JP2024149516A - Drug delivery mechanism and drug removal method - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a medicine dispensing device that has the advantage of enabling multiple different types of medicine sheets to be quickly dispensed. [Solution] The device includes a cassette shelf 1011 on which multiple medicine storage cassettes 1 containing PTP sheets 100 are arranged, a cassette transport section 2 that performs an operation of removing the medicine storage cassettes 1 from the cassette shelf 1011 and transporting them to multiple delivery sections 3 and an operation of returning the medicine storage cassettes 1 on the delivery section 3 to the cassette shelf 1011, a dispensing operation section 110 that removes the PTP sheets 100 from the medicine storage cassettes 1 transported to the delivery section 3 and ejects the removed PTP sheets 100 from a medicine sheet outlet section 1120, and a tray moving section 5 (500) that moves the medicine tray T so that the medicine tray T receives the PTP sheets 100 ejected from the medicine sheet outlet section 1120 of the dispensing operation section 110. [Selected Figure] FIG.

Description

This invention relates to a drug dispensing device that dispenses drug sheets such as PTP (press through package) sheets and blister pack sheets.

A drug dispensing device that dispenses drug sheets has multiple drug storage cassettes that store drug sheets for each drug, and dispenses the required number of drug sheets from a drug storage cassette selected based on input prescription data. An example of such a drug dispensing device is the drug dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 1.

The drug dispensing device of Patent Document 1 above comprises a device body, a drug storage cassette that stores multiple drug sheets in which drugs are individually packaged in a stacked state and is attached to the device body so that the drug sheets are stacked horizontally, a dispensing member that is movably mounted on the device body and moves to the drug storage cassette to dispense the stored drug sheets and, if necessary, cuts off any excess before dispensing, and a gripping member that grips and transports the drug sheets dispensed by the dispensing member.

JP 2011-41789 A

However, in the conventional drug dispensing device, the moving unit in the cassette transport section is equipped with the dispensing member, which makes the moving unit heavy, resulting in problems such as increased strength, precision, and cost in the cassette transport section. In addition, because the dispensing member is moved to the drug storage cassette and the drug sheets in the drug storage cassette are dispensed by the dispensing member, there is a drawback in that the total time required to dispense multiple drug sheets of different types specified in the prescription data is long.

In view of the above circumstances, this invention provides a drug dispensing device that can resolve problems such as strength, precision, and increased costs in the cassette transport section, and also has the advantage of easily shortening the total time required to dispense multiple drug sheets of different types.

The drug dispensing device of the present invention is characterized by comprising a cassette shelf on which a plurality of drug storage cassettes containing drug sheets are arranged, a cassette transport unit which performs the operation of removing the drug storage cassette from the cassette shelf and transporting it to a transfer unit and returning the drug storage cassette on the transfer unit to the cassette shelf, a dispensing operation unit which removes the drug sheet from the drug storage cassette transported to the transfer unit and dispenses the removed drug sheet, and a tray moving unit which moves the drug tray so that the drug tray receives the drug sheet dispensed from the dispensing operation unit.

With the above configuration, the cassette transport unit does not need to be equipped with the dispensing operation unit, which tends to be heavy, so problems such as strength, precision, and increased costs in the cassette transport unit can be eliminated. In addition, the cassette transport unit can be made lighter, so the movement speed of the medicine storage cassette can be increased, making it easier to shorten the total time required to dispense multiple medicine sheets of different types.

The system may have a plurality of the delivery units. In this way, the cassette transport unit can transfer the first medicine containing cassette removed to one delivery unit, and then immediately start the operation of removing the second medicine containing cassette from the cassette shelf. Then, for the first medicine containing cassette, the dispensing operation unit can remove the medicine sheet from the medicine containing cassette in parallel with the movement operation of the cassette transport unit. This makes it easy to shorten the total time required to dispense multiple medicine sheets of different types.

A plurality of delivery sections may be provided for one dispensing operation section, and each delivery section may move between the delivery position of the medicine storage cassette and the dispensing position of the medicine sheet, or the dispensing operation section may move between the plurality of delivery sections. This allows for a type of medicine dispensing device in which the number of the dispensing operation sections is less than the number of the delivery sections.

A plurality of the dispensing operation units may be provided. If a plurality of the dispensing operation units are provided, the process of dispensing drug sheets from a plurality of drug-containing cassettes can be performed in parallel, so that the total time required to dispense a plurality of different types of drug sheets can be further shortened.

A plurality of the dispensing operation units may be provided, with one delivery unit for each dispensing operation unit. Even with this configuration, it is easy to shorten the total time required to dispense multiple different types of drug sheets.

After the drug-containing cassettes are repeatedly transferred to the delivery section, the drug-containing cassettes from which the drug sheets have been dispensed may be repeatedly returned from the delivery section to the cassette shelf.

When the drug storage cassette is repeatedly transferred to the delivery section, the drug storage cassette may be transferred to a delivery section of a dispensing operation section that has not yet received the drug storage cassette.

The dispensing section of the medicine containing cassette from which the medicine sheet is removed may be directed toward the rear side of the medicine dispensing device, and the dispensing operation section may be directed toward the front side of the medicine dispensing device, so that the dispensing section of the medicine containing cassette transported to the transfer section faces the dispensing operation section. This eliminates the need for a half-rotation operation to bring the dispensing section of the medicine containing cassette transported to the transfer section and the dispensing operation section into alignment, making it easier to shorten the total time required to dispense the medicine sheet.

The dispensing operation unit may be provided directly below the cassette shelf, and the delivery unit may be provided directly below the cassette transport unit. This allows the front-to-rear size of the drug dispensing device to be the sum of the front-to-rear size of the drug storage cassette and the front-to-rear size of the cassette transport unit, making the drug dispensing device more compact.

The dispensing operation unit may have a sheet stocker that temporarily stores dispensed drug sheets, and may release the drug sheets from the sheet stocker when the drug tray has arrived at the drug sheet outlet section provided in the sheet stocker. This allows the process of dispensing multiple drug sheets to be performed even if the drug tray has not yet arrived at the drug sheet outlet section of the sheet stocker, thereby shortening the total time required to dispense multiple different types of drug sheets.

The cassette transport unit may also include a cassette loading/unloading unit that performs a moving operation to remove the medicine-containing cassette from the cassette shelf and to place it on the cassette shelf.

The cassette insertion/removal section may include a forward/backward moving section, which may move in the forward/backward direction to pull out the medicine containing cassette from the cassette shelf by a first distance, and then grip the medicine containing cassette and, in this gripped state, move a distance equal to the size of the medicine containing cassette minus the first distance to pull out the entire cassette from the cassette shelf. This makes it possible to remove the medicine containing cassette even if it is densely loaded on the cassette shelf. If the medicine containing cassette can be densely loaded on the cassette shelf, the medicine dispensing device can be made more compact.

The tray moving unit may receive the medicine tray from a medicine tray stocker and deliver the medicine tray containing the medicine sheets dispensed by the dispensing operation unit to the medicine tray stocker.

The medicine tray may be a medicine tray in which multiple storage recesses are formed in multiple rows or columns, and the tray moving section may move the medicine tray in a first direction in a horizontal plane and in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, to position each storage recess at the medicine sheet outlet section of the dispensing section. This allows the medicine dispensing device to be made more compact.

The tray moving section may include a fixed rail section that moves the medicine tray only in the first direction, and a movable rail section that moves the medicine tray in both the first direction and the second direction.

A second tray moving unit may be provided that receives the medicine tray from the tray moving unit and passes the received medicine tray to the tray moving unit. This makes it possible to operate multiple medicine trays, such as by having the next medicine tray required wait in the second tray moving unit.

The second tray moving section may include a movable rail section that moves the medicine tray in the first and second directions.

The tray moving section includes a positioning section that regulates the position of the medicine tray, and this positioning section includes a plurality of stopper members at different positions in the medicine tray transport direction that stand up when the support shaft rotates in a first rotation direction to allow the medicine tray to pass, and tilt when the support shaft rotates in a second rotation direction to prevent the medicine tray from passing, and may further include an elastic member that allows the stopper members that come into contact with the side portion of the medicine tray to not tilt when the support shaft rotates in the second rotation direction. This allows the medicine tray to be positioned with a simple structure.

The second tray moving section includes a positioning section that regulates the position of the medicine tray, and this positioning section includes a plurality of stopper members at different positions in the medicine tray transport direction that stand up when the support shaft rotates in a first rotation direction to allow the medicine tray to pass, and tilt when the support shaft rotates in a second rotation direction to prevent the medicine tray from passing, and may further include an elastic member that allows the stopper members that come into contact with the side portion of the medicine tray to not tilt when the support shaft rotates in the second rotation direction. This allows the medicine tray to be positioned with a simple structure.

The drug dispensing device includes a cassette shelf on which a plurality of drug storage cassettes that store drug sheets are arranged, and a dispensing operation unit that removes the drug sheets from the drug storage cassettes and dispenses the removed drug sheets. Two front and rear drug sheets in the drug storage cassette are set with the sides of the pockets facing each other, and information indicating the amount of misalignment perpendicular to the direction in which the two drug sheets are arranged, which occurs when the two drug sheets are placed facing each other, may be recorded in a recording unit. Also, the drug sheet dispensing operation may be performed based on the amount of misalignment.

The drug dispensing device includes a cassette shelf on which a plurality of drug storage cassettes for storing drug sheets are arranged, a dispensing operation unit that removes the drug sheets from the drug storage cassettes and dispenses the removed drug sheets, a sheet storage unit that is provided in the drug storage cassette and stores drug sheets for fractional drugs used to cut out fractional drugs, and a normal rotation unit that rotates the drug sheets for fractional drugs 180 degrees around the normal to the sheet surface as an axis to change the orientation of the wide edge of the drug sheet to the opposite side. When the drug sheet removed by the dispensing operation unit is rotated 180 degrees, a process may be performed to eliminate (absorb) the fluctuation in the lower edge position of the drug sheet caused by the 180-degree rotation.

The process for eliminating the variation may be a process of moving the drug sheet upward a fixed or non-fixed distance compared to when the 180-degree rotation is not performed. The fixed distance is preferably a distance that can be applied to as many types of drug sheets as possible. The non-fixed distance may also be based on distance data that indicates the vertical misalignment of the two drug sheets that occurs when they are placed facing each other.

The drug dispensing device includes a cassette shelf on which a plurality of drug storage cassettes that store drug sheets are arranged, and a dispensing operation unit that removes the drug sheets from the drug storage cassettes and dispenses the removed drug sheets. If removal of the drug sheet by the dispensing operation unit fails, the portion of the dispensing operation unit that is in contact with the drug sheet may be moved downward a fixed or non-fixed distance.

The fixed distance should be a distance that can be applied to as many types of drug sheets as possible. The non-fixed distance may also be based on distance data that indicates the vertical misalignment of the two drug sheets that occurs when they are placed facing each other.

the drug dispensing device comprises a cassette shelf in which a plurality of drug storage cassettes each containing a drug sheet are arranged; a dispensing operation unit which takes out the drug sheet from the drug storage cassette and dispenses the taken-out drug sheet; a normal rotation unit which rotates the drug sheet for fractional drugs 180 degrees around an axis normal to the sheet surface to change the orientation of the wide edge of the drug sheet to the opposite side; a recording unit which records a distance d indicating the distance from the center of the drug sheet to a side edge of the drug sheet; and a sheet gripping unit which moves from a reference position to approach the side edge of the drug sheet taken out by the dispensing operation unit and grips the vicinity of the side edge when the side edge is detected, and the sheet gripping unit may be moved based on the distance d and the distance D from the reference position to the axis position of the normal rotation unit so as to eliminate lateral positional deviation of the drug sheet when the sheet gripping unit receives the drug sheet from the dispensing operation unit.

As a result, the sheet gripping unit detects the side edges of the drug sheet, and therefore can properly grip the drug sheet even if the drug sheet removed from the drug storage cassette is misaligned in the lateral direction. Then, when the sheet gripping unit receives the drug sheet from the dispensing unit and passes it back to the dispensing unit, the misalignment in the lateral direction can be eliminated (absorbed). In other words, the normal rotation unit can rotate the drug sheet around the center of the drug sheet as the rotation center.

The drug dispensing device includes a cassette shelf on which a plurality of drug storage cassettes containing drug sheets are arranged, a dispensing operation unit that removes the drug sheets from the drug storage cassettes and dispenses the removed drug sheets, a recording unit (such as a master table) in which size information of the drug storage cassette related to the size of the drug sheet (sheet width, sheet height, etc.) is recorded for each drug, and an information output unit (such as a display) that outputs the size information of the drug storage cassette for each drug. The drug storage cassette may be provided with a storage size adjustment mechanism in which the storage size is changed by moving a size adjustment member and the adjustment position of the size adjustment member corresponding to the storage size is indicated.

