Patent Publication Number: US-9844491-B2

Title: Medicine feeder and medicine feeding unit

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is the United States national phase of International Application No. PCT/JP2014/074500 filed Sep. 17, 2014, and claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. JP 2013-195847 filed Sep. 20, 2013, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference. 
     FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a medicine feeder configured to feed capsules or the like, and a medicine feeding unit including such a medicine feeder. 
     BACKGROUND 
     As a medicine feeding unit, a “solid preparation filling device” disclosed in Patent Literature 1, for example, can be mentioned. This medicine feeding unit basically includes a medicine container (which is described as a “tablet case” in Patent Literature 1; the following terms in the parentheses in the “Background” are the names of members disclosed in Patent Literature 1) that contains solid medicines, and a substantially cylindrical rotor (discharge drum) that is rotatably located inside the medicine container. The rotor rotates about the vertical axis. As the rotor rotates, the medicines can be sequentially ejected from a medicine outlet (outlet) provided in the medicine container. The ejected medicines are, for example, fed to a packaging device. 
     A plurality of temporary medicine containers (grooves) having receiving spaces that can temporarily contain the medicines are formed in the rotor. An outer circumferential portion of the rotor that is interposed between two temporary medicine containers serves as a blocking part. Each temporary medicine container is formed as a recess extending along the vertical axis on the outer circumferential surface of the rotor. The plurality of temporary medicine containers are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. 
     For example, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 in Patent Literature 1, a partition body (a partition member and a brush member) may be located above the medicine outlet and above the portion where the temporary medicine containers of the rotor are formed. In the partition body, the portion in contact with the medicines is a brush composed of synthetic fibers or the like. Therefore, the partition body has flexibility. The partition body allows one temporary medicine container to contain only one medicine by partitioning between the upper space and the lower space of the partition body. Therefore, the medicines can be dropped one by one from the medicine outlet. 
     In such a medicine feeding unit provided with a partition body, a medicine may be occasionally caught between the partition body and the rotor (specifically, the blocking part) as the rotor rotates. This occurs because the medicine that has almost fallen into the temporary medicine container comes into contact with the partition body as the rotor rotates. 
     The caught medicine may come into contact with another medicine that has already been contained in the temporary medicine container in some cases. In such a case, a delay may occur in dropping the other medicine due to the other medicine being pressed, which may result in a shift in ejection timing. Further, the medicine that has been caught and the other medicine may be ejected at one time in some cases. Such an inconvenient phenomenon tends to occur particularly when ejecting medicines with an elongated shape such as capsules. 
     This inconvenient phenomenon is described with reference to  FIG. 11A  to  FIG. 11I . In each figure, a rotor  91  rotates in a rotational direction R (in the direction from the right to the left of the figure). First, as shown in  FIG. 11A , part of a tablet M such as a capsule may occasionally enter a temporary medicine container  92 . Then, the tablet M in such a state comes into contact with a flexible part (“brush member” disclosed in Patent Literature 1)  93  of a partition body ( FIG. 11B ). Then, with the rotation of the rotor  91 , the tablet M moving to the left of the figure gets under the flexible part  93 , so as to be caught between the upper surface of the rotor  91  and the flexible part  93  ( FIG. 11C ). The tablet M caught as above slides on the upper surface of the rotor  91  with the rotation of the rotor  91  ( FIG. 11D ). Then, the sliding tablet M is about to fall into the temporary medicine container  92  ( FIG. 11E ). Here, in the case where another tablet M′ is already located in the temporary medicine container  92  into which the tablet M is about to fall, the caught tablet M presses the other tablet M′ to the right of the figure (in  FIG. 11F , the pressing direction is shown by an arrow). 
     The pressed tablet M′ may fail to fall at an appropriate timing, even when it comes above a medicine outlet  94 , due to being pressed against the inner surface of the temporary medicine container  92  in some cases ( FIG. 11G ). In the case where the tablet M′ falls with a delay, the tablet M′ may be caught between the temporary medicine container  92  and the edge of the medicine outlet  94  in some cases, as shown in  FIG. 11H . In such a case, the rotor  91  may stop moving, or the tablet M′ may be damaged, in some cases. Alternatively, two tablets, that is, the tablet M that has been caught between the upper surface of the rotor  91  and the flexible part  93 , and the other tablet M′ that has been already located in the temporary medicine container  92  may fall at one time in some cases, as shown in  FIG. 11I . Such a phenomenon is the inconvenient phenomenon. 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
     Patent Literature 1: JP H09-77001 A 
     SUMMARY 
     Technical Problem 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a medicine feeder capable of suppressing the occurrence of the inconvenience even in the case where a medicine is caught between a partition body and a rotor, and a medicine feeding unit including the medicine feeder. 
     Solution to Problem 
     The present invention is a medicine feeder configured to feed solid medicines with an elongated shape, the medicine feeder including: a medicine container configured to contain the medicines, the medicine container having a medicine outlet that is formed in a bottom part and ejects the medicines; a medicine delivering part that is provided inside the medicine container and is rotatable about an axis intersecting the bottom part of the medicine container, the medicine delivering part having a plurality of medicine receiving spaces that are arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction about the axis and contain the medicines one by one in an erected state, the medicine delivering part being configured to deliver the medicines contained in the respective medicine receiving spaces to the medicine outlet by being driven to rotate about the axis; and a medicine entry preventing part that is provided in the medicine container and has flexibility, the medicine entry preventing part being configured to prevent the medicines from entering one of the plurality of medicine receiving spaces that coincides with the medicine outlet by covering over the medicine receiving space, wherein a bulkhead portion partitioning between each two of the medicine receiving spaces that are adjacent in the circumferential direction about the axis is arranged between the medicine receiving spaces, and the bulkhead portion has a shape such that an upper surface of a portion close to a rear side in the rotational direction of the medicine delivering part rises toward a direction opposite to the rotational direction of the medicine delivering part. 
     Further, the present invention is a medicine feeding unit including: the medicine feeder; and a support that has a rotational driving source configured to drive the medicine delivering part to rotate and supports the medicine feeder. 
     The bulkhead portion can have the upper surface of the portion close to the rear side in the rotational direction of the medicine delivering part at a relatively high position, and an upper surface of a portion close to a front side in the rotational direction of the medicine delivering part at a relatively low position. 
