JP2006223538A - Medicine delivery apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medicine delivery apparatus capable of improving the efficiency in storing cassettes, and simplifying the apparatus by specifically designing a circulation rotary type cassette in composing a downfall guide passage with static members. <P>SOLUTION: The medicament delivery apparatus 10 has a storage compartment 11 for storing medicament cassettes 20 on a large number of stages for making medicine 30 fall down from an outlet 23b at a fixed position by circulating/rotating a large number of medicament storage chambers 24 arranged in a circle, and a medicament collecting mechanism 15 for collecting the medicaments 30 delivered from the medicament cassettes 20. The outlet 23b is formed on the peripheral surface 23 of each cassette 20, and the medicament cassette 20 is stored with the axis of rotation in the horizontal direction. The downfall guide passage 13 is extended in the vertical direction beside the medicament cassette 20 and the horizontal width of the passage varies wide and narrow. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a medicine dispensing device that stores various medicines and combinations of medicines in medicine cassettes and dispenses them while automatically collecting them as necessary. Specifically, the medicine dispensing apparatus stores medicine cassettes in multiple stages. Relates to the device.

  There is known a medicine dispensing apparatus in which medicine cassettes are stored in multiple stages in a hangar, and a plurality of medicine storage chambers whose upper surfaces are opened are arranged in an annular shape in each medicine cassette (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this medicine dispensing device, when the medicine cassette circulates and rotates in the medicine storage chamber and drops the medicine from the discharge port at the fixed position, the medicine collecting mechanism has a movable member to collect the medicine discharged from the medicine cassette. Is moved to the corresponding drug cassette to receive the dropped drug.

  In addition, in order to improve the storage efficiency of the medicine cassettes, the medicine cassettes that are arranged in an annular shape and circulate and rotate in a number of medicine storage chambers whose upper surfaces are released to store the medicines from the discharge port at a fixed position are stored in multiple stages. In a medicine dispensing apparatus having a hangar and a medicine collecting mechanism for collecting medicines discharged from those medicine cassettes, a number of medicine transporting devices that receive and horizontally move a falling medicine correspond to the medicine cassette and are arranged in the medicine collecting mechanism. In addition, there are also those in which these drug cassettes and drug delivery devices are alternately replaced at each stage (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2002-272815 A JP 2004-344420 A

In such a conventional medicine dispensing device, the medicine outlet is formed in a disc-like body on the lower surface rather than the peripheral surface of the medicine cassette, and the medicine cassette has its rotation center line not horizontal but vertical. To be stored in. Then, the medicine dropped and discharged from the medicine cassette is first horizontally transported in the hangar by the movable member of the medicine collecting mechanism or the medicine transporting device, and then moved to the payout port after moving in the vertical direction.
However, if such a moving member for horizontal conveyance is in the hangar, there is a limit to simplification of the apparatus and cost reduction.

In response to this, the drug collecting mechanism including the movable member pushes downward in the hangar, and a drop guide path made of a static member is formed in the hangar, and the drug falls by gravity to the drug collecting mechanism. Is effective. In order to implement this by modifying the medicine collecting mechanism, an appropriate ramp or the like is provided for each medicine cassette below the outlet at the bottom of the cassette.
However, it is inconvenient to insert an inclined path forming member or the like between drug cassettes stored in multiple stages because the storage efficiency of the drug cassette deteriorates.
Therefore, a medicine dispensing device that can simplify the apparatus in addition to improving the cassette storage efficiency by adding ingenuity to the structure of the circulating rotary cassette when the fall guide path can be configured with a static member. Realization is a technical challenge.

  The medicine dispensing device of the present invention (Solution means 1) has been developed to solve such a problem, and a large number of medicine storage chambers arranged in an annular shape are circulated and rotated to discharge the fixed position. In a medicine dispensing apparatus comprising a hangar for storing medicine cassettes for dropping medicine from outlets in multiple stages and a medicine collecting mechanism for collecting medicines discharged from those medicine cassettes, the discharge port is a peripheral surface of the medicine cassette The medicine cassette is stored in the storage with the rotation center line horizontal.

  Further, the medicine dispensing apparatus of the present invention (Solution means 2) is the medicine dispensing apparatus of the above solution means 1, and has a drop guide path communicating with the discharge port of the medicine cassette and the medicine receiving port of the medicine collecting mechanism. A side of the medicine cassette extends vertically.

