JP7760107B2 - Drug feeder and drug dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drug feeder that measures and dispenses a predetermined amount of medicine. The present invention also relates to a drug dispensing device equipped with such a drug feeder.

In recent years, large hospitals and large pharmacies have introduced powdered medicine packaging devices and medicine dispensing devices equipped with a powdered medicine packaging function.
The conventional medicine dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires a person to manually retrieve a medicine bottle containing the prescribed powdered medicine from a medicine shelf and measure the total weight of the prescribed specific powdered medicine using a scale such as a balance, and therefore cannot be considered a fully automated device. In order to address this problem, the applicant has put into practical use the medicine dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 2.

The medicine dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 2 incorporates a container storage device that stores a large number of medicine containers, a robot that transports the medicine containers, a container placement device that vibrates the medicine containers to eject the medicine from the containers, and a distribution tray.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-85703 International Publication No. 2015/076267

Here, conventional medicine dispensing devices had room for improvement in terms of accurately detecting vibrations that occur when powdered medicine is discharged from the medicine feeder.

The present invention aims to provide a medicine feeder that can accurately detect vibrations that occur when powdered medicine is dispensed. It also aims to provide a medicine dispensing device equipped with such a medicine feeder.

One aspect of the present invention that solves the above problem is a medicine feeder that has a medicine container that contains powdered medicine and a holding member that holds the medicine container and is capable of discharging powdered medicine from the medicine container, wherein the medicine container has a vibration detection sensor that detects vibrations of the medicine container itself.

In this aspect of the medicine feeder, the medicine container containing the powdered medicine has a vibration detection sensor, and when the powdered medicine is being discharged, the vibration detection sensor can detect its own vibration. In other words, it is possible to detect the vibrations occurring when the powdered medicine is being discharged at a position close to the powdered medicine, thereby improving detection accuracy.

In the above aspect, it is preferable that the holding member has a holding-side engaging portion, the vibration detection sensor has a sensor-side engaging portion, and when the drug container is held by the holding member, the holding-side engaging portion and the sensor-side engaging portion come into contact and are electrically connected, allowing signals to be sent and received between the vibration detection sensor and other circuits.

This aspect makes it possible to detect vibrations without extending wiring from the medicine container to the outside, thereby improving detection accuracy without making it more difficult to attach and detach the medicine container to the holding member.

The preferred aspect described above is to perform a mounting detection operation to determine whether the medicine container is held by the holding member, and it is even more preferable that the mounting detection operation determines that the medicine container is held by the holding member on the condition that the signal output from the vibration detection sensor is input to another circuit.

This aspect allows for detection of whether a medicine container is being held without the need for a separate sensor or other device to detect whether the medicine container is being held, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

In the above aspect, the vibration detection sensor is capable of detecting vibrations in multiple directions, including the vertical direction and directions intersecting the vertical direction, and amplifies and outputs the detected value of vertical vibrations by the vibration detection sensor. The value of the offset voltage that amplifies the detected value is determined based on the effect of gravity on the vibration detection sensor, and it is preferable that the offset voltage value that amplifies the detected value of vertical vibrations and the detected value of vibrations intersecting the vertical direction are the same.

This feature makes it possible to achieve highly accurate vibration detection with an inexpensive configuration.

In the above aspect, it is preferable that the vibration detection sensor is an acceleration sensor.

Another aspect of the present invention is a drug dispensing device that includes the above-mentioned drug feeder.

In this manner, the accuracy of detecting vibrations when powdered medicine is being dispensed can be improved.

The present invention provides a medicine feeder that can accurately detect vibrations that occur when powdered medicine is dispensed. It also provides a medicine dispensing device equipped with such a medicine feeder.

1 is a perspective view showing a medicine dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the top cover open; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a distribution tray of the medicine dispensing device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the medicine feeder of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the medicine feeder of FIG. 3 with the information reading/writing means omitted. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the medicine feeder as viewed from a different direction from that shown in FIG. 4 . FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the medicine feeder (feeder body) with the medicine container removed from the holding member, with the connector contact portion omitted. 7 is a perspective view showing the medicine feeder of FIG. 6 as viewed from another direction, with connector pins omitted. FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view of the feeder body of FIG. 6. FIG. 9 is a side view showing a model of the feeder body of FIG. 8. 10A is a perspective view showing a simpler model of the container support part shown in FIG. 9, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view showing a simpler model of the medicine container shown in FIG. 9. FIG. FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram of the vibration detection sensor of FIG. 10 . (a) is a logic table showing the inspection mode when inspecting the vibration state of a medicine feeder, (b) is a circuit diagram for switching vibration detection sensors, showing the connection state of each switch when the inspection mode is N, and (c) is a circuit diagram for switching vibration detection sensors, showing the connection state of each switch when the inspection mode is F1. 10A and 10B are perspective views showing a drug container according to an embodiment different from the above-described embodiment, in which (a) shows the state in which the lid member is in a closed state, and (b) shows the state in which the lid member is in an open state. 13(b) is a cross-sectional view of the medicine container shown in FIG. 13(a), showing the state in which the cover member and other parts are cut along different cutting planes.

Hereinafter, a medicine dispensing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the vertical positional relationship will be described based on the normal installation state (the state shown in FIG. 1).
For ease of understanding, the outline and general operation of the medicine dispensing device 1 will be explained first, and then each component and device will be explained in detail.

As shown in Figure 1, the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment is enclosed by a housing 2, the interior of which is divided into a tablet manual distribution area 300, a powder medicine dividing area 301, and a medicine packaging area 302. A swingable top cover is provided on top of the housing 2.

The tablet manual distribution area 300 is provided with a tablet manual distribution device 303 .
The manual tablet distribution device 303 is well known and will not be described in detail here. The manual tablet distribution device 303 is located above the distribution tray 3, the medicine feeder 5, etc., which will be described later.

