U.S. patent application number 14/966378 was filed with the patent office on 2017-09-28 for medicine cassette and medicine feeding apparatus.
The applicant listed for this patent is YUYAMA MFG. CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Masao FUKADA, Naoki KOIKE, Mitsuhiro MITANI, Hiroyuki YUYAMA.
Application Number | 20170273869 14/966378 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47832137 |
Filed Date | 2017-09-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170273869 |
Kind Code |
A9 |
YUYAMA; Hiroyuki ; et
al. |
September 28, 2017 |
MEDICINE CASSETTE AND MEDICINE FEEDING APPARATUS
Abstract
A medicine feeding apparatus includes a cylindrical body 8, a
first rotating body 9, and a second rotating body 10. The first
rotating body 9 is disposed on the inner side of the cylindrical
body 8, and together with the cylindrical body 8, constitutes a
medicine storage section 42 capable of storing medicine. The first
rotating body 9 can reciprocate in the axial direction of the
cylindrical body 8, and can rotate about a first rotary axis. The
second rotating body 10 is disposed on the outer circumference of
an opening of the cylindrical body 8, and can rotate about a second
rotary axis. This configuration has a function of smoothly
performing automatic dispensing depending on the remaining amount
of stored medicine while storing a large amount of medicine.
Inventors: |
YUYAMA; Hiroyuki; (Osaka,
JP) ; KOIKE; Naoki; (Osaka, JP) ; MITANI;
Mitsuhiro; (Osaka, JP) ; FUKADA; Masao;
(Osaka, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
YUYAMA MFG. CO., LTD. |
Osaka |
|
JP |
|
|
Prior
Publication: |
|
Document Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20160151245 A1 |
June 2, 2016 |
|
|
Family ID: |
47832137 |
Appl. No.: |
14/966378 |
Filed: |
December 11, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
14343307 |
Mar 6, 2014 |
9242785 |
|
|
PCT/JP2012/072457 |
Sep 4, 2012 |
|
|
|
14966378 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65G 47/1457 20130101;
G07F 17/0092 20130101; B65B 35/06 20130101; G07F 11/32 20130101;
G07F 11/44 20130101; B65B 35/26 20130101; G07F 11/24 20130101; B65D
83/0083 20130101; A61J 7/0076 20130101; B65G 47/14 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A61J 7/00 20060101
A61J007/00; G07F 17/00 20060101 G07F017/00; B65D 83/00 20060101
B65D083/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 6, 2011 |
JP |
2011-194276 |
Claims
1. A medicine cassette comprising: a cylindrical body; a first
rotating body disposed on an inner side of the cylindrical body,
the first rotating body together with the cylindrical body
constituting a medicine storage section capable of storing
medicine, the first rotating body being reciprocable in an axial
direction of the cylindrical body and being rotatable about a first
rotary axis; and a second rotating body disposed on an outer
circumference of an opening of the cylindrical body, the second
rotating body being rotatable about a second rotary axis, wherein:
the cylindrical body can rotate in an circumferential direction and
includes a guide section on its inner circumferential surface, the
first rotating body includes a guide receiving section for guiding
said guide section, and the guide condition of the guide section by
the guide receiving section is that the first rotating body can
reciprocate in the axial direction with respect to the cylindrical
body.
2. The medicine cassette according to claim 1, wherein the guide
condition of the guide section by the guide receiving section is
that the guide section makes the first rotating body unrotative in
the circumferential direction with respect to the cylindrical
body.
3. The medicine cassette according to claim 1, wherein the guide
receiving section is a first protrusion, and the guide section of
the cylindrical body is a second protrusion which pushes the first
protrusion in the circumferential direction and rotates the first
rotating body.
4. The medicine cassette according to claim 3, wherein the first
protrusion is a plural of protrusions provided at an equal angle
interval in an circumference direction on an outer peripheral
surface of the first rotating body, and the second protrusion is a
plural of protrusions provided at an equal angle interval in an
circumference direction on an inner peripheral surface of the
second rotating body.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.120
as a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/343,307,
filed Mar. 6, 2014, which is a national phase application under 35
U.S.C. .sctn.371 of International Application Serial No.
PCT/JP2012/072457, filed on Sep. 4, 2012, and claims priority under
35 U.S.C. .sctn.119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-194276,
filed on Sep. 6, 2011, which are hereby expressly incorporated by
reference in their entirety for all purposes.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to a medicine cassette and a
medicine feeding apparatus.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] Conventionally, an apparatus for aligning and feeding small
articles (goods), which includes a disc-like first rotating body
rotated by a first driving means and an annular second rotating
body rotated by a second driving means, is publicly known (refer to
Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 1989-51403, for
example).
[0004] However, in the conventional apparatus, positional
relationship between the first rotating body and the second
rotating body is fixed to and limit the number of storable goods is
limited. In the case where an article to be stored is medicine, it
is desirable to maximize the amount of stored medicine so as not to
frequently perform a refilling operation and however, there is a
limit to feed medicines by means of the first rotating body and the
second rotating body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a medicine
cassette capable of smoothly performing automatic dispensing of
medicine depending on the remaining amount of stored medicine while
storing a large amount of medicine.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention
provides a medicine cassette including:
a cylindrical body; a first rotating body disposed on the inner
side of the cylindrical body, the first rotating body together with
the cylindrical body constituting a medicine storage section
capable of storing medicine, the first rotating body being
reciprocable in the axial direction of the cylindrical body and
being rotatable about a first rotary axis; and a second rotating
body disposed on the outer circumference of an opening of the
cylindrical body, the second rotating body being rotatable about a
second rotary axis.
[0007] With this configuration, when medicine is refilled, the
first rotating body can be moved toward one end of the cylindrical
body to extend the medicine storage section. When medicine is
dispensed from the medicine storage section, the first rotating
body can be gradually moved toward the other end to smoothly
transfer medicine to the second rotating body.
[0008] Preferably, the first rotating body is disposed such that
its upper surface is inclined with respect to the axis of the
cylindrical body.
[0009] With this configuration, medicine in the medicine storage
section can be moved from part of the circumference of the first
rotating body to the second rotating body. Therefore, medicine can
be smoothly moved onto the second rotating body while controlling
the amount of medicine.
[0010] The medicine cassette may include a discharge section for
discharging medicine moving to the outer circumference with
rotation of the second rotating body.
[0011] Preferably, the cylindrical body can rotate in the
circumferential direction, and includes a guide section on its
inner circumferential surface,
the first rotating body includes a guide receiving section for
guiding the guide section, and the guide receiving section guides
the guide section such that the first rotating body cannot rotate
in the circumferential direction with respect to the cylindrical
body and can reciprocate in the axial direction.
[0012] With this configuration, that is, with the configuration in
which the guide receiving section guides the guide section, the
movement of the first rotating body in the axial direction can be
stabilized. By rotating the cylindrical section, the first rotating
body can be rotated.
[0013] The first rotating body may be provided with a second shaft
member capable of transmitting a rotational driving force.
[0014] Preferably, the medicine cassette further includes a link
mechanism for allowing the first rotating body to reciprocate in
the axial direction of the cylindrical body.
