JP7288581B2 - drug dispenser - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a medicine dispensing device having a function of containing a plurality of types of solid medicines such as tablets and capsules and dispensing a predetermined amount of desired solid medicines.

BACKGROUND ART A drug dispensing device is known that selects drugs based on a doctor's prescription from among many types of drugs and dispenses a predetermined number of drugs.
The drug dispensing device has a drug packaging device and a drug filling device that fills vials with drugs on the downstream side, and a predetermined number of solid drugs (hereinafter simply referred to as drugs) are delivered to the drug packaging device on the downstream side. Often used for supply purposes.
Some medicine dispensers have a plurality of medicine feeders containing medicines of different types.
A drug feeder, also called a drug cassette, has a drug storage portion that stores a large number of drugs, and discharges the drugs one by one from the drug storage portion.
The drug feeder has a type in which a rotor having a pocket portion is built in the drug containing portion, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, and a first rotation rotor in the drug containing portion, as disclosed in Patent Document 2. There is a structure that has a body and a second rotating body, and the first rotating body moves up and down to transfer the drug to the second rotating body.

A number of drug feeders are attached to a feeder mounting member in the drug dispensing device. The feeder mounting member includes a drum-shaped member as disclosed in Patent Document 3 and a planar member as disclosed in Patent Document 4.
In any case, there is a drug dispensing passage on the back side of the surface to which the drug feeder is attached, and the drug is discharged from the drug feeder to the drug dispensing passage and sent to the downstream drug packaging device or the like.

As described above, the drug feeder has a drug storage section, and drugs such as tablets and capsules are stored in the drug storage section.
Here, some drugs have hygroscopic properties, and Patent Document 5 points out the problem that the drug in the drug container absorbs moisture. As a means for solving this problem, Patent Document 5 discloses an invention in which an electric dehumidifying means is provided in the drug discharge guide path.

JP 2014-144207 A WO2014-112221 A1 Publication JP 2009-100910 A Retable 2005-11563 JP-A-10-236401

The drug selective supply device disclosed in Patent Document 5 has a function of dehumidifying drugs, but has the problem that the device is large.
In addition, the drug selection and supply device disclosed in Patent Document 5 needs to control the timing at which drugs are dispensed, and there is a concern that a problem in this control may cause problems in the delivery of drugs, the speed of packaging, and the like. .
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a drug dispensing device capable of suppressing the moisture absorption of a drug by paying attention to the above-described problems of the prior art.

In the conventional drug dispensing device, the drug is stored in the drug storage portion of the drug feeder as described above. The drug feeder has a drug discharge port, and the drugs are discharged one by one from the drug discharge port.
Here, in the prior art, there is no member that closes the drug discharge port of the drug feeder, and there is air permeability between the drug discharge port and the drug containing portion. That is, if the medicine feeder is not driven, the medicine will not be discharged from the medicine discharge port, but air will flow between the medicine container and the outside via the medicine discharge port.

Therefore, the medicine in the medicine container comes into contact with the outside air. It is considered that one of the reasons why the medicine absorbs moisture is that the medicine comes into contact with the air entering from the medicine discharge port.
Therefore, the present inventors considered blocking the drug outlet of the drug feeder. However, there is a problem that it is mechanically difficult to directly block the drug outlet.
Therefore, as the next method, the inventors came up with the idea of closing the opening on the side of the drug discharge passage to indirectly block the drug discharge port.

A mode completed based on the above findings has a plurality of drug feeders and a feeder mounting member to which the drug feeders are attached, and the drug feeder has a drug storage portion for storing a large number of drugs, and the drug storage portion The feeder mounting member includes a plurality of feeder installation portions, a drug delivery passage on the back side of the feeder installation portion, and an opening connecting the feeder installation portion and the drug delivery passage. A medicine dispensing device in which the medicine feeder is installed in the feeder installation part and medicine discharged from the medicine feeder enters the medicine dispensing passage through the opening, characterized by comprising an opening/closing means for opening and closing the opening. It is a drug dispensing device that

In the drug dispensing device of this aspect, the opening connecting the feeder installation section and the drug dispensing passage can be closed by the opening/closing means. As a result, the medicine discharge port of the medicine feeder is indirectly blocked, and the amount of ventilation inside and outside the medicine container is reduced. Therefore, the medicine in the medicine container is less likely to come into contact with moist air, thereby reducing moisture absorption.

In the above aspect, the feeder installation portions are arranged in a row, the opening/closing means has a shutter member having a plurality of openings, and the shutter member is moved to simultaneously open and close the plurality of openings. is desirable.

In the drug delivery device of this aspect, the number of parts is small because the plurality of openings are opened and closed by one shutter member.
In addition, according to this aspect, compared to a configuration in which the drug outlets of the drug feeder are individually opened and closed, controlling the timing of opening and closing reduces the risk of occurrence of dispensing troubles and increases in mechanical costs associated with individual opening and closing.

