A material box dumping mechanism and an automatic medicine supplementing system based on the mechanism

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of material box dumping mechanism and the automatic medicine supplement system based on the mechanism.A kind of material box dumping mechanism, including mounting bracket, with the mounting bracket assembly overturn mechanism;First material box conveying line is installed on mounting bracket;Material box baffle assembly is provided at the front end of mounting bracket, and mounting bracket is also installed with gripper assembly, and gripper assembly includes gripper respectively located at the left and right sides of mounting bracket;Gripper assembly and mounting bracket are also provided with gripper drive mechanism.The automatic medicine supplement system, including material box dumping mechanism, also includes second material box conveying line and medicine conveying line buffer pool;Second material box conveying line and the rear end of first material box conveying line of material box dumping mechanism are butt joint;Medicine conveying line buffer pool is set to the front lower side of material box dumping mechanism.The present application replaces artificial, automatically carries out material box dumping operation, and design is reasonable, and action is smooth;Medicine is automatically conveyed from the goods shelf of cool storage to the medicine supplement machine, and the efficiency of medicine supplement is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of hospital drug dispensing equipment, and in particular to a hopper tilting mechanism and an automatic drug replenishment system based on the mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] The hospital's outpatient pharmacy has its own cool storage room for medicines. The existing automatic refilling device requires manual removal of medicines from the cool storage room and then pouring them into the refilling machine's buffer pool based on the list of medicines missing from the dispensing machine. This operation is inefficient and the manual refilling is not timely, which affects the dispensing efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a material bin tilting mechanism that replaces manual labor and automatically tilts the material bin. The mechanism is reasonably designed and operates smoothly. The present invention also provides an automatic medicine replenishment system based on the material bin tilting mechanism, which automatically transports medicines from the shelf in the cool storage room to the medicine replenishment machine, greatly improving the efficiency of medicine replenishment.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is: a hopper tilting mechanism, including a mounting frame and a flipping mechanism assembled with the mounting frame; a first hopper conveyor line is installed on the mounting frame; a hopper baffle assembly is provided at the front end of the mounting frame, and a gripper assembly is also installed on the mounting frame, the gripper assembly including grippers located on the left and right sides of the mounting frame respectively; a gripper driving mechanism is also provided between the gripper assembly and the mounting frame; the first hopper conveyor line is used to receive hoppers and convey the hoppers to the rear side of the hopper baffle assembly; the gripper driving mechanism is used to drive the grippers to close in the middle or separate outwards, clamping or releasing the hopper; the flipping mechanism is used to drive the mounting frame to flip forward or reset backward, thereby realizing the tilting action of the hopper.

[0005] Furthermore, the tilting mechanism includes a rotating shaft fixed to the mounting bracket and a tilting drive element for driving the rotating shaft to rotate.

[0006] Furthermore, the gripper drive mechanism includes a gripper drive element and a guide assembly fixed to the gripper; the guide assembly includes a slide rail fixed to the bottom side of the mounting frame and a slider having the freedom to slide left and right along the slide rail; the gripper is fixed to the slider on the corresponding side; the gripper drive element is fixed to the bottom side of the mounting frame and located in the area between the two guide assemblies; the rotation output end of the gripper drive element is connected to the two sliders or the two grippers respectively through a linkage assembly, for converting the rotational power of the gripper drive element into the force of the slider sliding left and right along the slide rail.

[0007] Furthermore, the top side of the material bin baffle assembly has a first limiting portion that bends backward; the top side of the gripper has a second limiting portion that bends inward; the first limiting portion and the second limiting portion are used to form the upper limit of the material bin.

[0008] Furthermore, the side of the material bin baffle assembly is also provided with a sensor for sensing whether the material bin is in position.

[0009] The automatic drug replenishment system based on the above-mentioned hopper tilting mechanism includes the hopper tilting mechanism, a second hopper conveyor line, and a drug conveyor line buffer pool; the second hopper conveyor line is connected to the rear end of the first hopper conveyor line of the hopper tilting mechanism; the drug conveyor line buffer pool is located below and in front of the hopper tilting mechanism.

