Abstract: An ampule feeder which can discharge ampules one by one with high efficiency without the possibility of clogging. It includes an ampule container having a bottom plate pivotable in one direction. Ampules stored randomly in the container are moved onto an inclined top surface of an ampule receiver and raised. When the ampule receiver rises to its highest level, the ampules slide on its surface and drop onto a conveyor belt of a dispenser provided outside of the side wall of the ampule container. Ampules are thus discharged by the dispenser.

Abstract: A drug filling machine having a plurality of feeders containing a plurality of different kinds of drugs. A plurality of the drugs are discharged from one or some of the feeders into a vial. A sealing unit is provided for sealing the mouth of the vial with a transparent sheet. The sealing unit includes a sheet presser for pushing the transparent sheet into the mouth of the vial to form a sealing sheet having a tray-shaped section, a cutter for cutting the transparent sheet into a predetermined shape, and a heater for fusing the transparent sheet to the top end of the vial to seal the mouth of the vial. A method of inspecting the drugs contained in the vial includes preparing the transparent sheet a sealing portion for covering the mouth of the vial, and a printed portion that protrudes outwardly of the mouth of the vial. After inspecting the drugs in the vial, the printed portion is separated from the sealing portion, and a cap is secured on the mouth of the vial.

Abstract: An ampule delivery device which can efficiently deliver ampules from an ampule collecting device or a conveyor into a bucket in a short period of time without breaking ampules. The ampule delivery device includes a container having a bottom plate that is pivotable about a shaft between an open and a closed position, a locking member for locking the bottom plate in its closed position, and an elevator for moving the container up and down together with the locking member. An ampule collecting device is inserted into the container after emptying the container to prevent any ampules from being broken by the collecting device.

Abstract: A tablet feeder includes a mechanism for preventing tablets from being discharged from any pocket formed in the outer periphery of a rotor mounted on a tablet storage case when the case is fitted on or removed from a support. The tablet feeder includes the tablet storage case and the support. The rotor is rotatably mounted on an inner bottom of the case. A plurality of pockets are formed in the outer periphery of the rotor at predetermined intervals. The rotor is rotated by a motor through a gear. A resilient engaging member having a toothed tip is mounted on the inner bottom of the case. The resilient engaging member carries a disengaging arm. When the case is dismounted from the support, the toothed tip engages a gear provided at the bottom end of the rotor, preventing the rotation of the rotor.

Abstract: It is desired to prevent disalignment of the edges of a folded sheet by smoothly feeding the sheet while keeping tension fluctuactions to a minimum when the sheet is unwound from a paper roll set in a paper feed unit to a packaging unit even though the paper roll diameter decreases gradually as the sheet is unwound. A sheet length measuring sensor or rotary encoder is provided in the paper feed path through which the packaging sheet unwound from the paper roll is fed toward the packaging unit. An angle sensor is provided which comprises Hall element sensors provide on a support shaft and magnets provided on a core pipe of the paper roll. Any change is the signals from one of these sensors relative to the signal from the other sensor is used to calculate the paper roll winding length, and the sheet tension is adjusted to an optimum, constant level by controlling the sheet braking force stepwise according to the roll diameter measured by the sensors.

Abstract: An ampule collector which can collect selected ampules from corresponding feeders without breakage and jamming of ampules. The ampule collector has a plurality of cylindrically stacked ampule feeders in which are stored different kinds of ampules. In order that ampules, discharged from selected feeders drop only a short distance, a vertically movable ampule collecting container is provided in the center of the cylindrical structure defined by the feeders. Jamming of ampules is prevented by rotating a bottom cover provided at the center of the ampule collecting container, stirring ampules with protrusions formed on the conical inner surface, and changing the directions of the ampules with vanes provided on the conical inner surface. With the container inserted in an ampule stocker provided under the bottom cover, it is possible to supply ampules into the stocker without breaking them.