     The bulkhead portion can have an upper corner having a curved surface or an inclined flat surface on its front edge in the rotational direction of the medicine delivering part. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective plan view showing a tablet cassette and a support base of a medicine feeding unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective bottom view showing the tablet cassette and the support base of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective vertical sectional plan view showing the tablet cassette and the support base of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing the stacked state of the tablet cassette and the support base of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 5A  is a perspective plan view showing a rotor of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 5B  is a perspective bottom view showing the rotor of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 5C  is a perspective plan view similar to  FIG. 5A  but showing the surface between the front edge and the slope part as flat. 
         FIG. 6  is an explanatory side view showing the relationship between a lever and a driven shaft of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged perspective bottom view of a main part of the tablet cassette of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged bottom view of a main part of the tablet cassette of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 9A  is a schematic side view sequentially showing the appearance of a tablet moving over a temporary medicine container of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 9B  is a schematic side view sequentially showing the appearance of the tablet moving over the temporary medicine container of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 9C  is a schematic side view sequentially showing the appearance of the tablet moving over the temporary medicine container of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 9D  is a schematic side view sequentially showing the appearance of the tablet moving over the temporary medicine container of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 9E  is a schematic side view sequentially showing the appearance of the tablet moving over the temporary medicine container of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 9F  is a schematic side view sequentially showing the appearance of the tablet moving over the temporary medicine container of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 9G  is a schematic side view sequentially showing the appearance of the tablet moving over the temporary medicine container of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 10A  is a schematic view showing the positional relationship of an arm, a driven engagement block, and a driving engagement block of a medicine feeding unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10B  is a schematic view showing the positional relationship of the arm, the driven engagement block, and the driving engagement block of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 10C  is a schematic view showing the positional relationship of the arm, the driven engagement block, and the driving engagement block of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 10D  is a schematic view showing the positional relationship of the arm, the driven engagement block, and the driving engagement block of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 10E  is a schematic view showing the positional relationship of the arm and a projecting wall of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 10F  is a schematic view showing the positional relationship of the arm and the projecting wall of the medicine feeding unit. 
         FIG. 11A  is a schematic side view showing an inconvenience occurring in a conventional temporary medicine container. 
         FIG. 11B  is a schematic side view showing the inconvenience occurring in the conventional temporary medicine container. 
         FIG. 11C  is a schematic side view showing the inconvenience occurring in the conventional temporary medicine container. 
         FIG. 11D  is a schematic side view showing the inconvenience occurring in the conventional temporary medicine container. 
         FIG. 11E  is a schematic side view showing the inconvenience occurring in the conventional temporary medicine container. 
         FIG. 11F  is a schematic side view showing the inconvenience occurring in the conventional temporary medicine container. 
         FIG. 11G  is a schematic side view showing the inconvenience occurring in the conventional temporary medicine container. 
         FIG. 11H  is a schematic side view showing the inconvenience occurring in the conventional temporary medicine container. 
         FIG. 11I  is a schematic side view showing the inconvenience occurring in the conventional temporary medicine container. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Next, the present invention is described with reference to an embodiment of a medicine feeding unit. In the following descriptions for directions of a tablet cassette  1 , the side close to a user or the like is referred to as “front side”, and the far side thereof is referred to as “rear side”, when the medicine feeding unit is seen by the user or the like. Further, the direction in which the medicine feeding unit is seen as above from the user or the like is referred to as “front-back direction”, and the left-right direction as seen from the user or the like is referred to as “left-right direction”. Further, by likening a rotational direction R of a rotor  16  to a flow, the rotation departure side of the rotational direction R (the back side in the rotational direction) is referred to as “upstream side”, and the rotation destination side thereof (the front side in the rotational direction) is referred to as “downstream side”. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 , the medicine feeding unit includes the tablet cassette  1  serving as a medicine feeder configured to feed tablets M having an elongated shape, and a support base  2  serving as a support constituting part of the body of the medicine feeding unit. 
     In the medicine feeding unit, a plurality of support bases  2  are arranged in the vertical direction, and the tablet cassette  1  is arranged above each of the support bases  2 , for example, as shown in  FIG. 4  (only the tablet cassette  1  on the lower side is shown in  FIG. 4 ). Therefore, a plurality of medicine feeding units are arranged in alignment in the vertical direction. In the manner as shown in  FIG. 4 , the medicine feeding units are in the form of a shelf in which a plurality of tablet cassettes  1  can be stacked vertically and horizontally as seen from the front or rear. The medicine feeding units of this embodiment are in the form of a shelf linearly extending in the left-right direction. However, there is no limitation to this, and it also can be in the form of a cylindrical or semi-cylindrical shelf, for example, by extending in the left-right direction to be curved to a constant curvature. 
     The tablet cassette  1  includes a medicine container  1   a  in the form of a box formed using a synthetic resin or the like. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the tablet cassette  1  further includes a driven shaft  17  that is provided rotatably with respect to the medicine container  1   a , and medicines can be fed from the medicine container  1   a  by rotationally driving the driven shaft  17 . Therefore, a plurality of tablets M contained in the medicine container  1   a  can be appropriately taken out therefrom. The tablets M contained in the medicine container  1   a  of this embodiment are capsules with an elongated shape (see  FIG. 9 ). However, the object to be contained in the medicine container  1   a  may be solid medicines with various shapes (the shape is not limited to the elongated shape). The tablet cassette  1  including the medicine container  1   a  can be attached or detached by sliding back and forth with respect to the support base  2  that is fixed to the body of the medicine feeding unit. More specifically, it can be attached or detached by sliding with respect to a sliding surface  21  that is the upper surface of the support base  2  intersecting the axial direction of a driving shaft  23 . 
     The “elongated shape” of the tablets M indicates a shape in which, as compared with a sectional dimension (minor axis dimension) in a first direction, a sectional dimension (major axis dimension) in a second direction intersecting the first direction is larger. It is typified by the shape of capsules (in which the sectional shape is oblong). However, the tablets M to be contained in the medicine container  1   a  are not limited to capsules, and include elongated tablets without using capsules. Further, in the case where the action of “moving over”, which will be described below, is not needed, circular tablets also can be contained in the medicine container  1   a.    
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the medicine container  1   a  has a bottom part  11 , and side walls  12  that are raised upwardly from the bottom part  11 . Above the side walls  12 , a cover part  13  is attached openably and closably. The cover part  13  of this embodiment is supported by hinges  131  located on the rear side so as to be pivotable with respect to the side walls  12  or the like. Further, maintenance holes  114  are formed on the side surfaces of the bottom part  11 . Tools such as a driver can be inserted through the maintenance holes  114 . 
