A control method and device of a self-service dispensing machine

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of medicine dispensing machines, and discloses a control method and device for a self-service medicine dispensing machine. The method determines the to-be-dispensed medicine and the prescription quantity of the to-be-dispensed medicine according to a medicine prescription; the medicine tank position of the to-be-dispensed medicine is obtained in the self-service medicine dispensing machine; the medicine dropping moving direction of the to-be-dispensed medicine is determined according to the medicine tank position of the to-be-dispensed medicine; the self-service medicine dispensing machine is controlled to drop medicine, the transmission belt of the self-service medicine dispensing machine receives the to-be-dispensed medicine, the transmission belt is controlled to move towards the medicine dropping moving direction of the to-be-dispensed medicine; when the quantity of the medicine on the transmission belt reaches the prescription quantity of the to-be-dispensed medicine or the single maximum dispensing quantity of the to-be-dispensed medicine, the medicine on the transmission belt is transmitted to a medicine taking port, and medicine taking broadcasting is carried out; when the prescription quantity of the to-be-dispensed medicine is greater than the single maximum dispensing quantity of the to-be-dispensed medicine, a medicine unpacking operation is triggered, and the dispensing process is continuously completed. The application avoids medicine overlapping, improves the accuracy and stability of medicine dispensing, and improves the intelligent degree of the self-service medicine dispensing machine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of dispensing machine technology, and in particular to a control method and device for a self-service dispensing machine. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional dispensing machines rely on a dispensing sensor at the front of the dispensing tray to determine when medication should be dispensed. However, there is no intelligent control over the dispensing position. For large prescriptions with many medications, the conveyor belt may become too full, causing medications to pile up and resulting in the following malfunctions: medications falling off the conveyor belt; medications interfering with the shelves; and excessive medication blocking the dispensing port, preventing patients from receiving their medication and affecting subsequent prescription dispensing.

[0003] Therefore, there is still much room for improvement in the existing drug dispensing methods and drug placement control. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a control method and device for a self-service dispensing machine. By controlling the position of the medicine after it is dispensed, the overlapping of medicines is avoided, the utilization of the conveyor belt is improved, the accuracy and stability of dispensing are improved by adopting a dispensing operation, and the intelligence level of the self-service dispensing machine is enhanced.

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a control method for a self-service dispensing machine, comprising:

[0006] The prescription for the drugs to be delivered and the quantity of the drugs to be delivered are determined based on the prescription.

[0007] Obtain the position of the medicine dispenser for the medicine to be dispensed from the self-service dispensing machine;

[0008] The direction of movement of the medicine to be dispensed is determined according to the position of the medicine trough of the medicine to be dispensed;

[0009] Control the dispensing of medicine from the self-service dispensing machine. Whenever the conveyor belt of the self-service dispensing machine receives medicine to be dispensed, control the conveyor belt to move in the direction of dispensing the medicine.

[0010] When the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the prescription quantity of the medicines to be dispensed or the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed, the medicines on the conveyor belt are transferred to the dispensing port and a dispensing announcement is made; wherein, the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed is determined according to the position of the medicine trough of the medicines to be dispensed.

[0011] Furthermore, determining the dispensing direction of the medicine based on the position of the medicine trough to be dispensed specifically involves:

[0012] Based on the location of the medicine dispenser, the space where the conveyor belt of the self-service medicine dispensing machine is located is divided into two pre-storage spaces.

[0013] Compare the sizes of the two proposed storage spaces and determine the larger proposed storage space as the storage space for the medicines to be shipped.

[0014] The direction of the storage space for the drugs to be dispensed is determined as the direction of drug movement.

[0015] Furthermore, the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicine to be dispensed is determined based on the position of the medicine dispenser, specifically as follows:

[0016] Determine the storage space for the medicines to be dispatched based on the location of the medicine troughs;

[0017] Based on the size of the storage space for the drugs to be dispensed and the preset size of a single drug, the maximum amount of drugs to be dispensed at one time is calculated.

[0018] Furthermore, the step of "when the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the prescription quantity of the medicines to be dispensed or the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed" further includes:

[0019] When the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed, the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed is compared with the prescription quantity.

[0020] When the number of prescriptions for drugs to be dispensed exceeds the maximum single dispensing quantity of drugs to be dispensed, a dispensing operation is triggered, and the remaining quantity of drugs to be dispensed is calculated.

[0021] When all the medicines on the conveyor belt are delivered to the dispensing port, the self-service dispensing machine is controlled to dispense medicines according to the remaining quantity of medicines to be dispensed. After dispensing the medicines, the conveyor belt is controlled to move in the direction of dispensing the medicines until the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the remaining quantity of medicines to be dispensed.