Abstract: An ampule feeder which is simple in structure and which can discharge ampules one by one with a high degree of efficiency without the possibility of clogging. The feeder includes an ampule container having a bottom plate that is pivotable in one direction. Ampules stored randomly in the container are moved onto an inclined top surface of an ampule receiver and raised. When the ampule receiver rises to its highest level, the ampules slide on its surface and drop onto a conveyor belt of a dispenser provided outside of the side wall of the ampule container. Ampules are thus discharged by the dispenser. As the number of ampules remaining in the container decreases, the bottom plate is inclined in increments to prevent the ampule receiver from rising with no ampules on its top surface.

Abstract: An ampule storage bag can store ampules for one patient and can engage a transfusion bottle for the same one patient. The ampule storage bag includes a nontransparent sheet and a transparent sheet bonded along the edge to the nontransparent sheet so as to define an opening along the edge. The bag is formed with two holes for engaging a neck of a transfusion bottle. The holes are provided symmetrically with respect to a fold line provided near the opening. Cushion members are provided in the bag to arrange ampules in order in the bag and to prevent breakage of the ampules.

Abstract: A drug storage/discharge apparatus which makes it possible to easily clean its drug discharge paths and to visually check if the guide paths have been cleaned sufficiently, and which does not require high dimensional and assembling accuracy for component parts. Each cabinet supports a plurality of vertically arranged rows of feeders on both sides thereof. A plurality of feeders forming each row are coupled together, and each feeder row thus coupled together has one end thereof pivotally coupled to the cabinet so as to be pivotable into its open position. When in the closed position, the feeder rows form one side wall of each drug guide path. The drug guide paths are exposed by drawing out the cabinet and opening the feeder rows on one side of the cabinet.

Abstract: An injection drug dispensing system which can quickly dispense injection drug includes a control unit and an injection drug dispenser of the type that requires drugs to be stored in order. The dispenser has a plurality of storage units each including a plurality of cassettes in which are stored many drugs. Each storage unit has an intermediate container into which drugs discharged from the cassettes are collected. The control unit creates a table for drug dispensing data, registers the dispensing data by the numbers attached to the data, and creates a queue in a register for determining the order in which drugs are discharged into the intermediate containers. Drugs can thus be concurrently dispensed into the intermediate containers.

Abstract: It is desired to prevent disalignment of the edges of a folded sheet by smoothly feeding the sheet while keeping tension fluctuations to a minimum when the sheet is unwound from a paper roll set in a paper feed unit to a packaging unit even though the paper roll diameter decreases gradually as the sheet is unwound. A sheet length measuring sensor or rotary encoder is provided in the paper feed path through which the packaging sheet unwound from the paper roll is fed toward the packaging unit. An angle sensor is provided which comprises Hall element sensors provide on a support shaft and magnets provided on a core pipe of the paper roll. Any change in the signals from one of these sensors relative to the signal from the other sensor is used to calculate the paper roll winding length, and the sheet tension is adjusted to an optimum, constant level by controlling the sheet braking force stepwise according to the roll diameter measured by the sensors.

Abstract: A method of supplying ampules, stored in a container, to any of a plurality of feeders of an ampule dispenser which has run out or is short of ampules in stock. The ampules are supplied only after confirming that the ampules in the storage container are the kind to be supplied into the intended feeder. When any feeder of the ampule dispenser runs out or is short of ampules, a bar code on the ampule storage container is read by a bar code reader and compared with an identification code provided on the intended feeder. If they coincide with each other, the ampules in the container are supplied into the intended feeder.

Abstract: An ampule separator which can efficiently cut off ampules from a strip of series-connected plastic ampules. A strip of series-connected plastic ampule is put in a stocker having an outlet at its bottom, with the individual ampules arranged horizontally. A pair of horizontally arranged rotors are provided under the outlet of the stocker. Each rotor is formed, in its outer peripheral surface, with a groove in which the body of a plastic ampule can be partially received. As the rotors are rotated, the lowermost one of the plastic ampules is received in the grooves. As the rotors are rotated further, the ampule in the grooves is pushed down and cut off along a cutoff line formed between this and the immediately upper ampules by the rear edges of the grooves, with the upper ampules supported on cylindrical outer surfaces of the rotors.

