JP6914489B2 - Tablet cassette - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tablet cassette that forms a driven portion in a tablet feeder for automating dispensing performed in a hospital, a pharmacy, or the like. The present invention relates to a tablet cassette provided with a plate, and when the alignment plate is driven by axial rotation, tablets are sequentially dropped through a partition chamber at a peripheral portion of the alignment plate and a discharge path of a container portion.

The tablet feeder 10 that has been widely used conventionally (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 5 and FIG. 8 of a typical example) includes a drive unit 30 that is attached to a drawer shelf of a tablet packaging machine for power supply and control. It is composed of a tablet cassette 20 that is detachable from the drive unit 30 for facilitating the tablet replenishment work, and a large number of tablets 8 are randomly housed in the tablet cassette 20, and the drive unit 30 is required. The tablets 8 are sent out one by one from the tablet cassette 20 by intermittently or continuously operating the tablets.

Among such tablet feeders 10, the tablet cassette 20 (see FIG. 8B) has a container portion 21 for accommodating a large number of tablets 8 replenished by opening the upper lid in the internal space and an internal space of the container portion 21. An alignment plate 22 provided on the inner bottom portion of the tablet cassette so as to be rotatable about the axis, and a drive portion 30 projecting from the center of the lower end portion of the alignment plate 22 and described in detail later when the tablet cassette 20 is attached to the drive unit 30. The rotary shaft 23 (container portion side transmission mechanism) that meshes with the drive shaft 33 and transmits the axial rotational movement of the drive shaft 33 to the alignment plate 22 and the lower end portion of the annular gap between the container portion 21 and the alignment plate 22 are defined. It is provided with a partition member 25 which is provided so as to face the discharge path 24 which is formed through the bottom plate of the container portion 21 and which partitions a part of the upper end side of the annular gap.

Moreover, with respect to the alignment board 22, in order to divide the annular gap, which is the alignment point of the tablets 8, by one tablet, a blade-shaped partition wall 22a protruding into the annular gap is equal to the outer peripheral surface of the alignment board 22. A large number of tablets 8 are formed at a pitch, and the space between the adjacent partition walls 22a and 22a is a partition chamber 22b for storing the tablets 8 that have fallen from the top of the alignment board 22 one by one or in a vertical row. Further, the partition member 25 is made of any of various materials such as a plate material and a soft material, and all of them are located in a place where the lowermost tablet 8 in the partition chamber 22b can be separated from the upper tablet 8. The installation position is fixed after the position is adjusted such as high and low.

The drug handled by such a tablet cassette 20 is a tablet, and powdered powder in the form of powder is excluded. As a tablet that is often handled, a disk-shaped tablet (disc-shaped tablet 8 shown in the figure) is typical, but in addition, a regular polygonal plate-shaped tablet or a cylindrical capsule containing powdered medicine or the like is enclosed. Agents and the like are often the subject of handling tablet cassettes.
In addition, a rhombic plate-shaped deformed agent that is different from the so-called fixed shape agent such as circular, spherical, regular polygon, or regular polyhedron, and a spindle-shaped deformed agent with a bulge in the center, so that it can be taken in units of less than one tablet. Half-tablets made by cutting a tablet into two parts may also be handled in a tablet cassette.

On the other hand, the drive unit 30 includes a base 31 that is fixedly or replaceably attached to a shelf, a housing, or the like, and also rotates the alignment board 22 with respect to the attached tablet cassette 20. The base 31 is equipped with a motor 32 as a rotational drive source and a drive shaft 33 (drive unit side transmission mechanism) for transmitting the rotational drive force to the outside. Further, a discharge sensor 34 is attached in the middle of the discharge path or at the discharge destination in order to detect the presence or absence of tablet discharge and count the discharged tablets.
Then, when the tablet cassette 20 is mounted on the drive unit 30, the transmission mechanisms 23 and 33 of the two 20 and 30 are connected by fitting or the like to enable cooperation, and the motor 32 operates according to the control of a control device (not shown). Then, the transmission mechanisms 23 and 33 and the alignment board 22 rotate in axis accordingly, so that the tablets 8 are sent one by one to the discharge path 24 and dropped.

Further, the fitting state of the rotating shaft 23 and the driving shaft 33 must be a loose fitting state with play that allows smooth insertion and removal, and the transmission mechanisms 23 and 33 are simply fitted. In this case, since the coupling state is not rotatably transmitted, meshing is performed along with the fitting. Specifically (see FIG. 9A), an internal tooth gear is adopted for the rotating shaft 23, an external tooth gear that meshes with the internal tooth gear is adopted for the drive shaft 33, and both shafts 23 and 33 serve as axial centers. When they move relative to each other in the direction of the rotation axis to reduce the relative distance in the matched state, they are fitted and meshed at the same time.

However, by that alone, the tooth positions of both shafts 23 and 33 are often displaced after the tablet cassette 20 is attached / detached (see FIG. 9B), and the deviation angle θ is the maximum tooth pitch angle. It reaches half of φ. If there is such a deviation, the rotating shaft 23 may rotate when the shafts 23 and 33 are fitted, which may lead to an undesired discharge operation outside the control. Therefore, the rotating shaft 23 is unexpected. In order to positively suppress the rotation of the shaft, a mooring member or the like for mooring the rotating shaft 23 to the container portion 21 is added to the tablet cassette 20, and the tablet cassette 20 is moored according to attachment / detachment to / from the drive portion 30. Some have come to be executed / canceled (see, for example, Patent Document 5).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-272812 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-179127 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-12719 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-140724 JP-A-2017-127532 Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-028485 (Application)

In such a tablet cassette 20, undesired uncontrolled shaft rotation does not occur even when the rotary shaft 23 is fitted to the drive shaft 33 by mounting on the drive unit 30.
However, in embodying the so-called non-mounting rotation blocking means that independently blocks the rotation of the rotational shaft of the axial fitting method when not mounted (see Patent Document 5), an annular shape having a large number of teeth is realized. In addition to the mooring members, swing members, swing fulcrums, and urging members will be additionally installed in the cassette, so they are small and delicate members, so it is difficult to make and handle with care. Therefore, cost increase is unavoidable.

