Intelligent dispensing pharmacy and method of use thereof

Abstract

This invention provides an intelligent pharmacy and its usage method. The pharmacy includes: a pharmacy storage area; an automatic dispensing device; a temporary drug storage area; a second robot used to transport a second medicine box to a second grid storage well for temporary storage; and, upon receiving a patient's medication request, to transfer the second medicine box to a second dispensing station; and a server used to allocate a first dispensing station and a second medicine box, send prescription information and allocated first dispensing station information to the pharmacist, send prescription information and payment information to the patient, control the first robot to transfer the first medicine box corresponding to the prescription medication to the first dispensing station, control the automatic dispensing device to put the prescription medication into the allocated second medicine box, control the second robot to transport the second medicine box corresponding to the prescription medication to the second grid storage well for temporary storage, and control the second robot to transfer the second medicine box to the second dispensing station. The pharmacy provided by this invention can improve the efficiency of pharmacy drug dispensing and reduce patient medication collection time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of smart pharmacy technology, and in particular to an intelligent dispensing pharmacy and its usage method. Background Technology

[0002] Hospital pharmacies and / or drug warehouses handle a wide variety of medications and coordinate with multiple departments, resulting in a massive workload. In the current medication dispensing process, patients first pay at the payment window with their prescription, then collect their medication at the dispensing window with both the prescription and payment receipt. Many hospital windows (payment and dispensing windows) are insufficient to handle peak patient volumes, forcing patients to wait in long lines at both locations. Furthermore, since each patient requires different medications, pharmacists need to verify the prescription and manually or using auxiliary equipment to retrieve the medication from different shelves when it's the patient's turn at the dispensing window, adding to the waiting time. All of these factors contribute to a lengthy overall medication dispensing process. Moreover, the entire process, from verification to dispensing, typically relies on manual operation by pharmacists, which is demanding, inefficient, and prone to errors.

[0003] In the process of realizing this invention, the inventors discovered at least the following problems in the prior art:

[0004] With the development of information technology, hospitals have become increasingly reliant on information management systems. Although many hospitals have already implemented information management systems, a significant amount of manual work is still required for the process of picking up, dispensing, and finally delivering medications to patients. This makes it difficult to meet the medication needs of medium and large hospitals with a large number of patients picking up medications at concentrated times.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for an intelligent pharmacy dispensing system and its usage method to at least partially solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides an intelligent pharmacy and its usage method, which can improve the efficiency of drug distribution in pharmacies and reduce the time patients spend picking up their medications.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an intelligent pharmacy distribution center, the pharmacy comprising:

[0008] The pharmacy's drug storage area includes a high-density first automated warehouse, a first robot that can move on the top floor of the first automated warehouse, and multiple first drug dispensing stations;

[0009] The first automated warehouse has multiple first grid storage wells for vertically stacking first medicine boxes inside; the first medicine boxes are used to store pharmacy medicines; the first medicine retrieval station includes a first inlet / outlet for picking up and placing the first medicine boxes and a first human-machine interaction device; the first robot has a lifting mechanism for transferring the first medicine boxes between the first grid storage wells and the first medicine retrieval station.

[0010] An automatic dispensing device is installed on one side of the first medicine dispensing station to dispense the required quantity of pharmacy medicines taken from the first medicine box into the corresponding allocated second medicine box. The device includes a medicine box storage rack with multiple storage compartments for placing the second medicine box, a transmission mechanism, and an automatic dispensing mechanism. The required quantity of pharmacy medicines taken from one or more first medicine boxes constitutes the prescription medicines corresponding to the patient's prescription information.

[0011] The drug storage area located on one side of the automatic dispensing device includes a high-density second automated storage and retrieval system, a second robot that can travel on the top floor of the second automated storage and retrieval system, and multiple second dispensing stations.

[0012] The second automated storage system includes multiple second grid storage wells for vertically stacking the second medicine boxes; a medicine box transport device is installed at the bottom of one side of the second automated storage system; the second dispensing station includes a second inlet / outlet for picking up and placing the second medicine boxes and a second human-machine interface device; the second robot is used to transport the second medicine boxes from the medicine box transport device to the second grid storage wells for temporary storage, and to transfer the second medicine boxes to the second dispensing station upon receiving a patient's medication request; and

[0013] The server is used to allocate the first dispensing station and the second medicine box, send prescription information and the allocated first dispensing station information to the pharmacist, send prescription information and payment information to the patient, control the first robot to transfer the first medicine box corresponding to the prescription medication to the first dispensing station, control the automatic dispensing device to put the prescription medication into the allocated second medicine box, control the second robot to move the second medicine box to the second grid storage well for temporary storage, and control the second robot to transfer the second medicine box corresponding to the prescription medication to the second dispensing station.

