KR102078580B1 - Blister Packing Device - Google Patents

Abstract

A blister packaging apparatus is disclosed. The disclosed blister packaging apparatus includes a main hopper supplied with tablets; A rotation module including a plurality of cells individually receiving the tablets supplied from the main hopper, and sequentially moving the plurality of cells to a discharge area; And a plurality of zones, the buffer receiving the tablets and discharging them into a blister pack, wherein the plurality of zones respectively correspond to a plurality of cells located in the discharge zone among the plurality of cells. It includes, characterized in that for receiving each tablet is discharged simultaneously from a plurality of cells located in the discharge area.

Description

Blister Packing Device

The present invention relates to a blister packaging apparatus, and more particularly, to a blister packaging apparatus capable of reducing the size of a blister packaging apparatus and accurately supplying a prescription tablet to a blister cup.

In general, a blister packaging device refers to a device for supplying tablets so as to correspond to a cup of a blister pack according to a prescription. The blister pack's cups consist of distinct cups, with rows and columns separated by day, morning, lunch, dinner and before bedtime.

In the apparatus for supplying and packaging tablets to such blister packs, the main hopper moved to deliver the tablets to a cup of the blister pack. In this case, because of the inconvenience that the main hopper must move, a method of moving the blister pack is used.

The cup of the blister pack is positioned to correspond to the outlet of the main hopper, and when the tablet is delivered, the tablet is delivered by sequentially moving the cup position of the blister pack.

When the main hopper moved, the blister packaging device needed additional power. In addition, when the main hopper is moved or when the blister cup is moved, there is a problem that the volume of the blister packaging device increases according to the movement path of the main hopper or the blister cup.

In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to miniaturize a blister packaging device, and to provide a blister packaging device capable of accurately supplying a prescription tablet to a blister cup.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a frame, a main hopper attached to the frame and supplied with tablets, and a plurality of cells positioned below the main hopper, wherein the tablets are provided in each of the plurality of cells. A plurality of zones which are sequentially received and include a rotary module for transferring the plurality of cells including the tablets to the discharge area, and a plurality of physically divided areas, and corresponding to the plurality of cells located in the discharge area. It provides a blister packaging device including a buffer for receiving the tablet and discharged to the blister pack.

The plurality of cells may be divided into partition walls, and the plurality of cells including the tablet may be adjacent to each other in the discharge area.

The plurality of cells located in the discharge zone may include tablets for one day, and each of the plurality of cells located in the discharge zone may include one tablet.

The apparatus may further include an additional supply unit configured to receive additional tablets, and the rotation module may further include a collection area in which one of the plurality of cells collects the tablets supplied from the additional supply unit and the main hopper.

The rotation module may further include a top case having an opening formed at a position corresponding to the collection area.

The rotating module may further include a shutter which can be opened and closed under the discharge area, and an auxiliary hopper for guiding the discharged tablet to the buffer when the shutter is opened.

The auxiliary hopper may form a through part corresponding to the number of cells disposed in the discharge area.

The buffer may adjust the plurality of zones to correspond to the number of cups included in one row of the blister pack.

The blister packaging apparatus may further include an image input unit including a first camera for capturing the tablet supplied to the cell, and a processor configured to determine whether a predetermined tablet is supplied to the cell based on the captured image of the image input unit. have.

The image input unit may further include a second camera photographing a tablet loaded in the cup of the blister pack.

The main hopper may be detachable from the frame.

The blister packaging apparatus includes a feeder disposed at a lower portion of the buffer, a feeder disposed at one side of the transporter, for loading a supply magazine containing a blister pack, and disposed at the other side of the transporter, and including tablets. It may further include an unloading unit for loading the unloading magazine for receiving the blister pack.

The supply unit may be lowered based on the number of blister packs included in the supply magazine, and the unloading unit may be elevated based on the number of blister packs included in the unloading magazine.

Coupling grooves are present in the lower part of the supply magazine and the unloading magazine, and each of the supply part and the unloading part has a coupling groove of the supply magazine and the unloading magazine to determine a detachable position of the supply magazine and the unloading magazine. It may include a corresponding coupling protrusion.

In addition, the present invention, the first step of supplying tablets from the tablet cassette to the main hopper, the second step of the supplied tablet is sequentially supplied to a plurality of cells inside the rotary module located below the main hopper, and A third step of the rotating module transferring the plurality of cells including the supplied tablets to the discharge area, the shutter of the discharge area is opened and closed, and the buffer corresponding to the plurality of cells located in the discharge area. A fourth step of discharging to a plurality of zones of a plurality of zones, a fifth step of moving the buffer to a position corresponding to one row of a blister pack, and a plurality of buffers included in one row of the blister pack The above object can be achieved by providing a blister pack packaging method comprising a sixth step of delivering the tablet to a cup.