Therefore, in order to suppress such an increase in cost, a simple tablet cassette as a means for preventing rotation when not attached has been devised (see Patent Document 6). That is, a container portion 21 capable of accommodating the tablet 8, an alignment plate 22 capable of rotating the shaft in the container portion 21, and a drive shaft fitting hole for forming an internal tooth gear (a drive shaft fitting hole for forming an internal tooth gear) (that is, a drive shaft 33 for forming an external tooth gear can be inserted and removed. The lower end portion bored with 23a) is provided with a rotating shaft 23 that penetrates the bottom portion of the container portion 21 and protrudes downward, and when the rotating shaft 23 is rotated, the aligning board 22 is axially rotated. As a result, the tablet cassette 40 for sequentially discharging the tablets 8 from the container portion 21 has been improved as follows.

Specifically (see FIGS. 10 and 11), a mooring member 45 having a large number of mooring irregularities 46 formed in a ring shape is attached to the inner bottom surface of the container portion 21, and the mooring irregularities 46 are separated from the rotating shaft 23. The locking shaft 70 is provided with a locking portion 71 corresponding to the mooring unevenness 46 protruding in the radial direction from the shaft portion so as to go around the rotating shaft 23 at the vertical position. It can move relative to the rotating shaft 23 in the axial direction, but does not move relative to the radial direction. The locking shaft 70 is lowered so that the locking portion 71 comes into contact with the mooring unevenness 46, and when the drive shaft 33 is fitted into the drive shaft insertion hole 23a, the locking shaft 70 is moved. The locking portion 71 moves in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 23 and is separated from the mooring member 45.

In the tablet cassette 40 (previous invention) improved in this way, the locking shaft 70 is introduced instead of the swinging member and the swinging fulcrum, and the locking shaft 70 is its own weight. It is small and delicate because it moves in the drive shaft fitting hole 23a in the axial direction and the hole direction in response to the downward thrust of the urging member 72 and the upward thrust of the drive shaft 33 approaching when the cassette is mounted. A swing member, a swing support shaft, and a slit for passing the swing member are not required, and a larger and relatively simple member (45, 70) realizes a rotation preventing means when not mounted. Therefore, the rotation blocking means when not mounted is simplified and the cost is suppressed.

Further, in the tablet cassette 40 (see FIGS. 10, 11, and 6), the chevron-shaped impact member 47 is placed on the container portion 21 at a position outside the ring-shaped chain of the mooring irregularities 46 of the mooring member 45. The contact member 42, which is mounted on the inner bottom surface and has the contact portion 43 protruding downward, is mounted on the downward ceiling surface of the additional member accommodating space 22c of the alignment board 22, and is mounted on the downward ceiling surface of the alignment board 22. By making the contact portion 43 of the contact member 42 interfere with the 47 intermittently, further functions can be exhibited by adding a small number of members that effectively utilize the rotation blocking means when not mounted. It has become.

More specifically, by arranging the thrust member 47 outside the ring of the mooring member 45, the thrust member 47 and the contact portion 43 of the contact member 42 are positioned outside the member of the rotation preventing means when not mounted. Therefore, both members 42 and 47 are equipped without impairing the function of the rotation blocking means when not mounted.
Then, when the alignment board 22 is driven by axial rotation, the thrust member 47 protruding upward and the contact portion 43 protruding downward intermittently interfere with each other, so that the alignment board 22 occasionally interferes with the tablet discharge. Is thrust up.

Therefore, since the tablets on the alignment plate 22 in the container portion 21 receive a light impact, when the tablets are overlapping and are about to solidify, the tablets are quickly unraveled and the alignment plate is released. It becomes easy to slide down the upper slope of 22.
Further, when the tablet is placed on the partition wall 22a between the inner peripheral surface of the container portion 21 and the outer peripheral surface of the alignment board 22, the tablet is shaken off from the partition wall 22a in the partition chamber 22b. It will move up.

As described above, in the tablet cassette 40, the tablet cassette 40 is small and delicate as a member for preventing rotation when not mounted, which is installed in the surrounding space between the container portion 21 and the aligning board 22 and the additional member accommodating space 22c on the lower surface of the aligning board 22. Instead of known swinging members and swinging support shafts (see Patent Document 5), new mooring members 45 and locking shafts 70 (see FIGS. 10, 11, and 6) that are easier to handle than those are used. By adopting it, the practicality of the tablet cassette 40 has been improved.
However, when a tablet cassette 40 (see FIG. 10) was prototyped and tried for evaluation of practicality and the like, it was found that the upwardly projecting thrust member 47 and the tablet cassette 40 (see FIG. 11C) intermittently interfere with each other during tablet ejection (FIG. 11 (c)). (See), it was found that there is room for further improvement with respect to the downwardly projecting contact member 42 (see FIG. 11A).

Regarding the abutting member 42, the annular portion supporting the abutting portion 43 protruding downward is fixed to the downward ceiling surface of the additional member accommodating space 22c of the alignment board 22 in a state of surrounding the rotating shaft 23 by sticking or the like. However, in such a mounting mode, although the mounting location is expanded and simplified as compared with the conventional case, the mounting work is not easy because it is still in the narrow additional member accommodating space 22c.
Further, it is difficult to replace the contact member 42 by fixing by sticking or the like, and if the contact member 42 is replaceably attached by screwing or the like, additional machining of female screw formation is required.

Further, it is also necessary to adapt the shape of the connecting portion between the contact member 42 and the alignment board 22 so as not to cause misalignment or the like, which imposes restrictions on the shape of the additional member accommodating space 22c of the alignment board 22 and causes the alignment board 22 to be constrained. It is difficult to design to avoid an increase in wall thickness and non-uniformity in the central part of 22.
Therefore, it is a first technical problem to realize a contact member that is easy to install even if it is arranged in the additional member accommodating space of the alignment board and has few restrictions on the shape of the alignment board.