In the above aspect, it is preferable that the feeder installation portions are arranged in a column, and the shutter member is moved up and down to simultaneously open and close the plurality of openings.

According to the configuration of this aspect, it is easy to move the shutter member. In addition, even when a plurality of drug feeders are dispensed from the same row, the dispensing speed is not affected.

In the above aspect, opening/closing means may be provided individually for the openings.

In the above aspect, the opening/closing means may have an opening/closing member that slides to open and close the opening.

In the above-described aspect, it may have an opening/closing member that operates in a wing manner to open and close the opening.

In the above aspect, the opening/closing means may have an opening/closing member that opens and closes the opening by rotating in a plane.

The drug dispensing passage is a groove that communicates vertically, and the drug drops down the groove. It is desirable that the opening/closing means is provided on the drug dispensing passage side of the feeder installation portion.

According to the configuration of this aspect, it is easy to operate the opening/closing means.

It is desirable that at least one of the opening or the opening/closing means is provided with a packing.

According to this aspect, it is possible to more reliably prevent outside air from entering the medicine container.

In the above aspect, it is desirable to provide a blower mechanism that creates a ventilation environment in the drug dispensing passage.

According to this aspect, it is possible to prevent highly humid air from accumulating in the medicine dispensing passage, and to prevent moisture from leaking into the medicine feeder side from the opening.

In the above-described aspect, it is desirable to have humidity detection means, and to create a ventilation environment in the medicine dispensing passage when the humidity in the medicine dispensing device exceeds a predetermined value.

According to this aspect, the blower mechanism operates only when necessary.

In the above aspect, the humidity detecting means is provided, and when the humidity in the drug dispensing device is low, the opening/closing means always keeps the opening open, and when the humidity in the drug dispensing device is high, the opening/closing means. Preferably, the opening is always closed, and the opening is opened when the drug is discharged from the drug feeder.

According to this aspect, the opening can be closed by the opening/closing means only when there is a high risk of air with high humidity coming into the medicine feeder side.

According to the drug dispensing device of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the circulation of air between the drug containing portion and the outside, thereby suppressing moisture absorption of the drug.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a front view which shows an example of the drug delivery device of embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows another example of the drug delivery device of embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the internal structure of the drug delivery device of FIG. 2 is a perspective view conceptually showing a medicine supply unit and a hopper below it of the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. Figure 5 is a perspective view of a feeder mounting member of the drug supply unit of Figure 4; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the drug supply unit of FIG. 4 and a cross-sectional view of a row portion to which drug feeders are attached; 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the medicine supply unit of FIG. 4 to which a medicine feeder is attached; FIG. 1A is an exploded front view and AA cross-sectional view of the rear surface of a feeder installation portion and an opening and closing member, and FIG. FIG. 10C is a front view showing a closed state and its AA cross-sectional view, and (c) is a front view and its AA cross-sectional view showing a state where the opening of the feeder installation section is opened by moving the opening/closing member. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing another example of the opening/closing means, (a) is a perspective view of the rear surface of the feeder installation portion and the opening/closing member, and (b) is a perspective view of the opening of the feeder installation portion closed by the opening/closing member; and (c) is a perspective view showing a state in which the opening and closing member is swung to open the opening of the feeder installation section. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing still another example of the opening/closing means, (a) is an exploded perspective view of the rear surface of the feeder installation portion and the opening/closing member, and (b) is a state in which the opening of the feeder installation portion is blocked by the opening/closing member; It is a perspective view, and (c) is a perspective view which shows the state which rotated the opening-and-closing member, and opened the opening of the feeder installation part. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing still another example of the opening/closing means; FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the opening/closing means shown in FIG. 11, (a) is a front view of a state in which the opening of the feeder installation section is blocked by the opening/closing member, and (b) is a feeder installation section with the opening/closing member moved. is a front view showing a state in which the opening of the is opened. 11 and 12 are cross-sectional views showing the operation of the opening/closing means, (a) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the opening of the feeder installation portion is blocked by the opening/closing member, and (b) is a cross-sectional view showing the opening/closing member being moved. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the opening of the feeder installation section is opened; FIG. 10A is an explanatory view showing the operation of still another example of the opening/closing means, (a) is a front view of a state in which the opening of the feeder installation portion is blocked by the opening/closing member, and (b) is a feeder installation by moving the opening/closing member; It is a front view which shows the state which opened the opening of a part. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing still another example of the opening/closing means; (a) is a perspective view showing still another example of the opening/closing means, and (b) is an explanatory view showing a winding path of the linear member. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing still another example of the opening/closing means; FIG. 10A is an explanatory view showing the operation of still another example of the opening/closing means, (a) is a front view of a state in which the opening of the feeder installation portion is blocked by the opening/closing member, and (b) is a feeder opening by rotating the opening/closing member; It is a front view which shows the state which opened the opening of the installation part. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing still another example of the opening/closing means; FIG. 10A is an explanatory view showing the operation of still another example of the opening/closing means, (a) is a front view of a state in which the opening of the feeder installation portion is blocked by the opening/closing member, and (b) is a feeder installation by moving the opening/closing member; It is a front view which shows the state which opened the opening of a part. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view conceptually showing a drug dispensing device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Embodiments of the present invention will be further described below.
First, the outline of the medicine dispensing device 1 will be described. The drug dispensing device 1 of this embodiment has a housing 2 forming an outer shell as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 2 incorporates a drug supply unit 6 and a drug packaging device 5 .
The medicine supply unit 6 adopted by the medicine dispensing device 1 is a drum-type medicine supply unit as shown in FIG.
That is, the medicine supply unit 6 has a cylindrical feeder mounting member 8 as shown in FIG. 5, and a plurality of medicine feeders 10 are mounted around the feeder mounting member 8 as shown in FIG.