  Further, the medicine dispensing device of the present invention (Solution means 3) is the medicine dispensing apparatus of the above solution means 2, wherein the drop guide path is wide corresponding to the multi-stage arrangement of the medicine cassettes. It is characterized by that. That is, when it is moved vertically along the drop guide path, its lateral width changes widely.

  Further, the medicine dispensing device of the present invention (Solution means 4) is the medicine dispensing apparatus of the above solution means 2 and 3, wherein the medicine cassettes are arranged in a state where they are alternately shifted by half stages across the drop guide path. It is characterized by being.

In such a medicine dispensing device of the present invention (Solution means 1), the medicine discharge port in the circulation rotary cassette is formed not on the end face of the medicine cassette but on the peripheral surface, and the medicine cassette is perpendicular to the rotation center line. Since it is stored horizontally without being stored, even if the discharge port is provided above the bottom of the drug cassette, the drug can be dropped by gravity if the discharge port is directed obliquely downward.
Thereby, even if it is not possible to allow the moving member for horizontal conveyance to enter between the drug cassette stages, and even without inserting an inclined path forming member or the like between the drug cassette stages, the drug guides the drop guide path. Will be sent to.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a medicine dispensing device capable of simplifying the device in addition to improving cassette storage efficiency.

In the medicine dispensing apparatus of the present invention (solution 2), the medicine discharged from the medicine cassette is guided to the medicine collecting mechanism through the drop guide path, and the drop guide path runs vertically along the side of the medicine cassette. Since it is extended and the medicine is sent by gravity, the medicine collecting mechanism can be concentrated below the hangar. Therefore, it is not necessary to let the members moving for drug collection including the moving member for horizontal conveyance as well as the lifting member enter the hangar.
As a result, a medicine dispensing device that is simple and has a high cassette storage efficiency is realized.

Furthermore, in the medicine dispensing device of the present invention (Solution means 3), when the medicine discharged from the medicine cassette descends the drop guide path, the width of the drop guide path becomes wider or narrower. The frequency of hitting curved roads is high. Therefore, even if the drop guide path extends vertically, most of the medicines are soft-landed by repeatedly decelerating without falling at a stretch. In addition, since the circumferential surface of the circulating rotary cassette is usually rounded, by making the horizontal width of the drop guide path correspond to such a multistage arrangement of such drug cassettes, a drop guide path whose width changes broadly can be simplified. Embodied.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a medicine dispensing device that does not give much impact to the medicine even with a simple configuration and has high cassette storage efficiency.

In the medicine dispensing device of the present invention (solution 4), when the medicine discharged from the medicine cassette goes down the drop guide path, the drop guide path changes direction every half stage, so that the medicine is half-staged. Every time it falls, it hits the road wall. Therefore, even if the drop guide path extends vertically, the medicine repeats deceleration every half stage and surely performs soft landing. Since the peripheral surface of the circulation-rotating cassette is usually rounded, when such drug cassettes are arranged in multiple stages, a drop guide path that repeats bending can be easily realized by shifting half a stage.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a medicine dispensing device having a high cassette storage efficiency without impacting the medicine even with a simple configuration.

About the chemical | medical agent dispensing apparatus of such this invention, the specific form for implementing this is demonstrated by the following Examples 1-2.
The embodiment 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 embodies the above-described solving means 1 to 3 (claims 1 to 3 as originally filed), and the embodiment 2 shown in FIG. Means 4 is embodied.
In these drawings, for simplification and the like, a base, a fastener such as a frame and a bolt, a coupling tool such as a hinge, a drive source such as an electric motor, a transmission member such as a gear, and an electric circuit such as a motor driver The electronic circuits such as the controller are not shown in the figure, and the parts necessary for explaining the invention and the related ones are mainly shown.

  About the Example 1 of the chemical | medical agent delivery apparatus of this invention, the specific structure is demonstrated referring drawings. 1A is an overall front view of the medicine dispensing apparatus 10, FIG. 1B is a right side view thereof, FIG. 1C is a side view of the medicine cassette 20 and its holder 12, and FIG. .

  The medicine dispensing device 10 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B) is roughly divided into three parts from the top to the bottom, and includes an upper electrical part that stores a main controller, a power supply unit, etc. (not shown), and a number of parts. A middle-stage drug store (stored) that stores the drug cassettes 20 in multiple stages, a drug collection mechanism 15 that collects the drugs 30 discharged from each cassette 20, and a carry-out mechanism 16 that conveys the drug 30 collected thereby to the payout outlet 17 And a lower collecting / unloading unit storing the.