In the sixth step, the tablets are simultaneously delivered to a plurality of cups included in the one row, and the tablets delivered to the plurality of cups included in the one row are tablets for one day, each of the plurality of cups. The tablet delivered to may be a batch of tablets.

And a seventh step of moving the buffer to a position corresponding to a lower end of the discharge area, wherein the first to seventh steps are repeated, and the fifth step is one row of the blister pack. After the tablet is delivered to the plurality of cups included in the, it may be moved to a position corresponding to the next row of the one row.

The blister pack includes seven rows, and after tablets are delivered to a plurality of cups of all rows of the blister pack, the blister pack may further include an eighth step of transferring the blister pack to an unloading portion.

As described above, the present invention can miniaturize the blister device by using the rotation module.

In addition, the present invention can supply tablets in the row direction of the blister cup without the row direction movement of the main hopper or the blister cup.

In addition, by adjusting a plurality of zones of the buffer, the blister packaging device can supply and package tablets for various blister packs as well.

In addition, the present invention, based on the captured image of the image input unit, the processor can determine whether the tablet is missing, whether or not match the prescription.

1 is a perspective view showing a blister packaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the exploded blister packaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a front view illustrating the main hopper.
4 is a plan view of the rotation module.
5 is a perspective view of the rotating module viewed from the bottom.
6 is a plan view of the buffer.
7 is a perspective view of the buffer viewed from the bottom.
8 is a plan view of the purification holder of the buffer.
9 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment in which the tablet holder is variable.
10 is a perspective view illustrating a blister pack.
FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the blister pack of FIG. 10.
12 is a perspective view illustrating the transfer unit.
Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the mounting portion.
14 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a magazine is removed from a loading unit.
15 is a perspective view of the loading portion as seen from the bottom.
16 is a flowchart illustrating a blister pack packaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the techniques described in this document to specific embodiments, but should be understood to cover various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives to the embodiments of this document. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar components.

In addition, the expressions "first," "second," and the like used in this document may modify various components in any order and / or importance, and may distinguish one component from another. It is used only and does not limit the components. For example, the first user device and the second user device may represent different user devices regardless of the order or importance. For example, without departing from the scope of rights described in this document, a first component may be named a second component, and similarly, the second component may be renamed to a first component.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and may not be intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Among the terms used in this document, terms defined in the general dictionary may be interpreted to have the same or similar meaning as the meaning in the context of the related art, and ideally or excessively formal meanings are not clearly defined in this document. Not interpreted as In some cases, even if terms are defined in the specification, they may not be interpreted to exclude embodiments of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the blister packaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view showing a blister packaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an exploded blister packaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, the blister packaging apparatus 1 includes a main hopper 100, a rotation module 200, a buffer 300, and a transfer unit 400.

The blister packaging apparatus 1 is installed under a cabinet (not shown) containing tablets, and when a prescription is input, the tablets contained in the tablet cartridge of the cabinet are delivered to the main hopper 100 according to the prescription.

The plurality of tablets delivered to the main hopper 100 are collected by the main hopper 100 and delivered to the rotating module 200. Rotating module 200 is provided with a plurality of cells therein, the cell is rotated to receive the tablet sequentially from the main hopper (100).

When the tablets included in the plurality of cells reach a predetermined position of the buffer 300, the tablets included in the plurality of cells are simultaneously transferred to the buffer 300. The buffer 300 moves back and forth to deliver tablets stored in the buffer 300 simultaneously to one row of the blister pack 50.

The transfer unit 400 is disposed below the buffer 300, and the transfer unit 400 buffers the blister pack 50 so that the blister pack 50 receives the tablets discharged from the buffer 300. 300) to the lower part.

The transfer part 400 transfers the blister pack 50 to the lower portion of the buffer 300 from the supply part 500 in which the supply magazine containing the blister pack 50 is loaded. The transfer unit 400 transfers the blister pack 50 containing the tablets transferred from the buffer 300 to the unloading unit 600 loaded with the unloading magazine so as to be located in the unloading magazine.

The blister packaging apparatus 1 may include an electrical equipment box 700 and an image input unit. In the electronic device box 700, a power supply unit (not shown) and a processor 800 are located.

The processor 800 may control rotation and forward and backward of the rotation module 200 and the buffer 300, and may control opening and closing of the shutter. In addition, the image input unit 850 may photograph the tablets transferred from the rotation module 200, and photograph the tablets stored in the blister pack 50. The processor 800 determines whether the tablet is supplied according to the prescription to the cell moving in the rotation module 200 based on the captured image of the image input unit 850, and determines whether the tablet is supplied according to the prescription to the blister pack.

3 is a front view illustrating the main hopper.