Abstract: A drug filling machine has a plurality of feeders containing a plurality of different kinds of drugs. A plurality of drugs are discharged from one or some or the feeders into a vial. A sealing unit is provided for sealing the mouth of the vial with a transparent sheet. The sealing unit includes a sheet presser for pushing the transparent sheet into the mouth of the vial to form a sealing sheet having a tray-shaped section, a cutter for cutting the transparent sheet into a predetermined shape, and a heater for fusing the transparent sheet to the top end of the vial to seal the mouth of the vial.

Abstract: A tablet feeder can smoothly and continuously discharge all tablets in a case to the last one. The tablet feeder includes a tablet storage case and a support member. A rotor is rotatably mounted in the case on an inner bottom thereof. A plurality of pockets are formed in the outer periphery of the rotor at predetermined intervals. The rotor is rotated by a motor through a gear. A high-friction member is provided on the inner bottom of the case to prevent tablets from remaining on a boundary between the rotor and the inner bottom while bridging the rotor and the inner bottom.

Abstract: A drug storage/discharge apparatus which makes it possible to easily clean drug discharge paths and to visually check if the guide paths have been cleaned sufficiently, and which does not require high dimensional and assembling accuracy for component parts. Each cabinet supports a plurality of vertically arranged rows of feeders on both sides thereof. A plurality of feeders forming each row are coupled together, and each feeder row thus coupled together has one end thereof pivotally coupled to the cabinet so as to be pivotable into its open position. When in the closed position, the feeder rows form one side wall of each drug guide path. The drug guide paths are exposed by drawing out the cabinet and opening the feeder rows on one side of the cabinet.

Abstract: An ampule dispenser for dispensing ampules from an ampule container in which a plurality of ampules are stored in a disorderly manner. It has a stocker for stocking ampules discharged from the ampule container. The stocker has a bottom wall sloping downward both in a first direction in which ampules are discharged from the ampule container and in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. A cylindrical rotor is provided in the bottom wall at one side thereof for rotation in one direction. The rotor has axial grooves formed in the outer periphery thereof and extending axially to receive a single ampule discharged at a time.

Abstract: In a drug packaging device which can shorten the drug packaging time. The opening of a bag is sealed with a transverse sealing unit and a longitudinal sealing unit. The time when the sealing is started and the sealing speed are varied according to the type of drug to be packaged in the bag. For drugs that take a longer time to be fed into the bag and settle in the bag, the seal starting time is delayed and the sealing speed is slowed. As a whole, it is possible to shorten the packaging time, while eliminating the possibility of incomplete packaging.

Abstract: A plastic ampule dispenser for dispensing plastic ampules supplied in the form of strips of ampules connected together. The plastic ampule dispenser has an inclined guide plate for sliding a plurality of strips of plastic ampules, each strip being formed with cutlines between the adjacent plastic ampules, a plastic ampule stopper for stopping the plastic ampule at one end of the strip when the strip slides on and along the guide plate, and a separating device for separating the plastic ampule stopped at the head of the strip from the adjacent plastic ampule along the cutline therebetween.

Abstract: A tablet dispenser having a control unit which can eliminate the possibility of erroneously putting tablets in a wrong tablet storage space. The tablet dispenser has a tablet storage unit and a packing unit. Tablets designated by drug information are dropped from the tablet storage unit. When tablets in any of a plurality of tablet storage cells in the tablet storage unit run short, tablets are manually supplied into this cell by opening its cover. Before supplying tablets, the control unit reads a code on the tablet container with a bar code reader, compares this code with a code that represents tablets to be supplied into the above particular cell, and indicates on a display if these codes coincide. An operator checks the display to see if the codes coincide, and if they do, the operator then supplies tablets in the tablet container into the particular cell.