The main controller is composed of a microprocessor system or the like, and is connected to a prescription input device, a prescription order entry system, etc. (not shown), and selects and dispenses the medicine 30 based on information obtained from the prescription and the derived dispensing instruction Control is to be performed.
The collection mechanism 15 is composed of an inclined plate or a hopper-like member having a large upper portion and a narrow lower portion, and the carry-out mechanism 16 is composed of a belt conveyor or the like and lies below the collection mechanism 15. The unloading mechanism 16 operates according to the automatic control of the main controller, as is the case with the electric motor that rotationally drives the next medicine cassette 20.

  In the medicine cabinet (see FIG. 1A), one or a plurality of storage units 11 (three units in the figure) are provided side by side. Each of the hangar units 11 is attached to a housing or a frame member via an appropriate pull-out rail or the like, and is pulled in front of the apparatus (in FIG. It can be pulled out to the front side. In the hangar unit 11, cassette holders 12 are provided in two vertical rows, and when the hangar unit 11 is pulled out to the front, the medicine cassettes 20 held in the cassette holders 12 in each row are separated and exposed to the left and right. It has become.

  In the depth direction of the hangar unit 11 (see FIG. 1B), two rows of cassette holders 12 are arranged with the drop guide path 13 sandwiched from the front and rear (left and right in the figure). The cassette holders 12 in each row are arranged in multiple stages (six stages in FIG. 1B), and the storage unit 11 stores the drug cassettes 20 in multiple stages. Moreover, the drop guide path 13 sandwiched between the two vertical cassette holders 12 extends vertically along the side of the medicine cassette 20. Further, the lower end of the drop guide path 13 is released and communicates directly with a wide upper opening that forms a medicine receiving port of the collecting mechanism 15. Appropriate cushioning means such as a cushion roller 14 is also provided immediately below the communication portion.

  The drug cassette 20 (see FIGS. 1C and 1D) is generally thick and is surrounded by a peripheral plate 23 forming a peripheral surface of the drug cassette 20 and an end plate fixed to one end thereof. When the rotating wheel 22 is housed in the internal space 23a, the annular portion of the internal space 23a is partitioned by the radially arranged partition plates 22a, and a large number of medicine storage chambers 24 (12 chambers in the figure) are arranged in an annular shape. Will be. The partition plate 22a is attached to the center of the rotating wheel 22 in which the rotating shaft fitting hole 22b is formed. When the rotating wheel 22 rotates about the center line of the rotating shaft fitting hole 22b, the medicine The storage chamber 24 is circulated and rotated.

  A portion of the peripheral plate 23 corresponding to one medicine storage chamber 24 is cut off to form a discharge port 23b. Since the discharge port 23b is formed in the peripheral plate 23 in this way, the drug cassette 20 with the discharge port 23b inclined downwardly circulates and rotates the drug storage chamber 24 and drops the drug 30 from the discharge port 23b at the fixed position. It will be something that can be made. In order to prevent the medicine 30 stored in the medicine storage chamber 24 from spilling and dropping from other than the discharge port 23b when the cassette is attached or detached or during the medicine discharge operation, an appropriate transparent lid 21 can be opened and closed or detachable. It is also attached to the plate 23.

  The cassette holder 12 that holds the medicine cassette 20 in a detachable manner (see FIGS. 1C and 1D) is driven by an electric motor (not shown) in the center of the internal space 12b for storing the medicine cassette 20. The rotational drive shaft 12d is provided horizontally. When the medicine cassette 20 is inserted into the internal space 12b, the rotation drive shaft 12d is inserted into the rotation shaft fitting hole 22b of the rotating wheel 22, and the medicine cassette 20 is rotated about the rotation center line. Is stored in the cassette holder 12 of the storage unit 11 and the medicine storage chamber 24 is circulated and rotated according to the rotation operation of the electric motor under the control of the main controller.

