Patent ID: 7770357

Claim:
A tablet filling device, comprising: a plurality of container storage means for storing vials based on vial sizes; container take-out means for taking out a vial of a size selected based on prescription data from a corresponding one of the plurality of container storage means; carrying means for carrying the vial taken out by the container take-out means; tablet supplying means for supplying a tablet to the vial carried by the carrying means; container recovery means for recovering the vial carried by the carrying means; container size detecting means provided to a carrying path by the carrying means for detecting a size of the vial carried by the carrying means, the container size detecting means including: an arm portion rotatable about a support shaft, the arm portion adapted to contact an outer peripheral portion of the vial carried by the carrying means, and a sensor adapted to detect an inclination of the arm portion that results from contact with the outer peripheral portion of the vial; and control means for determining whether the size of the vial selected based on the prescription data matches a size of the vial detected by the container size detecting means, for allowing the tablet to be supplied to the vial by the tablet supplying means when the sizes match each other, and for allowing the vial to be carried and kept on standby by the retraction means when the sizes do not match each other, wherein the carrying means carries the vial in a horizontal position, wherein the control means is adapted to determine the size of the vial based on the inclination detected by the sensor.