmits the rotational force of motor 104 to the rotor.

[0003] As shown in Patent Document 1, conventional motor bases 103 must be thick enough to accommodate motors 104. For this reason, in a tablet packaging device 201 in which multiple tablet dispensing devices 101 are installed in multiple layers, as shown in Figure 11, there is a limit to how many tablet cassettes 102 can be increased due to the thickness of motor bases 103 of tablet dispensing devices 101.

[0004] Furthermore, conventional motor base 103 is provided with tablet discharge path 107 that guides tablets discharged from the tablet outlet of tablet cassette 102 to tablet drop guide path 106 in the device body. Tablet discharge path 107 has a gentle inclination angle so as not to interfere with the lower tablet cassette 102. This has caused a problem in that tablets flowing out of tablet discharge path 107 stick to the inclined surface of tablet discharge path 107 and are not discharged.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 09-039910

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional technology, and aims to make the motor base thinner and to increase the inclination of the tablet discharge path in the motor base.

[0007] The means for solving the above problems are as follows: (1) A tablet dispensing device includes a tablet cassette containing tablets and a motor base on which the tablet cassette is placed, the motor base having a first base portion to which the tablet cassette is attached and a second base portion having a tablet discharge path formed therein communicating with a tablet outlet of the tablet cassette, the second base portion being higher than the first base portion, and a motor that rotates and drives a rotor provided inside the tablet cassette is housed in the second base portion. (2) In Means 1, a power transmission mechanism that transmits power of the motor to the rotor is housed in the first base portion. (3) In Means 1 or 2, the motor is disposed to the side of the tablet discharge path. (4) In any of Means 1 to 3, the tablet discharge path is inclined backward at a downward gradient of 45 degrees or more from the tablet outlet of the tablet cassette. (5) In Means 4, an extended tablet discharge portion that extends backward at a downward gradient from the tablet discharge path is formed on the bottom surface of the motor base. (6) In Means 5, a recess is formed in the rear of the tablet cassette into which the extended tablet discharge portion fits. (7) In any of Means 1 to 6, the thickness of the first base portion of the motor base is equal to or less than half the height from the upper surface of the first base portion to the upper surface of the second base portion. (8) In a tablet packaging device comprising the tablet dispensing device of any of Means 1 to 7 and a device main body in which the tablet dispensing devices are arranged in a vertical direction in a plurality of tiers, and in which a tablet drop guide path is formed in the device main body to guide tablets dispensed from the tablet dispensing device of each tier to a packaging device, an extended tablet discharge portion of the tablet dispensing device of the upper tier is disposed between the motor base of the tablet dispensing device of the upper tier and the motor base of the tablet dispensing device of the lower tier located directly below it, and a mounting hole is formed in the device main body to connect the extended tablet discharge portion.(9) In means 8, at least one of a normal tablet cassette for storing normal-sized tablets, a small tablet cassette for storing tablets smaller than those stored in the normal tablet cassette or for storing a smaller number of tablets than those stored in the normal tablet cassette and having a height lower than the normal tablet cassette, and a minimum tablet cassette for storing tablets smaller than those stored in the small tablet cassette or for storing a smaller number of tablets than those stored in the small tablet cassette and having a height lower than the small tablet cassette is mounted in the vertical direction of the device body. (10) A tablet dispensing device comprising a tablet cassette for storing tablets and a motor base on which the tablet cassette is placed, the motor base having a first base portion on which the tablet cassette is mounted and a second base portion formed with a tablet discharge path communicating with a tablet outlet of the tablet cassette, the second base portion being located behind the first base portion, wherein a motor for rotating a rotor provided inside the tablet cassette is housed in the second base portion.

[0008] According to the present invention, since the motor is disposed in the second base portion and the power transmission mechanism is disposed in the first base portion, the thickness of the first base portion can be reduced, and the motor base can be made thinner. Furthermore, by providing an extended tablet discharge portion that protrudes from the underside and extending the downstream end of the tablet discharge path to the lower end of the extended tablet discharge portion, the slope of the tablet discharge path of the motor base can be increased, which has the effect of preventing tablets passing through the tablet discharge path from sticking to the tablet discharge path.

