Intelligent medicine box and control method thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of medical equipment technology, and specifically to a smart medicine box and a control method thereof, wherein the smart medicine box comprises: a base; a medicine storage device, which is arranged in the base for storing tablets; a medicine outlet channel, which is arranged in the base to connect the inside and outside of the base; a medicine taking device, which is arranged in the base and has a movable pick-and-place mechanism, which is used to extend into the medicine storage device to take the tablets and release them to the medicine outlet channel; a first detection mechanism, which is arranged in the pick-and-place mechanism, and is used to send a first displacement signal when the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism is interfered; a controller, which controls the pick-and-place mechanism to move out of the medicine storage device and move to the medicine outlet channel to release the tablets according to the first displacement signal. The smart medicine box provided by the present application can ensure that the tablets are output in the medicine outlet channel when there are tablets piled up in the medicine storage device, and the output tablets are complete, thereby ensuring accurate dispensing and solving the problem of dispensing errors caused by failure to discharge or incomplete tablets.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of medical equipment, and in particular to a smart medicine box and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] For elderly people who need to supervise medication, patients with limited mobility or limited intelligence, there is now a smart medicine box, which has a medicine storage component, a medicine extraction component and a medicine dispensing component. The medicine extraction component takes out tablets from the medicine storage component and puts them into the medicine dispensing component to achieve automatic medicine dispensing. Existing smart medicine boxes sometimes have problems such as the medicine dispensing component failing to dispense medicine or the outputted tablets being incomplete, which is prone to dispensing errors. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present application aims to provide a smart medicine box and a control method thereof to solve the problem of easy occurrence of medication errors in the prior art.

[0004] The embodiment of the present application is implemented as follows:

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a smart medicine box, which includes:

[0006] matrix;

[0007] A medicine storage device, disposed in the base body for storing medicine tablets;

[0008] A drug outlet channel is provided on the substrate to connect the inside and outside of the substrate;

[0009] A medicine taking device, which is arranged in the base and has a movable taking and placing mechanism, and the taking and placing mechanism is used to extend into the medicine storage device to take the tablets and release them into the medicine outlet channel;

[0010] A first detection mechanism, disposed on the pick-and-place mechanism, for sending a first displacement signal when an execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism is interfered with;

[0011] The controller controls the picking and placing mechanism to move out of the medicine storage device and to move to the medicine discharging channel to release the tablets according to the first displacement signal.

[0012] The smart medicine box provided by the present application has a controller that first controls the pick-and-place mechanism to extend into the medicine storage device. When the first detection mechanism does not send a first displacement signal, the pick-and-place mechanism continues to descend to ensure that the pick-and-place mechanism contacts the tablet accumulation surface to obtain the tablets. When the first detection mechanism sends a first displacement signal, the controller controls the pick-and-place mechanism to move out of the medicine storage device to avoid crushing the tablets, and releases the tablets into the medicine storage channel. When tablets are accumulated in the medicine storage device, the medicine outlet channel can ensure that the tablets are output, and the output tablets are complete, thereby ensuring accurate dispensing and solving the problem of dispensing errors caused by failure to discharge or incomplete tablets.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present application, the taking and placing mechanism comprises a straw and a sleeve, one end of the straw is used to absorb and release the tablets, and the sleeve is slidably mounted on one end of the straw;

[0014] The first detection mechanism includes a first sensor and a first trigger structure, the first sensor is disposed on one of the straw and the sleeve, and the first trigger structure is disposed on the other of the straw and the sleeve.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present application, the taking and placing mechanism includes an elastic member, and the elastic member is supported between the sleeve and the straw to drive the sleeve to cover one end of the straw.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present application, a suction nozzle made of elastic material is provided at one end of the suction straw.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present application, the smart medicine box further includes:

[0018] The load detection mechanism is arranged on the pick-and-place mechanism to detect the load at the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism; when the controller receives the first displacement signal, it determines whether the pick-and-place mechanism has obtained the tablet according to the detection result of the load detection mechanism.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present application, the taking and placing mechanism includes a straw, the straw is used to suck up the tablets, and the load detection mechanism is an air pressure sensor arranged on the straw.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present application, the medicine taking device further comprises a slide seat, the taking and placing mechanism is liftably arranged on the slide seat, and the slide seat is movably arranged in the base so that the taking and placing mechanism moves above the medicine storage device and above the medicine outlet channel;

[0021] The smart medicine box further includes a second detection mechanism, which is used to detect the position of the slide and feed back a second displacement signal to the controller, and the controller controls the movement of the slide according to the second displacement signal.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present application, the drug storage device comprises a rotating disk and a plurality of drug storage bins, the plurality of drug storage bins are arranged in a ring shape along the circumference of the rotating disk, and each drug storage bin has an upward opening;

[0023] The smart medicine box further includes a third detection mechanism, which is used to detect the rotation angle of the turntable and send a third displacement signal;

[0024] The controller determines the position of the target medicine storage bin according to the third displacement signal and controls the rotation of the turntable.