     Further, as a part of the side walls  12 , a cylindrical part  121  having an inner circumferential surface with a slightly larger diameter than the outer diameter of the rotor  16  is formed. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the rotor  16  serving as a medicine delivering part is located inside the medicine container  1   a , specifically, inside the cylindrical part  121 . 
     A medicine outlet  111  configured to eject the tablets M from the medicine container  1   a  is formed in a portion of the bottom part  11  that is surrounded by the cylindrical part  121  (more specifically, a portion adjacent to the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical part  121 ). In this embodiment, a disk-shaped body  14  made of a stainless steel plate or the like is arranged on the upper surface of the bottom part  11 . A cutout  141  through which the tablets M dropped from the rotor  16  pass is formed at one point in the outer circumferential portion of the disk-shaped body  14 . The cutout  141  is formed with a slightly larger dimension in the circumferential direction than that of temporary medicine containers  164  of the rotor  16 . The disk-shaped body  14  is a member capable of closing a region of the medicine outlet  111  that is unnecessary for dropping the tablets M. Depending on the tablets M, there are tablets that make an undesired motion when being dropped from the medicine outlet  111 . Use of the disk-shaped body  14  can narrow the region through which the tablets M fall, and can reduce the undesired motion of the tablets M. The end edge of the cutout  141  may have a sharp cut surface or remain having burrs if the cut stainless steel plate or the like is left as it is. Therefore, the tablets M passing through the cutout  141  may possibly be damaged. Accordingly, the end edge of the cutout  141  desirably has a shape, for example, such that the end edge is folded downward without leaving the cut end edge as it is, as described above. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the bottom part  11  is bent upwardly around the center in the radial direction of the rotor  16 , thereby forming a bottom recess  112  opening downwardly. In the bottom recess  112 , a driven engagement block (driven engagement member)  172  and a bias spring  173  of the driven shaft  17  are located. Further, as shown in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 , hook projections  113  project from the inner circumferential surface of the bottom recess  112 . A plurality (10 in this embodiment) of hook projections  113  are evenly located in the circumferential direction. In two of the recesses (at 10 points in this embodiment) interposed between the hook projections  113 , projecting portions  1724  formed projecting in the radially outward direction from plate parts  1723  (which will be described below) formed in the driven engagement block  172  are located. As shown in  FIG. 8 , with the rotation of the rotor  16 , the projecting portions  1724  abut the hook projections  113 . As described below, in a rotation preventing part in an unengaged state, the projecting portions  1724  function as movable locking parts, and the hook projections  113  function as fixed locking parts. Therefore, in the state where the driven engagement block  172  abuts driving engagement blocks  232  of the driving shaft  23  of the support base  2  but is not engaged therewith when the tablet cassette  1  is arranged above the support base  2 , so that a rotational driving force cannot be transmitted (abutting state), it is possible to suppress the ejection of the tablets M from the tablet cassette  1  when the medicines should not be ejected by rotation of the rotor  16 , which may be caused by rotation of the driven shaft  17  due to the influence of vibration or the like even when no driving force is transmitted from the support base  2 . 
     The angles, with reference to the axial center of the driven shaft  17 , corresponding to the intervals at which the plurality of recesses (at 10 points in this embodiment) are formed in the circumferential direction are smaller than the angles, with reference to the axial center of the driven shaft  17 , corresponding to the intervals at which temporary medicine containers  164  (at  7  points in this embodiment) of the rotor  16  are formed in the circumferential direction. Therefore, even if the driven shaft  17  rotates in the range between two adjacent hook projections  113 , the temporary medicine containers  164  of the rotor  16  do not coincide with the medicine outlet  111 . Therefore, the ejection of the tablets M due to the influence of vibration or the like can be effectively suppressed. 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 3 , a partition body  15  is located at a position on the rear side of the cylindrical part  121  of the medicine container  1   a , above the medicine outlet  111 , and above the position at which one of the temporary medicine containers  164  of the rotor  16  is formed. In this embodiment, the partition body  15  is spaced from the upper end position of an upper surface, or a slope part  1624 , of a blocking part  162  of the rotor  16  (see  FIG. 9B  and others). It is also possible to arrange the partition body  15  so as to be dragged on the slope part  1624  with the rotation of the rotor  16 . The partition body  15  prevents two or more tablets M from falling into the medicine outlet  111  at one time due to the two or more tablets M entering a medicine receiving space  164   a  of the temporary medicine container  164  of the rotor  16  that has moved to the position overlapping the medicine outlet  111  thereabove. In other words, the partition body  15  functions as a medicine entry preventing part, and covers over one of a plurality of medicine receiving spaces  164   a  of the rotor  16  that coincides with the medicine outlet  111 , thereby preventing the tablets M from entering the medicine receiving space  164   a.    
     The partition body  15  includes a base part  151  and a flexible part  152 . The base part  151  is a portion attached to the cylindrical part  121 . The inner surface of the base part  151  is formed to be curved to substantially the same curvature as that of the inner surface of the cylindrical part  121 . The flexible part  152  is a portion in contact with the tablets M, is formed extending in the front direction from the base part  151 , and is composed of a brush made of a plurality of soft synthetic resins arranged in parallel. Therefore, the flexible part  152  has flexibility. The degree of the flexibility may be such that abrasions, cracks, or the like do not occur in the tablets M moving with the rotation of the rotor  16  within the medicine container  1   a , and a partition can be formed between the upper and lower parts so that only one tablet M can be positioned in the temporary medicine container  164  of the rotor  16 . Accordingly, embodiments of the flexible part  152  are not limited to a brush as in this embodiment, and may be, for example, a plate body made of soft and rigid resin, which can be appropriately modified. 
     The rotor  16  is located in the cylindrical part  121  so as to be rotatable about an axis intersecting the bottom part  11  (about a vertical axis extending in the vertical direction in this embodiment). In the case of feeding the tablets M, the rotor  16  rotates in the rotational direction R that is the clockwise direction in plan view, as shown in  FIG. 5A . It is also possible that it rotates in the direction opposite to the rotational direction R. The rotor  16  includes a body  161  located radially inwardly, and a plurality (7 in this embodiment) of blocking parts  162  projecting in the radially outward direction from the body  161 . The body  161  has a shape such that the radially inward position is raised upwardly. The upper surface of the body  161  forms a slope declining toward the radially outward position. This shape allows the tablets M to slide down on the slope, and thus the tablets M contained in the medicine container  1   a  can be smoothly guided downwardly. In the upper part of the body  161 , four recessed grooves  163  extending in the radial direction are formed. The recessed grooves  163  serve to eliminate the distribution deviation of the tablets M within the medicine container  1   a  by moving the tablets M within the medicine container  1   a  with the rotation of the rotor  16 . 