The medicine packaging area 302 contains a medicine packaging device 305, as conceptually shown in Figure 2. The medicine packaging device 305 is a machine that packages medicines into individual doses, and includes a packaging paper supply device 306 (paper supply unit) and a packaging device 308 (sealing unit). The medicine packaging device 305 also includes a powder medicine feeding hopper 310 above the packaging device 308, into which medicines are fed.
For ease of drawing, the powdered medicine hopper 310 is shown at a position away from the distribution tray 3, but in reality, the upper end of the powdered medicine hopper 310 is located at the equipment storage opening 15 of the distribution tray 3.

The medicine packaging device 305 is used by loading roll paper into a loading section of the main body (not shown) of the packaging paper supply device 306. The roll paper is a roll of strip-shaped packaging paper (wrapping paper) wound around a tubular core member. Although not particularly limited, the roll paper in this embodiment is a roll of packaging paper that has been folded in half and formed into a strip.
The medicine packaging device 305 also has a printing mechanism (printing unit) not shown.
In the medicine packaging device 305, the packaging paper unwound from the paper roll is introduced into a printing mechanism, where information such as the patient's name, medicine name, and date and time of administration (information about the prescription, and information about the medicine to be provided) is printed. The packaging paper with the predetermined information printed on it is then opened upward. In this state, it receives the medicine (powdered medicine) dropped (supplied) from the powdered medicine input hopper 310.
The packaging paper containing the medicines is then introduced into the sealing section (packaging device 308), where it is sealed vertically and horizontally, packaging the medicines one by one. This forms a medicine package containing a single dose of medicine, and the medicine package is transported to the outside of the device.
At this time, the medicine packages form a continuous medicine package band and are transported to the outside of the device. However, instead of a medicine package band, one or more individual medicine packages may be formed and transported to the outside of the device.
The horizontal direction is the direction in which the packaging paper is dispensed (sent out), and the vertical direction is the direction that intersects (is perpendicular to) the direction in which the packaging paper is dispensed.

The core member of the above-mentioned roll paper may also be equipped with an identifier. The identifier is a storage means that stores information that can individually identify the roll paper (information about the manufacturer (such as the manufacturer's name), information about the date of manufacture, the type of roll paper wound on the core, the order number, the shipping date, customer information about the delivery destination, the model name and model code of the packaging machine into which the roll paper will be installed, other IDs, etc.), and may be, for example, a memory such as an IC tag. It may also be a code such as a one-dimensional code (barcode) or a two-dimensional code, and if a code is used, it may be attached to a label.
When the roll paper is loaded into packaging paper supply device 306, it may be checked against the device to be loaded, i.e., it may be determined whether the specified roll paper is being loaded correctly into the device. Furthermore, information for identifying that the roll paper is unused may be stored in the identifier, and an operation for determining whether the roll paper is unused may be performed when loading the roll paper. Furthermore, information regarding the remaining amount of packaging paper when the roll paper (packaging paper roll) is loaded into the main body of packaging paper supply device 306 may be stored. Furthermore, when a packaging operation to package medicines is performed, the remaining amount at an appropriate time during the packaging operation may be stored. This information regarding the remaining amount may be stored, for example, during the packaging operation. Alternatively, the remaining amount at the end of the packaging operation may be stored after the packaging operation. In other words, information regarding the remaining amount may be stored at appropriate times when medicine dispensing device 1 is operated.

2, powdered medicine dividing area 301 is an area where distribution tray 3 is installed, and around it, medicine feeder 5 and cleaning device 7 are arranged. Powdered medicine dividing area 301 is also provided with scraping device 8.
The distribution dish 3 and the scraping device 8 are known and will only be briefly described.
The distribution tray 3 is a disc-shaped member provided with a drug insertion groove 13, also called a "groove." The drug insertion groove 13 surrounds the outer edge of the distribution tray 3 in an annular shape. The distribution tray 3 has an equipment storage opening 15 in its center. Note that in FIG. 2, most of the opening is covered with a lid.
The powdered medicine feeding hopper 310 described above is installed in the equipment storage opening 15.
The distribution tray 3 can be rotated at a constant speed or by a predetermined angle.

The scraping device 8 has a rotating plate 12 at the tip of a scraping arm. Specifically, a mounting base (not shown) that can be rotated by a motor is provided at the tip of the scraping arm, and the rotating plate 12 having a scraper plate (not shown) and the like is attached to this mounting base. In other words, the rotating plate 12 rotates by the power of the motor.
The base of the scraping device 8 is installed on a turntable (not shown) inside the equipment storage opening 15 of the distribution tray 3. The entire scraping device 8 can be rotated by rotating the turntable, and the scraping arm can swing up and down. Note that the scraping device 8 may not be provided with a turntable, and may not be rotated as a whole, but the scraping arm can swing.

2, in the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, the upper opening serving as the medicine inlet of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 310 is located inside the distribution tray 3. That is, the distribution tray 3 is continuous in an annular (ring-shaped) shape outside the powdered medicine feeding hopper 310, and the powdered medicine feeding hopper 310 is located in the area surrounded by the distribution tray 3 in a plan view. The scraping device 8 is also located inside the distribution tray 3.
When the scraping device 8 scrapes out the powdered medicine on the distribution tray 3 and deposits it into the powdered medicine feeding hopper 310, it scrapes the powdered medicine toward the inside of the distribution tray 3. That is, the rotating plate 12 is rotated to move the scraper so as to move the powdered medicine on the distribution tray 3 toward the inside of the distribution tray 3 (the rotating plate 12 is rotated so that the scraper moves in a direction crossing the distribution tray 3 from the outer edge side to the inner edge side).
In this embodiment, the scraping device 8 is provided inside the distribution tray 3, and scrapes the powdered medicine toward the inside of the distribution tray 3, thereby reducing the number of components outside the distribution tray 3. In other words, a large space is secured outside the distribution tray 3 around the medicine feeder 5, making it easier to manually attach and detach the medicine container 20 to and from the feeder body 10 and contributing to the miniaturization of the entire medicine dispensing device 1.