[0010] Furthermore, a translation mechanism is provided on the bottom side of the material box tilting mechanism to give the material box tilting mechanism the freedom to translate along the edge of the buffer pool of the drug conveying line.

[0011] Furthermore, the automatic medication replenishment system also includes a medication replenishment machine connected to the output end of the medication conveying line buffer pool; the medication replenishment machine includes a medication feeding conveyor line, a 3D vision camera, a medication grabbing robot, a barcode scanning and recognition platform, and a medication replenishment buffer chute; the medication feeding conveyor line includes a primary conveyor line and a secondary conveyor line; the primary conveyor line adopts an upward inclined conveying method, and the input end of the primary conveyor line is connected to the output end of the medication conveying line buffer pool; the output end of the primary conveyor line is located above the input end of the secondary conveyor line; the 3D vision camera is set directly above the secondary conveyor line to acquire the external dimensions and three-dimensional position information of the medication; the medication grabbing robot is used to grab the medication on the secondary conveyor line according to the external dimensions and three-dimensional position information and transfer it to the barcode scanning and recognition platform; the barcode scanning and recognition platform is used to scan and recognize the medication; the medication grabbing robot is also used to grab the medication on the barcode scanning and recognition platform and transfer it to the medication replenishment buffer chute according to the recognition result of the barcode scanning and recognition platform.

[0012] Furthermore, the medication replenishment machine also includes a discharge chute; the medication grabbing robot is also used to grab unidentified medications on the barcode scanning platform and transfer them to the discharge chute; the medication replenishment machine also includes a first return chute, a three-stage conveyor line, and a second return chute; the first return chute is located below the output end of the two-stage conveyor line; the three-stage conveyor line adopts an upward inclined conveying method; the output end of the three-stage conveyor line is located above the second return chute, and the bottom outlet of the first return chute is located above the three-stage conveyor line; the bottom outlet of the second return chute is located above the first-stage conveyor line.

[0013] Furthermore, the automatic drug replenishment system also includes a material bin storage shelf and a material bin handling robot; the material bin storage shelf is used to store material bins; the material bin handling robot is used for storing and retrieving material bins on the material bin storage shelf, transferring material bins, and storing and retrieving material bins on the second material bin conveyor line.

[0014] Advantages of the present invention: The material bin tilting mechanism of the present invention replaces manual labor and automatically tilts the material bins. It is reasonably designed and operates smoothly. The present invention also provides an automatic medicine replenishment system based on the material bin tilting mechanism. Medicines are automatically transported from the shelf in the cool storage room to the medicine replenishment machine, which greatly improves the efficiency of medicine replenishment. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a material bin tilting mechanism according to Embodiment 1;

[0016] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the gripper assembly of a hopper tilting mechanism according to Embodiment 1;

[0017] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the tilting state of a material bin tilting mechanism according to Embodiment 1;

[0018] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the automatic medication replenishment system in Example 2;

[0019] Figure 5 This is a top view schematic diagram of the automatic medication replenishment system in Example 2;

[0020] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the conveyor line structure of the automatic drug replenishment system in Example 2;

[0021] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the automatic medication replenishment system in Example 3;

[0022] Among them, 1-ticket tilting mechanism, 2-second ticket conveyor line, 3-medicine conveyor line buffer pool, 4-drug replenishment machine, 5-translation mechanism, 6-ticket storage rack, 7-ticket, 8-ticket handling robot, 101-mounting frame, 102-first ticket conveyor line, 103-ticket baffle assembly, 104-gripper, 105-gripper drive mechanism, 106-mounting base plate, 107-rotating shaft, 108-tilting drive element, 1031-first limiting part, 1032-sensor, 1041-second limiting part, 1042-flexible part, 1051 1052-Slide rail, 1053-Linkage assembly, 1054-Gripper drive element, 1055-Second slotted photoelectric switch, 1056-Second sensing element, 1071-First slotted photoelectric switch, 1072-First sensing element, 401-Primary conveyor line, 402-Secondary conveyor line, 403-3D vision camera, 404-Drug grabbing robot, 405-Bar scanning and recognition platform, 406-Drug replenishment buffer slide, 407-Discharge slide, 408-First return slide, 409-Tertiary conveyor line, 410-Second return slide. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To enhance understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. These embodiments are only used to explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] Example 1

