Patent Publication Number: US-6216418-B1

Title: Open and closing apparatus of hopper for automatic tablet sorting and counting machine

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present utility model relates to a hopper opening and closing apparatus for an automatic tablet sorting and counting machine commonly referred to as “automatic tablet dispensers”, and more specifically to an improved medicine hopper opening and closing apparatus for an automatic tablet dispenser which facilitates distribution of tablets dropped from a tablet dropping unit to packing paper. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Automatic tablet dispensers are generally employed in hospitals, pharmacies, and drugstores to automate the output and assembly of corresponding tablets when the prescription is input into a computer. They serve to dispense the per-dosage assembled tablets in individual single serving packages. 
     A conventional automatic tablet dispenser includes the following: a main computer for calculating an appropriate prescription on the basis of the type of medicine, intake method, daily intake frequency and intake duration depending upon each patient; a tablet dropping unit having a plurality of tablet cassettes and a drum for storing therein and releasing therefrom the tablets in correspondence to the prescription set up in the computer; and a packaging unit disposed below the tablet dropping unit which serves to package a quantity of tablets and release the same to an exterior of the automatic tablet dispenser. 
     The packaging unit is made up of: a discharge hopper for assembling the tablets being dropped from the tablet drop unit; a heater assembly for packaging the tablets being discharged through the discharge hopper; a printer for printing respective information on the packaging paper; and a release conveyer for externally discharging the medicine bags containing tablets. 
     The discharge hopper in the packing unit serves to temporarily store therein the tablets supplied from the tablet dropping unit and dispense a one-time intake dosage of tablets into a packaging paper having intake information printed thereon. 
     Conventionally, such a discharge hopper is formed in a conic shape without providing an additional opening/closing member, thereby simply serving to gather tablets from the tablet dropping unit and provide the same to a packaging paper. 
     In case there is provided such a discharge hopper without an opening/closing member, the time taken for tablets to reach from the tablet cassettes fixating the drum to the discharge hopper may vary due to different levels (heights) of the tablet cassettes, thereby deteriorating efficiency of tablet packaging. It also may incur some tablet loss during tablet packaging. 
     Since the tablet cassettes of the tablet dropping unit are provided in different levels (heights), there occurs time difference during tablet dropping. Accordingly, although the tablets are smoothly released from the tablets cassettes, a tablet loss during the packaging process prevents an accurate distribution of the tablets, thereby deteriorating reliability of the automatic tablet dispensing system. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present utility model is contrived to overcome the conventional disadvantages. Therefore, it is an object of the present utility model to provide a hopper opening and closing apparatus for an automatic tablet sorting and counting machine, wherein the entire tablets released from the tablet dropping unit are assembled and the assembled tablets are simultaneously supplied to assigned packaging paper, thereby accomplishing a smooth packaging operation without tablet loss. 
     To achieve the above-described object, there is provided a hopper opening and closing apparatus for an automatic tablet sorting and counting machine according to the present utility model, which includes an opening and closing door provided at a lower portion of the discharge hopper, wherein the door remains closed when the tablets are dropping from the tablet dropping unit and the door is opened when the tablet dropping operation is completed, thereby simultaneously supplying the assembled tablets to target packaging paper. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a conventional automatic tablet dispenser with the front panel removed to show the inner components; 
     FIG. 2 is a view of a packaging unit including a discharge hopper of an automatic tablet dispenser according to the present utility model; 
     FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view illustrating a medicine hopper opening/closing apparatus for an automatic tablet dispenser according to the present utility model; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A—A in FIG. 3; and 
     FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a door opening/closing member for an automatic tablet dispenser according to the present utility model. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to the accompanying drawings, the present utility model will now be described. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic tablet dispenser  10  is comprised of a tablet dropping unit  16  including a cylindrical drum  15  having release holes  13 ,  14  engaged thereto so as to communicate a plurality of tablet cassettes  11  which respectively store tablets therein and release a measured quantity therefrom, through the outer periphery of the release holes  13 ,  14 , so that the tablets released from the tablet cassettes  11  are dropped through the holes  13 ,  14 . 
     Below the tablet dropping unit  16  there is provided a guide hopper  17  for safely guiding the tablets being released through the release holes  13 ,  14  so that the tablets may not be dispersed. 
     A packaging unit  20  is disposed below the guide hopper  17  to package and discharge the released tablets outside the automatic tablet dispenser  10 . 
     The packaging unit  20  includes a discharge hopper  21  for gathering the tablets dropped from the tablet dropping unit  16 , a heater assembly  22  for packaging the tablets released through the discharge hopper  21 , a printer  24  for printing respective information on the packaging paper  23 , and a discharge conveyer  25  for externally releasing the respective tablet-packaged bags. 
     The automatic tablet dispenser  10  is controlled by a main computer (not shown) informed of an appropriate prescription for a target patient which includes proper medicine, intake method, daily intake frequency, and intake duration. 