     The plurality of blocking parts  162  are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the plurality of blocking parts  162  are arranged at equal intervals (angles). The temporary medicine container  164  is a portion having the medicine receiving space  164   a  extending in the vertical direction between two adjacent blocking parts  162 . That is, the temporary medicine container  164  is a portion defined by the body  161  and the two blocking parts  162  (more specifically, side walls  1621  of the two blocking parts  162 ). In other words, a bulkhead portion defining each adjacent medicine receiving spaces  164   a  in the circumferential direction is arranged between the adjacent medicine receiving spaces  164   a . Such a bulkhead portion corresponds to each of the plurality of blocking parts  162 . In this embodiment, the temporary medicine containers  164  are evenly formed at 7 points along the circumferential direction of the rotor  16 . The dimension in the circumferential direction of each temporary medicine container  164  is smaller than the major axis dimension of the tablets M. The tablets M with an elongated shape can be contained respectively in the plurality of the medicine receiving spaces  164   a  of the temporary medicine containers  164  one by one in an erected state. Further, as shown in  FIG. 5B , a bottom surface  165  is a flat surface. The tablets M contained in the respective medicine receiving spaces  164   a  can be delivered to the medicine outlet  111  by rotationally driving the rotor  16  configured as above. 
     In each blocking part  162 , also referred to as bulkhead portion, the side walls extend in the vertical direction on the upstream side to define an upstream side wall  1621 ( a ) and extend in the downstream side to define a downstream side wall  1621 ( b ) in the rotational direction R, a rounded part  1622  located at an upper corner on the downstream side wall  1621 ( b ) in the rotational direction R, a flat part  1623  adjacent to the upstream side wall  1621 ( a ) in the rotational direction R of the rounded part  1622 , the slope part  1624  that is adjacent to the upstream side in the rotational direction R of the flat part  1623  and is a slope rising toward the upstream side in the rotational direction R (that is, in the direction opposite to the rotational direction R) are formed. With reference to the end edge of each blocking part  162  on the upstream side in the rotational direction R, the slope part  1624  is a slope declining from the upper end of the end edge on the upstream side toward the downstream side in the rotational direction R. The formation of the slope part  1624  allows each blocking part  162  to have a shape such that the upper end of the end edge on the upstream side in the rotational direction R is located at a relatively high position, and the upper end of the end edge on the downstream side is located at a relatively low position. Further, each blocking part  162  has an upper surface in a portion close to the upstream in the rotational direction R located at a relatively high position, and an upper surface in a portion close to the downstream in the rotational direction R located at a relatively low position. 
     The inclination of the slope part  1624  needs only to allow the tablets M to face upward toward the upstream in the rotational direction R, as shown in  FIG. 9E  and  FIG. 9F . Therefore, the inclination angle of the slope part  1624  is not specifically limited. Further, the slope part  1624  is a flat surface in this embodiment, but may be a curved surface. For example, it may be formed stepwise with a smaller dimension than the major axis dimension of the tablets M. Further, the slope part  1624  may be formed on the entire upper surface of each blocking part  162  without forming the flat part  1623 . 
     The rounded part  1622  is formed to guide the tablet M located above the rotor  16  to the medicine receiving space  164   a  of the temporary medicine container  164 . By allowing the tablet M to move along the rounded part  1622 , the tablet M that should enter the temporary medicine container  164  can be smoothly guided to the temporary medicine container  164 . The rounded part  1622  of this embodiment is formed as a curved surface with a constant curvature. However, there is no limitation to this, and a curved surface with varying curvature or an inclined flat surface (chamfered part), as shown by reference item  1622  in  FIG. 5C , can be formed at the upper corner on the downstream side in the rotational direction R. 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 9C  to  FIG. 9G , the slope part  1624  acts, in the case where the tablet M is caught between the flexible part  152  of the partition body  15  and the blocking part  162 , to allow the caught tablet M to move over the temporary medicine container  164  so as not to fall into the temporary medicine container  164 . 
     The “moving over” action is described with reference to  FIG. 9A  to  FIG. 9G . In each figure of  FIG. 9 , the rotor  16  is moving (rotating) from the right to the left of the figure. First, as shown in  FIG. 9A , part of the tablet M occasionally enters the temporary medicine container  164 . Then, when the tablet M in the aforementioned state comes into contact with the flexible part  152  of the partition body  15  ( FIG. 9B ), the tablet M that is moving to the left of the figure together with the rotor  16  gets under the flexible part  152  and is caught between the flat part  1623  of the rotor  16  and the flexible part  152  ( FIG. 9C ). With the rotation of the rotor  16 , the caught tablet M slides on the flat part  1623  by being pushed by the flexible part  152  from above ( FIG. 9D ). With reference to the flat part  1623 , the sliding direction is to the right of the figure. The sliding tablet M is brought into a state of being right up in the figure by riding over the slope part  1624  ( FIG. 9E  and  FIG. 9F ). With such a state, the rotor  16  further rotates, and the tablet M strides over two adjacent blocking parts  162  ( FIG. 9G ). Then, the tablet M moves over the temporary medicine container  164  without falling into the temporary medicine container  164  located below the striding position. 
     As described above, even if the tablet M is caught between the partition body  15  and the rotor  16 , the caught tablet M can be allowed to face the temporary medicine container  164  obliquely upward along the slope part  1624 . Therefore, the caught tablet M can be allowed to move over the temporary medicine container  164 . Accordingly, the occurrence of inconveniences, such as that the tablet M is caught in the medicine outlet  94 , as shown in  FIG. 11H , and that two tablets M and M′ fall therein at one time, as shown on the right side in  FIG. 11I , can be suppressed. In the aforementioned manner, in the medicine feeding unit using the rotor  16  of this embodiment, the tablets M can be fed stably as compared with conventional techniques. 
     The rotor  16  is coupled to the driven shaft  17  extending downwardly at the center in the radial direction. The rotor  16  is driven to rotate by rotationally driving the driven shaft  17 , so that the tablets M can be fed from the medicine container  1   a . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the driven shaft  17  includes a driven shaft body  171 , the driven engagement block  172  serving as a driven engagement member, and the bias spring  173 . The driven engagement block  172  and the bias spring  173  are located so as to be surrounded by the bottom recess  112  of the medicine container  1   a.    
