Vial bottle feeding device

The present invention relates to a vial feeding device in a tablet filling device that fills a vial with tablets according to a prescription.

Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1, the bottom of a storage unit for storing a large number of empty vials is tilted to move the vial to one wall, where the vial is lifted upward and discharged to the outside. Vial bottle feeders are known.<patcit num="1"><text>Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-070901 (Fig. 8)</text></patcit>

<p> However, the conventional vial bottle supply device has a problem that the capacity is small because the bottom of the storage portion is inclined.</p><p> Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vial bottle supply device having a large capacity of a storage unit for accommodating a vial bottle and capable of reliably discharging the vial bottle.</p>

<p> In order to solve the above problems, the present invention In a vial supply device that stores a large number of empty vials, takes out the vials one by one, and supplies them to the tablet filling section. A storage unit for storing a large number of empty vials, A transport unit provided on the bottom wall of the storage portion, having an endless member that can be driven in the horizontal direction, and transporting the vial bottle in the horizontal direction by the endless member. It has an endless member provided on the wall of the storage portion and can be driven in the vertical direction, and the vial bottle is lifted upward while being laterally supported by the support members provided on the endless member at regular intervals and discharged from the storage portion. Equipped with a discharge unit The transport end of the transport unit and the transport start of the discharge unit are brought close to each other.<u style="single">The support member of the endless member of the discharge unit is configured to tilt backward when a load of a certain value or more is applied in the backward direction with respect to the transport direction.</u><u style="single"> An inclined plate facing the endless member is arranged on the lowering side of the endless member of the discharge unit, the distance between the upper end of the inclined plate and the endless member is smaller than the protruding dimension of the support member, and the vial is bottled. The distance between the lower end of the inclined plate and the endless member was made larger than the distance between the upper end of the inclined plate and the endless member.</u>It is a thing.</p><p> According to the above configuration, when the transfer unit and the discharge unit are driven, the vial bottle stored in the storage unit is horizontally transported toward the discharge unit by the transfer unit, and is delivered to the discharge unit at the end of the transfer, and the discharge unit is delivered. It is lifted upward by the support member of and discharged. Since the storage unit is provided with a horizontal transport unit at the bottom, the capacity is larger than that of the conventional one having an inclined bottom.</p>

<p> According to the present invention, the vial can be reliably discharged by the transport unit and the discharge unit. Further, since the bottom of the storage portion is provided with a horizontal transport unit and is not inclined, it has an effect that the capacity is larger than that of the conventional one having an inclined bottom.</p>

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of the tablet filling device 1 to which the present invention is applied. The central door 2 provided in the center of the front surface of the tablet filling device 1 is provided with nine take-out shelves 5 on which the vial bottle 4 filled with tablets and closed by the cap 3 is placed from the inside. The take-out shelf 5 protrudes forward and is curved so that the vial bottle 4 can be easily taken out. Above the take-out shelf 5, an operation display screen 6 for operating the tablet filling device 1 and displaying necessary information is provided. Cap insertion ports 7a and 7b for inserting large and small caps 3a and 3b are formed on the left side of the take-out shelf 5. Left and right doors 8a and 8b that open and close when the tablet cassette 21 is attached / detached are provided on both sides of the central door 2. Below the left door 8a is a door 9a for checking the internal device, below the center door 2 is also a drawer 9b for checking the internal device, and below the right door 8b are large and small vials 4a and 4b. Two doors 10a and 10b are provided.

FIG. 2 is a front view with the door of the tablet filling device removed, FIG. 3 is a rear view with the exterior plate removed, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. Is. With reference to these figures, the tablet filling device 1 has two vial supply units 11, a vial transfer belt 12, a vial transfer arm unit 13, a labeling unit 14, a vial lift unit 15, and two tablet supply units 16. , 1st vial delivery arm unit 17, 2nd vial delivery arm unit 18, cap supply unit 19, and capping unit 20.