The feeder mounting member 8 has an elongated feeder mounting plate 11 as shown in FIG. 5, and a plurality of these are arranged in a ring.
The feeder mounting plate 11 is provided with a plurality of feeder engaging holes 12 and openings 15 arranged vertically. The shape of the opening 15 is a quadrangle.
A large number of drug feeders 10 are attached to the front side of the feeder attachment plate 11 as shown in FIGS. That is, the surface of the feeder mounting plate 11 becomes the feeder mounting portion 17 .
As will be described later, the drug feeder 10 is composed of a base member 21 and a container member 22, and the container member 22 is detachable from the base member 21. As shown in FIG.
Therefore, more precisely, the base member 21 of the drug feeder 10 is integrally fixed to the feeder installation portion 17 and the container member 22 is attached to the base member 21 .
One drug feeder 10 is configured with the container member 22 attached to the base member 21 , and the drug feeder 10 is attached to the feeder installation portion 17 .

A concave passage forming member 16 is provided on the back side of the feeder mounting plate 11 as shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, the feeder mounting plate 11 and the passage forming member 16 form an elongated space having a rectangular cross-section, and the space functions as the medicine dispensing passage 20 .
6, the opening 15 connects the feeder installation portion 17 formed by the front side of the feeder installation plate 11 and the drug dispensing passage 20, thereby connecting them.
In the present embodiment, an opening/closing member 50 or the like is provided on the side of the medicine dispensing passage 20 of the opening 15 as will be described later.

The drug feeder 10 has the same basic configuration as that disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, and is composed of a base member 21 and a container member 22 as shown in FIG. The container member 22 is detachable from the base member 21 .
The container member 22 has therein a medicine containing portion 26 capable of containing a large number of medicines such as tablets.
A rotor 23 is built in the container member 22 . The rotor 23 is formed with vertical groove-shaped pockets 25 for accommodating tablets. The container member 22 has a container-side discharge port 31 .
A gear train 27 that transmits power to the rotor 23 is provided in the lower portion of the container member 22 .

The base member 21 is provided with a motor 30 and a drive gear 33 rotated by the motor 30 . The base member 21 has a passage portion 32 , and the passage portion 32 opens on the side surface of the container member 22 . In this embodiment, the opening of the passage portion 32 serves as the medicine discharge port 35 of the medicine feeder 10 .

When the container member 22 is attached to the base member 21, the drive gear 33 on the base member 21 side and the gear train 27 on the container member 22 side are engaged.
Further, in the state where the container member 22 is attached, the container-side discharge port 31 of the container member 22 and the passage portion 32 of the base member 21 are in close contact with each other.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , a plurality of drug feeders 10 are attached to the feeder attachment member 8 . More precisely, as described above, the base member 21 is integrally fixed to the feeder mounting member 8 and the container member 22 is attached to the base member 21 .
When the medicine feeder 10 is attached to the feeder attachment plate 11 , the passage portion 32 of the base member 21 is in close contact with the opening 15 of the feeder attachment plate 11 . That is, the medicine outlet 35 of the medicine feeder 10 is in close contact with the opening 15 of the feeder mounting plate 11 .

The drug feeder 10 has drug discharging means for discharging the drug from the drug containing portion 26 . That is, by rotating the motor 30 on the base member 21 side, the rotor 23 in the container member 22 rotates, and the drugs in the container member 22 are discharged from the container side discharge port 31 one by one.
The medicine discharged from the container-side discharge port 31 passes through the passage portion 32 to reach the medicine discharge port 35 and is discharged from the medicine feeder 10 .
A drug discharged from the drug feeder 10 enters the drug delivery passage 20 through the opening 15 . Then, the drug drops down the drug dispensing passage 20 and enters the hopper 37 provided at the bottom.
A counting means (not shown) is provided in the passage portion 32 of the base member 21 of the medicine supply unit 6, and when a predetermined number of medicines are discharged from the medicine feeder 10, the rotor 23 stops to finish discharging the medicines.
The medicine that has fallen into the hopper 37 is sent to the medicine packaging device 5 and packaged. A description of the structure of the medicine packaging device 5 is omitted, but a mechanism for packaging in wrapping paper, a mechanism for packaging in a blister pack, and the like are conceivable.