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the cross sectional shape of the lower part of the driven shaft body  171  is cruciform. On the other hand, a vertical through hole  1721  with a cruciform cross sectional shape is formed in the driven engagement block  172 . When the lower part of the driven shaft body  171  is located in the vertical through hole  1721 , the driven engagement block  172  is rotatable together with the driven shaft body  171  and is movable in the axial direction, that is, in the vertical direction in this embodiment. Thereby, the driven engagement block  172  can move to advance to or retract from the medicine container  1   a . Further, the bias spring  173  biases the driven engagement block  172  in the approaching direction close to the driving engagement blocks  232 , that is, downwardly in this embodiment. Therefore, the driven engagement block  172  projects from the medicine container  1   a  when the tablet cassette  1  is detached from the support base  2 . 
     The driven engagement block  172  includes driven side engaging parts  1722  together with the vertical through hole  1721  in a radially inward region  172   a  of the lower end surface, as shown in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 . That is, the driven engagement block  172  is a portion including the driven side engaging parts  1722 . Four driven side engaging parts  1722  that are recesses formed on the outer circumferential edge in the radially inward region  172   a  to have a specific depth are formed evenly in the circumferential direction. The driven side engaging parts  1722  are engaged with (fitted to) driving side engaging parts  2321  that are projections in the driving shaft  23  of the support base  2 . When they are engaged, the axial center of the driven side engaging parts  1722  and the axial center of the driving side engaging parts  2321  are aligned in a straight line. Such engagement allows a rotational driving force to be transmitted from the support base  2  to the tablet cassette  1 . 
     As an example of methods for transmitting the rotational driving force from a support base to a tablet cassette, there has conventionally been a method in which spur gears are meshed from a lateral side (see JP H9-323702 A, for example). However, this method requires an accurate design of the distance between a spur gear on the support base side and a spur gear on the tablet cassette side for ensuring the meshing. In contrast, this embodiment is configured so that the driven side engaging parts  1722  are engaged with the driving side engaging parts  2321  in the vertical direction, and therefore displacement in the vertical direction is acceptable to some extent. Further, in this embodiment, the driving side engaging parts  2321  are designed to be loosely fitted to the driven side engaging parts  1722 . Accordingly, displacement is acceptable to some extent also in the front-back direction. Therefore, there is an advantage of being capable of relaxing the design accuracy. 
     On the other hand, in a radially outward region  172   b  of the lower end surface of the driven engagement block  172 , a plurality of plate parts  1723  are formed evenly in the circumferential direction, as shown in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 . Each plate part  1723  is formed extending in the radial direction. When the tablet cassette  1  is detached from the support base  2 , the plate parts  1723  are engaged with claw parts  195  of an arm  19  (which will be described below), thereby preventing the rotation of the rotor  16 . As described below, in the rotation preventing part in the detached state, the plate parts  1723  function as movable locking parts, and the claw parts  195  function as fixed locking parts. As a configuration for preventing the rotation, the plate parts  1723  are formed in this embodiment. However, there is no limitation to this, and various embodiments such as recesses or projections that can be engaged with the claw parts  195  of the arm  19  can be employed. 
     Further, in this embodiment, two of the plate parts  1723  project from the outer edge of the radially outward region  172   b  in the further radially outward direction, thereby forming the projecting portions  1724 . Here, it is supposed that the driven engagement block  172  abuts the driving engagement blocks  232  of the driving shaft  23  of the support base  2  but is not engaged therewith, so that the rotational driving force cannot be transmitted (in an abutting state, see  FIG. 10C ). When the rotor  16  rotates by receiving an external force or the like in such an abutting state, the projecting portions  1724  abut the hook projections  113 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , which can suppress ejection of the tablets M from the medicine container  1   a  of the tablet cassette  1  due to further rotation of the rotor  16  when the tablets M should not be ejected. 
     In this way, the rotation preventing part in an unengaged state is constituted by the projecting portions  1724  and the hook projections  113 . The rotation preventing part in an unengaged state allows the rotation of the driven engagement block  172  in an engaged state in which the driven engagement block  172  is engaged with the driving engagement blocks  232  and in a mounted state in which the tablet cassette  1  is mounted on the support base  2 . On the other hand, it prevents the rotation of the driven engagement block  172  in an abutting state in which the driven engagement block  172  abuts the driving engagement blocks  232  without being engaged. The projecting portions  1724  are movable locking parts provided in the driven engagement block  172  (more specifically, in the outer circumferential portion of the driven engagement block  172 ). The hook projections  113  are fixed locking parts provided in the bottom part  11  of the medicine container  1   a  (more specifically, in the inner circumferential portion of the bottom recess  112 ), which are arranged apart from the projecting portions  1724  in the engaged state and are arranged to lock the projecting portions  1724  in the abutting state. 
     In this embodiment, the projecting portions  1724  are formed at two points, but one projecting portion  1724  may be formed at only one point. However, when the projecting portions  1724  are formed at two points, one of the projecting portions  1724  at the two points that is close to an adjacent hook projection  113  abuts the hook projection  113  earlier, when the rotor  16  rotates, whichever the rotational direction is clockwise or counterclockwise. Therefore, formation of the projecting portions  1724  at two points is advantageous in that an allowable rotation angle of the rotor  16  can be smaller. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 , a grip  18  that is a portion gripped by an operator such as a user when the tablet cassette  1  is attached to or detached from the support base  2  is formed on the front side of the medicine container  1   a . An operation unit  197  of the arm  19  (which will be described below) that is an operating member to be operated to release the unslidable state (locked state) that has been set when the tablet cassette  1  is detached from the support base  2  is located on the rear side of the grip  18 . 
     The arm  19  has a shape shown in  FIG. 6 , in which a horizontal part  191  and a vertical part  192  are integrally formed.  FIG. 6  is a side view extracting the arm  19 , the driven shaft body  171 , and the driven engagement block  172 , in the state where the driven engagement block  172  is pushed upwardly by the arm  19 . The arm  19  is supported by a hinge part  193  located between the horizontal part  191  and the vertical part  192  so as to be pivotable with respect to the bottom part  11  of the medicine container  1   a . Thus, the arm  19  pivots about the pivot shaft (the axial center of the hinge part  193 ) parallel to the bottom part  11  within a specific range as shown by the arrow in  FIG. 6 . 