[0009] 1 is a perspective view of a tablet cassette and a motor base of a tablet dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, as seen from the rear. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tablet cassette and a motor base of a tablet dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, as seen from the front. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a tablet cassette as seen from diagonally above (a) and a perspective view of a tablet cassette as seen from diagonally below (b). FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a motor base as seen from diagonally above (a) and a perspective view of a tablet base as seen from diagonally below (b). FIG. 5 is a front view of a tablet packaging device. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a drum of a tablet packaging device equipped with a plurality of tablet dispensing devices. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which a motor base is attached to the drum of a tablet packaging device. FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a mounting portion of a motor base. FIG. 9 is a side view showing a comparison between a motor base of the present invention (a), a conventional motor base (b), and a motor base of a modified example of the present invention (c). FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which a motor base and a tablet cassette are attached to the device body of a tablet packaging device. FIG. 11 is a front view of a normal tablet cassette, a small tablet cassette, and a minimum tablet cassette. FIG. 12 is an arrangement diagram of tablet cassettes in a conventional tablet packaging device, and FIG. 13 is an arrangement diagram of tablet cassettes in a tablet packaging device of the present invention (b). 1 is a perspective view of a motor base and a tablet cassette of a conventional tablet dispensing device, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the motor base and the tablet cassette of the conventional tablet dispensing device are attached to the device body of a tablet packaging device.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] 1 and 2 show a tablet dispensing device 1 according to the present invention. The tablet dispensing device 1 includes a tablet cassette 2 in which tablets are stored, and a motor base 3 on which the tablet cassette 2 is placed.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 3 , the tablet cassette 2 has a base 4 , a cassette body 5 , a rotor 6 , and a partition member 7 .

[0013] The base 4 is placed on the motor base 3 and is formed in a substantially U-shape when viewed from above. A guide section 8 that is guided by a guide rail 23 of the motor base 3 is provided on the back surface of the base 4. One of the rear side ends of the base 4 (the right side when viewed from the front) has a notch 9 formed therein to avoid interference with the motor housing section 27 of the motor base 3.

[0014] The cassette body 5 is attached to the base 4 and has a tablet storage section 10 that opens upward, and a cylindrical rotor storage section 11 that stores the rotor 6 below the tablet storage section 10. The tablet storage section 10 can be opened and closed using a lid 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A U-shaped recess 13 is formed at the rear edge of the tablet storage section 10, into which an extended tablet discharge section 28 of the motor base 3, described later, fits. A similar recess 12a is formed in the lid 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A slit 14 is formed in the rear side surface of the rotor storage section 11, into which the partition member 7 is inserted, and a tablet outlet 15 is formed below the slit 14. A connecting gear 16 that meshes with a drive gear 20 of the rotor 6, described later, is attached to the bottom surface of the rotor storage section 11.

[0015] The rotor 6 is rotatably housed in the rotor housing portion 11 of the cassette body 5. A plurality of tablet guide grooves 17 extending in the axial direction and a circumferential groove 18 extending in the circumferential direction are formed on the outer surface of the rotor 6. A rotating shaft 19 is provided on the underside of the rotor 6, and this rotating shaft 19 protrudes downward and outward from the bottom surface of the rotor housing portion 11, to which a drive gear 20 is attached. The drive gear 20 meshes with the connecting gear 16.

[0016] The partition member 7 is attached from the outside to the rear of the cassette body 5 , and the brush portion 7 a at the tip is inserted into the slit 14 of the cassette body 5 and enters the circumferential groove 18 of the rotor 6 .

[0017] As shown in Figure 4, the motor base 3 has a first base portion 21 located in front of the motor base 3 and a second base portion 22 located behind the first base portion 21 and formed higher than the first base portion 21.

[0018] The first base portion 21 is a portion on which the tablet cassette 2 is attached. A pair of guide rails 23 that come into sliding contact with the guide portion 8 of the tablet cassette 2 when the tablet cassette 2 is attached, and an output gear 24 that meshes with the connecting gear 16 of the tablet cassette 2 are provided on the upper surface of the first base portion 21. A power transmission mechanism 25 that transmits the power of the motor 31 of the second base portion 22 to the rotor 6 is housed inside the first base portion 21. The power transmission mechanism 25 is composed of a first gear 25a that meshes with the motor gear 32 of the motor 31, a second gear 25b (see FIG. 6 ) that is coaxial with the first gear 25a and has a smaller number of teeth, a third gear 25c that meshes with the second gear 25b, a fourth gear 25d that is coaxial with the third gear 25c and has a small fraction, and a fifth gear 25e that meshes with the fourth gear 25d and is coaxial with the output gear 24 described above. In the power transmission mechanism 25, when the motor 31 rotates, power is transmitted from the motor gear 32 via the first gear 25a, second gear 25b, third gear 25c, fourth gear 25d, and fifth gear 25e to the output gear 24, and when the tablet cassette 2 is attached to the motor base 3, power is transmitted from the output gear 24 of the motor base 3 to the drive gear 20 via the connecting gear 16 of the tablet cassette 2, causing the rotor 6 to rotate. Preferably, the motor gear 32 is a helical gear made of brass, and the first gear 25a meshing with the motor gear 32 is a helical gear made of sliding-grade polyacetal resin (POM). The second gear 25b, which is coaxial with the first gear 25a, is also made of sliding-grade polyacetal resin (POM), but may be a spur gear. The other gears, the third gear 25c, the fourth gear 25d, and the fifth gear 25e, may be made of polyacetal resin (POM). Since the motor gear 32 and the first gear 25a are helical gears that mesh together, they rotate smoothly and vibration is suppressed. Furthermore, the first gear 25a, which meshes with the brass motor gear 32, is made of a sliding-grade resin, which reduces noise during operation and improves quietness.

