JP7535694B2 - Medicine dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a medicine dispensing device, and in particular to a medicine dispensing device equipped with a powdered medicine dispensing device that dispenses powdered medicine.

In this specification, a powdered medicine is a medicine in the form of a powder or granules, and the term "medicine" includes powdered medicine. In principle, the device of the present invention is a device that handles powdered medicine, but when there is no need to distinguish between powdered medicine and medicine in other forms, powdered medicine may be referred to as medicine.
In recent years, large hospitals and large pharmacies have introduced powder medicine packaging devices and drug dispensing devices equipped with powder medicine packaging functions. Here, a powder medicine packaging device is a device that packages powder medicine, etc., individually for one dose. By using a powder medicine packaging device, most of the work of packaging powder medicine, etc., for one dose can be automated.
The powder medicine packaging device 900 disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a device that packages powder medicine individually in single doses, and as shown in Figure 74, has inside it a medicine supply device 901, a powder medicine dispensing device 902, and a medicine packaging device 903.
The powder feeder 906 has a piezoelectric element (not shown) provided below a trough 910 to vibrate the trough 910 .

As shown in Fig. 74, the powdered medicine dispensing device 902 is composed of a dispensing dish 912 and a scraping device 915. The dispensing dish 912 has a large opening in the center. The dispensing dish 912 has a groove 916 that has an arc-shaped cross section and is annular in plan view, surrounding the periphery of the opening. The dispensing dish 912 is rotated at a constant speed by a motor 919.
The scraping device 915 is composed of a lifting arm whose tip moves up and down when rotated, and a scraping mechanism.
The scraping mechanism has a disk 917 that is rotated by a motor, and a scraper plate 918 is provided on the disk 917.

In the prior art, as shown in Fig. 74, there is a table 908, and a distribution dish 912 is placed on the table. That is, as shown in Fig. 74, the distribution dish 912 protrudes almost entirely above the table 908.
In addition, the motor and gears for raising and lowering the scraping mechanism are located on the table 908 and protrude from the central opening of the distribution dish 912.

The drug packaging device 903 is composed of a packaging hopper 920 and a packaging device 921, as shown in Figure 74.

An external view of a powdered medicine dispensing device 902 in the prior art is disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,399,633.
In the conventional powdered medicine dispensing device 902, the dispensing tray 912 is placed on a table, and the motor and gear box protrude from the center of the dispensing tray 912. Therefore, the table has many projections and recesses. Also, since the dispensing tray 912 is placed on the table, many areas are shaded by objects.

Next, a procedure for packaging powdered medicine using powdered medicine packaging device 900 will be described.
The work of packaging powdered medicine is performed by a pharmacist operating the powdered medicine packaging device 900 according to a doctor's prescription. That is, the pharmacist checks the doctor's prescription, takes out a medicine bottle containing the prescribed powdered medicine from a medicine shelf (not shown), and then uses a scale such as a balance to measure the total weight of the prescribed specific powdered medicine.
The measured powdered medicine is then fed into the feeding hopper 905 of the medicine supply device 901 .
At the same time, a piezoelectric element (not shown) of the powder feeder 906 is energized to vibrate the trough 910 and further rotate the distribution plate 912 .
The powdered medicine put into the input hopper 905 falls from an opening at the bottom end of the input hopper 905 into a trough 910 of the powder feeder 906. Then, as the trough 910 vibrates, the powdered medicine slowly moves to the tip side and falls into a distribution tray 912.

Meanwhile, the distribution plate 912 rotates at a predetermined speed, so that the powdered medicine falling from the trough 910 is evenly distributed into the grooves 916 of the distribution plate 912.

When the powdered medicine has finished falling onto the distribution tray 912, the rotation of the distribution tray 912 is temporarily stopped. After that, the disk 917 of the scraping device 915 is dropped into the groove 916 of the distribution tray 912. After that, the distribution tray 912 is rotated an angle according to the number of doses to collect one dose of powdered medicine on the front side of the disk 917. The disk 917 is then rotated, and the powdered medicine is scraped out of the distribution tray 912 by the scraping plate 918 and placed into the packaging hopper 920. The powdered medicine that falls from the packaging hopper 920 is packaged by the packaging device 921.

After the series of operations is completed, the inside of the distribution tray 912 and the scraping mechanism (disk 917, scraper 918) are cleaned with a vacuum cleaner (not shown).
The inside of the distribution tray 912 and the scraping mechanism are manually cleaned by a pharmacist. The inside of the distribution tray 912 and the scraping mechanism are cleaned every time a type of powdered medicine is packaged.
That is, when a medicine A is packaged and then a medicine B is packaged, cleaning is carried out immediately after packaging medicine A, and then medicine B is packaged.
After the day's work is completed or immediately before the day's work is started, each portion of powdered medicine packaging device 900 is cleaned.
That is, the groove 916 of the distribution tray 912, the motor protruding from the center of the distribution tray 912, the lifting arm, the disk 917, the scraper 918, the table, etc. are wiped down with a clean cloth and then cleaned with a vacuum cleaner.
In a medicine dispensing device, contamination of powdered medicine must be strictly prevented, and the above-mentioned cleaning work is extremely important and indispensable.

JP 2010-70204 A JP 2004-305721 A

As mentioned above, cleaning is an important and essential task.
However, cleaning is a tedious task. Therefore, the present invention aims to improve the conventional medicine dispensing device and provide a medicine dispensing device that is easy to clean and can be cleaned more thoroughly than the conventional medicine dispensing device.

One aspect of the present invention developed to solve the above problems is a medicine dispensing device comprising a plurality of medicine containers for storing medicines, a container storage device in which the plurality of medicine containers are placed, a container moving means, a plurality of container mounting devices, a distribution tray, a scraping device, a powder medicine input hopper, a medicine packaging device, a cleaning device , and a cleaning unit , and the medicine dispensing device performs the following operations (a) to ( g ): (a) an operation in which a plurality of medicine containers placed in the container storage device are selected according to a prescription, (b) an operation in which the container moving means transports the selected plurality of medicine containers from the container storage device to a plurality of container mounting devices provided around the distribution tray and places them thereon, (c) an operation in which a predetermined amount of medicine from the selected plurality of medicine containers transported to and placed on the plurality of container mounting devices is placed in the distribution tray, (d) an operation in which the medicine is placed in the distribution tray and divided, and the divided medicine is placed in the medicine packaging device through the powder medicine input hopper, (e) an operation in which the dispensed medicine is packaged by the medicine packaging device, and (f) an operation in which the cleaning device cleans the distribution tray. (g) A medicine dispensing device that automatically performs a cleaning operation in which the sides of a selected number of medicine containers are cleaned by a cleaning unit .
In a preferred embodiment, the medication dispensing device is a medication dispensing device enclosed by a housing.
A further preferred embodiment is a medicine dispensing device which includes the steps of rotating the distribution tray, irradiating light from a light-emitting portion of a remaining medicine detection sensor, cleaning the surface of the distribution tray with a cleaning device, and then inspecting for dirt or remaining medicine, and repeating the cleaning if remaining medicine is found on the distribution tray.
A further preferred embodiment is a medicine dispensing device further including a scraping section cleaning operation for cleaning the scraping device and a hopper cleaning operation for cleaning the powder medicine feeding hopper.
A further preferred embodiment is a drug dispensing device which has a table member, a drug packaging device provided below the table member, and suction means for creating negative pressure inside a powdered medicine input hopper, and the table member has a drug input opening for inputting drug scraped out from a drug input groove in a distribution tray, and a hopper blocking member is provided at a position away from the drug input opening, and with the powdered medicine input hopper moved to a position directly below the drug input opening, the drug is input into the drug input opening to drop the drug toward the drug packaging device, and with the powdered medicine input hopper moved to the position of the hopper blocking member, the suction means is operated to suck up any residual drug in the powdered medicine input hopper.
In a further preferred embodiment, the hopper closing member has an opening/closing mechanism operated by power, and the powdered medicine feeding hopper is closed by pressing a part of the hopper closing member against the powdered medicine feeding hopper.
Another aspect of the present invention developed to solve the above problems is a medicine dispensing device comprising a medicine container filled with a cleaning agent, a container mounting device, a distribution tray, a robot, a powder medicine feeding hopper, and a medicine packaging device, in which, when a medicine that requires cleaning of the powder medicine feeding hopper is fed into the powder medicine feeding hopper, or when it is found that the powder medicine feeding hopper is dirty, the following operations (f) to (j) are carried out: (f) an operation of automatically or manually selecting a medicine container filled with a cleaning agent, (g) an operation of loading the medicine container filled with the cleaning agent onto the container mounting device by the robot, (h) an operation of discharging the cleaning agent from the medicine container loaded onto the container mounting device and filled with the cleaning agent into the distribution tray, (i) an operation of feeding the cleaning agent from the distribution tray into the powder medicine feeding hopper, and (j) an operation of packaging the fed cleaning agent by the medicine packaging device, and the medicine dispensing device cleans the powder medicine feeding hopper by feeding the cleaning agent into the powder medicine feeding hopper.
A preferred embodiment is a drug dispensing device having a drug container for containing a drug, and including an operation of packaging the drug using the drug container by a drug packaging device, the operation (j) being performed faster than the operation of packaging the drug using the drug container by the drug packaging device.
Another aspect of the present invention developed to solve the above problems is a medicine cleaning method using a medicine dispensing device including a plurality of medicine containers for storing medicines, a container storage device in which the plurality of medicine containers are placed, a container moving means, a plurality of container mounting devices, a distribution tray, a scraping device, a powder medicine input hopper, a medicine packaging device, a cleaning device , and a cleaning unit , the method including the following operations (k) to ( q ): (k) an operation of selecting a plurality of medicine containers placed in the container storage device according to a prescription, (l) an operation of transporting and placing the selected plurality of medicine containers from the container storage device to a plurality of container mounting devices provided around the distribution tray by the container moving means, (m) an operation of pouring a predetermined amount of medicine from the selected plurality of medicine containers transported to and placed on the plurality of container mounting devices into the distribution tray, (n) an operation of dividing the medicines placed in the distribution tray and feeding the divided medicines through the powder medicine input hopper into the medicine packaging device, (o) an operation of packaging the fed medicines by the medicine packaging device, and (p) an operation of cleaning the groove of the distribution tray by the cleaning device, (q) A method for cleaning medicines, which automatically performs a cleaning operation in which the sides of a selected number of medicine containers are cleaned by a cleaning unit .
Another aspect of the present invention developed to solve the above problems is a method for cleaning medicines using a medicine dispensing device including a medicine container filled with a cleaning agent, a container mounting device, a distribution tray, a robot, a powder medicine input hopper, and a medicine packaging device, in which, when a medicine that requires cleaning of the powder medicine input hopper is input into the powder medicine input hopper, or when it is found that the powder medicine input hopper is dirty, the following operations (p1) to (t1) are performed: (p1) an operation of automatically or manually selecting a medicine container filled with a cleaning agent, (q1) an operation of loading the medicine container filled with the cleaning agent onto the container mounting device by the robot, (r1) an operation of discharging the cleaning agent from the medicine container loaded onto the container mounting device and filled with the cleaning agent onto the distribution tray, (s1) an operation of inputting the cleaning agent from the distribution tray into the powder medicine input hopper, and (t1) an operation of packaging the input cleaning agent with the medicine packaging device, and the powder medicine input hopper is cleaned by inputting the cleaning agent into the powder medicine input hopper.
Another aspect of the present invention, developed to solve the above problems, is a drug dispensing device which comprises a flat member, a drug container for containing a drug, a lid member provided on the drug container, a distribution dish having a ring-shaped drug injection groove provided on the periphery and rotated by a power source, a powdered drug injection device which injects the drug from the drug discharge portion of the drug container into the distribution dish, and a scraping device which scrapes the powdered drug injected into the distribution dish out of the drug injection groove, wherein the flat member is flat, part or all of the distribution dish is located below the plane, the lid member is openable and closable, and when open, constitutes the drug discharge portion of the drug container and is capable of discharging the drug from the drug discharge portion, and the powdered drug injection devices are provided in multiple locations around the distribution dish and are fixed in a position where they directly supply the drug from the drug discharge portion to the distribution dish, and when the lid member is open, the drug drops directly from the drug discharge portion into the distribution dish.
In a preferred embodiment, the flat member is a table member having a table surface on which an item can be placed, the table surface is provided with a distribution tray accommodating opening, the distribution tray is inserted partly or entirely into the distribution tray accommodating opening of the table member, the lowest part of the drug insertion groove of the distribution tray is located below the table surface, and the drug discharge part is a drug dispensing device constituted by a lid member.
In a further preferred embodiment, the medicine dispensing device has a turntable under the table member, and the scraping device is mounted on the turntable.
The powdered medicine dispenser is a medicine dispensing device which is composed of a medicine container and a container mounting device on which the medicine container is placed and which acts on the medicine container to expel the medicine from the medicine container, the container mounting device being fixed to the table member side and the medicine container being detachable from the container mounting device.
In a further preferred embodiment, the container mounting device has a vibration table, a vibration means for vibrating the vibration table, a container holding means for fixing the drug container to the vibration table, and a weight measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the drug container, and is a drug dispensing device that places the drug container on the vibration table, fixes the drug container to the vibration table with the container holding means, vibrates the vibration table to discharge small amounts of drug from the drug discharge section and deposits the powdered drug in a distribution tray, and detects the amount of drug discharged from the drug container with the weight measuring means.
A further preferred embodiment is a drug dispensing device equipped with a weighing function that uses a weight measuring means to measure the original weight of the drug container before the drug is discharged, monitors the weight of the drug container using the weight measuring means when the drug is discharged small amounts at a time from the drug container, and stops the discharge of drug from the drug container when the current weight of the drug container matches a value obtained by subtracting the target discharge amount from the original weight.
In a further preferred embodiment, the medicine dispensing device is such that, when the medicine container is mounted on the container mounting device, the axis of the medicine container is oriented in a tangential direction of the distribution tray.
In a further preferred embodiment, the medicine dispensing device has a monitoring camera for monitoring the discharge of medicine from the medicine container.
Another aspect of the present invention developed to solve the above problems is a medicine dispensing device comprising a medicine container containing medicine, a distribution tray into which the medicine from the medicine container is dispensed, a powder medicine feeding hopper into which the medicine is dispensed from the distribution tray, and a medicine packaging device, wherein the medicine packaging device is capable of packaging medicine introduced from the powder medicine feeding hopper, and the medicine dispensing device has a remaining medicine detection sensor that performs a detection operation to detect whether there is dirt or remaining medicine in the powder medicine feeding hopper.
Another aspect of the present invention developed to solve the above problems is a medicine dispensing device comprising a medicine container containing medicine, a distribution tray into which the medicine from the medicine container is dispensed, a powder medicine hopper into which the medicine is dispensed from the distribution tray, and a medicine packaging device, wherein the medicine packaging device is capable of packaging medicine introduced from the powder medicine hopper and performs a detection operation to detect whether there is any dirt or remaining medicine in the powder medicine hopper after packaging.
In a preferred embodiment, the medicine dispensing device further comprises a remaining medicine detection sensor, which detects whether or not there is dirt or remaining medicine in the powdered medicine feeding hopper.
A further preferred embodiment is a medicine dispensing device further comprising a container mounting device, which automatically or manually selects a medicine container filled with a cleaning agent, and mounts the medicine container filled with the cleaning agent on the container mounting device.
A further preferred embodiment is a medicine dispensing device which performs cleaning work by placing a medicine container filled with cleaning agent on a container mounting device, then pouring the cleaning agent into a powder medicine feeding hopper and cleaning the powder medicine feeding hopper.
A further preferred embodiment is a medicine dispensing device which, after performing a cleaning operation, performs a detection operation to detect whether or not there is dirt or remaining medicine.
A further preferred embodiment is a medicine dispensing device which, when a detection operation is carried out by the remaining medicine detection sensor and dirt or remaining medicine is detected even after a cleaning operation has been carried out, notifies the user of that fact.
In a further preferred embodiment, the medicine dispensing device performs the cleaning operation again when dirt or remaining medicine is detected by a detection operation after the cleaning operation.
A further preferred embodiment is a medicine dispensing device that, when dirt or remaining medicine is detected by a detection operation after a cleaning operation, issues an alarm if dirt or remaining medicine is confirmed by the remaining medicine detection sensor even after the cleaning operation and the detection operation are repeated multiple times.
In a further preferred embodiment, the remaining medicine detection sensor is an optical sensor.
Another aspect of the present invention developed to solve the above problems is a medicine dispensing device comprising a medicine container containing medicine, a distribution tray into which the medicine from the medicine container is dispensed, a powder medicine feeding hopper into which the medicine is dispensed from the distribution tray, and a medicine packaging device, wherein the medicine packaging device is capable of packaging medicine introduced from the powder medicine feeding hopper, and the medicine dispensing device carries out cleaning of the distribution tray or powder medicine feeding hopper when medicine requiring cleaning is packaged or when a remaining medicine detection sensor detects the presence of dirt or remaining medicine.
A preferred embodiment is a medicine dispensing device that performs a detection operation to detect whether or not there is dirt or remaining medicine after performing a cleaning operation.
A further preferred embodiment is a medicine dispensing device which, when a detection operation is carried out by a remaining medicine detection sensor and stains or remaining medicine are detected despite the fact that a cleaning operation has been carried out, notifies the user of that fact.
In a further preferred embodiment, the medicine dispensing device performs the cleaning operation again when dirt or remaining medicine is detected by a detection operation after the cleaning operation has been performed.
A further preferred embodiment is a medicine dispensing device that, when dirt or remaining medicine is detected by a detection operation after a cleaning operation has been performed, issues an alarm if dirt or remaining medicine is confirmed by the remaining medicine detection sensor even after the cleaning operation and the detection operation have been repeated multiple times.
In a further preferred embodiment, the remaining medicine detection sensor is an optical sensor.
Another aspect of the present invention, developed to solve the above problems, comprises a table member, a distribution dish having a ring-shaped medicine insertion groove formed around its periphery and rotated by a power source, a powdered medicine insertion device for inserting powdered medicine into the distribution dish, and a scraping device for scraping the powdered medicine inserted into the distribution dish out of the medicine insertion groove, wherein the table member has a table surface on which an item can be placed, the table surface is provided with a distribution dish accommodating opening, and the distribution dish is partially or entirely inserted into the distribution dish accommodating opening of the table member, with the lowest part of the medicine insertion groove of the distribution dish being located below the table surface.

With this configuration, there is little shadow between the table surface and the dispensing tray. This makes it difficult for powdered medicine or dust to get in, making cleaning easy.

It is preferable that at least 90 percent of the diameter of the distribution plate is located below the table surface. This makes it easier to wipe the drug insertion groove with a cloth.

The scraping device is provided with a scraping arm whose tip side rises and falls, and a scraping mechanism provided at the tip of the scraping arm, the distribution tray has an equipment storage opening, and has a motor that drives the scraping arm and/or the scraping mechanism, with part or all of the motor being located within the equipment storage opening, the base end of the scraping arm being located within the equipment storage opening or directly above it, the tip side extending out from the equipment storage opening in a cantilevered manner, and a lid covering the motor is preferably provided. In this way, there are fewer irregularities in the center of the distribution tray, making cleaning easier.

It is preferable that there is a turntable under the table member, and the scraping device is mounted on the turntable. In this way, the scraping device can be rotated as a whole.

The lid has an opening through which the scooping arm protrudes, and the opening is provided with a door member that preferably operates in response to the elevation and lowering of the scooping arm to increase or decrease the opening area of the opening. In this way, dust and powdered medicine residue are less likely to get into the lid, making it hygienic.

It is preferable that the top surface of the lid is partially or entirely smooth. In this way, the lid is smooth and can be easily wiped with a cloth or the like, making cleaning easy.