[0022] Furthermore, after the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the remaining quantity of medicines to be shipped, the process also includes:

[0023] The medicine on the conveyor belt is delivered to the dispensing port, the light-emitting device of the dispensing port is lit, and the dispensing announcement is made.

[0024] When it is detected that there is no medicine at the dispensing port, the light-emitting device of the dispensing port is turned off and the dispensing announcement is stopped.

[0025] Furthermore, the step of turning off the light-emitting device of the dispensing port and stopping the dispensing announcement when it is detected that there is no medicine at the dispensing port specifically means:

[0026] Real-time image acquisition of the dispensing port;

[0027] Compare the image of the dispensing port with the preset template image;

[0028] When the similarity between the image at the dispensing port and the preset template image is greater than the preset similarity threshold, it is determined that there is no medicine at the current dispensing port. In this case, the light-emitting device at the dispensing port is turned off, and the dispensing announcement is stopped.

[0029] This invention provides a control method for a self-service dispensing machine. The method involves determining the medication to be dispensed and the prescription quantity based on the prescription; obtaining the position of the medication slot in the self-service dispensing machine; determining the dispensing direction of the medication based on the slot position; controlling the dispensing of medication by the self-service dispensing machine, and moving the conveyor belt in the dispensing direction whenever it receives medication; when the quantity of medication on the conveyor belt reaches the prescription quantity or the maximum dispensing quantity per batch, transferring the medication to the dispensing port and announcing the dispensing; and triggering a dispensing operation when the prescription quantity exceeds the maximum dispensing quantity per batch, thus continuing the dispensing process. This invention enables precise control of the position of the medicine after dispensing, avoiding overlapping of medicines; it improves the utilization of the conveyor belt by calculating the maximum amount of medicine dispensed at one time; it solves the problem of dispensing abnormalities caused by the limited space of the conveyor belt being unable to accommodate or blockage of the dispensing port due to an excessive number of prescription medicines; and it improves the accuracy and stability of dispensing, as well as the intelligence level of the self-service dispensing machine.

[0030] Accordingly, the present invention provides a control device for a self-service dispensing machine, comprising: a medicine determination module, a location acquisition module, a movement direction determination module, a control module, and a conveying module;

[0031] The drug determination module is used to determine the drugs to be dispensed and the prescription quantity of the drugs to be dispensed based on the prescription.

[0032] The location acquisition module is used to acquire the location of the medicine dispenser for the medicine to be dispensed in the self-service dispensing machine;

[0033] The movement direction determination module is used to determine the falling movement direction of the medicine to be dispensed based on the position of the medicine trough of the medicine to be dispensed;

[0034] The control module is used to control the dispensing of medicine by the self-service dispensing machine. Whenever the conveyor belt of the self-service dispensing machine receives medicine to be dispensed, it controls the conveyor belt to move in the direction of dispensing the medicine.

[0035] The conveying module is used to convey the medicines on the conveyor belt to the dispensing port and announce the dispensing when the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the prescription quantity of the medicines to be dispensed or the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed; wherein, the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed is determined according to the position of the medicine trough of the medicines to be dispensed.

[0036] Furthermore, the movement direction determination module includes: a space division unit, a space determination unit, and a direction determination unit;

[0037] The space division unit is used to divide the space area where the conveyor belt of the self-service dispensing machine is located into two pre-storage spaces based on the location of the medicine slot for the medicine to be dispensed.

[0038] The space determination unit is used to compare the sizes of the two prepared storage spaces and determine the larger prepared storage space as the storage space for the medicines to be shipped.

[0039] The direction determination unit is used to determine the direction of the storage space for the medicine to be dispensed as the direction of movement of the medicine to be dispensed.

[0040] Furthermore, the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicine to be dispensed is determined based on the position of the medicine dispenser, specifically as follows:

[0041] Determine the storage space for the medicines to be dispatched based on the location of the medicine troughs;

[0042] Based on the size of the storage space for the drugs to be dispensed and the preset size of a single drug, the maximum amount of drugs to be dispensed at one time is calculated.

[0043] Furthermore, the control device of the self-service dispensing machine also includes: a dispensing module; the dispensing module includes a comparison unit, a quantity calculation unit, and a dispensing control unit;

[0044] The comparison unit is used to compare the maximum single dispensing quantity of the drugs to be dispensed with the prescription quantity when the quantity of drugs on the conveyor belt reaches the maximum single dispensing quantity of the drugs to be dispensed.

[0045] The quantity calculation unit is used to trigger the dispensing operation and calculate the remaining quantity of drugs to be dispensed when the prescription quantity of drugs to be dispensed is greater than the maximum single dispensing quantity of drugs to be dispensed.

