Automatic bagged medicine supply and distribution system and method

Abstract

The application relates to an automatic bagged medicine supply and distribution system and a supply and distribution method. The system comprises a bagged medicine conveying device, a medicine warehousing operation device coupled with the bagged medicine conveying device, which is used for transferring bagged medicine from the bagged medicine conveying device to a medicine intelligent storage, the medicine intelligent storage, a medicine warehousing operation device used for moving the bagged medicine out of the medicine intelligent storage, a medicine dilution and supply and distribution production line operation device coupled with the medicine warehousing operation device, which is used for carrying out medicine bag separation, medicine dilution and supply and distribution, and a software management system. Under the instruction of the software management system, the bagged medicine sequentially passes through the bagged medicine conveying device, the medicine warehousing operation device, the medicine intelligent storage, the medicine warehousing operation device, the medicine dilution and supply and distribution production line operation device, and automatic supply and distribution of the medicine are realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automated dispensing technology for bagged reagents, specifically to an automated dispensing system and method for easily agglomerated bagged reagents used in mineral processing. Background Technology

[0002] The statements in this section are merely to provide background information related to the technical solutions of this application to aid understanding, and do not necessarily constitute prior art for the technical solutions of this application.

[0003] Due to geographical location and on-site operational requirements, the application of mechanization and intelligent technology in various aspects of the ore washing and beneficiation industry has been limited for a long time. However, with the rapid development of modern mines, mechanization has become an inevitable trend to replace manual labor. While intelligent technology has been achieved in crushing, grinding, and flotation operations, the degree of mechanization in the auxiliary process of reagent dilution is low, and traditional manual labor is still retained. From reagent handling, stacking and storage, bag breaking and separation, stirring and dilution, conveying and adding, to the subsequent finishing, all aspects require manual participation.

[0004] As ore mining continues year by year, ore dilution becomes increasingly severe, leading to a significant increase in the types and amounts of reagents required for ore washing and beneficiation. Taking a certain ore beneficiation plant as an example, with a daily ore processing capacity of approximately 21,500 tons, the daily production process requires the addition of three types of reagents—foaming agents, collectors, and modifiers—totaling nearly 30 tons. The beneficiation work schedule is based on 330 production days per year. Various bagged reagents are prone to clumping and deformation, and have considerable hardness. This results in a heavy workload and high labor intensity for personnel responsible for reagent handling and dilution, leading to low work efficiency. The humid working environment, coupled with limited space and the large amount of irritating odors and reagent dust generated during the dilution process, negatively impacts the physical and mental health of the workers.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for an automated supply and distribution system and method for bagged medicines to solve the problem of low automation in traditional supply and distribution methods for bagged medicines, thereby reducing the labor intensity of workers, improving the working environment of employees, and increasing the efficiency of medicine delivery. Summary of the Invention

[0006] One aspect of the present invention relates to an automated dispensing system for bagged pharmaceuticals, characterized in that it comprises:

[0007] Bagged medicine conveying device;

[0008] A medicine storage operation device coupled to the bagged medicine conveying device is used to transfer bagged medicines from the bagged medicine conveying device to a smart medicine storage warehouse.

[0009] Intelligent pharmaceutical storage warehouse;

[0010] A medicine outbound operation device, used to remove the bagged medicine from the intelligent medicine storage warehouse;

[0011] A pharmaceutical dilution and dispensing production line device coupled to the pharmaceutical outbound operation device is used for separating pharmaceutical bags, diluting pharmaceuticals, and dispensing pharmaceuticals; and

[0012] Software management system;

[0013] Under the guidance of the software management system, the bagged medicine sequentially passes through the bagged medicine conveying device, the medicine warehousing device, the intelligent medicine storage warehouse, the medicine outbound device, and the medicine dilution and dispensing production line device to achieve automated medicine dispensing.

[0014] In one embodiment, the bagged medicine is a bagged medicine that is prone to caking. The bagged medicine conveying device includes a telescopic belt conveyor, a caking material dispersing machine, and a centering machine. The bagged medicine passes through the telescopic belt conveyor, the caking material dispersing machine, and the centering machine in sequence before arriving at the medicine storage device.

