AMPULE CONTAINER
There is provided an ampule container, which can smoothly dispense an ampule without causing a breakage of the neck of the ampule and a change in orientation of the ampule. The ampule container 1 stacks a plurality of ampules 12 on a belt conveyor 13 transversely to a dispensing direction and dispenses the ampules 12 one by one. The ampule container 1 has an ampule holding member 26 including: a carriage 27 movable on the belt conveyor 13 as rolling along the dispensing direction; and a holding portion 28 contacting a rearmost ampule of the ampules 12 stacked on the belt conveyor.
The present invention relates to an ampule container.
BACKGROUND ARTAs to known ampule containers used for automatically supplying ampules, Patent Document 1 suggests that ampules vertically stacked within an ampule container are dispensed by rotating a C-sectioned rotor provided at a lower end.
Further, Patent Document 2 discloses that a plurality of ampules are stacked and accommodated in a cassette, and that a movable inclined bottom plate slides to dispense the ampules one by one through a discharging outlet provided in the movable inclined bottom plate.
Furthermore, Patent Document 3 suggests that ampules are stacked on a belt conveyor provided on a bottom of a container, and that the belt conveyor is driven to dispense the ampules one by one through an ample passage provided at a front side of the container in a dispensing direction.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. (Hei)7-285674 (Japanese Patent No. 3170579)
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. (Hei)10-192369
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-230619
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the ampules are vertically stacked in a row, the ampules descend one at a time along with a dispensing operation as arranged in a row. Further, according to the device disclosed in Patent Document 2, since the movable bottom plate is inclined, the ampules move alongside the inclination of the movable bottom plate along with the dispensing operation. According to the device disclosed in Patent Document 3, when the conveyor moves to dispense the ampules, the ampules in an upper layer fall down. In such a case, a neck of the ampule may break off. Further, in particular, there is a problem in that as a remaining quantity of the ampules decreases, the ampule may change in terms of orientation when the ampule is dispensed by the conveyor.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ampule container, which can smoothly dispense an ampule without causing a breakage of the neck of the ampule and a change in orientation of the ampule.
In order to solve the foregoing problems, there is provided a first means for regulating ampules so that the ampules in a backward side cannot fall down. That is, there is provided an ampule container for stacking a plurality of ampules on a belt conveyor transversely to a dispensing direction and dispensing the ampules one by one. The ampule container includes an ampule holding member including: a carriage that is movable on the belt conveyor as rolling along the dispensing direction; and a holding portion for holding a rearmost ampule of the ampules stacked on the belt conveyor.
Preferably, the holding portion may be upwardly inclined at an angle of 60 degrees forwardly of the dispensing direction from the carriage. Further, the holding portion may be vertically upright on the carriage. Furthermore, the holding portion may be upwardly inclined at an angle of 60 degrees backwardly of the dispensing direction from the carriage.
Preferably, the holding portion may be symmetrically provided at a front side and a back side of the carriage along the dispensing direction.
Further, there is provided a second means for always positioning a body of an ampule to be low. That is, there is provided an ampule container for stacking a plurality of ampules on a belt conveyor transversely to a dispensing direction and dispensing the ampule one by one, wherein an upper belt of the belt conveyor is inclined relative to a horizontal direction orthogonal to the dispensing direction.
Preferably, the belt conveyor may be inclined such that a body section of the ampule is low and a neck section of the ampule is high.
The ampule container may preferably include an inclining member for inclining the upper belt below the upper belt of the belt conveyor.
The ampule container may preferably include a guiding member for guiding both ends of the ampule at both lateral sides of the belt conveyor.
Further, there is provided a third means comprising the first means and the second means. That is, there is provided an ampule container for stacking a plurality of ampules on a belt conveyor transversely to a dispensing direction and dispensing the ampules one by one, which includes an ampule holding member having: a carriage that is movable on the belt conveyor as rolling along the dispensing direction; and a holding portion for holding a rearmost ampule of the ampules stacked on the belt conveyor, wherein an upper belt of the belt conveyor is inclined relative to a horizontal direction orthogonal to the dispensing direction.
According to the invention associated with the first means, when the belt conveyor is driven, the ampule holding member moves to contact the ampule located in the backward side in the dispensing direction. Thus, the ampules located in the backward side are not permitted to fall down. Also, the breakage of the neck section of the ampule or the change in orientation of the ampule can be prevented. In particular, even if the remaining quantity of the ampules becomes low or the remaining quantity of the ampules decreases, the ampules are allowed to be arranged with suitable contact forces therebetween. Thus, the change in orientation of the ampule can be prevented when the belt conveyor is driven, and the ampules can be smoothly dispensed.