As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5, the drug feeder 5 has a weight calibration unit 21 provided in a feeder section 22. The drug feeder 5 also has an information read/write means 66 (see Figure 3) that can read and write information from/to an information storage means 65 (see Figure 4), which will be described later. As shown in Figures 6 and 8, the feeder section 22 has a drug container 20 that contains powdered medicine and a feeder body 10 that holds the drug container 20.
As shown in FIG. 9, the feeder body 10 is mechanically divided into a container support section 23 (holding member), a weight measuring section 24, and a base section 26.
The container support part 23 has a support base 27, a vibrating member 16, and vibration means 30a and 30b. The vibration means 30a and 30b are piezoelectric elements and have a plate shape.

The support base 27 and vibration member 16 are both L-shaped components with horizontal and vertical wall sections. Specifically, the support base 27 has a support-side horizontal section 30 and a support-side vertical wall section 31, as shown in Figures 8 and 9. The vibration member 16 also functions as a container holder, and has a vibration-side horizontal section 32 and a vibration-side vertical wall section 33. The vibration-side vertical wall section 33 is provided with engagement sections (two sections: a groove-shaped engagement section 48 (trapezoidal engagement section 47) and an engagement piece 50; see Figure 7) that engage with the drug container 20.

7, the engaging portion 47 has a trapezoidal shape that is nearly rectangular when viewed from the front, and has a bulge 58 below one of the oblique sides. In addition, a groove-shaped engaging portion 48 is formed on the side of the trapezoid that corresponds to the oblique side.
A substantially rectangular opening 51 is provided in the lower front portion of the engaging portion 47. An engaging piece 50 is housed in the opening 51. The engaging piece 50 is connected to an insertion/removal mechanism, and extends and retracts through the opening 51.
7, a shutter opening/closing mechanism 55 is provided on one side of vibration-side horizontal portion 32. Shutter opening/closing mechanism 55 is an opening/closing mechanism for discharging a fixed amount of powdered medicine from medicine container 20.

The support base 27 and the vibration member 16 are connected by two vibration means 30a and 30b. There is essentially no contact between the vibration-side horizontal portion 32 and the support-side horizontal portion 30. Therefore, when current is applied to the vibration means 30a and 30b, the vibration member 16 vibrates.

A weight measuring unit 24 is disposed below the container support unit 23. The weight measuring unit 24 includes a weight measuring means 25 and a vibration isolating means 18. The weight measuring means 25 is a known load cell. The vibration isolating means 18 includes a vibration isolating member 28.
The container support part 23 (support base 27, vibrating member 16, and vibrating means 30a and 30b) is connected to the detection part of the weight measuring means 25. The base part 26 supports the upper members (support base 27, vibrating member 16, and vibrating means 30a and 30b) via the vibration-isolating member 28 of the weight measuring part 24.
The weight of the container support part 23 is detected by the weight measuring means 25. The weight of the vibration isolation means 18 is applied to the base part 26, but is not applied to the weight measuring means 25. Therefore, the weight of the container support part 23 (support base 27, vibrating member 16, and vibrating means 30a, 30b) is detected (measurable) by the weight measuring means 25.

The medicine container 20 is a container filled with powdered medicine, and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a substantially square side surface.
As shown in FIGS. 6, 8 and 9, the drug container 20 is surrounded by a front wall 35, a rear wall 36, left and right side walls 37, a top wall 38 and a bottom wall 40.
An openable and closable powdered medicine discharge portion is provided on the bottom wall 40 of the medicine container 20 near the front wall 35 .
The rear wall 36 also has engagement portions (engagement grooves 130 and engagement recesses 131, see FIG. 6) on its vertical side and its lower portion.

6, the rear wall 36 is provided with a pair of engagement grooves 130 and one engagement recess 131. The engagement grooves 130 are vertical grooves that open inward and are provided along the left and right vertical sides of the rear wall 36. The engagement recess 131 is a recess provided in the lower part of the rear wall 36.
The engagement groove 130 is a portion that engages with the engagement portion 48 (see FIG. 7). That is, by inserting the rear wall 36 of the drug container 20 from above along the vibration-side vertical wall portion 33 of the feeder body 10, the engagement groove 130 and the engagement portion 48 engage with each other.
The engaging recess 131 is a portion that engages with the engaging piece 50 (see FIG. 7 ). Specifically, when the drug container 20 is attached to the feeder body 10 (inserted from above along the vibration-side vertical wall portion 33 of the feeder body 10), the engaging piece 50 is retracted into the opening 51. When the drug feeder 5 is driven, the engaging piece 50 protrudes outward from the opening 51, and the engaging piece 50 is inserted into the engaging recess 131, thereby engaging with the engaging recess 131.

Furthermore, an information storage means 65 (an information recording member, which in this embodiment is an RFID tag) is attached to one of the two left and right side walls 37 (see Figure 4). This information storage means 65 stores information about the medicine container 20 (information about the powdered medicine contained in the medicine container 20). For example, identification information (information such as the medicine name and various codes) that identifies the contained medicine and remaining amount information regarding the current remaining amount of the contained medicine are stored. The information stored in the information storage means 65 is information that can be used in association with prescription data, etc., and by obtaining the information stored in the information storage means 65, it is possible to perform operations such as identifying the type of powdered medicine contained in the medicine container 20. This information storage means 65 may be a memory such as an IC tag. It may also be a code such as a one-dimensional code (barcode) or a two-dimensional code, and if a code is used, it may be attached to a label.