As for the thrust member 47 protruding upward, a semi-cylindrical one was prototyped and various tablets were tried. As a result, many tablets planned to be applied exhibited the expected lumpy tablet loosening performance. However, it was found that the reaction force at the time of thrusting may be larger than initially expected depending on the type and form of the drug, as well as the amount and state of the drug. Furthermore, it was also found that there is a case where it is desired to make the falling speed, which is one of the main factors affecting the loosening performance of the lumpy tablet, larger than the initially assumed required value for the falling after pushing up.
Therefore, it is a second technical problem to realize a thrust member which is a companion to the abutting member and which can improve the loosening performance of the lump tablet.

The tablet cassette of the present invention (Solution 1) was devised to solve the above-mentioned first technical problem.
A container portion capable of accommodating tablets, an alignment plate capable of axial rotation in the container portion, and a rotating shaft in which a lower end portion having a drive shaft fitting hole penetrates the bottom portion of the container portion and protrudes downward. In a tablet cassette that sequentially discharges tablets from the container portion by rotating the alignment plate by the axis when the rotation axis is rotated.
A mooring member having a large number of ring-shaped mooring irregularities formed is provided on the inner bottom surface of the container portion, and the mooring irregularities go around the rotating shaft at a position away from the rotating shaft. A locking shaft body having a locking portion corresponding to unevenness at the upper part is inserted into the drive shaft fitting hole at the lower part and can move relative to the rotating shaft in the axial direction, but moves relative to the radial direction. The locking shaft body is lowered so that the locking portion comes into contact with the mooring unevenness, and when the drive shaft is fitted into the drive shaft fitting hole, the engaging portion is engaged. The stopping shaft body moves in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and the locking portion is released from the mooring member.
A chevron-shaped thrust member is mounted on the inner bottom surface of the container portion at a position outside the ring-shaped chain of the mooring irregularities of the mooring member, and the contact portion with respect to the upper surface of the thrust member is projected downward. The contact member is externally attached to the rotating shaft and is housed in the additional member accommodating space of the aligning board, and the thrust member and the contact member intermittently interfere with each other when the alignment board is rotated, and the aligning board Is characterized in that it moves up and down.

Further, the tablet cassette of the present invention (Solution 2) was devised to solve the second technical problem in addition to the first technical problem described above.
A container portion capable of accommodating tablets, an alignment plate capable of axial rotation in the container portion, and a rotating shaft in which a lower end portion having a drive shaft fitting hole penetrates the bottom portion of the container portion and protrudes downward. In a tablet cassette that sequentially discharges tablets from the container portion by rotating the alignment plate by the axis when the rotation axis is rotated.
A mooring member having a large number of ring-shaped mooring irregularities formed is provided on the inner bottom surface of the container portion, and the mooring irregularities go around the rotating shaft at a position away from the rotating shaft. A locking shaft body having a locking portion corresponding to unevenness at the upper part is inserted into the drive shaft fitting hole at the lower part and can move relative to the rotating shaft in the axial direction, but moves relative to the radial direction. The locking shaft body is lowered so that the locking portion comes into contact with the mooring unevenness, and when the drive shaft is fitted into the drive shaft fitting hole, the engaging portion is engaged. The stopping shaft body moves in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and the locking portion is released from the mooring member.
A chevron-shaped thrust member having a slow ascending surface and a steep descending surface on the upper surface is mounted on the inner bottom surface of the container portion at a place outside the ring-shaped chain of mooring irregularities of the mooring member. A contact member having a contact portion protruding downward with respect to the upper surface of the thrust member is exteriorized by the rotation shaft and is housed in an additional member accommodating space of the alignment plate. It is characterized in that the alignment board moves up and down by intermittently interfering with the contact member.

Further, the tablet cassette of the present invention (Solution 3) was devised to solve the above-mentioned second technical problem.
A container portion capable of accommodating tablets, an alignment plate capable of axial rotation in the container portion, and a rotating shaft in which a lower end portion having a drive shaft fitting hole penetrates the bottom portion of the container portion and protrudes downward. In a tablet cassette that sequentially discharges tablets from the container portion by rotating the alignment plate by the axis when the rotation axis is rotated.
A mooring member having a large number of ring-shaped mooring irregularities formed is provided on the inner bottom surface of the container portion, and the mooring irregularities go around the rotating shaft at a position away from the rotating shaft. A locking shaft body having a locking portion corresponding to unevenness at the upper part is inserted into the drive shaft fitting hole at the lower part and can move relative to the rotating shaft in the axial direction, but moves relative to the radial direction. The locking shaft body is lowered so that the locking portion comes into contact with the mooring unevenness, and when the drive shaft is fitted into the drive shaft fitting hole, the engaging portion is engaged. The stopping shaft body moves in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and the locking portion is released from the mooring member.
A chevron-shaped thrust member having a slow ascending surface and a steep descending surface on the upper surface is mounted on the inner bottom surface of the container portion at a place outside the ring-shaped chain of mooring irregularities of the mooring member. A contact member that protrudes downward from the contact portion with respect to the upper surface of the thrust member is arranged in the additional member accommodating space of the alignment board, and the thrust member and the contact member are arranged when the axis of the alignment board is rotated. Is characterized in that the alignment board moves up and down by intermittently interfering with each other.

Further, the tablet cassette of the present invention (Solution 4) was devised in order to highly solve the problem related to the speed at the time of falling after being pushed up among the above-mentioned second technical problems.
In the tablet cassettes 2 and 3, the elastic body is provided with the upper end portion acting on the bottom portion of the container portion and the lower end portion acting on the rotating shaft, and the elastic body is elastic. The alignment board is urged downward by the repulsive force.

In such a tablet cassette of the present invention (Solutions 1 to 4), after introducing a locking shaft body instead of the swinging member and the swinging fulcrum, the locking shaft body has its own weight and the like. By moving in the axial direction and the hole direction in the drive shaft fitting hole according to the pressing with the drive shaft of the approach when the cassette is mounted, a small and delicate swing member, a swing support shaft, and a swing member Since the passage slits are not required and the non-mounted rotation blocking means is embodied by a member larger and simpler than them, the non-mounting rotation blocking means is simplified and the cost is suppressed.