According to the invention associated with the second means, the belt conveyor is inclined relative to the horizontal direction orthogonal to the dispensing direction. Thus, the ampule is allowed to fall down on its body section from an upper layer to a lower layer. Thus, the breakage of the neck section or the change in orientation of the ampule can be prevented, and the ampules can be smoothly dispensed.
According to the invention associated with the third means comprising the first and second means, the breakage of the neck section or the change in orientation of the ampule can be prevented, and the ampules can be smoothly dispensed.
1 . . . Ampule container
12 . . . Ampule
13 . . . Belt conveyor
14 . . . Inclined plate
16a, 16b . . . Guide plate
26 . . . Ampule holding member
27 . . . Carriage
28 . . . Aligning plate
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONEmbodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A medicine dispensing device 2 including an ampule container 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to
As shown in
An ampule regulating member 17, which has a shelf shape and projects inward, is provided on a front wall of the ampule container 1 in the ampule dispensing direction. The ampule regulating member 17 defines an ample passage 18 having a gap, which allows only one ampule 12 to pass therethrough, between the upper belt 13a of the belt conveyor 13 and the ampule regulating member 17. The ampule passage 18 communicates with an outlet 19 of the ampule container 1. A pressing member 20 is provided at the ample regulating member 17. A stopper 21 (see
The pressing member 20 generally has a plate shape. The pressing member is pivotably attached to a backward end of a bottom side of the ampule regulating member 17 in the dispensing direction of the ampule 12 via a pin 22. An elastic member 23 that comprises a spring biases the pressing member 20 toward the ampule 12 in a direction of pressing the ampule. A friction member 24, which comprises an urethane rubber (a poly-urethane), a nitrile rubber (a butadiene acrylonitrile co-polymer), a silicon rubber (an organic polysiloxane), a cork, a felt, etc., is attached to a bottom of the pressing member 20. The pressing member 20 is brought into pressure contact with a periphery of the ampule 12. This prevents the ampule 12 from being unintentionally dispensed through the ampule passage 18 when the belt conveyor 13 stops. This further prevents the ampules 12 from being unintentionally dispensed continuously during the dispensing operation.
As shown in
A door 25 configured to cover the outlet 19 for the ampule 12 is provided at a front end side of the ampule container 1 in the ampule dispensing direction so as to pivot about a hinge shaft 25a. The door is biased in a closing direction by a spring (not shown).
As shown in
The medicine guiding container 30 generally has a box shape with an open top and is inclined obliquely downward of the dispensing direction A of the ampule container 1. The ampule 2 dispensed into the medicine guiding container 30 is detected by an ampule detecting sensor 32 provided at a side wall. The rotor 31 has an approximate cylindrical shape and defines a plurality of holding recesses (not shown) at certain pitches on its periphery.
Operations of the above-described medicine dispensing device 2 will now be described below.
To supply the ampule 12, a sensor (not shown) detects whether the ampule 12 exists in the holding recess of the rotor 31 stopping in a proper position. If it is detected that the ampule 12 exists in the holding recess, then the rotor 31 rotates to supply the very ampule 12. If not detected, then it is detected whether the ampule 12 exists in the medicine guiding container 30 based on detection signals from the ampule detecting sensor 32.
If it is detected that the ampule 12 exists in the medicine guiding container 30, then the rotor 31 rotates to hold the ampule 12 in the holding recess and supply the same.
On the contrary, if the ampule 12 is not detected, then the belt conveyor 13 of the ampule container 1 is driven. The belt conveyor 13 is driven in such a manner that it travels in a normal direction for 5 seconds and then travels in a reverse direction for 1 second. Further, the belt conveyor repeats such drive. The ampule 12 in the ampule container 1 is dispensed towards the ampule passage 18 by driving of the belt conveyor 13.
More specifically, as shown in
Operations of the ampule holding member 26 of the ampule container 1 will now be described. In case the ampule holding member 26 is absent, as shown in
According to this embodiment, however, the ampule holding member 26 lies on the belt conveyor 13, thereby preventing the breakage or the change in orientation of the ampule 12.
That is, as shown in
Further, as shown in
Moreover, according to this embodiment, as shown in
As such, the ampule regulating member 17 allows the ampule 12 directly stacked on the belt conveyor 13 to pass through the ampule passage 18. As shown in
The ampule 12 dispensed to the medicine guiding container 30 is detected by the ampule detecting sensor 32. If the sensor 32 detects the ampule 12, then the belt conveyor 13 stops. If the ampule 12 in the rotor 31 is dispensed, then the belt conveyor 13 is driven again in the same cycle.