[0014] According to the pharmacy of the present invention, the pharmacist in the pharmacy is only responsible for picking up and putting down the first medicine box, taking out the required amount of pharmacy medicine from the first medicine box and putting it into the automatic dispensing device, and putting the second medicine box containing the prescription medicine into the medicine box conveying device. The patient can automatically pick up the medicine through the second dispensing station, which greatly reduces the pharmacist's workload and reduces the error rate. In particular, the pharmacy begins to prepare the prescription medicine as soon as the doctor writes the prescription and has temporarily stored the prescription medicine in the second automated warehouse before the patient picks up the medicine. The second dispensing station serves as the only communication channel between the pharmacy and the patient. The patient can pick up the medicine immediately when he / she arrives at the second dispensing station without having to go through the waiting process caused by the pharmacist's verification, dispensing and picking up of the medicine, thus improving the efficiency of medicine distribution.

[0015] Optionally, the first automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) includes a high-density first storage rack and a first gridded track. The uprights of the first storage rack extend vertically upwards from the base surface and support the first gridded track, which extends flat to the top layer of the first storage rack. The second AS / RS includes a high-density second storage rack and a second gridded track. The uprights of the second storage rack extend vertically upwards from the base surface and support the second gridded track, which extends flat to the top layer of the second storage rack. And / or

[0016] The first medicine dispensing station is connected to the bottom of the first automated storage and retrieval system via a medicine box inlet / outlet channel, so that the first medicine box can be dispensed from and dispensed into the first automated storage and retrieval system. The second medicine dispensing station is also connected to the bottom of the second automated storage and retrieval system via a medicine box inlet / outlet channel, so that the second medicine box can be dispensed from and dispensed into the second automated storage and retrieval system.

[0017] Optionally, the first gridded track and the second gridded track each include a first track arranged along the X-axis direction and a second track arranged along the Y-axis direction, and correspondingly, the first robot and the second robot are both track robots capable of traveling along the tracks.

[0018] Optionally, the first robot and the second robot each have two sets of driving wheels in the X and Y axis directions, which allows the track robot to reach any specified position on the gridded track.

[0019] Optionally, the first grid storage well and the second grid storage well each include a plurality of first grid cells and second grid cells distributed in the form of a cuboid grid, the size of the first medicine box is approximately equivalent to the size of the first grid cell, and the size of the second medicine box is approximately equivalent to the size of the second grid cell.

[0020] Optionally, the automatic dispensing device includes a conveyor belt as its transmission mechanism, and an automatic dispensing mechanism includes an inclined drug dispensing port arranged above the second medicine box and a corresponding radio frequency module. The other side of the drug dispensing port is connected to the conveyor belt. The automatic dispensing device delivers the corresponding prescription drugs to the allocated second medicine box through the conveyor belt, the radio frequency module and the drug dispensing port.

[0021] Optionally, the medicine box storage rack is also equipped with an indicator light and a display screen at the corresponding storage compartment of each second medicine box. When the server allocates the second medicine box, the indicator light of the corresponding second medicine box is displayed in a first color, indicating that the prescription medicine will be delivered to the second medicine box. When the delivery of the prescription medicine is not completed, the indicator light of the second medicine box is displayed in a second color, and the server controls the automatic dispensing device to continue delivering the prescription medicine. When the delivery of the prescription medicine is completed, the indicator light of the second medicine box is displayed in a third color. The display screen displays the type and quantity of the prescription medicine to be delivered.

[0022] Optionally, the first robot and the second robot each have a lifting mechanism, a drive device, and a communication device, receiving control signals from the server and transporting their respective medicine boxes to the corresponding dispensing station. The first robot's size covers a first grid storage well, and the second robot's size covers a second grid storage well. And / or

[0023] The bottom of the first and second automated storage and retrieval systems is equipped with multiple medicine box entry and exit channels, which can simultaneously handle multiple medicine boxes entering and exiting the storage.

[0024] Secondly, the present invention also provides a method for using an intelligent pharmacy distribution center, based on the above-mentioned technical solution. The method includes the following steps:

[0025] Based on the received prescription information, the server immediately allocates a first dispensing station and a second medicine box, and simultaneously sends the prescription information and the allocated first dispensing station information to the pharmacist. At the same time, it controls a first robot to transport the first medicine box corresponding to the prescription medication to the top of the first grid storage well closest to the allocated first dispensing station for waiting. The prescription information includes the patient's name, the type and quantity of the required medication.

[0026] When the first human-computer interaction device of the first dispensing station receives the prescription information sent by the pharmacist, the server controls the first robot to continue to transfer the first medicine box corresponding to the prescription medicine to the medicine box entry and exit channel connected to the first dispensing station.

[0027] The server controls the automatic dispensing device to put the prescription drugs into the assigned second medicine box;

[0028] The second medicine box containing the prescription drugs enters the second automated warehouse through the medicine box conveyor device. The server controls the second robot to move the second medicine box to the second grid storage well for temporary storage.

[0029] Based on the received payment information, the server sends prescription and payment information to the patient.

[0030] When the second human-computer interaction device receives the prescription information and payment information from the patient, the server controls the second robot to transfer the second medicine box corresponding to the prescription to the second medicine dispensing station.

[0031] Optionally, the method of use further includes: when preset conditions are met, the second robot will transfer the second medicine box back to the medicine box transmission device to end the temporary storage. The preset conditions include that the server has not received payment information for a certain period of time or the second human-computer interaction device has not received the patient's request to pick up the medicine for a certain period of time.

