JP7520375B2 - Medicine sorting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drug sorting device.

Mainly in hospital pharmacies, there may be cases where medicines dispensed in large quantities by a packaging machine or the like end up being returned unused due to shortages, packaging errors, or other reasons.
In order to identify medications, it is common to use the drug identification code written on the packaging of the medication, but it is difficult to check the packaging, especially for individually packaged medications.In addition, it is a huge burden for pharmacists to manually identify unknown prescribed medications using the size, shape, color, etc. of the medication.
For the purpose of recovering and reusing such medicines, a medicine sorting device is used that identifies the medicines based on images and returns them to a predetermined storage location, for example.
However, such drug identification is not reliable, and there has been a problem in that operation will stop if an error occurs during identification or if a drug is missing.

JP 2020-103885 A WO2018/190394 publication WO2019/244729 publication

The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems described above, and aims to provide a new drug sorting device that requires little maintenance even when sorting large quantities of drug, and prevents drugs from falling during transport even if a malfunction or power loss occurs while picking up the drugs .

The present invention relates to a drug sorting device having a storage section with an inlet for inputting a plurality of drugs in a mixed state and an outlet from which the drugs are discharged, a first photographing section for determining the shape of the drugs from a photographed image, a guide section disposed below the outlet of the storage section and transporting the drugs to the first photographing section, a second photographing section for determining the type of the drugs from the photographed image, and a transporting section for holding and transporting the drugs one by one, the type of the drugs being identified based on the image photographed by the second photographing section, and the transporting section transporting the drugs to a predetermined container in which they are to be placed, The present invention is characterized in that the device has a container mounting section on which a drug is placed, and at least one collection container is placed along a path along which the transporting section moves between the container mounting section and the second imaging section for collecting the drug when the drug satisfies a predetermined condition , and the transporting section comprises a holding section that holds the drug, a base plate that moves in the vertical direction in response to the vertical movement of the holding section, a pair of rotating sections that are arranged to abut diagonally against the base plate, a drug drop prevention section that is attached to lower ends of the pair of rotating sections and opens and closes in response to the vertical movement of the holding section, and a spring member that biases the pair of rotating sections in a closing direction .

The present invention provides a medicine sorting device that requires little maintenance and little downtime even when sorting large quantities of medicine.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a medicine sorting device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the alignment structure shown in FIG. 1 . 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of a shape of a guide portion illustrated in FIG. 2 . 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of a shape of a guide portion illustrated in FIG. 2 . FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of image recognition processing by the medicine sorting device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a transport unit of the medicine sorting device. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a transfer unit. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of a transport unit. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a configuration of a shutter of a transfer unit. 13 is a diagram showing an example of image processing in a second photographing section of the medicine sorting device. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a second imaging section. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of the configuration of a detachable recess member. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a storage section. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the storage unit. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of a storage container and a holder in a storage section. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a collection container. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a detection means of the collection container. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control unit of the medicine sorting device. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a sorting operation of the medicine sorting device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen configuration of a user interface of the medicine sorting device. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a sorting operation of the medicine sorting device.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a basic configuration of a medicine sorting device 100 used in the present invention.

The drug sorting device 100 has a hopper 10 which is a storage section into which multiple drugs M can be mixed, a first photographing section 20 for determining the shape of the drug M from a photographed image, and a guide section 30 which is positioned below the hopper 10.
The drug sorting device 100 also has a second photographing unit 40 for determining the type of drug M from the captured image, a transporting unit 50 for holding and transporting the drug M one by one, a storage unit 60 for storing the transported drug M, and a control unit 90 for controlling each operating part.
The drug sorting device 100 also has a reading means 70 for reading identification information of containers attached to the storage section 60, as described below, a printing means 80 for printing the identification information of the drug M read by the reading means 70, a retractable workbench 110, and a touch panel 95 as an operating means.

In this embodiment, the drug M is described as being a tablet, but the drug is not limited to this configuration and may be any drug that can be identified from the captured image. For example, the drug M may be in various shapes such as a disk, a cylinder, an oval sphere, or a capsule.

As shown in FIG. 2, the hopper 10 has an inlet 11 for introducing the medicines M in a mixed state, and a discharge outlet 12 located below the inlet 11, that is, in the −Z direction.
The hopper 10 is positioned so that the discharge outlet 12 is located above the guide section 30, and functions as a storage section by gradually transporting the medicines M that are added in a mixed state through the gap between the discharge outlet 12 and the guide section 30.
In other words, when the drug M accumulates at the bottom of the hopper 10, between the discharge outlet 12 and the guide section 30, it will not fall from the top of the hopper 10 to the bottom. However, when the drug M that the guide section 30 is in contact with is moved laterally, i.e., in the -X direction in Figure 2, different drugs M from above will move one after another between the discharge outlet 12 and the guide section 30 due to their own weight.
In this manner, the medicine M stored inside the hopper 10 moves downward as it is transported by the guide portion 30 .

The distance between the discharge port 12 of the hopper 10 and the surface of the guide body 31 of the guide portion 30 can be finely adjusted by the pin 13 according to the size of the drug M.
When viewed from above, the hopper 10 has a tapered shape in which at least the wall surface on the −X direction side among the wall surfaces forming the discharge outlet 12 has a tapered shape in which the input port 11 widens relative to the discharge outlet 12. In this embodiment, the wall surface in the −X direction and the wall surfaces in the ±Y directions have a tapered shape.
By making the shape tapered, the number of drugs that can be stored in the hopper 10 can be increased, and since the discharge outlet 12 is located on the upstream side of the guide section 30 in the conveying direction, alignment by vibration can be achieved more evenly due to the increased conveying distance.

In this embodiment, the guide portion 30 is a conveying path that functions as a vibrating feeder.
The guide section 30 has a guide main body section 31 in which a transport surface along which the drug M is transported is formed on the +Z direction side, a vibration drive section 32 arranged below the guide main body section 31, and a chute guide 33 arranged on both sides of the guide main body section 31 and attached so as to cover at least both sides of the discharge outlet 12 in the ±Y direction, forming a guide wall surface.
The chute guide 33 is magnetic and can be attached and detached freely from the guide main body 31. This prevents the drug M from coming off the guide portion 30 due to unintentional bouncing or the like when it falls from the hopper 10 through the discharge outlet 12, and also prevents the drug M from falling off during transport.
The vibration drive unit 32 is an electromagnetic vibration unit, and is a vibration feeder that transports the drug M located on the upper surface of the guide main body 31 in the -X direction by vibrating the guide main body 31 with a vibration of, for example, 7,200 times per minute.
In this embodiment, the guide portion 30 is operated as a vibrating feeder to serve as a transport means for transporting the drug M, but the transport means is not limited to this configuration and may be configured to transport the drug M in other ways.

