Patent ID: 7438201

Claim:
An apparatus for detecting a dropping tablet in an automatic medicine packaging machine comprising a last hopper provided at the lower end of a hopper installed in a main frame having a through-hole formed therein, a shutter installed in the last hopper, and a shutter driving part for driving the shutter to open and close the last hopper such that a tablet, passing through the hopper from a tablet cassette and discharged into the last hopper, is inserted into packaging sheets by the shutter driving part and continuously packaged by a sealer under the control of a controller, the apparatus for detecting a dropping tablet comprising: a dropping tablet detector installed in the last hopper to detect when the tablet is dropped into the last hopper and to input the detected information about the dropping tablet to the controller, wherein the dropping tablet detector comprises: a front through-hole and a rear through-hole, respectively penetrating a front side and a rear side of the last hopper; and an optical sensor installed to correspond to the front through-hole and the rear through-hole to emit light to the tablet dropped down in the last hopper so as to detect the dropping tablet; wherein the shutter driving part comprises: a rotation pin rotatably installed to an upper side portion of the last hopper, coupled with an upper side of the shutter, and having a torsion spring; a trigger obliquely installed with respect to an end portion of the rotation pin; an actuator configured for pressing an end portion of the trigger to rotate the rotation pin; and a motor mounted to a rear side portion of the main frame by a bracket configured to drive the actuator; and wherein the actuator comprises a rotation disc mounted to a spindle of the motor; a revolving pin eccentrically installed on the rotation disc and penetrating the through-hole formed in the main frame; and a pushing roller rotatably installed on an end portion of the angular moving pin to contact the trigger.