Two vial bottle supply units 11 are provided at the lower right when viewed from the front, and two large and small vial bottles 4 are stored, and the vial bottle 4 necessary for storing tablets according to the prescription is taken out and supplied. ..

The vial bottle transport belt 12 is provided on the back surface of the vial bottle supply unit 11, extends horizontally toward the center, and transports the vial bottle 4 supplied from the vial bottle supply unit 11 to the vial bottle transport arm unit 13. ..

The vial transfer arm unit 13 is located at the end of the vial transfer belt 12, changes direction so that the vial 4 conveyed from the vial transfer belt 12 is opened upward, and the labeling unit 14 and the vial lift Transport to unit 15.

The labeling unit 14 is located at the lower left when viewed from the front, and a label is attached to the vial 4 conveyed from the vial transfer arm unit 13.

The vial bottle lift unit 15 is located between the labeling unit 14 and the vial bottle transport arm unit 13, and raises the vial bottle 4 labeled by the labeling unit 14 to raise the first vial bottle delivery arm. Hand over to unit 17.

The tablet supply unit 16 is located on the left and right sides when viewed from the front, has a large number of tablet feeders mounted around a rotatable drum, and discharges tablets according to a prescription from the tablet feeder to be discharged from the first vial. Supply to the vial 4 held in the delivery arm unit.

The first vial delivery arm unit 17 is located between the two tablet supply units 16 and on the back side, receives the vial 4 from the vial lift unit 15, and is arbitrary of the tablet supply unit 16. After moving to the tablet feeder and filling with the prescribed tablets, the vial 4 is delivered to the second vial delivery arm unit 18.

The second vial bottle delivery arm unit 18 is located between the two tablet supply units 16 and on the front side, and delivers the vial 4 received from the first vial bottle delivery arm unit 17 to the capping unit 19. Place the capped vial 4 on the take-out shelf 5.

The cap supply unit 19 is located on the left side when viewed from the front of the second vial bottle delivery arm unit 18, and accommodates two types of caps 3, large and small, used to close the vial bottle 4, and one of the caps 3 is used as one. Supply one by one.

The capping unit 20 is located below the cap supply unit 19, and attaches the cap 3 supplied from the cap supply unit 19 to the vial 4 received from the second vial bottle delivery arm unit 18.

Hereinafter, the vial bottle supply unit 11, the vial bottle transfer belt 12, the vial bottle transfer arm unit 13, the labeling unit 14, and the vial bottle lift unit 15, which are the vial bottle supply devices of the present invention, will be described in detail.

&lt;Vial bottle supply unit&gt; FIG. 6 shows the internal structure of the vial bottle supply unit 11. As shown in FIG. 2, two vial bottle supply units 11 are provided, one for large size vials and the other for small size vials, but since both have the same structure, one of them is provided. Only the ones will be explained.

The vial bottle supply unit 11 has a rectangular box-shaped storage unit 101 having an opening at the top. A door 102 is provided on the front side of the storage unit 101, and by opening the door 102, the vial bottle 4 can be randomly put into the inside. In the vicinity of the bottom wall of the storage portion 101, a transport unit 105 having a horizontal endless belt 104 spanned between two rollers 103 is provided. The horizontal endless belt 104 of the transport unit 105 can be moved in the horizontal direction from the front side to the back side by driving the roller 103 on the starting end side by the motor 106 via the gear 107. In the vicinity of the wall on the back side of the storage portion 101, a discharge unit 111 having a vertical endless belt 109 hung between two rollers 108 and having support members 110 provided on the vertical endless belt 109 at regular intervals is provided. It is provided. The support member 110 is provided so as to project vertically from the surface of the vertical endless belt 109, and is configured to tilt backward with respect to the transport direction when a load exceeding a certain level is applied. The transport start end of the discharge unit 111 is close to the transport end of the transport unit 105. The vertical endless belt 109 of the discharge unit 111 can move vertically from the lower side to the upper side by connecting the roller 108 on the start end side with the roller 103 on the end side of the transport unit 105 by the belt 112.

