Tablet filling device

• US 8,468,777 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2010
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yuyama Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yuyama Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Yuyama, Hiroyuki, Chihara, Hirokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): TRUONG, THANH K
• Application Number:
  US12/729,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20100175782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 53/55, 53/64, 532/661, 534/73, 534/93, 53/53, 221/2, 221/7, 221/9, 221/265, 221/287, 221/258
• US Class Current: 53/53
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/04 and operating to control, or to stop, the feed of such material, containers, or packages

Abstract

Provided is a tablet filling device capable of continuing an operation without stopping the supply of the tablet container, filling with tablets, etc. even when the prescribed operations cannot be performed at the operating positions. The tablet filling device includes: a tablet supply unit (3) that fills a tablet container (12) with tablets; a carrying member (41) which carries the tablet cassette (12) from the tablet supply unit (3) to a standby position; a container holding member (65) provided at a delivery position and having a plurality of holding parts (67, 68) capable of holding the tablet container (12) according to a difference in outer diameter dimension; and another carrying member (52) which carries the tablet container (12) held by a container holding member (65) to an operating position.

Claims

1. A tablet filling device, comprising:

an input portion for receiving a prescription data;

a tablet supply member for supplying tablets to a tablet container based on the prescription data received by the input portion;

a carrying member for carrying the tablet container;

a standby portion adapted to receive the tablet container for temporary storage; and

a control portion for determining a position where the tablet container is positioned at one of the tablet supply member, the standby portion and an operating position, wherein the control portion controls the carrying member to carry the tablet container to the determined position; and

a tablet checking member for checking the tablet being supplied to the tablet container, wherein the control portion controls the carrying member to carry the tablet container to the standby portion when the tablet of the prescription data received by the input portion is different from the tablet checked by the tablet checking member.

2. The tablet filling device of claim 1, wherein:

the tablets are allotted to a plurality of the tablet containers based on the prescription data received by the input portion,

the control portion controls the carrying member to carry one of the tablet containers filled with allotted tablets to the standby portion, and

the one of the tablet containers stands by until other tablet containers are filled with the tablets based on the prescription data.

3. The tablet filling device of claim 1, wherein the standby portion is a container holding member located partway through a carrying path of the carrying member and configured to hold the tablet container.

4. The tablet filling device of claim 3, further comprising a deficiency detecting member which detects the deficiency of the tablet;

wherein the control portion controls the carrying member to carry the tablet container to the container holding member when a deficiency signal is received from the deficiency detecting member.

5. The tablet filling device of claim 4, wherein the container holding member has a plurality of holding parts for holding tablet containers with different outer diameter dimensions.

6. The tablet filling device of claim 5, wherein the holding parts are configured to hold the tablet container along a common axis.

7. The tablet filling device of claim 6, wherein one of the holding parts of the container holding member includes a pair of holding members, the holding members being rotatable about a first support shaft arranged parallel to the common axis of the tablet container to guide an outer peripheral surface of the tablet container with a maximum outer diameter dimension,

the other holding part includes a guide frame member, the guide frame member being rotatable about a second support shaft located in a plane orthogonal to the first support shaft to guide an outer peripheral surface of a tablet container of a smaller outer diameter dimension than the tablet container, and

the tablet container is held by the holding members when the tablet container is guided by the guide frame member.

8. The tablet filling device of claim 1,

wherein the standby portion is a container holding member provided at a delivery position and having a plurality of holding parts for holding the tablet container according to a difference in outer diameter dimension, and

the carrying member includes a first carrying member for carrying the tablet container from the tablet supply member to the delivery position and a second carrying member for carrying the tablet container held by the container holding member to the operating position.

9. The tablet filling device of claim 8, wherein the container holding member is disposed at a standby position provided separately from the delivery position,

the tablet filling device further comprising a storage portion for storing positional data on each of the positions and historical data associated with carrying the tablet container to each position;

and

the control portion drives and controls the carrying member based on the positional data and the historical data stored in the storage portion to carry the tablet container from the tablet supply member to the delivery position or the standby position, the control portion being further configured to drive and control the carrying member based on the positional data and the historical data to carry the tablet container from the delivery position or the standby position to the operating position.

10. The tablet filling device of claim 8, wherein the holding parts are configured to hold the tablet container along a common axis.

11. The tablet filling device of claim 10, wherein one of the holding parts of the container holding member includes a pair of holding members, the holding members being rotatable about a first support shaft arranged parallel to the common axis of the tablet container to guide an outer peripheral surface of the tablet container with a maximum outer diameter dimension,

the other holding part includes a guide frame member, the guide frame member being rotatable about a second support shaft located in a plane orthogonal to the first support shaft to guide an outer peripheral surface of a tablet container of a smaller outer diameter dimension than the tablet container, and

the tablet container is held by the holding members when the tablet container is guided by the guide frame member.