Automatic dispensing mechanism and medicine dispensing and selling machine and control method thereof
By adopting a bottom dispensing unit and a medicine lifting unit in the automatic medicine vending machine, the problems of insufficient weight of the medicine box, excessive friction, and space occupation are solved, realizing first-in-first-out and efficient medicine dispensing, simplifying the medicine replenishment process, and avoiding medicine waste.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CHINA MED-SAFE TECH
- Filing Date
- 2021-03-12
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-04
AI Technical Summary
Existing automatic medicine vending machines have problems such as insufficient weight of the medicine box leading to difficulty in dispensing medicine, excessive friction leading to difficulty in dispensing medicine, large space occupation, and medicine stacking leading to expired medicine and waste.
The device employs a bottom dispensing unit and a drug lifting unit. The bottom dispensing unit, together with the side support, forms a drug storage space. Driven by a motor, the bottom dispensing unit switches between a support position and a release position to ensure that the drug is dispensed from the bottom of the storage unit. The drug is then transported to the dispensing port by a horizontal drug transport unit and a lifting unit.
It achieves first-in, first-out (FIFO) for medicines, avoids waste due to expired medicines, simplifies the medicine replenishment process, and improves dispensing efficiency and space utilization.
Smart Images
Figure CN113023204B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of drug management technology, and in particular to an automatic dispensing mechanism and vending machine and its control method. Background Technology
[0002] Currently, there are automated medicine vending machines. Chinese invention patent CN106327690 A discloses a dispensing mechanism for such a machine, where the medicine storage slots are arranged at an angle. When the medicine curtain is lowered by the height of one medicine box, the box is unobstructed and slides down due to its own weight, dispensing the medicine. While this method is structurally simple, it relies on the weight of the medicine box itself. If the box is too light, or if too many medicine boxes are piled up on top, causing excessive friction between the lower boxes and the base, dispensing becomes difficult. Chinese invention patent CN106743041A discloses an automated high-speed dispensing system. A rapid dispensing mechanism is connected below the dispensing port. This mechanism includes a ring-shaped synchronous belt running in the front-back direction and a lever on the outer surface of the belt. The medicines stacked in the storage slots fall onto the belt due to their own weight. Each rotation of the belt dispenses one medicine box, and as each box is dispensed from the bottom layer, the medicines above it fall down sequentially. While this structure enables rapid dispensing, the actuation mechanism, driven by a ring belt, is bulky and occupies valuable space in the dispensing facility. Furthermore, the impact force on the medicine box is difficult to control, making it unsuitable for fragile medications. Therefore, all the aforementioned technical solutions for dispensing medicine from the bottom of the storage unit have shortcomings.
[0003] Chinese invention patent CN110902234 A discloses an integrated medication refill machine that uses a six-axis robot or coordinate manipulator to grasp medications. Chinese invention patent CN109650061 A discloses a pneumatic medication-retrieving manipulator, which consists of a synchronous belt drive system, a medication storage compartment, and a medication suction mechanism. The synchronous belt drive system controls the medication suction mechanism by driving synchronous pulleys through two servo motors. Although this technical solution can retrieve medication from above the storage unit, it has other drawbacks: medications are generally stacked in the storage unit and have a certain expiration date. While the manipulator can retrieve medication from above the storage unit, it will also replenish medication from above when the stock is low. This means that newly arrived medications are piled on top of existing medications, and medications are retrieved first, causing the medications at the bottom of the storage unit to easily expire, resulting in unnecessary losses. Summary of the Invention
[0004] This application proposes an automatic dispensing mechanism, which can be used in vending machines, pharmacies, etc. Taking a vending machine as an example, the vending machine includes a casing and an automatic dispensing mechanism. The automatic dispensing mechanism includes a medicine storage unit, a control unit, and a medicine transfer unit.
[0005] The drug transport unit includes a horizontal drug transport unit and a drug lifting unit. The drug transport unit is used to transport drugs that have fallen out from the bottom of the drug storage unit to the drug dispensing port.
[0006] The automatic dispensing mechanism includes multiple drug storage units, which can be arranged side-by-side or in a spatial array, i.e., a multi-row, multi-column structure. The coordinate position of each drug storage unit on the horizontal plane (i.e., the XY-axis plane) can be determined by encoding. The multiple drug storage units are arranged in an array and have definite XY-axis coordinate positions.
