Abstract: A medicine dispensing apparatus in which a medicine guide assembly is constituted from first and second split guide members and in which substantially no dust is generated through rubbing between the first and second split guide members. The gap between a pair of guide paths of a pair of linear guide mechanisms provided for a pair of medicine feeder storing units, that is, paths along which movable slide portions slide on fixed guide portions, becomes wider in a drawing direction in which the medicine feeder storing units are drawn out.

Abstract: A tablet splitting apparatus includes a guide, a catcher, and a splitting mechanism. The splitting mechanism comprises a pair of blades and a pair of blade shifters. The guide, the catcher, and the splitting mechanism are accommodated in a housing. The housing includes an opening and a support. The support and the guide each include a sliding portion. The guide disposed at the supporting position is slid along the sliding portion of the support so as to be detachable from the supporting position through the opening. The blades and the blade shifters each comprise a sliding portion. The blades and the blade shifters are in a slidable contact with each other at the sliding portions. The blades attached to the respective predetermined positions of the blade shifters are slid along the sliding portions of the blade shifters so as to be detachable from the blade shifters through the opening.

Abstract: A medicine dispensing system capable of reliably managing the lot of medicines and the expiration period of medicines is provided. A dispensation data preparation section includes a lot change determination section and a data changing section. The lot change determination section determines, based on lot information, whether or not the lot of the medicines to be used may be changed while medicine dispensing apparatuses are in operation. The dispensation data preparation section is provided with an expiration period determination section to determine with reference to the unpacking date, rather than the dispensation date, whether or not medicines are effective for use. This reliably prevents medicines that were taken out of the medicine packing container from being provided to patients after a number of days have passed.

Abstract: A tablet cassette includes a tablet container, a first rotor, a rotating shaft, and a second rotor. The tablet container has a tablet receiving space for randomly receiving the tablets and an outlet port for discharging the tablets. At the peripheral edge portion of the first rotor, tablet receiving portions are provided side by side for temporarily receiving the tablets. The first rotor is disposed on an inner bottom portion of the tablet receiving space and is rotated by the rotating shaft. The second rotor has one or more through holes. The second rotor partitions the tablet receiving space into a lower receiving space and an upper receiving space. The rotating shaft causes the second rotor to axially rotate. The first rotor and the second rotor are inclined to align the outlet port with an uppermost position of the rotating first rotor.

Abstract: Attachment/detachment of tablet cutting blades to/from a tablet cutting blade replacement jig inserted into and withdrawn from a tablet splitting apparatus to receive and deliver the tablet cutting blades is facilitated even in a dispensing site. The cutting edges of the tablet cutting blades are allowed to be exposed without detaching the tablet cutting blades. The tablet cutting blade replacement jig (60) includes: a jig main body (61) that can be inserted into and withdrawn from support members (28) in place of a falling tablet guiding member; blade holders (64) for retaining tablet cutting blades (41) within notches (63) of the jig main body (61); operating members (72) that are manually operated to switch between maintenance and release of retention of the tablet cutting blades; and urging members for maintaining the switched state even though the switched state is on a retention maintained side or is on a retention released side.

Abstract: A tablet splitting apparatus includes a plate defining a vertical groove-shaped tablet passage, a catcher for holding a tablet moving downward through the passage at a splitting position, and a mechanism for splitting the tablet at the splitting position. A movable groove-depth defining member faces and covers an upstream part of the tablet passage. A sensor detects a tablet passing through the upstream part of the passage. A controller is responsive to the sensor to activate a mechanism to adjust the distance between the groove bottom surface of the tablet passage and the facing surface of the groove-depth defining member depending on the thickness of the tablet. The apparatus is configured to detect the driving current required to move the cutting blades to automatically determine a time to vary the moving speed of the blades and to release the tablet temporarily held at the splitting position, depending on the thickness of the tablet.