[0019] The second base portion 22 has a tablet discharge path 26 formed in the center, a motor accommodating portion 27 formed on one side of the tablet discharge path 26, and an extended tablet discharge portion 28 formed on the bottom surface.

[0020] The tablet discharge path 26 is inclined rearward at a downward gradient of 45 degrees or more from the tablet outlet 15 of the tablet cassette 2. The inclination angle is 45 degrees in the embodiment, but is not limited to this. The upstream open end of the tablet discharge path 26 communicates with the tablet outlet 15 of the tablet cassette 2, and the downstream open end of the tablet discharge path 26 passes through the bottom surface of the motor base 3 and reaches the tablet discharge port 29 of the extended tablet discharge section 28. A tablet sensor 30 that detects tablets passing through the tablet discharge path 26 is provided on the inner surface of the tablet discharge path 26.

[0021] The motor housing 27 opens to the rear surface of the second base portion 22, and houses the motor 31 vertically with the motor gear 32 facing downward. The motor 31 does not need to be completely disposed within the second base portion 22; instead, the motor 31 may be disposed straddling the second base portion 22 and the first base portion 21 by having a portion of its body extend into the first base portion 21. As described above, the motor gear 32 meshes with the first gear 25a of the power transmission mechanism 25. As shown in Figure 5, a locking claw 33 is formed on the edge of the lower opening of the motor housing 27. The locking claw 33 is adapted to project into and lock into an engagement hole 44 of the drum 41 of the tablet packaging device 40 to which the tablet dispensing device 1 is attached.

[0022] The extended tablet discharge section 28 is formed to protrude downward from the bottom surface of the motor base 3 and has a bottom surface 28a continuous with the bottom surface of the tablet discharge path 26, side surfaces 28b and 28c continuous with both side surfaces of the tablet discharge path 26, and a top surface 28d continuous with the top surface of the tablet discharge path 26, and the tablet discharge outlet 29 opening downstream is formed in a rectangular shape. As shown in Figure 5, the lower opening edge of the tablet discharge outlet 29 is formed with a locking claw 29a that protrudes into and engages with the inside of the mounting hole 43 of the drum 41 of the tablet packaging device 40. Two screw insertion holes 34 are formed in the upper rear surface of the second base section 22 for attaching the motor base 3 to the screw holes 45 of the drum 41 of the tablet packaging device 40.

[0023] Figure 5A shows a state in which the front door 40a of a tablet packaging device 40 provided with a plurality of tablet dispensing devices 1 of the above embodiment is open. As shown in Figure 5B, a cylindrical drum 41 is rotatably provided on the top of the tablet packaging device 40, and a plurality of motor bases 3 are attached circumferentially and vertically to this drum 41, with a tablet cassette 2 attached to each motor base 3. A manual tablet dispensing device 40b is provided below the drum 41 of the tablet packaging device. Tablets dispensed from the tablet dispensing device 1 of the drum 41 and the manual tablet dispensing device 40b are sent through a hopper 40c to a packaging section 40d, where they are packaged according to the dosage period in packaging paper S fed from a packaging paper roll R.

[0024] FIG. 5C shows a state in which the motor base 3 of the tablet dispensing device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is attached to the outer surface of the rotatable drum 41 of the tablet packaging device 40.