  Moreover, the natural curved surface along the roundness of the chemical | medical agent cassette 20 is formed in the outer surface which faces the fall guide path 13 among the cassette holders 12 (refer FIG.1 (b)-(d)), and in an intermediate part. It protrudes toward the drop guide path 13 and recedes obliquely at the upper and lower portions. A discharge port 12c that is equal to or larger than the discharge port 23b of the medicine cassette 20 is formed obliquely downward at a portion that is positioned below the middle portion but positioned above the bottom surface. When the medicine cassette 20 is inserted into the cassette holder 12, appropriate positioning means (not shown) is provided so that the outlet 23b and the outlet 12c overlap each other, so that the drop guide path 13 and the outlet 23b of the medicine cassette 20 are It will be in the state of communicating directly.

Further, a buffer rubber 12a is affixed to the outer surface of the cassette holder 12 facing the drop guide path 13 in order to alleviate the impact when the dropped medicine collides.
The drop guide path 13 defined on both sides by the buffer rubber 12a attached along such a curved surface spreads at the discharge port 23b of the drug cassette 20 in correspondence with the multistage arrangement of the drug cassette 20, and the drug. It becomes narrow just beside the cassette 20.

  About the chemical | medical agent dispensing apparatus 10 of this Example 1, the use aspect and operation | movement are demonstrated referring drawings. 2A to 2D are side views of the drug cassette 20 and its holder 12, and FIG. 2E is a side view of the inside of the apparatus.

Prior to use, when the medicine cassette 20 is empty, the medicine 30 is replenished thereto. However, the operation is performed by pulling out the corresponding hangar unit 11 to reveal the medicine cassette 20 and removing the corresponding medicine cassette 20. Since it can be extracted from the cassette holder 12, it can be easily performed even by manual work.
The medicine 30 to be automatically dispensed by the medicine dispensing apparatus 10 may be any medicine as long as it can be stored in the medicine storage chamber 24 and does not interfere with the drop guide path 13 being dropped.

  However, if tablets and powders are to be packaged in a normal manner, a dedicated tablet packaging machine or powder packaging machine is more suitable. For example, a medicine in which such sachets are linked or bundled is a drug. It becomes a handling object of the dispensing device 10. As examples of handling targets, the relatively small medicine 30 includes a sheet-like PTP packaging agent, a suppository in a small box, an external preparation such as a tube ointment, a liquid medicine in a small bottle, and the like. Further, when the drug is relatively large, the medicine 30 to be dispensed includes an irregular medicine, a medicine having a wide variety of combinations even if it is a regular medicine, and a medicine in which the medicines in combination are packaged. . Injectables, infusions, patches, distilled water, bandages, etc. may also be included if they meet the above requirements.

  When the medicine 30 is refilled with the medicine cassette 20, the medicine 30 is not stored in all the medicine storage chambers 24, but the medicine storage chamber 24 coming to the discharge port 23b is left empty. Further, when the medicine cassette 20 is returned to the cassette holder 12 and stored, the rotary shaft fitting hole 22b is set horizontally and fitted to the rotary drive shaft 12d while adjusting the position of the discharge port 23b to the discharge port 12c (FIG. 2 (a). )reference). After the medicine is replenished, if the hangar unit 11 is pushed back into the medicine cabinet, preparation for automatic discharge is completed.

  When the drug cassette 20 is selected as a drug discharge target by the main controller, the rotating wheel 22 is rotated via the rotation drive shaft 12d, and the drug storage chamber 24 adjacent to the discharge port 23b approaches the discharge port 23b. (See FIG. 2 (b)). When the rotation proceeds and the medicine storage chamber 24 sufficiently overlaps with the discharge port 23b, the drug 30 is discharged from the discharge ports 23b and 12c to the drop guide path 13 (see FIG. 2C). When the rotation further proceeds and the medicine storage chamber 24 from which the medicine 30 has been discharged completely overlaps the discharge port 23b, the rotation of the rotating wheel 22 stops (see FIG. 2D). Thus, one medicine 30 is automatically discharged from the medicine cassette 20 by the circulation rotation of the medicine storage chamber 24, falls obliquely downward, and enters the guide path 13.

In the drop guide path 13 (see FIG. 2 (e)), the medicine 30 hits the buffer rubber 12a of the cassette holder 12 several times, hits the cushion roller 14, and further hits the inclined surface of the collecting mechanism 15, It reaches the transport surface of the carry-out mechanism 16. In this way, each time it falls a little, it collides with the buffer member and decelerates, so even if it is ejected from the medicine cassette 20 at a high position, it is not necessary to receive an excessive impact. It falls safely inside, is collected by the collecting mechanism 15, and is carried to the discharge outlet 46 by the carry-out mechanism 16.
In this way, the required medicine 20 is automatically dispensed from the appropriate cassette 20.