3, the guide body 31 has a wedge-shaped or V-shaped groove 34 formed on the surface that comes into contact with the drug M and extends in the −X direction, which is the transport direction of the drug M. The groove 34 may be formed in multiple lines parallel to the Y direction.
4, the guide body 31 has a high position on the upstream side in the transport direction, i.e., the +X direction side, and a low position on the downstream side in the transport direction, i.e., the -X direction side, with a wavy step portion 35 formed in the middle. Here, wavy does not mean a linear incline, but means that a flat or inclined surface is formed at an intermediate height between the highest surface, which is the surface directly below the outlet 12, and the lowest surface, which is the surface connected to the first imaging unit 20. However, the shape is not limited to this, and it is sufficient that the transport surface of the drug M has a step.
In this manner, the guide body 31 includes the step portion 35 that descends in the conveying direction.
Now, by forming such wedge-shaped groove portion 34 and step portion 35 on the transport surface, the drug M is transported in an inclined manner by groove portion 34 as shown in Figure 4 while being transported, and as it passes through step portion 35, it moves while changing the inclination direction up and down.
In this way, when the drug M is transported while being vibrated by the vibration drive unit 32, the drug M is transported in an unstable position, and therefore the overlapped state of multiple drugs M is easily released. The drug M passes through the guide unit 30 and moves to the first imaging unit 20 without overlapping. In other words, the guide unit 30 functions as an alignment structure that aligns the drug M when it moves to the first imaging unit 20.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the guide portion 30 has a wedge-shaped groove portion 34 formed on the surface of the guide body portion 31 along the transport direction of the drug M. Note that, although the groove is wedge-shaped in this embodiment, it may be a groove having a U-shaped or semicircular cross section.
With this configuration, the drug M vibrates in an inclined state during transport, so that the guide section 30 transports the drug M to the first imaging section 20 while preventing or suppressing overlapping of the drugs M with each other.

In this embodiment, the guide portion 30 has a step portion 35 formed on the transport surface thereof, which step portion 35 descends in the transport direction of the drug M.
With this configuration, the drug M vibrates in an inclined state during transport, so that the guide section 30 transports the drug M to the first imaging section 20 while preventing or suppressing overlapping of the drugs M with each other.

In this embodiment, the guide portion 30 has a vibration drive portion 32 as a vibration feeder that vibrates the guide body portion 31 .
With this configuration, the guide body 31 vibrates, causing the drug M to move through the transport path surrounded by the guide body 31 and the chute guide 33.

In this embodiment, the guide portion 30 has a detachable chute guide 33 that constitutes a side wall of the guide portion 30 .
By making the chute guide 33 removable, it is possible to prevent the drug M from coming off the guide portion 30 due to unintentional splashing or the like when it falls through the discharge port 12, and it is also possible to prevent the drug M from falling off during transport.
Furthermore, the guide body 31 is attached with a magnet and can be easily attached and detached, so that the guide body 31 and the chute guide 33 which form the transport path can be easily cleaned.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a passage sensor 36 is provided as a detection unit between the first photographing unit 20 and the guide unit 30, that is, at the downstream end of the guide unit 30 in the -X direction which is the conveying direction.
The passing sensor 36 is a detection unit for detecting that the drug M has moved through the guide unit 30 to the first imaging unit 20, and when a predetermined number of drugs M, for example one or more drugs M, have passed, the vibration of the vibration drive unit 32 is stopped via the control unit 90.
Such a passage sensor 36 makes it possible to check whether the drug M is moving as it is transported from the guide section 30 to the first photographing section 20, and also prevents problems such as too large a quantity of drug M being transported to the first photographing section 20 at the same time.

This point will be explained in a little more detail. As already mentioned, since the guide unit 30 is a vibration feeder, the medicine M that has fallen from the hopper 10 reaches the first photographing unit 20 at a predetermined speed determined by the vibration frequency of the vibration driving unit 32 and the like.
However, as described below, the transport unit 50 is a transport unit that adsorbs and transports the drugs M one by one, and its operation requires a certain amount of operating time.
In other words, if the guide section 30 carries a large amount of drug M at once, a large amount of drug M will be placed on the first imaging section 20, and there is a concern that the accuracy of image capture will be affected by the drugs overlapping or sticking to each other.
Therefore, when the passing sensor 36 detects that more than a predetermined amount of drug M has been transported, the vibration of the vibration drive unit 32 is temporarily restricted to temporarily suppress the movement of the drug M moving from the guide unit 30 to the first imaging unit 20.
Specifically, for example, when the passage sensor 36 detects that one or more drugs M have passed, the vibration drive unit 32 is temporarily stopped and resumes operation after the first imaging unit 20 has taken an image.
In this manner, by using the passage sensor 36 to limit the amount of medication M flowing from the guide section 30 to the first photographing section 20, the photographing accuracy in the first photographing section 20 can be improved.

As shown in Figure 5, the first photographing unit 20 has a photographing stage 21 which is a transparent member, a first lighting device 22 arranged below the photographing stage 21 for illuminating the drug M, and a first camera 23 arranged above the photographing stage 21.
The photographing stage 21 has a bottom surface 24 and a side wall portion 25 formed so as to surround the bottom surface 24 in three directions excluding the +X direction side to which the guide portion 30 is connected.
As shown in Figure 5 (b), the side wall portion 25 is composed of a first side wall portion 25a that abuts against the bottom surface 24 and stands perpendicular to the bottom surface 24, and a second side wall portion 25b that is located outside the first side wall portion 25a and is formed to rise from the first side wall portion 25a.
The bottom surface 24, the first side wall portion 25a, and the second side wall portion 25b that constitute the imaging stage 21 are all transparent members molded from a transparent plastic material.
Moreover, it is preferable that both the first side wall portion 25a and the second side wall portion 25b of the side wall portion 25 are detachably attached to the bottom surface 24 to facilitate cleaning.

The first lighting device 22 is a lighting device that irradiates light from below the bottom surface 24 toward the drug M placed on the bottom surface 24.
When the drug M is irradiated with the irradiation light emitted from the first lighting device 22, the position of the drug M placed on the shooting stage 21 is not transmitted by the irradiation light, and therefore, the position of the drug M placed on the bottom surface 24 is displayed as a shadow in the image captured by the first camera 23, as shown in Figure 5 (b).
As already described, the number of drugs M passing at one time is limited by the passage sensor 36, and the drugs M are transported by vibration so as to avoid overlapping when passing through the guide section 30. Therefore, the drugs M moving onto the bottom surface 24 of the imaging stage 21 are likely to be arranged in a scattered state.
If the drugs M are placed on the bottom surface 24 in an overlapping state, there is a concern that the shape of the drug M may not be accurately determined when the first camera 23 takes an image from above, so it is desirable for the drugs M to be placed on the bottom surface 24 in a scattered state.