[0032] Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and will also become apparent in part to those skilled in the art upon studying the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and other advantages of the invention can be realized and obtained by means of the structures specifically pointed out in the description and drawings.

[0033] Those skilled in the art will understand that the objectives and advantages achievable with the present invention are not limited to those specifically described above, and that the above and other objectives achievable with the present invention will become clearer from the following detailed description. Attached Figure Description

[0034] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and form part of this application, are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The components in the drawings are not drawn to scale but are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. For ease of illustration and description of certain parts of the invention, corresponding portions in the drawings may be enlarged, i.e., may appear larger relative to other components in an exemplary device actually manufactured according to the invention. In the drawings:

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a pharmacy dispensing room according to an embodiment of the present invention. The human-computer interaction device is omitted from the medicine dispensing station in the figure.

[0036] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A top view of the pharmacy distribution room shown;

[0037] Figure 3 This is an overall schematic diagram of an automated dispensing device in a pharmacy according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A partial structural schematic diagram of the automatic dispensing device shown.

[0039] Figure 5 This is a partial schematic diagram of a pharmacy storage area or drug temporary storage area in a dispensing pharmacy according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a first or second robot in a pharmacy according to an embodiment of the present invention when carrying a first or second medicine box; and

[0041] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating a method of use according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0043] 100: Distributor pharmacies;

[0044] 110: Pharmacy's medicine storage area;

[0045] 111: First automated warehouse;

[0046] 112: The First Robot;

[0047] 113: First medicine dispensing station;

[0048] 114: First grid storage well;

[0049] 115: First Import / Export;

[0050] 116: The first human-computer interaction device;

[0051] 120: Automatic drug dispensing device;

[0052] 121: Medicine cabinet storage rack;

[0053] 122: Conveyor belt;

[0054] 123: Medicine delivery port;

[0055] 124: Indicator light;

[0056] 125: Display screen;

[0057] 130: Temporary Medicine Storage Area;

[0058] 131: Second automated warehouse;

[0059] 132: The Second Robot;

[0060] 133: Second medicine dispensing station;

[0061] 134: Medicine box conveyor device;

[0062] 135: Second import / export;

[0063] 136: Second human-computer interaction device;

[0064] 137: Second grid storage well;

[0065] 141: First medicine box;

[0066] 152: Second medicine box;

[0067] 160: Lifting mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0068] The objects and functions of the present invention, as well as the methods for achieving these objects and functions, will be clarified by referring to exemplary embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments disclosed below; it can be implemented in various forms. The purpose of this specification is merely to help those skilled in the art to comprehensively understand the specific details of the invention.

[0069] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of exemplary embodiments according to the invention. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms “comprising” and / or “including” are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0070] The ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" used in this invention are merely identifiers and do not have any other meaning, such as a specific order. Moreover, for example, the term "first component" does not imply the existence of "second component," and the term "second component" does not imply the existence of "first component."

[0071] It should be noted that the terms “up,” “down,” “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “inner,” “outer,” and similar expressions used in this article are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting.

[0072] Firstly, the present invention provides an intelligent pharmacy dispensing system 100. This intelligent pharmacy dispensing system 100 can be applied to the field of intelligent pharmacy technology, such as in hospital pharmacies, and can solve problems such as low efficiency in dispensing medicines, high error rates, and long patient waiting times currently existing in hospital pharmacies.

[0073] Overall, the pharmacy 100 according to the present invention includes a pharmacy storage area 110, an automated dispensing device 120, and a temporary drug storage area 130. Pharmacists work in the pharmacy storage area 110 and the automated dispensing device 120. The pharmacy 100 has only one communication channel with patients: the second dispensing station 133 in the temporary drug storage area 130, similar to a dispensing window in a real hospital. Patients automatically obtain their medication through the second dispensing station 133, without direct interaction with the pharmacist.

[0074] This invention provides an intelligent pharmacy dispensing system 100. In a preferred embodiment, such as... Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the intelligent pharmacy 100 includes a pharmacy storage area 110, an automatic dispensing device 120, and a temporary drug storage area 130. The pharmacy storage area 110 serves as the storage location for hospital pharmacies, storing various medications in a first medicine box 141. The automatic dispensing device 120 automatically dispenses the medications (prescription medications) required by the patient into a second medicine box 152. The temporary drug storage area 130 temporarily stores the medications required by the patient in the second medicine box 152, awaiting the patient's pickup.

[0075] Specifically, the pharmacy storage area 110 includes a high-density first automated storage system 111, a first robot 112 capable of traveling on the top layer of the first automated storage system 111, and multiple first dispensing stations 113. The interior of the first automated storage system 111 has multiple first grid storage wells 114 for vertically stacking first medicine boxes 141. The first medicine boxes 141 are used to store pharmacy medicines. The first automated storage system 111 may include high-density first storage shelves and first gridded tracks. The first storage shelves have multiple vertically spaced columns. The space between two adjacent rows or columns of four columns forms the space of the first grid storage wells 114. The columns extend vertically upwards from the base surface and support the first gridded tracks. The first gridded tracks are laid flat to the top layer of the first storage shelves. Correspondingly, the first robot 112 is a track robot capable of traveling on the first gridded tracks.