The scraping device preferably has a scraping arm, a motor for rotating the scraping mechanism, a scraping plate and scraping mechanism provided at the tip of the scraping arm, a planar rotation means for rotating the entire scraping arm in a plane around a vertical rotation axis, and a cleaning device. The cleaning device has a cleaning arm that protrudes from the table member side in a cantilever shape and whose tip side moves up and down by power, a cleaning brush provided at the tip of the cleaning arm and rotates by power, a rotation device for rotating the cleaning brush, and a suction means, and is capable of performing a groove cleaning operation in which the tip side of the cleaning arm is lowered to insert the cleaning brush into the drug input groove, the cleaning brush is rotated to clean the drug input groove, and drug residue is sucked up by the suction means, and a scraping section cleaning operation in which the scraping device is rotated in a plane to bring it close to the cleaning device, the cleaning brush is rotated to clean the scraping mechanism, and drug residue is sucked up by the suction means. In this way, the inside of the distribution plate and the scraping mechanism can be cleaned automatically.

The scraping mechanism has a scraping plate that is inserted into the medicine feed groove of the distribution plate and moves relative to the distribution plate to scrape the powdered medicine in the medicine feed groove, a scraping plate that rotates near the scraping plate to scrape the scraped powdered medicine out of the medicine feed groove, and a partition plate that is in contact with the scraping plate and is arranged facing the scraping plate approximately parallel to the scraping plate at a certain distance, and a cleaning brush that cleans the scraping mechanism, the cleaning brush has a hub member and a bristles row is provided on the outer periphery of the hub member, the bristles row is provided in at least three rows, the bristles row on both ends includes a group of centrally inclined bristles whose tips are inclined toward the center of the hub member, and the central bristles row The cleaning brush includes a group of bristles inclined toward one end of the hub member, the tips of which are planted in a direction inclined toward one end of the hub member, and a group of bristles inclined toward the other end of the hub member, the tips of which are planted in a direction inclined toward the other end of the hub member. When cleaning the scraping mechanism, the cleaning brush is rotated, and at that time, the group of bristles inclined toward the center belonging to the bristles on the one end or the other end side and the group of bristles inclined toward the one end or the other end side belonging to the bristles on the center side come into contact with one side and the other side of the scraping plate, and it is preferable that the group of bristles inclined toward the center belonging to the bristles on the other end or the one end side and the group of bristles inclined toward the other end or the one end side belonging to the bristles on the center side come into contact with one side and the other side of the partition plate. In this way, the brush can be applied to the scraping plate and the partition plate of the scraping mechanism for cleaning. This allows the scraping mechanism to be cleaned more completely, and contamination can be prevented.

The hub member has two or more rows of grooves on its outer circumferential surface, and it is preferable that the scraping plate and the partition plate enter into the grooves when cleaning the scraping section. In this way, it is possible to clean the rear side of the scraping plate and the partition plate.

It is preferable that the device has a brush cover with an exposed opening that surrounds the cleaning brush and exposes a portion of the circumferential surface of the cleaning brush, and a suction means that draws the inside of the brush cover to negative pressure, and that the suction means is connected to the brush cover. In this way, the powdered medicine residue is removed from the surface of the scraping mechanism by pressing the rotating brush against it. The removed residue then enters the brush cover and is sucked up by the suction means. It is preferable that the connection part of the suction means is in the area opposite the exposed opening.

The medicine packaging device is provided below the table member, and has a powder medicine input hopper into which powder medicine scraped out of the medicine input groove is input and which drops the powder medicine towards the medicine packaging device, and suction means for drawing the inside of the powder medicine input hopper to a negative pressure, and the table member has a medicine input opening into which the powder medicine scraped out of the medicine input groove is input, and a hopper blocking member is provided at a position away from the medicine input opening, and it is preferable that the powder medicine input hopper is moved to a position directly below the medicine input opening, and the powder medicine is input into the medicine input opening to drop the medicine towards the medicine packaging device, and the powder medicine input hopper is moved to the position of the hopper blocking member, and the suction means is operated to suck up the powder medicine residue in the powder medicine input hopper. In this way, the powder medicine input hopper can also be automatically cleaned.

It is preferable that the hopper blocking member has an opening and closing mechanism that is powered, and that a part of the hopper blocking member is pressed against the hopper to block the powdered medicine feeding hopper. In this way, negative pressure can be created inside the powdered medicine feeding hopper, and the residue in the powdered medicine feeding hopper will not be scattered toward the medicine packaging device or the distribution tray.

The powdered medicine dispenser is composed of a medicine container and a container mounting device on which the medicine container is placed and which acts on the medicine container to discharge the medicine from the medicine container, and it is preferable that the container mounting device is fixed to the table member side and that the medicine container is detachable from the container mounting device. In this way, the powdered medicine dispenser also has fewer irregularities, making cleaning easier.

The medicine container has a medicine discharge section that discharges medicine, and the container mounting device has a vibration table, a vibration means for vibrating the vibration table, a container holding means for fixing the medicine container to the vibration table, and a weight measuring means for directly or indirectly measuring the weight of the medicine container. It is preferable that the medicine container is mounted on the vibration table, the container holding means is used to fix the medicine container to the vibration table, the vibration table is vibrated to discharge small amounts of powdered medicine from the medicine discharge section and place the powdered medicine in a distribution tray, and the weight measuring means is used to detect the amount of medicine discharged from the medicine container. In this way, the medicine container is fixed to the vibration table and the medicine container is directly in contact with the vibration table. By vibrating the vibration table in this state, the whole or part of the medicine container can be vibrated. Therefore, the medicine in the medicine container moves slowly toward the medicine discharge section, the medicine is rectified, the flow becomes laminar, and the medicine is discharged from the medicine discharge section. In addition, since the container mounting device is equipped with a weight measuring means, the amount of medicine discharged can be detected, and the work of measuring out powdered medicine, etc. can be automated.

It is preferable that the drug container is partially or entirely made of a magnetic material, and that the container holding means has a magnet. In this way, the drug container is held by magnetic force, making it easy to attach and detach the drug container.

It is preferable that the drug container is partially or entirely made of a magnetic material, the container holding means has a permanent magnet and an electromagnet, and the drug container is fixed to the vibration table by at least the magnetic force of the permanent magnet, and the electromagnet is energized to generate a magnetic force that cancels the magnetic force of the permanent magnet, thereby releasing the fixation of the drug container to the vibration table. In this way, the container holding means has a permanent magnet and an electromagnet, and the drug container is fixed to the vibration table by at least the magnetic force of the permanent magnet. Therefore, when the drug container is attached to the main device, the amount of current passing through the electromagnet is small. If a configuration is adopted in which the drug container is fixed to the vibration table only by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet, there is no need to pass current through the electromagnet while the drug container is fixed to the vibration table. Therefore, the electromagnet does not generate heat, and the drug in the drug container is not heated. In addition, since there is no need to pass current through the electromagnet while the drug container is fixed to the vibration table, power consumption is small. Therefore, the power consumption of the entire drug dispensing device is small, and the drug is not easily affected because the heat generation is small.

It is preferable to have a weighing function in which a weight measuring means measures the original weight of the drug container before the drug is discharged, and the weight measuring means monitors the weight of the drug container when powdered medicine is discharged small amounts at a time from the drug container, and the discharge of powdered medicine from the drug container is stopped when the current weight of the drug container matches or nearly matches the value obtained by subtracting the target discharge amount from the original weight.
Regarding the means for measuring the weight of the drug container, the weight of the drug container may be measured directly or indirectly. That is, the weight of the drug container alone may be measured directly, or the weight including the weight of a device such as a vibrating table may be measured.
In this way, the original weight, which is the weight of the drug container before the drug is discharged, and the current weight, which is the current weight of the drug container, are utilized, and the vibration of the vibration table is stopped when the current weight matches the value obtained by subtracting the target discharge amount from the original weight. Alternatively, taking into account the weight of the drug while it is falling, the vibration of the vibration table is stopped when the current weight is slightly less than the value obtained by subtracting the target discharge amount from the original weight and approximately matches the value. Therefore, after the target amount of drug is discharged, the vibration of the vibration table is stopped and the discharge of the drug is stopped.
When the medicine container is mounted on the container mounting device, it is desirable that the axis of the medicine container is oriented in a tangential direction of the distribution tray.
It is desirable to provide a remaining medicine detection sensor in at least one of the distribution tray, the hopper, and the scraping mechanism, or in the vicinity thereof.
The remaining medicine detection sensor is an optical sensor having a main device and a fiber, and it is desirable that the tip of the fiber is located in at least one of the distribution tray, hopper, and scraping mechanism, or in the vicinity thereof.

The device is covered entirely or partially with a housing, the housing has a door section that allows the drug container to be inserted and removed from inside, and a temporary drug container section is located on or near the door section, and the temporary drug container section has an engagement lever that engages with a part of the drug container and a holding member that is linked to the engagement lever, and it is preferable that when the drug container is placed on the temporary drug container section, the engagement lever is pressed down by the weight of the drug container, and the holding member moves or changes its position to become capable of holding the drug container. In this way, when the drug container is placed on the temporary drug container section, the holding member is in a position that does not get in the way. Therefore, the drug container can be easily placed on the temporary drug container section. Then, simply by placing the drug container on the temporary drug container section, the holding member appears in a position where it can hold the drug container, and the drug container is held so that it does not fall.

It is preferable that a container moving means is provided, the container moving means moves the drug container to a predetermined position, and a cleaning unit is provided, and the outer surface of the drug container is cleaned by moving the drug container to the cleaning unit using the container moving means. In this way, drug residue adhering to the outer surface of the drug container is removed. In particular, drug residue is likely to adhere to the area around the drug discharge part of the drug container. Therefore, it is preferable to clean the area around the drug discharge part using the cleaning unit.

It is desirable for the cleaning section to be equipped with a suction device.

It is preferable that the cleaning unit has a container contact portion, and the container moving means presses the chemical container against the container contact portion to clean the chemical container.
Here, the container moving means is used to press the medicine container against the container contact portion, and the medicine container is cleaned. For example, the container moving means is used to press the medicine container against the container contact portion, and in that state, the medicine container is moved to wipe the outer surface of the medicine container.
In this way, by combining with a configuration in which a suction device is provided in the cleaning section, a synergistic effect can be obtained. By providing a suction device in the cleaning section, the medicine that is wiped and peeled off by the container contact section is sucked up by the suction device. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the peeled medicine from dropping or floating in the device.

A medicine packaging device is provided below the table member, and has a powder medicine feeding hopper into which powder medicine scraped out of the medicine feeding groove is fed and which drops the powder medicine toward the medicine packaging device, suction means for drawing the inside of the powder medicine feeding hopper to a negative pressure, and cleaning agent feeding means for feeding a cleaning agent into the powder medicine feeding hopper, and it is preferable that the device is provided with a hopper cleaning function for feeding powder into the powder medicine feeding hopper and drawing the inside of the powder medicine feeding hopper to a negative pressure using the suction means.
Here, a cleaning agent injection means is provided to inject a cleaning agent into the powder injection hopper. The "cleaning agent" here is a prescribed cleaning agent, which is a powder for cleaning the inside of the hopper. The "cleaning agent" is selected from those that are harmless even if ingested by a human, regardless of whether they have medicinal properties. The "cleaning agent" functions as a stripping material.
In this way, the cleaning agent is put into the powder medicine feeding hopper and the inside of the powder medicine feeding hopper is sucked into negative pressure by the suction means. As a result, the "cleaning agent" floats around inside the powder medicine feeding hopper and collides with the inner wall of the powder medicine feeding hopper, peeling off the powder medicine residue.

The powdered medicine feeding hopper has an introduction side opening for introducing the powdered medicine, a medicine discharge port located below the introduction side opening and discharging the powdered medicine, and a suction opening connected to the suction means, the suction opening being lower than the introduction side opening and opening at a height closer to the introduction side opening than the medicine discharge port, and it is preferable that the suction path between the suction opening and the suction means has a curved path located immediately adjacent to the suction opening. In this way, a swirling flow is generated inside the powdered medicine feeding hopper, which peels off the medicine adhering to the inner wall of the powdered medicine feeding hopper and can be discharged to the outside together with the cleaning agent.

It is preferable that the medicine packaging device is provided below the table member, that there is a powder medicine input hopper having a medicine discharge port, that the powder medicine scraped out from the medicine input groove is input into the powder medicine input hopper and dropped from the medicine discharge port to the medicine packaging device side, and that a nozzle for blowing air is provided near the medicine discharge port of the powder medicine input hopper. In this way, the vicinity of the medicine discharge port can be cleaned.
That is, according to the experience of the present inventors, it is difficult to clean the medicine discharge port of the powder medicine supply hopper, and in particular, the outer part of the medicine discharge port of the powder medicine supply hopper.
Therefore, we decided to provide an air blowing nozzle near the drug discharge outlet of the powdered medicine hopper and blow air into the drug discharge outlet to clean it.

It is preferable that a plurality of distribution plates are provided, and partitions are provided between the distribution plates.
Some powdered medicines have extremely small particles and tend to float in the air. Some powdered medicines have relatively large and light particles, and such powdered medicines may fly away when they are dispensed from the distribution plate. Therefore, in a drug dispensing device having multiple distribution plates, there is a concern that the floating or flying powdered medicine may fall into an adjacent distribution plate. Therefore, a partition is provided between the distribution plates so that even if the powdered medicine floats, it will not go to the adjacent distribution plate.

It is preferable to have a partition cleaning means for cleaning the partition. In this way, the partition cleaning means is provided, so powdered medicine adhering to the partition is removed. This prevents the next packaging operation from being performed with medicine used in the previous packaging operation still adhering to the partition, and prevents contamination.

It is preferable that a cover member be provided on the top of the distribution dish to cover all or part of the distribution dish. As mentioned above, some powdered medicines have extremely small particles that tend to float in the air. Therefore, in the present invention, a cover member is provided on the top of the distribution dish to prevent the floating powdered medicine from spreading. The cover member also prevents the floating powdered medicine from falling into the distribution dish.

It is preferable to have a surveillance camera that monitors whether the medicine is being discharged from the medicine container. In this way, it is possible to grasp the state in which the medicine is being discharged.

The scraper plate, scraper plate, and partition plate are integrated, and when cleaning the scraper mechanism, it is preferable to rotate the scraper plate and change the distance between the scraper plate and the hub member during cleaning. In this way, the scraper mechanism can be cleaned more thoroughly. Furthermore, not only the outer periphery of the scraper plate but also areas closer to the center can be cleaned. Furthermore, even if the scraper plate has a complex shape, it can be cleaned all over.

The drug dispensing device of the present invention has few irregularities overall and is easy to clean. In addition, the drug dispensing device of the present invention is less likely to cause contamination of powdered medicine and is highly safe.

1 is an external perspective view of a medicine dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the medicine dispensing device in FIG. 1 . 1 is a perspective view of a drug feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the drug container of FIG. 4 . 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the behavior of the medicine inside the medicine container of FIG. 4 when it is discharged. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container mounting device employed in the medicine feeder. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the container mounting device of FIG. 7 . FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional perspective view of the container mounting device of FIG. 7 . FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional side view of the container mounting device of FIG. 7 . FIG. FIG. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the container storage section of FIG. 12 . 11A to 11C are side views showing a procedure for mounting a drug container in a container storage section. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the state immediately before the drug container is returned to the drum member. 16 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 15 showing a procedure for returning the drug container to the drum member. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a medicine dividing area of the medicine dispensing device. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a part of the medicine dividing region of the medicine dispensing device. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the drug dividing area of the drug dispensing device. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the drug dividing area of the drug dispensing device. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a scraping device disposed on a turntable. FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the scraping arm of FIG. 21 as viewed from a different angle. FIG. 22 is a skeleton diagram showing a power transmission system of the scraping device of FIG. 21 . 22 is a perspective view of an arm-side power transmission system and a positioning mechanism of the scraping device of FIG. 21. FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of the receiving member of the scraping device of FIG. 21 . FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the receiving member of FIG. 25 . 22A and 22B are side views of the positioning pin and scraping arm in Figure 21, in which (a) shows the positioning pin retracted into the turntable and the scraping arm raised, and (b) shows the positioning pin protruding from the turntable and the scraping arm lowered. FIG. 29 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state in which the scraping arm in a lowered position protrudes from the arm protruding opening of the lid in FIG. 28 . FIG. 30 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state in which the scraping arm is in a raised position in FIG. 29 . FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a drug packaging area of the drug dispensing device. FIG. FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of the cleaning brush of FIG. 33 . FIG. FIG. 36 is a perspective view of the cleaning device as viewed from an angle different from that of FIG. 35 . FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cleaning device with the cleaning arm bent. FIG. FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of a brush cleaning the scraping mechanism of the scraping arm. A conceptual diagram showing powdered medicine being poured into a medicine hopper. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a hopper closing member is placed on a medicine feeding hopper. A conceptual diagram showing the state in which powdered medicine residue in a medicine hopper is being sucked up. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a robot used in the medicine dispensing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which the container-holding palm portion of the robot hand portion approaches a medicine container. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which the container holding palm is fixed to the medicine container and lifting the medicine container. FIG. 46 is a perspective view showing a state in which the angle of the robot arm is changed from the state shown in FIG. 45 . FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a medicine shelf with a medicine container close thereto. 48 is a perspective view showing a state in which a medicine container is placed on the medicine shelf of FIG. 47. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the medicine container viewed from the medicine shelf side. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the inside of another medicine dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a perspective view of a temporary medicine container placement section provided in a door section of the medicine dispensing device of FIG. 1 and a perspective view of a cleaning section provided in a housing thereof; FIG. FIG. FIG. 52 is a perspective view showing an intermediate process of mounting a medicine container to the medicine container temporary placement portion shown in FIG. 51 . 52 is a perspective view showing a state in which a medicine container is attached to the medicine container temporary placement portion shown in FIG. 51 . 52 is a perspective view of a lever member and a holding member of the temporary medicine container placement part shown in FIG. 51 . FIG. 13 is a side view of a hand unit and a drug container, showing a state in which a drug container is held by a hand unit of a robot employed in another embodiment of the present invention, with a portion of the hand unit broken away. 13 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the drug container held by the hand unit of the robot and the drug container immediately before being placed on the container mounting device. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the drug container held by the hand portion of the robot and the drug container immediately after being placed on the container mounting device. FIG. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing a medicine feeding hopper and its surrounding members employed in another embodiment of the present invention. A conceptual diagram showing the state in which a cleaning material has been added to the chemical addition hopper of Figure 60. A conceptual diagram showing the state in which the cleaning material in the chemical supply hopper is being sucked in with the lower opening/closing member closed. A conceptual diagram showing the state in which the cleaning material in the chemical supply hopper is being sucked in with the lower opening/closing member open. A conceptual diagram showing air being sprayed from an air nozzle onto the opening and closing member at the bottom of a drug feeding hopper. FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a drug dividing area of a drug dispensing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a medicine dividing area of a medicine dispensing device according to still another embodiment of the present invention. 68 is an oblique view showing a hopper closing member of the drug dispensing device shown in Figure 67, in which (a) shows a state in which a partition member protrudes from the hopper closing member, (b) shows a state in which the partition member is rotating, and (c) shows a state in which the partition member is stored within the hopper closing member. FIG. 68 is an exploded perspective view of the hopper closing member shown in FIG. 67; FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a cleaning brush according to another embodiment. FIG. 71 is an exploded perspective view of the cleaning brush of FIG. 70 . 1A and 1B are cross-sectional views showing the state in which the scraping mechanism of the scraping arm is being cleaned, in which (a) shows the state in which the brush is located in a position other than the partition plate and close to the scraping mechanism, (b) shows the state in which the brush is located in the partition plate position and close to the scraping mechanism, and (c) shows the state in which the brush is located in the partition plate position and away from the scraping mechanism. FIG. 52 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the temporary medicine container placement portion shown in FIG. 51 . FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional powder medicine packaging device.

