Packeted drug inspection device and method

• US 9,904,992 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takamori, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Cese, Kenny
• Application Number:
  US14/973,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20160104277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/10 responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of articles or materials to be packaged
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/46 Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters measuring colour temperature G01J5/60
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/251 Colorimeters; Construction thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9508 Capsules; Tablets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection

Abstract

It is determined whether the type of drug inserted into a packaging machine is correct, on the basis of the dispensing information of the drug to be packaged and the drug type information of the drug to be inserted into the packaging machine. Number-by-appearance information indicating the number of drugs for each outward appearance which are packaged in each packet is acquired. The image of each drug corresponding to each dose is captured. The number of drugs for each outward appearance which are packaged in each packet is counted on the basis of the captured image of the drugs. It is determined whether the number of drugs for each outward appearance is correct, on the basis of the number-by-appearance information and the counting result of the number-by-appearance counting unit. It is determined whether the occurrence or non-occurrence of a mix-up of the drugs can be determined, on the basis of at least the dispensing information of the drugs to be packaged and the drug type information of the drugs inserted into the packaging machine. It is determined whether the drugs packaged in each packet are correct.

Claims

1. A packaged drug inspection device comprising:

one or more processors configured to perform steps of;

acquiring prescription information of drugs packaged in a packet according to at least one of patient age and dosing information;

acquiring drug type information of the drugs inserted into a packaging machine which packages the drugs in the packet;

determining whether the type of the drug inserted into the packaging machine is correct as an inserted drug type error determination, on the basis of at least the prescription information and the drug type information;

acquiring number-by-appearance information indicating a number of drugs for each outward appearance, which correspond to each dose and are packaged in each packet, on the basis of at least the prescription information and the drug type information;

capturing an image of the drugs corresponding to each dose;

counting the number of drugs for each outward appearance which correspond to each dose to obtain a number-by-appearance count, on the basis of the image of the drugs captured by the image capturing step;

determining a number-by-appearance error, which is whether the number of drugs for each outward appearance which correspond to each dose is correct, on the basis of the number-by-appearance information and the counting result of the number-by-appearance count;

determining a possibility of error occurrence, which is whether the occurrence or non-occurrence of a mix-up in which a different type of drug is put in the packet, instead of the drug to be put in the packet, can be determined, on the basis of at least the prescription information and the drug type information;

determining whether the drugs packaged in each packet are correct, on the basis of the determination result of the number-by-appearance error determination step and the determination result of the possibility of error occurrence determination step, and determines that the drugs are correct when the number-by-appearance error determination step determines that the number of drugs is correct and the possibility of error occurrence determination step determines that the possibility of error occurrence can be determined; and

a drug appearance database that stores the type of the drug and drug appearance information indicating the outward appearance of the drug so as to be associated with each other,

wherein the number-by-appearance information acquisition step acquires the number-by-appearance information, on the basis of the prescription information and the drug type information, with reference to the drug appearance database, and

wherein the possibility of error occurrence determination step acquires the drug appearance information of the drug from the drug appearance database and determines that the possibility of error cannot be determined when different types of drugs having the same or similar outward appearance are included in the drugs to be packaged on the basis of the drug appearance information, the prescription information, and the drug type information.

2. The packaged drug inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a drug information database that stores the type of the drug and the drug type information recorded on a package of the drug so as to be associated with each other,

wherein the acquiring drug type information step comprises acquiring the drug type information from the package, and

wherein the determining whether the drug type is correct is performed on the basis of the prescription information and the drug type information, with reference to the drug information database.

3. The packaged drug inspection device according to claim 2,

wherein the drug type information acquiring step acquires at least one of characters, a barcode, and electronic identification information recorded on the package as the drug type information.

4. The packaged drug inspection device according to claim 2,

wherein the drug information database stores information indicating a correspondence relationship between an original drug and a generic drug, and

when the drug corresponding to the drug type information has the same effective ingredients as the drug designated by the prescription information, the inserted drug type error determining step determines that the drug type is correct.

5. The packaged drug inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first display that displays the drug type when the inserted drug type error determining step determines that the drug type is incorrect.

6. The packaged drug inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second display that, when the possibility of error occurrence determination step determines that the occurrence or non-occurrence of the mix-up cannot be determined, displays the determination result that possibility of error occurrence cannot be determined.

7. The packaged drug inspection device according to claim 6,

wherein the second display displays the drug whose possibility of error occurrence cannot be determined.