[0025] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 As shown, this embodiment provides a bin tilting mechanism, including a mounting frame 101 and a flipping mechanism assembled with the mounting frame 101; a first bin conveying line 102 is mounted on the mounting frame 101; a bin baffle assembly 103 is provided at the front end of the mounting frame 101, and a gripper assembly is also mounted on the mounting frame 101, the gripper assembly including grippers 104 located on the left and right sides of the mounting frame 101 respectively; a gripper driving mechanism 105 is also provided between the gripper assembly and the mounting frame 101; the first bin conveying line 102 is used to receive bins 7 and convey bins 7 to the rear side of the bin baffle assembly 103; the gripper driving mechanism 105 is used to drive the grippers 104 to close towards the middle or separate outwards, clamping or releasing bins 7; the flipping mechanism is used to drive the mounting frame 101 to flip forward or reset backward, thereby realizing the tilting action of bins 7.

[0026] Refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the tilting mechanism includes a rotating shaft 107 fixed to the mounting bracket 101 and a tilting drive element 108 for driving the rotating shaft 107 to rotate. The tilting mechanism also includes a mounting base plate 106; the tilting drive element 108 is fixed to the mounting base plate 106 via a bracket, and the rotating shaft 107 is mounted on the mounting base plate 106 via a bearing seat. To control the tilting stroke of the tilting mechanism, a first sensing plate 1072 is fixed to the rotating shaft 107, and two first slotted photoelectric switches 1071 are provided on the side of the bearing seat near the sensing plate. The first sensing plate 1072 cooperates with the two first slotted photoelectric switches 1071 to cause the material box 7 on the tilting mechanism to tilt between a horizontal state and a forward tilting state. In this embodiment, the tilting drive element 108 includes a stepper motor, a servo planetary reducer, and a coupling.

[0027] Refer to Figure 2As shown, the gripper drive mechanism 105 includes a gripper drive element 1054 and a guide assembly fixed to the gripper 104; the guide assembly includes a slide rail 1051 fixed to the bottom side of the mounting frame 101 and a slider 1052 having a left-right sliding degree of freedom along the slide rail 1051; the gripper 104 is fixed to the slider 1052 on the corresponding side; the gripper drive element 1054 is fixed to the bottom side of the mounting frame 101 and located in the area between the two guide assemblies; the rotation output end of the gripper drive element 1054 is connected to the two sliders 1052 or the two grippers 104 respectively through a connecting rod assembly 1053, for converting the rotational power of the gripper drive element 1054 into the force of the slider 1052 sliding left and right along the slide rail 1051. In this embodiment, two second slotted photoelectric switches 1055 are provided on the side of one of the guide components. The gripper 104 has a protrusion corresponding to the second slotted photoelectric switch as a second sensing plate 1056. The stroke control of the gripper's left and right movement is realized through the cooperation of the second sensing plate and the second slotted photoelectric switch. In addition, the gripper driving element adopts a stepper motor.

[0028] Refer to Figure 1 As shown, the top side of the material bin baffle assembly 103 has a rearwardly bent first limiting part 1031; the top side of the gripper 104 has an inwardly bent second limiting part 1041; the first limiting part 1031 and the second limiting part 1041 are used to form the upper limit of the material bin 7. Through the design of the first limiting part 1031 and the second limiting part 1041, the material bin can be firmly fixed, and the medicine bin will not fall out when tilted. With the cooperation of the two first slotted photoelectric switches 1071 and the first sensing plate 1072, it can be tilted at a large angle.

[0029] Refer to Figure 1 As shown, a sensor 1032 for sensing whether the material box is in position is also provided on the side of the material box baffle assembly 103. In this embodiment, the sensor 1032 is a through-beam photoelectric sensor; when the material box is sent to the front end by the first material box conveyor line 102, it will be blocked by the material box baffle assembly 103, which will trigger the sensor 1032. The gripper drive mechanism 105 will be activated in response to the trigger signal of the sensor 1032, so that the two grippers will close inward to clamp the material box.

[0030] Refer to Figure 1 As shown, the inner side of the gripper is also provided with a flexible part 1042, which is used to flexibly contact the material box when gripping it and increase the friction between the gripper and the material box. The flexible part 1042 can be made of silicone.

[0031] One embodiment of the material bin tilting mechanism, such as Figure 1As shown, the first material box conveyor line is horizontal, waiting for the material box to enter. When the material box enters, the first material box conveyor line starts and conveys the material box forward. When the material box reaches the material box baffle assembly, the sensor is triggered, and the second material box conveyor line stops. At this time, the front edge of the top of the material box is below the first limiting part. At the same time, the gripper drive mechanism starts, the output end of the gripper drive element rotates, driving the linkage assembly. The linkage assembly pulls the slider relative to the slide rail towards the center, thereby driving the gripper to close towards the center until the second sensing plate triggers the second slot-shaped photoelectric switch near the inside. At this time, the flexible part on the gripper contacts the material box, and the left and right edges of the top of the material box are below the second limiting part of the gripper. Then, the tilting drive element... The rotating shaft drives the gripper to rotate, causing the gripper and the hopper to flip forward together until the first sensor triggers the first slotted photoelectric switch (controlling the tilting state); the medicine in the hopper is poured out; then, the tilting drive element reverses, causing the hopper to flip until the first sensor triggers the first slotted photoelectric switch (controlling the horizontal state), and the hopper returns to the horizontal state. The output end of the gripper drive element rotates in the opposite direction, driving the linkage assembly, which pushes the slider to move outward relative to the slide rail, thereby causing the gripper to separate until the second sensor triggers the second slotted photoelectric switch near the outer side. At this point, the gripper disengages from the hopper; then, the first hopper conveyor line reverses its direction, and the empty hopper is removed and stored; the first hopper conveyor line awaits the entry of a new hopper.

[0032] Example 2

[0033] Please refer to Figures 4 to 6 As shown, this embodiment provides an automatic drug replenishment system based on the hopper tilting mechanism of Embodiment 1, which includes the hopper tilting mechanism 1, a second hopper conveyor line 2, and a drug conveyor line buffer pool 3; the second hopper conveyor line 2 is connected to the rear end of the first hopper conveyor line 102 of the hopper tilting mechanism 1; the drug conveyor line buffer pool 3 is located below the front of the hopper tilting mechanism 1.

[0034] Refer to Figure 4 As shown, a translation mechanism 5 is also provided on the bottom side of the material bin tilting mechanism 1, which allows the material bin tilting mechanism 1 to have the freedom to translate along the edge of the drug conveying line buffer pool 3. The translation mechanism 5 allows the material bin tilting mechanism 1 to tilt drugs at different positions in the drug conveying line buffer pool 3; the translation mechanism 5 can be a linear module.

