JP2816419B2 - Powder supply device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a powder supply device for supplying an arbitrary type of powder from a plurality of types of powder from a predetermined supply port.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, there are many types of powdered medicines handled in hospital pharmacies and the like. These powdered powders are separately stored for each type in a relatively large amount in a storage container called an apparatus bottle. In addition, they are arranged side by side on a shelf erected above the dispensing table. When dispensing any kind of powder stored in such a device bottle for dispensing to a patient based on a doctor's prescription, first, the required amount of powder prescribed in the prescription is dispensed from the device bottle. I have to take it out to the table. That is, in general, a powdered medicine of the type specified in the prescription is taken out of the device bottle into a dispensing table by an amount corresponding to one prescription specified in the prescription, and then divided into single doses. Next, a package is taken such that each dose becomes one package, and such a package is administered to a patient. As described above, the dispensing operation of the powder is generally performed by taking out the powder for one prescription from the device bottle to the dispensing table, dividing the prescription into one dose, and dispensing each dose. Of these, the division work and the packing work are described below.
Conventionally, various dividing devices and packaging devices have been developed according to the demand for automation, and some of them have been put to practical use.

[0003]

However, it is not possible to automatically take out only a required amount of powder from a device bottle placed on a shelf to a dispensing table, and therefore, conventionally, powder dispensing has been difficult. At least the work of taking out the powder from the device bottle to the dispensing table must be performed manually by a pharmacist, which not only imposes a heavy burden on the pharmacist but also dispenses the powder. This was a decisive obstacle in automating the work, and was a very serious problem.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, discharges a required amount of powder from a plurality of powders and supplies the powder from a predetermined supply port automatically. It is an object of the present invention to provide a powdered drug supply device capable of supplying a powdered medicine.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a plurality of powdered medicine container which accommodates each type of powdered medicine, the control of the powdered medicine discharging operation against these powdered medicine container
And a control device for discharging the powder from the powder container.
A conveying device for conveying a powdered medicine, which is fed via a control device, before
A serial conveying device powdered medicine supply apparatus comprising a conveying destination provided the supply port of the powdered medicine caused by the powdered medicine container, it
The screw-shaped discharge member and the opening / closing
Yatta are those is provided, wherein the control device, wherein
Receiving and weighing powder discharged from any of the powder container
A metering means, means for selecting any of a plurality of powdered medicine container, discharged from the powdered medicine container that is designated
Means for setting a required amount to be, dusting is the selected
Operate the discharge member and open / close shutter in the medicine container
Control so that the weighing value of the weighing means becomes the required amount
Means and a feeding means for receiving the powdered medicine from the measuring means and introducing the powder into the transport device.

[0006]

According to the present invention, by employing the above-mentioned means, the powders contained in each powder container can be of any kind selected by the control device without any manual operation of the pharmacist, and , And are conveyed by the conveying device and automatically supplied from the supply port.
In addition, when discharging the powder, the powder is discharged in a screw shape.
While the shutter is opened and closed
Only the required amount will be discharged. In addition, the discharge of powder
Measuring means for measuring the amount is provided in the
It is shared by the powder discharged from the medicine container.

[0007]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a powdered medicine supply device according to the present invention. The powdered medicine supply device includes a plurality of powdered medicine containers 1, 1, 1.
, And a control device 2 provided corresponding to the powder container 1, 1, ..., a supply port 3, and a transport device 4 for transporting the powder to the supply port 3, the control device 2 comprising: It is configured such that any one of the powder storage containers 1, 1,... Is selected and the required amount of the powder is introduced into the transport device 4. Each powder container 1 has a stock unit 11 having an internal volume capable of storing a sufficient amount of powder of an arbitrary type, a discharge unit 13 for discharging a small amount of the stored powder, and a discharge unit 1.
