JP2835289B2 - Pill feeder - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tablet feeder for supplying a fixed amount of tablets (including capsules).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a tablet packaging apparatus for packaging tablets, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 62-76102 discloses a conventional tablet packaging apparatus.

The above-mentioned tablet packaging apparatus has a large number of tablet feeders, and drops tablets continuously discharged from one tablet feeder from a drop guide path into a common hopper, and separates the tablets from the lower end outlet of the hopper. It is supplied to the device and packaged.

In the above tablet packaging apparatus,
Since the packaging process is performed for each prescription, there is a problem that the processing capacity is low and a pharmacy of a large hospital with a large number of patients cannot sufficiently cope.

In view of the above, a plurality of packing apparatuses of the tablet packing apparatus are provided, and tablets are selectively supplied to each of the packing apparatuses from each tablet feeder, or tablets are supplied to each of the packing apparatuses from one tablet feeder. The present applicant has found out that, if it is obtained, different types of tablets or tablets of the same kind can be simultaneously packaged in each packaging device, so that there is a great effect in improving the processing capacity.

[0006] In order to form such a tablet packaging apparatus, a tablet feeder that can selectively supply tablets to each of the packaging apparatuses is required.

[0007]

Incidentally, in a conventionally known tablet feeder, tablets are continuously discharged one by one from a single tablet outlet, and tablets are discharged from a plurality of outlets. A tablet feeder capable of selectively discharging is not yet known. For this reason, it has not been possible to form a tablet packaging device having a large processing capacity having a plurality of packaging devices.

In view of the above circumstances, it is a technical object of the present invention to provide a tablet feeder capable of selectively discharging tablets from a plurality of outlets or discharging tablets from each of the outlets. .

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, a rotor is rotatably mounted on the bottom of a tablet storage case provided on a support table, and a motor for driving the rotation of the rotor is provided. Is supported by the support table, a plurality of pockets are provided at a required interval on the outer periphery of the rotor, and a plurality of outlets are formed at a lower portion of the tablet storage case at positions facing the pockets, and each outlet is opened and closed. Set up a free gate,
The support table has a configuration in which a discharge path is provided at a position facing each outlet.

[0010]

In the tablet feeder having the above configuration, when tablets are to be discharged from each of the tablet discharge paths, the gate provided at each of the outlets is opened, the motor is driven, and the rotor is rotated. The tablet that enters the pocket by the rotation of the rotor is discharged from the outlet at a position facing the outlet to a discharge passage communicating with the outlet.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tablet feeder includes a support table 1 and a tablet storage case 2 provided on the support table 1. In the embodiment, a pair of guide grooves 3 are formed on both sides of the upper surface of the support base 1, while the tablet storage case 2 is provided with a slidable protrusion 4 along the guide groove 3 to attach and detach the tablet storage case 2. It is freely supported.

The tablet storage case 2 has an openable and closable lid 5 at an upper portion, and the tablets are filled in the tablet storage case 2 by opening the lid 5.

The bottom surface 6 of the tablet storage case 2 has a conical shape, and a rotor 7 is provided on the bottom surface 6. A conical outer surface 8 is formed on the rotor 7, and a plurality of pockets 9 are provided at equal intervals in a circumferential direction of the conical outer surface 8.

The pocket 9 is open at the upper end surface of the rotor 7. The pocket 9 has a length capable of storing two tablets a, but may have a length capable of storing one tablet.

The rotor 7 is rotated by a motor 10 supported on the support 1. Here, the motor 10 may rotate the rotor 7 at a constant speed, or may rotate the rotor 7 intermittently with the pitch of the pockets 9 as a rotation angle.

At the lower part of the tablet case 2, a first outlet 1 is provided.
1a and a second outlet 11b are provided, each outlet 11a,
When the tip of the tongue piece 12 provided on the upper part of 11b enters the circumferential groove 13 formed on the conical outer surface 8 of the rotor 7, the tablet a in the pocket 9 is discharged from the outlets 11a and 11b. , Tablets a are prevented from being continuously discharged.

The first outlet 11a and the second outlet 11b
Is provided with a first gate 14a and a second gate 14b, and each of the gates 14a and 14b is opened and closed by a driving device 15 such as a solenoid shown in FIG.

The support 1 has a first outlet 11a and a second outlet 11a.
A first discharge path 16 and a second discharge path 16b are provided in communication with the outlet 11b.

Reference numeral 17 shown in FIG. 2 denotes a sensor for detecting the tablets discharged to the first discharge path 16a and the second discharge path 16b.

The tablet feeder shown in the embodiment has the above structure. For example, when the motor 10 is driven and the rotor 7 is rotated while the first gate 14a and the second gate 14b are open, the rotor 7 The tablet stored in the pocket 9 of the first outlet 11a and the second outlet 11
At a position facing b, the air is discharged from each of the outlets 11a and 11b, and is discharged from each of the first discharge path 16a and the second discharge path 16b.

In the rotating state of the rotor 7, the first
One of the gate 14a and the second gate 14b, for example,
When the first gate 14a is closed, the discharge of tablets from the first outlet 11a is stopped, and the tablets are discharged only from the second outlet 11b. Then, when each of the first gate 14a and the second gate 14b is closed, the tablet is discharged from any of the outlets 11.
The tablets are not discharged from a and 11b, and the discharging operation of the tablet is stopped.

As described above, the tablet feeder can selectively discharge tablets from the first outlet 11a and the second outlet 11b, or can simultaneously discharge tablets from both outlets. By providing guide means for individually preparing and supplying tablets discharged from the discharge path of each feeder to the same number of tablet packing apparatuses as the discharge paths of one tablet feeder, each of the tablet packing apparatuses can be provided. Thus, simultaneous packing of different types of tablets and simultaneous packing of the same kind of tablets can be performed, and a tablet packing apparatus having a large packing capacity can be formed.

In the embodiment, the first outlet 11a and the second outlet 11b are provided in the tablet storage case 2, but the number of outlets is not limited to this, and may be two or more.

[0024]

As described above, according to the tablet feeder of the present invention, a plurality of outlets opened and closed by the gate are provided in the tablet storage case, and the outlets are connected to the outlets. The tablet can be discharged more, and the tablet can be selectively discharged to any one of the plurality of discharge paths.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view showing an embodiment of a tablet feeder according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view of the above.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Support base 2 Tablet storage case 7 Rotor 9 Pocket 11a 1st outlet 11b 2nd outlet 14a 1st gate 14b 2nd gate 16a 1st discharge path 16b 2nd discharge path

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rotor is rotatably incorporated in a bottom portion of a tablet storage case provided on a support table, a motor for driving the rotation of the rotor is supported by the support table, and a plurality of pockets are required on the outer periphery of the rotor. Are provided at intervals, and a plurality of outlets are formed at positions below the tablet storage case opposite to the pockets, and openable and closable gates are provided at the respective outlets. Tablet feeder with a discharge path.