The medicine dispensing device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be further described below. For ease of understanding, the outline and general operation of the medicine dispensing device 1 will first be described, and then each component and device will be described in detail.
The medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment is surrounded by a housing 7 , the inside of which is divided into a medicine shelf area 100 , a medicine dividing area 200 , and a medicine packaging area 300 .
In the medicine shelf area 100, a container storage device 101 for storing medicine containers 2 is provided.
The container storage device 101 has a vertical drum member 102 that rotates in a substantially horizontal direction, and a plurality of container installation sections 103 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the drum member 102. In this embodiment, the container installation sections 103 are provided across three stages. Furthermore, 12 container installation sections 103 are provided per stage, and a total of 36 drug containers 2 can be attached.

The drum member 102 is rotated by a motor, and the desired drug container 2 is brought close to the robot 702 of the container moving means 700 described below, and is attached and detached by the robot 702.

A container moving means 700 is provided in the area extending from the medicine shelf area 100 to the medicine dividing area 200. As shown in FIG. 43, the container moving means 700 is provided with a robot 702 attached to a vertically installed lifting mechanism 701. The robot 702 has two arm members 705, 706 and a hand unit 707. The hand unit 707 is provided with an electromagnet, which can magnetically attach and hold the iron plate of the medicine container 2.

The drug dividing area 200 is an area in which two distribution plates 201 are installed in an embedded state, and a container mounting device 3 and a cleaning device 500 are arranged around the area. A scraping device 930 is also provided in the drug dividing area 200, and a scraping arm 931 of the scraping device 930 protrudes from each distribution plate 201 in the drug dividing area 200.
That is, the medicine dividing area 200 has a flat table member 205. The table member 205 is flat and can be used to place an object thereon. That is, the table member 205 has a table surface 205a on which an object can be placed.
17, the table member 205 is provided with two distribution dish accommodating openings 206. That is, the distribution dish accommodating openings 206 are provided at two positions on the table surface 205a.
A distribution dish 201 is provided in the distribution dish receiving opening 206 .
The distribution dish 201 is a dish-shaped member with an equipment storage opening 210 provided in the center. The distribution dish 201 has a medicine insertion groove 208 provided on the upper surface side. The medicine insertion groove 208 is also called an "R groove" and has an arc-shaped cross section. The medicine insertion groove 208 is located near the outer edge of the distribution dish 201 and surrounds the equipment storage opening 210 in an annular shape.

The distribution dish 201 is completely accommodated in the distribution dish accommodating opening 206, and all parts of the distribution dish 201 are below the surface (table surface 205a) of the table member 205.
The distribution dish 201 can be rotated at a constant speed by a dish rotation mechanism 211, which will be described later, or can be rotated by a predetermined angle.
As described later, the dish rotating mechanisms 211 are all provided below the table member 205 .

As shown in FIG. 23, the scraping device 930 has a scraping-side power transmission system 932 and an arm-side power transmission system 933. The scraping-side power transmission system 932 has a motor 950, and by operating the motor 950, the scraping mechanism 606 provided on the scraping arm 931 can be driven. The arm-side power transmission system 933 has a motor 960, and by operating the motor 960, the scraping arm 931 can be raised and lowered.

In this embodiment, a turntable 604 is provided below the table member 205, and a scraping arm 931 is fixed to the turntable 604.
Therefore, by rotating the turntable 604, the entire scraping device 930 can be rotated.

Moreover, the ground height of most of the motors 950, 960 is below the surface of the table member 205 (table surface 205a).
The base end of the scraping arm 931 is fixed to the turntable 604 side, and the tip thereof protrudes outward from the equipment storage opening 210 of the distribution tray 201 .
Therefore, the base end side of the scraping arm 931 is located within the equipment storage opening 210 or directly above it, and the tip side protrudes in a cantilever fashion from the equipment storage opening 210 side.

A lid 207 (covering member) is provided within the equipment storage opening 210 of the distribution dish 201, and covers the motors 950, 960 (FIG. 21). The lid 207 is fixed to the turntable 604 side and rotates integrally with the turntable 604. The outer diameter of the lid 207 is approximately equal to the equipment storage opening 210 provided in the center of the distribution dish 201, and the lid 207 fits into the equipment storage opening 210. However, the lid 207 does not abut or engage with the distribution dish 201, and the lid 207 and the distribution dish 201 can rotate relative to each other.
The top surface of the lid 207 is generally flat except for some protruding portions. More specifically, when the lid 207 is viewed from above, at least three-quarters of the area is smooth.
The lid 207 also has an opening for allowing the scraping arm 931 to protrude. A door member is provided in this opening. The door member is always closed by gravity. When the scraping arm 931 rotates in a direction approaching the vertical position, the door member is pushed by the scraping arm 931 and opens. On the other hand, when the scraping arm 931 rotates in a direction approaching the horizontal position, the door member moves in the closing direction due to the force of the biasing member.

The cleaning device 500 has a cleaning arm 501 that protrudes in a cantilever shape from the table member 205 side and has a tip side that moves up and down by power, and a cleaning brush 502 is provided at the tip of the cleaning arm 501.
The cleaning brush 502 is rotatably mounted in a brush cover 503. As shown in Fig. 36, the brush cover 503 has an opening 503a (exposure opening) on the tip side, and a part of the cleaning brush 502 is exposed from the opening 503a.

The cleaning brush 502 has bristles planted around the periphery of a hub member.
In this embodiment, four rows of hair are planted around the hub member. The outer rows of the four rows of hair are all arranged so that the tips of the hairs face inward. In contrast, one row of hairs in the center is planted to the right and the other to the left, so that the tips of the hairs are distributed in the left and right directions overall.
Therefore, the bristles of the cleaning brush 502 are arranged in three or more rows, and the bristles on both ends include a centrally inclined group of bristles whose bristles have their tips inclined toward the center of the hub member, and the central bristles include a one-end inclined group of bristles whose bristles have their tips inclined toward one end of the hub member and an other-end inclined group of bristles whose bristles have their tips inclined toward the other end of the hub member.
The hub member also has grooves between the rows of bristles.

The table member 205 is provided with the container mounting devices 3. In this embodiment, there are three sets of the container mounting devices 3 around the distribution tray 201.
The container mounting device 3 has a vibration table 20 and a weight measuring means 25 that directly or indirectly measures the weight of the drug container 2 .
The main parts of the container mounting device 3 are all buried below the table member 205 , and only a portion thereof, including the surface of the vibration table 20 , is exposed from the table member 205 .
The vibration table 20 is provided with a container holding means for temporarily fixing the drug container 2 to the vibration table 20. The container holding means is specifically a magnet. More specifically, it is an electromagnet having a structure called a self-holding solenoid 30. The self-holding solenoid 30 uses a permanent magnet and an electromagnet in combination, and normally exerts an attractive force mainly by the permanent magnet. When an object magnetically attached to the self-holding solenoid 30 is to be released, the electromagnet is energized to generate a magnetic force in the opposite direction to the permanent magnet, thereby canceling the magnetic force of the permanent magnet.
Alternatively, when attracted, current is passed through the electromagnet to generate a magnetic force in the same direction as the permanent magnet, and when released, current is passed in the opposite direction to generate a magnetic force in the opposite direction to the permanent magnet.
In this embodiment, the medicine container 2 is placed on the container mounting device 3, and the vibration table 20 is vibrated to discharge the medicine from the medicine container 2. The change in weight of the medicine container 2 at that time is detected by the weight measuring means 25.

The table member 205 is further provided with a medicine insertion opening 241. A hopper closing member 400 is also provided at a position slightly away from the medicine insertion opening 241 of the table member 205 toward the front side. The hopper closing member 400 has a main body part 401 and an inner lid part 402, and the inner lid part 402 moves in a direction away from the main body part 401 by power.

The medicine packaging area 300 (FIG. 2) has a medicine packaging device 410 shown in FIG. 32 built in. The medicine packaging device 410 is a machine that packages medicines into individual doses, similar to known devices, and is composed of a packaging paper supply device and a packaging device, as known in the art. Also, a powdered medicine input hopper 413 (medicine input hopper) is provided for inputting medicines into the packaging section.
The medicine packaging device of this embodiment has a unique configuration in which the entire device moves in the front-rear direction.
That is, in this embodiment, the entire medicine packaging device 410 moves. That is, when the medicine is being packaged, the input opening of the powder medicine input hopper 413 is located at the position of the medicine input opening 241, and when the packaging operation is completed, the entire medicine packaging device 410 moves to the front side, and the input opening of the powder medicine input hopper 413 reaches the position of the hopper closing member 400. Then, cleaning work of the powder medicine input hopper 413 and the like is performed.

As another configuration, the distribution tray 201, the powdered medicine input hopper 413, and the scraping mechanism 606 are all provided with remaining medicine detection sensors.
The remaining medicine detection sensor is an optical sensor, and has a main device and a fiber, the tip of which is provided on the distribution tray 201 or in its vicinity.
Furthermore, a partition (not shown) may be provided between the two distribution trays 201. By providing the partition, there is no risk of the powdered medicine in one distribution tray 201 scattering into the other distribution tray 201. It is also preferable to provide a partition cleaning means for cleaning the partition. In other words, it is possible to prevent the powdered medicine adhering to the partition from scattering and becoming mixed with a different type of medicine.

Next, an overview and general operation of the medicine dispensing device 1 will be described.
The medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment can automatically perform the operations of selecting medicine according to a prescription, pouring a predetermined amount of medicine into the distribution tray 201, and dividing the medicine and pouring it into the medicine packaging device 410.
After that, the distribution dish 201 is automatically cleaned, and further the scraping mechanism 606 is also automatically cleaned.
After that, the inside of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 is also automatically cleaned.

That is, the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment automatically selects a medicine container 2 according to a prescription. Specifically, the drum member 102 of the container storage device 101 is rotated to bring a desired medicine container 2 close to the container moving means 700. Then, the hand unit 707 of the container moving means 700 holds the medicine container 2, and the arm or the like is operated to place the medicine container 2 on the vibration table 20 of the container mounting device 3.
When a plurality of medicines are mixed and enclosed in one package, a plurality of medicine containers 2 are placed on the container mounting device 3 .

Then, the vibration table 20 is vibrated. As a result, the powdered medicine in the medicine container 2 moves slowly, is discharged from the medicine container 2 and falls onto the distribution tray 201.
Also, around the time of the start of vibration, the distribution plate 201 of the powdered medicine distribution device 202 is rotated. Around the time of the start of vibration, the weight of the medicine container 2 is measured. During this time, the weight of the medicine container 2 is monitored, and when the total amount of powdered medicine dropped reaches a desired weight, the vibration of the vibration table 20 is stopped.
That is, the weight measuring means 25 measures the original weight G of the medicine container 2 before the medicine is discharged, and the weight measuring means 25 monitors the weight of the medicine container 2 when the powdered medicine is discharged little by little from the medicine container 2. Then, when the current weight g of the medicine container 2 matches or approximately matches the value obtained by subtracting the target discharge amount from the original weight G, the discharge of the powdered medicine from the medicine container 2 is stopped.

Thereafter, the rotation of the distribution plate 201 is stopped. Then, the motor 950 (FIG. 21) is rotated in the forward direction to swing the scraping arm 931, and the tip side is lowered to lower the scraping mechanism 606, and the scraping mechanism 606 is placed into the medicine input groove 208 of the distribution plate 201.
Then, the distribution plate 201 is rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of dispensed medicines, and the medicines are gathered onto the gathering plate 609. Thereafter, the motor 950 is rotated in the reverse direction to rotate the gathering plate 609, and the medicines are scooped up by the scooping plate 607, discharged from the distribution plate 201, and fed into the medicine feed opening 241.
The medicine put into the medicine putting opening 241 falls through the powder medicine putting hopper 413 and is carried to the medicine packaging device 410, where it is packaged.
This operation is repeated in sequence until all the medicines in the distribution tray 201 are discharged and packaged by the medicine packaging device 410.

When all the medicines in the distribution tray 201 have been discharged, the groove cleaning operation is executed. That is, the motor 960 rotates forward to swing the scraping arm 931 and raise the tip side to remove the scraping mechanism 606 from the medicine input groove 208 of the distribution tray 201.
Next, the cleaning arm 501 of the cleaning device 500 is rotated to lower the cleaning brush 502 attached to the tip thereof, and the cleaning brush 502 is inserted into the drug supply groove 208 of the distribution tray 201 .
Then, the cleaning brush 502 is rotated while the distribution plate 201 is rotated.
As a result, the medicine residue remaining in the medicine insertion groove 208 of the distribution plate 201 is scraped off by the cleaning brush 502, and the residue that has been stirred up is sucked up by the suction means. As a result, the inside of the medicine insertion groove 208 is cleaned.
When the groove cleaning operation is completed, the cleaning arm 501 is rotated to raise the cleaning brush 502 attached to the tip thereof, and the cleaning brush 502 is removed from the drug injection groove 208 of the distribution tray 201 .

It is preferable that the suction by the suction means continues even while the cleaning brush 502 is being raised. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the chemicals adhering to the cleaning brush 502 from dropping onto the distribution tray 201 when the cleaning brush 502 is being raised.
Furthermore, after the distribution tray 201 is cleaned, the cleaning status of the distribution tray 201 is confirmed by the remaining medicine detection sensor 372, so the distribution tray 201 continues to rotate even after the cleaning brush 502 is raised. Therefore, while the distribution tray 201 is kept rotating, the cleaning brush 502 continues to rotate while suction is being performed by the suction means, and after the cleaning brush 502 is raised, the rotation of the cleaning brush 502 and suction by the suction means are stopped.

Then, the scraping section cleaning operation is carried out.
That is, the turntable 604 built in under the table is rotated, and the entire scraping device 930 is turned to move the scraping mechanism 606 of the scraping device 930 to the vicinity of the cleaning device 500. Note that the lid 207 and the distribution dish 201 are rotatable relative to each other, and therefore rotate together with the turntable 604.
Then, the cleaning arm 501 of the cleaning device 500 is slightly tilted, and the scraping plate 609 and the partition plate 603 of the scraping mechanism 606 are inserted into the grooves C and D of the cleaning brush 502 as shown in Fig. 39. In this state, the cleaning brush 502 is rotated. As a result, the chemical residues adhering to the scraping mechanism 606 are scraped off by the cleaning brush 502 and enter the brush cover 503. The residues inside the brush cover 503 are then sucked by the vacuum device 515 (suction means). As a result, the scraping mechanism 606 is cleaned.

In addition, in the medicine dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment, a hopper cleaning operation is executed in parallel with the groove cleaning operation and the scraping portion cleaning operation described above.
That is, when all the medicines in the distribution tray 201 have been discharged and the medicines have been packaged, the medicine packaging device 410 is moved as a whole so that the opening of the powder medicine supply hopper 413 reaches the position of the hopper closing member 400. The hopper closing member 400 is then operated to project the inner lid portion 402 and close the opening of the powder medicine supply hopper 413. In this state, the suction member is operated to clean the inside of the powder medicine supply hopper 413.
If there is an opening/closing device at the end of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, the opening/closing device is opened/closed.

In the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, the above operations are repeated to carry out weighing, dividing, packaging and cleaning of medicines.
In addition, when the work for the day is finished or when the work starts in the early morning, the entire medicine dispensing device 1 is manually cleaned.
That is, wipe each component on the table with a clean cloth to remove dust and residual powder.
Here, the medicine dispensing device 1 of the present embodiment has a table with few irregularities, so that manual cleaning is easy.

That is, in the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, the distribution tray 201 is located at a position lower than the upper surface (table surface 205a) of the table member 205, and the height of the medicine insertion groove 208 is the same as (actually slightly lower than) the table member 205. Therefore, manual wiping work is easy.
In addition, the distribution dish 201 is embedded in the table member 205, and no shady areas are formed between the bottom surface of the distribution dish 201 and the top surface (table surface 205a) of the table member 205. Therefore, dust and powdered medicine do not get into the gap, and it is clean.

When the lid 207 is in the center of the distribution tray 201, the top surface of the lid 207 is generally flat, making it easy to wipe the lid. It is also clean because no dust or other particles get caught in the gaps.

The medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a cleaning mechanism that is tailored to the operation, shape, and use of each mechanism, which significantly improves cleaning performance, reduces contamination of powdered medicine, and is highly safe.

Next, each component and device of the medicine dispensing device 1 will be described.
(1) Drug Container Drug container 2 is a sealed container, and is composed of a container body 5 , a transportation iron plate portion 157 , a fixing iron plate portion 6 , a cover member 120 , and an information recording member 15 .
The container body 5 is a vertically elongated container made of resin, one end of which in the longitudinal direction is open and constitutes a medicine discharge portion 8 .
The container body 5 is also provided with a transportation iron plate portion 157. In this embodiment, the transportation iron plate portion 157 is divided into two small transportation iron plate portions 157a and 157b. The transportation iron plate portion 157 is made of a steel plate containing a magnetic component such as ferrite.

The cover member 120 is composed of a cover main body 125, a movable cover portion 134, a rectifying coil 126, and a comb-shaped rectifying member 130. The cover member 120 also has a desiccant 182 disposed therein, as shown in FIG.
The movable cover 134 has a knob 147, and the movable cover 134 opens when the knob 147 is pressed. The movable cover 134 is then maintained in the open state.
The cover member 120 is attached to the container body 5 as shown in FIG.
An engagement protrusion 370 is provided on the surface of the cover member 120. Also, a recess 371 is formed at the rear end of the drug container 2.

The fixing iron plate part 6 is a steel plate containing a magnetic material component such as ferrite. The fixing iron plate part 6 is attached to the outer periphery of the container body 5, at the bottom surface 12 of the peripheral wall. The surface to which the fixing iron plate part 6 is attached faces the surface to which the above-mentioned transport iron plate part 157 is attached. In addition, the container body 5 itself may be a magnetic material, and the entire drug container may be a magnetic material.
The drug container 2 is placed in a vertical position during storage and is placed in a horizontal position during use.
Further, the medicine container 2 is provided with an information recording member 15 such as a barcode, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) or a barcode. In this embodiment, an RFID chip is attached as the information recording member 15. The type of medicine filled in the medicine container 2 is recorded on the information recording member 15.

(2) Container Mounting Device The container mounting device 3, as shown in Figs. 7 to 10, is composed of, from the top, a vibration table 20, vibration means 21a and 21b, an intermediate table 22, a vibration isolation table 23, a weight measuring means 25, and a base member 26.

The vibration table 20 is a block-shaped support table. The external shape of the vibration table 20 is as shown in Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, and is approximately a rectangular parallelepiped.

Self-holding solenoids 30a and 30b are built into the mounting surface 61.
The vibration table 20 has short side surfaces 63a and 63b each having an inclined surface 67a, 67b formed in the center thereof.

The vibration means 21a and 21b are piezoelectric elements.
As shown in FIG. 8, the intermediate stand 22 has a generally H-shaped appearance in a plan view.
The intermediate table 22 has an inclined surface 78a. The inclined surface 67a of the vibration table 20 is located on the extension of the inclined surface 78a of the intermediate table 22.

There is a large cavity 75 inside the intermediate stand 22, and the rear surface of the main body 76 is widely open.
As shown in FIG. 8, the vibration isolation table 23 is a plate body with a protruding center portion to provide an internal space.

Next, the positional relationship of each component of the container mounting device 3 of this embodiment will be described. In the container mounting device 3, as shown in Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, vibration means 21a and 21b are provided between the vibration table 20 and the intermediate table 22.

In this embodiment, the vibration means 21a and 21b are present between the vibration table 20 and the intermediate table 22, and the vibration table 20 is not supported at any location other than the vibration means 21a and 21b. Therefore, the vibration table 20 is supported in midair from the intermediate table 22 by the vibration means 21a and 21b.

The vibration isolation table 23 is disposed below the intermediate table 22. In this embodiment, the only member connecting the intermediate table 22 and the vibration isolation table 23 is the vibration isolation member 40. Therefore, the intermediate table 22 is supported in midair from the vibration isolation table 23 by the vibration isolation member 40.