3 to continuously discharge the powder from the stock unit 11
And a supply unit 12 that supplies powder to the discharge unit 13. On the other hand, the control device 2 controls the powder container 1, 1,
..., a selecting unit 21 for selecting an arbitrary powder container 1 from which the powder is to be discharged, a setting unit 22 for arbitrarily setting a required amount of the powder to be discharged, and a powder container selected by the selecting unit 21. The weighing unit 23 that weighs the powdered medicine discharged from the discharging unit 13 with the discharging operation of the container 1, and compares the weighed value of the weighing unit 23 with the set value of the setting unit 22,
When the weighed value, that is, the discharge amount of the powder reaches the set value, that is, the required amount of the powder, the control unit 24 terminates the discharge operation of the powder container 1. In addition, the control device 2 has an appropriate feeding device 25 for introducing the required amount of powdered medicine, which has been weighed by the weighing unit 23, into the transport device 4.
Is provided. The feeding device 25 can be configured by, for example, a vibration feeder such as an electromagnetic feeder, but is not limited thereto.
If the required amount of powdered medicine can be introduced into the transport device 4 with the completion of the weighing, it can be omitted. The transport device 4 is capable of transporting the powder discharged from all of the powder containers 1, 1,... To the supply port 3, but is used not only for transport but also for various purposes. be able to. For example, a configuration is adopted in which the transport path is circular and a rotation locus is drawn, and while this is rotated, the powdered medicine for one prescription discharged from the powdered medicine container 1 is evenly distributed along the circumferential direction and then supplied. At a position corresponding to the mouth 3, by cutting out the powder at a predetermined angle and supplying it from the supply port 3, it can be configured as an appropriate dividing device that divides the powder of one prescription into one dose. . Further, the dividing device may be configured as a dividing device having any other appropriate structure. Further, it is needless to say that the powdered medicine discharged from the powdered medicine container 1 can be used as a device for temporarily waiting.
The powdered medicine discharged from the plurality of powdered medicine containers 1, 1,... Is simply put on standby, and the supply port 3 remains in the discharged order.
In addition to the supply from the supply port 3, the supply from the supply port 3 can be performed in a desired order different from the discharge order. Also, in a part of the transport path, the discharge port of the manual powder feeder having an appropriate structure is located,
The powdered medicine received from the powdered feeder may be transported to the supply port 3 and supplied from the supply port 3. Similarly, it is transported to the supply port 3 and the supply port 3
Anything that needs to be sourced from can be handled, other than powders. Therefore,
The structure of the transfer device 4, the transfer path and the operation method thereof, etc.
It can be arbitrarily configured according to various applications. For example, the transport path can be designed to be a circle, a straight line, an appropriate circulation path, or the most suitable transport path suitable for the application. FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of one embodiment of the powdered medicine container 1. The stock unit 11, the supply unit 12, and the discharge unit 13 each have a cavity having a required internal volume and shape. In addition, the vacant space of the stock unit 11 and the vacant space of the supply unit 12 communicate with each other at least partially.
Although the space of the supply unit 12 and the space of the discharge unit 13 communicate at least in part, various designs are possible for the internal volume, shape, location and form of communication of these spaces. For this reason, specific illustration is omitted. For example, as an example, the supply unit 12 is arranged below the stock unit 11, and the discharge unit 13 is arranged further below the supply unit 12, and the lower end of the empty space of the stock unit 11 and the empty space of the supply unit 12 are arranged. The upper end of the place communicates with the lower end of the empty space of the supply unit 12,
It is configured so that the upper end of the empty space of the discharge unit 13 communicates, so that the powdered medicine in the empty space of the stock unit 11 enters the empty space of the supply unit 12 as long as it falls smoothly, and from there, it further smoothly. Can be designed to pass through the space of the supply unit 12 and into the space of the discharge unit 13 as long as it falls. An appropriate discharge member 14 is provided in the space of the discharge unit 13, and an appropriate shutter 15 is provided in a discharge port formed in an appropriate place of the space. The discharge member 14 can be constituted by, for example, a screw in which a helical flange is formed so as to protrude around the support shaft. In this case, the cavity is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the inside of the cylinder is formed. Screw-shaped discharge member 14