[0015] The link mechanism may include a first link coupled to the
first rotating body so as to be rotatable about a spindle, a second
link rotatably coupled to the first link, and a cylindrical cam
member having an inclined section rotated to change its contact
position with the second link in the axial direction.
[0016] With this configuration, merely by rotating the cylindrical
cam member, the link mechanism can be driven via the second link to
reciprocate the first rotating body in the axial direction of the
cylindrical body.
[0017] The link mechanism may be configured of two pairs of links,
the links in each pair being spaced with a predetermined interval,
and in each link pair, intermediate sections of the links may be
rotatably coupled to each other, and one ends of the links may be
slidably coupled to the first rotating body to be extendable.
[0018] With this configuration, the reciprocation of the first
rotating body in the axial direction can be further stabilized.
[0019] The medicine cassette may further include a first shaft
member having a helical groove formed in the outer circumferential
surface in the axial direction; and
a bearing member having a guide pin movably disposed in the helical
groove, the bearing member supporting the first rotating body.
[0020] With this configuration, merely by positively and negatively
rotating the first shaft member, the first rotating body can be
reciprocated in the axial direction.
[0021] Preferably, the first rotating body includes an inner
circumferential gear, and
the second shaft member has a vertical gear engaging with the inner
circumferential gear in the outer circumferential surface.
[0022] With this configuration, merely by rotating the second shaft
member, the first rotating body can be rotated.
[0023] Preferably, the first rotating body is movable in the
cylindrical body in one axial direction by own weight.
[0024] With this configuration, the first rotating body can be
moved without requiring any special driving source.
[0025] Preferably, the medicine cassette further includes:
a grasping section formed on a front surface; a transmitting
section for transmitting a rotational driving force to rotate the
cylindrical body to the cylindrical body; a transmitting section
for transmitting a rotational driving force to rotate the first
rotating body to the first rotating body; and a transmitting
section for transmitting a rotational driving force to rotate the
second rotating body to the second rotating body, wherein the three
transmitting sections are exposed from a back surface.
[0026] With this configuration, merely by grasping the grasping
section and attaching the grasping section to an object to be
attached, power can be transmitted via each of the transmitting
sections.
[0027] Preferably, the medicine cassette includes a width limiting
section for limiting a width that can pass medicine conveyed on the
second rotating body, wherein
the cylindrical body has an expanding area gradually protruding
downward to the inner diameter side from the inner circumference of
the second rotating body in an area, the width of which is limited
by the width limiting section.
[0028] With this configuration, medicine that is limited by the
width limiting section and falls inward from the second rotating
body can be smoothly returned to the first rotating body,
preventing damage of medicine.
[0029] Moreover, in order to solve the above problems, the present
invention provides a medicine feeding apparatus including:
the medicine cassette according to any of the above configurations;
and a cassette attachment section to which the medicine cassette
can be attached, wherein the cassette attachment section has
driving members for driving the cylindrical body, the first
rotating body, and the second rotating body, and positions where
driving forces are transmitted by the driving members are located
on the same surface of the cassette attachment section.
[0030] With this configuration, the structure can be simplified to
facilitate maintenance.
[0031] Moreover, in order to solve the above problems, the present
invention provides a medicine feeding apparatus including: the
medicine cassette according to any of the above configurations;
a sensor for detecting medicine dispensed from the medicine
cassette; and a controller for determining whether or not a
dispensing state deteriorates on the basis of a detection signal
from the sensor, and for moving the first rotating body toward the
second rotating body in the axial direction of the cylindrical body
when it is determined that the dispensing state deteriorates.
[0032] Moreover, in order to solve the above problems, the present
invention may provide a medicine feeding apparatus including:
a sensor for detecting whether or not medicine is present on the
second rotating body; and a controller for moving the first
rotating body toward the second rotating body in the axial
direction of the cylindrical body when the sensor detects that no
medicine is present on the second rotating body.
[0033] With such configuration, the first rotating body can be
automatically moved depending on the remaining amount of stored
medicine, thereby feeding medicine onto the second rotating
body.
Effect of the Invention
[0034] According to the present invention, since the first rotating
body can reciprocate and rotate in the cylindrical body, the first
rotating body can be moved toward one end of the cylindrical body
to extend the volume of the medicine storage section, enabling
refilling of a large amount of medicine. By gradually moving the
first rotating body toward the other end of the cylindrical body,
medicine can be dispensed smoothly and automatically depending on
the remaining amount of medicine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0035] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a medicine
feeding apparatus according to a first embodiment.
[0036] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing another example of the
medicine feeding apparatus according to the first embodiment.
[0037] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a medicine feeder that can
be used in the medicine feeding apparatus in FIG. 1.
[0038] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the state where a first
rotating body is moved to the highest position in a medicine
cassette in FIG. 3.
[0039] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a cassette body in
FIG. 4.
[0040] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the medicine cassette
in FIG. 4 when viewed from below.
[0041] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the state where a body
section and a base of the cassette body are detached from the
medicine cassette in FIG. 6.
[0042] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the state where a cover
of the cassette body is detached from the medicine cassette in FIG.
3, and the first rotating body is moved to the lowest position.
[0043] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing mainly a cylindrical
section in the medicine cassette in FIG. 3.
[0044] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the first
rotating body in FIG. 4.
[0045] FIG. 11(a) is a perspective view showing the first rotating
body in FIG. 10 moved to the lowest position and FIG. 11(b) is a
perspective view showing the first rotating body in FIG. 10 moved
to the highest position, when viewed from below.
[0046] FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a cassette attachment
section in FIG. 3.
[0047] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the medicine feeding apparatus
according to the first embodiment.
[0048] FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing medicine dispensing
processing in the medicine feeding apparatus according to the first
embodiment.
[0049] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a medicine feeder according
to a second embodiment.
[0050] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a medicine cassette in FIG.
15.
[0051] FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the cassette body
in FIG. 16.
[0052] FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a second rotating body
and a power transmission mechanism in FIG. 16.
[0053] FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view showing a shaft
member in FIG. 16.
[0054] FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a cylindrical body in
FIG. 16.
[0055] FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view showing a first
rotating body in FIG. 16.
[0056] FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of the first
rotating body in FIG. 21 when viewed from below.
[0057] FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing a closing plate in
FIG. 21.
[0058] FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing the state where the
first rotating body is moved downward in the medicine cassette in
FIG. 16.
[0059] FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a cassette attachment
section in FIG. 15.
[0060] FIG. 26 is a schematic view showing a mechanism for raising
and lowering a first rotating body in accordance with another
embodiment.
[0061] FIG. 27 is a schematic plan view showing a first rotating
body and a first cylindrical body according to another
embodiment.
MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0062] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with
reference to appended figures. In following description, terms
representing specific directions and locations (for example, terms
including "upper", "lower", "side", and "end") are used as needed.
However, these terms serves to help understanding of the invention
with reference to the figures, and do not limit the technical scope
of the present invention. The following description is basically an
example, and does not intend to limit the present invention, and
applications and usages of the present invention.
First Embodiment
[0063] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show two examples of a medicine feeding
apparatus according to a first embodiment. In the medicine feeding
apparatus, a plurality of medicine feeders 3 are provided in a
shelf 2 of an apparatus body 1, and each driven component of the
medicine feeders 3 is controlled by a controller 4 (refer to FIG.
