JP7568970B2 - Medicine bag binding machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a medicine package binding machine.

Medicines provided to patients at hospitals and pharmacies are packaged in long paper packets divided into single doses by a medicine packaging device. When taking a medicine, a single dose packet is separated from the long paper packet. When taking multiple medicines, multiple packets will be separated. Medicines that are heat-packaged in a stick shape such as blister packs, PTPs, and granules, and medicines that are heat-packaged in a rectangular shape such as herbal medicines are not packaged in paper packets, so they are provided separately from the paper packets. In this way, patients taking multiple medicines are provided with a mixture of paper packets, blister packs, PTPs, heat packages, etc. (hereinafter, in this specification, these are collectively referred to as "medicine packets" and those separated from the paper packets are referred to as "packets").

When there are multiple medication packets, in order to prevent accidental ingestion or forgetting to take the medicine, multiple medication packets for a single dose are bundled together and stapled or taped together. However, this method requires a lot of work to staple the packets together, which places a heavy burden on pharmacists and nurses. There are also problems with stapler needles being swallowed along with the medicine, fingers being cut by the staples, and the medication packets being damaged.

Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 describe a fastener that can fasten papers without using staples. Although this type of fastener solves the problem of accidentally swallowing needles, it is not suitable for fastening long paper packets in a row.

In recent years, a medicine package binding machine capable of binding multiple sachets lengthwise has been put into practical use (Togist; registered trademark, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHxpcQ4RLyE).

This medicine package stapler had a poor appearance because both sides of the stapled paper were rounded, which weakened the pressure and made it difficult to press. It was necessary to support the stacked paper by hand while feeding it so that it would not come off the upper and lower teeth. In addition, the direction in which the paper had to be inserted was fixed, which restricted the location where it could be installed and made it difficult to use. There were also problems with the upper and lower teeth spinning idle for long periods of time, causing wear in a short time and a short lifespan. Herbal medicines and other items packaged in aluminum foil other than polycello are difficult to press, so there was a demand for the ability to adjust the rotation speed and pressure of the upper and lower teeth.

Patent No. 6168146 specification Patent No. 6258686 specification

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional art , and an object of the present invention is to provide a medicine package stitching machine that can stably feed stacked package papers.

As a means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides
A medicine package stapler includes a rotatable first gear and a second gear, and is configured such that a plurality of medicine packages are inserted in a stacked manner into an engagement portion between the first gear and the second gear, and the plurality of medicine packages are stapled by the first gear and the second gear.
A pressing portion is provided on a side surface of at least one of the first gear and the second gear, and the pressing portion is configured to press the side portion of the binding portion of the multiple medicine packages in the direction in which the first gear and the second gear mesh with each other.
It is preferable that the pressing portion has an outer diameter smaller than the pitch circles of the first gear and the second gear.

In the present invention, the pressing portion provided on the side of at least one of the first and second gears presses the binding portion in the opposite direction to the direction of bending of the sides, increasing the pressure on the medicine package and preventing the binding portion from bending on the sides, resulting in a good-looking, neat binding.

Both ends of each tooth of the first gear and the second gear are chamfered.
This prevents the medicine package from being damaged by the corners at both ends of the first gear and the second gear.

The angle of the inclined tooth flanks on both sides of the tooth bottom of each of the first gear and the second gear is 30° to 50°, and the tooth pitch of each of the first gear and the second gear is 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm.
By setting the angle of the inclined tooth surface and the tooth pitch within this range, the medicine packets can be bound with an appropriate crimping force.

A medicine bag support portion that supports the plurality of medicine bags;
arm portions protruding from the upstream side and downstream side of the medicine bag support portion in a medicine bag insertion direction to a non-stitching side of the plurality of medicine bags;
The arm portion is provided with a guide portion that guides the non-stitched edge of the multiple medicine packages.
This allows the side ends of the medicine packets to be guided by the guide portion, making it possible to feed multiple medicine packets stably.
It is preferable that the guide portion is movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction of inserting the medicine package. By adjusting the guide portion according to the width of the medicine package, the movable guide portion can guide the side ends of medicine packages having different widths, so that multiple medicine packages can be fed stably.

It is preferable that the guide portion be retractable from the medicine bag support portion by tilting the arm portion downward .
When stacking blister packs, sticks, herbal medicines, etc. on the packaging paper, the arm portion can be tilted and retracted from the medicine package support portion, making it easier to stack the blister packs, etc.