It is also known that if the drug M gets too close to the side wall, image recognition may not work well and the drug M and the side wall may be recognized as a single shape. One reason for this is that even if a transparent material is used for the imaging stage 21, the side wall portion 25 is less likely to transmit light due to the refractive index and thickness of the transparent material, and both the drug M and the side wall portion 25 are easily mistaken for "parts that do not transmit light."
Therefore, in this embodiment, the side wall portion 25 has a first side wall portion 25a and a second side wall portion 25b.
With this configuration, when the first camera 23 takes an image from above, a step is created between the first side wall portion 25a and the second side wall portion 25b, making it easier for light to pass through the first side wall portion 25a than when a single side wall is provided, and therefore the control unit 90 is less likely to confuse the side wall portion 25 with the drug M.
Furthermore, it is more preferable that the rising height of the first side wall portion 25a is lower than the height of the second side wall portion 25b. This is because, when light from the first illumination device 22 from below is transmitted through the transparent member, the boundary portion with the drug M, which is a non-transmitting portion, becomes more clearly visible.

As shown in FIG. 6, the transport unit 50 is a pickup unit that is movable in three axes, XYZ.
As shown in Figure 7, the transfer section 50 has a nozzle 51 that is supported by the transfer section 50 and can move up and down, a shutter 52 that opens and closes in response to the up and down movement of the transfer section 50, a pivot bar 53 for opening and closing the shutter 52, and a spring 54 as a biasing member.
The transfer unit 50 has a Z-axis base plate 55 and a rotary actuator 56 that rotates the nozzle 51 about the Z-axis.
When an operator touches the internal structure of the drug sorting device 100 for maintenance or the like, in other words when the operation of the drug sorting device 100 is stopped, the transport unit 50 returns to a predetermined standby position and stops operating.
In this embodiment, the standby position is preferably above the storage unit 60, which is the container placement unit shown in Fig. 1 etc. This is because the storage unit 60 is located at the far right side when viewed from the front of the housing of the medicine sorting device 100, making it easy for the operator to perform maintenance of the second imaging unit 40. In addition, by setting the standby position at the far side, as described below, an effect is also achieved in that the operator can easily remove the storage container 62 from the front side after sorting the medicines M into the storage containers 62 in the storage unit 60.

The nozzle 51 is a nozzle for adsorbing the medicine M by air pressure, and adsorbs the medicine M by suction of air by a pump and a solenoid valve.
A suction pad 51a is provided at the tip of the nozzle 51, and when the transport section 50 is lowered, the suction pad 51a comes into contact with the drug M and adsorbs the drug M.

The transport unit 50 lowers the Z-axis base plate 55 and the nozzle 51 together, so that, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the Z-axis base plate 55 moves downward and the rotating bar 53, which is arranged to abut diagonally against the Z-axis base plate 55, is pressed down.
When the rotating bar 53 is pressed by the Z-axis base plate 55, the shutter 52, which functions as a fall prevention part, is split in half at the center and moves to an open state.
In addition, since the spring 54 biases the pivot bars 53 in a direction in which they attract each other as shown by the arrow in Figure 7, as the transport section 50 rises, the Z-axis base plate 55 rises and the shutter 52 transitions to the closed state as shown in Figure 8.

In this manner, when the transport unit 50 rises, the shutter 52 remains closed, and when the transport unit 50 descends and the nozzle 51 comes into contact with the drug M placed on the shooting stage 21, the shutter 52 opens.
Moreover, since the shutter 52 is biased by the spring 54, the shutter 52 remains closed even when no current is applied.
In this way, the shutter 52, the pivot bar 53 and the spring 54 function as a drug drop prevention unit that opens and closes in response to the vertical movement of the transport unit 50.

As shown in FIG. 9, the shutter 52 has a cone-shaped cross section, and is formed so that a central portion 52a located directly below the nozzle 51 is lower than a peripheral portion 52b when in a closed state.
Furthermore, a gentle slope is formed between the peripheral portion 52b and the central portion 52a, so that even if the drug M adsorbed on the nozzle 51 falls, it will gather near the central portion 52a.
In this embodiment, a cylindrical wall 57 standing upright in the Z-axis direction is provided on the upper part of the shutter 52 so as to surround the tip portion of the nozzle 51, but this is not limited to this configuration.

In this manner, the shutter 52 in this embodiment is formed so that the three-dimensional shape of the recess in the closed state is a downward-facing truncated cone.
According to this configuration, even if the drug M falls from the nozzle 51 during transport, the drug M is retained by the shutter 52 and collected in an area near the center, as indicated by the center portion 52a.

The nozzle 51 is provided with a sliding portion 51b to allow the nozzle 51 to move freely in the ±Z directions on the transport section 50, and when the transport section 50 descends and the suction pad 51a comes into contact with the drug M, the nozzle 51 can slide up and down by about 20 mm depending on the thickness of the drug M.
By providing such sliding portion 51b, the nozzle 51 is supported so as to be movable in the Z direction relative to the transport portion 50 and the Z-axis base plate 55.
In addition, the sliding portion 51b and the suction pad 51a prevent excessive load from being applied to the drug M when the transport portion 50 descends and contacts the drug M.

The spring 54 is a biasing member that is attached to the tip of the pivot bar 53 and biases the pivot bars 53 in a direction that pulls them together to close the shutter 52.

As described above, in this embodiment, the shutter 52 opens and closes in response to the descent of the nozzle 51 and the Z-axis base plate 55 as a holding section for holding the medicine M, so that the shutter 52 functions as a medicine drop prevention section.
However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and any mechanism may be used as long as it opens and closes in conjunction with the vertical movement of the nozzle 51.

In addition, in this embodiment, the nozzle 51 is supported so that the position of the nozzle 51 can be adjusted in the vertical direction in accordance with the size of the medicine M by providing the sliding portion 51b.
This configuration prevents excessive load from being applied to the medicine M when the transport unit 50 descends. Similarly, a suction pad 51a made of a soft material having flexibility is provided at the lower end of the nozzle 51 that comes into contact with the medicine M in order to absorb shock.

In this embodiment, the shutter 52 is maintained in a closed state below the nozzle 51 in the Z direction when the nozzle 51 is rising, and is opened when the nozzle 51 is lowered.
With this configuration, even if the suction of the nozzle 51 is unintentionally released due to a malfunction or power loss while picking up the medicine M, the shutter 52 remains closed, preventing the medicine M being transported from falling.

Furthermore, the shutter 52 is formed so that a central portion 52a located directly below the nozzle 51 is lower than a peripheral portion 52b when the shutter 52 is closed.
According to this configuration, even if the drug M falls from the nozzle 51 during transport, the drug M is retained by the shutter 52 and collected in an area near the center, as indicated by the center portion 52a.
In this embodiment, the shutter 52 forms a cone-shaped bottom, but is not limited to this configuration and may be formed from a normal plate-shaped member.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the second photographing unit 40 has a transparent lens-shaped recessed portion 42 which is formed on a discrimination stage 41 and serves as a tablet discrimination portion, and a capsule discrimination portion 43 which is formed by two rollers 43a, 43b.
The second photographing unit 40 has a ring-shaped illumination device 44 arranged on the +Z direction side of the discrimination stage 41, and a bar-shaped illumination device 45 formed on the -Z direction side of the discrimination stage 41 so as to surround the recessed portion 42 on three sides.
The second photographing section 40 has, as two imaging devices, a second camera 46 attached on the +Z direction side and a third camera 47 attached on the -Z direction side.
The second photographing unit 40 also has a light source 48 which is an illumination device for character discrimination that is attached near the second camera 46 and illuminates the discrimination stage 41, and a light source 49 which is an illumination device that is attached near the third camera 47.
Both light sources 48 and 49 are ring-shaped illumination devices with an opening in the center.