Accordingly, when adjusting the storage size of the medicine storage cassette to match the size of the medicine sheet to be stored, if the information output unit indicates, for example, "3" as size information for the medicine, the operator simply moves the size adjustment member to the adjustment position indicating "3." Therefore, even if the operator has no knowledge of the size of the medicine sheet, the operator can accurately adjust the storage size of the medicine storage cassette.

The drug dispensing device includes a cassette shelf on which a plurality of drug storage cassettes are arranged, each having a sheet storage section for storing drug sheets for cutting out fractional amounts, a dispensing operation section for removing the drug sheets from the drug storage cassette and dispensing the removed drug sheets, a recording section (such as a master table) in which size information of the sheet storage section related to the size of the drug sheets (such as sheet height) is recorded for each drug, and an information output section (such as a display) for outputting size information of the sheet storage section for each drug. The sheet storage section may be provided with a storage size adjustment mechanism in which the storage size is changed by moving a size adjustment member and the adjustment position of the size adjustment member corresponding to the storage size is indicated.

This invention can solve problems such as strength, precision, and increased costs in the cassette transport section. It also has the advantage of making it possible to quickly dispense multiple different types of drug sheets.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a medicine dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of a control system of the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. 2 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 . 1A is a perspective view showing a medicine tray used in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing another example of the medicine tray. 2 is a perspective view showing a medicine-containing cassette used in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 with a lid portion removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a medicine containing cassette used in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 with a lid and a main body removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a medicine containing cassette used in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 with a lid, a main body, an upper frame, etc. removed. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a dispensing portion of a medicine containing cassette used in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 and a medicine sheet. 2 is a perspective view of a medicine containing cassette used in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 with a lid, a main body, an upper frame, one guide side plate, etc. removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cover portion of a medicine-containing cassette used in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a medicine-containing cassette used in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 (one guide side plate and the like has been removed), and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a constant force spring. 2 is a perspective view showing a cassette insertion/removal section provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a front-rear moving portion of the cassette insertion/removal portion of FIG. 12 . 13 is a perspective view showing a front-rear moving portion of the cassette insertion/removal portion of FIG. 12 . 13 is a perspective view showing a rail unit of the cassette loading/unloading portion of FIG. 12. 13 is a perspective view showing a rail unit of the cassette loading/unloading portion of FIG. 12. 13 is a perspective view showing a cassette gripping portion of the cassette insertion/removal portion of FIG. 12 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a dispensing operation unit, a delivery unit, and a delivery unit movement unit provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a dispensing operation unit, a delivery unit, and a delivery unit movement unit provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a delivery section and a delivery section movement section provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a delivery section provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a delivery section, a medicine containing cassette, and a delivery section moving section provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a transfer section moving section and a sheet stocker provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a sheet stocker provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 . 2 is a perspective view showing a delivery section, a delivery section moving section, and a sheet stocker provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the relationship between an axis for rotating a drug sheet and the directions of a pocket and a wide edge of the drug sheet. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a shaft for rotating a tablet sheet. 2 is a perspective view showing a dispensing operation section provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a dispensing operation section provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a suction operation unit provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1. 30. FIG. 30A is a perspective view showing the suction main body of the suction operation unit, and FIG. 30B is a perspective view showing the normal rotation unit. 1A and 1B are perspective views showing a second tray moving part provided in the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 34 is a perspective view showing a stopper of a positioning portion provided in the second tray moving portion of FIG. 33 . 34 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the positioning portion and the medicine tray in the second tray moving portion of FIG. 33 . FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between a dispensing operation unit and a delivery unit of a medicine dispensing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between a dispensing operation unit and a delivery unit of a medicine dispensing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 37(A), 37(B) and 37(C) are explanatory views showing the suction operation of the tablet sheet by the suction main body of FIG. 31(A). 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a message displayed on the display shown in FIG. 1 . 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process when a tablet sheet suction error occurs in the tablet dispensing device of FIG. 1 . 1; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the sheet detection position of the sheet gripping part at the reference position, the sheet center position, and the sheet side edge position from the sheet center position in the medicine dispensing device of FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, a medicine dispensing device 101 of this embodiment includes a cassette shelf 1011 on which a plurality of medicine containing cassettes 1 containing PTP sheets 100, which are medicine sheets, are arranged, a cassette transport unit 2 which performs an operation of removing the medicine containing cassettes 1 from the cassette shelf 1011 and transporting them to a plurality of delivery units 3 and an operation of returning the medicine containing cassettes 1 on the delivery unit 3 to the cassette shelf 1011, and a controller 1020 which removes the PTP sheets 100 from the medicine containing cassettes 1 transported to the delivery unit 3 and returns the removed PTP sheets 100 to the delivery unit 3. The apparatus includes a dispensing operation unit 110 which discharges the TP sheet 100 from a drug sheet outlet portion 1120, a tray moving unit 5 which moves the drug tray T so that the drug tray T receives the PTP sheet 100 discharged from the drug sheet outlet portion 1120 of the dispensing operation unit 110, a second tray moving unit 500 which transfers the drug tray T between the tray moving unit 5, and a tray stocker 1012 which supplies the drug tray T to the tray moving unit 5 and receives the drug tray T from the tray moving unit 5. The drug sheet outlet portion 1120 is provided in a sheet stocker 112 which temporarily stores the PTP sheet 100 taken out from the drug containing cassette 1.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the cassette shelf 1011 has a plurality of loading spaces in the vertical and horizontal directions of the drug dispensing device 101. The drug containing cassette 1 is set in the loading space so that it can be inserted and removed in the front-rear direction of the drug dispensing device 101. The drug dispensing device 101 can be installed with its rear side (back side) in contact with the wall of a building. The cassette transport unit 2 also has a cassette inserting/removing unit 21 that removes the drug containing cassette 1 from the cassette shelf 1011 and performs a moving operation to insert it into the cassette shelf 10131, and a moving mechanism 22 that moves the cassette inserting/removing unit 21 in the vertical and horizontal directions within the arrangement range of the drug containing cassette 1 and the arrangement range of the delivery unit 3 located directly below the cassette transport unit 2. The moving mechanism 22 is composed of, for example, a motor, a pulley rotated by the motor, a drive belt moved by the pulley, and a support member that supports them. The cassette transport unit 2 does not include the dispensing operation unit 110. In this way, since the cassette transport unit 2 does not include the dispensing operation unit, which tends to be heavy, problems such as strength, precision, and increased costs in the cassette transport unit 2 can be eliminated. In addition, since the cassette transport unit 2 can be made lighter, the movement speed of the medicine storage cassette 1 can be increased, making it easier to shorten the total time required to dispense multiple medicine sheets of different types.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, multiple PTP sheets 100 are stored in the storage section 11 of the medicine storage cassette 1 in a standing state, stacked horizontally. That is, the multiple PTP sheets 100 are arranged in the normal direction of their sheet surfaces. For example, the normal to the sheet surface is the normal at the center position of the sheet surface of the PTP sheet 100. Here, the normal at the center position of the sheet surface is parallel to the perpendicular line (orthogonal line) to the sheet surface when the PTP sheet 100 is assumed to be a flat surface rather than a curved surface. Also, for example, the direction of the normal to the sheet surface is set to be the same as the front-rear direction of the medicine dispensing device and the movement direction of the medicine storage cassette 1.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, two of the dispensing operation units 110 are provided in the left-right direction directly below the cassette shelf 1011. Between the two dispensing operation units 110, for example, a weighing scale is provided to measure the weight of the medicine containing cassette 1 in a state in which the PTP sheet 100 is contained. The cassette transport unit 2 sets the medicine containing cassette 1 on the weighing scale. The number of PTP sheets 100 contained in the medicine containing cassette 1 whose weight has been measured and the fractional packaged medicine can be calculated from the weight obtained by the weight measurement, the known weight of the empty medicine containing cassette 1, the weight data of one PTP sheet 100 contained in the medicine containing cassette 1 whose weight has been measured, and the number data of packaged medicines in one PTP sheet 100. The data is stored in a master table. The master table also records size data for the PTP sheet 100 (the length from the center of the sheet to the side edge for each drug, the length from the center of the sheet to the bottom edge, etc.), height H data indicating the offset height for each drug, and size information for each drug, which will be described later.

Two of the delivery units 3 are provided for one dispensing operation unit 110, and each delivery unit 3 moves between the delivery position (which can also be called a standby position) of the drug storage cassette 1 and the dispensing position of the PTP sheet 100. This movement is performed by the delivery unit moving unit 4. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the two dispensing operation units 110, the delivery operation unit 110 on the right side of the drug dispensing device 101 will be referred to as the first delivery operation unit 110, and the delivery operation unit 110 on the left side of the drug dispensing device 101 will be referred to as the second delivery operation unit 110. In addition, the delivery unit moving unit 4 on the right side of the drug dispensing device 101 will be referred to as the first delivery unit moving unit 4, and the delivery unit moving unit 4 on the left side of the drug dispensing device 101 will be referred to as the second delivery unit moving unit 4. In addition, when distinguishing between the four delivery units 3, they are referred to as the first delivery unit 3, the second delivery unit 3, the third delivery unit 3, and the fourth delivery unit 3, in order from the right side of the medicine dispensing device 101. In the state shown in FIG. 1, the first delivery unit 3 is in the delivery position, and the second delivery unit 3 is in the dispensing position.

2, the control unit 1005 of the drug dispensing device 101 processes information input from the input unit 1003 and displays the processed information on the display 1002. For example, a user can use the input unit 1003 to perform initial input such as inputting which PTP sheet 100 is contained in which drug containing cassette 1, inputting the number of PTP sheets 100 to be refilled when refilling the drug containing cassette 1, inputting prescription data for dispensing, etc. Various information can be stored in the memory unit 1004 by the processing of the control unit 1005. The master table is also stored in the memory unit 1004. In addition, the control unit 1005 moves the cassette insertion/removal unit 21 of the cassette transport unit 2 to the location of the target drug storage cassette 1 based on the prescription data, and executes the cassette removal process. As described in the operation overview below, the control unit 1005 also controls the delivery unit 3, the delivery unit movement unit 4, the tray movement unit 5, and the dispensing operation unit 110, etc., based on the outputs of various sensors, the amount of motor drive, etc.

[Drug dispensing operation overview]
An outline of the dispensing process of the PTP sheet 100 by the medicine dispensing device 101 will be described. The medicine containing cassette 1 is set on the cassette shelf 1011 so that the lid 140 faces the rear side of the medicine dispensing device 101. The lid 140 opens and closes the dispensing section 120 of the medicine containing cassette 1.

The control unit 1005 controls the movement mechanism 22 based on the prescription data and the master data, and moves the cassette insertion/removal unit 21 to the location of the medicine containing cassette 1 that contains the PTP sheet 100 specified in the prescription data. When the cassette insertion/removal unit 21 is moved to the position of the medicine containing cassette 1 that contains the specified PTP sheet 100, the cassette insertion/removal unit 21 grasps and removes the medicine containing cassette 1.

When removal of the medicine containing cassette 1 is completed, the cassette inserting/removing unit 21, which is holding the medicine containing cassette 1, is moved by the moving mechanism 22 to a position above one of the first delivery unit 3, the second delivery unit 3, the third delivery unit 3, and the fourth delivery unit 3 that are waiting at the delivery position. Then, the cassette inserting/removing unit 21 releases the gripping state and passes the medicine containing cassette 1 that it was holding to one of the delivery units 3.

The delivery unit 3 receives the medicine containing cassette 1 and chucks the medicine containing cassette 1. The delivery unit 3 that has chucked the medicine containing cassette 1 is moved to the dispensing position by the delivery unit movement unit 4. At the dispensing position, the lid 140 side of the medicine containing cassette 1 faces the dispensing operation unit 110. After this facing, the lid 140 of the medicine containing cassette 1 is opened by the dispensing operation unit 110. Then, the dispensing operation unit 110 removes the PTP sheets 100 from the storage unit 11 of the medicine containing cassette 1 by the number specified in the prescription data. In this embodiment, the suction body 61 (see FIG. 30) of the suction operation unit 6 provided in the dispensing operation unit 110 approaches the dispensing unit 120 of the medicine storage cassette 1 to suction the leading PTP sheet 100, moves away from the medicine storage cassette 1 to pull out the leading PTP sheet 100 from the dispensing unit 120, and stops the suction operation to drop the leading PTP sheet 100 into the sheet stocker 112 (see FIG. 24) of the dispensing operation unit 110. A storage shutter is provided at the medicine sheet outlet 1120 of the sheet stocker 112, and the PTP sheet 100 is stored on the storage shutter.

The tray moving unit 5 moves the medicine tray T below the storage shutter of the sheet stocker 112 of the dispensing operation unit 110. As shown in FIG. 4(A), the medicine tray T has four storage recesses T1, T2, T3, and T4 formed in two rows and two columns. The tray moving unit 5 moves the medicine tray T in the front-rear and left-right directions to position one of the multiple storage recesses T1, T2, T3, and T4 below the medicine sheet outlet portion 1120 in the sheet stocker 112 of the first dispensing operation unit 110 or the second dispensing operation unit 110.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, four delivery units 3 are provided, so four medicine containing cassettes 1 can be sequentially removed from the cassette shelf 1011 and handed over to the delivery units 3. In addition, two dispensing operation units 110 are provided, so the process of dispensing PTP sheets 100 can be executed in parallel for two medicine containing cassettes 1. The medicine tray T can accommodate up to four types of PTP sheets 100.

As described above, when multiple delivery units 3 are provided, the cassette transport unit 2 can transfer the first removed medicine containing cassette 1 to one delivery unit 3 and then immediately begin the operation of removing the second medicine containing cassette 1 from the cassette shelf 1011. Then, the dispensing operation unit 110 that receives the first medicine containing cassette 1 can remove the PTP sheet 100 from the medicine containing cassette 1 in parallel with the operation of the cassette transport unit 2. This makes it possible to shorten the time required for the dispensing process of different types of medicine sheets based on prescription data.

When two (multiple) delivery units 3 are provided for one dispensing operation unit 110, the following advantages can be obtained. That is, while dispensing is being performed for a medicine containing cassette 1 previously delivered to one dispensing operation unit 110, another medicine containing cassette 1 taken out from the cassette shelf 1011 can be kept waiting in another delivery unit 3, and as soon as dispensing of the previously delivered medicine containing cassette 1 is completed, dispensing processing can be performed for the other medicine containing cassette 1 that has been kept waiting. This further reduces the time required for dispensing processing of multiple medicine sheets.

If, for example, two (or more) dispensing operation units 110 are provided, the process of removing PTP sheets 100 from multiple drug-containing cassettes 1 can be performed in parallel, further shortening the time required for dispensing multiple drug sheets.

Here, an example of the operation timing of the cassette transport unit 2, the first to fourth delivery units 3, the first dispensing operation unit 110, the second dispensing operation unit 110, and the tray moving unit 5 is shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates the operation of each unit. Since there is only one cassette transport unit 2, in order to dispense four types of PTP sheets 100, a series of operations for supplying the medicine containing cassette 1 to the four delivery units 3 is repeated four times. In addition, a series of operations for receiving the medicine containing cassette 1 from the four delivery units 3 and returning it to the cassette shelf 1011 is also repeated four times.

In this embodiment, the first delivery unit 3 receives the first medicine containing cassette 1 containing the first medicine to be removed first, the third delivery unit 3 receives the first medicine containing cassette 1 containing the second medicine to be removed second, the second delivery unit 3 receives the third medicine containing cassette 1 containing the third medicine to be removed third, and the fourth delivery unit 3 receives the fourth medicine containing cassette 1 containing the fourth medicine to be removed fourth.

Based on the prescription data, the four types of medicines to be dispensed may be defined as medicine No. 1, medicine No. 2, medicine No. 3, and medicine No. 4 in order of the number of dispensed sheets. Alternatively, based on the prescription data, the four types of medicines to be dispensed may be defined as medicine No. 1, medicine No. 2, medicine No. 3, and medicine No. 4 in order of the number of packaged medicines with fractional parts. Alternatively, based on the prescription data, the four types of medicines to be dispensed may be defined as medicine No. 1, medicine No. 2, medicine No. 3, and medicine No. 4 in order of the time required for dispensing. If the number of PTP sheets 100 to be dispensed and the number of packaged medicines with fractional parts are large, it can be estimated that the time required for dispensing is long. Alternatively, each storage section of the cassette shelf 1011 may be numbered, and the storage section numbers may be defined as medicine No. 1, medicine No. 2, medicine No. 3, and medicine No. 4 in order of the storage section numbers. Alternatively, the four medications may be defined as medication No. 1, medication No. 2, medication No. 3, and medication No. 4 in the order in which they are described in the prescription data.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, first, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 is moved by the moving mechanism 22 to the location of the first medicine storage cassette 1 that stores the first medicine. After this movement, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 grips and pulls out the first medicine storage cassette 1. The cassette loading/unloading section 21 gripping the first medicine storage cassette 1 is moved by the moving mechanism 22 to a standby position of the first delivery section 3. The first delivery section 3 receives the first medicine storage cassette 1 from the cassette loading/unloading section 21 and chucks it. The first delivery section moving section 4 moves the first delivery section 3 to set the first medicine storage cassette 1 to the dispensing position. Then, the first dispensing operation section 110 starts the operation of taking out the PTP sheet 100 that will be the first medicine from the first medicine storage cassette 1. In addition, the cassette loading/unloading section 21, which has handed over the first medicine containing cassette 1 to the first delivery section 3, moves away from the first delivery section 3.

The cassette loading/unloading section 21 is moved by the moving mechanism 22 to the location of the second drug storage cassette 1 that stores the second drug. After this movement, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 grips and pulls out the second drug storage cassette 1. The cassette loading/unloading section 21 gripping the second drug storage cassette 1 is moved by the moving mechanism 22 to a standby position of the third delivery section 3. The third delivery section 3 receives the second drug storage cassette 1 from the cassette loading/unloading section 21 and chucks it. The second delivery section moving section 4 moves the third delivery section 3 to set the second drug storage cassette 1 to the dispensing position. Then, the second dispensing operation section 110 starts the operation of dispensing the PTP sheet 100 that will be the second drug from the second drug storage cassette 1. In addition, the cassette loading/unloading section 21, which has handed over the second medicine-containing cassette 1 to the third delivery section 3, moves away from the third delivery section 3.

The cassette loading/unloading section 21 is moved by the moving mechanism 22 to the location of the third drug storage cassette 1 that stores the third drug. After this movement, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 grips and pulls out the third drug storage cassette 1. The cassette loading/unloading section 21 gripping the third drug storage cassette 1 is moved by the moving mechanism 22 to a standby position of the second delivery section 3. The second delivery section 3 receives the third drug storage cassette 1 from the cassette loading/unloading section 21 and chucks it. The first delivery section moving section 4 moves the second delivery section 3 to set the third drug storage cassette 1 to the dispensing position. Then, the first dispensing operation section 110 starts the operation of dispensing the PTP sheet 100 that will be the third drug from the third drug storage cassette 1. In addition, the cassette loading/unloading section 21, which has handed over the third medicine-containing cassette 1 to the second delivery section 3, moves away from the second delivery section 3.

The cassette loading/unloading section 21 is moved by the moving mechanism 22 to the location of the fourth drug storage cassette 1 that stores the fourth drug. After this movement, the cassette loading/unloading section 21 grips and pulls out the fourth drug storage cassette 1. The cassette loading/unloading section 21 gripping the fourth drug storage cassette 1 is moved by the moving mechanism 22 to a standby position of the fourth delivery section 3. The fourth delivery section 3 receives the fourth drug storage cassette 1 from the cassette loading/unloading section 21 and chucks it. The second delivery section moving section 4 moves the fourth delivery section 3 to set the fourth drug storage cassette 1 to the dispensing position. Then, the second dispensing operation section 110 starts the operation of dispensing the PTP sheet 100 that will be the fourth drug from the fourth drug storage cassette 1. In addition, the cassette loading/unloading section 21, which has handed over the fourth medicine containing cassette 1 to the fourth delivery section 3, moves away from the fourth delivery section 3.

The dispensing operation unit 110 cannot receive the next drug unless the PTP sheet 100 stored in the sheet stocker 112 is released from the drug sheet outlet 1120. For this reason, the control unit 1005 controls the tray moving unit 5 to position the storage recess T1 of the drug tray T below the drug sheet outlet of the first dispensing operation unit 110. In addition, under the condition that the first dispensing operation unit 110 has completed the operation of dispensing the specified number of first drugs and has completed the operation of positioning the storage recess T1 below the drug sheet outlet 1120, the control unit 1005 opens the sheet stocker 112 in the first dispensing operation unit 110 and releases the PTP sheet 100 that will be the first drug, for example, into the storage recess T1. After dispensing the first drug and moving the first delivery unit 3 to the standby position, the second delivery unit 3 is moved from the standby position to the dispensing position.

The control unit 1005 also controls the tray moving unit 5 to position the storage recess T2 of the drug tray T below the drug sheet outlet of the second dispensing operation unit 110. Then, under the condition that the second dispensing operation unit 110 has completed the operation of dispensing the specified number of second drugs and has completed the operation of positioning the storage recess T2 below the drug sheet outlet 1120, the control unit 1005 opens the sheet stocker 112 in the second dispensing operation unit 110 and releases the PTP sheet 100 that will be the second drug into the storage recess T2.

When the first dispensing operation unit 110 has completed dispensing the PTP sheet 100 that will be the first drug, the control unit 1005 controls the first dispensing operation unit 110 to dispense the specified number of the third drug. Then, under the condition that the first dispensing operation unit 110 has completed dispensing the specified number of the third drug and has completed positioning the storage recess T3 below the drug sheet outlet, the control unit 1005 opens the sheet stocker 112 in the first dispensing operation unit 110 and dispenses the PTP sheet 100 that will be the third drug into the storage recess T3.

When the second dispensing operation unit 110 has completed dispensing the PTP sheet 100 that will be the second drug, the control unit 1005 controls the second dispensing operation unit 110 to dispense the specified number of the fourth drug. Then, under the condition that the second dispensing operation unit 110 has completed dispensing the specified number of the fourth drug and has completed positioning the storage recess T4 below the drug sheet outlet, the control unit 1005 opens the sheet stocker 112 in the second dispensing operation unit 110 and releases the PTP sheet 100 that will be the fourth drug into the storage recess T4.

The control unit 1005 controls the tray moving unit 5 to transport the drug tray T that has received the four types of drugs to the stacking unit of the tray stocker 1012.

The control unit 1005 also controls the cassette transport unit 2 to execute a process of returning the medicine containing cassette 1 that has completed the dispensing of the PTP sheet 100 and is waiting at the delivery position to the cassette shelf 1011. This return process can be performed, for example, in the order of the first medicine containing cassette 1, the second medicine containing cassette 1, the third medicine containing cassette 1, and the fourth medicine containing cassette 1. Alternatively, the medicine containing cassette 1 that is waiting at the delivery position closest to the medicine containing cassette 1 that has been returned to the cassette shelf 1011 can be preferentially returned to the cassette shelf 1011.

Here, for example, if the first medicine containing cassette 1, the second medicine containing cassette 1, and the third medicine containing cassette 1 are transported in sequence to the delivery section 3 and the medicine dispensing from the first medicine containing cassette 1 is completed, it is possible to execute a process of returning the first medicine containing cassette 1 to the cassette shelf 1011 before the fourth medicine containing cassette 1 is transported to the fourth delivery section 3. However, in such a process, even if the medicine dispensing from the second medicine containing cassette 1 is completed and the medicine dispensing from the fourth medicine containing cassette 1 can be started, the medicine dispensing from the fourth medicine containing cassette 1 cannot be started. This increases the time required for the dispensing process of multiple medicine sheets.

In the operation example shown in FIG. 3, the medicine containing cassette 1 is transported to four transfer units 3 in sequence, and then the medicine containing cassette 1 from which the PTP sheet 100 has been dispensed is transported from the transfer unit 3 back to the cassette shelf in sequence. In this way, when the medicine dispensing from the second medicine containing cassette 1 is completed and medicine dispensing from the fourth medicine containing cassette 1 can start, the medicine dispensing from the fourth medicine containing cassette 1 can start immediately. Therefore, the time required for the dispensing process of multiple medicine sheets can be shortened.

Next, examples of the structure of the medicine storage cassette 1, the cassette insertion/removal section 21, the movement mechanism 22, the delivery section 3, the dispensing operation section 110, the delivery section movement section 4, and the tray movement section 5 will be described.

[Drug storage cassette]
As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the dispensing section 120 of the medicine-containing cassette 1 is provided with first limiting sections 121 at two positions, one above the other.