[0076] The first dispensing station 113 includes a first inlet / outlet 115 for picking up and placing the first medicine box 141 and a first human-machine interaction device 116. The first human-machine interaction device 116 is used for human-machine interaction with a pharmacist. The first robot 112 has a lifting mechanism 160 for transferring the first medicine box 141 between the first grid storage well 114 and the first dispensing station 113. Generally, the lifting mechanism 160 of the first robot 112 raises or lowers the first medicine box 141 vertically within the first grid storage well 114, while the first dispensing station 113 is located near the outer edge of the first automated storage and retrieval system 111, with a certain distance between them in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the first dispensing station 113 can be connected to the bottom of the first automated storage and retrieval system 111 via a medicine box inlet / outlet channel, so that the first medicine box 141 can be retrieved from and retrieved from the first automated storage and retrieval system 111. The medicine box inlet / outlet channel can be located within the first dispensing station 113 or within the first automated storage and retrieval system 111. The medicine box entry and exit channel can use existing technology devices, such as a bidirectional rotating conveyor belt or a rotating turntable structure.

[0077] An automated dispensing device 120 is located on one side of the first dispensing station 113, used to dispense the required quantity of pharmacy medications taken from the first medicine box 141 into the corresponding allocated second medicine box 152. The automated dispensing device 120 includes a medicine box storage rack 121 with multiple storage compartments for placing the second medicine box 152, a conveying mechanism, and an automated dispensing mechanism. The required quantity of pharmacy medications taken from one or more first medicine boxes 141 constitutes the medications corresponding to the patient's prescription information. For example, if the patient's prescription involves only a single type of medication, only one first medicine box 141 will be involved. If the patient's prescription involves multiple medications, multiple first medicine boxes 141 will be involved. The pharmacist obtains the corresponding first medicine box 141 through the first entrance / exit 115 by interacting with the first human-machine interface 116.

[0078] Based on the quantity of medications required by the patient's prescription, the pharmacist retrieves the corresponding amount of medications from the first medicine box 141 and places it into the inlet of the transmission mechanism of the automatic dispensing device 120. With the assistance of the automatic dispensing mechanism, the medications are then dispensed into the corresponding second medicine box 152. The pharmacist can then remove the second medicine box 152, after the medications have been dispensed, from the medicine box storage rack 121.

[0079] To achieve automatic dispensing of prescription medications into the second medicine box 152, the automatic dispensing device 120 can employ a conveyor belt 122 structure as its transport mechanism. The automatic dispensing mechanism may include an inclined medication dispensing port 123 positioned above the second medicine box 152 and a corresponding radio frequency (RF) module. The other side of the medication dispensing port 123 is connected to the conveyor belt 122. When the prescription medication is transported via the conveyor belt 122 and identified by the RF module, a sorting device then dispenses (slides) the corresponding prescription medication into the allocated second medicine box 152 through the inclined medication dispensing port 123. It is understood that, in order for the RF module to identify the prescription medication, all medications can be pre-set with corresponding identifiable information such as labels, QR codes, or barcodes.

[0080] A drug storage area 130 is located on one side of the automated dispensing device 120. The drug storage area 130 includes a high-density second automated storage and retrieval system 131, a second robot 132 capable of traveling on the top layer of the second automated storage and retrieval system 131, and multiple second dispensing stations 133. A medicine box conveyor 134 is installed at the bottom of one side of the second automated storage and retrieval system 131 for conveying second medicine boxes 152 containing prescription drugs. The medicine box conveyor 134 also employs, for example, a bidirectional conveyor belt structure.

[0081] Similarly, the interior of the second automated storage unit 131 has multiple second grid storage wells 137 for vertically stacking the second medicine boxes 152. The second automated storage unit 131 may include high-density second storage racks and second gridded tracks. The second storage racks also have multiple vertically spaced columns. The space between two adjacent rows or columns of four columns forms the space of the second grid storage well 137. The columns extend vertically upwards from the base surface and support the second gridded tracks. The second gridded tracks are laid flat to the top layer of the second storage racks. Correspondingly, the second robot 132 is a tracked robot capable of traveling on the second gridded tracks.

[0082] The second dispensing station 133 includes a second inlet / outlet 135 for picking up and placing the second medicine box 152 and a second human-machine interface device 136. The second human-machine interface device 136 is used for human-machine interaction with patients, facilitating self-dispensing of medications. The second robot 132 is used to transport the second medicine box 152 from the medicine box transfer device 134 to the second grid storage well 137 for temporary storage. When the second human-machine interface device 136 receives a patient's medication request, the second robot 132 then transfers the temporarily stored second medicine box 152 to the second dispensing station 133. Referring to the first dispensing station 113, it can be understood that the second dispensing station 133 is also connected to the bottom of the second automated storage and retrieval system 131 via a medicine box inlet / outlet channel, so that the second medicine box 152 can be retrieved and stored relative to the second automated storage and retrieval system 131.

[0083] Furthermore, the bottom of the first automated storage unit 111 and the second automated storage unit 131 can be equipped with multiple medicine box entry and exit channels, which can simultaneously handle the entry and exit of multiple medicine boxes.

[0084] The server, acting as the control device for information processing in the pharmacy, has the functions of receiving and sending information and controlling other institutions to perform actions. The server is used to allocate the first dispensing station 113 and the second medicine box 152, send prescription information and the allocated first dispensing station 113 information to the pharmacist, send prescription information and payment information to the patient, control the first robot 112 to transport the first medicine box 141 corresponding to the prescription medication to the first dispensing station 113, control the automatic dispensing device 120 to put the prescription medication into the allocated second medicine box 152, control the second robot 132 to transport the second medicine box 152 to the second grid storage well 137 for temporary storage, and control the second robot 132 to transport the second medicine box 152 corresponding to the prescription medication to the second dispensing station 133.

[0085] Specifically, refer to Figures 1 to 6 When a doctor prescribes medication to a patient, the prescription information can be sent to the server via a corresponding terminal. Based on the received prescription information, the server immediately allocates a first dispensing station 113 and a second medicine box 152, and simultaneously sends the prescription information and the information of the allocated first dispensing station 113 (e.g., dispensing station number) to the pharmacist. At the same time, the server controls a first robot 112 to transport the first medicine box 141 corresponding to the prescribed medication to the top of the first grid storage well 114 closest to the allocated first dispensing station 113 for waiting. The prescription information includes the patient's name (or number) and the type and quantity of medication.

[0086] The pharmacist, based on the received prescription information and the assigned first dispensing station 113, arrives at the assigned station and interacts with the first human-machine interface 116 to request the retrieval of the corresponding first medicine box 141. If the pharmacist does not arrive at the correct first dispensing station 113 or the prescription information does not match, the request is unsuccessful, ensuring that the pharmacist does not take the wrong first medicine box 141. When the corresponding first human-machine interface 116 receives the prescription information from the pharmacist, it sends feedback to the server. The server then controls the first robot 112 to continue transporting the waiting first medicine box 141 to the medicine box access channel connected to the assigned first dispensing station 113. The pharmacist then retrieves the first medicine box 141 through the first dispensing station 113.

[0087] Since the pharmacy storage area 110, as the main storage area for hospital medicines, requires sufficient storage space, while the temporary storage area 130, as a temporary storage area for medicines, does not require a large space, the overall size of the first automated storage system 111 is designed to be larger than that of the second automated storage system 131. Because the first automated storage system 111 is relatively large, the first robot 112 needs to locate the corresponding first medicine box 141 within the first automated storage system 111 and transport it to the designated location to enter a waiting state, which takes a certain amount of time. Especially when the corresponding first medicine box 141 is stored at the bottom layer of the first grid storage well 114, the medicine boxes on the upper layer also need to be moved first, which takes even longer. Compared to the method where the first robot 112 only starts moving the medicine box after the pharmacist interacts with the first human-computer interaction device 116, the method where the first robot 112 starts moving the medicine box as soon as the server receives the prescription information obviously speeds up the process and shortens the time for the entire medication dispensing process. This is because the first robot 112 has already completed or partially completed the movement of the medicine box during the time between the time the server receives the prescription information and the pharmacist interacts with the first human-computer interaction device 116.

[0088] The pharmacist takes the required quantity of pharmacy medication from the first medicine box 141 and places it into the entrance of the automated dispensing device 120. The server controls the automated dispensing device 120 to dispense the prescription medication into the assigned second medicine box 152. The pharmacist then removes the second medicine box 152 containing the prescription medication from the medicine box storage rack 121 and places it into the medicine box transport device 134. The second medicine box 152 enters the bottom of the second automated storage system 131, and the server controls the second robot 132 to transport the second medicine box 152 to the second grid storage well 137 for temporary storage.

[0089] When a patient pays for their medication, the staff at the payment window can send payment information to the server via a corresponding terminal. Based on the received payment information, the server sends both the prescription and payment information to the patient. The patient can then go to any of the second dispensing stations 133 and interact with the second human-machine interface 136 using the prescription and payment information to request medication pickup, avoiding queuing at a designated second dispensing station 133. The patient's medication pickup request is only successful if both the prescription and payment information match the server's requirements. When the second human-machine interface 136 receives the prescription and payment information from the patient, it sends a feedback message to the server. The server then controls the second robot 132 to transport the corresponding second medicine box 152 to the second dispensing station 133, allowing the patient to collect their medication.

[0090] According to the pharmacy 100 of the present invention, the pharmacist in the pharmacy only needs to take and put the first medicine box 141, take out the required amount of pharmacy medicine from the first medicine box 141 and put it into the automatic dispensing device 120, and put the second medicine box 152 containing the prescription medicine into the medicine box conveying device 134. The patient can automatically pick up the medicine through the second dispensing station 133, which greatly reduces the pharmacist's workload and reduces the error rate. Among them, the pharmacy begins to prepare the prescription medicine when the doctor writes the prescription and temporarily stores the prescription medicine in the second automated storage 131 before the patient picks up the medicine. The second dispensing station 133 serves as the only communication channel between the pharmacy and the patient. The patient can pick up the medicine immediately when he / she comes to the second dispensing station 133 without experiencing the waiting process caused by the pharmacist's verification, dispensing and picking up of the medicine, thus improving the efficiency of medicine distribution.

[0091] To enable the first robot 112 and the second robot 132 to move flexibly on the track, each of the first and second gridded tracks includes a first track arranged along the X-axis and a second track arranged along the Y-axis. Furthermore, each of the first robot 112 and the second robot 132 has two sets of wheels in the X and Y axes, allowing the tracked robots to reach any designated position on the gridded track. Each of the first robot 112 and the second robot 132 has a lifting mechanism 160, a drive device, and a communication device to receive control signals from the server and transport their respective medicine boxes to the corresponding dispensing station. The size of the first robot 112 covers a first grid storage well 114, and the size of the second robot 132 covers a second grid storage well 137. The interiors of the first robot 112 and the second robot 132 respectively have storage spaces for a first medicine box 141 and a second medicine box 152, with dimensions corresponding to the size of the spaces in the first medicine box 141 and the second medicine box 152.

[0092] In addition, the first grid storage well 114 and the second grid storage well 137 each include multiple first grid units and second grid units distributed in a cuboid grid pattern. The size of the first medicine box 141 is approximately equivalent to the size of the first grid unit. The size of the second medicine box 152 is approximately equivalent to the size of the second grid unit. The sizes of the first and second grid units are not limited. Preferably, since the medicines stored in the pharmacy storage area 110 are generally stored in bulk, while patients often take medicines in smaller quantities, in order to reasonably control the number of first medicine boxes 141 while having more temporary storage space for medicines, the space size of the first grid unit is larger than that of the second grid unit.

[0093] The medicine box storage rack 121 of the automatic dispensing device 120 can be structured so that second medicine boxes 152 can be stored on both sides. Each second medicine box 152 is provided with a corresponding medicine dispensing slot. In order to clearly inform pharmacists about the progress and status of medicine delivery and to enable the server to control the automatic dispensing, the medicine box storage rack 121 can also be equipped with an indicator light 124 and a display screen 125 at the storage compartment corresponding to each second medicine box 152. The color of the indicator light 124 indicates the progress of medicine delivery. When the server is dispensing a second medicine box 152, the indicator light 124 of the corresponding second medicine box 152 is displayed in a first color (e.g., red), indicating that the prescription medicine is about to be delivered to the second medicine box 152. When the prescription medicine delivery is not completed, the indicator light 124 of the second medicine box 152 is displayed in a second color (e.g., yellow), and the server controls the automatic dispensing device 120 to continue delivering the prescription medicine. When the prescription medicine delivery is completed, the indicator light 124 of the second medicine box 152 is displayed in a third color (e.g., green). In addition, the display screen 125 can display the type and quantity of medicines on the prescription that need to be delivered, through the content of the display screen 125.

[0094] For example, when a patient needs Z items of Class A medication, and indicator light 124 is red, it indicates that the second medicine box 152 on the medicine box shelf 121 needs to receive Class Z medication. This second medicine box 152 is the assigned second medicine box 152 and needs to be delivered. When indicator light 124 is yellow, it indicates that the medication delivery task in the second medicine box 152 is not complete; the number of Class A medications delivered to the second medicine box 152 is less than Z items, and additional delivery is needed. Simultaneously, the display screen 125 next to indicator light 124 will show the type and quantity of medications that need to be replenished. When indicator light 124 is green, it indicates that the second medicine box 152 has completed its order task, and the pharmacist can retrieve the second medicine box 152 to proceed to the next stage (medication temporary storage area 130).

[0095] Furthermore, this round of automated medication dispensing requires the delivery of boxes m of Class A medications, boxes n of Class B medications, boxes p of Class C medications, and boxes q of Class D medications. When the pharmacist sequentially retrieves the corresponding quantities of Class A, B, C, and D medications from the pharmacy and places them into the automated dispensing device 120, under the control of the server, the boxes m of Class A medications are randomly dispensed into the second medication box 152 (indicated by a red indicator light 124). Medications are replenished (manually corrected) based on the indicator light 124 turning yellow, until the indicator light 124 turns green, at which point this round of automated medication dispensing is complete.

[0096] When delivering 4 boxes of Class A medicines, with one box containing 100 medicines and each of the 4 secondary medicine boxes 152 requiring 25 medicines, the automatic dispensing device 120 can quickly complete the dispensing of large quantities of medicines based on the color change of the indicator light 124 through the above control method.

[0097] When faced with a large number of prescriptions, the automated dispensing device's 120-to-many dispensing method can significantly speed up the dispensing process and reduce patient waiting time.

[0098] refer to Figure 7 Secondly, the present invention also provides a method for using an intelligent pharmacy dispensing system 100, based on the pharmacy dispensing system 100 described in the above embodiments. The method of use specifically includes the following steps:

[0099] Based on the received prescription information, the server immediately allocates the first dispensing station 113 and the second medicine box 152. Simultaneously, it sends the prescription information and the allocated first dispensing station 113 information to the pharmacist. At the same time, it controls the first robot 112 to transport the first medicine box 141 corresponding to the prescribed medication to the top of the first grid storage well 114 closest to the allocated first dispensing station 113 for waiting. The prescription information includes the patient's name, the type and quantity of the required medication.

[0100] The prescription information received by the server can be sent to the server by the doctor through the corresponding terminal operation when issuing the prescription. By assigning the first dispensing station 113 and the second medicine box 152, the pharmacist goes to the assigned first dispensing station 113 to pick up the medicine (first medicine box 141), and then puts the medicine into the assigned second medicine box 152 on the medicine box storage shelf 121.

[0101] When the first human-machine interface device 116 of the assigned first dispensing station 113 receives the prescription information from the pharmacist, the server controls the first robot 112 to continue transporting the first medicine box 141 corresponding to the prescription medication to the medicine box inlet / outlet channel connected to the assigned first dispensing station 113. Only when the pharmacist goes to the designated first dispensing station 113 and sends the correct prescription information will the server control the first robot 112 to continue transporting the medication to avoid picking up the wrong medicine box.

[0102] The server controls the automatic dispensing device 120 to put the prescription drugs into the allocated second medicine box 152.

[0103] The second medicine box 152 containing the prescription drugs enters the second automated warehouse 131 through the medicine box transfer device 134. The server controls the second robot 132 to move the second medicine box 152 to the second grid storage well 137 for temporary storage.

[0104] Based on the received payment information, the server sends prescription and payment information to the patient. The payment information received by the server can be sent to the server by personnel at the payment window via a terminal.

[0105] When the second human-computer interaction device 136 receives the prescription and payment information from the patient, the server controls the second robot 132 to transfer the corresponding medicine box 152 to the second dispensing station 133. The patient can then go to any of the second dispensing stations 133 and interact with the second human-computer interaction device 136 using the prescription and payment information to automatically retrieve their medication – a convenient and quick process.

[0106] After the patient takes out the medicine, the empty second medicine box 152 can be transferred to the bottom side of the second grid storage well 137 via the second medicine dispensing platform 133, and then transported to the nearest medicine box transfer device 134 by the second robot 132 to complete the recycling of the second medicine box 152.

[0107] In a preferred embodiment, after a doctor prescribes medication to a patient, due to certain circumstances, such as the server not receiving payment information for a certain period of time, or the second human-computer interaction device 136 not receiving the patient's medication retrieval request for a certain period of time, the second medicine box 152 temporarily stored in the second automated storage and retrieval system 131 may not be retrieved in time, causing the storage space in the second automated storage and retrieval system 131 to decrease. To solve this problem, when the aforementioned preset conditions are met, the server controls the second robot 132 to transfer the second medicine box 152 back to the medicine box transport device 134 to end the temporary storage. Subsequently, the pharmacist can return the returned second medicine box 152 to the automated dispensing device 120 for sorting tasks and participate in new order task allocation, or re-enter the first automated storage and retrieval system 111 for storage.

[0108] Other embodiments of the invention will be readily conceived and understood by those skilled in the art in conjunction with the description and practice of the invention disclosed herein. The descriptions and embodiments are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the invention are defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A method for using an intelligent pharmacy dispensing system, characterized in that, The intelligent pharmacy distribution center includes: The pharmacy's drug storage area includes a high-density first automated warehouse, a first robot that can move on the top floor of the first automated warehouse, and multiple first drug dispensing stations; The first automated warehouse has multiple first grid storage wells for vertically stacking first medicine boxes inside; the first medicine box is used to store pharmacy medicines; the first robot has a lifting mechanism for transferring the first medicine box between the first grid storage well and the first medicine retrieval station; the first medicine retrieval station includes a first inlet / outlet for picking up and placing the first medicine box and a first human-machine interaction device. An automatic dispensing device is installed on one side of the first dispensing station to dispense the required quantity of pharmacy medicines taken from the first medicine box into the corresponding allocated second medicine box. The device includes a medicine box storage rack with multiple storage compartments for placing the second medicine box, a conveying mechanism, and an automatic dispensing mechanism. The drug storage area located on one side of the automatic dispensing device includes a high-density second automated storage and retrieval system, a second robot that can travel on the top floor of the second automated storage and retrieval system, and multiple second dispensing stations. The second automated storage system includes multiple second grid storage wells for vertically stacking the second medicine boxes; a medicine box transport device is installed at the bottom of one side of the second automated storage system; the second robot is used to transport the second medicine boxes from the medicine box transport device to the second grid storage wells for temporary storage, and to transfer the second medicine boxes to the second dispensing station upon receiving a patient's medication request; the second dispensing station includes a second entrance / exit for picking up and placing the second medicine boxes and a second human-machine interaction device; and The server is used to allocate the first dispensing station and the second medicine box, send prescription information and the allocated first dispensing station information to the pharmacist, send prescription information and payment information to the patient, control the first robot to transfer the first medicine box corresponding to the prescription medicine to the first dispensing station, control the automatic dispensing device to put the prescription medicine into the allocated second medicine box, control the second robot to move the second medicine box to the second grid storage well for temporary storage, and control the second robot to transfer the second medicine box corresponding to the prescription medicine to the second dispensing station. The method of use includes the following steps: Based on the received prescription information, the server immediately allocates a first dispensing station and a second medicine box, and simultaneously sends the prescription information and the allocated first dispensing station information to the pharmacist. At the same time, it controls a first robot to transport the first medicine box corresponding to the prescription medication to the top of the first grid storage well closest to the allocated first dispensing station for waiting. The prescription information includes the patient's name, the type and quantity of the required medication. When the first human-computer interaction device of the first dispensing station receives the prescription information sent by the pharmacist, the server controls the first robot to continue to transfer the first medicine box corresponding to the prescription medicine to the medicine box entry and exit channel connected to the first dispensing station. The server controls the automatic dispensing device to put the prescription drugs into the assigned second medicine box; The second medicine box containing the prescription drugs enters the second automated warehouse through the medicine box conveyor device, and the server controls the second robot to move the second medicine box to the second grid storage well for temporary storage. Based on the received payment information, the server sends prescription and payment information to the patient. When the second human-computer interaction device receives the prescription information and payment information from the patient, the server controls the second robot to transfer the second medicine box corresponding to the prescription to the second medicine dispensing station.