8, 9 and 10, a weight measuring means 25 is disposed below the vibration isolating table 23, and a base member 26 is disposed further below that.
The weight measuring means 25 is mostly located within a convex rib 80 provided in the center of the vibration-proof table 23, as shown in Figures 8, 9, and 10, and the upper installation surface 36 of the weight measuring means 25 is connected to the inner surface of the top surface 81 of the convex rib 80 of the vibration-proof table 23.
On the other hand, a lower installation surface 37 of the weight measuring means 25 is attached to the base member 26 .
The base member 26 is attached near the distribution tray 201 of the powdered medicine distribution device 202 via a vibration isolating member 41, as in the previous embodiment.

(3) Drug feeder (powdered drug feeding device)
In the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, the medicine container 2 and the container mounting device 3 constitute a set of medicine feeder 50 (powdered medicine feeding device).
That is, the drug container 2 and the container mounting device 3 are separate entities, and when powdered medicine is to be packaged, the two are combined to form the drug feeder 50 .
The medicine feeder 50 has a function of fixing the medicine container 2 to the vibration table 20 by stopping the supply of electricity to the self-holding solenoid 30 built into the vibration table 20, and vibrating the medicine container 2 to discharge the powdered medicine.
That is, in this embodiment, the medicine container 2 is stored in a vertical position, and the powdered medicine is stored in the powdered medicine storage section 17. In this embodiment, the medicine container 2 is held by the hand section 707 of the robot 702, and the medicine container 2 is moved and placed on the container mounting device 3 as shown in FIG.
More specifically, the drug container 2 is moved and its position is changed as shown in Fig. 2. That is, the drug container 2 is moved to the vicinity of the container mounting device 3, and then the drug container 2 is laid down in a horizontal position and placed on the vibration table 20.

Then, the power supply to the self-holding solenoid 30 built into the vibration table 20 is stopped. As a result, the magnetic force of the permanent magnet is restored, and a magnetic force is generated in the vibration table 20, so that the fixing iron plate part 6 of the drug container 2 is attracted to the vibration table 20.
Then, a current of a constant frequency is applied to the vibration means 21a and 21b to generate vibration, which causes the vibration table 20 to vibrate.
Also, around the time when the vibration starts, the distribution plate 201 of the powdered medicine distribution device 202 is rotated.

Also, before and after the start of vibration, the weight of the drug container 2 is measured. The weight of the drug container 2 is obtained by subtracting a fixed value from the weight detected by the weight measuring means 25. More specifically, the weight of the drug container 2 is obtained by subtracting the weight of the members of the container mounting device 3 above the weight measuring means 25 from the weight detected by the weight measuring means 25.
The weight of the drug container 2 immediately after it is placed on the vibration table 20 is stored as the original weight G. The weight of the drug container 2 is also constantly monitored. That is, the current weight of the drug container 2 is monitored as the current weight g.

When the vibration table 20 starts vibrating, the drug container 2 vibrates. In this embodiment, the drug container 2 is firmly attached to the vibration table 20 by the permanent magnets of the self-holding solenoids 30a and 30b, and is also in close contact with the vibration table 20, so the drug container 2 vibrates at the same frequency as the vibration table 20. As a result, the powdered medicine stored in the powdered medicine storage section 17 of the drug container 2 moves slowly toward the drug discharge section 8.

The powdered medicine then reaches the narrowed opening 13 formed by the comb-shaped flow straightening member 130. The powdered medicine that passes through the narrowed opening 13 is discharged into the discharge path 18. The powdered medicine then flows through the discharge path 18 like a river, and finally reaches the medicine discharge section 8 of the medicine container 2, where it falls like a waterfall and enters the medicine input groove 208 of the distribution plate 201 below.

The fact that the powdered medicine is falling is confirmed by a decrease in the weight of the medicine container 2. That is, in this embodiment, even while the powdered medicine is falling from the medicine discharge part 8 of the medicine container 2, the current weight of the medicine container 2 continues to be monitored as the current weight g. The original weight G of the medicine container 2 immediately after being placed on the vibration table 20 is compared with the current weight g, and the falling amount H of the powdered medicine (G minus g) is constantly calculated.
When the total amount H of powdered medicine that has fallen reaches a desired weight, the vibration of the vibration table 20 is stopped.

(4) Container Storage Apparatus As shown in Fig. 11, the container storage apparatus 101 has a drum member 102. The drum member 102 is a cylindrical member and is hollow inside.
The drum member 102 is rotatably disposed in a vertical position, and is provided with a large gear 304 on the lower end side.

Container installation sections 103 are provided on the peripheral surface of the drum member 102. In this embodiment, as described above, the container installation sections 103 are provided across three tiers. Furthermore, 12 container installation sections 103 are provided per tier, for a total of 36 container installation sections 103.

12, the container installation section 103 is configured by a vertical wall 320 and a mounting table (bottom support section) 323. The vertical wall 320 is provided with a side support member 321, an attachment detection member 322, and an upper engagement section 325.
The mounting base (bottom support portion) 323 supports the bottom surface of the drug container 2 based on the vertically placed orientation, and functions as a bottom support portion.
The side support member 321 is made by bending a metal plate as shown in Figures 12 and 13, and has a front wall and left and right side walls. The left and right side walls are slightly inclined with respect to the front wall, and have an opening angle equivalent to that of the fixing iron plate part 6 of the container body 5. The side support member 321 supports three of the sides of the drug container 2.

The upper engagement part 325 has a shaft portion and its tip side is hook-shaped. The upper engagement part 325 is located near the upper end of each container installation part 103 and protrudes from the vertical wall 320. The upper engagement part 325 swings up and down around the base end side. The shaft part of the upper engagement part 325 is normally kept in a horizontal position. The upper engagement part 325 is also urged by an urging means (not shown) so that the shaft part maintains a horizontal position.
On the other hand, when a strong external force is applied, the upper engaging portion 325 rotates, and the free end side of the upper engaging portion 325 moves upward against the biasing force of the biasing means.

The mounting detection member 322 has a protruding member. The mounting detection member 322 is located below the upper engagement portion 325, and the protruding member protrudes outward from the vertical wall 320. The protruding member is also maintained in an outward protruding state by a biasing member (not shown). The biasing member that biases the protruding member has a weak biasing force, and when it hits something and is pushed, the protruding member easily retracts into the inside of the drum member 102. In other words, the protruding member normally protrudes outward from the drum member 102, but when the drug container 2 is attached to the container installation portion 103, it is pushed by the drug container 2 to retract into the inside of the drum member 102, and protrudes toward the inside of the drum member 102.

The mounting base 323 is also provided with a lower engaging portion 326. The lower engaging portion 326 is also maintained in a protruding state by a biasing member (not shown).
As described above, the drug container 2 is provided with the engagement projection 370 on the cover member 120. Also, the drug container 2 has a recess 371 at the rear end portion.
The upper engagement part 325 rotates upward as shown by the arrow in Fig. 14 by pressing the lid member 120 of the drug container 2. The lower engagement part 326 sinks into the mounting base 323 by pressing the fixing iron plate part 6 of the drug container 2.
When the drug container 2 is pressed against the container installation part 103, the upper engagement part 325 and the lower engagement part 326 escape against the force of the biasing member. Then, when the drug container 2 reaches a predetermined position, the upper engagement part 325 is returned by the biasing member (not shown) and engages with the engagement protrusion 370 of the lid member 120. The lower engagement part 326 is also returned by the biasing member (not shown) and engages with the recess 371 at the rear end part of the drug container 2.
When removing the drug container 2, the drug container 2 is held by the robot 702 or the like and pulled away from the container installation part 103. At that time, the upper engagement part 325 and the lower engagement part 326 escape against the force of the biasing member, and the engagement is released.

A geared motor 302 is provided near the drum member 102 , and a small gear 303 attached to the geared motor 302 is engaged with a large gear 304 attached to the drum member 102 .
Therefore, when the geared motor 302 is rotated, the drum member 102 is rotated.

11, a pop-out detection sensor 330 is provided near the drum member 102. The pop-out detection sensor 330 is an optical sensor consisting of a light emitter 331 and a light receiver 332. For example, the light emitter 331 is provided on the upper side near the drum member 102. On the other hand, the light receiver 332 is provided at a position vertically below the light emitter 331.
The straight line of light connecting the light emitter 331 and the light receiver 332 of the pop-out detection sensor 330 is parallel to the drum member 102. In addition, the straight line of light does not intersect with the rotation trajectory of the drum member 102 when the drug container 2 is accurately attached to the container installation part 103.
On the other hand, if the drug container 2 is not pressed sufficiently into the container mounting portion 103 and the drug container 2 is not accurately attached to the container mounting portion 103, it will intersect with the rotational trajectory when the drum member 102 is rotated.

Therefore, if any drug container 2 is not correctly attached to the container installation section 103, when the drum member 102 is rotated, the drug container 2 blocks the light emitted from the light emitter 331, and the light entering the light receiver 332 is interrupted. Therefore, in this embodiment, the geared motor 302 is driven to rotate the drum member 102, and it is possible to detect whether or not the drug container 2 already attached to the container installation section 103 is attached in the correct position.

A protruding member detection sensor 333 (FIG. 15) that detects the position of the protruding member of the attachment detection member 322 is provided inside the drum member 102. The protruding member detection sensor 333 is an optical sensor or a proximity sensor.
The protruding member detection sensor 333 is attached to a vertical axis that is separate and independent from the drum member 102, and the protruding member detection sensor 333 does not rotate even when the drum member 102 rotates. In this embodiment, the container installation section 103 is provided over three tiers, so a total of three protruding member detection sensors 333 are provided, one for each tier.
In this embodiment, the protruding member detection sensor 333 is provided in the vicinity of a mounting stage for the medicine container 2 described below.
Therefore, when the drug container 2 is attached to the container installation part 103, it is possible to detect whether the drug container 2 is placed in the correct position.
It is also possible to drive geared motor 302 to rotate drum member 102 and detect whether drug container 2 already attached to container installation section 103 is attached in the correct orientation.

Further, an information reading/writing device 335 such as an RFID reader is provided near the drum member 102 .
In this embodiment, the container installation section 103 is provided across three levels, so that a total of three information reading and writing devices 335 are provided, one for each level.
In this embodiment, when the geared motor 302 is driven to rotate the drum member 102, the drug containers 2 attached around the drum member 102 rotate together with the drum member 102. Therefore, the drug containers 2 attached around the drum member 102 approach the information reading and writing device 335 one by one in order. In this embodiment, the information reading and writing device 335 is operated at an appropriate timing to read the type of drug contained in each drug container 2 from the RFID attached to each drug container 2, and store it in a control device (not shown). That is, the position where the drug container 2 is attached and the drug contained therein are associated with each other and stored in the control device.
It can also be used to rewrite information already stored in the control device or to confirm the contents.

The drum member 102 is also rotated as appropriate, and the protruding member detection sensor 333 and the protruding member detection sensor 330 detect whether the drug container 2 is properly attached.

(5) Distribution Tray The medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment has two sets of distribution trays 201.
The two distribution plates 201 have the same size and structure. That is, the distribution plate 201 is disk-shaped and has an equipment storage opening 210 in the center. As described above, the distribution plate 201 has a medicine insertion groove 208 on the upper surface side. The medicine insertion groove 208 is a shallow groove and has an arc-shaped cross section. The medicine insertion groove 208 is located near the outer edge of the distribution plate 201 and surrounds the equipment storage opening 210 in an annular shape.

The distribution plate 201 is supported at its lower surface by a guide and is rotatable.
The inner surface of the equipment storage opening 210 protrudes downward, and gear teeth are engraved on the outer periphery thereof.
A motor 209 is provided below the distribution plate 201, and a gear provided on the motor 209 engages with the teeth of a gear provided on the distribution plate 201. Therefore, when the motor 209 is rotated, the distribution plate 201 rotates.

There is a lid 207 at the portion of the equipment storage opening 210 described above. The lid 207 is fixed to the turntable 604 side and rotates integrally with the turntable 604. The outer diameter of the lid 207 is approximately equal to the equipment storage opening 210 provided in the center of the distribution dish 201, and since the lid 207 fits into the equipment storage opening 210, it essentially closes the equipment storage opening 210 and covers the internal equipment. However, the lid 207 does not abut or engage with the distribution dish 201, and the lid 207 and the distribution dish 201 are capable of relative rotation.
The lid 207 has an opening through which the scraping arm 931 protrudes, and a door member is provided at the opening, and the door member operates in response to the elevation of the scraping arm 931. Therefore, the opening area increases and decreases in response to the elevation of the scraping arm 931, and the opening area is kept at a minimum required.

The specific shape and structure of the lid 207 is as shown in Fig. 28, and is composed of a lid body 212 and a door member 213. The lid body 212 is a thin disk-like shape like a beret, and has a circular lower top surface 230, and a low side wall portion is disposed around the periphery of the lower top surface 230.
A raised portion 231 is formed on part of the peripheral edge of the top surface of the lid 207. The raised portion 231 is located in a slightly eccentric position. In other words, the raised portion 231 has three raised portion side surfaces that connect to the higher top surface and the higher top surface on three sides. Of the three raised portion side surfaces, two opposing surfaces have a large area, and the remaining surface connects the two surfaces.
The distance from one side surface of the raised portion to the periphery of the top surface on the lower side is different from the distance from the opposite side surface of the raised portion to the periphery of the top surface on the lower side.

In this embodiment, a large opening 232 is provided from the top surface of the raised portion 231 to the side wall portion of the lid main body 212. A guide portion (not shown) is provided on the inner edge of the opening 232.
A pair of ribs are provided on the rear surface side of the cover 207 near the opening 232. The ribs are provided with shaft insertion holes (not shown).

The door member 213 covers the opening 232 in an openable and closable manner, and has a main body and a swing shaft piece 233. The side surface of the main body of the door member 213 engages with a guide (not shown) provided on the edge of the opening 232, and the swing shaft piece 233 further engages with a shaft insertion hole (not shown).
The door member 213 closes by its own weight, closing the opening 232 of the lid body 212. On the other hand, when it is lifted by an external force, it opens easily.
Therefore, the opening 232 is opened only to the minimum extent necessary by the lid 207, thereby preventing the intrusion of dust and the like.

(6) Turntable The turntable 604 is a circular plate with gear teeth engraved on its outer periphery. The turntable 604 is rotatably supported by three guides provided on the outer periphery. In addition, as shown in Fig. 18, a motor 650 is provided near the turntable 604, and a gear 651 provided on the motor 650 engages with gear teeth 605 provided on the outer periphery of the turntable 604. Therefore, when the motor 650 is rotated, the turntable 604 rotates.

(7) Scraping Device Next, the scraping device 930 will be described.
Fig. 21 is a perspective view of the scraping device 930, and Fig. 22 is a perspective view of the scraping mechanism 606 attached to the tip of the scraping arm 931 of the scraping device 930. Fig. 23 is a skeleton diagram showing a power transmission system of the scraping device 930.
As shown in FIG. 21 , the scraping device 930 has a scraping arm 931 and a scraping mechanism 606 provided at the tip of the scraping arm 931 .
As shown in FIG. 23 , the scraping device 930 has a scraping-side power transmission system 932 surrounded by a dashed line D and an arm-side power transmission system 933 surrounded by a dashed line E.
The scraping mechanism 606 of the scraping device 930 is driven by a scraping-side power transmission system 932 .

22, the scraping mechanism 606 is a member having a scraping plate 609, a scraping plate 607, and a partition plate 603. The scraping plate 609 is a disk made of a thin plate.
The partition plate 603 is a thin plate disposed parallel to the scraping plate 609, and has a shape close to a fan shape. That is, the partition plate 603 is a substantially triangular plate formed by an arc with a central angle of about 30 degrees and two straight sides.
The partition plate 603 is disposed in parallel to the gathering plate 609. A straight side of the partition plate 603 that forms a central angle with the gathering plate 609 is connected to the gathering plate 609 by a scraping plate 607. The scraping plate 607 is perpendicular to both the gathering plate 609 and the partition plate 603.
The scraping mechanism 606 is located at the tip of a scraping arm 931, and the scraping plate 609 is rotated by a scraping-side power transmission system 932 (FIG. 23) described later.

The scraping arm 931 is a rotating arm having a base end inside the turntable 604, and is swung up and down by the arm-side power transmission system 933.

The scraping arm 931 has a housing with an elongated, roughly rectangular prism-like outer shape, with a cavity formed inside the housing. That is, the housing of the scraping arm 931 has a structure surrounded on all four sides by a pair of opposing side plates 934a, 934b, a top plate 934d, and a bottom plate 934c. In addition, a base end side plate 935 is provided on the base end side of the scraping arm 931.

A shaft member 614 is provided on the base end side of the scraping arm 931. The shaft member 614 penetrates the side plates 934a and 934b. In addition, a shaft member 615 is provided on the tip side of the scraping arm 931. The shaft members 614 and 615 are parallel to each other and each extend in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the scraping arm 931.
21, a portion of the scraping arm 931 is slightly bent in the middle. That is, a portion of the scraping arm 931 between one end (base end) where the shaft member 614 (FIG. 23) is provided and the other end (tip end) where the shaft member 615 (FIG. 23) is provided is slightly bent.

A protruding portion 936 ( FIG. 26 ) is provided near the base end of the scraping arm 931. A bottom plate 934c of the housing of the scraping arm 931 is curved along the outer shape of the protruding portion 936. A pressing surface 936a is formed on a part of the bottom plate 934c by the protruding portion 936. The pressing surface 936a is inclined with respect to the top plate 934d.
Holes 937a, 937b (only the hole 937b of the side plate 934b is depicted in FIG. 21) for inserting the shaft member 614 are provided near the base ends of the side plates 934a, 934b.
Furthermore, a receiving member 938 is provided on the base end side plate 935 .

As shown in FIG. 21 , the receiving member 938 has a fixing portion 939 and a pressing portion 940 .
The fixing portion 939 has a fixing plate 939a fixed to the base end side plate 935 by screwing or the like, and an overhanging plate 939b that is continuous and perpendicular to the fixing plate 939a. The overhanging plate 939b is provided with a hole 941. That is, when the fixing plate 939a is fixed to the base end side plate 935 of the scraping arm 931, the overhanging plate 939b overhangs in the longitudinal direction of the scraping arm 931. The hole 941 of the overhanging plate 939b opens in a direction perpendicular to the shaft member 614 that passes through the holes 937a and 937b of the side plates 934a and 934b.

The pressing portion 940 is composed of a coil spring 942 and a spring fixing member 943 .
The spring fixing member 943 is composed of a bolt portion 943a and a nut portion 943b. The bolt portion 943a passes through the hole 941 of the extension plate 939b from below, and the bolt portion 943a is screwed into the nut portion 943b.

The bolt portion 943a is provided with a spring mounting portion 944. The spring mounting portion 944 is composed of a flange portion 944a and a convex portion 944b that protrudes downward from the flange portion 944a. When the bolt portion 943a and the nut portion 943b are screwed in, the flange portion 944a of the bolt portion 943a approaches the protruding plate 939b of the fixing portion 939. The flange portion 944a can then be brought into contact with the protruding plate 939b and integrated with it.

The coil spring 942 is a compression spring. One end (upper end) of the coil spring 942 engages with a protrusion 944b of the spring mounting portion 944, and the coil spring 942 is mounted to the spring mounting portion 944. The other end (lower end) of the coil spring 942 engages with a protrusion 946 of the mounting member 945 described below, and is mounted to the mounting member 945.

23, in the scraping-side power transmission system 932, a gear 628 is attached to a drive shaft 950a of a motor 950. In this embodiment, power is transmitted from the motor 950 to a gear train formed by gears 628, 641, and 633, and the power is further transmitted from the gear 633 to the drive-side pulley 623 via the shaft member 614. The power is then transmitted from the drive-side pulley 623 to the driven-side pulley 682 via a toothed belt 634.
That is, in this embodiment, the scraping-side power transmission system 932 is composed of a gear train formed by gears 628, 641, and 633, a shaft member 614, a driving-side pulley 623, a toothed belt 634, a driven-side pulley 682, and a shaft member 615. A one-way clutch may be provided on the gear 641 to prevent the scraping mechanism 606 from rotating in the reverse direction.