[0025] In one embodiment of the present application, the base is provided with a hatch, and the controller controls the rotation of the turntable according to a third displacement signal so that the target medicine storage bin rotates to the hatch, and the controller controls the movement of the slide according to a second displacement signal so that the picking and placing mechanism is located above the opening of the target medicine storage bin.

[0026] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a smart medicine box control method, wherein the medicine box includes a controller, a medicine storage device, a medicine outlet channel and a medicine dispensing device, wherein the medicine dispensing device includes a movable pick-and-place mechanism, wherein the pick-and-place mechanism is provided with a first detection mechanism, and the controller controls the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism to extend into the medicine storage device, and sends out a first displacement signal when the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism is resisted, and the controller controls the pick-and-place mechanism to move out of the medicine storage device and to the medicine outlet channel according to the first displacement signal to release the tablets. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the external structure of the smart medicine box provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the smart medicine box provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 3 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of a smart medicine box provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 4 An exploded schematic diagram of a pick-and-place mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 5 A partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of a pick-and-place mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 6 An exploded schematic diagram of a second mounting base and a medicine dispensing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the assembly of the second mounting base and the medicine dispensing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 8The exploded view of the first mounting seat, the drug storage device, and the drug outlet channel provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0036] Fig. 9 An exploded schematic diagram of a third detection mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Fig.10 A schematic cross-sectional view of a medicine storage bin provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Fig.11 This is a flow chart of the smart medicine box control method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Icons: 100 - base; 110 - base; 120 - first mounting seat; 121 - first support column; 122 - second support column; 123 - ball bearing; 130 - second mounting seat; 131 - first rack; 132 - medicine taking port; 133 - medicine outlet; 140 - front shell; 141 - display screen; 142 - keyboard; 143 - hatch; 150 - rear shell; 160 - top shell; 200 - medicine storage device; 210 - turntable; 211 - gear ring; 212 - through hole; 220 - medicine storage bin; 221 - first side wall; 2211 - inclined plane; 222 - second side wall; 223 - bottom wall; 2231 - recess; 230 - turntable motor; 240 - third detection mechanism; 241 - third sensor ;242-third trigger structure;243-fourth sensor;244-fourth trigger structure;300-drug outlet channel;400-drug taking device;410-slide seat;411-horizontal motor;413-lifting motor;420-pick-and-place mechanism;421-suction tube;421a-tube body;4211-suction nozzle;4212-first limit part;4213-second rack;422-sleeve;4221-inner tube;4222-second limit part;423-elastic member;430-first detection mechanism;431-first sensor;432-first trigger structure;440-second detection mechanism;441-second sensor;442-second trigger structure;500-vacuum pump;600-medicine cup. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0041] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present application for which protection is sought, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0042] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, further definition and explanation thereof is not required in subsequent drawings.

[0043] In the description of this application, it should be noted that if the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc. appear, the orientation or position relationship indicated is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation or position relationship in which the product of the application is usually placed when in use. It is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application. In addition, if the terms "first", "second", etc. appear in the description of this application, they are only used to distinguish the description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0044] In addition, if the terms "horizontal" or "vertical" appear in the description of this application, it does not mean that the components are required to be absolutely horizontal or suspended, but can be slightly tilted. For example, "horizontal" only means that its direction is more horizontal than "vertical", and does not mean that the structure must be completely horizontal, but can be slightly tilted.

[0045] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "install", "connect", and "connect" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal connection of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0046] Example

[0047] The present application provides a smart medicine box, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown.

[0048] The smart medicine box includes a base 100 and a controller.

[0049] The base 100 is provided with a medicine storage device 200 and a medicine outlet channel 300 . The medicine storage device 200 is used to store tablets, and the medicine outlet channel 300 is used to connect the inside and the outside of the base 100 .

[0050] The inventors have discovered that in existing smart medicine boxes, when there are a large number of tablets piled up in the medicine storage component, the medicine dispensing component is sometimes prone to output incomplete tablets, and when there are fewer tablets piled up in the medicine storage component, the medicine dispensing component cannot output tablets. Only when the stacking height of the tablets is appropriate can the medicine be accurately dispensed. Therefore, existing smart medicine boxes have large dispensing errors.

[0051] The inventors further discovered that the reason why incomplete tablets are easily output when there are many tablets is that the travel distance of the medicine taking component is greater than the stacking height of the tablets, which makes the tablets easily crushed; the reason why tablets cannot be output when the number of tablets is reduced is that the medicine taking component contacts the tablets and cannot obtain the tablets.

[0052] In order to reduce the error in dispensing, a medicine taking device 400 is further provided in the base body 100. The controller is electrically connected to the medicine taking device 400. A movable taking and placing mechanism 420 is provided on the medicine taking device 400. The controller controls the taking and placing mechanism 420 to extend into the medicine storage device 200 so that its execution end contacts the tablet stacking surface, so that the execution end of the taking and placing mechanism 420 obtains the tablets on the tablet stacking surface, so as to ensure that the taking and placing mechanism 420 can effectively obtain the tablets and prevent the tablets from being crushed.

[0053] The lifting stroke of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 is flexibly set to ensure that no matter the height of the tablet stacking surface is high or low, the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 can reach the tablet stacking surface. That is, the stroke of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 can be set to be greater than or equal to the distance from the starting height position of the execution end to the bottom of the medicine storage device 200.

[0054] A first detection mechanism 430 is provided on the pick-and-place mechanism 420. Figure 3 As shown, when the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 is interfered, the first detection mechanism 430 can send a first displacement signal.

[0055] During use, the controller first controls the picking and placing mechanism 420 to extend into the medicine storage device 200. When the first detection mechanism 430 does not send out the first displacement signal, the picking and placing mechanism 420 continues to descend to ensure that the picking and placing mechanism 420 contacts the tablet stacking surface to obtain the tablets. When the first detection mechanism 430 sends out the first displacement signal, the controller controls the picking and placing mechanism 420 to move out of the medicine storage device 200 and release the tablets into the medicine storage channel.

[0056] The situation in which the first detection mechanism 430 sends out the first displacement signal includes the situation in which the execution end of the picking and placing mechanism 420 is resisted by the tablet stacking surface. In this case, the execution end of the picking and placing mechanism 420 obtains the tablet when it contacts the tablet stacking surface and immediately rises, effectively preventing the execution end of the picking and placing mechanism 420 from continuing to descend, causing the tablet to be crushed due to excessive force.

[0057] Therefore, the smart medicine box provided by the present application can ensure that the tablets are output from the medicine dispensing channel 300 when there are tablets piled up in the medicine storage device 200, and the output tablets are complete, thereby ensuring accurate dispensing and solving the problem of dispensing errors caused by failure to dispense medicine or incomplete tablets.

[0058] Figure 4 An exploded view of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 is shown, Figure 5 The internal structure schematic diagram of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 is shown. The pick-and-place mechanism 420 includes a suction tube 421 and a sleeve 422 .

[0059] One end of the straw 421 is used to obtain the tablets by adsorption and release the tablets by canceling the suction force. The “one end of the straw 421 ” mentioned here is the aforementioned execution end. The sleeve 422 can be slidably mounted on one end of the straw 421 .

[0060] The suction force of the suction tube 421 can be configured to come from the vacuum pump 500. The vacuum pump 500 is electrically connected to the controller. The controller provides the suction force by controlling the vacuum pump 500 to work, and releases the tablet by controlling the vacuum pump 500 to stop.

[0061] The vacuum pump 500 may be disposed in the base 100 and connected to the other end of the suction tube 421 via a hose. The vacuum pump 500 may also be integrally formed with the suction tube 421.

[0062] After one end of the suction tube 421 enters the medicine storage device 200, the protective sleeve 422 first touches the tablet accumulation surface, and then the suction tube 421 continues to descend and extends out of the protective sleeve 422 to contact the tablet accumulation surface. When the suction tube 421 extends out of the protective sleeve 422, the first detection mechanism 430 sends a first displacement signal.

[0063] The first detection mechanism 430 includes a first sensor 431 and a first trigger structure 432. The first sensor 431 is disposed on the straw 421, and the first trigger structure 432 is disposed on the sleeve 422. When the protective sleeve 422 touches the tablet accumulation surface and stops descending, but the straw 421 continues to descend, the first sensor 431 approaches the first trigger structure 432 and is triggered, thereby sending a first displacement signal.

[0064] The first sensor 431 may be configured as a photoelectric switch, a grating or other types of triggering devices, and the first triggering structure 432 may be configured as a structure corresponding to the type of triggering device.

[0065] In this embodiment, the first sensor 431 is a ring-shaped grating, and the first trigger mechanism is an iron sheet disposed inside the sleeve 422 .

[0066] When the sleeve 422 rotates circumferentially relative to the suction tube 421, the iron sheet can also trigger the annular grating to ensure that the first displacement signal can be effectively emitted.

[0067] In some embodiments, the positions of the first sensor 431 and the first trigger structure 432 are interchanged, that is, the first sensor 431 is disposed on the sleeve 422 , and the first trigger structure 432 is disposed on the straw 421 .

[0068] In some embodiments, the taking and placing mechanism 420 also includes an elastic member 423, which is supported between the sleeve 422 and the straw 421 to ensure that the sleeve 422 covers one end of the straw 421 when there is no interference, thereby further ensuring that the sleeve 422 is interfered with before one end of the straw 421, especially when the straw 421 is configured to enter and exit the medicine storage mechanism along other directions (non-vertical directions).

[0069] The “sleeve 422 covering one end of the straw 421” mentioned here means that the end surface of one end of the straw 421 is flush with the lower end surface of the sleeve 422, or one end of the straw 421 is located inside the sleeve 422 so that the end surface of one end of the straw 421 is recessed relative to the lower end surface of the sleeve 422.

[0070] like Figure 5 As shown, one end of the straw 421 forms a tube body 421a with a smaller diameter, and a flat surface is formed near the outer periphery of the tube body 421a. In other words, the end of the straw 421 is narrowed.

[0071] The interior of the sleeve 422 forms a receiving surface, and the elastic member 423 is supported between the plane of the straw 421 and the receiving surface of the sleeve 422 .

[0072] In some embodiments, the elastic member 423 is configured as a spring, which is sleeved on the tube body 421 a and has two ends abutted between the plane and the receiving surface.

[0073] In some embodiments, the elastic member 423 may also be configured as a spring sheet, which is fixed on one of the plane and the receiving surface and abuts against the other of the plane and the receiving surface.

[0074] In some embodiments, the opening of the lower end surface of the sleeve 422 is configured to have an inner diameter that matches the outer diameter of the tube 421a to prevent excess tablets from being caught in the gap between the sleeve 422 and the tube 421a, thereby preventing dispensing errors such as excessive tablets.

[0075] Please see again Figure 5The sleeve 422 includes a straight section and a tapered section. The straight section is slidably connected to the straw 421, and the tube body 421a can extend from the opening of the tapered section to obtain the tablets.

[0076] The tapered section forms an inner cylinder 4221, which extends from the opening of the tapered section toward the straight section to be sleeved on the outside of the tube body 421a, thereby protecting the tube body 421a and providing guidance.

[0077] Optionally, the aforementioned receiving surface may be formed on the inner tube 4221 , such as formed on the end surface of the inner tube 4221 facing the straw 421 .

[0078] In order to prevent the sleeve 422 from falling off, a first limiting portion 4212 is formed on the straw 421 , and a second limiting portion 4222 is formed on the sleeve 422 , and the first limiting portion 4212 and the second limiting portion 4222 cooperate with each other.

[0079] In this embodiment, the first limiting portion 4212 is a protrusion formed on the straw 421 , and the second limiting portion 4222 is a strip groove formed on the sleeve 422 , and the protrusion is slidably fitted in the strip groove.

[0080] In some embodiments, the strip grooves are located in the straight barrel section.

[0081] The smart medicine box provided by the present application can not only reduce the error of dispensing medicine, but also prevent the interaction force between the pick-and-place mechanism 420 and the medicine storage device 200 from being too large and being damaged. The case where the first detection mechanism 430 sends the first displacement signal also includes that the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 is resisted by the bottom of the medicine storage device 200. In this case, the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 rises immediately when the base reaches the bottom of the medicine storage device 200, effectively preventing the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 from continuing to fall and being damaged.

[0082] To further protect the tube body 421a, the pick-and-place mechanism 420 further includes a suction nozzle 4211 made of elastic material. The suction nozzle 4211 is connected to one end of the suction tube 421 to play a buffering effect, further prevent the suction tube 421 from being damaged, and further prevent the tablets from being crushed.

[0083] In addition, the suction nozzle 4211 made of elastic material can also prolong the action time of the suction tube 421 and the tablet accumulation surface to ensure that the tablets are adsorbed, reducing the dispensing error caused by the failure to adsorb the tablets. After the suction nozzle 4211 contacts the tablets, the suction tube 421 continues to descend and compresses the suction nozzle 4211. During the compression process of the suction nozzle 4211, the suction force of the suction tube 421 continues to act on the tablet accumulation surface to ensure that the tablets are stably adsorbed.

[0084] In some embodiments, the nozzle 4211 is configured to extend out of the sleeve 422 so that the nozzle 4211 contacts the deposition surface before the sleeve 422. At this time, the distance between the first sensor 431 and the first trigger structure 432 can be reduced, the moving distance of the sleeve 422 can be shortened, and the sensing sensitivity can be improved.

[0085] In order to further reduce medication dispensing errors, the smart medicine box provided in the present application is also provided with a load detection mechanism, which is used to detect the load at the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420.

[0086] The controller is electrically connected to the load detection mechanism, so that after the controller receives the first displacement signal, it is determined according to the detection result of the load detection mechanism whether the taking and placing mechanism 420 has taken the tablet.

[0087] In this embodiment, the load detection mechanism is an air pressure sensor (not shown in the figure), which is disposed on the straw 421 to detect the air pressure in the straw 421 .

[0088] When the first detection mechanism 430 is triggered, if the air pressure decreases, it means that one end of the suction tube 421 is blocked and the tablet has been successfully obtained. At this time, the controller can control the pick-and-place mechanism 420 to go to the medicine outlet channel 300 to release the tablet.

[0089] When the first detection mechanism 430 is triggered, the air pressure decreases first and then increases, indicating that the tablet taken by one end of the suction tube 421 has fallen and the tablet has not been successfully taken. At this time, the controller can control the pick-and-place mechanism 420 to descend again to re-adsorb the tablet.

[0090] When the air pressure does not decrease after the first detection mechanism 430 is triggered, it means that one end of the straw 421 is not blocked, and the tablets are not taken. At this time, the controller can send an alarm signal to prompt the user to add tablets. Therefore, the combination of the first detection mechanism 430 and the load detection mechanism also plays the role of empty box detection.

[0091] In some embodiments, the load detection mechanism may also be an infrared sensor, which is disposed on the straw 421 to detect whether the tablet is adsorbed on the straw 421 .

[0092] In other embodiments, the load detection mechanism may also be a gravity sensor, a pressure sensor, etc.

[0093] In some embodiments, the smart medicine box further includes one or more of a display screen 141, a speaker, and an alarm light, and the display screen 141, the speaker, or the alarm light is disposed on the surface of the substrate 100 to send out an alarm signal. For example, the display screen 141 is electrically connected to the controller, and the controller displays an image signal indicating insufficient pills through the display screen 141. For example, the speaker is electrically connected to the controller, and the controller sends out an audio signal indicating insufficient pills through the speaker. For example, the alarm light is electrically connected to the controller, and the controller displays a light signal indicating insufficient pills through the alarm light.

[0094] To facilitate the movement of the picking and placing mechanism 420, the medicine taking device 400 also includes a slide 410. The picking and placing mechanism 420 can be raised and lowered on the slide 410. The slide 410 can be movably arranged in the base 100. The movement of the slide 410 drives the picking and placing mechanism 420 to move, so that the picking and placing mechanism 420 can be located above the medicine storage device 200 or above the medicine outlet channel 300.

[0095] Combination Figure 6 and Figure 7 Based on Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the base 100 includes a base 110 , a first mounting seat 120 , a second mounting seat 130 and a housing.

[0096] The housing is connected to the base 110 to form a receiving space. The first mounting seat 120 is disposed above the base 110 , and the second mounting seat 130 is located above the first mounting seat 120 .

[0097] The medicine storage device 200 and the medicine outlet channel 300 are arranged on the first mounting seat 120 , and the medicine taking device 400 is arranged on the second mounting seat 130 above.

[0098] The housing includes a front housing 140, a rear housing 150 and a top housing 160. The front housing 140 forms a notch at the position of the base 110 and the first mounting seat 120. The medicine outlet channel 300 passes through the first mounting seat 120 to be exposed at a position corresponding to the notch so that the pills can be taken from the outside. The smart medicine box may also include a medicine cup 600, which is removably disposed between the base 110 and the first mounting seat 120 to receive the pills output by the medicine outlet channel 300.

[0099] A first slideway is formed on the second mounting seat 130 , and the slide seat 410 of the medicine taking device 400 is disposed in the first slideway.

[0100] A first rack 131 is provided along the first slideway, a horizontal motor 411 is provided in the slide 410, a gear is provided at the output end of the horizontal motor 411, and the horizontal motor 411 cooperates with the first rack 131 through the gear to drive the slide 410 to move along the first slideway.

[0101] The second mounting seat 130 is formed with two through openings, one of which is a medicine taking opening 132 and the other is a medicine outlet 133. The medicine taking opening 132 is located above the medicine storage device 200, and the medicine outlet 133 is located at the upper end of the medicine outlet passage 300.

[0102] Driven by the slide 410 , the pick-and-place mechanism 420 (the straw 421 in this embodiment) moves its execution end between above the medicine taking port 132 and above the medicine outlet 133 .

[0103] The smart medicine box is further provided with a second detection mechanism 440, which is used to detect the position of the slide 410 and feed back a second displacement signal to the controller, and the controller controls the movement of the slide 410 according to the second displacement signal.

[0104] The second detection mechanism 440 includes a second sensor 441 and a second trigger structure 442. The second sensor 441 is a grating disposed on the slide 410. The second trigger structure 442 includes a plurality of trigger parts, which are arranged at a certain interval in a direction parallel to the first rack 131. The second sensor 441 sends a second displacement signal when passing through each trigger part of the second trigger structure 442. The controller determines the horizontal position of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 according to the second displacement signal of the second sensor 441, thereby controlling the horizontal motor 411 to rotate forward, rotate reversely, or stop.

[0105] A second slideway is formed on the slide seat 410, and the pick-and-place mechanism 420 is slidably disposed in the second slideway. In this embodiment, the suction tube 421 is disposed in the second slideway.

[0106] A second rack 4213 is provided on the straw 421, a lifting motor 413 is provided on the slide 410, a gear is provided at the output end of the lifting motor 413, and the lifting motor 413 drives the straw 421 to move up and down along the second slideway through the gear and the second rack 4213.

[0107] The initial position of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 can be set above the medicine dispensing port 132 . When medicine needs to be taken, the controller controls the lifting motor 413 to rotate forward to make the pick-and-place mechanism 420 descend so as to pass through the medicine dispensing port 132 and enter the medicine storage device 200 .

[0108] When the first detection mechanism 430 is triggered, the controller receives the first displacement signal and controls the lifting motor 413 to rotate in the reverse direction to make the pick-and-place mechanism 420 rise, thereby returning to the initial position.

[0109] Then the controller controls the horizontal motor 411 to work, and determines the position of the slide 410 according to the second displacement signal. When the pick-up and placement mechanism 420 on the slide 410 corresponds to the top of the medicine outlet 133, the controller controls the pick-up and placement mechanism 420 to release the tablet, and the tablet falls and passes through the medicine outlet 133 into the medicine outlet channel 300.

[0110] In order to increase the types of medicines, the medicine storage device 200 includes a turntable 210 and a plurality of medicine storage bins 220 disposed on the turntable 210 , and each medicine storage bin 220 can store different types of tablets.

[0111] like Figure 8 As shown, a plurality of first support columns 121 and a plurality of second support columns 122 are disposed on the first mounting seat 120 .

[0112] A plurality of first support columns 121 are arranged around the turntable 210 to limit the horizontal position of the turntable 210 and prevent the turntable 210 from moving along its own radial direction.

[0113] A plurality of second support columns 122 are supported on the bottom of the turntable 210 , and a ball 123 is disposed on each of the second support columns 122 to reduce the friction of the turntable 210 .

[0114] A gear ring 211 is disposed on the lower surface of the turntable 210 , and a turntable motor 230 is disposed on the first mounting seat 120 . The turntable motor 230 cooperates with the gear ring 211 via gears, thereby driving the turntable 210 to rotate around its own axis.

[0115] A plurality of medicine storage bins 220 are arranged in a ring shape on the upper surface of the turntable 210 along the circumference of the turntable 210 , and each medicine storage bin 220 has an upward opening.

[0116] The turntable motor 230 drives the turntable 210 to rotate to switch the corresponding medicine storage bin 220 below the medicine dispensing port 132 .

[0117] In order to reduce the horizontal moving distance of the pick-and-place mechanism 420, a through hole 212 is formed at the axis position of the turntable 210, the medicine taking port 132 corresponds to the through hole 212, and the medicine outlet channel 300 is a pipe with one end passing through the through hole 212. In this way, the pick-and-place mechanism 420 does not need to cross the entire turntable 210 when taking and releasing the tablets, and the overall structure of the smart medicine box is more compact and the dispensing speed is faster.

[0118] The structure of the medicine storage bin 220 is as follows: Fig. 9As shown, it includes a first side wall 221, a second side wall 222 and a bottom wall 223. The first side wall 221 is close to the axis of the turntable 210, and the second side wall 222 is far away from the axis of the turntable 210. The first side wall 221 and the second side wall 222 are enclosed, and the bottom wall 223 is connected to the lower ends of the first side wall 221 and the second side wall 222 to be opposite to the opening of the medicine storage bin 220.