It is preferable that a discharge port is formed at the tip of this cylinder, and the shutter 15 is disposed here. The discharge member 14 is connected to an appropriate motor 16 for rotating the discharge member 14 to move the powder in the cylindrical cavity toward the discharge port. 15 is opened and closed, and accordingly, an appropriate operating member 17 adapted to open and close the discharge port of the cylindrical space is connected. for that reason,
When the discharge member 14 is rotated by the motor 16 and the shutter 15 is opened by the operating member 17, the powder in the cylindrical cavity of the discharge portion 13 moves toward the discharge port and is discharged from the discharge port. When the rotation of 14 is stopped and the shutter 15 is closed, the movement and discharge of the powder in the discharge unit 13 are stopped. In addition, an appropriate stirring member 18 is provided in the space of the supply unit 12. The stirring member 18 can be constituted by, for example, a scraper formed by projecting a plurality of arm members around the spindle around the support shaft, and the stirring member 18 is configured to rotate the stirring member 18. A suitable motor 19 is connected in advance. Therefore, if the stirring member 18 is rotated by the motor 19, the powdered medicine in the space of the supply unit 12 is smoothly supplied to the cylindrical space of the discharge unit 13 while being stirred,
The powder medicine is supplied from the stock part 11 into the empty space of the supply part 12. Further, the powder in the empty space of the stock unit 11 gradually moves toward the empty space of the supply unit 12 according to the powder discharge operation of the discharge unit 13 and the accompanying powder supply operation of the supply unit 12.
In order to make this movement smooth, it is desirable that the cross-sectional area of the space of the stock part 11 be gradually increased from the upstream to the downstream, or at least equal from the upstream to the downstream. However, for the purpose of storing a large amount of powdered medicine with the limited outer dimensions of the stock unit 11 and the purpose of suppressing the installation space of the powdered medicine container 1, it is required that the upstream side be larger than the downstream side. In such a case, it is indispensable to provide a suitable stirring member 20 in the stock section 11 itself separately from the stirring member 18 of the supply section 12. Such a stirring member 20 may be rotated by an independent dedicated motor, but the motor 19 for the stirring member 18 of the supply unit 12 is shared, and the stirring member 20 and the stirring member 20 are rotated by the motor 19. Can also be configured to rotate. The installation of the stirring member 20 is performed by the stock unit 11.
Not only when the cross-sectional area of the void is larger on the upstream side than on the downstream side, but also when it is almost the same from upstream to downstream, and when it gradually increases from upstream to downstream Are both effective.

[0008] Next, the operation of the powdered medicine supply device configured as described above will be described. First, each powder container 1,
In the stock sections 11 of 1,..., A predetermined type of powdered medicine is charged in a sufficiently large amount and stocked. Next,
By rotating the stirring member 20 of the stock unit 11 and the stirring member 18 of the supply unit 12 by the motor 19, the powder in the stock unit 11 is supplied to the supply unit 12 while stirring, and the powder in the supply unit 12 is discharged. Then, the mixture is supplied to the discharge unit 13 while being stirred, and is filled in the discharge unit 13. At this time, if necessary, the discharge member 14 is rotated by a desired amount by the motor 16 so that the discharge section 13 is reliably filled with the powdered medicine. Of course, such an operation of filling the discharge section 13 with the powdered medicine can be performed according to an instruction from the control device 2, but since it is effective only for the first time, it may be omitted. On the other hand, the selection unit 21 of the control device 2 selects an arbitrary powder container 1 containing powder of the type to be discharged from the powder containers 1, 1,... Set any required amount to be discharged. Then, the control unit 24
This causes the selected powder container 1 to perform a discharging operation. The powder container 1 drives the motor 16 to rotate the discharging member 14 and the operating member 17 according to the instruction of the control device 2. Is operated to open the shutter 15. Then, the discharge operation of the powder starts, and the powder in the cylindrical cavity of the discharge portion 13 gradually moves toward the discharge port and is continuously discharged from the discharge port.