[0046] The dispensing control unit is used to control the self-service dispensing machine to dispense medicine according to the remaining quantity of medicine to be dispensed when all the medicines on the conveyor belt are delivered to the dispensing port, and after dispensing the medicine, control the conveyor belt to move in the direction of dispensing the medicines until the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the remaining quantity of medicines to be dispensed.

[0047] This invention provides a control device for a self-service dispensing machine. Based on the organic integration of modules, it determines the medication to be dispensed and the prescription quantity of the medication to be dispensed according to the prescription; it obtains the position of the medication slot in the self-service dispensing machine; it determines the dispensing direction of the medication based on the position of the medication slot; it controls the dispensing of medication by the self-service dispensing machine, and whenever the conveyor belt of the self-service dispensing machine receives a medication to be dispensed, it controls the conveyor belt to move in the dispensing direction of the medication; when the quantity of medication on the conveyor belt reaches the prescription quantity or the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medication to be dispensed, the medication on the conveyor belt is transferred to the dispensing port and a dispensing announcement is made; when the prescription quantity of the medication to be dispensed exceeds the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medication to be dispensed, a dispensing operation is triggered, and the dispensing process continues. This invention enables precise control of the position of the medicine after dispensing, avoiding overlapping of medicines; it improves the utilization of the conveyor belt by calculating the maximum amount of medicine dispensed at one time; it solves the problem of dispensing abnormalities caused by the limited space of the conveyor belt being unable to accommodate or blockage of the dispensing port due to an excessive number of prescription medicines; and it improves the accuracy and stability of dispensing, as well as the intelligence level of the self-service dispensing machine. Attached Figure Description

[0048] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the control method for a self-service dispensing machine provided by the present invention;

[0049] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the control method for the self-service dispensing machine provided by the present invention;

[0050] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the control method for the self-service dispensing machine provided by the present invention;

[0051] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the control device for a self-service dispensing machine provided by the present invention;

[0052] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of another embodiment of the control device for the self-service dispensing machine provided by the present invention;

[0053] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the drug disassembly module provided by the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0054] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0055] The flowchart shown in the attached diagram is for illustrative purposes only and does not necessarily include all content and operations / steps, nor does it necessarily have to be performed in the order described. For example, some operations / steps can be broken down, combined, or partially merged, so the actual execution order may change depending on the actual situation.

[0056] The following detailed description of some embodiments of the present invention is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0057] Example 1

[0058] See Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the control method for a self-service dispensing machine provided by the present invention. The method includes steps 101 to 105, each of which is detailed below:

[0059] Step 101: Determine the amount of medicine to be dispensed and the prescription quantity of the medicine to be dispensed based on the prescription.

[0060] Step 102: Obtain the location of the medicine dispenser for the medicine to be dispensed in the self-service dispensing machine.

[0061] In the first embodiment of this invention, the self-service dispensing machine dispenses medication according to a prescription, with each dispensing targeting one type of medication. The machine includes multiple rows of medication slots, each storing one type of medication. When the machine receives a prescription from a user, it retrieves the medication to be dispensed and its quantity from the prescription and determines the location of the medication in the designated slot. During dispensing, whenever a medication falls onto the conveyor belt, the belt is moved to prevent medication boxes from overlapping. The maximum amount of medication the conveyor belt can carry at one time without overlap depends on the location of the medication in the slot. Therefore, by retrieving the location of the medication in the slot from the self-service dispensing machine upon receiving a prescription, the maximum dispensing quantity of that medication can be quickly calculated, ensuring that medications do not overlap on the conveyor belt during dispensing.

[0062] Step 103: Determine the direction of movement of the medicine to be dispensed based on the position of the medicine trough.

[0063] Furthermore, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the direction of drug dispensing is determined according to the position of the drug trough of the drug to be dispensed, specifically as follows:

[0064] Based on the location of the medicine dispenser, the space where the conveyor belt of the self-service medicine dispensing machine is located is divided into two pre-storage spaces.

[0065] Compare the sizes of the two proposed storage spaces and determine the larger proposed storage space as the storage space for the medicines to be shipped.

[0066] The direction of the storage space for the drugs to be dispensed is determined as the direction of drug movement.

[0067] In the first embodiment of the present invention, after the medicine falls from the medicine tank onto the conveyor belt, the conveyor belt is driven to move the position of the fallen medicine. The direction of movement is determined by the position of the medicine tank where the medicine to be dispensed is located. Using the position of the medicine tank as a boundary, the space occupied by the conveyor belt is divided into two pre-storage spaces, left and right. The sizes of the two spaces are compared, and the larger space is determined as the storage space for the medicine to be dispensed, thereby determining the direction of movement of the medicine after it falls.

[0068] As an example of the first embodiment of the present invention, suppose the self-service dispensing machine has 8 rows of medicine slots from left to right. If the medicine to be dispensed is located in the 3rd row, then after the medicine falls onto the conveyor belt, there is still room for two medicines to the left of the medicine and five medicines to the right. Therefore, the conveyor belt space to the right of the medicine is larger than the space to the left, allowing more medicines to be stored at once. Thus, the right side is determined as the direction of medicine dispensing.