The medicine dispensing device 1 described above has a drum-type medicine supply unit 6, but there is also a medicine dispensing device 100 shown in FIG. The drug supply unit 101 also has a drug dispensing passage 20 on the back side of the feeder installation portion 17, and an opening 15 connecting the two.

Next, a characteristic configuration of this embodiment will be described.
In the drug dispensing device 1, 100 of this embodiment, the packing 40 is attached to the opening 15 of the feeder installation portion 17 as shown in FIG. 8 and the like. The packing 40 is made of a flexible material such as rubber, and has abutment surfaces 41 and 42 on both the feeder installation portion 17 side of the opening 15 and the medicine dispensing passage 20 .

Further, in this embodiment, an opening/closing means 38 for opening/closing the opening 15 is provided. The opening/closing means 38 and the like are provided on the drug dispensing passage 20 side of the opening 15, and are operated by an opening/closing member 50 that opens and closes the opening 15 and a drive means (not shown) that moves and changes the attitude of the opening/closing member 50. It is configured.
Although the structure of the opening/closing member 50 is not limited, it may be one that slides like an opening/closing member 50A shown in FIG. It is conceivable that the opening/closing member 50C shown in FIG.

An opening/closing member 50A shown in FIG. The blocking plate 51 is located on the side of the drug dispensing passage 20 and supported so as to be vertically or horizontally movable.
In the example shown in FIG. 8, the movement of the blocking plate 51 is restricted by a guide member (not shown) so as to move vertically.
When the closing plate 51 of the opening/closing member 50A is located at the position corresponding to the opening 15 as shown in FIG. 8(b), the opening 15 is closed. When the closing plate 51 is separated from the opening 15 as shown in FIG. 8(b), the opening 15 is opened.

The drug feeder 10 is attached to the feeder mounting plate 11 as described above, and the passage portion 32 of the base member 21 is in close contact with the opening 15 of the feeder mounting plate 11. On the side, there is the abutment surface 41 of the packing 40 . Therefore, the drug discharge port 35 of the drug feeder 10 is pressed against the packing 40 to ensure airtightness.
Similarly, since the abutment surface 42 of the packing 40 is located on the side of the drug dispensing passage 20 of the opening 15, the sealing plate 51 of the opening/closing member 50A is pressed against the packing 40 to ensure airtightness.

Therefore, when the opening 15 is blocked by the opening/closing member 50A, the medicine discharge port 35 of the medicine feeder 10 is indirectly blocked, and the amount of ventilation inside and outside the container member 22 is reduced. Therefore, the medicine in the container member 22 is less likely to come into contact with moist air, and moisture absorption of the contained medicine is reduced.

The opening 15 of the feeder mounting plate 11 is always closed by the opening/closing member 50A, and only when the medicine is discharged from the medicine feeder 10, the closing plate 51 is slid to open the opening 15 as shown in FIG. 8(c). .
During this time, the inside and outside of the container member 22 are communicated with each other, but the percentage of time during which the opening 15 is open is small in a day. Therefore, the medicine in the container member 22 does not get wet easily.

The opening/closing member 50B employed in the opening/closing means 43 shown in FIG. 9 is a wing-type opening/closing member 50B. The opening/closing member 50B has a sealing plate 52, and a swing shaft 53 is provided on one side thereof.
A bearing portion 55 is provided on the side of the medicine dispensing passage 20 of the feeder mounting plate 11 .
The opening/closing member 50B is attached to the drug delivery passage 20 side with the swing shaft 53 supported by the bearing portion 55 .
A small motor 56 is attached to the swing shaft 53 , and the motor 56 swings the opening/closing member 50</b>B to open and close the opening 15 .
The opening 15 is provided with a packing 40 (not shown) in the same manner as the opening 15 described above. Therefore, when the opening 15 is blocked by the opening/closing member 50B, the medicine discharge port 35 of the medicine feeder 10 is indirectly blocked, and the amount of ventilation inside and outside the container member 22 is reduced.

An opening/closing member 50C employed in the opening/closing means 45 shown in FIG. 10 is a rotary opening/closing member 50C. The opening/closing member 50C has a closing plate 60. As shown in FIG. The blocking plate 60 is attached to the back side of the feeder mounting plate 11 by a pin 61 and pivots about the pin 61 in a plane.
A driving source such as a motor or solenoid (not shown) is attached to the blocking plate 60. The driving source rotates the blocking plate 60 to open and close the opening 15 as shown in FIGS. 10(b) and 10(c). do.
The opening 15 is provided with the packing 40 (not shown) as described above. Therefore, when the opening 15 is blocked by the opening/closing member 50C, the drug discharge port of the drug feeder 10 is indirectly blocked, and the amount of ventilation inside and outside the container member 22 is reduced.