The recess 42 is a transparent portion that transmits light and has a downwardly convex recess formed so that the drug M can be placed therein and photographed from above and below. The drug M picked up by the first photographing unit 20 is first adsorbed by the transfer unit 50 and transported to the recess 42.
The recess 42 functions as a tablet discrimination section that, mainly when the placed drug M is a tablet, discriminates the tablet from the information written on the surface of the drug M and the shape information using a second camera 46 and a third camera 47 from both the top and bottom sides.
In this way, by photographing the medicine M from above and below, two photographed images Q of both the front and back sides can be obtained regardless of the orientation in which the medicine M is placed.
In this embodiment, the type of tablet is determined by performing image analysis of the symbols and markings written on the images of both the top and bottom surfaces of the medicine M placed in the recessed portion 42.

As shown in FIG. 12, a gap is provided in the discrimination stage 41, and a recess member 420 that forms the bottom surface of the recess portion 42 by being inserted into the gap is removably attached by being inserted and removed from the side of the stage.
The recess member 420 is a transparent slide member having a substantially plate shape, which has a transparent plate-like portion 42a forming a bottom surface, and a gripping portion 42b extending from the plate-like portion 42a.
A downwardly convex recess is formed in the plate-shaped portion 42a at a portion corresponding to the opening formed in the discrimination stage 41, and when the recess member 420 is attached to the discrimination stage 41, this recess and the opening of the discrimination stage 41 form the recess portion 42.
Since the entire plate-like portion 42a of the recess member 420 is transparent, when the recess member 420 is attached as shown in FIG. 11, the drug M placed on the recess portion 42 can be photographed from below.

In this embodiment, a magnet 421 is provided at the tip of the plate-shaped portion 42a in the mounting direction, and the magnet 421 is attracted to, for example, a magnet or metal provided in the capsule determination portion 43, thereby gently positioning the recessed member 420.
In this way, by providing a magnet 421, which is a ferromagnetic positioning part, at the tip of the plate-shaped part 42a in the mounting direction, the recess member 420 is positioned so that the position of its opening and the recess coincide when it is mounted on the discrimination stage 41.
Furthermore, because the magnet 421 is a magnet, it is possible to improve positioning accuracy and easily attach and detach the recess member 420 while preventing an increase in the number of parts such as screws and fixing members.

In other words, the recessed member 420 is simply supported so that it can be detached from the discrimination stage 41. Therefore, if dirt in the recessed portion 42, for example due to pieces of drug M or dust, adversely affects the capture of images by the second camera 46 and the third camera 47, it can be removed by inserting and removing it in the X direction and cleaning it.

In this way, by making the recess member 420 that forms the bottom of the recess portion 42 removable, the maintenance performance is improved and the operational downtime of the drug sorting device 100 can be minimized, even when large amounts of drugs M must be sorted continuously.
In addition, deterioration of discrimination performance due to dirt or the like on the recessed portion 42 can be suppressed.
Furthermore, since the recess member 420 can be inserted and removed in the X direction from the side of the discrimination stage 41, the recess portion 42 in which the tablet is placed can be easily cleaned without affecting the positional relationship of the mounting table, the ring-shaped illumination device 44, the bar-shaped illumination device 45, the capsule discrimination unit 43, etc. near the discrimination stage 41.
Making the recess member 420 insertable and removable from the side contributes to improved cleaning and maintenance compared to when the recess portion 42 is simply made into a removable unit, but is not limited to such a configuration.

In this embodiment, it is desirable that the transparent plate-shaped portion 42a forming the bottom surface and the gripping portion 42b extending from the plate-shaped portion 42a each have a width in the Y direction that is approximately equal to or greater than the diameter of the recess portion 42, and it is also desirable that the height of the gripping portion 42b is such that when the recess member 420 is inserted into the discrimination stage 41 and positioned, the tip of the gripping portion 42b protrudes from the top surface of the discrimination stage 41 to an extent that an operator can appropriately grasp it.
Furthermore, since the length of the plate-shaped portion 42a in the X direction is proportional to the distance traveled when inserting and removing, the shorter it is, the easier it is to attach and remove. However, if it is too short, the shadow of the gripping portion 42b will be cast on the ring-shaped illumination device 44, which may affect the results of identifying the drug M.
12, the length Lx in the X direction of the plate-shaped portion 42a is set to be longer than the radius r of the ring-shaped illumination device 44. With this configuration, the gripping portion 42b is always positioned outside the ring-shaped illumination device 44 when the recessed member 420 shown in FIG. 11 is attached, so that the recessed member 420 can be freely attached and detached without affecting the discrimination result of the drug M.
In order to further reduce the optical effect of the gripping portion 42b, the gripping portion 42b and the plate-like portion 42a may be molded integrally from a transparent material. This configuration is also effective in reducing manufacturing costs.

The capsule discrimination unit 43 is a rotational imaging unit that supports and rotates the drug M by two rollers 43a, 43b, and images the drug M from the +Z direction side.
In this embodiment, the roller 43a is a cylindrical rotating body made of aluminum, and the roller 43b is a cylindrical rotating body made of rubber.
The capsule discrimination unit 43 photographs the drug M placed at the boundary portion where the roller 43a and the roller 43b are in contact with each other with a second camera 46 disposed above.

As shown in FIG. 13, the storage section 60 is a container mounting section having holders 61 arranged in a 6×8 array, storage containers 62 held in the holders 61, a removable mounting stand 63, and a mounting sensor 64 provided on the mounting stand for detecting whether the holders 61 are correctly mounted.
On both sides of the storage section 60 , there are full load sensors 65 as line sensors mounted above the upper end portion of the storage container 62 .
The holder 61 has an identification information display section 66 as a number display plate that indicates the position of the storage container 62 .

In this embodiment, the storage container 62 is a plastic container with a lid, and is detachably attached to the holder 61 with the lid removed.
In this embodiment, the identification information display unit 66 is a number display plate that indicates the position of the storage container 62 on the mounting table 63. Note that the identification information display unit 66 is not limited to this configuration, and may be a display device that can store and display the identification information of the drug M determined by the second photographing unit 40, or a display device that can change the characters, barcodes, and other display information displayed in response to an instruction from the control unit 90.