An inclined plate 113 is arranged on the back surface side of the discharge unit 111, that is, on the side where the vertical endless belt 109 descends. The distance between the upper end of the inclined plate 113 and the vertical endless belt 109 is smaller than the protruding dimension of the support member 110 and smaller than the outer diameter of the vial 4. The distance between the lower end of the inclined plate 113 and the vertical endless belt 109 is wider than the distance between the upper end of the inclined plate 113 and the vertical endless belt 109, and is substantially the same as the protruding dimension of the support member 110.

In the vial bottle supply unit 11 having the above configuration, the vial bottle 4 stored in the storage unit 101 is horizontally conveyed toward the discharge unit 111 by the horizontal endless belt 104 of the transport unit 105, and the vertical endless belt 109 of the discharge unit 111. The support member 110 is laterally supported, lifted upward, and discharged outward from the upper end of the storage portion 101. Since the distance between the upper end of the inclined plate 113 and the vertical endless belt 109 is narrower than that of the vial 4, the vial 4 does not fall. Further, the support member 110 from which the vial bottle 4 is discharged moves downward in a state of being tilted in contact with the inclined plate 113, and returns to the original state when separated from the inclined plate 113. Since the bottom of the storage portion 101 has a horizontal endless belt 104, the capacity is larger than that of a conventional one having an inclined bottom, and many vials 4 can be stored. Further, even if the remaining vial bottle 4 is low, the vial bottle 4 is reliably discharged because it is horizontally conveyed toward the discharge unit 111 by the horizontal endless belt 104 and is laterally supported by the support member 110 of the discharge unit 111. And can be supplied.

&lt;Vial bottle transport belt&gt; FIG. 7 shows the vial transport belt 12. The vial bottle transport belt 12 includes a short belt 121 provided on the upper back surface of the storage portion 101 of each vial bottle supply unit 11 and a long belt 122 provided below the short belt 121. The short belt 121 is horizontally hung between the two rollers 123 and can be driven by the motor 124 shown in FIG. The long belt 122 is also horizontally hung between the two rollers 125 and can be driven by the motor 126 shown in FIG.

Each vial supply unit is provided by the vial transfer belt 12.<u style="single">11</u>The vial bottle 4 discharged from the storage unit 101 first falls on the short belt 121 and is transported, and then falls on the long belt 122 and is transported toward the center of the device.

&lt;Vial bottle transport arm unit&gt; 8, 9, and 10 are front views, side views, and plan surfaces of the vial bottle transport arm unit 13 and the vial bottle lift unit 15, respectively. The vial bottle transport arm unit 13 has a direction changing unit 131, a cradle 132, and an arm 133.

The direction changing unit 131 includes a trough 134 and a hopper 135. The trough 134 is rotatably supported around the shaft 134a on the central side surface, and is tilted at a normal position so that the vial 4 conveyed by the vial transfer belt 12 can be received by driving the motor 136. In FIG. 8, the first operating position is rotated clockwise so that the front end of the vial 4 in the receiving direction faces downward, and in FIG. 8, the rear end of the vial 4 is rotated counterclockwise so that the rear end in the receiving direction is downward. It is designed to rotate with and from the second operating position facing toward. The hopper 135 has a pyramid shape with upper and lower ends open, and the trough 134 is arranged at the upper end opening. On the inner surface of the hopper 135, a sensor 137 for detecting the orientation of the vial 4 is provided at a position facing the front end of the trough 134. The sensor 137 is preferably a contact type such as a limit switch that turns on when the vial bottle 4 is transported with the bottom facing forward and turns off when the vial bottle 4 is transported with the opening facing forward, but is not a photo sensor or the like. It may be a contact type. In the direction changing unit 131, the vial bottle 4 transported by the vial bottle transport belt 12 is received by the trough 134 at the normal position, and hits the inner wall of the hopper 135 to stop. Here, when the vial 4 is conveyed with the bottom facing forward as shown by the solid line in FIG. 8, the sensor 137 is turned on, and the trough 134 is clockwise to the first operating position based on the signal of the sensor 137. Rotates to. As a result, the vial 4 is in a state where the bottom is down. When the vial 4 is conveyed in front of the opening as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 8, the sensor 137 is turned off, and the trough 134 is in the second operating position based on the signal of the sensor 137. Rotate counterclockwise until. As a result, the vial 4 is in a state where the bottom is down. In this way, the vial 4 is always oriented with the bottom down, regardless of the orientation in which it was transported.