[0025] The drum 41 has a plurality of tablet drop guide paths 42 formed on its inner surface, and a motor base 3 attached to its outer surface. The drum 41 has mounting holes 43 communicating with the tablet drop guide paths 42, an engagement hole 44, and two screw holes 45. The drum 41 of the tablet packaging device 40 has the extended tablet discharge unit 28 of the upper tablet dispensing device 1 disposed between the motor base 3 of the upper tablet dispensing device 1 and the motor base 3 of the lower tablet dispensing device 1 located directly below it, and has a mounting hole 43 for connecting the extended tablet discharge unit 28 to the drum 41. The motor base 3 is fixed to the drum 41 by engaging the locking claw 29a of the tablet discharge port 29 of the extended tablet discharge unit 28 with the mounting hole 43, engaging the engagement claw 33 with the engagement hole 44, and threading a screw (not shown) passed through the screw insertion hole 34 into the screw hole 45 of the drum.

[0026] In the motor base 3 of the tablet dispensing device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is configured as described above, the motor 31 is disposed on the second base portion 22 and the power transmission mechanism 25 is disposed on the first base portion 21, as shown in Fig. 6(a), so that the thickness of the first base portion 21 can be made thin. In the conventional motor base 50 shown in Fig. 6(b), the motor 53 and the power transmission mechanism 54 are disposed on the first base portion 51, so the thickness of the first base portion 51 needs to be thick enough to accommodate the motor 53. In the embodiment of the present invention, the thickness T of the first base portion 21 is １ The thickness T of the first base portion 51 of the conventional motor base 50 is 8 mm. ２ Furthermore, in the conventional motor base 50, the height H of the second base portion 52 from the top surface of the first base portion 51 (25 mm in the embodiment) is 25 mm, whereas the thickness T of the first base portion 51 is 25 mm. ２ However, the motor base 3 of the present invention has a height H (25 mm in the embodiment) of the second base portion 22 from the top surface of the first base portion 21, and a thickness T of the first base portion 21. １ is 1 / 2 or less (approximately 1 / 3 in the embodiment). Note that, although the second base portion 22 of the motor base 3 shown in Fig. 6(a) is disposed behind the first base portion 21 and formed above the first base portion 21, it may be formed below the first base portion 21 as shown in Fig. 6(c). Furthermore, the motor 31 disposed on the second base portion 22 may be disposed so that a portion of the motor 31 straddles the first base portion 21 as shown in Fig. 6(c).

[0027] Furthermore, the motor base 3 of the tablet dispensing device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided with an extended tablet discharge section 28 that protrudes from its underside, and the downstream end of the tablet discharge path 26 is extended to the lower end of the extended tablet discharge section 28, thereby enabling the inclination α1 of the tablet discharge path 26 to be a 45-degree downward gradient. In the conventional motor base 50, the downstream end of the tablet discharge path 55 terminates at the underside of the motor base 50, so the inclination α2 of the tablet discharge path 55 could not be made large, resulting in a downward gradient of 38 degrees. In this way, the motor base 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention increases the inclination of the tablet discharge path 26, preventing tablets passing through the tablet discharge path 26 from sticking to the tablet discharge path 26.

[0028] 7, the motor base 3 of the present invention has a thin first base portion 21, and recesses are provided in the lid 12 of the tablet cassette 2 and the cassette body 5 to prevent interference with the extended tablet discharge portion 28 of the motor base 3. This allows the pitch P to be reduced when multiple motor bases 3 are installed in multiple layers, one above the other, thereby increasing the number of layers. Furthermore, the pitch Ps of one or more layers of the motor base 3 can be made smaller than the other pitches P, allowing for the installation of small tablet cassettes 2.

[0029] For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a conventional tablet packaging device is provided with normal tablet cassettes 2 (M) that store normal-sized tablets, and small tablet cassettes 2 (SS) that store smaller tablets than the normal tablet cassettes 2 (M) or store a smaller number of tablets, and that are shorter than the normal tablet cassettes 2 (M). As shown in FIG. 9(a), a drum is arranged in eight stages vertically and 16 rows circumferentially, with small tablet cassettes 2 (SS) installed in the upper four stages, normal tablet cassettes 2 (M) installed in the lower three stages, and half of the normal tablet cassettes 2 (M) and half of the small tablet cassettes 2 (SS) installed in the middle stage, for a total of 128 tablet cassettes installed.