     The horizontal part  191  includes a spring mounting portion  1911  at a middle position. Between the spring mounting portion  1911  and the bottom part  11  of the medicine container  1   a , an arm biasing spring  1921  is attached, as shown in  FIG. 3 . The horizontal part  191  is biased by the spring  1921  in the counterclockwise direction (downwardly in this embodiment) with the hinge part  193  at the center. The bias direction of the horizontal part  191  by the spring  1921  is the same as the approaching direction in which the driven engagement block  172  approaches the driving engagement blocks  232 . 
     The tip on the rear side of the horizontal part  191  is a pushing part  19   a  capable of pushing the driven engagement block  172  in a separating direction opposite to the approaching direction and is bifurcated to the left and right, as shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 7 . The pushing part  19   a  is also biased in the approaching direction by the spring  1921 . In each of the bifurcated portions, a slide regulator  194 , a claw part  195 , and a push-up surface  196  are formed. The driving shaft  23  of the support base  2  passes through the space between the bifurcated portions, in the state where the tablet cassette  1  is attached to the support base  2 . 
     The slide regulators  194  are projections extending outwardly from the horizontal part  191  to the left and right. Each slide regulator  194  includes a slide abutting surface  1941  and a hooking surface  1942 . The slide abutting surface  1941  is formed as a slope facing obliquely downward on the rear side of the slide regulator  194 . The hooking surface  1942  is formed as a flat surface facing the front side. The functions of these surfaces will be described later. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the claw parts  195  can prevent the rotation of the driven shaft  17  by abutting the plate parts  1723  of the driven engagement block  172 . In this way, the claw parts  195  suppress the rotation of the rotor  16  due to an external force or the like, for example, when the tablet cassette  1  is detached from the support base  2 , despite that the rotational driving force is not transmitted from the support base  2 . Therefore, ejection of the tablets M from the medicine container  1   a  of the tablet cassette  1  when the tablets M should not be ejected can be suppressed. 
     In this way, the rotation preventing part in the detached state is constituted by the plate parts  1723  and the claw parts  195 . The rotation preventing part in the detached state allows the rotation of the driven engagement block  172  in a mounted state in which the tablet cassette  1  is mounted on the support base  2 . On the other hand, it prevents the rotation of the driven engagement block  172  in a detached state in which the tablet cassette  1  is detached from the support base  2 . The plate parts  1723  are movable locking parts provided in the driven engagement block  172  (more specifically, the end face of the driven engagement block  172 , further specifically, the outer circumferential portion of the end face). The claw parts  195  are provided in the bottom part  11  of the medicine container  1   a . The claw parts  195  are fixed locking parts that are arranged apart from the plate parts  1723  in the mounted state and are arranged to lock the plate parts  1723  in the detached state. 
     In this embodiment, the claw parts  195  are part of the arm  19 . Accordingly, there is no need to separately provide a stopper for preventing the rotation of the driven shaft  17 , and thus the number of parts constituting the tablet cassette  1  can be reduced. 
     The push-up surfaces  196  function as part of a retraction mechanism for moving the driven shaft  17  in the axial direction so as not to interfere with the driving shaft  23  of the support base  2  when the tablet cassette  1  is slid. In this embodiment, the retraction mechanism moves the driven engagement block  172  of the driven shaft  17  in a separating direction opposite to the approaching direction, against the biasing force in the approaching direction by the bias spring  173 . The push-up surfaces  196  are surfaces for pushing the driven engagement block  172  that is a part of the driven shaft  17  in the separating direction, and the push-up surfaces  196  can push the driven engagement block  172  of the driven shaft  17  upwardly, as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     The vertical part  192  is a portion located in the grip  18  of the tablet cassette  1 . The vertical part  192  is provided with the operation unit  197  on the rear side. When a user or the like grasps the grip  18  and moves the operation unit  197  to the front side so as to coincide with the detaching direction of the tablet cassette  1 , the arm  19  rotates about the hinge part  193  clockwise in side view. Thereby, the driven engagement block  172  is pushed upwardly by the push-up surfaces  196  of the pushing part  19   a  and moves away from the driving engagement blocks  232  of the support base  2 . In addition, the slide regulators  194  can be moved away from projecting walls  25  of the support base  2 . 
     The support base  2  is a member fixed to the body of the medicine feeding unit. The support base  2  includes a motor  22  as a rotational driving source, and the driving shaft  23  that is coaxially connected to the driven shaft  17 , that is, with substantially the same axial direction (where the axes are not required to be in a straight line, and an axis deviation is permitted as long as there is no problem in transmission of the driving force) and that is driven to rotate by the motor  22 . The two shafts  17  and  23  are connected so that the ends of the two shafts  17  and  23  abut each other, instead of being connected at a radially outward position of the axes as in a conventional method in which spur gears are meshed from a lateral side. The support base  2  detachably supports the tablet cassette  1  by guiding the tablet cassette  1  so as to slide in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the driving shaft  23 . In this embodiment, the support base  2  has the sliding surface  21  that is a horizontal plane on its upper surface. With the lower end of the bottom part  11  of the medicine container  1   a  abutting the sliding surface  21 , sliding by pushing (in the rear direction) and pulling (in the front direction) is performed. The motor  22  is located below the sliding surface  21 , and a driving shaft body  231  extends upwardly from the motor  22  passing through the sliding surface  21 . 
     The driving engagement blocks (driving engagement members)  232  are fixed to the upper end portion of the driving shaft body  231 . Each driving engagement block  232  includes a driving side engaging part  2321  in its upper part. That is, the driving engagement block  232  is a portion including the driving side engaging part  2321 . The driving side engaging part  2321  is a projection formed projecting from the driving shaft body  231  in the radially outward direction and can be engaged with (fitted to) a driven side engaging part  1722  in the tablet cassette  1 . This engagement is achieved by movement of the driving side engaging part  2321  as a projection and the driven side engaging part  1722  as a recess in the axial direction. Therefore, even if the driving side engaging part  2321  and the driven side engaging part  1722  are slightly shifted from each other in the axial direction as compared with the design value, the driving force can be transmitted without problems. Further, in this embodiment, the driving side engaging part  2321  is designed to be loosely fitted to the driven side engaging part  1722 . Accordingly, even if the driving shaft  23  and the driven shaft  17  are slightly shifted from each other in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, the driving force can be transmitted without problems. 