[0069] Furthermore, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the maximum amount of medicine to be dispensed in a single dispensing is determined according to the position of the medicine dispenser, specifically as follows:

[0070] Determine the storage space for the medicines to be dispatched based on the location of the medicine troughs;

[0071] Based on the size of the storage space for the drugs to be dispensed and the preset size of a single drug, the maximum amount of drugs to be dispensed at one time is calculated.

[0072] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the position of the medicine in the medicine slot of the self-service dispensing machine can determine the maximum amount of medicine dispensed at one time without overlap. After determining the storage space of the medicine to be dispensed on the conveyor belt based on the position of the medicine slot, the maximum amount of medicine to be dispensed at one time can be known based on the storage space.

[0073] As an example of the first embodiment of the present invention, suppose the self-service dispensing machine has 8 rows of medicine slots from left to right. If the medicine to be dispensed is located in the 3rd row, then after the medicine falls onto the conveyor belt, by comparing the space on the left and right sides of the conveyor belt, it can be determined that the space on the right side of the conveyor belt is larger. Since the length of the conveyor belt corresponds to the number of rows of medicine slots on the self-service dispensing machine, when the self-service dispensing machine has 8 rows and the medicine slot is located in the 3rd row, the direction of movement of the medicine to be dispensed is to the right, and the maximum amount of medicine dispensed at one time is 6. At this time, the space on the left side of the conveyor belt cannot be used in this dispensing, because whenever the self-service dispensing machine drops a medicine to be dispensed, the conveyor belt moves to the right by a preset distance. This distance is used to ensure that when the next box of medicine is dispensed, the medicine will not overlap with the previous box of medicine. When the space on the right side of the conveyor belt is filled with medicine (i.e., 6 boxes of medicine), there is not enough space to place another box. If the conveyor belt is moved to the left, occupying space on the left side, a box of medicine will already be placed in the corresponding position of the medicine slot (i.e., the 3rd column). If more medicine is dispensed at this point, it will cause overlap. Therefore, when the medicine slot is in the 3rd column, a self-service dispensing machine with 8 slots can only hold a maximum of 6 boxes of medicine at a time to prevent overlap. Thus, the maximum amount of medicine dispensed at one time is determined by the position of the medicine in the slot of the self-service dispensing machine.

[0074] Step 104: Control the self-service dispensing machine to dispense medicine. Whenever the conveyor belt of the self-service dispensing machine receives medicine to be dispensed, control the conveyor belt to move in the direction of dispensing the medicine.

[0075] In the first embodiment of the present invention, after determining the storage space of the medicine to be dispensed on the conveyor belt and the direction of medicine movement, the self-service dispensing machine is controlled to dispense the medicine. When the medicine to be dispensed falls onto the conveyor belt, the stepper motor is controlled to drive the roller to rotate and drive the conveyor belt, thereby realizing the transportation and displacement of the medicine on the conveyor belt. After moving a certain distance and leaving enough space, the self-service dispensing machine is controlled to dispense the second box of medicine, thereby ensuring that the medicines on the conveyor belt do not overlap.

[0076] Step 105: When the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the prescription quantity of the medicines to be dispensed or the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed, the medicines on the conveyor belt are transferred to the dispensing port and a dispensing announcement is made; wherein, the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed is determined according to the position of the medicine trough of the medicines to be dispensed.

[0077] In the first embodiment of the present invention, when the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the prescription quantity of medicines to be dispensed, the dispensing of medicines is determined to be completed, the medicines on the conveyor belt are conveyed to the dispensing port, and a voice announcement is made to prompt the user to pick up the medicines. When the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the maximum single dispensing quantity of medicines to be dispensed, split dispensing is triggered, and all medicines on the conveyor belt in this dispensing are first conveyed to the dispensing port, and a voice announcement is played saying "Prescription dispensing in batches, please pick up some medicines first", and then the self-service dispensing machine is controlled to dispense medicines according to the remaining quantity.

[0078] Furthermore, in the first embodiment of the present invention, see... Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the control method for a self-service dispensing machine provided by the present invention. When the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the prescription quantity of the medicines to be dispensed or the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed, steps 201 to 203 are further included, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0079] Step 201: When the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed, compare the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed with the prescription quantity.

[0080] Step 202: When the number of prescriptions for drugs to be dispensed exceeds the maximum single dispensing quantity of drugs to be dispensed, trigger the dispensing operation and calculate the remaining quantity of drugs to be dispensed.