13).
[0064] As shown in FIG. 3, the medicine feeders 3 includes a
medicine cassette 5 and a cassette attachment section 6 to/from
which the medicine cassette 5 can be attached/detached.
[0065] As shown in FIG. 4, the medicine cassette 5 is formed by
storing a cylindrical body 8 in a cassette body 7, storing a first
rotating body 9 in the cylindrical body 8, and disposing a second
rotating body 10 on the outer circumference of an opening at the
upper end of the cylindrical body 8.
[0066] As shown in FIG. 5, the cassette body 7 is formed by fixing
a cover 12 on a body section 11, and fixing a base 13 under the
body section 11.
[0067] The body section 11 is substantially cylindrical, and has a
handle 14 (except for a lower end) at the center of its front
surface. As shown in FIG. 6, a bearing 15 is provided on the back
surface of the body section 11, and a gear member 16 (transmitting
section) is rotatably held by the bearing 15. As shown in FIG. 7,
the gear member 16 includes a first gear 16a having a gear on the
outer circumferential surface and a second gear 16b having a gear
at a front end of a shaft extending from the center of the first
gear 16a. As described later, the first gear 16a engages with a
driven gear 37a of a first cylindrical section 35, and the second
gear 16b engages with a driving gear 62a of the cassette attachment
section 6. As shown in FIG. 6, a side wall 17 separated from the
cylindrical portion is formed on one side surface of the body
section 11. The side wall 17 is guided by a below-mentioned first
guide rail 54 of the cassette attachment section 6.
[0068] As shown in FIG. 5, the upper surface of the body section 11
is surrounded with a circumferential wall 18 and as shown in FIG.
8, first guide rollers 19 are rotatably disposed at regular
intervals at three positions on the inner side of the wall. The
first guide rollers 19 are in contact with the outer
circumferential surface of the below-mentioned second rotating body
10 to rotatably support the second rotating body 10. As shown in
FIG. 9, a below-mentioned second cylindrical section 36 and ring
member 20 are fixed to the upper surface of the body section 11
with screws. Tongue pieces 21 are provided at substantially regular
intervals at three positions on the circumference of the ring
member 20 so as to extend radially outwards. Each of the tongue
pieces 21 is fixed to the body section 11 with a screw, and a
second guide roller 22 is attached thereto. Each of the second
guide rollers 22 protrudes below the tongue piece 21, and has a
groove formed of two projections on its outer circumferential
surface. The groove of each second guide roller 22 guides the outer
circumferential surface of an annular flange 37 of the first
cylindrical section 35. That is, the ring member 20 rotatably holds
the first cylindrical section 35.
[0069] As shown in FIG. 4, a cylindrical guide section 23 is formed
on the upper surface of the cover 12. The cylindrical guide section
23 is configured of a guide wall 24 that occupies a half of the
cylindrical portion or more and a guide member 25 that occupies the
remaining portion and is fixed to the cover 12 with a screw. The
outer edge of the below-mentioned second rotating body 10 is
located along the inner circumferential surface of the guide wall
24. The guide member 25 has elongate holes 25a at two positions,
and is attached to be able to adjust the position with respect to
the cover 12 by the usage of the elongate holes 25a. The guide
member 25 is attached such that its inner surface gradually
protrudes from the inner circumferential surface of the guide wall
24 toward the center and then, extends toward the outer
circumference. The guide member 25 thus configured limits the size
(width) of medicine that can be conveyed on the second rotating
body 10 such that only one piece of medicine can pass. That is, the
guide member 25 functions as a width limiting section for limiting
the width of medicine such that only one piece of medicine can be
conveyed on the second rotating body 10.
[0070] A height limiting member 26 is attached to one end (upstream
end in the medicine conveying direction) of the guide member 25
attached to the cover 12. The height limiting member 26 is disposed
in a cavity formed on the outer circumferential side of the guide
wall 24 of the cover 12 and as shown in FIG. 8, is configured of a
fixed section 26a fixed with an adjusting screw 27 and a guide
piece 26b extending from the fixed section 26a. The guide piece 26b
gradually protrudes toward the inner side of the guide wall 24 in
the rotating direction of the second rotating body 10. The guide
piece 26b constitutes a height limiting section for limiting the
height of medicine that can pass between the guide piece 26b and
the upper surface of the second rotating body 10. The height
limited by the guide piece 26b can be adjusted by the usage of the
adjusting screw 27.
[0071] A discharge section 28 is provided at the other end
(downstream end in the medicine conveying direction) of the guide
member 25 attached to the cover 12. The discharge section 28 is
shaped like a cylinder having a substantially rectangular cross
section. The discharge section 28 has a notch 29 that can receive
medicine conveyed on the second rotating body 10 at its top and a
discharge guide piece 31 at the front end of one side wall (first
side wall 30), and is in contact with the end surface of the guide
member 25 at the front end of the other side wall (second side wall
32). The discharge guide piece 31 is configured of an attached
section engaged with the first side wall 30 shaped like a cylinder
having a rectangular cross section and a guide section protruding
along the first side wall 30. The guide section is inclined from
the upstream side toward the downstream side in the rotating
direction of the second rotating body 10, and an inclined surface
is formed at its front end so as to increase the distance between
the guide section and the inner surface of the guide member 25.
[0072] As shown in FIG. 6, a stepped recess 33 is formed in the
bottom surface of the base 13, and an opening 33a for exposing a
driven gear of a below-mentioned cylindrical cam member 49 is
formed in the recess. A front surface cover 34 (refer to FIG. 5)
integrated with the lower end of the handle 14 is attached to the
front surface side of the base 13.
[0073] As shown in FIG. 9, the cylindrical body 8 is configured of
the first cylindrical section 35 and the second cylindrical section
36 located thereabove.
[0074] An annular flange 37 is formed on the upper outer
circumferential surface of the first cylindrical section 35. The
driven gear 37a is formed on the lower surface of the annular
flange 37. The first gear 16a of the gear member 16 held on the
bearing 15 of the body section 11 engages with the driven gear 37a.
As shown in FIG. 8, first projections 38 (guide sections) extending
in the axial direction are formed at regular intervals at four
circumferential positions on the inner circumferential surface of
the first cylindrical section 35. Below-mentioned guide rollers 43
of the first rotating body 9 roll on the respective first
projections 38 while being guided such that the first rotating body
9 can reciprocate in the first cylindrical section 35 in the axial
direction. The first cylindrical section 35 is inclined at a
predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction in the
state where the medicine cassette 5 is attached to the cassette
attachment section 6 of the shelf 2.