Referring to FIG. 3, the main hopper 100 includes an inlet 110 through which tablets are introduced at the top and an outlet 130 through which tablets are discharged. The inlet 110 has a guide 113 for guiding tablets delivered from the cabinet and is guided along the space 111 defined by the guide 113. When the tablet is delivered to the lower hopper 120 by the load, the lower hopper 120 guides the delivered tablet to the outlet 130 of the main hopper 100.

The main hopper 100 is attached to the frame 10. It has a sliding pack 140 to be detachable from the frame 10, the sliding pack 140 may be coupled along the sliding rail of the frame 10. In addition to the sliding method, the main hopper 100 may be detachable in a manner in which the frame has a protruding portion, and the main hopper 100 may be detachable to the frame such as a screw coupling or a hook coupling. Is not limited to this.

If tablets are stacked between the guides 113 or the lower hopper 120, tablets may not be properly discharged. In order to properly discharge the tablets, an impact device (not shown) may be used to impact the main hopper 100. The impact device may be set to periodically impact the main hopper, and may be set to apply an impact to the main hopper when the tablet does not reach the rotary module 200. The impact device may be a solenoid, or any device capable of applying a physical impact.

Removing the upper case 210 shown in Figure 1, the inside of the rotary module 200 is configured as shown in FIG.

4 is a plan view showing the rotary module, Figure 5 is a perspective view of the rotary module from the bottom.

4 and 5, the rotation module 200 includes an endless track 220, a partition 230, and an outlet 250.

 The caterpillar 220 is connected to the plurality of links 221 to form a closed curve. In the drawings of the present invention for the convenience of description, but described on the basis of a rotating module formed in a caterpillar, like a rotating module that rotates with a cell on a circular rotating plate, the tablet corresponds to the row of the blister pack without the movement of the main hopper It can be used as long as the rotating module can be discharged to the buffer.

In the present invention, the collection area A, the discharge area B, and the transfer area C are defined as follows.

Collection area A shows the area | region where the tablet taken once is collected. Referring to FIG. 4, the collection area A is located under the main hopper 100. The tablet is supplied from the main hopper 100 through the opening of the upper case 210.

In the case of further comprising an additional supply unit including an additional hopper (not shown), the tablet supplied from the additional hopper may be supplied to the cells 240b, 240c, 240d positioned before the collection area A. The cell supplied with tablets from the additional hopper moves to the collection area A, receives the remaining tablets from the main hopper 100, and collects one dose of tablets in the collection area A.

The discharge area B has a plurality of cells 240a ', 240b', 240c ', and 240d' containing tablets collected from the collection area A adjacent thereto, and a shutter 250 that can be opened and closed at the bottom thereof. Represents an area.

The transfer area C represents an area for transferring the tablets collected in the collection area A to the discharge area B. FIG. For example, referring to FIG. 4, since the rotation direction of the rotation module is counterclockwise, the transfer area C corresponds to the left area of the collection area A and the discharge area B. FIG.

The caterpillar 220 has a partition wall 230 at intervals between the links 221, and has a side case 215 along the outer side of the partition wall 230. Due to the side case 215 and the partition wall 230, the rotary module 200 includes a plurality of cells 240 in which tablets are stored. The outlet 130 of the main hopper 100 is positioned on the collection area A of the plurality of cells 240. The crawler track 220 rotates in the direction of the arrow, and the plurality of cells 240 separated by the partition wall 230 also rotate in the direction of the arrow.

By the caterpillar 220, the cell of the rotary module rotates by moving the partition wall 230, but the cell of the lighting module may rotate by rotating a rotating plate including a plurality of cells.

The main hopper 100 supplies the tablet to the cell 240a of the collection area, and supplies the tablet again when the cell moves to reach the collection area under the main hopper 100. The tablet thus supplied moves to the discharge area where the discharge part 250 is located, with the movement of the cell.

For example, the tablet to be taken in the morning according to the prescription is delivered to the cell 240a of the collection area through the main hopper 100, the cell 240a containing the tablet to be taken in the morning moves in the direction of the arrow. When the cell 240b arrives in the collection area, the tablet to be taken at lunch according to the prescription is delivered through the main hopper 100 to the cell 240b located in the collection area, and the cell containing the tablet to be taken in the evening ( 240b) moves in the direction of the arrow. In this way, the tablet to be taken in the evening is delivered to the cell 240c, and the tablet to be taken before bedtime is delivered to the cell 240d.