In the embodiment described above, each of the openings 15 is provided with the closing plates 51, 52, 60, and each of the closing plates 51, 52, 60 can be opened and closed individually. A configuration that opens and closes with an opening and closing member is also recommended.
The opening/closing means 46 employed in FIGS. 11 to 13 is a modification of the slide-type opening/closing means, and opens and closes a plurality of openings 15 with a single shutter member 62 .
The shutter member 62 is a strip-shaped plate, and has a plurality of openings 66 arranged in a line.
The shutter member 62 is installed on the side of the drug dispensing passage 20 with its longitudinal direction directed vertically. Further, the shutter member 62 is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction (longitudinal direction).

A solenoid 63 is attached to the end of the shutter member 62. The solenoid 63 moves the shutter member 62 vertically and stops at either the upper position or the lower position.
12(a) and 13(a) show a state in which the shutter member 62 is in the upper position. When the shutter member 62 is in the upper position, the position of the opening 66 of the shutter member 62 deviates from the position of the opening 15 of the feeder mounting plate 11, and all the openings 15 in a vertical row are blocked.
On the other hand, when the shutter member 62 is at the lower position as shown in FIGS. 12(b) and 13(b), the position of the opening 66 of the shutter member 62 coincides with the position of the opening 15 of the feeder mounting plate 11. , all openings 15 in a single column are opened.

2, when the drug supply unit 101 is wall-shaped and the drug feeders 10 are distributed in a plane, the shutter member 62 is laterally moved as shown in FIG. You can move it.
That is, in the medicine dispensing device 100, the shutter member 62 is installed on the side of the medicine dispensing passage 20 with its longitudinal direction oriented horizontally. Further, the shutter member 62 is supported so as to be movable in the horizontal direction (longitudinal direction).

The opening/closing means 46 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 moves the shutter member 62 in the longitudinal direction to simultaneously open and close the openings 15 belonging to one longitudinal row among the plurality of openings 15. When the drug supply unit 101 is wall-shaped and the drug feeders 10 are distributed in a plane like the device 100, the shutter member 65 can be moved in the short direction (horizontal direction) like the opening/closing means 47 shown in FIG. direction).
The shutter member 65 employed in the opening/closing means 47 shown in FIG. 14 is plate-shaped and has no hole corresponding to the opening 66 described above.
In the opening/closing means 47 shown in FIG. 14, as shown in FIG. 14(a), the shutter members 65 are normally arranged in columns of the openings 15, and the openings 15 are blocked by the shutter members 65. As shown in FIG.
When the drug is discharged, the position of the shutter member 65 is laterally shifted by a drive source (not shown) as shown in FIG. 14(b) to open the opening 15 .

The opening/closing means 48 and 57 shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 are modified examples of the wing type, and open/close a plurality of sealing plates 70 in conjunction with each other.
That is, in the opening/closing means 48 shown in FIG. The sealing plate 70 is supported by a bearing portion (not shown) and swings about its upper side.
In this embodiment, a pinion gear 71 is attached to each sealing plate 70 .
Further, in this embodiment, there is a long rack 72 , the rack 72 is installed facing the vertical direction, and the pinion gear 71 of each sealing plate 70 is engaged with the rack 72 .
The rack 72 is vertically slidable by a driving source 75 such as a solenoid or a motor.
In the opening/closing means 48 of the present embodiment, linear movement of the rack 72 swings all the sealing plates 70 to open and close the opening 15 .

Instead of the rack 72, a belt, rope, wire, chain, or the like may be used to swing the sealing plate 70.
The opening/closing means 57 shown in FIG. 16 is an example using a linear member 78 such as a rope or wire.
In the opening/closing means 57 shown in FIG. 16, a pulley 77 is attached to each blocking plate 76 .
As shown in FIG. 16(b), the linear member 78 is wound around each pulley 77 by one turn or more. A weight 80 is suspended from the end of the linear member 78 .
In this embodiment, the driving source is a motor 81 to which a bobbin 82 is attached. The linear member 78 described above is drawn out from the bobbin 82 .
In the opening/closing means of the present embodiment, the closing plate 70 swings and the opening 15 is opened by driving the motor 81 and winding the linear member 78 around the bobbin 82 . Conversely, when the motor 81 is driven to let out the linear member 78 from the bobbin 82 , the closing plate 70 swings in the opposite direction to close the opening 15 .

When the drug feeders 10 are distributed in a plane, each sealing plate 73 is connected by a common shaft 83 like the opening/closing means 58 shown in FIG. It is also possible to employ a configuration in which the openings 15 belonging to one row are opened and closed at the same time.