The medicine package support portion is provided so as to protrude forward from a main body of the medicine package stapler, and the main body is provided with legs.
This allows the medicine package support section to be used in front of the table on which the medicine package stitching machine is placed, and allows long medicine packages to hang downward, making it easier to transport the medicine packages.

A rotation direction changeover switch is provided for changing the rotation direction of the first gear.
By switching the rotation direction of the first gear according to the installation location and ease of use, the gear can be inserted from either side of the meshing portion between the first gear and the second gear, improving ease of use.

a first sensor for detecting the approach of the plurality of medicine packages is provided on one side of an engagement portion between the first gear and the second gear, and a second sensor for detecting the approach of the plurality of medicine packages is provided on the other side of the engagement portion;
When the first sensor detects the approach of the plurality of medicine packages, the first gear is rotationally driven in a direction in which the plurality of medicine packages can be inserted;
When the second sensor detects the approach of the multiple medicine packages, the first gear is rotationally driven in a direction in which the multiple medicine packages can be inserted.
Since the first gear is rotationally driven after the first sensor or the second sensor detects the approach of a medicine bag, the first gear and the second gear are prevented from rotating idly, wear on the teeth of the first gear and the second gear is reduced, and the life span is improved.

A rotational speed adjustment switch is provided for adjusting the rotational speed of the first gear.
When stacking blister packs, sticks, herbal medicines, etc. on a packaging paper, the rotation speed of the first gear can be reduced or increased using the rotation speed adjustment switch, allowing the stacking of blister packs, etc. to be performed reliably.

The second gear is provided to be movable in a direction in which the teeth of the second gear approach and move away from the teeth of the first gear, and a gear pressing spring member is provided to press the second gear against the first gear.
Depending on the number of overlapping medicine packages, the teeth of the second gear are spaced apart from the teeth of the first gear, thereby ensuring an appropriate crimping force.

A pressure adjustment member is provided for adjusting the pressure of the gear pressure spring member.
By using the pressure adjustment member to adjust the pressure of the second gear against the first gear depending on the material, such as blister packs, sticks, or herbal medicines, to be layered on the packaging paper, even aluminum foil can be easily pressed onto the packaging paper.

A gear spacing spring is provided between the first gear and the second gear for biasing the teeth of the second gear in a direction in which the teeth of the second gear are spaced apart from the teeth of the first gear.
When the pressure spring member is removed, the second gear is separated from the first gear by the gear separating spring, which facilitates maintenance and replacement of the teeth of the first gear and the second gear.

A guide wall portion is provided to guide the edges of the plurality of medicine packages on the binding side,
It is preferable that the guide wall portion is movable in a direction toward or away from a meshing portion between the first gear and the second gear.
This allows the position of the guide wall portion relative to the meshing portion of the first gear and the second gear to be adjusted in accordance with the width of the seal portion of the medicine pouch, thereby binding the medicine pouch within the width of the seal portion of the medicine pouch.

It is preferable to include a mechanism for spacing the first gear away from the second gear.
As a result, if an abnormality occurs during the binding operation of the medicine packets, the first gear and the second gear can be stopped and the first gear moved away from the second gear, making it possible to easily pull out the packet paper.

According to the present invention, since the side end of the medicine package can be guided by the guide portion, multiple medicine packages can be stably sent. Since the side end of medicine packages of different widths can be guided by the movable guide portion by adjusting the guide portion according to the width of the medicine package, multiple medicine packages can be stably sent. In addition, when stacking blister packs, sticks, herbal medicines, etc. on the packaging paper, the work of stacking blister packs, etc. can be made easier by retracting the guide portion from the medicine package support portion. Furthermore, the medicine package support portion can be used in front of the table on which the medicine package stitching machine is placed, and long medicine packages can be hung downward, which has the effect of facilitating the transport of medicine packages .