As shown in FIG. 23, the arm side power transmission system 933 has a motor 960, a positioning mechanism 961, and a swing mechanism 962.

The motor 960 is a motor separate from the motor 950. In other words, the motor 960 is a motor that drives only the arm-side power transmission system 933, and can be driven to rotate in both the forward and reverse directions. A gear 951 (pinion) is attached to the drive shaft 960a of the motor 960.

The positioning mechanism 961 has a positioning pin 952, guide members 953a and 953b, a connecting member 954, and a fixed side engaging member 670.

The positioning pin 952 is a round bar-shaped member, and a rack portion 955 is formed on the cylindrical side surface. The tip side of the positioning pin 952 is tapered like a pencil. The tapered tip portion of the positioning pin 952 can engage with a groove 672 of a fixed side engagement member 670 installed on the outside of the turntable 604.
The positioning pin 952 is disposed on the turntable 604. The positioning pin 952 is perpendicular to the axis of a drive shaft 960a of a motor 960. A gear 951 (pinion) attached to the drive shaft 960a is engaged with a rack portion 955 of the positioning pin 952. In other words, when the motor 960 is driven in the forward and reverse directions, power is transmitted from the gear 951 to the rack portion 955, causing the positioning pin 952 to move back and forth in a straight line.

Guide members 953a and 953b are installed on the turntable 604 and guide the reciprocating positioning pin 952.

The connecting member 954 is a member that connects the rear end portion of the positioning pin 952 to a swing mechanism 962 described later. The connecting member 954 is connected to the rear end portion of the positioning pin 952 by a pin 949. In other words, the connecting member 954 and the positioning pin 952 are connected via the pin 949 to be capable of relative rotation.
In addition, the connecting member 954 can reciprocate along a linear guide (not shown) provided in the scraping device 930. This linear guide extends in the longitudinal direction of the positioning pin 952. That is, the connecting member 954 can reciprocate together with the positioning pin 952 in the longitudinal direction of the positioning pin 952.
Furthermore, the connecting member 954 is prevented from rotating about an axis extending in the longitudinal direction by the linear guide (not shown) described above. Therefore, the positioning pin 952 integrated with the connecting member 954 is also unable to rotate. Therefore, the rack portion 955 of the positioning pin 952 is always engaged with the gear 951.

The fixed side engagement member 670 has a groove 672 that can engage with the positioning pin 952. The fixed side engagement member 670 is also disposed on a fixed member 699 adjacent to the outer periphery of the turntable 604.

The positioning mechanism 961 reciprocates the positioning pin 952 in conjunction with the elevation of the scraping arm 931. When the positioning pin 952 protrudes from the turntable 604, the positioning pin 952 engages with the groove 672 of the fixed side engagement member 670, and the turntable 604 is fixed so that it cannot rotate. When the positioning pin 952 retreats into the turntable 604, the engagement between the positioning pin 952 and the groove 672 is released, and the turntable 604 becomes rotatable.

The rocking mechanism 962 has a mounting member 945 and a rocking member 947. The mounting member 945 and the rocking member 947 are fixed together with screws 948a and 948b. In other words, the mounting member 945 and the rocking member 947 cannot move relative to each other.

As shown in FIG. 24, the oscillating member 947 is a plate-like member having a substantially L-shape. The oscillating member 947 has two holes (not shown) through which the screws 948a and 948b are inserted. One end of the oscillating member 947 is connected to the connecting member 954 by a pin 956 so as to be rotatable relative to the connecting member 954. The other end of the oscillating member 947 is passed through the shaft member 614. In other words, the oscillating member 947 can oscillate around the shaft member 614. Both ends of the shaft member 614 are supported by support members 963 and 964 (FIGS. 21 and 23) fixed on the turntable 604.

As shown in FIG. 26 , the mounting member 945 has a main body 957 and mounting portions 958 and 959 .
The main body 957 is a plate disposed in a vertical position. The main body 957 is provided with holes 965a, 965b through which the screws 948a, 948b are inserted. Two points on the upper side of the main body 957 are bent vertically to form mounting portions 958, 959. The mounting portions 958 and 959 are both perpendicular to the main body 957, and are not on the same plane but are inclined relative to each other.
A protrusion 946 is provided on the mounting portion 958. The protrusion 946 engages with the coil spring 942 and has the function of fixing the coil spring 942 to the mounting portion 958.
As shown in FIG. 24, the swinging member 947 and the mounting member 945 are fixed together by two screws 948a and 948b.

As shown in FIG. 26, the lower end of the coil spring 942 is fixed to the mounting portion 958 of the mounting member 945. The upper end of the coil spring 942 is fixed to the spring fixing member 943 of the fixed portion 939. The flange portion 944a of the spring mounting portion 944 abuts against the protruding plate 939b of the fixed portion 939. In other words, the protruding plate 939b is sandwiched between the flange portion 944a and the nut portion 943b. The coil spring 942 is disposed between the flange portion 944a on the fixed portion 939 side and the mounting portion 958 of the mounting member 945 of the swing mechanism 962. The coil spring 942 is compressed.

As shown in FIG. 26, the pressing surface 936a of the scraping arm 931 is placed on the mounting portion 959 of the mounting member 945.

The base end of the scraping arm 931 is penetrated by a shaft member 614. The shaft member 614 penetrates side plates 934a and 934b of the scraping arm 931, and a drive pulley 623 is attached inside the scraping arm 931 as shown in FIG.
Since the shaft member 614 is supported by the support members 963 and 964 , the base end side of the scraping arm 931 is supported by the shaft member 614 .
The pressing surface 936a of the scraping arm 931 is placed on the placing portion 959 of the placing member 945. The pressing surface 936a is formed on the tip side of the insertion portion of the shaft member 614 in the scraping arm 931. Therefore, the placing portion 959 presses the pressing surface 936a formed on the bottom plate 934c from below, or the pressing surface 936a is placed on the placing portion 959, so that the scraping arm 931 can be supported by the placing member 945.
In other words, the placement member 945 prevents the scraping arm 931 from rotating about the shaft member 614 due to its own weight.

Next, the operation of the scraping device 930 will be described.

When the positioning pin 952 is retracted into the turntable 604, the turntable 604 can rotate. At this time, the scraping arm 931 is raised as shown in FIG. 27(a). That is, the swinging member 947 of the swinging mechanism 962 shown in FIG. 23 and 76 has rotated counterclockwise around the shaft member 614 and stopped, and the mounting portion 959 of the mounting member 945 has risen, so that the scraping arm 931, whose pressing surface 936a is pressed by the mounting portion 959, is in the raised position shown in FIG. 27(a).

When the motor 960 is driven from this state, the positioning pin 952 is protruded from the turntable 604 and engaged with the groove 672 of the fixed side engagement member 670, and the turntable 604 is fixed so that it cannot rotate. In addition, the connecting member 954 integral with the positioning pin 952 pulls the swinging member 947 of the swinging mechanism 962 via the pin 956. As a result, the swinging member 947 rotates clockwise around the shaft member 614. The mounting member 945 integral with the swinging member 947 also rotates clockwise together with the swinging member 947. As a result, the position of the mounting portion 959 is lowered and the position of the mounting portion 958 is raised, so that the tip side of the scraping arm 931 is lowered, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 27(b).

When the oscillating member 947 rotates about the shaft member 614 from the state shown in FIG. 27(a) to the state shown in FIG. 27(b), the pin 956 fixed to the oscillating member 947 passes through the lowest point (directly below the shaft member 614) and rises slightly above the turntable 604. In other words, the distance between the pin 956 and the shaft member 614 is always constant, but in the state shown in FIG. 27(b), the pin 956 is in a higher position than in the state shown in FIG. 27(a).

In this way, the height position of the pin 956 changes as the swinging member 947 rotates, but because the connecting member 954 and the positioning pin 952 are connected by the pin 949, the connecting member 954 can swing around the pin 952, and the connecting member 954 swings around the pin 949 while following the protruding movement of the positioning pin 952, and the end of the connecting member 954 to which the pin 956 is connected can be raised.

When the scraping arm 931 assumes the lowered position shown in FIG. 27(b), it drives the motor 950 shown in FIG. 23. The driving force of the motor 950 is transmitted to the scraping plate 609 via the drive shaft 950a, gears 628, 641, 633, shaft member 614, driving pulley 623, toothed belt 634, driven pulley 682, and shaft member 615.

When the drug scooping operation is completed, the motor 950 is stopped and the tip side of the scooping arm 931 is raised. That is, the motor 960 is rotated in the reverse direction, the positioning pin 952 is retracted onto the turntable 604, and the mounting member 945 of the swing mechanism 962 is rotated counterclockwise around the shaft member 614. As a result, the mounting portion 959 of the mounting member 945 is raised, and the tip side of the scooping arm 931 is raised.

When the scraping arm 931 changes from the raised position to the lowered position, the scraping plate 609 of the scraping mechanism 606 may collide with the distribution tray 201. However, the impact that occurs at that time is mitigated by the coil spring 942 of the fixed part 939.

Although not shown in FIG. 23, it is preferable to provide a one-way clutch on the gear 641. This one-way clutch prevents the scraper plate 609 from rotating in the reverse direction due to its own weight.

(8) Hopper Closing Member The hopper closing member 400 has a main body 401 and an inner lid 402. The main body 401 has a substantially rectangular planar shape and is a plate-like shape with a thickness of about 1 cm.
The area of the inner lid portion 402 is smaller than the area of the main body portion 401. The shape of the inner lid portion 402 is substantially rectangular, and is similar to the shape of the main body portion.
The outer surface of the inner lid portion 402 is made of resin. The inner lid portion 402 is disposed parallel to the main body portion 401 and is guided so as to move toward and away from the main body portion 401 while maintaining the parallel state.
A motor (opening/closing mechanism) and a cam are built in between the inner lid part 402 and the main body part 401, and by rotating the motor, the inner lid part 402 moves parallel to the main body part 401 and moves closer to or farther away from the main body part 401. That is, during one rotation of the motor, the main body part 401 and the inner lid part 402 can assume the close state shown in Fig. 41 and the farther state shown in Fig. 42. Therefore, by stopping the motor at an appropriate rotation position, the inner lid part 402 can be stopped at the close position shown in Fig. 41 or the farther position shown in Fig. 42.

(9) Medicine Packaging Device The medicine packaging device 410 is a device having a packaging paper supply device and a packaging device as basic components. It also has a powder medicine feeding hopper 413 for feeding powder medicine and a suction device 415 (suction means) as auxiliary devices.
The packaging paper supplying device is a section that supplies sheet-shaped packaging paper to the packaging section.
The packaging device folds the sheet-like packaging paper, introduces the powdered medicine into it, and then fuses the sides of the sheet to form a bag. The packaging paper supply device and packaging device used in this embodiment are both well known, and detailed explanations will be omitted.

The powdered medicine input hopper 413 is funnel-shaped and introduces powdered medicine to the medicine packaging device 410. That is, the powdered medicine input hopper 413 has an input side opening with a large opening area and a discharge side opening (medicine discharge port) with a small opening area. The discharge side opening is located at the lower end of the powdered medicine input hopper 413 and is provided with an opening/closing plate 416. The opening/closing plate 416 can be opened and closed by power, and can open and close the discharge side opening.
The discharge side opening of powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 leads to the packaging device of medicine packaging device 410, where powdered medicine is introduced into the folded sheet.

In this embodiment, a suction device 415 is connected to a midway portion of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. The suction device 415 is a known vacuum suction machine, and is composed of a negative pressure generating device such as a blower and a vacuum hose.
In this embodiment, a vacuum hose is connected to the middle of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 .

The packaging paper supply section, the packaging section and the powdered medicine input hopper 413 are unitized, and the three are integrated.
In this embodiment, rails 417 are provided on both side surfaces of the drug packaging device 410 in the drug packaging area 300. A rack 418 is provided near the rails 417.
On the other hand, on the side of the unit such as the packaging paper supply unit, a rail engagement unit (not shown) that engages with the rail 417, and a travel motor are provided. The travel motor is provided with a pinion that engages with the rack 418 described above.
Therefore, the drug packaging device 410 can move integrally in the forward and backward directions.

That is, the medicine packaging device 410 can move back and forth between a position below the scraping mechanism 606 shown in FIG. 40 and a position below the hopper closing member 400 shown in FIG. 41. When the medicine packaging device 410 is in the position shown in FIG. 41, the inner lid portion 402 of the hopper closing member 400 can close the introduction side opening of the powdered medicine input hopper 413, as shown in FIG. 42.

As shown in FIG. 42, when the discharge side opening is closed by the opening/closing plate 416 and the introduction side opening is closed by the middle lid portion 402 of the blocking member 400, the inside of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 is isolated from the outside. Then, when the suction device 415 is operated, the powdered medicine residue in the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 is sucked up and removed.

(10) Table Member The table member 205 is made of a smooth, glossy plate made of stainless steel or the like, as shown in FIG. 19. The table member 205 has a table surface 205a. The table surface 205a constitutes the upper surface of the table member 205. The table member 205 is provided with distribution tray accommodating openings 206 in two locations. That is, the table surface 205a has two distribution tray accommodating openings 206. In addition, three container mounting device openings 240 are provided around each of the distribution tray accommodating openings 206. A medicine input opening 241 and a blocking member installation opening 242 are provided between the distribution tray accommodating openings 206.
The distribution dish accommodating opening 206 is a circular opening having a large outer diameter. The outer diameter of the distribution dish accommodating opening 206 is larger than the outer diameter of the distribution dish 201, and the distribution dish 201 fits completely within the distribution dish accommodating opening 206.
The two distribution tray receiving openings 206 are provided side by side and partially communicate with each other.

The opening 240 for the container mounting device is a rectangular opening and is provided so as to surround the distribution tray accommodating opening 206. The center line of the opening 240 for the container mounting device is parallel to the tangent of the distribution tray accommodating opening 206. Therefore, when the drug container 2 is attached to the container mounting device 3, the axis of the drug container 2 faces in the tangent direction of the distribution tray 201.

Between the distribution tray accommodating openings 206 and at a position on the front side of the drawing, there are a medicine input opening 241 and a blocking member installation opening 242. In this embodiment, the medicine input opening 241 and the blocking member installation opening 242 are communicated with each other and are integrated.
The inside of the blocking member installation opening 242 has a step.

The two distribution dishes 201 described above are both housed within the distribution dish accommodating opening 206, and all parts of the distribution dishes 201 are below the upper surface (table surface 205a) of the table member 205.

In addition, since the outer diameter of the distribution dish 201 is smaller than the inner diameter of the distribution dish accommodating opening 206 as described above, there is a slight gap between the outer edge of the distribution dish 201 and the inner edge of the distribution dish accommodating opening 206 .
Around the outer edge of the distribution dish 201, there is a gutter-shaped receiving member 243 (FIG. 18). The receiving member 243 is disposed under the gap between the outer edge of the distribution dish 201 and the inner edge of the distribution dish housing opening 206, and powdered medicine that falls into the gap falls into the receiving member 243.

A hopper blocking member 400 is provided in the blocking member installation opening 242. The underside of the main body of the hopper blocking member 400 is supported by a step, and the middle lid portion 402 protrudes below the table member 205.

The medicine packaging device 410 is also located below the table member 205. Normally, it is located at the rear side of the device, and the opening of the powder medicine input hopper 413 is located below the medicine input opening 241 of the table member 205.
As described above, the drug packaging device 410 is movable as a whole, and when the packaging operation is completed, the drug packaging device 410 moves as a whole to the front side so that the opening of the powdered drug feeding hopper 413 reaches the position of the hopper closing member 400.

(11) Cleaning Device The cleaning device 500 has a cleaning arm 501 whose tip side moves up and down by power, and is provided with a cleaning brush 502 at its tip. The cleaning brush 502 is rotatably mounted in a brush cover 503. A suction device is connected to the brush cover 503.

As shown in FIG. 33, when the cleaning brush 502 is viewed macroscopically, it has a hub member 505 having two grooves C and D formed therein, and bristles are planted on the circumferential surface of the hub member 505 .
34, when the cleaning brush 502 is disassembled, it is found that four disk-shaped brushes 506a, 506b, 506c, and 506d are connected by the same rotating shaft 508. That is, the cleaning brush 502 has two central disk-shaped brushes 506a and 506b and two side disk-shaped brushes 506c and 506d, the centers of which are connected by the rotating shaft 508. However, the two central disk-shaped brushes 506a and 506b are in close contact with each other and appear to form a single central brush 507.

The side disc brushes 506c and 506d have a thin disc portion. The disc portion is a disc with a shaft insertion hole in the center, and has an outer circumferential surface and a side surface. Small holes are provided at equal intervals on the circumferential surface of the disc portion. Here, the small holes are inclined in the axial direction of the cleaning brush 502. In other words, the extension line of the small holes points toward the central axis of the cleaning brush 502, but does not pass through the center of the disc portion.

The side disk-shaped brushes 506c and 506d are planted using these small holes. The bristles are planted using bristles that have rigidity and can stand on their own, and several dozen of the bristles are bundled together to form a bristle bundle. One end of the bristle bundle is inserted into the small hole and glued.
Therefore, the free end of the bristle bundle protrudes from the peripheral surface of the disk portion. However, as described above, since the small holes into which the bristle bundle is embedded are formed in the inclined direction, the bristle bundle as a whole is inclined toward the side surface.

The two central disc-shaped brushes 506a, 506b also have thin disc portions. The structure of the two central disc-shaped brushes 506a, 506b is similar to that of the side disc-shaped brushes 506c, 506d described above, and the bristles are planted using small holes formed in the inclined direction. The bristles of the two central disc-shaped brushes 506a, 506b are also inclined overall toward the side.

The two central disk-shaped brushes 506a, 506b are joined in close contact with each other. When the two mated central disk-shaped brushes 506a, 506b are treated as a single central brush 507, it has a shape similar to a thick rotating brush. In other words, the mated disk portion is a disk having a shaft insertion hole in the center. The mated disk portion also has small holes at equal intervals on the circumferential surface of the disk portion.
In this embodiment, however, the small holes are provided in two separate rows.
The small holes are inclined in the axial direction of the cleaning brush 502. In other words, the extension line of the small holes is directed toward the central axis of the cleaning brush 502 but does not pass through the center of the disk portion.
Here, if one side of the disk portion of central brush 507 is side A and the other side is side B, the bristles embedded in one row of holes have their tips inclined toward side A, and the bristles embedded in the other row of holes have their tips inclined toward side B.
That is, the central brush 507 has a mixture of bristle bundles that are inclined toward one side and bristle bundles that are inclined toward the other side.
In addition, the holes in one row and the other row are both equally spaced, but the distribution angles of the holes are offset, so that the central brush 507 has a structure in which bristle bundles that are inclined in one direction and bristle bundles that are inclined in the other direction are alternately arranged.

The cleaning brush 502 is configured by arranging a central brush 507 at the center and side disk-shaped brushes 506c, 506d on either side of it, and integrating the three by inserting a rotating shaft 508. Each disk brush is fixed integrally to the rotating shaft 508 and is not allowed to rotate relative to it.
A gear is provided at the end of the rotating shaft 508 .

As shown in Figure 38, there is a gap between the central brush 507 and the side disc brushes 506c and 506d on both sides, and these gaps form annular grooves. That is, there is an annular groove C between one side disc brush 506c and the central brush 507, and there is an annular groove D between the other side disc brush 506d and the central brush 507.