[0030] In contrast, by using the motor base 3 and tablet cassette 2 of the embodiment of the present invention, it was possible to increase the number of stages by one in the vertical direction of the drum 41 to nine. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 8, in addition to the conventional normal tablet cassette 2 (M) and small tablet cassette 2 (SS), a minimum tablet cassette 2 (SSS) shorter in height than the small tablet cassette 2 (SS) was prepared, which accommodates tablets smaller than those accommodated in the small tablet cassette 2 (SS) or accommodates a smaller number of tablets, and as shown in Fig. 9(b), the small tablet cassettes 2 (SS) were installed in the upper four stages, the normal tablet cassettes 2 (M) were installed in the lower four stages, and the minimum tablet cassette 2 (SSS) was installed in the middle stage, so that a total of 144 cassettes, including 64 normal tablet cassettes 2 (M), 64 small tablet cassettes 2 (SS), and 16 minimum tablet cassettes 2 (SSS), were installed, making it possible to accommodate and dispense a wider variety of tablets than before without increasing the size of the device.

[0031] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Tablet dispensing device 2...Tablet cassette 3...Motor base 4...Base 5...Cassette body 6...Rotor 7...Partition member 8...Guide portion 9...Notch portion 10...Tablet storage portion 11...Rotor storage portion 12...Cover body 13...Recess 14...Slit 15...Tablet outlet 16...Connecting gear 17...Tablet guide groove 18...Circumferential groove 19...Rotating shaft 20...Drive gear 21...First base portion 22...Second base portion 23...Guide rail 24...Output gear 25...Power transmission mechanism 26...Tablet discharge path 27...Motor storage portion 28...Extended tablet discharge portion 29...Tablet discharge outlet 29a...Engaging claw 30...Tablet sensor 31...Motor 32...Motor gear 33...Engaging claw 34...Screw insertion hole 40...Tablet packaging device 40a...Door 40b...Manual tablet dispensing device 40c...Hopper 40d...Packaging section 41...Drum (device body) 42...Tablet drop guide path 43...Mounting hole 44...Engagement hole 45...Screw hole

Claims

1. A tablet dispensing device comprising a tablet cassette in which tablets are stored and a motor base on which the tablet cassette is placed, the motor base having a first base portion on which the tablet cassette is attached and a second base portion on which a tablet discharge path communicating with a tablet outlet of the tablet cassette is formed, the second base portion being formed higher than the first base portion, wherein a motor that rotates and drives a rotor provided inside the tablet cassette is housed in the second base portion.

2. A tablet dispensing device as described in claim 1, wherein the first base portion houses a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the rotor.

3. The tablet dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the motor is disposed to the side of the tablet discharge path.

4. The tablet dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the tablet discharge path is inclined backward from the tablet outlet of the tablet cassette at a downward gradient of 45 degrees or more.

5. A tablet dispensing device according to claim 4, wherein an extended tablet discharge section is formed on the bottom surface of said motor base, extending rearward at a downward slope from said tablet discharge path.

6. A tablet dispensing device as described in claim 5, wherein a recess is formed at the rear of the tablet cassette into which the extended tablet discharge portion fits.

7. A tablet dispensing device as described in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the first base portion of the motor base is less than half the height from the top surface of the first base portion to the top surface of the second base portion.

8. A tablet packaging device comprising a tablet dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and a device main body in which the tablet dispensing devices are arranged vertically in multiple tiers, and in which a tablet drop guide path is formed in the device main body to guide tablets dispensed from the tablet dispensing devices of each tier to a packaging device, wherein an extended tablet discharge section of the upper tier tablet dispensing device is arranged between the motor base of the upper tier tablet dispensing device and the motor base of the lower tier tablet dispensing device located directly below it, and a mounting hole is formed in the device main body to connect the extended tablet discharge section.

9. A tablet packaging device as described in claim 8, in which at least one of the following tablet cassettes is mounted vertically on the device body: a standard tablet cassette for storing standard-sized tablets; a small tablet cassette for storing tablets that are smaller than or can store fewer tablets than those stored in the standard tablet cassette and is shorter in height than the standard tablet cassette; and a minimum tablet cassette for storing tablets that are smaller than or can store fewer tablets than those stored in the small tablet cassette and is shorter in height than the small tablet cassette.

10. A tablet dispensing device comprising a tablet cassette in which tablets are stored and a motor base on which the tablet cassette is placed, the motor base having a first base portion on which the tablet cassette is attached and a second base portion in which a tablet discharge path communicating with the tablet outlet of the tablet cassette is formed, the second base portion being located behind the first base portion, wherein a motor that rotates and drives a rotor provided inside the tablet cassette is housed in the second base portion.

Images