     Further, a medicine passage part  24  configured to receive the tablet M falling from the medicine outlet  111  of the medicine container  1   a  is formed extending obliquely downwardly on the rear side of the support base  2 . A medicine passing sensor  241  is located on a side wall of the medicine passage part  24 , so that the falling number of tablets M can be counted by the medicine passing sensor  241 . 
     On the sliding surface  21 , two projecting walls  25  are formed extending parallel to each other in the front-back direction. As the upper end face of each projecting wall  25 , a guiding slope  251  that is a guiding part for the arm  19  is formed on the front side, which is transformed into a horizontal upper face  252  that is horizontal from the middle. Further, the projecting wall  25  has a rear end face  253  that is a substantially vertical face. The guiding slopes  251  and the horizontal upper faces  252  function as part of the retraction mechanism for moving the driven shaft  17  in the axial direction so as not to interfere with the driving shaft  23  of the support base  2  when sliding the tablet cassette  1 . 
     The guiding slopes  251  can rotate the arm  19  about the hinge part  193  clockwise in side view by abutting the slide abutting surfaces  1941  of the arm  19  of the tablet cassette  1 , when sliding the tablet cassette  1  in a direction pushing it to the rear side, and the horizontal upper faces  252  maintain the state of being rotated clockwise by being abutted by the slide abutting surfaces  1941 , until the axial center of the driven shaft  17  coincides with the axial center of the driving shaft  23  (see  FIG. 10E ). That is, the guiding slopes  251  function as guiding parts for guiding the pushing part  19   a  of the arm  19  in the separating direction when the tablet cassette  1  is mounted on the support base  2  by sliding. 
     Next, the relationship between the arm  19  and the projecting walls  25  is described. When the sliding in the pushing direction is performed, and the tablet cassette  1  is set at a specific position in the support base  2 , the slide regulators  194  are located on the rear side of the projecting walls  25  in portions where the projecting walls  25  end (disappear), since the arm  19  is biased downwardly by the arm biasing spring  1921 . In this case, when the tablet cassette  1  is about to be slid in the pulling direction to the front side, the hooking surfaces  1942  of the slide regulators  194  abut the rear end faces  253  of the projecting walls  25  (so as to be in a fitted state), as shown in  FIG. 10F . This can prevent application of a load to the driving shaft  23  and the driven shaft  17  in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, and can prevent deformation or the like of the shafts, even if the tablet cassette  1  is pulled to the front side by a user or the like in the state where the engagement between the driven side engaging parts  1722  and the driving side engaging parts  2321  is not released. 
     When pulling out the tablet cassette  1 , a user or the like grasps the grip  18 , and moves the operation unit  197  to the front side. This allows the horizontal part  191  of the arm  19  to rotate about the hinge part  193  clockwise. Therefore, the driven engagement block  172  can be pushed upwardly by the push-up surfaces  196 , and the slide regulators  194  can be moved above the extended positions of the horizontal upper faces  252  of the projecting walls  25 . Thus, the tablet cassette  1  can be pulled out by releasing the engagement between the driven side engaging parts  1722  and the driving side engaging parts  2321  and releasing the fitted state between the hooking surfaces  1942  of the slide regulators  194  and the rear end faces  253  of the projecting walls  25 . 
     When releasing the fitted state, the operation direction of the operation unit  197  by a user or the like is toward the front direction. This direction coincides with the sliding direction when pulling out the tablet cassette  1 . Therefore, the operability in pulling is good. 
     Next, the pushing-up of the driven engagement block  172  by the projecting walls  25  is described. When the tablet cassette  1  is detached from the support base  2 , and the slide regulators  194  of the arm  19  are located more on the front side than the projecting walls  25  of the support base  2 , the arm  19  is in a state shown in  FIG. 10A . As described above, the arm  19  is pushed by the guiding slopes  251  and the horizontal upper faces  252  of the projecting walls  25  to rotate clockwise in side view by sliding of the tablet cassette  1  by a user or the like in the pushing direction to the rear side. With the rotation, the push-up surfaces  196  of the arm  19  push the driven engagement block  172  upwardly into a state shown in  FIG. 10B . This state corresponds to the state of  FIG. 10E  showing the relationship between the arm  19  and the projecting walls  25 . By being pushed upwardly as above, the lower end of the driven engagement block  172  is located above the upper ends of the driving engagement blocks  232  of the support base  2  (as shown by dashed lines in the figure). Therefore, the driven engagement block  172  can be located above the driving engagement blocks  232  without interference, as shown in  FIG. 10C  and  FIG. 10D . The state from the state of  FIG. 10B  to the state of  FIG. 10C  and  FIG. 10D  corresponds to the state of  FIG. 10F  showing the relationship between the arm  19  and the projecting walls  25 . 
       FIG. 10C  shows a state where the driven engagement block  172  abuts the driving engagement blocks  232  of the driving shaft  23  of the support base  2  but the engagement between the driven side engaging parts  1722  and the driving side engaging parts  2321  is not achieved because the positions in the circumferential direction of the projections and the recesses do not match each other, so that the rotational driving force cannot be transmitted (abutting state). As described above, the driven shaft  17  is prevented from pivoting by the projecting portions  1724  and the hook projections  113  in the abutting state. The claw parts  195  are spaced apart from the plate parts  1723 , so that the engagement between the claw parts  195  and the plate parts  1723  is released in the abutting state. 
     When the motor  22  of the support base  2  starts rotational driving, the driving engagement blocks  232  rotate and the driven engagement block  172  is lowered, so that the positions in the circumferential direction of the projections and the recesses match each other. Thereby, the driven side engaging parts  1722  and the driving side engaging parts  2321  are engaged with each other so that the abutting state is eliminated, so as to be in the engaged state shown in  FIG. 10D . In the engaged state, the driving force can be transmitted from the support base  2  to the tablet cassette  1 . The rotation of the driven shaft  17  is allowed in the engaged state, because the projecting portions  1724  (at a low position) do not abut the hook projections  113  (at a high position) due to the driven engagement block  172  being lowered. Also in the engaged state, the claw parts  195  are spaced apart from the plate parts  1723 , so that the engagement between the claw parts  195  and the plate parts  1723  is released, as in the abutting state. 