Further, the two side disc-shaped brushes 506c, 506d arranged on both sides of the central brush 507 are both attached with their bristles inclined toward the central brush 507 side.
As a result, the cleaning brush 502 has a hub member 505 with rows of bristles provided around the outer periphery of the hub member 505 .
The bristles are provided in four rows, and the bristles on both ends are centrally inclined bristles whose tips are inclined toward the center of the hub member 505. The central bristles include a one-end-direction inclined bristles whose tips are inclined toward one end of the hub member 505, and an other-end-direction inclined bristles whose tips are inclined toward the other end of the hub member 505.

The brush cover 503 is a housing capable of covering most of the cleaning brush 502. In this embodiment, the brush cover 503 has a snail-shaped main body. That is, the side shape of the main body has an arc-shaped surface portion of just under 180 degrees, and both ends of the arc-shaped surface portion are extended. The two extension portions extend in directions that widen the angle between each other, and the overall shape resembles a snail. The ends of the two extension portions are open.
A connecting portion is provided in a part of the main body. The connecting portion is hollow and communicates with the space inside the main body.

More specifically, the brush cover 503 has two side walls 510 and a peripheral wall 509 connecting the ends of the two side walls except for an opening 513 .
Each of the two side walls 510 is formed by integrating an arc-shaped surface portion 511 of just under 180 degrees with an extended wall portion 512 extending from both ends of the arc-shaped surface portion 511. The left and right sides of the extended wall portion 512 are straight, and the end side is arc-shaped. Therefore, one side of the side wall 510 is an arc-shaped side portion.
An opening 513 is formed between the arcuate sides of the two side walls 510 .

In this embodiment, the two side walls 510 are parallel to each other and face each other, but the shapes of the two side walls 510 are different.
That is, as described above, the two side walls 510 are formed by integrating the arc-shaped surface portion 511 and the extension wall portion 512. Here, the arc-shaped surface portions 511 of the two side walls 510 have the same shape and the same area, but the sizes of the extension wall portions 512 are different between the two.
That is, one of the extension walls 512 is larger and the other is smaller.
The larger extended wall portion 512a has straight portions on the left and right sides that are longer than those of the other extended wall portion 512b.
The curvature of the arcuate side of the larger extension wall portion 512 a is equal to the curvature of the medicine injection groove 208 of the distribution plate 201 described above.
In addition, the overall length of the arc-shaped side portion is longer than the medicine insertion groove 208 of the distribution plate 201. Therefore, when the arc-shaped portion is aligned with the medicine insertion groove 208 of the distribution plate 201, the two match without any gaps, and both ends of the arc-shaped side portion extend slightly outside the medicine insertion groove 208.

The straight line portions of the left and right sides of the smaller extension wall 512b are shorter than those of the other extension wall 512a. The curvature of the arcuate side of the smaller extension wall 512b is equal to the curvature of the medicine injection groove 208 of the distribution plate 201, but the total length is shorter than that of the arcuate side of the larger extension wall 512a.
Therefore, when the opening 513 of the brush cover 503 is aligned with the arc-shaped portion of the medicine insertion groove 208 of the distribution dish 201 , a gap is created between the opening end of the smaller side wall 510 and the medicine insertion groove 208 .

The cleaning brush 502 described above is rotatably disposed in the brush cover 503. Most of the cleaning brush 502 is contained within the space in the brush cover 503, and only a portion of the cleaning brush 502 is exposed from the opening 513.
The gear 504 provided on the cleaning brush 502 is exposed to the outside of the brush cover 503 .
The brush cover 503 is attached to the tip of the cleaning arm 501 with the cleaning brush 502 enclosed therein.

The connection part of the brush cover 503 is connected to the cleaning arm 501. The cleaning arm 501 also functions as a vacuum passage and is hollow inside. The base end of the cleaning arm 501 is connected to a vacuum device 515 (suction means).

The cleaning arm 501 is an arm that swings about the table member 205 side as a base end, and a pin 555 serving as the swing center is fixed to the table member 205 side (to be precise, the frame). The pin 555 serving as the swing center is provided horizontally.
A fixed gear 516 is provided on the side surface of the cleaning arm 501. The central axis of the fixed gear 516 coincides with the pin 555. The fixed gear 516 is integral with the cleaning arm 501, and the two do not rotate relative to each other.
A swing motor 517 is provided on the table member 205 side near the cleaning arm 501. A gear 518 is provided on the swing motor 517, and the gear 518 is engaged with the fixed gear 516 described above. Therefore, when the swing motor 517 is rotated, the fixed gear 516 rotates. The fixed gear 516 is provided integrally with the cleaning arm 501, and the cleaning arm 501 swings around a rotation shaft 556 of the fixed gear 516.
As a result, the tip end of the cleaning arm 501 moves up and down.

A gear train is formed on the other side surface of the cleaning arm 501. The gear train is made up of idle gears 514a to 514e, and is freely rotatable with respect to the cleaning arm 501. The gear at the end of the gear train engages with a gear 504 provided on the brush cover 503.
A brush motor 519 (rotating device) is provided on the table member 205 side near the cleaning arm 501. The brush motor 519 is provided with a gear 520, which engages with one of the gear trains provided on the other side surface of the cleaning arm 501. Therefore, in this embodiment, a series of gear trains is formed from the gear 520 provided on the brush motor 519 to the gear 504 provided on the cleaning brush 502, and a series of power transmission paths exists. Therefore, when the brush motor 519 is rotated, the cleaning brush 502 attached to the tip side of the cleaning arm 501 rotates.

(12) Container Moving Means The container moving means 700 is composed of a lifting mechanism 701 and a robot 702. The lifting mechanism 701 is a linear guide provided in the vertical direction, and is composed of a linear rail 703 and a lifting platform 704. A rack (not shown) is formed on the linear rail 703, and the lifting platform 704 is provided with a motor and a pinion gear (not shown).
The lift platform 704 moves up and down by operating a motor (not shown).

The robot 702 has two arm members 705 and 706 and a hand unit 707 .
That is, the first arm member 705 is attached to the lift platform 704 via a vertical shaft (not shown), and rotates in the horizontal direction around the lift platform 704 by driving a motor attached to the lift platform 704. The motor attached to the lift platform 704 protrudes upward.
The second arm member 706 is attached to the tip of the first arm member 705 via a vertical shaft (not shown), and rotates horizontally around the tip of the first arm member 705 by driving a motor attached to the tip of the first arm member 705. The motor attached to the first arm member 705 protrudes upward.
The first arm member 705 and the second arm member 706 described above each have a small thickness relative to their width, and their cross-sectional shape is flat.

The hand unit 707 has a wrist unit 708 and a container-holding palm unit 709. The wrist unit 708 is an arm that is shorter than the above-described arm members 705 and 706. The wrist unit 708 is attached to the tip of the second arm member 706 via a vertical shaft (not shown), and rotates horizontally around the tip of the second arm member 706 by driving a motor.
The wrist portion 708 is taller than the arm members 705 and 706, and has a motor built in the arm member.

The container-holding palm portion 709 is a rectangular plate, and is attached to the tip of the wrist portion 708 via a mounting bracket 710 .
The mounting bracket 710 is a bracket that is bent perpendicularly to the plane of the container-holding palm 709, and one end of the bracket is pivoted to the wrist. The shaft to which the mounting bracket 710 is attached is disposed horizontally, and the container-holding palm 709 rotates about the horizontal shaft by a motor provided in the wrist.
Therefore, the container-holding palm 709 can take a parallel position as shown in FIGS. 44 and 45, or a vertical position as shown in FIG.
The wrist portion 708 can also be rotated horizontally.
An electromagnet is attached to the container holding palm 709 .

The container moving means 700 can perform the operation of removing the drug container 2 from the container installation section 103 of the drum member 102, moving the drug container 2 to the container mounting device 3, and handing it over to the container mounting device 3. It can also retrieve the drug container 2 from the container mounting device 3, move it to the drum member 102, and hand over the drug container 2 to the container installation section 103.

When removing the drug container 2 from the container installation part 103 of the drum member 102, the container-holding palm part 709 is brought into a vertical position and brought close to the drug container 2 as shown in Figure 46. Then, the container-holding palm part 709 is pressed against the transporting iron plate part 157 attached to the drug container 2. Thereafter, the electromagnet provided on the container-holding palm part 709 is energized to attract the transporting iron plate part 157 provided on the drug container 2. Then, the arm members 705 and 706 are retracted to remove the drug container 2.
Then, the arm members etc. are operated to move the drug container 2 to the vicinity of the lower distribution tray 201. Also, the position of the container-holding palm 709 is changed to a parallel position as shown in Figure 45 and brought closer to the vibration table of the container mounting device 3.
Then, the container holding palm 709 of the container moving means 700 is lowered to place the drug container 2 on the container mounting device 3 .
Then, the power supply to the electromagnet on the hand portion 707 side is stopped, and instead the magnetic force of the container mounting device 3 is restored.
In this manner, the drug container 2 is handed over from the hand unit 707 to the container mounting device 3 .

When the dispensing operation is completed, the drug container 2 is returned to the drum member 102 by following the reverse route.
Here, when returning the drug container 2 to the drum member 102, as shown in Figure 2, the wrist portion 708 of the hand portion 707 is rotated horizontally while rotating the drum member 102, so that the drug container 2 faces a specific container installation portion 103.
That is, in the present embodiment, the container installation section 103 of the drum member 102 has the side support member 321 as described above, and the side support member 321 has an opening angle equivalent to that of the fixing iron plate section 6 of the container body 5. Therefore, the surface of the drum member 102 is not flat, and a part of the side support member 321 protrudes radially. Therefore, if the container moving means 700 is moved easily to bring the drug container 2 closer to the drum member 102, the drug container 2 will hit the side support member 321.

In this embodiment, therefore, the wrist portion 708 of the hand portion 707 is rotated horizontally as shown in FIG. 15, and the drum member 102 is also rotated so that the peripheral speed is equal to that of the wrist portion 708.
Then, the hand portion 707 and the drum member 102 are rotated in opposite directions as if two gears were meshing, and the drug container 2 is opposed to a specific container installation portion 103. Thereafter, the arm portion is operated to push the drug container 2 into the container installation portion 103 of the drum member 102, and the drug container 2 is engaged with the container installation portion 103. When the drug container 2 is attached in the correct position, the protruding member is retracted into the drum member 102. Whether or not the drug container 2 is attached in the correct position is detected by an optical sensor provided in the drum member 102.
Further thereafter, the magnetic force of the hand part 707 is removed, and the hand part 707 is detached from the drug container 2 .
In this embodiment, the container moving means 700 is also used when moving the drug container 2 placed in the drug container temporary placement section 11 (described later) to the drum member 102.

(13) Frame and Housing The medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment has a frame made of steel, and each member and device is attached to the frame.
The frame is entirely covered with a housing 7, which shields the inside from the outside.
A dehumidifier and a temperature regulator are provided inside the housing 7 to maintain the internal temperature and humidity within a certain range. In addition, two fans are provided on the top surface of the housing 7 to allow ventilation inside the housing 7.
The housing 7 is roughly divided into a shelf area housing 100 a covering the medicine shelf area 100 , a division area housing 200 a covering the medicine division area 200 , and a packaging area housing 300 a covering the medicine packaging area 300 .
The shelf area housing 100a and the division area housing 200a are made of transparent resin, so that the insides can be observed. In contrast, the packaging area housing 300a is made of steel plate, so that the insides cannot be seen.

The shelf area housing 100a occupies a smaller planar area than the other two. Therefore, the shelf area housing 100a is designed to look as if it is placed on top of the drug dividing area 200. In this embodiment, the shelf area housing 100a is located to the left when viewed from the front. Therefore, only a portion of the upper part of the drug dividing area 200 is connected to the shelf area housing 100a, and the remaining portion is not connected and forms the ceiling surface.

The shelf area housing 100a is provided with a door section 9. The door section 9 is a wing-type door that opens and closes by means of a hinge.
In this embodiment, the door part 9 opens to the left and in the pulling direction. That is, when the door part 9 is opened, the door part 9 protrudes outward from the space in the shelf area housing 100a. The door part 9 is an entrance/exit for inserting/removing the drug container 2 into/from the drug dispensing device 1. In the drug dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, the drug container 2 is inserted/removed only through the door part 9 in principle. That is, in the drug dispensing device 1 of this embodiment, the drug container 2 is inserted/removed only through the door part 9, except when dealing with an abnormality such as a breakdown.

In this embodiment, a temporary drug container placement section 11 is provided inside the door section 9. The temporary drug container placement section 11 functions as an introduction section when introducing the drug container 2 into the housing 7. It also functions as an removal section when removing the drug container 2 from the housing 7.

The structure of the drug container temporary placement section 11 is the same as that of the container installation section 103. The container installation section 103 has the same structure as that attached to the drum member 102 described above, and is composed of a vertical wall 320 and a placement stand 323. The vertical wall 320 is provided with a side support member 321, an attachment detection member 322, and an upper engagement section 325.
Furthermore, an information reading and writing device (FIG. 47) such as an RFID reader/writer is provided in the temporary medicine container placement section 11. Furthermore, the temporary medicine container placement section 11 is provided with a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the medicine container 2.

In this embodiment, the function of measuring the amount of drug contained in the drug container 2 is when the drug container 2 is introduced into or removed from the housing 7, and when the drug container 2 is returned to the container storage device 101 after packaging is completed.
That is, when the medicine container 2 runs short of medicine, the medicine container 2 is removed from the medicine dispensing device 1 and refilled with medicine, and when the medicine container 2 is returned to the medicine dispensing device 1, the weight of the medicine container 2 is measured and stored in a control device (not shown). The weight is also recorded in an information recording member 15 attached to the medicine container 2.
Specifically, a switch (not shown) is operated to open door 9, and drug container 2 is placed in drug container temporary placement section 11. When a switch (not shown) is then operated, door 9 is automatically closed, and drug container 2 is then weighed.

Furthermore, when the drug container 2 is returned to the container storage device 101 after the packaging is completed, the drug container 2 is held by the hand unit 707 of the robot 702, the drug container 2 is moved, and placed in the drug container temporary placement unit 11. The weight of the drug container 2 is then measured. Furthermore, the information on the information recording member 15 attached to the drug container 2 is rewritten.
When the weight of the medicine container 2 exceeds the expected range for the amount of medicine discharged, a notification is given by a notification means (not shown).

The divided area housing 200a is provided with a large sliding door 105. That is, the front wall of the drug divided area 200 has guide rails on both ends, into which about the lower half of the front wall of the divided area housing 200a fits, and the door portion opens and closes vertically by a motor (not shown).

(14) Modification (container installation section)
The following configuration is conceivable as a modified example of the container installation part. As shown in Figure 49, the modified container installation part 340 has a vertical wall 341 and a mounting stand 343. The vertical wall 320 has an opening 346, and a protrusion (storage part side upper engagement part, container engagement part) 347 protrudes upward within the opening 346.
The mounting base 343 is also provided with a storage unit side lower engaging portion 348. The storage unit side lower engaging portion 348 is a protrusion.
The drug container 2 employed in this embodiment has a recess 371 at the rear end. A container side engagement part 352 is provided on the peripheral wall underside 12 of the container body 5. The container side engagement part 352 is located on the peripheral wall underside 12, slightly closer to the lid member 120 than the center, and does not come into contact with the vibration table 20 when the drug container 2 is placed on the vibration table 20. The container side engagement part 352 is ring-shaped, and has a square hole 351 that penetrates the drug container 2 in the longitudinal direction.

In this embodiment, the container side engagement portion 352 of the drug container 2 is inserted into the opening 346, the drug container 2 is pushed down, and the protrusion (storage section side upper engagement portion, container engagement portion) 347 of the container installation portion 340 is inserted into the hole 351 of the container side engagement portion 352, thereby hanging the drug container 2 on the container installation portion 340.
At this time, the protrusion (storage section side lower engaging section) 348 provided on the mounting base 343 engages with the recess 371 of the drug container 2 .
The container installation part 340 of this embodiment has a protrusion (storage part side upper engaging part, container engaging part) 347 that engages with a part of the drug container 2, and the protrusion engages with the drug container 2 by sliding the drug container 2 from top to bottom. Also, the engagement between the drug container 2 and the protrusion (storage part side upper engaging part, container engaging part) 347 is released by sliding the drug container 2 from bottom to top.

(15) Modification (Container Storage Device)
In the embodiment described above, the drum member 102 is provided, and the container installation portion 103 is arranged circumferentially. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the container installation portion 340 may be arranged in a plane as shown in FIG.
The overall structure of a medicine dispensing device 800 in the modified example is, for example, as shown in Figure 50. Medicine dispensing device 800 is functionally divided into a medicine shelf area 803, a medicine dividing area 805, and a medicine packaging area 806 in the vertical direction.
The uppermost medicine shelf area 803 is surrounded by medicine container storage shelves 801, and a medicine container moving device 802 is provided inside the shelves.
The medicine shelf area 803 is dehumidified by a dehumidifier (not shown). A dust collector (not shown) is provided inside the medicine shelf area 803 to remove dust from within the medicine shelf area 803. For example, a blower fan is provided in the medicine shelf area 803, and the air within the medicine shelf area 803 is circulated by the blower fan. A filter is provided in a certain ventilation path, such as the intake side of the blower fan, to remove dust and the like floating in the medicine shelf area 803.

The drug container moving device 802 has a vertical lifting shaft 810, a horizontal movement arm 808, and a hand unit 812 that holds the drug container 2. The horizontal movement arm 808 has joints 813, 814 at two locations as shown in Figure 50. The hand unit 812 can change the position of the drug container 2. The drug container moving device 802 employs a hand unit 812 of an electromagnet 807.

In the medicine dispensing device 800 of the present embodiment, a shelf member 815 is provided in the medicine shelf area 803, and the shelf member 815 is placed on a rail 816. A rack (not shown) is provided near the rail 816. Meanwhile, a travel motor is provided on the shelf member 815, and the travel motor is provided with a pinion that engages with the rack.
In the medicine dispensing device 800 of this embodiment, the shelf member 815 moves in the front-rear direction as a whole, and moves forward and approaches the distribution tray 201 when the medicine container 2 is removed.
Further details and other variations will now be described.

(16) Opening and Closing of Lid of Container Body The opening and closing means for the movable lid portion (opening and closing lid) 134 of the container body 5 is arbitrary, but it is recommended that the opening and closing means be provided on the hand portion 707 of the robot 702 .
Figure 57 shows an example in which an opening/closing means is provided on a container-holding palm part 709 of a hand part 707. In the hand part 707 shown in Figure 57, an opening 426 is provided on the surface of the container-holding palm part 709 that is pressed against the drug container 2. An opening/closing member 419 is provided inside this opening 426. The opening/closing member 419 is an "L" shaped member and has contact members 420, 421 on two sides.
The opening/closing member 419 swings about the base of the two sides of the contact members 420 and 421. The opening/closing member 419 swings by the power of a solenoid, a motor, or the like (not shown).

When the container body 5 is held by the hand part 707, the knob part (operation part) 147 provided on the movable lid part 134 of the container body 5 enters the opening 426 of the hand part 707 as shown in Fig. 57. At this time, the knob part 147 enters between the abutment members 420, 421 on two sides of the opening/closing member 419.
In this state, the opening/closing member 419 is swung left and right as indicated by the arrow by a solenoid (not shown) or the like, so that the opening/closing member 419 engages with the knob 147, causing the knob 147 to swing, and the movable lid 134 is opened and closed.

The opening and closing means for the movable lid portion 134 of the container body 5 may be provided in the container mounting device 3. Alternatively, an independent opening and closing means for the movable lid portion 134 may be provided.

(17) Posture when moving container body As described above, the drug container 2 is placed on the container placement section 103 of the drum member 102, and is held and moved by the hand section 707 of the robot 702, and placed on the container placement device 3 as shown in Fig. 3. If the drug container 2 is moved in a horizontal position, it is desirable to tilt the drug container 2 so that the drug discharge section 8 side of the drug container 2 is on top as shown in Fig. 58 immediately before placing the drug container 2 on the container placement device 3. By tilting the drug container 2 so that the drug discharge section 8 side is on top, the powdered medicine in the powdered medicine storage section 17 is shifted in a direction away from the drug discharge section 8 side.
This position changing action prevents the powdered medicine from spilling out when the movable lid portion 134 is opened.