[0015] In one embodiment, the telescopic belt conveyor is capable of freely extending, retracting, and lifting.

[0016] In one embodiment, the caking material shaker is used to shake and reshape the easily caking bagged medicine.

[0017] In one embodiment, the centering machine is used to center the easily caking bagged medicine on the conveyor line.

[0018] In one embodiment, the bagged medicine delivery device further includes a high-definition camera recognition device, which is used to identify the type of the easily caking bagged medicine in order to count the quantity of that type of easily caking bagged medicine.

[0019] In one embodiment, the drug receiving and / or drug discharging device includes a robotic arm, a pallet, a roller conveyor, and a hoist.

[0020] In one embodiment, in the pharmaceutical warehousing device, the robotic arm is used to stack the bagged pharmaceuticals onto the pallet, the roller conveyor is used to transport the pallet loaded with the bagged pharmaceuticals to the elevator, and the elevator is used to transfer the pallet loaded with the bagged pharmaceuticals to the intelligent pharmaceutical storage warehouse.

[0021] In one embodiment, the robotic arm in the medicine receiving device can automatically stack the bagged medicines in a standard "E" shape onto the pallet.

[0022] In one embodiment, the intelligent medicine storage facility includes a shuttle vehicle with intelligent identification capabilities and a positioning code. The shuttle vehicle automatically transports the tray containing the bagged medicine to a designated location for storage based on the positioning code.

[0023] In one embodiment, the pharmaceutical dilution and dispensing production line apparatus includes a depackaging machine, a mixing tank, and a waste bag baling machine. The depackaging machine is used to depack the bagged pharmaceuticals to separate the pharmaceutical bags. The mixing tank is used to dilute the pharmaceuticals. The waste bag baling machine is used to bale the waste pharmaceutical bags generated after depackaging.

[0024] In one embodiment, the automated bagged medicine dispensing system further includes a direct-dispensing conveyor line coupled to the bagged medicine conveying device and the medicine dilution and dispensing production line operation device. The direct-dispensing conveyor line is used to directly transport the bagged medicine urgently needed in production from the bagged medicine conveying device to the medicine dilution and dispensing production line operation device.

[0025] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a dispensing method based on an automated dispensing system for bagged pharmaceuticals, comprising the following steps:

[0026] Under the guidance of the software management system of the automated bagged medicine dispensing system,

[0027] The bagged medicine is transported to the medicine storage operation device via the bagged medicine conveying device;

[0028] The bagged medicine is transferred to the intelligent medicine storage warehouse via the medicine warehousing device.

[0029] The bagged medicine is moved out of the intelligent medicine storage warehouse via the medicine outbound operation device and arrives at the medicine dilution and dispensing production line operation device; and

[0030] The drug bag separation, drug dilution, and drug dispensing are performed at the drug dilution and dispensing production line operation device to achieve automated drug dispensing.

[0031] The automated supply and distribution system and method for bagged medicines based on this application greatly improve the automation level of the bagged medicine supply and distribution process, thereby reducing the labor intensity of on-the-job workers, improving the working environment of employees, and increasing the efficiency of medicine delivery. Attached Figure Description

[0032] The embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0033] Figure 1 A layout diagram of the work area of ​​an automated bagged medicine dispensing system according to one embodiment is shown;

[0034] Figure 2 A layout diagram of the work area of ​​an automated dispensing system for easily caking bagged medicines according to one embodiment is shown.

[0035] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the specific structure of an automated dispensing system for easily clumping bagged medicines according to one embodiment is shown.

[0036] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the specific structure of an automated dispensing system for easily clumping bagged medicines according to another embodiment is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0037] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.

[0038] Figure 1 A floor plan of the work area of ​​an automated bagged medicine dispensing system according to one embodiment is shown. The work area includes a medicine conveying area, a medicine in / out storage area, an intelligent storage area, and a medicine dilution production line area. The medicine in / out storage area can be further subdivided into a medicine inlet storage area and a medicine outlet storage area. In one embodiment, the medicine inlet storage area and the medicine outlet storage area can be two independent areas.