The placement base 63 is a removable base on which a placement sensor 64 and an LED 67 are attached.
14, the mounting table 63 can be pulled out to such an extent that all the holders 61 placed on it come out of the housing part of the medicine sorting device 100 when the mounting table 63 is pulled out to the maximum extent from the medicine sorting device 100. In this embodiment, the stroke amount is set to about 555 mm when the length of the mounting table 63 in the Y direction, which is the pull-out direction, is 505 mm.
It is more preferable that this stroke amount be set smaller than the stroke amount of the work table 110, which is located below the mounting table 63 and can be pulled out.
In this way, by making it possible to pull out the work table 110 larger than the mounting table 63, even when the mounting table 63 is pulled out and the holder 61 is removed as shown in Figure 14, the work table 110 can be used as a temporary placement location for the removed holder 61.

The placement sensor 64 is a detection means that detects whether the position where the holder 61 should be placed matches the position where the holder 61 is actually placed, based on the identification information read by the reading means 70.
The placement sensors 64 are, for example, attachment sensors attached at all positions in a 6×8 array, and are light-shielding sensors that detect whether the holders 61 are placed on the holders 61 by the presence or absence of light shielding.
For a holder 61A having a certain barcode A displayed on an identification information display section 66, when a control section 90 sets the holder 61A to be placed in a specific position 1A, an LED 67 is illuminated in green when the holder 61A is attached to the correct position 1A, and when the holder 61A is attached to any other position, an LED 67 is illuminated in red.
A cylindrical transparent portion 68 extending in the Z direction is provided at a position facing the LED 67 of the holder 61 so as to transmit the light of the LED 67, and transmits or diffuses the light to illuminate the LED 67 so that the light is easily visible to the operator.

The full-load sensor 65 functions as a full-load detection unit provided along at least one edge of the storage section 60, particularly along the edge extending in the Y direction in this embodiment, to detect when the drug M placed in the storage container 62 has exceeded the upper end of the storage container 62.
The full-load sensor 65 detects when the amount of drug M held in the storage container 62 exceeds the capacity or when the drug M is held in such a way that it protrudes from the storage container 62 due to its shape, and notifies the user via the control unit 90 that the container is full.
This full-load sensor 65 can sound an alarm when the drug M transferred into the storage container 62 protrudes from the top of the storage container 62, even if the capacity rate described below is within the standard, thereby preventing the drug M from falling out of the container due to overloading.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1 or Figure 16, three collection containers 69 for collecting drug M, namely, a first collection container 691, a second collection container 692, and a third collection container 693, are arranged outside the mounting table 63 and along the path along which the transport section 50 moves.
The first collection container 691 is an unknown collection container for collecting the drug M that could not be identified by the second photographing unit 40, and is a container with a capacity of about 210 ml.
The second collection container 692 is a collection container for collecting half-tablets of the drug M or missing drugs M, and has the same external shape as the first collection container 691.
The third collection container 693 is a collection container for capsules that collects capsule-shaped medicine M, and has the same external shape as the first collection container 691.

16 and 17 show an example of the configuration of the collection containers 69 in which three collection containers 69 are arranged side by side, and the operation of the placement sensor 64 that detects placement of each collection container 69. FIG.
In order to simplify the explanation, each operation will be explained using the same numbers as the loading sensor 64 and the full load sensor 65 on the loading platform 63, but the sensors may be different from those used on the loading platform 63, and the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

An example of the configuration and operation of the placement sensor 64 will be described with reference to FIG.
The placement sensor 64 is a detection means having a rotating member 641, a rotation axis 643 which is the central axis for rotating the rotating member 641, a photosensor 645 which is the sensor main body, and a shielding portion 644 which blocks light such as infrared light which is incident on the reading portion 645.
When the collection container 69 is placed, the collection container 69 presses against the tip 642 of the rotating member 641 , causing the rotating member 641 to rotate about the rotation shaft 643 .
This rotation causes a shielding portion 644 attached to the opposite side of the tip 642 to shield the photosensor 645, thereby enabling the placement sensor 64 to detect whether or not a collection container 69 has been placed on the rotating member 641.

In addition, the transfer unit 50 transfers the drug M being transferred to the collection container 69 when the drug M to be transferred satisfies a predetermined condition.
Specifically, the drug M that could not be identified by the second photographing unit 40 is transferred to the first collection container 691, the drug M that has been divided into half tablets or is missing as a result of the shape identification by the second photographing unit 40 is transferred to the second collection container 692, and the drug M that is capsule-shaped is transferred to the third collection container 693.

By using these collection containers 69, even if the medicine cannot be accommodated in the storage container 62, it can be collected in either the first collection container 691, the second collection container 692, or the third collection container 693, thereby reducing downtime of the medicine sorting device 100.

As is clear from FIG. 1 and other figures, these collection containers 69 are disposed on the transfer path from the second photographing unit 40 to the mounting table 63 .
According to this configuration, the transport unit 50 transports the medicines M that can be sorted on the mounting table 63 as described below, and even if a discrimination result is obtained while the transport unit 50 is moving, the transport can be easily changed to transport to the collection container 69 midway through the transport. Therefore, it is possible to start the operation of the transport unit 50 without waiting for discrimination by the second photographing unit 40, which also contributes to speeding up the transport.

The control unit 90 is a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a main memory (MEM-P), a HD (Hard Disk), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a PCI bus, a network I/F, etc. Note that the configuration is not limited to this, and any computer that is mounted on a so-called control board and can control programmed operations may be used.
In this embodiment, the control unit 90 is described as an information processing unit provided inside the medicine sorting device 100, but it may be a separate information processing terminal as long as it is capable of running medicine sorting software.
In this manner, when the control unit 90 is provided separately, it is preferable to connect the control unit 90, which is an information processing terminal, and the medicine sorting device 100 via a network.
Moreover, the control unit 90 may be implemented as part of the functions of a higher-level device that manages information on drugs adopted in the hospital and inventory.
As shown in FIG. 18, the control unit 90 has a shape determination unit 91 that determines the shape of the drug M mainly from the image captured by the first imaging unit 20, and an image recognition unit 92 that identifies the drug M from the image captured by the second imaging unit 40.
The control unit 90 also has a position determination unit 93 for determining the placement position of the holder 61 read by the reading means 70, and a storage rate calculation unit 94 for calculating the storage rate for each holder 61 and storage container 62 from the volume of the drug M and the capacity of the storage container 62.
The control unit 90 also has an operation means having a user interface for operating each part of the control unit 90, and a touch panel 95 that functions as a display means for displaying information from each part to the operator.
In addition, although the medicine sorting device 100 is shown in a form in which the touch panel 95 is attached to the main body, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. Also, instead of a touch panel, a display means such as a normal liquid crystal monitor or an organic EL monitor may be combined with an operation means such as a mouse or a keyboard.