[0081] Step 203: When all the medicines on the conveyor belt are delivered to the dispensing port, control the self-service dispensing machine to dispense medicines according to the remaining quantity of medicines to be dispensed, and after dispensing the medicines, control the conveyor belt to move in the direction of dispensing the medicines until the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the remaining quantity of medicines to be dispensed.

[0082] In the first embodiment of the present invention, when a split dispensing is triggered, the medication on the conveyor belt is transported to the dispensing port. The undispensed quantity of the medication is determined by comparing the maximum single dispensing quantity with the prescription quantity. The remaining medication is then dispensed by the self-service dispensing machine. Based on the previously determined conveyor belt storage space and medication dispensing direction, during the second dispensing, the conveyor belt is moved in the dispensing direction for each box of medication dispensed until the prescription quantity of the medication is dispensed. If the medication is not dispensed after the second dispensing, the dispensing is split again for a third dispensing, while using the previously determined conveyor belt storage space and medication dispensing direction to ensure that the medications on the conveyor belt do not overlap.

[0083] Furthermore, in the first embodiment of the present invention, after the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the remaining quantity of medicines to be shipped, the method further includes:

[0084] The medicine on the conveyor belt is delivered to the dispensing port, the light-emitting device of the dispensing port is lit, and the dispensing announcement is made.

[0085] When it is detected that there is no medicine at the dispensing port, the light-emitting device of the dispensing port is turned off and the dispensing announcement is stopped.

[0086] In the first embodiment of the present invention, after all the prescribed medications have been sent, the medications are transferred to the dispensing slot, and the dispensing slot is illuminated with a light, while a voice announcement reminds the user to collect the medications. The light at the dispensing slot is turned off when it is confirmed that all medications have been collected.

[0087] Furthermore, in the first embodiment of the present invention, when it is detected that there is no medicine at the dispensing port, the light-emitting device of the dispensing port is turned off and the dispensing announcement is stopped, specifically:

[0088] Real-time image acquisition of the dispensing port;

[0089] Compare the image of the dispensing port with the preset template image;

[0090] When the similarity between the image at the dispensing port and the preset template image is greater than the preset similarity threshold, it is determined that there is no medicine at the current dispensing port. In this case, the light-emitting device at the dispensing port is turned off, and the dispensing announcement is stopped.

[0091] In the first embodiment of the present invention, image recognition is used to determine whether all the medicines in the dispensing slot have been removed. For example, a template image is pre-acquired using a camera on the dispensing slot, ensuring that the dispensing slot is clean and free of any items when acquiring the template image. When all the medicines to be dispensed according to the prescription quantity have been sent, the dispensing slot light is turned on. At the same time, the camera on the dispensing slot captures an image of the dispensing slot in real time, and the similarity between this image and the preset template image is calculated. When the calculated similarity is greater than a preset similarity threshold, it is determined that there are no medicines in the image, thus indicating that all the medicines in the dispensing slot have been removed. Consequently, the light on the dispensing slot is turned off, and the dispensing announcement is stopped.

[0092] In the first embodiment of the present invention, for a conveyor belt with a limited number of reversal steps, if analysis shows that the direction of the conveyor belt storage space for the medicine to be shipped is the reverse direction of the conveyor belt, and the conveyor belt cannot move in the reverse direction as much as possible due to the limited number of reversal steps, in order to maximize the amount of medicine stored in a single shipment, when the medicine falls onto the conveyor belt, the direction of the falling medicine is first controlled to be the forward direction of the conveyor belt. When the number of forward rotation steps reaches the limit of the conveyor belt space in the forward direction or the limit of the number of reversal steps, the conveyor belt is controlled to move in the reverse direction. In this case, the analyzed storage space of the conveyor belt can still be used to store the fallen medicine, avoiding the situation of medicine overlapping.

[0093] As an example of the first embodiment of the present invention, assume that the self-service dispensing machine has 8 rows of medicine slots from left to right, with the left side being the forward direction of the conveyor belt and the reverse rotation step limit being 4500. The number of steps for moving medicine each time is 2000. When the medicine to be dispensed is located in the 3rd column, when the first and second boxes of medicine are dispensed, the conveyor belt is controlled to move to the left, and then the total number of steps for the reverse rotation of the conveyor belt is 4500, moving both boxes of medicine to the right, and then dispensing the remaining medicine. Since there are still two boxes of medicine on the left side of the conveyor belt when the medicine to be dispensed is in the 3rd column, the conveyor belt is controlled to move to the left twice. The number of steps for the two movements is 4000, which is less than 4500. At this time, the total number of steps for the reverse rotation of the medicine slot is triggered to move the medicine to the right. At this time, using the formula (14000-4500)÷2000=4, it can be concluded that there are still 4 boxes of medicine left to be stored. Adding the two boxes of medicine stored previously, the medicine slot in the 3rd column can store a maximum of 6 boxes of medicine on the conveyor belt at a time.