As described above, the medicine feeder 5 has an information read/write unit 66 (see FIG. 3) that can read and write information from and to the information storage unit 65. In this embodiment, an RFID reader/writer is used as the information read/write unit 66, allowing information to be read from and written to the information storage unit 65 via wireless communication. The information storage unit 66 is capable of reading cassette information from the information storage unit 65 and writing (rewriting) the remaining amount of powdered medicine after dispensing it from the medicine container 20. The cassette information is information related to the medicine container 20, such as the name of the medicine and the remaining amount.
This information reading/writing means 66 is located outside the information storage means 65 when the drug container 20 is attached to the feeder body 10, and is disposed at a position slightly separated from the information storage means 65 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Note that instead of the information reading/writing means 66, it is also possible to provide information reading means and information writing means that are capable of reading and writing information.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the drug container 20 also has a shutter structure 60. The shutter structure 60 has a shutter member 61 and a transmission member 62. When the drug container 20 is held in the feeder body 10, the transmission member 62 engages with the shutter opening/closing mechanism 55. The shutter opening/closing mechanism 55 then moves the transmission member 62 linearly, causing the shutter member 61 to move linearly, resulting in an open state in which an opening (powdered drug discharge section) provided on the lower side of the drug container 20 is in communication with the outside. Moving the shutter member 61 in the opposite direction from when the opening state is reached results in a closed state in which the opening (powdered drug discharge section) is not in communication with the outside. When powdered drug is to be discharged from the drug container 20, the drug container 20 is transitioned from the closed state to the open state.

The medicine container 20 is filled with powdered medicine and secured to the feeder body 10 as shown in Figure 5. Specifically, the back wall 36 (see Figure 6) of the medicine container 20 abuts the vibration-side vertical wall 33 of the vibrating member 16, which serves as the container holder, and the back wall 36 side (see Figure 6) of the bottom wall 40 of the medicine container 20 abuts the vibration-side horizontal section 32, with most of the medicine container 20 protruding in a cantilevered manner and secured to the feeder body 10. Furthermore, the engagement portions of the medicine container 20 (engagement groove 130 and engagement recess 131, see Figure 6) are engaged with two engagement portions of the vibrating member 16 (groove-shaped engagement portion 48 (trapezoidal engagement portion 47) and two engagement pieces 50, see Figure 7). Therefore, the medicine container 20 is integrated with the vibrating member 16 and vibrates together with it.

The weight calibration unit 21 detects whether the weight measuring means 25 is normal or not. As shown in Figure 4, the weight calibration unit 21 has a weight 42, a weight placement member 43 on which the weight 42 is placed, and a weight support member that lifts the weight 42 into the air.
The weight placement member 43 is fixed to the container support portion 23 of the feeder body 10 via a mounting member. Therefore, the weight of the weight placement member 43 is added to the weight measuring means 25.
On the other hand, the weight support member is disposed so that a load is applied to the base portion 26 of the feeder body 10. Therefore, the weight of the weight support member is not applied to the weight measuring means 25.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, six medicine feeders 5 are fixed around the distribution tray 3. The front wall 35 side of the medicine container 20 (see Figure 6, etc.) protrudes toward the distribution tray 3, and the powdered medicine discharge section is located directly above the medicine input groove 13.

In the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, the medicine containers 20 of the medicine feeders 5 are filled with different medicines in advance.
Based on the prescription (prescription data, which is information related to the prescription), a specific medicine feeder 5 is driven, and powdered medicine is dispensed into the distribution tray 3. Specifically, a signal from a control device (not shown) causes a current of a fixed frequency to flow through the vibration means 30a, 30b of the specific medicine feeder 5 to generate vibrations, which in turn vibrate the vibrating member 16.
Also, the distribution tray 3 is rotated around the time when the vibration starts.

Also, around the time vibration begins, the weight of the medicine container 20 is measured. The weight of the medicine container 20 is the weight detected by the weight measuring means 25 minus a fixed value. More specifically, the weight of the medicine container 20 is the weight detected by the weight measuring means 25 minus the weight of components including the container support section 23 and part of the weight calibration section 21 (components to which a load is applied to the weight measuring means 25). The weight of the medicine container 20 before the powdered medicine is discharged is stored as the original weight G. The weight of the medicine container 20 is also constantly monitored. That is, the current weight of the medicine container 20 is monitored as the current weight g.

When vibrating member 16 begins to vibrate, drug container 20 vibrates along with it. In this embodiment, drug container 20 is firmly joined to vibrating member 16 by engagement portions (engagement groove 130 and engagement recess 131, see FIG. 6 ) provided at two locations, and the degree of adhesion with vibrating member 16 is also high, so drug container 20 vibrates at the same frequency as vibrating member 16. As a result, the powdered medicine stored in drug container 20 moves slowly toward the powdered medicine discharge portion side (the shutter structure portion 60 side, see FIG. 7 ) provided on bottom wall 40.
The powdered medicine then falls from the powdered medicine discharge section, which is an opening provided on the lower side of the medicine container 20, and enters the medicine input groove 13 of the lower distribution tray 3.

The fact that the powdered medicine is falling can be confirmed by a decrease in the weight of the medicine container 20. In other words, in this embodiment, even while the powdered medicine is falling from the medicine container 20, the current weight of the medicine container 20 is continuously monitored as the current weight (g). The original weight G of the medicine container 20 immediately after installation on the vibrating member 16 is compared with the current weight (g), and the amount of powdered medicine falling H (the amount of powdered medicine discharged, G minus g) is constantly calculated. When the total amount of powdered medicine falling H (total amount discharged) reaches the desired weight, the vibration of the vibrating member 16 is stopped.

The next operation is to drop the rotating plate 12 of the scraping device 8 into the medicine input groove 13 of the distribution tray 3. After that, the distribution tray 3 is further rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of dispensed medicines, and one dose of powdered medicine is collected on the front side of the rotating plate 12. The rotating plate 12 is then rotated, and the powdered medicine is scraped out of the distribution tray 3 by a scraper (not shown), and is then inserted into the powdered medicine input hopper 310, one dose at a time. The powdered medicine that falls from the powdered medicine input hopper 310 is introduced into the medicine packaging device 305.
As described above, the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment is capable of packaging medicines into individual doses, similar to known medicine dispensing devices. In addition, the container support part 23 functions as a powder medicine discharging means for discharging powder medicine from the medicine container 20.