Moreover, since the thrust member is arranged outside the ring of the mooring member, the thrust member and the corresponding contact member are located outside the member of the rotation preventing means when not mounted, so that the thrust member and the contact member are in contact with each other. The contact member is equipped without impairing the function of the rotation blocking means when not mounted. Then, when the alignment board is driven by axial rotation, the upward projecting thrust member and the downward projecting contact member intermittently interfere with each other, so that the alignment board is sometimes pushed up as the tablet is discharged. ..
Therefore, the tablets on the alignment plate in the container part also receive a light impact, and when the tablets are overlapping and are about to solidify, they are quickly released. Therefore, the alignment plate in the container part Tablets on the bulkhead will also be easier to move. Then, when the tablet is carried to the partition member, even if it is sandwiched between the partition member and the partition member, it escapes immediately, so that the frequency of undesired situations in which the tablet is fixed there is greatly reduced. Will be done.

Further, in the tablet cassette of the present invention (solutions 1 and 2), the contact member is not fixed to the alignment board by sticking or screwing, but is externally attached to the rotating shaft. As a result, the contact member fits in the additional member accommodating space of the alignment board as the rotary shaft is mounted on the alignment board, and the contact portion is held at the required position by the portion protruding from the rotation axis in the outer peripheral direction. .. Therefore, a contact member that is easy to install even if it is arranged in the additional member accommodating space of the alignment board and has few restrictions on the shape of the alignment board is realized, and the first technical problem is solved.

Further, in the tablet cassette of the present invention (solutions 2 and 3), the upper surface of the chevron portion of the abutting member is aligned by gently inclining the ascending surface and steeply inclining the descending surface. The thrust of the board is slow but powerful on the gentle slope, and the post-push fall of the alignment board is swift on the steep slope or vertical surface.
Therefore, the loosening performance of the lumpy tablet is improved, and the second technical problem is solved.

Further, in the tablet cassette of the present invention (Solution 4), the alignment plate is urged downward, so that the fall of the alignment plate after being pushed up is further strengthened. The solution of technical problems is advanced.
Moreover, the easy-to-use elastic body is responsible for generating the urging force for pressing the alignment plate, and the rotating shaft connected to the alignment plate in the container portion protrudes downward from the container portion. By arranging the elastic body for pressing the alignment plate under the bottom of the container portion, the elastic body for pressing the alignment plate can be easily attached / detached and retrofitted.

Regarding Example 1 of the present invention, the structure of a tablet cassette is shown, (a) is a vertical cross-sectional view in a free state, and (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view in a mounted state. (A) is a vertical cross-sectional view in a raised state, and (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part of the container portion. Both (a) and (b) are vertical cross-sectional views of an aligning board with a shaft body in which a rotating shaft is attached to the aligning board. (A) is a perspective view of the contact member, (b) is a perspective view of the locking shaft body, and (c) is a perspective view of the mooring member. Regarding Example 2 of the present invention, the structure of the tablet cassette is shown, (a) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the entire tablet cassette, and (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the container portion. (A) is a perspective view of a portion of the container portion equipped with a mooring member and an abutting member, (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of an alignment board with a shaft body related to a locking portion, and (c) is the present. The vertical cross-sectional view of the alignment board with a shaft body related to the contact portion, and (d) and (e) are the vertical cross-sectional views of the elastic body for pressing the alignment board. It is a developed perspective view of the alignment board with a shaft body. A conventional tablet feeder is shown, (a) is an external perspective view from the rear right, (b) is a vertical sectional left side view, (c) is a front view, and (d) is a left side view. The fitted state of the rotating shaft and the drive shaft is shown, (a) is a cross section of both shafts in a fitted state, and (b) is a cross section of both shafts in a detached state. The structure of the tablet cassette of the prior invention is shown, (a) is a vertical sectional view in a free state, and (b) is a vertical sectional view in a mounted state. The structure of the member of the tablet cassette of the prior invention is shown, (a) is a perspective view of a contact member, (b) is a perspective view of a locking shaft body, and (c) is a perspective view of a mooring member.

A specific embodiment for carrying out such a tablet cassette of the present invention will be described with reference to Examples 1 and 2 below.
The first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 embodies all of the above-mentioned solutions 1 to 4 (claims 1 to 4 at the time of filing), and the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 to 7. Is a modified example.
For the sake of simplicity, the illustrations of fasteners such as bolts, connector such as hinges, electric circuits such as motor drivers, and electronic circuits such as controllers are omitted in the illustrations of the invention. The illustrations focus on what is needed and what is related.
Further, in the illustration thereof, the same components as those in the conventional case are designated with the same reference numerals, and further, what has been described in the background technology column is common to the following examples, so that they are duplicated. The explanation will be omitted again, and the differences from the conventional one will be mainly explained below.

The specific configuration of Example 1 of the tablet cassette of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1A and 1B are both vertical sectional views of the tablet cassette 50, but FIG. 1A is a vertical sectional view of the tablet cassette 50 in a free state, and FIG. 1B ) Is a vertical cross-sectional view of the tablet cassette 50 in a mounted state in which the drive shaft 33 is fitted into the rotary shaft 23.
Further, FIG. 2A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the tablet cassette 50 in a thrust state in which the contact portion 81 rides on the thrust member 62, and FIG. 2B is a main part of the container portion 21. It is a vertical sectional view.
Further, FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the alignment board with a shaft body in which the rotating shaft 23 is attached to the alignment board 22 in both (a) and (b), and in FIG. 4, (a) is the contact member 80. (B) is a perspective view of the locking shaft body 70, and (c) is a perspective view of the mooring member 60.

In a word, the tablet cassette 50 is a tablet residue preventing means after improving the rotation preventing means when not attached to the tablet cassette 20 (see FIGS. 8 and 9, Patent Documents 1 to 5) described in the background technology column. The conventional container portion 21 and partition member 25, the alignment plate 22 and the rotating shaft 23 which are partially modified from the conventional product, the new mooring member 60, and the locking shaft body 70 are also strengthened. It includes a contact member 80 and an elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate.
That is, after taking over the container portion 21, the alignment board 22, and the partition member 25 described above from the tablet cassette 20, the container section 21 is equipped with a mooring member 60 and is connected to the alignment board 22 and the center of the lower end portion thereof. The rotating shaft 23 is partially modified, and then a locking shaft body 70, an urging member 72, a contact member 80, and an elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment board are added.

Comparing the prior invention product 40 (see FIGS. 10, 11, and Patent Document 6) mentioned in the problem-solving column with the tablet cassette 50 of the specific example of the present invention, the main change is that the mooring member 45 is modified. The mooring member 60 was formed, the contact member 42 was modified to become the contact member 80, and the restrictions on the shape of the additional member accommodating space 22c of the alignment board 22 were alleviated accordingly. And, the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment board was added.
Hereinafter, each member will be described.

The alignment board 22 (see FIGS. 1, 2 (a) and 3) has a cylindrical lower portion, and a large number of partition walls 22a are formed so as to protrude at equal pitches on the outer peripheral surface thereof, so that a large number of partition chambers 22b go around. The upper part is conical and the upper surface is wavy for tablet stirring, and the central part is engraved from the lower surface to form an additional member accommodating space 22c. Basically, it follows the conventional product, but the additional member accommodating space 22c is relatively large, and the wall thickness is not only for the lower cylindrical part but also for the upper hollow conical part. As it becomes thinner, the thickness does not change much. In comparison with the tablet cassette 40, the upper surface portion of the additional member accommodating space 22c, which is a substantially horizontal disk shape in the tablet cassette 40, returns to an inclined conical shape in the tablet cassette 50.

Further, in the alignment board 22, a tubular portion 22d in a downwardly projecting state is formed in the center of the additional member accommodating space 22c, and the central portion of the hollow upper end surface of the tubular portion 22d is further engraved to have a small diameter and a short length. The bottom hole 22f is formed.
Then, the upper portion of the urging member 72 fits in the bottomed hole 22f, and the upper end small diameter portion of the rotating shaft 23 (in the figure, a free insertion hole which is a slit-shaped notch) is hollowed out in the tubular portion 22d of the alignment board 22. Of the scattered spot pattern portions on which 23b is formed, the portion having a small outer diameter) is firmly fitted so that the alignment board 22 and the rotating shaft 23 are connected as if they were one piece.

Moreover, since the coupling portion of the rotary shaft 23 with respect to the alignment board 22 is limited to the upper end peripheral portion of the drive shaft fitting hole 23a, the long drive shaft fitting hole 23a, which is only a through hole when looking only at the rotary shaft 23, is formed. By connecting to the above-mentioned small diameter and short bottomed hole 22f in the alignment board 22, a long bottomed hole is formed in the joint between the alignment board 22 and the rotating shaft 23, and is attached to the bottom portion (22f and the upper part of 23a). The force member 72 is housed.
In addition to the upper part of the rotating shaft 23 connected to the alignment board 22 in this way, as will be described in detail later, the contact member 80 attached to the upper part of the rotating shaft 23 and the locking shaft protruding from the rotating shaft 23. The locking portion 71 of the body 70 and the mooring unevenness 61 and the abutting member 62 of the mooring member 60 that interfere with the 71 and 80 are also reasonably accommodated in the additional member accommodating space 22c of the alignment board 22.

The rotating shaft 23 (see FIGS. 1, 2 (a), and 3) accommodates the locking shaft body 70, which will be described in detail later, in the drive shaft fitting hole 23a that fits and meshes with the drive shaft 33. In this state, in order to project the locking portion 71 of the locking shaft body 70 from the drive shaft fitting hole 23a into the additional member accommodating space 22c, the free insertion hole 23b that communicates the drive shaft fitting hole 23a and the additional member accommodating space 22c. Is formed. The free insertion hole 23b has a scattered dot pattern on the free insertion hole 23b for the sake of clarity in the drawing, but the rotating shaft 23 alone is formed by a slit-shaped notch, and it is formed from the hole by itself. Although it is close to the groove, when the small diameter portion at the upper end of the rotating shaft 23 is fitted into the tubular portion 22d of the alignment board 22, the upper opening of the notch is closed by the tubular portion 22d to form a radial through hole.

The mooring member 60 (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 (c)) is a substantially ring-shaped member, and a large number of mooring irregularities 61 are formed on the upper surface thereof. The mooring irregularities 61 are arranged at equal pitches in a circular ring shape.
Such a mooring member 60 is fixedly attached to a portion of the inner bottom surface of the container portion 21 that is in contact with the upper edge of the insertion hole of the rotation shaft 23 of the alignment plate 22 by adhesion, fusion, or the like. , A large number of mooring irregularities 61 go around the rotating shaft 23 at a place slightly away from the rotating shaft 23.

Moreover, the thrust member 62 is integrally formed on the mooring member 60, and in this example, the two thrust members 62 are mounted on the inner bottom surface of the container portion 21 together with the mooring member 60 as an integrally formed product.
The thrust member 62 is arranged at a position corresponding to the outside of the ring-shaped chain of the mooring irregularities 61 so as not to interfere with the locking portion 71, and each of the thrust members 62 has an ascending surface 62a, an apex and a descending surface on the upper surface. It has a chevron shape that connects the surfaces 62b, and the abutting portion 81 of the abutting member 80 abuts against the upper surface of the surface 62b as it travels, and ascends and descends. The portion corresponding to the descent surface 62b is long with a gentle inclination of, for example, 5 ° to 30 °, while the portion corresponding to the descending surface 62b is short with a steep inclination of, for example, 70 ° to 90 °.

The locking shaft 70 (see FIGS. 1, 2 (a) and 4 (b)) is mainly composed of a shaft portion slightly thinner than the drive shaft fitting hole 23a penetrating the axis of the rotating shaft 23. The shaft portion is inserted into the drive shaft fitting hole 23a. By sliding the portion of the shaft portion from the middle portion to the lower portion with the inner wall surface of the drive shaft fitting hole 23a, the locking shaft body 70 moves relative to the rotating shaft 23 only in the axial direction. It has become. Further, the upper end portion of the shaft portion is slightly thinner than the intermediate portion, and one end / lower end of the urging member 72 comes into contact with the step there. The urging member 72 is made of, for example, a coil spring, and is loosely inserted into the bottomed hole 22f and the drive shaft fitting hole 23a in a compressed state in which the other ends and upper ends are in contact with the bottom of the bottomed hole 22f of the alignment board 22. The descending force of the stop shaft body 70 is strengthened.

Further, the shaft portion of the locking shaft body 70 is provided with about two arm portions having a locking portion 71 at the tip in this example, and the arm portions protrude in the radial direction from the upper portion of the shaft portion. ing. Then, in a state where the locking shaft body 70 is housed in the drive shaft fitting hole 23a of the rotating shaft 23, the arm portion penetrates the free insertion hole 23b and the locking portion 71 is placed in the additional member accommodating space 22c. Located (see FIGS. 1, 2 (a), 3). The free insertion hole 23b is wider with respect to the arm portion with a clear difference in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 23, but has a slight difference in the radial direction. Therefore, the locking shaft 70 can move up and down in a limited range with respect to the rotating shaft 23, but hardly moves relative to the rotating shaft 23 in the radial direction.

The locking portion 71 (see FIGS. 1 to 4) corresponds to the above-mentioned mooring unevenness 61, and has a shape in which the lower end is lightly fitted into the concave portion of the mooring unevenness 61. Then, when the locking shaft body 70 is urged downward by its own weight or the urging member 72, the locking portion 71 descends onto the mooring unevenness 61 of the ring-shaped row, and the mooring unevenness 61 at the corresponding portion. (See FIG. 1 (a)). Moreover, when the drive shaft 33 of the drive unit 30 to which the cassette is mounted is fitted into the drive shaft fitting hole 23a from below (see FIGS. 1 (b) and 2 (a)), it is pushed up by the drive shaft 33 and engaged. The stopping shaft body 70 moves upward, which is one of the axial directions of the rotating shaft 23, whereby the locking portion 71 is separated from the mooring unevenness 61 of the mooring member 60.

The contact member 80 (see FIGS. 1, 2 (a), 3 (b), and 4 (a)) includes a contact portion 81 and a ring-shaped portion 82, of which the ring-shaped portion 82 is provided. The inner diameter of 82 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the outer fitting destination 23ba.
Here, the outer fitting destination 23ba of the annular portion 82 (see FIG. 3B) is the upper portion of the rotating shaft 23 and has a small diameter near the upper end of the formed portion of the free insertion hole 23b (split-shaped notch). A portion 23ba, in which the tubular portion 22d of the alignment board 22 is externally fitted in addition to the annular portion 82 of the contact member 80.

In this example, about two abutting portions 81 are formed (see FIG. 4A) and are divided on both sides of the annular portion 82, but all of them protrude in the radial direction from the outer edge of the annular portion 82. It is the tip of a curved arm-shaped part that is bent downward afterwards. Then, when the alignment plate 22 rotates about the axis in the container portion 21 (see FIGS. 1B and 2A), the contact portion 81 intermittently interferes with the thrust member 62. .. The vertical interference amount B between the contact portion 81 and the thrust member 62 (see FIG. 2A) is a distance at which the alignment plate 22 rises from the inner bottom of the container portion 21 at the time of interference, but the partition member 25 It is slightly larger than the height difference A (see FIG. 1) between the partition wall 22a and the partition wall 22a.

The elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate (see FIGS. 1 and 2 (a)) is a coil spring having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rotating shaft 23, and is a rotation inserted into the container portion 21 so as to be axially rotatable. Although the one loosely fitted to the outer peripheral portion near the lower end of the shaft 23 is shown, other members may be used as long as they are elastic bodies that can be exteriorized on the portion of the rotating shaft 23 that protrudes downward from the container portion 21. .. After the alignment plate pressing elastic body 90 is attached to the rotating shaft 23, the lower end of the alignment plate pressing elastic body 90 is pushed up by the retaining ring 91 to compress the alignment plate pressing elastic body 90, and then the retaining ring 91. By fixing the exterior to the lower end of the rotating shaft 23, the upper end of the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate comes into contact with the bottom of the container 21, and the lower end of the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate stops. The elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate acts in the direction of contacting the ring 91 and pulling the two 21 and 91 up and down, but the stop ring 91 is fixed to the rotation shaft 23 and the rotation shaft 23 is the alignment plate 22. Since it is fixed to the container portion 21, the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate 22 urges the alignment plate 22 downward with reference to the container portion 21.

The usage mode and operation of the tablet cassette 50 of Example 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 (a), 1 (b), 2 (a), 4 (c) and the like described above.

When the tablet cassette 50 is removed from the drive unit 30 (see FIG. 1A), the drive shaft 33 comes out of the rotation shaft 23, so that the locking shaft 70 released from the push-up is added to its own weight and upward. The locking portion 71 is lowered by being pushed downward by the urging member 72, and the locking portion 71 is lowered toward the mooring member 60 accordingly. 71 fits lightly. Since the mooring action prevents the rotation of the rotating shaft 23, the tablet cassette 50 is aligned with the container portion 21 in normal handling such as transportation of the tablet cassette 50, attachment / detachment to / from the drive unit 30, and tablet replenishment to the tablet cassette 50. Since the rotation of the board 22 is suppressed, an undesired drop of the tablet is accurately prevented.

Further, when the tablet cassette 50 is attached to the drive unit 30 (see FIG. 1 (b)), the drive shaft 33 is fitted into the rotary shaft 23 and meshes with each other, and the locking shaft 70 is moved by the drive shaft 33. Since it is pushed up and rises against its own weight and the urging force of the urging member 72, the locking portion 71 rises accordingly and separates from the mooring unevenness 61 of the mooring member 60. The rotation drive of the 23 and the rotation drive of the alignment board 22 are accurately performed. Therefore, every time the drive shaft 33 rotates, the alignment board 22 also rotates, whereby the partition wall 22a and thus the partition chamber 22b are sequentially fed, and the tablets carried under the partition member 25 in the partition chamber 22b are released. It falls down from the discharge path 24 one by one.