[0075] As shown in FIG. 9, the second cylindrical section 36 is
connected to the top side of the first cylindrical section 35, and
an opening of the upper end of the second cylindrical section 36 is
inclined with respect to the plane orthogonal to the axis and is
located in the horizontal plane. The inner circumferential surface
of the second cylindrical section 36 gradually expands from a
position close to the first cylindrical section 35 (closest
position) toward a position where the discharge section 28 is
disposed (position symmetrical to the closest position located on
the upstream side of the discharge section 28 in the medicine
conveying direction: most protruded position). Describing in
detail, the inner circumferential surface of the second cylindrical
section 36 gradually expands inward from the closest position to
the most protruded position in the clockwise direction in a plan
view, and expands the most at the most protruded position (this
region will be hereinafter referred to as first expanding region
36A). The inner surface of an upper opening of the first expanding
region 36A is formed of a curved surface 36a. The first expanding
region 36A corresponds to the region where the guide member 25 as
the width limiting section is provided. Thus, medicine that is
limited by the guide member 25 and falls inward from the second
rotating body 10 slips from the curved surface 36a, and is smoothly
collected onto the first rotating body 9 without much shock. A
second expanding region 36B further from the most protruded
position is curved toward the outer diameter side, and a curved
surface 36b and a flat section 39 on which the discharge guide
piece 31 is located are formed on the top side of the second
expanding region 36B.
[0076] As shown in FIG. 10, the first rotating body 9 is formed by
integrating the upper surface of a disc-like base plate 40 with a
cover plate 41 of the same shape. The first cylindrical section 35,
the second cylindrical section 36, and the first rotating body 9
constitute a medicine storage section 42 for storing medicine
(refer to FIG. 8).
[0077] The guide rollers 43 are rotatably attached at regular
intervals at four positions of the outer circumference of the
bottom surface of the base plate 40. Each of the guide rollers 43
has a groove-like portion on its outer circumference. Since the
first projections 38 formed on the inner circumferential surface of
the first cylindrical section 35 are located in the respective
groove-like portions, the guide rollers 43 roll along the first
projections 38. Thereby, the base plate 40 can reciprocate in the
axial direction of the first cylindrical section 35. When the first
cylindrical section 35 rotates about its axis, since the first
projections 38 are located in the respective groove-like portions
of the guide rollers 43, the base plate 40 together with the first
cylindrical section 35 can rotate about the axis (first rotary
axis).
[0078] As shown in FIG. 11, a shaft 44 is attached to the center of
the lower surface of the base plate 40. The shaft 44 is rotatably
supported by a support block 46 via a bearing 45. One end of a
first link 47 is coupled to the support block 46 so as to be
rotatable about a spindle. One end of a second link 48 is rotatably
coupled to the other end of the first link 47, and the other end of
the second link 48 is rotatably coupled to the base 13 of the
cassette body 7.
[0079] The second link 48 is rotated by the cylindrical cam member
49 rotatably attached to the base 13 of the cassette body 7. The
cylindrical cam member 49 is cylindrical, a driven gear 49a is
formed on the outer circumferential surface of the opening at the
lower end of the cylindrical cam member 49, and the opening at the
upper end of the cylindrical cam member 49 is obliquely cut to form
an inclined section 50. In the state where the cylindrical cam
member 49 is attached to the base 13 of the cassette body 7, a
below-mentioned driving gear 57a engages with a driven gear 49a via
the opening formed in the base 13 to transmit power. The driven
gear 49a (transmitting section) is exposed on the back surface of
the medicine cassette 5.
[0080] A cap 51 is attached to the center of the cover plate 41,
and a plurality of projections 41a helically extending in the
opposite direction to the rotating direction are formed around the
cap 51. When the first rotating body 9 rotates, these projections
41a increase friction resistance against medicine M stored in the
medicine cassette 5. As a result, medicine receives a rotational
force of the first rotating body 9, and is conveyed in the rotating
direction and the outer-diameter direction under the effect of the
helical shape of the projections 41a.
[0081] The first rotating body 9 thus configured is rotated about
the first rotary axis by the rotation of the first cylindrical
section 35. By positively and negatively rotating the cylindrical
cam member 49, the first cylindrical section 35 reciprocates in the
axial direction via the first link 47 and the second link 48. In
the state where the highest portion in the opening of the upper end
of the cylindrical cam member 49 contacts the second link 48, the
first rotating body 9 moves highest, and part of the first rotating
body 9 becomes substantially flush with the second rotating body
10. In the state where the lowest portion in the opening of the
upper end of the cylindrical cam member 49 contacts the second link
48, the first rotating body 9 moves lowest, and the medicine
storage volume of the medicine storage section 42 becomes
maximum.
[0082] In the state where the medicine cassette 5 is detached from
the cassette attachment section 6, the first rotating body 9
rotates the first link 47 and the second link 48 due to mainly the
own weight, and rotates the cylindrical cam member 49 to move the
cylindrical cam member 49 below the first cylindrical section 35.
This can automatically form a sufficiently large space in the
medicine cassette 5 storing medicine without requiring any special
power.
[0083] The second rotating body 10 is shaped like a ring having a
predetermined width, and is disposed around the opening of the
upper end of the second cylindrical section 36. As shown in FIG. 7,
an annular groove 10a and a driven gear 10b located below the
annular groove 10a are formed on the outer circumferential surface
of the second rotating body 10. The first guide rollers 19 attached
to the body section 11 of the cassette body 7 are rollably located
in the annular groove 10a, and rotatably support the second
rotating body 10. As shown in FIG. 6, the driven gear 10b
(transmitting section) is exposed on the back surface of the
medicine cassette 5, the exposed part engages with a
below-mentioned driving gear 58a provided in the cassette
attachment section 6, and the second rotating body 10 can be
rotatively driven about the axis (second rotary axis) extending in
the vertical direction. The second rotating body 10 may be set to
rotate at higher speed than the first rotating body 9. This can
increase the interval of pieces of medicine transferred from the
first rotating body 9 to the second rotating body 10, preventing
wrong detection of the number of dispensed pieces of medicine.
[0084] The cassette attachment section 6 is disposed in the shelf 2
of the medicine feeding apparatus in the longitudinal and lateral
directions in a matrix manner. As shown in FIG. 12, the cassette
attachment section 6 is configured of a mounting section 52 and a
back section 53.
[0085] The mounting section 52 is configured of both side surfaces
and an upper surface coupling upper edges of the side surfaces to
each other. A first guide rail 54 and a second guide rail 55 that
extend in the forward and rearward direction are formed at
respective sides of the upper surface.
[0086] The first guide rail 54 has a groove that guides the lower
end of the side wall 17 formed on the body section 11 constituting
part of the cassette body 7 of the medicine cassette 5.
[0087] The second guide rail 55 is configured of a rail 56, and a
first storage section 57 and a second storage section 58 that are
connected to the rail 56.
[0088] The driving gear 57a engaging with the driven gear 49a of
the cylindrical cam member 49, part of which is exposed, is stored
in the first storage section 57. The first storage section 57
stores an intermediate gear 57b engaging with the driving gear 57a
and a worm gear 57c engaging with the intermediate gear 57b. A
rotating shaft of the worm gear 57c is coupled to a rotating shaft
of a first motor 59. Thus, when the first motor 59 is driven, power
is transmitted to the cylindrical cam member 49, thereby positively
and negatively rotating the cylindrical cam member 49.
[0089] The driving gear 58a engaging with the driven gear 37a of
the first cylindrical section 35, part of which is exposed, is
stored in the second storage section 58. A worm gear (not shown) is
fixed to a rotating shaft of the driving gear 58a, and is engaged
with another worm gear (not shown) provided at the shaft 44 coupled
to a rotating shaft of a second motor 60. When the second motor 60
is driven, the second rotating body 10 rotates.
