Patent ID: 11857492
Assignee: TOSHO, INC.
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  G  B | IPC A  B  G

Claim 0:
1. A tablet cassette comprising:
a tablet container including a tablet containing space therein for containing a plurality of tablets in a random manner, and a bottom wall portion having a discharge port to allow the plurality of tablets in the tablet containing space to fall down one by one;
a rotary shaft configured to penetrate the bottom wall portion with an axial line of the rotary shaft extending in a direction that is orthogonal to the bottom wall portion and to be connected to a drive shaft; and
a rotor including a rotor body configured to rotate about the axial line together with the rotary shaft in the tablet containing space of the tablet container and having a plurality of tablet receiving portions provided in an outer peripheral portion of the rotor body at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction to respectively receive the tablet and to allow the tablet to pass therethrough to the discharge port, wherein:
the rotary shaft is hollow;
the tablet cassette further includes:
a plurality of engaged portions continuously provided about the axial line of the rotary shaft at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction on an annular inner surface region of the bottom wall portion located a predetermined distance away from the rotary shaft,
a sliding shaft disposed inside the rotary shaft to rotate together with the rotary shaft and to be slidable in the axial direction to be displaced toward the rotor body when the rotary shaft is coupled to the drive shaft and displaced toward the bottom wall portion when the rotary shaft is not coupled to the drive shaft, and
two or more engaging portions provided on the sliding shaft to be engaged with some of the plurality of engaged portions; and wherein:

the rotary shaft and the sliding shaft are operably supported such that the two or more engaging portions are not engaged with the plurality of engaged portions when the rotary shaft is coupled to the drive shaft and the two or more engaging portions are engaged with the plurality of engaged portions when the rotary shaft is not coupled to the drive shaft;
the rotor body includes an additional member containing space therein, the additional member containing space being configured to open toward the bottom wall portion;
a displacement allowing mechanism is configured to allow the rotary shaft to be displaced in the axial direction in a limited range;
at least one cam portion configured to project toward the additional member containing space is provided in an outer annular inner surface region of the bottom wall portion on a radially outer side of the annular inner surface region;
a follower is fixed to the rotary shaft or an inner wall portion of the rotor body, the follower including a sliding portion configured to slide on a cam surface of the cam portion along with rotation of the rotary shaft; and
the cam surface is shaped to displace the rotary shaft in the axial direction along with movement of the follower.