Medicine-supplying device and medicine-counting device

• US 9,611,084 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2015
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yuyama Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yuyama Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Koike, Naoki, Mitani, Mitsuhiro, Fukada, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US14/954,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20160185507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 235103, 235375, 235435, 235487, 700214-236
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/40 by shape or form, e.g. by using shape recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0076 Medicament distribution means with pill counting devices A61J7/02; with time indication A61J7/04; containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents B65D83/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/02 Pill counting devices
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 1/30 Devices or methods for controlling or determining the quantity or quality or the material fed or filled
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 2210/04 Customised on demand packaging by determining a specific characteristic, e.g. shape or height, of articles or material to be packaged and selecting, creating or adapting a packaging accordingly, e.g. making a carton starting from web material
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 59/001 Arrangements to enable adjustments related to the product to be packaged
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 59/02 Arrangements to enable adjustments to be made while the machine is running
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/04 for dispensing annular, disc-shaped, or spherical or like small articles, e.g. tablets or pills

Abstract

This drug-supplying device is provided with: a rotator that discharges drugs towards the outer diameter by being rotated; a drug shape-specifying unit for specifying the shape of the drug; and a control unit that rotates the rotator at a rotational speed specified, on the basis of a speed table that correlates drug shape to rotator rotational speed, by the shape that has been specified by a drug-detecting unit.

Claims

1. A medicine-supplying device comprising:

a discharging unit configured to discharge a medicine;

a height-restricting member provided above the discharging unit and configured to be vertically movable;

a medicine shape-specifying unit configured to specify medicine shape;

a medicine height-specifying unit configured to specify a reference height of the medicine; and

a control unit configured to adjust the position of the height-restricting member according to a height correction table associating the medicine shape with a height correction coefficient.

2. The medicine-supplying device according to claim 1, wherein the height-restricting member is adjusted based on the height correction coefficient specified on the basis of the shape specified by the medicine shape-specifying unit and the reference height specified by the medicine height-specifying unit.

3. The medicine-counting device according to claim 1, wherein the medicine shape-specifying unit specifies the medicine shape by selecting a planar shape and a side shape of the medicine.

4. The medicine-counting device according to claim 1, wherein the discharging unit is a rotator.

5. A medicine-supplying device comprising:

a discharging unit configured to discharge a medicine;

a width-restricting member provided on an upper face of the discharging unit and configured to be movable in a horizontal direction of said discharging unit;

a medicine shape-specifying unit configured to specify medicine shape;

a medicine width-specifying unit configured to specify a reference width of the medicine; and

a control unit configured to adjust the position of the width-restricting member according to a width correction table associating the medicine shape with a width correction coefficient.

6. The medicine-supplying device according to claim 5, wherein the width-restricting member is adjusted based on the width correction coefficient specified on the basis of the shape specified by the medicine shape-specifying unit and the reference width specified by the medicine width-specifying unit.

7. The medicine-supplying device according to claim 5, wherein the medicine shape-specifying unit specifies the medicine shape by selecting a planar shape and a side shape of the medicine.

8. The medicine-supplying device according to claim 5, wherein the discharging unit is a rotator.

9. A medicine-counting device comprising:

a discharging unit configured to discharge a plurality of medicines;

a detection unit configured to detect the plurality of medicines discharged by the discharging unit;

a height-restricting member provided above the discharging unit and configured to be vertically movable;

a medicine height-specifying unit configured to specify a reference height of the medicine;

a width-restricting member provided on an upper face of the discharging unit and configured to be movable in a horizontal direction of said discharging unit;

a medicine width-specifying unit configured to specify a reference width of the medicine; and

a control unit configured to adjust respectively the positions of the height-restricting member and the width restricting member;

wherein according to a slowdown table associating the medicine shape with a number of remaining medicines to be discharged, the control unit decreases a discharging speed of the discharging unit when the number of remaining medicines to be discharged reaches a value acquired by subtracting the number of discharged medicines from the number of prescribed medicines in the prescription data.

10. The medicine-counting device according to claim 9, wherein the adjustment of the height-restricting member is performed according to a height correction table associating the medicine shape with a height correction coefficient.

11. The medicine-counting device according to claim 10, wherein the height-restricting member is adjusted based on the height correction coefficient specified on the basis of the shape specified by the medicine shape-specifying unit and the reference height specified by the medicine height-specifying unit.

12. The medicine-counting device according to claim 9, wherein the adjustment of the width-restricting member according to a width correction table associating the medicine shape with a width correction coefficient.

13. The medicine-counting device according to claim 12, wherein the width-restricting member is adjusted based on the width correction coefficient specified on the basis of the shape specified by the medicine shape-specifying unit and the reference width specified by the medicine width-specifying unit.

14. The medicine-counting device according to claim 9, wherein the medicine shape-specifying unit specifies the medicine shape by selecting a planar shape and a side shape of the medicine.

15. The medicine-counting device according to claim 9, wherein the control unit is further configured to stop the discharging unit from discharging medicines when the number of discharged medicines detected by the detection unit reaches the number of prescribed medicines in a prescription data.

16. The medicine-counting device according to claim 15, wherein the control unit decreases a discharging speed when the number of discharged medicines detected by the detection unit reaches the number of prescribed medicines in the prescription data.

17. The medicine-counting device according to claim 9, wherein the number of remaining medicines to be discharged is varied depending on the medicine shape or depending on the discharging speed of the discharging unit.

18. The medicine-counting device according to claim 9, wherein the control unit decreases the discharging speed in multiple stages.

19. The medicine-counting device according to claim 9, wherein the discharging unit is a rotator.