[0039] The pharmaceutical delivery area is equipped with a bagged pharmaceutical delivery device, the pharmaceutical warehousing area is equipped with a pharmaceutical warehousing device, the intelligent storage area is equipped with a pharmaceutical intelligent storage warehouse to realize centralized intelligent warehousing and temporary storage of bagged pharmaceuticals and subsequent automatic warehousing, the pharmaceutical warehousing area is equipped with a pharmaceutical warehousing device, and the pharmaceutical dilution production line area is equipped with a pharmaceutical dilution and dispensing production line device.

[0040] Under the guidance of the software management system, the bagged medicine conveying device in the medicine conveying area transports the bagged medicine to the medicine receiving device in the medicine receiving operation area. The medicine receiving device then transports the bagged medicine from the bagged medicine conveying device to the intelligent medicine storage warehouse in the intelligent storage area. The medicine dispensing device in the medicine dispensing operation area removes the bagged medicine from the intelligent medicine storage warehouse and sends it to the medicine dilution and dispensing production line device in the medicine dilution production line operation area. Here, medicine bags are separated, medicine is diluted, and medicine is dispensed, thereby realizing automated medicine dispensing. In one embodiment, the software management system can allow each subsystem to operate independently, and the top level can realize strategy control to achieve unmanned medicine dispensing.

[0041] The aforementioned bagged medicine conveying device, medicine warehousing device, intelligent medicine storage warehouse, medicine outbound device, medicine dilution and dispensing production line device, and software management system can constitute an automated bagged medicine dispensing system.

[0042] Figure 2 A floor plan of the work area for an automated dispensing system for easily caking bagged pharmaceuticals, according to one embodiment, is shown. The work area includes a pharmaceutical conveying and dispersing area, a pharmaceutical in / out storage area, an intelligent storage area, and a pharmaceutical dilution production line area. Figure 1 compared to, Figure 2 The drug delivery and dispersing area shown can not only deliver drugs, but also disperse bagged drugs that are prone to clumping, so as to facilitate subsequent drug supply and preparation.

[0043] In one embodiment, a material disperser can be used in the drug delivery and dispersion area to disperse easily agglomerated bagged drugs. In one embodiment, the drug delivery and dispersion area can be divided into two independent areas: a drug delivery area and a drug dispersion area.

[0044] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the specific structure of an automated dispensing system for easily caking bagged medicines according to one embodiment is shown. The automated dispensing system includes a telescopic belt conveyor 2, a caking material shaker 3, a centering machine 4, an inbound robot 5 (also known as a palletizing robot), an inbound pallet 6, an inbound roller conveyor 7, an inbound elevator (not shown in the figure), a medicine intelligent storage warehouse 8, an outbound elevator (not shown in the figure), an outbound pallet 9, an outbound roller conveyor 10, an outbound robot 11 (also known as a depalletizing robot), and a medicine dilution and dispensing production line operation device 12.

[0045] Among them, the telescopic belt conveyor 2, the caking material shaker 3, and the centering machine 4 are equipment in the bagged medicine conveying device; the warehousing robot 5, the warehousing pallet 6, the warehousing roller conveyor 7, and the warehousing elevator are equipment in the medicine warehousing operation device; the outbound elevator, the outbound pallet 9, the outbound roller conveyor 10, and the outbound robot 11 are equipment in the medicine outbound operation device.

[0046] In one embodiment, the telescopic belt conveyor 2 can freely extend, retract, and rise. The caking material shaker 3 is used to shake and reshape the easily caking bagged medicines, improving their particle size and regularity, facilitating neat and standardized stacking by the subsequent robotic arm and stable and safe temporary storage after warehousing. The centering machine 4 is used to center the easily caking bagged medicines on the conveyor line, facilitating precise positioning by the robotic arm.

[0047] In one embodiment, the bagged medicine delivery device also includes a high-definition image recognition device, which is used to identify the type of bagged medicine in order to count the quantity of that type of bagged medicine.