[0094] See Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the control method for a self-service dispensing machine provided by the present invention. The method utilizes a conveyor belt, an intelligent drug control algorithm, and an intelligent split dispensing algorithm. The prescription determines the medication to be dispensed, thereby obtaining the position of the medication slot in the self-service dispensing machine and determining the direction of medication movement. The intelligent drug control algorithm intelligently controls the position of each box of medication on the conveyor belt. Whenever a medication falls onto the conveyor belt, the conveyor belt is driven to move the medication, changing its position on the conveyor belt to make room for the second box, third box, etc., preventing medications from stacking together. Simultaneously, the intelligent algorithm calculates the maximum number of medications that can be dispensed on the conveyor belt. When the elevator space is determined to be insufficient to hold the remaining medications, a split dispensing mode is automatically activated. The conveyor belt first transports the medications already on the elevator to the dispensing port, and a voice prompt instructs the user to remove a portion of the medication before the prescription is refilled. This solves various malfunctions caused by an excessive number of prescription medications.

[0095] In summary, the first embodiment of the present invention provides a control method for a self-service dispensing machine. The method involves determining the medication to be dispensed and the prescription quantity based on the prescription; obtaining the position of the medication slot in the self-service dispensing machine; determining the dispensing direction of the medication based on the position of the medication slot; controlling the dispensing of medication by the self-service dispensing machine, and moving the conveyor belt in the dispensing direction whenever it receives medication; when the quantity of medication on the conveyor belt reaches the prescription quantity or the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medication, transferring the medication to the dispensing port and announcing the dispensing; and triggering a dispensing operation when the prescription quantity of the medication exceeds the maximum single dispensing quantity, and then continuing the dispensing process. This invention enables precise control of the position of the medicine after dispensing, avoiding overlapping of medicines; it improves the utilization of the conveyor belt by calculating the maximum amount of medicine dispensed at one time; it solves the problem of dispensing abnormalities caused by the limited space of the conveyor belt being unable to accommodate or blockage of the dispensing port due to an excessive number of prescription medicines; and it improves the accuracy and stability of dispensing, as well as the intelligence level of the self-service dispensing machine.

[0096] Example 2

[0097] See Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a control device for a self-service dispensing machine provided by the present invention. The device includes a medicine determination module 301, a position acquisition module 302, a movement direction determination module 303, a control module 304, and a conveying module 305.

[0098] The drug determination module 301 is used to determine the drugs to be dispensed and the prescription quantity of the drugs to be dispensed based on the prescription.

[0099] The location acquisition module 302 is used to acquire the position of the medicine slot of the medicine to be dispensed in the self-service dispensing machine;

[0100] The movement direction determination module 303 is used to determine the falling movement direction of the medicine to be dispensed based on the position of the medicine trough of the medicine to be dispensed;

[0101] The control module 304 is used to control the dispensing of medicine by the self-service dispensing machine. Whenever the conveyor belt of the self-service dispensing machine receives medicine to be dispensed, it controls the conveyor belt to move in the direction of dispensing the medicine.

[0102] The conveying module 305 is used to convey the medicines on the conveyor belt to the dispensing port and announce the dispensing when the number of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the prescription quantity of the medicines to be dispensed or the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed; wherein, the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed is determined according to the position of the medicine trough of the medicines to be dispensed.

[0103] Furthermore, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the movement direction determination module 303 includes: a space division unit, a space determination unit, and a direction determination unit;

[0104] The space division unit is used to divide the space where the conveyor belt of the self-service dispensing machine is located into two pre-storage spaces based on the location of the medicine trough for the medicine to be dispensed.

[0105] The space determination unit is used to compare the sizes of the two prepared storage spaces and determine the larger prepared storage space as the storage space for the medicines to be shipped.

[0106] The direction determination unit is used to determine the direction of the storage space for the medicine to be dispensed as the direction of the medicine to be dispensed.

[0107] Furthermore, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the maximum amount of medicine to be dispensed in a single dispensing is determined according to the position of the medicine dispenser, specifically as follows:

[0108] Determine the storage space for the medicines to be dispatched based on the location of the medicine troughs;

[0109] Based on the size of the storage space for the drugs to be dispensed and the preset size of a single drug, the maximum amount of drugs to be dispensed at one time is calculated.

[0110] Furthermore, in the second embodiment of the present invention, see... Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the control device for the self-service dispensing machine provided by the present invention. The control device for the self-service dispensing machine also includes a dispensing module 306; see also... Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the dispensing module provided by the present invention. The dispensing module 306 includes a comparison unit 401, a quantity calculation unit 402, and a dispensing control unit 403.