2. The method of using the intelligent pharmacy according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first automated storage and retrieval system includes a high-density first storage rack and a first gridded track. The uprights of the first storage rack extend vertically upward from the base surface and support the first gridded track. The first gridded track is laid flat to the top layer of the first storage rack. The second automated storage and retrieval system includes a high-density second storage rack and a second gridded track. The uprights of the second storage rack extend vertically upward from the base surface and support the second gridded track. The second gridded track is laid flat to the top layer of the second storage rack. and / or The first medicine dispensing station is connected to the bottom of the first automated storage and retrieval system via a medicine box inlet / outlet channel, so that the first medicine box can be dispensed from and dispensed into the first automated storage and retrieval system. The second medicine dispensing station is also connected to the bottom of the second automated storage and retrieval system via a medicine box inlet / outlet channel, so that the second medicine box can be dispensed from and dispensed into the second automated storage and retrieval system.

3. The method of using the intelligent pharmacy according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first gridded track and the second gridded track each include a first track arranged along the X-axis and a second track arranged along the Y-axis. Correspondingly, the first robot and the second robot are both track robots that can travel along the tracks.

4. The method of using the intelligent pharmacy according to claim 3, characterized in that, Both the first robot and the second robot have two sets of wheels in the X and Y axes, which allows the track robot to reach any specified position on the gridded track.

5. The method of using the intelligent pharmacy according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first grid storage well and the second grid storage well each include a plurality of first grid cells and second grid cells distributed in the form of a cuboid grid. The size of the first medicine box is approximately equivalent to the size of the first grid cell, and the size of the second medicine box is approximately equivalent to the size of the second grid cell.

6. The method of using the intelligent pharmacy according to claim 5, characterized in that, The automatic dispensing device includes a conveyor belt as its transmission mechanism and an automatic dispensing mechanism as its automatic dispensing mechanism, which includes an inclined drug dispensing port arranged above the second medicine box and a corresponding radio frequency module. The other side of the drug dispensing port is connected to the conveyor belt. The automatic dispensing device delivers the corresponding prescription drugs to the allocated second medicine box through the conveyor belt, the radio frequency module and the drug dispensing port.

7. The method of using the intelligent pharmacy according to claim 6, characterized in that, The medicine box storage rack is also equipped with an indicator light and a display screen at the corresponding storage compartment of each second medicine box. When the server allocates the second medicine box, the indicator light of the corresponding second medicine box displays in a first color, indicating that the prescription medicine will be delivered to the second medicine box. When the delivery of the prescription medicine is not completed, the indicator light of the second medicine box displays in a second color, and the server controls the automatic dispensing device to continue delivering the prescription medicine. When the delivery of the prescription medicine is completed, the indicator light of the second medicine box displays in a third color. The display screen displays the type and quantity of the prescription medicine to be delivered.

8. The method of using the intelligent pharmacy according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first robot and the second robot each have a lifting mechanism, a drive device, and a communication device. They receive control signals from the server and transport their respective medicine boxes to the corresponding medicine dispensing station. The first robot's size covers a first grid storage well, and the second robot's size covers a second grid storage well; and / or The bottom of the first and second automated storage and retrieval systems is equipped with multiple medicine box entry and exit channels, which can simultaneously handle multiple medicine boxes entering and exiting the storage.

9. The method of using the intelligent pharmacy according to claim 1, characterized in that, When preset conditions are met, the second robot will transfer the second medicine box back to the medicine box transmission device to end the temporary storage. The preset conditions include that the server has not received payment information for a certain period of time or the second human-computer interaction device has not received the patient's request to pick up medicine for a certain period of time.

Images