[0048] The easily caking bagged medicine 1 passes sequentially through the telescopic belt conveyor 2, the caking material dispersing machine 3, and the centering machine 4, and arrives at the medicine warehousing operation device for processing. The warehousing robot 5 in the medicine warehousing operation device stacks the bagged medicine 1 onto the warehousing pallet 6. In one embodiment, the warehousing robot 5 can automatically stack the bagged medicine in a standard "E" shape of 5 layers onto the warehousing pallet 6. The warehousing roller conveyor 7 transports the warehousing pallet 6 loaded with the bagged medicine 1 to the warehousing elevator, which then transfers the warehousing pallet 6 loaded with the bagged medicine 1 to the intelligent medicine storage warehouse 8. The medicine retrieval operation device, consisting of the retrieval elevator, retrieval pallet 9, retrieval roller conveyor 10, and retrieval robot 11, moves the bagged medicine 1 out of the intelligent medicine storage warehouse 8 in the reverse order of the operation in the medicine warehousing operation device, and sends it to the medicine dilution and dispensing production line operation device 12. In one embodiment, the outbound robot 11 has a visual recognition element and a suction cup. The visual recognition element can accurately identify different types of bagged medicines, thereby enabling the simultaneous and accurate dilution and delivery of multiple types of bagged medicines.

[0049] In one embodiment, the intelligent pharmaceutical storage facility 8 includes a shuttle vehicle with intelligent identification capabilities and a positioning code. The shuttle vehicle can automatically transport a pallet containing bagged pharmaceuticals 1 to a designated location (e.g., a designated shelf) for storage based on the positioning code. In one embodiment, the shuttle vehicle can be a four-way shuttle vehicle.

[0050] In one embodiment, the pharmaceutical dilution and dispensing production line device 12 includes a unpacking machine, a mixing tank, and a waste bag baling machine. The unpacking machine is used to unpack the bagged pharmaceutical agent 1 to separate the drug from the bag, the mixing tank is used to dilute the pharmaceutical agent, and the waste bag baling machine is used to package the waste pharmaceutical bags generated after unpacking. A pharmaceutical delivery pump can be installed at the bottom of the mixing tank to efficiently and accurately transport the diluted pharmaceutical agent to the production site over long distances. In one embodiment, the unpacking machine is installed above the mixing tank, so that the bagged pharmaceutical agent is separated from the bag by the unpacking machine, and the pharmaceutical agent falls into the mixing tank for dilution efficiently by its own weight.

[0051] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a specific structure of an automated dispensing system for easily caking bagged medicines, according to another embodiment, is shown. Figure 3 Compared to the embodiments shown, Figure 4The illustrated embodiment also includes a direct delivery conveyor line 13 coupled to the bagged medicine conveying device and the medicine dilution and supply production line operation device. This direct delivery conveyor line 13 can transport urgently needed bagged medicines directly from the bagged medicine conveying device to the medicine dilution and supply production line operation device 12, without having to go through the medicine warehousing operation device, the intelligent medicine storage warehouse, or the medicine outbound operation device. This makes the solution highly adjustable and can meet the needs of handling temporary emergency situations on site, achieving the goal of efficiently delivering urgently needed medicines.

[0052] In one embodiment, an automated supply and distribution system for easily agglomerated bagged reagents can be applied to the production system of a mineral processing plant. Mineral processing plant production systems frequently require the addition of mineral processing reagents of a certain concentration. These reagents need to be separated by bag breaking, efficiently stirred and diluted, and transported for addition. Under the guidance of a software management system, easily agglomerated bagged reagents for mineral processing can sequentially pass through a bagged reagent conveying device, a reagent warehousing device, a reagent intelligent storage warehouse, a reagent warehousing device, and a reagent dilution and supply production line device, thereby achieving automated reagent supply and distribution. In one embodiment, more specifically, under the guidance of the software management system, the easily agglomerated bagged reagent 1 for mineral processing can sequentially pass through a telescopic belt conveyor 2, a caking material dispersing machine 3, a centering machine 4, a high-definition photo recognition device, a warehousing robot 5, a hoist, a shuttle trolley, a reagent intelligent storage warehouse shelf, a warehousing robot 11, a bag unpacking machine, a stirring tank, etc. Finally, the precisely diluted mineral processing reagent is pumped to the mineral processing plant production system for use, and waste bags are directly processed by a waste bag baling machine.