Further, when the alignment board 22 is rotated in this way, the contact member 80 mounted on the alignment board 22 is also rotated, and the contact portion 81 is circularly moved accordingly. In this example, the contact portion 81 is rotated every half rotation. Abuts on the thrust member 62. Then (see FIG. 2A), first, the contact portion 81 rides on the ascending surface 62a of the thrust member 62 and rises by the amount of vertical interference B, so that the mounting destination of the annular portion 82 of the contact member 80 The rotating shaft 23 and the alignment board 22 to which the rotating shaft 23 is mounted rises by the amount of vertical interference B. At that time, a reaction force against ascending is generated due to the weight of the rotating shaft 23, the locking shaft body 70 in the rotating shaft 23, the aligning plate 22 and the tablet on the rotating shaft 23, and the pushing force of the aligning plate pressing elastic body 90. However, since the ascending surface 62a is a gentle slope, a strong thrust exceeding the reaction force is generated, and the abutting portion 81 and the alignment board 22 slowly rises, so that the abutting portion 81 and the abutting member 62 are unreasonable. The ascent of the alignment board 22 is surely completed without forcing.

The contact portion 81 that has finished ascending then turns downward, and descends by the amount of vertical interference B along the descending surface 62b of the thrust member 62. Then, since the ascending surface 62a is a steep slope this time, the pressing force of the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment board is also applied to the own weights of the respective parts 22, 23, 70, 80, and the contact member 80 is strongly urged downward. Therefore, the contact portion 81 and thus the alignment board 22 quickly descends along the descending surface 62b.
Therefore, the tablets on the alignment board 22 are shaken up and down in the container portion 21, so that the tablets descend quickly, so that even if a large number of tablets are in a lump, they are quickly loosened.

Further, the partition wall 22a also moves up and down by the vertical interference amount B with the vertical movement of the alignment board 22 (see FIG. 2A), but the vertical interference amount B is the partition member 25 and the partition wall 22a. Because it is larger than the height difference A of (see FIG. 1B), the upper end of the partition wall 22a that came under the partition member 25 lightly collides with the lower surface of the partition member 25 (see FIG. 2A). Since the partition member 25 is rubbed, even the tablet on the partition member 25 is shaken and quickly falls from the partition member 25.

The specific configuration of Example 2 of the tablet cassette 50 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The tablet cassette 50 of this example is a modification of the above example in consideration of reduction of material cost, ease of manufacture, etc., and can be said to be a modification of the above example, so there is no risk of confusion. While using the same code in, the differences will be mainly explained.

5 (a) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the entire tablet cassette of the tablet cassette 50, FIG. 5 (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the container portion 21, and FIG. 6 (a) is of the container portion 21. It is a perspective view which concerns on the part equipped with the mooring member 60 and the abutting member 62, and FIG. FIG. 3C is a vertical cross-sectional view of the alignment board 22 with a shaft body related to the contact portion 81 of the contact member 80, and FIG. It is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view with the ring 91, FIG. 7 (e) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment board and the stop ring 91, and FIG. It is a figure.

In the tablet cassette 50 of the second embodiment (see FIG. 5), the container portion 21 is thinned to the bottom and an opening / closing lid is attached to the upper end opening. Further, a peripheral portion of the insertion hole of the rotating shaft 23 is slightly carved from the bottom of the bottom portion of the container portion 21, and the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate and the upper end portion of the retaining ring 91 are housed therein. Further (see FIG. 6A), the mooring member 60 is formed with an annular portion such as a fence on the outer peripheral side of the mooring unevenness 61 and the thrust member 62, and the rigidity and strength of the thrust member 62. It is also designed to prevent the spread of dust and dirt from the inside.

Further (see FIGS. 6 (b), 6 (c), and 7), a plurality of, for example, six ribs 22e are formed in a radial arrangement in the additional member accommodating space 22c of the alignment board 22. Each of the ribs 22e has a vertical plate shape, extends from the tubular portion 22d to the outer peripheral side, and extends downward from the upper surface of the additional member accommodating space 22c. Then, the tubular portion 22d into which the rotating shaft 23 is fitted on the inner peripheral side is assisted / reinforced from the outer peripheral side. Further, the direction in which the locking portion 71 of the locking shaft 70 protrudes (see FIGS. 6B and 7) and the direction in which the contact portion 81 of the contact member 80 protrudes (FIG. 6 (c)). ), See Fig. 7), they are not in the same direction but are offset.

Further (see FIGS. 6 (d) and 6 (e)), the diameter of the stop ring 91 changes in three steps from the large diameter at the upper part to the small diameter at the lower part, and the stop ring 91 and the support portion of the elastic body 90 for pressing the alignment plate. The attachment portion to the rotating shaft 23 is vertically separated from the mounting portion.
Further (see FIG. 7), a small engaging recess 23c is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the upper portion of the rotating shaft 23, and the engaging recess 23c also interferes with the inner peripheral portion of the annular portion 82 in addition to the free insertion hole 23b. By doing so, it is possible to easily and accurately prevent the contact member 80 from idling and impairing the progress of the contact portion 81.

[others]
In the above embodiment, the mooring member 60 is retrofitted to the container portion 21, but the mooring member 60 and the container portion 21 may be an integral body made together by molding or the like.
In the above embodiment, by providing a plurality of thrust members 62 at opposite positions, the contact member 80 and thus the alignment board 22 are smoothly moved up and down so that a force for tilting the rotating shaft 23 and the like is not generated. Although the members were prevented from being damaged, the thrust member 62 may be provided at any position, not limited to the facing position, as long as there is no problem in the smooth operation or damage of each member.

The tablet cassette of the present invention is not limited to a dispensing machine equipped with a large number of tablet cassettes / tablet feeders such as a tablet packing machine as long as it is a device provided with a drive unit of a tablet feeder that can be mounted, but is also a tablet dividing device or bottling. It can also be applied to dispensing machines equipped with a single or a small number of tablet cassettes / tablet feeders, such as machines. Further, it can be used not only for a fully automatic dispensing machine but also for a semi-automatic dispensing machine that processes one tablet at a time for each manual operation, for example.