[0035] Refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the automatic medication replenishment system also includes a medication replenishment machine 4 connected to the output end of the medication conveyor buffer pool 3; the medication replenishment machine 4 includes a medication feeding conveyor line, a 3D vision camera 403, a medication gripping robot 404, a barcode scanning and recognition platform 405, and a medication buffer chute 406; the medication feeding conveyor line includes a primary conveyor line 401 and a secondary conveyor line 402; the primary conveyor line 401 adopts an upward inclined conveying method, and the input end of the primary conveyor line 401 is connected to the output end of the medication conveyor buffer pool 3; the output end of the primary conveyor line 401 is located at the secondary conveyor line 402. Above the input end; the 3D vision camera 403 is positioned directly above the secondary conveyor line 402 to acquire the external dimensions and three-dimensional position information of the medicine; the medicine grasping robot 404 is used to grasp the medicine on the secondary conveyor line 402 according to the external dimensions and three-dimensional position information, and transfer it to the barcode recognition platform 405; the barcode recognition platform 405 is used to scan and recognize the medicine; the medicine grasping robot 404 is also used to grasp the medicine on the barcode recognition platform 405, and transfer it to the replenishment buffer slide 406 according to the recognition result of the barcode recognition platform 405.

[0036] Refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the medicine dispensing machine 4 also includes a discharge chute 407; the medicine grabbing robot 404 is also used to grab unidentified medicines on the barcode scanning and identification platform 405 and transfer them to the discharge chute 407.

[0037] Refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the medicine replenishing machine 4 also includes a first return slide 408, a three-stage conveyor line 409, and a second return slide 410; the first return slide 408 is located below the output end of the two-stage conveyor line 402; the three-stage conveyor line 409 adopts an upward inclined conveying method; the output end of the three-stage conveyor line 409 is located above the second return slide 410, and the bottom outlet of the first return slide 408 is located above the three-stage conveyor line 409; the bottom outlet of the second return slide 410 is located above the first-stage conveyor line 401.

[0038] Example 3

[0039] Please refer to Figure 7 As shown, this embodiment provides an automatic drug replenishment system. Based on the technical solution of Embodiment 2, it further includes a material bin storage shelf 6 and a material bin transporting robot 8. The material bin storage shelf 6 is used to store material bins 7. The material bin transporting robot 8 is used for storing and retrieving material bins 7 on the material bin storage shelf 6, transferring material bins 7, and storing and retrieving material bins 7 on the second material bin conveying line 2.

[0040] Taking the automatic medication replenishment system of Example 3 as an example, the medication replenishment machine is connected to the dispensing machine. When the dispensing machine is low on stock, the replenishment machine replenishes the medication. Simultaneously, the medication conveyor buffer automatically supplies the replenishment machine with medication, which can be stacked haphazardly in the buffer. The medication conveyor buffer is connected to a hopper tilting mechanism, which in turn connects to a second hopper conveyor line, which in turn connects to a hopper handling robot. When the medication in the buffer is insufficient, the hopper handling robot retrieves medication from the storage rack. The first conveyor line sends the medicine bins to the second conveyor line, which then delivers them to the tilting mechanism. The tilting mechanism pours the medicine from the bins into the medicine conveyor line's buffer pool. The tilting mechanism also has a translation function, allowing the medicine to be poured to different locations within the buffer pool, preventing excessive accumulation of medicine in certain areas. The storage racks are typically located in air-conditioned, cool storage rooms. The second conveyor line connects the inside and outside of the cool storage room, facilitating the storage and transfer of medicines.