Abstract: A tablet cassette is conveniently available for irregularly shaped or halved tablets as with regularly shaped tablets. The tablet cassette includes a fall prevention mechanism configured to prevent extra tablets from falling down into an outlet port. The fall prevention mechanism has a round belt disposed upwardly of the outlet port and at a position higher than partition portions. The fall prevention mechanism is configured to prevent extra tablets from falling such that the extra tablets locating on or above or protruding from one of the tablet receiving portions, which comes closest to the outlet port by rotation of the rotor, are pushed toward the rotor by a repulsive force generated by deformation of the round belt as caused when the extra tablets abut on the round belt.

Abstract: A tablet cassette is conveniently available for irregularly shaped or halved tablets as with regularly shaped tablets. The tablet cassette includes a fall prevention mechanism configured to prevent extra tablets from falling down into an outlet port. The fall prevention mechanism has a round belt disposed upwardly of the outlet port and at a position higher than partition portions. The fall prevention mechanism is configured to prevent extra tablets from falling such that the extra tablets locating on or above or protruding from one of the tablet receiving portions, which comes closest to the outlet port by rotation of the rotor, are pushed toward the rotor by a repulsive force generated by deformation of the round belt as caused when the extra tablets abut on the round belt.

Abstract: A medicine guide assembly is disposed between paired adjacent medicine feeder storage units. Each medicine guide assembly guides the medicines, which have been ejected from the medicine feeders included in the paired medicine feeder storage units, to an outlet port located downward. The medicine guide assembly includes a first divided guide member and a second divided guide member which are combined with each other when the paired medicine feeder storage units are accommodated in the housing and which are separated from each other when one of the paired medicine feeder storage units is drawn out from the housing. Further, air cleaning devices are provided so as to be operable to take in air, clean the air, and supply the cleaned air to an interior of the housing.

Abstract: A medicine distributing system includes a cassette placement portion for temporary placement of an individual distributing cassette including a large number of cells, a medicine container placement portion for temporary placement of a container for medicines, a medicine transporting device configured to put the medicines into the cells, and a distribution control device configured to acquire individual medicine distribution information to control an operation of the medicine transporting device. The medicine distributing system additionally includes a carrier placement portion for temporary placement of a medicine container carrier capable of housing medicine containers in a vertical column, and a medicine container transporting device configured to transport the medicine containers from the carrier placement portion to the medicine container placement portion.

Abstract: Attachment/detachment of tablet cutting blades to/from a tablet cutting blade replacement jig inserted into and withdrawn from a tablet splitting apparatus to receive and deliver the tablet cutting blades is facilitated even in a dispensing site. The cutting edges of the tablet cutting blades are allowed to be exposed without detaching the tablet cutting blades. The tablet cutting blade replacement jig (60) includes: a jig main body (61) that can be inserted into and withdrawn from support members (28) in place of a falling tablet guiding member; blade holders (64) for retaining tablet cutting blades (41) within notches (63) of the jig main body (61); operating members (72) that are manually operated to switch between maintenance and release of retention of the tablet cutting blades; and urging members for maintaining the switched state even though the switched state is on a retention maintained side or is on a retention released side.

Abstract: Provided is a small drug feeder that includes a container that can restrict the width or height of drugs so that the feeder can handle a wide range of drugs having various different shapes or sizes and be easily adjusted so as to be adapted to individual drugs. A width restricting member that increases or decreases a width of a space over a peripheral portion is disposed so as to face a discharging mechanism that discharges drugs to the outside of a container at speed higher than that of the peripheral portion. An interval between the width restricting member and the discharging mechanism is changed in accordance with a width of a target of measurement held in a measurement chamber. The height of drugs placed on the peripheral portion is restricted by a height restricting member in accordance with the height of the target of measurement.

Abstract: A medicine dispensing system capable of reliably managing the lot of medicines and the expiration period of medicines is provided. A dispensation data preparation section includes a lot change determination section and a data changing section. The lot change determination section determines, based on lot information, whether or not the lot of the medicines to be used may be changed while medicine dispensing apparatuses are in operation. The dispensation data preparation section is provided with an expiration period determination section to determine with reference to the unpacking date, rather than the dispensation date, whether or not medicines are effective for use. This reliably prevents medicines that were taken out of the medicine packing container from being provided to patients after a number of days have passed.

