Medication filling apparatus

• US 5,752,368 A
• Filed: 08/23/1996
• Issued: 05/19/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tobe, Ryuzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bray, W. Donald
• Application Number:
  US08/706,985
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 364/478.04, 364/479.12, 364/479.13, 364/479.14, 221/2, 221/3, 221/1, 221/7, 221/123, 221/8, 53/25, 53/154, 53/155, 53/237, 53/238, 53/168, 53/268, 53/473, 53/493, 53/500, 53/501
• US Class Current: 53/501
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/06 Separating single articles from loose masses of articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/20 Applications of counting devices for controlling the feed of articles other applications B65B65/08

Abstract

A medication filling apparatus which is capable of preventing medications from being over-dispensed so as to enable accurate filling operation. The medication filling apparatus is equipped with: a tablet case for holding medications; a dispenser drum for dispensing the medications one at a time from the tablet case as it rotates; a motor for driving and rotating the dispenser drum; a sensor for detecting the medications which have been dispensed; and a controller which starts the motor, counts the dispensed medications according to an output of the sensor, and stops the motor when a predetermined count value is reached. The controller drops the voltage applied to the motor before the predetermined count value is reached and then short-circuits the terminals of the motor when the predetermined count value is reached.

Claims

1. A medication filling apparatus comprising:

a tablet case for holding a plurality of medications;

a dispenser drum for dispensing the medications one at a time from said tablet case as it rotates;

a motor for driving and rotating said dispenser drum;

a sensor for detecting each of the medications which has been dispensed; and

a controller which starts said motor, counts the dispensed medications according to an output of said sensor and produces a count value, and stops said motor when a predetermined count value is reached;

wherein

said controller decreases the voltage applied to said motor to reduce its speed of rotating said drum at a count value less than said predetermined count value.

2. A medication filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller decreases the voltage applied to said motor in steps when a count value less than said predetermined count value is reached.

3. A medication filling apparatus comprising:

a tablet case for holding a plurality of medications;

a dispenser drum for dispensing the medications one at a time from said tablet case as it rotates;

a motor for driving and rotating said dispenser drum;

a sensor for detecting each of the medications which have been dispensed; and

a controller which starts said motor, counts the dispensed medications according to an output of said sensor and produces a count value, and stops said motor when a predetermined count value is reached;

wherein

said controller decreases the voltage applied to said motor when a count value less than said predetermined count value is reached and then short-circuits the terminals of said motor when said predetermined count value is reached.

4. A medication filling apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said controller decreases the voltage applied to said motor in steps when a count value less than said predetermined count value is reached.