The shape determination unit 91 is a determination unit for determining the size and shape of the drug M based on the image captured by the first imaging unit 20 or the second imaging unit 40.
The shape determination unit 91 has a function as a determination unit that determines the shape of the medicine M, and thereby determines whether to photograph using the recessed portion 42 or the capsule discrimination unit 43.
The image recognition unit 92 determines the type of drug M based on the image captured by the second imaging unit 40. Specifically, the image captured by the recessed portion 42 or the capsule discrimination unit 43 is subjected to pattern matching using the markings or character information written on the surface of the drug M, the size of the drug M, and the like, to identify the type of drug M.
The position determination unit 93 determines the position of the holder 61 to which the medicine M is to be transported based on the position of the holder 61 read by the reading means 70 and the type of medicine M identified by the image recognition unit 92 .
The storage rate calculation unit 94 calculates the storage rate for each storage container 62 using the previously determined volume of the storage container 62, the volume of the drug M registered in the database, and the number of drugs M transferred to the storage container 62 by the transfer unit 50.

The operation from putting medicine M into the hopper 10 of the medicine sorting device 100 to identifying the medicine M will be described with reference to Fig. 19. Fig. 19 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the medicine sorting device 100 in this embodiment.
First, the medicine M is fed into the hopper 10 through the inlet 11 (step S101), and the medicine M is sequentially discharged from the outlet 12 into the guide section 30.
In the guide section 30, as already described, the medicines M are conveyed in an aligned state while being released from overlapping due to the vibration drive section 32 and the shape of the guide body section 31 (step S102).
The medicine M is transferred onto the bottom surface 24 of the first photographing section 20 with minimal overlap, and a first image is taken by the first camera 23 (step S103).
In this manner, the first camera 23 functions as an imaging device for capturing an image in the first photographing section 20 .
The shape determination unit 91 determines whether the drug M is a capsule or a tablet from the information on the size and shape of the drug M based on the first image captured in step S103 (step S104).

In step S104, if it is determined that the drug M is a capsule, the transport unit 50 moves to the center position of the drug M determined from the first image, and lowers the nozzle 51 to bring the suction pad 51a into contact with the drug M.
The transfer unit 50 sucks in and holds the drug M by sucking air through the nozzle 51, and uses the rotary actuator 56 to rotate the drug M so that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the axial direction of the rollers 43a, 43b of the capsule discrimination unit 43 (step S105), and transfers it to the recessed portion 42 (step S106).
At this time, since the shape determination unit 91 has determined that the drug M is a capsule based on the shape of the drug M, the transfer unit 50 may transfer the drug M directly to the capsule discrimination unit 43, but it is most preferable to transfer the drug M to the recess portion 42 first from the standpoint of preventing erroneous detection.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S104 that the drug M is a tablet, the transporting unit 50 brings the suction pad 51a into contact with the drug M to adsorb it, and transports it to the recessed portion 42 (step S106).
The medicine M placed in the recess 42 is photographed from both the top and bottom sides by the second camera 46 and the third camera 47 (step S107).
When taking such photographs, first, a second image is taken using specularly reflected light from light sources 48 and 49, which are ring-shaped illumination devices for distinguishing character information and are arranged in the specular reflection areas for the second camera 46 and the third camera 47.
Since the second image is captured with so-called high-angle lighting, the color, shape, and text information printed on the surface of the medicine M can be detected relatively easily.
Next, a third image is captured using diffuse reflected light captured by a ring-shaped illumination device 44 and a bar-shaped illumination device 45 for distinguishing engraved information, which are arranged in the diffuse reflection area relative to the second camera 46 and the third camera 47.
Since the third image is captured with so-called low-angle lighting, the edge portions formed on the surface of the medicine M, including the imprinted information, can be detected relatively easily.
In this way, in step S107, two images are taken of the top and bottom surfaces under different lighting conditions, thereby enabling more accurate identification of the drug M.

Based on the image captured in step S107, the image recognition unit 92 uses pattern matching to determine the type of drug M' that is likely to match the drug M from the master data of drugs used in the hospital previously acquired (step S108).
In step S108, if a drug M' that matches the drug M is found, the image recognition unit 92 determines that the drug M is the drug M'.
At the same time, the image recognition unit 92 checks whether the medicine M is a capsule or not (step S120).
When the image recognition unit 92 determines that the drug M is a tablet and matches the drug M', the position determination unit 93 determines the position of the storage container 62 and the holder 61 to which the drug M is to be transported (step S109). The drug M is again adsorbed by the transport unit 50, and is transported by the transport unit 50 to the position determined in step S109, and is stored in the storage container 62 (step S110).
If the drug M determined to be a capsule in steps S108 and S120, the drug M is transferred by the transfer unit 50 to the capsule determination unit 43 (step S121).
In the capsule discrimination unit 43, the rollers 43a and 43b rotate, and thus rotate the drug M. An image of the capsule while rotating is taken by the second camera 46 (step S122), and the image recognition unit 92 discriminates the characters written on the capsule surface based on the image (step S123).

Here, the second camera 46 disposed above is used as the photographing means used in the capsule discriminating unit 43. Similarly, as for the lighting means, light sources 48 and 49 which are high-angle lighting may be used, or the ring-shaped lighting device 44 which is low-angle lighting may be used.
In addition, when the printed information on a capsule placed on the capsule discrimination unit 43 is printed along the longitudinal direction of the capsule, the image recognition unit 92 takes multiple photographs and preferentially uses the images containing the printed information to read the printed information.
On the other hand, when the printed information on the capsule placed on the capsule discrimination unit 43 is printed along the circumferential direction of the capsule, the printed information may be read by connecting multiple photographs of the rotating drug M in a panoramic manner.
Furthermore, if it is possible to verify the master data using only a portion of the printed information on the medicine M, the type of medicine M may be confirmed by photographing a single image and performing pattern matching on the image.
As described above, the image recognition unit 92 can change the photographing method depending on the direction of the printed information on the capsule placed on the capsule discrimination unit 43.
In addition, the printed information on the medicine M in this embodiment may include, in addition to the character information printed on the medicine M, a two-dimensional code such as a barcode or a QR code (registered trademark).

When the printed information is read in step S123 and it is determined that the medicine M is a drug M', the destination of the medicine M is determined by the position determining unit 93, and the medicine M is transferred by the transferring unit 50 (step S110).
In addition, the transfer at this time is similar to that when the drug M is a tablet, so the same numbers are used and the explanation is omitted.

In step S110, when the transfer unit 50 is able to recognize the transfer destination, i.e., when it is confirmed that the drug M is drug M1, the position determination unit 93 transfers the drug M to the holder 61A corresponding to drug M1 and to the storage container 62A held in the holder 61A, as already described.
That is, the transport unit 50 transports the drug M to the specified storage container 62A in which it is to be placed.
After the drug is transported, the control unit 90 displays the identification information display unit 66 of the holder 61A corresponding to the storage container 62A as indicating that the drug is drug M1 and/or as a barcode A, thereby facilitating the storage of the drug M after it has been sorted by the drug sorting device 100.
In addition, a display is displayed on the user interface operable by the touch panel 95 to indicate that the drug M1 has been placed in the storage container 62A.