  3 differs from that of the first embodiment described above in that the medicine dispensing apparatus of the present invention whose side view is shown in FIG. 3 is the medicine cassette 20 and cassette holder arranged in two vertical rows with the drop guide path 13 in between. 12 are arranged in a state where they are alternately shifted by half stages.

  In this case, the left column of the medicine cassette 20 and the cassette holder 12 are recessed to the left and the right column of the medicine cassette 20 and the cassette holder 12 are protruding to the left drop guide path 13 in the same way. Located at height. Further, the right column of the medicine cassette 20 and the cassette holder 12 are recessed to the right side, and the left column of the medicine cassette 20 and the cassette holder 12 are protruding to the right drop guide path 13 at the same height. Is located. And since they express alternately in the vertical direction, the drop guide path 13 changes its direction to the left and right every half stage, similar to the 99-fold shape.

  For this reason, when the medicine 30 discharged from the medicine cassette 20 descends the drop guide path 13, the drop guide path 13 frequently changes its direction, so that the medicine 30 is a buffer rubber on the road wall every time it drops by half a stage. At 12a, deceleration is repeated frequently. Then, the medicine 30 is restrained from being accelerated by the cushion roller 14 and the collecting mechanism 15, and reliably soft-lands on the carry-out mechanism 16.

[Others]
In the above embodiment, the twelve drug storage chambers 24 are formed in the drug cassette 20, but the number of the drug storage chambers 24 in the drug cassette 20 is not limited thereto, and depends on the size of the drug 30 and the like. It is decided. The number of rows and the number of rows of the medicine cassette 20 can also be changed.
In addition, a photodetector or the like that detects passage of the medicine 30 may be installed at an appropriate place such as the discharge port 12c of the cassette holder 12, and discharge control may be performed based on the photodetector.

  Further, the buffer rubber 12a sticking portion may be omitted from the cassette holder 12, and the buffer rubber 12a may be stuck to the corresponding portion of the peripheral plate 23 of the medicine cassette 20 that is exposed. Therefore, in the state that “the drop guide path 13 extends vertically to the side of the medicine cassette 20”, not only the drop guide path 13 passes through the vicinity of the medicine cassette 20 via the cassette holder 12 or the like, but also the drop guide path 13 The state where the guide path 13 is directly defined by the medicine cassette 20 also corresponds.

Example 1 of the present invention shows a structure of a medicine dispensing device, (a) is a front view of the whole, (b) is a right side view thereof, (c) is a side view of a medicine cassette and its holder, (d). Is a development view. The operation state of a medicine delivery device is shown, (a)-(d) is a side view of a medicine cassette and its holder, and (e) is a side view inside the device. About Example 2 of this invention, the structure of a chemical | medical agent dispensing apparatus is shown, and it is a side view of the principal part.

Explanation of symbols

10: Drug dispensing device,
11 ... hangar unit, 12 ... cassette holder, 12a ... buffer rubber,
12b ... internal space, 12c ... discharge port, 12d ... rotation drive shaft, 13 ... drop guideway,
14 ... Cushion roller, 15 ... Collecting mechanism, 16 ... Unloading mechanism, 17 ... Discharge outlet,
20 ... drug cassette,
21 ... Transparent lid, 22 ... Rotating wheel, 22a ... Partition plate, 22b ... Rotating shaft fitting hole,
23 ... Peripheral plate, 23a ... Internal space, 23b ... Discharge port, 24 ... Drug storage room,
30 ... Drug

Claims (3)

  A hangar that circulates and rotates a large number of medicine storage chambers arranged in an annular shape to drop medicines from a discharge port at a fixed position in multiple stages, and a medicine that collects medicines discharged from those medicine cassettes In a medicine dispensing device provided with a collecting mechanism, the discharge port is formed in the peripheral surface of the medicine cassette, and the medicine cassette is stored in the storage with the rotation center line horizontal. A medicine dispensing device characterized by.   2. The medicine dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a drop guide path communicating with the discharge port of the medicine cassette and the medicine receiving port of the medicine collecting mechanism extends vertically along the side of the medicine cassette.   3. The medicine dispensing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the drop guide path is wide corresponding to the multistage arrangement of the medicine cassettes.

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