The image input unit 850 may include a first camera (not shown), and the first camera may photograph the tablet collected in the collection area A. FIG. When all the tablets are not collected based on the photographed image of the first camera, the processor 800 may use a solenoid shock device or a shock device (not shown) through an electrical signal to the main hopper 100. By applying a force, the stagnant tablets can be discharged to the collection area A. In the cell located in the transport area C, the tablets acquired with the image information by the first camera are located. The plurality of cells 240a, 240b, 240c, and 204d move and are located in the discharge area B. FIG. The plurality of cells 240a ', 240b', 240c ', and 240d' that have moved to the discharge area B contain tablets to be taken for one day. A plurality of cells 240a ', 240b', 240c ', and 240d' are disposed adjacent to each other in the discharge area B on the discharge part 250. Tablets to take in the morning to the cell (240a '), tablets to take in the lunch (240b'), tablets for the evening to the cell (240c '), tablets to be taken before bed (240d') It is located at. In other words, . Each of the plurality of cells 240a ', 240b', 240c ', 240d' located on the outlet 250 includes a single tablet. Although the plurality of cells 240a ', 240b', 240c ', 240d', are shown as being arranged in a row, the arrangement of the plurality of cells 240a ', 240b', 240c ', 240d' is an arrangement of blister cups. It can be arranged differently according to the state or the type of buffer.

In order to rotate the crawler track 220 formed of the link 221, the driving unit 225 is disposed below the rotation module 200. The drive pinion gear 226 is connected to the drive shaft of the drive unit 225. The drive pinion gear 226 meshes with the ring gear 227 to transmit power to the power transmission module 228. The caterpillar 220 engaged with the power transmission module 228 rotates with the transmitted power.

Discharge unit 250 has a rotary module shutter 255 and the auxiliary hopper 260. The tablets stored in the plurality of cells 240a ', 240b', 240c ', and 240d' in the upper B region of the discharge part 250 are opened, and the rotary module shutter 255 is opened to buffer along the penetration part of the auxiliary hopper 260. Guided to 300. The auxiliary hopper 260 forms a penetrating portion so as to correspond to the number of cells 240a ', 240b', 240c'240d 'disposed in the discharge area B of the discharge unit.

The rotary module 200 includes a rotary module support member 290 coupled to the buffer 300, and the length of the support member 290 is determined according to the height of the auxiliary hopper 260 and the buffer 300.

6 is a plan view of the buffer, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the buffer from the bottom, FIG. 8 is a plan view of the tablet holder, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing an embodiment in which the tablet holder is variable.

Referring to FIG. 6, the buffer 300 includes a buffer frame 310 and a purification holder 320. The tablet holder 320 is mounted on the buffer frame 310, and the tablet holder 320 is divided into a plurality of physically separated zones 320a, 320b, 320c and 320d. The plurality of zones 320a, 320b, 320c, and 320d have sizes corresponding to the plurality of cells 240a ', 240b', 240c ', and 240d' of the region B.

Sliding members 330 and 331 are attached to the side of the tablet holder 320. The sliding members 330 and 331 may slide forward and backward along the guide rails 335 and 336. The tablet holder 320 may also move forward and backward due to the movement of the sliding members 330 and 331.

The tablet holder 320 advances back and forth to a position corresponding to the row of the blister pack 50, and delivers the tablet stored in the tablet holder 320 to the blister pack according to the opening and closing of the buffer shutter 350. The tablet holder 320 may move to a position corresponding to a row of the blister pack 50 according to the arrangement of the blister pack 50, and move to a position of the preset blister pack 50.

The sliding members 330 and 331 of the tablet holder 320 are driven by the driving units 340 and 345. When the driving units 340 and 345 rotate, the pulleys 341 and 343 rotate, and the belt 342 connected to the pulleys 341 and 343 also rotates. The belt 342 is connected to the sliding member 330 so that the sliding member 330 moves along the guide rail 335. The opposite sliding member 331 also moves forward and backward along the guide rail 336.

The opening and closing of the buffer shutter 350 is opened and closed by the buffer shutter driver 355. The buffer shutter 350 may be driven by a rack and pinion gear, and may use a member capable of linear movement such as a linear motor, but is not limited thereto. A driving unit using a shape memory alloy may also be used.

When tablets are stagnant in the tablet holder 320 or when tablets are not discharged, the tablet holder 320 is provided with an impact device using a solenoid or other physical shock device to discharge the stagnant tablets. Can be.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 a), the tablet holder 320 includes a plurality of physically separated zones 320a, 320b, 320c, and 320d. The plurality of zones 320a, 320b, 320c, and 320d are divided into guide walls 325a, 325b, and 325c. Guide walls 325a, 325b, and 325c can be varied to vary the plurality of zones.

Referring to b) of FIG. 9, the guide walls 325a, 325b, and 325c of the tablet holder 320 are varied so that the tablet holder 320 has three compartments for discharging tablets. Referring to), the guide wall 325a, 325b, 325c of the tablet holder 320 is variable so that the tablet holder 320 has two zones for discharging tablets.

The guide walls 325a, 325b, and 325c can be slid and varied, and the shape of the compartment is determined according to the width of the blister cup. In the present invention, the blister cup is described as having a matrix shape of 4 X 7, but various matrix shapes such as 3 X 7 or 2 X 7 can be used, and thus, guide walls 325a, 325b, and 325c according to the shape of the matrix. Can be varied. Only the lower portion of the guide walls 325a, 325b, and 325c may slide, and the upper portion may also slide together to vary the area. In addition, the positions of the guide walls 325a, 325b, and 325c of the tablet holder 320 may be manually changed, and may be automatically changed by adding a driving unit.