8. The packaged drug inspection device according to claim 1,

wherein the drug appearance information includes information indicating at least one of a size, type, and color of the drug, and

wherein the number-by-appearance count comprises the number of drugs for each outward appearance for each item corresponding to the drug appearance information.

9. The packaged drug inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third display that, when the determining whether the number of drugs for each outward appearance is incorrect, displays the determination result of the number-by-appearance error determining step.

10. The packaged drug inspection device according to claim 1,

wherein the capturing the image of the drugs is performed before the drugs are packaged in each packet and/or after the drugs are packaged in each packet.

11. The packaged drug inspection device according to claim 1,

wherein capturing the image of the drugs is performed on a black background.

12. The packaged drug inspection device according to claim 1,

wherein, when capturing the image of the drugs after packaging, the image capturing step captures the image of the inside of the packet from a transparent side of the packet.

13. The packaged drug inspection device according to claim 1, the one or more processors configured to further perform a step of:

providing an physical adjustment to the drugs before the step of capturing the image of the drugs.

14. The packaged drug inspection device according to claim 1, the one or more processors configured to further perform steps of:

measuring the weight of the drugs corresponding to each dose;

acquiring weight information indicating the weight of the drugs corresponding to each dose, on the basis of at least the prescription information and the drug type information; and

determining whether the weight of the drugs corresponding to each dose is correct as a weight error determination on the basis of the weight information and the measurement result of measuring the weight of the drugs corresponding to each does,

wherein the step of determining whether the drugs packaged in each packet are correct is performed on the basis of the weight error determination.

15. A packaged drug inspection method comprising:

a prescription information acquisition step of acquiring prescription information of drugs packaged in a packet according to at least one of patient age and dosing information;

an inserted drug type information acquisition step of acquiring drug type information of the drugs inserted into a packaging machine which packages the drugs in the packet;

an inserted drug type error determination step of determining whether the type of the drug inserted into the packaging machine is correct, on the basis of at least the prescription information and the drug type information;

a number-by-appearance information acquisition step of acquiring number-by-appearance information indicating a number of drugs for each outward appearance, which correspond to each dose and are packaged in each packet, on the basis of at least the prescription information and the drug type information;

an imaging step of capturing an image of the drugs corresponding to each dose;

a number-by-appearance counting step of counting the number of drugs for each outward appearance, which correspond to each dose, on the basis of the image of the drugs captured in the imaging step;

a number-by-appearance error determination step of determining whether the number of drugs for each outward appearance, which correspond to each dose, is correct, on the basis of the number-by-appearance information and the counting result in the number-by-appearance counting step;

a possibility of error occurrence determining step of determining whether the occurrence or non-occurrence of a mix-up in which a different type of drug is put in the packet, instead of the drug to be put in the packet, can be determined, on the basis of at least the prescription information and the drug type information; and

a packaging error determination step of determining whether the drugs packaged in each packet are correct, on the basis of the determination result in the number-by-appearance error determination step and the determination result in the possibility of error occurrence determining step, and of determining that the drugs are correct when it is determined in the number-by-appearance error determination step that the number of drugs is correct and it is determined in the possibility of error occurrence determining step that the occurrence or non-occurrence of the mix-up can be determined;

acquiring information from a drug appearance database that stores the type of the drug and drug appearance information indicating the outward appearance of the drug so as to be associated with each other,

wherein the number-by-appearance information acquisition step acquires the number-by-appearance information, on the basis of the prescription information and the drug type information, with reference to the drug appearance database, and

wherein the possibility of error occurrence determining step acquires the drug appearance information of the drug from the drug appearance database and determines that the possibility of error cannot be determined when different types of drugs having the same or similar outward appearance are included in the drugs to be packaged on the basis of the drug appearance information, the prescription information, and the drug type information.

16. The packaged drug inspection method according to claim 15,

wherein in the inserted drug type information acquisition step, the drug type information is acquired from a package with reference a drug information database in which the type of the drug and the drug type information recorded on the package of the drug are stored so as to be associated with each other, and

in the inserted drug type error determination step, whether the drug type is correct is determined on the basis of the prescription information and the drug type information with reference to the drug information database.

17. The packaged drug inspection method according to claim 16,

wherein in the inserted drug type information acquisition step, at least one of characters, a barcode, and electronic identification information recorded on the package is acquired as the drug type information.

18. The packaged drug inspection method according to claim 16,

wherein the drug information database stores information indicating a correspondence relationship between an original drug and a generic drug, and

in the inserted drug type error determination step, when the drug corresponding to the drug type information has the same effective ingredients as the drug designated by the prescription information, the drug type is determined as correct.