At this time, the amount of powdered medicine substantially equivalent to the amount discharged from the discharge unit 13 by the rotation of the discharge member 14 is smoothly supplied from the supply unit 12 into the discharge unit 13 by the rotation of the stirring member 18, and The amount of powder that substantially matches the amount supplied from the stock unit 11 to the discharge unit 13 is supplied from the stock unit 11 to the supply unit 12 by rotation of the stirring members 18 and 20.
As a result, the powder is discharged smoothly from the discharge unit 13 without interruption. And
When the discharge amount of the powdered medicine discharged from the discharge unit 13 (that is, the weighed value by the weighing unit 23) reaches the required amount to be discharged (that is, the set value by the setting unit 22), the motor 16 is controlled by the instruction of the control device 2. The shutter 15 is closed by stopping the rotation of the discharge member 14 and operating the operating member 17, and at the same time, the stirring member 1
8 and the rotation of the stirring member 20 also stop. Then, the required amount (for example, for one prescription) of the powdered medicine discharged from the discharge part 13 of the powdered medicine container 1 and weighed by the weighing part 23 is introduced into the transporting device 4 by the feeding device 25, and is further transported. 4, the powder is conveyed to the supply port 3. At this time, by disposing the conveying device 4 as, for example, an appropriate dividing device, the powdered medicine for one prescription introduced into the conveying device 4 is used once. The liquid is divided into doses and supplied from the supply port 3.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of another embodiment of the powder container 1. In the case of the powder container 1,
Although not shown, the controller 2 adjusts the discharge operation according to the amount of powdered powder discharged, so that the discharge operation levels before and after the control (that is, the discharge amount per unit time) and the discharge amount to be performed ( That is, there is provided an appropriate adjustment unit for instructing the timing of switching the discharge operation level).
During the discharge operation period of the powder container 1, the control unit 24 controls the powder container 1 according to the discharge operation level specified by the adjustment unit.
Is performed. Appropriate discharge members 14a and 14b are provided in parallel in the empty space of the discharge section 13, and an appropriate shutter 15 is provided in an exhaust port formed in an appropriate place of the empty space. Discharge member 1
4a, 14b can be constituted, for example, by a screw formed with a helical flange projecting around a spindle, in which case the cavity is formed in two separate or joined cylinders. It is preferable to dispose the screw-shaped discharge members 14a and 14b in each of the cylinders, and it is preferable to form discharge ports at the ends of the two cylinders and dispose the common shutter 15 here. . The discharge members 14a and 14b are provided with an appropriate motor 16 that rotates the discharge members 14a and 14b to move the powdered medicine in the space toward the discharge port.
a, 16b, respectively, and a shutter 15 is provided with an appropriate operating member 17 that opens and closes the shutter 15 and thereby opens and closes the discharge port of the empty space.
Is connected. Therefore, when the discharge members 14a and 14b are rotated by the motors 16a and 16b and the shutter 15 is opened by the operation member 17, the discharge unit 1
The powder in the empty space of No. 3 moves toward the discharge port and is discharged from the discharge port. On the other hand, if the rotation of the discharge members 14a and 14b is stopped and the shutter 15 is closed, the discharge section 1
3 is configured to stop the movement and discharge of the powdered medicine. In addition, the discharge amounts of the powdered medicine per unit time by the discharge members 14a and 14b are configured to be different from each other. That is, the discharge amount of the powdered medicine per unit time by the discharge member 14a is larger than the discharge amount of the powdered medicine by the discharge member 14b per unit time, and conversely, the discharge amount of the powdered medicine by the discharge member 14b depends on the discharge member 14a. Keep the emission of powdered medicines less than the unit time. For example, whether the diameter of the discharge member 14a is larger than the diameter of the discharge member 14b or the screw pitch of the discharge member 14a is longer than the screw pitch of the discharge member 14b, Alternatively, by combining both, the discharging member 1
4a and 14b rotate at the same speed with each other.