     The present utility model provides the improved discharge hopper  21  of the automatic tablet dispensing system  10 , wherein a one-time dosage quantity of tablets released from the tablet dropping unit  16  comprised of the tablet cassettes  11  and the drum  15  are assembled in the discharge hopper  21  and simultaneously supplied to the packaging paper  23 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 2 through 5, the construction and operation of the present utility model will now be explained. 
     A release port  30  is formed through a lower portion of the discharge hopper  21 , and a door  31  is hinged to a side portion of the discharge hopper  21  by a hinge  32  using a spring  31 ′. Here, the door  31  remains closed. 
     The door  31  hingedly closed by the spring  31 ′ may be opened using a door opening member  33  to release the assembled tablets in the discharge hopper  21 . 
     The door opening member  33  includes an opening bar  34  horizontally engaged to the door  31 . The opening bar  34  is connected by an opening link  37  to a horizontal bar  34 ′ and a connection lever  35 ′ which has an opening lever  36  fixed thereto, so that the angular movement of the opening lever  36  generates the opening link  37  to move. Here, the horizontal bar  34 ′ is provided to penetrate a frame  35 . 
     The angular movement of the opening lever  36  provided outside the frame  35  is implemented by a cam  40  carried on a rotation shaft  39  powered by a gear assembly connected to a shaft extended from a motor  38  which also serves to drive a heater assembly  22 . 
     Specifically, a measured quantity of the tablets stored in the tablet cassettes  11  are dropped through the release holes  13 ,  14  fixating the drum  15  on the basis of information inputted into the main computer. The released tablets are gathered through the guide hopper  17  disposed below the drum  15  into the discharge hopper  21 . The discharge hopper  21  is formed of a front panel  21   a  having a lower front panel line, a rear panel  21   b  having a lower rear panel line, and a pair of side panels  21   c  each having a lower side panel line, wherein said each panel line defines the release port  30  through a lower portion of the discharge hopper  21 . The release door  31  is hingedly engaged to the lower front panel line wherein the lower front panel line is formed higher in horizontal level than the lower rear panel line, whereby the swinging operation of the release door  31  can be smoothly implemented with less momentum. The angle defined by the door  31  and the front panel  21   a  is between about 120 degrees and about 170 degrees. 
     When the tablets are being released from the tablet cassettes  11 , the door  31  provided at the bottom portion of the discharge hopper  21  is closed. That is, the release port  30  is blocked, so that the released tablets remains gathered in the discharge hopper  21 . 
     In case a one-time dosage of tablets are completely assembled in the discharge hopper  21 , the door  31  is opened so that the assembled tablets are supplied into the packaging paper  23  therebelow so as to allow the supplied tablets to be packaged by the heater assembly  22 . 
     With regard to the opening/closing operation of the door  31  to the release port  30 , when the tablets begins releasing, the heater assembly  22 , the printer  24  and the release conveyer  25  in the packaging unit  20  are simultaneously operated. 
     The heater assembly  22  rotates according to a bevel gear carried on the shaft extended from the motor  38  provided outside the frame  35  and at the same time pulls a portion of the packaging paper  23  so as to seal the pulled-in paper by annealing. Here, the door  31  to the discharge hopper  21  operates in correspondence to the heater assembly  22 . That is, the rotation shaft  39  rotates according to the gear carried on the shaft extended from the motor  38  which also drives the heater assembly  22 , and the cam  40  fixedly carried on the rotation shaft  39  generates an angular movement of the opening lever  36  so that the opening link  37  fixedly engaged to the opening lever  36  pushes the opening bar  34  fixed to the door  31 , thereby opening the door  31 . The opening bar  34  serves as a hinge control which bendingly extends from the hinge  32  as shown in FIG.  3 . The cam  40  and hinge link  37  form a connecting member to control the swing-down (opening) of the door  31 . 
     Although the motor  38  which drives the heater assembly  22  continues its rotation, the above operation is achieved since a turned-up point of the cam  40  carried on the rotation shaft  39  corresponds to a one-dosage sealing timing of the packaging paper  23  by the heater assembly  22 . 
     When the heater assembly  22  seals the packaging paper  23 , the door  31  remains closed by a restoring force of the spring  31 ′. When the heater assembly  22  has completed the sealing of the packaging paper  23 , the turned-up point of the cam  40  serves to push up the opening lever  36 . As a result, the opening link  37  engaged with the opening bar  34  fixed to the door  31  draws (pushes) the opening bar  34  and accordingly opens the door  31 , and the assembled tablets are supplied to the packaging paper  23  therebelow. 
     As discussed above, the hopper opening and closing apparatus for an automatic tablet dispensing system according to the present utility model gathers therein the entire tablets released from the tablet dropping unit and simultaneously supplies the released tablets to the packaging paper, thereby enabling a smooth packaging operation without tablet loss.