[0053] The specific process of an automated dispensing method for easily agglomerated bagged reagents for mineral processing, according to one embodiment, is as follows:

[0054] The easily agglomerated bagged reagent 1 for mineral processing is transported by a supply vehicle to a telescopic belt conveyor 2, where it is conveyed bag by bag to a material agitator 3 for agitation and shaping, thereby increasing the particle size and standardizing the packaging of the easily agglomerated bagged reagent. The agitated and standardized reagent passes through a centering machine 4, ensuring that it is centrally conveyed by the belt conveyor and accurately positioned when it reaches the reagent storage area, facilitating precise gripping and stacking by the storage robot 5. Afterwards, the bagged reagent 1 is transported by a storage roller conveyor 7 to an elevator, and then by a shuttle trolley to a precise location in the intelligent reagent storage warehouse 8 for temporary storage. Upon receiving the reagent addition instruction from the software management system, a shuttle trolley transports the pallets loaded with bagged reagents out of the warehouse. A robotic arm 11 precisely unpalletizes the pallets, allowing each bag to enter the reagent dilution and dispensing production line 12. The unpacking machine and mixing tank within this unit sequentially separate the reagent bags, precisely dilute and mix the reagents, and then transport the precisely diluted reagents via pressure pipeline to the mineral processing system for use. The separated reagent bags are then transported by belt conveyor to a waste bag baler for centralized baling and collection.

[0055] In one embodiment, before the unpacked bagged medicine enters the medicine dilution and dispensing production line 12, the bagged medicine can be sent to another caking material shaker to further shake and shape the medicine, thereby facilitating the effective unpacking of the bagged medicine and the efficient stirring and dilution of the medicine by the dispensing production line 12.

[0056] This supply and distribution method allows for complete automation of the entire process, from reagent storage to bag breaking, dilution, and transportation, without human intervention. This effectively reduces the labor intensity of employees in the traditional bagged reagent production process for mineral processing. At the same time, the continuous and precise dilution of reagents through mechanization and intelligence improves operational efficiency, meets the national call for increased mineral processing capacity, and enhances the overall economic benefits of mineral processing plants.

[0057] Table 1 below shows detailed parameters of an automated supply and distribution system for easily agglomerated bagged reagents for mineral processing according to one embodiment. This system is significantly superior to traditional operating methods in terms of production efficiency and the stability of related parameters, and can meet the needs of a mineral processing plant with a daily ore processing capacity of approximately 21,500 tons and a total of nearly 30 tons of bagged reagents for mineral processing.

[0058]

[0059] As can be seen from the results in Table 1 above, this embodiment achieves centralized, safe, and efficient storage and automated, efficient dispensing of reagents. Compared with traditional processes, the efficiency of each step from reagent storage to bag breaking, separation, and dilution is significantly improved. Furthermore, the automated dispensing and dilution of easily agglomerated bagged reagents for mineral processing is stable, economical, and highly adjustable. It can meet the needs of automated and effective dispensing of reagents with complex and multi-step dilution processes, and effectively controls the concentration range of reagent dilution, achieving the goal of automated and effective dilution dispensing. Ultimately, it ensures the stability and compliance of reagent addition concentration and dosage in the overall process line. Therefore, this automated dispensing system is worthy of widespread promotion and application.

[0060] References to “various embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “one embodiment,” or “embodiment” throughout this document refer to a particular feature, structure, or property described in connection with said embodiment that is included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, the appearance of phrases such as “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” “in one embodiment,” or “in an embodiment” throughout this document does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, a particular feature, structure, or property can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Thus, a particular feature, structure, or property shown or described in connection with one embodiment can be combined, in whole or in part, with features, structures, or properties of one or more other embodiments without limitation, provided that such combination is not illogical or inoperable. Expressions such as “according to A,” “based on A,” “by A,” or “using A” appearing throughout this document are non-exclusive; that is, “according to A” can cover “according to A only” or “according to A and B,” unless specifically stated otherwise. In this application, some illustrative operational steps are described in a certain order for clarity, but those skilled in the art will understand that each of these operational steps is not essential, and some steps can be omitted or replaced by others. These steps do not necessarily have to be performed sequentially as shown. Instead, some of these steps can be performed in different orders or in parallel as needed, as long as the new execution method is not illogical or ineffective.