The first restricting portion 121 includes a contact member 121a that contacts the upper or lower edge of the leading PTP sheet 100, a support portion 121b that movably supports the contact member 121a so that the contact member 121a can overcome the upper or lower edge of the PTP sheet 100, and a spring 121c that biases the contact member 121a in a direction that stops the PTP sheet 100.

The support portion 121b is a horizontal shaft around which the contact member 121a is supported so as to be rotatable. The spring 121c is wound around the support portion 121b and both ends are fixed. The center portion of the spring 121c engages with the contact member 121a.

The upper first limiting portion 121 is provided on the upper frame portion 123 that is movable up and down and constitutes the upper frame portion of the dispensing portion 120. Dials 123a are rotatably engaged with both ends of the upper frame portion 123. The dial 123a is screwed into the screw portion 123b, and when the dial 123a is rotated, the dial 123a moves up and down. The screw portion 123b is provided on the cassette body portion. The upper frame portion 123 moves up and down as the dial 123a moves up and down. In other words, when the dial 123a is turned, the upper frame portion 123 moves up and down, and the height of the dispensing portion 120 (the height of the upper contact member 121a) can be adjusted. Therefore, a medicine-containing cassette 1 with a common structure can be used to store multiple types of PTP sheets 100 with different heights.

The medicine containing cassette 1 may also be provided with a size adjustment mechanism in which the size of the medicine is changed by the movement of a size adjustment member, and the adjustment position of the size adjustment member corresponding to the size of the medicine is indicated. For example, the numbers of the sizes 1 to 3 are printed or engraved vertically on the side supporting the dial 123a, and an arrow mark is printed or engraved on the upper frame 123, which serves as the size adjustment member and moves with the rotation of the dial 123a, so as to indicate the number of the size of the medicine. The arrow mark indicates the number of the currently set size of the medicine. When the operator turns the dial 123a and the arrow mark indicates the number of the size of the medicine, the upper frame 123 is set to the third size of the medicine.

The master table stores size information for each drug. For example, if drug A is stored in drug storage cassette 1 No. 25 and the size information for the height of the PTP sheet 100 of drug A is "2", the control unit 1005 displays on the display 1002 that the size information for the height of the PTP sheet 100 of drug A is "2". When the display 1002 displays "2" as the size information for the height of the PTP sheet 100 of drug A, the operator turns the dial 123a so that the arrow mark on drug storage cassette 1 No. 25 points to the number "2". This allows the operator to set the upper frame 123 at a position suitable for the height of the PTP sheet 100 of drug A, even if the operator is not an expert.

The upper frame 123 also has two sheet restraining portions 124, one on each side of the first limiting portion 121. As shown in FIG. 7, the sheet restraining portion 124 is formed integrally with a sheet contact portion 124a and a spring portion 124b. The spring portion 124b is supported by the upper frame 123, and the sheet contact portion 124a presses the PTP sheet 100 downward with an appropriate force.

In addition to the first limiting portion 121, the second limiting portion 122 is provided at two locations on the left and right so as to contact the left and right edges of the leading PTP sheet 100. The second limiting portion 122 is made of an elastic piece that can be deformed in the left and right direction of the dispensing portion 120. The left and right edges of the leading PTP sheet 100 contact the second limiting portion 122. At the tip of the second limiting portion 122, a locking portion 122a formed in a V-groove shape that can hold the left and right edges of the PTP sheet 100 in the storage portion 11 is formed, and the movement of the leading PTP sheet 100 is restricted by its left and right edges being locked by the locking portion 122a. The rear end of the second limiting portion 122 is engaged with the guide side plates 125 arranged on the left and right sides of the storage portion 11. A notch is formed in the guide side plate 125 where the second limiting portion 122 is provided, and the locking portion 122a is located within this notch. The PTP sheet 100 is guided by the guide side plate 125, but at this time, the left and right edges of the PTP sheet 100 are prevented from entering too deeply into the V-shaped groove.

As shown in FIG. 8, the PTP sheet 100 is stored in the storage section 11 of the medicine storage cassette 1 with the long side oriented horizontally and the short side oriented vertically. Therefore, the first limiting section 121 contacts the edge of the long side of the PTP sheet 100, and the second limiting section 122 contacts the edge of the short side of the PTP sheet 100.

As shown in Fig. 9, the left and right guide side plates 125 are each provided with a biasing portion 126. The biasing portion 126 biases the left and right guide side plates 125 so that the leading ends (the sides closer to the dispensing portion 120) of the left and right guide side plates 125 approach each other. The rear ends of the guide side plates 125 are engaged with the left and right upright side plates of the cassette body, and the biasing portion 126 is located between the upright side plates and the guide side plates 125. Furthermore, the angle formed by the biasing portion 126 with the guide side plates 125 is restricted by the position of an angle restricting member 126b fitted into a sawtooth uneven portion 126a in the moving direction of the PTP sheet 100. The angle restricting member 126b is movable in the moving direction of the PTP sheet 100 relative to the sawtooth uneven portion 126a. The further the angle regulating member 126b is moved from the dispensing section 120, the larger the maximum angle formed by the biasing section 126 and the guide side plate 125 becomes, and the tip portions of the left and right guide side plates 125 approach each other. Therefore, even if the size of the PTP sheet 100 is small and the left and right edges are not in contact with the guide side plates 125 at the rear end sides of the left and right guide side plates 125, the tip portions of the left and right guide side plates 125 are in contact with the guide side plates 125 and guided, and the leading PTP sheet 100 is guided to the center of the dispensing section 120. In other words, a medicine-containing cassette 1 having a common structure can be used to store a plurality of types of PTP sheets 100 having different width sizes.

Furthermore, for example, the numbers 1 to 3 of the storage sizes may be printed or engraved near the sawtooth uneven portion 126a, and the currently set storage size number may be indicated to the operator depending on the location of the angle restriction member 126b as a size adjustment member. When the operator adjusts the angle restriction member 126b to the "3" position, the guide side plate 125 is set to the third storage size. The master table stores size information for each drug. For example, if drug A is stored in the drug storage cassette 1 numbered 25 and the size information for the width of the PTP sheet 100 of the drug A is "2", the control unit 1005 displays on the display 1002 that the size information for the height of the PTP sheet 100 of the drug A is "2". When the display 1002 displays the size information for the width of the PTP sheet 100 of the drug A as "2," the operator adjusts the angle restriction member 126b of the drug-containing cassette 1 no. 25 to "2." This allows the guide side plate 125 to be set in a position appropriate for the width of the PTP sheet 100 of the drug A, even if the operator is not an experienced worker.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11 (A), the cover 140 of the medicine-containing cassette 1 is provided with a sheet storage section 141 for storing PTP sheets 100 for cutting out fractional portions.

As shown in FIG. 11B, a moving operation unit 130 is provided in the storage unit 11 of the medicine storage cassette 1 to move the PTP sheet 100 toward the dispensing unit 120. The moving operation unit 130 is, for example, composed of a pressing member 131 that contacts the PTP sheet 100 and a constant-load spring (for example, a constant-load spring) 132. The pressing force of the constant-load spring 132 is set so that the PTP sheet 100 does not overcome the first and second limiting units 121 and 122 by the pressing force alone. The constant-load spring 132 is provided with a locking unit 132a, and the PTP sheet 100 can be set in a state in which the moving operation unit 130 is moved to a rear position and locked. Then, when the lock is released after the PTP sheet 100 is set, the pressing operation against the PTP sheet 100 is started. The constant load spring 132 has a wound spring, the tip of which is fixed near the dispensing unit 120. The locking unit 132a is provided with a gear portion 132b. This gear portion 132b meshes with a toothed portion 11a formed on the bottom surface of the storage unit 11, and the rotation of the gear portion 132b is restricted, thereby locking the moving operation unit 130. If a damper (e.g., an oil damper) 132c is provided on the gear portion 132b, the operating speed of the moving operation unit 130 can be adjusted. In this case, the damper 132c serves as an adjustment means for adjusting the speed at which the moving operation unit 130 moves the PTP sheet 100.

In the open state shown in FIG. 10, the sheet storage section 141 is located above the dispensing section 120. When dispensing the PTP sheet 100, the dispensing section 120 faces the suction main body section 61 (see FIG. 30) described below. The rear wall section 1411 of the sheet storage section 141 faces the suction main body section 61 when it has moved upward from the time of dispensing. A plurality of height adjustment holes 1411a are formed at intervals in the height direction on the upper side of the rear wall section 1411. A height direction limiting plate 142 as a size adjustment member is detachably attached to the rear wall section 1411 by the height adjustment hole 1411a. The mounting height of the height direction limiting plate 142 can be changed to match the height of the PTP sheet 100 stored in the sheet storage section 141, so that the PTP sheet 100 for fractional medicines can be prevented from falling out of the sheet storage section 141 when the lid 140 is rotated.

For example, a storage size number from 1 to 3 corresponding to the formed height may be printed or engraved near the plurality of height adjustment holes 1411a. When the operator adjusts the mounting location of the height direction limiting plate 142 to "2", the height direction limiting plate 142 is set to the second height. The master table stores the storage size number of the sheet storage unit 141 for each drug. For example, if drug A is stored in drug storage cassette 1 No. 25 and the storage size number of the sheet storage unit 141 for the PTP sheet 100 of drug A is "2", the control unit 1005 displays on the display 1002 that the storage size number of the sheet storage unit 141 for drug A is "2". When the display 1002 indicates that the storage size number of the sheet storage section 141 for the drug A is "2," the operator aligns the mounting location of the height direction limiting plate 142 with "2" in the sheet storage section 141 of the drug storage cassette 1 numbered 25. This allows the operator, even if not an expert, to set the height direction limiting plate 142 to a position suitable for the height of the PTP sheet 100 for the drug A.

The side of the medicine storage cassette 1 opposite to the side where the lid 140 is provided is located at the front of the medicine dispensing device 101, and a notch 11c is formed at the top of the front standing wall 11b. The cassette insertion/removal section 21 of the cassette transport section 2 engages with the standing wall 11b.

[Cassette insertion/removal section 21]
12, the cassette insertion/removal section 21 is made up of a front-rear movement section 23, a cassette gripping section 24, and a rail unit 25. The front-rear movement section 23 is connected to the cassette gripping section 24 via the rail unit 25. The front-rear movement section 23 is connected to a connecting plate 25a of the rail unit 25. A base section 241 of the cassette gripping section 24 is connected to a slide section 251 of the rail unit 25.

Figures 13 and 14 only show the forward/backward moving part 23. Note that in Figures 12, 13, and 14, two claw operating parts 231 are depicted in the forward/backward moving part 23, but this does not indicate that there are two claw operating parts 231, but rather shows the advanced and retracted states of one claw operating part 231. The advanced and retracted states of the chain-type cable guide 23a are also depicted. The distance between the advanced and retracted states is the first distance.

The claw operating unit 231 includes a bifurcated claw 231a arranged so that the bifurcated portion is positioned parallel to the rising wall 11b, a rotation drive unit (e.g., a rotary solenoid) 231b that rotates the bifurcated claw 231a so that the bifurcated portion moves in a plane parallel to the rising wall 11b, a bracket 231c that supports the rotation drive unit 231b, a moving nut 231d on which the bracket 231c is supported, a feed screw 231e into which the moving nut 231d is screwed, and a guide unit 231f that guides the moving nut 231d. The feed screw 231e is provided in the front-rear direction of the drug dispensing device 101, and the guide unit 231f guides the moving nut 231d in the front-rear direction. The driving force of the motor 231g is transmitted to the pulley 231i via the belt 231h, and the rotation of this pulley rotates the feed screw 231e.

When the claw operating part 231 is closest to the rising wall 11b and is positioned on the notch 11c, and the bifurcated claw 231a is rotated by the rotation drive part 231b, the rising wall 11b is sandwiched between the bifurcated part. Here, if the notch 11c is formed, the height of the bifurcated claw 231a can be lowered when the claw operating part 231 is engaged with the rising wall 11b, so that the interval between the medicine containing cassettes 1 arranged vertically on the cassette shelf 1011 can be narrowed, the number of medicine containing cassettes 1 that can be loaded can be increased, and the medicine dispensing device 101 can be made smaller. In this embodiment, only the leading portion of the bifurcated claw 231a exceeds the rising wall 11b.