[0090] One side of the back section 53 has an opening 53a, and a
discharge tube 61 connected to the discharge section 28 provided in
the medicine cassette 5 is attached to the one side. The first
motor 59, the second motor 60, and a third motor 62 are attached to
the other side of the back section 53. The action of the first
motor 59 and the second motor 60 is described above. In the third
motor 62, the driving gear 62a is integrated with a shaft member
coupled to a rotating shaft, and the driving gear can protrude from
the back section 53 and engage with the second gear 16b of the
medicine cassette 5. When the third motor 62 is driven, the driving
gear 62a rotates, resulting in that the gear member 16 rotates
through the second gear 16b engaging with the driving gear 62a, and
the first rotating body 9 in the medicine cassette 5 through the
first gear 16a and the driven gear 37a engaging with the first gear
16a rotates. As described above, by providing all of the driving
members for driving the medicine cassette 5 (the first motor 59,
the second motor 60, and the third motor 62) on the back section
53, the members on the side of the medicine cassette 5 (the first
rotating body 9 and the second rotating body 10) can be driven on
the side of the same surface (front surface of the back section
53).
[0091] As shown in FIG. 13, the controller 4 receives prescription
data from a server not shown and input signals from various sensors
to control driving of each of the motors 59, 60, and 61.
[0092] Next, the operation of the medicine feeding apparatus thus
configured will be described with reference to a flow chart in FIG.
14.
[0093] The prescription data is received from the server not shown
(Step S1), and the medicine cassette 5 that stores medicine
contained in the prescription data is identified (Step S2). At this
time, although not shown, a patient container is moved to the
identified medicine cassette 5 by the usage of a conveying means
such as a robot arm.
[0094] In the identified medicine cassette 5, the second motor 60
is driven to start rotation of the second rotating body 10 (Step
S3), and the third motor 62 is driven to start rotation of the
first rotating body 9 (Step S4). Thereby, medicine stored in the
medicine cassette 5 moves to the outer circumference while being
rotated by the rotation of the first rotating body 9. The first
cylindrical section 35 and the second cylindrical section 36 are
obliquely disposed in the vertical direction, and medicine stored
in the medicine storage section 42 is closest to the second
rotating body 10 at the closest position of the second cylindrical
section 36. For this reason, the medicine moving to the outer
circumference moves onto the second rotating body 10 mainly in the
vicinity of the closest position of the second cylindrical section
36.
[0095] The medicine moving onto the second rotating body 10 is
conveyed by the rotation of the second rotating body 10, and
accumulated medicine, etc. is returned to the medicine storage
section 42 by the height limiting member 26. Subsequently, since
the exposed portion of the second rotating body 10 is gradually
narrowed by the guide member 25, pieces of medicine remaining on
the second rotating body 10 can pass only one by one, and left
pieces are smoothly returned to the medicine storage section 42
along the curved surface of the second cylindrical section 36.
Passed medicine is guided by the guide member 25 and the discharge
guide piece 31, and is discharged from the discharge section 28. At
this time, the sensor (not shown) provided in the conveying means
detects medicine to count the number of dispensed pieces of
medicine (Step S5).
[0096] In this manner, medicine in the medicine storage section 42
is sequentially dispensed, and the position of the first rotating
body 9 is moved upward according to the medicine dispensing state.
That is, a sensor not shown detects whether or not medicine is
present on the second rotating body 10, and it is determined
whether or not the medicine dispensing state deteriorates depending
on that medicine cannot be detected, or a time interval at which
medicine discharged from the discharge section 28 is detected
exceeds a predetermined time, etc. (Step S6). When the state
deteriorates, the first motor 59 is driven (Step S7), the
cylindrical cam member 49 is rotated via various gears. The
inclined section 50 of the cylindrical cam member 49 causes the
second link 48 to slide from a low position to a high position,
thereby rotating the second link 48. Thus, the first rotating body
9 moves upward in the first cylindrical section 35 via the first
link 47. As a result, medicine in the medicine storage section 42
can be smoothly moved onto the second rotating body 10 depending on
the dispensing state. As shown in FIG. 4, when the first rotating
body 9 moves to the highest position or a predetermined position at
the front of the highest position (Step S8), it is informed that
medicine should be refilled (Step S9).
[0097] The sensor for detecting whether or not medicine is present
on the second rotating body 10 may be an optical sensor provided in
the above-mentioned conveying means such as the robot arm. The use
of the optical sensor eliminates the necessity for a sensor in each
medicine cassette 3 provided in the shelf of the apparatus body 1,
reducing costs. To transmit light from the optical sensor in the
conveying means onto the second rotating body 101, the cylindrical
guide section 23 may have a hole penetrating from the outer
circumferential surface to the inner circumferential surface.
Without such case, the optical sensor needs to be provided in the
conveying means so as to prevent light of the optical sensor from
blocking by the cylindrical guide section 23. However, such problem
can be solved by providing the hole. In place of forming the hole,
part of the cylindrical guide section 23 may be made
transparent.
[0098] When it is informed that medicine should be refilled in the
medicine storage section 42, the medicine cassette 5 is detached
from the cassette attachment section 6 to refill medicine. In this
case, the cylindrical cam member 49 is released from engagement
with the driving gear 62a of the cassette attachment section 6, and
is put into the rotatable state. As a result, the first rotating
body 9 moves to the lowest position due to the own weight as shown
in FIG. 8, without requiring any special power source, resulting in
that the volume of the medicine storage section 42 becomes maximum
for refilling of medicine.
Second Embodiment
[0099] FIG. 15 shows a medicine feeder 3 according to a second
embodiment. The medicine feeder 3 is configured of a medicine
cassette 101 and a cassette attachment section 102 to/from which
the medicine cassette 101 can be attached/detached.
[0100] As shown in FIG. 16, in the medicine cassette 101, a
cylindrical body 104 is stored in a cassette body 103, a first
rotating body 105 is stored in a cylindrical body 104, and a second
rotating body 106 is disposed on the outer circumference of an
opening at the upper end of the cylindrical body 104.
[0101] As shown in FIG. 17, the cassette body 103 is formed by
fixing a cover 108 above a body section 107.
[0102] The body section 107 is configured of a bottomed cylindrical
section 109, a flange 110 formed on an upper end opening part of
the bottomed cylindrical section 109, and both side walls 111a and
111b extending from the flange 110 along the bottomed cylindrical
section 109. A handle 112 (refer to FIG. 16) is formed at the
center of the front surface of the bottomed cylindrical section
109. A power transmission mechanism is disposed on the bottom
surface of the bottomed cylindrical section 109.
[0103] As shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, the power transmission
mechanism is formed by attaching a first driven gear 114, a second
driven gear 115, and a shaft member 116 to an attachment table
113.
[0104] The attachment table 113 is formed by integrating a first
attachment plate 117 with a second attachment plate 118. The first
driven gear 114 is disposed between the first attachment plate 117
and the second attachment plate 118, and supported to be able to
rotate about a first shaft member 121. The second driven gear 115
is disposed on the upper surface of the second attachment plate
118, and can rotate about a spindle between the plate 118 and a
guide plate 119.