The series of medicine discharging operations described above is performed in a state in which weight 42 is held up by the weight support member of weight calibration unit 21. Therefore, the weight of weight 42 is not detected by weight measurement means 25.
When determining whether the weight measuring means 25 is normal, the weight support member is operated to place the weight 42 on the weight placing member 43. As a result, the weight of the weight 42 is applied to the weight measuring means 25, and the weight of the weight 42 is detected.
Since the weight of weight 42 is known, it can be said that weight measuring means 25 is normal if the increase in detected weight due to the placement of weight 42 is equal to the weight of weight 42. Conversely, if the increase in detected weight due to the placement of weight 42 is different from the weight of weight 42, it can be said that weight measuring means 25 is malfunctioning.

As shown in Figure 10, the drug feeder 5 of this embodiment is characterized by a vibration detection means 70 that detects vibrations of the drug container 20. This vibration detection means 70 has a vibration detection sensor 71 that is integral with the drug container 20. By holding the drug container 20 on the container support part 23, vibrations of the drug container 20 can be detected as an electrical signal.

In this embodiment, an acceleration sensor capable of detecting vibrations along three axes is used as the vibration detection sensor 71. More specifically, two axes extending parallel to the horizontal plane and perpendicular to each other are designated as the X-axis and Y-axis, and the axis extending perpendicular to the first two axes is designated as the Z-axis, making it possible to detect vibrations along three axes consisting of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. In other words, in this embodiment, one axis of the three-axis acceleration sensor is capable of detecting vibrations in the vertical direction (up and down), and the other axis is capable of detecting vibrations in a direction parallel to the horizontal plane.

The vibration detection sensor 71 has a connector contact portion 71a that comes into contact with a connector pin 72 (holding-side engaging portion, see FIG. 10(a)) provided on the vibrating member 16 (feeder body 10). The connector contact portion 71a (sensor-side engaging portion) is made of metal and has a flat plate-like outer shape, and multiple (three) connector contact portions 71a are provided in this embodiment.
The vibration detection sensor 71 is attached such that the connector contact portion 71a of the substrate constituting the sensor is exposed to the outside, and most of the other portions are not visible from the outside. More specifically, the connector contact portion 71a is exposed to the outside from each of a plurality of through holes provided in the rear wall 36 of the drug container 20, and the other portions are not exposed to the outside.

As described above, by properly holding the medicine container 20 on the container support part 23, the connector contact part 71a of the vibration detection sensor 71 comes into contact with the connector pin 72, and they are electrically connected. That is, the connector contact part 71a and the connector pin 72 function as a pair of engaging parts that can be electrically connected.
Then, when the connector contact portion 71a and the connector pin 72 are electrically connected, the vibration detection sensor 71 and a control device (not shown) (hereinafter referred to as the circuit on the container support portion 23 side (a circuit including a communication circuit, a power supply circuit, a signal processing circuit, etc.)) are electrically connected. This makes it possible to supply power to the vibration detection sensor 71 and to send and receive signals between the vibration detection sensor 71 and the circuit on the container support portion 23 side. In other words, the vibration detection sensor 71 is connected to an external circuit provided on the container support portion 23 side via members that serve as signal lines and power supply lines.

The connector pin 72 may be attached to the vibrating member 16 (container support portion 23) in a state in which part or all of it can move in and out. For example, a trigger piece that can move in and out may be provided on the vibration-side horizontal portion 32, and when the drug container 20 is placed on the vibration-side horizontal portion 32, the trigger piece is pushed downward, causing the connector pin 72 to protrude in conjunction with this. In other words, the connector pin 72 may protrude outward when the drug container 20 is held.
In addition, although the present embodiment employs a connector pin 72 as the holding-side engaging portion, the present invention is not limited to this. The outer shape of the terminal is not limited to a protruding (rod-like or needle-like) shape, but may be, for example, a flat plate-like portion. That is, any terminal portion that can be paired with the terminal portion (connector contact portion 71 a) of the vibration detection sensor 71 and that can make electrical contact with the terminal portion may be used.

The medicine feeder 5 of this embodiment is capable of an attachment determination operation for determining whether the medicine container 20 is correctly attached to the container support portion 23 (whether the medicine container 20 is correctly held).
The attachment determination operation determines that the drug container 20 is correctly attached to the container support part 23 on the condition that an input voltage (input signal) is input from the vibration detection sensor 71 to the circuit on the container support part 23 side. Conversely, if an input voltage (input signal) is not input to the circuit on the container support part 23 side, there is a high possibility that the connector contact part 71a and the connector pin 72 are not in correct contact. Therefore, in this case, it is determined that the drug container 20 is not correctly attached.

When the output voltage (output signal) from the vibration detection sensor 71 is input to an external circuit as an input voltage (input signal), the input voltage may need to be amplified depending on the type of acceleration sensor used. For example, if an analog output acceleration sensor with a large scale (low detection sensitivity) is used as the vibration detection sensor 71, the input voltage may only change slightly even when the drug container 20 vibrates to the maximum. In this case, accurate vibration detection becomes difficult unless the input voltage is amplified.
However, providing an offset voltage (offset adjustment circuit) for each of the three axes and amplifying the input voltage poses the problem of an expensive circuit configuration. Furthermore, in this case, the offset voltage used to correct each axis varies and may be affected by temperature characteristics, gravity, and other environmental factors. One possible method for preventing the offset voltage from deviating from the set value and the amplified waveform from exceeding the measurement range is to provide a volume-adjustable sensor board for the vibration detection sensor 71. However, this is undesirable because it requires adjustment before shipping.
To solve this problem, it is recommended to use the same offset voltage when amplifying the signals from the three-axis vibration detection sensor 71, and further set the offset voltage so that the amplified waveform does not exceed the measurement range.
Here, the sensor axis that detects vibration in the vertical direction (up and down direction) of the three sensor axes has the maximum output voltage from the vibration detection sensor 71. Therefore, the offset voltage used when amplifying the vibration detection sensor 71 is set to a high value within the measurement range so that the amplified signal from the vibration detection sensor 71 that detects vibration in the vertical direction (up and down direction) of the three sensor axes falls within the measurement range.