[0119] In order to prevent the tablets from passing over the first side wall 221 and entering the medicine dispensing channel 300, the upper end of the first side wall 221 extends toward the axis of the turntable 210 to form an inclined surface 2211, and the inclined surface 2211 gradually moves away from the axis of the turntable 210 from the upper end to the lower end. When the tablet stacking surface is high, the inclined surface 2211 serves as a buffer surface, effectively preventing the tablets from passing over the first side wall 221, thereby reducing the dispensing error.

[0120] The bottom wall 223 of the medicine storage bin 220 forms a recess 2231 so that the tablets can slide to the recess 2231 and gather. When the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 is located at the medicine taking port 132, its horizontal projection on the bottom wall 223 of the medicine storage bin 220 falls on the recess 2231. Thus, it is prevented that the residual tablets in the medicine storage bin 220 cannot be taken out.

[0121] To facilitate control, the smart medicine box also includes a third detection mechanism 240, which is used to detect the rotation angle of the turntable 210 and send a third displacement signal. The controller determines the position of the target medicine storage bin 220 according to the third displacement signal and controls the rotation of the turntable 210, so that the opening of the target medicine storage bin 220 corresponds to below the medicine removal port 132.

[0122] like Fig.10 As shown, the third detection mechanism 240 includes a third sensor 241 and a third trigger structure 242 .

[0123] The third sensor 241 is a grating fixed on the first mounting seat 120, and the third trigger structure 242 is a plurality of trigger parts arranged in a ring around the axial direction of the turntable 210. The third sensor 241 sends a third displacement signal when passing through each trigger part of the third trigger structure 242, and the controller determines the rotation angle of the turntable 210 according to the third sensor 241 according to the third displacement signal, thereby controlling the turntable motor 230 to rotate forward, rotate reversely, or stop.

[0124] The third detection mechanism 240 further includes a fourth sensor 243 and a fourth trigger structure 244. The fourth sensor 243 is a grating fixed on the first mounting seat 120, and the fourth trigger structure 244 is a notch ring disposed on the rotating disk 210.

[0125] After the smart medicine box stops being used for a period of time, or before starting to dispense medicine, the turntable 210 can be calibrated first by the fourth sensor 243 and the fourth trigger structure 244 .

[0126] The turntable 210 rotates so that the fourth sensor 243 passes through the gap on the gap ring, and the fourth sensor 243 sends a zero point signal. The controller determines the zero point position of the turntable 210 based on the zero point signal, and clearly defines the position of each drug storage bin 220 and the position of the target drug storage bin 220 to be taken.

[0127] In order to facilitate the addition of pills, a hatch 143 is provided on the base 100 , and the medicine taking port 132 is arranged near the hatch 143 .

[0128] Therefore, when the target medicine storage bin 220 moves to the medicine taking port 132, if there is a shortage of pills, the controller can control the hatch 143 to open automatically, so as to facilitate taking out the target medicine storage bin 220 to replenish the pills.

[0129] The present application also provides a smart medicine box control method for controlling the aforementioned smart medicine box, such as Fig.11 As shown, including:

[0130] S1, the controller controls the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 to extend into the medicine storage device 200;

[0131] S2, when the execution end of the picking and placing mechanism 420 is interfered, the first detection mechanism 430 sends a first displacement signal, and the controller controls the picking and placing mechanism 420 to move out of the medicine storage device 200 and move to the medicine outlet channel 300 according to the first displacement signal to release the tablets.

[0132] Before S1, the controller controls the turntable 210 to rotate to determine the zero position of the turntable 210 through the zero point signal fed back by the fourth detection mechanism, and the zero point position corresponds to the medicine taking port 132; the position of the target medicine storage bin 220 is determined according to the relative angle between the target medicine storage bin 220 and the zero point position.

[0133] Then, the controller controls the turntable 210 to rotate, and determines the rotation angle of the turntable 210 through the third displacement signal fed back by the third detection mechanism 240 , so that the target medicine storage bin 220 reaches below the medicine taking port 132 .

[0134] In S1 , the initial position of the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 is set above the medicine dispensing port 132 .

[0135] In S1 , the controller controls the lifting motor 413 to rotate in the forward direction, thereby driving the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 to descend.

[0136] In S1, if the controller receives the first displacement signal, the controller determines that no tablets are obtained according to the detection result of the load detection mechanism, and then the controller controls the hatch 143 to open and sends out an alarm signal.

[0137] The smart medicine box also includes a camera, which is used to take pictures of the added pills and send image information to the controller. The smart medicine box control method also includes S1a, where the controller receives the image information and compares it with the pre-stored image. After confirming that they are consistent, the controller controls the hatch 143 to close and cancels the alarm signal, and then repeats S1 and S2.

[0138] In S2 , the controller controls the lifting motor 413 to rotate in the reverse direction, thereby driving the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 to rise.