A drug cover section 232 is provided at the bottom of the forward/backward moving section 23. The drug cover section 232 includes a drug cover plate 232a. When the bifurcated claw 231a moves to the retracted position (when it moves the first distance), the drug cover plate 232a is positioned so as to cover the upper side of the drug storage cassette 1 pulled out by this movement. When the bifurcated claw 231a moves to the retracted position, the bifurcated claw 231a rotates and returns to its original state (disengaged state), so that the drug cover plate 232a has a notch 232b formed therein so as not to impede this return. The drug cover plate 232a is provided rotatably by a hinge 232c, and the drug cover plate 232a is biased in a direction to press the PTP sheet 100 in the drug storage cassette 1 by a coil spring 232d, which is a biasing member. The provision of the medicine cover 232 makes it possible to prevent the PTP sheet 100 from popping out from the top of the medicine containing cassette 1 when the cassette conveying unit 2 conveys the medicine containing cassette 1 (particularly when moving downward at high speed). In other words, the medicine containing cassette 1 can be conveyed at high speed, thereby shortening the time required for dispensing medicine. Also, the provision of the coil spring 232d makes it possible to hold down the PTP sheet 100 even for PTP sheets 100 of different heights.

As shown in Figures 15 and 16, rail portions 251a extending in the front-rear direction of the medicine dispensing device 101 are provided on both sides of the slide portion 251 of the rail unit 25, and the slider 251b is guided in the front-rear direction by each rail portion 251a. A belt 253 is driven by a motor 252 of the rail unit 25, and a pulley 254 is rotated by this belt 253. A feed screw 255 is fixed to the pulley 254. This feed screw 255 is rotated by the pulley 254.

As shown in FIG. 17, a bracket 242 is fixed to the upper surface of the base portion 241 of the cassette gripping portion 24. The left and right edges of the bracket 242 are formed with raised portions 242a, and each raised portion 242a is fixed to the slider 251b of the rail unit 25. A movable nut 243 is fixed to the center of the bracket 242. The movable nut 243 is screwed into the feed screw 255 of the rail unit 25. Therefore, the cassette gripping portion 24 moves in the front-rear direction of the medicine dispensing device 101 by rotation of the feed screw 255.

A feed screw 241a is provided on the base portion 241 in the left-right direction of the medicine dispensing device 101. Both ends of the feed screw 241a are rotatably supported by two brackets 241b on the left and right. In addition, screw portions with opposite threading directions are formed on both ends of the feed screw 241a, and a moving nut 244a is screwed into each screw portion. Two slide shafts 241c are supported by the base portion 241 in parallel with the feed screw 241a. Both ends of the slide shafts 241c are fixed by the two brackets 241b.

Chuck plates 244 are provided between the left and right brackets 241b and the base portion 241. The movable nut 244a is provided at the upper center of each chuck plate 244. A linear bush 244b is provided at the upper portion of each chuck plate 244 so as to sandwich the movable nut 244a. The slide shaft 241c is inserted into each linear bush 244b. A gear 245a in the drive unit 245 is fixed to the feed screw 241a. A gear 245b is meshed with the gear 245a. The gear 245b is rotated by a motor 245c. The feed screw 241a rotates due to the rotation of the motor 245c, and this rotation causes the chuck plates 244 to approach each other and move away from each other. This allows the side plate portion of the medicine-containing cassette 1 to be gripped from the side.

The chuck plate 244 is provided with a receiving portion 244c made of a flexible material, and this receiving portion 244c is adapted to come into contact with the side plate portion of the medicine-containing cassette 1. In addition, a positioning member 244d is provided at the front end of the chuck plate 244. This positioning member 244d is provided so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis.

The medicine containing cassette 1 has a positioning recess 1a formed on the outside of the left and right side plate portions near the front end (see FIG. 11(A)). When the medicine containing cassette 1 is pulled out from the cassette shelf 1011 and the side plate portions are gripped by the chuck plate 244, the positioning member 244d engages with the positioning recess 1a. When such engagement is performed, the chuck plate 244 grips the medicine containing cassette 1 at an appropriate position. Even if there is some positional deviation between the positioning member 244d and the positioning recess 1a when the side plate is gripped by the chuck plate 244, the positioning member 244d can engage with the positioning recess 1a due to the force when the side plate portions are gripped by the chuck plate 244. If the receiving portion 244c made of the flexible material is provided, the engagement is easily performed.

Even when the cassette gripping portion 24 approaches the cassette shelf 1011 by the rotation of the feed screw 255, the cassette gripping portion 24 is located in front of the cassette shelf 1011. When the claw operating portion 231 approaches the rising wall 11b, the claw operating portion 231 is located on the notch portion 11c. When the bifurcated claw 231a is rotated by the rotation drive portion 231b, the rising wall 11b is sandwiched between the bifurcated portion. In this state, when the claw operating portion 231 moves to the retracted position, the chuck plate 244 of the cassette gripping portion 24 can grip the medicine-containing cassette 1. When the chuck plate 244 grips the medicine-containing cassette 1, the bifurcated claw 231a of the front-rear moving portion 23 returns to its original state (disengaged state) as described above. As a result, the cassette gripper 24 can move further forward in the drug dispensing device 101 while gripping the drug containing cassette 1, and this further movement causes the drug containing cassette 1 to be completely pulled out from the cassette shelf 1011. In other words, in the gripped state, the cassette gripper 24 moves a distance equal to the drug containing cassette size minus the first distance (the further movement) and pulls out the entire drug containing cassette 1 from the cassette shelf.

When returning the drug-containing cassette 1 to the cassette shelf 1011, the reverse operation of the additional movement is performed, and then the bifurcated claw 231a is engaged with the rising wall 11b, and the bifurcated claw 231a is moved by the forward/backward moving unit 23, so that the drug-containing cassette 1 is completely returned to the cassette shelf 1011.

[Delivery section 3]
As shown in Fig. 18 and Fig. 19, two of the delivery units 3, two of the delivery unit moving units 4, and one of the dispensing operation units 110 are provided on one base unit 113. The base unit 113 is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction of the medicine dispensing device 101 by a rail mechanism 113a. A user can insert and remove the base unit 113 by inserting his/her hand into the handle of the front plate 113b. Here, the dispensing operation unit 110 is directed toward the front side of the medicine dispensing device 101 (the direction in which the base unit 113 is drawn out), and the dispensing unit 120 of the medicine containing cassette 1 transported to the delivery unit 3 and the dispensing operation unit 110 face each other. Then, when the base unit 113 is drawn out, the medicine containing cassette 1 is located in a position close to the user. As a result, when a user manually removes a medicine-containing cassette 1 in which a malfunction has occurred in the sheet dispensing or the like, the dispensing operation unit 110 does not get in the way, making it easier to remove the medicine-containing cassette 1 in which the malfunction has occurred.

As shown in Figures 20 and 21, a feed screw 31a is provided on the linear base plate 31 of each transfer unit 3 in the left-right direction of the drug dispensing device 101. Both ends of the feed screw 31a are rotatably supported by two brackets 31b on the left and right. In addition, screw portions with opposite threading directions are formed on both ends of the feed screw 31a, and a moving nut 34a is screwed into each screw portion. Two slide shafts 31c are supported by the linear base plate 31 in parallel with the feed screw 31a. Both ends of the slide shafts 31c are fixed by the two brackets 31b.

Chuck plates 34 are provided between the left and right brackets 31b and the linear base plate 31. The movable nuts 34a are fixed to the chuck plates 34. A linear bush 34b is provided on each chuck plate 34. The slide shaft 31c is inserted into each linear bush 34b. A bevel gear 35a in the drive unit 35 is fixed to the feed screw 31a. The bevel gear 35b is meshed with the bevel gear 35a. The bevel gear 35b is rotated by a motor 35c. The rotation of the motor 35c rotates the feed screw 31a, and this rotation causes the chuck plates 34 to approach each other and move away from each other. In addition, a cover 38 that covers the drive unit 35, etc. is provided on each transfer unit 3.

As shown in FIG. 22, each transfer section 3 includes a swivel base plate 36. The linear base plate 31 and the swivel base plate 36 are provided so as to be movable relative to each other in the front-rear direction of the drug dispensing device 101 by rails and sliders (not shown). A first pin 36a and a second pin 36b are fixed to the back surface of the swivel base plate 36. An intermediate arm 36c is fixed to the tip of the second pin 36b. An elongated hole is formed in the intermediate arm 36c, and a third pin 31d protruding from the back surface of the linear base plate 31 is engaged with the elongated hole.

[Transfer section moving section 4]
The two transfer section moving parts 4 are provided on a common base part 41. Each transfer section moving part 4 is equipped with a motor 42, and the motor 42 causes a swivel arm 42a to rotate in a horizontal plane around the rotation axis of the motor 42. The second pin 36b is engaged with the tip side of the swivel arm 42a, and the second pin 36b moves on the second arc guide 41b as the swivel arm 42a rotates. Also, the first pin 36a moves on the first arc guide 41a as the swivel arm 42a rotates. The first arc guide 41a and the second arc guide 41b are formed on the base part 41.

The base portion 41 is also formed with a third guide 41c for each transfer section moving section 4, and the third pin 31d is guided by each third guide 41c. The two third guides 41c have left and right linear guide sections extending in the left and right direction of the medicine dispensing device 101. The two left and right linear guide sections are connected to a common guide section via a relay guide section. The common guide section is located between the two transfer section moving sections 4.

When the motor 42 rotates the rotating arm 42a, the rotating base plate 36 in the transfer unit 3 moves in an arc along the first arc guide 41a and the second arc guide 41b. On the other hand, the linear base plate 31 in the transfer unit 3 tries to move in an arc by receiving the moving force of the rotating base plate 36, but moves linearly to the left or right because the third pin 31d is guided by the third guide 41c. Then, the linear base plate 31 moves to the rear side of the drug dispensing device 101 by the common guide part, and the drug storage cassette 1 chucked to the transfer unit 3 faces the dispensing operation unit 110. The relative position change between the linear base plate 31 and the rotating base plate 36 is absorbed by the rail and slider.

After the medicine storage cassette 1 chucked to the delivery section 3 faces the dispensing operation section 110, the lid 140 of the medicine storage cassette 1 is opened by the lid opening/closing section 160 in the dispensing operation section 110.

As shown in Figures 23, 24 and 25, the sheet stocker 112 is provided in the dispensing operation unit 110. The sheet stocker 112 is provided below the lid 140 of the medicine storage cassette 1 at a position where the medicine storage cassette 1 chucked to the delivery unit 3 faces the dispensing operation unit 110. The hopper section 112a of the sheet stocker 112 temporarily stores the PTP sheet 100 and the fractional packaged medicine dispensed from the dispensing section 120 of the medicine storage cassette 1.

The bottom of the hopper section 112a is composed of the first shutter 112b, which is the storage shutter. A drop tube is formed at the bottom of the first shutter 112b, and the second shutter 112c, which is the storage shutter, is provided at the bottom of the drop tube (medicine sheet outlet section 1120). The first shutter 112b and the second shutter 112c are opened and closed simultaneously by the drive motor 112d. An umbrella gear is fixed to the rotating shaft of the drive motor 112d, and the pivot arm 112e rotates by this umbrella gear. In FIG. 24, only the drive system of the first shutter 112b is shown, and the drive system of the second shutter 112c is the same as the drive system of the first shutter 112b. A link member 112f is connected to the pivot arm 112e, and this link member 112f is connected to the first shutter 112b. When the drive motor 112d rotates, the pivot arm 112e rotates, the link member 112f moves, and the first shutter 112b opens and closes. The first shutter 112b and the second shutter 112c are guided by a slide shaft 112g.

As shown in FIG. 26, a drug sheet such as a PTP sheet 100 has flat edges (sheet portions) on both ends, with one edge being wider than the other. This wide edge 100a is generally called an ear. In a drug dispensing device that has the function of cutting out a fractional amount of packaged drug from the drug sheet, if the orientation of the pocket or the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 removed from the drug-containing cassette 1 is indefinite, the fractional amount of packaged drug may not be properly cut out. For PTP sheets 100 that are not to be cut out, there is no need to detect the orientation of the pocket or the wide edge 100a.

26 shows three axes for rotating the PTP sheet 100. The three axes are the normal to the sheet surface of the PTP sheet 100, the short axis, and the long axis. The short axis and the long axis are perpendicular to each other in the plane of the PTP sheet 100. An example of the position of the rotation center around the long axis is an axis passing through the center of the short side of the PTP sheet 100. An example of the position of the rotation center around the short axis is an axis passing through the center of the length of the PTP sheet 100. An example of the rotation center around the normal is the intersection of the rotation center around the long axis and the rotation center around the short axis. Here, the PTP sheet 100 is symmetrical with respect to the second axis (long axis). If the rotation center around the normal is located near the intersection of the rotation center around the long axis and the rotation center around the short axis, the space required for rotation around the normal can be reduced. In this embodiment, rotation around the normal is adopted.

FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram showing the state changes of the PTP sheet 100. The states of the PTP sheet 100 include a first state in which the pocket faces up and the wide edge 100a is in the left position, a second state (the state shown in FIG. 26) in which the pocket faces up and the wide edge 100a is in the right position, a third state in which the pocket faces down and the wide edge 100a is in the left position, and a fourth state in which the pocket faces down and the wide edge 100a is in the right position. Regardless of the state of the first PTP sheet 100 dispensed, it can be aligned to one of the states by causing two state changes among state changes due to rotation around the long axis, state changes due to rotation around the short axis, and state changes due to rotation around the normal line. That is, the pocket orientation and the wide edge 100a orientation of the PTP sheet 100 can be oriented in the same direction. It is also possible to configure the wide edge 100a to be oriented in one direction only.

[Disbursement operation unit 110]
The dispensing operation unit 110 includes the lid opening/closing unit 160, as shown in Figures 28 and 29. The lid opening/closing unit 160 includes a shaft portion 161 that engages with an engagement portion formed on the lid 140, and opens and closes the lid 140 by moving the shaft portion 161 along an arcuate path with the shaft portion 161 engaged with the engagement portion. The lid opening/closing unit 160 also includes a shaft portion 162 that engages with an engagement portion formed on the sheet storage unit 141, and rotates the shaft portion 162 with the shaft portion 162 engaged with the engagement portion to rotate the sheet storage unit 141.

The dispensing operation unit 110 also includes a suction operation unit 6 for suctioning and drawing out the first PTP sheet 100 in the medicine storage cassette 1, a sheet gripping unit 8 for gripping and receiving the PTP sheet 100 drawn out by the suction operation unit 6 when a fractional packaged medicine is required, and a normal rotation unit 13 for rotating the PTP sheet 100 drawn out by the suction operation unit 6 around the normal of the sheet surface when a fractional packaged medicine is required. The normal to the sheet surface is the normal to the center position of the sheet surface of the PTP sheet 100. Here, the normal to the center position of the sheet surface is parallel to the perpendicular line (orthogonal line) to the sheet surface when it is assumed that the PTP sheet 100 is a flat surface rather than a curved surface. In this embodiment, the direction of the normal to the sheet surface is equal to the front-rear direction, the direction in which the PTP sheets 100 are arranged in the medicine storage cassette 1, and the direction in which the medicine storage cassette 1 moves. In addition, when the PTP sheet 100 is dispensed, the normal rotation part 13 is positioned at the center position of the dispensing part 120 of the medicine-containing cassette 1 (the center position of the PTP sheet 100).

The sheet gripping unit 8 includes a gripping body 81 that is rotatable around a horizontal axis, a rotating unit 82 that rotates the gripping body 81, and a left-right movement device 83 that moves the rotating unit 82 in the left-right direction. The sheet gripping unit 8 also functions as a detector for the wide edge 100a.

As shown in FIG. 30, the base 611 of the suction main body 61 can be moved up and down by the lifting device 64. The lifting device 64 includes a moving nut 64a fixed to the side of the base 611, a feed screw 64b screwed into the moving nut 64a, a motor 64c that rotates the feed screw 64b, a belt transmission mechanism 64d that transmits the driving force of the motor 64c to the feed screw 64b, and a guide 64e that stabilizes the lifting of the base 611. The lifting device 64 can adjust the vertical position of the suction main body 61.

The suction body 61 is connected to the base 611 via a guide rail 65e of a front-rear moving device 65. The front-rear moving device 65 moves the suction body 61 in the front-rear direction (the direction approaching and moving away from the dispensing unit 120 of the medicine-containing cassette 1). The front-rear moving device 65 includes a moving nut 65a fixed to the back surface of the suction body 61, a feed screw 65b screwed into the moving nut 65a, a motor 65c that rotates the feed screw 65b, and a belt transmission mechanism 65d that transmits the driving force of the motor 65c to the feed screw 65b.

The forward/backward movement device 65 can suck the leading PTP sheet 100 and move the suction main body 61 in the direction in which the moving operation unit 130 moves the PTP sheet 100 faster than the speed at which the moving operation unit 130 in the medicine storage cassette 1 moves the PTP sheet 100.

When the suction main body 61 is moved toward the medicine storage cassette 1 by the forward/backward moving device 65, the suction main body 61 comes into contact with and adheres to the sheet portion of the leading PTP sheet 100. When the pocket portion of the leading PTP sheet 100 faces the dispensing operation unit 110, the movable plate 62a of the pocket detection unit 62 is displaced in position according to the protruding height of the pocket portion, and this position displacement can be detected, for example, by the resistance value (voltage value) of a potentiometer.

31(A) and 31(B), the suction main body 61 has, for example, four suction cups 61a arranged horizontally. The four suction cups 61a arranged are divided into a first group consisting of two suction cups on the side closer to the sheet gripping portion 8 and a second group consisting of two suction cups on the side farther from the sheet gripping portion 8, as shown in Figs. 37(A), 37(B), and 37(C). Suction for each group can be performed by operating an electromagnetic valve provided on the intake path of each group. When the suction operation is performed only on the first group from a state in which all of the four suction cups 61a are in the suction-off state, a strong suction force is generated in the two suction cups 61a of the first group, and the PTP sheet 100 is sucked to the two suction cups 61a of the first group with high certainty. Then, after the suction operation of the first group is performed, the suction operation of the four suction cups 61a of the second group is also performed, so that the four suction cups 61a can accurately suction and hold the PTP sheet 100. In this way, by driving a part of the multiple suction cups (a part on the side closer to the sheet gripping portion 8) in advance, it becomes possible to accurately suction and hold the PTP sheet 100.

The normal rotation section 13 is provided with a suction rotary pipe section 13a at the center of the four aligned suction cups 61a. A suction cup section 13b is provided at the tip of the suction rotary pipe section 13a. The rear side of the suction rotary pipe section 13a is supported by a bearing section 13c. A rotary joint 13d is connected to the rear end of the suction rotary pipe section 13a, and the rotary joint 13d is connected to a suction pump via a tube. A belt 13e is wound around the rear of the suction rotary pipe section 13a and the drive pulley of the motor 13f. When the motor 13f operates, the suction rotary pipe section 13a rotates around its central axis. The suction rotary pipe section 13a is fixed in the front-rear direction.

When the delivery unit 3 is moved to the dispensing position by the delivery unit moving unit 4, the medicine containing cassette 1 chucked by the delivery unit 3 faces the suction main body 61. Then, the cover opening/closing unit 160 executes an operation to open the cover 140. Next, the suction main body 61 moves in a direction approaching the medicine containing cassette 1, causing the suction cup 61a to contact the PTP sheet 100 in the medicine containing cassette 1 and suck the PTP sheet 100. At this time, the movable plate 62a of the pocket detection unit 62 (see Figures 26 and 30) detects the orientation of the pocket portion of the PTP sheet 100. The suction main body 61 moves in a direction away from the dispensing unit 120, causing the leading PTP sheet 100 to be pulled out from the medicine containing cassette 1.

In addition, when suction is performed by the suction main body 61 after all the PTP sheets 100 have been pulled out from the medicine storage cassette 1, the suction cup 61a will suck the pressing member 131 of the moving operation unit 130. Since a plurality of grooves 131a are formed on the pressing surface of the pressing member 131 that contacts the PTP sheet 100 as shown in FIG. 5, when the PTP sheet 100 becomes empty, the suction cup 61a will come into contact with the pressing surface of the pressing member 131. In this case, air leaks from the grooves 131a, so that a predetermined negative pressure state cannot be obtained in the suction circuit of the suction cup 61a even if the suction operation is performed by the suction operation unit 6. That is, the suction by the suction main body 61 cannot be completed even after a certain time has passed. When the suction by the suction main body 61 cannot be completed even after a certain time has passed, the control unit 1005 can determine that there is a possibility that the PTP sheet 100 is out of stock. In addition, if four suction cups 61a are provided on the suction main body 61, four grooves 131a are sufficient. In other words, the grooves 131a may be provided at least at positions corresponding to the suction cups 61a, and the number of grooves 131a may be the same as the number of the suction cups 61a.

When a fractional amount of packaged medicine is required, if the detection result by the movable plate 62a indicates that the pocket portion of the PTP sheet 100 faces the suction cup 61a, the suction main body 61 passes the PTP sheet 100 to the sheet gripping unit 8. The sheet gripping unit 8 faces the pocket portion toward the medicine-containing cassette 1. The suction main body 61 then receives the PTP sheet 100 from the sheet gripping unit 8.

When the sheet gripping unit 8 grips the PTP sheet 100, it determines whether the gripped side is the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100. If the sheet gripping unit 8 grips the wide edge 100a, the normal rotation unit 13 does not rotate the sheet around the normal, and the suction main body 61 moves in a direction approaching the drug storage cassette 1, dropping the PTP sheet 100 onto the sheet storage unit 141 of the lid 140. The wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 dropped onto the sheet storage unit 141 faces the sheet gripping unit 14, which will be described later, and the side opposite the wide edge 100a faces the cutter unit 15 provided in the dispensing operation unit 110. In addition, even if the pocket portion of the PTP sheet 100 faces the medicine-containing cassette 1, the suction main body 61 passes the PTP sheet 100 to the sheet gripping unit 8 to detect the wide edge 100a. However, in this case, the sheet gripping unit 8 does not rotate the PTP sheet 100.

On the other hand, if the sheet gripping unit 8 grips the opposite side of the wide edge 100a, the suction main unit 61 passes the PTP sheet 100 to the normal rotation unit 13. This normal rotation unit 13 rotates the PTP sheet 100 around the normal so that the wide edge 100a faces 180 degrees in the opposite direction.

Here, as shown in FIG. 8, when two adjacent PTP sheets 100 in the medicine-containing cassette 1 face each other with the pockets formed thereon, the upper end position of the PTP sheet 100 whose lower end is in contact with the bottom of the medicine-containing cassette 1 is the original position, while the upper end position of the other PTP sheet 100 is higher by a height H than the original position. The height H differs for each medicine, and the information on the height H is recorded in the master table for each medicine. In addition, when the PTP sheet 100 has three rows of pockets, as shown in FIG. 8, the suction height from the lower end of the sheet is about 1/3 of the height of the PTP sheet 100, and when the PTP sheet 100 has an even number of rows of pockets, such as two or four rows, the suction height is about 1/2 of the height of the PTP sheet 100. The suction height differs for each medicine and is recorded in the master table. The height H information and the suction height information can be used when the suction main body 61 dispenses the PTP sheet 100.

When the pocket portion of the PTP sheet 100 is not facing the suction main body portion 61, suction is almost always successful on the first suction try regardless of whether the PTP sheet 100 is in contact with the bottom of the drug storage cassette 1, and the PTP sheet 100 can be removed from the drug storage cassette 1. However, when the PTP sheet 100 is not in contact with the bottom of the drug storage cassette 1, the suction position of the suction cup 61a is lower than the original suction height of the PTP sheet 100, which is its original position. In this case, when the normal rotation unit 13 rotates the PTP sheet 100 around the normal so that the wide edge 100a faces in the opposite direction by 180 degrees, and then the PTP sheet 100 is handed over to the suction main unit 61, the distance from the suction position of the suction cup 61a to the bottom end of the PTP sheet 100 becomes longer than when the sheet is suctioned at the original suction height.

In this way, when the suction position is not the original position, when the suction main body 61 executes a moving operation to drop the PTP sheet 100 onto the sheet storage section 141, the lower end of the PTP sheet 100 may come into contact with the upper end 143 of the wall at the entrance of the sheet storage section 141 shown in FIG. 10. Therefore, in the series of processes for dropping the PTP sheet 100 onto the sheet storage section 141, when an operation is executed to rotate the wide edge 100a 180 degrees in the opposite direction, a process is performed to eliminate (absorb) the fluctuation in the position of the lower edge of the drug sheet caused by the 180-degree rotation.

The process for eliminating the fluctuation may be an operation of moving the suction body 61 upward a fixed or non-fixed distance compared to the case where the operation of turning the wide edge 100a 180 degrees in the opposite direction is not performed. This movement can prevent the bottom end of the PTP sheet 100 from contacting the top end 143 of the wall at the entrance of the sheet storage section 141.

When the fixed distance is used, the PTP sheet 100 of each drug is moved upward by the fixed distance. On the other hand, the non-fixed distance is, for example, the height H or a distance that includes a margin in addition to the height H, in which case the PTP sheet 100 is moved upward by a different distance for each drug. Both the fixed distance movement and the non-fixed distance movement are movement operations of the suction main body 61 that absorb the positional deviation of the PTP sheet 100 within the drug-containing cassette 1. The positional deviation of the PTP sheet 100 within the drug-containing cassette 1 occurs when, as described above, two front and rear PTP sheets 100 in the drug-containing cassette 1 face each other with the sides where the pockets are formed.