This can also be achieved by making the rotation speed of a higher than the rotation speed of the discharge member 14b by the motor 16b. The discharge members 14a and 14b having different powder discharge amounts per unit time are combined with the control unit 24 of the control device 2 and an adjustment unit (not shown) as follows. That is, for example,
During the period from the beginning of the discharge operation period of the powder container 1 to a little before the end period, the discharge members 14a and 14b are rotated together, thereby discharging a relatively large amount of powder per unit time, while the discharge operation period is stopped. When it is slightly before the end, the discharge member 14b is rotated as it is, but the rotation of the discharge member 14a is stopped, so that the motor 16 is driven so as to discharge only a small amount of powder per unit time.
The timing of switching from the driving to the stop of a is instructed by the adjustment unit, and the control unit 24 controls the motors 16a and 16b according to the instruction. In this way, for example, during the discharging operation of the powder container 1, the discharging members 14a and 14b are rotated together to discharge the powder in a relatively large amount per unit time, and thus, it is necessary to discharge the powder. While the amount of powdered medicine is discharged in a relatively short time, it is possible to avoid the disadvantage that a large amount of error is unavoidable at the end of the discharging operation period due to the large amount of discharge. Discharge member 1 throughout the discharge operation of container 1
By rotating only 4b, the powder is discharged only in a minute amount per unit time, so that a minute amount error does not substantially occur at the end of the discharging operation period due to the minute discharge, but the required amount to be discharged Is designed to avoid the disadvantage that it takes a considerable amount of time to finish discharging the powdered medicine. When such a powder container 1 is used, a required amount of powder to be discharged is discharged in a relatively short time and substantially without a dispensing error. The balance will be realized effectively and reasonably.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the control device 2 is provided with the weighing section 23, and the discharge amount of the powdered medicine discharged from the powdered medicine container 1 is controlled by weighing. , But is not limited to this, a powder container 1
The discharge amount of the powdered medicine discharged from
Since control can be performed according to the rotation angle or drive time of the motor 16 for rotating the motor 4, a control method independent of weighing can be adopted. Further, in the above embodiment, the stirring member 18 is constituted by a scraper formed by projecting a plurality of arm members around the support shaft around the support shaft.
The invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to use a stirring member 18 having an appropriate shape and structure. Further, in the above embodiment, the motor 19 for the stirring member 18 of the supply unit 12 is shared as the motor for the stirring member 20 of the stock unit 11, and the motor 19 rotates the stirring member 20 together with the stirring member 18. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
A dedicated motor for zero can also be provided independently. In the above-described embodiment, the motor 19 for the stirring member 18 of the supply unit 12 is provided separately from the motor 16 for the discharge member 14 of the discharge unit 13. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The motor 16 rotates the discharge member 14 of the discharge unit 13, rotates the stirring member 18 of the supply unit 12, and further rotates the stirring member 20 of the stock unit 11. In that case, the discharging member 14 or the stirring member 18,
When it is necessary to selectively and independently rotate any one of the motors 20, the motor 16 and the discharge member 14 or the stirring members 18, 20 are configured to be separably coupled via an appropriate clutch. do it. In the above-described embodiment, the supply unit 12 is provided separately from the stock unit 11.
The present invention is not limited to this.
However, in the case where the device has a function of stocking a sufficient amount of powdered medicine of any type and a function of supplying the stocked powdered drug to the discharge unit 13, the stock unit 11 and the supply unit 1 are provided.
There is no need to distinguish between 2. In the above embodiment, the motors 16a and 16b are connected to the discharge members 14a and 14b, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only one of the motors 16a and 16b is provided, and Thus, one or both of the discharge members 14a and 14b can be selectively rotated via an appropriate clutch. Further, in the above embodiment, only one common shutter 15 is provided at the discharge port of the discharge unit 13, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, discharge ports corresponding to the discharge members 14a and 14b are formed. And independent shutters 1
5a, 15b can also be arranged, in which case the independent actuating members 17a, 17b
a and 15b. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the discharge amounts of the powdered medicine by the discharge members 14a and 14b per unit time are configured to be different from each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
Depending on whether only one or both are used at the same time, the discharge amount of powdered medicine per unit time can be changed as a whole, and the number of discharge members is two. The present invention is not limited to this, and three or more of them can be provided and used selectively. Further, for example, the driving speed of the motor 16a or 16b can be changed in the middle of the discharging operation period of the powder container 1, so that either one of the discharging members 14a or 14b, that is, Even with a single discharge member, it is possible to change the discharge amount of the powdered medicine per unit time during the discharge operation period of the powdered medicine container 1. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the required amount (for example, one prescription) of powdered medicine discharged from the powdered medicine container 1 by the action of the control device 2 is divided into single doses by the transport device 4 configured as a dividing device. After dividing, supply port 3
However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the required amount of powder to be discharged is 1
The setting unit 22 sets the amount of one dose, not the amount of the prescription.