[0111] The comparison unit 401 is used to compare the maximum single dispensing quantity of the drugs to be dispensed with the prescription quantity when the quantity of drugs on the conveyor belt reaches the maximum single dispensing quantity of the drugs to be dispensed.

[0112] The quantity calculation unit 402 is used to trigger the dispensing operation and calculate the remaining quantity of the drugs to be dispensed when the prescription quantity of the drugs to be dispensed is greater than the maximum single dispensing quantity of the drugs to be dispensed.

[0113] The dispensing control unit 403 is used to control the self-service dispensing machine to dispense medicine according to the remaining quantity of medicine to be dispensed when all the medicines on the conveyor belt are delivered to the dispensing port, and after dispensing the medicine, control the conveyor belt to move in the direction of dispensing the medicines until the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the remaining quantity of medicines to be dispensed.

[0114] Furthermore, in the second embodiment of the present invention, after the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the remaining quantity of medicines to be dispatched, the method further includes:

[0115] The medicine on the conveyor belt is delivered to the dispensing port, the light-emitting device of the dispensing port is lit, and the dispensing announcement is made.

[0116] When it is detected that there is no medicine at the dispensing port, the light-emitting device of the dispensing port is turned off and the dispensing announcement is stopped.

[0117] Furthermore, in the second embodiment of the present invention, when it is detected that there is no medicine at the dispensing port, the light-emitting device of the dispensing port is turned off and the dispensing announcement is stopped, specifically:

[0118] Real-time image acquisition of the dispensing port;

[0119] Compare the image of the dispensing port with the preset template image;

[0120] When the similarity between the image at the dispensing port and the preset template image is greater than the preset similarity threshold, it is determined that there is no medicine at the current dispensing port. In this case, the light-emitting device at the dispensing port is turned off, and the dispensing announcement is stopped.

[0121] In summary, the second embodiment of the present invention provides a control device for a self-service dispensing machine. Based on the organic integration of modules, it determines the drugs to be dispensed and the prescription quantity of the drugs to be dispensed according to the prescription; obtains the position of the dispensing slot of the drugs to be dispensed in the self-service dispensing machine; determines the dispensing direction of the drugs to be dispensed according to the position of the dispensing slot; controls the dispensing of drugs by the self-service dispensing machine, and whenever the conveyor belt of the self-service dispensing machine receives drugs to be dispensed, it controls the conveyor belt to move in the dispensing direction of the drugs to be dispensed; when the quantity of drugs on the conveyor belt reaches the prescription quantity of the drugs to be dispensed or the maximum single dispensing quantity of the drugs to be dispensed, the drugs on the conveyor belt are transferred to the dispensing port and a dispensing announcement is made; when the prescription quantity of the drugs to be dispensed is greater than the maximum single dispensing quantity of the drugs to be dispensed, a dispensing operation is triggered, and the dispensing process continues. This invention enables precise control of the position of the medicine after dispensing, avoiding overlapping of medicines; it improves the utilization of the conveyor belt by calculating the maximum amount of medicine dispensed at one time; it solves the problem of dispensing abnormalities caused by the limited space of the conveyor belt being unable to accommodate or blockage of the dispensing port due to an excessive number of prescription medicines; and it improves the accuracy and stability of dispensing, as well as the intelligence level of the self-service dispensing machine.

[0122] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above descriptions are merely specific embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In particular, it should be noted that any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention for those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A control method for a self-service dispensing machine, characterized in that, include: The prescription for the drugs to be delivered and the quantity of the drugs to be delivered are determined based on the prescription. Obtain the position of the medicine dispenser for the medicine to be dispensed from the self-service dispensing machine; The direction of movement of the medicine to be dispensed is determined according to the position of the medicine trough of the medicine to be dispensed; Control the dispensing of medicine from the self-service dispensing machine. Whenever the conveyor belt of the self-service dispensing machine receives medicine to be dispensed, control the conveyor belt to move in the direction of dispensing the medicine. When the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the prescription quantity of the medicines to be dispensed or the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed, the medicines on the conveyor belt are transferred to the dispensing port and a dispensing announcement is made; wherein, the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed is determined according to the position of the medicine trough of the medicines to be dispensed.

2. The control method for the self-service dispensing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the dispensing direction of the medicine based on the position of the medicine trough is specifically as follows: Based on the location of the medicine dispenser, the space where the conveyor belt of the self-service dispensing machine is located is divided into two pre-storage spaces. Compare the sizes of the two proposed storage spaces and determine the larger proposed storage space as the storage space for the medicines to be shipped. The direction of the storage space for the drugs to be dispensed is determined as the direction of drug movement.

3. The control method for the self-service dispensing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The maximum amount of medicine to be dispensed in a single dispensing is determined based on the position of the medicine dispenser, specifically: Determine the storage space for the medicines to be dispatched based on the location of the medicine troughs; Based on the size of the storage space for the drugs to be dispensed and the preset size of a single drug, the maximum amount of drugs to be dispensed at one time is calculated.

4. The control method for the self-service dispensing machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the prescription quantity of the medicines to be dispensed or the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed, the method further includes: When the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed, the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed is compared with the prescription quantity. When the number of prescriptions for drugs to be dispensed exceeds the maximum single dispensing quantity of drugs to be dispensed, a dispensing operation is triggered, and the remaining quantity of drugs to be dispensed is calculated. When all the medicines on the conveyor belt are delivered to the dispensing port, the self-service dispensing machine is controlled to dispense medicines according to the remaining quantity of medicines to be dispensed. After dispensing the medicines, the conveyor belt is controlled to move in the direction of dispensing the medicines until the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the remaining quantity of medicines to be dispensed.

5. The control method for the self-service dispensing machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, After the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the remaining quantity of medicines to be shipped, the process further includes: The medicine on the conveyor belt is delivered to the dispensing port, the light-emitting device of the dispensing port is lit, and the dispensing announcement is broadcast. When it is detected that there is no medicine at the dispensing port, the light-emitting device of the dispensing port is turned off and the dispensing announcement is stopped.

6. The control method for the self-service dispensing machine according to claim 5, characterized in that, When it is detected that there is no medicine at the dispensing port, the light-emitting device of the dispensing port is turned off and the dispensing announcement is stopped, specifically: Real-time image acquisition of the dispensing port; Compare the image of the dispensing port with the preset template image; When the similarity between the image at the dispensing port and the preset template image is greater than the preset similarity threshold, it is determined that there is no medicine at the current dispensing port. In this case, the light-emitting device at the dispensing port is turned off, and the dispensing announcement is stopped.

7. A control device for a self-service dispensing machine, characterized in that, include: The module includes a drug identification module, a location acquisition module, a movement direction determination module, a control module, and a transmission module. The drug determination module is used to determine the drugs to be dispensed and the prescription quantity of the drugs to be dispensed based on the prescription. The location acquisition module is used to acquire the location of the medicine dispenser for the medicine to be dispensed in the self-service dispensing machine; The movement direction determination module is used to determine the falling movement direction of the medicine to be dispensed based on the position of the medicine trough of the medicine to be dispensed; The control module is used to control the dispensing of medicine by the self-service dispensing machine. Whenever the conveyor belt of the self-service dispensing machine receives medicine to be dispensed, it controls the conveyor belt to move in the direction of dispensing the medicine. The conveying module is used to convey the medicines on the conveyor belt to the dispensing port and announce the dispensing when the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the prescription quantity of the medicines to be dispensed or the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed; wherein, the maximum single dispensing quantity of the medicines to be dispensed is determined according to the position of the medicine trough of the medicines to be dispensed.

8. The control device for the self-service dispensing machine according to claim 7, characterized in that, The movement direction determination module includes: a spatial division unit, a spatial determination unit, and a direction determination unit; The space division unit is used to divide the space area where the conveyor belt of the self-service dispensing machine is located into two pre-storage spaces based on the location of the medicine slot for the medicine to be dispensed. The space determination unit is used to compare the sizes of the two prepared storage spaces and determine the larger prepared storage space as the storage space for the medicines to be shipped. The direction determination unit is used to determine the direction of the storage space for the medicine to be dispensed as the direction of movement of the medicine to be dispensed.

9. The control device for the self-service dispensing machine according to claim 8, characterized in that, The maximum amount of medicine to be dispensed in a single dispensing is determined based on the position of the medicine dispenser, specifically: Determine the storage space for the medicines to be dispatched based on the location of the medicine troughs; Based on the size of the storage space for the drugs to be dispensed and the preset size of a single drug, the maximum amount of drugs to be dispensed at one time is calculated.

10. The control device for the self-service dispensing machine according to claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes: a dispensing module; the dispensing module includes a comparison unit, a quantity calculation unit, and a dispensing control unit; The comparison unit is used to compare the maximum single dispensing quantity of the drugs to be dispensed with the prescription quantity when the quantity of drugs on the conveyor belt reaches the maximum single dispensing quantity of the drugs to be dispensed. The quantity calculation unit is used to trigger the dispensing operation and calculate the remaining quantity of drugs to be dispensed when the prescription quantity of drugs to be dispensed is greater than the maximum single dispensing quantity of drugs to be dispensed. The dispensing control unit is used to control the self-service dispensing machine to dispense medicine according to the remaining quantity of medicine to be dispensed when all the medicines on the conveyor belt are delivered to the dispensing port, and after dispensing the medicine, control the conveyor belt to move in the direction of dispensing the medicines until the quantity of medicines on the conveyor belt reaches the remaining quantity of medicines to be dispensed.

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