The cradle 132 is located below the hopper 135 of the direction changing unit 131 and receives the vial 4 that has passed through the hopper 135. The cradle 132 can be raised and lowered by the motor 138 via the rack and pinion mechanism 139. That is, when the vial bottle 4 is received by the trough 134 of the direction changing unit 131, the cradle 132 rises to the lower end opening of the hopper 135 and receives the vial bottle 4 whose direction has been changed by the direction changing unit 131. The cradle 132 then descends and stops so that the openings are in the same position regardless of the length of the vial 4.

The arm 133 holds the vial bottle 4 received by the cradle 132 from both sides, swings horizontally around the shaft 140, and can move forward and backward. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the arm 133 holds the vial bottle 4 at the first position below the direction changing unit 131, and moves to the second position that is turned 90 degrees counterclockwise. Advance to face the vial 4 to the labeling device 14. When the label is attached to the vial 4, the arm 133 retracts, releases the vial 4 and hands it over to the vial lift unit 15, then turns 90 degrees counterclockwise to return to the first position.

&lt;Labeling unit&gt; The labeling unit 14 prints predetermined information on a label and attaches the label to the vial bottle 4, and is known in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-212878 and the like, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

&lt;Vial bottle lift unit&gt; The vial bottle lift unit 15 has a base 152 provided so as to be able to move up and down along a vertically erected guide shaft 151, and has a shallow cup shape on a bracket 153 extending horizontally from the base 152. The cradle 154 is attached. The base 152 is fixed to a belt 156 spanned by two upper and lower rollers 155, and the lower roller 155 is driven by a motor 157 to move up and down between the lower position and the upper position. .. The cradle 154 is provided with a sensor (not shown) that detects that the vial 4 has been placed. Further, a pair of gripping pieces 158 are provided on the peripheral edge of the cradle 154 to grip the placed vial bottle 4. The cradle 154 is usually in a lower position, and when it receives the labeled vial bottle 4 from the vial bottle transport arm unit 13, the grip piece 158 is closed to grip the vial bottle 4. Next, when the cradle 154 rises to the upper position, the grip piece 158 is opened, the vial bottle 4 is released, delivered to the first vial delivery arm unit 17, and then returned to the lower position.

As described above, the vial 4 is conveyed to the tablet feeder 21 of the tablet supply unit 16 by the first vial delivery arm unit 17, and the vial 4 filled with the tablets is capped by the second vial delivery arm unit 18. It is delivered to the unit 20, closed by the cap 3 supplied by the cap supply unit 19, and then placed on the take-out shelf 5 by the second vial delivery arm unit 18.

<figref num="1">The perspective view of the tablet filling apparatus 1 to which this invention is applied.</figref><figref num="2">Front view with the door of the tablet filling device removed.</figref><figref num="3">Rear view of the tablet filling device with the exterior plate removed.</figref><figref num="4">FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG.</figref><figref num="5">FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG.</figref><figref num="6">Sectional view of the vial bottle supply unit.</figref><figref num="7">Front view of the vial bottle transport belt.</figref><figref num="8">Front view of the vial bottle transport arm unit and the vial bottle lift unit.</figref><figref num="9">Side view of the vial bottle transport arm unit and the vial bottle lift unit.</figref><figref num="10">Top view of the vial bottle transport arm unit and the vial bottle lift unit.</figref>

Code description

4 vial bottle 101 storage 104 Horizontal endless belt 105 Transport unit 109 Vertical endless belt 110 Support member 111 Discharge unit