As shown in b) of FIG. 9, the refining is performed only in three cells of the plurality of cells 240b, 240c, and 240d in the discharge area B of the rotary module 200, and the tablet holder 320 of the corresponding tablet is located. It can be guided to a blister pack along the guide wall.

In the case of FIG. 9C, the tablet is located in only two cells 240b and 240c of the plurality of cells in the discharge area B of the rotary module 200, and the guide wall of the corresponding tablet holder 320 is located. It can be guided to the blister pack along.

Although illustrated in a limited embodiment in FIG. 9, the positions of three cells of the plurality of cells may be 240a, 240b, or 240c. In this case, the guide walls 325a, 325b, and 325c may be changed to different positions. .

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a blister pack attached to a tray, and FIG. 11 is a bottom view of FIG. 10.

10 and 11, the tray 55 includes blister pack fixing members 56 and 57. The tray 55 is made up of a hollow frame, and the flister pack fixing members 56 and 57 are attached to the tray in the form of cantilevers corresponding to the rows of the blister pack 50. The blister pack 50 is mounted on the tray 55 by arranging the middle row of the blister pack on the blister pack fixing members 56 and 57.

In FIG. 11, the blister pack fixing members 56 and 57 are formed of cantilevers corresponding to the rows of the blister packs, but may be formed of cantilevers corresponding to the columns of the blister packs.

The blister pack 50 comprises the blister cup 51 with 4 spaces in a row direction and 7 spaces in a column direction. The rows of blister packs contain daily doses such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the columns are taken daily.

The medicines stored in the rows of blister packs 50 are determined by the medicines arranged in line by the rotation module 200. That is, the purification of the buffer 300 delivered through the rotation module 200 is put into the row of the blister pack 50. As the tablet holder 320 moves, the tablet is delivered to the row of the corresponding day of the week according to the prescription.

The second camera (not shown) of the image input unit 850 photographs the tablet delivered to the cup of the blister pack 50 to determine whether it is delivered as a prescription. The second camera may be disposed in the transfer part 400 in which the blister pack 50 is located. By comparing the photographed images of the first camera and the second camera, it is possible to determine whether or not it is properly delivered, in which process of the blister packaging apparatus (1).

In addition, the second camera may determine whether there are tablets stacked higher than the cup height of the blister pack 50, and the processor 800 may give a notification when the stack height of the tablets is high.

12 is a perspective view illustrating the transfer unit.

Referring to FIG. 12, the transfer unit 400 includes a loading transfer unit having hook motors 411 and 412 on one side of the transfer conveyor 421 and an unloading transfer unit having a push bar 451 on the other side. Include.

The hook motors 411 and 412 are disposed on an upper surface of the hook motor support 417, and hooks 413 and 414 are disposed at ends of the shafts of the hook motors 411 and 412. The hooks 413 and 414 are hooked to the tray grooves 58a and 58b, and are detached by being detached. In a state where the hooks 414 and 414 do not protrude upward, such as the hook 414 disposed below, the hooks 413 and 414 move to the tray 55 in the supply part by the driving of the loading and transport driver 416. When the hook is disposed to face upward, such as the hook 413 disposed above by the operation of the hook motors 411 and 412, the hooks 413 and 414 are moved upward by using the lift 415 to engage with the tray 55. Done. The tray 55 may move to the transfer conveyor 421 by driving the loading transfer driver 416. The auxiliary rollers 423 and 424 may smoothly transfer the tray 55 transferred to the conveying conveyor 421.

The position of the tray 55 is detected by the position sensing units 435, 436, 437, and 438, and the driving of the conveying conveyor 421 and the auxiliary rollers 423 and 424 is adjusted according to the detected position.

When the position of the tray 55 is detected by the first position sensing unit 435, the conveying conveyor 421 and the auxiliary rollers 423 and 424 are driven, and the second and third position sensing units 436 and 437 operate. When the position is sensed, driving of the conveying conveyor 421 and the auxiliary rollers 423 and 424 may be stopped. That is, the tray 55 is transferred to the intermediate position of the transfer unit, the blister pack 50 receives the tablet stored in the tablet holder 320. Thereafter, when the blister pack is transported and the tray 55 is not detected by the fourth position detecting unit 438, the unloading conveying unit is pushed through the push bar 451, and the blister pack 50 includes tablets. The tray 55 accommodated therein is transferred to the unloading part 600.

When the tablet is accommodated in the blister pack 50, the transfer unit 400 may seal the blister pack 50. The sealing paper is placed on the blister pack 50, and a roller (not shown) pressurizes the sealing paper. The pressure-heated sealing paper may be fused to the blister pack 50, and the patient information, date, taking time, etc. may be printed on the sealing paper for each blister cup 51.

