Medicine issuing device and container identifying device

• US 9,073,692 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakano, Michimori, Oono, Masaharu, Isshiki, Taizo
• Primary Examiner(s): Mikels, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US14/090,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20140217165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/381, 235/435, 235/439, 235/451, 235/462
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/00 Devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6072 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/06 with means for presenting articles for removal at predetermined position or level B65G1/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1371 with data records
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/165 using xyz-picker or multi-dimensional article picking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

This medicine issuing device is a container identifying device for identifying tubular medicine containers (1,2,3) provided with identifying marks (4,5,6) on their external circumference, said medicine issuing device comprising: an operation component (7) that takes the medicine containers (1,2,3) out of a cassette (403); a movement path component (8) that moves the medicine containers (1,2,3) taken out by the operation component (7) to an identification position (9); a container rotation component (10) that rotates the medicine containers (1,2,3) that were moved to a specific identification position by the movement path component (8), around an outer peripheral face; and an identifying mark reader (11) that reads the identifying marks (4,5,6) of the medicine containers (1,2,3) rotated by the container rotation component (10).

Claims

1. A medicine issuing device, comprising:

a cassette in which are loaded a plurality of tubular medicine containers provided with identifying marks on the outer peripheral face of the tubular medicine containers;

an operation component configured to take the medicine containers out of the cassette;

a movement path component configured to move the medicine containers taken out by the operation component to a specific identification position;

a container rotation component configured to rotate the medicine containers around the outer peripheral face until the reading of the identifying marks on the medicine containers is complete at the identification position; and

an identifying mark reader configured to read the identifying marks on the medicine containers rotated by the container rotation component;

wherein the movement path component has a downward slope that causes the tubular medicine containers to roll under their own weight; and

wherein the container rotation component has;

a stopper configured to temporarily stop the movement of the medicine containers moving in the slope direction of the movement path component; and

a rotation component configured to rotate the medicine containers, whose movement in the slope direction has been temporarily stopped by the stopper, around the outer peripheral face at that position.

2. The medicine issuing device according to claim 1,

further comprising a placement component configured to place the medicine containers taken out by the operation component into a tray.

3. The medicine issuing device according to claim 1,

further comprising an auxiliary roller configured to assist the rotation of the medicine containers, at the identification position.

4. The medicine issuing device according to claim 1,

wherein the container rotation component rotates the medicine containers in the opposite direction from the rolling direction of the medicine containers in the movement path component.

5. The medicine issuing device according to claim 1,

wherein the stopper has a belt configured to catch the medicine containers that have rolled down on the movement path component, and

the rotation component has a motor configured to rotate the belt.

6. The medicine issuing device according to claim 1,

wherein the stopper has a plurality of belts configured to catch the containers rolling down the movement path component, and

the belts are disposed spaced a specific distance apart, and come into contact with the outer peripheral part of the medicine containers.

7. The medicine issuing device according to claim 1,

wherein the belt is a rubber belt.

8. The medicine issuing device according to claim 1,

wherein the container rotation component is able to move with respect to the movement path component, and moves the container rotation component closer to the movement path component prior to when the medicine containers are taken out of the cassette by the operation component.

9. The medicine issuing device according to claim 1,

comprising a container removal head that includes the operation component, the container rotation component, the identifying mark reader, and the movement path component.

10. A container identifying device for identifying a tubular container provided with an identifying mark on its outer peripheral face, said container identifying device comprising:

an operation component configured to take a medicine container out of a cassette filled in with a plurality of the medicine containers;

a movement path component configured to move the containers taken out by the operation component to a specific identification position;

a container rotation component configured to rotate the containers around the outer peripheral face of the containers until the reading of the identifying marks on the containers is complete at the identification position; and

an identifying mark reader configured to read the identifying marks on the containers rotated by the container rotation component;

wherein the movement path component has a downward slope that causes the tubular medicine containers to roll under their own weight; and

wherein the container rotation component has;

a stopper configured to temporarily stop the movement in the slope direction of the containers moving in the slope direction of the movement path component; and

a rotation component configured to rotate the containers, whose movement in the slope direction has been temporarily stopped by the stopper, around the outer peripheral face at that position.

11. The container identifying device according to claim 10,

further comprising an auxiliary roller configured to assist the rotation of the containers, at the identification position.

12. The container identifying device according to claim 10,

wherein the container rotation component rotates the containers in the opposite direction from the rolling direction of the containers in the movement path component.

13. The container identifying device according to claim 10,

wherein the stopper has a belt configured to catch the containers that have rolled down the movement path component, and

the rotation component has a motor configured to rotate the belt.

14. The container identifying device according to claim 10,

wherein the stopper has a plurality of belts configured to catch the containers rolling down the movement path component, and

the belts are disposed spaced a specific distance apart, and come into contact with the outer peripheral part of the containers.

15. The container identifying device according to claim 13,

wherein the belt is a rubber belt.

16. The container identifying device according to claim 10,

wherein the container rotation component is able to move with respect to the movement path component, and moves the container rotation component closer to the movement path component prior to when the containers are taken out of the cassette by the operation component.

17. The container identifying device according to claim 10,

comprising a container removal head that includes the operation component, the container rotation component, the identifying mark reader, and the movement path component.