In this case, it is not necessary to configure the transport device 4 as a dividing device, and the required amount of discharged (1
The powdered dose of the dose can be supplied as it is from the supply port 3 as one packet. Then, for example, of the discharging members 14a and 14b, the discharging member 14a capable of discharging a large amount per unit time is used as a discharging member for extracting powdered medicine for one prescription, and the discharging member 14b capable of discharging a small amount per unit time is used. It can also be used properly as a discharge member for taking out a single dose of powdered medicine. Therefore, the method of adjusting the discharging operation by the adjusting unit is, as described in the above embodiment, in the middle of the discharging operation period of the powdered medicine container 1,
The discharge operation level (discharge amount per unit time) is not limited to one that is switched. For example, when the discharge amount of the powder is one prescription, the powder container 1 is caused to perform the discharge operation corresponding thereto, and the discharge operation is performed per unit time. When a relatively large amount of powder is discharged, if the amount of powder discharged is for one dose (one packet), the powder container 1 is caused to perform a discharging operation corresponding to the dose, and a relatively small amount of powder is discharged per unit time. It is also possible to switch the discharge operation of the powder container 1 between the case of prescription discharge and the case of one package discharge so as to discharge the powder.

[0011]

The present invention is configured as described above.
The powdered medicine stored in each powdered medicine container is discharged without a required amount of any kind selected by the control device without any manual operation of a pharmacist, when being measured through the control device , It is transported by the transport device, it can be automatically supplied from the supply port, therefore, instead of the conventional device bottle, from a plurality of types of powder, discharge the required amount of powder of any type, It can be automatically supplied from a predetermined supply port, and is therefore extremely useful in automating the dispensing operation of powdered medicines. It has an excellent effect that it can play an indispensable role in realizing a powder dispenser.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a powder supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a powder medicine container of the powder medicine supply device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another embodiment of a powder container.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: powder container 2: control device 3: supply port 4: transport device 11: stock unit 12: supply unit 13: discharge unit 14: discharge member 14a: discharge member 14b: discharge member 15: shutter 16: motor 16a: motor 16b: Motor 17: Working member 18: Stirring member 19: Motor 20: Stirring member 21: Selection unit 22: Setting unit 23: Weighing unit 24: Control unit 25: Feeding device

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-59-26403 (JP, A) JP-A-58-54955 (JP, A) JP-A-62-135106 (JP, A) JP-A-2- 180265 (JP, A) JP-A-58-171310 (JP, A) JP-A-2-15401 (JP, U) JP-A-1-103501 (JP, U) JP-A-63-141101 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 57-92607 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Hei 1-113782 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Utility Model Hei 1-155577 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of powder container containing each type of powder.
And these powder containerControl the powder discharge operation
A control device;Discharged from the powder container and fed through the control device
Was A transport device for transporting the powder;Provided at the destination of the powdered drug by the transport device Supply port and
Equipped withPowder supply device,The powder container is provided with a screw-shaped discharge part.
Material and a shutter for opening and closing the discharge port.
And  The control device includes:Discharged from any of the powder container
Weighing means for receiving and weighing the powdered medicine;Powder storage
VesselOurChoose anyMeans to,ThatfingerSet
Should be discharged from the powder containerrequired amountMeans of setting
When,ThatDischarge member in the selected powder container and
The operation of the open / close shutter requires the weighing value of the weighing means.
Means for controlling the amount of the powder, and
receiveIntroduce to the transfer deviceFeeding means provided
Is the thingA powder supply device, characterized in that: