JPH0250016B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates particularly to the detection of extracted tablets in a tablet feeding device that appropriately extracts stored tablets.

(B) Prior Art Such a tablet feeding device is incorporated into, for example, an automatic tablet packaging machine, and when packaging tablets, it responds to a predetermined control signal output from the main body of the packaging machine to appropriately feed the stored tablets. It is designed to be extracted and introduced into the packaging mechanism section. Therefore, when the tablet feeding device extracts a tablet, it is necessary to transmit a signal indicating that the tablet has been extracted to the packaging machine main body. Such tablet feeding devices are disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 52-34786 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-44728.
The former has a structure in which a tablet alignment tube is pushed up into the tablet storage section by a solenoid drive, and the tablets are taken into the tube and extracted, while the latter has several grooves formed below the tablet storage section. An alignment wheel is provided, and the tablets are taken into the groove and extracted while rotating the alignment wheel. In this conventional technique, since the tablets taken into the tablet alignment tube or alignment ring are sent out by natural fall, a method is adopted in which a photoelectric sensor is used to detect the extracted tablets. However, photoelectric detection is not always perfect, as sensitivity may be reduced due to the influence of chemical powder, etc., and there may be spaces where detection cannot be performed. Also, JP-A-60-197512
The publication discloses a configuration in which detection is performed by directly contacting the extracted tablet, and this method improves accuracy because detection errors are eliminated.

(c) Problems to be solved by the invention However, in detecting tablets by direct contact, the shape of the detection member must be adapted depending on the size and shape of the drug, which poses problems in terms of versatility and ease of assembly. There is.

Therefore, the present invention provides a tablet feeding device that can accommodate tablets of various shapes and that can reliably detect extracted tablets.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the tablet feeding device according to the present invention includes a tablet storage section, a rotary plate disposed on one side to face the tablet storage section, and a radiation source. an operating member that is attached to the rotary plate and has a locking device for the tablet so as to be movable in the rotational direction, and has a hook at the outer tip; a fixed wall facing the periphery of the plate; a tablet outlet formed in the fixed wall facing a point on the circumference of the rotary plate; When the actuating member reaches a predetermined position immediately in front of the tablet ejecting port, the actuating member is advanced outward, and when the actuating member subsequently reaches the tablet ejecting port, the engaging member is moved outwardly. a cam mechanism for further advancing the actuating member outwardly so as to push the tablet out of the outlet; The actuating member is located inside or outside the hook, and when the actuating member reaches the tablet ejection port and advances outwards while being located outside the hook, it is urged by contact with the hook and moves. It consists of a detection member and a tablet extraction detection device that generates a tablet extraction signal when the movement of the detection member is detected, and the advancing stroke of the actuation member at the predetermined position is determined by the locking device of the actuation member and the fixed wall. This is a configuration in which the determination is made depending on whether or not a tablet is held between the two.

(E) Action The cam mechanism controls the advancing and retracting of the actuating member in the radial direction in response to the rotation of the rotary plate, but when the actuating member is away from the tablet ejection port, it is moved backward; The tablet can be held with the locking device. The actuating member approaches the tablet ejecting port by rotation of the rotary plate, but when the actuating member reaches a predetermined position immediately in front of the tablet ejecting port, the cam mechanism advances this actuating member outward, and then continues to the tablet ejecting port. Once reached, the lock further advances the actuating member outwardly to force the tablet out of the tablet outlet. At this time, if the actuating member that has reached the predetermined position immediately in front of the tablet ejection port is holding the tablet with its locking device, even if the actuating member is advanced outward by the cam mechanism, the tablet will not be held in the locking device. Since it is sandwiched between the front and fixed walls, the advancing stroke becomes shorter accordingly. Therefore, the hook cannot pass over the detection member, and when the actuating member eventually reaches the tablet ejection port and advances further outward, the detection member is urged by the hook as the held tablet is pushed out. Therefore, the movement of the detection member causes the shielding plate to be shielded or opened, so that the signal from the reed switch changes and the extraction of the tablet is detected. However, if the tablet to be extracted is not held between the catch and the fixed wall, the advancing stroke of the actuating member at the predetermined position will be longer and the catch will exceed the sensing member. In this state, even if the actuating member advances further, the hook does not come into contact with the detecting member, so the position of the shielding plate does not change, and the signal from the reed switch does not change and no extraction signal is generated.

(F) Embodiment In FIGS. 1 and 2, a base body 15 having a lid 14 on the top includes a tablet storage section 16 and a drive section 17, which are separated by a partition plate 10. In the drive section 17 , an idler pulley 20 that rotates by directly contacting the output shaft 19 of a driving DC motor 18 at its peripheral edge is stretched by a belt 22 together with a driven pulley 21 . The rotating plate 1 is mounted on a rotating shaft 4 of a driven pulley 21 supported by a bearing 23. The rotating plate 1 has a guide wall 2 extending toward the driven pulley 21 around one side, and a rib 7 extending toward the tablet storage section 16 around the other side. As shown in FIG. 4, the ribs 7 are arranged in four pieces at equal intervals, and the partition plate 1
0 is provided with a fixed wall 9 that substantially coincides with the rib 7, and the rib 7 moves inside the fixed wall 9 when the rotary plate 1 rotates. Further, a tablet outlet 37 is provided in the fixed wall 9 at a predetermined tablet extraction position, and the tablet is removed when the gap 6 between the ribs 7 and the tablet outlet 37 face each other. On the other hand, on the surface of the rotating plate 1 on which the guide wall 2 is attached, four actuating members 5, which are slidably supported on the guide plate 24, are arranged at equal intervals so as to reciprocate in the radial direction from the shaft 4. . The guide wall 2 is provided with a notch 3 facing the tip of the actuating member 5, and the actuating member 5 is provided with a shaft 25, on which a roller 26 is rotatably supported. Further, a fixed plate 27 is disposed between the driven pulley 21 and the rotary plate 1.
A cam 31 for controlling the advancement and retreat of the actuating member 5 in the radial direction is attached to the cam 31. Cam 31 is the third
Having the shape shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure and FIG. 4,
The spring 35 urges the actuating member 5 in the advancing direction, and the roller 26 comes into contact with the cam 31 and moves along the cam 31 due to rotation of the rotating plate 1. The second recess 30 of the cam 31 corresponds to the tablet outlet 37, and the first recess 29 is set just before the actuating member 5 reaches the tablet outlet 37 due to rotation of the rotating plate 1. In such a cam mechanism 28 , the rotating plate 1
The rotation of the roller 26 causes the roller 26 to move into the first recess 2 of the cam 31.
9, the actuating member 5 advances radially through the notch 3, and subsequently, when the roller 26 reaches the second recess 30 of the cam 31, the actuating member 5 advances further and moves outwardly from the rotating plate 1. protrude to The actuating member 5 is
A locking tool 11 is provided which slides on the surface of the rotary plate 1 on which the ribs 7 are formed and holds the tablet with the fixed wall 9. A hook 5A is formed at the outer tip of the actuating member 5 by bending. Rotating plate 1
A push plate 13 is provided on the surface having the ribs 7 along the reciprocating distance of the locking tool 11 as the actuating member 5 reciprocates. A locking tool 1 is attached to the partition plate 10.
A circular opening 8 whose radius is approximately the distance to the axis 4 when 1 is closest to the axis 4 is bored,
The surface of the rotary plate 1 provided with the locking tool 11 communicates with the tablet storage section 16. The radius of the opening 8 is smaller than the distance from the rib 7 to the shaft 4, so that an annular groove 33 is formed between the opening periphery 32 of the opening 8 and the rib 7. The bottom surface of the tablet storage section 16 is inclined toward the opening 8, and the tablet is guided through the opening 8 to the rotary plate 1 by this bottom surface, and the tablet is guided through the groove formed by the rib 7 located below and the opening periphery 32. 33 and aligned. One of the tablets aligned by the rotation of the rotary plate 1 is held by the locking tool 11 and the fixed wall 9. One end of the elastic plate 40 is fixed, and a detection member 41 facing the tablet outlet 37 is provided at the other end. The tablet extraction detection device 42 includes, for example, a reed switch 43 and a magnet 44, and an elastic plate 40 between them.
A shielding plate 45 is provided at the end of the swinging side. The advancing stroke of the actuating member 5 when the roller 26 reaches the first recess 29 of the cam 31 due to the rotation of the rotary plate 1 is determined by whether or not the locking device 11 is holding the tablet. Accordingly, the detection member 41 is set to be located outside or inside the hook 5A in a relative positional relationship. When the roller 26 is in the first recess 29 of the cam 31 and the detection member 41 is located outside the hook 5A, the roller 26 is in the second recess 29 of the cam 31.
When the actuating member 5 reaches the recess 30 and advances further outward, the detecting member 41 is urged by contact with the hook 11 and moves. When the elastic plate 40 swings due to the movement of the detection member 41, the shielding plate 45 opens the space between the reed switch 43 and the magnet 44, so that the tablet extraction detection device 42 outputs a tablet extraction signal. It's summery.

To explain the operation of the above structure, the tablets filled from the upper part of the base 15 are deposited in the tablet storage part 16, and are also introduced into the rotary plate 1 through the opening 8, and are introduced into the rib 7 located below and the opening periphery. It is aligned with the groove 33 formed at 32. The rotary plate 1 rotates in the direction of arrow A in FIG.
Since it is in contact with the second recess 30 of the cam 31, it is biased by the spring 35, and the rotary plate 1 is moved from the notch 3.
The roller 26 of the other actuating member 5 is regulated by a cam 31 and withdrawn in the direction of the shaft 4. FIG. 4 shows the surface of the rotary plate 1 on which the ribs 7 are formed corresponding to FIG. 3, and in this figure, the direction of rotation of the rotary plate 1 is indicated by arrow B. In FIG. 4, among the tablets aligned on the lower rib 7, the tablet located at the rearmost position in the rotational direction is pressed against the locking tool 11 which is retracted in the direction of the shaft 4 due to the rotation of the rotary plate 1. It is held by the plate 13 and the fixed wall 9. The held tablet 36 is then transported toward the tablet extraction position P while being guided by the fixed wall 9. When the roller 26 reaches the first recess 29 of the cam 31 due to the rotation of the rotating plate 1, the actuating member 5 equipped with the roller 26
advances in three directions of the notch. In this case, since the tablet 36 is held by the locking device 11, the roller 26 cannot come into contact with the first recess 29, and therefore the advancing stroke of the actuating member 5 is short as shown in FIG.
When the rotary plate 1 continues to rotate in the direction of the arrow, the hook 5A passes below the detection member 41. When the roller 26 comes into contact with the second recess 30, the actuating member 5 equipped with the roller 26 advances to the outside of the rotating plate 1 through the notch 6.
The locking tool 11 also advances in the radial direction and becomes substantially flush with the rib 7, and the tablet 36 held by the locking tool 11 is guided by the push plate 13 and guided to the outside of the rotary plate 1 to the tablet outlet. A tablet is extracted from 37. Further, in a state where the detection member 41 is located outside the hook 5A in the relative positional relationship as described above, when the roller 26 comes into contact with the second recess 30 of the cam 31 and the actuating member 5 advances further, As shown in FIG. 6, the detection member 41 is biased and moved by the hook 5A, and in response to this, the shielding plate 45 opens, so that the tablet extraction detection device 42 outputs an extraction signal.

However, if the tablet to be extracted is not held between the locking device 5A and the fixed wall 9, the advancing stroke of the actuating member 5 when the roller 26 comes into contact with the first recess 29 of the cam 31 will be as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the length increases due to the absence of the tablet, and the height position of the hook 5A exceeds the detection member 41, and the rotation of the rotary plate 1 causes the hook 5A to pass above the detection member 41. Therefore, even if the roller 26 contacts the second recess 30 of the cam 31 and the actuating member 5 advances further, the hook 5A cannot contact the detection member 41 and the elastic plate 40
does not oscillate. Therefore, the position of the shielding plate 45 remains unchanged, the signal of the reed switch 43 remains unchanged, and no extraction signal is generated.

In this way, the advancing stroke of the actuating member 5 is changed depending on the presence or absence of the tablet to be extracted, and thereby the position of the hook 5A is placed above or below the detection member 41, so that the actuating member 5 is then further advanced. At that time, it is determined whether the hook 5A acts on the detection member 41 or not. According to the tablet feeding device having such a configuration, the extracted drug directly causes the detection member 41 to
Since the tablet is not energized, the extracted tablet will not be damaged or caught due to contact with the detection member 41. Since the sensing member 41 does not come into direct contact with the tablet, there is no need to adapt the size and shape of the sensing member 41 to the shape of the tablet stored in the tablet feeding device.

(G) Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, extracted tablets can be detected reliably and stably. In addition, a highly versatile tablet feeding device is provided in which there is no need to adjust the shape of the detection member depending on the size and shape of the tablet.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of one side of the tablet feeding device, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the other side, Fig. 3 is a view showing the side with the actuating member of the rotary plate, and Fig. 4 shows the ribs of the rotary plate. Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating the operation when the tablet is held by the locking device, and Figures 7 and 8 are diagrams showing the side when the tablet is not held. FIG. 9, which is a diagram for explaining the operation, is a diagram showing the relationship between the hook and the detection member. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Rotating plate, 5... Operating member, 5A... Hanging tool, 9... Fixed wall, 11... Locking tool, 28 ... Cam mechanism, 37... Tablet ejection port, 41... Sensing member, 42...Tablet extraction detection device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A tablet storage section, a rotary plate arranged to face the tablet storage section on one side, a tablet locking device attached to the rotary plate so as to be movable in the radial direction, and a locking device attached to the outer tip. an actuating member having a hook, an annular fixed wall arranged facing the circumferential edge of the rotating plate so as to hold the tablet with the locking device, and the fixing member facing a point on the circumference of the rotating plate. A tablet ejection port formed in a wall, and a device for controlling advancement and retraction of the actuating member in a radial direction in response to the rotation of the rotary plate, the actuating member being at a predetermined position immediately before the tablet ejecting port. a cam mechanism for advancing the actuating member outwardly when reaching the tablet outlet, and then further advancing the actuating member outwardly when reaching the tablet outlet so that the locking device pushes the tablet from the outlet; The actuating member is located outside the tablet ejection port and is located relatively inside or outside the hook depending on the advancing stroke of the actuating member at the predetermined position, and when the actuating member is located outside the hook. It consists of a detection member that moves when it comes into contact with a hook when it reaches the tablet ejection port and moves outward, and a tablet extraction detection device that generates a tablet extraction signal when it senses the movement of the detection member. . The tablet feeding device, wherein the advancing stroke of the actuating member at the predetermined position is determined by whether or not a tablet is held between the locking device and the fixed wall.