8 ... tablets, 10 ... tablet feeders,
20 ... Tablet cassette,
21 ... Container part, 22 ... Alignment board, 22a ... Partition wall, 22b ... Division room,
22c ... Additional member accommodation space, 22d ... Cylinder, 22e ... Rib, 22f ... Bottomed hole,
23 ... Rotating shaft (container side transmission mechanism), 23a ... Drive shaft fitting hole,
23b ... Free insertion hole (slipped notch), 23c ... Engagement recess,
24 ... Discharge channel, 25 ... Partition member,
30 ... Drive unit (base), 31 ... Base, 32 ... Motor,
33 ... Drive shaft (drive unit side transmission mechanism), 34 ... Discharge sensor,
40 ... Tablet cassette,
42 ... contact member, 43 ... contact part,
45 ... mooring member, 46 ... mooring unevenness, 47 ... thrust member,
50 ... Tablet cassette,
60 ... Mooring member, 61 ... Unevenness for mooring,
62 ... Thrust member, 62a ... Up surface, 62b ... Down surface,
70 ... locking shaft body, 71 ... locking portion, 72 ... urging member,
80 ... contact member, 81 ... contact part, 82 ... ring-shaped part,
90 ... Elastic body for pressing the alignment board, 91 ... Stop ring,
A ... Height difference, B ... Vertical interference amount

Claims (4)

A container portion capable of accommodating tablets, an alignment plate capable of axial rotation in the container portion, and a rotating shaft in which a lower end portion having a drive shaft fitting hole penetrates the bottom portion of the container portion and protrudes downward. In a tablet cassette that sequentially discharges tablets from the container portion by rotating the alignment plate by the axis when the rotation axis is rotated.
A mooring member having a large number of ring-shaped mooring irregularities formed is provided on the inner bottom surface of the container portion, and the mooring irregularities go around the rotating shaft at a position away from the rotating shaft. A locking shaft body having a locking portion corresponding to unevenness at the upper part is inserted into the drive shaft fitting hole at the lower part and can move relative to the rotating shaft in the axial direction, but moves relative to the radial direction. The locking shaft body is lowered so that the locking portion comes into contact with the mooring unevenness, and when the drive shaft is fitted into the drive shaft fitting hole, the engaging portion is engaged. The stopping shaft body moves in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and the locking portion is released from the mooring member.
A chevron-shaped abutment member is mounted on the inner bottom surface of the container portion at a place outside the ring-shaped chain of the mooring irregularities of the mooring member, and the contact portion with respect to the upper surface of the abutment member protrudes downward. The contact member is externally attached to the rotating shaft in a state of rotating together with the rotating shaft, and is housed in the additional member accommodating space of the aligning plate. A tablet cassette characterized in that the alignment plate moves up and down by intermittently interfering with each other. A container portion capable of accommodating tablets, an alignment plate capable of axial rotation in the container portion, and a rotating shaft in which a lower end portion having a drive shaft fitting hole penetrates the bottom portion of the container portion and protrudes downward. In a tablet cassette that sequentially discharges tablets from the container portion by rotating the alignment plate by the axis when the rotation axis is rotated.
A mooring member having a large number of ring-shaped mooring irregularities formed is provided on the inner bottom surface of the container portion, and the mooring irregularities go around the rotating shaft at a position away from the rotating shaft. A locking shaft body having a locking portion corresponding to unevenness at the upper part is inserted into the drive shaft fitting hole at the lower part and can move relative to the rotating shaft in the axial direction, but moves relative to the radial direction. The locking shaft body is lowered so that the locking portion comes into contact with the mooring unevenness, and when the drive shaft is fitted into the drive shaft fitting hole, the engaging portion is engaged. The stopping shaft body moves in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and the locking portion is released from the mooring member.
A chevron-shaped striking member having a slow ascending surface and a steep descending surface on the upper surface is mounted on the inner bottom surface of the container portion at a place outside the ring-shaped chain of mooring irregularities of the mooring member. The abutting member protruding downward from the abutting portion with respect to the upper surface of the abutting member is exteriorized on the rotating shaft in a state of rotating together with the rotating shaft, and is housed in the additional member accommodating space of the aligning board. A tablet cassette characterized in that, when the axis of the plate is rotated, the abutting member and the abutting member intermittently interfere with each other to move the alignment plate up and down. A container portion capable of accommodating tablets, an alignment plate capable of axial rotation in the container portion, and a rotating shaft in which a lower end portion having a drive shaft fitting hole penetrates the bottom portion of the container portion and protrudes downward. In a tablet cassette that sequentially discharges tablets from the container portion by rotating the alignment plate by the axis when the rotation axis is rotated.
A mooring member having a large number of ring-shaped mooring irregularities formed is provided on the inner bottom surface of the container portion, and the mooring irregularities go around the rotating shaft at a position away from the rotating shaft. A locking shaft body having a locking portion corresponding to unevenness at the upper part is inserted into the drive shaft fitting hole at the lower part and can move relative to the rotating shaft in the axial direction, but moves relative to the radial direction. The locking shaft body is lowered so that the locking portion comes into contact with the mooring unevenness, and when the drive shaft is fitted into the drive shaft fitting hole, the engaging portion is engaged. The stopping shaft body moves in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and the locking portion is released from the mooring member.
A chevron-shaped striking member having a slow ascending surface and a steep descending surface on the upper surface is mounted on the inner bottom surface of the container portion at a place outside the ring-shaped chain of mooring irregularities of the mooring member. An abutting member that projects a contact portion with respect to the upper surface of the abutting member downward is arranged in the additional member accommodating space of the alignment plate and is exteriorized on the rotating shaft in a state of rotating together with the rotating shaft . A tablet cassette characterized in that, when the alignment plate is rotated around its axis, the abutting member and the contact member intermittently interfere with each other so that the alignment plate moves up and down. An elastic body is provided in a state where the upper end portion acts on the bottom portion of the container portion and the lower end portion acts on the rotation shaft, and the alignment plate is urged downward by the repulsive force of the elastic body. The tablet cassette according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the tablet cassette is characterized by the above.

Images