The transfer unit 400 further includes a sensor 440, the sensor 440 may read information of the blister pack 50, and the information of the blister pack 50 is transmitted to the processor 800.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a loading part, FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a state where a magazine is removed from the loading part, and FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the loading part as viewed from the bottom.

Referring to FIG. 13, the loading unit 500 includes a support 510 and a lift 530. Magazine 550 is supported by support 510.

The magazine 550 includes a handle 555, and using the handle 555, the magazine 550 is detachable from the support 510. The magazine 550 includes a plurality of tray accommodation portions 551 in which the tray 55 is accommodated. Each tray receiving portion 551 may detect the hooks 413 and 414 of the loading transfer portion.

Referring to FIG. 14, a magazine seating part 520 is included on a support 510 of the supply part 500. The magazine seating portion 520 includes a circular coupling protrusion 521 on the upper surface. The lower surface of the magazine 550 includes a coupling groove (not shown) corresponding to the coupling protrusion 521, and the magazine 550 is fixed at a predetermined position by the coupling of the coupling groove and the coupling protrusion 521.

The elevator 530 includes a driving belt 531, a lift driving pulley 535, a lift driven pulley 536, and a lift driver 540. By the driving of the elevating drive unit 540, the elevating drive pulley 535 is rotated, through which the drive belt 531 is rotated. By the rotation of the drive belt 531, the support 510 connected to the drive belt 531 moves up and down.

The support 510 is moved to the height at which the hooks 413 and 414 are located according to the position of the tray 55 to be withdrawn, and the hooks 413 and 414 of the loading transfer part are moved to the tray accommodating part 551. The tray 55 is conveyed.

Although the structure of the supply part 500 was described above, the structure of the unloading part 600 is also the same as that of the supply part 500. In only the operating method, the raising and lowering height is determined according to the position of the tray accommodating portion 551 in which the tray 55 to be stacked is to be stored.

Since the blister pack 50 is withdrawn from the uppermost layer of the magazine 550, and the blister pack 50 to be withdrawn next is withdrawn from the lowermost layer, the magazine 550 is raised by the elevator 530. If the blister pack 50 is withdrawn from the lowermost layer, the blister pack 50 to be withdrawn next is withdrawn from the lowermost position, and the magazine 550 is lowered by the elevator 530.

In addition, when the blister pack 50 is stored at the lowermost part in the unloading part 600, the magazine 550 is lowered to store the blister pack 50 thereafter, and the blister pack 50 is stored from the top layer. In this case, the magazine 550 is raised to store the blister pack 50.

That is, the supply unit 500 and the unloading unit 600 raise and lower the magazine 550 according to the drawing order of the blister packs based on the number of blister packs 50.

The magazine seating portion 520 may slide on the support 510. The lower portion of the magazine seating portion 520 may be provided with a sliding rail 525, the support 510 is provided with a corresponding groove or meshing gears, rollers and the like to slide. The magazine seating part 520 may discharge the magazine 550 to the front through sliding. In a state in which the magazine seating part 520 is discharged to the front, the magazine 550 may be detachable using the handle 555.

Hereinafter, an operation of a blister packaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention including the above-described configuration will be described. In a state in which the magazine seating portion 520 of the supply unit 500 is discharged to the front, the magazine 550 is opened. It is seated on the magazine seat 520. The magazine seating part 520 is moved backward, and the magazine seating part 520 moves to a position capable of supplying the tray 55 included in the magazine 550.

Receive the contents of the prescription through a barcode (or not shown) provided in the cabinet with a barcode or a printed recognition code written on the prescription. Before the tablet is supplied according to the input prescription, the tray 55 including the blister pack 50 in the magazine 550 is moved by the loading and transferring unit of the transfer unit 400. Tray grooves 58a and 58b are coupled to hooks 413 and 414. The tray 55 is moved to the transfer conveyor 421 by the drive unit provided in the loading transfer unit.

The conveying conveyor 421 and the auxiliary rollers 423 and 424 convey the tray 55 to the second and third position sensing units 436 and 437. When transferred to the second and third position sensing units 436 and 437, the sensor 440 transmits information of the blister pack 50 to the processor 800, and the processor 800 transmits the blister pack 50. The patient's prescription and the patient's prescription are stored together, so that the tablet stored in the blister pack 50 can be distinguished from which patient.

16 is a flowchart illustrating a blister pack packaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention. A process of supplying tablets to the transported blister pack will be described with reference to FIG. 16. When the blister pack 50 is located below the buffer 300, the tablets according to prescription from the cartridges of the cabinet are stored in the main hopper. It is transmitted to 100 (S1601).