[0105] A shaft member unit 116 includes a shaft guide 120 attached
between the second attachment plate 118 and a below-mentioned
reinforcing beam 134. As shown in FIG. 19, the shaft guide 120 has
a groove 120a on each side (one of them is not shown). The first
shaft member 121 and a second shaft member 122 are disposed in the
respective grooves. The first shaft member 121 is coupled to a
first spindle 114a of the first driven gear 114 and extends upward,
and a helical groove 121a is formed in the outer circumferential
surface of the first shaft member 121 from the lower end side
toward the upper end side. A vertical gear extending in the
longitudinal direction is formed on the outer circumferential
surface of the second shaft member 122. A second dependent gear 115
and a below-mentioned inner circumferential gear 157 of the first
rotating body 105 are engaged with the vertical gear of the second
shaft member 122.
[0106] As shown in FIG. 17, a first recess 123 having a first
opening 123a and a second recess 124 having a second opening 124a
are formed in the bottom surface of the bottomed cylindrical
section 109. The first driven gear 114 is exposed from the first
opening 123a, and the second driven gear 115 is exposed from the
second opening. As described later, a first support part of the
cassette attachment section 102 is located in the first recess 123,
and a first driving gear 167 engages with the first driven gear
114. A second support part of the cassette attachment section 102
is located in the second recess 124, and a second driving gear 168
engages with the second driven gear 115.
[0107] The circumferential edge of the flange 110 is formed of a
circumferential wall 125, and a depressed section 126 is formed in
part of the wall. The depressed section 126 serves to avoid
interference with a discharge section 135. A below-mentioned flange
141 of the cylindrical body 104 is fixed to the flange 110 with a
screw. Both the side walls 111a and 111b are held by
below-mentioned guide rails 165 and 166 of the cassette attachment
section 102, respectively.
[0108] A notch 127 is formed in part of the annular cover 108, and
the below-mentioned discharge section 135 can be arranged by using
the notch 127 and the depressed section 126 of the body section
107. A circumferential wall 128 is formed on the outer edge of the
upper surface of the cover 108, and a cylindrical guide section 129
is formed on the inner side thereof. The cylindrical guide section
129 is configured of a guide wall 130 that occupies a half of the
cylindrical section or more and a guide member 131 that occupies
the remaining portion and is fixed to the cover 108 with a screw.
The outer edge of the below-mentioned second rotating body 106 is
located along the inner circumferential surface of the guide wall
130. The guide member 131 has elongate holes at two positions, and
can be adjusted its position with respect to the cover 108 by using
the elongate holes. The guide member 131 is attached such that the
inner surface of it gradually expands from the inner
circumferential surface of the guide wall 130 to the center and
then, extends toward the outer circumference. The guide member 131
gradually decreases the exposed portion of the second rotating body
106 in this manner, limiting the size (width) of conveyable
medicine such that pieces of medicine can pass one by one.
[0109] A height limiting member 132 is attached to one end
(medicine conveying direction upstream end) of the guide member 131
attached to the cover 108. As shown in FIG. 16, the height limiting
member 132 is configured of a fixed section (not shown) fixed with
an adjusting screw (not shown) via a elongate hole 125a formed in
the circumferential wall 125 and a guide piece 132a extending from
the fixed section. The guide piece 132a gradually protrudes in the
guide wall 130 toward the downstream side in the rotating direction
of the second rotating body 106. The guide piece 132a constitutes a
height limiting section for limiting the height of medicine that
can pass through, between the guide piece and the upper surface of
the second rotating body 106. The height limited by the guide piece
132a can be adjusted by changing the screwing position of the
adjusting screw via the elongate hole 125a.
[0110] The reinforcing beam 134 extends from the position near the
fixed section of the height limiting member 132 to the position
symmetrical to the position near the fixed section about the second
shaft member 122. The upper end of the shaft guide 120 is fixed to
the center of the reinforcing beam 134. When the strength of the
shaft guide is sufficient, the reinforcing beam 134 is not
essential.
[0111] The discharge section 135 is provided at the other end
(downstream end in the medicine conveying direction) of the guide
member 131 attached to the cover 108. The discharge section 135 is
shaped like a cylinder having a substantially rectangular cross
section. A notch 136 that can receive medicine conveyed on the
second rotating body 106 is formed at the top of the discharge
section 135, a discharge guide piece 138 is attached to the front
end of one side wall (first side wall 137), and the front end of
the other side wall (second side wall 139) is in contact with the
end surface of the guide member 131. The discharge guide piece 138
is configured of an attached section engaged with the first side
wall 137 shaped like a cylinder having a rectangular cross section,
and a guide section protruding along the first side wall 137. An
inclined surface is formed at the front end of the guide section so
as to gradually increase the distance between the guide section and
the inner surface of the guide member 131 toward the front end.
[0112] As shown in FIG. 20, the cylindrical body 104 is configured
of a cylindrical section 140 and a flange 141 formed on the outer
circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 104 in the upper
portion of the cylindrical section 140. Almost half of the inner
circumferential surface of an upper end opening part of the
cylindrical section 140 is configured of an expanding section 142
expanding inward. The inner circumferential surface of an upper end
opening part of the expanding section 142 is configured of a first
expanding area 143 that is a curved surface gradually expanding
inward in the clockwise direction from the left in FIG. 20, that
is, toward the discharge section 135, and a second expanding area
144 gradually expanding toward the outer side in the clockwise
direction from a slightly outer position than the first expanding
area 143. The inner surface of the opening at the upper end of the
expanding section 142 is formed of a curved surface. However, part
of the upper end surface of the second expanding area 144 is flush
with the opening upper end of the cylindrical section 140 to become
a below-mentioned flat section 145 where the discharge guide piece
138 is disposed. Guide rollers 146 are attached to the upper
surface of the flange 110 at three positions at substantially
regular intervals. The guide rollers 146 rotatably support the
below-mentioned second rotating body 106.
[0113] As shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. 22, the first rotating body 105
includes a disc gear base 149 rotatably supported by a bearing
member 147 and a disc plate 150 attached to the disc gear base 149.
The bearing member 147 is annular, and an lower opening end part of
the bearing member 147 is covered with a circular closing plate
148. The first rotating body 105 and the cylindrical body 104 form
a bottomed cylindrical medicine storage section 133.
[0114] An annular bearing 151 (only a half is shown in FIG. 21) is
disposed on the inner circumferential surface of the bearing member
147 to rotatably support a second annular wall 159 protruding from
the lower surface of the disc gear base 149. The bearing member 147
is inclined with respect to a plane orthogonal to the axis (second
rotary axis) of the cylindrical body 104.
[0115] As shown in FIG. 23, an insertion hole 152 into which the
shaft member unit 116 can be inserted is formed at the center of
the closing plate 148. The insertion hole 152 is substantially
rectangular, an arcuate recess 152a is formed at the center of one
long side, and a tongue piece 153 extends from the other long side
in the obliquely downward direction. The tongue piece 153 protrudes
at both sides, and has a protrusion 153a at the center of the upper
surface (notched and dented area). As shown in FIG. 21, a guide
block 154 is fixed to the upper surface of the tongue piece 153.