[0041] The above embodiments should not limit the present invention in any way. All technical solutions obtained by equivalent substitution or equivalent conversion fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A hopper tilting mechanism, characterized in that: The device includes a mounting frame and a tilting mechanism assembled with the mounting frame. A first material box conveyor line is mounted on the mounting frame. A material box baffle assembly is provided at the front end of the mounting frame, and a gripper assembly is also mounted on the mounting frame. The gripper assembly includes grippers located on the left and right sides of the mounting frame. A gripper drive mechanism is also provided between the gripper assembly and the mounting frame. The first material box conveyor line is used to receive material boxes and convey them to the rear side of the material box baffle assembly. The gripper drive mechanism is used to drive the grippers to close in the middle or separate outward to clamp or release the material box. The tilting mechanism is used to drive the mounting frame to tilt forward or reset backward, thereby realizing the tilting action of the material box. The gripper drive mechanism includes a gripper drive element and a guide assembly fixed to the gripper. The guide assembly includes a slide rail fixed to the bottom side of the mounting frame and a slider with left and right sliding freedom along the slide rail. The gripper is fixed to the slider on the corresponding side. The gripper drive element is fixed to the bottom side of the mounting frame and located in the area between the two guide assemblies. The rotation output end of the gripper drive element is connected to the two sliders or the two grippers respectively through a linkage assembly, which is used to convert the rotational power of the gripper drive element into the force of the slider sliding left and right along the slide rail. Two second slotted photoelectric switches are provided on the side of one of the guide assemblies. The gripper is provided with a protrusion at the position corresponding to the second slotted photoelectric switch as a second sensing plate. The stroke control of the left and right movement of the gripper is realized by the cooperation of the second sensing plate and the second slotted photoelectric switch. The top side of the material bin baffle assembly has a first limiting part that bends backward; the top side of the gripper has a second limiting part that bends inward; the first limiting part and the second limiting part are used to form the upper limit of the material bin; The first material box conveyor line is used to convey the material boxes forward and backward.

2. The material bin tilting mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tilting mechanism includes a rotating shaft fixed to the mounting bracket and a tilting drive element for driving the rotating shaft to rotate.

3. The hopper tilting mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side of the hopper baffle assembly is also equipped with a sensor for sensing whether the hopper is in position.

4. An automatic medication dispensing system, characterized in that: The device includes the hopper tilting mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-3, and further includes a second hopper conveyor line and a drug conveyor line buffer pool; the second hopper conveyor line is connected to the rear end of the first hopper conveyor line of the hopper tilting mechanism; the drug conveyor line buffer pool is located below and in front of the hopper tilting mechanism.

5. The automatic medication dispensing system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bottom side of the material box tilting mechanism is also provided with a translation mechanism, which is used to give the material box tilting mechanism the freedom to translate along the edge of the buffer pool of the drug conveying line.

6. The automatic medication dispensing system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The automated medication replenishment system also includes a replenishment machine connected to the output end of the medication conveying line buffer pool; the replenishment machine includes a medication feeding conveyor line, a 3D vision camera, a medication grabbing robot, a barcode scanning and recognition platform, and a replenishment buffer chute; the medication feeding conveyor line includes a primary conveyor line and a secondary conveyor line; the primary conveyor line adopts an upward inclined conveying method, and the input end of the primary conveyor line is connected to the output end of the medication conveying line buffer pool; the output end of the primary conveyor line is located above the input end of the secondary conveyor line; the 3D vision camera is set directly above the secondary conveyor line to acquire the external dimensions and three-dimensional position information of the medication; the medication grabbing robot is used to grab the medication on the secondary conveyor line according to the external dimensions and three-dimensional position information and transfer it to the barcode scanning and recognition platform; the barcode scanning and recognition platform is used to scan and recognize the medication; the medication grabbing robot is also used to grab the medication on the barcode scanning and recognition platform and transfer it to the replenishment buffer chute according to the recognition result of the barcode scanning and recognition platform.

7. The automatic medication dispensing system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The medication dispensing machine also includes a discharge chute; the medication grabbing robot is also used to grab unidentified medications on the barcode scanning platform and transfer them to the discharge chute; the medication dispensing machine also includes a first return chute, a three-stage conveyor line, and a second return chute; the first return chute is located below the output end of the two-stage conveyor line; the three-stage conveyor line adopts an upward inclined conveying method; the output end of the three-stage conveyor line is located above the second return chute, and the bottom outlet of the first return chute is located above the three-stage conveyor line; the bottom outlet of the second return chute is located above the first-stage conveyor line.

8. The automatic medication dispensing system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The automatic drug replenishment system also includes a material bin storage shelf and a material bin handling robot; the material bin storage shelf is used to store material bins; the material bin handling robot is used for storing and retrieving material bins on the material bin storage shelf, transferring material bins, and storing and retrieving material bins on the second material bin conveyor line.

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