When the PTP sheet 100 that is not in contact with the bottom of the medicine-containing cassette 1 is located at the front and its pocket portion faces the suction main body portion 61, the first suction attempt may fail. For example, if the suction cup 61a hits the pocket portion and creates a gap, the suction cannot be completed. If the suction cannot be completed even after a certain period of time has passed, it is determined to have failed. In this case, for example, the movable plate 62a of the pocket detection portion 62 is advanced and then moved downward a certain or non-certain distance. This movement allows the other PTP sheet 100 to come into contact with the bottom of the medicine-containing cassette 1 by the movable plate 62a, and the PTP sheet 100 can be sucked and removed from the medicine-containing cassette 1 with almost no failure in the next suction attempt. Note that a second attempt may be performed after the first failure, and when this is also determined to have failed, the movable plate 62a, etc. may be moved downward a certain or non-certain distance.

When the fixed distance is used, all PTP sheets 100 are moved downward by the fixed distance. On the other hand, the non-fixed distance is, for example, the height H or a distance that includes a margin in addition to the height H, in which case the PTP sheet 100 is moved downward by a different distance for each drug.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, when two adjacent PTP sheets 100 in the medicine-containing cassette 1 are arranged with the sides on which the pockets are formed facing each other, the side edges of these two PTP sheets 100 may not coincide.

Here, as described above, when the sheet gripping unit 8 grips the PTP sheet 100, it judges whether the gripped side is the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100. The sheet gripping unit 8 can move laterally and is equipped with, for example, an optical sensor 801 as shown in FIG. 40 in order to detect the lateral edge of the PTP sheet 100. When the sheet gripping unit 8 detects the lateral edge with the optical sensor 801, it stops the lateral movement in the direction approaching the PTP sheet 100 and starts the operation of gripping the PTP sheet 100. As a result, even if the taken-out PTP sheet 100 is misaligned in the lateral direction due to the lateral edges of the two PTP sheets 100 not matching, the sheet gripping unit 8 can properly grip the PTP sheet 100 by detecting the lateral edge.

On the other hand, if the suction main body 61 performs a moving operation to drop the PTP sheet 100 onto the sheet storage section 141 while the lateral misalignment exists, there is a risk that the PTP sheet 100 may fail to be placed in the sheet storage section 141 shown in FIG. 10. Therefore, when the sheet gripping section 8 receives the PTP sheet 100 from the suction main body 61 and then passes the PTP sheet 100 back to the suction main body 61, the sheet gripping section 8 moves laterally to eliminate the lateral misalignment.

Specifically, the master table records the distance d from the center of the PTP sheet 100 to the side edge of the sheet for each drug (for example, this can be indicated by information such as the number of motor pulses required for the sheet gripper 8 to move). In addition, a stepping motor, for example, is used for the lateral movement, and it is possible to determine how far the sheet gripper 8 has moved from the reference position. In addition, the distance D from the reference position to the center of the dispensing section 120 of the drug storage cassette 1 (the axis position of the normal rotation section 13) is known. Therefore, if the optical sensor 801 cannot detect the side edge of the sheet at a position where the sheet gripper 8 has moved a distance obtained by subtracting the distance d from the distance D, it can be determined that a positional deviation has occurred in the lateral direction. Therefore, when the sheet gripping unit 8 receives the PTP sheet 100 from the suction main body 61 and then passes the PTP sheet 100 back to the suction main body 61, the sheet gripping unit 8 adjusts and moves in the lateral direction by the amount of the lateral deviation. This eliminates the lateral deviation. Note that after the sheet gripping unit 8 receives the PTP sheet 100 from the suction main body 61, it may return to the reference position once and then move in the lateral direction a distance obtained by subtracting the distance d from the distance D.

The sheet gripping unit 14 is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction of the drug dispensing device 101. The sheet gripping unit 14 grips the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 dropped onto the sheet storage unit 141, and moves the PTP sheet 100 to the cutter unit 15. The cutter unit 15 is composed of a fixed blade 15a and a movable blade 15b, and can cut the PTP sheet 100 into an L-shape. After this cutting, the sheet gripping unit 14 moves the PTP sheet 100 to the sheet storage unit 141, and places the PTP sheet 100 on the sheet storage unit 141. The remaining packaged drug obtained by the cutting falls onto the belt conveyor 15c. The remaining packaged medicines are transported by the belt conveyor 15c, pass through the notch 1121 (see FIG. 24) formed in the hopper section 112a of the sheet stocker 112, and fall into the hopper section 112a.

When multiple PTP sheets 100 need to be removed based on the prescription data, the suction main body 61 repeatedly removes the PTP sheets 100 from the medicine containing cassette 1 in parallel with the operation of cutting out the fractional packaged medicine, and the removed PTP sheets 100 are dropped sequentially into the sheet stocker 112. In this way, by performing the operation of removing the PTP sheets 100 from the medicine containing cassette 1 in parallel with the process of cutting out the fractional packaged medicine, it is possible to shorten the time required for dispensing.

For example, the operation of setting the PTP sheet 100 for cutting out the fractional amount in the sheet storage unit 141 is performed on the PTP sheet 100 that was first removed from the medicine containing cassette 1. Then, a first process of cutting out the fractional amount of packaged medicine from the PTP sheet 100 set in the sheet storage unit 141 and a second process of the suction main body unit 61 removing the required number of PTP sheets 100 from the medicine containing cassette 1 are performed in parallel. Note that even if the PTP sheet 100 removed second or later, rather than the first, is set in the sheet storage unit 141, the first process and the second process can be performed in parallel. Also, if the PTP sheet 100 for cutting out the fraction or some fractional packaged medicines are already remaining in the sheet storage unit 141 and are used to cut the fraction, the second process can be performed during that time, and if the sheet storage unit 141 becomes empty during this second process, the second process can be temporarily stopped and the PTP sheet 100 for cutting out the fraction can be set in the sheet storage unit 141.

In addition, when the prescription data requires the process of dispensing multiple PTP sheets 100 and a PTP sheet 100 for cutting out fractional parts is also required, the following process may be performed. For example, the orientation of the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 first removed from the medicine containing cassette 1 is detected by the sheet gripping unit 8. If the wide edge 100a is not facing the specified direction, the first PTP sheet 100 is dropped and dispensed. The same process is performed for the subsequent PTP sheets 100.

Here, for example, when it is necessary to dispense three PTP sheets 100 and a fractional number of packaged medicines, if the orientation of the wide edge 100a of the third PTP sheet 100 taken out is the specified orientation, the third PTP sheet 100 taken out is set in the sheet storage unit 141. That is, the third PTP sheet 100 taken out is used as the PTP sheet 100 for cutting out the fractional number. Since the number of PTP sheets 100 to be dispensed is three, the PTP sheets 100 are subsequently taken out from the medicine-containing cassette 1 and dispensed.

On the other hand, if the wide edge 100a of the third PTP sheet 100 taken out does not face the specified direction, the third PTP sheet 100 taken out is dropped and dispensed. Then, the fourth PTP sheet 100 is taken out from the medicine-containing cassette 1. If the wide edge 100a of this fourth PTP sheet 100 does not face the specified direction, the PTP sheet 100 is rotated by the normal rotation unit 13 and set in the sheet storage unit 141.

That is, when it is necessary to store the PTP sheets 100 in a predetermined orientation in the sheet storage section 141 for cutting out fractions provided in the medicine containing cassette 1, the PTP sheets 100 facing the predetermined orientation among the multiple PTP sheets 100 taken out from the medicine containing cassette 1 are stored in the sheet storage section 141. Then, when all of the taken out PTP sheets 100 are not facing the predetermined orientation, the last PTP sheet 100 is rotated by the normal rotation section 13, which is a rotation operation section.

The above method can minimize the rotation of the PTP sheet 100 by the rotation operation unit, thereby shortening the time required for the drug dispensing process. In this case, however, there is a risk that the mechanical detection operation by the sheet gripping unit 8, which detects the orientation of the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100, may increase. Here, if an image sensor is used to detect the orientation of the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 removed from the drug storage cassette 1, the above mechanical detection operation is unnecessary, and the dispensing time can be shortened by improving the image processing speed.

In the above method, among the multiple PTP sheets 100 taken out from the medicine-containing cassette 1, the PTP sheets 100 whose wide edge 100a and pocket portions are both oriented in a predetermined direction may be stored in the sheet storage section 141. If either or both of the wide edge 100a and pocket portions of all the taken-out PTP sheets 100 are not oriented in the predetermined direction, the last PTP sheet 100 is rotated by the normal rotation section 13, which is a rotation operating section, and/or the sheet gripping section 8. The pocket portions of the PTP sheets 100 taken out from the medicine-containing cassette 1 can also be detected by the image sensor.

In the above embodiment, the pocket and the wide edge of the medicine sheet removed from the medicine containing cassette are configured to face in the same direction, but if the user aligns the pocket orientation before setting the medicine sheet in the medicine containing cassette, the configuration can be such that the means for detecting the pocket and the means for reversing the pocket orientation are omitted.

In addition, as long as at least the wide edges of the drug sheets removed from the drug storage cassette can be oriented in the same direction, it is possible to perform fractional cuts on the drug sheets even if the pockets are not oriented in the same direction.

Here, an example of the operation for dispensing the PTP sheets 100 one by one is shown. In this example of the operation, the suction main body 61 sucks the leading PTP sheet 100 in the storage section 11 and pushes the PTP sheet 100 in the opposite direction to the movement direction of the PTP sheet 100 by the moving operation section 130. Then, the PTP sheet 100 is pulled in the same direction as the movement direction at a speed faster than the movement speed of the PTP sheet 100 by the moving operation section 130. As a result, the contact member 121a of the first limiting section 121 is positioned between the leading PTP sheet 100 and the second PTP sheet 100, and only the leading PTP sheet 100 is dispensed.

In addition, after the forward/backward moving device 65 moves the suction operation unit (take-out unit) 6 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the moving operation unit 130 moves the PTP sheet 100 (the moving operation unit 130 moves in the opposite direction by pushing in the opposite direction), it is desirable to move the suction operation unit 6 holding the leading PTP sheet 100 in the direction in which the moving operation unit 130 moves the PTP sheet 100 faster than the speed at which the moving operation unit 130 moves the PTP sheet 100. In this way, by moving the suction main body unit 61 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the moving operation unit 130 moves the PTP sheet 100, the distance between the leading PTP sheet 100 and the first limiting unit 121 can be increased when the PTP sheet 100 is dispensed. This increases the time from when the suction main body 61 starts to move the leading PTP sheet 100 until the leading PTP sheet 100 overcomes the first limiting portion 121. Therefore, even if the difference between the speed at which the suction main body 61 moves the PTP sheet 100 and the speed at which the moving operation unit 130 moves the PTP sheet 100 is small, the distance between the leading PTP sheet 100 and the second PTP sheet 100 can be increased when the leading PTP sheet 100 passes the first limiting portion 121, making it easier for the first limiting portion 121 to enter between the leading PTP sheet 100 and the second PTP sheet 100.

The suction main body 61 sucks the leading PTP sheet 100 in the storage section 11 and pushes the PTP sheet 100 in the opposite direction to the movement direction of the PTP sheet 100 by the moving operation section 130, thereby ensuring that the suction main body 61 sucks the PTP sheet 100.

[Tray moving unit 500]
The tray moving part 500 may not be present in a type in which the drug dispensing device is constituted by one drug dispensing device 101. When the tray moving part 500 is provided, another drug dispensing device 101 can be placed on the tray moving part 500, and the drug tray T can be moved between a plurality of drug dispensing devices. As shown in FIG. 1, the tray moving part 500 has a conveyor part 51 that moves the drug tray T in the left-right direction of the drug dispensing device 101. As shown in FIG. 32(A) and FIG. 32(B), the conveyor part 51 has two moving belts 51b on both sides of a monorail part 51a extending in the left-right direction. The drug tray T is placed on the moving belt 51b so that a recess C formed in the bottom part of the drug tray T engages with the monorail part 51a. The moving belt 51b is driven by a motor 51c. Since the drug tray T is guided by the monorail part 51a, the structure can be simplified. Although the recess C is formed by utilizing the formation of the storage recesses T1, T2, T3, and T4, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, a medicine tray T having one storage recess T11 may be used. This medicine tray T has two legs T10 on the lower surface of the tray body, and a recess C into which the monorail section 51a fits is formed between these legs T10. Even if the medicine tray T does not have multiple storage recesses, it is possible to arrange the medicine at an appropriate position in the front, back, left, and right directions of the medicine tray T by moving the medicine tray T back and forth and left and right with the conveyor section 51.