The guide block 154 is fixed to the tongue piece 153 with a screw,
and the fixing is reinforced by the protrusion. The guide block 154
guides part of the shaft guide 120 of the shaft member unit 116,
and prevents the first rotating body 105 from being displaced
during sliding along the shaft member unit 116. A guide pin 155 is
attached to the guide block 154. The guide pin 155 is located in
the helical groove 121a of the first shaft member 121, and moves
along the helical groove 121a with the rotation of the first shaft
member 121. Thereby, the first rotating body 105 moves up and down
via the guide block 154.
[0116] An upwardly protruding outer circumferential gear 156 is
formed on the outer circumferential surface of the disc gear base
149. A conical inner circumferential gear 157 gradually extending
inward toward the lower side is formed on the inner circumferential
surface of a central hole of the disc gear base 149. The inner
circumferential gear 157 engages with the vertical gear formed on
the outer circumferential surface of the second shaft member 122 of
the shaft member unit 116. A first annular wall 158 is formed on
the upper surface of the disc gear base 149 on the outer diameter
side of the central hole. The second annular wall 159 is formed on
the lower surface of the disc gear base 149 on the outer diameter
side of the central hole. An annular plate 160 is fixed to the
lower end surface of the second annular wall 159 with a screw.
[0117] An opening 150a is formed at the center of the disc plate
150. A fringe of the opening 150a protrudes upward from the
remaining portion. A cylindrical cover 161a is attached to the
opening. As shown in FIG. 24, two covers (an intermediate cover
161b and a small cover 161c), the outer diameter of which is
decreased in a stepped manner, are disposed in the cylindrical
cover 161a. The small cover 161c can be stored in the intermediate
cover 161b, and the intermediate cover 161b can be stored in the
cylindrical cover 161a. As a result, the first rotating body 105
can move up and down along the shaft member unit 116 while the
shaft member unit 116 is covered with the cylindrical cover 161a
and the covers 161b and 161c.
[0118] As shown in FIG. 21, a plurality of projections 150a
helically extending from the side of the inner circumferential gear
157 to the downstream side in the rotating direction are formed on
the upper surface of the disc plate 150. When the disc plate 150
rotates, these projections 150a accessorily act to smoothly convey
medicine in the circumferential direction and the outer-diameter
direction.
[0119] As shown in FIG. 22, locking claws 162 are formed on the
outer circumference of the lower surface of the disc plate 150 at
two symmetrical positions. The locking claws 162 are locked at the
outer circumference of the disc gear base 149 located below the
disc plate 150 to integrate the disc plate 150 with the disc gear
base 149. Angular gears 163 engaging with the outer circumferential
gear 156 are formed at two positions rotated from the respective
locking claws 162 by 90 degrees.
[0120] As shown in FIG. 18, the second rotating body 106 is shaped
like a ring having a predetermined width, and an annular protrusion
106a and a driven gear 106b located below the annular protrusion
106a are formed on the outer circumferential surface. The guide
rollers 146 mounted to the cylindrical body 104 attached to the
cassette body 103 are rollably located on the annular protrusion
106a, and the second rotating body 106 is rotatably supported by
the annular protrusion 106a. The driven gear 106b engages with a
below-mentioned third driving gear 169 provided in the cassette
attachment section 102 such that the second rotating body 106 can
be rotated. The second rotating body 106 may be set to rotate at
higher speed than the first rotating body 105. Thus, the interval
between pieces of medicine, which are conveyed from the first
rotating body 105 to the second rotating body 106, can be made
wider, preventing wrong detection of the number of dispensed pieces
of medicine.
[0121] As in FIG. 1, the cassette attachment sections 102 are
disposed in the shelf 2 of the medicine feeding apparatus in the
longitudinal and lateral directions in a matrix manner. As shown in
FIG. 25, the first guide rail 165 and the second guide rail 166
protrude forward from a back section 164 of the cassette attachment
section 102, with a predetermined distance therebetween. A
rectangular opening 164a is formed in the back section 164, and a
discharge tube 173 communicating with the discharge section 135 is
attached thereto.
[0122] The first guide rail 165 includes a groove 165a for guiding
the lower end of the first side wall 111a formed on the body
section 107 that constitutes part of the cassette body 103 of the
medicine cassette 101.
[0123] The second guide rail 166 has a groove 166a for guiding the
lower end of the second side wall 111b formed on the body section
107 that constitutes part of the cassette body 103, and openings
for exposing the driving gears (the first driving gear 167, the
second driving gear 168, and the third driving gear 169) at three
positions. The first driving gear 167 engages with a gear coupled
to the rotating shaft of the first motor 170 via an intermediate
gear. The first driving gear 167 engages with the first driven gear
114 of the medicine cassette 101 attached to the cassette
attachment section 102 to transmit a driving force of the first
motor 170 to the first shaft member 121. A gear coaxially-mounted
to the second driving gear 168 engages with a gear coupled to a
rotating shaft of a second motor 171. The second driving gear 168
engages with the second driven gear 115 of the medicine cassette
101 attached to the cassette attachment section 102 to transmit a
driving force of the second motor 171 to the second shaft member
122. The third driving gear 169 engages with a gear coupled to a
rotating shaft of a third motor 172. The third driving gear 169
engages with the driven gear 106b formed in the second rotating
body 106 of the medicine cassette 101 attached to the cassette
attachment section 102 to transmit a driving force of the third
motor 172 to the second rotating body 106.
[0124] The controller 4 receives prescription data from a server
not shown and input signals from various sensors to control driving
each of the motors.
[0125] Next, the operation of the medicine feeding apparatus thus
configured will be described. However, control contents are the
same as those in the first embodiment (flow chart in FIG. 14).
[0126] First, prescription data is received from a server not
shown, etc. to identify the medicine cassette 101 that stores
medicine included in the prescription data. In the identified
medicine cassette 101, the second motor 171 is driven to start
rotation of the first rotating body 105, and the third motor 172 is
driven to start rotation of the second rotating body 106. Thereby,
medicine stored in the medicine cassette 101 is moved by the
rotation of the first rotating body 105 in the rotating direction
and the outer-diameter direction. The cylindrical section 140 is
inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and medicine
stored in the medicine storage section 133 is closest to the second
rotating body 106 at the closest position of the cylindrical
section 140. For this reason, pieces of medicine moving in the
outer-diameter direction are sequentially moved onto the second
rotating body in the vicinity of the closest position of the
cylindrical section 140.
[0127] The pieces of medicine moved onto the second rotating body
106 are conveyed by the rotation of the second rotating body 106,
and the stacked pieces of medicine are first returned to the
medicine storage section 133 by the height limiting member 132.
Subsequently, since the exposed part of the second rotating body
106 is gradually narrowed by the guide member 131, remaining pieces
of medicine on the second rotating body 106 can pass only one by
one, and the pieces other than passed piece are smoothly returned
to the medicine storage section 133 along the curved surface of the
cylindrical section 140. The passed piece of medicine is guided by
the guide member 131 and the discharge guide piece 138 and then, is
discharged from the discharge section 135. At this time, a sensor
not shown detects the discharged piece, and counts the number of
dispensed pieces.
[0128] Although medicine in the medicine storage section 133 is
sequentially dispensed in this manner, the first rotating body 105
is moved up depending on the medicine dispensing state. That is, a
sensor not shown detects whether or not medicine is present on the
second rotating body 106, and it is determined whether or not the
medicine dispensing state deteriorates depending on that medicine
cannot be detected, or a time interval at which medicine discharged
from the discharge section 135 is detected by a sensor that counts
the number of dispensed pieces exceeds a predetermined time. When
the state deteriorates, the first motor 170 is driven, thereby
rotating the first driven gear 114 via a plurality of gears not
shown to rotate the first shaft member 121 of the shaft member unit
116 engaging with the first driven gear 114. The guide pin 155 is
located in the helical groove 121a of the first shaft member 121.
Thereby, with the rotation of the first shaft member 121, the first
rotating body 105 to which the guide pin 155 is attached moves
upward. As a result, medicine in the medicine storage section 133
can be smoothly moved onto the second rotating body 106 depending
to the dispensing state.
[0129] When the number of pieces of medicine in the medicine
storage section 133 decreases, the medicine cassette 101 may be
detached from the cassette attachment section 102 to refill
medicine. In this case, it is preferred that the first rotating
body 105 is forcibly moved down to the lowest position by reversely
driving the first motor 170 prior to detachment of the medicine
cassette 101.
[0130] The present invention is not limited to the configuration
described in the embodiment, and may be modified in various
ways.
[0131] For example, in the first embodiment, the first rotating
body is moved up and down via the centrally provided first link 47
and second link 48 and however, the configuration shown in FIG. 26
may be adopted. That is, two pairs of links 174, with the links in
each pair crossing each other, are provided between an upper plate
173A (side of the first rotating body 9) and a lower plate 173B
(side of the cassette body 7), and are connected to the plates 173A
and 173B rotatably and slidably. In the state shown in FIG. 26(a),
bearing members 175A and 175B are located at one ends (ends on the
outer diameter side of the plates 173A and 173B) of slide rails
176A and 176B, and the upper plate 173A is moved to the lowest
position with respect to the lower plate 173B. As shown in FIG.
26(b), when the bearing member 175B is gradually moved to the other
end of the slide rail 176B by a driving means not shown in the
lower plate 173B, the bearing member 175A is gradually moved to the
other end of the slide rail 176A also in the upper plate 173A.
Thereby, the upper plate 173A gradually moves upward with respect
to the lower plate 173B. With this configuration, the upper plate
173A is supported by the four links 174 in total, stabilizing the
rising/lowering operation.
[0132] In the first embodiment, the first rotating body 9 is
provided with the guide rollers 43 (grooves in the outer
circumference) as a guide receiving section and however, as shown
in FIG. 27, the first rotating body 9 may be provided with a
protrusion 177 as the guide receiving section. When the first
cylindrical section 35 rotates in the direction of an arrow in FIG.
26, the protrusion 177 of the first rotating body 9 is pushed by a
protrusion 38 of a first cylindrical body 35, and moves in the
circumferential direction of the first cylindrical section 35. For
this reason, when the first cylindrical section 35 rotates, the
first rotating body 9 rotates.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS
[0133] 1 Apparatus body [0134] 2 Shelf [0135] 3 Medicine feeder
[0136] 4 Controller [0137] 5 Medicine cassette [0138] 6 Cassette
attachment section [0139] 7 Cassette body [0140] 8 Cylindrical body
[0141] 9 First rotating body [0142] 10 Second rotating body [0143]
11 Body section [0144] 12 Cover [0145] 13 Base [0146] 14 Handle
[0147] 15 Bearing [0148] 16 Gear member [0149] 17 Side wall [0150]
18 Circumferential wall [0151] 19 First guide roller [0152] 20 Ring
member [0153] 21 Tongue piece [0154] 22 Second guide roller [0155]
23 Cylindrical guide section [0156] 24 Guide wall [0157] 25 Guide
member [0158] 26 Height limiting member [0159] 27 Adjusting screw
[0160] 28 Discharge section [0161] 29 Notch [0162] 30 First side
wall [0163] 31 Discharge guide piece [0164] 32 second side wall
[0165] 33 Stepped recess [0166] 34 Front surface cover [0167] 35
First cylindrical section [0168] 36 Second cylindrical section
[0169] 37 Annular flange [0170] 38 First projection (guide section)
[0171] 39 Recess [0172] 40 Base plate [0173] 41 Cover plate [0174]
42 Medicine storage section [0175] 43 Guide roller (guide receiving
section) [0176] 44 Shaft [0177] 45 Bearing [0178] 46 Support block
[0179] 47 First link [0180] 48 Second link [0181] 49 Cylindrical
cam member [0182] 50 Inclined section [0183] 51 Cap [0184] 52
Mounting section [0185] 53 Back section [0186] 54 First guide rail
[0187] 55 Second guide rail [0188] 56 Rail [0189] 57 First storage
section [0190] 58 Second storage section [0191] 59 First motor
[0192] 60 Second motor [0193] 61 Discharge tube [0194] 62 Third
motor [0195] 101 Medicine cassette [0196] 102 Cassette attachment
section [0197] 103 Cassette body [0198] 104 Cylindrical body [0199]
105 First rotating body [0200] 106 Second rotating body [0201] 107
Body section [0202] 108 Cover [0203] 109 Bottomed cylindrical
section [0204] 110 Flange [0205] 111 Side wall [0206] 112 Handle
[0207] 113 Attachment table [0208] 114 First driven gear [0209] 115
Second driven gear [0210] 116 Shaft member unit [0211] 117 First
attachment plate [0212] 118 Second attachment plate [0213] 119
Guide plate [0214] 120 Shaft guide [0215] 121 First shaft member
[0216] 122 Second shaft member [0217] 123 First recess [0218] 124
Second recess [0219] 125 Circumferential wall [0220] 126 Depressed
section [0221] 127 Notch [0222] 128 Circumferential wall [0223] 129
Cylindrical guide section [0224] 130 Guide wall [0225] 131 Guide
member [0226] 132 Height limiting member [0227] 133 Medicine
storage section [0228] 134 Reinforcing beam [0229] 135 Discharge
section [0230] 136 Notch [0231] 137 First side wall [0232] 138
Discharge guide piece [0233] 139 Second side wall [0234] 140
Cylindrical section [0235] 141 Flange [0236] 142 Expanding section
[0237] 143 First expanding area [0238] 144 Second expanding area
[0239] 145 Flat section [0240] 146 Guide roller [0241] 147 Bearing
member [0242] 148 Closing plate [0243] 149 Disc gear base [0244]
150 Disc plate [0245] 151 Bearing [0246] 152 Insertion hole [0247]
153 Tongue piece [0248] 154 Guide block [0249] 155 Guide pin [0250]
156 Outer circumferential gear [0251] 157 Inner circumferential
gear [0252] 158 First annular wall [0253] 159 Second annular wall
[0254] 160 Annular plate [0255] 161 Cylindrical cover [0256] 162
Locking claw [0257] 163 Gear [0258] 164 Back section [0259] 165
First guide rail [0260] 166 Second guide rail [0261] 167 First
driving gear [0262] 168 Second driving gear [0263] 169 Third
driving gear [0264] 170 First motor [0265] 171 Second motor [0266]
172 Third motor [0267] 173A Upper plate [0268] 173B Lower plate
[0269] 174 Link [0270] 175A, 175B Bearing member [0271] 176A, 176B
Slide rail [0272] 177 Protrusion
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