The above-described operation is repeated until a predetermined amount of the ampules 12 is supplied. If the predetermined amount of the ampule 12 is supplied, then the belt conveyor 13 stops. Since the pressing member 20 prevents the ampule 12 in the ampule passage 18 from being unintentionally dispensed, superfluous ampules 12 are not permitted to be dispensed when the belt conveyor 13 stops.
The ampule 12 supplied from the rotor 31 of the medicine guiding container 30 is lowered down to the tray 4 on the belt conveyor 5 positioned at the bottom of the medicine dispensing device 2 shown in
In the above-described embodiment, the holding portion 28 of the ampule holding member 26 is provided in two places, i.e., at the front side and the back side in the dispensing direction, so that it can be utilized whether it is placed toward any one of the two directions. However, as shown in
Hereinafter, other embodiments of an ampule holding member will be described. For ease of description, like reference numerals are denoted to like portions that implement the same operation.
The holding portion 28 of the ampule holding member 26 is not limited to the above-described flat plate shape. As shown in
Further, the holding portion 28 of the ampule holding member 26 is not limited to the inclination inclined at an angle of 60 degrees forwardly of the dispensing direction. As shown in
Further, the holding portion 28 of the ampule holding member 26 is not limited to the plate shape. The holding portion 28 may have a shape of a wire frame shown in
Claims
1. An ampule container for stacking a plurality of ampules on a belt conveyor transversely to a dispensing direction and dispensing the ampules one by one, the ampule container including an ampule holding member including:
- a carriage movable on the belt conveyor as rolling along the dispensing direction; and
- a holding portion for holding a rearmost ampule of the ampules stacked on the belt conveyor.
2. The ampule container of claim 1, wherein the holding portion is upwardly inclined at an angle of 60 degrees forwardly of the dispensing direction from the carriage.
3. The ampule container of claim 1, wherein the holding portion is vertically upright on the carriage.
4. The ampule container of claim 1, wherein the holding portion is upwardly inclined at an angle of 60 degrees backwardly of the dispensing direction from the carriage.
5. The ampule container of claim 1, to wherein the holding portion is symmetrically provided at a front side and a back side of the carriage along the dispensing direction.
6. An ampule container for stacking a plurality of ampules on a belt conveyor transversely to a dispensing direction and dispensing the ampules one by one,
- wherein an upper belt of the belt conveyor is inclined relative to a horizontal direction orthogonal to the dispensing direction.
7. The ampule container of claim 6, wherein the belt conveyor is inclined such that a body section of the ampule is low and a neck section of the ampule is high.
8. The ampule container of claim 6, including an inclining member for inclining the upper belt below the upper belt of the belt conveyor.
9. The ampule container of claim 6, including a guiding member for guiding both ends of the ampule at both lateral sides of the belt conveyor.
10. An ampule container for stacking a plurality of ampules on a belt conveyor transversely to a dispensing direction and dispensing the ampules one by one,
- the ampule container including an ampule holding member including:
- a carriage movable on the belt conveyor as rolling along the dispensing direction; and
- a holding portion for holding a rearmost ampule of the ampules stacked on the belt conveyor,
- wherein an upper belt of the belt conveyor is inclined relative to a horizontal direction orthogonal to the dispensing direction.
11. The ampule container of claim 2, wherein the holding portion is symmetrically provided at a front side and a back side of the carriage along the dispensing direction.
12. The ampule container of claim 3, wherein the holding portion is symmetrically provided at a front side and a back side of the carriage along the dispensing direction.
13. The ampule container of claim 4, wherein the holding portion is symmetrically provided at a front side and a back side of the carriage along the dispensing direction.
14. The ampule container of claim 7, including an inclining member for inclining the upper belt below the upper belt of the belt conveyor.
15. The ampule container of claim 7, including a guiding member for guiding both ends of the ampule at both lateral sides of the belt conveyor.
16. The ampule container of claim 8, including a guiding member for guiding both ends of the ampule at both lateral sides of the belt conveyor.
17. The ampule container of claim 14, including a guiding member for guiding both ends of the ampule at both lateral sides of the belt conveyor.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 30, 2008
Publication Date: Jan 6, 2011
Inventor: Koji Yamashita (Osaka)
Application Number: 12/667,452
International Classification: B65D 85/42 (20060101);