The opening/closing means 67 shown in FIG. 18 is a modification of the rotary opening/closing means, and opens and closes a plurality of sealing plates 60 in conjunction with each other. Each sealing plate 60 of the present embodiment rotates in a plane around the pin 61 .
In the opening/closing means 67 shown in FIG. 18 , a plurality of sealing plates 60 are joined by rods 88 . That is, the opening/closing means 67 has a long trunk rod 86 and a plurality of branch members 87 branched from the trunk rod 86 . The branch member 87 and the sealing plate 60 are rotatably connected by a pin 91 .
The stem rod 86 is connected to a power source such as a solenoid and moves linearly.
In the opening/closing means 67 shown in FIG. 18 , by linearly moving the rod 88 , the blocking plate 60 connected to the branch member 87 pivots about the pin 61 in a plane to open and close the opening 15 .

Also, as shown in FIG. 20, an opening/closing member 93 having a cylindrical shutter member 92 inside the cylindrical feeder mounting member 8 may be employed. The cylindrical shutter member 92 is provided with a plurality of openings 95 corresponding to the openings 15 of the feeder mounting plate 11 .
The shutter member 92 is rotated within the feeder mounting member 8 by a motor (not shown) or the like. When the opening 15 of the feeder mounting member 8 and the opening 95 of the shutter member 92 are aligned as shown in FIG. and the opening 95 of the shutter member 92, the opening 15 of the feeder mounting member 8 is blocked.

When opening/closing members 50A, 50B, and 50C are individually provided for each opening 15 as in the opening/closing means 38, 43, and 45 shown in FIGS. Therefore, it is desirable to open the opening 15 only when it is necessary to discharge the drug from the corresponding drug feeder 10, and to close the opening 15 in other situations.

11 to 20, in the case of adopting a configuration that simultaneously opens and closes a plurality of openings 15, like the opening and closing means 46, 47, 48, 57, 58, and 67 shown in FIGS. It is desirable to open the openings 15 of the row containing the drug feeders 10 involved until the drug feeder 10 concerned is finished, and close all openings 15 once the prescription is finished.
Alternatively, only when the drug is discharged from the drug feeder 10 corresponding to the drug included in the prescription, all the openings 15 in the row including the opening 15 are opened, and when the drug discharge from the drug feeder 10 is completed. , once all openings 15 may be closed.

Moreover, when the drug is caught between the opening 15 and the opening/closing means and the opening 15 cannot be closed, it is desirable to detect this and give some kind of notification.

In the embodiment described above, the packing 40 is provided in the opening 15 of the feeder installation portion 17, but the packing may be provided on the opening/closing member 50 and the shutter members 62 and 65 side. Packing is not essential and may be omitted.

In addition to preventing entry of moisture into the drug feeder 10 by the opening/closing means 38, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, 57, 58, 67, the humidity in the drug dispensing passage 20 is maintained below a certain level, It is also recommended to take measures to prevent the ingress of moisture into the drug feeder 10 .

FIG. 21 conceptually shows a medicine dispensing device 110 adopting this measure.
A drug dispensing device 110 shown in FIG. 21 is provided with a drum-type drug supply unit 6 inside a housing 112, as in the above-described embodiment.
Further, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the feeder mounting member 8 has a drug dispensing passage 20 on the inner surface side thereof.
The drug dispensing passage 20 is provided on the inner surface of the feeder mounting member 8, and the central portion of the feeder mounting member 8 is a cylindrical portion 113 penetrating vertically. A humidity sensor 115 is provided in the central portion of the tubular portion 113 .

In the medicine dispensing device 110 of this embodiment, the upper part of the cylindrical part 113 is provided with the circulation fan 116 in the vicinity of the opening.
Further, the medicine dispenser 110 is provided with ventilation means for ventilating the inside of the housing 112 . The ventilation means is composed of an intake air blower 117 and an exhaust air blower 118 .
The air intake fan 117 is provided on the lower side of the housing 112 and introduces outside air into the housing 112 .
A filter (not shown) is attached to the circulation blower 116 and the intake blower 117 .
The exhaust fan 118 is provided on the top surface of the housing 112 .
A dehumidifying means 120 is installed in the housing 112 . The dehumidifying means 120 is a known dehumidifying device, has a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, and is filled with a phase-changing refrigerant. The dehumidification means 120 lowers the surface temperature of the evaporator to condense water vapor in the air and dehumidify the air.
The dehumidifying means 120 is not limited to this configuration, and may be a box filled with a desiccant.