(18) Procedure for removing the container body from the container loading device When removing the drug container 2 from the container installation section 103, the movable lid portion 134 of the container body 5 is closed while the drug container 2 is placed on the container loading device 3, and then the drug container 2 is held and moved by the hand portion 707 of the robot 702.
The most recommended operation is to bring the hand part 707 close to the container body 5, align the container-holding palm part 709 of the hand part 707 with the drug container 2 placed on the container mounting device 3 as shown in Fig. 59, and insert the knob part 147 shown in Fig. 57 into the opening 426. Then, the opening/closing member 419 is operated to close the movable lid part 134. At this time, the magnet on the hand part 707 side is turned off, and the container body 5 is fixed to the container mounting device 3 side by the magnetic force generated by the container mounting device 3 side, and then the magnetic force on the container mounting device 3 side is stopped, and the magnet on the hand part 707 side is turned on to hold the container body 5 on the hand part 707 side.
By performing this operation, it is possible to prevent the medicine from spilling out of the medicine discharge portion 8 of the medicine container 2 due to vibrations that occur when the medicine container 2 is sucked by the hand portion 707.
That is, if the magnetic force on the hand part 707 side is generated after the predetermined amount has been dispensed and before the movable lid part 134 is closed, the vibration generated when the medicine container 2 is attracted to the hand part 707 will cause the medicine that has been remaining near the movable lid part 134 to spill. In contrast, if the magnetic force on the hand part 707 side is generated after the movable lid part 134 is closed and the medicine container 2 is attracted to the hand part 707 side, the medicine will not spill.

(19) Cover for distribution dish It is desirable to provide a cover 220 on the upper surface side of the distribution dish 201 as shown in Fig. 67. Furthermore, when there are a plurality of distribution dishes 201 as in the above-mentioned embodiment, it is desirable to separate the area in which the distribution dishes 201 are provided with a partition wall 221.
That is, the particles in powdered medicines vary depending on the medicine, and some powdered medicines are extremely fine. Extremely fine powdered medicines can become suspended in the air even with the slightest air movement.
Therefore, in a medicine dispensing device having multiple distribution trays 201, it is possible that powdered medicine placed in one distribution tray 201 will float and fall into the other distribution tray 201. As a practical matter, even if the floating powdered medicine were to fall into the other distribution tray 201, the amount would be extremely small and it is unlikely to have any effect on the patient. However, it is a possibility, and it is desirable to take measures to prevent it.

67 shows an example in which a cover 220 is provided on the upper surface side of the distribution dish 201 in order to meet this demand. The cover 220 covers 30 to 100 percent of the area of the distribution dish 201.
In this embodiment, the cover 220 covers approximately 30 percent of the area of the distribution dish 201. The cover 220 is fixed to the table member 205 and projects in a cantilever manner above the distribution dish 201 with the table member 205 side as a base end.

The height of the cover 220 is set so that the scraping plate 609 does not interfere with the scraping mechanism 606 when the scraping mechanism 606 is moved toward the cleaning device 500 .
That is, the scraping arm 931 of the scraping device 930 is raised to the upper side to move the scraping mechanism 606 to the upper side, and then the turntable 604 is rotated to move the scraping mechanism 606 to the cleaning device 500 side, and at that time, the scraping plate 609 etc. pass over the cover 220.

In this embodiment, the cover 220 is missing in the vicinity of the cleaning device 500 .
In this embodiment, the cover 220 is composed of one central cover member 222 and two end cover members 223 .
The central covering member 222 is installed across the two distribution trays 201 and covers the area extending from the vicinity of the powdered medicine hopper 413 to the vicinity of the cleaning device 500.
In addition, a partition wall 221 is suspended from the lower part of the central covering member 222. The lower end of the partition wall 221 is fixed to the table member 205. Therefore, the partition wall 221 also functions as a support member that supports the central covering member 222.
The end covering members 223 are located on either side of the central covering member 222, with a gap provided between the end covering members 223 and the central covering member 222 to allow the cleaning brush 502 of the cleaning device 500 to be inserted therein.

67, the hopper closing member 400 is also provided with a partition wall 430. The partition wall 430 provided on the hopper closing member 400 is movable, and appears and disappears from the hopper closing member 400.
FIG. 69 is an exploded perspective view of members related to the partition wall 430 in the hopper closing member 400. As shown in FIG.

The hopper closing member 400 has a main body 431, a cleaning member 432, and a partition wall 430. The main body 431 has a slit 433 formed from the top surface to the side surface.
A recess 424 for mounting the cleaning member 432 is provided on the top surface of the main body 431. Engagement grooves 425 are provided on both sides of the recess 424.
The partition wall 430 is plate-shaped and is inserted into a slit 433 in the top surface of the main body 431. The partition wall 430 also has a rotating shaft 435. A motor (not shown) for rotating the rotating shaft 435 is built into the main body 431, and the partition wall 430 is located in the slit 433 and rotates around the rotating shaft 435.

Therefore, the partition wall 430 can take a position in which it protrudes to the side of the main body portion 431 as shown in Figure 68(a), rotate as shown in Figure 68(b), and finally take a position in which it is accommodated within the slit 433 of the main body portion 431 as shown in Figure 68(c).
In this embodiment, a cleaning member 432 is provided on the top surface of the main body 431. The cleaning member 432 is a thin member, and has a metal frame member 436 and a central member 437. The frame member 436 is U-shaped in a plan view and has three sides.

The central member 437 is a thin plate made of soft but somewhat stiff rubber or resin. A slit 438 is provided in the central member 437. The slit 438 is a notch-like shape with one end open. The width of the slit 438 is narrower than the width of the slit 433 provided in the main body 431. The width of the slit 438 is also narrower than the thickness of the partition wall 430.
The cleaning member 432 is attached to a recess 424 on the top surface of the main body 431. Both side edges of the cleaning member 432 engage with engagement grooves 425 provided in the recess 424, and the cleaning member 432 can be attached to and detached from the main body 431 by sliding the cleaning member 432 forward or backward along the engagement grooves 425.
68(a) , the partition wall 430 rotates from a position protruding to the side of the main body 431 to a position accommodated in the slit 433 of the main body 431, and at that time, the partition wall 430 passes through the slit 438 of the central member 437. The central member 437 is made of a rubber or resin that is soft but has some elasticity, and the width of the slit 438 is narrower than the thickness of the partition wall 430, so that when the partition wall 430 passes through the slit 438, the slit 438 of the central member 437 wipes both side surfaces of the partition wall 430. Therefore, when the partition wall 430 is accommodated in the main body 431, the partition wall 430 is cleaned.
As described above, in this embodiment, the cleaning member 432 can be detached from the main body portion 431 by sliding it relative to the main body portion 431, so that the cleaning member 432 can be removed and cleaned by washing with water, etc.

(20) Temporary Drug Container Placement Section Next, a modified example of the temporary drug container placement section 11 provided in the door section 9 will be described.
51 shows another embodiment of the temporary medicine container placement part 250. As in the previous embodiment, the temporary medicine container placement part 250 is attached to the door part 9 and moves together with the door part 9.
The medicine container temporary placement section 250 is composed of a placement stand 251, an engagement lever 252, and a holding member 253. The holding member 253 is in the shape of a fence and is used to hold the medicine container 2.
The placement table 251 is composed of a backrest portion 255 arranged in an upright or slightly inclined position, and a base portion 256 arranged in a substantially horizontal position.
The backrest portion 255 has a rectangular, large-area installation portion 257 in the center, and rectangular side portions 258a, 258b on both sides of the installation portion 257.
The side portions 258 a and 258 b are inclined toward the front side with respect to the installation portion 257 .
In the center of the base portion 256 is a large cutout portion 260 .

The engaging lever 252 is disposed in a notch 260 of the base portion 256. The engaging lever 252 and the holding member 253 are engaged with each other, and when the engaging lever 252 descends, the holding member 253 ascends.
The engaging lever 252 is made by bending a metal plate. The engaging lever 252 is a kind of lever, and as shown in Figure 56, has a fulcrum area 261 in the center, a container abutment part 262 as a force point on one end side, and an action part 263 on the other end side.
The fulcrum area 261 is an area where the plate material is bent into an "L" shape, and a swing axis 265 is located at the corner of the area.

One end of the fulcrum area 261 is bent to provide a container contact portion 262. The other end of the fulcrum area 261 is bent to provide an action portion 263. A hole 264 is provided in the action portion 263.

The holding member 253 is made by bending a wire material symmetrically.
The holding member 253 has a rotating shaft portion 269 in the center, both ends of which are bent to form connecting portions 266a, 266b. Furthermore, the tip sides of the connecting portions 266a, 266b are bent in a direction away from the rotating shaft portion 269 to form side holding portions 267a, 267b. The tip sides of the side holding portions 267a, 267b are bent in directions approaching each other to form front holding portions 268a, 268b.

The engagement lever 252 has a pivot shaft 265 which engages with a frame (not shown) and pivots about the pivot shaft 265 .
The holding member 253 is located in the vicinity of the engaging lever 252 , and the rotating shaft portion 269 is arranged parallel to the pivot shaft 265 of the engaging lever 252 .
The holding member 253 has a rotating shaft portion 269 held by a bearing 273 and swings around the rotating shaft portion 269 .

The engagement lever 252 and the holding member 253 are engaged with each other via a spring 270 and a connecting metal fitting 271 .
The connecting fitting 271 is attached integrally to the rotating shaft portion 269 of the holding member 253. The connecting fitting 271 has a hole 275 formed therein.
The spring 270 is a torsion coil spring having a coil portion 274 in the center and engagement portions at both ends.
The spring 270 has a coil portion 274 attached to the holding member 253 with the rotating shaft portion 269 at its center. One engaging portion of the spring 270 engages with a hole 264 of the action portion 263 of the engaging lever 252. The other engaging portion of the spring 270 engages with a hole 275 of a connecting fitting 271 attached to the holding member 253.
Therefore, when the container abutment portion 262 of the engagement lever 252 is pressed down, the engagement lever 252 rotates clockwise with reference to Figure 56, causing the spring 270 to rotate counterclockwise. Then, the holding member 253 engaged with the spring 270 rotates counterclockwise, causing the side holding portions 267a, 267b and the front holding portions 268a, 268b to rise.
Incidentally, the container contact portion 262 of the engagement lever 252 always protrudes upward from the notch portion 260 of the base portion 256 of the mounting table 251 .

When attaching the medicine container 2 to the medicine container temporary placement portion 250 , the medicine container 2 is placed on the placement table 251 by using a human hand or the hand portion 707 of the robot 702 .
As described above, the container abutment portion 262 of the engagement lever 252 protrudes upward from the notch portion 260 of the mounting base 251, so that when the drug container 2 is placed on the mounting base 251, the container abutment portion 262 swings and sinks, and instead the side holding portions 267a, 267b and the front holding portions 268a, 268b rise. The side holding portions 267a, 267b hold the side surfaces of the drug container 2, and the front holding portions 268a, 268b hold the transport iron plate portion 157 side of the drug container 2. The fixing iron plate portion 6 side of the drug container 2 is held by the backrest portion 255 of the mounting base 251.
Therefore, the drug container 2 is held on five sides by the base portion 256 and backrest portion 255 of the mounting table 251, and the side holding portions 267a, 267b and front holding portions 268a, 268b of the holding member 253, and will not fall off.

(21) Cleaning of drug containers (scraping member)
51, the door section 9 is closed as a reference, and a scraping member 280 (cleaning section) is provided directly above the medicine container temporary placement section 250. The scraping member 280 is provided on the main body side of the medicine dispensing device 1, not on the door section 9.
The scraping member 280 has a recess 281 (container contact portion) whose cross-sectional shape conforms to the shape of the container body 5. A suction port 282 is opened on the inside of the recess 281 (container contact portion), and the suction port 282 is connected to a suction device (not shown).

52 is an exploded perspective view of the scraping member 280, and FIG. 53 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the scraping member 280. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 52, the scraping member 280 is composed of a main body 283 and a wiping member 234 .
The main body 283 is made of hard resin and is provided with the recess 281a as described above.

The wiping member 234 is made of soft resin or rubber such as silicone rubber, and is provided with a recess 281 b similar to the main body 283 .
The wiping member 234 is attached to the lower part of the main body 283 with a slight gap therebetween. Also, the tip of the recess 281b of the wiping member 234 is located in a position protruding slightly forward of the tip of the recess 281a of the main body 283, as shown in FIG.
As described above, there is a small gap between the wiping member 234 and the main body 283 , and this gap serves as the suction port 282 .

The scraping member 280 is a member provided for cleaning the side surface of the medicine container 2. In the above-described embodiment, the medicine is directly supplied from the medicine container 2 to the distribution tray 201. Therefore, after the medicine is supplied, the medicine may adhere to the side surface of the medicine container 2 due to the influence of static electricity or the like. In particular, the medicine may stick to the vicinity of the medicine discharge portion 8 of the medicine container 2.
Then, the side surface of the drug container 2 is pressed against the recess 281 (container contact portion) of the scraping member 280, and the drug container 2 is slid downward or upward.
At the same time, a suction device (not shown) is started.
Here, in this embodiment, there is a hard and highly rigid main body portion 283, and there is a somewhat soft wiping member 234 below it. Furthermore, the wiping member 234 protrudes from the main body portion 283. Therefore, when the drug container 2 is slid downward or upward, the side of the drug container 2 near the drug discharge portion 8 is wiped by the wiping member 234, and the stuck drug is removed in this manner. In this way, the drug adhering to the side of the drug container 2 is wiped off and is sucked into the suction device through the suction port 282. Therefore, even if drug residue remains on the side of the drug container 2, it is cleaned by the scraping member 280.

As described above, the medicine container 2 is attached to the medicine container temporary placement part 250 by using a human hand or the hand part 707 of the robot 702, but when attaching to the medicine container temporary placement part 250 by using the hand part 707 of the robot 702, it is desirable to wipe the side surface of the medicine container 2 with the scraping member 280 before attaching to the medicine container temporary placement part 250. That is, the medicine container 2 grasped by the hand part 707 is pressed against the container contact part 281, and the medicine adhering to the side surface of the medicine container 2 is scraped off.
Also, when the used drug container 2 is returned to the container installation section 103 of the drum member 102 by the robot 702 , it is desirable to wipe the side of the drug container 2 with the scraping member 280 before attaching it to the drug container temporary placement section 250 .

(22) Hopper Cleaning In the above-mentioned hopper cleaning operation, it is recommended to put a cleaning agent into the powder medicine input hopper 413. The cleaning agent is a stripping agent, a powder other than the prescribed medicine, and a powder for cleaning the inside of the hopper. In addition, the cleaning agent is selected to be harmless even if it is ingested by a person, regardless of whether it has medicinal properties or not.
The cleaning agent is a powder or particle that is harmless to the human body, such as baking soda powder, lactose, starch, etc.
FIG. 60 is a conceptual diagram of an embodiment having a function of feeding cleaning agent into powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 during cleaning operation.
In the embodiment shown in Fig. 60, a cleaning agent injection device 423 is provided near the inlet opening of the powdered medicine injection hopper 413. Also, an opening/closing plate 416 is provided at the outlet opening (medicine outlet) at the end of the powdered medicine injection hopper 413, and an air nozzle 422 is provided near the outside of the opening/closing plate 416.

65, and has a discharge side opening (medicine discharge port) 1000 at the bottom and an introduction side opening 1001 at the top. In addition, the discharge side opening 1000 is provided with an opening/closing plate 416.
A suction opening 1002 is opened on the side surface of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. The suction opening 1002 is located at least above the discharge side opening 1000, and is located at a height closer to the introduction side opening 1001 than the discharge side opening 1000. An extension line of the central axis X-X of the suction opening 1002 in the planar direction passes near the central axis Z-Z of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. That is, the suction opening 1002 is provided in the center of the side surface of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 in a plan view.
The suction opening 1002 has a flat shape and is wider than it is long. A tube member 1010 such as a pipe or a hose is connected to the suction opening 1002, and an end of the tube member 1010 is connected to the suction device 415. That is, the tube member 1010 constitutes a part of a suction path from the suction opening 1002 to the suction device 415.

In this embodiment, the tubular member 1010 has a curved portion 1012. That is, in this embodiment, the suction path is greatly curved at a position immediately adjacent to the suction opening 1002. That is, when the tubular member 1010 is viewed from above, the curved portion 1012 can be seen.
In addition, the suction opening 1002 is flat, so that the air flow speed in the vicinity of the suction opening 1002 differs between the side closer to the outside of the curve and the side closer to the inside of the curve.

The hopper cleaning operation, which involves adding a cleaning agent, is carried out in the following procedure.
In the first step, the cleaning agent is charged into the powdered medicine charging hopper 413. At this time, the opening and closing plate 416 at the end of the powdered medicine charging hopper 413 is kept closed.
Then, the opening of the powdered medicine supply hopper 413 is closed by the hopper closing member 400. In this state, the suction member is operated. As a result, a strong air flow is generated in the powdered medicine supply hopper 413, and the cleaning agent swirls violently and collides with the inner wall of the powdered medicine supply hopper 413.
Here, because the opening/closing plate 416 at the end of the powdered medicine supply hopper 413 is closed, the amount of air supplied to the powdered medicine supply hopper 413 is limited. Therefore, although the cleaning agent swirls in the powdered medicine supply hopper 413, the amount of air sucked in by the suction member is small. Therefore, the cleaning agent is simply agitated in the powdered medicine supply hopper 413, and the amount sucked out by the suction member is small.
Therefore, the cleaning agent remains in the powder medicine supply hopper 413 and collides with the inner wall of the powder medicine supply hopper 413 for a long time. Also, like a cyclone vacuum cleaner, the centrifugal force of the cleaning agent acts to collide with the inner surface of the powder medicine supply hopper 413, so the impact of the collision is large. Therefore, the medicine adhering to the inner wall of the powder medicine supply hopper 413 is peeled off.

Thereafter, the opening and closing plate 416 at the end of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 is opened. More preferably, the opening and closing of the opening and closing plate 416 is repeated.
As a result, outside air is introduced into the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 from the end of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, which is currently under negative pressure, generating an even more violent air flow inside the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, causing the cleaning agent to swirl violently and collide with the inner wall of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, thereby peeling off the medicine adhering to the inner wall of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413.

In particular, in this embodiment, the suction opening 1002 is flat and is a suction path, and the position immediately adjacent to the suction opening 1002 is greatly curved, so that the air flow speed in the vicinity of the suction opening 1002 differs between the side closer to the outside of the curve and the side closer to the inside of the curve.
In this embodiment, the air flows faster near the inner wall 1003 and slower near the opposing inner wall 1006 .
Therefore, a strong swirling flow is generated in the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. Also, air is introduced from the discharge side opening 1000 provided at the bottom of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. Therefore, the air flow swirls along the inner wall of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 41 and moves from the bottom to the top. Therefore, the charged cleaning agent acts as if scraping the inner wall of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 41, peeling off the medicine, which is then rolled up together with the cleaning agent and discharged by the suction member.
In this embodiment, the suction opening 1002 is provided near the upper end of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413, so that almost the entire inner wall of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413 is cleaned.

The peeled off medicine is sucked out together with the cleaning agent by the suction member and discharged outside the powder medicine feeding hopper 413.
When the opening and closing plate 416 is repeatedly opened and closed, the cleaning agent is agitated while remaining in the powder hopper 413, and then agitated while introducing air to discharge part of the cleaning agent.