Abstract: A tablet dispensing apparatus that allows easy cleaning of the inner surfaces of temporary storage structures. A simultaneous driving mechanism and a plurality of open-close mechanisms of a plurality of temporary storage structure are coupled to each other by a plurality of coupling structures. The coupling structures are each configured to release the coupling when the entire temporary storage structure or a portion, which includes the open-close mechanism, of the temporary storage structure is drawn out of a housing, and to establish the coupling when the entire temporary storage structure or the portion, which includes the open-close mechanism, of the temporary storage structure is pushed into the housing.

Abstract: An information display integrating a display portion, a built-in electronic circuit, and a wireless receiver is attached to a container. Medicine dispensers are provided face a conveying path of a container conveying mechanism. The medicine dispensers put a medicine into the container when the medicine is in stock, and issues information on stockout medicine rather than dispensing a medicine when the medicine is out of stock. A write command is wirelessly transmitted to the information display so as to cause the stockout information to be displayed on the display portion in a visibly recognizable manner. In addition, partition information on the planar arrangement of sub containers that allows partitioning the internal space of the container is displayed on the display portion in a visually recognizable manner.

Abstract: A medicine feeder that causes no axial rotation beyond control during fitting between transmission mechanisms includes a medicine storing device and a drive device. The medicine storing device includes a container and discharge mechanism. The container stores medicines. The discharge mechanism is rotationally driven to discharge medicines from the container, and includes a first transmission mechanism with a fitting portion. The drive device rotationally drives the discharge mechanism when the medicine storing device is brought into a cooperation enabling position, and includes a second transmission mechanism. When the fitting portion of the first transmission mechanism and the fitted portion of the second transmission mechanism are fitted with each other, the drive device can rotationally drive the discharge mechanism of the medicine storing device. The fitted portion is supported to be displaceable in the axial direction of a drive shaft, and moved by an energy storing member.

Abstract: A tablet splitting apparatus capable of reducing fluctuations in weight of split tablet pieces even with simple advanceable-retractable blades is provided. A holding mechanism holds a tablet to be split at a cutting position. In reducing the gap between a pair of opposed blades, which are advanced and retracted with respect to the cutting position, to cut the tablet, the holding mechanism continuously holds the tablet until the tablet is caught between the pair of opposed blades of a cutting mechanism. After the tablet is caught between the pair of opposed blades, the holding mechanism release the tablet and only the pair of opposed blades hold the tablet. The opposed blades are caused to cut into the tablet after the holding mechanism releases the tablet, preventing a crack caused in the tablet ahead of the opposed blades from being curved or increased.

Abstract: A management tray unit in which an image that allows reliable detection for each individual containing region may be obtained even with an imaging system and a degree of freedom of dividing a tray into individual containing regions is high. A composite partition member includes a base portion and a plurality of partition portions arranged in parallel with a predetermined interval. A connecting wall portion configured to connect one end of each of the partition portions is provided at the composite partition member. A space formed among the partition portion, the partition portion, and the connecting wall portion constitutes one individual containing region. A space formed by the partition portion and the connecting wall portion on the side of a second side of the base portion constitutes one individual containing region together with the partition portion of another composite partition member or a side wall of a tray.

Abstract: Provided is a medicine dispensing apparatus in which a medicine guide assembly 114 is constituted from first and second split guide members 114A and 114B and in which substantially no dust is generated through rubbing between the first and second split guide members 114A and 114B. The gap between a pair of guide paths of a pair of linear guide mechanisms 150 provided for a pair of medicine feeder storing units 112, that is, paths along which movable slide portions 152 slide on fixed guide portions 151, becomes wider in a drawing direction in which the medicine feeder storing units 112 are drawn out.

Abstract: A tablet splitting apparatus can automatically determine the depth of a tablet falling passage even if the thickness of a tablet passing therethrough is not preliminarily measured.