[0061] This has described several aspects of at least one embodiment of the invention. It will be understood that various changes, modifications, and improvements will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes, modifications, and improvements are intended within the spirit and scope of the invention. While the invention has been described through some embodiments, it is not limited to the embodiments described herein, and includes various changes and variations made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An automated dispensing system for bagged medicines, characterized in that, include: A bagged medicine conveying device, wherein the bagged medicine is a bagged medicine that is prone to caking, the bagged medicine conveying device includes a telescopic belt conveyor, a caking material shaker, and a centering machine, the bagged medicine passes through the telescopic belt conveyor, the caking material shaker, and the centering machine in sequence, and arrives at the medicine storage operation device; The telescopic belt conveyor can freely extend, retract, and lift; the caking material shaker is used to shake and reshape the easily caking bagged medicine; the centering machine is used to center the easily caking bagged medicine on the conveyor line; the bagged medicine conveying device also includes a high-definition photo recognition device, which is used to identify the type of easily caking bagged medicine to count the quantity of that type of easily caking bagged medicine. A medicine storage operation device coupled to the bagged medicine conveying device is used to transfer bagged medicines from the bagged medicine conveying device to a smart medicine storage warehouse. The drug storage and / or drug retrieval equipment includes a robotic arm, a pallet, a roller conveyor, and a hoist. In the drug warehousing operation device, the robotic arm is used to stack the bagged drugs onto the pallet, the roller conveyor is used to transport the pallet loaded with the bagged drugs to the elevator, and the elevator is used to transfer the pallet loaded with the bagged drugs to the intelligent drug storage warehouse; The robotic arm in the medicine warehousing device can automatically stack the bagged medicines in a standard "E" shape on the pallet; The robotic arm in the medicine dispensing device is equipped with a visual recognition element and a suction cup. The visual recognition element can identify different types of bagged medicines. The intelligent medicine storage warehouse includes a shuttle car with intelligent recognition capabilities and a positioning code. The shuttle car automatically transports the trays loaded with the bagged medicines to the designated location for storage based on the positioning code. Intelligent pharmaceutical storage warehouse; A medicine outbound operation device, used to remove the bagged medicine from the intelligent medicine storage warehouse; A drug dilution and dispensing production line coupled to the drug dispensing device is used for separating drug bags, diluting drugs, and dispensing drugs. The drug dilution and dispensing production line includes a unpacking machine, a mixing tank, and a waste bag baling machine. The unpacking machine is used to unpack the bagged drugs to separate the drug bags. The mixing tank is used to dilute the drugs. The waste bag baling machine is used to bale the waste drug bags generated after unpacking. The production line also includes a direct-dispensing conveyor line coupled to the bagged drug conveying device and the drug dilution and dispensing production line. The direct-dispensing conveyor line is used to directly transport the urgently needed bagged drugs from the bagged drug conveying device to the drug dilution and dispensing production line. And software management systems; Under the guidance of the software management system, the bagged medicine sequentially passes through the bagged medicine conveying device, the medicine warehousing device, the intelligent medicine storage warehouse, the medicine outbound device, and the medicine dilution and dispensing production line device to achieve automated medicine dispensing.

2. The dispensing method implemented by the automated dispensing system for bagged medicines according to claim 1, comprising: The following steps are taken: Under the instructions of the software management system of the automated bagged medicine dispensing system, The bagged medicine is transported to the medicine storage operation device via the bagged medicine conveying device; The bagged medicine is transferred to the intelligent medicine storage warehouse via the medicine warehousing device. The bagged medicine is moved out of the intelligent medicine storage warehouse via the medicine outbound operation device and arrives at the medicine dilution and dispensing production line operation device; as well as The drug bag separation, drug dilution, and drug dispensing are performed at the drug dilution and dispensing production line operation device to achieve automated drug dispensing.

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