Additionally, any chemicals adhering to the outer surface of the opening/closing plate 416 itself are removed by blowing air from an air nozzle 422 provided in the vicinity of the opening/closing plate 416 .
That is, according to the experience of the inventors, the medicine may adhere to the opening/closing plate 416 provided at the discharge side opening 1000 of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413. Here, the inside of the opening/closing plate 416 (the inner side of the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413) can be cleaned by utilizing the impact of stirring with the cleaning agent described above, but the outer surface of the opening/closing plate 416 itself cannot be hit by the cleaning agent.
In this embodiment, air is blown directly toward the outside of the opening/closing plate 416 from an air nozzle 422 provided near the opening/closing plate 416 to remove the chemicals adhering to the outside of the opening/closing plate 416 .

In addition, since the opening/closing plate 416 is usually provided at a position deep inside the device, it is difficult to hit the air jet when the opening/closing plate 416 closes the discharge side opening 1000. Therefore, in this embodiment, the air nozzle 422 is provided at a position where the jetted air hits when the opening/closing plate 416 is in the open position.
In addition, since there is a packet paper near the opening and closing plate 416, the medicine peeled off by the air is collected in the packet paper.
To summarize the series of operations, cleaning agent is put into powdered medicine input hopper 413 to start suction, and in the latter half of the suction, opening and closing plate 416 starts to open and close, and at that time, air is blown directly from air nozzle 422 toward the outside of opening and closing plate 416. After 5 to 10 seconds, the suction and air are stopped.

60, the cleaning agent dosing device 423 is provided near the inlet opening of the powdered medicine dosing hopper 413, but the cleaning agent may be dosed into the powdered medicine dosing hopper 413 by using the chemical container 2. That is, in the previous embodiment, the cleaning agent dosing device 423 is provided as the cleaning agent dosing means for dosing the cleaning agent, but the chemical container 2 may be utilized as the cleaning agent dosing means.
For example, a specific chemical container 2 is filled with a cleaning agent such as baking soda, and stored in the container storage device 101 together with other chemical containers 2.
Then, by an operation similar to that of removing powdered medicine from medicine container 2 and dispensing it into powdered medicine dispensing hopper 413, the cleaning agent in medicine container 2 is dispensed into powdered medicine dispensing hopper 413.

Specifically, when a package of medicine requiring cleaning is received, or when a remaining medicine sensor or the like detects that the powdered medicine hopper 413 is dirty, a medicine container 2 filled with cleaning agent is selected automatically or manually.
Then, the robot 702 holds the chemical container 2 with the hand unit 707 , moves the chemical container 2 , and places the chemical container 2 filled with the cleaning agent on the container mounting device 3 .
Thereafter, the vibration isolating table 23 of the container mounting device 3 is operated to feed the powdered medicine from the medicine container 2 into the distribution tray 201 of the powdered medicine dispensing device 202. Then, the cleaning agent is discharged from the distribution tray 201 by the scraping device 930 and fed into the powdered medicine feeding hopper 413.
This series of operations is carried out at a speed faster than the speed of normal drug packaging.

When performing normal drug packaging, the opening and closing plate 416 is closed when the drug is dispensed from the drug container 2 into the powdered drug dispensing hopper 413, but when a cleaning agent is dispensed into the powdered drug dispensing hopper 413, the opening and closing plate 416 is closed.

(23) Remaining Medicine Detection Sensor Next, a supplementary explanation will be given about the remaining medicine detection sensor 372 for the distribution tray 201. The remaining medicine detection sensor 372 for the distribution tray 201 (hereinafter simply referred to as the remaining medicine detection sensor 372) is an optical sensor in which a light projecting section and a light receiving section are integrated.
66, the light-projecting portion of the remaining medicine detection sensor 372 emits a beam having a width corresponding to the width of the medicine insertion groove 208 of the distribution tray 201. The light-projecting portion of the remaining medicine detection sensor 372 is fixed, and the area onto which the beam is irradiated is limited to a certain area.
If there is no dirt or residual medicine at the irradiation position of the beam, the light emitted from the light projecting part is specularly reflected by the surface of the medicine injection groove 208 and does not return to the light receiving part.
On the other hand, if there is dirt or remaining medicine at the irradiation position of the beam, the light emitted from the light projecting section will hit the remaining medicine etc. and be diffused, with a part of it entering the light receiving section of the remaining medicine detection sensor 372 .
Therefore, it is possible to detect whether there is dirt or residual medicine in the irradiation area.

The remaining medicine detection operation is performed by rotating the distribution tray 201 and irradiating light from a light projecting portion of the remaining medicine detection sensor 372 (hereinafter simply referred to as the remaining medicine detection sensor 372).
Specifically, the surface of the distribution tray 201 is cleaned by the cleaning device 500, and then the remaining medicine detection operation is carried out.
As described above, cleaning of the distribution plate 201 is performed by rotating the distribution plate 201 one or more times (for example, two times) while rotating the cleaning brush 502. After that, the rotation of the cleaning brush 502 is stopped, and the distribution plate 201 is rotated one or more more times. During this time, light is emitted from the light-emitting portion of the remaining medicine detection sensor 372 to check whether there is any dirt or remaining medicine.
When the light receiving unit detects the light and it is found that there is remaining medicine or the like on the distribution tray 201, the cleaning brush 502 is rotated again to redo the cleaning of the distribution tray 201. If there is no remaining medicine or the like on the distribution tray 201, the cleaning arm 501 is rotated to raise the cleaning brush 502 provided at the tip, and the cleaning brush 502 is removed from the medicine input groove 208 of the distribution tray 201.

If the remaining medicine detection sensor 372 detects dirt or remaining medicine even after the surface of the distribution tray 201 has been cleaned, the user may be notified by sound or video. The notification can trigger the user to visually check the condition of the distribution tray 201 and determine whether the cause of the notification is dirt, a foreign object, or residual medicine.

If any residual medicine is found, cleaning is performed again with the cleaning brush 502, and then the remaining medicine detection sensor 372 detects whether any medicine remains. If this operation is performed multiple times (e.g., three times) and any residue is still found in the distribution tray 201, an audible and visual alarm is issued. The alarm has a cancel mode and a skip mode. The cancel mode is a mode in which the alarm that has been issued is stopped and cleaning is performed again with the cleaning brush 502. The skip mode is a mode in which an alarm is issued but cleaning is not performed with the cleaning brush 502, and the user is allowed to check whether any medicine remains and clean manually if necessary.

(24) Cleaning of the Scraping Section In the above-described cleaning operation of the scraping section, it is desirable to change the relative positions of the cleaning brush 502 and the scraping mechanism 606 during the operation.
A cleaning brush 521, which is a modification of the cleaning brush 502, will now be described.
The cleaning brush 521 employed in this embodiment is used in place of the cleaning brush 502 in the cleaning device 500 shown in Figures 35 and 36. The cleaning brush 521 has a hub member 522 with two grooves 525, 526 (Figure 72) formed therein, similar to the cleaning brush 502 described above, and bristles are planted on the circumferential surface of the hub member 522.
The cleaning brush 521 of the present embodiment has a structure in which three disk-shaped brushes 526a, 526b, and 526c are connected together.

Bristles are planted on the disc-shaped brushes 526a and 526c on the side. The bristles 523a and 523b (group of bristles inclined toward the center) planted on the disc-shaped brushes 526a and 526c are both inclined toward the center. The bristles 523 (hair rows) planted on the disc-shaped brushes 526a and 526c include bristles 523a with long bristles and bristles 523b with short bristles, as shown in Figure 71.

The central disc-shaped brush 526b has two rows of bristles planted. The bristles 524 planted in each row include bristles 524a with long bristles that are inclined toward the side (a group of bristles inclined toward one end), bristles 524b with short bristles that are inclined toward the side (a group of bristles inclined toward the other end), and bristles 524c with long bristles planted straight.

As shown in FIG. 22, the scraping mechanism 606 is a member having a scraping plate 609, a scraping plate 607, and a partition plate 603. The scraping plate 609, the scraping plate 607, and the partition plate 603 are integrally formed. A rubber or resin peripheral sealant 683 is provided around the scraping plate 609 so as to come into close contact with the drug input groove 208 of the distribution plate 201. In addition, a rubber or resin scraping sealant 685 is provided on the edge of the scraping plate 607 so as to come into close contact with the drug input groove 208.

The scraping portion cleaning operation is performed by pressing the cleaning brush 521 against the side surfaces of the scraping plate 609, the scraping plate 607, and the partition plate 603, the circumferential seal material 683, and the scraping seal material 685. Therefore, in principle, the scraping plate 609 and the partition plate 603 of the scraping mechanism 606 are deeply inserted into the grooves 525 and 526 of the cleaning brush 521 as shown in Figures 72(a) and (b).
However, when the scraping plate 607 rotates and the scraping plate 607 and the partition plate 603 are cleaned by the cleaning brush 521, there is a concern that the cleaning brush 521 may hit the scraping plate 607 and the scraping seal material 685 too hard and damage the scraping seal material 685, etc. Therefore, when the scraping plate 607 rotates and the scraping plate 607 and the partition plate 603 are cleaned by the cleaning brush 521, it is desirable to swing the cleaning arm 501 and move the cleaning brush 521 (hub member 522) in a direction away from the scraping mechanism 606 as shown in FIG.

In an ideal operation, first, the scraping plate 609 of the scraping mechanism 606 and the partition plate 603 are deeply inserted into the grooves 525, 526 of the cleaning brush 521, and while rotating the cleaning brush 521, the scraping plate 609 is rotated, and when the scraping plate 607 approaches the cleaning brush 521 (hub member 522), the cleaning brush 521 is slightly released. Then, when the cleaning brush 521 passes the scraping plate 607, the cleaning brush 521 is again brought closer to the scraping mechanism 606 side, and the cleaning brush 521 is inserted deeply into the scraping mechanism 606.
After the scraping plate 609 has rotated once or multiple times, the cleaning brush 521 is slightly released. In this state, the scraping plate 609 is rotated while the cleaning brush 521 is rotated, so as to intensively clean the circumferential seal material 683 and the scraping seal material 685.

(25) Surveillance Camera Next, a description will be given of the surveillance camera 540 that monitors whether the powdered medicine is being discharged from the medicine container 2. The surveillance cameras 540 are installed next to the aforementioned remaining medicine detection sensors 372. The surveillance cameras 540 are equipped with a rotating device (not shown) and can change the shooting location.
The monitoring camera 540 is set to particularly capture an image of the vicinity of each container mounting device 3. More specifically, when the medicine container 2 is placed on each container mounting device 3, the monitoring camera 540 captures an image of the vicinity of the medicine discharge portion 8 of the medicine container 2 and the distribution tray 201.
The images captured by the surveillance camera 540 can be viewed in real time on an external computer or the like. The images captured by the surveillance camera 540 are also recorded on a recording medium (not shown) and can be viewed later.
As described above, the medicine dispensing device 1 of this embodiment is entirely covered by the housing 7, and medicines are dispensed in an enclosed space, but in this embodiment, a monitoring camera 540 is provided to capture images inside the housing 7. Therefore, the user can check the falling status of the powdered medicine and the distribution status to the distribution tray 201 by looking at an external personal computer or the like.
Moreover, the user can adjust the vibration strength of the vibration isolating table 23 and the rotation speed of the distribution tray 201 by observing the state in which the powdered medicine falls.
As described above, the images captured by the surveillance camera 540 are recorded on a recording medium (not shown), and can be used to identify the cause of any malfunctions that may occur.

(26) Information Recording Member As described above, the medicine container 2 is provided with an RFID chip as the information recording member 15.
In addition to the name of the medicine, the remaining amount of the medicine in the medicine container 2 is recorded on the information recording member 15 .
In this embodiment, when the medicine dispensing device 1 is started, the container storage device 101 reads the types and remaining amounts of medicine contained in all of the medicine containers 2 mounted on the drum member 102 from the information recording member 15 and records them in the control device. That is, the drum member 102 is rotated, and the information reading and writing device 335 reads the information from the information recording member 15. Also, the position of the drum member 102 in which the medicine container 2 is contained is confirmed and recorded.

In this embodiment, an information reading and writing device 27 is provided near the container mounting device 3. When the drug container 2 is removed from the container storage device 101 to package the drug, and the drug container 2 is placed on the container mounting device 3, it is confirmed whether it is a target drug.

When the dispensing operation is completed, the remaining amount of medicine in the medicine container 2, which is recorded on the information recording member 15, is rewritten by an information reading/writing device 27 located near the container mounting device 3.

Furthermore, before the drug container 2 is returned to the container storage device 101 after packaging is completed, the drug container 2 is placed in the drug container temporary storage section 11 and the weight of the drug container 2 is measured again. In this way, the drug dispensing device 1 of this embodiment double-checks the weight of the drug.

After the drug container 2 is returned from the temporary drug container placement section 11 to the container storage device 101, the drum member 102 is rotated to bring the returned drug container 2 closer to the information reading and writing device 335, and it is confirmed that the drug container 2 returned to the container storage device 101 is the original drug container 2.

When the drug container 2 is placed in the drug dispensing device 1 from outside, information about the drug contained in the drug container 2 is input to an input device (not shown). The drug container 2 is then placed in the temporary drug container placement section 11, and the weight of the drug container 2 is measured by operating a specific switch, and this weight is written to the information recording member 15. The drug information is also read from the information recording member 15, and it is confirmed that the drug is the one entered by the user into the input device.

The same applies when the medicine container 2 runs short of medicine and the medicine container 2 is replenished with medicine and stored in the medicine dispensing device 1 .
If the medicine container 2 is low on medicine, the medicine container 2 is moved from the container mounting device 3 or the container storage device 101 to the medicine container temporary placement section 11 of the door section 9. The door section 9 then automatically opens, allowing the user to remove the medicine container 2.

When packaging medicines (emergency medicines) that are not normally stored in the container storage device 101, the medicine container 2 containing the medicine is placed into the medicine dispensing device 1 using the procedure described above.In this case too, information about the medicine (emergency medicine) is read from the information recording member 15, and it is confirmed that it is the medicine that the user entered into the input device.
When emergency medicine is used, the medicine container 2 is directly transported to the container mounting device 3 and dispensing is started.
Once the distribution of the emergency medicine has been completed, the medicine container 2 filled with the emergency medicine is immediately moved to the medicine container temporary storage section 11. Then, the door section 9 automatically opens, enabling the user to remove the medicine container 2.

The large sliding door 105 of the divided area housing 200a does not need to be opened during normal operation, but when the door 105 is opened in the event of some kind of trouble, the drug container 2 in the container storage device 101 can be freely inserted and removed. Therefore, when the door 105 is closed, in order to ensure that the drug containers 2 have not been replaced and to reconfirm the position of the drug containers 2, the type and remaining amount of drug contained in all drug containers mounted on the drum member 102 are read from the information recording member 15 and recorded in the control device, just as when the drug dispensing device 1 is started. That is, the drum member 102 is rotated, and the information on the information recording member 15 is read by the information reading and writing device 335. Also, the position of the drug container 2 contained in the drum member 102 is confirmed and recorded.

Instead of the temporary drug container placement parts 11 and 250 shown in Figs. 47, 48, and 51, a box-shaped temporary drug container placement part 111 shown in Fig. 73 may be used. The temporary drug container placement part 111 only places the drug container 2 on it, and does not have any moving parts such as the container abutment part 262 and the side holding parts 267a and 267b of the temporary drug container placement part 250 shown in Fig. 51. That is, the temporary drug container placement part 111 places the drug container 2 on the placement table 113, and holds the lower side of the drug container 2 with the guide part 112. This stably holds the drug container 2. In addition, the temporary drug container placement part 111 shown in Fig. 73 does not hold the front of the drug container 2, but the left and right guide parts 112 may be connected to each other, or the front may be completely closed, and a mechanism may be provided separately to prevent the drug container 2 from falling forward.

1 Drug dispensing device 2 Drug container 3 Container mounting device 7 Housing 8 Drug discharge section 9 Door section 11 Temporary container placement section 15 Information recording member 16 Information reading means 19 Weight measuring means 20 Vibration table 21 Vibration means 25 Weight measuring means 30 Self-retaining solenoid 50 Drug feeder (powdered drug injection device) 100 Drug shelf section area 101 Container storage device 102 Drum member 103 Container installation section 200 Drug division area 201 Distribution plate 202 Drug distribution device 208 Drug injection groove 300 Drug packaging area 321 Side support member 322 Installation detection member 325 Upper engagement section 326 Lower engagement section 330 Protruding detection sensor 333 Protruding member detection sensor 335 Information reading device 410 Drug packaging device 930 scraping device

Claims (7)

A medicine dispensing device including a plurality of medicine containers for storing medicines, a container storage device in which the plurality of medicine containers are installed, a container moving means, a plurality of container placement devices, a distribution tray, a scraping device, a powdered medicine input hopper, a medicine packaging device, a cleaning device , and a cleaning unit ,
The following operations (a) to ( g ):
(a) an operation of selecting a plurality of drug containers placed in a container storage device in accordance with a prescription;
(b) an operation in which the selected plurality of drug containers are transported by the container moving means from the container storage device to a plurality of container placement devices provided around the distribution tray and placed thereon;
(c) pouring a predetermined amount of medicine from a plurality of medicine containers selected, transported to and placed on a plurality of container mounting devices into a distribution tray;
(d) The medicine is poured into a distribution tray, divided, and the divided medicine is poured into a medicine packaging device through a powder medicine feeding hopper;
(e) packaging the input medicines by the medicine packaging device;
(f) a groove cleaning operation in which the distribution tray is cleaned by a cleaning device;
(g) a cleaning operation in which the sides of a selected number of drug containers are cleaned by a cleaning unit;
A drug dispensing device that automatically performs the above. The drug dispensing device of claim 1, wherein the drug dispensing device is surrounded by a housing. While rotating the distribution plate, light is irradiated from the light-emitting part of the remaining medicine detection sensor,
After cleaning the surface of the distribution tray with the cleaning device, inspect whether there is dirt or residual medicine;
3. The medicine dispensing device according to claim 1, further comprising an operation of repeating cleaning if any medicine remains in the distribution tray. The drug dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 further includes a scraping section cleaning operation for cleaning the scraping device and a hopper cleaning operation for cleaning the powdered drug feeding hopper. A table member is provided.
The medicine packaging device is provided below the table member and has a suction means for suctioning the inside of the powder medicine input hopper to a negative pressure;
The table member has a medicine input opening for inputting the medicine scraped out from the medicine input groove of the distribution tray, and a hopper closing member is provided at a position away from the medicine input opening;
A drug dispensing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the powdered medicine feeding hopper is moved to a position directly below the medicine feeding opening, medicine is fed into the medicine feeding opening, and the medicine is dropped into the medicine packaging device side, and the powdered medicine feeding hopper is moved to the position of the hopper blocking member, and the suction means is operated to suction out any remaining medicine in the powdered medicine feeding hopper. The drug dispensing device according to claim 5, wherein the hopper blocking member has an opening/closing mechanism that is powered and presses a part of the hopper blocking member against the powdered drug feeding hopper to block the powdered drug feeding hopper. A method for cleaning medicines using a medicine dispensing device including a plurality of medicine containers for storing medicines, a container storage device in which the plurality of medicine containers are installed, a container moving means, a plurality of container placement devices, a distribution tray, a scraping device, a powdered medicine input hopper, a medicine packaging device, and a cleaning device and a cleaning unit ,
The following operations (k) to ( q ):
(k) selecting a plurality of drug containers from the container storage device according to a prescription;
(l) an operation of transporting and placing the selected plurality of drug containers from the container storage device to a plurality of container placement devices provided around the distribution tray by the container moving means;
(m) an operation of pouring a predetermined amount of medicine from a plurality of medicine containers that have been selected, transported to, and placed on a plurality of container mounting devices into a distribution tray;
(n) dividing the medicine poured into the distribution tray and pouring the divided medicine into the medicine packaging device through a powder medicine feeding hopper;
(o) packaging the inserted medicines using a medicine packaging device;
(p) a groove cleaning operation for cleaning the distribution tray using a cleaning device;
(q) a cleaning operation of cleaning the sides of a selected number of drug containers with a cleaning unit;
A chemical cleaning method that automatically performs the above.

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