Medicine dispensing apparatus, method of dispensing medicines, medicine dispensing program and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10045914-B2
Application number	US-201314411079-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2013
Priority date	Jan 18, 2013
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a medicine dispensing apparatus including a plurality of medicine cassettes for respectively dispensing desired types of medicines. The medicine dispensing apparatus allocates medicine information on a medicine to be dispensed to one of the medicine cassettes when the medicine information is given. Then, the medicine dispensing apparatus drives the medicine cassette according to a predetermined driving condition corresponding to the medicine information allocated to the medicine cassette to dispense the medicine from the medicine cassette. By using the medicine dispensing apparatus, it is possible to reduce a user work for dispensing the desired types of medicines.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A medicine dispensing apparatus, comprising:
a plurality of medicine cassettes comprising a plurality of specified medicine cassettes for dispensing specified types of medicines and a plurality of unspecified medicine cassettes for dispensing desired types of medicines;
an allocating portion that selects one medicine cassette from the plurality of specified medicine cassettes or from the plurality of unspecified medicine cassettes and allocates medicine information to the one medicine cassette based upon medicine information pertaining to a medicine to be dispensed from the one medicine cassette, wherein the allocating portion allocates medicine information to an unspecified medicine cassette of the plurality of unspecified medicine cassettes if no specified medicine cassette of the plurality of specified medicine cassettes contains medicine corresponding to the medicine to be dispensed from the one medicine cassette; and
a driving control portion configured to drive the one medicine cassette to adjust a driving condition of the one medicine cassette according to a physical characteristic of the medicine corresponding to the medicine information allocated to the one medicine cassette by the allocating portion.

2. The medicine dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a driving portion configured to supply driving force to a driving mechanism provided to the one medicine cassette,
wherein the driving control portion controls the driving portion according to a predetermined driving condition.

3. The medicine dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the allocating portion allocates the medicine information to the one medicine cassette when the medicine information on the medicine to be dispensed is specified in prescription data received by the dispensing apparatus.

4. The medicine dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a code reading portion configured to read the medicine information from a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code,
wherein the allocating portion allocates the medicine information to the one medicine cassette when the medicine information on the medicine to be dispensed is given through the code reading portion.

5. The medicine dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a manual distributing portion having a plurality of boxes into which medicines to be packaged are to be respectively supplied in units of packages; and
a manual dispensing portion for selectively dispensing the medicine contained in each of the boxes,
wherein the allocating portion displays a message indicating that the manual distributing portion should be used without carrying out the allocation of the medicine information to the one medicine cassette when the medicine information on the medicine to be dispensed matches predetermined allocation exclusion medicine information.

6. The medicine dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a manual distributing portion having a plurality of boxes into which medicines to be packaged are respectively supplied; and
a manual dispensing portion for selectively dispensing the medicine contained in each of the boxes,
wherein the allocating portion displays a message indicating that the manual distributing portion should be used without allocation of the medicine information to the one medicine cassette of the plurality of unspecified medicine cassettes if no specified medicine cassette of the plurality of specified medicine cassettes contains medicine corresponding to the medicine information and if the medicine information on the medicine received by the dispensing apparatus matches predetermined allocation exclusion medicine information.

7. The medicine dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a driving correspondence information storage portion configured to store driving correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between the medicine information and the driving condition,
wherein the driving control portion identifies, on the basis of the driving correspondence information, the driving condition corresponding to the medicine information on the medicine to be dispensed from the one medicine cassette.

8. The medicine dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an allocation information storage portion configured to store allocation information indicating an allocation state associated with each medicine cassette of the plurality of medicine cassettes and the medicine information,
wherein, based upon the allocation information, the allocating portion allocates the medicine information on the medicine to be dispensed from a medicine cassette of the plurality of medicine cassettes which has not yet been subjected to the allocation.

9. The medicine dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a predetermined driving condition that includes at least one of a prior driving condition related to adjustment of the one medicine cassette before a start of a dispensation of the medicine from the one medicine cassette, an under-driving condition related to driving control during the dispensation of the medicine from one medicine cassette, and a driving stop condition related to a driving control to be performed when the dispensation of the medicine from the one medicine cassette is stopped.

10. The medicine dispensing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the one medicine cassette has a dispensing portion configured to dispense the medicine from a medicine containing portion in which the medicine is contained, and
wherein the under-driving condition includes a dispensing speed of the medicine to be dispensed by the dispensing portion.

11. The medicine dispensing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the one medicine cassette has a path adjusting portion configured to change one or both of a height and a width of a discharging path through which the medicine is dispensed from a medicine containing portion in which the medicine is contained, and
wherein the prior driving condition includes one or both of the height and the width of the discharging path.

12. A method of dispensing medicines with a medicine dispensing apparatus including a plurality of medicine cassettes for respectively dispensing desired types of medicines, the method comprising:
allocating medicine information to one medicine cassette of the plurality of medicine cassettes pertaining to medicine to be dispensed from the one medicine cassette when the medicine information is received by the medicine dispensing apparatus, wherein the plurality of medicine cassettes comprises a plurality of specified medicine cassettes and a plurality of unspecified medicine cassettes, and wherein the allocating portion allocates medicine information to an unspecified medicine cassette of the plurality of unspecified medicine cassettes if no specified medicine cassette of the plurality of specified medicine cassettes contains medicine corresponding to the medicine to be dispensed from the one medicine cassette; and
driving the one medicine cassette of the plurality of medicine cassettes to adjust a driving condition of the one medicine cassette according to a physical characteristic of the medicine corresponding to the medicine information allocated to the one medicine cassette.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a medicine dispensing program for allowing a computer to execute a method of dispensing a medicine, the method comprising:
allocating medicine information to one medicine cassette of the plurality of medicine cassettes pertaining to medicine

Assignees

• Yuyama Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yuyama Hiroyuki
• Tanaka Tooru
• Sugimoto Tomohiro
• Terada Tetsuya
• Miwa Kento

Classifications

• B65B35/08

  using pocketed conveyors · CPC title

• G07F9/002

  Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines · CPC title

• G07F17/0092

  for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles (medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00) · CPC title

• B65B35/06

  Separating single articles from loose masses of articles · CPC title

• A61J7/02

  Pill counting devices · CPC title