     As described above, the medicine feeding unit of this embodiment includes the retraction mechanism configured to move the driven shaft  17  in the axial direction so as not to interfere with the driving shaft  23  when sliding the tablet cassette  1 . Therefore, there is no need to move the tablet cassette  1  itself in the vertical direction when the tablet cassette  1  is attached to or detached from the support base  2 . Accordingly, as shown in  FIG. 4 , even in the case of arranging a plurality of the support bases  2  in the vertical direction, only a gap with the dimension in the vertical direction of the tablet cassette  1  needs to be ensured between the support bases  2  that are vertically stacked, and thus there is an advantage that the arrangement density of the tablet cassettes  1  can be increased. 
     Finally, the configuration and action of this embodiment is summarized. This embodiment is a tablet cassette (medicine feeder)  1  configured to feed tablets (solid medicines) M with an elongated shape, the medicine feeder  1  including: a medicine container  1   a  configured to contain the tablets M, the medicine container  1   a  having a medicine outlet  111  that is formed in a bottom part  11  and ejects the tablets M; a rotor (medicine delivering part)  16  that is provided inside the medicine container  1   a  and is rotatable about an axis intersecting the bottom part  11  of the medicine container  1   a , the rotor  16  having a plurality of medicine receiving spaces  164   a  that are arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction about the axis and contain the tablets M one by one in an erected state, the rotor  16  being configured to deliver the tablets M contained in the respective medicine receiving spaces  164   a  to the medicine outlet  111  by being driven to rotate about the axis; and a partition body (medicine entry preventing part)  15  that is provided in the medicine container  1   a  and has flexibility, the partition body  15  being configured to prevent the tablets M from entering one of the plurality of medicine receiving spaces  164   a  that coincides with the medicine outlet  111  by covering over the medicine receiving space  164   a , wherein a blocking part (bulkhead portion)  162  partitioning between each two of the medicine receiving spaces  164   a  that are adjacent in the circumferential direction about the axis is arranged between the adjacent medicine receiving spaces  164   a , and the blocking part  162  has a shape such that an upper surface of a portion close to a rear side in the rotational direction R of the rotor  16  rises toward a direction opposite to the rotational direction R of the rotor  16 . 
     Further, this embodiment is a medicine feeding unit including the medicine feeder  1 , and a support base (support)  2  that has a motor (rotational driving source)  22  configured to drive the rotor  16  to rotate and supports the medicine feeder  1 . 
     According to such configurations, when the tablet M is caught between the partition body  15  and the rotor  16  as the rotor  16  rotates, the tablet M is tilted upwardly along the upper surface of the portion close to the rear side as it moves in the direction opposite to the rotational direction of the rotor  16 . In such a state, the rotor  16  further rotates, and the tablet M is allowed to stride over adjacent blocking parts  162 , so as to move over the medicine receiving space  164   a  without falling into the medicine receiving space  164   a.    
     Further, the blocking part  162  may have the upper surface of the portion close to the rear side in the rotational direction R of the rotor  16  at a relatively high position, and the upper surface of the portion close to the front side in the rotational direction R of the rotor  16  at a relatively low position. 
     According to this configuration, the upper surface of the portion close to the front side is located at a relatively low position, and therefore the tablet M caught between the partition body  15  and the rotor  16  can move over the medicine receiving space  164   a  more reliably. 
     Further, the blocking part  162  can have an upper corner with a rounded part (a curved surface or an inclined flat surface)  1622  on the front edge in the rotational direction R of the rotor  16 . 
     According to this configuration, the tablet M to be contained in the medicine receiving space  164   a  can be smoothly guided to the medicine receiving space  164   a  along the rounded part  1622 . 
     An embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. 
     For example, the direction in which the axis of the rotor  16  extends is not limited to the vertical direction, and may be an oblique direction. Further, depending on the circumstances, it may be a horizontal direction. Furthermore, one rotor  16  is provided in the tablet cassette  1  of this embodiment, but a plurality of rotors  16  can be provided per tablet cassette  1 . In this case, a plurality of medicine outlets  111  also can be provided. Further, depending on the circumstances, the tablet cassette  1  can be configured to be detachably attached to the support base  2  by being moved in the vertical direction without having the retraction mechanism. 
     Further, the operating member in the embodiment is configured as the arm  19  that pivots with respect to the bottom part  11  by being supported by the hinge part  193 , but there is no limitation to this. That is, it may be configured to move in a direction intersecting the sliding direction, when sliding the tablet cassette  1 , in which the distance between the sliding surface  21  and a surface of the tablet cassette  1  that faces the sliding surface  21  increases. The moving direction of the operating member is employed merely using the relationship between the tablet cassette  1  and the support base  2  (the sliding surface  21 ) in order to specify a direction, and it is not practically essential that the tablet cassette  1  and the support base  2  move away from each other. Further, the operating member can be configured to move parallel to the bottom part  11  of the tablet cassette  1 . Furthermore, it can be configured to involve a movement in the front-back direction with respect to the bottom part  11 . Moreover, the operating member can be configured to be fixed to the tablet cassette  1  or the support base  2  immovably, and to be capable of moving a part of the driven shaft  17  or the driving shaft  23 , for example, when the positional relationship (particularly, the positional relationship in the front-back direction) between the tablet cassette  1  and the support base  2  is changed with sliding. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
     
         
           1 : Medicine feeder, Tablet cassette 
           1   a : Medicine container 
           11 : Bottom part 
           111 : Medicine outlet 
           112 : Recess, Bottom recess 
           113 : Fixed locking part, Hook projection 
           15 : Medicine entry preventing part, Partition body 
           16 : Medicine delivering part, Rotor 
           162 : Bulkhead portion, Blocking part 
           1622 : Curved surface or inclined flat surface, Rounded part 
           164 : Temporary medicine container 
           164   a : Medicine receiving space 
           17 : Driven shaft 
           171 : Driven shaft body 
           172 : Driven engagement member, Driven engagement block 
           1722 : Driven side engaging part 
           1723 : Movable locking part, plate part 
           1724 : Movable locking part, Projecting portion of plate part 
           18 : Grip 
           19 : Operating member, Arm 
           19   a : Pushing part 
           193 : Hinge part 
           195 : Fixed locking part, Claw part 
           196 : Push-up surface 
           197 : Operation unit 
           2 : Support, Support base 
           21 : Sliding surface 
           22 : Rotational driving source, Motor 
           23 : Driving shaft 
           231 : Driving shaft body 
           232 : Driving engagement member, Driving engagement block 
           2321 : Driving side engaging part 
           25 : Projecting wall 
           251 : Guiding part, Guiding slope 
         M: Solid medicine, Tablet 
         R: Rotational direction of medicine delivering part, Rotational direction of rotor