Incidentally, even when the drug M is not a drug adopted by the hospital, or when the image recognition unit 92 does not find a drug that matches the drug M (No in step S108), the position determination unit 93 needs to determine the destination to which the drug M is to be transported.
At this time, the medicine sorting device 100 transfers the medicine M to the first collection container 691 of the collection containers 69 (step S131).

In this case, the first collection container 691 is the "designated container in which the unknown drug M should be placed," and the transfer unit 50 will transfer the drug M to the designated first collection container 691 in which it should be placed, based on the "designated condition" in step S108 that "there was no drug determined from the image in the second imaging unit 40."
In this way, whether the determination is successful or not, the transport unit 50 transports the drug M determined by the position determination unit 93 to a specified container in which it should be placed.

Alternatively, even if the drug M is identified, it may be transferred to the collection container 69 on the condition that all storage containers 62A to 62Z in Fig. 20 described later are full. By transferring the drugs to the collection container 69 in this way when the drugs cannot be sorted and are full, it is possible to empty the storage container 62 again and reset it, and to once again put the drugs in the collection container 69 according to step S101, as described below, to automatically sort the drugs again, even when a large amount of drugs is to be sorted.
In this case, in the medicine sorting device 100, the transfer unit 50 transfers the medicines to the collection container 69 "when a predetermined condition is that all of the storage containers 62A to 62Z are fully loaded."

The storage rate calculation unit 94 calculates the storage rate of the storage container 62 based on the capacity of the storage container 62 and the volume and number of the transferred drugs M, and displays the storage rate for each storage container 62 on the touch panel 95 as shown in Figure 20.
Furthermore, the touch panel 95 may display names of drugs M1, M2, . . . corresponding to each drug M at positions corresponding to the storage containers 62.
Furthermore, the judgment result R of the drug M being transported by the transport unit 50 may be displayed together with the image Q used by the image recognition unit 92 .

The storage rate calculated by the storage rate calculation unit 94 is an index of how much of the storage container 62 is occupied by the drug M. If the type of drug M contained in the storage container 62 is clear, it is easy for the control unit 90 to read out the volume of the drug M from a database of drugs stored in advance.
However, for the first collection container 691 which is treated as a collection container, the type of the drug M contained therein could not be clearly read.
That is, the number of drugs M is known, but the volume is unknown.
In such a case, it is most preferable that the storage rate calculation unit 94 assumes that the largest size drug from the database of pre-registered drugs has been placed in the container, and calculates the storage rate based on the number of drugs M and the maximum volume among the multiple registered drugs.

In addition, if the drug is identified as a capsule in step S120, but the drug cannot be identified in step S123 (No in step S123), the drug M is transferred to the third collection container 693, which is a collection container for capsules (step S132).
In this case, the third collection container 693 is the "designated container in which to place" for the unknown drug M, and the transfer unit 50 will transfer the drug M to the designated third collection container 693 in which to place it, based on the "designated condition" in step S123 that "there was no drug determined from the image by the capsule discrimination unit 43."

Furthermore, after step S108, a step of determining whether or not the drug M is missing may be inserted.
In this case, on condition that a defect is detected in the defect determination step, the transfer unit 50 will transfer the drug M to the second collection container 692, which is a collection container for defects in which the drug M should be placed.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the transfer section 50 transfers the drug M to the collection container when the drug M satisfies a predetermined condition.
With this configuration, maintenance work is minimal and downtime can be reduced even when sorting large amounts of medicines.

Furthermore, as already described, in this embodiment, the shutter 52 is formed so that the three-dimensional shape of the recess in the closed state is a downward-facing truncated cone.
According to this configuration, even if the medicine M falls from the nozzle 51 during the transfer of the medicine M, the medicine M is retained by the shutter 52 and gathers in an area near the center as indicated by the center 52a. According to this configuration, even if the transfer unit 50 detects the fall of the medicine M during the transfer of the medicine M, the shutter 52 is opened above any of the collection containers 69 (e.g., above the first collection container 691), thereby preventing an accident in which the medicine M falls from near the center and falls in a place other than the transfer path of the medicine sorting device 100.

The above operation is repeated for all the medicines M put into the hopper 10, and when the put-in medicines M are sorted, regardless of whether they are sorting containers or collection containers, the medicines M are sorted into each storage container 62. At this time, the identification information display section 66 of the holder 61 sorted to the sorting container side displays the identification information of the medicines M placed in the storage container 62 as individual barcodes.
In the transport of the transport unit 50 in step S110, in normal mode, for example, 39 types of medicines are sorted, and when the 40th type of medicine is detected as medicine M, a display is displayed on the touch panel 95 and instructions from the operator are awaited.

When the operator looks at the display on the touch panel 95 and is handling more types of medicine M than the number of sorting containers, he or she pulls out the mounting table 63 as shown in Figure 14, and removes the sorted holders 61 and storage containers 62 as shown in the flow chart in Figure 21 (step S201).
In this embodiment, only the refilling operation when the number of types of medication M exceeds the number of sorting containers will be described; however, for example, when the full-load sensor 65 detects that the storage container 62 is full, or when the calculated capacity of the storage container 62 satisfies a predetermined percentage (e.g., 90% or more), the holder 61 is similarly removed and the empty storage container 62 is refilled.
When the holder 61 is removed in step S201, the placement sensor 64 detects that the holder 61 has been removed and causes the LED 67 to display red light.
The operator takes out the storage container 62 attached to the holder 61 together with the medicine M therein. At this time, for example, the operator causes the reading means 70 to read the identification information display section 66 of the removed holder 61 (step S202), and affixes the identification information and medicine name of the medicine M printed by the printing means 80 to the storage container 62 (step S203).
In this manner, the storage container 62 containing the drug M removed from the holder 61 has the identification information and drug name of the drug affixed to it, a lid is attached, and the container 62 is stored in another storage location such as a dispensing shelf (step S204).

A new storage container 62 is attached to the removed holder 61, and registration is performed by having the reading means 70 read the identification information display section 66 of the removed holder 61 (step S205).
When the registration action is performed in step S205, the control unit 90 displays a message on the touch panel 95 to prompt the user to place the holder 61 in the position from which it was last removed, based on a signal from the placement sensor 64 (step S206).
In this manner, steps S201 to S206 are repeated as many times as necessary for each holder 61, so that a prescribed number of holders 61 each equipped with a new empty storage container 62 are set in the medicine sorting device 100.
It should be noted that, when the holder 61 is set in the medicine sorting device 100 without performing the registration action by the reading means 70 as shown in step S205, the medicine sorting device 100 does not identify the holder 61 as a fillable container.
This is because, in order for the operator to manually check the sorting of the medicines M one by one, it is preferable that the registration action and the refilling of the empty containers are performed as a set.

In addition, this embodiment is equipped with a touch panel 95 that displays the capacity of the storage containers 62. This configuration allows the operator to visually determine which storage containers 62 are full, making it easy to replace them with empty storage containers 62.

In addition, in this embodiment, the storage rate calculation unit 94 calculates the storage rate in the sorting container based on the quantity of drug M and the volume of the identified drug M, and calculates the storage rate in the collection container based on the quantity of drug M and the volume of the drug with the largest volume among the drugs registered in advance.
In this way, by assuming that the maximum volume of the collection container is the volume of the drug M, it is possible to prevent excessive drug M from being placed in the collection container, thereby preventing accidents such as drug M falling into the drug sorting device 100.

Further, in this embodiment, the collection container 69 has a full load sensor 65 .
According to this configuration, when the collection container 69 becomes full, the full load sensor 65 notifies the operator that the collection container 69 is full, so that the operator can be prompted to replace the collection container 69 with an empty one more quickly.

In this embodiment, the storage container 62 is held on the mounting platform 63 by a holder 61 that holds the storage container 62, and the holder 61 is provided with a touch panel 95 as a display means capable of displaying identification information of the identified drug.
With this configuration, when the holder 61 and the storage container 62 containing the medicine M are collected, they can be easily confirmed by the identification information display section 66 .
This embodiment also includes a reading means 70 for reading the identification information of the drug displayed on the identification information display unit 66, and a printing means 80 for printing the information of the drug M read by the reading means 70. The identification information here specifically refers to drug information such as the drug name of the drug M and a barcode A indicating that it is such a drug.
By attaching identification information outputted from the printing means 80 to the removed storage container 62, the storage container 62 removed from the holder 61 can also be easily managed.

In this embodiment, on condition that the identification information display section 66 has been read by the reading means 70, the control section 90 can confirm the position of the holder 61 when the holder 61 is returned to the mounting table 63 again.
Specifically, this indicates that when a holder 61 is set in the drug sorting device 100 without performing a registration action using the reading means 70 as shown in step S205, the drug sorting device 100 will not identify the holder 61 as a fillable container.
In order for the operator to manually check the sorting of the medicines M one by one, it is preferable that the registration action and the refilling of the empty containers are performed as a set.
Further, the placement table 63 detects the position of the holder 61 by detecting whether the placement sensor 64 is blocking light.

While the present invention has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the claims.
For example, the display of the identification information display unit 66 may be updated when the medicine is transported by the transport unit 50, or when sorting of all the medicines is completed.

In addition, in this embodiment, the second photographing unit 40 has a recess portion 42 in which a recess is formed on the discrimination stage 41 that constitutes the second photographing unit 40 for placing the drug M and photographing it from above and below, and a recess member 420 that forms the bottom surface of the recess portion 42 is removable.
This configuration has the advantage that the portion on which the tablets are placed can be easily cleaned.
In addition, in this embodiment, the recess member 420 is an approximately plate-shaped member having a plate-shaped portion 42a and a gripping portion 42b, but is not limited to such a configuration, and may be, for example, a member in which only the portion constituting the downwardly convex, approximately disc-shaped recess portion 42 is removable.
According to this configuration, the portion on which the tablet is placed can be easily cleaned, which contributes to improved accuracy in image determination and improved maintainability.

In addition, in this embodiment, a configuration has been described in which a magnet 421 is attached to the tip of the plate-shaped portion 42a of the recess member 420 in the mounting direction, but this is not limited to such a configuration, and as long as it is possible to position the recess member 420, a fixing member such as a screw or fastener may be used.
According to this configuration, accurate positioning can be achieved when attaching and detaching the device.

10 Storage section (hopper)
11: Insertion port 12: Discharge port 20: First photographing section 21: Transparent member 23: First camera (imaging device)
25 Side wall portion 25a First side wall portion 25b Second side wall portion 30, 31, 32 Alignment structure (guide portion)
33 Guide wall (chute guide)
34 Groove portion 35 Step portion 36 Passage sensor Detection portion 40 Second photographing portion 43 Rotation photographing portion 43a, 43b Roller 50 Transport portion 51 Holding portion (nozzle)
52 Drug drop prevention unit (shutter)
53 Drug drop prevention part (rotating bar)
54 Drug drop prevention part (spring)
60 Container placement section (storage section)
69 Collection container 92 Determination unit (shape determination unit)
100 Medicine sorting device 110 Work table -X Conveying direction

Claims (10)

A storage section having an inlet for inputting a plurality of drugs in a mixed state and an outlet for outputting the drugs;
A first imaging unit for determining the shape of the medicine from an image captured by the first imaging unit;
A guide unit that is disposed below a discharge port of the storage unit and transports the medicine to the first imaging unit;
A second photographing unit for identifying the type of the medicine from the photographed image;
A transfer unit that holds and transports the drugs one by one;
having
A medicine sorting device that identifies the type of medicine based on the image captured by the second imaging unit, and the transport unit transports the medicine to a predetermined container in which the medicine is to be placed,
A container placement section on which a plurality of the predetermined containers are placed,
At least one collection container for collecting the medicine when the medicine satisfies a predetermined condition is disposed on a path along which the transport unit moves between the container placement unit and the second photographing unit,
The drug sorting device is characterized in that the transport unit comprises a holding unit that holds the drug, a base plate that moves up and down in response to the up and down movement of the holding unit, a pair of rotating units arranged to abut diagonally against the base plate, a drug drop prevention unit attached to the lower ends of the pair of rotating units that opens and closes in response to the up and down movement of the holding unit, and a spring member that biases the pair of rotating units in a closing direction . The medicine sorting device according to claim 1,
The medicine sorting device is characterized in that the transfer section transfers the medicine to the collection container when the predetermined condition is that the medicine has fallen onto the medicine fall prevention section . The medicine sorting device according to claim 1 or 2,
The medicine sorting device is characterized in that, in the closed state of the opening and closing, the central portion directly below the holding portion is lower than the peripheral portion . The medicine sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A medicine sorting device characterized in that, when the type of the medicine cannot be identified by the second photographing unit, the medicine is transferred to the collection container . The medicine sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A medicine sorting device characterized in that, when the second photographing unit determines that the medicine is a capsule or is missing, the medicine is transferred to the collection container . The medicine sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The second photographing unit has a recessed portion in which the medicine is placed and photographed from above and below, on a stage constituting the second photographing unit,
A medicine sorting device characterized in that the recess member forming the bottom surface of the recess portion is removable . The medicine sorting device according to claim 6 ,
A medicine sorting device characterized in that the recess member is insertable and removable from the side of a stage that constitutes the second photographing unit . The medicine sorting device according to claim 6 or 7 ,
A medicine sorting device characterized in that the recess member has a transparent plate-like portion forming the bottom surface and a gripping portion extending from the plate-like portion . The medicine sorting device according to claim 8 ,
A medicine sorting device, characterized in that a magnet is attached to a tip of the plate-shaped portion of the recessed member in the mounting direction . The medicine sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 ,
A standby position where the transport unit waits when the operation of the medicine sorting device is stopped is
A medicine sorting device characterized in that it is located above the container mounting section .

Images