The conveyor unit 51 is moved in the front-rear direction of the drug dispensing device 101 by a front-rear drive unit 52. A feed screw 52a is provided in the front-rear drive unit 52 in the front-rear direction. A moving nut is provided on the base of the conveyor unit 51, and the feed screw 52a is screwed into the moving nut. When the feed screw 52a is rotated by a motor 52b, the conveyor unit 51 is moved in the front-rear direction. The conveyor unit 51 is guided in the front-rear direction by a guide shaft 52c.

The conveyor unit 51 is provided with a positioning unit 53. This positioning unit 53 can position the medicine tray T at multiple positions by rotating a shaft (support shaft) 53b provided in the left-right direction of the medicine dispensing device 101 using the driving force of one motor 53a. The positioning unit 53 has six stopper members 531 operated by the shaft 53b. Two fixed stopper parts 532 that do not move with the conveyor unit 51 are provided at both left and right ends of the tray moving unit 500.

As shown in FIG. 33, the main body 531a of each stopper member 531 is provided with a rotatable rotating part 531b. The rotating part 531b can rotate when it comes into contact with the side of the medicine tray T moving in the left-right direction of the medicine dispensing device 101. In addition, a shaft insertion hole 531c is formed in the main body 531a, and the shaft 53b is inserted into this shaft insertion hole 531c. Each stopper member 531 is provided rotatably with respect to the shaft 53b.

The fixed portion 531e, which is provided separately from the main body portion 531a, is fixed to the shaft 53b. One end of the coil spring 531d wound around the shaft 53b is engaged with the fixed portion 531e, and the other end is engaged with the main body portion 531a, so that the stopper member 531 rotates together with the shaft 53b. When the stopper member 531 tilts in the direction of travel of the medicine tray T due to this integral rotation, the movement of the medicine tray T is prevented and the position is determined. On the other hand, when the rotating portion 531b hits the side of the medicine tray T when the stopper member 531 tilts, the state in which the main body portion 531a hits the side of the medicine tray T against the coil spring 531d is maintained, and the rotating portion 531b rotates and does not prevent the movement of the medicine tray T.

That is, the positioning unit 53 includes a plurality of stopper members 531 that stand up when the shaft 53b rotates in a first rotation direction to allow the medicine tray T to pass, and tilt when the shaft 53b rotates in a second rotation direction to prevent the medicine tray T from passing, and a coil spring 531d (elastic member) that allows the stopper members 531, which come into contact with the side portion of the medicine tray T when the shaft 53b rotates in the second rotation direction, to not tilt.

For example, when the medicine tray T is detected by a sensor (not shown) just before the desired positioning location, the motor 53a is operated to rotate the shaft 53b, thereby stopping the medicine tray T at the desired positioning location. In this way, the multiple stopper members 531 move together to position the medicine tray T, while some of the multiple stopper members 531 do not move together and do not function as stoppers. This structure is realized with one motor 53a and one shaft 53b, simplifying the structure.

The tray moving unit 5 includes the conveyor unit 51 and a fixed conveyor unit 55. That is, the tray moving unit 5 corresponds to a structure in which the conveyor unit 51 is provided on the front side (the front side of the drug dispensing device 101) of the tray moving unit 500 and a fixed conveyor unit 55 is provided (see FIG. 1). The conveyor unit 55 does not include the positioning unit 53. The conveyor unit 55 can receive an empty drug tray T from the tray stocker 1012 and transfer the empty drug tray T to the conveyor unit 51 of the tray moving unit 500. The tray moving unit 500 that receives the empty drug tray T moves the conveyor unit 51 backward and transfers the empty drug tray T to the conveyor unit 51 of the tray moving unit 5. By including the tray moving unit 500, it is possible to operate a plurality of drug trays T, such as by having a drug tray to be used in the next dispensing wait on the tray moving unit 500.

The tray moving unit 5 is provided below the dispensing operation unit 110 and is movable in the front-rear direction of the drug dispensing device 101, and can be pulled out from the position below the dispensing operation unit 110 to the front side of the device.

34 shows the position of the stopper member 531 on the conveyor section 51 of the tray moving section 5, the position of the sheet stocker 112 of the first dispensing operation section 110 and the second dispensing operation section 110, and all the stop positions from the right and left when the four storage recesses T1, T2, T3, and T4 of the medicine tray T are aligned with the positions of the two sheet stockers 112. This stop position example illustrates a case where the interval between the positions at which the medicine tray T is to be stopped (the arrangement interval of the stopper members 531) is shorter than the tray size in the conveying direction of the medicine tray T in order to make the medicine dispensing device more compact. To realize this exemplary configuration, the positioning section 53 ensures the rotation of the shaft 53b even if the stopper member 531 located on the side of the medicine tray T hits the side of the tray, and the other stopper member 531 functions as a stopper.

As can be seen from FIG. 34, eight stopper members are required for the positioning unit 53. In this embodiment, as mentioned above, six stopper members 531 operated by the shaft 53b are provided, and two fixed stopper portions 532 are provided. When the conveyor portion 51 is moved to the rear side of the medicine dispensing device, the fixed stopper portions 532 do not become an obstacle, and the medicine tray T can move between the tray moving portion 500 and the tray moving portion 5.

The suction operation unit 6 cannot pull out the PTP sheet 100 when the medicine storage cassette 1 is empty (out of stock) or when the suction operation unit 6 is not able to pull out the PTP sheet 100. In this embodiment, a weight scale for measuring the weight of the medicine storage cassette 1 is provided in each dispensing operation unit 110, and when the medicine storage cassette 1 is grasped, the number of PTP sheets 100 contained therein (inventory) can be determined. When the suction operation unit 6 cannot pull out the PTP sheet 100 from the medicine storage cassette 1 that is determined to be in stock, the following processing can be performed. That is, when it is determined that there is inventory and suction cannot be performed, it is determined that a suction failure has occurred and an error processing is performed, and when it is determined that there is empty (out of stock) and suction cannot be performed, an error processing indicating a shortage is performed. This allows the user to be informed of the exact status of the device 101. When the setting is set to continue the dispensing process without an error in the case of out of stock, the processing such as stopping the device with an error processing can be appropriately performed when there is no shortage.

It may be possible to prohibit two adjacent PTP sheets 100 in the medicine containing cassette 1 from being set with the pocket sides facing each other for a specific medicine. For example, it is prohibited for a medicine that causes poor suction due to the strong bonding of the two PTP sheets 100 to each other. Such prohibition information can be registered in the master table for each medicine. When a medicine containing cassette 1 containing a medicine for which prohibition information is set is selected as a medicine refill target, as shown in FIG. 38, the control unit 1005 can display a message on the display 1002 to call attention to the setting of the PTP sheet 100. For example, a message such as "It is prohibited to set this medicine sheet in the cassette with the pocket sides facing each other. When setting the medicine sheet in the cassette, be sure to orient the medicine sheet in a certain direction." is displayed. The medicine containing cassette is selected by reading the medicine containing cassette ID from a barcode printed on the medicine containing cassette or an information recording unit (e.g., an RFID tag: radio frequency identifier tag, etc.) held in the medicine containing cassette. In addition, a message such as that shown in FIG. 38 may be displayed not only when the drug-containing cassette 1 is selected as the drug replenishment target, but also when a specific drug is selected, for example, when a barcode printed on the PTP sheet 100 or a barcode printed on a box in which multiple PTP sheets 100 are packaged is read.

In addition, when the control unit 1005 executes error processing due to the occurrence of the above-mentioned poor suction, if the error occurs in the drug-containing cassette 1 of the above-mentioned specific drug, it can display an error message on the display 1002, along with a message calling attention to the setting of the PTP sheet 100. For example, a message such as "It is prohibited to set this drug sheet in the cassette with the pocket sides facing each other. Please make sure that the orientation of the drug sheet is consistent" can be displayed.

For example, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 39, when a suction failure occurs in a certain medicine-containing cassette 1, the control unit 1005 uses the weight scale to determine whether or not the medicine is out of stock (step S1), and if it is determined that the medicine is out of stock, displays a message encouraging the user to replenish the PTP sheet 100 (step S2). If it is determined that the medicine is not out of stock, it determines whether or not the medicine set in the medicine-containing cassette 1 is a specific product (step S3). If the medicine is not a specific product, a message indicating a normal error is displayed (step S4). On the other hand, if the medicine is a specific product, a message indicating an error and indicating that free setting is prohibited is displayed (step S5). The message portion indicating the prohibition can be the same as the message content shown in FIG. 38. In the above step S1, a message is also displayed when a shortage occurs in a medicine-containing cassette 1 of a specific product, and this message display can also be the same as the message content shown in FIG. 38.

In the above embodiment, the suction operation unit 6 is shown as the removal unit that holds the PTP sheet 100, but it is not limited to this type of suction. The first PTP sheet 100 in the medicine-containing cassette 1 may be adhered or grasped and dispensed.

In the above embodiment of the drug dispensing device 101, the delivery section 3 is moved by the delivery section moving section 4, but as shown in FIG. 35, the delivery section 3 may be fixed and the dispensing operation section 110 may be movable within the range of the delivery sections 3 that it is responsible for. That is, the dispensing operation section 110 may move between the delivery sections 3. Also, as shown in FIG. 36, the delivery sections 3 and the dispensing operation sections 110 may be fixed in one-to-one correspondence.

In addition, in the above embodiment of the drug dispensing device 101, it is detected whether the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 faces left or right, but this is not limited to the above. It is also possible to set the PTP sheet 100 in the drug storage cassette 1 so that its long axis is vertical, and in this case, it is also possible to detect whether the wide edge 100a of the PTP sheet 100 faces up or down.

In addition, in the drug dispensing device 101 of the above embodiment, the drug containing cassette 1 is moved horizontally within the cassette shelf, but the drug containing cassette 1 can also be moved vertically to be stored in the cassette shelf. The drug containing cassette 1 may contain PTP sheets 100 stacked vertically. In this case, the suction pad of the suction main body 61 in the dispensing operation unit 110 is provided facing downward, and the topmost PTP sheet 100 is removed from the drug containing cassette 1.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. Various modifications and variations can be made to the illustrated embodiment within the same scope as the present invention or within an equivalent scope.

1 Drug storage cassette 11 Storage section 13 Normal rotation section 13b Suction cup section 14 Sheet gripping section 15 Cutter section 120 Dispensing section 140 Lid 140a Notch section 141 Sheet storage section 2 Cassette transport section 21 Cassette insertion/removal section 22 Movement mechanism 23 Front/rear movement section 3 Delivery section 4 Delivery section movement section 5 Tray movement section 51 Conveyor section 52 Front/rear drive section 53 Positioning section 53b Shaft (support shaft)
531 Stopper member 531d coil spring (elastic member)
500 Tray moving section (second tray moving section)
6 Suction operation unit 61 Suction main body 61a Suction cup 62 Pocket detection unit 64 Lifting device 65 Front-rear moving device 8 Sheet gripping unit 101 Medicine dispensing device 110 Dispensing operation unit 1011 Cassette shelf 1012 Tray stocker 1120 Medicine sheet outlet unit

Claims (2)

a cassette shelf on which a plurality of medicine containing cassettes for containing medicine sheets are arranged in a vertical and horizontal direction;
a cassette transport unit that executes an operation of removing the medicine containing cassette from the cassette shelf and transporting it to a drawer location , and an operation of transporting the medicine containing cassette at the drawer location to the cassette shelf and returning it to the cassette shelf;
Equipped with
The withdrawal location is a location that can be pulled out and moved back by human operation , and the withdrawal operation of the withdrawal location moves the medicine-containing cassette in the withdrawal direction, characterized in that the medicine-container cassette is moved in the withdrawal direction by the withdrawal operation of the withdrawal location. removing a medicine containing cassette from a cassette shelf on which a plurality of medicine containing cassettes containing medicine sheets are arranged;
a step of transporting the medicine containing cassette by the cassette transport unit while covering an upper side of the medicine containing cassette with a medicine cover portion provided in the cassette transport unit;
removing a medicine sheet from the medicine-containing cassette received by the transport at a pull-out location that can be manually pulled out and returned ;
removing the medicine containing cassette from the drawing position after the medicine sheet has been removed, and returning the cassette to the cassette shelf by the cassette transport unit;
While removing the drug sheet with
A medicine removal method, comprising the steps of: a person performing an operation to pull out the pull-out portion, and moving the medicine-containing cassette in the pull-out direction.

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