[0007] The drug storage unit includes a bottom dispensing component and a side support component, which together form a drug holding space. The drugs are stacked and stored within this space to form a drug stack. A drug transport unit then delivers the drugs to the dispensing port for retrieval. Specifically, the side support component is a side plate. A correspondence exists between the drug storage unit and the drugs, and this correspondence is stored in the memory of the control unit.
[0008] The drug horizontal transport unit can employ a coordinate displacement mechanism positioned below the drug storage unit. This mechanism includes an X-axis slide rail, a Y-axis slide rail, and a drug placement platform. The X-axis slide rail comprises two parallel slide rails arranged side-by-side along the X-axis direction. The Y-axis slide rail is a single rail perpendicular to the X-axis slide rail along the Y-axis direction. The horizontal placement platform is positioned on the Y-axis slide rail. The Y-axis slide rail and the horizontal placement platform slide together on the X-axis slide rail driven by an X-axis motor, and the horizontal placement platform slides on the Y-axis slide rail driven by a Y-axis motor. The stroke of the X-axis and Y-axis motors can be controlled by a control unit, which can control the horizontal placement platform to move below any drug storage unit.
[0009] The horizontal placement platform has a horizontal conveyor belt that can move horizontally under the drive of a horizontal drive motor. The horizontal placement platform is vertically equipped with a support rod, on which a magnetic sheet is installed. Each medicine storage unit has a Hall sensor installed at its lower part. When the control unit controls the horizontal placement platform to move directly below a designated medicine storage unit according to the XY coordinates of the medicine storage unit, the position of the magnetic sheet corresponds to the position of the Hall sensor of that medicine storage unit. The Hall sensor detects the magnetic field generated by the magnetic sheet on the horizontal placement platform and generates a magnetic field detection signal, which is sent to the control unit. The control unit determines whether the horizontal placement platform has moved directly below the designated medicine storage unit based on the magnetic field detection signal.
[0010] The control unit includes a control circuit or processor with control functions to control the drug storage unit and the drug transport unit. The control unit has a memory that stores the coordinates of any drug storage unit in the XY plane and the coordinates of the initial position of the horizontal placement platform. The correspondence between the drug storage units and the drugs is stored in the memory of the control unit.
[0011] The drug storage unit includes a bottom dispensing component and a side support component, which together form a drug storage space. The side support component can be a side plate. The bottom dispensing component includes a support part and a clamping part. The support part is driven by a drive part to move between a support position and a dispensing position. The clamping part is driven by a drive part to move between a clamping position and a release position. The bottom dispensing component has a support state and a release state. When the bottom dispensing component is in the support state, the support part is in the support position, providing support for the bottommost drug in the drug stack in the drug storage unit and preventing the drug from falling out of the bottom of the drug storage unit. The clamping part is in the release position and does not clamp the drug in the drug storage unit. When the bottom dispensing component is in the release state, the clamping part is in the clamping position, clamping the second-to-last drug in the drug stack in the drug storage unit and preventing the drug from falling. The support part is in the dispensing position, and the bottommost drug in the drug stack (i.e., the first-to-last drug) can fall out of the bottom of the drug storage unit.
[0012] Furthermore, the bottom dispensing component also has an elastic part, which is disposed on the inner side of the support to provide cushioning for the falling of the medicine.
[0013] Specifically, the bottom dispensing unit includes a dispensing motor, an elastic drug blocker, and dispensing baffles. At least two dispensing baffles are arranged generally vertically on opposite sides below the side panel, and each baffle has a central pivot. This central pivot is not necessarily located in the exact center of the baffle, but the heights of the two central pivots are the same, and the distance between the two central pivots remains constant, slightly greater than the width of the medicine box. An elastic drug blocker is provided on the inner side of each dispensing baffle. Driven by the dispensing motor, the dispensing baffles can swing back and forth in a vertical plane between two swinging positions around the central pivot, with the two baffles swinging in opposite directions. This allows the bottom dispensing unit to switch between two states, ensuring that only the bottommost medicine in the medicine stack falls onto the horizontal placement platform each time medicine is dispensed from the storage unit. The bottom dispensing unit has two states: a supported state and a released state. In the supported state, the lower ends of the two dispensing baffles are biased inwards, and the distance between the lower ends of the two dispensing baffles is less than the width of the medicine box. Simultaneously, the upper ends of the two dispensing baffles are biased outwards, and the distance between the upper ends of the two dispensing baffles is greater than the width of the medicine box. In this state, the lower ends of the two dispensing baffles support the bottom medicine box in the medicine stack within the medicine storage unit, preventing the medicine stack from falling. In the released state, the lower ends of the two dispensing baffles are biased outwards, and the distance between the lower ends of the two dispensing baffles is greater than the width of the medicine box. Simultaneously, the upper ends of the two dispensing baffles are biased inwards, and the distance between the upper ends of the two dispensing baffles is slightly less than the width of the medicine box. In this state, the lower ends of the two dispensing baffles release the bottom medicine box from the medicine stack in the medicine storage unit, and the bottom medicine box falls onto the horizontally placed platform. At the same time, the upper ends of the two dispensing baffles clamp the second to last medicine box in the medicine stack to prevent the medicine boxes other than the bottom medicine box from falling.
[0014] On the other hand, the bottom dispensing unit is designed to include a bottom support plate, a clamping component, an elastic drug blocker, and a drive motor. The bottom support plate can move between a support position and a release position under the drive motor. In the support position, the upper side of the bottom support plate provides support for the drug stack. The clamping component, driven by the drive motor, clamps and releases the second-to-last drug in the drug stack. The elastic drug blocker is located on the upper side of the bottom support plate. When the bottom dispensing unit is in the support state, the bottom support plate is in the support position, the clamping component is released, and the drug stack is supported by the bottom support plate and does not fall. When the bottom dispensing unit is in the release state, the clamping component clamps the second-to-last drug box in the drug stack to prevent the upper drug boxes from falling sequentially. The bottom support plate moves to the release position, and the bottom drug box in the drug stack is released and falls. After the bottom drug box falls, the bottom dispensing unit returns to the support state, the bottom support plate returns to the support position, the clamping component is released, and the entire drug stack falls by the height of one drug box.
[0015] The medicine lifting unit includes a Z-axis slide rail, a lifting tray, and a lifting motor. The Z-axis slide rail is vertically arranged, and the lifting tray moves up and down on the Z-axis slide rail under the drive of the lifting motor, displacing between a descending position and a rising position. When the lifting tray is in the descending position, it receives medicine from the horizontal placement platform; when the lifting tray is in the rising position, it delivers the medicine to the dispensing port.
[0016] Furthermore, the height of the horizontal conveyor belt of the horizontal placement platform is higher than or equal to the height of the lifting tray in the descending position, where each height refers to the horizontal height of the upper surface. Simultaneously, the initial position of the horizontal placement platform is adjacent to the descending position of the lifting tray, so that when the horizontal conveyor belt of the horizontal placement platform at the initial position moves horizontally under the drive of the horizontal drive motor, the medicine on the horizontal conveyor belt is transported to the descending lifting tray. This horizontal movement is generally unidirectional, meaning the horizontal conveyor belt transports the medicine towards the lifting tray.
[0017] This application also proposes a medication dispensing control method, which is based on the aforementioned automatic medication dispensing mechanism and vending machine, and includes the following steps:
[0018] Step 1: The automated dispensing mechanism receives the dispensing instruction and determines the corresponding storage unit and its XY coordinates. Since the correspondence between the storage units and the drugs, and the coordinates of any storage unit in the XY plane, are stored in the control unit's memory, the control unit can determine the corresponding storage unit and its coordinates based on the type of drug in the dispensing instruction.
[0019] Step 2: The control unit controls the horizontal placement platform of the horizontal transport unit to move from its initial position to directly below the medicine storage unit. Since the coordinates of the initial position of the horizontal placement platform are also stored in the memory of the control unit, and the XY coordinates of the medicine storage unit are the displacement endpoints of the horizontal placement platform, the control unit can control the horizontal placement platform of the horizontal transport unit to move from its initial position to directly below the medicine storage unit.
[0020] Step 3: The control unit receives the magnetic field detection signal from the Hall sensor of the drug storage unit to determine whether the horizontal placement platform has moved directly under the drug storage unit. If the horizontal placement platform has moved directly under the drug storage unit, proceed to Step 4; otherwise, continue waiting.
[0021] Step 4: The control unit controls the bottom dispensing device of the drug storage unit to switch from the supported state to the released state, and the drug at the bottom of the drug stack in the drug storage unit falls onto the horizontal placement platform.
[0022] Step 5: The control unit controls the bottom dispensing device of the drug storage unit to switch from the release state to the support state, and the entire drug stack in the drug storage unit falls down to rebuild the stack.
[0023] Step 6: The control unit controls the horizontal placement platform to return to its initial position.
[0024] Step 7: The control unit controls the horizontal conveyor belt of the horizontal placement platform to move horizontally, so that the medicine on the horizontal conveyor belt is transported to the lifting tray;
[0025] Step 8: The lifting motor drives the lifting tray to rise to the lifting position, so that the user can take the medicine from the dispensing port;
[0026] Step 9: After the medicine is removed, the lifting tray returns to the lowered position.
[0027] The automatic dispensing mechanism proposed in this application, by setting a bottom dispensing component at the bottom of the drug storage unit, enables a box of medicine to fall out from the bottom each time the drug storage unit is dispensed. With this setting, when the operator replenishes the drug storage unit, they can easily see how much medicine is missing from each storage unit by looking at the height of the medicine stack. Replenishing medicine is also very convenient; the medicine to be replenished is simply placed into the medicine stack from the top of the storage unit. At the same time, it ensures the first-in, first-out principle of medicine and prevents waste caused by expired medicine. Attached Figure Description
[0028] Figure 1 This is a front view of the medicine vending machine of the present invention;
[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the drug release from the drug storage unit in this application;
[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the drug enhancement unit of this application enhancing the drug;
[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the location of the drug lifting unit in this application at the lifting position;
[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the bottom dispensing component of this application in a supported state;
[0033] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the bottom dispensing component of this application in the released state.
[0034] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the horizontal transport unit of this application;
[0035] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the drug enhancement unit in this application;
[0036] Figure 9This is a schematic diagram showing the location coding of the drug storage unit in this application.
[0037] The components include: outer shell 1, control unit 2, X-axis slide rail 3, X-axis motor 4, Y-axis slide rail 5, Y-axis motor 6, horizontal placement platform 7, lifting tray 8, Z-axis slide rail 9, Z-axis motor 10, medicine storage unit 11, medicine box 12, Hall sensor 13, horizontal conveyor belt 7-1, horizontal drive motor 7-2, magnetic sheet 7-3, side plate 11-1, dispensing motor 11-2, elastic medicine blocker 11-3, and dispensing baffle 11-4. Detailed Implementation
[0038] The present application will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments.
[0039] This application proposes an automatic dispensing mechanism, which can be used in vending machines, pharmacies, etc. Figure 1 As shown, taking a medicine vending machine as an example, the medicine vending machine includes a casing 1 and an automatic medicine dispensing mechanism. The automatic medicine dispensing mechanism includes a medicine storage unit 11, a control unit 2, and a medicine transfer unit.
[0040] The automatic dispensing mechanism includes multiple drug storage units 11. These units can be arranged side-by-side or in a spatial array, i.e., a multi-row, multi-column structure. The coordinate position of each drug storage unit 11 on the horizontal plane (i.e., the XY-axis plane) can be determined by encoding. Since the multiple drug storage units 11 are arranged in an array, their installation positions are already determined. See also... Figure 9 Taking two rows of eight drug storage units 11 as an example, the codes of the first row of drug storage units 11 are A1-A4, and the codes of the second row of drug storage units 11 are B1-B4. The coordinates of each drug storage unit 11 in the XY axis plane are fixed, so the horizontal drug transport unit can be controlled to move to the designated drug storage unit 11.
[0041] like Figure 5 The drug storage unit 11 includes a bottom dispensing component and a side support component, which together form a drug storage space. The drugs are stacked and stored in this space to form a drug stack. A drug transport unit then delivers the drugs to the dispensing port for retrieval. Specifically, the side support component is a side plate 11-1. Each drug storage unit 11 has a corresponding drug type, meaning that any drug stored in a given storage unit 11, or the storage unit 11 number corresponding to a specific drug, is stored in the memory of the control unit 2.
[0042] The drug transport unit includes a drug horizontal transport unit and a drug lifting unit.
[0043] The drug horizontal transport unit can employ a coordinate displacement mechanism (such as one located below the drug storage unit 11) Figure 7The coordinate displacement mechanism includes an X-axis slide rail 3, a Y-axis slide rail 5, and a horizontal placement platform 7. The X-axis slide rail 3 comprises two slide rails arranged parallel to each other along the X-axis direction, and the number of X-axis slide rails 3 can be increased or decreased according to actual needs. The Y-axis slide rail 5 is a slide rail vertically arranged along the Y-axis direction on the X-axis slide rail 3, and the number of Y-axis slide rails 5 can be increased according to actual needs. The horizontal placement platform 7 is disposed on the Y-axis slide rail 5. The Y-axis slide rail 5 and the horizontal placement platform 7 slide together on the X-axis slide rail 3 under the drive of the X-axis motor 4, and the horizontal placement platform 7 slides on the Y-axis slide rail 5 under the drive of the Y-axis motor 6. The stroke of the X-axis motor 4 and the Y-axis motor 6 can be controlled by the control unit 2, thus enabling the horizontal placement platform 7 to be displaced in the XY plane. Since the coordinate position of each medicine storage unit 11 in the XY plane is determined, the control unit 2 can control the horizontal placement platform 7 to be displaced below any medicine storage unit 11.
[0044] The horizontal placement platform 7 has a horizontal conveyor belt 7-1, which can move horizontally under the drive of a horizontal drive motor 7-2. The horizontal placement platform 7 is vertically equipped with a support rod, on which a magnetic sheet 7-3 is mounted. The magnetic sheet 7-3 is made of a strong permanent magnet. Correspondingly, each medicine storage unit 11 has a Hall sensor 13 at its lower part. When the control unit 2 controls the horizontal placement platform 7 to move directly below a designated medicine storage unit 11 based on the XY coordinates of the medicine storage unit 11, the position of the magnetic sheet 7-3 corresponds to the position of the Hall sensor 13 of that medicine storage unit 11. Figure 5 As shown, the Hall sensor 13 detects the magnetic field generated by the magnetic sheet 7-3 on the horizontal placement platform 7 and generates a magnetic field detection signal, which is sent to the control unit 2. The control unit 2 determines the position of the horizontal placement platform 7 based on the magnetic field detection signal, that is, whether the horizontal placement platform 7 has moved directly below the designated drug storage unit 11.
[0045] The control unit 2 includes a control circuit or processor with control functions to control the drug storage unit 11 and the drug transport unit. The control unit 2 has a memory that stores the coordinates of any drug storage unit 11 in the XY plane and the coordinates of the initial position of the horizontal placement platform 7.
[0046] The medicine storage unit 11 will be further described below. The medicine storage unit 11 includes a bottom dispensing component and side support components, which together form a storage space for the medicine. The side support components may be side plates 11-1, and the bottom dispensing component includes a dispensing motor 11-2, an elastic medicine blocker 11-3, and dispensing baffles 11-4. At least two dispensing baffles 11-4 are included, as shown in the figure. The two dispensing baffles 11-4 are arranged generally vertically on opposite sides below the side plate 11-1, and both dispensing baffles 11-4 have a central pivot. The central pivot is not necessarily located in the exact center of the dispensing baffle, but the heights of the central pivots of the two dispensing baffles 11-4 are the same, and the distance between the central pivots of the two dispensing baffles 11-4 remains constant, slightly greater than the width of the medicine box 12. An elastic medicine blocker 11-3 is provided on the inner side of the dispensing baffle 11-4. The elastic medicine blocker 11-3 can be made of rubber or other elastic sheet material, and its function is to provide cushioning for the falling medicine and prevent damage to the medicine box 12. The dispensing baffle 11-4 can swing back and forth in the vertical plane between two swing positions around the central pivot under the drive of the dispensing motor 11-2, and the two dispensing baffles 11-4 swing in opposite directions, so that the bottom dispensing component switches between two states, ensuring that only the bottom medicine in the medicine stack falls onto the horizontal placement platform 7 each time medicine is dispensed from the medicine storage unit 11.
[0047] Specifically, the bottom dispensing unit has two states: a supported state and a released state. In the supported state, the lower ends of the two dispensing baffles 11-4 are biased inwards, and the distance between the lower ends of the two dispensing baffles 11-4 is less than the width of the medicine box 12. Simultaneously, the upper ends of the two dispensing baffles 11-4 are biased outwards, and the distance between the upper ends of the two dispensing baffles 11-4 is greater than the width of the medicine box 12. In this state, the lower ends of the two dispensing baffles 11-4 support the bottom medicine box 12 in the medicine stack of the medicine storage unit 11, and the medicine stack is supported by the lower ends of the two dispensing baffles 11-4 to prevent it from falling. In the released state, the lower ends of the two dispensing baffles 11-4 are biased outwards, and the distance between the lower ends of the two dispensing baffles 11-4 is greater than the width of the medicine box 12. Simultaneously, the upper ends of the two dispensing baffles 11-4 are biased inwards, and the distance between the upper ends of the two dispensing baffles 11-4 is slightly less than the width of the medicine box 12. In this state, the lower ends of the two dispensing baffles 11-4 release the bottommost medicine box 12 from the medicine stack in the medicine storage unit 11, causing it to fall onto the horizontal platform. Simultaneously, the upper ends of the two dispensing baffles 11-4 clamp the second-to-last medicine box 12 in the medicine stack, preventing any other medicine boxes 12 from falling. By switching between these two states, the bottom dispensing device can control the medicine storage unit 11 to only release the bottommost medicine from the medicine stack at a time.
[0048] Besides the above implementation, the bottom dispensing device can also adopt other designs. For example, the bottom dispensing device is designed to include a bottom support plate, a clamping member, an elastic drug blocker 11-3, and a drive motor. The bottom support plate can move between a support position and a release position under the drive motor. When in the support position, the upper side of the bottom support plate can provide support for the drug stack. The clamping member can clamp and release the second drug from the bottom in the drug stack under the drive motor. The elastic drug blocker 11-3 is located on the upper side of the bottom support plate. When the bottom dispensing device is in the support state, the bottom support plate is in the support position, the clamping member is released, and the drug stack is supported by the bottom support plate and does not fall as a whole. When the bottom dispensing device is in the release state, the clamping member clamps the second drug box 12 from the bottom of the drug stack to prevent the upper drug boxes 12 from falling sequentially. The bottom support plate moves to the release position, and the bottom drug box 12 of the drug stack is released and falls. After the bottom medicine box 12 falls, the bottom dispensing device returns to the support state, the bottom support plate returns to the support position, the clamping device is released, and the entire medicine stack falls down by the height of one medicine box 12. The elastic drug blocker 11-3 provides a buffer for the falling medicine. At this point, the control unit 2 can control the medicine storage unit 11 to complete the dispensing of a single medicine from below by controlling the drive motor of the bottom dispensing device.
[0049] The medicine lifting unit includes a Z-axis slide rail 9, a lifting tray 8, and a Z-axis motor 10. The Z-axis slide rail 9 is vertically arranged, and the lifting tray 8 moves up and down on the Z-axis slide rail 9 under the drive of the Z-axis motor 10. The lifting tray 8 shifts between a descending position and a rising position. When the lifting tray 8 is in the descending position, it receives medicine sent from the horizontal placement platform 7. When the lifting tray 8 is in the rising position, it delivers the medicine to the dispensing port for retrieval.
[0050] Furthermore, the height of the horizontal conveyor belt 7-1 of the horizontal placement platform 7 is higher than or equal to the height of the lifting tray 8 in the descending position, where each height refers to the horizontal height of the upper surface. Simultaneously, the initial position of the horizontal placement platform 7 is adjacent to the descending position of the lifting tray 8, so that when the horizontal conveyor belt 7-1 of the horizontal placement platform 7 in the initial position moves horizontally under the drive of the horizontal drive motor 7-2, the medicine on the horizontal conveyor belt 7-1 is transported onto the lifting tray 8. This horizontal movement is generally unidirectional, meaning the horizontal conveyor belt 7-1 transports medicine towards the lifting tray 8.
