PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically adjust the groove depth of a drop route for a tablet, even though the thickness of the tablet may not be known.SOLUTION: The present invention is provided with: a dropping tablet guidance member 31 where a groove-shaped tablet drop route 32 is formed from an upper end to a lower end a receiving member 34 for temporarily holding a tablet (10) to be split that has fallen through the tablet drop route 32 at a cutting position 33 midway on the tablet drop route, by opening and closing the route a cutting mechanism 40 for cutting the tablet at the cutting position 33 a groove depth regulation member 37 for covering an upstream portion route 32a of the tablet drop route 32 a thickness adjustment mechanism 38 for expanding or contracting the relative distance (G) between the groove bottom of the tablet drop route 32 and a groove bottom-facing surface of the groove depth regulation member 37 a tablet passage detecting means 39 for detecting the passage of the tablet through the upstream portion route 32a and a control device 23 for operating the thickness adjustment mechanism 38 while monitoring the detection result to adapt the relative distance (G) to the thickness of the tablet. During cutting, an adjustment in which the predetermined time for speed change or hold release is adapted to the thickness of the tablet is also automatically carried out, through the detection of the drive current of the opposed blade 41.COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&INPIT【課題】錠剤の厚さが不明でも錠剤に対する落下経路の溝深さ調整を自動で行う。【解決手段】上端から下端まで溝状の錠剤落下経路32が形成されている落下錠剤案内部材31と、錠剤落下経路32を下ってきた分割対象の錠剤(10)を錠剤落下経路の途中の裁断位置33に経路開閉にて一時保持する受止部材34と、裁断位置33で錠剤を裁断する裁断機構40と、錠剤落下経路32の上流部分経路32aを覆う溝深規定部材37と、錠剤落下経路32の溝底と溝深規定部材37の溝底対向面との相対距離(G)を拡縮する厚み調整機構38と、上流部分経路32aの錠剤通過を検出する錠剤通過検出手段39と、その検出結果を監視しながら厚み調整機構38を作動させて相対距離(G)を錠剤の厚さに適合させる制御装置23とを備える。裁断時に速度変更や保持解除を行う所定時期を錠剤の厚さに適合させる調整も、対向刃41の駆動電流を検出することにより、自動で行う。【選択図】 図1