1 is a perspective view of a medicine package stitching machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a state in which a medicine bag containing PTP-packaged medicine and a packaging paper are closed, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing another example. 1A is a perspective view showing the medicine package stapler with the main body cover and gear cover removed, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the same. 1A is a perspective view of the main body of the medicine package stapler with the main body cover and the front cover removed, as viewed from diagonally front, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the main body of the medicine package stapler with the main body cover and the front cover removed, as viewed from diagonally rear. FIG. FIG. 1A is a side view showing a state in which the arm portion of the medicine package stapler is extended, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a meshing state between a first gear and a second gear. 1A is a front view and FIG. 1B is a side view of a gear body. FIG. An enlarged view of a portion of the gear body. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which the packet is bound by the first gear and the second gear. FIG. FIG. 1A and 1B are perspective views of the front frame of the gear frame as viewed diagonally from the front and rear. 1A and 1B are perspective views of the rear frame of the gear frame as viewed obliquely from the front and rear, respectively. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the gear frame with the rear frame removed. Cross-sectional view of the gear frame. FIG. FIG. 13A is an enlarged view of an interlocking portion seen from the packet paper insertion direction, showing a first modified example having a depth adjustment mechanism for a fixed guide groove, and FIG. 13B is a plan view of a guide wall member. An enlarged view of the meshing portion seen from the packaging paper insertion direction, showing a second modified example having a depth adjustment mechanism for the fixed guide groove. An enlarged view of the meshing portion seen from the packaging paper insertion direction, showing a third modified example having a depth adjustment mechanism for the fixed guide groove. 13 is a partial side view of a medicine package stitching machine seen from the packet paper insertion direction, showing a fourth modified example having a depth adjustment mechanism for a fixed guide groove. FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the difference in the seal portion between the medicine packet and the packet paper. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a gear frame showing a modified example having a release mechanism for the first gear and the second gear.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

Figures 1, 3, and 4 show a medicine package binding machine 1 according to the present invention. The medicine package binding machine 1 includes a main body 2, a medicine package support section 3, a first gear 4a, a second gear 4b, a drive motor 5, and a foot switch 6.

The main body 2 of the medicine package binding machine 1 is equipped with a base plate 7, a main body cover 8 consisting of an upper plate, left and right side plates, and a rear plate, which covers the base plate 7, and a front cover 9 which covers the front side of the main body cover 8.

The base plate 7 has four legs 10 and one leg 11 located below the medicine package support part 3. The base plate 7 is provided with a first gear 4a, a second gear 4b, and a drive motor 5, which will be described in detail later.

The upper plate of the main body cover 8 is provided with a handle 12 for carrying. In addition, the pressure adjustment screw 38 provided on the gear frame 30 (described later) is exposed at the front of the upper plate of the main body cover 8.

The front cover 9 is provided with packaging paper insertion guides 13 that protrude to the left and right. Between the left and right packaging paper insertion guides 13, an opening 14 is formed overlooking the second gear 4b described below, and the opening 14 is closed by a removable gear cover 15. An operation panel 16 is provided on the top surface of the front cover 9. As shown in FIG. 5, the operation panel 16 is provided with a first rotation direction changeover switch 17a, a second rotation direction changeover switch 17b, and a rotation speed adjustment switch 18.

The first rotation direction switch 17a and the second rotation direction switch 17b are used to change the direction of rotation of the first gear 4a and thereby the conveying direction of the packet paper. When conveying packet paper from right to left, pressing the first rotation direction switch 17a on the right turns on the right lamp 17c. When conveying packet paper from left to right, pressing the second rotation direction switch 17b on the left turns on the left lamp 17d.

The rotation speed adjustment switch 18 controls the rotation speed of the drive motor 5, which will be described later, to switch the rotation speed of the first gear 4a between multiple stages (three stages in this embodiment). The number of lamps 18a, 18b, and 18c that light up changes depending on the rotation speed stage.

The medicine package support section 3 is capable of supporting multiple sachet papers M1, M2 on its upper surface. A fixed guide groove 19 is formed between the medicine package support section 3 and the sachet paper insertion guide section 13 to guide the edges of the multiple sachet papers M1, M2 on the binding side bound by the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b. As shown in FIG. 6, the fixed guide groove 19 is made up of a lower surface 19a of the sachet paper insertion guide section 13, an upper surface 19b of the medicine package support section 3, and a vertical surface 19c between the sachet paper insertion guide section 13 and the medicine package support section 3.

The medicine package support section 3 is provided with arm sections 20 that protrude forward from both the left and right sides. As shown in FIG. 7, the arm section 20 is attached to the tip of an arm base section 42 provided on the left and right side frames 41 described later by a pivot shaft 21 so as to be rotatable so as to tilt downward. As shown in FIG. 1, the arm section 20 is provided with a slide groove 22. The slide groove 22 is provided with a movable guide section 23 that guides the non-stitched edges of the multiple packaging papers and is movable in a direction perpendicular to the packaging paper insertion direction. The slide position of the movable guide section 23 is adjustable by a fixing screw 24 shown in FIG. 6. If the width of the packaging paper is always the same, the movable guide 23 may be immovable in a direction perpendicular to the packaging paper insertion direction.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b each include a gear body 25 that meshes with each other, a pressure plate 26 on both sides of the gear body 25, and a gear shaft 27.

As shown in FIG. 9, the gear body 25 is circular and has teeth formed on the outer periphery. As shown in FIG. 10, the tooth shape of the gear body 25 is formed by a tooth tip 25a formed of a cylindrical surface of radius r1, a tooth bottom 25b formed of a cylindrical surface of radius r2, and an inclined tooth surface 25c with an inclination angle θ between the tooth bottom 25b and the tooth tip 25a, and chamfers 25d are applied to both ends of the teeth as shown in FIG. 11. The gear body 25 of the embodiment has a thickness of 2.3 mm, a diameter of the pitch circle pc of 30.9 mm, and 95 teeth. The tooth pitch p is 1 mm, the radius r1 of the tooth tip 25a is 0.25 mm, the radius r2 of the tooth bottom 25b is 0.23 mm, and the chamfer 25d is 40° and 0.34 mm.

The angle θ of the two inclined tooth surfaces 25c on either side of the tooth base 25b and the tooth pitch p greatly affect the crimping of the wrapping paper. The angle θ of the inclined tooth surfaces 25c is 30° to 50°, and is preferably 40°. If the angle θ of the inclined tooth surfaces 25c is less than 30°, the crimping force on the wrapping paper is too strong, and the wrapping paper is damaged. If the angle θ of the inclined tooth surfaces 25c is 50° or more, the crimping force on the wrapping paper is weak, and sufficient crimping between the wrapping papers is not achieved.

The tooth pitch p is 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm, and is preferably 1.0 mm. If the tooth pitch p is less than 0.8 mm, the area of the inclined tooth surface 25c is reduced, and the crimping force is reduced. If the tooth pitch p is more than 1.2 mm, the crimping area per unit length is reduced, and sufficient crimping between the packaging papers is not achieved.

The pressure plate 26 is disposed coaxially on both sides of the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b. As shown in FIG. 12, the pressure plate 26 has an outer diameter smaller than the pitch circle of the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b and larger than the tooth root circle, so that when the gear bodies 25 of the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b mesh with each other, the outer peripheries of the pressure plate 26 of the first gear 4a and the pressure plate 26 of the second gear 4b do not come into contact with each other. The pressure plate 26 is disc-shaped, but may be annular. The pressure plate 26 may be provided on one side of the first gear 4 and the second gear 4b. Furthermore, the pressure plate 26 may be molded integrally with the first gear 4 and the second gear 4b.

As shown in FIG. 8, the gear shaft 27 has a hub 28 at one end, to which the gear body 25 and the retaining plate 26 are attached with mounting screws 29.

The first gear 4a and the second gear 4b are provided inside the main body cover 8 so that the second gear 4b is located above the first gear 4a, as shown in FIG. 3. The meshing portion of the gear body 25 of the first gear 4a is exposed to the fixed guide groove 19 from the opening 3a formed in the medicine package support part 3, and the meshing portion of the gear body 25 of the second gear 4b is exposed to the fixed guide groove 19 from the opening 14 of the front cover 9.

As shown in FIG. 13, the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b are supported by a gear frame 30 inside the main body cover 8. The gear frame 30 is made up of a front frame 31 erected on the front part of the base plate 7, and a rear frame 32 attached to the back of the front frame 31 and erected on the base plate 7. A backing plate 30a is attached to the front of the front frame 31 of the gear frame 30 to prevent the packet paper sandwiched between the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b from going too far back.

As shown in FIG. 14, the front frame 31 has an axial hole 31a that penetrates in the front-rear direction, a rectangular recess 31b recessed downward from the top surface, a front opening 31c and a notch 31d formed on the front surface to communicate with the recess 31b, and a rear opening 31e and a notch 31f formed on the rear surface to communicate with the recess 31b.

As shown in FIG. 16, the slide block 33 is slidably housed in the recess 31b of the front frame 31. The slide block 33 is formed with an axial hole 33a penetrating in the front-rear direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 14(b), a hole 31g is formed in the bottom surface of the recess 31b, and a hole 33b is formed in the bottom surface of the slide block 33 shown in FIG. 17, with the gear separation spring 34 housed between these holes 31g and 33b. As shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, two positioning pins 33c are provided on the top surface of the slide block 33.

Two gear pressure springs 35 are arranged around the positioning pin 33c of the slide block 33. The presence of two gear pressure springs 35 distributes the pressure load, improving the durability of the gear pressure springs 35 and the slide block 33, and stabilizing the slide block 33. A plurality of spring pressing plates 36 are provided on the gear pressure springs 35. An upper frame 37 is attached to the upper end of the front frame 31 to close the upper opening of the recess 31b. A screw hole 37a is formed in the upper frame 37, and a pressure adjustment screw 38 is screwed into the screw hole 37a. The lower end of the pressure adjustment screw 38 abuts against the spring pressing plate 36. The pressure of the gear pressure spring 35 can be adjusted by turning the pressure adjustment screw 38 with a hexagonal handle (not shown) to move the spring pressing plate 36 up and down. In this embodiment, the pressure of the gear pressure spring 35 is approximately 1400 N, and up to six medicine packets can be bound together.

As shown in FIG. 15, the rear frame 32 has a first shaft hole 32a formed by penetrating a large diameter hole 32a' on the front surface and a small diameter hole 32a" on the rear surface, and a second shaft hole 32b formed by penetrating a substantially oval hole 32b' on the front surface and a small diameter hole 32b" on the rear surface.

The gear shaft 27 of the first gear 4a is inserted through the shaft hole 31a of the front frame 31 and the first shaft hole 32a of the rear frame 32, and is supported by two bearings 39a and 39b on the front frame 31 and rotatably supported by one bearing 39c on the rear frame 32. A drive gear 40 is attached to the end of the gear shaft 27 of the first gear 4a opposite the hub 28.

The gear shaft 27 of the second gear 4b is inserted through the shaft hole 33a of the slide block 33 of the front frame 31 and through the second shaft hole 32b of the rear frame 32, and is supported by two bearings 39a, 39b on the slide block 33 of the front frame 31 and one bearing 39c on the rear frame 32. This allows the second gear 4b to be moved toward and away from the first gear. A counterweight 48 is attached to the end of the gear shaft 27 of the second gear 4b opposite the hub 28 to balance it with the hub 28 side.

As mentioned above, the gear shaft 27 of the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b is supported by a total of three bearings 39a, 39b, and 39c, so that the gear shaft 27 can sufficiently resist the reaction force when the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b mesh to bind multiple packets, and a stable pressing force can be ensured.

Returning to FIG. 4, side frames 41 are attached to the base plate 7 on both sides of the front frame 31 of the gear frame 30. An arm base 42 is attached to the side frame 41, and the arm 20 described above is tiltably attached to the tip of the arm base 42. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 18, the right side frame 41 is provided with a first packet paper detection sensor 43a that detects the approach of packet paper inserted from the right side into the medicine package support section 3, and similarly, the left side frame 41 is provided with a second packet paper detection sensor 43b that detects the approach of packet paper inserted from the left side into the medicine package support section 3. The first packet paper detection sensor 43a and the second packet paper detection sensor 43b may detect the tip of the packet paper or may detect a mark on the packet paper.

As shown in FIG. 4, the drive motor 5 is attached to a motor frame 44 attached to the base plate 7. As shown in FIG. 3, a motor gear 45 is provided on the drive shaft of the drive motor 5, and the motor gear 45 meshes with the drive gear 40 of the first gear 4a.

As shown in FIG. 1, the foot switch 6 is installed on the floor and is connected to the control device 50 provided inside the main body cover 8 via a cord 46.

Reference numeral 47 in FIG. 1 denotes a medicine bag stocker for stacking a number of medicine bags M3, such as herbal medicines, in a predetermined direction to be bound together with the sachet papers M1 and M2. The medicine bags M3 may be heat-packaged in a stick shape. Since PTP-packaged medicines are too small to be bound together with the sachet papers M1 and M2 even if they are cut one by one, as shown in FIG. 1, by storing the medicine bags M4 in advance, one by one, the medicine bags M4 can be bound together with the sachet papers M1 and M2. It is preferable that the medicine bag M4 has one edge of the opening extended to provide a binding margin m, and the binding margin m is bound together with the sachet paper M1. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2(a), if the opening is directed outward (opposite the sachet paper to be bound at the same time), it becomes easier to take out the medicine, and as shown in FIG. 2(b), if the opening is directed inward (toward the sachet paper to be bound at the same time), it becomes harder for the medicine to fall out.

As shown in FIG. 19, the control device 50 receives signals from the first rotation direction switch 17a, the second rotation direction switch 17b, the rotation speed adjustment switch 18, the first packaging paper detection sensor 43a, the second packaging paper detection sensor 43b, and the foot switch 6, and is configured to control the on/off, rotation direction, and rotation speed of the drive motor 5.

Next, we will explain the operation of the medicine package binding machine 1 configured as described above.

First, hold the handle 12 and place the medicine package stitching machine 1 in the desired position on the table. If the sachet paper to be stitched is long, as shown in Figure 7, place the medicine package support part 3 forward from the edge of the table, so that the sachet paper can be fed in a hanging state, making the work easier. In this case, one leg 11 of the medicine package support part 3 will come off the table, but since the center of gravity of the medicine package stitching machine 1 is at the rear and it is stable with the four legs 10 behind the meshing part, it will not tilt or fall over.

If you want to insert the sachet paper from right to left, press the first rotation direction switch 17a on the right side of the operation panel 16, and if you want to insert the sachet paper from left to right, press the second rotation direction switch 17b on the left side of the operation panel 16. Also, press the rotation speed adjustment switch 18 to set the desired rotation speed. If there are only a few sheets of sachet paper to be stacked, the rotation speed should be faster, and if there are many sheets or the work is complicated, such as stacking and binding blister packs, sticks, herbal medicines, etc. into sachets for the designated time of administration on the sachet paper, the rotation speed should be slower.

As shown in Figure 1, stack multiple sachet papers M1, M2 to be closed. At this time, ensure that the binding margins are in the same direction and that packets with the same time of administration are stacked. The binding sides of the stacked multiple sachet papers are directed toward the fixed guide groove 19 between the medicine package support part 3 and the sachet paper insertion guide part 13, the leading edge of the sachet paper is placed in the medicine package support part 3, and the edge of the binding side of the sachet paper is inserted into the fixed guide groove 19.

In this state, the foot switch 6 is depressed to feed the sachet papers M1 and M2 in the desired direction. As shown in FIG. 18, when the first sachet paper detection sensor 43a detects the approach of the sachet papers M1 and M2, the control device 50 starts the drive motor 5. This transmits the rotational force of the drive motor 5 to the gear shaft 27 of the first gear 4a via the motor gear 45 and the drive gear 40 of the first gear 4a, causing the first gear 4a to rotate in the specified direction. In this way, even if the foot switch 6 is depressed, the drive motor 5 does not rotate until the first sachet paper detection sensor 43a detects the approach of the sachet papers M1 and M2, preventing the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b from spinning freely, reducing tooth wear and extending the life of the gears.

When the first gear 4a rotates, the second gear 4b that meshes with the first gear 4a rotates, and multiple sachet papers M1, M2 are bound in succession at the meshing portion between the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b and sent downstream. At the meshing portion between the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b, the tooth tips 25a and the tooth bottoms 25b mesh, and multiple sachet papers M1, M2 are pressed between the inclined tooth surface 25c of the first gear 4a and the inclined tooth surface 25c of the second gear 4b.

At this time, the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b are provided with chamfers 25d, so that the sachet papers M1, M2 are prevented from being damaged at the corners at both ends of the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b. The stacked sachet papers M1, M2 are bound together by the continuous concave and convex parts formed by pressing with the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b. At the meshing part of the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b, the sachet papers M1, M2 tend to become U-shaped in the width direction as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 12, but since there are pressing plates 26 on both sides of the gear body 25, the outer circumferential edge of the pressing plate 26 of the second gear 4b presses the side parts of the bound parts of the sachet papers M1, M2 in the direction in which the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b mesh, preventing the sachet papers M1, M2 from curving. In this embodiment, the pressing plate 26 is provided on both the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b, but it may be provided on either the first gear 4a or the second gear 4b. By providing the pressing plate 26 on both the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b, the surface of the packet paper M1, M2 that is convex due to the first gear 4a and the surface of the packet paper M1, M2 that is convex due to the second gear 4b can be pressed down, making it possible to effectively press the side portions of the bound portion from both sides.

The packets M1 and M2 bound by the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b are guided by the fixed guide groove 19 and the movable guide portion 23 on the bound side and the non-bound side, and are automatically sent out by the rotation of the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b.

If the binding force is weak, the pressing force can be increased by turning the pressing force adjustment screw 38 clockwise with a hexagonal handle (not shown) to contract the gear pressing spring 35. Conversely, if the binding force is strong, the pressing force can be increased by turning the pressing force adjustment screw 38 counterclockwise to stretch the gear pressing spring 35.

If any abnormality occurs during the binding process, the rotation of the first gear 4a can be stopped by removing your foot from the foot switch 6.

When there are medicine packets M3 containing medicines that are not packaged in packaging papers M1, M2, such as blister packs, sticks, or herbal medicines, these medicine packets M3 are stacked in the medicine packet stocker 47 and placed near the medicine packet stitching machine 1, as shown in FIG. 1. The same applies to medicine bags M4 containing medicines packaged in PTPs. Also, if the movable guide section 23 gets in the way of work, the arm section 20 is tilted downward and moved away from the medicine packet support section 3.

Then, while the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b are binding and sending out multiple sachet papers M1 and M2, before the sachet for the specified time of administration enters the meshing portion of the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b, the medicine package M3 or the medicine bag M4 is removed from the medicine package stocker 47, and placed on top of the sachet for the specified time of administration and sent to the meshing portion of the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b, whereby the medicine package M3 or the medicine bag M4 can be bound together with the sachet papers M1 and M2. If the movable guide portion 23 is in the down position at this time, the task of stacking the medicine package M3 or the medicine bag M4 on the sachet papers M1 and M2 becomes easier.

The bound sachets M1, M2, medicine packets M3, or medicine bags M4 can be separated for each dose and provided to the patient. The separated sachets, medicine packets M3, or medicine bags M4 are bound together for each dose, preventing accidental ingestion or forgetting to take the medicine. In addition, the bound parts can be easily pulled apart by hand, allowing each packet to be taken separately.

To perform maintenance on the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b, remove the gear cover 15 of the front cover 9 as shown in FIG. 3 to expose the second gear 4b, allowing you to check the state of the meshing portion between the second gear 4b and the first gear 4a. Also, turn the pressure adjustment screw 38 counterclockwise several times to remove the pressure of the gear pressure spring 35, and the gear separation spring 34 pushes up the slide block 33, separating the second gear 4b from the first gear 4a. This allows you to check the state of the tooth surface in detail. To replace the second gear 4b, remove the mounting screw 29, remove the second gear 4b and the pressing plate 26 from the hub 28 of the gear shaft 27, and replace it with a new one.

In the above embodiment, the first gear 4a rotates when the first packet paper detection sensor 43a or the second packet paper detection sensor 43b detects the approach of packet paper M1, M2 after the foot switch 6 is depressed. However, the first gear 4a may rotate when the first packet paper detection sensor 43a or the second packet paper detection sensor 43b detects the approach of packet paper M1, M2 even if the foot switch 6 is not depressed.

Figure 20(a) shows the depth adjustment mechanism of the fixed guide groove 19. In the depth adjustment mechanism, the vertical surface 19c of the fixed guide groove 19 is formed of a guide wall member 51 separate from the packet paper insertion guide section 13 and the packet paper support section 3, and the guide wall member 51 is arranged to be movable in a direction toward or away from the meshing section of the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b. The guide wall member 51 extends from the packet paper insertion side of the packet paper support section 3 to the packet paper output side. As shown in FIG. 20(b), an adjustment screw 53 is inserted through bracket 13a protruding from the side of packaging paper insertion guide 13 and medicine package support 3, and a washer 13b is fixed to adjustment screw 53, so that adjustment screw 53 is rotatable but immovable in the axial direction. In addition, adjustment screw 53 is screwed into female threads 52 formed on both ends of guide wall member 51, so that the distance between the meshing portion of first gear 4a and second gear 4b and vertical surface 19c can be adjusted by turning adjustment screw 53.

21, the guide wall 51 may be groove-shaped to form the upper surface 19a, the lower surface 19b, and the vertical surface 19c of the fixed guide groove 19. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 22, the guide wall 51 may be L-shaped to form the upper surface 19a and the vertical surface 19c of the fixed guide groove 19, or conversely, to form the lower surface 19b and the vertical surface 19c. In the case of an L-shaped guide member 51, it is preferable to make it rotatable around a support shaft 51a provided on the upper surface 19a side. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 23, the depth of the fixed guide groove 19 may be adjusted by moving the front cover 9 together with the packet insertion guide 13 and the packet paper support part 3 in the front-rear direction, or by rotating it around a horizontal rotation shaft 9a provided on the upper part of the front cover 9.

As shown in FIG. 24, medicine packet M3, which is pre-packaged in aluminum at a pharmaceutical factory for herbal medicines and the like, has a smaller seal portion s than the packaging papers M1 and M2. Therefore, when stacking and binding medicine packet M3, which has a smaller seal portion s, with packaging papers M1 and M2, the guide wall member 51 of the fixed guide groove 19 can be moved in a direction approaching the meshing portion to reduce the distance between the meshing portion and the vertical surface 19c, allowing the medicine packet M3 to be bound within the width of the seal portion s.

Figure 25 shows the upper and lower gear release mechanism. The upper and lower gear release mechanism allows the first gear 4a to move in a direction away from the second gear 4b. That is, a slide block 54 is provided to support the bearings 39a and 39b of the first gear 4a, the first shaft hole 31a of the front frame 31 is made into a long hole in the vertical direction, and the slide block 54 of the first gear 4a is fitted into the first shaft hole 31a, so that the first gear 4a can be moved in a direction approaching or moving away from the second gear 4b. The slide block 54 can maintain the meshing of the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b by tightening the adjustment screw 56 that screws into the female thread 55 formed in the front frame 31 and pressing it against the slide block 54. Also, when the adjustment screw 56 is loosened, the second gear 4b does not move down, but the first gear 4a moves down, so that the meshing of the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b can be released. The adjustment screw 56 is provided with a handle 57 so that it can be operated from outside.

If, during the binding operation of the medicine package stapler 1, it becomes necessary to interrupt the closing operation due to some reason such as the sachet paper being tilted or misaligned, the rotation of the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b is stopped, and then the adjustment screw 56 is turned using the handle 57 to move the slide block 54 downward. This causes the first gear 4a to move away from the second gear 4b, opening the gap between the first gear 4a and the second gear 4b, allowing the sachet paper to be easily pulled out.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 medicine package stapler 2 main body 3 medicine package support section 4a first gear 4b second gear 10 leg section 11 leg section 17a first rotation direction changeover switch 17b second rotation direction changeover switch 19 fixed guide groove 20 arm section 23 movable guide section 25a tooth tip 25b tooth bottom 25c inclined tooth surface 25d chamfer
26 Pressing plate (pressing part)
34 Gear separation spring 35 Gear pressing spring 38 Pressing force adjustment screw 43a First packaging paper detection sensor (first sensor)
43b Second packaging paper detection sensor (second sensor)
51 Guide wall member 53 Adjustment screw 54 Slide block 56 Adjustment screw M1 Packet paper M2 Packet paper M3 Medicine bag M4 Medicine bag

Claims (4)

A medicine package stapler includes a rotatable first gear and a second gear, and is configured such that a plurality of medicine packages are inserted in a stacked manner into an engagement portion between the first gear and the second gear, and the plurality of medicine packages are stapled by the first gear and the second gear.
A medicine bag support portion that supports the plurality of medicine bags;
arm portions protruding from the upstream side and downstream side of the medicine bag support portion in a medicine bag insertion direction to a non-stitching side of the plurality of medicine bags;
a guide portion provided on the arm portion and configured to guide an edge of the non-stitched side of the plurality of medicine packages;
A medicine package stitching machine comprising: The medicine package binding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide portion is movable in a direction perpendicular to the medicine package insertion direction. 3. The medicine package stapler according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion is capable of retracting from the medicine package support portion by tilting the arm portion downward . The medicine package binding machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the medicine package support part is provided so as to protrude forward from the main body of the medicine package binding machine, and the main body is provided with legs.

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