The plurality of tablets delivered to the main hopper 100 are collected in one space in the lower hopper 120 and guided to the outlet 130. The tablet guided to the outlet 130 is delivered to the collection area A of the rotary module 200. When the tablet to be taken in the morning according to the prescription is delivered to the cell 240a located in the collection area A, the plurality of cells 240 of the rotation module 200 rotate, and the next cell in the collection area A is rotated. 240b is located.

In this case, the tablet to be taken in the lunch according to the prescription is delivered to the collection area (A) of the rotary module through the main hopper 100, the cell 240b located in the collection area (A) is the tablet to be taken for lunch do. According to the above-described process, according to the rotation of the rotary module 200, the cells 240c and 240d to be located in the collection area A are respectively the tablets to be taken in the evening and the tablets to be taken before going through the main hopper 100. It is transmitted (S1602).

Depending on the prescription, breakfast, lunch and dinner tablets may be stored in cells 240a, 240b and 240c, which will be located in collection area A, and cells 240d may be stored or emptied the next morning. .

The stored tablet is moved to the discharge area B located above the discharge part 250, and a plurality of cells 240a ', 240b', 240c ', and 240d' are disposed in the discharge area B (S1603). . Tablets to take in the morning to the cell (240a '), tablets to take in the lunch (240b'), tablets for the evening to the cell (240c '), tablets to be taken before bed (240d') It is located at.

While the plurality of cells 240a ', 240b', 240c ', and 240d' move to the discharge area B, they pass through the transfer area C of the rotation module 200. In the transfer area C, a tablet from which image information is acquired by the first camera of the image input unit 850 is located. Based on the acquired image information, the processor 800 determines whether the tablet according to the prescription reaches the cell located in the rotation module 200.

When the rotary module shutter 255 is opened in the discharge area B of the rotary module 200, the tablets stored in the plurality of cells 240a ', 240b', 240c ', and 240d' are guided by the auxiliary hopper 260. As a result, it is discharged to the buffer 300 (S1604). Tablets are stored in a plurality of zones 320a, 320b, 320c, 320d of the tablet holder 320 of the buffer 300.

The tablet holder 320 moves to a position of a predetermined blister pack 50 corresponding to the day of the week corresponding to the prescription (S1605). When the buffer shutter 350 is opened, the tablet stored in the tablet holder 320 is transferred to the cup of the blister pack 50 of the corresponding day (S1606).

The tablet holder 320 moves to the lower end of the discharge area B of the discharge part 250 and waits for delivery of the tablet on the next day of the week (S1607). The tablet of the following day according to the prescription is delivered to the tablet holder 320 via the rotary module 200 from the main hopper 100.

The tablet holder 320 moves to the row of the blister pack 50 on the next day corresponding to the prescription, the buffer shutter 350 is opened, and the tablet stored in the tablet holder 320 is stored in the blister pack 50. Passed in a row. By repeating the above process, the patient's prescription tablets are all stored in the blister pack 50.

When the tablets are delivered to the blister pack 50 through the tablet holder 320, the second camera of the image input unit 850 photographs the tablets stored in the blister cup. In this way, the processor 800 may compare the photographed image of the first camera with the photographed image of the second camera to determine whether the tablet is delivered without omission. In addition, the processor 800 may determine whether the prescription tablet is missing in the delivery process based on the captured image of the second camera.

The second camera may be configured to photograph by blister cup 51 or may photograph by one row. In addition, the processor 800 may determine whether the tablet is stacked above the height of the blister cup based on the captured image of the second camera. If tablets are stacked above the blister cup height, processor 800 may alert the user.

Once the tablets are properly delivered to the blister pack 50, the blister pack 50 may be sealed, and patient information, days of the week, and time of taking may be printed on the sealing paper portion located on the upper surface of the blister cup 51 per row. .

The blister pack 50 contains the tray 55 is conveyed through the conveying conveyor 421 and the auxiliary rollers (423, 424). If the tray 55 is not detected by the fourth position detecting unit, the push bar 451 moves upward to transfer the tray 55 to the unloading unit 600.

The tray 55 is stored in the tray accommodating part 551 of the magazine 550 located in the unloading part 600, and when all the trays 55 prescribed in the magazine 550 are stacked, the magazine 550 moves to the front. do. The user may move the magazine 550 using the handle 555.

The blister packaging device 1 may arise in the case of urgently preparing tablets during use. In this case, the input means (not shown) of the cabinet may input an emergency preparation command. When the emergency preparation command is input, the blister packaging device 1 finishes packaging the blister pack 50 currently in operation and stops.

The user mounts the tray 55 including the empty blister pack 50 on the tray accommodating part 551 located on the top floor of the magazine 550 located in the supply part 500. Then, as in the above-described process, the tray 55 is moved to the lower portion of the buffer 300 through the transfer unit 400, when the tablets in the blister pack 50, all the tablets according to the prescription is stored, the unloading unit 600 The tray 55 is conveyed. The user may withdraw the transported tray 55 from the magazine 550 stored in the unloading unit 600.

In accordance with the prescription, the blister pack 50 is inserted, and according to the input of the prescription, the processor 800 automatically guides the guide walls 325a, 325b, and 325c of the tablet holder 320 to correspond to the blister pack 50. Can be varied or the user can manually vary. Through this, the blister packaging apparatus 1 can also use a blister pack 50 composed of various types of matrix.

As described above, the blister packaging apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention utilizes the rotation module 200. The rotation module 200 may deliver tablets corresponding to the rows of the blister pack 50 to the rows of the blister pack 50 at the same time. Therefore, the main hopper 100 does not need to move in the row direction of the blister pack 50 or the blister pack 50 needs to move in the row direction. In addition, when the main hopper 100 is moved or the blister pack 50 is moved, tablets are delivered to one cup at a time, but the present invention simultaneously delivers tablets to the tablet holder 320 for preparation time. Can be shortened.

Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time to move in the horizontal direction, such as the blister pack 50, the main hopper 100, and the like, since the rotary module 200 moves to a predetermined discharge part and delivers the tablet to the primary holder. Accurate delivery is possible. In addition, by eliminating the movement in the row direction, the blister packaging apparatus 1 has an advantage of improving space utilization.

In addition, the present invention may add an image input unit 850 to the rotary module 200 and the transfer unit 400 that the blister pack 50 receives the tablet. The processor 800 may determine whether there is a missing tablet in the delivery process of the tablet based on the captured image of the image input unit 850, and determine whether the packing is possible before sealing the blister pack, and notify the user. have.

In addition, since the magazine 500 is detachable as a set to the support 510, the user can conveniently transport the magazine 500. The support 510 may be lifted and lowered so that the transfer unit 400 may automatically receive a tray.

As described above, although the present invention has been described by way of limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the technical idea of the present invention and the following by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Of course, various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of equivalents of the claims to be described.

1: blister packing device 10: frame
100: main hopper 200: rotary module
300: buffer 400: transfer unit
500: supply part 600: unloading part
700: Battlefield Box 800: Processor
850: Image input unit

Claims (11)

A main hopper receiving tablets;
A rotary module including a plurality of cells individually receiving the tablets supplied from the main hopper, and sequentially moving the plurality of cells to a discharge area; And
A blister pack in which a plurality of cups are arranged in a plurality of rows and columns;
And a buffer including a plurality of zones and receiving the tablets and discharging them into the blister pack.
The plurality of zones includes a plurality of zones, each corresponding to a plurality of cells located in the discharge zone, among the plurality of cells, each containing tablets discharged simultaneously from the plurality of cells located in the discharge zone,
Wherein the plurality of zones corresponds to the number of cups contained in one row of the blister pack. The method of claim 1,
The plurality of cells located in the discharge zone includes tablets for one day,
Wherein each of the plurality of cells located in the discharge zone comprises a batch of tablets. The method of claim 1,
The rotary module discharges the tablets accommodated in the plurality of cells to the buffer disposed below,
An endless track connected by a plurality of links to form a closed curve; And
And a plurality of partition walls connected to the caterpillar at intervals to form the plurality of cells. The method of claim 1,
A shutter open and close below the discharge area; And
And a secondary hopper for guiding the discharged tablets to the buffer when the shutter is opened. The method of claim 4, wherein
The auxiliary hopper forms a through part corresponding to the number of cells arranged in the discharge area, blister packaging device. The method of claim 1,
Further supply unit for receiving an additional tablet; further comprising,
The rotary module,
And a collection area for collecting the tablets supplied from the additional supply unit and the main hopper to any one of the plurality of cells. The method of claim 6,
The rotary module,
And a top case having an opening formed at a position corresponding to the collection area. The method of claim 1,
An image input unit including a first camera photographing the tablets supplied to the cell and a second camera photographing the tablets loaded into the cup of the blister pack; And
And a processor for determining whether a predetermined tablet is supplied to the cell based on the captured image of the image input unit. The method of claim 1,
A transfer unit disposed below the buffer;
A supply unit disposed at one side of the transfer unit and configured to load a supply magazine to accommodate a blister pack;
And an unloading unit disposed on the other side of the conveying unit and configured to load an unloading magazine containing a blister pack including tablets. The method of claim 9,
The supply unit is raised and lowered based on the number of blister packs included in the supply magazine,
The unloading unit is raised and lowered based on the number of blister packs contained in the unloading magazine, blister packaging device. The method of claim 9,
There is a coupling groove in the lower portion of the supply magazine and the unloading magazine,
Each of the supply part and the unloading part includes a coupling protrusion corresponding to the coupling groove of the supply magazine and the unloading magazine to determine a detachable position of the supply magazine and the unloading magazine.

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