Therefore, in the drug feeder 5 of this embodiment, the Z-axis, one of the three sensor axes, is set to be capable of detecting in the vertical direction (up and down), thereby reducing the influence of gravity during detection. In other words, by reducing the error in the detected value due to the influence of gravity, the influence of the error and its amplification is reduced.
Furthermore, the effect of gravity is reflected in the value of the offset voltage that corrects the detected value on the Z axis.

Specifically, measurements are performed in a predetermined temperature range (e.g., 0°C to 40°C) with the drug container 20 in a non-vibrating state and the Z axis in a state where vertical detection is possible. This measurement obtains the effect of gravity per 1 g on the detected value of the Z axis at a predetermined power supply voltage (e.g., 3 V) (the magnitude of the error that occurs, i.e., the change in output voltage). The inventors measured the detected value of the Z axis (voltage measurement) under the influence of gravity of 1 g, 0 g, and -1 g when the drug feeder 5 was stationary and not vibrating, and obtained the results shown in Table 1 below.
In this way, by measuring the Z-axis detection value before amplification and the detection value after amplification under the influence of each gravity, it is possible to obtain the magnitude of the error in the detection value caused by the influence of a given gravity and the effect of amplification on the magnitude of the error. Note that the "effect of amplification on the magnitude of the error" refers to the magnitude of the error in the detection value after amplification, and is the amount of change in the detection value (output voltage) after amplification. Measurements conducted by the inventors revealed that the detection value after amplification changes by a maximum of approximately 0.2 V per 1 g of gravity.

Then, based on the amount of change in the acquired amplified detection value and the measurement range of the input circuit, the offset voltage value that corrects the Z-axis detection value (to be included in the output voltage) is determined. Specifically, the offset voltage value is determined by adjusting the resistance values of R1 and R2 in Figure 11 and adjusting the bias voltage.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the detected values of the X and Y axes are corrected with offset voltages, the values of the offset voltages for correcting the detected values of the X and Y axes are set to values that match the value of the offset voltage for correcting the detected value of the Z axis, as shown in Fig. 11. That is, as shown in Fig. 11, this embodiment is provided with an amplifier circuit (op-amp) that corrects (amplifies) the detected values of each of the three axes consisting of the X, Y, and Z axes. Then, a similar offset adjustment circuit (offset adjustment op-amp) is used to correct the detected values of each of the three axes.
Here, the offset voltage value used to correct the detected value is a value that reflects the influence of gravity, as described above. Since the detected values of the X and Y axes are not affected by gravity, if they are corrected with the same offset voltage as the detected value of the Z axis, the set value will deviate from the value when correcting the Z axis. However, because the amplitude in the X and Y directions is smaller than the amplitude in the Z direction, even if an offset voltage is set to match the Z axis (even if the same bias voltage as the Z axis is used as the reference), there is little possibility of problems such as going outside the measurement range occurring.
In other words, the vibration detection sensor 71 of this embodiment has an amplifier circuit that amplifies the output voltage, and the offset voltages used to correct the detection values for each of the three axes are set to an appropriate offset voltage for correcting the detection value for the Z axis. By setting the offset voltage to the axis predicted to vibrate the most (the Z axis), maximum vibration can be detected accurately. It is preferable to separately correct the detection values for the X axis and the Y axis based on measurements performed in advance, as described above, to improve detection accuracy. However, as described above, separately correcting each of the three axes increases manufacturing costs. Therefore, as described above, correcting the detection values for the X axis and Y axis to match the Z axis is unlikely to cause problems and is believed to provide sufficient detection accuracy. Therefore, the detection values for the X axis and Y axis are corrected to match the Z axis.
As described above, according to this embodiment, highly accurate vibration detection is possible with an inexpensive circuit configuration.

The vibration detection means 70 may constantly monitor the vibration state for all vibration axes (X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis), but it may also be possible to constantly monitor only representative vibration axes and check the vibration state for all vibration axes if any abnormality is detected or at regular times, such as before work begins.

For example, as shown in Fig. 12(a), the inspection modes may be N, F1, F2, and F3. For ease of explanation, Fig. 12 assumes that there are three drug feeders 5, but the number of drug feeders 5 is arbitrary.
Mode N is a monitoring mode during normal operation. It is a detection mode that is performed more carefully than modes F1, F2, and F3, and is a mode in which the vibration state of all vibration axes (X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis) of each drug feeder 5 is individually inspected.
12(b) and 12(c) are circuit diagrams for switching the vibration detection sensor depending on the inspection mode. The circuits shown in Fig. 12(b) and 12(c) have an input section 100, a switch group 101, and an output section 102.
The input unit 100 receives output voltages (output signals) directly or after being amplified from the vibration detection sensors 71 for the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis of each of the medicine feeders (F1), (F2), and (F3).
That is, X1 is the output of the X-axis vibration detection sensor of the drug feeder (F1), Y1 is the output of the Y-axis vibration detection sensor of the drug feeder (F1), and Z1 is a terminal to which the output of the Z-axis vibration detection sensor of the drug feeder (F1) is input. Similarly, X2, Y2, and Z2 are terminals to which the output of the vibration detection sensor of the drug feeder (F2) is input. Similarly, X3, Y3, and Z3 are terminals to which the output of the vibration detection sensor of the drug feeder (F3) is input.

The inspection mode N is the connection state shown in FIG. 12(b), in which the Z-axis input terminals of each of the drug feeders (F1), (F2), and (F3) are connected to the output terminals.
In the connection state shown in Fig. 12(b), an output voltage (output signal) from Z-axis vibration detection sensor 71 of drug feeder (F1) is output to output terminal S1. An output voltage (output signal) from Z-axis vibration detection sensor 71 of drug feeder (F2) is output to output terminal S2. An output voltage (output signal) from Z-axis vibration detection sensor 71 of drug feeder (F3) is output to output terminal S3.