In the drug dispensing device 110 of the present embodiment, the inside of the drug dispensing passage 20 becomes a ventilation environment by activating the circulation blower 116 .
In this embodiment, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 21, air flows upward from the lower side of the drug dispensing passage 20 to ventilate the drug dispensing passage 20 and prevent highly humid air from accumulating.
That is, the medicine dispensing device 110 is provided with a circulation blower 116 that blows air from the upper portion of the feeder mounting member 8 into the cylindrical portion 113 of the drum body. When the circulation fan 116 is activated, an air flow is formed that blows downward from the upper opening of the cylindrical portion 113 toward the lower opening. Here, the outlet of the hopper 37 is narrow and it is difficult for air to be discharged from the outlet side of the hopper 37 . Therefore, the portion of the hopper 37 is in a high pressure state, and the high pressure air enters the medicine dispensing passage 20 from below, generating an air flow that is pushed upward.
Then, the air is sucked by an exhaust air blower 118 provided on the top surface of the housing 112 and discharged to the outside.

In addition, an intake air blower 117 provided in the lower portion of the housing 112 always causes an upward air flow in the space inside the housing 2 and outside the feeder mounting member 8 .
In the lower part of the housing 112 is the drug packaging device 5. For example, if there is a heat source such as a heater roller for heat-sealing the wrapping paper, the air dried by the heat from the heat source rises to the circulation blower. It circulates by 116 and passes through the drug delivery passageway 20 . Therefore, low-humidity air can be led to the drug dispensing passage 20 .

In this embodiment, the circulation fan 116 is driven when the humidity inside the housing 2 is high. In this embodiment, a humidity sensor 115 is provided inside the cylindrical portion 113 of the feeder mounting member 8 to constantly monitor the humidity inside the feeder mounting member 8 .
When the humidity sensor 115 detects humidity above a certain level, the circulation blower 116 is activated to create a ventilation environment in the drug dispensing passage 20 and reduce the humidity in the drug dispensing passage 20 .

According to this embodiment, before the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 115 reaches a certain humidity (%) that affects the moisture absorption of the medicine, a control mechanism (not shown) starts blowing air, and the inside of the medicine dispensing passage 20 is heated. Humidity that adversely affects the medicine can be prevented in advance.
Note that the installation position of the humidity sensor 115 is not limited to the central portion of the cylindrical portion 113 , and may be any position within the housing 2 . Also, they may be provided at two or three positions, upper and lower, of the feeder mounting member 8, or near the drug packaging device 5 or the hopper 37. FIG. When a plurality of humidity sensors 115 are arranged, it may be set based on the measured value of which humidity sensor 115 to perform the opening/closing control and the ventilation control, or the average value of the plurality of humidity sensors 115 to be specified may be set. You may perform the said control based on.

Also, the opening/closing means 38 and 46 may be turned on/off depending on the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 115 .
When the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 115 is low and there is little concern that the medicine in the container member 22 of the medicine feeder 10 will absorb moisture, the opening/closing means 38, 46, etc. are turned off, and the opening 15 of the feeder mounting plate 11 is closed. Always open.
On the other hand, when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 115 is high and there is concern that the medicine in the container member 22 of the medicine feeder 10 will absorb moisture, the opening/closing means 38, 46, etc. are set to the "on" state, and the feeder mounting plate 11 is opened. 15 is normally closed.
Only when the drug is to be dispensed, the opening/closing means 38, 46, etc. are operated to open the opening 15 of the feeder mounting plate 11.例文帳に追加

According to this embodiment, the humidity in the drug dispensing passage 20 is maintained below a certain level, the humidity sensor 115 is arranged in the center of the cylindrical portion 113, and the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 115 affects the moisture absorption of the drug. The opening 15 of the feeder mounting plate 11 can be closed by the control mechanism such as the opening/closing means 46 before the constant humidity (%) reaches the predetermined humidity. As a result, rather than shortening the life of the mechanism by repeatedly closing and opening the opening/closing means 46 and the like, the opening/closing operation can be performed efficiently by closing only when necessary.

Furthermore, based on the medicine information loaded in the medicine dispensing device 110, if there is a container member 22 containing a medicine that easily absorbs moisture, the opening/closing operation is executed, The container members 22 may be arranged in the same vertical or horizontal row, and only the row may be opened and closed by the opening/closing means 46 or the like.

In the embodiment described above, the recessed passage forming member 16 is attached to the back side of the feeder mounting plate 11 , and the feeder mounting plate 11 and the passage forming member 16 provide the drug dispensing passage 20 having a square cross section. In this embodiment, all drugs discharged from the plurality of drug feeders 10 arranged in tandem pass through one drug delivery passage 20 .
The size of the medicine dispensing passage 20 and the number of corresponding medicine feeders 10 are arbitrary. It may be sent downstream through passages.

The medicine dispensers 1, 100, and 110 described above have been developed for dispensing solid medicines, but can also be used for dispensing solid foods such as supplements.
That is, the drug dispensing device 1, 110 can also be used to dispense a solid supplement or the like. Even if it is used for dispensing solid supplements, it is included in the "medicine dispenser" in the claims as long as it can dispense medicine.

Reference Signs List 1, 100, 110 drug delivery device 6 drug supply unit 8 feeder mounting member 10 drug feeder 11 feeder mounting plate 15 opening 16 passage forming member 17 feeder installation portion 20 drug delivery passage 26 drug storage portion 35 drug discharge port 40 packings 38, 43 , 45 opening/closing means 46, 47, 48, 57, 58, 67 opening/closing means 50 opening/closing members 51, 52, 60, 70, 73, 76 closing plate 62 shutter member 65 shutter member 66 opening 115 humidity sensor 116 circulation blower

Claims (12)

A plurality of drug feeders and a feeder mounting member to which the drug feeders are attached are provided, and the drug feeder has a container member having a drug storage portion for storing a large number of solid drugs, and a drug discharge for discharging the drug from the drug storage portion. have the means
The drug feeder has a base member to which the container member is attached and detached,
The feeder mounting member has a plurality of feeder mounting portions, the feeder mounting portion has a medicine discharge passage on the back side thereof, the feeder mounting member has an opening connecting the feeder mounting portion and the medicine discharge passage,
In the medicine dispensing device, the base member of the medicine feeder is installed in the feeder installation part, and the medicine discharged from the medicine feeder enters the medicine dispensing passage through the opening,
A drug dispensing device comprising an opening/closing means for opening and closing the opening, wherein the opening/closing means is provided on the drug dispensing passage side of the opening . The drug feeder has a plurality of drug feeders and a feeder mounting member to which the drug feeders are attached, and the drug feeder has a drug storage section for storing a large number of solid drugs and a drug discharging means for discharging the drug from the drug storage section. ,
The feeder mounting member has a plurality of feeder installation portions, a drug delivery passage on the back side of the feeder installation portion, and an opening connecting the feeder installation portion and the drug delivery passage,
In the medicine dispensing device, the medicine feeder is installed in the feeder installation part, and the medicine discharged from the medicine feeder enters the medicine dispensing passage through the opening,
having opening and closing means for opening and closing the opening;
The feeder installation section is arranged in a row, and the opening/closing means has a shutter member having a plurality of openings, and moves the shutter member to simultaneously open and close the plurality of openings . Drug dispensing device. 3. The drug delivery device according to claim 2, wherein the feeder installation portions are arranged in a column, and the shutter member is vertically moved to simultaneously open and close a plurality of openings. 2. The drug dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein an opening/closing means is provided for each of said openings. 5. The medicine dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the opening/closing means has an opening/closing member that slides to open and close the opening. 5. The drug dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the opening/closing means has an opening/closing member that operates in a wing manner to open and close the opening. 5. The drug dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the opening/closing means has an opening/closing member that rotates in a plane to open and close the opening. 1 to 4, characterized in that the drug dispensing passage is a groove that communicates vertically, the drug drops down the groove, and the opening/closing means is provided on the side of the drug dispensing passage of the feeder installation portion. 8. A drug dispensing device according to any one of 7. 9. The medicine dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein at least one of the opening and the opening/closing means is provided with a packing. 10. The medicine dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a blower mechanism for creating a ventilation environment in said medicine dispensing passage. The drug feeder has a plurality of drug feeders and a feeder mounting member to which the drug feeders are attached, and the drug feeder has a drug storage section for storing a large number of solid drugs and a drug discharging means for discharging the drug from the drug storage section. ,
The feeder mounting member has a plurality of feeder installation portions, a medicine dispensing passage on the back side of the feeder installation portion, and an opening connecting the feeder installation portion and the medicine dispensing passage,
In the medicine dispensing device, the medicine feeder is installed in the feeder installation part, and the medicine discharged from the medicine feeder enters the medicine dispensing passage through the opening,
having opening and closing means for opening and closing the opening;
Having a blower mechanism that creates a ventilation environment in the drug dispensing passage,
A drug dispensing device comprising humidity detecting means, wherein the inside of the drug dispensing passage is made into a ventilated environment when the humidity in the drug dispensing device exceeds a predetermined value. The drug feeder has a plurality of drug feeders and a feeder mounting member to which the drug feeders are attached, and the drug feeder has a drug storage section for storing a large number of solid drugs and a drug discharging means for discharging the drug from the drug storage section. ,
The feeder mounting member has a plurality of feeder installation portions, a drug delivery passage on the back side of the feeder installation portion, and an opening connecting the feeder installation portion and the drug delivery passage,
In the medicine dispensing device, the medicine feeder is installed in the feeder installation part, and the medicine discharged from the medicine feeder enters the medicine dispensing passage through the opening,
having opening and closing means for opening and closing the opening;
Humidity detection means is provided, and when the humidity in the medicine dispensing device is low, the opening/closing means always keeps the opening open, and when the humidity in the medicine dispensing device is high, the opening/closing means always keeps the opening open. A drug delivery device characterized by being in a closed state and opening the opening when the drug is discharged from the drug feeder.

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