[0051] This application also proposes a medication dispensing control method, which is based on the automatic medication dispensing mechanism and vending machine in the above embodiments, and includes the following steps:
[0052] Step 1: The automatic dispensing mechanism receives the dispensing instruction and determines the corresponding drug storage unit 11 and its XY coordinates. Since the correspondence between the drug storage unit 11 and the drug, and the coordinates of any drug storage unit 11 in the XY plane are stored in the memory of the control unit 2, the control unit 2 can determine the corresponding drug storage unit 11 and its coordinates according to the type of drug in the dispensing instruction.
[0053] Step 2: Control unit 2 controls the horizontal placement platform 7 of the horizontal transport unit to move from the initial position to directly below the medicine storage unit 11; since the coordinates of the initial position of the horizontal placement platform 7 are also stored in the memory of control unit 2, and the XY coordinates of the medicine storage unit 11 are the displacement endpoints of the horizontal placement platform 7, control unit 2 can control the horizontal placement platform 7 of the horizontal transport unit to move from the initial position to directly below the medicine storage unit 11.
[0054] Step 3: The control unit 2 receives the magnetic field detection signal from the Hall sensor 13 of the medicine storage unit 11 to determine whether the horizontal placement platform 7 has moved directly under the medicine storage unit 11. If the horizontal placement platform 7 has moved directly under the medicine storage unit 11, proceed to step 4; otherwise, continue waiting.
[0055] Step 4: Control unit 2 controls the bottom dispensing device of the drug storage unit 11 to switch from the supported state to the released state, and the drug at the bottom of the drug stack of the drug storage unit 11 falls onto the horizontal placement platform 7.
[0056] Step 5: Control unit 2 controls the bottom dispensing component of the drug storage unit 11 to switch from the released state to the supported state, causing the entire drug stack in the drug storage unit 11 to fall and re-establish the stack. With this configuration, the dispensing process in this application dispenses drugs from the bottom of the drug storage unit. Therefore, when operators replenish drugs in the drug storage unit, they can easily see how much drug is missing from each storage unit by observing the height of the drug stack. Replenishing drugs is also very convenient; simply place the replenished drug from the top of the storage unit into the drug stack. This also ensures a first-in, first-out system for drugs, preventing waste caused by expired drugs.
[0057] Step 6: Control unit 2 controls the horizontal placement platform 7 to return to its initial position.
[0058] Step 7: Control unit 2 controls the horizontal conveyor belt 7-1 of the horizontal placement platform 7 to move horizontally, so that the medicine on the horizontal conveyor belt 7-1 is transported to the lifting tray 8;
[0059] Step 8: The Z-axis motor 10 drives the lifting tray 8 to rise to the lifting position so that the user can take the medicine from the medicine dispensing port;
[0060] Step Nine: After the medicine is removed, the lifting tray 8 returns to the lowered position. Specifically, determining whether the medicine has been removed can be achieved through active control and sensor detection. Active control can be achieved by the user confirming the removal of the medicine on the operation panel. Sensor detection can be achieved by installing a pressure sensor under the lifting tray 8 or an image sensor at the medicine dispensing port to determine whether the medicine has been removed from the lifting tray 8.
[0061] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above are merely preferred embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.
Claims
1. An automatic dispensing mechanism, characterized in that, The automatic dispensing mechanism includes a drug storage unit, a control unit, and a drug transport unit; The control unit is used to control the drug transport unit and the drug storage unit; The drug transfer unit is used to transport the drugs that fall out of the lower part of the drug storage unit to the drug dispensing port; The drug storage unit is multiple, and the multiple drug storage units are arranged side by side or in an array; The drug storage unit includes a bottom dispensing component and a side support component. The bottom dispensing component and the side support component constitute a drug storage space. The drugs are stacked and stored in the drug storage space to form a drug stack. The bottom dispensing unit includes a support part and a clamping part. The support part is driven by a drive part to move between a support position and a dispensing position. The clamping part is driven by a drive part to move between a clamping position and a release position. The bottom dispensing unit has a support state and a release state. When the bottom dispensing unit is in the support state, the support part is in the support position, providing support for the bottommost drug in the drug stack in the drug storage unit and preventing the drug from falling out of the drug storage unit. The clamping part is in the release position and does not clamp the drug in the drug storage unit. When the bottom dispensing unit is in the release state, the clamping part is in the clamping position, clamping the second-to-last drug in the drug stack in the drug storage unit and preventing the drug from falling. The support part is in the dispensing position, and the bottommost drug in the drug stack in the drug storage unit can fall out of the drug storage unit. The control unit has a memory, and the drug storage unit has a corresponding relationship with the drug. The corresponding relationship is stored in the memory of the control unit. At the same time, the memory stores the coordinates of any drug storage unit in the XY plane. The drug transport unit includes a horizontal drug transport unit and a drug lifting unit; The drug horizontal transport unit is a coordinate displacement mechanism installed below the drug storage unit. The coordinate displacement mechanism includes an X-axis slide rail, a Y-axis slide rail, and a horizontal placement platform. The X-axis slide rail is arranged along the X-axis direction, and the Y-axis slide rail is arranged perpendicularly to the X-axis slide rail along the Y-axis direction. The horizontal placement platform is arranged on the Y-axis slide rail. The Y-axis slide rail and the horizontal placement platform slide together as a whole on the X-axis slide rail driven by the X-axis motor, and the horizontal placement platform slides on the Y-axis slide rail driven by the Y-axis motor. The horizontal placement platform has a horizontal conveyor belt that moves horizontally under the drive of a horizontal drive motor. The platform is vertically supported by a support rod with a magnetic plate on it. Each medicine storage unit has a Hall sensor at its lower part. When the horizontal placement platform moves directly under a designated medicine storage unit, the position of the magnetic plate corresponds to the position of the Hall sensor in that unit. The Hall sensor detects the magnetic field generated by the magnetic plate on the platform and sends a magnetic field detection signal to the control unit. The control unit determines whether the horizontal placement platform has moved directly under the designated medicine storage unit based on the magnetic field detection signal. The medicine lifting unit includes a Z-axis slide rail, a lifting tray, and a lifting motor. The Z-axis slide rail is vertically arranged, and the lifting tray moves up and down on the Z-axis slide rail under the drive of the lifting motor. The lifting tray moves between a descending position and a rising position. When the lifting tray is in the descending position, it receives medicine from the horizontal placement platform; when the lifting tray is in the rising position, it delivers the medicine to the dispensing port. The height of the horizontal conveyor belt of the horizontal placement platform is higher than or equal to the height of the lifting tray when it is in the descending position. The initial position of the horizontal placement platform is adjacent to the descending position of the lifting tray, so that when the horizontal conveyor belt of the horizontal placement platform in the initial position moves horizontally under the drive of the horizontal drive motor, the medicine on the horizontal conveyor belt is transported to the lifting tray in the descending position.
2. The automatic dispensing mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom dispensing component also has an elastic part, which is located inside the support part to provide cushioning for the falling medicine.
3. A medicine vending machine, comprising an automatic medicine dispensing mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, The vending machine also includes a casing and a dispensing port.
4. A method for controlling medication dispensing, based on the automatic medication dispensing mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drug dispensing control method includes the following steps: Step 1: The automated dispensing mechanism receives the dispensing instruction and determines the corresponding drug storage unit and its XY coordinates; Step 2: The control unit controls the horizontal placement platform of the horizontal transport unit to move from its initial position to directly below the drug storage unit; Step 3: The control unit receives the magnetic field detection signal from the Hall sensor of the medicine storage unit to determine whether the horizontal placement platform has moved directly under the medicine storage unit. If the horizontal placement platform has moved directly under the medicine storage unit, proceed to step 4; otherwise, continue to wait. Step 4: The control unit controls the bottom dispensing device of the drug storage unit to switch from the supported state to the released state, and the drug at the bottom of the drug stack of the drug storage unit falls onto the horizontal placement platform; Step 5: The control unit controls the bottom dispensing component of the drug storage unit to switch from the release state to the support state, and the entire drug stack in the drug storage unit falls down to rebuild the stack; Step Six: The control unit controls the horizontal placement platform to return to its initial position; Step 7: The control unit controls the horizontal conveyor belt of the horizontal placement platform to move horizontally, so that the medicine on the horizontal conveyor belt is transported to the lifting tray; Step 8: The lifting motor drives the lifting tray to rise to the lifting position, so that the user can take the medicine from the dispensing port; Step 9: After the medicine is removed, the lifting tray returns to the lowered position.