The inspection mode F1 is the connection state shown in FIG. 12(c), in which the input terminals of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis of the medicine feeder (F1) are connected to the output terminals.
In the connection state shown in Fig. 12(c), an output voltage (output signal) from the X-axis vibration detection sensor 71 of the medicine feeder (F1) is output to output terminal S1. An output voltage (output signal) from the Y-axis vibration detection sensor 71 of the medicine feeder (F1) is output to output terminal S2. An output voltage (output signal) from the Z-axis vibration detection sensor 71 of the medicine feeder (F1) is output to output terminal S3.
Although the illustration of the switch connections in other test modes is omitted, in test mode F2, the input terminals of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis of the drug feeder (F2) are connected to the output terminals, and in test mode F3, the input terminals of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis of the drug feeder (F3) are connected to the output terminals.

The drug feeder of the present invention may employ a drug container 380 shown in Figure 13 instead of the drug container 20 described above. Like the drug container 20 described above, this drug container 380 has a structure that allows it to be attached and detached to the feeder main body 10. In other words, it constitutes a drug feeder together with the feeder main body 10 described above.

This drug container 380 is also surrounded by a front wall 391, a back wall 392, two side walls 393, a top wall 394, and a bottom wall 395. Here, the two side walls 393 are large-area side surfaces that are larger in area than the front wall 391 and the back wall 392. In contrast, the front wall 391 and the back wall 392 are small-area side surfaces. In other words, the drug container 380 is a long, narrow box-shaped member when viewed from the front wall 391 side. In other words, the drug container 380 is a vertically elongated container whose height is greater than its width (narrow width and tall height). In addition, the side shape is a rectangular parallelepiped with an approximately square shape.
Furthermore, medicine container 380 has an openable and closable medicine discharge portion 397 (powdered medicine discharge portion, see FIG. 13 ) at a position on bottom wall 395 near front wall 391. Medicine container 380 also has a shutter structure portion 412.

The shutter structure 412 has a shutter member 412a with a closing wall and a transmission member (not shown). As with the above-described embodiment, linear movement of the transmission member moves the shutter member 412a, opening and closing the drug discharge section 397. That is, as with the above-described embodiment, a portion of the transmission member on the rear wall 392 side is exposed to the outside (detailed illustration omitted), and by holding the drug container 380 in the feeder body 10, it engages with the shutter opening/closing mechanism 55.

As shown in FIG. 13, the medicine container 380 of this embodiment differs from the medicine container 20 described above in that the lid member 401 forms the top wall 394 among the walls. That is, in the medicine container 20 described above, the lid member forms the left and right side walls 37, and opening the large-area side allows filling with powdered medicine. In contrast, the medicine container 380 has the lid member 401 attached to a box body with an open top, and the lid member 401 can swing by a hinge. Then, with the lid member 401 in the open position, powdered medicine can be filled from above, and with the lid member 401 in the closed position, the medicine container 380 can be sealed. Note that the medicine container 380 of this embodiment can be filled with powdered medicine while it is held in the feeder body 10.

13, the lid member 401 of this embodiment has a lid main body 402 and a small lid part 403. The small lid part 403 is attached to the underside of the lid main body 402 (the underside when in the closed state) and is capable of swinging by a hinge.
Here, the lid member 401 has an internal lid storage section 404 capable of storing a desiccant or the like. In this embodiment, the internal lid storage section 404 is a space in which a humidity control agent is placed. The internal lid storage section 404 can be opened and closed by swinging the small lid section 403. In other words, the internal lid storage section 404 is a space formed between the lid main body section 402 and the small lid section 403. More specifically, when the lid member 401 is in the closed state and the small lid section 403 is in the closed state, the internal lid storage section 404 is a space located above most of the small lid section 403.

As shown in Figure 14, this medicine container 380 has a partition plate portion 410 (partition member) inside. The partition plate portion 410 is a flat portion located at the boundary between a storage space 439 that stores powdered medicine and a powdered medicine passageway 440. The powdered medicine passageway 440 is the portion through which the powdered medicine passes when it is discharged, and is a space located below the partition plate portion 410 that includes the portion between the partition plate portion 410 and the bottom wall 395.

The partition plate portion 410 is a portion that is in a horizontal position when the drug container 380 is held in the feeder body 10. This partition plate portion 410 has multiple small holes that penetrate the partition plate portion 410 in the vertical direction (thickness direction). In addition, the portion adjacent to the partition plate portion 410 has a large inclined portion 415 and a small inclined portion 416.

When the drug container 380 is held in the feeder body 10, the large inclined portion 415 and the small inclined portion 416 together form an inclined surface that slopes toward the partition plate portion 410. The large inclined portion 415 is longer than the small inclined portion 416, and the inclination angles of each are the same. In other words, the space between the large inclined portion 415 and the small inclined portion 416 (the lower portion of the storage space 439) converges toward the partition plate portion 410.

When discharging medicine from medicine container 380, medicine discharge section 397 is opened while medicine container 380 is held by feeder body 10, and medicine container 380 is vibrated. At this time, when the amount of powdered medicine in powdered medicine passage 440 decreases due to discharge, the powdered medicine in medicine container 380 moves from storage space 439, which is the space above partition plate section 410, to powdered medicine passage 440 and proceeds toward medicine discharge section 397. The powdered medicine is then discharged from medicine discharge section 397.
When drug container 380 is vibrated, the powdered medicine in drug container 380 is stirred in storage space 439, which is the space above partition plate 410. At this time, some of the stored powdered medicine moves upward up large inclined portion 415, moving upward above partition plate 410 toward partition plate 410. As a result, the powdered medicine is less likely to exert a downward pressure on the small holes (slits) in partition plate 410, and the powdered medicine that flows due to stirring falls appropriately from the small holes (slits), allowing for smooth discharge of the powdered medicine.

The feeder section 22 described above has, as electrical components, vibration means 30a, 30b, a potentiometer (not shown), an actuator (not shown), a weight measuring section 24, and a vibration detection sensor 71.
The potentiometer is a sensor capable of detecting the amount of movement and the angle of rotation, and is capable of detecting the amount of movement of a predetermined member (for example, a member constituting the shutter opening/closing mechanism 55). The actuator is a member that functions as a drive device for driving the predetermined member (a member constituting the shutter opening/closing mechanism 55), and is specifically a DC motor.
The vibration applying means 30a, 30b, potentiometer, and actuator (not shown) are arranged so that a load is applied to the weight measuring unit 24. In addition to the vibration applying means 30a, 30b, potentiometer, and actuator (not shown), the weight measuring unit 24 and vibration detection sensor 71 are arranged so that a load is applied to the vibration isolating means 18 (vibration isolating member 28).

Here, the electrical components of the feeder unit 22 may be connected to a higher-level control device (a control device of the main body arranged in the housing 2 of the medicine dispensing device 1, not shown) via wiring members. In this case, the actuator may be connected to the higher-level control device via a motor driver.
In addition, at least some of the electrical components of the feeder section 22 may be connected to a higher-level control device without using wiring. For example, potentiometers and actuators may be connected to the higher-level control device via wireless power supply or wireless communication.
In this way, when the device is configured to connect to a higher-level control device without using wiring, it is possible to eliminate (reduce) the influence of wiring on the weight measurement operation by the weight measurement unit 24, enabling highly accurate weight measurement operations. Therefore, more accurate operations are possible when performing operations such as putting a small amount of powdered medicine into the distribution tray 3 (packaging a small amount of powdered medicine).

As shown in FIG. 4 and other figures, the drug feeder 5 includes a feeder section 22 having a vibrating member 16 and a weight calibration section 21 fixed to a middle plate (a base plate located outside the distribution tray 3; see FIG. 2 and other figures) that does not vibrate. When connecting the electrical components of the feeder section 22 to a higher-level control device via wiring, a thin, flat, strip-shaped wiring member (hereinafter referred to as a strip-shaped wiring member) such as a flexible flat cable (FFC) is preferably used. Furthermore, the strip-shaped wiring member is preferably arranged in a state (posture) extending in a rounded trajectory. That is, it is preferable for the wiring member to extend in an arc rather than extending linearly downward. In this case, the arc-shaped portion may include a portion that initially extends upward, a portion that extends downward while moving away from the feeder section 22, and a portion that extends downward while moving toward the feeder section 22.
In this way, when a portion extending in an arc shape (loop) is formed, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the weight measurement operation when the weight measurement unit 24 performs a weight measurement operation while vibrating the vibrating member 16. In other words, it is possible to eliminate (reduce) the influence of changes in the tension of the wiring member due to vibration, movement of a part of the wiring member, etc., and it is possible to improve the accuracy of the weight measurement operation.

As described above, the feeder section 22 is equipped with a piezoelectric element (vibration means 30a, 30b). The vibration circuit of this piezoelectric element may use either a Class D amplifier or a Class AB amplifier. However, using a Class AB amplifier is preferable for more appropriate control of the vibration operation. In other words, using a Class AB amplifier can improve the accuracy of the operation of dispensing powdered medicine into the distribution tray 3.

The present invention is a device for dispensing medicines, which can achieve the third goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to "ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages."
The drug dispensing device of the present invention and the drug dispensing device incorporating the drug feeder of the present invention eliminate powder drug inspection tasks, such as weighing powdered drugs, which are normally performed by qualified personnel such as pharmacists, and can be performed by non-pharmacists such as technicians. Specifically, without being aware that the drug is a drug, the worker simply retrieves the drug container designated by the number based on the prescription information, or by a lamp if it is located on a shelf, and places it on the drug dispensing device to reliably perform and complete the packaging required for the prescription. This allows qualified pharmacists to shift from dispensing tasks, which are primarily physical tasks, to patient-facing tasks, and allows non-pharmacists, etc., to perform the necessary dispensing tasks, thereby achieving the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages."
The present invention also reduces labor costs and improves economic productivity, which can also contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

1: Drug dispensing device, 5: Drug feeder, 20: Drug container, 23: Container support (holding member), 71: Vibration detection sensor, 71a: Connector contact (sensor-side engagement part), 72: Connector pin (holding-side engagement part)

Claims (5)

A medicine feeder having a medicine container for storing powdered medicine and a holding member for holding the medicine container, and capable of discharging the powdered medicine from the medicine container,
The medicine container has a vibration detection sensor that detects vibration of the medicine container itself,
The holding member has a holding side engaging portion,
the vibration detection sensor includes a sensor-side engagement portion,
A drug feeder in which, by holding the drug container in the holding member, the holding side engagement portion and the sensor side engagement portion come into contact and are electrically connected, allowing signals to be sent and received between the vibration detection sensor and other circuits . and performing a mounting detection operation to determine whether the medicine container is held by the holding member,
2. The drug feeder according to claim 1 , wherein the attachment detection operation determines that the drug container is held by the holding member on the condition that a signal output from the vibration detection sensor is input to another circuit. the vibration detection sensor is capable of detecting vibrations in a plurality of directions including a vertical direction and a direction intersecting the vertical direction;
a detection value of vertical vibration detected by the vibration detection sensor is amplified and output, and a value of an offset voltage for amplifying the detection value is determined based on the effect of gravity on the vibration detection sensor;
3. The drug feeder according to claim 1 , wherein the offset voltages for amplifying the detected value of the vibration in the vertical direction and the detected value of the vibration in the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction have the same value. 4. The drug feeder according to claim 1, wherein the vibration detection sensor is an acceleration sensor. A medicine dispensing device comprising the medicine feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .