Tablet splitting apparatus

A tablet splitting apparatus comprising:

• a guide having a groove passage for guiding a falling tablet;
• a catcher for holding a tablet moving downward through the groove passage at a mid-portion of the groove passage;
• a splitting mechanism for splitting a tablet held by the catcher;
• a groove-depth defining member disposed upstream of the catcher in a tablet moving direction, wherein
• a guide passage is defined by said groove passage and a surface of said groove-depth defining member facing the groove passage;
• a sensor for detecting a tablet passing through an upstream portion of the guide passage;
• a thickness adjusting mechanism for varying a distance between the facing surface of the groove-depth defining member and the groove passage;
• and
• a controller configured to control the operation of the thickness adjusting mechanism,
• wherein the distance between the facing surface of the groove-depth defining member and the groove passage is controllable at least between a narrow state preventing a tablet from passing the facing surface and a wide state allowing a tablet to pass the facing surface, and
• the controller is further configured to perform a thickness measuring operation which activates the thickness adjusting mechanism to expand said distance in the narrow state in the presence of a tablet residing upstream of the facing surface, and to halt the thickness adjusting mechanism to fix said distance based on the detection of a tablet passing the facing surface.