[0139] In S2 , the controller determines the position of the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 according to the second displacement signal fed back by the second detection mechanism 440 to control the horizontal motor 411 to rotate forward so that the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 reaches above the medicine outlet 133 .

[0140] In S2 , when the execution end of the picking and placing mechanism 420 reaches the medicine outlet 133 , the controller controls the picking and placing mechanism 420 to release the tablets.

[0141] The smart medicine box control method also includes S3, the controller controls the horizontal motor 411 to rotate in the opposite direction, determines the position of the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 according to the second displacement signal fed back by the second detection mechanism 440, makes the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism 420 reach above the medicine dispensing port 132, and then stops the horizontal motor 411.

[0142] The smart medicine box provided in this embodiment is further provided with a keyboard 142 , which is disposed on the front shell 140 of the base 100 and is used to set the dispensing time, dispensing type and dispensing amount to the controller.

[0143] The smart medicine box provided in this embodiment can also be remotely connected to external devices, such as mobile phones and computers, to achieve remote setting of the dispensing time, type and amount of medicine.

[0144] The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A smart medicine box, characterized in that: include: matrix; A medicine storage device, disposed in the base body for storing medicine tablets; A drug outlet channel is provided on the substrate to connect the inside and outside of the substrate; A medicine taking device, which is arranged in the base and has a movable taking and placing mechanism, and the taking and placing mechanism is used to extend into the medicine storage device to take the tablets and release them into the medicine outlet channel; A first detection mechanism, disposed on the pick-and-place mechanism, for sending a first displacement signal when an execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism is interfered with; A controller, controlling the pick-and-place mechanism to move out of the medicine storage device and to move to the medicine outlet channel to release the tablets according to the first displacement signal; The taking and placing mechanism comprises a straw and a sleeve, one end of the straw is used for adsorbing and releasing the tablets, and the sleeve is slidably sleeved on one end of the straw; The first detection mechanism includes a first sensor and a first trigger structure, wherein the first sensor is disposed on one of the straw and the sleeve, and the first trigger structure is disposed on the other of the straw and the sleeve; The taking and placing mechanism comprises an elastic member, and the elastic member is supported between the sleeve and the straw to drive the sleeve to cover one end of the straw; One end of the straw is provided with a suction nozzle made of elastic material.

2. The smart medicine box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The smart medicine box also includes: The load detection mechanism is arranged on the pick-and-place mechanism to detect the load at the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism; when the controller receives the first displacement signal, it determines whether the pick-and-place mechanism has obtained the tablet according to the detection result of the load detection mechanism.

3. The smart medicine box according to claim 2, characterized in that: The taking and placing mechanism comprises a straw, and the straw is used to suck up the tablets. The load detection mechanism is an air pressure sensor arranged on the straw.

4. The smart medicine box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The medicine taking device further comprises a slide seat, the taking and placing mechanism is arranged on the slide seat in a liftable manner, and the slide seat is movably arranged in the base body so that the taking and placing mechanism moves above the medicine storage device and above the medicine outlet channel; The smart medicine box further includes a second detection mechanism, which is used to detect the position of the slide and feed back a second displacement signal to the controller, and the controller controls the movement of the slide according to the second displacement signal.

5. The smart medicine box according to claim 4, characterized in that: The drug storage device comprises a rotating disk and a plurality of drug storage bins, wherein the plurality of drug storage bins are arranged in a ring shape along the circumference of the rotating disk, and each drug storage bin has an upward opening; The smart medicine box further includes a third detection mechanism, which is used to detect the rotation angle of the turntable and send a third displacement signal; The controller determines the position of the target medicine storage bin according to the third displacement signal and controls the rotation of the turntable.

6. The smart medicine box according to claim 5, characterized in that: The base is provided with a hatch, and the controller controls the rotation of the turntable according to the third displacement signal so that the target medicine storage bin rotates to the hatch, and the controller controls the movement of the slide according to the second displacement signal so that the pick-and-place mechanism is located above the opening of the target medicine storage bin.

7. A method for controlling a smart medicine box, wherein the medicine box is the smart medicine box as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising a controller, a medicine storage device, a medicine outlet channel and a medicine taking device, wherein the medicine taking device comprises a movable taking and placing mechanism, characterized in that: The pick-and-place mechanism is provided with a first detection mechanism, and the controller controls the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism to extend into the medicine storage device. When the execution end of the pick-and-place mechanism is interfered, a first displacement signal is sent out, and the controller controls the pick-and-place mechanism to move out of the medicine storage device and move to the medicine outlet channel to release the tablets according to the first displacement signal.

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